i am the complete opposite of those gatekeepers of interests. you wanna know what song that was? linked. where i got that strawberry top at? linked. what that pizza place on my story is called? ill show u on google maps w menu prices bby. what brush i used? im already sending you the screenshot, pookie. tell me what you think show me how it goes. we sharing interests and skills FUCK yea

How 2 RP - Part 1.5 (A little extra)

Hey everyone! Masao here~ Welcome to part 1.5, a little extra for you all, where i interview a experienced RPer, who shares their story, and give their own tips for RP. I thought it would be nice to hear from someone that has more experience then i do.

Today, we talk with:

@captainkurosolaire

​​A very good friend of mine who was actually one of my very first RP friends back in the days of Heavensward. Kuro was one of the first groups i joined, called Goldbrand. A pirate group that mostly focused on hunting Relics and the like. I learned a lot about RP from him, and made me really enjoy writing stories. He is also a very awesome dude and very humble. I hope our little interview helps you get motivated to RP, and to set that first step into the fantastic world of FFXIV!

My first question for Kuro was:

When you started RP, how did you start? Did you have a lot of help? Kuro: I started 6 years ago in XIV RP. I've been LARPing, I've built my own scuffed tabletop game with me and a bud, I've done WoW RP (Didn't click with me due to bad introduction to it.) As an only child, I've always had nothing but the highest of imagination's and I've always been tethered to create and build.I had tons of help. I wouldn't be here in the community without one of my ex's who drove me into it. I was a cuck. They shaped me and saw that, I was passionately nerdy about this stuff and always directed me towards this but, I was a shy bean and in a cocoon thought I’d fail or be a burden. After they parted with me for being naive and needing to harden me with heartbreak, I took a gamble for myself. Leaped in after a person named Sei took me in, I created Captain off just his glamour alone and then built off the tiny sketches with what I had in solo and overtime.Started from Gilgamesh, then went to Balmung. This was the era when Quicksands a majority of the time was filled with ERP and anything on the outskirts, were the more serious players and you had to go looking. I made a character fit and based around Quicksands and centered around the atmosphere. It felt fitting. So I went brash from being the most introvert by playing the most opposite to me. To not only challenge myself, but to force me to learn more. This overall was more productive of aiding in my conquest for building my Tabletop game, at first, it was mainly for that...Then eventually as my reputation was mainly ERP but somehow my F-list had some actual character-depth, I expanded and branched off. I was told by my Kahn'a my practical Yoshi P and lore guide. Some helpful hints and after that they practically set me up for transitioning out of just being a smut writer, even though I had a story behind each thing, I wanted to transition out. Then I met Verrine, Mishi, Thorcatte, Sun’ra, These people really put the ground-works into my story alongside Kahn'a, everywhere I turned, every person I met, they were inspirations, they were aiding me in RPing and feeling like this is my home, this is the land of the nerds and I owe them everything for letting me find this haven.Eventually another friend told me basically, why not just DM(Dungeon Master). Since I had contacts, I had the RP and creativity for it. They pointed me in that direction. Wasn't until I met my longest and really huge gratitude of an RPer in Ayla, who eventually inspired and led me into not only you. But bringing in many others who I eventually found as crew.I owe a tremendous amount to Ayla... Without a shadow of a doubt. Kahn'a too, but I could say literally, I owe everyone, four-hundred people in my head right now. From I've ever contacted or came into RP or even plotted none of their experiences have ever gone to waste. They each gave me a presence of passion. I transitioned off; led a huge DM group that was mainly done because you reached back out after I hit a downward spiral. After I left everything behind and ruined nearly all of it and lost my mojo.You rose me back like the phoenix, I eventually created a plot so massive that I could DM for like thirty individual people with the right support and people, did I fail in being a community leader or dealing with drama and involving everyone with my health and limited energy? You're damn straight. -- I failed utterly horrendously!  However -- It wasn't entirety wasn't in vain, people found their little groups and pockets in that, they met their meshes. Which objectively, that's all that matters as someone who organizes those to bring people together and in.After that... I transitioned into Tumblr more after being encouraged by people like Fair-Fae from afar, to Sei. Then worked on drumming to the beats given. To every person, even the ones that are angry emoji in the background-- I love em' their passion rubs into me and it breathes of air, gives me wings better than red-bull advertises! As someone who's dealing with an inoperable and bed-ridden rare disease, I've never been or felt more alive.I owe so much to people, and it's why I've stuck around for six years now and continue to batter up against the foul. This is why, I want to raise, boost, encourage, and rally others to be shared so they find in match-making their RP partners, and despite... I know my writing style hasn't ever been everyone's flavor, I never have ever thought of ever wanting someone not to find happiness. I couldn't give up RP at this stage. My next question would be, If you could give a tip to someone who just wanted to start to get into RP, what would you say to them? Kuro:  Know this. Getting into RP is a joke. It's really easy, you possess already every tool to be a tremendous RPer! Much better than I and I ever will be.

Short version: Just communicate. RP It's merely a Dance that can be positively enchanting, magical! -- I don't care what anyone says. ~ It's a partnership, you've got to find the people who keep up with pace and momentum, or blend with your style. You won't always find that and it's not a bad thing if that can't work. Some characters don't connect, some are opposite but they can still work. That's because it requires, one additional thing that requires: a pillar of effort. Don't let yourself be overwhelmed. Looking from the outside this game I've heard and seen, It's intimidatingly daunting. It's a lot to get into. Though this game? It's unoriginal. There isn't anything you can't create in this game, you have science, you've got alchemy, you've got magic. This game is literally called Fantasy in the title, this game has yanked and pulled off all the foundations of RL concepts, other fantasy tropes, religions, and renamed them and splashes over paint. You can do the same... Anything can be explained, I don't care what it is. People are fundamentally not grown as the exact same, I'm not personally here to be a clone trooper. Now If I want to play that, I can even do that respectively.* Look around the game visually, see if you think it can be done with the setting and place, build yourself something anything, you've got a whole box of legos don’t step on them. It’s proven constantly your creativity can be endless the more you play over time, or invest, put yourself out there. Go look into some guides, pull from a book, or google anything you’re thinking about. Again: People have styles they're different. You may appeal to being an NPC, you may like to be extended into Lore, you may not like all the fantasy, that's more than reasonable, it's all valid... There are people that feel you, they're waiting for YOU. Then you'll find people who are open-minded, you'll find people like me, I was in RP's with aliens, voidsents, normal people, WoL, like I've witnessed a lot. Listen to them, let them explain, and most often they fit. If you're too close-minded to accept then you don't need to worry you’ve already decided they’re not you, or your taste, leave them to their devices let them have their happiness, and go back to the scour. Don’t try harassing or bothering something that’s not there or ever will work. Wastes time and misery and drama isn’t worth unless it’s within stories, trust me. See for me... I’ve seen it all. People saying aetherfeeders and vampires didn't exist they cried on the forums and held a tantrum you had people say for years -- then boom RDM storyline and Stormblood came out debunked. Submarines weren’t things prior to SB despite we’ve got Garlean’s over here casually making Gundam’s. Their careers are over they played themselves -- this game is still continuing and always will if you're waiting for official confirmation from a -book- then you're going to be miserable, you're living off the backbone of a book meant to 'guide' and be resourceful in extension not to weaponize it and be a prick to people who don’t follow strictly the same ethic as you’ve so randomly chosen for yourself in standards, I hate to burst bubbles, but you’re never going to be 100% accurate, never ever. You didn’t create this game -- or it, therefore you can’t be anything but a replicator you’re just stuck either limiting your pieces or taking from an entire tub of building material. You aren't playing the book, you're playing the game. That's the real cannon, you literally visually see everything that's going to happen, you can bend it with predictions and logistical math. See XIV, they bend-over concepts of the real and made them fit or pried. I don't just bend lore… I bend it over. Why would there ever be anything that cannot be created? It's just how you interpret it, there are lazy ways to explain things, then there are thorough and detailed methods to get to the same realization of what you want to create that'll work and fit like puzzles to slots this story could’ve foretold. If done correctly more often then not XIV will follow suit in the same thing an expansion later if you stick to your wings, I’ve done it numerous times it feels like XIV has followed copied my test and then tried not to make it look obvious its because stories we’ve brazenly written together in deep-thinking. When my character is tagged IC that's it. Everything he witnesses or sees, I'm not refuting it. That's my chosen though, I see Quicksands and there's no way that place on my Balmung Shard and experiences is it clean, is it lead properly, or the official’s high representatives who totally are just fine with letting a Voidsent blow up the city-state. My character witnessed that, it’s set in stone. Though that's the option and you should always find what makes you comfortable, who makes you comfortable and consider that above all else. Often or not, everyone uses RP as an escape just as they play games. Don't sacrifice, don't lose yourself or not give self-love for what makes you passionate, don’t neglect yourself in taking control of being empowered and attaining friendships, fun, or treating yourself to something new to possibly take something lovely out of finding RP can be and make it all positive for yourself. Myself? I’m inspired by every person new and old who’s been in this game. I love it, do I bleed for it as my canvas? By the Twelve you know it! I’m only ever going to write stories and continue to build and grow, to learn. To do anything to give back. When a passion gives you life, you show that thankfulness by blazing that flame. My last question would be: Is there anything else you wanted to add or say to people? Kuro:  Nope. Rest boils to the decisions you pave yourself and if you want to take the plunge. Just know you're worthy, valid, and this place isn't and never will be one batch or selective, It’s not too late ever there’s no expiration to get into RP, there’s a reason RP last longer than the lifespan of the game’s even when they’ve hit the lowest of lows in dry content, there’s always been unity. If there's one thing this community does well it’s looking after one another.And If they fail to deliver. I know there are people like me who'd rather raise up then pound down.You got this, champs. And that was my interview with Kuro. Looking at his answers, there is a lot that i can agree with. The community of FFXIV is a very great one. If one person is down or needs help, the FFXIV community is the first one to jump up and help with what they can. Hence, its why i made this! To help you, reading this. Just remember, that there are always people out there that are willing to help you. And a person such as Kuro, and of course, myself, will do whatever we can to help those in need. Thank you all so much for the support, and i hope you all have a good day. Also! If you are a RPer, and you would like to be interviewed too, let me know! Send me a message over here on Tumblr, or add me on discord: Masao#2913. And feel free to ask anything related to RP, or even FFXIV. Hope you all are looking forward to the next one~

Want to Write Better Books? Stop Watching Television

When it comes to storytelling, most of us grow up immersed in visual language. Television and movies and Youtube series can be extremely potent, and tell inspiring stories - but when it comes to translating that storytelling method to the page, they can be a writer's worst enemy.

I can always tell when people have been watching more TV than reading books because there's a similar pattern of errors. Drawing from my own screw-ups and experiences and combining them with things I've learned from reading hundreds of books, I've compiled a useful list intended for newer writers with an eye on publishing.

At the risk of bowing to clickbait with my title, I'd like to make a case for aspiring writers to scale back their television-watching time and spend that on short and long-form fiction. Even fanfiction inspired by TV can help exercise that writing muscle more than watching stories alone, and I've made the reasons why into an easy-to-read list.

1) TV writing is often bad and illogical 

There's no good way to put this - the behaviour of characters on Lifetime made-for-TV movies, criminal dramas, and night-time dramas or medical shows is often exaggerated and vastly distant from reality. The best TV shows and movies do have good writing - but let's be honest; we don't always watch the best of the best. That's not a bad thing, but when it comes to writing, 'you are what you eat' is very much an applicable idiom.

It's hard to write emotionally authentic decisions and ethical debates when paranormal teenagers are fighting in the most dramatic ways possible. Because of the narrative constraints of episodic storytelling, which is the norm for continuing TV shows, antagonists are often thinly written and illogical, and characters who conflict with the main cast tend to be cruel, rude, or selfish in ways that an actual human person would not dare to be when confronted or opposed. Villains and antagonists are an important part of every story, and they're usually the biggest letdown, because their actions are often dictated by whatever inflicts the most suffering on main characters. Shows have to compress as much interest in the problem-of-the-week as possible, while still adhering to the (usually more complex) long-term plot.

The thing is, these are really bad habits for writers to pick up. It's taken me a lot of work to unlearn the villain-of-convenience habit. Antagonists and villains need to have strong motivations - even stronger than the protagonist(s)', at times. Otherwise, their actions make no sense on a fundamental level, and the narrative thread of the story will completely unravel. This is not to say that antagonists and villains have to be "evil" per se - in fact, evil is usually a matter of perspective. However, stories are driven by what people want and the people who want things. If they don't have a thing they want that remains somewhat consistent, or has a reason for changing, the story will sputter and its engine will stop turning over.

2) Visual storytelling and literary storytelling are different mediums

This sounds obvious, but hear me out. In working on a recent project, a character went up the stairs after a party, took off her jewelry, texted her friend - and suddenly, her abusive alcoholic father appeared in her room and started threatening her. The scene was clearly patterned after the classic "jump scare" style.

The problem is that jump scares don't work in written fiction. In order to mimic the effect created by a jump scare, we have to break down the scene and the rising tension created by it. A camera panning around and showing the scene, the slow shot of a character walking up the stairs, and the subtle tension created by having a character do ordinary things without realising that they are in danger may not be conveyed by simply saying that character walks up the stairs, takes off their jewelry, and prepares to use the bathroom. Those words don't express the information conveyed by the same camera shots and edits, or by the creeping shriek of violins or synth music in a score. Words can express that tension - but not if writers take what they see on TV (or computer) screens at face value.

Mimicry is not enough. We have to understand why things happen and why we are shown or given certain pieces of information, and why things are portrayed in certain ways. We must learn to see the framing devices used in fiction of all kinds, not accept them as the way the world works.

3) Hide things from the reader

As the audience, we may not realise that storytelling techniques are being used to convey a story, because we're busy reacting to it. That's okay! It's good to watch or read something and just experience the emotions intended, and enjoy the ride of the story. However, if a book has a deep impact on you, and you admire it, it's worth reading the book at least one more time to try and see the places where it was most effective.

For example, in a tense scene, a character might scan a room, looking for a weapon, and the author or narrator may describe the contents of said room.

In a dingy hotel, a bed covered in rumpled sheets, the bolted-down lamps and furniture and a clunky television may not offer much. As the character looks around, they might notice there are some glasses on the bureau or in the bathroom, and pick those up, hoping to throw them at the assailant pounding on their door.

In this vignette, the words 'pounding', 'dingy', and 'rumpled' offer the most descriptive power. However, we don't know what the antagonist on the other side of the door looks like, what kind of weapons they have, if any, or even what their name is. While there might be a little more context in a book, the very limited scope of this one scene shows that using immediacy and restricting the view and information available to the reader can create more tension.

I often see this problem in longer-form works as well - and I've certainly made the mistake myself: the error of trying to cram in too much exposition in the first few chapters. It's hard not to worry that an audience will get lost or miss something, but audiences just don't need as much information to enjoy a story as authors do to write it.

4) All books are not created equal

Some books are designed to convey a story as efficiently as possible, often to meet the reader's emotional needs - this is the case for most commercial fiction. Some books are intended to please the reader's intellect or evoke more complex emotions, and often take their time in the storytelling or break rules - this is often the case for literary fiction. Upmarket fiction combines both of these needs. That's not to say that commercial fiction can't have moments of beauty, or that literary fiction can't be fun to read, but it's important to know that these two broad types of fiction have different goals - and that both have their advantages and disadvantages.

It's important to know which markets your book is destined for, and to be honest about it with yourself. Do you write weird fiction that kind of straddles genres and has little philosophical narrative kicks? Do you secretly just want to write fun books about sex and guns? Do you like writing about kissing and emotional drama, but crave a good plot to complicate things? There are readers who want books like each of these, and looking for similar books to yours can help you figure out who will want to read it.

It's vitally important not to confuse the people you want to impress with the people who will probably read your book. I've made this mistake. It's hard not to want to change the world with a book, but you're more likely to achieve that goal if you get the book into the hands of people who will like it in the first place - enthusiastic readers will share what they like, and word of mouth is still the oldest and strongest form of marketing.

5) If you're working in a medium, engage with it 

Having a good vocabulary is essential. This seems like a daunting task - how do we learn more words? Where do we even get the words? How do we know which words are better to use? However, it's not as bad as it sounds. Reading non-fiction news articles in one's Facebook feed can help; honestly, just snatching everything with written words in it and picking it up to read it, even warning signs in bathroom stalls or advertisements at bus stops, can make a difference.

Of course, books and short stories are an ideal place to start. Short stories and short story collections can be a great way to work more fiction into your diet. Ideally, it's best to read a wide variety of books. Having favorite authors is fine, and having favorite genres is fine, but both a) reading widely within your genre and b) reading widely in general will help you try new things and expose you to different ideas and inspirations. Have you ever read a western? An old Harlequin bodice-ripper? A modern romance novel? Women's fiction? A techno-thriller? African-American literary fiction? A gay coming-of-age tale? Grab something off the shelf with your eyes closed and start reading - you don't even have to start from the beginning, if you really don't want to, but try to give the strange new book a chance.

The more you read, the more comfortable your brain will become with the storytelling methods, conventions, and styles that authors use. It's not about copying people or being 'unoriginal', although those are okay for practice techniques - it's about fluency. Writing well is very difficult if you don't read!

6) Emotions are important

Just putting in a description of a character's actions doesn't convey their mood, emotions, or what's going on inside their heads. It can - but it's essential to think about why a character is doing something, and which life experiences have contributed to the decision they're undertaking in that moment. People never just do things - and stopping to consider why a character grabs a wire hanger to fight back, whether they'd cower or flee, and whether they'd be able to speak their thoughts honestly are all vital to communication.

In daily life, we may hesitate to speak or act frankly, and that's not always a bad thing. There's something to be said for honesty, but there's also something to be said for respecting the feelings and desires or needs of others. For example, if Manpreet and Cynthia are friends, and Cynthia is wearing a new sweater she just finished knitting, Manpreet may want to tell her the sweater is ugly. But then Manpreet's desire for validation of her opinion will conflict with Cynthia's need for validation of her efforts. There's nothing wrong with these conflicts, nor with learning when to hold one's tongue or put something carefully, and expressing that characters are going through those steps is a great way to show conflict and emotion in a work of fiction.

7) Traditional literature may not be for you 

Frankly, I think more authors should try different storytelling formats just to see if they find one that's a better fit. Books tend to be the default for creative storytelling, but honestly, they're just not for everyone because they don't always skew to people's internal storytelling style. Sometimes books just don't play to people's strengths. People who are dialogue-oriented may find that plays do the trick. People who like visuals that are continuous may want to try out writing screenplays of various kinds. Still others may want to try writing graphic novels, and either hiring illustrators or illustrating work themselves. The trick is to figure out how you think - in pictures? In moments? In words? - and find the medium that expresses your feelings and thoughts most adequately.

Telling a story is an act of communication, and to communicate well requires a lot of effort, practice, and study. New authors should consider this before rushing to publish their first work, because the enthusiasm and fire of the story experience inside an author's head may be different from the experience of the reader from going through content on the page.

Ultimately, writing is hard. There's a reason that career authors, amateurs, and aspiring writers often despair over it. And honestly, that's okay. There's a joy to the process of learning techniques, to finding the right word. Anything worth doing is worth doing well, because it's easier to get appreciation from others if your work is careful and shows skill.

8) Writing a good book means creating a book to be read

This is always the hardest part of storytelling. Do we, as writers, craft stories we want to read and tell, or for our audience? Sometimes a weird cross-genre story works, and sometimes a story pulls from so many different genres and influences and goes in so many directions that it's hard to see who will pick up on it. Many of us may dream of adulation or praise from masses of readers, but putting faces on those masses is the important part. It's okay to want that - but wanting it alone is not enough to grant it, and merely creating something is not enough to deserve fame and praise.

It's not about 'that mediocre book that's doing so well! I could write better!' - it's about writing better than yourself. It's hard, during the honeymoon phase of completing a project, not to feel like it's the apex of creative works in one's native language. If I sound sarcastic, it's because I know this euphoric high, and I know the unfortunate consequences of trusting it too blithely. Simply put, the problem is not even bad reviews - it's crickets. Unless a book is waterproofed beyond the 'good enough' state, it may not be worth reading.

All creative works are risks, and to attain the prizes of money and positive attention, it's worth making sure a book makes sense from an external perspective, and is a satisfying read. Of course, not every friend or person you know will be an ideal member of your reading audience, so finding anonymous or professional beta readers can be very helpful - even if just for the sake of seeing how a book comes across to someone who knows very little about it. You may find that your book is very appealing for a reason you totally did not anticipate.

Above all, writing the book isn't about you. It's about the audience, the characters, or the story itself.

9) Publishing is scary and hard 

It's okay to be overwhelmed from time to time. It's not even that I'm trying to discourage people from putting their books out for mass consumption - it's that I want to help people make sure the books they put out are as good as possible. There's no such thing as a bad book, just an imperfect book; 99.99% of books that have issues can be saved with a good editor or editors, multiple sets of eyes, and a willingness to tweak and revise.

Drafting books is a process. It took me years to get over the idea that one draft was enough, and that I'd get every idea and nuance down in one go-through. That isn't the case, and it rarely is for many authors! Eventually, realising that I just had to get down a skeleton, and that I could modify and elaborate on things when I had the patience for them, was tremendously freeing. Not only have I stopped hating revisions, I look forward to them. When you know in your bones that the scene and the story feels right, few experiences compare to that.

Publishing, however, is a lot of work - getting used to learning about advertising, knowing where to find information about advertising, buying a cover, researching genres, writing a good blurb, finding people to hire for these various services - it can really add up to an ordeal. Still, doing all that work is a little easier and a lot more rewarding if you feel a rock-hard certainty about the quality of the book in the first place - and it can even make the other stuff easier, because you know what to draw from and what to look at.

10) If all else fails, Google is your friend

Just going for a Google safari or searching around on Amazon isn't something most of us do anymore - our 'wasted time' on the internet usually involves going to a website we already know or frequent regularly, clicking through content, and scrolling through various newsfeeds. However, these habitual paths may not yield as much information when preparing to publish. Simply going to Amazon or Google as if you were looking for a new book and entering various keywords in the search bar - things associated with your book or genre, like 'science', 'scientist', 'adventure', 'comet', 'asteroid', 'crash', 'aliens', or other pertinent terms - can be surprisingly fruitful.

You can also look up books (or shows) you admire and see what people read after reading or watching them. The more books you have to compare to, the more readers will understand your book's place in the market or library. Referencing shows and movies in a blurb is not ideal.

At he end of the day, I'm glad so many people take the leap into trying to write, and finishing projects, but actually trying to sell a book to readers isn't the same thing as merely writing for the satisfaction of it. And writing privately for satisfaction is fine! It's just that when a book hits either an editor's desk or the market, it should be as ready for readers' eyes as possible, and thoroughly vetted - even if it's been self-published.

***  Michelle Browne is a sci fi/fantasy writer. She lives in Lethbridge, AB with her partner-in-crime and their cat. Her days revolve around freelance editing, knitting, jewelry, and nightmares, as well as social justice issues. She is currently working on the next books in her series, other people's manuscripts, and drinking as much tea as humanly possible. Catch up with Michelle's news on the mailing list. Her books are available on Amazon, and she is also active on Medium, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, and the original blog. 

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Newsletter 3.5: With just a few loaves and some fish we can all do the Magis

Published August 22, 2019

 “Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied…”

-        Matthew 14: 13-21

 This one goes out to all those who have fed me when they thought they didn’t have much to give. It is because you give, that I am where I am today. Surely those efforts have helped others out as now it is me who is sharing more loaves of bread and fish than I thought I had.

 During our misa a few weeks ago, Matthew’s gospel passage had me reflecting on the magis, which for those who don’t know is a Jesuit/Latin comparative adjective meaning “the more.” This is something that Saint Ignatius constantly reflected on and challenged others in. At any time, it is to be and give more of yourself to others, yourself and, by nature, God as well. I have had countless opportunities to live out this magis during my time as a JV. I could always give my students and community more attention, a project more of my energy, and be more present during mass or during “Peruvian” meetings. While these are just a few situations in which the litany and struggles of life have tempted me from performing at 100%, I recognize that it is a completely normal thing to experience from time to time.

In the world of a volunteer and, I imagine, a professional, the temptation to be and do “enough” will happen more than once and can affect other areas of our lives. It can sneak into our routines subtly and casually (as sin usually does), but it can also happen all at once through traumatic events such as the death of a loved one, an accident or any other unexpected tragedy. You may very well be experiencing this difficulty in your lives now as Jesus did upon hearing the news of the death of John the Baptist during this past week’s reading. Like Jesus, we may want to retreat from the world to recover from a difficult moment but sometimes God has other plans for us and puts people in our lives that call for us to be more. In this Gospel reading we see that Jesus still tends to the needs of the people, performing miracles and constantly giving more of himself for others even when he may not be at his best emotionally. It is during these experiences that we are tested and pushed to the limit as people. Sometimes it is the people we give all of ourselves to that are the ones goading us, pushing us closer to the brink of giving up.

The children of Israel lamented, “Would that we had meat for food! We remember the fish we used to eat without cost in Egypt…But now we are famished; we see nothing before us but this manna.”

*This one does hit home with me literally as the frequency and access to meat was much more readily available back in the states than here in Peru, but I digress…

Oh, how ungrateful the Israelites were! Oftentimes, our service or jobs have us encountering and accompanying people who complain and fail to recognize the love in our labor as Moses experienced. Our children, students or anyone else who depends on us might be crying out for something that we aren’t exactly offering or feel obliged to offer. The hope is that they are seeking the magis, but it usually isn’t phrased or perceived this way. It can present itself as moaning and groaning after the students’ “reward” for finishing their work early is yet another worksheet. It could also be in the form of blank stares of silence and indifference after showing them what you initially thought was interesting or profound. God forbid you try to get your students to think a bit more critically! Maybe it’s just an off day for you and them and they’re not ready to understand why you teach this way. They might not even know what their words or actions are doing to our spirit, but it can be tough to keep moving forward from this. I haven’t had a formal education in teaching so why am I here anyway? All these thoughts have raced through my mind while I’m in school teaching.

“Why do you treat your servant so badly?” Moses asked the LORD. “Why are you so displeased with me that you burden me with all this people?... Where can I get [meat] (insert whatever applies in your vocation) to give to all this people? For they are crying to me, ‘Give us [meat] for our food.’ …If this is the way you will deal with me, then please do me the favor of killing me at once, so that I need no longer face this distress.”

Well we certainly don’t want to push Mr. Moses, cause he’s close to the edge (for the song reference click here). In the book of Numbers (11: 4b-15), we see an image of a frustrated, on-the-edge Moses (and at times Luis during 6th grade Catechism classes) going through a difficult experience. I remember feeling this way several times after the initial “new teacher” grace period was over. Some of my students wanted to test me and push me and see what would happen. Thankfully, I didn’t let it bother me too much initially, but after some time and external responsibilities piling up, I began to show my inner Moses.

Curiously enough, my session on the Ten Commandments for my 6th graders in June had me wanting to pull my hairs out. We were about about a month away from the mid-year break and the kids were starting to show their readiness for the vacation. This session was supposed to take only one class, but it spanned two, hour and a half sessions across two weeks. The session seemed simple as I asked the students to find the scripture passage on the Commandments, read it as a group (popcorn style) and then identify 10 or so commandments. A few of the commandments weren’t explicitly written out and this threw them for a loop. Once the 30-minute ordeal was over, I grouped them by table and they were to write on papelón, or big paper, their assigned commandment and provide an illustration of one situation in which people followed the commandment and then one example of people disobeying the commandment. The activity dragged on and the students did not want to cooperate. I was growing frustrated as I struggled to maintain order in class, so I asked them to present their illustrations. The results were sad, but hilarious.

The “Best” of the presentations on the Ten Commandments

           Perhaps not the most kind and loving way to teach, but I am still learning and feel that I have a sense of humor to uphold. After this episode, there were constant breaks in our lessons week to week as events would come up that would leave several weeks between religion classes. It is important to note that we teach religion once a week, which only made matters worse. This lack of organization at Fe y Alegria, my waning patience, and an overall lack of commitment to much of anything brought me into a low and apathetic state. I eventually fell into a trap of copy-and-paste lesson planning. I would provide relatively simple lessons that summarized the celebration, origin of a Saint or an image of Mary that was conveniently packaged into a video that I found the night before, or morning of class. The unoriginal and unengaging sessions could be likened to that of a substitute teacher plan that I had always dreamed and hoped for as a middle schooler myself; It was a shortcut way of “teaching” if one could call it that. In hindsight, this period was when my flame and passion for JVC and teaching flickered and grew dim. Utterly disheartened, inexplicably exhausted and seemingly drained of creativity, I found myself in a power save mode of myself.

This change didn’t happen overnight, and I still struggle to pinpoint its origins, but I realized that it wasn’t healthy place to be. It led to a lack of enthusiasm in many aspects of my life, namely with my JVC community, local relationships with coworkers, and then to family and friends from home. The JVC values of simple living, social justice, spirituality and community were also reduced greatly and often neglected. I was, as some of my Spaniard friends say, in la ubi or a critical point in my life. Thankfully I just had to make it until the mid-year break in order to see my girlfriend and lifegiving force Cat. But even with these brief feelings of excitement, I would wakeup exhausted and knew that I just needed a break. When the opportunity to sign up for the Spiritual Exercises came up, I took them seriously in the hope that it would restore me to the gung-ho, high energy JV I knew I was. I was hoping to encounter God and myself, and thankfully I did.

The 3-day experience of the Spiritual Exercises was a refreshing dive into the deep end of spirituality that came at the right time. I had always been in the pool, but I think I wasn’t doing myself any favors by staying in the shallow end for so long. It helped me reset and reassess what was important to me and let go of anything that wasn’t conducive to my growth and wellbeing. I used Dean Brackley’s The Call to Discernment in Troubled Times as a guide through the exercises and what moved me the most was his chapter on forgiveness. I was having a hard time accepting the fact that we are all sinners and have to ask God for the grace to accept ourselves.

“From a gospel point of view, appreciating God’s healing mercy is more important than fixating on our defects. For what frees us is knowing that we are acceptable and accepted, not as a prize for being good, but in spite of being not so good.” (29)

This quote, among others in the book, helped me to understand the way that God sees us as people in need of constant forgiveness. It might be the reason why Jesus helped out those folks who followed Him even when He wanted to be off by Himself. We are certainly imperfect creatures and it isn’t easy to admit that we are flawed and are in need of forgiveness. This self-forgiveness leads into other areas of our lives and helps us to recognize that those we serve also need forgiveness and patience. It works by both offering it whenever possible, but also accepting it whenever we need it. If you think about your own professions, the same might be said about you! I understand and appreciate this now especially as a teacher myself. Along with my own classes in primary school I also assist with the preschool in the mornings. I am more than aware of the amount of energy and patience is necessary to manage 30 children for several hours at a time! Something that the exercises that helped me reflect the goodness in the day was to review one’s day, week or year in this way:

Where was God in my day today? Where was it easy to find Him? Where was it difficult? How have I helped another? How was my energy or mood in that moment? Where do I draw my energy to continue forward when I begin to grow tired? Is this sustainable? Why or why not? This is simply a way of focusing less on the errors in our ways of teaching and more on the goodness of our service and labor. I am all too aware that I have a hyper-sensitivity and criticalness to how I live out my day and this can bog me down easily.

Something that helped me slowdown and be more was being assigned the chore of taking out the garbage. The unfortunate part about having the garbage chore is that the truck comes on Saturdays and you must unload your garbage whenever the truck arrives (between 6:30-8:00am) or else the company doesn’t pick it up. I took the morning and chore silently as I walked through the main plaza of Andahuaylillas and appreciated the stillness and beauty of the surrounding mountains. While I waited for the truck to arrive, I saw a short elderly woman that I had never seen before getting her garbage out onto the street. She came closer to me and advised me through hand gestures that the truck was on the other side of the street. I realized that she was deaf and tried her best to communicate with me. One of the reflection readings for the Exercises and this moment had me thinking about how Jesus healed the deaf man in (Mark 7:31-37). I also thought about how Jesus was reaching out to the poor and marginalized and gave them the opportunity to feel heard and listened to. I decided to sit down with this woman and let her feel heard, even though I couldn’t understand most of what she was saying.

I began to see and appreciate the way God works through people. It was as if He was telling me to stop and listen to others. It didn’t take much effort, it only took some time, patience and presence for me to be fulfilled in that moment. It might not seem like much, but the magis that I speak of is much like this. The magis isn’t only the great moments that transform the world noticeably, but a simple outpouring of self when you don’t have to. I used to think about how people sometimes seem to be “slowing me down” with a hello or how are you, when in reality these are the opportunities to be more for others. It is an opportunity to lean into someone’s life and be there to ask them the same. It is a habit that builds with time and mindful reflection. The Exercises have taught me to pray for God’s grace to be able to encounter Him more whenever the time or opportunity arises. It seemed foreign to me when I first truly heard about praying for grace, but it has improved my ability to find God in all things, large and small.

An example of how kindness imprints on the heart. Ben, a former JV, being embraced with one of his old students from his time here four years ago

This has changed my outlook and attitude on the kind of teacher I want to be. I feel more capable of giving myself over to the lives of the students and other teachers. I have a newfound source of patience with the kids, and it has already made a world of a difference. That isn’t to say that I haven’t slipped here and there, but I am much more mindful of the moments that we do have a productive session or activity. Even looking back before the Exercises, I realized that I did have fantastic moments of learning and discussion. It has happened less than I would like since working with primary school aged students is (roughly) 75% classroom management and whatever is left over is for learning material. I use learning loosely as it isn’t only about knowing concepts, but also the development of the whole person. Although we can build a tolerance for workloads and social obligations, we need these hiatuses from time to time to turn our low battery mode selves into a high-performance version of ourselves as well. When we are able to reach the 110% range and beyond, we can work and function more creatively and spectacularly for and with others.

The preschoolers are learning to cut hair and take on some adult responsibilities such as reading magazines

Ordering the mass by events! I learned a lot myself by planning this activity.

 It takes constant reflection and humility to be able to discern what our hearts are craving, but we must also ask for God’s grace to develop this skill. We may at times feel that we know what we need to be our full selves, and to an extent we do, but this knowledge is slowly revealed to us by God through people and experiences. We might believe that we crave one thing (type of food or drink), but in reality, what we needed was another (appetizer) that reminds us to stop and savor the moment (food) we are chewing now. I want to thank those who have given me exactly what I needed even when I didn’t know I needed it. These folks are the educators in my life who taught me the invaluable lessons of hard work, reflection, and self-empowerment that have kept me going. This is for all those in the counseling/ after school programs, coaches, family, friends and all my mentors in between. A number of you are on this list and know who you are. Keep on with the magis attitude but also give time for yourselves to rediscover or reignite that flame if you are ever feeling exhausted or overwhelmed with work. Even Jesus needed lunch breaks from time to time, so once again thanks for sharing yours.

“Taking the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds. They all ate and were satisfied…”

  Matthew 14: 13-21

Peace,

Luis

P.S.

I would like to hear you tales and moments of feelings of burnout and being overwhelmed with life, and how you have moved past this. Teachers of mine! I ask that (if possible) to please share your stories, because I am sure that I have likely been the culprit or source of some of that grief at some point or another. (Whether that be sleeping in the front row of class or something from my time as an angsty teenager!) I look forward to hearing from you!

  For more pics click here! https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ay3FwhQEGCoRQ3oj9

(Full reading here)

Has my time passed? (Is it too late for me?)

Over the last few days I've asked myself this question over and over again; concerning music, career, ministry, and life in general. I know that sounds bleak but the truth is, when I was younger, I remember feeling unique in my gifts and talents; particularly in communicating the gospel to my peers through rap. Back in the day, rapping on behalf of the Kingdom of God wasn't an option, it was a necessity. If I didn't do it, who would? Looking back, I figured that rap would provide a career in ministry that would validate and support my need to press on and "fight the good fight" through hip hop.

Fast forward...it's been over 10 years. Hip hop fads have come and gone. CHH (Christian Hip Hop) has been elevated to a new plateau to where artists are seemingly better than ever before and the internet has also made it easier for artists to be heard, which mitigates the prior excuse, "There are no good Christian hip hop artists". That one excuse kept me and my crew relevant in our hometown back in the day. Now, our "competition" is right in our backyard via Rapzilla, Soundcloud, Dat Piff, etc....

No more exclusivity; no more uniqueness; no guaranteed that this will materialize into a lasting career. What's the point? I mean, really?

After Lecrae's "Anomaly” became the number 1 album in the country in 2014, elevating CHH to a height it had not previously experienced, the ambition to "become the best" started to dwindle as we cheered on our much more successful counterparts. What's the aim now? What's the goal? "Christians can rap well?" The world knows that now. "We believe in the Bible and have been transformed by its worldview and thus rap from that perspective?" Check! How about, "It's possible to build a successful career in the music industry and still maintain a Christian worldview?" Oh yea, they know it's possible. So why continue to do it?

I recently watched my favorite rap group, Cross Movement, at the Legacy conference via FB Live and noticed something that I had not noticed before. Yes, I had memorized practically all of their songs from listening to their albums back to back but it wasn't until I checked out their reunion concert that I realized their focus has always been on what is eternal and never on what is temporal. From Heaven's Mentality to HIStory, the primary focus has always been on a Supernatural God and the work of His Son. This is the reason they were able to rap songs written and performed 20+ years ago and the lyrics remain as true today as they did in the past. I remember loving that about them when I was younger, although I had not identified it as such. I recall rapping from that perspective and acknowledging its superiority over the temporal songs that I heard on mainstream radio.

Had I lost my focus? Had I become the type of rapper that only focuses on the things of this earth like career, likes, replays, retweets, shares, sales, respect, and prestige? True, I rapped about God and His kingdom but from what perspective? One that expressed I wanted my reward now (here on earth) or one that expressed my belief that my true reward is in heaven?

I recall noticing when the flavor of CHH had shifted (in my humble opinion) as impactful groups such as The Cross Movement had been seemingly copied so often by others that the mentality and perspective started to feel unoriginal and unauthentic. In hip hop that's a sign that we have to take a new approach to express the same idea. Also, as the culture evolved stylistically, it appeared that our overall message was slightly changing as well. The focus was shifting more towards earthly things like social issues, injustices, past worldly experiences, honoring our spouses, etc…. (Not bad messages by any means). Obviously, this was not to water down our message but to relate to either the listener who may not have been interested in our heavenly hope or to the listener who heard plenty of theology rap and was interested in hearing songs that helped him apply his theology into everyday situations. Either way, in my effort to accommodate my listeners, I believe my passion and enthusiasm for spiritual and heavenly things had diminished. Ever since this discovery, my prayer and fight became to get my heavenly focus BACK!

It's exciting because I believe that it is God's grace that has helped me identify this opportunity. My current desire is to seek God more fervently and dive into His word as He reveals its treasures. The sheer joy that I get from Him inspires me to share those treasures with others...even through rap! In this light, it doesn't matter if rap pays the bills or leads to a grand stage or tour; or if I'm categorized amongst thousands of artists writing and performing the same types of songs. What matters is my faithfulness and joy in the Lord's calling and mission. Even if I'm never successful in the eyes of this world, I know where my true reward lies.

There's nothing wrong with discussing social or conscious issues in rap. We are not of this world although we live in it. My prayer is as I'm discussing these trivial topics pertaining to this temporary time here on earth, I do not forget that my ultimate focus needs to be on the life after.

Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

-PhilipAnthony (Dat Phella)

Two wrongs don’t make a copyright — how I took on the Daily Mail and won

Oxford University grad Louis Geary sued the newspaper giant after it published his naked calendar photos without permission

Image credit: Edward Jonkler

What do you do when you’ve poured your heart and soul into creating something, only for a national newspaper to publish it all online and insult it? This I wondered to myself as a non-law undergraduate, certain that something had to be done about it but not at all sure what.

As part of Oxford University’s Raise And Give (RAG) society I had project managed the creation of a charity naked calendar featuring 75 of the university’s top athletes. This was a particular passion project for me, as although it was a traditional idea for a charity project, I anticipated that it would increase RAG’s profile and broaden its market to tourists. I threw myself into the unprecedented logistical and creative challenges that a university-wide calendar presented.

Once the calendar was ready, we at RAG checked with a small selection of the athletes featured if they’d be happy to have their photos licensed out for media coverage and consent was given. We then sent out a press release to various news organisations, but were shocked to see the Mail Online publish an article that included every single photo blown up for the world to see. And as you might expect, the comments section was an unpleasant sight for anyone involved in the project, featuring quips like “Clearly it’s not possible to have brains AND looks,” and “This has put me off my late breakfast”. That day, a selection of the photos also appeared in the Daily Mail.

Image credit: Louis Geary

Soon I heard a friend say that now they’d seen the pictures there was no point in buying the calendar. At the same time I had lacrosse players draw my attention to the fact that journalist Jan Moir, in her own column, had singled out their photo just to call the athletes “unoriginal” and tell them to “put [their] pants back on”.

Comments like this added insult to the injury, obviously, of having naked photos published online, in perpetuity, without the subjects’ consent. At that point we didn’t even know how Mail Online had obtained the photos, as no one at our end had sent them to anyone.

It turned out a local news agency had produced copies of the photos by navigating to a preview of the calendar’s back page on the Oxford University Shop website. I understand they screen-grabbed the thumbnail images, expanded them and enhanced them before selling them on to various news organisations, including Associated Newspapers (owners of the Daily Mail and Mail Online). At first the calendar’s photographer, a modern languages undergraduate, was very proactive in sourcing what free legal advice he could, and he managed to have a law firm write letters to the news agency and the Daily Mail informing them that they didn’t have (and never had) permission to use the photos. There was resistance from both parties. The Daily Mail claimed it had bought the images in good faith, but after a few exchanges it became apparent that no acceptable settlement could be reached without some form of legal action.

I spoke with a few law students about what to do, and most of them shrugged and said it was pointless trying anything against a big company. Even the Oxford University Student Union (OUSU), which oversees RAG and the Oxford student body in general, didn’t seem able to help.

Undeterred I eventually managed to meet an intellectual property lecturer, who told me all I wanted to hear: that something could be done. She directed me towards the Intellectual Property Enterprise Court (small claims track), which was apparently created just for this kind of situation.

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Fast forward to after I graduated and managed to get an actual job at an advertising agency, I hadn’t forgotten the case, and managed to attend a free legal clinic at Queen Mary University in East London. I spent 45 minutes explaining the case to two students and, to my joy, the lawyer supervising, who was from Simmons & Simmons, later offered to take on the case pro bono. All this required, for their pro bono policy, was for a charitable organisation to be the client. Sadly my presumption that OUSU would agree to this was misplaced, as its trustees decided against getting involved. So, it was back to the drawing board.

With the pro bono engagement fallen through, I undertook to sue Associated Newspapers and the news agency myself. Fortunately a supervising associate at Simmons & Simmons was willing to lend some informal advice along the way. I collaborated with a friend to learn the difference between a claim form and the particulars of claim and then write them up.

I eventually plucked up the courage to issue the claim at court, only to learn that there are separate fees for money and non-money claims, so if I wanted a financial settlement and injunction (i.e. have the photos taken down) then I’d have to pay an extra £308. Given that this was my own money and I had to be prepared to never see it again, I decided to go away again, change the claim form and remove the request for an injunction. I figured that if Associated Newspapers were compelled to make a payment, they would probably take down the photos too, to avoid further action. It turned out I was right.

Before I knew it, I had the news agency on the phone offering a settlement, while Associated Newspapers’ lawyers at RPC wrote to me announcing they would defend the case. I then received a long email from Associated Newspapers’ group legal advisor, with the managing editor in copy, attempting to poke holes in my claim and asking what, to me, were irrelevant questions about my level of legal experience. I received a paltry offer of £630 plus half the court fee. In my response I said I’d agree to settle for £5,000. At that point I was particularly grateful for the reassurance I received from the solicitor at Simmons & Simmons that there were various aspects of Associated Newspapers’ response that I could ignore, although the actual writing and negotiation strategy was left to me. Fortunately Associated Newspapers accepted £5,000 plus fees.

I could have demanded more and risked the case dragging on for longer, but inspired by Deal Or No Deal contestants who needlessly overcook it, I decided to take my £5,000 and get out. Associated Newspapers was then keen for me to discontinue the case, which could have exposed me to liability for their legal costs; however, I pulled out a seven-day trial of Thomson Reuters Practical Law to learn about consent orders and then drafted a Tomlin Order. Once sealed, this would protect me from costs and keep the case alive in the event of repeat infringement. It would also allow me to keep the news agency’s settlement amount confidential from the court, which I offered as part of our negotiation.

Once I received the money, I contacted the four student-elected charities that the calendar was created for, offering an equal share in the total settlement received. Incidentally one charity never responded, so I opted to donate instead to Streets Ahead Rwanda, a brilliant charity I’ve been personally involved in fundraising for.

Overall there are several lessons I learned from this, including that no matter how legally straight-forward a claim might seem, litigation always involves a significant amount of uncertainty. At the same time, I learned that part of the thrill of litigation is never quite knowing what your adversary will do next. The final lesson is to furnish your website with an email that works, as you never know what nice surprise might come your way.

Louis Geary graduated from Oxford University with a degree in Psychology and Philosophy, and is now an innovation consultant at London and Dublin-based agency jump! Innovation.

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from All About Law https://www.legalcheek.com/2018/02/two-wrongs-dont-make-a-copyright-how-i-took-on-the-daily-mail-and-won/

Tips from Don Draper on How to Hook Your Customers with Copy

‘Mad Men’ was an amazing series that revived the spirit of working in a 1960s advertising agency in Manhattan. But, while its characters struggled with social and cultural changes, many of us watched with bated breath as modern marketing was born.

Don Draper, creative director of Sterling Cooper, is a truly creative and strategic genius. But his advice is not only revolutionary for the 1960s. We can learn a lot from him how to connect with customers and write copy that resonates with your audience.

Here are five timeless copywriting lessons from Don Draper that will make your copy shine!

1. Step into the shoes of your customers

One of the most important rules for copywriters is to get to know your readers.

Don Draper may not be a great fan of research reports (or, at least, he doesn’t accept them blindly), but he does market research on his own. He reaches out to regular people, asks them private questions and learns more about who they are. Thanks to this knowledge, he’s able to understand their point of view and understand their needs.

So, every time you have to write a blog post, product description or landing page copy, make sure you know who are you writing to. Ask yourself: do I know my writing persona? You need to know your persona to be able to personalize your copy and make it irresistible to your readers.

Sure, the majority of content creators try to write for everybody, but the sad truth is that if you write for everybody, you write for no one.

2. Think about “the need behind the need”

Knowing who your audience is is the first step on writing great copy. The second is knowing “the need behind the need.”

Some people may buy an apple because they are hungry, others to lose weight or live healthier. Some people will purchase a yacht to sail and enjoy life, and others to feel that they belong to a particular group of people.

Once you discover what your prospective customer's real motive for buying is; once you identify their true needs, you will be able to more effectively address those needs and write more persuasive and personal copy than ever before.

3. Use emotions as a copywriting tool

The moment when Don realizes that an effective campaign begins by pulling on people’s heartstrings opens a new era for marketing.

Instead of telling people what the product is, Don starts to show people what the product can offer. And he doesn’t focus on the product features; he’s concentrated on the changes the product will make in its users’ lives.

The rule of good copywriting is simple: forget about features and functions. Say hello to emotions.

Among the most common emotional triggers are family, love, security, success, power, fun, sex, and money.

For example, if you want to write that your product will “save you more time,” you should instead write that it will “allow you to spend more time with your family.”

It’s all about emotions.

4. Test different approaches to sales

When the action of ‘Mad Men’ starts, the advertising world was going through a time of similarity and unoriginality. All companies were using the same tried 'n true solutions, because they didn't think they could afford to take a risk.

Don Draper didn't share this opinion.

He believed that being original is essential if you want to keep your current customers and attract new ones. He was interested in new ways of doing marketing: in building relationships with customers and engaging them in conversation with a brand.

What’s here for you?

Take a look at your website, at the copy you write and ask yourself: am I different from my competition? Do I stand out? Do I try to make unique contact with my customers? If an answer to any of these questions is “no,” it’s time for you to drop routine and chose your own road.

5. Remember the true purpose of copywriting

According to Don, advertising is based on happiness. He describes it as the smell of a new car, freedom of fear, serenity and well being. He never just sells the product, he never asks what can his customers do for him. His greatest concern is “what can I do for my clients?”

What we can learn from this approach is to never list product features. We should rather wrap our product up in a story, explaining to our customers how the product can make them happy.

A great way of creating such copy is to write a letter to your friend, explaining how the product works and why you think they should buy it. As long as you try to present your product to someone you know and like, you will see how beautiful your copy can be.

Don’t be like Don, be like you

“You are the product. You feeling something. That’s what sells. Not them. Not sex. They can’t do what we do, and they hate us for it.”

During all 7 seasons of ‘Mad Men,’ we see people desperately wanting to be like Don Draper. They are jealous of his wit, knowledge, and experience. They are jealous of his family. They are jealous of his position and career.

But should they want to be like him?

The most important lesson we can learn from Don is not to follow anyone else's lead. He never felt intimidated by others because he was always following his path. Surprise, surprise, that’s the secret trait of the best copywriters. Apart from being creative and having excellent writing skills they are always true to themselves.

It means that while you should always learn from such people like Don Draper, if you want to have a copywriting guru, let it be you. Your experience, your emotions and your understanding of the world are the things that set you apart from others.

About the Author: Justyna Polaczyk

Before LiveChat crossed Justyna's path, she spent almost 7 years working as a business analyst and 6 years as a journalist. Now, on LiveChat blog, she shares her experience and knowledge about customer service, business psychology, social media and eCommerce. Get in touch with Justyna on Twitter @Ms_Polaczyk

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Tried blogging serioulsy for a week – Being honest

Blogging as carrier is a thing so with my knowledge of blogging and internet marketing i planned to create a blog and see where it goes

I tried blogging for a week under tech, internet culture niche. Well I am a programmer and internet crawler myself so I thought to write under this niche (note:I had a website setup already.)

I posted about 10 blog post and was not disappointed for the traffic to my blog . Considering the blog had previous big engagements .

Actually I also started earning from second day of the blog .

So Here is the thing , even though i got a very good traffic I didnt really enjoy it and it was a burnout .

I will try to point out all the things that are wrong about blogging :

1.Got burned out for the topic that i love

Here is the truth only after posting 10-15 articles this week i got burned out .

Why you ask ? Because there are already articles on same topic which is original and high quality ,you are just trying to mimic it.

It was so painful to write a post(I just started copying from internet later on) and post it , because you know this is the topic you like but still nothing good comes from your brain. You are just a casual Internet culture enthusiast.

2 . Its a rat race of number

Yes ,the biggest rat race to gain traffic and make your viewers to click on add and sell affiliate products . I was really disgusted by seeing this and everyone is a major sellout , the blog just looks like copy paste. Yes i know there are few blogs that stands out and have faithful audience , but most of them are just crap. I was so obsessed with the traffic numbers that I started getting sleeping problem , i only thought the blog , how much will i earn tomorrow etc. Its pretty scary honestly.

3.Unoriginal content (More pretending , less brain)

Please only try blogging if you are really interested and dont start blog to start earning. If you are starting to blog about how to start a blog , please dont because there are thousands of them pretending to be blog guru and what not . Only people who are Blog guru's are Neil Patel and Pat Flynn . Peace .

4 .More work needed for successful blogger

Yes you need a lot of work , if you have a job and working full time it will be difficult . If you are student and have spare time its grate, it might be helpful in your professional carrier

5.Ads and sellouts everywhere

Oh man , a guy on reddit just told "Pop-up of hell" .I focused more on ads than content .Amen.

6.Less motivation as this is not my style

I am more of a person who likes writing than a Mashable type of guy. So this model really demotivated me and this experience has put me back on track.

7.Still a source for passive income in a long run , if you are willing to blog consistently on niche for say 1 year .

8. Blogging is not dead(yet)

In my opinion blogging will not die till people want express themselves , there are several options like vlogging and microblogging(twitter) . So its just deviation .Blogging is still a medium to share your knowledge and experience or simply improve your writing skills.

Aftermath

I will be changing my blog to a more personal blog and remove ads etc and try chasing things that i like . I wrote more about this here..

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9 Powerful Tools That Will Proofread Your Content For You

By Brenda Berg

There’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that having good copy is essential for SEO. Having good copy means that when search engines crawl through your web pages, they see that your content is of a high standard – both in the sense that there are no glaring spelling and grammatical errors, and also that no content is duplicated.

You may think proofreading is an outdated activity that you don’t have the time or the skills for, but I’m here to tell you that sometimes spellcheck is just not enough. The good news is that in today’s world, there are heaps of web tools that will proofread your copy for you.

Words are a powerful resource when it comes to engaging with website visitors and converting them into customers. However, they lose all their power when they aren’t used correctly. A single typo or error in your copy can detract from the overall impression of your brand and destroy your credibility. There’s no point in publishing copy riddled with mistakes – no one will take it seriously.

Good copy takes time, but most of us are low on that. The following proofreading tools will help you ensure that your copy retains clarity of message, consistent formatting, and correct word usage, spelling and grammar. They will provide you with confidence that your copy is polished and persuasive before you publish it, and help prompt your audience to take action.

1. Grammar Check

Grammar Check analyzes any piece of text within seconds to find as many errors as possible. It’s super easy to use – you simply review any underlined spelling errors, style suggestions or grammar queries in your text and apply corrections where you need them. Then the system generates a final verdict for you – giving you the opportunity to review everything again.

It’s free, but there’s a ‘deep check’ available for a small cost if you are worried about more difficult-to-spot mistakes, such as run-on sentences or dangling modifiers.

2. Spellcheck Plus

Spellcheck Plus is a great tool for people whose native language is not English. It’s great at picking up when the wrong words are used – for instance, there are many homonyms that non-native English speakers confuse.

It’s free for up to 2000 characters – for a small sum, you can upgrade to the ‘Pro’ version to lift the word limit and gain additional features that could actually help you improve your grammar overall. The main drawback of the free version is that it doesn’t provide explanations of why the system suggests the changes it does, therefore it’s hard to improve your writing over time.

3. After the Deadline

While there are some tools that work purely for spelling and others only for grammar, After the Deadline works for both. It also provides suggestions on style. This means that you get a holistic overview of your writing, and can improve on things like structure, flow and syntax.

Again, it’s free, and the check consists of grammar (green underline), misused words (red underline), and style (blue underline). You can click on a word that was supposedly used incorrectly to get a detailed explanation on the word’s proper usage, which is great for when you want the chance to figure out why something was a mistake.

4. Proofread Bot

Proofread Bot is a simple, straightforward online tool that works quickly and provides in-depth results. It’s good for anyone who wants to work on spelling and grammar, but also also really useful for anyone who isn’t confident with vocabulary. It offers suggestions to help improve vocabulary, and picks up on language features such as superlatives as well as options for alternative words instead of using negative constructions.

It’s free and ultra handy for anyone who may want to overhaul a piece of copy to really make it shine.

5. PaperRater

PaperRater offers a whole range of tools to help you get to grips with your copy, one of the best being the plagiarism detector. Even if you would never intentionally paraphrase or plagiarise somebody else’s work, it’s a great idea to check all of your work before it’s published, as search engines automatically downgrade sites that contain unoriginal content.

It’s free for up to six pages at roughly 300 words per page, and also offers a premium membership for those who are interested in additional features or checking longer copy. As it’s a web-based service, you don’t need to download anything.

6. ProWritingAid

ProWritingAid is an incredibly sophisticated online tool that can really help you elevate your copy. Not only will it pick up on spelling and grammatical discrepancies, it will also suggest alternative vocabulary, style and structure options too. In addition, it searches out core elements like repetitiveness, vague wording, sentence length variation, over-dependence on adverbs, passive voice, over-complicated sentence constructions and more.

It’s free to edit up to 500 words at a time and generate 19 writing reports (this also includes a summary report of key issues). Beyond that, users can sign up for a Premium or Premium+ version for unrestricted word counts and additional perks.

7. PerfectIt

This tool is absolutely essential for those who regularly write, edit and publish content. It most definitely suits small businesses who are building their brand and want a consistent voice for their writing, as PerfectIt builds up an understanding of user preferences and house style.

It is also a really good editor for spelling, grammar, and structure, and a great tool to use if you’re afraid you may not be consistent in your writing. The free trial runs for 14 days following which you can sign up for a single or site license that is compatible with Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Word.

8. Slick Write

Slick Write is another holistically-focused tool that will clean up all aspects of your copy. The grammar checker is lightning fast and its special features include customizable feedback to suit your style.

The entire platform is free of charge with no software download or installation required. One of the standout points of Slick Write is its efficiency as a learning tool. After using it a few times, you will start to recognize regular mistakes in your writing and start improving your content independently.

9. AutoCrit

This is the closest you’ll get to a live editor without actually hiring a flesh-and-blood person! AutoCrit takes your content and goes through it with a fine toothed comb. It won’t just perform a basic spell check but actively look for ways to improve what you’ve written and make it more accessible to readers from all walks of life.

It is specifically designed for fiction authors; however, I believe it’s a tool every content writer should have in their back pocket. Plus, it works best when dealing with larger chunks of text. Membership grants you instant access to everything the software has to offer for a small fee – and if you decide it isn’t for you within your first 14 days of use, AutoCrit offers a rock-solid money back guarantee.

Wrapping up

One of the biggest headaches for today’s content marketers is the cost – in terms of both time and money – of proofreading copy to ensure it’s pitch-perfect every time. If you don’t have a human proofreader or a penchant for proofreading yourself, these web tools can really help you improve your writing and, in doing so, increase your conversions.

The quickest way to enforce your house style and build your brand is to have great copy, and thankfully in today’s world, you never have to go it alone. There are heaps of platforms out there to help you convert audiences with your writing, every time, so experiment with the ones listed above and see which one best serves your needs. Best of all, most of these platforms are free and infinitely more accurate at finding errors than your standard word processor.

The written word is a powerful tool so use it to elicit a specific response from existing, new and potential customers. Just run it through an online proofreader first to make sure that you catch any spelling, grammatical, formatting and style errors!

Guest Author: Brenda Berg is a professional with over 15 years of experience in business management, marketing and entrepreneurship. She is also a consultant and tutor for college students and entrepreneurs. She is a self-motivated, results-driven individual who is inspired to travel and share gained experience in career, business and self-development.

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Saturate the World with God’s Word

An American novelist, John Powers, wrote a book entitled, The Unoriginal Sinner and the Ice Cream God. It is about a boy named Tim who is in the process of growing up, and it is proving to be a tough job. One day Tim confides to a friend: “I come from a family of practicing Catholics. But do you know something? The more I practice, the worse I get.”

All of us are like Tim, at times. Maybe we are not getting worse, but we are not improving much either. If we are like Tim in John Power’s novel and wonder why we are not better practicing Catholics, today’s liturgy may have an important message for us. In the First Reading, we hear the Prophet Isaiah giving an analogy on how the Word of God should be in our lives: it is like the rain that falls from the heavens and never returns until it has watered the earth. The Word of God also goes forth and never returns to Him until it has achieved its end: our listening to Him and living according to His will. The Psalm expresses this clearly by saying that “the seed that falls on good ground will yield a fruitful harvest.” The Lord visits the land, waters it, prepares the grain and the land, and softens it with showers. Do we listen to the Word of God? Are we allowing God’s Word to become a part of our life and to water our drying spirits?

Our Gospel is about the Parable of the Sower. It talks about the seed as the Word of God with Christ as the sower. Brothers and sisters, the focus in this Gospel is on the Sower who sows seeds notwithstanding where it falls: the pathway, on rocky and thorny ground, and on a rich soil. Christ, the Sower, reveals Himself to us through His Word, the Church, our experiences as a community, and in our personal experiences. The question is what type of soil/ground am I? Are we open to Christ’s invitation of conversion and union with Him? Do we listen to Him in the Scriptures and in the Sacraments especially the Mass, in the Church and her leaders, in the community, and in my daily life experience?

“Please all stand!” “Kindly be seated!” I just demonstrated to you the power of words and how it affects those who listen. For those who stood up, we can really say that they are listening and because of that, they followed. For those who did not, maybe they were not able to hear my words or that it was not clear to them, or they might already be sleepy. There is an adage that says, “Words can either make you or break you.” Words are powerful and they can either encourage or discourage; console or hurt. For example what is the effect to us when someone says, “Thank you” or “I am sorry” or “You are very kind”? How does it affect us when someone tells us otherwise? Brothers and sisters, if our human words are powerful, God’s Word is more powerful. Whenever God speaks, it happens: “Let there be light! And there was light.” Jesus also said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Mt 24:35). God’s Word is so powerful that it even became flesh in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. How do we use our words? How sincere/truthful are we with what we say?

I would like to share with you the story of one who became like the sower in the Gospel. This is the life of St. Francis of Sales. He was a bishop who was sent to a diocese where there were few Catholics who lived. Most of the people in that place were Calvinists. Francis’ ministry was not well received by the Calvinists at first. In fact, most of them would not even talk to him. After being repeatedly snubbed in his attempts to re-evangelize the Calvinist Protestants who would not listen to Catholic preaching, Francis turned to writing leaflets and inserting them into copies of his sermons, which he then posted on walls, slipped under doors and handing to whomever he could. Four years later, most of the people in that place (72,000) had returned to the Catholic Faith!

As Catholic Christians, we are called to: experience the Word, live the Word, and share the Word. We experience the Word of God by reading and praying the Scriptures (Lectio Divina), participation in the Sacraments particularly the Holy Eucharist (Liturgy of the Word), Bible study and Bible sharing as a family or as a community. In living the Word we strive to becoming rich and fertile soil by living as good Christians and honest citizens. And lastly, we are also challenged to share the Word which is nowadays, not an easy task. We have seen the condition of our Christian brothers and sisters in other places where they suffer persecution and even martyrdom because of the faith that they shared with their fellowmen. Yet we hold on to the hope that was proclaimed by Saint Paul to the Romans that we heard in the Second Reading: “the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us” (Rom 8:18). We are encouraged to continue sharing the Word in our daily lives in our homes, in our communities, in our places of work and recreation, in our schools, and in wherever we are. The world should be saturated with the Word of God through us and in us. Brothers and sisters, God’s Word is like rain that make the earth fertile. It is also like a seed that can produce wonderful harvests. As we continue on in this Holy Mass, we ask the Lord for the grace and strength in order to experience, live, and share his Word. Christ, the Sower, went out to sow, is the ground of my heart and soul ready for the seed of God’s Word? “Whoever has ears ought to hear.” Amen.