I'm Tom and welcome to my site.

Where Do I Start?
GET YOUR FREE 28-PAGE EBOOK NOW
Want to learn how I went from writing nearly nothing to writing thousands of words a month?

($37 value). Read more here.

Enter your email address here for free updates and your free eBook. (Guaranteed 100% privacy.)


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz
E-Book Testimonials

"Thomas Clifford has made something useful here. This report will give you some really catchy, useful ideas.

It made me reconsider how I do what I do, so you might give it a look-see, too!" 

Chris Brogan, President, Human Business Works 

"Tom Clifford is by trade a filmmaker. For most of his life, he rarely wrote anything longer than a brief comment in the margin of a script. 

Now, though, he's producing tens of thousands of words a year, first as a Fast Company "Expert Blogger," and then as a writer for the Content Marketing Institute. 

How did Tom go from a non-writer to a prolific and much-read one? His eBook, '5 (Ridiculously Simple) Ways . . . , ' holds some of his secrets."

Mark Levy, Author of "Accidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate your Best Ideas, Insight, and Content"

“Tom is one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet—if you have the privilege to meet him. And he does sterling work as well. But don’t just take my word for it.

Read this free report and you’ll not just love its tone and content, but learn a lot as well.”

Sean D’Souza, Psychotactics.com

“Anyone who wants to improve their writing needs this e-book. A lot of ebooks are short because they just don’t have much substance to offer. They’re not worth your time (and so are many of the long ones, too, for that matter). Tom’s is short because he’s so good at giving you only what you need to know. 

‘5 (Ridiculously Simple) Ways to Write Faster, Better, Easier’ lives up to its promise by example as well as in the words themselves. Tom used the very same techniques he teaches you to write this book. 

And what’s in here is not just a rehash of the same tired ideas you find coming from people who have suddenly fancied themselves as writing gurus. There are tricks in here I never heard of (like the Writing Funnel) and some I had forgotten about and was glad to be reminded of (like Sporadic Writing).” 

Michael Martine, Blog Alchemist, Remarkablogger.com 


Entries in story (24)

Monday
Dec282009

How to Tell a Story with NPR's Scott Simon

DateMonday, December 28, 2009 at 12:17PM

Got three minutes? Here are some neat tips on how to tell a story from NPR's Scott Simon. (RSS readers click thru.)

---Tom

PS. Hat tip to employee engagement coach David Zinger for the video.

AuthorThomas Clifford | CommentPost a Comment |
Print ArticlePrint Article tagged in
Monday
Sep082008

Fast Company: Using Your Ears to See Your Corporate Video

DateMonday, September 8, 2008 at 06:19PM

Are you using your ears to "see" your company's video story?

If not, check out my new Fast Company riff.

I'll show you five ways sound can help you "see" your next corporate video story.

---Tom

AuthorThomas Clifford | CommentPost a Comment |
Print ArticlePrint Article in , ,
Monday
Aug112008

Fast Company: 7 Steps to Film Your Corporate Documentary

DateMonday, August 11, 2008 at 08:04PM

You've done some homework and your company has decided to make a corporate documentary.

Great.

But do you have a plan that works?

"7 Sure-Fire Steps for Creating Your Company's Documentary" is my latest Fast Company riff. The formula is called "STORIES:"

  • Select.
  • Talk.
  • Organize.
  • Realize.
  • Imagine.
  • Express.
  • Shape.

Want to know more? Learn how to use STORIES here.

What do you think? Is this helpful? What would you change?

---Tom

AuthorThomas Clifford | CommentPost a Comment |
Print ArticlePrint Article in , , , , ,
Sunday
Jul272008

Story. What The Heck Is It?

DateSunday, July 27, 2008 at 09:56AM

Let's ask Google. It knows everything.

Hmmm. Google points to 1,450,000 links defining story. That's a lot of possible definitions for "story."

Over time, I've cobbled together several definitions of "story" but never clearly expressed it.

That got me thinking.

What does "story" mean to me? How do I see "story" in relationship to producing a film for an organization? It's quite simple, really.

A story = a journey from "here" to "there."


From "Huh?" to "A-Ha!"

From "I used to think this way" to "I now think that way."

I think a story is ultimately an experience that takes me from my current state of awareness to a different state of awareness.

This journey opens up infinite possibilities.

That's it. Simple, of course. But discovering the journey is the trick, right?

So what do you think? Do you agree? Disagree? Have a different take?

What the heck is a story?

---Tom

P.S. This post was inspired by yesterday's energizing conversation with David Bullock. I had the good fortune to meet David at SOBCon08 and was totally knocked out by his presentation. David has offered to publish a free ebook based on our upcoming conversation about solving business problems through the power of story and video. I'll keep you posted when it's available. Thank you, David!

AuthorThomas Clifford | Comment4 Comments |
Print ArticlePrint Article in , , , ,
Friday
Jul252008

People Tell Stories. Not Tools.

DateFriday, July 25, 2008 at 06:02PM

It’s tempting to make sure you have the right tools to capture your organization’s video story.

  • Will that brand new video camera make us look better?
  • Should we try some different editing software?
  • Which 3D program is best?

And on and on...

Tools don’t tell stories. People tell stories.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m surrounded by tools: video cameras, an audio studio, motion graphics and editing suites.

I’ll also be the first to admit I really love certain editing effects. In fact, they have become part of my own branded signature.

But these tools simply enable our stories to be created and shared.

Remember: Story first. Tools second.

What do you think?

Thanks to Seth Godin's recent post for the inspiration.

Have a super weekend.

---Tom

AuthorThomas Clifford | Comment6 Comments |
Print ArticlePrint Article in , ,
Page 1 2 3 4 5 ... 5 Next 5 Entries »