Archive for March, 2009
Write Queen Writes
Posted on Mar 30, 2009 10:06:28 PM
You just wouldn’t believe the trouble I had getting this column ‘on the air’. The proess wouldn’t have been so tedious if I weren’t so technically illiterate, but I am, make no mistake.Finally I found a webmaster who was willing to build a website for me without me taking out a bank loan.
I moved to Alabama the 4th of February after 23 years living in Florida to share living space with my adoptive family and their 6 dogs and my cat Jewely. I didn’t have any difficulty adjusting, especially after having lived alone for 6 years, but Jewely was a different story. She was not used to dogs much less people, and spent a lot of time under my bed clothes.
As I write this, though, she is well adjusted, sleeps either in a condo that “Aunt” Linda bought her, or on a sheepskin bed under the TV or in bed with me.
We live in a rural area on the top of what people who live in flat country would call a mountain. Every morning I go out on the enclosed porch of my specially built handicap accessible apartment to say good morning to the world. God has been so good to me.
I will be asking my website visitors to sign up for my newsletter, and after they verify their signature I will send them an ebook that I have read and enjoyed.
You’ll never know what I’m going to write about because most of the time I don’t either, but I promise you that I will make it interesting. I would appreciate if you would forward this to your family, friends, and co-workers if you like my site and encourage them to sign up too.
If you don’t like the site you can always tell me at gloryb2u fredadouglas.com. This website will be a continuing work for me and I will always value and welcome your comments and criticism.
That’s it for now. Remember, God loves you and so do I.
Pahl Receives Bronte Prize Nomination
Posted on Mar 29, 2009 11:25:46 AM
Writing on a small press, Nelson Pahl joined some of mainstream literature’s most famous names to become one of the five finalists for romantic fiction’s biggest award, the 2007 Bronte Prize. The accolade recognizes the best love story published in the U.S. and Canada annually.
Pahl’s Bee Balms & Burgundy, published on independent imprint Caf
Write a Winner Book Fast – 8 Ways, p1
Posted on Mar 27, 2009 07:07:58 AM
Have you given up on getting your book out of your heart into the hands of your readers? Don’t give up. There’s an easy way to do anything and a more difficult way. The easy way usually includes getting helpful advice from someone that’s been there and done that. The author has written five of those ten books that were stuck in her heart a few years ago. Here’s eight steps that will speed you on your way to getting your book out now:
1. Setup a regular writing schedule.
Think about your priorities right now. Can you fit 7-10 hours a week in? If you have to let something go that is not high on your priority list, do it. Now is your time. Later is not better. Set yourself up
for a successfully written book this year by committing to a regular schedule. After it’s done, remember to reward yourself.
2. Plan a short book first.
Many aspiring writers overwhelm themselves with goals of a 365 page book first. Shorten your book to 25-90 pages the first time or divide your large book into a smaller book one and two. Though you shorten it, still fill it with useful information by using the question and answer format for each chapter. Using the same format and length for each chapter and answering all your readers’ questions will not only speed your writing process but it will result in a successful book.
3. Let your passion lead you to a topic.
Passion will not only stir your readers when your book is done but it will keep you motivated to do the work involved. Yes, I did say work. Passion will make your work easy. Passion will lead you to develop all the profit centers (seminars, articles, or consulting services) your message deserves.
4. Choose what’s interesting to you.
If you are interested in what you are writing about you will happily write all you know and research to know more about your subject. You will easily spice your writing with interesting tid-bits that will delight your readers and keep them reading until the end of your book.
Get your book out of your heart to paper fast. If you wait you could be this time next year with the same desire to get your book out. Use the eight easy steps of committing to a regular writing schedule, planning a short book first, choosing a
passion-led topic, picking an interesting to-you subject, getting to know your reader first, developing a plan for each chapter, designing your book’s top market spots, and choosing your non-fiction topic first to become a successful author sooner. The world is waiting for your important message to answer their questions and help them become successful.
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How to Build Your Writing Style?
Posted on Mar 25, 2009 01:32:43 PM
Writing style is a writer’s uniqueness. When you build your unique style, you will be known for it. For instance, Ernest Hemingway used to begin his sentences with ‘and’ or ‘but’ that was his particular style; Dickens uses aesthetically complex sentences, and that’s his style. So, each writer has his own style, which is the sum total of all the writing mannerisms, choice of vocabulary, and grammar constructions. In this article we will discuss the importance of building such a writing style and see how we can do it.
1. Read more and analyze what you read as you go on. When you read professional publications and blogs, you will know more of what is in these days. You will know the specialty of a particular writer. This is a first step toward building your style.
Some professional publications I recommend reading include Readers’ Digest, news sites like BBC, The Telegraph, CNN, etc. While reading, give importance to the mannerisms, choice of words, sentence structures, etc., used in the article.
2. Why I say ‘avoid Wikipedia’? Wikipedia is written by the commons, and is not entirely correct. Only their premium articles (which are locked from editing) are error-free. All other articles are edited by people, those who even don’t have an account there, and hence tend to be full of errors, grammatically and factually.
Hence, it is important that you read it only for information, not for building writing style. Always read professional blogs and other publications which give you some great advice on writing.
3. Give importance to your grammar and punctuation. The key feature of a writer is primarily his writing grammar and punctuation. When the writer composes an article full of errors, his credibility goes down instantly. So, it is extremely important for the people trying to get into a writing field to learn grammar and punctuation. Rules of grammar and punctuation are very simple and can be learned from such publications as AskOxford, Merriam Webster, etc.
4. There are disputes galore! Yes there are a lot of disputes as the what is correct and what is wrong in written English. For instance, if you check out Oxford comma (google ‘comma rules oxford comma), you will know many writers recommend using it, while some writers avoid it.
It is dependent on the writer what he chooses to use.
Conclusion
It is popular saying that writing has personality. Indeed. The personality of a writer is dependent on the words he uses, the usage, vocabulary he chooses, and the style.
What is holding you back from being the writer you want to be?
Posted on Mar 25, 2009 11:31:13 AM
As a writing instructor and coach I work with writers every day who are not reaching their full potential. What holds them back?
When you talk with struggling writers they generally mention one of three problems:
~ Lack of writing skills
~ Lack of writing opportunities
~ Lack of knowledge
As a writing professional with more than two decades of experience in both print and internet publishing I regularly assure the writers that I work with that none of these three obstacles is insurmountable.
LACK OF WRITING SKILL
The lack of writing skills does not have to be an obstacle to your writing goals and dreams. It is simply a hurdle that you need to overcome. I have taught students struggling to earn their GED how to write and I have taught many developmental English students how to write. Writing is a skill that can be taught, learned, and mastered just like any other skill.
Obviously there are levels of ability and mastery just as there are with many other skills, but with time and practice almost anyone can achieve competency as a writer. I cannot promise that everyone can be a master craftsman but most can become a good wordsmith.
If you feel that your skills are weak then you might consider taking a course to strengthen your writing however for many writers simply working up a regular schedule of reading and writing will do wonders for improving grammar, vocabularly, and style.
LACK OF WRITING OPPORTUNITIES
There simply isn’t a better time to be a writer seeking an audience. Not only do the standard print mediums still exist in newspapers, magazines, and books there is now a wealth of opportunity available electronically in the form of ezines, blogs, and web sites. There are a plethora of paid opportunities for the experienced pro and there are a myriad of unpaid forums for the beginner looking for experience.
Seek out writing communities, both face-to-face and online, and writing publications, both traditional and electronic, and you will quickly learn about new markets and writing opportunities.
In addition, with the many available print and electronic options available sometimes you can simply make your own opportunities — create your own e-book, start a blog or electronic newsletter, or self publish your manuscript. The options are limitless.
If you lack writing opportunities then you simply aren’t looking hard enough.
LACK OF KNOWLEDGE
I cringe when I hear writers whine that they don’t have anything to write about. How can this be? If you are alive then you have something to write about.
Ideas come from a variety of places but the easiest place is to start with what you already know about. Look around the community (or rather communities) that you are a part of every day — including your home, church, work, and school. There are likely many writing topics there. What are your hobbies and interests? What do your friends and family ask you for advice? You have a wealth of knowledge and experience to share without doing any research — start there!
It is OK to also write about a topic that you are just beginning to investigate and understand. I often pick topics that simply interest me or that I need more information about. I’m trying to get my son to stop sucking his thumb so I have been reading up on that topic a lot lately!
Now go out and start writing. Don’t let these three obstacles block you from writing success. View them simply as opportunities to learn and grow and you will succeed.
The Harlequin Romance Legacy
Posted on Mar 25, 2009 08:54:49 AM
When people think romance novel, the first thought that pops up may be ‘Harlequin Romance’. And why not? Harlequin romance novels have been around for decades and continue to be the leader in series romance in the world. Harlequin romance novels have definitely withstood the test of time, and are still going as strong today as they were in the 1960’s.
Based in Toronto, Canada, Harlequin romance continues to publish over one hundred titles of serial romance every month. This publisher’s books are printed in twenty-five different languages around the world and are written by over one thousand talented romance writers from around the world as well. Harlequin doesn’t just offer office romance any more, however, but psychological thrillers, mysteries and historical romance genres as well. Harlequin remains one of Canada’s most successful book publishers, with sales of over one hundred and thirty million books a year. Harlequin Romance offices make their presence known around the world as well, with offices scattered from Toronto to New York to Tokyo and Warsaw. Because of the worldwide reputation of Harlequin Romance publishers, writers for Harlequin are able to be globally marketed, a bonus for those fortunate enough to be signed on with the huge publishing company.
Harlequin romance offers something for just about every reading taste, and is generally a tamer romance than some found on book market shelves. Still, there are different imprints within the Harlequin publishing house that attract different age groups and types of readers, and guidelines provided to authors wishing to submit their romance fiction manuscripts must follow Harlequin guidelines to the letter if they hope to be published with the illustrious company. Harlequin romance books are also still one of the more affordable offerings out there in the romance reader market, making them popular by price range and content both. Harlequin has just about every age bracket tagged, from young adults to thirty-somethings to the over the hill-ers. Every Harlequin romance book that rolls off the presses offers a compelling read and great characters.
Women’s fiction has long made it to the top of the New York Times bestseller listings, and Harlequin is often seen at the top of that list. Harlequin Romance books publish works in a variety of imprints, including Silhouette, MIRA, LUNA, Red Dress Ink, and HQN books, among others. With over two billion Harlequin romance imprints shipped to buyers all over the globe, Harlequin can do just about anything it wants, and it wants to continue to be a leader in women’s fiction for years to come.
The Harlequin Romance website is an exciting, reader friendly neighborhood that keeps fans of Harlequin up to date on the latest signings, releases and attractions to come in the near future. Since the 1960’s, Harlequin romance books have settled in their place on library and bookstore shelves, and nothing seems able to knock them off. It’s a given that the Harlequin romance is here to stay. Short, fast reads appeal to today’s always-on-the-go-women and Harlequin offers them exactly what they’re looking for.
How To Make Your Readers Continue To Swallow The Bait Page After Page!
Posted on Mar 23, 2009 10:56:48 PM
We all know that the way you say things is often just as important as what things you say. Expert authors know that they must be careful with the words that they choose. Everything that you put before your readers must not just be engaging, but it has to keep their eyes glued to the page and their hearts pounding with every idea. You are giving them the secrets to make their dreams come true! Who could stop reading that?? Who would WANT to stop reading that??
The format for gluing your readers to your book starts with the title of the book. It should be like the headline of an ad that is pulling in millions of dollars every day.
Next, you need to build great chapter titles. If you see the book title as a headline, consider the chapter titles as the sub-heads. To put it a different way, the headline is the bait that gets the fish to snap, the sub-head is what makes the fish keep chomping so the hook sinks deeper and deeper!
It is imperative that you are able to write titles that pull. A more technical way of looking at it is that your book title and your chapter titles are a series of descriptors that clearly describe your Unique Selling Proposition (Your USP). Your USP is essentially that which separates you from your competition in the market place. It is what provides you your competitive advantage.
Let me assure you that the way you word something can mean the difference between success and failure or in our case, between being read and being ignored!
Here is an interesting study:
One marketer discovered the value of words by trying 4 different headlines, marketing a diet product, over a 3-month period. The sales material remained identical.
Only the headline was different in each case (In other words, only the words changed. Look at the huge difference in results.)
The headlines were as follows:
1. Breakthrough New Diet Product!
2. A New Diet Revolution!
3. How A Texas Housewife Lost 23.5 Pounds In 32 Days!
4. Dieting Secrets Of A Desperate Housewife!
The Big Question!!!!
Which one do you predict would outsell all the others and by a wide margin?
I pick # ____ and Why did you pick that one?
The Study Results
Every individual response was carefully tracked and recorded. The actual
documented results may surprise you. Total sales were 165 units over this testing period.
Let me repeat myself.
The ONLY thing that changed in this whole sales process was the headline. Everything else stayed exactly the same!
Here’s a breakdown of the results each specific headline produced:
1. Breakthrough New Diet Product! 13 Sales (8% of total sales)
2. A New Diet Revolution! 8 Sales (5% of total sales)
3. How A Texas Housewife Lost 23.5 Pounds In 32 Days! 98 Sales (59% of total sales)
4. Dieting Secrets Of A Desperate Housewife! 46 Sales (28% of total sales)
Why do you think that number three out-pulled every other headline by a lot? I’ll tell you. Number three alluded to a REAL STORY. A REAL person who lost REAL WEIGHT in a REAL AMOUNT OF TIME. It combined in a sense the UPP with the USP. The target market that this ad was aimed at could identify with that, and thus they bought the product.
What if the advertiser just crafted headline #1 and wouldn’t change it? He would have lost 92% of his sales!!
What a lesson! You need to make sure that you craft a book title and chapter titles that will continually sell your readers on why they need to keep reading AND why they need to buy what you are selling!
How to Write Your Own Content
Posted on Mar 23, 2009 01:33:50 PM
If you have a small budget or you are very interested in creating your own content you should make yourself familiar with the necessary steps required when writing content for business use.
Create a Draft
When you start writing you should begin with a draft of your information. Regardless of whether you are writing a paragraph or a book you should write down the basic thought or information that you are trying to put across to your audience.
Many times a writer will go back to the draft for reference or as a starting point if the first efforts are not satisfactory. By preparing a draft you will not need to worry about whether you remembered the points that needed to be covered or what the purpose of the writing was.
You may only need a few words or brief sentences for your draft. Writing your thoughts as well as your references or quotes down ahead of time will free your mind to create compelling content without trying to hold all the important details in your head as you work.
If you are writing an article or report you should just write the thoughts down as they come to you for your first draft. You can go back and edit it when you’ve put everything on paper. If you’re writing longer content, such as a book, you need to create a table of contents along with a brief summary of each chapter as a basis for getting started.
Do not be concerned with proofreading or accuracy on your first draft. If you need to do more research or check a fact you can go back and do it later. Getting started can be the hardest part for most writers. Avoid getting caught up in making it perfect the first time and you will find it much easier to progress from beginning to end without too much stress.
Make it Clear
When you’ve finished your first draft you will need to read it over from start to finish and make notations of areas that need clarification or rewording.
Sometimes the information you write down makes sense to you but is not clear to others. This can easily happen when your writing is based on information you already know but are taking for granted that your audience is also aware of. Even if your readers SHOULD have some knowledge of your topic, if you don’t clarify the basis for your comments they may find the information confusing or misleading.
Carefully read over your information or ask for an objective opinion. If you must do the final check for yourself it is easier to catch mistakes if you leave the information for a while and go back to it later for a fresh look. Try to look at it from the perspective of your reader and determine if they would understand the language or explanations easily.
Accuracy and Proofreading
When your writing is finished it is important to check it for accuracy. Are dates, statistics or facts accurate? Are you using proper spelling, especially for names and places?
It is very easy for readers to double check your information when they are browsing the internet. If something strikes them as being ‘off’ they may actually go see if what you state is referenced somewhere else on the internet.
Proofreading should always be done before publishing your content. Using a spell checking program on your computer will catch most spelling errors but you should try to have a second party review the final copy to catch mistakes that you may have overlooked.
Writing your own content can give you a great sense of accomplishment and ownership. While trying to maintain a professional writing style can be very important, it is also effective to allow your own personality and style to shine through and permits your audience to connect with you.
As interesting as the writing process is, there are some warnings to keep in mind when you choose to write for yourself.
Learn more about the many benefits of using content. Visit at: .SubmitYourNewArticle.com, and download our free report “The Importance of Content” from the members area!
How to Write Your Op-Ed Piece
Posted on Mar 22, 2009 05:19:48 PM
Op-ed articles, also known as opinion/editorial articles, are a great way for aspiring writers to publicize their work and, in exchange, receive an amazing amount of publicity for free. You can write an op-ed piece and get it publicized provided you follow these simple rules.
Before you begin to write, you need to target which newspaper you would like your article to appear in. You stand a greater chance of getting into your local paper than in a national publication like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, or USA Today. Still, if one of the national publications appeals to you, then give it a try.
1. Follow the rules. Every newspaper has guidelines on what their specific requirements are. Familiarize yourself with these guidelines and stringently hold yourself to their requirements. Failure to do so will mean you will be rejected.
2. Write with precision. Newspapers do not like verbose writers, unless it is for a feature piece and it is for a high end publication, such as The Washington Post. Short, crisp, and to-the-point sentences are the order of the day.
3. Write with persuasion. Whatever your point of view, write persuasively. Do not muddy the waters by giving vague answers. If you are discussing a problem, count on offering the solution. Expect that your article may occupy one half of the op-ed page; the other half may feature a rebuttal or an opposite point of view.
4. Double space. As with any submitted writing, you must double space your text. Expect the editors to work their magic on your piece, including removing entire paragraphs to make everything fit.
5. Submit a cover letter. Yes, you more than likely will have to snail mail your letter, so send it off with a cover letter to the appropriate contact person.
6. Your contact information. Your name, address, city, state, country, zip, contact numbers, and email address are all needed. More than likely none of this will be included in the piece, but they do need a way to get back to you.
7. Resource box. Unlike ezine sites where you can write a lengthy discourse on who you are and have links to your site, it is likely that only a one or two word sentence about “who you are” will be included. So, consider writing your own resource box and hope that they like it. [You can count on it being changed if they do not.] It could be written something like this:
John Doe is a Detroit based freelance writer affiliated with Writer’s Write.
Yes, that may be about all the information they want to share about you with their readers.
More than likely you will know within two weeks time if your piece will get published. Some papers will contact you to let you know if you have been approved/rejected, while others will simply publish your article. Do not hound them as you may want to become a regular contributor.
What is the next step?
1. If you are approved, you can expect letters to the editor — from readers — in response to your piece to begin appearing in subsequent editions of the newspaper. Do not be surprised if letters begin arriving in your home or place of business too. Expect phone calls from people who may want to discuss your point of view further, or invite you to speak in front of their group, etc.
2. If you are rejected, consider modifying and resubmitting your piece or forwarding it to another publication. Accept criticism about your writing style, if offered.
3. Op ed pieces are sometimes picked up by syndicators such as Reuters or Google News; your piece can have a life well beyond the local newspaper. If you hit the national press, you can count on your article having widespread coverage. Do a search on Google a few days after publication and you may discover how wide a net your piece has cast. If that is the case, good for you!
Above all, op-ed article can help shape local or national opinion, so think of the greater good you can do as well as the publicity you just may receive when crafting your article. Although newspaper circulation continues to drop, online versions of these same newspapers continue to grow, thereby giving you exposure far beyond the intended market.
What Inspires You?
Posted on Mar 20, 2009 07:34:53 PM
Wow this is a truly hard questions; to start with what gives me the inspiration. I have to say it’s the characters themselves that inspire me. It depends on who they are what’s happening in their life, one heroine may have had tender feelings for the hero for a long time and impending doom could set it in motion or maybe she will never see him again. It all depends on what’s happening to the hero and heroine. Since it is the characters that determine why and how the scene takes place it is also up to them on what will become of it.
I have found inspiration in music, depending on what I am writing at the time, if it’s Celtic and this the music I listened when writing Fay’s Wish, well I have a collection of Celtic music. With La Roe’s it was Creed. It truly depends on the story itself. As far as what I am trying to capture, it has and always will be the beauty of the act of making love and the emotions surrounding it. The caresses, the sweet words, the tender care before and after, it is Love itself I try to portray.
I can say my husband and the love I feel for him, has inspired me a lot. I would not be where I am today without him.
I have said many times before that when I connect with my character I feel as though I am telling their story and as such it is what they need that inspires me the most.
As some of you may know I write in 1 P.O.V. mainly and my focus is always in the heroines point of view, what makes her tick, essentially what truly inspires her. I have noticed when it comes to writing romances that many of todays heroines have as much gusto as the modern day woman making her mark in the world.