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.

Ebook Title: List For Increasing Sales With A Killer Title

Ebook Title: List For Increasing Sales With A Killer Title by Scott Boyd

Authors often spend all their effort on creating compelling and valuable information for their content, but what about the ebook title? This is the single most important sentence you will create, and if done properly it can generate several hundred percent increase in sales. The ebook title must:

Grab the reader's attention. Try to make the reader's eyebrow touch his or her forehead (wow factor).

Make it so compelling that people absolutely must learn more about your offering.

Start with your primary keyword. If you are sell ebook or physical books they will be for sale on the Internet, so you need to identify your most important keyword to target. For example, if you selected longer drives as your primary keyword you may want to consider Longer Drives: Increase Your Drives to 400 Yards in 7 Days.

Provide a compelling solution to a problem.

If possible, include other related keywords in your title. Sales on Amazon, Clickbank, and your own website can be boosted by several hundred percent with the right keyword combination. There are plenty of free keyword tools available on the Internet that can be found with a quick search.

Make certain you are targeting people that are likely to purchase your product. There is nothing worse than attracting lots of attention and end up with few sales because you only found the tire kickers and information gathers, not the serious potential buyers.

Confirm that your finished product is easy for the potential buyer to say. Often savvy authors spend considerable time and effort developing a search engine friendly title but fail to pass the "roll off the tongue test".

Include a subtitle. The subtitle should be long and filled with keywords to generate traffic to Amazon, Clickbank, your website and other sites where your book is for sale. Most Internet surfers will decide to investigate further based on the title itself, so the subtitle can be more focused on attracting the search engines rather than customers.

Use keywords in chapter titles when possible and include the chapter listing on websites to gain more traffic through search engines.

The goal is to generate as many sales as possible and the more often you self publish your own work the more productive and quicker you will become at creating information that you can sell electronically, or even in physical format. Once you have a product in electronic format it is easy to convert and self publish with print on demand services to greatly increase your revenue.

About the Author

FREE guide that will walk you through writing, selling, and publishing so you can start watching the cash roll in a month from today. Click write ebooks business to get your free copy now.

Looking for a complete step by step guide to walk you through each step from finding a profitable topic to converting your ebook to physical book and selling globally? Download free at write & sell ebooks

Writing Made Easy - How to Find a Quality Ghost Writer

Writing Made Easy - How to Find a Quality Ghost Writer by Samantha Pearce

I suppose the first thing to consider before you choose a ghost writer is whether this absolutely is the option that you want to pursue. Once you have assured yourself of this, then you can get down to the serious business of finding one!

Well, there are thousands to choose from which may make the task seem daunting. However, you can limit your search by having some criteria that need to be met. Choosing a ghost writer is no different to choosing a car, a house or any other commodity. After all, you are about to trust this person with your story which, of course, is very personal to you. Some of the main outcomes that you should be looking for in your partnership are effective skill writing, quality, professionalism, geography, personality and of course, cost!

Before you start to look, it is important that you are clear about what your project is! This may seem obvious; however, if you are not clear about the project, you will be unable to convey this to a potential ghost writer. This could lead to you choosing the wrong ghost writer for you and delaying your project. The more clearly your project is defined, the easier it will be to find the right one for you.

There are a couple of points to consider when defining your project:
· Do you have clearly defined timescales?
· Are the deadlines reasonable?
· Is the topic clearly defined?
· Do you have a word count in mind?

Let's look at the points we mentioned earlier in more detail.

Effective skill writing
It is recommended that you spend some time researching the skill of your prospective ghost writer. But how do you know who that is? Something you can look for is experience and a 'proven track record'. So, there are some ways you can establish experience. You should be looking for a ghost writer who has undertaken projects similar to yours in the past. You can ask for samples of their writing, but bear in mind that there are confidentiality issues associated with this. You could ask for references from other customers. Check out their website; this will give you an idea of their style. Any prospective ghost writer should be happy to provide you with examples and references. A skillful ghost writer will be able to adapt to the style you want as long as you are clear about what this is!

Quality
You can check out the quality of your potential ghost writer by reading samples of their work. This doesn't have to be samples of other ghost writing, it can be any style of writing. Again, you can look out for quality on their website.

Professionalism
It is important that the person you choose is professional. You can establish their level of professionalism in your interactions with them either by phone, face to face or via e-mail. You should also be able to get a sense of their professionalism from their website.

Geography
Geography may play some part in your final decision about who you choose. However, in this day and age the many different methods of communication mean that there are several ways to interact with your ghost writer. Initially the most effective way to start a ghost writing project is face-to-face. It is recommended that you have at least one meeting in person. This is as much for your prospective ghost writer as for you. They will want to get a sense of you, your personality, your style and your voice. Some other ways of meeting are by telephone, Skype calls, video-conferencing and e-mail. Whichever option you choose, bear in mind the cost!

Personality
You are about to bare your soul, so to speak, by allowing someone else to take your story, albeit with your input, and transform it into that book you have always dreamed about. Therefore, you should not underestimate the value and importance of getting on with, and having a good relationship with your ghost writer. You need to trust your ghost writer and like them if your project is going to be successful. As before, you can get some understanding of their personality by reading through some of their work and perhaps by their profile on their website.

Cost
For many, this may be the deciding or limiting factor to moving forward with your ghost writing project. Ghost writing can be expensive, but it is important to remember what the benefits of this undertaking can be. It may be that without a ghost writer, you may never have the time, discipline or skill to get your project off the ground, let alone realize the finished product. It is important to do a price comparison, but also to be absolutely clear about what you get for your money. This way you can be sure you are getting value for money and quality.

Most important of all is that you choose a writer who will help you realize your dream, meet your requirements and help you deliver a high quality end product.

About the Author

When you are ready to engage your UK Ghost Writer, take a look at what Words Worth Reading can offer.

Content Writing- 5 Tips to regroup the basics of content writing

Content Writing- 5 Tips to regroup the basics of content writing by ContentDevelopmentPros



If you are looking to be a professional content writer and if you want your readers to jump on their seats, then try to regroup all the basic contents of content writing. This can help you in producing some effectual content for your readers. Here are some other tips which can enhance your skills of content writing:
Writing is an art, but the portrait of an art succeeds if it engrosses the observer's mind. The first and the very basic tip of writing is to write something which is found to be attractive by its reader. Try to go deep into the reader's mind. You can do it by searching the answers of some simple questions. Who is going to read it? What purpose it will be read? By getting the answers, you will be able to draw a verbal sketch of people's concern. If your material is according to the sketch of the people, it will definitely prove its way to success but if not it can also become a sign of ignorance. Try to commemorate the interest of the people, if you want yourself to be called as a wise writer.
Second most important thing in content writing is relevancy. Try to work on the topics which are ideal among the readers. The material should be relevant and in a perfect direction with its description. This will help the readers to easily understand what you are trying to say. When choosing the topics try to use the material which defines the nature of the topic. Irrelevancy of material causes disintegration and the integrity of the idea is lost. This can bring hurdles in your profession, as no one will bother to buy your stuff for any of the purpose.
From a good writer's perspective, formatting and pictorial representation is very important to make your content successful. Try to go with some décor in your content. You can do this by using the outline and borders. Try to work on good positioning of the headings and sub headings; this will make the task easier for you. Good placement of the headings gives a good pictorial definition to your content. Try to place the material according to the heading. It is the same like indexing your content. If the index is well adjusted it will prove to be non-hectic for the readers.
If you are writing for a website, try to go easy with your content. Words that are easy to understand are sounder for the web-readers. Try to go with plain material that can easily be understood. By this you will be pleased and admired as the people have got all the related information which they want to have.
Requirement is very important for any writer. It is the main model or an objective to be achieved. If you focus on the requirement of the client, you can estimate that how you are going to format and produce your content. Try to know all the details and requirements of the project, in order to avoid the errors in the future.
If you are going to become a professional content writer, try to adapt all these basic principles. It can help you in developing a good career in the writing field.

About the Author

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Choosing your career start-Go for Content Writing

Choosing your career start-Go for Content Writing by ContentDevelopmentPros



Today we often come to see that people are vigorous about getting new information all the time. When any latest news is broken in, people are hungry to catch the highlight. They always wait for some quick updates and this has become a usual requirement of their lives. They know that information is the treasure of today's world, and for this reason they rush in all of the gates where they can find it in lots.

For getting information, people find internet to be a vital source of provision. But the other side is a little different, as you find thousand of websites on just one click. Because of the emerging of the certain paranoia, people find very difficult to get the exact thing which they have conceived about.

The website which is on the success stories is just because of the material it provides. A good website is always interlinked with the people's interest. The reason of their eye catching material is that they have the quality content obtained from the professional content producers.

The professionals are fully aware of the client's requirement and they produce the stuff according to the nature of the website. This makes the website to come up on charts and becomes an emblem of famousness. All these elements have indicated the need of content writing. By the indication we can say that being a content writer can be a suitable profession to start with.

There are many jobs coming up in the field of content writing. Artistic and unique way of writing is up on admiration. But the important thing is to go through with the requirement of the clients. Try to take all the related information like the nature of the product and the objective of the content. When the content is according to all the requirements, it becomes a sign of embellishment for the writer. It is convincing for the client and there is a chance of getting more projects in the future.

The area of content writing is getting boosted day by day. There are lots of jobs coming on the daily basis on different newspapers and websites. Choosing content writing as a profession is really a tremendous way to start. It is a job which serves you and your passion. Earning good money is not difficult, if you have got some good experience in the field. You can choose your area of interest and freelance on different topics you like to serve. The convenience of time is all there, as you can do it on part time basis if you are working some where else though.

Content writing is a field which gives you every thing to enhance your skill. If you are passionate about writing you can jump in the field and you'll see the bright future coming your way. As time is heading up with some massive exploring rate of internet, the future of content writing seems to be more definite.
Any person who is stuck in the decision of a good career choice, then choosing content writing as a start can be a nice way to begin with.

About the Author

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Keeping the plot simple when writing for children

Keeping the plot simple when writing for children by Words Worth Reading Ltd

When it comes to communicating a message, three things are needed:
- A beginning
- A middle
- An end
It doesn't matter how the message is being communicated; through dance, through advertising, through music or through the written word, these three components are crucial to the successful delivery of the required message.
The same is true of literature, and particularly children's literature. Often the best children's story is the simplest; the one that sticks very strongly to the three tiered approach in communicating the message of the story.
Let's look at this simple yet classical story outline:
- Boy meets girl
- Boy loses girl
- Boy gets girl
What this structure implies is that the story conveyed above has a very clear beginning, middle and end. Now let's look at how this same structure is applied to other well known children's stories. With Cinderella we know that the story structure is:
- Cinderella is unhappy
- Cinderella attends the ball
- Cinderella wins the prince
The same is true in The Pied Piper:
- Piper kills rats
- Town refuses payment
- Piper takes children
If you are currently writing a children's story, think about how the three stage rule could be applied to your manuscript. Can you easily see three main elements to the story? Do these elements represent a beginning, middle and end? If you find that you have more than 3 stages to your manuscript, the text may be too complicated. Is there anything that you can do to reduce this complexity? In the same way, if you can only locate 2 stages in your manuscript you may find that the text is insufficiently structured. How can you add to the story to ensure that a clear beginning or a clear end is apparent?
The three stage structure is all very well and good, but on its own it leaves stories in a very basic format - too basic for most children. Louise Jordan suggests that writers add in two questions to this three stage plot structure, to help liven up the story. These questions are:
1. What is the story about?
2. What is the problem?
By addressing these questions within the story, the manuscript is brought to life and feels to the reader as if it has some meaning.
If the children's book you are writing is aimed at a slightly older reader, you may feel that even with this 3 stage structure and 2 question approach, the manuscript still feels too simple. You may feel that you want to add additional elements into the plot; not in a way that hides the clear 3 stage structure, but in a way that merely enhances it. This is where a plotting plan can help.
Award-winning author Cathy MacPhail has come up with a plotting plan that can be applied to almost any story of any length. You may find it useful to use this plan when structuring the plot of your children's story:
1. Establish the problem (as per questions 1 and 2 above) - Beginning
2. Build on the problem - Beginning
3. Open out the plot - Middle
4. Fillers - Middle
5. Crescendo - Middle
6. Nothing can save her now! - Middle
7. Baddies get done in - End
8. Tidy up - End

About the Author

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

How to keep yourself positive and sane as a writer

How to keep yourself positive and sane as a writer by Words Worth Reading Ltd

Writing can sound like an idyllic job, but in reality it is hugely stressful; particularly if you are trying to balance your love for writing with another paid job, family commitments, housework and social arrangements. Coming home to a pile of rejection letters after an 8-hour stint in the office followed by watching your son's football match and taking your daughter to ballet can be, understandably, hugely de-motivating.
It is important that as a writer you keep your emotional and mental wellbeing looked after. Keeping yourself fit in both body and mind will not only help you stay focused and positive in the face of rejection and frustration, but it will also help you sleep better, and improve the overall performance of your writing.
Listed below are some tips and ideas to help writers keep themselves positive, healthy and sane as they juggle the ups and downs of being a writer.
1. Relieve your stresses
a. Remember to keep focused on the here and now. One of the easiest ways to drift into a depressive, stressed state is to fixate on things that have happened in the past. Whilst there is of course a place for understanding why certain things may have happened in the past, ultimately the past is the past, and there is nothing that you can do to influence events that have gone by. So try to remain in the present day, and think about the things that you can do to improve your writing opportunities now; don't focus on missed opportunities from before.
b. Meditate. Meditation is great for clearing your mind and helping you become more relaxed and focused. Lots of part-time writers find that a meditation session before and after their scheduled writing slot helps clear the mind sufficiently to focus on the writing task at hand, but that also helps clear the mind of all writing related thoughts at the end of the writing session, which can help them sleep more peacefully.

2. Eat well
a. To produce good writing you need to ensure that your brain is performing at its peak. Your diet affects how your brain works, and how your overall mood is at any given time. To ensure that your mind is as sharp as possible, and your mood is as positive as possible, focus on eating a balanced, wholesome diet; wholegrains, oily fish, poultry, meat, low-fat diary, fresh fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, olive oil and lots of water.

3. Exercise
a. Exercise is one of those activities that can seem so unappealing initially. When you have a writing deadline to meet, or when you are tired and weary from the day the last thing you feel like doing is a little exercise. Yet the saying 'exercise breads energy' is true, and so it is important to include exercise into your daily routine, even when you really don't feel like it! Exercise doesn't always have to be strenuous; a stroll with the dog around the park or a little garden weeding can make a big difference to your energy levels, your productivity and your mood.

4. Find a way to sleep well
a. Get outdoors during the day. Fresh air is crucial to keeping you awake during the day…which in turn will help you sleep better at night
b. Don't let yourself be too full or too hungry when you go to sleep
c. Follow a regular bedtime routine
d. Avoid drinking too much alcohol just before you go to bed
e. Don't go to bed if you aren't tired. If you haven't drifted to sleep within 20 minutes of going to bed, get up and do something relaxing, such as reading. Then return to bed when you feel sleepy again.

About the Author

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

How to Word Wedding Invites

How to Word Wedding Invites by Robert Reno

You should purchase the invites once you have both the reception and ceremony locations confirmed. It is important to include the start time for your reception in-case there is an extended time gap between the ceremony and reception. This is common due to the time involved with driving between the two locations.
There is a small variance in pricing when browsing the different styles, this cost will fluctuate from vendor to vendor. It is typical to pay a 50% retainer to place an order, with the outstanding balance to be paid when delivered. Try to order 5% more invites for situations with last minute guests or mistakes.

How to Write Wedding Invitations

When placing the order for your invites, formally recognize the people giving the wedding. The standard is the full name of the couple, with their date, time and ceremony site address. Are you searching for an example of how to write wedding invitations? Check out our advice below:

If the wedding is given by your mother & father:
Mr. and Mrs. Timothy K. Gregor
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Sarah Gregor
to
Jeffery Scott Bradley
(etc.)

If the wedding is given by you and the groom:
Sarah Gregor
and Jeffery Scott Bradley
request the honor of your presence
at their marriage
(etc.)

If the wedding is given by your mother, and your father is deceased,
Mrs. Timothy K. Gregor
requests the honor of your presence
at the marriage of her daughter
Sarah Gregor
(etc.)

If your mother has remarried, use her present husband's name:
Mr and Mrs. James C. Fountain
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of her daughter
Sarah Gregor
(etc.)

If the wedding is given by your mother, and your parents are divorced, use your mother's maiden name plus your fathers last name:
Mrs. Bethany Cravin Gregor
requests the honor of your presence
at the marriage of her daughter
Sarah Gregor
(etc.)

If the wedding is given by your father, and either your parents are divorced or your mother is deceased:
Mr. Timothy K. Gregor
requests the honor of your presence
at the marriage of his daughter
Sarah Gregor
(etc.)

If your father has remarried:
Mr. and Mrs. Timothy K. Gregor
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of his daughter
Sarah Gregor
(etc.)

If the wedding is given by your divorced parents, and each has remarried,
Mr. and Mrs. Timothy K. Gregor
and
Mr. and Mrs. Albert S. Price
request the honor of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Sarah Gregor
(etc.)

How to Write Wedding Invites

When finalizing the wording our your wedding invitations, and content style, remember that 'the honor of your presence' typically references a formal or religious service and 'the pleasure of your company' references a civil or casual service. This is when you should have a consultant help you with wording the finished invites.
The tell tale sign between a civilian and military wedding is the usage of service titles. I've included an example below:

~ army, marine corps: rank of captain or higher
~ navy: rank of commodore or higher
Their rank precedes their name, and the service designation follows on the next line under their name:
Commodore Jeffery Scott Bradley
United States Navy

For officers whose ranks are below those listed above, list their name on a single line, with the line below showing their rank and service designation:
Jeffery Scott Bradley
Lieutenant, United States Navy

For military personnel without rank, list their name on a single line, with the line below showing their service designation:
Jeffery Scott Bradley
United States Marine Corps

A bride in the service can refrain from using her own rank and military designation on the invites, unless she would like to be married in her uniform.

Addresses should be done personally by hand. Typically this is done in black ink; however you can stick with the same colors for the printing.

Invites tend to come with (2) envelopes:
When addressing outer envelopes:
~ formal titles such as doctor, captain, and reverend are not abbreviated.
~ Semi-formal titles such as Ms., Mr., and Mrs. can use abbreviation.
~ Avenue, street, road, city, state, etc., are not abbreviated.

When wording your inner envelope, include both the titles and last names of the invited adults only. If you would like to invite children 18 years of age and under, write their first names on a line below their parents on the inner envelope. Children over the age of 18 that are invited receive their own invitations. Try to avoid the phrase 'and family', it should be avoid as it can be considered too impersonal.

Mr. and Mrs. Timberland
Joseph, Barbara, and Alexis

After you have addressed your invites, place all cards into your envelopes like this:
~ Put the reception card into your invite
~ Place your RSVP card in its envelope, and put it inside the invite
~ Put map, if necessary, inside invite
~ Put tissue over printed words on invite to avoid ink from smudging
~ Tuck the invitation, have the folded edge facing down into your inner envelope.
- Put your inner envelope into the outer envelope so the wording on your inner envelope faces the flap.

Before buying postage, have all your invites with envelopes weighted to figure out the cost of buying stamps.
Mail your invites all at once, using only first class stamps.
Have the return envelope postage prepaid by include a stamp on your envelope for the response cards.
Refer to the below ex. when wording the response card. This will helps to minimize miscommunication and a prompt response.

The favor of a reply
is requested before
March first.
M_____________________________
will _________ will not _______ attend.
Number of persons: _______________

When purchasing invites, also order any miscellaneous stationery you require:
~ Reception cards, showing times and location of the reception.
~ RSVP cards printed with reply address envelopes; enclose this with your invite to help with planning for head count prior to your big day.

~ Quick thank-you letters have the name of the bride or the bride and groom on the front, leave the inside blank to write a thank you message.

~ Thank-you notes, with a standard message to recognize that a gift is received.
~ Name engraved Napkins/matches available as keepsakes for your family and friends.
~ Announcements, to be mailed to guests that are unable to attend your celebration, but really want to.
~ Pew cards, not commonly used, but appropriate for super-formal environments e.g., with celebrities and dignitaries: pew cards are enclosed with the invites or mailed once their reservation has been received to ensure the appropriate number of seats.

~ Wedding programs show the processional order and naming all those involved. These can be folded even rolled like a scroll and sealed by a ribbon. The wedding program serves as a outline for your formalities and also a nice keepsake for guests.

Programs can even be engraved, printed with an offset printing, or produced by computer with a laser printer, with calligraphy added down the road.

Program covers can easily be purchased from printing companies that have a vast inventory of paper stock. You can also check with wedding invite manufacturers to see more samples of styles. Religious supply companies of bookstores also stock an assortment of church program covers. You can even create your own cover with a special photo of you and your fiancé.

Programs can include the date, time and address, names of the VIPs, their role in your wedding, how they relate to the guests of honor, processional order, mentions of readers or poems. You can also express appreciation on behalf of the families for the guest's involvement in your special day.

You can expect to make last minute changes. This is why we recommend printing your programs (2) weeks prior to the big day. Give yourself enough time to proof read the wording to prevent and spelling errors.
Keep your thank you cards sweet and to the point. Remember that you will have to write dozens of personal thank-yous for your guests. Thank you cards sent after the wedding can use the couple's name as being married ex. Mr. & Mrs. Jeffery Scott Bradley. Notes sent prior to the wedding date should be worded to include both their first and last names ex. Mr. Jeffery Scott Bradley and Ms. Sarah Gregor. It is wise to use blank thanks you over the print, this will make your message more meaningful. Try to apply this method to the process:

~ Mention your spouse's name
~ Mention the gift
~ Tell them what you enjoy about their gift
~ Briefly say how you will use the gift.

Unfortunately we all know that things happen, and if the engagement is broken off after the invites have been mailed, you can mail out a printed announcement discussing the change of plans. Please refer to the below:
Mr. and Mrs. _____________
announce that the marriage of their daughter,
__________ to Mr. ______________,
will not take place.

If the change of plans happens the week of the wedding, then you will have to personally telephone every invited guest. You don't have to go into details as to why the wedding was called off. Those that sent gifts should have them returned.

About the Author

 

Robert is the entrepreneurial spirit for Encore Event Group. Besides the Banquet Halls Michigan their team also provides lighting design and photo booth rentals that also serve Mackinac Island. Visit the following link for more information about Word Wedding Invites. Encore Photo Booth 21495 Russell Street Suite D, Rockwood MI 48173 517.416.7840

Beating Writers Block

Beating Writers Block by John Topping



Whenever I have writer's block I make sure I go to a quiet room away from all distractions. I turn off any radios, TVs and phones. I sit quietly at my desk and take three deep breaths. Breathing in to the count of three, holding to the count of three and breathing out to the count of three. Then I allow my breathing to return to its natural rythem. Next I focus on the different muscle groups in my body. I start at the head and work my way down to my toes. Tighten each muscle group to the count of three, hold to the count of three and relax to the count of three. This usually puts me in a state of relaxed alertness.

Now I simply observe my thoughts for the next fifteen minutes and write them down. Any random thought that comes into my head. Always remembering to be totally detached from my thoughts and simply observe them. At the end of fifteen minutes I read over what I have written and proceed to write a short 250 word article about what I have written. This usually gets the mind ticking over so I can continue to write. I write as much as I can about the subject I want to write about always being conscious that I can edit what I have written when I am finished. Writing is only half the process, editing and proofreading is the other half.

Once I have written all I can write, I take a break and read something related to what I am writing about. This usually gives me more food for thought which I write down.

Exercise is also an important part of my writing routine. I take half an hour to an hour to go for a walk or a bicycle ride. There are plenty of beaches and parks in my area so I like to visit them and think about what I want to write next.

I reread and edit what I have written frequently so I don't lose my train of thought. This also stops me repeating myself or losing the plot. For non-fiction writing I frequently refer to the various heading and sub-headings I wrote at the beginning of the writing to keep me on track.

Ongoing research at the library or online also helps. The more you research, the more likely you are to discover aspects of your writing project you have not already covered. You can always add more titles and subtitles to your project.

If all else fails make sure you are getting plenty of rest and having enough breaks away from writing. It is always good to have a weeks break or at least a couple of days and then return to your work with fresh eyes.

About the Author

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

You Have To Treat Your Writing As A Business To Be A Success

You Have To Treat Your Writing As A Business To Be A Success by Martha Liu

Millions of people have dreams of making a living by writing novels. Because of the romanticized versions of writers they have seen on television and in movies, they see it as living in a huge mansion, laying by their swimming pool, and generally living a life of leisure. However, those who really want to succeed as a writer, will have to treat it as an occupation.

Many people hate going into a job because it generally means that they lose freedom over their time. They have to be at a certain place at a specific time. Unfortunately, if you want to be a success as a writer, you have to do the same. You have to keep regular hours. The majority of people who draw a salary have to work a certain number of hours a day if they want to keep their job and get paid. Furthermore, they have certain times at which they are expected to either be in in the office or be working on location. In general, they are diligent about getting to work on time and working their allotted hours because they have a boss or manager watching to make sure they are working. Self employed writers, however, have to manage themselves since they generally are not reporting to a boss.

The second thing that you are going to need is a place to work. Most likely you don't ave an office to go to, so you are going to have to set up a private space in your home or or in your apartment where you can write without being interrupted. This area should be equipped all the tools necessary to make writing as easy and convenient for you as possible. You will need things such as a phone, a writing desk, some sort of a word processor or writing program and any other tools that will make your writing easier.

As a writer, you will find that you naturally spend a lot of time sitting and typing. Consequently, if you have the money for it, it is well worthwhile to invest in a well made ergonomic adjustable chair in which to do your work.

In the same vein, you want to find the best possible keyboard to use for your writing. Select a keyboard that will allow your hands and arms to rest naturally, comfortably, and without straining. People who spend a lot of time on the keyboard are particularly prone to developing repetitive stress syndrome. With this in mind, you should also consider investing in a pair of wrist guards or supports.

Another good idea is to open a separate business checking account to keep track of your financial affairs. Plus a credit or debit card that you can use solely for your business. You will discover that, as a business, you are suddenly eligible to deduct possibly thousands of dollars from your income for tax purposes. Because you keep your writing expenses separate from your personal expenses, you will be able keep your financial dealings in order more easily.

But, even though you might prefer it, you can't spend all of your time simply writing. That is unless you have a high powered agent. You are going to have to set aside a part of every day in either looking for new job prospects and following up on contacts that you have already made to publishers, possible clients, and the like.

About the Author

To find more artcles on writing such as writing a fiction book, novel writing software, and others, please visit out site.

Writing Kids activity books

Writing Kids activity books by Words Worth Reading Ltd

With Easter quickly descending upon us all, it is time to start thinking of new and creative ways to spend time with the children. All holidays require some form of creative activities to keep children (and adults!) entertained, and Easter is one of those funny holiday breaks where the weather might be great and you can spend your days in parks and on family days out, but then it could also rain and become miserable for two weeks and you find yourself scrabbling around trying to find fun things to do inside. It's always a tricky one.
There are lots of activity books on the market aimed at keeping children entertained on miserable weather days, on long car journeys or on trips to visit friends and relatives. These books are great - often colourful and task-orientated, they provide a real focus for children. However, they are also generic and frequently repetitive in terms of content and the activities they suggest are completed. Home-made activity books that are tailored to individual children are so much better!!
Creating your own activity books for your children is a wonderful way to ensure that all of the activities contained within the book will be engaging for your specific children. It is also a fun way to stretch your own creative muscles - something that is very important in adult life and that is often lost in the mundane routines of household chores, academic life, working life and family responsibilities. When creating your own activity book for children there is also the opportunity to get them to help you create the activity book in the first place - an entertaining activity in its own right!
So, what sort of thing can go into an activity book? Well, as discussed above, the beauty of creating your own activity book is that you have control over the activities that are contained within it. The contents of the book will also be dependent upon the age of the child or children who will be utilising the book. Some common ideas for activities that could be tailored to a range of children and across a range of ages however include;
- Write a story about the picture. Have a small sketch or image cut out of a magazine and paste it on the top of a page. Then set the children the task of writing a story about the picture in front of them, asking them to be as imaginative as they like
- Finish the sentence. Start a story by writing an opening line, and ask them to finish it.
- I Spy. Choose an accessible room in your house, such as the kitchen, and ask the children to list as many items as they can find in that room that start with a chosen letter, such as the letter M.
- All about me. Provide space for the children to draw and write about themselves.
- Create a character. Write down some adjectives that could be used to describe a make believe character, and ask the children to draw what they think of when they hear these words.

About the Author

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