My Ten Most Popular Posts of 2008

I thought I'd start 2009 by looking back at my Top Ten (plus one) most popular posts on this blog last year.

If you missed any of these first time round - perhaps you're one of my many new readers - I hope you'll enjoy reading them now.

And if you've been following me for a while, I hope there are some posts here you'll enjoy revisiting. They are listed in no particular order...

The Benefits of Twitter for Writers. 2008 was the year I joined Twitter, and I've been hugely impressed by the many benefits of this micro-blogging and social networking service. In this post I set out the advantages to a writer of joining Twitter, and described a few Twitter applications I have found useful.

Best Firefox Add-Ons for Writers. I'm a big fan of the Firefox web browser, not least because of the huge range of add-ons that are available for it. Check out my top recommendations in this post - and read the comments section for some further suggestions.

Some Thoughts on Professional Jealousy Among Writers. In this post, which also generated a lot of interest, I set out my thoughts about professional jealousy, and described two personal experiences I have had of this particularly unpleasant phenomenon.

Finding a Publisher for Your Novel. I regularly get asked for advice on how to find a publisher - so in this post from August 2008 I set out my seven top tips.

Two Useful Websites for Online Writers. Several readers wrote to thank me for sharing details of these sites. They both offer free tools for preparing text for online publication, and have saved me personally many hours of tedious work.

How Can Writers Survive the Credit Crunch? It seems 2008 will go down in history as the year the global economy went into meltdown. In this post I looked at the implications of the downturn for writers, and set out two particular strategies I believe every writer needs to apply at this time.

Brain Evolution System Review. I reviewed various new products and courses during 2008, but I'd like to highlight this one in particular. The Brain Evolution System uses advanced scientific methods, including binaural beats and brainwave entrainment, to help improve creativity, beat stress, boost energy levels, and so on. Even if you're understandably skeptical, I'd urge you to check it out.

New Promotional Site for E-book Authors. In November I posted this article about Mark Gladding's new site for e-book readers and writers, and it has quickly gone from strength to strength. If you read e-books and - especially - if you publish or self-publish them, this site is an invaluable free resource.

Trouble With Paypal. I use the online payment system Paypal a lot in my online writing work, but I've had some 'issues' with them this year. See this post to learn about my experiences, and read my advice on how to minimize your own chances of problems.

Writing Tips Contest Results. In 2008 I held a contest for writing tips of 250 words or less. Some great entries were submitted, and you can read the winner and all the runner-up entries here.

How to Hire a Freelance Writer. In this 'poacher turned gamekeeper' article, I set out some advice to anyone wanting to hire a freelance writer. The article includes seven tips based on my own experience of 'good' and 'bad' clients. I hope anyone wanting to hire me this year reads this article first!

Do check out these posts, and feel free to add your own comments if you like. And watch out for more posts from me on all aspects of writing for profit in 2009!

Brain Evolution System Review

I have mentioned the new Brain Evolution System from my colleagues Karl Moore and Lee Benson a few times in this blog recently.

I have been trying this system out for the last three weeks, and am now in a position to provide a review of the product. But first, for the benefit of new readers especially, I thought I should start with some background information.

The Brain Evolution System is a six-CD self-development program. It uses advanced scientific methods for 'entraining' your brain, with the aim of helping you control stress, become more productive, sleep better, increase your creativity, and so on.

This has nothing to do with self-hypnosis, 'positive thinking', or any mystical mumbo-jumbo. The Brain Evolution System applies scientific techniques to help you control your brainwaves to achieve peak performance. It uses audio CDs, which you have to listen to via headphones to get the full benefit from.

The Brain Evolution System uses a mixture of technologies to achieve its goals, but probably the most important is binaural beats. To explain this, I need to start with a bit of theory.

If you've studied psychology (which I have - a long time ago!), you'll know that scientists can measure the electrical activity in our brains using a device called an electroencephalogram (EEG). It has been known for a long time that different mental states are associated with different patterns of electrical activity.

Someone who is fully awake and alert will exhibit relatively high frequency, low amplitude, electrical activity patterns (15-40Hz), known as beta waves. Someone resting or meditating will produce lower frequency alpha waves of 9 to 14Hz. This state is often associated with creativity, and is the frequency that WCCL's Writers Block CD (which also uses binaural beats) aims to entrain. Below that are theta waves (5-8Hz), associated with daydreaming and free-flowing thoughts - this is also a highly 'creative' frequency. And finally, there are delta waves (1.5 to 4Hz), the lowest frequency waves that occur in sleep.

For people such as writers who want to increase their creativity, there is clearly a lot to be said for any system that can help get brainwaves into the alpha and theta ranges. Unfortunately, you can't achieve this simply by playing sounds at these frequencies, as they are below most people's hearing thresholds.

However, it has been discovered that if you play sounds of slightly different frequencies to each ear, they combine within the brain to create a low frequency resonance. If you play a tone of 320Hz in one ear and 330Hz in the other, for example, it will create a resonance at a frequency of 10Hz - the difference between them. 10Hz is an alpha wave frequency; so by using this method, your brain can be entrained into a high alpha state.

The Brain Evolution System uses binaural beats, and two additional, complementary methods, to entrain the brain to a variety of mental states. The company calls this the 3P DEAP Method, for reasons you can read about on their background info site if you want to.

The six CDs in the set will take your brain through its entire range of 'operating frequencies', from beta through to delta, though with a particular emphasis on the alpha and theta ranges. For greater effect several layers of entrainment are applied simultaneously. The diagram below shows, in simplified form, the frequencies targeted by each of the six CDs. As you will see, CD5 - titled Neptune's Cave - takes you down very low indeed!


So much for the theory - how does it work in practice? Well, the CDs come in a handy carrying case, and you simply load them into your PC or music center to play them (you can also get MP3 versions for iPods and such like if you prefer, though CDs are recommended to get the best results). As mentioned earlier, it's best to listen through a pair of headphones rather than loudspeakers. The CDs work by producing slightly different frequencies in each ear, and if you listen through speakers, inevitably the sounds from the left and the right side will get mixed up.

To use the system properly, you are meant to listen to each CD six days a week for a month, then move on to the next. For the purpose of reviewing the system I didn't want to have to wait six months, however, so I tried all the CDs over a three-week period, including some 'days off' so that I could compare the effects.

I found listening to the CDs quite pleasant. The sound of running water is used on all of them, but in addition there are other sounds, including birdsong, bells and musical chimes. Thankfully, unlike WCCL's Writer's Block CD (which I do otherwise recommend), there is no irritating 'introduction' on these CDs - in each case, you get straight into the main track, which is half an hour long.

So what benefits did I derive from listening to the CDs? The effects I experienced even after my first few uses were actually quite noticeable. In particular, after listening, I felt an immediate sharpening of my mental processes.

To give an example, recently I had to review some quite complex software for a client, all within a three-day period. It was a challenging assignment, as not only did I have to master three pieces of unfamiliar software in a short time, I then had to produce a 4000-word comparative review for a knowledgeable readership. I was pleased to discover that focusing on the task after listening to the CDs was much easier than I expected. I quickly got to grips with the software, and the writing flowed really well. The article was finished in two days, and I got some great feedback on it too. I really don't think I could have done the job, or at least not nearly as well, without the Brain Evolution System.

The other benefits I experienced were more surprising. One was that I actually seemed to have a lot more energy. In some cases this could be slightly counter-productive, as I found myself wanting to get up and do something physical rather than sit and work at my computer. Still, I guess I can live with that!

I also found myself sleeping better. I've not been sleeping any longer than usual - the reverse, actually - but somehow the quality of sleep I've been getting has been better since I started using the system. I dare say this has contributed to the higher energy levels and better concentration I am noticing as well.

In any event, I am very pleased with the benefits I have been getting from the Brain Evolution System so far, and definitely intend to go on using it over the coming months. I will keep readers of this blog informed of how I get on.

There is one other thing I should mention: as well as the CDs, you also get a month's supply of Acuity capsules. Acuity is a supplement designed to complement the Brain Evolution System CDs. To quote from the website, 'Its powerful ingredients help enhance clarity of thought, mind power, and provide instantly-noticeable focus.' Each capsule includes energy-boosting Guarana and Kola Nut, memory-enhancing Huperzine A, brain-building DHA, and so on. To be honest, I haven't tried Acuity yet, for two reasons. One is that I wanted to test the CDs reasonably scientifically without changing any other variables as well; and secondly, I find the CDs stimulating enough on their own anyway!

The Brain Evolution System is currently on offer at a special launch discount price. In addition, you can test it out free and without obligation for 21 days, to assess exactly how it works for you. There is also a seven-months' money-back guarantee if you are in any way dissatisfied with the results you get. In my view there is nothing to lose - and a lot potentially to gain - by giving it a try.

For more information about the Brain Evolution System and to request your free trial, click through any of the links in this blog post, or on the banner below.

Brain Evolution System Videos

My post about the launch of the new Brain Evolution System earlier this week has generated a lot of interest. In particular, several people have asked if I can explain how the system works in a bit more detail.

I'm clearly no expert on this, but by doing a little investigation using Research Wizard Pro I found two videos in which the main developer of the system, Michael Kelley, explains the science in more detail. Here's the first one...

And here's part 2...

As ever, if you are receiving this post by email, you will need to visit my blog to see the videos.

Another website that goes into the science behind the Brain Evolution System can be viewed by clicking on the link in this paragraph.

As previously mentioned, I am evaluating the system myself and will be posting a review here soon, but already I am excited by the results I have been getting. I am a regular user of WCCL's Writer's Block CD, which helps entrain your mind to a more creative state, but the Brain Evolution System takes this process much further and deeper.

NEW! My full review of the Brain Evolution System is now up. Click on the link in this paragraph to read it!

Brain Evolution System is Launched!

My colleague Karl Moore, in collaboration with brainwave pioneers Michael Kelley and Lee Benson, has recently launched a new personal development program called the Brain Evolution System (or BrainEv for short).

This is a massive six-CD program that has been almost a year in the making. I'll be reviewing it fully once I've had a chance to evaluate it properly myself, but briefly it uses advanced scientific methods for 'entraining' your brain, helping you to control stress, become more productive, sleep better, increase your creativity, and so on.

Just to emphasise, this is nothing to do with self-hypnosis, 'positive thinking', or anything like that. The Brain Evolution System uses sonic technology to help you control your brainwaves to achieve peak performance. It uses audio CDs, which you have to listen to via headphones to get the full benefit from.

The Brain Evolution System employs some of the same technologies as WCCL's popular Writer's Block CD, e.g. binaural beats. The new program is designed to be much more wide-ranging, however, and it's not only for writers. Users should experience benefits across almost every aspect of their lives.

The Brain Evolution System is currently on offer at a special launch discount price. In addition, you can test it out for free for 21 days, to assess exactly how it works and how it may be able to help you. There is also an unprecedented seven-months' money-back guarantee if you are in any way dissatisfied with the results you get.

For more information about The Brain Evolution System, click through any of the links in this blog post, or on the banner below. As mentioned above, I'm currently trying out the program myself, and will publish a full review here soon. See also this post: Brain Evolution System Videos.

NEW! My full review of the Brain Evolution System is now up. Click on the link in this paragraph to read it!