Defeating Writer's Block

Defeating Writer's Block

If you're a writer, or a student, or anyone who's ever felt the desire or need to write, you know all about the dreaded thing known as writer's block. You sit at the computer, or your're at your desk with a pad and pen, ready to write. But nothing happens. Your mind is drawing a complete blank. You feel as if you'll never be able to string even five words together into something coherent. It's a tragic problem and many experience it. The sad thing about this particular monster, is that once it's bitten, it sinks its teeth in and begins to work its way into your mind. If you don't defeat it immediately, it can be around for quite some time. You'll find yourself thinking "why can I write anything?"

There are a few fabulous techniques for slaying this particularly ugly monster:
Just write! Write absolutely anything, even if it doesn't pertain to what you want to write. It doesn't matter how bad it is, it's just important to continue. Even if doesn't even make sense! Who knows? Somewhere in all of the mess, there might be a few incredible pieces!

Take a walk! If weather permits it, a walk outside just might help you, as something you see might break the wall that's holding those good ideas hostage.

Remember when you were in kindergarten? That's right, take a nap! Some of the best ideas come from dreams. And it's been said that we often dream the solutions to our problems.

Meditation is an easy task, even if you've never practiced it before. There are many reliable resources that can teach you how to meditate. Like taking a nap, meditation offers the ability to quiet the mind long enough to find a solution or an idea.

Exercise! Exercise! Exercise! Do some yoga or aerobics, or maybe go to the gym and walk on a treadmill. While you're at it, observe the other people in the gym. See if that doesn't jog your brain into giving up those great ideas.

Sometimes, it just helps to talk to another writer. There's an expression that many authors use - "Only another author would really understand this." It's true - it's hard to explain to someone who doesn't write how sometimes our minds and our muses just don't want to work with us when it comes to our writing and coming up with great ideas. So, call another writer friend and talk about your writer's block. Sometimes two heads really are better than one.

It doesn't matter if you're writing a research paper, a love letter, or the next great international bestseller - everyone suffers from writer's block now and then, even people who don't consider themselves writers! The important thing to remember, no matter what option or techniques you use, is not to let the writer's block defeat you. You have to destroy the monster!

About the author:
Amanda Baker writes for All Things
Pondered


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How To Find Freelance Jobs - Writing About Food

How To Find Freelance Jobs - Writing About Food
by: Niall Cinneide
Did you know that jobs writing about food are available? These opportunities are available in a variety of areas. Employment in these fields is an exciting concept. For many, getting their foot in the door is the most important and most challenging first step. In order to succeed, a wide range of knowledge is needed as well as a good base of experience.

These jobs are available in all sorts of media. The internet is full of postings for good quality writers in a variety of fields. Some in this field write for magazines, newspapers, or even books. Others work right online. There are several avenues a prospective writer can take.

The first step in getting into any of these, though, is getting a good base of knowledge. There are courses that can be taken to give a good base of knowledge for the food aspect of the business. But, for the writing, grammar, and compiling of the articles and pieces, you will need at least a few years of schooling. Writing is the foundation of the work you will do, after all.

To start out in freelance writing though, you need to know how to get experience.

You can take your career to the next level by expanding your knowledge, getting your experience into a portfolio, and presenting yourself to the prospective employers. Try small, local newspapers to start. Or, submit an article to a magazine asking them to review it for consideration. Present yourself to the companies you want to start with, but always keep striving for other levels of opportunity. There are hundreds of companies that are looking for a new, fresh face in writing. You’ll find them throughout the internet posting on message boards and websites. Or, you can contact all of the organizations that you would like to get your start in by sending resumes and samples of your work.

You will enjoy a career with the freelance food writer jobs that you do get. You certainly will love the opportunities that are available!

About The Author


Niall Cinneide

Visit http://www.FreelanceWritingResource.com for more Articles, Resources, News and Views about Freelance Copywriting Opportunities. Copyright © 2005 FreelanceWritingResource.com. All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact.

Copyright © 2005 FreelanceWritingResource.com. All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact.






This article was posted on August 18, 2005

For Beginners: 10 Ways To Prepare To Get Published

For Beginners: 10 Ways To Prepare To Get Published
by: Jill Nagle
(Skip directly to ten for the fastest shortcut!)

Like any field, excellent writing requires study, practice and mentorship. Very few successful authors ever published their first draft of their first work. Nearly all had to expend considerable effort to improve their craft. Here are some ways to prepare for that moment of publication. These tips also help keep you on your toes after publication for better and better writing results as your career develops.

1) Read, read, read in your field. You can never read too much when you’re trying to excel as a writer. Reading in your field helps you develop a discerning eye. You need this discerning eye for when you step back and look at your own work.

2) Cultivate role models. Know who the top-selling authors are in your field. Find out more about them. How did they get to where they are? Do searches in the Internet (available in most libraries-ask your librarian how to use a search engine) for information about particular authors whose careers you admire. Let your role models inspire rather than daunt you. There is no competition, only inspiration, potential teachers and opportunities for cooperation. That author you envy this year may be writing a blurb for your first novel next year.

3) Research your markets. If you want to publish in periodicals, whether literary fiction, journalistic writing, or anything else, realize publication standards serve a purpose other than to frustrate new authors.

4) Take classes. Many cities offer writing classes through community colleges or local writing groups. Online writing classes are popping up everywhere. If possible, choose a writing teacher who has published in a field you’d like to enter. Even better, find someone you already consider a mentor. Not every published author has what it takes to offer beginning writers what they need, but many do.

5) Join or start a writer’s group in your area. We teach best what we most need to learn. There is no better way to improve your own writing than to help others with theirs.

6) Find a writing buddy with whom to check in on a regular basis. The two of you can be each others’ inspiration, accountability market, guidepost and reality check. Having structure and someone to check in with may help you look forward to your otherwise lonely writing sessions.

7) Play with changing voices. Copy other writers you admire. How does that feel? Pretend you suddenly got an injection of creativity serum or I.Q. booster, then write like mad for ten minutes. What happens to the quality of your words? Is this a possible new direction for you? As creative and intelligent beings, we have so much more within us than we could ever dream.

8) Accept the reality of rewriting. Unlike other professions who get to rest on their milestones, for writers, a completed manuscript often represents a beginning. The best writing comes after lots of rewriting, even for seasoned authors. You needn’t throw any of it away, but not every sentence belongs in every work. Save the scraps, but don’t get attached to where they go, or the integrity of your project will suffer.

9) Get clear on what you want out of getting published. Many writers move forward without knowing where they want to wind up. As a teacher once told me, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” The answer to what you want out of getting published will help you determine the best route to take. And in publishing, those routes are many and varied. You can use our Twenty Questions as a self-help guide.

10) If what you want is to get published in the least amount of time, considering hiring a ghostwriter. An extremely common but rarely discussed practice, many successful authors talk to ghostwriters, who put their skills to work on an author’s behalf. Although some such ghostwriters get a cover credit, many do not, hence the “ghost” terminology. If you have more money than time or inclination to toil, ghostwriting may be the option for you. To learn more about ghostwriting, send an email to information@getpublished.com.

About The Author


You are welcome to reprint this article any time, anywhere with no further permission, and no payment, provided the following is included at the end or beginning:

Author Jill Nagle is founder and principal of GetPublished, http://www.GetPublished.com, which provides coaching, consulting, ghostwriting, classes and do-it-yourself products to emerging and published authors. Her most recent book is How to Find An Agent Who Can Sell Your Book for Top Dollar http://www.FindTheRightAgent.com.

Jill@getpublished.com






This article was posted on February 24, 2005

Wake Up Your Writing Spirit

Wake Up Your Writing Spirit
by: Shelley Wake
The Blogfest 2005 Writing Contest has only been running for two weeks and already the results are overwhelming. And not because we’re getting far more entries than we expected. It’s because along with entries, we’re also getting heartfelt messages from writers all over the world. I’ve run a few contests before and received quite a few entries, but I’ve never been personally emailed and thanked by so many writers.

What’s the difference with this contest? I think the main reason is that the idea actually came from writers. Even though the writers at our company work in publishing, they find it a little sad that there’s so much focus on writing what can sell instead of writing what truly matters to you. They wanted a contest that would allow people to write whatever they wanted to write.

From that idea came Blogfest, a contest designed to encourage all writers to get the project of their dreams done. Unlike most contests, we decided not to offer publication and not to pay the prize for a completed work. Instead, we decided to offer the prizes based on how much the writing project means to the writer. This is one contest that isn’t about whether or not your work can sell or about what your writing will mean to someone else. It’s about what it means to you.

To enter, we asked writers to tell us about the one thing they’ve always wanted to write and to tell us what it would mean to them to write it. Now, after only two weeks, we have an inbox full of emails from people. Entries so far have included grandparents wanting to write their life story for their grandchildren, aspiring novelists, professional writers looking for the chance to write something for themselves and not for money, and a young woman wanting to capture and preserve her mother’s family recipes.

These people have entered and then sent us an extra email just to thank us for the opportunity. They’ve told us how just writing about the project has made them so excited and full of joy. They have enthusiasm and feel delight just for thinking about finally writing. And we’ve started reading the entries and the joy is there too. As a publisher, I’m used to reading submissions and contest entries. It’s often a joy but there’s rarely as much life as there is in these submissions. Reading them, I can feel that people have that spark of excitement that is only motivated by something much greater than money or even publication. It’s the joy of doing what your heart’s always wanted to do.

There is more to writing than publication and money and this competition is bringing out the real spirit of writing.

My message to all writers is to think about what matters to them. Think about that one thing you’ve always dreamed of writing. I challenge you to write down what completing that project would mean to you. If you feel that spark, I challenge you to commit to your project and get it written. Not because you can make money from it, but because it means something to you.

This contest has made me see more clearly than ever that there is far more to writing than making money. There will only be a few winners to Blogfest, and choosing them is going to be the toughest job we do all year. But I hope this idea can reach further than that. I hope all writers will listen to their hearts and complete their projects. I hope that just thinking about actually doing it will wake up that writing spirit that is in so many people.

About The Author


Shelley Wake is one of the organizers of Blogfest 2005 and the manager and editor of Writing Stuff. http://www.writingstuff.com.






This article was posted on February 20, 2005

Succeeding in the Business of Freelance Writing

Succeeding in the Business of Freelance Writing
by: Amber McNaught
Something that's always surprised me about the freelance writing business is just how many writers there are out there who don't seem to realize that they're running a business.

Succeeding in the Business of Freelance Writing

Of the freelance writers who send quotes to prospective employers through my website, http://www.WritingWorld.org, it never fails to surprise me just how many make no effort whatsoever to try and "sell" themselves. Some simply post a quote and nothing else: no information about themselves, no indication about their skills and experience, nothing. Others post a quote with a short message saying, "I don't know what a 'search engine optimized article' is, but please pick me anyway", or "I have no experience in this, but hopefully I'll be able to do it."

Needless to say, the writers who don't bother to sell themselves never get the gigs. So why don't they make the effort? Because they fail to realize that they're running a business.

Some – not all, but some – of the freelance writers we encounter seem to have somehow picked up the idea that all they have to do to succeed is to be good at writing. Unfortunately, it's not quite as simple as that: to really succeed as a freelance writer, you have to be good at selling yourself. And you have to be aware that you're running a business.

Marketing Your Freelance Writing Business Online

If you really want to run a successful freelance writing business, think about getting a website. Most businesses these days have websites: they're the ideal way for customers to find you, read more about your services and get in touch.

This is another area, however, where a lot of freelance writers fail. Because not just any old website will do. Sure, there are some very professional looking websites out there, run by freelance writers – but there are just as many sites which seem designed to frighten away clients rather than attract them. Amateurish design, tacky animations, clashing colors and even, God-forbid, music, are all the sign of the amateur freelance site.

Getting Your Freelance Writing Website Up and Running

While it's tempting to try and put together a website yourself, unless you have a really sound grasp of website design, this tactic can really backfire. An amateurish website tells your visitors that you're an amateur business, and that you don't have enough faith in the viability of your business to invest in a professional website. All of these things are red flags to clients, who'll go elsewhere in a heartbeat.

Get yourself a professionally designed website – and if your budget can't stretch to an entire website, consider signing up for a personal profile at WritingWorld.org, where for only $25 per year you get your own page, complete with downloadable resume, writing samples and client testimonials.

Your WritingWorld.org profile also gives you your own WritingWorld URL, which you can give to prospective clients, or even market in the same way you would promote your own website, using pay per click ads or other methods.

About The Author


Amber McNaught is the owner of http://www.WritingWorld.org, where a one-page personal profile costs only $25 per year.

Amber also runs Hot Igloo Productions Ltd, which offers affordable website design: visit http://www.hotigloo.co.uk.

amber@hotigloo.co.uk

How To Make Real Money From Writing?

How To Make Real Money From Writing?
by: Linda Correli
The significance of writing skills is emphasized far and wide over and over again. Writing skills are called mandatory, indispensable, crucial and drastic ability, a ticket to the thriving future of the person.

The overwhelming majority of instructors and employers which were surveyed recently stressed that writing skills are critical both for academic and career success. The survey carried by Lin Grensing revealed that 79 percent of respondent executives cited writing as one of the most neglected skills in the business world, yet one of the most important to productivity. They also admitted that approximately 80 percent of their employees at all levels need to improve their writing skills.

To master good writing skills means not only to become well-educated and competent person, but as well taps you into the wealth of lucrative opportunities. It exactly means that you can turn your gift of eloquence into sideline and perhaps steady income. The money earned from writing can become a good support for you, so you can spend them on different insignificant trinkets, which will significantly reduce your general outcome.

Practically anyone can make fortune writing and selling simple information. The only question is how to market your skills for profit-making results. The best advice for those who are willing to earn extra money and have the ability to express their ideas coherently is turning their writing skills into regular decent income and enjoining the independence and freedom everyone can earn in addition to the tidy sums of money.

Here are some easy-to-follow techniques and tested principles, which will reveal you how to make money from writing immediately and on regular basis. So let’s single out top 7 winning principles of how to make money from writing.

P1. Become a freelance writer. Perhaps someone thinks that making money from freelance writing is a lottery and he’ll never enter the game without having a famous name. Indeed when you take the risks of freelance writing you don’t jeopardy really. If it is your subsidiary income you can afford yourself to try making some extra money. First, you work at home and spend very little time to get started. In any case you can indemnify yourself from the unrequited labor by specifying all the details with the client preliminary, checking up the reliability of the company or client you are dealing with or solicit for the prepaid part of compensation for your work.

P2. Figure out the markets that pay and might be interesting in something you are willing and able to write. Always remember that whether you have yen writing about evolution and reproduction of mollusks or about data communications there is an audience hungry for your articles. Thus, the best thing the newcomers can do is to search for the topics which enjoy the popularity of the audience. Hence, you should try to swim with the current and write the articles which are in demand.

P3. You can start selling your services through the service agency, so that to leave your resume and wait for the call. Large and even small companies often apply to such agencies looking for the writers. It can be a good chance for you to start and develop a circle of potential clients.

P4. When you build up a vast network of clients, you can cut out the agencies and offer your services to the clients before the agencies do.

P5. You can query the editors and offer them an interesting article idea you think you can write for them. Also you can suggest the editors articles which you have already written and which are related to the subject-matter of their journal, magazine or bulletin, so that to have a chance that your article will be published. Compose press-releases, short stories or reviews and submit them to the targeted publications.

P6. You can write postcards both humor and verse for sure if you feel you can do it and suggest them for card publishers. One more winning and quick strategy is slogan writing. It takes minimum time, but brings good awards. So you can offer your slogans to the advertising agencies and become their permanent slogan writer in case if your slogans really work.

P7. Writing and selling jokes is not only money making, but pleasant and fun strategy of earning extra cash. You can compose short comedy material, radio comedy sketches and scripts for comedians, radio or TV.

With these tested principles you will make big dividends from your part-time writing. As well as making money you’ll be having fun, socializing, meeting new people and boosting your self-confidence and self-esteem. And if you wish, you’ll be well on your way to a full-time career as a well-paid freelance writer.

About The Author


Linda Correli is a staff writer of http://www.Customresearchpapers.us She helps students write college research papers, term books, admission essays, book report and many other types of writing assignments: from personal statements to professional case studies. Article sponsored by http://www.go2essay.com.

The Unwritten World Of The "Reality" Of Letterwriting

The Unwritten World Of The "Reality" Of Letterwriting
by: Tamara Stevens
The unwritten “reality” of letter writing

You may wonder why I have chosen this title of this post. Well from my experience is that it is really hard to put the feeling into words about what letter writing means to me. Letter writing is becoming a lost art on many levels. It is fading into the background of society. It is still practised by many people. It is those people that I am looking to connect with. I have been told by many people whom have read my posts that they feel the same way about letter writing as I do. I want to hear from those people what they feel; I want to hear their words.

I think that it is so important that we embrace the things that we are passionate about. In this case, I want people from all walks of life, all over the world. Put a pen to paper that is letter writing; pen pals, snail mail whatever it is you call it and tell your story about what writing and receiving actual physical mail in the mail box means to you.

For me I love the whole process from finding kwel and interesting stationary, note cards, ticklopes (they are so cute) to stickers, to colour full envelopes to tuckins to put in the envelopes. For me it is to make others happy to see a letter to them in their box.

I want to hear from you yes you the one reading this post. I know you love to get a letter addressed to you? Who doesn’t? Is there some that you have kept? If so? Why? When? How? Yes I want all the 5 W’s answered. The reason is I think that it is important to have book that expresses just how important this art of letter writing is to our society. I have heard from a publisher that they are interested. Now I just have to create the masterpiece called the unwritten “reality” of the lost art of letterwriting.

Help me help shine the light on this amazing gift so that it doesn’t disappear from the future. If you want more info please feel free to contact me. I have more to share as always. If you can think of other places to post or spread the word please do. This is dedicated to you. I would appreciate any help in getting the word out. I don’t think that I could do this book justice with out having fellow letter writers sharing their experiences about the passion of this amazing hobby.

Tamara Stevens
6 Commodore Ave
Sackville, NS B4E 3B2 Canada
Tamaras_snails@lalw.org / http://www.lalw.org

About The Author


Tamara Stevens - I am 29 years old and I am writing a book on the lost art of letter writing
tamaras_snails@lalw.org

Could You Write Performance Reviews For Money?

Could You Write Performance Reviews For Money?
by: Niall Cinneide
Writing performance reviews can be an excellent way to earn a living. Who wouldn’t want to go from place to place watching actors, singers, and chefs perform at their best (and maybe their worst)? Getting paid to do something like this just seems like fun, doesn’t it? But, in reality, these jobs are not easy to come by nor are they easy to do. A writer will need to have many qualifications and have to write very well in order to establish themselves as worthy candidates of this type of work. Writing reviews is a little more complicated than just telling what you thought of the show.

For example, writing play reviews can be a challenge. Sure, the overall show may be interesting and exciting, but what about the individual characters? In writing the reviews, the writer must have strong understanding of how the play works, who is who, and why certain things are done in certain ways. They must be fluent in the arts and understand what is good and what is bad. It is not simply their opinions that matter but their opinions will in fact determine how well the play does. Who will come see a poorly reviewed play? But, if the writer’s ideas are wrong and misguided, who will look to them again for advice on whether or not to see that play?

There is a lot of weight on the shoulders of individuals who do this type of work. Writing reviews for large newspapers and organizations may take a long time to get into. The writer will more than likely start out as a nobody, and often do the work for free long before they earn a single dime at it. Their talents will only be trusted once they have proven their skill and having the right ideas and the writing abilities as well. Many people are who do this work as freelance writers. Often, these writers work for magazines, newspapers, and online.

The field takes much perseverance and a true love and devotion, not to mention experience in the arts to make it come to be.

About The Author


Niall Cinneide

Visit http://www.FreelanceWritingResource.com for more Articles, Resources, News and Advice about Writing Performance Reviews.

Copyright © FreelanceWritingResource.com. All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact.

Writing and Walking – Beating Writer’s Block

Writing and Walking – Beating Writer’s Block
by: Rick Chapo
Writing and walking are a seemingly odd mix of topics for an article, but they go well together. Particularly if you write during breaks in your walk.

Writing Journals

Whether you are writing articles or the great American novel, you will inevitably suffer from writer’s block. A good way to defeat the block is to go for a walk or hike in a park or open local area. Walking gives you a chance to think through things, let your mind wander and clear out the riff raff.

As you walk, your subconscious will be working and kicking out ideas to get you going again. You don’t want to lose these ideas, which can be a problem when you are a few miles from home and your computer. Frankly, nothing is more frustrating than getting an idea and then losing the thread while you hustle home.

I primarily write information articles for web sites. Unlike a novel, the pure volume of articles is problematic. Coming up with hundreds of unique topics can be maddening, particularly if the subject matter is rather dry. Just imagine trying to write 100 articles on tax issues! One tends to end up staring at the wall for hours on end.

I come up with my best ideas while walking on the beach here in San Diego, California. While the beach and tax articles might seem an odd mix, the ghosts of IRS agents apparently congregate on the beach and ideas become plentiful. I’ve tried two methods of keeping track of ideas while walking.

I first tried taking a dictation machine with me, but it didn’t really work out. You would be surprised how loud the ocean is on the recording. I also found it difficult to pick up the thread again when I sat down to listen to my ramblings. Fortunately, writing journals turned out to be a better option.

An author friend of mine that publishes novels suggested taking a writing journal with me on the beach strolls. He apparently had great success working out plot twists for his novels while hiking around Palomar Mountain, a good hiking spot to the east of San Diego. I gave it a try and the rest is history.

I prefer writing journals to dictating for a few reasons. Initially, it is easier to just sit down wherever you are and write out an idea and story lines. I also find it easier to pick up the thread when I plop down in front of my computer to actually start writing.

Writer’s block is a problem for every writer, regardless of the type of writing. If you’re having problems with it, you might try going on a walk and taking a writing journal with you.

About The Author


Rick Chapo is with http://www.nomadjournals.com - makers of writing journals. Writing journals are great for keeping a diary during outdoor activities, traveling and trips.

Guidelines For Reviewing Writing

Guidelines For Reviewing Writing
by: The StoryMaster
Writing detailed reviews is time well spent.

Reviewing itself is a writing exercise. At Writing.Com, creating detailed feedback for a fellow writer is one of the best tools available for improving your own writing. That said, if you're going to spend the time to do it, helping the author is important. There is a better chance for the ideas in a review to get through to an author if they are well presented.

Key Characteristics For Reviews

* Reviews should be honest. Helping writers improve their craft should be the mission of any reviewer. Honest opinions are what help writers improve. Giving false feedback doesn't help anyone and can lead an author down a long road to bitter disappointment.

* Reviews should be encouraging. Everyone at every level should be encouraged to continue writing! Encouraging reviews are more likely to be used by an author which means the time creating the review was well spent. Whether the author decides to use the reviewer's honest suggestions or not, the review should be motivating and encourage the author to keep writing.

* Reviews should be respectful. Regardless of an author's level of skill or talent, a reviewer should always respect that the author is an individual person. A reviewer flaunting that they are better than the author they're reviewing is not respectful and is counter productive.

* Reviews should be well rounded. While honesty is very important, a review that points out only flaws without any mention of an item's positive points is not nearly as helpful to an author as a well rounded review with both positive and negative remarks. Don't forget, the same goes for reviews that only point out positives! Even the greatest pieces of writing have room for suggestions and opinions.

* The rating should reflect the review. If you're sending a review full of corrections, it's important to consider that with your star rating selection. 5.0's shouldn't need any corrections. On the other extreme, a 1.0 should have endless errors and you couldn't possibly list them all. Offering to return and rerate the item after a round of updates makes it more likely your suggestions will be considered.

* Reviews should make good use of color, bold and italics. When reviewing, presentation is very important! Color can be used to make corrections stand out or quote small portions of the work. Emoticons can highlight important points in the review and can be creatively used to make the review feel more friendly.

The Content Of A Review

Keeping in mind the six (6) points highlighted above, a review should contain your opinion. While grammatical, typographical and other errors can be included within a review, don't forget to tell the author how the piece made you feel. Give them your thoughts about the inside of their writing, not just the outside.

Some example questions you may ask yourself about the piece to help you get your opinion across are as follows: Did the plot interest you? Were the characters believable? Did the story fit the time, place and other setting characteristics? Is there anything you would change within the story?

Incorporating these thoughts within your reviews will expand your own analytical skills allowing you to better analyze your own writing. Whether the author agrees with any of your suggestions or ideas is not relevant. You have given them another perspective on their work they would not have otherwise had. They may hear the same thoughts from a number of different people which may give them a better understanding of their readers as a whole.

Use "copied and pasted" portions of the item you are reviewing as little as possible. Posting sections of an item within your review leads to "review bloating" and takes away from the impact your comments and suggestions will have on the author.

Your Own Review Format

Developing your own format for reviewing can be a great asset. Determine what aspects of writings you like to focus on most, create a short outline to follow and start reviewing. Following this process will help keep your reviews honest and consistent. As your experience grows, you'll find ways to improve your format and your skills.

Get into the good habit of using a custom tag-line of encouragement within your reviews. Including a "Keep Writing!" or something unique and individual within your reviews goes a long way to motivating an author. We know you mean it, so don't forget to say it!

Make Reviewing a Daily Creative Writing Exercise

Remember, reviewing grows your own writing skills unlike any other writing tool. Critically analyzing and reviewing others' writings makes a writer stop and think about what works and what doesn't. Putting that into words and communicating that to another writer, ultimately helps the reviewer to improve his or her own writing skills, as well. So it's about helping others, but it's a valuable way to help ourselves!

Have Fun & Happy Reviewing!

About The Author


The StoryMaster is WebMaster @ Writing.Com ( http://www.Writing.Com/ ). Established in 2000, Writing.Com is the online community for readers and writers of all ages and interests. Whether you're a casual reader searching for a good story or a creative writer looking for the perfect place to improve your skills, Writing.Com is the site for you!

How To Find Writing Work

How To Find Writing Work
by: Niall Cinneide
Are you looking for new writing work? It can be a challenge to build a career in any area, but it is often even harder to do so when you are in a smaller town. Sure, there may be a huge market for talented freelancers in your area, but let’s face it, it is not New York where you can find countless job vacancies in your field of freelance writing. When you are looking for freelance writing work, it is important to look outside the box as well as trying the tried and true employment options.

As writers work to build their career, it can be challenging to do so if they do not live in an area that is known for having publishers. So, when you get an assignment, you need to ensure that you do it thoroughly and right on task for what the client is looking for. Do not present a piece of work without making sure that it is the best you can give.

Job vacancies for freelance writing are rarely found in newspaper ads and help wanted ads. Instead, they are filled by people who have a proven talent. It is important that you maintain a strong portfolio to do this. If you have not had any freelance writing experience for a long time, it may be beneficial to write a few pieces on your own, to display your qualifications. You can present them as a sample of your work.

The most important feature to remember when looking for jobs like freelance writing is that you can find them when you look online. Yes, take your search online because that is where people go to look for freelancers of all types. If you do not have experience, get some free projects out there and present your work in the best format every time.

Build your freelance business from start to finish on the quality on-task assignments that you present as finished work.

About The Author


Niall Cinneide

Visit http://www.FreelanceWritingResource.com for more Articles, Resources, News and Advice about Freelance Writing Jobs.

Copyright © FreelanceWritingResource.com. All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact.

New Recipe For Your Fresh Paper Pie

New Recipe For Your Fresh Paper Pie
by: Linda Correli
Many writers aspire to create original and incomparable works, so that to stand them out of heaps of previously written stuff. They resort to crafty tricks to grab the attention of readers and eagerly try to find an unoccupied niche, undeveloped idea or some lurid news to make their papers one of a kind. Catchy titles, simple and persuasive language, personal apply to the reader and intricate plot are only some clever dodges authors harness in writing.

No matter what the purpose of the written work is writing presents a kind of competition with unstated rules, where the strongest survives. These are writers who find the appropriate appeal to the reader, winning, controversial and topical theme, which proves to be helpful, instructive or explanatory. In a word, a paper which makes readers tick and turns to be useful for them.

In chase of complete satisfaction of readers the majority of writers forget that writing is a creative process rather than fitting of different variables into the existed templates and search of the burning issues of vital importance which can be easily harnessed.

A boilerplate paper is one of the major premonitions, a kind of taboo long-established and experienced writers beware tyros of.

Thus, the reinvention of the brand new strategy which will make the process of writing less laborious, more enjoyable and creative is impracticable and senseless, because there are pools of molded descriptions which explain how to master the art of writing and create a superb paper.

Hence, the only rational thing is to generalize and summarize all the previously accumulated experience and excerpt from it helpful and interesting hints, taking away the ideas that don’t really work.

Writing is very similar to preparing a pie. You know a recipe, add up ingredients in the prescribed order and as a result you get a fresh, yummy pie. Writing is a case in point.

You might be itching to learn the one single, proven and success guaranteed recipe which will enhance your writing and deliver a successful paper. Indeed the recipe is very simple.

Always listen to what your intuition suggests as per developing a specific subject;
Look for interesting writing ideas inside your mind and soul;
Be open to everything new and be ready to perceive and receive;
Feel free about writing, be inspired and creative about everything you do;
Surrender all your thoughts to writing;
Be yourself in writing, develop your original style and enjoy the creative process;
Everything is in your hands, so make your writing easier with taking your life easier and becoming more open-minded.
Now knowing the recipe you can easily add up the appropriate ingredients.

Always turn in your imagination and fantasy, discuss the ideas which really concern you and develop the points you are genuinely interested in.
Your paper will never have a success if your words don’t come from your heart. All your attempts will be doomed to failure and you’ll never make your point clear, if you are not sincere with yourself and your reader and not quite sure in what you are trying to prove.
Don’t impose yourself “write every day” regime, just to automate your writing skills, remember about inspiration. You are not a chattel of writing. Bear in mind that sooner or later you’ll hate the process of writing and you won’t be able to look at the sheet of paper and take a pen in your hands. Write with inspiration and stimulate it by all possible means: pleasant memories, communicating with interesting people, eating tasty food.
Give yourself a leeway, don’t bow to any templates, relax and make your mind free of any conceptions. Your mind is an invaluable treasury which is chock-full of ideas and thoughts; your primary task is to extract them from your brain. Close your eyes and return to the pleasant moments you have experienced once, galvanize your memories and set them out in writing.
Dreams have always played an important part in everything we do, including writing. The point is that your subconscious mind is not bounded by the limitations imposed on your conscious mind by the habits of day to day living. Dreaming is a time when your mind is open and sensible for the external influences, so it can perceive and block out your memories and evoke interesting ideas. In a word, your dreams can become a great source of your unconventional writing ideas.
Jot down all the dreams you had, how strange, weird and chaotic they can seem from the first sight. After some time past reread them and try to make sense of them or just take some idea out of it. Your dreams can become fresh seeds for your writing.
We often have dreams which confuse, baffle, excite and scare us. These strong feelings can be transmitted into the pieces of writing we create.
Sure that as a result you’ll get a successful, winning and original paper. Just don’t forget to add up all the ingredients and stick to the recipe strictly.

About The Author


Linda Correli is a staff writer of http://www.Customresearchpapers.us She helps students write college research papers, term books, admission essays, book report and many other types of writing assignments: from personal statements to professional case studies. Article sponsored by http://www.go2essay.com.

You Could Be An Author!

You Could Be An Author!
by: Joaquin de la Sierra
I started writing when I was 16 years old. To this day I love writing; I love the fact that we can translate words into images. It is incredible when I think about it. Everyone should write, writing is a way to express your feelings, what you want, what you are.

There is no excuse. With word processors, which are a godsend by the way, you can just start writing and you don’t have to worry about spelling mistakes, having to retype anything, and many other things. If you are reading this is probably because you want to write, but for some reason you haven’t done so.

If you think that writing will only take time away from you, you are wrong. Writing improves you in every way you can imagine. So what are you waiting for? Grab your copy of Microsoft Word, and start writing!

Before you do that, there is something you must ask yourself. Would you write even if nobody read it? If you answered yes to that question, you can be a great author. It is true that writing doesn’t become real until you have an audience, but remember that at first no one will want to read what you have to say. Perseverance is the key. If you want to write well, you have to practice, practice, and practice.

For your writing to be successful, you also need to read a lot. Reading is great. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. If you are deciding whether you want to be an author or not, keep reading.

I’m sure you’ve heard a lot about authors such as Stephen King and Dan Brown. You probably think that they are the only authors that really make $$$, well that’s simply not true. When you go to a bookstore, you see thousands of books. That means that there must be at least a few thousand successful authors out there. That’s without counting e-books, online articles, newspapers, etc. And you can be part of that! The internet is growing like never before, people from all over the world are starting to read whatever you write. It’s just an incredible opportunity.

So what do you think now? Writing is not only good for making money. Writing is also good for advertising purposes. A teacher of mine once told me “There are only two useful skills in life; to read and to write.” That’s one of the smartest things I’ve ever heard.

You are probably thinking that if you want to write, then you will have to put aside other activities. That’s completely wrong. This day I write, I work, I have a beautiful wife, I study and I’m as happy as anyone can be. You tell me if you can’t do anything other than writing. I consider writing a hobby.

So now you are probably thinking what kind of author you want to be. That’s totally up to you. Remember that you must write about a subject that is familiar to you. Ideas will just flow through your mind if you write about something you like. If you decide that you want to write a book, do so. Perhaps write about something that happened to you, or about something that you thought about at some point in your life. The things you can write about are endless! If you write a good war book, be sure to tell me, because I’m going to buy it.

Remember that success is achieved by 99% of failure. So if you were to fall, remember this and keep writing. Never stop writing. One thing that the world lacks of are good authors, there are so many open positions. If you start now, who knows, in a few years you could be making more money than Bill Gates can count. There are more and more people every day that like to read. Not because of the TV, which doesn’t help at all, but because education is greatly increasing all around the world. And since you are reading this you know how to read English and therefore, you can take advantage of this revolution.

So the bottom line is that you should start writing, and keep writing until you think about writing when you are not even writing.

About The Author


I write for a hobby, I worked for a newspaper company in the past, and I consider myself to be good at it. My website is www.truewebsite.com my e-mail is ngi@truewebsite.com.

Copyright clause: distribution allowed with the author's name.

Making Freelance Writing Niche Types Fit

Making Freelance Writing Niche Types Fit
by: Roxanne McDonald
Our Freelance Writing Needs Defined

We must make freelance niche types fit our needs, wants, values and lifestyles, and we also must make ourselves fit freelance niche types. Of our waking hours, we work more than we do anything else. I keep this in mind when college students come to me concerned about what to do for a living, and I tell them (because I want them happy) to do what they love. I also tell them (because I believe in the truth) to do what they are good at.

The same goes for freelance writers. If we are talented, we have a chance. If we have a severe work ethic we have a better chance. And if we are devoted enough and relentless enough (and—ahem--masochistic enough) about writing for a living, we will be able to put on our vitaes that we are indeed professional writers. But in order to do and be so, we best find the freelance writing niche types or type we will be spectacular at, staking out a corner in the niche market, one which we’ll bring passion to every morning as that damned alarm (later a wonderful thing) sounds.

Niche Defined

From the Italian-derived French for nicchia, "a shell-like recess in a wall," a niche is an inset, concave enclosure. It is this little enclosure we freelance writers need to find, study, practice, and own. It is the small area of specialty we make ours and offer to those in need. So the smaller (and therefore the less competitive) the better.

We in the freelance writing business and those of us working to get into it have plenty of industries to work with:

Advertising
B2B (Business to Business)
B2C (Business to Customer/Client)
Entertainment
Finance
Medicine
Non-profit
Publishing (online/offline)
Recreation
Science
Research/Marketing
Real Estate
Technology
Niche Types Defined

And for every industry there are tens of freelance writing niche types:


Creative Writing- I’ll say again from my lofty loft of opinions that I believe all writing is creative, as it is generative. My point is affirmed when we look at all of the kinds of writing projects a creative freelancer can do or get into, from magazine articles about bushwackers and George Bush to books about needlepoint and pine cone needles and needling family members to…

Ghost Writing- Ghost writing is a popular preferred choice of many clients, even those who have hung out a writer shingle (or banner) and outsource the assignments, collect them, pay us (hopefully well), and put their own names on the work, be it a booklet or a book, a piece of web copy or a piece of ad copy.

Proposal and Business Plan Writing- For profit or not, businesses need writers to create proposals that show need and get that need satisfied—monetarily. As there is with all freelance writing niche types, with proposal and plan writing a freelancer has the skill sets and experience to prepare documents that will be convincing enough that if the client needs hot soup sold in hell the writer will be able to deliver. I have written two successful proposals and a number of grant proposal reports (that ensured continuation of the grant). They are somewhat interesting, but only to those writers with a particular finesse for a cross between technical and creative/dynamic writing.

PR (Public Relations) Writing- PR writers do concept copy or concept to completion work in a number of media, writing ad copy, doing the layout, and designing such items as brochures, newsletters, press releases, media kits, and more, to achieve the ultimate goal for the client: name branding.

Technical Writing- Involving everything technical, from professional, consumer, and user manuals to white papers, technical writing depends upon a writer’s ability to organize, synchronize, structure, and develop the details of technical content.

Web Content Writing- To meet the client’s goals of web presence and online branding using highly trafficked, “sticky” websites/pages, the web content developer or producer writes what are known as KRPs—keyword-rich pages. This particular wave of freelance niche types was discovered (years ago) to be most beneficial as SEO, search-engine optimizing/optimized/ optimization, text (or content).
While I also specialize in mental health/disability writing and creative and memoir writing, web content development is one of my favorite freelance niche types. To get the keywordphrase keywordphrase keywordphrase construction clear, engaging, and entertaining while keeping it from doing a hideous grammatical/ rhetorical pileup is a challenge I look forward to every morning.

Hey, it beats the alarm clock jangling, signaling the dread of having to punch a card at a factory or see the boss off to work so I can clean her toilets and scrub her floors. Of course, there’s no shame in those jobs…. I did them for years to get through grad school. But that’s more to do with the other definition of niche: “the status of an organism within its environment/community, affecting its survival as a species."

And besides, I love writing so much, much more. It’s a much better fit, one I wish for all of you who adore the writing process as much as I adore it.*



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

*If this is the case, you definitely need to check out the pages on my site with web content and writing niche samples, articles that exemplify good, tight, even humorous writing and that are about writing at the same time.

Works Consulted

Bly, Robert W.. Secrets of a Freelance Writer: How to Make $85,000 a Year. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1988.

Hyperdictionary. WEBNOX CORP., 2000-2003 7 Dec. 2004.

Konradt, Brian. “Creating a Specialty.” Write from Home. 7 Dec. 2004.

About The Author


N.H.-born prize-winning poet, creative nonfiction writer, memoirist, and award-winning Assoc. Prof. of English, Roxanne is also web content and freelance writer/founder of www.roxannewrites.com, a support site for academic, memoir, mental disability, and creative writers who need a nudge, a nod, or just ideas…of which Roxanne has 1,000s, so do stop in for a visit, as this sentence can’t possibly get any longer….

admin@roxannewrites.com

How To Find Freelance Copywriting Jobs

How To Find Freelance Copywriting Jobs
by: Niall Cinneide
Your goal is to land a few nice, secure freelance copywriting jobs, but how do you get them? The most important factor in finding these jobs is that you pursue the job you are looking for with all of your ducks in a row, so to speak. Here are a few things you need to do in order to get the freelance copywriting jobs that you have been looking for.

Prepare yourself through schooling. Most people in the copywriting industry have at least a two year degree. If you can afford to do this, do it. It will benefit you for a long time down the road. Often times, getting a four year degree is beneficial to getting into the bigger companies. Some schools offer internships which can be an outstanding way to get your foot in the door. Hopefully, they will hire you right after the internship and you’ll be set. If not, you will need to pursue other companies, but you will have this real world experience.

Place yourself in the right company environment. If you want to find jobs in copy writing, don’t settle for something in an unrelated field. Instead, look for a small start in the right career.

Work on your portfolio. By putting together a good quality portfolio and keeping it up to date, you will land a nice secure copywriting job through the experience you have. While no copy writing jobs are too small in the beginning, down the road they will pile up to help you land the best of the best.

The employment that you want is available. But, you must be prepared when you do get the right interview to wow them. Impressing them through your college education and degrees is a great way to start. Take on small contracts in order to build a quality portfolio to present. Polish your resume if you do not already have a solid one.

Freelance copywriting jobs are available. It is up to you to be prepared for them when they are ready for you.

About The Author


Niall Cinneide

Visit http://www.FreelanceWritingResource.com for more Articles, Resources, News and Views about Freelance Copywriting Opportunities. Copyright © 2005 FreelanceWritingResource.com. All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact.

Copyright © 2005 FreelanceWritingResource.com. All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact.

How Can You Find Freelance Writing Jobs?

How Can You Find Freelance Writing Jobs?
by: Niall Cinneide
Do you think that there is a big sign that reads, “Freelance Writing Jobs, Apply Within”? There just is not. In fact, you may have a hard time finding writing jobs of any type advertised in any employment magazine or newspaper either. So, how do you find freelance writing jobs? Let us talk about this for a moment and see if we can't find an idea or two that will work for you.

1. Begin at the beginning. Get the education you need to have. Learn what there is to know about the field in which you are looking for job vacancies. Having knowledge itself can open doors. This can help with step two as well.

2. When you do have that knowledge, do not forget to look towards the teachers you got it from for help in finding a niche to work in. They may have more resources than you realize.

3. Create a portfolio. Even if you never have any published work, you can still write, right? Write to fill your portfolio. Then, when a prospective employment opportunity arises, you’ll have something to provide in the way of samples.

4. Look online. Vast amounts of freelance writing jobs are offered there. If the work can be submitted online, why not look worldwide? Try doing a websearch for "freelance writing jobs".

5. Keeping striving to meet the needs of your clients 100%. When you make them happy, they will come back with other jobs for you. And, they will provide you with testimonials and referrals as well.

All of these things can work for you when you allow them to. You need to provide yourself with all the tools you need. Most importantly, this is writing. You must be able to meet your client’s needs and therefore will need to present your talents in the right light each time. When you are looking for freelance writing jobs you’ll find them across the world when you look in the right places.

About The Author


Niall Cinneide

Visit http://www.FreelanceWritingResource.com for more Articles, Resources, News and Advice about Freelance Writing.

Copyright © FreelanceWritingResource.com. All rights reserved. This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact.

My Favorite Expert Advice on Writing the Stories of Our Lives, Gleaned From My Favorite Books on the Subject

My Favorite Expert Advice on Writing the Stories of Our Lives, Gleaned From My Favorite Books on the Subject
by: Lisa J. Lehr
This outline is adapted from a handout I give to my lifewriting students. The points made here apply to writing in general as well as to writing our life stories in particular.

I. Why should we write?

A. Frank McCourt in Writer’s Digest, Feb. ’99, p. 19: “But now I realize that everyone has a story. Nothing is significant until you make it significant. It’s not what happens to you, but how you look at it.”

B. Frank P. Thomas, How to Write the Story of Your Life: “God created people because He loves stories.” “Humans are happiest when we are creating.” There is a revival of activity today in search of our roots and family history.

C. Strunk & White, The Elements of Style: Writing is a way to go about thinking.

D. Rick DeMarinis, The Art and Craft of the Short Story: Storytelling is how we make sense of the world.

E. Robin Hemley, Turning Life Into Fiction: Writing is a discovery process. Part of the fun is learning why you wrote what you wrote.

F. Writer’s Digest, Aug. ’00, pp. 20-21: You might find that the greatest rewards of writing…evolve during the process of bringing your ideas to the page. As you reveal more of yourself on the page, you might notice patterns in the way you think, behave, react to people and situations. This self-awareness can help you make better decisions, understand difficult situations, sort through feelings. It is a powerful way to find answers to some of your most difficult questions. And it can remind you that there are no easy answers—this is the root of wisdom. Life becomes richer, observations and senses sharper.

G. DeMarinis: Anyone will tell you his or her life story, given a little encouragement. It’s the human thing to do.

II. Why should we write well?

A. DeMarinis: Poor writing can falsify experience.

B. Various sources: Writing is rewriting. Craft moves from the back of the mind to the front during rewriting. Allow the first draft to be crude and ill formed.

C. DeMarinis: Say everything that needs to be said in as few words as possible.

D. Aristotle: “the proper and special name of a thing.”

E. Hemley: Words shape the way we view an event.

F. DeMarinis: Be conscious of word selection. Develop an ear for language. The sounds in a sentence can produce three-dimensional images in the mind.

III. Regarding truth, and the accuracy of our memories

A. P.D. James, in Reader’s Digest: “Memory is a device for forgetting as well as remembering. To that extent, every autobiography is a work of fiction, and every work of fiction is an autobiography.”

B. Robert Olmstead, Elements of the Writing Craft: Memoir is a narrative composed from personal experience. It depends on memory, which is somewhere between truth and how the writer sees the truth. Setting in a memoir is intensely personal and emotional.

C. DeMarinis: Story is always biased. Hidden in the fiction is need, and need is always truthful. We need sympathy and approval, and want to be understood.

D. The Write Stuff (a compilation): Memory is what people are made of. What’s remembered is never the event. Memory is faulty.

E. Hemley: What you have chosen to tell, and how, and what you have chosen not to tell reveal what kind of writer you are.

F. Hemley: Memory plays tricks. Never let the truth get in the way of a good story. It’s more important for an event to work than to be true.

G. Tom Chiarella, Writing Dialog: Stating what literally happened is less important than interpretation of those events.

H. Olmstead: What makes an experience important?

I. Marcia Golub, I’d Rather Be Writing: Old memories are mysterious. A lot of what gives them narrative drive is trying to figure them out. Of everything that happened during childhood, why do we remember these things?

J. Dwight V. Swain, Creating Characters: How to Build Story People: It’s not the experience that creates the trauma, but the way the character reacts to it. (If you’re writing your life story, that’s you.)

K. Hemley: What’s most powerful is often what you most want to hide.

L. Hemley: Dig deeper—try to understand why a particular event stands out.

M. Hemley: Distance from a place enables us to see it more clearly. What you remember is what’s most important to you…the feeling it gave you. Description of a place should be anchored in the character’s consciousness; it says as much about the character as about the place.

N. Stephen Wilbers, Keys to Great Writing: “Given that all writing is to a degree fictitious—…it can only represent reality…use the elements of artifice to your advantage.”

O. Pablo Picasso: “Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth.”

IV. Getting started

A. William Zinsser, On Writing Well: Believe in the validity of your life!

B. DeMarinis: The very act of writing sentences produces more sentences. This sometimes leads to inspiration.

C. Hemley: ordering real life takes a lot of imagination and understanding.

D. Writer’s Digest, Feb. ’99: Avoid chronology as an organizing principle. Instead, free-list key images.

E. Opening should be “crisp and economical” to grab the reader.

V. See my related article, “My Favorite Errors to Correct (Don’t make these mistakes, and your writing will rise above most other writing).” Happy writing!

About The Author


Lisa J. Lehr is a freelance writer and editor with a specialty in business and marketing communications. She holds a biology degree and has worked in a variety of fields, including the pharmaceutical industry and teaching, and has a related interest in personal history. She is also a graduate of American Writers and Artists Institute (AWAI), America’s leading course on copywriting. Contact Lisa J. Lehr Copywriting www.ljlcopywriting.com, Lisa@ljlcopywriting.com for help with your writing needs.

This article ©Lisa J. Lehr 2005.

The Write Habit: How to Strengthen Your Writing Muscle

The Write Habit: How to Strengthen Your Writing Muscle
by: Katey Coffing, Ph.D.
Writing is a muscle that needs exercise to stay in shape.

I realized how true that saying is when I took what I called "a well-earned break" after I finished my first novel. The last few days of writing that novel felt as sweet as whipped cream--I was in a writing groove, humming along. I figured I'd take a little hiatus for a few days, then start my second book. No problem.

Those few days stretched into a week. Soon two more weeks wandered by and thumbed their noses at me. I felt guilty every time I passed my PowerBook. Then I began to avoid the computer altogether, a beautifully self-defeating habit.

Finally, twitching with dread after more than a month away, I sat down at the screen and began my next novel. Trying to write after that time away was torture. My neglected writing muscle had become flabby and whiny. It protested my sudden demands and resented being drafted to work.

For many people, the key to productivity is making writing a habit. Consistent writing breeds easier writing. If that's true for you, create a new habit.

Make a commitment to a certain amount of writing every day--a length of time or a number of words or pages to reach before you lift your butt off your chair. Each day when you've reached your goal, do something nice for yourself.

One of my published clients who loves email has chosen to write five pages each weekday before she can log in. She made getting her email a reward for completing her writing goals, and every time she slows down with her writing she remembers how much she wants to read her newsgroups and see her friends' replies. That spurs her to complete her pages, and she feels doubly triumphant when she hears "you've got mail!"

Is email not a good enough carrot for you? Find one that is, then earn it. Setting goals and rewards that make you want to keep writing create a great habit that's win/win.

Write away!

About The Author


Katey Coffing, Ph.D. is a novelist and book coach who helps women delight in writing (and finishing!) their books. Visit her at http://www.Women-Ink.com/.

To receive additional articles and tips for women writers, subscribe to Katey's ezine, The Write Calling, at http://www.Women-Ink.com/the-write-calling.htm.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? Please do, as long as you include the above short bio and blurb with it. (A short note to Katey to let her know would be appreciated! Contact her at https://www.hform.com/form.cgi?1717945)

How To Write A Research Paper

How To Write A Research Paper
by: Fawad Imam
Introduction

Writing skills are essential for succeeding in high school, college, and at a job. Writing is not just an end result, but also a process that helps us develop our ideas and think logically. Begin by brainstorming topics, collecting information, taking a lot of notes, and asking a lot of questions. Keep your notes and sources organized as you go.

When developing a topic,one should look for patterns and relationships, try to draw conclusions, try discussing one's ideas with classmates, teachers and parents. A new os diffrent perspective can help shake up ones thinking.

How to get Started

The first step towards writing a quality research paper is to organize what is to be written. It is always nice to develop an outline to help to stay on track as we write, identifying the main points and what is to be the conclusion. The introduction should give your reader an idea of the essay's intent, including a basic statement of what the essay will discuss. One should always keep the basic outline of a simple easy first and follow it , further changes can be made as required but the basic layout is followed always. The following are the parts of the basic layout of an essay or a research paper:

The Introduction
The Body
The Conclusion
The introduction should give the reader an idea of the essay's or papers intent, including a basic statement of what the essay will discuss. The body presents the evidence that supports the writers idea. Here concrete examples should be used and generalities should be avoided as much as possible. The conclusion should summarize and make sense of the evidence presented by the writer in the body (The Keys to Effective Writing, 2005).

These are the steps to be followed before writing any kind of paper or essay. After these basic guidelines are followed ammendments can be made according to the nature of the research paper and according to the different writing styles. Writing College research papers

College courses demand many different kinds of writing that employ a variety of strategies for different audiences. During college, it may be required to write long essays or short answers in response to examination questions or one may be asked to keep a journal, write a lab report, and document the process one uses to perform research. College writing or writing college research papers, also called academic writing, is assigned to teach the critical thinking and writing skills needed to communicate in classes and in the workplace. The quality of one's writing depends on the quality of the thinking one does about his topic or his assignment.

The whole writing process is divided into three steps namely prewriting, writing, and rewriting or revising phases.

Prewriting: In the prewriting phase one ponders over the questions like what he has to write about, what are his feelings about the topic to be written, how is the topic to be approached, how to organize the materials and the audience who will be reading the paper.
Writing: In this phase the plan is implemented by working out the details and fine-tuning thoughts.
Rewriting: In the phase of rewriting or revising, the material or paper written is reviewed and techniques to for improving it are applied.
During these steps, there are some phases, which also take place before the final draft of the research paper is ready. The first phase would be understanding the assignment or research topic, which has been explained as prewriting earlier. Understanding the assignment or the research topic includes thinking over the fact that what kind of research topic it is and what is the main purpose of the research topic. Then in this context comes the issue of using systematic techniques such as the use of classic strategies, these strategies are ways to develop or organize a research paper, these include definition, division and classification, comparison and contrast, cause and effect, and process analysis.

Another important factor is looking at the topic from a multiple perspective, when a topic is viewed from multiple points of view; relationships which have not occurred before are visible. This approach invites the writer to look at the topic as an entity, as a process or a part of a process, and as a system or part of a system (The Writing Process, 2005).

Doing exploratory research is included here with the prewriting techniques because library research often is a way to generate ideas. As we review the literature on a subject or read in a particular area, we may note ideas that will help us get started with the writing. Analysis, the basis of many other strategies, is the process of breaking something into its parts and putting the parts back together so that one can better understand the whole. When we focus on understanding something better by comparing and contrasting it to something else, we identify and analyze the similarities and differences. Synthesizing information, all the opinions and research in support of the thesis or research paper are incorporated together. The relevant facts, statistics, expert opinion, and whatever can directly be observed with your own opinion and conclusions to persuade the audience that the thesis is correct is integrated. Synthesis is used in supporting the thesis and assembling the paper. In applying the strategy of evaluation after synthesis, first, the criteria to be used to evaluate the subject will be established and then applied to the specific parts of the subject that is being judged, and conclusions would be drawn that whether it meets the criteria.

The final draft is what we hand in as the completed paper. Before turning in the final draft, we should read what we have written all the way through at least once more. a black pen on the final paper. Choppy sentences, poor or nonexistent transitions between paragraphs, grammar and spelling errors, and other characteristics of a first draft should all disappear

Bibliography

The Writing Process, 2005. Retrieved on October 5th 2005 from: http://www.umuc.edu/prog/ugp/ewp_writingcenter/writinggde/chapter2/chapter2-20.shtml

Evaluating Internet Research Sources. Retrieved on October 5th 2005 from: http://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm

About The Author


Fawad Imam works as a staff writer for Term Papers Corner http://www.termpaperscorner.com They Provide high quality custom term paper http://www.termpaperscorner.com/custom_term_paper.html, custom research paper http://www.termpaperscorner.com/college-term-paper.html, custom essay and thesis writing service to students and professionals.

The Best Freelance Job Boards for Writers

The Best Freelance Job Boards for Writers
by: Janet Ilacqua
How many times have you checked out a job board to that either it no longer exists or that there is one or two jobs listed. Out of the hundreds of job boards on the Web today, how do you find those containing projects that you are interested in and qualified for.

I have recently surveyed over 300 freelance web sites and these are the best boards for freelance writers. The benchmark that I used for judging the board was the number of legitimate projects (as opposed to “business opportunities” ) and requests for submission being posted every month. I have only included ones posting 30 projects or more a month

The very best

I picked Guru This huge all-inclusive board connects independent professionals (a.k.a. "gurus") with contract projects. If you are new to independent consulting, check out the Run Your Biz section, which includes a “Getting Started” column, where you can leave a question to be answered by experts. Lots of other useful information (e.g. tax and finance, legal, etc.) for contractors. Find a contracting job ("gig") searching by field (creative/media, finance and legal, etc.), keyword, and geography.. Recently, it acquired IT Moonlighter , another with lots of freelance jobs. Whatever, Guru is probably the largest freelance marketplace on the Web. Over 3,300 projects posted last month.

What makes Guru.com stand out from is the number and variety of projects listed and the easiness of accessing the job. Unlike the others, Guru sends daily email alerts of writing gigs that match your profile.

Number of writing projects posted every month: 207

Type of projects: Everything and anything, many articles, ghostwriting, editing, copyright, some onsite, some technical. Has the best all around listing of freelance writing gigs.

Other good freelance writing sites

AllFreelanceWork. Its sister site AllFreelance is my number one site for articles about freelancing and freelance resources.

Number of writing projects posted every month: 10

Type of projects: Technical and business writing

Contracted Work A freelance site that has grown in great leaps and bounds. You can do a search and find a great number of projects. There is a monthly fee in order to search for projects, but it might be worth checking out. I personally found that I was not finding enough leads for the type of writing I do to be worth the fee.

Number of writing projects posted every month: 50-74

Type of projects: Openings tends more to web content, copywriting, and sales and marketing

Elance. I was actively involved in bidding on this site for a year. However, I did not get my money’s worth. It is geared towards business and technical writing.

Number of writing projects posted every month: 130+

Type of projects: little bit of everything: articles, ghostwriting, e-books, web content, technical. Lots of editing and proofreading jobs too

Freelance Work Exchange Non-Auction freelance site. The Freelance Work Exchange has listings for writers, designers, consultants, programmers. Yes ... it does cost to join; however, there is $3.00 7-day trial memberships so you can test it to see if it will get you work! Highly recommended. Freelance Work Exchange is a solid, reliable freelance site, but in order to search jobs it will cost you a monthly fee.

Number of writing projects posted every month: 30-40

Type of projects: little bit of everything: calls for articles, ghostwriting, e-books, web content, technical. Geared more towards general writing markets, as opposed to corporate-style stuff.

Freelance Writing This is the ultimate job board for freelance writers. Contest, blogs, forums, resources. Everything.

Number of writing projects posted every month: 40

Type of projects: Calls for articles, copywriting, E-books, research papers, ghostwriting,

Independent Homeworkers Alliance -- touts itself as the "largest provider of legitimate home-based jobs on the Internet.” Offers a search engine for at-home jobs, as well as numerous resources. $29.95 a month Subscription

Number of writing projects posted every month: 70

Type of projects: calls for submissions of articles, scripts, e-books, some sales and marketing, not much technical writing.

Sologigs With over 20,000 projects for freelancers, Sologig has a lot to offer. You need to register to get access to all the projects, with the higher levels of membership securing you a higher profile in the exchange. Most of the freelance writing jobs were onsite technical/business writing.

Number of writing projects posted every month: Estimate 100+ projects posted every month. To see the exact number, you have to register. A Bronze membership with $78.75 prepaid for three months

Type of projects: geared heavily towards onsite technical writing gigs

Telecommuting Jobs -- where job seekers can view several hundred telecommuting/offsite jobs posted directly by employers, as well as thousands of jobs posted to other major job sites. Searching is free, but there is a small fee to post your resume. Telecommuting Jobs Telecommute jobs for Writers, Programmers, Artists, etc. Links to additional sites to continue the search for that which is so hard to find - a good paying, mid-term telecommute contract. Good deal for the $10/yr registration fee required.

Number of writing projects posted every month: 80

Type of projects: Wide variety of projects: article wanted, research papers, journalism, copywriting, not much technical

Workhome.com Welcome to Workhome.com a resource for work at home jobs for your small office or home business. We provide job posting for work at home jobs and advertising to work at home businesses. Posting on work home jobs is free and you may contact our work at home providers by visiting the profile page and clicking email professional

Number of writing projects posted every month: 20-30

Type of projects: Wide variety of projects: articles, web content, sales and marketing, technical

A word to the wise

Be selective about what types of projects that you bid for. There is a lot of competition out there, so do not waste your time with projects that you are not qualified for or do not interest you. If you are spending more than an hour a day responding to leads from the job boards, then you may need to redefine your niche. Don’t try to be all things to all people. In addition, remember that, in order to be a successful freelance writer, you should not be using the boards as your only way of finding projects. You should also be out there networking with other writer, setting up your own website, and researching writing opportunities in your own community. In the end, these strategies will net your more work than limiting yourself to working the job boards.

About The Author


Janet K. Ilacqua is a freelance writer based in Tracy, California. She specializes in academic writing and ghostwriting of books and manuals for individuals and small businesses. For more information about her services, check her website at http://www.writeupondemand.com.
jilacqua@aol.com

Technical Writing in India

Technical Writing in India
by: Nithya K
Technical Writing in India: Is it as good as anywhere else?

Technical Writing generally translates to a piece of writing that conjures up an image in the mind of a layman about any device or software application.

In other words, the job profile of a technical writer involves writing and designing user guides, brochures and white papers for a plethora of products.

Though these procedures are not new, their categorisation under the term “Technical Writing” is quite recent. The latest entrant in the software field is not a whiz kid from IIT, but might be a journalist or an English literature graduate. This option is here to stay, what with India slowly accepting the prospect of technical writing as a full-fledged career at par with more popular contenders.

Now, the Indian technical writing scenario would seem very bleak for an onlooker who doesn’t delve deeper into the layers. This field was practically unknown till the 1990s. Tata Consultancy Services was a pioneer in creating a need for the current crop of technical wordsmiths.

Over a decade old, this profession does not have many takers, but does boast of a strong following in the various metros. In Bangalore the number is believed to be 500-600. Even by an optimistic view, the number of technical writers across the nation would be approximately 6000. These statistics prove that, corporate bosses and the software industry as a whole recognized the need for a specialized documentation team very lately.

The technical writing job has long come out of the confines of being a strict documentation-related activity. In some organisations, technical writers are asked to pitch in for test case development, product testing, creating API code, creating java documentation etc.

More recently, a technical writer has grown to don the garb of a graphic designer, web-content developer etc. Since a technical background is not a prerequisite for a technical writer, many writers foray into the field even with a Humanities background.

The one and only criterion, going by the current Indian standards, would be a firm grasp over the Queen’s language and a strong analytical mind. The prevalent need, is however to meet International standards in English usage. US companies recognise the need for a trained technical writer and that adds to the hiring and training impetus for technical documentators.

The US provides a lot of scope and opportunities for training and specialized study of the subject. In comparison, Indian universities shy away from offering unconventional and lesser-known courses aka Technical writing. The technical writers, who already exist in the industry having created a golden niche, are fast emerging as the “trainers” for this career option. Some of the Indian universities like the Calicut University and the Mumbai University have woken up to this profession and have included the subject in their curricula.

This trend, may give the Technical Writing profession the impetus it requires. The final recruiters, Corporates, MNCs need to step in boldly to hire and provide customized training to fresh technical writers.

This might beckon the golden dawn for Technical Writing in India!

Copyright © – Nithya K

About The Author


Nithya K is a India-based writer who specializes in writing fiction and has tremendous interest in writing non-fiction related to science, technology and other genre. She is also experienced in creating technical documentation. Basically a BE graduate with an MBA degree, her main focus is still writing. Nithya is also interested in Ghost writing of books and articles in the areas of business writing, technical writing, science and technology writing and fiction.

The author can be contacted at tutor19us@yahoo.com and also invites readers to visit her webpage at www.geocities.com/tutor19us/index.html
nithyakalyani_303@yahoo.com

Have You Plotted Your Story Before Writing It?

Have You Plotted Your Story Before Writing It?
by: Nick Vernon
Creative Writing Tips –

The writer, who doesn’t have the time to plot, always finds the time to rewrite.

Sound familiar?

I’ve been guilty of this too, back in the early days of my writing apprenticeship. I was so eager to get stuck into writing my story that I wouldn’t bother with plotting.

Plotting gives you a sense of direction. It’s your map, which will lead you to write your story. Leaping into the unknown rarely works. Without a plot several things can happen….

Our stories aren’t focused
We lose our way
Our characters don’t come to life because we don’t take the time to develop them
We get stuck
The story strays from us
And all this happens when we haven’t figured everything out first.

Your plot is the foundation of your story. It’s the skeleton, which will hold your story together. Your plot is there to work everything out first – to see if it can be worked out, and then flesh out that skeleton with other elements that make a story.

Plotting is the difference between writing a story for yourself and writing one for an audience. Writing for ourselves doesn’t require too much strain because we only have ourselves to please. It’s when we have to please our readers that the hard work begins.

If you are aiming to sell your stories, plotting is a must.

Have you plotted your story before writing it?

About The Author


Besides his passion for writing, Nick Vernon runs an online gift site where you will find gift information, articles and readers’ funny stories. Visit http://www.we-recommend.com

Gaining Exposure Within Writing.Com

Gaining Exposure Within Writing.Com
by: The StoryMaster
Dear Writing Reader,

One of the most popular questions from Authors on Writing.Com is: How do I gain exposure on Writing.Com?

In this letter, I will provide numerous tips for increasing the amount of exposure you receive on Writing.Com.

Tip #1: Utilize Our Newsletters!

Every week Writing.Com sends out over 140,000 issues of its 13 various newsletters. Each week, Newsletter Editors ask for questions and feedback from their readers. Each week we see many of the newsletters "Ask & Answer" sections go blank! Get easy, quick exposure by emailing Writing.Com Newsletter Editors and asking them questions to be included in their next issue.

Subscribe to newsletters that cover your favorite genres. Email the editors with questions pertaining to the genre, writing style or topic that Editor chose that week. In most cases, you will find your name, your question and a response in that Editor's newsletter the following week. Readers of that newsletter will, more than likely, check out your portfolio!

Tip #2: Review, Review, Review!

Reading and rating are very important for writers, but when it comes to garnering eyeballs for your own work - nothing beats reviewing. When you review another author's item, invite that Author to your own portfolio. Most of our Authors will be more than happy to check out your portfolio, since you were so kind to take a look first!

Review, review and then review some more. Correspond with other Authors on the site and you'll be surprised how many more views your items get!

Tip #3: Plug Yourself In!

There are many In & Outs and Message Forums that are geared toward giving Writing.Com Authors exposure. Most of these are run by Authors themselves and receive heavy traffic. Writing.Com itself provides one that is linked from the "Item Jumps" pulldown menu.

Plug yourself without shame; utilize The Shameless "Plug" Page. Don't be shy; start posting in message forums asking people to visit your portfolio. Tell readers a little about yourself, your portfolio and your writing style; you're sure to gain new readers!

Tip #4: Win Exposure With Contests!

There are many contests run by Writing.Com members, as well! Participating in contests does not only give you the opportunity to win Gift Points, but also provides a free stage for you to flaunt your writing to others who are entering or judging that contest. Contests are easy to enter, give a wide variety of assignment and provide GREAT exposure whether you win or not!

Participate in contests! To start, you will find some by visiting Writing Contests @ Writing.Com!. You can also visit the "Contest" sub-type link from within the Static Item listing page.

Tip #5: Get BidClicking!

Now take the Gift Points you just won in the contests and Sponsor your items with the Writing.Com BidClick System!

My recommendation is to use the Genre and Item Type sponsorship opportunities. Extremely popular genres like Romance/Love, Action/Adventure, and Fantasy can be sponsored for under 25 Gift Points (or 1/4 of a penny)!

Placing items within applicable genres will generate highly targeted readers who are more likely to read, rate AND review your item; and it costs FAR FEWER Gift Points than the main Sponsored Items column!

If you want instant exposure to all of our visitors, you can bid a higher Gift Point price for the Sponsored Items listing. This listing is shown on the right-hand side of every page and is seen by every visitor to Writing.Com. We've seen items gain over 100 ratings in less than 24 hours when sponsored there!

Sponsor items within the Genre or Item Type listing pages. For even more exposure, try out the Sponsored Items area. For even more information on this, read The Writing.Com BidClick System!

I hope you found useful information within my letter; good luck and have fun!

~~ The StoryMaster (19)

About The Author


The StoryMaster is WebMaster of Writing.Com ( http://www.Writing.Com/ ). Established in 2000, Writing.Com is the online community for readers and writers of all ages and interests.

Whether you're a casual reader searching for a good story or a creative writer looking for the perfect place to improve your skills, Writing.Com is the site for you! Over 293,848 members have joined and posted over 819,680 literary items.

Becoming A Ghostwriter

Becoming A Ghostwriter
by: Lorraine Cote
Ghostwriting can be rewarding in two ways.

a) You get a chance to research and write about all types of topics that you wouldn't normally have a chance to learn about. The old theory in writing "write what you know" doesn't apply to ghostwriting since your clients will dictate what topic you will write about.

b) You can make a decent living at it.If you're new to writing, it may take a while to get clients but it is possible. It just takes a little hard work and perserverance. There are several ways to get clients. Here are a few.

1. Bid on writing jobs on contracted work site such as Elance.com, Guru.com and Getafreelancer.com

You basically signup as a service provider to begin bidding on projects posted by clients. If you win the bid, you do the writing project as a ghostwriter.

2. Place ads for your ghostwriting service on free classified ad sites. It doesn't cost anything to post ads on these sites and is a good way to get your services out there in front of potential clients.

3. Post responses in forums with a signature that defines your ghostwriting service and an email address or website URL. Something along the lines of "Affordable Ghostwriting Services, [your website url] or email for more details [your email address].

4. Introduce your services in forums where you are allowed to do this. Many forums have a section where you can introduce your business. See out writing forums for this.

5. Have business cards created showcasing your ghostwriting business. Pass them out every chance you get. Put them on bulletin boards in supermarkets etc. You can create your own or have them made.

6 Write a press release announcing your services. There are plenty of no-cost or low-cost distribution services on the web to get the message out for you. Ghostwriting may not be for everyone because you don't get credit for your work, the client does. If that doesn't matter to you and you like writing on a variety of topics, it can be an enjoyable way to earn some money.

Copyright 2005 Lorraine Cote

This article may be freely reprinted as long as the author’s information and copyright notice remain intact.

About The Author


Lorraine Cote is the CEO and Owner of The Write Touch 4U, Copywriting Service. She is also a published freelance writer who has written over 100 ebooks on various topics for clients as well as all types of other written materials. She also has 16 years experience in the corporate world as a Trainer and Business Writer and is an Internet Marketer as well. Visit her at http://www.thewritetouch4u.com or visit her blog at http://writetouch4u.blogspot.com.

How You Can Improve Your Songwriting Skill

How You Can Improve Your Songwriting Skill
by: Mantius Cazaubon
Are you a beginning songwriter who strives towards writing songs that become hits? Do you need to know how you can improve your songwriting skill?

It's not too complicated. Don't try to re-invent the wheel. As far as I'm concerned the best way to improve your songwriting is to study what hit songwriters do. Forget about the mediocre stuff and learn from the leaders in the songwriting and music industry. Study what works.

As a songwriter who has written quite a few number one songs in my country, one thing that has helped me and continues to help me is the radio. I listen to the radio all the time so I know what type of song is happening. I know what people like, what they want to hear, and what is current. This gives me a good idea of what kind of song I should write to target a particular market.

When you listen to the radio, take notes on what hit songs have in common. Study the structure of these songs. What tempo seems to work? Are the chord progressions complicated or are the songs based mainly on riffs? What kind of chords are used? That way you can write songs that appeal to today's audience. No matter how good your song is, if it sounds like something that would be better suited to ten or twenty years ago, you can forget it.

It is a shame how some songwriters treat the songwriting craft. I'm sorry, but if you do not spend time at developing your craft you are bound to fail. I don't care if it's baseball or dancing, those people who come out and top are the very same ones who practice everyday. Those who spend years at perfecting their craft. So learn form those who were there before you. Study and write songs everyday. Lay hold of songwriting books, get songwriting software, do anything to take you to the next level.

To improve, a songwriter needs to become more knowledgeable everyday. The more things you know about, and the more you can relate to different aspects of everyday life, the better for you. I never heard of a novelist who didn't read constantly. The same applies to songwriting and great songwriters. You must put in a lot of work if you want to excel.

Nothing comes easy in life. Work, work, and work some more. Pattern your writing after what has been proven to work, but never copy. Do it everyday and reap the rewards.

About The Author


Mantius Cazaubon offers lots of valuable songwriting tips, techniques, suggestions and advice on his site www.ultimatesongwriting.com. Visit www.ultimatesongwriting.com for the ultimate truth about lyric writing and songwriting.

Make Money as a Ghost Food Writer

Make Money as a Ghost Food Writer
by: Pamela White
Like high pay? Have self-confidence? Know food; write well? Ghostwriting may be a career move for motivated writers who are willing to write for high pay but no credit or byline.

Simply put, a ghostwriter is someone who writes a book, speech, article or editorial that will be published under someone else’s name. Celebrity autobiographies are usually written by ghostwriters and established novelists have been known to supply the plot and outline to a ghostwriter who takes the book the rest of the way to publication.

People who need ghostwriters are those who have a recognizable name or business and either cannot write well enough for publication, or do not have the time to write for publication. In a ghostwriting foodie’s dream, a celebrity chef will give the idea, notes, outlines and rough drafts to the writer who will write, rewrite, research, interview and edit the manuscript heading to a publisher.

The celebrity chef’s name and photo will grace the book cover. Her recipes and tips, and the ability to get her book in bookstores everywhere as well as the cachet to get booked on Oprah will get the book published and marketed.

What’s in it for the ghost writer? Anywhere from $100 per finished page to a split of the royalties.

Ghostwriters need to keep their connection with their work confidential, and have a willingness to work around the client’s travel and work schedules. As in every writing assignment food writers win, strong writing and editing skills are essential. Most ghostwritten books are promoted as written by the client, so a strong ego able to withstand reading the praise of the client’s writing is also a must.

When looking for ghost food writing work, be cautious with the auction sites. Neophytes bid low for jobs; you don’t want to bid a book that nets you only $1 a page. Instead, visit sites that list jobs – writersweekly.com, writing-world.com, craigslist.com – or find an editorial firm that does ghost writing and see if they are hiring out any work.

Break into ghost food writing by contacting trade magazines with your writing samples. Dazzle them with your writing and the editors are likely to match you with an executive chef or restaurateur who can’t write but will bring prestige to the magazine.

Food writers can turn their culinary knowledge into ghost writing by looking for jobs ghostwriting cookbooks for famous chefs, penning speeches for food executives, writing trade articles for food research scientists, blogging for a local culinary artist, and creating “autobiographies” for owners of food manufacturing firms and Food Network hosts. Keep working behind the scenes and you can build up a lucrative career as a ghost food writer.

About The Author


Pamela White is the publisher of Food Writing, an online ezine and the author of Fabjob.com's Guide to Becoming a Food Writer . She teaches an 8-week online food writing class to novices through published authors . Visit her at http://www.food-writing.com.