Make Dough Writing Online

A ghost writer's opportunities to make dough writing online are limitless, there is a huge market for well written articles, eBooks, fiction stories, and how-to books by people who need for whatever reason to put their label on the writing but are unable to do the writing themselves.

Ghostwriting is just that, if I write a book as a ghostwriter, you will never know, since the person that is buying that book is the one whose name will show up on the cover. Did you know though, that much of the content on the Internet is also written by ghostwriters?

There are many types of ghostwriting and chances are if you are a writer you will be called upon to do more than one of them over the course of your career. Newsletters, press releases, web copy are all examples of ghostwriting. Most times ghostwriters are employed for nonfiction works, but there are times a fiction author might ask a ghostwriter to write a portion of his book for a variety of reasons.

As a ghostwriter you will be asked to take an idea, and hopefully some material, and put it all together into a well thought out and skillfully written book or article. If you decide you want to be a ghostwriter the first thing you should do is to compile a portfolio of your work, whether you decide to work through your own website, a freelance hub, or through an employer you will need a portfolio that shows a variety of the different types of work you are able to do.

The great thing about ghost writing is it requires very little equipment to start with; a good computer, printer and scanner will be needed, as well as a word processing program such as MS Word. Before you get started spend some time reading about ghostwriting, writing in general, and any of the areas of writing you plan to get into such as copywriting or web content.

There is a variety of ways to advertise your services, creating your own website, contacting other blog owners to ask them if they need articles written and one of the latest popular ways is through Craigslist, with a bit of time and effort you can reach a huge portion of the population by listing there.

You should start by keeping your fees low for your services, till you build up some experience and clientele, since the going rates for ghostwriting fluctuate, be sure to spend some time researching your rates before you start bidding for jobs.

There is plenty of work available for a good ghostwriter, so set yourself apart with excellent writing and being punctual about meeting your deadlines and you will find that you can leave your nine to five job behind while making lots of dough writing online.

If you need money now, like I mean in the next hour, try what I did. I am making more money now than in my old business and you can too, read the amazing, true story, in the link below. When I joined I was skeptical for just ten seconds before I realized what this was. I was smiling from ear to ear and you will too.

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Unique Web Jobs For Writers

Are you looking for writing jobs? Consider focusing on the Web. As businesses and publications continue to move online, there are plenty of jobs available for writers who know the Web.

Use your creativity in your job hunt: remember that the Web is unknown territory to most businesses. The more you know about how the Web works, the more you'll be able to charge for your services.

Let's look at five unique jobs for Web writers.

1. Article Marketing for Money: High Profits

Get familiar with article marketing. Once you know how this works, you can develop an entire business just on writing articles, and developing article marketing campaigns.

For most businesses, article marketing is a new promotional tool. Once you explain how cost-effective it is when compared to other forms of marketing however, you'll easily get clients.

2. Social Media Marketing: Business Blogging

Over the past couple of years, blogging has become mainstream, and businesses already know what a blog can do for them. However, they're not as aware of other social media marketing options. If you're experienced on social media sites like Facebook and know how to blog, you can sell these marketing services to businesses.

3. Daily Ezines for Businesses

Although many businesses collect contact information, most don't use it. If you can show potential clients the return on investment (ROI) of a daily ezine, they'll hire you in a heartbeat.

4. Affiliate Manager for Products

Few businesses with affiliate programs manage their affiliates efficiently. They may provide a few creative tools -- banners and advertisements -- but that's all.

As an affiliate manager, you have two main areas of responsibility: providing tools affiliates can use (articles, autoresponder sequences, advertising), and inspiring and motivating the affiliates.

5. Writing Mini Web Sites

If you can write small Web sites of five to ten pages, you can both sell them, and can create them to order.

Many writers are shy of creating sites. No one is asking you to be a Web designer however. Get a simple (free) HTML template, write the pages, buy a domain name and get the site online. From go to whoa, this should take you no longer than three hours. Profit? Around $100 a page, at a minimum.

Want to make money as a Web writer? Discover how easy it is with Angela Booth's "Sell Your Writing Online NOW" Training Program at http://sellwritingnow.com/Home/training.html

The program is fun and profitable too. There's a full year of lessons and assignments:"Sell Your Writing Online NOW" helps you to earn while you learn, even as a brand new writer.

For free weekly writing information, subscribe to Angela's Fab Freelance Writing Ezine at http://www.freelancewritingezine.com/ and receive "Write And Sell Your Writing: The Power-Write Report" immediately.

How to Find Ideas Through Daydreams

Daydreams as a source of ideas

We're discussing four different sources of ideas that you, as a writer of romantic fiction, can milk at will. Ideas that, elaborated and complicated, will give you original stories that'll form the backbones of your novel.

In the first article in this series, we talked about character as trigger for story ideas.

In this piece, I'd like to tease out how much of a creative engine room your own day-dreaming can be.

The source of inspiration for great ideas has become the subject of scientific study in recent years, and research has uncovered a fact that we've all been aware of all our lives: that those dream-like periods that happen just after you wake up, and just before you go to sleep, can be hugely creative. In an article called "The Eureka Hunt" in the New Yorker (July 28, 2008), Jonah Lehrer talks about research into how to create an environment in which creative insights are more likely to happen, and his conclusions include the following, well, insights:

"We must concentrate, but we must concentrate on letting the mind wander." In the early morning, "(t)he drowsy brain is unwound and disorganised, open to al sorts of unconventional ideas." He recommends setting your alarm clock for a few minutes earlier than you would otherwise get up and get sucked into the humdrum emergencies of breakfast, kids, school and a demanding husband. Use those few minutes for creative, non-focused mental meandering.

Day-dreaming falls into the same category. It's a state of mind, deliberately cultivated, in which we allow our minds to follow any elusive thought, without worrying about our destination, and without trying specifically to solve any given problem.

Day-dreaming is traditionally regarded as an escape from some undesirable condition - when at school, it's an escape from math and history and geography. Later in life, day dreams form the escape hatch to a world in which the most urgent, and stressful considerations have no weight.

But day-dreaming is also an escape to a realm in which original ideas pop out of the ether and take out what is usually a transitory life of their own. All you need is a note book, a pen, and a general understanding of how to yoke the power of day-dreaming. Here's what the experts say you should do:

Immerse yourself in the problem. You might, for instance, have identified a setting. Maybe even the main characters. What you want now is a story to drive your characters through the novel. It could have something to do with the setting - your setting might be a private game reserve; or it could have something to do with your characters... Whatever it is, though, focus intently on the components of your novel that you've already dreamed up.

Then set the problem aside.

Set that alarm clock for twenty minutes earlier than usual. Let images of your game reserve and your characters drift idly through your mind. Don't think too hard about developing a story. You have to de-focus your attention. This is analogous to looking at a faint star in the heavens at night: you're more likely to spot it by looking deliberately to one side, than by focusing intently on the object itself. Allow the ideas to drift into your consciousness. So if you're looking for a central love story theme, allow your thoughts to play gently with notions of love... Or of lovers at play...

Then - and this is crucial advice - write your thoughts down!

In the next article in this series, I'll be considering real life as a source of ideas for your fictional accounts of romantic love.

Richard Beynon runs online romance writing courses on allaboutlove.net and face-to-face writing courses in Johannesburg.

Bible Verses That Don

How to Use Article Marketing to Bring in Big Traffic Online

Article marketing is one of the easiest ways to jumpstart your internet marketing traffic generation. One of the things I really like about article marketing is how targeted is the traffic I get from it, and that is huge for me. With article marketing, you are already beginning the relationship before you get started with the email campaign - so you don't have to start by building a relationship in the email campaign, you can just build on the one built in the article marketing phase.

Here's how you can jumpstart your article marketing effective ways:

1. Study the effective ways of writing intriguing titles. This is one of the primary things that you must to do in order to explode your open rate. You must to study how to write titles that can interest web people so you can get this web traffic to open and read your articles. You may use ideas, words that can motivate to take action, and you can even use new information to get the attention you desire. Just make positive that all the information you provide up to your internet readers is right so you will not mislead them.

2. Get incredible writings. Get more web people to read your articles and radically improve their situations of being distributed by having confidence that they are of better quality. They must be loaded chock full of the most useful information, web articles must be well-written, and highly targeted to the satisfaction, knowledge and demands of your potential readers, and they must easy to read. Moreover, they must be direct, concise, and direct to the point as you are serving potential customers with tight attention span.

3. Get to understand well your potential prospects. This is something that is relevant in this field. You must get to know the traffic you are making your articles and writings for to simply make your online content relevant and exactly targeted to their needs and what they need. I might think that you invest at least a a few hours or at least a few minutes a day learning with this online traffic source through online methods and other methods.

4. Do online research. This is one top technique to discover the subjects or other important information that your possible buyers are hunting for. Locate a keyword suggestion tool and find the important keywords that are most being searched by your best customers when they go searching on the internet. You can produce articles around these most critical keywords so you can most easily offer your readers what they truly hope for.

5. Use a powerful bio and resource box. Convert more readers to potential customers by creating an efficient and directed resource box and bio. In this area, you can communicate your expertise, your desire to help, the challenges you can solve, and the reasons why they should use your service. Be sure to include in your bio your website's URL, a good call to action, and an effective reason to act.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article writing success, 'Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide'

Download it free here: Secrets of Article Writing

Do you want to learn how to build a big online subscriber list fast? Click here: Secrets of List Building

Sean Mize is a full time internet marketer who has written over 9034 articles in print and 14 published ebooks.

Stop Losing Your Car Keys

Ghostwriting - A Behind-the-Scenes Job

One thing we have to do as ghostwriters is put our ego aside. We may do all the grunt work and create a fantastic book that goes to market and hits number one-I've had that happen. A book I ghostwrote made Amazon's bestseller list a few weeks after it was published. I even helped the author find a publisher, but I can't even tell you the title of the book because I worked under a non-disclosure agreement. I wrote the book, but my name is nowhere to be found between the covers. A ghostwriter is invisible, behind the scenes. You won't be given credit for any material you create as a work-for-hire writer. The copyright is turned over to the author of record as soon as payment is made to the ghostwriter. That's one of the challenges of the business.

The name of my company reflects the mystical notion of ghostwriting and offering spiritual help. Like book angels, Writers in the Sky is hidden in the clouds helping, encouraging, and cheering authors on but we're really not here to get our name on the front cover of your book. We do get a perk every now and then because the clients we work with are very appreciative. Some clients will give us some acknowledgment in their book as a developmental or copy editor. We appreciate it, but we know better than to expect it.

Ghostwriting is a collaborative process. We may go back and forth emailing a chapter at a time, sometimes section by section or one character to really home in on developing a book that has the author's imprint, voice, and style. When I say "style," I don't mean style guides because we use Chicago Manual of Style and any book we write or edit is going to be aligned with those standards. But, an author has a writing style and we don't want to get rid of that; but, we do want to improve it where necessary. So, what we are doing then is not only improving the book, we are also improving the writer because they are learning from the process. We act as book shepherds or mentors so the next book that author brings to us is even better.

Another challenge is the condition in which some manuscripts come to us. We've written books from a jumbled mess of notes written on sticky notes, menus, napkins, church bulletins, or whatever scrap paper was handy when their idea occurred on the spur of the moment. They may drop off a box and leave it up to us to create the entire book from the contents. Some authors have a great outline or a rough draft with their research well documented who say, "Write the book this way." We take their manuscript and produce a book that has their style and voice. When writing about someone's life, we have to get to know that person in order to assume that person's voice.

We develop relationships with some clients who become our close friends. Even after their book is on the market, we're still in touch with the authors because of the bond we made in our collaboration. I regularly hear from some clients I worked with years ago. I may email them to ask, "How's our baby (book) coming along?" or "What can I do to help you with the marketing?" The may call to wish me a happy holiday or just say hello.

If you've got to have your name in lights and have everyone know you wrote a book, then being a ghostwriter is probably not your calling. If you enjoy helping other writers improve their writing, you may enjoy ghostwriting.

Yvonne Perry is a freelance writer and the owner of Writers in the Sky Creative Writing Services (WITS). She and her team of ghostwriters are ready to assist you with writing and editing for books, Web text, business documents, resumes, bios, articles, and media releases. For more information about writing, networking, publishing, and book promotion, or to sign up for free email delivery of WITS newsletter, please visit http://www.writersinthesky.com. New subscribers receive a free eBook Tips for Freelance Writing.

Starting Your Own Religion

Writing a Friendly Letter

A friendly letter may be informal or casual, but it is still a letter. And as a general rule, letters should be clear, readable and organized. Otherwise, the recipient will have a hard time deciphering your message.

A readable letter can be scanned quickly to get the gist of the message. It has simple and direct sentences organized into several concise paragraphs. Like business letters, a friendly letter is also divided into seven parts: heading, salutation, introduction, body, conclusion, closing and signature. Some people deviate from this format, and that is okay with informal letters.

The heading usually consists of three lines. The first two lines bear the complete address of the recipient. The third line indicates the date the letter was written. Salutations are opening greetings. The most often used salutation is "Dear." But with informal and personal notes, salutations can take many forms. Sometimes people write "Dearest" or "Ever dearest."

The introduction gives an overview of the topic at hand. This section of the friendly letter is normally written in paragraph form.

The body is the bulk of the letter, consisting of several paragraphs. All paragraphs should be coherent to one another, all leading to the main message of the letter.

The conclusion sums up the topics offered on the body of the letter.

Closing is often made of one or two words like, "lovingly yours" or "sincerely yours." The first letter of the first word of the phrase must be written in capital letter.

Signature bears the name of the letter sender.

However, since this is an informal letter, a writer is allowed free verse. And the format is just suggestive but not strict. It can be altered at any point in time to make the personal letter more intimate and unique. Perhaps the only restriction imaginable is to keep the letter friendly. After all, there are still basic writing etiquette. Even in informal letters, we frown on expletives and derogatory remarks. Bad jokes are also not tolerated.

Below is a sample friendly letter. The name of each part is written in parenthesis before the significant sections of the friendly letter.

(Heading)
2527 CC Figueroa Street
Pasay City
December 3, 1969

(Salutation / greeting)
Dear Jade,

(Introduction)
How are you Jade? It's been a long time since we got away from each other due to our studies. Indeed, I miss you so much, my friend. However, the Christmas vacation is coming so we will have some time to see each other.

(Body)
In fact, I am planning to spend my Christmas vacation there. I am looking forward for that vacation because I am so excited to be with you again even for just a short period of time. I am just excited to share with you my beautiful experiences here.

Above all, I am really yearning for your companionship. I am missing all the things that we shared together before I got here for my study.

(Conclusion)
So see you soon Jade! I hope you will be looking forward for that, too. Until then. God bless Jade and take care always!

(Closing)
Lovingly yours

(Signature and printed name)
***
Sapphire

For more information on Sample of Intent Letter and Termination Letter Sample please visit our website.

Stopped Losing Your Car Keys

Freelance Writing Careers

As a writer, you probably read the stories about writers who are working from home and making six-figure salaries with envy, and wonder, "Why can't that be me? I must not be good enough to make that kind of money." I'm here to tell you that it's possible for anyone to build a very successful freelance writing career and earn a six-figure salary, while never leaving home.

The key is diversification and flexibility. You have to be able to diversify your talents and be flexible enough to apply them to a variety of different sub-fields within the broader writing category. While your passion may be fiction writing, you still need to put food on the table while you write your novel. It's still important to pursue what you're most passionate about, but being flexible enough to apply your talents in more profitable areas will allow you the freedom to pursue your ultimate dream. Are you flexible enough and motivated enough to use your talents in other areas that have the potential to make you lots of money?

There are endless possibilities of profitable areas you could pursue in your writing career. Networking and marketing yourself properly could land you freelance writing opportunities in blogging, writing e-books, ghostwriting, copywriting, resume writing, and more. Corporations are always in need of talented writers to write copy for their websites, for external communications, such as press releases, and even internal communications. While many companies utilize in-house staff for these tasks, most often it's a secondary job for a staff member who has no experience in writing other than what they've done for that company. It's your job to educate them on how outsourcing those tasks to a professional writer could net them greater results from their communication efforts.

There are two challenges most often faced by writers, and I have solutions for both. The first is that most writers are, by nature, not skilled in the areas of accounting and business management. I chose to outsource my back-office functions to a company called MBO Partners, which handles contracts, invoicing and collections. They also act as an employer of record, which means I get a single W-2 at the end of the year, simplifying my tax-management process. I still have control over my business, still market my own services and choose which clients I work for, but still am able to take advantage of all the tax deductions that come with owning a business.

The second challenge most often faced by freelance writers is the ability to market our own services. Typically writers have more introverted personalities, and most of us aren't comfortable tooting our own horn. Thanks to the internet, it's not necessary to have face-to-face interaction with potential clients in order to get new business. There are many indirect ways to attract customers that are highly effective, although it is still beneficial to fine-tune our sales skills and have the courage to make cold calls now and then. It's also still necessary to take initiative and submit proposals for potential work. Go to your potential customers with ideas and solutions; don't simply send an email saying, "Hi, I'm a freelance writer, do you have any writing needs?" Make sure you do your research on your potential clients and think of how what you offer can improve their business. That's the information you need to convey when approaching a customer.

I have found that it's essential for any freelancer or independent consultant to have a web presence. Websites are much more affordable than they used to be, and if you have any tech savvy you might even be able to create your own. As a writer, you should also have a blog. This is a perfect opportunity to showcase your writing abilities, and gives you an easy place to point potential clients where they can get a feel for your style. It's also important to network using the internet. There are a ton of social networking sites that allow you to build a profile explaining your business and services. Get involved; participate in discussions and make contacts. Offering free advice is the best way to position yourself as an expert in a given field, and the best way to get clients coming to you without minimal effort on your part.

While all this may take some time, it's easy to see that anyone willing to diversify their skills and dedicate the time and effort to an effective marketing strategy can build a solid base of clients that could net them a significant income while working from home.

Angela Stringfellow is a marketing communications consultant and an MBO Partners associate. Visit their website, http://www.mbopartners.com

Developing Wealth Building Habit

Writing Articles and Earning Money

If you are planning to write articles for the web and forge a successful financial career out of the same, there are few points that you should keep in mind. Remember, nobody has time to waste online and the average surfer will browse a site for a maximum of 10 seconds. That is all the time you have to catch his attention. Can you imagine the outcome of your carefully planned 500 words article if nobody even stops to read the first paragraph completely?

Remember, the heading and the first paragraph constituted the most important part of an article and hence special care should be taken to compose the same. One should put eye catching headlines and follow up the same with an interesting introductory paragraph. I do not know about others, but I generally write the entire body of the article first and then compliment the same with an interesting heading and an introductory paragraph. The initial section should act like a table of contents for the rest of the text.

One might be well inclined to put false statements in the preliminary paragraph, but that is akin to committing suicide. After you have composed the body of your article, just read through it a couple of times and try to understand what you want to convey to the viewers. This information is what should be used to make up the first paragraph.

Earning money by writing articles is not tough as long as you are willing to work hard and do a bit of research. There is a huge content writing industry waiting for you and all you need to be successful (check out the last word in my heading, it contains the word successfully) is to write content rich articles that might be of use to others. Do not expect to get orders overnight. Remember, Rome was not built in a day.

Initially, you should dream up articles and post them on sites like the one where you are reading this. These are the basic stones for writing money-earning articles. Most of the people who want to outsource their article writing jobs check sites like this one and if your article has managed to catch their attention, you can be rest assured that they will get in touch with you.

There are some pitfalls too which one should avoid. Do not use `article spinning' software. All they do is search for words at random and replace them with their synonyms. The end result can be horrendous and senseless. Use a proper email identity that has your name in it. I would rather contact joesmith@domain.com than joemaddywriter@domain.com. Try to be honest with yourself and do not plagiarize the net for articles. You will be caught and in all probabilities, blacklisted too. Do use the net for your research, but the content should be yours. You might have no ideas about autism (one of the hottest blog topics nowadays) but just study the net about it and before long you will feel comfortable with the same. Bingo... you can now write articles about it too, for you have managed to understand what that term, autism, is referring to.

When you will start receiving orders for writing articles, you will be presented with a primary keyphrase and some secondary keyphrases. In my next article I shall be touching upon these subjects. If you have been interested in this article, and if the same has appealed to you, there is no doubt that you will be on the lookout for my next article. This is one more way of making people interested. Write something that they will cherish and follow it up with more.

Stopped Losing Your Car Keys

Freelance Writing Is A Rewarding Career

Freelance writing was once considered to be tiresome and demanding. But the advent of the Internet, providing virtually every information and services one can imagine, has made freelance writing somewhat simpler and less cumbersome. The demand for such jobs has increased manifold, and so has the number of freelance writers. However, only the well informed and dedicated writers can keep themselves afloat in this field.

A little bit time spent surfing the net or visiting libraries or bookstalls, a little bit wracking of the brain, a little bit creativity and imagination and a huge bit of dedication are the prerequisites for success here. The rewards are much more alluring than the demands of the job. Freelance writing has caught up with the times and more and more people are exploring its realms.

Monetary benefits accrued can reach phenomenal levels, depending upon the quality and quantity of works completed. A satisfied clientele is the biggest reward, which in turn, can result in a spurt in incomes achieved.

Freelance writing can be instrumental in intellectual growth of the writer too. Information gathered in the course of writing betters his knowledge levels too. As it is mostly a work-from-home endeavor, the amount of quality time available for spending with other members of the family increases manifold. He gets a golden opportunity to balance his professional life with personal life.

However, to achieve the desired success levels, the writer needs to be thoroughly professional and well versed in the content on which he is writing. Upgrading knowledge levels time to time and going through customer feedback with an open mind can do wonders to the career of a fledgling writer trying to make a living through freelance writing.

If you want to know more about Freelance Writing Jobs then feel free to visit http://www.uniquearticle.net

30 Days To Creating Super Habits

Read a Book Today

So you want to be a writer? Great. It's a good thing to be - I should know, being a writer myself. So, the first thing you need to do is to start reading.

When I say this to an audience of would-be writers, there are always some frowns. Shouldn't a would-be writer be writing as often as possible? Yes. But first and foremost, the writer should be a reader, reading as widely as possibly in the genre or format in which s/he hopes to write. So, if you want to be a children's writer, you should be reading as many children's books as possible - and preferably new release books. Here are five good reasons to become a reader.

1. Reading new release books gives you an understanding of the market. You can learn what sort of books different publishers publish. By reading bestselling books you can learn what sorts of books are popular with buyers.

2. Reading well-written books gives you an insight into the structure, style and so on of a good book. Conversely, reading badly written books gives you an insight into what not to do. How do you tell the difference? The poorly written book is the one that bores you, confuses you, or plain makes you give up in disgust.

3. Related to reason 2, reason 3 is that reading improves your writing. You absorb more than you realise when you read. Ideas for structuring the plot, syntax and grammar, new words and more are sneakily stored away in your subconscious for when you need them.

4. Reading is relaxing. It is time to yourself and for yourself, or, in the case of reading aloud to someone, a sharing experience.

5. Reading is inspirational. When you read a good book you are often inspired to work on your own ideas, wondering if you, too, can bring a reader to feel as you do about the book you've just read.

I could give you more reasons, but hopefully by now I've convinced you - reading is good for you as a writer. So what are you waiting for? Pick up a book today and simply read.

Sally Murphy is the author of 27 trade and educational books for children. Her latest book is The Big Blowie (Aussie Schoolbooks, 2008). You can visit Sally at her blog, http://sallymurphy.blogspot.com/ or her website, http://www.sallymurphy.net.

Spending 15 Minutes Each Day

Work From Home As a Freelance Writer

With the economy shedding jobs at more than half-a-million a month since the last quarter of 2008, many are scrambling to find new employment. And, if it's a work-from-home job, then all the better. Freelance writing is one of those careers that's easy to start, and practically anyone who can read and write can do.

Following is a fast-growing, high-paying niche in freelance writing that anyone can enter - and start making money almost immediately.

Forget Magazine and Newspaper Writing: Online Writing Jobs are Where the Money Is

Specifically SEO copywriting. What is SEO copywriting? SEO stands for search engine optimization. Search engine optimization is simply using various rules to write copy in such a way that websites get more traffic and more sales.

And, website owners need a lot of it on a continual basis. Why? Because to rank high in search engine results, web businesses need to constantly add fresh content to their sites or their blogs and and/or to distribute via article directories.

Since most of them don't have the in-house staff to do this themselves, they outsource it to freelance SEO writers. It's cheaper for them. But, the amazing thing is, there are very few qualified SEO Writers. Most freelance writers don't even know what it is, so it's an untapped market.

And, this is why SEO writers are some of the busiest freelance writers you will find. The most successful ones bill $100-$250+/day -- easily. Many SEO copywriters outsource work to to other freelance writers because they get swamped so easily.

Following are some sample jobs ads you may have run across while surfing the web. These all fall in the SEO writing niche.

Seeking SEO Article Writer: Need five articles on teen fashions for my website. Looking for someone who can submit 3-5 articles a week on an ongoing basis. Pay: $10-$20 per 400-500 word article.

SEO Copywriter Needed: We are looking for writers to produce SEO articles. Each article should be around 200 words and should include the keyword approximately 6 times. We will provide a sample as well as guide for layout and style. Pay: $10-$15 per post.

Blog Writer Wanted: Newly launched humor blog is looking for writers to contribute humorous articles on a weekly basis. No experience necessary, but the ability to consistently deliver smart and witty works of hilarity is a must. Pay: Open.

Web Content Writer: We are looking for freelance article writers to write website content, product descriptions, etc. Our freelance writing service is currently expanding, adding new clients weekly, and needs additional writers to take on writing projects. Pay: $25-$100/article.

When many hear the phrase "SEO" they tune out, thinking that maybe it's too technical. The truth is, it's so simple that even a 12-year-old can grasp it - all within a few minutes. If you're looking for a work-from-home job that is easy to do, pays well and where you can start making money almost right away, SEO copywriting is it.

May be reprinted with the following, in full:Yuwanda Black is the publisher of InkwellEditorial.com: The Authority Site on How to Start a Successful Freelance Writing Career. Get full information on how to start a lucrative carer as a freelance SEO copywriter. The site features testimonials from college students, stay-at-home moms and others who've successfully started this work-from-home career. For some it took days, for others just a few short weeks

Finding Something You Don

What is Writer's Block?

An inability to write, or writer's block, is "writer's block - an inability to write; 'he had writer's block; the words wouldn't come.'"1 Put otherwise, "writer's block - A usually temporary psychological inability to begin or continue work on a piece of writing."2

In contrast, "Flow" is a general state described in Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. He defines flow as "the state in which people are so involved in an activity that nothing else seems to matter; the experience is so enjoyable ... that people will do it ... for the sheer sake of doing it." There is tremendous power for any creative, especially writers, in learning how to manage their writing process and access word flow.

There are certain prerequisites for creative expression, including writing, that have nothing to do with creative blocks. It is essential that you have a place prepared to express yourself. It is ideal if this space is dedicated to your creativity, so that the tools you need, and projects in progress, can occupy the space. It has never worked for me, or any other creative I have known, to attempt to write or paint regularly without a dedicated creative space.

Another creative prerequisite is the proper tools for creativity. As a writer, or screenwriter, you require some combination of pens/pencils, paper, typewriter, computer, software and other implements. Also, you may require books and magazines for inspiration as well as technical guidance. Not knowing how to stretch a canvas or properly format a screenplay are not creative blocks. They are ignorance of essential creative technical skills.

Every artist must gain training, whether self-taught, through coursework, workshops, lectures, classes, books and media, or otherwise. A final prerequisite for creative work is time. You must schedule creative expression, including time for inspiration development, the way you would any essential activity.

So, if you have a place to create, you have the tools and training required to do so, and you have the time, and you still are not creating... then you likely have a creative block.

Procrastination is the single dominant behavior of the blocked artist.

Whatever the block, procrastination is the expression. Procrastination may take the form of obsessive e-mail checking, cleaning, endless research, wasted hours in Social Networking, and many other endeavors. Some creatives overeat, drink or party excessively, take class after class, or occupy themselves with other busy work, all to successfully avoid creating.

Recognizing the problem is a huge part of the issue. If you have what you need to create, and aren't creating, there are a number of tools available to assist you in breaking through writer's block or any other creative block.

If your writer's block is serious, and you are committed to doing WEIT ("What ever it takes," ~Tony Robbins) to break through, you can get professional coaching through a trained, certified professional. You can also find a number of fantastic products, audio, book and otherwise, online.

To your Word Flow!

References:

1. http://www.thefreedictionary.com

2. The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright 2000 by the Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

H. Raven Rose is based in Los Angeles, CA. She loves words, color, art, listening to music and eating imported gourmet dark chocolate (although not necessarily all at the same time). Her combined loves, training and education are in Writing, Art, Self-Development, Transpersonal Psychology, and Spirituality. She is primarily a Screenwriter, Writer, Coach and Speaker and teaches workshops and develops books and products for writers through her company Word Flow. As a certified Covey Coach, a CTI Coach, and certified Creative Journal Expressive Arts facilitator, she coaches writers in breaking through their blocks so they can access Word Flow. "Get your Flow On!" Definitely check out http://www.wordflow.org today.

Helpful Habit Planning Tips

The Moral of the Story

The means of conveying a moral specific theme in a fictional story is termed Moral Fiction. This designation may seem self-explanatory since you most likely grew up with stories that contained a moral lesson. So many classic children's stories were infused with value based story lines it may seem strange to think that is not the primary purpose of storytelling.

Today, however, Moral Fiction is a genre unto itself. Somewhere in an undefined part of literary history, new genres of fiction began to emerge with little claim to a moral objective. Today its clear there is a need for the term Moral Fiction.

With this genre, the story is essentially a creative vehicle whereby a moral lesson can be conveyed to a mass audience. That's not to indicate that Moral Fiction is preachy because it doesn't have to be, in fact, I would suggest it shouldn't be.

Writers need to be careful to remember the story has an ebb and flo that does not respond well to the use of a bully pulpit. If your reader views the story as a tool to bludgeon them with a moral imperative they will stay away from your work - in droves.

Julie Andrews delivers a song for the movie, "Marry Poppins" that is very appropriate when choosing this type of fiction, "A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down." Too often readers view bad moral fiction as if they were being force-fed vinegar.

Moral fiction is very effective when the author uses the moral lesson as a single thread in a very large tapestry. The trouble often arises when the author views the moral lesson as the tapestry and the story as the thread. In one case it's a compliment to the storyline and in the other it is viewed as moral superiority.

As a writer you seek ways to connect with your reader. In Moral Fiction the goal is to allow the story to be as engaging as possible so the reader doesn't immediately disengage from the storyline because they weren't anticipating a sermon.

For writers who come at their work from a faith perspective it is expected that at least a good portion of the work produced will have a moral theme. Moral Fiction provides an effective vehicle to convey a Christian worldview in the much-loved genre of fiction.

Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of HighPowerSites and many other web projects.

Make A Website in minutes with HighPowerSites or Build A Website with BuildAGreatSite.

Start your own ebook business and Resell Ebooks with BooksWealth.

Starting With Simple Things

Creating Conflict - Writing Skills

All drama relies on conflict. Conflict creates challenge and the process of the protagonist facing the challenge to resolve the conflict is the very basis of storytelling.

To the novice writer the concept of conflict means something physical, typically war, but war is only the ultimate conflict. Below it lie the many levels of difference and misunderstanding between peoples which drive drama. Even a romance, which one would imagine is the antithesis of conflict needs it or it fails to stand up. Boy meets girl, gets married, lives happily ever after, is not only wishful thinking, it also fails as drama.

So, at what level should you pitch your conflict? The answer is at as many levels as is possible and believable. Readers love complication and a protagonist, a soldier in a war, with a girlfriend who disapproves of his profession, a criminal past which is catching up with him, and a terminal disease, just about hits the limit of what readers will swallow.

Better perhaps to stick with a dual conflict scenario, always remembering that your conflict must be at such a scale that it cannot be easily solved. Remember too that your conflict need not necessarily be between humans. It can also be between man and a force of nature. Chief Brodie in Jaws battles not only against a great white shark, but also against the Mayor who does not want to close the beaches during a holiday period. Only by resolving one conflict can Brodie face the next.

Conflict can be created by any of the human failings. Greed, jealousy, intolerance, avarice, hate, lust, we are a seething mass of potential conflicts. But remember too that the more noble emotions can lead to conflict. A man who loves a woman may find that his love is unrequited and this in itself creates a conflict.

The other strength of conflict is that it creates tension, and this can be true between characters who are ostensibly friends. Resolving such conflict will lead to dialogue and dialogue again drives forward your narrative.

Remember too to base one of your conflicts at a human level. Rebels fighting against an evil Galactic Empire may be the headline, but it is the simmering tension between Luke, Solo and Princess Leia that audiences log on to. This conflict is resolved not by action on the part of any of the protagonists, but by received information in the form of the truth about the relationship between Leia and Luke. This relationship and its resolution had no particular part in the great tale Lucas was telling, but had a part to play in the development of his characters. It was essentially, a conflict within his subplot.

Conflict too can be used as a device when the narrative is running on empty to re-energise the story. A new conflict can bring fresh life to your story. This must be used sparingly however as it may become too obvious to the reader that the writer has been struggling.

Creating conflict is easy. Put two characters on the page and have them disagree about something.

Gurmeet Mattu is an award-winning writer with a track record in print, stage, radio and television, as well as being a qualified Trainer. He is currently operating http://scriptschool.co.uk from which he offers various writers' services ,including a critique service, his Creative Writing Guide, a range of Free Factsheets and ebooks, together with many other resources.
ScriptSchool also offers clients a page-turning 3D Ebook packaging and marketing service for their self-published material. Books, catalogues, brochures, photo albums or whatever.

Stopped Losing Your Car Keys

Writing Using What is Around Us - Finding Inspiration

Go on a scavenger hunt through a favorite book. Look for outstanding adjectives, sentences that grabbed your attention and for physical descriptions that were especially good. See what the structure of the story was and what kept you reading the chapters through to the end. Look for the events that inspired you as you read.

This information is excellent to gather so you can begin to use it as a guide to help you improve your own writing skill. See if you can take an idea and write a story using the new approach. Your characters may seem more real to you and the content more appealing to your reader when you enhance your story lines with inspirational events.

Adding richness to your overall story is so important to keep your reader interested in following the story to the end. I enjoy stories that are inspirational and most other people do also. They are all around us in the stories of the friends, family and people we meet at the grocery store, mall and in other actives in our lives.

It is like a treasure hunt when you find things in your favorite books and are aware enough to notice the treasures in the people you meet. They can be used in whole or in part as you develop your characters and begin to see your story unfold, perhaps in a new way.

You feel less pressure to produce a story if you can start with an idea and allow it to help you jump start the current story line you are working with at the moment. Allow your reader to go on a scavenger hunt and find the treasure in what you have written. It can make learning how to improve your writing more fun and you also get to discover the treasures you have in yourself as you share with the others around you.

And now I invite you to join me for a series of writing exercises to help you discover your areas of interest in writing as well as increasing your creativity. You may access these exercises by visiting http://www.freecreativewritingstrategies.com.

You also may enjoy visiting my blog at http://www.creativewritingmadeeasy.com

Creating A Habit

Help for Writer's Stress - 6 Tips to De-Stress Your Life

You look at yourself in the mirror and ask "Is that vein supposed to throb like that?" In the back of your mind, you're pretty sure it isn't supposed to.

Stress hits everyone at some point in their lives. But it seems to hit writers more often. The solitary life we lead just adds to the amount of stress. Not to mention the deadlines, projects, family obligations, work problems, appointments, meetings, lack of exercise, poor diet, and everything else we have to accomplish in a day. The list of stressful things can go on and on.

Just taking a few moments of time for you when the world is crushing in around you isn't the easiest thing to do. Here are some things you can do to relax without taking too much time away from your writing, or life.

1. Don't take on more than you can handle. Keep in mind that the more you promise to do, the less time you'll have to do the things you want to do. If you really can't write that article this month either see if you can push the due date to something more doable or just say no. Don't over book yourself.

2. Music has charms to sooth the writer's mind, and mood. Listen to your favorite music while writing can lift your spirits and keep your stress levels in check. Some writers even work better with music playing in the background, maybe you are one of them?

3. Walk and stretch at least every 20 minutes. Moving helps keep your body flexible. By taking a short walk, even if it's just to the bathroom, you are giving your body a chance to increase circulation and decrease stress.

4. Take a mini mental vacation. For just a moment or two, imagine yourself in your most desired vacation spot. Is it lying on the beach in the Caribbean, or riding a double-decker bus in downtown London? Feel the sights, sounds and smells of your location. Don't let your work interfere with your trip for at least 5 minutes.

5. Drink water while you work. Water keeps your body hydrated, which will help keep your mind alert and thinking. And writing.

6. Learn to laugh at the absurd. Allowing the little things in life to frustrate and anger you just adds to your stress levels. By learning to laugh at them instead of getting angry, you release the frustrations bottled up inside you and allow your mind and body to relax.

Keeping yourself stress free while writing isn't always possible. But helping your body relax when the levels get to be too much is. Taking just a few minutes out of your day to lower your stress is good for your mind, your body, and your writing!

Dawn Arkin is an author on http://www.Writing.Com/ which is a site for Poetry. Her portfolio can be found at http://www.Writing.Com/authors/darkin so stop by and read for a while.

Structuring Your 24 Hour Day

Using Active Imagination to Access Psychic Knowledge

Active Imagination is a process related to automatic writing that is used by Jungian psychologists. Although automatic writing is done while in a trance, active imagination writing is done while conscious and aware. It is a gestalt type of dialog, where the writer poses a question of some other being, part of the psyche, the past or future self, or even fictional characters. Then the other answers through the subconscious to the imagination.

As the mental dialog takes place, the writer records both sides, skipping a line for each change of speaker or marking the alternating paragraphs. Active imagination writing can be done with any writing tool. Computers are especially nice in that the writer can change the font to italic or bold for one of the speakers with a keystroke (CTRL+ i for italics, CTRL + b for bold.) and the results are legible, if the typing is accurate. Pen and paper, however, may allow for more flow of energy directly from unconscious to paper, particularly for people who do not touch type quickly.

First an appropriate time should be chosen when one has at least half an hour with no interruptions, and no TV or telephone. Take the phone off the hook. Soft music that does not have lyrics, jazz, classical or new age music (not instrumental versions of pop songs) can be played if there is distracting background noise or if the silence is uncomfortable. Songs with lyrics distract from the focus on listening to the inner dialog.

Then the writer grounds and centers, clearing the mind of mundane concerns other than the issue at hand. The issue is written at the top of the paper, and it is a good idea to write the date as well for future reference. The writer writes an invitation to the other to come and dialog about the topic, then sits in silence, waiting for the other to speak up.

As a fiction writer, I have used this process to dialog with my characters, to see what the story looks like from their perspective, especially if I was stuck writing a scene. The "voice" I "hear" as the character speaks in my imagination is much different from my own mental voice. What the characters have to say sometimes surprises me very much, and they are sometimes angry that I have written the plot in a certain way. This is what authors mean when they say that their imaginary characters go off in their own directions.

I have also worked with goddess energy, specifically with the Sumerian goddess of the Underworld, Ereshkigal. She was adamant in her advice to me, and I have taken it to heart. Goddesses of death do not suffer fools, but they are also the keepers of the wealth that comes from the earth: food, metals, gemstones. It is is well to listen.

Other people have used this technique to dialog with elements of dreams to understand the meanings and implications. Fritz Perls' Gestalt Therapy used the dialog with dreams technique by having the dreamer speak aloud to an empty chair first as the dreamer, and then as the dream element, be it a person, animal or object. Active Imagination is much less strenuous, but also effective.

Addressing one's past self at an earlier age can help clarify the issues from that time, as the now self can reassure the past self. The same is true of dialog with the future self. If one addresses the self one wishes to become, that self can advise what changes are needed now to make that future happen. Just getting the future self's description of life can make it much easier to visualize and manifest.

Spirit writing, or addressing a person now dead, or even one not yet born, is also possible. The key to successful active imagination is to clear the mind and listen, to record the thoughts that arise. A session should probably not last more than half an hour. If the invitation to dialog is not followed by an answer within five minutes, it is best to start again later on. For most people, if they are not open to the answers within five minutes, more work is probably needed for centering.

As in any conversation with a relative stranger, be respectful and polite. Treat this activity as a relationship, and it will work like a relationship. If you are rude or demanding, the other may treat you without respect or refuse to dialog with you.

Some would argue that you are just talking to yourself, that you are making it all up. My answer is that we are all connected, not just those of us alive at the moment, but all those who have ever lived, and who ever will live, both on this plane of existence and elsewhere. Being willing to listen to another's perspective, opening a channel to someone not present is a form of psychic knowing, of being aware of the energies beyond the physical.

Want to be your own fairy godmother? Read Wishes Can Come True by Charlotte Babb for stories and tips on how you can leave the old stories behind and manifest what you want in your life.

Starting With Simple Things

Three Ways an SEO Article Writer Boosts Your Profits

If you're in business, and especially if your business has a strong online presence, the benefits of contracting a good Search Engine Optimization article writer can be substantial. Here is a brief look at three ways having a steady supply of unique, original SEO niche-market-targeted content professionally written for your business can be of benefit to you. These three website content areas can be an integral part of every online business. Having well-written Search Engine Optimized content in these areas will certainly boost the bottom line of your online niche-marketing business. Here's what a good SEO article writer can do for you and your niche marketing business:

1. Write "Quality, Informative E-books and Reports

When a batter swings at a fast-thrown ball not every hit is a home run. The same is true for your customer contacts. Each time you contact a previous or potential client, you need to present a positive message that lets them know you truly have their best interests and a viable solution to their problem at heart. This is where contracting a good Search Engine Optimization article writer comes into play by writing a library of information products for you to have available for offer to your clients. Why not have the ability to offer your customer list and potential clients forms of information which will benefit them at a very low cost - even for free if you wish. This can be done by offering short e-books or reports on their area of interest.

2. Write "Quality, Informative Newsletters

Looking for a unique, but sure-fire way to keep your customers and potential clients informed of what's happening in your business and in their fields of interests? Then consider providing a periodical newsletter to your client list upon request? Whether it's weekly, semi-monthly, monthly, or any other frequency you require, a good Search Engine Optimization article writer can keep the latest, the greatest and most interesting aspects of your niche business constantly circulating on the minds of your employees, customers and associates world wide. With regularity, people will have your information flow directly into their e-mail in box, automatically triggering their remembrance of your products and services.

3. Draft Focused, Customer Niche-Topic E-zines

Quite similar in style and format to a newsletter, the strictly online version is often referred to as an e-zine or electronic magazine. These are delivered by e-mail to your niche target market list at a frequency you specify. A top quality SEO niche market article writer can easily keep your supply of information flowing to existing and potential customers alike, having continual growth as a distinctive part of your online business year-round, even in tough economic climates. And all this at affordable rates with top quality, regularly to you, too.

Showcase Your Products and Services in Their Best Light

Using any or even all of these techniques you can more easily build your client list, maintain regular contact with current and potential customers, showcase your products and services in their best light and promote the utmost in customer satisfaction. Your niche marketing business can thrive as never before. So just how much growth would you like to see in your business and sales this year? How about next year? Or even in the future beyond? It's all up to you and your decision to boost the statistics of your niche marketing business by contracting the services of a top quality, professional niche marketing SEO article writer who could boost your business in any or all of these three ways.

Need an experienced, professional blogger or copywriter to promote your school, institution, service or business or an experienced writer and vibrant SEO content for your website, blog, e-zine or newsletter? Why not visit my website or contact me today? For details, rate card, writing samples and testimonials from previous satisfied clients visit my SEO article writer website at: http://lmlynchcreativecopy.blogspot.com/

Getting Up Earlier

Writing Internal Newsletters: How to Build Your Network and Your Reputation

To help build your profile and reputation within a large company create or contribute to, an internal newsletter. Your company collegues are an excellent network for you - lift your internal reputation by writing an internal newsletter that people will read. This article is full of tips to help you get started.

Write for the company newsletter. Offer to provide articles or updates for the internal newsletter. This is a great way to work with the production team (who are often volunteers looking for content for the newsletter).

When writing for internal correspondence here is a couple of questions and tips:

What do you know your topic? List on one piece of paper all the different aspects to your topic. You may like to create a map of your brainstorm to identify major headings or important points. This map will also help you locate sub points for each major heading.

Who will use the information or tips? Make a list of the people within the organisation that would be interested in your topic, and make a note of how to write this in a way that will appeal to them.

Why will they use it? This question will help you to structure your thoughts and write them in a way that is appropriate for your colleagues. Is it just for information? Will it help them do their job better? Will it boost their productivity? Will their lives be easier as a result of knowing your information consider these questions when you write about your knowledge:

Why will people read it? This is similar to the question above, make it interesting and assist your team by explaining the main points of the article in the title or first sentence.

What tips can you give your co-workers about your knowledge? Try and turn your information into easily applied tips that people can apply straight away if appropriate.

Create an opening and closing paragraph in the first paragraph or sentence state the premise of your article. In the closing paragraph or sentence remind your readers of the main points.

Create a call to action from the article in the closing paragraph you might like to suggest action they can take to apply this knowledge or improve their understanding. You might suggest further websites they could review, books to read, other articles or texts on the subject give them suggestions for what to do with this information you have shared in your article.

Create a promotional box at the end of the article to allow your colleagues to get in touch with you if they want more information. This should have your name, contact information including phone, fax and email. If you have a website for your department that would also help your readers.

Sharing your knowledge with others is a great gift and personally rewarding so start writing today and structure articles that are easily read and understood for your teammates.

Neen is a Global Productivity Expert: by looking at how they spend their time and energy and where they focus their attention Neen helps people to rocket-charge their productivity and performance. A dynamic speaker, author and corporate trainer, Neen demonstrates how boosting your productivity can help you achieve amazing things. With her unique voice, sense of fun and uncommon common-sense, Neen delivers a powerful lesson in productivity. Find out more at http://neenjames.com/

Creating A Habit

Get Paid to Write Online

Are you sitting at home wondering how you could do something to make some real money? Ever thought that you might could get paid to write? Lots of people are. What's that you say? "ME? Make money writing? You gotta be kidding! Right?".

Level of Writing Skills Required

Well, no-o. Actually I'm not kidding. You do not have to be a really good writer to get paid to write online. Tell you what. Go online and type "article directory" into a search engine search window. Go visit various article directories and look at some of their articles. Don't stop at the first page where they put the best ones.

Go to page 5 or 10 on a subject, read a few and ask yourself, "Could I do as good as or better than that?" Most of the articles I see out there today wouldn't have gotten as high as a "C" in my 9th grade English class! The standards are NOT high...

If you can write in plain, clear, understandable English at the 6th to 9th grade level, then you can get paid to write online.

Professional writers have a disadvantage on the Net. Most of what they "know" (have been taught) is WRONG! They want to 'swing for the fences' and write a best-seller. The Net wants plain vanilla, fast and lots of it.

While a pro writer struggles over perfecting a 1,000 word piece, those that get paid to write online will turn out 6,000 words of readable text. If that's twelve 500-word articles he'll get at least $10 for them. Once he or she is known for on-time delivery and O.K. quality, that could be $20+ each.

It's relatively easy to write 6,000 words in a day. You do the math...

Ideal for Work at Home

When you get paid to write online, everything goes through your computer terminal. You don't have to dress up and commute to somewhere. You can work 100% at home. The hours are your choice. You can work anytime you like, whenever it's convenient to you.

It's the same way with the amount of work you take on. You can do a little or a lot, you decide. When you finish a contract you can rest for as long as you like. There is no ongoing obligation. You can write at home, at the beach, on vacation, anytime, anywhere you have an Internet connection. Can't beat the convenience!

Fast turnaround, fast cash when you get paid to write online.

To get paid to write online, you do everything (except write) online. You go to writer's markets like elance.com or guru.com and look over the offers posted. You pick one, make contact, negotiate terms and get a contract. This can and usually does happen in hours.

You can begin to write on the contract the same day, deliver the work in 3-4 days and get a deposit into your PayPal account within a week of starting. You not only get paid to write online, you get paid to write fast; it's a quick turnaround between work and pay. No deductions, no holdbacks, just cash in your pocket

All told, there are a lot of advantages when you get paid to write online, and it's a lot easier to break into than you might think...

For more details on how to get paid to write, more information on how to get paid to write online, follow the links below...

For more detailed information on how to get paid to write for the Internet, visit: Get Paid to Write

For more on how to make money writing online, visit: Paid to Write Online

Jorge Chavez is an experienced writer, Internet marketer and author who buys, sells and produces written materials for the Internet.

Finding Something You Don

I Am a Slave to Writing

I have a confession to make - I am a slave.

I have been slaving away this summer to complete a first novel and neglecting my body by not feeding and exercising it right. I have become a slave to writing; my back aches and muscles ache. I sit at my computer for more hours than it is accustomed, slaving over a word, a paragraph, sentence structure, plot, character, theme, scene. I am a slave, a lonely writer sitting at the computer with the intention of one thing - completing a 70,000 word manuscript.
Shouldn't I be doing something else; something I enjoy?

Well, I am doing what I enjoy - writing. No one ever told me in journalism class what it takes to write a novel. Journalism and creative writing are two separate cats in a sack - fighting and clawing at one another. The creative think tanks in novel writing chide me to "show," not "tell," when writing fiction. As a journalist it was my duty to tell. Now I've got to show? If I wanted to "show," wouldn't I be producing films or movies? I get it, however. People want to see action, suspense, horror, death, romance, magic, mystery. Readers want to feel, see, hear and touch your characters as your words spill across a stupid piece of paper. The readers want to ride along with you every mile of the road to the climax. You bring them there by pacing the novel so your reader is set up to be thrilled or chilled.

This has been part of my scheme, however, since as far back as I can remember. It was one person's dream, mine alone. My goals were set four to five decades ago when someone told me I was a good writer. I decided back in those renaissance years to write. My plan after I retired would be writing fiction. Well, here I am. I'm not getting any younger and I have become a slave to writing fiction. I never knew there were so many ingredients to writing a good novel. I am still learning as I age.

I know this can't be right. I don't own my body any longer. That was never my intention.
While some retirees stress over what they would like to be doing at this stage in their life, I am writing a silly novel. You've got to wonder what I am thinking.

I actually know what I should and shouldn't be doing, but I do it not.

Healthy aging is the process of taking charge of your wellbeing as you age. Healthy aging is one of the few things in life that's actually in our control.

Although most people don't start talking about healthy aging until they hit mid-life, true healthy aging begins when we're young. It continues until we can continue no more in this physical body on earth. But we can control healthy aging in the development and maintenance of optimal physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.

Enjoying healthy aging depends on two things: what you do (your actions) and what you think (your attitudes and your beliefs).

Along the way, however, I have learned to have an open mind. If you think in terms of possibility not in terms of impossibility and willing to accept new concepts and new ways of seeing the world; you are aging healthy.

An open mind gives us access to healthy aging tools you wouldn't consider if your mind was closed. It also uses those brain cells more.

If by letting go of the past, thinking what might have been, should have been, or could have been; you are aging healthy.

There's just what was, what is, and what will be. No judgment.
Regrets, resentments, and grief are major barriers to healthy aging. They create stress on our body's cells.

Be grateful for what you have. Gratitude is one of the most positive vibrations you can have.
Healthy aging is all about healthy energy. When you can fill yourself with healthy energy, exude healthy energy, and vibrate at a high energetic level, you slow the aging process and optimize your well being.

Live like you have plenty of time. Forget the "live as if each day was your last" advice. Yes, you want to cherish each day, but don't expect your days to be finite. Plan, dream, and grow, and expect to do so indefinitely. Your expectation can create your reality.

Healthy aging is in my/our control. Your actions and your thoughts will determine the level of health and wellbeing you get to enjoy. Choose the best actions and the best attitudes and beliefs, and you'll enjoy healthy aging.

Slaves are chattel property. Their bodies are owned by someone else. They are not empowered to make decisions about their bodies and they are powerless to decide upon, or protest, its use and misuse. If someone determines for you what happens to your body without your consent or participation, you are a slave.

If you do not own your body, you are a slave.

I learned this lesson the hard way last weekend when my wife had to help me out of the recliner due to an achy, breaky back.

I'm taking my body back, but I am still going to write. Praise God.

John W. Cargile, Msc. D, D.D.

Developing Wealth Building Habit

Writing Chapters And Scenes

You don't even need chapters anymore in some novels, but then you might simply have a lot of chapters.

Normally a Chapter in a Novel is three to five scenes. What then makes the difference between a chapter and its scenes? And why is this important in planning a novel?

In planning your novel or screen play, first you want to create every possible scene or event. Visualize putting each scene or event on a paper card, whether you actually do this or not.

The above exercise, even if you are not a writer, can show you if you can produce an exciting story out of your imagination and life experience. Take an evening and just writing on small cards a series of story-events and see what you come up with. You might be surprised at your creativity!

A scene-event is a dramatization, usually with characters, that happens in one place. It has one action, its reaction, reflection and developmental choice.

Keep this formula in mind and use it over and over again. The formula applies to both characters and plot developments.

The action may be from one of the characters or an outside event like a bank robbery. Thus developments happen both to and in characters but also in the time-line called a plot.

A plot is a time-line of character development and resolution combined with a time-line of action and event development and resolution. Keep this is mind as another primary writing structure for both the novel and the screen play.

The developed writer knows and uses over and over the writing craft structures that work in dramatizing story.

Know your fundamentals. You are the writer using craft tools to tell story. Your readers and viewers experience your story vicariously as real to them because you have used writing craft tools successfully in telling story.

Know your writing craft!

It's a short and simple message, but true.

Story development and resolution is a time-line of scenes, one right after another. Each scene causes another scene to happen, usually sequentially. As a writer you are little different from a scientist. A scientist investigates cause and effect over and over again in his and her research area. You as a writer get to construct cause and effect sequences over and over again in creating dramatically your story.

Thus use scene development and chapter development to keep the story development happening in the most involving ways possible.

Do we need chapters if we have scenes? Do we need acts in plays if we have scenes?

A chapter is a collection of interrelated scenes around a common theme or sub-theme. A story theme is a life issue and life insight dramatized. All great story has a life theme that is dramatized. Story-goals and story-themes are elements of the dramatization of the main story-theme that the story is all about.

Love triumphs over hate, or does it?

In the movie about the theme: pay it forward, the boy who invents and practices this is killed in the end at school, almost accidentally in a knife attack by two other boys. The theme is a great one of good doing more good in the world despite evil that would destroy the good in life.

However, the writer of the novel and the movie is unclear how to write story to theme and so fails the story potential despite a new and strong theme.

In a nutshell, the boy who does acts of kindness in paying it forward gets killed for no reason. Why his attackers hate him enough to kill him is never developed, nor is a character behavior of the good boy dramatized in such a way as to cause murderous hate in another boy.

Killing the boy at the end makes no sense. It gives the wrong feeling to the viewer and reader. It makes one feel the message is 'do good while you can for bad will eventually or quickly overcome you.' I don't really think this is the story message that the writer wanted to convey. If so it is interesting but contradictory to reality and to the story theme of pay it forward, which is to do good deeds to those in need because good deeds have been done to you by others.

Our point here is that you need to be aware of good story-craft in writing up your stories.

Events as scenes are singular. Chapters are families of scenes and so are multiples which cluster around sub-themes of your main theme and story.

In the full The Writer's Interface, a 92,000 words document, you will find a lot more craft tools and ideas that go with scene and chapter development.

While scenes, one after another, give the stepping stones development of your total story, chapters give the cluster development of sub-themes dramatized and leading to main theme development in theme resolution.

Do the good guys win out over the bad guys, the main story archetype? Well, mostly the answer has to be yes because of reader and viewer psychology. Resolution to the tension of good versus evil, with good winning out over evil, is thought of in the human mind as positive and healing.

Thus again in the Pay It Forward novel and movie the hero boy getting stabbed to death as a resolution to the story does not make sense internally or externally in life. Are we supposed to think that in thousands of grade and high schools in the country there are killer boys with knives out to kill at least one other student before they fully grow up? Absurd, but here done and ridiculous. Thus again we say this writer has no good knowledge of story and theme and how it all works to produce and really important novel.

You don't have to be as unconscious or stupid, do you?

Learn your craft then. This is what we also are devoted to. We give a few important ideas here. We give around 2000 writing craft ideas in The Writer's Interface as a service to serious writers who want to do an effective job in writing their novels and screen plays.

Comments To Make

What are your views on writer imagination versus writer craft knowledge in creating novels, plays and stories? What now stands in your way as a writer from producing good work that will sell to lots of readers and viewers?

Strephon Kaplan-Williams is a well-published writer with over 350,000 of his books in circulation in eight languages. He is also a professional dreamwork psychologist and now specializing in writer creativity and writing craft tools. His The Writer's Interface is the first comprehensive collection of writing craft tools ever published that is sure to gain wide acceptance among writers and in the field of writing software. He uses the WriteItNow software as his primary writing organizer for his novel, now with 100,000 words and undergoing a major revision. To learn more about how chapters and scenes go to make up an exciting novel you can visit him at

thewritersinterface.com

The Writer's Interface - Web Store

creativewritingandwriters.com

Creating A Habit

Article Writing Revealed - How to Write Informative Articles, From Beginning to End

The first step in article writing is to create a knock-them-out title for your article. This title serves a very important purpose - to get web surfers to actually click on your article and begin reading it. So your title is actually the most important part of your article, although most people spend very little time on it.

The next thing to write for your article is your introduction. I typically keep this to one paragraph, with 3 to 5 sentences introducing the topic at hand. I will briefly talk about the reader's problems and how I'm going to go about solving it in the article, either through a series of steps or a set of tips that they can put into action.

For the body of your article, you will need a few main points that you can talk about. Five to seven main points is good. Putting them into point form will also make your article extremely readable, and also easy to write.

An important point to take note of is to keep your paragraphs and sentences short. The longer your paragraphs and sentences seem, the less people will read your entire article through. So keep them short for easy readability.

When your body is done, it's time to come to the conclusion of your article. This will also be made of one paragraph most of the time. You can simply summarize what you covered in your body and emphasize and sort of tie them in together so that your reader gets a clear picture of what to do to solve his problem.

Fabian Tan is a well-known Internet Marketing expert and the author of the popular 45-page Report:

"Murder Your Job: How To Build Cash Sucking Autopilot Businesses In 30 Days Or Less!"

Head over to http://www.MurderYourJob.com to get your FREE copy now!

Also, quickly download his FREE "Explosive Traffic System" report that shows you how to generate 10,000+ targeted visitors per month at no cost! => http://www.ExplosiveTrafficSystem.com

Spending 15 Minutes Each Day

How to Polish Up Your English

If you want to improve your spoken and written English the best way to do this is to add a few decorative, flowery touches to you sentences. There are lots of ways of doing this. Don't try to use them all in one sentence or you will make your English sound 'silly'. For example, if I said:

The cuddly, curious, cute, little, fluffy kitten tore through our house like a wild, fierce, stormy, unannounced tornado and damaged our new, Italian leather, expensive sofa.

It would be much more effective to use fewer adjectives:

The cuddly bundle of fluff that was our new kitten, tore through the house like a tornado, damaging the sofa as it went.

Too many adjective over describes the scene and make the English sound clumsy and unpolished.

Another example of this is an email that I received from a student:

'You are patient, kind, good, excellent teacher who gives good mark. My homework is late, not finished, forgot, undone. I am bad, useless, sad, unhappy student.'

This actually sounds funny but I don't think the writer intended it to be.

Don't overdo the adjectives, or use strings of adverbs that mean the same thing. Using two different adjectives that mean the same thing can sometimes be very effective and gives impact to the sentence.For example:

It was black dark outside and I couldn't see a thing.

Acronym.

It is generally acceptable to use acronyms when speaking and writing English. You will sound better if you use these instead of using full titles.

Take the initial, or first letter, of a group of words and put them together, they form an acronym. An acronym is a word in its own right. There are many examples of this:

NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

CAT Computer assisted testing.

WHO World health organisation.

However, you should only use established and accepted acronyms, don't make up your own.

Using Alliteration.

Using alliteration makes English language makes what you say more expressive but here again, don't over do it. It is the grouping together of words which start with the same letter.

Slowly sizzling sausages

Cool, calm and collected

Long, lanky legs

Using Analogy.

Using an analogy makes speech and writing much more effective. It is a way to show off the finer points of the language and to express yourself clearly. An analogy takes another situation that is similar to the one you are describing and uses it to illustrate. This is good to use in writing creative pieces and is especially useful when presenting at a seminar. Using analogy makes your English sound richer and more polished.

The arrival of the new kitten in my house had a similar effect to an unexpected tornado.

Copyright: Louie Jerome 2008

Louie Jerome is a UK writer, editor and publisher

Writer Soup is a monthly magazine which is available on the internet

http://www.writersoup.co.uk

'Word To The Wise' is a humorous blog about the English Language

http://noway2blog.blogspot.com

Getting Up Earlier

Necessary Ingredients That Must Be Part of Your Novel

The words "publish" and "novel" have so much meaning to so many people. To write a novel is a lifelong dream for millions. To publish a book with one's name on it...it runs chills down the spine just thinking about it.

But this phrase - publish novel - also has a great deal of mystery, fallacy, controversy and even danger attached to it. Bluntly put, if you don't know enough about publishing a novel, your book dream could be washed away, like a torrent of rain over watercolors.

I always say, and live by: "Become empowered by knowledge and you will enable yourself to succeed."

Here is Part 1 of the "Publish Novel" series.

Let's look at what goes into creating a great novel...one that others will read in its entirety and also rave about it to others (viral marketing) for years to come:

1 - Great Writing

There is no getting around this one. You have to take an honest look at yourself, without personal bias, and decide whether you are an exceptional writer who can carry through with the immense endeavor of writing a book. This may require that you delve into your book idea and actually make an attempt at writing it.

Take note as to how it goes. Do you find yourself at the end of your "novel" after ten or twenty pages? Do you feel confused? Is it enjoyable or painstaking? Ask yourself these and other relevant questions with the understanding that your project can take two years or longer to write. In other words, would it be confusion or clarity? Effort or ease? Torture or delight?

If delightful, decide whether your novel writing experience is more important than the quality level of your book. Realize that novel writing can be a most therapeutic undertaking for the right kind of person or a living nightmare for others. If you get great pleasure from it then figure whether you can actually produce your novel at a publishable level of quality all on your own.

One great solution for the novel writing enthusiast is to higher a bona fide book writer to collaborate with. The old saying, "Two heads are better than one," is never more applicable than with collaborative book writing. I can't tell you how invaluable it is to be able to bounce ideas back and forth with someone who understands the makings of a great novel.

If you learn that novel writing is not your cup of tea, but you have a vivid imagination or good ideas, don't be discouraged. Less than one percent of the population is actually capable of writing a great novel on their own. The fact is, you are still in a great position - with your imagination intact - to have your novel in hand before you know it!

You can hire a professional book writer to write your book for you. What ever the terms of the contract between you (the author) and he or she (the writer) are, you will essential either have a ghostwriter for hire or book writer in a collaborative effort (known as a collaborator or collaborative writer). That's an entirely different subject that needs address at another place and time.

If you feel confident that you can get the job done, then by all means, git 'er done! But you have to realize that writing your novel is only one in many vital steps. Leave just one of these ingredients out, or poorly unaddressed, and your dream will fail.

I will continue with this "Publish Novel" series over the coming weeks and prepare you intellectually with everything you need to know for creating a great publishable novel.

Robert S. Nahas is a professional book writer and president of WriterServices.net. He has written numerous published books of his own and for others, and helps aspiring writers and authors achieve their dreams of getting their books written, published and selling well. You can get more information on how to find good book writers for hire, how to get published, find a good agent, find funding... and more at http://www.TheSavvyAuthor.com You can find more information on R. S. Nahas at http://www.writerservices.net/index.php?sid=ez08

Copyright 2008 by Robert S. Nahas - All rights reserved.

Stopped Losing Your Car Keys

The "ART" of Article Writing: A Template

As I approach my 200th online article, Im amazed at the number of article writers on the net. Many of them have written hundreds, if not thousands, of articles. I try to vary my subject matter and have covered about sixty different topics. Although my background is in advertising and marketing, I am well-read and interested in science, history, politics, and travel. Yet Ive written about social issues, hobbies, and many humorous pieces. Im also a published author with three books to my credit, two of which are still available on Amazon. So I thought it was about time to offer a public service to those who would like to write articles to promote their websites or just like to write but dont know where to start.

Therefore, without taking up precious online space and self-congratulation, let me introduce my solution to article writing. I call it the ART or an article readers/writers template. You see, it works equally well for both the writer and reader. All you have to do is fill in the blanks. Ive even given you a few examples in the parenthesis. Lets begin with the title. The how-to ones always work well, as you know.

TITLE: The _______ (3, 5, 10) ______ (top, best, secrets) on How to _______ (lose, gain, make) ______ (weight, money, friends).

SUB-TITLE: ________(amazing, terrific, fabulous) ways that you can be _________ (better, more accomplished, successful) at _________ (anything, everything, something) you have always wanted to do.

MAIN BODY: Havent you always thought about __________(gaining, losing, making) a __________ (rewarding, exciting, wonderful ) life for yourself? Wouldnt you like to __________ (look, feel, enjoy) more out of life? Well I think I can show you the way. I have studied many people like yourself and ___________(understand, relate to, empathize) what you must be going through. So Ive ___________ (devised, concocted, created) these ______(3, 5, 10) __________ (methods, solutions, answers) that will aid you in your _______ (journey, quest for knowledge, search). The first way to becoming _________ (thinner, wealthier, successful) is to know ________ (how, what, where) to look. It starts with a __________ (basic, simple, bare-bones) understanding of the problem you are _________ (facing, dealing with, confronting.)

The second step is to _________(embrace, accept, welcome) the issue by _________( looking in the mirror, looking at the checkbook, getting on the scale) and admitting that there is a problem. Once you do that, you can ___________ ( move forward, take a step backward, sidestep) the real root of your __________ (deficiency, failure, lack of control). The third _________ (way, secret, answer) is to __________ (quickly, slowly, methodically) dissect the heart of the problem and begin to ___________(recognize, unravel, appreciate) the actual basis for what is ___________ (hindering, blocking, separating) you from moving in a positive direction. It could be ___________ (timing, social forces, money) and that is something you must _________ (deal with, face, accept).

ART followers: By now, you have gotten the point. Its a formula that can work with any issue. People love to be told how to cure what ails them. All you have to do is be vague enough that it doesnt really affect them adversely and that they eventually feel like they have gained some useful information that will put them on the right track.

Now I know that this is akin to magicians giving away their trade secrets and that I may get flack from my fellow article writers, but as Penn and Teller say when they reveal their magicians secrets, get over it, theres enough room for everyone. Therefore good luck in your first attempt at article writing and remember that practice makes perfect. Did I mention that Ive been writing for over twenty years and have two degrees? Heck, thats probably not important anyway. So have a go at it. Ill check back in two decades to monitor your progress.

Jeffrey Hauser was a sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages for nearly 25 years. He graduated from Pratt Institute with a BFA in Advertising and has a Master's Degree in teaching. He had his own advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran a consulting and design firm, ABC Advertising. He has authored 6 books and a novel, "Pursuit of the Phoenix." His latest book is, "Inside the Yellow Pages" which can be seen at his website, http://www.poweradbook.com Currently, he is the Marketing Director for thenurseschoice.com, a Health Information and Doctor Referral site.

Finding Something You Don

A Children's Writer's Guide to Critiquing Manuscripts

If you've just joined or started a critique group for writers but no one seems to know what to do next, maybe this guide and checklist will help. If you aren't in a critique group, you can still use it to critique your own writing.

CRITIQUING MANUSCRIPTS (For Critique Groups)

Begin with some basic procedural guidelines for critiquing:

1) Start with something positive - Point out at least one thing that worked really well in the manuscript.

2) Be specific in your comments and suggestions - For example, saying "I liked your story" is flattering to the writer, but doesn't really mean much. Saying something like, "I felt the dialogue sounded exactly like something two teenagers would say and advanced the plot well" is more specific.

3) Use the checklist (below) - This will help you be more specific in your comments and suggestions. And, if you use the checklist to critique your own writing it will help you recognize weak points in your story before you share your work with anyone.

CHECKLIST FOR CRITIQUING MANUSCRIPTS

I. Character

__ Are my characters well-rounded? Do the major characters have both positive and negative traits?

__ Is my main character someone readers can care about? Does he/she want something important?

__ Have I revealed character through action?

__ Does my main character take action? Or is she too passive?

__ Is each character's voice distinctly his/her own?

__ Have I avoided stereotypes and stock characters?

__ Does my main character solve his/her own problem? Is he or she different in some way from how he or she was at the beginning of the story? (this doesn't always have to happen, but usually it means your story has some depth to it)

II. Point of View

__ Have I stayed with my POV character throughout the story?

__ Would the story be stronger if I switched from third person to first person or vice versa? Would the story be better told from a different character's point of view?

III. Plot

__ What is the basic conflict of my story?

Beginning

__ Do I introduce my characters and the conflict right away? Or do I take too much time revving up? Could I chop off the first paragraph and start with the second?

Middle

__ Have I put complications in the middle that get worse and worse and build to a climax?

__ Does my character have to work to reach his/her goal?

End

__ Does my main character solve his/her own problem?

__ Does the ending grow logically out of the rest of the story?

__ Is my ending satisfying without being predictable?

IV. Language

Description

__ Are my details specific, not generalized?

__ Have I bogged down the action with tedious passages of description? (One way to check this is to see how many "ing" words are used; very many usually means there is too much description)

__ Would that description work better if I wove it gradually into the story rather than presenting it as a block?

__ Have I described with more than one sense (i.e. sight, sound, touch, taste, smell)?

Action

__ Have I used strong and specific verbs and nouns?

__ Have I successfully avoided passive voice?

__ Can I cut out redundancies? Small talk? Clutter? Meaningless qualifiers such as "just" and "very"? Passages that bog down the action? Have I used too many different dialogue tags that attract attention?

Mechanics

__ Are there awkward or confusing sentences or scenes that need to be cleaned up?

__ When I read my story out loud, does the rhythm sound right? Is it choppy? Too wordy? Monotonous?

__ Are my transitions smooth?

__ Have I avoided clichs?

__ Does each sentence sparkle with my own voice? Is that voice strong and credible?

V. Purpose

__ 1. Does each character and action in the story have a definite purpose?

With these specific points to look for when critiquing a children's story, it should be much easier for you and your fellow writers to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of each and every manuscript.

For more helpful tips for writers, visit http://www.workingwriterscoach.com and sign up for the mailing list. When you do, you'll receive a free ebook for writers, plus every weekday morning you'll get The Morning Nudge, a few words to motivate and inspire you to get a little writing done.

Visit the National Writing for Children Center at http://www.writingforchildrencenter.com and find out how you can learn to write for kids. Suzanne Lieurance is a fulltime freelance writer, children's author, and founder and director of the National Writing for Children Center.

Finding Something You Don