tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33508411661374671962024-03-13T08:48:13.963-04:00Marshal D. Carper's BlogI am a fighter from the abandoned generation. I write books.Marshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.comBlogger95125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-56443513183065731502016-05-02T01:28:00.004-04:002016-05-02T01:28:53.957-04:00My new site!This site is in full-on archive mode.
Follow my new blog and my new podcasts at Marsh.al.Marshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-14485862696622766172015-04-07T10:29:00.000-04:002015-04-07T10:29:39.066-04:00Archive ModeI am taking this blog into archive mode. With my efforts split between fight publishing and marketing consulting, it is making less and less sense to try and centralize those conversations into a singular platform. In the future, I will be relaunching my personal .com. This blog will still exist, but it will be dormant.
In the meantime, please connect with me on LinkedIn for the most up-to-date Marshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-46060136166182968812014-10-22T12:49:00.000-04:002014-10-22T12:49:00.562-04:00On the Horizon
I've been busy, and not just the usual busy of juggling work and training with my personal life and my not-so-secret love for video games. I've been my favorite kind of busy: busy building, busy creating, busy putting things together that make me excited to write and share. You will be hearing a lot more about these projects soon, but I wanted to give you a preview.
The Cauliflower Marshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-17301585059262406202014-07-08T08:02:00.002-04:002014-07-08T16:31:46.873-04:00Mastering the Crucifix is Officially for Sale
I love books. I love reading them. I love writing them. I love taking them apart and figuring out how they work. And I love to experiment with their potential to engage readers in new and interesting ways.
Mastering the Crucifix is the follow up to Artechoke Media's 3-D Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, an instructional that we released for free to demonstrate our vision for what jiu-jitsu books could andMarshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-59294945735937232182014-06-11T09:25:00.000-04:002014-06-11T09:42:46.296-04:00Rethinking the Freelance Life, Part Two: The Way Clients Work with Us
Last week, I wrote about how freelancers could benefit from re-framing the way they think about their relationships with clients. This week, we look at the other end of the relationship: clients.
The motivations to hire a freelancer vary on a case by case basis, but usually a client chooses to hire a freelancer for one of the following reasons:
The client needs to supplement an existing Marshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-65090203980600659332014-06-03T12:28:00.000-04:002014-06-03T12:31:59.641-04:00Rethinking the Freelance Life, Part One: Our Work with Clients
Freelancing has been my life for the last eight years. My unwavering passion for all things writing—a career path not exactly known for fulltime, long-term employment—collided with an economic trend toward hiring contract workers and temporary employees, one of the many job-related challenges facing my generation.
For me, it’s worked out, and I’ve come to enjoy the freelance lifestyle. I Marshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-19732194428152519572014-05-14T15:42:00.003-04:002014-05-14T15:42:40.124-04:00Choosing the Right Social Media Platforms for Your Brand
I talk to a lot of business owners about social media marketing. It comes up just as often in casual settings as it does in formal meetings because business owners have been hearing for years that social media can change the way they do business. Gurus and experts and marketing executives have portrayed social media as a magic bullet for generating interest in the products or services that youMarshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-14767023754322132562014-04-17T14:33:00.001-04:002014-04-17T14:33:59.070-04:00The Danger of Blindly Chasing Marketing Metrics
Data is powerful. It drives the scientific process. It helps us cut through the amorphousness of anecdotal insights so that we can base judgments and decisions on concrete, verifiable information. At the same time though, data can be manipulated. So for as much as we look to data to tell us the real story about a study, or in our case a marketing effort, we should have the presence of mind to Marshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-63494559217270572042014-03-27T00:54:00.000-04:002014-03-27T00:54:00.260-04:00Jon, If You're Out ThereLate in 2010, I received a message from Jon Vacura. He had read the Cauliflower Chronicles and wanted to share some of his own story with me. That story inspired me, and recently, my wife reminded me of his story. She had never forgotten it because her birthday coincided with a key but tragic event in Jon's life.
I published a blog for Victory Belt about it. Since that blog is now gone, here is Marshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-548504425536213072014-03-06T11:33:00.001-05:002014-03-06T11:50:44.801-05:00The Motivation to WriteA few weeks ago, I asked my followers on Twitter and Facebook to send me their questions about writing. One of these questions inspired last week's exploration of revision. This week, I wanted to address another question that I received:
Anytime I run a workshop or give a seminar or participate in a guest lecture, I know that fielding a variation of this question is inevitable. I secretly wish Marshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-51169350939457894162014-02-27T08:31:00.000-05:002014-02-27T10:20:12.752-05:00Sharpen the Axe: 4 Strategies for Revising Your Writing
Last week, I wrote a post about how revision should make-up the majority of your writing process because when you have a piece of writing in front of you, rather than a blank page, making improvements and changes is generally easier than drafting a piece of perfect prose on the first try.
When it comes to revision, one of the challenges is identifying what is important. What do you keep?Marshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-39233011785363541162014-02-20T09:00:00.000-05:002014-02-20T10:55:11.654-05:00Your Writing Process is Wrong
I don't really mean that what you do is wrong, but sometimes I have to say eye-catching things like that to get your attention. What I really mean is that some parts of your writing process could probably be improved based on my experience of working with writers and aspiring writers. When writers struggle to be productive, the culprit is usually the way they divide their time across the Marshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-60381651887558204732014-02-06T11:48:00.000-05:002014-02-06T11:52:50.512-05:00Crowdfunding: Lessons Learned from a Successful Campaign
In recent years, the popularity of crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter has grown rapidly. Small businesses and independent artists initially turned to crowdfunding to mitigate the initial financial risk of a new project or product. With crowdfunding, the money could be raised before the project began, eliminating the potentially catastrophe of investing in something that ultimately no one Marshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-47478505685655502322014-01-31T10:12:00.000-05:002014-01-31T10:14:16.824-05:003 Organizations Using Jiu-Jitsu as a Force for Good
I love training Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu because of the technical depth of the sport. It's mentally and physically challenging while also serving as a creative outlet. No session on the mat is ever the same, and improving in the art is incredibly rewarding.
But that's only part of what has kept me on the mat for upwards of 8 years now.
Beyond the technical and physical aspects of the sport is theMarshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-8199081973658097032014-01-20T09:37:00.000-05:002014-01-20T09:38:21.213-05:00Meet One of My Biggest Fans (And Win a Free Copy of Mastering Triangle Chokes)
This is Kelly.
I met Kelly about four years ago when she started training at Steel City Martial Arts. Now a blue belt, Kelly drives over an hour one-way to the gym three to four times a week. She currently heads our women's program, she is addicted to Groundswell Grappling women's camps, and she frequently travels to compete.
Kelly has become one of my biggest supporters. She packs extra Marshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-28879450859705896042014-01-13T09:56:00.000-05:002014-01-13T09:57:52.028-05:00I am giving my new book away because Aesopian and I need your help
Not too long ago, I launched my own publishing house, Artechoke Media. To celebrate that launch, I released our first book, Don't Wear Your Gi to the Bar, as a free PDF and encouraged the jiu-jitsu community to download and share it as they please. Well, that book is still free, but I am giving away my newest book as well.
3-D Jiu-Jitsu
3-D Jiu-Jitsu is the pilot project for the Artechoke Marshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-77422199056596321572013-12-11T08:22:00.001-05:002013-12-11T08:22:33.012-05:00153,000 Readers and Knowing Your Audience
While I continue to publish books, the most recent of which
are Mastering Triangle Chokes and Don’t Wear Your Gi to the Bar, much of my
writing as of late has been for companies and brands. I manage social media properties, I
write copy for websites, I develop ads, and I do anything and everything in
between. If it has words on it, I write it.
Ultimately, I love telling stories, and I got Marshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-1953890465910694202013-09-16T10:00:00.000-04:002013-09-16T12:11:47.030-04:007 Steps for Building Your Personal Brand
Recently, I’ve received a few emails and LinkedIn messages
from recent graduates and soon-to-be graduates asking me about how to package
themselves for the job market. This challenge is really personal branding in
disguise, which is a topic familiar to successful entrepreneurs, authors, and
celebrities, making it just as relevant to recent graduates as it is to
professionals looking to Marshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-66999595186971163192013-09-09T10:00:00.000-04:002013-09-09T10:00:06.959-04:00A Wild Writer Has Appeared
The challenge of being a writer: Everyone fancies themselves
writers.
On the rare chance that I am invited to a party, someone
inevitably tells me about the novel they have been working on for 15 years or
about their niece’s plan to self-publish a series of fan-fiction. While I am
supportive of people having creative hobbies—like painting or sculpting or
writing—the sentiment that anyone Marshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-55394732734249481382013-09-03T09:00:00.000-04:002013-09-03T09:00:09.051-04:00Introducing My Portfolio
I’ve been a freelance writer since I was 19. The benefit of
being a freelancer is that you can set your own schedule and work on a variety
of projects of your choosing. The challenge of being a freelancer is that you
have to set your own schedule and work on a variety of projects of your
choosing.
To maintain that freedom without sinking into the horrible
reality of the over-romanticized Marshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-76409974866276996362013-07-15T10:45:00.000-04:002013-07-15T10:45:16.470-04:00The Eye Gouge That Went Viral, and Lessons LearnedEarly last week, one of the companion videos for Don't Wear Your Gi to the Bar: And Other Jiu-Jitsu Life Lessons (my newest book) went viral. The video, a tongue-in-cheek montage about eye-gouging vs. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, racked up 10,000 views in three days, and the numbers are still climbing.
Viral content is a powerful way to spread a brand, and having the eye gouge video make the internet Marshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-66229442705853460822013-07-03T15:59:00.001-04:002013-07-03T16:38:24.631-04:00Why My New Book is Free
As you may have heard, my newest book is out. The print version is for sale on Amazon, and the e-book version is free to download and share. Don't Wear Your Gi to the Bar: And Other Jiu-Jitsu Life Lessons is a departure from the seriousness of jiu-jitsu training that explores the art, in a lighthearted way, that has captured our curiosity and passion.
But why is the e-book free?
I've Marshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-70874599286351443182013-05-24T09:00:00.000-04:002013-05-24T09:00:17.497-04:004 Steps for Launching Your Writing Career
My writing mentor, Alan Natali.
Mentoring new writers is an important part of my life. It’s
a tradition that I take seriously because my mentor, Alan Natali, bestowed it
upon me. His mentor, the late Ron Forsythe, had passed the tradition on to him.
“Don’t thank me for helping you,” Alan once told me. “Someone
did for me what I did for you, so it’s your job to pass it on to someone elseMarshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-10175951736551426292013-05-09T09:00:00.000-04:002013-05-09T09:00:12.816-04:00The Future of Instructional Books
Publishing is changing.
That is not news. The industry has been in disarray for the
better part of a decade, or maybe longer depending on how you look at it. As
soon as Amazon entered the market, the brick-and-mortar distribution model
began to crumble, and then e-books and on-demand printing followed not long
after. Borders closed up shop, and Barnes & Noble is uncertain about its
Marshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3350841166137467196.post-26758636365123865252013-04-12T09:00:00.000-04:002013-04-12T09:29:00.733-04:00Artechoke in a Can: Why I Share Jiu-Jitsu Classes for Free
If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you have probably noticed me promoting a series called "Artechoke in a Can." Artechoke in a Can is the online version of my weekly no-gi class at Steel City Martial Arts in Pittsburgh, PA. This week's lesson is on arm drags.
The content that I am now making public started as an experiment. After a couple of years of teaching a no-gi class once a Marshal D. Carperhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01844652682678003134noreply@blogger.com1