Recently, a new client hired me to write landing pages for affiliate products. It is a fantastic job, giving me everything I love about this business; in particular, a new challenge that pushes my boundaries and forces me to expand my writing repertoire. To do the job well I’ve had to spend time researching how to write copy that compels visitors to buy.

Lindsay Camp‘s book, “Can I Change Your Mind?” had been on my ‘to-be-read’ writing shelf for several months but with this new challenge it leaped out of the waiting pile. 240 pages later I came away with a deep sense of how writing can be used to transform people, to compel them to act, or change their opinions and beliefs.

First, we discover how persuasive writing is useful for everyone, not just professional writers. These days, we all use written language for all sorts of reasons from a simple note or email to blogs and fiction.

Persuasive writing plays a part in all writing because the key aspect of persuasive writing is to ‘change’ your reader. That change might just be to convince them that they want to keep reading (as in a novel) or it might be to have them part with their money or support a cause.

You need to know how to write persuasively. Not just so that you can write for clients, like the one who hires me to write affiliate landing pages, but so that every word you write connects with your readers.

Ultimately, the craft and art of persuasive writing comes down to a single rule. Lindsay covers this with “The three Rs of good persuasive writing”.

“Remember the Reader and the Result” ~ Linsday Camp

There are two things you must know about any writing project. You must know these things down to the elemental facts. You should have a these two elements honed to a fine tip pen before you begin writing.

Remember the Reader

Who are you trying to persuade? In freelancing we know this better as our reader, our target audience.

For example, YOU are my target reader, or you wouldn’t be reading this right now. My sharpened image of you is, “An adult who is interested in making a career from freelance writing, particularly in an online environment.” Now, there may be a few who read WRA who don’t fall into this ‘target’ but when I write, these people, ‘those interested in making a career from freelance writing, particularly in an online environment’ are the people I’m talking to. (If you’re not one of these people, PLEASE, leave a comment and let me know what brings you to WRA.)

Remember the Result

What do you want them to do? Simply keep reading? Leave a comment? Buy a product? Subscribe to your blog? Learn something new?

There are millions of results you might be aiming for when you sit down to write. One of the biggest mistakes we can make as a writers, is to begin writing with no concept of our intended result. Every form of writing evokes a result of some kind and not having a firm grasp of the result we want, the very reason we are writing, can often lead to unfocused, jumbled, and meandering writing.

For example, the result I want from this review is: ‘to give you enough information about “Can I Change Your Mind?” to decide for yourself if it will interest you’. Notice, that in this case, my result isn’t, ‘convince you to buy’. I don’t want you to buy the book if you don’t think you need it. I could set my result as, ‘convince reader they need this book’. But, I’m not brave enough to be so pushy and opinionated in a review.

Lindsay discusses this “Big Theory” far better than I have done in this blog post. Obviously, there is so much more to writing persuasively then I can cover in less than 800 words. In fact, “Can I Change Your Mind?” has a whole A to Z and several post scripts that go into more detail.

Readers Want Results Too

Ultimately, I have to ask myself if Lindsay Camp‘s book had the result its target reader wanted. Did this book help me produce the persuasive copy I was hired to write? It sure did! And now I can turn these new skills and techniques toward all my future writing projects.

Now you need to ask yourself: Would your writing benefit from learning how to convince your reader to take action? If it would, find yourself a copy of Can I Change Your Mind?

What do you already know about persuasive writing? I’d love to know more so if you have any resources you recommend or information you’ve learned, please, share your thoughts!

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I think we’ve all done it. We find a book that looks incredible. It’s on a topic we’re keenly interested in – the cover and description are great. We buy the book, get home and settle in to read – and by the fifth chapter we’re bored to tears with the presentation. It’s hard to follow, the information isn’t focused, and it’s difficult to get a grasp as to what the author means and where they’re going.

For example, I could write about my dog. She’s a border collie, three years old, hyper at times and bossy to the other dogs. Doesn’t that sound immensely boring? It gives the facts – but beyond that tells little to nothing. Contrast this:

Her nose pushes out the barely-opened window sniffing for the cats on the other side. She turns, bounds off the couch, runs to the other window, bounces off the wall and returns to thrust the nose out the window as if it might go further this time. As Fly crawls on the sofa to rest she pins her to the ground and stands over her growling. Then a blue merle blur circles the room again before returning to the window in hopes there’s a cat out there NOW.

Which description gives you a better picture in your mind of Abby? Do you, the reader, really care how old she is? Bringing a character alive makes the reader want to see more. It brings up questions – why is she so interested in cats? Does a cat make contact with her and what does she do then? Does Fly avoid her or return to the sofa? How does the scene figure in to the bigger story?

Before getting in to sensory description sharpen the characters in your mind. Write down as much information on them to get it clear in your mind WHO this character is. Know your character well. When you thoroughly understand the character it’s easy to put yourself in their shoes. It’s almost like becoming an actor – the actor might be outgoing but the character he plays is quiet and plays things close to the vest. The character may act different than the actor would in the same situation. In writing – we are the “actor” – we decide what those characters do if it’s fiction. If non-fiction we can research and make the characters interesting enough to teach our audience and entertain them at the same time. Fill out an employment application for your adult characters. Do a background check on them! Interview them and look at the pictures on their desk! Use your imagination! Why does this character do this?

Non-fiction writers doing a profile want to portray their subject accurately – use these same powers of observation and details to breathe life into your character.

Sharpen your writing of directions. Think of something you do on a regular basis and write step by step directions. Use something you do often – brushing teeth or heating a can of soup. This teaches you to pay attention to details in your explanations. We often take for granted things – open the can, put on the stove, pour soup in a bowl and eat. Do that exactly and it’s not very tasty!! It leaves out pouring the soup into a pan, water or other ingredients added, turning on the stove and placing on a burner until heated. With the former one – if followed exactly – you could be eating cold soup concentrate! While this might seem silly – when you think about it, what if it’s directions to something that could be fatal when done incorrectly? Leaving out a step could be bad! When you learn to take and give directions precisely even mapquest and other map sites aren’t accurate in many cases – and when it leaves out a step you can end up a totally different place. On the same principle, your story can end up a totally different place if something is left out. It doesn’t make sense.

Some people have the idea non-fiction writing is boring – it doesn’t have to be. Using similar techniques can breathe creativity into fact. While it’s true that fiction you don’t have facts to box in – facts don’t have to be boring! It can be a little more interesting to make it interesting but it can be done. Books like “Secretariat The Making of a Champion” (William Nack) or “Great Horse Racing Mysteries” (John McEvoy) are all factual information – but read like novels. The influx of true crime and other books may or may not be fact but those based on fact tend to be more believable. When you put the right spin on something you can make the unbelievable believable. Think about it – how many read Steven King’s “Christine” and thought twice about a car coming up behind them? We *KNOW* cars don’t have minds to think and stalk people but there’s just enough there to think “what if”. How many read a scary book and associate bad things with corn fields or sewer grates or other things? The power of a good story gets through.

Use word pictures to sharpen your writing. When your character is in the car is she driving down the road? When looking at the trees is she looking at a tree line in the distance or laying under one watching the branches and leaves over her? They’re both trees but proximity and perspective makes a difference in the story. Good descriptions make scenes come to life. It enables someone who is blindfolded to see the picture you’re looking at. Strong characters, purposeful actions and making writing interesting makes the difference in a story with good information and a story with good information that gets read.

Whether you add creative details to non-fiction or realistic details to fiction, making writing interesting *and* engaging enough to read keeps the reader going.

Sharpen your skills and make your writing sizzle.

How do you add spark to your writing?

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“Simply put, how you leave other people feeling and how people perceive you have a profound effect on the quality of your life,” declares the jacket blurb on Jesse Ferrell’s “How You Leave Them Feeling“. Ferrell encourages readers to adopt his approach in any interaction. The goal is to leave each person feeling good about himself and thus feeling good about you. When you do this, Mr. Ferrell maintains, you will be on the way to living the life you deserve, getting what you want out of life, and “living the good life now.”

Ferrell begins with a rousing introduction in which he explains the idea of the book. He describes how he saw that his own success was based on his ability to consistently leave clients and others feeling good about themselves. Then he sets the table for the main course by listing the principles on which he has built his own life. (He calls them the “Seven Essential Laws of Life”.)

In the thirteen chapters that follow, he delivers the details of his Seven Essential Laws and explains how they relate to leaving others feeling good about themselves and you. He explores subjects of attitude, communication, personal and professional development, building a support network, maintaining a healthy balance in life and more, illustrating liberally with real-life anecdotes and summing up with bits of catchy wisdom.

Some memorable points of the book for me were:

• The idea of the personal signature or unique style by which each of us becomes known.
• An emphasis on kindness and giving to others.
• The importance of attitude – along with a piece of good advice: “When in doubt, leave it out… it is far easier to revisit a situation and provide additional messages than it is to take back a wrongful or inappropriate remark stemming from an attitude glitch.”
• The importance of listening: “Sharpening your listening skills will bring you more respect and interpersonal growth than just about any other endeavor. People like to feel they are being heard. When you clearly listen to others, you are honoring the power of communication by investing the time to take in their message.”
• The challenge to leave everything – and everyone – better than you found them.

The readability of Ferrell’s practical and crisply written material is helped by consistent organization and formatting. The text is laid out with lots of white space between paragraphs and broken up with bold-face headings. The main points of each chapter are listed again at the conclusion as action steps. A list of summary points (one-sentence statements that describe how following the actions steps will impact the reader’s behavior) and affirmations (brief positive statements for the reader to repeat or reflect on) conclude each chapter.

Jesse Ferrell, the man, comes across as enthusiastic, likable, a great friend and team player with lots of drive, integrity and clear goals. As a former executive within the Las Vegas casino marketing industry, he is now president and CEO of a professional speaking company, JessTalk Speaking Services, and seems eminently qualified to write a book of this kind. His experience in the corporate world gives added value to the personal and professional development section via the diary system he has developed and illustrates. He now works as a life coach and the “JessTalk Life Quadrant Model” he has developed for clients drives home his point about the need for and means of achieving a balanced lifestyle.

I gained much from the book. However, I would not adopt it carte blanche as my personal road guide. It is written from a humanistic perspective and is birthed out of a New Age worldview (bad energy, good energy, karma, the Cosmos, evolved soul, mantra, Mother Nature, envisioning/visualization are all terms or concepts found within). With that in mind, however, I would say that you can learn much of value from “How You Leave Them Feeling” whatever your creed.

I have encountered many of its principles in my own belief system and I decided, as I read it, to use what I could and simply discard the things with which I didn’t agree. It has certainly made me think twice about how I will treat the next telemarketer, panhandler, supermarket clerk or whomever – and that’s got to be a good thing.

Violet Nesdoly, a poet, Christian and Children’s Author said, “The world of words has fascinated me for as long as I can remember. As a kid, whenever my Mom needed me for a job, it was a sure thing she’d find me between the covers of a book.”

You can get to know her better by reading her blog, Line Upon Line, where she shares inspiration, poetry, and thoughts on writing life. You can also find out more about Jesse Ferrell on his site, JessTalk Speaking and Coaching Services.

If you’re interested in having a review or article posted on Writer’s Round-About please send a query letter to rebecca.laffarsmith@gmail.com.

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It’s not Blog Action Day today but I feel it’s never too late to add your voice to a good cause. Did you miss the 15th of October too? Have your say today, or tomorrow. You could even begin planning for another Blog Action Day in the future. Unlike the shortage of food and shelter those in poverty suffer there is an abundance of material, information, and inspiration to reach out and touch another’s heart and mind.

The world around us seems to be rocking at the moment with terms like ‘financial crisis’, ‘economic crash’, and ‘depression’. It seems we are all feeling the pinch as the global economy shifts to accommodate the latest changes in financial infrastructure. The truth is, while it might seem a challenge to make ends meet on our worrisome incomes, freelancers are amongst the richest people in the world.

It can be difficult to find a paying gig, maintain existing clients who are looking to cut financial expenses, or even cover the rising interest rates when it comes to paying amenities and banking fees. But, did you know, your ability to read this post right now makes you one of the wealthiest people on Earth?

Writer’s have often been portrayed as the ultimate ‘starving artist’. In lean months we eat spaghetti from the tin or share canned tuna with the cat. These days however, in cultures that are connected to modern technology we are richer than we have ever been. These days, the majority of homes in the USA, England, and Australia have a web enabled computer, some have more than one. Most homes have a telephone connection, piped water, natural gas, and electricity. Many of us are able to get into gas (petrol) guzzling cars and do grocery shopping at the local supermarket. We are richly provided for and it has become easy to take this for granted.

Even as few as one hundred years ago these modern conveniences were rare. Many had never been imagined. As we trace backward through history we can watch the decline through the ages of the basic standard of living, and yet, for the most part 80% of the world lived in a comfort of their basic needs being met from day to day.

Through that same history, as we trace from the ancient past back to the present their is another historic trend. The poverty-stricken. The percentage is actually surprisingly high, nations of families, men, women, and their children, who do not have basic supplies. Many days they go without food. Clean water is almost a myth. Shelter is ramshackle and filth-ridden at best. Light is something only the sun creates. Social connection involves standing side by side while they wait for a jug of water from the communal well or beating dirty clothes with a rock in a filthy stream.

Becoming aware of our individual wealth, accepting and appreciating how abundant our own lives are is the first step to helping others. As writers, we have a very powerful means to aid others, our voice costs us nothing to provide, our words no more than the paper we write upon and the ink in our pens. We have the means at our fingertips and as we appreciate our wealth we can see how much of ourselves we can afford to give.

What will you give to create change for those who are less blessed? What small action could you take today, or tomorrow, or each week from now on, that could impact in the tiniest fraction the life of one with less than you have? Do you have some ideas? I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions for creating change in the comments. Have your say, share your thoughts, and perhaps together, we can make a difference.

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Will you raise your voice with us? How can you discuss poverty on your blog and spread the message to your readers and beyond? How does poverty affect you or the people around you? How can you help create a difference?

Remember: “Charity begins at home.” Are there ways you can improve your own situation? Are there things you have that could be donated to others in need? If every one of us make a commitment to change starting small and radiating out through our family, our neighborhoods, our communities, our cities, states, and nations. We can affect real change and make a difference on lives around the world!

Do your part on Blog Action Day!

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“Never leave the site of a goal without taking some action towards it’s attainment.” ~ Tony Robbins

The next step when it comes to setting goals is to devise your action plan. These goals look pretty on paper but without taking firm steps toward their accomplishment they may linger in good intentions. Start by posting your nine primary goals in a place where you can see and review them every day. Now, for each of these goals write down two actions you can take within the next 24 hours that will move you closer to these goals. Repeat this step every morning.

“Fundamentals need to be practiced daily.” ~ Tony Robbins

Your action steps should be small and measured. If you dream of touring the world in a class one private jet the first step isn’t to board the plane. You’ll need to gather travel brochures, look up costs, budget your finances, talk to a travel agent, discuss the idea with family. There are many small steps you can take toward accomplishing your goal and by surrounding yourself with the images and actions that take you closer to this goal you reinforce it’s importance in your life, you reinforce your belief that it can, with steady forward momentum, be accomplished.

“With Goals we create the future in advance. We create our destiny. We shape our life.” ~ Tony Robbins

Each day, read over your goals and remember why they are important to you. Take action on those goals so that you are always moving toward them. If you feel yourself waving sit down and practice The Rocking Chair Method again.

“You become a creator when you write down goals and become absolutely clear on why you want them. The WHY behind your goals is their real power.” ~ Tony Robbins

Each month you may like to examine your goals again. Are these goals still important to you? Do you have new desires you would like to add to your list or have other goals moved ahead in priority? It is important to review and revise your goals as this will keep you motivated and on track to those things you truly want and deserve. The person you are today will not be the person you are tomorrow and your needs will change. Reflect on those changes and allow them into your life by adjusting your goals and direction to match.

“With the ability to desire a goal comes the ability to achieve it.” ~ Tony Robbins

What will you do today to take action toward your goals?

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Goal setting isn’t just about making a New Year’s Resolution that gets forgotten, or looking glumly back at the person you thought you would become. It’s about defining your desires. It’s about creating a map to the person you want to become and the life you want to lead.

Goal setting allows us to truly appreciate the place we are at and the difference between where we are now and where we want to be in the years to come. In a Goal Setting Workshop we focus on the now and plan a month down the line, six months, a year, three years, five years, ten years, twenty years into the future. Where do you want to be in twenty years? What do you not have today that you want to bring into your life?

Tony Robbins believes, “Thoughts are Things”. This is ultimately the Law of Attraction in it’s basic form. I believe that setting goals empowers us. We can cast our dreams into the stars but we need to reflect on those goals, break them down into actionable elements and move toward them every day.

We’ll begin by spending time on our wishlists. Set aside time this weekend. Take the phone off the hook, hang the ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door, demand time for yourself, or include your family in your goal setting workshop so that you are working together with others. Give yourself this time to create your future, to shape the person you want to be.

• Create Your Wishlist: Personal Development Goals
• Create Your Wishlist: Things Goals
• Create Your Wishlist: Economic Goals
• Your Goal Timeline: Start Now!
• Commit To Your Top Threes!
• Develop A Plan: Take Action NOW!

I’ve learnt a great deal from Tony’s “Get The Edge” collection and each month I revisit his Goal Setting Workshop which I’ll bring to you here. I honestly believe that the motivational speaking and audio presentations of Tony Robbins can change your life. They are an investment in your future.

Related Posts:

• Create Your Wishlist: Personal Development Goals
• Create Your Wishlist: Things Goals
• Create Your Wishlist: Economic Goals
• Your Goal Timeline: Start Now!
• Commit To Your Top Threes!
• Develop A Plan: Take Action NOW!

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One of the greatest lessons writers can gain by watching television series (and movies) is the importance of action and dialogue. In today’s world, we expect richer, active, even sensual experiences. We fill our entertainment hours with games, movies, soap operas, drama, theatre, ballet, situational comedy and reality television. Tangible, engaging experience involves interactions with all of our senses.

Thankfully, written media offers a wonderful opportunity to reach readers on a level of expression that goes far and beyond other forms. With words we can cause readers to see, feel, taste, smell and hear. The only way to truly allow a reader to experience a story is to show it, rather than tell it.

The Stargate Series, thanks to its audio/visual medium, is ALL SHOW AND NO TELL. Viewers watch the characters through every interaction, through every scene. We never experience internal monologue or exposition. Every vital element must be expressed to viewers through action and dialogue. The writers and producers of the Stargate SG1 series have mastered the subtlety needed to get the vital facts to viewers. They cut the chaff and engage viewers in this rich, science fiction environment.

ACTION – Something is ALWAYS happening.

In fiction we can resort to other forms of narration to tell the story but the most engaging, interesting and enriching is to ‘show’ the story through a series of SCENES. (Note: Fiction isn’t ‘all show’ and ‘no tell’ – read more but “show, don’t tell” is a vital writer tip – learn why.)

Every move your characters make, everything they see and experience, everything that happens to and around them is action. Whenever the SG1 step through the Stargate they’re taking action. What they do on the other side is action-packed.

Action isn’t always about guns blazing and car chases. Simple things like dinner, work and even sex involve action. The important thing to remember is anything you show happening must move the story forward. Every scene should take the story toward its climax, its ending.

DIALOGUE – Communication with purpose.

Getting characters to communicate is a significant action that offers writers a chance to use language between characters to share other important information. All dialogue should serve a purpose in your story. It could be character development, fact expression, or relationship based but it must move the story forward.

I’ll go into dialogue more in future Writer’s Round-About entries. Meanwhile read more about dialogue, writing dialogue, dialogue tips, and dialogue in scripts vs. novels.

Television series are rich with elements that involve viewers. We reach into the stories, interacting on a cerebral level that generates interest in the characters and what happens to them. We see it happening, we hear it happening and the audio/visual cues pull us into the action. The exact same scene could be written in two different ways, ‘show’ or ‘tell’.

If you tell the story to someone it creates the distance of a second-hand account. As writers we want to close that gap as much as possible. Sometimes it’s appropriate to give your readers distance but most of the time readers want to be fully engaged. Pull them in by showing them the action. Then they can use all their senses to experience a story, rather than just read about it.

• Five Part Series: Writing Lessons From Stargate SG-1
• SG1 Series Part One: Story-Arc, Plot and Sub-Plot
• SG1 Series Part Two: Character Development
• SG1 Series Part Four: Hooks, Hangers and The Sequence of Events
• SG1 Series Part Five: Formula – Making A Success Key Mould

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