Launch a freelance career today! Download Melissa Gallagher's free e-book, Creative Freelancing, at http://www.WritingCareer.com or visit her blog at http://creativefreelancing.blogspot.com/.
By Elaine Currie
Writing several articles at once might seem pretty much impossible to do if you are just starting to write Ezine articles and find producing them one at a time hard enough. However, writing articles in clusters is not difficult and, once you understand how it's done, you will enjoy the benefits. A group of articles written as a cluster can easily be turned into a series but for now we are looking at the how to produce a group of unique articles written at the same time around a central topic.
Some of the main benefits are as follows:
1. Writing articles in groups saves time when you are researching your subject;
2. It gives you space to fully develop a theme;
3. It gives you more unique content for your blog or website;
4. It gives you extra articles to submit to ezines or to sell.
When you write an article for publication in ezines, you have to keep the word count within certain guidelines (about 500-800 words is usually most acceptable). If your article is too long, ezines might not be prepared to give up the space required to reproduce it. If the article is too short, there is a danger Ezine publishers won't take it seriously. Cluster writing is definitely not about turning out a number of truncated Ezine articles instead of one full length one. Neither is it about stretching or padding your material (you'll only ever get a poor fit if you try that). It is about making full use of ideas and not wasting time or words.
If you are writing about a topic you know well, you will find yourself constantly having to edit your articles to keep the word count down. Instead of throwing away the excess material, paste it immediately into another document with a new title. I would suggest keeping the titles similar - eg "Puppy Training, Why To Do It" and "Puppy Training, When To Start", you can swiftly move on to "Puppy Training, The Best Methods" etc. Don't let the document get too big, anytime your word processor reaches page 2, it's time to think about breaking it into two.
As you write, be alert to any tendency to wander off topic. You might be writing about how it is one thing to have a cute puppy jump on your bed but quite a different experience when that pup has become a 10 stone hound with muddy paws. Suddenly you remember something about doggy vitamins. Instead of popping the idea into one of your puppy training articles as an aside, put it into another new document which you can later use as part of a new cluster about dog nutrition. With one quick "cut and paste" you have kept one article focussed on the main topic and saved an idea, which might otherwise have been wasted, for a new project.
If you are writing an article on an unfamiliar topic, you might think you won't have the problem of needing to cut down your article and will have trouble finding enough to say. However, if you undertake proper research about the subject matter (as you should if you want your article to be taken seriously), you are bound to come across material which relates to the article you have planned but does not quite fit it. Make notes of all this related material. If you get ideas for further articles as you are researching, make a note of these ideas. Research for article writing takes time, so make the most of it. Even if you can only manage two articles on an unfamiliar subject, it is two for the price of one.
Let's look at how to use just one passing idea as the basis for a group of articles. Take the thought "my first home business venture reminds me of Apollo 13". To make this idea into an article, we have to say what is behind the initial thought. Otherwise, the reader will be left thinking "What, it nearly got lost in space?" or "You were trying to land on the moon?". With no explanation or clarification, the idea is meaningless to anyone but you.
The thoughts behind the idea could be about a series of numerical coincidences in regard to events, about surviving near-disasters, about how duct tape solved a huge problem and about the power of prayer. With all these four things encapsulated in the idea, you have the basis of a four paragraph article. It does not require much of an imagination stretch to see that you could have the basis for four separate articles clustered around a central idea.
Never let an idea or a word go to waste. For the time and effort cluster writing saves, it is worth trying to use the technique even in the early days of your Ezine article writing career. Once you try it, you will realise it's even better than "buy one get one free".
About The Author
For more articles about writing go to http://www.elainecurrie.com/writingtips or visit Elaine Currie at http://www.HuntingVenus.com.
Author: Brian Konradt
People interested in other freelance writing careers usually look upon copy editing with disdain. Copy editing doesn't involve attention to the actual structure of a piece, they say, and involves little research and fact-chasing necessary to create a lively, memorable article or story. However, copy editing carries its own unique challenges; such as:
1) you need to pay careful attention to the basic mechanics of writing; and
2) you need to pay attention to accuracy, both in facts and in language.
Freelance copy editing isn't just a simpler offshoot of freelance writing in general, but an important discipline in its own right -- and a rewarding one.
To become a successful copy editor you need to know how to use style guides. With some exceptions, editors of newspapers, magazines, and other print publications require you to write in a homogeneous style, both to compensate for writers with occasionally sloppy spelling and usage and to ensure consistent terminology over time. (This is important with newspapers: the names of foreign leaders, organizations, and other foreign-language nouns are often subject to variant spellings.)
The most commonly used style guides include AP (Associated Press), MLA (Modern Language Association), and Chicago. Any budding freelance copy editor would do well to own a copy of each of these, and to become familiar with their use before applying for jobs. Prospective employers will not hire copy editors who lack knowledge of style guides. Use a product like StyleEase software to help with style.
Fact checking is another prime skill for copy editors, as it is a publication's first line of defense against accusations of libel or misrepresentation. Fact-checking is a simple procedure: call the author of the article, ask for his or her sources, and, if warranted, call the sources directly to confirm quotes or statistics. Different publications will have different procedures for fact-checking, all of which should be explained when you take a job.
Beyond that, all that it takes to become a successful copy editor is a sensitivity to cumbersome phrasing, grammar, and spelling, as well as a sensitivity to an author's personal style. Many novice copy editors take a far too forceful approach to their work, effectively rewriting a reporter or other writer's article for them in line with style guides and their own ideas about what makes good writing. This isn't the function of a copy editor. Yes, clarity, grammar, and other issues with writing mechanics are all important, but a writer's ego is important as well, and a too-free hand in the editing process can alienate a publication's staff reporters and foster general enmity.
Since rewriting someone's article causes you more additional work as well, why would you want to do it? Instead, just try to achieve sufficient clarity while leaving as much of the original article "as-is" as you can. If there are any substantial portions of text that inhibit clarity or exhibit serious mechanical errors, talk to the writer personally before making any changes. Yes, it’s an extra step, but one that ensures professional respect in the workplace.
If you don't want to work for a publication, there are plenty of opportunities available for freelance copy editing, both for corporations and for private individuals. Educational publications, in particular, are always looking for good copy editors, and book publishers and literary journals always have a few spots available. You can find out about these opportunities through classified ads, or by making inquiries directly to the company. There's typically a lot of competition in these sorts of jobs, so a solid interview technique and some excellent samples are mandatory for securing work. Once you have your foot in the door, though, corporate copy editing can provide a stable -- if occasionally dull -- source of income.
Copy editing projects offered by individuals are another option, and one which can bring you a more varied body of work and a much more informal attitude toward style guides and format restriction. But this option carries with it some heavy caveats. Often, copy editing projects given by individuals amount to ghostwriting without appropriate compensation, and pay rates can be sketchy as well, ranging from low to nonexistent (with a promise of "resume experience," maybe.) Although when work is consistent, low pay isn't necessarily a problem, individuals can rarely guarantee a sufficient volume of work to ensure your livelihood and a decent career.
Before you accept individual copy editing projects, make sure that you know how much you'll need to make per hour to make the project financially worthwhile (as well as an estimate on how many hours the project will take), and don't accept less than that hourly rate. You may get less work with this approach, but clients won’t rip you off either -- an important consideration for professional copy editors.
Copy editing is a good, low-stress writing job, enjoyable on its own merits or as practice for other freelance writing goals down the line. You can succeed as a freelance copy editor if you familiarize yourself with style guides, and have a good grasp of grammar, spelling, and style usage.
Brian Konradt is the author of the book, "Freelance Poker Writing: How to Make Money Writing for the Gaming Industry," available at www.FreelancePokerWriting.com. Learn more about different writing careers at www.WritingCareer.com.
Article Published by: http://www.writing-planet.com
Anyone can call themselves a writer. All you have to do is write – a story, an article, a journal, a novel, a poem. But you want to be successful writer. Successful writers get paid for their work.
Anyone can call themselves a writer. All you have to do is write – a story, an article, a journal, a novel, a poem.
But that is rather like being called a plumber because you sort out the central heating and replace washers. Or a dressmaker because you make your own clothes. Or a bricklayer because you built your own garage.
These are hobbies you enjoy. They aren’t your main source of income.
The difference between writers and the other examples is that people who write are usually passionate about what they do.
If you are one of these why not become a real writer who gets paid for their work? It gives great pleasure to answer “I’m a writer,” to the question “What do you do?”
It gives even greater pleasure to add “For a living.”
So what must you do to become a full time writer?
1. Get paid for your work.
I’m afraid that there are many people who are so anxious to see their work in print that they will write for nothing. There is only one acceptable reason for doing this and that is to build a portfolio of published material.
Unfortunately editors know which publications use such material and sadly some of these publications will print material which would not be of a standard to be paid for. If your work is good enough you will get published.
I operate with two guidelines. I only offer material for which payment will be made if it is accepted – even if it’s only a letter to a ‘Reader’s Letters’ page.
2. Never dispose of anything you write even if it’s been rejected.
It can be re-worked and represented to another publication or at another time. Maybe it can be incorporated into another piece. While you decide what to do it can safely sit on file in your computer ready to be summoned when you’ve got writer’s block or a spare moment. Sometimes just re-reading it will set you off on a more productive line of thought.
3. Write every day.
Set an achievable target for doing this. Even if it’s only an hour a day at first you must stick to it no matter what else happens. Choose your time of day. Get up earlier if necessary. Make it a habit so that you feel uncomfortable if you don’t do it.
4. Don’t give in to writer’s block.
There will be days when you sit down at your desk and your mind goes blank. Don’t sit there doing nothing or, even worse, decide to end the session and do something else. Just write anything. Even if it’s gibberish. Write about the fact that you can’t think of anything and how cross that makes you, etc.
Before you know it your writer’s block will have disappeared.
5. Start small.
A good place to start submitting work for publication is the letter page of magazines and newspapers who pay for the items they publish.
Warning! Don’t be tempted to present something you dashed off on the spur of the moment.
Prepare the items you submit to editors with as much care as you would if it was a short story or article. It is good practice for working on longer items and will sharpen your skills.
6. Study your market before you submit anything at all whether it is a letter, an article, a short story or a novel.
Show professionalism by choosing a suitable subject and style.
7. Edit, revise, rework and edit again until you are sure you’ve got it right.
Some writers study the market before they decide what to write about. When I’m writing short pieces, unless I’m working on a commissioned article or story, I prefer to write whatever is in my mind at the time.
Then I work on it so that it is suitable for whichever market I have chosen.
One piece of writing can often be adapted and edited to suit several different publications. But beware of the next point.
8. Never send the same article to more than one publication at a time.
You will end up in any editor’s black book if after publishing your piece of work it is then printed in a rival publication. Wait until your ms has been rejected before submitting it elsewhere. Before re-submitting it, re-read it. Especially take note of any comments the editor might have made. (They do sometimes do this.)
9. Do not alienate editors.
To most people that would seem to be pretty obvious but there are still tales of hopeful writers sending angry letters or making abusive phone calls when their submissions are rejected.
Remember that there are hundreds (at least) of hopeful authors sending in material. Don’t pester any editor for a decision for at least a couple of months, and then a polite enquiry by ‘phone, letter, or email is acceptable.
10. Never give up.
There are very few writers who were successful from the start. Keep a list of how many rejections the best authors had. Read it every time the heavy sound of a rejection landing on the mat depresses you.
Before long it won’t be that heavy thump, it will be an acceptance or a cheque. At last you’ll be on your way to being a real published writer.
To see more tips for writers visit
http://www.BAwriter.co.uk/ which is a page designed for writers and small and self publishers.
Every good writer is also an avid reader. One of the best places to find the classics and old favourites is Braindex1. It really is worth a visit. Click Here!
About the author: Theodora Cochrane has been a published author for many years. She writes using different pen names to maintain her privacy. Visit http://www.percydale.com for ideas to increase your income
Author: Stephanie Gunning
Congratulations. You’ve got a great writing idea. Alas, you also have a full-time job, kids, and a commuting schedule. Or perhaps you’re still in school and you have loads of homework. How can you possibly find the time to write amidst all this craziness?
First, if you’re having trouble fitting writing into your life, you need to budget your time. I suggest you do a "time audit." This means that, over the course of a day or a few days, or even a week, you track the amount of time you spend doing everything you do throughout the day (or days or week). Take particular note of how much time you spend watching TV, playing sports, sleeping, talking on the phone to your friends, playing solitaire or other computer games, noodling around on the Internet, reading magazines, newspapers, or the latest novel—you get the picture. Your task is to become aware of where in your life you are frittering away valuable minutes and energy.
Although these activities are pleasurable and relaxation is important, couldn’t you decrease the total amount of time you spend on leisure, and give yourself the gift of those same moments to write? My personal experience and my observation of my clients has shown that nine times out of ten the answer to this question is a resounding yes.
It is helpful to look at a project, such as writing a book, in a pragmatic, mathematical way. Although the time it takes to write a book may seem daunting at first, and loom large in your imagination, in fact it is a finite activity with a beginning and an end. Even when a subject is complex, if you’re well organized and at least moderately disciplined it is going to be a manageable task.
It is possible to research and draft a 160-page book in approximately 200 hours. Therefore, if you allot yourself only one hour per day to writing or commit to completing one chapter per week, you will be able to complete your book in under a year—with plenty of time left for revisions. Here are some important numbers to keep in mind: a typeset page is about 350 words, so a 160-page book contains about 60,000 words. So, let’s say you had ten 6,000-word chapters to write. That breaks down to about 1,000 words a day. Break your book project down into doable chunks, which you can complete if you give yourself undivided focus for relatively short periods of time.
You may find that it takes a little bit of diligence and ingenuity to create undivided focus for your writing time. For example, you may have to negotiate for some privacy with your family and friends. You may have to get up an hour earlier so you can write when everyone else is asleep. Or lock the door and turn off the phone when you write. Personally, I put the following outgoing message on my answering machine when I am writing: "Hi, this is Stephanie. It’s Monday and I’m in writing retreat. This means that I’m not picking up the phone. Leave me a message and I’ll return it within 24 hours." Whatever you find you need to do in order to protect your writing time, do it!
Once you have carved out the time in which to write, consider how to best go about the writing itself. One way to approach a book project is to write each chapter as a blog, and then weave all of these blog entries together to form the book. The idea here is to write first and edit later. It’s much easier to get your material down on paper (or on computer, as the case may be) and then refine it, rather than editing as you go. This is particularly true if you’re a perfectionist and can slow yourself down by trying to get every sentence exactly right the first time around.
Keep in mind that you also have the option of hiring an editor or a ghostwriter to do the editing and refining for you after you have created your initial draft.
One last thing: if you’re having trouble dropping into writing mode, understand that writing is something you get better at the more you do it—especially if you do it regularly. So, even if you can only eke out a couple of sentences on a given day, give yourself the full hour of time to continue trying to write. You’re training your mind to focus on your project. Like a wild animal, it needs to be tamed. This is sort of like meditation. If you have it in your schedule that the first thing you do at the start of the day is to write for an hour, you’ll come to expect it and you won’t resist it so much.
See what happens when you apply these tools to your book project. I have no doubt that you will make huge progress with your writing, develop confidence, and then what once seemed an impossible dream will become a reality. Good luck and have funAbout the Author
Stephanie Gunning is a bestselling author, editor, and publishing consultant with more than 20 years’ experience in the book business. Her A-list clientele includes bestselling authors, major publishing firms, top caliber literary agencies, and innovative self-publishers. One of the most sought-after nonfiction writers in the publishing industry, she is the coauthor or ghostwriter of 14 published books and the audio program Partner With Your Publisher. She lives in New York, NY.Source: www.articletrader.com
By Pat Marcello
Many new writers don't realize how important it is to send editors a manuscript that's not only properly formatted, but one that looks professional. If your spelling, usage, and punctuation are out of whack, chances are your manuscript will be returned to you. Editors don't have time to work with writers who haven't done their homework. On the other hand, they may be quite impressed by a first-time author who knows the ropes and take a long look at the work, just because it's been presented in a professional manner.
One puzzling area for most new (and some not-so-new) writers is dialogue punctuation. It looks quite complicated, but really, it's not. Here are some guidelines:
A tag line (he/she said) should usually come at the end of the sentence, like this:
"Where should we go today?" asked Timmy.
"I'm ready to go fishing," said Jack.
Notice the punctuation that ends each quotation. Questions or exclamations should always be followed by question marks or exclamation points. The quotation in a declarative sentence (a statement) requires a comma at the end of the quote. Both examples are completed with a period at the end of the tag line to complete the sentence.
Never put tag lines first, and never write, "Jack said." I'm not sure why, but it's become a convention to write the "said" before the speaker.
Sometimes, for flow or clarity, you may want to insert tag lines into a broken quote, like this:
"Mommy," Paula said, "can I have a glass of water?"
Notice that the beginning of the quote ends with a comma, as does the tag line. The continuation of the quote begins with lower case. Why? Because the sentence doesn't stop until you get to the end of the entire quotation, and since it's a question, it ends with a question mark.
If you remember these rules, you'll be golden:
* End questions or exclamations inside a quotation with question marks or exclamation points and statements with periods.
* End tag lines with periods, unless they're contained within a broken quotation.
* In a broken quotation, use a comma at the end of the break and at the end of the tag line. Resume the quote in lower case. Use the appropriate punctuation mark to close (period, question mark, exclamation point).
* Remember that periods and commas ALWAYS go inside quotation marks, but question marks and exclamation points go inside only if they're part of the quote.
Not so hard, eh?
It's also best to use "said" most often with tag lines. Too many exclaimeds, replies, questioneds, etc. only serve to distract readers. Keep it simple.
And never use an action to close your quote. Here's what I mean:
"I miss my puppy," Tom sighed.
Nobody I know can gasp, giggle, huff, or shrug words. Instead, make the quotation and the action two distinct sentences:
"I miss my puppy." Tom sighed.
Sometimes, you shouldn't use a tag line at all. When two people are conversing and have only a few lines, you don't need a tag line, as long as readers will understand who is speaking. Yet, insert tag lines anytime you think it may not be clear.
Getting your dialogue punctuation correct is a big turn on for editors. Well, it was for me because so many new writers have trouble with the procedure. But I can honestly say that when I saw it done right, I took a harder look at the story. Buck up! It's really NOT that bad.
About the Author
Pat Marcello has written 10 books and countless articles for print publication and the Internet. You can find her blogs about writing at Pat's 7 Secrets Blog and Writeforkids.net.
Author: Karon Thackston
It really gets my blood pressure up. SEO copywriting has begun to get a poor reputation all due to carelessness. How so? Because too many people claim to know what they are doing. In reality, they simply shove keywords into copy without any concern for how the copy flows. Copy that sounds mechanical or stiff is a sure sign that an amateur writer has had his/her hands in things.
When you write SEO copy, you should take the time to find out what works and what doesn't. There are two mistakes almost every amateur search engine copywriter makes. Let's take a look at each one.
#1 - The List
Let's say you visit the home page of a website that sells beauty supplies. As you read the copy, you keep coming across a string of items: hair salon supplies, hair salon equipment and professional manicure tables. The copy reads something like this:
~~~~~
The Best Selection of Hair Salon Supplies, Hair Salon Equipment and
Professional Manicure Tables On the Internet
When you're shopping for hair salon supplies, hair salon equipment and professional manicure tables, you need a vendor who offers great selection as well as great service. Because buying hair salon supplies, hair salon equipment and professional manicure tables can be an expensive venture, you also want a company that delivers the lowest price.
Trust ABC Beauty Supply to bring you the widest selection of hair salon supplies, hair salon equipment and professional manicure tables in stock every day. Orders are shipped within 24 hours and - for all hair salon supplies, hair salon equipment and professional manicure tables orders over $100 - shipping is absolutely free!
~~~~~
Do you see how that flows (or doesn't flow) when you use all your keyphrases in a row every single time? One time, sure. That's fine. Even twice, depending on the length of your copy. But to put all your keyphrases in a list and use them every time you have the smallest opportunity is just far too repetitive. What do you do instead?
Discuss each one in its own section. Talk about the various types of hair salon supplies. Review the reasons your hair salon equipment is better than that sold by others. Or even list the features and benefits of the line of manicure tables you offer.
#2 - Substituting Keywords for Generic Terms
This technique (just like the one above) is perfectly fine IF you use it in moderation. However, to replace every instance of a generic term with a keyphrase will cause your copy to sound downright silly. Let's have a look at an example from a Web design site.
~~~~~
New Orleans Web Design
Our New Orleans Web design firm offers a high level of creativity to businesses located in the general area. Our New Orleans Web design styles are never made from templates. Each New Orleans Web design is a custom creation just for your site.
~~~~~
If you walked into a Web design company's office and the employees began to talk like that copy is written, you'd most likely think they were on drugs! So why in the world would you write your site copy that way? The reason is because most amateurs mistakenly think they can't write for both the search engines and the site visitors. I'm delighted to say they are wrong! You can most certainly write for both with great success.
Try this:
~~~~~
Progressive, creative, upbeat. Those are phrases that best describe many online businesses based in
~~~~~
Did you see it? The phrase was broken up using punctuation. That won't hurt your rankings one bit, but it will make your copy sound a LOT better.
These are not all the mistakes. I wish they were! But most of the mistakes made by amateur writers can be fixed using one simple test. Read it out loud. If the copy sounds ridiculous to you when you read it out loud, it is going to sound equally ridiculous to a site visitor.
Take your time. Learn the ins and outs of SEO copywriting before you begin to create the text for your (or your clients’) pages. Then you can rest assured that your copy will convert better while it contributes to your high rankings.
Read more articles by: Karon Thackston
Article Source: www.iSnare.com
Author: Christine Cristiano
No effort is too small when it comes to increasing your writing efforts. These five small actions can increase your writing without much effort.
1. Free write each day. Freewriting allows your mind to expand and run free. You will be amazed what can transpire from freewriting. Commit to freewriting for 5 minutes each day.
2. Read other writer's work. You can learn alot about writing, style and technique by reading the works of others. Read good works and bad and determine why the quality of the piece is labelled as such. If the piece is poorly written, determine what makes it that way and how it can be improved? If the piece is good, determine what makes it so and learn from it.
3. Set a weekly writing goal. It is very easy to get sidetracked by the life's day to day demands. Set time aside each day to pursue your writing career and set a weekly goal of a specific number of queries/articles to complete and submit.
4. Pick a target. Select a publication that you are familiar with thoroughly study its contents. Is there a topic that hasn't been addressed yet. Research available guidelines and write the best query possible. Cross your fingers and submit your query. The worst that can happen is that the publication rejects it but you can always submit your query elsewhere.
5. Interact with other writers. Although writing is a solitary activity, you can learn much from other writers via forums, newsletters, and groups. Ask questions and listen to answers of more experienced writers. Learn from their long, hard journey.
By: Linda Correli
Writing anxiety and writing block are informal terms that are used to denote pessimistic and anxious feeling about writing. Researches showed that the majority of students exhibit unusually strong apprehension about writing. This debilitating condition forces students to avoid majors, jobs, and courses that require writing.
In fact, having some level of writing anxiety can help you concentrate, really your thoughts together, and devote all of them to writing. However, in excessive quantities it can become a hindrance; here is where the actual problem lies.
Some experienced writers claim that this feeling has the situational character and is not pervasive in person’s writing life. Others say that writing block and anxiety show up only during our most stressful deadline-driven periods, and stay until we find the way to show them the door.
Writing anxiety encroaches upon a writer, who doesn’t know what to write about, or simply doesn’t know where to start writing, and is usually accompanied by (1) continuous procrastination of the writing tasks, (2) becoming nervous because of the impossibility to write anything at all, (3) quickening heartbeat, and sweaty palms.
All in all, every writer, at least once in his life, experiences moments, which create anxiety. Surely, there is a great deal of variations among individuals; however, there are some common experiences that writers can find stressful.
Writing anxiety can be a result of a great variety of social, academic, and personal factors. Some of them are:
• Writing for readers that have previously been overly critical and demanding to the writer’s work.
• Working in limited or unstructured time.
• Adjusting to the new forms of writing that causes some troubles to the writer.
• Being preoccupied with college life and social issues.
• Professors that may seem intimidating and relentless.
• Fear to failure.
Such circumstances can increase the stress level of the writer and become an awful distraction. The good news is that there are ways to restore writing equilibrium and get down to writing. Here are some practical steps to help writers unlock their writing talents.
I. Brainstorming and organizing your ideas
Brainstorming and organizing your ideas are as important as the process of actual writing. As a matter of fact, it provides a guaranteed solution to overcome the writer’s block. This strategy is very simple.
You begin with a blank sheet of paper or a computer screen. You write your topic at the top, and, then, write everything you can about it. While brainstorming different ideas, you don’t care about grammar and editing, you simply brainstorm various approaches to the subject matter under consideration.
When you are completely out of ideas, you look at the list of the jotted ideas, and reconsider your topic, cutting down the ideas that stray away from it.
Then, you organize these ideas and find the central idea that gives a decent place to start the first draft, and states an essential truth about your topic. Since you have found the leading idea, try to arrange all the other points in the logical order that you’ll use in your essay.
II. Free writing
Free writing is one of the best ways around the writer’s block. Free writing is a non-stop writing designed to uncover ideas that has no rules and forms to follow. Focused free writing involves writing on a particular topic as a means to discover what you already know or think about it. It helps you write when you don’t feel like writing, loosens you up and gets you moving.
You write down the topic at the top of the page. Then, you set your clock for five or ten minutes, and put your pen to paper. The main idea is to write for a short, specified period of time, keeping your hand moving until your time is up. Remember that you are not allowed to stop, even if you have nothing to say, write first that occurs to your mind in the act of writing. And one more thing to remember is that you don’t form any judgments about what you are writing. When the time is up, you go back over the text, and identify ideas that should carry over your text.
III. Clustering
Like brainstorming and free associating, clustering allows you to start writing without any clear ideas. To begin to cluster choose the word, which is central to your assignment, write this word at the middle of the paper. All around it place the words that occur to you when you think about this word. In such a way you write down all the words that you associate with this concrete word. You write it quickly, circling each word, grouping them around your central word, and connecting the new words to the previous ones.
Clustering doesn’t have to be logically built and well-structured; it allows you to explore new insights without committing them to a particular order.
Hope that these options will help you handle your writing anxiety and forget about this mental deadlock once and for all!
Article courtesy of Articlecity.com
By Freddie Smith
Thousands upon thousands of articles are being viewed on the Internet daily but it is very safe to say that only a fraction of it is read from start to finish. This calls for an alarm to those writers who give all their best in writing good article.
The following are elements that should be injected if you want your article to be worth reading:
Good Title - A good title means more readers. This is the most important part of the article if you want it to be attractive to the readers. To choose a title, identify first your purpose why you will write the article. Title would also become the basis of your whole article so you have to be careful of choosing what to use. Write down several suggested titles so that you can give yourself more choices. From this point you can create a good content.
Short introduction - Have you watched a play or movie or listened to a song with introductions you never know when to end? On an article where readers are after the content, introduction should be kept in to a minimum. A good 3-4-sentence-introduction that tells the readers the summary of the article or a prelude of what to expect is enough. In this way, you can keep your readers interested on the whole article.
Content - After the title, you should focus on the content. A good content will keep the reader hooked thus continuity is essential. Asking questions after the paragraph would keep the readers interested on the succeeding content. Make sure you provide a set of this and you are ready to go.
Error free - Articles are written to educate or to inform. As much as possible it should not be subject to criticism from the readers. Although this cannot be avoided, criticism should not focus on the grammar, spelling, and punctuations. A good article should error free. It would not only give the readers ease while reading, it also improves the credibility of the whole article and the message it aims to convey.
Format - In as much as readers would want to get informed, they also would like to get it easily that is why article format is one of the essential elements of a good article. Make sure your article can be read easily by creating several areas for the readers to take short breaks. A lengthy paragraph would not invite readers. Keep it short. The more paragraph breaks the article has, the more inviting it would become. Bullet and numbers are also highly recommended especially if you are writing how-to articles.
Terminologies - Avoid using superfluous words that are hard to understand. Flaunting words are no-no. Keep your terms simple. Your aim is for your article to be read by as many people as possible so you have to use terms that could be understood by all. Target the general reader and the terms will all come easy for you.
Conclusion - Your article is about to end and you don't have a good way to end it, what should you do? Write a short conclusion that will summarize all the inputs you have inserted on your article. Keep it short and direct to the point.
Editing - After you wrote your articles. Take time to edit and re-edit. This will give you the chance to make revisions or inject some more thoughts to the article.
With these elements laid down, it should be easy for you to write your article that is relevant and readable from start to finish.
This article is distributed by: www.iSnare.com
By: Deanna Mascle
I have a friend who has enjoyed a long successful career as a published novelist. More than once we took part in the same panel at a writer's conference. Whenever it came time to field questions from the audience I came to expect -- actually anticipate -- that some bright-eyed, eager novice would direct a particular question at my friend. It wasn't so much the question that I anticipated as her answer.
The question would always be some variation of "What is the secret to your success?" We all knew it would happen and we would always sit back and let my friend handle it. Not only because she was the most successful among us, but because she had the best answer.
My friend would always play to the audience. She'd lean forward conspiratorially, check to make sure the doors were closed, and swear the audience to secrecy. Then she'd repeat the question and pause for a few dramatic heartbeats and answer: "The BIC Method!"
Those of us in on the secret would begin to grin at this point, but it wasn't until she explained the BIC method that the other writers would get the joke. You see BIC stands very simply for Butt In Chair.
Yes, her writing success is that simple. Placing her bottom on the chair in front of her computer and writing every day -- whether or not she was in the mood, whether or not she was motivated, whether or not she was inspired, and whether or not she had a paid writing gig.
Regular writing improves the quality of your writing by giving you the chance to hone your skills and experiment with new methods. Writing regularly also generates greater quantity -- in two ways. First, obviously simply disciplining yourself to generate two or four or ten pages a day will quickly add up in quantity, but the more disciplined you become about this regular production the easier it will be toachieve your minimum and you can keep step up your daily goal accordingly.
Improving the quality of your writing and generating more writingprojects gives you that much more to market to the reading and publishing public and therefore increases your chances of writing success.
It really is that simple and it really isn't a secret. Most successfulwriters know the BIC method is key to their success.
Of course some of those eager-beaver beginners don't want to believe inthe BIC method because it actually involves work and discipline. They'd rather believe it was as simple as dreaming up a catchy pseudonym. But if you have become a writer because you love it then the BIC method is the best possible news. Simply keep on doing what you love and you can
make your dreams come true.
Article Source: http://www.Articles-Submit.com
Bio: Deanna Mascle publishes the writing newsletter Word Craft Online and writing site Answers About Writing where you can also find her free "Challenge Your Muse" writing prompts and exercises. She has publishedthree novels; written and edited numerous newspapers, magazines, books, and online publications; and teaches writing. You can read more writing
advice in her blog. Submitted with Article Distributor.
Author: Jennifer Brown Banks
LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!
From the time you pen your thoughts to a page, you’re on stage. Just like your favorite rock star, actor, or soap opera diva--- performing before thousands, perhaps millions of “potential fans.”
You’re an entertainer. Or at least you should be. Creative artistry, despite the medium, remains the same.
How do you deliver? Will you be a crowd-pleaser? Will people remember your name and look forward to future projects? Will they pay to see your work? Are you worth “the price of admission?”
Or
Will you disappoint your audience? Suffer from stage fright? Be a “no-show” or perhaps a “one-hit-wonder?” The choice is yours.
If you want to take your career to the next level, here’s how you can reach superstardom by learning from the stars!
1. MAKE THE COMMITMENT. Most famous actors and entertainers became that way through perseverance and paying their dues. Doing things like waiting tables, washing dishes, or holding multiple jobs while working their way through college.
What sacrifice will you make to make it?!
For me, it’s been my social life, and some days my sanity. Success never comes without some type of sacrifice or trade-off.
2. DON’T WISH FOR IT, WORK FOR IT! Luck can be a fickle lady. There’s much more security in working hard, being business savvy, and knowing when and where to shine.
3. LEARN HOW TO DEAL WITH REJECTION. Believe it or not, fabulously famous folks like Hansen and Canfield (creators of the Chicken Soup series) J.K. Rawlings, (Harry Potter series) and entertainers like Lucille Ball and Fred Astaire, were told “no” many times before they were officially “discovered”. Learn to be thick-skinned. Glean what you can from constructive criticism, then forge forward!
4. KEEP AT IT! I’m a big fan of figure-skating. I love to watch it, because it’s such a graceful art form. I also like the fact that the Stars on Ice like Nancy Kerrigan, Michelle Kwan, and Oksana Baoul can fall repeatedly on their rumps, and get back in the game with dignity and grace. Whether you fall short of your goals, or fail in general, dust yourself off and get back into the arena!
5. LEARN TO BE A TRIPLE THREAT! Have you ever noticed that the celebrities that enjoy a large fan base and longevity in the business have multiple talents? For example, Jamie Foxx who won an Oscar for his portrayal of Ray Charles, is also a well-known comedian, and a terrific singer as well. Jennifer Lopez dances, does movies, and music. And so does Janet Jackson. Tony Danza acts, sings, and is now a popular talk-show host. Rumor has it that “good things comes in threes.” I put this principle to practice by writing articles and columns, teaching creative writing, and giving a fierce poetry performance at clubs, bookstores, and colleges. Find 3 things that you’re good at (that are somewhat related, and get more bang into your buck)!
6. KEEP REINVENTING YOURSELF. Michael Jordan did it! Though I don’t know a lot about sports--- he started out in basketball, then he quit. Then he came back. Then he went into baseball. Then he retired. Then he went back. This may not be a totally accurate account, but you get the gist.
7. PUT YOUR DREAMS ON PAPER AND THEN INTO PRACTICE. Whether it’s in the form of a business plan, or a personal wish-list. Actor Jim Carey is said to have written a check to himself for 10 million dollars, and carried it daily in his wallet, long before he was earning that amount, as sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy. Communicate your intent to the universe. Put it out there. And believe!
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About The Author Jennifer Brown Banks is a columnist, popular feature writer, and poet. She has over 300 regional, national, and international publishing credits online and in print. |
Author: Christine Cristiano
(First published in Writefromhome.com newsletter)
1. Find a filing system that works for you. You can accomplish more if your work area is orderly and you're able to find things easily. Most writers start off writing on borrowed time, don't waste yours looking for your notes. For market leads generated through the Internet, consider recording the information on index cards. Be sure to include the Web site URL, editorial needs and other relevant information. If you take the time to make a permanent record, you'll always have the information on hand when you need it.
2. Keep an idea book handy. Have one that you carry around with you and keep one beside your bed. Good ideas can surface during the pre-sleep phase only to be long forgotten by the next morning. Make it a habit to write down your ideas in your idea book. The greatest idea can be permanently lost even when you're certain that you'll remember it.
3. Create a marketing plan for each article that you produce. Decide what type of publications your article would be suited for and research a list of prospective markets. Follow the individual submission guidelines and start sending the completed article out into circulation. If it's rejected by one market, immediately send it out to the next one on your list. Give yourself a timeline to resubmit rejected articles. As you uncover more suitable markets, add them to the list. Even a great article won't make you any money if it isn't in circulation.
4. Make use of a yearly schedule to remind you to submit articles of a seasonal nature on time. A great article on growing tulips submitted in June won't receive the attention it deserves if you submit it to a market that wants gardening articles submitted by Fall of the previous year.
5. Prioritize your writing efforts. Try to finish one article before starting another. If you have too many articles in progress chances are you will only manage to complete a very small number. Consider writing the final draft for one article while doing the preliminary research for another.
6. Recruit a friend or relative to proofread all your articles before you send them out. It is easy for a writer to miss errors in their own work but yet they can be quite proficient in spotting errors in someone else's work. If you must proofread your own work, print a hard copy and review it. Errors can be easily missed if you try and proofread your work directly from your monitor.
7. Write what you know. It is much easier to write about a topic that you are familiar with. To determine what it is you know, write down a brief synopsis of your life. Everyone knows something about life in general. Day to day life experiences can result in impressive personal essays.
8. Learn something new. You can only write about what you know for so long before you find yourself in need of learning something new. Pick a topic you're interested in and learn all you can about it. Read books, attend a workshop, seminar or course. Make sure you are well versed before you attempt to write an article. Vague information in an article is a sure tip-off of an inexperienced writer.
9. Create your writing resume. Start by analyzing your current job requirements. Does your job include writing correspondence, sales reports or direct mail literature? Did you write the text for your company's newsletter or Web site? Do any of your volunteer commitments involve writing? Have you taken a writing course? Have you won a writing contest or had a letter to the editor published? Even small details should be included in your writing resume until such time as your writing efforts begin to pay off with published clips.
10. Limit the number of online newsletters you subscribe to. There are dozens of e-zines for writers and it's easy to get caught up in reading about writing. Reading numerous newsletters can be time consuming and will take away from your actual writing time. Determine which newsletters fit your needs and then narrow your preferences down to no more than five newsletters weekly.
Author: Christine Cristiano
A serious freelance writer is always on the lookout for potential markets for their work. A quick web search can produce hundreds of websites packed with information for writers. Subscribing to a writing newsletter is a must but don’t get caught up in the concept of freelance writing. You could spend more time reading newsletters than producing articles to sell.
Selecting A Writing Ezine
Determine which websites suit your needs by objectively analyzing the information they contain. Are you looking for small magazine publishers? Ezines? Newsletters? Book Publishers? Do you write fiction or nonfiction for adults or children? Limit your newsletter subscriptions to five per week maximum. You can always be a frequent visitor to other websites.
Some websites will try and lure visitors with a free ebook for new subscribers; you should take advantage of these offers. I’ve downloaded some great ebooks pertaining to freelancing writing just for subscribing. I always subscribe for six months to get a feel for the ezine and then determine if it fits my needs.
Resources for writers are abundant if you’re willing to dig deep. In addition to writing websites, there are a few resources for writers that may be overlooked.
Reader’s Digest Magazine
Reader’s Digest is a good source for checking out where other writer’s have sold their work and the type of article used. The majority of articles in Reader’s Digest are reprinted from other magazines. Quite often you will find the publication name where the article first appeared directly under the author’s name. Review a few issues and take note of the kind of articles that were reprinted. You may get a feeling of the article types a particular magazine uses or discover magazines that you didn’t know existed. Take that information one step further and log onto to the magazine’s website. Review other articles that the magazine has published and locate their submission guidelines.
A subscription to Reader’s Digest is a wise investment for all writers. You can find back issues of Reader’s Digest at your local library.
Writer’s Bios
Another great but neglected resource, are the writer’s bios that appear at the end of articles. By investigating where other writers have sold their work, you’ll discover many new markets that you didn’t know about. Most writers start off by selling pieces to small publications or ezines and you’ll find lots of potential markets here. If you find a potential market embedded in a writer’s bio make note of it and investigate it.
Always visit the website to ensure that it still exists and is accepting submissions. Sometimes an ezine was the creation of an e-group and was published only for a short time. Determining when the website was last updated is a good indication if it’s active or not. If you’re still unsure of the website status, look for a contact link and send the webmaster an email indicating your interest in their publication.
Ezine Directories
Ezines are always in need of material to fill their websites, but finding an ezine on a particular topic can be frustrating. There are a number of ezine directories and databases available. In order for an ezine to be listed on a database, the webmaster would’ve had to submit the site directly. Quite often, an ezine listed on one database doesn’t appear on another so do search more than one directory. The only downside to ezine directories is that quite often the information is outdated.
Some databases list all the ezine’s pertinent information including the number of subscribers. If the number of subscribers is in the thousands, chances are the ezine has gained some sort of following and maybe a potential paying market. When searching for an ezine, you will encounter quite a few dead-end leads because if an ezine ceases publication, failure to notify the governing database website is common. Check out these ezine directories and happy searching!
www.zinos.com
www.awomansjourney.com/magazines.html
www.ezinesearch.com
www.internet-resources.com
www.ezine-universe.com
www.newsletteraccess.com
www.marketing-seek.com
www.ezine-dir.com
Nothing can be more deadly to a your submission than to discover that your submission was flawed by numerous typos and other writing errors. Editors will edit your work for grammer and style but your submission should be carefully proofread before it leave your hands. Your best proofreading option is to have someone else read over your work for typos and errors. Good candidates for the job would include fellow writers or a friend or relative with good reading and writing skills. If you are submitting a book manuscript, a professional edit is absolutely necessary! You will have to part with some of your hard earned money for this but after all the work you put into your manuscript, it is worth the expense.
For smaller projects, implement these tips to lessen the chances of typos:
With a little extra time and effort, you can feel confident that your work is error free when it arrives in your editor's inbox.
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