Pinar Tarhan, Author at Addicted to Writing

Paul Arden’s Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite -The Bedside Book for Creativity, Motivation and Life Management

Posted on October 23, 2012 Written by Pinar Tarhan

“You can’t afford the house of your dreams. That’s why it is the house of your dreams. You either find a way of getting it (you’ll find the means) or be satisfied with dissatisfaction.”

Paul Arden, from Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite

How are you with motivation? How good are you at challenging and encouraging yourself? Most importantly, how good are you at taking advice? I’m usually terrible at taking advice, for instance.

I stand my ground and I don’t really pay attention to anyone whose advice doesn’t fit in with the way I think. And I don’t think that this is necessarily a bad thing. Because you can only be serious about really listening to someone who you respect- someone who practices what he preaches and preaches what he practices.

And who wouldn’t want a mentor whose advice can help your creative juices flowing in every aspect of life, while telling stories about people who are where they are because they dared to be different?

And when I say different, I’m talking about the people who went their own ways and followed their dreams.

And looking for a mentor like that I finally found mine last year: A wonderfully smart, quirky successful (and unfortunately deceased) man in advertising: Paul Arden.

Paul Arden-Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite — Paul Arden image via goodreads.com.

While I was studying advertising at university, I came across some great names like David Ogilvy and Bill Bernbach. And while I was impressed by what they have achieved, I quite hadn’t found the right person whose teachings would go beyond the world of copywriting or advertising in general.

Paul had worked as a creative director for the famous Saatchi and Saatchi advertising agency but I fell in love with his ideas when I stumbled upon a book of his: Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite. Just my kind of book, because I do have a way of thinking differently than almost anyone I know in most areas. And this book was basically telling me to keep it up. It rocks to hear you are on the right track from a very successful man.

I got addicted to Paul’s style and bought his other books: “It Is Not How Good You Are, It Is How Good You Want To Be” and “God Explained in a Taxi Ride”. I would buy whatever else he wrote, but unfortunately Paul Arden passed away in 2008…

Now, on to the book:

Whatever You Think, Think The Opposite tells the fun yet notable success stories of people and firms who challenged the norms and by applying the opposite.

Examples include: photographers, Olympic athletes, bookstores, Kodak, Paul Arden himself, fashion designers, rockers and many more.

This is a book that you can eat up in a couple of hours. It has big fonts, paragraphs that are not too wordy, funny and/or interesting pictures and attention-grabbing page design, usually by being simple. Yep, Paul Arden knew a lot about readability too.

But soon after you finish it, you will want to come back again and again to remind yourself it is a good thing to challenge and even change status quo by being innovative, different, opposite. I love every page and every word of it.

Have you read it yet?

(I did use affiliate links in the post.)

Paying to Guest Post vs. Getting Paid for Your Guest Posts

Posted on October 13, 2012 Written by Pinar Tarhan

Guest-Posting_opt — Image via seo-hacker.com

Yep, you’ve read it right. We aren’t talking about paying guest posters, but getting payment from guest posters so that they will have a chance to be published. And it’s not like these blogs are just selling spots to anyone who wants to have their articles published- they want the same quality, original and targeted posts that other respectable blogs (that either pay by bylines and exposure or the ones that do pay actual money in addition to that) do. And while these blogs that require you to pay do offer the bylines and exposure, they have the added requirement of payment exchange for a quality guest post from you.

I first came across this on We Blog Better’s guest posting guidelines. Now, in all fairness, the editor gives you two options:

1) You can apply to be a regular contributor (though the contributor will be paid by exposure only),

2) Or you can deposit $40 with your guest post, and if it is not accepted, you will get a refund. If it is published, you’re not getting the refund.

She also explains her reason for these options: crappy, time-consuming submissions. And while her new set of guidelines seem to be an effective way of eliminating the careless and generic articles, it might put off bloggers/writers who actually pay attention to their pitches and writing.

Granted, this successful blog doesn’t exactly need all the guest post writers out there, but I don’t think many good writers would tempted to deposit or apply for a regular position (which probably doesn’t pay either.)

It just might be easier for them to apply to other popular blogs that they don’t have such guidelines. They might have to wait longer for a response, but that comes with the pitching territory.

But there is another blog that doesn’t offer a refund, at least not on their guidelines.

Million Clues says “Cost per Guest Post is $50,” meaning they do want to be paid $50 – no wonder a lot of the other guest-post guidelines are yelling “get featured for free.” This “benefit” listed on their guest post guidelines had seemed redundant to me until I came across this one.

Yes, you will only need to pay after your post is accepted. But honestly, if Problogger or Copyblogger doesn’t request money, I don’t think anyone else should. And then there established blogs for writers/bloggers who actually pay for the guest posts their publishing – such as Make a Living Writing, The Renegade Writer and Rock Solid Finance, among others.

Imagine what would writers’ lives be like if suddenly established magazines started charging money to read submissions? Ouch. It gives me the shivers to think about it.

You might say one is blogging and the other is writing, but come on. If a blogger is truly researching the publication, sweating over her query, outline and the article, I’d say that she is a writer. Why should she also pay in addition to her efforts, especially if she is content with byline and exposure for her efforts?

There might be more blogs charging for a guest post (opportunity), but I have stumbled upon these two so far.

So what do you think?

– Are you a fan of guest posting as a marketing strategy, whether it is for your blogging/writing career and/or your business?

– Do you think blog owners should pay guest bloggers?

– Do you think it is a good idea to ask money from the posters?

Writer Character from 27 Dresses – Getting Involved with Your Source

Posted on October 10, 2012 Written by Pinar Tarhan

27 Dresses movie poster — Image via blog.psprint.com

27 Dresses is a fun romantic comedy from 2008, starring Katherine Heigl, James Marsden and Edward Burns.

27 Dresses isn’t just a good example for having a writer character, but it is also successful on its own right as a film. Having made $160,000,000 at the box office with its $30,000,000 budget, it is an encouraging example for writers who want to sell their romantic comedy scripts. Since its dialogue is pretty witty and more original than most romcoms, taking a look at the screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna’s other work is a good idea.

She has written or co-written We Bought a Zoo (starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson), Morning Glory (starring Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton), Laws of Attraction (with Pierce Brosnan and Julianne Moore) adapted script of Devil Wears Prada (starring Meryl Streep.)

And while all of these movies weren’t hits, she has been able to sell her work since the late 90s, and it is hard not to be impressed when you look at who has said yes to her stories.

Now that you know a bit more about the writer behind the writer (played by James Marsden), let’s look at the movie- though you might want to stick to my movie review if want a less detailed (and not-spoiled) summary where I focus on the whole movie-and not just Kevin.

Still with me? Great.

The Writer Character : James Marsden

James-Marsden-27-Dresses — Marsden as Kevin/Malcolm Doyle, taking the picture of Heigl’s 27 bridesmaid dresses. Image via zuguide.com

Kevin Doyle (James Marsden) covers weddings (under the name of Malcolm Doyle) for the commitments section of the New York Journal and dying to get out of it. Unfortunately he is quite good at it, and his editor doesn’t want to assign him something else. And while he can make women swoon with his romantic words, he is really a cynic who doesn’t believe in any of it.

Jane (Katherine Heigl) is a big fan. A true romantic, she collects his articles and hopes that one day she will also be a bride at a dream wedding. And if there is anyone who can handle planning a wedding, it is her. She has been a bridesmaid 27 times, helping the brides do everything from dress selection to cake tasting. She doesn’t mind helping them, but she’d be much happier if the man of her dreams, her boss George (Edward Burns), just fell for her. But not only George is unaware of her affections, he sees her as a good friend and an assistant.

It’s during a wedding craze (and by craze, I mean two weddings in one night!) that she meets Kevin. He is instantly entertained by her efforts, and when he gets to ride the cab with her, he realizes that she is a rare species. Sure, she loves her weddings like most women- but she has met been to 27 weddings as a bridesmaid, and has switched back and forth between two weddings and two dresses in one night.

So he doesn’t return the planner she forgot on the cab until after he pitches his story idea to the editor and gets the promise of finally leaving commitments if he can pull it off. And when he returns the planner, he has made sure Jane will call him.

But for all Jane knows, Kevin is a cute albeit extremely cynical guy trying to get a date- and she is too busy trying to get over the fact that her boss falls for her sister Tess, almost as soon as he meets her. Then they decide to get married, and Kevin gets to cover the wedding.

Now poor Jane has to plan the wedding, and to face the fact that her favorite columnist is no romantic. He’s just some other guy who thinks marriage is slavery and wedding industry is out to get everyone. But Kevin charms his way back into Jane’s company since it is for “Tess and George”.

But while collecting the material for the paper, Kevin develops a crush on Jane-who has turned out to be a lot more fun and interesting than he initially thought. Jane is also starting to think he is not all bad, especially when she notices that his cynicism might be about to fact that he was once left by his wife for another guy.

But of course we have 2 conflicts for Kevin: he has to change his story before his editor can run an article that doesn’t make Jane look that great, and he has to make Jane realize that she does deserve better than just the fantasies of a guy she can’t have.

And just when Kevin might have gotten what he wanted – Jane romantically interested in him, he has unfortunately gotten the other thing he wanted: his story on the front page, his possible ticket out of the section. Of course things go horribly awry when Jane sees it. Then there is also the spoiled Tess, supportive George, Jane’s frustration with Tess and anger towards Kevin…

Yes, I know you know who will get the girl and why, but it is a worthy ride as the dialogue is a lot of fun, and the casting is just right- especially James Marsden who doesn’t annoy anyone apart from Jane-and we all know how her mind is going to change.

Ethics, Professionalism and Courtesy

But the movie’s delightfulness aside, it does bring up questions about professionalism and ethics, doesn’t it? If I were Jane, and met a very cute guy who seemed to want to hang around with me, I wouldn’t suspect that it was for a story. Even though he told her he was a writer, she didn’t know what he wrote.

And even after she knew, she thought he was just getting info for Tess’ wedding – and stayed longer for the company, though I might have been suspicious about all the pictures he took. But then again, he never wrote an article on a perpetual bridesmaids’ misfortune before so why would he start?

If I found out what Jane found out, I’d be pissed too. And if I were Kevin…well, I don’t know. I would like to think I deserve my high horse and wouldn’t write things I didn’t want to. And even if I did end up with an only chance to get to a better column, I’d like to think that I wouldn’t use anyone for it- crush or no crush.

But being stuck doing something you despise can get to your head, and if I were dumped by my spouse for a friend of mine, and forced to produce wedding article after wedding article – after going to the weddings, of course, I would probably be at least tempted. (As romantic as I am, I do agree that most weddings have the food and music to torture people. There can be no other explanation!)

Were you ever in a similar situation as Kevin? Were you tempted not to reveal your true intentions to your source/inspiration?

I know we are the writers, but what would you if you were Jane? (and she did slap him, didn’t return any calls and didn’t seem to forgive him fully after his heartfelt speech.)

PS. You can read about the writer who wrote the movie, Aline Brosh McKenna, here.

PPS. This post contains affiliate links.

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PJ Reece’s Story Structure To Die For – An Awesome Free Resource on Writing Fiction

Posted on October 1, 2012 Written by Pinar Tarhan

story structure to die for- pj reece — Image via pjreece.ca

There are many stories that I wish I had written- stories whose characters, structures and pretty much anything- I wish I would have come up with. I’m definitely in love/awe with those stories. Some of them are:

Pretty much any John Grisham legal thriller, but especially:

– The Runaway Jury- the book, not the movie

– The Brethren

– The Partner – remind me why The Partner and The Brethren haven’t been adapted to screen yet?

By Christopher Nolan (and Jonathan Nolan)

– Memento (nope, not The Prestige.)

– The Dark Knight Rises (not the first two)

By Kurt Wimmer:

– Equilibrium

– Law Abiding Citizen

By Randal Wallace

– Braveheart. (duh!)

By Nancy Meyers

– What Women Want

By James Cameron

– Strange Days

The list goes on. But the point is:

Those stories are perfect to me in their genres. Yes, the books mentioned are best-sellers, and the movies are either critical/cult hits or box office hits or both. They made me laugh, think, cry, get glued to the screen/book, hold my breath or made me do a various combinations of these.

So these movies make you want to wish you could sit down with those authors and pick their brains. Interviews don’t always help. For instance Joseoph Gordon-Levitt and Gary Oldman are marveling at what a great story-teller Nolan is. OK-I’m admiring too but how the hell does he and his brother (who created one of my favorite shows, Person of Interest, too by the way) write those things?

Of course some of these writers do also come up with stories that don’t impress (me) so I don’t die of jealousy. Apparently, Kurt Wimmer did Double Trouble (action comedy about muscular twins who….you don’t really care about.) And James Cameron did Titanic and Avatar. (who does that after Strange Days???You might enjoy those movies, but if you watch Strange Days, you might appreciate why a fan of that story might expect different things from Cameron.))

But back to the stories we love.

No matter how many times I dissect writing manuals and those movies, I still find a hard time delving into the secret ingredients-how the hell they managed to put one and done together. Sure, Randall Wallace had history to guide him- but with Braveheart, he outdid himself. If you have seen Pearl Harbor, you might wonder how the writer of Braveheart could write that (nope, I don’t like Pearl Harbor. Could’ve appreciated that one in 1930. Not in 2001. )So I’d definitely not die for the story structure of a love triangle between soldier presumed dead, his girlfriend and his best friend.

Was I ranting? Good. That was the point. A story (structure/idea) to die for is something most writers go after, and not many accomplish. So it was a relief to have run into PJ Reece’s Story Structure To Die For in which he rants, gives great examples of stories that worked, what didn’t work from his own stories and he does rant about what other how-to writers left out of the equation.

And you know you can relate to Reece when he dedicates her book to Jack Lemmon and Eva Marie Saint (it will make sense once you read it) and that he gives Moonstruck as an example for a great story structure. For one, even though I like the movie, even though it has an Oscar and all that, it is a guilty pleasure for me. Oh the stereotypes and the soap opera acting and the emotional outbursts of Nic Cage…But guilty pleasure or not, it WORKS and that’s what matters! (and it is nice of him to pick a movie we have mostly seen and remember- I probably would have had a heart attack and never gone back to the book, had he been giving examples from Lars Von Trier.) He has some other solid and useful (yet fun) examples as well.

There is also the way he structures this non-fiction- you automatically assess your characters and writing to see how you measure up to talking about-he needn’t give checklists and bullet points. You instinctively visualize, analyze and evaluate.

PJ Reece makes his points well. He also reminds you of the ultimate screenwriter fantasy- the Oscar. Whether we’ll ever get nominated and win is another issue. But he does help you see how to get unstuck from ruts, insufficient conflicts and unnecessary writer panic born from unsatisfactory story flow. He also makes you want to re-watch Rocky and Good Will Hunting- for educational purposes.

: )

Read the book. It’s also a fine example of how to write an engaging and fun e-book on non-fiction matters. You can download it from here. Looks like I have another writer blog to hang out at.