The attached movie link is an inspiration to anyone who speaks, writes, feels, or ever wanted to put an engaging point across. I’m so happy that I took the 15 or so minutes to watch it. It also put me in touch with some excellent books that can also help just about all of us.  Brilliant guy discussing things learned from classic storytelling techniques and how it applies to content…   Many thanks to the unstoppable copywriter Dick Robinson for bringing this film to my attention.

Jazz Up Your Dull Dreary Desktops!

Boy, am I excited. Now all my desktop icons mean something! For example, I do PR for Unity of Delray Beach Church. Now the icon for that file has a beautiful picture of the church, a flowering tree in its yard, and the gazebo. My husband/business partner is another photo icon. The logo for Actor’s Rep, a theatre I love, is another. The beautiful new Toastmasters logo is what I now click on for my VP of Education Toastmaster files. And wow it was all so easy. I just made each picture I wanted to “iconize” into a small, square.jpg, (using instructions on an earlier post

Background can be any color or other photos

in this blog in a post on how to make any picture a .jpg.) THEN I went to this site,  http://www.coolutils.com/online/image-converter/  where they change .jpg file into an icon file (.ico) like magic! Then you right-click on your old icon and go to the bottom where it says change icon, and GO FOR IT! let me know how it works out for you. Sure personalized the desktop.

The safer and more professional way to send group emails

The professional way (other than via A Weber or Constant Contact or others) to send an email to a group of people is by BCC, blind carbon copy. Then the recipient only sees his or her name and email address, and yours. It is a real must when sending to groups of media people, and a wise idea sending to any group even if they know each other. This prevents strangers from lifting the addresses and using them to add to their database, which is illegal anyway, but the way many spammers harvest addresses – from people not using BCC.  It may appear as names only, but in the original email you just click and it comes up with each address. Your email /Internet service provider will have instructions on how to do BCCs.

How to opt out quick from Facebook page where someone made you a member

Example of The "Leave Group" click to

On those Facebook pages where some well meaning soul decided you might like to be a member and clicked you in … and you have decided you don’t want to be there, it’s very easy and quick to opt out yourself. You do have to go to that Facebook page. Then, look at the right hand column. Under the thumbnail pix and a bit further down just past “View Photos” there’s a box, “Leave Group.” It’s easy! No need to block friends or go through any fuss or muss. Just one click and you’re outa there!

My favorite artsy computer trick

I recently found out ANYTHING you have on your screen can be turned into a .jpg. Here’s how it works on my PC …
Have the image or text or poster on your monitor screen – all of it must show.

• Click Print Screen on keyboard.
• Go to “All Programs” and type Paint in the search box
• Click on Paint
• In Paint program, Click on Edit
• Then Click on Paste
• All that was visible on your screen when you clicked Print Screen
shows up! That includes background you don’t want.
• Click on File
• Then click on Save As
• Name your image and send it to Desktop.
• Go to Desktop and right click on image icon
• Click on “open with” and choose your photo program or
whatever you use to crop items from
• Crop the parts away that you do not want in your .jpg
• Ta da! You have a .jpg of anything you want from your computer!
• Save it wherever you want it.

How to prevent typos in your copy

According to an article in Customer Service Advantage,
spell-check fails to catch 7 out of 10 errors.
Therefore, you have to proofread your copy carefully. But that’s
difficult to do if you’ve already read the copy multiple times,
because your mind skips many words.

Solution: proofread your copy backward!

Why it works: the copy loses all meaning when read backward,
forcing you to notice each word more.

More tips from writers and authors

• To find your own voice, speak to yourself and write it down.  ―Lani Click   http://laniclickconsulting.com/                                                                                                                                                            
•  You as an author have a special message to share ‒ a message that needs to be heard. Writing a book requires planning, dedicated time, creativity and commitment – all of which you have the capacity to follow through on otherwise you would not have gotten the idea in the first place to express yourself as an author. The completion of your book will be magical, because it will represent a portion of who you are. I encourage you to move forward with great expectations for the wonders this process will unveil to you.  ―Ray Stendall           http://www.linkedin.com/in/stendall         

 The key to writing your first book is to choose something that you are excited about–passionate about. Choose something that really is your heart song. Then, get it down on paper with ‘total abandon.’ Don’t spend much time on the fine tuning initially. Once your thoughts are on paper, then go back and edit, edit, edit. I think the writing is really more right brain activity and the editing is more left brain. The finished product will need both sides of the brain for the writing to be clear and effective. ―Alexandra Van Horn www.alexandravanhorn.wordpress.com

 Write about what you know. Whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, it makes it a lot easier for the words to flow.     Tina Pugliese   http://www.pugliesepr.com

 Anyone can write a book… everyone has a story to tell… but when you’re telling YOUR story you need to put yourself in your readers’ shoes and ensure that the story you tell is one that is worth reading. A good book… no matter how informing… will always entertain. Be sure that your book is just that… engrossingly entertaining!    - Rocky Warren “The Fighter Within”    www.thefighterwithin.com

• When your goal is big enough,  it scares, and terrifies you .. that’s where you put all your focus and energy. We must do the things that we love and have the unwavering faith that we will get what we want in due time..closing and guarding our thoughts to all that may tend to shake our purpose, our dream our vision and our goal…we must do it ourselves but we can’t do it alone that’s why we surround ourselves with like minded people. Plant the seed; nurture it day by day, thought by thought, feeling by feeling. By raising our conscious awareness and having a clear mental picture of the things we want, that seed will blossom in due time and reap the fruit of your wishes… this is not a one day or a month process…aligning your thoughts and mind with your spirit needs concentration, dedication, relaxation, relation, and release and letting go. Let your pen take its course. Follow the stream downward not upward… be authentic, have peace within yourself. Don’t think about how it’s going to be formed… just write, one question at a time… one subject at a time and find a really good editor to put it together for you.  ―Lela Ashkarian  http://www.lelaashkarian.com/                                                                                                                                         “The deeper that sorrow carves into us, the more joy we can contain.”  Kahlil  Gibran

How I get 25 hours in every day!

“Remember… time is money.” — Benjamin Franklin

By Dick Robinson

webwritingdoctor.com@gmail.com

I tediously used to hand record the time I worked for clients or spent on other activities each day. And I’d always lose time because I moved to different tasks quickly and didn’t record them. Then it took me hours to compile the data for client billings or personal use.

But I just discovered a new computer program called Chrometa. It tracks my time automatically – at the computer or away from it. And I never have to enter any times. Chrometa’s easy to use. It keeps accurate records effortlessly of time spent on each job or other activity.

The program isn’t just for lawyers or other business people. Chrometa’s for anyone who wants to be more efficient, productive and successful in life. I’m a freelance website writer who charges clients by the project. This program tells me how much I earn per hour for every job and whether I’ve met time goals.

______________________________________

Pros: quick and easy to use, tracks time more accurately than a human, excellent free support, Chronological Timestamps feature edits categories. Cons: Sometimes quirky (drag and drop won’t work periodically), application dialog boxes (such as Word’s Find and Replace) recorded as separate activities, can’t edit descriptions of items tracked by program and categorized.

Program info: Version reviewed 2.0.2.1. Free, 30-day trial of full program downloadable at Chrometa.com (1-888-340-6425). $99. 30-day money back guarantee.

___________________________________

How does Chrometa track time when you have multiple windows open? It only records the application where you’re using the keyboard or mouse.

Chrometa runs in the background. It captures time you spend in each program, including e-mail. You can block any application (Twitter, for example), delete personal activities (such as e-mail or web browsing) and protect data with a password.

It also reminds you to enter what you were doing when the computer was idle. You can also split idle time into different activities and time spans.

Then you create categories, drag activities into them or right click the item. Much like you put e-mail into folders in Microsoft Outlook. The more often you categorize, the more accurate the tracking.

You can view tracking by categories for a day, week or month or custom date range. If you want to see the total and percent of time you’ve spent on a category in any period, collapse the categories.

The Timestamps feature shows you what you were doing every minute of each hour. I regularly view it to make sure categories are correct.

Finally, you can easily export data to Excel. Export all or some categories and any period. Edit the data if necessary. Print it. Send it in e-mail. Or copy and paste into invoices.

For me, Chrometa is the greatest invention since the stopwatch! It saves me as much as an hour a day recording and analyzing my business and personal time.

Peruse now. . .

I asked several journalists, editors, authors, and media specialists for tips on writing. Here is a delicious taste of the valuable responses I received.  More gems of wisdom coming in September.  

• Writing like most things in life requires commitment. Regardless of how you feel, commit to the act of writing and watch magic appear on the page. -Jeff Perlman, former mayor, Delray Beach, Fla.,  former editor, Atlantic Ave. magazine, Delray Beach, Fla.

• Start with one idea. Put pen to paper and let your thoughts flow. Read, revise and rewrite. Take a brisk walk or a leisurely swim and let your mind picture additional ideas coming alive on the pages. Before you know it, you have an outline or a rough draft of a chapter for your book. Be creative, be brave and above anything else, start writing! -Janet DeVries, author, archivist, Boynton Beach Public Library, Boynton Beach, Fla.
  

• When it seems like writer’s block has become a permanent affliction, take a walk, take a drink or take a nap! This too shall pass: A light bulb may go off – write ideas down, quick! This has happened to me, more than I care to remember, -Tracy Kolody, editor/journalist/writer  Boca Raton, Fla.

• If writing for you is hard, perhaps you are doing the wrong type of writing. If you are trying to write fiction and it does not flow, try non-fiction. If you are doing non-fiction, ask yourself: Are you writing on a subject or in a field that you enjoy? If not, switch. You will know when you are doing the kind of writing that is right for you when you are able to – at least some of the time – get into the “flow.” Writing in the creative flow is a feeling of being connected to the Creative Spirit, the closest  I’ve ever felt to God, health and happiness. - Maury M. Breecher, Ph.D., MPH, Corpus Christi, Texas; co-author with Wayne Dyer and others of Moments of Inspiration www.wakeupmomentsofinspiration.net/  

• Aside from actively practicing the craft of writing, participate with local writing associations/groups and attend association annual conferences. At conferences, you can often meet agents/publishers and pitch your ideas. I wish I’d been more consistently active with submissions and these other suggestions–I might have gotten published sooner than 15 years after I picked up the pen! -Betty Bogart, poet, book author, Texas House of Representatives Constituent Relations http://bit.ly/dzdOCW

Good writing is a synthesis of soul and head, of inspiration and dedication. It is one of the most rewarding, and the hardest, thing you will ever do. And you’ll be glad you did. -Leslie Streeter, journalist, blogger, West Palm Beach, Fla.    http://bit.ly/9ltCnz
  

If you have something to say, start writing.  Don’t wait.  Make a commitment to write something every day.  Write a blog, a newsletter, a column, or work on your book.  Read good books.  The more you read and the more you write the easier and more enjoyable your writing will become.  Remember, don’t wait.  Start writing now.  You have something to say. -David J. Pollay,  Author of The Law of the Garbage Truck!www.thelawofthegarbagetruck.com  

    

Hold your dreams in your heart. Share them only with those who will support you wholeheartedly. Keep a pad and pencil with you at all times to jot down story ideas, character traits, fragments of sentences, and whatever else you think you’ll remember but in reality wont. And never, never, never give up! -Diana Taylor, author, photographer, artist. creator of Pug at the Beachwww.pugatthebeach.com