32 ways to open the floodgates of writing

In Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way, she insists upon a daily ritual called “Morning Pages.”

I’ve been doing them for about six months.

AND I PROMISE YOU: it’s the greatest thing I’ve ever done for my writing career.

Ever.

Here’s how they work:

1. First thing in the morning (even before checking email!) open a blank document, either on paper or on your computer.

2. Spew out every single thought and/or idea that’s running through your mind. Dreams, worries, fears, annoyances, ideas, what you did the day before, everything. (Most of it will be negative. Don’t worry about that.)

3. Keep writing until you’ve filled up three pages. You simply show up and write, “This is how I feel.”

4. When you’re done, don’t even read it. Just save it in a folder called “Morning Pages.”

5. Then, get on with your day’s work.

That’s pretty much it.

That’s the best thing I’ve ever done for my writing career.

But don’t it from me. Take it from someone who’s not only written 20+ books and taught writing and creativity, but someone who’s been writing morning pages every day for decades.

Straight from Julia’s books, here are 32 reasons to do Morning Pages.

First, here’s what they ARE:

1. They are time outs.
2. They are portable solitude.
3. They are rituals of reflection.
4. They are a form of meditation.
5. They help you listen to yourself.
6. They are the first check-in of the day.
7. They are psychological holding environments.
8. They are gateways to inner and higher selves.
9. They are moments of free association and celebration.
10. They get the shanks out and bring forth the good stuff.

Second, here’s what they DO:

11. Morning pages lend you stability.
12. Morning pages provide intimacy.
13. Morning pages prioritize your day.
14. Morning pages keep you grounded.
15. Morning pages give you a place to ventilate.
16. Morning pages give you the privacy you crave.
17. Morning pages reveal weaknesses AND strengths.
18. Morning pages render us present to the moment.
19. Morning Pages are places to examine many aspects of an experience.
20. Morning pages are places to reframe our failures into lessons learned.
21. Morning pages introduce us to an unsuspected inner strength and agility.
22. Morning pages allow you to spit out what is troubling you NOW, just when you “should” be grateful.
23. Morning Pages are places to approach our next challenge from an emotionally neutral or positive stance.

Lastly, here’s why they’re so EFFECTIVE:

24. You awaken your intuition.
25. You need to release thoughts.
26. You must train your censor to stand aside.
27. You can find out what you like and don’t like.
28. You keep your spirit from being parched and dry.
29. You can shape your lives by your authentic desires.
30. Your problems are exposed and solutions are suggested.
31. You draw to your attention those areas of your life that need your focus.
32. You discover that a little trickle of writing keeps the flow from closing down completely.

Because a writer writes. Always.

Morning pages. Best thing ever.

Start today. Never stop.

Thanks, Julia!


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...this educational post brought to you by your friends at National Speakers Association.

Learn more about The Gateway Chapter here!

24 reasons why content is KING

(This post contributed by The Nametag Guy.)

"How does a speaker get 35,000 hits a day on her website?" I'm often asked.

Google Adwords?
Sponsored links?
Pay per click?
Search engine optimization?

Maybe.

Still, I think the BEST answer is one powerful word: content.

Because content is KING.

And it comes in many forms:

o Articles
o Blog posts
o Pictures
o Videos
o Testimonials
o Profiles
o Lists
o Downloadable ebooks
o PowerPoint slides
o PDF’s and other documents
o Evaluations, tests and assessments
o Podcasts, either video or audio
o Message boards
o Comments and notes left by page visitors
o Any other form of value-added substance that a visitor to the web page would benefit from.

Content is king.

And here’s why:

1. It leads to sales.
2. It gives value first.
3. It helps sell product.
4. It forces you to write.
5. It shows thought leadership.
6. It shows you doing what you do
7. It boosts search engine rankings.
8. It gives social proof of your value.
9. It gets the media to come to YOU.
10. It support and enhances expertise.
11. It adds depth and value to your website.
12. It contributes to your company’s positive reputation.
13. It offers multiple forms of media to convey your message.
14. It keeps your website current, which creates return traffic.
15. It creates a web PRESENCE, since just having a web SITE is no longer enough.
16. It gives away free information; and the more you give away for free, the wealthier you will be.

Content is king.

And if you haven’t already been convinced, here are a few more reasons:

1. Content drives action.
2. Content replaces selling.
3. Content replaces agents.
4. Content replaces pitching.
5. Content drives transactions.
6. Content replaces advertising.
7. Content replaces cold calling.
8. Content pulls instead of pushes.

Content is king.

So, now that you’ve realized the power of content, remember a few final tips:

1. Make content interactive. Can people comment on your stuff?
2. Encourage viral marketing. Can people (easily) share your content with their friends?
3. Link content directly into the sales cycle. At the end of your articles, do you have a call to action? Something that brings the reader over to your site?
4. Make content the focus of your site. When someone arrives at your site, is there a login that grants her full access to your online library?
5. Make your content answer your customers’ problems. Are you asking your target market what topics they want content about?

Content is king.

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...this educational post brought to you by your friends at National Speakers Association.

Learn more about The Gateway Chapter here!

Watch NSA STL's Scott Ginsberg on 20/20!

Hope everyone tuned in last Friday to 20/20's "The Lucky Ones"!
NSA STL's own Scott Ginsberg was a featured guest.

Here's the transcript, fresh ABC's website:















The Lucky Ones: Is It Serendipity or Smarts?
Good Luck and Hard Work Often Go Hand in Hand

'Hello, My Name Is Scott'

Speaker and author Scott Ginsberg, 27, has no problem finding people to talk to. "I've probably had encounters with over 100,000 people," Ginsberg said.

His popularity is fueled by an accessory that may make most people uncomfortable: He always wears a name tag.

"What is with the name tag? Well, I get that probably three to five times a day. And it's been approximately 2,237 days that I've been wearing this 24/7," he said.

Ginsberg feels the name tag represents friendliness in a world filled with strangers. In fact, he started his marketing business, "Hello My Name Is Scott," when he was just 22. He now makes more than six figures a year from book sales and speaking engagements.

Ginsberg says his success is a result of his approachability and he can trace the first time it worked for him back to one key day years ago. He had a conversation with a stranger on a bus and gave him his card. "About a week later, I get a phone call from the editor of the Portland Tribune, who wants to do an article about my upcoming book. This article went out to every major news wire in the country. … Everything in my entire life since then is because that guy on the bus. His girlfriend was that reporter for the newspaper."

Ginsberg, like most lucky people, doesn't listen to naysayers. His belief in his positive attitude is so strong that he even got his name tag tattooed on his body. He said it's "100 percent real. And you know what? This is as real as my commitment. And I think that is what can actually increase someone's luck." According to Ginsberg, he is the luckiest person he knows.

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...this post brought to you by your friends at National Speakers Association.

Learn more about The Gateway Chapter here!