January 9, 2009
The Hero’s Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon – understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters.
The Hero’s Journey:
Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.
Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.
Interpreted metaphorically, laterally and symbolically, allows an infinite number of varied stories to be created.
The Hero’s Journey is also a study of repeating patterns in successful stories and screenplays. It is compelling that screenwriters have a higher probability of producing quality work when they mirror the recurring patterns found in successful screenplays.
Overcoming Writers Block
Syd Field’s theories discuss the three acts, plot point, mid point, pinches etc…that’s all very well but it’s like saying that dinner consists of a starter, a main course and a dessert. It doesn’t tell you HOW TO COOK the meal.
The magic of the Hero’s Journey is that it tells you WHAT TO WRITE!
The reason is simple.
All heroes (including heroines and antiheros) undergo the same process towards apotheosis and beyond. So what you need to do is understand that process and guide your hero along it within the context of your story.
Consider this:
• Titanic (1997) grossed over $600,000,000 – uses the Hero’s Journey as a template.
• Star Wars (1977) grossed over $460,000,000 – uses the Hero’s Journey as a template.
• Shrek 2 (2004) grossed over $436,000,000 – uses the Hero’s Journey as a template.
• ET (1982) grossed over $434,000,000 – uses the Hero’s Journey as a template.
• Spiderman (2002) grossed over $432,000,000 – uses the Hero’s Journey as a template.
The detailed, complete deconstruction and the Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and FREE 17 stage sample and other story structure templates can be found at http://managing-creativity.com/
You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.
Kal Bishop, MBA
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You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author’s name and site URL are retained.
Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. His specialities include Knowledge Management and Creativity and Innovation Management. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached at http://managing-creativity.com/
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January 8, 2009
If you’re a regular sufferer of running calf cramps then the first thing you need to know is that there are 2 muscle groups associated with the calves and they both need attention.
There are two muscle groups of the calves – the Gastrocnemius and the Soleus. And while most people, especially runners, are familiar with a ‘generalised’ calf stretch, you should be aware of the main difference in stretching technique to gain maximum benefit for each of the muscle groups.
The main difference we speak of is whether your knees are bent or straight.
Having the knees straight in any of the calf stretches allows you to stretch the Gastrocnemius muscles while applying the same stretch with your knees bent allows you to stretch the muscles of the Soleus.
Most people are pretty good at stretching their Gastrocnemius muscles but totally forget about the muscles of the Soleus.
The Gastrocnemius muscle stretch
To stretch the Gastrocnemius try and avoid a common method of standing on the curb and dropping your heels – this is too severe for a muscle to tolerate if it hasn’t lengthened sufficiently after any form of exercise.
Instead try this – keep your body upright, put one leg out in font of the other with the knee bent and the other leg back with the knee straight – it’s the same leg position as if you were leaning against a tree or post, except keep your body upright rather than leaning forward. For maximum stretch, keep the back foot flat on the ground.
Soleus muscle stretch
The same principles apply but it is important to bend the stretching leg at the knee.
This takes the Gastrocnemius muscle – which attaches above the knee – out of the stretch and concentrates the stretch on the Soleus.
Here’s another variation calf stretch. For this stretch you can use a door jam, a pole or fence, lamp post or railing: put your foot against the door frame/pole/fence, hold onto it with your hands and lean forward with your back straight.
If you’re wearing trainers, you’ll be able to put your foot against the door jam and get your heel as close as you can to the door and then bring yourself forward using your hands.
If you’re in bare feet or socks, you might not be able to get your heel against the door to start with but you can work towards it.
Copyright – www.Running-Cramp-Relief.com
Paul Newland is a health and nutrition consultant, trainer, martial arts instructor, commercial helicopter pilot and author. His Ultimate Cramp Busting Guide is the definitive guide to preventing, treating and curing cramps associated with exercise. In the Ultimate Cramp Busting Guide Newland speaks with 6 health, sports, nutrition, medical and complimentary health care professionals and explains why you get cramps, the best ways to treat them and how to prevent them from happening again.
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January 8, 2009
Very well you have a snowboard and will travel. Do you want to find an exciting location which not every body is heading to? Do you wish to be able to speak not just about the fantastic pistes but as well the journey you had traveling to the resort? Below are two adventure, novel, new, different, exciting} mountain resorts for snowboarding.
Les Grands Montets comprises one of them, even bigger than Chamonix ski resort, although it is not as cheap as a weekend ski Chamonix. It’s one of the most elevated skiing resorts in France, and because of the elevation one can telemark there year round. The upper reaches remain snowcapped year-around and give all year round mono skiing fun. Their pistes are some of the nicest in the world and it is no surprise that the mountain is a skiing real adventure.
La Chavanette is the final adventurous skiing mountain. Found in the most southern colonized point in the earth wintertimes are intense and snows are deep. The effect are snow bedecked mountain tops that reach the whole way to the sea. What nicer spot to savour skiing. With numerous superior skiing domains, you are never far from the pistes. Whilst you cast an eye S during snowboarding one is looking all the way to the ocean. It actually is the number one snowboarding location.
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January 8, 2009
Since the headline is the first contact your readers have with your message, it must reach out to them. Promise them a benefit. Tell them how they will be better off if they read the rest of the ad. Use action verbs. Save ten dollars is a stronger heading than Savings of ten dollars because of the verb.
Headlines can be classified into the following five basic types; effective headlines frequently combine two or more of these kinds.
News Headlines
This form tells the reader something he or she did not know before. Using the word news does not make it a news headline. “Now – a copy machine that copies in color” is an example of this type headline.
Advice and Promise Headline
Here you are promising something if the reader follows the advice in your ad. “Switch to Amoco premium, no-lead gasoline, and your car will stop pinging.”
Selective Headline
This headline limits the audience to a specific group. For example: “To all gray-haired men over forty.” Caution! Be absolutely sure you do not eliminate potential customers with this type of headline.
Curiosity Headline
The intent here is to arouse the reader’s interest enough to make him or her read the ad. The danger is that this headline often appears “cute” or “clever” and fails in its mission. An example: “Do you have trouble going to sleep at night?”
Command or Demand Headline
Watch out for this one as most people resist pushiness, especially in advertising. “Do it now!” or “Buy this today!” This headline generally can be improved by changing to less obtrusive wording such as: “Call for your key to success!”
One common misconception about headlines is that they must be short and easy to understand. This is not always true. Here is a headline that was used extensively in print ads by Ogilvy and Mather for one of their clients: At 60 miles an hour, the loudest noise in this Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock.
Illustrations
There are three primary reasons for using illustrations in an advertisement.
- To attract attention to the ad. – To illustrate the item being featured. – To create a mood in the mind of the reader.
Everyone has heard, A picture is worth a thousand words; in advertising, the illustration frequently helps the reader visualize the benefits promised. You can almost feel the warmth of the tropical sun when you see the photos in January travel ads. Cost and practicality may dictate whether your ad uses photographs, artists’ drawings or merely canned artwork. Any of these can make the ad more appealing to the reader’s eye.
Copy
If you follow the three principles of good copy, your ads will be effective:
- Good copy should be clear. – Good copy should be crisp. – Good copy should be concise.
Clear, crisp and concise . . . the three Cs of copy writing suggest that the words in your advertising message merely do a good job of communicating. Do not use big words when small words can make your meaning clear. Use colorful, descriptive terms. Use the number of words necessary to make your meaning clear and no more-but also no less! Selecting the right words is critical to the success of the ads. Recent research conducted at Yale University found that the following 12 words are the most personal and persuasive words in our language.
You Discovery Safety Money Proven Results Love Guarantee Save New Easy Health Notice the overused word free is not on the list.
REMEMBER THAT WHEN YOUR MESSAGE IS PRINTED IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS INSTEAD OF UPPER- AND LOWERCASE LETTERS, IT IS FAR MORE DIFFICULT FOR THE READER TO FOLLOW AND REMAIN INTERESTED. EVEN IN HEADLINES ALL CAPITAL LETTERS SHOULD BE AVOIDED.
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January 7, 2009
A sign of the end which most recognize is the coming of the Holy Spirit. Joel prophesied the coming of the Spirit in the last days (Joel 2:28-30). His prophecy is mentioned several times in the New Covenant, most notably in Acts 2:16-20. In fact, each time the Holy Spirit is mentioned in the New Testament, the prophecy of Joel is in the background.
The Gift of Tongues and Christ’s Return
Citing Joel’s prophecy Peter says, “This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel” alluding to the exercise of the gift of tongue-speaking. He affirmed that the role of the eschatological Spirit continued until the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, (Acts 2:19, 20 equating this with Christ’s second coming Compare Matthew 24:29, 34; 1 Corinthians 1:7, 8. What was key about tongue-speaking in the first century is that it confirmed imminent judgment upon the nation of Israel.
The Prophecy of Tongues and Judgment
Isaiah’s prophecy provides the context of judgment citing that men of other lips (of a foreign language, meaning the Assyrians, 8th century B.C.) would speak to the rebellious house of Israel. (Isaiah 28:11, 12)
Paul correcting the first century church of the misuse of tongue speaking cites this prophecy saying that tongue speaking was a sign, not to believers but to unbelieving Israel. In so doing, he alludes to the coming judgment upon the ancient nation in A.D. 70. (1 Corinthians 14:20, 21) Such confirms that the modern state of Israel has no place in prophecy and contrary to popular opinion, absolutely nothing to do with the end-time.
William Bell is a minister, public speaker and author on Covenant Eschatology. For more information visit: http://www.allthingsfulfilled.com Comments and questions welcomed at info@allthingsfulfilled.com
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January 5, 2009
Writing and leveraging articles is my most successful strategy for promoting my Website and my speaking and consulting services. Visitors to your site from targeted articles tend to be higher quality leads than those from search engines, and potential buyers like to see that you’re published in many credible outlets.
Here are my recommendations to implement this strategy:
1. Write the article
This may sound self-evident, but a couple of pointers:
a) Keep it short, and make the language simple, especially if you’re targeting online outlets. People don’t read word for word on the Web – rather, they’ll scan the screen. Complex sentences and dense copy will lose readers fast.
b) Develop a template that can be easily customized for different target markets. My “Top Seven Ways to Tune Up your Website” has been parlayed into versions for over a dozen different industries. The essential points remain the same, and customizing simply involves adding specific examples.
2. Put it on your Website
One of the key goals of your Website should be to showcase your expertise. Content (combined with testimonials and success stories) is the best way to achieve this.
When adding articles to your site:
a) Include a clear reprint policy. This should state whether you allow articles to be reprinted, and if so, under what terms (including your byline, copyright, notification of use, etc.)
b) If you have a large number of articles, provide an index page that divides them into appropriate subject groupings, and gives a two-line description of each.
c) Create a byline with an enticing hook to get people to visit your Website. Mine refers to my popular free tipsheet “Beyond the Search Engines”, which lists 23 alternative ways to promote your site. This is far more powerful than a bland statement such as “Philippa Gamse is an internationally recognized . . .”
3. Research and offer it to appropriate venues
It’s critical to be very clear about your target audience, and how to reach them. Who are the economic buyers and decision makers that you’d like to be in front of, and what do they read? Do those sites or publications accept outside articles, and if so, what are their policies around doing so?
My assistant, Bonnie Jo Davis, runs my highly successful articles placement strategy. She provides a complete primer of her methodology, along with many online research sources at http://www.ArticlesThatSell.com/
4. Follow up links and references
It’s extremely important to measure the success of these efforts, both in terms of the traffic to your site, and its quality.
Check the “referring URL” section in your traffic reports, and follow links to you from any site that you don’t recognize. Often, site owners won’t inform you when they’ve used your material. So you want to ensure that you have been properly attributed. But also, thank the site owner. I recently sent a note to
a university professor who had added some of my articles to his course reading list. His response? “I really like your ideas, and by the way, we’re looking for a speaker for our upcoming conference . . .”
The Proof of the Pudding . . .
Does all this work? Absolutely. One of my articles was recently highlighted as the “Cool Site of the Week” in Tekguide.net – an online technology and computer directory. But the page that it linked to was not mine, but PowerHomeBiz.com -another site that had featured this article. So I now have sites quoting sites that quote me . . . and that gets major brownie points in Google – the only remaining credible free search engine.
I was also recently hired to consult for a site in the auto industry after the owner had read my article in eDealershipnews.com. He said “I liked the article, I can see how you think, and I’d like some of that thinking for me”. No further selling required!
© 2003 Philippa Gamse. All rights reserved.
Philippa Gamse, CyberSpeaker, is a Web strategy consultant and professional speaker. Check out her free tipsheet for 23 ideas to promote your Website: http://www.CyberSpeaker.com/tipsheet.html Philippa can be reached at (831) 465-0317.
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January 4, 2009
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January 3, 2009
Peter F. Drucker, renowned management consultant and my professor, was fond of warning us against being “too clever.”
This is very sound advice generally, but it is especially on the mark with respect to designing our sales approaches. Sometimes we try to cleverly disguise the sales purpose of our calls, masquerading as people who are doing “marketing studies,” surveys, and the like.
Most prospects see through such shams, and they become worse than uselessthey impeach our credibility.
Instead of using cleverness, try to sound utterly guileless.
Let the prospect teach you how to sell him!
For example, one of my most successful sales campaignsactually, I’m more inclined to call it a marketing campaignanyway, it is built on the most straightforward platform, imaginable.
I call prospects, announce who I am, and say:
“The reason I’m calling is to determine how we might move forward with developing a business relationship.”
Then I shut up, which as you might appreciate, takes a lot of self-control.
Guess what happens, next.
The prospect: (1) Either asks me a little more about my background and experience in his industry, or (2) He asks if I can send him some information.
If he asks for literature, I say:
“Sure, I’ll be happy to get that out to you, and it will include X, Y, and Z.”
But the conversation continues, with the immediate attachment of a very powerful question:
“That should reach you in a day or two, and assuming everything is in order, what will be the next step?”
In other words, I qualify the person, to see if there is a spark of interest, and I get the prospect to set forth a sales track, a plan for acquiring my services.
Often, this involves the tentative scheduling of meetings and seminars, and sharing more details about such significant matters as my compensation.
What is amazing about this kind of conversation is the fact that it is relatively stress free.
While the prospect is saying we “would do” A & B, toward the beginning of the chat, he tends to change the language to we “will” do certain things by the end.
In other words, commitment forms in him, and it feels natural, organic, and not imposed by hard selling.
He still feels he has an “out” if he receives the information and changes his mind, but that seldom occurs. Usually, my follow-up conversation isn’t about persuading, it’s about confirming the commitment that has already been made.
Try this, and let me know how you do!
Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com, is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone® and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC’s Annenberg School, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations in the United States and abroad. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: gary@customersatisfaction.com.
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January 2, 2009
With recent hi-tech improvements such as digital Television, High-Def Television, Freesat and home cinema sound, if you’re existing TV device is more than five years old, then its an excellent time to buy a brand new television. Nonetheless, as equipment develops almost day after day, procuring a brand new television machine might be incredibly hard & puzzling.
This article tries to offers an insight on all the brand new technological advancements that will guarantee to take your television enjoyment to a whole new level.
Hi Def Telly: Conceivably argued as one of the most key development to TV ever since colour technology, Hi Def (HD) television presents detail, clarity and colour, with pictures frequently four times as sharp as several traditional TV sets. To view the advantages of Hi-Def TV you are required to have a High-Def Ready television. Sky and Freesat have already started to provide high-def TV series so you can now take pleasure in a choice of your favourite television programmes, films and sporting occasions with wonderful realistic pictures.
Incorporated Digital Tuner: A television with an integrated digital tuner (also referred to as idTV) lets you obtain all free to air digital stations, including the likes of: E4, BBC3, Sky News and many more without the demand for another set-top box.
Freesat: A new digital satellite telly service available via a partnership between the BBC and ITV, providing you free Hi-Definition Telly programmes at no further fee. Freesat has no contractual agreement, no membership fee, but instead just an up-front expense for the TV, satellite dish and installation. Also because Freesat is broadcast via satellite, its obtainable to nearly every house in the UK. Freesat TV is presently only accessible with Panasonic tellies.
LCD or Plasma: Though LCD and Plasma TVs work in different ways, the advantages of both are very much similar. Nevertheless, it’s very important to remember that when deciding between a Plasma or LCD TV, it’s in actuality just a question of size. LCD is at its optimum performance up to and including 32 inches, whilst Plasma TVs offer optimum performance at thirty-seven inches, & higher. Therefore, if you have to purchase a smaller flat panel TV, then LCD gives the superior performance, yet on the other hand if you are needing a larger display size, Plasma is by far the best choice.
In evaluation its imperative to bear in mind when getting the right television for you, to think about your funds, your screening distance, the appearance you yearn for and if it is to be an LCD or Plasma television. Click here for great offers on LCD TVs.
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January 1, 2009
1. Give your potential customers a bonus that will actually pay for their purchase. It could be money saving coupons, an affiliate program, etc.
2. Sell a lead in product for super cheap, even if you loose a little money. If people like it, you have a greater chance to sell your higher price product.
3. Give people a free version of your product. If it does what you say they, will pay for the up-grade or deluxe version to get more benefits.
4. Ask your visitors outcome questions in your ad copy like: “Where do you want to be financially the next two years?” This’ll persuade them to buy.
5. Give your product away for free to people that will agree to influence your target audience to buy it. It could be experts, famous athletes, actors, etc.
6. Specialize your product or service if you have too much competition. If you’re selling an advertising book, rewrite part of it and target it just to pet businesses.
7. Make your sales letters or ads sound like it is common sense to buy your product. For example: “Everyone knows you can’t make money…”
8. Make sure your ad copy sounds like you know what you’re talking about. If people sense you or your business doesn’t, they won’t buy.
9. Load your ad copy up with tons of benefits and bonuses. People will think and feel like they are getting a lot for their money if they buy.
10. Assume your potential customer is going to buy. For example: “Dear Future Millionaire”. They will want to buy in order to feel that way.
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