The Self Publishing Process - Important Steps To Take To Ensure Your Book Looks Professional

Your book writing project is completed, in draft form; it has been edited, read through, picked apart and put back together again and you believe further work will just be tinkering for tinkering's sake. Now what? Are you ready to publish a book yourself?

If you have already secured a publishing contract with a traditional publisher (one who places the risk of publishing on their own shoulders, not yours) it will now be taken out of your hands (although publishers frequently ask for changes or additions to fit the work to its potential market). Authors less fortunate in the agent/publisher lottery face the choice of abandoning, or at least shelving the project, or publishing it themselves; a worthy and economic proposition nowadays, if you have your wits about you.

To understand how your book gets from being a file on your computer to a hardback, paperback or ebook for sale on Amazon or in your local bookshop, let's examine the options.

You could, of course, seek a conventional printer, send them your manuscript, as a computer file, and let them turn it into a book. Many printers offer to do this pre-print work, for a fee, based on the hours it will take them. But that's like asking plumbers to build a house. It's not what they're best at, or rarely qualified to do, for that matter. On the other hand, using a specialist book production service can be an enjoyable and instructive experience.

Layout professionals take your word-processed file and then, using a dedicated text editing and publishing program, prepares files that will be acceptable to printers. Your draft receives another read-through, enabling their in-house editors to get the feel of your work and make decisions about how best to lay it out, which font to use, point size, line spacing, margins. Also at this stage anomalies or inconsistencies will be identified that need resolving (and it is surprising how often this occurs with books which are thought to be 'finished'). Sample pages in different styles will be produced for you to consider, showing treatments of chapter heads, in-text illustrations and any other features particular to your work. This will enable you to gauge how many pages your book might run to, the likely cost of printing, and whether you wish to make any modifications to keep within your budget.

Once you are happy with the format and style suggested, technicians will apply it throughout the book. They will also be checking for consistency of punctuation, treatment of foreign words, spelling - and even grammar, if it looks really horrible. You will, of course, be consulted on all adjustments felt necessary. Title page, copyright page and all the normal 'preliminary' pages will be added (acknowledgments, dedications, tables of contents, etc.) and a galley proof of everything except the cover will be sent to you as a pdf, (a format that faithfully scales up or down the precise layout of your book) which you will be able to open and read on your computer as if it were the finished book. This is the last but one stage where you can request changes that won't break the bank.

Meanwhile the graphics department will be designing a cover, using any pictorial and text elements you have provided. They will present you with alternative suggestions, in line with the brief you provided (and the more detailed this is, the better).

After final corrections to both text and cover have been made you will receive final pdfs. You should take your time to study these carefully; even here it is not too late to change something. Only when you are entirely happy will your book's files be passed to a printer.

Your printer can at this stage, if asked, produce a bound, proof copy of the finished book for your approval before going ahead and printing the number of copies you order (the print run). Now, however, there are likely to be extra costs involved for each and every change specified, which is why diligence is essential before work is sent to the printer.

What makes the self-publishing process rewarding, working with a professional book production service, is that you remain in complete control of your book, while editors are there at all times to give advice and make recommendations to ensure the final book is a truly professional product, and one you can be proud of.

Writeaway provides help and advice on how to write and publish a book. You will also have access to a dedicated team of people who can provide a comprehensive book editing service having had personal experience of the book publishing process.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jonathan_Veale

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Writing in the Dark

I used to be a public writer and would spend hours describing my surroundings while at parks and coffee shops. Some may have called me a poser with my black spiral notebook and leather jacket, yet I feel my public writing phase helped me learn to write with all my senses.

At 17, I was more preoccupied with making observations and sharing my opinion than writing poems or a novel. Some of my blurbs read more like rants and I almost stopped writing when one of my high school English teachers told me that I was wasting my time and talent because publishers would never print a diary or journal unless the person was famous.

Although the internet was already around, this was a time when a blog was thought to be a hard-to-remove stain and Altavista was the ultimate search engine. Thanks to AOL, I created my first homepage which I populated with thoughts from my black spiral notebook. Amazed with the Instant Messages from strangers online that found my writing funny, or agreed with my view point on a topic, I continued to develop my thoughts on paper and used the web as my editor.

When I lost my sight in 2007, learning to read and write in the dark reminded me of my teenage phase of learning to use words to decipher my world. I traded my black notebook and mechanical pencils for a laptop with talking software for the blind called JAWS (Job Access with Speech), a pair of headphones, digital recorder, and electronic dictionary. At the beginning, the robotic voices that read my writing back to me seemed flat allowing me to only write a few sentences at a time. My first short story of five pages took months to complete because of the constant interruptions I call "ear breaks" between my writing sessions that involved listening to the radio to help refresh my eardrums. However, just like with many things in life, JAWS became tolerable and eventually my friend. Learning to focus solely on my content and ignore JAWS was the first step in mastering writing in the dark.

Attempting to reclaim my roots, I ventured to public places with my laptop and guide dog Madge; I found that chatty crowds and buzzing cars kept me from hearing my inner and computer voice. Most of my writing is now done at my house and my writing breaks consist of playing with Madge or listening to an audio book. Breaks now serve more as an acknowledgement that I achieved an editor's deadline or writing goal for the day. I also find that taking breaks to stretch or get a snack can reduce writer's block. For editing, I rely on spell check, my writing group, and mentors in the San Francisco literary community. Writing in the dark definitely requires a deeper level of concentration that allows me to see my writing utensils not as tools, but extensions of my body and mind.

Belo Cipriani writes both creative non-fiction and short fiction across several genres with the help of adaptive technology. To read and edit, he uses a talking computer that runs a screen reader called JAWS and a talking dictionary device called Franklin.

Belo holds a Masters Degree in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing from Notre Dame de Namur University, where he studied under award winning poet Jacqueline Berger and fiction writer Kerry Dolan.

He is heavily involved with the San Francisco literary community and is a member of Litquake, The California Writers Club, and a contributing writer for Bay Area publications. Belo and his guide dog Madge live in San Francisco. Learn more at http://blindamemoir.com/.

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Writers Create Characters

Life is about People. Likewise, stories are about characters. What the characters do and say, what happens to them and how they react, how they get along with other people; these are the building blocks of your stories.

You, as the writer, tailor-make characters to perform however you choose. Your aim is to create 'real' characters that react in a life-like way to whatever is happening. Making the reader like or dislike the character, or at least be interested in him or her, is your goal.

Just as beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, being an ordinary (or extraordinary) character is a matter of opinion. Your character comes alive for the reader when he or she can identify with that character in some way.

How do you create characters?

God has already designed people with their incredibly wide variety of characteristics, both physical and behavioural, so we are not inventing people entirely. Our characters will therefore be 'borrowed' from a mixture of real people, rather than a copy of one particular person.

In fact, you shouldn't try to replicate a real person's total characteristics, because if anyone recognized themselves in a story, or were recognized by others, you could cause legal problems for yourself.

Think about how we get to know a person we have just met. We tend to judge first by appearances; but we quickly form more lasting opinions about that person by how he or she speaks and acts. Aim to get your reader's attention and sympathy for - or annoyance with - your characters as soon as possible.
Here are some ways to create lifelike characters:

• How does this character act? Actions show what makes a person tick. Does your character kick the dog which gets in its way, or reach over and pat its head? Does she smile or scowl at the child who is crying in the supermarket?

• Consider how your character speaks. This is not referring to their accent, although that can certainly be a characteristic that sets one person apart from others in your story, but their whole speech pattern. We get to know people by how they speak. For example, do you want a character speaking roughly or gently, bossily or kindly, aristocratically or more humbly?

'Actions speak louder than words' so they say, though I think, in a story, their 'volume' may be about equal.

• What does your character look like? Yes, we do judge by appearances, even if we claim not to, so they must be in the story to some degree. Make use of apt descriptions in your story, but don't get carried away. Readers like to know the character's gender and approximate age fairly quickly, but otherwise your character's physical appearance need only be described depending on how important that character is to your story. A major character in a longer story will need a lot more information for us to 'picture' him or her; lesser characters can have brief descriptions.

• Beware of describing fashions unless the story is about a specific time period, or it won't be long before your story is as out-dated as the latest clothing trends.

When you are trying to create a character, try not to describe them like a mannequin in a shop; but show that character saying or doing something; or reacting in some way to a certain circumstance. For example, you could describe a person sitting gloomily in a wheelchair. Or - better - you could reveal that person by showing their reaction to learning that they are not likely to ever get out of that wheelchair again.

As the advice goes: "Show, don't tell."

Janice Gillgren
http://www.wordsandscenes.co.nz.
Writer's blog offering encouragement, inspiration and useful tips for writers of all levels.

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How to Write to Inform

Informative writing means giving facts to your intended audience in a clear and accurate manner. When introducing a topic, write about it in an understandable and lively way to keep your readers attention. When writing, make sure you are using the correct vocabulary and sentence types for your specific audience. It is important that you include facts and statistic which are varied and reliable. You will also need to use a youth sociolect if you are writing for teenagers or Standard English for an adult audience.

When you begin your writing to inform piece begin with a clear overview of your chosen topic and then take each fact and look at them in logical concise order. A good way to do this is to imagine that you are responding to your audiences' questions. Use the 5w +h rule. Who, what, why, when, where and how.

When writing to inform, it is important that your writing is not biased. Having a balanced opinion allows the reader to see both sides and make their own opinion on the subject matter. If your writing is not balanced it is a far more persuasive text as you are pushing your reader towards a certain opinion. When writing you need to be aware of your audience's age, background, level of understanding and education.

Your writing needs to be confident in tone so that your reader believes and trusts what they read. Leaflets use a logo, company name and authorial tone to create a sense of trust between the reader and text producer.

When giving information, imagine that you are responding to your target audience's question. Use the 5w +h rule. Who, what, why, when, where and how.

When writing to inform, you must always use straight forward language to convey the most important information. This means you should use simple sentence construction. Shorter sentences are clearer, but it is important to vary your sentence construction to keep the reader interested. Well structured paragraphs will help your reader to progress through information with ease. Using discourse markers will make your ideas more fluent. Words such as 'therefore' and 'secondly' add to the ease of your writing.

When giving your intended audience more information, you can use your own experience, knowledge and observations to give anecdotes about your subject matter. This will make your writing more exciting and will illuminate your point very clearly.

If it appropriate to your genre, use presentational devices such as headings, subheading, bulleted lists and diagrams which will make your writing more interesting.

Macclesfield Tutorial College http://www.macctutorialcollege.com is an independent college, and offers full time and part time courses to students from 16 years old to adult. The college offers GCSE and A Level courses is a wide range of subjects. The college offers a high level of education, resulting in a predominant number of students going onto higher education. The college can be contacted at office@experttutorials.co.uk

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What Are Publishers Looking for in Pictures That Accompany Feature Articles?

Writing articles for magazines can be a very rewarding activity. It can also provide you with a great opportunity to improve your non-fiction writing skills, as you'll find that successfully writing articles for magazines demands that you have a wide knowledge of a whole range of subject matters, that you create a writing skill that is instantly accessible to a number of different readers, and that you are able to tailor your writing to meet the differing requirements of magazine publications. In addition, being able to write strong articles can ultimately be a very fruitful source of income.

Often writers find that they are more successful in achieving a publishing contract for their non-fiction, article writing if they are able to provide strong illustrations to accompany the articles they produce. Generally the type of illustration that is requested from magazines or newspapers is photographs. Having strong photographs included within a feature article can really bring the article to life. Not only do they add a visual dimension to the written piece, which can help the article to appeal to those readers who are particularly stimulated by imagery, but photography can also add colour and vibrancy to the piece of writing. Furthermore, pictures often really do say a thousand words, and so the key messages of your article can be effectively highlighted through the inclusion of strong photos.

Publishing companies will generally always look to add some form of photographic imagery or illustration to the feature articles they produce. And so if the article author has provided this imagery for them, that's one less job for the publishing company to have to finish...and one more reason for them to pick your article for publication! Therefore it is always a good idea to include one or two photos with your article submissions.
The quality of the photo provided is of paramount importance however. So when it comes to choosing a photo for inclusion with your article, think about the sort of things that the publisher will be looking for in the photo itself:

- Firstly make sure you have permission to use the article. Under no circumstances should you include a photo that you are not sure the publishing company will be able to publish. The best way to avoid this problem is to take the photo yourself!

- Look at the magazine or newspaper's guidance on photo submissions. They are likely to have specifics on the quality of the photo etc that you will need to meet. Almost all publishers will ask for digital photography.

- Be sure to choose a photo that really conveys the crucial messages of your article. The photo needs to be relevant to the article content.

Do you need help with editing or proofreading your articles? Then use the professional editorial services from Words Worth Reading Ltd.

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7 Simple Strategies for Better Web Content Writing

1. Personal deadlines matter
Deadlines give you something to work towards. They give you a fixed goal and force you to make the most of your time. If you set expectations for producing content on your website (i.e. publishing every day) then setting yourself achievable deadlines will enable you to structure your writing.

2. You won't always hit your deadlines
Deadlines set by other people are difficult to miss. You're letting somebody down if you don't deliver what you promised on the day that they need it. Your own self-imposed deadlines are another matter. It's easy to let them slide, to moan that you're "too busy" or "don't have enough time" to get the writing done. You won't always hit your deadlines. But don't let a sense of perfectionism hold you back.
"Perfect is preferable, but good is good enough."

3. Good enough is better than perfect
Many writers are held back by their built-in quality control. I've often polished and re-polished paragraphs to make them read better. I've often junked whole introductions in favour of a different approach. Sometimes, what you end up with IS actually better. But typically it's no better (or worse) than what you started with. In the interests of getting your writing done, articles don't need to be a work of genius. Perfect is preferable, but good is good enough.

4. There's no right way to write
Some people write in the morning, others in the afternoon. Some write in the first person, others do their best to avoid it. Some self-edit as they write, others brain dump a messy first draft and edit it afterwards. Some favour news and reviews, others swear by the power of interviews or comparison pieces...
Some write with all the grammar-correcting, spell-checking power of Microsoft Word, others revel in the minimalism of notepad or IA Writer. Some write to music, others crave the focus of almost-silence. There's no BEST way to write. Do what works for you.
"You don't need to study the mysteries of SEO to get your content found."

5. Inspiration strikes at the weirdest times
When I was younger, I used to keep a notepad by the side of the bed, just in case I woke up with the spark of an idea or an opening sentence to an article I was writing. Now I carry an iPhone and tap notes into Evernote or the Plain Text app because inspiration can strike any time and anywhere - on the bus, in the bathroom, walking to the shops. You've just got to be ready to catch it.

6. You don't need to be an expert in SEO
Everyone who writes for the web will, at some point, think they don't know enough about SEO. I've been there. Worse still, SEO isn't a static business and it always seems like there's something new to learn. But you don't need to keep up with the subtle changes.
You don't need to study the mysteries of SEO to get your content found. A simple keyword strategy, intelligent keyword placement and GOOD content that people will want to read and share will ultimately see you through. Yes. You can game the system... But driving traffic to a website without good content is like leading Yogi bear to an empty picnik basket...
"Bad content can also be found. But it will rarely be shared, liked or commented on..."

7. Good content will always be found
If you write 'good content' that's original, genuinely interesting/helpful and optimized for search, then people will eventually find it. And if it's good enough, those people that find it will share it with their online networks, giving it extra exposure. True, bad content can also be found. But it will rarely be shared, liked or commented on.

For more content writing strategies like these, visit The Good Content Company.

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6 Quick Tips for Great Article Marketing

6 Quick Tips for Great Article Marketing by Gregg Hughes

If you have read just about anything, papers, via the internet or newsprint you will have read many of articles. You will find various ways for you to utilize what you have experienced. Articles are written only for information and others to market things like products and internet websites. Composing a high-quality article can be somewhat hard even if you have created a great deal of them before therefore here are six methods for article creating to help you along to that outstanding article.

Step One - Express your subject clearly in the Very first paragraph. This should not be a drawn out description; it only needs to get the concept across. Target around 50 words and you're off to a good start.

Step Two - Paragraph 2, sum up the major points. Give the reader a feel of what is to come as well as grab their interest. Don't re-write the first paragraph. Put your list of points etc. right here if you have one, this is where they go.

Step Three - Imagine you are chatting to an interested another person and merely have a chat. The idea is to draw them in and wish to carry on reading to hear exactly what you have got to say. Hardly any one wants to read dull and excessively serious material right? This is merely looking to put most people off so ease up!

Step Four - Get some style to engage your audience. This comes through knowing your reader. Also keep the same style all through, let us not confuse anybody. For some people this is normal others have difficulties. If you find that you happen to be one of those which have difficulties merely keep going to keep it consistent all through you can go over it later.

Step Five - Stay on point. Wandering off topic produces a disjointed article. The answer to this is READ YOUR ARTICLE. You will be surprised at what you will find hidden in there.

Step Six - If you are going to be writing using a topic which is foreign for you than remember to do some research. What's the point in creating something which confuses everybody or is just incorrect? You don't want this because your articles will likely be criticized for lack of professionalism and perhaps not get published. Article sites screen articles you know. Learn about the subject, if you can't then write about something you do understand. It is better to not write at all than write a poor article, particularly if it is your job!

Now that you have these suggestions regarding article writing it is time to get started. Stick to the steps and you should find your style plus your articles will get better progressively. The next phase is to have that incredible article published. To help set your publishing in high gear look into Article Submitter to get published on multiple sites with minimal time and effort. You never know there might be a living out there!

About the Author

Gregg Hughes is the owner of Str8shooter.com and reviews popular online home business opportunities.

The next step to put your publishing in high gear is to get published on multiple sites. This is a lot of labor so to help have a look at Article Submitter which will submit for you with a minimum of effort. Be sure and grab your FREE copy of Dotcomology to help with this and other ways to make money online.

The next step to put your publishing in high gear is to get published on multiple sites. This is a lot of labor so to help have a look at Article Submitter which will submit for you with minimum of effort. Be sure and grab your FREE copy of Dotcomology to help with this and other ways to make money online.

Making money as freelance writer an overview

Making money as freelance writer an overview by Jenny

As manufacturing has been out of US and very few companies run production and design centre in the United States, many skilled people are jobless, they are looking for high paying jobs and are applying on daily basis, at the end they are getting discouraged, Obama administration is doing all it can to reduce further outsourcing of technical, skilled and engineering jobs to countries like China & Korea. America was once a manufacturing power house now it's difficult for companies to compete these low wage markets, in China people are paid less than $1 an hour.

If you love to read and write, making extra income from Freelance writing is not an bad idea at all, better than sitting home with no work, freelance article writing can keep your mind engaged, it's not everyone cup of tea to be a Freelance writer, you need some amount of communication skills with excellent grammar and proof reading, and should be able to use Internet and MS office package, a person who is skilled to write 2 to 4 articles each day can make as much as $250 every day, $7500 every month not a bad business proposition, but as a freelance writer you should follow certain rules before you start writing articles, the most important thing is the quality of content, it has to be unique and meaningful, not copied from any book, magazine or news paper.

Digital copyright rules are very hard, if you break them you can face 2 year prison or fine up to $100K, the content and thought has to be original. Several magazines & News paper pay good money for original researched content; many people write on weekly basis based on their town and the local hot spots, supporting colour pictures with text is a great idea to increase popularity of your article.

If you are new to writing the best thing is to read some good books where you can learn article writing guidelines and even work with some writers who can give you insight about quality writing. There are several website where you can also register as freelance writer, this is the best way to check your writing skills, you might like to write some sample articles for the website and see how people rate it, and don't forget to search for freelance writer's jobs posting on national job portals.

About the Author

Are you looking for freelance writer's jobs ? Visit Writer's Franchise - The world's first Franchise for writers.

6 easy ways to find a story in journalism

6 easy ways to find a story in journalism... by David Stephenson

Here are 6 easy ways to find a story, either a feature story or news story

1) IT'S YOU!

Are YOU interested? This is the most important aspect. In the journalism you write, you are your own best editor. See something, hear something, is that a story? If YOU'RE interested it means someone else probably will be, too. Don't forget you are a reader/listener too. Listen to your own instincts, trust them. It will help in the writing of the story too. You will be inspired if it interests you. The copy will flow much easier. If it doesn't inspire, it will be a chore to write.

2) FRIENDS

Talk to your friends for a journalism story. Listen to what they are saying. Indeed, become a good listener. You will of course have your opinion but listen to what your mates are saying. They have jobs, families, and interests. From any of these areas stories can surface. It will spark your interest, almost without warning. But respect privacy. Friends may not wish to be involved in a journalism story. That's fine. Ask if you can do it, "off the record".

3) SOCIAL NETWORKS

The advent of digital media has completely changed journalism. It will never be the same again. None of us know how journalism will be paid for in the future, but it will undoubtedly survive. So much for where we're going. The reality now is that Twitter and Facebook are now great sources for stories. The celebrities are just there, helping the journalist. They now happily broadcast exactly what is happening in their lives. Take a look. It's all there. Use these as leads for journalism stories.

4) LOCAL NEWSPAPERS

Despite all the changes in digital media, the local newspaper that can drop through your front door can potentially have some great stories. The best thing about using local papers for your journalism is that more than likely these stories won't have been done in the national press/media. Look on local websites of papers too. There will be good leads there, too. You may also find a way or angle on a national story. This could make its way straight into the national media. Local papers are also a great source of human interest journalism. When something newsworthy happens to a member of the public, they invariably think of the local media, and then the national media if they would like to sell their journalism story.

5) WEBSITE SEARCHES

Wonderful Google. For a specialist writer, this is a brilliant way to pick up those all important leads for journalism stories. If for instance many of your stories come from the Home Office in Britain simply put that into the Google search engine as a saved search. This brings up every mention of the Home Office, including blogs, another great source of stories. The Internet has significantly changed journalism, sometimes for the better. Take advantage of it.

Download two free courses from Journalism Tutor


About the Author

David Stephenson is the TV Editor of the Sunday Express in London, UK.
He runs the Journalism Tutor teaching website Journalism Tutor where you can download TWO FREE courses

Sources and contacts: A social media snowstorm

Sources and contacts: A social media snowstorm by David Stephenson

Sources are the lifeblood of journalism. Ask Julian Assange. Of course many will dispute whether he is indeed a journalist or webpreneur, but the subjects of Wikileaks and Egypt have made me think more and more about sources, and how much, if any, as journalists, we can rely on in the snowstorm of information that arrives on the desktop via social media and the blogosphere.
My conclusion this week is that much of it should be used as leads only. Even this blog. The rise of citizen journalism means micro-blogging and long-form blogging, if you like, are platforms of opinion, not necessarily fact. Essentially we as journalists are concerned with what we can establish to be true. Beyond that is opinion. Micro blogging, especially in the Egypt crisis allows certain shades of opinion to be more effectively communicated to a wider world. Searching on the Twitter hashtag Egypt (#egypt) was a study in the social network snowstorm of Twitter. Finally I resorted to established news providers, through Twitter, such as Al Jazeera for reliable reportage and news coverage. Of course, Al Jazeera has a take on the world too, but its reporting should be much more reliable, for instance, than a protester in Tahrir Square, albiet not as colourful. I would advise any student of journalism to treat these sources as "unreliable" until proved otherwise.
As a journalist your typical day involves sifting through sources and contacts, some you will rely upon more than others. These are some of the most important decisions you will make as a journalist. The veracity of these sources/contacts will determine the strength of the stories you write for publication. To get ahead as a journalist you can't simply rely on rewriting copy from Reuters, the agency, who have a feed into most newsrooms. You will never receive a promotion that way.
I run the website Journalism Tutor. I have a course based around developing contacts. You will find this crucial in moving on your career. Without good contacts, and understanding sources in news, you will struggle.
Try Journalism Tutor's first two courses for FREE, plus a free tutorial with Fleet Street TV Editor and lecturer in journalism David Stephenson.
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About the Author

David Stephenson is the TV Editor of the Sunday Express in London, UK.
He runs the Journalism Tutor teaching website Journalism Tutor where you can download TWO FREE courses

Order Lists in Series

Order Lists in Series by Precise Edit

You're writing a series of items, and you're not sure what order to put them in. Do you write "A, B, and C" or "A, C, and B"? What is the best order for items in a series?

Here are two approaches I use when evaluating the order of items in a series or list, both adapted from 300 Days of Better Writing.

APPROACH ONE: CLARITY

From the readers' perspective, series can be confusing. They have to figure out what connects to what and where each item begins and ends. (This is one reason why I recommend putting commas after every item but the last.) Series are most confusing when some of the items are complex.

Example 1. Consider this sentence.

"The plan called for 25 people, 2 weeks, and the expertise, obviously, of the human resources department."


The complex item here is "the expertise, obviously, of the human resources department." If we write this item as the first or second item in the series, the potential for reader confusion increases. The reader will have to decide where the item begins and ends because of the extra commas.

Putting this item at the end removes any confusion about where it ends (because nothing follows it), and the sentence is clearer.

Example 2. Here's another example. Let's say that your series will have the following three items:

1. "a covered area for fans, such as benches under a canopy"

2. "good parking"

3. "clean bathrooms"

The first item above is the most complex. If we write it as the first or second item in the list, the reader may think the part after the comma is a new item. The reader will figure out that the final phrase in the item is an explanation of the covered area (probably), but this is more work for the reader than necessary, and people reading quickly might misinterpret your words.

To write in a straightforward and easy-to-understand manner, place that item at the end of the series, resulting in the following sentence.

"A softball arena should contain good parking, clean bathrooms, and a covered area for fans, such as benches under a canopy."

Could we have used semicolons between the items in the series, thus preventing confusion caused by the commas? Sure. I could have written "A softball arena should contain good parking; a covered area for fans, such as benches under a canopy; and clean bathrooms."

With the items in this order, the sentence sounds choppy because the order creates two breaks in the flow of ideas, one break after "fans" and another after "canopy." With the complex item last, the sentence is smoother and feels more complete. By putting that item at the end, therefore, we have increased not only clarity but also elegance.

APPROACH TWO: IMPACT

Consider these three ideas. 1) People tend to remember and respond to what they last hear. 2) Series create an expectation, an emotional build-up, that is resolved by the final item. 3) Words at the end of a sentence have more impact than words within a sentence.

When we combine these three ideas, we find that we can use a series to create impact and emphasize a final point. In short, the final item in the series will have more emotional and mental weight than the preceding items.

For example, these two sample sentences emphasize different points:

"We shall spare no cost, overlook no detail, and forget no promise."

"We shall forget no promise, overlook no detail, and spare no cost."

In the first sentence, "forget no promise" has the most emphasis. In the second, "spare no cost" has the most.

Sentence structure is important in persuasive writing. When considering the order of items in the series, I ask which item is the most important, which item I want to emphasize. Then I put it at the end where it will create the most impact.

About the Author

David Bowman is the owner and chief editor of Precise Edit and author of "300 Days of Better Writing", a comprehensive writing guide. Visit HostileEditing.com for more information.

An Appetite Of Writing

An Appetite Of Writing by Rosan 'Rasik' Adhikari

Writing itch that writers scratch with pen is a chronic appetite to break complex intellectual entities. Its converse has equal gravity - some writings integrate dissociated ones. Sensational happenings mostly elicit the desire to scratch truism for eruptions of correct judgments, which is accompanied by patient study and intelligent observation.

Journalism fills the pits of truism and empties the filled ones for future updates simultaneously. As a result, pits of news persist. In a venture to make this persistent hollow up to date, journalists need to pass through phases of itch and pain. The significant difference between itching and pain is of degree. A low threshold of journalists' stimulation to follow truism usually leads to accountability-cum-credibility gap.

Rush of mass media depends upon nation's economy. Yet, potentiality of sophisticated journalism is much greater in developing countries like us. Either the writers are professional journalists or free-lance writers; they can pick sensational topics without much adrenaline goads. However, worthless efforts to ornament news with sensation mar its credibility. The media standards and distributions flourishes in accordance to degree of press freedom and public interventions. A great irony is that media can't pursue accuracy because of poor surveys in countries like ours.

Literature, in counterpart, is way of expressing oneself that may not necessarily articulate truth. Either it is cubism sprinkled in canvas of Picasso or embroidery needled in muslin sheets; people ignore multitudes embedded with them. Rather, people make filthy evaluations and search of intellectuality. To remove veils that people put on emotions, it is always wise to pursue an itch to write.

Fiction can never fully depict truths. Yet, greater the threshold of writers' stimulation to bend the fancies, more realistic their work of arts become. Lucidity of language is a powerful tool to convey values and institutions of an ideal community, along with ideal attitudes, everyone should be endowed with.

Writing activities are primarily concerned with diverse information and decent entertainment. They chiefly encircle peripheries of political practices, ecological perspectives and economic fluctuations that help readers to analyze major issues about the nation, as well as hullabaloos of the globe. Lots of fragmented visionaries of present scenario can be integrated by press; analysis of which will lead to better interpretation and planning of wholesome perspectives.

Besides, availability of major assets of technocracy like internet, motivations are of paramount importance for writers' regular itch to write. It is self-evident that activities like awarding outstanding works of art, maintenance of optimum press freedom, pursuit of ideal media ethics, and public intervention gears appetite of writing. Lets' fulfill appetites to fill the hollow.

About the Author

I am an avid free lance writer cum high school student with creations like SUNSAN YATRA, ENIGMA and CONFESSION.Get my articles at http://www.rosanrasik.blog.com .

FIVE instant ways to improve your writing

FIVE instant ways to improve your writing by David Stephenson

1) WRITE, AND WRITE SOME MORE
Write all the time. Don't stop. Find anything to write about. It doesn't matter. Expressing yourself is all about training your mind to put one word in front of the other. But it takes practice. Write every day, about any subject, and you will twice the writer you are now within six months. Improvement happens quickly. The mental discipline of changing thoughts into written expression needs exercise. It's your writing muscle, if you like. Make it work! If you cant think of a subject, interview your family and friends about anything, then make a story out of it. It's a great habit to get into. It will improve your journalistic skills overnight. How can I possibly make a story from this?

2) BE SELF-CRITICAL
Become your own worst critic. Take every sentence apart. Turn the phrasing around. Write, then rewrite. And again. If it sounds hard work, it is. The rewards can be great but you need drive yourself to become a better writer. How can I make that story better? Is that the right angle? Have I missed the best quote? When you are pleased with your efforts, re-write it ask a friend to read it.

3) START A BLOG
When your writing confidence begins to grow, which it will very soon, start a blog. About anything. Have a serious think about what interests you most, and download a Wordpress blog, which is free. Start writing. It's a blank page and you don't need any paper! But be self-critical. Don't post anything until you believe it's the possible writing you can do.

4) SUBMIT ARTICLES
Go to one of the many article submission sites such as goarticles.com and get cracking. The Internet is a gift to the new writer. The first bonus is that you will not have an editor screaming at you that you have left the most important fact from the first paragraph. But this is not to say you can't concentrate on writing anything without keeping an eye on the quality. Make sure before you press the submit button, that this is the best work you can do. I do every time. I once worked briefly helping to compile procedures for a quality assurance engineer. His motto: "Get it right first time." it's worth learning.

5) READ
What an old fashioned notion. When you're not writing, you should be reading. Anything. Papers, magazines, books, Internet. Read quality writing, too. Try to avoid trashy mags. You will learn nothing about writing style there. The more you read the more you will learn about identifying a good writing style over tosh. Then you can employ it yourself. Become a good judge of writing, and you will become a good writer yourself.

About the Author

David Stephenson is the TV Editor of the Sunday Express in London, UK.
He runs the Journalism Tutor teaching website Journalism Tutor where you can download TWO FREE courses

5 Inspiring Reasons For Writing A Book

5 Inspiring Reasons For Writing A Book by Words Worth Reading Ltd

It's a great time to get your book started, what with the dodgy weather and the start of a New Year. But writing a book, or at least starting to get your thoughts and ideas down on paper can be very difficult - there are so many things out there to distract you from the task in hand.

If you are planning on writing a book this year, and you need a little help motivating yourself to get started, take a look at our top 5 inspiring reasons for writing a book, as listed below.

-Follow opportunities to visit new places and meet new people. Writing your book will no doubt give you the opportunity to visit new place, travel to new counties and even (if you're lucky) to new countries.
All very exciting! Whilst travelling can give you the opportunity to visit new places, it can also introduce you to people that you'd never normally interact with. Furthermore, by holding book launches, book signings and book readings, you'll get an opportunity to meet individuals from your local community that you may never have interacted with before.

- You might just become famous! OK, so it is insanely hard to become an international celebrity, but by writing a number of books and working hard on the marketing and advertising of these books, it is possible to become something of a local celeb. Remember to share your experiences with as many people as possible, either through local talks and readings, or through interviews for the local press. Work with groups of people who are interested in writing and learn to motivate them too. All of this will not only make you feel good for giving something back to the community, it will also help boost your personal profile.

- Make yourself, your friends and your family proud. Writing a book is a wonderful achievement, and one that should be celebrated. But once the party is over, once you've had that last round of drinks in celebration, keep hold of how immensely proud you feel of yourself, and know that those around you who love you also feel extremely proud of your achievement.

- Become an expert in your field. Interested in writing a non-fiction piece? See if you can find a title that ties in nicely with your career path. By demonstrating to clients and potential customers that you have expert knowledge in a particular area (solidified by the fact that you have published a book on the subject), you can feel justified in increasing your prices and in raving about that unique selling point you have over others who work within the same industry.

- Flex your creative muscles. Creativity is of paramount importance to all book writing. And creativity is one area of life that tends to get lost as you grow up and find that the practicalities of 'normal' day-to-day life take up too much of your time. But by writing a book you will find that you have the opportunity to claw back some of that creativity that is usually drained away through day-to-day life.

About the Author

Do you need help with editing or proofreading your writing? Then use the professional editorial services from Words Worth Reading Ltd

Are You A Born Proofreader? Questions, Tools and the Online Flood of Words

Are You A Born Proofreader? Questions, Tools and the Online Flood of Words by Dr. Carolee Duckworth

THE CASE OF THE PROOFREADER'S CURSE

Before you leave the house, do you double and triple check lights, stove top knobs, and door locks, over and over, while everyone sits in the car waiting? Before you send an e-mail, do you re-read it six times to make sure it's perfect in every way - no typo's, no texting shortcuts - you even check your emoticons!

When you were in college, did you experience a steady stream of fellow students requesting that you 'look at' their papers and 'make any changes you'd like' - (translation = fix the paper, edit it, make it better!) If you plead guilty to any of the above 'crimes of compulsive obsession', then you'd probably make an excellent online proofreader or editor.

With the deluge of words flooding onto the web, there is a lot of editing and proofreading work that needs to get done. You could be the one to do it, and earn good money in the process. This article will identify some of the tools and talents of the trade, and highlight some specifics of the ongoing flood of online materials that may benefit from your editor's eye.

DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES?

A proofreader's job is to find those mistakes that everyone else missed - whether these errors be spelling, mechanics, punctuation, or grammar usage. Proofreaders , AKA - 'daring document delvers' are experts in, and derive a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment from, finding and correcting others' writing omissions and mistakes.

A PROOFREADER'S TOOL BOX

Now, before you go off to become the answer to every writer's dream, and before you can begin to earn money - (let's not forget why you're reading this!) - keep in mind the wisdom of the expression: "Prior preparation prevents poor performance." First you need to arm yourself with a few tools of the trade.

Start with the Proofreader's Bibles. There are two recognized versions. The Modern Language Association's Writing Style Handbook and the American Psychological Association's Handbook are essential tools for proofreading any type of formal paper, such as a thesis or term paper.

I highly recommend two inexpensive, user-friendly, simplified guides - MLA: THE EASY WAY and APA: THE EASY WAY, both by Peggy and Timothy Houghton. To maximize your marketable skills, you'll need to master both formats and styles, depending upon your clients' needs.

I also find the Quick Study APA/MLA Guidelines helpful. It's a four-page, double-sided laminated 'cheat sheet' that highlights the most common features of both the MLA and APA formats.

MS WORD REIGNS!

SO… Do whatever you need to do - take a course, find an on-line tutorial, invest in a good book - to become as proficient as possible with this indispensable tool.

The more adept you become at using MS Word, the more efficient you'll be - i.e., the more money you'll make!

In particular, become best friends with MS Word's Spell Check and Grammar Check. You'll be pleasantly surprised to learn the powerful editing features built into this program. Become proficient at them all, including:


* page layout,

* use and control of styles,

* citation insertion,

* footnote formatting,

* setting up a Bibliography

* tagging headings and subheadings to create a Table of Contents,

* inserting graphs, tables, charts and images,

* inserting headers and footers,

* editing markups,

* and so much more.

GRAMMAR/USAGE MANUAL

It is deplorable to see and to hear how allegedly educated people slaughter the English language, both in their writing and their speech. We see and hear it daily, in newspapers, magazines, on the nightly news, and on talk shows. As Henry Higgins in "My Fair Lady" so disdainfully claimed, "Why, in America, they haven't spoken it (the English language) for years!"

Again, there is a plethora of tools available to you as a proofreader. For starters, I would recommend The McGraw Hill Handbook of English Grammar and Usage, or Handbook of English Grammar, Style and Writing, published by the Research and Education Association.

And again, you might want to keep handy copies of two Quick Study Guides - English Grammar and Punctuation and Common Misspelled and Confused Words.

So … you've been using MS Word for years, in college and grad school you slept with the MLA and APA manuals under your pillow, and you're smarter than a 5th grader when it comes to ferreting out mechanical errors in language usage. Then most of the hard work is already done! Go ahead and prove it by proofing!

Now that you're ready to become the web's pre-eminent proofreader, let's explore all the opportunities waiting for you to begin earning cash for your expertise. Part II will unlock the myriad needs for proofreader services, and here's where you begin your work!

About the Author

Dr. Carolee Duckworth is an online work expert, earning her own living online for 12 years & teaching 1000s of others how. She designed and initiated College-Online.com--providing significant work advancement for tens of thousands of working adults since 1996.

Learn how to prepare yourself for and find Proofreading Jobs starting with her FREE e-course and her downloadable eBook, "The Definitive Webworker's Guide: 35 Secrets of How to Work Online and Earn Money", both available at http://www.WorkOnlineandEarn.com

How to Become a Better Writer and Improve Your Writing Skills

How to Become a Better Writer and Improve Your Writing Skills by Mike Hugs

I've been writing most of my life, ever since the yearning to become a writer crept into my consciousness when I was about ten years old. I won't claim to be a great writer, yet I know without doubt, my writing has steadily improved over the years. And, so can yours. If you too have a desire to become a better writer, continue reading.

Instructions
1
Write: If you wanted to become a great runner, you would run. If you wanted to become a great painter, you would paint. If you wanted to become a great golfer, you would golf. You get the idea. Write every day, even if it is an essay about how you have no idea what you will write that day.
2
Read: Reading articles online is great, after all, you are reading this. Yet, your literary consumption should not be limited to the internet Anyone can publish online. Hey, I just have, haven't I? Which means, just because an article is published online, doesn't guarantee it is a fine example of literary form, grammar or style. Seek out some good old fashioned books, which have long been acknowledged as samples of good literature. There is this place called a library, and they let you borrow books for free! :-)
3
Take writing classes: If you are already in school, enroll in some writing courses. If you've long since left the classroom, consider enrolling in a writing class at your local community college.
4
Join a writing club: Many communities have writing clubs, where members get together on a regular basis and share their work, offer critiques and give support to their fellow wordsmiths.
5
Join an online writing forum: There are many writing forums where writers help writers to improve their work. But, if you are sensitive, you may want to gain a bit of confidence before jumping in. Forum members can be excessively blunt in their responses, and at times, cruel.
6
Use a word processor: If you use a word processor when you write, you can also make use of all its cool gadgets, like spell check, grammar check and the thesaurus. When I was in college there were no personal computers, and all the writing assignments were prepared on the old fashioned typewriter. If a sentence needed to be reworked, it meant re-typing an entire page. Not fun. With a word processor, a writer can move paragraphs, pages, words, with minimal effort.
7
Read your work out loud: Always read your work out loud. It will help you catch awkward phrases, and other errors that silent reading will miss.
8
Use Microsoft Reader to read your work: If you have a version of Microsoft Word, prior to Word 2007, you can download the free Microsoft Reader, and the free add on (which allows you to create Microsoft Reader documents). When you save your document in Word, you can easily create a Microsoft Reader document, and use its audible feature to read the words back to you. Unlike a human, the robot-like computer voice will not miss words, and will catch many mistakes that you have missed.
9
Blog: It is easy, quick and free to start a blog. You can do it at Google's Blogger. Choose a subject you are passionate about, and blogging will help you practice your writing skills, and maybe, get some feedback from readers.
10
Brush up on your grammar: Everyone, even college graduates, can benefit from a grammar brush up. There are several legitimate websites that offer free tutorials to help you "remember" some of those grammar rules you learned in school.
11
Write what you know: That says it all.
12
Become a content contributor: Contribute at various articles site or many of the other websites that solicit work from freelance writers. It isn't about the money (which is minimal), but it does provide experience and feedback.
13
Leave text speak for your cell phone. Don't substitute U for You.
REFERENCE:
101 Ways To Power Up Your Writing

101 powerful writing methods you'll learn in this 132 page e book: 2 golden rules of copy writing. 2 methods to capture the essence of an issue. 2 structural elements your copy must have to sell anything. 3 methods to eliminate adverbs.... Read More on http://easywritters.blogspot.com

Great Creative Writing Tips . Six Ways to Turn Your Good Writing into Great Writing
a creative writing technique ebook created by author and editor esther susan heller. Six Tips to Turn Your Good Writing into Great Writing Great Creative Writing By Esther Susan Heller Published by Creative Solutions Press © 2007 Do you love to... read more http://easywritters.blogspot.com

About the Author

I am a creative writer with years of experience writing for top article site and also render help on good writing skills to know more about me and other great articles and writing skills visit my blog on http://easywritters.blogspot.com

Outlining software (for writers)

Outlining software (for writers) by Christopher Warren Dean

As writers, some of us tend to prefer doing things the old-fashioned way, while many of us enjoy the use of modern tools like computers. For the latter, I'd like to share with you the software applications that I've used over the years to assist with outlining my stories. Each program has it's strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, the tool of choice is definitely one of personal preference. It should complement your particular style for story structure, scene and character development.

Some of these tools include additional functionality beyond those of outlining. I'll note the additional functionality where appropriate. I'll also note the operating system as well.

Here's what I've used:


* yWriter 5 (text editor, notes) (Windows, Linux using mono)

* Writer's Cafe (text editor, scrapbook, names) (Windows, Linux, Mac)

* PageFour (text editor) (Windows)

* WhizFolders Organizer Deluxe (Windows)

* Liquid Story Binder XE (text editor, notes, galleries, mindmaps) (Windows)

* WriteItNow (text editor, notes, ideas, submissions) (Windows, Mac)

* ActionOutline (Windows)

* Scrivener (text editor, notes) (Mac, Windows (in beta))

As I said, all of these tools have merit. Check them out and use the one that works best for you.

My personal favorite is yWriter (http://www.spacejock.com/yWriter5.html). It does a fantastic job of allowing various ways to structure your story (chapter/scene, act/scene, etc); keeps notes yWriter5by project and by scene; define characters, items and locations; and define goals for each scene. Additionally, you can specify scene attributes, such as type of scene, ratings (relevance, tension, humor, quality), tags, status, time duration and other attributes. Everything is nicely packaged in one tool. I can even associate images with characters and locations. And it is all FREE. The programmer for yWriter is a published author and uses yWriter to write his own novels.

I have to say that I also like Scrivener (http://www.literatureandlatte.com/index.php) very much, and now that a Windows version is on the horizon, I'm looking forward to checking it out again. I use additional tools for storyforming, timelines, maps, etc and needed to move from Mac to Windows. The one tool I missed from the Mac was Scrivener.

I'm sure that I've missed other notable software programs for Outlining. If you have found a particular outlining program useful, please drop me a comment and let me know.

I'll discuss the various storyforming tools that I've used in a future post.

About the Author

Christopher Warren Dean was born in California, grew up in many of the western states and ultimately found his home in Washington State with his wife and two lovable dogs. He holds a B.A. from Washington State University and works in Information Technology managing data integration solutions. When he's not working or with his family, Christopher is busy writing, reading, taking photographs and playing golf or computer games.

You can find him at http://www.landsofguir.com

How to write a critical text

How to write a critical text by John Zwigon

Vital text and other producing documents are typical prerequisites that you need to complete and submit as piece of your pupil teaching. These producing tasks are meant to establish crucial techniques within just you, this kind of as the capability to generalize or to particularize. All these techniques could assist enhance your worth on the task marketplace in the potential. Through composing such documents, you will find out to display your individual strategy to a specified problem and establish your objective evaluation. As you deal with the tasks of completing a amount of papers, you will carry out the critic in you in viewing diverse facets of actuality.

When going by means of the components presented for you to evaluate you could both concur to the suggestions conveyed by the author or you may well also vary. Often, you also might agree mostly with their statement yet may disapprove with the evidence/s offered. It does not actually matter to regardless of whether you concur or disagree, you will need to keep objective to the subject you of your study. You must continue being objective about the concerns and depict the points provided as neutraly as probable.

Objective criticism is a crucial piece of any vital essay. The essay structure should have these components:

1) A brief introduction which consists of the thesis statement

two) The most important entire body that is made up of all the key points, arguments, or evidences applicable to the subject and

three) a Summary paragraph.

What ever aspect you take or individual point of see you might have, you must assistance your statements by credible proof and coherent string of information. You may well help or disagree with the statements furnished in the preliminary materials, but you ought to don't forget to back again every an individual of your information up with reliable evidence. The way to put your arguments is an critical part of your composed assignment.

It is not only in the vital essay, in which you are necessary to existing coherent and logical outline of details. This is also extremely important when composing argumentative essays. It is a standard observation that college students tend to contemplate a straightforward statement of a truth a essential motivator to alter the view of a reader. This is not always legitimate all the time, if you consider a nearer search. The arguments or stands that you existing really should be very carefully structured and each and every actuality state need to also be backed up by a trustworthy source of information and facts. Details do not simply just appear from thin air, these are taken from details sources that you will analyze.

If you are given a option, pick out a subject that you are familiar with. Stay away from, if probable subjects that have no known accessible substance. Also, it would be better if you continue to keep off from the discussions of the recent social problems if you are not essential to do so. These include things like subjects on subjects that seem on the news pretty a short while ago. It might be really complicated to discover a trustworthy resource if there are hundreds of differing views and none of them is supported by sound evidence.

About the Author

John Zwigon is an engineer in programming, he masters C/C++ and .NET Framework. He is also webmaster of the web et seo blog. In complement of this article on critical text, you may check an example at comment monetiser son blog.

How Do I Acquire Urgent Translation Services With A Tight Deadline?

How Do I Acquire Urgent Translation Services With A Tight Deadline? by Partha

Some time or the other, you could find that you are faced with a tight deadline and you need some translation done very urgently. While this will not pose a problem if you have in-house translators, if you do not have a translator on hand and you generally freelance out your translation work, this could put you in a fix.

Is it possible to acquire urgent translation services when you have a short deadline? More importantly, how reliable are translation services that are undertaken at short notice and completed within record time? Sure, you want your documents translated as soon as possible but you also want them to be translated with minimum or better still, zero errors.

The answer is yes, it is possible to find reliable urgent translation services; however, there are a few caveats that you should be aware of.

How To Ensure High Quality And Fast Translations Without Errors

The first thing you should do when seeking out urgent service is to carefully select the freelance translator or company whom you wish to have the translation done by. You want to find a service that has earned a reputation for doing high quality translations despite tight deadlines.

When seeking out these quick services you should make sure that the company or freelancer that you choose is one hundred percent reliable and responsible. Ask for some references and cross check with them so you can remain confident that when you hand your project over to them they will have the translation done by the deadline you have set up. No matter how emphatically they guarantee getting your work done on time, never ever get your urgent translation done by anybody if you cannot establish their reliability or worse still, if you receive negative feedback about their services. Not getting your document on time could cost you big time!

How do Company's Manage to Provide Urgent Translations?

Typically, a 6,000 to 10,000 word translation could take up to 4 business days to complete. When a company that offers urgent translation services receives a translation project like this, they will generally split it up into sections and assign each of these sections to individual translators. This way they can ensure that your quick translation is completed within the deadline that you have set up. There are some translation specialists that will even offer to get the job done in less than 24 hours where the normal period would be 3-4 days.

Keep in mind that you will be required to pay a higher fee for this speedy turnaround time

A Simple Trick for Fast Translations

One way to ensure that you always get reliable and accurate translations even when they are urgent is to make note of the company or individual that you have used before and whose services you were pleased with. If you forge a relationship with these companies or individuals, they will generally go out of their way to assist you when you find yourself in a tight situation wherein you need urgent translation services.

About the Author

Spanish Translation Company SETranslations offers a Professional Language Translation Service to an ever increasing client base. Urgent translation specialists.

Ghostwriting in Music: I Write The Songs That Make The Young Girls Cry For Somebody Else

Ghostwriting in Music: I Write The Songs That Make The Young Girls Cry For Somebody Else by Joe Ditzel

Did you know that Mozart was a ghostwriter? He used to ghost write music for the wealthy patrons of the arts. There is a long history of ghostwriting and music. In 1939 Patrick Standford was a ghostwriter for various symphonies and films.

In the movie business, music ghostwriting is fairly secretive. It is considered unethical by many people but it is very common. In the very early days of movies, a composer named David Raskin worked as a music ghostwriter for Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin was credited as the score writer.

In pop music, musical ghostwriting is also a factor. At times an experienced songwriter is brought in to help with either inexperienced songwriters, or somebody that may be suffering from writer's block. Sometimes a ghost writer will write lyrics and music in the style of a musician and still get little or no input from the person credited on the music sheet. Sometimes a ghost writer is credited as an associate or similar innocuous term.

More commonly, they just do not appear anywhere-they are a true ghost. Sometimes legal action takes place when a musical ghost writer tries to claim royalties- usually after song becomes a hit. Sarah McLachlan got into a dispute with a musician who claimed that he had a significant contribution to her debut album, "Touch."

In hip-hop, ghostwriting is growing every year. In fact, it does lead to some controversy. Purists do not like it, and point to the use of it as an example of "bad capitalism." This is because of the perception of rapping as "expressing yourself" and that writing for someone else is not pure "self-expression." Some rappers like Chuck D of Public Enemy, Inc. think that is a mistaken view because not everyone is a gifted lyricist and not everyone is equipped to be a vocalist. He says a rap song may require more talents than a single person has.

Most ghost writers have confidentiality clauses, or they might appear in the liner notes, and in some cases they are allowed to discuss their participation out the open. You might see a credit in the liner notes for "vocal arrangement," which might mean it was a ghostwriter. A few years ago there were hip-hop ghostwriting services which appeared online, and provided artists with rhymes for free.

Ghostwriting has a long tradition in music, from Mozart to today's hottest rappers. As long as the song is a hit, the person that penned it will have a job.

About the Author

Joe Ditzel is a ghostwriter, SEO consultant, and really bad golfer. His articles on ghostwriting can be found at http://www.joeghostwriter.com.

3 Common Myths About Getting Published

3 Common Myths About Getting Published by Thomas Ajava

Publishing can be quite a mysterious process to wannabe authors as there are so few who do get published. The majority of authors, especially first time authors never see their work go to print on a book. There are some common misconceptions or myths about publishing that are responsible for many an author to have given up on their publishing goals.

This article will go over the 3 most common myths about getting published

Myth 1 - An author needs a copyright of their work: Many budding authors wrongly think that they need to copyright their work before publishing it. The fact of the matter is that a copyright will probably do you more harm than good. Unless you intend to self publish your book, do not copyright it. The reason is because editors who see a copyright on your work will instantly get the vibe that you do not trust them. You have to remember that thousands of people line up their work for review to these publishers and publishing houses would much rather work for someone who trusts them. A copyright can also be detrimental to you as it will be time stamped. Let us say you get a copyright today and are unable to publish your book for a couple of years. When a reviewer looks at it, he or she will know that it has been around for 2 whole years without getting published. This again does not provide the best of vibes about your work.

Myth 2 - You have to know someone in the publishing field: People who come up with this excuse are most probably those who give up quite easily in life. You have to understand that every author, even the ones making millions now were new authors at some point in their life. Not everyone has a chance to know someone although a good recommendation can definitely do a lot of wonders for you. Publishing your book will take a lion hearted effort on your part. You will need to be persistent and take rejections in your stride. Also, if you do not hear back from a publishing house, it does not necessarily mean that they have rejected your manuscript. It could just be that they never had the time to look at it and will probably never have time in the future as well. You just need to play the numbers game and try as many publishers as you can.

Myth 3 - It takes a lot of money to publish: All it will take for you to publish your work are the mailing cost to mail your manuscript to a potential publisher. In fact, the publisher will pay you a certain sum to obtain rights to publish your book. If you see publishers or agents who charge your money for their services, they are most likely a scam that you should avoid.

The subject of getting published is surrounded with much mystery. Don't get overwhelmed by things that don't really stand in your way.

About the Author

Thomas Ajava writes for BookPublishingHouses.com - find information on book publishing houses.

Dialogue Mechanics: Effective Ways to Improve Your Dialogue

Dialogue Mechanics: Effective Ways to Improve Your Dialogue by Darian Wilk

When it comes to dialogue, there are several things to look for that can help a writer clean it up, make it sharper and more professional. So let's take a look at what some of those things are as you edit your manuscript.

First, check your dialogue for explanations, meaning, "You can't be serious," she said in astonishment. One of the easiest ways to make your dialogue have punch and show the professionalism you're looking for is to "Resist the urge to explain". There are a couple things that can go wrong when we try to explain dialogue. One is that it may feel as if we're talking down to a reader.

"What the hell do you mean I can't explain, that means hours of editing!" the writer said in frustration.

By the line of dialogue, we can tell the writer is probably frustrated. So when the line of dialogue shows the frustration, adding the bit of 'the writer said in frustration' is the same as saying to the reader "You see, got that? He's frustrated, do you see it?" If the dialogue is written well, there's no need for the explanation of frustrated, astonished, bewildered, because it's all there in the dialogue. Read through your dialogue and mark every place an emotion is mentioned outside of dialogue. It may take a bit of time to rewrite those sections of dialogue to show the emotion, rather than explain it, but in the end it will have the sharpness you're looking for.

Another thing that can go wrong when we try to explain our dialogue is that it can create a very subtle awkwardness between our dialogue and the emotion. As with the first example, "You can't be serious," she said in astonishment. The phrase 'you can't be serious' doesn't really show astonishment, if anything it feels a bit flat. But then we say that she is astonished. The words don't quite jive with the emotion we're saying she's having. If an explanation is used (which it rarely should be), it should match the dialogue. "Dude, that's so radical!" he said in amazement. There, the dialogue matches the emotion.

As you read through your sections of dialogue, try cutting out the explanations and see how it reads without them. Does it read better? Worse? If it reads worse, it's probably time to start rewriting your dialogue, because it should convey the emotion without having to outright say the emotion. The flow of the scene shouldn't have to be stopped to make sure the reader 'got' it…"See, she's astonished, you got it?"

Another thing to watch for, as long as you've got your highlighter out and marking your dialogue, is to mark all of your adverbs. Sure I have to resist the urge to use them, and I don't believe they should be stricken from writing completely, but they should be minimal. It's taking the easy way out. Instead of taking the extra bit of time to show the reader, we wrap it up in a nice little -ly word. The right road is never the easy road, so put in the extra couple of minutes and rework your -ly sentences.

Something else to be mindful of in your dialogue, are the pesky physical impossibilities. "You're such a heartless bastard," she snarled. Have you ever tried to talk, while snarling? Go ahead, give it a whirl. Start snarling, and see if you can talk. I'm sure you'll get a good laugh out of trying to do it, but odds are you won't get a full sentence out. Now sometimes, if I'm trying to reach my word quota for the day, I'll drop in these little impossibilities like "he seethed" for the sake of trying to get the scene on paper. But as I edit, those little buggers come out, because I don't know about you, but I can't argue with my husband while hissing, seething or snarling. I just plain yell.

Before we become comfortable in our writers skin, when we look at our sections of dialogue and see all the "she said" we might cringe. When you're writing, it might feel wrong to have a page full of saids, so we mix it up with a little 'screamed' or 'panted' maybe…but that doesn't sit very well with most editors and agents. And chances are, you'll end up seeing your 'screamed' on the chopping block. The occasional 'he replied' or 'she answered' is used, but more often than not, the most unobtrusive option is 'said'. But that doesn't mean taking out your screamed and panted will give you sections of dialogue like this:

"I can't make it tomorrow," he said.
"But you promised the kids," she said.
"They bumped the presentation, what do you want me to do about it?" he said.

If you're afraid of a sting of 'said', try cutting out some of your speaker attributions altogether and see how the dialogue reads. Can you still tell who is saying what? Does the scene still flow? Another option is to use them in a few beats (or just use beats), you'll skim right over the 'said' and avoid a page full of straight dialogue.

"I can't make it tomorrow," he said.
She dropped the bag of groceries on the table. "But you promised the kids."
"They bumped the presentation, what do you want me to do about it?"

Now of course this isn't the best string of dialogue, but you should get the point. In this second option we've put in a quick beat to show the woman's agitation and managed to cut out two speaker attributions, but you can still feel the tension of the scene.

The last thing to check for, is to make sure you're referring to the characters the same way throughout the manuscript. If you call him Edward in chapter two, then call him Eddie in chapter six, switch to Ed later and then jump back to Edward, it gets kind of confusing and jarring. Make sure you refer to them the same way throughout, with their proper names and nicknames.

I am no expert on the matter and don't claim to be one, this is just what I have learned along the way. And if you pick up a few of your favorite books and skim the dialogue, you'll see what I'm talking about. Well folks, happy editing!

About the Author

Darian Wilk is a freelance writer, specializing in women's fiction, chic lit and romance novels. She is currently seeking agent representation for her novel Unfinished Love, and is in the process of writing Goodbye Charlie. She has a blog which covers not only her journey to publication, but advice, tips and useful tools for writers off all genres. Darian is always excited to gain new followers and comments for topic suggestions. Please go to http://crazyladywithapen.blogspot.com/ to read the latest post, or visit the Darian Wilk Fan Page here http://www.facebook.com/pages/Darian-Wilk-Fan-Page/154692967912957

Starting A Freelance Writing Portfolio

Starting A Freelance Writing Portfolio by John Topping

If you are new to freelance writing it is important to start a portfolio of your work to show editors. The portfolio of your work should be in three forms. A hard copy, a website or blog and in email-able form.
The hard copy of your work can simply be clips from newspapers and magazines that have published your work. Arrange the clips in a binder or folder with separate pages for each article. As well as the clip of the article also include the following information.
- The name and date of the magazine or newspaper the clip appears in.
- The name, phone number and email of the editor who hired you.
- The rights that were sold with the piece.
- How many words the piece is.
- Prints or photocopies of any photos.
The hard copy of your work is handy to show new editors after you have arranged to have an appointment with them.

A website or blog should showcase your work in electronic format. Simply scan clips of your work and put them on your website or blog. Don't forget to add the same information about your clips as you did with the hard copy portfolio. Personally, I prefer using a blog as opposed to a webisite as it is more user friendly. A blog is very easy to edit and update. The main advantage of websites and blogs is that they can be accessed from anywhere in the world. This is handy if you are dealing with interstate or overseas editors.

An email-able form of your portfolio is simply copies of your articles in Word or PDF format. The text and photos of your published articles as well as the same relevant information provided in your hard copy version are saved in a Word or PDF document. This can easily be emailed to editors located anywhere.

If you are just starting out and have not had any of your work published in magazines or newspapers, just make up portfolios of your articles that you have completed in your studies or courses. Use only the best examples of your work. Try to go for quality not quantity.

Remember your portfolio is your calling card and the best way to market your services. If editors like what they see it increases chances of them hiring you. The more marketing of your services you do, the more you increase the chances of you getting work.

About the Author

John Topping: For Free Reports On Writing, Publishing and Internet Marketing. http://www.blog.freereportsforyou.com

Stephanie Plum Lucky

Stephanie Plum Lucky by James Southland

Seventeen novels, four novellas, and Janet Evanovich's bounty hunter Stephanie Plum appears to have surpassed her predecessors, Sara Peretsky's V.I. Warshawski and Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone, in popularity. Why? Here's a look at how Evanovich gained leverage on her more established competitors.

Stephanie Plum Lucky

And that's not just referring to the novella "Plum Lucky," one of author Janet Evanovich's four "Between-the-Numbers" holiday-themed books featuring her titular lead character, ersatz bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum.

The Triumvirate: Stephanie Plum, V.I. Warshawski and Kinsey Millhone

Evanovich, who was first a mass-market romance fiction novelist, introduced Plum in the first in the "Numbers" series, "One for The Money," in 1995, a good 13 years after established mystery writer Sara Peretsky introduced her P.I. V.I. Warshawski and Sue Grafton introduced her P.I. Kinsey Millhone. Yet, by June 2011, Evanovich will have 21 published books to her name, all featuring Plum, who clearly comes from the "school" of her predecessors.

Why, then, has Evanovich been so comparatively prolific? Why have her all her books all been bestsellers? There may not be a formula for the successful American female P.I. but there are clearly links.

Marcia Muller's Sharon Mccone

Worth a minor mention in this model is Marcia Muller's San Francisco Bay-based Sharon McCone - while Muller's first McCone story, "Edwin of the Ironshoes," was written in 1977, the second was written in 1982 - the year Warshawski and Millhone were introduced. There have been 27 McCone mystery novels and 22 short stories since; putting her on par with Paretsky and Grafton, but her books don't sell quite as well as theirs - or Evanovich, for that matter. McCone, despite a rocky romantic start, is happily married. Still, for the purposes of this piece, we'll focus on Plum, Warshawski and Millhone.

Not The Same, But Alike

Still, there are common threads: Plum 5'7 125-130 lbs.; Millhone 5'6 118; Warshawski (and even McCone) are all brunettes, slender, athletic, despite their diets.

Favored Foods: None are even remotely health conscious. Warshawski loves greasy breakfasts and Polish Sausage sandwiches. Millhone is always eating peanut butter and pickle sandwiches. Plum loves her peanut butter and olive sandwiches (although she's been known to also eat peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiches, too). Millhone and Warshawski are runners.

Dress Code: Plum, Millhone and Warshawski are repeatedly described in ways that indicate they dress for function, not fashion. If there's a uniform this American P.I.s don it's t-shirts or sweatshirts, jeans and sneakers. They all have a "go-to" outfit when they have to "dress up." (The fact Millhone cuts her hair with manicure scissors is a conceit Grafton mentions in every book.)

Romantic Liasons

All are independent women, living alone, by choice. Warshawski was married once, as a young woman, for 18 months - and her marriage pre-dates the novels. Millhone was married twice, also short-lived, and also pre-series.

Plum states she was "married for 10 minutes," in one book and "15 minutes" in another. She was divorced by 24, again pre-novels. At press time, despite having romantic liaisons - Millhone and Plum with steadier alliances - none are married. Millhone's and Plum's ex-husbands make appearances in a story. Warshawski's ex-husband was named Dick. Plum's was Dickie.

Age Relations

Both Millhone (May 5) and Warshawski (July 27) are given a birth year: 1950. Plum's is October 12. The year's not given, but Plum is 30 and that doesn't seemed to have changed since 1995.

Parental Units

Millhone's and Warshawski's parents are both dead. Plum is a frequent visitor to her parents' house (whose home includes her rascal-y funeral-home loving grandmother, Grandma Mazur). Plum often bums meals off her mom, who also resolutely does her laundry.

Smarts

While Warshawski received a university athletic scholarship, Millhone and Plum were undistinguished in high school. In "Seven Up," Plum says she "graduated in the top 98% of her college class."

Dwellings

All women live alone in an apartment. Millhone and Warshawski have close friendships with their elderly (men) landlords.

Locales

Plum's stories are set in her hometown Chambersburg aka "The Burg" in Trenton, New Jersey. Warshawski's are set in Chicago, Illinois and Millhone's in 1980s Santa Teresa (a fictionalized Santa Barbara Calif.)

On Screen

Plum's story is already being made into a feature film, starring Katherine Heigel as Stephanie Plum and Jason O'Mara as her on-and-off again cop beau, Joe Morelli. "The View's" Sherri Shepard plays Lula. Film rights were sold on the Plum series in 1993, even before it was published

Grafton has held very firmly to Millhone and has not sold the rights to the series. After poor box-office results, Kathleen Turner's "V.I. Warshawski" was the only film made from the series (it was purchased by her as a franchise).

Plum-ing the Depths

Evanovich borrows much - oftentimes too much - from her background as a romance writer. If she were Wendy Markham (aka Wendy Corsi Straub), Plum would be married to her childhood/adolescent still-in-her-life beau Joe Morelli. As is, she's been on-and-off with him for the last 16 novels. The proverbial "other guy," "Ranger" is standard-issue romance hero - mysterious, muscle-y, a Latino James Bond.

In "Three to Get Deadly," he's described as Black hair in a ponytail, dressed in black and khaki. Washboard abs, cast-iron biceps, and reflexes of a rattler. He's also super-rich, origins are unknown.

The triangle between Plum, Morelli and Ranger has worn thin, and fans on forums agree. Plum's indecisiveness regarding the two men - both are rather two-dimensional - is tedious. And this may explain why Millhone had a couple of potentially serious relationships that ended and Grafton had her move on.

While she is not a P.I., but a newspaper editor, Mary Daheim's Emma Lord (The Alpine Mysteries, also alphabetical in title) had an entire arc of a relationship throughout the books. Without divulging a spoiler, while it was a tragic situation, it gave the relationship depth and movement.

Evanovich's stories are very - very - light. In her bounty-hunter role, Plum traces "skips," she's admittedly not very good at it (Ranger is always rescuing her) and there is one main "mystery" (and almost always not a very complicated one) to be solved.

Because the stories are light and laden with heavy-handed humor, they're also slight and a quick read. It may be fair to say that 2.5 Evanovich's books will take the same amount of time to read one Paretsky or Grafton.

Humor is at the center of Evanovich's storytelling and this is where she veers dramatically from Grafton and Warshawski (they're not without humor, but it's about one million times more subtle).

Since the introduction of former "'ho" Lula in "One for the Money," much of Evanovich's "humor" is the result of forced means. Lula, a Size 16 who wears a spandex Size 8, is always on the lookout for a doughnut or fried chicken, her boobs are always "accidentally" popping out, and she is constantly farting.

The Plum holiday-themed "Between-the-Numbers" books are now finished, since Evanovich has given the male lead in those stories, Diesel, his own series; starting with the recent "Wicked Appetite." Diesel has some kind of supernatural/magical powers, but is very similar to recurring new-agey hippy-dippy Mooner -- who appears in the numbers books -- a pothead former classmate of Plum's and Morelli's.

All the men in the novels are constantly leering at Plum. This is not to say the books are not readable - they are. But these are not the kind of books you take for a one-month around-the-world books, unless you're reading the entire series. These books are more like a Los Angeles-Dallas plane-ride read. They're slight tomes, and there is inherent humor in them, but don't look at Evanovich's Plum series for suspenseful mysteries - that's not how they're intended.

About the Author

James is an avid reader who also loves spending time outdoors in his gardens. He plants a large variety of tomato plants, and uses tomato cages to support them and keep them disease free.