Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Home Office writer
If you're working out of your home, you most likely have some sort of a home office. No matter what type of home office you have, there are some things that every office should have. Get ready to get rid of the clutter and get your home office looking more modern and better than ever!
Essential Home Office Tools:
What do you need for an effective home office? Don't fall for all of the high-tech, fancy gadgets on the market today. To have an effective home office for general business that will meet your everyday needs, you only need the following:
in your office. Get rid of that old scanner, the dated fax, and the
crappy copier and pick up an all-in-one. This saves space and
leaves no room for clutter, not to mention how easy it is to
operate. Throw away the filing cabinet and scan documents and save
them onto a hard drive. Get rid of your old bulky CRT monitor and
turn it in for a new flat-panel LCD.
A Separate Space For Work
Get out of your bedroom office (if you can) and use that spare
bedroom to convert it into the ultimate office space. You need a
space dedicated to work, so that way your work won't invade your
personal area, as each day you will technically be "commuting to
work" when going to your own personal office.
A separate space is also beneficial because if gets you away from
distractions. This way, you go in, do your work, and leave. Very
similar to a job away from home, except the commute is much shorter!
Keep It Clean - Keep It Simple
There's no need to go overboard when dressing up your office. Keep
the walls a dark color. Avoid bright painted walls. Avoid excess
clutter on the walls, such as too many picture frames or paintings.
Also make sure your desk is clean and organized. A cluttered desk
is a distraction, which will eventually lead to you not getting
done what you need to get done.
Take some of these things into consideration when getting your home
office ready. I can assure you that these tips will make for a
better, more modern home office.
Essential Home Office Tools:
What do you need for an effective home office? Don't fall for all of the high-tech, fancy gadgets on the market today. To have an effective home office for general business that will meet your everyday needs, you only need the following:
- An all-in-one printer, fax, copier, and scanner
- Either a desktop computer or laptop computer
- A working landline or cell phone
in your office. Get rid of that old scanner, the dated fax, and the
crappy copier and pick up an all-in-one. This saves space and
leaves no room for clutter, not to mention how easy it is to
operate. Throw away the filing cabinet and scan documents and save
them onto a hard drive. Get rid of your old bulky CRT monitor and
turn it in for a new flat-panel LCD.
A Separate Space For Work
Get out of your bedroom office (if you can) and use that spare
bedroom to convert it into the ultimate office space. You need a
space dedicated to work, so that way your work won't invade your
personal area, as each day you will technically be "commuting to
work" when going to your own personal office.
A separate space is also beneficial because if gets you away from
distractions. This way, you go in, do your work, and leave. Very
similar to a job away from home, except the commute is much shorter!
Keep It Clean - Keep It Simple
There's no need to go overboard when dressing up your office. Keep
the walls a dark color. Avoid bright painted walls. Avoid excess
clutter on the walls, such as too many picture frames or paintings.
Also make sure your desk is clean and organized. A cluttered desk
is a distraction, which will eventually lead to you not getting
done what you need to get done.
Take some of these things into consideration when getting your home
office ready. I can assure you that these tips will make for a
better, more modern home office.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Getting it write
You may still be thinking, "That's okay - I know how to write!" But do you? You may know how to put sentences together and you may understand the basic rules of grammar - but that's not the same as writing effective copy.
If you write marketing materials without a thorough understanding of good copy, you could be doing your business a disservice. This is because you might not be using the best ways of getting your points across.
If you want your business to succeed (and who doesn't?), it's vital that whatever is written about your business shows you in the most favourable light possible. So choose your words carefully!
Copwriting tip 1
Write short words, short sentences and short paragraphs! This will make your marketing words more readable. Writing short sentences, in particular, will make your copy flow.
Copywriting tip 2
According to the old adage, 'The more you tell, the more you sell'. So, the more you write - the more you will sell. Hence the requirement for 'long body copy' (i.e. more words). Remember that it's only the people who are actually in the market to buy - who will avidly read every single word you write.
If you write marketing materials without a thorough understanding of good copy, you could be doing your business a disservice. This is because you might not be using the best ways of getting your points across.
If you want your business to succeed (and who doesn't?), it's vital that whatever is written about your business shows you in the most favourable light possible. So choose your words carefully!
Copwriting tip 1
Write short words, short sentences and short paragraphs! This will make your marketing words more readable. Writing short sentences, in particular, will make your copy flow.
Copywriting tip 2
According to the old adage, 'The more you tell, the more you sell'. So, the more you write - the more you will sell. Hence the requirement for 'long body copy' (i.e. more words). Remember that it's only the people who are actually in the market to buy - who will avidly read every single word you write.
Writing for your audience
You might enjoy esoteric word choice or complicated sentence structure, but you don't want to lose your readers or send them reaching for a dictionary. Likewise, consider their perspective—what they value and what will interest them.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Be focused
Vagueness is often our first impulse when we're getting things down.But it's specificity that gives our descriptions power.In your first draft, use as many clichés as you need to, just get the story down. In your revision, however, treat every single cliché as an opportunity for brilliance. Ask yourself how you can describe this in an entirely new way.
Part of being specific in description is also being original, avoiding the usual path. But there may be times when you use a mix of vague and specific details to highlight certain qualities in your characters.To work on this: Ask yourself the most naïve questions possible to access the sensory cues that conjure the situation for a reader (and that in life we absorb subconsciously): What sounds evoke the scene for you? What smells? What images? What physical responses would you have to this situation? And if questions don't work for you, find some other way to visualize the scene. If you can't picture it, how will you enable your reader to do so?
In fiction, description should not only paint a picture for the reader, but also contribute to the plot and reveal something about character. Choose your details carefully. There's a fine line between lush description and the kind that chokes the reader.If you fear you're in danger of crossing that line, consider which elements of your description serve the primary elements of your plot and which are gratuitous.
Part of being specific in description is also being original, avoiding the usual path. But there may be times when you use a mix of vague and specific details to highlight certain qualities in your characters.To work on this: Ask yourself the most naïve questions possible to access the sensory cues that conjure the situation for a reader (and that in life we absorb subconsciously): What sounds evoke the scene for you? What smells? What images? What physical responses would you have to this situation? And if questions don't work for you, find some other way to visualize the scene. If you can't picture it, how will you enable your reader to do so?
In fiction, description should not only paint a picture for the reader, but also contribute to the plot and reveal something about character. Choose your details carefully. There's a fine line between lush description and the kind that chokes the reader.If you fear you're in danger of crossing that line, consider which elements of your description serve the primary elements of your plot and which are gratuitous.
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