The LAST Word

  Writers are always looking for inspiration. They will use art, nature, family life and quotes. They even get inspired from other writers. Marketers also are looking for inspiration for blog ideas or places to sell your products or services. My favorite way to get inspired is through watching television or movies. Here are my favorites. Year Without a Santa Claus – This will inspire you to do whatever it takes to reach a goal. If you don't know the movie, Santa is sick and doesn't want to travel around the world to deliver the gifts. He thinks no one cares about him. Two elves, Jingle and Jangle, go to Southtown USA to find children who care about Santa. They have to get their reindeer from the pound, talk to the mayor and deal with the Miser brothers, but they are successful. The mayors declare a holiday for Santa and show him that children still care about him. They kept trying new ideas until they got what they needed. You can keep trying new things to be su...

    It's Labor Day weekend, the end of summer. When I was young, we didn't go back to school until the Tuesday after Labor Day. We did have to go into the second week in June, but summer still began on Memorial Day weekend. That was when all the shops opened in Cape May, N.J. My parents opened the house that weekend or the weekend before Memorial Day, so we officially started summer days then. The last two weeks of school were much in the learning department anyway.  On Labor Day weekend, we would go the beach one final time. Then, we would close up the house for the fall and winter. Although autumn in Cape May was nice, we had too many activities to do during the school year that we rarely went down there. We also had season tickets to the Eagles games, so weekends were booked. Having one last holiday weekend before the craziness of back to school was pleasant. It allowed us to get ready for the school year refreshed. We weren't thinking about how hot it was. Septembers ...

 Libraries, college alumni associations and book clubs offer summer reading programs. Here are some options for your summer reading program. The newest book, Coastal Voices and Visions , came out this year with an essay I wrote in it. The anthology includes stories of living in Florida or Carolina coastal waters. Common Sense by James E Razzino is a thought-provoking book to cut through the noise about issues affecting the United States. The government is chipping away at our rights. As authors and business owners, we should protect our freedoms and rights to say whatever we want. The book also will help you decide who to elect for Congress, president, governor, state legislatures and councils. Go to https://www.amazon.com/author/jameserazzino to get your copy. Are you having back pain? You should read this book before you agree to have surgery on your back. Michael Ahearn went through four back surgeries, and now his back doesn't align correctly. He has had issues stem...

 Summer time is great for eating watermelon, writing by the beach, and enduring thunderstorms. Many times after the storms, a rainbow appears in the sky. It is beautiful to see in the gray sky. It adds colors and should give you a sense of inspiration and peace. Unfortunately, the beauty of the rainbow has been altered by how people use it. Instead of using rainbows as symbols for something ugly, try using rainbows for inspiration for your writing. 1. Beautiful Colors -- If you have ever seen rainbows after a storm in the sky, the colors are vivid against a dark stormy sky . These can make you think of colorful descriptions for your settings. Everyone knows the seven colors of a rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple and indigo). However, the colors of the sky can range from a bluish gray to a deep charcoal when a rainbow appears. Those bright colors against the deep charcoal can be impactful.  2. Resilience -- They also can represent resilience of your...

 For this year's Earth Day, I plan to write tips on how small businesses can help the environment and still save money. Usually, I debunk myths about the environment, but I have done a few of those blogs. If you want to read about those myths, you can click on the link. Buy Remanufactured Electronics -- Computers, cell phones, electronics and old gadgets are filling up landfills at a high rate. Most computer components and cell phones can't be recycled. With cell phone companies, they ask consumers to replace their phone every two or three years. Then, they choose not to support the older software, which means people have to throw away their phones for a new one even though they have one that works fine. Small business owners can buy remanufactured computers or toner to save money and the environment. These computers put newer components in older casings, which means they do not end up in landfills. They are usually several hundred dollars cheaper than those that are brand ne...

    Authors have to figure out their characters first before they begin plotting or creating a setting. Sometimes, the characters and setting come at the same time, such as a lady in Regency England. When authors determine the characters, they are able to fit a setting around them. Here are things to consider when writing characters . Sometimes, authors are unsure how many characters are enough for a story. The answer depends on the type of fiction and author's taste. Fantasy authors often use 10 to 12 main characters to build out a world while romance authors can stick to about four or five. Children's authors use one or two. You need interaction, world-building and suspense, but you also do not want to confuse your reader with two many characters. This confusion often shows up in movies when directors pack a movie with characters and fail to develop them. If you are unsure, let someone outside your genre read it to tell you.  The most believable characters have ...

  Authors get inspiration for their characters from many locations. The more relatable your characters are, the more likely you will be successful as business owners and writers. For example, the above character was created for a client of mine who needed to talk to entrepreneurs about technology so they could understand it. I created Joe Entrepreneur who asked the author direct questions that were answered in each chapter. In this blog, I delve into some common traits of characters to make them relatable.   1. Transfer What You Feel to Characters -- Some people have asked me what led to me writing my first novel. I answered that I was lonely, and the main character was lonely. As I wrote, she absorbed my loneliness. Then, it was gone from her too. Have you noticed that sometimes our characters take on what we are feeling at the time of writing? Fiction is a great way to release those anxieties and fears we have every day because we can put them into the characters. ...

  Spring is a great time of year. The colors are as vibrant as those in the fall. The difference is they are buds and blooming instead of dying and preparing for hibernation. Plants, trees and animals are breaking free from a long cold winter to enjoy longer days, warmer weather and mating season. You will see purple, pinks, white, yellow, light green, blues, red, orange and lavender. Spring is a time of renewal on the Earth and in your soul.  But, with spring also comes the dreaded Daylight Savings Time. This is a system we do not need and should outlaw. First, the name is incorrect. We aren't "saving" daylight. We are moving it to be later in the day, but the number of hours that are bright is the same in EST or EDT. During June, it is about 12-14 hours of daylight whether that day starts at 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. Second, it was started for farmers and to save energy, but most of us live at our computers inside an office instead of on the farm. I would also argu...

Writers and business owners all have their wish lists.  Here are things I want this Christmas. I put it in the 12 days of Christmas song. On the first day of Christmas, my colleagues gave to me: a contract for editing On the second day of Christmas, my colleagues gave to me: two press releases On the third day of Christmas, my colleagues gave to me: three blogs to write On the fourth day of Christmas, my sports stars gave to me: four #Eagles wins On the fifth day of Christmas, my company gave to me: five thousand dollars On the sixth day of Christmas, my colleagues gave to me: six ways to market On the seventh day of Christmas, my customers gave to me: seven times the pay On the eighth day of Christmas, my dentist gave to me: no more procedures On the ninth day of Christmas, my family gave to me: nine days of laughter On the 10th day of Christmas, my customers gave to me: 10 book reviews On the 11th day of Christmas, my family gave to me: 11 hugs and kisses On the 12th day of Chris...

  I often hear first-time authors worry about the publishing process. Because it's Halloween, I want you to know that it doesn't have to be scary. Whether you write horror, fantasy, self-help or cookbooks, the process is not difficult. If you trust your abilities and your instincts, you could create the perfect book without being frightened. Here are tips on publishing. What to Say If you feel like you need to write a book, you also will know what to say. For example, you want to inform readers of a new technique and believe you need to write a short book about the technique. After you have done your research, your mind will help you organize your thoughts into the book. If you are writing fiction, you will hear the characters' voices in your head as you sit down to write. Your writing coach will guide you on what is important to say and what you should eliminate.  What Art to Use All books, fiction and nonfiction, print and electronic, must have ...

    When writing blogs , you can stick to business-related text that will give you the right keywords and focus on the right audience. You also can write themes because people are searching for those things. Writing these theme-related blogs will not alter your rankings in search engine optimization , but they could bring you new customers. Some people searching these themes might be your target audience, but you won't know if you stick to business-related blogs.  For example, if you want to write blogs about autumn themes, you can do that. I would recommend, though, that you connect the fall theme to your business in some way. Otherwise, it might not help you rank or be considered fresh relevant content by Google.   Here are some tips for writing content in the fall.   Relate to Fall Holidays. If you want people to search for your company, you can try writing blogs that connect a fall holiday to your business. For example, a home improvement company could w...

I am a firm believer that all business owners must take time away from their work and go on vacation. Many workaholics do not take time off from work, which usually leads to stress and heart problems. Getting away from stress and worries for a time allows you to recharge your batteries and refocus on work. Here are ways vacations can help business owners and writers. See New Things Going on vacation means you can see new things and eat different foods. In South Dakota, I ate bison burgers. They were not as fatty as regular burgers and had exceptional flavor. In Wyoming, I had yak burger from a local farm. In Montana, I ate bison lasagna. I enjoy trying new foods. My parents always wanted us to try something different. My mom loves to cook different foods when she entertains and likes to try new recipes regularly. On my trip, I saw several parks, mountains, tribal museums and history. I climbed areas that I thought I couldn't. I saw cultures, cities and vasts amounts of hills and pl...

  If you are in business, chances are great that you use content somewhere in your marketing. You might post regularly on social media. You might send press releases. You might submit articles for publication. You might create a video and need a description. Whatever you use for your marketing, you want to make sure a professional editor has seen it before it has been sent. Here are five reasons why editors will help your marketing . Time – As business owners, you have many items competing for your time. Why let content creation be one of them? If you hire a writer to produce content for you, this will give you back time . When you also have an editor review the writer’s work, you will know that everything you are posting or submitting are correct. You need to use your time wisely. Editors and writers help you do that.   Authority – Business owners want to be experts for their brand and authorities in their industry. When you post high-quality content, you build your reputa...

 I have either ghost-wrote, co-authored or edited all these books . If you haven't checked out the books yet, you might want to consider reading them. They all will help you in some way. Let's get started. Common Sense by James E Razzino is a thought-provoking book to cut through the noise about issues affecting the United States. The government is chipping away at our rights. As authors and business owners, we should protect our freedoms and rights to say whatever we want. The book also will help you decide who to elect for Congress, president, governor, state legislatures and councils. Go to https://www.amazon.com/author/jameserazzino to get your copy. Are you having back pain? You should read this book before you agree to have surgery on your back. Michael Ahearn went through four back surgeries, and now his back doesn't align correctly. He has had issues stemming from the surgeries. However, The Back Bible is more than one man's account of bad surgeries. It quotes ...

Every summer when I was young until my parents sold the house, we would go to Cape May, N.J. The house was built by my great-grandmother. It had two three-bedroom apartments, a one-bedroom apartment over the garage and a studio under the garage apartment and next to the actual garage. My grandmother lived upstairs until she died. Then, my parents would rent the upstairs apartment and studio for summer rentals. The garage apartment was rented all year. On Memorial Day, we would go down for the long weekend to open the house for the summer and get it ready to rent. It was a lot of work, and it usually rained that weekend. We didn't get much time at the beach that weekend, but we did get some beach time. Just being there was more relaxing that being at home. The ocean was cold too. My mother's birthday is May 29, which meant it usually fell near Memorial Day weekend, so we usually celebrated it. Her favorite cake was a strawberry shortcake, which we usually made for her. (Actually...

  In addition to my editing , writing and marketing , I also coach writing for fiction and nonfiction . Many people are unsure how to start. I like to start with characters and setting. When you begin a novel, you have to decide on a setting. It is more than a place. Settings also include time of day, seasons and the year a novel takes place. Settings also could be a state of mind. For example, sometimes, novels are set in people's minds where the main character has created a world. Sci-Fi and Fantasy use people's minds as a setting a lot. Inception or Ready Player 1 are two movies that are primarily in people's minds.  All my novels take place in Philadelphia in modern day. The times and seasons fluctuate depending on what the story is. Many are near the Delaware River, which is the above picture. In my latest book, The 1776 Soldier , I have two settings, one set in fall of 1776 and one in fall of 2023. This was my first time using two different settings. It was a ...