"The Creative Process of Writing is a Liberating and Therapeutic Experience"
www.virtualwritingcoach.com
December, 2007
In This Issue:
1. Preview
2. Publisher's Note
3. Book Review: Microtrends
4. Helpful Hints
1. Preview
The Writer's Connection explores the creative process of writing and the interplay between thoughts, feelings, and actions.
We are an interactive community of authors and readers who share ideas to enhance our knowledge, skills, and experiences in
writing fiction in any genre, but our emphasis remains mystery and suspense thrillers.
Published monthly, the Newsletter offers writing tips for authors, coaching suggestions, editing, and marketing information.
Topics are presented from the perspective of Keith Barton and represent only his ideas on producing your first manuscript,
and are provided to the general public. Because we are an interactive community of writers, other viewpoints are welcomed and may be
printed in future monthly newsletters with permission from Keith Barton.
2. Publisher's Note
December, 2007
Dear Writer's Connection Subscriber,
This month's newsletter features: Book Review:
Microtrends
3. Book Review: Microtrends
Mark Penn, the man who coined the term, “Soccer Moms” as a crucial constituency in President Clinton’s 1996
reelection campaign is known for his ability to detect relatively small patterns of behavior in our
culture—
microtrends that are wielding great influence on business, politics, and our personal lives. Only one
percent of the public or three million people is enough to launch a business or social movement (from the book
jacket).
This is a fascinating book that unlike
Megatrends by John Naisbitt (1988) tells how a small element of the
population can have an overwhelming impact on our social and political fabric. From love and sex to health and
wellness; from looks and fashion to international trends, the book is a compendium of information. Some of the
more interesting microtrends are listed below:
- Cougars are women who date younger men; 33% of women over 40 are dating men at least ten years younger.
- Extreme commuters are folks who travel at least 90 minutes each way to and from work; over 3.5
million workers take this commute to live in the suburbs, double that of ten years ago and the number
continues to rise as cities annex surrounding towns.
- DIYD (Do It Yourself Doctors) are now marching into their MD offices armed with the latest Web MD information
and drug interventions because the giant pharmaceutical companies bypassed the docs to promote a “a pill for
every ailment” from insomnia to erectile dysfunction.
- Dutiful sons are generally of Asian descent or gay who take care of their aging parents while
working full-time at their jobs while embracing the call to honor their parents.
- Children are twice as likely to be labeled learning disabled since 1976 since the Individuals with
Disabilities Act (IDEA) and over 40k aspiring college students now receive extra time on the ACT and SAT.
- Unisexuals are now a protected minority with transgender identity now protected by 74 colleges and
universities. Over 100 corporations including Chevron, Ernst & Young, Merrill Lynch ban discrimination based
on gender identity.
- Because obesity is now a national crisis, calorie-restricted (CR) diets are popular as practiced by Asians
who consume an average 1800 calories daily compared to USA’s 2500 or more. Their philosophy is “eat practically
nothing.”
- Personal bankruptcy filings are up 600 percent from 1985 to 2005 to over two million because of the ease of
obtaining credit and reduction of social stigma; filings could increase to over eight million by 2025 while the
middle class gets squeezed out.
- Plastic surgery is now a family affair with 20% mothers and daughters coming under the knife and 33% of
husbands and wives giving each other enhancement and liposuction gifts to look younger and compete with our
youth-oriented society.
- The Social Geek has replaced the Jock, Cheerleader, Punk, and Rebel in our lexicon with increased
technology; the “Geek Squad” is now a national marketing campaign for major electronic companies. Look at the
exponential rise of Face Book, My Space, and on-line dating sites to understand the Social Geek is now cool.
- Internet porn now takes in 3.5 billion a year while porn sites increased 1800 percent in the last five years.
Germany has the largest number of websites with over 10 million. Marriages are being destroyed by this sick
phenomenon.
- Home schooling is on the rise with the increase of bullying in public schools and criminalizing what use to be
called “childhood pranks” in our post-Columbine and 9-11 society. A return to Christian and Muslim values is the
number one reason for learning at home because of the decline of public education and increasing acceleration of
Internet learning and degree programs.
- Wine consumption has decreased in France in part because the average French meal has been reduced from 82 to
35 minutes with the increase in fast food restaurants; another reason is a public safety campaign with the highest
number of alcohol-related deaths per capita than any other nation (drinking age is 16).
In summary, over 75 microtrends have been discovered that identifies individual tastes and communities of
three million or more folks who are likely to connect by Internet to become trendsetters in half the time and
have twice the impact than generations before us. This book is truly remarkable for its insight and
predictability of global cultural change.
Helpful Hints:
- Next time you go into the supermarket, check out the buying habits of families. Chances are it’s pre-packaged,
high sodium, high fat and cholesterol products that you can stick into the microwave.
- Public schools today are more into crowd control and teaching towards the average which shortchanges those
with special needs and gifted and talented. SAT scores have been declining the past two decades as mediocrity
becomes the norm.
- Another housing trend is dual master suites for couples who no longer desire to share the same bed,
much less the same bedroom. More households are unmarried couples living together, both same-sexed and
traditional living arrangements.
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About Keith Barton, Ph.D.
Dr. Barton received his Ph.D. in 1972 from the University of Texas at Austin and has been a practicing therapist
for over thirty years. He is currently enrolled in MentorCoach and is accepting new clients.
He has been an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina, consultant to Fortune 500 companies in executive
development, founded and managed Texas Community Living Ventures, Inc., in 1986 for providing group home services to
persons with mental retardation, and has been running a clinical practice in Northwest Houston since 1990.
He writes part-time with the goal of completing one novel a year. His desire to coach others derives from his passionate
interest in helping others become attuned to their creative powers of storytelling.
Dr. Barton has training in coaching, cognitive and family therapy and health psychology. He has published articles, made
presentations and conducted workshops about:
Anxiety and achievement
Stress management
Self-esteem
Communication skills
Marital/relationship enrichment
Wellness issues
The relationship between psychology and spirituality
