Kalamazoo Christian Writers critique group holds first meeting and generates excitement Mattawan, Michigan, July 19, 2012 – Peter DeHaan and Jerry Barrett have started a writers critique group, Kalamazoo Christian Writers (KCW), based in Kalamazoo Michigan. The first meeting was held July 11 at The Point, a non-profit community center located on the west side […]
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Trolls Under the Bridge
I don’t actually have trolls under the bridge or for that matter a bridge, but what I do have is rabbits — rabbits under the deck. It’s a good habitat for them. The deck floor provides somewhat of a roof and the lattice surrounding it serves as a means to keep larger animals out, while […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I was quite skeptical when I first heard about “gamification,” the use of gaming concepts to motivate desirable behavior among customers (or employees). I reasoned that while expecting customers to “play games” might result in a short-term increase in brand involvement or purchases, I doubted if it was sustainable. However, […]
The 2012 Breathe Christian Writers Conference will be held on October 12 and 13, featuring keynote speaker Terry Whalin. This year the location is being moved to Dutton Michigan, just a couple miles from the Grand Rapids airport (the Gerald R. Ford International Airport). I’ve been to the last two Breathe conferences and highly recommend […]
Unleash the Writer Within The Essential Writers’ Companion By Cecil Murphey (reviewed by Peter DeHaan) Unleash the Writer Within is an introspective exposé of what it takes to be an effective writer. This book is not about the technical side of writing but instead the psychological aspects behind being a writer. Penned by prolific and […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Although the precise multiple varies with who’s doing the telling, the truth is it’s many times more costly to obtain a new customer than keep an existing one. The sad reality is, no one at the giant mega-corporations gets this — or at least their actions belie that they do. […]
River Jordan’s book The Messenger on Magnolia Street (which I highly recommend) is not a book about writing, but one of the secondary characters does flirt with the idea. Regarding this person, River writes, “She had once thought about writing a book and naming it … To the Pacific and Back Again. But she didn’t. […]
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Customer Service Recovery
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Last week I experienced poor customer service and great customer service. Both happened the same day – from the same organization. By choice I bank locally. My bank has a main office and two branches. For twelve years, I’ve always used just one branch. When I make a deposit, I […]
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Why Do You Write?
In his book Unleash the Writer Within Cecil Murphey opens by asking the question, “Why do you write?” What he’s not looking for is the safe answer, the politically correct response, a blast of bravado, or an eloquent, but meaningless marketing statement. He desires the real answer, the truth—and as writers, we owe it to […]
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Learning from History
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD One of the assignments I enjoyed most in college was analyzing case studies. I was, and continue to be, fascinated with learning what founders and their companies have done—both right and wrong. While the success stories are the more exciting and inspirational, it is the failures and missteps that are the […]