Dangers of hype

Want to lose an intelligent, discerning, afffluent audience? Just indulge in hype. Overblown claims, breathless tone, unsupported superlatives, hyperbolic adjectives. These are approaches you'd never see in Internet marketing materials, ads, Web site content, and the like from well-known and prominent companies. Why not?

All of them are telltale signs of hype, explains copywriter and marketing consultant Marcia Yudkin. "If you use these tactics, many educated shoppers cringe and go elsewhere," she says. Sure, hype may sell, especially in a one-time-sale situation, she says. But it can cost you big in other areas, like your company's reputation:

"Use (hype) and you can expect snickering rather than respect from established journalists, academics, Fortune 500 companies, most people with postgraduate degrees and colleagues who use any of those groups as their benchmark of respectability..."

Runaway hype can also scare off potential partners and JV opportunities. "If you're aiming at joint ventures with banks, universities, community organizations, trade associations and the like, hype counts very heavily against you."

I agree. Hype makes most people want to take a shower. As Marcia points out, it's possible to use a hard-hitting, dramatic direct marketing style, but in an entirely truthful and completely respectable way.

"Hype does sell," she concludes. "But that's far from settling the issue of whether or not you should use it."

Read Marcia's entire article here.

Fix your website copy

Copywriter John Forde recently wrote an article called "11 Things You Can Do Right Now to 'Fix' a Business Website."

I'll take the liberty of paraphrasing a few of his best points:

• Define your site's purpose in five words or less. (What are you trying to accomplish? Keep it simple.)
• Put a great headline at the top of the first page, something with a powerful emotional "hook." (A big problem, a shocking statement, a huge benefit.)
• Get a big benefit "above the fold" (before the visitor has to start scrolling down the page).
• If you're building a mailing list, get your signup box "above the fold."
• Strip away pointless graphics, photos and Flash animation.
• Make sure your subheads are so compelling, they force the visitor to keep reading.
• Read your copy out loud. It helps you zero in -- and eliminate -- the stuff that’s boring, unclear, or unnecessary.

14 years later: Gay Talese's new memoir

Gay Talese's long-awaited memoir, A Writer's Life, comes out this week. A pioneer of the New Journalism, Talese has his roots "deep in the old-fashioned, no-nonsense ground of the newsroom, where he spent the early part of his career," according to a NY Times preview.

The author of The Kingdom and the Power and Honor thy Father is as brilliant and obsessive about details as the most meticulous reporter. So he's, um, not very prolific. This book took a staggering 14 years to write.

"Talese, who has compared writing both to passing a kidney stone and to 'driving a truck at night without headlights, losing your way along the road and spending a decade in a ditch' is a painfully slow worker — a tinkerer and reviser, an obsessive typer and re-typer."

His book, he admits, is in part a record of failure, of leads that don't quite pan out. That's something most writers can relate to. Personally, I think writing -- both fiction and nonfiction --is a lot like major league hitting. The best are .300 hitters, which means they whiff a lot more often than they score. Sometimes the best you can do is hit a little squib out to right field, and you get thrown out at first.

But Talese won't settle for that. He'll wait and wait -- for 14 years if necessary -- until he gets his pitch. Then he swings for the fences. The result is a string of best sellers that frequently tiptoe up to literature.

"There really isn't a story," Talese said about his newest book. "The story of pursuing the story is the story." Then he adds:

"In a way I've been writing the same book all my life. They're collections of short stories that use real names and have a real narrator and that don't make anything up."

He doesn't make anything up? What a concept. Will somebody please send a copy to James Frey?

From New York Times

Blang: More great "geekisms"

Lisa Belkin, in the NY Times, has more great new geek words -- something we blogged about the other day.

Belkin quotes Eve Fox, an electronic campaign guru in Washington, DC, who suggests a whole new language she calls 'Blang,' as in 'Web language.'

"Blang is spoken by 'Web wraiths' — Tolkienesque creatures (i.e., most of us) who feel chained to their computers day and night.

Some Blang entries that tickled my funny bone:

Cybermoment — Confusion that arises when one person closes an instant-messaging window and the other person keeps 'talking.'

Cylences — The long gaps in phone conversation that occur when a person is reading e-mail or cybershopping at the same time. (Ooh, nasty pun.)

Schoogle — A popular pastime, consisting of Googling the names of old classmates. (Ouch, another!)

Google-icious — The self-absorbed pride people feel when Googling themselves.

Reverberon: the kind of e-mail which has been forwarded endlessly and everywhere, by people known as regurgimailers.

Check out Lisa's post here.

Freelance copywriter help

Often I get emails from people asking for help with their Internet marketing. Or they're starting a home based business and they want me to write and/or design their business card, brochure and Web site.

But today I got an email from Jim, a West Point grad, former airborne infantryman, with a Bronze Star from Desert Storm. Jim's spent a total of 25 years serving his country, both on active duty and as a civilian employee of the Army.

He wants to become a copywriter.

Tom:

Where has this site been all my life?

I see that you're a professional copywriter...Help me make it happen for me! I've been toying with the idea of getting out of the rut I've been in since 1980 and making the break as a writer that helps break the communication gaps where engineers, techies, and business "suits" can't seem to get their points across.

Here's my reply:

Hi Jim,

Nice to meet you, and good luck on becoming a copywriter. Just what I need -- more competition! ;^)

No, seriously, come on in, Jim, The (business) world desperately needs more people who can communicate. And from your email it's clear you've got the right stuff. You write well and even let the "person" show through. That's pretty rare in Corporate America.

Let me start by offering you two invaluable resources right off the bat, that really helped me get my business going.

First is Peter Bowerman's book, The Well Fed Writer. It not only helped me find the courage to make the leap (heh heh, a little airborne humor) and start my business, but it offered lots of valuable practical (i.e. business-related) guidance along the way.

Get it and read it ASAP. It's about BUSINESS writing, i.e., writing the kind of material that businesses need (which also pays pretty well, by the way.) It's NOT about writing and selling magazine articles, short stories, screenplays or poetry.

Peter even tells you exactly how to go about getting your first clients...

The other is Bob Bly's The Copywriter's Handbook, which focuses more on how to do the actual writing. It explains what each type of "collateral" is for (brochures, ads, etc.) and how to write them. Actually, anything by Bly is pretty helpful.

As soon as you get those two under your belt, you'll be on your way, Jim. Keep in touch and let me know how it's going, too. If I can, I'll be glad to help.

Want to improve your writing? Check out those two excellent books.

I hear Madison Ave. cackling in joy

As if viewers didn't resent commercials enough already...

Phillips is working on a way to actually prevent you from changing the channel during commercial breaks, or fast-forwarding through them on programs you've recorded.

In their patent application, the company admits that their gizmo may be "greatly resented by viewers." Gee, you think so? If it's ever installed, expect the number of viewers shooting their televisions to soar...

What's next? A couch that refuses to let you stand up and leave the room during commercials? A robot arm that pins your eyes open, a la Clockwork Orange?

New Scientist via GMSV.

Great New Geek Words

English is a living, breathing language, constantly adding new words to express new ideas. At least that's what my high school Latin teacher told me. (Or was it Father Reid, my Greek teacher?)

Here are some new words, coined for a Valleywag contest. I'm not sure how many you'll be able to use in your Internet marketing or copywriting materials, but it's worth taking a moment to the authors' cleverness. Among the winners:

WiFired -- Getting thrown out of an Internet cafe for spending 4 hours 'working on your startup' after buying one small mocha.

Typerventilating -- Rapidly sending instant messages. Having a panic attack via AIM.

Sext Messaging: Sending salacious text messages to somebody, replacing phone sex.

Hotsquatting: "Borrowing" open wifi connections wherever they are found.

Bee break: The act of sneaking off to the bathroom in the middle of dinner to scroll through one's BlackBerry.

Gushroom Effect: The gush, awe and fan-base increase proportional to the size of one's or a company's estimated wealth.

And my favorite, probably because of its throwback to classical Greek...

Goobris: The arrogance exhibited by many in (Silicon) Valley, especially those that believe "the geek shall inherit the Earth."

Nokia -- the town, that is -- goes "all mobile"

The Finnish town of Nokia, made famous by the cellphone company, is going mobile. All mobile, all the time.

Sound like a giant marketing stunt? Nope. Actually, the cell phone maker moved out years ago and had no role in the town’s decision. It's cheaper.

Nokia’s municipal workers will get cellular handsets. The only landline phones will be connected to fax machines.

Idea: Pitch competitor Ericcson to subsidize the move -- and get the town to change its name while they're at it.

From: Associated Press via MSNBC.com

Saluting another Jedi writing master

We saluted writer Anne Lamott on (OK, shortly after) her birthday recently. Today the author of Bird by Bird was a guest on Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me, the very funny NPR news quiz. Hear it here.

Another tip of the writer's hat to William Zinsser, author of the classic, On Writing Well. Next month HarperCollins releases the 30th-anniversary edition. It's still one of the very best books on writing that I've ever read. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to improve their writing. Z had a profound influence on my own work.

NPR's All Things Considered interviewed Zinsser last week. (Yeah, I missed it, too.) I guess the interview focused on writing memoir (probably because of the recent James Frey Million Little Pieces fiasco).

You can hear the Zinsser interview here (but I'm not sure how long that link will be good). Even more important -- read his book!

Yours in better prose,

Tom

Blogging for Bucks

Darren Rowse is a blogger's blogger. He's actually making a comfortable living via his blogs (yes, he's got a bunch of them). His primary income comes from the ads on his sites, via AdSense and Chitika mini malls.

Sounds like a perfect way to make a fortune, right? Fat checks rolling in every month, and no pesky customers or clients to have to deal with. ;-)>

Well, if that's how you're making your money (or would like to) you ought to read Darren's 10 Steps to Guarantee You’ll Never Make More than 0.14 cents per month with AdSense.

It's his "top 10 tips for a guaranteed earning of 0.14 cents or less per month from your blog." Darren's dour tips might come off as a little heavy-handed in the humor department, but they're true. And he knows his stuff.

You mean "PayPal" doesn't mean "No Pay, Pal?"

Does your business take PayPal? Don't, um, "forget" to pay your taxes. The IRS has just won court approval to turn over information about people who may try to fiddle the taxman by hiding income in other countries. I.R.S. Asks PayPal for Taxpayer Data

A federal court gave the I.R.S. permission to ask PayPal for information on American taxpayers who have bank accounts or credit/debit cards from financial institutions in more than 30 countries that are reputed to be tax havens. Question is, will Paypal comply?

A spokeswoman confirmed the company received the summons, but said they're still evaluating their options. "The privacy of our customers' information is something we take really seriously."

Gee, you mean payPal isn't a free pass?

Shocker: "Searchers stop at page three"

As if you needed another reason to optimize the content of your Web site for search engines...

A new survey uncovered this shocking news: Most people get no farther than the first three pages of search results before clicking a link -- or giving up and switching to a different search engine. Actually, almost two-thirds (62%) clicked on a result on the FIRST page. 90% clicked a link in the first three pages.

Interestingly, the survey indicated that many people still don't understand how search engines really work. One-third mistakenly assumed that the links on the first page were the best quality -- that's why they showed up so high.

Danny Sullivan, editor in chief of Search Engine Watch, said you need "good pages, text rich content, and good links pointing to you."

Psst: Don't forget to "optimize" your content for human readers, too.

Autoresponders and You

Yaro Starak of Entrepreneur’s Journey calls it "probably the most important component, the glue that keeps my business together." It's his email autoresponder and list builder.

An autoresponder, as the name suggests, automates the process of responding to emails (or signups) from clients and prospects. Instead of writing individual responses to each query, an autoresponder can send one response, or a whole series of emails. They're a great way to follow-up customer inquiries, and even distribute your company newsletter. (You DO have a company newsletter, don't you?)

Like thousands of other businesses, both virtual and bricks- and- mortar, Yaro uses and endorses AWeber. His complete review is here. If you're not familiar with autoresponders and how they can simplify and benefit your business, he explains it here.

One of the things that distinguishes AWeber is their enviable record of email deliverability. They claim over 99% of the emails they handle arrive at their intended destination, without getting snagged in sp@m filters, etc. If so, AWeber is doing a helluva good job.

After reading Yaro's review, I realize (yet again) that I'm way overdue taking AWeber for a test-drive. After all, I write, design and distribute newsletters for several different clients. For the past few years I've used a different company which costs more and doesn't even offer the autoresponder feature -- only email distribution and list management. I definitely need to carve out some time and check them out.

BTW, if you're starting or building a business, you really ought to check out Yaro's blogs. In spite of his wild hair (or maybe because of it?), he offers lots of valuable content. Visit:

Small Business Branding
Entrepreneur's Journey

Happy (belated) birthday to a writer's writer

Merlin Mann at 43 Folders reminds us that yesterday was Anne Lamott's birthday. (Unlike Merlin, I'm far too much of a gentleman to reveal her age.)

If you're a writer -- or you just struggle to be -- you really owe it to yourself to read Anne's work, especially her book on writing, Bird by Bird. She offers tremendous insight into the actual process of writing: the agony, the further agony, the ecstacy -- no, wait. There's precious little of that. As Anne puts it:

For me and most of the other writers I know, writing is not rapturous. In fact, the only way I can get anything written at all is to write really, really shitty first drafts.

Now you've got to love a writer who can admit that. She's funny, sassy and a great teacher, no matter what kind of writing you do (or want to do). As Merlin put it so well,

Her tips for writers are practical, real, and stripped of the pretentious quill-pen affectations many of us grew up holding. Everyone I know who’s read her stuff cites it as some of the most inspiring advice they’ve received, and most of us return to it often for a shot in the arm.

A tip of the hat to Anne, and to Merlin for the reminder.

Stressed? Meditation helps

''Meditation just doesn't sound so weird anymore," says a company president quoted in today's Boston Globe.

Meditation calms you, helps you focus. You can write or do any other kind of work more easily, quickly and with greater satisfaction. As one participant put it, ''Fifteen minutes of meditation made me able to do hours worth of work."

Read more: Stress relief through meditation gains focus.

Meditation was also the focus of a CBS Sunday Morning piece last weekend.

Never tried it? Check out this simple, no-mumbo-jumbo approach.

Multiple layers of meaning

From a humble, one-paragraph memo to a glossy, 30-page annual report, most business communications try to do several jobs at once: to inform, explain, persuade, motivate, sell.

The most effective communications operate on several levels. Let's say you're writing a memo or email to inform your staff about an upcoming training session. On the face of it, it might seem that all you’re trying to do is inform. Maybe all you need to say is this:

"Tuesday at 9 am, there will be a mandatory training session for everyone in the Shipping and Receiving Department."

Yes, that informs. It gives the basic information. But you want them to understand how important the training session is. You'd like them to want to attend. You want them to buy-in to your invitation.

Your message will be better received -- and you'll be more effective -- if you include several layers of meaning. Take a look at these additional paragraphs and see if they supplement and enhance your message.

"The training will explain the latest OSHA regulations and show specifically how they affect operations here at Widget, Inc." (Explain)

"To make the experience more fun, the second half of the training will be in the form of a Jeopardy-style TV game show, complete with podiums, buzzers and prizes. Steve Kelley will act as our own in-house Alex Trebec. Refreshments will be served." (Persuade)

"The session will be fun, but our goal is serious. Each of you is important to the smooth functioning of this department. We value your health and welfare as much as we value your contribution to the company. So the goal of this training session is to ensure that everyone understands and complies with these important new safety guidelines. It's more than our legal responsibility. It's part of our commitment to you." (Motivate)

These same principles hold true for memos, business proposals, advertisements -- even asking that hottie or hunk down the hall for a date. When communicating, consider who you're talking to and what would motivate them to say yes. Then expand what you say to hit those hot buttons. Doing that moves them much closer to yes, to that essential "buy-in."

By giving your audience several layers of reasons, you become a more effective communicator (salesperson, manager, etc.)

I'm an SOB!

But in a good way, of course.

I'm honored that Liz Strauss at Successful Blog has named me a Successful and Outstanding Blogger. As Liz puts it, the SOB Award goes to bloggers who:

"... take the conversation to their readers, contribute great ideas, challenge us, make us better, and make our businesses stronger. I thank every one of our SOBs for thinking what we say is worth passing on. Good conversation shared can only improve the blogging community."

Thanks, Liz! I''ll put this in a place of honor on my (virtual) mantle.

How to Wow 'Em Like Steve Jobs

"Steve Jobs does not sell bits of metal; he sells an experience. Instead of focusing on mind-numbing statistics, as most technologists tend to do, Jobs sells the benefit." Carmine Gallo in Business Week: How to Wow 'Em Like Steve Jobs

Benefits answer the most important question, the one your reader, prospect or audience is always asking: "Why should I bother with this? What's in it for me?"

Note: Valleywag has a more cynical view.

Better proposals: Let's get small

"Attract More Customers" is all about using good, clear communications to, well, attract more clients and customers. The 37 Signals gang has a great take on this topic, in terms of your client proposals.

Their Get Real approach: Reduce the number of preliminary charts, graphs, documentation, wireframes, and other unnecessary paperwork and trashcan deliverables. Shrink 'em. Skip 'em. Lose 'em.

People expect what you tell them to expect. If you tell them they’re going to get all these (preliminary and rough draft) documents, then they’ll expect you to deliver all these documents. If you don’t promise all these documents, then they won’t expect them.

By skipping most of that preliminary stuff, you can get to the Real Stuff sooner. This streamlined, simplified approach has been the way I've done things for five years now. And my clients appreciate it, too. Just set their expectations properly in advance.

Why throw more obstacles in your way? As a one-man shop, I don't have the time or patience for supersized, overblown proposals with multiple preliminary steps and half-finished deliverables. Many are probably just a way to inflate the bill, by inflating the perceived value of the project. Most clients would rather skip to the good part: the finished product.

As Jason accurately puts it:

Clients want the final product. They only care about the middle because you promise to give them the middle. Try it sometime, you’ll see. The sooner you work on something real, the sooner you can show your client something real.

And, I might add, the sooner you can submit your invoice.

Read the rest here.

Create and sell high-margin information products

Brian Clark of Copyblogger is right.

"There’s no better business in the world than being both the manufacturer and direct seller of your own high-margin product. Information products may be the best product of all, as it takes only your mind and your time to manufacture them..."

Read the rest of his post at Darren Rowse's Problogger.

Five ways to convert leads into sales

In the latest issue of his Direct Response Newsletter, copywriter Bob Bly quotes the late Ray Jutkins, a great marketing teacher, as saying one of the best ways to convert a lead into a client is with a personal letter. Write it in a warm and friendly manner, be thorough in your reply, and get it back to them quickly.

Here are Jutkins' five rules for more effective follow-up:

1. Answer every inquiry, no matter how "bad" it may
seem. You never know who may buy from you tomorrow,
even though today they may not.

2. When you answer, make it with a personal letter. A
letter will improve your response.

3. No matter what you send in response -- do it
quickly. Take no longer than 48 hours ... sooner if
possible.

4. Be warm and friendly. Write your answer and present
your message as if you care. You do, so express that
caring.

5. Reply completely and fully. Do not tease. Give your
prospect what you promised you would. Give them what
they expect.

Once again, the experts agree: good commiunications skills are the key to $ucce$$.

Subscribe to Bob's newsletter here.

Quick Editing Tip

Writing good copy is tough. So when the words finally start flowing, you don't want to blow it by having to stop and look up last year's 3rd quarter sales revenues, or to look up another word for "appealing."

Instead, just keep writing, but leave yourself a signal. A marker. A reminder that you need to go back and fill in that information later.

What kind of signal or marker? You pick it. It can be anything -- except a word, of course. I often use a string of asterisks, like this: *****

Then later, when the fever of composing has cooled, I can mop my brow, go back, hit the old Ctrl+F (the keyboard shortcut for "Find") and quickly locate every instance of *** Voila! Editing made simple. OK, simpler.

Try it next time you're on a roll. You'll be editing like the pros when you do.

SEO copywriting: Content only a machine could love?

A great tug of war is going on. On the one end of the rope is website content that's written specifically to attract search engines. At the other end is the kind of writing that just might tickle the human eye, ear and mind.

Too many times, so-called search engine optimization (SEO) copy ends up sounding like it was spewed from a whirring Cuisinart and read by a synthesized robotic voice. Word "processing," so to speak. Most humans prefer... well, a more human touch.

The best solution, as in most things, is somewhere in the middle. Write the absolute best copy you can. Paint a picture for the reader. Show him how his (or her) life is going to be better by buying what you're selling. Describe and distinguish your product or service from the competition.

But... at the same time, be aware of what Google and the other search engines are looking for when their spiders come trolling your Web site. In your copy, throw them a few crumbs. No, more than a few crumbs. Dish them up a nice hot plate of tasty keywords. Ahh, now that's good eating.

I agree with Dan Skeen who says, "There is a middle ground where you can produce good copy that is a pleasure to read (and prompts the desired response at a high rate) and also indexes well with the search engines."

To steal -- er, I mean, paraphrase a few of Dan's fine suggestions:

• Target one or two keyword phrases per page
• Join multiple keywords into phrases, if appropriate
  
• For links, try to use text that integrates your chosen keywords. At the very least, for God's sake, stop using "Click here" as your link text.

If you're writing copy for your company's Web site -- or working with a copywriter who is -- you should (both) check out Dan's article at Marketing Profs. It's definitely worth your time.

Bob Schieffer on how to communicate

"I try to tell the news in the language the people in this country speak." (Imus in the Morning, 4/4/06)

First, notice he said tell, not read, announce or pronounce. And he does it, he says, in the common language of the average person.

That's what I always encourage clients to do. Your ads and marketing communications materials should be written using what I call "shirtsleeve English." That's the kind of language that flows easily out of our mouths and into the brains of potential clients and customers. They don't have to stop and puzzle out the big fancy words, and translate them in their heads, to understand what we mean.

Take it from Bob Schieffer: a class act, a superb communicator and a helluva nice guy. (No, I don't know him. But you can tell.)

Good copy: what's it supposed to do?

Seth pretty much nails it again:

The first goal of copy is to get you to read more copy.
The second goal is to tell a story that spreads.
And then, finally, to have that story get people to take action.

Of course, if we could somehow skip directly to step 3, it would save copywriters like me a lot of work.

That's good insight, but it's not what I wanted to focus on. This is:

The worst thing you can do is be boring and vague.
The second worst thing you can do is be boring and verbose and obvious.

Amen! In other words, give your readers a little credit. They're not complete idiots. They get it. They can fill in the blanks. Thanks, Seth.

Poll: Cell Phones Irritating, Invaluable

Yeah -- YOURS is irritating, but MINE is invaluable, according to a new poll.

Almost nine out ten people polled complain that others are sometimes annoying when they're gabbing on their mobiles. But fewer than one in ten (about 8 percent) admit they're ever rude themselves.

Mobile phones are invaluable communications tools. One day, hopefully, we'll all learn how to be cool when using them. After all, your freedom to swing your fist ends about an inch away from my nose.

Why don't spammers just give up?

Why is your inbox still flooded with spam? There can only be one reason: Because enough people still respond and buy what they're selling to make it financially worthwhile.

Want to end spam permanently? It's simple. Don't EVER buy ANYTHING from ANYONE who sends you a spam e-mail. And tell everyone you know -- especially the newbies who don't always "get it" -- to do the same. 'Nuff said.

Just say no. If we all did, spam would quickly dry up and blow away. End of problem.

Responsible companies don't spam. If you're tempted to, think of the wrath that will rain down on you like a shitstorm. It just ain't worth it, friend.

Writing: Why get jazzed about it?

Writing is the hardest work I do. It's the hardest work I've ever done (and I've had several other jobs in which writing was not the main task). Maybe everyone who writes feels that way, but even so, there are plenty of good reasons to keep plugging away at it.

First, it helps you attract more customers. Sure, writing ads, brochures and newsletters can attract clients. So can information marketing -- the articles, white papers, case studies, newsletters, etc. that are a tremendously effective way to demonstrate your expertise and impress a prospect. (There's an article about it on my Web site -- what a surprise.)

On her Successful Blog, Liz Strauss recently offered ten good reasons to get jazzed about writing. From the point of view of this blog, I suppose #5 would be at the top of the list:

Writing is free promotion. Offer quality, relevant content to an audience who needs it, and they’ll be coming back to see you again. Your name, your business, and your brand will gain a following from the writing that you did.

Liz's other reasons also make sense from a strictly P&L (Profit & Loss) POV (Point of View):

It increases the visibility of your brand.
Writing lets you reach an unlimited audience.
In today’s universe, writing is your voice.
Writing lets you define the big idea of your brand.

Her other reasons might not translate directly into dollars, but they still make good cents -- er, sense.

Writing forces you to think through ideas.
Writing allows you to think before you speak.

Liz is my kind of business owner. You'd do well to check out her blog and her reasons for writing.

One of these days we'll discuss one of my favorite techniques for becoming a better writer: morning pages. Or read Julia's Cameron's excellent book The Artist's Way.