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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

Attributes of Great Online Writers

The 12 Attributes of Great Online Writers

Expert online writers can help your website to climb to the top of Google. So when you're looking for top results, here are 12 key attributes you should look for - and expect nothing less.

1. They save you time. Effective writing is labour-intensive and can constrict your schedule. Hiring an online writer allows you to focus on all your other priorities.

2. They meet every deadline. In fact they thrive on meeting deadlines, so they always produce work on time.

3. They solve a problem. Good writers don't promote a technique that boosts PageRank (feature), they promote more traffic (benefit). They don't list facts; they solve problems.

4. They are great researchers. Writing requires fact gathering such as online research, interviews, anecdotes and statistics. Good writers are experts in obtaining background information.

5. They think of the overall user experience. Information architecture, coding, metadata and design. Your online writer knows what helps users to find and read content.

6. They live and breathe SEO - and that's what delivers high rankings. They know about keyword density, article PR, link-bait - all wrapped up in cracking content.

7. They are social media savvy. Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. To take full advantage of Web 2.0, your web writer should know about all the main social sites. In fact, they should be members.

8. They're passionate about content strategy. Most content is crap. But content is the web - it deserves time and attention. That's where content strategy comes in. Your writer should take up the torch for content strategy - most will want to make content matter.

9. They love Google. Google is the most popular search engine - by a wide margin. So web writers will be infatuated with Google. In fact, it's probably their default homepage.

10. They give your customers reasons to believe. Great writers prove your product will perform - and they remove risk. The result? Your customers' confidence confidence goes through the roof.

11. They ask for the sale. If you have something to sell (or an email list to opt in to), you have to ask. Explicitly. Online writers know how important this is. Otherwise no one gets paid.

12. They write with reading in mind, using plain English. They use lists and bullets. They edit - a lot. They choose short words, short sentences, short paragraphs. They respect your readers' time, which means your readers will be back for more.

Need an expert online writer? Visit http://www.brightcopy.gg or email tineke@brightcopy.gg.
Tineke is a successful copywriter who has written for Vodafone, Waitrose, Natwest, Vets4Pets, Southport Tourism and many more.

Simple Tips to Be a Successful Freelance Writer

Back in the old days, it was quite easy to get freelance writing jobs. When our grandparents were still in their teens, they already had jobs at newspapers and magazines. Back then, they were also gutsier and were more resourceful. Perhaps it was because of the urgency during their time that they had no other choice but to excel and do their best.

These days, we have the comfort of technology. Writing does not require you to actually own a pen or a notebook (although other people find such practice more conducive to writing). Modern technologies like the Internet, television and even mobile phones have paved the way for more freelance writing jobs.

But how come only a few seem to have tapped into this new media (especially the internet)? After being in the business for quite some time now, I've come to realize that some people are just not aware. They think it's hard work looking for a gig online. I'm here to correct that notion.

It's not difficult to find writing assignments online and sustain it as long as you find your niche.

Freelance writing jobs start out with you looking for something you're comfortable writing about. At first, you might be given assignments you know next to nothing about. However, don't be dissuaded and give up.

Since you're already online anyway, why not try doing research? Research is a freelance writer's best friend. For example, I was once tasked to write about employee relations. Back then, I had no idea what I could write about. Instead of returning the assignment, I looked around for information and read other articles. Soon, I found myself understanding what it meant and I was able to come up with a great piece.

Freelance writing jobs will expose you to a wide range of topics. However, you will soon find yourself having a greater and easier time writing certain topics. At this stage, you have already found your niche and while you may still keep your old job, you can now begin looking for other opportunities that will focus on the topic of your interest.

There are plenty more tips for freelance writing jobs where this came from. Already unspoken rules, of course, include polishing your grammar and being responsible for your articles. Plagiarism is absolutely a no-no. The Internet might be an endless vast space but it's not that hard to bump into articles every now and then.

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.

Easy Writing For Children

It's easy to pick up a children's book at your local bookstore or library and think, "I could have written this." After all, there are few words and the words and thoughts are simple. How hard could it be?

It's much harder than you think. Whether you're writing a picture book for toddlers or a novel for the young adult market, you have to have some knowledge and training in the profession of children's writing to succeed.

Like any profession, children's writers have worked at perfecting their craft. They have taken classes, attended workshops and joined critique groups. Then, they submitted their books to editors who worked with them even more. Being a children's writer is not for the thin-skinned.

If you're interested in writing for children, there are several steps you can take to help you achieve your dream.

Take a class: If you've never taken a writing class, this would be a good time to sign up. It will teach you how to organize your thoughts and how to perfect your grammar. Taking a class that focuses on writing for children would be even better. You can find these classes or workshops at your local library, community college or you might try looking online.

Join a writer's organization: Writers organizations hold local workshops, meetings, sponsor critique groups and classes. Look around your community. You might be surprised at how many writers you find.

Join a critique group: Sure, you think your writing is great. But have you shown it to anyone else? Before you submit it for publication have another writer read it and tell you what s/he thinks.

These steps can get you on the road to a successful career in children's writing.

For more tips on writing for children, visit Phyllis' blog at http://www.phyllisquigg.blogspot.com

Ways to Make Money Online For Writers

As a freelance writer, there are loads of ways to make money online. The Internet is afterall nothing more than a collection of content, much of which is text based. From blogging to content writing to copywriting, there are loads of different writing fields you can get involved in that could generate a serious income.

That's not to say earning money as a writer is easy - it's just that with the variety of different ways to make money online as a writer, there's so much demand for writing services. As a content writer, you can easily command up to $100 an hour, with even just a few months experience. Provided you know which clients to work for, you present yourself properly and you deliver on your client's expectations every time, this isn't far off what you can expect to earn.

Bloggers are paid anywhere from $5 to $500 per post. Some blogs pay writers per post, some pay through revenue share, some bloggers earn money through ads on their own blogs, and others do it for free. It's a much more specialized type of writing than content writing, and much more difficult to succeed and make money in. Because of the demand for high quality, the competition is fierce, and while it can be possible to earn money blogging on some of the smaller networks with very little experience, your earning potential may be restricted, unless you start your own blog.

Copywriting is again very specialized, but also provides opportunities for earning a great deal of money. Sales copywriting for Internet marketing especially pays particular well, with fees ranging from about $97 through to $10,000 and beyond for a singly sales letter. Again, it's not as straightforward as writing articles, but it can still be a great way to earn money writing if you know what you're doing.

STOP: Want to learn more about earning $100/hour writing articles? Visit ContentWritingRiches.com to learn the secrets the industry insiders tried to cover up!

How to Work Online As a Freelance Writer

Writers are one of the most in-demand online jobs you can find. After all, someone has to write all the billions of words that appear throughout cyberspace. If you have a natural ability to write, a good command of the language, proper grammar and can follow style requests, then you might consider becoming a freelance writer.

One of the great perks of being a freelance writer is working from home. With email and instant messaging, writers no longer have to commute to an office for a face-to-face meeting with their clients. Important details can still be explained over modems instead. Some people might think that writers are simply people who type away at their computer all day. Sure, that's true to a certain extent but don't forget the creative process involved in formulating just the perfect content for all those website owners.

Another convenient perk of the freelance writer is the ability to have total control over their workload. Writers can accept or decline assignments as they please. If they don't agree with the subject matter or they're planning a vacation, they can simply say "no." Freelance writers can also set flexible hours which is helpful if their client is in another time zone. Writing in the dead of night while the family sleeps is preferable to many writers who long for a silent place to work.

How Much Work is Available?

Granted, not every website owner will have the budget to hire a writer. Same holds true if a writer sets their prices too high; not everyone can afford to use their services.

But let's think instead of all the types of content writers create for an online business owner:

1. Website Copy - there are millions of websites in cyberspace, maybe even billions. All those websites have copy written to explain the purpose of the website.

2. Product Descriptions - every online store that sells products needs compelling product descriptions that are not only accurate but makes the shopper want to buy the item immediately.

3. Sales Pages - if an online business owner has a digital product to sell, chances are they have an online sales page promoting all the great benefits of their product. These are often rather long and tout all the reasons why the shopper should buy it NOW.

4. Blog Posts - blogs are more casual and personal websites where you can post your inner most thoughts or new information about your business. Blogging platforms have become very user friendly which makes it easy to post content but many business owners just don't have the time. Freelance writers will often ghostwrite these blog posts, which simply means the writer does the work but attributes the work to their client.

5. Article Writing - very similar to blog posts, articles are important pieces of a website's content. Some online business owners also do article marketing, which simply means writing an article for use on another website. Again, very few business owners have time for writing the actual article so they will hire a ghostwriter.

The list of written content for website owners could go on and on. With so much competition online, good writers are in high demand and they can often name their own price. Add to that the ability to work from home and picking and choosing assignments, freelance writing is a great work at home job opportunity.

Chris Simpson is dedicated to helping people find honest and legitimate work at home opportunities and home based business ideas. Find legitimate work at home jobs and many other great opportunities to make money online today at: http://www.HomeNetPro.com

Writer's Block - Try This and You'll Never Be Stuck Again

When I think of writer's block, images of Jack Nickolson slowly going bonkers in that big old hotel send chills down my spine. But after 20+ years of making my living as a writer, I can honestly say I've never come close to murdering anyone - not even my (ex)spouse - while trying to find the right mix of nouns and verbs to fill an empty page. I've heard all sorts of advice over the years about how to be a more productive writer and frankly, most of it makes me cringe. The idea of setting goals for writing X amount of words or for X amount of hours each day is much too rigid for my taste. After all, I'm a creative soul, not a corporate slave. Do I really need a seminar to develop efficient time management skills? I don't think so. I've never missed a deadline in my life. Have I procrastinated? Sure. Like most professional writers, I spend more time on the hourly French Press ritual than actually writing.

I go for walks, lots of them, because it makes me feel self-righteous about taking care of my health. And occasionally I remember that I haven't called my best friend back in Oregon in a while and well, that's just rude so why not chat him up now while I'm thinking of it? But back to the matter at hand: Writer's block. I figured out very early on in my career how to avoid the beast. It's simple yet effective, just a little trick that I play on my own mind whenever: I resist sitting down at the computer, motivation eludes me, or writing feels like work. If you're like most writers, you've left notes for yourself all over the place.

They may be story ideas or bizarre facts or snippets of conversation you overheard at the supermarket or great titles that just need a few hundred thousand words to turn them into best sellers. You never have any trouble scribbling these notes, right? So the next time you feel stuck, grab a mug of coffee and tell yourself you're just going to jot down a few thoughts on the subject at hand. You're not "really" going to write anything today and you're not going to work. Tell yourself that tomorrow you'll look over the notes before you buckle down and get to work. So what happens now? While you're relaxed and not paying attention, your inner writer escapes his cage. He's doing the work for you and it's brilliant! Tomorrow, you'll see what I mean.

I can't tell you how many times I've scribbled my notes while telling myself that I'll clean it up tomorrow, thinking it's just a mess of disjointed thoughts. And on the following day when I take a look at my ramblings I'm blown away by what I've done - without thinking! More often than not, I don't even have to do a rewrite. You've probably heard the advice, "never let the reader see you at work." That's because the harder you try, the more you shut down the natural writer within. So loosen up. Pour a fresh cup. Go for a walk. Chat up some strangers on the street. Scribble some notes. And don't even think about working today. Tomorrow you'll see what a writing genius you truly are!

Lynie Arden is an award-winning author of 24 books and hundreds of magazine articles. She likes good coffee, long walks, talking on the phone, and green Post-it Notes

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

Writing From the Road

There is a rather large contingency of traveling writers, article authors, and novelists that travel in motor coaches and write. I know, for seven years I myself traveled the country by motor coach and I often met them. Some were travel writers, others wrote magazine articles, and some were well known authors. This always fascinated me, and perhaps gave me the confidence to become a writer myself.

My motor coach "The Blitz Mobile" mobile command center has a trailer set up and the trailer section contains my personal library. Did anyone ever tell you how heavy books are? In this library I have all sorts of information and thus, I have all the references I need to write on the road, something I would recommend for any serious traveling writer. Other writers I have met have their own smaller reference library, they take with them. Many traveling writers have invited me into their motor homes and they'll have a small row of reference books. Books such as Travel Guides, Atlas, Dictionary, Almanacs, Thesaurus and other mini-Encyclopedia type books. In fact you can always tell a traveling writer by what is in their motor home.

And I also recommend having reliable Internet Access as well, this is why I set up a separate power source in the trailer and use the WiFi from the Internet Satellite Antenna from the Motor Coach part. If you are considering writing from the road you might wish to check out the MotoSat Mobile Systems available, they are not cheap, but they work very well.Some writers use the new 3G wireless access card for their laptop. Some older writers just wait until the find an Internet Cafe. Still others only stay at WiFi enabled RV Parks and there are more and more of them these days.

The great thing about being a writer is that you can write from virtually anywhere and with mobile technology what it is today, you can have instant access to the real world when you want it. When you don't turn it off and enjoy the inspiration from the scenic views or destination spots. Why not take your writing on the road, enjoy life, dump the stress and allow your creative juices to flow, your mind to roam and ride like the wind!

Lance Winslow is a public speaker and gives professional interviews to various news agencies and Internet Companies Lance Winslow. Lance Winslow is also available by appointment; http://www.pbs.org/livelyhood/honeywebought/bossresources.html#lance ; PBS Special with Lance Winslow.

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.

Writing Exercise - Practicing Slow-Motion Scenes

Sometimes a scene needs to be slowed-down so as to highlight all the important events and actions in the scene. The reasons for the slow-down can vary. When a character is trapped or in pain, every movement is highlighted to show just how in pain the character is. When something important or major happens in a character's life, the scene can be slowed-down to show the character's thought process in the crucial time. Essentially the point is to highlight the little things and to show how important they are in that scene, instead of just giving the plot points and telling the scene objectively.

Although the reasons for a slow-down can vary, it tends to be a difficult thing to write. Therefore, a great writing exercise is to take a scene that you already have written and try to write a slow-mo version of that scene. In this way you will be able to practice highlighting what might be important to the character and try and portray that importance to the reader. The following is an example of this writing exercise, with the scene of a car crash being portrayed both in real time, and slowed-down:

Kristin led a hectic life. Coffee in one hand and cell phone in the other, she held her foot on the brake waiting for the light to change. She glanced at the dashboard clock and it gleamed back at her with the time of 5:05. She set down her coffee and tapped her fingers on the steering wheel, listening intently to the voice on the other end of the cell phone. The light switched to green, and Kristin slammed her foot down on the gas. A quarter of the way into the intersection, Kristin lost control of her car as a small black car slammed into the driver's side. Disorientated, cell phone now laying on the ground, Kristin tried to stop her car from spinning into something or someone else. She succeeded, stopping her car facing the opposite direction she was heading. Taking a deep breath, she glanced out her driver's side window when another force pushed her body forward, slamming her head into the steering wheel, knocking her unconscious.

As you can see from the previous scene, a lot happens in a short amount of time. The scene is portrayed as if it is happening in real life, and since a car crash happens in seconds, the portrayal of the car crash in told in a few sentences. However, if Kristin is your main character, or an important character of some sort, brushing over a major event like a car crash can hide the reader from important details about Kristin's character. In a scene like this, we as reader's may want to know how Kristin acts under pressure, or if this scene causes major harm to her, we as readers want to see all the details of a life-changing event in Kristin's life. Therefore, the scene can be told slow-motion, as seen in the following example:

As a driver, Kristin was taught to look both ways before entering an intersection, even if the light is green. However, already 20 minutes late in picking up her daughter and stuck in rush-hour traffic, Kristin assumed that everything was normal. This assumption was a costly gamble for Kristin.

As she entered the intersection, Krsitin's speedometer jumped from 0 to 35, even though she was only going about 5 miles per hour after those first 15 feet. Krsitin opened her mouth to respond to her husband's last comment when her body bucked to the right, her grip on her cell phone gone. As her cell phone dropped to the floor of her car, her car turned its first 180 degrees. Based on gut instinct, Kristin shifted her body weight back to the left and grabbed the steering wheel with both hands and slammed her foot on the brake. After spinning another whole rotation, Kristin's car finally came to a stop.

Feeling her heart beating against her chest, Kristin's grip on the steering wheel loosened, her shoulders slumped, and she let out a deep sigh. "Bastard," Kristin thought, turning her head towards the window to see which car hit her. She caught a glimpse of the black car also stopped in the middle of the intersection and heard a tire squeal. As her brain began to realize what the squealing meant, her body bucked forward and her head whipped downwards. Her head met the steering wheel and the black car that was in her line of sight seemed to take up her whole line of vision, as the blackness enclosed and knocked her unconscious.

As you can see from the slow-mo, important things are told in this version than in the previous one. For example, the fact that she's talking to her husband on the phone could create another great scene in the future. Her actions after the first crash help to show how in control Kristin is, instead of just being thrown for a ride, literally. Yes, some of these elements could be added to the first version of the scene, but keeping with the pace the first scene takes, it might be hard to add in, or might be overlooked.

Whether you use the slow-motion version of the scene or not, practicing taking a normal scene and turning it slow-mo will help to show you as the writer what important things about the character you might want to try and add into the normal scene, or you might discover that a slowed-down scene might be more beneficial.

Kolin Kasten is a graduate of St. Norbert College with a Bachelor's Degree in English. He is a freelance writer who also works part-time for Monumental Films, a Wisconsin-based video business whose goal is to capture the important events in one's life on film. To learn more, please go to: http://www.monumentalfilms.net

How Do I Become a Freelance Writer

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.

New Writers Mini Guide

Fundamentals Needed for a Writers Success

When composing written works whether it be fiction or non-fiction a successful writer relies on the combination of fundamentals they have developed over time. At this point in their career initiative is a natural process and comes easily.

Their minds have been well conditioned over the years resulting in a diversity of talent inclusive with the initiation of ideas and story lines. Therefore, as with any successful endeavour continuous effort from the artist is what creates the end results.

However, it takes many years of effort to develop the mind of a successful writer, to acquire individual style and the talent to structure creativity. And it all begins with the simple desire to read and absorb information. Avid readers can become successful writers.

Exercising and utilizing the mind develops intellect and expands the imagination. Experimenting on the imagination develops style and creativity. However, most importantly, the maturity the writer develops from years of reading is what spawns the agility of their developing talents. This cannot be learned in a classroom setting over a short period of time. On the other hand, the process of developing grammar skills can.

Young writers in their efforts to implement both their reading and writing skills together may believe this to be the ideal way to reduce the time frame from which success can be obtained. This approach for acquiring success does work for some.

But they should keep in mind, as with other talented successors, writing may come naturally to a select few and the years required to perfect the skill may not be needed. For others the basics of writing prose may begin with simple poetry or card verse. This is an ideal foundation to build upon but soon the aspiring writer will out grow this single dimensional form of writing.

Fiction

The increasing desire to expand and diversify develops quickly with their first work of fiction. The most difficult form of writing fiction not only requires creative imagination it requires realistic characters and plots. Constructing the ideal setting and or environment must be relevant with the plot and the events that unfold throughout the story.

Description of such settings is imperative in order for the reader to visualize detail and colour, to unify completely. If the reader can virtually position themselves within the setting itself they in turn become an outsider looking in. This creates an enchanted connection with the characters, and a form of escapism.

Character personalities and motives must also be realistic and consistent throughout the piece. A character whos introduced with an optimistic personality should remain as such unless tragic events distort the characters personality. Main characters should be kept to a minimal and provided with supporting roles. Consistently introducing new characters who briefly take part can cause confusion with the reader.

Many new writers prefer writing in first person but are soon motivated to develop the skill of writing in third person. Established writers are known to write in third person allowing the reader access to all characters. Mental connection with just a single character just doesnt compare. The story is far more stimulating if the reader can mentally connect with all the main characters.

Non-Fiction

Non-fiction can be challenging in other ways and use of the imagination requires a different set of rules. Recollection on the events, the people and the order in which things happen must be conveyed in the same manner as fiction.

However, where research is needed, the simple duplication of facts is not considered ideal when presenting articles or reports. The origins from which information is gathered must come from a variety of resources not from a single article or review.

Facts should be collected, re-arranged and re-written using the writers style and skill. Articles and reports are written with a little more proficiency presenting the reader with factual information along with further resources pertaining to the subject at hand.

Articles are not short stories of a personal experience and they shouldnt be written as such. Its the knowledge gained from the experience that is used and presented as an informative article.

The complexities of the English language are vast and unforgiving. Nonetheless, indulging oneself into the world of the written word can be the most satisfying endeavour a person can experience.

The human imagination can take the writer to places others can only dream of. Not only does the imagination offer therapeutic qualities it allows the writer a temporary existence, an alternative to the physical world theyre bound to.

Creating and developing worlds, characters and events this form of escapism benefits the writer and the reader alike. And for anyone who seeks reprieve from the demanding world they live in exploring through the mind of a talented writer is far more rewarding than the simplicities of physical activity.

Its been a pleasure sharing with you

Kellie Hastings copyright 2007

Freelance research writer of articles pertaining to health, anti-aging, writing, pollution, public awareness, UFO Phenomenon. To view How Your Articles Can Attract Millions and Article Syndication Tips visit http://www.freewebs.com/skilled-writer

Using Active Imagination to Access Psychic Knowledge

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

My Book of Truth

Many years ago, when I was still in college, my mother sent me a newspaper article in which a woman described a nun who had influenced her during her years growing up in a Catholic school. She described her relationship with this wonderful lady who was also the school's librarian. Both being avid readers, they had found each other and connected through their mutual love of books.

The years past and time came for the writer to graduate and leave the school. The librarian nun gave her, as a graduation gift, a little journal. In this little book, the nun had recorded her thoughts over the course of many years. She based her entries on a simple concept. When she found something to be true, she would record it in her journal.

The writer admitted that at the time she received this precious gift, she was very young and did not truly appreciate its value.

Some years later, the writer heard that her dear friend had past away. Upon hearing this, she remembered the little journal. After some digging through things packed away, she found the little book. She opened it and for the first time read it for the jewel it was.

The insights she found recorded there by the quiet nun were so moving and astute that she, in turn, felt compelled to write an article and share the story with others.

Fortunately that was the article my mother sent me. I was captivated by the idea of recording what one found to be true, so I went out and purchased a new, crisp paged journal of my own.

Through the years, starting November 9, 1994 (first page inscription), I have plied the simple concept - when I find something to be true, I jot it down in my Book of Truth.

Now, more than fifteen years later, I have quite a collection, and from time to time, I will read through my book's pages. The entries serve me over and over as reminders of not only the events of my life which spawned the entries, but to act a reminder of the truths I have come to conclusion on.

I am reminded that although we are clever beings, capable of tremendous feats of grace, creativity, generosity, insight, gentleness, kindness and amazing intellectual leaps beyond, we can so easily forget the invaluable lessons cast our way over the course of a lifetime. We must, from time to time, be reminded of beauty, of peace and of truth.

My hope with this article is that perhaps upon reading this story, others will be inspired to start their own books of truth.

http://www.truthbeing.com

Freelance Writing Careers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Increase Your Traffic by Writing Articles

If you want to increase you website traffic quickly there is only a few ways to it. One of the ways is by Writing good quality articles that people would want to read.

It is not easy to increase your website traffic without cutting corners and this is something you should never do. There are a few things that can increase you traffic that are legal as long as you have the time and skill to be able to write interesting articles.

So you've built your wonderful new website and submitted it to the search engines and directories. In your eyes you are so proud of all your hard work that Google and all the search engines will just fall over themselves to add you to the top page.

So you wait...and you wait...and nothing happens. It takes a very long time for a newly developed website to get any form of listing in search engines and directories and even longer to get any meaningful listing. So, what's the solution to speeding up the process?

The best way you can increase traffic to your website for a short period of time is to write and submit newsletter articles. The beauty of this method is that anyone can do it all you need is a good idea, the ability to write accurately and some spare time. I'm not talking here about working for a magazine or website but the wonderful world of free articles. If you are short on cash and can't afford to promote your business then this technique is especially suited to you.

There are many websites that require constant content on a daily basis and most Newsletter editors are always looking for well written content. This is more so if their newsletter or blog is updated daily or weekly. As you can imagine it would be very difficult to maintain that level of content and prohibitively expensive and so they turn to free articles to ensure their website is relevant and interesting to their visitors.

As with most things on the internet if a gap appears it's very quickly filled and so we have the wonderful world of free articles. The deal is that in exchange for allowing the authors content to be published for free, the author of the article is allowed to place a link or advert at the bottom of the article without any charge.

Just imagine that for a minute, if your article is interesting enough and good enough it could be included in hundreds of websites in a matter of days and what does that mean, one way in-links. This of course is great for your pr ranking and will no doubt increase your traffic for as long as the article is placed high on the publishers website pages. The thing to remember is that you are not giving the article away just given away the rights to use the article on other peoples websites...you still own the article.

These links or adverts are usually placed just below the article and are called "resource boxes". The resource box is your chance to sell yourself or your website or both. It usually contains information about the author and a link to his website.

It's important that you take some time over the content of the resource box because if it is well written then more people will be tempted to click through to your main website and let's face that's the main reason you're given this information away in the first place. Don't add a affiliate link or straight link to another persons site as most publishers are wise to this and would not add your article.

Once you have written your article you now need to find the write publishers and newsletters that will take your work of art. This can be a long and boring job but it is a very important one. I would suggest you find at least 20-30 newsletters of a decent size and don't give up until you have done so.

The main reason why taking a little time over this part of the process is simple: It does not take much longer to submit your article to 500 sites that only main difference is the amount of traffic you will receive.

It's hard to say how much this type of approach will increase your traffic because it's very dependent on how well your article is written and how well you market it. In the best case scenario your article could be accepted at several larger ezines that have 150,000+ subscribers each and could result in 1000+ visitors to your website.

On the other hand you could end up with nobody publishing your article and not single hit. My personal opinion and experience is that a reasonably well thought out and written article usually produces around 500+ unique visitors per article.

There is another way you can get help with the tiresome job of finding publishers and newsletters and that is to pay one of the many companies out there to submit your article for you. I have used several of these companies and the quality and cost of their work can vary enormously. Some of these companies charge per submission ad some charge a flat monthly fee. The most important thing is that you are getting your article to enough quality publishers.

Brian is the editor of Bee Ltd a domain acquisition and development company that has many years experience in the domain name and internet market. You will find many useful articles and advice on all manner of subjects associated with domains names at our site: Bee.eu.

Unique Web Jobs For Writers

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

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

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

1. Article Marketing for Money: High Profits

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

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

2. Social Media Marketing: Business Blogging

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

3. Daily Ezines for Businesses

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

4. Affiliate Manager for Products

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

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

5. Writing Mini Web Sites

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

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

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

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

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

Technical Writing - What's a Copyright and How Long Does it Last in Technical Documentation?

There'll be many times when as a technical writer you'll be using text and images created by others. In order not to violate anybody's intellectual property rights, you need to know the different types of copyrights that exist (at least in the United States).

The standard copyright is expressed either with the word "Copyright" or the universal copyright symbol "" (letter "c" inside a circle). Best information on U.S. copyrights is available at U.S. Copyright Office (at copyright-dot-gov).

The interesting thing about a copyright is that an original intellectual property, like this very article for example, has copyright protection the minute it is created. However, if there were a law suit, those technical documents officially registered with the U.S. Copyright Office has a better chance of winning the case. Copyright registry is voluntary but is the only sure-fire way of claiming ownership of an intellectual product.

In general, copyright of a technical document created after January 1, 1978, lasts as long as its author is alive, plus 70 years after his or her death. For example, if someone registers a user manual with the U.S. Copyright Office on January 1, 2009 and then dies in 2010, the work would still be copyrighted until 2080.

Once you copyright-register your technical document, you do not need to renew the registration again.

One thing you should know as a technical writer: all text and images created and owned by the U.S. government have no copyrights for the U.S. citizens. They are in "public domain." Why? Because if you're a U.S. citizen, you have already paid for it through your taxes. But still you have to be careful not to use public domain work in a libelous manner.

NOTE 1: If you're a technical writer working for a company, the copyright of the work you are creating almost always belongs to the company and not to you as an individual writer.

NOTE 2: All the information quoted in this article was correct when the article was written in December 2008 but it may have changed by the time you're reading this. Please consult copyright-dot-gov and your attorney before making a decision on all copyright matters.

If you are interested to read more about what technical writing is all about and how it can help you earn a steady living, visit http://www.learntechnicalwriting.com You might be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find out. Join the thousands who are already helped and inspired by this information provided by a Fortune 500 Senior Technical Writer. Visit today and claim your free report "How Much Do Technical Writers Make?"

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.

You, Too, Can Be an Ebook Writer

Have you noticed that every time you visit a site on the internet, there are scads of links to information on writing ebooks? That's because these electronically-created books have been gaining rising popularity with online readers, due to their easy access, swift download and reasonable prices. Most of us are way too busy with our hectic schedules to visit conventional bookstores, so ebooks are a more convenient option.

Even famous authors have jumped on the ebook bandwagon. For example, horror writer Stephen King released novellas in ebook form that stunned the literary world by becoming best-sellers and making huge sales.

Most ebook writers, however, are not famous authors or even experienced writers.They come from all walks of life. Individuals from diverse backgrounds, such as businesspeople, techies, lawyers, doctors, teachers, homemakers, students and other "regular" folks, have written and self-published their own original ebooks. They have been rewarded with generous earnings, as a result, and some have even turned ebook writing into a steady home business.

You, too, can join their ranks by becoming an ebook author. All you have to do is write about things you are knowledgeable about. All of us is an expert on something, whether it's about how to build a home from scratch or how to get our cat to use the litter box or how to deal with divorce and the like. There are as many things to write about as there are people. Share your life experiences in your own words with others who are looking for the very information you are offering.

Putting together an ebook may sound overwhelming and complicated at first, but the internet has many helpful tools, tutorials and resources to show you how to write effectively and how to create an ebook that is professional-looking and marketable.

Okay, all that sounds really great, but who in the world would be interested in buying your ebook?

The answer is, "Lots of people."

There are millions of people online and their ranks are increasing daily. While the topic of your ebook won't appeal to everybody in the galaxy, you can find a niche market consisting of individuals who want to learn the information you are offering. If, for example, your ebook is about backpacking through America, people who like to backpack would find it interesting or, if your ebook is about learning to play the guitar in five easy lessons, then people who desire that information will want to know more. Ebooks literally have something for everybody.

You'll need to learn about important methods of promoting your ebooks, such as copywriting and internet marketing strategies, since these are pivotal to helping you to become successful. It takes time to become familiar with these techniques, however, so be patient with yourself, as you learn the specifics of having your own ebook internet business.

There are readers all across the globe whose lives could be changed for the better by what you have to say. Writing ebooks is not only a profitable enterprise, but a way to touch the world with your wisdom.

30 Days to profits. Follow the simple action plan using the complete guide for writing and selling eBooks. Start today for cash tomorrow now at Writing & Selling Ebooks

See the original article at Home Business Toolkit

Experts Disagree on Definition of Writer's Block

Most writers do not have a definition for writers block and yet they seem to know it when they feel it. Even worse off is most experts disagree on the definition of writer's block. Currently I have written 8642 articles and place them online making me the all-time most prolific writer of online articles.

Another well-respected writer Mr. Steven Barnes, who has among other things published over three million words of fiction, been nominated for Hugo and Nebula Awards, and wrote the Emmy-winning "A Stitch In Time" episode of the Outer Limits, not to mention having been the creator of the Lifewriting high performance system for writers believes that writer's block definition should be this;

Writer's block is the inability to:

1) Produce new text.

2) Edit and polish existing text

3) Finish projects on a reasonable schedule

4) Send those projects out for editorial judgment.

5) Continue sending them out until they are sold or published.

Where as Mr. Steven Barnes has been writing for a very long time and may be correct about that, I beg to differ with his views and believe that writer's block should not be defined and each and every writer should deny its existence. I can tell you this having written between 5,800 and 16,800 words per day for the last 20 months straight that if I believed in writer's block and accepted that as a problem then there is no way I could have written this much.

I assume that great writers like Mr. Steven Barnes would not be able to write as much either if they suffer from what many writers call writer's block. There is no doubt that Mr. Steven Barnes is a great writer and there is no doubt that he does not suffer from anything called writers block.

My definition of writer's block is this; A pure fantasy inside a writer's head; which prevents them from writing because they think there's something wrong. I think I'm going to go with my definition rather than Mr. Steven Barnes because I cannot afford to accept writers block or anything which might slow down my writing. I would encourage all new writers to also take the same tact as me and deny the existence of writer's block. Please consider this in 2006.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

Production Techniques For the Online Article Writer

Let's face it there is a lot of competition in nearly every niche online when it comes to article marketing and online article authoring. There are also many theories on how best to write articles and which production techniques to use.

Over the years I have read many books from many writers about production techniques and some were good, some great, and some simply not for me. But, I have tried them all and on occasion I will employ each if it serves my purpose. I would recommend that article authors study what the top online writers are doing and do what works best for them.

Personally, I like to use all the production techniques and strategies out there, anything that I can use to increase efficiency. By doing this it allows me to enjoy the creative fun in writing articles and it's important to enjoy what you are doing, especially if you plan on doing a lot of it.

You do not have to sacrifice your creative genius to increase your article writing production. I refuse to do that, and you should refuse too and immediately commit yourself to doing both; enjoy creating quality articles and increase your production rates.

Eventually, every online article author has to come to terms with the realization that no matter which strategy you use, how much SEO thought you put into your work or how carefully you choose titles, topics and techniques, much of the online article author's success is about luck. Meaning you must put out large quantities of articles if you wish to get lucky consistently. Think on this.

Lance Winslow - Lance Winslow's Bio. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/.

Are You Letting Travel Writing Opportunities Skip Town?

Here's a news flash for everyone: many people thrive in the midst of economic turmoil. Did you know that more millionaires were made during the Great Depression? Do not let opportunity pass you by because you are buying into the limited thinking of your fellow countrymen. What do they know? These people signed their name on the dotted line knowing they could not afford their purchases.

You may believe travel writing opportunities are non-existent. This is far from the truth. My writing has taken off because I write on other topics besides travel. That's the key. In order to support your dreams, you may have to take on other work. I'm a die-hard writer who is passionate about many topics and genres of writing. I've written articles on how to install shelving to dog sympathy cards. Believe me, my writing muscles have been stretched in more ways than one.

Ideas to support your travel writing

1. Take a road trip and write about your experiences.

2. Edit guidebooks.

3. Search Craigslist.

4. Enter writing contests - submit your "travel fiction."

5. Sign up with Elance.com and Guru.com.

6. Post an ad on Craigslist advertising your writing services.

7. Go to the new restaurants and write about the food and wine.

You may have to take a full-time or part-time job to support your travel writing. Will you be all right with this? Are you an all-or-nothing person? If you have a dream, you'll do whatever it takes to see it come to fruition. This may require a full-time or part-time job outside of travel writing. Of course, you could always get a job within the travel industry. Become part of the crew of a cruise ship and sail around the world. You'll have no shortage of travel writing articles.

Get a vision for your life. You may have to write on other topics other than travel writing - so be it. This will make you very valuable as a writer. If you know and understand SEO marketing, you're writing services will be in demand. This is a "hot commodity" right now. Organizations always look for people who can help them. "Ask not what an organization can do for you, but what you can do for the organization." Does this sound familiar?

Travel writing can be a fun job and you can earn extra cash. Look around and you'll discover travel writing opportunities that you are just waiting for you. Remember, your area is a destination spot for people. If you're passionate about golf, visit a few golf courses and write about them. If you enjoy horseback riding, find a couple of dude ranches and ride off into the sunset. Sometimes you must create your own opportunities in life. Brainstorm for travel writing ideas and you'll find a few gold nuggets!

Our website is dedicated to aspiring and experienced travel writers. You'll find inspiration, encouragement, and education on everything travel writing.

Sign up for our weekly blog recap. If you're about to travel this is a great way to keep up-to-date with the latest in travel writing. Also, check out our forum. If you have a question, login, and with a click of a button you'll have the answer to your question.

URL: http://www.Travel-Writers-Exchange.com

Creative Writing Exercises

Many of us who write will turn our noses up at the thought of writing exercises. We feel either that we're already a creative writer, so why would we need to do any exercises to learn how to be one. Or we associate exercises with bad memories of our school years, and being forced to do things we know we're not good at, the pressure of sitting exams, and so on.

If you have either of these trains of thought, it's completely understandable why you're not jumping around with eager excitement at the thought of trying some new writing exercises.

But the fact is, you're missing out. You're depriving yourself of the chance to enrich and expand your writing repertoire into new areas you may not even know exist.

Another concern that's often voiced is that by using the guidelines of someone else's exercise or prompt, the writing will not be your own. Why would you want to spend your precious creative time writing something that you don't feel you can claim as your own words at the end of it?

When you use a writing exercise, you're simply giving yourself a starting point.

It's like taking your car out on the road, pointing in a certain direction and saying: "I'm going to head for California (or Calgary, or Canberra or anywhere else specifically named) and I'm going to enjoy the sights along the way."

As opposed to sitting in your car on your front drive thinking about all the wonderful places you COULD drive to, but not even starting the engine.

Creative writing exercises give you the starting point and the direction. Beyond that, the writing is all yours.

Where you go, and how you get there is entirely up to you. The exciting thing is, you don't know where you'll end up, and you don't know how you'll get there.

After all, isn't that what writing is all about? Unfurling the adventures within you, that you didn't even know you had within you?

Right now the possibilities of what you could write about are so limitless they're overwhelming. But give yourself a little scenario or outline and notice how your creativity roars into life.

Imagine writing a letter to a male relative who left under emotional circumstances and you haven't seen for 5 years. Why did they leave? What do you feel about seeing them again?

Just this few lines of premise will trigger your creative mind into thinking about the possibilities. It's what it does best, you can't switch it off!

There's a girl in a red dress stood at the side of the road, clutching a doll with one arm and an tattered envelope. Why's she there? Where are her parents? What's in the envelope?

Notice again how your creative mind fills in the gaps and your curiosity kicks into action? Again, you're engine started!

Now get out on the road and have a wonderful creative writing adventure!

And to get started with some creative writing exercises and ideas right away, get your FREE 5 part creative writing ecourse at http://www.YouAreACreativeWriter.Com

From Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin

6 Highly Useful Things to Guide Students When Writing Their Essays

The students from the various scholastic levels would usually be required to write different kinds of essays for their classes. Professors would either give their student's a topic, something that is about their course, or give the students the option to pick their own topics. What these means is that writing an essay is always a big part of a student's life. However, Not all students are good with using language or writing essays. Some lack the proper grasp of grammar and vocabulary to make the article.

For the students who are not as skilled or are having difficulty in finding time for writing their papers, these 6 tips would help in creating a good quality essay.

1. Choose a topic that involves a personal interest. Crafting an essay becomes less tedious if one is innately enjoying what he is writing about. This makes writing about the subject something of a second nature to the writer. For car enthusiasts for example, an essay on the newest cars or parts is just like talking with their friends and sharing interests. In situations wherein the professor hands out the topics, the students can just write on the topic in a way that uses an angle related to the interest.
2. Do some research first. Before doing the writing, the student should first do some research. Being able to research the topic of the essay,gives the writer the opportunity to take various points and angles and use them in the essay. This research task is even much easier now with the advent of the internet and various online resources.
3. Create an Outlines for the essay. Creating an outline for the essay allows one to see how the essay will be structured and what kind of sentences each paragraph should have. A good outline would use either topic sentences or idea phrases, to make it a worthwhile guide for the essay writer.
4. Look at example essays. An essay example gives students the chance to learn more ways of writing their papers. Having access to other essays helps one learn how to use smooth transitions in presenting their topic. The essay example allows the student to look at how the author talks about the topic. One can then emulate the use of language, style, and flow of the author in their own papers. To be able to find examples, the students can ask their professors or can even browse some sample online articles.
5. Make sure the paper follows the instructions and guidelines set by the institution. Academic papers have to follow a specific set of rules with regards to its format. Format rules would usually include specifications for font sizes and styles, and margin width. Check that the paper is able to follow all these rules.
6. Check for grammar and typing errors. Avoid point deductions from your essay due to errors in spelling and grammar use. Low grades are given to well-crafted due to such markdowns. Grammar and Typing errors can be seen by the professor as sloppiness on the part of the student. Use the spellchecker in the software, as well as check the paper once it is printed out.

Angela Foster is an English Literature professor in her local college. She had been a teacher for 20 years and is known due to her essay assignments on everything. When not giving out or grading submitted papers and other articles, she spends her time by taking care of and playing with her granddaughters. She can be usually found visiting the park or zoo with her grandchildren, playing the role of their tour guide.

Productive Press Release Writing

Press release writing is not something that can be learned on the fly. And it is not something that amateurs do well at in the vast majority of cases. If you are interested in productive press release writing, there are 7 best ways to excel at press release writing today.

1. You absolutely must understand and learn the proper format that a press release is to be in. Over 90% of all press releases that are written today are in the wrong format and are thrown away. Reporters know who is a professional and who is not.

2. In regards to productive press release writing, you need to be concise. Long, drawn out press releases will be completely ineffective.

3. In order to excel at press release writing, you need to be familiar with how the press works. Unless you've been a part of the press in the past, or actually have been involved in media relations, you need to get educated.

4. In productive press release writing, you never bombard reporters with one release after another.

5. You need to make certain that your press release contains accurate and honest information. Submit false information to a reporter one time and you will be finished in press release and in productive press release writing.

6. Do not make grandiose promises to anyone you are doing press releases for you can make no guarantees about what the media will or will not report on at any given time.

7. Finally, when it comes to productive press release writing, you need to understand and rely upon those media niches that will be most receptive to a certain type of announcement or information.

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