Years ago, I started this blog with a pretty big mission in mind: to help you succeed. I wanted to tell you things you didn’t know. I wanted to point you in better directions. I wanted to share lessons I’d…

Today we’re announcing the winners of the Damn Fine Words writing contest… but boy, was it EVER tough to choose just two submissions. 25 people fought hard to win a chance to get into the Damn Fine Words writing course…

You’re invited to a very exclusive event. How to find the time to write. That’s one of the biggest complaints I hear from busy businesspeople, freelancers and entrepreneurs. (Even writers complain they can’t find the time to write!) There aren’t…

Your website content may be utterly useless. Sure, it’s interesting. It’s often funny. It’s accurate and informative. But it’s probably repetitive. Your website content most likely repeats several sentences throughout your site. Worse, it might even repeat sentences on the…

When I was growing up, it was a given that when you finished high school, you went to university. This was automatic. This was guaranteed. If you went to university, you’d be fine. If you didn’t, you’d be screwed. But…

A lot of people have been telling me they wished they could register for the Damn Fine Words writing course. They say that if they could just take this course… They could finally start that online business, because they wouldn’t…

You know that writing content – no, writing great content – is crucial to your business success (no matter what business you have). All the pros tell you to write – and write lots, too. Write compelling website copy to…

We shouldn’t judge a book by its cover… but unfortunately, we do. All the time, every day. Hardwired for survival, we look at what’s around and make snap judgments. Is this safe? Will it hurt me? Can I trust it?…

The holidays are coming. You know it. I know it. I see Christmas lights going up faster that lightning strikes, and people have started asking me, “Bought your kids any gifts yet?” I have. But before I planned what I’d…

It’s the end of 2011. Smart people are already making plans for the coming year. (The lazy and stupid are getting complacent for the holidays.) I’ve got news for you: The coming year? It’s YOUR year. Introducing the Men with…

You probably read that title and thought of your most recent vow of commitment – a course, or your business, or your marketing, or that thing you’ve been putting off. And you probably thought, “Hell yeah! I’m definitely committed!” I’m…

There are days I get tired of hearing about all the techy stuff I’m supposed to learn – and keep in mind, I’m already pretty savvy. It’s not that I don’t like to learn – I do. But it seems…

Launches are a nightmare. I’d heard this from peers who’ve been through them but only actually discovered it firsthand when I recently opened the doors to Damn Fine Words, my writing course. I was confident. I was ready. Everything was…

The common cold. It’s unavoidable and inevitable, no matter how many precautions you take. One morning, you’ll wake up feeling stuffy, achy and just plain rotten, and you’ll wish you could stay in bed while someone cares for you with…

This week, my kiddo had her first day of school, and we both were feeling a touch emotional knowing she was headed off to Grade One (albeit for far different reasons). It was a big change and a great unknown.…

A few days ago, you got a sneak peek into Damn Fine Words – and today, you’re about to get another one. Now, Damn Fine Words is the writing course that’s all about results, action, progress and getting you to…

Have you ever been so jazzed about your project that you feel you could take on the world? Bring it! You’re on fire! Or… maybe not. Maybe you’re in robotic, mindless routine. It was fun at first and you used…

Damn Fine Words is going to be the writing course that changes the whole game for your business. And it’s the course everyone’s been waiting for. Now, you may be curious about what’s inside the Damn Fine Words writing course,…

They tell you to write. They tell you that your success depends on quality content. They tell you to produce lots of it. You should blog. You should improve your web copy. You should write sales letters. You should comment…

Perfectionism. It’s a tricky little concept. People work like dogs at a project and smile as they say they just want something to be so stellar, so excellent, so clearly brilliant that it’s… Well, perfect. But let’s call perfectionism by…

These days, it’s cool to be a consultant. Everyone’s becoming one. Hey, it’s the easy path to fast cash, right? You write a sales page, you promote your new service, and you become an expert. Simple. And most likely, you…

Imagine a world where the whole game has changed. Some powerful authority swoops down and decides that by law, everyone can only charge one standard price across the board. All writers are paid the same, all web designers are paid…

This year, opportunity knocked-… or rather, John did. John’s a rather fantastic man who said he’d be honoured to have me and my family become part of his life. And while I liked the life I had just fine, I…

There are days when you don’t have a post ready. When you suddenly realize that you’ve blown your own regular posting schedule and that no new post is going to go live. Your stomach clenches. You panic momentarily. You kick…

I hated philosophy class in university. Absolutely couldn’t stand it. I read the textbooks and documents several times, listened to the audio files over and over again and wrote papers that should have pinned down the right answer perfectly. And…

Write lots. Write often. Write every day. Write as much as you can, prolifically and continually and constantly. And if you do, they say your skills will improve. It’s the key to being a great writer. I don’t think so.…

Did you know writers have a mental factory hard at work in their heads? That may be surprising, but it’s true: You have a full staff up there in the office of your mind. Now, you may be the CEO…

I get a lot of guest post offers, and some of them come from people who leave me scratching my head wondering why on earth I’d accept their post here at Men with Pens. I mean, come on. What’s in …

People write me often to ask my advice on using online personas, pseudonyms and pen names. They have questions, and they’d like to know my thoughts. (It seems I’m considered somewhat of a go-to resource on the topic – like…

When you have a business – any kind of business – there are two ways to grow: You can tinker away and make changes to accommodate growth in little bits as you go along You can shut the whole thing…

I write long. It’s a bit of a fault of mine, actually. I feel that long posts are just … better, somehow. Fuller. Richer. More valuable. I feel that long posts give you all the goods, everything you need, all…