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