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Good Morn'n circusmama.

Upon reading the article you posted it was evident how to go
about taking this persons advice. In my opinion there would
be at least two ways to go about this.

• set a time each day, say 2:00 pm, and write for three to four hours.
• write for three to four hours each day during a 'block' of time, anytime.

Of course, those two are the same thing just attacked from
different viewpoints as in "when.” Supposing you could consciously
choose a subject and stick to that one subject, expand on it, do any
necessary research and actually know what you are talking about.

Could you learn about a certain subject in three to four hours a day
over say a two-year period? Sure, you would learn a lot but would
you learn enough to be a so-called expert? That would depend
on the subject.

Motivating yourself is the question. You simply have to want to.
If you can turn that 'want' into 'need' you will be on your way.

It is the means to an end you are looking for. I think it still depends
on the subject matter to a certain extent.

If the subject is "quantum physics" and you have a hard time
multiplying in your head or don't know what prime numbers are
and why, three to four hours a day for two years will not get
you anywhere. If the subject is a "video game" and you play
for three to four hours a day for two years you will know it
inside and out and probably be an 'expert' on that particular
game. Subject matter does make a difference and your interest
in the subject matter is what will make that difference.

If you have a burning desire to play the piano you will sit and
practice until your fingers are numb. If not, you will do what
is necessary to become mediocre.

If writing is your passion, you will be doing it all the time. Just as
you write questions in this forum, you should be writing on a
subject or group of subjects that interest you. Just as you posted
the article above, you were surfing and reading HOW to do
something of interest to you also.

I have read in several places where folks here have said they like
to fly by the seat of their pants (so to speak) and do whatever
they like, when they like. That is fine and doing ones own thing
is admirable up to a point. Deliberate practice however is going
to take some structure, focus and desire to achieve whatever the
final goal is, in your chosen field.

Did I get way off subject? Looks like it... lol... just ramblings.
Sorry. I woke up two hours early and it is too dark to go outside
to have my coffee. Conclusion:

Motivation = desire. What is your burning desire? If you truly want
to reach that goal, then "deliberate practice" should become easier
and very clear, in your mind. I think I wrote all the above to reach
this final conclusion:

• Choose your subject.
• Work at it until you know the final equation.
• Stay updated.
• Keep your eye on the goal.

Your motivation is whatever it takes to reach that final goal.
Do you know what your goal is?

Verb

Ummnn, what do you think makes web copies follow the same format? It's like everybody is afraid to stand out and get noticed. Copywriters being creative, we'd expect most of them bucking the trend as the web really has no rules, like you said.

I would think that good grammar is still important. It helps you sound intelligent, like you know what you're talking about. And that could make the difference between making a sale or not...

Hi!

Is there a difference between copywriting for print and the web aside from the media? Magazines are attractively done with lots of images (which can really say more than a thousand words) whereas most web pages I've seen related to copywriting are bland. Thanks.

Wow. I did not know that people would actually offer as ridiculously low price as that. Do they actually think they'll get quality writers that way? Or maybe they just want someone to throw in the search terms as many times as possible...

Do you think it's worth it to make your own website? If you do have a website already, how did you design it? What costs were involved and what information did you decide to include?

I got into Copywriting because I wanted a career change. I wanted to do something I enjoyed most of all and came naturally to me. I believe a good Copywriter must be highly imaginative and maybe even borderline nutty. He/She must absolutely love the power of the written word and enjoy the process.

I don't do SEO, but the bidding sites are really the only places I've seen to find jobs in
that category. SEO writing from those sites usually has devilishly low pay, though.

Sometimes this is better than a phone call, yes. A lot of people need to
see something tangible on paper. It's much too easy to say a quick "sorry,
not interested" when it's a phone call.

I'm not sure that some of the big mega-companies even realize how much
power the bloggers have. I've never understood how they could think that
ignoring it (controversy) will make it go away. Has it EVER gone away?
Not that I can recall... once something negative hits the mainstream media,
there's no hiding from it.

Hiya Sal and All.

You have probably worked on the webpages until you are blue in the face.
I know that feeling. We have all been there, done that. At least a lot of
us have. There is that rush, urgency and above all, wanting and needing
to present our very best to the public.

It can become a long and arduous task. Maintenance come into play once
you are up and running and the google bot has gobbled up your pages,
indexed them and placed them somewhere in with 100,000 or a million other
web sites. At this point you find out exactly how much more work you have to
do, and sometimes it is extensive.

DO NOT get discouraged. It will all come around in time. Keep us posted.
I am sure there are others here with better advice than I can give, but at
least I am willing, when I have the time.

BLessings.

Verb

I think that is *so* important. I hope that as I get more into copywriting, my
clients will feel the same way. I'm so turned off by copy that all sounds the same
and it's very obvious where it's going. I think you're right, and people want to
feel as if you're talking to THEM and not a group of thousands of nondescript
faces. I don't like feeling like "one of the gang" so I like copy to talk to ME.

My time to write is very limited (naptime and after bed hours) so I try to structure it as much as possible if I have a project I'm working on. For example, when writing an article, I'll research it and write it out, then let it sit overnight and edit the next day. I'll generally try to have several going at once. Next month, I'll be writing a novel (Nanowrimo) so I'll be dedicating my writing time to trying to get 2000 words a day, unedited. Then in a few months, I'll hopefully be able to work just on editing that novel.

Good Morning Sal and All.

Q - "For example, do you think the "name your best price" idea works in real life?
Does it lift up your heart or leave you dazed and confused?"

A - No, this never works. People will "cheap it up" whenever they can keep money
in their own pockets. You will lose out using that strategy. Sorry.

Q - "Also, how do you get those nifty fill-in-the-blank online forms? I'd rather set up the
Contact Us page that way."

A - Find the form code here: http://www.w3c.org

Q - "Do I make the process of ordering, paying, and receiving writing services clear? Is my
way of doing it easy, convenient, and reasonable?"

A - I did not get beyond the home page yet.

Q - "If this were your website what would you do to improve it?"

A - Why the sub-domain?
Upon looking at the code, nothing is filled in - it is a template and somewhere you should
be able to change all that to what you need. It is certainly not impossible to optimize
but that does make it much, much harder. The pros and cons on sub domains are
simple - if you are intending to optimize, don't use them. Special attention needs to be
paid to each and every item for SEO and with a templated sub-domain that is not always
possible. If you don't care about SEO, or don't want to hire an expert to work some magic,
you should get your own url (domain name) and be sure your main subject keyword
is in that url. Search until you find one that fits into the realm of your business.

Upon checking - I see you own "the empowered soul" so that explains the sub-domain.
But for copywriting? I would still get a unique url.

All that said, if you are depending on email campaigns and linking strategies to drive traffic
to the site and not on solid seo procedures, keep the sub-domain. lol.

That's all I have, so far. Back to work.

Just my humble comments and OH-pinions.

Blessings.

Verb

I checked out the Guru site in depth, and found while they offer a limited amount of services for free, to get access to the majority of the listings you have to pay. I agree with you Katharina, I don't see the sense of paying to get a job. hireaghostwriter.com had a few listings, but I didn't see any copywriting ones. And Odesk seems to be mostly computer programming...

I just looked at your website again Sal, and it looks great! You've made a lot of excellent changes, and I especially love the testimonials at the bottom of the home page. I hope that you get a lot of new business!

I guess I would agree with the first name thing if the people who you're emailing don't know you, but all these people signed up for emails from you at one time, right? In that case, I would say first name would be okay.

These are some fabulous tips you have here, Verb... and thank you
for posting them! I just may have to check into starting a *real* blog.
The thing I have is something I had to open to be able to read a
few blogs of friends in that community. Once in a while I toss a few
words there so that I stay current.

This is a stunning point, Stephanie! Thus, for an auditory product like an iPod, you know that they're auditory submodality is most dominant, so you would use words like, "listen," "hear," and "say."

Similarly, if it were a surf-board, you'd use language that appeals to a kinesthetic submodality. You'd talk about how they can "get a grip" and about "how they feel" about it. Kinesthetic submodality

And, for an art piece, you could talk about the ravishing new look, the bright, splashy, colors, and so on to tap into their visual submodality.

This, indeed, is a great idea...let the product tell you about the dominant submodality of the target audience and paint a word picture around it.

Cheers,

Sal

So, if you're writing an ad, for example, say, an Ipod, would you want to write it in a way that's more auditory? And if so, how would you do that?

Okay, I'm back. I like your writing process page. It's no-nonsense and it
doesn't leave room for people to whine about your terms not being clear
because they're very clear.

In the last paragraph, I think I'd change the term "good" copy to "successful"
copy. Maybe it's just me, but "good" wasn't strong enough for my taste.

The pricing page... well, while it seems like a really great test, I think
I'd be kind of nervous. Like if I'd normally charge $500 for something
and I'm offered $400, would I take it and hope someone ELSE will offer
$600 to make up for it?

No, that's not saying I wouldn't do it, it's very intriguing. I'll be
interested to find out how many offers are higher than you may have
charged. Remember that some people have *no* idea what a good
copywriter costs, though, so may back away rather than make an
embarrassing offer? Would it benefit you to (just thinking aloud here)
list a low-ball offer to at least help guide the folks who haven't a clue
what your work is worth?

Contact page looks good.

About Us page... I'm curious about why you've capitalized "Copywriting"...
I'm sure there's a reason for that, but I don't know what it is at this point,
so I thought I'd mention it.

Okay, that's it... looks fabulous. *DO* remember to fix your copyright
notice, though... seriously, if I'd hit your page and see the 2004, I'd
assume you're no longer in business if you didn't update the notice for
three years and I wouldn't take the time to send an email to find out...
so that one's vital.

Good luck!

Hi to All.

Give your blog here a little time. They rotate with others on
the home page. You also need to give google a chance to index
your blog and entries. Keep blogging and posting. Be sure to
add links to your sites or to places you need additional traffic.
Of course, links should have relevance.

It will all come out in the wash. Be specific with your topics and
stay on subject. After saying that I must admit I don't always
stay on topic OR subject with any of my blogging efforts.
It happens.

Blogs should be personal to a certain extent so do try to keep
your writing personal as much as possible. Too "polished" looks
like an AD of some kind to a lot of readers/surfers and they blip
out before getting past a few paragraphs.

Don't be afraid to write your own experiences, whether they be
about surfing around or your own copywriting anecdotes. Give
sound advise when you feel you have something to offer.

My blog here only has six entries as I try not to blog about "nothing."
Always keep "relevance" in mind and you will be on the right
track.

When the "wash" comes out, you will be surprised how
wonderful it smells. Like success.

Hope this helps.

Blessings.

Verb

I have found that I have much more writing to do in the fall and winter. I'm thinking it's because they are my favorite months and I just enjoy it more then but it *may* be that more clients are looking for workers then... anyone else notice a slow-down in available work during the summer months?

Yeah, fiction is definitely an acquired taste! There is so much to write about in the world. And, as you imply WildHoney, the truth definitely is stranger than fiction.

And yes, the middle of a novel is really hard to get through. Stories are easier. Just keep in mind, Scene then Summary, Scene then Summary. That's all it really is. For fun, if you have the inclination, you can also try out the month long novel writing sprint at nanowrimo.org. They do it every year. I did it once, but it's pretty time consuming.

This sounds like a very good place to start. I'm getting an Amazon order together this week anyhow, so I think I'll add this book. I'll also watch here for other recommendations. I've been using up most of my time for actual writing but I think it would be beneficial to get some new perspectives.