Pat Iyer’s Blog
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How Often Do You Check Your Blog’s Stats?
As a blogger, you’re convinced of blogging’s value. You have lots of ideas, and you like to write. What could go wrong? You can get consumed by the desire for your blog to be (very) popular. How often do you check your blog's stats? One of the biggest mistake...
Is Your Writing Short Enough?
Know When To Stop No matter what you’re writing, if you get carried away by your own words, you’ll lose your audience. Mark Twain told a story about sitting in church one day. The preacher was giving an inspiring sermon on the subject of a worthy cause. He was asking...
Show Off Your Expertise with a Top Notch Website
Do you know how to show off your expertise? Having a top-notch website is crucial. You might be the most brilliant business owner, but how will your market know it? Do you blog about your expertise? Do you share advice in a select group of private forums? Of course,...
Short Books, Short Reads – Easy to Complete
What is a short book? And how long should it be? Thirty years ago, you would have had no trouble answering that question. A book was an oblong physical object that had either hard covers and a dust jacket or was a paperback. You turned the pages with your hand. That...
How Good is Grammarly?
You’ve probably heard of the editing tool, Grammarly. If you go to its web site, grammarly.com, you will read claims that the app ensures that what you write is easy to read, effective, and mistake-free. It presumably detects grammar, spelling, punctuation, word...
Write Intriguing Email Subject Lines
With email inboxes getting ever more crowded, you must snag the attention of your reader – and quickly. First, they look at who sent them the email, and then, they look at the email subject line. Here are 5 attention-getting tactics for email subject lines. 1. The...
How to Create Content by Speaking
Maybe writing isn’t your genius. Don’t let that stop you when you want to create content. As a ghostwriter, I’ve had people come to me, saying that they would love to write a book, but they can’t write. Sadly, they may blame themselves for what they perceive as a...
Three Suggestions to Revive Your Blog
Does your blog seem to be in hibernation? If so, these suggestions may return it to life. When you let a blog lie dormant, you miss marketing opportunities and become much less visible. I've been blogging since 2009. I've written thousands of blog posts for people...
Use Fictional Techniques in Nonfiction
Non-fiction writers, especially if they’re beginning writers, can make a critical mistake about what writing non-fiction demands. They may think, “This is going to be easier than writing fiction. I don’t have to worry about characters, plot development, description,...
Create an Irresistible Hook
What is an irresistible hook? A hook is a compelling title or first sentence in an article or claim that pulls your ideal reader right in. Where are your irresistible hooks? Your hooks are in your stories. What is the story behind your business? What is the story...
Recent Posts
Make the Most of Your Writing Time
One of the most frequent complaints of my writing students and clients is “I don’t have enough time. How do …Read More »
Inner Critic or Inner Guide: Who is Talking
At any stage of my writing, I may hear an inner critic, a voice that says things like, “No, that …Read More »
What’s Your Type?
When I write about errors in manuscripts, I usually focus on punctuation, spelling, and grammar because those are my favorite …Read More »
Readers Make Better Writers
I always loved reading more than almost any other activity. It’s no coincidence that my siblings are also avid readers. …Read More »
Why Do You Need a Good Vocabulary?
Writers, especially those who are just beginning to write regularly, think that having a good vocabulary means knowing a lot …Read More »