The Fantastic Creativity That Comes With Writing To Music

 So you need inspiration to write. No, you haven’t got writer’s block, but you feel a bit dull in the head, not inspired enough. Lets get that music CD playing in the background, not too loud or it will disturb the creative process, just loud enough so that you can start writing good stuff.

Theres so little we know about how our brain works but we do know we feel good when we hear music, unless of course you’re Freud who had no ear for music at all. I know other people too who are quite indifferent to the wonders of music. But for many of us, music is manna from heaven- or well, the best earthian stuff there could ever be! Music gets those creative juices flowing and how!

Some of you may be inspired by the melody and just like a butterfly catcher, you’re suddenly catching the most beautiful thoughts, which you never knew existed in your head. Some of you may even get wonderful ideas from the words and lyrics in the song to come up with your own beautiful writing.

Go ahead then, get inspired by classical music or Jazz or Broadway or what have you! Create heady stuff! Keep a collection of your favourite music by your writing table at home or in the office and play it to bring out the best in your writing.

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A Complaint Is A Gift

 

A Complaint Is A Gift is an excellent book written by Janelle Barlow and Claus Moller.

Have you been to a restaurant, ordered dinner and got served bad tasteless food? What happened when you complained? Maybe, they offered you a free cup of tea or dessert to compensate for the bad food. You expected a free dinner didn't you? But you got tea or dessert instead. And the waiter said he would have given you a free dinner if he was boss, but its against company policy; every Tom, Dick and Harry would ask for a free dinner!

Or you go to buy an internet connection, and the service provider charges you for the device and three month’s fee in advance. Then, your device doesn’t work! Meanwhile, you’ve cancelled your previous connection. So now, you’re stranded. You complain to the service provider who says, the device must be faulty. He takes 10! days to ‘repair’ the device. When you call repeatedly, he says he’s off to a marriage, so he passes the buck to another employee. When you finally get back the ‘repaired’ device, the internet speed is poor, not as promised. You complain about the poor internet speed but they make all sorts of excuses. You expect them to at least reimburse you but you’re stuck with that rotten device for life, no internet connection, and a hole in the pocket!

Most people who suffer like this never return. They bad mouth the company to their family, relatives and friends. Who in turn spread the bad word in their friend circle. According to research, every dissatisfied customer tells 11 people about his or her bad experience.

Most customers won’t even bother to complain. They just change their supplier. Just because customers don’t complain doesn’t mean they’re satisfied. So beware of misleading customer statistics.

A complaint is a gift. It gives you clues to where weaknesses lie in your company and a chance to rectify them. It wins back customer confidence and sometimes even makes customers your brand ambassadors for life.

How should you resolve a complaint? According to Janelle Barlow and Claus Moller first say Thank you. The customer who complains is a friend. He’s doing you a favour. Treat the complaint as you would treat a birthday present and thank him.

Next, explain why you appreciate the complaint. For instance “Thank you, I appreciate you pointing out this mistake-it gives me a chance to correct it.”

Then, apologize for the mistake. Apologize even if it wasn’t you who made the mistake, even if the circumstances were not within your control.

Promise to do something about it immediately. Assure the customer of immediate action. Promise the customer rapid feedback and only make promises you can keep.

Now you can ask the customer for necessary information, and see that your questions are not like an interrogation.

Correct the mistake immediately. Take prompt action.

Check whether the customer is satisfied. Is the customer satisfied with the way the problem was dealt with? Write, telephone or even pay a visit and make sure they are satisfied. Send a thank you letter or maybe a symbolic gift.

Take steps to ensure that the mistake does not occur again. Cure the cause of the mistake not the symptom.

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Lets Start A Quality Revolution

  When our quality is poor we lose and we fail.  

The Japanese did it! They waged a quality war way back in the 1950s when their quality was at its worst.

They began by sending delegations to foreign countries to study their methods of quality. They translated literature on quality into Japanese. They invited quality experts from all over the world to teach the Japanese about quality. Today every Japanese product spells quality infact it shouts quality out so loud that we can hear and see it even at a great distance! In Japan, the quality war is on till today.

                                                                

What do we have to say about quality in India? We mostly say chalta hai for everything. Or anything goes. Chalta hai is a terrible attitude to have. If the strong quality commitment of the Japanese can pay off with such fantastic results we must learn from them!  We must start a Quality Revolution of our own. And since charity begins at home, lets start with personal quality first. Does each one of us follow these quality rules?

• Do you make sure that your words and actions are in harmony?
• Do you talk to people and not about them?
• Do you create an atmosphere of love, trust, harmony and openness around you?
• Do you demand quality and deliver quality every single time?
• Do you go that extra mile to ensure quality?
• Do you learn new skills so that at the end of the year you are not stagnant?
• Are you ethical? Do you keep your promises each time?
• Do you avoid mistakes, admit them when you make them and take criticism positively?
• Are you committed?
• Do you put your best foot forward each and every time?

If your answers to these questions is no or a half hearted yes, you need to work harder on improving your quality. If it is a resounding yes, congratulations, because you have surpassed the wildest expectations of those around you. Your self esteem is great, and you are proud of your work and of yourself. You are an example for others.

Lets start a quality revolution. Lets get as good as or better than other quality conscious countries. Lets wage a quality war and win it! No more chalta hai when nobody’s looking. No more bribing, spitting on the roads, plagiarism, gossip, half hearted work......these MUST NOT do any more.

References: Time Management International (TMI)

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Food Writing-A Feast For The Senses

Food writing has a richness to it like no other form of writing. It evokes all the senses, not just as you might think, the sense of taste. A delicious, moist banana cake which melts in the mouth, smells like the warm sunny day you went on a family picnic as a child, and tastes oh so good.

Read a book by Elizabeth David and it will not only be a gastronomic delight but will be intellectually stimulating as well. Her book English Bread and Yeast Cookery takes you back into ancient times informing you about the history of bread and bread making, all along taking you on a delightful journey of sight, smell, taste and sound . Of course there are other writers who also write with panache.

You too can learn to write by the senses. One way is when you taste food feel the taste, smell, sight and sound of it just that bit more intensely. This will help you when you write about food. You could also write down how you felt when you tasted something. For instance, you bit into a luscious, juicy strawberry.

Plan on becoming a food writer? Here are some important points to remember.

Have a distinct voice and your own writing style. This takes practice and more practice.

Tell a good story and strike a conversation with your readers. 'The gooey chocolate brownie that you baked and topped with fruit is ready. Go on and take a big bite.' Play as you write, woo your readers and write interesting stuff! But don’t get your facts wrong. When the piece is written and complete, read it from top to bottom thoroughly. Check for clarity of thought. Don’t make grammatical mistakes or spelling gaffes and turn off your readers.

And appeal to the senses. I can’t stress this enough. Use a vivid sensual palette to appeal to your readers.

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