Alicia's Writing Forum

Story and Screenplay Structure

2005-07-14T12:42:00.000-07:00

Structure is beneficial to creative output in a number of ways. There are at least two types of structure, work processes and frameworks:a) Work processes such as incremental production produce more output than a "do your best" approach. Writing four pages a day completes a words-on-paper first draft screenplay in one month. A "do your best" or "waiting for inspiration" approach can take months or years.b) Work processes such as separating creative from critical thinking allow the build up of large idea pools using creative thinking and the reduction of those pools into feasible ideas using critical thinking. c) Frameworks reduce complex problems into their component intellectual parts. For example, story structure can be reduced to three or four acts or The Hero With A Thousand Faces (Campbell, 1973). Frameworks increase output by reducing complex problems into smaller, more manageable problem solving exercises. In screenwriting, frameworks tell the writer where to start, where to finish, what to write and what should be happening at a particular stage of the story. Additionally, a structured approach improves performance in a number of ways, including:a) Simply being prolific improves performance. The single best creative product tends to appear at that point in the career when creator is being most prolific. Experience refines knowledge and methodology towards optimal levels. b) Engagement in the tasks results in problem identification and triggers the mind into working on those problems at various cognitive levels. Problems incubate until answers become apparent. Increasing the incidence and frequency of problem identification increases the incidence and frequency of insight. In other words, simply engaging in the project generates good ideas, insights and inspiration, which is why screenwriters often find that their best ideas come to them when they are in the middle of writing a screenplay. c) Increased problem identification (coupled with motivation) increases the incidence of solution seeking, through active search for stimuli and intellectual cross pollination through networks and collaboration.A range of Screenplay and Story Structure Templates can be found at http://www.managing-creativity.com/You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.Kal Bishop,

About the Author
Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached on http://www.managing-creativity.com/

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Reprint Article Headlines - The Reader is Secondary

2005-07-13T09:21:00.000-07:00

A great headline can be the difference between having your free reprint article published once (on your own website...) and having it published hundreds, if not thousands, of times all over the Internet. Sure, the content has to be worthwhile; it has to be helpful, informative, and not just a sales spiel. And there’s no denying that a well written article can be very compelling. But if your headline doesn’t cut it, the article won’t stand a chance. The best article in the world will never see the light of day without an effective headline. Now, more than ever, article submissions need a good headline. But it's not just the reader you have to worry about. In fact, the reader is secondary! When it comes to reprint article headlines, your main focus should be the publisher. You may think the requirements of a good headline haven't changed over the years, but they have. Unlike headlines for traditional newspapers, magazines, etc., which target only the reader, online article submission headlines target first the publisher, then the reader. So how do you write a headline for an online publisher? Here’s a few tips... 1) State your domainNo matter what your business, you can be sure that potential publishers of your article are inundated with information every day. Imagine hypothetical 'Publisher Pete'. He’s the webmaster of a high PR site. He receives hundreds of article submissions every day. Additionally, he farms article submission sites (aka 'article banks', 'article submit sites', 'free-reprint sites') for articles on a regular basis. Because so many of the article submissions he sees are spam or unrelated, Publisher Pete is quick to dismiss anything that isn't obviously – and immediately – relevant to his website. So make sure your headline signals the general subject area of the article submission, not just the exact topic. 2) State your argumentEvery website has an agenda. Whether it's to sell, persuade, or inform, there's always an angle. When our friend Publisher Pete looks for free reprint content for his website, he wants something that complements his agenda. If he's selling chemical garden fertilizers, he doesn't want an article about the evils of chemical fertilizer. Nor does he want an article espousing the virtues of organic fertilizer. He wants an article promoting the value of chemical garden fertilizer. If that's what your article is about, make sure the headline lets him know. 3) Don't make empty promisesSensationalized headlines may work in traditional media, but they're not so effective in online article submissions. Few things frustrate an online publisher more than being lured in by a promising headline which turns out to be nothing more than hot air. For publishers who take the time to carefully filter content before publishing, empty headlines are nothing more than time-wasters. For publishers who are a little less meticulous, empty headlines result in a site which is characterized by disjointed, contradictory, low-quality content. Either way, the publisher isn't impressed, so make sure the headline of your article is relevant to (and validated by) the body of your article.4) Put yourself in the publisher's shoesAlways think about ways to make the publisher's job easier. It's as simple as that. Brainstorm 5, 10, 20 headlines, then put yourself in the publisher's position and ask which one you'd choose. That's the best headline for your article submission. 5) Think about your publisher's readersPublishers want articles that readers will open. But remember, your publisher's website may cater to an entirely different type of reader to your website. Whenever you find yourself thinking about your secondary audience (the reader), make sure you're thinking about the publisher's readers – not your own. That settled, you can go on to focus on regular audience-headline considerations such as making the headline attention-getting, targeted, and benefit driven. ConclusionWith the emergence of article submission as a great way to generate a high search engine ranking, and the associated proliferation of article submission spam, the right headline is more important than ever. The important thing to remember is that you're faced with a gatekeeper, and you need to address their needs first. By following all the publisher-focused tips above, you'll not only see your article published many more times, you'll also see it published on more relevant websites. This will help both your ranking (because links from relevant sites are always the best) and your click-thru traffic (because the audience will be more relevant). Happy headlining!
About the Author
Glenn Murray is an SEO copywriter and director of article submission alternative, PublishHub and copywriter studio Divine Write. Contact Sydney +612 4334 6222 or glenn@divinewrite.com. Visit http://www.divinewrite.com or http://www.publishhub.com for details.
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The Office Writer

2005-07-05T15:54:00.000-07:00

So you’ve been hired as an assistant editor. That means you'll be doing a lot of writing. Maybe you will be named editor of the company newsletter, but you are likely to be writing the newsletter. Or maybe you will be writing news releases, reports, speeches, or simply memoranda. Whatever the assignment, the main thing to remember is that you have to communicate.To communicate most effectively, keep your writing simple, straightforward, and easy to understand. Never use two words where one will do. Use short sentences. Avoid dense text by using bulleted lists, brief paragraphs, and subheadings.Give the readers your full attention; always put yourself in their place and keep your writing conversational. Read it aloud -- or at least mouth the words -- to verify that it is conversational. If your readers can simply go with the flow, they are most likely to catch your meaning and remain interested.Remember, writing should never get in the way of communication. The HeadingThe title should be interesting and informative. It should let your readers know what you are writing about -- and why that is important to them.In some cases, the title is merely part of the heading. A memorandum, for example, will usually have a heading that is standard for the company or organization. It will include this information: To: (the recipients)From: (the official or department)Subject: (the title)Date: (the date of issue)In other cases -- for example, articles in the company newsletter -- the title will be a headline, choice words drawn from the opening paragraph and fitting into a snug space on the printed page.If the document is part of a series, the heading will indicate that. For example: The Primary Concern, Fifth in a Series; or Insight No. 7: The Primary Concern.SubheadingsIf an article is lengthy -- that is, a full page or multiple pages -- use subheads to break it into readable segments. Unless the content dictates otherwise, there should be no more than two subheads on an 8 ½” x 11” page of double-spaced copy. Usually, a subhead will consist of few words and won't take a full line; it should grab the reader’s attention and reveal something about the subsequent material.The ParagraphA paragraph should consist of a few sentences related to the same subject matter. In general, a paragraph should contain between 150 and 200 words. If it must be longer, look for ways to break it up. For example, if it contains a series -- James collected Rolling Stones CDs, DVDs, and concert posters -- change it to a bulleted list. James collected Rolling Stones:*CDs*DVDs*Concert postersDoing so adds “air” to the page, diminishing the density of the type. It makes the page an easier, quicker read. Style note: There is disagreement about the proper punctuation for this bulleted list. A particular style is not sacrosanct, however. The important thing is to adopt a style and use it consistently. The SentenceThe sentence is the basic building block of every written product, whether it is a memo; a book review; a press release; a news article; or a feature story. So it is in constructing the individual sentence that the writer establishes an article's readability and interest level. Here are some guidelines for ensuring it will score high on those scales:*The sentence should be concise.*It should be simple and straightforward.*It should flow conversationally.*The reader should be pulled by the flow.There are two essential elements in a sentence: the subject (a noun or pronoun) and the predicate (a verb, one word or several words that tell what action the subject is taking or has taken).Most sentences also contain articles (a, an, the) and modifiers (adjectives, adverbs).An adjective modifies a noun; it is a word or phrase that names or describes an attribute of the noun. For example: the blue room, the tall woman, the balding man, the once and future king. An adverb, on the other hand, modifies a verb. It is a word or phrase that expresses time, place, cause, manner, or degree. For example, he read slowly, she spoke articulately. Adverbs may also modify adjectives, other adverbs, or adverbial phrases.Frequently, a sentence will include a prepositional phrase. A preposition is a brief word (of, for, by, at, to, under, over) that introduces a phrase modifying a noun, verb, or clause. Every prepositional phrase has its own object. For example, to the movies, under the bridge, after a few minutes, across the lake.Note: “Concise” is not a synonym for “brief.” A long article may consist of concise writing. The test is whether every word is necessary. Check each word in a sentence; does it clarify or add meaning, or is it superfluous? If all superfluous words are eliminated, the writing is concise.Brevity, of course, is desirable, too. If the writing is concise, the article is likely to be as brief as the subject matter allows.Punctuation*The period (.) marks the end of a sentence; it also separates elements of an Internet site name [the “dot” in “dot com”].*The comma (,) separates items in a series; divides a compound sentence; sets off interjected material; with a small conjunction (but, for, and), connects two independent clauses; sets off introductory phrases; sets off the name of the larger geographical entity when citing city, state, or province, nation; separates discrete adjectives (“short, stocky fellow”).*The colon ( : ) follows a phrase that introduces a list; follows an independent clause that introduces an explanation; follows the salutation in a business letter; separates an independent clause from a quotation it introduces; in a script, separates the speaker’s name from his/her speech. Note: If the clause following a colon is a complete sentence, it should begin with a capital letter.*The semicolon (;) separates two complete thoughts; separates items in a series if one or more of them contain a comma; *Quotation marks (“ “) begin and end quoted material; enclose titles of lesser works, such as chapters and episodes (for titles of books, television programs, and films, use italics); serve as a symbol for inches.*Quotation marks (’’) begin and end quoted material within quoted material; serve as a symbol for feet.*Question mark (?) at the end of a direct question.*Parentheses ( ) begin and end interjected material, as well as references and other information that is related to but not suitable for the main text.*Brackets [ ] set off parenthetical material that occurs within parentheses.CapitalizationIn headlines: Choose an “up” or “down” style and stick with it. The “up” style: Capitalize all the words in the headline except articles and prepositions that are no longer than four letters. The “down” style: Capitalize only the first word of the headline and any proper nouns that appear in it.In the text: Here, too, you should choose an “up” or “down” style. The “down” style: Capitalize only the first word of every sentence, plus proper nouns. The “up” style: Capitalize Federal, State, Department, and so on.Your choice of “up” or “down” style will also apply to any subheadings.Whether you choose “up” or “down,” you should always capitalize the pronoun “I” and relatives’ titles when used with the proper name (for example, “Uncle Dan,” but “my uncle“). Capitalize Mother or Father when addressing the parent directly, but not when referring to him or her (“my mother,” “my father”).TYPES OF PRODUCTSThe News ArticleA news article’s first sentence -- the “lead” -- is its most important element. The lead must contain as many of the key ingredients -- who, what, where, when, why, and how -- as possible. These facts inform the reader of the main thrust of the news and provide a context for understanding what follows.Subsequent paragraphs provide further information. They appear in order of descending importance for a very practical reason: If there is not space enough for the entire article, it may be cut from the bottom without destroying its essence. This factor distinguishes the news article from the feature story and the editorial.The Press ReleaseA press release is a news article with spin, company propaganda. It reports the news about a new product or business development in a positive manner. There is not likely to be a downside included. Of course, that describes a proactive press release; a reactive one might very well include negative information -- if the company perceives that it needs to acknowledge certain facts in order to salvage its public image.The Opinion Piece or EditorialWriting an editorial or an opinion piece is similar to writing an essay, although less formal in structure and style. In all three, the author asserts a point of view and supports it with logical discourse or facts. The piece may define, describe, or explain a concept or a proposal; evaluate and/or compare ideas, systems, processes, or activities; make and defend a choice among options.Opinion pieces should always be labeled as such. The Feature StoryA feature article may take various forms -- a human interest story, a celebrity interview, an in-depth explanation of a current issue or development, a profile of a local leader, the saga of a successful business. The list could go on and on. Feature articles are characteristically longer than most news stories. All features attempt to interest the reader in something unusual. For instance, an article might examine the role of women in Arab societies, the new elements in the revised SAT, or the Internet business that is being outsourced to India. Perhaps a local man has been selected to appear on Jeopardy! There is really no limit to the possibilities.For a company publication, more likely topics might be staff reorganization, United Fund drive progress, product development, and an officer profile. And the CEO will probably want you to ghost-write a column bearing his/her byline.The NewsletterAs the editor of a newsletter, you will have a number of key decisions to make at the outset. *What size will it be? Most newsletters are 17” x 11” folded to 8 ½” x 11.”*How many pages? Four or any multiple of four.*Binding? If more than four pages, saddle-stitch binding.*Self-mailer? Leave space for recipient name/address, return address, and mailing indicia.*Number of columns per page?*How often will it be published? Matters of Style*Typeface for text and headlines? Type sizes?*What font and size will the subheads be?*Should type be flush left and ragged right or fully justified? (Justified type is flush left and right. Ragged right lines end with the last full word that fits.)*What size will the masthead be? Where will it be placed? *Will articles jump from one page to another or be printed in a continuum? *Will you use artwork or photos? Cut lines or captions? *Where will you place the staff box? *Will you list all of the contents -- or selected items -- in an article or box on the front page?Matters of Content*Chances are the topics to be covered were spelled out initially, either by your boss or by the organization’s leaders, or perhaps they were dictated by the organization’s purpose/function.*Don’t work in a vacuum. Appoint a committee of people representing different parts of the company/organization; meet with them in a planning session for each issue.*It’s a good idea to have a mix of news items and feature articles, plus brief notices in boxes that break up the page. Variety makes a newsletter lively and keeps the reader interested.Article ReviewEstablish procedures for review of your articles by staff members prior to publication. After type is set, arrange for another staff member to proofread, backing you up.About LayoutWhether you are doing desktop publishing or sending camera-ready copy to a printer with an offset press, you will have to lay out your pages. To do so, you should create a template with the number of columns of the width you have chosen and feed your headlines, articles, and artwork into the template. You will be able to set type in multiple column widths to enhance the visual appeal of your newsletter. Artwork You will probably want to use the CEO’s picture with his/her column, and you may also use mug shots of employees who are mentioned in other articles. Original artwork adds sophistication to your newsletter, and if you can afford to hire an artist, you will probably want to follow this course. It will be up to you (and your boss) whether to use a mix of photos and original art or use original art exclusively.Speech WritingIf you’re assigned to write a speech for the CEO, insist on interviewing her or him about the purpose, the content, and the desired outcome. Listen carefully to the CEO’s speech patterns. Short or long sentences? Serious or light demeanor? Articulate or not? Terse or long-winded?Discuss whether to open with a joke or get right down to business, how to structure the material, how much time the speech should take. The more successful this interview, the better the speech.http://www.youreditoronline.com
About the Author
The author has more than 40 years experience as a writer and editor. He was manager of corporate publications for Educational Testing Service, a newsletter editor for Merrill Lynch, and held various positions with educational agencies and as an education reporter for three major dailies. He is retired now but offering his editing skills on the Web.

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Start and Make Cash From Your Online Writing

2005-06-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

Writers write just like painters, paint on canvas. This is one of the reasons why it is important that you launch your writing career by getting some freelance writing work that you can get paid for doing.It does not matter how small the job is or how little the money is that you get paid for it, the important thing is to “draw blood” and get paid for your writing. Everything else you do towards being a $100,000 writer will have to start from there.You cannot do any serious online writing without coming across the phrase “keyword rich articles”.What are keyword articles? Keyword articles are articles that repeat a certain key word or key words. Keywords have the valuable power of attracting search engines. This is a complex subject but simply put, keywords are selected carefully in an effort to attract as much search engine traffic as possible to a site.With the growing popularity of Google Adsense pay per click ads widely posted at web sites and blogs, keywords also have the important function of attracting the right Google ads to a site or blog that will earn the publisher the highest amount of cash when visitors to the site click on them.You must begin by aggressively looking for freelance writing assignments for keywords. In the second part of this article we will suggest a few buyers of keyword articles that you can start off with. But they will only purchase quality articles that you have simply not copied or lifted from somewhere else. So it is very important that before you seek keyword articles, that you actually write a couple first and post them at leading article directories and article announcement sites. Visit sites to see how keyword articles are written and also visit my blog and read this article that uses the keywords (debt consolidation). Here is the link to the article.http://big-online-story.blogspot.com/2005/05/debt-consolidation-comes-before.htmlor this onehttp://marketingurhomebiz.blogspot.com/2005/05/before-you-can-effectively-market-your.htmlObserve firstly how the article on a totally different subject from what the blogs are covering is made relevant to the blogs. Then take a close look at how the keywords are repeatedly used.So now you are ready to write your first keyword article.I can hear you ask the question. “What on earth am I going to write about?” Why not write about your keywords article business. You intend to supply keyword rich articles don’t you? Read the articles at my other blog (http://big-online-story.blogspot.com) carefully. Are there any of the articles that you can re-write in your own words without telling any lies about your past achievements as a writer so far? Please do not copy whole paragraphs from my blog. I have not given you permission to reproduce my articles. I have simply asked you to do what you can do with any site or blog online. Read and digest the central ideas and then write an article using the ideas as if there were your own. Select any simple keyword that you want to use that will be the central or key point in your article. (We will deal about the subject of selecting keywords for your articles later on in this blog).Remember that you will really have to be convincing so select topics that you care about enough and believe in from my blog, to be convincing. A writer who is not convincing in their writing will never be successful at any type of writing, so this is a very critical skill you will need to acquire if you are to succeed.Next you will have to compile your resource box. This is a skill on it’s own and I have an extremely useful article on the subject at my blog http://marketingurhomebiz.blogspot.com It is titled “Your article resource box will kill or lift your internet marketing.”Read it and carefully use the valuable points gained from years of experience and trial and error to create your best resource box to launch off your career as a writer.
About the Author
Christopher Kyalo is writer who makes a living writing online. Has recently started a blog where he tells how it's done, no holds barred. Visit it to read the second part of this article. http://100grandonlinewriters.blogspot.com

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A Competitive and Cutthroat Look at Writing

2005-06-27T18:20:00.000-07:00

Let me start by saying, humor that is hurtful or at the expense of other writers has no place in the writing industry. Board fights and flame wars do not belong in the writing community. This should be about writing. Online writing communities have become a cutthroat, often uncaring part of cyber world. In order to succeed in writing, I've always believed that we must come together and help each other. I do not understand the attitude many writers have adopted of stabbing their fellow writer in the back. I've always looked at the other writing communities and other writers out there as a part of my community, rather than competitors. I don't pretend to know everything and though I run a writing community; I'm still learning like many of you. It is sad though that many writers don't share the same opinions as me. They would rather compete than bridge together. Am I the only voice saying," As a writers it is time we bridge together as one?" “It is time that we helped one another." Some may be looking at our community of writers and thinking," I'm not going to join Today's Woman because it's too cutthroat and it won't be a community." “It will be like the rest that I have joined.” Well you are wrong because we are a community. The more I look at the bickering and flame wars on some of the other writing communities, I have found Today’s Woman writing community to be very supportive. We're like a big happy family as opposed to some of the other communities, which are cutthroat and competitive or filled with trolls and writers insulting their fellow writers. Don't ever let anyone tell you that we don't have some exceptionally warm, caring, and professional people who choose to submit their content to Todays-Woman.net. Most importantly don't let anyone tell you that you can not write. I've enjoyed working with and getting to know the members within my community , as well as so many others in the writing industry. Over the past two months I have met more authors and writers with simply no values or no morals. I have seen writing communities that were suppose to be there to help writers become infested with bickering, name calling and flame wars. Don't let your career go down in flames. The reason is that your reputation speaks for you and you never have to badmouth anyone in order to make yourself look better. The way you carry yourself speaks volumes. Don't put your reputation on the line by getting into flame wars. I have learned that in writing your credibility is everything. I also want to thank my husband who gave me an important bit of advice he said, “They are critiquing you not because there was anything wrong with your writing but it was because you wrote it." As a writer we should never second guess our writing because of what someone said. Professional writers will help you improve your writing not make fun of your writing. Also don't ever belittle another writer to save your own behind. Recently I had the members of a well known writing community email another website, regarding one of my articles . They sent 43 complaints so that the editor of the website would remove it. One of the letters stated," The article contained many typos, and I didn't feel the author communicated her ideas very clearly." When I received wind of this I contacted the editor of the website and she replied, “But I did receive no less than forty-three (43) emails complaining about the spelling errors and the grammatical problems. That's much higher than we are used to dealing with." "We generally don't receive complaint emails." “The members in the forum you pointed me to are now criticizing me and the quality of my sites." That should have been her first clue that this was nothing more than a witch hunt to get my article removed. Therefore she fed me to the witches instead of supporting me as a writer. One of my own members recently submitted an article to me that had a few spelling and grammar errors. He and I worked together to improve the errors in his article. The article was very well written I might add. However that is what we do as writers, we help one another. Would it not of been better for that editor to point out that I had errors in my article and they would need to be fixed before she could publish it on her website? To be a successful writer you need three things: Belief in yourself, a strong backbone and a good reputation. You can be the greatest writer ever but if you are in the market for backstabbing and getting into flame wars on message boards, then you might as well put up your notebook and pen and join a chat room. There you can let your fingers run aimlessly over the keyboard as much as you like. I have gotten into enough flame wars on message boards defending my website reputation and my writing. I shouldn't need to defend my writing to anyone and neither should you. I realize that spelling and grammar may not be one of my best qualities however that is why we have editors. I appreciate nothing more than someone coming to me and pointing out in a polite manner that I have a spelling or grammar mistake. This way I may improve on the quality of my next article. This is a cutthroat world and there are going to be those that tell you that you can't write and that your publishing company is a joke and they will take your most compassionate poem and make it resembles something they would wipe their butt with. I have learned you need one tough back bone in this cutthroat industry. I also have learned that the ones doing the insulting have no more of a reputation than you in this industry. They have gone with pod publishers or have never been published outside of the web or made some bad career choices regarding who they published with. In closing some advice, you need to tell yourself "I am a writer first and foremost and I'll be damned if I ever let anyone tell me different." To the 43 writers who felt it necessary to poke fun at some serious articles that I wrote all I can say is poke away. Some of those articles were on some serious issues, like keeping your child safe on the internet. While you are only questioning my grammar, spelling and the structure of my sentences; someone is reading my article and taking my important advice to heart. That same advice might just save their child's life. Belittle away if it makes you feel better. I write because I love to write and I have something to say. If you don't like what I have to say, don't read it.
About the Author
Rose DesRochers, Canadaadmin@todays-woman.nethttp://www.todays-woman.netRose is a published author and web columnist. She is also the founder of Today's Woman a supportive online community for men and women over 18.
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How To Write An Ezine Article

2005-06-26T19:35:00.000-07:00

Writing can be fraught at the best of times but it never ceases to amaze me just how much more difficult we make it by our approach. Writing an Ezine Article is no different to writing anything else. You need to approach the task in a professional way. There is little point in attempting to write anything whilst trying to answer mail, doing the dishes or grooming the pet. You have to give the article your undivided attention.There is no set formula for the equipment you choose to write with, it just boils down to personal preference. Some people prefer to use a computer, others prefer a typewriter and some still like to use pen and paper. Select the one that you are most comfortable with.Here are ten tips on how to make writing an Ezine Article a lot easier:1. Allocate timeThis will ensure that your train of thought is not interrupted. There is nothing worse for a writer than to have a good idea ruined by an interruption. To help yourself think find the quietest spot in the house, put up a “Do Not Disturb” sign up and close the door.2. Remove all clutterWhen you commence writing you do not want to be distracted by anything so clear your desk or table top of everything apart from your writing paraphernalia.3. Select a topicMost people find this one of the hardest things about writing and yet we are spoilt for choice. You can write about an activity that you enjoy, a sport you play, a hobby that you have, work experience, health concept, travel experience and so on. The choice is endless. Have the courage of your conviction and go for it.4. Choose a titleChoosing a title is just as important as selecting the content. The title has to capture the gist of the content whilst at the same time be eye-catching enough to enable an editor to pick your article out of thousands of others.5. Plan the contentThere is little point in rambling on for countless pages and hope to retain the readers interest. All writing whether a book or Ezine Article will need to have a beginning, middle and an end.Write down some basic points about your content. Then use headings and follow up by expanding the headings. Once this has been achieved, organise the content so that it makes sense whilst retaining a beginning, middle and end.6. Write the Ezine ArticleA basic mistake that all novice writers make is that they charge through their content as if there is no tomorrow. They then get disillusioned with the work and just give up. Whatever you write does not have to be done all at once. Learn to pace yourself.Take tea breaks or go for walks. You will be surprised at how ideas can materialise and develop whilst enjoying a walk.7. Proof-read Ezine ArticleHaving finished the article most writers will try to submit it and then wonder why it has been rejected. All content needs to be proofed to ensure that it makes sense, is grammatically correct and that it has the correct spelling. This process is both time consuming and demanding but there are no shortcuts, it has to be done.8. Check spellingPublishers will not accept articles with spelling mistakes.Majority of word processors nowadays have Spell Checking software.Failing that use a dictionary. There is no excuse for submitting workwith spelling mistakes.9. Proof-read Ezine Article againOnce you have checked the article twice, get someone else to read it.Does it make sense to them? Do they understand it? Do not feel threatened or embarrassed by other people’s comments.10. Submit Ezine ArticleOnce you are happy with your article you can approach publishers.Ensure that you adhere to the publishers submission rules otherwise your article will be rejected even before it gets seen by an editor.Hope that this has helped. Good luck with your writing.You may freely reprint this article provided the author's biography remains intact:
About the Author
John Mussi is the founder of Direct Online Loans who help UK homeowners find the best available loans via the http://www.directonlineloans.co.uk/ website.

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Top 10 Reasons to Use a Blog To Publish Your Ezine

2005-06-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

Blogs are the hottest thing going these days when it comes to marketing on the Internet. A blog is a delivery medium. Here are 10 reasons why you should deliver your ezine articles via a blog.1. A blog is web based so you can update and post new articles anywhere, anytime. It's a dynamic medium that can be updated on a moment's notice. 2. Subscribers can subscribe to your RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed and have your content delivered straight to their desktop. This delivery system bypasses spam filters and readers get exactly the content they want.3. No web site to mess with. It's very inexpensive way to set up a web presence for your ezine. There are several sites where you can set up a free blog and others are very reasonably priced for the massive exposure you can get.4. You can set up links for ads and your affiliate programs in side columns so you don't have to include them in your ezine format.5. You can set up a subscription form and send emails to your subscribers when new content is added.6. Blogs link to other blogs which helps you create a viral marketing system and increases your exposure in search engines. Search engines LOVE text based, fresh content that is highly focused (key word rich).7. You can use your ezine blog to become a trusted expert for your subscribers, by filtering content for them so they don't have to visit hundreds of web sites.8. You have an instant archive of all your articles. When you post an article, a new page and permalink is created. People can share that link with others and be sent directly to the article being referenced.9. Readers can comment on your articles, which creates rapport and trust between you and your subscriber. Comments also add rich content to your site and again, helps your ranking in the search engines.10. The bottom line is this: using a blog can help you attract more visitors who become subscribers and then eventually become clients.For an ezine publisher, a blog compliments and can significantly ease the delivery of your ezine content. Essentially, like any web site, you have to promote it and encourage people to add your site to their RSS feed (that's another subject) or subscribe for updates through a subscription form. That's why I put a subscribe form on my site – subscribers and get updates in anyway they want. You still need to submit to search engines and directories to drive traffic. If you already have an ezine subscriber database, my advice would be to post everything on the blog and then send a weekly email, or whatever your normal publishing schedule is, informing your subscribers when new content is posted.Marketing is done in a conversational way and via the links on your blog. Announcements can be posted on the blog and to one's list. I see the blog and ezine database as complimentary...working together to increase your exposure and make it easier for people to get your information and build relationships.
About the Author
Denise Wakeman is Chief Implementor of Next Level Partnership, a company dedicated to partnering with you to take your business to the next level. Denise has specific experience in leveraging Internet marketing systems to create awareness, build customer loyalty and increase the bottom line. Visit Denise's blog at http://www.biztipsblog.com to get tips and tactics for taking your business to the next level.

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Blogging For Profit Using Adsense

2005-06-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

This article is designed to teach you how to profit from blogging, writing to a website in the form of regular posts, without spending anything. The keys to this idea lie in two of Google’s programs, Blogger.com and AdSense.
The first obvious step is to find a niche. While it is possible to have a general interest blog, it may not be as profitable as targeting a specific subject (click here to read the logic behind targeted advertising).
Once you settled on a subject you like, its time to set up your blog. Blogger.com is great for beginners. Not only is it free (and free of ads, unlike most free hosting services), it has integrated support for AdSense (more on this later). For now, pick a suitable but catchy name and choose one of the pre-made designs.
Of course, now you have to start making posts to your blog. There are two main types of posts. The most common type of content on blogs seems to be commentary plus a link to the actual news source or website of interest. Then there are original content posts which will have others link to you (much like you do in your commentary posts). Either way, make sure its interesting to have readers coming back.
Now its time to apply for Google’s AdSense program. AdSense is a pay per click program which matches ads to the content of your page. Every time a visitor to your site clicks on one of these links, you receive a small amount of revenue (the minimum advertisers can bid for a link is $0.05, of which you receive a percentage. Many phrases can have bids as high as several dollars per click).
The content of your site determines what ads appear, and therefore how much you will ultimately make. The placement and appearance of ads, however, can have just as great an impact on how much you make.
There are a few tips for maximizing ad revenue. First, the appearance of the add itself is important. Google clearly labels all its units as advertising, but allows you to determine the colors of the links and the background. It is important that this match the look of your site. The more blatant an ad is, the more likely it is to turn off visitors. Just as important is the location of the ad units. They should appear on the top half of your page, and preferably on the left side. This insures the ad is viewed by most visitors.
Having covered the basics, its now time for you to experiment to discover what works best for your new blog. The best part is, it costs nothing to try.
Chris Rivers is a writer for http://www.ClickForDeals.net. Visit the site to learn more about maximizing profits through affiliate and pay per click programs. Articles appear on the site exclusively one week before they are syndicated.
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The Laid Daughter --- Book Review

2005-06-23T07:41:00.000-07:00

There has been a lot of publicity lately centered on the issue of child molestation. Child molestation is a horrific form of child abuse that leaves its victims with a deep loss of self and the inability to cope with life's challenges.

Another form of child abuse, that leaves its victims powerless and confused, is incest. Incest is a topic that most families refuse to discuss and sometimes deny that it ever existed. The Laid Daughter, by Helen Bonner is such an example.
In this riveting novel, the author discusses her own issues with incest. What is so unique about the novel itself is that the author has been journaling her strange feelings and dreams for over 20 years before she realizes that her journal entries depict her true life experiences.
The author takes us on her journey through self discovery and healing by allowing us to see her daily struggles in life. She is plagued with failed marriages and her inability to have honest and open relationships with others. She cuts herself off from her family and friends. There is however, something very striking about Ms. Bonner's character. She is able to hold down a job and build herself a lucrative career while dealing with the incest issue.
Going through the healing process was not an easy road for Ms. Bonner. Early on, she was given erroneous advice from some early therapist. She found herself dropping out of therapy with the belief that somehow she could conquer her demons on her own. She then seeks therapy through a wonderful therapist by the name of Glenda Parkinson who discovers that Helen was not just a survivor of incest, but she also suffered from a Multiple Personality Disorder.
Glenda Parkinson also expresses how quickly Helen was able to work through her demons as shown by the following excerpt:
"Helen spent only a year in intense psychotherapy with me. The average length of treatment time is somewhere between five and ten years. She was highly motivated and followed her gut instincts in making therapeutic decisions for herself. She read. She wrote. She practiced suggestive directives. She attended a national conference for adult survivors. Her art work was another vehicle for self-understanding. She used relaxation techniques when feeling panicky. She begin to fill her new "house" by acknowledging and fulfilling the needs of her integrating selves. Decisions Helen made for herself rather than against herself were the catalyst toward wholeness."
As you can see by the above excerpt, healing from incest or any other form of childhood abuse can be done with hard work and determination. I would recommend this fine piece of work to anyone who has suffered the pain and anguish of child abuse or to anyone who wants to discover how they can make changes in their own life that can help them move forward to living life to its fullest.
ISBN: 1884178235Author: Helen BonnerPublisher: Kairos Center
Faye Brown, Author of the upcoming novel, Strange Fruit In A Small Town. (http://www.lookingforbooks.blogspot.com)
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How To Master Article Writing To Get More Traffic

2005-06-22T05:16:00.000-07:00

If you are starving for traffic, can't seem to consistently draw thousands of visitors to your website each day and struggle to get them to buy when they get there - you can benefit from this technique.
For several months now I've consistently written and submitted at least 2 articles each week.
The articles are NOT the crappy 300 word articles loaded with keywords with very little added value for human readers, but articles in the 500-800 word range that follow a very specific formula.
Here's how to write 2 articles each week in less than 60-minutes.
Step 1. Find One Compelling Problem Within Your Market
How do you find these? You can pull from your own experience, what problems did you tackle this week that you could share with others? Check the last few days of questions on forums related to your topic - these forums are a real idea bank. Survey your subscribers and customers to find out what they are struggling with - this should give you enough articles for an entire month if you ask the right questions. The key point is that you want to identify one, very specific, high demand issue per article.
Too many people ramble on, try to address multiple issues or just want to tell a story -- that's a writing hobby, not a business.
Step 2. Work On a Riveting Title
Focus on capturing your audiences attention, pumping up their interest, even border on contoversial. Relate your topic to a hot current event. I wrote an article several months ago about leadership traits of Walt Disney that related to building your infoproduct business. That article has pulled in several thousand visitors on its own and still attracts huge search engine traffic to this day.
Step 3. Start By Presenting The Challenge
You know and your reader knows the challenge you are trying to solve - but you want to use the first paragraph to really re-create the "feeling" of having the problem in the reader's head. You are setting them up to really look forward to the rest of your article - where you will solve their problem.
Step 4. Offer A Simple, Effective Solution Linked To Your Website
What separates super-charged, traffic generating articles from those that disappear into the ether? You need to offer your readers hope by outlining a simple, fast solution to their challenge while NOT giving away all of the methods behind HOW to achieve the solution. You want to convince the reader that YOU can solve their problem, all the while giving them the impression that there is more, so much more, that they could still find by clicking on a link to your website, opt-in or other follow-up system.
Be consistent. Once you complete your articles, send them out to distribution directories, build private publisher lists, and post them to your articles directory on your website - even post them to your blog, if you have one.
Finally, generating a massive stampede of traffic to your website is possible for anyone - the trick is spending your limited time on the right activities and methods.
Discover the most complete, most proven and most effective traffic generation model available today to pump truckloads of customers to your site: http://www.highertrustmarketing.com/part/ts
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Make This Your Most Productive Year Ever - 26 Tips

2005-06-21T02:47:00.000-07:00

Each year we start the year thinking about our goals, our job, our health, all the ‘new’ routines and commitments we make to ourself to make this our best year yet… but two weeks into January all our planning and resolution goes out the window! You can make this your best year ever by applying some of these simple ideas (and re-reading this article each year to keep you on track.
Make a date. Make time in your diary to find a quiet, comfortable location to set your goals. I spend a morning at my favourite table in the tearoom of the Sheraton on the Park (a beautiful hotel in Sydney city) in January every year to review my goals and set new ones for the year ahead.
No more New Year’s Resolutions! Instead, focus on creating realistic goals for all areas of your life – I call these your top 5.
Take five. Create five categories for which to set goals: physical, educational, spiritual, financial, and relational. By setting goals for each of these areas of your life, you will be taking a balanced approach and not neglecting any important aspects of your life.
Write it. You must write your goals down – it makes them more powerful. Use positive language – words like “I will” and “I am” – this will help you to feel as though you have already achieved your goals and to change your behaviors accordingly, for example, “I am going to the gym three times per week”. Make sure you allocate a specific timeframe for the completion of each goal, for example, “By the beginning of March, I am going to the gym three times per week”. Now, identify a reward for achieving each goal – don’t just make a list of rewards, relate a specific reward to the achievement of a specific goal. This will inspire you even more toward the achievement of your goal. And finally, list the possible obstacles that will get in the way of you achieving each goal, and how you will overcome these. This will help you to pre-empt the things that might go wrong and immediately swing into action with your solution, rather than giving up on your goal.
Review constantly. I have been told that the difference between a millionaire and a billionaire is that a billionaire reads their goals twice a day. Simple really. I keep a copy of my goals in several locations around my house (on the bathroom mirror, on the printer, outside the shower screen, on the fridge, on my bedside table and in my wallet), which makes it easy for me to see my goals and be reminded of what I am working towards several times a day.
Use it or lose it! I recently read – people who spend a thousand dollars or more each year on their personal development will increase their business by 20 percent. Read more books, attend workshops, find a new networking group, listen to tapes or CDs in your car, do online courses or enrol at college or university. Keep your brain active.
Make time. Eliminate time-robbers from your day – make a list of all the things you do that rob you of your time, such as watching too much TV, running errands inefficiently, checking and responding to your email too often, making long phone calls, waiting in traffic and even other people. Focus on controlling your time – organising your day efficiently and getting rid of the things in your life that are not a high priority.
Update your Resume. Make an appointment with yourself for one hour to update your resume. Be prepared. You never know when that job of your dreams might come along or if an internal opportunity becomes available.
Create a paperless desk. Remove all paperwork from your desk: establish files for your projects; reference folders for information you need to access regularly; a reading file for articles, reports, journals and FYI documents; and a daily-file for administrative, miscellaneous and day-specific tasks, and keep these on shelves or in drawers.
Out of sight, out of mind. Remove your in-tray from your desk or get rid of it all together if you can! Keep it out of sight so the contents don’t distract you and so that people don’t drop new items into it without you noticing.
Hang a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign. If you have an actual office with a door, this one is easy. But many workplaces today are open plan and it’s difficult to alert people to the fact that you don’t wish to be interrupted – but there are ways around it. I know one workplace where each person has an item (in this case, a toy frog) which when placed on top of their computer means that they are not available – that they are trying to concentrate on something. When the frog comes down, everyone knows they are available again. With the agreement of everyone in the team, this system works particularly well for an open plan environment. Another technique is to use headphones – when people see you have headphones on they know you are not tuned-in to what’s happening around you – you don’t even have to be listening to anything if you find that too distracting – just put your headphones on to signal your ‘do not disturb’ request.
Book a daily meeting with yourself. Block-out the first 60-minutes in your diary or calendar every day. Treat it as a standing commitment and protect it from being eaten into by other people’s meeting requests. Overtime, people will learn that you are not available until a certain time (which will vary depending on when you schedule your 60-minutes) and they’ll work around you.
Unplug. Schedule one TV-free night each week. Switch off the set and instead listen to your favourite music, play a board or card game, read a book, enjoy a quiet meal by candle light (alone or with someone whose company you love), go on a date or soak in a bath. Start being aware of your television viewing habits and make a point of only watching programs that you truly enjoy and stop wasting precious time in front of the TV.
Manage your reading. Create a reading file and put it in your briefcase. If you don’t already have one, start a reading file and carry it with you on your way home. You can get through a surprising amount of reading while on public transport to and from work and while waiting in queues.
VIPs Only. Surround yourself with VIPs (Very Inspiring People) and eliminate VDPs (Very Draining People). Spending more time with VIPs will inspire, motivate and invigorate you. Minimise your time with the VDPs in your life. It can be difficult to make the switch – be strict with yourself and you’ll reap the rewards of being among the VIP crowd.
Where are you going next? Plan your next holiday, even if you’re already on one! Block-out your holidays and short breaks at the beginning of each year. By scheduling and planning for your holidays in advance you’ll not only have something to look forward to but you’ll have a much better chance of avoiding the usual pre-holiday stress which comes with trying to complete everything before you go – and much less chance of neglecting to take those much-needed breaks.
Find a mentor. When you identify the person you believe would be a suitable mentor, spend some time watching them in action. Ask around to find out what other people’s opinion of your chosen mentor are and find out all you can about their achievements, beliefs, values and way of operating. This will give you insight into them before you approach them about mentoring you.
Leave a detailed message. Whether it is voicemail or with the person who does answer the phone. Make sure you include the time and date you called, a brief mention of what you are calling about and how and when they can contact you. If you are going to be difficult to catch or have scheduled some time during which you won’t be taking phone calls yourself, by leaving a contact time you can avoid a frustrating game of ‘phone tag’.
Schedule email time. Email messages popping into your inbox all day long can be an enormous distraction, particularly if your email is set to alert you every time new mail arrives. To check in on your emails and respond to them as they arrive not only distracts you from whatever tasks or projects you are working on but can rob you of an entire day, responding to other people’s needs while your own are neglected. Schedule a couple or a few times each day to check and respond to emails rather than constantly looking-in on your inbox or being bounced there by your email program with every new message.
Your signature. Use your email program to create an email signature block that will automatically attach to all of your outgoing messages; it’s a little like an email letterhead. It saves you the effort of including your contact information every time and brings a professional touch to your communications. You might simply include your name, business name, contact details and website or you might also include a sentence or two about your business, a special promotion you are running with a link to your website, or even a favourite funny or inspirational quote.
Spelll chceck. Email makes each one of us an instant author – and, that’s not necessarily a good thing! Always, always re-read your emails before you send them to make sure they make sense and to fix any spelling or grammatical errors. I recommend you set your email to automatically spell-check every message before it is sent. And if you need a second opinion to check for clarity, tone or correctness, ask a colleague to look over it for you. It might be inconsequential to you, but a poorly worded email that conveys the wrong tone and is riddled with spelling and grammatical errors can destroy your creditability and relationships.
Spring clean. Schedule time to clean out your email regularly, once a month should be enough to keep you on top of it. Empty your deleted items and any unnecessary sent items, and go through any completed project or task folders and ensure that anything you are keeping is essential to your records. Cleaning out your email will ensure you are managing your email files and disk space effectively.
Set up systems. When using filing cabinets, decide how you will allocate your space to make it easiest to locate your files: for example, rather than mixing all your files together you might decide to keep current customer files in one drawer and potential customer files and marketing information in a separate drawer, or you might choose to store current projects in one drawer and research and reference information in another, or you might decide to file everything in alphabetical order – you get the idea – look at the type of files you have and decide how to logically divide them into categories. Then, label the front of each drawer with the type of files it contains.
Colour it. Use colour coding to further systemise your files and to enable you to identify different types of files at a glance. Choose a range of coloured manila folders and allocate a different colour to use for different file types: for example, blue for customer files, purple for staff files, pink for project files and so on. Make a reference list of what each colour represents until you are familiar with your system.
Create a confidence journal. We don’t all feel confident every day and sometimes it helps to take note of our feelings and how situations affect us. By writing down how you feel each day in a confidence journal you can track your responses to situations and also identify areas of your like you might need some help with. Just do this for 30 days and then spend an hour at the end of the month assessing where you find your confidence gets shaken and then determine strategies to help you overcome that in future.
Choose to be amazing! It’s as simple as making a commitment to yourself every morning that you will have an amazing day. Remember, life is not a dress rehearsal – we only get one performance, so let’s give it our best!
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.
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HIV-Muscles: This is the Title of a New Book about One Man's Battle with HIV

2005-06-20T03:25:00.000-07:00

Today Lavaine is doing well and able to go about life in a manner which would never have been thought possible in 1986. This was the year which he was diagnosed as HIV+. The first treatment for HIV was called AZT, in 1988.
By 1995 other treatments had been developed but with very limited success. At that time much research had been done and it was found that more drugs than just one or two used together could in most cases 'demolish' the HIV to such an extent that it was unable to replicate in the body.
This was to save countless lives and those people who are fortunate enough to live in countries where these drugs are available have a very good chance of living with HIV, and not progressing to Aids.
The HIV virus is notorious at being able to 'hide' in the human body, so there is no cure. The drugs available are in various classes and although they work in different ways, are formulated to prevent the virus from replicating. HIV attacks the very cells which are there to fight disease and mop up pathogens which are entering the body every moment. A lack of these cells inevitably leads to infections going unchecked, which in turn lead to serious illness.
There are cases of a very small number of people who are resistant to HIV. Some will never become HIV positive, Whilst others who do are very slow to become ill, and are termed 'Lon-term non-progressors.'
Perhaps Lavaine is one of these but doctors have always treated him as any other patient, with similar treatments.
So the book is available and is downloadable from the website: HIV-Muscles.com. It costs $9.99 and for every book sold 1$ will be donated to Aids Charities.
Written by Ray Penn, Author of HIV-Muscles.
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Living In Darkness --- Book Review

2005-06-19T10:25:00.000-07:00

Award winning author John Roynesdal, is a retired English teacher who has written for more than 15 years and produced 3 books for his Phillip Michael Carnegie Mystery series. Throughout the series, John focuses on issues that prevail on mankind: greed, prejudice, poverty, dysfunctional families and the conflict between traditional and modern societies. Living in Darkness, a 265-page mystery novel, is the third book in this series.
Here, we have a serial killer at large. Detective Carnegie and his coworkers Paul and Nick are out to solve the case. Clues point to many possibilities and keep the team working hard. Is it the work of a homophobe? Or a case of mad revenge? Or pointless youth rage? Juliana, their insightful and caring friend has often aided in cases in the past – and this one is no different. Inspired by the work of another man, Juliana is attempting to open a safe house for runaway gay children but she is obstructed by zealous religious leaders.
The boss, "Fats", wants to see the serial killer case closed and it seems that it should be – but Detective Carnegie feels something is not quite right. He continues the investigation without consent and stumbles on some clues that change everything.
This book promotes freedom and a willingness to live and let live regarding sexuality. Good points were made about prohibition making various sexual urges into something secretive and devious. I felt that John did a wonderful job depicting the stresses of the homosexual. Readers are shown the stigma that is placed on them as soon as they are known as "gay". The reaction of employers and family was interesting and the prejudice homosexuals endure was enlightening. The story line definitely brings awareness to the hateful and disgusting crime of gay-bashing.
ISBN#: 1411626702 Author: John A. Roynesdal Publisher: Lulu Press
~ Lillian Brummet - Book Reviewer - Co-author of the book Trash Talk, a guide for anyone concerned about his or her impact on the environment – Author of Towards Understanding, a collection of poetry. (http://www.sunshinecable.com/~drumit)
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A Mode of Transportation

2005-06-18T02:57:00.000-07:00

Great writing transports one vicariously to realms that the reader would not otherwise experience.
One of these areas is physical: ancient, modern, or futuristic. A great writer can bring the past into the present and make the reader experience the culture, the locale, the people of the time. Jean Auel’s great novels come to mind.
Another region is the pschological realm: Again great writing conveys us into the minds of characters giving us a better understanding of our motives, our passions, our wants, and our needs. Crime and Punishment is a good example.
Then there is the sociological realm where great writing gets the reader involved in the world of crime, or romance, or poverty, or wealth, and many other social situations, problems and solutions. Charles Dickens was such a writer.
The cultural region is another area where great writing has an impact, particularly authors from other ethnicities that help us to understand the mores and viewpoints that are different.
Finally we enter the political sphere. Here again, great writing points out the good and bad of different ideologies, political parties, governments. It introduces us to the search for power and influence, the good and the bad, the acceptable and the unacceptable.
Great writing occurs in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, etc. Great writers abound, and each reader has his or her favorite.
Charles O. Goulet has a BA in history and a BEd in English literature. He has written several historical novels that are available from Amazon.com and other bookstores.
His website is http://www.telusplanet.net/public/go1c
His blog is http://go1c.blogspot.com
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Writing for the Internet--How To Give the Reader What They Want

2005-06-17T04:13:00.000-07:00

In this article you will find tips on: How to intrigue your readers from the very start—the most important part of your piece isn’t the content, Once they’re hooked—reel them in, How to keep them reading through the entire piece instead of scanning for information, Break it up!—How to keep their attention span from reaching its limits, and How to keep your readers from becoming distracted while reading your well crafted articles.
IntroductionIf you’re new at writing on the Super Information Highway you may be stumped as to what readers want. As the Internet has become a major staple to the information flow of our society--and many around the world--more and more of the traditional writers have turned to the Internet and discovered new heights for their creative genius. So, with that said, let’s get on with the Info!
The Most Important Part of Your Piece Isn’t the Content“What?” you say. “But isn’t the content what it’s all about?” Yes and no. If what you’ve written isn’t very good, the effort you put into your work was most likely in vein. But, the body of your work isn’t the first thing that your audience sees. The title of your piece is the most important part of your article. If the title doesn’t grab their attention, and arouse their curiosity, they won’t even give a second thought to reading what you’ve worked so diligently to produce. Make it so intriguing that they won’t want to pass it up for fear of not being able to find it again.
Once They’re Hooked—Reel Them InNow that you’ve gotten their attention, you need to keep it--because if you don’t, they’re only a click away from never coming back. You need to do something to keep them wanting more. Provide them with an index of sorts, as I have done for you at the beginning of this article. Let them know what you are going to be telling them. Break it up into sections so they can easily tell where each begins and ends. Make bold headings for each of your sub-sections.
How To Keep Them Reading Through the Entire pieceThis is the most important thing you can do to keep your reader’s attention--the placement of your information. You need to take all of your pertinent information and stuff it at the top of your piece. Take the most important information from each section and push it to the beginning of that section. After you have done that, cut out everything else. Yes, I said it! Get rid of all that hard work you put into writing all the extra little things about your topic. If it is not absolutely necessary, get rid of it. Why? Because those who surf the web for information don’t want all the little details—unless that is the purpose of the written piece.
Break It Up!Now that you have thrown out most of your work, break up your sections into shorter paragraphs. Readers feel overwhelmed by long sections. They don’t want to get a headache from your work, that’s why you did it for them!
How to Keep Your Readers from Becoming DistractedYou’ve read plenty of articles on the Internet by now, so you know that while links are a great asset to have, it’s distracting when you’re reading and you come across a link that takes you somewhere you want to go, but then you forget about what you were reading in the first place and you lose interest. Put those links at the end of your article. Merely let the reader know--within the body of the text--that they can find additional information if they follow the links provided at the end of the article.
ConclusionIf everyone followed these simple guidelines, I believe, the Internet would be a much easier place to visit when looking for key information. I hope the information provided in this article will help you as much as it has me.
The Author of this Article has assumed the pen name "Jon Owen" in honor of two friends lost in unfortunate circumstances. The author's website--http://www.jonowen.com--contains a list of publications, contact information as well as an author’s bio, useful links for writers, and dedications. Jon Owen is a freelance writer and has published poetry with poetry.com for several years. Additionally, he is currently working on a book of his own poetry, which will have the title, "From the Depths Within."
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Article Writing: 5 Tips on How to Pull and Hold the Reader

2005-06-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

Okay, so you're getting a feel for this marketing thing. Cool. Now you must write articles that will engage your reader and hold their attention all the way through, as opposed to "click and flee." Have you ever clicked and fled? This is what happens when your eyes are weary of the internet information overload. You click on an article that's so copy-heavy, it makes your brain groan from the pain. You do not want this to happen to someone who is reading YOUR stuff, so don't barrage them with words. Here are 5 tips to help you create articles that are super-tight and outta sight!
1. Keep it short. The article websites say to keep your articles under 800 words, but I know from my own writing experience that's difficult when an article concept is blowing around in your head. I'll save you the guilt and say that 500-1,000 words is okay. Just remember: if you start rambling, your reader won't stay with you very long. So keep it short and to the point!
2. Pace and balance. Some people who write short articles start with a slow and intriguing buildup, but then cut the reader off at the end. This may keep the number of words down, but the sudden anti-climactic ending makes for lousy reading. Don't leave your reader high and dry! Write a quick summary of each paragraph, then develop each one with three or four supporting sentences. Close with a motivating call to action.
3. Break it up. An article that's broken up into sections is so much easier on the eyes than one with long paragraphs of copy. For this reason, the How-To, "7 Tips" and Q&A are immensely popular. Use subheadlines in Bold type to help guide their eyes down the page. If you can offer your content-hungry article prospects some great, well-paced copy that will look fantastic on their specialty niche website, you can be sure your articles will get great exposure.
4. Focus on the customer. Of course, your article content will come from your own experiences. But instead of saying, "I know this guy who" and "When I designed my website," you can project your story onto the customer. It helps to address the reader and ask questions: "Ever find yourself buried under piles of paperwork?" (You yourself may know this feeling, but your customer doesn't care.) It's all about the reader!
5. Include a call to action. If you word your articles in just the right way, you can really inspire your key customer to take action without making them feel coerced. Tap their wants and needs, offer solutions, and then spur them on to make a change for the better. Of course, the solution is to get in touch with you. Do this subtly in your article, and then do it again with a bit more volume in your conclusion and bio. "Visit Wordfeeder.com today to find out how great copywriting can make a world of difference for your business!" There, see how easy that was?
In general, it helps to visualize the article reaching its final destination. If your article is about cooking, then imagine it on someone else's cooking website. Now imagine the reader, taking in your story. What would they want to read about? How can the visual presentation keep them riveted on your words, so they can make it to the end where your bio and URL link is? How can you get them to click that link?
If you do get wrapped up in the joyous act of article writing, that's a beautiful thing! Just remember to keep your eye on the prize: your business prospects.
Copyright 2005 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.
Find out how crisp, targeted copywriting can make a world of difference for your business. Dina Giolitto is a Copywriting Consultant with ten years of experience. Visit http://wordfeeder.com/ for free tips on branding, copywriting, article marketing, and more.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

No Time To Chat

2005-06-13T05:46:00.000-07:00

I have no tiime to chat right now. I am reading As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner. We can talk about As I Lay Dying if you will sign in below to join Oprah's Book Club.

Got to go. I have to see what Faulkner's Addie is up to.

A Summer of Faulkner

2005-06-07T08:52:00.000-07:00

This summer I will be spending some time reading William Faulkner's three book collection of his early works. This collection was suggested by Oprah Winfrey on her talk show. A summer of Faulkner include, As I Lay Dying, The Sound and the Fury, and Light in August.

I want to invite my readers to join me this summer reading these wonderful classics. You can join in by adding your site to the ring on my site. Additionally, you can purchase this three book collection from Amazon.com. Let's all spend some time on this exciting summer adventure.

Wasted Energy

2005-06-02T09:30:00.000-07:00

I spent so much wasted energy trying to beccome a little computer savvy. I am probably the only person with a blog who do not know how to quite set one up. I would like my blog to look better.

I do not know how to transfer pictures to this blog. I am having a hard time understanding different codes and instructions. If there are any bloggers out there who have any suggestions for a newbie, please let me know.

Speed

2005-06-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

I have to rush through this blog with record speed today. It is late in the afternoon and I have not done any of my reading. I am reading this wonderful new book. This book is a must read. It is full of suspense and intrigue. I cannot believe I put it down.

I will try to have a longer post tommorrow for all of my readers.

Pop Down Screens

2005-05-30T00:48:00.000-07:00

I was aggravated today by popdown screens. You know those web pages that pop down when you are viewing something else. The weirdest popdown screen I have seen today was from a so called gypsy fortune teller. She wanted me to sign her guest book. So I did. I told her she was interfering with my surfing. Do you think that would stop her? I doubt it. She is probably popping down on someone else.

Maybe I just like abuse. I have been abused terribly by America Online. I guess I deserve it for not switching to Bell South. I urge everyone who has America Online to drop their service. They do not care about their users.

Long Day

2005-05-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

Today was a long day, but I did get a lot accomplished. I was able to accomplish some things I had been postponing. I am exhausted right now. I still have a lot to do. I start my big writing project this coming Wednesday.

It is not that I really start it Wednesday, I get back to it that day. That is my goal. Wish me luck.

Long Weekend

2005-05-27T09:50:00.000-07:00

How will you be spending your memorial day weekend? I am planning on spending my weekend trying new things I never tried before. I definitely will keep in mind the purpose of memorial day. I will honor our fallen veterans in my own way.

I have decided to take a big risk. This risk will test my stamina and endurance. This will be my own private survivor challenge this weekend. Wish me luck.

Brave New World

2005-05-26T18:09:00.000-07:00

This is a brave new world we are living in today. Ever since September 11, 2001, things have changed for our nation. Somethings we took for granted is now before us.

We as a people should learn to get along and stick together. We all have to live in this world together so why should we be enemies.

Why don't you make today, a day to reach out and make a new friend.

My Summer List

2005-05-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today is going to be a short post because I am getting my summer list together.

My summer list consists of the books I will be reading this summer.

Skating On Ice

2005-05-24T15:27:00.000-07:00

Today I felt as if I was skating on ice. I did not get much done. I just felt so exhausted. I slept most of the afternoon. Well, there is always tomorrow. I hope everyone's else had a nice day so far.

The weather is so hot. I feel as if my central air conditioning unit is not working. I felt a little down today. Self doubt started creeping back into my mind. I have been working so hard at getting rid of self doubt. I guess it will take me a longer than most people.

The thoughts come and go. Sometimes I feel I have beat it and other times I feel as if it is here to stay. I know I have to learn self acceptance. It is strange how the mind works. You know what you have to do in order to live the best life ever, but you constantly sabotage your efforts.
Well, only time will tell.

The Big Revival

2005-05-23T19:24:00.000-07:00

The big revival is something I experienced today. I had a revelation that will take me in a new direction. I am a little excited about it. I am grateful to all of you who have given me encouragement.

Your words meant a lot to me.

Still Typing

2005-05-22T23:18:00.000-07:00

I have been on my computer all day. I sometimes feel as though my fingers are tied to the computer and my head is fill with words, words, words. I guess that is not a bad position to be in. There are things worst then having your head fill with words.

I am starting to feel a little more comfortable with my writing. I guess it is because I feel more comfortable with myself. Life is just a learning experience. It is wonderful to learn and discover something about yourself everyday.

I am reveling in this experience. I feel I have a long way to go and I will enjoy the journey. Tommorow is not promised to anyone and that is why I will make every day count and see it as a great blessing.

Having Faith When Others Don't

2005-05-21T18:27:00.000-07:00

Having faith when others don't is my new motto. I will shout it out to all of you. I will have faith, in my writing abilities. I will have faith, in my writing abilities, when others do not have faith in me. I only have myself to please. As long as I write, from the heart, I have nothing to fear.

I know that my day will come. That blessed day will come when I become a published author.

My Big Dream

2005-05-20T18:53:00.000-07:00

My big dream is to become a published author. My biggest fear is that no one will read what I write. I think my fear is holding me back from accomplishing my dream. I have to get over this feeling if I want to move forward. Right now I am taking little baby steps in that direction.

I have to start somewhere. I have to keep saying to myself that no one can predict the future.

The Graduate

2005-05-19T19:25:00.000-07:00

The graduate has just graduated from high school. A new life is about to begin. The graduate will be working this summer. The graduate also has time to write. The graduate can even start writing a novel. The high school graduate has so many options. What a great achievement it would be if the new high school graduate became a published author.

Nerves

2005-05-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

Nerves can cause you to be bold and afraid. I was really bold today. I took a big chance with a project and I am going to stick with it. This is a big deal for me. I now believe that I can write professionally. I will begin a writing career.

Bees In My Stomach

2005-05-17T00:45:00.000-07:00

Today I feel like I have bees in my stomach. I find myself a little tense. I don't know if it is due to the big upcoming event or not. I hope it passes soon. I have not been getting much sleep lately. I believe this is due to stress. Something is telling me to go in the fridge and get my last red bull.

I have to get out of the house today. There is so much I need to take care of. I will clean up a little tomorrow and get back to my writing later.

A Great Day A Coming

2005-05-16T07:58:00.000-07:00

A great day a coming can be a song. It is however about an upcoming event. The event places the girl in a new world. She is graduating from high school. She will be working this summer full time.

She also has the opportunity to take college courses this summer. Just the other day she was a little baby. She is growing up real fast. I wish her luck on her new journey.

Read This Novel

2005-05-15T06:29:00.000-07:00

Can those simple words "read this novel" encourage others to follow my advice? Can I persuade people to read the novel I want them to read my saying "read this novel"? Are my words magical?

Other people have been magical when they uttered these words "read this novel". I will not lose confidence in my ability to persuade. I will constantly focus on those words "read this novel". If I can get a few people to follow suit, maybe the power of buzz can cause millions to follow suit.

Nothing is impossible, so I will carry forth the message of "read this novel".

I Will Read Novels This Summer

2005-05-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

I will read more novels this summer. I feel more and more people are getting away from reading novels. When I surf the internet, I cannot help but feel for some of those published authors who have been rejected by the major publishing houses. I was reading one article where a new author was told to go and get self-publish we cannot help you. That new author heard those statements without the publisher ever looking at her work.

Well all I have to say is this: They are not God. They cannot predict sales. Well I take some of this back. In a sense they can predict sales. They predict sales based on the novels they push. That is why it is so important that we as readers of novels should not totally rely on traditional publishers novels publications for our reading enjoyment. There are a lot of novels that are not being published by these traditional publishers.

We can still find those novels and read them. I am calling for people to spend time searching for those novels that are not highly profiled. We will find that those novels too are wonderful to read.

Getting People To Read More Books

2005-05-13T15:49:00.000-07:00

I do not know why I named this blog a writing forum. I will confuse my readers. The real purpose of this blog is to discuss reading. I want to get more people to read books the way Oprah did. I am just one person. I hope I can make a difference. If more people started reading books than new authors would be able to sell more books. I will use my forum to get more people to buy and read books.

But how do I steer people my way? Amazon.com has the market covered as far as getting people to read what they want them to read. I need to be able to help those authors who need more exposure for their new novels. I will try my best. That is all I can do.

Back To My Writing

2005-05-12T09:30:00.000-07:00

It has been a long day. I spent a lot of time surfing for credits. I wanted to spend most of the day working on my manuscript. I had good intentions but I did not follow through. For the rest of the week, I will just let the chips fall where they may.

I will follow my heart. Suppose I have garnered attention for my new novel. What then if I have not finish writing my manuscript. Suppose there was a rush to the bookstore and there was no novel to buy.

Promoting a novel is one thing. Writing one is entirely a different story. I have to spend more time writing my manuscript. I have to let the chips fall where they may. I will definitely spend time writing my novel Sunday. I have been away from my manuscript for too long.

Shopping At Yahoo

2005-05-11T06:21:00.000-07:00

Today, I went shopping at Yahoo. I found some great books to read. I also got my wishlist together for new books that are yet to be published. I would like to share my list of books with you:

1. Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

2. Sea Glass: A Novel by Anita Shreve

3. Strange Fruit In A Small Town by Faye Brown

4. Lilly's Crossings by Patricia Reilly Giff

5. Don't Let Me Be Lonely by Claudia Rankine

6. Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea by Lillian Nordicht, Jules Verne

7. Winter Room by Gary Paulsen

8. Last Juror by John Grisham

9. Mirror Mirror by Mary Maguire, Gary Maguire

10. Crisis on Infinite Earths by Mary Wolfman, George Perez

My Head Is Spinning

2005-05-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

My head is spinning. I do not focus. I try one thing and then I proceed to another. I need to stay focus. Every time I have a plan, I change it. I need to stick to my original plan. I do want to proceed. I keep pushing back the inevitable. I need to start writing. I am so busy with promotion that I cannot stop. Have I become obsessed? I do not know. Novel writing is a long journey.

I just need to go with the flow. I will not update often. I have to write. That has to be my focus.

Hey Alicia

2005-05-06T09:34:00.000-07:00

Hey Alicia. I heard you were sick. I hope you feel better.