Asif Khalil
Let's look at five easy articles types you can write:
1. The Teaching article: how to do something
You're an expert at many things. If you're a cook, you know how to bake a roast; if you're a dieter, you know how to cut calories; if you're a dog owner, you know how to keep your pet healthy.
The How-to article tells people how to do a simple task, and you can write these quickly from your own experience.
2. You bought it, now Review it - write review articles
Bought a book? Or a CD or DVD? Everything you buy gives you a new article topic. Review the movie you saw last week, and you've got an article which took you little time to write.
3. Self-help and motivational articles are fun to write
There's a huge self-help industry, and many self-help sites are eager for your motivational articles. Share with others how you lost weight, or increased your productivity, or conquered an addiction.
4. Tip lists: everyone loves Top Ten lists
I can't resist list articles. They're easy to read, and I always find a nugget of information I can use. When you're writing articles, list articles are a snap to write. You can make your list articles as long or as short as you like; you're not restricted to "top ten" lists.
5. "Survivor" articles show others how to survive challenges
What challenges have you had in the past week? Perhaps you locked yourself out of your car, or your house. Or perhaps you had to cook dinner for 20 people. Whatever challenges you've had, others have similar challenges.
For your personal experience article, simply describe your challenge, and how you solved that challenge.
Monday, May 12, 2008
How to Write Articles Faster?
By Jitesh
Here are some tips to write your articles faster.
* IMAGINE YOUR OWN TOPIC:-
Take only half an hour to choose your own topic like,loosing weight,finding a job,quitting smoking habit, learning a language.You can choose the topic as you wish as far as you know something about it.
* YOUR ANGLE OF THE TOPIC:-
Do not spend much time to choose the angle of your topic and the best of your title. Take only one or two minutes.
* MAKE USE OF KEY POINTS:-
As usual you must take only five minutes for this task to be performed.
* ELABORATING METHODOLOGY:-
You can not spend more than 10 minutes going into detail about your key points. Try to spend a minimum of one page. The bigger the points more detailed the page must be. But skip it if you don`t know what to type. Write for now and edit later as it stops the productivity of your page.
* DELETING POINTS:-
If there are excess points not related to the topic just delete them, but it should not take more than 30 minutes.
* BREAKING TEXT :-
Take just 30 minutes to skim through your article. You must improve your reading ability by reading in a single breathe.
your paragraph must contain only 5 to 7 lines. If it is for internet also it must be 5 to 7 lines.
* EDITING YOUR TEXT:-
Spending three minutes to check aloud the article helps you very much. If it sounds odd to you, you can edit it. You can ask
somebody else to read and check it but it must be later. check your spelling mistakes frequently, you can also do it by running
spell checker which is partially useful.
* SPELL CHECKER-A HANDY TOOL:-
Run your spell checker while you do your article. But do not forget it is just a program which is not highly effective.
* IMPROVING YOUR TITLE:-
Title is very important for the article as it creates an impression about your article. This should take 2 minutes.
* IDEAL REVIEW:-
Make sure your article sounds good by reviewing it again and make sure it sounds nice. Here you can ask somebody else to read it.You can write an article in just 30 minutes by this plan which is simple and handy. You should be giving quality information and so you can earn money by writing articles faster.
Here are some tips to write your articles faster.
* IMAGINE YOUR OWN TOPIC:-
Take only half an hour to choose your own topic like,loosing weight,finding a job,quitting smoking habit, learning a language.You can choose the topic as you wish as far as you know something about it.
* YOUR ANGLE OF THE TOPIC:-
Do not spend much time to choose the angle of your topic and the best of your title. Take only one or two minutes.
* MAKE USE OF KEY POINTS:-
As usual you must take only five minutes for this task to be performed.
* ELABORATING METHODOLOGY:-
You can not spend more than 10 minutes going into detail about your key points. Try to spend a minimum of one page. The bigger the points more detailed the page must be. But skip it if you don`t know what to type. Write for now and edit later as it stops the productivity of your page.
* DELETING POINTS:-
If there are excess points not related to the topic just delete them, but it should not take more than 30 minutes.
* BREAKING TEXT :-
Take just 30 minutes to skim through your article. You must improve your reading ability by reading in a single breathe.
your paragraph must contain only 5 to 7 lines. If it is for internet also it must be 5 to 7 lines.
* EDITING YOUR TEXT:-
Spending three minutes to check aloud the article helps you very much. If it sounds odd to you, you can edit it. You can ask
somebody else to read and check it but it must be later. check your spelling mistakes frequently, you can also do it by running
spell checker which is partially useful.
* SPELL CHECKER-A HANDY TOOL:-
Run your spell checker while you do your article. But do not forget it is just a program which is not highly effective.
* IMPROVING YOUR TITLE:-
Title is very important for the article as it creates an impression about your article. This should take 2 minutes.
* IDEAL REVIEW:-
Make sure your article sounds good by reviewing it again and make sure it sounds nice. Here you can ask somebody else to read it.You can write an article in just 30 minutes by this plan which is simple and handy. You should be giving quality information and so you can earn money by writing articles faster.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
How to Write an Article?
Robert
You do realize that the main goal, when writing an article, is to have your readers interested in your article. You are halfway done - readers who found your article and ran onto it are surely interested in the topic your article covers. Now you only need to have something that will gain their interest even more.
I am sure that you already know how being unique is important for everything. For example, unique websites are known to succeed; unique commercials. Almost every single unique idea ascends to the throne, of course, if properly treated. So, why wouldn't you try to achieve unique article writing style? It WILL attract your readers. And that is your goal, isn't it?
When you develop a new style of writing (believe me, it's not so hard), ask several readers to read one of your articles (we are going to call them "test-readers", and they all have to read the same article). If most of the test-readers (there will always be at least one who will say "dude, this is cr*p") say that it's quality article, then BINGO! Bull's eye. Now try submitting 5 more. If you get a good response, try submitting 50 more. And voila! You're at the throne.
In addition to all of the above, I've isolated several guidelines you should follow in whenever writing an article:
- Note what type of publication the article is to appear in - for example, an international travel magazine for adults would require a neutral or formal register, whereas a college magazine aimed at teenagers could be written in a very informal register.
- Make sure the register you use is consistent throughout the article.
- Remember to include an appropriate title (interesting titles catch reader's attention).- Introduce your topic in the opening paragraph.
- Be as clear and informative as possible.
- Engage the reader’s interest throughout.
You do realize that the main goal, when writing an article, is to have your readers interested in your article. You are halfway done - readers who found your article and ran onto it are surely interested in the topic your article covers. Now you only need to have something that will gain their interest even more.
I am sure that you already know how being unique is important for everything. For example, unique websites are known to succeed; unique commercials. Almost every single unique idea ascends to the throne, of course, if properly treated. So, why wouldn't you try to achieve unique article writing style? It WILL attract your readers. And that is your goal, isn't it?
When you develop a new style of writing (believe me, it's not so hard), ask several readers to read one of your articles (we are going to call them "test-readers", and they all have to read the same article). If most of the test-readers (there will always be at least one who will say "dude, this is cr*p") say that it's quality article, then BINGO! Bull's eye. Now try submitting 5 more. If you get a good response, try submitting 50 more. And voila! You're at the throne.
In addition to all of the above, I've isolated several guidelines you should follow in whenever writing an article:
- Note what type of publication the article is to appear in - for example, an international travel magazine for adults would require a neutral or formal register, whereas a college magazine aimed at teenagers could be written in a very informal register.
- Make sure the register you use is consistent throughout the article.
- Remember to include an appropriate title (interesting titles catch reader's attention).- Introduce your topic in the opening paragraph.
- Be as clear and informative as possible.
- Engage the reader’s interest throughout.
The Easy Formula for Article Success
Melinda Copp
Writing and publishing articles, both online and in print, is an excellent way to build a buzz around your book, business, and/or web site. People will see a sample of your writing, your expertise, and the solutions you can offer. And articles tend to end up in a variety of places and reach a broad audience of people who may never have heard of you otherwise.
To make writing your articles a snap, use the following formula for success.
1. Create an Attention-Grabbing TitleYour title is the first thing readers are going to see. Therefore, it should stand out, as well as explain the content of your article. What solutions are you offering your readers? What do you have that’s new and different? This information belongs in your title.
Titles that start with the phrase “How to” usually attract attention because they tell readers exactly what benefit they’ll get from reading the article. For example, “How to Lose Weight Without Feeling Hungry” works because it tells readers exactly what they’ll learn in the article, and “Without Feeling Hungry” suggests the steps are doable and painless—the article’s benefit. People who want to lose weight will definitely keep reading.
Titles that use numbers also grab interest. For example, “Five Ways to Lose Weight without Feeling Hungry” lets readers know that losing weight is just five steps away—anyone can do that, right? This strategy works the other way too. The title “Twenty Foods that Boost Your Fat-Burning Potential” gives readers the impression that they will have twenty choices of foods to eat.
2. Set Up Your Readers’ Problem in the Introduction Once you’ve nailed your title, you need to write an introduction that speaks directly to your readers. Set up the problem that you hope to solve, and use an example your readers can relate to. For example, continuing with the weight-loss theme, you can write, “Are you tired of hearing about all the foods you can’t eat? In reality, who isn’t?”
Set up a scene that the readers can relate to, such as, “If you feel overwhelmed every time you enter a grocery store, uncertain about what choices are healthy and what will counteract your weight-loss efforts, then you should consider the following choices that can’t steer you wrong.” And then continue by addressing your solution and why it is viable.
3. Give Your Readers Strategies They Can UseNext, for the body of your article, deliver on the promises you made in your title and introduction. If you promised five weight-loss strategies, make a subhead for each one and explain each point in one or two paragraphs. Use examples to highlight the information you present, and make sure the examples speak to your readers and their needs. If you’re readers are overweight people who’ve tried every diet on the market, the examples you use should reflect that. And if your readers are corporate executives, the examples you use will obviously be very different.
4. End on a positive noteOnce you’ve described your strategies, all that’s left is to wrap everything up with a conclusion that leaves your readers feeling empowered and positive. Summarize your main points, and then leave your readers with a look at what the future holds if they implement the strategies you’ve described. For example, “When you incorporate these twenty foods into your well-balanced diet, your weight-loss efforts will be easier on your stomach and more successful in the long run.”
5. Save the Sales for Your Bio BoxAlthough it’s tempting, don’t use a lot of sales language and teasers to blatantly sell your book, services, or products. Instead, use the article as a mini-showcase for the plethora of answers people will get when they come to you, and save all your sales language for the author bio at the end of the article. Here you can mention your expertise, sell your book, products, and services, and provide a link to your web site and contact information—this is the place to showcase you!
Your Article-writing SuccessPublishing articles is a great way to attract new clients and readers, and doing the writing work doesn’t have to be hard. When you use this formula, your articles will come together quickly and easily every time you sit down to write.
Writing and publishing articles, both online and in print, is an excellent way to build a buzz around your book, business, and/or web site. People will see a sample of your writing, your expertise, and the solutions you can offer. And articles tend to end up in a variety of places and reach a broad audience of people who may never have heard of you otherwise.
To make writing your articles a snap, use the following formula for success.
1. Create an Attention-Grabbing TitleYour title is the first thing readers are going to see. Therefore, it should stand out, as well as explain the content of your article. What solutions are you offering your readers? What do you have that’s new and different? This information belongs in your title.
Titles that start with the phrase “How to” usually attract attention because they tell readers exactly what benefit they’ll get from reading the article. For example, “How to Lose Weight Without Feeling Hungry” works because it tells readers exactly what they’ll learn in the article, and “Without Feeling Hungry” suggests the steps are doable and painless—the article’s benefit. People who want to lose weight will definitely keep reading.
Titles that use numbers also grab interest. For example, “Five Ways to Lose Weight without Feeling Hungry” lets readers know that losing weight is just five steps away—anyone can do that, right? This strategy works the other way too. The title “Twenty Foods that Boost Your Fat-Burning Potential” gives readers the impression that they will have twenty choices of foods to eat.
2. Set Up Your Readers’ Problem in the Introduction Once you’ve nailed your title, you need to write an introduction that speaks directly to your readers. Set up the problem that you hope to solve, and use an example your readers can relate to. For example, continuing with the weight-loss theme, you can write, “Are you tired of hearing about all the foods you can’t eat? In reality, who isn’t?”
Set up a scene that the readers can relate to, such as, “If you feel overwhelmed every time you enter a grocery store, uncertain about what choices are healthy and what will counteract your weight-loss efforts, then you should consider the following choices that can’t steer you wrong.” And then continue by addressing your solution and why it is viable.
3. Give Your Readers Strategies They Can UseNext, for the body of your article, deliver on the promises you made in your title and introduction. If you promised five weight-loss strategies, make a subhead for each one and explain each point in one or two paragraphs. Use examples to highlight the information you present, and make sure the examples speak to your readers and their needs. If you’re readers are overweight people who’ve tried every diet on the market, the examples you use should reflect that. And if your readers are corporate executives, the examples you use will obviously be very different.
4. End on a positive noteOnce you’ve described your strategies, all that’s left is to wrap everything up with a conclusion that leaves your readers feeling empowered and positive. Summarize your main points, and then leave your readers with a look at what the future holds if they implement the strategies you’ve described. For example, “When you incorporate these twenty foods into your well-balanced diet, your weight-loss efforts will be easier on your stomach and more successful in the long run.”
5. Save the Sales for Your Bio BoxAlthough it’s tempting, don’t use a lot of sales language and teasers to blatantly sell your book, services, or products. Instead, use the article as a mini-showcase for the plethora of answers people will get when they come to you, and save all your sales language for the author bio at the end of the article. Here you can mention your expertise, sell your book, products, and services, and provide a link to your web site and contact information—this is the place to showcase you!
Your Article-writing SuccessPublishing articles is a great way to attract new clients and readers, and doing the writing work doesn’t have to be hard. When you use this formula, your articles will come together quickly and easily every time you sit down to write.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
How to Write Critical Essays
Donald Mitchel
Custom essay writing service ProfEssays goes on describing techniques and approaches which are vital for completing a good piece of writing and are used by its writers and editors. Now it intends to dwell on critical essays. The related comprehensive information is due to appear at ProfEssays’ site one of these days. In general the word critical contains positive and negative meanings. Therefore a critical essay should reflect your personal attitudes to the problems raised in a book. This attitude is best described as "detached evaluation," standing for your musing over the reading, the completeness of its data, and so on. While writing a critical essay it is necessary to cope with three tasks:
1 An analytical one. In doing thesis for critical essay, its author is obliged to state his or her personal view that should be vindicated in contrast to other views. Then one can turn to critical analysis. it is time Critical analysis It implicates taking apart a whole topic/subject, and then to reassemble it in your own terms. It is crucial not only to single out the author’s thoughts but interrelating them and finding appreciation in them judging and selecting them accordingly. This step will interlink the major points and conduce to form the logical structure of an argument, supporting a particular thesis.
2. An evaluative taskAs a critical reader, you must express your attitude to an author's argument or point of view as well as determine its soundness. An evaluation of the author's work comprises:An assessment of the "facts" presented on the basis of correctness, relevance, and whether or not pertinent facts were omitted.
An evaluation or judgment of the logical consistency of the author's argument.
An appraisal of the author's values in terms of how you feel or by an accepted standard.
3. A constructive task.While writing critical essays it is necessary to suggest alternative ways of looking at the issue(s) of concern and the advantages or importance of the alternatives. Critical essays give an opportunity to show better and correct ways to tackle problems stated in a book, point out the demerits of books as well as mistakes in reasoning, evidence and coverage, provide lacking evidence and highlight new and important conclusions.
Finally, a good conclusion combines a summary, reminding of the point of the essay is part summary and part drawing things together for the reader so she is reminded of the point of the essay and the major steps in getting to that point. No one writes an excellent critical essay in a first draft. An essay coping with the analytical, evaluative, and constructive tasks requires several drafts in order to produce the best variant. Also, while writing is in part a solitary activity, it is essentially social in that it is normally meant to be read by others. Thus, you may want to share drafts with others and involve professionals in the process of critically evaluating drafts. Such professional assistance is provided by ProfEssays. This custom essay writing service can produce such essays from scratch. ProfEssays is capable to cope with critical essays on any book and topic of any level of difficulty. The types of works we accomplish embrace: custom essays, term papers, academic papers, research papers, admission essays, compositions, course-works, book reports, case studies, thesis, dissertations, editing, resume services, creation of sites content and others. If you realize that circumstances are against you and on some reason you can’t or don’t want to compose an essay, term paper, research paper etc., then our professional experts will do their best to write an excellent paper on your behalf.
Custom essay writing service ProfEssays goes on describing techniques and approaches which are vital for completing a good piece of writing and are used by its writers and editors. Now it intends to dwell on critical essays. The related comprehensive information is due to appear at ProfEssays’ site one of these days. In general the word critical contains positive and negative meanings. Therefore a critical essay should reflect your personal attitudes to the problems raised in a book. This attitude is best described as "detached evaluation," standing for your musing over the reading, the completeness of its data, and so on. While writing a critical essay it is necessary to cope with three tasks:
1 An analytical one. In doing thesis for critical essay, its author is obliged to state his or her personal view that should be vindicated in contrast to other views. Then one can turn to critical analysis. it is time Critical analysis It implicates taking apart a whole topic/subject, and then to reassemble it in your own terms. It is crucial not only to single out the author’s thoughts but interrelating them and finding appreciation in them judging and selecting them accordingly. This step will interlink the major points and conduce to form the logical structure of an argument, supporting a particular thesis.
2. An evaluative taskAs a critical reader, you must express your attitude to an author's argument or point of view as well as determine its soundness. An evaluation of the author's work comprises:An assessment of the "facts" presented on the basis of correctness, relevance, and whether or not pertinent facts were omitted.
An evaluation or judgment of the logical consistency of the author's argument.
An appraisal of the author's values in terms of how you feel or by an accepted standard.
3. A constructive task.While writing critical essays it is necessary to suggest alternative ways of looking at the issue(s) of concern and the advantages or importance of the alternatives. Critical essays give an opportunity to show better and correct ways to tackle problems stated in a book, point out the demerits of books as well as mistakes in reasoning, evidence and coverage, provide lacking evidence and highlight new and important conclusions.
Finally, a good conclusion combines a summary, reminding of the point of the essay is part summary and part drawing things together for the reader so she is reminded of the point of the essay and the major steps in getting to that point. No one writes an excellent critical essay in a first draft. An essay coping with the analytical, evaluative, and constructive tasks requires several drafts in order to produce the best variant. Also, while writing is in part a solitary activity, it is essentially social in that it is normally meant to be read by others. Thus, you may want to share drafts with others and involve professionals in the process of critically evaluating drafts. Such professional assistance is provided by ProfEssays. This custom essay writing service can produce such essays from scratch. ProfEssays is capable to cope with critical essays on any book and topic of any level of difficulty. The types of works we accomplish embrace: custom essays, term papers, academic papers, research papers, admission essays, compositions, course-works, book reports, case studies, thesis, dissertations, editing, resume services, creation of sites content and others. If you realize that circumstances are against you and on some reason you can’t or don’t want to compose an essay, term paper, research paper etc., then our professional experts will do their best to write an excellent paper on your behalf.
How to Write an Article?
Adam Nowak
Writing is a skill which should turn into art, also on the Internet. Many novice journalists, however, wonder what to do in order to fill their blank pages with some text fast and well.
In order to answer this question, one should get acquainted with some basic rules of the art of journalism. The first rule is to have a high command of one's mother tongue as well as proficiency in grammar. The second rule of the writers' workshop is to accept the fact that writing is a several-stage process. We should remember all the stages and keep their order. In press journalism five such stages are distinguished:
1. Subject definition
2. Collecting materials (reporting)
3. Fact analysis and text planning
4. Composing the draft version
5. Editing and refining
Let us now take a closer look at particular stages.
Subject definition - the idea
This is the first step we begin our work with. Depending on the magazine you work for, this might be a political event e.g. a visit of the president in Moscow, a social one, e.g. the issue of unemployment in Warminsko ' Mazurskie Province, or scientific, like producing a map of the human genome. You may also bring up your own idea of the subject which has intrigued you this morning, for instance, depression. Let's assume that this is the subject for your article. If the journalist presiding over the editorial meeting picks up the subject, he will certainly give you some hints e.g. what experts you should ask for a brief opinion, or, if the story about a person suffering from depression should be featured in the article. Obviously, nobody will answer all your questions. It is you who should have a concept of your own work and know what you would like to include there, or rather what the reader would like to find out about. The chief editor may discuss the subject with you and emphasise certain issues, but the rest belongs to you. Now that we have got the subject, we start working and move to the second stage.
Collecting materials (reporting)
Reach the people who may present the topic you want to deal with from different points of view. So if we stick to the subject chosen, one should ask at least one specialist (e.g. a doctor) for opinion, talk, for example, to famous people who were or are suffering from depression. You may also see the manager of a therapeutic centre where people who plunged into depression are being treated, instead. There are many possibilities. Moreover, one should collect as much material as possible that will be useful or even necessary in describing the phenomenon. You will need statistical data, the description of symptoms and various types of the illness. Remember that you have to collect as much information as you can in order to have enough materials to choose from.
Fact analysis and text planning
Once you have collected all the necessary materials, you have to analyse them carefully. Decide which statements you may use in the lead article, which can be partly used, and which you will leave out. Make sure you've asked about everything. Remember two rules for making selection: which facts are crucial? and what questions may come to the reader's mind, the answer to which he would like to find in your text. When making a plan you may prepare a draft copy ' similar to an outline. You may also list the facts and number them in the order of importance.
The draft version
What should you start with? Write anything. What you have already written is not irreversible! If it's not good enough, you can delete the text and start from the very beginning. Surely, if you have enough time to work on the text, you may even start five more times. Try to write as if you were telling a story, however do not use colloquial expressions typical for spoken language. When the rough draft is ready, put it aside at least for a while ' take up something else in order to gain a fresh look and become more critical when you come back to it. It will be easier for you then to correct it.
Editing and refining
A text is not perfect from the start. After you have laid it aside for some time, you may set about correcting it. Make sure the text is not packed with too many adjectives and adverbs,which do not enhance the argumentation, but rather indicate the uncertainty of the author. Check if your sentences are not too complex and complicated, they should be clear. Do not use too sophisticated words and explain the terms the reader might not understand. Avoid beating about the bush, that is, wordiness. Delete all the irrelevant fragments to make the text readable and succinct. When you set about refining the text, always read it aloud, then you will spot all the errors more easily.
Copyright (c) 2008 Adam Nowak
Writing is a skill which should turn into art, also on the Internet. Many novice journalists, however, wonder what to do in order to fill their blank pages with some text fast and well.
In order to answer this question, one should get acquainted with some basic rules of the art of journalism. The first rule is to have a high command of one's mother tongue as well as proficiency in grammar. The second rule of the writers' workshop is to accept the fact that writing is a several-stage process. We should remember all the stages and keep their order. In press journalism five such stages are distinguished:
1. Subject definition
2. Collecting materials (reporting)
3. Fact analysis and text planning
4. Composing the draft version
5. Editing and refining
Let us now take a closer look at particular stages.
Subject definition - the idea
This is the first step we begin our work with. Depending on the magazine you work for, this might be a political event e.g. a visit of the president in Moscow, a social one, e.g. the issue of unemployment in Warminsko ' Mazurskie Province, or scientific, like producing a map of the human genome. You may also bring up your own idea of the subject which has intrigued you this morning, for instance, depression. Let's assume that this is the subject for your article. If the journalist presiding over the editorial meeting picks up the subject, he will certainly give you some hints e.g. what experts you should ask for a brief opinion, or, if the story about a person suffering from depression should be featured in the article. Obviously, nobody will answer all your questions. It is you who should have a concept of your own work and know what you would like to include there, or rather what the reader would like to find out about. The chief editor may discuss the subject with you and emphasise certain issues, but the rest belongs to you. Now that we have got the subject, we start working and move to the second stage.
Collecting materials (reporting)
Reach the people who may present the topic you want to deal with from different points of view. So if we stick to the subject chosen, one should ask at least one specialist (e.g. a doctor) for opinion, talk, for example, to famous people who were or are suffering from depression. You may also see the manager of a therapeutic centre where people who plunged into depression are being treated, instead. There are many possibilities. Moreover, one should collect as much material as possible that will be useful or even necessary in describing the phenomenon. You will need statistical data, the description of symptoms and various types of the illness. Remember that you have to collect as much information as you can in order to have enough materials to choose from.
Fact analysis and text planning
Once you have collected all the necessary materials, you have to analyse them carefully. Decide which statements you may use in the lead article, which can be partly used, and which you will leave out. Make sure you've asked about everything. Remember two rules for making selection: which facts are crucial? and what questions may come to the reader's mind, the answer to which he would like to find in your text. When making a plan you may prepare a draft copy ' similar to an outline. You may also list the facts and number them in the order of importance.
The draft version
What should you start with? Write anything. What you have already written is not irreversible! If it's not good enough, you can delete the text and start from the very beginning. Surely, if you have enough time to work on the text, you may even start five more times. Try to write as if you were telling a story, however do not use colloquial expressions typical for spoken language. When the rough draft is ready, put it aside at least for a while ' take up something else in order to gain a fresh look and become more critical when you come back to it. It will be easier for you then to correct it.
Editing and refining
A text is not perfect from the start. After you have laid it aside for some time, you may set about correcting it. Make sure the text is not packed with too many adjectives and adverbs,which do not enhance the argumentation, but rather indicate the uncertainty of the author. Check if your sentences are not too complex and complicated, they should be clear. Do not use too sophisticated words and explain the terms the reader might not understand. Avoid beating about the bush, that is, wordiness. Delete all the irrelevant fragments to make the text readable and succinct. When you set about refining the text, always read it aloud, then you will spot all the errors more easily.
Copyright (c) 2008 Adam Nowak
Friday, May 9, 2008
Adding Complexity To Your Narrative
By William Meikle
Complex narrative structure is used by authors to add interest by complicating the story.
There are several authorial methods of achieving this.
It can occur when the author uses causally unrelated narratives to work together to build thematic unity. This usually involves two or three or more clearly defined narratives each with their own sets of characters. There is often little or no intermingling of characters or narrative events, simply two or three narratives existing alongside each other.
One of the problems this causes authors involves not letting the reader lose track of what's going on. Since there are so many stories happening at once, a lot more reader activity is required to keep track of the various narratives. Therefore time and place are usually clearly defined: events often occur within a very specific time frame in a specific locale to keep the reader focussed. In order to achieve a form of formal closure, there is usually an event at the end of the story that brings all characters to one location or at least affects them all in some way.
Another way an author can use complex narrative structure is in interlayering many flashbacks, or introducing fantasy elements or stories within stories to make the story diverge from a central plot line while maintaining thematic unity . Don Quixote is generally considered the first of the "complex" narrative novels. It is a story within a story within a story within a story again.
Another example is the use of a complex time structure. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte begins in 1801, towards the end of the sequence of events that forms the plot and the story moves back and forward in time as the story unfolds.
By using the complex narrative structure, Bronte was able to show how the past and the present are intermingled, and was able to maintain the common theme of the story while adding interest by adding complication.
So in summary, complex narratives are used by authors to tell stories in interesting ways and may involve one or more of the following:
- flashbacks
- dream sequences
- repetition
- different characters' point of view
- multiple plot lines converging at the end
- flash forwards
- different time frames
- pre-figuring of events that have not yet taken place
- circular plotting where we are led back to the beginning
- backwards story telling, where the denoument is shown first and explained through the plot
The use of these is done with the intent of providing a deeper, more satisfying experience for the reader and all are writer's friends. Learn to use them, and they'll repay you tenfold.
Complex narrative structure is used by authors to add interest by complicating the story.
There are several authorial methods of achieving this.
It can occur when the author uses causally unrelated narratives to work together to build thematic unity. This usually involves two or three or more clearly defined narratives each with their own sets of characters. There is often little or no intermingling of characters or narrative events, simply two or three narratives existing alongside each other.
One of the problems this causes authors involves not letting the reader lose track of what's going on. Since there are so many stories happening at once, a lot more reader activity is required to keep track of the various narratives. Therefore time and place are usually clearly defined: events often occur within a very specific time frame in a specific locale to keep the reader focussed. In order to achieve a form of formal closure, there is usually an event at the end of the story that brings all characters to one location or at least affects them all in some way.
Another way an author can use complex narrative structure is in interlayering many flashbacks, or introducing fantasy elements or stories within stories to make the story diverge from a central plot line while maintaining thematic unity . Don Quixote is generally considered the first of the "complex" narrative novels. It is a story within a story within a story within a story again.
Another example is the use of a complex time structure. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte begins in 1801, towards the end of the sequence of events that forms the plot and the story moves back and forward in time as the story unfolds.
By using the complex narrative structure, Bronte was able to show how the past and the present are intermingled, and was able to maintain the common theme of the story while adding interest by adding complication.
So in summary, complex narratives are used by authors to tell stories in interesting ways and may involve one or more of the following:
- flashbacks
- dream sequences
- repetition
- different characters' point of view
- multiple plot lines converging at the end
- flash forwards
- different time frames
- pre-figuring of events that have not yet taken place
- circular plotting where we are led back to the beginning
- backwards story telling, where the denoument is shown first and explained through the plot
The use of these is done with the intent of providing a deeper, more satisfying experience for the reader and all are writer's friends. Learn to use them, and they'll repay you tenfold.
How Editors Know You're An Amateur
Wiliam Meikle
Are you happy being an amateur writer? Do you want to stay in that happy state? Then just follow these tips in all your submissions. Don't address the editor by name. After all, there may be many editorial staff at the publication just waiting to jump at the chance to read your work, and you don't want them to miss out do you? Don't use double spacing. You never see articles or stories published in double space do you? So why should you bother double spacing your work, when someone is just going to have to convert it to single spacing later? Don't bother checking your spelling or grammar. That's the editor's job isn't it? Don't send return postage. Why should you assume they'll return your work? That's defeatism. If they want to publish it, they can write you a letter - surely they can afford that? And as you've paid to send it to them, surely they can pay to return it? Don't put your name on the manuscript.
They're bound to keep your manuscript and the cover letter together aren't they. No one would ever file correspondence and submissions in different places. Neither would they keep your letter, and send your submission to someone else to appraise it. That never happens. Don't tell them how many words it is. Surely they can count? Don't use a standard font. Everybody else does, and you want your manuscript to stand out from the crowd. Don't use a new ribbon or cartridge. Why waste ink when the manuscript will get re-typed before publication anyway? Don't tell them you've sent it to other editors. What they don't know can't hurt them. And you can always play one editor off against an other when they both offer you publication. Surely they'll understand that they can't expect an exclusive look at your work without a guarantee to publish it?
Don't read the publication's guidelines. Your work is so good that they'll have to publish it, even if it doesn't fit what they say they want. They just don't realise that they want it yet, that's all. Just follow the tips above, and you're guaranteed to remain a happy amateur for ever.
Are you happy being an amateur writer? Do you want to stay in that happy state? Then just follow these tips in all your submissions. Don't address the editor by name. After all, there may be many editorial staff at the publication just waiting to jump at the chance to read your work, and you don't want them to miss out do you? Don't use double spacing. You never see articles or stories published in double space do you? So why should you bother double spacing your work, when someone is just going to have to convert it to single spacing later? Don't bother checking your spelling or grammar. That's the editor's job isn't it? Don't send return postage. Why should you assume they'll return your work? That's defeatism. If they want to publish it, they can write you a letter - surely they can afford that? And as you've paid to send it to them, surely they can pay to return it? Don't put your name on the manuscript.
They're bound to keep your manuscript and the cover letter together aren't they. No one would ever file correspondence and submissions in different places. Neither would they keep your letter, and send your submission to someone else to appraise it. That never happens. Don't tell them how many words it is. Surely they can count? Don't use a standard font. Everybody else does, and you want your manuscript to stand out from the crowd. Don't use a new ribbon or cartridge. Why waste ink when the manuscript will get re-typed before publication anyway? Don't tell them you've sent it to other editors. What they don't know can't hurt them. And you can always play one editor off against an other when they both offer you publication. Surely they'll understand that they can't expect an exclusive look at your work without a guarantee to publish it?
Don't read the publication's guidelines. Your work is so good that they'll have to publish it, even if it doesn't fit what they say they want. They just don't realise that they want it yet, that's all. Just follow the tips above, and you're guaranteed to remain a happy amateur for ever.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Planning Your Writing
By William Meikle
A lot of beginners go off the rails when they've got a nice clean sheet of paper or a blank screen in front of them and they've got to fill it with words - meaningful words.
The way to avoid the cold feeling of panic is to have a plan of action. The type of plan that works best for you depends on your personality. Some of you will make structured lists, with every small detail itemized and all T's crossed. Or you may have a vague set of instructions, sometimes little more than remembering to have a beginning, middle and end. Others of you will find that the best way to work is just to start writing and see where it takes you.
The way to find what will work for you is to plan out some example pieces of work. You might never write them, but the practice will benefit you. For example, how would you go about writing an episode of your favourite TV show, or an article on a local photography exhibition, or a review of a best-seller? By writing a plan of approach, you'll give yourself an idea of what the final piece of work would require. When I started writing short stories I used to deconstruct famous stories and plan how I'd re-write them.
The planning step also gives you a check as to whether or not you actually want to write the piece. And remember, if you plan not to have a plan, you've still decided on a plan. And don't stop here.
It's now time to plan your opening sentence. To get readers to keep reading you need a hook, something that will lead them in and keep them there until you've told them what they didn't know they needed to know. Crime writers kill people, romance novelists have people get divorced, good writers hint at a conflict to come but hide it in the middle of something else. Journalists scream at you in huge type and article writers ask you rhetorical questions, all in the first five seconds of reading.
Go away and study the structure of some writing. Look at how writers grab you and reel you in like an expert fisherman.
And ask yourself, "How would I do that?"
A lot of beginners go off the rails when they've got a nice clean sheet of paper or a blank screen in front of them and they've got to fill it with words - meaningful words.
The way to avoid the cold feeling of panic is to have a plan of action. The type of plan that works best for you depends on your personality. Some of you will make structured lists, with every small detail itemized and all T's crossed. Or you may have a vague set of instructions, sometimes little more than remembering to have a beginning, middle and end. Others of you will find that the best way to work is just to start writing and see where it takes you.
The way to find what will work for you is to plan out some example pieces of work. You might never write them, but the practice will benefit you. For example, how would you go about writing an episode of your favourite TV show, or an article on a local photography exhibition, or a review of a best-seller? By writing a plan of approach, you'll give yourself an idea of what the final piece of work would require. When I started writing short stories I used to deconstruct famous stories and plan how I'd re-write them.
The planning step also gives you a check as to whether or not you actually want to write the piece. And remember, if you plan not to have a plan, you've still decided on a plan. And don't stop here.
It's now time to plan your opening sentence. To get readers to keep reading you need a hook, something that will lead them in and keep them there until you've told them what they didn't know they needed to know. Crime writers kill people, romance novelists have people get divorced, good writers hint at a conflict to come but hide it in the middle of something else. Journalists scream at you in huge type and article writers ask you rhetorical questions, all in the first five seconds of reading.
Go away and study the structure of some writing. Look at how writers grab you and reel you in like an expert fisherman.
And ask yourself, "How would I do that?"
Fantasy Writing - Six Cliches to Avoid
By William Meikle
Fantasy fiction is doing good business at the moment, but there are certain situations that have been overplayed. So much so, that they have become genre clichés, and everybody knows what to expect next. If you're a writer in the fantasy genre, here are 6 clichés you should try to avoid in your stories.
1. Receiving tutoring from the old wise man.
The 'Merlin' gambit, as used in Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Dragonslayer and innumerable King Arthur clones. A stable boy or other similar seemingly low-born type is taken under the wing of the local eccentric. There's usually a beard involved, and a pair of blue eyes piercing from beneath some spectacularly bushy eyebrows. He'll say things like: 'All of nature is one', 'Use the force' and 'You have a great destiny, my boy.' Try not to give him a grey cloak and an elven sword. Maybe you could try having the youth tutoring the old man for a change? Or, more radical, how about having the teacher as an old woman?
2. Learning to fight.
The 'Galahad' gambit. The stable boy gets secret training in weaponry, allowing him to beat a seasoned warrior in his first fight. People say: 'I've never seen the like before' and 'He is the best swordsman I have ever seen'. Now how realistic is that? A radical idea would be to have the stable boy being completely useless at weapons. How is he going to fulfil his destiny then?
3. The parting from everything you ever knew.
The 'Dick Whittington' gambit. The stable-hand, being under a geas to complete a great quest, must say goodbye to hearth and home. People say: 'I must go and fulfil my destiny' and 'I will return when I have avenged my father'. This is usually done with a great deal of schmaltz and emotion. Sometimes it is done violently, the hero being parted from family by the villain of the piece, who he is destined to kill at the end of the story. Either way, it has been done so often that any tears you are expecting to provoke could well be due to laughter. Try to do something different. Why does the hero have to leave his family? What would happen if he took them with him?
4. Being abducted from earth to a different world.
The 'John Carter' gambit. People say: 'How did I get here'' and 'You have been delivered to us in our hour of need'. This one was heavily overused in the early and mid-twentieth century by H Rider Haggard and A E Merritt among others. Usually it is no more than a ploy to get a character the writer is comfortable writing about into a fantasy situation where said character could never otherwise exist. Edgar Rice Burroughs liked it so much he even had it happen to Tarzan on occasion. And it still happens, the most obvious modern examples being Thomas Covenant and the various present day characters that Stephen King has recruited into his Dark Tower series. Maybe your hero could be someone from another dimension who gets transported to Earth? Or maybe he stays where he is, but everything changes around him?
5. The multi-race bar room.
The 'Inn at Bree' gambit. It happens a lot in science fiction a-la Star Wars, but it is just as common in the fantasy genre. After a thirsty day on the road, our heroic stable boy and his companions will visit an inn. Inside, there will be representatives of different races from the world created for the story. The innkeeper will always be fat and jolly, there will always be a silent stranger in a dark corner, and someone will sing a silly song giving the writer his chance to show off his invention of other-worldly lyrics. How about having a human trying to get a drink in a dwarf-only bar, or vice-versa? There should be plenty of opportunity to add tension there.
6. Discovering hidden family truths.
The 'Ugly Duckling' gambit. The stable boy gets to the final climactic battle, only to find that his adversary is his father/mother/brother/sister etc. People say: 'It was kept from you to protect you' and 'You cannot kill me, I'm your father'. This has been so overused, it even turns up across genres: witness Luke Skywalker confronting Darth Vader for example. A variation is to have the hero find that he is suddenly a prince, or even king. This says more about the writer's own desires than it does about the plot. Wishful-thinking fantasies do not usually make strong stories. But what would happen if the hero already knew his background, but his adversary didn't?
The next time you read a fantasy story, count how many of the above are still in use. I think you'll be surprised. It's even worse in film and television, where all of them can occur in any one movie, and often do. Just look at Star Wars - it contained most of them, and still made huge amounts of money.
And that's also why the above should be taken with a pinch of salt. Clichés still have their place in popular culture. Just don't take that as an excuse to use them yourself. At least not too often.
Fantasy fiction is doing good business at the moment, but there are certain situations that have been overplayed. So much so, that they have become genre clichés, and everybody knows what to expect next. If you're a writer in the fantasy genre, here are 6 clichés you should try to avoid in your stories.
1. Receiving tutoring from the old wise man.
The 'Merlin' gambit, as used in Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Dragonslayer and innumerable King Arthur clones. A stable boy or other similar seemingly low-born type is taken under the wing of the local eccentric. There's usually a beard involved, and a pair of blue eyes piercing from beneath some spectacularly bushy eyebrows. He'll say things like: 'All of nature is one', 'Use the force' and 'You have a great destiny, my boy.' Try not to give him a grey cloak and an elven sword. Maybe you could try having the youth tutoring the old man for a change? Or, more radical, how about having the teacher as an old woman?
2. Learning to fight.
The 'Galahad' gambit. The stable boy gets secret training in weaponry, allowing him to beat a seasoned warrior in his first fight. People say: 'I've never seen the like before' and 'He is the best swordsman I have ever seen'. Now how realistic is that? A radical idea would be to have the stable boy being completely useless at weapons. How is he going to fulfil his destiny then?
3. The parting from everything you ever knew.
The 'Dick Whittington' gambit. The stable-hand, being under a geas to complete a great quest, must say goodbye to hearth and home. People say: 'I must go and fulfil my destiny' and 'I will return when I have avenged my father'. This is usually done with a great deal of schmaltz and emotion. Sometimes it is done violently, the hero being parted from family by the villain of the piece, who he is destined to kill at the end of the story. Either way, it has been done so often that any tears you are expecting to provoke could well be due to laughter. Try to do something different. Why does the hero have to leave his family? What would happen if he took them with him?
4. Being abducted from earth to a different world.
The 'John Carter' gambit. People say: 'How did I get here'' and 'You have been delivered to us in our hour of need'. This one was heavily overused in the early and mid-twentieth century by H Rider Haggard and A E Merritt among others. Usually it is no more than a ploy to get a character the writer is comfortable writing about into a fantasy situation where said character could never otherwise exist. Edgar Rice Burroughs liked it so much he even had it happen to Tarzan on occasion. And it still happens, the most obvious modern examples being Thomas Covenant and the various present day characters that Stephen King has recruited into his Dark Tower series. Maybe your hero could be someone from another dimension who gets transported to Earth? Or maybe he stays where he is, but everything changes around him?
5. The multi-race bar room.
The 'Inn at Bree' gambit. It happens a lot in science fiction a-la Star Wars, but it is just as common in the fantasy genre. After a thirsty day on the road, our heroic stable boy and his companions will visit an inn. Inside, there will be representatives of different races from the world created for the story. The innkeeper will always be fat and jolly, there will always be a silent stranger in a dark corner, and someone will sing a silly song giving the writer his chance to show off his invention of other-worldly lyrics. How about having a human trying to get a drink in a dwarf-only bar, or vice-versa? There should be plenty of opportunity to add tension there.
6. Discovering hidden family truths.
The 'Ugly Duckling' gambit. The stable boy gets to the final climactic battle, only to find that his adversary is his father/mother/brother/sister etc. People say: 'It was kept from you to protect you' and 'You cannot kill me, I'm your father'. This has been so overused, it even turns up across genres: witness Luke Skywalker confronting Darth Vader for example. A variation is to have the hero find that he is suddenly a prince, or even king. This says more about the writer's own desires than it does about the plot. Wishful-thinking fantasies do not usually make strong stories. But what would happen if the hero already knew his background, but his adversary didn't?
The next time you read a fantasy story, count how many of the above are still in use. I think you'll be surprised. It's even worse in film and television, where all of them can occur in any one movie, and often do. Just look at Star Wars - it contained most of them, and still made huge amounts of money.
And that's also why the above should be taken with a pinch of salt. Clichés still have their place in popular culture. Just don't take that as an excuse to use them yourself. At least not too often.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Grab Your Reader With Conflict
By Lea Schizas
(Lea Schizas is an award-winning author/editor and founder of 2 Writer's Digest top writing sites since 2004. She is the author of the YA fantasy "The Rock of Realm" and the paranormal suspense/thriller "Doorman's Creek")
What exactly is conflict in a story? Simple...a problem/obstacle your main character needs to overcome by the end of the story. Think of it as your engine that drives your car forward. Without one your car remains idle, collecting dust in the driveway. Give your car a super booster engine and you'll be coasting the streets with no worries. Well, until the police stop you.
No, not conflict of interest...not conflict within your being...but conflict found in a story.
What exactly is conflict in a story?
Simple...a problem/obstacle your main character needs to overcome by the end of the story. Think of it as your engine that drives your car forward. Without one your car remains idle, collecting dust in the driveway. Give your car a super booster engine and you'll be coasting the streets with no worries. Well, until the police stop you.
In a story conflict moves your character through various situations he must overcome. This intrigues and pulls your reader deeper into the story, connecting with your character's predicament. A character needs to have a hurdle tossed at them, makes for an intriguing situation to find out the outcome. Without an outcome, there is no magnetic charge with your reader.
Before writing your story and making up your character profile, ask yourself these questions:
1- What will be the main goal my character will face and need to overcome? 2- Who will be my target audience?
The second question is important because it will help to focus your words and subject matter to suit the appropriate audience. For stories aimed at children, your focus will need to adapt to a child's view of the world around them. Most of the time the story is told through the character's point of view aged a few years older than the intended audience. For example, if you aim your story for the 8 - 10 age group then setting a story for a twelve year old character would be best since kids always like to read and associate with kids a bit older than them.
What subject matter can you write about for this age group? Middle grade readers love mysteries, soft spooky tales ( no knife-wielding maniacs, head chopping, blood and core etc, more suspenseful and 'goose-bumping tales like in the "Goosebumps" books), magical tales (Harry Potter), even teeny bopper stories like "The Babysitters Club" or "Sweet Valley High". These latter ones are suitable for the Young Adult market, too.
TYPES OF CONFLICTS:
Here are some examples of conflicts in some books:
- the almighty tried and successful 'good against evil' Think Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs...yes, these fairy tales were using the 'good against evil' method if you sit down and think about it. The wolves in both fairy tales were intent on overcoming their 'so-they-thought' weaker counterparts.
In the above examples, something stood in the protagonist's way:
Harry tries to defeat Voldemort but problems and other antagonists along the way makes this quest difficult for him.
The Lord of the Rings finds Frodo's quest to destroy the Ring but evil and dark forces stand in his way, too.
Luke Skywalker in Star Wars needs to defeat the new order of evil, and he, too, faces many obstacles and characters along the way.
In each of these examples, these obstacles (new smaller conflicts against the bigger goal they are after) causes a reader to continue reading to find out if he'll be successful, how he will outsmart them, and what change will this cause in the main character. Along with these obstacles, throwing in some inner conflicts alongside the outer emotions helps to cast them more as three-dimensional beings, for example:
Luke Skywalker deals with the knowledge he has a sister somewhere out there. His inner being and emotions help to make him more sympathetic, which eventually bonds the reader to him. The same with Frodo; his world has been thrown for a loop when he takes on the quest of the Ring...along the way he begins to doubt if he, indeed, is the best man for this job. Also, he questions his will power to avoid succumbing to the dark forces once he has tasted the Ring's power.
Another example to show you what 'inner conflict' means:
Let's assume your book is based on a police officer who mistakenly shoots a young child while pursuing a suspect. It's dark in the building and the kid jumped out of nowhere with a toy gun. The police officer is suspended while the case is being investigated.
INNER EMOTIONS:
How he deals and is dealt by his immediate peers His struggle to remove the visions of the killing The emotional turmoil as he waits for the investigation to conclude. His dealings with the parents of the child he accidentally killed.
Throughout all of these emotions the one factor that will bind your reader to continue will be: How will he fare at the end of this book. The way you first portray this particular character in the beginning will be totally different by the end because of the various upsets he's had to deal with. Show him as upbeat, nonchalant, no change at the end and you will lose your reader's interest in the book and in you as an author.
Think of real life: if you had to go through a trauma as the officer in the example above, how would it change you? A writer needs to wear his character's shoes and get inside his head to fully understand him. Write a story with a stick person and you get stale material. Write a story with powerful emotions and you have one interesting read.
THE ALMIGHTY ENDING
By the end of your book all inner and outer conflicts need to have reached a conclusion. Whether your character overcame or failed is not as important as making sure he tried to meet them head on. You cannot place a conflict (or foreshadow) without making sure by the end of the story some sort of a resolution was made. This is cheating a reader and they WILL notice, especially if one of those conflicts was the one he's been hoping to see the outcome to.
(Lea Schizas is an award-winning author/editor and founder of 2 Writer's Digest top writing sites since 2004. She is the author of the YA fantasy "The Rock of Realm" and the paranormal suspense/thriller "Doorman's Creek")
What exactly is conflict in a story? Simple...a problem/obstacle your main character needs to overcome by the end of the story. Think of it as your engine that drives your car forward. Without one your car remains idle, collecting dust in the driveway. Give your car a super booster engine and you'll be coasting the streets with no worries. Well, until the police stop you.
No, not conflict of interest...not conflict within your being...but conflict found in a story.
What exactly is conflict in a story?
Simple...a problem/obstacle your main character needs to overcome by the end of the story. Think of it as your engine that drives your car forward. Without one your car remains idle, collecting dust in the driveway. Give your car a super booster engine and you'll be coasting the streets with no worries. Well, until the police stop you.
In a story conflict moves your character through various situations he must overcome. This intrigues and pulls your reader deeper into the story, connecting with your character's predicament. A character needs to have a hurdle tossed at them, makes for an intriguing situation to find out the outcome. Without an outcome, there is no magnetic charge with your reader.
Before writing your story and making up your character profile, ask yourself these questions:
1- What will be the main goal my character will face and need to overcome? 2- Who will be my target audience?
The second question is important because it will help to focus your words and subject matter to suit the appropriate audience. For stories aimed at children, your focus will need to adapt to a child's view of the world around them. Most of the time the story is told through the character's point of view aged a few years older than the intended audience. For example, if you aim your story for the 8 - 10 age group then setting a story for a twelve year old character would be best since kids always like to read and associate with kids a bit older than them.
What subject matter can you write about for this age group? Middle grade readers love mysteries, soft spooky tales ( no knife-wielding maniacs, head chopping, blood and core etc, more suspenseful and 'goose-bumping tales like in the "Goosebumps" books), magical tales (Harry Potter), even teeny bopper stories like "The Babysitters Club" or "Sweet Valley High". These latter ones are suitable for the Young Adult market, too.
TYPES OF CONFLICTS:
Here are some examples of conflicts in some books:
- the almighty tried and successful 'good against evil' Think Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Little Pigs...yes, these fairy tales were using the 'good against evil' method if you sit down and think about it. The wolves in both fairy tales were intent on overcoming their 'so-they-thought' weaker counterparts.
In the above examples, something stood in the protagonist's way:
Harry tries to defeat Voldemort but problems and other antagonists along the way makes this quest difficult for him.
The Lord of the Rings finds Frodo's quest to destroy the Ring but evil and dark forces stand in his way, too.
Luke Skywalker in Star Wars needs to defeat the new order of evil, and he, too, faces many obstacles and characters along the way.
In each of these examples, these obstacles (new smaller conflicts against the bigger goal they are after) causes a reader to continue reading to find out if he'll be successful, how he will outsmart them, and what change will this cause in the main character. Along with these obstacles, throwing in some inner conflicts alongside the outer emotions helps to cast them more as three-dimensional beings, for example:
Luke Skywalker deals with the knowledge he has a sister somewhere out there. His inner being and emotions help to make him more sympathetic, which eventually bonds the reader to him. The same with Frodo; his world has been thrown for a loop when he takes on the quest of the Ring...along the way he begins to doubt if he, indeed, is the best man for this job. Also, he questions his will power to avoid succumbing to the dark forces once he has tasted the Ring's power.
Another example to show you what 'inner conflict' means:
Let's assume your book is based on a police officer who mistakenly shoots a young child while pursuing a suspect. It's dark in the building and the kid jumped out of nowhere with a toy gun. The police officer is suspended while the case is being investigated.
INNER EMOTIONS:
How he deals and is dealt by his immediate peers His struggle to remove the visions of the killing The emotional turmoil as he waits for the investigation to conclude. His dealings with the parents of the child he accidentally killed.
Throughout all of these emotions the one factor that will bind your reader to continue will be: How will he fare at the end of this book. The way you first portray this particular character in the beginning will be totally different by the end because of the various upsets he's had to deal with. Show him as upbeat, nonchalant, no change at the end and you will lose your reader's interest in the book and in you as an author.
Think of real life: if you had to go through a trauma as the officer in the example above, how would it change you? A writer needs to wear his character's shoes and get inside his head to fully understand him. Write a story with a stick person and you get stale material. Write a story with powerful emotions and you have one interesting read.
THE ALMIGHTY ENDING
By the end of your book all inner and outer conflicts need to have reached a conclusion. Whether your character overcame or failed is not as important as making sure he tried to meet them head on. You cannot place a conflict (or foreshadow) without making sure by the end of the story some sort of a resolution was made. This is cheating a reader and they WILL notice, especially if one of those conflicts was the one he's been hoping to see the outcome to.
How to Fast-Write a Book and Get Rich Doing It!
By Roice Krueger
Are you ready to become the writer you want to be, the writer you were born to be, the writer you need to be if others are ever to know what you know? It is our hope that you will become inspired by the strategies we have shared and start writing a book that only you can write.
So how can you fast-write a book? The answer is that there are multiple ways. You can write it yourself. You can have it ghostwritten. You can coauthor it. You can dictate it. You can interview your way to a book.
Writing Yourself
Before you write a book, have a soul-storming session with yourself, friends or Mastermind group and write out as many titles as you can. Include areas of interest you’d like to write about. Plan to review and add to this list regularly.
Write what you know. Surely you have a signature story that you frequently tell to the delight of listeners. Use that to get your mental juices flowing. Don’t try to be perfect. Remember, nobody ever publishes their first draft!
You don’t have to sit down and write a book today or tomorrow. Take it one step, or sentence, at a time. Write a little each day and watch your book develop.
Hiring a Ghostwriter
Almost all celebrities and people of fame have ghostwriters who interview them and do the “heavy lifting” for them in writing their books. Inexpensive ghostwriters can be found in a multitude of places. For instance, ask other authors if they know great ghostwriters, every English department head will cheerfully tell you who the students are with great talent and promise, and, in Hollywood, the Screen Writers Guild is loaded and overflowing with talented writers who are hungry for work.
Sample their work before you sign a contract. Many are superb, we are told. You dictate what you want written; and they write it, research it, and finish it for you.
Co-Authorship is Wonderfully Beneficial
Co-authorship is another way to get your book out of you and do it fast! It keeps you dedicated to your writing, publishing, and marketing assignments, because you don’t want to let down your colleagues, friends, co-authors and future readers. As a result of our co-authorship partnership, we wrote 100 books in 95 days, a feat that has never been achieved in the publishing industry anywhere on earth, and we had a tremendous amount of fund doing it!
Dictate Your Book
Many would-be great writers don’t have the desire to physically write, type, or compute, yet they could master the fine art of dictation. Again, you can hire a great assistant to transcribe and perfect your dictation.
The software from Nuance is called Dragon NaturallySpeaking and claims to have 99% accuracy after training. Alternatively, you could use http://www.idictate.com/ (very inexpensive); and send your dictated files from your computer to theirs in India. Or call your dictation in daily by phone over Skype.com for free.
The possibilities for how to do it obviously keep expanding as an increasingly literate world becomes hungry for information, insight, and wisdom.
You Could Interview Experts and Put Their Thinking into Your Books
Interviewing experts is another way to fast-write a book. This is what Napoleon Hill did to write a book called Think and Grow Rich. It has sold over 100 million copies worldwide. (It is becoming a major motion picture directed by Martin Dunkerton, and it will feature Mark Victor Hansen.)
You can interview the leaders of any field and turn it instantly into money-making books, CDs, videos, movies, documentaries, or whatever. As Hill’s title says, “Think! And grow rich!”
Are you ready to become the writer you want to be, the writer you were born to be, the writer you need to be if others are ever to know what you know? It is our hope that you will become inspired by the strategies we have shared and start writing a book that only you can write.
So how can you fast-write a book? The answer is that there are multiple ways. You can write it yourself. You can have it ghostwritten. You can coauthor it. You can dictate it. You can interview your way to a book.
Writing Yourself
Before you write a book, have a soul-storming session with yourself, friends or Mastermind group and write out as many titles as you can. Include areas of interest you’d like to write about. Plan to review and add to this list regularly.
Write what you know. Surely you have a signature story that you frequently tell to the delight of listeners. Use that to get your mental juices flowing. Don’t try to be perfect. Remember, nobody ever publishes their first draft!
You don’t have to sit down and write a book today or tomorrow. Take it one step, or sentence, at a time. Write a little each day and watch your book develop.
Hiring a Ghostwriter
Almost all celebrities and people of fame have ghostwriters who interview them and do the “heavy lifting” for them in writing their books. Inexpensive ghostwriters can be found in a multitude of places. For instance, ask other authors if they know great ghostwriters, every English department head will cheerfully tell you who the students are with great talent and promise, and, in Hollywood, the Screen Writers Guild is loaded and overflowing with talented writers who are hungry for work.
Sample their work before you sign a contract. Many are superb, we are told. You dictate what you want written; and they write it, research it, and finish it for you.
Co-Authorship is Wonderfully Beneficial
Co-authorship is another way to get your book out of you and do it fast! It keeps you dedicated to your writing, publishing, and marketing assignments, because you don’t want to let down your colleagues, friends, co-authors and future readers. As a result of our co-authorship partnership, we wrote 100 books in 95 days, a feat that has never been achieved in the publishing industry anywhere on earth, and we had a tremendous amount of fund doing it!
Dictate Your Book
Many would-be great writers don’t have the desire to physically write, type, or compute, yet they could master the fine art of dictation. Again, you can hire a great assistant to transcribe and perfect your dictation.
The software from Nuance is called Dragon NaturallySpeaking and claims to have 99% accuracy after training. Alternatively, you could use http://www.idictate.com/ (very inexpensive); and send your dictated files from your computer to theirs in India. Or call your dictation in daily by phone over Skype.com for free.
The possibilities for how to do it obviously keep expanding as an increasingly literate world becomes hungry for information, insight, and wisdom.
You Could Interview Experts and Put Their Thinking into Your Books
Interviewing experts is another way to fast-write a book. This is what Napoleon Hill did to write a book called Think and Grow Rich. It has sold over 100 million copies worldwide. (It is becoming a major motion picture directed by Martin Dunkerton, and it will feature Mark Victor Hansen.)
You can interview the leaders of any field and turn it instantly into money-making books, CDs, videos, movies, documentaries, or whatever. As Hill’s title says, “Think! And grow rich!”
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
An Interview with Bestselling Novelist Michael Connelly
By Jennifer Minar-Jaynes
Bestselling author of several mystery/thriller novels, including Blood Work, City of Bones, and The Narrows, Michael Connelly has enthralled millions of readers for over a decade.
Originally a journalist for several Florida markets, Connelly was one of three reporters short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing in 1986 after covering a major airline crash. Soon thereafter, he packed up and moved to L.A. to work as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times. After three years of working the crime beat for the Times, Connelly began writing his first L.A.-based crime novel, The Black Echo, which won the Edgar Award for best first novel, and introduced the world to his internationally-adored protagonist, LAPD detective Harry Bosch.
In this interview, Connelly discusses his approach to writing, his latest Harry Bosch novel--The Closers (which hit bookstores in May 2005)--how being an outsider as a teen affected his writing, and why he waited thirty years to begin writing fiction.
You didn’t start writing fiction until you were thirty years old. Instead, you worked as a journalist covering police beats and the courts—and used this experience as research, knowing that one day you would be ready to write fiction. How did you decide it was finally time?
It was sort of a natural progression. I just sort of instinctively knew it was time to try it. It was still another four years before I sent anything out into the world and another two before anything was published, but I just hit this point—maybe it was turning 30—where I told myself if I didn’t try soon I never would. I also think that by that point I had accumulated enough images and experiences as a person and as [a] cop reporter that I was thinking I had the ingredients and it was time to try to make a cake. Lastly, the summer I turned 30 was the same summer I spent a lot of time with a homicide squad. I had full access on three separate investigations. I knew I would never get a better look at that world than that, so the only thing left to do was write about it in fiction.
You’ve stated that the single best piece of writing advice you’ve ever gotten was to write every day—and that this advice came to you from writer Harry Crews during a lecture at the University of Florida. You said that this is advice that you still live by. However, do you ever have days when you sit down to write and the story won’t come to you? Or days when you just don’t feel like writing? If so, how often, and how do you deal with these times?
I’ve been doing this for a long time now and it is hard to write every day. In the beginning I did—365 days a year. Now what I try to do, and most times accomplish, is to write every day once I begin a draft. So I have periods where I am not writing. These are usually between drafts and between books. The greater message he [Crews] was sending was, I think, that you need to always be thinking about your story. The best way to do that is to write every day. I believe that I am always thinking about my story, but I don’t need to write every single day of my life to keep it churning in my mind.
You said that during your years of being a journalist, you knew detectives who couldn’t put the job away when they went home. As a novelist today, can you say that you, in fact, can? Or do your stories oftentimes awaken inside your mind when you’re busy doing other things?
I really don’t want them to go away. I think the key thing to writing is to keep it churning in your mind. This to me is more important than actually sitting down at the computer. It’s the interior activity. So when I do get away from my writing I start to get uncomfortable. I don’t like going on vacations without taking my work with me.
I read in a past interview that you were a bit of an outsider as a kid. Do you feel that the emotions you experienced as a result of being an outsider helped cultivate your interest in becoming a writer?
As a teenager I went to four schools in four years and that sort of gave me outsider status. I think it made me more of an observer than someone who is in the middle of things. This is a good attribute to have as a writer. At the time I didn’t know that. I didn’t think that I should become a writer. That decision came later and it is only after many years [that I] can look back and see how my writing skills may have been honed back then without me realizing it.
Please describe your writing environment.
I like changing things so my writing environment changes from year to year, book to book. At the moment I write in a windowless room without a desk. I sit on a couch and write on a laptop. Last year, I had a room with a nice water view and a desk that weighed a ton. I had two big Apple screens on my desk and could spread four pages across them. Usually when I start a new project I shake things up in some way. Sometimes it's just changing computers but sometimes it is completely changing the environment. For me change is good. The only constant is change.
In the essay, “Characterization,” that you wrote for Writing Mysteries: A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America (Writer’s Digest Books, 2002), you said that a good plot is empty unless filled with the blood of character. Why, in your opinion, is strong characterization such a critical part of a good story?
I think it probably comes out of my instincts and interests as a reader. As a reader I like to delve deep down into people and see how they react in different situations. I have found that I am the same way as a writer. I am more interested in interior rather than exterior circumstances. I think it plugs the reader into the world a lot better than plot aspects do. Of course, this is not to say plot is not important. You run the risk of slighting one thing when you talk at length about another. Plot and character are both two big plates that you have to keep spinning through a book. It’s not much of an act if only one plate is spinning.
Did you experience much rejection from agents and publishers before your first book, The Black Echo (Little Brown & Co., 1992) was published? Please describe your experience.
Technically, I didn’t get a lot of rejection. While I sent out a blanket letter to more than a dozen agents, I ended up getting the first agent on my list. It just took him a while to respond and in the meantime I was rejected by a half dozen or so agents who were further down my list. My agent then sold my book to the third publisher he gave it to. This sounds like it was all very quick and easy. Only at the end. As I said before, it was at least 6 years from the point I decided to try to write a novel to the point that my agent called and said he had sold The Black Echo.
Do you have a favorite quote?
I like what Kurt Vonnegut Jr. said about the best advice he could give a writer. He said something along the lines of; “Make sure that on every page everybody wants something, even if it is only a glass of water.” I think what he was saying is that it’s all about character and character is delineated by wants and needs and how they are filled or lived with unfulfilled.
Besides writing every day, what other advice would you like to give aspiring novelists?
I think you have to experience the world to write about it. That’s not to say you must write what you know—I don’t believe in rules like that. I am just talking about experiencing the world. Living in order to write about living. Your mind should be a blender. Everything you do, see and experience gets thrown in. Throw in what you learn and what you hear. Throw in what you read in good books and see in movie theaters. Throw in what you see on your travels. Throw in the good and bad things in the world. When the time is right you flick on the blender, mix everything together and hopefully pour out a smoothie that is all yours.
Read more about Michael Connelly and his work at http://www.michaelconnelly.com/ .
Jennifer Minar-Jaynes is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the editor-in-chief of http://www.writersbreak.com/ . Subscribe to her monthly ezine by sending an email to subscribe@writersbreak.com. Minar-Jaynes can also be contacted at jminar@writersbreak.com.
Bestselling author of several mystery/thriller novels, including Blood Work, City of Bones, and The Narrows, Michael Connelly has enthralled millions of readers for over a decade.
Originally a journalist for several Florida markets, Connelly was one of three reporters short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing in 1986 after covering a major airline crash. Soon thereafter, he packed up and moved to L.A. to work as a crime reporter for the Los Angeles Times. After three years of working the crime beat for the Times, Connelly began writing his first L.A.-based crime novel, The Black Echo, which won the Edgar Award for best first novel, and introduced the world to his internationally-adored protagonist, LAPD detective Harry Bosch.
In this interview, Connelly discusses his approach to writing, his latest Harry Bosch novel--The Closers (which hit bookstores in May 2005)--how being an outsider as a teen affected his writing, and why he waited thirty years to begin writing fiction.
You didn’t start writing fiction until you were thirty years old. Instead, you worked as a journalist covering police beats and the courts—and used this experience as research, knowing that one day you would be ready to write fiction. How did you decide it was finally time?
It was sort of a natural progression. I just sort of instinctively knew it was time to try it. It was still another four years before I sent anything out into the world and another two before anything was published, but I just hit this point—maybe it was turning 30—where I told myself if I didn’t try soon I never would. I also think that by that point I had accumulated enough images and experiences as a person and as [a] cop reporter that I was thinking I had the ingredients and it was time to try to make a cake. Lastly, the summer I turned 30 was the same summer I spent a lot of time with a homicide squad. I had full access on three separate investigations. I knew I would never get a better look at that world than that, so the only thing left to do was write about it in fiction.
You’ve stated that the single best piece of writing advice you’ve ever gotten was to write every day—and that this advice came to you from writer Harry Crews during a lecture at the University of Florida. You said that this is advice that you still live by. However, do you ever have days when you sit down to write and the story won’t come to you? Or days when you just don’t feel like writing? If so, how often, and how do you deal with these times?
I’ve been doing this for a long time now and it is hard to write every day. In the beginning I did—365 days a year. Now what I try to do, and most times accomplish, is to write every day once I begin a draft. So I have periods where I am not writing. These are usually between drafts and between books. The greater message he [Crews] was sending was, I think, that you need to always be thinking about your story. The best way to do that is to write every day. I believe that I am always thinking about my story, but I don’t need to write every single day of my life to keep it churning in my mind.
You said that during your years of being a journalist, you knew detectives who couldn’t put the job away when they went home. As a novelist today, can you say that you, in fact, can? Or do your stories oftentimes awaken inside your mind when you’re busy doing other things?
I really don’t want them to go away. I think the key thing to writing is to keep it churning in your mind. This to me is more important than actually sitting down at the computer. It’s the interior activity. So when I do get away from my writing I start to get uncomfortable. I don’t like going on vacations without taking my work with me.
I read in a past interview that you were a bit of an outsider as a kid. Do you feel that the emotions you experienced as a result of being an outsider helped cultivate your interest in becoming a writer?
As a teenager I went to four schools in four years and that sort of gave me outsider status. I think it made me more of an observer than someone who is in the middle of things. This is a good attribute to have as a writer. At the time I didn’t know that. I didn’t think that I should become a writer. That decision came later and it is only after many years [that I] can look back and see how my writing skills may have been honed back then without me realizing it.
Please describe your writing environment.
I like changing things so my writing environment changes from year to year, book to book. At the moment I write in a windowless room without a desk. I sit on a couch and write on a laptop. Last year, I had a room with a nice water view and a desk that weighed a ton. I had two big Apple screens on my desk and could spread four pages across them. Usually when I start a new project I shake things up in some way. Sometimes it's just changing computers but sometimes it is completely changing the environment. For me change is good. The only constant is change.
In the essay, “Characterization,” that you wrote for Writing Mysteries: A Handbook by the Mystery Writers of America (Writer’s Digest Books, 2002), you said that a good plot is empty unless filled with the blood of character. Why, in your opinion, is strong characterization such a critical part of a good story?
I think it probably comes out of my instincts and interests as a reader. As a reader I like to delve deep down into people and see how they react in different situations. I have found that I am the same way as a writer. I am more interested in interior rather than exterior circumstances. I think it plugs the reader into the world a lot better than plot aspects do. Of course, this is not to say plot is not important. You run the risk of slighting one thing when you talk at length about another. Plot and character are both two big plates that you have to keep spinning through a book. It’s not much of an act if only one plate is spinning.
Did you experience much rejection from agents and publishers before your first book, The Black Echo (Little Brown & Co., 1992) was published? Please describe your experience.
Technically, I didn’t get a lot of rejection. While I sent out a blanket letter to more than a dozen agents, I ended up getting the first agent on my list. It just took him a while to respond and in the meantime I was rejected by a half dozen or so agents who were further down my list. My agent then sold my book to the third publisher he gave it to. This sounds like it was all very quick and easy. Only at the end. As I said before, it was at least 6 years from the point I decided to try to write a novel to the point that my agent called and said he had sold The Black Echo.
Do you have a favorite quote?
I like what Kurt Vonnegut Jr. said about the best advice he could give a writer. He said something along the lines of; “Make sure that on every page everybody wants something, even if it is only a glass of water.” I think what he was saying is that it’s all about character and character is delineated by wants and needs and how they are filled or lived with unfulfilled.
Besides writing every day, what other advice would you like to give aspiring novelists?
I think you have to experience the world to write about it. That’s not to say you must write what you know—I don’t believe in rules like that. I am just talking about experiencing the world. Living in order to write about living. Your mind should be a blender. Everything you do, see and experience gets thrown in. Throw in what you learn and what you hear. Throw in what you read in good books and see in movie theaters. Throw in what you see on your travels. Throw in the good and bad things in the world. When the time is right you flick on the blender, mix everything together and hopefully pour out a smoothie that is all yours.
Read more about Michael Connelly and his work at http://www.michaelconnelly.com/ .
Jennifer Minar-Jaynes is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and the editor-in-chief of http://www.writersbreak.com/ . Subscribe to her monthly ezine by sending an email to subscribe@writersbreak.com. Minar-Jaynes can also be contacted at jminar@writersbreak.com.
Seven Tips for Contest Entries
By Lea Schizas
*Unless it's edited, perfected, and the best you can offer, don't hand in something half done and not up to your standards.
*Research the contest. Make sure no warnings are out there before you fork over any entry fees.
*Check and see what rights they are asking you for and if you agree with them. Unless they pay you a nice sum for ALL RIGHTS, I wouldn't hand over my stuff.
*Define your entry to suit the best genre category if the contest offers several. Submitting a juvenile mystery to an adult mystery judge may eliminate you if there's a children's judge waiting for your manuscript to come to them.
*Please follow the guidelines. Such an easy task yet many believe their "great" story will more than make up for not following some of the guidelines. Wrong! It may never be read if you went over the allotted word count, if you formatted the way they asked you NOT to, or if you send an attachment where they stated NO ATTACHMENTS WILL BE OPENED.
*If they request a payment entry make sure to include it with your submission. And follow tip #2.
*Before your tongue approaches the seal to close the envelope, go over your manuscript just one more time. Make sure all the guidelines were followed. Check and see if the word count is within their limits. And make sure you have the right mailing address. How sad if it ends up anywhere but its projected destination. Oh, please make sure to check again for any typos.
*Unless it's edited, perfected, and the best you can offer, don't hand in something half done and not up to your standards.
*Research the contest. Make sure no warnings are out there before you fork over any entry fees.
*Check and see what rights they are asking you for and if you agree with them. Unless they pay you a nice sum for ALL RIGHTS, I wouldn't hand over my stuff.
*Define your entry to suit the best genre category if the contest offers several. Submitting a juvenile mystery to an adult mystery judge may eliminate you if there's a children's judge waiting for your manuscript to come to them.
*Please follow the guidelines. Such an easy task yet many believe their "great" story will more than make up for not following some of the guidelines. Wrong! It may never be read if you went over the allotted word count, if you formatted the way they asked you NOT to, or if you send an attachment where they stated NO ATTACHMENTS WILL BE OPENED.
*If they request a payment entry make sure to include it with your submission. And follow tip #2.
*Before your tongue approaches the seal to close the envelope, go over your manuscript just one more time. Make sure all the guidelines were followed. Check and see if the word count is within their limits. And make sure you have the right mailing address. How sad if it ends up anywhere but its projected destination. Oh, please make sure to check again for any typos.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Secrets To Getting Published
By D.L. Wilson
Getting published in today’s competitive fiction market is as easy, or difficult, as learning the 3Rs—Reading, wRiting, and Research. But it also involves three words that are key to the process—persistence, persistence, persistence. Just as a budding musician doesn’t get to play at Carnegie Hall without tremendous dedication and practice, a writer doesn’t get into print without similar commitments.
Master the Craft Creating a marketable novel requires learning and mastering the craft of writing. Many budding authors have studied English and writing in high school, or even college, and assume that’s a sufficient platform for writing a blockbuster novel. To reach the level of quality required to be published in today’s competitive market, writers must re-visit the basics of grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, prose, and dialogue.
Interviews with three top fiction editors provided a sneak peak at why mastering the craft of writing is much more important than it may have been ten or twenty years ago. Back then, editors were responsible for publishing 12 to 15 novels a year. That gave them almost a month per novel to review submissions, select manuscripts for publication, line edit, copy edit, work with graphic designers to create cover designs, work with interior text designers, and work with marketing teams and publicists. If editors detected potential in the creative work of manuscripts that didn’t meet their craft standards, they could work with new writers to hone their craft over a few novels. In today’s high pressure publishing empires, editors are often responsible for 30 to 60 novels a year. That can leave less than a week for editors to perform all of the functions necessary to bring a novel to bookstores. Increased focus by publishers on higher earnings for novels has also put a crimp on editors being able to guide new authors into developing a large enough readership to get out of the mid-list. Editors no longer have the luxury of sufficient time to develop the blockbuster novelists their publishers crave. They need high quality, well-written, nearly craft-perfect manuscripts from the first submission. This requires manuscripts to be highly edited and close to publishable when editors receive them.
A key factor in mastering the craft is READING. Read successful novels in your genre to determine what makes them "must reads." Analyze their structure, writing style, plotting, and basic concepts to get a feel for what makes a successful novel in today’s ever changing marketplace. Reading should be an important element in the work habits of writers. In order to analyze the structure of a novel, an analysis form that identifies: chapter and scene including the number of pages per scene, time frame, basic story line in the scene, point of view character, characters on stage, tension/conflict, setting, and general comments can be very helpful. Such an analysis form allows a writer to get a feel for the structure and content of a novel. As a thriller writer it is important that I include powerful tension/conflict in each scene and that each scene ends with a hook to keep the reader engaged. Joining writing groups or critique groups that include writers in your genre is an excellent means of getting valuable input for improving your craft as well as evaluating your creative skills. It is important to remember that writing is a subjective art form. There can be dramatic variations in reviews of a writer’s work. That’s why it’s important for writers to be open to all forms of constructive criticism. Criticism can be painful, but it is vital in fine tuning a writer’s efforts to become a successful author. The bottom line is in the hands of the writer, the author of a work of fiction. The end result which will make or break a work of fiction was well expressed by a highly successful agent, "it boils down to the words on the page." Every word is a creative expression by the author. A writer must evaluate any critical comments and should compare comments by as broad a segment of readers as possible. This allows placing appropriate weight on any constructive criticism allowing the writer to make an informed decision on what he/she determines to be in the best interest of making the novel a great read.
Develop a Writing Technique Different authors have different techniques in the way they approach creating their masterpieces. Some authors develop detailed scene-by-scene outlines while others work from a basic concept and let their muse guide them. Writers must find the writing format that works best for them. There is no "best technique." But it is important to develop a technique that has a structure that results in the best possible novel. The only way to do that is by WRITING. Very few authors I have met have had their first work of fiction published. Just like a surgeon works on many cadavers before making the transition to a live human patient, writers must practice, practice, practice before turning out the gem that transforms them into a published author. Once they have learned the craft, they must merge it with a successful creative concept. This may require a few efforts to fine tune the entire process. Before starting down the road to writing the blockbuster novel, a writer should create a short, one page, concept sheet for the proposed work of fiction. This could turn out to be the hardest aspect of writing a novel, but it is the most critical in today’s market. Most readers have been conditioned by our current sound-byte mentality. Just like TV or radio ads, authors must get their point across in a fifteen or thirty second sound-byte. This involves a tightly structured one-half to one page easy to understand synopsis. This short synopsis will be the key to capturing the attention of an agent, and later, an editor. For a thriller, the concept should be simple, yet dynamic. It must capture the fascination of anyone who reads it, drawing them into wanting to read the entire novel.
Once the concept has been fine tuned, it’s time to put into practice the writing technique that works best for the author. If it’s the scene-by-scene outline, it may take a lot of work to develop and fine-tune the material before the actual writing process begins. But the end result may minimize the countless hours spent in editing and re-writing. For the writer who works from a basic concept, the writing may begin immediately after the concept sheet is finished or from an expanded five to ten page synopsis.
No matter which method is used, when the initial manuscript is finished it is critical for the writer to put on the editing cap and carefully analyze the manuscript for content, consistency, grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, prose, and dialogue. Since today’s market is so competitive and the focus on perfection by agents and editors so great, it is well worth the investment to hire a freelance editor with good credentials to edit your work before going to the next phase in the publishing process, finding an agent.
Find an Agent In today’s fiction market, you need a good agent. Almost all editors with the best publishing houses DO NOT accept unagented submissions. To quote a top editor, "Writers absolutely need to find an agent, and they need their agent to help them address the basic protocols. It’s because a writer’s manuscript is going to get a very limited number of opportunities. Within each house there are many editors, and if you submit a manuscript to the wrong editor, you’ve just blown your chance. It’s the agent’s job to get to know the editors well enough to know exactly who to send each manuscript to."
To find the right agent requires the third R, RESEARCH. You should know some of the clients the agent represents, and particularly those who write in a vein similar to your own. From your reading, you should check the acknowledgments pages of the books in your genre that you enjoy reading. Authors often acknowledge their agents. Another good resource is the Internet and sites like Publishers Marketplace (http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/) that identify the agents and contract information for books that have been sold to publishers.
When you have identified agents who have a respectable reputation for selling novels in your genre, research their submission requirements and follow them to the letter. Be sure your manuscript is as good as it can possibly be. Don’t use any gimmicks when sending out chapters or entire manuscripts. The bottom line is; gimmicks don’t sell novels. An agent must like your work if he or she is going to represent you with a passion that will get you published. When you start soliciting agents don’t forget the other three words—persistence, persistence, persistence.
Author: D.L. Wilson - Wilson worked his way through the ranks of engineering and management to become president, CEO, and Managing Director of US and international companies, consultant to industries and governments, and a university professor. Wilson’s foray into the publishing world started in nonfiction with The Kitchen Casanova – A Gentleman’s Guide to Gourmet Entertaining for Two, which resulted in a national book tour with features on CNN, Regis & Kathy Lee, and Evening Magazine. Wilson is also the coauthor of a university textbook on the fashion/apparel industry, Apparel Merchandising – The Line Starts Here. His first novel, Unholy Grail, (Berkley, April 2007) will be available in all major retailers.
For more information, visit http://www.dlwilsonbooks.com/
Getting published in today’s competitive fiction market is as easy, or difficult, as learning the 3Rs—Reading, wRiting, and Research. But it also involves three words that are key to the process—persistence, persistence, persistence. Just as a budding musician doesn’t get to play at Carnegie Hall without tremendous dedication and practice, a writer doesn’t get into print without similar commitments.
Master the Craft Creating a marketable novel requires learning and mastering the craft of writing. Many budding authors have studied English and writing in high school, or even college, and assume that’s a sufficient platform for writing a blockbuster novel. To reach the level of quality required to be published in today’s competitive market, writers must re-visit the basics of grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, prose, and dialogue.
Interviews with three top fiction editors provided a sneak peak at why mastering the craft of writing is much more important than it may have been ten or twenty years ago. Back then, editors were responsible for publishing 12 to 15 novels a year. That gave them almost a month per novel to review submissions, select manuscripts for publication, line edit, copy edit, work with graphic designers to create cover designs, work with interior text designers, and work with marketing teams and publicists. If editors detected potential in the creative work of manuscripts that didn’t meet their craft standards, they could work with new writers to hone their craft over a few novels. In today’s high pressure publishing empires, editors are often responsible for 30 to 60 novels a year. That can leave less than a week for editors to perform all of the functions necessary to bring a novel to bookstores. Increased focus by publishers on higher earnings for novels has also put a crimp on editors being able to guide new authors into developing a large enough readership to get out of the mid-list. Editors no longer have the luxury of sufficient time to develop the blockbuster novelists their publishers crave. They need high quality, well-written, nearly craft-perfect manuscripts from the first submission. This requires manuscripts to be highly edited and close to publishable when editors receive them.
A key factor in mastering the craft is READING. Read successful novels in your genre to determine what makes them "must reads." Analyze their structure, writing style, plotting, and basic concepts to get a feel for what makes a successful novel in today’s ever changing marketplace. Reading should be an important element in the work habits of writers. In order to analyze the structure of a novel, an analysis form that identifies: chapter and scene including the number of pages per scene, time frame, basic story line in the scene, point of view character, characters on stage, tension/conflict, setting, and general comments can be very helpful. Such an analysis form allows a writer to get a feel for the structure and content of a novel. As a thriller writer it is important that I include powerful tension/conflict in each scene and that each scene ends with a hook to keep the reader engaged. Joining writing groups or critique groups that include writers in your genre is an excellent means of getting valuable input for improving your craft as well as evaluating your creative skills. It is important to remember that writing is a subjective art form. There can be dramatic variations in reviews of a writer’s work. That’s why it’s important for writers to be open to all forms of constructive criticism. Criticism can be painful, but it is vital in fine tuning a writer’s efforts to become a successful author. The bottom line is in the hands of the writer, the author of a work of fiction. The end result which will make or break a work of fiction was well expressed by a highly successful agent, "it boils down to the words on the page." Every word is a creative expression by the author. A writer must evaluate any critical comments and should compare comments by as broad a segment of readers as possible. This allows placing appropriate weight on any constructive criticism allowing the writer to make an informed decision on what he/she determines to be in the best interest of making the novel a great read.
Develop a Writing Technique Different authors have different techniques in the way they approach creating their masterpieces. Some authors develop detailed scene-by-scene outlines while others work from a basic concept and let their muse guide them. Writers must find the writing format that works best for them. There is no "best technique." But it is important to develop a technique that has a structure that results in the best possible novel. The only way to do that is by WRITING. Very few authors I have met have had their first work of fiction published. Just like a surgeon works on many cadavers before making the transition to a live human patient, writers must practice, practice, practice before turning out the gem that transforms them into a published author. Once they have learned the craft, they must merge it with a successful creative concept. This may require a few efforts to fine tune the entire process. Before starting down the road to writing the blockbuster novel, a writer should create a short, one page, concept sheet for the proposed work of fiction. This could turn out to be the hardest aspect of writing a novel, but it is the most critical in today’s market. Most readers have been conditioned by our current sound-byte mentality. Just like TV or radio ads, authors must get their point across in a fifteen or thirty second sound-byte. This involves a tightly structured one-half to one page easy to understand synopsis. This short synopsis will be the key to capturing the attention of an agent, and later, an editor. For a thriller, the concept should be simple, yet dynamic. It must capture the fascination of anyone who reads it, drawing them into wanting to read the entire novel.
Once the concept has been fine tuned, it’s time to put into practice the writing technique that works best for the author. If it’s the scene-by-scene outline, it may take a lot of work to develop and fine-tune the material before the actual writing process begins. But the end result may minimize the countless hours spent in editing and re-writing. For the writer who works from a basic concept, the writing may begin immediately after the concept sheet is finished or from an expanded five to ten page synopsis.
No matter which method is used, when the initial manuscript is finished it is critical for the writer to put on the editing cap and carefully analyze the manuscript for content, consistency, grammar, sentence structure, punctuation, prose, and dialogue. Since today’s market is so competitive and the focus on perfection by agents and editors so great, it is well worth the investment to hire a freelance editor with good credentials to edit your work before going to the next phase in the publishing process, finding an agent.
Find an Agent In today’s fiction market, you need a good agent. Almost all editors with the best publishing houses DO NOT accept unagented submissions. To quote a top editor, "Writers absolutely need to find an agent, and they need their agent to help them address the basic protocols. It’s because a writer’s manuscript is going to get a very limited number of opportunities. Within each house there are many editors, and if you submit a manuscript to the wrong editor, you’ve just blown your chance. It’s the agent’s job to get to know the editors well enough to know exactly who to send each manuscript to."
To find the right agent requires the third R, RESEARCH. You should know some of the clients the agent represents, and particularly those who write in a vein similar to your own. From your reading, you should check the acknowledgments pages of the books in your genre that you enjoy reading. Authors often acknowledge their agents. Another good resource is the Internet and sites like Publishers Marketplace (http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/) that identify the agents and contract information for books that have been sold to publishers.
When you have identified agents who have a respectable reputation for selling novels in your genre, research their submission requirements and follow them to the letter. Be sure your manuscript is as good as it can possibly be. Don’t use any gimmicks when sending out chapters or entire manuscripts. The bottom line is; gimmicks don’t sell novels. An agent must like your work if he or she is going to represent you with a passion that will get you published. When you start soliciting agents don’t forget the other three words—persistence, persistence, persistence.
Author: D.L. Wilson - Wilson worked his way through the ranks of engineering and management to become president, CEO, and Managing Director of US and international companies, consultant to industries and governments, and a university professor. Wilson’s foray into the publishing world started in nonfiction with The Kitchen Casanova – A Gentleman’s Guide to Gourmet Entertaining for Two, which resulted in a national book tour with features on CNN, Regis & Kathy Lee, and Evening Magazine. Wilson is also the coauthor of a university textbook on the fashion/apparel industry, Apparel Merchandising – The Line Starts Here. His first novel, Unholy Grail, (Berkley, April 2007) will be available in all major retailers.
For more information, visit http://www.dlwilsonbooks.com/
How To Write A Novel
By Donna Grisanti
Before starting the exciting journey of writing a novel, check the true level of your enthusiasm. In an informal survey of writers, the “why are you considering writing a novel” factor strongly affects the success of completing the “how to write” factor. On average, writing a novel is a 2+ year task, which requires a strong positive attitude that you’ll not only start the novel but you’ll also have the drive, passion, and belief in yourself and the project to see that adventure through to completion. Your motivation must be very strong -- always thinking of interesting plots, characters or things you want to write about, as if you can’t help yourself; longing to put everything down on paper or computer screen. Bridging the gap between thinking and writing is as much an artistic adventure as the finished manuscript.
If novel-writing isn’t near the top of your life goals or objectives list, perhaps you need to reconsider the size of your writing project (change to short stories or articles) or investigate honing separate skill sets necessary to novel writing (plot formation, character development, dialogue and setting). Learning novel-writing is a process, so there’s nothing wrong about starting in increments and building small success upon small success. Taking the task in manageable chunks, with your goal of a novel in mind, brings confidence and possible pages ready to be incorporated in the final product -- your novel.
In gaining information about learning the craft of novel-writing, not every author, article or writing class will benefit you, just like everyone doesn’t like every type of food. But they do have the advantage of “getting published,” so accept and discard advice advisedly. You’re still the amateur. Fortunately, the Internet, libraries, bookstores and writing groups are no-cost or low cost sources of gathering useful information which can help, or convince you, of proper technique in your efforts to learn (or get back on the right track) in your writing.
Authors need a clear idea of their story as a foundation for their task. Do you know what you want to write about? What genres do you read or do you have favorite authors? Although you are not limited by your answers nor should you slavishly “mimic” another author’s style, your responses might help you identify or hone your original idea to begin the process.
Before starting, determine the “success” quotient of the idea for your novel. It must interest you, in order for you to spend the time and effort to write well, but, most importantly, it must be able to interest others, in a fresh, entertaining way. Always keep in mind, there’s a lot of competition out there for a reader’s time. The adversaries are the quality and availability of the 24/7 stories in broadcast and cable television and Internet as well as print media. So you have to craft the idea well and carefully; the potential reader of your novel is very busy and very sophisticated. Ask people who aren’t “yes men” for a critical analysis of your idea to ascertain if the idea is clear, manageable and gripping.
Now, the plot plan is next as you try to think of mixing the characters, settings and situations into a pace that will keep your reader entertained and entwined with your characters; wanting to turn the page or not wanting to turn the nightlight out before bed. Like an extension ladder whose rungs allow the worker to climb in incremental steps, the plot and subplots, must, overall, direct the reader in a cogent path to the last sentence.
In real estate where the watchword is location, location, location, the other necessary part inherent the best plot plan is conflict, conflict, conflict; by which the reader is able to see and experience the change in the characters and situations. With so many other books on the shelf or manuscripts begging to published, what attributes set your plot plan above the rest?
With the idea in the forefront, a writer turns attention to time span, setting and characters. The writer has the final say, of course, but for the first effort consider things you already know in your work, pastimes or hobbies because you must be completely knowledgeable in these areas. Research, especially time span and setting, are crucial in determining the accuracy of your writing which cascades into your plot, dialogue and believability of the characters themselves. Be expert without being boring, redundant or preachy. Accuracy in your research flows into the writing, which gains the trust of the reader; proving your words have the same beauty and excitement as watching a professional musician, athlete or actor.
Setting a schedule to gain information on how to write and actively writing are two more critical action steps. Perhaps you can’t write every day but commit to a realistic number of hours per week, if you are not enrolled in a writing class. A “learning” writer is just like anyone trying to become skilled at a profession or craft -- it takes time, effort and sweat.
“Birthing” each page, scene or chapter may be painstaking, but writers have to be willing to be tough on their work, but not too tough. Again, show your work to trusted critics, writing group members or editors, if you can afford them. Give close attention to their critiques and carefully gauge the consistent areas they feel you need work. Polish those, so you can stop problem areas before they become unfortunate habits. Judicious “sculpting” early makes things easier in the long run and impresses editors and publishers as well.
Writing can be anything in-between a lonely landscape of you and a white page getting larger and larger in its blankness or the sheer joy of words flying from your ideas faster than you can get them down. Care, preparation, a clear idea and plot plan can help push things into the latter category. Don’t get discouraged. Good luck.
Copyright © 2007 Donna Grisanti
Author Donna J. Gristanti is a Tucson, Arizona based fiction writer. Wandering Hearts, her first published novel, was written over a five year period. A former senior nursing administrator, she now divides her time between writing, family, and church.
Before starting the exciting journey of writing a novel, check the true level of your enthusiasm. In an informal survey of writers, the “why are you considering writing a novel” factor strongly affects the success of completing the “how to write” factor. On average, writing a novel is a 2+ year task, which requires a strong positive attitude that you’ll not only start the novel but you’ll also have the drive, passion, and belief in yourself and the project to see that adventure through to completion. Your motivation must be very strong -- always thinking of interesting plots, characters or things you want to write about, as if you can’t help yourself; longing to put everything down on paper or computer screen. Bridging the gap between thinking and writing is as much an artistic adventure as the finished manuscript.
If novel-writing isn’t near the top of your life goals or objectives list, perhaps you need to reconsider the size of your writing project (change to short stories or articles) or investigate honing separate skill sets necessary to novel writing (plot formation, character development, dialogue and setting). Learning novel-writing is a process, so there’s nothing wrong about starting in increments and building small success upon small success. Taking the task in manageable chunks, with your goal of a novel in mind, brings confidence and possible pages ready to be incorporated in the final product -- your novel.
In gaining information about learning the craft of novel-writing, not every author, article or writing class will benefit you, just like everyone doesn’t like every type of food. But they do have the advantage of “getting published,” so accept and discard advice advisedly. You’re still the amateur. Fortunately, the Internet, libraries, bookstores and writing groups are no-cost or low cost sources of gathering useful information which can help, or convince you, of proper technique in your efforts to learn (or get back on the right track) in your writing.
Authors need a clear idea of their story as a foundation for their task. Do you know what you want to write about? What genres do you read or do you have favorite authors? Although you are not limited by your answers nor should you slavishly “mimic” another author’s style, your responses might help you identify or hone your original idea to begin the process.
Before starting, determine the “success” quotient of the idea for your novel. It must interest you, in order for you to spend the time and effort to write well, but, most importantly, it must be able to interest others, in a fresh, entertaining way. Always keep in mind, there’s a lot of competition out there for a reader’s time. The adversaries are the quality and availability of the 24/7 stories in broadcast and cable television and Internet as well as print media. So you have to craft the idea well and carefully; the potential reader of your novel is very busy and very sophisticated. Ask people who aren’t “yes men” for a critical analysis of your idea to ascertain if the idea is clear, manageable and gripping.
Now, the plot plan is next as you try to think of mixing the characters, settings and situations into a pace that will keep your reader entertained and entwined with your characters; wanting to turn the page or not wanting to turn the nightlight out before bed. Like an extension ladder whose rungs allow the worker to climb in incremental steps, the plot and subplots, must, overall, direct the reader in a cogent path to the last sentence.
In real estate where the watchword is location, location, location, the other necessary part inherent the best plot plan is conflict, conflict, conflict; by which the reader is able to see and experience the change in the characters and situations. With so many other books on the shelf or manuscripts begging to published, what attributes set your plot plan above the rest?
With the idea in the forefront, a writer turns attention to time span, setting and characters. The writer has the final say, of course, but for the first effort consider things you already know in your work, pastimes or hobbies because you must be completely knowledgeable in these areas. Research, especially time span and setting, are crucial in determining the accuracy of your writing which cascades into your plot, dialogue and believability of the characters themselves. Be expert without being boring, redundant or preachy. Accuracy in your research flows into the writing, which gains the trust of the reader; proving your words have the same beauty and excitement as watching a professional musician, athlete or actor.
Setting a schedule to gain information on how to write and actively writing are two more critical action steps. Perhaps you can’t write every day but commit to a realistic number of hours per week, if you are not enrolled in a writing class. A “learning” writer is just like anyone trying to become skilled at a profession or craft -- it takes time, effort and sweat.
“Birthing” each page, scene or chapter may be painstaking, but writers have to be willing to be tough on their work, but not too tough. Again, show your work to trusted critics, writing group members or editors, if you can afford them. Give close attention to their critiques and carefully gauge the consistent areas they feel you need work. Polish those, so you can stop problem areas before they become unfortunate habits. Judicious “sculpting” early makes things easier in the long run and impresses editors and publishers as well.
Writing can be anything in-between a lonely landscape of you and a white page getting larger and larger in its blankness or the sheer joy of words flying from your ideas faster than you can get them down. Care, preparation, a clear idea and plot plan can help push things into the latter category. Don’t get discouraged. Good luck.
Copyright © 2007 Donna Grisanti
Author Donna J. Gristanti is a Tucson, Arizona based fiction writer. Wandering Hearts, her first published novel, was written over a five year period. A former senior nursing administrator, she now divides her time between writing, family, and church.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
What is Copyright?
Copyright protects creative or artistic works. You should only copy or use a copyrighted work with the copyright owner's permission.
You can copyright:
-literature, including novels, instruction manuals, computer programs, song lyrics, newspaper articles and some types of database
-drama, including dance or mime
-music
-art, including paintings, engravings, photographs, sculptures, collages, architecture, technical drawings, diagrams, maps and logos
-layouts used to publish a work, for a book
-recordings of a work, including sound and film
-broadcasts of a work
Copyright applies to any medium. This means that you must not reproduce copyright protected work in another medium without permission. This includes, publishing photographs on the internet, making a sound recording of a book, and so on.
Copyright does not protect ideas for a work. However, when an idea is fixed, for example in writing, copyright automatically protects it. This means that you do not have to apply for copyright.
A copyright protected work can have more than one copyright, or another intellectual property (IP) right, connected to it.
For example, an album of music can have separate copyrights for individual songs, sound recordings, artwork, and so on. Whilst copyright can protect the artwork of your logo, you could also register the logo as a trade mark.
You can copyright:
-literature, including novels, instruction manuals, computer programs, song lyrics, newspaper articles and some types of database
-drama, including dance or mime
-music
-art, including paintings, engravings, photographs, sculptures, collages, architecture, technical drawings, diagrams, maps and logos
-layouts used to publish a work, for a book
-recordings of a work, including sound and film
-broadcasts of a work
Copyright applies to any medium. This means that you must not reproduce copyright protected work in another medium without permission. This includes, publishing photographs on the internet, making a sound recording of a book, and so on.
Copyright does not protect ideas for a work. However, when an idea is fixed, for example in writing, copyright automatically protects it. This means that you do not have to apply for copyright.
A copyright protected work can have more than one copyright, or another intellectual property (IP) right, connected to it.
For example, an album of music can have separate copyrights for individual songs, sound recordings, artwork, and so on. Whilst copyright can protect the artwork of your logo, you could also register the logo as a trade mark.
How To Become A Great Writer
Daniel Millions
There are numerous ways to improve your writing skills. Whether your final goal is to write simply for enjoyment, or to become a big-time newspaper columnist, by practicing these tips, you'll be sure to progress.
You can start your quest to good writing by good reading. Immerse yourself in novels, plays, poems as well as articles. Pick out the differences between what you think is a great piece of writing, and identify what could use editing, or more time spent on perfecting it. Reading is a critical step in this process because not only does it give you an idea on how to write a plethora of pieces, but it also gives you a more extended vocabulary, and can give you ideas for your own writing.
Buy a notebook. Without a notebook, there's no organized place to keep your ideas. Bring this prized possession everywhere with you, because you never know when you'll feel inspired. It's also a very effective way to get used to writing daily. By always having a notebook by your side, it's not only easily accessible, but it's always there to grab if you find an amazing story. Just make sure you don't forget a pen!
Join a writing group, either in your community, or on the internet. By communicating with aspiring writers such as yourself, you can network with one another. Ask for advice if you're stuck, or for tips that they use to get the ball rolling. Talking with other writers can only help you, so why not give it a try?
No matter what it's about, or even if it doesn't make sense, just write. If you have writers block, clear your mind, and let the words flow. Take a break from the writing, and go back to it a few hours, or even a few days later. Your writing will becomes clearer, and you'll be able to add onto the writing after having thought about it for a while.
Make sure your thoughts are organized, and not all over the place. Keep your ideas relatable, and don't mix them all together. The reader will get confused if you jump from topic to topic without any explanation in between. Make sure your ideas are well developed, and don't jump around too much. If you do stray from the main topic, just be sure you can bring it back to the topic at the end. Find some reason they were put together in the first place.
Make time to write. If you're too busy to dedicate yourself to writing, even for ten minutes a day, then you won't improve. As they say, practice makes perfect, and without practice, your writing will become monotonous. Settle yourself down in a quiet, comfortable setting and just let the words flow. The more you write, the easier it becomes to think of attention-grabbing openings and witty endings.
Check your spelling and grammatical errors. Even though it sounds tedious, it's imperative to make a good impression. If you were to show anyone your work, and there were mistakes throughout the entire piece, no one would be able to concentrate on the content of your writing, only the blunders. For this reason, make sure your writing is as perfected as it can be.
These tips are just a few ideas that will get you on your way to becoming a good writer. Believe in your writing, and don't be afraid to persevere and take it to the next level. Follow these examples, and you'll be sure to not only advance, but become more confident in your work.
There are numerous ways to improve your writing skills. Whether your final goal is to write simply for enjoyment, or to become a big-time newspaper columnist, by practicing these tips, you'll be sure to progress.
You can start your quest to good writing by good reading. Immerse yourself in novels, plays, poems as well as articles. Pick out the differences between what you think is a great piece of writing, and identify what could use editing, or more time spent on perfecting it. Reading is a critical step in this process because not only does it give you an idea on how to write a plethora of pieces, but it also gives you a more extended vocabulary, and can give you ideas for your own writing.
Buy a notebook. Without a notebook, there's no organized place to keep your ideas. Bring this prized possession everywhere with you, because you never know when you'll feel inspired. It's also a very effective way to get used to writing daily. By always having a notebook by your side, it's not only easily accessible, but it's always there to grab if you find an amazing story. Just make sure you don't forget a pen!
Join a writing group, either in your community, or on the internet. By communicating with aspiring writers such as yourself, you can network with one another. Ask for advice if you're stuck, or for tips that they use to get the ball rolling. Talking with other writers can only help you, so why not give it a try?
No matter what it's about, or even if it doesn't make sense, just write. If you have writers block, clear your mind, and let the words flow. Take a break from the writing, and go back to it a few hours, or even a few days later. Your writing will becomes clearer, and you'll be able to add onto the writing after having thought about it for a while.
Make sure your thoughts are organized, and not all over the place. Keep your ideas relatable, and don't mix them all together. The reader will get confused if you jump from topic to topic without any explanation in between. Make sure your ideas are well developed, and don't jump around too much. If you do stray from the main topic, just be sure you can bring it back to the topic at the end. Find some reason they were put together in the first place.
Make time to write. If you're too busy to dedicate yourself to writing, even for ten minutes a day, then you won't improve. As they say, practice makes perfect, and without practice, your writing will become monotonous. Settle yourself down in a quiet, comfortable setting and just let the words flow. The more you write, the easier it becomes to think of attention-grabbing openings and witty endings.
Check your spelling and grammatical errors. Even though it sounds tedious, it's imperative to make a good impression. If you were to show anyone your work, and there were mistakes throughout the entire piece, no one would be able to concentrate on the content of your writing, only the blunders. For this reason, make sure your writing is as perfected as it can be.
These tips are just a few ideas that will get you on your way to becoming a good writer. Believe in your writing, and don't be afraid to persevere and take it to the next level. Follow these examples, and you'll be sure to not only advance, but become more confident in your work.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
A Writing Career Is More Lucrative Than You Think
Tony Jacowski
However, if you have a zest for writing and want to make it your vocation in life, here is some very useful information that introduces you to the various options.
Contrary to what people think, a career in writing can be very exciting, intellectually satisfying and financially rewarding.
Opportunities in Journalism
Writing expertise can help you become a journalist in print media. You can write articles and news for magazines, newspapers, sports and trade magazines. To be a successful journalist you have to be good at research, whether it is politics, crime or any other subject. You will have to conduct interviews of prominent personalities in various fields and also present the views of the public to make your reporting interesting, informative and aimed at presenting an unbiased picture based on facts.
As a journalist, you are expected to be armed with specialized education and training. To become a journalist you need to be a graduate or have a post graduate degree in mass communications or journalism and then try for an entry-level position with a good local or national newspaper. It is a good idea to take an internship as a trainee writer/journalist with a publisher to gain practical exposure and polish your professional writing skills. As a journalist, you are expected to be armed with specialized education and training. To become a journalist you need to be a graduate or have a post graduate degree in mass communications or journalism and then try for an entry-level position with a good local or national newspaper. It is a good idea to take an internship as a trainee writer/journalist with a publisher to gain practical exposure and polish your professional writing skills.
Openings for Writers in Ad Agencies
Another field with career potential is that of copywriting. This is a different field from journalism and involves using creative skills to prepare marketing and promotional material for television, radio, newspapers and magazines. There are increasing opportunities for employment within various advertising agencies that require good copywriters with writing and visualization skills and for those who develop and sell their ideas.
If you find advertising interesting and have a sense of humor that reflects positively in your work, you have the necessary makings of a great copywriter.
Scriptwriting
Are you able to dream big? Do you often let your imagination fly? Do you have knack for weaving your dreams into stories? If you do, then scriptwriting may be a good career choice. With your writing skills you can develop a framework for a good story and turn it into a screenplay. You need to be a keen observer of whatever goes on around you in life because it is from real life events that great ideas for scripts originate.
There are numerous opportunities for scriptwriters in films, television, announcements, sports, theater and radio news. Employment opportunities exist in television and radio channels and the film industry. If you have a good script that is made into a film, there is no limit to the money that you can make. To make writing your career, you should have a good work ethic, writing and typing skills and imagination. If you have all these things, then with a bit of experience and a lot of luck, you can make writing your life's work.
However, if you have a zest for writing and want to make it your vocation in life, here is some very useful information that introduces you to the various options.
Contrary to what people think, a career in writing can be very exciting, intellectually satisfying and financially rewarding.
Opportunities in Journalism
Writing expertise can help you become a journalist in print media. You can write articles and news for magazines, newspapers, sports and trade magazines. To be a successful journalist you have to be good at research, whether it is politics, crime or any other subject. You will have to conduct interviews of prominent personalities in various fields and also present the views of the public to make your reporting interesting, informative and aimed at presenting an unbiased picture based on facts.
As a journalist, you are expected to be armed with specialized education and training. To become a journalist you need to be a graduate or have a post graduate degree in mass communications or journalism and then try for an entry-level position with a good local or national newspaper. It is a good idea to take an internship as a trainee writer/journalist with a publisher to gain practical exposure and polish your professional writing skills. As a journalist, you are expected to be armed with specialized education and training. To become a journalist you need to be a graduate or have a post graduate degree in mass communications or journalism and then try for an entry-level position with a good local or national newspaper. It is a good idea to take an internship as a trainee writer/journalist with a publisher to gain practical exposure and polish your professional writing skills.
Openings for Writers in Ad Agencies
Another field with career potential is that of copywriting. This is a different field from journalism and involves using creative skills to prepare marketing and promotional material for television, radio, newspapers and magazines. There are increasing opportunities for employment within various advertising agencies that require good copywriters with writing and visualization skills and for those who develop and sell their ideas.
If you find advertising interesting and have a sense of humor that reflects positively in your work, you have the necessary makings of a great copywriter.
Scriptwriting
Are you able to dream big? Do you often let your imagination fly? Do you have knack for weaving your dreams into stories? If you do, then scriptwriting may be a good career choice. With your writing skills you can develop a framework for a good story and turn it into a screenplay. You need to be a keen observer of whatever goes on around you in life because it is from real life events that great ideas for scripts originate.
There are numerous opportunities for scriptwriters in films, television, announcements, sports, theater and radio news. Employment opportunities exist in television and radio channels and the film industry. If you have a good script that is made into a film, there is no limit to the money that you can make. To make writing your career, you should have a good work ethic, writing and typing skills and imagination. If you have all these things, then with a bit of experience and a lot of luck, you can make writing your life's work.
I want to be known as a writer: Arundhati Roy
Zafri Mudasser Nofil New Delhi, Apr 29 (PTI)
Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy says she is not comfortable with the activist tag and wants to be identified as a writer only.
"I am a writer and want to be identified as a writer only," she says.
"One should not define me as an activist. I am not an activist," she told PTI at the release of her book "The Shape of the Beast", a collection of 14 interviews conducted by her between January 2001 and March 2008.
Roy been vocal on several issues like the Narmada Bachao Andolan, India's nuclear policy, US policies and the Gujarat riots.
In "The Shape of the Beast" through the conversations, Arundhati talks about the necessity of taking a stand, as also the dilemma of guarding the private space necessary for writing in a world that demands urgent and equivocal intervention.
"A writer hones his or her language, makes it clear and private and individual as possible. And then you look around and see whats happening to millions of people. You find yourself in the heart of the crowd, saying things that millions of people are saying and it's not private and individual any more," says Arundhati, who won the Booker in 1997 for her first novel 'The God of Small Things.' "How do you hold these two things down? These are very fundamental questions. This is why so many writers are frightened of political engagements. They feel it is a risk, and it is a risk, and yet I would rather do it than not."
PTI
Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy says she is not comfortable with the activist tag and wants to be identified as a writer only.
"I am a writer and want to be identified as a writer only," she says.
"One should not define me as an activist. I am not an activist," she told PTI at the release of her book "The Shape of the Beast", a collection of 14 interviews conducted by her between January 2001 and March 2008.
Roy been vocal on several issues like the Narmada Bachao Andolan, India's nuclear policy, US policies and the Gujarat riots.
In "The Shape of the Beast" through the conversations, Arundhati talks about the necessity of taking a stand, as also the dilemma of guarding the private space necessary for writing in a world that demands urgent and equivocal intervention.
"A writer hones his or her language, makes it clear and private and individual as possible. And then you look around and see whats happening to millions of people. You find yourself in the heart of the crowd, saying things that millions of people are saying and it's not private and individual any more," says Arundhati, who won the Booker in 1997 for her first novel 'The God of Small Things.' "How do you hold these two things down? These are very fundamental questions. This is why so many writers are frightened of political engagements. They feel it is a risk, and it is a risk, and yet I would rather do it than not."
PTI
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