Lighten Up On Your Writing

Don't Take Your Writing So Seriously!
By Lorraine Cote
The Write Touch 4U

Maybe you are an aspiring writer or maybe you have been writing for quite awhile. Regardless of how long you have been writing, every once in awhile you need to take a step back and look at your writing, really look at it.

There is all types of written material in the world, each with an different purpose. You may be writing a children's story or something more business-like such as a press release or even an ebook on dogs. Whatever you are writing, stop and take a look to see if you are writing with the right tone. By that I mean that some things that have been written that I have read were written for an entirely wrong audience, or the writing itself was too business-like and stuffy. It simply had the wrong tone to it.

The key is to know your audience! Those who will be reading what you have written. Having said that, let me also say that regardless of what you write, you can write it in a lighter more conversational tone. It doesn't all have to be straight-laced.

One way to approach writing is to think of each piece you write as a written conversation between you and someone else. Picture sitting down and having coffee with this person and having a casual conversation about your intended topic. In this setting, you wouldn't use big fancy, technical words would you? Of course not. You would discuss things in a casual light-toned manner, that was easy to understand. This tone is the key to reaching your target audience, every time.

Unless you are a journalist writing hard-hitting news stories where a lighter tone wouldn't fit or make the kind of impact you are looking for, you can inject a lighter conversational tone in just about anything else you write.

Take for instance Sales materials, you can write a "soft sell" article or one that leans more towards a "hard sell." However, on the hard sell side, most people will back away because they don't feel the need to be beat over the head with your pitch. They would prefer a lighter-toned, more conversational soft sell pitch.

So, the next time you sit down to write something, try to inject a lighter tone to all your writing and lighten up!

Copyright 2006 Lorraine Cote

This article may be freely reprinted as long as the author’s information and copyright notice remain intact.


Lorraine Cote is the CEO and Owner of The Write Touch 4U, Copywriting Service. She is also a published freelance writer who has written over 100 ebooks on various topics for clients as well as all types of other written materials. She also has 16 years experience in the corporate world as a Trainer and Business Writer and is an Internet Marketer as well. Visit her at http://www.thewritetouch4u.com or visit her blog at http://writetouch4u.blogspot.com

Becoming A Ghostwriter

By: Lorraine Cote

Ghostwriting can be rewarding in two ways.
a) You get a chance to research and write about all types of topics that you wouldn't normally have a chance to learn about. The old theory in writing "write what you know" doesn't apply to ghostwriting since your clients will dictate what topic you will write about.

b) You can make a decent living at it.If you're new to writing, it may take a while to get clients but it is possible. It just takes a little hard work and perserverance. There are several ways to get clients. Here are a few.

1. Bid on writing jobs on contracted work site such as Elance.com, Guru.com and Getafreelancer.com
You basically signup as a service provider to begin bidding on projects posted by clients. If you win the bid, you do the writing project as a ghostwriter.
2. Place ads for your ghostwriting service on free classified ad sites. It doesn't cost anything to
post ads on these sites and is a good way to get your services out there in front of potential
clients.

3. Post responses in forums with a signature that defines your ghostwriting service and an email address or website URL. Something along the lines of "Affordable Ghostwriting Services,[your website url] or email for more details [your email address].

4. Introduce your services in forums where you are allowed to do this. Many forums have a section where you can introduce your business. See out writing forums for this.

5. Have business cards created showcasing your ghostwriting business. Pass them out every chance you get. Put them on bulletin boards in supermarkets etc. You can create your own or have them made.

6 Write a press release announcing your services. There are plenty of no-cost or low-cost distribution services on the web to get the message out for you. Ghostwriting may not be for everyone because you don't get credit for your work, the client does. If that doesn't matter to you and you like writing on a variety of topics, it can be an enjoyable way to earn some money.

Copyright 2005-2006 Lorraine Cote

This article may be freely reprinted as long as the author’s information and copyright notice remain intact.


Lorraine Cote is the CEO and Owner of The Write Touch 4U, Copywriting Service. She is also a published freelance writer who has written over 100 ebooks on various topics for clients as well as all types of other written materials. She also has 16 years experience in the corporate world as a Trainer and Business Writer and is an Internet Marketer as well. Visit her at http://www.thewritetouch4u.com

When Writing Gigs Slow Down

When Writing Gigs Slow Down

By: Lorraine Cote
The Write Touch 4U
http://www.thewritetouch4u.com


So you have been busy writing lately. You may have had more work than you wanted and were not in short supply of clients, which is great for you and for business. Now, all of a sudden, the well seems to have run dry, things may have slowed down quite a bit, so now what? What do you do when your writing projects seem to literally dry up?

The first thing you should know is that you shouldn't PANIC, it's bound to happen and things will bounce back, sooner or later. I have been running my writing business for twelve years now and there hasn't been one year when I didn't experience at least one slow down. For me, things usually slow down around holidays, expecially around Christmas. It's understandable that people are wrapped up in shopping and the festivities of the season and are not likely to move forward with projects. I also experience a little lull during summer months when people enjoy the outdoors or are on vacation. As I said, it is expected, especially if you run your own small business, but usually doesn't last very long.

The key to taking advantage of these slow times in business is to stay busy. Keep focused on your business. It's not the time for you to slack off. So what can you do to make the most of your downtime? Here are a few suggestions that may help you use this time productively.

1. Organize your office. Use the time to do tasks you couldn't keep up with during peak business times. Things like filing, cleaning and organizing your office space. Catching up on correspondance and so on.

2. Review your business plan. If you don't have a business plan, learn how to create one or have one created for you. If you don't have a plan, you won't know where you are coming from and certainly won't be able to get where you would like to go in business. You should check your business plan yearly to see if you are on track and to make any changes that reflect changes in the way you do business.

3. Learn something new. Take online classes or classes at your local college and learn a new skill or hone an old one. Learn a skill that will be beneficial to your business in some way. You can teach an old dog new tricks!

4. Expand your business. Maybe you will need to hire more personel to help with additional work or maybe you will need to purchase equipment/tools or software to automate things. In any event you should always plan to expand your business at some point. After all, you are in business to make money and expansion of your business is a good way to generate additional revenues to grow your business.

5. Catch up. Touch base with clients you have done work for in the past but have not heard from recently. You never know when you may get additional work from them. Sometimes they may be planning to get in touch but something keeps them from it, so they may need a reminder that you are there to help them. It's a good way to rekindle relationships with former clients and drum up a little extra business in the process.

6. Get with the program. Maybe you can outsource some tedious administrative tasks by hiring a virtual assistant. This will free up time to market your business more agressively and generate new opportunities. You can also purchase software to help you automate tasks.

Whatever the reason for a slowdown in business, take it with a grain of salt. Know that it won't last forever and things really happen in cycles. You can't stop the slowdown, but you can make the most of the extra time on your hands by doing something productive, that will pay off in a big way down the road.


Lorraine Cote is the CEO and Owner of The Write Touch 4U, Copywriting Service. She is also a published freelance writer who has written over 100 ebooks on various topics for clients as well as all types of other written materials. She also has 16 years experience in the corporate world as a Trainer and Business Writer and is an Internet Marketer as well. Visit her site at http://www.thewritetouch4u.com