write-profits

Stepping Away From Your Writing

2010-11-09T22:08:00.000-08:00

I read a quote saying something in regards to writing everyday. The exact wording I can't recollect, but it was something similar to, the writing you do not do today is lost forever. I've always been an advocate of writing regularly until I saw the quote, and maybe it was simply the rebellious nature in me but I felt a need to disagree.

I don't believe that going a day or two without writing will result in a loss of words or ideas. Writer's block is not the product of irregular writing. Instead, I feel it necessary to step away from your work and breathe. Allow yourself to gain inspiration from life itself and not just your regular writing habbit.

Sometimes you need that time to miss writing. You can easily take your talent for granted if you are constantly practicing it, but a few moments away to recharge can help you fall back in love with it and avoid tedium.

Now the quote I'm sure was trying to encourage writers to jot down the words they had in the present moment and this I agree with. But I don't believe that what you want to say today will be said in the best way, nor will you lose all your inspiration if you don't write it down. That sort of fear puts pressure on an already fragile and often stressful industry.

Sometimes not writing, and simply observing, feeling, thinking and living is the best way to become a great writer.

Write it down

2008-10-03T07:16:00.000-07:00

If I had a dollar for every time I neglected to write down an idea I’d have a lot of money. When you're a freelance writer you constantly need to be coming up with new ideas. This comes easy to folks like me; our minds are a factory of ideas and suggestions, for others it may take you a little longer. These types of people are usually better at executing the idea. But however you are, when you come up with a new idea write it done right away.

Sure you may not have everything thought out in that moment, but you do have something that you can work with. Or at least something you can investigate further.

Who knows your research may lead you to decide to chuck the idea out the window. But as long as you have it, you can come back to it. Don’t think, “I can remember lots of things.” When you work at home you can easily forget even important tasks, if they're not written somewhere because you have so many things to do, so something like an unpolished idea is very vulnerable to getting axed out of your memory.

Don’t sit and ponder whether or not it’s a good idea, simply find some place to store it where it will be in your vision. Then decide how you plan to employ your new found idea.

Not writing down ideas is the fastest way to throw money out. So get yourself a notebook, create a computer file, or at least get some sticky notes and keep all your brilliance close at hand.

Too busy to write?

2008-01-14T09:15:00.000-08:00

When we are anxious about writing, our lives suddenly become hyperactive. We fill our days with enough busyness that we can easily believe that there isn’t enough time left to write. This is simply a creative way to boycott writing.

Then, feeling guilty, we become too ambitious in our quest to make up for lost time, and try to force ourselves to dedicate hours to writing. However, this overzealousness simply brings us back to our anxious state and once again we are doing everything but writing.

To put writing in its place, you have to shrink it down to dimensions that allow you to fit it into your life. You can do this simply by giving yourself permission to write for 10-15min each day. The time slot does not matter, what matters is that you are writing.

The goal is to shift your response to writing from negative to positive. By limiting your writing time to a “brief interlude” you lower the threat of walking away and not returning for days.

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The writer’s office

2007-12-10T11:11:00.000-08:00

Good writing skills are no longer enough to make your business a go. It is nearly impossible to work in a professional manner without a well equipped and smartly designed office.

Without the right tools it’s tough to meet those tight deadlines or get inspired to produce high quality work. Take a look at your office.

Do you have an office or do you work wherever you can find space?
Do you make use of digital software to help manage data and research efficiently?

An environment that fosters creativity and allows you to produce high quality work generally results in a high paycheck.

Here are some things to consider.
1. Your computer can help you hold a wealth of data but that’s useless unless you can find everything seamlessly. Create spreadsheets and files for your clients and work.
2. You should always have a separate checking account and credit card for your business
3. You should have a budget for putting together and maintaining an office.
4. Don’t overlook attractive stationary and business cards
5. When putting together your office don’t put desks, tables, files and other equipment into the room in a hap hazardous fashion. Consider what works best, what’s most comfortable and efficient.

A freelancer is a professional thus maintaining a professional image, managing your business wisely and delivering a great product will help ensue a success writing career

Why write for the eyes?

2007-12-03T08:09:00.000-08:00

If you look at magazines and even books today you’ll notice they have shorter paragraphs and fewer chapters. Some writing experts claim that this is due to the internet boom, where writers discovered that content was frequently read if it was visually digestive.

And this is true, but it’s not just web media that affects the way we read. Though if you write for the web you may want to change the way you write. Here’s why:

Our readers are television viewers first, skimmers second, and readers third. Telling a story or reporting an event is no longer just about captivating the imagination you have to draw the readers in visually.

You have to tell your story within a package as opposed to starting on page one and ending on page one hundred. Your piece needs more entry points, more exist points and more places for the reader to catch his breath than before.

Your job is not just to get your reader to read, but to help your reader read.

Think about it. Your reader has the challenging task of taking in hundreds of little marks that up make your document. They need as much help as you can offer to get them from one paragraph to another.

Writers now write for the eye as well as the brain.

You have to grab the eye first with the visual. If you can turn them into skimmers and then readers, they will sit down and read your lengthy article. But you have to get them excited to get them into that lengthy article to start.

You can achieve this first and foremost by breaking up your paragraphs. If your reader is overwhelmed by the layout of your piece you can almost be certain they won’t want to read it.

Take a look at the following paragraphs taken from an article I wrote

“Many people don’t take internet marketing seriously because they don’t regard work from home agents as professionals but rather dilettantes. And you can’t blame them. Starting a home business has never been easier. Anyone with sometime and a computer can start a business. It doesn’t even take hours out of your day. If you can spare a couple hours here and there then you can become an internet marketer. And there are plenty of net marketers who build successful businesses a few hours at a time.
However, those people are few because majority of net marketers see their business close within two years. The one’s that don’t are dedicated to making it work. They try, fail and try again. They spend less time looking for magic millionaire formulas and more time applying their creative intelligence and learned marketing techniques.”

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“Many people don’t take internet marketing seriously because they don’t regard work from home agents as professionals but rather dilettantes. And you can’t blame them. Starting a home business has never been easier. Anyone with sometime and a computer can start a business.

It doesn’t even take hours out of your day. If you can spare a couple hours here and there then you can become an internet marketer. And there are plenty of net marketers who build successful businesses a few hours at a time.

However, those people are few because majority of net marketers see their business close within two years. The one’s that don’t are dedicated to making it work. They try, fail and try again. They spend less time looking for magic millionaire formulas and more time applying their creative intelligence and learned marketing techniques.”
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I haven’t changed anything about the article except for the layout and the second example is much easier to take in. Some would say that I could have broken up those paragraphs even more.

Make sure your paragraphs are no more than four sentences. And leave enough white space for the eye. Also cut out confusing, wordy sentences. If you can make your statement with five words don’t use ten.

The fact is, your reader does not mind if your piece is long it just can’t look that way.

Why do you write?

2007-11-20T10:36:00.000-08:00

I wanted to be an artist. But God didn’t give the gift of hand-eye coordination. And to be honest I’m not entirely sure he granted me the gift of enchanting people with words but that’s the tool I have chosen to take up.

I write to say the things that I can not verbally communicate.

I write to teach myself patience. Each sentence must be formed one word at a time and each word letter by letter.

I write because I need attention. And as you are reading this you are granting me my wish.

I write on the conceited notion that I, through my words, may be able to help someone.

I write because I can, because I have the freedom to do so. It’s how I show myself. My words may be angry though I’ll never shout, sad without revealing one tear and happy without echoing my laughter.

As long as there are no rules against it I will write. I suppose even if there were I would still do it.

Why do you write?

Do you sit there at your computer simply to hear the clicking of your keyboard? Or is it deeper than that?

Are you so in love with the idea and task of creating that you can do it anywhere, like two lovers who feel no shame in expressing their love even on a train platform?

Do you do it to understand yourself—to explore your psyche in a way that no psychiatrist could begin to understand?

Perhaps you do it to take a wild uninhibited ride through your imagination.

Or maybe you do it because it works, because you really couldn’t imagine yourself doing anything else. It’s part of your job, your lifestyle, who you’ve become.

Positive statement, ringing affirmation-- you are a writer.

Trouble Concentrating?

2007-11-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

Did you know that your mental abilities vary by as much as 30 percent throughout the day? While we all have our natural daily rhythm and peak hours, for most, morning is when creativity, alertness and logic are at their peak.

According to Smolensky, a researcher at the University of Texas at Houston, “that makes morning the ideal time for writing, working creatively and discussing tough topics.”

However, what if your most demanding tasks hit late in the day? Don’t fret. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania say you can retrain your brain to peak when you need to in as little as two weeks by doing your toughest tasks at that time.

For instance,if you work as an online freelance writer but can only work in the evenings due to a day job start with your most difficult task at the same time each night. You’ll find that even though you may feel un-ambitious your brain is ready to work.

And in order to boost mental abilities at any time, “use relaxed deep abdominal breathing,” suggests Dr. Baker “It raises the amount of oxygen reaching your brain by 33% and it can boost alertness and productivity by 60%

Find more tips to improve concentration
http://smartsolutions-ezine.com/improveconcentration.html

Types of E-publishing

2007-10-02T12:35:00.000-07:00

Basically there are five types of publication available to authors: house, subsidy, self cooperative and broker. This articles explains each along with their pros and cons.

1. House Publisher: A house publisher is based most closely on the model of a traditional, royalty-paying publishing company. An author submits a query or a partial submission to the publisher.

A complete manuscript is requested if the publisher is intrigued by the submission. Some electronic publishers in this category simply request that the full manuscript be sent most often as a file attached to an email as the initial submission.
If the publisher accepts the manuscript and the contract is agreed upon, the house publisher provides most, if not all, of the services normally associated with a traditional royalty-paying publisher.

The manuscript is carefully edited cover art and back covers are collected, advanced review copies or advanced ready copies are sent to reviewers and initial promotional marketing begins. Following publication the author and the publisher work together to promote the book.

The benefit for the author is that there is little risk involved. The publisher pays for the costs of production and distribution. While the author receives royalties ranging anywhere from 25% to 50%

The disadvantage is that as in the traditional, final editing and creative control is left with the publisher rather than the author.

2. Subsidy: Authors who contract with a subsidy e-publisher choose from a menu of services, each with a separate fee or contained within a “package” deal. The subsidy e-publisher prepares and converts the books as well as provides exposure for it on the publisher’s website.

The advantages of subsidy e-publishing are that the author who might not be computer savvy can obtain the services more easily without having to worry about obtaining a credit card server or a website from which to sell his book.

The disadvantages is that this form puts the author if financial risk if the book is not successful in sales

3. Self Publishing: Rather than visiting a traditional printing press to arrange for print runs the self published author either prepares the book himself and converts in into digital prepares the book himself and converts it into digital format or arranges with an independent contractor to perform the conversions.

The other facets of the publication--editing cover art, and promotion--are also left to the self-published author as well as the creation of a website for sales.

The benefits are that the author has complete control over the final presentation of the book and the author also receives all the proceeds from the sales.

The disadvantages of this form of publishing are that the author must promote and market the book without the benefit of the awareness already afforded to established e-publishers. The author is responsible for the publication costs, which varies with level of computer skills possessed by him.

4. Cooperative publishing: In this model, the publisher bases it’s operation on the traditional houses model, with the associated book preparation and royal payment. The cooperative publisher offers the basic editing cover art and website preparation, offers the book in its standard formats and markets the book.

However, if the author wishes to have the book presented in formats not normally offered by the publisher; the publisher will either convert the book, for a fee, or refer the author to a third party contractor for the conversion. The publisher will then also offer that format for the sale from its website. The same is true if the author desires to provide the cover art.

The advantage is the same as for house publishing.

However, the disadvantage is that the authors, if they choose, place some money at risk of they decide on obtaining conversions or original cover art.

5. Broker: A broker publisher simply offers the author the opportunity of displaying his book at the broker’s Website and takes care of the selling and distribution of the book.

The advantages of this sort of publishing lies in the fact that the author does not need to create a website to sell from or worry about selling and distribution.

The disadvantages are that the broker normally offers no services such as editing no service such as editing, or promotion. If the broker does offer these of services, it’s usually at a cost in either a fee or in royalty points. Otherwise, this is left to the author, which puts his funds at risk.
This type of publisher normally charges between 25% and 75% brokerage of an authors book.
As in any publishing endeavor, it’s very important for an author to thoroughly investigate every aspect of a publisher before signing a contract.

Should I sell my writing myself, or through someone else?

2007-09-18T16:59:00.000-07:00

The main advantage of selling directly, of course, is that you get to keep more of the profit. The main disadvantage are that you are likely limited in publication format and that you are completely responsible for your marketing, promotion as well as administration and transaction handling.

Commercial e-publishers- one solution is to be published by a commercial e-publisher

Third party services- These are varied in nature from commercial e-publishers to pay-per-view to “display” services. Be wary of any third party that charges up front fees.

Does the site attract a lot of traffic?
Read the contract carefully. What rights are you giving away?
Can you sell your price elsewhere?
Can you remove it from the service anytime?
Also be aware that some editors may consider your work already published if it’s posted online.

Next week I detail the five types of publication available to authors

What exactly are you trying to say

2007-09-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

Have you ever read a sentence that sounded correct but when you looked at it again you realized that the word’s meaning didn’t fit the meaning of the sentence?

This is a common mistake among writers. They’ve chosen a word that is inexact in its meaning. In order to write clearly and effectively you will want to find the words that fit your meaning exactly and convey your attitude precisely.

It is important to help the reader along as much as possible; one key way to do this is to use words according to their established meaning. For starters always consult a dictionary, whenever you are unsure or a words meaning. Next, distinguish similar sounding words, called homonyms that have very different meanings.

For example a sentence such as “older people often suffer infirmaries” is inexact. What the sentence says is “older people suffer in place for the sick. The correct sentence should read “older people often suffer infirmities, which are disability or a lack or vitality. Notice how the sentence completely changes when a different word is used.

It is also important to distinguish between homonyms (like sounding words) for example rein, rain, reign, or their, there, they’re and words with related but distinct meanings

Example: Television commercials continuously [unceasingly] interrupt programming.
This is an inexact sentence. The exact one should read:

Television commercials continually [regularly] interrupt programming.
Also distinguish between words that have similar basic meaning but different emotional associations.

She was very upset (unhappy)
She was enraged (furiously angry)

Consult a dictionary if you are unsure. Many dictionaries list and distinguish such synonyms.
Be sure that your writing is clear and exact to convey the proper message to your reader.

The examples used in this article were taken from “The little brown essential handbook for writers” by Jane E. Aaron and Elaine Bander

Has your writing evolved this summer?

2007-08-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

My great apologies, I was recovering and thus haven’t been able to add to this blog in quite some time. To all my readers’ thank you for your patience, you can expect more frequent posts from here on in.

The beauty of the break was I was able to reflect on my writing, which I find is something that all writers must do from time to time. The creating game can be a bit trying and, often, we throw ourselves into our work without taking time to reflect on what our work does for us, who we are because of it, how to improve, and what makes us take up this art in the first place.
Have I find answers to all these questions, no. But I do have some great tips to improve your online presence.

If you haven’t already signed up for this blog please do so. As we enter September we sort of approach a mini new year. And I’m sure all of us want to accomplish more than we did last season. In order to stay current with the dealings of article marketing you will want to be part of this great resource. I offer my readers up to date information about article marketing but also great writing basics. Whether you write for an online newsletter or as an offline novelist, it’s important to know the fundamental elements to improve your writing.

Question of the week.
How has your writing experience shaped up this summer?

Skills a content provider needs

2007-06-14T11:15:00.000-07:00

Inorder to improve your chances of getting paid and the amount of pay recieved a web content provider should have the following skills under their belt

Understanding of rights issues
The more knowledgeable you are the better deal you may be able to cut for yourself.

Fast, dependable turnaround
Brag about your reporting and writing speed. Being able to put together in a day what other might labor weeks over is a plus in this industry. http://tinyurl.com/2w8u37/

Able to edit yourself
Point out that you are able to produce readable, respectable content so your client does not have to hire another layer of management. http://tinyurl.com/34jghl/

Solid business skills
Knowing how to negotiate an agreement, pay and the ods of getting paid. http://tinyurl.com/35rzyu/

Ability to suggest more work for yourself
Learn the entrepreneur’s bigger plans and suggest additional ways to contribute

Web friendly writing style
Short crisp paragraphs with relatively short sentences are required for web reading. Adopt the precept of clear organization with frequent subheads.

Inventory of material
When someone needs content fast, your back log of older yet still interesting material on a website site topic may get you a package deal of new and old material.

Ability to locate and negotiate reuse of resources
As a web savvy writer you can explain to your client that you are better able to solicit or negotiate the use of work from other writes that he/she is.

Branded name
If you have been writing regularly and visibly for a particular market, argue that you already have a liked or trusted name with that market.

The goal of every website is to become a valuable resource for internet users in their target market you can help them achieve that by point out your skills and how invaluable they are to the entreprenuer.

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Writing with topics and transitions

2007-06-07T10:38:00.001-07:00

I know it's been a while since my last post but you can't blame a girl for being sick, that said lets get right into this weeks post.

As I have explained in a previous post all articles should have a thesis statement(http://writeprofits.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_archive.html). Once you have your thesis, you are ready to write your body paragraphs. There is a trick that writers use to write quickly no matter how long their article is. They will have a topic sentence at the start of each paragraph, and a transitional sentence at the end of each paragraph.

Let’s suppose you are writing about sleep remedies. A topic sentence might be, “Eating too close to bed time will disrupt your sleep.” This lets the reader know that the following paragraph will talk about eating before bed. It also makes it easy for the writer because they can concentrate on providing evidence as to why eating before bed is not recommended. You just need to provide five to nine sentences proving why or exploring the topic.

After you feel you have provided enough information on the topic, you would write a transitional sentence which may be something such as, “Another thing to avoid before bed is watching T.V.” A transitional sentence prepares the reader for what will be discussed in the next paragraph. You’ll find that you will write your article faster because rather than tackling the article as a massive whole, you are breaking it down into smaller parts. Each paragraph can be considered as a miniature article. If you get stuck just remember what your topic is, how you can explain it, and what you want to discuss next. Your final tasks will be to conclude and edit.

Conclusions can often be the hardest things to write. But they don’t have to be as long as you remember that you are writing a conclusion. Do not introduce any new topics instead briefly summarize the ones you already wrote about. The fastest way to write a conclusion is to reword your thesis.

Next week I'll be looking at skills a freelance writer needs to increase their profits. This information is great even if you are breaking into the business. To be sure that you don't miss this great information sign up for my blog.

Where to find writer’s markets

2007-05-10T12:57:00.000-07:00

There’s no better place to look for writers markets then The Writers Market, it’s the best to find paying markets. It is available from Writer’s Digest Books and the more current the version the better.

The number or paying online markets grows each year; there are over 1700 paying magazines that list their online submission guidelines or you can obtain guidelines by e-mail. And there are hundreds that don’t have websites or post their guidelines online. Many of those still offer guidelines by mail with a SASE.

You can get an idea of whether or not a site pays by taking a few minuets to examine the site. Here’s what you should look for:

Is the site a commercial site? Is the site sponsor trying to make money or is this a nonprofit organization run by volunteers

Are there advertisements? If there are ads what type of products and services are they promoting? Does the site look as if it was done by an amateur or a well paid web design company? Basically, the better funded the company the more likely it is that it can afford to pay writers.

If it is noncommercial, is there another source of income? For example, is the site supported by a well-funded organization?

Does most of the material appear to be produced by in-house staff? Look carefully at the content and the names of the writers. Do the names remain the same or do some change with every issue?

If you are looking to query a website or magazine about submission guidelines look for the Editor or the managing editor.

Below are two great job boards for freelance writers
http://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=freelance+writing&l=
http://www.craigslist.org/

The "think small" secret to writing better

2007-05-04T17:37:00.000-07:00

When you have a stack of articles or a brief to complete it can be overwhelming. Maybe you have a book that you constantly think about but never seem to get around to writing. Instead of thinking about all the writing you must do, or have not gotten done, think about just one small part.

For example, if you are working on a legal brief, focus on the first point you want to make. If you are working on a book, focus solely on the first chapter. If you feel that’s too ambitious for you and are still over whelmed shrink it even further think about he first page or the first paragraph.

Don’t forget to congratulate yourself once you have accomplished this goal. As writers we need to be kind to ourselves. Patience and forgiveness are a must. And treat yourself to little praises or rewards. It helps to keep you motivated.

Next plan your next weeks of writing by setting aside the same amount of time to write each day. 15min is the normally the maximum if you find you get distracted easily or have been blocked for a long time. Wait until you have accomplished a few good sessions before extending your writing period.

Writers often think too big. They think about everything that needs to get done and it overwhelms them, which in turn keeps them from writing. By narrowing your topics and shrinking your writing session to doable time frames you approach your work with more enthusiasm and calmness.

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Ten proofreading tips

2007-04-28T20:20:00.000-07:00

As I always preach, throwing words on a page is not enough; they have to be error free. Now, I’ll admit I make mistakes. The important thing is to keep these mistakes to a minimum. I’m not a proofreader, when I need my work to be checked I turn my pages over to http://tinyurl.com/34jghl/. They’re professionals and they provide error free pages to make your work more professional and credible. However, I believe that everyone should have some basic proofreading knowledge.

Be consistent ex. If you hyphenate “full-time” on page one you shouldn’t spell it “full time” without a hyphen later.
You achieve an accurate and consistent finished product when you proofread in stages.
Print out what need to proofread if you are working on the computer.
Be comfortable when you proofread.
Ask someone else to look over your work when possible.
If you repeatedly read over sentences because it doesn’t sound correct, stop and read it out loud.
Create a style sheet.
Any word that causes you to wonder whether it is spelled correctly needs to be looked up.
Read each word out loud individually then read it out loud to be sure it fits in the sentence.
Stick with one dictionary to insure a consistent model to follow.

Once again I recommend visiting Scribendi at http://tinyurl.com/34jghl/, when you need something proofread. They’re inexpensive and very professional.

Are you a blocked writer?

2007-04-20T08:22:00.000-07:00

Think about when you have to write, it can be any form you choose, a term paper, an article, a short story, a report or an ebook. Make note of your thoughts, emotions and your physical response. Do you feel a sense of dread and anxiety? Do you quickly think of something else to do? Do think of any excuse (valid or not) to step away from your work.

If writing makes you tense, if you find yourself avoiding it ask yourself why? Ask yourself why you put off writing until the piece is due the next day.
How do you react when the topic of writing comes up? Do you engage, or do you try to change the subject?

What images arise when you think of sitting down to write?

Do you usually write to deadline? If so try writing in advanced. Notice how you feel starting your project ahead of time. What thoughts run through your head?

Here’s a resource to help blocked writers.
http://tinyurl.com/34jghl

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How to write a business plan

2007-04-12T08:10:00.000-07:00

1. Your plan should be around 10-25 pages long, seperated into clearly marked sections with an introduction and an appendix for lengthy details like financial forcats.

2. Begin with a summary of the plan and the areas you aim to cover. Make sire your plan is neatly typed and well laid out.

3. Define your business and identify your goals. Your plan should contain a balance sheets and a predicted cash flow analysis for five years.

4. Highlight what you do and for whom. As well, explain the importance of your business. Explain why customers will pay for it, what they will get and why there is a gap in the market for it. Research your competion.

5. Don't gloss over problem areas. Instead identify them and provide solutions.

6. Go to http://tinyurl.com/35rzyu/ for more information on how to start a business plan.

7 critical mistakes e-book authors make

2007-04-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

Jim Edwards author of How to write and publish your own ebook...in as little as 7 days has written a great article about the seven mistakes to avoid when creating an ebook.

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The Top Seven Mistakes eBook Authors Make
© By Jim Edwards and David Garfinkel
http://www.ebooksecretsexposed.com
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eBooks are the hottest thing going on the Web right now!Authors with the entrepreneurial instinct are makinganywhere from a few hundred to tens of thousands of dollarsper month - that's right, per month - by selling ebooksonline.Why are some authors doing so much better than others?We've discovered seven key mistakes that most ebook authorsmake (and in doing so, hold themselves back from majorsuccess):

1. They don't write to a specific, target audience. The biggest mistake most ebook authors make is they don'tclearly define, identify and visualize who they are sellingtheir ebook to. On the Web, to be successful, you mustwrite to a specific group of people who have specificinterests. Make sure that you know exactly who is going tobuy your ebook, and where you can find them online.

2. They don't automate as many of their business activities as possible. Selling ebooks, though it is highly profitable, is not abusiness where you make hundreds of dollars per sale.Automate everything you can - credit card processing, ebookdelivery, as much technical support as possible. If youcan't automate a function, delegate it to someone else.

3. They don't have a compelling title for their ebook. Use words that convey the benefit of what's in the ebook, aswell as words your audience is familiar with.A bad title for an ebook: "Online Marketing for Newbies." Agood title for the same ebook: "97 Ways to Promote YourWebsite - No Experience Required."

4. They try to cover too much ground. Many ebook authors convey a lot of information but don'tcover anything in-depth. As a result, they never fullyexplain anything in enough detail to provide any usefulvalue to their readers. This is a very bad mistake to make,especially when it comes to how-to ebooks, which happen tobe the best type to write.

5. They are not proactive in their marketing. It would be nice if marketing for your ebook simply happenedon its own - but it doesn't. You have to do it yourself.After you've promoted your ebook to the people on your ownmailing list (if you have one), then you have to contactother Website owners and persuade them to be youraffiliates. You should do this continually.

6. They don't differentiate their ebook from its competitors. When you choose your topic, even if there are a hundredother ebooks out there on same general subject, choose anangle for yours that will make it easy for yours to bedistinguished from the others.For example, right now job-hunting ebooks are very popular. There are dozens that are big sellers. "Secrets of BreakingInto Pharmaceutical Sales" has a very specific title thatsets it apart from the competition, and is aimed at aclearly identified target audience. Incidentally, it'sselling very well itself.

7. They write ebooks that nobody will pay for. Many ebook authors write about information that eitherpeople can get for free, or that people are not actuallyinterested in enough to pay for the information. Before you invest weeks or months into the writing of yourebook, invest a little time investigating whether otherebooks in the same subject area are selling on the Web.

So, there you have it - the seven big mistakes to avoid.Remember, the opportunities are plentiful - and huge - rightnow for anyone who wants to become a best-selling ebookauthor. Simply use common sense, follow our advice, and letyour literary career flourish!

For more great advice about creating an information product go to http://tinyurl.com/yrvgru/

2007-03-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

What would you do if you had your own best selling e-book?

Would you buy a new car?
Would you go on vacation?
Would you buy something for a loved one?
Would you feel great about all the bragging rights thatcome from having a best-selling e-book?

Now here’s another question, why are you just daydreaming about it?

It surprises me how many people “think about” writing and publishing an e-book but never actually do it. If you’re waiting around for their “right” moment you are wasting your time. The right moment is the moment you decide to actualize your dream instead of just visualizing it.

Perhaps you are overwhelmed or confused about what it would take for you to create an e-book. If that's the case I recommend picking up How to write and publish your own e-book…in as little as 7 days by Jim Edwards and Joe Vitale. Their book is extremely easy to follow and it follows through on its promise, correctly using their guide will give you your own e-book in seven days.

Having your own e-book lets you create a passive income- that means you get paid over and over again for something that you did just once. You can write about anything so stop fantasizing about your best selling e-book and start writing it.

How to write and publish your own e-book…in as little as 7 days

Are you "writing" or "writing well"?

2007-03-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

Writing well is crucial to the success of any business. Online however, it’s even more critical because it is the dominate form of communication. You have to be able sales letters, ads, blogs and articles that are not only interesting but error free.

The internet produces many creative people. Those who were shy or not forward in their lives are finding new innovative ways to express themselves. But it is not enough to have a good idea; you have to be able to communicate in an intelligent manner. People judge others by the way they present their ideas. If you website and articles have mistakes you lose business credibility and customers. If you don’t care enough about your business to get your work proofread than why should anyone else care about your business? You must remember that your work will not be viewed by a hand full of select people who “get you”; you are exposing yourself to, potentially, thousands of people. Many people treat their online business as a race and although it is important to work efficiently, what good is it if your writing is unclear. Certainly you have gained attention but you have lost the respect of your reader.

Check out the following resource if you’re writing could use some help

http://tinyurl.com/34jghl/

http://tinyurl.com/3cjknn/

Business writing tips

2007-03-14T12:54:00.000-07:00

A number of writers focus a lot on their articles, books, poems and other written documents but never bother to learn how to communicate in the business world. It is the easiest way to chuck money out the window.

Writing is a business. If you are going to use your words to build a career or use it as a form of marketing then you should know some basic business writing tips

Use short sentences. You want to be as concise as possible

Use an Active voice. Active voice is more direct which is a must for business writing

Use short paragraphs. One idea for each paragraph

When writing a business letter, consider a friendly opening and then a statement of the main point in the first paragraph. The next paragraph should begin justifying the importance of the main point. In the next few paragraphs, continue justification with background information and supporting details. The closing paragraph should restate the purpose of the letter and, in some cases, request some type of action.

Avoid sounding cliché. It doesn’t make you sound professional.

Use plenty of anecdotes and quotations. Don't be afraid to use them.

Parallelism Creates Power. Organize thoughts in parallel and use parallel construction to state them: "Our company locates oil deposits, refines petroleum products, and sells gasoline."

Do not use mixed metaphors writing for business, they just confuse the reader

Eliminate the use adjectives and adverbs. These types of words do not make for a convincing business document

Show, don't tell. Follow a generalization with an example. When explaining a complex process, use everyday analogies.

Determine the appropriate tone for your message. Ask yourself:

Why am I writing this document?
Who am I writing to and what do I want them to understand?
What kind of tone should I use?

Here are some general guidelines to keep in mind when considering what kind of tone to use in your letters and how to present information in that tone:

Be confident.
Be courteous and sincere.
Use appropriate emphasis and subordination.
Use non-discriminatory language.
Stress the benefits for the reader.
Write at an appropriate level of difficulty.

To further your business writing skills checkout “Easy Writing: A Practical Guide for Business Professionals" By George Kirazian at http://tinyurl.com/34jghl/

Reference

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/pw/

http://www1.esc.edu/personalfac/hshapiro/writing_program/students/reference/main/commandments.htm

The Written Word

2007-03-12T10:15:00.000-07:00

Writing articles requires a special talent. These types of documents can be related to any topic. This particular skill involves research proficiency along with a keen sense of language. The key to writing articles is a strong knowledge of different ideas and well thought out formats. The piece needs to flow well. A design is essential for every concept to emerge through the document. This method takes an exceptional ability to create a piece of writing to inform and enlighten the reader. The purpose of these guides are to teach an individual new views and different outlooks on various subjects. A person can review this type of material and learn how to use the information for their personal needs.

Article writing has various steps to complete a finished project. The first stage is to research the topic thoroughly. This stride is the most important aspect of article writing. The information inside a piece needs to be accurate, informative and authentic. After the research is obtained, then it is time to compose an opening paragraph. This part is ideal to let the reader understand what the document will inform them of. Then accomplish the body. Article writing needs to flow and make sense. After that piece of the project is done, it will be time for the closing paragraph. This phase of article writing will summarize the paper.

The written word is a powerful tool. Information can judge, explain and inform an individual. This type of document is extremely strong in their speech and presentation. The written word needs to find an audience to relate to as well as educate. When composing a piece of this nature the correct words need to be used to explain the point the writer is expressing to the reader. This is the most important goal of an article. The written word is the key to understanding and a voice.

Dal Hayer writes featured articles for http://www.thearticleblogs.com/
Article Source: http://www.thearticleblogs.com/
You may reprint this article in its entirety so long as you do not modify the content or resource box.
Article Source: Article Hub

confidence boost for writers

2007-03-05T10:08:00.000-08:00

There are 3 things you need to succeed in any aspect of life.
Passion
Technique/know how
Confidence

If you come here often you’ll see these words a lot because they are the key to success. Those 3 things, that’s it, that’s all you need. If you are here you either have a passion for writing or passion to learn and succeed. You are going to learn technique. Now all you need is confidence.

Confidence is probably the most important of the three. If you can’t believe in yourself how can anyone else? First let me start by saying that by learning how to write well you are saving yourself a lot of money. You will never have to pay for a ghost writer, or buy any articles because you’ll know how to do it yourself. There is a lot of money to be made out there if you are a writer. Ghost writer, ad writer, journalist this isn’t even the tip of the iceberg. Every job out there starts with writing. Wouldn’t you love to be the one who was at the root of it all? I thought so…so what’s holding you back?

Having the confidence to take the plunge is the only way to get what you want in life. I’m a risk taker but that doesn’t mean that I don’t get scared, or question my capability. But you can not let it stop you. You are going to learn more tips, I promise, but I want to focus on boosting your confidence for a bit. Without confidence nothing that you learn here or anywhere else will matter, because you will be too afraid to apply them.

Let me leave you with a something cheesy to think about: The opposite of success isn’t failure, it’s quitting.

Stop putting yourself down!
One of the great things about writing is that nobody is born a great writer. It is a process. You will write, rewrite and rewrite again. Why put so much pressure on your self? Tell yourself this… “I don’t have to get it right the first time” say to yourself over and over again. As writers we work with the most treacherous building blocks and it takes time to make sure that everything is just right.Writing is nerve racking, and emotionally trying because you are a lone solider and you will not always get the praise you deserve. Your reader doesn’t know the sweat and tears that went into preparing your sentences, characters, and plot. That is why as a writer it’s ok to “toot your own horn”, praise yourself! No one else could of thought of those ingenious sentences. You are doing what many people fear; you are exposing yourself and for that you deserve credit and even if your words only touch one person, negatively or positively, you have done what you set out to do.

Stop asking “why me”? Start asking “what next”?
Feeling sorry for yourself doesn’t get you anywhere. Instead of using all that energy to keep your self down why not use it to bring yourself up. There’s no excuse for not doing all you can to make things better for yourself. Accomplished people don’t spend time on counting all the things that are wrong with their lives. Instead, they take measures to improve them. You will have tragic moments in your life, you’ll make mistakes, and it’s ok to feel bad but at some point you are going to have to get over it. When you take steps to achieve something you feel better about yourself. You may not feel like you’re a great writer right now but you are willing to learn everything and try everything to make yourself better. And you will feel better because instead of whining about it you are doing something about. Action is a great confidence booster. You can either lie there getting screwed over by life or you can get on top of things.

The key thing to remember is to do all you can for YOU.

One of the biggest mistakes we make in life is to measure our success against someone else’s. This has been drilled into you since you were young. You must be better than that other person. Life is so competitive. Low self esteem often stems from not feeling like you are meeting the status quo.

Whenever you start to feel this just keep in mind that the main person you are competing against is your self. I go through this as well, and you can’t run away from competition, it’s everywhere. College applications, job applications, marketing, competition is everywhere. But everyone doesn’t have your life. They don’t know what you have been through or how much you’ve achieved. The only cause you should be concerned in is your own. Life is not a race and you will get where you need to be when you are ready. Don’t set your standards to someone else’s there isn’t a perfect blueprint for life that we can all follow. We can only do what works for us. Do not let the fear of competing stop you from doing what you want. Learn from the best take what works ignore what doesn’t and always try to outdo your self.

I will be plugging in some more confident writing tips soon but lets move on to what why you are really here, to learn to write well because after all practice makes perfect.

Stay in the know-sign up for write-profits now!

2007-02-23T14:44:00.000-08:00

Secrets to writing a super sexy sales copy

Internet marketing is more than throwing a few articles out. You have to be able to write a good sales copy too, that’s when the real profits come in. So how do you create a sexy sales copy? The kind that stops people in their tracks and has them looking at it up and down thinking “I want me some of that”…follow these tips.

1. Its all in the headline. Your headline sells your ad so put 80% of your time into creating a compelling headline. Below are some head tuners:

WARNING, Announcing,Who else wants, How to, 7 good reasons why

Make sure you integrate at least three of these magic words in all your ads. They can seduce just about anyone.

You
Save
Health
Love
Results
New
Proven
Money
Easy
Discovery
Safety
Guaranteed

You need to have a knockout offer.

You need to apply offers differently based on the type of business you operate.

1. A service business with a high value product (solicitor, accountant, real estate agent, consultant, copywriter) could offer a FREE REPORT of some sort.

A business which has products which customers keep buying over and over again (e.g. ice cream shop, grocer, restaurant, hairdresser etc) would approach things a little differently. A hairdresser may want to offer a free haircut to introduce you to their salon.

There’s nothing hotter than getting something for FREE

Lure them back in

People generally read sales copies in two ways

1.Word for word
2.Skim the text

Sometimes people are in a hurry so they just give your sales copy a quick look and then leave which is why you need to incorporate sub-heading into your sales copies. This is to insure that they find something to regain their interest and are lured back into the copy.

Suppose you had a headline like “The easiest way to make money online”

Your subheading could include
Grab profits in any city, anywhere, anytime!

Online success blueprint

Earn easy cash

Apply these simple techniques and you too can have a sexy sales copy that brings in a lot of profits.

Intergrating Keywords

2007-02-14T11:33:00.000-08:00

Online writing differs from offline writing in that online readers skim the text for keywords. A very important skill to learn, in order to have success for article promotion, is choosing and integrating keywords.

If you don't have the right keywords and the right keyword density your targeted reader may never find your article. Also web masters use articles as content on their websites in order to monetize with Google AdSense. ManyWebmasters will not use articles that don't effectively use keywords.

The first thing to do is to research keywords.

You can do this manually with Overture's Keyword Selector at: http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestions

This type of research can be quite painstaking so many people use software such as Click Ad Equalizer to make this task faster and easier.

Once you've chosen your keyword, you'll want to integrate it into your article. Most experts claim that a 5% keyword density is best. Your keyword density should be high enough that a keyword is recognized as a main topic of a page and not an incidental, unimportant word. At the same time, keyword density should not be too high because search engines may red-flag you for "keyword stuffing".

Places to intergrate keywords

Subheadings: they not only tell your reader what that paragraph is about but they help you keep you on track as well. By writing a subheading you remind yourself to sprinkle that keyword into the article.
Your title
Your thesis
Your conclusion

By integrating keywords into your articles, you immediately get your article to stand out. Webmasters, article directories, and search engines will love your article. But more importantly your targeted readers will be able to find your article.

2007-01-31T13:06:00.000-08:00

Check List For Clarity and Style

Emphasis
Do the beginning and ending of sentences stress main ideas and move from old information to new?
Are equally important ideas linked through coordination?
Are less important ideas deemphasized through subordination?

Parallelism
Have you used parallel constructions to show the equivalence of elements connected by and or not only, but, also ect?

Variety and details
Have you varied sentence lengths and structures to stress your main ideas and hold reader’s attention?
Are your sentences well detailed so your audience will find them interesting?

Exact words
Are your words suited to your meaning and also concrete and specific?

Appropriate words
Is your language appropriate for your writing situation?
Have you avoided biased or sexist language?

Conciseness
Have you used the active voice?
Have you cut empty words and unneeded repetition?

Your writing will be much improved if you use these techniques as part of your writing style.
More information about these techniques can found by visiting here: http://tinyurl.com/34jghl

Are you targeting your readers?

2007-01-24T09:56:00.000-08:00

Targeted readers are the people who are most likely going to read your article and respond to your offer. They are the people who want what you've got.

If your using articles to promote a newsletter/ezine, blog, affliate program, seminar, service, product, or website you need to know who your audience is so you can reach them.

Following this rule will give you a big advantage over your competion because many writers do not consider their target market when they begin the writing process.

Articles will increase your traffic but it's not enough to have people stopping by at your site, they have to people who are really interested in what you have to offer so you can get the most bang for you buck.

So, who are your targeted readers?

Start by asking yourself some of these questions

Who do you want to read your article?
What are those people looking for when they go online?
What kind of information are they searching for?
Do they have any problems related to what you have to offer?

Knowing the answers to these questions will help you to write articles that go right to the heart of your targeted readers.

You shouldn't be trying to write articles that will appeal to everyone... know your target audience and write for them.

2007-01-17T11:26:00.000-08:00

Writer's Block Remedies

Don’t you just hate writer’s block? You sit there thinking, “any minuet now my muse will come to me.” Well, you don’t always have time to wait around for inspiration so here are a few tricks that will help kick start your creativity:

1. Listen to classical music.
Studies show that classical music with 60 beats per minuet such as Mozart, Beethoven, Handel and Vivaldi slow brain waves to the relaxed alpha frequency associated with calm and awareness so when you are listening you tap into your creativity.

2. Eat foods rich in vitamin B6 (pyridoxine).
B6 stimulates the cerebral cortex-that's the brain region responsible for solving problems and visual information. Eating foods such leafy greens, lean beef, and potatoes can help to get the creative juices flowing.

Next time you're having writer's block put on some Mozart and have a salad.

2007-01-12T14:36:00.000-08:00

Yet another way to make money with articles

Have you ever considered creating a PLR package with your articles?

You can sell your articles as a PLR package

PLR stands for Private Label Rights
Basically what this means is you let other people use your articles. You give them the opportunity to edit your articles as they see fit and then put THEIR names on it.

This is a huge market. Many people are willing to pay you for your articles

Here's how it works

You use the 30 minute Article Writing System to write 5 PLR articles on similar subject and sell it for about $10
It only takes 30 minutes to write an article, so it will take you 2 1/2 hours to write 5.
If you sell 100 PLR packs, that's $1000. Not bad for only 2 1/2 hours of work!

Click here to learn how to write an article in 30 min

Writing Your First Draft

2007-01-04T10:29:00.000-08:00

Once you have devised a thesis statment and planned a strategy of development, writing your first draft is not difficult. Expand on each paragraph so that it explains, illustrates and defends the topic sentece. Be sure to add transitional expressions for coherence and logical clarity.

Good writing emerges from revisions. Read your draft over many times for logical order, unity, and consistency. You want to ensure that each paragraph supports your thesis and each sentence develops the paragraph topic. Critically read your work, ask yourself if statements are sufficiently supported with enough evidence
On a computer, save successive revisions in separate files, make backup copies. I can’t even begin to tell you how frustrating it is to lose a document that you’ve spent hours on. Make sure you make backup copies.
Click Here to learn how to make writing easier

The profit side of writing

2006-12-28T10:43:00.000-08:00

The big question that comes up with writers is “how do I make money”? In the next few days I’ll be covering some ways you can turn your words into cash.

#1. Ghostwriting- The ghostwriting market is huge. People in virtually every industry and from every background have a need for ghostwriters. As a ghost writer you can write anything from articles for business leaders to speeches for political candidates.
What you’ll need to do first is create a portfolio of your writing samples to show prospective clients. The ghostwriting service is inexpensive to start all you really need is a computer, printer and internet services

I suggest picking up Essential guide to ghostwriting. It gives scads of secrets on how to make it in this type of business. I would not recommend plunging into the ghost writing world without it.
Here are just a few of the things you will learn.

The one crucial skill that every successful ghostwriter must have (Page 5)
The 12 items on the 'wish list' for the well-equipped ghostwriter - some of them may surprise you! (Pages 6 - 8)
The SIX THINGS that all clients want - get these things in place and you will have clients queued up waiting! (Page 9)

Find out more information about the Essential guide to ghostwriting by clicking here.

#2 Write your own e-book-A negative drawback to being a ghostwriter is that you don’t get credit for your own work, this why many writers rave over e-books. You can write about practically anything and sell your book. E-books allow you to create an extremely high profit margin. There are no delivery cost and you can make money on autopilot 24 hours a day seven days a week.

How do you get started? Easy…pick up a copy of How to write and publish your own e-book…in as little as 7 days. Jim Edwards and Joe Vitale are experts and they will guide you through the process with ease. This book is a must have for anyone looking to create a passive income through writing.

You will discover

The "right" way to publish your ebook so virtually everyone connected to the Internet can buy it and read it. (page 48)
3 *Proven* methods for turning out a highly profitable ebook in record time... even if you have no idea what to write about. (page 65)
A step-by-step explanation of how one author sold $15,561.49 worth of ebooks in less than a week. (page 108)
Plus so much more

Click Here To Learn More

#3- Online Writing: There are websites that allow you create content and still keep your name such as Triond. This is great way to establish yourself as a writer online. However, the numbers are small. The best way to make some real money with this is to write fast. 30min article is instrumental to your success with this business form. My suggestion is write an online novel. This way you don’t have to spend hours doing research or waiting for inspiration.

With the writing business the key to success is to write often. There really isn’t any other secret. You have to write more to make more.

2006-12-26T19:39:00.000-08:00

Keep Your Articles Free of Fillers

Fillers are always a bad idea. If your fact or sentence does not support your topic sentence it shouldn’t be included in the paragraph, just as a paragraph belongs in an essay only if it supports your argument or purpose. Do not add phrases in your article just so you make your work longer. It is often better to say a lot with a few words than nothing with a lot of words.

Many of us become a word count slaves. We feel the need to add as much as possible in an article so we can draw in more readers or because we think it is interesting information. Adding excess information does not help to develop your paragraphs. Ask yourself if what you are writing adds to the document as a whole, if it doesn’t cut it out. You will most likely be able to tell if you have an unnecessary addition to your piece once you begin proof reading.

2006-12-18T11:49:00.000-08:00

Proof reading tips

Proofread your document for spelling mistakes by reading it outloud backward from the last word to the first, looking only at how each word is spelled.

Never accept a computer's spellcheckers suggestions uncritically. It may not distinguish homonyms such as whose and who's or there and their nor will it recognize a missing word.

Read your draft outloud, reading slowly to correct any missing words, repeated words or other typographical mistakes

Proof reading made easy

2006-12-15T12:48:00.000-08:00

The fastest way to proof read your work
Find out more by clicking here

I am a big advocate for knowing how to proof read your own work; however, it is time consuming and when your using articles to increase your income you need to save all the time you can.

I’m sure you have found yourself in a position where you have worked hard to produce a document that you wanted to share but you had no idea if it was correct. Perhaps you had an essay due that you finished the night before it was due and you don’t feel confident about handing it in because you are unsure of its correctness

I’ve been there and I can tell you the only thing worse than writer’s block is writing something brilliant that is loaded with mistakes.

What do you do when you find yourself in this predicament? Submit your work to an online editor. I’ve looked around for a really good online editor but a lot of them are expensive or unprofessional. After weeks of searching I found them: Scribendi!

Why choose Scribendi?

-Scriendi is fast- you can have your work edited in eight hours, some other places take days
-Scribendi is inexpensive- none of this “$100 for a page” B.S. that some places charge
- Scribendi offers many services- there are some good editing websites but some of them are strictly academic or business related. I don’t want to be bouncing around from one editor to another. With Scibendi I can submit articles I write for my business and essays for school, they even look over websites. It’s a one stop shop for all your proofreading needs.

You need to proof read your work and having an online proofreader will eliminate the stress of having to do it yourself. While your getting your work edited you can be working on your next piece.

Having a fresh pair of eyes look over your work can be very beneficial. It can turn a C paper into an A, be the difference between getting your book published and not getting it published or it can create a better response to your work thus boosting your sales.

Scribendi helps many people with their writing needs. Here are what some other people who have benefited from their services had to say.

“Really pleased-It’s amazing how long you can stare at something and not be able to improve it! This is a great service which takes some of the sting out of agonizing over the query letter.”
Louise

“My editor was really good at catching careless errors as well as making good suggestions in terms of phrasing”
Erin

“I recently won Honorable Mention for my short story, Narrow Paths, in the Writer’s Digest writing competition. I attribute my success to the help of scribendi.”
Lisa

The world is not forgiving to writing mistakes. You need every word of your documents to be correct and every sentence to flow. Writing with mistakes gives people the impression that you are careless, unprofessional, and even uneducated. People who can properly communicate themselves through writing go farther in life.

Proofreading is the key to your writing success. The editors at Scribendi are experts and I can guarantee you will be impressed with the help they can give you. Yes, there are others but like I said many of them over charge and they do not provide you with as many services as Scribendi. You have put a lot of work into your writing now let someone else let it give you the best results it can give.

Visit Scibendi today to learn more

You never want to submit anything that hasn’t been checked; use Scribendi for all your proofreading and editing needs and you’ll see the difference your work can make.

2006-12-11T15:31:00.000-08:00

What's with all the article hype?

You will probably come across a multitude of articles that will tell you that writing articles is one of the best ways to promote your business and get exposure and you know what…they’re right!

The internet is responsible for providing one of human’s greatest addictions…information.

When you were in school you had to write book reports, essays and do other projects to show your teachers that you understood the lessons and the information they provided, articles are the same way. You have to let your reader know you are an expert in your field. When you go to a car dealership a bank or even the supermarket you assume the people working there can give you information on what you need to know and that they understand the field they are in. Online, you don’t get to talk face to face to people to give them information they need so you write about it.
Article writing lets you prove that you are an expert in your field.

They also do something that ads and pitch pages don’t do, at least not off the bat…you’ll find out tomorrow what this is and why it’s so important.

Articles allow you to gain immediate respect. Unlike an ad when you know the company is out for your money, an article gives you information and we respect people who can give us insight, and knowledge about the things we want to know. It is much more difficult to establish trust online. Prospective customers are getting smarter and more cynical thus writing articles give you a chance to establish trust and boost a buyer’s faith. This increases the longevity of your business

If you take a look at commercials today, most of them sell information. They now tell you to ”visit the website for more information”, “ask your doctor for more information”, “call for a free brochure”. Why? Because they have caught on to peoples need to be further informed. They don’t say “buy this bed”, instead they tell you to go to their website and find out more. They know you are more likely to buy once you have gained more information. Articles should be a marketers best friend. You have the advantage of getting in front of thousands of people with your information and once you publish on the web it’s there forever . Three years from now someone will come across your article and regard you as an expert and want to do business with you.

Ads get peoples attention. Articles get peoples respect. I suggest using both to market but a good quality article will benefit you longer.

2006-12-07T11:04:00.000-08:00

A Procrastinator's Dream Come True: The 30 min Article System

Click here to learn more

Ask yourself how long it takes you to write your articles, 1 hour, 2 hours maybe even a few days. How would you like to finish your articles in 30min? I was skeptical at first but it is possible and anyone can do it.

This system is brought to you by Melanie Mendelson. What I love about it is it’s not just a book that you read and apply the techniques; it is an action based step by step system that will get an article out of you in 30 min or less.

30 min article writing system helps to

Churn out more articles in less time
Get your papers in on time
Eliminate the frustration you feel about writing articles
Get your articles published.

2 hours didn’t seem that long to me until I wrote my first article in 30 min then I thought "2 hours-what took me so long"! Time is money; this is a well known fact. If you’re starting a home business or if you already have one, writing articles is a great way to promote your business. Well, if you’re taking hours to complete those articles your losing money.

Do the math:
-Just 30 minutes per week = 1 article per week = 52 articles per year-2 hours per week = 4 articles per week = 208 articles per year

I don’t like math so let me explain it to you in non math terms:

More articles=more exposure=more money!

I know it sounds too good to be true but it really does work. Here’s what some other believers had to say

"Melanie, Your system is OUTRAGEOUS and UNFAIR.Unfair to all of us who struggled for years doing it the "hard way."But seriously Melanie, you've taken a very powerful concept and cleverly presented it so even a novice can produce profitable, quality articles in 30 minutes or less. Honestly, if I hadn't experienced it myself - I'd have never believed you.Following your system allowed me to produce nearly 3 times as much content as I did before...and when you get paid to produce this is a VERY GOOD (and profitable) THING!Nicely done!" James Burchillhttp://ElanceExposed.com

"Now where was Melanie during my stint in Journalism school? I would have had every article in ahead of time instead of at the wire!Your tips on writing snappy "how to" articles are easy to understand and even easier to implement with the help of a great program tool. Thanks Melanie, you've just made my article writing goal for 2006 more simple!" Natasha Vincenthttp://www.mydreadlocks.com

"Melanie,You’ve really done a wonderful thing here. I was freed from agonizing, torturous times that occurred every time I even THOUGHT about the fact that I needed to write an article for my blog.I got your program because I needed to write an article that weekend. It usually takes me several hours at least and I agonize over it for several hours before getting started.So I downloaded your material, saw that there was a guide and a program and ran the program first without reading the guide. 30 minutes later I had my first article produced with your system.I couldn’t believe it… I told my wife, my daughter and my son… My daughter’s in 10th grade and has to write lots of little article-like papers for school. My son loves to write anyway. My wife is responsible for the ‘Kingwood Garden Club’ newsletter. I could see how they could each benefit from understanding the process.If you decide to let others sell your system also, I’d certainly like to help.I have absolutely NOTHING NEGATIVE to say. I can only offer WOW! What a great product.Thanks again, Greg Whitehttp://www.blogmarketingtactics.blogspot.com

Click here to grab your copy now!

"The "30 Minute Article Writing System" is the answer to the writer's curse of perfectionism. No more putting it off until it sounds just right.Melanie's system guides you clearly and concisely through a simple ten-step process. The accompanying audio program prompts are invaluable. It's just the right amount of pressure to get the job done but not so much that you run screaming from your keyboard!I'm looking forward to pumping out some great articles with my newfound guide." Jenny Dunham http://www.JennyEvansDunham.com

"Melanie, you have done a great job! I really like your new product.I opened the manual, read it and then started the audio program. Within 30 minutes I had written a brilliant article ready for submission to directories.Your concept is very helpful. I often have writers block but with your article program I won't anymore! You outline everything in detail so I will be using it for many times over again! Thanks for a great product." Chris Geldof http://www.articlecube.com

"The 30 Minutes Article System addresses the subject of "Article Writing" with such ease that it makes you think that "Article Writing" is for the dummies. It clearly illustrates how and where to start, how and where to end and how and what to do in-between.The system tickles the brain-cells in the right places, at the right time and in the right sequence and the by-product is a well written article which can drive your business to greater heights. The 30 minute article system comes as a whiff of fresh air and very different from the ebooks floating around which give you a lot of information but at the end of it all...you are left where you started. Not so...with the 30 Minute Article Writing System. The system takes you by hand and shows how to create an article in record time - 30 minutes flat. Jayadeep Rathhttp://www.EatSleepTraffic.com

Hi Melanie,This product is a necessity for someone like me who doesn't like to write articles. It gives you step by step information and tools to help you work faster.Now, my articles look professional, I get them done in less than 30 minutes, and I don't have to rack my brain over what to write next.This product is amazing and I will definitely use it over and over again.Good Success!" Vondre' T. Whaleyhttp://www.scoopmembers.com

"As the Queen of Dawdle, this was great because it made me stay focused and do something in such a short period of time that I have never been able to do. To me, the hardest part is getting started and getting the ideas out of my head onto the screen.
It helped me get the same amount of stuff written in 30 minutes that would normally take me 2 or 3 hours. I think it's a great product and one I look forward to using again.
Thanks so much and best of luck!"
Cindy Evanshttp://a-gift-from-the-heart.com

Writing efficiently is just as important as writing effectivley. Majority of people have to write on a deadline. If it’s taking you hours to finish your articles and essays you need this system and your business deserves it. You can make all the excuses I made. “2 hours isn’t that bad” “I work at my own pace” “I don’t need that kind of pressure” But I guarantee that you will be losing money and in the end you will be running to get this system. Save yourself the hassle and get 30 min article writing system now!

In addition to the guide and audio coaching program, Melanie is including bonus instructions, showing you how to get your articles published on as many websites as possible. This bonus is priceless!
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Here's to your success:
The 30min article system

2006-10-12T11:17:00.000-07:00

Review of "Easy Writing: A Practical Guide for Business Professionals" By George Kirazian

Click Here to Read More

I used to spend hours working on my reports and articles, but I was not getting the desired results. It was doing a number on my confidence whether I wanted to admit it or not. If this sounds remotely familiar, you’re probably doing what I used to, your working hard not smart, but no worries this can be remedied with Easy Writing by George Kirazian. It's a great book that does exactly what its name says. It makes writing easy for ANY writing purpose!

Easy Writing will help you to:

Write clear, correct sentences, without worrying if they are clear and correct
Create well structured paragraphs that will present and expand your ideas effectively
Structure and develop the longer forms: reports, booklets--yes, even books--with new confidence and control

Now, am I a writing guru? Well, I don’t have a best selling novel…yet, but I do know methods that effectively improve your writing thus saving you time and this is exactly what Easy Writing does. Whether it’s for my English papers or my home business, I need to be clear, confident, and professional. These are key elements to ensure success in any field, and the skills to get these characteristics in your writing are found in Easy Writing.

George Kirazian, the author of this helpful tool, has 30 plus years of experience that are guaranteed to benefit anyone—business professionals, students, home business owners, even people who have not written a paragraph in ages. I consider myself to be a good writer but George really knows his stuff. I am not the only one who thinks so here are what some other REAL people said about Easy Writing:

"For the first time I'm confident about my writing. Now I don't stare at a blank page for an hour before I start.... I'm even getting compliments!!" E. Molinari, NY, NY

"If only I knew that improving my writing skills was this easy, I would have done it years ago!" Ron C., Los Angeles, CA

"Everything you need to write effectively, whether for business, college, or personal use, can be found in this book. It makes writing fun again! I've found "Easy Writing" to be a valuable resource in my profession. Forget all those abstract English diagrams---this book clarifies and, through easily understood examples, shows how to write the right way!"
Richard S. Stowell, El Cajon, CA

"I was blown away by how simple these techniques are and how quickly they helped me improve my writing! I'm a believer now!" JP Davies, San Diego, CA

"I can't believe it! I'm writing reports, and I actually know what I'm doing! Thanks, George!" P. Sebastian, Jersey City, NJ

"Semicolon? I never even used one before!! George, your techniques are simple and easy to learn!!! My neighbor's happy, too. I don't have to ask her to check my writing anymore. It's a great feeling!!!" R. Pulver, Providence, RI

"Your book is very easy to understand because it has simplified all the techniques and grammatical rules that used to scare me from writing during my school days...."
A. Afolabi, Lagos, Nigeria

I’ve tried other books; some were not so bad, others were a waste of money. Easy Writing makes it on my list of "top essential books for writers" because it works. Even if you are an accomplished writer you will learn how to better harness your skills. People will take you seriously and will want to do business with you.

I hope you found this invaluable advice to be helpful. You don’t have to take my word for it or anyone else’s for that matter. There are a multitude of books out there that claim to improve your writing. However, most of them are a collection of grammatical rules that do not work. I know because I’ve tried some of them; I wasted my time and my money. You can learn to work smart with Easy Writing and start reaping the benefits or you can continue doing what you’re doing now. Choosing the latter is the fastest way to lose customers, business credibility and you will not see those grades increase either, because if you write with mistakes you will not be seen as someone who has taken the time to get things done right.

As George says, "knowing how to write is vital to your success in life". Grab a copy of Easy Writing by George Kirazian and learn essential skills that you will benefit from for a lifetime!

Find out more by visiting:
Easywritingnow.com

Here’s to your success
Easy Writing

Just a little note for the day:
Your words are a reflection of your self; make sure they do you justice.

Friday, October 13, 2006

If it wasn’t enough that you get a great book, George himself answers any e-mail questions you have about writing, free of charge! My own teachers didn’t do that. This is a great bonus that you should definitely take advantage of.

Click Here To Find Out More

Always remember to warm up all the parts of your body before putting it to work. This includes your brain. I'll elaborate next day.

Prewriting

Remember what I said about warming up? Well, George explains it much better in his book, but writing down the whole chapter would take too long. Instead I’m going to just sum it up for you.

Consider your brain as a muscle. It needs to be warmed up just like any other muscle. Good writing begins with pre-writing. Here are a couple passages from his book explaining this.

So, what's the warm-up for writing? Simple: sit down and start writing. Don't worry about the subject. Just do some free writing, some brainstorming, as you did with your spiral notebook practice sentences back in Part I. Write about your spouse, your sister, your car, your lover(s), last week-end's picnic. It doesn't matter. Just ease into the writing, slowly warm-up the thought muscles. Do it for, say, four or five minutes. You just want to establish some rapport between hand and paper (or key-board).

This is free writing, one of the most effective ways to tune-in your thoughts and slowly work up to your subject or topic. Sadly, most people don't even think of doing this; as we said, they just want to get the writing done as soon as possible.

If you do nothing else, I urge you to at least take this advice. Free-writing will help you to determine

-What you already know or think about a topic

-Which aspects of the topic interest you most

-What facts you need to learn in order to further expand your analysis

Do not worry about grammar or neatness, after all this is just a warm up. Once you’ve done this for a bit, move into the next phase, start zoning in on your topic.

You’re brain is now fired up and ready to work!

Keep coming back for more. After all, we're just getting warmed up =)

Choosing a topic

Choosing a topic can be very daunting. Often, too much focus goes into deciding on the right topic. Rather than deciding on whether or not it’s a "good" topic, decide on if it’s a good topic for you. Your topic should excite and interest you. This will make it easier to keep your readers interested. Narrowing your topic down and giving it a focus will make writing less overwhelming. This is especially helpful if it’s an assigned topic that you’re not crazy about. Find something about it that sparks your interest; continue to break it down until you have a smaller topic that you’re comfortable with.

Another trick that I commonly use to pick my topics is to go against the norm. It can be more challenging but writing from a different point of view will intrigue your readers. For instance, suppose your topic is about technology, let’s narrow it down to cell phones. You could write about the advantages to having a cell phone but writing about the disadvantages will make your piece seem more fascinating and it will actually be easier for you to get into. Taking the unappealing or unpopular side is often easier.

When I need to chop down my colossal sized topic I ask myself what exactly am I writing about.

Appeal to your Audience

You have your idea and you’ve narrowed it down to a focused topic. Great! Now all you have to do is write it…for your audience. Always keep them in mind when you’re writing. You have to consider your audiences prior knowledge, beliefs, values and age when writing because these will affect their responses to your piece. You should not assume that your audience shares your beliefs and values.
While an academic essay usually addresses an audience already familiar with the subject, a business report may circulate amongst numerous readers whose degree of familiarity with the topic varies. Best selling novelists always keep their audience in mind; they know their readers have certain expectations and they must meet them in order to make them happy.

I don’t just write for my reader; I take on the role. Assessing your work from the reader’s perspective helps to keep you focused.

Purpose

Once you have established what you are writing you need to decide why you are writing. Deciding on the purpose of your piece will affect your writing considerably. Your purpose will help you to better adapt to your audience. Ask yourself is my purpose to inform, stimulate debate, amuse, change their minds or persuade them to take action? If it is an assignment, consider the wording. The terms analyze, compare, contrast, demonstrate, and explain can help you to determine your writing purpose.
A great tip I learned for freelance writing is the 10 word purpose statement. You can apply this to a book or an article. Basically it’s a writer’s road map which looks like this:
The purpose of this (book/essay etc.)is to…your 10 words would follow. If you can’t sum your purpose in 10 words then you are still working out the idea and are not ready to write. It helps me to stay on track without making a formal outline.

I learned this from: http://www.aboutfreelancewriting.com/articles/gettingitdone/purpose.htm

An outline is helpful though, so I’ll show you a method you can use next time. For now remember to consider the three W’S: what, who and why when writing

Organizing your ideas

This is my least favorite part about writing, mostly because I can be such a scatter brain. Needless to say it is a crucial step to writing. After further thought and research, group related ideas into subtopics. If an idea or subtopic does not fit into your specific purpose or topic eliminate it. Use indentations or bullets to show relevant subordination underneath the broader ideas they support or illustrate.

Our first example will be one based on literature. Our topic will be the characterization of Beowulf in Beowulf.

Thesis: Beowulf is characterized as a hero not through realistic detail but through dramatic speeches, and exaggerated descriptions of his actions in battle

Dramatic speeches
1.Heroic bearing
- Reception by the guard at the coast
- Reception by Wulfgar

2.Heroic reputation
-Reception by Hrothgar

3.Beowulf’s boasts
-Reply to Hrothgar’s welcome
- Reply to Unferth’s

Exaggerated Description of Actions in Battle
1.Grendal
-Noise/Movement in the hall
- Grip feared by Grendal
-Dragon
-Desire to fight alone, even in old age
-Slays dragon but dies
-Hero funeral rites

Second Example: report/article

Topic: daycare availability in rural areas as opposed to cities

Thesis: Even though rural areas do not provide families with as much access with daycare facilities as do urban families, their informal arrangements meet their children’s need

I.Rural
-fewer families, smaller families, less formal employment than in cities

-Organized, institutionalized daycare not practical
-irregular hours
-lack of population density
-distances

-Informal arrangement serves most needs, easier to set up than cities
-families
-friends, neighbors
-community

II.Cities
-more daycare spaces than country
-community, industry, gov’t provided
-gov’t subsidies

Third Example: Business plan outline

What is my business idea?
– business description

What is needed to make it work?
– basic resources and costs including:
-Location
- where and why
-Premises
-description and costs involved
-Equipment
-description and costs involved
-Stock
- description and costs involved
-Promotion
-how you will introduce your business to first clients/customers
-Insurance
- description and costs involved
-Transport
- description and costs involved
-Staff
- description and costs involved
-Other
-professional services of solicitor etc and costs

Can I do it?
– personal background, skills and experience

How will it work?
– business activities and cashflow

A good outline is extremely important. If you are planning to start a business (freelance writing, electronic publishing etc) then you will need a business plan. It is crucial to operating a business. I have provided an outline above for what you should be thinking about when starting a business. However, if you really want to increase your chances of success, I highly recommend using the How to write a business plan…Made easy e-book.

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A good business plan is extremely important.

If you have not done this before it can seem overwhelming. That is why I’m suggesting you pick up How to write a business plan…Made easy. It will show you step by step how to make an effective business plan. It’s perfect for entrepreneurs and small business owners. If you don’t have a step by step business plan there is no way you can keep your business running successfully.

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This e-book makes it very easy to write a business plan. Here is what people who have benefited from it are saying:

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How to make a businessplan... Made easy

An outline is like a road map use it whenever you feel lost or off track.

Introductions

Your introduction introduces the readers to the thesis by gaining their attention. You need to state the topic and set the tone. An effective introduction generally begins broadly with an interesting statement about the topic, and then narrows to a statement of the thesis. There are many ways to introduce a topic. Which ever you decide your goal is to quickly arouse the readers mind. The key thing here is to quickly get to the point.

Some people feel that a strong intro is not important. After all you have your entire article to prove to reader that what you have to say is meaningful. Well think of your reader as a lover…
You won’t get what you want unless they are turned on and if you don’t do it in the right way they will lose interest and pull away and you’ll have to work that much harder to arouse them.
The same goes for your reader; the only difference is that you want to arouse the mind.

Here are some methods that you want to avoid:

Repeatedly using the same introductory style: Different techniques are better suited for different topics. It is important to experiment with different introductory formats.

Filling space: I see this in a lot of articles. The author wrote an introduction just for the sake of having something on top of the page. It’s just a combination of sentences strung together to form a paragraph, they don’t really say much or entice the reader.

Ex: The holocaust is one of the greatest tragedies for the Jewish community. Many Jewish people suffered immensely because of it. Those who were affected had their lives altered forever.
It’s the same as saying…The holocaust was bad. Many bad things happened. Because of these bad things peoples lives changed.
Do you see how dull this intro looks? This is a serious topic but an intro like this does not convey that to the reader. You want your introduction to be more interesting than this.

The book report intro: This is when the author provides the reader with information that they already know. This is another type of filler. You don’t really know what to say so you result to giving the reader redundant information.

Restating the question: It can be effective but not as much as offering a more interesting introduction. Your teacher or professor will appreciate not having to read the question they wrote over and over. A little creativity goes a long way.
This also applies to when people write articles that are lists, for instance, “top ten ways to improve your writing” saying “The top ten ways to improve your writing are…” without anything prior is not an introduction.

The dictionary intro: A definition can be effective. However, these types of introductory styles are often weak. For one, your definition may not always apply to your topic. Second it is easy to use the wrong definition. If you want to use this method I suggest coming up with your own definition of the word. It will be more thought provoking for the reader.

Enough with the don't lets talk about do's.

You don’t need to write your introduction first. You may find it easier to write it after you have your body paragraphs set in place. If you’re like me, and you need to write an introduction to get the writing process started, make sure you go back to revise your introduction so that it fits with the rest of your article.

Open with an attention grabber, like I said before you need to draw the reader in.

Consider these formats.

An anecdote, story, or puzzling scenario: These types of introductions are highly effective as long as they relate back to the thesis of your paper. People relate well to stories. They either like to imagine themselves in that situation or can personally relate to the story. Retell a story or shock your audience with an analogy of the subject that you are presenting.

A quotation by a well known person or something provocative: The quotation can be from anywhere, an interview, article, book, movie or even a song, just as long as it relates back to thesis. A quote by a well known person is useful because the reader associates you with the person who said it. A quote from an intellectual makes you seem intelligent. Remember, you can not write down the quote and claim it as your own. You have to give credit to its source. Also you need a few lines to explain the quote. Don’t expect the quote it self to serve as your intro. Never end a paragraph with a quotation in any section of your article.

A rhetorical or provocative question: Questions are great. Readers love them. Pose the reader with a question and propose an answer to it in your thesis

Remember, you never get another chance to make a good first impression.

Thesis Statements

Ah, the dreaded thesis statement, it’s amazing how such a little sentence can cause big frustrations for writers. Are they important? You betcha, a thesis statement provides both the reader and the writer with a road map. It is the message that you want your readers to receive after they have read your work. It’s a complete sentence found at the end of your introduction. While you are trying to draft a thesis statement try to complete this sentence.

After reading my article my reader will understand/agree that…

You can also use a purpose statement.
The purpose of this (book/essay etc.)is to…

A strong thesis statement analyzes or interprets facts. It doesn’t just state these facts. It provokes your reader’s mind and makes them wonder. You want to take the reader from a “so what”, to a “show me!” reaction.

You usually develop your thesis during the prewriting faze of the writing process.

There is more than one form of a thesis statement. I'll show you those in a bit along with a few examples of good and bad theisis staments.

Thesis statements fall into two categories:

Restricted/Aristotelian thesis statements include your supporting arguments as well as your main idea.

Ex: Beowulf is characterized as a hero not through realistic detail but through dramatic speeches, and exaggerated descriptions of his actions in battle.
A non-restricted thesis leaves out the supporting arguments

Ex: The misconception that etiquette is used to determine class may be why many people are shying away from practicing “good manners”.

I prefer restricted thesis statements because they give me an outline for my essay, making it easier and faster to write. They are especially helpful when writing exams or short compositions.

How can you tell a good thesis statement from a bad one? Well for starters a good thesis statement urges the reader to read on but most importantly it analyzes a fact. The key word here is analyze.

See if you can determine the difference between these examples.

Ex1.In his article Stanley Fish shows that we don't really have the right to free speech.

Ex2.Stanley Fish's argument that free speech exists more as a political prize than as a legal reality ignores the fact that even as a political prize it still serves the social end of creating a general cultural atmosphere of tolerance that may ultimately promote free speech in our nation just as effectively as any binding law.

Reference: http://www.english.upenn.edu/Grad/Teachweb/scthesis.html

If you said that the first example is not really a thesis statement your right, all it does is state a fact. The second one actually analyzes the fact.

Here’s another

Ex1.America’s immigration polices are complicated.

Ex2.The debate surrounding America’s immigration reforms is a complex issue; however, it is clear that topics such as free trade and exploitation are being avoided

The first example is far too broad. It would take you forever to analyze all the factors and try to prove your claim. It’s better to state both sides and then prove why one side is better. Or analyze the issue from a different perspective.

Remember your thesis is a focus. Do not make a broad or general statement. And it should stand up to criticism and scrutiny.

Write more than one thesis statement for your topic, and then go with the one that is most relevant, original and best analyzes the subject.

What’s the word of the day? Analyze!
Do this and you will always come up with a good thesis statement.

Body Paragraphs

You can have a good intro and a good thesis but you won’t have a good article/essay unless you have good strong body paragraphs to build your topic and prove your thesis.

Body paragraphs are like miniature essays. Each paragraph has a topic which is expressed in a topic sentence. I find it easier to write if my topic sentence begins at the start of the paragraph. But it can occur as a second or concluding sentence. Which ever suits your writing style is fine as long as you have one.

The rest of the paragraph explains and supports the paragraph. Use facts, arguments or examples to support or explain the topic. However, do not include anything that does not support the topic.

You’ll learn how to develop your body paragraphs in a bit.

Developing your body paragraphs

Different organization patterns may be used to develop your body paragraphs. You may choose to use narration, description, process, definition, classification, cause and effect, example, problem/solution, comparison/contrast, and analogy. Body paragraphs often combine more than one of these formats to develop the topic. When composing your body paragraphs move from generalizations to specific detail and, sometimes, back to generalizations. Avoid using sentences that remain at the same level of abstraction of the topic. In other words do not restate or declare your topic. These types of sentences are not logically convincing. They will not give you developed paragraph. Rather, focus on proving or supporting your topic.

Coherence

Coherence refers to the logical flow of ideas and sentences. I know many writers struggle with this, including myself. After all you want all your ideas to connect with one another and be understandable for the reader. Here are a couple of things you can do to help:

Use transitional sentences to guide your reader through their logic and to point to the direction that their arguments are leading. Transitional expressions include but are not limited to: first, therefore, however and furthermore.
Read your work out loud. This is the best way to see if your article flows. Read your work out loud to yourself or a friend to hear how it sounds. If it sounds wordy, choppy, or just plain ridiculous it will read that way to your reader.

Remember you can’t just throw words on a page it has to be logical in order for it to be effective.

Conclusions

Generally, conclusions invert the structure of the introduction. Begin by briefly stating the thesis and then summarize your main arguments then open out to more general statements. Your conclusion should only be a few sentences not a whole page. Avoid introducing any new ideas.

2006-10-08T16:04:00.000-07:00

Writing has been something I've enjoyed doing ever since I learned my abc's. Whether it's for personal reasons, a school assignment or for work, it is a very important form of communication. But as much as I enjoy writing, it terrifies me. Exposing yourself through writing is very intimidating because it is so personal. I'm always wondering whether my idea is good, how can I better orgainze my thoughts, is the formatting ok, is the message I'm trying to send being recieved and worst of all why is the competition doing so much better?

Face it, whether or not you like writing, knowing the right techniques can change your life.

Get better grades on your papers
Land your dream job/position
Start your own business doing what you love

Those are just a few ways in which writing well can fulfill your life.

I'm always on the prowl looking for tips and products to help me improve my skills so I can generate a profit from my passion.

Rather than letting it all out now I prefer to do a little strip tease ;)

I'll reveal more tips, products and services that will improve your writing later

For now always remember to write from the heart; stop when you're finished.