Most writers don't realize that getting into full-time writing depends mostly on their marketing skills. Yes, there is a secret to marketing. It is in reading multiples of magazines and choosing the right target… in other words – choosing a target that markets the kinds of articles/stories you have to sell.
If, for example, you like to write mysteries, don't waste your time submitting to Better Homes and Gardens, or Woman's World. Submit mysteries to a magazine that buys mysteries. You may think that would go without saying, but you'd be surprised how many writers try to sell to the wrong markets, or to magazines they haven't even read. (NEVER try to sell to a magazine you haven't read.)
If you want help in finding the right market, arm yourself with the right information. I highly recommend buying the online version at www.writersmarket.com for $39 a year. This is one purchase you really need to make. Invest in yourself. You can also buy it in the hard copy, but the online version is updated daily, whereas the hard copy is updated annually.
Let's say you want to sell your mystery story. To find good markets for it, log in to Writer's Market and go through the process of narrowing the fields on the search page. It is pretty self-explanatory.
Ultimately, you will wind up with a list of magazines you have never heard of and probably have not read (but that sound right for your story or article). Select magazines that are at least 75% freelance written. (Writer's Market will give you that information.) When you have arrived at the best magazine market for your article, make another investment and buy three consecutive (recent) copies of it.
When you receive the copies (four to six weeks later), go to the page that show the names of the editors and staff (in the front), and match up the names of the editors and staff with the names of the articles in the magazine.
When you have identified which articles belong to paid staff and which ones belong to freelance writers, you are on the right trail. Read the articles that are written by freelancers. When you find an article where you think to yourself, "I could write that," you have found your needle in the haystack. This is the market you want to sell to.
Next, create a folder on the Writer's Market and label it with the name of the article you have in mind. If, for example, you wrote an article entitled The Mystery of River Run, make a folder (on Writer's Market) with that name. As you find the names of magazines that you think are good markets for that story, file them in that folder. (Fear not - the Writer's Market gives easy directions on how to do this.) When you get that far, yer cookin' with gas!
Now go through the markets one at a time and make notes. After you have read the top two or three magazines that you think would be your best markets, submit your story to the one that pays the highest.
When your story has been accepted and you know when it will be published (or thereabouts), begin the reselling process of the same story by resubmitting it to the next market in line. (Reselling is the key to being a full-time writer, but resales only earn half what you received on your first sale.)
It is absolutely imperative to keep a good set of books that will show when you submitted an article, the name of the article, the magazine you submitted it to, and whether it was accepted or rejected. (Writer's Market also supplies a place for that.)
And now you know why writing is such hard work. Nevertheless, if it is the real passion in your life, you'll stick with it. In doing so, you'll learn more and more tools of the trade.
About the Author:
Compliments of http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com and Deborah Owen. To register for The Writer's Choice, the school's newsletter, write to deborahowen@cwinst.com.
Keyword tags: writing,classes,courses,marketing,student,school,
Monday, September 29, 2008
Write and Read Articles Online: Why You Should Do it Too
Do you have a lot to say but don't know how to get people to listen? Do you need information about a particular subject, but don't know the best way to find it? The answers are right in front of you and they are free and easy to find.
If you are a writer wanting to be heard, write online articles. If you are a reader looking for information about certain subjects, read online articles. It's that simple. Millions of people have discovered the benefits of writing and reading articles online. So, what is the big attraction and what's in it for you?
Write Online Articles
If you have a business, product or service you want to promote, the best way to do it is to write online articles about it and get them widely read. That is where companies called article marketers, who publish your articles come in to play.
Publishing online articles with an article marketing website allows you to get your name and what you are promoting out there. The beauty of it is you don't have to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on marketing and promotional tools. Writing articles online gives you the benefit of free advertising and promotion.
The best method to successfully write online articles is to focus on the key features of what you are trying to promote. Then, write an article summing up those features and detailing why they would be of benefit to your prospective buyers. You will not only get your name and product or service out there, but you will also build yourself a reputation as an authority figure on your particular subject.
Benefits of Writing Online Articles
* Get more clicks on your links
* Raise your ranking in the search engines
* Attract your target audiences and traffic
* Improve your Internet presence
* Gain recognition as an expert
* Increase your sales
* Take advantage of free advertising
* Repeat traffic
Read Online Articles
There is also much to gain when you read online articles. If you are trying to start a business, you have a lot of research ahead of you. You will save a lot of time and energy by reading about what others have done in your situation. You can find out what works and what doesn't. You can learn the best methods to go about certain tasks through someone else's trial and error.
Online articles in the form of trade publications give you the latest information in your industry. This information includes details on subjects like:
* Latest industry trends
* Current customer needs
* Most popular product lines
* Successful marketing strategies of your competitors
* Upcoming trade show information
* Contact information about suppliers
* Upcoming new products from competitors
The more you read online articles, the more prepared you will be when it comes time to launch your new business or latest product or service. The Internet is the number one venue for sales and marketing of any business. This even includes companies that do most of their business in person and offline.
The bottom line is this: The more you write articles online, the more free advertising you can take advantage of. The more you read articles online, the more prepared you will be to tackle your own business ups and downs. It is a win, win opportunity that is just an Internet page and a mouse click away. Why not take advantage of both free advertising and learning from someone else's mistakes? The only outcome you can expect is free and easy success. Who could ask for more than that?
About the Author:
This article was written by Jay Gaulard on behalf of http://www.articlehub.us, a popular article submission website.
Keyword tags: write online articles, read online articles, online articles, article submission
If you are a writer wanting to be heard, write online articles. If you are a reader looking for information about certain subjects, read online articles. It's that simple. Millions of people have discovered the benefits of writing and reading articles online. So, what is the big attraction and what's in it for you?
Write Online Articles
If you have a business, product or service you want to promote, the best way to do it is to write online articles about it and get them widely read. That is where companies called article marketers, who publish your articles come in to play.
Publishing online articles with an article marketing website allows you to get your name and what you are promoting out there. The beauty of it is you don't have to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on marketing and promotional tools. Writing articles online gives you the benefit of free advertising and promotion.
The best method to successfully write online articles is to focus on the key features of what you are trying to promote. Then, write an article summing up those features and detailing why they would be of benefit to your prospective buyers. You will not only get your name and product or service out there, but you will also build yourself a reputation as an authority figure on your particular subject.
Benefits of Writing Online Articles
* Get more clicks on your links
* Raise your ranking in the search engines
* Attract your target audiences and traffic
* Improve your Internet presence
* Gain recognition as an expert
* Increase your sales
* Take advantage of free advertising
* Repeat traffic
Read Online Articles
There is also much to gain when you read online articles. If you are trying to start a business, you have a lot of research ahead of you. You will save a lot of time and energy by reading about what others have done in your situation. You can find out what works and what doesn't. You can learn the best methods to go about certain tasks through someone else's trial and error.
Online articles in the form of trade publications give you the latest information in your industry. This information includes details on subjects like:
* Latest industry trends
* Current customer needs
* Most popular product lines
* Successful marketing strategies of your competitors
* Upcoming trade show information
* Contact information about suppliers
* Upcoming new products from competitors
The more you read online articles, the more prepared you will be when it comes time to launch your new business or latest product or service. The Internet is the number one venue for sales and marketing of any business. This even includes companies that do most of their business in person and offline.
The bottom line is this: The more you write articles online, the more free advertising you can take advantage of. The more you read articles online, the more prepared you will be to tackle your own business ups and downs. It is a win, win opportunity that is just an Internet page and a mouse click away. Why not take advantage of both free advertising and learning from someone else's mistakes? The only outcome you can expect is free and easy success. Who could ask for more than that?
About the Author:
This article was written by Jay Gaulard on behalf of http://www.articlehub.us, a popular article submission website.
Keyword tags: write online articles, read online articles, online articles, article submission
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Time: Waiting in Vain
If you are a busy person trying to wait for the right time or enough time to write, then you may have a long wait.
Most authors today have to manage time to write around their day jobs, raising children, caring for a husband or other family members. So where does the time come from? When do you sleep? More importantly, when do you have time for just you?
Too often I hear someone say to me they don't have time to read. I want to punch their lights out. It's nonsense. Time is what you make it. No one ever said time management is always easy; it most assuredly is not.
My own writing career began when I was quite young and raising two kids of my own, and four of my husband's children. I was also working a full time job. Sometimes the time I spent writing was the only thing that saved my sanity.
For this to even be possible, I forced myself (yes, forced) to set aside two hours a day just for me, so I could write. Many times I had to work overtime on my other job or even work weekends, so my two hours was not always possible if I was to stay healthy with adequate sleep. Fortunately that didn't happen too often. The children were well warned by both me and their father that to interrupt me during those two hours just might be tantamount to committing suicide. We figured they didn't want to do that and we were quite right.
Staying focused on a story with a houseful of noisy kids is a challenge I wouldn't want to wish on anyone, but it can be done. If you're serious about writing, then do it. For many years I had to work this way. It took a great deal of energy and discipline. This is called leading a full life, I believe. Admittedly youth has flown now, but I'm still writing, running a business with four divisions and coordinating 50 to 80 authors at all times.
If you don't have the energy it takes, then it's recommended you have a close look at your nutritional habits. Proper nutrition is a must. Too much pizza, cokes, hamburgers, fries and chips will do nothing for you except make you fat and lethargic. Too much sugar fat and carbohydrates is detrimental to the brain's ability to function in top form. One multiple vitamin pill a day won't cut it either. I'm talking serious nutrition here.
To write well your mind must be clear and unfettered. That means if you set aside a certain time of the day to write, you must be adamant about enforcing your privacy. MAKE the time. You're the only one who can do that.
Maintaining Continuity
If you are working overtime on the job all week, then set aside two hours during your day(s) off when you are not to be disturbed. If you are unfortunate enough to have extremely limited time to write due to an outside job or demanding family, then how on earth can you keep the momentum going in your fiction writing? It was a problem for me in the beginning, but I soon learned I must conquer the problem or go nuts.
What worked for me, after trying several things, was by taking a tip from Ernest Hemingway. When he quit writing for the day, he typed a word or an unfinished sentence and left it there to find the next day. It helped him to refocus where he needed to go in the writing instead of sitting there staring at a blank page unable to get the trials of the day job or other distractions to clear his mind. He didn't forget where he wanted to go. Making himself finish that sentence, usually enabled him to keep writing for whatever time he had to spare that day. Very good advice and it worked for me.
Now and then I still use this tip, but it's not as necessary now because I've been doing this for so long it's almost second nature. No more kids around to distract me, these days, and when I'm writing I don't even answer the phone. It's death to an author's creativity to allow distractions during that time. Because I own and run this publishing company by myself, I have only Sundays in which to write. God help you if you interrupt me on that day. I'm bad. I'm really bad!
If Hemingway's tip doesn't work for you, sit in front of the computer and warm up by typing something like, The red fox jumped over the hedge and ate a cucumber that gave him gas, or anything impromptu and silly just to put words on paper. In a minute or two you'll be ready to go. You can even try the impromptu writing using the names of some of your characters in silly or not so silly ways to warm up. The point is, staring at a blank screen does not a writer make.
If you're young, raising children and the house catches fire, grab the kid in one arm and your computer hard drive in the other and get out fast. Never lose your computer and all of your hard work to a fire if it can be prevented. I'm saying, in a smart-aleck way, that your writing should be as precious to you as your family. It deserves to be very high indeed on your priority list. If it's not, then perhaps you are not really a writer, or you can't wrap your mind around the importance of that concept.
Spousal Help or Hindrance?
It would be remiss of me if I didn't mention this item. Does your spouse support your desire and time you set aside to write? Or is he/she completely incapable of relating to this facet of your very soul? A spouse can either make or break an author with regard to allowing time away from them to pursue the author's dreams of writing and getting published. This is fodder for an entire article all its own, so I will only touch on it here.
Authors who have non-supportive spouses where writing is concerned may as well have an anchor clamped to their neck, choking the life out of them with every step they take. If you're a writer, it's part of you and it must be free to create without ridicule from that person trying to kick your self-esteem down in the basement all the time. I had one like that once. He's history.
Authors who have supportive spouses, like me, are allowed the freedom to do what we must, just as I give my spouse the freedom he needs to do what he loves best. We are both very busy people, but the time we spend together is quality of the top drawer kind.
Choosing the Right Style
Will designating time for your writing change your lifestyle? Maybe. If so, you may be very resistant to making the necessary adjustments to do what your writer's mind urges you to do. Saying, "I don't have the time I need to write," is nonsense, just as it is for people to say they have no time to read. Folks we have the same number of hours in every day we've always had. So if you don't find the time to write, it's your lifestyle and/or your mindset interfering; it isn't that no time is available to you unless you make it so. Don't be a pussycat. Stand your ground and MAKE time. If I could raise six children, work a full-time day job and still make time to write for two hours a day, don't tell me you can't.
So get tough and make it happen. Guys and gals, time waits for no one and it won't wait for you either. C'mon now. How serious are you about making time to write?
About the Author:
Lee Emory is an author of ten novels, numerous short stories and articles, who is also a professional editor for 40 years. She is the owner of/Senior Editor for Treble Heart Books Publishing. Lee teaches writing workshops and speaks at numerous writers' conferences. Visit http://www.trebleheartbooks.com or email leeemory@earthlink.net to learn more.
Keyword tags: writing tips, authors, books, writing advice, publishing, writing style, writing methods
Most authors today have to manage time to write around their day jobs, raising children, caring for a husband or other family members. So where does the time come from? When do you sleep? More importantly, when do you have time for just you?
Too often I hear someone say to me they don't have time to read. I want to punch their lights out. It's nonsense. Time is what you make it. No one ever said time management is always easy; it most assuredly is not.
My own writing career began when I was quite young and raising two kids of my own, and four of my husband's children. I was also working a full time job. Sometimes the time I spent writing was the only thing that saved my sanity.
For this to even be possible, I forced myself (yes, forced) to set aside two hours a day just for me, so I could write. Many times I had to work overtime on my other job or even work weekends, so my two hours was not always possible if I was to stay healthy with adequate sleep. Fortunately that didn't happen too often. The children were well warned by both me and their father that to interrupt me during those two hours just might be tantamount to committing suicide. We figured they didn't want to do that and we were quite right.
Staying focused on a story with a houseful of noisy kids is a challenge I wouldn't want to wish on anyone, but it can be done. If you're serious about writing, then do it. For many years I had to work this way. It took a great deal of energy and discipline. This is called leading a full life, I believe. Admittedly youth has flown now, but I'm still writing, running a business with four divisions and coordinating 50 to 80 authors at all times.
If you don't have the energy it takes, then it's recommended you have a close look at your nutritional habits. Proper nutrition is a must. Too much pizza, cokes, hamburgers, fries and chips will do nothing for you except make you fat and lethargic. Too much sugar fat and carbohydrates is detrimental to the brain's ability to function in top form. One multiple vitamin pill a day won't cut it either. I'm talking serious nutrition here.
To write well your mind must be clear and unfettered. That means if you set aside a certain time of the day to write, you must be adamant about enforcing your privacy. MAKE the time. You're the only one who can do that.
Maintaining Continuity
If you are working overtime on the job all week, then set aside two hours during your day(s) off when you are not to be disturbed. If you are unfortunate enough to have extremely limited time to write due to an outside job or demanding family, then how on earth can you keep the momentum going in your fiction writing? It was a problem for me in the beginning, but I soon learned I must conquer the problem or go nuts.
What worked for me, after trying several things, was by taking a tip from Ernest Hemingway. When he quit writing for the day, he typed a word or an unfinished sentence and left it there to find the next day. It helped him to refocus where he needed to go in the writing instead of sitting there staring at a blank page unable to get the trials of the day job or other distractions to clear his mind. He didn't forget where he wanted to go. Making himself finish that sentence, usually enabled him to keep writing for whatever time he had to spare that day. Very good advice and it worked for me.
Now and then I still use this tip, but it's not as necessary now because I've been doing this for so long it's almost second nature. No more kids around to distract me, these days, and when I'm writing I don't even answer the phone. It's death to an author's creativity to allow distractions during that time. Because I own and run this publishing company by myself, I have only Sundays in which to write. God help you if you interrupt me on that day. I'm bad. I'm really bad!
If Hemingway's tip doesn't work for you, sit in front of the computer and warm up by typing something like, The red fox jumped over the hedge and ate a cucumber that gave him gas, or anything impromptu and silly just to put words on paper. In a minute or two you'll be ready to go. You can even try the impromptu writing using the names of some of your characters in silly or not so silly ways to warm up. The point is, staring at a blank screen does not a writer make.
If you're young, raising children and the house catches fire, grab the kid in one arm and your computer hard drive in the other and get out fast. Never lose your computer and all of your hard work to a fire if it can be prevented. I'm saying, in a smart-aleck way, that your writing should be as precious to you as your family. It deserves to be very high indeed on your priority list. If it's not, then perhaps you are not really a writer, or you can't wrap your mind around the importance of that concept.
Spousal Help or Hindrance?
It would be remiss of me if I didn't mention this item. Does your spouse support your desire and time you set aside to write? Or is he/she completely incapable of relating to this facet of your very soul? A spouse can either make or break an author with regard to allowing time away from them to pursue the author's dreams of writing and getting published. This is fodder for an entire article all its own, so I will only touch on it here.
Authors who have non-supportive spouses where writing is concerned may as well have an anchor clamped to their neck, choking the life out of them with every step they take. If you're a writer, it's part of you and it must be free to create without ridicule from that person trying to kick your self-esteem down in the basement all the time. I had one like that once. He's history.
Authors who have supportive spouses, like me, are allowed the freedom to do what we must, just as I give my spouse the freedom he needs to do what he loves best. We are both very busy people, but the time we spend together is quality of the top drawer kind.
Choosing the Right Style
Will designating time for your writing change your lifestyle? Maybe. If so, you may be very resistant to making the necessary adjustments to do what your writer's mind urges you to do. Saying, "I don't have the time I need to write," is nonsense, just as it is for people to say they have no time to read. Folks we have the same number of hours in every day we've always had. So if you don't find the time to write, it's your lifestyle and/or your mindset interfering; it isn't that no time is available to you unless you make it so. Don't be a pussycat. Stand your ground and MAKE time. If I could raise six children, work a full-time day job and still make time to write for two hours a day, don't tell me you can't.
So get tough and make it happen. Guys and gals, time waits for no one and it won't wait for you either. C'mon now. How serious are you about making time to write?
About the Author:
Lee Emory is an author of ten novels, numerous short stories and articles, who is also a professional editor for 40 years. She is the owner of/Senior Editor for Treble Heart Books Publishing. Lee teaches writing workshops and speaks at numerous writers' conferences. Visit http://www.trebleheartbooks.com or email leeemory@earthlink.net to learn more.
Keyword tags: writing tips, authors, books, writing advice, publishing, writing style, writing methods
Writing Away Diminishing Hopes: The Dark, Stark Realities
Remember when you were a brand new writer? Remember the stars in your eyes and the dollar signs floating through your imaginations? I do. If you're a new writer, look in the mirror and what do you see? If you're wearing rose colored glasses or your eyes are shining like laser beams from the enthusiasm you have for the manuscript you just completed, then listen up.
If you're an author who has been writing for a long time, then you have already experienced the many roadblocks thrown up in our paths. Most especially the last few years. Large publishing houses and large organizations such as Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, Sisters in Crime (the list goes on) have now passed clearly discriminatory bylaws prohibiting the acknowledgement of writers and their books unless their publishing houses print a thousand to however many thousand books of each title. Your publisher is no longer "approved." Despite how many awards they've won. This of course was done to eliminate small presses and POD (Print on Demand) publishers from their lists. Amazon has removed all their POD titles from their sales site unless the authors agree to have their POD books printed through them.
Add to this unpalatable stew, the large chain bookstores will rarely if ever allow small press, POD or self published authors to display their titles in their stores nowadays. It's much harder for small press authors to get book signings in one of them. They refuse to order directly from the small publishers unless they can order through Baker & Taylor or Ingram. Many of us small presses have our titles registered with those distributors, but the distributors do not warehouse small press books. So, when you go to a large chain store and want to do a signing, the clerk looks up in their database to see if your title is available at B&T or Ingram. When they don't find it in their database, it's because the books are not in the warehouse and therefore the store has no visibility as to the availability of the book. They tell the author the book is not available at B&T or Ingram. This is a brutal whirlwind that I, as a small press publisher, fight on a daily basis and have suffered through for years.
My less than assertive authors become deeply disturbed and discouraged by all this and consequently don't even try to market their books or try other ways and means to get their books and their names out there to the buying public. My more assertive, determined authors are selling well despite all these negatives. It takes guts and determination to make it work along with an unwavering belief in your ability as a writer to have something to say a customer will want to read. Sometimes marketing even takes an investment of money on the author's part. Of course no one has any money to spend on their own writing careers, so that's an absurd way to way to risk their precious dollars. What? Spend money on my own writing? There's no money to spare for that. If you haven't got the confidence in your own ability to risk spending what it takes to get your name out there, who else is going to do it for you? What guarantee do I have? None. There are no guarantees in this business. But nobody wins if they don't try. That truth IS set in concrete. Make no mistake.
Turning Dark into Light
People in the artistic fields will be the first to tell you there can be no light if there is no dark. In other words, your background must be dark before you can make light shine through. Painting light on light backgrounds will not work. Okay, so where is this going?
If you really are a writer, then you must write no matter what. Writing fills a deep emotional need inside us. Naturally we want to share our stories with others, and a little praise for a job well done now and then doesn't hurt either. As writers we all covet this.
So how can we combat all the negatives slamming us in the face in the current writing industry's negative, glutted atmosphere? In this atmosphere, writing a good book is the easy part. It's the marketing that's the largest challenge. You're the only one who can create a demand for your book, so how do you go about it? Let me count the ways.
Your book is of most interest to what genre(s)? If there is more than one, state which is your main focus; it's important to know all of your potential audience. Use other genre audiences in parallel with your main focus audience.
Prepublication Marketing:
Three to four months prior to publication, schedule presentations and talks about your book to various groups and organizations who might be interested in your genre.
A web-based marketing effort is also a must. If you don't have a web site, get one and start blogging. If you can, start a newsletter either monthly or bi-monthly.
Post Book Release Marketing:
If you can afford it, hire a highly referred publicist and start a campaign to create interest in your title, your genre; write articles for display on your web site to get your name out there often, again and again.
Submit your book to as many reviewers who review your genre as you can. Post any positive reviews on your web page and/or newsletter or blog.
Enter as many prestigious writing contests as your budget will allow. Be careful to enter it only in the right category and follow their rules for submission to the letter to avoid disqualification.
Transmit news of your book's release to every independent bookstore you can look up in the library lists or on the internet. Attractive postcards with your cover and brief synopsis or flyers work well for this. Yes, I know. It costs money for postage. Do it. It's a must.
Produce a web site blog or podcast and/or interviews where you will discuss your book and answer questions about it to those who show interest. This is called a Blog Tour. Participate in Q&A sessions on already established blog sites.
If you have no-cost air miles coming, use them to visit other cities where you can arrange several speaking engagements and book signing events at libraries, independent bookstores and the like. Be sure the events are advertised in their local newspapers prior to the event. Don't limit yourself to local places only.
Turning dark into light isn't impossible. It just takes hard work, determination to beat back the negatives of a glutted industry until they are bloody pulp. Today, at this moment, the greatest tool we small press authors have is the internet. There is no more vast audience. Learn all you can about utilizing its tools, ways and means. Be willing to spend a bit of money. Save for it if you must, and most of have to; make it a budget priority. This is your writing career. You must be willing and able to expend the energy and dogged belief in your work to make this work. Monetary rewards if any will be come slow and build with time as long as you don't give up.
If you're a smart author and have spent a great deal of time learning your craft before submitting, then you're ahead of the game at least that much. But, if you've been lazy or lax in learning the craft, then you can spend years slogging through piles of form rejections and disappointments even before you can paint a dark background so your light will shine through. Writing a good book is only the beginning of the journey. You, the author, must possess the passion and gutsy determination to become known as an excellent writer despite all the negatives others can throw at us. Write away those diminishing hopes. Market away the naysayers.
In closing one of the best pieces of advice I can give you, whether you're published in a large house or small, or still aspiring to be published, is to acquire a copy of RED HOT INTERNET PUBLICITY by Penny Sansevieri. If you don't have the book, get it. Study it from cover to cover. It will open your eyes to methods you never dreamed possible for marketing your work in today's environment.
About the Author:
Lee Emory is an author of ten novels, numerous short stories and articles, who is also a professional editor for 40 years. She is the owner of/Senior Editor for Treble Heart Books Publishing. Lee teaches writing workshops and speaks at numerous writers' conferences. Visit http://www.trebleheartbooks.com or email leeemory@earthlink.net to learn more.
Keyword tags: writing tips, authors, books, writing advice, publishing, book marketing, book publicity
If you're an author who has been writing for a long time, then you have already experienced the many roadblocks thrown up in our paths. Most especially the last few years. Large publishing houses and large organizations such as Mystery Writers of America, Romance Writers of America, Sisters in Crime (the list goes on) have now passed clearly discriminatory bylaws prohibiting the acknowledgement of writers and their books unless their publishing houses print a thousand to however many thousand books of each title. Your publisher is no longer "approved." Despite how many awards they've won. This of course was done to eliminate small presses and POD (Print on Demand) publishers from their lists. Amazon has removed all their POD titles from their sales site unless the authors agree to have their POD books printed through them.
Add to this unpalatable stew, the large chain bookstores will rarely if ever allow small press, POD or self published authors to display their titles in their stores nowadays. It's much harder for small press authors to get book signings in one of them. They refuse to order directly from the small publishers unless they can order through Baker & Taylor or Ingram. Many of us small presses have our titles registered with those distributors, but the distributors do not warehouse small press books. So, when you go to a large chain store and want to do a signing, the clerk looks up in their database to see if your title is available at B&T or Ingram. When they don't find it in their database, it's because the books are not in the warehouse and therefore the store has no visibility as to the availability of the book. They tell the author the book is not available at B&T or Ingram. This is a brutal whirlwind that I, as a small press publisher, fight on a daily basis and have suffered through for years.
My less than assertive authors become deeply disturbed and discouraged by all this and consequently don't even try to market their books or try other ways and means to get their books and their names out there to the buying public. My more assertive, determined authors are selling well despite all these negatives. It takes guts and determination to make it work along with an unwavering belief in your ability as a writer to have something to say a customer will want to read. Sometimes marketing even takes an investment of money on the author's part. Of course no one has any money to spend on their own writing careers, so that's an absurd way to way to risk their precious dollars. What? Spend money on my own writing? There's no money to spare for that. If you haven't got the confidence in your own ability to risk spending what it takes to get your name out there, who else is going to do it for you? What guarantee do I have? None. There are no guarantees in this business. But nobody wins if they don't try. That truth IS set in concrete. Make no mistake.
Turning Dark into Light
People in the artistic fields will be the first to tell you there can be no light if there is no dark. In other words, your background must be dark before you can make light shine through. Painting light on light backgrounds will not work. Okay, so where is this going?
If you really are a writer, then you must write no matter what. Writing fills a deep emotional need inside us. Naturally we want to share our stories with others, and a little praise for a job well done now and then doesn't hurt either. As writers we all covet this.
So how can we combat all the negatives slamming us in the face in the current writing industry's negative, glutted atmosphere? In this atmosphere, writing a good book is the easy part. It's the marketing that's the largest challenge. You're the only one who can create a demand for your book, so how do you go about it? Let me count the ways.
Your book is of most interest to what genre(s)? If there is more than one, state which is your main focus; it's important to know all of your potential audience. Use other genre audiences in parallel with your main focus audience.
Prepublication Marketing:
Three to four months prior to publication, schedule presentations and talks about your book to various groups and organizations who might be interested in your genre.
A web-based marketing effort is also a must. If you don't have a web site, get one and start blogging. If you can, start a newsletter either monthly or bi-monthly.
Post Book Release Marketing:
If you can afford it, hire a highly referred publicist and start a campaign to create interest in your title, your genre; write articles for display on your web site to get your name out there often, again and again.
Submit your book to as many reviewers who review your genre as you can. Post any positive reviews on your web page and/or newsletter or blog.
Enter as many prestigious writing contests as your budget will allow. Be careful to enter it only in the right category and follow their rules for submission to the letter to avoid disqualification.
Transmit news of your book's release to every independent bookstore you can look up in the library lists or on the internet. Attractive postcards with your cover and brief synopsis or flyers work well for this. Yes, I know. It costs money for postage. Do it. It's a must.
Produce a web site blog or podcast and/or interviews where you will discuss your book and answer questions about it to those who show interest. This is called a Blog Tour. Participate in Q&A sessions on already established blog sites.
If you have no-cost air miles coming, use them to visit other cities where you can arrange several speaking engagements and book signing events at libraries, independent bookstores and the like. Be sure the events are advertised in their local newspapers prior to the event. Don't limit yourself to local places only.
Turning dark into light isn't impossible. It just takes hard work, determination to beat back the negatives of a glutted industry until they are bloody pulp. Today, at this moment, the greatest tool we small press authors have is the internet. There is no more vast audience. Learn all you can about utilizing its tools, ways and means. Be willing to spend a bit of money. Save for it if you must, and most of have to; make it a budget priority. This is your writing career. You must be willing and able to expend the energy and dogged belief in your work to make this work. Monetary rewards if any will be come slow and build with time as long as you don't give up.
If you're a smart author and have spent a great deal of time learning your craft before submitting, then you're ahead of the game at least that much. But, if you've been lazy or lax in learning the craft, then you can spend years slogging through piles of form rejections and disappointments even before you can paint a dark background so your light will shine through. Writing a good book is only the beginning of the journey. You, the author, must possess the passion and gutsy determination to become known as an excellent writer despite all the negatives others can throw at us. Write away those diminishing hopes. Market away the naysayers.
In closing one of the best pieces of advice I can give you, whether you're published in a large house or small, or still aspiring to be published, is to acquire a copy of RED HOT INTERNET PUBLICITY by Penny Sansevieri. If you don't have the book, get it. Study it from cover to cover. It will open your eyes to methods you never dreamed possible for marketing your work in today's environment.
About the Author:
Lee Emory is an author of ten novels, numerous short stories and articles, who is also a professional editor for 40 years. She is the owner of/Senior Editor for Treble Heart Books Publishing. Lee teaches writing workshops and speaks at numerous writers' conferences. Visit http://www.trebleheartbooks.com or email leeemory@earthlink.net to learn more.
Keyword tags: writing tips, authors, books, writing advice, publishing, book marketing, book publicity
Friday, September 26, 2008
Revisiting the Right Stuff
Brace yourself. This is definitely one publisher's opinion piece. If you're an author over the age of 50, then you'll understand the points in this article, but if you're younger than 50, you may not have a clue or be able to relate to anything said here. ::Sigh::
Revisiting the right stuff. What is the right stuff?
There was a time when our vocabularies were more widely used in our writing. (I do not speak of five dollar words here, but common words used to vary sentences.) However, many of the books today reflect a disease I call Hollywood-itis. This disease encompasses using profanity in every other word of dialogue, or nearly so. Even many of our cartoons use inappropriate language and thus have become much less funny and some of them downright distasteful. Most of our current TV commercials are appallingly stupid, insulting anyone with even one side of their brain working and the other side dead. There is such a thing as producing something so stupid it's really not funny. It's pathetic. Have I ever purchased anything after watching one of those idiotic commercials? No. Never.
Many of the book signings and conferences I attend and participate in become great forums for hearing what the buying public wants. I constantly hear from people buying books that they are sick to death of filthy language, among other things. Many ask me about such content in my books before they'll buy and I don't blame them for asking. I'm glad they do. Many of them tell some of the books they've bought are not only offensive, but distracting. It yanks them right out of the story.
"Oh, but our culture has changed," some of you shout at me. "Our dialogue wouldn't sound real unless we incorporate trash language into our writing."
Nonsense.
Clear, concise writing and wordsmithing does not depend on profanity for its success.
"You are moralizing!" someone just shouted at me. I can hear you. Call it what you want. The fact is liberal profanity in any written work lacks class and intellect in the rendering. Good writers get their point across without the heavy overuse of it. You have only to read the classics to know the truth of this. They are still classics. Gee, I wonder why? Does it really take a genius to figure this out?
I once received a young adult submission that was so chock full of profanity, which is the way many young people speak today, that I insisted the author make revisions or it wouldn't be acceptable for publication in my company. Her argument was that the dialogue wouldn't sound real. Again I say nonsense. Do you mean to tell me that if a young person is reading a book full of exciting, active words showing them a story they're really getting into, that they miss hearing the filth? If it's a good book, chances are those young readers won't miss what's not there, but they will read and enjoy what IS there. If they can't enjoy a book without that sort of language, then what does that say for their upbringing, their mindset and education? Not a great deal to recommend it, I'd say. How much of that stuff are they hearing at home? This has become another facet of the breakdown of our education in America. But that's a whole other article.
Authors, you have the opportunity to "Revisit the Right Stuff" in your books. Show readers how really talented you are at crafting a wonderful, memorable book that won't have to be packaged in a plain brown wrapper and hidden from your children or your grandmother. Encourage all your author friends to use active verbs and engaging scenes in their works. Encourage all authors you know into getting back to CLASS writing. If you're showing anger, show it, don't shout it at the reader in the form of disgusting profanity to get your point across. Give your characters enough dialogue and animation to show us they are angry or in a rage. In today's environment, this is a challenge to many of you. Step up to it. Show us your right stuff.
The Exceptions
I envision a lot of tongues in cheeks out there at this point, so let me further clarify. When I speak of disgusting profanity, I am not talking about the occasional damn or hell used in dialogue. Those expletives do not conjure up demeaning or sexual images in a reader's mind and they are as common as apple pie. A helpmate to blowing off steam. One still does not have to use expletives, but these are far less distracting and offensive to a reader than some of the other profane words, which I will not mention here for obvious reasons. You've all heard and read them.
On the other side of the coin are authors and readers who tell me they are not bothered by foul language in books. Fine, but there are far more people who are, and why should we authors not try to write our very best for them instead of turning them off reading altogether? I've seen this happen too many times and it's heartbreaking; it's also damaging to the industry as a whole. People won't buy books, if they no longer read for the sheer want of quality books.
I'm not saying books have to be syrupy sweet. Not by any means. In certain suspense and thrillers, profane words occasionally spoken by the villain or antagonist can be sometimes tolerated, even by the most prudish reader, because those awful characters would most likely speak that way. But the key word here is occasionally. It is unnecessary to overuse foul language, even in our dastardly characters. Hone your vocabulary, instead, to draw your villain well without all that. However, your heroes and heroines will rarely use profanity or they won't sound like heroes and heroines.
One of the exceptions might be if a hero is about to be shot full of holes. He wouldn't say "Oh, shucky darn," would he? No, so let's be realistic here. In my thriller NIGHT FREEZE, the word my main character uses as an expletive appears only once in the entire book, and it's not the "F" word. Even my extremely warped serial killer comes across as one scary dude without my using a lot of profanity. A challenge to write indeed, but it can be done. As a publisher and senior editor I long to see higher quality writing that took some real thought, some real blood, sweat and tears To make it the right stuff.
About the Author:
Lee Emory is an author of ten novels, numerous short stories and articles, who is also a professional editor for 40 years. She is the owner of/Senior Editor for Treble Heart Books Publishing. Lee teaches writing workshops and speaks at numerous writers' conferences. Visit http://www.trebleheartbooks.com or email leeemory@earthlink.net to learn more.
Keyword tags: authors, books, writing tips, writing coach, thrillers, fiction, publishing
Revisiting the right stuff. What is the right stuff?
There was a time when our vocabularies were more widely used in our writing. (I do not speak of five dollar words here, but common words used to vary sentences.) However, many of the books today reflect a disease I call Hollywood-itis. This disease encompasses using profanity in every other word of dialogue, or nearly so. Even many of our cartoons use inappropriate language and thus have become much less funny and some of them downright distasteful. Most of our current TV commercials are appallingly stupid, insulting anyone with even one side of their brain working and the other side dead. There is such a thing as producing something so stupid it's really not funny. It's pathetic. Have I ever purchased anything after watching one of those idiotic commercials? No. Never.
Many of the book signings and conferences I attend and participate in become great forums for hearing what the buying public wants. I constantly hear from people buying books that they are sick to death of filthy language, among other things. Many ask me about such content in my books before they'll buy and I don't blame them for asking. I'm glad they do. Many of them tell some of the books they've bought are not only offensive, but distracting. It yanks them right out of the story.
"Oh, but our culture has changed," some of you shout at me. "Our dialogue wouldn't sound real unless we incorporate trash language into our writing."
Nonsense.
Clear, concise writing and wordsmithing does not depend on profanity for its success.
"You are moralizing!" someone just shouted at me. I can hear you. Call it what you want. The fact is liberal profanity in any written work lacks class and intellect in the rendering. Good writers get their point across without the heavy overuse of it. You have only to read the classics to know the truth of this. They are still classics. Gee, I wonder why? Does it really take a genius to figure this out?
I once received a young adult submission that was so chock full of profanity, which is the way many young people speak today, that I insisted the author make revisions or it wouldn't be acceptable for publication in my company. Her argument was that the dialogue wouldn't sound real. Again I say nonsense. Do you mean to tell me that if a young person is reading a book full of exciting, active words showing them a story they're really getting into, that they miss hearing the filth? If it's a good book, chances are those young readers won't miss what's not there, but they will read and enjoy what IS there. If they can't enjoy a book without that sort of language, then what does that say for their upbringing, their mindset and education? Not a great deal to recommend it, I'd say. How much of that stuff are they hearing at home? This has become another facet of the breakdown of our education in America. But that's a whole other article.
Authors, you have the opportunity to "Revisit the Right Stuff" in your books. Show readers how really talented you are at crafting a wonderful, memorable book that won't have to be packaged in a plain brown wrapper and hidden from your children or your grandmother. Encourage all your author friends to use active verbs and engaging scenes in their works. Encourage all authors you know into getting back to CLASS writing. If you're showing anger, show it, don't shout it at the reader in the form of disgusting profanity to get your point across. Give your characters enough dialogue and animation to show us they are angry or in a rage. In today's environment, this is a challenge to many of you. Step up to it. Show us your right stuff.
The Exceptions
I envision a lot of tongues in cheeks out there at this point, so let me further clarify. When I speak of disgusting profanity, I am not talking about the occasional damn or hell used in dialogue. Those expletives do not conjure up demeaning or sexual images in a reader's mind and they are as common as apple pie. A helpmate to blowing off steam. One still does not have to use expletives, but these are far less distracting and offensive to a reader than some of the other profane words, which I will not mention here for obvious reasons. You've all heard and read them.
On the other side of the coin are authors and readers who tell me they are not bothered by foul language in books. Fine, but there are far more people who are, and why should we authors not try to write our very best for them instead of turning them off reading altogether? I've seen this happen too many times and it's heartbreaking; it's also damaging to the industry as a whole. People won't buy books, if they no longer read for the sheer want of quality books.
I'm not saying books have to be syrupy sweet. Not by any means. In certain suspense and thrillers, profane words occasionally spoken by the villain or antagonist can be sometimes tolerated, even by the most prudish reader, because those awful characters would most likely speak that way. But the key word here is occasionally. It is unnecessary to overuse foul language, even in our dastardly characters. Hone your vocabulary, instead, to draw your villain well without all that. However, your heroes and heroines will rarely use profanity or they won't sound like heroes and heroines.
One of the exceptions might be if a hero is about to be shot full of holes. He wouldn't say "Oh, shucky darn," would he? No, so let's be realistic here. In my thriller NIGHT FREEZE, the word my main character uses as an expletive appears only once in the entire book, and it's not the "F" word. Even my extremely warped serial killer comes across as one scary dude without my using a lot of profanity. A challenge to write indeed, but it can be done. As a publisher and senior editor I long to see higher quality writing that took some real thought, some real blood, sweat and tears To make it the right stuff.
About the Author:
Lee Emory is an author of ten novels, numerous short stories and articles, who is also a professional editor for 40 years. She is the owner of/Senior Editor for Treble Heart Books Publishing. Lee teaches writing workshops and speaks at numerous writers' conferences. Visit http://www.trebleheartbooks.com or email leeemory@earthlink.net to learn more.
Keyword tags: authors, books, writing tips, writing coach, thrillers, fiction, publishing
Book Review: Life to the Max – Maxims For a Great Life by a Dog Named Max by Robin Reynolds
There are as many genres of books as there are readers. Life To The Max is hardly a children's book, yet there are aspects of it that I thought might appeal to the younger reader.
With that in mind, I decided to experiment. I have a niece, Maggie Coulon, she is only 9 years old, but she is smarter than many adults. I asked Maggie to read the book, and here is what she had to say:
What I Think by Maggie Coulon
I think that Life To The Max was a terrific book, but I also think it was sad. The dog was very sweet compared to what the story said, it did not deserve to die. Some people might really like this book or some will think otherwise. I think what was sad is that the dog had a disease, but even more sad Bernie and Max died.
Mom and dad were really sweet to the dogs, even Amber. They didn't care how much the vet cost, plus they got him from a center twice! And if I was an owner I would want to be like them.
About halfway through the book Maggie looked at me and asked, "I wonder who really wrote this book because I know it wasn't the dog."
Did Maggie get it right? She is only 9 years old. Maggie does not know what a maxim is. But she certainly knows good from bad.
Robin Reynolds clearly understands the difference between right and wrong. Life To The Max is one of those books that you pick up, you read, and most importantly you think about it. I give Robin high praise for having the guts, grit and sheer determination to put this book together. Dogs maybe labeled as man's best friend, yet often times they are thrown to the garbage when times get tough.
Life To The Max is a delightful, but maybe too short celebration of our canine friends. My niece may not understand what the word maxim means, she may not understand complex concepts (I'll bet a buck she does), but she does however understand good from bad. It was interesting to get Maggie's input. She is not as worldly wise as us older folks are, yet maybe she brings something to the table that we do not have? I am old and jaded, my views are set in stone.
Author Robin Reynolds has done a fine job with this book, she has had a long and industrious career writing, but I do believe this is her first foray into this kind of book and a very fine job she has done.
Life To The Max should appeal to kids of all ages, I am 52 and I liked it!
You can get your own copy from Amazon, well you can't have mine, I promised Maggie she could have it!
About the Author:
Simon Barrett is an adult educator in Calgary, Alberta. With the 11 months a year of winter, he reads a lot of books! He is also a contributing editor for http://www.bloggernews.net and maintains a personal blog at http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com.
Keyword tags: dogs, pets, man\\\'s best friend, pet loss, books, book reviews, authors
With that in mind, I decided to experiment. I have a niece, Maggie Coulon, she is only 9 years old, but she is smarter than many adults. I asked Maggie to read the book, and here is what she had to say:
What I Think by Maggie Coulon
I think that Life To The Max was a terrific book, but I also think it was sad. The dog was very sweet compared to what the story said, it did not deserve to die. Some people might really like this book or some will think otherwise. I think what was sad is that the dog had a disease, but even more sad Bernie and Max died.
Mom and dad were really sweet to the dogs, even Amber. They didn't care how much the vet cost, plus they got him from a center twice! And if I was an owner I would want to be like them.
About halfway through the book Maggie looked at me and asked, "I wonder who really wrote this book because I know it wasn't the dog."
Did Maggie get it right? She is only 9 years old. Maggie does not know what a maxim is. But she certainly knows good from bad.
Robin Reynolds clearly understands the difference between right and wrong. Life To The Max is one of those books that you pick up, you read, and most importantly you think about it. I give Robin high praise for having the guts, grit and sheer determination to put this book together. Dogs maybe labeled as man's best friend, yet often times they are thrown to the garbage when times get tough.
Life To The Max is a delightful, but maybe too short celebration of our canine friends. My niece may not understand what the word maxim means, she may not understand complex concepts (I'll bet a buck she does), but she does however understand good from bad. It was interesting to get Maggie's input. She is not as worldly wise as us older folks are, yet maybe she brings something to the table that we do not have? I am old and jaded, my views are set in stone.
Author Robin Reynolds has done a fine job with this book, she has had a long and industrious career writing, but I do believe this is her first foray into this kind of book and a very fine job she has done.
Life To The Max should appeal to kids of all ages, I am 52 and I liked it!
You can get your own copy from Amazon, well you can't have mine, I promised Maggie she could have it!
About the Author:
Simon Barrett is an adult educator in Calgary, Alberta. With the 11 months a year of winter, he reads a lot of books! He is also a contributing editor for http://www.bloggernews.net and maintains a personal blog at http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com.
Keyword tags: dogs, pets, man\\\'s best friend, pet loss, books, book reviews, authors
Must I Outline?
Is this a trick question? No, but it's one every new and aspiring writer should ask herself or himself. Stories come to authors in as many ways as there are ants in a hill and there is no one method used in a universal way to start at word one and finish with The End.
You've got an idea in your brain about a story you want to write. "I want to be a writer, but I just don't know how to get started."
Ever hear anyone say that to you? I have, all too frequently. If I had a buck for every time I signed books and someone standing in line waiting for me to sign one said, "I've always wanted to be a writer, but…" Then there are those who tell you, "I've got this great story idea…" and they proceed to try to tell you the entire storyline while others are patiently waiting, or not so patiently waiting, book in hand, to speak to you.
The person who wants to tell you the entire story, is someone who could produce a detailed outline. The other person wants to be known as a writer, an author, but has no real ambition to learn the craft and do all that is necessary to learn it or produce a novel. Most of them claim to be too busy to read, let alone spend months writing on a project.
How disciplined are you? Do you consider yourself in the Very Organized group of folks, or are you among the Somewhat Disorganized or Seriously Disorganized groups? Who you are dictates how you will tend to begin writing.
Very Organized Brain Group
This author will create a character history for each main character. They will know there characters inside and outside before this history is done. This gets put aside for reference material. Never dump this history into the book. Weave it in.
Then the author makes a plotline, usually formal and highly structured. For example, this happens here, that happens there, plot point (or twist) happens here, the black moment starts here and ends here, and so on.
What about a synopsis? Will this author write it before or after the book is written? The Very Organized writer often produces a synopsis before writing the actual ms. There are exceptions.
Now comes the outline. The organized writer will choose to outline each chapter and scene. (This is assuming all pertinent research is done, of course.) Only then does the author sit down to write the story. More often than not, they will follow their outline fastidiously, only allowing an occasional new idea to creep in to the work.
Somewhat Disorganized Brain Group
This author will sometimes have a beginning, middle and end event written out on a sheet of paper. They may even start developing characters' personality and background on another sheet.
They've decided where to start the book, and how they want it to end. It's a bare bones method and from then on they sit and fill in the gaps. This method cannot be called a full-fledged seat-of-the-pants kind of writer, though, because there is some scrap of where the book is going in the beginning.
The writer in this group often changes his/her mind about their initial beginning, middle and end, either in whole or in part. The disorganized groups often subject themselves to false starts, because they are unsure they really want to write the book the way they originally thought to write it. It's okay to change your mind, by the way, never think otherwise. But beware of practicing this ad nauseum. This writer needs a bit more focus to make the work go smoother. Unfortunately that takes discipline, an area where our Somewhat Disorganized folks are not terribly strong. Outlining can help a person focus, but not everyone is suited to outlining. The author must use what ever method works best in accordance with who they are. They frequently become frustrated with how the work is proceeding, or suffer writer's block.
Seriously Disorganized Brain Group
This person first needs to look in the mirror and be honest. "Do I really have what it takes to be a writer?" Sitting down to write and their brain going fifty directions at once with ideas floating like stars in the sky hardly qualifies as focus. So why would anybody with such a busy mind even consider such a career?
Believe it or not, there are many writers in this group who do write and even become a success at it. They are the dyed in the wool, seat-of-the-pants writers, and I am constantly amazed at what they do. But unless they at least make notes of the names of characters or gender of horses, they could make mistakes in starting out with a mare and ending up with a stallion. Inconsistencies are a constant problem with this type of writer. They wouldn't dream of outlining. They couldn't follow it anyway. It's too distracting and smothers their creativity. Their brain simply works differently from the other two types, and so what? Does the fact you don't outline a book mean it's going to turn out a candidate for the trash? Not necessarily, though it can, if you're in the learning stages and haven't figured out what works best for you.
In this case, it's recommended you try to write using each of these methods, at least for a while, until you discover the method most comfortable for you.
The No Name Group
I haven't mentioned the writer who falls somewhere in between these three types. I don't yet have a name for this one. This writer creates a history and personality profile for each main character. They may or may not know what is in the middle, though they know how the story is to begin, and they may or may not know how precisely to end the book. There is a nebulous idea floating out there that must cook in the author's brain for a while. That's okay.
No Name asks himself before he/she begins each chapter what they want to accomplish in only that chapter. What things do they want to happen and why? One chapter at a time is their motto. Instead of in-depth outlines they might write a few sentences in list form in a different color above the beginning of the chapter, and when the item or event gets incorporated, they erase the sentence off the list. When the list is complete, the chapter is done.
This method requires a strict chronological order between scene and sequel. And if there is a danger something important may be left out for a later time in the book, then it must be noted down so it's not forgotten. Remember those loose ends must be tied up by the end of the story.
Which method you choose, what sort of writer you become, isn't the real issue and there is no need to agonize over which you are. All these methods can work, outline or no outline. It simply depends on how your mind works. Don't fight what feels natural. Can you hold cohesive thoughts in your head long enough to be a pantser? Or must you have strict structure to keep you on track? The reader won't care as long as you deliver a great read and they don't feel they've wasted their money buying your book. Real writers write because they must; it's inside them and must come out on paper.
Wannabes, no matter what, are our readers, and should never be taken for granted.
About the Author:
Lee Emory is an author of ten novels, numerous short stories and articles, who is also a professional editor for 40 years. She is the owner of/Senior Editor for Treble Heart Books Publishing. Lee teaches writing workshops and speaks at numerous writers' conferences. Visit http://www.trebleheartbooks.com or email leeemory@earthlink.net to learn more.
Keyword tags: authors, books, publishing, writing technique, writing style, writing advice, writing coach
You've got an idea in your brain about a story you want to write. "I want to be a writer, but I just don't know how to get started."
Ever hear anyone say that to you? I have, all too frequently. If I had a buck for every time I signed books and someone standing in line waiting for me to sign one said, "I've always wanted to be a writer, but…" Then there are those who tell you, "I've got this great story idea…" and they proceed to try to tell you the entire storyline while others are patiently waiting, or not so patiently waiting, book in hand, to speak to you.
The person who wants to tell you the entire story, is someone who could produce a detailed outline. The other person wants to be known as a writer, an author, but has no real ambition to learn the craft and do all that is necessary to learn it or produce a novel. Most of them claim to be too busy to read, let alone spend months writing on a project.
How disciplined are you? Do you consider yourself in the Very Organized group of folks, or are you among the Somewhat Disorganized or Seriously Disorganized groups? Who you are dictates how you will tend to begin writing.
Very Organized Brain Group
This author will create a character history for each main character. They will know there characters inside and outside before this history is done. This gets put aside for reference material. Never dump this history into the book. Weave it in.
Then the author makes a plotline, usually formal and highly structured. For example, this happens here, that happens there, plot point (or twist) happens here, the black moment starts here and ends here, and so on.
What about a synopsis? Will this author write it before or after the book is written? The Very Organized writer often produces a synopsis before writing the actual ms. There are exceptions.
Now comes the outline. The organized writer will choose to outline each chapter and scene. (This is assuming all pertinent research is done, of course.) Only then does the author sit down to write the story. More often than not, they will follow their outline fastidiously, only allowing an occasional new idea to creep in to the work.
Somewhat Disorganized Brain Group
This author will sometimes have a beginning, middle and end event written out on a sheet of paper. They may even start developing characters' personality and background on another sheet.
They've decided where to start the book, and how they want it to end. It's a bare bones method and from then on they sit and fill in the gaps. This method cannot be called a full-fledged seat-of-the-pants kind of writer, though, because there is some scrap of where the book is going in the beginning.
The writer in this group often changes his/her mind about their initial beginning, middle and end, either in whole or in part. The disorganized groups often subject themselves to false starts, because they are unsure they really want to write the book the way they originally thought to write it. It's okay to change your mind, by the way, never think otherwise. But beware of practicing this ad nauseum. This writer needs a bit more focus to make the work go smoother. Unfortunately that takes discipline, an area where our Somewhat Disorganized folks are not terribly strong. Outlining can help a person focus, but not everyone is suited to outlining. The author must use what ever method works best in accordance with who they are. They frequently become frustrated with how the work is proceeding, or suffer writer's block.
Seriously Disorganized Brain Group
This person first needs to look in the mirror and be honest. "Do I really have what it takes to be a writer?" Sitting down to write and their brain going fifty directions at once with ideas floating like stars in the sky hardly qualifies as focus. So why would anybody with such a busy mind even consider such a career?
Believe it or not, there are many writers in this group who do write and even become a success at it. They are the dyed in the wool, seat-of-the-pants writers, and I am constantly amazed at what they do. But unless they at least make notes of the names of characters or gender of horses, they could make mistakes in starting out with a mare and ending up with a stallion. Inconsistencies are a constant problem with this type of writer. They wouldn't dream of outlining. They couldn't follow it anyway. It's too distracting and smothers their creativity. Their brain simply works differently from the other two types, and so what? Does the fact you don't outline a book mean it's going to turn out a candidate for the trash? Not necessarily, though it can, if you're in the learning stages and haven't figured out what works best for you.
In this case, it's recommended you try to write using each of these methods, at least for a while, until you discover the method most comfortable for you.
The No Name Group
I haven't mentioned the writer who falls somewhere in between these three types. I don't yet have a name for this one. This writer creates a history and personality profile for each main character. They may or may not know what is in the middle, though they know how the story is to begin, and they may or may not know how precisely to end the book. There is a nebulous idea floating out there that must cook in the author's brain for a while. That's okay.
No Name asks himself before he/she begins each chapter what they want to accomplish in only that chapter. What things do they want to happen and why? One chapter at a time is their motto. Instead of in-depth outlines they might write a few sentences in list form in a different color above the beginning of the chapter, and when the item or event gets incorporated, they erase the sentence off the list. When the list is complete, the chapter is done.
This method requires a strict chronological order between scene and sequel. And if there is a danger something important may be left out for a later time in the book, then it must be noted down so it's not forgotten. Remember those loose ends must be tied up by the end of the story.
Which method you choose, what sort of writer you become, isn't the real issue and there is no need to agonize over which you are. All these methods can work, outline or no outline. It simply depends on how your mind works. Don't fight what feels natural. Can you hold cohesive thoughts in your head long enough to be a pantser? Or must you have strict structure to keep you on track? The reader won't care as long as you deliver a great read and they don't feel they've wasted their money buying your book. Real writers write because they must; it's inside them and must come out on paper.
Wannabes, no matter what, are our readers, and should never be taken for granted.
About the Author:
Lee Emory is an author of ten novels, numerous short stories and articles, who is also a professional editor for 40 years. She is the owner of/Senior Editor for Treble Heart Books Publishing. Lee teaches writing workshops and speaks at numerous writers' conferences. Visit http://www.trebleheartbooks.com or email leeemory@earthlink.net to learn more.
Keyword tags: authors, books, publishing, writing technique, writing style, writing advice, writing coach
Book Review: My Seven Years in Captivity by Bill Seaton
I have lived in many places over the years, and there is no question in my mind that San Diego is my favorite city. It offers perfect weather, friendly people, and more tourist attractions than you can shake a fist at. One of the biggest tourist attractions is the San Diego Zoo. In physical size it is not the largest Zoo in the world, but, it does hold the record for number of different animals. Better still it is a Zoo that prides itself on removing the bars. Watching animals in a cage turns my blood cold, I would not want to be behind bars, and neither do animals.
Author Bill Seaton worked as the PR guy for the zoo in the 1960's, and My Seven Years In Captivity is a very personal look at the San Diego zoo. This is by no means a serious book, it is very much humor, yet there is an undertone that reveals the love that Bill has for this wonderful establishment and the love that those working at the zoo have for the animals.
For 10 years I was a season pass holder to the zoo. I have no idea how many hours we spent there, the kids knew their way around the zoo better than they knew the area that we lived in! The San Diego zoo, and the Animal Park some miles out of the city should be on everyone's 'must do' list.
Bill Seaton takes us behind the scenes of the San Diego zoo during the 1960's. This is a delightfully written book that permits the reader to become part of a wonderful organization. High on humor, we see that that old saying 'life is a zoo' is indeed true!
Few people understand just how difficult it is to run a zoo, animals it turns out are just as cantankerous as human beings. They have unique personalities, some are friendly, some are grumpy, and some are off the wall. Bill tells a wonderful story about a duck. This cranky bird got along fine with women but not men, if you were male you risked a serious pecking if you got near this duck.
Bill also manages to sneak in a recipe. I like this one so much, I have to share it with you:
Recipe For Elephant Stew
1 elephant (med size)
2 rabbits (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste
Brown gravy (lots)
Cut elephant into small, bite sized pieces. This will take about two months. Add brown gravy to cover. Cook over kerosene fire for about 4 weeks at 462 degrees.
This will serve 3,800 people. If more are expected, the two rabbits may be added, but do this only if necessary as most people do not like to find hare in their stew.
Although the book contains much humor it also reflects the dedication of the people working at the zoo. For many this is not a job, this is a lifestyle. Work and home life blur together. These men and women make great sacrifices so that we, the members of the public can enjoy seeing the animals.
My Seven Years In Captivity should be on everyone's 'to read' list, This is the ideal book for people that just want to read a few pages at a time. It is not one story, it is a series of stand alone vignettes of life.
You can pick up your copy from Amazon.
(Originally published at Blogger News Network and reprinted with permission from the author, Simon Barrett).
About the Author:
Simon Barrett is an adult educator in Calgary, Alberta. With the 11 months a year of winter, he reads a lot of books! He is also a contributing editor for http://www.bloggernews.net and maintains a personal blog at http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com.
Keyword tags: book reviews, authors, publishing, books, zoo, San Diego Zoo, PR
Author Bill Seaton worked as the PR guy for the zoo in the 1960's, and My Seven Years In Captivity is a very personal look at the San Diego zoo. This is by no means a serious book, it is very much humor, yet there is an undertone that reveals the love that Bill has for this wonderful establishment and the love that those working at the zoo have for the animals.
For 10 years I was a season pass holder to the zoo. I have no idea how many hours we spent there, the kids knew their way around the zoo better than they knew the area that we lived in! The San Diego zoo, and the Animal Park some miles out of the city should be on everyone's 'must do' list.
Bill Seaton takes us behind the scenes of the San Diego zoo during the 1960's. This is a delightfully written book that permits the reader to become part of a wonderful organization. High on humor, we see that that old saying 'life is a zoo' is indeed true!
Few people understand just how difficult it is to run a zoo, animals it turns out are just as cantankerous as human beings. They have unique personalities, some are friendly, some are grumpy, and some are off the wall. Bill tells a wonderful story about a duck. This cranky bird got along fine with women but not men, if you were male you risked a serious pecking if you got near this duck.
Bill also manages to sneak in a recipe. I like this one so much, I have to share it with you:
Recipe For Elephant Stew
1 elephant (med size)
2 rabbits (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste
Brown gravy (lots)
Cut elephant into small, bite sized pieces. This will take about two months. Add brown gravy to cover. Cook over kerosene fire for about 4 weeks at 462 degrees.
This will serve 3,800 people. If more are expected, the two rabbits may be added, but do this only if necessary as most people do not like to find hare in their stew.
Although the book contains much humor it also reflects the dedication of the people working at the zoo. For many this is not a job, this is a lifestyle. Work and home life blur together. These men and women make great sacrifices so that we, the members of the public can enjoy seeing the animals.
My Seven Years In Captivity should be on everyone's 'to read' list, This is the ideal book for people that just want to read a few pages at a time. It is not one story, it is a series of stand alone vignettes of life.
You can pick up your copy from Amazon.
(Originally published at Blogger News Network and reprinted with permission from the author, Simon Barrett).
About the Author:
Simon Barrett is an adult educator in Calgary, Alberta. With the 11 months a year of winter, he reads a lot of books! He is also a contributing editor for http://www.bloggernews.net and maintains a personal blog at http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com.
Keyword tags: book reviews, authors, publishing, books, zoo, San Diego Zoo, PR
Book Review: Considering SomeplacElse by B. L. Lindstrom
As a book reviewer I love to categorize books, but try as I might I cannot seem to find the right pigeonhole to put this book in. It has some aspects of Sci-Fi, some aspects of Science Fantasy, and even a little mythology, but it truly does not fit into any of those genres. The one thing I am sure about though is I did enjoy reading it. The story line is deceptively simple but Lindstrom pulls it off with such great panache you cannot but love every page.
The action takes place in Chandler, Arizona, and a less likely setting for utopia I cannot think of! A once homeless man wins a $200 million jackpot lottery and sets about creating a Utopian paradise, free housing, free medical, free transportation, in fact free everything. Better still the society is green and sustainable. Utopia indeed.
Or hero Norm Larson is an under achieving baby boomer who finds himself unemployed, unchallenged, and undervalued. A chance business card with the words 'Want some meaningful work?' written on it takes Norm on an odyssey of self discovery. The business card has a web site for SomeplacElse on it which Norm visits and fills out the application form.
Before he knows it he is whisked off by limo for an interview, but this is a job interview like none other he as ever had. There is no interest in his resume or his previous experience, in fact there are no questions at all. The folks at SomeplacElse want Norm to interview them. What is it that Norm would like to do? What is it that Norm can can contribute to this society? Would he prefer to teach, or invent, manufacture, design, or lead? These are confusing questions for our anti-hero.
The heat gets turned up a notch when Norm meets the founder of the organization, Mike. Part of Mike's philosophy is that no one, himself included, should remain working in the same position for more than 10 years, and his 10 years as Advocate has expired. How would Norm like the position of Advocate? "But I am no Mike," Norm pleads, "We don't need another Mike, we need an Advocate, we need your fresh ideas," is the reply.
The fly in the Utopian ointment though is the corrupt politician Adam Wainwright, who has his heart set of destroying SomeplacElse. Can Norm save the day?
With this backdrop Lindstrom takes us on a 5 day voyage of good verses evil, David verses Goliath.
I am not usually a big fan of Sci-Fi type books, but Considering SomeplacElse is cut from a different piece of cloth and well worth the effort of seeking it out. Lindstrom has a very chatty style of writing which works well with the story line. As I understand it, he has had considerable writing experience but this is his first foray into the world of fiction. Well I will give him a very high recommendation, and I look forward to reading more books authored by him. Maybe one of the allures for me in this book is his chatty style, it is very much the style I like to write in. In fact I will share a secret with you, when writing reviews I rarely refer to the author by his or her last name, I prefer to use the friendlier first name, but I have no idea what the 'B' in B. L. Lindstrom stands for! So I apologize B. L. but for this review you must remain Lindstrom
You can get your copy from Amazon.
(Originally published at Blogger News Network and reprinted with permission of the author, Simon Barrett).
About the Author:
Simon Barrett is an adult educator in Calgary, Alberta. With the 11 months a year of winter, he reads a lot of books! He is also a contributing editor for http://www.bloggernews.net and maintains a personal blog at http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com.
Keyword tags: book reviews, authors, publishing, books, science fiction, fantasy, fiction
The action takes place in Chandler, Arizona, and a less likely setting for utopia I cannot think of! A once homeless man wins a $200 million jackpot lottery and sets about creating a Utopian paradise, free housing, free medical, free transportation, in fact free everything. Better still the society is green and sustainable. Utopia indeed.
Or hero Norm Larson is an under achieving baby boomer who finds himself unemployed, unchallenged, and undervalued. A chance business card with the words 'Want some meaningful work?' written on it takes Norm on an odyssey of self discovery. The business card has a web site for SomeplacElse on it which Norm visits and fills out the application form.
Before he knows it he is whisked off by limo for an interview, but this is a job interview like none other he as ever had. There is no interest in his resume or his previous experience, in fact there are no questions at all. The folks at SomeplacElse want Norm to interview them. What is it that Norm would like to do? What is it that Norm can can contribute to this society? Would he prefer to teach, or invent, manufacture, design, or lead? These are confusing questions for our anti-hero.
The heat gets turned up a notch when Norm meets the founder of the organization, Mike. Part of Mike's philosophy is that no one, himself included, should remain working in the same position for more than 10 years, and his 10 years as Advocate has expired. How would Norm like the position of Advocate? "But I am no Mike," Norm pleads, "We don't need another Mike, we need an Advocate, we need your fresh ideas," is the reply.
The fly in the Utopian ointment though is the corrupt politician Adam Wainwright, who has his heart set of destroying SomeplacElse. Can Norm save the day?
With this backdrop Lindstrom takes us on a 5 day voyage of good verses evil, David verses Goliath.
I am not usually a big fan of Sci-Fi type books, but Considering SomeplacElse is cut from a different piece of cloth and well worth the effort of seeking it out. Lindstrom has a very chatty style of writing which works well with the story line. As I understand it, he has had considerable writing experience but this is his first foray into the world of fiction. Well I will give him a very high recommendation, and I look forward to reading more books authored by him. Maybe one of the allures for me in this book is his chatty style, it is very much the style I like to write in. In fact I will share a secret with you, when writing reviews I rarely refer to the author by his or her last name, I prefer to use the friendlier first name, but I have no idea what the 'B' in B. L. Lindstrom stands for! So I apologize B. L. but for this review you must remain Lindstrom
You can get your copy from Amazon.
(Originally published at Blogger News Network and reprinted with permission of the author, Simon Barrett).
About the Author:
Simon Barrett is an adult educator in Calgary, Alberta. With the 11 months a year of winter, he reads a lot of books! He is also a contributing editor for http://www.bloggernews.net and maintains a personal blog at http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com.
Keyword tags: book reviews, authors, publishing, books, science fiction, fantasy, fiction
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Why Can\t I Sell Stories And Articles?
Most authors write their stories and articles and then try to find a market for them. While their efforts are admirable, they are going about it the wrong way. Remember the old saying, "He who aims at nothing hits same"? That old adage applies to writing better than anything else.
I have old stories, good stories, sitting around and waiting for the right magazine to be invented. I have untold hours tied up in those abundant efforts, yet there they sit. If only one of my teachers had told me to target my market first and then write for it, it would have saved me hundreds of work hours and much discouragement. The same thing will happen to you if you don't target your market.
First of all, invest in a copy of The Writer's Market. This book is worth its weight in gold. It will cost about $39. Get the online version because it is updated monthly, whereas the hard copy is updated annually. If you can't afford that, go on Ebay and buy a copy of last year's edition. It will tell you pretty much the same thing.
With this book, you can see what a magazine is looking for. It will tell you what the distribution rate is, whether or not they accept a certain genre, how much they pay, and a lot of other information.
Let's say you like to write mystery stories. To find a good market for them, log in to Writer's Market online and go through the process of narrowing the fields on the search page. It is pretty self-explanatory and you will get through it with no trouble.
Ultimately, you will wind up with a list of magazines that buy mystery stories. Review each of them and select one that is at least 75% freelance written. (Writer's Market will give you that information.) Then, of course, look at what they pay. If you are not experienced, don't try for higher paying magazines. You'll be wasting your time. Writing is something you grow into. It isn't like skipping a grade in school.
When you have arrived at the best magazine market for your article, make another investment and buy three consecutive (recent) copies of that magazine. (Go online, look up the magazine, and write for three back copies.) Never, but never send a story to a magazine you haven't read well.
When you receive the magazines you ordered, go to the page that show the names of the editors and staff (in the front), and match them up with the names of the stories in the magazine. (The ones they write are called "in house" writing. If an article doesn't have anyone's name by it, it was probably written by staff.)
When you have identified which articles belong to paid staff and which ones belong to freelance writers, you are on the right trail. Especially read the stories that are written by freelancers. When you find a story where you think to yourself, "I could write that," you have found your needle in the haystack. This is the market you want to sell to.
Read all the stories again. Are they all written in the same voice (first, second or third person)? If so, write your mystery in that voice. See what other common characteristics the stories have. Pick those stories apart and compare them.
That is how you become a selling author. You write the story for the magazine. You don't write the story and then try to find a magazine that will buy it. For many years I resisted that kind of logic because I was determined to have my own voice. I thought that, in studying the style of other authors, I would lose my own style. I was determined to be separate and unique.
Your style will always be your style. The more literature you read, the more you will learn about writing. In the end, you will be the sum total of what you experience in life, and you will have your own unique way of expressing it.
I wish you the very best in your writing efforts.
About the Author:
Compliments of http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com and Deborah Owen. To register for The Writer's Choice, the school's newsletter, write to deborahowen@cwinst.com.
Keyword tags: writing,courses,classes,student,creative
I have old stories, good stories, sitting around and waiting for the right magazine to be invented. I have untold hours tied up in those abundant efforts, yet there they sit. If only one of my teachers had told me to target my market first and then write for it, it would have saved me hundreds of work hours and much discouragement. The same thing will happen to you if you don't target your market.
First of all, invest in a copy of The Writer's Market. This book is worth its weight in gold. It will cost about $39. Get the online version because it is updated monthly, whereas the hard copy is updated annually. If you can't afford that, go on Ebay and buy a copy of last year's edition. It will tell you pretty much the same thing.
With this book, you can see what a magazine is looking for. It will tell you what the distribution rate is, whether or not they accept a certain genre, how much they pay, and a lot of other information.
Let's say you like to write mystery stories. To find a good market for them, log in to Writer's Market online and go through the process of narrowing the fields on the search page. It is pretty self-explanatory and you will get through it with no trouble.
Ultimately, you will wind up with a list of magazines that buy mystery stories. Review each of them and select one that is at least 75% freelance written. (Writer's Market will give you that information.) Then, of course, look at what they pay. If you are not experienced, don't try for higher paying magazines. You'll be wasting your time. Writing is something you grow into. It isn't like skipping a grade in school.
When you have arrived at the best magazine market for your article, make another investment and buy three consecutive (recent) copies of that magazine. (Go online, look up the magazine, and write for three back copies.) Never, but never send a story to a magazine you haven't read well.
When you receive the magazines you ordered, go to the page that show the names of the editors and staff (in the front), and match them up with the names of the stories in the magazine. (The ones they write are called "in house" writing. If an article doesn't have anyone's name by it, it was probably written by staff.)
When you have identified which articles belong to paid staff and which ones belong to freelance writers, you are on the right trail. Especially read the stories that are written by freelancers. When you find a story where you think to yourself, "I could write that," you have found your needle in the haystack. This is the market you want to sell to.
Read all the stories again. Are they all written in the same voice (first, second or third person)? If so, write your mystery in that voice. See what other common characteristics the stories have. Pick those stories apart and compare them.
That is how you become a selling author. You write the story for the magazine. You don't write the story and then try to find a magazine that will buy it. For many years I resisted that kind of logic because I was determined to have my own voice. I thought that, in studying the style of other authors, I would lose my own style. I was determined to be separate and unique.
Your style will always be your style. The more literature you read, the more you will learn about writing. In the end, you will be the sum total of what you experience in life, and you will have your own unique way of expressing it.
I wish you the very best in your writing efforts.
About the Author:
Compliments of http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com and Deborah Owen. To register for The Writer's Choice, the school's newsletter, write to deborahowen@cwinst.com.
Keyword tags: writing,courses,classes,student,creative
Saturday, September 20, 2008
How to Write Better Headlines
If you want to sell more on your website or your client's website, then no piece of text is more important than your headline. Your sales copy still need to convince prospective buyers to buy, but if your headline is dull or ineffective, then people won't stay on your page to read what else you have to say. Many statistics show people will only look at a site for a few seconds before deciding whether to stay or go somewhere else.
Not only does your headline have to grab people's attention, but it also needs to identify things that make your product or service different or stand out from the competition.
While we are looking mainly at the main headline, these tips can also help with subheadings. Because most people will just scan your page before making their decision, subheadings will help capture their attention, build curiosity, or point out benefits.
New copywriters often find it difficult to come up with ideas for headlines. Remember you can use offline ideas online. Watch commercials and infomercials to get ideas. These advertisers spend big money on their ads, so they tend to have some of the strongest headlines. The first few words of a broadcast commercial are the equivalent of a headline, but this is not always the case as the visual element is present.
Even the evening news often uses a 'tease' to get you interested in an upcoming story - this is nothing more than a headline that uses curiosity. You can also study newspapers for headline ideas. By the same token, don't forget to look at the headlines on the covers of magazines, too. Again, all of these are designed to sell.
Another trick that will help you put zing into your headline is to start it with a verb or command.
The importance of your headline can't be stressed enough. Take the time to write down 20 to 100 different headline ideas before selecting the strongest one. That may seem like a lot, but a strong headline is vital to sales, and finding the right one rarely happens on the first few tries.
Just as with copywriting itself, there is some debate as to how long the ideal headline should be. Long or short? That depends on the audience and the strength of the headline, but what it really comes down to is this:
Headlines need to be just long enough to get people wanting to read more.
Here are three types of headlines that you can use.
Headline #1:
Bold claim: "Our Product Shows Anyone How To Lose Weight And Become A Millionaire"
When you use this headline, you are sure to capture people's attention. However, make sure the rest of your copy supports the headline. Bolder claims will require more proof. A downside to this type of headline is that it may turn off some people because it sounds too much like hype.
Headline # 2:
Empathy: "Tired Of Drowning In Debt?"
You can think of this headline as sharing the pain of your readers. Of course, your offer will eliminate their problem. This tactic will appeal to the targeted group of people who are experiencing the same problem. At the same time, it will eliminate those who don't have the problem, and wouldn't have taken your offer anyway.
To make an empathy headline more effective you need to keep building rapport with your reader. One way to do this is to tell the story of your struggle in a conversational tone. Let them know that you too have been there, but found a solution.
Headline # 3:
News report: "Former Truck Driver Quits Job After Discovering Million Dollar Secret"
People are programmed to accept news as factual, and this type of headline plays on that. This headline sounds informative, so the reader will want to read your page to learn more. You can continue your sales letter or advertorial to sound like a news item. This can be tricky because you have to strike the right balance of informing and selling.
The news report headline doesn't appeal to everyone, but if your product informs people or reveals something new, then a newslike tie-in can work.
Regardless of which headline you choose, you have to prove any claims it makes with the rest of your copy. Remember, a headline gets people to notice your message and gets people interested in reading more. One final tip: test and tweak your headlines to get the best results. A change of even a single word can have a large impact on your results.
About the Author:
Brian Scott is the author of the newly-released book/audio book, SOCIAL COPYWRITING 2.0, available at http://www.PaydayPublishing.com. Listen to free audio samples on copywriting for today's social media. Or sign up to our Affiliate Program and earn 50% commissions on our products!
Keyword tags: copywriting, freelance copywriting, freelance writing, SEO, business writing, freelancing
Not only does your headline have to grab people's attention, but it also needs to identify things that make your product or service different or stand out from the competition.
While we are looking mainly at the main headline, these tips can also help with subheadings. Because most people will just scan your page before making their decision, subheadings will help capture their attention, build curiosity, or point out benefits.
New copywriters often find it difficult to come up with ideas for headlines. Remember you can use offline ideas online. Watch commercials and infomercials to get ideas. These advertisers spend big money on their ads, so they tend to have some of the strongest headlines. The first few words of a broadcast commercial are the equivalent of a headline, but this is not always the case as the visual element is present.
Even the evening news often uses a 'tease' to get you interested in an upcoming story - this is nothing more than a headline that uses curiosity. You can also study newspapers for headline ideas. By the same token, don't forget to look at the headlines on the covers of magazines, too. Again, all of these are designed to sell.
Another trick that will help you put zing into your headline is to start it with a verb or command.
The importance of your headline can't be stressed enough. Take the time to write down 20 to 100 different headline ideas before selecting the strongest one. That may seem like a lot, but a strong headline is vital to sales, and finding the right one rarely happens on the first few tries.
Just as with copywriting itself, there is some debate as to how long the ideal headline should be. Long or short? That depends on the audience and the strength of the headline, but what it really comes down to is this:
Headlines need to be just long enough to get people wanting to read more.
Here are three types of headlines that you can use.
Headline #1:
Bold claim: "Our Product Shows Anyone How To Lose Weight And Become A Millionaire"
When you use this headline, you are sure to capture people's attention. However, make sure the rest of your copy supports the headline. Bolder claims will require more proof. A downside to this type of headline is that it may turn off some people because it sounds too much like hype.
Headline # 2:
Empathy: "Tired Of Drowning In Debt?"
You can think of this headline as sharing the pain of your readers. Of course, your offer will eliminate their problem. This tactic will appeal to the targeted group of people who are experiencing the same problem. At the same time, it will eliminate those who don't have the problem, and wouldn't have taken your offer anyway.
To make an empathy headline more effective you need to keep building rapport with your reader. One way to do this is to tell the story of your struggle in a conversational tone. Let them know that you too have been there, but found a solution.
Headline # 3:
News report: "Former Truck Driver Quits Job After Discovering Million Dollar Secret"
People are programmed to accept news as factual, and this type of headline plays on that. This headline sounds informative, so the reader will want to read your page to learn more. You can continue your sales letter or advertorial to sound like a news item. This can be tricky because you have to strike the right balance of informing and selling.
The news report headline doesn't appeal to everyone, but if your product informs people or reveals something new, then a newslike tie-in can work.
Regardless of which headline you choose, you have to prove any claims it makes with the rest of your copy. Remember, a headline gets people to notice your message and gets people interested in reading more. One final tip: test and tweak your headlines to get the best results. A change of even a single word can have a large impact on your results.
About the Author:
Brian Scott is the author of the newly-released book/audio book, SOCIAL COPYWRITING 2.0, available at http://www.PaydayPublishing.com. Listen to free audio samples on copywriting for today's social media. Or sign up to our Affiliate Program and earn 50% commissions on our products!
Keyword tags: copywriting, freelance copywriting, freelance writing, SEO, business writing, freelancing
Friday, September 19, 2008
8 Tips to Create a Blog Post That Gets Your Reader\s Attention
The biggest challenges facing most bloggers is not only creating content on a regular basis, but also writing posts that will actually get read by your target audience.
Have you ever landed on a blog and found yourself looking at a huge amount of text that looked like one big sentence? My guess is that you didn't bother to read that post.
Here are 8 helpful tips to write blog posts that get attention:
1. Perform keyword research but don't overuse your keywords.
Make a list of the keyword phrases that have the most search volume in your niche and write posts relevant to those keywords.
Include the keyword phrase you have selected in your headline and in the first sentence. Use variations of the keyword in the rest of the post and write naturally, avoiding repetition.
2. Use headlines that are catchy and arouse curiosity.
Your headline is the most important part of your post and is the most crucial single factor that will determine whether your post will get read.
It is a good idea to copy headlines that catch your eye and create a swipe file that you can use as a reference.
Your headline should appeal to the emotions of your reader, which leads us to the next point:
3. Know your reader.
This point is illustrated wonderfully by internet marketing expert Eben Pagan who said that when you write, try to picture your reader at home alone, sitting in front of their computer.
* What is this person thinking about?
* What are their problems, frustrations, fears, and needs?
* What solutions can you offer them?
There is a conversation already going on inside your readers' mind, try to enter into it by:
4. Writing to your reader as an individual.
Imagine that the person is sitting beside you and you are having a conversation. Simply record this conversation.
Or, think about how you would address a good friend if you were sending them an email offering advice or telling them about something that you thought was really cool.
5. Be clear and concise.
Most people read posts by quickly scanning so it is important to cut all unnecessary words and get to the point as fast and obviously as you can.
The important issue here is to proofread your posts with a fine-tooth comb. Always try to look for the briefest and most direct way to get your message across.
6. Make your posts easy to read with formatting techniques.
* make your sentences and paragraphs shorter
* use bullet points and numbered lists
* break up the text with graphics
* bold important points
7. Check your spelling and grammar.
Your credibility is at stake and nothing makes a poorer impression than spelling mistakes and poor grammar.
Remember that your writing is a reflection of you and this will directly affect your readers' opinion of you.
8. Use lots of links.
Providing your readers with additional resources will add to your credibility and authority in your niche.
Linking to other sites will also help you build a network within your niche as these sites will often end up linking to you as well.
The whole purpose of blogging is to have your posts read.
I hope that you find these tips helpful and I invite you to share any tips that you have found effective.
About the Author:
Mark McCullagh is the author of the http://www.NewSuccessOnline.com blog, where you can discover internet marketing strategies that work.
Keyword tags: blogs, blogging, content creation
Have you ever landed on a blog and found yourself looking at a huge amount of text that looked like one big sentence? My guess is that you didn't bother to read that post.
Here are 8 helpful tips to write blog posts that get attention:
1. Perform keyword research but don't overuse your keywords.
Make a list of the keyword phrases that have the most search volume in your niche and write posts relevant to those keywords.
Include the keyword phrase you have selected in your headline and in the first sentence. Use variations of the keyword in the rest of the post and write naturally, avoiding repetition.
2. Use headlines that are catchy and arouse curiosity.
Your headline is the most important part of your post and is the most crucial single factor that will determine whether your post will get read.
It is a good idea to copy headlines that catch your eye and create a swipe file that you can use as a reference.
Your headline should appeal to the emotions of your reader, which leads us to the next point:
3. Know your reader.
This point is illustrated wonderfully by internet marketing expert Eben Pagan who said that when you write, try to picture your reader at home alone, sitting in front of their computer.
* What is this person thinking about?
* What are their problems, frustrations, fears, and needs?
* What solutions can you offer them?
There is a conversation already going on inside your readers' mind, try to enter into it by:
4. Writing to your reader as an individual.
Imagine that the person is sitting beside you and you are having a conversation. Simply record this conversation.
Or, think about how you would address a good friend if you were sending them an email offering advice or telling them about something that you thought was really cool.
5. Be clear and concise.
Most people read posts by quickly scanning so it is important to cut all unnecessary words and get to the point as fast and obviously as you can.
The important issue here is to proofread your posts with a fine-tooth comb. Always try to look for the briefest and most direct way to get your message across.
6. Make your posts easy to read with formatting techniques.
* make your sentences and paragraphs shorter
* use bullet points and numbered lists
* break up the text with graphics
* bold important points
7. Check your spelling and grammar.
Your credibility is at stake and nothing makes a poorer impression than spelling mistakes and poor grammar.
Remember that your writing is a reflection of you and this will directly affect your readers' opinion of you.
8. Use lots of links.
Providing your readers with additional resources will add to your credibility and authority in your niche.
Linking to other sites will also help you build a network within your niche as these sites will often end up linking to you as well.
The whole purpose of blogging is to have your posts read.
I hope that you find these tips helpful and I invite you to share any tips that you have found effective.
About the Author:
Mark McCullagh is the author of the http://www.NewSuccessOnline.com blog, where you can discover internet marketing strategies that work.
Keyword tags: blogs, blogging, content creation
How to Self Publish a Book For Free
The internet and modern technology have made it very easy for anyone to self publish a book. But like everything else, to do something well and to do it profitably, it takes money. However, you can now self publish as many books as you want to – for free!
It's every writer's dream to be a published author; to sit and write books and have them published and selling all over the world.
How great would it be to be able to write as many books as you want to and know that they will all be published?
Can you imagine that?
If you could write and publish books for a living you could work from anywhere in the world. You could sit by a swimming pool and write, or sit on a warm tropical beach or hide away in a snowy log cabin while you churn out one great book after another, knowing that every single one of them will be published.
How fantastic would that life be?
Well you can now stop dreaming and make your life as a successful author a reality. And if you think you can't afford to publish all your own books, you're wrong. Because it's now possible to write and publish all your books for free.
So if you've written a book, edited and proof read your manuscript, then it's time to turn it into a published book. And there are several different ways that you can go about it.
The easiest way is to sell your book electronically (an eBook) as an instant download over the internet.
If you already have a web site you can sell your book from there by creating a sales page and a 'thank-you' page that includes the download instructions. You can then set up the payment process using an online payment company such as PayPal.
PayPal allows you to set up an account with them for free. Through this account you can set up a 'buy now' payment link that you can simply copy and paste onto your sales page.
Once a customer has made a purchase they are then directed to your 'thank-you' page where they can download your book.
If you don't have a web site, you can sign up for a free blog and sell your book from there the same way.
Or if you're really not that savvy at creating web pages, you don't have to have a web site or blog at all to sell your book.
You can use an online eBook company called MobiPocket who will supply you with free software so that you can upload your book file to their web site.
You can then set your own price and book description, etc, and MobiPocket will sell your eBook for you and take a percentage of each sale.
MobiPocket is owned by Amazon.com and so if you sign a publisher's agreement with MobiPocket, your book will also be available as an instant download through the Amazon stores too, as well as through over 100 other online eBook stores.
And if you want your book to be available in print form too, you can use LuLu.com.
LuLu.com is a free online POD publisher who will sell a printed copy of your book On Demand from their web site, as well as help you design a free book cover. All they ask in return is a percentage of every book sale.
So if you want to publish your book for free, try these simple ways and you can publish your book easily in only one afternoon and have it available as an eBook and printed book.
And then it's time to begin writing your next book, and the next, and the next…
About the Author:
Learn how to publish as many books as you want for as long as you want and from anywhere in the world. Become a successful self published author. http://selfpublishworldwide.com
Keyword tags: self publish a book, books, for free, published author, write books, great, price, print, printed,
It's every writer's dream to be a published author; to sit and write books and have them published and selling all over the world.
How great would it be to be able to write as many books as you want to and know that they will all be published?
Can you imagine that?
If you could write and publish books for a living you could work from anywhere in the world. You could sit by a swimming pool and write, or sit on a warm tropical beach or hide away in a snowy log cabin while you churn out one great book after another, knowing that every single one of them will be published.
How fantastic would that life be?
Well you can now stop dreaming and make your life as a successful author a reality. And if you think you can't afford to publish all your own books, you're wrong. Because it's now possible to write and publish all your books for free.
So if you've written a book, edited and proof read your manuscript, then it's time to turn it into a published book. And there are several different ways that you can go about it.
The easiest way is to sell your book electronically (an eBook) as an instant download over the internet.
If you already have a web site you can sell your book from there by creating a sales page and a 'thank-you' page that includes the download instructions. You can then set up the payment process using an online payment company such as PayPal.
PayPal allows you to set up an account with them for free. Through this account you can set up a 'buy now' payment link that you can simply copy and paste onto your sales page.
Once a customer has made a purchase they are then directed to your 'thank-you' page where they can download your book.
If you don't have a web site, you can sign up for a free blog and sell your book from there the same way.
Or if you're really not that savvy at creating web pages, you don't have to have a web site or blog at all to sell your book.
You can use an online eBook company called MobiPocket who will supply you with free software so that you can upload your book file to their web site.
You can then set your own price and book description, etc, and MobiPocket will sell your eBook for you and take a percentage of each sale.
MobiPocket is owned by Amazon.com and so if you sign a publisher's agreement with MobiPocket, your book will also be available as an instant download through the Amazon stores too, as well as through over 100 other online eBook stores.
And if you want your book to be available in print form too, you can use LuLu.com.
LuLu.com is a free online POD publisher who will sell a printed copy of your book On Demand from their web site, as well as help you design a free book cover. All they ask in return is a percentage of every book sale.
So if you want to publish your book for free, try these simple ways and you can publish your book easily in only one afternoon and have it available as an eBook and printed book.
And then it's time to begin writing your next book, and the next, and the next…
About the Author:
Learn how to publish as many books as you want for as long as you want and from anywhere in the world. Become a successful self published author. http://selfpublishworldwide.com
Keyword tags: self publish a book, books, for free, published author, write books, great, price, print, printed,
How To Develop A Story
There are many ways to form a story in your mind, but I have developed a unique approach that almost writes the story for you. Keeping in mind that every story must have plot, conflict, and resolution (not necessarily in that order) – I build the conflict first, then the resolution, and then the lead in. Notice I didn't say "plot", as it will develop itself with this method.
Part I
I'll make up a story right now, as I type, to show you the process. I'm starting in the middle of my story because I'll get into the action quicker, I can identify most of the characters quickly, and the plot will develop more normally. FIRST, I'll begin with the action scene that comes in the middle. I have no idea what it will be. I'll think about high drama and tension and start there. (90 seconds of thinking)
I will make this story about two abused children, a sister about age 9 and her brother, age 5. My mind begins with the action scene where an enraged stepfather chases them through a forest. They are hiding in a tiny wash out in a bank that is covered by tree roots. They found it when the little boy sat down, leaned against the roots and fell into it.
The stepfather races through the forest, loudly calling their names. Gasping for air, he sits down and leans against the same tree, not three feet from where they are hiding. The children hold their breath in fear, lest he should fall into the hole and discover them.
Part II
Okay. The anti-climax is done and my mind is thoroughly into the story. Next, I'll create the ending. (pause – thinking) The children will come across a village they didn't know existed. The people who live there dress in strange clothes, like a throwback in time. They see a man who is a shoe cobbler, and a woman wearing wooden shoes that clack their way down the street.
The children run to the shoe cobbler and pant out their story to him. The cobbler alerts the townspeople that a huge, fierce man is coming and that he intends to harm the children. The townspeople hold a hurried meeting and decide to lay a trap to snare the man.
The man walks into the trap, is caught, and put on trial. The people are merciless. In their eyes, there is no greater crime than abusing children. In such cases, they feel that ridding the earth of such a vile person is commendable – and they are commendable people. They hang him. The children live with the shoe cobbler and his wife, and they spend the rest of their natural lives with the townspeople.
Developing the lead will be easy now. What I want you to see is that jumping into a tragic scene mentally will naturally lead you to the number of characters you must have and who they are.
Next, I have to answer some questions for the reader, such as, where is the mother all this time? My easy answer is that she's dead. I can either state that or show it. Next, I have to tell my reader what happened to the natural father, and how the step-father came into the picture. Or – I have another idea. I might make it the real father who is chasing them, to reclaim them and their mother (who is no longer dead). He wants to rescue them from this beast. (New idea - the mother married the step-father because her husband was at war and she was told he was dead. Not having a way to provide for the children, she married the first man who courted her. The husband has returned.)
That puts the story into a happier mode, and it makes for a better plot. I'll go with that. So the father is chasing them all this time, but the children think it is the step-father. They hide in their little hole and wait until he leaves (note the irony of having the father so near the children, and neither knows the other is there), and then they run to the village. The village people ensnare the man, but the children see it is their father and he takes them home to their mother and they live happily ever after. Now I have to figure out what happened to the stepfather.
I want you to note is that by answering the questions I know the reader will have, I arrived at a new ending, which is better than the first because it has a twist, and because it has irony.
There is something noteworthy here, and that is, you must always let the reader feel satisfied at the end of the story. That's why you see very few stories with a sad ending. If you don't satisfy your reader, they won't want to read anything else you write.
So, now my story is practically written for me. Do you see how easy that was? If you like this story and would like to develop it (as I will not), write to me and I will give you the official permission to claim it as your own – with one catch. I'd like for you to send the story to me and let me read it when it's finished. Note: I will grant this story line to the first person who requests it.
This is a unique method that will work for you every time. Now you try it, and let me know how you like it.
About the Author:
Deborah Owen is the CEO and Founder of two writing schools. Her most recent achievement is Creative Writing Institute, a fully mentored school that opens October 5, 2008. To register for The Writer's Choice, the school's newsletter, write to Ms. Deborah at deborahowen@cwinst.com. http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com
Keyword tags: story,develop,lessons,courses,writing
Part I
I'll make up a story right now, as I type, to show you the process. I'm starting in the middle of my story because I'll get into the action quicker, I can identify most of the characters quickly, and the plot will develop more normally. FIRST, I'll begin with the action scene that comes in the middle. I have no idea what it will be. I'll think about high drama and tension and start there. (90 seconds of thinking)
I will make this story about two abused children, a sister about age 9 and her brother, age 5. My mind begins with the action scene where an enraged stepfather chases them through a forest. They are hiding in a tiny wash out in a bank that is covered by tree roots. They found it when the little boy sat down, leaned against the roots and fell into it.
The stepfather races through the forest, loudly calling their names. Gasping for air, he sits down and leans against the same tree, not three feet from where they are hiding. The children hold their breath in fear, lest he should fall into the hole and discover them.
Part II
Okay. The anti-climax is done and my mind is thoroughly into the story. Next, I'll create the ending. (pause – thinking) The children will come across a village they didn't know existed. The people who live there dress in strange clothes, like a throwback in time. They see a man who is a shoe cobbler, and a woman wearing wooden shoes that clack their way down the street.
The children run to the shoe cobbler and pant out their story to him. The cobbler alerts the townspeople that a huge, fierce man is coming and that he intends to harm the children. The townspeople hold a hurried meeting and decide to lay a trap to snare the man.
The man walks into the trap, is caught, and put on trial. The people are merciless. In their eyes, there is no greater crime than abusing children. In such cases, they feel that ridding the earth of such a vile person is commendable – and they are commendable people. They hang him. The children live with the shoe cobbler and his wife, and they spend the rest of their natural lives with the townspeople.
Developing the lead will be easy now. What I want you to see is that jumping into a tragic scene mentally will naturally lead you to the number of characters you must have and who they are.
Next, I have to answer some questions for the reader, such as, where is the mother all this time? My easy answer is that she's dead. I can either state that or show it. Next, I have to tell my reader what happened to the natural father, and how the step-father came into the picture. Or – I have another idea. I might make it the real father who is chasing them, to reclaim them and their mother (who is no longer dead). He wants to rescue them from this beast. (New idea - the mother married the step-father because her husband was at war and she was told he was dead. Not having a way to provide for the children, she married the first man who courted her. The husband has returned.)
That puts the story into a happier mode, and it makes for a better plot. I'll go with that. So the father is chasing them all this time, but the children think it is the step-father. They hide in their little hole and wait until he leaves (note the irony of having the father so near the children, and neither knows the other is there), and then they run to the village. The village people ensnare the man, but the children see it is their father and he takes them home to their mother and they live happily ever after. Now I have to figure out what happened to the stepfather.
I want you to note is that by answering the questions I know the reader will have, I arrived at a new ending, which is better than the first because it has a twist, and because it has irony.
There is something noteworthy here, and that is, you must always let the reader feel satisfied at the end of the story. That's why you see very few stories with a sad ending. If you don't satisfy your reader, they won't want to read anything else you write.
So, now my story is practically written for me. Do you see how easy that was? If you like this story and would like to develop it (as I will not), write to me and I will give you the official permission to claim it as your own – with one catch. I'd like for you to send the story to me and let me read it when it's finished. Note: I will grant this story line to the first person who requests it.
This is a unique method that will work for you every time. Now you try it, and let me know how you like it.
About the Author:
Deborah Owen is the CEO and Founder of two writing schools. Her most recent achievement is Creative Writing Institute, a fully mentored school that opens October 5, 2008. To register for The Writer's Choice, the school's newsletter, write to Ms. Deborah at deborahowen@cwinst.com. http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com
Keyword tags: story,develop,lessons,courses,writing
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Tips For Writing A Ski Resort Review
If you have just returned from a great vacation at a ski resort, which might not be the best ski resort, but you had fun, you should write a review for that ski resort and pen down all your experiences, good or bad. Writing a ski resort review will help other people who want to plan a trip to ski. When they read your ski resort review, they will come to know what all to do when they reach the ski resort. Also, it will help increase future customers who based on your ski resort review will want to enjoy all the amenities and activities which you enjoyed.
But while writing a ski resort review, you should take into account some points.
Note down the time of the year you visited the resort, its crucial.
If you want visited during a holiday, the resort might have been a little busy, and the customer service, amenities and waiting times might have been different than what they would have been had you visited during the quieter months, so, for a perfect review, it's very important to mention the time of the year you visited the ski resort. You shall not miss small details while writing a ski resort review and try to share all the moments with the readers who will read it.
You might also write a negative ski resort review if you had problems with the place or if the waiting time was more even if the visitors were less.
How was your actual skiing experience?
A person spending a fortune on a ski resort would definitely be interested in skiing, so this is one aspect you just can't miss to add in your review. You should write about the slopes, the level of difficulty they offered, the kind of equipment, if the equipment was easily available at the resort itself, or you had to take yours along or rent it from a local vendor. The whole experience about how you felt while skiing needs to be penned down very carefully, therefore the most important thing while writing a ski resort review is the type of equipment and its availability. If you were no able to ski due to the faulty equipment then you should tell others about the possible problems they are bound to face.
About other amenities.
You should tell others about the crucial aspects of the resort. People reading your ski resort review should know if they have to come prepared for any circumstances such as bad quality food, or too much time wasted in a particular activity, try and add aspects like the educational relevance of the trip.
If you liked something, like an additional amenity, the quality of service, the kind of equipment, the dining area, children's recreational area or maybe the general ambience of the whole place, you should speak out.
Finally, the Ski resort review should contain the website and other official information regarding the resort.Remember, the ski resort review is not only your experience, but also a great vacation for a future traveler.
About the Author:
Here you will find the insight on how to take a cheap Ski Vacation. Please visit http://www.SkiVacationresources.com Also, you will learn the in and outs of taking your family on your next Ski Vacation.
Keyword tags: Ski resort review, Ski Vacation, Ski resorts,Cheap Ski Resorts, Cheap Ski Vacation
But while writing a ski resort review, you should take into account some points.
Note down the time of the year you visited the resort, its crucial.
If you want visited during a holiday, the resort might have been a little busy, and the customer service, amenities and waiting times might have been different than what they would have been had you visited during the quieter months, so, for a perfect review, it's very important to mention the time of the year you visited the ski resort. You shall not miss small details while writing a ski resort review and try to share all the moments with the readers who will read it.
You might also write a negative ski resort review if you had problems with the place or if the waiting time was more even if the visitors were less.
How was your actual skiing experience?
A person spending a fortune on a ski resort would definitely be interested in skiing, so this is one aspect you just can't miss to add in your review. You should write about the slopes, the level of difficulty they offered, the kind of equipment, if the equipment was easily available at the resort itself, or you had to take yours along or rent it from a local vendor. The whole experience about how you felt while skiing needs to be penned down very carefully, therefore the most important thing while writing a ski resort review is the type of equipment and its availability. If you were no able to ski due to the faulty equipment then you should tell others about the possible problems they are bound to face.
About other amenities.
You should tell others about the crucial aspects of the resort. People reading your ski resort review should know if they have to come prepared for any circumstances such as bad quality food, or too much time wasted in a particular activity, try and add aspects like the educational relevance of the trip.
If you liked something, like an additional amenity, the quality of service, the kind of equipment, the dining area, children's recreational area or maybe the general ambience of the whole place, you should speak out.
Finally, the Ski resort review should contain the website and other official information regarding the resort.Remember, the ski resort review is not only your experience, but also a great vacation for a future traveler.
About the Author:
Here you will find the insight on how to take a cheap Ski Vacation. Please visit http://www.SkiVacationresources.com Also, you will learn the in and outs of taking your family on your next Ski Vacation.
Keyword tags: Ski resort review, Ski Vacation, Ski resorts,Cheap Ski Resorts, Cheap Ski Vacation
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Learning the Rules of Writing
Yes, writing has rules, just like everything else. One of the greatest things about writing is that most people can become good, selling writers in only two years. One of the biggest problems in writing is that most people produce in their spare time and don't try to find their potential.
Many wannabe writers hide behind the excuse that they didn't learn punctuation and English basics well enough in their formative years. If that is your situation, most good schools have brush-up courses for that purpose.
Some students will say they are to old to learn new things, but to that I say, "Bah. Humbug." I have no short-term memory, yet I keep managing to learn as long as I apply myself daily, and I'm closing in on 70 years of age. If I can do it, you most certainly can, too.
Writing is a great hobby. It will give you a chance to spread your wings. Some people will be better at it than others, but that's okay. Give yourself permission to not be at the head of the class. My guess is you won't be at the rear, either.
If you want to learn Short Story writing, a course will teach you how to set a theme, develop a plot, target your audience, and choose your point of view. You will learn how to cast your characters, create good dialog, and use word imagery for settings. Next, you must learn to build the conflict, cut your verbiage, and perhaps most important of all, learn "Show, Don't Tell". There's a lot to short story writing and it's fun.
To learn writing for children (which is not any easier than writing for adults, trust me), you will begin by outlining your story, fleshing out your characters, studying market techniques, building your point of view, Show, Don't Tell, creating good dialog, editing your drafts, polishing your final draft, and creating queries and cover letters.
If you're interested in learning Fantasy writing, you will learn histories of the genre, and subgenres. You will learn how to find inspiration, create fantasy characters, create a fantasy world, and create the elements necessary to transport your readers into a believable atmosphere. You will learn how to outline, create a spell that will enchant your readers, and mix magic potions. You'll learn the difference between fantasy writing, horror writing and sci-fi writing.
Writing will teach you to have a 'tougher skin' so that more advanced students can offer comments on your work. You will learn to profit by it instead of getting hurt and sulking into a corner. As a writer, you must have this attitude. It is one of the few absolutes. Rejection is a large part of writing, and you should know that going in.
I would leave you with one last piece of advice. I thought I was the exception to the rule, and that I could skip ahead to advanced learning because I wanted it bad enough and I had an excellent foundation in English. I was so wrong. I skipped the beginning elements and when I got deeper into advanced writing, I had to take a brush-up course to learn what I had missed. My pride was crushed.
After I had taken a few courses, I realized how they meshed together to create a larger picture, and I learned that skipping any part of the package only caused me grief in the long run. Alas, I saved neither time nor money.
Please - start at the beginning and work your way through the courses patiently. Learn each one well. Study regularly, listen to your mentors, and do extra homework that is above and beyond the call of duty. In this way, you will ensure a writing career that has no holes in its foundation, and you will be fulfilled.
About the Author:
Deborah Owen is the CEO & Founder of a new writing school - Creative Writing Institute. The non-profit school uses mentors to escort each student to their highest potential. Registration opens with a great sale - eight-week courses for only $250. No added fees. School opens Oct. 5. http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com
Keyword tags: writing,career,study,courses,online,school,learning
Many wannabe writers hide behind the excuse that they didn't learn punctuation and English basics well enough in their formative years. If that is your situation, most good schools have brush-up courses for that purpose.
Some students will say they are to old to learn new things, but to that I say, "Bah. Humbug." I have no short-term memory, yet I keep managing to learn as long as I apply myself daily, and I'm closing in on 70 years of age. If I can do it, you most certainly can, too.
Writing is a great hobby. It will give you a chance to spread your wings. Some people will be better at it than others, but that's okay. Give yourself permission to not be at the head of the class. My guess is you won't be at the rear, either.
If you want to learn Short Story writing, a course will teach you how to set a theme, develop a plot, target your audience, and choose your point of view. You will learn how to cast your characters, create good dialog, and use word imagery for settings. Next, you must learn to build the conflict, cut your verbiage, and perhaps most important of all, learn "Show, Don't Tell". There's a lot to short story writing and it's fun.
To learn writing for children (which is not any easier than writing for adults, trust me), you will begin by outlining your story, fleshing out your characters, studying market techniques, building your point of view, Show, Don't Tell, creating good dialog, editing your drafts, polishing your final draft, and creating queries and cover letters.
If you're interested in learning Fantasy writing, you will learn histories of the genre, and subgenres. You will learn how to find inspiration, create fantasy characters, create a fantasy world, and create the elements necessary to transport your readers into a believable atmosphere. You will learn how to outline, create a spell that will enchant your readers, and mix magic potions. You'll learn the difference between fantasy writing, horror writing and sci-fi writing.
Writing will teach you to have a 'tougher skin' so that more advanced students can offer comments on your work. You will learn to profit by it instead of getting hurt and sulking into a corner. As a writer, you must have this attitude. It is one of the few absolutes. Rejection is a large part of writing, and you should know that going in.
I would leave you with one last piece of advice. I thought I was the exception to the rule, and that I could skip ahead to advanced learning because I wanted it bad enough and I had an excellent foundation in English. I was so wrong. I skipped the beginning elements and when I got deeper into advanced writing, I had to take a brush-up course to learn what I had missed. My pride was crushed.
After I had taken a few courses, I realized how they meshed together to create a larger picture, and I learned that skipping any part of the package only caused me grief in the long run. Alas, I saved neither time nor money.
Please - start at the beginning and work your way through the courses patiently. Learn each one well. Study regularly, listen to your mentors, and do extra homework that is above and beyond the call of duty. In this way, you will ensure a writing career that has no holes in its foundation, and you will be fulfilled.
About the Author:
Deborah Owen is the CEO & Founder of a new writing school - Creative Writing Institute. The non-profit school uses mentors to escort each student to their highest potential. Registration opens with a great sale - eight-week courses for only $250. No added fees. School opens Oct. 5. http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com
Keyword tags: writing,career,study,courses,online,school,learning
Why Write?
The world is full of literature. Everywhere we look, we see novels, magazines, anthologies, genealogies, journals, newspapers, advertising – the list is endless.
Sometimes it seems almost useless to add to the heap of existing literature, but don't give in to feelings of frustration or discouragement. What is inside you is unique. It is exhilarating. There are no two people in the world with the same fingerprints, and no two people who have the same effect on others.
What do you spend your time thinking about? More than likely, someone else is writing about it, but they aren't presenting it with the same angle that you would. It is this angle that makes what you have to say important. But that is only one of the reasons why you should write.
Some people like to keep a journal, log, or diary, and many have joined the new age of blogging. Did you ever ask yourself why so many people read blogs? It's because people are nosey, and they want to know what is going on in someone else's life. They want the dirt on them. The same curiosity that brings them to your blog will also bring them to your articles and/or short stories.
Many take up writing as a hobby, just to put their thoughts in order and express them publicly. Some have no interest whatever in presenting their work for publication, while others write only for publication. No matter what kind of writing you like, you will find that writing is fulfilling.
You may even find that you would like to take a writing class to whet your talents and learn better how to phrase your thoughts. It is this skill of stringing words together in the right order that will make your writing go to the next level.
Too many writers let their busy lives pull them away from the thing that will satisfy them the most. Don't let that happen to you. Almost anyone can afford a nominally priced writing course.
The best type to choose is the one that has a mentor. Teachers will tell you what is right and wrong, but mentors are available all week long to help you improve your writing style.
If you think you have no talent for writing, but would like to give it a try, please do. You'll be glad you did. The very fact that you have a desire to write says you probably have latent talents waiting to be developed. Most people who want to write can write.
Taking classes is an excellent way to crank yourself into first gear and start a long journey. You've heard of "use it or lose it". That is true of almost anything. If you smother the desire to write, it may never resurface. You will never know what you could have done, what mile markers you could have left behind, what influence you might have had, and what enjoyment has passed you by.
Move into action and find what suits you best – one day workshops are for beginners, and will cover only the highlights. Three-day workshops (for beginners and brush-ups) are more intensive with two lessons that cover basic rules for the subject chosen. Two-week courses are very intensive and require a lot of time. (For intermediates.) Eight-week courses are for age 14 and up. These classes will help you produce a story or article for publication.
Plunge in for a cool, refreshing dip, and give yourself the opportunity to find a new, exciting door to a more bountiful life.
About the Author:
Deborah Owen has founded a non-profit writing school, financially geared for hardship students. OPENING SALE: eight-week course for only $250. No added fees. School starts October 5. http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com/
Keyword tags: writing,career,study,courses,online,school
Sometimes it seems almost useless to add to the heap of existing literature, but don't give in to feelings of frustration or discouragement. What is inside you is unique. It is exhilarating. There are no two people in the world with the same fingerprints, and no two people who have the same effect on others.
What do you spend your time thinking about? More than likely, someone else is writing about it, but they aren't presenting it with the same angle that you would. It is this angle that makes what you have to say important. But that is only one of the reasons why you should write.
Some people like to keep a journal, log, or diary, and many have joined the new age of blogging. Did you ever ask yourself why so many people read blogs? It's because people are nosey, and they want to know what is going on in someone else's life. They want the dirt on them. The same curiosity that brings them to your blog will also bring them to your articles and/or short stories.
Many take up writing as a hobby, just to put their thoughts in order and express them publicly. Some have no interest whatever in presenting their work for publication, while others write only for publication. No matter what kind of writing you like, you will find that writing is fulfilling.
You may even find that you would like to take a writing class to whet your talents and learn better how to phrase your thoughts. It is this skill of stringing words together in the right order that will make your writing go to the next level.
Too many writers let their busy lives pull them away from the thing that will satisfy them the most. Don't let that happen to you. Almost anyone can afford a nominally priced writing course.
The best type to choose is the one that has a mentor. Teachers will tell you what is right and wrong, but mentors are available all week long to help you improve your writing style.
If you think you have no talent for writing, but would like to give it a try, please do. You'll be glad you did. The very fact that you have a desire to write says you probably have latent talents waiting to be developed. Most people who want to write can write.
Taking classes is an excellent way to crank yourself into first gear and start a long journey. You've heard of "use it or lose it". That is true of almost anything. If you smother the desire to write, it may never resurface. You will never know what you could have done, what mile markers you could have left behind, what influence you might have had, and what enjoyment has passed you by.
Move into action and find what suits you best – one day workshops are for beginners, and will cover only the highlights. Three-day workshops (for beginners and brush-ups) are more intensive with two lessons that cover basic rules for the subject chosen. Two-week courses are very intensive and require a lot of time. (For intermediates.) Eight-week courses are for age 14 and up. These classes will help you produce a story or article for publication.
Plunge in for a cool, refreshing dip, and give yourself the opportunity to find a new, exciting door to a more bountiful life.
About the Author:
Deborah Owen has founded a non-profit writing school, financially geared for hardship students. OPENING SALE: eight-week course for only $250. No added fees. School starts October 5. http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com/
Keyword tags: writing,career,study,courses,online,school
Study Habits For Writing
Good study habits will make your courses much easier to handle. It's human nature to want to do everything the easy way. Unfortunately, anything that comes easily is usually not worth having. Good writing and study habits begin with learning from past experiences.
If you are a quarter horse and you slow down or choke in the long stretch, there is a way to improve your performance. Shorten your goals.
If you don't see how you have time to take a writing course for eight weeks, sign up anyway. Shorten the goal, and don't look at the package deal. Approach it one week at a time.
He who aims at nothing hits same. Staying focused is imperative above all else. Taking one writing course will require about 90 minutes of homework a week. Some students can get by with just an hour. Where can you work 60 - 90 minutes a week into your schedule? Perhaps you could get up 15 minutes early every day. (That's out, huh?) Okay. You could use your lunchtime. I know of a lady who wrote a book by writing only 15 minutes a day. But if that won't work for you, perhaps you could set time aside in the evening. Could you stay up 15 minutes later each night? Do whatever works for you, but make yourself do it.
To make the most of your study time, don't study with earphones, music or television on. Learning to study in the quiet is an art of its own. Some authors go to a cabin or up in the attic to be alone. Learn to cherish the quiet. Listen to it. That is how you will hear the words that come to you.
When the words come so fast that you barely have time to write them down, that is called the muse. Above all, do not stop and edit when you're in that mode. Keep writing as long as you can. If you really want the muse (and every writer should), study at the same time every day for a week. By the second week, you will find that the muse will begin to come at the time you have set.
Setting good habits is hard, and sometimes the only way you can break a bad habit is to punish yourself for it. For example, if you don't write one day, make yourself clean the toilet as punishment (whether it needs it or not). Pick whatever chore you hate most. Don't be discouraged if you miss writing now and then. Begin each new day with the confidence that you can break old habits, and the time to start is now – over and over again.
Last, but not least, whether you're writing a short story, article, or doing homework, don't begin new projects until you finish the old one.
Remember, shorten your goals so you don't burn out before the finish. If you can't see how you'll work the time in for one week of studies, set your goal for three days of study. Make yourself write at least 15 minutes a day, four days a week. Disconnected writing times may make it a little harder to "get into the groove", but you will acclimate to it. Best wishes.
About the Author:
http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com
Keyword tags: writing,study,habits,courses,classes,learn,creative
If you are a quarter horse and you slow down or choke in the long stretch, there is a way to improve your performance. Shorten your goals.
If you don't see how you have time to take a writing course for eight weeks, sign up anyway. Shorten the goal, and don't look at the package deal. Approach it one week at a time.
He who aims at nothing hits same. Staying focused is imperative above all else. Taking one writing course will require about 90 minutes of homework a week. Some students can get by with just an hour. Where can you work 60 - 90 minutes a week into your schedule? Perhaps you could get up 15 minutes early every day. (That's out, huh?) Okay. You could use your lunchtime. I know of a lady who wrote a book by writing only 15 minutes a day. But if that won't work for you, perhaps you could set time aside in the evening. Could you stay up 15 minutes later each night? Do whatever works for you, but make yourself do it.
To make the most of your study time, don't study with earphones, music or television on. Learning to study in the quiet is an art of its own. Some authors go to a cabin or up in the attic to be alone. Learn to cherish the quiet. Listen to it. That is how you will hear the words that come to you.
When the words come so fast that you barely have time to write them down, that is called the muse. Above all, do not stop and edit when you're in that mode. Keep writing as long as you can. If you really want the muse (and every writer should), study at the same time every day for a week. By the second week, you will find that the muse will begin to come at the time you have set.
Setting good habits is hard, and sometimes the only way you can break a bad habit is to punish yourself for it. For example, if you don't write one day, make yourself clean the toilet as punishment (whether it needs it or not). Pick whatever chore you hate most. Don't be discouraged if you miss writing now and then. Begin each new day with the confidence that you can break old habits, and the time to start is now – over and over again.
Last, but not least, whether you're writing a short story, article, or doing homework, don't begin new projects until you finish the old one.
Remember, shorten your goals so you don't burn out before the finish. If you can't see how you'll work the time in for one week of studies, set your goal for three days of study. Make yourself write at least 15 minutes a day, four days a week. Disconnected writing times may make it a little harder to "get into the groove", but you will acclimate to it. Best wishes.
About the Author:
http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com
Keyword tags: writing,study,habits,courses,classes,learn,creative
The Basics of Essay Writing
Every college student hears each and every professor say that writing an essay should consist of the basic component or parts. So what are they talking about, of course everyone knows that it must have a couple of paragraphs, a sentence detailing what it is about and must not be riddled with errors, but what all does the basic components consist of? There are a few more issues that the professors are referring to and the purpose of this article is to help you better understand the basic components and get an A+ for understanding the fundamentals.
Introduction
Everyone knows what the introduction is and what all it includes, right? Wrong many students fail miserably in the very opening statement of the essay because they do not have a clear understanding of how to write the introduction. Many professional writers and students alike write the introduction very last. That is because the essay may take a couple of different turns and the information in the introduction should detail exactly what is in the paper. The introduction length will vary with the different types of essays or research papers, but generally the introduction is only a paragraph or maybe three at max. Toward the end of the paragraph, the writer should sum it all up with the thesis sentence, topic sentence or clarifying statement. This gives the reader the ability to determine the direction that the author is taking with the paper as well as gives them an introduction to the topic at hand. This is very important and one of the most cited things from professors.
Hypothesis
Writing a hypothesis is not as difficult as many students believe it to be. Basically, a hypothesis is a statement about the writer beliefs about the relationship among the factors. It can be that one thing leads to another or may not have any effect at all. A hypothesis statement is generally one to two sentences and is a to the point statement. Sometimes an essay will call for a topic sentence or purpose statements, which is closely related to a hypothesis statement. The technical definition for a hypothesis is the writers believe about what will happen when an experiment is conducted. If the experiment was how sugar affects small children, the hypothesis statement maybe something like this: The consumption of sugar by small children will cause them to have sudden bursts of energy and become hyper. This is of course generic, and only an example.
The Essays Body
The body of the paper is by far the longest section of the paper. It includes several paragraphs that explain the topic at hand. The body of the paper actually details the information and proves or disproves the hypothesis. There are many different topics, citations, references and other information that leads the reader to understand what the paper is all about. Without clear and concise thoughts the reader will be lost in a paper full of jargon. Many students make the mistake of adding fluff to the paper that is really not relevant and can lead to a very poor grade. The best way to avoid this and have a good transition and a clear meaning within the paragraphs is to be well versed on the research pertaining to the topic at hand. It is very obvious when a writer has not preformed the necessary research or does not know about the topic. They may think that they are able to fool the professor or readers, but often times they are sadly mistaken. Another very important part of the body is the transitioning between paragraphs, ideas or other parts of the paper. In some cases this is called bridging and it means that one idea leads to another thought in the paper. For example if the student is writing a paper on sea life and needs to transition from Wales to dolphins the last paragraph about whales would link the two animals maybe even having a statement about the next topic, which is dolphins.
Conclusion of the Essay
The conclusion is the favorite part for many students when it comes to writing essays. This is because it is the area of the paper that is summarizing and it is almost finished. The conclusion is a very important part of the paper because it not only wraps up the thoughts and ideas of the paper, but also looks to a new direction for the topic at hand. This is just another way of summarizing the paper and giving the reader a feeling of completeness or closure to the thought or ideas expressed in the paper. The conclusion is generally between one and three paragraphs and summarizes the entire paper.
About the Author:
Visit Gene's website College Success http://bruteforcestudyguide.com/ for more College Study Skills http://bruteforcestudyguide.com/page4.html and information on basic grammar http://bruteforcestudyguide.com/grammar.html and essay writing.
Keyword tags: college study student essay
Introduction
Everyone knows what the introduction is and what all it includes, right? Wrong many students fail miserably in the very opening statement of the essay because they do not have a clear understanding of how to write the introduction. Many professional writers and students alike write the introduction very last. That is because the essay may take a couple of different turns and the information in the introduction should detail exactly what is in the paper. The introduction length will vary with the different types of essays or research papers, but generally the introduction is only a paragraph or maybe three at max. Toward the end of the paragraph, the writer should sum it all up with the thesis sentence, topic sentence or clarifying statement. This gives the reader the ability to determine the direction that the author is taking with the paper as well as gives them an introduction to the topic at hand. This is very important and one of the most cited things from professors.
Hypothesis
Writing a hypothesis is not as difficult as many students believe it to be. Basically, a hypothesis is a statement about the writer beliefs about the relationship among the factors. It can be that one thing leads to another or may not have any effect at all. A hypothesis statement is generally one to two sentences and is a to the point statement. Sometimes an essay will call for a topic sentence or purpose statements, which is closely related to a hypothesis statement. The technical definition for a hypothesis is the writers believe about what will happen when an experiment is conducted. If the experiment was how sugar affects small children, the hypothesis statement maybe something like this: The consumption of sugar by small children will cause them to have sudden bursts of energy and become hyper. This is of course generic, and only an example.
The Essays Body
The body of the paper is by far the longest section of the paper. It includes several paragraphs that explain the topic at hand. The body of the paper actually details the information and proves or disproves the hypothesis. There are many different topics, citations, references and other information that leads the reader to understand what the paper is all about. Without clear and concise thoughts the reader will be lost in a paper full of jargon. Many students make the mistake of adding fluff to the paper that is really not relevant and can lead to a very poor grade. The best way to avoid this and have a good transition and a clear meaning within the paragraphs is to be well versed on the research pertaining to the topic at hand. It is very obvious when a writer has not preformed the necessary research or does not know about the topic. They may think that they are able to fool the professor or readers, but often times they are sadly mistaken. Another very important part of the body is the transitioning between paragraphs, ideas or other parts of the paper. In some cases this is called bridging and it means that one idea leads to another thought in the paper. For example if the student is writing a paper on sea life and needs to transition from Wales to dolphins the last paragraph about whales would link the two animals maybe even having a statement about the next topic, which is dolphins.
Conclusion of the Essay
The conclusion is the favorite part for many students when it comes to writing essays. This is because it is the area of the paper that is summarizing and it is almost finished. The conclusion is a very important part of the paper because it not only wraps up the thoughts and ideas of the paper, but also looks to a new direction for the topic at hand. This is just another way of summarizing the paper and giving the reader a feeling of completeness or closure to the thought or ideas expressed in the paper. The conclusion is generally between one and three paragraphs and summarizes the entire paper.
About the Author:
Visit Gene's website College Success http://bruteforcestudyguide.com/ for more College Study Skills http://bruteforcestudyguide.com/page4.html and information on basic grammar http://bruteforcestudyguide.com/grammar.html and essay writing.
Keyword tags: college study student essay
Do I Need Writing Lessons?
Are writing lessons for everyone? No, but if you're asking yourself if you should take writing lessons, the answer is probably yes. Writing courses are hard work, and I won't kid you about that, but they are so rewarding.
Even assuming you have a good background in English, good sentence structure, and are talented beyond your wildest dreams, you still need the inside dope on how to sell what you write. Writing classes will teach you how to target a market, research it, write for a specific magazine, establish a rapport with editors, and have the self-confidence to properly present yourself.
Shortcuts are only for people with natural-born talent or geniuses. If you are neither of these, roll up your shirtsleeves and get ready to labor with the rest of us. Think how precious education is, and be thankful that you can get it if you try hard enough. Anything worth having is worth sacrificing for.
You may be asking, "Where do I begin?" Take a moment to do a reality check and decide what your lowest point in writing is. Do you need a punctuation review course? Do you need a brush-up course on proper sentence structure? Do you need to learn "Show, don't tell"? Establish your lowest point of writing knowledge and start there. If you are rusty on the basics, a refresher course will quickly restore your balance and set the foundation for intermediate and advanced classes.
Most writers amble along, taking the courses they like, and giving little heed to the rest of the learning process. But if you want to enjoy your hobby to the utmost, or turn it into a successful career, you must take it more seriously than that. The serious writer must wind his way through the maze of writing rules and proper procedures to develop their writing skills. This can be done easily if you have a caring mentor to lead you. He/she will help you avoid the landmines that caught them in their early years. They will critique your work, and guide you to your next level of learning.
If you're a serious writer and you want to sell, most people can begin selling articles in their first year. (Even if you want to write stories, writing articles is the place to begin. It will give you a great foundation that will enable you to earn a few bucks while you learn the story writing process, which takes a bit longer.) Almost everyone can sell articles by their second year. Learning to be a writer is a fairly speedy process, if you have the courage to stick with it. Most people who have a desire to write can learn to write well.
Note: More than half the writers who attend school drop out because they don't set good study habits. Lay aside 60-90 minutes a week for homework, and you'll do fine. Some people do this by using 15 minutes of their lunch hour daily, or staying up 15 minutes later at night. However you do it doesn't matter, but do it.
You are worth the investment. Step out and do something you really want. You can write. Almost anyone can, if they have some guidance. If you stick with it, you WILL learn.
If you would like an honest evaluation of your writing skills, send a 1,000 word story OR a 200 word article to me at deborahowen@cwinst.com. I will analyze the stories for imagery, characterization, dialog, structure, and plot. Articles will be judged on structure, strength, snappy verbs, grouping thoughts, verbiage, and presentation. I'll be more than happy to help you.
About the Author:
Hi. I'm the CEO & Founder of the new, mentored, Creative Writing Institute. Please drop in and see the new site. Check our FAQs, ask for a writing analysis, and drop me a line. http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com.
Keyword tags: creative,writing,lessons,courses,study
Even assuming you have a good background in English, good sentence structure, and are talented beyond your wildest dreams, you still need the inside dope on how to sell what you write. Writing classes will teach you how to target a market, research it, write for a specific magazine, establish a rapport with editors, and have the self-confidence to properly present yourself.
Shortcuts are only for people with natural-born talent or geniuses. If you are neither of these, roll up your shirtsleeves and get ready to labor with the rest of us. Think how precious education is, and be thankful that you can get it if you try hard enough. Anything worth having is worth sacrificing for.
You may be asking, "Where do I begin?" Take a moment to do a reality check and decide what your lowest point in writing is. Do you need a punctuation review course? Do you need a brush-up course on proper sentence structure? Do you need to learn "Show, don't tell"? Establish your lowest point of writing knowledge and start there. If you are rusty on the basics, a refresher course will quickly restore your balance and set the foundation for intermediate and advanced classes.
Most writers amble along, taking the courses they like, and giving little heed to the rest of the learning process. But if you want to enjoy your hobby to the utmost, or turn it into a successful career, you must take it more seriously than that. The serious writer must wind his way through the maze of writing rules and proper procedures to develop their writing skills. This can be done easily if you have a caring mentor to lead you. He/she will help you avoid the landmines that caught them in their early years. They will critique your work, and guide you to your next level of learning.
If you're a serious writer and you want to sell, most people can begin selling articles in their first year. (Even if you want to write stories, writing articles is the place to begin. It will give you a great foundation that will enable you to earn a few bucks while you learn the story writing process, which takes a bit longer.) Almost everyone can sell articles by their second year. Learning to be a writer is a fairly speedy process, if you have the courage to stick with it. Most people who have a desire to write can learn to write well.
Note: More than half the writers who attend school drop out because they don't set good study habits. Lay aside 60-90 minutes a week for homework, and you'll do fine. Some people do this by using 15 minutes of their lunch hour daily, or staying up 15 minutes later at night. However you do it doesn't matter, but do it.
You are worth the investment. Step out and do something you really want. You can write. Almost anyone can, if they have some guidance. If you stick with it, you WILL learn.
If you would like an honest evaluation of your writing skills, send a 1,000 word story OR a 200 word article to me at deborahowen@cwinst.com. I will analyze the stories for imagery, characterization, dialog, structure, and plot. Articles will be judged on structure, strength, snappy verbs, grouping thoughts, verbiage, and presentation. I'll be more than happy to help you.
About the Author:
Hi. I'm the CEO & Founder of the new, mentored, Creative Writing Institute. Please drop in and see the new site. Check our FAQs, ask for a writing analysis, and drop me a line. http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com.
Keyword tags: creative,writing,lessons,courses,study
Monday, September 15, 2008
Traveling Jobs - Learn How to Write Travel Articles and Holiday Reviews
A dream of many writers is to get traveling jobs as journalists and travel for free. In this article you can learn how to write great travel articles and holiday reviews and what you should avoid.
Most journalists are naturally curious. They also tend to be restless, sociable creatures with a taste for adventure who enjoy exploring new places, meeting new people and finding out more about unfamiliar cultures and lifestyles. It should come as no surprise that journalists who love to travel want to share their experiences in print wherever possible.
Travel writing is an extremely competitive market. There is no destination that hasn't been written about a million times, so it is vitally important to get the right angle to make your article stand out above the rest.
For thousands of writers, writing for a top travel magazine would be the dream job. However your professional credentials must be impeccable. This will mean you will have a sound track record and be regularly printed, ideally in a range of publications. You will also be reasonably traveled and have the ability to gather enough suitable material for new articles that will stand out.
Newspaper and magazine travel articles will often be more geared towards the consumer. In other words, the readers want to find out what aspects of the destination would appeal to them, rather than the chronological ins and outs of the writers own experiences. Getting to know your market is the most important factor when writing travel articles.
Don't let all this put you off. Be persistent and try to get yourself published by any means you can in order to build up a good portfolio. For those new to the world or travel writing, the first step might be to submit articles to a local paper if it accepts travel articles. This won't give you a lot of money, but offers you the much needed experience.
Getting the right angle
As with any other feature, it is important to have a clear sense of purpose about why you are writing a specific article. It's not usually good enough to say you are going to 'do' an article about the Maldives as this has been done many times before. Try think about what is different, original, unusual or topical about your feature that is going to stand out. You could write about anything. For example; the pudding eating championships!
Pictures
You might be fortunate to find an editor that has a good source for pictures, but don't count on it. It is imperative that travel articles to be accompanied by photographs. It is a sound investment for any journalist to buy a good digital camera so such a purpose. However do check with your editor ahead of time what size and format they want them to come in.
Honestly is the best policy
Even if you've been lucky enough to have someone else to pay for your holiday, do not be obliged to write a more positive article as a result. You will be letting your readers down if you don't give your honest opinion.
Avoid 'brochure speak'
Unless you're writing a review for travel company to sell a holiday, there is no need to lace your travel articles with hype and over blown descriptions with an enthusiastic tone. For your article to sound genuine and authentic, most of it will have to rely on eyewitness accounts first hand, rather than culled from other guide books.
Most importantly you want to tell your readers what the place is really like as they can read the brochures for themselves if they want to be sold to. This isn't always as easy as it sounds- you will need to perfect your observation skills to make your travel article original and where appropriate, humorous.
About the Author:
The author writes for several websites including, travel article directory http://www.articlesabroad.com, http://www.cashwrite.info where you will find lots of tips and information about making money from writing and the http://www.uksmartguide.com where you can smart search for the absolute best hotel deals worldwide.
Keyword tags: traveling jobs,travelling jobs,Holiday reviews,Trip advisor,travel articles,travel writer,travel,art
Most journalists are naturally curious. They also tend to be restless, sociable creatures with a taste for adventure who enjoy exploring new places, meeting new people and finding out more about unfamiliar cultures and lifestyles. It should come as no surprise that journalists who love to travel want to share their experiences in print wherever possible.
Travel writing is an extremely competitive market. There is no destination that hasn't been written about a million times, so it is vitally important to get the right angle to make your article stand out above the rest.
For thousands of writers, writing for a top travel magazine would be the dream job. However your professional credentials must be impeccable. This will mean you will have a sound track record and be regularly printed, ideally in a range of publications. You will also be reasonably traveled and have the ability to gather enough suitable material for new articles that will stand out.
Newspaper and magazine travel articles will often be more geared towards the consumer. In other words, the readers want to find out what aspects of the destination would appeal to them, rather than the chronological ins and outs of the writers own experiences. Getting to know your market is the most important factor when writing travel articles.
Don't let all this put you off. Be persistent and try to get yourself published by any means you can in order to build up a good portfolio. For those new to the world or travel writing, the first step might be to submit articles to a local paper if it accepts travel articles. This won't give you a lot of money, but offers you the much needed experience.
Getting the right angle
As with any other feature, it is important to have a clear sense of purpose about why you are writing a specific article. It's not usually good enough to say you are going to 'do' an article about the Maldives as this has been done many times before. Try think about what is different, original, unusual or topical about your feature that is going to stand out. You could write about anything. For example; the pudding eating championships!
Pictures
You might be fortunate to find an editor that has a good source for pictures, but don't count on it. It is imperative that travel articles to be accompanied by photographs. It is a sound investment for any journalist to buy a good digital camera so such a purpose. However do check with your editor ahead of time what size and format they want them to come in.
Honestly is the best policy
Even if you've been lucky enough to have someone else to pay for your holiday, do not be obliged to write a more positive article as a result. You will be letting your readers down if you don't give your honest opinion.
Avoid 'brochure speak'
Unless you're writing a review for travel company to sell a holiday, there is no need to lace your travel articles with hype and over blown descriptions with an enthusiastic tone. For your article to sound genuine and authentic, most of it will have to rely on eyewitness accounts first hand, rather than culled from other guide books.
Most importantly you want to tell your readers what the place is really like as they can read the brochures for themselves if they want to be sold to. This isn't always as easy as it sounds- you will need to perfect your observation skills to make your travel article original and where appropriate, humorous.
About the Author:
The author writes for several websites including, travel article directory http://www.articlesabroad.com, http://www.cashwrite.info where you will find lots of tips and information about making money from writing and the http://www.uksmartguide.com where you can smart search for the absolute best hotel deals worldwide.
Keyword tags: traveling jobs,travelling jobs,Holiday reviews,Trip advisor,travel articles,travel writer,travel,art
Get Real! Publishing Myths Exposed!
In the years since I've been in publishing I can't even count on one hand how many myths I've heard or how many of them have been pushed on unknowing authors. Arming yourself with knowledge is always a good idea and my intention is to share what I've found to be the biggest myths in publishing. There are twelve that rise to the surface for me, you might have a few that you've learned the hard way. I hope that I can help dispel a few myths and, in the process, give you a few promotional tips as well.
1) If someone writes a review I don't like, can I get them to rewrite it? No, this will never happen, nor should you ask for this. Doing this will show you are a novice. If you get back a bad review try to learn from it and move on. It happens to everyone at least once, it's disheartening but unfortunately, it's part of the business.
2) Radio is all I need to sell books. Not true. For some authors radio is golden but that's few and far between. Doing a lot of radio may be great for your exposure but it may not sell books. The best type of radio are interviews that are done to promote an event or workshop, that way you can at least drive people to something, rather than hoping they'll click on your site.
3) I'm going to take my independent title and get it on Oprah. Some years back, Oprah decided to be "unique" when selecting her books and she picked a title that came from a very small publisher. Because a mention on the Oprah show can produce a high demand, the publisher could not keep up with the orders, nor did they have enough in stock or stocked in a bookstore. The result? A lot of viewers called into the show when they couldn't find the book and Oprah vowed never to feature a small press title again. The challenge here is always availability. If you have a book from a small press but it has significant bookstore placement and availability, be sure to let the producers know this when you're pitching the book. It could go a long way to helping you gain consideration for the show!
4) I'm going to get my book on the New York Times Bestseller list. Bestseller lists are funny things, many of them (like the New York Times list) are not based on sales but rather on exposure and popularity. Meaning that if your book is gaining huge popularity, it might not be selling a ton of copies but bookstores are buzzing about it. The New York Times has around thirty or so bookstores around the country that report to them on what's hot and what's not. None of this is based on sales, just on what people are asking for. But regardless of the sales quota, in order to attain this level of exposure your book needs to have a significant print run of at least 50,000 or more. This also means that there needs to be placement of the book in bookstores. Yes, there are always exceptions to this rule, we saw that recently with the success of The Shack, but if someone is promising you bestseller status, take your marketing dollars and run.
5) If I get into Amazon does that mean my distribution is handled? No, Amazon is not a distributor, they are an online portal. Distribution means that there is a distributor actively involved in selling your book into bookstores. While it's great to be listed on all the online sites, having this as your only access point could hamper your book's success. If at all possible, get someone to distribute your title. Distribution can be tricky but it's often the one missing piece to a book's success.
6) How can I prevent my review copies from being sold? Unfortunately you can't, nor should you waste your time and energy on trying to get them back. Review copies are sold, it happens all the time and spending your time chasing used copies isn't a good use of your promotional efforts.
7) When I schedule a book signing the store will do all the promotion, right? Wrong. The bookstore may do some of the promotion, but not all of it. You will handle the lion's share of promotion for your event - this includes but is not limited to: notifying the media, printing up flyers and taking them to the store (if they'll let you provide bag stuffers to notify patrons prior to the event), getting a calendar listing in your local paper(s), getting posters done with your book cover on them, printing up and inviting every single one of your local contacts.
8) Will major media outlets review my book? Possibly, it depends. There's a lot of competition out there for review space, and review space is shrinking. While aspiring to a review in the New York Times is nice, it's important to be realistic. If your book is print-on-demand, major media may be less inclined to review it. Instead, take a look at trade or local (regional) media. And if your regional media says they won't review your book, try getting them to do a story on you.
9) Your book will be judged by its cover: This means unless your grandson is Rembrandt he or she may not contribute her finger paintings to your cover design. Period. End of story. There is a rare exception to this but it's important to note that it's rare. Having a professional cover is like trying to decide whether to use hot pink paper for your resume or stock white. Unless the job you're applying for welcomes a wildly creative bent, it's likely that an off-beat approach to your resume will turn off any future employer. Your book is the same way. Your book is your resume, your book cover is your cover letter. If you want to get them to read on you'd better be careful about the first thing you put in front of them. Don't take chances with your cover. Do your research, know what sells and what doesn't, and know what will get your reader to pick up the book and what won't.
10) All of my friends will buy my book! Your friends may not buy your book; the truth is, strangers tend to buy books faster than friends do so don't be discouraged if your pals aren't snapping up your book.
11) How many copies should I plan to give away to promote my book? As many as it takes. Don't give copies to family and friends. I know this might sound mean but fair is fair, the only people who get a free copy are Mom and Dad. Friends and family need to pony up the money and buy their own copies. The rest (promotional copies) you'll buy and give away like candy.
12) How long will it take for me to be successful? I don't know, no one does. I wish I had the answer to that question. We've worked with authors who are rising successes after six months, and others who are still plugging away two and three years after their book came out. The key is to have passion for what you're doing. Passion and commitment will keep you going through the good times and the dark days which will most certainly happen. Passion and commitment will remind you why you're in this and why you need to stay dedicated to your work. If you're not passionately committed to what you're doing, how do you expect anyone else to be?
About the Author:
Penny C. Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a book marketing and media relations expert whose company has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns. Visit http://www.amarketingexpert.com.
Keyword tags: publishing, authors, books, book reviews, writers, publishing tips
1) If someone writes a review I don't like, can I get them to rewrite it? No, this will never happen, nor should you ask for this. Doing this will show you are a novice. If you get back a bad review try to learn from it and move on. It happens to everyone at least once, it's disheartening but unfortunately, it's part of the business.
2) Radio is all I need to sell books. Not true. For some authors radio is golden but that's few and far between. Doing a lot of radio may be great for your exposure but it may not sell books. The best type of radio are interviews that are done to promote an event or workshop, that way you can at least drive people to something, rather than hoping they'll click on your site.
3) I'm going to take my independent title and get it on Oprah. Some years back, Oprah decided to be "unique" when selecting her books and she picked a title that came from a very small publisher. Because a mention on the Oprah show can produce a high demand, the publisher could not keep up with the orders, nor did they have enough in stock or stocked in a bookstore. The result? A lot of viewers called into the show when they couldn't find the book and Oprah vowed never to feature a small press title again. The challenge here is always availability. If you have a book from a small press but it has significant bookstore placement and availability, be sure to let the producers know this when you're pitching the book. It could go a long way to helping you gain consideration for the show!
4) I'm going to get my book on the New York Times Bestseller list. Bestseller lists are funny things, many of them (like the New York Times list) are not based on sales but rather on exposure and popularity. Meaning that if your book is gaining huge popularity, it might not be selling a ton of copies but bookstores are buzzing about it. The New York Times has around thirty or so bookstores around the country that report to them on what's hot and what's not. None of this is based on sales, just on what people are asking for. But regardless of the sales quota, in order to attain this level of exposure your book needs to have a significant print run of at least 50,000 or more. This also means that there needs to be placement of the book in bookstores. Yes, there are always exceptions to this rule, we saw that recently with the success of The Shack, but if someone is promising you bestseller status, take your marketing dollars and run.
5) If I get into Amazon does that mean my distribution is handled? No, Amazon is not a distributor, they are an online portal. Distribution means that there is a distributor actively involved in selling your book into bookstores. While it's great to be listed on all the online sites, having this as your only access point could hamper your book's success. If at all possible, get someone to distribute your title. Distribution can be tricky but it's often the one missing piece to a book's success.
6) How can I prevent my review copies from being sold? Unfortunately you can't, nor should you waste your time and energy on trying to get them back. Review copies are sold, it happens all the time and spending your time chasing used copies isn't a good use of your promotional efforts.
7) When I schedule a book signing the store will do all the promotion, right? Wrong. The bookstore may do some of the promotion, but not all of it. You will handle the lion's share of promotion for your event - this includes but is not limited to: notifying the media, printing up flyers and taking them to the store (if they'll let you provide bag stuffers to notify patrons prior to the event), getting a calendar listing in your local paper(s), getting posters done with your book cover on them, printing up and inviting every single one of your local contacts.
8) Will major media outlets review my book? Possibly, it depends. There's a lot of competition out there for review space, and review space is shrinking. While aspiring to a review in the New York Times is nice, it's important to be realistic. If your book is print-on-demand, major media may be less inclined to review it. Instead, take a look at trade or local (regional) media. And if your regional media says they won't review your book, try getting them to do a story on you.
9) Your book will be judged by its cover: This means unless your grandson is Rembrandt he or she may not contribute her finger paintings to your cover design. Period. End of story. There is a rare exception to this but it's important to note that it's rare. Having a professional cover is like trying to decide whether to use hot pink paper for your resume or stock white. Unless the job you're applying for welcomes a wildly creative bent, it's likely that an off-beat approach to your resume will turn off any future employer. Your book is the same way. Your book is your resume, your book cover is your cover letter. If you want to get them to read on you'd better be careful about the first thing you put in front of them. Don't take chances with your cover. Do your research, know what sells and what doesn't, and know what will get your reader to pick up the book and what won't.
10) All of my friends will buy my book! Your friends may not buy your book; the truth is, strangers tend to buy books faster than friends do so don't be discouraged if your pals aren't snapping up your book.
11) How many copies should I plan to give away to promote my book? As many as it takes. Don't give copies to family and friends. I know this might sound mean but fair is fair, the only people who get a free copy are Mom and Dad. Friends and family need to pony up the money and buy their own copies. The rest (promotional copies) you'll buy and give away like candy.
12) How long will it take for me to be successful? I don't know, no one does. I wish I had the answer to that question. We've worked with authors who are rising successes after six months, and others who are still plugging away two and three years after their book came out. The key is to have passion for what you're doing. Passion and commitment will keep you going through the good times and the dark days which will most certainly happen. Passion and commitment will remind you why you're in this and why you need to stay dedicated to your work. If you're not passionately committed to what you're doing, how do you expect anyone else to be?
About the Author:
Penny C. Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a book marketing and media relations expert whose company has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns. Visit http://www.amarketingexpert.com.
Keyword tags: publishing, authors, books, book reviews, writers, publishing tips
Book Review: Did Man Create God? Is Your Spiritual Brain at Peace With Your Thinking Brain? By David E. Comings M.D.
Yes, this is a volatile title, and the contents are just as incendiary. As David Comings himself explains in the foreword he has indeed met some resistance over the years. The discussion of who came first, God or Man, has been hotly debated for thousands of years.
This is a subject that almost everyone has a theory about, and it breaks down into two camps, on the one hand you have the evolutionists, and at 180 degrees different you have the various flavors of Creationism. One side relies on scientific proof, while the other tends to ignore any kind of scientific proof, preferring instead to create a story that fits within the religious texts.
Regardless of your leaning, most people point at Charles Darwin as the culprit that has caused this rift. But as Comings reveals, Darwin is not really guilty, much of his theories were way off mark. Even worse, much of his scientific observations make the forensic team involved with prosecuting OJ Simpson look like heroes.
Did Man Create God? is a complex book, and at 700 pages hardly a quick read.
Did I like it? Yes. Would I recommend it to the regular reader? Maybe. This is 700 pages of University level Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math. Unfortunately I found a lot of it beyond my high school class abilities.
That said, I also found this book very thought-provoking.
One of the arguments opposing the evolutionary story is the inordinate length of time required for an animal to evolve. That combined with the incredible complexity of the human body and mind makes it impossible for us to be anything else than a divine creation. Not so says Dr. Comings, there are a number of examples of 'quick' evolution. One of the examples cited involved the Peppered moth during the Industrial Revolution. As the pollution increased the peppered moth changed its camouflage going from a white with black spots to a dark brown color. This change did not occur over thousands of generations, but happened within a very few generations. This is a great example of natural selection.
Another fine example is Peter and Rosemary Gant's study of finches on one of the smaller of the Galapogos Islands. This study lasted for over 3 decades and the results were very curious. During times of plenty the predominant beak shape was narrow, making it adept for small soft seeds; however, when a period of drought arrived the shape became broader, making it better suited for crushing hard seeds.
While these are only two isolated cases, it does bolster the case of rapid evolution under certain circumstances.
The question of did man create god is likely one that will never have a definitive answer that all people can agree on regardless of the scientific evidence. It has been argued since man first learned the art of language, and no doubt will be argued for many generations to come.
One aspect though that Dr. Comings does make strongly though is that maybe your particular answer to the question is, it may not really matter to the human race. When it comes to good and evil we lean towards good, and we are overall a very spiritual race. Spirituality does not necessarily have to involve religion.
This is a book that is almost guaranteed to start a fight in even the meekest and mildest household. My wife for example took one look at the title and asked "So how are you and your book going to enjoy sleeping on the couch?" Luckily she calmed down later, and only the book had to sleep on the couch!
You can get your copy of Did Man Create God from Amazon.
About the Author:
Simon Barrett is an adult educator in Calgary, Alberta. With the 11 months a year of winter, he reads a lot of books! He is also a contributing editor for http://www.bloggernews.net and maintains a personal blog at http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com.
Keyword tags: atheists, God, faith, science, agnostic, origin of life, spirituality, secular humanism, Darwin
This is a subject that almost everyone has a theory about, and it breaks down into two camps, on the one hand you have the evolutionists, and at 180 degrees different you have the various flavors of Creationism. One side relies on scientific proof, while the other tends to ignore any kind of scientific proof, preferring instead to create a story that fits within the religious texts.
Regardless of your leaning, most people point at Charles Darwin as the culprit that has caused this rift. But as Comings reveals, Darwin is not really guilty, much of his theories were way off mark. Even worse, much of his scientific observations make the forensic team involved with prosecuting OJ Simpson look like heroes.
Did Man Create God? is a complex book, and at 700 pages hardly a quick read.
Did I like it? Yes. Would I recommend it to the regular reader? Maybe. This is 700 pages of University level Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Math. Unfortunately I found a lot of it beyond my high school class abilities.
That said, I also found this book very thought-provoking.
One of the arguments opposing the evolutionary story is the inordinate length of time required for an animal to evolve. That combined with the incredible complexity of the human body and mind makes it impossible for us to be anything else than a divine creation. Not so says Dr. Comings, there are a number of examples of 'quick' evolution. One of the examples cited involved the Peppered moth during the Industrial Revolution. As the pollution increased the peppered moth changed its camouflage going from a white with black spots to a dark brown color. This change did not occur over thousands of generations, but happened within a very few generations. This is a great example of natural selection.
Another fine example is Peter and Rosemary Gant's study of finches on one of the smaller of the Galapogos Islands. This study lasted for over 3 decades and the results were very curious. During times of plenty the predominant beak shape was narrow, making it adept for small soft seeds; however, when a period of drought arrived the shape became broader, making it better suited for crushing hard seeds.
While these are only two isolated cases, it does bolster the case of rapid evolution under certain circumstances.
The question of did man create god is likely one that will never have a definitive answer that all people can agree on regardless of the scientific evidence. It has been argued since man first learned the art of language, and no doubt will be argued for many generations to come.
One aspect though that Dr. Comings does make strongly though is that maybe your particular answer to the question is, it may not really matter to the human race. When it comes to good and evil we lean towards good, and we are overall a very spiritual race. Spirituality does not necessarily have to involve religion.
This is a book that is almost guaranteed to start a fight in even the meekest and mildest household. My wife for example took one look at the title and asked "So how are you and your book going to enjoy sleeping on the couch?" Luckily she calmed down later, and only the book had to sleep on the couch!
You can get your copy of Did Man Create God from Amazon.
About the Author:
Simon Barrett is an adult educator in Calgary, Alberta. With the 11 months a year of winter, he reads a lot of books! He is also a contributing editor for http://www.bloggernews.net and maintains a personal blog at http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com.
Keyword tags: atheists, God, faith, science, agnostic, origin of life, spirituality, secular humanism, Darwin
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Affiliate Marketing For Beginners - 6 Key Copywriting Tips
How to Write Your Ad
Copywriting, or to put it better writing Ad copy, is the one skill which all online business owners should learn. As you develop your business, writing in all its forms will become second nature. As an affiliate marketer communicating and more importantly motivating your customer to buy will be essential to your success.
Here are a few ad writing tips to help you get started:
Do Your Market Research and Know Your Target Market
Successful copywriters know exactly whom they're writing for before starting. Keep that thought uppermost in your mind as you write and never deviate from that objective. Have a clear picture of what your target person is thinking, how he/she feels and what need or problem you can solve for them. By doing this you will provide a foundation for building a solid client base.
Headlines That are Attention Getters
Use headlines as guide posts throughout your presentation. Your main headline should be in bold, large letters to grab the reader's attention. It is the headline which has to define the core problem to be solved or main solution your prospect wants to find. Use a benefit-focused headline which explains in powerful detail how you can help solve the customer's problem. Follow up with sub-headlines throughout the copy to keep the reader intrigued so he/she will keep reading.
Use Simple Clear Language
Online writing has to be simple, clear, and to the point. You are not writing an essay on philosophy or a political speech. No fancy words, just clean simple sentences will do just fine. Your style should be casual and needs to convey emotion and a clear purpose. You need to write just like you speak, as though you're sitting down with a friend and chatting over a nice glass of wine …no fancy words and long lists of boring descriptive adjectives that will put everyone to sleep!
Be Truthful and Persuasive
There is a balance between believing in your product and being honest about its short comings. Be very clear about what works and what doesn't. Your customers want to hear from other unbiased people who have used your product. Include customer testimonials. Testimonials can be tricky so include the person's full name, city, state, website URL and if possible, a picture of that person. The more information your testimonial includes the more persuasive and believable it will be to your customer.
Keep Your Customer in Mind at All Times
Effective copywriting is concerned with the needs of the customer. You shouldn't be part of the process or the focus of attention. That doesn't mean you disappear entirely. You may need to add a little personal information about yourself in order to gain trust and to explain why your customer should trust you. But bear in mind that as far as the customer is concerned, it's all about what you can do for them. The most effective copy is written from the customer's vantage point. There should be all "you's" and no I's in your copy.
Call to Action
The point of the whole exercise is to tell your prospects what you've got; tell them how it will benefit them; and then most importantly, tell them what to do about it. If you want them to click over and purchase your dog grooming product, say so, and say so in a clear way which promotes all the benefits of your products. For example, "Click here to learn how you can groom your pet easily and with no nicks or tugs that hurt it." Be precise in your wording and always include a clear call to action.
Writing Ad copy can actually be fun and informative. So take the time to learn how to do it and have some fun while you're doing it. You learn things about your product and your target market as you research and write so it is a process that benefits everyone. The more you write the better you'll get and the more successful you'll become. So go for it and enjoy.
May Your Travels Be Prosperous!
About the Author:
Over the past 20 years Claude Pelanne has worked in a series of startup ventures including some of the first commercial webcasts. He is an internet marketer and serial entrepreneur. Feel free to distribute this article in any form as long as you include the resource box. For tips and resources to get into internet marketing visit http://www.cpelanne.com cpelanne and http://www.claudepelanne.com claudepelanne
Keyword tags: affiliate marketing for beginners,affiliate online program,affiliate advertising,associate affiliate,affiliate marketing online program,business opportunity affliate program
Copywriting, or to put it better writing Ad copy, is the one skill which all online business owners should learn. As you develop your business, writing in all its forms will become second nature. As an affiliate marketer communicating and more importantly motivating your customer to buy will be essential to your success.
Here are a few ad writing tips to help you get started:
Do Your Market Research and Know Your Target Market
Successful copywriters know exactly whom they're writing for before starting. Keep that thought uppermost in your mind as you write and never deviate from that objective. Have a clear picture of what your target person is thinking, how he/she feels and what need or problem you can solve for them. By doing this you will provide a foundation for building a solid client base.
Headlines That are Attention Getters
Use headlines as guide posts throughout your presentation. Your main headline should be in bold, large letters to grab the reader's attention. It is the headline which has to define the core problem to be solved or main solution your prospect wants to find. Use a benefit-focused headline which explains in powerful detail how you can help solve the customer's problem. Follow up with sub-headlines throughout the copy to keep the reader intrigued so he/she will keep reading.
Use Simple Clear Language
Online writing has to be simple, clear, and to the point. You are not writing an essay on philosophy or a political speech. No fancy words, just clean simple sentences will do just fine. Your style should be casual and needs to convey emotion and a clear purpose. You need to write just like you speak, as though you're sitting down with a friend and chatting over a nice glass of wine …no fancy words and long lists of boring descriptive adjectives that will put everyone to sleep!
Be Truthful and Persuasive
There is a balance between believing in your product and being honest about its short comings. Be very clear about what works and what doesn't. Your customers want to hear from other unbiased people who have used your product. Include customer testimonials. Testimonials can be tricky so include the person's full name, city, state, website URL and if possible, a picture of that person. The more information your testimonial includes the more persuasive and believable it will be to your customer.
Keep Your Customer in Mind at All Times
Effective copywriting is concerned with the needs of the customer. You shouldn't be part of the process or the focus of attention. That doesn't mean you disappear entirely. You may need to add a little personal information about yourself in order to gain trust and to explain why your customer should trust you. But bear in mind that as far as the customer is concerned, it's all about what you can do for them. The most effective copy is written from the customer's vantage point. There should be all "you's" and no I's in your copy.
Call to Action
The point of the whole exercise is to tell your prospects what you've got; tell them how it will benefit them; and then most importantly, tell them what to do about it. If you want them to click over and purchase your dog grooming product, say so, and say so in a clear way which promotes all the benefits of your products. For example, "Click here to learn how you can groom your pet easily and with no nicks or tugs that hurt it." Be precise in your wording and always include a clear call to action.
Writing Ad copy can actually be fun and informative. So take the time to learn how to do it and have some fun while you're doing it. You learn things about your product and your target market as you research and write so it is a process that benefits everyone. The more you write the better you'll get and the more successful you'll become. So go for it and enjoy.
May Your Travels Be Prosperous!
About the Author:
Over the past 20 years Claude Pelanne has worked in a series of startup ventures including some of the first commercial webcasts. He is an internet marketer and serial entrepreneur. Feel free to distribute this article in any form as long as you include the resource box. For tips and resources to get into internet marketing visit http://www.cpelanne.com cpelanne and http://www.claudepelanne.com claudepelanne
Keyword tags: affiliate marketing for beginners,affiliate online program,affiliate advertising,associate affiliate,affiliate marketing online program,business opportunity affliate program
Friday, September 12, 2008
The Hidden Copywriting Technique: Use Relationship Marketing To Write Customer-Centered Copy
If you're writing marketing materials, such as an e-mail to sell a service or product, you may believe your sales copy is about generating sales. It is and it isn't. You hope, in the end, you will get sales from your marketing materials; the purpose is to build a relationship between you and the potential buyer. We call this "relationship marketing." You don't want to hard-sell, because a direct, pushy sell usually alienates potential buyers. You want to build a relationship first, at which point sales will flow (if you do your relationship marketing the right way).
Relationship marketing puts the "CUSTOM" back in customer. You would think this would be logical, but many copywriters think this approach is a radical idea. Inexperienced copywriters focus on attracting potential buyers for a single transaction, rather than providing excellent service and support. If you want to turn buyers into long-term customers, then you will do the service and support, because the bottom line is making money long-term.
Relationship marketing evolved from direct response marketing in the 1960's. In the 1980's it evolved into building long-term (relationship) customers rather than relying on just single transactions. This marketing philosophy is called your customers' "life cycle," meaning, you offer a range of products/services, as people need them. To do this successfully, you need to write good, compelling copy, among other things.
Why would focusing on existing customers be more profitable? If you're constantly spending money and resources to attract new customers, your profitability suffers. You aren't building a loyal base of people who stay with you. Called "churn," these people won't come back to you. Another term to keep long-term customers and increase their loyalty is called "defensive marketing." Customers who have already opened their wallets will continue to spend money on future services and products. If you write compelling sales copy for your website or other marketing tools, then those wallets are going to open often.
You can also view your customer lifetime value as a long-term asset. You value assets and treat them accordingly. Keep your customers (assets) happy and they will remain loyal. Loyalty is worth money to your business, since the cost of keeping an existing customer is only about 10 percent of the cost of getting a new one.
No one person is the same when they come to you for a product, service or opportunity. Everyone needs something specifically for THEM. If you're marketing online, first communicate and build a relationship with people. You can use many methods, such as: e-mail, instant messaging, community forums, blogging and websites. You want to show them what you have to offer and get them to your website. That takes work. Once they're on your website (and reading your great copy), get their e-mail address by giving something away instantly. The instant reward keeps them interested.
Provide quality information, well-written and properly researched copy. This adds credibility. If the copy is good, and it motivates people, this will often translate into program registrations, or sign ups for a newsletter, or requests for product information -- even orders. THIS is the beginning of your relationship, NOT the end. This is where you start your long-term relationship with your customer and offer value added extras. Show them how to get the best value and use out of their purchase(s). This more than anything will set you apart from your competition. This step will reward you with word-of-mouth referrals and customer retention.
About the Author:
Brian Scott is the author of the newly-released book/audio book, SOCIAL COPYWRITING 2.0, available at http://www.PaydayPublishing.com. Listen to free audio samples on copywriting for today's social media. Or sign up to our Affiliate Program and earn 50% commissions on our products!
Keyword tags: freelance writing, copywriting, freelance copywriting, copywriter, sales copy, SEO copy, freelancing
Relationship marketing puts the "CUSTOM" back in customer. You would think this would be logical, but many copywriters think this approach is a radical idea. Inexperienced copywriters focus on attracting potential buyers for a single transaction, rather than providing excellent service and support. If you want to turn buyers into long-term customers, then you will do the service and support, because the bottom line is making money long-term.
Relationship marketing evolved from direct response marketing in the 1960's. In the 1980's it evolved into building long-term (relationship) customers rather than relying on just single transactions. This marketing philosophy is called your customers' "life cycle," meaning, you offer a range of products/services, as people need them. To do this successfully, you need to write good, compelling copy, among other things.
Why would focusing on existing customers be more profitable? If you're constantly spending money and resources to attract new customers, your profitability suffers. You aren't building a loyal base of people who stay with you. Called "churn," these people won't come back to you. Another term to keep long-term customers and increase their loyalty is called "defensive marketing." Customers who have already opened their wallets will continue to spend money on future services and products. If you write compelling sales copy for your website or other marketing tools, then those wallets are going to open often.
You can also view your customer lifetime value as a long-term asset. You value assets and treat them accordingly. Keep your customers (assets) happy and they will remain loyal. Loyalty is worth money to your business, since the cost of keeping an existing customer is only about 10 percent of the cost of getting a new one.
No one person is the same when they come to you for a product, service or opportunity. Everyone needs something specifically for THEM. If you're marketing online, first communicate and build a relationship with people. You can use many methods, such as: e-mail, instant messaging, community forums, blogging and websites. You want to show them what you have to offer and get them to your website. That takes work. Once they're on your website (and reading your great copy), get their e-mail address by giving something away instantly. The instant reward keeps them interested.
Provide quality information, well-written and properly researched copy. This adds credibility. If the copy is good, and it motivates people, this will often translate into program registrations, or sign ups for a newsletter, or requests for product information -- even orders. THIS is the beginning of your relationship, NOT the end. This is where you start your long-term relationship with your customer and offer value added extras. Show them how to get the best value and use out of their purchase(s). This more than anything will set you apart from your competition. This step will reward you with word-of-mouth referrals and customer retention.
About the Author:
Brian Scott is the author of the newly-released book/audio book, SOCIAL COPYWRITING 2.0, available at http://www.PaydayPublishing.com. Listen to free audio samples on copywriting for today's social media. Or sign up to our Affiliate Program and earn 50% commissions on our products!
Keyword tags: freelance writing, copywriting, freelance copywriting, copywriter, sales copy, SEO copy, freelancing
Use The 5 W\s Of Copywriting To Write For Your Online Audience
The only way you can "find" your audience is to decide who is going to read what is on your website. To do that you need to understand WHO your audience is. As an example, let's use a weight loss site. This means you will write for people who feel they are overweight and want to lose pounds and inches, safely and quickly. Already you know their expectations – losing weight safely and quickly.
What do they bring to your writing? They want to find a website that will help them lose weight. What do you want them to take away from your website? You want them to take away hope and solid information on how to lose weight safely.
What you have here is the 5 W's. WHO is your audience? People who want to lose weight. WHAT do you want them to know, believe, or feel after they read it? You want them to know how to lose weight safely, believe they can do it and feel motivated to do so.
WHEN and WHERE will your audience read your website content? All over, in as many places as you can find, to market and place your compelling information. They will read it at home, at work, on library computers, on high-speed and dial-up Internet connections. WHY will they read it? They will read it because you wrote compelling, customer-focused copy. Your words are positive and appealing to them. They may also read it because they have to read it, or they are interested in it professionally, or because they are personally interested in what you have to say.
Your content will vary according to your audience. This means you will also change your writing style and format. If you wrote about weight loss issues for doctors, you'd use some jargon and technical terms. If you're writing for those who want to lose weight, the average consumer, you will provide informative, easy-to-read content. The readability your writing is something you need to consider. You will need to aim your content at those with a high school education, but still give higher-educated readers the content they are looking for. You can use a free readability tool at www.ReadabilityFormulas.com to find the reading grade-level of your materials.
What do you want your site readers to know? This will determine your style and organization, and will tell you if you are going to write about information or ideas.
Words still make a difference and impact the reader's thought-process online because you can choose words to invoke feelings, thoughts, images and action. Words can appeal to others on various levels – to the visual reader, the auditory reader, to the kinesthetic reader. More than anything else, words are the one form of communication that deliver what we want people to know. They can convey truths, complex issues, humor and sorrow. Words are "the be all end all" in the complex world of communications.
If you asked yourself why you built a website, chances are you would say it was to tell people about your company. Well, actually, the better thing to do when planning and building a site is to aim it at your intended audience – the customers who need and want your product or service. Certainly, that COULD be anyone, especially if you are marketing weight loss products. However, it's unlikely your products or services will interest a horse trainer. So you need to refine your focus.
Who visits your website? Prospects, existing customers, friends and relatives, your employees, and perhaps investors. Each group of people looks for different content. The way you write your website sales copy will determine what the next step will be for each of these user groups. If you want to generate sales, give good customer service, and communicate with employees and/or investors, you must have copy that moves them to action.
About the Author:
Brian Scott is the author of the newly-released book/audio book, SOCIAL COPYWRITING 2.0, available at http://www.PaydayPublishing.com. Listen to free audio samples on copywriting for today's social media. Or sign up to our Affiliate Program and earn 50% commissions on our products!
Keyword tags: copywriting, freelance copywriting, freelance writing, SEO, business writing, freelancing
What do they bring to your writing? They want to find a website that will help them lose weight. What do you want them to take away from your website? You want them to take away hope and solid information on how to lose weight safely.
What you have here is the 5 W's. WHO is your audience? People who want to lose weight. WHAT do you want them to know, believe, or feel after they read it? You want them to know how to lose weight safely, believe they can do it and feel motivated to do so.
WHEN and WHERE will your audience read your website content? All over, in as many places as you can find, to market and place your compelling information. They will read it at home, at work, on library computers, on high-speed and dial-up Internet connections. WHY will they read it? They will read it because you wrote compelling, customer-focused copy. Your words are positive and appealing to them. They may also read it because they have to read it, or they are interested in it professionally, or because they are personally interested in what you have to say.
Your content will vary according to your audience. This means you will also change your writing style and format. If you wrote about weight loss issues for doctors, you'd use some jargon and technical terms. If you're writing for those who want to lose weight, the average consumer, you will provide informative, easy-to-read content. The readability your writing is something you need to consider. You will need to aim your content at those with a high school education, but still give higher-educated readers the content they are looking for. You can use a free readability tool at www.ReadabilityFormulas.com to find the reading grade-level of your materials.
What do you want your site readers to know? This will determine your style and organization, and will tell you if you are going to write about information or ideas.
Words still make a difference and impact the reader's thought-process online because you can choose words to invoke feelings, thoughts, images and action. Words can appeal to others on various levels – to the visual reader, the auditory reader, to the kinesthetic reader. More than anything else, words are the one form of communication that deliver what we want people to know. They can convey truths, complex issues, humor and sorrow. Words are "the be all end all" in the complex world of communications.
If you asked yourself why you built a website, chances are you would say it was to tell people about your company. Well, actually, the better thing to do when planning and building a site is to aim it at your intended audience – the customers who need and want your product or service. Certainly, that COULD be anyone, especially if you are marketing weight loss products. However, it's unlikely your products or services will interest a horse trainer. So you need to refine your focus.
Who visits your website? Prospects, existing customers, friends and relatives, your employees, and perhaps investors. Each group of people looks for different content. The way you write your website sales copy will determine what the next step will be for each of these user groups. If you want to generate sales, give good customer service, and communicate with employees and/or investors, you must have copy that moves them to action.
About the Author:
Brian Scott is the author of the newly-released book/audio book, SOCIAL COPYWRITING 2.0, available at http://www.PaydayPublishing.com. Listen to free audio samples on copywriting for today's social media. Or sign up to our Affiliate Program and earn 50% commissions on our products!
Keyword tags: copywriting, freelance copywriting, freelance writing, SEO, business writing, freelancing
The Number 1 Copywriting Technique To Improve Reader Response
What is more apt to capture your attention? If you wrote copy that says, "Our product removes most blemishes in a short time" or "Our product has been proven to remove 80% of facial blemishes in three days"? Obviously, the copy with the numbers is less vague and easier to understand. Using numbers in copy attract people's attention more. Numbers sound more credible than vague words because it is scientific and measurable.
When you write copy that sells, you want to be specific about the benefits. Why should someone buy this product versus another product? How fast will the product work to resolve their problem? How effective is the product in terms that are quantifiable and measurable? Do your readers know what to expect after they read your copy on how product works?
Another reason why you should include specific numbers in your copy is to engage the human mind. The human mind tends to quantify things in small units. It is simply easier to remember the benefits when you list them in percentages or day intervals; this way, the reader can apply these familiar numbers to his frame of reference. You can even make it more appealing, by using number metaphors that help your readers understand how wonderful your product is.
For instance, say you are selling tax preparation software to people who are trying to file their taxes by a certain date. What are the benefits? Is it the fact that your software can prepare taxes automatically? No! They can hire a tax preparer to do it for them. You have to offer the benefits in terms people understand. You might suggest:
----------------
Ninety-five percent of people using XXXsoftware received their refund within 3 days. Over 75% of people increased their refund, some even by as much as $2,000.
----------------
It's obvious to see why this software would appeal to the average tax preparer who needs to increase their refund or deposit their tax refunds quickly without going to a tax preparer.
Many large companies sell their benefits this way. McDonalds doesn't say, "We sell hamburgers." We know they do. They say: "Over 99 billion served." This four-word sentence tells you their hamburgers are so yummy that they fly off the grill.
Limiting the time your offer is available is actually another wonderful copywriting technique. It can be a good motivator for people visiting your web site to buy – NOW! Why? Sometimes it's the things you don't buy you regret more than the ones you actually do purchase. When shoppers choose not to buy an item, they often experience immediate feelings of regret.
Selling cues, such as "three-week sale" or "limited opportunity," tend to heighten the urge to spend and avoid regret over not buying an item. Everyone likes to brag about the great deal they snagged on a perfect sale, but no one likes to talk about the deals that got away. This is a basic investment psychology of people who are risk-averse more from not doing something than from doing something.
In your copy, ask your readers to do something. Ask them to buy your product and limit the time they can get that great deal. This pushes your readers' emotional buttons to buy now because they feel they are getting a special deal.
Whatever you do, don't limit an offer and then suddenly extend it. Consumers may act on automatic responses, but they're not stupid. Many furniture liquidation warehouses have "final sales" repeatedly. At some point, they lose credibility with their existing customers and must always search for new ones. Your loyal customers are a goldmine, so don't abuse them.
About the Author:
Brian Scott is the author of the newly-released book/audio book, SOCIAL COPYWRITING 2.0, available at http://www.PaydayPublishing.com. Listen to free audio samples on copywriting for today's social media. Or sign up to our Affiliate Program and earn 50% commissions on our products!
Keyword tags: copywriting, freelance copywriting, freelance writing, SEO, business writing, freelancing
When you write copy that sells, you want to be specific about the benefits. Why should someone buy this product versus another product? How fast will the product work to resolve their problem? How effective is the product in terms that are quantifiable and measurable? Do your readers know what to expect after they read your copy on how product works?
Another reason why you should include specific numbers in your copy is to engage the human mind. The human mind tends to quantify things in small units. It is simply easier to remember the benefits when you list them in percentages or day intervals; this way, the reader can apply these familiar numbers to his frame of reference. You can even make it more appealing, by using number metaphors that help your readers understand how wonderful your product is.
For instance, say you are selling tax preparation software to people who are trying to file their taxes by a certain date. What are the benefits? Is it the fact that your software can prepare taxes automatically? No! They can hire a tax preparer to do it for them. You have to offer the benefits in terms people understand. You might suggest:
----------------
Ninety-five percent of people using XXXsoftware received their refund within 3 days. Over 75% of people increased their refund, some even by as much as $2,000.
----------------
It's obvious to see why this software would appeal to the average tax preparer who needs to increase their refund or deposit their tax refunds quickly without going to a tax preparer.
Many large companies sell their benefits this way. McDonalds doesn't say, "We sell hamburgers." We know they do. They say: "Over 99 billion served." This four-word sentence tells you their hamburgers are so yummy that they fly off the grill.
Limiting the time your offer is available is actually another wonderful copywriting technique. It can be a good motivator for people visiting your web site to buy – NOW! Why? Sometimes it's the things you don't buy you regret more than the ones you actually do purchase. When shoppers choose not to buy an item, they often experience immediate feelings of regret.
Selling cues, such as "three-week sale" or "limited opportunity," tend to heighten the urge to spend and avoid regret over not buying an item. Everyone likes to brag about the great deal they snagged on a perfect sale, but no one likes to talk about the deals that got away. This is a basic investment psychology of people who are risk-averse more from not doing something than from doing something.
In your copy, ask your readers to do something. Ask them to buy your product and limit the time they can get that great deal. This pushes your readers' emotional buttons to buy now because they feel they are getting a special deal.
Whatever you do, don't limit an offer and then suddenly extend it. Consumers may act on automatic responses, but they're not stupid. Many furniture liquidation warehouses have "final sales" repeatedly. At some point, they lose credibility with their existing customers and must always search for new ones. Your loyal customers are a goldmine, so don't abuse them.
About the Author:
Brian Scott is the author of the newly-released book/audio book, SOCIAL COPYWRITING 2.0, available at http://www.PaydayPublishing.com. Listen to free audio samples on copywriting for today's social media. Or sign up to our Affiliate Program and earn 50% commissions on our products!
Keyword tags: copywriting, freelance copywriting, freelance writing, SEO, business writing, freelancing
How to Write Better College Essays and Termpapers
Anyone can write a college essay or term paper, but not everyone can do it correctly. Even the best students can find themselves paralyzed by writer's block or unaware that their essay or term paper is too difficult to read or follow. My eight tips will jumpstart your essay writing process.
1. TIMING IS EVERYTHING.
Leave yourself plenty of time to write, edit and rewrite. Plan to complete your essay one day, or one week, whichever is fits your schedule, in advance; then you can run it through a spelling and grammar checker – and ask someone else to read it. You term paper or essay may look and sound perfect to you, but will other readers agree?
2. CHOOSE THE RIGHT TOPIC.
Choosing the right topic or approach to an assigned topic counts for a lot. Find something you know well and love. Be sure you understand the assignment; if not, ask questions until you are sure you do.
3. MAKE YOUR WRITING UNIQUE.
Make your writing unique. Let your "why" shine through. Communicate why you chose to write about this topic; why you love this topic; and why your topic is important - not in so many words, but put your passion into your writing.
4. WRITE FOR A DIVERSE AUDIENCE.
Write for the widest audience. If you are writing to your professor because he requires you to do so, then your writing style will show it. Imagine a real-world audience, one that wants to hear what you have to say, and write for them. Your audience might include employees reading a training manual, a foundation's Board of Directors reading a grant proposal, newspaper or journal subscribers, and so on. This will give your writing purpose, focus and clarity.
5. USE RESEARCH TO AID YOUR WRITING.
Learn how to find and use popular academic search engines such as the Academic Index, Ebsco Host, Virtual LLC, or the Wilson Web. Ask your college librarian to assist you.
6. ALWAYS PLAN.
Plan what you are going to write before you type the first word. Say it as briefly and clearly as you can. Figure out and outline the purpose of your paper, and decide how you plan to substantiate your claims. Then flesh it out. Writing more words isn't necessarily better, so write what you think is necessary to get your points across.
7. PAPER AESTHETICS.
Break your paper into reasonable-length pieces. Keep your paragraphs short. Use subheadings.
8. DON'T COPY FROM OTHER PAPERS.
Don't plagiarize; when in doubt, cite your source. Ask your professor if he prefers a certain citation method. Otherwise, use in-text citations if your essay is relatively short; use footnotes in longer papers.
If you are using the Internet, know your sources well. The Internet breeds a lot of rumor, opinion and plagiarism. If you are writing your own ideas or what is common knowledge, then you don't need to cite, but you do if you are paraphrasing.
Read sample essays and papers to understand the concepts of theme, approach and writing style, but don't copy an entire essay and submit it as your own, as this is plagiarism. Not only will you deprive yourself of learning necessary writing skills, but also most professors know how to check for plagiarizers. It's never worth the risk.
Armed with my eight tips, you can shake off writing paralysis and submit that masterpiece essay or term paper.
About the Author:
Brian Scott is a contributing writer for http://www.LousyWriter.com, a free website on how to write better. He recommends college students visit http://www.MasterFreelancer.com for manuscript formatting software to help format your essay or term paper.
Keyword tags: writing term papers, writing college essays, academic writing, APA style, freelance writing
1. TIMING IS EVERYTHING.
Leave yourself plenty of time to write, edit and rewrite. Plan to complete your essay one day, or one week, whichever is fits your schedule, in advance; then you can run it through a spelling and grammar checker – and ask someone else to read it. You term paper or essay may look and sound perfect to you, but will other readers agree?
2. CHOOSE THE RIGHT TOPIC.
Choosing the right topic or approach to an assigned topic counts for a lot. Find something you know well and love. Be sure you understand the assignment; if not, ask questions until you are sure you do.
3. MAKE YOUR WRITING UNIQUE.
Make your writing unique. Let your "why" shine through. Communicate why you chose to write about this topic; why you love this topic; and why your topic is important - not in so many words, but put your passion into your writing.
4. WRITE FOR A DIVERSE AUDIENCE.
Write for the widest audience. If you are writing to your professor because he requires you to do so, then your writing style will show it. Imagine a real-world audience, one that wants to hear what you have to say, and write for them. Your audience might include employees reading a training manual, a foundation's Board of Directors reading a grant proposal, newspaper or journal subscribers, and so on. This will give your writing purpose, focus and clarity.
5. USE RESEARCH TO AID YOUR WRITING.
Learn how to find and use popular academic search engines such as the Academic Index, Ebsco Host, Virtual LLC, or the Wilson Web. Ask your college librarian to assist you.
6. ALWAYS PLAN.
Plan what you are going to write before you type the first word. Say it as briefly and clearly as you can. Figure out and outline the purpose of your paper, and decide how you plan to substantiate your claims. Then flesh it out. Writing more words isn't necessarily better, so write what you think is necessary to get your points across.
7. PAPER AESTHETICS.
Break your paper into reasonable-length pieces. Keep your paragraphs short. Use subheadings.
8. DON'T COPY FROM OTHER PAPERS.
Don't plagiarize; when in doubt, cite your source. Ask your professor if he prefers a certain citation method. Otherwise, use in-text citations if your essay is relatively short; use footnotes in longer papers.
If you are using the Internet, know your sources well. The Internet breeds a lot of rumor, opinion and plagiarism. If you are writing your own ideas or what is common knowledge, then you don't need to cite, but you do if you are paraphrasing.
Read sample essays and papers to understand the concepts of theme, approach and writing style, but don't copy an entire essay and submit it as your own, as this is plagiarism. Not only will you deprive yourself of learning necessary writing skills, but also most professors know how to check for plagiarizers. It's never worth the risk.
Armed with my eight tips, you can shake off writing paralysis and submit that masterpiece essay or term paper.
About the Author:
Brian Scott is a contributing writer for http://www.LousyWriter.com, a free website on how to write better. He recommends college students visit http://www.MasterFreelancer.com for manuscript formatting software to help format your essay or term paper.
Keyword tags: writing term papers, writing college essays, academic writing, APA style, freelance writing
Thursday, September 11, 2008
How to Write a Better Cover Letter For Your Resume
Your resume is your invisible mouthpiece that speaks volumes about you, the job seeker. If your resume fails to impress the reader within five seconds, consider yourself doomed. Here are my tips to write a better cover letter for your resume. Remember, you only get one chance to make a good first – and sometimes lasting -- impression.
Here is how you can increase your odds of creating a cover letter to grab the reader's attention:
TIP 1. Keep it brief. Your resume is a 1-2 page document that conveys your qualifications, therefore you don't want to include how great you are and why.
TIP 2. Remember your cover letter serves a purpose. It is announcing you – and your enclosed information, your resume.
TIP 3. Your cover letter should state in 1-2 lines what you're doing: "I'm applying for the position of…" or "Enclosed is my resume for the position of …"
TIP 4. Clearly state what position you're applying for. Don't assume the contact person will automatically know what job you want.
TIP 5. Highlight a few of your strong traits or skills. Although brevity is the key here, you don't want to merely say, "Here's my resume. See you later."
TIP 6. Don't repeat contact information. You resume should include that pertinent information.
TIP 7. Don't staple your cover letter to your resume; instead use a paperclip or nothing at all. Whoever reads your resume may need to photocopy it, and it will frustrate him to waste time unhinging the staple without ripping the cover letter.
TIP 8. Grammar Mistakes. That's an obvious one. It's hard to proofread your own work. Find another person to critique your cover letter and resume. You're dead in the water if your cover letter is littered with misspellings, poor grammar or typos.
Below is a cover letter you can use as a guide:
----------------------
Today's Date
Contact Person, Job Title
Department
COMPANY NAME HERE
RE: NAME OF VACANT POSITION
Enclosed please find my resume. I am interested in working with you as your POSITION TITLE. As you will see from my enclosed resume I am qualified in a many areas (or you can state, 'I am uniquely qualified for this position because of my vast experience in …'). My college degrees are in Business Administration with a minor in Management. I have spent the last two decades performing INSERT SIMILAR RESPONSIBILITIES.
I am anxious to discuss this opportunity with you further.
Respectfully,
Your Name
-----------------------
As you as can see, the above cover letter is short and to the point. It serves its purpose by prefacing your resume. Don't waste your time rambling on. As it stands, you have a 50/50 chance the reader will fully read your cover letter. A lengthy cover letter will only cripple your chances of the reader reading your resume. Follow the above simple steps and you'll make a great first impression. Of course, it's up to you to back up what you say with your knowledge, skills and abilities; but at least you're starting off in the right direction!
About the Author:
Brian Scott is a contributing writer for http://www.LousyWriter.com, a free website on how to write better. He recommends college students visit http://www.MasterFreelancer.com for english grammar software to help with writing cover letters.
Keyword tags: resume, cover letter, business writing, freelance writing, career, job hunting
Here is how you can increase your odds of creating a cover letter to grab the reader's attention:
TIP 1. Keep it brief. Your resume is a 1-2 page document that conveys your qualifications, therefore you don't want to include how great you are and why.
TIP 2. Remember your cover letter serves a purpose. It is announcing you – and your enclosed information, your resume.
TIP 3. Your cover letter should state in 1-2 lines what you're doing: "I'm applying for the position of…" or "Enclosed is my resume for the position of …"
TIP 4. Clearly state what position you're applying for. Don't assume the contact person will automatically know what job you want.
TIP 5. Highlight a few of your strong traits or skills. Although brevity is the key here, you don't want to merely say, "Here's my resume. See you later."
TIP 6. Don't repeat contact information. You resume should include that pertinent information.
TIP 7. Don't staple your cover letter to your resume; instead use a paperclip or nothing at all. Whoever reads your resume may need to photocopy it, and it will frustrate him to waste time unhinging the staple without ripping the cover letter.
TIP 8. Grammar Mistakes. That's an obvious one. It's hard to proofread your own work. Find another person to critique your cover letter and resume. You're dead in the water if your cover letter is littered with misspellings, poor grammar or typos.
Below is a cover letter you can use as a guide:
----------------------
Today's Date
Contact Person, Job Title
Department
COMPANY NAME HERE
RE: NAME OF VACANT POSITION
Enclosed please find my resume. I am interested in working with you as your POSITION TITLE. As you will see from my enclosed resume I am qualified in a many areas (or you can state, 'I am uniquely qualified for this position because of my vast experience in …'). My college degrees are in Business Administration with a minor in Management. I have spent the last two decades performing INSERT SIMILAR RESPONSIBILITIES.
I am anxious to discuss this opportunity with you further.
Respectfully,
Your Name
-----------------------
As you as can see, the above cover letter is short and to the point. It serves its purpose by prefacing your resume. Don't waste your time rambling on. As it stands, you have a 50/50 chance the reader will fully read your cover letter. A lengthy cover letter will only cripple your chances of the reader reading your resume. Follow the above simple steps and you'll make a great first impression. Of course, it's up to you to back up what you say with your knowledge, skills and abilities; but at least you're starting off in the right direction!
About the Author:
Brian Scott is a contributing writer for http://www.LousyWriter.com, a free website on how to write better. He recommends college students visit http://www.MasterFreelancer.com for english grammar software to help with writing cover letters.
Keyword tags: resume, cover letter, business writing, freelance writing, career, job hunting
How to Write a Better Scholarship Essay For College
Writing a better scholarship essay than your peers is critical to establish why you, the college applicant, deserve the money and not somebody else. Listing other valuable scholarship credentials, such as a high SAT score and a solid GPA, do not always personalize the scholarship application as the essay does. When written correctly, the scholarship essay appeals to the emotional psyche of the reader. To achieve this result, you need to write your scholarship essay clearly, concisely and correctly, and with subtle hints of your personality.
CREATING A STELLAR SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY
First, abolish the notion that only people with talent can write well. If a person can talk, he/she can write well. Because writing involves more thinking than regular talking, it is important to follow these guidelines during the writing process:
1) Read other scholarship essays.
Reading other winning scholarship essays is the best way to get a feel for what scholarship judges look for. It may also provide ideas during times of writer's block or mental stress. Be careful not to copy other people's words unless you properly quote them in your scholarship essay. This applies to direct quotes, indirect quotes, and paraphrased statements.
2) Use outlines, and brainstorm.
Outlines are a wonderful tool for a writer to gather his thoughts. A traditional outline consists of a Roman numeral identifying the main heading; a capital letter identifying a subheading; and numbers indicating topics under the subheading. You can denote further points related to these topics by using small letters. An informal outline works best for the scholarship essay... what matters is the writer knows what he wants to say before he actually starts saying it.
3) Research rules.
Some scholarship essays seem so easy... so why does a writer still encounter mental roadblocks when writing an essay? This is perfectly natural, even on topics that a writer feels he knows first-hand. To get the brain cells fired up and functioning, sometimes it's helpful to research topics directly and indirectly related to the main topic.
4) Write from the heart for emotional impact.
Don't try to sound like the latest best-selling author in your scholarship essay. This includes trying to sound "deep," (unless of course "deep" is your natural writing style), and littering the essay with big words. Scholarship judges can see through this, and you will turn them off if you try to sound like someone else.
5) Be creative and unique.
Don't be afraid to deviate from the "academic style" of the scholarship essay -- as long as creativity doesn't distract from the main theme, and you are using proper grammar. Remember, scholarship judges are human and they tend to notice essays that tug on their emotional strings in some way. The best scholarship essays usually contain anecdotes, emotional personal accounts and even dialogue. If the scholarship essay instructions allow for creative expression, go wild with it.
6) Use proper grammar, punctuation and style.
Scholarship judges will immediately disqualify scholarship essays with too many grammatical errors, even if the content is compelling. You must know the rules of English grammar, and you should know how to write formally. This means you know how to write a sentence with a traditional structure versus a "contemporary" one (the writer should opt for the former). For example, today's sentence structure makes it somewhat acceptable to use "And" or "But" at the beginning of a sentence, but you should avoid it when writing the scholarship essay. Many editors (especially editors in academia) still feel uncomfortable using a conjunction at the beginning of a sentence, so why even take the chance? A writer can play it safe when choosing to write traditionally.
7) Don't reinvent the wheel - use a standard essay format.
A basic essay format consists of: 1) a thesis statement; 2) three or four paragraphs expanding on points detailed in the thesis statement; and 3) a concluding paragraph. This traditional structure, although seen as generic by some college writers, works very well. Why? Because it allows you to clearly lay out your thoughts during the writing process and for the judges who are reading the essay.
8) Follow the scholarship essay's instructions.
It is important that your scholarship essay address the points asked for in the instructions. No matter how brilliant a particular piece is, if it goes off on a tangent discussing irrelevant topics, then you have not achieved the desired objective.
9) Get someone else to proofread your work.
It is very easy for writers to miss many mistakes, whether they are grammatical errors, typos or inconsistencies in the flow of their piece. It is important to have other sources proofread your material, such as friends, family, and other professors who have reviewed winning scholarship essays. Otherwise, use a popular grammar software, such as www.WhiteSmokeSoftware.com.
10) Don't discourage yourself if your scholarship essay is rejected.
Just because your scholarship essay didn't win doesn't mean it was bad. Scholarship judges are responsible for reading hundreds -- sometimes even thousands -- of scholarship essays. Deciding who will win from a pile of many good essays, can be very difficult. Sometimes judges base their final choice purely on emotion… the judges may see factors in an essay that remind them of their personal life. Either way, it is impossible to please everyone. You should apply to as many scholarships as possible.
As long as you follow these guidelines and produce a well-written scholarship essay, the power of numbers is on your side. Your excellent scholarship essay is bound to be noticed eventually.
About the Author:
Brian Scott is a contributing writer for http://www.LousyWriter.com, a free website on how to write better. He recommends college students visit http://www.MasterFreelancer.com for english grammar software to help with writing college essays.
Keyword tags: college essays, college scholarships, freelance writing, english grammar, english writing
CREATING A STELLAR SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY
First, abolish the notion that only people with talent can write well. If a person can talk, he/she can write well. Because writing involves more thinking than regular talking, it is important to follow these guidelines during the writing process:
1) Read other scholarship essays.
Reading other winning scholarship essays is the best way to get a feel for what scholarship judges look for. It may also provide ideas during times of writer's block or mental stress. Be careful not to copy other people's words unless you properly quote them in your scholarship essay. This applies to direct quotes, indirect quotes, and paraphrased statements.
2) Use outlines, and brainstorm.
Outlines are a wonderful tool for a writer to gather his thoughts. A traditional outline consists of a Roman numeral identifying the main heading; a capital letter identifying a subheading; and numbers indicating topics under the subheading. You can denote further points related to these topics by using small letters. An informal outline works best for the scholarship essay... what matters is the writer knows what he wants to say before he actually starts saying it.
3) Research rules.
Some scholarship essays seem so easy... so why does a writer still encounter mental roadblocks when writing an essay? This is perfectly natural, even on topics that a writer feels he knows first-hand. To get the brain cells fired up and functioning, sometimes it's helpful to research topics directly and indirectly related to the main topic.
4) Write from the heart for emotional impact.
Don't try to sound like the latest best-selling author in your scholarship essay. This includes trying to sound "deep," (unless of course "deep" is your natural writing style), and littering the essay with big words. Scholarship judges can see through this, and you will turn them off if you try to sound like someone else.
5) Be creative and unique.
Don't be afraid to deviate from the "academic style" of the scholarship essay -- as long as creativity doesn't distract from the main theme, and you are using proper grammar. Remember, scholarship judges are human and they tend to notice essays that tug on their emotional strings in some way. The best scholarship essays usually contain anecdotes, emotional personal accounts and even dialogue. If the scholarship essay instructions allow for creative expression, go wild with it.
6) Use proper grammar, punctuation and style.
Scholarship judges will immediately disqualify scholarship essays with too many grammatical errors, even if the content is compelling. You must know the rules of English grammar, and you should know how to write formally. This means you know how to write a sentence with a traditional structure versus a "contemporary" one (the writer should opt for the former). For example, today's sentence structure makes it somewhat acceptable to use "And" or "But" at the beginning of a sentence, but you should avoid it when writing the scholarship essay. Many editors (especially editors in academia) still feel uncomfortable using a conjunction at the beginning of a sentence, so why even take the chance? A writer can play it safe when choosing to write traditionally.
7) Don't reinvent the wheel - use a standard essay format.
A basic essay format consists of: 1) a thesis statement; 2) three or four paragraphs expanding on points detailed in the thesis statement; and 3) a concluding paragraph. This traditional structure, although seen as generic by some college writers, works very well. Why? Because it allows you to clearly lay out your thoughts during the writing process and for the judges who are reading the essay.
8) Follow the scholarship essay's instructions.
It is important that your scholarship essay address the points asked for in the instructions. No matter how brilliant a particular piece is, if it goes off on a tangent discussing irrelevant topics, then you have not achieved the desired objective.
9) Get someone else to proofread your work.
It is very easy for writers to miss many mistakes, whether they are grammatical errors, typos or inconsistencies in the flow of their piece. It is important to have other sources proofread your material, such as friends, family, and other professors who have reviewed winning scholarship essays. Otherwise, use a popular grammar software, such as www.WhiteSmokeSoftware.com.
10) Don't discourage yourself if your scholarship essay is rejected.
Just because your scholarship essay didn't win doesn't mean it was bad. Scholarship judges are responsible for reading hundreds -- sometimes even thousands -- of scholarship essays. Deciding who will win from a pile of many good essays, can be very difficult. Sometimes judges base their final choice purely on emotion… the judges may see factors in an essay that remind them of their personal life. Either way, it is impossible to please everyone. You should apply to as many scholarships as possible.
As long as you follow these guidelines and produce a well-written scholarship essay, the power of numbers is on your side. Your excellent scholarship essay is bound to be noticed eventually.
About the Author:
Brian Scott is a contributing writer for http://www.LousyWriter.com, a free website on how to write better. He recommends college students visit http://www.MasterFreelancer.com for english grammar software to help with writing college essays.
Keyword tags: college essays, college scholarships, freelance writing, english grammar, english writing
How to Write an Essay
I'm going to share with you a method of writing essays that is easier to understand and quicker than probably just about any other method you'll come across. It consists of three simple steps that anyone can follow.
The first part of this method involves how you collect information and gather your thoughts. For research papers this means RESEARCH. For opinion essays, critical thinking, etc it may mean some research and some essential "collecting of thoughts".
Step one is simple: COLLECT. That's right, COLLECT. Collect your thoughts, notes, text clips and ideas. Collect photos, sounds, videos… literally anything and everything that deals with your topic and will help you write your essay. The purpose at this stage isn't to do any analyzing or thinking-through of things. Just collect.
The next step is to take everything you collected in step one and organize, arrange, and CATEGORIZE it into an order that makes sense. Put pieces of supporting data with their main ideas, and arrange each section and category of data into an order that works. Once you finish this step, you will have what amounts to an outline for your essay.
The final step is to simply COMMUNICATE the information that was organized in step 2, by writing it down. Just go through the organize information that you collected in the previous step (probably on note cards or in software or an outline, etc.) and write right off your notes. When you finish this step you should have a good quality rough draft, ready for proof reading and cleaning up.
A quick how-to on the actual writing part of this seems like a good idea here. Do you know how simple it is to communicate something either in speech or in writing? It's quite simple really. I'll give you an outline right now that you can use in virtually anything you write or any speech you give. Here it is:
1. Tell them what you're going to tell them (your intro).
2. Tell them (the body).
3. Tell them what you told them (conclusion).
This may seem too simple but it's really not. For your introduction just tell people what they are about to read. Give them a taste of what you have to share. Next, give them the meat of your story, straight from your notes collected above. Finally, just review what it was you just told them and you're done! It is really as simple as that!
I have just given you, in this article, a complete system of writing that you can use to write an essay of 10 pages or even write a book of thousands of pages. Don't be intimidated by the scope of a project. Just use this method to break it down and organize your thoughts and research, and tackle it head on. You'll probably find after practicing writing with this method that writing becomes more easy and enjoyable than it ever has been before.
You may or may not have noticed but I used this method of writing on this very article! You have a live example and a complete road map. It's up to you to put this information to work, and get writing!
About the Author:
Brian Vogt is an author and the creator of Text Block Author, the software for writers that is specifically designed for this method with writing. To learn more about Text Block Author, visit the website: http://www.textblockauthor.net
Keyword tags: how to write, writing tips, software for writers
The first part of this method involves how you collect information and gather your thoughts. For research papers this means RESEARCH. For opinion essays, critical thinking, etc it may mean some research and some essential "collecting of thoughts".
Step one is simple: COLLECT. That's right, COLLECT. Collect your thoughts, notes, text clips and ideas. Collect photos, sounds, videos… literally anything and everything that deals with your topic and will help you write your essay. The purpose at this stage isn't to do any analyzing or thinking-through of things. Just collect.
The next step is to take everything you collected in step one and organize, arrange, and CATEGORIZE it into an order that makes sense. Put pieces of supporting data with their main ideas, and arrange each section and category of data into an order that works. Once you finish this step, you will have what amounts to an outline for your essay.
The final step is to simply COMMUNICATE the information that was organized in step 2, by writing it down. Just go through the organize information that you collected in the previous step (probably on note cards or in software or an outline, etc.) and write right off your notes. When you finish this step you should have a good quality rough draft, ready for proof reading and cleaning up.
A quick how-to on the actual writing part of this seems like a good idea here. Do you know how simple it is to communicate something either in speech or in writing? It's quite simple really. I'll give you an outline right now that you can use in virtually anything you write or any speech you give. Here it is:
1. Tell them what you're going to tell them (your intro).
2. Tell them (the body).
3. Tell them what you told them (conclusion).
This may seem too simple but it's really not. For your introduction just tell people what they are about to read. Give them a taste of what you have to share. Next, give them the meat of your story, straight from your notes collected above. Finally, just review what it was you just told them and you're done! It is really as simple as that!
I have just given you, in this article, a complete system of writing that you can use to write an essay of 10 pages or even write a book of thousands of pages. Don't be intimidated by the scope of a project. Just use this method to break it down and organize your thoughts and research, and tackle it head on. You'll probably find after practicing writing with this method that writing becomes more easy and enjoyable than it ever has been before.
You may or may not have noticed but I used this method of writing on this very article! You have a live example and a complete road map. It's up to you to put this information to work, and get writing!
About the Author:
Brian Vogt is an author and the creator of Text Block Author, the software for writers that is specifically designed for this method with writing. To learn more about Text Block Author, visit the website: http://www.textblockauthor.net
Keyword tags: how to write, writing tips, software for writers
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
How to Write a Better Term Paper
Most students dread writing a term paper. Learning a few basic steps can make the difference between writing a poorly disorganized term paper into one that wins praise -- or at least a passing grade -- from your professor.
STEP 1: Write a clear, concise statement of intent; this is a sentence summarizing what you intend to prove, based on facts derived from your source materials. Every reference, every quote you use, every sentence you write, will further convince your reader of this central premise or opinion. (Make sure you choose a topic that you can support with evidence!) For example, you can state the intent of this article is: "A few basic steps can improve a student's term paper."
STEP 2: Make a brief outline. An outline is only an organizing tool, so don't obsess over its format, just jot it down to organize your thoughts. The outline for this article, for example, might look as simple as a list of the major steps to write a proper term paper, with a couple of points written briefly beneath each step to flesh it out. Generally, each major point of your outline will correspond to one paragraph of your paper, assuming each paragraph consists of at least three sentences, and no more than five or six.
STEP 3: Gather and organize your evidence -- also known as "research." Most professors like to see many good quotes strung together, accentuating your intent with more authority than you could say yourself. The goal is to make your sources do the talking, wherever possible, to strengthen your argument.
Most term papers involve a trip to the library, many sticky notes on the pages, photocopied pages, or at least, some extensive computer searching on your topic. You may choose to organize your research on index cards, or print out your online sources and start highlighting the sections, sentences and phrases that best support your basic premise.
If you base your paper on a work of literature – for example, a play by Shakespeare – then you will derive your quotes from the work itself. You might pull quotes from another play to support a fact, such as Shakespeare often used similar imagery, or to contrast one work with another.
No matter what subject you write about -- science, business, politics, history, psychology, etc. -- you should find relevant quotations from experts in the field. Selecting books, magazine articles, research papers, even television transcripts, can help you find passages that build your case piece by piece. Once you order your expert quotations logically according to your outline, you are ready to compose your paper.
STEP 4: Composing your term paper begins with a first paragraph that: 1) states your intent; 2) introduces what you are setting out to prove; and 3) summarizes the nature of your evidence. From there, each paragraph will follow your outline: state a point that supports the premise, support it with suitable quotations, and lead into your next major point. When you have finished constructing your argument, the last paragraph summarizes the journey.
Your skill to lead the reader into and out of your supporting quotations will contribute to the flow of the paper. Superb organization can be the difference between receiving a grade of "C" and an "A." Vary your sentence structure. Use both simple statements and complex sentences. Use commas or dashes to vary sentence length. Read your paper aloud at least once to make sure it sounds right, makes sense, and uses quotations effectively.
STEP 5: Document your sources with footnotes (on the bottom of the page where each quote appears) or end notes (listed at the end of your paper by number). Modern software makes footnoting and creating front and back matter a breeze. Your notes show where you obtained each quote -- the author, book or magazine, publisher, date of publication and page numbers.
A bibliography, also at the end of the paper, lists your sources, including books and authors you read for background information. Providing a thorough and precise record of your research will often impress your professor because he will quickly notice your thoroughness, organization and breadth of study. In other words -- you did your homework!
STEP 6: Finalize your essay according to the correct style and format requested by your instructor. As a student, a general stylebook such as APA Style, Chicago Style, or MLA Style will prove invaluable to you. Otherwise search the Internet by "term paper style" and you can find answers to tedious questions about footnotes, punctuation marks and grammar.
You no longer need to groan when your professor mentions the dreaded words, "term paper." By breaking down this taxing task into basic steps -- stating your main intent, outlining points, organizing evidence, composing, documenting your sources, and following style guides -- you can transform this chore into acing your term paper with ease.
About the Author:
Brian Scott is a contributing writer for http://www.LousyWriter.com, a free website on how to write better. He recommends college students visit http://www.masterfreelancer.com/manuscript-formatting-software.php to help with term paper citations and formatting.
Keyword tags: term paper, writing, college term papers, academic, APA style, term paper citations, termpaper
STEP 1: Write a clear, concise statement of intent; this is a sentence summarizing what you intend to prove, based on facts derived from your source materials. Every reference, every quote you use, every sentence you write, will further convince your reader of this central premise or opinion. (Make sure you choose a topic that you can support with evidence!) For example, you can state the intent of this article is: "A few basic steps can improve a student's term paper."
STEP 2: Make a brief outline. An outline is only an organizing tool, so don't obsess over its format, just jot it down to organize your thoughts. The outline for this article, for example, might look as simple as a list of the major steps to write a proper term paper, with a couple of points written briefly beneath each step to flesh it out. Generally, each major point of your outline will correspond to one paragraph of your paper, assuming each paragraph consists of at least three sentences, and no more than five or six.
STEP 3: Gather and organize your evidence -- also known as "research." Most professors like to see many good quotes strung together, accentuating your intent with more authority than you could say yourself. The goal is to make your sources do the talking, wherever possible, to strengthen your argument.
Most term papers involve a trip to the library, many sticky notes on the pages, photocopied pages, or at least, some extensive computer searching on your topic. You may choose to organize your research on index cards, or print out your online sources and start highlighting the sections, sentences and phrases that best support your basic premise.
If you base your paper on a work of literature – for example, a play by Shakespeare – then you will derive your quotes from the work itself. You might pull quotes from another play to support a fact, such as Shakespeare often used similar imagery, or to contrast one work with another.
No matter what subject you write about -- science, business, politics, history, psychology, etc. -- you should find relevant quotations from experts in the field. Selecting books, magazine articles, research papers, even television transcripts, can help you find passages that build your case piece by piece. Once you order your expert quotations logically according to your outline, you are ready to compose your paper.
STEP 4: Composing your term paper begins with a first paragraph that: 1) states your intent; 2) introduces what you are setting out to prove; and 3) summarizes the nature of your evidence. From there, each paragraph will follow your outline: state a point that supports the premise, support it with suitable quotations, and lead into your next major point. When you have finished constructing your argument, the last paragraph summarizes the journey.
Your skill to lead the reader into and out of your supporting quotations will contribute to the flow of the paper. Superb organization can be the difference between receiving a grade of "C" and an "A." Vary your sentence structure. Use both simple statements and complex sentences. Use commas or dashes to vary sentence length. Read your paper aloud at least once to make sure it sounds right, makes sense, and uses quotations effectively.
STEP 5: Document your sources with footnotes (on the bottom of the page where each quote appears) or end notes (listed at the end of your paper by number). Modern software makes footnoting and creating front and back matter a breeze. Your notes show where you obtained each quote -- the author, book or magazine, publisher, date of publication and page numbers.
A bibliography, also at the end of the paper, lists your sources, including books and authors you read for background information. Providing a thorough and precise record of your research will often impress your professor because he will quickly notice your thoroughness, organization and breadth of study. In other words -- you did your homework!
STEP 6: Finalize your essay according to the correct style and format requested by your instructor. As a student, a general stylebook such as APA Style, Chicago Style, or MLA Style will prove invaluable to you. Otherwise search the Internet by "term paper style" and you can find answers to tedious questions about footnotes, punctuation marks and grammar.
You no longer need to groan when your professor mentions the dreaded words, "term paper." By breaking down this taxing task into basic steps -- stating your main intent, outlining points, organizing evidence, composing, documenting your sources, and following style guides -- you can transform this chore into acing your term paper with ease.
About the Author:
Brian Scott is a contributing writer for http://www.LousyWriter.com, a free website on how to write better. He recommends college students visit http://www.masterfreelancer.com/manuscript-formatting-software.php to help with term paper citations and formatting.
Keyword tags: term paper, writing, college term papers, academic, APA style, term paper citations, termpaper
7 Steps to Editing Your Written Work
Editing is an extremely important part of the writing process. When you begin editing, remember that it's not just about fixing spelling mistakes. It's about polishing up the whole project, tightening up paragraphs and making your ideas transparent.
Here are 7 great steps to editing your own work
1) Print out a copy – Once you've finished typing up your work, adjust the document so that the pages have wide margins that you can write in. Print out a copy and leave the writing task for a while. A few hours is good, but a whole day is even better. When you decide to come back to it, use a different color pen to make corrections, mark things that need to be removed, and write in things that you want to add.
2) Abbreviations and Acronyms – These are excellent as they save both the writer's and reader's time. However, you should make sure that you've defined each abbreviation in brackets when you first use it (apart from the really obvious ones USA, UK, Dr., Ph.D etc). The abbreviation can then be used with the safeguard that readers unfamiliar with it are not confused.
i.e. The APC gene (adenomatosis polyposis coli) has been linked to cancer. The APC gene normally regulates how often a cell divides. In cancer patients, the APC gene allows the uncontrolled growth that causes cancer tumors.
i.e HWAA (How to Write Almost Anything) is a is a fantastic resource for any writing project. Whether you're a novice or a seasoned writer, the HWAA system will help you in every step of the way.
3) Diction (your choice of words) – To make the right choices, keep in mind who your audience is. If you're writing a technical report for school, make sure you use the jargon you've been taught, to show your understanding. If you're writing web content for the general public, get rid of jargon and select words that any Average Joe can understand. Diction aids your readers' understanding.
4) Punctuation – The best way to check for correct punctuation is to read your work out loud. Long winded sentences may need to be divided into two or three sentences or you could use a conjunction or semicolon to separate them. Did you notice that That sentence is a bit long and is more readable this way "Long winded sentences may need to be divided into two or three. You could also use a conjunction or semicolon to separate them."
5) Grammar - Make sure sentences are complete and contain a subject and a verb. Tenses are also something you need to watch out for. It's not rare to see a writer incorrectly jump from one tense to another in the very same paragraph!
6) Which brings me to the issue of paragraphing. Paragraphs help to structure your ideas. You can use the TEE ( Topic sentence, Explanation, Example) acronym when analyzing your paragraphs. The example part is pretty flexible, depending on your topic. It's vital for technical topics.
7) Accuracy – It's really important to check that any dates, names, figures and statistics are correct. This can easily be done by calling up an appropriate organization, a quick search on google, or referring to books at the library.
Once you think you've finished the writing process, another useful tip is to get someone else to read it. Let them ask questions if they don't understand a particular point. This probably means that you haven't explained it well in your work.
Written work expresses your ideas when you're not there to explain them yourself. In order to convey the message to your readers clearly, it's important to edit well. Your readers want to enjoy your work. Proofreading can help them do exactly that, without the distraction of errors.
About the Author:
Brian Vogt is an author and the creator of Text Block Author, the software for writers that is specifically designed for this method with writing. To learn more about Text Block Author, visit the website: http://www.textblockauthor.net
Keyword tags: how to write, writing tips, software for writers
Here are 7 great steps to editing your own work
1) Print out a copy – Once you've finished typing up your work, adjust the document so that the pages have wide margins that you can write in. Print out a copy and leave the writing task for a while. A few hours is good, but a whole day is even better. When you decide to come back to it, use a different color pen to make corrections, mark things that need to be removed, and write in things that you want to add.
2) Abbreviations and Acronyms – These are excellent as they save both the writer's and reader's time. However, you should make sure that you've defined each abbreviation in brackets when you first use it (apart from the really obvious ones USA, UK, Dr., Ph.D etc). The abbreviation can then be used with the safeguard that readers unfamiliar with it are not confused.
i.e. The APC gene (adenomatosis polyposis coli) has been linked to cancer. The APC gene normally regulates how often a cell divides. In cancer patients, the APC gene allows the uncontrolled growth that causes cancer tumors.
i.e HWAA (How to Write Almost Anything) is a is a fantastic resource for any writing project. Whether you're a novice or a seasoned writer, the HWAA system will help you in every step of the way.
3) Diction (your choice of words) – To make the right choices, keep in mind who your audience is. If you're writing a technical report for school, make sure you use the jargon you've been taught, to show your understanding. If you're writing web content for the general public, get rid of jargon and select words that any Average Joe can understand. Diction aids your readers' understanding.
4) Punctuation – The best way to check for correct punctuation is to read your work out loud. Long winded sentences may need to be divided into two or three sentences or you could use a conjunction or semicolon to separate them. Did you notice that That sentence is a bit long and is more readable this way "Long winded sentences may need to be divided into two or three. You could also use a conjunction or semicolon to separate them."
5) Grammar - Make sure sentences are complete and contain a subject and a verb. Tenses are also something you need to watch out for. It's not rare to see a writer incorrectly jump from one tense to another in the very same paragraph!
6) Which brings me to the issue of paragraphing. Paragraphs help to structure your ideas. You can use the TEE ( Topic sentence, Explanation, Example) acronym when analyzing your paragraphs. The example part is pretty flexible, depending on your topic. It's vital for technical topics.
7) Accuracy – It's really important to check that any dates, names, figures and statistics are correct. This can easily be done by calling up an appropriate organization, a quick search on google, or referring to books at the library.
Once you think you've finished the writing process, another useful tip is to get someone else to read it. Let them ask questions if they don't understand a particular point. This probably means that you haven't explained it well in your work.
Written work expresses your ideas when you're not there to explain them yourself. In order to convey the message to your readers clearly, it's important to edit well. Your readers want to enjoy your work. Proofreading can help them do exactly that, without the distraction of errors.
About the Author:
Brian Vogt is an author and the creator of Text Block Author, the software for writers that is specifically designed for this method with writing. To learn more about Text Block Author, visit the website: http://www.textblockauthor.net
Keyword tags: how to write, writing tips, software for writers
You Can Learn Writing Style - What is Technical Writing?
Technical writing, sometimes called business writing, is writing for a specific purpose and with a specific goal. Usually its goal is to inform/instruct or persuade/argue. Technical writing can really be considered transactional writing because there are two people or groups involved in the communication. One party has a clear goal to inform or persuade the other party. This is real-world writing in every sense. You may not be aware of how much it already impacts your world through textbooks, instructions, web sites, and communications from many businesses and service organizations. There are professional technical communicators but only large organizations have them and even then they are not there to do your daily work for you and that is why it is so helpful for many to take at least an introductory technical writing class.
Why is technical communication important and what will you use it for? Actually, technical writing will be used by most college graduates as a regular part of their work. It is much more likely that you will use technical writing than either academic or creative writing unless you specifically enter those fields. A few examples of why you will likely need these skills include: getting a job – preparing a resume or curriculum vitae, cover letter, application, and portfolio; doing your job – preparing memos, letters, reports, instructions, case reports, reviews, assignments, descriptions, etc.; and keeping your job – communicating with management, co-workers, peers, patients/students/public.
What separates technical communication from other forms of writing, such as academic writing? Technical communication has a specific audience and is purposeful, usually intended to solve a problem for that audience. One area that really sets technical communication apart is that it is quite often collaborative. Technical communication is also focused on readability issues, not only the use of clear writing, but also page design and graphics. The excellence of technical writing is judged by clarity, accuracy, comprehensiveness, accessibility, conciseness, professional appearance, and correctness.
There are seven principles to guide technical writing: remember your purpose (to inform or persuade), remember your audience (their concerns, background, attitude toward your purpose), make your content specific to its purpose and audience, write clearly and precisely (active voice, appropriate language to audience), make good use of visuals (good page design and graphics), and be ethical (truthful, full disclosure, no plagiarizing).
Technical communication serves both explicit, or clear, and implicit, or implied, purposes. Explicit purposes include to provide information, to provide instructions, to persuade the reader to act upon the information, or to enact or prohibit something. Implicit purposes include establishing a relationship, creating trust, establishing credibility, and documenting actions. Most technical communications are based on a problem statement which gives your document a clearly stated objective for your benefit as well as your reader's. The problem statement defines the problem, by doing more than simply stating your topic, it goes on to explain what about that topic is at issue. For example, if your topic is career guidance then your problem could be the fact that many adults need help identifying a career that suits their strengths and abilities and the solution that your document will present is to create a comprehensive clearing house that helps people identify career paths through military, vocational training, and higher education.
About the Author:
You can learn writing style and find more writing advice at http://answersaboutwriting.com
Keyword tags: technical writing, writing prompts, writing process, professional writing, business writing
Why is technical communication important and what will you use it for? Actually, technical writing will be used by most college graduates as a regular part of their work. It is much more likely that you will use technical writing than either academic or creative writing unless you specifically enter those fields. A few examples of why you will likely need these skills include: getting a job – preparing a resume or curriculum vitae, cover letter, application, and portfolio; doing your job – preparing memos, letters, reports, instructions, case reports, reviews, assignments, descriptions, etc.; and keeping your job – communicating with management, co-workers, peers, patients/students/public.
What separates technical communication from other forms of writing, such as academic writing? Technical communication has a specific audience and is purposeful, usually intended to solve a problem for that audience. One area that really sets technical communication apart is that it is quite often collaborative. Technical communication is also focused on readability issues, not only the use of clear writing, but also page design and graphics. The excellence of technical writing is judged by clarity, accuracy, comprehensiveness, accessibility, conciseness, professional appearance, and correctness.
There are seven principles to guide technical writing: remember your purpose (to inform or persuade), remember your audience (their concerns, background, attitude toward your purpose), make your content specific to its purpose and audience, write clearly and precisely (active voice, appropriate language to audience), make good use of visuals (good page design and graphics), and be ethical (truthful, full disclosure, no plagiarizing).
Technical communication serves both explicit, or clear, and implicit, or implied, purposes. Explicit purposes include to provide information, to provide instructions, to persuade the reader to act upon the information, or to enact or prohibit something. Implicit purposes include establishing a relationship, creating trust, establishing credibility, and documenting actions. Most technical communications are based on a problem statement which gives your document a clearly stated objective for your benefit as well as your reader's. The problem statement defines the problem, by doing more than simply stating your topic, it goes on to explain what about that topic is at issue. For example, if your topic is career guidance then your problem could be the fact that many adults need help identifying a career that suits their strengths and abilities and the solution that your document will present is to create a comprehensive clearing house that helps people identify career paths through military, vocational training, and higher education.
About the Author:
You can learn writing style and find more writing advice at http://answersaboutwriting.com
Keyword tags: technical writing, writing prompts, writing process, professional writing, business writing
Thursday, September 4, 2008
5 Common Self Publishing Mistakes That Stamp Unprofessional on Your Book and How to Correct Them
Have you joined the ranks of aspiring authors ready to take the next step to self publishing in the digital age of publishing? If so, congratulations! But wait, before you rush off to press, there are some things you should do to prepare your book for successful self-publishing. The preparation step of the self-publishing process includes everything you need to do to your book manuscript before you deliver it to the book printer. This includes deciding your publishing goals.
For example, is your book a personal family history book that you plan to sell to a few friends and family? Or do you plan to mass-market your book to the world? After deciding your market then you should avoid the following common mistakes:
1. Failure to write a Business Plan
This is where your book publishing journey should begin. You don't have to start with a 15-page document. But do create an outline of all the costs that you will encounter in the self-publishing process.
Outline your costs before publication, after publication and everything from the beginning costs to the shipping price of mailing a book. This is the time you decide whether you should print a small amount of books for family or set up a small publishing company by buying a block of ISBNs.
2. Failure to get ISBN Numbers.
An ISBN number is what identifies you as a book publisher. Currently, it is the only way you can be considered a self-publisher in the publishing industry. At the time of this writing, no one can give, assign or sell you ISBNs except RR Bowker, the U.S. ISBN agency.
3. Failure to invest in Book Editing.
Don't cut corners here. Invest in your book; get it professionally edited. Copy or line editing will bring your manuscript up to professional standard. Don't settle for just having your family member take a look at your manuscript.
4. Failure to hire a book designer for book layout.
The book layout is what structures the content of your book and makes it look like a book. Again invest in your book project; this is not the time to settle for anything less than a professional look. If your book looks sloppy, it will limit its success in the market.
5. Failure to invest in cover design.
75% of 300 booksellers reviewed (half from independent bookstores and half from chains) recognized the look and design of the book cover as the most important part. They agreed the jacket is prime real estate for promoting a book. On that note, your book cover design has great importance. It can cause your book marketing campaign to fail or succeed. So, I encourage you to get your book cover professionally designed.
Are you ready to publish your book successfully? Did you consider all your options including a business plan and book cover design? Great! Now that you know how to set up your book for full speed ahead self-publishing, go ahead take the plunge. Don't wait any longer. Start today. Your audience is waiting for YOUR unique message and viewpoint. Make it different. Make it count. Make it yours.
About the Author:
Are you ready to publish your book successfully? Get FREE instant access to my Self Publisher's eKit at http://www.selfpublishinghouse.net Earma Brown, 14 yr author, book writing and publishing coach
Keyword tags: how to publish a book, how to self publish a book, self publishing
For example, is your book a personal family history book that you plan to sell to a few friends and family? Or do you plan to mass-market your book to the world? After deciding your market then you should avoid the following common mistakes:
1. Failure to write a Business Plan
This is where your book publishing journey should begin. You don't have to start with a 15-page document. But do create an outline of all the costs that you will encounter in the self-publishing process.
Outline your costs before publication, after publication and everything from the beginning costs to the shipping price of mailing a book. This is the time you decide whether you should print a small amount of books for family or set up a small publishing company by buying a block of ISBNs.
2. Failure to get ISBN Numbers.
An ISBN number is what identifies you as a book publisher. Currently, it is the only way you can be considered a self-publisher in the publishing industry. At the time of this writing, no one can give, assign or sell you ISBNs except RR Bowker, the U.S. ISBN agency.
3. Failure to invest in Book Editing.
Don't cut corners here. Invest in your book; get it professionally edited. Copy or line editing will bring your manuscript up to professional standard. Don't settle for just having your family member take a look at your manuscript.
4. Failure to hire a book designer for book layout.
The book layout is what structures the content of your book and makes it look like a book. Again invest in your book project; this is not the time to settle for anything less than a professional look. If your book looks sloppy, it will limit its success in the market.
5. Failure to invest in cover design.
75% of 300 booksellers reviewed (half from independent bookstores and half from chains) recognized the look and design of the book cover as the most important part. They agreed the jacket is prime real estate for promoting a book. On that note, your book cover design has great importance. It can cause your book marketing campaign to fail or succeed. So, I encourage you to get your book cover professionally designed.
Are you ready to publish your book successfully? Did you consider all your options including a business plan and book cover design? Great! Now that you know how to set up your book for full speed ahead self-publishing, go ahead take the plunge. Don't wait any longer. Start today. Your audience is waiting for YOUR unique message and viewpoint. Make it different. Make it count. Make it yours.
About the Author:
Are you ready to publish your book successfully? Get FREE instant access to my Self Publisher's eKit at http://www.selfpublishinghouse.net Earma Brown, 14 yr author, book writing and publishing coach
Keyword tags: how to publish a book, how to self publish a book, self publishing
Monday, September 1, 2008
Effective Research Paper Writing Tips
For many students writing a research paper can be a major pain. Regardless, writing research papers is an important part of the education process and must be done. Another option which more and more students are choosing is the online writing service method. Instead of going through the trouble of writing yourself, you may want to look into hiring a research paper writer. There are many writers available online who will write for you anytime.
These types of services are all over the internet at low cost for students. I will provide a simple to use guide that will help you write a professional research paper. Following these steps should make the writing process easier and it may even be fun.
The first step is choosing the topic of research to write about. This is the center piece of your work and you should select something that you both enjoy and are fairly knowledgeable about. Useful topics that are very specific should also be considered. Once you have selected a topic, look at all of your available resources to see if you have enough data to use as your guide. You can use the internet, books, articles, magazines and even the television for resource material. If you can't find many sources dealing with your topic, you may want to consider another one. After all, how can you write a research paper when you can't find research materials?
Your next two steps should consist of brainstorming your subject matter and creating a rough draft. Just by writing down your thoughts as you go along can help you create an outline that will evolve into the final product as you continue to write. No matter how un-important it may seem at the time, these written ideas can be built upon. Whatever editing that needs to be done can be completed later on. Just go ahead and jot it down.
Research papers normally have various pieces that may include the body, title, references and the conclusion. Each of these areas play a specific role in your research paper. In some situations, documentation guidelines need to be followed closely. The criteria for your paper should have been explained by your instructor beforehand. You may want to double check with them ahead of time to make sure you turn in what they asked for.
When using the internet for research you should stay away from places that allow anyone to edit the information at anytime. These types of web sites no matter how popular they are just aren't trustworthy. Don't take the easy route by selecting the first result listed in a search engine either. You may need to go twenty, even thirty pages back looking over each site listed. The more information you review the better. Pinpoint your keywords so what you search for comes up and nothing else. Going through unrelated sites will eat up your time in the long run.
At this point the only thing left to do is to begin writing. Make sure you are in a quiet and comfortable area that is well lit. All distractions such as the television should be kept off. You may need to take a nap before you begin. This will ensure a clearly written research paper and will drastically reduce the amount of spelling and grammatical errors.
About the Author:
http://www.essaytown.com - college term paper
Keyword tags: term papers,research papers,essay writing,dissertations,college term papers,college essays
These types of services are all over the internet at low cost for students. I will provide a simple to use guide that will help you write a professional research paper. Following these steps should make the writing process easier and it may even be fun.
The first step is choosing the topic of research to write about. This is the center piece of your work and you should select something that you both enjoy and are fairly knowledgeable about. Useful topics that are very specific should also be considered. Once you have selected a topic, look at all of your available resources to see if you have enough data to use as your guide. You can use the internet, books, articles, magazines and even the television for resource material. If you can't find many sources dealing with your topic, you may want to consider another one. After all, how can you write a research paper when you can't find research materials?
Your next two steps should consist of brainstorming your subject matter and creating a rough draft. Just by writing down your thoughts as you go along can help you create an outline that will evolve into the final product as you continue to write. No matter how un-important it may seem at the time, these written ideas can be built upon. Whatever editing that needs to be done can be completed later on. Just go ahead and jot it down.
Research papers normally have various pieces that may include the body, title, references and the conclusion. Each of these areas play a specific role in your research paper. In some situations, documentation guidelines need to be followed closely. The criteria for your paper should have been explained by your instructor beforehand. You may want to double check with them ahead of time to make sure you turn in what they asked for.
When using the internet for research you should stay away from places that allow anyone to edit the information at anytime. These types of web sites no matter how popular they are just aren't trustworthy. Don't take the easy route by selecting the first result listed in a search engine either. You may need to go twenty, even thirty pages back looking over each site listed. The more information you review the better. Pinpoint your keywords so what you search for comes up and nothing else. Going through unrelated sites will eat up your time in the long run.
At this point the only thing left to do is to begin writing. Make sure you are in a quiet and comfortable area that is well lit. All distractions such as the television should be kept off. You may need to take a nap before you begin. This will ensure a clearly written research paper and will drastically reduce the amount of spelling and grammatical errors.
About the Author:
http://www.essaytown.com - college term paper
Keyword tags: term papers,research papers,essay writing,dissertations,college term papers,college essays
Highy Effective Dissertation Writing Tips
Dissertation writing has turned out to be one of the principal ingredients of higher learning in recent times. Dissertations can be expected to be included in third level undergrad study in addition to playing a significant role in any Masters level curriculum. Dissertations are advanced writing projects that highlight your passage from a scholar into the professional realm.
It allows you the chance to work independently on lengthy assignments in your area of study while showcasing what you've learned. It's also a sort of research teaching guide which aims to develop elevated intellectual accomplishments such as rating, analytic thinking and management abilities. Writing a good dissertation will show the faculty staff and your peers that you are ready to move on into your field of study.
Dissertation writing follows the basic principles of academic writing but other factors do come into play at some part. You should be knowledgeable in the particular subject but you should also leave room to learn and grow. Look at it as a work in progress. Secondly, you should make certain that you have the correct chapter headings. It's like an introduction accompanied by literature that is aided by an experiment or an analysis of your topic.
Since dissertation writing depends on the author, don't expect help from your professors or fellow students. Meaning, you are generally on your own during the entire writing process one hundred percent. This is a chance for you to show what you have learned during your time of education. This is also your time to work independently using the guidelines set forth. The good thing about this is the amount of time you will be given to write. Weeks or even months may be allotted in dissertation writing which should be plenty of time for the wise student.
Two very important steps are selecting and researching your topic. When deciding on subjects for your dissertation you need to be fully aware of the research requirements. If you are unsure in anyway, then you need to consult your teacher immediately. Writing a dissertation is quite similar to book writing. Your work needs to be something unique that addresses your proposed research topic.
In conclusion, your dissertation is one of the most important things you will ever write in your lifetime. A good, well written dissertation could mean a world of difference and open many doors for you in the future. Every conceivable step should be taken that will ensure a positive straight to the point dissertation.
It should be viewed as a launching pad for your entire career and a synopsis of your time spent in school. Aside from the actual writing you many need to get mentally prepared for the challenge ahead of you. Speaking with other who have gone through the same writing process you are about to endure is very helpful. A good dissertation adviser should be able to answer your questions which will set your mind at ease.
All other matters should take a back seat to your writing. Turn your cell phones off, gather your materials and begin to write. Procrastinating won't do any good and prolonging the inevitable with show up in your final written draft. Stay calm and mentally focused during the entire dissertation writing process and you will be just fine.
About the Author:
http://www.essaytown.com - term papers
Keyword tags: term papers,research papers,essay writing,dissertations,college term papers,college essays
It allows you the chance to work independently on lengthy assignments in your area of study while showcasing what you've learned. It's also a sort of research teaching guide which aims to develop elevated intellectual accomplishments such as rating, analytic thinking and management abilities. Writing a good dissertation will show the faculty staff and your peers that you are ready to move on into your field of study.
Dissertation writing follows the basic principles of academic writing but other factors do come into play at some part. You should be knowledgeable in the particular subject but you should also leave room to learn and grow. Look at it as a work in progress. Secondly, you should make certain that you have the correct chapter headings. It's like an introduction accompanied by literature that is aided by an experiment or an analysis of your topic.
Since dissertation writing depends on the author, don't expect help from your professors or fellow students. Meaning, you are generally on your own during the entire writing process one hundred percent. This is a chance for you to show what you have learned during your time of education. This is also your time to work independently using the guidelines set forth. The good thing about this is the amount of time you will be given to write. Weeks or even months may be allotted in dissertation writing which should be plenty of time for the wise student.
Two very important steps are selecting and researching your topic. When deciding on subjects for your dissertation you need to be fully aware of the research requirements. If you are unsure in anyway, then you need to consult your teacher immediately. Writing a dissertation is quite similar to book writing. Your work needs to be something unique that addresses your proposed research topic.
In conclusion, your dissertation is one of the most important things you will ever write in your lifetime. A good, well written dissertation could mean a world of difference and open many doors for you in the future. Every conceivable step should be taken that will ensure a positive straight to the point dissertation.
It should be viewed as a launching pad for your entire career and a synopsis of your time spent in school. Aside from the actual writing you many need to get mentally prepared for the challenge ahead of you. Speaking with other who have gone through the same writing process you are about to endure is very helpful. A good dissertation adviser should be able to answer your questions which will set your mind at ease.
All other matters should take a back seat to your writing. Turn your cell phones off, gather your materials and begin to write. Procrastinating won't do any good and prolonging the inevitable with show up in your final written draft. Stay calm and mentally focused during the entire dissertation writing process and you will be just fine.
About the Author:
http://www.essaytown.com - term papers
Keyword tags: term papers,research papers,essay writing,dissertations,college term papers,college essays
Tips For Successful College Term Papers
Just about every college student has stressed about a college term paper. Those college term papers are as much a part of college life as homecoming weekend, cheerleaders, fraternity parties and bad college food!
While students often worry about their college term papers, these assignments can and do become easier over time. There are some great tips for success that underclassmen often learn from the upperclassmen. Here are some tips for success that will work with any major and any type of assignment.
Follow the instructions from the professor. Some college students might wonder what would be wrong with putting great effort into writing a ten-page paper and using seven sources for this college term paper. Well, nothing would be wrong, except that particular professor had asked for a seven-page paper, which used a minimum of ten sources! Getting the directions wrong is a big way to have trouble with an assignment. Before you even get started, read them slowly and highlight each point.
Ask the professor questions about the assignment if you are unclear. Sometimes a professor doesn't include every detail, especially if they have been teaching a course for a long time. They just assume college students know what they are talking about. Your question could help the entire class.
Start the assignment the moment it is assigned. Some students might groan at that one, thinking that only a total geek would do that. However, a savvy college student knows that when time is on your side there is a lot more you can do for a term paper. You'll have better research, more time to write and especially the time to edit your college term paper. You won't be like those stressed out college students up the night before, drinking pots of coffee typing away at their college term papers cursing their professors for yet another assignment. Your assignment will have been done, sitting in your backpack waiting to be turned in.
Give every college term paper a bit of a twist. Your college professor reads tons of term papers each semester. Think of how many term papers do you think an English professor reads about the relationship between Romeo and Juliet. Alternatively, a science professor getting a term paper about how Thomas Edison discovered electricity. Try giving your papers a bit of a twist on the subject and topic every time and surprise that professor a bit. You'll do more interesting research and you'll get a better grade. Do a paper on the parents of Romeo and Juliet or on the inventions of Thomas Edison that didn't work (there were a lot of them). This shows you've been thinking about the topic and put some of your own creative thinking into the class as well. That's an "A" paper all the way!
Use a variety of research sources. Some college students today turn only to the Internet, doing one big Internet search for the subject and selecting the top five links for the college term paper subject. This is a huge mistake when it comes to your research. Get creative when it comes to selecting research sources. Use books, journals, newspaper articles, magazines and the Internet. Try even using personal interviews with sources you feel are interesting on the topic.
Be sure to format your college term paper. Every school and each department has specific guidelines about how a paper must be formatted. Follow these instructions. Additionally, spell-check and grammar-check your paper after you have a final document. Don't simply rely on your computer's system to do this for you, use a hard copy dictionary. Think of asking a classmate to read your paper for spelling or grammar check and you can do the same for them.
When writing college term papers is hard, ask for help. Sometimes we all need a little extra help; there is nothing wrong with that. Every college has a tutoring center where students receive tutoring in many subjects. You can easily find a tutor that will work with you one-on-one to write stronger college term papers for your assignments. You may discover after several appointments with a tutor that you have much better college term paper skills.
The college term paper is a rite of passage in many ways: every college student must write them for most of their courses. Learning to improve your college term paper skills is beneficial and will help with your college career.
About the Author:
http://www.essaytown.com - college term papers
Keyword tags: term papers,research papers,essay writing,dissertations,college term papers,college essays
While students often worry about their college term papers, these assignments can and do become easier over time. There are some great tips for success that underclassmen often learn from the upperclassmen. Here are some tips for success that will work with any major and any type of assignment.
Follow the instructions from the professor. Some college students might wonder what would be wrong with putting great effort into writing a ten-page paper and using seven sources for this college term paper. Well, nothing would be wrong, except that particular professor had asked for a seven-page paper, which used a minimum of ten sources! Getting the directions wrong is a big way to have trouble with an assignment. Before you even get started, read them slowly and highlight each point.
Ask the professor questions about the assignment if you are unclear. Sometimes a professor doesn't include every detail, especially if they have been teaching a course for a long time. They just assume college students know what they are talking about. Your question could help the entire class.
Start the assignment the moment it is assigned. Some students might groan at that one, thinking that only a total geek would do that. However, a savvy college student knows that when time is on your side there is a lot more you can do for a term paper. You'll have better research, more time to write and especially the time to edit your college term paper. You won't be like those stressed out college students up the night before, drinking pots of coffee typing away at their college term papers cursing their professors for yet another assignment. Your assignment will have been done, sitting in your backpack waiting to be turned in.
Give every college term paper a bit of a twist. Your college professor reads tons of term papers each semester. Think of how many term papers do you think an English professor reads about the relationship between Romeo and Juliet. Alternatively, a science professor getting a term paper about how Thomas Edison discovered electricity. Try giving your papers a bit of a twist on the subject and topic every time and surprise that professor a bit. You'll do more interesting research and you'll get a better grade. Do a paper on the parents of Romeo and Juliet or on the inventions of Thomas Edison that didn't work (there were a lot of them). This shows you've been thinking about the topic and put some of your own creative thinking into the class as well. That's an "A" paper all the way!
Use a variety of research sources. Some college students today turn only to the Internet, doing one big Internet search for the subject and selecting the top five links for the college term paper subject. This is a huge mistake when it comes to your research. Get creative when it comes to selecting research sources. Use books, journals, newspaper articles, magazines and the Internet. Try even using personal interviews with sources you feel are interesting on the topic.
Be sure to format your college term paper. Every school and each department has specific guidelines about how a paper must be formatted. Follow these instructions. Additionally, spell-check and grammar-check your paper after you have a final document. Don't simply rely on your computer's system to do this for you, use a hard copy dictionary. Think of asking a classmate to read your paper for spelling or grammar check and you can do the same for them.
When writing college term papers is hard, ask for help. Sometimes we all need a little extra help; there is nothing wrong with that. Every college has a tutoring center where students receive tutoring in many subjects. You can easily find a tutor that will work with you one-on-one to write stronger college term papers for your assignments. You may discover after several appointments with a tutor that you have much better college term paper skills.
The college term paper is a rite of passage in many ways: every college student must write them for most of their courses. Learning to improve your college term paper skills is beneficial and will help with your college career.
About the Author:
http://www.essaytown.com - college term papers
Keyword tags: term papers,research papers,essay writing,dissertations,college term papers,college essays
How to Write College Term Papers
Although the project of term papers is often one of the most dreaded tasks among a large majority of both high school and college students, it is one that if learned correctly, can benefit individuals a great deal.
Learning the art of being able to write an expressive and creative term paper is extremely beneficial in helping individuals learn important skills that can be very helpful for the future of their careers. For many of the professional careers that are available today, it is simply a must for a person to have learned adequate analytical and writing skills.
To be able to produce a term paper that is of great quality, a person must learn the ability of being able to do extensive research, using a variety of resources in obtaining the necessary information for writing the term paper. This task is quite possibly much easier today than it has ever been before. This could be quite simply because of the tremendous amount of data that is available through a variety of sources on the Internet.
Another advantage that the skill of writing a good quality term paper will offer to individuals is the ability of being able to filter through, and accurately process a plethora of information. After doing so, the individual must then be able to systematically convey all of the important information onto the term paper. To be considered a term paper of quality, it must include information that is not only expressive, but creative as well.
Most all individuals will have to learn the task of being able to filter information. This skill is used in a large number of different tasks that most all of us will face throughout our lives. Learning the steps of a well-written term paper will teach individuals the knowledge of being able to filter through a tremendous amount of information.
In writing a quality term paper, the first thing you will want to do is choose a topic of interest. Making sure to choose one that you feel passionate about, or one that you would be interested in exploring further, can benefit you tremendously throughout working on your term paper. Writing on a topic that is of little interest to you will be a lot harder to accomplish than writing on a subject that is of great interest to you.
Next you will want to begin the necessary research that will be used to define the scope of your topic. In this step, you will want to make sure you find an adequate amount of information during your research. Now it's time to organize the information you have found. It is of utmost importance to present your ideas creatively, correctly, and stay well organized while doing so. Editing is the next step, and is probably just as important as the first. It can often be helpful to have another person proofread the term paper for you. When an individual proofreads their own information, many times, your eyes will see the information that you meant to convey, and not necessarily the information that was conveyed.
The final step into constructing a well-written term paper would be to cite references. This can be a big advantage to readers wanting to explore a particular subject further.
About the Author:
http://www.essaytown.com - college term papers
Keyword tags: term papers,research papers,essay writing,dissertations,college term papers,college essays
Learning the art of being able to write an expressive and creative term paper is extremely beneficial in helping individuals learn important skills that can be very helpful for the future of their careers. For many of the professional careers that are available today, it is simply a must for a person to have learned adequate analytical and writing skills.
To be able to produce a term paper that is of great quality, a person must learn the ability of being able to do extensive research, using a variety of resources in obtaining the necessary information for writing the term paper. This task is quite possibly much easier today than it has ever been before. This could be quite simply because of the tremendous amount of data that is available through a variety of sources on the Internet.
Another advantage that the skill of writing a good quality term paper will offer to individuals is the ability of being able to filter through, and accurately process a plethora of information. After doing so, the individual must then be able to systematically convey all of the important information onto the term paper. To be considered a term paper of quality, it must include information that is not only expressive, but creative as well.
Most all individuals will have to learn the task of being able to filter information. This skill is used in a large number of different tasks that most all of us will face throughout our lives. Learning the steps of a well-written term paper will teach individuals the knowledge of being able to filter through a tremendous amount of information.
In writing a quality term paper, the first thing you will want to do is choose a topic of interest. Making sure to choose one that you feel passionate about, or one that you would be interested in exploring further, can benefit you tremendously throughout working on your term paper. Writing on a topic that is of little interest to you will be a lot harder to accomplish than writing on a subject that is of great interest to you.
Next you will want to begin the necessary research that will be used to define the scope of your topic. In this step, you will want to make sure you find an adequate amount of information during your research. Now it's time to organize the information you have found. It is of utmost importance to present your ideas creatively, correctly, and stay well organized while doing so. Editing is the next step, and is probably just as important as the first. It can often be helpful to have another person proofread the term paper for you. When an individual proofreads their own information, many times, your eyes will see the information that you meant to convey, and not necessarily the information that was conveyed.
The final step into constructing a well-written term paper would be to cite references. This can be a big advantage to readers wanting to explore a particular subject further.
About the Author:
http://www.essaytown.com - college term papers
Keyword tags: term papers,research papers,essay writing,dissertations,college term papers,college essays
How to Self Publish Using Book Templates
If you dream of being a writer but you think that you have a long, long way to go, modern techniques and the right tools can actually get your writing career up and going in minutes. More and more amateur writers, as well as professional writers, are discovering the convenience of self-publishing. You can directly sell your book to the market without going through third party agents that can really get a run for your money with their high commission rate.
One way of entering the self-publishing market is to use a book template. If you are someone who has a hard time organizing what you've written in a well documented book format, you can get a big help from a book template. Using a book template can save you a lot of time and energy. No longer would you have to manually format each header, footer and content of your book pages. With just a few clicks of the mouse, you can instantly render something that you never thought possible- your very own book!
Book templates are a new technique that can speed up book creation. It is a fairly new concept, but nevertheless, more and more people are trying their hands on this tool and the response rate has been good so far. Although it is a tool of the Internet, you don't need intensive computer skill to use this software. Book templates are designed for writers and people with average computer skills. If you know how to use Microsoft Word, then you can pretty much use book templates with ease and comfort. Some book template software also uses Adobe Design and Quark, but don't you worry if you are unfamiliar with these programs. Book template programs include step by step instructions that can guide you through the program.
What does a book template exactly do? Upon using this program, you can easily format your writings into ready to publish materials. The format and style used would be similar to traditional books sold for retail. It would be composed of a title page, copyright, dedication page, table of contents, preface, book chapters and finally, an author's page. You can also add an alphabetic index at the end of the book. The documents would be page numbered accordingly and the chapter pages would contain the chapter title followed by content.
You can also format paragraphs and character styles with ultimate ease and speed. All you basically need to do is to create a text body, headings for your titles, subtitles, footers and headers. You can also specify other additional formatting styles that you need. You can include numbered or bullet lists. For extra flavor to your book, you can easily add box outs, figure captions and tip boxes.
Aside from saving you a lot of time, using a book template can also save you a lot of money. An ordinary typeset service for a book would cost you more than a thousand dollars. Plus, you would also have to get someone to do the cover design for you, which would cost you a few more hundreds. Depending on the book template program that you purchased, you can also receive book template covers that allow you to use generic graphics and copyright-free images for your front cover design.
So if you want to save time, money and energy in self publishing your book, get your hands on one of the book templates sold online and start making profits out of your book today!
About the Author:
http://www.book-template.com book template http://www.book-template.com self publish book
Keyword tags: book template, ebook template, ezine template, book report template, comic book template, grade book
One way of entering the self-publishing market is to use a book template. If you are someone who has a hard time organizing what you've written in a well documented book format, you can get a big help from a book template. Using a book template can save you a lot of time and energy. No longer would you have to manually format each header, footer and content of your book pages. With just a few clicks of the mouse, you can instantly render something that you never thought possible- your very own book!
Book templates are a new technique that can speed up book creation. It is a fairly new concept, but nevertheless, more and more people are trying their hands on this tool and the response rate has been good so far. Although it is a tool of the Internet, you don't need intensive computer skill to use this software. Book templates are designed for writers and people with average computer skills. If you know how to use Microsoft Word, then you can pretty much use book templates with ease and comfort. Some book template software also uses Adobe Design and Quark, but don't you worry if you are unfamiliar with these programs. Book template programs include step by step instructions that can guide you through the program.
What does a book template exactly do? Upon using this program, you can easily format your writings into ready to publish materials. The format and style used would be similar to traditional books sold for retail. It would be composed of a title page, copyright, dedication page, table of contents, preface, book chapters and finally, an author's page. You can also add an alphabetic index at the end of the book. The documents would be page numbered accordingly and the chapter pages would contain the chapter title followed by content.
You can also format paragraphs and character styles with ultimate ease and speed. All you basically need to do is to create a text body, headings for your titles, subtitles, footers and headers. You can also specify other additional formatting styles that you need. You can include numbered or bullet lists. For extra flavor to your book, you can easily add box outs, figure captions and tip boxes.
Aside from saving you a lot of time, using a book template can also save you a lot of money. An ordinary typeset service for a book would cost you more than a thousand dollars. Plus, you would also have to get someone to do the cover design for you, which would cost you a few more hundreds. Depending on the book template program that you purchased, you can also receive book template covers that allow you to use generic graphics and copyright-free images for your front cover design.
So if you want to save time, money and energy in self publishing your book, get your hands on one of the book templates sold online and start making profits out of your book today!
About the Author:
http://www.book-template.com book template http://www.book-template.com self publish book
Keyword tags: book template, ebook template, ezine template, book report template, comic book template, grade book
The Birthday Party
Early in the Spring of 2004, I was invited to a birthday party. I need to point out that this was no ordinary birthday party. You see, this was a celebration of eighty years of the life of a Matriarch, whose children recognized and embraced her significance in the forming of their lives and of their children's lives.
Eleanor is the "Granna" to my dearest friend. But, because of the distance, I had been with her a few times over the course of my friendship with her granddaughter.
Eleanor is, and always has been, a "significant" person in that her presence affects you. Perhaps it is the paradox of her manner, which can be both gentle and strong in the same moment. Or, could it be the way her conversations, often laced with humor, also contain the wisdom of a sage? She has suffered as all of us who live on this earth have suffered, but unlike many of us, she lives and ministers with dignity and genuine affection. All of this being true, from the little I have observed and all I have been told, the paradox is rather the way that she knows her worth, both to herself and to others. Eleanor is the most authentic person I have ever met.
And, so it was on that gorgeous day in San Francisco that a celebration of love was bestowed upon her.
I had not attended with the notion that the experiences of that day would be remembered in a magazine. But, the events, the emotion, the devotion for this woman so touched me that I was compelled to share the occasion with you, for she is a living and vital contradiction to the world's expectations of women, and we all love her for it.
Around 2 0'clock in the afternoon, the families and invited friends began arriving at the home of the eldest son, Jon. Though Eleanor's spirit remains strong, her health is sometimes failing and the decision had been made to celebrate here rather than a hotel. And, as the events of the day unfolded, the backdrop of this beautiful home was ideal for the intimacy that evolved. How wonderful to watch so many generations laughing, singing and reminiscing together as the common thread of their heritage continued to weave them together. Yes, I felt like an outsider in a way, for only those who had shared the common wealth of this uncommon woman, and had had their thoughts and values shaped in so many ways by her, could truly revel in the joy of their shared memories. But, I felt so privileged to just watch the dream happen. No sense of a generation gap here. And, what was most obvious was how they genuinely cherished their Mother.
There were pictures of crayon presented by the little ones to their "Great Granna," and a few precious poems expressing their feelings for her. Then, the older ones joined with them for a chorus of songs that had once been taught by the "Birthday Girl" to her children so long before. Spider songs and lullabies, even an old, forgotten Christmas carol, transported Eleanor back in memory to a time long past, a time when her hair was gold instead of gray, and her greatest joy was running to the source of a child's voice calling "Mommy, watch me!" Tears mingled with laughter as we all were allowed to share in these moments.
So the afternoon passed, each generation taking their turn to remember with songs, poems, endless wishes, and stories told as only families know to do, of the many days that had come before this one. Stories of the one whom they had gathered to celebrate this day, the one who is their source.
But, the best of all was saved for the last. Eleanor's own four children, all now in their sixties, had each written a letter of memories remembered most about their Mother. These letters, each one framed, were passed around the living room for all of us to share and enjoy. I have never read sentiments so beautiful, and I had the overwhelming sensation inside of me that I was reading, watching, and experiencing what the whole world of humankind longs for, all written down inside these beautiful letters.
My expectation was that eldest son, Jon, would present these four poignant letters, each one written in calligraphy and framed in dark mahogany, to Eleanor as a token of their love and also of this stunning day. Instead, each of the four grown children produced from under the dining room table several more copies of their particular letter, framed as the first, and began to give them to each of their children… and to their children.
It was then that I recognized that in these letters, and in this day, and in their lives, the gift to Eleanor from her children was the gift of remembrance.
About the Author:
Relationship expert, consultant, and educator, Morgan Delaney, MS, empowers single women with the real secrets about dating and relationships, based on a decade of research in the fields of developmental psychology, brain-based gender differences, and the fascinating mysteries of the male psyche. To learn more about Ms. Delaney's relationship research, and forthcoming books, visit http://www.SingleSisterhood.com.
Keyword tags: family, families, generations, celebration, memories, matriarch
Eleanor is the "Granna" to my dearest friend. But, because of the distance, I had been with her a few times over the course of my friendship with her granddaughter.
Eleanor is, and always has been, a "significant" person in that her presence affects you. Perhaps it is the paradox of her manner, which can be both gentle and strong in the same moment. Or, could it be the way her conversations, often laced with humor, also contain the wisdom of a sage? She has suffered as all of us who live on this earth have suffered, but unlike many of us, she lives and ministers with dignity and genuine affection. All of this being true, from the little I have observed and all I have been told, the paradox is rather the way that she knows her worth, both to herself and to others. Eleanor is the most authentic person I have ever met.
And, so it was on that gorgeous day in San Francisco that a celebration of love was bestowed upon her.
I had not attended with the notion that the experiences of that day would be remembered in a magazine. But, the events, the emotion, the devotion for this woman so touched me that I was compelled to share the occasion with you, for she is a living and vital contradiction to the world's expectations of women, and we all love her for it.
Around 2 0'clock in the afternoon, the families and invited friends began arriving at the home of the eldest son, Jon. Though Eleanor's spirit remains strong, her health is sometimes failing and the decision had been made to celebrate here rather than a hotel. And, as the events of the day unfolded, the backdrop of this beautiful home was ideal for the intimacy that evolved. How wonderful to watch so many generations laughing, singing and reminiscing together as the common thread of their heritage continued to weave them together. Yes, I felt like an outsider in a way, for only those who had shared the common wealth of this uncommon woman, and had had their thoughts and values shaped in so many ways by her, could truly revel in the joy of their shared memories. But, I felt so privileged to just watch the dream happen. No sense of a generation gap here. And, what was most obvious was how they genuinely cherished their Mother.
There were pictures of crayon presented by the little ones to their "Great Granna," and a few precious poems expressing their feelings for her. Then, the older ones joined with them for a chorus of songs that had once been taught by the "Birthday Girl" to her children so long before. Spider songs and lullabies, even an old, forgotten Christmas carol, transported Eleanor back in memory to a time long past, a time when her hair was gold instead of gray, and her greatest joy was running to the source of a child's voice calling "Mommy, watch me!" Tears mingled with laughter as we all were allowed to share in these moments.
So the afternoon passed, each generation taking their turn to remember with songs, poems, endless wishes, and stories told as only families know to do, of the many days that had come before this one. Stories of the one whom they had gathered to celebrate this day, the one who is their source.
But, the best of all was saved for the last. Eleanor's own four children, all now in their sixties, had each written a letter of memories remembered most about their Mother. These letters, each one framed, were passed around the living room for all of us to share and enjoy. I have never read sentiments so beautiful, and I had the overwhelming sensation inside of me that I was reading, watching, and experiencing what the whole world of humankind longs for, all written down inside these beautiful letters.
My expectation was that eldest son, Jon, would present these four poignant letters, each one written in calligraphy and framed in dark mahogany, to Eleanor as a token of their love and also of this stunning day. Instead, each of the four grown children produced from under the dining room table several more copies of their particular letter, framed as the first, and began to give them to each of their children… and to their children.
It was then that I recognized that in these letters, and in this day, and in their lives, the gift to Eleanor from her children was the gift of remembrance.
About the Author:
Relationship expert, consultant, and educator, Morgan Delaney, MS, empowers single women with the real secrets about dating and relationships, based on a decade of research in the fields of developmental psychology, brain-based gender differences, and the fascinating mysteries of the male psyche. To learn more about Ms. Delaney's relationship research, and forthcoming books, visit http://www.SingleSisterhood.com.
Keyword tags: family, families, generations, celebration, memories, matriarch
3 Things You Can Learn From Ghosts About How to Live a Happy Life
I've interacted with ghosts for as long as I can remember. They were my playmates when I was younger and as I got older, in an odd sort of way, they became my teachers. Ghosts have followed me everywhere I've ever lived and have haunted me at all hours of the day and night. For most of my life to date I never knew why. And then I met a shaman who showed me why they came to me. They were lost and they needed my help. They needed a guide to help them find their way home.
As I began guiding them home, many of them told me their stories. They didn't consciously choose to become ghosts. But their fears, their limiting beliefs and their unwillingness to change got the better of them.
Ghosts give us valuable insight into the predictable results of a certain way of life. By their very existence ghosts teach us what not to do just as a drug addict or an alcoholic shows us the inevitable end of misery and loss as a result of their ill-fated choices.
Below are three powerful lessons that I've learned from my interactions with ghosts:
1. Depression must be faced and resolved, there is always an answer and a remedy to our suffering - Many of the ghosts I've met were so depressed and isolated in life that they committed suicide in an effort to end their suffering. They endured their grief and their suffering and hoped against reason that the next day would be different. Often without reaching out for help, and certainly without persevering to find the answers, they simply gave up hope. But what they found, is that there is no death, there is no end. And what they eventually learned, is that the depression was something they were meant to figure out and move beyond. After their death they saw that it wasn't as bad as they thought it was and that it was going to get better. There is always a reason and a remedy to our painful emotions, and we are the ones who are responsible for finding these answers.
2. Hanging on to Anger and Resentment Will Ruin Your Life... and Your Death - I've met several ghosts who held on to their anger and resentment over betrayals and injustices right up until their dying day... and beyond. They were so immersed in their own anger they couldn't manage to move beyond this life when it was time for them to do so. They didn't want the peace that the after-life offered. They wanted revenge. (In my experience, these are usually the ghosts that haunt - in the truest sense of the word.) Resentment is most often a resistance to move ahead, to change and grow in the ways we are called to. As ghosts often do, particularly the ghost brides I've met who were still angry over being left at the altar, we can fail to see the true meaning within a failed relationship or opportunity. Most often it's a doorway that leads us on to a deeper desire, and an answered prayer as long as we're willing to evolve in the way we're called to.
3. Suppressing Your Authentic Self will Keep You Afraid and Angry for the Rest of Your Life - Many of the ghosts I encounter are deeply mired in their own illusions. Many of them lived lives where they denied their authentic identities in fear of judgment and persecution. One religious woman who denied her homosexual identity was too afraid to cross over because she feared being punished in the way her church would have judged and shunned her. It took me a while to get her to see that the judgment was on this side of the veil, not the other way around. Limiting beliefs and self-judgment will only keep you angry and afraid in life, as well as in death. Regardless of society's ability to accept you as you are, you need to find your own loving self-acceptance and self-support. From there you will begin to find others who can share with you what you've learned to first give to yourself.
Not everyone who lives their life without awareness will become a ghost. But everyone who fails to embrace this wisdom, does become a bit ghost-like in that they lose a bit of themselves every day.
About the Author:
Melissa Van Rossum is an accomplished psychic, empath and author. Her life's work is to help people realize their dreams by finding their Divine Guidance. Their Way Home shares stories of her encounters with ghosts, who searched her out to guide them home. To learn more, visit http://www.allyouveeverknown.com and http://www.theirwayhome.com.
Keyword tags: ghosts, spirits, psychic, empath, Divine Guidance, Ghost Whisperer
As I began guiding them home, many of them told me their stories. They didn't consciously choose to become ghosts. But their fears, their limiting beliefs and their unwillingness to change got the better of them.
Ghosts give us valuable insight into the predictable results of a certain way of life. By their very existence ghosts teach us what not to do just as a drug addict or an alcoholic shows us the inevitable end of misery and loss as a result of their ill-fated choices.
Below are three powerful lessons that I've learned from my interactions with ghosts:
1. Depression must be faced and resolved, there is always an answer and a remedy to our suffering - Many of the ghosts I've met were so depressed and isolated in life that they committed suicide in an effort to end their suffering. They endured their grief and their suffering and hoped against reason that the next day would be different. Often without reaching out for help, and certainly without persevering to find the answers, they simply gave up hope. But what they found, is that there is no death, there is no end. And what they eventually learned, is that the depression was something they were meant to figure out and move beyond. After their death they saw that it wasn't as bad as they thought it was and that it was going to get better. There is always a reason and a remedy to our painful emotions, and we are the ones who are responsible for finding these answers.
2. Hanging on to Anger and Resentment Will Ruin Your Life... and Your Death - I've met several ghosts who held on to their anger and resentment over betrayals and injustices right up until their dying day... and beyond. They were so immersed in their own anger they couldn't manage to move beyond this life when it was time for them to do so. They didn't want the peace that the after-life offered. They wanted revenge. (In my experience, these are usually the ghosts that haunt - in the truest sense of the word.) Resentment is most often a resistance to move ahead, to change and grow in the ways we are called to. As ghosts often do, particularly the ghost brides I've met who were still angry over being left at the altar, we can fail to see the true meaning within a failed relationship or opportunity. Most often it's a doorway that leads us on to a deeper desire, and an answered prayer as long as we're willing to evolve in the way we're called to.
3. Suppressing Your Authentic Self will Keep You Afraid and Angry for the Rest of Your Life - Many of the ghosts I encounter are deeply mired in their own illusions. Many of them lived lives where they denied their authentic identities in fear of judgment and persecution. One religious woman who denied her homosexual identity was too afraid to cross over because she feared being punished in the way her church would have judged and shunned her. It took me a while to get her to see that the judgment was on this side of the veil, not the other way around. Limiting beliefs and self-judgment will only keep you angry and afraid in life, as well as in death. Regardless of society's ability to accept you as you are, you need to find your own loving self-acceptance and self-support. From there you will begin to find others who can share with you what you've learned to first give to yourself.
Not everyone who lives their life without awareness will become a ghost. But everyone who fails to embrace this wisdom, does become a bit ghost-like in that they lose a bit of themselves every day.
About the Author:
Melissa Van Rossum is an accomplished psychic, empath and author. Her life's work is to help people realize their dreams by finding their Divine Guidance. Their Way Home shares stories of her encounters with ghosts, who searched her out to guide them home. To learn more, visit http://www.allyouveeverknown.com and http://www.theirwayhome.com.
Keyword tags: ghosts, spirits, psychic, empath, Divine Guidance, Ghost Whisperer
A Normal Day in the Life of a Psychic
It was the middle of the school year last fall and I was rushing into my son's kindergarten to pick him up. It was an early release day and I had forgotten... again. This wasn't the first time and I was fairly at peace with the idea that it probably wouldn't be the last time either.
These early release days were arbitrarily chosen and though they were marked on the calendar, they occasionally slipped my mind. Once a school mom from another class made a snide remark to me at a party, "Have you remembered any of the early release days, Melissa? You must have to keep up with so much."
I bit my tongue, hard, and then took a sip of my martini, mostly so I wouldn't toss it on her. "Well, I guess I do manage more than the average person," I said with a knowing smile.
Not knowing about my two books, All You've Ever Known (about a phenomenal process for deepening your intuition) and Their Way Home (a book about many of the experiences I've had with ghosts who have sought me out for help), I'm sure this woman thought my corporate work was the extent of my work outside of being a mom to my two boys.
Many times my day starts around 2 or 3 in the morning by a ghost who is drawn to me because he or she knows I can see them and can help them. Though I try to discourage them from waking me up in the middle of the night, they aren't always considerate of those of us who still need our sleep.
I began seeing ghosts when I was very little and by the age of five interacting with ghosts was a regular thing for me. They were my playmates and my confidantes, and one of them, a favorite friend of mine, stayed with me for several years. As I got older, more ghosts seemed to find me and follow me and I found this fact unnerving. I never had to go looking for ghosts, they would always find me. In fact, they would usually gather in one room of my home.
In my last home they gathered in my walk-in closet, and it wasn't unusual for me to come in at the end of the day and find 10 or 15 ghosts gathered in there just sitting around waiting for me. It wasn't until I met a Native American shaman who helped me to understand that these ghosts, or the earthbound spirits of those who have died, sometimes need help crossing over to the Other Side. When they're finally ready to go home, they often reach out to those who can see them.
I found this suggestion surprising since it didn't mesh with the ideas I had been taught about death and the afterlife. Yet, I was extremely open to the idea considering the number of ghosts I was interacting with on a daily basis. Perhaps these ghosts knew more about my abilities and my purpose than I did.
Using the techniques that the shaman taught me, I began to guide home the uninvited guests that came to me throughout the day and night. To my unending joy, it worked beautifully. Since then I've found tremendous reward in helping these lost souls find their way home. And sometimes they even tell me their stories. There was the ghostly woman who committed suicide, who was distressed at never knowing her children, a phantom businesswoman still addicted to her work, and a distraught teenager who desperately wanted to come back to life. They've run the gamut from a creepy criminal predator to a sweet little girl who had stayed behind to comfort her grieving mother.
After getting my oldest ready for school and getting my youngest up and ready to go with us, we head to the carpool lane at kindergarten. A few hours later the phone calls and the emails come in and it's time to start readings for clients.
Occasionally ghosts position themselves outside of my home, and in locations where they know I'm bound to see them. Once, on my way to the office I passed a school bus full of ghostly children who had died in an accident some time ago. While sitting in traffic, I took a few moments to guide them to the Other Side.
And then, without an appointment, my cell phone rings throughout the day with clients who want immediate insight into a pressing issue. Once while in traffic, a Hollywood client called me when negative press hit the trade magazines and she wanted immediate insight as to how this would turn out for her.
Then, before I know it, it's time to rush back to pick up my son again. This isn't exactly the way I thought I would spend my days at this point in time, but living my life as a psychic, an empath, a ghost guide, an author and a mom is an authentic existence and that brings me immeasurable joy. Even if I do miss the occasional early release by a few minutes.
About the Author:
Melissa Van Rossum is an accomplished psychic, empath and author. Her life's work is to help people realize their dreams by finding their Divine Guidance. Their Way Home shares stories of her encounters with ghosts, who searched her out to guide them home. To learn more, visit http://www.allyouveeverknown.com and http://www.theirwayhome.com.
Keyword tags: ghosts, spirits, psychic, empath, Divine Guidance, Ghost Whisperer
These early release days were arbitrarily chosen and though they were marked on the calendar, they occasionally slipped my mind. Once a school mom from another class made a snide remark to me at a party, "Have you remembered any of the early release days, Melissa? You must have to keep up with so much."
I bit my tongue, hard, and then took a sip of my martini, mostly so I wouldn't toss it on her. "Well, I guess I do manage more than the average person," I said with a knowing smile.
Not knowing about my two books, All You've Ever Known (about a phenomenal process for deepening your intuition) and Their Way Home (a book about many of the experiences I've had with ghosts who have sought me out for help), I'm sure this woman thought my corporate work was the extent of my work outside of being a mom to my two boys.
Many times my day starts around 2 or 3 in the morning by a ghost who is drawn to me because he or she knows I can see them and can help them. Though I try to discourage them from waking me up in the middle of the night, they aren't always considerate of those of us who still need our sleep.
I began seeing ghosts when I was very little and by the age of five interacting with ghosts was a regular thing for me. They were my playmates and my confidantes, and one of them, a favorite friend of mine, stayed with me for several years. As I got older, more ghosts seemed to find me and follow me and I found this fact unnerving. I never had to go looking for ghosts, they would always find me. In fact, they would usually gather in one room of my home.
In my last home they gathered in my walk-in closet, and it wasn't unusual for me to come in at the end of the day and find 10 or 15 ghosts gathered in there just sitting around waiting for me. It wasn't until I met a Native American shaman who helped me to understand that these ghosts, or the earthbound spirits of those who have died, sometimes need help crossing over to the Other Side. When they're finally ready to go home, they often reach out to those who can see them.
I found this suggestion surprising since it didn't mesh with the ideas I had been taught about death and the afterlife. Yet, I was extremely open to the idea considering the number of ghosts I was interacting with on a daily basis. Perhaps these ghosts knew more about my abilities and my purpose than I did.
Using the techniques that the shaman taught me, I began to guide home the uninvited guests that came to me throughout the day and night. To my unending joy, it worked beautifully. Since then I've found tremendous reward in helping these lost souls find their way home. And sometimes they even tell me their stories. There was the ghostly woman who committed suicide, who was distressed at never knowing her children, a phantom businesswoman still addicted to her work, and a distraught teenager who desperately wanted to come back to life. They've run the gamut from a creepy criminal predator to a sweet little girl who had stayed behind to comfort her grieving mother.
After getting my oldest ready for school and getting my youngest up and ready to go with us, we head to the carpool lane at kindergarten. A few hours later the phone calls and the emails come in and it's time to start readings for clients.
Occasionally ghosts position themselves outside of my home, and in locations where they know I'm bound to see them. Once, on my way to the office I passed a school bus full of ghostly children who had died in an accident some time ago. While sitting in traffic, I took a few moments to guide them to the Other Side.
And then, without an appointment, my cell phone rings throughout the day with clients who want immediate insight into a pressing issue. Once while in traffic, a Hollywood client called me when negative press hit the trade magazines and she wanted immediate insight as to how this would turn out for her.
Then, before I know it, it's time to rush back to pick up my son again. This isn't exactly the way I thought I would spend my days at this point in time, but living my life as a psychic, an empath, a ghost guide, an author and a mom is an authentic existence and that brings me immeasurable joy. Even if I do miss the occasional early release by a few minutes.
About the Author:
Melissa Van Rossum is an accomplished psychic, empath and author. Her life's work is to help people realize their dreams by finding their Divine Guidance. Their Way Home shares stories of her encounters with ghosts, who searched her out to guide them home. To learn more, visit http://www.allyouveeverknown.com and http://www.theirwayhome.com.
Keyword tags: ghosts, spirits, psychic, empath, Divine Guidance, Ghost Whisperer
Should I Take Writing Classes?
Writers often think of themselves as not having enough talent to take writing classes, while at the same time, others think they are so good that they don't need writing classes.
While writing classes may not be in order for everyone, they are usually the right answer for those who are considering them.
The very fact that you are reading this article is a good indication that writing classes are probably right for you. To learn more, take this simple self-evaluation test.
1. Do you still enjoy learning?
People who enjoy learning should take every opportunity to learn all they can. It will help you grow as a person, and it will stretch your mind and talents. Learning is fun – but writing will always be work. Perhaps you would like writing lessons with a personal mentor to coach you. Mentors will help you work through problems with time management, help you catch up if you get behind on your lessons, and will answer all the questions that plague you. But the best thing about a mentor is that they will tell you where you're wrong, why you're wrong, and ways to correct the problem.
2. Do you have a desire to write?
If you have the desire to write, writing classes are definitely for you. People who have the desire to write and then shut it off lose both their niche and desire. Don't let this happen to you.
3. Do you have writer's block?
If you have writer's block, there are ways to cure it. Taking a writing course would be of great benefit to you. Learn how to never have writer's block again.
4. Do you have an active imagination?
This is one of the best signs there is. It says, "get writing". If you lay in bed at night and you can feel or hear what you would say if you were at the keyboard, a writing course would be perfect for you. Don't let the muse die. Learn how to keep it coming on a regular basis.
5. Do you want to develop your talents?
Writing need not be a talent from birth. Writing is usually a learned art, and with a modicum of effort on your part, you can likely become a writer. The main thing that writing requires is the will to learn. If writing has always interested you, or is even a new interest, take one writing class to find out if classes are right for you.
6. Would you like to increase your self-esteem?
If you want to take control of your life, if you want to do something really worthwhile, and if you want to challenge yourself by quantum leaps, writing classes are for you. Writers who study and take courses will automatically build self-esteem. Self-esteem will also work in reverse to give you the courage needed to submit your articles and stories.
7. Would you like to do something that will leave your mark on the earth?
Almost everyone would like to do something that will leave a cornerstone behind. Something that others can look at after we're dead and gone. Something that will show who we were, how we felt about life, and what we did with it. Writing is an excellent avenue to leave such a mark. You need not write for a career. You can blog, write memoirs for your family; you can journal, or just write for pure pleasure.
In conclusion – is writing right for everyone? No, it isn't, but it's better to try one class and see if it's right for you than to neglect what may be an unclaimed gift. You won't know if you can write until you try.
About the Author:
Deborah Owen is the CEO & Founder of the new mentoring school, Creative Writing Institute. As a teacher and author, her burden lies in mentoring students who have a true desire to learn. http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com - The Writer's Choice
Keyword tags: classes,writing,decide
While writing classes may not be in order for everyone, they are usually the right answer for those who are considering them.
The very fact that you are reading this article is a good indication that writing classes are probably right for you. To learn more, take this simple self-evaluation test.
1. Do you still enjoy learning?
People who enjoy learning should take every opportunity to learn all they can. It will help you grow as a person, and it will stretch your mind and talents. Learning is fun – but writing will always be work. Perhaps you would like writing lessons with a personal mentor to coach you. Mentors will help you work through problems with time management, help you catch up if you get behind on your lessons, and will answer all the questions that plague you. But the best thing about a mentor is that they will tell you where you're wrong, why you're wrong, and ways to correct the problem.
2. Do you have a desire to write?
If you have the desire to write, writing classes are definitely for you. People who have the desire to write and then shut it off lose both their niche and desire. Don't let this happen to you.
3. Do you have writer's block?
If you have writer's block, there are ways to cure it. Taking a writing course would be of great benefit to you. Learn how to never have writer's block again.
4. Do you have an active imagination?
This is one of the best signs there is. It says, "get writing". If you lay in bed at night and you can feel or hear what you would say if you were at the keyboard, a writing course would be perfect for you. Don't let the muse die. Learn how to keep it coming on a regular basis.
5. Do you want to develop your talents?
Writing need not be a talent from birth. Writing is usually a learned art, and with a modicum of effort on your part, you can likely become a writer. The main thing that writing requires is the will to learn. If writing has always interested you, or is even a new interest, take one writing class to find out if classes are right for you.
6. Would you like to increase your self-esteem?
If you want to take control of your life, if you want to do something really worthwhile, and if you want to challenge yourself by quantum leaps, writing classes are for you. Writers who study and take courses will automatically build self-esteem. Self-esteem will also work in reverse to give you the courage needed to submit your articles and stories.
7. Would you like to do something that will leave your mark on the earth?
Almost everyone would like to do something that will leave a cornerstone behind. Something that others can look at after we're dead and gone. Something that will show who we were, how we felt about life, and what we did with it. Writing is an excellent avenue to leave such a mark. You need not write for a career. You can blog, write memoirs for your family; you can journal, or just write for pure pleasure.
In conclusion – is writing right for everyone? No, it isn't, but it's better to try one class and see if it's right for you than to neglect what may be an unclaimed gift. You won't know if you can write until you try.
About the Author:
Deborah Owen is the CEO & Founder of the new mentoring school, Creative Writing Institute. As a teacher and author, her burden lies in mentoring students who have a true desire to learn. http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com - The Writer's Choice
Keyword tags: classes,writing,decide
Making a Living at Writing
Hundreds of thousands of writers have had one united thought - "I wish I could make a living writing".
Is this your dream? Why do you think you can't have writing as a vocation? Is it the way you were raised? False humility? Feelings of insecurity and self-esteem? Lack of education? Perhaps all of the above, since it seems few writers have the courage to believe they can actually succeed.
Have you ever heard a factory worker say, "I can't reach my quota"? Or a pilot say, "I can't fly this plane"? Have you ever heard a teacher say, "I can't teach"? Writers must think they are the only ones to have the corner on "I can't".
When I was a child, I told Mom, "I can't" all the time, to which she would promptly reply, "Don't tell me you can't do something. Can't died in the poorhouse with his toes on upside down." Now please don't ask me what that means as I'm still puzzling over it, but eventually I got the idea that the word "can't" doesn't mean I am not ABLE to do something. It means I CHOOSE NOT to do it. Is that what writers really mean when they say they can't make a living writing?
Here's a NEWS FLASH for you: Even mediocre writers can make a living writing! So why do they oft times fail? Usually because they don't try hard enough, because they don't take enough classes, and/or because they never had a mentor. However, there is one more good reason why writers often fail these days, and that's because they are drowning in credit card debt.
For the sake of argument, let's say you are not encumbered with such debt, and that you would be satisfied with making a moderate living at writing. The question then becomes, how do you do it? Believe it or not, the answer is relatively simple once you understand how the system works.
Most articles don't sell the first time out, so let's pretend you submit an article to a magazine three times before it is accepted. Since each submission takes about three months response time, you have nine months tied up in that one article. The publisher will usually pay you upon publication, which will be another three to six months of waiting. That's a 12-15 month wait for one article. That's why magazines cannot be a full-time writer's primary source of livelihood.
The secret lies in selling articles to newspapers for $15 to $20 a shot, plus $5 extra for each picture. The articles will be shorter and quicker for you to write. Newspapers won't be so picky as to whether you have sold the article before. Further, there is an inexhaustible supply of newspapers to sell to. They buy faster, print daily to weekly, and pay immediately. You keep the articles rolling constantly, and RESELL the ones that have sold already. Over a period of time, you'll get to know the editors and you'll know what they're looking for. That's when almost every article will sell on first submission. And, while you're making your living that way, you can submit to magazines in your spare time.
I can almost hear someone say, "Yes, I've heard of making a living that way", yet there they sit, still wishing, and not doing what they know to do. Why is that? Maybe it's because writing for a living isn't as romantic as it sounds. Maybe it's because it's very hard work. Maybe it's because most of us wouldn't be so satisfied barely eeking out a living.
Or maybe it's because we are still saying, "I can't do that," when what we really mean is – "I choose not to put myself on the line."
About the Author:
Deborah Owen is a grandmother who is dedicated to writers who really want to learn. To this end, she has established a new mentoring school at http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com - The Writer's Choice for learning. Opening October 5, 2008.
Keyword tags: classes,writing,decide
Is this your dream? Why do you think you can't have writing as a vocation? Is it the way you were raised? False humility? Feelings of insecurity and self-esteem? Lack of education? Perhaps all of the above, since it seems few writers have the courage to believe they can actually succeed.
Have you ever heard a factory worker say, "I can't reach my quota"? Or a pilot say, "I can't fly this plane"? Have you ever heard a teacher say, "I can't teach"? Writers must think they are the only ones to have the corner on "I can't".
When I was a child, I told Mom, "I can't" all the time, to which she would promptly reply, "Don't tell me you can't do something. Can't died in the poorhouse with his toes on upside down." Now please don't ask me what that means as I'm still puzzling over it, but eventually I got the idea that the word "can't" doesn't mean I am not ABLE to do something. It means I CHOOSE NOT to do it. Is that what writers really mean when they say they can't make a living writing?
Here's a NEWS FLASH for you: Even mediocre writers can make a living writing! So why do they oft times fail? Usually because they don't try hard enough, because they don't take enough classes, and/or because they never had a mentor. However, there is one more good reason why writers often fail these days, and that's because they are drowning in credit card debt.
For the sake of argument, let's say you are not encumbered with such debt, and that you would be satisfied with making a moderate living at writing. The question then becomes, how do you do it? Believe it or not, the answer is relatively simple once you understand how the system works.
Most articles don't sell the first time out, so let's pretend you submit an article to a magazine three times before it is accepted. Since each submission takes about three months response time, you have nine months tied up in that one article. The publisher will usually pay you upon publication, which will be another three to six months of waiting. That's a 12-15 month wait for one article. That's why magazines cannot be a full-time writer's primary source of livelihood.
The secret lies in selling articles to newspapers for $15 to $20 a shot, plus $5 extra for each picture. The articles will be shorter and quicker for you to write. Newspapers won't be so picky as to whether you have sold the article before. Further, there is an inexhaustible supply of newspapers to sell to. They buy faster, print daily to weekly, and pay immediately. You keep the articles rolling constantly, and RESELL the ones that have sold already. Over a period of time, you'll get to know the editors and you'll know what they're looking for. That's when almost every article will sell on first submission. And, while you're making your living that way, you can submit to magazines in your spare time.
I can almost hear someone say, "Yes, I've heard of making a living that way", yet there they sit, still wishing, and not doing what they know to do. Why is that? Maybe it's because writing for a living isn't as romantic as it sounds. Maybe it's because it's very hard work. Maybe it's because most of us wouldn't be so satisfied barely eeking out a living.
Or maybe it's because we are still saying, "I can't do that," when what we really mean is – "I choose not to put myself on the line."
About the Author:
Deborah Owen is a grandmother who is dedicated to writers who really want to learn. To this end, she has established a new mentoring school at http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com - The Writer's Choice for learning. Opening October 5, 2008.
Keyword tags: classes,writing,decide
Book Review: Return to the Middle Kingdom by Yuan-Tsung Chen
I have always considered myself reasonably well read and reasonably well versed in modern history. As soon as I started to read Return To The Middle Kingdom, I realized just how little I really knew about the birth of modern China. We all have seen pictures of the remnants of the great Dynasties that ruled for thousands of years, the magnificent wall that was erected to keep their enemies out, the fabulous terracotta armies to protect the dead, and the priceless ornaments and works of art.
We also think we know a little about today's China, we have all seen the National Geographic style photos of downtrodden workers wearing drab unisex outfits and peddling their rattley bicycles through the smog laden cities. Having never been to China I cannot comment on whether this is the way it is, or the way it is portrayed by western eyes, though one thing is clear, China has a less than stellar reputation in the areas of free speech and human rights.
The question is, How did this Country move from one system to another? Author Yuan-Tsung Chen has taken a very unique approach, her book covers three generations of the Chen family, and this was three generations that each in their own way helped forge the country and the politics. By following the Chen's the veil is lifted.
Most of us in the west have heard the names Mao Zedong, Chaing Kaishek, and Zhou Enlai, but how many can explain the delicate, and on occasion not so delicate interplay between them? Who were these men, and what drove them?
Author Yuan-Tsung Chen explores almost 150 years of tumult, her story begins with the Birth of Ah Chen, roughly translated Grandfather Chen in 1830, a peasant farmer, carpenter, and even on occasions barber, who became involved in the abortive Taiping rebellion. This resulted in him becoming an indentured laborer in order to make his hasty escape to Trinidad. As famous as the following two generations he may not be, but it is clear where the revolutionary gene comes from.
His son Eugene Chen became the first Chinese lawyer in Trinidad, and although he became very successful the call of his mother country was too strong, and in 1912 he journeyed to Peking and into the murky waters of politics he went. Eugene Chen's story is worthy of a book by itself, and indeed there is at least one. Eugene rose to the lofty position of Foreign Minister in Sun Yatsen's Kuomintang party and was a key figure in trying to broker peace between both the internal and external interested parties. In many ways China was in the midst of a civil war, and at the same time its sovereignty was being threatened by Europe on one front, Japan on another, and Russia on the third. Interestingly enough it was Russia that Eugene turned to for support, yet Eugene was far from enamored with the Russian style of communism feeling that it could not be made to work within the social structure of China.
The third generation of the Chen family is Jack, and it is Jack that was the reason for Yuan-Tsung Chen to write this book. She was his wife from 1958 until his death in 1995. Jack too was political animal, and a highly successful one until Mao's Cultural Revolution, a decade of intellectual purges (1966-1975). Even with friends in high places, and a sometime acquaintance with Mao himself the couple found themselves staring down the gun barrel of the feared Red Guards. Interrogated, humiliated, and finally exiled, political life in China at least, was at an end for the Chen family.
This is an incredibly well researched and well written book. Part biography, part history book, Return To The Middle Kingdom sheds much light on a fascinating period of history. It also explores everyday life, and lifestyles, something that few straight history books do. The family sacrifices that all three generations made for their country are almost unbelievable.
This book also gave me an understanding of maybe why China is such an insular society today, and that reason has its roots in the 1800's Opium War, China was being turned into another India, a plaything for the Europeans to rape and pillage.
I can wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone that has an interest in modern history. I will warn you though, this book has so much detail within its 400 pages that it will take you a while to read. As a reviewer I usually budget 3 days for a book this size, it took three times that to read it! My wife was beginning to think I had forgotten how to read.
You can order your copy from Amazon or through Yuan-Tsung Chen's web site.
About the Author:
Simon Barrett is an adult educator in Calgary, Alberta. With the 11 months a year of winter, he reads a lot of books! He is also a contributing editor for http://www.bloggernews.net and maintains a personal blog at http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com.
Keyword tags: China, history, Olympics, world history, Olympic Games, Beijing 2008 Olympics
We also think we know a little about today's China, we have all seen the National Geographic style photos of downtrodden workers wearing drab unisex outfits and peddling their rattley bicycles through the smog laden cities. Having never been to China I cannot comment on whether this is the way it is, or the way it is portrayed by western eyes, though one thing is clear, China has a less than stellar reputation in the areas of free speech and human rights.
The question is, How did this Country move from one system to another? Author Yuan-Tsung Chen has taken a very unique approach, her book covers three generations of the Chen family, and this was three generations that each in their own way helped forge the country and the politics. By following the Chen's the veil is lifted.
Most of us in the west have heard the names Mao Zedong, Chaing Kaishek, and Zhou Enlai, but how many can explain the delicate, and on occasion not so delicate interplay between them? Who were these men, and what drove them?
Author Yuan-Tsung Chen explores almost 150 years of tumult, her story begins with the Birth of Ah Chen, roughly translated Grandfather Chen in 1830, a peasant farmer, carpenter, and even on occasions barber, who became involved in the abortive Taiping rebellion. This resulted in him becoming an indentured laborer in order to make his hasty escape to Trinidad. As famous as the following two generations he may not be, but it is clear where the revolutionary gene comes from.
His son Eugene Chen became the first Chinese lawyer in Trinidad, and although he became very successful the call of his mother country was too strong, and in 1912 he journeyed to Peking and into the murky waters of politics he went. Eugene Chen's story is worthy of a book by itself, and indeed there is at least one. Eugene rose to the lofty position of Foreign Minister in Sun Yatsen's Kuomintang party and was a key figure in trying to broker peace between both the internal and external interested parties. In many ways China was in the midst of a civil war, and at the same time its sovereignty was being threatened by Europe on one front, Japan on another, and Russia on the third. Interestingly enough it was Russia that Eugene turned to for support, yet Eugene was far from enamored with the Russian style of communism feeling that it could not be made to work within the social structure of China.
The third generation of the Chen family is Jack, and it is Jack that was the reason for Yuan-Tsung Chen to write this book. She was his wife from 1958 until his death in 1995. Jack too was political animal, and a highly successful one until Mao's Cultural Revolution, a decade of intellectual purges (1966-1975). Even with friends in high places, and a sometime acquaintance with Mao himself the couple found themselves staring down the gun barrel of the feared Red Guards. Interrogated, humiliated, and finally exiled, political life in China at least, was at an end for the Chen family.
This is an incredibly well researched and well written book. Part biography, part history book, Return To The Middle Kingdom sheds much light on a fascinating period of history. It also explores everyday life, and lifestyles, something that few straight history books do. The family sacrifices that all three generations made for their country are almost unbelievable.
This book also gave me an understanding of maybe why China is such an insular society today, and that reason has its roots in the 1800's Opium War, China was being turned into another India, a plaything for the Europeans to rape and pillage.
I can wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone that has an interest in modern history. I will warn you though, this book has so much detail within its 400 pages that it will take you a while to read. As a reviewer I usually budget 3 days for a book this size, it took three times that to read it! My wife was beginning to think I had forgotten how to read.
You can order your copy from Amazon or through Yuan-Tsung Chen's web site.
About the Author:
Simon Barrett is an adult educator in Calgary, Alberta. With the 11 months a year of winter, he reads a lot of books! He is also a contributing editor for http://www.bloggernews.net and maintains a personal blog at http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com.
Keyword tags: China, history, Olympics, world history, Olympic Games, Beijing 2008 Olympics
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