@mbcreative.com

Happy Fourth of July!

When I was younger, though not too much younger, I would think to myself -"Wouldn’t it be great to get paid to read books?"

Well my dream has come true and I do get paid to read books, and write reviews. It’s a true pleasure. However, writing book reviews can also be profitable for an internet marketer. See my post at Internet Based Moms on "How to Write a Book Review"

Have a great weekend!

It is quite likely that the word “that” is the most overused word that we use in the English language.

It is quite likely the word “that” is the most overused word in the English Language.

See how easy it is to remove “That” and still have your content be clear, concise, and correct?

The word “That” as defined by Merriam Webster is:

1 a: the person, thing, or idea indicated, mentioned, or understood from the situation. Example : that is my father

b: the time, action, or event specified. Example: after that I went to bed

c: the kind or thing specified as follows. Example: the purest water is that produced by distillation

d: one or a group of the indicated kind. Example: that‘s a cat — quick and agile

After writing your content, go back and using the find and replace feature on your word processing program, highlight all of the “That” words you find - and get rid of the unnecessary ones.

Clear, concise, and easy to read content consistently performs better and is more enjoyable to read. Pulling “That” is an easy way to clean it up and give it a professional touch.

Hop online and search for information, chances are you’ll find thousands of articles, blog posts, videos, reports, ebooks and general advice on your topic of choice. Trouble is, most of the content fades into the background. Not because it’s poorly written, rather because it’s forgettable - completely forgettable.

To keep readers engaged and coming back for more, business owners must provide both informative and engaging content. I’ve created seven key ingredients to create engaging content. This blog post addresses the first - Active versus Passive writing.

This concept travels all the way back to basic composition class. Active words engage the reader. They pull them into the content. Here’s an example:

The dress was green and hung in the closet. Passive.

The green dress hung in the closet. Active.

The emerald dress hung in the closet collecting dust. Active and descriptive!

What makes the first sentence passive? “Was”

Forms of ‘to be’ slow down a sentence. They leave the reader feeling unfulfilled and many times…bored.

Forms of ‘to be’ include:

• AM
• IS
• ARE
• WAS
• WERE
• BE
• BEING
• BEEN

It’s not always possible to eliminate these words from your content, however whenever possible, kick them out of your content. Play with different sentence constructions to find a way to say what you want to say clearly and as poignantly as possible.

Next post we’ll discuss how and why to quote in your content.

I was interviewed today. The goal of the interview was to educate people on how to find, hire, and work with a ghostwriter because for many business owners that is an intimidating process. I’m generally pretty comfy talking with people in any given situation. Put me in the room with the President, the Pope or Richard Gere and I’d probably be able to hold my own in a conversation. Point is, I’m not afraid to talk. However put me at the center of the attention, make the focus on me and what I have to say and the world starts spinning. My hands begin to shake and a solid and immovable lump forms in my throat preventing coherent speech.

Now put me on the phone where people are asking questions and hoping for coherent answers and you’ve pretty much described my worst fear. I even had an Oprah moment and reminded myself that it wasn’t about me. The entire focus of the interview was to help others and didn’t I want to help others? (You can hear the interview and read the transcript at www.outsourcingsweetie.com)

Didn’t work. It’s why I’m a ghostwriter. I have TONS to say but I’d much rather do it under an assumed name. I don’t want the limelight.

Other characteristics of a ghostwriter.

• We’re happy to work behind the scenes.
• We’re thrilled when a client prefers email over phone consultation.
• When faced with a choice of jumping out of an airplane or giving a speech we say, “Give me the parachute, I’m jumping.”

So what do you think?  What other common traits do ghostwriters share?

I lost full use of my computer last week. In short, the keyboard quit working.

As a writer and content provider this could have been a death sentence. Customers rely on quick response and a constant flow of fresh content.

I managed to make it through the week without incident, and also managed to accomplish a bit of work, however the predicament caused me to reassess some very important business processes.

1. Backup technology is a must. Working at the library isn’t really an option. Backup computer, backup drives, and backup communication (in this case I made a number of phone calls rather than the usual emails but it wouldn’t have worked if I hadn’t had those numbers on file already)

2. Backup or alternative systems are a must. Paper and pen are great but the process is slow and the content still needs to make it onto a doc or txt file. Dragon Naturally Speaking allows you to ‘write’ content by speaking rather than typing.

3. Backup funds are a must. When a computer dies, it must quickly be replaced. This means that money must be in the bank - saving up for a new computer isn’t an option when customers are waiting for their ebook!

What systems do you have in place when technology fails? Will your customers get the attention they deserve? Will the show go on?

Mention the word Monday to most 9-5ers and you’ll most likely get a groan. Mondays are the dreaded beginning of the work week for many.

For the work at home professional, Mondays are for grinning!

Mondays are when the children go to school, the spouse goes to the office and you’re left alone with your quiet thoughts, your faithful companions. (Mine are two cats, a pug and my trusty computer)

Mondays are for diving back into all consuming projects, catching up with favorite clients, and letting your time, intuition, and instincts be your guide. Mondays, in short, rock.

However, not all Mondays are created equal.

Today happens to be the end of the month so an abundance of invoices had to go out and an abundance of payments to the list of contractors that keep me sane each month had to be paid. This Monday began with accounting and if you know any writers personally, accounting just isn’t our thing.

This particular Monday, my children were also home on spring break. Quiet moments alone with my thoughts were few and far between.

This particular Monday my computer decided that not only would the letters N and B on my keyboard be impossible to use, but the space bar, the delete button and all of the arrows would quit too. Time for a new computer.

This particular Monday definitely had some hurdles, and yet…it’s still a better Monday than I ever had when I was a 9-5er.

I managed to write and deliver 5 articles for a new client.

I managed to pay all of my bills and have some cash left over - always a good thing!

I delivered all of my invoices without making a single miscalculation.

I contracted with a new client.

I received three new jobs from ongoing clients.

I ordered a new, and improved, computer.

And I was able to spend the day with my beautiful children.

Yes, Monday had a few hurdles but I’d happily leap over them to live the life I am living as a writer.