By Paul Gooch
In creative writing it's often useful to make a note of the ideas that you might have for a story so that you don't forget them, and this is one way of remembering them.
Buy a pocket diary, small enough to fit easily into your pocket, purse or handbag. Carry it around with you at all times and also carry a pencil with you, for writing in the diary. Pens are usually reliable but pencils are always reliable, as long as you keep them sharpened (it might be a good idea to carry a small pencil sharpener around with you as well.)
When you write down your ideas in the diary, be brief. Don't worry about grammar, punctuation or making the sentences flow. Don't worry about description - using adjectives or adverbs for example, either. None of this is important at this stage.
For example, if you have a character called Adam and you have an idea that he could fall in love with a girl called Louise, just write `Adam loves Louise'. Don't write `Adam falls madly (madly being the adverb) in love with a pretty (pretty being the adjective)girl called Louise.'
If it's an idea for a new development in a story, again be brief. If Adam wants to marry Louise but doesn't want to start a family yet, just write `Adam kids no' or `Adam kids not yet'. Don't write `Adam doesn't want to start a family yet.'
If it's an idea for a more complicated development in the story, that perhaps involves some pretty long words, they can be abbreviated. If Adam eventually loses Louise because he has an attitude problem you could abbreviate `Adam lonely meets girl loses her his attitude problem' to `Adam lonely meets girl loses her his atti prob.'
The ideas that you have for your stories are valuable, so why risk entrusting them to your memory?
Paul Gooch is a freelance writer and photojournalist who regularly publishes short stories and articles about creative writing on his Really Creative Writing web site.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Gooch
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Working With Your Editor - Three Tips on Getting the Most Out of the Editorial Process
By Elizabeth C. Judd
If authors could be a fly on the wall of publishing companies, they might be surprised at what they overhear. A common refrain is that authors often seem to engage in self-sabotage in precisely that phase of a book project that has perhaps the greatest potential to make or break the project: the publishing phase. Three simple steps will help you avoid this self-sabotage and get the most out of the editorial process.
1. Be polite and professional.
This shouldn't have to be said, but publishing is a business like any other, and professional conduct is likely to serve you better than rudeness or uncooperativeness. University professors and others in fields where "in-your-face" behavior is common should be aware that this behavior is less common and less tolerated in the publishing field.
Editors are sometimes shocked by the rudeness and uncooperativeness of authors, and equally shocked that they would alienate editors equipped to make or break their book projects. A lot can go wrong--or right--in those final months of a project's history.
2. Follow the publisher's guidelines and instructions.
In some cases, failure to follow directions can have negative repercussions for the quality of your project. For example, if you format your manuscript incorrectly, or your notes and references are incomplete and in the wrong style, or your tables and figures don't meet the publisher's standards, there may not be enough time in the fast-paced production process to correct the problems.
It's also not a great idea to get off on a bad footing with the editorial staff, because they're the last major line of defense before your book is printed. If your copyeditor is less than enthusiastic about working with you--whether because you've refused to follow the publisher's guidelines, are uncooperative about answering queries, or balk at removing sexism and racism from the book--they may not be willing to go beyond the call of duty to rescue you from the factual errors you've overlooked in your manuscript. But if they're enthusiastic about working with you and about your book, they may not hesitate to do extensive Internet research or make that extra trip to the library to ferret out errors, without pay if necessary. This can make the difference between a successful book and one that brings you professional or personal embarrassment.
3. Answer all queries carefully and thoroughly.
If you ignore queries, someone will have to query you again, possibly leading to a delay in the production schedule. This delay can be problematic from your standpoint, if for example the publisher is trying to bring your book out in time for a major conference or other significant event. Alternatively, the editor or typesetter may have to guess at the answers to the queries, which could produce results you're unhappy with.
If you don't understand the reasons for queries or find them superfluous, resist the impulse to fire off a diatribe. People in the publishing field are often very well read and broadly educated, and someone may be trying to ferret out some problem in your manuscript that you haven't detected. Don't assume that because editors have degrees in English and not in your technical field, they can't uncover major factual errors. Even if they don't understand the ins and outs of the technical material--say, complex math equations--those who've edited dozens of books in a field often have a "sixth sense" for when something is wrong.
I once read an article about an editor whose superb editing resulted in a Pulitzer Prize for an author. While this may be an extreme case, editing has the potential to significantly improve most manuscripts. To get the most out of the process and avoid any self-sabotage, it's to your advantage as an author to be professional and cooperative in interacting with the editor and other publishing staff.
Elizabeth C. Judd, PhD, is the owner of Casco Bay Literary Services, an editorial firm that provides book editing, ghostwriting, manuscript evaluation or manuscript critique, consultation, and other publishing services. We welcome projects on almost any topic, including hard-to-place manuscripts. Our goal is to create the best possible publishing outcome for you, at prices you can afford. Click on http://www.cascobayliteraryservices.com for more information and writers' resources.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elizabeth_C._Judd
If authors could be a fly on the wall of publishing companies, they might be surprised at what they overhear. A common refrain is that authors often seem to engage in self-sabotage in precisely that phase of a book project that has perhaps the greatest potential to make or break the project: the publishing phase. Three simple steps will help you avoid this self-sabotage and get the most out of the editorial process.
1. Be polite and professional.
This shouldn't have to be said, but publishing is a business like any other, and professional conduct is likely to serve you better than rudeness or uncooperativeness. University professors and others in fields where "in-your-face" behavior is common should be aware that this behavior is less common and less tolerated in the publishing field.
Editors are sometimes shocked by the rudeness and uncooperativeness of authors, and equally shocked that they would alienate editors equipped to make or break their book projects. A lot can go wrong--or right--in those final months of a project's history.
2. Follow the publisher's guidelines and instructions.
In some cases, failure to follow directions can have negative repercussions for the quality of your project. For example, if you format your manuscript incorrectly, or your notes and references are incomplete and in the wrong style, or your tables and figures don't meet the publisher's standards, there may not be enough time in the fast-paced production process to correct the problems.
It's also not a great idea to get off on a bad footing with the editorial staff, because they're the last major line of defense before your book is printed. If your copyeditor is less than enthusiastic about working with you--whether because you've refused to follow the publisher's guidelines, are uncooperative about answering queries, or balk at removing sexism and racism from the book--they may not be willing to go beyond the call of duty to rescue you from the factual errors you've overlooked in your manuscript. But if they're enthusiastic about working with you and about your book, they may not hesitate to do extensive Internet research or make that extra trip to the library to ferret out errors, without pay if necessary. This can make the difference between a successful book and one that brings you professional or personal embarrassment.
3. Answer all queries carefully and thoroughly.
If you ignore queries, someone will have to query you again, possibly leading to a delay in the production schedule. This delay can be problematic from your standpoint, if for example the publisher is trying to bring your book out in time for a major conference or other significant event. Alternatively, the editor or typesetter may have to guess at the answers to the queries, which could produce results you're unhappy with.
If you don't understand the reasons for queries or find them superfluous, resist the impulse to fire off a diatribe. People in the publishing field are often very well read and broadly educated, and someone may be trying to ferret out some problem in your manuscript that you haven't detected. Don't assume that because editors have degrees in English and not in your technical field, they can't uncover major factual errors. Even if they don't understand the ins and outs of the technical material--say, complex math equations--those who've edited dozens of books in a field often have a "sixth sense" for when something is wrong.
I once read an article about an editor whose superb editing resulted in a Pulitzer Prize for an author. While this may be an extreme case, editing has the potential to significantly improve most manuscripts. To get the most out of the process and avoid any self-sabotage, it's to your advantage as an author to be professional and cooperative in interacting with the editor and other publishing staff.
Elizabeth C. Judd, PhD, is the owner of Casco Bay Literary Services, an editorial firm that provides book editing, ghostwriting, manuscript evaluation or manuscript critique, consultation, and other publishing services. We welcome projects on almost any topic, including hard-to-place manuscripts. Our goal is to create the best possible publishing outcome for you, at prices you can afford. Click on http://www.cascobayliteraryservices.com for more information and writers' resources.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elizabeth_C._Judd
One Way To Write A Book
By Jim McMullen
Deep in the Florida Everglades, in the gentle embrace of this untamed world, I slowly crouched and ran my hands through the swamp grass water into the cool, soft, wet black peat, letting it ooze between my fingers, smelling its thick swamp scent.
I had been furiously tracking the endangered panther for more than three days. So far I had not found any evidence the big cat even existed. No tracks in the mud. No resting sites in high grass lines.
As I splashed water on my face baptismal-like, shivers went up my arms and across my chest. At times like that, I felt as though I became part of nature: the trees, mud sky, water, animals... everything! My soul seemed to be cut in a million different parts, all living and breathing in the same tempo of life. It was as real as the kiss of a single raindrop on a wild orchid.
Suddenly,
Something. . .
Something stirred in the cypress trees fifty yards away. I felt an animal presence...
Instantly, a patch of gray-brown fur appeared in the trees!
The animal seemed to float above the swamp floor moving swiftly and as stealthy as a... cat!
I breathe slowly, deeply, making every effort to hold sound in so as not to spook the animal. For over six months I had been tracking and preparing for this moment, a moment of true excitement, maybe my only opportunity to be rewarded a sighting of this untamed misunderstood creature.
Then, the fur disappeared! My heart stopped. No... I cried inside. No. Not now. Not after so long. As the last words rolled across my mind, the fur was there again. Then it melted into the shadows, reappeared, only to disappear once more. I still had not had a glimpse of the entire animal.
All movement stopped. It saw me, I thought.
At that second large paws sprang in a bolt of speed into the swamp trees. But I saw it... the whole cat! It was like no other animal I had ever seen! It was furred power, gray-brown on top, creamy white underneath, and at the end of it, a magnificent, long, J-shaped tail streaked in dawn light and swamp darkness like a retreating ghost.
However, as he ran the big cat reminded me of the soft, silent motion of a ocean wave rising from the depths, rolling and forming into a single wave, then lowering into the depths once again, only to swell once more.
As though immediately magnetized to the animal, I jumped up and ran through the grass, pivoting into the cypress trees, splashing into the swamp, in pursuit of a Florida panther. Fumbling with my camera, I tried to get it up to my eye, while bobbing and weaving through the density attempting to get him on film. Instead, I got tangled in the vines and tripped over fallen cypress trees. But I ran on. Most of the animals in the Everglades were quick, but this big cat was earthly sudden.
As instantly as the big cat appeared, he disappeared. My mind was burning with excitement as I fell to the mud exhausted. Lying there, gasping for air in a morning already hot and humid, I felt both elation and wonderment. I had tracked, found and had a true sighting of the endangered Florida panther in the Everglades.
In a very direct sense I had accomplished the impossible with a lived experience in the wilds that would affect my writing for years to come.
Your individual experiences in life, whatever they may be, can accomplish the same thing in your writing career. By drawing on your everyday happenings can well put you in a position of writing successfully. Even more important you can write for money because of your hands-on experiences.
Discover "The 7 Power Secrets To Turn Your Words Into Wealth", free for a limited time only. NY Times Best-Seller Jim McMullen shares the 7 secrets you can use right now to improve your writing, bring life to your plot, and create characters that leadp off the page. Get your free copy right now by visiting the link below: http://www.AwakenTheWriterWithin.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_McMullen
Deep in the Florida Everglades, in the gentle embrace of this untamed world, I slowly crouched and ran my hands through the swamp grass water into the cool, soft, wet black peat, letting it ooze between my fingers, smelling its thick swamp scent.
I had been furiously tracking the endangered panther for more than three days. So far I had not found any evidence the big cat even existed. No tracks in the mud. No resting sites in high grass lines.
As I splashed water on my face baptismal-like, shivers went up my arms and across my chest. At times like that, I felt as though I became part of nature: the trees, mud sky, water, animals... everything! My soul seemed to be cut in a million different parts, all living and breathing in the same tempo of life. It was as real as the kiss of a single raindrop on a wild orchid.
Suddenly,
Something. . .
Something stirred in the cypress trees fifty yards away. I felt an animal presence...
Instantly, a patch of gray-brown fur appeared in the trees!
The animal seemed to float above the swamp floor moving swiftly and as stealthy as a... cat!
I breathe slowly, deeply, making every effort to hold sound in so as not to spook the animal. For over six months I had been tracking and preparing for this moment, a moment of true excitement, maybe my only opportunity to be rewarded a sighting of this untamed misunderstood creature.
Then, the fur disappeared! My heart stopped. No... I cried inside. No. Not now. Not after so long. As the last words rolled across my mind, the fur was there again. Then it melted into the shadows, reappeared, only to disappear once more. I still had not had a glimpse of the entire animal.
All movement stopped. It saw me, I thought.
At that second large paws sprang in a bolt of speed into the swamp trees. But I saw it... the whole cat! It was like no other animal I had ever seen! It was furred power, gray-brown on top, creamy white underneath, and at the end of it, a magnificent, long, J-shaped tail streaked in dawn light and swamp darkness like a retreating ghost.
However, as he ran the big cat reminded me of the soft, silent motion of a ocean wave rising from the depths, rolling and forming into a single wave, then lowering into the depths once again, only to swell once more.
As though immediately magnetized to the animal, I jumped up and ran through the grass, pivoting into the cypress trees, splashing into the swamp, in pursuit of a Florida panther. Fumbling with my camera, I tried to get it up to my eye, while bobbing and weaving through the density attempting to get him on film. Instead, I got tangled in the vines and tripped over fallen cypress trees. But I ran on. Most of the animals in the Everglades were quick, but this big cat was earthly sudden.
As instantly as the big cat appeared, he disappeared. My mind was burning with excitement as I fell to the mud exhausted. Lying there, gasping for air in a morning already hot and humid, I felt both elation and wonderment. I had tracked, found and had a true sighting of the endangered Florida panther in the Everglades.
In a very direct sense I had accomplished the impossible with a lived experience in the wilds that would affect my writing for years to come.
Your individual experiences in life, whatever they may be, can accomplish the same thing in your writing career. By drawing on your everyday happenings can well put you in a position of writing successfully. Even more important you can write for money because of your hands-on experiences.
Discover "The 7 Power Secrets To Turn Your Words Into Wealth", free for a limited time only. NY Times Best-Seller Jim McMullen shares the 7 secrets you can use right now to improve your writing, bring life to your plot, and create characters that leadp off the page. Get your free copy right now by visiting the link below: http://www.AwakenTheWriterWithin.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_McMullen
Writing Dialogue That Speaks Volumes
By Cheryl Kaye Tardif
Fiction is made up of two main structural elements: narrative and dialogue. Narrative is the description of what's happening--the describing of characters, settings, moods and actions. Dialogue is either spoken or thought.
* Spoken dialogue, often referred to as external dialogue (or verbal, active or impassive dialogue), is always easy to spot. Just look for quotation marks. "Like this," she suggested. Everything within those quotation marks is something someone is saying out loud.
* Thought dialogue, usually referred to as internal dialogue (or passive speech or passive dialogue), is a direct thought sometimes indicated by a tag like he thought or he realized. A thought can also be injected into a passage of narrative, and is often indicated by the use of italics. Or the thought can stand alone like a line of dialogue. Sometimes single quotation marks are used: 'What is he doing?' she wondered.
Dialogue is a key element of fiction, and it is often formatted incorrectly. Some writers overuse dialogue to the point that it is difficult to visualize the setting or the actions. It might feel like everyone is just standing around gabbing, instead of doing something to save the world. Other writers create so much narrative that their story is merely being told and described versus experienced. The reader misses out on the connection to the character. Dialogue must have a sense of balance and natural flow within the work.
Spoken Dialogue:
The purpose of dialogue in a story is to move your characters through not only their actions but their speech. Some short stories can be effective as pure narrative, but in general, you want to incorporate dialogue so you can engage or capture the reader's attention and draw them into your characters' lives. Imagine rewriting the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Let's say you wrote: Then Papa Bear asked everyone if they knew who was sleeping in his bed. (This is very dry.) It is not nearly as exciting as writing: "Who's been sleeping in my bed?" Papa Bear bellowed. (Can you hear him, imagine his voice?)
When people read a story with dialogue, they usually imagine a voice and sometimes a dialect (like a French or Scottish accent). Dialogue engages a reader into believing that the imaginary world the writer has created is real. And as a writer, that is exactly what you want. This means that your dialogue must look and feel authentic.
Engaging dialogue can be constructed using 3 main parts:
* a verbal message/ dialogue that sounds real - "I should've gone into computers."
* a 'tag' or speaker attribution - he muttered.
* a 'beat' - She paused, stroking her chin. "..."
Verbal messages: Dialogue should always sound natural. Listen to how people talk, the words they use, the slang, the abbreviated sentence structure. If you write everything primly and correctly, without using these factors, your dialogue will not sound real and everyone will come across as extremely educated, pompous people.
Authentic dialogue comes from knowing your character. Who is he or she? If your character is five, his vocabulary is five. If the character is uneducated, his vocabulary is uneducated (use slang). If your character is a lawyer, he may use legalese (lawyer speak) or legal terms. If your character is from Scotland, lad, he'll use that sing-song voice, now won't he?
Use contractions (I'm, don't, shouldn't, we've, she'd, they're, they'd etc.). Use slang (yeah, naw, gonna, shoulda, yo, ain't) if it fits the character. Have your characters swear if it fits them, but watch that you don't overuse expletives. Most readers find it distracting if characters are cursing on every page or every time they speak. The same goes for slang.
Tags: Tags are character identifiers. They tell you who is speaking. Tags like he said or she whispered are common. Use said more than any other tag. Tags with mumbled, muttered, whispered, grumbled, replied, quipped, responded, demanded, retorted, commanded, shouted, hollered, cried, etc. should be used sparingly and be varied.
The tag 'hissed' should only be used with dialogue containing soft 'c' or 's' sounds.
RIGHT: "Sally!" she hissed.
WRONG: "George!" she hissed.
Words like 'laughed', 'chuckled', 'scowled', 'sighed' and 'grimaced' are physical actions and should not be used as a tag. Use them as beats or after 'he said'.
"That's gross," he said with a grimace.
"I know," she said, laughing.
He scowled. "Then why are you still doing it?"
Tags can be placed before, in the middle or after a section of dialogue.
Irma said, "I'll take that cup of coffee now. I need something to wake me up."
"I'll take that cup of coffee now," Irma said. "I need something to wake me up."
"I'll take that cup of coffee now because I need something to wake me up," Irma said.
The general rule of placement is that it is always best AFTER a sentence of dialogue. If you use tags before, use them very sparingly. It is the dialogue that you want to stand out.
If you insert a tag between two or more sentences, the tag always goes AFTER THE FIRST SENTENCE! This mistake is one that I've seen well-known authors make.
RIGHT: "I didn't know it was so late," he said. "I need to get to work."
WRONG: "I didn't know it was so late. I need to get to work," he said.
Also RIGHT: He said, "I didn't know it was so late. I need to get to work."
Adverbs/'ly' words (he said loudly) should be used very sparingly. Whenever possible, use a stronger verb (he shouted). Never use he shouted loudly. Use adverbs only when the dialogue or tag does not give enough information to the reader.
"Back away from the door."
"Back away from the door," she said quickly. Here we get a sense of urgency.
Using adverbs correctly in a tag takes special care. When you are ready to edit your work, do a 'ly' check. Look for every adverb, in narrative and dialogue, and ask yourself: If I delete it, will the sentence still have the same impact? Delete the ones you don't need. If your dialogue is written correctly, it will usually tell the reader what the tone is.
"What the hell is going on?"
We don't need a tag or beat as long as it's obvious which character is speaking. If it's not obvious, use a single verb like said, asked, demanded, muttered, etc.
"What the hell is going on?" she demanded.
But don't write it as: "What the hell is going on?" she asked harshly.
"Where's your mother?"
This one line of dialogue can be said in various tones. Is the person angry, confused, terrified? Is she yelling or whispering?
RIGHT: "Where's your mother?" she asked gently.
The above example portrays caring because of the word gently. Perhaps she's speaking to a terrified child. Or someone who is dying.
RIGHT: "Where's your mother?" she demanded. She sounds angry.
RIGHT: "Where's your mother?" she screamed. She sounds frustrated, terrified maybe.
Beats: Beats are also character identifiers, but they are complete sentences, almost always containing some kind of action. Beats can be used at the beginning, middle or end of a piece of dialogue.
She knocked on the door. "Please let someone be home. I really need help here."
"Please let someone be home." She knocked on the door. "I really need help here."
"Please let someone be home. I really need help here." She knocked on the door.
All of these are RIGHT. In general, don't put a beat last if there is any chance the reader won't know first who is speaking. Beats tend to lose their effectiveness when placed last.
VERY EFFECTIVE: She eyed him suspiciously. "What are you doing here?"
LESS EFFECTIVE: "What are you doing here?" She eyed him suspiciously.
Choices, choices!
Using a tag: "Where's your mother?" she demanded.
Using a beat: She let out a gasp. "Where's your mother?"
Using a beat with an adverb: Her eyes flashed dangerously. "Where's your mother?"
When bouncing a conversation between 2 people--once you have set up who they are with their first beat or tag--you can then eliminate tags and beats. As long as the reader can follow who is speaking next, keep the dialogue clean.
When bouncing a conversation between 3 people, you must have tags and beats.
Thought dialogue/internal dialogue:
The purpose of internal dialogue is to reveal a character's thoughts, showing us something that wouldn't normally be revealed by narrative or dialogue. But remember, you must know whose POV (point of view) is being featured in that scene or chapter. Stories told in first person POV or 'I walked into the room" can only use the thoughts of the narrator, the 'I' character. If a scene is told from Bob the plumber's POV, then you can't show his wife Martha's thoughts.
RIGHT:
I knew that I had to act fast. "Hurry! In here!"
Shari looked at me, and I could tell she thought I was crazy, but she jumped into the pit.
WRONG:
I knew that I had to act fast. "Hurry! In here!"
Shari looked at me. He's crazy, she thought before she jumped into the pit.
Every scene or chapter should be one person's POV. They are the only ones allowed to have internal dialogue. Tags and beats apply to thoughts too. Always ask yourself, would it be natural for the character to say this out loud instead of think it? External dialogue is always better than internal.
Single person scenes: Even if your scene is a woman trapped in a cabin all alone, with a raving lunatic hunting her down. She can talk to herself...out loud. Don't have her think everything. If she looks in the mirror, she can mutter something about her appearance. If she drops something, she can call herself clumsy. Keep 'thinking' to a minimum. J
Last words on dialogue: Other elements of great dialogue are the use of ellipses (...) and em-dashes (--), providing they are used properly. Many novice writers confuse the two. Use ellipses when your character says something that fades away or trails off. Use em-dashes when someone is interrupted by another character's dialogue or a sudden action or they interrupt themselves.
RIGHT:
"Look over there, Ralph. I think I see a..."
He stared into the woods. The light flickered again and he was sure it was the cabin.
RIGHT:
Ralph shook his head. "I don't see--"
"Over there," George interrupted. "By the oak tree."
"Ah...now I see it."
There are no spaces before or after ellipses or em-dashes. Some people use the horizontal bar on MS Word as an alternate and acceptable em-dash.
Exclamation marks must also be used very carefully. In narrative, they are rarely used. In external and internal dialogue, use an ! only with speech or thoughts that are sudden bursts, especially commands or short sentences that are yelled or screamed. If someone is screaming and you've written long sentences, don't use exclamations marks.
RIGHT: "Quick! Over here!"
WRONG: "Come over here real quick so we can hide in the shed!"
RIGHT: Oh my God! (if they are shouting it); "Oh my God." (if they are saying it slowly or softly.)
RIGHT: "I don't know what you see in that girl," his mother said.
WRONG: "I don't know what you see in that girl!" his mother said.
Also RIGHT: "I don't know what you see in that girl," his mother shouted.
Again, don't use a tag like she shouted after dialogue with an ! unless it's not obvious who is speaking.
Writing a novel is not just crafting the story, it is also creating an artistic design on paper. It is the fine balance of narrative and dialogue that produces an inviting canvas for readers. Many studies have suggested that avid readers prefer 'white space--space around text, which can easily be created by adding dialogue. White space makes a page easier to read by allowing the eyes to focus, then have a break.
Work on crafting your dialogue until it rings clear and true, until we can hear and visualize your characters through what they say. When you write dialogue, make sure you read it OUT LOUD. Listen to your voice as you read each line from your character's perspective. It's like acting. Think of how you're delivering the lines. What is your character's mood? How does your character sound? How do they speak?
"Show! Don't tell!" Cheryl said with a grin. "And enjoy!"
©2007 Cheryl Kaye Tardif
Cheryl Kaye Tardif is a Canadian suspense author that Booklist describes as "a big hit...a name to reckon with". She has written the following bestselling novels: The River, a terrifying, action-packed thriller; Divine Intervention, a scorching psychic suspense, and Whale Song, an emotionally heart-wrenching family drama with a hint of mystery. She has also tutored writing students, taught creative writing courses and speaks at various conferences and events in Canada and the US on topics such as writing, publishing options and book marketing.
For more information, please visit her websites at http://www.cherylktardif.com or http://www.whalesongbook.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cheryl_Kaye_Tardif
Fiction is made up of two main structural elements: narrative and dialogue. Narrative is the description of what's happening--the describing of characters, settings, moods and actions. Dialogue is either spoken or thought.
* Spoken dialogue, often referred to as external dialogue (or verbal, active or impassive dialogue), is always easy to spot. Just look for quotation marks. "Like this," she suggested. Everything within those quotation marks is something someone is saying out loud.
* Thought dialogue, usually referred to as internal dialogue (or passive speech or passive dialogue), is a direct thought sometimes indicated by a tag like he thought or he realized. A thought can also be injected into a passage of narrative, and is often indicated by the use of italics. Or the thought can stand alone like a line of dialogue. Sometimes single quotation marks are used: 'What is he doing?' she wondered.
Dialogue is a key element of fiction, and it is often formatted incorrectly. Some writers overuse dialogue to the point that it is difficult to visualize the setting or the actions. It might feel like everyone is just standing around gabbing, instead of doing something to save the world. Other writers create so much narrative that their story is merely being told and described versus experienced. The reader misses out on the connection to the character. Dialogue must have a sense of balance and natural flow within the work.
Spoken Dialogue:
The purpose of dialogue in a story is to move your characters through not only their actions but their speech. Some short stories can be effective as pure narrative, but in general, you want to incorporate dialogue so you can engage or capture the reader's attention and draw them into your characters' lives. Imagine rewriting the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Let's say you wrote: Then Papa Bear asked everyone if they knew who was sleeping in his bed. (This is very dry.) It is not nearly as exciting as writing: "Who's been sleeping in my bed?" Papa Bear bellowed. (Can you hear him, imagine his voice?)
When people read a story with dialogue, they usually imagine a voice and sometimes a dialect (like a French or Scottish accent). Dialogue engages a reader into believing that the imaginary world the writer has created is real. And as a writer, that is exactly what you want. This means that your dialogue must look and feel authentic.
Engaging dialogue can be constructed using 3 main parts:
* a verbal message/ dialogue that sounds real - "I should've gone into computers."
* a 'tag' or speaker attribution - he muttered.
* a 'beat' - She paused, stroking her chin. "..."
Verbal messages: Dialogue should always sound natural. Listen to how people talk, the words they use, the slang, the abbreviated sentence structure. If you write everything primly and correctly, without using these factors, your dialogue will not sound real and everyone will come across as extremely educated, pompous people.
Authentic dialogue comes from knowing your character. Who is he or she? If your character is five, his vocabulary is five. If the character is uneducated, his vocabulary is uneducated (use slang). If your character is a lawyer, he may use legalese (lawyer speak) or legal terms. If your character is from Scotland, lad, he'll use that sing-song voice, now won't he?
Use contractions (I'm, don't, shouldn't, we've, she'd, they're, they'd etc.). Use slang (yeah, naw, gonna, shoulda, yo, ain't) if it fits the character. Have your characters swear if it fits them, but watch that you don't overuse expletives. Most readers find it distracting if characters are cursing on every page or every time they speak. The same goes for slang.
Tags: Tags are character identifiers. They tell you who is speaking. Tags like he said or she whispered are common. Use said more than any other tag. Tags with mumbled, muttered, whispered, grumbled, replied, quipped, responded, demanded, retorted, commanded, shouted, hollered, cried, etc. should be used sparingly and be varied.
The tag 'hissed' should only be used with dialogue containing soft 'c' or 's' sounds.
RIGHT: "Sally!" she hissed.
WRONG: "George!" she hissed.
Words like 'laughed', 'chuckled', 'scowled', 'sighed' and 'grimaced' are physical actions and should not be used as a tag. Use them as beats or after 'he said'.
"That's gross," he said with a grimace.
"I know," she said, laughing.
He scowled. "Then why are you still doing it?"
Tags can be placed before, in the middle or after a section of dialogue.
Irma said, "I'll take that cup of coffee now. I need something to wake me up."
"I'll take that cup of coffee now," Irma said. "I need something to wake me up."
"I'll take that cup of coffee now because I need something to wake me up," Irma said.
The general rule of placement is that it is always best AFTER a sentence of dialogue. If you use tags before, use them very sparingly. It is the dialogue that you want to stand out.
If you insert a tag between two or more sentences, the tag always goes AFTER THE FIRST SENTENCE! This mistake is one that I've seen well-known authors make.
RIGHT: "I didn't know it was so late," he said. "I need to get to work."
WRONG: "I didn't know it was so late. I need to get to work," he said.
Also RIGHT: He said, "I didn't know it was so late. I need to get to work."
Adverbs/'ly' words (he said loudly) should be used very sparingly. Whenever possible, use a stronger verb (he shouted). Never use he shouted loudly. Use adverbs only when the dialogue or tag does not give enough information to the reader.
"Back away from the door."
"Back away from the door," she said quickly. Here we get a sense of urgency.
Using adverbs correctly in a tag takes special care. When you are ready to edit your work, do a 'ly' check. Look for every adverb, in narrative and dialogue, and ask yourself: If I delete it, will the sentence still have the same impact? Delete the ones you don't need. If your dialogue is written correctly, it will usually tell the reader what the tone is.
"What the hell is going on?"
We don't need a tag or beat as long as it's obvious which character is speaking. If it's not obvious, use a single verb like said, asked, demanded, muttered, etc.
"What the hell is going on?" she demanded.
But don't write it as: "What the hell is going on?" she asked harshly.
"Where's your mother?"
This one line of dialogue can be said in various tones. Is the person angry, confused, terrified? Is she yelling or whispering?
RIGHT: "Where's your mother?" she asked gently.
The above example portrays caring because of the word gently. Perhaps she's speaking to a terrified child. Or someone who is dying.
RIGHT: "Where's your mother?" she demanded. She sounds angry.
RIGHT: "Where's your mother?" she screamed. She sounds frustrated, terrified maybe.
Beats: Beats are also character identifiers, but they are complete sentences, almost always containing some kind of action. Beats can be used at the beginning, middle or end of a piece of dialogue.
She knocked on the door. "Please let someone be home. I really need help here."
"Please let someone be home." She knocked on the door. "I really need help here."
"Please let someone be home. I really need help here." She knocked on the door.
All of these are RIGHT. In general, don't put a beat last if there is any chance the reader won't know first who is speaking. Beats tend to lose their effectiveness when placed last.
VERY EFFECTIVE: She eyed him suspiciously. "What are you doing here?"
LESS EFFECTIVE: "What are you doing here?" She eyed him suspiciously.
Choices, choices!
Using a tag: "Where's your mother?" she demanded.
Using a beat: She let out a gasp. "Where's your mother?"
Using a beat with an adverb: Her eyes flashed dangerously. "Where's your mother?"
When bouncing a conversation between 2 people--once you have set up who they are with their first beat or tag--you can then eliminate tags and beats. As long as the reader can follow who is speaking next, keep the dialogue clean.
When bouncing a conversation between 3 people, you must have tags and beats.
Thought dialogue/internal dialogue:
The purpose of internal dialogue is to reveal a character's thoughts, showing us something that wouldn't normally be revealed by narrative or dialogue. But remember, you must know whose POV (point of view) is being featured in that scene or chapter. Stories told in first person POV or 'I walked into the room" can only use the thoughts of the narrator, the 'I' character. If a scene is told from Bob the plumber's POV, then you can't show his wife Martha's thoughts.
RIGHT:
I knew that I had to act fast. "Hurry! In here!"
Shari looked at me, and I could tell she thought I was crazy, but she jumped into the pit.
WRONG:
I knew that I had to act fast. "Hurry! In here!"
Shari looked at me. He's crazy, she thought before she jumped into the pit.
Every scene or chapter should be one person's POV. They are the only ones allowed to have internal dialogue. Tags and beats apply to thoughts too. Always ask yourself, would it be natural for the character to say this out loud instead of think it? External dialogue is always better than internal.
Single person scenes: Even if your scene is a woman trapped in a cabin all alone, with a raving lunatic hunting her down. She can talk to herself...out loud. Don't have her think everything. If she looks in the mirror, she can mutter something about her appearance. If she drops something, she can call herself clumsy. Keep 'thinking' to a minimum. J
Last words on dialogue: Other elements of great dialogue are the use of ellipses (...) and em-dashes (--), providing they are used properly. Many novice writers confuse the two. Use ellipses when your character says something that fades away or trails off. Use em-dashes when someone is interrupted by another character's dialogue or a sudden action or they interrupt themselves.
RIGHT:
"Look over there, Ralph. I think I see a..."
He stared into the woods. The light flickered again and he was sure it was the cabin.
RIGHT:
Ralph shook his head. "I don't see--"
"Over there," George interrupted. "By the oak tree."
"Ah...now I see it."
There are no spaces before or after ellipses or em-dashes. Some people use the horizontal bar on MS Word as an alternate and acceptable em-dash.
Exclamation marks must also be used very carefully. In narrative, they are rarely used. In external and internal dialogue, use an ! only with speech or thoughts that are sudden bursts, especially commands or short sentences that are yelled or screamed. If someone is screaming and you've written long sentences, don't use exclamations marks.
RIGHT: "Quick! Over here!"
WRONG: "Come over here real quick so we can hide in the shed!"
RIGHT: Oh my God! (if they are shouting it); "Oh my God." (if they are saying it slowly or softly.)
RIGHT: "I don't know what you see in that girl," his mother said.
WRONG: "I don't know what you see in that girl!" his mother said.
Also RIGHT: "I don't know what you see in that girl," his mother shouted.
Again, don't use a tag like she shouted after dialogue with an ! unless it's not obvious who is speaking.
Writing a novel is not just crafting the story, it is also creating an artistic design on paper. It is the fine balance of narrative and dialogue that produces an inviting canvas for readers. Many studies have suggested that avid readers prefer 'white space--space around text, which can easily be created by adding dialogue. White space makes a page easier to read by allowing the eyes to focus, then have a break.
Work on crafting your dialogue until it rings clear and true, until we can hear and visualize your characters through what they say. When you write dialogue, make sure you read it OUT LOUD. Listen to your voice as you read each line from your character's perspective. It's like acting. Think of how you're delivering the lines. What is your character's mood? How does your character sound? How do they speak?
"Show! Don't tell!" Cheryl said with a grin. "And enjoy!"
©2007 Cheryl Kaye Tardif
Cheryl Kaye Tardif is a Canadian suspense author that Booklist describes as "a big hit...a name to reckon with". She has written the following bestselling novels: The River, a terrifying, action-packed thriller; Divine Intervention, a scorching psychic suspense, and Whale Song, an emotionally heart-wrenching family drama with a hint of mystery. She has also tutored writing students, taught creative writing courses and speaks at various conferences and events in Canada and the US on topics such as writing, publishing options and book marketing.
For more information, please visit her websites at http://www.cherylktardif.com or http://www.whalesongbook.com.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cheryl_Kaye_Tardif
Lucrative Article Writing - Announcing 4 Latest Secrets to Grow Your Article Writing
By Sean R Mize
Obtaining quality inbound links for your website cannot get easier these days. With the advent of article writing and article marketing, you can obtain inbound links without launching reciprocal or one-way link campaigns. All you need to do is produce quality articles that will be useful and relevant to your target niche. When your articles are posted online, they can be made available to other publishers provided they will keep your resource box. This can lead to massive distribution and numerous inbound links!
1. Create an outline. Decide what you would like to write about and take note of all the ideas and information you would like to present to better explain your topic. 2. Use an intriguing title. Take your time when formulating your ideas about your headline as this is a crucial point in your article writing. You need to come up with a title that is truly compelling so online users will be enticed to read your article.
3. Make your articles scannable. People don't have much time to spare when reading articles online. They usually scan through the article trying to look for keyword that will take them to the information they truly need. Make it hassle-free for your readers to find what they need by using subheading and bullet list.
4. Keep your articles short. Based on researches, articles that run 1,000 words are the type of articles that don't get read nor picked up online. Remember, you are writing for people who are extremely interested in getting the information they need in as short time as possible. Make your articles run between 300-500 words and don't waste your reader's time by presenting all the information upfront. Steer clear from using fillers and fancy words that makes your articles rather lengthy.
Want to learn how to sell high ticket products online? Download my brand new free guide here: "How to Sell High Ticket Products Online"
Sean Mize teaches a powerful, highly advanced system of creating and selling high ticket products online.
Sean Mize is an internet marketing mentor who teaches people to generate over $15,000 per month online via automated systems and product funnels.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_R_Mize
Obtaining quality inbound links for your website cannot get easier these days. With the advent of article writing and article marketing, you can obtain inbound links without launching reciprocal or one-way link campaigns. All you need to do is produce quality articles that will be useful and relevant to your target niche. When your articles are posted online, they can be made available to other publishers provided they will keep your resource box. This can lead to massive distribution and numerous inbound links!
1. Create an outline. Decide what you would like to write about and take note of all the ideas and information you would like to present to better explain your topic. 2. Use an intriguing title. Take your time when formulating your ideas about your headline as this is a crucial point in your article writing. You need to come up with a title that is truly compelling so online users will be enticed to read your article.
3. Make your articles scannable. People don't have much time to spare when reading articles online. They usually scan through the article trying to look for keyword that will take them to the information they truly need. Make it hassle-free for your readers to find what they need by using subheading and bullet list.
4. Keep your articles short. Based on researches, articles that run 1,000 words are the type of articles that don't get read nor picked up online. Remember, you are writing for people who are extremely interested in getting the information they need in as short time as possible. Make your articles run between 300-500 words and don't waste your reader's time by presenting all the information upfront. Steer clear from using fillers and fancy words that makes your articles rather lengthy.
Want to learn how to sell high ticket products online? Download my brand new free guide here: "How to Sell High Ticket Products Online"
Sean Mize teaches a powerful, highly advanced system of creating and selling high ticket products online.
Sean Mize is an internet marketing mentor who teaches people to generate over $15,000 per month online via automated systems and product funnels.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sean_R_Mize
Write a Thousand Articles This Year? Sure You Can! Here's How
By Larry M. Lynch
As writers, teachers, article marketers, sales, speaking and other professionals we well know (or should know) that being able to produce consistent, quality writing is an essential to our profession. But come on, a thousand articles in a year? You're thinking, "Whoa Nelly!" Hold on there though now, partner. I'm going to show you - yes you, thick of tongue and fat of fingers though you might seem be, how you can approach this - for now - seemingly daunting goal.
First though Hoss, One Quick Question
The question is this: "Can you write a 1200-word article in a day or two?"
Think now.
If you answered in the affirmative, then you could write a thousand articles this year if you wish to. I repeat: Yes, you can. Not only is it quite doable, but it's not anywhere near as difficult as you might presently think. To help readjust your paradigms, we're going to break the process down into seven process stages or steps that will ultimately allow you to truly understand that you really could produce one thousand or more articles this year.
A Stash of One Thousand Articles
Just think, what could a stash of one thousand articles do for you? Are you kidding? Do you now personally know of anyone who has those kinds of bragging rights? If you do, you know what it does for them. You could be in the "Inner Circle" with them later this year. If you don't know anyone with a stash of articles like this, then later this year YOU Bunky, could be the pace-setter and "Guru", "Queen Bee" or "Head Honcho" of your writing circle. Can you imagine what a blast that is? But that's not all:
Think of what a boost your writing skills will get from that much targeted practice. Want to be recognized as an "expert" in your field, hobby or personal interest? Do you want to explode your article marketing stats through the ceiling? Would you like to really get the attention of your boss, prominent editors in your area, or the big guns in your area of interest? Do you want a Space Shuttle trajectory blast to traffic on your website or blog? Are you thinking of establishing or expanding your online or web presence? Don't you think that writing and publishing one thousand articles would do that and more for you?
You darn Skippy it would! So let's get started.
In the upcoming part two of this series, we'll go into a more detailed breakdown of the production steps and processes needed to write a thousand (or more) articles in a year.
If you'd like to join my FREE "Write a Thousand Articles This Year" program, just contact me at writeathousandarticles@gmail.com and we'll get you started, put you on track and keep you going along with the other dedicated writing professionals in our rapidly growing group. (I've just put some freshly re-charged batteries in my Uncle Buzzy's cattle prod) Just think, a year or less from now, you'll be the proud author of a thousand or more articles. And your "writer" friends? Gosh, they'll just be sick with envy. And you? You'll love every moment of it, you thousand-article-writing devil you.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Larry_M._Lynch
As writers, teachers, article marketers, sales, speaking and other professionals we well know (or should know) that being able to produce consistent, quality writing is an essential to our profession. But come on, a thousand articles in a year? You're thinking, "Whoa Nelly!" Hold on there though now, partner. I'm going to show you - yes you, thick of tongue and fat of fingers though you might seem be, how you can approach this - for now - seemingly daunting goal.
First though Hoss, One Quick Question
The question is this: "Can you write a 1200-word article in a day or two?"
Think now.
If you answered in the affirmative, then you could write a thousand articles this year if you wish to. I repeat: Yes, you can. Not only is it quite doable, but it's not anywhere near as difficult as you might presently think. To help readjust your paradigms, we're going to break the process down into seven process stages or steps that will ultimately allow you to truly understand that you really could produce one thousand or more articles this year.
A Stash of One Thousand Articles
Just think, what could a stash of one thousand articles do for you? Are you kidding? Do you now personally know of anyone who has those kinds of bragging rights? If you do, you know what it does for them. You could be in the "Inner Circle" with them later this year. If you don't know anyone with a stash of articles like this, then later this year YOU Bunky, could be the pace-setter and "Guru", "Queen Bee" or "Head Honcho" of your writing circle. Can you imagine what a blast that is? But that's not all:
Think of what a boost your writing skills will get from that much targeted practice. Want to be recognized as an "expert" in your field, hobby or personal interest? Do you want to explode your article marketing stats through the ceiling? Would you like to really get the attention of your boss, prominent editors in your area, or the big guns in your area of interest? Do you want a Space Shuttle trajectory blast to traffic on your website or blog? Are you thinking of establishing or expanding your online or web presence? Don't you think that writing and publishing one thousand articles would do that and more for you?
You darn Skippy it would! So let's get started.
In the upcoming part two of this series, we'll go into a more detailed breakdown of the production steps and processes needed to write a thousand (or more) articles in a year.
If you'd like to join my FREE "Write a Thousand Articles This Year" program, just contact me at writeathousandarticles@gmail.com and we'll get you started, put you on track and keep you going along with the other dedicated writing professionals in our rapidly growing group. (I've just put some freshly re-charged batteries in my Uncle Buzzy's cattle prod) Just think, a year or less from now, you'll be the proud author of a thousand or more articles. And your "writer" friends? Gosh, they'll just be sick with envy. And you? You'll love every moment of it, you thousand-article-writing devil you.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Larry_M._Lynch
Part 3 - Write a Thousand Articles This Year? Sure You Can! Here's How
By Larry M. Lynch
This is your final push out of the door towards your inevitable "Write a Thousand Articles This Year" success. I don't doubt for a moment that you'll have your one thousand articles in the bank before the end of this year. (Yessiree. I'm betting you will)
What You'll Need
Yes Bunky, you'll need some precise discipline. You'll have to set up your "writing space" or a "writing place" if you don't already have one. And yes, a cheering section (that would be me and my writing "Write a Thousand Articles This Year" group, Matey) and some peer writer coaching to help boot you over those initial rough spots will definitely be of help too. An additional great boost will be the use of a variety of article templates. If you're fresh out of handy, dandy writing templates no problem, they're available to members of our "Write a Thousand Articles This Year" group. I'll bet you guessed that already though, didn't you?
But writing a thousand articles in a year is a lofty but attainable goal that will do untold wonders for your business, for your writing career, for your article marketing campaigns, for your online or web presence and be an absolutely, undoubtedly stunning boost to both your writing skills and your self-esteem. Think of what will happen to your Google ratings with a thousand articles posted online! Hey, I won't even mention the bragging rights you'll have over your writer's group and other friends. Aren't you going to just love watching them turn slimy barf green with envy!
Finally ...
Okay, okay, I know what you're thinking. You must be asking yourself, "What if I don't or can't "keep up the pace" for a whole year? Well, in that event all is certainly not lost. Sure, it'll take a bit of grit to get going and get set firmly on track, but help is always available (via our free "Write a Thousand Articles This Year" program) if and when you need it. The overall schedule does not actually require writing every single day, nor must you produce three articles each and every time. Other possible scenarios are discussed within our program group. In an "absolute worst case" scenario, even if you don't get your one thousand articles in one clip, you're not exactly going to cry if you only reach seven or eight hundred articles, now are you? Certainly not!
There's really no way to "fail" at this. Everything you produce goes "in the pot". If you do slip in any way at all, you'll only "fail forward!" Doing only half of the program will still net you five hundred articles - that's right, five hundred articles! How could you possibly call the writing, production, editing, publishing and even the possible selling of five hundred articles a "failure"?
If you'd like to join my FREE "Write a Thousand Articles This Year" program, just contact me at writeathousandarticles@gmail.com and we'll get you started, put you on track and keep you going along with the other dedicated writing professionals in our rapidly growing group. (I've just put some freshly re-charged batteries in my Uncle Buzzy's cattle prod) Just think, a year or less from now, you'll be the proud author of a thousand or more articles. And your "writer" friends? Gosh, they'll just be sick with envy. And you? You'll love every moment of it, you thousand-article-writing devil you.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Larry_M._Lynch
This is your final push out of the door towards your inevitable "Write a Thousand Articles This Year" success. I don't doubt for a moment that you'll have your one thousand articles in the bank before the end of this year. (Yessiree. I'm betting you will)
What You'll Need
Yes Bunky, you'll need some precise discipline. You'll have to set up your "writing space" or a "writing place" if you don't already have one. And yes, a cheering section (that would be me and my writing "Write a Thousand Articles This Year" group, Matey) and some peer writer coaching to help boot you over those initial rough spots will definitely be of help too. An additional great boost will be the use of a variety of article templates. If you're fresh out of handy, dandy writing templates no problem, they're available to members of our "Write a Thousand Articles This Year" group. I'll bet you guessed that already though, didn't you?
But writing a thousand articles in a year is a lofty but attainable goal that will do untold wonders for your business, for your writing career, for your article marketing campaigns, for your online or web presence and be an absolutely, undoubtedly stunning boost to both your writing skills and your self-esteem. Think of what will happen to your Google ratings with a thousand articles posted online! Hey, I won't even mention the bragging rights you'll have over your writer's group and other friends. Aren't you going to just love watching them turn slimy barf green with envy!
Finally ...
Okay, okay, I know what you're thinking. You must be asking yourself, "What if I don't or can't "keep up the pace" for a whole year? Well, in that event all is certainly not lost. Sure, it'll take a bit of grit to get going and get set firmly on track, but help is always available (via our free "Write a Thousand Articles This Year" program) if and when you need it. The overall schedule does not actually require writing every single day, nor must you produce three articles each and every time. Other possible scenarios are discussed within our program group. In an "absolute worst case" scenario, even if you don't get your one thousand articles in one clip, you're not exactly going to cry if you only reach seven or eight hundred articles, now are you? Certainly not!
There's really no way to "fail" at this. Everything you produce goes "in the pot". If you do slip in any way at all, you'll only "fail forward!" Doing only half of the program will still net you five hundred articles - that's right, five hundred articles! How could you possibly call the writing, production, editing, publishing and even the possible selling of five hundred articles a "failure"?
If you'd like to join my FREE "Write a Thousand Articles This Year" program, just contact me at writeathousandarticles@gmail.com and we'll get you started, put you on track and keep you going along with the other dedicated writing professionals in our rapidly growing group. (I've just put some freshly re-charged batteries in my Uncle Buzzy's cattle prod) Just think, a year or less from now, you'll be the proud author of a thousand or more articles. And your "writer" friends? Gosh, they'll just be sick with envy. And you? You'll love every moment of it, you thousand-article-writing devil you.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Larry_M._Lynch
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
How To Write How-To Articles
By Steven Gillman
Learn how to write "how to" articles and it is easy to promote your website. They are one of the most popular types of articles online. Some people will read articles just for entertainment or to learn general information, but everyone wants to know how to do something.
Before you start cranking out those "how to" articles, though, you need to know a basic principle and a few tricks. First, an online article is not the same as an article in a print magazine. In the print world, the writer is paid to be purely informative and entertaining. Online articles are informative as well, but since you give them away, they have little value to you unless they get readers to come to your website.
Keep that important principle in mind. Make sure you know how to create a good "authors resource box" that will motivate the reader to click on that link and visit your website. You also have to get the reader to read that far, which you can do by using the first tip below. Since it's on-topic and relevant to this article, I can simply tell you that you're going to like what you see in my own resource box below. (That's an example of using curiosity to "hook" the reader.)
How-To Articles - Three Tips
1. Tell the reader almost everything she needs to know. Almost, but not everything. The point here is to give real value, but leave her wanting more. This keeps her reading, to see what else there is, and finally, it gets her to look at the author information at the end of the article, where hopefully she clicks through to your website to learn more.
It is easy to use this technique. For example, two paragraphs ago I mentioned that you need to know how to create a good "authors resource box" to make a reader into a visitor. Of course, how to do that isn't covered in this article, so the curious reader will hopefully click through to my site to learn how. Another way to do this is to have six tips on how to do whatever, and then mention in the resource box that there are ten more tips on your website.
2. If you sell products, mention them relevantly. You can't use an article as a sales pitch, but what if the things you sell are relevant to your article? Mention them specifically, but don't mention in the article that you sell them. Keep that to the resource box.
For example, suppose you sell scrapbook materials, and your article is on how to create the perfect scrapbook. Go ahead and mention the specific materials and even the brands you recommend. The reader will wonder where he can get these things, and in the author's resource box he'll see that you sell them on your website. There is nothing wrong with this technique. A woman who reads an article on "How To Tie Fishing Flies" also wants to know the best materials and where to buy them.
3. Have something new to say. You are telling the reader how to do something, but so are many others. Try to have your own unique angle or a "special" tip that isn't found in other writings on the subject. You want the reader to know that you are the expert and your website is the one to visit.
Copyright Steve Gillman.
For more on How To Write Articles, including that all-important resource box, and to get a free ebook, visit: http://www.999articles.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_Gillman
Learn how to write "how to" articles and it is easy to promote your website. They are one of the most popular types of articles online. Some people will read articles just for entertainment or to learn general information, but everyone wants to know how to do something.
Before you start cranking out those "how to" articles, though, you need to know a basic principle and a few tricks. First, an online article is not the same as an article in a print magazine. In the print world, the writer is paid to be purely informative and entertaining. Online articles are informative as well, but since you give them away, they have little value to you unless they get readers to come to your website.
Keep that important principle in mind. Make sure you know how to create a good "authors resource box" that will motivate the reader to click on that link and visit your website. You also have to get the reader to read that far, which you can do by using the first tip below. Since it's on-topic and relevant to this article, I can simply tell you that you're going to like what you see in my own resource box below. (That's an example of using curiosity to "hook" the reader.)
How-To Articles - Three Tips
1. Tell the reader almost everything she needs to know. Almost, but not everything. The point here is to give real value, but leave her wanting more. This keeps her reading, to see what else there is, and finally, it gets her to look at the author information at the end of the article, where hopefully she clicks through to your website to learn more.
It is easy to use this technique. For example, two paragraphs ago I mentioned that you need to know how to create a good "authors resource box" to make a reader into a visitor. Of course, how to do that isn't covered in this article, so the curious reader will hopefully click through to my site to learn how. Another way to do this is to have six tips on how to do whatever, and then mention in the resource box that there are ten more tips on your website.
2. If you sell products, mention them relevantly. You can't use an article as a sales pitch, but what if the things you sell are relevant to your article? Mention them specifically, but don't mention in the article that you sell them. Keep that to the resource box.
For example, suppose you sell scrapbook materials, and your article is on how to create the perfect scrapbook. Go ahead and mention the specific materials and even the brands you recommend. The reader will wonder where he can get these things, and in the author's resource box he'll see that you sell them on your website. There is nothing wrong with this technique. A woman who reads an article on "How To Tie Fishing Flies" also wants to know the best materials and where to buy them.
3. Have something new to say. You are telling the reader how to do something, but so are many others. Try to have your own unique angle or a "special" tip that isn't found in other writings on the subject. You want the reader to know that you are the expert and your website is the one to visit.
Copyright Steve Gillman.
For more on How To Write Articles, including that all-important resource box, and to get a free ebook, visit: http://www.999articles.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steven_Gillman
Writing Articles Clearly and Easily
By Robert Charlton
Article writing is a useful means to lure people to your website.
You may have heard the expression that "Content is King". Search engines, such as Google, Yahoo and MSN reward websites that have useful content with higher rankings. The higher your website is ranked on the search engine results page the more traffic your website will get.
Two basic points you should keep in mind while writing an article are:
(1) Use the simplest possible language that still conveys your meaning clearly.
Your writing should reach the greatest number of readers. Therefore it must be understood by the widest range of people. Editors of magazines and newspapers instruct their writers to use the "fourth grade level".
However, using simple language is not possible for all types of publications. Many technical magazines will use complex language to explain obscure points. For such writing an appropriate level of complexity is needed. Apart from such magazines it's always preferable to use the simplest and most straightforward writing style possible.
(2) Present your ideas in an interesting manner.
Your ideas should be presented in a way so that they are useful to the audience. Organize your ideas in a manner that entertains the readers. Make sure not to write too much detail so that the readers feel bored. Most articles written for the internet or for magazines are in a classic style known as "five paragraph essay", which is an ideal format for writing articles in brief. Following this style you can express your ideas in a very interesting way with a good beginning and ending.
Five paragraph essay - Step by step guide:
1) First paragraph: Introduction to present the actual topic and related concepts in brief.
2) Second, Third and Fourth paragraphs: Support or expand points in the introduction in simple and creative language.
3) Fifth paragraph: Conclusion, which fully summarizes the topic.
You can write well for magazines or the Internet if you can effectively write five paragraph essays in clear and understandable language. So, by using the simplest possible language and organizing your ideas in an effective manner, you can become a successful article writer. Remember to use a conversational style and employ the "Spelling and Grammar" function in word processor software.
Writing articles doesn't need to be an overwhelming task. Once you get in the groove you'll find that you can produce several articles each day without strain.
Robert Charlton has been writing for years, mostly for the entertainment of friends and family. After discovering the internet he has been having the time of his life, sharing what he has learned during his lifetime and helping other people to be successful. He owns the website http://www.WritingTheEasyWay.com and can be found everyday pounding away on his keyboard with a smile on his face.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Charlton
Article writing is a useful means to lure people to your website.
You may have heard the expression that "Content is King". Search engines, such as Google, Yahoo and MSN reward websites that have useful content with higher rankings. The higher your website is ranked on the search engine results page the more traffic your website will get.
Two basic points you should keep in mind while writing an article are:
(1) Use the simplest possible language that still conveys your meaning clearly.
Your writing should reach the greatest number of readers. Therefore it must be understood by the widest range of people. Editors of magazines and newspapers instruct their writers to use the "fourth grade level".
However, using simple language is not possible for all types of publications. Many technical magazines will use complex language to explain obscure points. For such writing an appropriate level of complexity is needed. Apart from such magazines it's always preferable to use the simplest and most straightforward writing style possible.
(2) Present your ideas in an interesting manner.
Your ideas should be presented in a way so that they are useful to the audience. Organize your ideas in a manner that entertains the readers. Make sure not to write too much detail so that the readers feel bored. Most articles written for the internet or for magazines are in a classic style known as "five paragraph essay", which is an ideal format for writing articles in brief. Following this style you can express your ideas in a very interesting way with a good beginning and ending.
Five paragraph essay - Step by step guide:
1) First paragraph: Introduction to present the actual topic and related concepts in brief.
2) Second, Third and Fourth paragraphs: Support or expand points in the introduction in simple and creative language.
3) Fifth paragraph: Conclusion, which fully summarizes the topic.
You can write well for magazines or the Internet if you can effectively write five paragraph essays in clear and understandable language. So, by using the simplest possible language and organizing your ideas in an effective manner, you can become a successful article writer. Remember to use a conversational style and employ the "Spelling and Grammar" function in word processor software.
Writing articles doesn't need to be an overwhelming task. Once you get in the groove you'll find that you can produce several articles each day without strain.
Robert Charlton has been writing for years, mostly for the entertainment of friends and family. After discovering the internet he has been having the time of his life, sharing what he has learned during his lifetime and helping other people to be successful. He owns the website http://www.WritingTheEasyWay.com and can be found everyday pounding away on his keyboard with a smile on his face.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Charlton
How To Effectively Use Articles To Market Your Products Online Part I!
By Joe Okoro
Writing and submitting articles can be boring to so many people who want to make a living online promoting their businesse opportunities. Many choose to use other methods of promtion to get their wares noticed by the public. However, if you are very low on budget, I recommend that you use articles to sell your products.
Below are ways you can boost your article writing and make sure that you get targeted visitors interested in your business.
- Write many articles.
To succesfully market your product, you should aim at writing as many articles as you possibly can in your market. If you set a goal of writing atleast 2 articles each day for the next 3 - 6 months, you would have written a total of between 120 - 240 articles each bringing steady traffic to your web business every single day.
When you write very good but short articles that are focused and good, you have a higher chance of on of your articles being picked by any ezine publisher. If an ezine have 50,000 subscribers and sends the content of your article to one of such database, you immediately gain an expert status and can start taking many orders.
- Be relevant
When you write, your articles should contain only valuable information that people in your market need. Most people who read articles do this becaue they have aproblem that needs solution. Your articles should be written to solve problems of people in your market.
To learn more, download my free report, "How to build a quick downline" here: Build A Downline!
Joe Okoro is an accomplished networker who has successfully used internet marketing to grow his downline for 3 years now.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Okoro
Writing and submitting articles can be boring to so many people who want to make a living online promoting their businesse opportunities. Many choose to use other methods of promtion to get their wares noticed by the public. However, if you are very low on budget, I recommend that you use articles to sell your products.
Below are ways you can boost your article writing and make sure that you get targeted visitors interested in your business.
- Write many articles.
To succesfully market your product, you should aim at writing as many articles as you possibly can in your market. If you set a goal of writing atleast 2 articles each day for the next 3 - 6 months, you would have written a total of between 120 - 240 articles each bringing steady traffic to your web business every single day.
When you write very good but short articles that are focused and good, you have a higher chance of on of your articles being picked by any ezine publisher. If an ezine have 50,000 subscribers and sends the content of your article to one of such database, you immediately gain an expert status and can start taking many orders.
- Be relevant
When you write, your articles should contain only valuable information that people in your market need. Most people who read articles do this becaue they have aproblem that needs solution. Your articles should be written to solve problems of people in your market.
To learn more, download my free report, "How to build a quick downline" here: Build A Downline!
Joe Okoro is an accomplished networker who has successfully used internet marketing to grow his downline for 3 years now.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Okoro
How To Effectively Use Articles To Market Your Products Online Part II
By Joe Okoro
Most people believe that article marketing is too boring and slow to market products online. But if you do it in a certain way, you bet, it can be one of the most profitable ways to quickly sell your products and give you instant credibility before the eyes of your web site visitors.
This is a continuation of how you can use articles to sell your products. Please locate part I and read.
- Post your articles to only 2-5 top directories.
If you need to get the maximum results from your article writing endeavour, you don't have to post to thousands of article banks. All you need for immediate traffic is to post them in the top 5 article directories. To determine the top five, you need to choose article banks that ranks very high in www.alexa dot com.
- Check the stats of your articles.
Some article directories allows you to view the page views and clicks on your signature links. My best here is Ezine articles dot com. If one of your aticles is receiving so many views and clicks, you will need to focus more on writing similar articles to generate more clickthroughs.
The reason is this; the higher the click through to your website, the higher your chances of selling whatever product you may be promoting. So your aim should be to write as many qualified article as possible that will generate the most clickthroughs and close the sale eventually.
To learn more, download my free report, "How to build a quick downline" here: Build A Downline!
Joe Okoro is an accomplished networker who has successfully used internet marketing to grow his downline for 3 years now.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Okoro
Most people believe that article marketing is too boring and slow to market products online. But if you do it in a certain way, you bet, it can be one of the most profitable ways to quickly sell your products and give you instant credibility before the eyes of your web site visitors.
This is a continuation of how you can use articles to sell your products. Please locate part I and read.
- Post your articles to only 2-5 top directories.
If you need to get the maximum results from your article writing endeavour, you don't have to post to thousands of article banks. All you need for immediate traffic is to post them in the top 5 article directories. To determine the top five, you need to choose article banks that ranks very high in www.alexa dot com.
- Check the stats of your articles.
Some article directories allows you to view the page views and clicks on your signature links. My best here is Ezine articles dot com. If one of your aticles is receiving so many views and clicks, you will need to focus more on writing similar articles to generate more clickthroughs.
The reason is this; the higher the click through to your website, the higher your chances of selling whatever product you may be promoting. So your aim should be to write as many qualified article as possible that will generate the most clickthroughs and close the sale eventually.
To learn more, download my free report, "How to build a quick downline" here: Build A Downline!
Joe Okoro is an accomplished networker who has successfully used internet marketing to grow his downline for 3 years now.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Okoro
Use Articles To Locate Qualified Clients For Your Home Based Business Part II
By Joe Okoro
One thing that most online marketers refuse to acknowledge is the importance of articles in their marketing arrangement. When you employ article as a means to get people to your home based business, you have a traffic source more qualified than any other traffic sources available both paid and unpaid traffic sources.
Below are some of the steps you need in order to get your articles found when a search is done for your niche market in your keywords.
- Sprinkle keywords in the body of your article.
As you write article in your market, make sure that you use the keywords needed to locate your article in the body of the article. For instance, you can put at least a keyword phrase in every paragraph you write. This way the search engine crawler will attach importance to the content of your article and rank it as relevant.
- Include a byline in every article you write.
A byline is like a signature file that is used at the end of every email you use. However, here in article writing, a byline is also know as the authors resource box. Your main aim should be to somehow direct attention to your author resource box so that visitors will click through to your website each time they are done reading your article.
This can be achieved by creating a little advert for a free offer if they visit the link on your byline.
To learn more, download my free report, "How to build a quick downline" here: Build A Downline!
Joe Okoro is an accomplished networker who has successfully used internet marketing to grow his downline for 3 years now.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Okoro
One thing that most online marketers refuse to acknowledge is the importance of articles in their marketing arrangement. When you employ article as a means to get people to your home based business, you have a traffic source more qualified than any other traffic sources available both paid and unpaid traffic sources.
Below are some of the steps you need in order to get your articles found when a search is done for your niche market in your keywords.
- Sprinkle keywords in the body of your article.
As you write article in your market, make sure that you use the keywords needed to locate your article in the body of the article. For instance, you can put at least a keyword phrase in every paragraph you write. This way the search engine crawler will attach importance to the content of your article and rank it as relevant.
- Include a byline in every article you write.
A byline is like a signature file that is used at the end of every email you use. However, here in article writing, a byline is also know as the authors resource box. Your main aim should be to somehow direct attention to your author resource box so that visitors will click through to your website each time they are done reading your article.
This can be achieved by creating a little advert for a free offer if they visit the link on your byline.
To learn more, download my free report, "How to build a quick downline" here: Build A Downline!
Joe Okoro is an accomplished networker who has successfully used internet marketing to grow his downline for 3 years now.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Okoro
Article Writing - 7 Tips On Writing Your First Article
By Connie Ragen Green
Writing your first article may seem like impossibility, if you have not written for many years since you were in school. But remember that writing is like anything else; the more you practice the easier it will become. Here are some tips on how to write your first article and submit it to an article directory.
* Make some notes before you start writing your article. Include in these notes what your topic will be, some tips about the topic, or some solutions to a problem the reader may be having.
* For example, if you are writing an article about losing weight, you might make some notes about how to get started on a diet, some tips on how to keep from getting hungry during the first days of a diet, and how to start losing weight if you are over fifty.
* Begin your article with a paragraph that describes what you want to tell your reader. Then, introduce them to your tips, ideas, or solutions to their situation.
* List these ideas or tips. Make an effort to list them in a logical order that will make sense.
* Write a concluding paragraph that gives them more information, but leaves them wanting more.
* Write a resource box that invites them back to your website or blog. Give them a reason to visit, such as offering them more free tips or a special report on your topic.
* Submit your article to at least three of the largest article directories. Ezine Articles is the very largest, so submit your article to them first.
And now I invite you to download two free article writing templates at http://www.WriteArticlesWithJeffHerring.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Connie_Ragen_Green
Writing your first article may seem like impossibility, if you have not written for many years since you were in school. But remember that writing is like anything else; the more you practice the easier it will become. Here are some tips on how to write your first article and submit it to an article directory.
* Make some notes before you start writing your article. Include in these notes what your topic will be, some tips about the topic, or some solutions to a problem the reader may be having.
* For example, if you are writing an article about losing weight, you might make some notes about how to get started on a diet, some tips on how to keep from getting hungry during the first days of a diet, and how to start losing weight if you are over fifty.
* Begin your article with a paragraph that describes what you want to tell your reader. Then, introduce them to your tips, ideas, or solutions to their situation.
* List these ideas or tips. Make an effort to list them in a logical order that will make sense.
* Write a concluding paragraph that gives them more information, but leaves them wanting more.
* Write a resource box that invites them back to your website or blog. Give them a reason to visit, such as offering them more free tips or a special report on your topic.
* Submit your article to at least three of the largest article directories. Ezine Articles is the very largest, so submit your article to them first.
And now I invite you to download two free article writing templates at http://www.WriteArticlesWithJeffHerring.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Connie_Ragen_Green
Super-Fast Article Writing - 3-Step Strategy For Churning Out Articles At Lightning Speed
By Fabian Tan
Do you want to write articles quickly but just don't know where to get begin? Writing articles can be easy! All you need is to arm yourself with a simple strategy whenever you want to write new content. Doing it without a strategy inevitably makes it more difficult.
Here's a 3-step strategy for cranking out new articles on the fly:
1. Do your 5-minute research
Believe it or not, I often take as little as 5 minutes to do research on a topic I know nothing about! Folks, all the information is out there! There's Google and Wikipedia. You're just a few seconds away and a few mouse clicks away from finding the information you want. Just read one or two articles and you know more about that topic than most people do.
2. Write your article in a flash!
Just follow this simple formula and your content will flow easily. Introduction, Body and Conclusion. That's it! There's only 3 basic components for every article. In your introduction, write a brief summary of what you are going to cover, write your main content in your Body and summarize your main content in your conclusion.
3. Proofread your article
If you don't want any embarrassing spelling and grammatical errors, take a minute or two to read your article once over. Little mistakes destroy your credibility, so take some time to proofread your content!
There you go, 3 steps to writing articles quickly and easily. Writing articles is one of the best things you can do for your online business, so start writing them today!
Fabian Tan is the author of the free 51-Page Report:
"Murder Your Job: How To Build Cash Sucking Autopilot Businesses In 30 Days Or Less!"
Head over to http://www.MurderYourJob.com to get your free copy now before it's gone!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Fabian_Tan
Do you want to write articles quickly but just don't know where to get begin? Writing articles can be easy! All you need is to arm yourself with a simple strategy whenever you want to write new content. Doing it without a strategy inevitably makes it more difficult.
Here's a 3-step strategy for cranking out new articles on the fly:
1. Do your 5-minute research
Believe it or not, I often take as little as 5 minutes to do research on a topic I know nothing about! Folks, all the information is out there! There's Google and Wikipedia. You're just a few seconds away and a few mouse clicks away from finding the information you want. Just read one or two articles and you know more about that topic than most people do.
2. Write your article in a flash!
Just follow this simple formula and your content will flow easily. Introduction, Body and Conclusion. That's it! There's only 3 basic components for every article. In your introduction, write a brief summary of what you are going to cover, write your main content in your Body and summarize your main content in your conclusion.
3. Proofread your article
If you don't want any embarrassing spelling and grammatical errors, take a minute or two to read your article once over. Little mistakes destroy your credibility, so take some time to proofread your content!
There you go, 3 steps to writing articles quickly and easily. Writing articles is one of the best things you can do for your online business, so start writing them today!
Fabian Tan is the author of the free 51-Page Report:
"Murder Your Job: How To Build Cash Sucking Autopilot Businesses In 30 Days Or Less!"
Head over to http://www.MurderYourJob.com to get your free copy now before it's gone!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Fabian_Tan
Writing a Good Article
By Tim Redman
Writing articles has been proven time and again as a good strategy in developing traffic for a website. Having good content in your article that people will read and respect is a key factor to bringing visitors to your website. By following my advice in this article, you should be able to write and article with ease and also generate your article content at a high standard so that people will respect you as an expert in your field.
Most people don't have a lot of confidence in themselves when it comes to writing. They often think that they can't write and therefore don't try. The best way to break this cycle is to just start writing. Today, we have the internet at our disposal making it easier than ever to write and publish article for circulation to the general public.
Here are some important tips on how to write a good article:-
Topic: If you haven't been given a topic that you need to write about then this is easy. You should pick a topic in which you know something about, like a hobby. For example, if you like baking and you bake a lot, then why not write an article on baking the perfect cake. You will be surprised how many people out there are looking for tips and advice on how to bake a cake. Just remember, if there is no topic, stick to what you know best.
If you are provided with a topic and you are not an expert within that field, the only option for you to follow is to do research.
Research: Perform your research carefully. When writing your article you should include information that your readers need to know. The best way to find this out is to do some searching on the internet and read forums that are related to the topic. You should then be able to find out what people want to know. Don't limit yourself to doing your research on the internet. There are other sources too, such as books, newspapers, etc. However, be very careful not to plagiarize or copy somebody else's work!
Word Limit: The standard word length for an article is between 400 - 600 words long. Most people that will read your article will be quite comfortable reading up to 700 words without getting bored. Remember, if you fill your article with useless content and get it up to 1000 words, people will lose interest and go to another website!
Title: This is the most important feature in your article. This should be an attention grabber as this is what normally makes a person click on and read your article. Lot's of people say that you should include lots of keywords in your title. This is not true, too many keywords will make your title look very messy and will put people off reading it. Limit the amount of keywords in your title to no more than two.
Write for your audience: You need to write with your audience in mind. Don't go off on tangents and on to other topics as your audience will get confused and will lose interest, forcing them to go and visit someone else's article instead. Write what your audience wants to hear.
The article structure is very important and can be broken down into three distinct parts. Having your article in these parts will give your article flow and will make it much easier for your readers to digest the information. The parts are Introduction, Main Body and Conclusion.
Introduction: This part should be set up to tell your readers what your article is all about and what you are going to tell them.
Main Body: This is the main part of your article and should include all the facts and figures of what you want to tell your readers.
Conclusion: This is where you will give your summary to the contents of the main body and wrap up the article. Remember, don't leave any loose ends. This is most distracting for your readers and will probably put them off reading any of your other articles. By all means you can reference other articles that you have written within your conclusion.
Another myth that circulates the Internet is that you should load your article main body with keywords. This simply isn't true, like your title, if you include lots of keywords, the article will not flow properly and become a complete mess. I would personally try and limit your keywords within the main body to between three and five. More than this and your article blatantly becomes an advert.
By following these simple rules your articles should start to become popular on the internet, simply because they flow properly and are well structured. People will gain confidence in you as an expert in your field and will read more articles that you publish. As a writer, you should start writing and keep writing. Don't stop and don't loose confidence if one of your articles doesn't get the readership that your thought it might.
Writing is an art and it gets better the more you practice. So get practising.
Tim Redman is a successful Internet Marketer with experience of working from home and generating an income that sustains his lifestyle. He writes numerous articles on various topics around Internet marketing and search engine optimization. He currently writes article for http://www.ArticleMound.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Redman
Writing articles has been proven time and again as a good strategy in developing traffic for a website. Having good content in your article that people will read and respect is a key factor to bringing visitors to your website. By following my advice in this article, you should be able to write and article with ease and also generate your article content at a high standard so that people will respect you as an expert in your field.
Most people don't have a lot of confidence in themselves when it comes to writing. They often think that they can't write and therefore don't try. The best way to break this cycle is to just start writing. Today, we have the internet at our disposal making it easier than ever to write and publish article for circulation to the general public.
Here are some important tips on how to write a good article:-
Topic: If you haven't been given a topic that you need to write about then this is easy. You should pick a topic in which you know something about, like a hobby. For example, if you like baking and you bake a lot, then why not write an article on baking the perfect cake. You will be surprised how many people out there are looking for tips and advice on how to bake a cake. Just remember, if there is no topic, stick to what you know best.
If you are provided with a topic and you are not an expert within that field, the only option for you to follow is to do research.
Research: Perform your research carefully. When writing your article you should include information that your readers need to know. The best way to find this out is to do some searching on the internet and read forums that are related to the topic. You should then be able to find out what people want to know. Don't limit yourself to doing your research on the internet. There are other sources too, such as books, newspapers, etc. However, be very careful not to plagiarize or copy somebody else's work!
Word Limit: The standard word length for an article is between 400 - 600 words long. Most people that will read your article will be quite comfortable reading up to 700 words without getting bored. Remember, if you fill your article with useless content and get it up to 1000 words, people will lose interest and go to another website!
Title: This is the most important feature in your article. This should be an attention grabber as this is what normally makes a person click on and read your article. Lot's of people say that you should include lots of keywords in your title. This is not true, too many keywords will make your title look very messy and will put people off reading it. Limit the amount of keywords in your title to no more than two.
Write for your audience: You need to write with your audience in mind. Don't go off on tangents and on to other topics as your audience will get confused and will lose interest, forcing them to go and visit someone else's article instead. Write what your audience wants to hear.
The article structure is very important and can be broken down into three distinct parts. Having your article in these parts will give your article flow and will make it much easier for your readers to digest the information. The parts are Introduction, Main Body and Conclusion.
Introduction: This part should be set up to tell your readers what your article is all about and what you are going to tell them.
Main Body: This is the main part of your article and should include all the facts and figures of what you want to tell your readers.
Conclusion: This is where you will give your summary to the contents of the main body and wrap up the article. Remember, don't leave any loose ends. This is most distracting for your readers and will probably put them off reading any of your other articles. By all means you can reference other articles that you have written within your conclusion.
Another myth that circulates the Internet is that you should load your article main body with keywords. This simply isn't true, like your title, if you include lots of keywords, the article will not flow properly and become a complete mess. I would personally try and limit your keywords within the main body to between three and five. More than this and your article blatantly becomes an advert.
By following these simple rules your articles should start to become popular on the internet, simply because they flow properly and are well structured. People will gain confidence in you as an expert in your field and will read more articles that you publish. As a writer, you should start writing and keep writing. Don't stop and don't loose confidence if one of your articles doesn't get the readership that your thought it might.
Writing is an art and it gets better the more you practice. So get practising.
Tim Redman is a successful Internet Marketer with experience of working from home and generating an income that sustains his lifestyle. He writes numerous articles on various topics around Internet marketing and search engine optimization. He currently writes article for http://www.ArticleMound.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Redman
Do Not Plagiarize Me
By Edward G. Matthews Jr.
Recently I have come across many articles with various titles and log lines that sound particularly similar to something that someone else or myself has written. Perhaps it's the old "I should have written that!" syndrome. so let's use our fancy education and write something that sounds like gibberish with a lot of big words run on phrases and sentences that clearly have no meaning or real pertinence to the discussion at hand. People, they have been read and they sound like over drafted big worded copies of someone else's original work. Get over yourselves.
You can't really stop them, but it is sad to see that someone can not think for themselves so they decide to make the list of how to do's, what to do's and not to do's and call it their own, basically copying what original work already existed. The expert of this and study of that does not do much for impression, except for the fact that you have a thesaurus sitting at your desk and slap a few words onto the computer screen to impress reader's. why not try something new. Find an interest, a hobby. Current events do not count, anyone can read the newspapers and watch CNN and blast away an article filled with big words and debate on a subject they think people will be interested in.
A good percentage of articles written are hearsay and outlandish vocabulary to pull the interest of readers. It seems that original work is very hard to come by. Take movies for example, how many times have you seen a movie recreated or duplicated in the same fashion. Maybe by a coincidence the same type of movie has been made that had a similar plot outline to another. Take for example the movie "The Last Starfighter" and the movie "Galaxy Quest" If you have seen them both you can possibly see the slight similarities in these two movies? However fifteen years apart, one holds true to in some aspects of life. The other is a slight comedy adventure. But I don't think the writers sat down and said "Hey let's write a Starfighter spoof." You could possibly call that over analysis. But either way it is similar.
Simple evaluation. Someone writes, you like it, you change the words and some of the content to satisfy your own inability to be original. If it falls in the same category as someone else's works it can usually be identified as a copy. It's not different than someone telling you they did something they didn't do. Which would still be a lie. It can be closely understood that there may actually be writer's out there with something to say, but we all sit down and read and listen to the ones who lead us on a never ending road of vocabularic articles designed to make you think of nothing but question marks.
Eliminate your list of why everyone else is stupid but you, like someone asking the reader's if they know what the stars on the American flag stand for or what the fifth amendment is. This only seeks to justify how much more of an intelligent you want to be compared to your reader's. It is very easy to read someone else's work and come up with new ideas to enhance what you think might be better to say. Be original, and write something that the rest of the reader's don't have to scan through to find what they see to be plagiarism.
Edward G. Matthews Jr.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Edward_G._Matthews_Jr.
Recently I have come across many articles with various titles and log lines that sound particularly similar to something that someone else or myself has written. Perhaps it's the old "I should have written that!" syndrome. so let's use our fancy education and write something that sounds like gibberish with a lot of big words run on phrases and sentences that clearly have no meaning or real pertinence to the discussion at hand. People, they have been read and they sound like over drafted big worded copies of someone else's original work. Get over yourselves.
You can't really stop them, but it is sad to see that someone can not think for themselves so they decide to make the list of how to do's, what to do's and not to do's and call it their own, basically copying what original work already existed. The expert of this and study of that does not do much for impression, except for the fact that you have a thesaurus sitting at your desk and slap a few words onto the computer screen to impress reader's. why not try something new. Find an interest, a hobby. Current events do not count, anyone can read the newspapers and watch CNN and blast away an article filled with big words and debate on a subject they think people will be interested in.
A good percentage of articles written are hearsay and outlandish vocabulary to pull the interest of readers. It seems that original work is very hard to come by. Take movies for example, how many times have you seen a movie recreated or duplicated in the same fashion. Maybe by a coincidence the same type of movie has been made that had a similar plot outline to another. Take for example the movie "The Last Starfighter" and the movie "Galaxy Quest" If you have seen them both you can possibly see the slight similarities in these two movies? However fifteen years apart, one holds true to in some aspects of life. The other is a slight comedy adventure. But I don't think the writers sat down and said "Hey let's write a Starfighter spoof." You could possibly call that over analysis. But either way it is similar.
Simple evaluation. Someone writes, you like it, you change the words and some of the content to satisfy your own inability to be original. If it falls in the same category as someone else's works it can usually be identified as a copy. It's not different than someone telling you they did something they didn't do. Which would still be a lie. It can be closely understood that there may actually be writer's out there with something to say, but we all sit down and read and listen to the ones who lead us on a never ending road of vocabularic articles designed to make you think of nothing but question marks.
Eliminate your list of why everyone else is stupid but you, like someone asking the reader's if they know what the stars on the American flag stand for or what the fifth amendment is. This only seeks to justify how much more of an intelligent you want to be compared to your reader's. It is very easy to read someone else's work and come up with new ideas to enhance what you think might be better to say. Be original, and write something that the rest of the reader's don't have to scan through to find what they see to be plagiarism.
Edward G. Matthews Jr.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Edward_G._Matthews_Jr.
Article Submission Software Explained
By Terry Glass
What is an Article Directory?
If you place a search term in any search engine for "Article Directory" you will see pages and pages of results. The question is to ask why are there so many?
The answer is that most Article Directories are monetized with advertisements that range from low paying keywords right to the best paying keywords. As you can imagine the owner of such a directory can make a reasonable return for their investment in monitoring and promoting their directory.
Article Directories rely on articles being submitted and approved to increase both the size of the site and the chances of an ever increasing return of income.
An article directory is a large data base of articles submitted by members that cover a vast range of topics. Those articles are then permitted to be reproduced by other website/blog owners as long as they follow copyright principals.
At an article directory you can type your search term topic and the directory database will return to you all relevant articles on that chosen topic.
How do Article Directories help you
When you submit your article to a directory you are asked for a category. Choose the right category and submit your article.
With your article most directories allow one html link highlighting one keyword in the body of your article. This is called anchor text and is written like this, <a href="url" _fcksavedurl="url">Text to be displayed and the correct method to use.
Check the directory first as some do not allow html links in the body of the article. If not then usually there is an Author Biography area that will allow html links. This is where you place your anchor text and to make sure if someone uses your article have an open url reference such as http://www.mysite.com etc.
Now your articles are linking to your site both using keywords and your actual url. This is link building and a system used to drive traffic to your site. The beauty of this is that the traffic has already been targeted as they have read your article and want more information from you, hence they have clicked on one of your links.
Duplicate Content Issue
When using Article Submission software you will be submitting the article to many article directories. This will create duplicate content. Now duplicate content means that it will not be indexed as only one article on the topic can be listed in a search engine.
Your article should, because of duplicate content, never be reproduced on your own website/blog pages as that is clearly duplicate content.
A rule of thumb is the article with the best and appropriate links will be number one in a search engine. If you have an article on your site and an article directory has more links to your article then your site will be a duplicate and thus penalised.
The way to avoid this is to either re-write the article or write a totally new article that has no duplication in any form of your own website/blog pages.
Article Submission Software
Article submission software consists of several tabs within the program. One tab is about the author, the other tabs are your article/s, the website article directories and the submit tab.
At each tab you complete the information such as name, address and email for confirmation and notification from the article directory. The article tab allows you to edit your article in case you need to take out html comments in the body of the article or add such html comments.
The software tab for article directories contains all of the directories you want to submit to. Select all or select only those directories you want your submission to go to.
Start the submission process. As each article directory is processed you will see the page inside the software, just like your browser. All details can be seen there, such as logging in, opening a new account, select the right category and article submission confirmation.
When done the next article directory is opened and the process continues.
As you can imagine with everything set-up this process takes only a few minutes. Imagine how long it would take to manually perform this task.
Article submission best practice
We have covered What is An Article Directory - How Do Article Directories Help You - Duplicate Content Issues and the software itself.
Best practice to submit articles is choosing the right article directory. No use having your pet article on a search engine optimization article directory as no one will be interested.
Articles should be submitted to directories that are appropriate for your article content. This is where some article directory submission websites sometimes submit your articles to inappropriate directories and might create some problems for your article.
When taking into consideration article directories choose those with a high page rank and a good Alexa traffic rank. You can find these using the Google page rank toolbar and the Alexa ranking toolbar.
Now having your articles on high page rank article directories will add quite some weight to your links directed at your site. Not only that but you will generate a lot of traffic to your site.
It must be stressed that you must make your articles unique, no copying other articles, make them your own content and compile articles you are proud for others to read.
By following these simple steps you will build traffic to your pages from interested targeted readers. Your site will have a sound link building program in place and as such you will see an increase in your sites search engine positioning.
When producing content it is always a good practice to submit your articles to as many directories as possible. This way your article will attract more attention. I use and endorse the product at http://www.psychic-aus.com/map/map.html that is a full working version.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Terry_Glass
What is an Article Directory?
If you place a search term in any search engine for "Article Directory" you will see pages and pages of results. The question is to ask why are there so many?
The answer is that most Article Directories are monetized with advertisements that range from low paying keywords right to the best paying keywords. As you can imagine the owner of such a directory can make a reasonable return for their investment in monitoring and promoting their directory.
Article Directories rely on articles being submitted and approved to increase both the size of the site and the chances of an ever increasing return of income.
An article directory is a large data base of articles submitted by members that cover a vast range of topics. Those articles are then permitted to be reproduced by other website/blog owners as long as they follow copyright principals.
At an article directory you can type your search term topic and the directory database will return to you all relevant articles on that chosen topic.
How do Article Directories help you
When you submit your article to a directory you are asked for a category. Choose the right category and submit your article.
With your article most directories allow one html link highlighting one keyword in the body of your article. This is called anchor text and is written like this, <a href="url" _fcksavedurl="url">Text to be displayed and the correct method to use.
Check the directory first as some do not allow html links in the body of the article. If not then usually there is an Author Biography area that will allow html links. This is where you place your anchor text and to make sure if someone uses your article have an open url reference such as http://www.mysite.com etc.
Now your articles are linking to your site both using keywords and your actual url. This is link building and a system used to drive traffic to your site. The beauty of this is that the traffic has already been targeted as they have read your article and want more information from you, hence they have clicked on one of your links.
Duplicate Content Issue
When using Article Submission software you will be submitting the article to many article directories. This will create duplicate content. Now duplicate content means that it will not be indexed as only one article on the topic can be listed in a search engine.
Your article should, because of duplicate content, never be reproduced on your own website/blog pages as that is clearly duplicate content.
A rule of thumb is the article with the best and appropriate links will be number one in a search engine. If you have an article on your site and an article directory has more links to your article then your site will be a duplicate and thus penalised.
The way to avoid this is to either re-write the article or write a totally new article that has no duplication in any form of your own website/blog pages.
Article Submission Software
Article submission software consists of several tabs within the program. One tab is about the author, the other tabs are your article/s, the website article directories and the submit tab.
At each tab you complete the information such as name, address and email for confirmation and notification from the article directory. The article tab allows you to edit your article in case you need to take out html comments in the body of the article or add such html comments.
The software tab for article directories contains all of the directories you want to submit to. Select all or select only those directories you want your submission to go to.
Start the submission process. As each article directory is processed you will see the page inside the software, just like your browser. All details can be seen there, such as logging in, opening a new account, select the right category and article submission confirmation.
When done the next article directory is opened and the process continues.
As you can imagine with everything set-up this process takes only a few minutes. Imagine how long it would take to manually perform this task.
Article submission best practice
We have covered What is An Article Directory - How Do Article Directories Help You - Duplicate Content Issues and the software itself.
Best practice to submit articles is choosing the right article directory. No use having your pet article on a search engine optimization article directory as no one will be interested.
Articles should be submitted to directories that are appropriate for your article content. This is where some article directory submission websites sometimes submit your articles to inappropriate directories and might create some problems for your article.
When taking into consideration article directories choose those with a high page rank and a good Alexa traffic rank. You can find these using the Google page rank toolbar and the Alexa ranking toolbar.
Now having your articles on high page rank article directories will add quite some weight to your links directed at your site. Not only that but you will generate a lot of traffic to your site.
It must be stressed that you must make your articles unique, no copying other articles, make them your own content and compile articles you are proud for others to read.
By following these simple steps you will build traffic to your pages from interested targeted readers. Your site will have a sound link building program in place and as such you will see an increase in your sites search engine positioning.
When producing content it is always a good practice to submit your articles to as many directories as possible. This way your article will attract more attention. I use and endorse the product at http://www.psychic-aus.com/map/map.html that is a full working version.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Terry_Glass
Take Your Writing Career Into Your Own Hands
By Hope Wilbanks
Last year I invested months of my time in hours to freelance job sites, in an effort to boost my income. After becoming burned out and disillusioned by some of these websites, I realized that the only way to land any jobs or make any money was if I would offer my services at much less than minimum wage. I wasn't about to do that, so I moved on and counted my losses as experience and lesson learned.
The thing that bothers me most is that I see many freelance writers promoting some of these websites. Now, if these freelancers got their foot in the door early in the game (years ago) and were able to build a nice portfolio of jobs completed, I can see how it would be easier for them to land more, or better paying jobs. But if you're starting out low man on the totem pole, just about the only way to land any jobs is to practically give yourself away for free.
Big Problem
slave labor freelance writer: A writer who works very hard (most of the time long hours) at the keyboard writing content only to be paid less than $5 for long articles (sometimes even as little as $1 or $3 per article).
I have to tell you that as a freelance writer, this truly bothers me. And I'm not the only one it bothers. I suppose it bothers me so much because I've been in those shoes. I know what it feels like to think your new business as a professionally paid writer will never take off. I know how it feels to want work so bad you can taste it. But is it really worth it to take these meaningless jobs that literally pay you nothing, just so you can say you're a working writer?
Don't Waste Your Time
I wish I would have kept up with how many jobs I responded to. Unfortunately I didn't. I will tell you that it was a lot. I emailed my professional resume, writing samples, and payment suggestions or bids to countless job postings. I would say out of every 100 I responded to I received one reply. 100 to 1. That's not very promising. Especially when I think about the time I put into crafting emails, creating a professional writing resume, and samples. Of the very few responses I received, I never landed a single job. More time wasted that should have been spent otherwise.
Am I bashing all these places? Absolutely not. What I am trying to do is give you a real picture of my experiences with them. I'm sure there are other freelance writers out there who could post in the comments here and tell me about their success stories. But I'd challenge them to also share what kind of rates they receive. It would surprise me if they met minimum wage.
DIY Solutions
Rather than dish out your hard-earned money to bidding sites, or spend endless hours replying to jobs that may or may not pan out, take your freelance writing career into your own hands.
Instead of using popular job sites to try to find writing work, get proactive and start digging around and finding writing gigs on your own. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
* Google for writer's guidelines. Conduct a simple search using Google or your favorite search engine. Type in "writer's guidelines%2BYOUR NICHE HERE" (without the quotation marks). You'll get a nice return on quite a few websites. Read through the guidelines, then send a query or full article (depending on what the guidelines state).
* Grab a current copy of Writer's Market. Even if you can't afford the latest edition, you should be able to pick up a 2007 edition at a reasonable price. You'll find a ton of resources inside this book, one of which is a huge database of paying markets.
* Study and learn from the best. In addition to seeking paid writing jobs, it would be wise of you to study and learn from some of the higher paid writers today. Ask them for an interview. Pick their brain and find out how they got their start. Read their websites, blogs, books, and whatever else they make available. Learn from them, then begin to apply what you learn to your own writing career.
* Network online. Nestle yourself into a few forums online. Don't offer your services immediately. Instead, start posting so that you will become known by others. Offer free advice, meaty articles, and astute answers to questions. As you become more well-known, you will find that opportunities will begin to present themselves.
* Start an article marketing campaign to promote your website and/or services. You'll hear other experienced writers tell you, "Don't write for free!" But I'm of the opinion that sometimes you need to give a little to get a little. Article marketing is something that you can control. Start by writing ten articles within your niche, or the niche you'd like to write for, and submit them to Ezine Articles or Article Aces. Slowly begin building on these articles by adding more every week. Be sure to write a compelling bio at the end of each article, with a link back to your website or special offer. These "free" articles will help attract targeted visitors who are seriously interested in hiring a writer.
* Get a website. This is one of those tips I see often, but it bears enough weight to be stated yet again. If you don't have a professional website, it is imperative you get one immediately. A website is your point of contact with the online world. At the very least, you should have a small website that contains a list of the writing services you offer, as well as the topics you write about and even a few sample articles for potential clients. As you grow, your website should develop as well, including things like your writing resume, published clips, clients you've served, etc.
* Start a blog. If you aren't already blogging, you should seriously consider doing so in the near future. Blogging shows potential clients your writing style and voice. Even better, it's a platform through which you can build a loyal audience of readers, which will generate even more leads in the future. Be sure to include a page with writing services you offer and contact information. A word of caution: Don't start a blog if you can't commit time and energy to it. Blogging requires a few hours of your time every week. It's better to post a new article or two to your website once a month, than to start a blog that you don't post to for weeks.
It is also important to note that you must have a plan. If you are flying by the seat of your pants, it will be challenging to build a solid writing career. Draft an informal business plan for your writing career. Create solid goals for 5- 10- and 15 years from now. You might also find that having a weekly and monthly goal plan can greatly reduce wasted time, too.
What will you do to take your writing career into your own hands this year?
You can read more terrific writing advice and tips from Hope at http://www.hopewrites.com Don't forget to sign up for the free Hope Writes newsletter while you're there: http://www.hopewrites.com/free-newsletter/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hope_Wilbanks
Last year I invested months of my time in hours to freelance job sites, in an effort to boost my income. After becoming burned out and disillusioned by some of these websites, I realized that the only way to land any jobs or make any money was if I would offer my services at much less than minimum wage. I wasn't about to do that, so I moved on and counted my losses as experience and lesson learned.
The thing that bothers me most is that I see many freelance writers promoting some of these websites. Now, if these freelancers got their foot in the door early in the game (years ago) and were able to build a nice portfolio of jobs completed, I can see how it would be easier for them to land more, or better paying jobs. But if you're starting out low man on the totem pole, just about the only way to land any jobs is to practically give yourself away for free.
Big Problem
slave labor freelance writer: A writer who works very hard (most of the time long hours) at the keyboard writing content only to be paid less than $5 for long articles (sometimes even as little as $1 or $3 per article).
I have to tell you that as a freelance writer, this truly bothers me. And I'm not the only one it bothers. I suppose it bothers me so much because I've been in those shoes. I know what it feels like to think your new business as a professionally paid writer will never take off. I know how it feels to want work so bad you can taste it. But is it really worth it to take these meaningless jobs that literally pay you nothing, just so you can say you're a working writer?
Don't Waste Your Time
I wish I would have kept up with how many jobs I responded to. Unfortunately I didn't. I will tell you that it was a lot. I emailed my professional resume, writing samples, and payment suggestions or bids to countless job postings. I would say out of every 100 I responded to I received one reply. 100 to 1. That's not very promising. Especially when I think about the time I put into crafting emails, creating a professional writing resume, and samples. Of the very few responses I received, I never landed a single job. More time wasted that should have been spent otherwise.
Am I bashing all these places? Absolutely not. What I am trying to do is give you a real picture of my experiences with them. I'm sure there are other freelance writers out there who could post in the comments here and tell me about their success stories. But I'd challenge them to also share what kind of rates they receive. It would surprise me if they met minimum wage.
DIY Solutions
Rather than dish out your hard-earned money to bidding sites, or spend endless hours replying to jobs that may or may not pan out, take your freelance writing career into your own hands.
Instead of using popular job sites to try to find writing work, get proactive and start digging around and finding writing gigs on your own. Here are a few tips to help you get started:
* Google for writer's guidelines. Conduct a simple search using Google or your favorite search engine. Type in "writer's guidelines%2BYOUR NICHE HERE" (without the quotation marks). You'll get a nice return on quite a few websites. Read through the guidelines, then send a query or full article (depending on what the guidelines state).
* Grab a current copy of Writer's Market. Even if you can't afford the latest edition, you should be able to pick up a 2007 edition at a reasonable price. You'll find a ton of resources inside this book, one of which is a huge database of paying markets.
* Study and learn from the best. In addition to seeking paid writing jobs, it would be wise of you to study and learn from some of the higher paid writers today. Ask them for an interview. Pick their brain and find out how they got their start. Read their websites, blogs, books, and whatever else they make available. Learn from them, then begin to apply what you learn to your own writing career.
* Network online. Nestle yourself into a few forums online. Don't offer your services immediately. Instead, start posting so that you will become known by others. Offer free advice, meaty articles, and astute answers to questions. As you become more well-known, you will find that opportunities will begin to present themselves.
* Start an article marketing campaign to promote your website and/or services. You'll hear other experienced writers tell you, "Don't write for free!" But I'm of the opinion that sometimes you need to give a little to get a little. Article marketing is something that you can control. Start by writing ten articles within your niche, or the niche you'd like to write for, and submit them to Ezine Articles or Article Aces. Slowly begin building on these articles by adding more every week. Be sure to write a compelling bio at the end of each article, with a link back to your website or special offer. These "free" articles will help attract targeted visitors who are seriously interested in hiring a writer.
* Get a website. This is one of those tips I see often, but it bears enough weight to be stated yet again. If you don't have a professional website, it is imperative you get one immediately. A website is your point of contact with the online world. At the very least, you should have a small website that contains a list of the writing services you offer, as well as the topics you write about and even a few sample articles for potential clients. As you grow, your website should develop as well, including things like your writing resume, published clips, clients you've served, etc.
* Start a blog. If you aren't already blogging, you should seriously consider doing so in the near future. Blogging shows potential clients your writing style and voice. Even better, it's a platform through which you can build a loyal audience of readers, which will generate even more leads in the future. Be sure to include a page with writing services you offer and contact information. A word of caution: Don't start a blog if you can't commit time and energy to it. Blogging requires a few hours of your time every week. It's better to post a new article or two to your website once a month, than to start a blog that you don't post to for weeks.
It is also important to note that you must have a plan. If you are flying by the seat of your pants, it will be challenging to build a solid writing career. Draft an informal business plan for your writing career. Create solid goals for 5- 10- and 15 years from now. You might also find that having a weekly and monthly goal plan can greatly reduce wasted time, too.
What will you do to take your writing career into your own hands this year?
You can read more terrific writing advice and tips from Hope at http://www.hopewrites.com Don't forget to sign up for the free Hope Writes newsletter while you're there: http://www.hopewrites.com/free-newsletter/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hope_Wilbanks
The Secret of Making Old Stories New Again for Blockbuster Novels and Films
By Jurgen Wolff
If your script or novel has a familiar theme, how do you turn it into something fresh and original?
One solution is to brainstorm how you could use unusual characters, settings, or situations to give the story a new context.
Let's look at the classic film, "E.T." The theme of the film is love and friendship: a little boy befriends an endangered, stranded alien and risks danger to help the alien get home again. It was one of the most successful films of modern times.
The thematic elements could all have been done in a much more conventional way-for instance, the boy could have befriended another kid, maybe a foreigner, who moves into the neighborhood. For the danger element, maybe this boy's father could be trying to kidnap him to take him away from the mother, who gained sole custody.
That could have been an excellent film, but would it have had the same success? Probably not.
The ways you can refresh a familiar story include:
• Change the gender of the protagonist. It was casting a woman as the protagonist in the "Aliens" films that helped make them successful;
• Change the setting. Again, "Aliens" has been called a haunted house story-but with a spaceship as the haunted house.
• Change the expected behavior of the main character. In "Silence of the Lambs," what makes Hannibal Lector so scarily fascinating is that he's a monster, but acts like a cultured intellectual.
• Give your story echoes of current events that will resonate with viewers and readers. One master of this technique was Rod Serling, with the old "Twilight Zone." They used sci-fi metaphors for many important themes such as racism, the pressure to conform, and the concept of beauty and ugliness.
Over the ages, themes such as unrequited love, coming of age, and overcoming the fear of the unknown have maintained their resonance; what changes is how they are expressed. If you can dress up traditional themes in a new way, you are on your way to success as a writer.
Your writing coach Jurgen Wolff shows you how to achieve writing success in his new book, YOUR WRITING COACH (published by Nicholas Brealey Publishing), available now from barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com and bookstores (find more information at http://www.yourwritingcoach.com). He has written more than 100 episodes of television, six non-fiction books, short stories, articles, and plays. He is also an international creativity and writing teacher coach. More tips and techniques are available at his website: http://www.timetowrite.com, where you can also sign up for his free monthly Brainstorm e-bulletin. Also see his blog at http://www.timetowrite.blogs.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jurgen_Wolff
If your script or novel has a familiar theme, how do you turn it into something fresh and original?
One solution is to brainstorm how you could use unusual characters, settings, or situations to give the story a new context.
Let's look at the classic film, "E.T." The theme of the film is love and friendship: a little boy befriends an endangered, stranded alien and risks danger to help the alien get home again. It was one of the most successful films of modern times.
The thematic elements could all have been done in a much more conventional way-for instance, the boy could have befriended another kid, maybe a foreigner, who moves into the neighborhood. For the danger element, maybe this boy's father could be trying to kidnap him to take him away from the mother, who gained sole custody.
That could have been an excellent film, but would it have had the same success? Probably not.
The ways you can refresh a familiar story include:
• Change the gender of the protagonist. It was casting a woman as the protagonist in the "Aliens" films that helped make them successful;
• Change the setting. Again, "Aliens" has been called a haunted house story-but with a spaceship as the haunted house.
• Change the expected behavior of the main character. In "Silence of the Lambs," what makes Hannibal Lector so scarily fascinating is that he's a monster, but acts like a cultured intellectual.
• Give your story echoes of current events that will resonate with viewers and readers. One master of this technique was Rod Serling, with the old "Twilight Zone." They used sci-fi metaphors for many important themes such as racism, the pressure to conform, and the concept of beauty and ugliness.
Over the ages, themes such as unrequited love, coming of age, and overcoming the fear of the unknown have maintained their resonance; what changes is how they are expressed. If you can dress up traditional themes in a new way, you are on your way to success as a writer.
Your writing coach Jurgen Wolff shows you how to achieve writing success in his new book, YOUR WRITING COACH (published by Nicholas Brealey Publishing), available now from barnesandnoble.com and amazon.com and bookstores (find more information at http://www.yourwritingcoach.com). He has written more than 100 episodes of television, six non-fiction books, short stories, articles, and plays. He is also an international creativity and writing teacher coach. More tips and techniques are available at his website: http://www.timetowrite.com, where you can also sign up for his free monthly Brainstorm e-bulletin. Also see his blog at http://www.timetowrite.blogs.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jurgen_Wolff
Are You A Writer? Do You Work From Home? Have You Tried Writer's Groups And Writer's Forums?
By Michelle L Devon
Writing is a solitary job. While you may have to deal with editors, publishers, publications and the like, most of this communication is short, electronic (email, etc.), or brief phone calls and then you spend hours doing research, writing and editing, mostly alone.
Since many writers work from their home either full time or part time, or else are on the road to do reporting, there's not a lot of connection with other professionals in their field like many other careers do. Because of this, it's time consuming and difficult to stay abreast of developments in writing, the changing landscape of the literary and freelancing world, or just to be able to discuss issues pertinent to writers.
That's where networking comes into the picture for writers. Networking for a writer is essential to both sanity and career. In any field, you want to stay abreast of the competition's moves. You also want to stay in touch with other people who understand what the freelance writing life is like, share, compare and vent.
There are several ways to do this.
The first way is to read articles written by other writers about writing. There are some publications geared specifically for writers about writing, and these publications will give you hints and tips, hot topics in the industry, current issues pertaining to writing and writers, and also information about where to go for more information and collaboration.
The second way is to join a writing group, particularly a local one where you can meet once a week or once a month with other writers in your local area. These are often held at big chain bookstores, the local library, or perhaps a local coffee shop. Check with any big chain bookstores or call your library to see if they know of any groups like this. Not one in your area? Why not start one?
If in person meetings are not your cup of tea, consider online groups or writers' forums. These groups use various methods for networking and collaborating with other writers from all over the world. Some are email based groups, while some are online/web-based groups, while others offer both options. Google groups and Yahoo! groups have search features to let you narrow down the type of group or main topics of interest, such as freelancing, fiction writing, novel writing, etc.
Online writing forums are another way to go for networking and connecting with other writers. Forums offer a great way to connect, and the advantage to a forum over email groups is that forums can have many different forum topics in their own threads, consolidated on one webpage, for easy and quick access to many different topics.
Most of these groups and forums are free online, though some do charge a fee. Those that are free are often supported by advertising. Some of the in-person meetings or groups may be associations or require membership that also charges a fee. It's up to you to determine if the group provides enough value to pay a fee, or if searching for a free group or writing forum is more to your needs.
Writing doesn't have to be a solitary undertaking if you can find the right writing group or writing forum for your needs. If you're looking to network and connect with other writers or are trying to break into writing as a career, these writing groups and writing forums can make a huge difference in your success and how quickly you achieve writing success.
Michelle L Devon is a professional writer and professional freelance editor, providing editing and writing services through her company, Accentuate Services. For more information and additional hints and tips about writing and grammar, and to network and connect with other writers, please visit her FREE writer's forum at www.writersforum.info.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_L_Devon
Writing is a solitary job. While you may have to deal with editors, publishers, publications and the like, most of this communication is short, electronic (email, etc.), or brief phone calls and then you spend hours doing research, writing and editing, mostly alone.
Since many writers work from their home either full time or part time, or else are on the road to do reporting, there's not a lot of connection with other professionals in their field like many other careers do. Because of this, it's time consuming and difficult to stay abreast of developments in writing, the changing landscape of the literary and freelancing world, or just to be able to discuss issues pertinent to writers.
That's where networking comes into the picture for writers. Networking for a writer is essential to both sanity and career. In any field, you want to stay abreast of the competition's moves. You also want to stay in touch with other people who understand what the freelance writing life is like, share, compare and vent.
There are several ways to do this.
The first way is to read articles written by other writers about writing. There are some publications geared specifically for writers about writing, and these publications will give you hints and tips, hot topics in the industry, current issues pertaining to writing and writers, and also information about where to go for more information and collaboration.
The second way is to join a writing group, particularly a local one where you can meet once a week or once a month with other writers in your local area. These are often held at big chain bookstores, the local library, or perhaps a local coffee shop. Check with any big chain bookstores or call your library to see if they know of any groups like this. Not one in your area? Why not start one?
If in person meetings are not your cup of tea, consider online groups or writers' forums. These groups use various methods for networking and collaborating with other writers from all over the world. Some are email based groups, while some are online/web-based groups, while others offer both options. Google groups and Yahoo! groups have search features to let you narrow down the type of group or main topics of interest, such as freelancing, fiction writing, novel writing, etc.
Online writing forums are another way to go for networking and connecting with other writers. Forums offer a great way to connect, and the advantage to a forum over email groups is that forums can have many different forum topics in their own threads, consolidated on one webpage, for easy and quick access to many different topics.
Most of these groups and forums are free online, though some do charge a fee. Those that are free are often supported by advertising. Some of the in-person meetings or groups may be associations or require membership that also charges a fee. It's up to you to determine if the group provides enough value to pay a fee, or if searching for a free group or writing forum is more to your needs.
Writing doesn't have to be a solitary undertaking if you can find the right writing group or writing forum for your needs. If you're looking to network and connect with other writers or are trying to break into writing as a career, these writing groups and writing forums can make a huge difference in your success and how quickly you achieve writing success.
Michelle L Devon is a professional writer and professional freelance editor, providing editing and writing services through her company, Accentuate Services. For more information and additional hints and tips about writing and grammar, and to network and connect with other writers, please visit her FREE writer's forum at www.writersforum.info.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_L_Devon
Excellence in Writing
By Jason Pearson
No matter what you use the internet for, most aspects of it include writing. It may be a letter, a blog, an advertisement, a website or many other opportunities. Often these may be used to earn money so you want your writing to show excellence. Ads or websites with misspellings may chase away a potential customer. The lack of quality in your writing may turn someone off when they see it as sloppiness and not a high quality web site.
Today we have more help at our fingertips than in the past. For example, spell check is invaluable in saving you time to find misspellings. However it is not infallible. It will not correct the wrong use of a word or the wrong grammar used. It will not help you with using the appropriate punctuation. Especially when typing, our fingers fly on the keyboard and we often may make mistakes like 'you' instead of 'your' or 'an' instead of 'and'. Sometimes we mix letters up that still make legitimate words that spell check won't catch. One example is 'form' instead of 'from'.
Grammar is another area where spell check doesn't always help. Using what sounds right isn't always the best option either. Punctuation is also not usually helped by spell check either. So learning good writing is necessary when using the internet.
The best thing to do to catch misspellings after doing the spell check is to reread your work. You often will catch the missing or mixed letters or missing words. Don't submit anything without rereading and rewriting.
Grammar is where you need to know some rules. Quite often, what sounds correct will work, but not always. You need to know how to make sure the subject and verb agree in their tenses. If this is new to you, you will need to get additional help with a good reference from online or a book.
Punctuation is another area that is hard for many people. More often than not, punctuation like commas are used too often. So it is safer to avoid using them unless it helps to make the sentence clearer.
The best thing to do to make high quality writing is to reread when you are through writing. This will catch most if not all of your errors. Put yourself in the seat of the reader and see if the article makes sense. A good idea is to wait awhile before rereading. This will help you think clearer and may also help you to think of more descriptive words to use to add emotion to your writing.
Take pride in your writing when you use these suggestions that provide you with excellence in writing. It will make a difference.
Jason Pearson is an online marketing expert who wants to share his secrets with the world. To find out more...
Click Here To Discover More About Jason Pearson
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Pearson
No matter what you use the internet for, most aspects of it include writing. It may be a letter, a blog, an advertisement, a website or many other opportunities. Often these may be used to earn money so you want your writing to show excellence. Ads or websites with misspellings may chase away a potential customer. The lack of quality in your writing may turn someone off when they see it as sloppiness and not a high quality web site.
Today we have more help at our fingertips than in the past. For example, spell check is invaluable in saving you time to find misspellings. However it is not infallible. It will not correct the wrong use of a word or the wrong grammar used. It will not help you with using the appropriate punctuation. Especially when typing, our fingers fly on the keyboard and we often may make mistakes like 'you' instead of 'your' or 'an' instead of 'and'. Sometimes we mix letters up that still make legitimate words that spell check won't catch. One example is 'form' instead of 'from'.
Grammar is another area where spell check doesn't always help. Using what sounds right isn't always the best option either. Punctuation is also not usually helped by spell check either. So learning good writing is necessary when using the internet.
The best thing to do to catch misspellings after doing the spell check is to reread your work. You often will catch the missing or mixed letters or missing words. Don't submit anything without rereading and rewriting.
Grammar is where you need to know some rules. Quite often, what sounds correct will work, but not always. You need to know how to make sure the subject and verb agree in their tenses. If this is new to you, you will need to get additional help with a good reference from online or a book.
Punctuation is another area that is hard for many people. More often than not, punctuation like commas are used too often. So it is safer to avoid using them unless it helps to make the sentence clearer.
The best thing to do to make high quality writing is to reread when you are through writing. This will catch most if not all of your errors. Put yourself in the seat of the reader and see if the article makes sense. A good idea is to wait awhile before rereading. This will help you think clearer and may also help you to think of more descriptive words to use to add emotion to your writing.
Take pride in your writing when you use these suggestions that provide you with excellence in writing. It will make a difference.
Jason Pearson is an online marketing expert who wants to share his secrets with the world. To find out more...
Click Here To Discover More About Jason Pearson
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jason_Pearson
Writing Tip - First Things First
By Steve Osborne
There is a good reason to be careful about the order in which you throw messages at your readers - even when no chronological significance exists. It is the reason why newspaper and business writers typically cram everything they really need to communicate into the first few sentences of their written pieces.
The rationale is simple: Most readers don't have much time; and even when they do, they don't have much patience. So when you're writing to a busy readership and you have to put certain messages across, it's best to assume you have five to 10 seconds of the readers' time before they move on. (Anything more is frosting on the cake.) So lead with what's most important!
Let's say you're writing an e-mail to all the members of the management staff in your company. The various messages (pieces of information) to be included are as follows:
1. A meeting has been scheduled for all members of the management staff.
2. Coffee and breakfast rolls will be served.
3. If time permits, we will discuss options for the company's summer party.
4. Anyone who can't come should let the director of marketing know by Thursday morning.
5. Everyone should bring ideas for product improvements.
6. The meeting will be held in the executive boardroom.
7. It will take place next Monday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
If you simply wrote out the preceding messages in the order they are listed, you would qualify for the Bonehead of the Month award. Readers who fail to wade through the entire e-mail because they are interrupted or bored to distraction will have only a vague idea about some future meeting that has something to do with breakfast rolls and the summer party.
How would you order the messages, putting first things first? If your reordered sequence runs as follows, you win the gold star:
1. A meeting has been scheduled for all members of the management staff.
2. It will take place next Monday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
3. It will be held in the executive boardroom.
4. Everyone should bring ideas for product improvements to the meeting.
5. Anyone who can't come should let the director of marketing know by Thursday morning.
6. Coffee and breakfast rolls will be served.
7. If time permits, we will discuss options for the company's summer party.
The reordered list places the messages in descending order of importance - first things first. Even those readers who run off to the water cooler before reading the last three points will have the essentials. The finished e-mail might look something like this:
A meeting has been scheduled for all members of the management staff next Monday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the executive boardroom. Bring your ideas for product improvements. If you can't come, please let the director of marketing know by Thursday morning. Coffee and breakfast rolls will be served. If time permits, we will discuss options for the company's summer party.
Steve Osborne is author of "Writing Tips for the Real World," a blog at http://www.thewritersbag.com He is an award-winning freelance writer and writing instructor. His blog teaches writing tips, techniques and strategies designed to help people from all walks of life turn the written word into a powerful success tool in their careers and personal lives.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Osborne
There is a good reason to be careful about the order in which you throw messages at your readers - even when no chronological significance exists. It is the reason why newspaper and business writers typically cram everything they really need to communicate into the first few sentences of their written pieces.
The rationale is simple: Most readers don't have much time; and even when they do, they don't have much patience. So when you're writing to a busy readership and you have to put certain messages across, it's best to assume you have five to 10 seconds of the readers' time before they move on. (Anything more is frosting on the cake.) So lead with what's most important!
Let's say you're writing an e-mail to all the members of the management staff in your company. The various messages (pieces of information) to be included are as follows:
1. A meeting has been scheduled for all members of the management staff.
2. Coffee and breakfast rolls will be served.
3. If time permits, we will discuss options for the company's summer party.
4. Anyone who can't come should let the director of marketing know by Thursday morning.
5. Everyone should bring ideas for product improvements.
6. The meeting will be held in the executive boardroom.
7. It will take place next Monday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
If you simply wrote out the preceding messages in the order they are listed, you would qualify for the Bonehead of the Month award. Readers who fail to wade through the entire e-mail because they are interrupted or bored to distraction will have only a vague idea about some future meeting that has something to do with breakfast rolls and the summer party.
How would you order the messages, putting first things first? If your reordered sequence runs as follows, you win the gold star:
1. A meeting has been scheduled for all members of the management staff.
2. It will take place next Monday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
3. It will be held in the executive boardroom.
4. Everyone should bring ideas for product improvements to the meeting.
5. Anyone who can't come should let the director of marketing know by Thursday morning.
6. Coffee and breakfast rolls will be served.
7. If time permits, we will discuss options for the company's summer party.
The reordered list places the messages in descending order of importance - first things first. Even those readers who run off to the water cooler before reading the last three points will have the essentials. The finished e-mail might look something like this:
A meeting has been scheduled for all members of the management staff next Monday from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the executive boardroom. Bring your ideas for product improvements. If you can't come, please let the director of marketing know by Thursday morning. Coffee and breakfast rolls will be served. If time permits, we will discuss options for the company's summer party.
Steve Osborne is author of "Writing Tips for the Real World," a blog at http://www.thewritersbag.com He is an award-winning freelance writer and writing instructor. His blog teaches writing tips, techniques and strategies designed to help people from all walks of life turn the written word into a powerful success tool in their careers and personal lives.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_Osborne
3 Simple Shortcuts To Writing A Book
By Bob Burnham
Shortcuts often have a bad connotation. They get you lost for one and they have the implication that you are cheating or not doing the full job. Baloney! When you are writing a book, shortcuts can mean the difference between publication tomorrow or publication next year. I vote for tomorrow, how about you?
Take a look at these three 'legitimate' shortcuts.
Shortcut #1.
Have you ever written anything else on the topic you are about to write on? Articles? Reports? Blog posts? If the answer is yes, grab that material. You can create a book from material you have already written. Not enough material for a 100 or 200 page book? You can still use it and supplement it with content you write or better yet, have someone else contribute to the book and fill in the gaps. A book written by you and contributed to by another expert in your field can hold significant weight in your industry and will still have all of the power to create a fantastic income.
Shortcut #2 - Hire a ghostwriter.
Seriously. There are really good writers out there that will not charge you $100/page. Before you hire a ghostwriter it is important to decide how you want to work with them. Do you want them to do the research and outline the book in addition to writing it or will you do the research and outline and simply have them fill in the content? Will you record your thoughts and have the writer transcribe them and polish them into a book?
Once you know how you want to approach your book project, you are ready to find your ghostwriter. You can post your project on Craigslist, check with your local chamber of commerce to see if there are any writers registered, and take advantage of the numerous freelance websites available online like Elance. These sites enable you to post your project and have qualified writers bid on it.
Shortcut #3 - Interview people.
No time to write? Schedule interviews with people who have something valuable to share on your topic and record the interviews. Of course, tell your interviewees the purpose of their interview and get their permission. You can then take the recorded interviews, send them to a transcriptionist and then either hire a writer/editor to smooth the content into book form or leave them as is (making sure all typos and grammar mistakes are corrected). You will probably want to add an introduction, conclusion and maybe some resource material at the end of the book to add value and continuity but that does not take long and you can hire that work out too.
So you see, writing a book does not have to be overwhelming. You do not even have to 'write' it. Regardless of how your book is created, you will see tremendous benefits from getting it published and making it available to prospects and customers. Writing a book will change your life.
For Your Free MP3 (Value $97.00)
How To Make A 6 Figure Income Writing & Publishing Your Own Book
Go To: Publish A Book
Bob Burnham
Entrepreneur, Consultant and # 1 Amazon Best Selling Author of "101 Reasons Why You Must Write A Book"
For Information on How to Write and Publish your Own Book go to Expert Author- http://www.expertauthorpublishing.com
Read More On: Writing A Book
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Burnham
Shortcuts often have a bad connotation. They get you lost for one and they have the implication that you are cheating or not doing the full job. Baloney! When you are writing a book, shortcuts can mean the difference between publication tomorrow or publication next year. I vote for tomorrow, how about you?
Take a look at these three 'legitimate' shortcuts.
Shortcut #1.
Have you ever written anything else on the topic you are about to write on? Articles? Reports? Blog posts? If the answer is yes, grab that material. You can create a book from material you have already written. Not enough material for a 100 or 200 page book? You can still use it and supplement it with content you write or better yet, have someone else contribute to the book and fill in the gaps. A book written by you and contributed to by another expert in your field can hold significant weight in your industry and will still have all of the power to create a fantastic income.
Shortcut #2 - Hire a ghostwriter.
Seriously. There are really good writers out there that will not charge you $100/page. Before you hire a ghostwriter it is important to decide how you want to work with them. Do you want them to do the research and outline the book in addition to writing it or will you do the research and outline and simply have them fill in the content? Will you record your thoughts and have the writer transcribe them and polish them into a book?
Once you know how you want to approach your book project, you are ready to find your ghostwriter. You can post your project on Craigslist, check with your local chamber of commerce to see if there are any writers registered, and take advantage of the numerous freelance websites available online like Elance. These sites enable you to post your project and have qualified writers bid on it.
Shortcut #3 - Interview people.
No time to write? Schedule interviews with people who have something valuable to share on your topic and record the interviews. Of course, tell your interviewees the purpose of their interview and get their permission. You can then take the recorded interviews, send them to a transcriptionist and then either hire a writer/editor to smooth the content into book form or leave them as is (making sure all typos and grammar mistakes are corrected). You will probably want to add an introduction, conclusion and maybe some resource material at the end of the book to add value and continuity but that does not take long and you can hire that work out too.
So you see, writing a book does not have to be overwhelming. You do not even have to 'write' it. Regardless of how your book is created, you will see tremendous benefits from getting it published and making it available to prospects and customers. Writing a book will change your life.
For Your Free MP3 (Value $97.00)
How To Make A 6 Figure Income Writing & Publishing Your Own Book
Go To: Publish A Book
Bob Burnham
Entrepreneur, Consultant and # 1 Amazon Best Selling Author of "101 Reasons Why You Must Write A Book"
For Information on How to Write and Publish your Own Book go to Expert Author- http://www.expertauthorpublishing.com
Read More On: Writing A Book
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bob_Burnham
Freelance Writers Wanted - For the Internet - No Experience Required
By Jorge Chavez
The Internet continues to grow by leaps and bounds. There is a tremendous need for written content to post on the Net, to increase the importance (ranking) of websites, to inform buyers, to promote products. Webmasters who could write their own material are desperate to outsource the writing work so they can do other things.
All this has led to something of a boom, a spurt in demand that is hard to satisfy. There is no experience needed. In fact, traditional writers are at somewhat of a disadvantage because most of what they "know" about writing does not apply on the Internet. People just starting have nothing to unlearn...
If you can write in simple, clear English at the 6th to 9th grade level, then you can make a living writing for the web. The emphasis is not on literary excellence but on clarity and readability, fast. The freelance writers wanted for Internet work easily turn out basic 350-500 word articles in less than half an hour.
Quality articles, requiring research, take longer of course, and pay more. Basic articles may go for $5 to $10 each, depending on size and the quantity of articles contracted. Quality articles may go for $20 to $35 each.
Overhead is low; there is no commuting, no office to pay for. All a freelance writer needs is a computer, an Internet connection and a PayPal account to receive payments into. Work is by contract, usually part on deposit up front, the balance on delivery and acceptance of the work.
There are several freelance "Bulletin Board", websites that serve as meeting places for buyers and sellers. Buyers hoping to find the freelance writers wanted for their projects. Freelance writers scanning the project proposals looking for work assignments. Contacts are made and offers are posted.
Counter offers are made, negotiated, agreed upon. Work is done, paid for and the cycle repeats. Good work, done on time and as agreed, is noted. Business relationships are built and many contracts are repeat work, privately negotiated, without competition
Articles, reports, e-books are written on the freelancer's computer, sent out by e-mail. Payments are handled by electronic transfer via PayPal. Buyers and sellers never meet face-to-face, may in fact be in different countries, working in different time zones. It is pure electronic e-commerce at its best...
The search is on; offers are out: "Freelance Writers Wanted...". If you would like to know more, follow the links below...
For more info on how to get paid to write online, visit: Freelance Writers Wanted
For a variety of money-making writing resources, visit: Resources to Make Money Writing on the Web
Jorge Chavez is an experienced writer, author and Internet marketer at: http://www.makemoneywriting-site.com/Jorge_Chavez.html
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jorge_Chavez
The Internet continues to grow by leaps and bounds. There is a tremendous need for written content to post on the Net, to increase the importance (ranking) of websites, to inform buyers, to promote products. Webmasters who could write their own material are desperate to outsource the writing work so they can do other things.
All this has led to something of a boom, a spurt in demand that is hard to satisfy. There is no experience needed. In fact, traditional writers are at somewhat of a disadvantage because most of what they "know" about writing does not apply on the Internet. People just starting have nothing to unlearn...
If you can write in simple, clear English at the 6th to 9th grade level, then you can make a living writing for the web. The emphasis is not on literary excellence but on clarity and readability, fast. The freelance writers wanted for Internet work easily turn out basic 350-500 word articles in less than half an hour.
Quality articles, requiring research, take longer of course, and pay more. Basic articles may go for $5 to $10 each, depending on size and the quantity of articles contracted. Quality articles may go for $20 to $35 each.
Overhead is low; there is no commuting, no office to pay for. All a freelance writer needs is a computer, an Internet connection and a PayPal account to receive payments into. Work is by contract, usually part on deposit up front, the balance on delivery and acceptance of the work.
There are several freelance "Bulletin Board", websites that serve as meeting places for buyers and sellers. Buyers hoping to find the freelance writers wanted for their projects. Freelance writers scanning the project proposals looking for work assignments. Contacts are made and offers are posted.
Counter offers are made, negotiated, agreed upon. Work is done, paid for and the cycle repeats. Good work, done on time and as agreed, is noted. Business relationships are built and many contracts are repeat work, privately negotiated, without competition
Articles, reports, e-books are written on the freelancer's computer, sent out by e-mail. Payments are handled by electronic transfer via PayPal. Buyers and sellers never meet face-to-face, may in fact be in different countries, working in different time zones. It is pure electronic e-commerce at its best...
The search is on; offers are out: "Freelance Writers Wanted...". If you would like to know more, follow the links below...
For more info on how to get paid to write online, visit: Freelance Writers Wanted
For a variety of money-making writing resources, visit: Resources to Make Money Writing on the Web
Jorge Chavez is an experienced writer, author and Internet marketer at: http://www.makemoneywriting-site.com/Jorge_Chavez.html
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jorge_Chavez
How to Write a Book - Tip #4, The Inciting Incident
By Latham Shinder
The nonfiction bestseller Blink by Malcolm Gladwell opens with curators at the J. Paul Getty Museum being scammed for $10 million while purchasing a sixteenth century BC sculpture, known as a kouros. The Tin Roof Blowdown, a novel by James Lee Burke, opens with a priest standing on a roof of a shack in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, trying to save the people trapped in the attic, as the full force of Hurricane Katrina bares down on him. Both books begin with a dramatic opening, or what screenwriters call the inciting incident.
The inciting incident is the first major incident in the telling. It's the cause of all that follows, and if you want your readers to keep reading, it's critical that you begin with a single extraordinary event. Typically an event that happens to your protagonist or is caused by the protagonist. I'm not talking about contrived action scenes or overexagerated promises. I am talking about beginning your book with a story, anecdote, or event that upsets the balance of forces within your story.
In the Blink of an Eye
Malcolm Gladwell's subtitle to Blink is The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. By opening with a $10 million art scam, rather than explaining exactly what he means by thinking without thinking, we follow the story of Federico Zeri, an art historian and a member of Getty's board of trustees. Zeri finds himself staring at the statue's fingernails. Though a dozen experts had signed off on the kouros-geologists had taken core samples of the statue and analyzed the marble under an electron microscope, electron microbe, mass spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, etc.-according to Zeri, something didn't look right.
Then we meet Evelyn Harrison, an expert on Greek sculpture, who knew the statue was a fake the moment she saw it. In a way, Blink is about why our hunches usually turn out to be true. Malcolm Gladwell might be the master of show don't tell. He doesn't begin his book by telling us how bright he is. He doesn't wow us with facts. He doesn't try to convince us he's right. What he does is tell us a story. A story about high-powered people being duped-experts with PhDs, and museum curators blinded by fame, and harebrained lawyers. In other words, he tells us a story we can't put down.
Excite Me, and Do It Fast
We've come to expect an exciting opening from mystery and suspense novels like James Lee Burke's Tin Roof Blowdown. Burke starts by putting us smack in the middle of Hurricane Katrina. A storm, as Burke describes it, "...with greater impact than the bomb blast that struck Hiroshima and peeled the face off southern Louisiana." It's only after we've been sucked into the book that he concentrates more intensely on his characters' inner lives than on the havoc around them.
Whether you write nonfiction or fiction, it's important that you create an inciting incident that throws your characters out of balance in a way that arouses in your readers, and your characters, the desire to restore that balance. Do that, and you've got your readers just where you want them. Reading.
Latham Shinder is author of The Graffiti Sculptor and founder of Shinder Consulting, a network of professionals who provide writing, editing, and proposal management services for organizations and individuals. Visit Latham at www.thegraffitisculptor.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Latham_Shinder
The nonfiction bestseller Blink by Malcolm Gladwell opens with curators at the J. Paul Getty Museum being scammed for $10 million while purchasing a sixteenth century BC sculpture, known as a kouros. The Tin Roof Blowdown, a novel by James Lee Burke, opens with a priest standing on a roof of a shack in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, trying to save the people trapped in the attic, as the full force of Hurricane Katrina bares down on him. Both books begin with a dramatic opening, or what screenwriters call the inciting incident.
The inciting incident is the first major incident in the telling. It's the cause of all that follows, and if you want your readers to keep reading, it's critical that you begin with a single extraordinary event. Typically an event that happens to your protagonist or is caused by the protagonist. I'm not talking about contrived action scenes or overexagerated promises. I am talking about beginning your book with a story, anecdote, or event that upsets the balance of forces within your story.
In the Blink of an Eye
Malcolm Gladwell's subtitle to Blink is The Power of Thinking Without Thinking. By opening with a $10 million art scam, rather than explaining exactly what he means by thinking without thinking, we follow the story of Federico Zeri, an art historian and a member of Getty's board of trustees. Zeri finds himself staring at the statue's fingernails. Though a dozen experts had signed off on the kouros-geologists had taken core samples of the statue and analyzed the marble under an electron microscope, electron microbe, mass spectrometry, X-ray diffraction, etc.-according to Zeri, something didn't look right.
Then we meet Evelyn Harrison, an expert on Greek sculpture, who knew the statue was a fake the moment she saw it. In a way, Blink is about why our hunches usually turn out to be true. Malcolm Gladwell might be the master of show don't tell. He doesn't begin his book by telling us how bright he is. He doesn't wow us with facts. He doesn't try to convince us he's right. What he does is tell us a story. A story about high-powered people being duped-experts with PhDs, and museum curators blinded by fame, and harebrained lawyers. In other words, he tells us a story we can't put down.
Excite Me, and Do It Fast
We've come to expect an exciting opening from mystery and suspense novels like James Lee Burke's Tin Roof Blowdown. Burke starts by putting us smack in the middle of Hurricane Katrina. A storm, as Burke describes it, "...with greater impact than the bomb blast that struck Hiroshima and peeled the face off southern Louisiana." It's only after we've been sucked into the book that he concentrates more intensely on his characters' inner lives than on the havoc around them.
Whether you write nonfiction or fiction, it's important that you create an inciting incident that throws your characters out of balance in a way that arouses in your readers, and your characters, the desire to restore that balance. Do that, and you've got your readers just where you want them. Reading.
Latham Shinder is author of The Graffiti Sculptor and founder of Shinder Consulting, a network of professionals who provide writing, editing, and proposal management services for organizations and individuals. Visit Latham at www.thegraffitisculptor.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Latham_Shinder
Creating Time to Write
By Shannon Evans
Making time to write is really difficult in our intrusive modern world. The siren song of email beckons us to respond to its 'in your face' immediacy. Blackberries chirp and ding in public places like a chorus of obnoxious magpies in discordant harmony. Telephone, email, and people clamor for my attention all day long. If only I could find some peaceful downtime I might be able to make time to write.
The technologies we surround ourselves with are all actually useful tools that we can manipulate to make our lives richer, more convenient, etc. However, when that same technology begins instead to manipulate us, then it ceases to be useful and becomes a distraction. How did this happen? How did our society become obsessed with email, texting, and instant messaging? Simply take a teenagers cell phone away even for a day and watch them go into a rage faster than a drug addict hauled off to a detox unit.
The technological breakthroughs of the last 25 years in communication are mind boggling. The fact that I can sit at my computer Washington and have a live camera conversation with a good friend who is sitting on her balcony in front of her computer in Singapore blows me away!
Even with all the nano-technology out there, no one has quite figured out a formula for generating more time to write and be creative. It is interesting that the only way to actually create more useful available time requires the lowest level of available technology. This technology predates the cell phone and the computer itself. The easiest way to create more time for writing is merely a function of the earliest technological breakthrough of the Industrial Revolution: The ON-OFF switch.
So simple but so hard to use... but you owe it to yourself to develop the discipline to disconnect and start writing. Turn off the phone, turn off the email, turn off the instant messenger, and make the time to write.
• Your time is incredibly valuable
• Commit in writing to write
• Put your writing schedule in your calendar...in ink!
• Get organized before sitting down to write - time spent researching is not writing time
You have to schedule down-time for writing much like you schedule time at the gym and doctor appointments. Let people who matter know that you are not available at that time daily. Block out at least 90-120 minutes per day to dedicate to your writing craft.
Make a contract with yourself to write X hours per week or X number of pages per week. Create a viable plan that produces a measurable output. Start small and build more goals for time and output as you become more disciplined in your writing schedule.
Get a wall calendar and a day planner and schedule time for your writing. You and your writing are important. Make the time to write articles, blog entries, or your next chapter.
Writing with discipline and purpose can be hard at first but over time it becomes an ingrained personal routine. But beware! Writing regularly can become as addictive as email, IM, and texting.
Shannon Evans, senior editor and owner of http://www.mywritingmentor.com lives with her best friend Rick on Bainbridge Island in the Puget Sound just a "ferry ride from Seattle." She maintains two blogs:
http://www.authormarketingtools.wordpress.com
http://www.mywritingmentor.wordpress.com
She works with her two Labrador assistant editors, Mocha and Luke, and her feline copy edit assistants, Caesar and Yoda. Shannon is widely recognized as one of the top writing coaches for non-fiction authors. With over 17 years teaching composition and technical writing to native and non-native English speaking students she knows how to help every writer make every word count.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shannon_Evans
Making time to write is really difficult in our intrusive modern world. The siren song of email beckons us to respond to its 'in your face' immediacy. Blackberries chirp and ding in public places like a chorus of obnoxious magpies in discordant harmony. Telephone, email, and people clamor for my attention all day long. If only I could find some peaceful downtime I might be able to make time to write.
The technologies we surround ourselves with are all actually useful tools that we can manipulate to make our lives richer, more convenient, etc. However, when that same technology begins instead to manipulate us, then it ceases to be useful and becomes a distraction. How did this happen? How did our society become obsessed with email, texting, and instant messaging? Simply take a teenagers cell phone away even for a day and watch them go into a rage faster than a drug addict hauled off to a detox unit.
The technological breakthroughs of the last 25 years in communication are mind boggling. The fact that I can sit at my computer Washington and have a live camera conversation with a good friend who is sitting on her balcony in front of her computer in Singapore blows me away!
Even with all the nano-technology out there, no one has quite figured out a formula for generating more time to write and be creative. It is interesting that the only way to actually create more useful available time requires the lowest level of available technology. This technology predates the cell phone and the computer itself. The easiest way to create more time for writing is merely a function of the earliest technological breakthrough of the Industrial Revolution: The ON-OFF switch.
So simple but so hard to use... but you owe it to yourself to develop the discipline to disconnect and start writing. Turn off the phone, turn off the email, turn off the instant messenger, and make the time to write.
• Your time is incredibly valuable
• Commit in writing to write
• Put your writing schedule in your calendar...in ink!
• Get organized before sitting down to write - time spent researching is not writing time
You have to schedule down-time for writing much like you schedule time at the gym and doctor appointments. Let people who matter know that you are not available at that time daily. Block out at least 90-120 minutes per day to dedicate to your writing craft.
Make a contract with yourself to write X hours per week or X number of pages per week. Create a viable plan that produces a measurable output. Start small and build more goals for time and output as you become more disciplined in your writing schedule.
Get a wall calendar and a day planner and schedule time for your writing. You and your writing are important. Make the time to write articles, blog entries, or your next chapter.
Writing with discipline and purpose can be hard at first but over time it becomes an ingrained personal routine. But beware! Writing regularly can become as addictive as email, IM, and texting.
Shannon Evans, senior editor and owner of http://www.mywritingmentor.com lives with her best friend Rick on Bainbridge Island in the Puget Sound just a "ferry ride from Seattle." She maintains two blogs:
http://www.authormarketingtools.wordpress.com
http://www.mywritingmentor.wordpress.com
She works with her two Labrador assistant editors, Mocha and Luke, and her feline copy edit assistants, Caesar and Yoda. Shannon is widely recognized as one of the top writing coaches for non-fiction authors. With over 17 years teaching composition and technical writing to native and non-native English speaking students she knows how to help every writer make every word count.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Shannon_Evans
How to Select a Writing Forum - Five Practical Tips
By Michelle L Devon
Writers work alone, for the most part, with nothing but their computer, pad and pen to keep them company while tapping out or scribbling their next masterpiece or article. Writing as a career can isolate the writer, particularly if one is freelance writing and working out of their home.
One way to stay abreast of current trends in the writing world and learn more about what's hot with writing is to network and connect with other writers. There are so many different writers' forums and writing groups on the internet though that it is hard to determine which are going to work for you.
Let's look at some of the features you should consider when deciding which writers forum or writers group is right for you.
How to Select a Writing Forum Tip #1: Cost
Some forums charge a fee for membership while others are free. There are plenty of writing forums on the internet that do not charge a fee that it's best to try to find a free forum that suits your needs. However, if the forum offers a special feature that appeals to your specific needs, then a fee-based forum might work for you. Also, be sure to watch the writing forums that are free. Some of them use high volume advertising to support the forum, and this might not be to your liking.
How to Select a Writing Forum Tip #2: Genre and Style
If you're a fiction writer, you won't find a lot of useful information for your writing on a forum for non-fiction writers. Whatever your primary writing style is, that's what you want to be sure there is a thread of forum for which can benefit you. A good writing forum will likely have more than one focus on writing style and genre. This is the best type of forum to find, since your writing and focus can change over time, and a writing forum that can grow with you is the best place to start.
How to Select a Writing Forum Tip #3: Know your Purpose
What is your purpose in finding a writing forum? Do you want positive and uplifting encouragement or hard hitting critiques and critical feedback? Figure out what you want from a writing forum, from information and support to critical assessments and critiques, and then watch the forum for a few weeks before you join. This way, you can see if a forum has something that suits your needs.
How to Select a Writing Forum Tip #4: Size of the Membership
Bigger is not always better, but too small may mean little activity or participation. Some people are overwhelmed by forums with large, active memberships and feel that it's too cliquish to ever break into the posting. Others prefer the anonymity of a larger forum. Perhaps a small, cozy and friendly forum is more your cup of tea, or maybe you'd enjoy being a founding member of a new and growing forum.
Again, watch the participation for a few weeks before you jump in and test the waters and you'll get an idea of how big of a writing forum you like and is comfortable for you.
How to Select a Writing Forum Tip #5: Format and Ease of Use
Some writing forums look fantastic but are hard to navigate, while some simple looking writing forums are much easier to use. To use a defunct writing cliché, don't judge a book by its cover, or in this case, don't judge a writing forum by its appearance. Fancy colors and flash and animations might draw your attention and be appealing in the beginning, but could be the very thing that distracts and frustrates you after using the writing forum daily.
These are just a five tips to help you select a writing forum for your needs to help keep you connected with other writers and stay abreast of trends and information in the writing and literary world. The best tip of all for choosing a writers' forum is to just observe the forum for a time and see if you feel compelled to comment, respond or participate, and then if you do, figure out how easy it is to do so. If the forum passes all your initial tests, then register for it and have fun! After all, no one says you have to limit yourself to just one writing forum!
Michelle L Devon is a professional writer and professional freelance editor, providing editing and writing services through her company, Accentuate Services For more information and additional hints and tips about writing and grammar, and to network and connect with other writers, please visit her FREE writer's forum at www.writersforum.info
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_L_Devon
Writers work alone, for the most part, with nothing but their computer, pad and pen to keep them company while tapping out or scribbling their next masterpiece or article. Writing as a career can isolate the writer, particularly if one is freelance writing and working out of their home.
One way to stay abreast of current trends in the writing world and learn more about what's hot with writing is to network and connect with other writers. There are so many different writers' forums and writing groups on the internet though that it is hard to determine which are going to work for you.
Let's look at some of the features you should consider when deciding which writers forum or writers group is right for you.
How to Select a Writing Forum Tip #1: Cost
Some forums charge a fee for membership while others are free. There are plenty of writing forums on the internet that do not charge a fee that it's best to try to find a free forum that suits your needs. However, if the forum offers a special feature that appeals to your specific needs, then a fee-based forum might work for you. Also, be sure to watch the writing forums that are free. Some of them use high volume advertising to support the forum, and this might not be to your liking.
How to Select a Writing Forum Tip #2: Genre and Style
If you're a fiction writer, you won't find a lot of useful information for your writing on a forum for non-fiction writers. Whatever your primary writing style is, that's what you want to be sure there is a thread of forum for which can benefit you. A good writing forum will likely have more than one focus on writing style and genre. This is the best type of forum to find, since your writing and focus can change over time, and a writing forum that can grow with you is the best place to start.
How to Select a Writing Forum Tip #3: Know your Purpose
What is your purpose in finding a writing forum? Do you want positive and uplifting encouragement or hard hitting critiques and critical feedback? Figure out what you want from a writing forum, from information and support to critical assessments and critiques, and then watch the forum for a few weeks before you join. This way, you can see if a forum has something that suits your needs.
How to Select a Writing Forum Tip #4: Size of the Membership
Bigger is not always better, but too small may mean little activity or participation. Some people are overwhelmed by forums with large, active memberships and feel that it's too cliquish to ever break into the posting. Others prefer the anonymity of a larger forum. Perhaps a small, cozy and friendly forum is more your cup of tea, or maybe you'd enjoy being a founding member of a new and growing forum.
Again, watch the participation for a few weeks before you jump in and test the waters and you'll get an idea of how big of a writing forum you like and is comfortable for you.
How to Select a Writing Forum Tip #5: Format and Ease of Use
Some writing forums look fantastic but are hard to navigate, while some simple looking writing forums are much easier to use. To use a defunct writing cliché, don't judge a book by its cover, or in this case, don't judge a writing forum by its appearance. Fancy colors and flash and animations might draw your attention and be appealing in the beginning, but could be the very thing that distracts and frustrates you after using the writing forum daily.
These are just a five tips to help you select a writing forum for your needs to help keep you connected with other writers and stay abreast of trends and information in the writing and literary world. The best tip of all for choosing a writers' forum is to just observe the forum for a time and see if you feel compelled to comment, respond or participate, and then if you do, figure out how easy it is to do so. If the forum passes all your initial tests, then register for it and have fun! After all, no one says you have to limit yourself to just one writing forum!
Michelle L Devon is a professional writer and professional freelance editor, providing editing and writing services through her company, Accentuate Services For more information and additional hints and tips about writing and grammar, and to network and connect with other writers, please visit her FREE writer's forum at www.writersforum.info
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michelle_L_Devon
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