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.

How to Become a Writer and Have Your Writing Published on the Internet

Writing articles and blog posts for the internet is similar to writing for offline publications, but you will find that online writing is published faster and easier. I had wanted to write for many years, but was discouraged at the slow process and rejection of magazines and publishers in general. Once I discovered online writing, I was able to become the writer I had always wanted to be, and get my message out to others.

Article writing and blogging are the easiest ways to get started. These two areas will give you vast exposure to readers from around the world, and help you get your message out. During the first few months you will spend time finding your voice, so that you can decide what it is that you want to share with other people.

It is also refreshing to find that there are no traditional editors telling you what you can write and rejecting your writing for a myriad of reasons. The 1.4 billion internet users are your audience, and it is them that you are reaching out to with your online writing.

You can also turn your writing into short reports and eBooks, both of which can be sold on the internet. Choose a niche that is in high demand and you will be able to start making sales right away. A book published by a traditional publisher could take as long as a year or more to get published.

So get started with your online writing and submit articles to directories. Begin a blog on your niche topic and you will be on your way to a life as a writer on the internet.

And now I invite you to join me for free weekly teleseminars by visiting http://www.EbookWritingandMarketingSecrets.com to learn how to write articles, blog, become involved in social networking and learn the technology needed to build a profitable online business.

Connie Ragen Green has been online since 2005 and teaches people how to build their own online business in record time, offering free teleseminars weekly, as well as online courses in a workshop environment.

Meditation Within All The World's Religions

Many people associate meditation with Far Eastern religions like Buddhism and Hinduism, and don't realize that there are also many forms of Judeo-Christian meditation, as well as meditations from other faiths. Below is an overview of meditation as it is generally viewed within each major religion, along with book suggestions and links to resources with more information.

In Buddhism, observing and stilling the mind are the key to recognizing the transience of all thoughts and emotions, in order to connect with eternal, non-personal awareness. Awakening the Buddha Within: Tibetan Wisdom for the Western World by Surya Das is a great book for learning the basics of Buddhism and meditation.

In Hinduism, meditating is the core practice for merging the mind with the energies operating beneath the physical world, through which the mind can ultimately merge with the source of these energies itself. Meditation is considered part of yoga practice - yoga means 'union' and meditation is considered the primary method for merging our awareness with the divine. Yoga periodicals such as Yoga Journal often feature beginning yoga meditation techniques.

In Kabbalah, often called Jewish mysticism, a form of meditation called 'hitbonenut', which involves contemplating a concept or light itself, is used to attain true, meta-intellectual knowledge. A good book for learning about incorporating meditation into mainstream Jewish traditions is Jewish Meditation: A Practical Guide by Aryeh Kaplan.

Eastern Orthodox Christianity incorporates the 'hesychasm', or Jesus prayer, performed in a meditative, chanting fashion, in order to connect with the heart of faith. For some more info, go to Hesychasm.

Roman Catholicism includes contemplative practices such as the rosary for lay people, and many silent contemplative practices for monastic initiates. St. Theresa of Avila was one of several Catholic mystics who wrote on the benefits of mental prayer. Check out her writings or the writings of Jesuit Ignatius Loyola for traditional Catholic meditations.

In Quaker meetings participants sit in silence, waiting for the 'inner light' to inspire someone to speak. Check out the writings of Mary Coelho, a modern Quaker and writer, for her insights on the role of quiet contemplation in modern Quakerism.

The Sufis within Islam incorporate both energy center and devotional meditation to merge with the 'beloved divine' responsible for life itself. Sufism has many branches and corresponding meditation techniques, but most are centered on love meditations. Check out How to do Sufi Meditation by Kuriakos for more information.

Taoism is the ancient Chinese mystic tradition and philosophy focused on balance and the interacting forces of yin/yang, passive/aggressive, masculine/feminine, and creating/receiving. Tai Chi is often considered a form of moving Taoist meditation. Sitting Taoist meditation focuses on similar themes of balance and flow.

The Bahai faith, a relatively new religious tradition, founded in 19-century Persia, emphasizes the spiritual unity of all humankind and the common themes of all world religions. Check out this information on Bahai meditation.

Lisa Erickson is a mom, meditation teacher, and writer. Visit her blog http://www.MommyMystic.wordpress.com for spiritual book reviews and information on meditation and spirituality.

Spending 15 Minutes Each Day

You Absolutely Must Know Now - Self Help Tips

1) Find out what you really want (xyz income a year, romance)
2) And who you want to be (loving, successful, happy)
3) Know WHY you want the above (more time, less stress)
4) State them as specific Intentions (I am / I have vs I will)
5) Start being that person (How would a happy person earning $ xyz act?)

The word "Goal" often brings up draggy, hard to achieve images for most of us. Groannnn! No wonder we lose motivation - 'cos we didn't really care about the goal as much as what we thought it would bring us. It also says "DO DO DO" and while doing is a big part of it, it isn't quite the start point. So what is?

Being. As you focus on who you want to Be, the Doing action flows naturally.

You can be a successful entrepreneur. A great parent. Courageous. Happy. The good news is you get to consciously choose whoever you want to be!

Planning. Next, create SMART goals (specific, measurable, actionable, resonant and thrilling - a little twist on the conventional definition). Your goals should (not that I'm telling you what to do ha-ha) excite you, scare you and align with your values.

Doing. Be ready to take inspired action, and make it consistent action.

Some things you can do to climb back on the horse when you fall:

Hold yourself accountable to a friend, a coach, an accountability partner. Join a mastermind group. Change your goals if they don't excite you anymore. Yeah, really! Let them go. Be nice to yourself, have fun, treat yourself when you accomplish a task and ask for help - you don't have to go it alone.

This isn't an exhaustive list but it's definitely a good place to tap into when stuck.

Bottom-line: By clearly knowing what you want and why, you've got a better chance of getting it. Sounds good to me!

Tia Singh,
Inspired by Fun! Life Coaching -
Life And Success Coach, LOA Coach, NLP Practitioner and Psych K facilitator.
"Bust those self limiting beliefs - they're not working for you anymore!
"Live your Best Life Ever"
Website: http://www.inspiredbyfun.com
Simply stated, I inspire and support people like you to live a life of love, courage and fulfillment. It's time to live the life you were born to live.
Visit my website at http://www.inspiredbyfun.com to learn more about my services and to book a free consultation. Let's get this party started!

30 Days To Creating Super Habits

5 Ways to Quit Smoking

The smoking is dangerous to health, many of the experts says that the smoke is more harmful than the nicotine. There are more than 40 chemicals which are found in the cigarette smoke. Some of them are very dangerous as Benzene (used as a petrol additive), Formaldehyde (it is an embalming fluid), Ammonia (used as a toilet cleaner), Acetone (contained in nail polish remover) and many more. These chemicals are very harmful for the body and health.

So, If you want to quit smoking then I think these 40 chemicals should give you 40 reasons to quit smoking. If you will think that you are inhaling a toilet cleaner (ammonia) with the smoke of the cigarette then it will help you to quit smoking. Think about bad effects of the smoking and start following practices on the daily basis. I am sure if you will apply these things in your routine then you will be able to save your health and life by quiting smoking.

1. Start The Day With Positive Thinking: The people who wants to quit smoking they must always thinking about it. Some of the people think that they can not quit smoking so they fail in the attempt of it. Start your day with a positive thinking as "I can quit smoking". This thinking will keep energize you whole day. As possible you should avoid the presence of any smoker because the presence of any smoker at your work place may deviate your attention towards quit smoking.

2.Use Healthy Diet (Such as Fruits) on Regular Basis: If your diet will be good and healthy then it may help you to quit smoking. Take a healthy meal and some of the fruits which can neglect the previous harms by smoking. Use fruits in your diet, juice and the products with more liquid may help you. Eating fruit like apple, carrot, sticks, celery, etc. may lower the harms by the cigarette. You may go for the vitamin C- rich foods because they contain more antioxidants.

3. Keep away from Liquor and Coffee: Liquor and coffee are liquid but it dose not mean that you should use it. The liquor lower the water level inside the body and it can throw your mind towards the smoking. Same with the coffee, It contains caffeine some times it helps in quit smoking (If you want to smoke then take cup of coffee, it will kill your temptation towards the smoking) but, if you will take the coffee in the large amount then it will harm you more than the cigarette.

4. Take More liquid During Day: If you want to smoke then drink one liter of water, you will see that you have no need to smoke that time. And also when you take more liquid it will help to quit out the nicotine from your body.

5. Get Exercising and Look Fit : Exercise is always helpful your body and health. If you will exercise everyday them some of the nicotine will also out from body with the sweat. If you exercise in morning it will also keep you energize whole day and help you in quit smoking.

I thinks there are many smokers who want to quit smoking but due to not proper guidance and "will power" they fail to do so. If you have a great eager to quit smoking then you will quit smoking with a strong will power.

Author is a member of the India News and has a great experience in providing latest Breaking News there. Here on Ezinearticles he shares his personal thinking and knowledge on the different Issues.

30 Days To Creating Super Habits

Law of Attraction - How to Activate

What is it?

The Law of Attraction Simply states that whatever we Focus on will be drawn to us.

But how does this Work?

Its best explained by briefly taking a look at Quantum Physics. Quantum Physics is the study of the building blocks of the universe. Quantum Physics has proven that everything in this universe is made up of atoms, and atoms are made up of sub-atomic particles sometimes called quanta. These sub-atomic particles are nothing but concentration of energy.

It has become clear that everything in this universe is made of energy. The only difference between an atom of Iron and an atom of gold is that the atom of iron has energy that is vibrating at a different frequency to the energy of gold. It is clear that the reason why the same particles grow together is because they are vibrating at the same frequency

Law of Attraction and Thoughts

In order to explain how the law of attraction works we need to understand what thought are. Thoughts are Vibrational Energy and a very potent form of energy. That means that it will be attracted to other forms of energy with the same frequency. when we hold a thought in our mind or a picture of an item we would like to attract then the picture in our mind (thought) is at the same frequency as the item we are attempting to attract.

How to implement the law of attraction

Step 1. Determine what it is that you would like to Attract

Step 2. Hold a picture in your mind. Hold the picture in your mind for as long and as often as possible

Step 3 See yourself enjoying the thing you would like to attract, e.g. If its a new car see yourself driving in the car waving to your friend.See yourself driving the car to a favorite place.

How to "activate" the law of attraction?

The simplest way to activate it is to hold a mental picture of what you desire as long as possible and as often as possible. Feel that you already have what you want with certainty; you will see it quickly in your real life. There are Self help books or motivation books which will explore this topic in greater details.

Discover How to Naturally Attract Abundance

http://www.bestselfhelpbooks.net

http://www.adrianasalmon.blogspot.com

You Have To Start Somewhere

Optimist Or Pessimist - Self Help Tips

For myself, I am an optimist. It does not seem to be much use being anything else. -Sir Winston Churchill-

Even though most of us know the above quote is true, it is still easy to become a pessimist in the world in which we live today. We know that it generally makes things worse to always look on the negative side of things, but many times it seems much easier than the discipline it will take to think positive.

All good change has come to the world by different people who had a vision and carried it out. Most inventors are called eternal optimists because they are passionate about what they do and truly believe they can make the world a better place.

The problem with pessimism is that you confine yourself to only what you can see with your physical eyes, and much of it is negative. You then make all decisions based on that information instead of focusing on how things could be made better.

Our natural inclination is to look at what we see around us and take it at face value. We rarely think that God could use one person, namely us, as an instrument for positive change.

The Holy Spirit can give you a vision as to what you need to do for the future, and give you the faith to bring it to pass.

God has an awesome plan for the life of every Christian, because we are all part of the Body of Christ. He has given us certain gifts in order to carry out His work here. Our job is to discover those gifts and let Him use us in the areas where He sees fit. No earthly person can see the BIG PICTURE, so it is hard to imagine how everything will fit together when the work has been completed.

Some jobs will be tough and others easy, and you might never see exactly how things will fit together in the end; but you can have the assurance that God is in control and whatever He does is always perfect and good.

Perfect satisfaction, peace, and joy can only come from being in the center of Gods Will and submitting your whole life to Him. Only people who have a vision can change the world. Ask God to show you His Vision for your life; then ask Him to give you the faith to attain it.

Choose to think positive and see the great things God can do through your life.

Cathy Deaton is the author of Handbook for Victorious Christian Living, practical ways for the Christian who is seeking God to learn to live in victory in every area of their life.

Check out her site at http://handbook-victorious-christian-living.com

Also check out her blog at http://who-god-is.com

God has done remarkable things in her life and she has found that He is truly a God of wonder and amazement, and wants to bless His children in more ways than they could ever imagine.

Her site Blueprint for Victorious Christian Living takes passages from the Bible and gives the meaning of key words in the Greek or Hebrew. The articles are short and can be printed out easily for study, or be read online in about 5 minutes.

Finding Something You Don

A Choiceful State of Being

Julia Cameron in her world famous book The Artist's Way writes about, and for, blocked creatives. That describes not just the writers and artists for whom she initially intended her book, but all of us at one time or another. Being blocked is a fearful state of being.

What keeps us blocked and unable to find creative solutions to our challenges is being in this fearful state. It's like a catch 22 - you can't find solutions to your problems because your problems keep you in a state of fear where you can't find solutions to your problems. As I've written before, when you are experiencing fear you are accessing a portion of your brain called the Reptilian Brain.

This part of our brain is the first brain we had in our evolvement and we still have it for a good reason. It allowed us to survive back in the days of dinosaurs and still serves us in our modern day survival.

To this part of our brain everything is either something to flee from or something to fight. Either fight or run. Notice that there is not an array of choices here. In today's world this translates into the form of the threat usually being a person, rather than a dinosaur. We still react the same by either wanting to fight or run away. Now, however, the fighting may be verbal and the flight may take the form of avoidance.

Luckily for us our brains evolved and we now have additional portions of our brain which we can utilize. The cerebral part of our brain is one of these "new" areas and is where we get creative.

It's where we visualize, create, and and are able to find new opportunities as we "see" choices and solutions.

Using our cerebral brain puts us in a choiceful state of being.

When we move our awareness out of the Reptilian part of our brain and into the cerebral cortex we begin to find choices that are far better than the limitation of only fight or flight. We begin to see choices that lead to collaboration, win/win solutions, harmonious relationships, and most importantly, peace.

Sounds great, doesn't it? But when your consciousness is in the limitation of the fear based Reptilian brain, how do you move it into the creative cerebral cortex? It's quite simple, actually.

Visualization
When you visualize you are automatically moving your awareness out of the Reptilian brain and into the cerebral cortex, activating this creative portion of your brain. Any form of visualization will work. Here's a few suggestions:

• Draw a diagram or mind map of the situation. Begin with diagramming the issue and as you work with it and your awareness moves into your cerebral brain, you'll begin to see alternatives and choices. Include them in your diagram or map.
• Close your eyes and envision the situation as if it is on a stage and you are the director. As you are watching the players - including yourself as the star - how might you make changes to the plot for an equitable outcome?
• Use a visual tool such as a Tarot card. Select a card at random from the deck and describe what's happening in the picture on the card. What are the choices the people on the card have in regards to their situation? How does this relate to your situation?

Living in a choiceful state of being gives you and everyone around you the gift of living in harmony rather than conflict, collaboration rather than competition, and inevitably, peace.

Kathy Wilson helps people get their life unstuck using a multi-faceted approach. She and her clients utilize life coaching, spiritual consulting, NLP, vibrational healing, and teaching... whatever is in her client's highest and best interests. She's a Certified Professional Coach, spiritual teacher, Reiki master, vibrational healer, and author of An Inner Journey: Living Your Life Purpose. For information about her products, services, and classes, visit her websites: http://www.under-one-roof.net and http://www.aninnerjourney.com

Starting With Simple Things

Ghostwriting - A Behind-the-Scenes Job

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Article Writing and How to Decide

Article writing is one of the best ways of promoting your site and providing you with back links which will result in your page rank being enhanced and therefore hopefully bringing more visitors to your site.

You want to write an article but you are unsure of what you need to do and what subject you want to write about. One of the best things you could write about is a subject that you have extensive knowledge of say a hobby or pastime or even a field of work that you have expert knowledge of and preferably a subject that is involved around the site you are promoting.

If you feel unsure of how you should set out your article and the number of words that you want to include in it then I would suggest that you have a look at other article sites that are available such as Freezine Articles, Isnare and Ezine Articles as well as Give-me-articles.

When writing your article at all times remember to include your website url at the bottom of it so that when it is published by the article site you are getting the back link which will help to increase your page rank. A site that I submitted an article for about 9 months ago are now having back links to sites with a PR of 5 or above.

Remember that an article which has been concisely put to together and is easy to read is likely to get more attention than one that rambles on. Also another benefit of producing an article is that sometimes another website owner will request the use of one of your articles and by allowing them to publish it on their site you are getting another back link to yours. Any of your articles that are published by other site owners must include your author and site details.

Allison Thompson lives in Spain and runs a number of websites including http://www.give-me-articles.com.

Should You Update Your Website Copy?

We all know the old adage "If it's not broken, don't fix it"-but there are plenty of website owners who don't heed that sage advice. As a freelance copywriter, I regularly have clients who contact me asking to rewrite web content that's only been up for a few weeks or months. When I ask them their reason for wanting to update it, the answers run the gamut:

"We were #7 in the Google search results last month, and now we're #15."

"I'm just tired of looking at it."

"It's been up there for six months. Seems like it should we should mix it up a bit."

The reality is that none of these reasons is necessarily grounds for a web copy overhaul. A short plunge in organic search rankings may not have a noticeable impact on leads or conversions. And by making a change to achieve one goal (seeing your business' name "up in lights" in Google's Top 5) you may end up sacrificing some other key initiatives. Plus, with the well-known fickleness of search engines, Google and Yahoo may end up having less of an appetite for your new website copy as they did for the old version. And remember: just because you're tired of your web content doesn't mean your customers are.

Instead of gutting and replacing content that's still earning its real estate, why not have a professional freelance writer create some keyword-rich web articles for publication in online directories? A cost-effective Google AdWords campaign can also help give your web presence-and your conversions-a boost.

Of course, there are instances when a web copy update is warranted:

• Your conversions have taken a hit. If a lower percentage of your visitors are converting into customers, it may indeed be high time for a content refresh. But before you assume your website copy is the culprit, consider any other recent changes that may have impacted your users' experience.
• Your offerings have changed. If you've added or removed products or services, your web content should certainly reflect the change in your business' direction.
• In light of new market developments impacting your industry, new keywords have recently been popping up in your analysis reports, and you want to incorporate them into your web copy.

Whatever you decide, be sure to test as much as possible. Copy updates shouldn't be an "all or nothing" endeavor. Tweak a little here, sneak in a Google AdWords campaign there, and test the heck out of it. Just be sure to keep a version of the old copy so you can revert back if it doesn't work out as you'd hoped. And if writing isn't your forte, enlist the services of a trained freelance writer to give your content a professional touch.

Melissa Rudy is a full-time freelance copywriter with Words by Melissa in Cincinnati, Ohio. Melissa provides a wide range of businesses with web page content, articles, product descriptions, brochures, postcards, press releases, and other marketing collateral for web and print. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature with a minor in Journalism. Prior to launching her freelance writing business, Melissa spent 5 years as an E-Commerce Content Manager and 3 years as a Technical Writer for a software company

Website: http://www.wordsbymelissa.com
Email: melissa@wordsbymelissa.com

Ten Ways to Make Money As a Writer

You know you're a talented and prolific writer. You have the spelling, composition and grammar skills to prove it. Perhaps your dream is to write a screenplay, television series or novel, but right now, there are bills to pay. Here are ten ways to make the rent money while you work on your future masterpiece.

1. Journalism
The field of journalism offers variety, because you can choose any of your favorite hobbies or interests, and write about them while earning a reasonable salary. You also have a myriad of venues to submit your writing, including printed media, such as newspapers, magazines and trade journals; or broadcast media, such as television, radio and the Internet. The most important components of writing good news copy are accuracy and timeliness. You must get all of the pertinent details right and submit the story while the topic is fresh. You also need to find your niche. Do you love sports, fashion or travel? The best part about journalism is the ability to write about things you care about, which leads to great copy, because you'll reflect your passion for the subject in your work, making it stand out above the rest.

2. Technical Copy
If you are one of those people that are technical-minded, then technical copywriting is the choice for you. This type of writing requires the ability to read technical specifications and engineering documents, then understand them well enough to break them down into simpler language for the average reader. This field includes creating user manuals, technical specifications and company documents, such as equipment lists, for both traditional print and for the web. A strong background in engineering, drafting and mechanics will prove beneficial in this specialized field of writing.

3. Scientific, Legal and Medical Research
You need a specialized academic background for this type of writing, such as law, research science, biology, chemistry and legal and medical terminology. However, there's a high demand for people who can write about medical products, scientific breakthroughs, new medications, legal issues and the latest regulations. There is also need for people who can write scientific research reports, as well as grant proposals for scientific research studies.

4. Marketing and Advertising
There will always be a need for talented copywriters. You can earn a steady income if you can write effective marketing and advertising copy. Copywriting offers variety, from writing for catalogs to producing web content. Having a working knowledge of search engine marketing and optimization skills is a plus in this field.

5. Public Relations
The ability to write and submit press releases and other copy to promote businesses and groups in the media is a great way to earn a living by writing. You will need a basic understanding of Associated Press style guidelines and press release format, but once you prove your worth, people will seek your services on a regular basis.

7. Biographies and Ghostwriting
Writers can help people document the lives of loved ones, whether they are well known or not. A new market has opened up with the introduction of one of the newest types of publications, the memory book, which contains both text and photos, to honor those who have passed. In addition, there is a great need for ghostwriters to document the lives of famous people, who are either too busy to do it themselves, or simply lack the writing skills. Ghostwriters also assist people write about other subjects, like an exciting adventure, unbelievable tragedy or historical event.

8. Newsletters
Many companies, clubs and groups publish a newsletter, either with traditional printed media or electronically, and need writers to provide content or edit the finished product before it's released. Although most newsletters have a specific focus, they're a good way to get your feet wet before you advance to media with a larger audience, such as newspapers and magazines. Newsletters, published on a regular basis, are a good way to earn a steady income, too.

9. Blogging
People blog for many reasons, however, blogging has quickly become an effective search engine marketing and optimization tool. E-commerce websites use blogs to attract new visitors to their websites, as well as to keep current users returning to read new content, with the hope that they will become regular customers or clients. Most people consider blogging to be an informal way of writing. However, in order for your reader to consider your blog informative and authoritative, excellent grammar, composition and spelling skills are a necessity. Good writers can earn a regular income with blogging.

10. Poetry and Prose
Are you a master with words? Greeting card companies, magazines, newspapers, websites and gift manufacturers are always on the look out for people who can write short poetry, funny sayings or entertaining prose. With so many holidays and occasions, the greeting card industry is a booming business. People will always need cards with funny, sweet or serious poetry and prose.

Barb Wright is a professional blogger, published author and owner of http://www.writemystuff.com

Discover How Article Marketing Can Increase Your Wealth

Article marketing has become a very strong advertising medium in modern society. No other media can reach as far and as wide as this method which is probably the reason behind its popularity. This method is not exclusive to businesses alone though, it could be tapped by individuals as a means of significant profit. Understanding what goes on behind the medium can help you discover how article marketing can increase your wealth.

Article marketing's main principle is writing content that is both concise and interesting and including information that allows the target audience to avail of the product. In this perspective one may look at article marketing as the predecessor of a press release or an advertorial, the only difference being the span of coverage. Press release write ups and advertorials remain to only be found on traditional sheets like newsprints or magazines, while article marketing reaches as far as the Internet being able to capture a global audience. Despite this major difference the similarities these media have with each other are actually pretty close.

Article marketing similar with a press release and an advertorial are usually quite short going anywhere between 200 - 500 words in length. It is written in a very concise manner to insure that readers get the facts straight and fast. The titles are usually arresting and written in a very smart way so as to pick on the curiosity of a potential reader just enough to get him or her to read through the article. Also the information is given in a very subtle way not as in-you-face as other marketing or advertising media. The whole article is written in a seemingly neutral point of view though in actuality focuses on pushing the product or service for at least a trial.

Getting into article marketing can indeed be a profitable endeavor. There are many systems available over the internet or from third party companies that can provide you with the necessary tools to get into writing marketing articles and give you a stable foundation in the industry. Adding these tools to the basic skill set of being able to effectively communicate through writing then you might as well have the formula that can turn coal to diamonds.

There are many businesses willing to hire writers for article marketing. You can seek for part time employment and do your work on top of your regular day job or you may choose to go full time and handle multiple clients a day. It can be a very promising enterprise for people who are gifted with being very organized and patient. It is however a kind of enterprise that eats a lot of time and should not be considered as a work at home scheme that are famous for allowing people to allot less time in work.

With the proper tools and the right kind of motivation anyone can hit it big in the world of article market. If everything mentioned sounds interesting to you then maybe it's high time you got into it and discover how article marketing can increase your wealth.

And now I would like to invite you to learn how the experts get articles written, it's not as hard as you might expect. Find out how easy it is to get original articles written.

Learn more about how easy it is to have custom articles created for you. http://GetOriginalArticlesWritten.com.

Why Has It Become Crucial Nowadays To Write Cutting Edge Fiction?

Read on and discover why

Its an open secret that fiction is the most notoriously difficult of genres to break into as a writer aspiring to achieve the recognition that leads to publication.

The biggest majority of competent wordsmiths activate their innate skills for years on end but all they have to show for persistent effort is a never-ending stream of rejection slips.

And it's getting more difficult with each day that passes. The book trade is now almost totally geared towards bestsellers and so-called celebrities. Breaking in new fiction authors and placing their work in bookshops is no easy matter.

But it was ever thus in the publishing industry. What for example do these celebrated authors have in common?

Alexandre Dumas

D.H. Lawrence

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Rice Burroughs

George Bernard Shaw

Gertrude Stein

James Joyce

John Grisham

Mark Twain

Mary Baker Eddy

Rudyard Kipling

Stephen Crane

Upton Sinclair

Virginia Woolf

Walt Whitman

William Blake

Zane Grey

These famous masters of fiction were all obliged to take the route of shelling out hard cash to have their debut novels printed before they acquired celebrity status.

So what, if anything, can contemporary scribes do to circumvent this seemingly insurmountable barrier?

They can add a vital edge to their fiction; a cutting edge that will transform them from hopeful writers into published authors aspiring to bestseller status; a cutting edge developed by an author who first made his mark with a stream of bestselling books in the realms of non-fiction and who is now duplicating that success with his fictional output; a cutting edge that will do the same for any writer.

If you would like to read more of this authors thoughts on cutting edge fiction visit his website.

JIM GREEN is a bestselling author in the realms of both fiction and non-fiction. http://how-to-write-cutting-edge-fiction.com

Writing as Therapy

It would be wrong to underestimate the power of writing as a point of therapy. Most writers are aware of the therapeutic nature of writing, but most may be less than willing to admit such writing therapy may be personally beneficial.

Sometimes the writing that is most helpful us on a personal and emotional level is writing that we do not wish to be published. It is highly personal, but can helps us understand something about ourselves.

Leslie Ridgeway and Dale Griffith have seen firsthand the benefits of using writing as a therapy among the women inmates at York Correctional Institute in Connecticut.

These two individuals worked with the women at YCI. They encouraged the inmates to write their inmost thoughts without the threat of condemnation. They discovered there was a sense of healing that took place when these women admitted their hurts in writing.

According to their 2002 report entitled, "Struggles: Writing as healing" Ridgeway and Griffith admit, "Many women had reached the limit of their coping skills... educational staff worried about the women's mental and physical health and discussed ways to help them cope. A safe port in the emotional storm was needed."

The 'Struggles' program centered around using words to capture their recollections on violence in their lives.

One inmate wrote, "As children we're taught to respect and obey our parents. Usually I covered with my hands up protecting my face and head. A reaction that I'm sure is a defense mechanism of survival. I didn't harm my mother, but my physically defensive behavior of pushing her away from me shocked her back into reality. The beatings finally stopped and I was left with the question as to why I hadn't reacted to her actions years earlier."

While we seek to identify with the pain the author feels, we also gain a sense for the liberation she feels in finally saying in print what had been bottled up inside for so long.

One unnamed woman who was part of the inmate writing exercise reported, "Seeing our violent experiences in writing is more personal and real - especially when we read them aloud. When I hear myself aloud, I'm relating my experience to someone else, and the emotional feelings, which have often been repressed, hit me."

As a focused writer it might be assistive to you to take regular time to write something that is simply theraputic. None of us came from perfect situations in life. By writing about your past you may discover a sense of personal freedom and increased freedom to pursue your writing career with less baggage.

Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of FaithWriters and many other web projects. FaithWriters has grown to become one of the largest online destinations for Christian writers and Christian authors. FaithWriters is a great place for writing jobs.

How to Polish Up Your English

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

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

It would be much more effective to use fewer adjectives:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Acronym.

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

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

NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

CAT Computer assisted testing.

WHO World health organisation.

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

Using Alliteration.

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

Slowly sizzling sausages

Cool, calm and collected

Long, lanky legs

Using Analogy.

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

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

Copyright: Louie Jerome 2008

Louie Jerome is a UK writer, editor and publisher

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

http://www.writersoup.co.uk

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

http://noway2blog.blogspot.com