More times than I can count, as a speaker I’ve been advised to write and I’ve heard other speakers advised to write. Write a book, write articles, write a blog. Write…write…write. Why??????? I’ve heard some pretty good reasons 1. Establish your credibility 2. Earn income 3. Organize your thoughts The first two reasons are probably […]
Category: Writing Tips
Throwback Thursday
I was listening to a webinar today from Naomi Dunford, and one of the questions led to some discussion about older content on our websites. Since I’ve been blogging for about 5 years, this caught my attention. In the discussion, there was a reference to someone that had a recent link to a 2011 horoscope […]
The Power of Strong Dialog
How would you like to improve your storytelling techniques with just three simple tips? As a speaker, you may already know the importance of using dialog more than narration to improve your stories. Stronger dialog can lead to a stronger connection and help you capture and hold the audience’s attention. Developing stronger dialog can help […]
On writing well
“To defend what you’ve written is a sign that you are alive.” —William Zinsser, WD I just read this quote on Writers Digest blog, the title was 72 of the Best Quotes about Writing. What made me repost it here? Well, when I read it I thought, “…yeah”. Sometimes, that’s all it takes. Recently I’ve […]
Do you need a Writer’s group?
I think I need a writer’s group. This evening I attended a writer’s group at a local Barnes & Noble. Don’t die of shock. Yes, I was at a Barnes & Noble today. What is a writer’s group? In this case, it’s a diverse group of people (tonight 14 strong) who come together twice a […]
Speaking Tips: Language use – word pairs
Have you ever heard the wrong word used to describe something, and realized the mistake happened because of similarities? Here are a couple of examples, and how they’re used/misused: Simple vs. Easy These words are not only used interchangeably, but also as a redundant pair on a regular basis. If fact, it is simple and […]
Live an interesting life
If there is one thing that clearly applies to both speaking and writing, it is that you need to tell interesting stories to be successful. This may lead you to ask, “how do I tell interesting stories?” I’m glad you asked! To tell interesting stories, you need to do one of two things: 1. Plagiarize. […]
Primer: Make a to-do list
Tonight’s exercise: Make yourself a big audacious to-do list. No. Not a “get the groceries, wash the car, do 17 push-ups” kind of list. Instead, spend the next 5-10 minutes brainstorming things you’ve always wanted to do, but didn’t have time for. Think Big! Here are some examples: Learn a foreign language Rent a Ferrari […]
Are you out of Ideas?
This post is second in a series about using writing prompts to improve your writing, or to reach non-writing goals. The first post is here. The next prompt in The Writers IdeaBook is to write about a time where you were feeling a bit creative. The idea is to recapture that creative flow and let […]
Acknowledge that it is hard
Is there something in your life that you are avoiding? Too many times, we like to place blame somewhere for why we aren’t doing the thing(s) we know we should be. Instead of blame, you have to decide that it’s okay to admit that it’s hard. Why? Because it is. For all of us. You […]