Notes from Minnesota

Hey Freelancer!

Yesterday I ran to town and didn't wear my parka! Sure, I nearly froze my fingers off, but spring's coming. I can FEEL it.

Of course, along with spring will come my scooter.

Ahhhhh... cruising down the highway at a cool 55... I can't wait.

It's sat in warm storage all winter. The dealer will get 'er summer ready any day now. The minute the temp's favorable, I'm hitting the road.

Life is sooooo good.

Beth

P.S. Be sure to check out our best sellers. Here's the link

Mindset Moment

Unanticipated setbacks are simply that: an unanticipated setback. Treat them as a temporary condition knowing that sometimes I need a little extra time to move all the components you need to become truly successful to the place where they'll operate most effectively.

I'm lightning fast... but sometimes I deal with situations that require just a little more coaxing.

Hang tight!

Your Muse

http://filbertpublishing.com/creative.html

Beth's Hot Pick of the Week 

There's nothing worse than bland-as-oatmeal writing that doesn't evoke passion, laugher, anger, love... some kind of emotion from your reader. Story tellers who don't elicit emotion won't gain an avid readership. It's that simple.

If you've struggled, wondering how you can get your writing to sparkle like a bright penny, this book is dedicated to you.

Written in her typical down-home style, prolific writer, master story teller, and lover of the written phrase, Billie A. Williams has laid out an easy to digest palate of sensuous, tangy, salty, and (yes, sometimes) bitter writing techniques you can immediately use to literally spice up your writing.

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What's the Story?    

Beth Ann Erickson 

She was an unwanted individual. Discovered in a ditch on a cool Minnesota morning, duct taped inside a box with her siblings, life didn't look very promising for her. Just a few weeks old, doctors worried she wouldn't make it.

But she survived and was immediately adopted when she gained enough strength. Bad news, though.

The next morning, her new family returned her, citing her lack of traditional beauty as the reason this little girl couldn't live with them.

That's when we met.

I arrived at the facility to drop off a check, never dreaming I'd wind up adopting little Rudie. But it was love at first sight. It was probably the chocolate eyes, wagging tail, perky ears. But mostly, I fell in love with her gentle spirit. And the three stitches in her tiny belly ignited every single mother instinct within me.

That was three years ago. Today Rudie's the muse in my pocket, the keeper of Filbert Publishing, the beautiful soul who oversees this publishing house every day.

Interesting story? Perhaps. Perhaps not. How's this one:

Dateline 1982. Just a tiny sapling, they purchased the evergreen to fill the sparse lawn of their new house. However, as most stories go, everything didn't work out as planned. Financing fell through. House didn't pass inspection (hence the financing tanking), we'd already sold our previous home, so we needed to find a new place.

The house we finally chose already had a lawn full of lively vegetation. Yet we had this tiny sapling waiting for a home.

I stuck it in the front yard, half hoping it wouldn't thrive and we could simply mow 'er over. We didn't pamper it. We straddled it with the pickup as we maneuvered to the large back doors to move our possessions into the new abode. We all but abused the tiny growth, waiting for it to shrivel, die, and vanish.

That didn't happen.

The darned tree took root, grew, and (seemed to) thrive in its unlikely location.

A couple decades later, this strong, full grown pine shades our house and nourishes our souls. It watches over me as I work. It cools our house in the summer, and shields the frigid north wind in the winter.

Standing at nearly 30 feet tall, this beautiful adult tree has become a beloved and permanent fixture of everyday life.

End of story.

So... good? Bad? Reaction?

My point: everything and everyone has a story to tell. Whether you're dealing with a human, animal, plant, or inanimate object... every one of 'em has a unique story. Find the story, and you've got more material than you'll know what to do with. You can develop it, expand it, refine it, tinker with it, enjoy it, and relish the process.

One of my favorite movies is called, “The Red Violin.” A multi-generational story, this movie tells the story from the point of view of... well... a violin. Well, it was kinda the violin's tale. The story's ending may disturb you to the core, just consider yourself warned if you decide to watch it. It's a haunting tale, to say the least, one that gives me pause every time I pick up my own violin to play.

Ferreting out the story may, on the surface, seem to be a skill that fiction writers should acquire. True. However, nonfiction writers and (especially) copywriters should develop this as well.

Nothing captures attention more than a compelling story. Nothing keeps your reader glued to the page more than an intriguing story. Some of the best nonfiction ever written is based on true-life experiences. The most lucrative sales letter ever written (over a billion in sales) chronicles the life of “two young men.”

Stories contain power.

Now harness this power for yourself.

Assignment: Grab any object off your shelf and tell its story. If you don't know the story, make one up.

Now grab a product from your kitchen shelf and tell its story.

Do this each day this week and build a top notch journal.

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Beth Ann Erickson is the “Queen Bee” of Filbert Publishing. She’s also the author of numerous titles including “101 No Cost and Low Cost Secrets To Turbo Charge Your Freelance Income.” Pick up your copy today at http://filbertpublishing.com/101.html  She’s also a busy copywriter, speaker, and publisher of Writing Etc., the free e-mag for writers. 

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I Recommend:

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