7 Deadly Writing Sins

1. Sloth

The definition of sloth has changed over time. At one time, it was known as the sin of sadness and despair. Dante described it as the "failure to love God with all one's heart, all one's mind and all one's soul." Today, it is generally considered synonymous with laziness or indifference - the failure to use one's God-given talents and abilities to their fullest. So what does this mean for a writer?

It means that we should stretch beyond our comfort zone and challenge ourselves to hone our skills and learn new ones at every opportunity.

It also means that we should approach each day's work with enthusiasm and joy - joy that we have within us the ability to communicate clearly, to educate, to entertain, and to provoke thought and discussion among readers. Joy that we are able to see the world in infinite and interesting ways, and that we are able to transform that experience into words that we can share with others.

It means that instead of practicing avoidance when it's time to write, we ought to look forward to applying butt to chair and crafting the words that will touch another person's mind.

2. Gluttony

Gluttony is described as overindulgence and waste. Did Emperor Joseph II's accuse Mozart of gluttony when he criticized his work, saying, "Too many notes, my dear Mozart"? Perhaps. Perhaps we commit gluttony when we indulge our passion for words and wordplay and waste the reader's time by failing to engage, enlighten, or entertain anyone but ourselves.

3. Greed

Greed - as a sin - refers to obtaining or hoarding wealth, in particular. And some writers are very good at eschewing greed, saying, "I don't write for money, I write for the sheer love of it. I write because I can't not write. I write for art. I write for myself, alone." This last bit, "I write only for myself," could be seen as a form of hoarding. While ideas and words may not be material objects or wealth, they have value and should be shared - particularly if you accept the notion that writing is a God-given talent.

Shared, yes - stolen, no. Plagiarism would be a form of greed, coupled with envy. Steal someone else's words? I must have sensed this was a sin, given the number of times I've told rip-off artists to go straight to Hell. Whoops... guess I should re-read that section on "wrath."

"I write because I must," might be a form of pride - also one of the seven deadly sins. The implication in the tone is that anyone who doesn't feel that same compulsion is a lesser being, a "non-writer." We all have gifts; where would we be, after all, without the astute readers who buy our books or the skilled laborers who built the cold-water flat in the corner of the garret where we writers notoriously gravitate to do our work?

To write only for money would be a joyless thing (see "Sloth" above), but it is no sin to earn a comfortable living. One could argue that a comfortable living allows one to turn one's thoughts from gluttony and greed; knowing where that next meal is coming from tends to take the focus off of food.

4. Envy

Schadenfreude. Isn't that a fun word? Envy isn't merely wanting what someone else has, but wanting it to the point of feeling sorrow or resentment at another person's good fortune, and feeling a little gleeful when they are deprived of it. My mother once said that it is easy to find friends with broad shoulders to cry on when you are miserable, but hard to find any to come celebrate your good news with you. We do well to celebrate our colleagues' success - it can't help but earn us good Karma points. When another writer announces a sale, it doesn't mean there's one less publishing opportunity in the universe to be scooped up by us. When someone reports a six-figure advance, we should take that as a sign that there is abundance in the universe, and resolve to apply butt to chair just a little more diligently so that we might be next.

5. Lust

Ask the spouse or lover of any writer, and I'll bet they'd say there's just not enough of this sin going around...

6. Pride

Too many people confuse "pride" and "self-confidence." It's a confusing word, too: On the one hand, we are told that pride is a sin; on the other, we are told to "take pride in [our] work." Pride - the sin - equates to narcissism or excessive self-love. Dante defined it as "love of self perverted to hatred and contempt for one's neighbor." So how does this apply to us and our writing? Most of us are our own harshest critics. We could do with a little more self-love, and few of us are prone to excess in that department. But those of us who are published - do we ever think of those who simply write for the love of writing, with vague dreams of being published "some day," as "wannabes"? Do we dismiss the typo-ridden scrawls out of hand - and thus the writer who promulgated them? Someone helped us, when we were young and nave and just beginning to find our voices as writers. It's a debt marked "payable to the hopeful novice."

7. Anger/Wrath

Interestingly, wrath encompasses anger directed inward - so the next time you are tempted to bang your head against the wall, muttering, "Stupid, stupid, stupid - this reads as smoothly as a pig walks on stilts!" consider that you may be committing the sin of wrath. On the whole, though, writers have an excellent outlet for anger and wrath - they can sublimate the urge to kill and torment others who dearly deserve it by letting their characters damn themselves to Hell.

Holly Jahangiri is a professional writer who claims, tongue-in-cheek, to channel the spirits of Edgar Allan Poe, Erma Bombeck, and O. Henry. Holly is the author of the popular children's book, Trockle http://trockle.wordpress.com For more information, visit her blog, "Do I Have to Spell It Out?" at http://blog.jahangiri.us

The Perks of Writing a Novel

Let's be honest here: Writing a novel is no small task. Yes, I know there are eBooks out there claiming to show you how to complete a novel in 30 days, but it can't be done, at least not by a newcomer to novel writing.

Producing 70-odd thousand words is a big enough challenge alone. But to learn the rules of how to plot a novel and how to create characters and all the rest of it,(which is the position a newcomer would find themselves in) well, let's just say that two or three years is a more realistic estimate of how long writing a novel will take you.

Which leads me to the point of this article.

What is the payback for all this hard work? What can you expect to get out of it?

To be honest, the perks of writing a novel will be different for everyone. For some, making money from their fiction will be the prize they keep their eyes on. For others, it might be the promise of fame (or, God help you, celebrity). For many more, the creative challenge alone will be sufficient.

For what it is worth, here is what motivates me (and what doesn't)...

First up, it isn't the money (honestly!) Not that the riches that a bestselling novel might bring wouldn't be welcome in my bank account, but I would be lying if I claimed it was money that motivated me to write.

The same thing goes for fame. (I'm perfectly happy out of the glare of the spotlight, thank you very much.) Even the possibility of writing a truly great novel and going down in literary history doesn't do it for me (well, maybe a little).

You see, all of these things are rewards that you receive only after your novel is published. Before that can happen, you face years of hard work with no guarantee whatsoever of publication. And even if your novel is published, it is unlikely to be successful enough to enable you to quit the day job (sorry, but those are the cold facts). To put it simply, if fame and fortune are what you seek then novel writing probably isn't the best train to climb aboard.

So what else is there?

The challenge of writing a novel, that's what. And the fun of writing one. The sense of achievement that comes from nailing a particularly tricky scene, or from figuring out a clever plot-twist.

The opportunity to have a creative outlet for all of your thoughts and theories and feelings and beliefs on what it means to be alive in this funny old world.

Above all, the chance to rebuild the world according to your own specifications - and then to play at being God in that world. That is exactly what writing a novel is all about when you think about it: Playing at being God in a world of your own making. And which of us wouldn't want to do that?

Harvey Chapman is a published writer and a full-time teacher of creative writing. He founded his Novel Writing Web Site in early 2008 (http://www.novel-writing-help.com/). The Site offers free and expert advice on planning, writing and selling novels.

Effective Article Writing Secrets Revealed That Will Increase Your Profits

Article writing is one of the most effective means of drawing visitors to a website and showing them the products and services that are available. Depending on the needs of the website the articles may be search engine optimized (SEO) or informational. If they are SEO they will need to have certain keywords placed in a certain formation in order to ascertain the website will have a high ranking with the search engines. Informational articles need written to the tone of the website and the audience that will be visiting.

Many writers do not take other cultures in mind when they are providing articles for websites. They have the tendency to produce work based upon where they live rather than on the culture of those who will be visiting the website. Sometimes this problem is because the person who contracted the article writing failed to tell the writer that he has a global site and requires the article writing to be based upon that. It is important for writers to know the audience for which the articles are available so that they can provide effective articles.

In addition to article writing that is directed toward several cultures, it's important for the articles to also show some knowledge of the topic. Although SEO writing is more keyword based than informational, it still needs to sound as though the writer knows something about the topic or product. Articles are only effective in marketing if it shows the website products in a favorable light.

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Mark Abrahams is a full time internet marketer who has helped others to earn a living online.

Christianity Saved My Life

Writing a Flawless Research Paper in 4 Easy Steps

When it comes to writing a good research paper, you can learn many of the latest methods in research and report writing from your professors and librarians. Assuming you don't wait until the last minute, most research papers can usually be completed by following a few general guidelines.

For detailed reports, you can write a good research paper just by practicing a few steps. In fact you can easily turn your standard paper into a flawless research paper just by going through 4 easy steps listed below.

Step 1: Selecting Topics and Initial Research

Start out by choosing a good topic for yourself as this will decide the outcome of your summary. Once you have locked your topic in place, proceed in collecting your references and bibliographies. That will help you decide where to seek for solutions and locate the information you need from various media resources like encyclopedias and informative websites. After you get them all together in one centralized location, get some index cards where you'll add these bibliography entries in preparation for your outline.

Step 2: Arranging and Structuring The Paper

You are going to need additional note cards to sort out all the relevant information in a logical manner. The trick with the note cards is to put all of the related ideas into one single paragraph to fill up the entire note card. Adding the bibliographies and references to that information will aid in keeping things organized.

Once all of your note cards are complete, separate them into different groups. The versatility of the note cards allows easy shuffling and experimentation with different outlines. Try to arrange them into a tree structure where you have the main topics, subtopics, details, etc.

Step 3: Drafting and Proofreading

With all of the note cards properly organized, you can now proceed in making your rough draft with confidence. Write a couple of rough drafts for your research paper and make sure it complies to the note cards which represents your entire research paper summary.

You can also try using writing software that can generate the outline for you based on ideas that you can give. After you are satisfied with what you are reading, give it a final check for spelling and grammar and then let your professor approve it.

Step 4: Preparation and Final Development

Get your bibliography cards out and start preparing your bibliography section in fuller detail. This process should be real simple if you sorted out your cards so you can easily place them in the relevant areas. This is important when your research paper is being checked as sources may be confirmed in order to evaluate the paper

After that, you can begin paginating and preparing the table of contents and matching title page. Refer to the online resources or teacher's reference on how to make the correct title page and check if everything is in order. You should be have a very organized research paper if these 4 steps were done correctly.

Now you can triple your productivity and write books, articles, reports & presentations faster than you ever thought possible.

Research Wizard Pro is a new virtual research assistant for busy professionals that gives you more time for clients. Write books, reports, manuals, articles, and courses in half the time. Clients will love you! Just visit http://www.ResearchWizardPro.com to claim your free training video and take your writing career to the next level!

Healthy Lifestyle Tips

Top 10 Tips to Writing Great Candle Lighting Ceremony Poems

10. Get inspired.

Think about an anecdote or personal trait that makes this person special to you and write it down.

Example: For a bar mitzvah boy's grandfather who passed away very recently, the notes one could write about him are as follows:

He was Irish, Catholic, not Jewish. He was so proud of the man that David is becoming. He lived in Florida and he made David feel safe in Florida by telling him that his home was really David's Florida home, so David was never homesick in Florida. He was a baker, he used to make bread on the kitchen table without a bowl, he made a lake in the middle of the flour. There needs to be something about David remembering him making bread with the lake on the table. The candle will be lit by Grandpa's brother Uncle Frank and Aunt Marianne. This is the first family get together without him.

With a little work you can turn it into this:

My grandfather who I love so dear

Passed away recently, but I know he is near

His was my second home in Florida, of this I know

He told me how proud he was as he watched me grow

Grandpa was a baker and bread he would always make

With flour on the table, in the center he made a lake

This candle is to honor him, that has been my plan

Please come up to light it with me, Uncle Frank & Aunt Marianne

9. Make poems that are 4-8 lines.

Too few will be hard to convey your message and too many might bore your audience.

8. Try to keep each poem the same length.

You don't want Grandma to be upset that she got 4 lines when Uncle Bill got 8.

7. If you are having trouble finding a word to rhyme with another word, you can either pick a different word (like choosing "great" instead of "good" or "sweet" instead of "nice") or try going to http://www.rhymezone.com/

It is a great rhyming dictionary on-line that comes in handy for those tough to rhyme words.

6. Try to make the first line rhyme with the second line and the third line should rhyme with the fourth line.

It's an AABBCCDD pattern that makes it simpler to read and find a rhyming word.

5. If you know who you want to call up to light the candle, find a word that rhymes with their name

With you guys as family I am never alone... (and end the line with) Come on up Uncle Bill and Aunt Joan.

4. An easy method to use is to find a last line that rhymes with the number you are on.

For example:

Grandma's cooking always tastes like heaven,

So come on up to light candle number eleven.

3. There are a few catch phrases that you can use for any poem such as:

...I love you ...

Come light candle number two.

And...

"To my aunt and uncle whom I truly adore,

Please come up to light candle number four."

Here is an example of how you turn the notes you jot down into a poem. For Grandma & PopPop: Michael is their first and only grandchild, he has slept there every Friday the first 2 years of his life, and still sleeps over at times. They took him skiing for the first time when he was 4, they take him to movies, play cards, you name it, they do it for him!

Turn that into:

There are two special people here who I just love and adore

They introduced me to skiing when I was a boy of four

I have learned so much from both of them about being a good friend

Whether it's at the movies or playing cards, there's laughter without end

When I was little I stayed with them almost every Friday night

Grandma & PopPop it's number twelve, I'd love your help to light

2. If there is someone on the list that your family knows, but you don't know so well, be sure to speak to your family and get some insight into who they are and why they are special.

Example:

For a very dear friend of Mom and Dad's - JoAnn. Steven's mom has known JoAnn since they were 6 and of course JoAnn knows Steven since his birth. She helped the family a great deal when Mom and Dad were going through a divorce. She helped move them from Staten Island to NJ, she stayed there for 2 weeks to help them settle in. Always there for Mom, serious or fun...she is a lot of fun to be around.

Turn that into:

This next candle is for a family friend who's always there in a fix

She's known me since my birth and known Mom since they were six

From Staten Island to New Jersey, she helped us with our move

Two weeks she kept us company, till we got into a groove

Always fun to be around, that's why I'm such a fan

Please come up for candle eleven, mom's dear friend JoAnn

1. When in doubt, go to a professional who will write the poems for you and allow you to concentrate on all the other things you have to do when becoming a bar or bat mitzvah. Visit me at www.thepoemlady.com or email heymannyc@yahoo.com. I'll write candle lighting poems for you based on the information you provide. I also help pick out the songs and make the whole thing effort free. The poems are sweet and funny. You can even print them out and roll them up in a scroll and hand them to the candle-lighters as they come up so they can take their personalized poem home with them.

Most important, just remember to have fun and enjoy your special day

jill - the poem lady
http://www.thepoemlady.com

Religious Faith Or Religious Fac

The "ART" of Article Writing: A Template

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Habits To Prevent Losing Things

The Moral of the Story

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Start your own ebook business and Resell Ebooks with BooksWealth.

Backup Plans Feel Good

Planning Your Perfect Paragraphs

Reading is magical for so many of us. Reading novels can be hard to fit in because we have family and work responsibilities, but when we do the rewards are priceless. So whether you are writing your novel or just thinking about novel writing, here are some quick and easy ideas to make the reading magic move your writing words. Then let these simple habits make your words dance so they are delightful to read.

Comfort: Curl up in your favourite armchair, the comfortable one you love to read in. You'll find that you'll love novel writing wherever you love novel reading. Lounge in those luxurious feelings and let your relaxed mind and body release your ideas. Let the reader in you guide the writer in you. Write the magical words that you'd love to read. Write for your own pleasure so that you fall in love with your own novel writing process.

Music: Queue up a few hours of your favourite music so that you can stay put and enjoy your novel writing. Let the music wash over you and whisper ideas into your writing. Be adventurous and create an entire soundtrack for your novel, then write as you listen and imagine. Then you can conjure up that magical state of mind at any time, just by relaxing with your novel writing soundtrack.

Fire: With your chair by the fire, stock up with logs the day before and write with a fire as a warm companion. If there is no fire to hand, use a recording of a fire on your television, and wrap a cheerful blanket around you while you write. Toast marshmallows or almonds over the fire to treat yourself from time to time while you are novel writing. Enjoy your fire even more if the weather outside is threatening and grim.

Games: Indulge in some little games so that your novel writing is fun for you. Base a scene around a word, but don't mention that word. Write a passage where nobody talks, and everything is conveyed through actions, objects and the environment. Include a symbolic object in your writing, and have it reappear in scenes throughout your novel.

Candles: Spread a few night lights around and dim the lights. Light some taller candles inside glass lanterns for that sparkle in the dark. Feel the ancient traditions of all the writers from the past come to life in your dreamy candlelight. Then open yourself up and write. The wonderful scents of perfumed candles can also fill your senses and spill over into your novel writing.

Bottom Line: Give your writing these chances to transport you to that magical place! After all, you deserve it. Your novel writing deserves it! And now I'd like to invite you to visit my blog to find more tips for the novel writing of your dreams, the read of your delight and the write of your life: http://novelwriting.getbestreviews.net

Backup Plans Feel Good

Top 10 Blog Writing Tips

Most of the "rules" about writing for ezines and newsletters apply to writing posts for your blog, but there are some important differences. Keep these 10 tips in mind and you'll be publishing great blog content that attracts prospects and clients in your niche market.

1. Write with the reader in mind. Remember WIIFM? Its marketing jargon for Whats In It For Me? Thats what you should be keeping in mind. Your reader will read your post looking for whats in it for them.

2. Make it valuable and worthwhile. Dont waste peoples time. If you dont have anything to say, no problem, plenty other people do. So share their articles, do an interview, review a book.

3. Proof-read for typos and glaring grammatical errors. You wouldnt go out of the house with dirty hair or missing a sock, so why would you publish spelling mistakes? Respect your readers by polishing up your stuff.

4. Keep it short and simple, sweetie. (KISS). Most people are scanners. You may have a lot to say and think it interesting, and it may be. But people are reading online and out of time. Get to the point quickly. Publishing short posts more frequently is a better format than publishing lengthy articles every few weeks.

5. Keep it lively, make it snappy and snazzy. Even if you arent a natural born writer, you can write for your blog. Just write like youre speaking to your friendor to yourself! Remember though, get to the point quickly. Keep in mind the journalists rule of 5 Ws in the first paragraph: who, what, why, when and where.

6. Link often. This builds credibility and positions you as an expert in your field. People dont have time to know what others are doing, you should tell them. Linking to other blogs and websites also helps you build a network of associates who will in turn link to your blog.

7. Use keywords often. This will help you stay on purpose, and the search engines will love your blog. Your rankings will go up. This is one of the reasons we have you write out your purpose statements before beginning your blog. The clearer you are about your purpose, the more consistently you will deliver messages that are on target. And the more often your keywords show up, the better your search engine results.

8. Write clearly (short sentences, only one concept per sentence). No double speak or jargon; no more than one idea in one sentence- dont make your readers have to think about your meaning. Spoon feed them. Use commas and dashes liberally.

9. Write like you talk. Its okay to use common expressions from speech.

Examples:

Go figure.

Dont even go there

Now, I ask you

Gotta love it

(And, remember the age group of your readers)

10. Use a clear headline, and dont be afraid to make bold statements (but dont mislead people either). Make it snazzy and use key words. Example: Ex-Techno-Weenie Masters HTML Code

BONUS: After you write a post and BEFORE you hit the save button

Use this checklist to ask yourself a few questions as you are reading through for typos and grammar:

__ Is the topic clear to someone who only reads the headline?

__Does the lead paragraph tell who and what the story is about and why the reader should care about it?

__ Is the angle you've used likely to seem newsworthy?

__Would someone who knows absolutely nothing about this topic understand this post?

__ Is the post free of jargon?

__ Is it written in journalistic style and does it make an effort to be objective?

__ Have you peppered the headline and the post with keywords and phrases that will be attractive to search engines?

__ Did you remember to ask your readers a question at the end, or something to stimulate readers to comment?

__ Did you remember to write with the reader in mind, always keeping in mind WIIFT? (Whats in It for Them?)

Patsi Krakoff of Customized Newsletter Services, and Denise Wakeman of Next Level Partnership, have teamed up to create blogging classes and marketing services for independent professionals. You can read and subscribe to their blogs at http://www.coachezines.com, http://www.bizbooknuggets.com and http://www.biztipsblog.com

Developing Wealth Building Habit

I Sure Hope There Will Be a "Harry Potter Expanded Universe"

Have you ever thought about Harry Potter and Star Wars in the same manner?You should, because I have come to the conclusion that they are one in the same.When broken down, it's easy to compare them to one another.So I have written this article to do just that.

Harry Potter consists of basically the same elements of brilliance as Star Wars.These two sagas tell the story about a boy that is searching to be something more than what he is.He can feel the truth and the answers in the air, waiting to find him.He discovers there is much more than could ever be imagined when the truth is revealed.Both characters are being threatened by the dark side of magic/the force.Each has an equally nightmarish evil figure, Darth Vader and Lord Voldemort.Each of these stories is teaching the same underlying meaning: many things in life are difficult, and to do the right thing is not always easy.There are many shortcuts that lead to "The Dark Side," for lack of a better term, and you must stay the course to be complete as a "good" person.

The stories are intriguing and intricate enough to appeal to both children and adults alike.Other worlds, civilizations, and time lines were created in the manifestation of these stories.

When George Lucas was ready to let the rights go to other authors, he kept a chronological order of things past present and future.Other authors would then need to have their ideas and stories approved through him, to ensure the time line was being kept in sync.The Star Wars Expanded Universe, as it's referred too, is a limitless play land for authors and movie makers. For example, A.C. Crispin wrote a Han Solo Trilogy, where in you read about Han's short Imperial soldier/pilot career, how he met Chewie and Lando, and how he received the scar under his chin just to name a few.

The Harry Potter stories also bring that same unlimited potential to the table.Obviously, it is nowhere near as old as Star Wars, and J.K. Rowling has just finished telling the tale.So I doubt she will part with the rights until the movies are over.The personalities that are written into Harry Potter are so diverse, you like and are intrigued by them.The writing is so pristine, when you read the books, you feel as though you know the people in the story.With that being said, of course, I think people would want to write and read, "The Voldemort Chronicles," telling detailed stories in pieces of Tom Riddle's decent into darkness.J.K. Rowling does touch on history and past events in the books, but this could be taken so much farther if given the chance.Dumbledore, Snape, The Black Family, any of it would work for a writer and people would read it.

Maybe it's a simple comparison that everyone sees, maybe it's not.All I can say is, I hope that Mr.Lucas does three more movies, or hands it off to another director.I feel the same way about Harry Potter, I would Love to see a series' of stories about other characters history and adventures.What do you think?Would you read a book, or watch a movie, about your favorite Harry Potter character?They are dissecting X-Men, which they should.Why can't we use the Harry Potter world to do the same?

I am a freelance writer looking to establish a name for myself in this bright big new world. Specializing in creative/article writing, rewriting, web research, web content, and short stories.

Developing Wealth Building Habit

Writing Monologues - Be So Emotional

WHAT IS A MONOLOGUE?

• A monologue expresses the thoughts of one person.
• A monologue should have a beginning, middle and end.
• A monologue should always reveal something - be it a story, a secret, an answer to a question, or an emotional outpouring.

PART THREE of this series on Writing Monologues will focus on emotion.

It is essential that there is an emotional journey in your monologue. Just as there needs to be a journey in the story from beginning to end, there needs to be an emotional journey: a change, a development, a transfer from one emotional state to another. There's nothing worse than a monologue that picks a single emotional state and stays there for the whole piece! Variety is the key.

What does that mean?

Think of your monologue as a roller coaster. There are ups and downs, peaks and valleys. That's what makes the roller coaster exciting, the changes in the journey from beginning to end. The mistake that a lot of writers make is to think that intense equals interesting. That if there are a lot of exclamation marks, an audience will be engaged. Nothing could be farther than the truth. Audiences do not like to be yelled at. Certainly you can shock an audience, you can have intense moments. But the longer that intensity goes, the more your audience will retreat. The more they will think about their dry-cleaning or work. Yelling pushes an audience out of the world of the play, something you definitely do not want.

Also, we as human beings never feel one single emotion at a time. We are happy/sad. Embarrassed/mad. The more variety in the emotion of the monologue, the more three dimensional the character, the more connection with your audience. That's how you grab and audience and keep them: connect through emotion, don't direct through emotion.

Use this exercise to practice changing emotion within a monologue.

EXERCISE

Write a monologue in which a character watches a parade. Re-write to explore the following emotional journeys:

• The character starts MAD and ends HAPPY.
• The character starts SAD and ends PROUD.
• The character starts FEARFUL and ends JOYFUL.
• The character starts JEALOUS and ends with COMPASSION.

Every writer wants to write a monologue that bring down the house. That show stopping moment, that brings the audience to the edge of their seats. How is that accomplished? It's just as easy to go the other way, to write a monologue that completely slows the pace with selfish, indulgent, 'I remember when' writing.

The answer can often be found in the character's 'need to speak.' Why does the character need to speak? What is happening that propels the character speak - why now? Why not yesterday or tomorrow? How do they go for that need? What happens to the character emotionally if they succeed? What happens to the character emotionally if they fail?

The more you determine the need to speak, the more urgent the moment. And urgency will draw an audience in every time.

EXERCISE

• Take your Parade monologue.
• Determine on the best 'need to speak' scenario for your character.
• Determine the emotional quality that best represents this 'need' for the beginning of the monologue.
• Decide if the character succeeds or fails in achieving their 'need' at the end of the monologue.
• Determine the emotional quality that best represents their success or failure.
• Re-write the monologue to show all of the above.

Make every monologue you write an emotional, urgent, need to speak moment.

The next article in this series on Writing Monologues will explore Language Struture. All characters should speak in a specific language that illuminates their personality. This is especially important in monologues, where we focus on a character for more than a couple of lines.

Lindsay Price is the resident playwright for Theatrefolk, an independent publisher of playscripts for schools and student performers.

http://www.theatrefolk.com

Getting Up Earlier

Secrets of Article Writing - How Long Does it Take to Achieve Success?

I get asked this question all the time. Subscribers ask me "How long will it take before I start to see good results in my business?"

And for me there is no hard and fast rule. It depends on what your niche is. It depends on what business model you are using to run your web site. It depends on what it is you wish to achieve, what are your goals. It depends on a whole load of different variables.

But what I can say is that if you do not allocate a specific number of hours to your business every single day, every single week, consistently, then it can take an age for you to see any significant results when you first get started online.

Now for those of you that have full time jobs then it is even more important that you allocate time to work on your business. If you work a standard 35 hours per week, then squeezing another ten hours to your business each week is going to be a challenge. But do you want this online business to succeed or not?

Instead of watching the many soaps every night, instead of watching reality tv, instead of surfing the internet haphazardly searching for more information, what you need to do spend some time on your business business and stick with whatever timetable you create.

Now if you cannot find ten hours plus to work on your business each week, it might take you months instead of weeks to see some positive results. If you spend three hours per day on your business that will equate to 15 hours per week. And if you allocate a further 4 hours over the weekend then that's a total of 19 hours per week and you will begin to make great strides in your business.

Now as well as allocating the time and sticking rigidly to your timetable, you will need to be ruthless on what you focus on your valuable time on. Everything that you do during your business hours, everything you focus on must increase your chances of generating an income.

So reading emails and surfing the internet are not included. The things that will bring in an income are things like writing articles, building traffic, developing relationships and creating products. These are the types of things that will eventually generate a consistent income for you.

So although there is no hard and fast rules as to the time it will take for you to see the seeds of success.... I do know that if you are consistent, that's day in and day out, week in and week out - if you consistently work on your business then you will begin to generate consistent income online.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article writing to build your list:

Download it free here: Secrets of Article Writing.

Want to learn how to increase your online income by effortlessly creating high priced products that your customers need and desire? Find out more here: Create High Ticket Products Fast.

Janet Cole is a powerful coach and online mentor. She has over 570 articles in print and has created 10 products in the last 12 months.

You Have To Start Somewhere

Writing Jobs - What You Should Know Before Accepting

After a few years of writing some writers look much older than their age. They have deep frown lines, and startle sharply at any loud noise. Here's why they're nervous wrecks: they never grab the reins of writing jobs they're offered, and they've never learned the power of "No."

There's a secret you need to know if you want to make money writing: many of your clients have no idea of what they want you to write, and why. They have an amorphous idea, or even a collection of ideas of what they want. They expect their writer (you) to put bones and flesh on their ideas.

Your first task as a writer if you want to avoid frown lines and lead a peaceful productive life, is to help your potential clients to define exactly what they want -- BEFORE you accept a writing job.

Here are three steps to doing that.

1. If It's Not in the Brief, It's Not Going to Happen

Every writing job starts with a brief, or job description. I advise my writing students to study each brief, and then rewrite it in their own words. When you do this, holes in the brief will come to light, and you can start asking questions.

Please get into the habit of asking lots of questions. No, you won't look stupid or inexperienced -- remember that 99.9 per cent of your clients aren't clear on exactly what they want. Your first task is to help them to decide and articulate the scope of the job they want you to do.

Make it your motto: "if it's not in the brief, it's not going to happen."

2. Trust Your Intuition, and Google

You'll be offered writing jobs, and your gut will clench. Sometimes it's because a writing job seems too good to be true. Trust your gut. If you can sense that there's something not quite right about a job, you're rarely wrong.

Use Google. Google each and every prospective client, without exception. If something seems wrong, stay clear. A client's problems need never become your problems, unless you willingly slip a noose around your own neck.

3. Learn to Say: "No"

Yes, you can refuse writing jobs. As your writing career develops, you'll refuse more jobs, because you're booked up. You'll become selective, only taking jobs which a client can articulate clearly, and which you know you can complete in a timely manner. You'll have more confidence.

However, you should be selective right from the beginning of your career. If a prospect won't respond promptly to questions you have about a brief, pass on the job. There are always more writing jobs.

Finally, avoid being the kind of writer who becomes jubilant whenever you're offered a writing job. Check the jobs out carefully before you accept, ensuring that the scope of the job is clearly defined in your brief.

Want to make a great income from your writing? Angela Booth's "Sell Your Writing Online NOW" Training Program at http://sellwritingnow.com/Home/training.html gives you all the skills you need to make great money writing for the Web. A subscriber recently said: "Your training has inspired me - I'm on Lesson 14, and I'm making enough money to quit my day job."

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

Getting Up Earlier

$100 Dollars Per Hour Writing Short Articles

Can you imagine working from home in your own time making anything from $50 to $100 dollars an hour? Many people like their jobs or are at least satisfied and are rewarded well with financial and self esteem rewards. But many others are not satisfied at all with an hourly wage paid job. The hours are long, the job is typically monotonous and the decided opinion is that life is to short to step robotically through life living for the weekends.

A job working from home making up to $100 dollars an hour to a person like this would sound like Nirvana. It would sound like paradise on Earth. Are you in the first group or are you in the majority? If you think the idea of being able to work at home at your own pace is the best thing you ever heard of, then possibly writing articles could be right for you.

Imagine waking up at a civilized hour every morning and getting the coffee going and taking a leisurely stroll down the hall to work which is the spare room you have converted to your office. It is not just that you don't have to report on a daily basis to some cold work environment because you are in your cozy home working when you want and how you want. If you'd like to work in your underwear, there is absolutely nobody there to say that you can't.

There are places that list this type of work and typically they are short articles on different topics that are shown as projects that you bid for. You can ask $8 to $10 dollars a 250 word article and you can easily complete 10 an hour when you get practiced and familiar with the topic. This type of work has many benefits, but working at home has got to be one of the top reasons I do it myself.

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

Imagine doubling your money every week with no or little risk! To discover a verified list of Million Dollar Corporations offering you their products at 75% commission to you. Click the link below to learn HOW you will begin compounding your capital towards your first Million Dollars at the easy corporate money program.

http://www.easycorporatemoney.com

Helpful Habit Planning Tips

Simple College Essay Ideas

While it comes to writing college essay then there are many components & issues that one absolutely wants to know how one can master. No matter whether you locate yourself writing about proper method to store the plants in order that they will grow adequately and writing about why unlawful drugs must be legalized, as there are right & wrong ways to set-up & write college essay.

College Essay Papers: College essay is the opinion style format and these are type of college essays, which need individual to have opinion on a few issues & provide causes to help your opinion. These kinds of college essays generally have no right and wrong answer, however are generally graded on completeness of opinion all through the paper, and how clearly student conveyed their message.

Persuasive Essay Papers: Conversely, completely different kind of college paper is persuasive essay. These types of papers are destined to have solid structure with thesis statement at beginning of a paper, and whole rest of college essay is intended to support & back up thesis.

Six main constituents of persuasive college paper comprise of introduction, thesis statement, first, second, & third supporting paragraphs, & finally conclusion of this paper. For these kinds of college papers student have to master the writing concise & clear thesis statement, and forming supporting claims, which have substance & proof.

When written, all the college essays have got 3 main parts: introduction, body, and conclusion. Kind of college essay, which is being written can determine what information goes in all section, but trick & success in writing down great college essay generally lies in giving right kind of info, but as well in being brief and to point. There is not any room for "down" in college paper, and student must be careful to write down with easy words that they & their audience may easily know.

Getting Help with the College Essays: Almost all college students want to take 2 basic writing classes no matter what university or college they attend. Normally these classes may teach every student how one can form & write college essays, also these 2 courses essentially lay foundations for the other kinds of educational writing that one can experience and be needed to do all through one's college vocation. If you are in trouble, when beginning college essay, which you are not very sure about, then there are some places where one will absolutely get aid.

First, the colleges and the universities are always equipped with the tutor centers where all the students can get help in writing college essays & papers. These instructor centers must be able to aid student's form the introductions & thesis statements to make it clearer, and help them with he essays generally if they require help. Other sources for getting the help with this college papers comprise of brothers & sisters that might have gone through the university before them, and private tutors, which can be found all through college campuses.

Find tons of articles like this and more all on Tom's student blog

30 Days To Creating Super Habits

How to Increase Your Article Marketing

Article marketing can offer you with all the elements that you need in growing your ebusiness -- quality, search engine traffic, higher page ranking, an expert status online, great exposure for your products and website, and a stronger online presence. You just have to make sure that you do the process right so you can easily realize your marketing goals in no time.

Here's how you can increase your article marketing:

1. Write about topics that are relevant to your products and services. Always remember that your ultimate goal in publishing your articles is to gain exposure for your offerings so you can increase your sales and revenue. You can properly build up your products and services if you touch on topics or problems that can be addressed or resolved by using your products. For instance, if you are selling information products about SEO, you can talk about the common myths about search engine optimization that can mislead both marketers and bloggers. By doing so, you can easily pitch in your products on your resource box as the answer to your potential clients' dilemma.

2. Deliver newsworthy and timely information. Keep your readers abreast with what is happening on your chosen niche by writing about the newest topics that can surely interest these people. Subscribe to relevant RSS feeds or constantly check relevant reputable sites that can offer you with new information.

3. Multiply the number of your articles. You cannot promote easy recall if you just post 1-2 articles online. If you want your target market to easily remember you, you must be able to offer them with more information compare to your leading competitors. Work harder and strive to produce at least 5-10 articles per day. This can dramatically boost the number of your inbound links that can lead to an impressive search engine ranking.

4. Get your articles republished. Allow ezine publishers or other marketers to use your articles on their blogs, portals, and website as long as they will give you credit for it. This is one way of widening your reach and increasing the exposure of your articles.

5. Keep your articles short and simple. You can attract more attention online if your articles are not lengthy and boring. You can also effectively promote better understanding if you use simple terms or plain English all throughout your content that can help your readers to easily get the message that you are trying to get across.

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

Download it free here: Secrets of Article Writing

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

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

Getting Up Earlier

Article Submission Tool

Expose your articles on the web with the help of an article submission tool. This tool is a vital component in successful article marketing. It can be either software or an online service which assures the exposure of your article to a greater number of readers online.

Article marketing involves getting articles to be seen by web surfers. This is no easy task as online advertising is much more complicated than it looks. There are a huge number of websites where you can submit and post your articles. However, depending on the website's popularity, your articles would probably receive only a limited amount of viewers. Using an article submission tool will help you place your articles in websites that matter most.

An article submission tool will help you build the credibility of your website. You might wonder how this works. First, the tool submits your articles to target sites where you will receive a lot of readers. When readers read your articles, they will see a back link to lead them to your website. The more readers you have for your articles, the more visitors your website will receive.

Having a large number of visitors to your website will increase your sales dramatically. You can thank the efforts of the article submission tool, for without it, you could take months to years trying to duplicate the effort it has made in an instant.

With article submission services, your articles will receive the much needed attention from readers. Consequently, you will receive lots of traffic to your site and you can generate a large amount of income from it. However, online article submission services require a certain amount of fees for you to avail of them.

An article submission tool or software is a prime alternative to article submission services online. There are software which can be bought at low costs and there are those which are free. This is a very good option to get that large number of reader's right where you want them to be, reading your articles.

An article submission tool is programmed to work by themselves with minimal supervision from the user. They can be set to do their tasks automatically or semi-automatically. You get to submit more articles and generate more back links with the help of these tools. You acquire more traffic to your website thereby boosting your sales. Most of all, you get to achieve all of these by just a few simple clicks.

Learn more about article marketing and which article submission tool is best for you by visiting my blog.

Read honest and detailed reviews of article submission service. Also, find out how article submission software can work for you.

Helpful Habit Planning Tips

How to Find Ideas Through Daydreams

Daydreams as a source of ideas

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Then set the problem aside.

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

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

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

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

Creating A Habit

Tips For Writing Ezine Articles

It doesn't matter how much experience you have writing, everyone draws a blank from time to time when trying to write ezine articles. Fortunately, there are a few tips that can help you get past the mental block and writing those articles in no time. As a writer, you probably already know that a catchy headline and a lead paragraph is an excellent way to grab the attention of the reader right from the beginning. This is true, but you can't stop there.

The way to keep the attention of the reader is through the action steps used throughout the article. This is where you identify your subject and build your article around it. For example, if your subject is about running a small business, then your article should focus on that. The action steps should include tips that will help the business owner be more productive, utilize their time wisely and provide new techniques that can help the business run more smoothly.

Are you having trouble creating the headline or the opening paragraph? Sometimes it can be easier to come up with a catchy title and opening after you have written the action steps because you are more excited about the information you're sharing. Therefore, if you are having problems coming up with these, go ahead and skip them for now and go straight into writing the action steps. You can come back to them later.

Now you have the makings of a great ezine article. You have an exciting beginning that captures the attention of the reader and holds it throughout the body of the article. Now you must leave them on a positive note by ending your article with something they will remember. The ending is your last chance to make an impression and give the reader something to carry with them. Save your most important point for the end. Give them something they can put into action right away, as soon as they are finished reading. This way they will be more likely to remember your name and come back to your articles the next time they need information.

EzineArticles gives you the opportunity to include a short but informative signature file at the end of all of your articles. This is referred to as the "About the Author" section and it's something that you should take advantage of. Here you can tell a little about yourself, promote your work or provide a link to your website encouraging the reader to visit and see what else you have to offer them. You can use the same information for all of your ezine articles or create new ones depending on the topic you are writing about.

It doesn't mater what type of ezine article you're writing. You could be offering advice for a small business, writing a newsletter or creating marketing articles, but the tips mentioned above can help you get the attention you've been working so hard to obtain.

Lisa is a freelance writer with a specialty in Internet content and SEO articles. She has written thousands of articles, hundreds of ebooks and thousands of website pages and related content. She has also authored her own books and works as a consultant to other writers, Internet marketers and Internet businesses. Professional wordsmith for hire: gamer, wife, mother, entrepreneur, published poet, co-owner of game guides company, public speaker and Internet business consultant. You can learn more or follow Lisa's blog from her website: http://www.freelancewriter4hire.com

Starting With Simple Things

Work From Home As a Freelance Writer

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

30 Days To Creating Super Habits

Writing a Friendly Letter

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Signature bears the name of the letter sender.

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

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

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

(Salutation / greeting)
Dear Jade,

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

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

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

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

(Closing)
Lovingly yours

(Signature and printed name)
***
Sapphire

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

Habits To Prevent Losing Things

Freelance Writers - How to Sell $25-$35 Per Article Writing Services to Clients

Article marketing works. There's no doubt about it. And, to make money online as a freelance writer, it is one of the easiest services to sell to clients. Many freelance writers either overlook this easy way of making money online, or don't know how to market it effectively.

This article explains why article marketing works, and how to make money online as a freelance writer selling the service to clients.

Make Money Online: Why Article Marketing Works

In order to convince someone to buy something, you have to first convince them that it works. In marketing, this is known as pointing out the benefits to the buyer. In succinct terms, the benefit of article marketing is twofold: (i) it generates long-term traffic; and (ii) it increases on- and off-line sales.

How Article Marketing Works to Generate Long-term Traffic

Article marketing generates long-term traffic because when buyers conduct research online, they're searching first for information. If they run across an article you wrote for a client site, for example, that answers all of their questions, how likely do you think they'll be to make a purchase?

If you're an optimist, you said, "Very likely." If you're pessimist, you said, "Not very likely." For the pessimist, I counter with, what if you found a repository of articles on a site. While one article may not do the trick, 3, 5 or 10 might.

And, this is one benefit freelance writers can point out to potential clients - ie, fill your site with informative content -- and clients will be more likely to buy from you.

FYI, information never goes out of style. It is the number one thing consumers search for online. Hence, informative articles on a site - written in the right way (eg, written with search engine optimization (SEO) techniques in mind) - can drive traffic to a site for years.

An article written 1, 3, 5 or 10 years ago can still drive traffic - if it was written with SEO in mind. And, the more traffic a site has, the more sales it makes.

SEO Copywriting: Why Article Writing is the Perfect Job for Freelance Writers

More and more businesses are putting larger parts of their budgets into online advertising. And, article marketing campaigns are a big part of this.

When you lay out to clients how and why they need informative content on their sites - and you show them why you're the perfect person to provide it, it becomes a no-brainer for them to hire you to write that content.

Freelance Writing Rates for Articles: Charge $25-$50 and Make $30K to $50K/Year

You can charge $25, $35 or $50 or more for simple articles of only 350-500 words. Write five or six of these a day, and you can easily replace a job where you make $30,000-$50,000/year.

Making money online as a freelance writer is easier than it used to be - especially if you're an SEO copywriter.

About the Author: Yuwanda Black is a freelance SEO copywriter and the author of How to Make $250+/Day Writing Simple, 500-Word Articles. Ms. Black says, "You can make money online as a freelance article writer. I do it everyday -- charging $35-$100+ per article" Learn more about how to start a successful career as an SEO copywriter, or explore other freelance writing jobs

Habits To Prevent Losing Things

The Perks of Writing a Novel

Let's be honest here: Writing a novel is no small task. Yes, I know there are eBooks out there claiming to show you how to complete a novel in 30 days, but it can't be done, at least not by a newcomer to novel writing.

Producing 70-odd thousand words is a big enough challenge alone. But to learn the rules of how to plot a novel and how to create characters and all the rest of it,(which is the position a newcomer would find themselves in) well, let's just say that two or three years is a more realistic estimate of how long writing a novel will take you.

Which leads me to the point of this article.

What is the payback for all this hard work? What can you expect to get out of it?

To be honest, the perks of writing a novel will be different for everyone. For some, making money from their fiction will be the prize they keep their eyes on. For others, it might be the promise of fame (or, God help you, celebrity). For many more, the creative challenge alone will be sufficient.

For what it is worth, here is what motivates me (and what doesn't)...

First up, it isn't the money (honestly!) Not that the riches that a bestselling novel might bring wouldn't be welcome in my bank account, but I would be lying if I claimed it was money that motivated me to write.

The same thing goes for fame. (I'm perfectly happy out of the glare of the spotlight, thank you very much.) Even the possibility of writing a truly great novel and going down in literary history doesn't do it for me (well, maybe a little).

You see, all of these things are rewards that you receive only after your novel is published. Before that can happen, you face years of hard work with no guarantee whatsoever of publication. And even if your novel is published, it is unlikely to be successful enough to enable you to quit the day job (sorry, but those are the cold facts). To put it simply, if fame and fortune are what you seek then novel writing probably isn't the best train to climb aboard.

So what else is there?

The challenge of writing a novel, that's what. And the fun of writing one. The sense of achievement that comes from nailing a particularly tricky scene, or from figuring out a clever plot-twist.

The opportunity to have a creative outlet for all of your thoughts and theories and feelings and beliefs on what it means to be alive in this funny old world.

Above all, the chance to rebuild the world according to your own specifications - and then to play at being God in that world. That is exactly what writing a novel is all about when you think about it: Playing at being God in a world of your own making. And which of us wouldn't want to do that?

Harvey Chapman is a published writer and a full-time teacher of creative writing. He founded his Novel Writing Web Site in early 2008 (http://www.novel-writing-help.com/). The Site offers free and expert advice on planning, writing and selling novels.

30 Days To Creating Super Habits

Succeeding As a Writer - Confidence and Determination

When I've written something, and the words have just flowed, I sometimes feel like I'm looking down on the Seventh Day, basking in the warmth of my creation and proclaiming, It Is Good. I'll feel like I've captured the emotion and the angst; or the flavor, color, and texture of the world I envisioned. The characters will be as real as Real People to me. I'll feel that glow in my chest: Of course I'm a writer. This is something I was meant to do.

Now, as a psychologist, I believe it's not only okay, it's healthy to be able to say to yourself, "I did a good job on that." "I'm a good writer." You don't have to announce it to the world (in fact, you probably shouldn't!), but you're healthier if you have a secret little place inside with a nice big refrigerator to put up your accomplishments, and where you can nod and pat yourself on the back and think, I Did Good. I even have lots of professional terms to make that all sound more authoritative, like self-esteem, self-efficacy, and adequate mirroring on the Grandiose Pole. But I'm going to skip all that for right now.

If feeling good about what you'd written was as far as any of this went, all would be well. But so many of us have this urge, this drive, this need to get published. And what is that all about anyways? Few people make money publishing. It's cool, but unless you're Stephenie Meyer or JK Rowling or whoever this week's Hot Writer is, it's a passing cool that others soon forget. Getting published doesn't make you beautiful or thin or get you a Happily Ever After with whichever celebrity you drool over most.

Yet the need remains. So you sweat blood over a query and open a vein to get the synopsis right and then, hoping, praying, believing you've got something others will love, you start sending your work out to others.

Some writers start with crit buddies, some jump straight to agents and publishers; some do both simultaneously. And most soon discover that not everyone else thinks their work is so good.

According to Robert Heinlein, that's where a lot of people quit. In fact, he believed that only half the writers who actually put pen to paper (or words to screen) and finish what they start have the guts to submit to agents and publishers:

Writers...are inordinately fond of their brainchildren. They would rather see their firstborn child ravaged by wolves than suffer the pain of having a manuscript rejected. So instead they [only] read their manuscripts aloud to spouses and long-suffering friends.

But you're not satisfied to believe the friends and family who swear your work is fantastic -- you have to send your work out to people outside that little circle. And as the crits roll in and the rejections pile up, you look at your work with fresh eyes, and you realize it's miserable. It's embarrassingly horrible. You're embarrassingly horrible, and stupid besides to ever have believed someone else might be interested in the ridiculous stories you make up in your head.

Lather, rinse, repeat. Crit after crit, rejection letter after rejection letter.

Some throw in the towel right away. "The world just isn't ready for my material," they sniff, or they decide that all agents are self-important jerks who wouldn't know a good story if it ran them over. There are even websites that exist for the purpose of ranting about your rejections and throwing mud back at the agents who sent them. (Who are, by the way, human beings who are just doing their jobs as best they can. But that's another blog post.)

Other writers are worn down over weeks, months, or years of querying. Or by disapproving relatives. Or by savage critique "buddies." The rejection hurts. A lot.

But some always manage to drag themselves out of the dirt, brush themselves off, and try again. Just like they need to write, they need to keep trying to get published.

"Writing is a calling," says editor Betsy Lerner. "If the call subsides, so be it. [But] when writers say they have no choice, what they mean is: Everything in the world conspired to make me quit, but I kept going." She goes on:

Many writers have gathered their marbles and gone home for far less cause. It takes a supreme talent and fierce self-belief to write in the face of such acrimony... If the high wire is for you, if the spotlight is for you, if you believe that everyone should pay attention to you and your work, then you must stay focused. Ambivalence will never get you anywhere.

What it comes down to, I've read over and over again, is determination in the face of all that feedback, all those rejections. A willingness to learn, of course, but also determination to overcome and succeed:

• The degree of one's perseverance is the best predictor of success - Betsy Lerner
• In all manner of pursuits there's a tendency to overesimate brilliance and underestimate persistence. Talent is common. Determination is rare. -Ralph Keyes
• [The authors of the Chicken Soup books] instinctively understood that all those rejections were simply an uncomfortable part of the process that would eventually get them where they wanted to be. - literary agent Jeff Herman
• [Author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Ken] Kesey was not even remotely the best writer in class [at the writing program at Stanford], but he was maniacally determined. - Classmate and writer Thomas McGuane
• Talent is extremely common. What is rare is the willingness to endure the life of a writer - Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

So where do you find the determination? According to Keyes, you have to hate the idea of being ignored, of never being read, more than you hate the pain of rejection. "It is some combination of ability and ego," adds Lerner, "desire and discipline, that produces good work." She continues:

A writer's success or faltering can usually be traced to some abundance or deficit of those elements. Some of the most gifted writers I've worked with were also the most self-sabotaging. Lack of discipline, desire for fame, and depression often thwart those whose talents appear most fertile, while those who struggle with every line persevere regardless.

In many ways, learning to deal with rejection from agents and publishers is just the first step. Because when you do manage to get published, you will have to deal with critics, the bloodthirsty pirahna in the sea of your success. People who have sudden, overwhelming success, are not prepared for it. And that may topple them and keep them from producing good work going forward. So keep running that gauntlet, and be proud of your calluses and scars, because they mean you believed in yourself enough to keep going.

Dr. Carolyn Kaufman is a clinical psychologist who teaches at Columbus State Community College in Columbus, Ohio. A published writer, she recently launched Archetype Writing: Psychology for Fiction Writers (http://www.archetypewriting.com). Visitors will find not only articles about psychology tailored to their needs, but they can ask Dr. K their writing/psychology questions. She also blogs on the QueryTracker.net Blog (http://querytracker.blogspot.com). She is often quoted by the media as an expert resource.

Spending 15 Minutes Each Day

Writing About What You Know

Tapping into the information bank you have inside of you already requires a way to get access to your inner author. It is that part of your brain that you normally hear about as your right brain. The right brain is the part that likes music, laughter, fun, games and being creative.

When you try to approach your writing from an a more structured approach you will immediately be shifted to your left brain that is more logical. That side also is more intellectual and analyzes well but is not usually very good at communicating. That is why writers block seems so frequently to be a problem with many people.

Step outside of your logic and just tell your reader about your information as if you are telling a friend who is sitting across the table from you. Writing in that kind of conversational tone will connect with more people and will also be easier for you to do. When the flow of words begins to start you can relax into your story and writing will be easier for you.

Next time you sit down to write you will find that the flow will start more easily and if writers block appears you can recognize immediately that you are leaning toward your left brain and need to go back toward the right. When you experience this you will find that your block will be easier to dissolve because you have identified what is the cause of the block. This flag will help show you there is a need to change your writing approach. It is a great tool for you to use so you can begin to write as well as write more creatively.

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

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

Getting Up Earlier

The Moral of the Story

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Spending 15 Minutes Each Day

Read a Book Today

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Creating A Habit

Ways to Get Freelance Writing Jobs

These days, it's important to find ways to earn additional income. And asking yourself "How do I become a freelance writer?" is your ticket to exactly that. Of course, I assume that you do have an interest in writing; otherwise, this might not be fitting for you.

If you have a flair for writing, then finding freelance writing jobs is going to be easy. All you have to do is follow these steps and you're well on your way to writing yourself a good paycheck.

1) Surf the net for online "wanted" signs.

So how do I become a freelance writer? Well, try the net. A lot of people are actually looking for online writers at the moment. All you have to do is type "freelance writers" or "bloggers wanted" and you're all set.

I know this might sound too easy and so must be impossible, but that's not entirely true. To be honest, that's exactly how I first started my writing gig.

2) Don't be afraid to contribute.

If you want to know how to become a freelance writer for a magazine, you have to submit your articles to them yourself.

Many magazines accept contributions that are useful and valuable, so make sure your work is in line with what that magazine stands for and send your article!

3) Prepare sample works.

Whether online or in real life, you have to prepare sample works for your potential employers. This is one way they can gauge if you're fit for the job or not.

Sometimes though, they'll ask you to create a new article out of a topic they chose. When this happens, make sure you do your research. Never plagiarize and stick to what you know.

Trying to deal with the question "How do I become a freelance writer?" is an exciting journey. You're going to have to put yourself out there, trust in your instincts and in your own writing skills. Never be afraid to use creativity and imagination, too!

Want to earn a 5-figure monthly income through freelance writing jobs? Go to http://www.20daypersuasion.com/5figurewriter.htm and discover how to earn massive amounts of money by becoming a freelance writer.

Helpful Habit Planning Tips