The truth is that I know many writers who have written far more than twenty novels. It is not that unusual. In fact, if you are a working writer, the “perfect” output is very close to a book a year. Less often than this, and the readers stop anticipating your next book, and wander to another writer’s literary pasture.

There is a commonality to the behavior patterns of successful writers, and a commonality to the behavior patterns of writers who just can’t get started, can’t get finished, or stall out at their first or third book.

Successful, prolific writers:

1) Write every day. That’s EVERY day. They sit down, open their veins, and bleed into their computers. Yes, it can be painful, but if you don’t maintain this kind of regularity, rust creeps in. The connection between heart, mind and fingers is broken. And we mistake the struggle for our natural state.

2) Read every day. Reading is priming the pump. It is modeling successful behavior. It is increasing vocabulary, studying plot and characterization, and entertaining the little subconscious demons and angels who actually do the deep work. Never neglect this.

3) Set deadlines and quotas. There is a certain amount of work to be done, on a daily basis. It need not be some huge amount—a page a day will create a book a year!

4) Create a writing space, a place that feels comfortable to them. This is both a physical space (a desk) and a psychological space (created with music, posters, familiar objects, etc.) It may also be a temporal space—a specific time of day or night that they write.

5) Have specific goals. They

have committed to being professional writers. This is how they define themselves, and they never forget it. If you accept this definition, then you MUST behave as a professional writer, on a daily basis, or it causes emotional discomfort. They are willing to accept this friendly prod.

6) Don’t listen to the negative voices in their heads. Everyone has them. The voices tell you you can’t, you mustn’t, it isn’t good enough. You must find a way to tell the voices to shut up, to ignore them, or to quiet them. Any flow-based activity will help here: meditation, Tai Chi, yoga, running, Sufi breathing exercises, martial arts…the list is endless. Find one.

7) Are committed to the long-term. They know that if they spend an hour or three a day, every day, for a decade, they will build their career.

Expose themselves to criticism and rejection. In other words, they FINISH their projects, and then SUBMIT those finished projects to editors and agents.

9) Involve other people in their “master mind” group. Successful writers know other writers. And readers. And editors. And agents. They befriend them, recruit them, get feedback from them, and listen to the feedback. This is their “brain trust.” Unsuccessful writers hide in their offices, never finish their work, never send it out to risk rejection.

10) Have W.I.T.—they will do Whatever It Takes to ethically reach their dreams, to become the best they can be. They never quit. They know that success is based less on talent or “who you know” than persistence, hard work, and honesty.

There are more distinctions, but I’m out of time—got to start working on book twenty-one!

NY Times bestselling author Steven Barnes has lectured on storytelling and human consciousness at UCLA, Mensa, and the Smithsonian Institute. He is the creator of the first whole-mind high-performance system system for writers. Learn more at: http://www.lifewriting.biz and http://www.lifewriting.com

With non-fiction books the question of whether or not to write one has to be a business decision, rather as you would take over any new product or service.

With general non-fiction there is usually room for a good new book on the market, provided it’s likely to attract a substantial group of readers because:

·It’s about something entirely new and very interesting that no-one has written about before, or…

·It’s about something that’s not new, but to which you contribute something entirely new and very interesting

So why write a business book? Well, there aren’t many more effective promotional tools. “Having a book published” still holds a certain kudos and perhaps in Pavlov-dog fashion, people automatically associate someone who writes a book about something with that someone being an expert on the subject.

Used correctly, your book will also be a helpful PR tool in other areas, and will make a business gift that has a very high perceived value. But never make the mistake of thinking you will retire to the Bahamas on the proceeds of its sales.

Pick a good title

A book’s title is a very important part of the marketing of a book. With non-fiction and particularly business books, like every other piece of marketing communication the book title has to offer or at least suggest a benefit to the reader.

It’s the title people react to when they see a book displayed, whether that’s on a shelf in a bookstore or online. When people are looking through books you only have one chance to get their attention, which is why your title needs to be powerful enough to stop them in their tracks.

Sub-headings are now quite fashionable and they help a lot to qualify the promised benefit. I’ve used them for two books so far and they work nicely:

Powerwriting: the hidden skills you need to transform your business writing

Canine Capers: over 350 jokes to make your tail wag

There are two basic publishing routes you can choose: self-publishing, or conventional publishing by an external publisher. In addition there are a few hybrid options available, as well as publishing services organizations which offer services to self-publishers on a menu basis.

The conventional publisher

The advantages of getting your book published externally are:

·It gives your book status (less so than in the past, but still good if it’s a well known, respected publisher)

·Your book will be distributed to all the agreed markets at no cost to you

·They will handle and pay for all design, setup, print and production costs

·You’ll probably get paid a small advance on royalties

The disadvantages are:

·They will be in the driving seat, although they will listen to what you want to do

·They will say that they’ll market the book, but many of them won’t (see below)

·You will need to negotiate your contract with them very carefully

·The percentage of each sale you receive will be far less than if you self-publish

Finding a publisher to approach is easy with the Internet. Because publishers tend to stick to specific genres of book (called “lists”) you’ll find them simply by searching for your type of topic via a search engine or on Amazon. There are also print directories of publishers, such as “Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook” in the UK.

Most publishers have websites, and some even give you the option to submit your preliminary book proposal online – which is well worth doing.

Approaching publishers and submitting proposals

If you’re going into a publisher cold, you’re best to start with a covering letter addressed to the correct person, and enclose with the letter a one-sheet on which you describe the essence of the book. Then wait for feedback before you submit proposals.

You’ll find all the main elements of typical proposals, and details of how to write them well – in my eBook, “Get Yourself Published.” (See below.)

Once you have submitted your detailed proposals you may have to wait quite a while – several weeks – before you hear anything.

The offer and the contract

If you get the green light, the publisher will come back with a formal offer, saying “yes, we want to publish your book.” The “offer” part of it is the advance on royalties – but don’t expect much! Advances are normally paid in 2 or 3 tranches with payment points at signing of the contract, delivery of the manuscript, and publication.

Until you sign a contract you’re not under any obligation to proceed, even though you will have accepted the publisher’s offer. There are a number of key areas you need to take special care over, and you’ll find details of those in my eBook, “Get Yourself Published” http://www.bookshaker.com/product_info.php?products_id=83

Self-publishing

As the nuts-and-bolts elements of book production become cheaper through the advancement of technology, self-publishing becomes increasingly attractive for some business book writers. With modern print-on-demand facilities, too, you avoid the need to have hundreds or thousands of copies printed initially just to keep the unit cost down. Now you can have a handful of books printed at a time and still keep the unit cost within reason.

The advantages of self-publishing (as I see it) are:

·You do not have to answer to anyone else on design, content, editing, etc

·You do not have to spend any time on finding or convincing a publisher to take your book on

·You get to keep all profit from book sales

The disadvantages of self-publishing (as I see it) are:

·You have to find the money to get the book produced

·You can get editorial and design support, but you have to pay for it

·You have to organise and pay for distribution of your book

·You will not find it easy to get your book on to Amazon and into other key distribution channels

·You have to run a publishing business as well as whatever else you do

Commercial sponsors

In some circumstances it may be useful to get involved with a commercial sponsor. Who this is depends on the nature of your book. If, say, you have written a cookery book about pizzas, you might get interest from a national chain of pizza restaurants. If your book is about cats, you might get together with a catfood manufacturer. If your book is about DIY property renovation, you might get interest from a chain of DIY stores. And so-on.

Well, now that you’ve decided on a publishing route … it’s time to write your book.

2. Writing your book

A daunting prospect? Not if you approach it methodically. Here are some tips.

When you come to write the book and are faced with what many people call that “huge, impossible project,” here’s a trick that I was taught when shivering with fear about my first book.

Forget thinking about your book as one project. Think of it as XX discrete projects (one for each chapter.) Get that notion fixed firmly in your mind. 15 writing projects of 4,000 words each feels a lot more comfortable than one writing project of 60,000 words. You also get a greater sense of achievement as you’re working through the book, because the completion of each chapter becomes a major milestone.

Planning and structure

Don’t try to rush the planning stage and don’t rush into writing the first chapter. Carry a notebook around with you and scribble ideas, reminders and any other inspiration you get while doing the chores or shopping for groceries. Play around with spider maps or PC based mind-mapping programmes or whatever works best for you. The time spent will repay itself many times over.

With non-fiction of any kind it helps enormously to work to a closely defined structure. Spend a good chunk of time planning your chapters and ensuring they run in the right order. Subdivide the chapters down into bullet point structure of their own and flesh that out as far as you can.

If you’re going to use research material you need to assemble it and file it under each chapter of your book. Particularly if the research material is printed on paper, assemble it in the same order as the running order of each chapter. That way you don’t have to leaf through piles of material to find what you want.

If you have collated information electronically, read through it all and cut and paste the bits you want into another document, so that it runs in the order that your chapter runs. Then have it available as a document called “Chapter X, background research” which you can either open in a separate window while you’re working or print out and refer to on paper.

Chapter breakdown

Using your word processing software, separate the chapter breakdown into one document for each chapter. If you prefer to work with pens or pencils you can print out the document so that each subject heading heads up one page, then staple those pages together in order.

Now, start writing more bullets and notes under each subject heading. Leave plenty of space between them so you can add sub-notes and sub-sub-notes. Add in the information you want to include from your research material (this is much easier to do

on a computer) in the appropriate places.

Work through this process without hurrying, but keep going for as long as you feel the creative energy flow. Once you have incorporated the bare bones of all information you feel needs to go into that chapter, stop and take a short break. Then go back to the chapter and edit your notes as necessary. The break is important; even if you only leave it for an hour or two. The fact of thinking about something else for a while means you look at your work from a refreshed viewpoint.

Writing it up

Now you need to take the plunge and start writing prose. Because you have mapped out the content of your chapter so carefully and thoroughly, you’ll find that some it has already started to write itself. Your job then becomes one of linking and smoothing, rather than having to think up stuff from scratch. This method doesn’t remove the fear of writing altogether (if you’re that way inclined) but it certainly makes it a lot easier.

Then, when you finish the final chapter, take at least a week off from the project. Looking at your work again, you’ll see a number of things that could be improved without really trying. And passages, paragraphs and even whole chapters that previously seemed OK but not quite there, will now look definitely not there! However because you’re coming back into it with renewed energy and vigour, what may have seemed like a difficult problem to rectify initially will now be much easier to put right.

Your own edit

Take your time over your editing process. And most important of all, be hard on yourself. Put yourself firmly in the shoes of a potential reader and ask yourself if – in this role – you would a) understand everything and b) find it interesting. If the answer is no to either then rewrite the section concerned until it IS a) understandable and b) interesting.

Be mindful of the final word count required for your book. If you’re over by a small amount, prune back unnecessary adjectives and adverbs (something you should do anyway.) If you’re over by a large amount you will need to think in terms of removing whole paragraphs or even whole chapters. It’s far better to remove large chunks than it is to prune the existing text too hard. Too much pruning will make it stilted and difficult to follow.

If you’re under the word count and you don’t need to keep some in hand in case other chapters are too long, don’t try to pad your work out to make it longer. This will make your book less crisp and lively. Instead – depending on the subject matter of course – insert examples, verbal illustrations, short case histories, charts, graphics or any other interesting material that supports your key messages without lengthening them.

Usually you can put material like this into a “box” so that it is seen to be separate from the main text. This way readers aren’t interrupted as they go through your text, and can look at the “box” when they’ve finished reading the paragraph or section concerned.

The external editor

If your book is being published externally, once you’ve finished your edit the manuscript will go the publisher’s editor. Once the edit comes back to you, you’ll have the opportunity to go through the issues raised by the editor and dispute their recommendations if you feel they’re wrong. Then when everyone is happy with the result, your manuscript goes into production.

If you’re producing the book yourself you don’t, in theory, need to use an editor at all. However unless you’re a professional writer by trade, if you’re self-publishing it makes a lot of sense to use a pro editor to have a look at your work. An informed but unbiased extra expert on the case will help you sharpen up your text and will pick up on all the little details that you – being so close to the material – may have overlooked.

And there you are – a finished manuscript! Now, to the final stage…

3. Producing and selling your book

If your book is being published externally you won’t have a huge involvement with the production process. This means that you’re relieved of the hassle and expense of production, but on the other hand you won’t have all that much control over how your book looks. Publishers will usually send you cover designs to look at as a courtesy, but don’t automatically assume they’ll change the designs if you happen to hate them.

Often a business or other non-fiction book will be published as part of a series of titles and so will have to be designed with a “family resemblance” to the other books in the series. Other times the design will be dictated by the publisher’s corporate image and colours. Usually, though, if your complaint is well founded they will listen and may well make some alterations to keep you happy.

“You can’t judge a book by its cover” — but it helps!

If you’re self-publishing you’re free, of course, to have whatever you like on the cover. Even if you have strong ideas about how it should look, in your shoes I would invest in a professional design for the cover. Particularly if you’re going to sell the book remotely (i.e. without your being there) that cover is the only real point-of-sale tool you have – so it needs to be good.

Publishing services companies usually offer cover design as a service. If you use an independent graphic designer, ask to see samples of his/her work on book covers before you commission yours. Although designing book covers is not rocket science you do need to know about how books are racked in bookstores, how to display the title, where to put what words, etc.

You will also need to compose your jacket copy to go on the cover. This usually consists of two chunks of sales copy about the book and one short chunk about you, the author. However how many sections and how many words in each will be determined when the cover is designed, and that should happen first.

Just as the title and cover design are critical elements at the point of sale for your book, so is the jacket copy. This has to sell hard enough to make them carry your book all the way to the checkout and stay there until they’ve paid for it. If you’re self-publishing and don’t feel you can create the snappy words required, hire a pro copywriter to do it. It won’t cost very much as it shouldn’t take them long to complete, and it will be well worthwhile.

How the main text looks

When you’re setting your raw text out for uploading to the designer and production people, start as you mean to continue by ensuring that paragraphs are reasonably short and that you break up your text with some or a mixture of the following:

·Section headings in bold, larger point size than main text

·Cross headings in bold and perhaps underlined

·Emboldened words and phrases as I’ve done in this document – not too many though

·Phrases pulled out from the text and centred, as a cross heading

·Small diagrams, charts, photographs

·Bullet points and numbered lists, if appropriate

Remember, for readers there’s nothing more offputting than long, unbroken blocks of text. And you want them to read all of your book, don’t you?

Marketing and selling your book

Publishers say they do marketing, but the reality is they don’t do much. And it really is annoying when you think that they are taking the lion’s share of the proceeds from your book sales. So if you want your book to be marketed, you have two choices.

The first choice is to hire a publicist. This is quite popular among American business gurus and public speakers who do not have the time but do have the money. Opinions are divided on whether or not you will get back what you pay the publicist in extra book sales you wouldn’t have had otherwise.

The second, and the more realistic choice for most of us, is to DIY. To achieve that without spending big bucks you need to consider a number of important points following publication of your book. You’ll find details of all that and much more in my eBook, “Get Yourself Published” http://www.bookshaker.com/product_info.php?products_id=83

Well, that’s it – with luck you’ll sell a good number of books. Enjoy the experience!

Canadian-born Suzan St Maur is an international business writer and author based in the United Kingdom. In addition to her consultancy work for clients in Europe, the USA, Canada and Australia, she contributes articles to more than 150 business websites and publications worldwide, and has written twelve published books on business writing, marketing, publishing and humor. Check out all her current books here.

To subscribe to her free biweekly business writing tips eZine, TIPZ from SUZE, click here.

(c) Suzan St Maur 2003 – 2005

I’ll say this just once, so listen carefully, your potential customers have one question when they read a letter ‘what’s in it for me?’ If you don’t answer that immediately you’ve lost them and your letter will be winging its way to the bin. Speak to your customer, put their needs first. Avoid using the word ‘we’ and try using ‘you’ the truth, the whole truth. Building credibility is key in a sales letter. If you have testimonials then use them, don’t make over exaggerated claims about your product or

service and don’t use millions of exclamation marks!!!! Use success stories or short case studies to illustrate how you have helped customers but keep the focus on what you can do for the customer. Do have some brief information about your company, but put it further down the letter. Keep it to the point and unique to your business. No standard corporate speak thank you! Blow your trumpet about benefits. The biggest trap most people fall into is talking about the features instead of benefits. You need to think about all the reasons people would choose to use your product/service and why they should choose you over your competitors – can you save them money, get rid of hassle, increase their profits, and change their life? Think about what causes your potential customers problems and how your product or service solves them.

For more information, visit the following web sites :

http://www.the-gurus-apprentice.com

http://www.web-sales-letter-supreme.com

Don’t talk about the color or size of your new super widget, instead explain how the widget saves 10 hours and is half the cost of the product they are currently using The long and short of it. Sitting there wondering whether your letter should be one or six pages long? This argument has been debated since the Greeks were writing their sales letters on parchment (although I’m guessing they stuck to short copy). There are no hard and fast rules for which one will work or go to www.10steps-to-killer-web-copy.com Long copy works for some markets and for some products. Just be aware it isn’t a one fit solution (and nor is short copy). Long copy is generally better suited for selling (if someone already has an established interest in your product it may work) but it is not great for generating leads or giving information. The other issue in the UK is that long copy has become synonymous with fraudsters and scams. It does have its place but needs to be a carefully crafted story that leads the customer to a purchase.

The Hero’s Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the Hollywood movies we have deconstructed are based on this template.

Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters.

The Hero’s Journey:

a) Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.

b) Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.

c) Interpreted metaphorically, laterally and symbolically, allows an infinite number of varied stories to be created.

and more…

Sample Movie Deconstructed: Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

FADE IN: context; Detroit ; working class neighbourhoods.

Hero’s character and capabilities: Axel pretends to be a crook; selling contraband.

Hero in his Ordinary World: in the police station.

Hero’s status: other cops follow him around; seek his attention.

Meeting the Interdictor: Inspector Todd.

Foreshadow of the Interdiction: Todd warns Axel.

Meeting the Herald / Foreshadow of the Journey: Axel meets Mikey; the bonds.

Hero and Mikey’s backstory: Axel and Mikey playing pool. References to the Supernatural Aid: Jenny Summers.

Developing the relationship between Hero and Herald: Mikey took the fall for Axel; Mikey loves Axel.

Meeting the Antagonist’s Lieutenant: Zack turns up.

Unbearable Antagonism: Zack kills Mikey.

Interdiction: Foley’s boss warns Axel not to interfere with the investigation.

Breaking the Interdiction: Axel goes to Beverly Hills.

Crossing into the First Threshold: Axel in Beverly Hills.

New World and strange creatures of the First Threshold: the strange characters of Beverly Hills .

Hero is a fish out of water in the First Threshold: the bag in the front seat sequence.

Threshold Guardian: the hotel is full; getting a room in the hotel.

Meeting Allies: Serge.

Meeting the Supernatural Aid: Jenny Summers.

Discussing the coming Journey: Axel asks Jenny about Mikey.

Mentor guides the hero toward the Antagonist: Jenny guides Axel toward Victor Maitland.

Threshold Guardian to the Antagonist and his Lieutenant: Victor’s secretary.

Meeting the Antagonist and his lieutenant: Axel walks into Victor’s office.

Physical Separation: Axel gets thrown out of the window.

Journey to the World of the Transformation: the police arrest Axel.

Entering the New World of the Transformation: “this is the cleanest police car in the world; the nice police station; the clean cell…”

Meeting the Shape Shifter: Taggart punches Axel.

Meeting Other Allies: Bogomil makes Taggart apologize. Referencing the Journey: Bogomil discusses Victor Maitland and the Interdiction; Billy Rosewood takes Axel to the cell.

Saved by the Mentor / Encouraged toward the Trials: Jenny bails out Axel.

Mentor reveals back story of the Antagonist: Jenny tells Axel about Victor Maitland.

Hero already a master of the First Threshold: Axel orders room service; comfortable in the expensive hotel.

Trial 1: evading Taggart and Rosewood with the free meal and the bananas.

Trial 2: Finding the coffee grounds and seeing the bonds unloaded.

Developing the challenges of the Allies: the anti – banana disguise sequence; Taggart is uptight; Rosewood doesn’t stand up for himself.

Warnings of Trial 3: Jennie won’t bail Axel out again.

Journey to Trial 3: Axel commands the security guard.

Developing the character and challenges of allies: Taggart and Rosewood waiting sequence.

Trial 3: Axel takes control and checks Victor Maitland’s crate.

Developing the character and challenges of allies: Rosewood tells Taggart he eats

a lot of red meat.

Trial 3 [intercut part 2]: Axel gets some communication…

Hero and Ally relationships developed: Axel jumps in Taggart and Rosewood’s car. They go to a strip joint.

Seizing the Sword: Axel prevents the robbery in the strip joint; wins the trust of Taggart and Rosewood.

Near Death Experience and Allies Inner Challenge: the super cop story doesn’t wash; Bogomil plays by the book; Taggart and Rosewood are off the case.

Reward: the new team; “look man, I ain’t falling for no banana in the tailpipe…”

Threshold Guardian to the Atonement with the Father: the maitre de at the restaurant; pretending to have an STD.

Atonement with the Father: Alex gate crashes Victor’s lunch; overpowers Zack.

Apotheosis: Alex tells Bogomil about the coffee grounds and that he suspects Maitland.

Ultimate Boon: Synergy: all the Beverly Hills Cops are on Axel’s side now…Bogomil understands the meaning of the coffee grounds.

Refusal of the Return: Bogomil argues that Axel doesn’t have the information to issue a search warrant.

Warned away form the Final Confrontation: the Chief wants Axel outta here.

Magic Flight: Rosewood told to escort Axel to the city limits.

Ally conquering his inner challenge: Rosewood argues Axel’s case; he begins to stand up for himself.

Foreshadow of the Final Conflict: Victor Maitland interrogates Jenny.

Rescue from Without: Axel convinces Rosewood to take him to the warehouse.

Convergence: Axel., Rosewood, Jennie and Serge together in the art gallery.

Border of the Return Crossing: Axel et al outside the warehouse.

Crossing the Return Threshold: inside the warehouse; finding the drugs.

Pushed towards the Final Confrontation: Axel gets caught.

Antagonist reveals himself: Maitland confronts Axel and Jenny.

Pushing the Ally Transformation and setting up the Final Conflict: Jenny put in the car; Rosewood has to act alone and rescue Axel..

Antagonist’s lieutenant reveals himself: Zack reveals that he “popped his little buddy…”

Ally overcomes Inner Challenge: Rosewood rescues Axel; commands Taggart to meet him.

Convergence: Taggart et al find out that Rosewood et al are at Maitland’s house.

Warning against the Final Confrontation: Taggart warns Axel and Rosewood not to enter Maitland’s house.

Master of the Two Worlds: Axel, Taggart and Rosewood enter Maitland’s house; Rosewood reveals his new self; Maitland and Zack defeated; rescue Jenny; Bogomil comes on side [see Final Confrontation ].

Freedom to Live: Bogomil overcome shis Inner Challenge [confronts the Chief with a super cop story; doesn't play by the book]. Taggart is relaxed enough to go for a drink. Medals: the robes.

Learn more…

The Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and other story structure templates can be found at http://www.clickok.co.uk/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

**********************************

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author’s name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. His specialities include Knowledge Management and Creativity and Innovation Management. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached at http://www.clickok.co.uk/

That’s a program, a communication technology, that allows you to trigger long strings of text, including names and email addresses, with just a couple of keystrokes.

For example, I often have to write out the name of my book, A Manager’s Guide to Newsletters: Communicating for Results. With a macro, I simply type “mgx” (without the quotation marks) to write out the first half of the title (up to the colon), or “mgc” to write out the full title.

If you’ve used them yourself, you know how handy it is to be able to have shortcuts to commonly-used pieces of text (also called boilerplate).

Almost every kind of writing uses commonly-repeated words and names, and once you get used to using macros, they save a lot of time that would otherwise be spent hammering on the keyboard.

They’re especially useful for snippets of text that involve hard- to-reach characters on the keyboard. For example, when you type an email address, you have to reach to the upper left corner of the screen to hit the “@” key. So, I have macros for commonly used email addresses: “abcx” for “abbottr@managersguide.com” and “ralx” for “robert@abbottletter.com“

As the latter macro suggests, it helps to have a shortcut that resembles the text that will be written out. You can also use keyboard function keys or combinations of keystrokes as your shortcuts, whatever works best for you.

It’s also helpful, if you don’t already have shortcuts or macros, to start with a few and add them slowly. That way you don’t have to think

about them; each becomes well established in your memory. In my experience, if you have to stop and look for the shortcut, you’ve probably lost much of the advantage that’s gained by using them.

In the same vein, consider boilerplate email messages. I use the Eudora email program, which calls them ‘stationery’ and makes their use relatively easy. In this case, you’re not just shortcutting a word or phrase — you’re shortcutting an entire email message. Some other email programs allow you to do the same sort of thing.

To create a piece of stationery, simply open a new email message form and put in your return address, the subject line, and the text of the message. Then save it as a stationery file in an appropriate folder. When you need to send that message again, simply get a copy from the folder, insert the address of the person you want to contact, and click the Send button.

You could, of course, do essentially the same thing with a macro program, but it’s faster and easier if your email program lets you create these boilerplate messages.

I use stationery messages for routine thank-yous, for follow-ups on various projects, and for responding to certain types of inquiries. You wouldn’t use them for important messages or messages requiring a personalized response.

However you do it, the important thing is to use boilerplate tools when you can. They’re one of the easiest and most effective tools for time-efficient writing.

About The Author

Robert F. Abbott writes and publishes Abbott’s Communication Letter. Each week subscribers receive, at no charge, a new communication tip that helps them lead or manage more effectively. Click here for more information: http://www.CommunicationNewsletter.com

abbottr@maagersguide.abbottr@managersguide.com

You need to get creative. You need to write more, and sell more.

Here are five EASY ways to do that:

=> 1. Multiply the ways you use your material

When you get an assignment and begin your research, think “multiple use” from the outset.

For example, let’s say you have an assignment from a fitness magazine to write about the glycemic index. Sit down and make a list of possible other uses for your research. If you’re writing for a magazine targeted to women, you could rework the material for men’s markets, parenting magazines, even animal magazines. You could write small filler pieces of less than 100 words for “front of book” sections in other magazines.

Don’t stop there. Do a Web search for other markets. Think of: magazines and newspapers in countries other than your own, Web sites, and large companies which may be interested in using your information to inform their consumers.

There are always a million ways you can get more mileage out of your material. Start thinking creatively now.

=> 2. Get multiple assignments from a single source

When an editor has given you an assignment, send that editor more proposals. It’s always easier to sell something to a current customer than it is to a new customer. Send your current customers (editors) one proposal a month. The more often they see your name crossing their desk, the more they’re inclined to give you an assignment they’ve developed in-house.

=> 3. Sit down and write—research later

Write first, research later. This sounds counter-intuitive, but it helps you to write more and sell more. It’s easy to get caught in the quagmire of research. You can collect so much material that you lose all enthusiasm for the project—the more you collect, the more overwhelmed you feel.

For example, let’s say you’re writing a novel. Your hero is a cop. You don’t need to know that much about his day-to-day working life to write the first draft. You don’t need to know specifics of weapons used, or any of a hundred other things. Focus on the characters and the story. Do some research as you go, but aim to do the bulk of your research after you’ve written the first draft.

Here’s how: when you get to a spot in the ms where you need specific info, put: “XX Research”. You can add a comment about the kind of research: primary, or secondary, and where you’ll get the material. Or just put the old printers’ mark: “TK” meaning “to come”.

If you’re writing a magazine article about a topic you know nothing about, create an outline before you begin to research. Your outline can be as simple as:

Who, What, When, Where, Why and How. Then write your article as you do the research. Hint: with this technique, you’ll write more than you need, so be ruthless when you edit.

=> 4. Write about what you’re living

What’s happening in your life right now? Whatever it is, use it. You must use it right now, because chances are that you won’t be able to use it later. Time moves on, you become a different person.

Here’s how this works. Let’s say you’re a new parent—bingo! You have a mass of markets you can write for. You also have a lot of first-person, real-life information which is coming into your life without you having to do anything much at all.

Maybe you’ve started back at school as a mature age student, or you’re taking a course in something new to you. Before you stroll into the door for the first seminar, start lining up markets you could approach with stories about your new field.

You must make use of this “found” information now, when you’re in the midst of living it. If you don’t, you’re missing a great opportunity. You will also find that as this period of your life passes, you won’t be able to write about it. A couple of years ago I was asked to contribute to a parenting manual. OK, I thought, not a problem, I’ve had children. Sadly, it turned out to be a major problem. My children are adults. I found it horribly difficult to put myself into the mindset of the parents of young children.

Write about what you’re living NOW.

=> 5. Write about what you love

What intrigues you? What do you do in your spare time? Do you garden, knit, breed Great Danes? Whatever you do as a hobby can be a money-maker for you. There’s nothing so esoteric that there’s not a market out there.

The benefit of writing about your passions is that you can write easily about it. You have the basic knowledge. You know what concerns other people have. Write about them.

Remember that you don’t need to be an expert. Once you’re an expert, it’s hard to write for beginners. Write about what you love, and watch your sales multiply.

Get started right now, writing more, and selling more. It’s truly easy. You’ll find that when you use these five tools each day, they will become part of you, and your writing career will take off.

Turn words into money! Subscribe to copywriter and author AngelaBooth’s new free ezine, Write For Cash.Discover how to turn your own words, or someone else’s into money. Thenew Web boom is upon us, so content has never been more important, ormore valuable. Each issue contains a strategy and a product:information you can use immediately. If you want to build a globalbusiness from the comfort of your easy chair, subscribe today.

Fitness Tips – diet plan, exercises, weight loss and gain muscles latest information.

You keep hearing that there’s work out there, but so far you haven’t found any. Well, where is it? That depends on what you’re looking for. Are you looking for a freelance writing JOB? Or a MARKET? Or both?

First let’s concentrate on JOBS.

Online Job Sites (in no particular order):

John Hewitt’s Writing Center – This site also has a lot to offer writers. For job information, see Freelance Forum.

http://www.poewar.com

News Jobs

http://www.newsjobs.net

Media Bistro – This site offers daily media news and updates. You have to register with the site in order to see job information, but registration is free. Simply click on Find A Job. Media Bistro also offers insider’s tips such as “How to Pitch to U.S. Weekly.”

http://www.mediabistro.com

Sunoasis Jobs – Offers regional, telecommuting and freelance job information.

http://www.sunoasis.com

Writers Write – This is a mega site offering writers job information, market information, tools, articles and resources. To find a job, click on “Job Listings” and then choose your preference from there.

http://www.writerswrite.com

Telecommuting Jobs for Writers – This site offers just what the title page says it does. Check frequently for updates.

http://216.71.194.152/new/writers.shtml

Write Link – This is a comprehensive UK site for writers. Write Link also offers a free newsletter including jobs and market information.

http://www.writelink.dabsol.co.uk

FreelanceWriting.com – This site also offers both job information and a guidelines database. In addition, this site includes moderated writing discussion forums.

http://www.freelancewriting.com

Writing-World.com – Remember Inkspot? If you don’t, Inkspot was a terrific site for writers that was shut down due to financial problems a year or so ago. Writing-World takes over where Inkspot left us. The site is owned by Moira Allen, one of the original writers for the Inkspot site. The site features a lot of valuable information and resources for writers, including publishers who are seeking submissions and market information.

http://www.writing-world.com

Publisher’s Weekly – The Publisher’s Weekly site is a must-bookmark for writers. Not only does it have a classifieds section, and sections for jobs in both the publishing and library fields, but it also keeps you in touch with what is going on in the world of publishing. From cookbooks to mysteries, children’s books to sports titles, Publisher’s Weekly knows what’s selling and who’s making the best deals.

http://publishersweekly.reviewsnews.com/index.asp?publication=publishersweekly

Her Corner.com – This site features job information, market information, quotes, how-to articles and other writer resources.

http://www.hercorner.com

Writers Weekly – One of the most valuable services this site offers, other than job and market information, is its warnings page. Updating the warnings weekly in their free newsletter, Angela and Richard Hoy make sure that writers have the information they need to avoid being scammed.

http://www.writersweekly.com

Other Sources of Job Information

Another source of writing jobs is the classified section of your local paper. What? You say your newspaper doesn’t have an employment section titled “Writers Wanted”? Mine doesn’t either.

Look for companies who a) have advertisements for several positions, b) are looking for engineers, c) are looking for marketing personnel. If a company is advertising for several positions, odds are it is understaffed and in need of help with brochures, report generation, and/or marketing. If a company is in need of an engineer, either the outgoing or incoming engineer might like some help with report generation in order to free his/her time for other tasks. If a company is looking for marketing personnel, call or send a letter offering to prepare a marketing plan for the company. As a writer, odds are you’re proficient in self-promotion. Put this to

work for you by showing this company how you can promote THEM.

Classified sections of major metropolitan papers might be helpful in your search for freelance work, too. Check them out online. Online sites such as Monster.com and Headhunter.com can cut down your search time a great deal. Enter keywords such as writer, copywriter, technical writer, freelance writer, and telecommute and see what a search yields.

Peter Bowerman in THE WELL-FED WRITER swears by cold-calling corporations in your area and offering your assistance with advertising, copywriting, etc. If this is something you’re interested in, I suggest you check out Mr. Bowerman’s book or his web site. Mr. Bowerman also offers a free newsletter filled with tips for making money freelancing.

Now, on to MARKETS:

Online Markets (again, in no particular order):

Wooden Horse Publishing – This site offers a free newsletter and an extensive database of market information, including many editorial calendars. While the database isn’t free, you can try it out for a day for only $1.95.

http://www.woodenhorsepub.com

Writer’s Market.com – This one isn’t free either and you might balk at paying for this information, especially if you have already bought the book. The site does offer some free tips and other information; and if you don’t mind paying for the market information, the Writer’s Market site claims that it has many updates per day.

http://www.writersmarket.com/index_ns.asp

The Market List, A Resource for Genre Fiction Writers – If you write sci-fi, romance or mystery short stories, this is a good place to look for markets.

http://www.marketlist.com

For Writers

http://forwriters.com/markets.html

Jacqui Bennett Writers Bureau

http://www.jbwb.co.uk/markets.html

Colossal Directory of Children’s Publishers Online – This site offers tips and how-to articles as well as other resources, too.

http://www.signaleader.com/childrens-writers/

Mystery and Writers Links

http://www.orchardpressmysteries.com/links.html

The Writer’s Lounge – This site includes “101 Paying Markets” as well as a lot of other writer resources.

http://www.writerslounge.com

News, Markets of Interest to Writers

http://www.writers-editors.com/writers/News_Items/news_items.htm

Sell Writing Online

http://www.sellwritingonline.com

Our Creative Space – Offers information about children’s publishers. See “Publishing Links.”

http://www.ourcreativespace.com

Markets for Writers – Periodicals

http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/Culture/WFNS/periodicals.html

Other Sources of Market Information:

The magazines/publishers themselves – Write or call and ask for writers’ guidelines or an editorial calendar. If the publisher has a web site, you can request the information via email.

Magatopia.com – Free Online Magazines – This site doesn’t provide market information but is still a valuable resource. The magazines include JANE, COSMOPOLITAN, DISCOVER, FAMILY FUN, ATLANTIC MONTHLY and many more. You can click on the magazine of your choice and read a couple of online articles to give you more of a feel for the magazine.

Your Library – If you don’t want to buy a current copy of WRITER’S MARKET, NOVEL & SHORT STORY WRITER’S MARKET, ROMANCE WRITER’S MARKET, etc., check your local library’s reference section to see if these titles are there. If they aren’t you might be able to see them via an inter-library loan. While there, check out the magazines you’re interested in writing for. Back issues can usually be checked out. If you have an idea for a children’s book, check out some books with similar themes to see what has worked before. Also check out HIGHLIGHTS FOR CHILDREN, CRICKET, and/or some other children’s magazines to get a feel for what children are reading and what children’s publishers are buying.

I hope this helps!

Gayle Trent is the author of the e-book SELF-PROMOTION FOR THE EMERGING WRITER, available for $5 US at http://www.graceabraham.com. Gayle’s most recent novel is a comedic mystery titled BETWEEN A CLUTCH AND A HARD PLACE, available from Grace Abraham Publishing.

I personally chose freelance writing as an actual calling. I aim to do something I absolutely love to do while getting paid for it. I spend a lot of money on research materials, computer software, books, ink, and other writing tools. I also spend a good deal of time simply researching my markets. I would hope to get a decent compensation, especially when what I am writing might help some other chap make money.

With that said, I do write for free at times. I’m doing it right now. This article that you are reading isn’t going to be added as a clip to any résumé of mine, but it is a simple promotional tool. It promotes me as a writer. Invariably, there are several good reasons to write for free, though there are a couple of good ones not to write for free. Below is a small list of reasons to do so.

1. In some cases, writing an article in a newly established (or small but reputable) literary journal or ezine can help a new writer develop a repertoire. Small presses usually struggle to stay afoot and cannot afford to pay their contributors any royalties. One great thing about publishing for free with some of these presses is that they may actually become larger. If that happens, well, you’ve already established yourself as a writer with them and you’ve got the clips to prove it.

2. If a writer has a book or a website to promote, he or she can write (for free, of course) articles in ezines. People who read the articles can then click on a link to the author’s book or web page.

3. There are times when a message is bigger than the act of writing. For example, if a writer is looking to spread the word on a charitable organization, or has figured out a way to create world peace, well then, it might be best to shoot the article out to hundreds of places on the Net for absolutely free.

Okay, so there are some pretty decent reasons to send your work off for free, but here are some things you should keep in mind before writing for an empty hand.

1. Many websites make

money from the content on their sites. They will place adds on their sites that automatically match certain keywords in the articles that are submitted. So, you don’t get paid for your hard work, but the Webmaster is getting paid. Think about the sites where you are submitting your work and weigh the benefits.

2. Think about the copyright, the copyright, and don’t forget to think about the copyright. (Redundancy intended). Will you retain the rights to your work? Can that ‘publisher’ turn around and sell your article for a profit? Any time you have something on the Internet, whether you get paid for it or not, it is considered published. Many paying entities would like to have first rights to an article or a literary piece. ‘First rights’ means that the article was never before published. Be very careful when posting your articles on the Net for free, especially if you can make a good penny from them from a reputable publisher.

3. Beware of vanity vultures. The Internet is swarming with people trying to make money from writers. If a ‘publishing company’ offers you the chance to have your work published ‘for free’ (free to you, and of course, free to them), be cautious. Poetry peddlers are infamous for such a lure. Poets are offered a chance to have their works published in special leather bound anthologies, but never get paid for their work. Even worse, these poets are told that they will have to pay for the anthology! Always check the company before floating your work into their lairs. You should be able to see a sample of the type of work that they publish.

In summary, it is really easy to get something you wrote somewhere. The question you must ask is whether you want to be paid for it, whether you will really gain any notoriety from it, and whether it will satisfy any promotional needs of yours.

Have fun writing.

Devrie Paradowski is an aviation weather forecaster and part time freelance writer. She has written several weather related articles for her local newspaper, “The White Falcon.” Her creative pieces have been featured by “Adagio Verse Quarterly,” “Meeting of the Minds Journal,” “Poetry Renewal Magazine,” and “Eclips E-Zine”. She has also written dozens of content articles for the web, including such sites as Pagewise, Poetryscams.com, and Literaryescape.com. She is the author of a small poetry chapbook called “Something in the Dirt,” which can be found at http://www.lulu.com/devrie

What I mean by rhythm is how the writing sounds. The rhythm of the words and sentences. It’s a subtle aspect of writing, one not normally talked about, but that doesn’t lessen its importance.

Unfortunately, rhythm is also tough to teach (which is probably why it isn’t talked about very much). It’s something felt deep inside, like it is with music. It isn’t as straight forward as pointing out a grammar error. What makes it tougher is that everyone has his/her own style and own unique rhythm. However, these three tips should get you started thinking about your own writing rhythm and how to improve it.

1. Watch out for long sentences. In fact, you might want to consider avoiding them altogether.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with long sentences. And there are times where longer sentences are necessary (see next tip — but note I said longer and not long). The problem is that long sentences have a tendency to turn into flabby sentences.

Think of a sentence as an eel. The longer it gets, the more slippery and elusive it becomes. Long sentences are sentences just waiting to slither far away and completely out of your control.

So what’s going on with long sentences? One problem is they’re tiring to read. By the time readers reach the end of a long sentence, they’ve most likely forgotten the subject/verb/point of the sentence. And they’re probably too tired or too lazy or too busy to go back to the beginning of the sentence and sort the whole thing out.

Another problem is long sentences lack punctuation. Punctuation is a big part of rhythm. The start and stop of a period. The bated breath of an em-dash. Think of punctuation as your percussion section.

But when you write a long sentence, all you have to work with is the quiet sigh of the unobtrusive comma. Yes, they have their place. But it’s a subtler instrument. (Think triangle rather than kettledrum.)

A good rule of thumb is to make sure a single sentence doesn’t go over 30 words. If it does, strongly consider breaking it in two. Or three.

2. Vary sentence length. In music, a steady beat is usually a good thing. In writing, it’s considered one of the deadly sins. (Okay, not really. But it still isn’t good writing.)

If every sentence is the same length, your writing is going to get pretty dull pretty quick. You need short sentences, longer sentences (but not too long) medium length sentences and very short sentences.

How do you know if your sentences are all the

same? Does your piece sound monotonous? Are you getting a sing-song voice in your head when you read it? Better take a closer look at those sentence lengths. They’re probably all pretty close to being the same.

3. Sentence fragments are a good thing. Forget your fourth-grade English teacher. Forget that obnoxious green line in Microsoft Word telling you your grammar is wrong. In copywriting, as well as in many other forms of writing, sentence fragments are a lifesaver. Those fragments allow you to quickly and easily vary your sentence length. Plus, they can help your writing sound conversational. People talk in sentence fragments. Therefore, reading sentence fragments gives people the impression you’re talking to them — in your own voice and your own style.

So what’s a sentence fragment? A sentence that isn’t complete. It’s missing something — noun, verb, both. It’s not a complete sentence.

Rhythm in writing is much more than just what’s going on with your sentences. (Not that we’ve covered everything that goes wrong with sentences.) But it’s a good place to start.

Creativity Exercises — Get in touch with your writing rhythm

Hearing things out loud is a good way to start getting in touch with your writing rhythm. You may have heard of this technique to find mistakes — and yes, it’s a good way to discover errors. But, this is also an excellent way to start getting to know your own unique rhythm.

Start by reading your own work out loud. If you’ve never done this before, try not to be too hard on yourself. Chances are you’re going to discover all sorts of problems — including too long sentences and paragraphs where all the sentences are the same length. Make a note of what needs fixing.

Once you fix it, read it out loud again. Then read it the original way. Listen to the difference. Even better, try to feel the difference — deep inside, in your gut. Our gut is an excellent rhythm sensor.

You should also read out loud things you haven’t written. And read a variety of things — plays, novels, direct mail pieces, newspaper articles, Web sites, poems. Read bad writing and read writing that’s so beautiful your knees buckle. Listen to the rhythm while you’re reading. How does it make you feel? More importantly, how does it make your gut feel? Your gut will never lie to you — learn to trust it.

Michele Pariza Wacek owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting, a writing, marketing and creativity agency. She offers two free e-newsletters that help subscribers combine their creativity with hard-hitting marketing and copywriting principles to become more successful at attracting new clients, selling products and services and boosting business. She can be reached at www.writingusa.com. Copyright 2004 Michele Pariza Wacek

Ninety-five percent of all new businesses go out of business within the first five years or less.

Why Do They Fail?

There are many starters in life – but very few finish what they start. When the going gets tough, most people fold. They don’t persist hard enough or persevere long enough. They don’t have a red-hot flaming burning desire to succeed. They don’t make it their definite major purpose. They don’t take enough personal initiative to make it happen – they don’t go the extra mile. They don’t want it bad enough. They don’t have enough self-control and discipline. Shall I go on? I could write a book on why so many people fail, but I’d rather talk about those who succeed.

There Are Three Kinds Of People

People who make things happen – people who watch someone else make it happen – and people who don’t know what’s happening.

The Make-It-Happen People

Thomas Edison persisted through 4,999 different attempts to invent and perfect the incandescent lamp. He finally succeeded on his 5,000th attempt. This is a recorded fact.

What do you suppose he had that others didn’t have? Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit. Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.

“Never, never, never, never give up”…. Winston Churchill

“The majority of people meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail” – Napoleon Hill

What Is Persistence?

It is the power to hold on in spite of everything, to endure—this is the winner’s quality. Persistence is the ability to face defeat again and again without giving up—to push on in the face of great difficulty. Persistence means taking pains to overcome every obstacle, to do all that’s necessary to reach you goals.

To go on resolutely — in spite of difficulties – endurance. Having a fixed purpose — free from doubt or wavering. Firm in adherence to whatever one is bound to by duty or promise. Stubborn – Unyielding – never giving up – never surrendering – willing to die for – never to yielding to physical force – even when tortured – would rather die than betray or give up information. Refusing to relent. To be steadfast in purpose – To prevail, endure, remain, last.

The Greatest Tragedy In Life

Millions of people come into this world and leave this world and never ever realize or develop their full powers and potential. They bargained in life for a penny, and life would pay no more, not realizing that any wage they would have asked of life – life would have gladly paid. Some of those people never even tried, they just settled for mediocrity. Others, got a dream, an idea, a desire or goal, and decided to go for it, but then dropped out when the going got tough. There are many starters in life, but very few finish. Too many people give up on their dreams too soon in life.

No matter what the level of our ability, we have more potential than we can ever develop in a lifetime. Deep within every man and woman dwells those slumbering powers; powers that would astonish them, which they never dreamed of possessing; forces that would revolutionize their life if aroused and put into action.

Potential means: undeveloped — and unrealized — powers, possibilities, and capabilities — that can — but have not yet come into being. In other words, the best is yet to come! You have powers and talent you have not developed or used yet. You also have dreams and fantasies you have not realized yet. Your unlimited possibilities are still alive, just waiting for you to give them power.

Tough Times Never Last – But Tough People Do.

How would you like to see a permanent end to all of your problems? We all have problems –

and our problems only end – when we do. The only people without problems are in the cemetery. I’d like to stick around – problems and all. How about you?

No matter what problems you have to face today, there is a solution, because you have nothing to deal with but your own thoughts. As long as you think that your destiny is in the hands of other people, the situation is hopeless. You will need to confront your problems with courage, boldness and action.

There’s an old Chinese saying that goes, “If you live with a problem long enough, it could eventually become a blessing.” Within every adversity in life, there is always a seed of an equivalent or greater benefit. We have to look for it – find it – and act on it.

We learn courage – when we face danger. We learn patience – when we endure suffering. We learn tenderness – when we taste pain. We learn to prize true friends – when false ones forsake us. We treasure health – when illness strikes. We learn to prize freedom -when we are in danger of losing it. Without trouble we would be like plants that have sprouted, grown, and been nurtured in the overprotected shelter of a hothouse — too tender ever to live in the open. How can you possibly become a strong person, if you have an easy life? The tougher it is, the tougher you have a chance to become – if you choose to fight back.

When you see a highly decorated military person all dressed up with rows of battle ribbons and awards on their chest, you are looking at someone who courageously faced and conquered danger, hardships, adversities, problems, life-threatening situations, torture, injury, and heartbreak, watching their buddies die terrible deaths. These people had fortitude – the ability to endure and last. They wouldn’t quit, give up or run away. Yes there were times, I’m sure they knew, when they bit off more than they could chew, but through it all when there was doubt – they ate it up – and spit it out – the records show – they took the blows – and did it their way.

We don’t just get the sweet out of life without the bitter – we’d like to, but we don’t. The sun doesn’t always shine; sometimes there are storms, tornadoes, earthquakes, car accidents, fires and death. No one escapes the problems of life. If it doesn’t happen sooner in life, it will happen later.

We can overcome just about any problem, obstacle, or adversity that life deals us – if we have a strong enough will. Where there is a will, there is a way. Create a “bull-dog” determination and a “burning desire,” that will eventually mow down all opposition. Success is not measured by what a person accomplishes, but by the opposition they have encountered, and by the courage with which they have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds. Don’t pray for an easy life, without problems – pray to become a strong person. The higher you go in life, the more problems you will have to deal with.

Determination

“ You will be what you will to be; Let failure find its false content In that poor word, ‘environment,’ But spirit scorns it, and is free.“It masters time, it conquers space; It cows that boastful trickster, chance, And bids the tyrant circumstance Uncrown, and fill a servant’s place.“The human will, that force unseen, The offspring of a deathless soul, Can hew a way to any goal, Though walls of granite intervene.“Be not impatient in delay, But wait as one who understands; When spirit rises and commands, The gods are ready to obey.”

The End

Rick GettleThe Master Mind AlliancePresident/Founder

Online Success Club Meetings:E-mail: MasterMindAllianceSuccessClub@msn.com Websites:www.master-mind-alliance.comwww.successercising.comwww.success1a-success-achievement-course.com

For free monthly newsletter: “Successercising” contact us at: Successercising@msn.com

For Information About This Book Contact Rick Gettle At: Successercising@msn.com