Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Wanting to Write a Book?

Be leary of self-publishing sites.  There are many.  Some merely want to make money off you and print a book that will never sell.  Why would they turn down someone who's willing to give them several hundreds of dollars to produce something that costs them little?

Read the small print.  Sometimes a publisher retains the rights to your material.  Some will only pay you a small royalty.  Some will restrict where and how you can sell. 

Do you want to make $0.10 or $1,000?

If you merely want a coffeetable book, or one to hand out for free at a special event, and you don't care about earning money and retaining full rights then it matters less. 

If you want to earn from your book, though, you will want a few things included:

  • Good editing.  Don't believe publishing houses that tell you your book doesn't need editing.  Another set of eyes is always helpful. 
  • A realistic deal that helps you profit from sales.
  • A good marketing plan.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Get Your Agreement and Order Right

Agreement and order. 

As I wrote an article for a client wanting real estate articles for his publication, it dawned on me how easily we can skim over agreement and order.  I know there's probably a more official name for it, but I'm not an official type of writer, so forget it.

Here's an example of what I mean.  Look at this:

Rent or Buy Housing:  What is Better for You?  (title)

(body)
Rent or own, there are reasons for both...  (improper)
Rent or buy, there are reasons for both...(proper, notice it reflects the wording in the title.  Of course buy means the same thing as own, it just is better to use the same wording.)




...in their lifetime most will have both bought and rented... (improper)
...in their lifetime most will have both rented and bought... (proper, words are in same order as title)
 
...is a time to rent and a time to own...(improper)
...is a time to rent and a time to buy...(proper)


Now in this blog post, I could have said, "it's easy how we can skim over our order and agreement.."  but notice that would have the words "agreement" and "order" in reverse order.  Get it?

 
 

Friday, August 24, 2012

Do You Have the Urge to Write?

Often a writer will know she loves to write, but jumps from there to asking what will I do with my writing?  Writers often want the reassurance that their writing isn't time wasted. 

When it comes to being a writer, the first person that needs to be convinced is often the writer herself.  If she is to fulfill her life call as a writer, though, she must resist the urge to view it as merely a  dream.  There are bigger reasons she loves to write.  There is a world to bless.

WHAT MAKES A WRITER A SUCCESS?

Successful writers include both those whose unpaid writing stirs, guides or blesses others as well as those who earn pay for their writing.  A writer needs to be convinced that she had been given the gift of writing for reasons beyond herself. 

If you're to fulfill your life calling and love to write, then write.  Then publish it online.  Try to sell it.  Publish in print.  Get it out there for eyes to see.


 

Friday, August 3, 2012

Don't Let What You Don't Know Stop You

Do you ever feel stupid when someone points out a grammar mistake you've made, say on your blog?  Ever feel stupid when you mispell a word or the name of a President or Prime Minister?  Do you feel you rely on Google Search too much as a writer?

Don't let grammar and mispellings stop you from writing.  I have sent in many articles only to have my editors use the harsh words "rejected" due to errors. I'm regularly surprised at errors I make and rules I never knew.

Here's the thing about writers that makes errors okay.  Writers are like meat grinding machines.  That's right, I said meat grinding machines.  I'm picturing the kind of little hand-powered tool my mother used to use to mince either ham or Spam with pickles to make the most delightful little crustless sandwiches for a church function. 

Writers do more than put out writing.  They take something--anything common in life--like ham or Spam--and somehow are able to make it into something more, something new, something spicy.  Writers can make a story or life lesson out of just about anything.  It's how their grinding tool--or rather noggin works.

If you're like me, your noggin is churning all the time, and that is what makes you a writer!  And for that you are forgiven of errors! 

Thursday, July 19, 2012

What's Your Tone?

Tone varies from person to person, post to post, article to article.  There is a time and purpose for every tone.

Today, most online articles are written in a conversational tone, which is a giant leap from the "reporting" or "speech giving" tone of yesterday.

Even a conversational tone can vary.  You may chose to "converse" tongue-in-cheek, you may choose to use slang, you may choose to use sarcasm, you may use assertive or powerful words.

Practice a variety of styles and see what works for you. 

If you're trying to brand yourself, you will want to stay with one style.

Saturday, May 26, 2012

Writing Online Content


It is imperative content writers learn to write quick and snappy paragraphs.  Most readers today are scanners.  The quicker they can absorb information, the quicker they can move on.

For this reason, many conventional writing rules are broken.  Today's writing requires more paragraph breaks so that paragraphs are short and easily readable.  No long explanations are needed.  Getting to the point quickly is key.

ONLINE CONTENT WRITING TIPS

The most popular ways to write successful content include:

  1. Short snappy sentences.
  2. Numbered lists.
  3. Bolded headings.
  4. Modern terminology.
  5. Editing out unnecessary wording and explanations.
Adding a closing statement is still suggested.  End your article with a sentence or two that ties it all in together.  This way your reader isn't left hanging.  When you write your next piece of web content, see if you've included most these tips.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Where to Get Your Web Content

One of the places I sell articles, website blurbs, blog content, etc. is through Constant-Content.com.
 
Finding Constant-Content was really a miracle in the making for a writer like me.  It was even an answer to prayer!  One day I did some Google searching for places to sell articles.  I'd been registered with Elance as a writer for some time by then, but wasn't getting work.  During my search, I discovered a few places other places to try and one was Constant-Content.

I tried writing for Constant-Content and had three articles accepted right away.  They have a tough editing process where every article submitted is carefully scrutinized, so you can imagine how I felt getting those three articles pushed through so quickly.  I then sold my first article within the same month of starting to write and submit to them.  How energizing!

Who buys articles, blurbs and blog content from writers?  There are millions of people who need articles for their websites or online magazines.  They may want articles related to what services they offer or sell, fillers, or fresh content to keep their site optimized.

Writing articles is time consuming and it often makes sense for website owners to purchase the rights to use pre-written articles as they wish.    Some of these buyers spell out the details of what they need.  Others scroll through the extensive collection already written and still available.

Articles generally sell between $20 and $60.



  


Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Create Dynamic Tension in Your Writing


New Tips for Writers:

Every good fiction book needs to include pain and conflict followed by detailed attempts at pain resolution, if the story is to be more than grandma's garden variety brand of story telling.

If your story is to captivate an audience willing enough pay money to buy it, you will need to create something that catches the reader's attention. 

Once you have an idea of the pain or list of pains your character or characters either have or will endure, the story can then become the unfolding account of attempts at resolving the pain resolution.  In fiction, the pain and conflict can be outrageous and fantastic; after all, fiction stories do their best when they transport the reader into a new world.

WRITING IN PAIN AND CONFLICT FOR NON-FICTION BOOKS

Non-fiction books and articles can follow a similar format in order to pack an impactful punch.  A non-fiction book or article can talk to a need (pain), but the pain will be more common to the intended reader (how can you sell books or articles if there aren’t enough readers with a similar problem, right?).  The problem or pain will be one the reader wants an answer for and to which he is willing to fork over cash in order to solve.

Once the pain is identified in the non-fiction book, the writer can proceed with telling the stories of typical conflicts a person may experience while trying to resolve his/her pain.  To pack a wallop, the non-fiction book needs to have at least one but hopefully more good takeaways, otherwise the reader may feel the book was a waste of money and give it a bad review or rating, or non at all.


To write with this dynamic tension concept in mind, include these guidelines:


·              In fiction, focus on what the character in the story wants

·              In non-fiction, focus on what the reader wants or for a memoir type story, the pain of the author

·              Address self-created obstacles and questionings

·              Address obstacles or aids created by the immediate circle of relationships and environment

·              Outline obstacles thrown in by the outside world that the character may have little control over

·              Have your character lose some battles and win others—and in non-fiction, have your reader consider a number of problem-solving options

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Writing Tip - Outlining Your Manuscript After It's Written, to Improve Flow


When a writer is compelled to write, she/he will sit down and spew creatively and freely, not worried about sentence structure, punctuation, wordiness and so on.  (Unfortunately, blogging isn't so forgiving and needs editing right away if you are to appear knowledgeable on any level).  

Once a writer has 300 pages or so of wonderful creativity, the problem then becomes how they edit it to ensure it flows and makes sense since no one can read 300 pages in one sitting? Learning to use the Table of Contents feature in MSWord is very helpful for this. I speak here of non-fiction, though fiction would be able to use this as well.  

USING THE TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURE

Here is how to set up a Table of Contents (TOC).  In my version of Word, I go to Insert, then Reference, Index and Tables, and choose Table of Contents (TOC).

Choose to Show 4-5 levels and choose Show Outlining Toolbar.

Then go to your document and highlight your titles assigning levels.  For instance, Level One might be Part One, or Chapter 1.  After highlighting the title, go to the outlining toolbar and choose Level 1.

Proceed with each sub-title, assigning levels. 

To use a table of contents for editing purposes, I recommend allowing hyperlinks – which means when you Control-click on a heading in your TOC it will take you to that section.

When using this as an unofficial table of contents for editing purposes, you can even add levels that simply explain what the page or chapter is about. 

When you’ve gone through the entire manuscript, then go back to Insert, Reference, TOC and choose Modify.  It will put your TOC all together for you. 

When editing your manuscript, the TOC will help you see the existing order and help you identify if there is flow, identify changes and jump to sections easily.