The Belly of the Whale

Over the holidays, copywriting and other work at I Sell Words slowed down. Partly due to my wading into waters unknown, I hadn't fully grasped what it meant to go on "holiday" as a freelancer.

"Holiday" from work in the past meant getting paid without having to do anything. "Holiday" takes on an entirely different turn.

Without money coming in, I panicked. Did I make the right decision? Was this freelancing thing bunk? I began updating my CV just in case. I doubted every turn. I would mourn my beloved business, lost in its infancy.

Over December and January, I re-read The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. It explores the "hero's journey," a mythological "story of us" found in nearly all ancient cultures.

To me, the business journey is a personal journey. I personally think it's linked with that hero's journey or the "monomyth."

The Call to Adventure is the freelancing life itself. You arm yourself with allies and mentors. Challenges and temptations await. Then - the belly of the whale. Times are lean. Doors slam shut. Money runs low. It breaks you - or it makes you.

Yesterday, in a phone call with a dear friend, he too said he was in the "belly of the whale." We committed to the "transformation" of building our businesses and lives to be the best they can be.

2015 will be my transformation and my "return with the ultimate boon." I'll be documenting my progress on this blog. Please comment with your own thoughts!

Thanks and Merry Christmas/New Year 2015

Hello, Tom from I Sell Words writing here.

Just a short blog post to thank you all my clients and friends for your support for I Sell Words in its first year of operation. It's been a steep but rewarding learning curve. Getting to know people from all walks of life such as creatives, business owners, entrepreneurs and people who've just need a bit of help with copywriting has been a real privilege.

The continued success of ISW throughout this year and beyond could not have been possible without people such as you. For that, I humbly offer you my gratitude.

As for myself, I will be catching up with friends and family over the break. I'll be taking a short holiday of my own over the Christmas and New Year period. I'll be winding back full-steam operations today. Everything will be back to normal on January 8, 2015.

Write you in the new year,

Tom

The Word on Words: Once read, twice remembered, thrice quoted

Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy remarked, "Mobilised the English language into battle." But how did he achieve such a feat? One of the many rhetorical devices Churchill effectively employed, and often, was the Tricolon. The tricolon, derived from Isocolon, is a figure of speech using three parts, or cola, balanced in structure, weight and rhythm.

It's more simply known as the "list of three." Referring to an impassioned defence of his homeland during the Battle of Britain in August, 1940, he said ""Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." The last part is a perfect tricolon.

So powerful is this rule, history incorrectly remembers Churchill talking of "blood, sweat and tears" after his appointment to the prime ministership. In actuality, he said "blood, toil, tears and sweat." Which is an example of a less memorable tetracolon.

Sources: Historywow.com and The Elements of Eloquence, by Mark Forsyth

Welcome to I Sell Words

At the start of this year, I made a resolution. Many of us do. We have high minded hopes of losing a couple of kilos, hitting the gym more or taking more time out for ourselves. I got out of bed on January 1, brain still pickled from the night before. One thought cut through the murk - I want to sell my words. I already did, in the guise of journalism and the odd copywriting job.

But I wanted to sell them for myself. I wanted to sell them full time. I wanted to use my passion and my skill as a meal ticket and beyond.

So I committed myself to opening the door on this, I Sell Words. I sell words because my words sell. Simple.

So I had a mind to quit my day job at .au Domain Administration, where I was their Marketing and Communications Officer. As much as I'll miss the gang in Cardigan St, I needed to work with passion on my own business. I worked on this website in my downtime and now I can bring you the best words that'll move people, merchandise and services for competitive prices.

As an introductory offer, I can write four (4) 400w blog posts for your business for $99. You can use that for your blog, social media or EDM (electronic direct mail.) It's an offer that's available until May 31, 2014. As you gather more customers, I'm another word closer to living my dream.

If you want to benefit from words that sell, click here to contact me.