Writing Samples

Here you'll find several articles I wrote. Below you'll find links to sales letters, press releases, and landing page copy.

Escape to The Black Forest

Many vacation packages are exactly what their name states: packages! It's often all too convenient to buy a package that's pre-planned for you down to the last detail. And simply impossible to experience everything while on vacation. So why not dare to be different and strike out on your own! Situated just several hours drive from Paris and about an hour drive from Zurich lies the unspoiled beauty that is Germany's fabled Black Forest region. Rigorous environmental programs have helped preserve this curious blend of city and rustic, natural beauty. And it's here where you'll find yourself immersed in old-world tradition. The Black Forest artisans made the cuckoo clock world-renown. You can even take a tour dedicated to cuckoo clock craftsmanship. A virtual culinary explosion awaits you. In the southwestern area lies the thriving university town of Freiburg. You'll find many fine restaurants offering a wide range of international cuisine. More worldly tastes can also be enjoyed in the northern city of Baden-Baden. Traditional, delicious delights throughout the Black Forest region include: famous Black Forest hams, fine local wines, fruity schnapps, rye breads baked over wood, genuine Black Forest gateau, and the famous Black Forest cherry layer cakes. You can offset all the irresistible dining with many walking and hiking trails. Lush green meadows, crystal clear streams teeming with trout, and of course the beautiful signature woodlands. Triberg boasts the highest waterfalls in Germany. During winter months you can enjoy the ski resorts near Freiburg. There's nothing like a trip to the many spas after a day of skiing fun. And Baden-Baden is famous for them as well as exciting casino action. And there's plenty to do for the family! Your entire family will love the largest amusement park in Germany. And it's just north of Freiburg located in Rust. The world-famous Europa Park is contained within the 550 year-old Balthasar Castle. This amusement park is considered one of the most beautiful in the world. You must treat yourself and family to it. Germany has many thousands of castles, and you can visit some of the finest here in the Black Forest. The New Palace located in Stuttgart was built in 1746. Almost destroyed during World War 2 but rebuilt and now used for state government affairs. There's Fuerstenburg located in Donaueschingen, another famous castle park. And in the north is the truly world famous Heidelburg Castle. Located in Heidelburg, this massive 13th century medieval castle is considered one of the most important cultural monuments in Germany. The Black Forest is very centrally located in southern Germany. It's truly a hidden gem among the usual European vacation packages. You'll literally find the range of city chic, university hip, and old-world European rustic tradition within its borders. Quite a unique and curious blend. So plan your escape to historic Germany's Black Forest, today!

Putting 'Great' In Your Story

What do all children love from the time they understand what their parents are saying? It's a love that will never tire for the rest of their lives. And it's true for most or all of the earth's population. A good story. Everyone loves a good story. Just look and listen all around you. We have 24 hours of story-telling on TV. Movies, syndicated shows from yesteryear, current shows, sitcoms, dramas, and news. Aside from hard facts, stories abound in the news. Books and magazines. Audio books that we listen to while driving! Do you have a proverbial 'Uncle Joe' who tells great stories? I bet everyone knows at least one person who's a great storyteller. And notice the informal distinction we give these people. So and so is a great storyteller! It's an accolade, an informal honor. Before written, recorded history there was oral history. Stories told by the elders. One of the greatest books written over 2000 years ago is full of parables. Stories with an important message. A good story has impact! Imagine people's reactions if they were simply told to 'do good.' Those two words would be forgotten in five minutes. But their hearts, minds, and imaginations are captured with a story about 'doing good.' Everyone loves a good story. And perhaps there isn't a better teacher of story on the planet than a man named Robert McKee. What he says about writing a good story applies to anyone writing fiction. Robert McKee is universally regarded as the world's premier teacher of screenwriting. He's written numerous television and feature films. Mr. McKee and his students have amassed an impressive collection of awards: 17 Academy awards, 79 Emmy awards, 11 Writer's Guild of America awards, 16 Director's Guild of America awards…plus hundreds of nominations. I'd like to tell you a little story. In his book 'Story,' Robert McKee tells of his early days in Hollywood working as a reader. He analyzed screenplay submissions and gave his yes or no recommendation. He anecdotally tells of his experiences as a reader. After the first several hundred scripts, he felt he could produce an all-purpose script analysis. Here's what he said about what he read. It provides great insight into what NOT to do when crafting your next story. Sign-posts urging you to avoid swimming in dangerous waters. " Nice description, actable dialogue...all in all, a script of well-chosen words. The story, however, sucks. The first thirty pages crawl on a fat belly of exposition; the rest never get to their feet. The main plot, what there is of it, is riddled with convenient coincidence and weak motivation. No discernible protagonist. Unrelated tensions that could shape into subplots never do. Characters are never revealed to be more than they seem. Not a moment's insight into the inner lives of these people or their society. It's a lifeless collection of predictable, ill-told, and clichéd episodes that wander off into a pointless haze. PASS ON IT." Pretty brutal, isn't it? But don't feel you need great literary talent to be a great storyteller. Surprisingly, or maybe not, frequently one has nothing to do with the other. And according to Mr. McKee, being able to tell a good story will usually win the day. Some of the questions that go into designing a good story don't involve rocket science. They're questions we've all thought about in our lives. Questions about people and situations. Questions about life. Here are a few questions Mr. McKee thinks are important when crafting a story. Who are the characters and what do they want? How do they try to get what they want? Why do they have their particular desires? What gets in their way of getting what they want? What are the consequences of their desires and actions? Normal questions we've all thought about in some way. Some of the solutions to writing a good, or great, story are simple yet ignored by so many. We all like good stories. But do you love them? A good marriage for a fiction writer is your desire to write it and your love of story. Mr. McKee feels love of story to be indispensable for writing them well. But having all that is not enough to excel. You'll soon find out about that last critical piece of the storytelling puzzle. But what exactly does 'love of story' mean to Robert McKee? Here are several ideas he writes about: Love of the dramatic--Being fascinated with the unexpected, sudden moments and insights that produce great changes in life. Many of us have experienced them. And we've certainly seen them in books and on film. They can leave you spellbound. Love of truth--The overriding feeling that all apparent truths in our lives must be questioned. How engaging would your protagonist be if no truths were ever questioned? Love of humanity--Possessing the courage and willingness to feel empathy. To see someone who's suffering and dare to go inside them. See their world, feel their pain. Imagine how much more depth your characters will have if you do this with them. Taking the time to go inside your characters will give them, and your story, life. Love of sensation--Having the desire not only for the physical but also the internal sensations. Again this speaks about depth and substance. How much more can your characters contribute to your story if you know their inner sensations? All the interplays and interactions between your characters will become bigger than life. Thus engaging the reader's full attention. Reminds me of those books you just cannot put down until you're finished. Love of dreaming--Finding pleasure in your own inner sensations. Spending time there and riding it out to see where it leads. The stuff of creativity...and plots. Love of language--Finding joy in words and what can be done with them. Consider how spoken and written words have been used throughout history. Wars have been waged. Nations destroyed and born. Great religions spread. All accomplished with words communicated to others. But...Mr. McKee is quick to point out all of that is not enough to create a good story. Here is the final piece of the storytelling puzzle I promised you. His personal lament concerns craft. In particular, how few seem to possess this craft. A good story is useless unless it's "well told." And learning to tell a good story well is craft. Learning and mastering the principles of story composition will elevate your good story into a great story.

Roulette Gambling

The internet marketing seminar is my latest sales copy effort, as of February 2010. This client was under severe time constraints. As a result, the speaker bios were "not" written by me. I reformatted and revised some of them. This was acceptable to the client due to time limitations. He also preferred to add the bonus material himself. That is why there are no bonuses in this draft of the sales letter.

Internet Marketing Seminar

The anger management ebook is my own product. I took it off the market, but I currently plan to revise it, rewrite the sales copy, and put it back on the market. (Feb 2010)

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Press Releases

Please note, all the press releases listed below were not optimized for search engine keywords. They were not SEO'd.

However I can write your press releases optimized for appropriate keywords and phrases. I'll also populate your release with applicable LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) words/phrases. LSI simply refers to the additional words/phrases associated with your target keywords. All search engines love LSI terms and using them will help your press release rank higher.

Chauffeurs Blog
Automotix
Royal Atlantis #1
Royal Atlantis #2
Royal Atlantis #3
Royal Atlantis #4
Royal Atlantis #5
Royal Atlantis #6

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