Terrifying thought, isn’t it? It has been known to happen to all writers. I’m not talking about writer’s block, nothing as severe as Stephen King’s character, Mike Noonan, in Bag of Bones where he turns on the computer and actually throws himself from the screen (okay, it may not be a computer, been years since I read that book, but I’m sure those who’ve read it know the scene). Nothing that bad. Yet the time will come when the muse (sexy goddess of words) will decide to take a day off.
Now this day off, will most likely be your day to write, a date set aside in your leather bound diary; the wife and family are off to the beach, you’ve carried your laptop up to the attic, given the attic key to a trustworthy neighbor and they’ve locked you in. Ain’t no escape from that glowing screen.
If you have followed Laymon’s rules of writing (list of eight available at HWA website) and you paid strict attention to rule number 3, paragraph titled: A few helpful hints… section number 5, where he suggests to follow Hemingway’s advice: Stop at a point where you still know what’s coming next, so the next day’s writing can start up easily. Then it’s most likely, that this article is not for you.
But….
It can happen, any time, anywhere - even locked in the attic with huge spiders slowly crawling towards you, venom seeping from their fangs - it can happen. And it can seriously mess with your day.
Here’s some solutions I’ve heard other writers say, with some general comments by yours truly:
1) Go for a walk. || While this is good for your health, it will kill your writing time, and maybe you’ll lose a few bucks, on something you just gotta have, while walking past that Used Goods shop.
2) Do something else. || Why? Sure you’ll get busy painting the ceiling or what-have-you, but little writing is going to get done. But what the hell, the muse is on vacation, right? Wrong.
3) Read a book. || Now I’m all for reading, but there’s a time and a place and it isn’t when you are meant to be molesting the muse in the hopes of a few good pages.
4) Work on a different writing project. || Hello? I doubt the words are going to come, just because you start something new. (Now, before everyone starts jumping on my back, and offering my neck to the spider’s fangs - this has been known to work for some people and not others, generally speaking though, in my case this has never worked).
5) Give up. Take a day off. || Okay, cool. Remember you are in a locked attic with only a chair, table and your laptop (let’s not forget the spiders), what are you going to do? Have a battle? Spiders are fast and can move and right angles, they jump and they are ugly little ….. urgh.
That’s about all I can remember hearing. Of course there is number six. My personal favorite, and it never fails.
6) Slug away at it. || Simple right? Keep hacking at those keys, write whatever comes to mind, forget the story and if this or that fits, ’cause it most likely won’t. An example: Not long ago I was writing a short story for an anthology, something was missing - I couldn’t work it out. The muse had decided it was holiday season and with such a beautiful day, she’d nipped out for some sun and fun (most likely with that male muse from down the street!). I was abandoned, in a mysterious, cold, blood and sex filled world and I had no idea what to do.
So I took my own advice. Number six. I slugged away. You see, I love to write, I love to take people away into a little world of my making and instill hope, love and kindness, before the madness starts.
For six hours I slugged away before the muse returned (with a nice tan and new handbag) and she said, “Cut paragraph seven. Put paragraph three after six, seven after nine and open with eleven.”
“Okay,” I said happily.
“Now, change this sentence to…”
What I’m getting at here is this: If I hadn’t slugged away and sworn and cursed everything from my computer to my coffee cup, these words would not have been here in the first place. If I had followed advice 1 - 5, the mood for writing would have gone. The muse would have returned and we’d be sitting on the sofa watching re-runs of the Adam’s Family thinking: Darn, today was a good day for writing, I should’ve just kept at it.
That’s my take on the situation. Maybe you agree - maybe you don’t, but one thing is for sure…
Writing in an attic is not a good idea.
One last thing before I leave to you the mercy of the muse: Be careful of that purple-eyed spider on the back of your chair.
Richard Lee is the author of the aclaimed Blood of the Wolf and recent publication Re-Entry of Evil. He is an article writer and editor at Sinister horror for the Hellbound.
He has just completed his seventh horror anthology.
You can visit him at his yahoo group: Embark-to-Madness.
Or on his site: http://www.writer113.com
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Peter Blanck, in his research, found that judges communicated their bias and attitudes by the tone of their voice. The juries in California were twice as likely to convict trial defendants when the judges already knew the defendants had a record and prior convictions. The law simply states that the judge cannot share this private information with the jurors. Researchers found that when (judges) the judge gave the instructions to the jury, his words and tone of voice lacked warmth, patience, and tolerance.
You can change your rate of speech, your vocal fillers (um, uh, ah), the volume, pitch, inflection, emphasis, and even the pauses that you use. You can keep an audience listening with both ears and with full energy, rendering them absolutely spellbound because of the power of your voice.
Your voice is who you are. It is your trademark and your calling card. Your voice must exude energy, confidence, and conviction. We tend to judge others by their voice: Is it confident, nervous, relaxed, energized, tired, weak, or strong? If you sound unsure and timid, your ability to persuade will falter. Persuasive voices have great volume, varied emphases, good articulation, and a pleasing pitch. Master Persuaders use vocal variety and frequently vary their pace.
The good news is you can change many characteristics of your voice. Tape your voice. What does it project? Your voice must be interesting and easy to listen to in order to help, rather than hinder, your ability to persuade. Does your voice work for you or against you?
Pace refers to how quickly you speak. Mehrabian and Williams found that people who spoke faster, louder, and more fluently as well as those who varied their vocal frequency and intensity were perceived as more persuasive than those who did not.
Speeches delivered at fast speeds are more persuasive than those of slow or moderate speeds, because persuaders who speak faster appear more competent and knowledgeable. At these faster rates, receivers are not able to mentally engage in counter-arguing.
Pace and speed are also important to keep and capture attention. We can think three times faster than we can speak. We have all had conversations and were able to listen while thinking of other things. When we speak faster, we can keep attention longer. There is less time for our audience’s mind to wander. Studies show that we generally like faster speakers and find them more interesting. Most speakers average 120 to 180 words per minute. But there is no ideal speed. Franklin Roosevelt spoke 110 words per minute while John Kennedy raced along at 180 words per minute. Persuasive speakers will speak fast enough to excite and energize the mood of the audience but will be able to slow their pace down to create a mood of anticipation.
Fillers can destroy your presentation, hurt your credibility, and annoy your audience. Most people feel they don’t have a problem with this, and most of them are wrong. You would be amazed when you tape yourself what words you use to fill in space during a speech. Fillers are not acceptable and need to be eliminated from all speech. Vocal fillers include the common “um,” “er,” and “uh.” Some people have their own idiosyncratic way of filling in the silence between ideas that makes them uncomfortable. Some repeat the first two or three words of a sentence until their brain catches up and they decide what they’re going to say. Others might say, “Okay” at the end of every sentence, as if they’re checking audience comprehension.
Pitch is the highness or lowness of the speaker’s voice. Low is best. In our culture, deeper voices are generally interpreted as reflecting authority and strength, for both men and women. In addition, a deeper voice is stereotypically considered to be more believable, indicative of an individual’s sincerity and trustworthiness. Many speakers practice lowering their voices because of the benefits of a lower pitch. Some speakers even drink hot tea before they speak, a technique that creates a lower sounding voice.
Remembering to employ variety in your speaking is a constant challenge, but it is of paramount importance. You can help people remain alert and pay attention while you speak if the pitch of your voice rises and falls. There are two main reasons why this strategy works. First, the varying pitches will prevent your voice from sounding monotonous. Second, the varying inflections can help emphasize a particular word.
Remember, if you are not an engaging speaker, you will not be persuasive.
Clearly articulate every sentence, phrase, and word. When your speech is clear and coherent, it conveys competence. When your articulation gets sloppy, it suggests lack of education and laziness. Consider how lawyers, doctors, supervisors, lobbyists, and the like must be articulate if they are to survive professionally. Good articulation conveys competence, experience, and credibility. Another practical reason to have good articulation is simply because it is so much easier to follow. As previously discussed, people will comply with you more if you are easy to understand.
Treat your pauses like gold. Well-timed pauses attract attention to a particular part of your presentation, give others time to tune in and process your message, and help you gain poise and confidence if you’re rattled. Use intentional pauses for the points you intend to drive home. Not only does a pause increase comprehension, but it also helps to highlight important points. Use pauses to create attention, emphasis, and mood.
A carefully planned pause usually comes before the point you want to highlight. It is a common mistake to not hold the pause long enough. Be sure you allow enough of a pause that the full effect will be felt. When you do this, the audience anticipates and listens closely to what you will say next. They can tell something important is about to happen. This strategy is made even more effective when you combine it with pitch strategies: Be sure that as you come to the pause, your pitch is high, thereby building suspense and giving momentum to what will follow. Inflecting your pitch downward will defeat the purpose, providing a feeling of resolution instead of suspension.
Application Questions:
What are you using to fill in the pauses in your presentation? How are you going to stop using vocal fillers?
Make an audio of your self and judge yourself on pace, inflection, pitch, volume, articulation, and pauses.
Analyze your call to action and persuasive presentation and add silence to the key moments.
Conclusion
Learning how to persuade and influence will make the difference between hoping for a better income and having a better income. It is the missing puzzle piece that will crack the code to dramatically increase your income, improve your relationships, and help you get what you want, when you want, and win friends for life. Ask yourself how much money and income you have lost because of your inability to persuade and influence. Think about it. Sure you’ve seen some success, but think of the times you couldn’t get it done. Has there ever been a time when you did not get your point across? Were you unable to convince someone to do something? Have you reached your full potential? Are you able to motivate yourself and others to achieve more and accomplish their goals? What about your relationships? Imagine being able to overcome objections before they happen, know what your prospect is thinking and feeling, feel more confident in your ability to persuade.
Go to http://www.prewealth.com/iq and take the free Persuasion IQ analysis to determine where you rank and what area of the sales cycle you need to improve in order to close every sale! Take your test now at http://www.prewealth.com/iq
Kurt Mortensen teaches over a hundred techniques to give you the ability to effectively work with every customer that walks in your door. Professional success, personal happiness, leadership potential, and income depend on the ability to persuade, influence, and motivate others. Kurt Mortensen’s trademark is Magnetic Persuasion; rather than convincing others, he teaches that you should attract them, just like a magnet attracts metal filings. He teaches that sales have changed and the consumer has become exponentially more skeptical and cynical within the last five years. Most persuaders are using only 2 or 3 persuasion techniques when there are actually 120 available! Learning how to persuade and influence will make the difference between hoping for a better income and having a better income. Go to http://www.prewealth.com/iq and take the free Persuasion IQ analysis.