File under “Holy Cow!”

OK. I'm all for ethical promoting. Heck, if you've got a product, service, or cause feel free to promote it until the cows come home.

But I've got big problems with promotion when it crosses lines I personally (and I have a hunch a large group of people) may find offensive.

Case in point: a few months ago Prince Philip killed a fox. Yeah. It was gross. They shot it, clubbed it, then stepped on its chest. It finally died enough for them to pick it up and throw it in some neighboring brush. Here's the link:

http://www.theroyalist.net/content/view/1657/1/

Terrible story, I admit.

But it gets worse.

To protest this event and to (presumably) draw attention to his personal cause, British performance artist Mark McGowan has decided to eat a Corgi. His reasoning? The queen loves her Corgis so to protest her husband's treatment of the fox and highlight "the RSPCA's inability to prosecute Prince Philip and his friends", he'll eat one of her beloved pets.

Dang, that's harsh.

It makes me wonder how two obvious “wrongs” can make a “right.”

Now, I realize that the animals we choose to eat seems to be a culturally arbitrary decision. Some cultures find eating dogs absolutely fine. Others frown on eating cows. Still others won't touch pork. I've read about people who'll eat anything with a heart beat.

But that's beside the point. Right now I'm wondering why McGowan chose this particular avenue to express his protest, considering he's a vegetarian and doesn't eat meat.

OK, freelancers. This one has me stumped. Your thoughts on this publicity stunt?

If you need more info, here's a link:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6703423.stm

Beth – who's puzzling over this strange turn of events.

How to polish your elevator speech

If you don’t know what an “elevator speech is” you should probably read this:

http://tinyurl.com/yor68x

Now go get ‘em, Tiger.

:)

Freelance Job Op

Here’s a job op with a Canadian publication you may be interested in:

http://tinyurl.com/2lza2d

Best of luck!

There's gotta be a great journal entry here:

You’d never guess that water buffalo, alligators, and lions would create such an outstanding, yet unpredictable story.

Just remind me not to ever piss off a water buffalo.

Kinda long, yeah. Worth it? You bet.

Everyday Magic

I just returned from speaking at a writing conference on the East Coast.

Truly interesting experience.

Aside from the usual adventure... flying to a strange city, finding the danged hotel (I believe it had to be at least three million miles from the airport), five dollar stale muffins, terribly rude TSA workers... I found the trip quite astounding.

Probably not for the reason you think.

You see, I'm a studier of all things human.

It's amazing how much you can learn about humanity just by opening your eyes and observing.

From what I figure, most of us live in a fog of our own making. We proceed from Point A to Point B without nary (I've wanted to use that word all day) a thought about anything that happens between those two destinations.

Thing is, it's the journey between those two points that yields the most incredible writing fodder. In fact, in my opinion, it's in this clearly unexplored territory that most magic takes place.

And most of us are totally oblivious.

Unless you wake up, that is.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about: think about the last time you sat in a restaurant. You sat, you ate, you probably conversed with your table mate, you paid, you left.

Fine story. Kinda boring, though.

I'd bet dollars to donuts that you probably haven't taken a moment to ponder that experience the way a high profit writer does.

You see, the difference between a traditional freelancer and a high profit writer (HPW) is that the HPW experiences life. They don't just meander from point to point, always anticipating the destination. Nope. They create magic wherever they go.

Let's head back to the restaurant example.

Your average joe arrives, eats, leaves.

A true HPW arrives with their senses tingling. They notice every little detail about the restaurant. They're mentally creating the scene. They're fully aware of the surroundings, the people they interact with, the spikes and lulls in “energy” throughout the room.

Going beyond that, the HPW ponders what they eat; the taste, texture, where it came from, how it was produced.

Who built the restaurant building? What's their story? What about the servers and cooks? Bet they've got a fascinating tale or two to tell.

Every tiny everyday experience can yield hundreds, if not thousands of stories. And, of course, each story can be sold in a myriad of ways.

All you have to do is wake up in between Point A and Point B.

I will talk about this more. But for now, I've gotta run.