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Burning the Midnight Oil Book Zine - a FR*E*E monthly ezine for writing parents. ******************************************************************* You are receiving this e-zine because you subscribed through e-mail. Unsubscribe information is below. ******************************************************************* TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. WELCOME NOTES 2. QUOTES FOR THE MONTH 3. EDITOR'S ARTICLE: WRITING AND RANTING 4. ADVERTISEMENTS 5. GUEST ARTICLE: 11 Common... But Incredibly Costly... Web Site Marketing Mistakes: How Many Of Them Are You Making? (Part 1) 6. WHAT'S UP WITH THE BOOK'S WRITERS? 7. BOOK NEWS 8. FREEBIE CORNER 9. WRITING PARENT TIPS FOR JULY 10. FORUM NEWS 11. UNSUBSCRIBE INSTRUCTIONS ******************************************************************* Welcome Notes Welcome to the third issue of Burning the Midnight Oil Book Zine! I'm thrilled to have you as a subscriber! Thank you for giving my E-zine the chance of appearing in your inbox! If ever you have any suggestions, please feel free to E-mail them to me at BurningMidnightOil@hotmail.com. In this issue, Craig Garber once again entices us with an article, this time talking about common Web site mistakes and how to avoid them. One point he touches on is the importance of having a snappy, simple and easy-to-remember domain name. (And, yes, it IS possible for your domain name to be all three! Let Craig show you how!) This point actually touched a nerve with me. For months, I've been working towards creating a brand new, more professional Web site for my writing career. (I'm keeping my personal site right where it is, with the free Tripod service.) Part of moving towards this reality is thinking of a good domain name. Using my name has been an issue because of the many times my last name has been misspelled. (I often joke that the reason I married my hubby is because he has a simple, EASY TO SPELL last name.) I could use my married name but that is not the name I write under and, besides, somebody else already has the domain name dawnwilson.com. (Ironic, this site isfor an artist -- and I couldn't draw to save my life!!) I was told that using dmcwriter.com didn't sound very professional (although it's what I use for my E-mail) and I've even played with the idea of using writedmc.com (as a way of paying homage to the group Run DMC, although I'm not into rap music anymore but it's cool that there's something popular out there with my initials), but people might think it would have something to do with rap music. Reading Craig's tips in his article really put this issue into perspective and I'm confident that I'm armed with enough knowledge to come up with a great domain name. And in honor of our brand new ???Rant Thread??? in our private room, you??™ll also find some great quotes on ranting. To further celebrate this new thread *SPECIFICALLY* for ???letting it all out??? (in a forum where you can safely go back to edit or delete stuff later), my article in this issue talks about how writers can get some added bonuses from writing (and even e-mailing) their rants. Enjoy this issue! And, rant on. Hugs, Dawn Colclasure Editor and Publisher http://dmcwriter.tripod.com/ ******************************************************************* Quotes for the Month ???I rant, therefore I am.??? ??“ Dennis Miller ???She knows her man, and when you rant and swear, Can draw you to her with a single hair.??? ??“ John Dryden ???I??™ll rant as well as thou.??? ??“ William Shakespeare ???I went on all over the States, ranting poems to enthusiastic audiences that, the week before, had been equally enthusiastic about lectures on Railway Development or the Modern Turkish Essay.??? ??“ Dylan Thomas ******************************************************************* Writing and Ranting Copyright ?© 2004 by Dawn Colclasure If there is anything that can be said about my writing career, it??™s that I have spent it talking to a lot of people. And I do mean ???A LOT.??? Add to this fact that I??™m always jumping at the chance to network with other writers (in addition to being a part of a message board for writers) and you??™ve got enough people to populate the state of Texas ??“ twice. And you would think that, with so many people I??™m communicating with, I might get names mixed up or addresses wrong. But this hasn??™t happened ??“ not yet, anyway. Oh, sure, I might have to read their last e-mail to remember what we were talking about or go through my list of contacts to get an address, but I??™ve never forgotten who they are. The reason? I always try to communicate with people on a ???human level.??? I don??™t treat them as ???just another e-mail address??? but as another live human being out there in the world who I am virtually talking with. Sure we may not be talking in person, but it??™s darn close enough. And I always try to relate to them in some kind of personal way ??“ as a friend, a fellow writer-in-arms, a fellow author striving to be noticed, another burn survivor, another deaf person fighting discrimination, etc. Perhaps this is how I am able to remember them so well. When I see their e-mail address, I think something like, ???Hey, there??™s that super-nice-quick-to-respond editor??? or ???there??™s the writer who wrote that E-book of love poetry.??? While I enjoy relating to people in this way, it also has a downside. This downside is when people remove their bandages to show me their scars, whether those scars came from abuse, harassment, addiction, personal problems or just life being LIFE. It??™s not that I don??™t want them to relate to me in this way or that I don??™t care. As a matter of fact, I do. But it means that ranting can play a pretty big factor in all of this. I??™ve received many e-mails from writers I network with that contain a rant or two. And almost always, these rants are accompanied by a quick ???I??™m sorry to bug you with this??? or ???I??™m sorry this is so long and I hope I didn??™t get too personal.??? And my response is almost always the same: ???Don??™t sweat it.??? (And I say ???almost??? because I don??™t exactly use those words every time.) I don??™t mind their rants. Really. Sure they might make me a little moody and even sad for what this person is going through, but I want them to know that that??™s why I??™m here. And if they can relate to me on a human level just as I do with them, then that is all I need to put a smile on my face. Because this way I know I??™m not ???just another e-mail address??? (or potential customer) to them, either. When a person rants, they really open up some deep wounds. They really touch on a personal part of their lives and feel comfortable enough in this particular situation to ???take a load off.??? But when a writer rants, it??™s a whole ???nother story. Especially if they actually sit down to write their rant. Writing a rant can serve a multitude of purposes. It can be a venue for a writer to channel their negative energy and get rid of it. It can be fodder for material they might use elsewhere. (I have actually done this myself, putting excerpts from my journals and writings into my characters??™ mouths.) They can use their rant as an essay, article or op-ed piece later on or they can use it as an opportunity to play with words. But, ultimately, when a writer writes their rant, they are using the only way they know to express their quandary: Words. Just as a child will use hitting to express their rage with because they have no other way of communicating how they feel, writers use the only thing they know ??“ which is the power of the written word ??“ to help them cope with their problems. I once had an essay published in a local magazine on the therapeutic benefits of writing poetry. There are therapeutic benefits in writing itself, no matter what you write. If you use a diary, notebook or even an e-mail to a friend to help you rant with, then by all means, use them. Ranting will help you to ???get it all out??? and move on past the negative storm stewing inside of you. And writing your rant will help you to put a ???face??? on your problem so that you can tear it all up later. Or burn it. Or delete it. Or hit ???Send.??? An added bonus to writing your rant? Nobody gets hurt. Really. You don??™t end up alienating or disowning your mother, spouse, child, boss, co-worker or mail carrier from blowing up at them, because writing your rant saves you the pain that may result from doing just that. Use your skill with words to cope with your negative moods, no matter what those moods may be. Write about them in a journal or send your rant along as an e-mail to someone you trust. And, in some way, e-mailing your rant seems to work the same way that writing your rant does. One publisher I know often e-mailed me his rants and one of them ended up bouncing. He didn??™t send it to me again but, as he said later on, he didn??™t need to. Somehow, having typed out that rant and sending it along was all the therapy he needed to deal with it. And if you don??™t have that ???someone you trust??? to e-mail your rant to, then feel free to send it my way. Don??™t feel you??™ll need to apologize for ranting or feel that I??™ll respond with comments on your rant. All I can do, and all I will do, is listen. ******************************************************************* ADVERTISEMENTS Writer2Writer No Fee Contest: The new Writer2Writer contest has begun! There is no fee to enter, but you must be subscribed to our *free* ezine "Writer to Writer". If you're not already subscribed, you can sign up on the website or send a blank email to: writertowriter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.au Take a look at the photograph shown here: http://www.writer2writer.com/contest.html Your assignment is to write the opening line and one paragraph (maximum 107 words) plus a snazzy title. (Title will not be included in the word count) It can be the beginning of a short story or novel, or if you'd rather, may be a complete story. Entries will be judged solely on creativity. There are absolutely no limitations on genre; write whatever the photograph portrays to you. Closing date for entries: 12 midnight, 15th August 2004 (wherever in the world you live) Full details and rules can be found on the contest page http://www.writer2writer.com/contest.html. Please check these carefully, as they will change for each contest. If you have any questions after checking the guidelines, feel free to contact Cheryl Wright (cheryl@writer2writer.com) Under no circumstances will attachments be opened. Please note: Contests are ongoing; check back often. ******************************************************************* GUEST ARTICLE 11 Common... But Incredibly Costly... Web Site Marketing Mistakes: How Many Of Them Are You Making? (Part 1) Copyright ?© 2004 by Craig Garber Did you know, the founders of video-game manufacturer "Atari", named their company so people would think they were a Japanese electronics firm? Even though they were headquartered in Northern California! Pretty smart move, hey? Especially when you think about, how Atari took in over $404,645,000 dollars in revenue last year, in a tougher-than-usual economy. That just goes to show you what a little ingenuity, and a lot of forethought can do... to make your business a smashing success! And, it's also a great lesson on... Creative Secrets To Stuffing Your Pockets Full Of Cash! Here??™s the deal: For some strange reason, almost no one ever stops to consider, your web site's domain name is the equivalent of "your headline", and your prospects will be looking closely at it to decide whether or not it's worth it for them to "click" on to your site. So it simply amazes me when I see web site domain names like: "www.louiecorp.com". Do you have any idea what this company does, just from their name? Well believe it or not, they actually sell information about... dog breeding! And how about www.hiod.net? They sell some kind of nutritional products. And let me ask you something: In a million years, would you... ever have guessed that? Here you have the Atari guys on one hand, cleverly designing a name so their prospects will perceive them in a certain way, so they'll make more money... and so you'll be less resistant to buying from them. And then you have other people -- what could they possibly be thinking about when they are typing in and registering the names of their web sites? On the other hand, here's a simple web site name, that you don't have any confusion about: www.bassfishingflorida.com. And if you log on to that site, you'll get exactly what you're expecting -- and meeting expectations is critical to your success. Are you starting to "sense" where I'm going with all this? You see, there are some basic rules to choosing profitable domain names that make your site much more alluring to your customers, and wind up producing hefty bank balances for you. First, try and stick to the same basics you should already be using when you're creating headlines for all the other marketing pieces you're using, whether it??™s direct mail, a display ad, a press release, or a web page. Among those basics, of course... are: ?· Showing your prospects your very big (and if possible, your strongest) benefit (like "dirtcheapinsurance.com") ?· Bonding as much as possible with your prospects (not "builders.com", but "newyorkcontracting.com") ?· Niche yourself instead of being a generalist (not "dogbreeding.com", but "germanshepherdbreeding.com") ?· And... don't make your domain name too complicated! Straight and to-the-point works best in every situation, no matter how "sophisticated" your prospects or your goods and services are. As an example, "bracesforyourkids.com" is a lot more effective than "pediatricorthodontists.com" However, unlike "traditional" headlines, there are some specific common-sense rules for web site marketing, you'll want to stick to. These are guidelines that will dramatically increase the amount of money you'll be making, and... equally important... reduce the amount of money you'll be losing from people who either never make it on to your site in the first place, or... who walk-away from it prematurely. By following these formulas, your web site will be: One, a site people will be attracted to and want to visit... many times over! * Two, a site that will make you money... day-in-and-day-out! And... * Three, something you can be proud of and constantly improving on. Most important: The impact of changing each of these moving pieces is measurable! Meaning, you can test the profitability of each of these items, separately... and tweak your variables as you see fit, to figure out what's the most profitable arrangement for your site. So without any further ado, here are some web site basics you'll want to stick to, and costly web site marketing mistakes you'll want to avoid: 1. Keep Your Domain Name Short... And Sweet! Remember, everyone is busy, busy, busy! No one wants to spend any more time doing something, than they need to. That includes the time you spend typing in your domain name! Is there a certain number of letters you should stay under? No. The rules are not that rigid, but for example... don't call yourself www.themostamazingmasonintheworld.com, when you can call yourself www.speedybricklaying.com. Get it? Unlike eating a moist... buttery... chocolate 7-layer cake that melts-in-your-mouth, "more" is not necessarily better when it comes to the length of your domain name! 2. Keep Your Sales Messages Simple -- Really Simple! Why? Well, let's just say that not every one of your prospects is going to have a triple-digit IQ. Listen to this: National Geographic magazine did a survey of young Americans, aged 18 to 24... and the results were nothing shy of astounding! Would you believe 63% of the people surveyed couldn't find England on the map? But really though, that's nothing compared to... The 11% Of Young Americans Who Couldn't Even Find The United States! Yes, since you may not be dealing with the brightest lights on the tree, above all else, your web site must be nice-and-easy to read... and plain-and-simple to understand. This isn't the time for you to be playing cute "games" with your prospects, or figuring out new and "clever" ways to make them "realize" you or your services and products, are "smarter" than anyone else's. Remember, no one ever lost a sale because they communicated too clearly, and you won't either. Capisc?©? Plus, your prospects don't care how "smart" you are, all they care about is getting what they want! So if your idea of provoking curiosity is to "challenge" your prospects with acronyms... puzzles... or math problems... to see if they "get" the sheer brilliance of what it is you're selling, you're in for a rude awakening... because... your sales... Will Literally... Be... Zero! O.K.? Remember: In all situations, the rule of thumb is: Keep It Simple! Let's move on then, shall we? 3. When you register your domain name, you can register all the extensions you want, like .com... .net... .biz... and whatever else there is, but... Only Use Your "Dot Com" Extension... As Your Main Web Site! Here's why: At least for today, the "dot com" (.com) name is still the "standard". It's the extension you're most likely to enter after you type in the name of a site. And since you're a smart marketer looking to play along with the odds that are already in your favor... it's the only extension you'll want for your web site. So if the "dot com" name you want, is already taken by someone else... you're going to have to dig deeper into your creative well of juices to come up with another compelling and powerful domain name that's available for you, in the "dot com" domain. And reality is, if your page doesn't pull up when your prospect types in "dot com" as their extension, they aren't very likely to sit and try to figure out why they got a different web page. Instead, they'll just move along to the next thing on their mind, and you'll be losing sales -- and boatloads of cash. Remember, you don't get a second chance to make a first impression! And Lord knows how tough it is to get customers -- you don't want to lose them because of some silly excuse like "they can't find your web page"! That's why you should only be using the "dot com" domain name extension -- at least for the time being. Doing anything else is going to cost you buckets of cold hard cash! Why do people automatically enter the "dot com" extension first? The answer is simple: "Programming." People become "programmed" when the do the same things over-and-over, and so their "knee-jerk" reaction becomes the same, each-and-every time. That's the reason why you place your toothbrush on the exact same tooth in your mouth every morning, when you're getting ready to start brushing your teeth, and it's why you carefully place your razor blade in the same position... on the same area... when you're shaving your face in front of your bathroom mirror. Programming! Programming is actually the single most important human force you'll need to remember when dealing with people, and especially when you are creating your marketing information and trying to influence your prospect's (or anyone else's) behavior. 4. Don't-Use-Dashes-Or-Hyphens-Or-Capital-Letters-Or-Any-Other-Characters-In-Your-Domain-Name! Use Lower-Case Letters Only! It's hard to read (I hope you've seen this yourself by slogging through that last sentence.) and... even more of a pain-in-the-neck to type out! To make it, you've got to be in the "making life easy" for your prospects business -- and that means "easy" in every aspect of working with you, from typing in your domain name to placing an order, and everything in-between, so don't be using anything other than lower case letters! 5. Did you know "stewardess" is the longest word you can type, using only the "left-hand" letters on your keyboard? I'm bringing this up because... To The Extent You Can, Make Your Domain Name As Easy As Possible To Type Out On Your Keyboard! Sometimes this isn't always possible, but if you have a choice, go with the choice that's easier to type in, between 2 choices that are otherwise equal. Another typing issue that causes problems, is when you have to type 2 identical letters next to each other, like when the last letter of one word in your domain name, is the same as the first letter of the next word in your domain name, like www.allabouttrees.com. That's often difficult and sometimes confusing for you to do. So practice typing the name of your site over-and-over again, and ask other people to do the same thing for you. If you're hearing about keys "sticking" or the name being "awkward" to type, then you're probably going to want to consider using another name. Remember, if your prospects find ANY reason, to not log on to your site, they'll disappear like the smoke burning off your barbecue grill -- never to be seen again! It's like this: Imagine you're trying to get your 13-year old son or daughter to do their homework. All they need is the slightest reason or excuse not to do it, and you can forget about any assignments ever getting completed. Know what I mean? Accommodate your web site visitors the same way, and don't give them ANY excuses to leave your site, or to not want to go there in the first place. You'll find yourself light-years beyond your competition, and you'll be the proud owner of a fat wallet and a chunky bank account to boot! 6. Make Sure Your Domain Name... Is Relevant To Your Business! If you are a landscaper, don't call yourself ilovetrees.com, call yourself www.lushgreenlawns.com. First... bluntly, your prospects don't care what "you" like. Second... that domain name isn't even remotely telling your prospect, what it is you do. And lastly... if your prospect thinks they're going to a site that sells one thing, and when they get to your site, if your site name isn't relevant to what you're actually doing... you may frustrate and ultimately alienate them. And Who Needs That? So make sure your domain name is relevant to what you are doing! Well, that wraps it up for now. But stick around -- you most definitely do not want to miss the remaining 5 most costly web site mistakes in the second part of this article! Next time, you'll discover, among many other things: * The very most overlooked and taken-for-granted mistake! And the solution is... right under your nose -- literally! * When the 12th of March and... the 3rd of December are one in the same day! * Why you shouldn't talk about weight-lifting... and when you should instead be talking about getting "ripped" and "shredded"! * How many things you should be doing on your site at one time! * What a broken air-conditioner... your mother-in-law... and your daughter's new tattoo, has to do with your prospect prematurely leaving your web site! * What you must do to make sure you aren't alienating two-thirds of the world's population online! * Why "no new news" is definitely NOT "good news"! * How to save almost a full month's mortgage payment... each-and-every year! P.S. If you are one of the first 11 people to contact me (make sure you reference this article), I will give you a FREE consultation on your domain name -- with absolutely no hassles, and... no strings attached! About Craig: Why aren't you selling nearly as much as you think you should be? 99 times out of a hundred... it's your sales copy or your marketing approach. Craig Garber is a direct-response copywriter and a direct-marketing consultant whose marketing methods dramatically improve the situation you're in right now. You'll find all sorts of goodies, along with a FREE tip of the week for you on his website, www.kingofcopy.com .Copyright ?© 2004 Craig Garber. All rights reserved. ******************************************************************* WHAT'S UP WITH THE BOOK'S WRITERS? Frank Baron, whose essay is featured in Volume One, now has a Web site. Huzzah! Check out http://www.frankbaron.com/ to learn all about his book on fishing, what book he??™s working on now, various writings and to learn all about Canada??™s favorite fisherman. You can also learn how to subscribe to his free column, Baron It All, which guarantees you a belly-full of laughs each week! ******************************************************************* BOOK NEWS What's the latest with the first volume of BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL: How We Survive as Writing Parents? Shanna Groves review blurb for this book brought tears to my eyes. Just think: In two months, you??™ll be able to read all about the wonderful things that have been said about this book! I finished up the formatting and Angela and I are working together on taking it through the POD process. The cover for the book is nearly done, too. Shannon Swanson has been doing a great job on the cover and I am very grateful for all of the time and creative energy she??™s put into it. ******************************************************************* FREEBIE CORNER Please note: These offers are not investigated by me. Some freebie promos are scams. Please check these out thoroughly before submitting personal information. The freebies I selected for this issue are specifically for writers. Enjoy! The Web site, Bella Online, has a page devoted to freebies for writers. Check it out here: http://bellaonline.com/Article.asp?id=639 Get free books at the Baen Free Library: http://www.baen.com/library/ ???From FADE IN Through FADE OUT??? is a free, online book for scriptwriters: http://members.aol.com/anniraff/contents.htm Free writing and writer-related E-books at Fiction Factor: http://www.fictionfactor.com/writersfreebies.html If Craig??™s article above told you anything about creating a great site, this link to a freebie is sure to add to your great-looking site. Find free tools to make banners for your site here ??“ and be sure to ask your friends to use the banners as a direct link! http://www.chocolatecats.com/create_3D.htm Writers of fiction know the importance of plotting their stories. And what better way to plot your story than with software? Better yet, try FREEWARE. Check out this link for a free download of QuickPlot (P.S. I use it, too): http://downloads-zdnet.com.com/3000-2056-10072746.html Here??™s a bunch of freebies for screenwriters: http://breakingin.net/freebies.htm Freebies from The Burry Man Writer??™s Center: http://www.burryman.com/web.html ******************************************************************* WRITING PARENT TIPS FOR JULY Tip: Watch out for those hidden writing ideas! Having the kids around 24/7 means you??™re seeing more of the things they do, say and how they act. From a child that licks all of the salt off of the pretzels in a bag to a child busying herself with a brand new game, these are the seeds of your future articles, essays, poems, scenes, etc., that you??™ll write later on. Grab those moments that inspire and humor you and write them down. Our kids are the biggest source of inspiration but also a VERY BIG source of ideas! Tip: It may be too late to pitch your summer article ideas to editors now but don??™t let that stop you from adding to your inventory! It??™s summertime, one of those seasonal times that can add authenticity to your writing when you need a summer scene in the winter or a Fall scene in the spring. Take time to jot down notes inspired from the summer and see what kind of article ideas you can come up with to pitch in October. Tip: Get out there with your kids and have fun! ******************************************************************* FORUM NEWS Check out our forum at: http://p197.ezboard.com/babsolutewrite The password is: multitask WE NOW HAVE A RANT THREAD!!! RANT ALL ABOUT IT!!! Check it out: The Rant Thread was created after reading a rant from another writer with small children in the house. I read this e-mail nodding my head, relating to every word. It also made me think about how good it must??™ve made her feel to ???get it all out??? and over with. Then I thought about the many frustrations writing parents must put up with in struggling to find some time to write or dealing with a deadbeat editor/contractor who won??™t pay. (Don??™t these people REALIZE we have kids to feed???) (Hey, maybe that??™s a rant right there!) So, voila! The Rant Thread was created! Now you have a forum to ???LET IT ALL OUT??? the next time you don??™t have any energy left to write, when nobody is HELPING you with the kids or an editor with that check that means some groceries is ignoring you. Hm, maybe I??™ll write a rant about my sprained foot..... ******************************************************************* You are subscribed to this E-zine because you requested a subscription or signed yourself up on your own. To unsubscribe, send a blank e-mail to: 59308-unsubscribe@zinester.com |
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August15, 2004 - Burning the Midnight Oil Book Zine -- Issue Four >> |
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