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Thursday, June 30, 2011

Article Writing - Crack The Creative Nut With Journaling

Think journaling is old fashioned? Think again. Are you having a hard time getting started on your article writing? Combine writers block with journaling to spark your article writing frenzy.

Journaling is a powerful tool for brainstorming ideas, keeping your writing skills sharp, and for storing ideas and notes for future article pieces. To make the most of your journal, I suggest the following 4 tips to all article writers, beginning through advanced.

1) Get the right tools. I love shopping for notebooks because there's such a wide variety available today. Looking for a journal with flowers and other fancy designs? Try Barnes and Noble or Borders bookstores. Wal-Mart and office supply stores sell functional albeit less expensive journals. Make sure it feels good in your hands. Too small and you'll breeze through the pages too quickly. Too bulky and you won't take it with you for fear someone might snicker.

And, don't forget your writing utensil. Your pen options are either rollerball or gel. I use a 0.38 Uniball pen. I've only been able to find them in OfficeMax. I adore the fine point but they do tend to run out of ink faster than other pens. Use what you like best. If you hate to smear ink, or are clumsy like me and get gel all over you hands, shirt, and pants then stick with a ball point. Or, better yet, get a pencil. I don't use pencils because I tend to erase too much.

2) Make it a habit. This goes without saying. If you want to be successful at journaling, you have to journal. Pick a time and spot where you can write everyday. Then just do it. Stay away from your computer so you won't be distracted by everyday business.

3) Fire your inner critic. I used to think that all writing should be critiqued, reviewed, and revised. Once I let go of my inner critic, I began to enjoy journaling. Many times I pen random thoughts that would have been lost otherwise. Journaling should be inspirational, not drudgery. For those of you who are perfectionists, this step will be harder to do. Don't write on your computer. When you see the autocorrect marks lighting up your screen, you'll be tempted to make corrections. It's less tempting to use paper and pen.

4) Use your journal for article fodder. Can't think of anything to write? Flip through older journal entries. I guarantee it won't take but a few minutes to find and idea or inspiration to get started. I purposely review journal entries to find new article ideas.

Journaling is an exercise to help you let go of yourself and break through any writer's block. The important point to remember is that there is no wrong way to journal. Try to journal at least once a day. Don't think you have anything to journal about? Write down your daily to do list. Sometimes just getting something on paper will get your mind working. You never know until you try. Have fun, enjoy the time, and get writing!

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Article Writing 101

One of the best ways to launch your home business to the next level is through article writing. This concept has proven to be one of the most effective viral marketing techniques for developing your work from home business. You submit your composition to the internet through E-zines, article directories, article sites, E-mail groups, distribution lists and article announcement lists. These sites are visited by thousands of people on a daily basis. The potential for your internet business success is enhanced with every article that you write and submit.

Unfortunately, many people do not think that they can write an effective article. This could not be further from the truth. Your ideas, your experiences and your insights can be shared with your potential readers. Your features can not only be interesting, but you might communicate an idea that could change your audience. There is something in your life that is worth writing about. You need to coax your insights out of your head and unto a piece of paper.

There are four concepts that can help you get started:

--- Choose A Topic
--- Create An Outline
--- Use Good Tools
--- Write

1) Choose A Topic

Before you begin, you need to find a quiet place where you can eliminate your distractions and focus your concentration. Get a pen and a piece of paper and make five columns. Put these headings at the top of each section:

Experiences – Knowledge – Interests – Expert – Passionate

You need to put your grey matter to work and let your thinking processes flow. Under each heading list four to five ideas that apply to that section. What are your experiences? What are you knowledgeable about? What are your interests? What are you an expert on? What are you passions?

Writing these ideas on a piece of paper will get your creative “juices flowing”. After you are done brainstorming, choose the topic that you will write about. Do not throw this list away! You have some potential articles for the future.

2) Create An Outline

Do you remember the 4th grade when you were taught how to write your first composition? Do you remember the guidelines? Those principles are the same today as they were back then:

Create an introduction, develop a main body and a write a conclusion.

a) Introduction

Now that you have your topic, tell your readers what to expect. This is your introduction. But, you do not want to write it yet. You will be preparing your audience to read your composition and you want to arouse their interest. The main body of your article will help you focus on the ideas you want to present in your introduction. The goal of your introduction is to grab the attention of your listeners so they will want to continue reading.

b) Main Body

Your topic is the compass for the major points that you want to communicate with your article. Write down the main ideas that you want to convey to your audience on a piece of paper. Consider at least 3-5 major points that you want to deliver with your feature. Write a brief sentence that describes what you want to say next to each major point. Writing your article is simply a matter of elaborating on each point with about 3-5 sentences.

After you have created your main body, go back and write your introduction. Take the short sentences that you created and tie them together in an opening paragraph. Give your readers a taste of what to expect in your article. Make your introduction interesting. Remember, you want to elevate the attention of your audience.

c) Conclusion

Your conclusion is a recap of your article. This is your last opportunity to reinforce your main points and create a meaningful impact on your audience. Reread your introduction and your main body. This will help you to focus on encouraging the readers with your final thoughts.

3) Use Good Tools

The essential tools for creating your articles are a good dictionary, a good thesaurus and a good word processor. These are the basics that will get you started towards developing your features. If you have not written for awhile, you will need to review grammar, syntax and punctuation rules. The internet can provide you with a wealth of information for rebuilding your writing skills

4) Write

After you create your outline, put pen to paper (or finger tip to keyboard) and start. This is a very important concept. Do not listen to that inner voice that is working against you. You can write but you must begin and your outline is your guide. Use it and refer to it regularly. This will prevent you from bogging down and giving up. Here are other ideas to consider:

a) Start writing immediately after you finish your outline.
b) Don’t get frustrated. Your creativity will come.
c) Express your ideas freely without concern for appearance.
d) Reread and rewrite.
e) Use your tools.
f) Check spelling, grammar and punctuation (yourself and with your word processor).
g) Proofread your article several times.
h) Take a break, come back and reread your article.
i) Fine tune if necessary.

Writing and submitting articles could propel your home business to the next level. Don’t be intimidated if you have not written for awhile. The key is to communicate in your own voice with a willingness to share helpful ideas with your readers. If this is your motivation, you will become an effective writer. Consider these ideas as you journey towards your home business success.

“Do the thing you fear, and the death of fear is certain.”

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Article Submissions - Pointing You in the Right Direction

All of you who have been thinking of publishing articles probably seem to be noticing a lot more ads showing up when you search Google for article submission sites. So what does this all mean for you?

Well it leaves you the choice of where you wish to submit your article to. Lately new software is out that can let people get an article directory up and running in just a couple of hours and it seems every little fish wants a piece of the action.

So how do you choose the correct article directory for your article submission?

Here are a few tips to get you in the right direction:

Design - You probably are asking yourself why the design of the article directory has anything to do with how good this directory is for you. Well it is, it shows how serious the owners of the site are taking it - the more professional and maintained it looks the longer the site will be online and the more popularity it will gain.

RSS Feeds - Make sure the article directory you are submitting your article to have RSS feeds, this is what is going to be driving the traffic to your website. Many small websites pull the RSS feeds from the bigger sites, usually from certain categories that there site deals in, with this you article will gain even more exposure.

SEO - Check on the directories indexed pages on Google, MSN & Yahoo - why not also check out there rankings for important keywords like "article submissions", "articles directory" or "free articles" - if they are ranking high you can be sure that these sites are getting good exposure and a high traffic volume.

Summary & Keywords - Make sure you can add these when you submit your articles, these are what the search engines will look for the most when caching your article page on the articles directory website.

Guidelines, TOS & Privacy - The website should professionally display all this information, again this is a tell tale sign for a serious article directory or not.

Contact Form - Make sure the website has an online contact form so it will be easy for you to contact them if you require any assistance.

I hope all of this information helps pointing you in the right direction for your article submission needs.

Monday, June 27, 2011

Article Sites, We Love You!

I love article sites! Why? Because you can write articles about your chosen subject, publish them for free and you reap all the rewards. You get to voice you opinion on your chosen subject area. Becoming a web author is fun. There is a great feeling associated when you search for your own name and Google brings up your articles.

What are the rewards?

Well most good article sites will allow you to leave a short bio which is perfect for adding a link back to your site. So you can get free exposure and people can republish your article if you make this clear, which means even more links spread across the internet.

When you write articles make sure you focus the text around key words you are trying to target. If you used the keywords in the heading of the article this is more weight, if you haven’t then add them. If you write a decent article and publish it on good quality article sites then in a few days you will see your article on Google when using those search terms. More and more people are reading peoples articles to find out information and the best companies to use etc. Many search terms only find relevant content in articles, and if you have clearly left your hyperlink going back to your website then is more weight to your web presence.

What are the best article sites?

The best quality article sites are the ones that Google likes. Article Alley is one of the more recognised sites, it has a network of sister sites and each article get published on all of the sites. Ezine Articles is another good site as is Isnare and Go articles. Some charge a small yearly fee but it is well worth it.

How do articles promote my site?

Articles promote your site because if your name is associated with a particular filed you will be seen as an authority on the subject. And if your article links back to your site then you will start to see more visitors. When Google gets a request to look for a key word it goes and finds the best sites with that content. So writing as many articles as you possibly can with links back to your website will help your web presence.

If you have a site and need some more content, using articles that are free to republish is a great way of adding more content. More quality content means more traffic, so hopefully more business. Article City is a great site which offers the option to republish their articles. So if you need content on fly fishing, search for articles on fly fishing, but make sure they state that they are free for republishing. As long as you know they are free to republish then you can add these articles to your site. Giving you more content and authority on your subject.

Anther great thing about article sites is that you can have your own voice on the internet. You may have a lot of information that other people would benefit from knowing. You might get told you talk too much, I know I have been told that. So now I find if I need to get something off my chest I write it down and publish it. Any points I want to make, I write an article and publish it. There is a great feeling in knowing that people are reading your words and hopefully benefiting from them.

Being a web author is fun, so get writing.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Article Marketing Success And Sheep Do Not Mix

I like article marketing and find it an enjoyable and profitable way of promoting my websites. I never plan articles, the ideas just come out of the blue from something I have seen or heard. Once I start writing the words just flow, but before I write an article there are two things that I consider.

1. Why am I writing the article?
2. Would it be of any use to webmasters for their sites or for newsletter publishers?

It does not take rocket science to figure that I and every other article marketer am using articles to benefit our own promotions, but they will be of little benefit to us if we do not produce quality articles that others will actually want to read and use.

Owning my own article directory I have read thousands of articles, many of which I would never use on my other sites or in newsletters and many I have declined for various reasons. Let us consider the rights and wrongs of articles starting at the beginning.

Attention Grabbing

Your title is your headline, there to grab attention and many people never look past the first 2 or 3 words. I could have called this Sheep Do Not Mix With Article Marketing Success but I want people who are interested in article marketing and not sheep to read it. Another type of title that will not grab me is The Top 20 Tips For Passionate Sex. It would be more likely to create interest if it was Passionate Sex My Top 20 Tips.

Writing Standards

Spelling and grammar are important. You are promoting yourself and your business and you need to present yourself as professional to be taken seriously. I write my articles in Word first and use the spell checker. I sometimes fall out with it because I am English and prefer not to use Americanised spelling.

If you have problems with writing but good information the answer is to use a ghostwriter or copywriter. There are plenty of good writers advertising on the Internet and personally I think that one good quality article will do more for your business than 10 poor articles.

Know Your Subject

Good advice for writers is that they should always know and understand what they are writing about or their articles have no credibility. I was gobsmacked last week to read an article about my own country that I knew to be very ill informed and by somebody I suspected had never set foot on our shores. The guy could not even spell Britain right and as his misspelling was in the title he sunk without trace before he even started!

Original Copy

The best and most memorable articles are purely original, thought provoking and offer different viewpoints to a subject. Some writers submit zillions of slightly changed articles about the same subject over and over; yawn. They are boring and eminently unreadable after the first one or two. There are exceptions where writers are providing updates and news about their chosen subjects. I would use those articles for my sites.

Lists of quotes from the bible for instance are not original articles. At least 90% should be your own work and quotes only used as a point of interest not as the whole article. Submitting articles on behalf of others is suspect, how do readers know whether you have filched them or not? Plagiarism, not worth going there, eagle eyes and google will find you out!

Advertorial Blues

An advertorial is an advert written in article form. They carry no unbiased information or advice that would be of any help to anybody interested in that subject. There are plenty of places to advertise for free on the Internet, so trying to fob adverts off as articles is unfair on directory site owners or visitors who want to read articles not adverts.

Link Usage

The reason most of us use Article Marketing for promoting our businesses is to place links to our websites in the author resource boxes usually placed at the foot of articles.

I like to maximise the potential and use the up to 3 links usually allowed. Many article directories allow active links, but some do not. A problem can arise when articles are automatically submitted if the script the site uses strips the html. I prefer to submit manually mostly and then I can activate the links myself or just put my website address if the site doesn't accept html links.

Links within the articles are unacceptable on most directory sites, but as you get 3 chances in the resource boxes there is no point trying to cheat.

All Keyed Up

You will be asked to provide some keywords for your articles so choose wisely. Study your content and consider what somebody who might be interested in your article is most likely to enter into the search engines. A poor example is if you are writing about search engine optimisation and your title is SEO, Internet Business Bread And Jam, you would not use jam and bread as keywords unless you wanted to attract hungry people. Apart from that your articles credibility takes a nosedive if you do not know what a good keyword is.

Readability

Finally, your article should not be repetitive and should be interesting. Short paragraphs make it easier to read, text talk makes it more difficult. All capitals in the article body or title are a no no, they only stand out in the sense that the reader feels shouted at and nobody wants to feel like that.

I hope that you have found this interesting and useful and that we get lots more quality articles to read.


Saturday, June 25, 2011

Article Marketing For Increased Traffic And Sales

Article marketing is one of the most popular methods used by internet marketers to increase traffic to their web sites and hence increase their income. However, there are right ways and wrong ways to use articles to drive business to your site. Let’s look at the right ways.

Your article starts with the title, and this is true whether you are writing yourself or using an article ghost writer. Good ghost writers make sure that they fully understand what their client wants of an article before starting. The title should accurately reflect the content of the article, and also contain the keyword being used.

Articles should be based on a keyword since search engine optimization is just as important in an article as it is in the content of your web pages. Your articles can be listed in search engines in the same way as your web pages, even when they are on article directories. A directory is nothing more than a website containing articles as content. The keyword should be that of one of your own website pages that provides information on the article title. If you plan your article in this way, you will make best use of what article marketing has to offer.

The actual content should be specific to the keyword and be designed to tease, rather than provide everything there is to know about a subject. If you provide comprehensive information in your article, why should the reader bother to visit your web site? Make sure that your spelling is accurate and that your grammar is passable. It need not be perfect, but stay clear of fundamental errors such as subject-verb agreement: “the two women was deaf.” This is a turn-off to your readers, so try to avoid it.

Having completed the article, you must design your ‘bio’ or ‘author’s resource’ box. Most article directories allow you this facility, in which you can say something about yourself and provide the URL of your website. This should be worded to offer more information, such as “Peter has more tips how to improve traffic to your website on his web page --------“. You should provide the URL of a page that provides the readers exactly what they are looking for, not your home page address unless that is the most relevant to the article topic. They are interested only in information.

Having readers click to your site is the first way of increasing traffic through article marketing. Some readers will be interested in copying your article and putting it on their own site. They can do this, but must keep it intact, including your resource box. So you get even more traffic from the visitors to these other sites.

However, the marketing of your article is not finished there. You should submit it to as many article directories as you can. You can do this manually, by the use of submission software, or by using the services of a directory submission service. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, and it is up to you which of the options suits you best. Personally, I use a combination of submission service and software, and can provide this information if required.

Search engines, especially Google, highly value one way links from another website back to your site. Not only do you get a one way link from each directory you submit to, but you also get one from the websites that copy your articles. This is a very powerful way of building links and improving your search engine listing. A high listing provides you with the most valuable traffic all – free organic traffic from search engines.

There are pitfalls you should avoid, the most obvious being that if you purchase bundles of articles you must not use these for directory submissions. They are of use only as content on your own website, and even then they are of little use due to the problem of duplicate content. Private label rights articles, which many subscribers receive from mini-site subscription sites, are the same. Unless you change them radically the directories will no allow them, and you could be banned from directories for using them without radically rewriting them.

In the long run you would be as well writing your own, when you are at least sure that they are original. Article marketing can provide with a significant increase of traffic to your web site of you are able to carry it out properly. Follow a few simple rules, then sit back and wait for all these visitors to flood your website.

Friday, June 24, 2011

Article Marketing And Website Traffic

Article marketing is an ideal way to improve your website traffic without expending too much energy. All you need do is to write a few decent articles, and your traffic will increase significantly.

The writing must be relevant to the topic or niche of your website, or at least the page that you intend to direct traffic towards. That is one tremendous advantage that article marketing has over most other traffic building programs: you can direct the traffic to whatever page on your site you wish.

This is done by means of your author’s resource box, that is an area set aside by most article directories for a few words about yourself and a link or two back to your website. That link need not be only to your home page, but can be to any page on your site that you choose. The page you choose, however, must be relevant to the article you have written. You don’t send a reader to a page on octopi if you have just written an article about giant squid or turtles.

One mistake that many authors make is to fail to understand what is allowed in the resource box, sometimes called a bio. Some allow HTML and others don’t. Some allow links and others don’t. If you are not allowed a link to your site then there is little point in providing a directory with a free article. Don’t use these sites, and there are several of those that I have come across. Some directories do not provide a resource box, but allow you to add a few words with your url at the end of the article.

It doesn’t matter, as long as you are allowed to provide a link back to your website. You then get a one way link to your site, but even better in many cases, you also get traffic from people that like your writing and click on your link to visit your website for more information. Depending on the topic of your article, and how you submit it, that can be a massive short-term jump, or a steady stream over a longer period. The ideal is a combination of each, but that depends on your submission strategy and how many versions of your article you submit.

The versions matter, because if you can produce a few versions and submit different versions to different groups of directories, then you will get better results. That is because after a while, the search engines will begin to detect that a number of article directories, and other websites, have the same content (your article). They will then begin to drop some of these from their listings as being less relevant, and this will continue theoretically until there is only one directory or site with your article on it.

So make the best of it and submit it to as many article directories as possible for a quick burst of traffic, then write others to keep it going. Rather than write four versions of your article for four sets of different search engines, you are better writing four articles, each to be sent to all the search engines. That works better because I have tested it.

Article marketing can be used to increase your website traffic, but you can maximise that increase if you use the directories and your articles intelligently.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Article Marketing: How To Grab Your Readers' Attention!

You may want to considering hiring a person who understands SEO and the other manners in which an Internet business can be marketing online in this day and age. Obviously, your SEO copywriter must have a solid understanding of the essentials of Search Engine Optimization.

When I do SEO for a client, I make a conscious effort to enhance the messaging without altering it significantly. When I show the client the first draft of my work, I invite them to make changes to it if rewording my work makes for better copy.

Okay everybody, last week I covered some of the scams and things that you should look out for. Today I'll go over some of the qualities you should look for when choosing an SEO Firm. A number of factors are important when optimizing a website, including the content and structure of the website's copy and page layout, the HTML meta-tags and the submission process."

How To Grab Your Readers Attention With Your Subject

The race for supremacy in the internet based businesses has been really heating up and many sites have been put up to help others to get ahead for a small fee. But there are also ways in which you don’t have to pay so much to make yourself a good list of loyal followers. Having a satisfied web traffic and visitors allows you to put up a foundation wherein you can build an opt-in list and make it grow from there.

An opt-in list allows you to provide newsletters to your subscribers with their consent. When people sign up, they know that they will be receiving updates and news from your site and the industry your represent via an e-mail. But that doesn’t mean that all of those who subscribe read them at all. Many lists have been built due to an attachment with free software or for a promotional discount and such. Some are not really interested in receiving e-mails from companies and just treat them as waste of cyberspace and delete or trash them without so mush as opening the e-mail and scanning them. You can change all that. While forwarding an email message is relatively after producing your newsletter. Getting people to open them is not as easy. You don’t want to waste all the time and effort used in making the newsletters, you want people to read them and have their interests piqued. Interested enough to go to your website and look around and most especially purchased and acquire your products or services.

One of the numerous ways you can tempt or persuade your subscriber is by providing a well thought out and well written subject. The subject of an email is what is often referred to when a person or a recipient of an email decides whether he or she wants to open or read an e-mail. The subject could easily be regarded as one of the most important aspect of your promotional e-mail.

Marketing Online and Offline - Suppose you are having a travel related website, and want to pull customers. In this case you can choose both online, as well as offline marketing channel which is mentioned in the previous example.

I am always around if you have a question. I do work for an SEO company and as much as I'd like to get everyone who could benefit from SEO as a client I won't tell you not to go with a company besides the one I work for unless I am positive that it wouldn't be good for your business.

One of the earliest lessons learned from Google’s Jagger Update is that a page on a well-themed, topically focused website should perform better in Google than the same page on a poorly themed site. Always make sure your SEO copywriter gives you an indication of the number of words they expect to write per web page.

These keywords need to be acutely descriptive and very much common so that people who think of your business will come up with these keywords when searching fro business such as yours. Only then the SEO will work best for you.

Your subject must be short and concise. They should provide a summary for the content of the e-mail so that the recipient will have basic knowledge of the content. This is really vital in grabbing the attention of your readers and subscribers. You want your subject to instantly grab the attention of your subscriber and get them to be intrigued to open up your mail. Remember, it is not necessarily true that a subscriber opens up subscribed mails.

A good subject must always be tickling the curiosity of your recipient. It must literally force the recipient to open the mail. A certain emotion must be ignited and get them to open the mail. It is essential to use specific words to get the reaction you need. Keep in mind that the recipient or subscribers spends only a few seconds looking over each subject of the e-mails he receives. You must grab your reader’s attention right away. There are many forms you can use for your subject. You can provide a subject that says your e-mail contains content that teaches them tips and methods on certain topics. An example of this is using keywords and keyword phrases such as, “How to” , “tips”, “Guides to”, Methods in and others like that.

You can also put your subject in a question form. These may include questions like, “Are you sick and tired of your job?” Or “Is your boss always on your case?” Try to stay on the topic that pertains to your site so that you’ll know that your subscribers have signed up because they are interested in that topic. This form of subject is very effective because they reach out to your recipients emotions. When they have read the question on your subject, their mind starts answering the question already.

You can also use a subject that commands your reader. Statements such as “Act now and get this once in a lifetime opportunity”, or “Double, triple and even quadruple what you are earning in one year”. This type of subject deals with the benefits your company provides with your product and services.

You may also use breaking news as your subject to intrigue your subscriber. For example, if you deal with car engine parts you can write in your subject, “Announcing the new engine that uses no gasoline, It runs on water”. This creates curiosity with the reader and will lead them to open the mail and read on. The problem is that even if you have the time, you probably don’t have the resources to research the algorithm to know if it’s changed, which parameters are still important and which have become redundant, what you need to do to stay in the top ten.

Natural Links. SEO can come from natural ways too. This means that a webmaster on the net finds your site likes it and decides that it's quite useful for his visitors and links to it. This kind of links are called natural links and this are one of the most powerful links.

FFA stands for Free For All, pages which are designed to carry a designated amount of links on each page. Have in mind that when comes to link popularity relevancy counts and links form this pages will not going to help you much. Add to this that FFA pages have very limited life span, you will get the picture. High ranking can be yours! More on free SEO Tips. SEO PR is a buzzword that is both over-hyped and under-hyped at the same time. What do I mean by this? SEO PR is currently in buzz overkill mode in the Search Engine Marketing industry, but is drastically underutilized in the traditional PR world.

However, if you have high traffic, and your website is well organized with the presentation, query and order links working perfectly - you will have no trouble in converting your visitors to along and cherished customers.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Art of Essay Writing

I love essays! I enjoy reading them, checking them, teaching my students how to generate them, but most of all I enjoy writing them! You want to ask why. I hope after reading my article you will understand. And I so much believe that you will also fall in love with the incredible world of essays. Let’s start our trip from a short background. The word “essay” originated from French word “essai” which means “attempt, effort, sketch”. And this translation reflects the essence of the task you are assigned at your college. Really, it is your personal attempt to give a challenging sketch on some engrossing issue. Unlike other academic assignments, essay suggests freedom of your creative work. Its main advantage is that you can write it on any topic, in any style. Essay is your own point of view on something you have heard, read, seen etc. The forefront of the essay is your personality, your thoughts, feelings and your life position. You have a unique chance to enter a reasonable controversy with other authors, as the teacher expects you to show your erudition in the subject. However, you should remember that regardless freedom of the writing process, it is not that easy at all. Because you are expected to find an original and capturing idea (even in the traditional context) and exceptional opinion on some problem.

The title of essay does not strictly depend on the essay topic: the title can also serve as a starting point in your reflection; it can express the relation of the whole and the parts. A free composition of essay is subject to its inner logic, it is an emphasized position of the author. The style of the essay is marked by its aphoristic, paradoxical and figurative character. To convey your personal perception of the world you should: employ a lot of capturing examples, draw parallels, choose analogies, use various associations. One of the characteristic features of essay is the wide usage of numerous expressive means, such as metaphors, parable and allegoric figures, symbols and comparisons. Your can enrich and make your essay more interesting if you include in it: unpredictable conclusions, unexpected turning points, interesting clutches of events.Essay presents a dynamic interchange of author’s arguments, supporting evidence and questions.

Be brief, but at the same time avoid absolute simplicity. No one will like reading a monotonous narration. Completing the draft of your essay, read it aloud, yes, aloud. You will be struck by the number of rough details in your essay. You should get rid of them with no regret. If you have to say something new, original and exclusive, then the genre of essay is your genre. Be creative, free your mind and may be you will reveal a great essayist in yourself.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Are You The Next JK Rowling?

Harry Potter. The name brings instant recognition from people all over the world. The books have sold over 350 million copies worldwide. Only the bible has more translations. The movies have gone on to grace the lists of the Top 10 grossing films of all time.

When Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published in 1997, Joanne Kathleen Rowling was a previously unpublished author. She had no publishing credits, no insider knowledge, no friends in the industry.

So how did she do it? How did she go on, in the space of ten short years, to become the first billionaire author on the planet?

The answer to that question lies not in what she did in those ten years between the publication of the first book and the publication of the seventh, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The answer actually lies in what she did in the seven years prior to the first book’s publication.

So if you’re an author who is yet to be published, you’re actually in the best possible position. Because it’s in this time, before your book hits the shelves, that you can have the greatest influence on its success.

Quite simply, JK Rowling followed a four-step writing process that you too can adopt to write your very own list of bestsellers. The question is: do you have what it takes to be the next JK Rowling?

Planning

This is by far the most underrated of the steps in the writing process. And in the final wash up it is absolutely the most important.

It was 1990 and Jo Rowling was on a train between Manchester and London. Harry literally strolled fully formed into her mind while she was gazing out the train window at a field full of cows. She spent the next four hours (the train was delayed) imagining Harry, the world he inhabited, the friends and enemies he had there and the dangers and joys he may encounter there. She had nothing to write on so had to be content to play this all out in her imagination. By the time she got off the train in London, the central cast of characters were already cemented in her mind.

But did she go home and immediately begin scribbling a story with these characters? No, she didn’t. She spent five years, yes that’s right FIVE YEARS creating and developing every last detail of the wizarding world, including government and education systems, how the wizarding world stood shoulder to shoulder with the muggle world, and she devised a highly sophisticated system of magic that would eventually form the backbone of her own special brand of writing magic. On top of this she sculpted out the entire story, planning the details and events of all the seven books, before she put pen to paper to begin writing the first.

Would you attempt to build a house without plans? Would you attempt to drive across the country without a map? Or would you set sail on the seas without a compass? Writing a book without a detailed planning stage is like attempting to build a house without plans. Miss this step and you are almost certainly destined to become lost in a forest of your own words.

Writing

When you are writing, you are just writing. You are not planning, you are not editing. You are writing. Once you have planned your story, it is time to sit down and write it.

JK Rowling planned the Harry Potter series for five years before she put pen to paper on the first book She wrote the entire first book, and felt as though she were “carving it out of this mass of notes”. All the planning was worth it. She was able to devote herself to the actual task of writing, knowing that all the story and character elements she needed were covered.

This is the best possible place for you to be in when you are writing a novel. Novels are long. Usually over 100,000 words and sometimes as many as 200,000 words and more. That is a lot of words! So if you have planned and structured your story effectively, done your research (either real or in your imagination) and collated your notes, then the writing process is an absolute joy, where you can be very certain of your ability to produce the best possible novel.

Jo Rowling said she felt she “had to do right by the book”. She really believed in the story and so when it came to writing it, she made sure she had taken care of all the necessary preparation. Once that’s done, writing is almost easy!

Rewriting

Jo Rowling rewrote the opening chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone a total of 15 times. Her own mother died just 6 months after her first attempt at Chapter One of that book, and that sent her into a frenzy of rewriting, essentially changing everything. The Potter books are about death, there is no doubt about that, and they are driven particularly by the death of Harry’s parents and his miraculous survival. When Jo Rowling experienced such a major turning point in her own life, she rewrote the story to reflect and process her own pain.

Writing and rewriting are separate processes. Writing is scribing or sculpting out the drafts of the story. Rewriting is re-looking and re-seeing. Often the rewrite will show up where the story has gone off track and where questions asked at the start haven’t been answered by the end. In JK Rowling’s case, she realised after writing the entire first book that she had given away the entire plot of the seven books. She rewrote it in this light, and held many things back.

Many successful authors say that you only write to rewrite. DH Lawrence even said that he wrote his entire first draft, threw it away and then started again from scratch.

Editing

Editing is the process of refining and polishing your manuscript. This part of the process may be done by you, or by an external editor. It is often wise to have an editor look over your work before submitting it for publication as it is extremely difficult to get the distance you need from your own work to see where it can be improved.

Not that you have to listen to what the editor says. In the end it is your name on the spine of that novel and you are entirely answerable for its contents. Having said that, a good and subtle editor can lift your novel to heights that you may not be able to achieve on your own.

It is clear from the Harry Potter series that JK Rowling was more tightly edited at the beginning (the first two novels are barely more than 200 pages and by the time we get to number five, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, we are faced with a weighty tome of over 700 pages) so it is generally advisable at the beginning of your career to bear the advice of your editor heavily in mind, especially if you are new to publishing. In every event, less is more, and a distilled and focussed book is more likely to captivate and intrigue a new audience than a meandering epic that constantly loses its way.

Writing a book is a process, never forget that. Each step in the process is unique but necessary. Don’t mix them, and certainly don’t attempt to skip any steps. Do that at your own peril.

JK Rowling has shown the world what is possible if you adhere to the basic processes of the art and craft of writing a good story. So before you attempt your next novel, address the four steps in the writing process: planning, writing, rewriting and editing, and be sure you give each step its due.

And who knows? You could be the next JK Rowling.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Are You An Article Zombie?

You are sick of duplicate content? Welcome to the club. What should you do different than 95% of article writers on the net?

Article directories and the web in general have been flooded by a tsunami of junk content on just about any topic you can imagine.

However, a great deal of this content does not contain anything useful and is pure advertisement or keyword stuffing. This type of content will hardly get read by anyone.

The people that produce this type of content I call article zombies. Their content does not have a soul. It does not inspire you or give you anything useful. They just bore you to death.

Before you start writing about a topic please make sure that you:

Have something meaningful to share

This does not need to be insider knowledge about a certain topic, but maybe an interesting opinion, a different view - some aspects not everyone already knows.

Know your target population

Before writing an article, know who your audience will be. Would you go on stage with your eyes shut? You need to know who you speak to. What are the interests of your audience? What pain or problem do they try to avoid?

Write for people - not search engines

SEO may be your initial motivation. But remember: There are more humans than search engines. Real people will read your article. If they don't like what they see do you think they will click on the link in your resource box?

Read your own words aloud before sending or submitting it somewhere

Too often you write something, but when you start reading it aloud in your own voice - it sounds stupid. If that's the case it probably is. When you make the transition from words in a computer to spoken voice - this is the first reality check for your train of thoughts and your narrative style.

Do not recycle existing articles

I know everybody tells you to take private label articles and rewrite them. My advice: Don't do it. If you start rewriting somebody else's article it will lose its own voice without getting your personal style into it. What you end up with is just a piece of text without a soul.

Have a strong feeling about what you are writing

This feeling does not always have to be positive. If you are mad at something - write it down. If you disagree with somebody else's article - great - write down your view. If you feel fascination - your words will be fascinating, if you are sad - so your words will be.

If you feel nothing, your words also won't have emotions.

So now let's get into the right mood and produce some really good content for your website - but first of all - for your visitor. Your visitor are human beings. Offer them what you would offer to a visitor in your home: The best you have to offer.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Applying Neuro - Linguistic Method in Creative Writing

Plenty of linguists and other scientists tried to establish a lot of methods to improve human memory and make the chain of thoughts and ideas more fluent and coherent. Robert Dilts was one of the scientists that established Neuro-Linguistic Programming as a way to improve writing skills and make then overall view of possibilities clearer. The scientist worked along with his colleagues and observed the work of professional writers to see the main difference. The presentation of it showed that it really helps to improve writing skills. This method can be used by individuals regardless their age.

The main aim of the Programming is: To determine the most active sense and concentrate on tailoring other four to it; To learn to concentrate on the topic and switch on imagination when necessary; Lexical interchanges make your vocabulary richer and nobler. The most important thing about writing is the topic examination. Thing about it as of the thesis statement of your paper and focus on possible styles you may use to depict all you have in mind: it may be a narration, a description, a memo or fiction. Do not forget about the reader’s preferences and desires. It may be a good idea to make a sketch of what are you going to present in a chronological or functional order and work in the direction you outlined yourself. The preliminary stage concerning your composition is ready. Now it is all about arrangement there are also several methods that can suit you.

1. If it is hard for you to formulate a bridge between the sentences, put a connection word you like at the end of each sentence in your mind to make it easier for you to comprehend the idea of previous sentence. This is a way to systematize your thoughts.

2. English is a poly-semantic language rich in synonyms that may be used in different meanings according to the text. Use the interchangeable variants to make it easier to orient within the text. This gives your language fluency you never had in your oral speech.

3. Instead of interchanging words you can alter them. The more lexical units that qualify the subject you use (adjectives, adverbs, participle, gerund etc.), the better. Be sure to apply this into the right style (your text may contain direct speech). A cue you’ve established has to be composed of narrator’s position, connection and sensory verb. The narrator’s position and sensory verb are to stand at the beginning of the paragraph. The connection can be placed anywhere in the text that follows. This is what helps you to develop a unique and outlandish style that is going to become a sample for your course mates.

4. Having mastered several methods, you can successfully use them and mix to your own liking and your abilities will improve with every written assignment. Linguistic research shows that this method is helpful in 92% of cases and the easy application of it makes the studying process enjoyable.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Application Letter Sample Warning

So, you finally finished your resume and now it’s time to write your application letter. You know in order to get noticed you need your application letter to really stand out to the employer. You want that interview, but you don’t know the first thing about writing an application letter. You understand all the key points, but you’re no good at organizing your thoughts on paper. So you turn to your computer, log on to the internet and Google “free application letters”. Hundreds of websites pop up offering tons of free application letter samples. You can’t believe your luck. You click through a few sites and find a letter you like. Your are positive that this one that will knock the socks off the hiring manager. You feel confident, as you copy and paste it onto a word document, that this letter will pretty much guarantee you an interview. Let’s face it you found it online and it claims to be written by a professional, therefore you can’t go wrong. You change a few words around, sign your name and off it goes. Now all you have to do is wait for that phone to start ringing.

Let me tell you, you are going to be waiting a long, long time for that call. Take heed of this application letter sample warning. While these sample letters can help guide you in how to write an application letter, they should never be used as a substitution for your real work. Most employers review a countless amount of application letters and resumes daily. Do you really think that the free online application letter sample you “borrowed” is going to grab their attention? Chances are no. Is your application letter sample going to be original? Probably not. Is the application letter going to be written to show how you meet the employer’s needs? Again, probably not.

Do you think you are the first person to go looking on the internet for free cover letter samples? In this day and age of the internet where you can find anything you need, chances are you are not the first person to use a free application letter sample. In fact it probably happens more often than you imagine. These employers received countless amounts of resumes and cover letters. They are so seasoned at reading application letters they will be able to tell yours is not your own after the first paragraph. This is why your application would really need to stand out to the employer. It’s doubtful that the application letter you found online is going to do that for you.

A good application letter consists of a few key elements. Essentially it’s what you can do for the employer. The letter should show why the employer would be making a mistake not calling you for at least a interview. Your application letter needs to highlight some key points in your resume, specifically those points that qualify you for the job you are applying for. How is a letter that you found online going to do that? In order for your letter to get notice it needs to be original, and show your passion for your work. Can an application letter you get online be original? That is highly doubtful. Your letter also needs to ask for the opportunity to be interviewed and needs to give the employer options to make that happen. Again, would your sample application letter provide that? If I was a gambler, I would bet the house that the answer would be no.

Instead of using the internet to find a free application sample letter to pass off as your own, use the internet to research how to write a effective application letter. Anything that has the word sample in it, is meant to be just that. A sample. Something to sort of push you in the right direction. The most important things to remember is that applications letters should be original and they should represent you. The only person, who can represent you, is you. Why would you want to take an application letter written by someone who does not even know you? Only you know why you would be perfect for that one job. Why trust a generic letter to get that point across to the employer?

Friday, June 17, 2011

Anyone Can Write an Essay!

“I’ll figure that out . . . when I get the time.”
“I really don’t know how to start!”
“I really should write my essay!”

This common dilemma is expressed over and over again by many people everywhere. The good news is that anybody can write an essay!

There are three main reasons for essays:

1. To help you to cohesively construct an argument and defend it on paper.

2. To help you develop good written and oral communication skills.

3. To help you to figure out how to find information.

Not knowing how to write properly can make your academic life disorganized, stressful and chaotic. By improving your writing skills, you can confidently and quickly finish assignments and write properly throughout your professional career.

Writing an essay can be very simple when you follow these basic steps: choose a topic, define the scope of your essay, create the outline, write the essay and -- proofread, proofread, proofread!

The Essay Topic

The first step in writing an essay is to select a topic (if one has not been assigned). In order to define a topic, you should think about the goal of the essay. Is the purpose of the essay to persuade, educate, or describe a topic -- or for something else entirely? It is generally helpful to brainstorm ideas by jotting down favorite subjects or thinking of a topic that may be interesting to you.

Define the Scope of the Essay

The next step is to define the scope of your essay. Is the subject matter very broad, or will the essay cover a specific topic with detail-oriented examples? Thinking about the overall topic and scope will help you to begin the writing process.

Create an Outline

The next step is to create the outline. You may think that an outline is an unnecessary, time-consuming task -- but this step will actually help save time! An outline will help keep you focused while writing your essay, and help keep you from wandering aimlessly in conducting your research. It should be composed of the main idea of the essay or thesis statement, and the arguments that support it. The outline is often numbered and organized by paragraph, but more abstract outlines will also help to organize and focus your ideas.

Writing the Essay

The subsequent step is writing the essay. The introduction paragraph should begin with an attention grabber. This is a statement the lures the reader into wanting to read the rest of the essay. The next few sentences should be very broad in topic, and should lead to the narrow focus of the thesis statement, which is usually the very last sentence of the introduction paragraph. There are typically three body paragraphs, and each one starts by tackling one of the main ideas presented in the thesis statement. The following sentences should describe and elaborate on the main point. Details of specific examples should be included to strengthen your main ideas. The conclusion paragraph summarizes the essay and provides a final perspective on the main topic. It often begins with a paraphrase of the original thesis statement, and sometimes includes a future prediction based upon the viewpoint presented in the essay.

Proofreading Your Essay

The final step in writing a thesis is proofreading. Proofreading is actually the most important part of writing the essay and is often skipped. A few items to consider when proofreading your essay are the order of the paragraphs, the flow of the sentences, grammar, spelling and the instructions for the assignment. Questions to ask yourself include:

• Does your essay make sense?
• Does each sentence flow to the next sentence well?
• Are there any points that can be made stronger or clearer?
• Are there words that are used frequently?
• Are there any run-on sentences or fragments?

The proofreading process sometimes takes longer than the actual writing process, but this is what makes the difference between a concise and well thought out essay, and a bad essay.

When the process of writing an essay is broken into pieces, the process seems more manageable and easier to complete for the beginner. The process consists of thinking about a topic, creating an outline, writing the essay and proofreading the essay. This makes essay writing an interesting learning experience, and helps the writer express his or her thoughts more clearly, concisely and with more validation.

Thursday, June 16, 2011

An Author's Guide To Publishing A Book

Ask any published book author about writing a book, and they will tell you it's a monumental task. The process is long, drawn out, and grueling. Even if you enjoy writing – and don't mind writing on the same subject for an extended period -- the writing process will, undoubtedly, exhaust you. Getting your book published, however, will take even more time and effort than writing the thing in the first place.

Are you thinking about writing a book? Have you already written one? Do you wonder how to get your book published? If you so, read on. Here are some hand-picked tips on how to publish your book.

WRITING YOUR BOOK

To write a successful book you need to start out with some original thought. You probably have plenty of originality, but you may have trouble creating a coherent flow of ideas and information that the public will digest. The first step is to create the skeleton (or blueprint) of your book. You need to organize your thoughts into a progression of chapters.

If you are writing a non-fiction book, start with a table of contents. Write chapter headings and sub-headings. Organize your chapters so you build each chapter upon one another. If you can brainstorm more chapter headings than you will use, you will find it easier to fill your book with a series of short articles that flow into one another.

If you are writing fiction, you will need more of a storyboard. You will need to create cause and effect as well as character sketches. To make your story coherent your characters will need to react to events. Their reactions should become predictable as your readers get into the story. You may need to create some situations for your characters to introduce their traits to the reader.

These are general guidelines on how to construct your book. The complete process will be much more involved as you move closer to finding out how to get your book published. Even after you are finished with the bulk of the content, your goal to publish your book involves a lot more work.

GETTING YOUR BOOK INTO PRINT

The next step to get your book published is finding a publisher. Both the Internet and your local library have many resources. You can tap into these resources to find the best publisher to publish your book. After a series of queries and correspondence with potential publishers, you may get an invitation to submit your manuscript. Then the work begins.

A publisher is very experienced in finding marketable books. He knows what it will take to get your book to sell. Don't be offended when a book editor tears your writing apart, as this may be a positive sign that the publisher is interested in your book. Expect to enter into a close relationship of compromise and change with the editor as you rework what you have already painstakingly written. When you are finished, you will have a readable, clean, and correct manuscript, ready for print.

The road to getting a book published is a long one, but it is well worth the effort. Trust yourself, and trust the publisher to create a beautiful masterpiece. Don't be discouraged if several publishers are not interested in your book. You may have to self-publish your first book, and then again, your book may eventually get accepted right away. Good luck and enjoy the process.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

An Author's Glimpse Into The Operation Of A Book Publishing Company

The publishing company is the backbone of the writing world. The publishing company provides a great service to society by publishing and displaying the work of authors. The global existence of publishers is obvious, but the inner workings of a publishing company is unknown by many authors. Many book publishers consider the publishing industry as an apprenticeship industry -- most book publishing professionals gain knowledge and skills in this field with hands-on job experience. Generally, what an apprentice learns in one department is useful throughout the publishing house, which gives professionals the opportunity to move between departments. A typical publishing company has many levels to it, each with different functions.

THE ADMINISTRATIVE DEPARTMENT

The Administrative Department is the first level of any book publishing company. It has many responsibilities to help the publishing company function properly. The Administrative Department manages daily operations for publishing executives and management. This responsibility involves interaction with all employees from all departments, as well as interaction with authors and agents. The administrative employees manage the calendar, maintain organized files, screen/prioritize mail, draft correspondence, make travel arrangements and prepare itineraries, process expense reports, take minutes at meetings, and prepare reports. A position as an administrative employee allows a person to have a high-level of understanding of a publishing company, while being visible to executives.

THE ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT

All large and small publishing companies have an Advertising Department. Most publishing companies have in-house advertising agencies that purchase media space and create and design advertisements. In a publishing company, the Advertising Department works closely with the marketing directors, editors, and publishers of titles to create an advertising plan that promotes sales of an author's book. An advertising plan requires research and negotiation to provide the best venues and the most cost-effective methods of advertisement. These employees also work closely with graphic designers, commercial sales representatives, printing presses, and internal staff to facilitate the run of advertisements.

THE EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT

The Editorial Department of a publishing company is one of the most important departments. The Editorial Department acquires, negotiates, develops, and edits book projects for publication. The daily activities of editorial employees include preparing acquisitions for transmittal to the production department; developing and maintaining relationships with authors, booksellers, and agents; performing general administrative duties; participating in editorial, design and marketing meetings; and reading and evaluating submissions by writing reader's reports. The editorial department must work closely with all departments.

THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT

Another division of a publishing company is the Marketing Department. The Marketing Department creates, prepares, and establishes marketing strategies and policies for each book title by coordinating the efforts of publicity, promotion, advertising, and sales departments. The Marketing Department prepares all sales presentation materials, audio recordings, fact sheet collation, and promotions; creates and produces additional account-specific presentation materials; researches and establishes relations with new markets; and plans and maintains sales and marketing schedules.

THE PUBLISHER'S OFFICE

The Publisher's Office is also an important department for many publishing companies. The publishers oversee the life cycle of a book title from acquisition to production, and onto the sales force. Publishers make executive decisions for all book titles within assigned imprints while staying within any cost restraints. This department is also responsible for sponsoring book projects, strategies, and initiatives for the publishing company.

BOOK RIGHTS DEPARTMENT

The Subsidiary Rights and Permissions Department is one of the most important divisions of a book publishing company. This department finds additional sources of profit for a given title, including serials, book clubs, and paperback, audio and e-book rights.

The daily activities for the subsidiary department include writing submission letters; sending manuscripts, proposals, and books to foreign publishers and agents; coordinating co-productions with other publishers; working with book clubs and sales for special editions; and maintaining relationships with other publishing companies.

ENJOY THE JOURNEY

The road to getting a book published is a long one, but well worth the effort. Trust yourself, and trust the publisher to create a beautiful masterpiece. Don’t be discouraged if several publishers are not interested in your book. You may have to self-publish your first book, and then again, a large or small publishing company may accept your book based on marketability. Good luck and enjoy the process.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

All You Need To Know About Agents--For Now

The agent issue is such an emotional one for writers. Having one is a huge validation. I was fortunate to sign with an agent while still writing my first novel and it was wonderful being able to work and know that someone was waiting for what I was writing.

But the eagerness to have that feeling often pushes writers to make poor decisions when it comes to the hunt for an agent. With some thinking, solid preparation and research it is possible to hook up with an agent and have a satisfying relationship with him or her. Here are five crucial points to help you with the process.

1. Do You Need An Agent?
You've probably heard the oft-cited fact that most publishers these days don't read unsolicited manuscripts. But that only means that the editor hasn't been contacted beforehand. If you send a query letter and the editor asks to see your book or book proposal, you can send it without going through an agent.

However, if the editor does want to make an offer, they will suggest that you get an agent. An agent will help you get the best deal possible and, in the best of worlds, an agent will also be interested in helping you develop your career as a writer. If you can get an agent before the submission process, I think that's even better because the agent can help you put your manuscript in the best shape possible before it gets submitted. As they say, you only get one chance to make a first impression. With that in mind...

2. Be Ready.
You have to be writing at a top level to grab an agent's attention. Unfortunately, a number of writers tend to skip that part. You may be eager to get an agent, but if you're continually sending out subpar material, you'll be seen as a writer with poor skills and poor judgment and someone not to be taken seriously.

Granted, I know you want to know that you're not writing for nothing and an agent would provide that validation, but at some point you have to make the decision that you're writing for the long haul and working on your craft. If you can do that, getting an agent will not be a problem.

3. Find the Right Agent.
When you're ready to make the search, DO NOT get a bunch of names and do a mass mailing to anyone with the title "agent". You'll only get a bunch of rejections from agents who don't handle your material or aren't looking for new clients. If you do a little work, you can find out what kind of writers an agent represents and the type of material they favor. Writer's Digest publishes the Guide to Literary Agents (see below) where you'll find complete listings.

Here's another great tip: if you join Publishers Marketplace, you can get a daily e-mail listing of what deals have taken place in the book industry. You'll see what kind of book sold, what editor bought it and the agent who represented the author. This is good information because you'll see immediately who is representing your type of writing and--more importantly--who is buying it!

4. No, You Don't Have to Pay an Agent!
I get asked about this a lot, usually by writers who have already been taken advantage of by agents who charge expensive "reading fees". A good agent makes money when you make money (usually a 15 percent commission). You'll want to ask some questions. If an agent makes most of his money from writer fees and not from actual sales, you'll want to move on. A good way to weed out this group is by checking out members of the Association of Author's Representatives (AAR). Members of AAR are forbidden from charging fees.

5. Network!
An agent is much more likely to pay attention to a manuscript from someone they have met personally. I know networking and meeting agents can be hard if you live in the mountains of Arizona or on an island in Puget Sound. But consider it part of your work as a writer to get out to a conference at lease once or twice a year to meet agents, editors and, of course, other writers! I'll let you know when good ones are coming up.

One last note
An agent is NOT a magic pill. Even the best agent can't work miracles with mediocre material. It will ALWAYS be your job to do your best writing.

Monday, June 13, 2011

All About Freelance Writing

Do you love to write? Do you have a knack for making words come alive on a page? You may want to consider freelance writing as a way to make a good living from home.

Freelance writers write anything from newspaper columns to web content and even ebooks.

Getting Started

Before you go looking for freelance jobs, you should build up a portfolio of articles. You can write for your own website or blog, offer to write free articles for friends, or contact your local paper about writing a column for them. Work on some articles that you can use as samples of your work and build a list of references for your potential clients to contact.

Where To Find Work

The next step will be finding potential clients. You can visit some of the big freelance sites like elance and bid on projects. It is also a good idea to set up a website that showcases some of your writing, tells a little about you and your area of expertise, and of course you will have your contact information on the site. You may also want to consider adding a blog to your site. It’s an easy way to add articles, short tips and any other writings to your site on an ongoing basis.

Networking is another great way to find work. Think about friends, former colleagues, bosses and clients that would be interested in having some writing done and call them up. As you start building your own client base, ask for referrals. Do you know someone that successfully freelances now? Ask them for advice on getting started and spend some time with them. They may refer clients to you that they don’t have time for. Do the same for other freelancers if you are contacted with a project you can’t handle.

Many magazines will accept freelance work. Keep a spreadsheet with names and addresses of the editors of the various publications and pitch story ideas on a regular basis. It can be tough to get a foot in the door with magazines, but once you start getting published it will become easier and in many cases more lucrative.

Getting Paid

How much you will get paid will largely depend on the size of the project and how involved it is. Short articles on general topics that don’t require research may pay as little as $5.00 a piece while doing research for and writing an ebook may bring you several hundred dollars.

If you love writing about a variety of topics, I encourage you to give freelance writing a try. It’s a great way to do what you love and stay home with the kids at the same time. The main key to becoming a successful freelance writer is to practice writing all the time, whether you get paid for it or not. Just get out a pen and paper, or open you favorite text editor and start writing.