Article Writing: Breaking Writers Block – Writing-Articles
Article Writing: Breaking Writers Block
It is amazing to see how much we all still dread writing; even a simple letter or memo! When we start talking about an Essay or an Article for publication, it gets much worse. As human beings, we are prone to self doubt, the good news however is; that there is a cure for that. The cure lies in the old adage: "Practice makes Perfect" Once, you can get past the writing of your first article, it gets easier onwards.This article as the title suggest is about breaking writer's block. 'Writer's block' is used to describe the situation in which anyone can not seem to get themselves to write an essay of any nature. More importantly, it considers the average Internet marketer with limited funds for any kind of campaign. We all know that if you have the funds, you can hire someone to write your articles for publication by other ezines or article directories. However, if you do have the funds why bother to promote your website with article writing at all? Especially, when availability of funds allows you to run many other campaigns like Pay Per Clicks (PPCs) or Traffic Exchange (TE) campaigns to name a few. Note that the turn around time for the alternative campaigns are much less than that of an article publication particularly when there is a third party involved.Going back to the average Joe Internet marketer with limited funds, there is a need to publish articles for syndication across other websites or on your own website to draw in traffic, increase search engine ranking, and subsequently increase sales. It is my hope that this article inspires you enough to break the barriers and get those creative juices and neurons flowing.The truth of the matter is; it is hard for an Internet newbie (enewbie) to write Internet home business or marketing articles simply because he/she is new at it (Internet marketing). Even if the individual is a prolific writer it is hard to start churning out Internet marketing articles on the fly. That then, brings us to the ice-breaker which is: Find your comfort zone, start by writing an article on something that you are passionate about.You can write about an hobby, family matters, health, sports, or vacation spots. If you try to do this and you still find yourself intimidated by the attempt. Then I suggest you consider writing it as a letter to a friend or family member. Go all the way at this letter-writing idea. In other words, use the form of a letter with Dear friend, I am writing to share my blah blah blah with you... And so on. This should produce a page or two on the subject that you chose to write on.Once you are able to generate a page or two you are almost done with your first article and congratulations are in order. The next step is to now reformat your letter into an article format for eventual publication. For tips on effective Internet article writing you can view an article on that subject by Donald Nelson at http://www.a1-optimization.com/article-writing-tips.htm
or visit http://www.ideamarketers.com where you can read and learn from a large resource of published articles.The whole idea of writing within your comfort zone is to get you to start the process of article writing. You need to follow through and publish the articles you write on your interests and hobby. There are millions of sites that would publish your materials, all you need to do is a search online with your favorite search engine. Keyword search suggestions are article submission, article publications to start you off. You can always expand the list of keywords.Once you get your first article published, you only need to repeat the process for you next article. As you do this, it becomes second nature and you would also have gathered some Internet home business marketing experience along the way. Enough experience that you can now position yourself to start churning out Internet marketing articles on the fly. I wish you the best in your journey.Robert Kempster is a fairly recent entrant into the Internet Home Business Industry. Background spans Executive Management, Computer Operations, Programming, Real Estate (former COO), and an incomplete EMBA. An ordinary person doing extraordinary things.
http://www.profitcentral.biz
http://www.kemptechdomains.com
http://www.kemptech.biz
Top Ten Writing Mistakes Made By New Childrens Writers
Top Ten Writing Mistakes Made By New Childrens Writers
Okay. So I'm not David Letterman. But I doubt if he'd know much about
the top 10 mistakes made by new children's writers anyway. I, on the
other hand, read from 10 to 20 manuscripts for children every week (I'm
not bragging - I'm just an instructor with the Institute of Children's
Literature). While many of the stories I read are destined for publication,
I find that 10 common mistakes crop up again and again in the other
manuscripts I edit each week.I'll start with number 10 (just like Letterman) and work my way up to the
number one writing mistake made by new children's writers (and, just so
you know - I've been guilty of making some of these mistakes myself, so
don't beat yourself up if you realize you're guilty of some of these, too):10) No Clear POV Character ? Children tend to relate to the POV
character in a story. This is the person they will root for. Make it clear
right from the start whose story is being told. Even if you have two main
characters (twins, for example), you need to pick just one of these kids to
be your POV character. And, it should go without saying, when writing
for children, make sure your POV character IS a kid - even if Grandma
has a big part in your story.9) Multiple Points of View ? Unlike stories for adults, stories for children
are generally told from only one POV. It isn't difficult to maintain a single
point of view once you get the hang of it. Just remember - if you are
"showing" everything from your main character's point of view, then he
or she has to be present for everything that happens. I see stories all the
time where the POV character suddenly leaves the room. Yikes! If your
POV character wasn't there to see or hear what went on, then we can't
see or hear it either.8) Telling instead of Showing ? Read a good story and chances are
there is a lot of action and dialogue (showing) with minimal stretches of
straight narrative (telling). Too much narrative and the story sounds like
a summary. Readers don't want a summary. They want scenes with
action and dialogue that make them feel they are actually experiencing
what is going on. So "show" as much as possible of your story through
action and dialogue.7) Overuse of Adjectives, Adverbs, and Other Unnecessary Words ?
Do you really need to say someone "whispered quietly" Or "shouted
loudly" Or, my favorite - she "nodded her head"? What else could she
nod? Or, she "shrugged her shoulders" - she certainly wouldn't shrug
her foot!6) Dialogue That is Not Punctuated Properly ? Get a grammar book to
learn how to punctuate dialogue properly. But, most importantly,
remember to change paragraphs each time the speaker changes. I read
manuscripts all the time where three or four characters are speaking, yet
the paragraph never changes. Just imagine how confusing that is to the
reader!5) Long Timeframes ? I know Harry Potter takes place over several
years. But, the story also takes place through several books. Most
children's writers start out writing stories for children's magazines or
they want to write picture books for very young children. Either way, the
timeframe in these stories should be rather short - a couple of hours or a
day or two. If your story takes place over a couple of weeks or (gulp!) a
couple of years, then you need to shorten the timeframe.4) No Narrative "Hook" for the Reader ? I know what you're asking -
"What is a narrative hook?" Well, that's simple. It's just an opening
sentence or two that "hooks" the reader and makes him or her want to
continue reading to find out what happens.3) Dialogue That Doesn't Sound Real ? Listen to any child or teenager
and you'll find out that much of what kids and teens say (at least to each
other) tends to sound like a series of grunts. So don't have the child or
teen in your story use words like "shall," or never use contractions. If you
do, the dialogue will sound too formal and your work will not have a
child's or teen's voice.2) Adults Who Step In to Save the Day for the Child ? I know what you're
thinking. Parents and other well-meaning adults DO step in all the time
to save the day for kids. So why can't they do it in stories for children?
The answer to that is - because children don't want to read stories like
that. Stories for children have strong children (or children who
eventually become strong throughout the course of the story) as
characters. This empowers the children who read these stories. They
figure, if the POV character can solve his own problems then maybe
they can too.Now. Drum roll here.The number one mistake new writers make in their stories for children is1) No real conflict - There's no story problem. Your POV character needs
to face some big problem right at the start of the story. Then, he or she
needs to struggle and struggle with this problem as he/she tries to solve
it. That is, things need to keep getting worse and worse until finally the
POV character is able to solve the problem (or at least resolve it) and
change or grow somehow in the process. Without a story problem you
have what editors like to call "an incident," and editors don't publish
incidents. They publish stories.So that's my list of top 10 mistakes new children's writers make. Use this
article as a checklist when you're writing for children. Avoid these
mistakes and you'll be well on your way to publication.See you in print!Suzanne Lieurance is a freelance writer and she teaches children's
writing for the Institute of Children's Literature. Lieurance also owns the
Three Angels Gourmet Co. which produces a unique line of "heavenly
gourmet mixes" for sale at http://www.threeangelsgourmet.com and through
gift shops, Christian bookstores, gourmet food stores, and gift basket
companies across the country.
For daily food tips and other food information, visit the Three Angels
Gourmet Co. blog at http://www.threeangelsgourmet.blogspot.comFor information about children's writing, visit Lieurance's writing website
at http://www.suzannelieurance.com
A Writers Glossary (Part Three) – Writing-Articles
A Writers Glossary (Part Three)
Find definitions from Q to Z...
~~~~~~~~~~~ Q ~~~~~~~~~~~
Query -A letter written by a writer asking an editor if she is interested in a piece on a certain topic. This is not the same as a cover letter. A Query introduces the idea, outlines your qualifications for writing it, and lists your previously published pieces.
~~~~~~~~~~~ R ~~~~~~~~~~~
Reader - A person who reads unsolicited manuscripts for an editor, usually for the purpose of weeding out those manuscripts that are unwanted.
Reading Fee - A charge to the author ostensibly for the purpose of defraying the cost of time spent reading the author's manuscript or the hiring of readers. Too often, these charges may constitute the only business income or a significant portion thereof.
Royalty - Payment by publisher that is an agreed upon percentage of the book's earnings.
Royalty Publisher - A publisher who pays the author.
RT -Response time. Generally, the turnaround time required to hear back from a publisher based upon when the manuscript was submitted.
~~~~~~~~~~~ S ~~~~~~~~~~~
SASE -A self-addressed, stamped envelope. SASEs are required if the author wishes to receive an answer from an editor. The SASE should be large enough and carry enough postage to return the manuscript if it is rejected. If the author doesn't want the manuscript returned, a note to that effect should be included, but a letter-sized SASE is still required for the editor's response. If the author requests any information from the editor, such as writer's guidelines, an SASE should be enclosed.
Second Rights -The rights you sell to a publication for your work that has already been published somewhere else.
SF/F/H -Abbreviation for science fiction/fantasy/horror, generally used to indicate what genres the publication accepts as submissions.
Short Short -Fiction under 1000 words.
Short Story -Fiction under 10,000 words but usually less than 7,500. In Sci Fi it's less tha 7,500 words. Check submission guidelines because they are individual for each publisher.
Side Bar -Nonfiction such as extra info, tips, or hints that are put aside from the main article, usually for magazines. You may get extra pay if you can include this.
Simultaneous Submissions - Submitting a work to several publishers at the same time. Some publishers accept simultaneous submissions, others will refuse to even look at them. The author should always state when a work is being submitted to more than one publisher.
Slipstream -A story that describes a genre that does not fit into any one particular genre.
Slug line -(1)a journalism term for the identifying tag of a story, (2)a line in a screenplay describing a new scene.
Slush Pile -A stack of unsolicited manuscripts that have arrived at an editor or publisher's office. These manuscripts will usually be read - unless the editor or publisher specifically states they will not read unsolicited works - but with less speed, interest, or enthusiasm than works submitted on spec or other request.
Sonnet -A fourteen line poem, usually a lyric in iambic pentameter.
Speculative Humor -Humorous fiction with a foundation of fantasy, horror, or science fiction.
Stanza -A group of lines in a poem that form a thematic or metrical paragraph.
Sub-genre -An additional categorization of a particular genre.
Submission Guidelines -Guidelines given by the publisher or the editor for submitting manuscripts or queries to the publisher.
Subsidiary Rights -Sales of your book by your agent or publisher to other outlets such as movie studios, foreign publishers, book clubs, or magazines. If the publisher sells these rights, proceeds are split with the author (usually 50/50). If the agent sell these rights, the author keeps all the proceeds except the agent's commission.
Subsidy/Vanity Publisher - A publisher that requires an author to pay for the publication of his or her work.
Synopsis -A brief summary of a work. Depending on the length of the piece, the synopsis make be from one paragraph to several pages long. The synopsis is not the same as an outline, as it rarely carries elements such as chapter headings.
~~~~~~~~~~~ T ~~~~~~~~~~~
Tagline -The identification of the speaker in dialogue. (For example: "She said")
Tearsheets -Another word for Clips - or a copy of your work that has been published.
Trade book - A paperback or hardcover book which usually covers a special interest, and is marketed directly to the layperson.
Trim Size -The outer dimensions of the finished book.
~~~~~~~~~~~ U ~~~~~~~~~~~
Unsolicited Manuscript -A manuscript send to an editor or publisher without it being requested. Unsolicited manuscripts normally end up on the slush pile.
~~~~~~~~~~~ V ~~~~~~~~~~~
Vanity Publisher -A publisher that charges you to publish your book.
~~~~~~~~~~~ W ~~~~~~~~~~~
Work-for-hire -A piece of writing that is written to an editor or publisher's request and all rights to the work belong to the publication. The writer gives up the copyright to this work and can never receive additional income from it, even if it is resold.
~~~~~~~~~~~ Y ~~~~~~~~~~~
YA -Young Adult -13 to 22, between 20,000 and 45,000 words.
YW -Young Writer between the ages of 12 and 22.