By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=John_Halasz]John Halasz
Writing a detective novel requires careful story planning, clues, criminals, and motive(s) among other things. The writer must be clear in the logical sequence of the story. It has to be well worded, articulate, free flowing, and make the reader a visual participant of the event taking place.
Unlike a movie where the director can convey through visuals, speech and sound, while writing a detective novel the writer must depend on his writing capability to express the scene, feelings, pain, happiness, suspense or anger. The writer cannot show these expressions but has to describe them in a manner that the reader feels he can see them and not miss the visual impact of a cinema.
Detective story building blocks while writing a detective novel could be:
� Who is the Detective: Defining a detective could be 'someone who is searching for the truth'.
� Brief outline of the plot. The blocks can be rearranged later as the story develops.
� Background about the detective. Who is he as a person? Some information about his personal life and interests.
� Can some of the detective's personal attributes be linked to the story? What motivates the person - as an individual and as a professional?
� Is there anyone else who assists him or her? It could be a colleague if the person is a professional Law Enforcement authority or an amateur could be a friend / family member.
� A brief overview of the crime or plot and what is the reason or motive of the crime.
� Who is / are the perpetrators or suspects. Create a brief description of each along with possible motive of each.
� What are the levels of opponents, for example a lone killer, gang with henchmen, etc. The most powerful of these could be the hidden opponent, possibly a close friend or business associate - 'the pal who turns out to be working for the opposition.
� Description of the sequel of the crime & the criminals steps to hide the crime.
� What are the possible reasons of the crime! Sub-plots could be woven into 2 - 3 stories mutually-exclusive where the investigation is carried out on each of the leads. Eventually one lead ends by exposing the criminal, the method of the crime and the reason or motive.
� When writing a detective novel, determine the apparent explanations for the crime, which the detectives will discover and follow before they find out the actual explanation?
� Clues and red herrings should be planted to make the story exciting.
� Some detailing on how the clues were handled leading to discarding the red herrings and why the balance few clues are pursued.
Some suspense can be built while writing a detective novel where the detective has to make a difficult choice in pursuing one trail even though the other trail is equally probable. The novel should be written in such a manner that the reader is eager to turn the next page. This forms the backbone of detective novels.
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Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Writing-a-Detective-Novel&id=6622350] Writing a Detective Novel
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
Poetry Writing - Penning Down Your Thoughts on Paper
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Daniel_Rock_Samuel]Daniel Rock Samuel
Before we take a remarkable journey throwing light on the useful facets of poetry writing, let's take a brief look at poetry writing.
What is poetry writing?
Many individuals hold a different perception about poetry. For some, it is a joy and for others, it is something that is done for the absolute pleasure of putting striking words to paper. The art of poetry writing can be in a form which is as simple as or as complex as you wish. If you strongly believe that you have a flair for this art form of writing poetry then most likely the finest way to start off is by practicing the rhyming skills.
What is the purpose of writing poetry?
Countless individuals might pose a question at themselves about poetry writing as to what really is the motive behind writing poetry. Poetry is way of self-expression. It has been generally perceived that most of the time, when the hearts of poets are engaged with love, annoyance, tediousness, like and dislikes, etc. they end up writing a poem. Poetry writing serves as the river of feelings and emotions wherein an individual is able to freely express himself what he has in mind in an imaginative way. It purely gives a comfort level and creates a soothing atmosphere when poets commence on their remarkable journey in terms of writing a poem for the first time. It would certainly not be wrong to state that the first line of verse of each poem that has stunningly crafted heals our sentiments and vigorously help us to cope with our mundane demands.
It's factual that writing a single poem is sometimes very arduous or uncomplicated depending on how a poet makes use of his wide and shining mind's eye. Our minds are filled with unique metaphors very often but at the same time, we find quite tough to transform them to a breathtaking poem.
A poem that is directly penned down straight from the heart is an excellent piece of work and it immensely proves beneficial to the author. It's due to the fact that our works bear an amalgamation of love, honesty and compassion. Our hearts never lie and it can reveal whatever emotions linger inside us. Poetry writing is one of those fictitious genres that inculcate a fear in students, specifically in the middle school arena. Sonnet, metaphor, rhyme, prose, haiku, or free verse are examples of thousands of poetry forms. Writing poetry should be fun for students, allowing them to convey their feelings, notions and experiences.
UFiction is an [http://www.ufiction.com/fantasy.php]online writing website that provides a common platform to the user so that he can share his ideas and views with the people through poetry writing whether he is an amateur or experienced [http://www.ufiction.com/show_category.php?id=Other%20Fictions]writer.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Poetry-Writing---Penning-Down-Your-Thoughts-on-Paper&id=6618601] Poetry Writing - Penning Down Your Thoughts on Paper
Before we take a remarkable journey throwing light on the useful facets of poetry writing, let's take a brief look at poetry writing.
What is poetry writing?
Many individuals hold a different perception about poetry. For some, it is a joy and for others, it is something that is done for the absolute pleasure of putting striking words to paper. The art of poetry writing can be in a form which is as simple as or as complex as you wish. If you strongly believe that you have a flair for this art form of writing poetry then most likely the finest way to start off is by practicing the rhyming skills.
What is the purpose of writing poetry?
Countless individuals might pose a question at themselves about poetry writing as to what really is the motive behind writing poetry. Poetry is way of self-expression. It has been generally perceived that most of the time, when the hearts of poets are engaged with love, annoyance, tediousness, like and dislikes, etc. they end up writing a poem. Poetry writing serves as the river of feelings and emotions wherein an individual is able to freely express himself what he has in mind in an imaginative way. It purely gives a comfort level and creates a soothing atmosphere when poets commence on their remarkable journey in terms of writing a poem for the first time. It would certainly not be wrong to state that the first line of verse of each poem that has stunningly crafted heals our sentiments and vigorously help us to cope with our mundane demands.
It's factual that writing a single poem is sometimes very arduous or uncomplicated depending on how a poet makes use of his wide and shining mind's eye. Our minds are filled with unique metaphors very often but at the same time, we find quite tough to transform them to a breathtaking poem.
A poem that is directly penned down straight from the heart is an excellent piece of work and it immensely proves beneficial to the author. It's due to the fact that our works bear an amalgamation of love, honesty and compassion. Our hearts never lie and it can reveal whatever emotions linger inside us. Poetry writing is one of those fictitious genres that inculcate a fear in students, specifically in the middle school arena. Sonnet, metaphor, rhyme, prose, haiku, or free verse are examples of thousands of poetry forms. Writing poetry should be fun for students, allowing them to convey their feelings, notions and experiences.
UFiction is an [http://www.ufiction.com/fantasy.php]online writing website that provides a common platform to the user so that he can share his ideas and views with the people through poetry writing whether he is an amateur or experienced [http://www.ufiction.com/show_category.php?id=Other%20Fictions]writer.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Poetry-Writing---Penning-Down-Your-Thoughts-on-Paper&id=6618601] Poetry Writing - Penning Down Your Thoughts on Paper
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Author Inspiration: Is It Pure Intellect or Emotional Intelligence?
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Harriet_Hodgson]Harriet Hodgson
"What's your next book going to be about?" a friend asked.
"I can't say," I replied.
"Oh, is it a secret?" she countered.
"No. I know I'll write another book, but I don't know what it will be about yet," I answered. "I could get a new idea at any time.
Book ideas often take me by surprise. In the last three months I've had three new ideas and written three books. Writing took over my life ad I became a possessed woman, cranking out more than 10,000 words a week. Thankfully, my husband has witnessed these creative spurts before and understands them.
Friends describe me as a "lean, mean writing machine." I describe myself as a creative woman who uses her emotional intelligence. What is it anyway? Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify feelings and use them in positive ways. Daniel Goleman, author of "Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ," might describe the term as leading with the heart instead of the mind.
IQ tests rely on word and math skills to determine ability. While emotional intelligence is difficult to measure, the core abilities are clear. These abilities are detailed in a HelpGuide website article, "Emotional Intelligence (EQ): Five Key Skills for Raising Your Emotional Intelligence. The core abilities are self-awarness (including self-confidence), self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.
I'm familiar with these abilities because I've been writing for decades. Ever since I was a small child I've been a self-aware person and am always on the lookout for new book ideas. Sometimes I get ideas while I'm walking, or on long road trips, or in the grocery store. One book idea came to me in the middle of a conference presentation. Self-awareness is crucial to the writing process.
People who have high emotional intelligence are able to enter the "flow," according to Goleman. "Being able to enter flow is emotional intelligence at its best," he writes. I understand flow and have been there many times. Certainly, I've been in the flow the last three months, so absorbed in writing I was barely aware of anything else.
Self-management helps me to evaluate book ideas. Can I state the purpose in one sentence? Is there enough supporting research? Have similar works been published? What makes my idea different? As I'm writing I stay alert to signs of fatigue, another form of self-management.
Many of my book ideas stem from social awareness. My recent work focuses on loss, grief and recovery. Five books have come from my personal experience with grief and the need for more information on coping. While these books fill a social need, writing them also helped me to recover.
Last, but not least, emotional intelligence includes relationship management. For me, this management includes interacting with publishers, editors, and marketing experts. Several times in my career, my good author-publisher relationship has led to another sale. This brings us back to the question: Is author inspiration pure IQ or emotional intelligence? I think it's both and so does Goleman.
He describes EQ as "metability, determining how well we use whatever skills we have, including raw intellect." As years have passed and my career developed, I've improved my emotional intelligence skills and continue to hone them. Though I don't know my next book idea yet, I know I will have one. Each idea is emotional intelligence in action.
Copyright 2011 by Harriet Hodgson http://www.harriethodgson.com/
Harriet Hodgson has been an independent journalist for 35+ years and is the author of 30 published works. She has written about many topics, including sexual harassment, aging, caregiving, loss and grief. Centering Corporation has published Writing to Recover: The Journey from Loss and Grief to a New Life, a companion journal, The Spiritual Woman: Quotes to Refresh and Sustain Your Soul, and her latest book, Happy Again! Your New and Meaningful Life After Loss. Hodgson has two other new books, 101 Affirmations to Ease Your Grief Journey and Real Meals on 18 Wheels: A Guide for Healthy Living on the Highway, Kathryn Clements, RD, co-author. Please visit Harriet's website and learn more about this busy author.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Author-Inspiration:-Is-It-Pure-Intellect-or-Emotional-Intelligence?&id=6591828] Author Inspiration: Is It Pure Intellect or Emotional Intelligence?
"What's your next book going to be about?" a friend asked.
"I can't say," I replied.
"Oh, is it a secret?" she countered.
"No. I know I'll write another book, but I don't know what it will be about yet," I answered. "I could get a new idea at any time.
Book ideas often take me by surprise. In the last three months I've had three new ideas and written three books. Writing took over my life ad I became a possessed woman, cranking out more than 10,000 words a week. Thankfully, my husband has witnessed these creative spurts before and understands them.
Friends describe me as a "lean, mean writing machine." I describe myself as a creative woman who uses her emotional intelligence. What is it anyway? Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify feelings and use them in positive ways. Daniel Goleman, author of "Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ," might describe the term as leading with the heart instead of the mind.
IQ tests rely on word and math skills to determine ability. While emotional intelligence is difficult to measure, the core abilities are clear. These abilities are detailed in a HelpGuide website article, "Emotional Intelligence (EQ): Five Key Skills for Raising Your Emotional Intelligence. The core abilities are self-awarness (including self-confidence), self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.
I'm familiar with these abilities because I've been writing for decades. Ever since I was a small child I've been a self-aware person and am always on the lookout for new book ideas. Sometimes I get ideas while I'm walking, or on long road trips, or in the grocery store. One book idea came to me in the middle of a conference presentation. Self-awareness is crucial to the writing process.
People who have high emotional intelligence are able to enter the "flow," according to Goleman. "Being able to enter flow is emotional intelligence at its best," he writes. I understand flow and have been there many times. Certainly, I've been in the flow the last three months, so absorbed in writing I was barely aware of anything else.
Self-management helps me to evaluate book ideas. Can I state the purpose in one sentence? Is there enough supporting research? Have similar works been published? What makes my idea different? As I'm writing I stay alert to signs of fatigue, another form of self-management.
Many of my book ideas stem from social awareness. My recent work focuses on loss, grief and recovery. Five books have come from my personal experience with grief and the need for more information on coping. While these books fill a social need, writing them also helped me to recover.
Last, but not least, emotional intelligence includes relationship management. For me, this management includes interacting with publishers, editors, and marketing experts. Several times in my career, my good author-publisher relationship has led to another sale. This brings us back to the question: Is author inspiration pure IQ or emotional intelligence? I think it's both and so does Goleman.
He describes EQ as "metability, determining how well we use whatever skills we have, including raw intellect." As years have passed and my career developed, I've improved my emotional intelligence skills and continue to hone them. Though I don't know my next book idea yet, I know I will have one. Each idea is emotional intelligence in action.
Copyright 2011 by Harriet Hodgson http://www.harriethodgson.com/
Harriet Hodgson has been an independent journalist for 35+ years and is the author of 30 published works. She has written about many topics, including sexual harassment, aging, caregiving, loss and grief. Centering Corporation has published Writing to Recover: The Journey from Loss and Grief to a New Life, a companion journal, The Spiritual Woman: Quotes to Refresh and Sustain Your Soul, and her latest book, Happy Again! Your New and Meaningful Life After Loss. Hodgson has two other new books, 101 Affirmations to Ease Your Grief Journey and Real Meals on 18 Wheels: A Guide for Healthy Living on the Highway, Kathryn Clements, RD, co-author. Please visit Harriet's website and learn more about this busy author.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Author-Inspiration:-Is-It-Pure-Intellect-or-Emotional-Intelligence?&id=6591828] Author Inspiration: Is It Pure Intellect or Emotional Intelligence?
Descriptive Writing
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jonathan_Degler]Jonathan Degler
The beginning of any creative piece of writing is the word choice. There are obviously many other components of descriptive writing, but it all begins with recognizing who your audience is and then using the words that will connect to them personally.
When I first began my writing career, I was convinced that the adjectives and adverbs were the the words that drove the images into people minds and gave the reader a clear picture of the writer's scene. However, after some training, i found that the adjectives and adverbs i was using to describe were actually just muddling up my writing. The secret is utilizing the nouns and verbs to communicate meaning.
I will give you three examples and you can tell me which sounds the best and gives you a clear image of what is going on.
"The girl walked across the street."
"The young lively girl walked across the busy street in a way that told us she had just received great news."
"With a smile spread from ear to ear, a girl ambled across the brightly lit street."
As you can see, the first sentence is bland. It tells the reader nothing but the most basic information. The second sentence seems alright, but there are too many adjectives that dilute the image the writer is trying to convey. The last sentence give us as readers a clear image that there is a happy girl crossing the road on a nice day. If you read the second and third sentences again, try to imagine the scene in your head. I'm sure all of you would agree that the third sentence gives you a clearer and more vivid mental picture, without bogging down the flow.
When thinking of solid descriptive writing, the first place to look for examples is the writing of David Sedaris. My favorite of his stories is "Six to Eight Black Men." Throughout the entire piece I get a very clear image of the story of St. Nicholas, the Christmas icon of the Netherlands.
If you would like to improved your descriptive writing, I would begin by reading David Sedaris or other creative nonfiction writers. Then practice your own writing by taking completely bland and normal sentences, then transforming them in descriptions. For example, begin with the sentence, "I ran to the house." Practice replacing the verbs and nouns of the sentence with others, like "jolted" or "bungalow." Of course the words need to be appropriate for the information that you are trying to convey. So if you are thinking of a cottage in the woods, you wouldn't use the term "bungalow" for a house on the beach.
Avoid the "Be" verbs as much as possible. Not that these are bad verbs, I use them a lot, but when you are trying to write descriptively you will find that the replacement verbs turn out to give readers more vivid images of your scenes, characters, and tones.
So as always, your charge is to write. Your objective should be to write as much and as often as possible. For the first draft, do not worry yourself so much. Your real work begins in the revision. Look for nouns and verbs that fail to give you real images, and particularly avoid the "Be" words. These quick, simple practices will get any writer of any skill level off their butt and on the page.
Good Luck!
Jonathan Degler is the author of the novel "Gone Astray," and more information can be found at http://www.jonathandeglerbooks.com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Descriptive-Writing&id=6504897] Descriptive Writing
The beginning of any creative piece of writing is the word choice. There are obviously many other components of descriptive writing, but it all begins with recognizing who your audience is and then using the words that will connect to them personally.
When I first began my writing career, I was convinced that the adjectives and adverbs were the the words that drove the images into people minds and gave the reader a clear picture of the writer's scene. However, after some training, i found that the adjectives and adverbs i was using to describe were actually just muddling up my writing. The secret is utilizing the nouns and verbs to communicate meaning.
I will give you three examples and you can tell me which sounds the best and gives you a clear image of what is going on.
"The girl walked across the street."
"The young lively girl walked across the busy street in a way that told us she had just received great news."
"With a smile spread from ear to ear, a girl ambled across the brightly lit street."
As you can see, the first sentence is bland. It tells the reader nothing but the most basic information. The second sentence seems alright, but there are too many adjectives that dilute the image the writer is trying to convey. The last sentence give us as readers a clear image that there is a happy girl crossing the road on a nice day. If you read the second and third sentences again, try to imagine the scene in your head. I'm sure all of you would agree that the third sentence gives you a clearer and more vivid mental picture, without bogging down the flow.
When thinking of solid descriptive writing, the first place to look for examples is the writing of David Sedaris. My favorite of his stories is "Six to Eight Black Men." Throughout the entire piece I get a very clear image of the story of St. Nicholas, the Christmas icon of the Netherlands.
If you would like to improved your descriptive writing, I would begin by reading David Sedaris or other creative nonfiction writers. Then practice your own writing by taking completely bland and normal sentences, then transforming them in descriptions. For example, begin with the sentence, "I ran to the house." Practice replacing the verbs and nouns of the sentence with others, like "jolted" or "bungalow." Of course the words need to be appropriate for the information that you are trying to convey. So if you are thinking of a cottage in the woods, you wouldn't use the term "bungalow" for a house on the beach.
Avoid the "Be" verbs as much as possible. Not that these are bad verbs, I use them a lot, but when you are trying to write descriptively you will find that the replacement verbs turn out to give readers more vivid images of your scenes, characters, and tones.
So as always, your charge is to write. Your objective should be to write as much and as often as possible. For the first draft, do not worry yourself so much. Your real work begins in the revision. Look for nouns and verbs that fail to give you real images, and particularly avoid the "Be" words. These quick, simple practices will get any writer of any skill level off their butt and on the page.
Good Luck!
Jonathan Degler is the author of the novel "Gone Astray," and more information can be found at http://www.jonathandeglerbooks.com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Descriptive-Writing&id=6504897] Descriptive Writing
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Writing For Profit - Enjoy Writing? You Can Turn Your Passion Into Profit - Find Out More
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Graham_Abbott]Graham Abbott
Have you ever considered the possibility of writing for profit? if not as a full-time career then as a way to make some useful part-time income.
Of course, not everyone can be Shakespeare, but you do not have to be as long as you have a reasonably command of the language you are writing in then you have the potential to earn money for your work.
As a rule of thumb your writing standard should be around that of 8th grade standard, if it is higher you will have little trouble getting work.
There are so many opportunities for writers, for one thing there is the web itself with many millions of websites, and to do well most of these websites require one thing, good original content.
Website owners just cannot get enough original hand-written content and are willing to pay for it, as most do not have the time to write it all themselves.
At the same time there are just as many offline businesses that require original articles, magazines are an obvious example.
These are just two examples of the opportunities that exist for writers of all levels and styles in the majority of the major languages, which immediately throws up another option, if you are bilingual you have immediately doubled your output and your earnings potential.
So how do you do get started at doing this? of course there are many resources online that can possibly help you, but it can waste an awful lot of your time looking around to find them.
For most writing applications you may require little more than a good word-processing program such as Microsoft Word, this may need to be the paid version though, as the one that generally comes as standard on a home computer may lack some of the necessary features that you may need.
If you want to go the free route then you can download the Open Office program, this is an excellent open source program available to everyone and is packed with features similar to the Microsoft Office program.
You may be wondering at this point how much money it is possible to earn by writing, well of course this cannot be guaranteed as there are many variables to take into account, the main one being how hard you are willing to work, if you can write for ten hours a day you will probably have no trouble earning a comfortable full-time income.
The important thing to remember is that you can start off writing a few articles in your spare time and see how you get on, if they earn you money then increase your output.
At this point, when you have gained a little experience, and made some money you may decide that writing is for you as a full-time career and start to take things to the next level.
The great thing about writing is that it is open to just about everyone, from any age or background.
The subject matter is limitless, and if you have knowledge of a subject this can be a great asset to you and be a really strong starting point to begin writing your articles, and after a little practice you will begin to get lots ideas and your output will increase dramatically.
Writing is especially suitable for stay-at-home moms who may have a few hours to spare or retired people who may like another interesting and rewarding pastime.
Disabled people or those unable to go out to work, the long-term unemployed or people who are between jobs, basically anyone with free time on their hands.
Even on the move a portable laptop computer, or even a simple notepad enables articles to be written just about anywhere, which is an ideal way to pass the time on your daily commute.
Writing can be a very enjoyable and rewarding experience that can lead to a full-time career that you can do from home, and you get to pick the subjects you want to write about, you can write about your passion or your hobby, life experiences virtually type of content will have eager buyers. If you would like more information about getting work as a freelance writer see the resource box below.
Writing is a really a great way to earn extra money from the comfort of your own home, or even a full-time income.
If you like to find out more about writing for profit then visit the authors website for at: http://grahamsnetmatrix.com/mpx/jobs/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Writing-For-Profit---Enjoy-Writing?-You-Can-Turn-Your-Passion-Into-Profit---Find-Out-More&id=6595432] Writing For Profit - Enjoy Writing? You Can Turn Your Passion Into Profit - Find Out More
Have you ever considered the possibility of writing for profit? if not as a full-time career then as a way to make some useful part-time income.
Of course, not everyone can be Shakespeare, but you do not have to be as long as you have a reasonably command of the language you are writing in then you have the potential to earn money for your work.
As a rule of thumb your writing standard should be around that of 8th grade standard, if it is higher you will have little trouble getting work.
There are so many opportunities for writers, for one thing there is the web itself with many millions of websites, and to do well most of these websites require one thing, good original content.
Website owners just cannot get enough original hand-written content and are willing to pay for it, as most do not have the time to write it all themselves.
At the same time there are just as many offline businesses that require original articles, magazines are an obvious example.
These are just two examples of the opportunities that exist for writers of all levels and styles in the majority of the major languages, which immediately throws up another option, if you are bilingual you have immediately doubled your output and your earnings potential.
So how do you do get started at doing this? of course there are many resources online that can possibly help you, but it can waste an awful lot of your time looking around to find them.
For most writing applications you may require little more than a good word-processing program such as Microsoft Word, this may need to be the paid version though, as the one that generally comes as standard on a home computer may lack some of the necessary features that you may need.
If you want to go the free route then you can download the Open Office program, this is an excellent open source program available to everyone and is packed with features similar to the Microsoft Office program.
You may be wondering at this point how much money it is possible to earn by writing, well of course this cannot be guaranteed as there are many variables to take into account, the main one being how hard you are willing to work, if you can write for ten hours a day you will probably have no trouble earning a comfortable full-time income.
The important thing to remember is that you can start off writing a few articles in your spare time and see how you get on, if they earn you money then increase your output.
At this point, when you have gained a little experience, and made some money you may decide that writing is for you as a full-time career and start to take things to the next level.
The great thing about writing is that it is open to just about everyone, from any age or background.
The subject matter is limitless, and if you have knowledge of a subject this can be a great asset to you and be a really strong starting point to begin writing your articles, and after a little practice you will begin to get lots ideas and your output will increase dramatically.
Writing is especially suitable for stay-at-home moms who may have a few hours to spare or retired people who may like another interesting and rewarding pastime.
Disabled people or those unable to go out to work, the long-term unemployed or people who are between jobs, basically anyone with free time on their hands.
Even on the move a portable laptop computer, or even a simple notepad enables articles to be written just about anywhere, which is an ideal way to pass the time on your daily commute.
Writing can be a very enjoyable and rewarding experience that can lead to a full-time career that you can do from home, and you get to pick the subjects you want to write about, you can write about your passion or your hobby, life experiences virtually type of content will have eager buyers. If you would like more information about getting work as a freelance writer see the resource box below.
Writing is a really a great way to earn extra money from the comfort of your own home, or even a full-time income.
If you like to find out more about writing for profit then visit the authors website for at: http://grahamsnetmatrix.com/mpx/jobs/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Writing-For-Profit---Enjoy-Writing?-You-Can-Turn-Your-Passion-Into-Profit---Find-Out-More&id=6595432] Writing For Profit - Enjoy Writing? You Can Turn Your Passion Into Profit - Find Out More
Monday, October 24, 2011
Descriptive Writing: Part 2
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jonathan_Degler]Jonathan Degler
Once you have practiced and further developed the quality of your nouns and verbs, there are a few more steps that need to be taken to create masterful works of creative writing. The next of these steps is learning how to communicate your distinctive style. Many of you may be confused by these two words thinking, "How can this guy teach me about my own style?" Well hopefully you can discover this for yourself through a few simple exercises.
Discovering your distinctive style begins with figuring out your strengths and weaknesses as a writer. For example, one of my strengths is setting a scene. I am usually able to write in such a way where readers can "see" exactly what I am "seeing." Conversely, one of my weaknesses is creating authentic dialogue. For some reason dialogue is a constant struggle for me and it usually takes many different rounds of revision to get it sounding right. All of you will have a few things you excel at and one or two things you really struggle with, and that's okay. The key is to understand yourself as a writer so you can practice in the areas you are weak and foster the areas you are strong.
Quick-Writes are an easy way to help you understand what you are good at and what you will need to pay particularly close attention to in your writing. For your quick-writes try writing a few short pieces of writing without any preparation or revision. You can write a quick page of fiction, creative nonfiction, drama, and even poetry. Fiction can help you create scenes from your imagination, nonfiction shows you whether you are skilled in recalling and writing scenes, and drama can illustrate your skills with dialogue.
After your pre-writes, I would recommend that you give them to a fellow writer to have them read. I recommend someone you trust to give you honest and straight forward answers. Someone's who's going say, "this looks great" to everything is not a good critic. You need honesty for this exercise. This feedback should be able to help you discern your strengths and weaknesses.
Now that you have your strengths, you can use those strengths to develop your own personal and unique style. Your style is essentially your way of writing. Its just as it sounds. Your style is a way that readers can distinguish you as the writer. For example your style can be serious, humorous, dramatic, or a unique mixture of these. Your personality as a person needs to shine through your writing.
When writers combine their writing strengths with their personality, they find their style that is uniquely their own. As I've said before, your task is to write. The greatest practice is to just write. Experiment with different genres while adding your own personality and flare. These exercises will help, not only develop your skills, but focus your writing into a niche that is appropriate for you. Once you have discovered your style, run with it in confidence that your personality is truly within the page.
Good Luck!
Jonathan Degler is the author of the novel "Gone Astray," and more information can be found at http://www.jonathandeglerbooks.com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Descriptive-Writing:-Part-2&id=6613922] Descriptive Writing: Part 2
Once you have practiced and further developed the quality of your nouns and verbs, there are a few more steps that need to be taken to create masterful works of creative writing. The next of these steps is learning how to communicate your distinctive style. Many of you may be confused by these two words thinking, "How can this guy teach me about my own style?" Well hopefully you can discover this for yourself through a few simple exercises.
Discovering your distinctive style begins with figuring out your strengths and weaknesses as a writer. For example, one of my strengths is setting a scene. I am usually able to write in such a way where readers can "see" exactly what I am "seeing." Conversely, one of my weaknesses is creating authentic dialogue. For some reason dialogue is a constant struggle for me and it usually takes many different rounds of revision to get it sounding right. All of you will have a few things you excel at and one or two things you really struggle with, and that's okay. The key is to understand yourself as a writer so you can practice in the areas you are weak and foster the areas you are strong.
Quick-Writes are an easy way to help you understand what you are good at and what you will need to pay particularly close attention to in your writing. For your quick-writes try writing a few short pieces of writing without any preparation or revision. You can write a quick page of fiction, creative nonfiction, drama, and even poetry. Fiction can help you create scenes from your imagination, nonfiction shows you whether you are skilled in recalling and writing scenes, and drama can illustrate your skills with dialogue.
After your pre-writes, I would recommend that you give them to a fellow writer to have them read. I recommend someone you trust to give you honest and straight forward answers. Someone's who's going say, "this looks great" to everything is not a good critic. You need honesty for this exercise. This feedback should be able to help you discern your strengths and weaknesses.
Now that you have your strengths, you can use those strengths to develop your own personal and unique style. Your style is essentially your way of writing. Its just as it sounds. Your style is a way that readers can distinguish you as the writer. For example your style can be serious, humorous, dramatic, or a unique mixture of these. Your personality as a person needs to shine through your writing.
When writers combine their writing strengths with their personality, they find their style that is uniquely their own. As I've said before, your task is to write. The greatest practice is to just write. Experiment with different genres while adding your own personality and flare. These exercises will help, not only develop your skills, but focus your writing into a niche that is appropriate for you. Once you have discovered your style, run with it in confidence that your personality is truly within the page.
Good Luck!
Jonathan Degler is the author of the novel "Gone Astray," and more information can be found at http://www.jonathandeglerbooks.com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Descriptive-Writing:-Part-2&id=6613922] Descriptive Writing: Part 2
Saturday, October 22, 2011
How To Write A Book - A Writers Guide
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Anthony_Stuart_Price]Anthony Stuart Price
Maybe you've thought about starting a book, but you're left wondering exactly how to write a book. Perhaps you have an idea for a children's book - that's a good start. However, if you really want to write a book of your own, you need a good guide that will help you ensure it gets done and you aren't working on the same book 10 years from now.
Of course, commitment is one of the first essentials that you'll need. With commitment on your side, you have a great shot at becoming the next published author. Here is a simple writer's guide to follow that will help you go through the process of writing a good book.
Know the Subject
If you want to know how to write a book, the first step is to know the subject you'll be writing on. Go with a subject you enjoy or one that you have a lot of expertise in. Just remember, no matter the subject, you need to ensure there is a demand for that information.
Decide on the Audience
Now it's time to decide on the audience for your book. Ask yourself what the age of the children will be who are reading your work. Will this age require illustrations? You want a book that will fill a specific need. Once you know the audience, you can make sure your book caters to that audience.
Write a Short Summary
Next, write a short summary of the book. With just 1-4 sentences, summarize the entire book. This will take a bit of thinking on your part, which will help you to begin to craft the book in your mind. This summary can become your mission statement for the book to keep you focused as you write and make sure you stay on task and on subject.
Choose the Title for the Book
The next step to take if you're wondering how to write a book is to choose the title for the book. You need a title that is focused and compelling. A good title will make it easier for you to write the book and will keep you focused on the direction you're going in while you are writing.
Write Summaries for Every Character
Write down all of the characters you plan on using within your book. Then, write summaries for every character. Start out with a paragraph for each one and then build up to an entire page for each character if you are writing a longer book. The better you know the characters, the better your book will read.
Develop a List of Scenes
Another great idea to help you write a book is to develop a list of scenes. List all the scenes that are needed to turn your idea into a book. You can write this down on paper or you can put the list into a spreadsheet. Then you can use this list of scenes to guide you as you begin the writing process.
Start Writing
Now you're actually ready to begin writing. All of the previous steps will help you in the writing process. You'll have your summary, title, character summaries, and list of scenes to help you as you are doing the actual writing. Create specific times to write to ensure that you write every day if at all possible.
Take Time to Edit
When many people want to know how to write a book, they often forget about taking time to edit what they write. However, some writers make the editing phase take too long. Don't allow editing to become an exercise in procrastination. Get in there and start editing. Cut areas that are not needed in the book. Edit grammar and make any changes in the storyline that are needed. Just don't allow this to take so long that it gets you off track.
Want to know more about how to write a book?
To discover Unique, comprehensive information and Secrets that you can use for creative writing to become a top selling children's author and learn all that you need for a successful writing career, go here NOW! http://www.creative-writing-prompts.com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Write-A-Book---A-Writers-Guide&id=6571237] How To Write A Book - A Writers Guide
Maybe you've thought about starting a book, but you're left wondering exactly how to write a book. Perhaps you have an idea for a children's book - that's a good start. However, if you really want to write a book of your own, you need a good guide that will help you ensure it gets done and you aren't working on the same book 10 years from now.
Of course, commitment is one of the first essentials that you'll need. With commitment on your side, you have a great shot at becoming the next published author. Here is a simple writer's guide to follow that will help you go through the process of writing a good book.
Know the Subject
If you want to know how to write a book, the first step is to know the subject you'll be writing on. Go with a subject you enjoy or one that you have a lot of expertise in. Just remember, no matter the subject, you need to ensure there is a demand for that information.
Decide on the Audience
Now it's time to decide on the audience for your book. Ask yourself what the age of the children will be who are reading your work. Will this age require illustrations? You want a book that will fill a specific need. Once you know the audience, you can make sure your book caters to that audience.
Write a Short Summary
Next, write a short summary of the book. With just 1-4 sentences, summarize the entire book. This will take a bit of thinking on your part, which will help you to begin to craft the book in your mind. This summary can become your mission statement for the book to keep you focused as you write and make sure you stay on task and on subject.
Choose the Title for the Book
The next step to take if you're wondering how to write a book is to choose the title for the book. You need a title that is focused and compelling. A good title will make it easier for you to write the book and will keep you focused on the direction you're going in while you are writing.
Write Summaries for Every Character
Write down all of the characters you plan on using within your book. Then, write summaries for every character. Start out with a paragraph for each one and then build up to an entire page for each character if you are writing a longer book. The better you know the characters, the better your book will read.
Develop a List of Scenes
Another great idea to help you write a book is to develop a list of scenes. List all the scenes that are needed to turn your idea into a book. You can write this down on paper or you can put the list into a spreadsheet. Then you can use this list of scenes to guide you as you begin the writing process.
Start Writing
Now you're actually ready to begin writing. All of the previous steps will help you in the writing process. You'll have your summary, title, character summaries, and list of scenes to help you as you are doing the actual writing. Create specific times to write to ensure that you write every day if at all possible.
Take Time to Edit
When many people want to know how to write a book, they often forget about taking time to edit what they write. However, some writers make the editing phase take too long. Don't allow editing to become an exercise in procrastination. Get in there and start editing. Cut areas that are not needed in the book. Edit grammar and make any changes in the storyline that are needed. Just don't allow this to take so long that it gets you off track.
Want to know more about how to write a book?
To discover Unique, comprehensive information and Secrets that you can use for creative writing to become a top selling children's author and learn all that you need for a successful writing career, go here NOW! http://www.creative-writing-prompts.com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Write-A-Book---A-Writers-Guide&id=6571237] How To Write A Book - A Writers Guide
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Becoming An Author
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Anthony_Stuart_Price]Anthony Stuart Price
Becoming an author is easier for some than others. However, every writer finds that it takes quite a bit of work. You'll also find that successful authors all have a few things in common. Studying the traits and characteristics of successful authors can give you ideas as to how you can become an author.
If being an author is a goal for you, here are some winning strategies and habits that you can use. Authors before you have already had success with these strategies and habits, and you can be successful too.
Write about something that has Meaning to You
The first strategy you need to employ if you're interested in becoming an author is to write about a topic that means something to you. Don't try writing about a book that you don't care about or that with which you have no emotional connection. Choosing something that you really care about will give you a connection to the book you are writing. If you are going to invest time into this pursuit, you need to have feeling and passion to back it up.
Set Goals and Plan Ahead
It's also important that you set goals and plan ahead if you want to be an author. Have an idea of when you want to complete your book. Figure out how long it will take you each day to reach the goals that you have. Make a plan for the book and when you plan to finish it, - then stick to the plan.
Plan out the story and know where you are going with the plot. Remember, the more planning that you do in the beginning, the easier it will be to write and the less editing you'll need to do in the end.
Write Every Single Day
One of the habits of successful authors is writing every single day. Becoming an author is going to take this kind of dedication. Even if you don't feel like writing, you still need to sit down and write. If you want to become a writer, you definitely have to write. Even if you only write for a short period of time, make sure you write.
Understand it Takes Hard Work and Commitment
Some people think that becoming an author is easy. They're wrong. It takes hard work and commitment to be successful. Prepare yourself to work hard because it takes a lot of work to become a successful author and it takes a lot of work to stay there as well. Even once you get noticed and published, you'll still have to work hard and stay committed if you want real success.
Overcome the Writer's Block
Becoming an author is going to require overcoming writer's block. Usually writer's block occurs because of fear, which leads to procrastination. Don't allow fear manifested as writer's block to keep you from reaching your goal. Write every day. Plan the book and stick to that plan. Do everything you can to overcome writer's block.
Be Persistent
Persistence is going to be an important strategy needed if you're interested in becoming an author. Determination and persistence is the reason that many well known authors have become successful. Prepare to be rejected and when that happens, submit it to someone else or rewrite it and submit the manuscript again. Don't give up or you'll never reach your goal of becoming an author.
Want to know more about becoming an author?
To discover Unique, comprehensive information and Secrets that you can use for creative writing to become a top selling children's author and learn all that you need for a successful writing career, go here NOW! http://www.creative-writing-prompts.com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Becoming-An-Author&id=6571259] Becoming An Author
Becoming an author is easier for some than others. However, every writer finds that it takes quite a bit of work. You'll also find that successful authors all have a few things in common. Studying the traits and characteristics of successful authors can give you ideas as to how you can become an author.
If being an author is a goal for you, here are some winning strategies and habits that you can use. Authors before you have already had success with these strategies and habits, and you can be successful too.
Write about something that has Meaning to You
The first strategy you need to employ if you're interested in becoming an author is to write about a topic that means something to you. Don't try writing about a book that you don't care about or that with which you have no emotional connection. Choosing something that you really care about will give you a connection to the book you are writing. If you are going to invest time into this pursuit, you need to have feeling and passion to back it up.
Set Goals and Plan Ahead
It's also important that you set goals and plan ahead if you want to be an author. Have an idea of when you want to complete your book. Figure out how long it will take you each day to reach the goals that you have. Make a plan for the book and when you plan to finish it, - then stick to the plan.
Plan out the story and know where you are going with the plot. Remember, the more planning that you do in the beginning, the easier it will be to write and the less editing you'll need to do in the end.
Write Every Single Day
One of the habits of successful authors is writing every single day. Becoming an author is going to take this kind of dedication. Even if you don't feel like writing, you still need to sit down and write. If you want to become a writer, you definitely have to write. Even if you only write for a short period of time, make sure you write.
Understand it Takes Hard Work and Commitment
Some people think that becoming an author is easy. They're wrong. It takes hard work and commitment to be successful. Prepare yourself to work hard because it takes a lot of work to become a successful author and it takes a lot of work to stay there as well. Even once you get noticed and published, you'll still have to work hard and stay committed if you want real success.
Overcome the Writer's Block
Becoming an author is going to require overcoming writer's block. Usually writer's block occurs because of fear, which leads to procrastination. Don't allow fear manifested as writer's block to keep you from reaching your goal. Write every day. Plan the book and stick to that plan. Do everything you can to overcome writer's block.
Be Persistent
Persistence is going to be an important strategy needed if you're interested in becoming an author. Determination and persistence is the reason that many well known authors have become successful. Prepare to be rejected and when that happens, submit it to someone else or rewrite it and submit the manuscript again. Don't give up or you'll never reach your goal of becoming an author.
Want to know more about becoming an author?
To discover Unique, comprehensive information and Secrets that you can use for creative writing to become a top selling children's author and learn all that you need for a successful writing career, go here NOW! http://www.creative-writing-prompts.com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Becoming-An-Author&id=6571259] Becoming An Author
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
How To Write Children's Stories
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Anthony_Stuart_Price]Anthony Stuart Price
Wondering how to write children's stories? This niche is an exciting one and it can even be a lot of fun. Even if you have experience in other types of writing, writing stories for young readers is very different. Children often have short attention spans, meaning you have to quickly engage them and then continue to work to keep their attention through your story. It's not as easy as you may think. To help you out, here are some secrets that make a difference when you're writing for children.
Secret #1 - Remember Your Own Childhood
If you want to know how to write children's stories, one of the first secrets to keep in mind is to remember your own childhood. If you don't remember what it was like to think and feel like a child, you'll find it difficult to communicate to children with your stories. Take time to connect to your childhood. Think about the memories; remember the feelings you felt and the pleasures that you enjoyed. The more you can connect to that inner child, the easier it will be to write stories that will grab the attention of children.
Secret #2 - Read Children's Stories
Another secret that can make a big difference if you want to write for children is to spend some time reading children's stories. This is especially important if you have never written in this genre before. Reading these stories will help you to learn how these books are crafted. You'll get to know more about your audience - children. This can even help you to further connect to your inner child.
Secret #3 - Have a Way to Write Down Ideas or Images
Some of the best ideas or images can come to you when you are nowhere near your computer. This means that you need to have a way that you can write down any ideas or images that come to mind. If you want to learn how to write children's stories, it's important that you make the most of all your ideas. Get in the habit for writing everything down. Have a system for keeping these images and ideas organized as well. This way you can incorporate them into your writing.
Secret #4 - Consider Taking a Writing Workshop
Attending conferences for writers of children's books is another great idea. There are also writing workshops for writers interested in writing children's books. If you don't already have experience in this genre of writing, you may want to consider taking a writing workshop. This will give you a great way to learn more about this type of writing from some of the best in the business.
Secret #5 - Invest in a Suitable Writing Course
There are many courses available that cover this topic. Go for a really in depth and comprehensive course to make sure that everything you need to learn is covered in the written material. A really informative course means that nothing is missed out and your chances of success will be greater.
Using these secrets can aid you in being successful, but there is more to learn. Make use of these great tips and ideas and be ready to do more research on this field of writing so you have all the information you need to become successful at writing books for children.
Following the right advice and information means you will know how to write children's stories and become one of the established authors too.
Want to know more about how to write children's stories?
To discover Unique, comprehensive information and Secrets that you can use for creative writing to become a top selling children's author and learn all that you need for a successful writing career, go here NOW! http://www.creative-writing-prompts.com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Write-Childrens-Stories&id=6571268] How To Write Children's Stories
Wondering how to write children's stories? This niche is an exciting one and it can even be a lot of fun. Even if you have experience in other types of writing, writing stories for young readers is very different. Children often have short attention spans, meaning you have to quickly engage them and then continue to work to keep their attention through your story. It's not as easy as you may think. To help you out, here are some secrets that make a difference when you're writing for children.
Secret #1 - Remember Your Own Childhood
If you want to know how to write children's stories, one of the first secrets to keep in mind is to remember your own childhood. If you don't remember what it was like to think and feel like a child, you'll find it difficult to communicate to children with your stories. Take time to connect to your childhood. Think about the memories; remember the feelings you felt and the pleasures that you enjoyed. The more you can connect to that inner child, the easier it will be to write stories that will grab the attention of children.
Secret #2 - Read Children's Stories
Another secret that can make a big difference if you want to write for children is to spend some time reading children's stories. This is especially important if you have never written in this genre before. Reading these stories will help you to learn how these books are crafted. You'll get to know more about your audience - children. This can even help you to further connect to your inner child.
Secret #3 - Have a Way to Write Down Ideas or Images
Some of the best ideas or images can come to you when you are nowhere near your computer. This means that you need to have a way that you can write down any ideas or images that come to mind. If you want to learn how to write children's stories, it's important that you make the most of all your ideas. Get in the habit for writing everything down. Have a system for keeping these images and ideas organized as well. This way you can incorporate them into your writing.
Secret #4 - Consider Taking a Writing Workshop
Attending conferences for writers of children's books is another great idea. There are also writing workshops for writers interested in writing children's books. If you don't already have experience in this genre of writing, you may want to consider taking a writing workshop. This will give you a great way to learn more about this type of writing from some of the best in the business.
Secret #5 - Invest in a Suitable Writing Course
There are many courses available that cover this topic. Go for a really in depth and comprehensive course to make sure that everything you need to learn is covered in the written material. A really informative course means that nothing is missed out and your chances of success will be greater.
Using these secrets can aid you in being successful, but there is more to learn. Make use of these great tips and ideas and be ready to do more research on this field of writing so you have all the information you need to become successful at writing books for children.
Following the right advice and information means you will know how to write children's stories and become one of the established authors too.
Want to know more about how to write children's stories?
To discover Unique, comprehensive information and Secrets that you can use for creative writing to become a top selling children's author and learn all that you need for a successful writing career, go here NOW! http://www.creative-writing-prompts.com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?How-To-Write-Childrens-Stories&id=6571268] How To Write Children's Stories
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Write What's Right for You
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Benjamin_C_Andrews]Benjamin C Andrews
Writing can sound very easy on the surface. Fiction or non fiction, there are countless subjects in the world that everyone can give their two cents on. Once you sit down and start pounding away at those keys though, you will start to realize the words don't always cascade across the screen at an amazing speed.
Luckily, this can be rectified by writing about things you are familiar with. If you're experienced at building things for example, you will probably find it easier to write about building a project, and the tools involved, than building an entire book about the history of the paper industry. Not that you couldn't write about that if you wanted to. With enough research, you could certainly produce such a book with almost no prior knowledge.
Writing outside what you know can be very difficult though. As most people who have written a book can attest to, even completing writing about things you know can be arduous at times. If you're barely sticking your head into the world of writing, you are in for a wild ride. It's amazing how difficult writing a bunch of words about something can be. As the page count grows, the job itself becomes heavier. Sometimes you run out of steam, and don't know where else to go with it. Or you could meet up with the notorious writer's block. There are many road blocks that could show up between typing that first word, and the long trip to reach the ending phrase.
I've always loved fantasy books, and so I chose to write them too. I had boundless ideas as I started writing, but some days it was hard to even type out a single sentence. When I think of choosing to write something I wasn't familiar with instead, I shiver at how hard it would have been.
If you want to write about something you aren't very familiar with, the best piece of advice I could give you is to get familiar with it. Even if it delays you beginning, take some time and learn about it. See what other people who write about it have to say. Trying to write about something you know little about, and just learning as you go along, can have damaging effects on your writing. It can become fragmented, and the cohesiveness of the writing as a whole can suffer.
Writing is a great tool that allows us to share thoughts and ideas with the world. However, if you believe it to be an easy thing to do, you've got another thing coming. Just like many people drop out of college before completing their degrees, many people drop out of writing before reaching the end. Lessen the chances of that by starting with what you know. It will make this difficult task a little easier to manage, and build your confidence until you can write with the best of them.
I'm Benjamin C. Andrews, an author sharing my writing knowledge with others. Visit http://magicjarpublishing.blogspot.com/ for more writing tips and tricks, and other quality information.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Write-Whats-Right-for-You&id=6613548] Write What's Right for You
Writing can sound very easy on the surface. Fiction or non fiction, there are countless subjects in the world that everyone can give their two cents on. Once you sit down and start pounding away at those keys though, you will start to realize the words don't always cascade across the screen at an amazing speed.
Luckily, this can be rectified by writing about things you are familiar with. If you're experienced at building things for example, you will probably find it easier to write about building a project, and the tools involved, than building an entire book about the history of the paper industry. Not that you couldn't write about that if you wanted to. With enough research, you could certainly produce such a book with almost no prior knowledge.
Writing outside what you know can be very difficult though. As most people who have written a book can attest to, even completing writing about things you know can be arduous at times. If you're barely sticking your head into the world of writing, you are in for a wild ride. It's amazing how difficult writing a bunch of words about something can be. As the page count grows, the job itself becomes heavier. Sometimes you run out of steam, and don't know where else to go with it. Or you could meet up with the notorious writer's block. There are many road blocks that could show up between typing that first word, and the long trip to reach the ending phrase.
I've always loved fantasy books, and so I chose to write them too. I had boundless ideas as I started writing, but some days it was hard to even type out a single sentence. When I think of choosing to write something I wasn't familiar with instead, I shiver at how hard it would have been.
If you want to write about something you aren't very familiar with, the best piece of advice I could give you is to get familiar with it. Even if it delays you beginning, take some time and learn about it. See what other people who write about it have to say. Trying to write about something you know little about, and just learning as you go along, can have damaging effects on your writing. It can become fragmented, and the cohesiveness of the writing as a whole can suffer.
Writing is a great tool that allows us to share thoughts and ideas with the world. However, if you believe it to be an easy thing to do, you've got another thing coming. Just like many people drop out of college before completing their degrees, many people drop out of writing before reaching the end. Lessen the chances of that by starting with what you know. It will make this difficult task a little easier to manage, and build your confidence until you can write with the best of them.
I'm Benjamin C. Andrews, an author sharing my writing knowledge with others. Visit http://magicjarpublishing.blogspot.com/ for more writing tips and tricks, and other quality information.
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Write-Whats-Right-for-You&id=6613548] Write What's Right for You
Friday, October 14, 2011
Descriptive Writing: Revision
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jonathan_Degler]Jonathan Degler
We have had the opportunity to practice our word choice and distinctive style, but what are you supposed to do once you have a piece written? You might not like the answer, but your next step is revision. Don't start hyperventilating. You will be okay. If you are like me, you like to write something, be done with it, and continue on to something else, but you must fight against this urge so that you can create higher quality literature. After practice and time, you will probably begin to enjoy the process. In order for this to happen though, you must approach your revision as an opportunity, not a task. Otherwise you may bore yourself to death or drive yourself crazy. If you follow a few easy steps and are looking for specific things in your piece, the revision phase of writing can be enjoyable and very beneficial.
Once you have finished with any project, the revision phase will begin. Like we did in Descriptive Writing: Part 2, you will need to find someone who's proficient in writing and who will give you honest feedback. This person can be a teacher, professor, colleague from work, or in my case, my wife loves to read my work and make notes. Once you have handed this off to someone, you need to take a step back from it for at least a day or two. This gives your mind a chance to "reset" and you will find it easier to pick up on mistakes after your editor returns it to you.
Now that your editor has returned your work back to you, take the time to diligently read through their notes. Be reminded though that your voice needs to still shine through. So if your editor wants you to make changes that will take away from the authenticity of the piece, take their advice with a grain of salt. Look for mistakes that they have caught and corrected, like grammar, confusing syntax, or extraneous material. Overlooking these mistakes can greatly diminish the credibility of your writing.
After you have corrected the mistakes made, go back to your text and read it again. This time however, I want you to look a little deeper. As you read be asking yourself, "Are there any areas that don't pertain to my subject?" This should help you weed out any places that might distract your reader or might make things confusing. For example, in many of my own pieces I get off topic because something randomly comes to my head while writing. This may be somewhat related, but after rereading this information, scene, or dialogue, I find it just muddles the text or makes it potentially distracting. This then must be changed or deleted entirely.
You might think me crazy, especially if your piece is particularly large, but you need to read the piece one more time. For this final read, check for fluidity. Your ideas need to flow to and from each other in a natural, cohesive way. If this flow doesn't happen, your readers might become confused or even lose interest, which CANNOT happen. A loss of interest is the disease of any piece of writing, and must be avoided at any cost. If your readers lose interest, they won't read your writing, nor will they recommend your work to others. This can easily kill a writing career before it even has a chance to start.
To give you a bit of perspective, I wrote a full length novel in about 40 days. This was the most writing I had ever done in my life, but it didn't even compare to the work that was to come. The next nine months I spent revising, reading, rereading, revising some more, and also taking whole chunks out. Even after this long process, errors were still found in the text. Saying this I cannot over-emphasize the importance of the revision phase of your writing. It is the difference between a mediocre and phenomenal work. Take your time and do it right.
It is important to remind yourself that revision is a process. You need not look at this process like a chore or a boring task. The revision phase can be enjoyable if you approach it as a way to improve your skills and the quality of your work.
If you have any questions, ask in the comment box and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Good Luck!
Jonathan Degler is the author of the novel "Gone Astray," and more information can be found at http://www.jonathandeglerbooks.com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Descriptive-Writing:-Revision&id=6621339] Descriptive Writing: Revision
We have had the opportunity to practice our word choice and distinctive style, but what are you supposed to do once you have a piece written? You might not like the answer, but your next step is revision. Don't start hyperventilating. You will be okay. If you are like me, you like to write something, be done with it, and continue on to something else, but you must fight against this urge so that you can create higher quality literature. After practice and time, you will probably begin to enjoy the process. In order for this to happen though, you must approach your revision as an opportunity, not a task. Otherwise you may bore yourself to death or drive yourself crazy. If you follow a few easy steps and are looking for specific things in your piece, the revision phase of writing can be enjoyable and very beneficial.
Once you have finished with any project, the revision phase will begin. Like we did in Descriptive Writing: Part 2, you will need to find someone who's proficient in writing and who will give you honest feedback. This person can be a teacher, professor, colleague from work, or in my case, my wife loves to read my work and make notes. Once you have handed this off to someone, you need to take a step back from it for at least a day or two. This gives your mind a chance to "reset" and you will find it easier to pick up on mistakes after your editor returns it to you.
Now that your editor has returned your work back to you, take the time to diligently read through their notes. Be reminded though that your voice needs to still shine through. So if your editor wants you to make changes that will take away from the authenticity of the piece, take their advice with a grain of salt. Look for mistakes that they have caught and corrected, like grammar, confusing syntax, or extraneous material. Overlooking these mistakes can greatly diminish the credibility of your writing.
After you have corrected the mistakes made, go back to your text and read it again. This time however, I want you to look a little deeper. As you read be asking yourself, "Are there any areas that don't pertain to my subject?" This should help you weed out any places that might distract your reader or might make things confusing. For example, in many of my own pieces I get off topic because something randomly comes to my head while writing. This may be somewhat related, but after rereading this information, scene, or dialogue, I find it just muddles the text or makes it potentially distracting. This then must be changed or deleted entirely.
You might think me crazy, especially if your piece is particularly large, but you need to read the piece one more time. For this final read, check for fluidity. Your ideas need to flow to and from each other in a natural, cohesive way. If this flow doesn't happen, your readers might become confused or even lose interest, which CANNOT happen. A loss of interest is the disease of any piece of writing, and must be avoided at any cost. If your readers lose interest, they won't read your writing, nor will they recommend your work to others. This can easily kill a writing career before it even has a chance to start.
To give you a bit of perspective, I wrote a full length novel in about 40 days. This was the most writing I had ever done in my life, but it didn't even compare to the work that was to come. The next nine months I spent revising, reading, rereading, revising some more, and also taking whole chunks out. Even after this long process, errors were still found in the text. Saying this I cannot over-emphasize the importance of the revision phase of your writing. It is the difference between a mediocre and phenomenal work. Take your time and do it right.
It is important to remind yourself that revision is a process. You need not look at this process like a chore or a boring task. The revision phase can be enjoyable if you approach it as a way to improve your skills and the quality of your work.
If you have any questions, ask in the comment box and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Good Luck!
Jonathan Degler is the author of the novel "Gone Astray," and more information can be found at http://www.jonathandeglerbooks.com/
Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Descriptive-Writing:-Revision&id=6621339] Descriptive Writing: Revision
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