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FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Viagra by Viagra Erectile dysfunction, viagra online, 87903, [URL=http://www.viagraorderusa.com/]viagra online[/URL], ()d8, http://www.viagraorderusa.com/ Viagra, jmqhd. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Good Reason: How to Make Sure You Write It by Jane Sumerset Writing is a craft where your ideas are mold into a great topic and arguments depending upon how your creativity works with it. It is not more on memorizing any unusual words just to impress other people. It is how you are going to influence them through writing your ideas down and sticking our words that best fitted with your topic. And this task is not just a simple and easy way to handle. It requires skills and determination to make everything worked out. Writing is not something that you just write like you are preaching. You need to be more persuasive and informative enough to influence your reader’s mind and to write a topic which is a public interest rather than writing a duller subject. So when it comes in writing your ideas down, you need to make it an interesting one even if the subject is not common or not an appealing one. Writing tests your creativity while thinking and while analyzing the appropriate words for your topic. Also, you need to organize your ideas well. Having more ideas without any relevance to the topic is useless. When you write down your ideas in your paragraphs, you need to organize them properly so that there will be a smooth flow of attraction when your audience will read it and for them to understand the subject more. The next level is to make your statements look realistic and it should be supported with facts so that, you will be able to make sure that you are writing with good reasons for your content. When working to back up your thesis, you usually need to explain why you make the conclusions that you do. Your reasons are the key to the veracity of your work, whether they be verifiable facts or sound opinions. As you can tell from that, your reasons must be based on solid logic, either through detailed evidence or common sense. To be sufficiently logical, you will likely need considerable support, authoritative sources and believable accounts (not to mention, a sensible writing software). Suffice to say, you can’t simply throw a made-up statement and expect your audience to embrace it accordingly. Common Sense. If you’re stating something that’s common sense, it can often stand on its own. To be thorough, you can cite regular events where the idea makes perfect sense or list down anecdotal accounts. Hard Facts. If something is a hard fact, make sure to cite your sources. The more authoritative and scientific the source, the stronger an argument it will hold. Of course, even facts will not convince some people. Do note that you don’t have to sway the ones who willfully defy logic. Opinions. An opinion is a personal stance. As such, it can’t stand on its own as a logical reason. They need to be supported with hard facts and other evidence to be able to convince a reader. You can also use emotional arguments if you know your audience well. Bear in mind, however, that an argument like that won’t stand up to deep scrutiny. See how innovative Writing Software instantly can boost your writing skills and watch how NLP technology can help you to write perfect emails, letters, essays or reports. Visit: http://www.englishsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Start an Internet Business Writing Content For Others by Naz Daud There are lots of people out there in cyberspace right now, writing articles, blog posts and all manner of other things and making good money by doing so. So perhaps the answer to the question posed in the title should be whether you personally can make money doing this working from home, and not whether it is possible or not as clearly it is. So how should you get started in this particular internet business? The first thing to do is to have your own website because this helps you in two key ways. Firstly it enables you to get your name out there on the internet as a writer. This is essential if you want to ensure people can approach you for work in the future. Secondly you will be able to showcase your writing skills. Having a blog is enough for you to do this with, and you can grab a free blog from many different sites including Blogger. So there isn’t even any initial cost involved in doing thisd. It isn’t enough to use this method and expect the work to come flooding in straightaway. There are lots of places you can find writing work online, so you need to start looking for it in lots of different places. This should be a regular activity too, particularly when you are just starting out and you want to find a good few clients to get started with. If you only look a couple of times a week for a few minutes a time, you will miss most of the work that is available. You need to consciously work at getting those first few jobs under your belt. One important thing to bear in mind is that there is a wide range of prices paid for writing work online. Some jobs also pay in US dollars instead of British pounds, so you need to bear in mind the conversion rate also. The key thing to remember is that you won’t start off being able to get the best jobs out there. You need to have a track record and that means starting off with lower paid work and then moving up the ladder from there. The more jobs that you can get the quicker you will be able to establish your reputation as a writer. Look for work on classified websites such as Craigslist and on job bidding sites such as Elance. These represent just two of the many sites which offer freelance writing work, and the more you explore the internet the more of these sites you will discover. The key thing to remember is to persevere. You may not find many writing jobs to begin with, and if you do you may not be accepted to complete them. But keep on going and eventually if you are good enough you will be enjoying a second income, whilst keeping your overheads low by working from home as an internet content writer. And who knows, you may eventually make the transition to becoming a full time writer. Naz Daud - CityLocal http://www.citylocal.co.uk/ http://www.citylocal.co.uk/businessfranchise/articles/Internet-Home-Business-Writing-Content-99/ http://www.citylocal.co.uk/frontend/latestbusinesse FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Tips for the A+ Custom Essay by Jason Bacot During your student career, it is likely you\'ll write dozens of custom essays. These are an important craft to master. They are a major part of your grade in many classes from History, Science, English and Art. You may see these essays in classes you don\'t expect such as Health or Gym. No matter where the essay appears, the student needs to be prepared. Fortunately, there are some tips to successful custom essays that can have you receiving top grades. Get an A+ on your custom essay. Don\'t be satisfied with an everyday grade when you can reach for the top like the best students in the class. Start your custom essay the day it is assigned. This is one of our top A+ tips. The student with the most time is often the one with the most advantages. You have the ability to find the best research and to do several drafts of your paper. Time is one of the few resources you can\'t find anywhere else. Once it is gone, it\'s gone. Spend your time wisely and start that essay the very day you receive the project. Even if you only spend ten or twenty minutes that day on it, this can put you way ahead of many other students. The A+ custom essay is often created by getting to the library first. Go to the library as soon as possible to start your research. You\'ll have your pick of the research materials and get to take out what you wish. Best of all, your paper will have well supported arguments that will greatly impress your teacher. If you wait to go to the library, the chances of having strong research go down, day by day. Take advantage of this opportunity in front of you. Many teachers admire good research in a custom essay as it shows your passion for learning. When writing an A+ essay, expect to write a second draft. Some students expect their very first draft to be \"perfect\" and ready to pass into the teacher. This is very often not the case. Writing a second draft gives you the opportunity to correct spelling, grammar, punctuation and even reorganize your custom essay if needed. It can help to create a much better one. This second draft can mean the difference between a better grade and simply passing the class. Start thinking like an A+ student. For some students this may come as a surprise, but when you start to say, \"What would an A+ student do?\" the right answer for how to research, write or organize your paper may come to you. You\"ll realize that you need to be better organized or to do more research. Or you may start to notice the A+ students in your class and realize the little things they do that put their custom essays over the top to get those high marks. Things that you can do too. Every student can turn in a clean and polished looking draft of their assignment, yet few do. The A+ student always turns in a good-looking copy of their assignment, knowing that points will be taken off the custom essay if it does not look neat and clean. Jason Bacot - To find out the best ways to get a custom essay, you need to check us out here: http://www.essaytown.com. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How to Format a Short Story For Submission by Jane Sumerset Writing a short story can be a fun experience since you are going to play carefully with your ideas on how you are going to make the tale work. Most importantly, you need to bear in mind that writing a short story is more on entertaining your readers. Therefore, you’ve got to learn how to make it more interesting and it must be written effectively to make it more appealing. Even though you’ve got to write creatively, the result is that you will tend to write more and words just keep on flowing out of your mind. In the end, it will be hard for you to end up your story and make it shorter compared to the longer ones. Although it is fun to write continuously as it will save most of your time in thinking for the possible words and how the plot works when you are about to write a short story. But as you enjoy making the scene worth reading, cutting you text is going to be the hardest task for you to make since you need to decide carefully on which parts or words are you going to eliminate or revise. After you had written your first draft, read you text again and again so that you can determine the parts that you will cut or edit in the revision process. You need to focus your attention first and use your creativity in altering your story. You can’t just format the parts suddenly without thinking the effects. It will ruin your story if you don’t know how to make it a concise one. Also, as you edit your piece, you need to consider that the tone and quality of your story must be preserved before and after you had made a change. Submitting a short story for publication? The first thing you should do is check the submission requirements from the publisher themselves. To add to that, here are a few standard guidelines we recommend that you follow. Paper. Use white, unlined and standard-sized. Never print on both sides. Type. Print the manuscript using a common easy-to-read font, such as Times New Roman, Arial or Tahoma. Keep it between 10 to 12 points in size. Format. Keep a standard 1-inch margin on all sides of the paper and double-space your lines for clarity. Make sure new paragraphs add at least one additional line. Use page numbers throughout the manuscript. Cover Page. Always use a cover page with the following information: •name, mailing address, phone numbers and other contact details on the upper left hand corner •word count on the upper right hand corner •title (center) •byline (two lines below the title) Naturally, any material you submit to a publisher should be checked error-free, from basic spelling to grammar to factual items. Always use a proofreading software or employ the help of someone who can assist on this end. Usually, it’s difficult to discover your own mistakes until you’re at the point of sending it off. An extra eye (or a smart software) should be able to help you out. See how innovative Proofreading Software instantly can boost your writing skills and watch how NLP technology can help you to write perfect emails, letters, essays or reports. Visit: http://www.englishsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Evasive Writing And Straight Talk by Jane Sumerset What’s your personal style in writing? Are you the type of person who likes to write evasively or the one who wanted to write straightly and concisely? Either of these two, it is very important write according to your purpose. It is by showing how your message would appear gradually in your text. Whatever side you will prefer, different people uses these kind of writing within their text and the most common between these two is the evasive writing. And if you are going to write a personal content or if you are assigned to write one, I bet you are going to apply evasive writing in your text since I have seen a lot of people who do the same thing. It is because they find it easier to write indirectly and express their own ideas gradually to make their readers hook up with the topic. A lot of the writing you can find around is evasive and indirect. If you had notice it, then you might say that a lot of people are very comfortable in an evasive style of writing. As we read every articles or contents that are displayed in any reading materials or over the internet, it is pretty much obvious that evasive writing is a very common technique where writers applied it in their writings. You might ask yourself why the need to write indirectly if all people are looking for direct and specific information that they could get while reading any contents. Don’t they know that writing straight forwardly is the most effective style in writing in terms of acquiring a lot of readers towards your text? What’s the importance? That’s because the approach – coupled with good writing instruments – can prove seductive. When you insinuate rather than declare, you can mask it in any of a variety of ways. However, once you’ve been around such material for any extended period, you almost always end up being refreshed by the idea of straight talk. No dulling around the edges and no dressing – just the honest facts. As a writer, being well-versed in both is often a requirement. You can’t be brutally frank about every subject you write about. However, sticking to evasive writing as your default style can lead to some very bad habits, including a few that even the best writing software may find difficult to fix. When your goal is to write as clear as possible, a straight rundown of the facts and supporting arguments is almost always necessary. Evasive language can create an insincere tone that most readers will find disturbing. Unless you’re being intentionally cagey, it’s simply makes sense to stick with straight talk when you can. Does your job require you to write in a less-than-frank manner? Here’s a tip. While surrounding yourself with that kind of influence, do give yourself a daily dose of straight talk, whether from a no-nonsense opinion column or one of your old favorites. It will help balance out the propensity to mince words, allowing you be more conscious while doing it. See how innovative Writing Software instantly can boost your writing skills and watch how NLP technology can help you to write perfect emails, letters, essays or reports. Visit: http://www.englishsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS A Brief History of the Pen by Peter Lee Greenspan Humans have been writing and making marks as far back as the caveman. Initially man used his finger by dipping it in plant juices as a drawing and writing instrument. By 4000 BC, bone or bronze tools were used to scratch everyday events on to cave walls. As language and writing developed there was a need for new improved, more effective tools. It was the ancient Egyptians who were the first people to write on paper. In around 3000 BC the scribes from ancient Egypt used thick Calamus or Bamboo reed brushes to write on papyrus scrolls. The reed pen was used up until the Middle Ages, although the quill pen had begun to replace it as early as the 7th century. European monks were to first to realise that goose feather quills were much better than reeds. The hollow quill would hold the ink and the split end worked as a nib. There was real skill needed in trimming the quill and a talented scribe could create some very nice calligraphic effects. The downside to the quill was that it needed constant re-trimming, so it gave it a very short writing life. The quill was replaced by the metal dip pen in the early 19th century. The metal dip pen had a steel nib with various holes to hold the ink. The nib was attached to a wooden handle, and could be manufactured quite cheaply. In 1803 Bryan Donkin patented a steel pen point but did not commercially exploit his patent, so this left it open to exploitation and in 1830 steel makers in Birmingham, England, pioneered the mass production technique for cheap long wearing steel pen nibs. The dip pen had to be constantly dipped in ink, which meant it wasn’t long before people demanded a pen that contained a reservoir of ink, the fountain pen. There were many attempts at creating the fountain pen, most of which failed because the ink flow was very inconsistent. In the 1870’s Lewis Edson Waterman invented his ‘Three Fissue Feed’ system which used an intake of air to control the ink flow. This led to the widespread use of a reliable fountain pen and main the portable pen a reality. In 1894 Parker Pens invented the lucky curve feed system which drained the ink back into reservoir when not in use. These early fountain pens were called ‘eyedropper pens’ because you had to drip in a day’s supply of ink using the dropper provided. They were prone to leakage, so a new version was introduced by Waterman called the ‘Safety Pen’. The sac filler system soon followed which was much faster and cleaner to fill. In the 1930s the piston filler was introduced by Pelikan and proved immensely popular because it allowed greater ink capacity. All these developments form the basis of the modern day fountain pen. Now that fountain pens were reliable, people demanded that they were also a fashionable item. In the early days of pen manufacturing, they were made from hard rubber which was available in limited colours and mainly black. In 1924 Sheaffer used celluloid (made from plant fibres) for the first time which meant pens could be made in a large range of exciting colours. Perhaps the last greatest advance in fountain pen technology was by Waterman, who in 1936 invented the disposable cartridge pen. Then came the ballpoint pen, which was first patented in 1888. It wasn’t until Laszlo Biro’s new patent in 1943 though that the ballpoint pen went into commercial production. The ball pen uses a tiny ball that picks up oil based ink as the pen moves along the paper. The most recent developments were the felt tip pen in the 1960s by Yukio Horie from Japan and the rollerball pen in the early 1980s, operating like a ball pen but using liquid ink for smoother ink flow. Peter Lee Greenspan is an art and writing author working for Pullingers and their range of paint pens, brush pens, fine writing pens & more: http://www.pullingers.com/search.php?keywords=pens&sort_order=instock&execute FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How to Write Your Dissertation by Jason Bacot Most doctoral students are a bit anxious about writing their dissertation. Even if they are excellent students, a dissertation is a very large undertaking. How will they manage a 300 plus pages assignment? This is something many don\'t like to think about until this assignment comes due. The dissertation is a rite of passage for the doctoral student, separating the wheat from the chaff. Those that are successful receive their doctoral degrees. Those that cannot complete it realize they are unable to succeed at a doctoral degree and do something else. However, what some students don\'t realize is that it takes certain skills to write your dissertation. Let\'s talk about how to write one. Every dissertation begins with an idea, a thesis that you will prove or disprove. This thesis must first be approved by your advisor. Finding your thesis begins with some preliminary research. This can be done in the university library and also through the Internet. While you don\'t have to do all of your research to begin finding your thesis, you do want to have a good sense of how much research is available for your topic. You don\'t want to select a topic that doesn\'t have good supporting research. Create a schedule for working on your dissertation and stick to it. A dissertation is a very large undertaking for any doctoral student. Many doctoral students have other pressing obligations, from family, part-time jobs or graduate internships or even teaching obligations at their universities. Having a schedule for working on your dissertating is very useful. It means you\'ll get everything done on schedule. Getting a bit done every day or every other day is far better than trying to get a lot done in a single day. The typical paper is on a serious subject that needs to be delved into deeply. This is not light reading and needs your full attention and careful thought and deliberation. One of the secrets of a successful dissertation is to make yours unique. This is a time to express how you feel about a topic through research and writing. Take your topic of interest and add your own special spin on it. Don\'t be satisfied simply creating a large paper of facts on a topic when you can write a dissertation that is far better than this. Your committee is looking for you within your dissertation. They do want to see how you have learned and developed as a doctoral student through your studies. Practice good computer hygiene when writing your dissertation. It very well may save your sanity, and research during this time period. Many frazzled doctoral students can tell the tale of, \"And then the screen went totally black,\" or \"And then I lost all of my research,\" or \"And then my disc wouldn\'t save.\" Don\'t let this happen to you. Always save to a backup disc every night. Save your research to a different disc if you have to. Keep these discs in cool and dry places. Keep your computer\'s anti-virus and other software up to date during this period. Run regular virus scans on your computer. Try not to let anyone else use your computer if possible. Better to be safe than sorry. Jason Bacot - For all your dissertation projects and writing come and visit us at http://www.essaytown.com and we will be more than happy to help. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Are There Any Topics You Shouldn\'t Choose For an Essay by Jason Bacot Some students wonder about choosing the best topic for an essay. They wonder if there are any topics you shouldn\'t choose one. This is an interesting question to consider. In some cases, there may be topics you should consider avoiding. In others, it can show more thought and passion to select a unique topic. Every student understands that your essay topic is important. This is part of your grade. Teachers grade in different ways, but most will consider this between ten to thirty percent of your essay\'s overall grade. There are some \"hot button\" essay topics that should be handled carefully. Topics like religion, abortion rights and politics are all \"hot button\" topics. Now perhaps you were specifically assigned one of these topics in school. Then of course you must write about it. If you are given your choice to write about a current event and you purposefully select a \"hot button\" topic then you must do so carefully. The topics are considered so because most people get quite emotional about them. An essay works only when you are rational and state the facts. This means leaving your opinion outside of the paper. A \"hot button\" essay can still be an excellent topic and can impress your teacher as long as you can handle it with care. Only write about a topic if you can do so rationally and with respect to the other side of the issue. The best topics are those that interest you. When a student has a genuine curiosity in the subject, their research time seems to fly and their paper flows easily. But when they select an essay topic simply to get the assignment done this can be quite difficult. Now sometimes you have little choice. Sometimes the assignment choice is so narrow you must choose something that interests you little. Try to find something, anything about the research or writing that does interest you. We promise that this genuine interest will make a great difference in the quality of the essay you create and the grade that you will receive. Sometimes you have to write on a subject you don\'t enjoy or actually makes you uncomfortable. You may have to write about something disturbing from history like a war or the Holocaust. Or if you are squeamish you may have to write about a biology or medical topic. Remind yourself that this is only one assignment during the term and it will soon be over. Do your best to find something about the research and writing that is interesting. There may be a way to learn something through this essay that helps you overall with this class you are taking. This one essay may help introduce you to something about that period of history or science or other topics you may have had trouble understanding. Try to look at this as an opportunity for independent study and another way of advancing your career. Jason Bacot - To find out the best ways to get an essay, then you need to check us out here at http://www.essaytown.com. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Quick Ways to Find Topics For Your Thesis by Jason Bacot Let\'s face it, every student wants to complete assignments and do them well. But many students just don\'t have as much time as teachers think they do. It seems as if some teachers think they have unlimited time after school and weekend hours to dedicate to homework and class assignments. Many students work and have school activities and family obligations. There just isn\'t enough time in the day to get everything done. That\'s why you need quick ways to find topics for your thesis. Fortunately there are some great ways to find these terrific topics, without spending lots of time doing so. One of the worst things a student can do for a thesis assignment is to not read the directions. If you don\'t understand the assignment, you can miss what the teacher is telling you to do. This can mean you can come up with a great thesis idea that doesn\'t meet the teacher\'s requirements and this costs you a letter grade or worse, means you have to redo the assignment. So take the time to read the assignment instructions thoroughly. Taking this time can often save you a lot of time in the end. To come up with a quick topic for your thesis, take a look at your class notes. See what has been interesting in your class recently. This can often give you a great idea for your paper. The teacher will be pleased you select this topic as it shows you are paying attention in class. Best of all, choosing this assignment often means you have less research to do as you have class notes to start your research with. A class lesson can be the start of a great thesis idea and interestingly enough actually is something most students don\'t think about. Most of them try to come up with new ideas that haven\'t been discussed. Another great idea is to take the topic at hand and to relate it to current events. So take the topic of Hamlet and somehow relate it to a current event. How could this relate to a current event in the local or international news? Relating it to a local news story would be of interest to your teacher as they would be impressed you are following a local news story in the community. Choosing an international news story would also be impressive as they would see your thoughts on world events. Either choice is an excellent idea and a way to learn more about the current events of today. Something many students don\'t think of doing is asking the teacher for ideas. It may surprise you, but very often your teacher is happy to give you ideas for your thesis if you help with the thinking process. Share with them your ideas you have so far and ask for their input. Now, most teachers don\'t want to simply give you an idea without you learning how to create a thesis, they want you to learn how to create one on your own. However, if you are genuinely having difficulty doing so they are happy to help you with yours. The key is showing them your research and asking them for their thoughts and input on your progress. Jason Bacot - Are you kidding me? We can help you factor in all the correct points when writing a thesis statement at http://www.essaytown.com. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Tips on Smart Dissertation Writing by Jason Bacot Your dissertation is one of the most important papers you\'ll ever write. To obtain a doctorate at most universities you\'ll need to write a dissertation that passes the muster of a critical committee. While the doctorate candidate has likely written hundreds of other papers, the dissertation paper is a bit different. You must treat this paper with both great seriousness and respect. A dissertation can \"make or break\" you as a doctorate candidate. Your writing must be top-notch in order to please your committee and assure them that you should be awarded your degree. The doctorate degree is simply not given to everyone. Part of the allure of its exclusivity is for this very difficult experience of writing. However, there are some tips any doctoral student can keep in mind to write a stronger dissertation. A good working relationship with your advisor and committee is of utmost importance. In most universities, you\'ll have an advisor to report directly to and a committee to present the final dissertation to. The advisor you will need to meet with regularly to describe your progress on dissertation writing. During these meetings, be prepared to ask questions about your work and research. Now is the time to ask for input, before you are facing that committee that will make that so important decision. Working with your advisor ahead of time can also smooth the way for a very positive relationship with your committee. You\'ll feel more confident and comfortable with the faculty. Most committees are made up of faculty and other advisors related to the department. Find your dissertation topic as soon as possible. The more time you have to work on it, the better. The doctoral student that wastes time fluttering between several topics will have a far more challenging time than one who simply selects a topic of interest. Realize the dissertation needs to be representative of your work but that it is not the only body of work you will create during your professional life. Even if you don\'t create a dissertation on your favorite topic, there will be many opportunities during your professional life to work on topics that interest you. For now focus on finding a topic that you can support with research and feel confident that you can discuss it with the committee to obtain your doctoral degree. Many successful doctorate students are thinking about their dissertation topic as they enter graduate school. The earlier you think of this topic, the more advantages you\'ll have. Make your environment as conducive to writing as possible. Don\'t try to write your dissertation sitting in an uncomfortable chair with an old computer that won\'t save to discs or CDs. Now is the time to upgrade your materials so you can write your dissertation in as much comfort as possible. Even if you purchase furniture from a discount office supply store or thrift store, it will offer you great satisfaction. The student who suffers neck, back and shoulder strain through writing a 300-page paper is not working smarter, they are working harder than they really should have to. Some places will let you lease a computer and many universities provide laptops to students as they enter school. Create a list of your resources and the dates they need to be returned to the library. Many libraries now, let you renew materials online simply by visiting their website. When writing a doctorate you\'ll have quite a few materials out on loan from the library. It is also the smart doctoral student who hangs on to resource materials, so another student cannot borrow them for an indeterminate amount of time causing you trouble with your research. Use your list to renew your books and avoid troublesome fees. This can save you countless dollars and aggravation. Many universities will actually hold your degree until you pay your library fines, no matter how small they are. Jason Bacot - For all your dissertation projects and writing come and visit us at http://www.essaytown.com and we will be more than happy to help. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How to Brainstorm Ideas For College Term Papers by Jason Bacot Writing a college term paper is an important part of your studies. They are often assigned to assure that you understand the course thus far. They are also an excellent way to encourage independent thinking on the topic of the course. College term papers allow you to develop your thoughts about a particular subject and do some critical thinking. These are excellent skills to develop as a student. These skills can take you far beyond your college years and well into your professional life. Many students have trouble coming up with topics for their college term papers. \"What should I write about?\" You\'ll hear cries around the dorm when college term papers are assigned. You don\'t have to fret too much, there are some excellent ways to brainstorm topics. Fortunately, each of these brainstorming methods is available to each of us. Try one or all of these methods for success in finding your ideal college term papers\' topics. Trusting your first instinct can be extremely helpful when it comes to brainstorming for your papers\' topics. Often your very first idea is the best one. Listen to your gut as it tells you these ideas. Sit quietly in a relaxed fashion with a pen or pencil and paper. Write down all information as it comes to you. Don\"t try to edit the ideas. Saying, \"This one won\'t work\" or \"This one I already did\", will only frustrate you. Just write them down and edit them after your brainstorming session is over. A great way to brainstorm college term paper topics is to take a piece of paper and create a mind map. A mind map works well for visual people and is almost like doodling with words. Write the main topic of the term paper in the very center of the paper. So if the topic is \"Internet Safety,\" write this in the middle of your paper. Then start to surround that word with related topics like \"kids\" and \"SPAM\" and \"anti-virus software.\" Let each of these topics branch out into more sub-topics. You may be surprised at how quickly your mind map grows. As it grows, see if any of these topics appeal to you for a paper. Doing a little research on the topic can sometimes inspire a great idea for college term papers. Visit the school library and look up the topic of the college paper. See what other topics relate to it and go through the bookshelves or journal articles. Simply start reading. Do this at a time when you are able to spend at least twenty minutes in the library reading and deciding what interests you. You don\'t want to be rushed at all. As you read, notice what pops out at you from the research. This very well can lead you to your college term paper topic. Your own experiences can help to brainstorm an idea for college term papers. Look at the topic of the paper and see how it relates to your college major, favorite activities, hobbies and other interests. See how your view of the world relates to this term paper topic. Is there any slant you could take on this paper that would be interesting that could only be written by someone who plays in the college band or is a long distance runner or is having problems with their roommate? Any experience you are having, whether big or small could very well be the \"seed\" for an ideal brainstorm. College professors are often impressed when you can think creatively and relate a topic to your own life. Jason Bacot - If you want to improve your term paper to the fullest, but only expect the best, then come and check us out at http://www.essaytown.com. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Top Students\' Tips For Writing Essay Papers by Jason Bacot Ever wonder how top students write an essay paper? They somehow seem just a bit different from the rest of us. These top students, we wonder, do they have some sort of secret that they pass among themselves to write top-notch papers? Or do they possess inner knowledge that helps them create these excellent essays, winning them the best grades and great opportunities in school, college and beyond. We\'ve talked with some top students and they\'ve shared some of their best tips for writing essay papers. These tips are just for you. Take these tips to write your best essay paper ever. Right now, you may not be a straight-A student, but that doesn\'t mean you can\'t learn a lesson from one and become one yourself. Essays are a critical step in your student education and every teacher considers them an important part of your grade. Marcy: \"When I write an essay, I always try to keep in mind the focus of the assignment.\" Marcy brings up an excellent point. Some students become so jittery or anxious about getting a paper assignment that they actually forget one of the most important steps: reading the directions carefully. Just as Marcy takes the time to read through the directions carefully, do the same and keep the focus of the assignment on task. You\'ll see that your grade could possibly improve drastically just by following this one top student tip. John: \"I go to the library right after school or on my free period when I have an essay paper. I want to be the first to get the best research materials.\" Now John may sound a little funny, wanting to be the first one to get the best research materials, but he brings up an excellent point. Remember, as you are assigned a essay paper on this topic so is every student in your class. There are only so many books on this very topic in your school library. Being the first to the library means you\'ll get first pick from the materials and which can mean your research is stronger than other students. This often can mean a much stronger paper as your research statement is better supported. Something to think about if you\'d rather play basketball with friends with your free period. Sometimes spending that free period in the library on homework can be well worth it. Sean: \"If I have a question about the assignment, I ask the teacher right away.\" Sean raises an excellent point here. Sometimes when we receive an assignment in school we have a question about it. If you wait to ask that question you are wasting valuable time that could have been spent researching or writing the paper. Asking your question right from the start means you have all of your information ahead of time. It can save you from going off in the wrong direction and also keep you from making a big mistake with your essay paper. Lynn: \"I work a certain period of time every day on my paper until it is finished. I don\'t try to do it all at once.\" Lynn brings up an excellent point, organizing your work so you are doing it methodically and not trying to do everything in a single sitting. Trying to write and research your essay paper all at once can be very overwhelming. Doing one hour a day until you are finished means you\'ve gotten in some time on the assignment and you\'ll chip away at it until it is completed. Jason Bacot - To find out the best ways to get an essay, then you need to check us out here at http://www.essaytown.com. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Finding a Great Topic For a Research Paper by Jason Bacot The research paper is a common assignment students will face from middle school through college. If you find research papers challenging, now is the time to master them, as they will reappear in many forms throughout your student career. One of the most challenging aspects of the research paper is finding a great topic for them. Some students spend days wondering exactly what topic would be best for their paper. Other students ask fellow students what topics they have picked, hoping they can come up with a good topic this way. Either of these approaches is not ideal. Fortunately, you have more options to develop a great topic for a research paper. When thinking of a great topic for a your paper, begin by reading the teacher\'s assignment instructions. One of the biggest mistakes a student will make is in their eagerness or anxiety they can read the instructions quickly and miss some of the important parts. When you don\'t understand the instructions, the research paper is certainly more difficult to do. Sometimes a student can write a letter-perfect research paper that is simply wrong, as it does not follow the directions. Take the time to read the instructions given to you by your teacher in order to do the assignment. This can mean the difference between getting a top grade and nearly passing the assignment. Some of the best topics for research papers can come from the world around you. As you\'ve read the directions for the assignment, pay attention to what interests you about the assignment and what ideas come to your mind first. Often these are your best ideas showing themselves to you. If you are a varsity sports player, then your topic could somehow be related to sports or a famous figure in sports. Or to some controversy about the world of sports today like drug testing for sports. Your interest in these subjects will drive you to achieve and dig deeper into the subject. Having a great interest in the paper topic helps a great deal. A sense of curiosity about the subject helps you to keep reading, keep searching, keep learning as you find more and more information to create the best paper you can. Don\'t overlook a controversial topic, but do be aware that \"hot button\" topics should be handled with a cool head. Some topics like politics, abortion rights and religion are topics that many people can become quite emotional about. There is a saying that, \"politics make strange bedfellows,\" meaning you never quite know who is going to agree with you in your way of thinking, when it comes to these hot button topics. If you are writing about a hot button topic, remember that the research must support your ideas. You can write a research paper supporting the idea of prayer in schools but must find research that supports this idea. Keep your emotions and personal thoughts away from the page. Let your passions on the topic inspire you to find great research and to write a well organized paper. A research paper is not an opinion paper, offering your opinion. However, a \"hot button\" topic for this paper can be a good idea as many teachers understand you will have strong emotions about the subject and will be passionate about your research. Jason Bacot - Want to know more about the writing of a research paper or any other papers, then come and visit us at http://www.essaytown.com for an awesome experience. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How to Organize a Term Paper by Jason Bacot Writing term papers is very important for every student. In most student\'s educational career they will write dozens of papers. But many students have trouble with term papers. One of the biggest challenges is that they don\'t know how to organize one. Without proper organization, your term paper simply won\'t work. This flaw can be very costly to your school career. A poor term paper can give you a bad grade on the assignment and bring down your overall grade for the course. This experience can cause you trouble in school. Even worse, not understanding how to organize them will cause challenges for you next term or next year, as you still don\'t know how to do this important skill. Every student should and must know how to organize a term paper. Your very school career depends on it. For best term paper organization, you\'ll want to begin with well organized desk, locker and book bag. You may wonder, \"Why does this matter?\" However, it does, a great deal. The student with poor organization who is always misplacing things will have far more trouble with a term paper than the well-organized student who can find their belongings. Organizing your locker, desk and book bag may take you an hour or two, but this is time well spent. Just imagine how much higher your paper grades will be if you were to just do this. You\'ll have better chances for successful organization when you start a term paper assignment the minute it is assigned. The student who waits until the night before quite often is the one who doesn\'t get a good grade. Even though many students know this deep down, it just doesn\'t keep them from continuing with this bad habit. The best way to break this bad habit is to start your term paper assignment the very day it is assigned, as I said earlier. The worst thing that happens is you finish it early and have some free time. This is something that would appeal to many students. The idea of having a free afternoon or two to spend with friends doing their favorite sport, playing video games or involved in a popular hobby. Every term paper starts with a great idea. When your teacher assigns a paper they typically assign a topic and let you come up with the idea. We\'ll let you in on a secret to finding a great idea: give the idea an extra twist. So if the topic is Romeo and Juliet, think of how you can make this topic for a term paper just a bit different. Most students would focus on the main characters Romeo and Juliet and how they couldn\'t be together, the most popular part of the story. Take another interesting part of the story and look at something else that could be discussed. Romeo and Juliet\'s families were feuding. You could talk about how difficult it can be for children when their families are fighting and this affects them in many ways. Any teacher would be impressed to see that you selected a different topic than what the majority of the class did. Jason Bacot - If you want to improve your term paper to the fullest, but only expect the best, then come and check us out at http://www.essaytown.com. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Tips on Your Successful College Essay by Jason Bacot A college essay is a critical step in one\'s education. Any college student will readily agree that mastering the college essay is important to being a successful student. Yet many seem to struggle with this very important issue. Writing a college essay doesn\'t have to be difficult. The successful college student understands that a successful essay is, well researched and thoughtful. Many students have made the mistake of writing an essay the night before, hoping it will mass muster; it won\'t. The essay needs to be a step-by-step process of one\'s thoughts and beliefs on a topic. It explains exactly why you have decided upon this particular belief or thought. Strong research supports the essay, lending your argument to be well supported. Some students become anxious about their college essay and actually rush through reading the instructions. This means they wind up missing some of the steps or instructions the professor has given to writing the essay. Without proper instruction, your essay may actually be well written and well thought out, but completely incorrect for the assignment. This can lead you to lose a full letter grade for misunderstanding the assignment alone. Don\'t let this happen to you. Take the time to read thoroughly whatever assignment directions the professor has given you so you can understand them fully and prepare the best essay possible. Research is critical to your essay paper. An essay paper won\'t have strong legs to stand on without supportive research. For many college students, this research begins in the college library and also by searching on the Internet. The college library offers a wealth of information. From books, journals and databases to search for information on your essay topic. The Internet is also an excellent place to search for current events, blog posts and news items related to your essay topic. Be sure to find enough research material that offers a variety and supporting arguments. One of the top secrets to writing a strong essay paper is the knowledge to write a second draft. Very few writers are able to create the perfect essay within a single draft of their paper. Having the willingness to create a second draft allows you the ability to edit your work to craft sentences and paragraphs so they are fine-tuned. When you write your second draft the best suggestion we have is to allow a bit of time between the first draft and the second. This way you arrive at the second draft with a fresh set of eyes. You\'ll see things you might have missed otherwise had your paper been rushed. Having a well organized attitude about your essay is important. Starting your essay on time means you are not rushed or doing this assignment with a stressed feeling. With the most amount of time possible, just imagine the top quality essay you can produce. Create a checklist of everything you\'ll need from research, to an outline and time to write. Work your way through this list and when you reach the bottom you\'ll have an excellent college essay that is successful and offers you a top letter grade. Jason Bacot - No need to worry! To find out the best ways to get a college essay, you need to check us out here: http://www.essaytown.com. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS What Information Product Medium Should You Use? by Barbara Grassey Information products can range from a simple ebook to a full course with manual, DVDs and CDs. Don’t sweat creating your information product, even if it’s your first. The most important thing about information products is that they convey quality information to the person who buys your product. My first recommendation to my coaching students is to go with whatever medium you are most comfortable with. If you enjoy writing, then write an ebook, book or manual. Many people, even people who like to write are intimidated by the thought of writing a book. Take some pressure off yourself and start with an ebook or manual. You aren’t writing the Great American Novel; you are writing an information product. An information product should impart the information clearly, concisely and thoroughly. People will purchase it because they are looking for specific information, not an involved story line. If you are not at all comfortable with the idea of writing an information product, you can also record the information using an audio or video format. Many people nowadays either don’t like to read or don’t have the time to read. They would rather listen to a CD in their car or download the information and listen to it on their IPod. Other people learn best by watching a video. If you feel strange just talking into a microphone and recording it, you can have a friend help you out by interviewing you. Come up with ten to twenty questions about your topic (depending on how long you want your recording to be), arrange them in a logical progression and then have your friend ask you the questions. You may want to write down various points that you don’t want to miss for each answer. That way you’re not reading from a full script (and you won’t sound stiff which is the way most people sound when reading from a script) and you’ll make sure you have the most important information in your answers. If you can get a conversational tone going in your “interview” the audio will be that much easier for people to follow and learn from. You can also create a video, either of yourself demonstrating how to do something, an interview of you or you can create a Camtasia-style instructional video with a voice over. Camtasia is a software program that allows you to record your voice with whatever is on your screen or integrate video with PowerPoint and other media. I use Camtasia to record my PowerPoint presentations. I create a PowerPoint on my topic then talk through the presentation as if I were in front of a live audience. Camtasia records it and I can put it into a variety of formats (.avi, .mpv, etc.) for uploading to the internet or to burn on DVDs. (If you don’t have Camtasia, you can get a 30 day free trial of the software at camtasia.com.) Another way to record presentations is to use www.gotowebinar or www.dimdim.com . Both of these sites can be used to conduct webinars or just to record a PowerPoint presentation. In addition, DimDim.com has the capacity to record whatever is on your screen or even capture from your computer’s video camera. Of course, nothing says you can put out your information product in only one format. As a matter of fact, if you can offer a package with the information in several formats, all the better. Everybody learns in different ways. If people have the option to read, listen to AND watch the information, you are more likely to hit on the way they like to learn. Bottom line, go with the medium you are most comfortable in. However, don’t be afraid to put your product into different formats. If you write an info product, you may want to read it aloud and record it on CDs or into MP3 files. If you like doing videos, you can create a video and then pay to have the audio portion of the video transcribed so you can offer a written accompaniment to the video. Either way, you are increasing your odds of having the right product for your target market. Remember: It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be done. Barbara Grassey is a professional writer and speaker. She produces information products for many of the top national speakers as well as for herself. For a free DVD on how to Create Information Products Fast (and to get her Tip of the Week) go to http://www.InformationProductFastTrac FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How to Make Money Online Writing Articles by Kausar Khan If you have been hearing about people making money online writing articles – not pennies and coins but real income – then you should believe that it is true. Professional writers and others who began from simple tasks like blogging and posting comments are now earning thousands of dollars from writing online articles. The fantastic thing about earning money for typing articles online is that the whole process is like a curve, where you learn with time and as you learn, your wage increases. What could please any worker more than knowing that they get a pay hike every day? If you have focus and a plan to succeed, then you have the basic recipe to be a star in online article marketing. You will also need to be very strict with managing your time because many online workers and article writers waste a lot of time reading online articles on how to make fast money while other often stray to social sites like Facebook, twitter and MySpace. You will need to write thousands of articles to make enough money in online article writing. Promoting your articles too may be necessary and at some point, the whole project may require injection of some investment from your pocket. To up your chances of success writing and marketing online articles, sign up with a number of moneymakers who will be producing your article at once. Although the payment on online articles is fluctuant, some days you get paid just a little or nothing at all while some peak days and seasons you earn a lot of cash, the volume of work you write and the topics you choose will determine the stability of your income. Many writes get discouraged at this point, the process may be daunting and seems as if not to reward any time soon. However, you need not be a professional web marketer to understand how getting paid writing online articles work. Besides the computer requirements, your own attitude, and other requirements, you will also need to have good writing capability, impeccable grammar and the skills to write creative contents and market them aggressively. If you have a good work ethic, managing your time and scheduling your writing should not be so difficult. Most writers often face the challenges of dedicating their time and resources writing articles, which according to them, they are not even sure people read them. Sloppy work ethics, negative attitude and impatience are the perfect recipes for disaster in article writing. Just like any other business, you will need to be dedicated, professional and motivated in order to succeed in article writing. If you feel you have all it requires to succeed making money through article writing, do not hesitate, get started immediately and you could be on your way to making steady streaming income doing what you like doing. Beginning may be challenging, and you may have to set aside some time as grace period before money start trickling in. Remember that your income will be directly proportional to the number of articles you write, therefore, the more articles you write, the more the money you earn. My name is Kausar Khan. I love to write articles on various topics related to work from home business opportunities and affiliate marketing. Please do visit my website http://ourdollars.com and http://workfromhome4busines FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Painless Cover Letter Writing by Jason Kay Writing a great looking cover letter is the first step to you getting an interview at the company of your dreams. Yes it is the resume that actually tells all about your work history and qualifications, but the cover letter is the first thing that the potential employer looks at before they view your resume and a cover letter offers more flexibility when it comes to selling yourself. Along with your personal information, a basic cover letter contains the following: 1.The position in which you are applying for. 2.Your reasons for wanting the job. 3.Any skills you have that relate to that job. 4.Your knowledge of the company in which you are trying to get into. Writing a cover letter doesn’t have to be rocket science and if you follow these tips you will be on your way to painless cover letter writing that will have you knocking the socks of the potential employer before your resume is every viewed: •Think before you write: Map out on paper what you want to say on your cover letter. This will allow you time to organize your thoughts so that you can better write your cover letter. •Short and sweet: Your cover letter should be short, concise, and to the point and should be kept to one page if possible. You want it to be professional sounding, but if you drag it on too long, you may lose the interest of the reader. Keep them wanting more because that more is your resume. •Make it a custom fit: When writing the cover letter make it a custom fit for the particular job you are going after. If you are going after a managerial job then make your cover letter relevant to that job. If you have managerial experience tell the potential employer that you would be the perfect candidate for the job because of it and if you do not, explain why you think you would be perfect to become a manger. Bottom line is custom fit it. •Draft, draft, draft: While your cover letter needs to be a masterpiece, it’s not a painting and you don’t have to get it on the first shot. Be prepared to do a draft or two, or three, whatever it takes. This is going to allow you to add new ideas and subtract rambling that don’t need to be included. •Proof read: Nothing say, ‘Please go on to the next resume,’ like a cover letter that is full of spelling and grammatical errors. Check it several times and make sure it is perfect when done. •Would you hire yourself: Once you have completed your cover letter, read it over as though you where the potential employer. Did you find it so intriguing that you feel like you want to know more? If not, then chances are that the potential employer won’t either. If you find this happening, go back and add and subtract until you are satisfied. Often times you only get one shot at a job you are going after so make it a good one. Take your time and create your masterpiece cover letter and doors will fly open like you never saw before. Learn more cover letter writing tips at http://www.jobgoround.com/cover_letter_tips.html. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS So You\'re Writing a Book. Now What? - Part 14 by Jim Magwood Marketing. Sales. What beautiful words, because they mean your book will be selling, right? And the answer to that question is Yes—IF the marketing is done right. However, look back at the previous part of this article to see some of the problems we face in marketing in the general publishing industry. The subject is very complex, and not many publishers have any kind of true (see my definition in the previous part) marketing program. As I said before, it will most likely come down to YOU. How much effort are YOU personally going to put into marketing your book? Last time we talked about your personal website that will feature you and your book, and here’s another little tidbit I didn’t mention about your site. While it’s okay to use many sites, yours or others, to put out the word about your book, on your personal book site, don’t mix anything else on it. This is a site that’s about YOU and YOUR BOOK, and you don’t want to have visitors looking at family pictures, your dog, the products you sell at your business downtown, etc. You want them concentrating on you and your book. You can set something up on YouTube or one of the other social sites as long as it features only your book, but don’t combine anything else on this site. (Get more sites if you want them and link them, but don’t combine them.) If you have several books, then it’s okay to put them all in one site. James Patterson and Steve Martini only have a single site each showcasing all their works, but that’s basically all they have on their sites. Once you have your site and you’ve looked at it and looked and looked and have finally decided it really does look professional, how do you get anyone to find it and look at it? You can pay a lot of different companies a lot of money for them to guarantee some kind of perfect placement in Google and others, but as I’ve said before, do you have a lot of money? If you do, you would likely be much better off hiring someone to actually market your book for you and put your money where it will do the most good. The facts of Internet marketing, though, are that there are literally millions of people and companies out there trying to use the same venue as you are to market their product. That includes at least thousands of other authors trying to sell their books. How are you going to get noticed in and around all of the other ads. There are people out there who can do a reasonable job of getting ads out where you will be seen. But, look at their pitches very carefully because there are a lot of shysters, also. I bought into a “mass e-mail” program because I wanted to get my book out in front of millions of people for exposure. It only cost me about $40. But, I knew in advance that it was an “almost spam” thing that wouldn’t likely get really noticed by most of the people that got e-mailed. However, I figured if my ad got out in the mail to three or four million people, maybe one percent (30,000?) of the people might get interested. Even 1/10%? Could sell a lot of books, right? There are lots of companies out there that you can buy into for small amounts of money, but just be very aware of what they are really going to do. Before we go further, it would be a really good thing to define a major question: Who do you think is going to buy your book? Because virtually all marketing efforts will depend on who your potential market is and how you might be able to reach that market. Here you need to get pretty specific. If you’ve written a children’s nursery rhyme book, you are not likely going to get much response by advertising in a hunting magazine or a mechanics website, even if they are really cheap. You probably need to find ways to get it into churches, day-care centers, young mothers groups and so on. If, on the other hand, you’ve written an analysis of the best techniques for building porches, sheds and lawn furniture, you should be trying to get noticed in Popular Mechanics magazine, the local carpenters club or other places made for DIY-ers (Do It Yourself-ers). Maybe the toughest project around is finding where to reach people who are interested in plain old mystery books. Dime a dozen; libraries and bookstores are full of them. How are you going to get exposure for yours? It has to be a major question as you try to market your book: Who is your target audience? I mentioned libraries. Good place to try, right? If you only got each library in the country to buy one copy of your book, that would be about 15,000 copies. So, how do you get into libraries? There are several ways to do this, and they come in stages. We’ll pick the subject up again in Part 15. Care to comment? Write to me at JimMagwood@aol.com. And visit the website at http://www.JimMagwood.com. Also, drop in to The Author’s Inn, a site designed to showcase author’s works and connect them with readers. http://www.the-authors-inn.com. Jim Magwood is the author of the international mystery novel, SANCTION. Visit him and SANCTION at his website, http://www.JimMagwood.com. Jim is also the webmaster of the site, The Author’s Inn, dedicated to showcasing author’s works. Visit The Author\'s Inn at http://www.the-authors-inn.com. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Confusing Literary Devices: Similes and Metaphors by Mary Simmers Let’s go back to our school days especially when we are in our elementary and high school days. Have you encountered the use of figures of speech? Figures of speech are different from parts of speech. The latter is consists of adjectives, nouns, pronoun, verbs and you keep on hearing those words since when you are in your grade school. But then, figures of speech are different. These are words that are use in a sentence which are often different from the literal meaning of a word. They usually express some freshness in your content, clarity and emphasis. I bet you have heard of these words? If nouns and pronouns are considered in parts of speech, then simile and metaphor are of figures of speech. Although there are a lot of figures of speech, simile and metaphor are the most common of them all and a lot of people often confuse their usage. Many writers get confused between similes and metaphors. Other than the fact that they’re both popular literary devices, they also serve similar functions – painting a comparison that helps clear up details to the reader. To differentiate between the two, here’s a quick, hard-to-forget way to tell them apart: Similes use comparison words (e.g. like, as) and metaphors don’t. Yep, it’s that simple. Now, on to the difficult part – actually, on using them in your writing correctly. Although, these two words are use to compare two nouns and they also make some contrasting statements between the two words. To make it clearer, simile and metaphor are use to show comparison between two nouns either in a positive or negative way. However, metaphor never uses like or as when comparing two words unlike simile. Here’s an example that can help you visualize what figures of speech can do: This is a sunshine breakfast. If you use simile, this will be: This breakfast is like sunshine. Like we said earlier, both instruments are used to fashion a comparison of sorts. Rather than simply do it for the sake of pitting a stapler against a ruler, however, they accomplish something far more important: they help draw the reader in by painting a visual picture of what’s being described. Many writers create emotional hooks using similes and metaphors (that’s effective, provided you pair it with good writing checkers). That’s how powerful they are. As such, integrating them into your writing can play a huge factor in how much it can involve the reader. Of course, you’ll have to do them right to get the desired effect. Take this terrible simile describing a humid afternoon, for instance: The air burned, making me feel like I was having a raging fever. Sure, it might make sense. But there’s no drama – nothing to pique people’s interest beyond the mundane comparison. A better, albeit cringe-inducing version, could be: The air burned, gnawing through my skin like plastic melting under fire. Of course, the last thing you want is to leave the reader uncomfortable (unless you’re Stephen King), so you can temper that a bit with: The air burned, stinging my skin like the first gush of hot shower. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Writing Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Improving Your Business English Skills by Jane Sumerset We are not getting any younger, so as our career in life. Before, we use to a child who plays all day long and being os dependent with our parents. We get what we want and there is no problem of becoming a child. We don’t face any stress or any difficulties about the daily life we live in. So as to be a student in our grade school, secondary years and also college. While we are growing up, we are also learning. We tend to learn things that are present in our modern world nowadays and how we are going to face life as a preparation for our next career. But now, after we graduated from college, the nest stage is yet to come. Therefore, our lifestyle also changes. We tend to adapt the life of having a job and how our language skill affects our profession. A lot of people are getting involved with business related field since they can earn a lot for their living however, you can’t stand alone if you don’t even know how to face the crowd and how you are capable of negotiating with different people and organizations. Hence, our business English skills are very important since we can only depend with it in order for us to fail with the expectations of other people in the same field that surrounds us. As familiar with everyday English use as you may be, your business English skills can probably use a little polish. After all, appropriate language for the majority of your waking hours usually isn’t geared towards getting business results. Think of business English as an additional tool in your business arsenal, the same way your three-piece suit helps you appear professional. Good business English skills paint a picture of your professional abilities and makes it easier for your contemporaries to warm up to you. Write Emails Formally To get used to writing formal emails, try writing all your emails in a professional manner, even those not directly related to your work. It’s not that large a departure from regular writing anyway – just avoid colloqualisms, repeat important points and structure your emails to read well. Don’t forget to proofread by using a software for grammar correction – it helps tremendously. Taking Business English Courses Finding information about business English has never been as easy as it is now. There are plenty of free online courses that you can go through at your own pace. Should you require lessons that are a bit more comprehensive, you can enroll in an online correspondence course or a weekend seminar in your area – both of which are usually readily available. Model The Pros Is there anyone in your organization that is particularly good at communicating personally? Model that person. Go over emails and reports they create, looking intently at how they structure their writing. Watch them during meetings to see how they interact. If you can, invite them to dinner and pick their mind, asking for advice for your own skills development. See how innovative Software for Grammar instantly can boost your writing skills and watch how NLP technology can help you to write perfect emails, letters, essays or reports. Visit: http://www.englishsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS So You\'re Writing a Book. Now What? - Part 2 by Jim Magwood We left off last time with beginning the topic of Self-Editing, so let’s go on with that. Self-editing is the time you will pick up your manuscript (as the publishers will now call it) and tear it apart and re-do it. (Screams of agony are heard wafting through the ether.) But, it’s either you do it or they will. And it’s going to be hard enough getting a new book into a publisher’s hands even if it’s perfect, so your job now is to make it the absolutely best manuscript you possibly can—so that it will be looked at. Publishers literally have thousands of manuscripts cross their desks—maybe even dozens and hundreds daily. Why are they going to look at yours? Did you know there are upward of 300,000 titles published each year now? That’s almost 30,000 titles per month. Did you also know that almost half of the population does not read any books at all? This despite the fact that in a general size bookstore there are anywhere from 5,000 to 50,000 books on display and books are now in grocery stores, car washes and gas stations, on the Internet and in major book “stores” such as WalMart.com (at highly reduced prices.) Consumers will spend multiple billions of dollars purchasing books each year, yet the chances of any one book being purchased, especially a new one from a new author, are less than 3 out of 10,000. This is the kind of competition you’re going up against, so are you prepared? A publisher has fifty manuscripts come across his desk today. He sees one that is scruffy, on plain white paper, smudged, and with two typos and mis-spellings in the first paragraph. The one right under that has a soft, colored cover with the title in huge letters and a sub-title that seems to say this is an exciting story. It’s well typed in a font that is easily read and is on a soft, beige paper. Which one do you think he’s going to even begin to look at? Sorry. Facts of life in the book publishing world. As he begin reeding, he find a dry story with looooong, rambeling, paragrahs, words mis-speled, and gramer, and punctation, that keeps him wundering what it meens, rather thn alowing him too simply reed the story. How long would you continue to read a story consisting of sentences like the last one? Yet, this is often the first introduction they have to our new works. So, the first thing you are going to do (NOT a suggestion) is to get comfortable with a couple of red pencils at hand with all the time in the world available and READ your own manuscript. Brutally. Viciously. And from the printed page, not the computer screen. Reading from the computer is all right for drafting your work and for quick proofing, but it does not allow you to view your work as a manuscript—a book. It’s usually too cramped. You don’t see a whole page at once. It has to keep moving for you to continue. You have to keep pushing buttons or pushing around a mouse to keep things going. And it doesn’t hold and feel like a book. Once you’ve actually finished the writing and have done some basic proofing and editing (spell and grammar checking), you need to invest in a ream of half-decent paper and print out the entire manuscript, preferably in “book format.” I learned that the hard way and had corrections to make that at first I just did not catch. To me, book format is converting the normal “portrait” style printed page to a horizontal, or “landscape” view, then making it into two columns per page, and printing it out so when you hold it to read, it looks and feels like a book. One more point to consider before we go any further with this. If you’ve written your work by pen or pencil or have used an actual typewriter, is there any way you can get the whole thing converted to a computer and a decent word processing program? You’re going to want to go through your manuscript a number of times making corrections and changes, and on a computer this is simply not a problem. A manually written or typed manuscript is going to be a major negative from the very beginning because you already know how much work it’s going to take to make the corrections and do all the re-writing. Borrow a computer, use the one at the library, have a friend enter it into a computer for you. Anything—but please, get it into an electronic format that will keep you from being afraid to work on it. With a computer, you can make a copy to start with and make all your changes initially on the copy. Save the original for your peace of mind. Even if you have to pay someone to “compute” your manuscript for you, it will be worth its weight in gold when you have to start turning your manuscript into a book. If you have it in a computer and on a decent word processing program like Word or WordPerfect, when you want or need to check the spelling and grammar or do a re-write, you just push a button and sit back to let it do its thing. Please—get it on a computer. You won’t regret it. See you next time for Part 3. Care to comment? Write to me at JimMagwood@aol.com. And visit the website at http://www.JimMagwood.com. Also, drop in to The Author’s Inn, a site designed to showcase author’s works and connect them with readers. http://www.the-authors-inn.com. Jim Magwood is the author of the international mystery novel, SANCTION. Visit him and SANCTION at his website, http://www.JimMagwood.com. Jim is also the webmaster of the site, The Author’s Inn, dedicated to showcasing author’s works. Visit The Author\'s Inn at http://www.the-authors-inn.com. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Book Marketing For Writers by Anifa Williams Book marketing efforts can be incredible stressful for writers. After all, you did all the hard work already. You wrote the book, you probably found a literary agent and then you got it published. You’re a story teller, not a marketing professional. Well, I’ve got news for you, if you want to receive those big royalty checks that might have inspired you to write that book; you will need to become a marketing professional. Why would you take the book this far only to stop at such a pivotal point? This is where the book publishing process gets interesting. This is now a test of your skills to see your dream to the end. There are three efforts I suggest you focus on when creating your book marketing plan. •Local Efforts – Reaching people in your home town or city will be easier than you think and it will get you in front of them to build your credentials. • Online Efforts – The internet is a vast marketplace with countless ways of marketing your book to readers you won’t be able to reach on a personal level. • Regional/National/Global Efforts – Taking your book to readers outside of your element will increase book sales beyond your imagination. Local efforts can include posting a flier at your neighborhood grocery store or attending a city fair and distributing business cards. At this level you are placing yourself in front of your reader and allowing them to see you are a person, as one of them. You would be surprised at the sense of pride someone takes when they know that you, as an author are from their neck of the woods. Come to think of it, don’t you take pride in telling people you are a writer? Let every outing from your home be an opportunity to mingle and spread the word about your book. Your online efforts take your book sales to the next level because it spans far outside of your local reach. An online book campaign when created properly can increase your book sales. Using something like viral marketing, will multiply your efforts and in turn multiply your books sales. Viral marketing is the process in which you duplicate your advertising by using a system that will then duplicate itself. For example, an email can be forwarded to hundreds, thousands and even millions of people. That is the simplest form of viral marketing. It is one unique method that is then passed on to others who also passes it on and so on and so on. Regional, national and global efforts can take cheap and simple book marketing ideas to another level. If you have a big budget you can accomplish a lot at this level. For the common newly published author the cheaper the techniques, the better. On a regional level, find out about advertising that covers your area. I live in Connecticut and the terms most often associated with this region of the United States are New England, East Coast and Tri-State area. My local cable stations will advertise businesses as far as New Jersey. New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and even Massachusetts are all within driving distance from where I live. This is an advantage for connecting with people, events and promotion events. Nationally you will be able to promote your book through channels that strive to advertise to the entire country. Such channels include television, radio and magazines. Finally, if you want to market your book on a global level, the internet will be your best bet. If allows you to sell books in your sleep. Isn’t that a nice dream? Anifa Williams is an aspiring author with several years resume writing experience. She is an advocate of utilizing natural remedies for optimal health and healing. For more information visit her website at http://anifawilliams.blogspot.com/. Written permission is required to reprint this article. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Book Marketing Help by Anifa Williams If you have reached the coveted contract stage of the book publishing process, then you now need book marketing help. Book marketing is one of the most important elements in writing a successful book. Without a book marketing plan you won’t see many profits unless you are royalty or have a famous last name. Don’t sit around waiting for an explosive marketing campaign masterminded by your agent and publisher. Take matters into your own hands. Your book, your baby, your dream, is your responsibility. There is nothing wrong with acknowledging that you need help to accomplish your goals. Arming yourself with the right resources will ensure you have options in selling your book. Spread out your efforts to reach a broader audience. Are you concentrating on selling your book to friends and family? Or do you have bigger aspirations? Determine what your goals are and then seek out the ways in which you can accomplish them. Once you have established the areas in which you need book marketing help, do some research to find resources that will bring you closer to your desired results. Talk to other writers, librarians, and bloggers. Find out what book marketing strategies they know have worked in the past. As you begin to compile this information, you will also formulate your own tailored ideas. Always be aware when you are out in public. Try to identify ways you can market your book through the elements around you. What images, sounds or influences catch your eye? Can you include music in your campaign? If so, what music appeals to your readers and how can you reach them through music? Even though I am an advocate of making things happen for yourself, you can also enlist the assistance of book marketing agents and websites. Your literary agent and publisher will of course have some ideas for you, so focus on expanding their ideas. Be cooperative with those who can offer book marketing help. Proceed with caution when entertaining the idea of paying for a marketing service. Not only can this become quite expensive, but if you are not seeing a ROI (return on investment) then you have lost money. What’s the point of that? My final piece of advice to you when marketing your book is to be organized. Stay on top of your activities. Keep a folder—either physical or digital-with all your communications and efforts. Disorganization will only hinder your success. Keep track of what book marketing strategies work for you and which do not. Keep appointments, be prompt in your replies and be professional at all times. Keep an open mind when suggestions are made to help you. Here is a freebie to help you when putting your book marketing plan together. After identifying you niche market or target audience create a list of where they shop, where they eat, what they listen to, what they wear and what interests them online. This will point you in the right direction as to where you should advertise your book. Anifa Williams is an aspiring author with several years resume writing experience. She is an advocate of utilizing natural remedies for optimal health and healing. For more information visit her website at http://anifawilliams.blogspot.com/. Written permission is required to reprint this article. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Increasing Your Book Sales by Anifa Williams By far, the biggest concern of any writer (published or unpublished) is being able to increase book sales. Yes we all love writing and yearn for the thrill and fulfillment that comes with actually having our books on the shelves of Barnes and Noble and the likes, but let’s be honest, we want our books to sell, sell and sell some more; as do our agents, our editors and our publishers. After all, why did they take us on as clients if it weren’t in hopes of being able to sell our titles? Are they not in the publishing industry as business professionals? Yes they are. This is a concept all authors need to grasp and accept. Writing, publishing and selling books is a business, a serious business. If you want to be successful, you need to understand that it is your business and no one will care about your book sales as much as you do. So let’s focus on the ever challenging task of increasing book sales. Here are three questions you need to ask yourself before creating an effective book marketing plan: • Do I have a targeted audience? • Who is my targeted audience? • How will I reach my targeted audience? Once you have answered these questions, you should create two lists. One list for online and another for offline book marketing techniques. An important part of book marketing is to know which techniques work for you and to multiply those efforts. Here are two suggestions for each list to get you started. Online Book Marketing •Create a Fan Page on Facebook (this is a great online viral marketing tool). It’s popular because it works. •Create a Flickr.com profile and add pictures that would attract your targeted audience. Be sure to include your author website URL in your profile so viewers can find you. Offline Book Marketing • P.O.S – Point of Sales is both a checkout counter in a store and the location where a transaction occurs. Consider selling your book in a local Mom & Pop store and have them place it near the register. • Library Press Release – Are you a member of your local library? Once your book has been published, meet with the branch manager and ask her to issue a press release in the library system’s newsletter. Remember when working to increase your book sales, it is important to implement a variety of strategies. Common and uncommon book marketing strategies can increase you readership drastically. Be sure to track the results of each campaign so you know in which areas to increase your efforts. When you find a technique that doesn’t work, don’t be afraid to cease your efforts for that particular method. Don’t be discouraged if you find what works for other writers does not work for you. Simply move on to the next book marketing strategy. A final point to keep in mind is to be organized in all your book marketing efforts. Disorganization will only hinder your progress and success. Anifa Williams is an aspiring author with several years resume writing experience. She is an advocate of utilizing natural remedies for optimal health and healing. For more information visit her website at http://anifawilliams.blogspot.com/. Written permission is required to reprint this article. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How to Write News Reports by Mary Simmers Writing news reports should be done in a more clever and factual way. Since it all deals with current events reporting that are fresh and should be supported with right information. Do you think that it is not that hard to write one? I guess you will encounter some troubles and difficulties when you want to write news reports especially when you don’t even know the basics of writings and how to write news reports in a proper way. News reports should be accurate. The writer should only write the real situations thus, all facts must be needed. It is not the same in essay writing. Here, you don’t have to write with your own opinion unlike essays. You don’t have to please and entertain your readers like what essays do. You are writing a news report in order to inform your readers. It is more on the truth and that are supported with facts. As you might all know, news reports are usually written in newspapers and tabloids. it is compost of a catchy and powerful headline with a byline or the author’s name, dateline, a strong lead where questions started with who, what, when and where are written, a body where explanations are stated with questions that starts with how and why, and lastly, a brief conclusion. If you are planning to write news reports, you should be aware of the current issues or events that were all happened in our surroundings. You don’t need to be employed by a broadsheet or a tabloid to write news reports. If you publish a newsletter or run a blog, for instance, you’ll find yourself including news items as a regular part of your material. News pieces typically need to be written in a particular style, one that’s intended to report the events in a clear and readable way. You should employ the following guidelines. Use a standard presentation format. Start with a summary introduction, jumping into an account of events using either one of two ways. Either detail facts from the most significant to the least important, or present them in a chronological order. Ensure proper English usage. Use a writing and grammar checker to ensure correct and standard language across your text. If your software includes a style checker, use it to guarantee proper adherence to journalism guidelines. Avoid long, romantic descriptions. This is a news story, not a travel piece. As such, avoid excessive, flowing accounts of individual places and personalities. Keep your focus on the story. Use short, concise sentences and paragraphs. News pieces work best when they rattle off quickly, rather than trudge through at length. As such, keep sentences and paragraphs short and sweet, with plenty of whitespace throughout the material. Take a few liberties, but limit their use. Want to include fiction elements like suspense and tension into your news piece? Don’t be afraid to do so if it improves the work. Do limit the creativity, though, and keep your focus on telling a clear story. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Writing and Grammar Checker Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Three Myths About Short Writing by Mary Simmers Falsehood beliefs are also present in writing. For some reason, people tend to believe what they heard or what they believe is right but they were all wrong. Wrong in the essence that they keep on relying to what they know is true without even relying to the facts. This will eventually prove them wrong since they will act in a wrong manner. Maybe you are confused but to make things clearer, as what I’ve said, there are people, most especially writers who are not equipped on how to write correctly and properly. As for me, I love short writing. Many people don’t or don’t even use to short writing. In fact, I’ve heard a lot of folks (both writers and readers, alike) deride short writing, almost like it’s highly inconsequential compared to its wordier counterparts. That attitude, of course, couldn’t be more wrong. Myth #1: Short writing can never be complete. Being short doesn’t mean a piece is lacking something. Actually, being short simply means that the writer chose to narrow the focus of the material. A well-written short piece offers up complete information for that particular subset of the subject, rather than try to cover everything within its limited confines. What matters here is that the message is direct and factual. It doesn’t need to make it long since you are just trying to convey something to your readers so why twist your message around? One more advantage about short writing is that it will make your piece more concise and understandable rather than the long ones. Since it will only make your message dull and readers will easily get bored by it. Myth #2: Short writing is never as good as longer pieces. That’s just misinformed. Many of the best writing you will find are actually short pieces and for good reason: they’ve been edited, proofread and fine-tuned by grammar improvement software to death. That’s right, short pieces are usually ruthlessly gone over and fixed, with the goal of making sure every word that stays in matters. With the limited length, there’s just no space for fillers, so all you get are killers. Longer piece can be edited and converted into shorter ones where the main concept is still at hand. So why spend some time and effort when you can do the opposite? Myth #3: Short writing takes less time. While you may spend less time during the actual writing, short writing actually requires a lot more time be invested in learning about a subject and a whole lot of time during the revision process. Unless you know a heck of a lot about a topic, you can’t have the authority to know which information to leave out. Similarly, it takes a lot of editing chops to cut down a piece of work into a small slice. You should know how to make your message short since you are dealing with some important matters here and the idea must be complete, therefore, it will take you some time to carefully omit unnecessary words. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Improvement Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Make a Proofreading Checklist by Mary Simmers Writing has never been a simple task for everyone especially by those who don’t have any experiences about it. A writer undergoes a lot of process in writing their desired contents. This will include outlining planning your piece, outlining and organizing the flow of your content, draft writing, checking, proofreading, editing, rewrite your final piece. For some, it may be an easier task but the truth is, you won’t be able to create a properly made article if you haven’t undergone those processes. If not, then you might experience the worst case, writing without having an ending. That’s because you might have a lot of trouble in creating your article whereby after reviewing it, you will end up correcting errors, omitting words and you might end up revising your article every now and then. However, if you know how to deal on end your content by dealing all the mistakes you have, then I guess there will be no problem about it. If you’ve written many times in the past, you’re probably familiar with the kind of mistakes that you usually make in your copy. Chances are, these are difficulties you end up committing repeatedly, whether they are grammar, spelling or related to other facets of your composition. Basically, when you’ve got the most problem in your grammar usage, once and for all, know first the basics. You should study more of about English grammar, at least, you already have the knowledge about these things and it will help you start your writing clear and absolute. As we all know, it is very hard and boring if you read a content with a lot of wrong grammars, misspellings and wrong punctuations on it. how will you be able to understand if that’s the case? How will you be able to attract your reader’s interest? For the most part, many of these will be careless mistakes, such as common typos and misspellings (most of which, you should be able to set up for a grammar software to fix). However, they can also be comprised of more difficult errors, such as having a tendency to write long sentences or putting together hasty closing sections. A proofreading checklist is an account of these frequent sticking points, one that you put together, specifically, for the purpose of simplifying the job of whoever’s going to be proofing your work. With such a record to refer to, you can have a clearer idea of which aspects of the text you must pay particular attention to, as they are the most likely to feature mistakes. If you’re working with a proofreader or an editor, make sure to give them a copy of this checklist. Also, make sure to do a quick rundown based on it (with the help of agrammar-fixing software), before turning in your work. After all, the less of these mistakes you can catch before passing on to the next guy, the more they can focus on less mechanical areas of your piece, such as coherence, style and clarity. Settling your work in the right manner can help you minimize your time and effort in finalizing your last piece. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar-Fixing Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Writing Fast How to Write Anything With Lightning Speed: My Top 10 Tips For Fast Article Writing by Lisa R. Brown Writing fast is nothing than a habit. It means potentially anyone can write articles quickly. The only trick is being patient and developing a habit day by day. If you also want to become a speedy writer and earn more than your competitors, then find out below top 10 tips for fast article writing. Writing Fast: How To Write Anything With Lightning Speed? Here are My Top 10 Tips for Fast Article Writing: 1.Write Several Articles Without Any Pause. When you write a few articles one by one without any interruption, you can focus better and work more productively. Believe me, as an experienced writer and article marketer I\'ve use this tactic every day and it always really works for me. This habit will even increase your regular writing speed. 2.Write On Familiar Subjects. When you are acknowledged or an expert on any topic, you will not lose extra time for research. Therefore I myself choose the affiliate product which I\'m comfortable with when it comes to marketing them using article promotion campaigns. I mean when I have good knowledge or expertise on certain niche I can earn even more by writing more articles to increase my affiliate article marketing profits. 3.Waste Minimum Time For Research. If you need some information before writing on any subject, refer to only 1-2 sources. Don’t lose more time for research. Never try to be perfect, it is enough to write helpful and useful articles. 4.Rewrite Ready Articles. You can read others\' articles and rewrite them in your own words and ideas. Always add some uniqueness to each article you are writing. Never copy others\' ideas. 5.Write Basic Content And Divide It Into Multiple Articles. Write a long article included with 5-10 tips and then produce new content per each tip. I always use this tactic to maximize my writing speed. 6.Use Article Writing Software. Like many writers, you can use article writing software for fast article writing. Choose only the best article writing software. I myself use Instant Article Wizard which provides maximum uniqueness for each article it produces. 7.Use Article Rewriting Software. Many writers use this tool to rewrite ready PLR articles instead of writing new content from scratch. 8.Use Speech-To-Type Software. Use the software that can type your speech for more productivity when it comes to writing faster than ever. 9.Write From Your Head. It is always easier and speedier to write articles when you use only your head instead of long researches and multiple resources that waste more time. I myself always prefer write from my own head to produce as many articles as possible throughout a day. 10.Use Ready Article Writing Templates. You can use ready article templates to speed up your writing. Choose clean style templates to really write articles fast than usual. Write in the style which is most comfortable for you. Conclusion: I\'m sure that even if you use only one or two of the above mentioned fast article writing tips, you will be able to write anything with lightning speed. Writing fast will turn into your daily habit. Visit http://instantarticlewizardpro.info to see in action the best Article Writing Software I Use To Create Top-Quality Articles On Any Subject In 7 Minutes Even I Know Nothing About The Topic. It helps to write keyword rich, quality articles vert fast and create multiple niche websites in a day. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Learning to Write Concisely From Editorials by Mary Simmers Editorials are one of my favorite sections of the newspaper. It’s not that I particularly care about people’s opinions on things, just that I’m usually in awe of the quality of writing they end up featuring. To me, editorial writing is a real discipline. Short and poignant, I’ve always seen them as the written version of a loud and fast one minute punk rock ditty. Done right, they can blow away the reader the same way a one-minute-wonder jolts the listener every time. For one, I’ve rarely read an editorial where I can imagine taking out an excessive word, much less a full sentence. Having run through a discerning eye and a ruthless pen, they’re the best example of economic writing – no frills and no fuss. As we might all know, editorial writing is usually applicable in the newspaper. Definitely, it can be found at the editorial section. It can also be found in tabloids and magazines. Generally, if we speak of editorial writing, it is an opinion writing where one can express and write down his/her personal opinion about a certain matter, situation or any event that had happened in our community. Basically, this part of the newspaper or magazine is usually written by the Editor in Chief or the head of the Senior Publisher on any publications. This kind of an article makes their readers react on the topic since they are stating some arguments in order to influence public opinion. It also promotes critical thinking and for their readers to take into action regarding their concerns with the topic or the issue. on the other hand, an editorial section in most news papers are always accompanied by an editorial cartoon which helps to visualize their readers mind about the topic and a Letter to the Editor to send in their reaction with the topic stated. It is where the perspective of the writer is being written down in order for their readers to comprehend about the current issue or any topic. Anyone can apply this kind of writing especially when you had tried writing in the Letter to the Editor section. If not, then you can start writing in your own. The short, succinct format, along with the laser-point focus on a single subject, almost begs you to read all the way through. Without a dragging introduction, wordy transitions or any similarly convoluted writing instrument, it’s not that difficult to slide from one paragraph to another. Do you get the drift? This is how you should be writing with the help of your grammar checker, especially when you’re creating material for business, education and other practical purposes. Close-cut and straight to the point works every single time. If you plan to write one, then you should always base your topic with the current or real issues and should be informative since the essence of this article is like that of an opinionated news story. Therefore, act like a real journalist and be careful of the grammars that you have as it may distracts your readers when they see some error writings or misspellings in your content. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Check Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS The Case Against Transitions by Mary Simmers I admit it. We’ve heavily promoted the use of transitions before. We stand by it, too. After all, those sly little elements of writing do help inspire a particular smoothness to your piece, just like a good grammar checker does. Transitions help you to convey your readers to the way you think about a particular situation or matter either you’ll use it as an academic writing or to some professional writings that are related to your field of work. This means a lot since it express your readers clearly and concisely about the topic. Besides, it will make your readers lead them from one paragraph to the next by allowing understandable and organize statements in your content. As you might know, transitions can be either a single word or a phrase. It shows relationship amongst your sentences, paragraphs or to your ideas. Since you are dealing in writing any topic as your content in essay writing, you should deal with relationships among your ideas also. But then, there are a lot of relationships that might appear in your article so it is best to use transitions to support the concept. Transitions are use when you are going to restate your previous idea, to show diversion, additions, directions, contrasting and comparing and to show sequence. Use it in a proper way. Don’t misuse any transitions since it has a corresponding role in your content. However, some very good writers out there rile against transitions completely, arguing that they’re frivolous and unnecessary. If you write with good rhythm, organize your ideas properly and present them intelligently – basically, if you write well enough – you can leave out transitions, without affecting the experience for your reader. While we won’t go that far, there are times when we do recommend leaving them out. In particular, we suggest ditching transitions when you’re writing very short pieces, such as editorials, two-page essays or news items. Rather than out of disdain for the element, however, you should cut them out for brevity – transitions do tend to drag shorter pieces into word count territory without really adding much in terms of overall clarity. Are the need for transitions greatly exaggerated by writing teachers and guidebooks? But to some extent, probably. For the most part, though, it may be more likely due to the fact that so many people have repeated the advice that some have equated it to being as indispensable as adding a period to the end of your sentence. To make your content a very interesting one, you should not use transitions in every sentence as it may distract your reader’s attention especially when you keep on repeating transitions every now and then. Transitions are good, don’t get that twisted. However, it’s time you think of it as what it really is, that being an element of writing that “helps ensure” your words flow nicely. It’s like taking a free throw while going through the full textbook motions, rather than throwing up the ball with bad form – most people can shoot a good percentage doing the former, but Reggie Miller can throw it any way he wants and still beat your score. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checker Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Clever Wordplay in Titles: Getting the Reader to Dig In by Mary Simmers Being a writer takes a lot of responsibility. One of which is to catch your readers attention and interest while reading your article. This will wake up their minds and might react to what your article conveys. Basically, there are a lot of reasons why writers need to write quality articles. The main essence of it is to express to its readers about the message of his/her story or article. And for the readers’ part, it is up to them to respond to what your ideas portray. They might make some actions about it if they had read through your article and anticipate your writings. But if they’re not, they most probably junk it or skip reading your writings. First and foremost, in order to gain your reader’s interest, you should create a good and catchy title. When writing titles, there are usually two ways to go. The first is to go at it directly, describing what the text is about. The second is to be creative, inserting some clever wordplay to produce a playful beginning to the writing. On the web, the first type dominates the majority of writing that you’ll find. It’s understandable, too. Given the short attention span and search-based discovery of materials, the direct type of title usually gives your piece the best chance of getting eyeballs from people looking for it. If you’re seeking out instructions on how to build a shelf, for instance, would you click on an article called “How To Build A Shelf” or a clever-sounding one called “Shelved: Lessons In Summer Carpentry.” Sure, the second sounds infinitely more interesting. When you’re looking for information about a specific subject, though, it’s more likely than not that the first one will be the initial place you’ll look at. In fact, there’s a good chance your excellently-written, cleverly-worded and grammar checker approved piece will not even be given a second glance. Regardless, clever wordplay in titles does have its place. When you have a captive audience (such as the case when you write for class or for a magazine), inserting some of that wordsmithing playfulness can set up the reader to dive into your text with more fervor than a hungry dog chancing upon a plate of meat. Okay, maybe not that much. Still, wouldn’t you rather they be more enthused? Every time I think of clever wordplay, I think of one title I read a long time ago: “Headless Body Discovered In Topless Bar.” It might be a tad tasteless, but you can’t deny the wit behind that headline prodding you to look at the story behind it. If you can come up with a title that mixes both informative directness and wordplay, you’ll know you’ve hit gold. For the shelf example above, you can go with “How To Build A Shelf Like A Tireless Workhorse Elf,” for instance. Sure, that’s not the sexiest sample out there, but you get the idea. Just because using direct titles is prescribed nowadays, that doesn’t mean you can’t infuse a little of your humor into it. Simply look for opportunities and take them when they present themselves. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checker Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS The Story is in Your Head: A Guide to Writing Faster by Mary Simmers Writing is easy though for those who are first timers, you guys might find it hard to start your writings. Especially when you are not that equipped in using the correct grammar format, spelling and how to use the language well. It will be a big problem in your part. Therefore, before you indulge into writing, you should possess the basic knowledge on English language and grammars. It is not good to write ahead but then you have some difficulties on how to use the language correctly, then, it will be a lot of waste in your time and effort. If you’re proficient enough with the language and grammar usage then you can start writing on draft. Put down what your mind speak out and your feelings foretell. Make it a habit in order for you to enhance yourself more. Before writing, you’ll have to undergo to some process that you should pay attention to in order for you to write correctly and fast. Fast writing can be achieve through the help of your head where your ideas are kept. So you’ve done the whole pre-writing work. You’ve performed the research, understood the subject and even took the time to turn it over on its head. You’ve drafted an outline and are ready to begin writing. As you start, with your grammar checker and composition tools in hand, realize that the story is now in your head. Sure, the outline is probably sitting there in front of you. However, the rope that will tie all those little itemized ideas together into a cohesive tale that speaks its message is residing in your mind. It’s what you’ll bring out once you start typing on the keyboard, fashioning your piece into the shapely readable mass of letters you’ve been angling for it to be. Those notes on the little index cards? File them away. The list of websites you used as reference? Drop it in a password-protected deep folder and promise not to open it till you’re done writing. These sources of research, while qualified allies, are hardly your best tools when it comes time to mold your work. Instead, they’re like Twitter – you open it to peek at a couple of 140-character messages and end up spending the next three hours digging through a heck of a lot of them. When you come across some confusing part of the piece that you think your notes may be able to supply, just tell yourself that it won’t. If you get the urge to clarify something by getting online and searching for it, take a deep breath and just continue writing. Believe that the story is already in your head and act accordingly. After your draft it done, that’s the only time to peek at your notes or put in additional verification research. See, that part of the job falls right under the editing/proofing process, not during the act of composition. Try it and see for yourself. The difference in the speed by which you end up writing could amaze you. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checker And Composition Tools in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Things to Do When You’re Revising by Mary Simmers When writing, it’s always prudent to allow plenty of time for revision. When you’re done writing with the piece you are aiming to have. It needs to be revise especially when it is too long or too much use of unnecessary words are being held up in your content. After all, first drafts are rarely perfect. In fact, it’s more likely that the first version of any length of text you produce will be fraught with errors. Usually, it is more on the spelling, grammar, proper format and of the correct use of the punctuation marks. As a rule, it’s best to set aside a minimum of one day for revising moderate lengths of writing. Naturally, the longer the text, the more time you will need to allot for the activity. If you aren’t familiar with the revision process, you can use our checklist for steps to follow. Identify your message. What’s the main message of the piece? Identify it and keep it in mind throughout the revision process. If any part of the text contradicts it or adds no value in delivering it, you may want to consider updating them (or cutting them off entirely). Identify your purpose. Who will read the material and how would you like it to affect them? Should they be entertained, enraged or informed? Does your material successfully achieve its purpose? Re-evaluate your evidence. During the revision process, try to evaluate the evidence and supporting information you are using. Are they sufficient to support your thesis or do they feel lacking? Tighten your writing. A grammar checking software should easily correct any mistakes in spelling, punctuation and grammar use. Additionally, you can use it to help evaluate particular statements that may cause problems. If you’re attempting to write in a specific style, some grammar checkers also include a facility to evaluate how well your writing adheres to it. When you start to write, just take it down what your mind would possibly think. Essays are created base on the writer’s point of view. You can choose for your own topic. It can be political base, critics, comparing something, reviews or any kind of topic that your imagination had gone wild. Plan out how you will run your essay. How will you start it? What’s the content of your body will contain and how will you end up your essay? Then, writing will come on handy if you know the uses of an English language. When you’re done, review it and have it proofread. Revise if necessary. Omit words or phrases that are not significant with your context. Read it all over again until you are able to finalize your draft. Then you will have to format it once you’re done. This will make your essay to look good and organized especially when someone is going to read it. Finally, you’re on the go. Practice what needs to be practice and enhance your skills on this kind of work. Now start writing! Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checking Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How to Write in an Organized Manner by Mary Simmers Needless to say, sometimes a writer feels uneasy especially when he/she is sitting on the chair for almost 8 hours or more doing nothing but to write an article. I guess it is pretty much interesting to write something what your mind and heart dictates. However, a lot of writers are finding a hard time to finish a piece in a shortest possible time. Have you experience writing up contents and you end up having several pages of the piece? You might have some problems in editing and revising your script. That’s a big jaw drop for you. Know the basic knowledge on how are you going to polish your content to make it a little bit shorter than your usual writing and also, it must be a quality article in order to give your readers a quick snap of the topic. Writing from the seat of your pants may be just as valid as any form of writing. However, that doesn’t make it an advisable way if you want to come up with the best material that you can. Organization is key to producing excellent writing, especially ones that are clear and concise. Set aside time for each phase of the writing process, making sure that you leave enough space to comfortably manage the piece. No amount of organization, after all, can help you if you wait till the last minute to actually begin working. Pre-Writing Divide your pre-writing activities into five main steps. oGenerating ideas oGathering the necessary research oAnalyzing the research oIdentifying the main point (you come up with the main thesis right here) oDeveloping a plan Those are all pretty self-explanatory. The last one, in particular, involves whatever instrument you use to make the actual job of writing easier. My personal choice is using outlines, while others work well with storyboards or flowcharts. Actual Writing For shorter pieces, I recommend writing one draft as fast as you can, working to fix any issues during the revision process. For longer ones, it’s usually best to do two drafts before proceeding to the editing process. Try not to write and revise on the same day – it’s difficult to be objective about your work this way. You can use grammar checking software at this point since it only adds a few extra minutes to the job, but you should also employ it later at the last step. Editing Some people like to edit their own work. Others prefer the keen eye of trained editors. If you’re not in a position to pay someone to do the job, do use a suitable guideline. It’s one thing to edit; it’s another to do it without a clear idea of what you’re looking for. With all these tips on how to organize your content, you can now apply it right now and start writing with no difficulty. Make sure you had followed the above concerns and make it a habit when you write future contents or articles. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checking Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Press Release Writing Tips by Jason Kay Writing a press release for dissemination to various media sources can be a great way to gain exposure for your company, your website, or a new product that you are selling. But like anything else that is written you have to be sure that the press release you write is done with all the right things in mind. If you take the time to write a press release that simply sounds like a sales pitch and is filled with grammatical errors you are in fact wasting your time and the press release will not be read by very many people. Those who do read it will simply write it off as a joke and your efforts will be all for not. Here are some essential tips on writing a press release that are sure to have more people reading it: •Be selective with information: Be sure that the information in the press release is newsworthy and not too sales pitchy. •Hook the reader: Your press release should ‘hook’ the reader and let them know right off the bat why they are reading the press release and why they should continue to read. •Be descriptive in the right way: Always start the press release out with a short summary of the news and then who is releasing it and not the other way around. •Make it relatable: If you were to read the press release, would you relate to it? If not then chances are neither will anyone else. •Choose words wisely: Avoid using lots of adjectives and fancy lingo in the press release. This can be a major turn-off to readers especially if the lingo is specific to an industry which is known as ‘insider’ talk. •Write factual: Stick to the facts and do not fabricate press releases. No one likes a liar. •Make sure there is plenty of contact info: Give as much contact info as possible including phone numbers, fax numbers, and in some cases even an e-mail address. Be sure you are also including the name of your company and the contact person. •Keep it to one page: You will want to aim to keep your press release short and to the point and down to one page if possible. No one wants to take the time to read a press release that has as many pages as a short story. •Beware the format: Depending on which source you release your press release through you may have to use a specific format. If there is a specific format that is required and you fail to produce your press release in that format, it will more than likely get tossed in the trash and never make it to the news wire. When properly executed a well written press release will not only draw attention to your company but it will also have the possibility of getting picked up by any number of media outlets. This scenario will never happen however if you do not take the time to be sure that your press release is done in the proper format, is well written, and above all else, is interesting to the reader. Save $25 off http://PRWeb.com press release distribution service by using a PRWeb coupon code (http://www.pressreleasereviews.com/pr-web-coupon-code). FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How to Use Adjectives and Adverbs by Mary Simmers As a writer, we must be knowledgeable enough to know and determine all the parts of speech. The most common are the nouns and pronouns which we commonly use these two as our subject in a sentence. To add up some variations with our subject, we use adjectives and adverbs that best describes or modify our subject and its corresponding verb. However, one writing mistake that seems to appear all too frequently is the misuse of adjectives and adverbs. Every writer should know how to differentiate these two as a part of speech. The common use of adjective ad adverbs is that they serve to modify a word. Now, what are these words? What kind of words? Let’s face back. Some statements require adverbs; others will require adjectives. It’s important to distinguish when to use one or the other, lest risk finding yourself committing the error. Here are the rules on their proper use. Adjectives are words that modify nouns and pronouns. Adverbs, on the other hand, modify verbs, adjectives and other adverbs. Sometimes, adverbs will modify a whole clause or an entire sentence, too. When considering whether to use an adjective or an adverb (e.g. slow or slowly), always look for those parts of the speech that you’re intent on modifying. Is it the noun (e.g. a dog, as in “slow dog”)? Is it the verb (e.g. run, as in “run slowly”)? One point of confusion is when the modifier is used away from the noun (e.g. They tried to be careful). In such cases, you can recognize the need to use an adjective when the modifier will be preceded by a form of the verb “to be” (such as is, was, to be). Verbs of appearance and sense (e.g. feel, look, appear, seem) are always followed by an adjective. Remember, it doesn’t modify the verb preceding it, but the subject of the sentence. For example, in the sentence, “She seems perturbed,” the modifier is referring to the pronoun, instead of the verb. Truth is, adjectives and adverbs are largely basic components of the language. Some amount of practice and continued use of a good grammar checker should see you improve in their use within a short time. Furthermore, you might be confuse about a certain word and can hardly identify if it is an adjective or an adverb. Let’s say the words beautiful. Usually, it is use as to modify a subject, either a noun or a pronoun. It could be a person, a place, thing or an event. Like for example: She is beautiful. The beautiful girl knows how to skate. Notice how the word “beautiful describe its subject? In the first sentence, it describes the subject she which is a pronoun and the second sentence describes the subject girl. Now, how are you going to use it as an adverb? Here’s an example: the girl skates beautifully. Do you notice how the word “beautiful” is being use as an adverb? It describes the way the girl skates. Therefore it modifies a verb. Just focus on the modifiers and where they usually modify. If it’s the subject, then its an adjective. If it’s a verb, an adjective or another adverb, then it’s an adverb. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checker Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How to Edit Phrases and Sentences For Conciseness by Mary Simmers For some reasons, many people like to write what their minds and feelings portray. Especially those writers who are to write on their not just because they were told to write or that it is their duty or requirements to write. If you are writing just because you wanted to do something fun, maybe a hobby or you just want to enhance yourself more in writing especially in developing your English skills more, then you might find yourself writing such a long piece with several pages on it. That’s normal if you are going to write a story or a novel, any fiction writings or you just write what you wanted to write. It’s fun when you started to make one on your own. However, when it comes to editing and proofreading your work, for some reason you wanted to published it or to submit your content in order for you to gain a lot of readers, there is a little problem on how to finalize things up. Generally, I dissuade people from editing for conciseness at a word level. Believe it or not, many grammar check software can handle that all on their own – they don’t need your help. Sure, they might miss the occasional word or two, but that doesn’t justify poring through every letter sequence in your 1000-page novel just to find them. Instead of going that route, I’ve always championed editing from the phrase and sentence level instead. It’s a faster way to work, with more valuable results, especially in the long run. Condense Phrases Into Less Words. Most of the time, your first draft will be riddled with many phrases you can shave down into one or two words. Change them whenever possible. Whether it’s because of infinitives, expletives or any other wordy writing instrument, catch them and put them on a slimming diet. Example: A phrase like “department with the best numbers for this quarter” can be written as “this quarter’s best department,” “department with the best quarterly numbers,” “best department for this quarter” or even “best-performing department.” Depending on the context laid out by sentences before it, either one of those four shorter options is usually better. It’s is better to keep it short but then the thought is still there are there is no need to make it long and keep those unnecessary words. It will only make your sentence dull. Reverse it around if you find one. Review Clauses That Use That, Who, Where And Which. Clauses prefaced by the above four words (along with other similar instruments) usually deliver meaning that can be conveyed by a phrase. Unless you’re intentionally trying to make your sentences longer, give them up for their shorter counterpart. Example: “The book, which was written by Jason Hemingway…” can be converted as a single phrase as “Jason Hemingway’s book…” Be mindful enough to make your content an interesting one. Sometimes, your readers will find it boring to read when you create a lot of long sentences where you can even make it shorter if you want. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Check Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Why You Should Work Hard on Your Scientific Abstracts by Mary Simmers Good science is only one half of a scientist’s work; the other half is about communicating those results to other people. Scientific meetings are a great opportunity to present this work and writing scientific abstracts can prove to be a crucial component in helping people understand it. Basically, when you are writing any reviews, experimentations, thesis, or presentations, these things should really stick to the facts that you had gathered and tested. Especially, when your readers were listening to what you are going to report with them. Therefore, all the necessary information that are supported with facts and is quite complicated must be stated or explain briefly. However, if you are new into writing, then you might be experiencing some difficulties on how you are going to start your abstracts particularly when it is base-scientifically for you to handout. Bad Abstracts Since an abstract is where all the necessary and complete information about your study or written work is place in this part. Sadly, most scientific abstracts are just bad. This is particularly true for many graduate students with little experience in the activity. Instead of putting a lot of work in the abstract, they will tend to dismiss it, citing that it’s only for the sake of formality – the real effort should be invested during the actual presentation. Problem is, only a handful of people who will read your abstract will ever really be able to see your presentation, including many companies and potential employers. As such, if you do a poor job, the impression they get from the abstract will end up being their only window into your work. A lot of them won’t even mind writing it correctly and the result will be a total thumbs down. Write It Like You Mean It Forget about putting an abstract haphazardly at the last minute. That’s never going to work. Instead, you have to write it with the same amount of attention that you will put on a report for class. In fact, putting it together like a short term paper is probably the best way of looking at it. As you do with class papers, your abstract should stand alone as an accurate and complete summary of the full scientific research. It should be simple, without being simplistic. It should talk about science, but do it in a way that even the casual reader can understand. It should be clear and as free from language errors as much as possible, passing the standards of a grammar checking tool at the bare minimum. Lastly, always ask yourself, “If I was an attendee seeing this experiment for the first time, does the abstract illuminate the problem for me?” For sure, you will end up thinking that it is not that hard to write a scientific abstract since you will base it to what you have research. All the facts and some other relevant details are briefly place on this part but it is stated in a general form but then, remember that it must possess with powerful content that your audience will exactly learn from your piece. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checking Tool Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Word Interrogation: Why It’s an Inefficient Way to Edit Your Writing by Mary Simmers There are a lot of important things that needs attention when someone is going to start writing a piece. Whatever your purpose in writing is, it might be a requirement for school or any assignments, it can be you field of work or any other reason, it all requires focus and attention in deliberating your content very well. Most importantly, you should possess the skills in writing effectively and efficiently knowing how to deliver your English grammar well. One other thing is that you piece is the result of your creative thinking and thorough research about a particular topic or event. On the other hand, whatever your technique in writing, you should please your readers well and that it is properly formatted in order to avoid any unnecessary part of your content. Like for example, any misspellings, grammatical errors and wrong punctuations. Therefore, after you write your very own content, you have to edit and proofread it right. It is best to help yourself study how things are being done in this category. Basically, you need to deal with any English lessons both written and speaking. Enhance yourself more in order for you to work with your content without any difficulty. As what I have encountered, many people are not that good in editing their piece and sometimes they may even delete it all leaving them from a long story piece to a short one. As a result, all of your efforts are being cut off and is gone into waste. Now you don’t have to experience that too. Some people edit material like they’re pressing a suspect to confess to a crime. Each word gets reviewed and pondered upon. Every punctuation gets scrutinized. While I support writers who can work with such tenacity, I think it’s a lot of effort best turned to other things. Sure, such level of attention to detail can help you turn up a good piece. However, that same depth of involvement can be the water that you eventually drown in. Neck deep in your ideas, it can be difficult to objectively surmise where you’re taking it. Instead of surveying every filled space before a blank, just run the text through your grammar software. If you use a top-end grammar checker, you likely won’t ever have to bother checking for spelling, grammar correctness, style adherence and punctuation use. Some of them can even go so far as to help you edit for cohesion, effectively eliminating a large chunk of proofing and editing work. Working this way, you go from “word interrogation” to sentence-level sleuthing – a major savings in the time and energy you invest in the material. Instead of worrying about all that other stuff that can be put on automatic, you can bring your focus on rewriting sentences for tighter quality, adding transitional devices and reworking how you express your ideas for clarity. Then, you will save your time more and effort with all that stuffs and you r work will be more productive than you used to be. Isn’t that just an absolutely better way of working? Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Your Audience and the Level of Formality in Your Writing by Mary Simmers If you are into writing, you should know the flow of your piece. If you are writing news story, reports, thesis, reviews, presentations and speech then you should aim a formal and piece of work. If you are into writing a novel, any stories, essays, and notes, then it’s a bit of informal when it comes to its sequence. There are also contents that have different variations or what we call it types in writing. It can be fictional or non-fictional. It depends upon the writer. However, the level of formality of a piece of work can be determined by many things. Most important, still, are the expectations of your audience. Always put up into your mind that your readers are the ones who will judge your content if they are really captivated by your writings or whether they will feel bored and skip it while reading. If you are writing a cover letter for a job application, what level of formality will the company’s HR be expecting from it? How about an email to a friend or an academic essay? A potential employer will most likely expect your letter to be formal, while a friend is naturally expecting something casual. Here are some tips and facts that you should be able to know as a writer in order to please your readers as well as it fits to the kinds of audiences that you will have: Casual Writing. Casual writing, also called informal writing, gives you the license to use the language in a less-rigid manner, largely reflecting the way you speak. Slang terms, contractions and other non-standard English forms are allowed. Letters to friends, commenting on blogs and other non-official forms of writing can be accomplished in a very casual manner without any troubles. Semi-Formal Writing. Semi-formal writing blends the easy-going manner of casual style with the assertive structure of formal prose. It is best employed when you’re not very comfortable writing in a formal voice, but don’t want the excessive nonchalance of casual form. A good example of this is when sending an email to a close family member about a serious topic – it’s inappropriate to be formal, but the subject simply isn’t casual. Formal Writing. Formal writing is the most strict of these three styles, with a set of rules and conventions that need to be followed to the letter. Language has to be strictly textbook and to the point. Most people expect business correspondence to be laid out in such a manner, as well as discussions of a legal nature, among others. It should be stated in a more professional way and is therefore properly made. If you already know the difference of writing any of these styles, then you should apply it to whatever kind of piece you will have to write. The next thing you should also bear in mind is the structure of your content or if it has any grammatical errors and if it is properly formatted. If you’re having trouble determining whether your text adheres to proper standards of formality, check in with your grammar checker, as it can take that factor into consideration when running through your work. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checker Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS 10 Tips For Copywriting Success by Enzo F. Cesario While video and multimedia technologies are rapidly expanding, the Web remains a largely a text-oriented system. Text utilizes far less space than video or audio, and remains the go-to medium for the majority of the web\'s public content. This means that there is a lot of copy on the web, so a savvy copywriter should be on the lookout for any technique that will improve the material he puts forward. Tip 1 - Know Yourself This piece of advice has been kicking around for several thousand years, and it has persisted for a reason - people make better decisions when they know their strengths and limits. If your writing lends itself to narrative structures, find ways to tell stories about the product, perhaps in the form of a testimonial or an interview. If you aren\'t capable of writing technical articles, don\'t try to bluff it. Tip 2 - Improve Yourself The web changes, language changes, people change, products change… in short, everything changes. This is a good thing. Improvement and training are important changes that everyone must go through in some degree if they want to remain relevant. You may want to consider enrolling in a writing course, study new SEO and copywriting tips, pick up a highly rated style manual, or continue refining your skills in some other way. Tip 3 - Target Your Language to the Audience There is always an audience. Whether writing a letter specifically to one individual or composing for a website to be viewed by international customers, take the time to find out who your audience is and tailor the writing accordingly. Academics will have different writing standards than a DIY auto repair services, and neither will appreciate receiving articles targeted to the other. Tip 4 - Write Coherently Compare the following two statements: a - The Large Hadron Collider, created and maintained by CERN in Geneva, is designed to locate and study the Higgs-Boson particle, which will provide insight into the origin of the universe. b - CERN intends to use the Large Hadron Collider to locate and study the Higgs-Boson particle in an attempt to gain insight into the origin of the universe. The first sentence is full of asides and parenthetical statements while the second conveys the information more fluidly. There are times when asides and references are important, but as a general rule, take any opportunity you can to simplify your writing. Your message will be stronger and clearer for the effort. Tip 5 - Write Specifically Again, consider this ambiguous sentence; \"Anti-nuclear protestors released live cockroaches inside the White House Friday, and these were arrested when they left and blocked a security gate.\" While it seems innocuous enough on the surface, this statement does illustrate the problem with ambiguous grammar. Good copywriting is precise and unambiguous. Here it comes across as funny, but if your customers aren\'t coming to your site to laugh, go with a clearer example. Tip 6 - Write Concisely Strunk and White\'s \'The Elements of Style\' sums this up as \'Omit needless words.\' Stick to short, clear paragraphs and sentences. Elaborate where needed, but focus on efficient writing that gets the message across without pointless extras. Tip 7 - Start Strong Journalism focuses on a technique known as the lede. In short, this is all the relevant detail of the story conveyed in one sentence, and it always comes at the start of the article. \"A local man was arrested today in connection with the recent kidnapping of a foreign exchange student.\" Notice it doesn\'t give names or quotes, just the hard-core facts. While online copywriting rarely needs to emulate this exact approach, it still illustrates a key point; good articles present their best facts quickly while hooking the reader. Tip 8 - End Strong There are countless examples of writing that start out with the proverbial \'bang,\' only to wander off pointlessly. Focus your writing on its key message and make sure the final statement is as strong as the first. Write your beginning statement and ending statement at the same time and make sure the article is always leading toward that killer end sentence that ties the article up in a powerful way. Tip 9 - Read While this partially falls under the idea of improving yourself, it\'s also a specific example that deserves its own mention. Read constantly. Read good articles and bad, seeing what works and what does not. People who are widely read write better than comparable writers who don\'t read as much. Tip 10 - Write Constantly. Copywriting is a talent like any other. Daily practice with writing will expand your ability to try new ideas and reinforce good habits. Even if you have no copywriting assignment at the moment, browse the web looking for websites in your area of expertise, and see if you can\'t improve their copy. Then you can either consider it free practice, or perhaps give the authors a call to see if they\'re interested. Enzo F. Cesario is a digital brand engagement specialist and co-founder of Brandsplat which uses Brandcasting to deliver prequalified traffic to e-commerce websites. For the free Brandcasting Report go to http://www.Brandsplat.com or visit our blog at http://www.ibrandcastin FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Starting a Piece in the Thick of the Action by Mary Simmers Some topics work best when presented in a formal manner, easing the reader into the subject by a subtle introduction and expanding as they go further. Other times, however, a piece can make the most impact when told right in the middle of the action. News pieces are excellent materials for beginning with this type of introduction. A write-up about a crowd incident at a basketball game, for instance, should do very well when written in this manner. Beginning the article with an account of the events happening among the crowd should prove more compelling to read than talking about the logistics of the game. Many narratives are written this way, too. Instead of laying the foundation for the story, you take the reader right into the middle of the plot, filling in the missing details later on as the rest of the material unfolds. Instead of telling the story from the beginning, laying all the background down, you throw the reader into the plot, setting a fast pace for the remainder of the story. This type of introduction works with many types of fiction and non-fiction, not just the ones above. Any type of subject, in fact, can be treated in this manner, with varying degrees of effectiveness, dependent on both the actual story and the writer (not to mention, the quality of their grammar checker). There is nothing to worry if it’s your first time to write any content or piece. Whatever you reason for writing is, it is best to make yourself suitable in the mechanics or writing quality articles. Those contents which are not that long and not that short but contain the necessary information or ideas which makes your readers or audience react with the strong points in your article. Usually, you will end up thinking what your article should start, what will be the flow of your article’s body and how are you going to end your content. Sticking to the main topic can make your article to run smoothly. You can gather some relevant information from your friends, form the new and form the internet in order for you to support your statements. As much as possible, don’t include words that will not contribute mainly to the success of your article. It will only make your content a boring one if you do so. Another thing you should also remember is to format your article well. Proper delivery of the grammars and the spellings should always be noted after making your first draft. Lastly, furnish your article well for the final submission and then you’re good to go. If you want to try it for yourself, plan out your work so that your introduction will begin as close as possible to the end of the action. So as to keep the suspense, you should also stop as quickly as you can, providing just enough to stimulate the reader’s appetite. Future write=ups will an easy thing if you manage to do this stuff. Practice more and make it as a habit for you to improve. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checker Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Ebook - Writing Skill Tips by Roberto Sedycias Having knowledge on many subjects and passing it on in some type of media, paper book or ebook, will certainly be beneficial to others, but this requires proper tact and skill of putting the words together. The majority of people suffer as the facts or ideas do not come as planned despite many frustrating attempts, and this eventually leads to dissatisfaction. Gradually, some writers give up in sharing the information with others in the aim of making some profit. Possessing adequate knowledge and information implies that a person should learn how to write an ebook that captivates the reader`s attention. Ebook refers to the electronic book that is read on a screen of ebook readers or computers by browsing. Making an ebook content may be simple for some, while a daunting task for others as it involves choosing and drawing pictures as well as writing content. There are adequate guidelines to assist in making an ebook content to be catchy, informative and a bit entertaining. There are many good reasons for writing an ebook yourself and making money as you like, than trying to sell others` outdated ebooks. Choosing a niche for your ebook writing should be the first step and finding something that others have missed may be the right target. Initially, this may be difficult but may be worth it as there will be less competition and people will be tempted to read your ebook for the contents and information it imparts. This is advantageous only after you know your audience, whether they are students, lawyers, housewives and etc. Also the content and layout should be dependent on the audience targeted, such that teenagers expect the ebook to have lively colors, while the professional type of people appreciate formal addressing words to be the better option. Secondly, the message to be conveyed to the audience should get to the point. Ensure that the attention is caught such that the reader should read everything up to the last and this can be accomplished when the continuity is maintained. Thirdly, carefully choosing images or pictures that is lively and fun attracts interest, in fact, even the font type, color and size should be determined. Even if the topic is serious, making it attractive with humor and images may be a good way of gaining attention. However, ensure that the ebook content is not cluttered and while writing it, imagine yourself to be the reader as this will make you write in a way which the message will be more easily understood. Eventually, the ebook layout should be presentable with neat photos and words relating to the subject. You can increase the sales by offering bonuses to people buying your ebook and thereby increasing demand for it. Also you can offer digital downloads of other things of interest for people buying your products, but ensure that the download you are offering is related to your ebook. This is a good way that even top marketers are using to boost their sales. You can have access to articles about ebooks in portuguese language from page http://www.polomercantil.com.br/livros.php Roberto Sedycias works as IT consultant for http://www.polomercantil.co FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How to Organize Your Written Arguments Using the Toulmin Method by Mary Simmers Researching your arguments and having them at hand is one thing. Organizing them to ensure the most effective results is another. The Toulmin Method of Logic is a popular formula for presenting your arguments in a persuasive or opinion piece. This is frequently use by writers who add up some logic in their writing. It is very important to learn this method especially when you deal complex situations and needs a supporting evidence to very your statement most importantly, when you are writing arguments in a written or spoken piece. Since you are dealing with arguments which are the most significant type in making your sentence meaningful and life on it, applying this method will be an easy thing for you to learn and make your piece an effective one. It’s also one of the simplest and most easy to use, which spurs most people to employ it in their own work. Needless to say, we implore you to use a grammar checking software to ensure that your arguments go through convincingly, as nothing stops a good argument dead in its tracks than poor writing. As you can see, most readers love to finish reading you writing if it has provided them with such interest. Avoid making your readers feel bored but if that happens, they might even skip your content from reading. If you are quite satisfied with the essence of applying this method to your vocation and to please your readers, then know how to start writing using Toulmin Method of Logic. How does it work? Here’s the basic formula for presenting an argument, in order: o Claim o Data o Bridge o Backing o Counterclaim o Rebuttal The claim is the main object of your argument. Data involves all the evidence you gathered to support that claim. If you claim that “Veganism lessens your environmental footprint,” then your statistics of the amount of CO2 that the processing of meat produces in the atmosphere is a data that helps you back up the thesis. The bridge is the explanation of how the data supports the claim. Continuing the example, you can state that “Veganism eliminates the use of processed meat products, thereby eliminating the added CO2 released into the atmosphere.” Backing represents additional logic that supports the bridge, such as comparing the amount of gases produced by an SUV for twelve months, compared to the potential gases released by eating meat everyday for the same period. A counterclaim is an argument that disagrees with your own claim. Why add it in? The idea is to quell the objection, before the reader even gets the chance to raise it. For instance, you can say that, “Some people will argue that eating vegetables leave environmental footprints, too.” But, you’ll rebut this counterclaim, by putting forward that “Growing vegetables in your yard, releases only a small percentage of the CO2 produced in meat production, effectively reducing the amount of gases you produce as an individual.” You can include additional evidence for a stronger rebuttal. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checking Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS The Basics of Effective Sales Writing by Mary Simmers Still confused about what makes an effective sales letter? Your job as a sales letter writer is to sell not by writing well, but by striking a balance: you have to be exciting without being sensational, and you need to be as truthful about your product as possible, playing on its strengths and using these strengths to fuel your letter. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes. The meat of a sales letter is not only in its message, but in its language. Many sales letter writers think that they have to speak formally, as this connotes respect; other sales letter writers think that they can use casual language, as this seems to put a sales letter writer in the midst of the masses. Overly formal language can alienate your customer, when what you really want to do is attract them to your company. Overly casual language can annoy your customer, when what you really want to do is make them feel that they need you. Strike the balance between formality and casual conversation. You do not need to go overboard with the greetings, and neither should you gush with excitement so that you seem more a hyperactive marketer high on uppers than a marketing expert showing the value of the product or service that he or she is trying to sell. If you have been trying to write one, best get yourself up to speed. A poorly-done sales copy is a one-way ticket to blowing all of your marketing dollars (or your clients’, whichever the case may be). Every business will have plenty of information and statistics about their product or service. However, all of that material can never sell anything on its own. Dry facts don’t convince prospects to buy – that’s where effective sales writing comes in. Before even beginning to write the sales letter, you’ll need to be acquainted with two things: your product and your prospects. Once you get to know these two components inside out, then get your grammar check software handy – you’re ready to begin writing. Drawing Them In. A strong headline and an enticing introduction are two of the most crucial parts of a sales letter. If they can’t persuade the reader to dive further, you have already lost the game. Chances are, your letter’s ending up not being read at all. Intrigue is your best friend. Reaching Out. The rest of the material involves reaching out to your prospect and selling them on the product. Accomplishing this involves making the conversation feel personal (thus, the value of knowing your prospect beforehand), interesting (by arousing their interest) and necessary for their situation (by laying down the benefits they can derive from it). Closing The Deal. Of course, you’ll have to seal the deal with an action call. Make it urgent, so they’re compelled to act in the moment. At the same time, make it sound as easy possible – complicated things will just turn most people off. Naturally, you can dig down into the details of each of these phases even further. In fact, you can write an entire book about it. Generally, though, you can use this brief list as a guideline from which to begin building your sales letters, researching each smaller aspect as you see fit. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Check Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Report Writing Tips by Mary Simmers Report writing can come in different shapes, depending on your topic and supervisor’s requirements. It can also contain all or just part of report writing components. When writing reports, clarity or the clearness of thought or style is always key. It is a way of informing and persuading people as well as initiating change. You might prepare or contribute to annual, project or progress reports. A well-structured report that has clear objectives will get more attention and is more likely to produce the intended results. After all, if your readers don’t understand the information in your material, then the report is a resounding failure. No amount of mesmerizing wordplay can fix that. To ensure that you achieve optimal results, compose your reports with these guidelines in mind: Choose the proper voice. Depending on the type of report you’re doing, some manners of writing will be more appropriate than others. Formal reports for academe and professional organizations usually need to be written in the third person, while company memos and letters are best done with a first person voice. Who is your audience. This is the first thing you must ask yourself in order to determine the tone in which you should be writing. Writing a report to your manager will have a very different tone than if you were writing report to a layman. Determine who your reader (or readers) will be and what your purpose is in writing to them. Write the body of the report first. The body of report writing is the main part that includes all the facts and materials essential for understanding of the problem. As we all know, it has three sections. First - Theories, models, and hypotheses. This section is optional. By giving it, you introduce the theoretical basis for your project; Second - Materials and methods. This is a part where you describe (and illustrate) the materials used, and give a step-by-step report on how you were completing your task; and Third - Results. This section summarizes your efforts and gives information about what you discovered, invented, or confirmed through your research. The abstract, introduction, title and all those accompanying components are secondary to the body of your report. In fact, what ends up as the meat of your writing will usually dictate how all of those other aspects play out. Use a consistent structure across each section. Once you start using a specific structure in one section, use it all throughout the piece. It makes reading through the material easier, allowing the reader to find what they’re looking for much faster. Use headings and subheadings. These components will help organize your report, as well as guide your reader through every aspect of it. Most importantly, it helps solidify each idea in their minds. Use lists. Bulleted lists, numbered lists and other types of itemized presentation are excellent instruments to use in reports. It gives important things the necessary visual emphasis. Grammar check. Like all forms of writing, you can’t skimp on using the proper language elements. Use a good grammar checker and fix every possible error. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checker Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How To Vary Your Sentences by Mary Simmers Did you know that variety is the spice of life? Therefore, it has no different in writing, where monotony in style can kill even the most profound ideas in the reader’s mind. You should think of some alternatives to develop your writing skills. The more ideas you think and could imagine the more creative you are in writing different types of piece. It depends upon your style on how you are going to attract your reader’s interest. Adding differences to the structure of your sentences is one of the best ways to achieve variety in your writing. This will help in order to avoid your readers from getting bored while reading your piece. You should know how to add up some spice in your writing and make it fresh and informative to read. Even if you forego additional styling, this change alone can turn drab writing into a vibrant piece of prose. Combine that with impeccable grammar, with the help of your grammar checker, and you’ll be churning out top-quality material in no time. Here are four ways to make sure your sentences foster enough variation to add some rhythm to your writing: Alternate the use of short and long sentences. Some people like to fashion with long, flowing strings of words before the next punctuation. Others prefer filling their writing with short bursts of text. Whatever style a certain writer likes, they should have a bit of knowledge on how to make it an interesting one. Both strategies, employed single-mindedly, can lead to text that doesn’t read very well. Thus, you will gain fewer readers if you still persist to do this kind of a technique. The easiest remedy is to alternate your use of short and long sentences, mindfully composing each one with careful attention to what has come before it. Use different sentence openings. Some writers prefer to start sentences with reference to a noun or a pronoun (the subject of the sentence). That’s not too bad on its own. However, if you want your writing to sound fresh, mix it up by beginning some sentences with verbs, adverbs and other parts of speech. Don’t just stick to what you use to write in opening your sentence. Your readers will feel tired of reading the same structure of sentences in your writing. Use transitions to begin sentences. Some ideas can be expressed well by using transitions (e.g. afterwards, in effect, as such) at the beginning of sentences. Use this to vary your sentences and give your pieces some much needed changes. Knowing how you are going to add up some excitement in your writing will enhance your skills even more. These will add up some glow in your piece and as much as possible, focus on what makes your readers grave for more. Also, watch out for any mistakes in the spelling or in the grammars that you’ve made. Varying your sentence at a time is one of the techniques you should keep in mind and try to apply it with your work now. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checker Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Isnare Free Articles Portal by Rodey Strange Everybody has at minimum one domain of experience in which they are unusually smart. Actually, many individuals have a few areas of expertise. Perhaps you are very good at carpentry, perhaps you’re a whiz in the area of computer software, or perhaps you have earned an advanced degree in an advanced field such as finance or physics. Whatever the case, one of the biggest joys in the world is sharing much-needed knowledge to those who have a need for it. When writing health articles sharing health advice and expertise, we begin to enter difficult territory. After all, the only people genuinely competent to share medical guidance are licensed professionals. Most of us know this fact, yet there is always a percentage of web users who are liable to believe any information they see online, and we must be cautious not to lead such readers in the misguided way. If you’re planning to write health articles, remember this. If you aren’t a medical professional, never present yourself as an expert with the qualifications to give diagnoses, recommend medications, or converse completely regarding the complicated workings inside the human body. These are topics which only the licensed doctors can truly cover. What you and I can do, though, is share information and opinions in a conservative manner which doesn’t exceed our qualifications. In the end, the primary purpose of internet health articles is to give a beginning point, and to send readers in a good direction. After all, everybody knows there’s way too much worthless content on the internet. What you should do is fight back against the unhelpful information with articles that are actually useful and informative. The only way to do this is to show integrity and to make sure that all you post is accurate and well-researched. When it comes to sitting down and writing content, that’s the tough thing. Sure, we may have expertise in a whole range of fields, but article writing might not be one. Many people like to consider themselves writers, but to be truly proficient as a writer takes practice time, effort, education, and training. This can’t be accomplished in one day. Nevertheless you should be able to write adequate content in no time. Go to your favorite sites, and pay close attention to the ways those writers present content. Don’t copy them, but take notes on the things they do. How they go about their titles, what their first sentences sound like, how the content moves from start to finish. Try to emulate the things you observe. Also, don’t forget that web site content writing is not quite the same as other styles of writing. Internet readers commonly opt against reading the vast majority of the online articles they see. If you want to get attention, have a good first sentence, employ briefer sentences, and use a few eye catching headlines. These strategies will help keep your readers involved. To read or submit health articles go to http://medsavailabl FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS The Best Way To Express One’s Gratitude: A Thank You Letter by Mary Simmers Have you ever felt grateful towards someone you know? It could be your parents, friends or relatives perhaps? Thanking someone very close to your or even to a stranger that did something good to you is a wonderful thing that will happen if you extend your heartfelt gratitude to them. Saying “Thank You” is not that hard, but then, you have this feeling that there is something that bothers you most. Usually, you feel awkward in doing this because you are not used to thank someone. You’re shy to tell them. If not, then it might be that you are too busy of your current and daily work that you can’t even have some time of telling them so. If that happens, here is a tip for that matter. When you feel embarrassed about telling how you feel or if you are too busy, then writing them a letter of thanks can help you. A simple letter telling them how thankful you are is better than nothing at all. Imagine your mom or dad looking out for you or your loved one who is always there when you are happy or sad. It really means that much to them when you let them know how grateful you are for everything they have done. In fact, studies show that people who are being appreciated live longer and have healthy lives. It can also rise up their confidence, since they know that they are valuable to you. So if you cannot think of anything to give them in a special day, then this might be the perfect gift! The letter doesn’t need to be long. All that matters is that you express how thankful you are with everything that they have done for you inside that small paper. Also, make sure that you use quality paper for the letter. There are lots of colored papers that you can choose from to match the personality of the recipient of the letter. If you have a computer, you can use it to design a nice template and also to check for misspelled words thru grammar checkers. A thank you letter can indeed become the ultimate gift when you do it the right way. It can also be a great alternative if you are facing financial problems and you are trying to avoid spending. Of course, make sure that the letter comes from the heart, not because you feel you had to do so. It sound simple but it means a lot. Even if it is a small note or letter, still, your love ones will feel blessed and happy whenever they receive one. Thank them for the wonderful things that had happened in your life. Even if it is a small thing, it can still be appreciated. You should bear in mind that you are nothing and you can’t be yourself without these people who influence you the most. So be creative enough on how are you going to state your gratitude in a letter. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checkers Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How To Write An Informal Essay by Mary Simmers Writing an informal essay doesn’t mean you finally have the license to cuss all you want on paper. The main hallmark of this type of writing is the lack of a rigid style, with preferential use of a conversational tone. While the content of informal essays is intended to be drawn from your own beliefs and opinions, do note that you’ll need to support it with decent facts just the same. Informal essays are purposely written to get the interest of every readers mixed with delight. But then, you can’t just make one just exactly what comes up into your mind, it has to be informative also. You can’t just tell stories on your own without being supported by facts. However, it is a way to reveal your inner talent in writing as what your imagination and feelings would show. It’s basically your point of view to a particular event or situations might be a problem, news, comments, a thing or a person maybe. It is unique to other types of writing since it has an informal style, flexible content but then it must have a well-organized plan. Writing an informative essay as well with other types of writing is merely to get your readers mind active and they must comprehend to what your side is stating about. Although it is not a formal type one, there are still a lot of factors that needs to be considered and be followed by the writer. No Structure Does Not Mean No Plan The lack of a formal structure is often mistaken as meaning you can just write an informal essay from the seat of your pants. In truth, informal essays are just like other pieces of writing – they’re best done deliberately with an outline in place. As such, perform due diligence as usual – research your subject, outline your material and plan how to present your ideas. Similarly, perform thorough editing with the help of the best grammar checking software you can find. Presentation As it is informal, you can design your presentation of the material however you fancy. Would you like to do it in a narrative form, with the story interspersed with your opinions? Have you ever wondered how you would write in a ranting -albeit, well-argued – format? You can try it here. While planning the essay, always consider two factors: the particular information you will present and when you will present it. Naturally, you will need to present enough facts to cover your entire argument. Timing the revelation of those facts can be as creative as you want, provided that it makes sense relative to the whole piece. Format your essay well. You need also to check its quality as what it will appear to your readers mind. When you speak of quality, it should have something very important for them to learn out of your piece. Check also the overall content if it is properly arranged and all your grammars must be checked. Now, start writing and let it your ideas be shared to other people. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checkers Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Why Having Good Grammar Is Essential In Blogging by Mary Simmers I think this is self explanatory. But first, for those who are not into blogging; let me give you a brief introduction. Blogging is the most popular way of expressing one’s thoughts about a certain subject or just merely getting famous thru writing in the Internet. Nowadays, there are thousands of blogs published and millions of bloggers who are keen on writing fresh articles into their blogs by the minute. Of course you need good grammar when blogging; it will be extremely embarrassing when people read your blog and it is not understandable. You also have to realize why blogging is famous. To those who are into social networking, this increases their chances to get to know more people. For those who are into merchandising and advertisements, once their blog becomes famous, they get more visitors who will click on the ads and presto, instant money for them. Now, if your grammar is top-notch, then you will have a good chance with your blog getting famous because the content is understandable. But when your grammar skill is poor, then expect your blog to feel lonely. If you want to improve your grammar, you can start by practicing. Get all those words that you are having a problem with and check out their meanings. Once that is done, try creating sentences from those difficult words and then check them if they correct. If you have a computer, then much better as you can use grammar checkers to correct misspelled words and then follow how they are spelled correctly. It takes time but if you are willing to wait, then you will be rewarded greatly once you start making your very own blog. It always is an advantage if your grammar is top-notch. Having a well-written blog attracts a lot of readers. A lot of reader means a lot of traffic. There will be more and more people who will let others know how great your blog is, it is like spreading the news over the internet. By time, your blogs will be very famous. You should be aware that there are also a lot of bloggers online that creates a lot of blogs and as a result, millions and millions of blogs are available over the World Wide Web. Therefore, you should have the knowledge of formatting a blog correctly. Check grammars if there are any errors. You can learn online on what are the basic things that can be learned in writing. Also, check if there are misspellings and wrong punctuations. Be aware of what your blog will look like in order to get the interest of your readers. Be specific and detailed. Besides, you can now enhance yourself more with the basic rules that you’ve learned in writing and your spoken English will also improve. Since the English language is dominant over the internet. Be fully equipped in writing and recall what you have learned from your elementary and high school years at school. Now, go on and make your very own first post! Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checkers Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How to Create Your Own “Dictionary “ by Mary Simmers I last talked in an article awhile ago about making your very own personalized “dictionary “. Now I am not talking about inventing new words, what I am talking about is having your very own word reference. It can be a notebook, a small pad of paper or even your computer, as long as it is something that you can use whenever you encounter a difficult word. When you are on to writing, you experience a lot of new words that might help to catch your reader’s attention. The least you would do is to gather those words that are very unfamiliar to you and record it in your own dictionary notebook. Get its synonyms so that you will easily identify those words the time you will use them to your future articles or when you hear those words again. Also, when you wanted to learn for yourself like studying a word or words everyday is fine. It’s a better thing to do this so that you can enhance yourself more and have it stored in your personalized dictionary. Another situation is when you are fun of reading a lot of books or magazines. For sure you will see several words that you don’t even know the meaning. When you do, you can write it down, check the dictionary or the computer and write down the meaning. So that the next time you see that same word, you now have reference in case you forgot the meaning. A small notebook is usually advisable as it is something that you can put inside your pocket and carry all around with you. Have it handy whenever you are reading a book or having an English language class. Take note of new words that you have learned that day and then take the time to research on how to use it in a sentence, its synonyms, antonyms and etc. This information will be very valuable once you start working on your very first article. Or if you don’t have anything to do and you have a lot of spare time, you can pass the time by working on your personalized dictionary. Your own dictionary is like a diary where you noted down all the words that you’ve researched and studied and by time it will serve as your reference whenever go and whatever you do. This will greatly help you to enhance yourself even more especially in communicating with other people, writing or public speaking. If you have a computer or laptop, spend some time researching about words and sentence construction and then note them down in your notebook. It is very easy since you can search engines like Google and others. You can also use it to improve your grammar skills by checking the grammar checker every time you finish making a sentence with the use of your personalized dictionary. A very smart and easy technique for English learning! So go ahead, find a spare notebook and start noting down those difficult words! Go make your very own personalized dictionary today! Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checker Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Article Spinning 101: The Basics by Mary Simmers Article spinning is becoming a popular demand in the world of Internet Marketing nowadays. Never heard about it? Writing an article has three types. One is article writing where it is just a simple content writing like we always do at school. Second is article rewriting where you reverse the original article that you made but the main topic is there, the idea is also there and you can revise it per word or sentence, per paragraphs or the whole article itself. But it is still the same as the previous article. And the third one is article spinning, this is a kind of article where you use syntax and that particular article can be created with a lot of versions where in every site, it is different from the others. That is why it is very demanding over the internet. If you happen to have the talent for rewriting articles, then this might be your best chance to start a great career for yourselves and even make a few bucks! The world of article spinning can be complicated for beginners but never fear, as there are countless ways for you to learn the basics of this technique. This is just the learning process, so I would like to apologize in advance to those who hope to learn the process in a day. Article spinning is not a magician’s trick; you cannot learn it within a day only. You need to go through the very basics first before you can say that you are an accomplished article spinning expert! This will include familiarizing words or phrases with the same meaning or should we say are synonymous, be creative enough in writing and lastly, know how to check your article before you are going to submit it. For starters, you will need to have the necessary tools. First is the article or articles that you will be spinning, next is the article spinning program or website and then your English correction software. But then, before you start doing this, always remember to familiarize the article spinning program or site. You certainly don’t want to waste your time trying to figure out how the system works when it is your first day to work on an article. So save yourself from frustrations and check the tutorials first. It is also a good strategy to check the articles too. Check how many words it has, what the topic is all about and how many words you are spinning. If you are working on a client who wants you to spin articles, then you can ask him or her. However, remember the goal for article spinning, which is to keep the content fresh. So it is always a best technique to spin as much as you can. Once you are done spinning, check if there are mistakes in the article with the use of a grammar checker. You certainly don’t want to be corrected for your mistakes if you want to be an expert article spinner. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See English Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How To Format Your Press Release by Mary Simmers Writing a press release is done by a third person must possess the quality of effective writing. If you wanted to promote or tell something to the media of a particular person, activities or events or anything that has an important value Need to write a press release, but then you don’t have time to source a contractor? What about writing your own? If you follow the proper format, use a good grammar checker and send it to the right people, you may not end up doing so bad. Following the proper format is crucial to press releases. Your recipients are likely to be very busy folks and a structure helps them skim through your text, knowing exactly where to find which information. Release Statement. A press release should come with a release statement at the top of the page, detailing the time of release. Write “For Release” or “For Immediate Release” with the exact time and date below it. Don’t forget to include the “Contact Details”. After that, add the contact details of the person (in this case, you) recipients will need to get in touch with, should they require more information. “Headline” is necessary. The headline is your title or the banner of your post. Put your headline in the center, bolded and one font size bigger two spaces below the contact details. Make sure it is catchy and imparts the gist of the release succinctly. Dateline. The dateline details the place of origin and the date of the release. This can be bolded for better legibility. Lead. The lead paragraph comes on the same line as the dateline. Like any good introduction, it should include all the most pertinent facts (who, what, where, when, why and how) that are relevant to the press release. This paragraph is the most important aspect as it contains the most significant information of the release. The “Body” which is the next paragraph/s of your release. The body of the press release builds on the “why” and the “how,” detailing the specifics that make it worthy of being news. This part adds emphasis to what you are aiming to tell to the public. It can also be used to list off numerous details (even mundane ones) as additional listing, although the focus should remain squarely on its “newsworthy” aspects. Boilerplate. The boilerplate provides details on the company behind the press release, usually listing general facts. Recall what you have learned from your elementary or high school years. This might be discussed in your English subjects and/or to your Journalism subjects. Having such knowledge in making a press release is of great advantage. Also, there are some basic reminders that you need to know more. Be informative enough with your release. After that, have it check several times. See if there are any errors in your post. Check the grammars and spellings also. This will catch the attention of your readers and might feel bored and reject your post if they see one. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checker Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How To Use Arguments In Your Essay by Mary Simmers Arguing your essay can be accomplished in different ways. Though it may sound complicated by to some, it will still work out if you know how to create one. You should know how to deal this kind of essay when you are planning to start writing. While many writing guides like to focus on presentation techniques that allow you to present contentions in an effective manner, they usually assume one thing incorrectly: that the best way to expostulate is by sound reasoning. In truth, not every reader can be won over by an air-tight logic (regardless of how well-written and impeccably error-free, thanks to a good grammar checker). For some personalities, focusing on that might even be the wrong way to go about it. Remember that not all individuals depend on logic to make their conclusions – some are best swayed using other means. With writing, the act of persuading your readers can be accomplished by three very different types of arguments: Logical reasoning. Logic depends on cold, hard, verifiable facts. Whatever your position, this implies using factual details to support it, from research statics to scientific findings to past events. Many beginning essay writers tend to focus on this alone, leaving their readers convinced, yet uncaring. Your readers will naturally think and open their ideas about the topic you have created. Emotional appeals. This is a type of reasoning that depends on hooking the reader emotionally to the cause. Whether that emotion is rage, anger, love, admiration or something else, the goal is to elicit a passion in your readers that drive them to support your position. Most of the time, readers can relate to this type of an argument essay. Since they will feel what you are going to imply in the article. Credibility appeals. A little trickier than the others, this one uses the credibility of the sources for a particular opinion. Oprah’s opinions can be used as argument for issues in the entertainment industry, for instance, as her credibility on that front (as one of the wealthiest personalities in the industry) is solid. However, use her words to argue scientific facts and you’ll probably be laughed out to a failing grade. Using All Three The best strategy in any essay is to use all three types of arguments, with a primary focus on that which your audience best responds to. Always weigh them together when constructing your piece – which combination could work best? It is up to you whether what type of essay arguments are you going to use as long as it catches the interest of your readers. Remember how you are going to penetrate into your reader’s mind and heart. Use a better strategy in creating arguments in your essays. Go on and start writing. See if what you can do best. Remember to have it proofread before you are going to submit you are going to submit your essay. In order for you to have an infinite imagination or idea about the topic you will write, you can read some reference materials or surf the internet. New ideas aids you to write a better argumentative essay. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checker Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS The Power of Using Parallel Construction by Mary Simmers Remember that old rule about always writing items on a list using the same forms of the word or phrase? It’s called parallel construction and it’s not just grammatically sound – it’s an immensely powerful writing instrument. When you are up to writing, basically, you need to know correct grammar and correct language usage. As a writer, you should also study what is a parallel construction in writing your content. You might hear of the term way back in your elementary and high school years. If not, you must be absent with this course or worse, you haven’t paid any attention with it. Maybe, but I guess it is normal for a student to be like that. Anyway, parallelism construction is a very useful technique in writing where is maintains the balance of similar words in your sentence. It is also applied to similar or related phrases or clauses. Through this technique, it helps you formulate a new writing style which your readers will fully understand it because it will create a sense of readability. Whenever there are few structural situations in your content, this method enables you to use only one so that the subject of each verb will no longer have to restate those sentences again. Need an example to refresh on the topic? Take this list, for instance: “drinking, drugs and gambling” Is the list clear? Of course it is. Anyone can read that and know what every item in the list is about. Even better, they can glean some of the context based directly from it. However, one of the words is off. If you guessed “drugs,” you’re right. The three other words use a verb to describe it, while “drugs” is a noun. As an alternative, we recommend writing this out as: “drinking, using and gambling” While “using” may not be as straightforward as “drugs,” most people will likely understand what it means too. How? Same way that people understand that “drinking” means getting drunk, instead of quenching your thirst: it’s all in the context. Since you used parallel construction in the second example, the sequence also sounds much better. In fact, if you use them in a speech, the second one will likely make a good sound bite, while the first is bound to be passed over. Since parallelism is usually in a series format which combines some related elements in a sentence, you should also use the correct syntax in order for you to create a good one. You need to put in mind that when you series related words or phrases in a sentence, it should appear clear and a bit more concise. Parallel construction allows you to create text with stronger effect because it allows the material to flow smoothly. That’s because text that doesn’t include parallels usually cause the reader to stop momentarily to process what was written. It breaks the flow and dampens what could have been a powerful statement. Many grammar checkers include grammatical parallelism during their document. Make sure to note it and fix any errors found to allow you to fashion the most effective writing possible. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checker Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Employing Sound Logic In Your Writing by Mary Simmers There are many aspects to a successful argument. Good writers know there are different ways to convince a reader, from emotional appeals to value judgments. At the end of the day, though, solid logic rules the roost. Your arguments will have to make sense and fall squarely into place in order to be effective. Why is logic so important? As a formal system of analysis that helps demonstrate and conclude arguments, it’s the one exact instrument you can use to convince your readers. To be able to effectively use logic in your writing, you’ll need to demonstrate the sequence by which you reach your conclusion. Syllogism is the simplest and most popular of these sequences, consisting of a straightforward assertion. Its reasoning is now generally regarded as a limited special case of the forms of reasoning that can be represented within the propositional and predicate calculus. Note the syllogistic example below: Dogs are animals. German Shepherds are dogs. Therefore, all German Shepherds are animals. With an argument that sound and simplistic, there’s no way for the reader to deny your conclusion without having to effectively lie to themselves. Because of this, syllogistic arguments are the single most effective instrument to employ when you’re writing to persuade. There are other ways to assert logic, of course, including enthymemes, induction and deduction. Enthymeme in its modern expression, is an informally stated syllogism (a three-part deductive argument) with an unstated assumption that must be true for the premises to lead to the conclusion. Its part of the argument is missing because it is assumed. In a broader usage, the term \"enthymeme\" is sometimes used to describe an incomplete argument of forms other than the syllogism. In deductive logic the conclusion cannot be false if the premises are true. The aim of logic is to make explicit the rules by which inferences may be drawn, rather than to study the actual reasoning processes that people use, which may or may not conform to those rules. In the case of deductive logic, if we ask why we need to obey the rules, the most general form of answer is that if we do not contradict ourselves There is no equally simple answer in the case of inductive logic, which is in general a less robust subject, but the aim will be to find reasoning such that anyone failing to conform to it will have improbable beliefs. Inductive logic studies the way in which premises may support a conclusion without entailing it also known as inductive reasoning , is a type of reasoning that involves moving from a set of specific facts to a general conclusion. It can also be seen as a form of theory-building, in which specific facts are used to create a theory that explains relationships between the facts and allows prediction of future knowledge. The premises of an inductive logical argument indicate some degree of support (inductive probability) for the conclusion but do not entail it; i.e. they do not ensure its truth. Induction is used to ascribe properties or relations to types based on an observation instance (i.e., on a number of observations or experiences); or to formulate laws based on limited observations of recurring phenomenal patterns. Everyone can raise a counter against every other argument you put forward, but an accurate expostulation using sound logic is difficult to trump. Do note that this discussion of sound logic assumes that the readers will actually finish your text. If it’s poorly-written and riddled with errors, they are more likely to dismiss it before even getting to your arguments. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checker Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How to Use Reverse Outlining to Analyze Material by Mary Simmers Every writer dwells on an outline in order for them to plan their work well. In this kind of process, if you happen to be a writer, you need to list down the things on how your article will appear. You should plan out on what are the topics that need to be discussed, what is its importance to the readers and how it shows relationship towards some other parts of your content. Outlines help you streamline your writing process, making the actual composition of text considerably easier. If you’ve been using outlining as a pre-writing activity, you probably experienced its benefits first hand. An outline can also be use to take down notes when you are on the process of revising your content. Like, listing what are the things that must be added, change or delete. This can help you formulate a better content rather than doing a work without any plans to accomplish. In addition, it can give you an overall view of what your topic is all about and how it will flow with the rest of the parts of your content. Just as outlining makes the presentation of ideas, events and actions in your writing easier, so does its reverse process able to do the same for distilling existing text into short statements. When you’re tasked with performing analysis of a work, for instance, this technique of reverse outlining can be extremely effective for distilling each major section into easily digestible parts. Same with when you’re editing a piece of work with a grammar software and you’re trying to get a good feel of how the sequence of events flow. How does reverse outlining work? Just as it sounds. As you read through the text, you distill portions of it into a list of short, clear statements. You can do it by paragraph, by section or by each major part of the text – whichever works best for your purposes. If you like working with hard copies of text, you can label each paragraph with what you understand to be its main topic, along with a brief discussion of how it advances the overall material. You can use the left and right hand margins for this, developing your own notation and structure, as you see fit. Since I prefer doing everything on a computer, I usually do reverse outlining by labeling each paragraph and writing my outline of it on a separate sheet. Same as the paper version, I put down the main topic, along with its overall relevance to the material. You can use either of the above or develop your own technique. Either way, reverse outlining is an activity that’s guaranteed to help you in many ways. Just be sure to know how you are going to format your content. With your outline that is already created for your overall flow of your content, your only problem will now focus on structuring your sentence right. Notice also your grammars and spellings. Just be careful enough to note any errors. When you are able to finish your draft, read it all over again and always base your work with the outline you made from the start. I’m sure you can finish quality content after the hard works that you’ve experience. Now, start writing and enjoy what you always do. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Before Editing, Read Your First Draft by Mary Simmers When you feel like writing, you express what your mind dictates or even what your heart feels. In order to create a good non-fictional content with good quality also, you have to be informative also. However, if it is a fictional content, don’t exaggerate too much. Furthermore, you should also consider how you are going to format your article. Basic knowledge about English language is highly needed. Especially, when you have to create an article and then proofread it down. Check each sentence if it has no spelling errors, wrong punctuation marks or if the grammar is a little bit incorrect. After writing your first draft, proofreading and editing your text is the logical next step. Before that, though, we recommend conducting an initial reading, while writing down your thoughts about the material. Doing this will give you a more complete view of the amount of editing the work needs before sitting down to get on the job. Reading your work lets you think of how will you change your draft and what are the things that needs to be improve and alter whenever you see something wrong in it. When doing the initial reading, always resist the urge to begin editing. Even using a grammar check software isn’t that great of an idea. Correcting errors is a waste of time, as the reading might make it clear that you need to remove entire paragraphs. Can you imagine all that wasted work? Instead of updating parts of the work, simply note them down. If you notice any particular weak points, write them down as well. Put down all of your thoughts about the material as you’re reading. This will serve as your basis for the eventual editing you’re going to perform. During this phase, it’s important to keep your mind on the big picture, instead of obsessing on the details. How does the piece progress? Is the central message clear? Could it benefit from more facts? Does it trail off unnecessarily? Is your vision properly represented in the material? Once you’ve gone through the piece and written down your thoughts, the next step is to organize your notes. Find which changes are necessary to the piece and which ones are mere cosmetic enhancements. You will likely go your own way at this point, making your decisions as you see fit. Besides, there are people who manage to write long contents like for example when they want to write a novel or a story which really uses a lot of words, may be thousands of it. But then, if they are going to edit it down literally, without reading what needs to be added or change, then they will found their selves deleting some parts of their content making it shorter than the usual length of it. Now you’re wasting a lot of words and you don’t want to be like one of them right? SO manage your plan well and formulate the right ideas you have to insert in the note after you began reading your draft. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Check Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How to Write a Winning Pitch by Mary Simmers Have you been to writing recently? Are you the type of person who knows how to persuade people? Have you ever tried or planned to be a freelancer? Make sense? You might be confuse If you answered yes, then you can you use this thing to some sort of jobs you never knew it could make shape you a lot. However, you‘re not unto it but love to possess those qualities this might help you out. Ever wrote a pitch to try to get a job? If you’ve spent any amount of time answering ads for freelancing positions, you’ve probably sent a good number of job pitches to prospective employers. Email is a highly-preferred form of making pitches, nowadays, as it puts no pressure on the recipient to respond immediately. This gives them the benefit of being able to review proposals at their own pace, allowing them to scrutinize each one conveniently. Because of the level of attention they can give to every pitch made, it’s crucial that you write your proposals in a clear and professional manner. More than that, you’ll have to write it so that it successfully makes the sale. The simple truth: most people responding to freelancing jobs do it poorly. From copy-pasting canned replies to vague pitches that don’t even make a serious attempt at landing the job, everyone I’ve talked to who has advertised for freelancing work has seen similar problems. If you’re serious about landing a freelancing gig, then treat your pitch seriously. That means, demonstrating that you understand the project, then selling yourself as the best choice for it. How do you do it? oSummarize what you understand about the project to demonstrate your familiarity with it. oDetail your relevant skills and experience in bulleted form to ensure every item is easily read. oGive them a reason why you’re the best fit for the job. oMake sure your pitch looks professional – use fitting words and run it through a grammar software to correct writing mistakes. They will able to determine if you are capable of the job or not. First thing is that, they based it on how are you going to manage yourself in persuading them that you are counted as one of what they are looking for. They it may seem not so easy, but if you wanted to job, then give them your best shot writing a pitch is really important in that case no matter what. So you have to start creating your own piece of pitch. If you don’t know how to begin or if you are not that familiar about it, you have to practice by yourself following those simple tips that we tackles a while ago. As you keep on writing, you also keep on improving. As a matter of fact, you an even learn from what you have to do and thus, increasing your capacity in writing better English, correct grammar usage, spellings and any other aspects that you will need to consider in order to achieve a proper and organize pitch. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Cause And Effect Essays: A Perfect Training Ground For Developing Writing Skills by Mary Simmers Writing an essay about the causes and effects of a particular something is now being discussed at school. A lot of students are being taught how to determine the cause and after that, they will also state the possible effects of the problems or any situations that will be discussed in the class. These prove how a student reacts and share his or her point of view with everyone. This way, they enhance themselves even more, from analyzing those situations to talking it in front of the public. How about in essay writing? Cause and effect is also applicable in writing. More and more students find it difficult to relate in writing in their own words but generally, based on facts. Now, they are unable to test themselves whether they are capable in writing essays or not. Aside from that, writing has a lot of basic rules to remember like for example the grammar usage, spellings and formats. Though this is only a simple thing where most people thought about, not all of these students are competent in doing this so. Detailing cause and effect is a basic writing instrument that you’ll find plenty of uses for, well beyond your essay-writing requirements in school. In fact, this form of essay offers one of the best training for composition skills that you will find valuable well into the future. More than mere classroom skills (which a grammar checker can easily help you with), these types of essays allow you to develop very specific abilities. Reasoning Skills Cause and effect essays are marked by a very precise logic. You start by describing a phenomenon (or event or trend), proving its existence by a sound presentation of proof. Then, you carefully wound the causes into the material, linking them via a clear and demonstrable path. Throughout all this, you need to learn to develop a convincing argument – an acquired talent you’ll be able to use in many facets of life. Professional Tone Tone is crucial in a cause and effect piece. Sound too forward and you’ll look like you’re overcompensating. Make your arguments too weak and no one will ever buy your main thesis. You’ll have to strike a balance, concocting your material in a tone that is confident and reasonable, never losing your cool. In other words, you’ll have to sound very professional. Strictly Factual As cause and effect is dictated by a strict logic, you’ll need to make clever use of facts. You can’t dilly-dally your way around sound reasoning – you’ll be easily exposed halfway through. Your choice of facts and the quality of your sources will be continually put in question. This is as good a training for future writing work in almost any field as you can get. Though, this is just a simple part of our English course at school, not all are being able to cope up with it. It’s a fact that almost all students are not interested by the subject, so why get a concentration about cause and effect essay writing? Truth is, we might hate what our lessons are being discussed but in if we talk about the real world, what your teacher had been discussing in your elementary or secondary years, it can be use greatly when you grow up especially when you are on your business or work field. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checkers Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Short Story Writing: A Hobby For Bored People by Mary Simmers For those who are bored, life has no meaning. Everything is dull and gray. These people just like staying in one corner of the house or in the office, nothing else to do. What’s the reason behind of being so bored? Do you feel like life is so empty? Do you really think that you will always be like this until the rest of your time? This is not a very healthy life strategy as boredom often leads to depression. Once a person is depressed, his or her mental health can deteriorate, causing some social problems or worse, suicidal tendencies. If you happen to be a bored person, then you might want to find a hobby instead of doing nothing all day. There are different hobbies for different types of people. You can choose among what you are most interested in. If you wanted, choose a hobby where you an express what you feel. However, there is one that might fit for everyone. And that hobby is short story writing. Yes, this kind of hobby is simple yet very entertaining. You might find yourself so amazed and occupied when you indulge into writing. Writing a short story can be very pleasing and fun hobby. It is where you can create a world on your own. You are the creator yourself and it is up to you to what you wanted your story to flow. You can decide whether your story might be related adventures, love or anything. Besides, you have the freewill to what your story should appear. All you need is a notebook and a pen and also a healthy imagination. If you wanted, you’ve got to fresh up your mind first and think of any possibility to what your story might end up to. If you’re not that creative, then you can always base your short stories on people or events around you. It can be of the things that might have happened with your life, to someone’s lives or to anything you want to express in writing. It can be base on reality or your own creativity. Start writing down and you can even collect short stories that you have written. In this way, your life does not have to be too boring anymore. This is just a one way to treat you own self not too live a boring life. You can also use your personal computer, if you wish. I personally write down short stories in my PC and then save them in different folders. You can categorize your short stories as well in order not to confuse yourself. You can also use grammar checkers in order to check the spelling. All in all, writing short stories not only cures boredom, it can also enhance your grammar and writing skills as well. Also, you can prevent your mind from deteriorating. Instead, you might even acquire some more knowledge and be more interested in what you do. So go ahead and start writing short stories today! Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checkers Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Writing Your Resume: What NOT To Include! by David LeAche I will always remember sitting in on a hiring interview and being invited to ask one question of the candidate. I was briefly shown the candidates resume, which rambled on about all sorts of personal issues including the fact that they didn\'t smoke and that they enjoyed using \"Facebook\". At the top of the opening page was a photograph of them next to a horse with a rosette in it\'s bridle. My sole question was obvious: who taught you to write a resume? Writing the perfect resume for yourself is difficult enough without including things that are going to alarm your potential employer. Considering that your resume will be scanned very quickly and will probably be one of many, there are five important things that should never be included, so that you get a chance at that all important first interview. Five items that head the \'Don\'t do this in your resume\' highlight reel... 1... I love to go horse riding and I am divorced, with a real interest in medieval thatching techniques. Incredibly interesting as that may be, resumes are not the place for anything personal (age, race, marital status etc) or anything to do with your hobbies and/or interests even if the job in question is for a medieval thatcher! Rule number one is not to get personal but present yourself as a professional, qualified to do the job being considered. Education, qualifications and employment history will point to your career objectives, not your personal life. 2...My life has been devoted to ergonometrical constructivism. Fantastic, whatever it is, but don\'t use technical jargon that\'s going to annoy the selection committee. What many applicants don\'t understand is that many companies hire a screening company to sort the initial batch of resumes and that this selection has little connection with the actual job. They don\'t know what your talking about and you are going to appear pompous at best, even though the career in question may include ergonometrically correct items being designed, for example. The recruiter may not be the actual personnel manager of the company hiring! It\'s always best not to use complex vocabulary in your resume and to use direct, action words that are relevant, unless you know for certain that a technologically savvy person is going to be reading it. 3...and you can see all about me on my Facebook page. How very modern and \'cool\' but how very \'Do Not Include At Any Cost\'. Don\'t include your personal websites, blog, facebook or twitter account because they almost always contain inappropriate material and also no-one is going to spend the time to look. Lay out the relevant information that constitutes your qualifications and do it in simple, direct terms that are easy to see at a glance. The only time a website link may be appropriate is if you are applying for a web development position or you have your resume set out, professionally, on line as well as on paper and it has extra materials such as reference letters for example. 4...and when I worked as a butchers boy I got $5 for the Saturday morning. (Actually I got 10 shillings but who cares...right!) Usually best not to include any references to salary, especially of previous jobs. The advertisement may ask for a desired salary in which case do your homework and see what is average for the position, but usually this information should not be presented until the first interview. Past salary isn\'t relevant, the new employer will be considering what you are going to cost him, today, and whether you will be a good investment for the firm. 5...I hav a PH.d in Engrish Litreture. Nice, shame we need someone who can speak, write and converse in English, correctly! Your Resume must be perfect. The English, the spelling, even the flow of thoughts must be nothing but perfect. Typing errors, or keyboarding errors if you like, are definitely out. First use spell-check on the computer than get someone or maybe two people who know, really know, to check your resume over. Get them to seriously pull it apart. You don\'t need to know how good it is, just what needs to be fixed! Your Resume is your foot in the door to a first interview. It could be the start of a life-long career. Put some time and effort into it. Avoid the pitfalls and if you have problems with English or this kind of writing, hire a professional, your career may depend on it! About the Author: Dave LeAche is author of http://www.resumewritingexplained.net compiled to help you with all your resume writing needs. Articles, videos and viewer questions updated daily. Visit http://www.resumewritingexplained.net to get your resume up to scratch. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How To Use Commas: A Quick And Handy Guide by Mary Simmers Too many intermediate writers (and some professionals I know), commas remain a tricky punctuation to use. As they affect both the way a piece is read and its overall effect, they are crucial to get right, lest risk dampening what could be particularly strong points of your material. Using a comma is sometimes very confusing upon when and where you will going to place it within a sentence or in a whole paragraph. Basically, commas are use to indicate natural pause, but if you place it by mistake, the whole though will be misunderstood. So you have to be very careful in doing it so. There are some things you need to keep in mind when using the punctuation - comma. If, like me, you occasionally need a refresher on the proper way to use commas (I sort of need one every couple of weeks), this handy guide (with examples built into each rule, by the way) should help you out. Needless to say, we implore you to use a grammar checking software to help on this end, as well. •A comma may not look necessary when separating two independent clauses with a coordinating conjunction (and, or, but, nor, yet, for, so), but they are absolutely necessary to correctly relay the idea. •You always add a comma when you put two independent clauses together, and •Seriously, when you employ an introductory word or phrase to start a main clause, use a comma right after it. •When you insert a word or phrase in the middle of the sentence that isn’t essential, such as this phrase here, add a comma before and after it (I sincerely hope you got that; if you didn’t, read again). •My old grammar teacher used to say, “Write a comma before and after a quoted statement,” when you use it as part of a sentence. •When showing items in a series, whether they be nouns, adjectives or adverbs, always use a comma to separate them. •An afterthought (along with a contrast statement) requires a comma right before it, as unfamiliar as you may be with doing that. •Use a comma to set off a noun in direct address. •You can also use a comma when you are setting off interrupting words and appositives. Although a comma is a very common thing to use in a sentence or even in the whole content, the proper way to use it is quite ignored by some of us. You might even not notice it. But now, with all the rules that you should always remember, you can now start to write contents and be aware of using a comma. There more rules to follow when you use a comma and you can check it over the internet to have some further reference about it. After writing what you intend to write, maybe a speech, letter, articles, story etc., make sure to read it all over and check if there are any errors or mistakes that you have committed while writing. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checking Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How To Make A Letter Of Apology by Mary Simmers There may be a time in your life when you and your loved one had a misunderstanding with each other. You both argued endlessly and may have ended saying hurtful things that both of you don’t really mean. Those words that can hurt you both are cause by the strong feeling that you both are having. It can be due to anger, disappointment or any mechanical defense. Or maybe you could have a fight with your friend or maybe your parents. In these cases, it is always difficult to apologize to them after cooling yourself down because you find it very awkward to do so or maybe you are too embarrassed to admit you were wrong. During these times, when you do not know how to express your deepest apologies, then a letter might be the answer to your problems. With the help of a letter, it will be a start to say what you really want to say despite the fact that you are not facing each other personally and talk things over. In that case, a letter can be a symbol of sweetness and sincerity. The one who will read will felt happy and touched if you do it so. Now, how to start writing a letter? There are some thing you should keep in mind. Making a letter of apology is very easy. It does not need to be fancy. You can create a simple letter of apology that can convey your heartfelt regret to your loved one. First thing you can do is take a blank sheet of paper and try writing down a letter of apology as practice. You can write it first in a scratch paper so that you can have erasures whenever you wanted to change or add up something. Try not to make it too long or too short. Express your apologies with the best of your abilities and make sure the words are clear and concise. If you have your own computer, you can use it to try and check for any grammatical errors on your letter. Try using grammar checkers to make sure. If you have already made your final draft, you can now start writing the letter of apology. Write it in your desired piece of paper, where you can send it to them, after you had checked it all over. Make sure you use a clean paper for writing. This should now be very easy for you since all you need to do is simply write down everything that you had made in the practice. After writing, place the letter inside a nice envelope. Now, if you want to make your loved one feel how sorry you really were, one tip is to place the letter in a table, surrounded with flowers or balloons. Now isn’t that sweet? They will surely notice it and read the letter you wrote for them. Then, you will be back to normal once again after making up with each other. Happy Writing! Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checkers Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS What Is The Difference Between Rewriting And Spinning? by Mary Simmers Time and again, I have been asked this question. Since I have been into rewriting and spinning articles, I feel I must do something to clear up the smoke of confusion. Most people think that rewriting is the same as spinning. No, they are not. Rewriting is different from spinning an article. Rewriting is completely changing the content of the article. You have the entire article before you and you can go ahead and change some of the content or all of it but the thought should still be there. You have complete control of the article, what you can change or not. However, spinning is different. When you “ spin “ an article, you may rewrite some of the words, but it usually comes with a code or a format. You need to follow this “ format “ in order for the “ spinning “ to work. Let me show you an example: I have a cat Let’s say you need to spin this article. This is what spinning is: I have [a cat=a furry cat] Now, remember the “ format “ that I talked about? Do you know where it is? It’s the [ = ]. In order for the spinning to work, the word or sentence that you wish to spin (in this example, “a cat “) and the rewritten sentence or word ( “ a furry cat” ), should be encased in the format. Now, if you have this published in the Internet, it will show the original sentence, which is “I have a cat“ but in the other sites, the word “ I have a furry cat “ will appear as well. Amazing, right? Can you see the difference with that particular sentence? You are making content with different versions. Those versions will be encased with the format that I am talking about. That is the power of spinning articles. You can interchange the content of your article. The more you spin, the more “ versions “ of articles is published in the Internet. Most website owners employ the services of web content writers for spinning. Rewriting is also a good method but if you wish to have more results in internet marketing, then spinning an article might work for you. However, spinning an article is not that easy as you can see. If you want to spin all he words in a sentence, spin different sentences or paragraphs, then it will look a lot more complicated. The only thing that you should bear in mind is that, spinning articles works with the use of those formats or also known as spinning syntax. The sign [, must be paired with the sign ]. Words that are enclosed inside those syntax are separated with the use of =. So be careful in pairing up those signs ‘cause it will make you content miserable if you don’t know how to organize it well. But if you have mastered how to spin an article, then you are creating a lot of versions out of that original one. There are many spinning and grammar checkers that you can use in order to make the work easier. In any case, this should solve the mystery and the confusion once and for all. Happy writing! Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checkers Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Ads Get Read Article Directory Authors Wanted by Albert Matthews There are quite a few article directory sites out there, but not all of them do things the right way. For anyone who submits articles, you know what that means. Of all the available options, there are only a handful of article directories that you would and should choose to use. Now, there is another new one entering the game, and it is looking to provide authors with an even easier interface to get the job done. One of the primary problems with many article directory sites is that article submissions take too long and they are difficult to execute. This can turn authors away in droves. With the Ads-Get-Read Article Directory, this isn\'t a concern. Ultimately, looking after authors is the thing that all article directory sites should be looking to do. After all, these are the people who power the sites. They provide the top notch content and without that content, there will be no one coming back to the site. But what does it mean to really create a site where authors are put in the forefront? One of the things that article directories have to focus on is ease of submission. If authors have to spend too much time sorting through the difficult things that aren\'t related to writing, then they will look elsewhere for a site. Rightly so, too, because there is no use in wasting your time. Ads-Get-Read Article Directory is different, though. They have designed a really easy to use interface for people to take advantage of when they want to submit their articles. At the site, it takes only a couple of minutes to sign up for an account and add your entries right there. It is a live script format that makes writing the blogs and putting them on the site incredibly easy. For authors who want to have more time to focus on their work, this is the optimal solution. They can write articles right there on the site, and have them submitted quickly and without incident. As a writer, you have lots of different choices for where you are going to submit your articles. You are undoubtedly going to be looking for certain things in a submission site. Some authors want to know that they are taken care of from a technology standpoint and others want to know that tons of people are going to be reading their stuff. That is another thing that Ads-Get-Read Article Directory can provide to authors. When articles are submitted, you don\'t have to wonder how many folks are going to stumble upon it. The directory takes great care to make sure that submitted articles are exposed to as many people as possible. Ultimately, working with a solid, easy to use article directory is your best bet as an author. You will be happy with the live script and you will save time as opposed to working with run of the mill article submission sites. Albert F A Matthews http://www.ads-get-read.co.uk - http://www.wedigg. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS The Art Of Writing A Love Letter by Mary Simmers You may think this is a thing of the past and therefore it is not applicable in our present days and of course of the future,but writing a love letter for that special girl to whom you render your own feelings is something that anyone can appreciate. You might not even think of it but most girls would be grateful to receive such romantic letter where you put all your efforts and feeling on it. This is a timeless tradition of expressing your deepest feelings for someone you hold dear and the thought of someone writing them a love letter can indeed make them happy. Even though this kind of a letter is non like a business type or any professional letter writings, still you need to remember some guidelines in doing it so. The only challenge is how to skillfully express your feelings into that paper without having too much difficulty. Writing a love letter can become a challenge when you are too distracted thinking of the words that can match your own feelings. In order for you to write a good love letter, you need to first calm yourself down during writing. You don\'t need to rush everything out or panic about how will you start and what might possibly happened. Those sleepless nights thinking of what to say and write can become bothersome so relax and take a deep breath. Think of simple words that you can use to convey your hidden feelings and then write it down in a scratch first. The reason for this is that you can minimize erasures in the love letter. Nothing discourages a woman with a badly shaped letter. Next, you need to sound very sincere in your letter. This is to make the reader feel the passion and love that you are trying to convey. Of course, you need to check the content first and make sure that you have not misspelled any words or phrases. If you want, you can use your computer and use grammar checkers just to be double sure. You can also use certain programs in the computer to make your love letter more attractive. Use fine or colored paper to make it more creative. Also, write politely on what are you going to tell here. Avoid being rude, just be yourself. If you have managed to finish writing the content of the love letter, you can then think of ways on how to give the letter to your loved one. If you want to give it to her on her birthday, then you can have the letter inserted inside the birthday gift. One great idea is having a stuffed toy, say a teddy bear with a heart-shaped design in the middle and then place the letter there. The one you love will surely be surprised once she sees this. There are many ways on how to write a love letter but these are the basics. Good luck in writing! Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How To Paraphrase Artfully by Mary Simmers First things first – why the need to paraphrase? Anytime you use someone else’s information and presentation, you’re plagiarizing. It if you are copying one’s information, you will be penalized by the authority since there have been an act that will put someone into prison by doing it so. The only way out of that is to rewrite it in a manner that conveys the same message, while being structured in an altogether original manner. Reverse it in your own way but the main topic must still be there. You just have to change a little bit to avoid pirating. When you do any form of writing that you claim ownership for, such as essays for school and articles for magazines, you’ll undoubtedly need to refer to some other people’s work. While you can quote small pieces bits from their writing, doing the same for large chunks of text is basically just copying the entire thing. Why not post the entire source material then and get it over with? That’s when you need to paraphrase. Paraphrasing Ain’t Easy Paraphrasing can be easy when you have plenty of information to draw from. Then you will be able to put up thing together and write down what comes in to your mind such as your ideas, feelings and write-ups. A write-up on a product that has been featured by multiple media outlets, for instance, can be incredibly easy to paraphrase from an existing piece, using the other coverage as additional sources. Once you are restricted to a single brief and succinct source, however, with just the minimal of information, that’s when things become difficult, even with the help of the best grammar checker in the world. Paraphrasing Techniques Use Adjunct Sources. Use possible sources of information that may only be slightly related to change the way the meat of the content is delivered. Add up something that can make your presentation deliver its main topic. Restructuring. For multiple pieces of information, you can probably get away with paraphrasing by restructuring their presentation. If the original listed them in itemized order, you can try filling it out in full paragraphs, with explanations, for instance. Use your creativity to revise that particular presentation well. Clarification. If you’re writing for a very targeted audience, such as doctors or engineers, you can paraphrase with the special intent of appealing to them. That means writing it with technical terms and applications that will make sense to the particular market you’re composing for. Make your own style with this kind of a technique. Besides, you are the moderator of your work and you might as well need some help whenever you run out of ideas to write up on. Being able to follow these simple techniques can help you create an original write-up. The, you will be excluded from those who always steal and copy the information of own by other people. It might sound hard by some but when you start doing it, you will see the effects which sharpens you skills in paraphrasing write-ups. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checker Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How To Use Count And Non-Count Nouns by Mary Simmers Still having a hard time knowing when to add “s” to form the plural of a noun? Unsure about what type of article to use when referring to a subject? It is very astonishing to know that there are a lot of people who don’t have any idea on when to use the plural form of the noun and that which agrees with its corresponding verb. There are also times that you haven’t notice that you are using the wrong syntax in writing a sentence and that’s why it will lead you to a whole lot of mess especially when you are unto writing or when you’re dealing with other business-type people. A statement is nothing without the correct verb agreement of the subject and of the predicate. If you happen to be one, you might as well recall with what you have learn during your elementary and secondary years. If the above details problems that you need a grammar software to help you through, then you need to learn about count and non-count nouns. Basically, this property of nouns refer to whether they can be counted or not. Nouns can be either plural or singular. Generally, these nouns do have a singular form and by adding “s” you can now its plural form. However, there are also nouns that remains in its singular form and can’t be added with “s” to form it into plural. This kind of nouns are called non-count nouns. Definition Time Count nouns are things that can be divided into smaller distinct units. Non-count nouns, on the other hand, refer to things that are regarded as a whole and cannot be broken up in parts. A table, for instance, is a count noun (you can saw it off). Furniture (which refers to a collective whole), on the other hand, is a non-count noun. A book is a count noun; knowledge is a non-count noun. Rainstorm is a count noun while weather is a non-count noun. And so on. Applications Count nouns are words that can be pluralized by adding “s” at the end. Non-count, on the other hand, cannot have a plural form. Do note that some words in the English language are both count and non-count, depending on use, and can be pluralized with an “s”. Examples of these two-timing words include “light,” “sound,” and “problem.” As for articles, non-count nouns can only be combined with the articles “the,” “this,” and “that.” Singular count nouns, on the other hand, can be used with “a,” “an,” “the,” “this” and “that,” while plural non-count can only be employed with “the,” “these” and “those.” Aside from that, you can turn a noun-count noun with the help of adjectives and prepositions. This will form an adjective prepositional phrase. Take this for example; she donated ten bottles of milk for the babies. Milk is a non-count noun. You can see how the adjective “ten” and “bottles” are place before the preposition “of” to make the noun “milk” into the plural form. Don’t get confuse on when and how to use these kinds of nouns. Getting the appropriate knowledge about this stuff is quite useful for some other matters you didn’t expect. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Checker Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Preparing And Using Interviews In Your Writing by Mary Simmers Interviews are among the best research sources for your writing, allowing you access to information that may not otherwise be available elsewhere. Through the process of interviewing a person or group of people, certainly you ask questions that are related to your topic in writing. Generally, these would include the most common questions starting from what, when, where, how and why. Other types of questions are use for further details and explanations that you would like to have from your interviewee. More than listing mere sentences on a page that have been ran through by a grammar checker, they help infuse the material with actual, flesh-and-blood personality. There are numerous reasons why you may want to considering using interviews for a piece of writing. These include: * privileged information that only your subject may possess * to derive anecdotes you can use for a piece * to see the facts from a particular individual’s point of view * add a human touch to the piece * to confirm something through asking question Doing The Interview Before going in for an interview, make sure you’re adequately prepared. Because you are the one who conduct an interview, make sure that are well-dressed. Don’t be late when the schedule is being set and be ready with the materials you will use for the interview. The more you know about the subject before conducting it, the more you’ll usually learn. After all, the meat of interviews usually happen from follow-up questions, not from the packaged list of things you normally arrive with. Usually, when you are being bothered by the lack of confidence that you feel, don’t let it show off. Face it in order for you to get the necessary information that you needed. When you start an interview, start off light, asking basic questions that should not offer any issue for your subject to answer. This is particularly important when you intend to ask challenging questions later on, as it establishes an early rapport that can help make the interviewee more palatable to your tougher inquiries. General question are quite good at the start. Later on, you will adapt the feeling of being like that of a reporter and questions that you need to be answered will be provided by your interviewee. Post-Interview Once an interview is over, try to get a look at what you got immediately. Is it sufficient for the piece you are writing? Are there any areas you failed to cover? Does anything in the interview require further clarification? If you find a need a bit more information than what you were able to get, you can usually call up the subject to clarify these details, making sure to inform them of its particular relevance to what you are writing. At least, you are trying to confirm that what you had jotted down are the exact information that your subject had given unto you. If possible, you can bring along a recorder and a note for writing whenever you’re on for an interview. These will be your back ups during interviews. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Tired Of Getting A Low Score In Your English Tests? by Mary Simmers The title was actually what was asked to me by one of my best English teachers. I was flunking my English language class in high school because it was indeed too boring. The fact that I had to stare at the blackboard, trying to absorb all those lessons made me uninterested in the language. I guess I’m not alone with that kind of feeling especially for other students like my age before. Besides, why do I have to learn English anyway? This is the first thing that comes into our mind when listening to English courses at school. Unfortunately, we all have to. In this modern world, English is the universal language for business and commerce, even with politics! English is used by a lot of people especially when you are up to dealing with your business or when you are at work. Professionals need to talk and write in English and that is one of the signs of formality. So whether you like it or not, you will have to do something to catch up with that failing grade of yours. Studying is always the first solution that one can come up when it comes to academic problems. However, the problem relies with how the student is studying. A student who is reading a book while facing the T.V will never understand what he or she reads. When you study, use a room without any televisions, radios or other objects that can distract you. As long as you are surrounded with the things that catch your attention, then you will never learn to what you are going to study. Once you started to study all by yourself, use the dictionary, the thesaurus and any available resources available to you. If you have a laptop or a PC, you can try using grammar checkers in order to correct yourselves if in case you want to improve your vocabulary. Read English books. Practice writing English sentences and then check it to see if you have improved. These things help you a lot in acquiring the knowledge you would like to have. Make it a habit to list down difficult words that you might have encountered while in the course of reading a book or answering your English homework. Study hard and be a dedicated student. If you are determine enough, you will surely learn with all the things that help you come through it. Of course, success in your grades in English and all other subjects is dependent on how much you really are passionate with your work. But in any case, determination and perseverance can sometimes be the key to make our studies successful. Keep on reading English books when in doubt; you will learn a lot from them indeed. Also, do not limit yourself with the dictionary. You can also use the thesaurus, which will help you in finding the right synonym for a certain word.s. do the things that you know it is right for your studies. Never stop learning, be eager enough to learn more and more. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Writing And SEO: A Good Combination For Profit by Mary Simmers Today, Internet Marketing or otherwise known as Search Engine Optimization, is becoming a very profitable business. A lot of people are now learning the techniques of this profitable business and one of these techniques requires writing articles. Writing contents or articles is the key to success when you put up a business over the Internet. You might be surprised but those who can write good articles are very much in demand nowadays. Whether they are online or offline writers and even if you have the capacity to write, then it will be your great opportunity. If you happen to be one, then I suggest you start using your talents in order for you to rake in some cash. Now how do you make money just by writing articles? Website promotion is the answer. A website is nothing without its contents or any facts that will inform every online users over the Internet. With so many article submission sites nowadays, you can use the power of writing articles in order to promote a website. Therefore, you skills in writing is badly needed. Once a website is promoted, it gets higher rankings in Google and any other websites because of increasing web traffic. And because of this, the website becomes more famous and it gets more profit because of many web visitors. This is why most website owners hire writers and article rewriters so they can submit articles in article submission sites and have their websites promoted. Before you start writing articles for website promotion, you need to know how the whole deal works. Once you have written an article, do you just simply post and submit to any article directories and blogs that you can find? Of course not! First, you need to place a link in the article with the use of a keyword. The keyword can be a specific word that links the readers of the article to the website that you are promoting. For example, if you are promoting a website that sells houses, your article will be all about purchasing a house. The keyword can be “buy a house “and you can have that keyword hyperlinked with the URL of the website. Thus. the keyword is the door that links them to your website. So naturally, once someone reads your article and likes it or might even find interested with the topic, they will click on the keyword and are automatically sent to the website that you are promoting! This means business for most website owners and they will happily pay article writers for this type of promotion. However, make sure your articles are top-notch as most online surfers only read articles that are of good quality. They won\'t read it if they find it something boring. You might want to use English grammar software if you are in doubt with your grammar skills. In any case, this is one business where you can combine your passion for writing and earning money at the same time. Be sure to polish your writings first before it will be submitted to other article directories. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Teach Yourself Good English – The Easy Way by Mary Simmers When you read the title of this article, it must have shocked you or maybe even felt insulted when you start reading the first few lines of this article. You might even think that teaching yourself good English is very hard that we could imagine but you can learn the same way around easily. Now I am not an expert in English myself and I don’t meant to preach others of how important this language is, but with the way most businesses are handled right now, it’s only a matter of time before we start reading the dictionary or visit the nearest computer for a crash course with English software. The most common method of communication in most places around the world is English so you must realize how important to learn good English, right? We all have been taught how to speak and write English back in our elementary and high school days, but it is unfortunate how a small fraction of today’s youth realize the importance of good communication and writing skills. Not all people are serious to learn about how to speak English, right pronunciation, spelling and proper grammar. Way back then, I guess most students ignore the course of learning such language and its components but as we face the reality and what the world has to offer for all of us, this kind of a course is really important and useful. In college, we already focus ourselves with our chosen profession and the language skills are set aside. Everyone should realize that learning how to speak and write good English is the foundation for having a very successful career. I should know that when applying for a job, one can show how professional he or she is with a good written resume. Or even in school, when your teacher asks you to write a written report, you get good grades if you have a well-made assignment. If you are interested in improving your own English skills, then don’t worry! It is not yet too late. What you can do is start by practicing your English writing skills. You can start by writing a few simple paragraphs in a notebook and then you can consult a dictionary to check if you have used the correct words and spelled them out without any mistakes. If you have a computer, you can type using the computer and then use grammar checkers to check for mistakes. You can study about correct sentence construction, spelling and verb agreements just by reading the dictionary or going to language websites. Read lots of English books and if you encounter difficult words, then check the dictionary for the meaning. You can do all these in order for you to have fun too! There are some PC games that are designed to enrich your vocabulary. You can try downloading them and then start playing with these games in order for you to improve your own grammar and vocabulary. As most people would say, learning good English should also be fun. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How To Choose A Genre For Your Novel by Mary Simmers What is a genre? It means a specific type of a novel, movie or story. Here are some examples of different genres and that can be action, adventure, romance, science fiction, horror, etc. Each has their own specific details and genres happen to be the most important aspect in a story. Since it is the concept of the story about how it informs its readers regarding the current situation or the plot of the story. Without genres, stories and novels would have no life and the thrill of reading the entire story is lost. Your readers will find it boring and cannot understand what you are going to imply with your story or novel. This is one reason why you need to choose your choice of genre when you plan on writing your own novel. Select the right kind of genre that suits the plot of your story well. Choosing your own genre does not need to be that bothersome. If you are to write a novel, then choose which type of story you want to write. For example, are you into stories of adventure and action? Or you prefer to write romantic novels instead? It depends upon your choice on whatever you wanted to make your readers feel like being one of t he characters of the story. At least they are not bored by it. Remember to concentrate first in a specific type of genre that you have started writing in order for you to become an expert in that genre first before advancing to another and so that you are aware about the flow of your story or novel. It’s just like with sports; someone who is very good in basketball cannot learn the basics of soccer in one day. Therefore, you must focus first one genre before indulging with the other. For practice, try reading books that has the same genre that you are interested in. With this, you can note down important pointers that you can use once you are now starting to write your own novel. Next, try making a practice novel in a notebook. Try to check for grammatical errors. If you have a laptop or a computer, then try using the computer and save your rough draft. You can try using grammar checkers so you can check what errors you have committed and how to correct them. With enough practice, you can become a professional novel writer in the genre of your choice! So go ahead and take a pick. Choose your own genre and start practicing. Express the story you wanted to write with your own feelings and create what characters are going to portray with the story related to the type of genre that is best for your story or novel. You never know, you might become master writers in your own genre, just like what happened to famous writers like J.K Rowling, Michael Chricton and Stephen King. Master that kind of genre you are interested with and let your imagination run wild! Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How To Write Like A Pro – The Advanced Steps by Mary Simmers Ok, since I was able to tackle the most basic steps in the first article with the same name above, we will now proceed with the more advanced steps in writing like a professional. The next few things that we will discuss have something to with mental and physical preparation before you start writing. These things are very important in order for you to unleash your full potential as a pro writer. Without further ado, let’s begin learning the advanced steps: Mental Preparation – First of all, the mental preparation of a writer should not be taken for granted. Make sure you’ve had a well earned rest and have eaten before you start writing; nothing distracts a writer more than sleepiness or a hungry stomach. When you feel tired of writing and thinking of ideas, give yourself a break. If you need to finish the article as soon as possible, take a deep breath and relax just for about 20 to 30 minutes. If you feel comfortable writing in the wee hours of the night, then take a nap an hour before you start writing. A nap can energize your senses, enabling you to work more efficiently. Drink a warm glass of milk to soothe your nerves. Before writing, release all negative thoughts from your head. A person who has so many things to think about cannot write because of so many mental distractions. It is true; angry people tend to make horrible and heartbreaking stories due to the many feelings of anger hidden inside their minds. So the next time, try releasing any negative thoughts while and before writing an article. Physical Preparation – This is very important as well. Before you start writing, you need to check the room and the table that you will be working on. Make sure that it is comfortable and well—ventilated. The chair should be comfortable as well. Sit straight with your feet flat on the floor while writing. I know your mom or your bossy teachers have told you of this a thousand times, but believe me, they do help while you are writing. It enables proper circulation inside your body, making you more relaxed and more focused in writing. Most writers experience a pain in their wrist while they have been writing for many hours already. When you experience this pain as well, it is important that you stop for awhile and then stand up and stretch your arms. Remember that your health is also a priority and should never be secondary. It is better to relax your mind and your body once and for a while in order for you to freshen up your ideas with all the long hour work. Take this into your mind the next time you write a long article or story. Well, this is just one part of the Advance series. Watch out for the next one, where we will focus on the many techniques and tools, such as grammar checkers and spinning systems, you can use in writing like a professional. Happy writing! Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Book Reviews Are Easy (If You Know What You’re Doing) by Mary Simmers Book reviews are not that difficult to write. Although, there are a lot of people especially students, find it difficult to manage. However, it can be fun and interesting to accomplish one. In fact, your biggest challenge might be having to read the whole thing, especially if it is a particularly boring piece of work. The fact that your subject is tightly-constrained helps make the whole process easier, apart from being an entertaining way to exercise your writing ability. Fiction Vs Non-Fiction For fictional books, such as novels and narratives, make sure to take notes while you’re reading. Put particular focus on the storyline, jotting down major events that affect the main direction of the story. In other words, plan out on what are the plots of your story. You can put on some twists that can make your readers thrilled by the story. For non-fiction books, use the introduction and abstract (if available) to draw the main subject of the material. With that on your mind, take down notes on items that affect the main thesis, including quotes and paraphrases. Basically, this kind of a review is merely based on facts rather than someone’s point of view. These stuffs you put down, on their own, can be the basis for your entire book review. If you’d like to be more thorough, you can also read the piece once and re-read specifically for taking notes. So that you will be able to determine if there is something you want to add up on, omit or edit. Book Review Format Like most essays, your review will need to be run through a good grammar checker, apart from following a basic three-part format, consisting of an introduction, a body and a conclusion. Thus, it must be formatted correctly. For your introduction, always identify the material by author, title and publishing information. Specify what type of book it is so your readers can get a better perspective. Additionally, you can include pertinent background information which can help give the reader context about your opinions. Whatever your title is, you can have it discussed in the introduction. Expand your title in the introduction. The body of your review will cover your reactions to the material. How would you describe the overall experience of reading it? What do you think of the author’s various opinions and views? What issues does it raise and what possibilities can you glean from it? How does it compare to similar work? How is it relevant to our everyday lives? Moreover, explanations are being tackled here, whatever the topic is. Naturally, your reactions to the book should lead to a specific conclusion. Is it a worthwhile material? Would the reader be better off skipping it? Summarize your major points and state your final recommendation to close your book review. The ending part must leave something to your readers mind so that they will appreciate what you have created so far and what they have learn after reading your book review. Find out how to write perfect English letters, reports and emails by writing less. See Grammar Software in action! http://www.grammarsoftwar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Have You Considered Creative Writing? by Pam Pearson Creative writing! What does creative mean to you? Well, the definition of creative is: resulting from originality of thought, expression, etc. While there is insufficient room for creativity in a universe of blacklists and misrepresentation, writing mechanically is not the most powerful way to advise readers and conserve their excitement. Remember not to demoralize creativity with imagination: Creativity is usage of the facts that are written considering that imagination is the weaving and maneuvering the facts themselves. Use of exquisite creative techniques can arouse the writing and enhance its readability. Assiduously researching a feature topic should be of the greatest importance, and after becoming an professional on the story\'s topic, the first step to creating an exclusive story is finding a particular angle. Irrevocably, through showing as a substitute to telling, including distinct details, and being imaginative, the audience will not only be educated but also experience the topic. Show the reader don\'t just tell them. Just because it\'s existent for English teachers to have been pressing it for years, doesn\'t make it dishonest. Showing not only applies to a creative passage but can back up facts. In lieu of exclusively quoting a source, it can be convenient to characterize body language if, and only if, fundamentally for further explanation. When desirable, embrace the active voice over the passive voice, and select unique and expressive verbs over depressed, commonplace ones. Always use conscientious journalism procedure, and cut anything that fabricates. The more pressurized a news article is, the less opportunity for creativity, alongside from mandatory descriptions. But feature stories and less clamorous news leave more leeway for unique angles and creativity. Using a different angle and the preexistence creative tactics to write an article will more suitably involve and retain the excitement of modern-day readers steadily on the move. Just remember that creative writing is whatever the purpose is to distinct thoughts, excitability and emotions rather than to commonly transmit information. Creative writing is writing that represents the writer’s introspection and feelings in an imaginative, often special, and melodious way. There is a mediocre belief that because most of us are educated and smooth-spoken, there is no need to get an education if we want to become a extraordinary word slinger. That’s what individuals think until they try to write their first novel. They will soon learn that a novel has its own set of specifications, laws of development that have to be learned. Just because individuals read plenty of novels don\'t mean they can write one, any more than they can make a computer just because they work on them everyday. If you stump up and start chomping your pen and look fixedly at a blank sheet of paper, or glaring at a blank screen for hours, try to motivate your writing with a short exercise to expand your writing muscles. Don’t cease to think too much about it … just progress forward, without worrying about the individuality of the work you compose. Because all writers have to revise and edit their work! For more information please click the following link to our Creative Writing Review site: http://creative-writing-revie FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Essay: How to Write it Perfectly? by Neil Patrick “A good essay must have this permanent quality about it; it must draw its curtain round us, but it must be a curtain that shuts us in not out” -Virginia Woolf. The word essay has been derived from the French word “essayer” meaning “to try” or “to attempt”. An essay is thus, a literary initiative to describe and comprehend a situation, to the best ability of the author. Writing a meaningful and strong essay has been one of the most intriguing mysteries of the academic world. As the scope of an essay is immense, close to infinity, there can be in no proven or scientific parameter to gauge the intensity of an essay. An essay can be anything and everything which can perfectly explain and comment on a given subject. The reader of the essay can be termed as the final judge to determine, how good an essay is. The essay should be such that it can reflect the actual situation through a spectrum of thoughts, in a manner which can keep the interest and facts on the same boat. All the words and sentences written for the subject should be synchronized in a perfectly uniform structure, providing a platform to the reader to closely analyze the thoughts, and in some cases, should be able to drive home a point. Although there is no proven or tested formula to write a good essay, we can surely churn out few tips and tricks to write a successful essay. Some of these are: Comprehending the subject This is the one of the most important thing to remember while penning an essay. What is the subject matter? What should be the essay all about? These questions should have a ready answer with the author, who is about to write an essay. Without properly understanding and comprehending the subject, nobody can even write a sentence within an essay. Before starting with the essay, the subject matter should be carefully studied upon, and self-conclusions regarding the topic should be present in the mind. Once this is over, you can safely assume that half job has been completed. Targeting the audience: Hitting bull’s eye Before commencing the journey of writing a successful essay, one should always keep in mind the audience of the essay. Which type of audience will read the essay? What is the purpose of this essay? Any author should be well prepared to answer these questions. In case the essay is being written for the admission panel for some business school, the pointers and logic within the essay should be portrayed in a manner, which can best describe the candidate’s profile within the scope of the essay. Good essay means clear and concise thoughts This is by far the most relevant definition of an essay. A good essay is a structure of sentences which is easy to understand, a delight to comprehend, and compact in a way which is a joy to the reader. The thoughts and the views should be always showcased on a presentable manner. These qualities should be embedded in the essayist in order to create the perfect essay Creating the first draft: Initiate it! Initializing the first draft of the essay is as important as completing the whole task. It has observed numerous times that the first step towards essay becomes a huge task for the beginners. Once the task of creating an essay has been determined, the potential author should just initiate the process of writing, without any fear or comprehension. Once the first draft has been created, the base and the platform for the essay is ready, ready to be launched for the final version Neil Patrick is one of the senior staff writers at http://essayacademia.com, specialized in essay writing for master and Ph.D. students. He has been with the company for over five years. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Freelance Writer – Writing is Not the Most Valuable Skill of a Freelance Writer by Alan Cheng If you hire a freelance writer for a project, there are certain things you need to look for such as writing skills, testimonials and pricing. But none these are the most important skill which you should look for in a freelance writer. What you should look for is something much deeper than that. First of all, let\'s consider why you need to hire a freelance writer. You may have a project on a niche that you want to explore or a market which you are already an expert in. The ghost writer needs to write articles or a book on your topic which shows that you\'re an expert. What if the ghostwriter wrote with perfect English and in an entertaining voice? Would you be satisfied? If you\'re aiming to make an impact in your market by wanting to become an authority and you\'re concerned with every public material that has your name on it, then you would need much more than that. What you need is writing which has the basics of correct English grammar, a good voice and most importantly...valuable content which shows you are knowledgeable in your field. If you\'re in the video recording business and the writer wrote excellent articles/report on how to set up an online recording business, you would not be pleased if the topics written were basic and outdated. This is where the true value of a good freelance writer can help you. Writing professionally does not only mean proper grammar and checking of spelling mistakes. A lot of it involves research into your topic and explaining it in a clear, helpful and entertaining way. Professional ghostwriters will spend a lot of time, researching your topic before they begin writing. They want to make sure that the content produced is not fluff and is actually useful to your audience. This is how they build their reputation as a good writer. If the professional writer can find information which is true, up to date, can help your market and is not available as free content on the internet, then you have hired someone who has given real, true value to your business. So how do you make sure the writer will deliver what you want? The answer is communication. People have different needs for writers and different things please them. Some prefer the ghostwriter to cram in as much information as possible in an ebook, while some prefer valuable content which is professionally researched and can really help their customers. In your email to the writer, explain the object of your articles, report or ebook. Tell them the type of prospect you want to target and the type of information you want written. If there are good sources of information which can help the writer, attach it in the email. You should give as much information as possible to ensure that the end product meets your requirements. Follow this advice and focus on choosing a professional freelance writer to research and write for your business. You\'ll create quality products which will put you well ahead of your competition. Outsource to professionals for quality content at http://www.eliteghostwriters.com/infoproducts.html For more articles and video tips on promoting your business online visit http://www.eliteghostwriters.com/report.html – Alan Cheng, Elite Ghostwriters. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Novel Writing: Five Tips For Making it Easy by Julie Coan Novel writing is easy if you follow these few simple tips. I hear writers groan all the time about how difficult writing a novel is. I admit to being one of them until I figured out a couple of secrets. Just by changing a few of your writing habits, novel writing can change from difficult to easy. 1. Planning makes novel writing easy. The number one thing that you can do to make novel writing easy is to plan your novel before you start to write. Planning makes writing ten times easier. Writing a novel isn’t easy when you’re stuck. Most writers find writing difficult because they write part of their book and then they don’t know what to write next. Making a plan helps you organize your story and helps you write faster. The faster you write, the easier it will feel. 2. Developing good writing skills makes novel writing easy. You’ve hear the saying, “Practice makes perfect”. I also believe that “Practice makes the job easy”. It doesn’t matter if you’re a plumber or a writer, the job will get easier each time you do it. It’s so important to practice your writing every day. Try to improve each piece of writing by making each time you write, write better than the last time. 3. Choosing a dedicated writing place makes novel writing easy. Choose a place in your home to be your writing place. Keep your writing tools close: pens, pencils, word processor or computer, dictionary, thesaurus, and your writing plan for your current project. It will save the frustration of having to stop in the middle of your writing session to look for supplies. It also has a psychological effect, too. If you always write in the same place, when you sit there, your brain knows that it’s time to write and it slips into that mode more quickly. 4. Success makes novel writing easy. The first time that you sell some of your writing, you’ll feel like you’re on top of the world. People like your writing! Someone paid money for it! There’s nothing like that feeling to get you going on your next project. 5. Surrounding yourself with positive people and ideas makes novel writing easy. Nothing’s easy if the people you spend time with are continuously scoffing at your efforts. Feeling negative slows you down until you simply can’t envision success. With every negative thought, with every negative comment from someone around you, writing a novel gets more difficult. If you can recognize that people are negative, you have a couple of options. The first choice is that you can remove yourself from them. Simply don’t spend time with them. The second choice is to ask them to stop making negative comments about your writing. They may not be aware they’re doing it. The third thing is to take steps to lessen the impact of the person’s negativity. You can do this by avoiding the subject of your writing when you’re around them. You can also repeat a positive affirmation every time they say something negative. Surround yourself with positive people who will encourage you when you’re discouraged and share your joy when you make little successes. Join a writer’s group or join a writers’ forum online and talk with other writers. Fill your workspace with positive affirmations. Write the positive sayings on little cards and place them where you can see them. When you find yourself thinking negative thoughts, read the affirmations. If you follow these tips, writing a novel will be easier than you think and soon your novel will be finished and ready to be sent to the publisher. Julie Coan has been a writer and educator for more than twenty years. Her book, “Write Your Way to a Million Dollars” is a unique step by step system for planning your novel. If you’ve always wanted to write,publish,and sell your novel, you must have this book. http://www.MakeMoneyWritingBooks.com. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How to Write a Novel: 5 Reasons Why You Should Plan Before You Write by Julie Coan There are many writers that say that you don’t need to plan before you write a novel. They say that the novel will just grow as they write. They say that planning stifles their creativity. Most people who don’t plan their novel never finish it. Planning your novel provides a sense of security and allows your creativity to bloom in ways you never dreamed of. Here are the five main reasons you should plan before you write your novel. 1. Planning your novel helps you avoid writer’s block. Even if you start out with the most brilliant idea for your novel, it’s easy to get bogged down in the details once you start to write. Sometimes there may seem to be too many choices and sometimes there may not be enough. If you’ve planned ahead, you can refer to your plan to see what should happen next. No more writer’s block! 2. Planning can help you write a novel quickly. You want to finish your rough draft as quickly as possible. It’s important to get it finished so you can get that feeling of satisfaction of completing a long project. The sooner it’s finished, the sooner you can revise it and publish it and start your next project. 3. Planning before you write a novel can help avoid extensive rewrites. When you are writing without a plan, you may begin to write in a certain direction. Then you realize that’s not where you want the novel to go or you reach a dead end. Then you have to backtrack and write those scenes again or replace them with new ones. When you have a plan, your rewriting phase is more about fine-tuning. 4. When you plan before you write, you end up with a better novel. You’ll be able to weave in subtle connections between the characters because you can see how all the big pieces fit together. You’ll be able to weave the subplots together more seamlessly. There won’t be characters who have no place or subplots that leave the reader hanging because they were never resolved. 5. Planning before you write keeps you from getting discouraged and giving up. A huge number of people begin to a novel and never finish it. When your novel starts to get complicated and you’re feeling discouraged, you can look at your plan. Suddenly you realize that the ending is already in sight. You know that you have a great novel because you have a great plan. All it’s going to take is a little time and effort. Having a plan doesn’t mean that things can’t change once you begin to write. In fact, things will change once you begin to write. As your characters have conversations and interact with each other on the page, you may discover a new way for their relationship to develop or a better way to solve the character’s problem. That’s the nature of the creative process. Planning only provides a framework on which to build and that framework will help you write an amazing novel. Julie Coan has been a writer and educator for more than twenty years. Her book, “Write Your Way to a Million Dollars” is a unique step by step system for planning your novel. If you’ve always wanted to write,publish,and sell your novel, you must have this book. http://www.MakeMoneyWritingBooks.com. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS LSI: Latent Semantic Indexing and Article Writing by Peter Nisbet Latent Semantic Indexing, otherwise known as LISI, is an integral part of Google’s search engine algorithm that determines not only the listing position of your web page in the Google search engine results pages, but also whether or not it will be listed at all. Right off, let me first say that nobody can produce LSI-compliant content: there is no such thing, because LSI is a concept connected to the analysis of text strings in order to determine their true meaning. It is properly referred to as latent semantic analysis (LSA), although Google uses the term latent semantic indexing because it is being used to index your web pages. However, you can use the general sense of the concept in respect of the way you write the content of your web pages, and your use of contextual relevance to the search term being used by Google users seeking specific information. In explaining how this is done, therefore, I do so with apologies to the purists of LSA who correctly claim that a web page cannot be LSI-compliant or that LSI can be used to improve your on-page SEO. Let me explain the meaning of contextual relevance by giving you an example. It is a simple example, and perhaps contrived, but it does explain the concept, and also how you can apply it to improve the listing position of any web page you apply it to. We shall consider a Google user seeking information on ‘how to write’. How to write what? Check up any keyword analysis tool you wish to use, and you will find that the keyword ‘how to write’ is a very popular one, and it is very easy to use it as the main keyword in a web page on writing. In fact a keyword used by you on your website is no more than a means of you informing search engines of the topic of your web page, and is hopefully the same as the search term being used by the search engine user. However, the question is ‘how to write’ what? The visitor might be seeking information on how to write novels, articles for directories, web page content or even newspaper or magazine articles, and each of these require a different approach and objective when writing them. What the concept of LSI does is to look at the text in close proximity to the keyword and use that to determine its meaning. Thus, ‘newspaper’, ‘novel’. ‘web page’, ‘submission’ for example, can all be used in latent semantic indexing to index your page in the correct category, so that the pages presented in the SERPS give the search engine users the results relevant to their inquiry. The search engine’s true customer is the person using it for its intended purpose - to carry out a search. You are not Google’s customer, and neither are all those advertisers using Adwords, because without the person carrying out the search Google would not exist. Google’s use of LSI makes sure the company is providing its customers with as good as service as it can. My website offers different examples of contextual relevance, such as how the keyword ‘the history of locks’ can one of three different things that could not be distinguished by keyword-stuffing. The same is true of the term ‘German Shepherd’ another commonly used example. Are you seeking information on dogs or how Germans look after their sheep? Is an Alsatian a dog or a person? Google had initially been using the concept of semantic analysis (‘semantic’ refers to the meaning of words) in their Adsense program, where it was used to determine the type of adverts to place on users’ web pages according to the topic of the page. However, people began making thousands from Adsense by automatically generating pages of meaningless text into which any keyword could be inserted and make sense to the reader, thus: \"Information on KW can be found all over the internet, KW being the subject of many online searches. There is a large number of websites providing information on KW, and an equally large number of people using KW as their keyword in their Google search.\" That’s just a brief example, but you could use any keyword you can think of as ‘KW’, and entire web pages would be generated by software designed simply to enter a keyword of your choice in place of KW. Many of these sites received top listings because the algorithms were predominantly keyword orientated, and endless repetition of a keyword would almost guarantee a high listing. I did it myself: I would have a list of 5,000 keywords generating 5,000 single page-minisites from one template. You don’t need many clicks to add up the Adsense income from that many pages. Google stopped it all with LSI. They applied the concept of latent semantic indexing used in their Adsense program to their search engine algorithm, and overnight websites with no text related in context to the keyword were dropped. People’s income was decimated and their businesses destroyed - and probably rightly, although they hadn’t set the rules that had applied, just took advantage of them. Thus, to be listed for ‘article writing’, you would have to make it clear what type of articles and what type of writing you were referring to. With the shepherd, you would have to mention sheep or Alsatians or use some means of making it clear what the topic of your content was. That’s LSI in action, and while most people are still unsure what latent semantic indexing really means, and use the term wrongly, if you write your content naturally you should be just fine. For more detailed information on how to use the concept of LSI to improve your listing position on Google, check out Pete’s web page http://www.article-services.com/lsi.html where you will find details of exactly what can be done to get higher listings and more traffic by using latent semantic index FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How To Write A Classified Ad by Jason Kay It’s amazing to think that in this age of overwhelming technology, texting, and the internet that newspapers and classified ads haven’t become completely obsolete. There are lots of advanced ways to advertise these days, but if you’re looking to sell your sail boat or hire an assistant, you probably aren’t going to buy a banner ad on the web. Believe it or not, the classifieds are still a great way to advertise small things and transactions. But so many classified ads are so poorly written that they’re a waste of everyone’s time, money, and ad space. Writing a successful classified ad isn’t rocket science, but there’s more to it than meets the eye. If you’re looking to place an ad in the classifieds, it’s important to put a little thought and effort into what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it. Here are few tips on how to write a classified ad: Leave Your Contact Information Sounds like a no brainer, right? It’s amazing how many people place classified ads and don’t leave the reader anyway to get in touch with them. Whatever the means, be sure to give your interested readers a way to pursue your advertisement. Proofread The newspaper should tell you when your ad will run and for how long. Be sure to follow up and ensure that your ad is printed in the proper section and that it’s printed correctly. The simplest error can give your short and sweet classified ad a completely different meaning. If there are typos, follow up with the newspaper. Keep it Short but Detailed Classified ads aren’t free so there’s always the temptation to keep it short and to the point. It’s true that readers don’t have the attention span to read a small novella in the ad section, but you don’t want to leave out important information. Include information that is sure to pique the interest of your readers. Words like ‘rare’, ‘brand new’, etc. are usually winners. List a Price or Rate only if it’s a Steal If you’re selling a classic car well below value, list your asking price with pride. But if you’re looking for fair market value, wait until they call you to discuss price. Also, give your readers an idea of your position on the price: if it’s negotiable, say so, if it’s not, let them know. Create a Sense of Urgency If you’ve taken the time to place a classified ad, you’re probably ready to take action. You want to sell that item, fill that position, or whatever the purpose, with haste. Let your reader know that you’re ready to act and they will to. Phrases that encourage readers to act quickly will help you get more response. Use Keywords Over Generic Phrases Instead of titling your ad with phrases like ‘For Sale’ or ‘Position Available’, be specific. Paying for bold type and specific wording is worth it. Saying ‘2000 Cannondale Road Bike’ or ‘House Sitter Needed’ is more attractive to classifieds readers that generic phrasing. Let them know exactly what you need or what you’re selling. When writing a classified ad, it’s important to include as much information as you can in very few words. Tell your readers what you need or have for sale and what’s in it for them. The power of the classifieds to help everyday people exchange goods and services is still alive and well. Jason Kay recommends viewing a list of free classified sites at http://www.freeclassifiedsites.net in order to determine which ones are appropriate for your advertising needs. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Top Ways to Make Money Online by Writing Articles by Donaldson. Matt Hey are you into writing? Then why not using this passion of yours to make money online! Trust me, this is considered to one of the ideal ways to make money online. You can opt for this method without much effort on your part. Check out some of the top ways to make money online by writing articles: * Collect your previously written articles and weave them together for creating an e-book or report. In case of an e-book, you can split the contents of your e-book into different sections. * Try creating an array of e-mail messages from your previously written articles followed by loading them into an autoresponder. Ensure scheduling each message from time to time. Now, within each of the message, ensure promoting your product. By reminding your viewer constantly about your product in the follow-up messages. This increases your chances of making a sale and helps you earn money in the process. * Read aloud your previously written articles, followed by recording them into your recorder. Try playing this audio for your webinar or you may also sell it in the form of a product. * You may also create a video of your previously written articles by reading it in front of the camera or preparing a slide show. Next, you may use the video as a product as well as for up-selling an e-book or report. * The owners of different websites are in constant need of unique content for alluring a hoard of traffic. Hence, you can sign up with these websites a ghostwriter and earn money in the process. You can charge up to $300 for a well-structured article. * Writing newsletter is an ideal way to make short-term as well as long term money * AdSense are referred to as Google ads that are placed in the website content. When a person clicks on these ads, you receive a couple of cents. Now the more pages your blog or website has the more money you make. What’s more about amazing about this approach is that, it’s free as well as simple to set up and helps you in earning a passive income. * You can keep on adding new articles to your website to allure traffic. For example an SEO article often gains a first page ranking as compared to a non-SEO article. * You can submit your articles to different articles directory and these directory will pay you in the process. The amount of money you’ll make depends on the quality as well as the quantity of your articles. If your blog or website includes too may high ranked articles then you will possibly get proposals from advertisers for placing a link or an ad on your website. These advertisers will pay you for the traffic that their ad gets. On the other hand, you may also join hands with services which pays you for placing their ads on your website. In other words, it is considered to be an ideal way for earning a passive income! Ready to learn the ways to make money online? Visit http://www.zerofrictionmarketingshow.com today! FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Article Writing 101 - I PUNCH PUPPIES! No, I Don\'t...But I Love Being Controversial! by Ali Baraka Yeah, you should be controversial too! People ADORE controversy! They lie and say they don\'t like what was said, but they\'re as fired up and as emotional as they can get. This will amount to a spotlight on your online campaign, and this is what you want. It\'s like the car wreck scenario. They may be horrified by what they may see, but you know they can\'t look away! NOW, that said, let me clarify that there is a fine line between being controversial and just being offensive. Being offensive just to do it is gratuitous, especially if you\'re trying to earn the business of your readers. A desire to be offensive can also open the door for religious, racial, and gender yo-yo\'s to convey an anti-social agenda. This is not a good thing to communicate to a wide audience for obvious reasons. But, controversy in and of itself can put you ahead of the fray in terms of exposure. People are obsessed with their tribe and they will actively seek out others who share their opinions. There is an innate comfort in this. It is a fundamental aspect of our collective psychology. We also have a tendency to destroy that which threatens this kinship. This is what you actively impose on when you comment on controversial subjects. The irony is that the effort to destroy this element often actively serves to exhault and preserve it. This is just the dividend you\'re looking for, just ask Rush Limbaugh. This idea is more or less predicated on the product you\'re pushing. If, for instance, you\'re selling products that help babies, or that have to do with terminal illnesses or the like, then I think controversy should be avoided like Don Imus should avoid a Women\'s Basketball conference. Stick to ideas that are mildly contentious and especially absurd. Use your common sense and innate perception of popular culture to your advantage. Controverial writing or ad copy is a risk. It\'s not for the faint of heart, but for the most confident. If you increase your confidence quotient, you\'ll do well with this idea. Don\'t be overconfident, but don\'t be afraid either. You can expect the returns for this risk to plummet or to surge; don\'t be surprised by either. Hone your skill to increase the latter. The bottom line is that controversy is a good idea ONLY if it is approached with maturity and conscience. The foundation of virtue from which you draw should dictate the degree of conscience and social responsibility you bring to a potentially contentious campaign. Be mindful of this as you move forward. For the record, I haven\'t punched a puppy in my life, but it got your attention, didn\'t it? That\'s the idea. I\'m not a puppy puncher and I abhor those who might be, but I know what pulls at the strings of my fellow citizen, and the idea is absurd enough to be dismissed as the ridiculous claim that it is. However, I know that there are a handful of people who will react negatively to such a statement. I can accept that. But my main goal is to gain attention for my campaign in a way I deem to be rabble rousing but ultimately innocuous. Do you want more ways to get attention for your marketing campaign? I\'ll give you the best ways! Click the link below to check out a few short videos! Get Cutting Edge Advice From a Multi-Millionaire On How To ELECTRIFY Your Bank Account! I Fired My Boss Within 2 Months. Will U?? Click NOW For a Special Offer!! http://www.MaverickMoneyLegac FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS This is How You Make Money Writing Blogs by Tom Williamsenn Blog posts or content writing is now considered one of the most in demand jobs in the internet. The people involved in this business are generally home based writers who have their personal computers connected to the internet to make money writing blogs or articles. This kind of online job is highly suggested for individuals who prefer to stay at home and make money using their skills in writing. Most women, who stay at home taking care of their kids, often earn bigger income with just their talent in creating blogs and content writings. They have their targeted customers that will utilize their articles in their businesses. These bloggers sell their services in creating content articles for promoting their business. It was called advertisements that would affiliate their business entities with their articles. Their objective in writing blogs and articles is to cause traffic in their website. A massive traffic would mean an advantage in advertising and business will progress along the way. Regular web browsers are the targets for the writers who made a portal for the businesses entities whose purpose is to advertise their products. You can make money writing blogs and articles that will cater the means of advertising by the traffic in websites. An eye catching blog can catch a customer\'s attention and possibly purchase the products that the blog content has promoted. It is all about packaging your blog affiliated with the product that you sell. And this is where you earn your money in acquiring your customers to advertise their products or services in your blog posts. Your blog must be relevant and applicable to the customer\'s interests. This is why they surf the net in search for the answers to their questions and solutions to their problems. Let your creative ideas sell big time and at the same time increase the demands for your services. Businesses need good advertisements and if you are a good writer they will buy your articles and became your loyal clients. Good advertisements will generate great income, and these would also mean that you are a proficient content writer. Having a creative mind and unique ideas will take your career in some greater heights of your life. You can be the most sought after blog or content writer that in due time you will be flooded with requests for job orders. Sooner or later you will be hiring additional writers that will provide you contents or articles to suffice the needs of your clients. Through this you already earn by purchasing the blogs of other writers and this is what they call outsourcing business. It is most important to be equipped with extensive and appropriate content that will cater to your customer\'s need of information. Striking visualization of your blog can be enticing for the customer\'s to read on. Make money writing blogs or article contents with your genius in writing. If writing is your forte then this job is for you. But if you just want to make money without the passion in writing, you will just wear out yourself in indulging yourself in something that you are forced to do. Ready to learn more information on how to make money writing blogs, visit http://www.eBooksCreated.com today! FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Be the Next JK Rowling - Can I Make Money Writing a Book? by Tom Williamsen Can I make money writing a book? Sure enough, everybody is familiar with the infamous Harry Potter and his magical adventures with his wizard friends. The series by J.K. Rowling is definitely a hit not only to children but also to adults who love to read. Needless to say, her books have certainly brought not only fame but also a fortune to her in an instant. Therefore, you can indeed make money by writing a book. How? Read on and find out. In order to answer your question, \"Can I make money writing a book,\" you first need to know what to write about by finding out what your readers want to read. This is very important factor that tends to be ignored by many writers. You have a wide range of choices picking the genre you want to focus on. You can start with short stories then work it up to novels eventually. One good idea is to write about a \"hot\" topic. By hot topic, it means something that generates the interest or imagination of the public. It isn\'t necessary that your book is the great American novel but rather a book that is created to sell fast because your audience is interested in its content. The question now is how to find a present \"hot\" topic. You can freely utilize the services of the internet by conducting surveys to find out what\'s currently \"hot\" nowadays. You can also monitor to some talk shows on the radios if you have the time. Aside from political issues, you may come across topics like health and finance. Once you decide on a hot topic, you may start writing your book. It is a good idea to create an online blog and publish your work on it while you are in the process of writing it. Of course after finishing your novel, you need to have it published. There are some small and mid-scaled publishers who are open to new writers. The only problem is that they don not have enough money power like that of a major publisher. Although getting published with them can be of advantage too since they will surely give you the royalty fees you need to make a living. However, it will be the major publishers who will be the ones to bring you big sales. The difficult thing here is it is harder for them to notice you but it is not impossible. If you are lucky enough to come across a literary agent who can represent you, that would be a great help to you. A literary agent is someone who has read your book and believes that it is marketable enough to sell. They have the connections in the industry to get your book to editors who decide on what books go on to be published. Some people may ask, \"How many books do I have to sell in order to make money?\" Actually, the quantity of books you need to publish is the variable. Keep in mind a good rule of thumb for estimating your profits is a dollar is equal to one book meaning you have to sell 50,000 books within a year so that you can earn a solid living. If you are somebody who keeps on asking himself, \"Can I make money writing a book?\" Definitely you can. Just give your full determination and commitment and the rewards are yours to reap. Ready to learn more information on how you can make money writing a book, visit http://www.eBooksCreated.com today! FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Easiest Way to Make Money Writing - Try It! by Tom Williamsen Try bringing up the topic of writing and you will surely get a lot mixed reactions. But one thing is for sure; people will either hate it or love it. Sadly, there are still a lot of people who don\'t appreciate the talent required in the profession of writing. Some say writing bores them. Some say it does not pay well. If you happen to be one these people, please hold your horses. You just have to find the easiest way to make money writing. There isn\'t just one easiest way. There are actually a lot of ways to do it. The easiest way to make money writing is by making reviews about other companies\' products. You can adopt more than a few styles of writing articles. Aside from writing product reviews, you can also try composing general how-to articles about their products as well. Apparently, every sale you successfully make through your articles will earn you a commission from the company. This is called affiliate marketing. You leverage products that you do not own which can earn you money in return. However, some people claim that earning money by affiliate marketing is not easy as it seems. It is, indeed if you do not take it seriously. It just all depends on your determination online that will set you apart from those who never a penny even if they try for months. Of course whatever goal in life involves effort. Aside from affiliate marketing, you can also look into business writing. Small and large companies, community organizations and fans clubs more often than not have subscriber-based newsletters. Investing on software programs and paper to create these newsletters are cheap. You can produce a professional output right in the comforts of your own home. Do not think that you can only do that for others. You can also do it for yourself. You can write something about what interests you, print it up and give it out. It sounds like a lot of work. It definitely is but it is surely gratifying. However, creating a perfect, glossy and perfect-bound work is not really important. What is vital is what your newsletter contains. Next you can try proofreading and editing. Not all people who can write know how to edit. There are times when they take their grammar and spelling for granted. Small companies are usually on the look out for editors and proofreaders that can do the corrections for them. You can also write poems, quotes and funny notes to be placed on greeting cards. These companies are open to freelancers. Perhaps the easiest way to make money writing is to learn the craft. In case you already have the skill, hone it more. But first you have to view earning money from writing differently. Nothing beats having a regular column distributed on the daily papers or creating novels that gets published. But it is good to start small, take your time to learn the ropes for a successful money making career. Ready to learn more information on the easiest way to make money writing, visit http://www.eBooksCreated.com today! FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Make Money Online Writing Articles by Tom Williamsen Perhaps you have heard about people who make money online writing articles. It is not impossible and it can be done online or offline or even both. Believe it or not, you can support a family of six just by writing alone. It just requires determination and perseverance just like any other goal in life. You might not know where to start and you have just come to the right place. First, you need to remember that even if you do your writing business online, you really have to treat it like a real business. If you really plan to do this full time, what ever name should you call it than a real business, right? No matter how much you write, you will not earn if you do not take it seriously. Next you will have to prove to your clients that you are a serious and determined businessman and establish yourself as an expert in the field. There is indeed a lot of competition out there and you need to prove that you are not just one of those fly-by-night syndicates. Show them that you have what it takes to create excellent and worth-every-dollar articles. You can make a virtual portfolio or your works and make it available upon the request of your client. In case you are just an amateur when it comes to writing, take time to learn the ropes and how to go about with the occupation. You could make money online writing articles if you are able to compete in the market. Having the ability to compete on the market means that you are up to date on what is needed to accomplish the job well. In the course of your writing career, you will reach a point where you can feel that you have improved on your skill enough to demand a raise on your rate. Besides, selling your works for 2 dollars a page is cheap and it can bring down the market. You need to ask for the payment you deserve as well. This can also serve as a motivation on your part to get better and better on your skill. Writing articles for that matter is somewhat general. Another sure-fire hit is making product reviews that you can post on your blog. You can get commissions based on how many clicks or views your articles have had. Some also pay you based on how many successful sales you have made. This is called affiliate marketing. Nowadays, article making belongs to one of the top methods of making money online. Aside from being free from investment since you only need a computer, it can also allow you to get hold of your time, be with your family and stay in the comfort of your own home. Indeed, there are a lot of ways to use article writing to your advantage. Seriousness and determination is all you need to have. Please bear in mind that every opportunity you have is a chance to market yourself. Make money online writing articles and you can have a bright future ahead of you. Ready to learn more information on make money online writing articles, visit http://www.eBooksCreated.com today! FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Tips on How to Make Money Writing Ebooks by Tom Williamsen Who says that writers have to be penniless and homeless? Obviously whoever says such words are not aware of the many ways on how to make money writing ebooks and selling them online. Ebooks are the new technology in information dissemination. People tend to buy ebooks more these days because these are easily accessible and would not require you to load your bags with dozens of paperbacks to carry with you. They can be downloaded online and saved into your computer or other devices for easy storage and retrieval. That is why a lot of writers these days have shifted to writing ebooks. They know what the market needs and they are ready to provide the solutions for them. So if you want to start making money, look at these tips and let it help you achieve your income goals. Tip One: Conceptualize on how you want to present your ebook. Concept is such an important factor in the success of your ebook. Just think that if you\'re the reader, you would want to know at first glance what the book is about. If the concept is clear, people tend to see your main message clearly and they will be attracted with the overall appearance of the book. Write random ideas as you begin your conceptualization process. Then organize your thoughts and try to make an outline of your ideas. Know which topics you would like to focus on and who your target readers will be. All of these ideas will help you achieve a specific concept guaranteed to attract the attention of your target readers. Tip Two: Write in a creative manner. Your concept is just the first phase in writing an ebook that would make money writing and sell like hotcakes. When you have all the important details together, you can now begin writing it and laying it out creatively. Creativity means you are able to use words and phrases that are sure to catch attention. Creativity also means that you can increase the overall impact of your ebook by presenting this in a lay-out that is pleasing to the eyes. Remember that some people are more visual than others and it is important for your ebook to look really good. You can achieve this by writing interesting titles and subtitles. You can also use graphics and pictures in your ebook. Try to be creative on how you will layout the contents of your ebook. Veer away from the standard formatting of text and use different fonts that are readable but are also interesting to look at. Tip Three: Know how to market your ebook. Learning how to make money writing ebooks does not just stop in the writing process. You would also need to know how you would be able to market these ebooks. Selling them online may be a challenge because of the many competitors who would be offering the same ebooks as you. However, if you know that you have a pretty good concept and that you have a sure effective marketing strategy, then you are good to go. Ready to learn more information on make money writing, visit http://www.eBooksCreated.com today! FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Looking For a Part-Time Job? Make Extra Money Writing Online by Tom Williamsen It is true. Money makes the world go round. No matter how you put it, you need money to survive. Don\'t fret because you are not alone. It has always been an issue for a lot of us. Aside from your regular job that pays you a salary which really isn\'t enough for a living, you find yourself looking for a part-time job that can make up for your income insufficiency. Here are some ways to make extra money writing online. First, you can become an online article writer. Usually, content websites employ writers (whether full-time, part-time or home-based) to write for them. The topics can be taken from matters such as travel, politics, health, business, lifestyle, finance or even food. These are just to name a few. They usually pay their writers directly and compensate them depending on how many clicks or views their articles have generated. Some even do it per set like 6-10 dollars per set of five 500-word articles. Other even offer writing contests with money prizes. Another idea is to write about a common problem that people have and then offer them a solution. It quickly generates trust because you are helping them out with their dilemma. With this, they are more likely to buy the products you are recommending to them. Related to this, you can also write reviews about your products or perhaps other companies\' products and recommend it to your readers by posting it on your blog. Leveraging other companies\' products and posting them on your site or blog thereby earning you money is called affiliate marketing. You are paid here on a commission basis according to how many views or clicks or perhaps successful sales you have produced. Remember also that when you write about something, be as specific as you can. For example you decide on the topic of losing fat. You can of course talk about losing fat in general but wouldn\'t it be better to write about losing fat so you look good for your wedding photos? That is what I mean by being specific as you can. Not only that. You can also write about losing fat in time for summer to wear that bikini you\'ve been dreaming about. It would also be nice to write about losing fat for health reasons. The list goes on and on. It is also a good idea to write about a topic you are most interested in. Of course when you are interested, you know a lot about it for sure. That can save you time that will be usually allotted to research. Aside from writing articles, you can also choose to be an author or a novelist. If you are still an amateur, you can start by writing short stories then level up to novels eventually. This is an easy way to help you make extra money writing online. Writing can scare you especially those who don\'t love doing it. But then when you come to think of it, it can also become your ticket to earning a living, extra or not, whether you have a full-time job or just a plain housewife. Remember these tips and make extra money writing online. Ready to learn more information on how you can make money writing a book, visit http://www.eBooksCreated.com today! FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Valuable Tips For a Newbie Web Content Manager by Robert Corter Being a web content manager is a particularly unrecognized occupation. Although it may sound glamorous when you hear it for the first time, many virtual world denizens do not actually put great stock into it. After all, blog page owners and people handling personal websites have been managing the contents of their websites without the need for any fancy job titles or even a smidgen of recognition. All they want is for their sites to sell. In other words, they want their articles to reach as much audience as possible and thereby increase the traffic to their sites. If you are in such a position right now, and you want to improve your (or someone else\'s) site using simple tools, here are some tips you might want to consider. 1. Make your site speaks naturally. Make sure that the voice you use in your web contents is that of someone who is carrying around truckloads of credibility. Assuredly so, blatantly promoting a product, service or idea is certainly not the way to go. Try to present your articles like you are discussing a topic with a friend or a colleague who just happens to be very much interested in what you have to say. Naturally enough, you want to come across as someone knowledgeable and articulate. Therefore, as web content manager, it is important to check for grammatical errors and slips in spelling. At the same time, you should be aiming for soft sells or the practice of promoting your ideas subtly. Try to give out as much objective information of the topic at hand. You know that you are going overboard when your web contents sound exactly like an actor on an infomercial piece or worse, as a used car salesman desperate for a sale. 2. It is also your job to choose or change the titles of your site\'s pages as you see fit. Many people do not put a lot of effort into this, especially if they think that the article\'s title works well enough. But the thing is: the title of your page should be slightly different from the title of your article. The page title is the same one that appears in the web browser\'s title bar, and is one of the first things search engine bots look for when they rank listings in SERPs or search engine results page. Try to choose a web page title that succinctly (and we mean in 2 to 5 words only) expresses what the article is all about. 3. Once you have chosen your web page title, it is now time to decide on the page\'s URL alias or address. Again, this is an important yet overlooked task of a web content manager. Whatever text you include in the alias eventually becomes part of the URL address. Therefore, it is essential that the address contains a bit of information that links it to both your site and the very essence of the article. You can do this by including a portion of your website\'s name and certain keywords that can easily be associated with the article text. Incredibly, search engine bots also spider URL addresses. Want quality and unique web content manager for a low price? We have the highest quality and lowest rates online! Get 100% unique articles to bring in tons of traffic and boost your websites rankings at http://www.99centarticles.com. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How to Create an Ezine Like a Pro by Robert Corter So you are not a professional writer but you have that unquenchable thirst to write and be published using the internet as medium. The newspaper and magazine industry may have not taken notice of your gift but you surely have the tenacity to write continuously as if you don\'t have anything else to do but write. You have probably created a number of blog sites or even put up a personal website. So why don\'t you really take this seriously and earn money while doing it? How to create an ezine is not rocket science. If you have a flare for words and quite familiar with the internet and if you also have some friends who are well-versed with the technicalities involved in putting up and sending pages of electronic magazines and newsletters, then put this passion to the ultimate test. Create your own online magazine! So you are obviously driven but how do you actually start and where can you find information on how to create an ezine? First, plan what content you are planning to produce and what it entails to produce them. Do you write your own articles or do you hire writers as well? Do you have specific subjects in mind? You may have several articles already and it is good to have some stock before you start online publishing and sending these pages to your mailing list. Having a bunch of friends who can help you write articles will also give you more diverse content, perspective and more traffic. This leads us to the second essential factor to have a successful ezine which is to advertise. Since you are just starting this project, you need to build your network that will subscribe to your electronic magazine. Social networking is the first set of public that you will have for your content so make sure that you maximize your contacts there. Having other writers will also allow you to access their mailing lists. Next is to set-up and get ready for publishing. You may have to look at free ezine template format and purchase list management software that will allow you to handle the regular publishing of your pages with ease and efficiency. Some programs have auto responder and other sending options that will give your ezine a more professional look. When you have built your list and have tested sending your ezine, make sure that you include the details of your website where they can have full access of all the other content that may include products, services and click-on advertisements that will generate income. Your ezine may not include advertisements especially if you are using an all text format but putting the links and placing these URLs will still give you the same traffic. As long as you have good copy, it is enough for subscribers to keep reading and checking out your website too. You don\'t need a degree in writing or computer programming to know how to create an ezine. With all the tools and the information available online, it is so easy to master certain skills to help you launch this very promising career. Want tips on how to create an ezine? We have the highest quality and lowest rates online! Get 100% unique articles to bring in tons of traffic and boost your websites rankings at http://www.99centarticle FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Writing an Ezine For Money by Robert Corter Writing an ezine is challenging, but more than that, it gives you an opportunity to earn. Whenever one reads a magazine, it is just a normal reaction to appreciate all the colors and pictures one sees on every page. And as each page is being turned, a whole lot of ideas come up into our minds. Yes, it is indeed enjoying but more than that, it is informative and educational. This is the main purpose of ezine. It is an online magazine which brings us to the internet world. The graphics will always fascinate us, but more importantly the content will always be what we will be looking at and reading through. Writing an ezine then is a challenging job. It brings out the creativity in our selves. It is a passion. It is like an endearing love to share ones ideas and be more imaginative about the things around us. Here are a few tips on how to write an ezine: 1. Choose a Market where you can write an ezine. There are a number of ezine sites which you can visit and offer the services of writing an article. Go to that site which you feel you are comfortable with and that you can work with ease. In this way you will find writing as an easy task and have fun doing it since you are working within your comfort zone. Check and read the guidelines and the policies. This is important when writing because you are guided by given rules and you are expected to follow them. Expect some deadlines and be able to meet them. Also, check out the payment scheme to assure you of your income and being paid on time. Rewards such as income will always be a motivating factor. So check it out. 2. Subscribe to an ezine you are comfortable writing for. One can choose topics from family, music, education, government, finance, and whole lot more. But the main objective is it should be focused on the market segment that the product is aiming for. Get an ezine wherein the topics sound more interesting to you and that you are knowledgeable. It is important to work on something you can finish. 3. Focus on the Quality of your writing. Do not hurry. Review your articles. Do not forward your written work just for the sake of submitting one. Remember that the article you have written reflects who you are. Focus on quality not on quantity. There\'s no point submitting a hundred rejected articles compared to an excellent one. 4. Take time and effort to make the best presentable ezine article. Be the best of what you can be and that makes who you are. A good ezine will reflect who the writer is. So be diligent when working on the article. Widen your horizon and let go of your imagination. Writing ezine is fun. Enjoy it while earning. More importantly, writing ezine is an expression of your very self. It is an outpouring of what is inside you. Be the best of what you can. Give the best and it will be shown in your works, and in your writings. Need tips on writing ezine? We have the lowest rates, highest quality, and best article writing and submission services available online! Come check out why internet marketers rank us #1 - Go to http://www.99centarticle FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Make Money at Home Writing Online - Your Doorway to Riches by Leonardo Diaz Garces There are lots of ways and means to make money home writing online. If you are one of the jobseekers who find it very difficult to acquire a good paying job, then you must consider the home based writing business. You don\'t have to worry about spending a large amount for investment when you enter the world of internet article marketing. All it takes is for you to own a personal computer with an access to the internet. You could sell your written articles or contents through promoting your website as freelance writer. And you could even offer your services for business entities that seek content writers for their advertisements. An article writer or a blogger can establish his own website where he can publish his works online and entice readers to read them. Writing content articles may go in two ways. Either you write for the products or services, or you providing a space in your website for businesses who want to place an ad in it. Your write ups must correspond to the product or the services that you present to the readers. Interesting articles may cause the reader click on your blog and this may cause traffic that was good for the business. If you will be able to make your readers click on the website of the products that you have advertised, then possible purchases will take place. With your creativity and competence, a one happy customer will eventually increase in due time. And of course, big bucks of money will start pouring in. Make your site striking and eye catching to the web browsers; they are easily attracted to them. Sell other options in advertisements, link ads, banner ads and other unique logos that represent the business\' identity. Make money home writing online your first option in shifting your career. This kind of profession may take you somewhere that you will fulfill your dreams of becoming successful. This is suggested for mothers who spend time at home taking care of her family. They can handle their own time and become flexible at anytime they wanted to sit down in front of the computer. Article or content writing is feasible for an extra income, but other writers have claimed to reap an unexpected fortune just by using their creativity and skills in writing. You must be enthusiastic about pursuing this kind of business because it promises a potential growth for your career that pays off. But if you opt for this just to earn money fast and easy way without putting your heart into it, then you might as well consider another job. This job is not for those don\'t understand the essence of writing a good article. Don\'t be rotten tomatoes that mixes with good potatoes, a sloppy attitude of a writer always reflects on what he writes. Proficiency and integrity will preserve the good image of professional writers that pursues in this kind of field. So make money home writing online an appropriate job if you are inspired to make a good name and of course become rich while having fun in writing. Ready to learn more information on make money home writing online, visit http://www.eBooksCreated.com today! FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS \"How Much Money Can I Make Writing a Book?\" Let Us Answer Your Question by Leonardo Diaz Garces Becoming a writer is not everyone\'s cup of tea. Though we have our own story to tell, it\'s not an easy task to write your own book. But if you aspire to become a renowned writer, you somehow ask yourself, \"How much money can I make writing a book?\" Writing a book about you or about something interesting can be very rewarding if it is published and purchased by readers who took an interest in reading it. But if you are aiming for an enormous return of your investments in making a book, then you should be aware that only a few writers can make a fortune from it. But if you are too passionate in publishing your book or novel, then you must have the determination to excel in this kind of profession. It often takes a lifetime to finish a good book because of the revisions that often takes place. Then it will be published after you have concluded the last part. Only then you realized that you have spent years in completing it. \"How much money can I make writing a book\", you would often ask yourself before you start creating one. After you have completed your composition, then you could be thinking about the cost you will spend in publishing it and the distribution in the market. It is a reality that only a few writers can succeed in becoming famous in the literary world. And today, book readers have diminished in numbers due to the cyber dominance in the lifestyle of once a \"book enthusiast\". It is very easy to acquire knowledge in just a click away in the internet websites. It became the conventional routine for someone who wants to acquire for facts and data instead of going to the bookstore and flip through the pages to search for answers. Browsing through the pages of the internet website is more convenient and time saving than buying a book that costs more than spending on internet cafes. If you think that it is feasible to make money in making a book, then you should consider in shifting your attention to making articles for websites. You can make inquiries about this latest trend in writing blogs or article contents. A lot of writers have claimed to earn an enormous amount from this kind of venture. This is suggested for home based writers and could easily acquire clients that purchases content articles for their products or services. And pay outs are faster and negotiable, depending on your expertise and qualification. Generally, an article that consists of 400 to 500 words will cost for almost 10 dollars. But if you outsource it, you will pay your hired writers for 6 to 7 dollars and you can earn 3 dollars for yourself. If you make a study in starting this kind of business, then you will see that you can earn from it too without writing a single article. Now you can distinguish the disparity between selling books the traditional way against selling your blogs or articles through the cyber marketing. Put an end to your question on \"how much money can I make writing a book\" and establish your own website as a freelance writer. Ready to learn more information on how much money can I make writing a book, visit http://www.eBooksCreated.com today! FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Better Ways on How to Make Money Writing on Line by Leonardo Diaz Garces If you are jobless and seem to be running out of chances to get an employment, then why not try a home based business if you have a personal computer that\'s connected to the internet. There are basic guidelines on how to make money writing on line if you have the passion in writing then this one might be the right job for you. Article writing is now considered a booming online marketing strategy that paves the way for the skilled and professional writers. There is a huge possibility that you will succeed in this kind of venture, and might even forget getting an employment. You don\'t have to worry about leaving your home, running after time and meeting deadlines. You can browse the internet and search through the websites for information on how to make money writing on line. Take your skills to a more substantial level where you can elevate yourself from being jobless to the most successful article writer. All it takes is to be proficient and competent as skilled writer. Creating a good article can entice more customers to subscribe to your services and eventually generate additional clients. Businesses need a good advertisement for their products and services. And you will be paid according to the articles that you submitted. Article or content writing is purposely created to send your readers to the products that you sell in your articles. And every time your readers buy the products that you endorsed in your article writing, then you are making your clients pleased and contented with your services. Subsequently they will become your loyal clients that will patronize your services and endorse you to their business partners. Become the most sought after article writer online, and make loads of money with just the use of your talent in writing. Your ability in creating a persuasive article can be helpful to educate and feed information to the readers. There are other means of writing an article, it\'s not just selling the products but also serving other readers\' concerns. People who surfs the internet could have questions or problems that they needed to find answers and solutions. This is where you get yourself involved through sharing your experiences or using others\' stories as references. And some way you can post advertisements alongside your blogs. Unique presentation of these products will somehow entice your readers to click on to them and will create traffic which is good for the business. Making links are also advantageous to promote the products or services. If you decide to shift your career in this field of article writing, then you must have a good start by making research and studies on how to make money writing on line. Don\'t be too hasty in receiving job orders that you will not be able to finish them on time. This is not good for you and the clients that you are contracted to render your writing services. You will appear incompetent and selfish enough whose intention is just to make money without considering the quality of your service as article writer. Ready to learn more information on how to make money writing on line, visit http://www.eBooksCreated.com today! FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How to Create an Ebook - Your Step-by-Step Guide by Chris Carson The question on how to create an ebook has been asked by many people who seek to use this very practical and usable format in their every day endeavors. Basically, the ebook is a good way to help readers who seek to use their computers and other portable device as their primary option when getting important information from transcribed books. This is very easy to handle since most ebooks have lots of important and essential function that would help people to find the necessary information they require. One of which would be the search feature which allows the users to locate easily the different words and phrases that are involved in their research. Unlike traditional books, the ebooks would easily help people to find the items they want which would save them time and effort. In fact, the text can also be highlighted especially the important section that would require extra attention for the reader. This is very helpful in reminding the reader what to remember. Other features of the ebook are the translator and audio reader which is very helpful for people who seek to learn other languages. Basically, the audio format of the ebook can be attained by integrating the audio reader which actually reads the book and translates it through a speaker. This is ideal for people with visual impairment such as burred vision. This would save them the effort of straining their eyes during their reading sessions. The translator is another format that allows other languages to be viewed when it comes to the content of the ebook. This feature is used by international students who are in a foreign country and are not yet proficient in using the local language. The question on how to create an ebook is commonly an issue in students who want to maximize the format and use it to their advantage. This is the main reason why many sites sponsored by schools and universities have dedicated a support team that would guide students in the process. Basically, the software can be downloaded from anywhere in the internet without problems since there are no payment required and the installation is hassle free. Once the software is installed, formats such as Microsoft word and others can be recognized and collated into an ebook. This is fast and easy since the software would save the files under a new format which is the ebook. Chapters can be segregated depending on the need of the user or a particular individual in a specific profession. In fact, the person using the software can even rearrange the different portions of the book into a style that would suite his need. The issue of how to create an ebook can be easily tackled since the internet has full of many resources that would easily help people to deal with the discrepancies and disruptions which can be possible encountered. This has changed the way how people use books and other important information which can be used in their education and career. Ready to learn more information on how to create an ebook, visit http://www.eBooksCreated.com today! FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How Can I Create My Own Ebook For Free? by Chris Carson The question on how can I create my own ebook for free has been asked by millions of people especially students who seek to have a cheaper alternatives when it comes to using references and distributing their own ideas. Basically, ebook software creators can be found in most websites in the internet since it is a free ware. In fact, most universities and institutions who are in need of a very easy to handle format has been using the ebook as their primary option when it comes to their information dissemination processes. This is because many books and modules are distributed in printed form which is very impractical and would create additional costs. By establishing a soft copy that can easily be copied and distributed, people can transfer and give students the necessary information they need in their studies. This helps a lot of students and publishers alike. While students learn the things required of their curriculums, publishers can easily market their product information. The process of creating an ebook is very easy. The necessary text can be inserted and collated to create the ebook one would require. The interface in most ebook software is also user friendly since a step by step picture is included. It would take a couple of minutes for the person to complete the process of creating his own book. In line with this, many sites serve to compile their own ebook library which would allow the people to upload their own resources and give others to access it without any fees. This has helped tremendously a free and accessible form of information dissemination that is effective in helping students learn and find the means to deal with the different problems they could encounter with their academics. The question on how can I create my own ebook for free can also be tackled through many self help forums that deals with the technical aspects of computers and use of software. In fact, many people have offered their own easy to follow videos found in many video streaming sites that give users the option to watch and follow the steps taken by the instructors. This is a great help for first time users who are in need to find create their own ebooks to be used for their studies, academics and research. The software to create ebooks can be downloaded and installed in one\'s computer without problems. This is because the installation process involves the use of the latest tools and patches to minimize errors. Once installed, the software would be then ready to collate and collect the different text and information to be saved as an ebook. The question of how can I create my own ebook for free has been answered in the internet countless times and serves to guide people on how to handle the different items they require to be saved in the electronic book format. This is a good option for students looking to save money but maximize the use of their computers in their learning process. The ebook can also be freely distributed without problems and restrictions. Ready to learn more information on how to create ebook for free, visit http://www.eBooksCreated.com today! FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How to Create a Kindle Ebook - Find Out Today by Chris Carson The process of how to create a kindle ebook has been discussed in hundreds of forums and internet information sites since millions of people has been using the ebook as their primary option when it comes to information and knowledge. Many professors and teachers that have been teaching in prominent universities have been using this format when distributing their resources to students and other people. This is because the ebook is very easy to use and does not require software installations and other time consuming processes. In order to create the ebook, the necessary texts and information should be first collected and put together. The nice thing about the software that creates an ebook is that the interface is very easy to handle. First timers can create their ebooks without problems and disruptions. The people can easily cut and paste the contents and put it in a pattern that would suite their needs. Chapter segregation can be easily set in place that would allow people to easily partition the different portions of the ebook. In fact, they could even put in another chapter since the ebook maker has no restrictions. First time programmers had no problems using this kind of software since a step by step process is included in the interface. Once the ebook has been created, it can be saved in multi format which can be recognized by many software readers and computers without problems. Many universities have been distributing their teaching materials in the form of the ebook and can even be downloaded directly from the school website. The issue of how to create kindle ebook has been discussed by many software makers which led them to create user friendly software that can be installed in one\'s cell phone and other portable devices. This would allow any information that would substantial to be integrated in the ebook. In fact, a click of a button can allow the text and a body of words to be complied as a mini ebook. It would take about less than a minute to create this kind of format which is ideal for students who are always on the go but needs a recognizable format for their virtual resources. Many institutions have even gone as far as abandoning the use of traditional books and have switched to the use of electronic books. This gives the students the chance to use the internet as their primary option when collecting information and using it for research. The schooling communities in the country are now technologically proficient which makes it easier. The task of how to create kindle ebook is easy and can be managed by anyone who has access to the internet and a computer. In fact, books and other important resources for schooling have been abandoned since this virtual format is cheaper and can be copied by anyone. It can be distributed easily without problems and liabilities. Most people have been using this format for several years already and have decided to stay with it. Ready to learn more information on how to create kindle ebook, visit http://www.eBooksCreated.com today! FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Get a Free Ebook - How to Create Abundance in Your Life by Chris Carson The free ebook how to create abundance in your life is a good source of information regarding management and business operations. It is based on the most effective and highly proven techniques when it comes to dealing with the different factors involved in businesses. Many people are unaware that business success can only be achieved when a person uses the correct set of tools at the right time. Given this idea, many successful businessmen achieved the success they acquired by using the information and knowledge in the internet as the main tools for their trading. First of all, the business setting is based on changing factors that are modified on a regular basis. Hundreds of countries who trade commodities and their natural products are dependent on both the local and international economy. The ebook how to create abundance in your life teaches the people on how to use deal and use one\'s personal resources in gaining an advantage. The good thing about the book is that it can also be used to help people live their life in a more practical and appropriate way. The philosophies of business and trading can help people to have success in other fields such as academics, career and education. That is why many people have used the ebook to formulate a philosophical approach that would equip them on the different challenges one could encounter. Basically, the free ebook how to create abundance in your life has helped millions of people to find the necessary inspiration on the different endeavors they have gone into. One good example is the success found by students who used the book during their stay in their universities and schools. Many universities who have given a free ebook copy to their enrollees have experienced a better rating with regards to the performance and grades of their students. This goes to show that practical knowledge of things is very ideal when it comes to applying the different theories that are thought by professors and schools. The ideas contained in the book serves as a reminder to the countless things that one would tend to forget when enacting business and carrying ones self. It is important that the basic traits of consistency be integrated in everything so that success would be gained on a long term and steady means. These are some of the ideas found in the ebook how to create abundance in your life. The free ebook how to create abundance in your life should be used and applied by everyone on the different parts of their lives since it brings people a reminder that would help them achieve a better understanding and comprehension of any situation. This would certainly be useful whenever they find themselves lost on the proper direction they need to take. It would also give people a timeless source of all the different lessons in life. Millions of people have attested to the usefulness of this ebook which has given them the right motivation. Need a writer on free ebook on creating abundance at the lowest possible price? We can write top quality eBooks for your website for an extremely low price. Go to http://www.eBooksCreated.com to get started today! FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How to Create an Ebook From Public Domain Books by Chris Carson The method to create an ebook from public domain books is very easy and manageable if the person in charge of the task would follow a strict set of guidelines and use the most up to date programs. The good thing is that hundreds of software programs in the internet would easily permit the users from transcribing and transforming the necessary texts and information to an ebook. The most popular would be the use of free format converters that would help allow the text to be compressed and be saved in much manageable data formats. Public domain books are very hard to read since it is saved in a single file format that would be devoid of bookmarks and chapters. This would make it very hard to search items and words that concern the readers. It can be compared to a long one-paged paper. Contrary to it is the very functional e-book which is very handy for users who want to save the pages and chapters that they want to get back to. This is because the ebook has many functions that would include a highlighter, a page marker and even a notes section that would allow the readers to input their own data. In order to create an ebook from public domain books, one does not need extensive knowledge and skill. By following these simple steps, one could easily accomplish the task. First is that the necessary software should be acquired depending on the ebook that the user needs. There is a tool and a program that allows easy conversion of public domain books where in chapters and other sections of the book can be assigned and formatted. In fact, the user of the software can even assign the use of markers where in certain key words can be found at a click of a button. This is ideal for a person who wants to use the ebook as an everyday reference for their studies and research. In fact, the ebook can be a good alternative for people who want to save instead of buying very expensive books that are bulky. The good thing about the ebook is that it can be used in cell phones and other portable devices to allow easy access. Unlike traditional books, it can be saved in small thumb drives. This is one of the best means to use information for quick reference. The process to create an ebook from public domain books is very easy and manageable and can be used by anyone. The internet is full of resources which includes public domain books. By using the ebook format it can be easily accessed without problems. Many institutions and universities have been using this format to give their students free resources for their studies. Aside from students, a lot of businesses have greatly benefited in the use of ebooks as a means of delivering informative guidelines to their workers. It saves time and money for both the teacher and students. That is why many distributors of books and resources have been using this book format as a means to distribute their products. Want to create ebook public domain books for your niche for a low price? We are English speaking college graduates who KNOW what they are doing when it comes to writing eBooks. Go to http://www.eBooksCreated.com. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Article Writing 101 – 4 Power Tips. Bring a Rake. You’ll Need it for the Cash! by Ali Baraka Ever wonder how the best article writers are plying their trade? How do they come up with all the information and resources to draw ideas from? It sounds like a daunting effort, but with a little knowledge backing you up, you too can be an article writing pro! First of all, let me acknowledge the minority of people (those who should know better) who still say that writing articles is outdated. This is terribly wrong and you shouldn’t buy into it! People read these articles online because they contain great information about a great many subjects. In the information age, we should be glad to have such a resource to turn to. The fact is, people still do monstrously well financially when they apply their knowledge to online articles. For evidence, look to many of the expert authors who are writing regularly, daily in some cases. The ones who are doing this are doing exceptionally well by doing what they do. Follow their example if you want to get on board. Here are 4 more pointers to remember when you write your articles: 1. Know your product. There are many writers pushing their product who don’t have a clue what they’re selling, and it shows. Though they may not know it, incompetence is quite vivid to savvy readers and the results will manifest themselves through lack of sales. In turn, your thorough knowledge will be a strong draw for you to earn new business. 2. Know your audience. There is little more useful than to be in the mind of the people to whom you’re communicating. Understand what they want. Know their needs and hone in on what you can provide for them via your product or service. This is a tactic used by advertisers for years and as long as capitalism exists, it will continue to work. 3. Use keywords. This is something many article writers neglect. Ensure that your article is replete with pertinent words and phrases that may pop up on the search engines. Your article could end up front and center for the searcher seeking what you are offering. Be careful not to go overboard. Obnoxious overuse of keywords will turn your readers off. 4. Answer questions. This relates to knowing your customer. If you understand what they want or need, you should be mindful of any questions they may have for you. Do what you can to answer their questions about the industry or product you offer. If you do this effectively, it will translate to more sales because you’ve showed that the answers to their questions is clearly in your product or service. The work you put into your article writing skill is the result you get out of it. It doesn’t take a long time to master. You don’t have to be great, just effective in getting your point across. Continue to work on your communication skills and you will benefit handsomely. To get in on what the pro’s know about making money online, click the link below! Learn Step-By-Step From a Multi-Millionaire Guru This PROVEN Money Miracle! Click NOW For a Special Offer! http://www.MaverickMoneyLegac FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Article Writing 101 – 4 Miracles of Marketing That Catch Attention! by Ali Baraka Ever wonder how to start your online marketing campaign? Are ideas coming and coming for others, but for you…they’re just leaving? There is one fantastic jolt you can give your business, and it may not be what you thought. That idea is article marketing. Yes, it’s still the gold standard in the world of internet marketing. But are you ready to invest your time into this effective marketing strategy? You ought to be! Patience must be your strong point. Remember, it’s free. If you want lightening fast results, do a pay per click campaign, but expect to drop hundreds of dollars in the process. If that’s not an option for you, then stick with article writing in the mean time. You’ve got more than enough time to make enough money for your PPC campaign. Listen carefully because I’m going to give you a few pointers on how to write effective articles that will get you noticed. 1. Be unique. The only way you can really draw attention to yourself and your product is to set yourself apart from the pack. Learn actions words, action phrases and creative writing. The more unique and interesting your message is, the more potential buyers will be interested in your product. If you learn to do what your competitors are not willing to do, you’re miles ahead already. 2. Have great titles. Use as many bad puns and ridiculous clichés as possible! They get attention, and that’s the goal in writing articles. Again, it pays to do research on power words and phrases that draw the eyes. In the end, you’ll be happy you put a little bit of your time into word research. We as humans can’t help but be drawn to people who communicate well! 3. Do general research. Your knowledge will shine if you know what you’re talking about, and your audience will reward you with sales. On the flip side, if you don’t know what the heck you’re talking about, believe me, it will show, too! Don’t be a hack. Learn more about your product than even your competitors and you’ll be leaps and bounds ahead of them. 4. Instill emotion. This is a skill that, when mastered, will translate into big bucks! This will take plenty of creativity on your part. Be dedicated to learning this because creating business online is literally an emotional experience for people. Make them laugh, excite them, cause a stir, whatever you can do to get them emotionally invested in your idea, it will pay off! It doesn’t take a lot of effort to write an effective marketing article, but it pays to know what you’re doing. Keep an open eye toward spelling and grammar, too. You certainly don’t want to look like a putz trying to hock products. You’re not aiming for a Pulitzer prize here, but being an effective communicator can mean the difference between a highly successful business and being a knucklehead who likes to post words online! For more money making article tips and other internet goldmines, click the link below! FINALLY!! A Cutting Edge Internet Cash Cow That Actually WORKS! Learn Step-By-Step From a Multi-Millionaire Guru. You CAN\'T Miss This!! http://www.MaverickMoneyLegac FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How to Know if Your Book is a Bestseller by Irene N. Watson How do you know if you have a bestseller on your hands or not? What if you are the writer and you are completely confident that the book is unbeatable? You’ve had several professional book critics check out the manuscript prior to publishing. You’ve had numerous pre-publication book reviews done, critics dissected it and the best in the business critique it; thus, you went into publishing the book prepared, ready, and producing the upmost quality reaching perfection, but you are still not on the bestseller’s list. You are left stunned and unsure why. Believe it or not there is actually a checklist publicists and publishers review before pitching any book as a bestseller and it should be your guide before writing and publishing your next book. 1. Timing is everything. Timing of your book is crucial in relations to the topic of the book and if the topic is a popular subject at the moment or not. Is it a hot topic in the media? Are office employees talking about it at the water cooler? For instance, when Octomom appeared on the scene, then it would have been a perfect moment to release a book covering the tribulations of giving birth and raising multiple sets of kids at once. 2. Use a grabbing title. The title is crucial regarding how to pitch your book and whose interest shall it peak. Too many times writers have award-winning stories on their hands, but lose potential readers with the title. Thus, ensure the title is appropriate, gripping, interesting, and keeps the reader wanting to pick up the book and never put it down until they are completely done with it. 3. Create a cover to attract your audience. It is true that people do judge a book by its cover. Bookstores will tell you that customers pick up books, flip through them solely due to the cover grabbing their attention. Therefore, before creating a cover ask yourself if the graphics stand out amongst the other books on the shelf. Are the colors inviting to your target market? For instance, if you are writing a fiction book geared towards women, then normally the book cover has appealing colors to females attracting the target market. 4. Use the grapevine. The best type of advertising for your book is to start talking about it to any and every person you meet. If you are in line at the grocery store, shopping, at the gym, on facebook, make sure you tell people about your book. The only way people are going to know about what you are up to and have published is to tell people. In addition, you want the gossip chain to continuously flow regarding you having a book available. Hence, it starts with you and without you kick starting the process, then the word about your book will never connect with the grapevine halting publicity possibilities within reach. So remember before publishing your next book make sure these four tips are in place, and you shall have a bestseller on your hands. For more information on current bestsellers check us out at http://reviewthebook.com/. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS You Need to Be a Writer, Instead of Just Someone Who Writes by Ruth Barringham If you want to have a successful writing career, you need to prioritize your writing and make it the thing you do the most, rather than something you do in your spare time now and again. Anyone who is successful in their career is driven by their work. When you look at Stephen King, Richard Branson, Bill Gates, or any other successful person, you\'ll soon realize that they didn\'t get to where they are by working on their careers in their spare time. They all started out by having to hold down a full-time job to put food on the table while they became established in what they wanted to do, but hey never lost their drive and determination and that\'s what kept them going. You\'ll also recognize that these people are different from those around them. They don\'t sit around every night watching Seinfeld and Jerry Springer on TV. Instead they use all their free time to work on their careers. So while their friends and family are still sat staring at the TV for several hours every night, they have reached the pinnacle of their success and are all multi-millionaires enjoying their lives. They knew that if they did the same things as everyone else, they\'d be the same as everyone else, and that\'s what they didn\'t want. So if you want to is a successful and wealthy writer, working your own hours, living wherever you want in the world and not being part of the 9-5 rat race any more, then you need to work on becoming the writer that you want to be. And the time to start is right now. So don\'t sit on the couch every night watching TV. Instead, sit down and write. Or if you don\'t know what to write or how to sell your work, invest in a book or course that will teach you how. But stay away from the television, which is often called \"the brain drain\" or \"the plug-in drug.\" Watching too much television can become a bad habit and while you\'re watching it, it is also sucking away your creativity and your dreams. And don\'t watch the news any more either. These programs don\'t give you a balanced view of what\'s happening in the world. They only show news that they think will shock, horrify and attract more viewers. Remember that they are in it for the money so it\'s in their best interests to attract as many viewers as they can. And don\'t worry about missing out on any big news that happens. If it\'s something important, you\'ll find out anyway, one way or another. You just need to concentrate on your writing. And keep away from anyone who has a negative attitude about what you are trying to achieve. These kinds of people are toxic and you really don\'t need them. True friends will support you, or at the very least, ignore you if they don\'t agree with what you are trying to do. But they will never be nasty. Just think what would have happened to Bill Gates or Stephen King if they\'d listened to the critics in their lives? Instead they were too busy getting on with what they were doing and didn\'t let anyone stop them. So let yourself become the successful and wealthy writer that you\'ve always wanted to be. Just sit down and imagine yourself working as a full-time writer and author, living your dream life in your dream home. Then turn off the television and get to work. And before you know it you\'ll be a prolific and wealthy writer. Just remember that your habits create your future, so adopt better writing habits. Ruth Barringham is a full-time writer, author and publisher. To learn more about becoming a successful writer, visit her web sites at http://writeaholics.net and http://selfpublishworldwide.com. Sign up for the free newsletter and receive a free writers\' eBook. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS A Review of Article Profits Software by Brian Garvin Well, we know there are many of you out there looking for ways to add more money to your pocketbooks, which is why we wanted to discuss money first. You will find when viewing the Article Profits Software that it says the exact same thing in the first portion of its sales page. In fact they offer five different ways to make money by using their software. Definitely a reason to take a deeper look into their program. Making Money from the Article Profits Software We want to cover each one of these so you get a feel for what you\'re about to possibly embark on. The first deals with investing a few bucks and creating massive amounts of content sites. You\'ll find that placing adsense on these sites will only enhance your overall monthly totals. The idea however through this software is to make rich content that is easy to find through the search engines. Another avenue is through building an affiliate program articles and placing your links at the bottom of the page. This will give you a tremendous amount of exposure for each one, ultimately increasing your total affiliate profits. According to them it won\'t matter which affiliate program you choose either because they will all work the same when using the Article Profits Software. Another avenue will be that of Private Label Rights. If you have high quality, rich content with great keywords you could make tons of money from this option. You have to understand that there are several people out there looking for content for their websites and if you have the goods then they\'ll be ready to purchase. Have you ever thought about making your own eBook? It\'s not hard to do and another one of the advantages available for the Article Profits Software. There are many avenues you can take when building an eBook, but one that has great content within it rules over all others. Plus, eBook payments can go right to your PayPal account as opposed to waiting a month for a check from the affiliate programs. Our Overall Analysis You know, we were so infatuated with the ways you can earn money through the Article Profits Software, we felt if you wanted to take these routes to success then learning about the money first would be best. Oddly enough we haven\'t even covered the things they discuss that you\'ll learn while utilizing this system. However, it\'s the price that is surprising when you view their sales page. For under $40 we believe this could be a real steal if you decide to take advantage of it. The main thing is though that you need to take care of everything in the order that they provide. If you don\'t, plan on not ever getting the tools they\'ve been offering all along and you\'ll wind up wasting your money. For the meantime however, just go over and see what all is available. Before it\'s all said and done you could find that this is the item you\'ve been needing to make your online presence a successful one. Let Internet Marketing Review Kings http://www.imreviewkings.com/articlemarketing.html Brian Garvin and Jeff West teach you more about Article Profits Software at http://www.imreviewkings.com/articleprofitssoftware.html. Feel free to use this article but please leave all links and author bio intact. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Getting Into Bookstores by Penny Sansevieri Let\'s face it, regardless of the odds we authors still want to get into bookstores. But if you\'ve been having a hard time with this, take heart. It\'s getting harder and harder to get into stores but not impossible. We\'re going to look at some of the possibilities here. First, it\'s important to understand the pressure stores are under right now. With the increased focus on publishers to get their authors out there, bookstores are being given most of their marching orders by their corporate office. Bookstore shelf space is bought and paid for by the New York publishers, making getting on the shelves or display racks a bit tricky, if not impossible. So here\'s a game plan for those of you trying to survive outside of the traditional market. 1) Get to know your local store. I know this might sound obvious, but you\'d be surprised how many authors don\'t really know the people in their local store. The thing is, if you know them, they know you - and when you\'re ready to promote your book they might be more open to having you in their store if you have taken the time to get to know them. 2) Start to follow the types of events they do at the store. Get an events calendar or get on their email list. You\'ll start to see trends emerge. For example, they might have an independent author night you could participate in. Also be cautious for big releases like the recent Stephenie Meyer events many stores had planned. If you are trying to capture the attention of a store when they\'re in the middle of a major book launch, you\'re likely to get ignored. 3) Buy a book. Don\'t just wander the store trying to make friends: shop there. Support your local stores regardless of whether they are a chain or independent. You\'d be surprised what a difference this makes when you\'re trying to get to know the folks who could book you for an event. 4) Book signings are boring, offer to do an event instead. Events are a draw, book signings aren\'t unless you\'re a celebrity. Plan to do a talk, educate, entertain, or enlighten. This will be a more attractive pitch to the bookstore and will draw more people to your talk. 5) Get to know the local authors in your area and then offer to plan events for them. Here\'s how this works: Bookstores are inundated with local authors asking for a time slot, but what if you went to the bookstore manager and said that you\'d be willing to coordinate a once a month event featuring all the local authors. The bookstore could just refer all local Independently published authors to you, you could coordinate this, and guess what? Not only are you helping the store but guess who\'s getting a monthly showcase in their store? You. You can do this with more than one store if you have the time, but keep in mind that with cut backs often one store manager will oversee a few locations so you might only have to go through one person. 6) If they won\'t let you coordinate a monthly event, suggest that they have an Independent author night if they haven\'t already started this. If they have an Independent author night you should definitely participate, it\'s a great way to gain exposure, not to mention network with some local people. 7) Try as best you can to funnel everyone to one store to purchase your book. If you\'re having a tough time getting shelf space (and aren\'t we all), funneling folks to one store might prompt that store to keep a few copies of your book on hand. Whenever you do local speaking or media, let them know by name and address where they can get your book. Stores have been known to take in books that they\'re getting lots of requests for, regardless of how they are published, so if you\'re sending people to one store instead of fragmenting them to a bunch of different ones you could start building an ongoing interest in reorders. Getting into bookstores isn\'t impossible, but it does require a dash of creativity. Keep in mind that if bookstores aren\'t receptive after you\'ve tried the tips in this article then maybe you\'re sitting in a tight market. Areas like Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago might be tough areas to get noticed because these are often the first stops traditional publishers seek when planning author tours. If you\'re near those areas, try looking outside of the city for alternatives that are often overlooked by New York. If that doesn\'t work for you then consider non-bookstore events. Over the years we\'ve planned events for our authors in all sorts of non-bookstore venues such as: video stores, electronics stores, gyms, even grocery stores - so if events are your focus, keep an open mind and remember: often the biggest piece of getting an event in bookstores are the relationships you build with them. 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. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Writing Children\'s Books: A Crash Course in Submitting a Manuscript by Laura Backes While the submission process may feel like second nature to experienced writers, it’s easy to forget that newcomers aren’t aware of the specific procedures. And since everyone can benefit from a refresher course now and then, here’s a rundown of the steps: First, collect addresses of appropriate publishers by perusing market guides like Children’s Writer’s & Illustrator’s Market , industry newsletters such as Children\'s Book Insider, and looking through similar books at the store or library. Then send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the publisher asking for writer’s guidelines (you can start this process while you’re still writing your book as it may take a few weeks to receive a response). Review the guidelines carefully to make sure your manuscript fits with what the publisher is looking for. Most publishers want to see the entire manuscript for picture books. Type your manuscript on white paper, double spaced, indenting at the beginning of each paragraph. Use at least one inch margins on each side, and justify the left margin only. Put your name and the title of the book at the top of each page, and number the pages consecutively. Your name, address, phone number and email should appear in the upper left-hand corner of the first page. Center the title of the manuscript about a third of the way down on page 1, skip a line, and then start the text. Don’t break the text up into pages as it would appear in the finished book, and don’t include illustrations unless you’re a professional artist (in which case, send a black and white dummy with a sketch of each illustration and 2-3 copies of finished color illustrations along with the typed manuscript). Send with a brief cover letter stating the title, intended age group, and word count of the story. Add any previous publishing experience and memberships to writing organizations (if you don’t have such experience, leave this section out). Mention if this is a simultaneous submission (sending the manuscript to several publishers at once), and include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with enough postage to return the manuscript if necessary. For longer fiction, publishers often want a query letter and sample chapters. The query starts out with the same basic information as the cover letter above, but also includes a brief synopsis of the plot. Try to write the query in the same style as the manuscript, and include information on the main characters, the conflict and the resolution of the plot. Add your publishing experience, and tell the editor you can send the entire manuscript if she’s interested. Ideally, the entire query letter will fit on one page. Send with the first two chapters of the manuscript and a SASE. For longer nonfiction, a book proposal is generally requested. This gives a brief overview of the book (one or two paragraphs describing the tone and slant of the information), and a chapter-by-chapter outline (with a sentence or two listing the information covered in each chapter). Attach the first two chapters if it’s requested in the writer’s guidelines, and also a bibliography of your resources. In your cover letter, list the target audience, the estimated length of the finished manuscript, why your book is different from others on the market on the same subject, and your expertise on the topic. Send with a SASE. Nonfiction picture book publishers may require a query (in which case you’d outline the book in one or two paragraphs and also include the information from the nonfiction cover letter above), or the entire manuscript. If sending the whole manuscript, attach a brief cover letter as with fiction picture books, but also mention how your book fits into the current market and your credentials on the topic. Following the proper submission procedures gets easier with practice, and ensures that your manuscript will get a serious look. Take the time to give each editor exactly what she wants, and she’ll give your work closer consideration. Note: For much more information on writing cover letters, query letters and book proposals, see Author to Editor: Query Letter Secrets of the Pros, edited by Linda Arms White. It includes over 30 actual queries used by authors to sell everything from picture books to young adult nonfiction. Go to http://write4kids.com/a2e.html for all the details. Laura Backes publishes Children\'s Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children\'s Writers. For info about writing children\'s books, free articles, market tips, insider secrets & more, visit http://Write4kids.com. For a free 3 month mini-subscription to CBI, go to http://write4kids.com/minisub FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Learn How to Self Publish a Magazine by Daniel Millions Self publishing a magazine that\'s something that many individuals are interested in, not only for the money that is possible to make but also so that they can pursue an interest of theirs to its fullest extent. There are several different things that you\'re going to need to do in order to start a periodical and it may be difficult to learn how to start a magazine unless you start at the very beginning. All of us have different ideas of what success is as far as our magazines are concerned but by following the proper path, you will have the greatest chance of finding the success you\'re looking for. The first thing that you\'re going to need is to find the proper financing in order to start a magazine in the first place. Before you have a large readership, it is often difficult to attract any advertisers in order to make the initial money to begin publishing. One of the easiest ways to do this is to come up with a business plan for your magazine so that you can approach a lending institution to help you with the financing. Once your readership begins to improve, you can find advertisers that will begin to pay for all of the publishing cost and to make your magazine run in the black. You also need to determine how large your magazine is going to be. If you\'re working on a very specific niche, you may want to have a smaller magazine or perhaps only publish it several times per year. There is no set rule that says that you need to publish a magazine every month in order for it to be successful. Many magazines have been published for a very long time that are only available once or twice per year. There really are a lot of other things that are involved in how to start a magazine. As long as you have the desire and an interest in maintaining one of these periodicals, however, you can generally be successful with it. Give it time to grow and make sure that you are constantly promoting the magazine in order to have a larger following. Eventually, your magazine will have a life of its own and you would be surprised at exactly how far you will be able to take it. It is a very old way to make money but it is one that still works today. Laying out a magazine can me more of a hassle then writing the content for it. One great way to massively cut down on the time it takes to lay out your magazine is by using an InDesign magazine template. Once you learn how to use an InDesign template you will be able to spend less time laying out the pages of your magazine and be able to spend more time writing content for it as well as promoting it. Since time is money both of those things can in turn lead to more profits, so this is a very worthwhile investment. There are many websites online that sell InDesign magazine templates so it should not be a problem finding one that meets your needs. If you feel that you can not find a template that fits your specific needs then you might consider hiring a freelancer to design the template for you. This is a once off expense that will save you countless time in the future. InDesign templates are simple to use and will absolutely help you save time that you would have spent laying out your copy. Using these templates are fast and simple. You just layout your content as you want it to look in the template. When you consider how much time and effort you save by using an InDesign magazine template you soon realize what a worthwhile investment they are. By just using a simple layout you are also maximizing how much you are able to fit on each page. If you do not already use a magazine templates and you are looking for a way to save time and money the acquire one today. http://www.magazine-template.com indesign magazine template http://www.magazine-template.com publish a magazine FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Babbel - In so Many Words by Bernard Steele Whenever I find myself in trouble regarding the spelling or the exact meaning of a word I resort to my trusty Webster dictionary. I developed this habit a long time ago in the days when I had to write important reports and absolute accuracy was an essential prerequisite. In those days computers with spell check did not exist, nor did cell phones or any of the communication technology that are available to us in this era. A typewriter along with typing paper and carbon paper were the tools of the trade. I have a question for the younger generation, do you know what carbon paper is, and have you ever seen a sheet of the accursed item? If the answer is yes, good for you. If you haven\'t you may want to check it out and it will help you to understand the absolute wonder of a printer, a copier, and a fax machine. Let us move on to the real point in issue, accurate and timely communication. There is no doubt that we attempt to communicate as accurately as possible and of course we are inclined to assume that the message or information was sent and received intact and without ambiguity. However I must tell you that this is not always true. Miscommunication is very inconvenient and in some situations it can become dangerous. Many years ago I received instructions to assemble a team and to quietly insert ourselves into a farming community some distance from the capital. Our orders were to find and arrest a suspect who was wanted for several murders and burglaries. The Assistant Commissioner made it clear that he must be captured alive if possible or dead if necessary, he was known to be armed and dangerous. Shortly after our arrival, we received good information from a farmer who happened to be a victim, and acting on the tip we quietly surrounded a cottage on the outskirts of the village. According to the informant the suspect was in the habit of visiting a lady who lived alone in the cottage and he would usually arrive after midnight and leave before dawn. At around 10 p.m. the team was in position behind trees and brushes. The instructions were simple, watch and wait and close in before he entered the house. Ten o\'clock became midnight and then 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. and still nothing. Shortly after 4 a.m., the front door of the house was opened and standing there was our suspect. He had entered the house before we were in position. I made a quick decision not to make a move until he was away from the house, too far away to turn and run back. When I judged the time to be right I shouted to the team, \"move in\" and I sprinted toward him intent on bringing him down. I was almost there when I heard the sound of gunfire and I saw tracers whipping past my head and body. I hit the ground screaming, one of my team member was trying to shoot the suspect and almost shot me. The suspect took off like a bat out of hell, scaled the fence and disappeared in the brushes. We managed to corner him a week later in a sugar cane plantation and with the aid of a police dog named Butch. He was tried, convicted and sentenced to death. A review of the episode revealed serious lapses in our planning along the way. My orders were, \"shoot to kill if necessary.\" The officer who opened fire said that he did not hear, \"if necessary.\" I made a serious, almost fatal, mistake when I took off after the suspect, I should have turned on my flashlight to indicate my position, and last but by no means least, I should have sent for Butch (the police dog). I survived the incident but I learned an important lesson, make sure that everyone understands what is required in detail and follow through or rehearse when necessary. Misunderstandings and mixed messages are the bane of the human society and this condition is made worse by the fact that we do not speak the same language. Try to imagine the suspicion and fear when two potential antagonists confront each other and begin in to babbel. Bernard Steele is a veteran law enforcement officer (operational and administrative), now retired. He was the former chief security officer of the National Banking System of Guyana S.A. To learn about his new book visit http://www.deathinsmalldoses.com. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Top Tips on Writing Your Own Greeting Cards by Bradlley Mckoy Did you know that Americans buy 7.4 billion greeting cards in a year? And if you apply your calculator to the task, you will be one of Americans who buy 235 cards per second! Not to disparage the greeting card industry or anything, but you can make your own greeting cards, too. You can make your cards more personalized, which definitely beats buying a store-bought card. Just get your reliable Cross pen and pencils, coloring materials and envelopes, plus a healthy dose of artistic inclination. As for writing the messages, here are a few helpful tips for you. Write For a Specific Person You have to express yourself - emotions, angst and passion included - and share yourself with the person you are making the card for. Though expressing yourself can be harder than most other activities, you have the advantage of writing and re-writing your thoughts on paper with your Cross pen. Unlike the spoken word, the written word can be edited as many times as you like until you come up with the right words. You need to aim for the \"right words\" rather than the \"perfect words\" lest you sound too edited and artificial. And do not depend on your Cross pen to do the writing for you either! You have to work on it. Also, you should take the \"me to you\" approach in writing your message. For example, writing \"I am sorry for hurting you\" is way better than \"The situation was not in my control and for that, I apologize\". You are asking for a personal apology, not giving a business explanation (which is better covered by a business letter)! Develop Your Own Writing Style You can either mimic your favorite greeting card writers\' styles or you can develop your own. The latter is highly suggested for obvious reasons, originality and personalization among them. Since most greeting cards are written in poetry, you can learn poetry, too. As the movie \"Mr. Deeds\" showed moviegoers, your first efforts might be funny to some and horrendous to others. But if you keep at it and inject real passion into your verses, you will eventually do it right. Just be sure to keep a handy-dandy paper and your dependable Cross pen to write your thoughts whenever inspiration (or Erato or Polyhymnia or Calliope, all Muses of poetry) strikes. This begs the question of \"to rhyme or not to rhyme?\" Depending on your mood and mode, you can actually do both, so long as the emotion is there. Write Tight If you will look closely, off-the-rack greeting cards are written tightly. A specific emotion is expressed in a few words but they still pack in a wallop, which you should aim for. When you write tight, you are actually writing in a conventional manner, only very much shorter in content but not in substance. In short, keep it sweet and short. (And do not include \"stupid\" because you have to give yourself slack; you are just starting out, after all.) Who knows? Someday, you might be one of the authors of those 7.4 billion greeting cards! Want to know how to make full use of your passport holder (http://www.executivegiftshoppe.com/passportholders.html) to travel and fill your briefcase for women (http://www.executivegiftshoppe.com/briefcases-ladies.html) with cash? Get out your Cross Pen (http://www.executivegiftshoppe.com/cross-pens.html) and start writing greeting cards! All these personal accessories are available at http://ExecutiveGiftShoppe.com! Visit them now! FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How Writing Articles Can Help You Earn Quick Money by Alan Lim Did you know that people around the world are writing articles to earn quick money? Yes, it’s true and you can do it too! Read on. There are a host of innovative occupations; one can undertake to earn quick money with a stable income. No longer does one have to depend on a nine-to-five job for generation of income. One can be a writer and a website owner and operate from the comfort of his or her home and still generate income. Writing articles is also a powerful way to increase the income from a particular website. So all in all it is a good business to be in. No Expertise Required The great thing about writing articles is that there is no expertise required. All you need to have is some amount of flair for the language and you are ready to go. What you need to do is use simple language to put forth your views on a particular subject or topic. Remember, that you are doing all this for a particular website, or for your website. What you are not writing is fiction, and hence it does not really matter whether your article is not as interesting a story. What matters is the content and how you have phrased it. Persistence Pays So you have decided to resort to earn quick money by writing articles in a bid to increase the sales of your website by attracting more and more visitors to it, through your articles. However, you expected quick results and so far they have not been forthcoming. Well, do not fret. You must persist until this method of internet marketing works for you. If you are not good at writing, then article writing won’t be easy for you. But, it’s not difficult to learn and what’s more, after a bit of experience you will be rewarded handsomely for your persistence. Free Submission Available The great part about writing articles is that you can submit them free of charge at the various article directories available on the net. This way your article marketing endeavor won’t cost you a penny and what’s more your article will start creating a brand value for your website. All this without putting any kind of investment at all! If you are doing ghost writing for a particular site then you can still generate income through these free submission sites, albeit, in an indirect manner. Use it like a Tool Use the whole process of writing articles as a tool to generate income. Do not think of it as a chore that you must accomplish or a job that you must finish before the day is out. Take your time and learn to write effective articles. There are score of tips available, online, which will tell you how to best write articles for income generation. Bear in mind that results are not immediate and you might have to wait a while. However, if your articles are good, then the results will follow. Distribute your articles in the right manner and you must go about it in a manner, which tells people that your objective is the disbursement of information. This is where your articles will be more than effective and thus your website will generate a steady income. As a result, this provide you a way to earn quick money Writing Articles can earn you a living right from your living room. It’s that easy. For more details, go to http://www.goodinternetmoney.com/Articles-Submission.php today to learn how you can earn quick money. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Book Review: Dealing With Divas by Shelley Anderson by Simon Barrett A Survivor\'s Kit for the Celebrity Personal Assistant (or Anyone with a Pesky Boss) I have to admit that one of the most fun parts of being a reviewer is that you learn something new every day. It was not until I had read Dealing With Divas that I realized there was an association solely committed to the plight of those that work for the famous. Well there is, and it is called The Association of Celebrity Personal Assistants. I am not a personal assistant to a celebrity, but I certainly understand the issues involved. Being a reviewer and interviewer I play on the edge of the celebrity world. Some of the folks I have worked with are indeed \'different.\' My favorite story concerns an interview I had scheduled with Keith Emerson, I called him at the prearranged time of noon, and get his answering machine, I leave a message and move on to the next project. It had been a long day, so about 9pm my wife and I call it a day. The next thing I know is my wife Jan shaking me awake, and saying \"Honey, you are going to hate me, the phone rang, I thought it was Joey (her 15 year old son), so I think I have just been rude to Keith Emerson.\" On the whole I have found the rich and famous to be fairly easy to get along with, but on the other hand I have seen up close and personal just how demanding the Divas can be. Last summer my wife and I were the invited guests of a very famous singer, he wasn\'t a diva, but his wife certainly was. I watched in awe as from the stage, with mic in her hand she gave the three guys running the soundboard a good solid berating for everyone within a mile radius to hear, and the concert wasn\'t due to start for another 2 hours. The poor guys had glazed expressions on their faces, and were obviously wondering why the hell they had taken the job! While Dealing With Divas is clearly aimed at the niche market of Personal Assistants that work with the sometimes eccentric and egocentric, it is a delightful little read. It is by no means a \'show and tell,\' there are no wild revelations about your favorite star, but there are some truly funny anecdotal tales. My one criticism of Dealing With Divas is that it is not nearly long enough. You just start to enjoy the subject, and maybe speculate about some of the situations, and Shelley Anderson pulls the rug out from under you, there are no more pages to read! She shares one wonderful \'agony column\' letter that she received that I think really encapsulates the entire industry of dealing with the rich and famous: I\'m fed up. My boss is unappreciative of how I got her on a fully booked, nonstop flight from New York to Bangladesh. She was unhappy that it was a 757, not a 747, and that the seats were blue and not maroon. What a fun read, you can find out more at the Dealing With Divas web site, and order your copy from Amazon. 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. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Book Review: One Foot in the Black by Kurt L. Kamm by Simon Barrett Oops, it wasn\'t until I had had read almost the entire book that I discovered that this was fiction and not biographical! This story is so well constructed it is impossible to tell fact from fiction. The characters are life-like, and they are crafted with a skill and panache that one rarely finds in a novel. I was devastated when I discovered it was a novel, I really wanted to ask Kurt Kamm about that time on the mountain with the fire all around! Having made my confession, let us talk about the story. The title One Foot In The Black is a reference to fighting Wildfires, more importantly the placement of firefighters, they are in the just scorched area dealing with the fire at close range. It is to say the least a dangerous place to be. If the wind changes, you are in big trouble, but the science and experience shows that you at least have a possible escape route. Author Kurt Kamm takes us on an odyssey of discovery, a discovery of what it is like to be on the fire line, and a look at what drives the people who risk their lives so that we still have possessions after the fire has tried to rip through our property. Maybe most important of all, we get to peek inside the mind of one young man that has decided to make this his career. The style that Kamm has adopted is an interesting one, and one that essentially permits two very different stories to be told side by side. We have the story of 19 year old Greg Kowalski entering the field of wildfire fighting, and we have the rather dark and sad story of Greg\'s upbringing. Living in a dysfunctional family with a verbal and physically abusive father Greg can think of little more than how to escape. The opportunity arises when he attends his father\'s \'office\' Christmas party. The abusive elder Kowalski is also a fire fighter, and it is the station chief that offers Greg the opportunity to move to California and become a seasonal member of the CDF. This is an opportunity that Greg cannot turn down, escape from Saginaw and the oppressive regime that his father has created. Of course there are downsides, what will happen to his mother and sister, who will still be under the ogre\'s spell. What Greg lacked in Saginaw, he finds in California, a father figure he can admire, a father figure that offers genuine friendship and leadership. Fighting wildfires is a dangerous occupation, as Greg discovers first hand, caught by surprise with a wind direction Greg faces a life or death situation. To save himself, or risk near certain death to try and save his friend and mentor? I think it would be inappropriate to reveal more, I have a sadistic streak! You will just have to read One Foot In The Black yourself to find out what happens! I really like the meticulous attention to detail that Kurt Kamm has included. And clearly the detail is factual, his book has been endorsed by several fire fighting organizations. Kurt Kamm lives in Southern California and has had some first hand experience with wild fires, apparently one actually made it to the front door of his Malibu home. You can find out more about this author from his web site, and One Foot In The Black is available from Amazon. 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. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Get Paid to Write Online - It\'s a Great Time to Make Money Writing! by Jorge Chavez High gasoline prices are fueling even more Internet growth! It does not cost gasoline to shop, work or surf for information on the Internet. This explosion in growth demands even more written text to fill up new websites, renew and promote old ones. Writers are needed, no experience necessary! If you can write in simple, clear English at the 5th to 9th grade level, you can make money writing for the Internet. This article discusses the opportunity and shows you how to get started... This is a great time to make money writing. It is now easier than ever to get paid to write online for the Internet. You see, gasoline prices are up, people are cutting-back on driving their gas-guzzlers to go shopping, but the Internet is booming! You can visit dozens of stores online without using a drop of gas! Internet marketers are rushing to meet the demand, to offer more products and options to Internet shoppers. They need a huge amount of new, unique, written text. Most of this text will be generated by writers working on contract. These writers will be regular people like you and me, whose first language is English. None of the text generated will win a Pulitzer Prize for literature. That is not the objective. Most of it will be written by people with no previous writing experience before they began to get paid to write online. The needs of the Net are simple. Generate text that is clear and informative, that explains things in simple terms. Write it clear and write it fast. There will be many articles generated. Few (if any) will be as elegant or as eloquent, or will use as extended a vocabulary as the one you are reading now. :-) But they will be understandable, they will communicate well. They will get across the messages they intended to convey. And they will do it in timely fashion, now. If you can write in clear, simple English at the 5th to 9th grade level, you can make money writing for the Internet. You can get paid to write online for the Internet. You can write professionally, get paid well and make money. To participate you will need to know where to start and how to go about it. You don\'t want to try and compete with writers from India and China on price. You want to take advantage of the fact that these writers cannot compete with you (if your first language is English) for clarity and ease of understanding. Like any new field the business of writing for the Internet is one you will need to understand before you try to get started. Fortunately there are several good guide books on how to do so, written by writers with extensive Internet experience. You might also consider joining an Internet writers membership group that has already negotiated contracts for writing work so all you have to do is choose the area for which you wish to write. Then sit down at your computer and start writing, knowing that you will get paid to write online for this contract work. For more detailed information, including guide books and writers\' membership groups, just follow the links below. Begin now and you can start to make money writing almost immediately. You could get paid to write online and be receiving your first check or deposit in your PayPal account within a week! For more details on how to get paid to write online, see: http://makemoneywriting-site.com/Make_Money_Writing_Online.html To learn more about writers groups visit: http://www.makemoneywriting-site.com/Join_a_Writers_Group.html Jorge Chavez is an experienced writer, Internet marketer and author FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS SEO Content Writer - Make Money Writing From Home by Suade You must agree that the Internet is growing at a very fast pace. And with this amazing growth comes the need for good SEO Content Writers. These SEO Content writers need to be able to fill the pages of websites everywhere with quality information so that people who are searching for answers can find them. So what exactly is an SEO Content Writer? Well the job of an SEO Content Writer is to create quality and thorough articles, blog posts, webpage content, message board posts, etc... while at the same time positioning the best keywords within their work to attract search engine traffic. The only real reason that any webmaster needs to create content is to generate traffic to his website. And if he doesn\'t have enough content on his website then he will get very little (if any at all) traffic to his website. This is the reason why an SEO Content Writer is in HIGH demand online. But in order to make money from it, you must be able to do these few things: 1) Write Good Content - This comes as no suprise. You can\'t be a SEO Content Writer if you can\'t write good information. But don\'t get discouraged if you have never written anything, because it\'s really not that hard. In order to become a good Content Writer, you just have to do a little research on the topic that you are going to write about. For instance, if you are going to write an article about \"Fruit Gardening\" then I would read 5-10 articles written by other people on \"Fruit Gardening\" and then simlpy write my own. Yes it takes a little time write good content, but once you get good at it you will be able to put almost any price on your work. To make this process even easier, I would recommend writing content for topics that you are already familiar and comfortable with. This will cut back on the research. 2) Keyword Research - This is very important when becoming a SEO Content Writer. You have to be good at finding \"opportunity keywords\". These are keywords that the website you are writing for can compete successfully for in the search engines. You can\'t use saturated keywords that everyone is fighting for like \"Make Money\". You have to find keywords that generate a good flow of traffic if you were to get a 1st Page spot in the search engines. But make sure that the keyword is worth your time. You don\'t want to waste your time writing an article using a keyword that no one is searching for. Then the goal as a SEO Content Writer is to find a few of these \"opportunity keywords\" and write short content pieces using them. 3) Link Building - This is not something that a SEO Content Writer is asked to do, but if you do it you will benefit in the long run when people see that everything you write ranks high in the search engines. After writing good quality SEO Content you will want to get a few links for the page where your content will be displayed. This will get the page listed in the search engines fast and will also increase the visibility for that page. You can build a few links by posting your page address on blogs, message boards, and online directories. These are free places to put a link so all it will cost you is a little time. Following these three steps will help you to create excellent online content and become a super SEO Content Writer. There are webmasters everywhere that NEED SEO Content Writers to provide quality information to generate traffic for their websites. If you are serious about making money from home as a SEO Content Writer, then I suggest reading the \"Cash For Content System\". It gives a FULL look at what you will need to generate income writing content online. http://www.LootSwoop.com http://www.LootSwoop.com/SEO_content_w FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Article Writing and Submission by Junaid Ashraf Mianoor Writing does not entail great talent. Even the mediocre can learn how to write interesting topics. Yes, you can be a writer without a talent but without your desire, every word you write will become too incomprehensible and it may look unnatural. Your articles won’t even become a hit. But if you have what it takes in writing, then this is your chance to express yourself whether for fun or any other reasons. Whichever your reason may be, you sure will get satisfaction as long as you love what you are doing. Now, let’s tackle about writing for the sake of being published. Writing articles can actually give you so many perks. Included in its long list of perks is that you’ll be able to achieve link building so your site can gain the needed popularity and traffic in the search engines. Popular sites could actually mean credibility. Also, the more visitor that would visit the sites from which you write content articles mean it has greater and stronger standing in search engine result pages. Website owners who have ability to write don’t need to hire writers for your site’s content. But for those who do not have this kind of ability, the usually pay writers to write good content in their site. Usually there is an “about the author” section where you can get to know more about the writer. Usually, this is located at each end of the article. So if you are one of the contributors of the article, you can add information about yourself and a link to the site you are promoting. Actually there are some website owners that provide restrictions on what only information you may include in the “about the author” section. So, before doing your job, it is important that you familiarize first the terms and conditions or the other article submission guidelines. This is actually a win-win situation as you get to publish your very own work and you can get listed on the many websites around the world. On the part of the website owner, he can have good quality content for free. The resource box will be preserved and will link back to whichever website you are promoting. This way, you can now be building links back to your site and at the same time giving the owners their needed content. Each time you submit your written articles to any publisher that features a free content directory, people from all over the globe will have the chance to appreciate your work. Others also allow to republish your post hence giving you more exposure that what you’ve expected. Consider yourself lucky if you are capable of writing very good content since many publishers would want to publish well-written articles to their free e-books. So if you want to be known as a good article writer, good content is the key. This will keep the readers informed and at the same time entertained. If you gain many followers, then your credibility as a writer is achieved. You can submit your Free Articles on many Free Article Submission sites like http://www.selectarticle.net/ and can get one way links to your website. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS A Few Rules For Writing Articles for the Web by Alan Lim Writing articles for a book and writing for the web is rather different. With these tips in mind you can be on your way to being a great web writer! Some people say that writing articles is an art and that you need quite a bit of creativity inside of you, to write a good article for purposes of article marketing. However, even when it comes to article writing, you will have to follow some rules and regulations when it comes to writing. These rules would enable you to construct a good article that becomes an effective tool of income generation. Be Concise Don’t waste words, but try and conserve them as much as possible. Yes, you can write all you want but its best to be as frugal with the text as possible. This lends a bit of simplicity to the proceedings and also helps lend some clarity to the article in general. Don’t Write to Impress You are not writing a story, which needs to impress people. What you are doing through the process of writing articles is sharing information with the people, which in turn promotes your website. Writing for the web must be purposeful and you must accomplish this purpose in quick time, hence don’t write to impress but write to empower. Use single words, Instead of Wordy Phrases This pointer is similar to the earlier one about not writing articles to impress but to offer information. You must cut short your wordiness and use single words whenever you can. This limits the spread of your content and you can make your point without beating about the bush. Moreover, it makes sense to use simpler words that everybody can understand rather than using important sounding words that are not easy to understand. Use Bullets, if Possible Bullets and numbering are a great way to make your article more readable. Bullets are also simpler to read then long sentences. They cut short the length of the article and are to the point. While writing articles, if you come across a few pointers that need to be shared with the readers then it would be a great idea to use bullets. If anything they offer a neat look to the article in general. Precision in Language On the whole, you don’t need to meander. Your audience does not have all the time in the world to read your article and hence you must integrate all the pointers given above to construct an article that is precise, meaning that it uses the pronoun minimally for the improvement of clarity. If you use your pronouns sparingly, then it also helps in the process of search engine optimization. You could call what has been mentioned in this article a few rules or can also call them important pointers towards writing articles that are an effective tool for article marketing. When it comes to web writing, these rules will make it possible for you to create content that people will actually read and not just skim through. So keep these rules/pointers in mind and I am sure that you will be able to configure articles that are not only good but quire readable also. If you follow these Writing Articles tips for web content, you will definitely succeed as a web writer. Look at http://www.goodinternetmoney.com/Articles-Submission.php for more information. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS An Interview With Zach Samuels About Confessions Of A Crack Head by Simon Barrett Zach Samuels has just published a rather disturbing book Confessions Of A Crack Head about his life as a drug user. I work with the homeless and a good proportion of my clients have addiction problems, so this book was one that I could definitely relate to. Zach (not his real name) agreed to sit down and give a short interview. My normal style is to begin an interview with a biographical question, you know the sort of thing, \'tell us a little about yourself.\' Obviously that wasn\'t going to work, he writes under a pen name and has changed all the names and places. Instead I decided to find out his motivation behind the book, and where the idea came from. Zach: About two years ago I was at a birthday party for my sister and my mom and my cousin from Toronto, who is an actor/writer/director, was there. I started telling him some of my story and he got really interested in making it a play and told me to just start writing. So I did and the words just flowed. Soon it turned into a book. I really don\'t care too much about fame or fortune; if I help a few people by telling my story I\'ll be happy. One of the observations I have made in the 6 years I have spent working with people who have addictions is that they age really fast, in real years they may be 25, but they look more like 75. Bad skin, no teeth, thin like an escapee from a Nazi concentration camp, and health issues beyond comprehension. As one sage person told me \'There are no old Crack Heads,\' they have a career potential of an average NFL player a few seasons, and they are done. Zach seems to have fared better than most. Zach: I used crack for about 9 years and then a couple more after stopping for 12 years. My breathing isn\'t very good anymore, I cough a lot and I have to use a puffer now. That\'s the only damage I\'m aware of. I live in Calgary, it is a city of just over one million people. It used to be a very friendly place. Over the past few years there has been a huge increase in street gangs, violence, and drugs. Crack being very prevalent. Hardly a day goes by without some mention in the local press about violence and drugs, is there any kind of solution? Zach: I think education is the best prevention. I used to go to schools and tell my story so that kids would know where to get help if they got into trouble. I think it should be a big part of the curriculum in high schools. I am not so sure I am in total agreement with this answer, yes, it is important to educate, but it is equally important to remove the dealers, the runners, and the cooks, from the picture. It is a rare day that I do not walk by a group smoking Crack or doing a joint, yet the police seem to ignore it. Unless there are guns or knives and a whole lot of blood involved, they prefer to look the other way. Too much paperwork involved? Too overfilled jails? Too much aggravation, to just watch while a Judge lets them out again? I don’t know the answer, I only see the problem. There is a school of thought among the pot smokers that pot should be legal, it does not lead people to stronger drugs. My thoughts on this are divided, for some people pot is enough, I know people that have smoked for years, and have never been tempted to try anything else. I also believe that there are people that for whatever reason are compelled to move on to other drugs. This leads to the idea, can an addict move back down the ladder? From Crack to let\'s say Pot? Zach: It\'s my opinion that if you\'re an addict you have to stay off all drugs and alcohol in order to recover. Substituting with alcohol or pot will just get you hooked on that or lead you back to your drug of choice. It is said, once an addict always an addict, do you think controlling addiction becomes easier over time? My wife used to smoke cigarettes, she gave up 7 years ago, but she still has the occasional craving. Does time temper the urges? Zach: The simple answer is no. The nature of the disease of addiction is that we have an allergy which means as soon as we put a substance into our body we develop a craving which demands more and we can\'t stop. That never changes so the answer is complete abstinence. I know that addiction has become a part of government funding, but I often wonder if there is enough funding, or if this is just a sop to look like they care, while basically ignoring the problem. Spending $100,000 for a drug rehab program makes for a good \'sound bite\' but when you consider the fact that it is probably costing them millions to just repair the pot holes on main street, you have to wonder. Zach: I believe the government is already doing a lot at the rehab level. In my city they are pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into a new rehab and I think the trend is nation wide which is great. I still remain skeptical. Little money is ever given freely in the area of mental health, and I don\'t think Alberta is unique in this trait. If you are missing a limb, sure you are disabled, and the money comes easy, if there is a mental health issue, all bets are off! The one thing that I am certain about, is that Zach\'s support system is outside of the mainstream government funded one. I wish Zach all the best in his conquest over Crack, and hope that others will learn the lessons from reading his book, rather than by personal experience. (Originally published at Blogger News Network and reprinted with the permission of the author, Simon Barrett). 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. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS An Interview With Eric Kampmann About Trail Thoughts by Simon Barrett I recently had the opportunity to review Eric Kampmann\'s latest book Trail Thoughts. It is a very reflective piece with biblically inspired thoughts for each day of the year. This is a book designed for the reader to sip and enjoy, rather than guzzle down like us reviewers are apt to do! I had the opportunity to ask Eric about his book, and also about himself. Can you tell us a little about yourself Eric? In one way, you need a \"unified field theory\" to understand my bio. I am an entrepreneur, a businessman, a publisher, a distributor, a teacher, a photographer, a section hiker on the Appalachian Trail, and most importantly of all, I am the author of Trail Thoughts: A Daily Companion for Your Journey to Faith. I guess the real point is I love all the things I do and I particularly enjoy sharing them with other people. Trail Thoughts is a very reflective piece, where did the idea come from and how long did it take you to put it together? In a sense you are asking another biographical question. This journey began with a discovery. Up until the late 1980\'s, I knew about the Bible, but I certainly did not know the Bible. Quite the opposite. But in early 1991 I began reading a little bit every day and over time I became committed to not only knowing the Bible but also sharing it with others. That was the seed for my first book Tree of Life which began as a book of daily Bible verses for my three sons. It later became a full-fledged book of verses of wisdom for men. (Not a brilliant marketing move as most books are bought by women). But again we are talking about planting seeds and so in January 2003 I began writing a daily reflection for each verse in The Tree of Life. Approximately five years later, Trail Thoughts was published. What kind of feedback have you received from readers? I have had great individual reviews and I have even received testimonials. People sense that Trail Thoughts is a work of love, written to touch the human heart as well as the mind. So I have been really pleased by the response. It also has a near highest rating at Amazon. Do you have a web site where people can find out more information? The Web Site is trailthoughts dot come. Not only can you get a devotion a day sent to you, but you can view some of my photographs in the gallery section. Plus we have a place where the readers can blog. Changing the subject completely for a moment. When you are not writing, and I understand that you currently have 3 books to your credit, you are involved in the publishing industry. In fact if my memory serves me correctly it was your house that published the O.J. Simpson If I Did It book. Can you tell us a little about that project? Talk about a question that requires a long answer! Yes, my publishing company did publish If I Did It last September. Perhaps I am naïve, but I did not expect the intensity of interest that the book generated during the moments after it was announced that Beaufort would indeed publish the book. A point of clarification: The Goldman\'s owned the book Beaufort published, not OJ Simpson. The Goldman\'s won the book in a bankruptcy court as part of the judgment they had won against Mr. Simpson years before. Ironically, they hated the book, but the court awarded it on the condition that they publish it. The Goldman\'s knew nothing about publishing. I did, therefore, I decided to do what I could to help them succeed in this endeavor. As for the decision to become involved, I had few qualms because I was working for the Goldman\'s and not OJ Simpson. Many people were enraged that the book would be published but they missed the real point. OJ Simpson\'s own words would finally show the world who this man really was and people could then decide whether justice had been rendered in LA back in 1994. Apparently, the public wanted to know more about this case and they wanted to read Mr. Simpson\'s own words. The book became a national bestseller topping out at number 2 on the NY Times bestseller list. In retrospect was it a good business decision? In retrospect it was a riskier project than I first thought. It is only from the vantage point of today that the book looks like an inevitable bestseller. What is your next personal writing project going to be? I believe I am headed more in the direction of speaking. I have no books planned, but I would love to fill up my speaking calendar. What would you like readers to get out of Trail Thoughts? What would you like them to take away? When I began reading the Bible on a daily basis I began to become aware of the power of language, the beauty of it and how profoundly it changes our view of not only ourselves but also of the world. Psalm 65 ends with this magnificent picture: \"You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands overflow; the hills are clothed in gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing.\" You can see it, feel it, taste it even. Who doesn\'t want to be in this bounteous place? And just think: It was written three thousand years ago. Amazing. Thanks for taking the time to do this, it is greatly appreciated. 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. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Vacation - Time Well Spent? by Bernard Steele Hellen DeRich was sitting at the dressing table in her boudoir. She loved staying at her penthouse in Manhattan, it was so convenient and the city at night was the place to be especially in the spring. However it was time for vacation once again and the planning and arrangements had to be taken care of. This month the destination was Paris and the Chateau needed to be opened and made ready, time to call our agency, and of course the fitting at La Maison de Argent for her spring outfits. Hellen sighed quietly as she remembered that her personal dressmaker had warned her that she was gaining weight, and in all the wrong places. She shrugged the thought off and moved to the next item on the agenda, the children. As usual they were delighted to spend time at the ranch in Montana, their grandma and pap-pap were looking forward to seeing them and of course there was horse riding their favorite pastime. She made a note to have them fitted with new things for the trip; they were probably bored with their outfits, after all those things were almost three months old. She picked up her phone and called her husband. Harry answered the phone, he sounded hurried and irritable, and she felt sorry for him. All these stocks and bonds and brokers and bankers that he had to deal with was wearing him down and she was happy that he was taking some time off. One week vacation every month was hardly enough but it was the best he could do, poor fella. She reminded him to schedule their private jet to take the children to the farm and to return in time for their trip to Europe. Hellen hung up and changed into her swimsuit for an early morning dip. Okay, okay back to the real world. We all take vacations, well most of us do but there are the people that are so in love with their jobs that the thought of taking a break never occurs to them. However if you are an author or you are planning to become one I would recommend that you choose your vacation destinations with care. I am suggesting that you consider combining your time off with a suitable venue that could be added to the book you are planning to write. For example a trip to a Caribbean Island would be perfect if you could include the ambiance and beauty of the island in a segments of your book. \"Bill met Milly the dragon girl at the beach party, the night was warm and sultry and the reggae music was intoxicating. They were seen wandering down the beach close to the lapping waves and that was the last anyone saw of them.\" In June of 07, I took a long overdue vacation, my book was finally finished and in the hands of the editor. I was physically exhausted but emotionally elated. I packed my bags and with my \"lovely wife\" at my side we headed for Europe and the Mediterranean. It was my first trip to that part of the world and I made sure that I did not forget my trusty notebook and my camera. There is a major disadvantage to traveling by cruise ships, you never get to see as mush as you would like to at any port of call. On the other hand, the convenience could never be overstated, and the cost compares well with other forms of vacationing. In three weeks we visited seven countries, France, Italy, Portugal, Croatia, England, Spain, and Gibraltar. There are so many things I could say about this trip, we came face to face with the ancient history of the old Europe, the magnificent Cathedrals, the Vatican, the Eiffel Tower, the Pantheon, and the Coliseum, the list goes on and on. I took pictures and I made notes and on my way home a glimmering of an idea took root. \"It started in America, a super secret team left Washington on a luxury yacht for Gibraltar to join an equally secret British team for a raid across the straits to Morocco.\" But that is another story. Do your homework, make notes, and take pictures. Bernard Steele is a veteran law enforcement officer (operational and administrative), now retired. He was the former chief security officer of the National Banking System of Guyana S.A. To learn about his new book visit http://www.deathinsmalldoses.com. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS The Origins of Dawn Carlisle by Richard Ide I\'d like to tell you that Dawn came fully clad out of the cleft head of Zeus...but that would be avoiding truth in favor of myth. To give you a fair answer, the character of Dawn contains a part of every woman I\'ve ever known — from my own mother, to my former wife, down to the wildest tigress I ever dated. And it doesn\'t stop there. Quite a confession...but not very satisfying. No mere floozy is Dawn Carlisle, this wild woman wanderer, who suicidally jumps out of Abner\'s truck at the Palm Coast I-95 exit in Florida, then turns into a principled young woman capable of nursing an injured bull terrier back to health. She then, in good time, falls for her rescuer, Abner Weaver, the truck driver who has interrupted her march to oblivion down the American road…all of it, quite a stretch. How can this woman have so many sides? Where, but in America, does a woman have the right to cast herself adrift with no one concerned enough to come to her aid? Someone might help (as Abner Weaver most certainly does), but it would take an unusually kind person — sensitive to the pain in another — to step outside the callousness we generally display toward anyone wandering the berm. Head down, bindle under an arm, deep in anguished thought, a female vagabond exhibiting not the slightest desire of needing a lift… Health and legal ramifications aside — would you stop to pick up such a woman? What if…you DID stop, accepting whatever it was that was coming to you for committing such a foolhardy act? Suppose you had no ulterior sexual or monetary motive in attempting to aid such a person? What Christian credits might be chalked to your slate? But…you never intended to stop, did you? Not in a million years… That\'s the beauty of the novel. We can indulge ourselves...let it all hang out! The truth is, I have a lot of pent-up emotions regarding the women I’ve formed close bonds with over the course of my life…I’ve drawn freely on some of those feelings to shape Dawn. Fifteen years of married life packed plenty (the good and the bad) in my emotive memory bank. Then the nastiness of a divorce…the painful transition to a solitary life. Does a man then insulate himself from the complexities of the female mind? I guess that’s done easily enough…writing, as I do, in isolation. But living like a hermit, how do I feel the emotions I\'m no longer privy to? How, as a writer, do I reconstruct situations I no longer experience? Numerous women novelists have accurately cranked out the thoughts and emotions of male characters...why not the reverse? After all, I do have a rich backlog of experience to draw from. My years before marriage weren\'t particularly cloistered. Let me sidestep to another theory: that men and women are neither all masculine, nor all feminine; instead, a mixture, genetically, of inherited traits — some feminine, some masculine. You might describe the physical features and dress of a gorgeous female creature, yet gift her with the cold, calculating mind of an international banker, softened again with a mother\'s love for her child, bringing the reader a fascinating and convincing character. (This is partly what appeared when I first set Dawn Carlisle on the page.) But you can\'t just woodenly toss a bunch of character traits into a big mixing bowl, stir them around and expect something believable to pop out. You must feel a genuine excitement in the character you\'ve chosen to set down — sensing in them a budding star quality. (A few main characters will be allowed to steal the show; but you will need to suppress your secondary characters so they do not. Even so, those minor characters may toss off tiny sparks of stardom.) I really believe that, within yourself, you\'ve got to feel the same gut emotions each character is experiencing. If you don\'t, neither your description of their actions, their personae, or the words they utter will convey that indefinable \"IT\" quality — that stellar quality — which must emerge, or like empty sacks your characters will collapse. Every writer has to kill his own snakes, getting \"IT\" onto the page. If you find my characters interesting, that may come from the magical education I received in the mid-1950s, when I studied \"method\" and character acting in New York with the great Stella Adler. When the people you are writing about are so deeply imbued in your psyche you can virtually touch and feel them as you write their scenes, that\'s a gift no one can ever take from you. (It\'s bound to produce riveting work.) It may take years of banging away at the keyboard, but one day you will be startled — you\'ll know when you see \"IT\" on the page. You\'ll sit back, scratching your head, \"Did I just write that?…\" To get into the desperate, scrambled brain that is Dawn Carlisle\'s when she jumps out of Abner\'s truck, conceivably to her death, I started with the recordings of Janis Joplin; film clips from Bette Midler\'s portrayal in \"The Rose;\" then read a few biographies of Janis. (This was occasioned by a writing instructor at the Cape Cod Writers\' Conference. She had given our class a reading assignment; a story so oddly violent that I refused to believe the young woman protagonist capable of such jumbled thinking.) By the time I\'d finished my study of Janis Joplin, I was a believer. I felt my own nervous system twitching, jangling, rebelling …forget the drugs. I was THERE…with Janis! But Dawn\'s male side — that\'s the poker wizard. Cool, calculating, and exacting. The careful student of Doyle Brunson\'s Super System, her gifted mathematical mind plotting the way to clean out every poker player in Steelton and Reading, PA…revenge for the fortune her alcoholic father had lost at the game. (This is back-story, off the page.) And let\'s not forget that Dawn is the mother of a five-year old daughter, Lisa. You’d better know, from your observation of life on this planet, that the female of the species — animal or human — is not to be separated from her offspring. A good mother will do anything to protect and nurture her child. Anything imaginable…no holds barred! Somewhere I read that women are gatherers and men the hunters who \"risk death to bring back meat.\" Women bring back the immediately useful stuff, like \"honey, fruit, water…and the hunters.\" Women mostly live longer than men; programmed by nature to do so. They are (generally) more conservative in their actions. A woman\'s wiles can translate to the cadgey; to downright unscrupulous behavior when it\'s necessary for survival or the protection of a child. Once sobered up by Abner\'s ministrations and the care she administers to an injured dog, Dawn begins to redirect her energies toward regaining possession of her daughter. Dawn Carlisle originates from good stock, part of it Sioux Indian. So we must know something about what it is and was like to be an Oglala Sioux, transported east to attend the Carlisle Indian School in the late 1800s. That was her great grandfather — the Sioux character very much a part of Dawn\'s every decision, as is the white, Irish industrial heritage on her mother’s side. She loves Abner with a barely concealed Sioux fierceness, and here we are back to my longing for a character who is not afraid to shower love on someone worth loving. When Dawn knows love, she shows love. I gave Dawn objectives at every turn. Within each scene she has an objective. Whether Dawn gains that objective or is frustrated in her efforts to achieve it, we watch how she acts and reacts. As writers, we judge her behavior. Should it ring false to the persona discovered in Dawn, should it deface that \"IT\" star quality she has exhibited before, we\'ll do that scene over — NOT her character. Dawn\'s traits, speech and actions are now ingrained — her character walking, thinking, talking in one distinctive way. Instinctively, we know that way when we see it. And we will cast out the crap, whenever and wherever we see it, as not representing the true and honest origins of Dawn Carlisle. Richard Ide is a writer of realistic, action-adventure and romantic-suspense fiction. On May 26th, 2008, Button Top Books released 3 ACES, his first published work. Now available on http://Amazon.com or by special order (ISBN: 978-0-615-15821-1) in bookstores. For more information on Richard and 3 Aces, visit: http://www.3acesthenovel.com. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Tips For Writing Articles in an Effective Manner Revealed by Alan Lim Even the more experienced writers find it difficult to write effectively. Here are some tried and tested tips for writing articles effectively. If you want to get the most out of your article marketing efforts, then your article must be effective. It is the efficacy of the article that makes for increased sales generation. Writing articles will help you in the building of a powerful online presence. Given below are a few tips that might just help you in the writing of an effective article. Write a Good Article Everybody wants to write a good article. After all, nobody would like to write a bad article. However, the word good means different things for different writers. For some it would be writing articles that are informative, for others it would mean an article that has a lot of flowery language, while for many other writers it would mean using keywords in each and every sentence. One must realize that a good article means an article that is able to convey the information to the target audience in a way such that they are able to understand the topic and thus base their decision based on the content of that article. The Conversational Mode It’s best to talk like a friend while writing articles. Don’t write like a teacher giving instructions to students, unless specifically asked to do so. A conversational style of writing also enables a writer to connect with the conversation that might be going through a readers mind. This also allows a writer to build trust through his or her article as they connect with the reader in one form or the other. As a writer, your job is to not only write good article but also form a bond with the reader. You must get in touch with their thoughts and ideas. Lay your Foundation in Simplicity While you are writing articles, you must make sure that people understand your articles. This can only be accomplished if you write in a simple language. Article marketing concentrates on all kinds of people, which mean that there will be people, who do not have a firm hold of the nuances of the English language, who will read your articles. You need to configure your articles in a way such that even the average readers understand your written word. The Keyword Quotient A large part of writing articles is dictated by the integration of keywords into the content. Only articles having keywords are effective, when it comes to article marketing. This is because keywords make it easier for search engine spiders to recognize the efficacy of a particular article and thus rank them at the top of the pile. The efficacy of article marketing is dependent on the use of keywords and keyword phrases in the article. This has to be accomplished in a natural manner and it must not look like the keywords have been put in the article, just for the heck of it, without any thought whatsoever. These tips would definitely help you write effective articles. There are many more, but keeping these in mind will also help you immeasurably. When it comes to Writing Articles effectively, there’s only one resource you can trust on the Internet. That is http://www.goodinternetmoney.com/Articles-Submission.php . FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Book Review: Confessions of a Crack Head by Zach Samuels by Simon Barrett I work with the homeless here in Calgary, addiction is a word that we hear a lot of, drugs, booze, and gambling are the big three. Often addicts are plagued by other mental health issues, depression, bi-polar, and a variety of other medical terms outside of my realm of knowledge. There have been plenty of books written about addictions, but Confessions Of A Crack Head is different, it is written by the addict, and takes us through the torrid reality of the sickness. Maybe the most disturbing aspect of this book is that there may well not be a happy ending. Zach\'s story is a sad one indeed. He is a well educated guy, had a beautiful wife, home, and baby. Then he discovers the demon Crack Cocaine, possibly one of the most addictive substances ever created. Sure Zach is a compulsive, but few people regardless of their mental make up can resist this drug. In the space of an eight month time frame Zach hits detox and rehab 4 times. His, unfortunately is not a unique story, I see Zach on a daily basis, sometimes he is black, sometimes he is white, sometimes he is female, but always he is helpless. As Zach explains, when you do Crack you rapidly become completely out of control, the only thing that matters is where that next hit is coming from. In a two day period he spent $2,500 on the drug. Was it for the \'high?\' No is the simple answer, when using heavy you need to keep it in your system to merely maintain. The withdrawal symptoms are too grim to even contemplate. It did not take long for Zach to crash hard, losing his family, and piece by piece his possessions, and even a place to live. From owning a $500,000 house to picking up butts from the pavement to smoke, in what seemed a blink of an eye. One of the interesting aspects of this book is the peppering of Daily Journal entries. While these only come from the \'clean\' phase, you get a real understanding of his heartbreak. Time and time again you get a real feel for the problem that an addict faces, he doesn\'t \'use\' because he wants to, in fact often he doesn\'t want to, he wishes nothing better than to be able to drive right on by the dealer\'s house. But inevitably he does stop, inevitably he buys as much as he can, and inevitably he cannot stop at one or two hits. After the money in the bank is gone, and all your possessions are just a memory where do you go next? You defraud the bank with fake ATM deposits, you steal money, you kite cheques, you steal, you do anything you can to get that next hit. Zach did all of these and more. As I said earlier, I see Zach everyday, and it is sad. A couple of months ago he visited my Computer Lab, in the mornings I teach, and because I wanted to make some minor changes to a PowerPoint presentation I had left my Laptop and Digital Projector set up. In the blink of an eye, the laptop was gone, they (there were two of them) didn\'t even bother to take the power adapter. The machine was password protected, the serial number registered, so it had a very low street value, but enough to get that one more hit. Oh, and this was done under a CCTV system, they were arrested the next day! Confessions Of A Crack Head should be on everyone\'s reading list, for the would-be user it should scare you into the next century, for any parent that is worried about son Johnny and drugs, this will give you sleepless nights. Zach, I know that is not your real name, and I know you have moved the locations around to protect the guilty. But I also know your story is a very true and very frightening one. Generally I like to grumble about spelling, grammar, and editing, (of course I hate it when I am on the receiving side) but this is a book written from the heart, and had it been over edited much of the \'core\' would have been lost. You can pick up your copy from Zach\'s website, confessionsofacrackhead dot net. 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. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS A Writer Looks Back – Gives Tips by Bill Seaton I\'ll be blowing out 80 candles on the cake this month. It\'s one of those terrible events that can\'t be avoided. The only way to avoid it is not get there. So I\'ve spent some time reflecting on where I\'ve been. And it occurs to me that I\'ve been a writer (and author) for 60 of those years. Which means I\'ve cranked out millions of words, counting those penned at different career stages as a journalist, public relations man and creative writer of books and short stories. Most of my earlier professional success came in the public relations field, where you might say Shamu at SeaWorld and the San Diego Zoo\'s Albert Gorilla, helped fund my kids\' education. Now in my retirement years, I have managed to publish several books and take a crack at screenwriting. People sometimes ask me if it\'s hard writing a book. I use a quote from comedienne and author Fran Lebowitz, who once answered that question by saying: \"Three things are hard: 1. Cancer research. 2. Coal mining. 3. Writing a book. Everything else can be done over lunch!\" A bit glib — but you do have to go into the deep, dark crevices of your mind and sweat and search for the words. And that\'s what it takes to complete a printable book, a novel, a screenplay. As I said in an earlier blog, \"having to face a blank piece of paper is God\'s way of showing you how hard it is to be God.\" The key to success, of course, as you\'ve heard a hundred or more times, is discipline. Nothing will substitute for it. Authors Danielle Steele and Stephen King display it by cranking out several novels a year consistently - writing on schedule every day, rain or shine. Stephen seems to make writing a best seller as effortless as whipping out a nose tissue. He removes one and out pops another. Kind of makes me feel like a shut-in (with only my two published memoirs and a few near-miss screenplays to show for years of struggle) I might point out that for most, rewriting is the other key to success. The slow, repetitious (and often gratifying) process of cutting, adding polishing and rethinking is a must. As best-selling author James Michener admitted: \"I am one of the world\'s worst writers – but most successful rewriters.\" And a deeper thought I find intriguing comes from playwright David Mamet: \"All writing is getting over what happened to you before you were ten years old.\" You may want to ponder that one. Then I have this piece of wisdom in my novel file: Forget every rule the writing teachers taught you – except one. Never be boring. And what does a good script boil down to, generally speaking, but that it should contain a simple premise with unforeseeable twists and turns. I would add that helps to make your characters interesting. And try gaining sympathy in some way for your lead early on, so the reader can give a damn what happens. Was there a writing background in my own family? No. My mother was a schoolteacher for a short time, then a bookkeeper. My father was a music teacher and band leader. My brother was into electronics but also loved playing piano. Any creative genes may have come from my maternal grandmother. The dear wrote some poetry and displayed a vivid imagination in helping her children with school essays and English papers. Man on the moon and people from Mars stuff. You might say I developed on my own what \"The Writer\" magazine used to call the creative writing urge: \"The Divine Discontent.\" I HAD to compose stories from time to time, no matter what else I was involved in. Otherwise, I grew hard to live with and walked over standing ashtrays and into closed glass doors while deep into forming a new plot or piece of brilliant description. My wife and four children would retreat to their own doings. The burning desire to communicate I harbored, the urge to commit to paper a story you can\'t get out of your head, a passion to be heard can be found in most writers. It has been wisely said: \"Writing is an aggressive demand for attention.\" Robert McKee, famous for his screenwriting seminars, sums it up this way: \"Literary talent is ten a penny. What is rare – so rare as to be worth hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars, is story ability. Movies live and breathe and thrive on story ability. And very few people in the world have it.\" When did I know I wanted to be a writer? I couldn\'t exactly pinpoint it. I co-wrote a play with a friend in Iowa at the age of nine. We made 50 cents by coercing neighborhood kids to attend the barn presentation. Then I was eighteen before a bit of talent surfaced (though I knocked down \"A\'s\" in English and theme writing.) The Navy, of all places, announced after a routine aptitude test, that I qualified to enter their new journalism school established at the end of World War II. It was a surprise to me - but sounded better than chipping paint of some destroyer during my two-year hitch. When I graduated from the Navy\'s accelerated course, the die was cast. I joined a small daily newspaper at home in Iowa, after 16 months in the Navy Department\'s PR wing. And soon after marrying, bought a portable typewriter on credit and in any spare moments wrote short stories unsuccessfully for \"True Romance\" magazine and other pulps of that ilk. I kept at it through rejection-after-rejection. But often I received encouragement from editors and fellow writers. I\'m not any smarter than the next fellow. (In fact, I\'m a college drop-in). But I never gave up. I\'m still not on the best-seller list. But now I know the exhilarating satisfaction of holding in my hand a published book with my name on the bright cover and the ego-boost of book-signings at Barnes & Noble and requests to speak at libraries and civic clubs all over San Diego County. And I still dream that when I finish the rewrite on this optioned screenplay, I\'ll surely make that Hollywood million and Jennifer Lopez will play the lead (Elizabeth Taylor, my first choice, is too old). Bill Seaton is a prize-winning author and lecturer who has served nearly 25 years as public relations director of the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld and the California State Lottery. To learn more about the San Diego resident\'s books, blogs and awards, visit http://www.billseaton.com. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Mystique of the Long Haul Trucker by Richard Ide What happened to the bull whacker of old? With the evolution of the automobile and the truck, the \"freighters\" (Conestoga wagons) of Santa Fe and Oregon trail days, pulled by teams of oxen and urged on by the bull whackers, evolved into today\'s eighteen wheelers. Interstate highways gradually replaced the bull whacker\'s muddy, rutted trails. But that drover spirit has never died; it lives on, in the heart of today\'s trucker and any kid that yanks his arm up and down coaxing a blast from the air horn of a passing big truck. What is it that makes you abandon some hum-drum factory job...or a job flipping burgers that\'s insidiously sealing you into a greasy cloud of desperation? It\'s the same thing that drew the bull whacker to the trail - a simple, pulsing call of adventure - the call of new places; the \"Call of The Wild,\" the WEST! Ah, the West... Until you have experienced the sights and scents of the vast prairie, the endless midwest cornfields, soybeans, and, further west, sorghums and wheat...the fields of southern cotton...you haven\'t sensed what America is all about! Then there are the Rockies, appearing first as a thin purple ridge line in the distance - gigantic as you reach the base of each front range. The high prairie of Wyoming; the great basin, Salt Lake, Nevada; and then another climb over the Sierras and down into California. No, you haven\'t lived until you\'ve covered each and every route back and forth — time and time again. Most of us at home are too busy to bother thinking about trucks and truckers. They are simply there, jamming up our roads; threatening us with their speed and bulk. Deliver your goods we demand! But don\'t block our path to the mall; don\'t you kiss my car with that truck of yours and tear the \"Born to shop!…\" sticker off my bumper. For one minute, totally put away your desire for more \"things.\" Lean back in that Barka-lounger of yours and dream…just what would it be like to close up the house, kiss the kids good-bye (maybe shuffling them off to the grandparents) to settle in (with your old lady) behind the wheel of a big rig. For a year or so, imagine the both of you…miles flying behind you in your California flat mirrors, endless Interstate ahead—beckoning you on and onward… Boring..? Never! On each trip, watching the light fall differently over the same countryside, changing each remembered scene to something never before viewed; moonlight...sunlight...dawn to dusk, every time a different mood. And the easy comradery of the CB - voices out of the blue (some you recognize, but mostly new) jocular banter - good-natured America on the move. A lot like army humor; repeated jokes, catch-phrases; sometimes lines stolen from TV shows and ads; yet much of it original — invented humor — the active mind of the trucker conjuring up anything to get a response out of the CB and make the miles fly even faster. Yes, and sometimes grim: warnings of a \"bear\" on the prowl; or some \"local-yokel taking pictures\" (a county cop with a hand-held radar gun); and even grimmer, the occasional accident (they can be bloody). It\'s all laid out for you…weather too. Awesome at times. Truck stops: oases that would make the old timer blush — and not from shame: they\'re no longer \"Grapes of Wrath\" vintage. Truck stop managers have struck gold with the drover of today. We, all of us — like it or not — are trained consumers; not even the modern bull whacker is immune. Inside a typical truck stop \"store,\" a pricey array of merchandise seems doomed to sit on the shelf. But hang around for a while: watch an inquiring hand poke through a pile of something or other; and watch it shrink (the pile of goods, not the hand). CBs; cell phones and accessories; maps and books of all imaginable kinds; tire-billies; boxes of snack food; electric coolers; chrome gew-gaws to dress up the truck; outsize, rubber mud flaps; all kind of clothing. Okay, while we\'re on the subject of clothing…let me get something off my chest. You know that guy you\'ve seen leaning against a down-at-the ears fleet truck that\'s taking up nine car spaces and part of one lane in your local mall — the guy dressed to the nines in a spotless Zorro outfit and an outlandish floppy western hat? Right…that guy. Well he\'s on my list, bud! Just out of trucking school, and he\'s yet to make his first delivery on time (and if it\'s not trucking school, make it the State funny farm). Now the jerk is standing on his truck steps admiring himself in the flat mirror, with not the slightest desire to slip behind the wheel and do some real driving. I give that bobble-head one more week with the stupid outfit that hired him and he\'s down the road—hoofing it. Let\'s go back inside, where we\'ll probably find a lavish buffet. The food is likely to be healthy, not the greasy slop the film studio fed to Clint Eastwood and his monkey co-driver. In fact, in most truck stop restaurants you have to make a special point of ordering up unhealthy stuff like biscuits and gravy. Some habits die hard. Then there’s the always pinging, banging, binging electronic game room; and after that big meal of steak and \'taters and salad and berry pie ala mode, there’s hot showers and a quiet, protected truck lot in which to sleep it all off. The truck stop of today is the modern bull whacker\'s anticipated bit of heaven at the end of a long day\'s rig wrangling. All this and more, hand... America awaits you! Richard Ide is a writer of realistic, action-adventure and romantic-suspense fiction. On May 26th, 2008, Button Top Books released 3 ACES, his first published work. Now available on http://Amazon.com or by special order (ISBN: 978-0-615-15821-1) in bookstores. For more information on Richard and 3 Aces, visit: http://www.3acesthenovel.com. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Everyone Can Write - By a Dyslexic by Genevieve Dawid Genevieve Dawid was born dyslexic and dysphasic and yet still have become an author. At school her spelling was so poor that she was told not to participate in English classes. Therefore she believed that she would never be able to write. Genevieve comments, \"I left school not knowing where a comma went, let alone being able to spell. In greeting cards I simply put my name, fearing that a written sentiment may contain spelling mistakes. I had someone else type letters on my behalf and totally avoided having to write.\" However, when she moved into further education at the age of 16, teachers diagnosed her as dyslexic; within weeks and with extra tuition she started to write far better, and found herself enjoying it. Learning to use a computer also changed her writing for good, as it had the added benefit of a Spell Checker. Genevieve goes on to say ... \"When I started to write more as I got older, it was suggested that my life story and experience in personal development should be published; I was petrified.\" After a serious illness came the perfect opportunity to create her long awaited book. It was without doubt the hardest thing she had ever done, but she was determined that she would write all the words herself, and not have it ghost written. Daily, she spent hours writing, and in just a month had the bones of a book. She then sent it to an editor for appraisal, direction and corrections before finally turning it into a book. (Most authors use editors before submitting a manuscript to a publisher.) The whole process took nine months. Eventually, her part biography and self help book, \'The Achiever\'s Journey\' was published in 2007; one of her greatest achievements. Now she has the writing bug! She regularly writes articles and editorials Recently she took a world cruise and kept a daily diary, - which went out weekly via e-mail to family and friends. A wonderful record of a very special time in her life. What writing has made Genevieve realise is the extent to which our society has snobbish values about writing. \"It is not how you write, but what you write.\" Everyone should write a memoir. For example writing your thoughts on your wedding day, after giving birth, or other memorable life experiences. \"When my Father was dying of cancer he started to write about his life. I longed for him to be able to record all of his experiences. Sadly, he only wrote a fraction of it, but I treasure to this day the bit he did accomplish. However, there is so much I wish I could ask, and can\'t. Now I\'m older I want to know more.\" Whatever memories or knowledge you may have, write them down. Her grandfather was a brilliant gardener, but unfortunately none of his tips were passed on. \"I have a wonderful son who is also very dyslexic. I treasure every word that he writes; most spelling mistakes are still readable, such as \'shud\' for \'should\'. Every day I encounter others from the same generation, or who like me, were overlooked or not accepted, for not meeting the standards set for writing. Worse still, I see children leaving school today without basic writing skills. \" Putting pen to paper regularly has made Genevieve more confident with her writing. If you want to improve your English, by all means look to get assistance through additional education. If you don\'t want, or are not in the position to gain further education, then still write. Just write in your own style; it doesn\'t have to be perfect. You could also choose to use a dictaphone and have someone type it for you. Then again you could record memoirs or information on a video recorder. Or type straight onto the computer. Remember, what ever you write, you will without doubt benefit another, please loved ones, as well as providing an historical record. http://www.genevievedawid.com Genevieve Dawid is a published author of the http://www.theachieversjourney.com self help book http://www.theachieversjourney.com The Achievers Journey. She is a highly successful consultant, lecturer, and mentor, for both individuals and corporations. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Choose Your Genre, Find a Title by Bernard Steele Before you write your first sentence there are a number of important decisions that you must make. You can still start off by asking yourself what kind of book do I want to write? And what category or genre will it fit into? If you are not sure about where you want to go with your book it may be a good idea to obtain a list of subjects that are available and popular, for example; Diet and weight loss Gardening Recipe books Marriage and relationships Child rearing Health and fitness Biographies or autobiographies If the first part of the list does not hold your attention or create any excitement in your mind, you need to move on until you find what you are looking for, trust me, when you find it you will know. Your eyes will widen, your heart will beat faster and you will develop the odd habit of talking to yourself. Don’t be alarmed this will be one of the best experiences you will ever have, in fact it will compare favorably with another experience that is much too delicate to be mentioned in this article. When this happens you are on your way. The second category of books that you may want to check on are; Text books Children’s adventure stories American historical (political) World historical (political) Travel History of slavery (America) History of slavery (the world) Religion (Christianity) Religion (Islam) Religion (Hinduism) Religion (Buddhism) If the bells are not ringing in your head so far you can take a deep breath and move on, and by the way, I would recommend a recognized bookstore for this type of search (Barnes and Noble, Borders etc). Browsing the shelves of a bookstore or library is a habit I developed many moons ago, and I have always considered them to be a superior alternative to a computer insofar as the search for inspiration is concerned. You will find eye-catching titles, beautiful covers, and interesting information about the books and their authors. Time spent in library or a bookstore is time well spent. If you are in the process of writing a book or planning to do it, it is a reasonable assumption that you enjoy reading and that you are well read. My suggestions should be viewed from the perspective of focus. To put it bluntly you are hunting for that part of your psyche that had lain dormant for some time but is now demanding attention. You must find the environment that will nourish your inner being and you will blossom and grow from strength to strength. The final category happens to be my favorite; Action adventure Spy stories Crime and true crime, and Terrorists, danger and death This genre covers a multitude of sins and I crafted a novel to create a mix of American and Middle Eastern warriors with differing positions, beliefs, and points of view. The characters that you will need to lend credibility to your story must be carefully created and easily recognized. Most authors consciously or subconsciously fall back in their personal experiences when they are writing any kind of book. Childhood experiences will influence the story line and the characters. The same goes for the Gardener who will share his skills with the readers and the politician who will inject many private and personal experiences into his or her memories. It is natural to do so and it adds flavor and interest to your work. A highly respected and admired employee was murdered on my watch many years ago, and I was unable to resist the temptation to add a disguised version of her story along with others to my book. Bernard Steele is a veteran law enforcement officer (operational and administrative), now retired. He was the former chief security officer of the National Banking System of Guyana S.A. To learn about his new book visit http://www.deathinsmalldoses.com. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS What is New in My Book? by Yuan-tsung Chen Some of what is new in my book, RETURN TO THE MIDDLE KINGDOM, reveals historical details about China unknown in the West, or even in China itself, for that matter. For example, I highlight my late father-in-law Eugene Chen\'s role in the \"Russia-oriented\" policy of Sun Yatsen. Eugene was the key, the historical hinge, that led to the alliance of Sun Yatsen\'s Kuomintang (Nationalist Party) and the Communist Party in early 1920s. This policy opened the door for communists, including Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai, to join the Kuomintang; it also gave the governed, for the first time in Chinese history, the right to have their say in the governing, and this began to unleash a power in the vast peasant population never seen before. For another example, through Jack\'s and my experiences in the purge called Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), this book sheds light on the infighting between the Party moderates led by Zhou Enlai and the hardliners led by Mao Zedong, thus challenging the unanimous view among scholars and historians that Zhou was a yes man to Mao. Toward the end of 1969, my husband Jack had a pretty clear idea of what the purge was about: Should China join the international community or keep its door closed. He wrote to Zhou Enlai, applying for exit visas to go on the long overdue speech tour in the United States, to speak about China\'s wish to co-exist in peace and trade with the West. Zhou granted the exit visas, but the Red Guards, Mao\'s creation, exiled us to Upper Felicity Village in Henan Province, cut off our recourse for help and plotted to kill us in this backwoods. For nine months we lived as though on death row, struggling minute by minute, to dodge the summary execution. By the fall of 1970, Zhou Enlai intervened. He went to the Foreign Languages Bureau himself and told the Red Guards flatly that they were attacking him through Jack Chen. Case closed, and we returned to Beijing and prepared to leave for Hong Kong. My experience in the Cultural Revolution was not like any others.\' I did not lie low and let the storm blow over my head. I fought back tooth and nail against the Red Guards. I nearly died several times. But it was worth it. I fought my way out and I, who, never got one word published during Mao\'s reign, have found a publisher in my adopted country. This is not my only gratification. I have more freedom to move around and broaden my horizons. I went to Spain, and for the first time I swam in the Sea of my Dreams, the Mediterranean. The blue of the Mediterranean is not like the color of any other sea; its magic hue can match Heaven\'s own blue. While traveling and learning and absorbing different cultures, I went on an internal journey and discovered my strength and frailty. The more I know about myself, the less judgmental I am. I hope that will help me become a better person and better writer. Yuan-tsung was born in China, and immigrated to USA in 1972. Her first book, THE DRAGON\'S VILLAGE, (was published by Pantheon, and) its Penguin paperback sells an average of 3,000 copies per year since 1981. Her latest book (nonfiction), RETURN TO THE MIDDLE KINGDOM, is now available through the Union Square Press of Sterling Publishing. Visit http://www.yuantsungchen.com. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Aluminum Tubes Are Available in Abundance by Dave Lavoie Aluminum tubes have many applications, and correspondingly, are available in various shapes and sizes. They are found as round tubing, triangular tubes, square tubes and if required, it is possible to have aluminum tubes made in unique shape combinations. Besides differing in their shapes, aluminum tubes are also different in terms of their wall thickness. You have to choose the size, shape and wall thickness of the aluminum tube, based on what you intend to use the tube for. Though most metals can be made into tubes, it is the characteristics of aluminum that makes it the preferred choice for most industries. These characteristics include its resistance to corrosion, it being a ductile metal and its affordability. The marine industry needs aluminum tubes In fact, it is in the past few years that big industries have started using aluminum tubes, because it is possible to create the required design and shape with these aluminum tubes and because it is possible to create aluminum tubes with the right wall thickness and diameter, as per specifications. Aluminum tubes have wide scale applications in various fields. The high strength aluminum tubes are used in the marine industry, and in the production of nuclear weapons. It is used in the manufacture of huge ferries, submarines, boats, ships and other aquatic vehicles and equipment. It is not only the many characteristics of aluminum that make aluminum tubes the preferred choice in industries. It is also because these huge industries require huge metal resources to construct their structures. And with aluminum being one of the most widely available metals of the world, it is cheaply available and just right for use in these industries. Use the internet to order aluminum tubes to your specifications There are many industries that cater to the manufacture and shipping needs of aluminum tubes. And one way you can find them is through the internet. It is better to work with the more famous and reputed companies as you are insured of receiving the best from them. Your business partners are also great people to ask for referrals for aluminum tube manufacturers. Just ensure that you state your requirements and specifications properly when placing your order, so that you receive the right aluminum tubes. Of course, clarify payment and shipping issues and charges, so that there are no complications over the shipment of your aluminum tubes. So varied are the applications of aluminum tubes. They are used for their strength in the manufacture of aircraft frames and in the bodies of rocket launchers. In the meantime, they also have applications in computers, because of heat conductivity of aluminum. And it is because of its malleability that it is used by designers in the door and window frames of houses and buildings, and its high resistance to corrosion makes them the perfect choice for the transport of mining waste from mine fields. What more reason is required to prove that aluminum tubes are the chosen choice in most industries. http://www.alfinit FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS The Many Uses of Aluminium Extrusions by Dave Lavoie Designers and constructors prefer using aluminium extrusions for the many benefits it offers in both its manufacture and for its qualities, making them perfect for use in construction. The process of making aluminium extrusions is a very economical means of creating parts with a constant cross section as designers can use them wherever required. It is expensive to fabricate different shapes by welding as each piece has to be welded, where there is no reduction in cost with volume. In fact, sometimes, using a welding jig is much more expensive than using an aluminium extrusion die used for creating the same shape. Aluminium extrusions are cheap to manufacture Roll forming dies are much more expensive to use than extrusion dies. In addition to this, it is not possible to use roll forming in structures where there is varying wall thickness. This is because its thickness remains constant even after bending. If sand and permanent mould casting is used in construction, the resultant product has to undergo extensive finishing before being used. However in the case of aluminium extrusions, wrought structures are created that have close dimensional control. Moreover, aluminium extrusion dies are cheap and cost about a few hundred dollars and are finished with less lead time than the forming and casting dies. Moreover, these dies cost thousands of dollars. Aluminium extrusion machines are cheap to install Another benefit of aluminium extrusions is that its extruder machines stores and maintains dies without any additional expenses on your side. Moreover, these long lasting dies can be installed in presses quickly, with nominal set up charges. Though it is possible to extrude all metals, aluminium is the most popular option for extrusion for its unique combination properties. Aluminium extrusions are preferred in construction because it has a high strength to weight ratio. In fact, its weight is about a third of the weight of copper, steel or brass but it is equally strong. It also exhibits corrosion resistance properties with the protection of its own thin and transparent oxide film. It is also possible to enhance the protective properties and color of aluminium with the help of chemical or electrochemical means. Aluminums extrusions can be bonded with adhesives too Aluminium extrusions are preferred in construction as they can easily be soldered, brazed, welded, fastened mechanically by stakin, nuts, bolts and rivets. They can also be bonded using adhesives if required. Conventional equipment is sufficient to form and bend extruded shapes from aluminium extrusions. However the composition of the alloy, its temper, shape and wall thickness all factor in the minimum radii and other features of the resultant aluminium extrusion. Aluminium extrusions are fine heat shields When compared to copper weight wise, aluminium conducts twice the amount of electricity. However if you compare them based on size, aluminium can carry two-thirds the amount of electricity copper carries. In addition to being a good conductor of electricity, aluminium is also a good heat conductor and reflector, making a wise choice in heat transfer applications. Aluminium extrusions are also great for using as a heat shield; as it is highly light reflective. http://www.alfinit FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Why Aluminum Tubings Have Extensive Uses by Dave Lavoie Aluminum tubings have many applications in both commercial and industrial fields. The main reason for the increased demand for aluminum tubings is because of the durability, strength and versatility of aluminum. Moreover, as aluminum is a malleable metal, it can easily be machined into aluminum tubings. In fact, it is possible to use any form of metal fabrication technique, ranging from roll forming to stamping on aluminum. In fact, most types of aluminum tubings are also corrosion resistant, because of the thin oxide skin that forms on the tubing with exposure to the atmosphere. It is this oxide coating that provides protection against the extreme wear and tear conditions to ensure that the aluminum tubing remains intact unless and up till it is exposed to excessive temperatures or chemicals. Choose your aluminum tubing according to its use As various types of alkali, and some metals are effective in starting a degradation of oxide coating or galvanic corrosion on aluminum, you have to choose your aluminum tubing carefully based on the metals and substances it will come in contact with in its application. Aluminum tubings have extensive uses in aerospace, chemical and food processing industries. Despite their reduced resistance to corrosion, there are some copper enhanced aluminum alloys around that make these tubings great for use in aerospace applications because of their additional strength. To make it easy for you to choose your aluminum alloy tubings, these alloys are divided by numbers like 2024 and 7075. Each of these different numbers represent a specific composition in an alloy. Aluminum tubings can be created to any desired shape Aluminum tubings have wide applications in automotive components, sensor systems, some types of marine construction and in medical equipment. The reason for the wide applications of aluminum tubings is because it is available in various shapes like circular, rectangular and square tubing. Moreover, this tubing is available in various bends and angles. And if you have any custom tubing solutions, there are many machine shops that can create your aluminum tubing in any irregular shape you may require. These shops use roll-forming devices, numerous cutting and welding tools and CNC machining centers to create aluminum tubings. Aluminum tubings bring you your TV shows If you want your aluminum tubing in any particular color to match your appliance, it is possible to do so using anodizers. It is possible to dye aluminum into various colors and increase the resistance capability of the outer coating of the aluminum tubing with the help of anodizing. As manufacturing plants need large equipments and have a huge production and assembly line, this equipment has to be sturdy and durable for all these actions, and affordable for the company. It is for all these reasons that these companies prefer using aluminum tubing in the manufacture of this equipment and assembly line. You have to be thankful to aluminum tubings for providing the TV shows that you watch everyday. This is because the antenna that is used for capturing and translating these TV signals into images is made using aluminum tubings. It can thus be said that aluminum tubings have and will remain an important part in most of our day to day activities. http://www.alfinit FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS So You Want to Write a Book by Shelley G. Anderson The other night I was in a workshop with a lovely lady we\'ll call Marie who was a cancer survivor. She began to tell different stories about her life - not just about her journey with cancer, but other parts of her world that captivated me and everyone else in the room. I said, \"You should write a book!\" Marie replied, \"That\'s what people tell me.\" But it was clear Marie had no burning desire to go do that. This was an unusual exchange, since most people I encounter can\'t wait to pick my brain about how I wrote and published my book. Everyone I meet these days seems to want to write a book. The other day, while having a routine exam, my dentist told me his wife wanted to write a book. How did I go about getting it published, he wondered, as I opened my mouth to say \"Ah.\" It seems to me that it\'s natural for people to want to put down on paper (or in these modern times, on computer) their story. With the ease of finding out anything we want to know about anybody by just a click of our computer mouse on a search engine, comes a desire to be part of the global community. If they can blog about topic x, so can I. Yes you can! The first thing to do is to get clear on your topic. Take a stroll through a book store and notice all the different headings: fiction, self-help, sci-fi, biography, music, health, cooking, love, history, success, psychology, literature, etc. The variety is endless. Once you\'ve chosen your genre, just start to write. Try to write at the same time every day. This is training yourself to spend time just for you and your book. This is the step that most people never take! They have a great idea and can tell you all about it, but when you ask if they\'ve started writing any of their thoughts down, the usual response is \"Oh, I don\'t have any time.\" Years ago I worked for a very successful businessman who had also written a very successful book. It had been translated in many different languages. If he wished, he never had to write another book again. However, he got up every morning at 6:00 am and wrote for one hour, then came into the office. Writing was his passion. I admired his tenacity. If you\'re writing about a certain period of history or a particular part of the world, you might want to do research about that time or place to help bring out the spirit of that atmosphere in your writing. Research can also inspire you and help you see your story from a different perspective. The old adage that you should write about what you know isn\'t so far off the mark. I recently published a book about my experiences as a celebrity personal assistant. Having never written much of anything before that, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was. My life is comprised of a series of events which I turned into a book which is a reflection of my contemplation of what that all means in today\'s working environment. That was a mouthful! Once you feel your book is ready to show a publisher, I suggest you first give it to someone in your inner circle to proofread. We get so close to our own product that it helps to have new eyes look for spelling and grammatical errors. Nothing drives publishers and their editors crazier than to receive a manuscript that is riddled with misspellings! Nowadays with computer spell check programs as part of all word processing programs, there\'s no excuse to ever send out any written piece with errors. Now that you\'ve written your book, checked it over for errors, and maybe gotten feedback from the friends you\'ve given the manuscript to read, you\'re ready to submit it to a publisher. Being published by a traditional big house publisher is a great goal. If you\'re luck enough to snag a contract with a company, be prepared to wait to see your book in print. Most publishing companies once they sign an author to do a book with them, schedule the book release for 2 years or more from the date of the signing of the contract! You\'re put at the end of the line of the other authors that already signed up ahead of you. The more realistic goal is to publish it yourself. Personally, I highly recommend going directly to a print on demand publisher. There are many different self publishing companies. The cost is not as much as you might think. All have professional staffs that guide you through the steps of having your book edited, a cover designed and finally printed. From start to finish, my book took less than a year from the time I submitted it to my publisher to the time it was on available on Amazon. Nothing is more thrilling than the day your published book arrives and you\'re holding it in your hand. The process may seem daunting – doing the research on your subject, getting up every day and writing, getting up every day and not writing, agonizing as you wait to hear what your family and friends think about your book, finding a publisher, collaborating with editors to make changes to make your story more readable, writing marketing material, choosing a cover design, and finally, having the book printed – but if you keep your eye on the prize: you’re sense of satisfaction for having followed through with your dream - it\'s all worth it. Go for it! Start writing today. Shelley G. Anderson is the personal assistant to self-help author Louise L. Hay, and writes the column Dear Miss Know It All. She is the author of Dealing With Divas: A Survivor\'s Kit for the Celebrity Personal Assistant (or Anyone with a Pushy Boss). To learn more about her, visit http://www.dealingwithdivas.com. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Website Submission - Using The Internet Effectively by Alan Lim Anyone who has gained an understanding of the opportunities available on the internet can also use website submission to expand those opportunities and make the business even more profitable. Moving an existing business to the global market offered on the internet, or developing a brand new business with a virtual address allows you to reach buyers and customers that would not be possible under any other scenario. Although allowing the information about your products to spread organically, without an expensive advertising campaign can be successful, few entrepreneurs have the resources to fund a long term slow sales period, especially at the beginning of the business life. You can speed up the process tremendously by utilization of website submission to the search engines in order to index your website. Search Engines and Spiders Search engine spiders are a different type of \'computer bug\' and one which is usually positive rather than undesirable. Each of the search engines on the internet relies on advertising dollars directly or indirectly in order to provide a service for people desirous of finding certain information on the internet. With millions of internet pages encompassing billions of bits of information, you could never find all the information available on even a small, narrow in scope subject. Search engines allow you to place a query and receive an answer within seconds, of pages where information about the specific question you asked can be found. Website submission is one way in which the search engine knows which pages have the needed information. Search engine results page (SERP) When a search places one or more words in a search engine query, the top results are turned in seconds with the most likely results listed at the top of the list page and results that are less significant or older are placed further down the list. The page ranking of each of the websites are the structure which determines the priority of each of the applicable web pages. Website submission is prioritized in order to return useful information listed according to the page ranking developed by the search engine. Page Ranking The page ranking developed by the search engine site for your own business or commercial web page is a somewhat objective method of describing how well the page does when compared with others. Each search engine has different factors and weights assigned to the factors used to arrive at the final number that represents the page ranking. Website submissions improve the page ranking in two ways. First, it gets your website noticed by the search engines so that the page is indexed. Second, the indexed pages show up with searchers is looking for answers. This helps to bring a targeted audience to your web site to purchase your products or services. Targeted Audience Website submission used as part of an overall search engine optimization plan will help your website show up on search engine indexes with a higher page ranking. The higher the page ranking, the more likely you are to be on the early pages of a search engine results page (SERP). This means that people looking for the type of product or service that you provide will see your website displayed near the top of the results. Learn the best methods and practices for making your Website Submission do the job you intended for it by visiting the website located at http://www.goodinternetmoney.com/Directory-Submission.php . FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Before You Submit Article Essential Tips by Alan Lim Here are some must- know tips on how to submit article. Ensure you read this page before you submit your articles to ezines. Your money is hard earned and must be put to the best use. So, if you are thinking about investing this money for your article marketing purposes then you must do so with extreme caution. When you submit article; keeping a few tips in mind won’t go remiss and what’s more they might not only help you save money, but also make your article marketing campaign more effective. Editing the Articles No matter, how good a writer you are, or the kind of experience you have, you must always proof read your articles before you submit article. There is no shame in giving your articles a once over, as you are doing so for the betterment of your articles. There are quite a number of people who try and avoid the whole process of editing the articles after they have been written, as they find the process tedious and boring. However, the whole point of exercise of editing is to remove typos, grammatical errors and make sure that the article is all that you wanted it to be. So do give your article a second look before you submit. Make Article Search Engine Friendly Before you submit article, you need to make it search engine friendly. How do you do this? Incorporating various search engine optimization strategies within the article like, using keywords, keywords phrases etc. Only if the article has been optimized to meet the requirements of the search engine can it be found on Google. Moreover, when readers are searching for specific articles, they will be able to come across you articles easily. Respect Google Google is considered the be all and end all of search engines. If you satisfy the requirements of Google then you are home free, otherwise, you will need to keep working on your articles before you submit article. Moreover, Google has specific rules and regulations that need to be followed, with regards to article marketing campaigns. Violate these rules, and your article marketing endeavor will end in failure. When you go for article submission through article submission service providers, you must make sure that they understand all the aspects of Google and its requirements. This means that they must avoid sending out too many articles at one go. Never try fooling Google. Plan your Approach Before you submit article, you need to plan in advance in terms of topics, article submission service and various associated costs. Many people don’t do this and they suffer. You also need a specific objective in mind. Until and unless you don’t have a clear cut objective in terms of amount traffic to be attracted, sales generation, you really won’t know how to go about doing things. When it comes to article submission, a clear purpose must be outlined in your head. This way you can also track the results of your efforts and evolve an effective strategy over time. Keep these tips in mind before you go for article submission. They will definitely come in handy. Once you follow these tips it will be easy to Submit Article to directories. For more details, click on http://www.goodinternetmoney.com/Articles-Submission.php to learn more about Article Submission and its Benefits. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Five Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Research Proposal by Daniel Millions If you are interested in furthering your education and decide to undertake a PhD then you can expect to have to produce a high quality research proposal in order for your application to be accepted. Application for PhD\'s across all faculties is very competitive and as such only the best students can expect to be selected. With this in mind it is important that you understand some of the common mistakes that applicants make on their research proposals. It is hoped that by reading the information below that you can avoid these errors and submit a successful research proposal. Before you begin researching and writing a proposal, it is very important that you take the time to check there is a professor or other suitably qualified teacher at the University of your choice that shares similar research interests. Ideally your research proposal will share some similarities with the teaching expertise of someone within the school. It is amazing how many students do not check this small fact, but every year candidates are rejected not on the basis of their work, but by the fact that no-one is qualified to supervise their thesis. The basis of your thesis will be constructed within your research proposal and so it is important to make sure that it is well written, is grammatical correct and expresses succinctly the key points of the proposal. So many research proposals are rejected because the applicant failed to take the time to present a balanced view of the existing literature within the area of research. Moreover, they are also unable to argue the need for further research. Perhaps the most common mistake that students make is a complete misjudgment of the importance of the topic that they want to study. In other words, your research needs to demonstrate why it is important for further study to take place. What does the original research miss and what questions remain unanswered? You do not have to discover a ground-breaking theory or create controversy with your research, just consider the evidence and then present a logical and well argued proposal for further research. Many students will find that the methodology that they plan to use is not suitable for the type of research that is available. Often, a research proposal is rejected because the candidate does not understand the importance of the methodology, nor do they grasp the need to fully demonstrate how they plan to test the hypothesis that they have declared within the proposal. It is therefore important that you fully research what kind of methodology is available for the proposed study and if you are unsure you should seek advice from someone within the faculty. The last mistake that many students make centers on the conclusion. If you write a short and vague conclusion that fails to link the previous research and the need for further study then you can expect the research proposal to be rejected. A conclusion needs to review the important parts of the proposal so that the reader can logical see how you have understood the debates and the existing research, identified a need to develop this and finally demonstrated how you plan to achieve your results. This last section is crucial as it must avoid any ambiguity about what it is that you intend to research. http://www.essaytown.com - research paper http://www.essaytown.com/proposal_research_proposals.html - research proposal FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Common Challenges With Research Papers by Daniel Millions Just about every student needs to write research papers during their educational career. The research paper is a very classic assignment that first shows up in grade school. Many students first see research papers in the first or second grade. When students think of the phrase, \"The dog ate my homework\" many of them are most likely thinking of their research papers and what that famous dog could have helped them escape doing! Many students feel challenged by research papers. Lots of students have problems with research papers. These students may be bright or may even be considered \"slow\" having a challenge with a research paper is not a problem that seems to discriminate. Learning strong research paper skills is something that will be useful to a student throughout their educational career. Learn how to research. This is often where many students feel the most challenged. They actually do not know how to research a topic. While they may have been in the school library, or on the Internet they feel simply stumped when it comes to researching that paper that is due. Learning strong research skills takes practice. One of the most important skills is discerning if a source is good for your research paper. The best way to do this is to read the Table of Contents and the Reference notes in the back used to find exact information. When you see your exact topic listed in both of these places, then this is a great source for you to use for your research paper. Do not only use the Internet as your source. Some students feel the Internet is the \"best\" source of information and what they mean is that it is actually the most convenient. They don\'t want to spend the time to go to the library at school or across town to the town library. It is much easier to surf at home and find sources that way. However, some sources are more easily located in a school or college library as books, magazines or journals that may not be accessible online. Keep in mind also that not everything published online can be taken as accurate: there are many people that have created hobby websites about topics and they may not be completely 100% accurate on your topic. The best way to combat that is to view at least two websites on the Internet and to see if both have the same information. Stay organized with your project. It is human nature: many of us put off what we don\'t want to do. When you are a student and you have a research paper due, it is critical that you start it as early as possible. This is especially important when you have a research paper on a topic you are less than confident about, or perhaps you know that your research skills are not strong. Starting early is a great key to success. Keep in mind that many students will be going to the library, and your starting early will mean that you discover the best books on the subject first before they have been picked over. Have someone you trust read your research paper. Before you turn your research paper in, ask a friend or family member to read your research paper. Try to ask someone whose opinion you trust and someone that you consider to be intelligent. Ask this person to read and critique your research paper. They may make suggestions and we suggest that you be grateful if they do: they could help you get a much better grade. This friend or family member pointing something out now could save you from handing in a research paper that is not quite ready for your teacher\'s eyes. Research papers do not have to be so challenging. Learning to be organized and developing strong research skills will help you become more confident. These skills can take some practice and any student can only improve. Research papers can be a valuable part of one\'s learning experience. http://www.essaytown.com - research papers http://www.essaytown.com/subjects.html - research paper topics FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Stress Free Term Paper Writing by Daniel Millions Many students feel great stress when they discover they need to write a term paper. Term papers are often a great part of any student\'s grade. A term paper can show a student\'s comprehension of the class subject at hand. An excellent term paper can only help you. A poor term paper typically can cause you challenges, especially at grade time. However, students can learn to feel less stress when they are faced with a term paper. Term papers do not have to be a cause of frustration and grief. When a student is well organized and confident about their skill level, often they can tackle just about any term paper topic that is put in front of them. Managing one\'s stress is critical to a student\'s success when writing term papers. Begin with strong research. Every term paper involves doing some research. Make yours the very best it can be. When research is something, you are less confident in, try asking the librarian or even your teacher for extra help. Even searching through the library\'s computer system can often easily help a student discover excellent research sources. Starting one\'s research early is key: as many students will often be researching the exact same subject. You don\'t want to get to the library to discover that all of the books on this topic have been taken out by other students. Start early and start strong to make your research the best for your term paper writing. Have a unique topic. For some term paper topics, you are given the exact topic. Other term papers give you some room to create the exact topic you can discover exactly what it is about this subject that appeals to you the most. Starting your research early will give you confidence to discover exactly what you like most about this subject. A key topic tip: learn to select a topic that is just a little different from everyone else\'s. This will help you stand out from the pile of papers your professor has to grade. Your professor will certainly appreciate your uniqueness. This also shows your dedication to research and studying this topic. Create an outline. An excellent way to organize your term paper writing is to begin by creating an outline. This will help you see the direction of your term paper, even before you start the actual writing. As you create your outline, you may discover other areas that you\'d like to write about. Use your outline as you write to stay on target and stay organized to write the best paper you can. Write a great first draft. The next step is to begin writing your term paper. By following your outline as you write, you already have a clear idea of what you will write. Keep your research sources on hand, as you write. This will keep information fresh and original in your mind. It is ideal if you can write your first draft all in one sitting, while you are in the flow of writing. You can always correct your spelling and grammar in the next sitting. Proofread your paper carefully. This is the final step before turning it in. Correct your spelling and grammar. Do not simply rely on any computer\'s spelling or grammar check, as often these do not catch every slip we may make. Ask a friend or a parent to read your paper and give them your opinion. Try reading your paper aloud and see how it sounds. Once you are pleased with the results, you know your paper is completed. Term papers do not need to be stressful. Often students make these assignments more stressful than they need to be. Staying organized and on-target helps to create a successful term paper. Every student can only improve their term paper skills. http://www.essaytown.com - term paper writing http://www.essaytown.com/free_paper.html - free term papers FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How to Write a Good Essay by Daniel Millions The chances are that if you need to write an essay for college or university then you will need to follow some advice in order to give yourself the best chance of achieving a high grade. If you are writing it for the first time, an essay can appear to be a daunting task. Often the tutor or teacher will ask that you write an essay on a particular subject and will require that you answer the question in a specific number of words. Thankfully there is plenty of good advice out there that can help you to grasp a basic understanding of what is expected from an essay. Read on to discover why research skills and good planning are key ingredients to writing that good essay. The first step you should take is to decide upon a topic or focus on a particular question or issue. This will help you to focus and to narrow the essay down to a set number of points that are manageable for you. The second and most important step you should take before writing the essay is to carry out good research. Without this your essay will not have a good foundation and will surely lack quality and coherence. Visit the college library or use the internet to collect relevant source materials that will help to develop your understanding of the key arguments. Once this is complete you should be relatively confident about how you plan to write the essay. Using the information that you have acquired, you now need to develop a basic plan or structure of the essay. Some people like to brainstorm in order to facilitate the flow of ideas but as long as you can construct a plan that organizes the essay, you should be fine. Once you are confident that you know what is expected of the essay and you have completed your outline then you can begin writing. The essay should begin with the introduction. In this paragraph you should introduce the topic and the related issues or problems. You should define key or obscure terms in order to give clarity to your later work. The main part of the essay should address the key points logically and concisely. Once you have addressed this you should then proceed to answer the main question in the essay. The final part should conclude the essay by explaining the main points and arguments and then summing this up with an overview of the solutions or relevant responses. There are a few essential elements of writing that must be adhered to if you are to write a good essay. Common sense will tell you that you need to write using the correct grammar, punctuation and spelling. But so many students take this for granted that they then lose out on easy marks. Therefore it is crucial that you take the time to ensure that the essay is checked for errors. In addition you should make sure that you use paragraphs and follow the guidelines set out for the use of primary and secondary sources. Most colleges and universities will expect you to reference these correctly and will mark accordingly. Finally, once the essay is written you should check it completely for any of the above errors. Read it and then ask friends or family members to do the same so that you have a second opinion. You should also check the original essay question to ensure that you have stayed on track and answered it completely. http://www.essaytown.com - essay http://www.essaytown.com/subjects.html - essay topics FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Steps to Great Thesis Writing by Daniel Millions Many college and graduate students discover that they need to write a thesis. Some are intimidated by the idea of tackling such a project. Fortunately, writing your thesis is something that most can do if they stay organized and respect deadlines. Here are some practical steps to assist in great thesis writing. Create a schedule and stick to it. A thesis is a large project and every large project deserves to have a proper schedule. Your schedule will help to keep you on-target. Keeping you on-target will make sure you get things done on time and don\'t stress or fuss over your project. Be sure to add in extra time to your schedule to get everything done. It is important to build a schedule that is practical and suits your life. Don\'t make something unrealistic that you won\'t actually stick to. Begin with your thesis statement. Your thesis statement needs to be thought provoking, powerful and interesting. Try to come up with something original that no one else has thought of. Even if you are looking at a very popular or common topic, give this a good \"twist\" to make it all your own. So many that write about Romeo & Juliet focus on the love relationship why not write about the parent relationships? Do something different and unique to make your thesis really stand out. Take your time with research. Every thesis needs Grade A research behind it. Once you have found your thesis statement, you\'ll do research to support it. Don\'t just use the Internet. Look in journals, books, magazines and newspapers. There are many sources of interesting research that you can use for your research. Be sure to use at least the minimum required research sources for your thesis. It is important to follow the rules. Write your first draft. Now that your research is done, it is time to write your first draft. You may wish to outline your thesis to help organize your writing. Confirm that you have all of the research sources that you need for your project on hand. Copying documents and keeping them in folders will make your project go much smoother. Take your time writing your first draft, this will be the skeleton of your project. You can easily improve your spelling and grammar the second go-around. Proofread and create your second draft. Give your first draft a day or two to sit and take a break. This is important so that you come back to your project with fresh eyes. Your fresh eyes will easily notice things about your thesis. Proofread your thesis and correct your spelling and grammar. Add in proper footnotes. Make any necessary changes. Submit it to professors for approval. Once you have completed your thesis, it is time to submit it to your professors for approval. Sometimes your professors will get back to you quickly and other times it may take several weeks to get back to you. At some schools, you need to do a presentation about your thesis, take the time to prepare this if this is necessary. At this point your thesis project is almost done. Congratulate yourself for getting this hard work completed. A thesis is a project that is well worth the effort and you should be very proud of yourself! http://www.essaytown.com - term paper writing http://www.essaytown.com/thesis_help_thesis.html - thesis writing FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Great Essay Writing Tips by Daniel Millions Writing an essay can be frustrating and difficult. However, if planned properly and chosen wisely, your essay can stand out from the crowd because of its quality and richness in content. The first thing your essay should have is an introductory paragraph. This paragraph has to be able to show exactly what your essay is about in only a couple of sentences. A great opening paragraph of an essay will show the reader exactly what they are going to read about and capture their interest straight away. This paragraph is also known as a thesis statement. The next parts of your essay are the supporting paragraphs. These particular paragraphs make up the formation and the body of your written essay, and should be able to link together the different points you are making. A good tip here is to make a simple list of the points you are making in your essay. You can then develop your essay from this list by creating a supporting paragraph for every point made. The final part of your essay should be the summary. This summary will conclude everything you have just written about in a few sentences. It differs from the introductory paragraph as that tells you what you are going to read; the summary paragraph tells the reader what they have already read. You may already have your topic assigned to you for your essay or you may have to choose yourself. If you choose yourself, it is very important to be able to write fluently and confidently about your subject. Don\'t pick a subject you know nothing about or are not very confident of. So, brainstorm a few ideas and pick your topic for your essay. Then, prepare an outline or a diagram of your topic and any ideas you have for your specific essay. This structures your ideas and your essay by giving it a clear and well defined path to follow. If you feel that the structure you have prepared doesn\'t work, don\'t be afraid to tweak it here and there to make it work for you and your topic. Write your thesis statement/opening paragraph and tell the readers what you as the writer are going to be showing them throughout your essay. What they will learn from it and the point you are trying to make within your essay. Then you write your supporting paragraphs that make up your points list that you made earlier. Make a paragraph for each point and show your findings clearly and with solid facts, and possibly quotations or interviews. Write the conclusion at the end, not during or at the beginning. Many people make the mistake of writing the conclusion before they have even finished and read through the final draft of the essay. Never do this as you may have written something else or become aware of other facts and figures later on in the essay writing process. Once you have done all of this, you can go on to proofread what you have written. If you have the ability to do so, leave the essay overnight or for a couple of days and back to it with fresh eyes. This makes it easier to spot any spelling, grammatical or any other errors you may have made. If you can, let someone else go through it and proof it for you. http://www.essaytown.com - essay writing http://www.essaytown.com/free_paper.html - free essays FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How to Write a College Term Paper by Daniel Millions Take note of these great tips to help you and your fellow students write fantastic term papers for college. It isn\'t something to be ashamed of if you do need a little help with writing your college term paper. You are certainly not alone if you do require a little guidance. There are a few common mistakes that people make when writing college term papers and the jump from high school standard to the expected college standard can sometimes leave a huge gap. The first thing to take note of is what your college teachers actually want from you in terms of content. You will be given a sheet detailing your assignment and you must read this very carefully indeed. Just in case, get someone else to read over it and to pinpoint what you need to do. They may spot something you had otherwise missed. Reading it aloud can also make sure that you are reading exactly what needs to be done and not just skimming over the details. The second thing you must do is to brainstorm ideas for your assignment and college term paper. Instead of writing about the same thing everyone else is writing, make your term paper stand out head and shoulders above everyone else\'s assignments. Write of something unique, interesting to you and the readers and put on your creative cap! Thirdly, and one of the most important parts of writing a really good and well thought out term paper; is to create an outline of your term paper. You don\'t have to rigidly stick to the guidelines you have made, but this creates a structure, which in turn makes it easier to follow when writing. It may be a good idea to show your projected guidelines to your teacher to see if they think what you have come up will work. Creating a guideline will also show that you have organizational skills and you can think ahead of time. If you are including facts and figures in your term paper, you must be able to show where you found these resources and this information. You must always have enough evidence to back up any claims you happen to make in your paper. If you cannot back up what you have said, what you have said loses a certain amount of credibility and substance. It could also look like you haven\'t worked hard enough on your term paper. When you are writing your introduction to your term paper, make it as creative as possible. You want to make it read like if someone doesn\'t read your term paper, they will be missing out on something huge! You could start with a social anecdote or a piece of vital information, or even a statistic that is quite startling. An imagination is never a disadvantage when writing your introduction. You should only ever use credible sources when using them to quote certain facts, figures or quotations in your term paper. Finding those elusive good sources mean a really good college term paper; so, it is definitely worth the time and effort it will take to find those sources when you see your A grade. Writing a term paper doesn\'t have to be overly difficult; not if you choose your assignment carefully and research it as much as you possibly can in the time you have been allotted. http://www.essaytown.com - college term paper FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Writing a College Essay is Easy by Daniel Millions Writing essays for college is a big part of the education process. There are certain skills that need to be applied when writing college essays and we will go over some of them here. Choosing the topic for your college essay is probably the most important decision in the essay writing process. After all, this is the essay that needs to show your capabilities and your abilities in that chosen subject. Your chosen subject for your essay should also be able to show your creativity, your mental processes, your reasoning skills, and your ability to show organizational skills and your English skills. You should always pick a subject that your proficient in. there is no point picking an essay type that you have no knowledge of. Would you pick a science subject if you know little about science? Or would you pick a Shakespeare book to write about if you have never picked up Shakespeare in your life? You need to show your strengths and your abilities within your chosen essay, so, never pick a subject that is your weakness rather than your strength. There are a few things you need to do within your essay for potential colleges. The essay should always prove at least one point or a particular thesis. Going into too many subjects within one essay may be too complicated and difficult to read unless of course you can bring all of those points and theories together perfectly. The essay has to show who you are and what your values are, so try to keep the essay rich with content and not overdone. You have to be able to develop your ideas for your college essays specifically and theoretically. Make real and specific quotations if needed, points of view that are explained, real events and facts and so on. Instead of following the normal clichs, use rich content that is specific rather than general. Some college essays can end up sounding like a resume rather than an actual essay. Avoid this by never duplicating information that can be found in your college application. Also, another good point to remember is this; don\'t use 100 words when you can say what needs to be said in only 5. Write the essay first, go through it again and eliminate all the words or unnecessary parts that don\'t need to be there. If you can, get someone you know who is proficient in English skills to proofread what you have written. Proofread it yourself first, then pass it on to someone else to read. They may be able to point out parts that maybe don\'t make sense or have been repeated. Some writers find it difficult to see certain mistakes as they read what they think has been written and not what is actually on the page. That is why someone else can be a godsend when it comes to reading what you have written. Some of the best college essays are those that are different from the normal essay the readers see. Many colleges say that they read lots of essays about how much value a doctor can bring to society, how they want to eradicate terrorism and so on. Why not think outside the box and write something that no one will have ever read before. Be careful when being controversial as it could sometimes work against you. http://www.essaytow FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Different Ways of Writing a Dissertation by Daniel Millions Dissertation writing is one of the most important writing skills a college student can have under their belt. These skills will enable the student to research, write and aptly show people their understanding of certain subjects. The first thing that a dissertation should include is that of the statement. In the dissertation statement, this part shows the readers your intention to research certain subjects that will be included in the paper. This provides the student with a solid and reasonable foundation in which to start their paper and their research. Some students like to input a personal opinion or knowledge into this section. There is no definite structure to a dissertation, however, it is easier to write and stay on top of if you do follow a set structure. The structure should look something like the following: Title Page: This reflects the nature of the work and the research going into it, your name as the author, a statement about the specific program that you paper is submitted within in. Finally it should contain the date of the actual submission. Abstract: This is a summary of your particular objectives within your paper and what you hope to achieve by researching the subject. It should also include the methodology that you have used and also what you have found by researching your subject. Content List: This part of the dissertation should include all of your chapters and sub chapters within your dissertation paper. Additional List: This list has to include any illustrations, diagrams or tables that you within your dissertation paper. Acknowledgement: This section is for any acknowledgments that need to be made. Main Text: This is the body of your dissertation and should include sections for all of your points made and research found. IT should also have the appropriate headings within. References: This is the section where all the citations will be found as you have made them through your paper. It is easier to write this as you write your paper. Then double check you have included them all as your proofread your final draft of the dissertation. Appendices: This final part of your dissertation is to include all the different parts of the writing that don\'t make actual and direct input to the main text. It is always worthwhile making time for setting out the structure properly before you actually start writing your dissertation. This enables you to complete it quicker as you are properly organized and prepared. You could always look at other completed dissertations to see how they have structured it and take ideas for your own structure. This helps to make it clearer when creating your own. Dissertation writing is laborious and can take some patience and a lot of time. However, if planned properly, you may find you are able to complete it quicker than those that don\'t plan ahead of time. Concentration is the key to writing a great dissertation. Find somewhere quiet that you can take the time to peruse your writing without distractions. Distractions may cause you to lose the plot when writing and forget the point you were trying to make. This is also a good time to write a plan and write specific points in shorthand as you write the main dissertation. This stops you from forgetting what you have already written about and stops you from repeating yourself. http://www.essaytow FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS How to Write Articles For Todays Internet Marketing Audience by Paul Guzman Learn how to write articles Anyone doing any kind of internet marketing should write articles. But first a few tips. Before Al Gore invented most internet or publising writers would use a typewriter to publish articles or books. They would feverishly type the subject matter and clank away. If they needed to start over or didn\'t like the page they would simply turn the roller and zip out the paper, crunch it up and shoot the wad of paper into the nearby trash can. Now days you just turn the computer on and use your favorite editor and type away. If the article page isn\'t to your liking you can hit the delete key or re-edit over and over until it is just right. Man I love technology don\'t you? There is no excuse not to write. Always write about your passion your knowledge and what you want to convey to your visitors, customers, friends and colleagues. Always write naturally and above all be yourself. Be yourself when writing You do not have to be a Rhodes scholar to write articles now days. You only need basic english, grammar, spelling and punctuation. Did you know most Internet readers read at the 8th grade level....yea this is an amazing statistic. If you don\'t believe me google \"reading level of the average american audiende. The most important part about writing is the same as public speaking. Be yourself...just write as if you were speaking to me directly. Try to add some humor in your writing and don\'t just write crap. Write what your website or blog is about be passionate and above all have fun writing. Practice writing. Writing articles can sometimes be a bit intimidating. All kinds of questions can creep up in your mind. What if nobody likes them? It\'s embarassing if someone reads my writing? Here are a few tips that have helped my writing. Write your article then leave for a couple of hours. Come back and re-read again. You will probably find mistakes or make corrections. Use a spell-checker or search for spell checkers to help you with your spelling. Do your best to develop your own style...don\'t try to be \"Ernest Hemingway\". Don\'t be afraid about what others might say. The more you practice writing the better you\'ll get. The subject matter should always be what you are passionate about. Delete any unnecessary or contradictory information. Eliminate anything that is just taking up space. Don\'t fill your work with fluff. If you need to do more research, go ahead and research further. Take some courses at your community college in both non-fiction and fiction writing. Not only will teachers and professors help you, but they can also make contacts in the business by getting to know your fellow writers. This will really help your overall writing ability. Rememer to write what you are feeling directly through your senses. Are you feeling good about yourself, are you depressed, whatever you are feeling just write it and then the rest will flow naturally. It is best if you write something everyday, the more you write about your subject matter the better your writing skills will improve. Paul Guzman is the author of this article you can visit his website at: http://www.goodcontentwebsite FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Blogs are Just Copywriting by Paul Wolfe Technology confuses as often as it clarifies. Take blogs. A bizarre word that only the Internet could have given birth to, blog is a shortening of the word Web log. Meaning it is a log, or diary, or personal commentary that happens to take place in a digital medium. But no matter where a piece of copywriting appears, the rules and demands of persuasive and vibrant writing are the same. So while their odd name and the digital medium make blogs appear something exotic and special, demanding some sort of newfangled writing rules, they’re not and they don’t. They’re just copywriting. And they obey all the rules of copywriting. All copywriting must use living language rather than dead language. That means – OK I’ll make it real complicated – fresh, colorful, precise and unexpected words: GOOD. Dead, clichéd, tired and imprecise words: BAD. All copywriting must be animated by a clear purpose and a central theme. Flabby writing means flabby thinking. A central theme organizes writing the way iron filings line up in a magnetic field. You start the reader with a premise at Word One, you take them on a trip, then you kiss them goodbye, and you’ve led them on a clear and single-minded journey. That is good writing. Finally, all copywriting must have the reader in mind. And that’s where a blog can get a little complicated. We all know that an ad or brochure has the mission of persuasion, so it’s obvious it must be about the reader. When an ad is about the writer having fun, enjoying creative freedom and delighting in the whimsy of words, he or she is writing an ad that fails. So why would a blog follow the same rule, when a blog isn’t an ad, with the mission of persuasion? A blog is a personal “log” or commentary, right? The answer is: a blog is an ad. Wow. That is a profound thought. Everything you write is advertising something. It may be your point of view, your belief, your argument, your experience, but you are advertising it, because you want to control the reader’s experience. You are intended and precise about the takeaway in the reader’s mind. And so, the content of the blog is about you. But the writing must be about the reader, or they will get blogged down. And leave. The laws, rules and secrets of turning words into lethal weapons are described in entertaining detail in my book Maximun Strength Copywriting. But one of the central revelations must be stated here: media may vary. But the laws of persuasive writing don’t. So go ahead and blog away. Talk about your day, your dog, your political opinions, your experiences as a whitewater kayaker, anything you want. You will be joining what blog search engine Technorati estimated as 112 million blogs by the end of 2007. Everybody’s got an opinion, and everybody’s got a story. But as you write your blog, keep your emphasis on the writing part. Because a blog is writing. With a funny name. Paul Wolfe, who has written famous campaigns for dozens of world-class clients like Levi\'s, Volvo and BMW and was named Writer of the Year twice by Adweek magazine, has just penned the ultimate copywriting book. Click here http://maximumstrengthcopywriting.com/msca/?1 and transform your success. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Great Copywriting Starts Before a Words is Written by Paul Wolfe There’s a wonderful saying in theater: “If it’s not on the page, it’s not on the stage.” It means that no matter how great the acting and direction, it’s the idea at the core of the play that matters. In fact, all the crying and costumes and smoke and mirrors are just an embodiment of an idea that begins in the mind of the creator. If there is no idea, it’s just a lot of smoke and mirrors. (Remind you of some action movies you’ve seen lately?) Uh, thanks for telling me all this, Paul, but I sell wholesale meat. I create software. I manage a financial management company. So you might want to chat with my cousin Harvey about all artsy theater stuff, but I’m a little busy. Hang on. I’m talking about selling soap, here. I’m talking about building brands here. I’m talking about ruthless and hard-headed marketing. There are many rules to powerful, effective copywriting. (They’re described in fascinating detail in my book Maximum Strength Copywriting.) But the first secret to effective copywriting is to put your pencil down. Now, I hardly think you write with a pencil and paper, so what I really mean is, take those fingers off that keyboard and do a lot less typing and lot more thinking. If it’s not on the page, it’s not on the stage. Meaning, if your selling proposition is not clear in your mind, and burning in your cells before you even begin to write, don’t bother writing. In advertising, it’s called a strategy. It is a clear positioning for the product, a clear personality for the brand, and a clear proposition for the particular ad. Once that’s clear, an effective ad, website, or brochure can be written. Conversely, if you really don’t know what you want to say. Or you want to say 16 things. Or you want to say three things but you’re not sure which is the most important. Or you’re certain your widget is ground-breaking but you’re not exactly sure why. Or you know every molecular molecule about your product and by George, you’re going to put your head down and pour them all onto paper…. If any of these scenarios are the case: STOP! I’ve often said an ad is the answer to a question. If the question is clearly stated, the answer will be clear. If the question is muddy and unclear, so will the answer. You know those brochures and ads that make you go: Huh? They are examples of the question not being clear so the answer is a pile of unintelligible nonsense. What do you want to say? What is the Unique Selling Proposition (a grand old term in advertising) of your good or service? What is the argument. The first, the best, the most. It must be clear and it must be distinguishing. Put that pencil down until you’re clear. And then make sure the intention to persuade burns in every cell, and informs every word you write. Because if it’s not on the page, it’s not on the stage Or, if it’s not in the strategy, it’s a tragedy. Paul Wolfe, who has written famous campaigns for dozens of world-class clients like Levi\'s, Volvo and BMW and was named Writer of the Year twice by Adweek magazine, has just penned the ultimate copywriting book. Click here http://maximumstrengthcopywriting.com/msca/?1 and transform your success. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Power Writing Skills: What\'s Your Readability Score? by Robert F. Abbott We’re all familiar with the maxim that says, “That which gets measured, gets done.” In the same vein, I’d like to offer another important maxim; this one falls under the heading of power writing skills. The new maxim goes like this: “If you want results from your writing, first you must be read.” In other words, you may write fine memos, reports, or literally any other kind of document. But, if no one reads what you’ve written, there is no chance you’ll get your audience to respond. Quite simply, people in your audience must read what you’ve written before they can act or think in the way you’ve asked them to. And, one of the key elements in getting them to read is to write at level that’s appropriate. For general audiences, you likely will aim at the reading ability level of a high school audience. That’s where most newspapers and magazines head. Let me give you an example from my own writing. The first draft of a business communication article I’d written had a rating of 49 on the Flesch readability index (created by Rudolph Flesch, a pioneer in the concept of readability and its improvement). That meant it would be readily understood by someone who reads at the level expected of college students in their early years. To get the score, I used the statistical tools in a stand-alone spelling program. And, once I\'d seen the score, I wanted to bring it down to at least a senior high school level. How? When working with the Flesch index, we bring the score down using one or more of these techniques: • reducing the proportion of passive verbs • cutting back on the average number of words per sentence • reducing the average number of letters per word • using fewer words with three or more syllables. In the first edit, I replaced passive verbs (is, are, were, be) with active verbs (verbs that imply an action or thought). Wherever I found the words \'is\', \'are\', or \'be\' I tried to rewrite using an active verb. Not to necessarily get rid of them all, but to stay below the 10% level. And, here’s a helpful hint: Use the Find & Replace function of your word processor to find the passive verbs. In subsequent edits, I looked for sentences I could break in two, and I replaced longer words with shorter words. Normally, that\'s not much of a challenge, although I need to be careful not to end up with a series of choppy sentences that all use the same structure. After making the edits described above, the article had a readability score of 59. That means a person with a high school education should be able to understand it. The editing process involved: • reducing the number of words/sentence from 16 to 13 • increasing the number of sentences from 31 to 34 • reducing the number of words with at least three syllables from 17% to 16% • reduced the number of passive verbs (but didn’t get a count). All of this took about 15 minutes of editing time. Another hour or less would likely have allowed me to push the score down further, perhaps into the junior high school level. But, even with that quick series of edits, I made the article accessible to a much larger audience, increasing the odds the article would be read, and readers would respond in the way I’d recommended in the article. In summary, add the concept of readability to your power writing skills toolbox. By increasing readability, you immediately increase the number of potential readers, and increase the odds that readers will respond as you’ve requested. Robert F. Abbott is also the author of 3 Easy Ways to Power Up Your Writing, a booklet that will enhance your power writing skills, to make your words more persuasive and more likely to get results. Visit http://www.effective-communication.com/3easy.html to learn more. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Writing a Wedding Speech Made Easy by Duncan Gelby Before we go into the nitty-gritty of how to prepare a wedding speech, you must keep the following basics in mind: 1. Your speech has to be short, say 5-7 minutes at the most. 2. Make your speech humorous – everyone will love it. 3. Focus the speech on the couple, not on yourself or on your pet dog’s lover. 4. The couple’s parents will be present – so, no off-color and honeymoon jokes please! 5. Rehearse the speech a few times before you deliver it, and deliver it in a style that has a lot of drama, action and emotion built into it. 6. Don’t drink before you deliver your speech. 7. Remember to look good when you’re on the podium. Finish your rest room tasks before you begin. 8. If you’re not good at reading written speeches, then carry cue cards and keep your speech informal. Read a cue card, look at the audience mood and then talk impromptu. Now, here’s how you prepare the speech: 1. Does the audience know you? If not, prepare a small paragraph that introduces you to them and explains your relationship with the couple. 2. Next, heap praises on the emotion-charged wedding ceremony and about how marriages are made in heaven, and so on. 3. Prepare two paragraphs that talk about the sterling qualities of the couple, one paragraph devoted to the bride (ladies first!) and the other to the groom. 4. Now it’s time to talk how the couple got together, some personal trivia that can be made public, why they love each other, why their love will last forever, and a little about their families. This section can be about 2 paragraphs. 5. Though humor works well, don’t force it in and don’t include it if you cannot talk funny with a straight face. 6. Lace your speech with memorable quotes – you’ll find loads of quotes on the Internet. 7. Don’t talk about ex-boyfriends/girlfriends or spouses of the couple. 8. Refrain from talking about any plans the couple has told you about. 9. The last paragraph must be motivating. Take an example of a successful-in-life-and-still-together couple and draw parallels. 10. Once done, ask all to raise a toast to the couple. Cheers! Finally, remember that you have to be, or at least act, confident while delivering your speech with a clear voice that doesn’t spew words like a machine gun spews bullets. Speak at a slow, measured pace and try your best to hold the attention of all the guests. If you are running out of time or just so busy to write your own speech, you can surely find someone to write a wedding speech for you. In so many ways it can help you save your time and will free you from stress of finding an appropriate words to write to make your speech entertaining. Make sure to enjoy on delivering your speech because no matter how joyful your speech was if you appeared boring you won\'t get the satisfaction that you want from the listeners. For more information on wedding speeches visit http://howdoisolve.com/weddingspeech4u FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS An Interview With John Manhold About His New Book El Tigre by Simon Barrett El Tigre is John Manhold\'s first immersion into the world of novels, but it his not his first book, he has something like 6 textbooks and a lexicon in four languages under his belt. I really enjoyed El Tigre. I don\'t usually get very excited about Historical Fiction, or the \'Wild West,\' El Tigre has an allure to it though. I love history, and this book is steeped in it, John Manhold artfully melds fact with fiction. One way of looking at it is, if you buy this book you get a great work of fiction, and you will walk away afterwards understanding some very complex historical issues. Maybe you could tell us a little about yourself, a quick bout on Google shows that you have a pretty interesting resume? I\'ve always been restless and would think maybe attention deficit, except I can zero in on something I enjoy and take it to a conclusion. However, activity in any one area for too long a period does bore me. I grew up in Rochester, N. Y., when it had only a couple hundred thousand people, and enjoyed many hours of hunting small game and fishing the Genesee River. My father was quite a hunter and fisherman and we would go after deer and bear in the southern tier of Pennsylvania, Northern Maine and Canada. We used to tramp the pot holes for duck in the old Montezuma Swamp Area back in the days when your limit of duck was more than you could carry. High School, college and graduate schools were routine, although even here, I bounced around. Majored in Elizabethan and 17th Century Poets, progressed to study dentistry and then medical pathology and finally picked up an advanced degree in psychology. Taught pathology at three different schools, but became interested in Psychosomatic Medicine. Did some unusual research that got me an invitation to Russia in the days before glasnost. Elected president of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine and between this discipline and my research in both dental and medical fields bounced around giving lectures in many places in the world. For recreation, I played soccer, wrestled, played golf, and did some fencing. Later, played club golf and some international. Became interested in boating, earned U.S.C.G. Captain’s and Master\'s papers, finally bought a 48-foot Marine Trader trawler which my wife (who became a graduate diesel mechanic for the trip) and I took on a 6000 mile trip from Florida up the east coast to the Great Lakes, down the Mississippi to the Tennessee, the Tombigbee and back home across the Gulf. Went out to the islands a couple of times also. Got interested in sculpture, studied with a couple of famous people and received some prizes and commissions. I Served in WWII and the Korean Action where, among other things, taught knife fighting to recruits after being indoctrinated by an old fencing opponent who needed help and convinced the CO I would be the person. I have also published 6 textbooks and a lexicon in 4 languages and served as a scientific editor for J. B. Lippincott for 12 years. What made you move into the world of historical fiction? I did a great deal of research for several pharmaceutical houses while at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and continued after retiring. They would send me data that I would analyze and return. A couple of years ago, I assume the powers-that-be began to worry about how much longer I would be available and the request for my services began to decline. Being somewhat of a workaholic, I began to grouse and my wife said \"why don\'t you go write a novel?\" I was amused but the idea began to take hold, so I did it. El Tigre is very well put together, fictional characters against a historical background, but not just one set of events, which is the standard fare, but several events spanning countries and continents. The amount of research needed to do this boggles my mind. How long did it take to research and write El Tigre? The actual time to research and write El T. took 9 months. However, I had a great head start. My lectures and consultations for years have taken me to many places in the world; my whole life has been in research; the web saves huge amounts of travel time and I had a grandfather who was a graduate of the Prussian Kriegsakademie and was awarded medals in the Franco-Prussian War. I also had a couple of uncles who were gunfighters in the Nebraska Territory. The idea of my characters participating in more than one series of events stems from the fact that every conference or meeting one attends, where \'westerns\' or \'historical fiction\' are discussed, stresses the necessity for \'something different\' if the genres are to survive. No one does anything about it. I decided to do something. Where did you get the idea for El Tigre from? I am a member of the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) where every member is required to select an alias that is registered as specific to him or her. I always have been interested in old Mexico and have spent some time in it back in the days when it was pleasant and laid back and the girls would stroll in the parks with their duenas and the boys in their groups while a lousy band played in the retreata. I took the name of El Tigre Viejo (the Tiger, but an old one, because of my age) because I could dress for our formal dinner, which always ends a competition, as an old Spanish Don – one of the types of suits may be seen on my web page. As I understand it, and the picture on the back flap of the dustcover seems to prove it, you have a real interest in early guns, can you tell us a little about that? I had my first single shot .22 rifle when I was about 8 years old. My father taught me, as the marines stressed later in life, that there is no accident with a gun. Anything that happens is carelessness and is not to be tolerated. In the marines, an \'accident\' produces jail time. Anyway, I would get on the streetcar with my rifle and ammunition, ride to the end of the line, walk a short way to an embankment, do my shooting and get back on the streetcar to come back home. Can you image today? Following this, my father bought me a lever action Marlin .22, and a single shot 20 gauge shotgun, both of which I still have, and a Winchester 30-30 for deer and we began hunting. Through the years the interest continued and I moved into skeet shooting and other competitive shooting sports. Novels work a lot different from text books. With a text book, you have pretty much a captive audience. With a novel, it is up to the whim of the would be reader. A novel is a risky business, shelf space in the book store is at a premium, and for the most part the traditional book store only stocks what it knows will sell (Tom Clancy, Steven King, and the rest of the grossly over edited, and in my mind over rated authors), how are you finding the battlefield for space? Actually you have hit upon one of the big problems facing authors today. The big publishers won\'t even look at something that does not come through an agent, and the agents are, for the most part, not particularly interested in a new author. For this reason, the new author more frequently ends up with a small publisher and the brick and mortar houses are not particularly interested in either. The big boys can offer too many incentives, put more money into advertising and provide the \'name\' authors. So, to get to the personal level, as an unknown author, published by a small publisher and writing in a genre that occupies a very small piece of the pie, it is tough. Since El Tigre garnered two awards in the 2008 National Indie Excellence Awards, and has received so many kind words from so many nice people, Barnes & Noble have decided to give it another look, as to stocking – it is distributed by Baker & Taylor and thus listed in B&N for order, but not stocked at the stores. I am probably not like the average reader. I have picked up some very bad habits. It is only as a result of the fact that I read so many books. I hated English Lit in school, I hated, and still do hate, picking a book apart. While I don\'t look for deeper meaning, I do look for execution. El Tigre is very well put together. You must have had some damn fine proof readers and editors, either that, or you are the most gifted author I have ever met. I sincerely thank you for such a compliment, and am most pleased to hear the manner in which you look at a book. I, too, read voraciously and believe a book is to be enjoyed. The text must flow and if I mix tenses occasionally, or pull some other bonehead grammatical mistake, as long as it does not interfere with the flow, I let it go, and have received criticism from editors for it. But, if I don\'t think it will detract from the story, I leave it alone. I had an editor with El T who was a good editor. However, most of her changes I rewrote. El T was a Prussian Junker, an aristocrat who I would not allow to become another \'cowboy.\' His actions were different as was his speech. He was a man who, because of his prowess, could fit into any masculine situation. However, he still could enjoy the life of Spanish Nobility and had the sentimentality to understand the trauma suffered by Lolita and her need for understanding. There are two schools of thought about historical fiction, one says it’s easy, the plot is already there, just slot your characters in, and you have a book. The other schools says it is very hard, the historical aspect is set in stone, you must weave your story into an intractable situation. What is your view? I believe that, to be well done, a historical novel must weave its way through the facts. Your time line must be accurate, your geography must be the geography of the period, and the mores of each society treated must be proper to the time and place. I enjoy history and I respect it, and, as weird as it may sound, I can project myself back into the time and almost feel the reactions of the people. I remember visiting Masada in Israel several years ago and standing in the remains of the old fortress city where the thousand defenders committed suicide rather than surrender and just being almost overwhelmed by \'rejecting myself\' to the action. Crazy, I know, but you\'ve got to be to write, I think. What can we expect next from John Manhold? I have two books pretty much ready to go, before finishing El Tigre II which is half done in the first draft. The Elymais Coin is a modern mystery/adventure that involves a search for a 3000-year-old-coin that becomes involved with several murders, a clash with forces of al-Qaida and a subversive plot to undermine the United States from its very core. The second is LOBO, the story of a young Ohio farm boy who survives a massacre, Indian captivity, rescue and travel to England with education at Eton and life with the aristocracy before being forced to flee to the States to find a beautiful Creole paramour in New Orleans, be caught up in the Civil War, the Reconstruction Era and beyond. 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. FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS Free Reprint Articles That Will Interest Publishers - 4 Tips by Glenn Prialde Have you been writing and submitting your free reprint articles for quite sometime now? If so, how is your reprint rate doing? Is it doing well or is it a bit below 50%? Are webmasters approving your articles? Here are some tips on how to write effective free reprint articles that would guarantee great interest from ezine publishers and webmasters. 1. Choose a good keyword A good keyword is your \"key\" to getting high reprint rates for even just a single article. Try using this tool at http://www.wordtracker.com/ to find the best keywords. 2. Keyword density Keyword density is the number of \"keywords\" found in an article or content which is then divided by the total number of words. Try to keep your keyword density at 5% to 7% maximum especially if you choose common keywords for your article. Keyword density is important because this is one of the things search engines look into when they rank the search results. Do not try to make your article an article for search engines, make them full of quality, informative but still search engine optimized. 3. Shorter word count Publishers or webmasters often love articles that are less than 1000 words, but it totally depends on the topic and how informative is your article. Try not to go around the bush and result to making your article at 1800+ words. In other words, do not make it like a short story. A good article may only have at least 250 words, but could still capture the reader\'s attention and have the attributes mentioned in numbers 1 and 2 above. 4. Good content You wrote a 700-word article with good keywords and keyword density, but does it contain good content? Well, only you can answer that truthfully and if your answer is yes, then great! But for some few inviduals this isn\'t the fact, many are still writing articles that editors label as an \"indirect\" advert. If you really want a good reprint rate then make your article body 100% of quality information, tips, how-tos and tricks. Keep the 100% advert in your bylines and keep them short. Good luck and enjoy writing! Glenn Prialde invites you to submit your free reprint articles at http://www.isnar FILED IN WRITING | COMMENTS
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