I Should Have Been on Oprah But There’s Still Nascar

I was watching Oprah the other day and all of the sudden there was Grammar Girl talking about sentence structure and using the right words in the right ways. I couldn’t believe it. I’d read about promoting yourself to such levels, but never, in a million years, thought Oprah would be interested in doing a story about a grammar book. Grammar Girl wrote one. I wrote one too. The difference is she probably sold thousands, maybe even millions while my book sales have yet to reach the hundreds. Why? Is it because her book is better than mine? Probably not – I mean we ARE talking grammar here. But Oprah endorsed her book, she didn’t endorse mine. So, I think the answer is – promotion.

Analogies And Metaphors From Real High School Student Essays

1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two other sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.
2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.
3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one those boxes with a pinhole in it.

How to Write Winning Sales Copy

You’ve created the product. You’ve sharpened your skills. Now it’s time to get your message out. How will you do that? The most effective way is through your Web site. How do you generate sales or land clients from your Web site? By writing winning sales copy that’s how. You have only a few seconds to grab the attention of your reader, regardless of whether they are looking for a product or a service.

Live Large and Think Big

The theme of Dallas, Texas is “Live Large, Think Big” and that’s exactly what I did, along with many other VAs at this past year’s Virtual Assistant Conference. The socializing, networking, and nightly pajama parties assured me I made the right career choice and these people I had come to rely on “in the box” where just as fantastic in real life as they were on the forums!

Ten Ways to Add Value to Your Services

The saying, “nothing is for free” isn’t necessarily true especially when you’re talking about added value services you can offer your client. These are services you offer your clients in addition to your regular services. They can be standalone services or they can incorporate existing features of your current services. Either way, they provide an added value to your clients – once that puts you above your competition in your client’s eyes.

To, Too or Two – That is the Question

To is a homophone. I know what you’re thinking – a what? A homophone; if you watch Jeopardy you know homophones are words that sound alike but have different meanings and are spelled differently. How do you know when to use to versus two versus too? Well, it can be confusing, but there are a few ways to make sure you’re using the right one.

What is a Participle and why is mine Dangling?

Have you ever read something that made you stop and say to yourself, “what the heck does that mean?” I know I have and usually it’s because someone has destroyed an otherwise coherent sentence with a dangling participle or a misplaced modifier.

When You are Comparing Something, Then You Use Than

What? I know it can be confusing – figuring out when to use than instead of then. In fact, there are many confusing words in the English language. Some sound the same, but are spelled differently and mean different things. Some don’t sound the same, are spelled the same but mean something different. Mastering the English language is a challenge. Don’t worry about mastering the language, just make sure you’re using the right words when you’re writing and you’ll be fine.

Landing Clients – It’s all in the Bait

A couple months ago, I told my husband I was going to revamp my business by defining a niche and a target market. My niche is writing. My target market – well, at the time, it was anyone or anything that needed writing or editing services. “Don’t you think you’ll be limiting yourself by concentrating JUST on writing?” he asked me with obvious concern. “No, not at all” I quickly responded. He looked at me puzzled. My husband loves stories so I knew a fishing analogy would help him see the light.

How to Write an e-Book that Generates Cash

So you’re going to write an e-Book. Good for you! It’s a great way to generate passive income and to establish yourself as an expert in your field. Make sure you get to know your reader before you start writing. Find out what they need or what they want; the problems they face. The style of your writing as well as the tone and length will depend on your reader. Do a little research and determine your reader’s age range, gender, interests, socio-economic group and whether or not they’re computer literate. The more you know about your reader, the easier it is to reach them. The original Chicken Soup series sold many more copies when they began addressing specific segments of the market – for the pet lover’s soul, the Veteran’s soul and the gardener’s soul to name just a few.