From the daily archives: Friday, January 1, 2010
As a writer, you probably have a certain amount of pride over your writing skills. However, sometimes you just have to acknowledge that there are some areas where your writing skills are a bit wanting. It’s not something to be ashamed of. Even great writers admit to many seemingly trivial grammatical weaknesses. It is probably safe to say that it is something that every writer shares.
To help you with your grammar problems, consider an online grammar guide to help you with your compositions. The guide can help you keep track of all the grammar rules that you have to follow to make your composition clear, concise and human readable. Using such a guide can actually help you become a better writer if you just give it a try. Here are a few benefits of it.
1. Spelling and Grammatical Correctness
The included software will not only help you keep your grammar in check, it can also detect any spelling mistakes that you make. Grammatical mistakes are one of the biggest pitfalls of writers, even bigger and potential more serious than spelling mistakes. Grammatical mistakes are often the result of rushing a composition and not having enough time to form the thoughts that you want to communicate to the reader. The checking engine can detect grammar mistakes for you. Spelling mistakes are usually the result of having your fingers flying every which way on the keyboard as you try to catch up on the deadline. It is important to remember that you should always check the changes that the grammar software wants to make. Contextual analysis is a weakness for grammar guides.
2. Improved Structure and Style
A common mistake resulting from rushing a document is a jumbled sentence structure. An online grammar checker can help you keep your sentence and paragraph structure orderly and easy to read and understand. It can also help you improve your writing style as well by suggesting alternative words or sentences to the ones that you have typed.
3. Faster, More Efficient Writing
Perhaps the most obvious benefit of using an a grammar guide is that it helps you become a faster and more efficient writer. One of the ways that you get slowed down when you are writing is when you have to check and recheck your work to find out if you made any mistakes. With an online grammar guide, the guide can do this for you.
Author: Jane Sumerset
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera News
As a college composition instructor, I have found that quite a few students have shortchanged themselves by disregarding important issues in writing papers. What is really sad is that many of those errors could have been avoided! Also, writing a good term paper that earns a better grade doesn’t have to be a hassle, especially if you tackle it one step at a time and avoid a few of the following common errors.
ERROR 1: Not focusing your paper with a clear point that is tailored to a specific audience. Example: you write something like, “New York is an exciting place to visit.” This statement is too broad and fails to address itself to a specific audience. Avoid this error by narrowing it down and tailoring it to an audience such as colleagues or classmates or artists. An example may be, “The Metropolitan Museum’s Renoir collection highlights the best (or worst) in Renoir’s paintings.” Your audience will certainly will want to know why and you can explain it to them in the body of your paper.
ERROR 2: Not paying attention to paragraph sequence and flow. In other words, a given paragraph does not flow smoothly from the previous one. In fact, it covers a totally different aspect of your subject, confusing your reader. Avoid this problem by outlining your rough draft. Number each paragraph and write a one-sentence summary of it from beginning to end. When you have finished, you will have an outline of your paper and be able to see at a glance what seems to flow smoothly or not.
ERROR 3: Not developing your paragraphs well. Your paragraphs contain sentences that do not flow smoothly from one to the next. These sentences’ ideas “jump:” instead of developing a point and moving on to the next, each sentence presents a different point. Avoid this error by developing each sentence and consider using transitive words such as, to that end, next, third, etc.
ERROR 4: Forgetting to develop the concluding paragraph. A few students include a single statement or merely end their papers by writing, “in conclusion.” Such words are trite interrupt paragraph flow. Avoid this problem by considering what you want your readers to remember after they have read your paper. Carefully summarize the highlights of your paper’s content.
The above errors are not only common, but cause students to receive low grades for their papers. But paying attention to such errors will enable you to go far in writing a term paper or research paper that makes a difference and earns a higher grade.
Author: Dorothy Zjawin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera Times
If youve read any of my work before, you probably know that I’ve been in publishing since 1987, have been a freelancer since 1993 and ran an editorial staffing agency in New York City from 1996 through 2004.
Some lessons Ive learned from this crazy journey are as follows:
1. Staying abreast of technology is crucial: Back in 1998, I was pushed to get a website for my company because clients and candidates were asking questions like, Can I apply online? Can I download the contract from your site? Can I post a job to your website?
Well, as we didnt even have a website, I would embarrassingly say no. The loud silence, especially from clients, on the other end of the phone line got to be too much.
Going through the process of getting a website taught me the value of staying on top of technology. I learned that while I dont need to be a hard-nosed techie, to stay competitive, I had to know enough to be able to stay competitive. This meant not only getting a site, but learning how to update it myself.
One of the wonderful things about technology is that new tools are constantly being developed for those of us who are NOT tech-savvy, eg, FrontPage software for building websites, autoresponder software, listserv software for building mailing lists, etc.
2. Writing is a skill: Obviously, you mutter. However, many writers dont treat their craft like it. I single out writers because, in my experience, proofreaders, copy editors, indexers, editors, graphic designers, illustrators, etc. all seem to see intrinsic value and take pride in their work.
Many writers take their craft for granted. Maybe its because society views writing as just words on paper. After all, once you know your ABCs, you can write, right? Well, editorial professionals know better than anyone that this is not so.
One thing I advise all professional writers to do to combat this lackadaisical attitude is to treat their writing like a business skill. Just like being a professional coder, artist or web designer when you put yourself out there, market and treat your skill like the highly valued commodity it is.
Let it be reflected in your perfectly prepared marketing materials eg, your website, brochure, postcard, etc. Also, when you speak with potential clients, be sure to use a professional tone. No one is going to believe that you write professionally if you dont talk like it as well.
3. Freelancing full-time is not hard: Its not easy, to be sure. But, building a successful, full-time freelance career is not terribly difficult, if:
a. You have experience within your discipline. Most successful freelancers Ive encountered have worked full-time within their discipline at some point.
b. You are willing to work fulltime and freelance on the side for a period of time. Many freelancers leave their jobs once they got too burned out doing both, or secure a big project that allows them to make the leap.
c. You plan for it. Some freelancers (the most successful ones I might add) are more calculating about their careers.
What I mean by this is that they plan a year or two out knowing that they are going to leave their jobs. So, they save 6 months or a years expenses, pay off credit card bills, buy equipment while working full-time, etc.; then, they make the leap.
The ones I know who followed this path are, not surprisingly, the most successful meaning, they have gone on to hire employees. A few even opened offices and became official businesses because their client load demanded it.
Can you build a freelance business if you dont have these three things? Absolutely! However, it is even more critical that you devise a plan of how youre going to go about it. Having experience and industry contacts makes it easier, but the web makes it easier than ever today to start a freelance business.
4. Marketing is a skill that must be developed: When most freelancers start out, they may have two or three clients who keep them pretty busy. BUT, the day comes when the projects dry up (it always happens) and you have to scrounge for business.
Its at this point that many panic and start looking for a full-time job again. When I was recruiting, I received more than a few panicked calls, eg, I have to find something — quick!
Invariably, I was unable to help them (see Point #5 below). It usually was a moot point though because within a month or so, some project would come along and they would no longer be interested or available for a full-time job.
It was during this time that I got interested in the whole topic of freelancing as a business. Most freelancers focus on their craft and not the business of freelancing. However, as I preach ad nauseam on InkwellEditorial.com, to be successful as a freelancer, you must, must, must learn how to market if you want a full-time, sustainable career as a freelancer.
5. Employers dont like to hire freelancers for full-time jobs: It was my experience when I was recruiting that if you freelanced full-time for a year or more, employers were very hesitant to hire you as a full-time employee. Why?
Because most think that you are only seeking full-time work because you have hit a rough patch financially. Logically, it just makes sense. I mean, who gives up a successful freelance career to go back to the 9-5 grindstone? Most employers figured that as soon as the next big project came along, their new hire would be out the door.
I have seen it happen on many occasions so much so that when I was recruiting, I would screen out those with a significant freelance history because the chances that they would leave was just too great.
I once lost a $6,000 placement fee because the employee quit 10 days before the 90-day guarantee. [Most recruiting firms give employers a 60 or 90-day guarantee that the employee will stay put for at least this amount of time, or they dont have to pay.]
6. You cant change your rates every year: Charge enough that you dont have to change your rate for three years. I know some make take umbrage with this, but Ive found editorial (eg, writing, copy editing, proofreading, indexing, editing, etc.) to be a very static industry. It is not one where you can raise rates yearly.
Some of the companies I freelanced for back in 1993 still pay the same rates today Im not kidding! So, I advise all freelancers who are just starting out to start out charging enough so that they dont have to change their rates for three years.
Its been my experience that after this period, you can increase rates without worrying about losing even one of your clients. Putting forth the argument of, we havent raised rates in three years somehow seems to make it fair for them.
Working on this time schedule, I dont ever remember losing a client. I think its a combination of clients being comfortable with your work and them thinking, after three years, an increase is only fair.
7. You must develop a niche: Ive known a few freelancers who did several things successfully (eg, designed websites and wrote the copy for them), but this was the exception, not the norm.
Most successful freelancers niche it. What I mean is, they develop a niche and stick to it. In my opinion, it is far easier to become successful like this than being a generalist.
Trust me, those sites where you see freelancers touting that they do everything from writing to web design to illustration are not making that much money, or they are farming the work out to other freelancers.
Most clients like to know that they are getting a knowledgeable professional who has a history and body of work within the discipline they are being hired for. If it is a pharmaceutical company, they want a writer who has done this type of writing before.
So, develop a niche and market the hell out of it!
8. Patience is a virtue: Even after all of my years in the industry, Im amazed by how difficult it can be to be patient while I grow my business. I have lists and lists of ideas that I want to implement and there just never seems to be enough time.
This is easily a career where you can work nonstop all the time. An idea for an article pops in your head and instead of jotting down the idea, you find yourself writing the whole article; you go online to do some research, and before you know it you have spent two hours surfing the net on an unrelated matter; you log on to check email, and in an instant, you find yourself redesigning a section of your website; the list is endless.
This is an issue I still struggle with; although, I have gotten better about stopping. So, instead of browsing for 2 hours, it might be 30 minutes before I literally make myself stop and go back to my original task.
The best advice I can give to stop this kind of behavior is to think of your long-range goals and ask yourself if what youre doing this very minute is getting you closer to them. If not, stop and get back on track.
9. Retirement is not planned for: I can count the number of times on one hand that Ive had conversations with freelancers about retirement. Most small business owners (and thats what freelancing is, small business ownership) have an exit strategy, or a day where they envision doing something else.
For some reason, editorial and creative freelancers dont think this way. Well, while you may be able to write or design websites from anywhere at any age, whos to say youre going to want to when youre 70?
In my quest to get freelancers to think of themselves as businesses, one of the things I wish more would do is plan for retirement. This includes looking into 401K plans, buying investment real estate, building a sellable business, etc.
Again, just because you might be capable of churning out material long past retirement age does not mean that you are going to want to. So, plan for the day when you wont have to.
10. Longevity pays: The longer you freelance, the easier it gets. My business mentor said to me once, when you first start out, you are just greasing the pipes. After two or three years, clients will not be quite so hard to come by.
Its just like search engine positioning — the longer your site is on the web, the more frequently it is spidered by search engine bots, the more results it shows up in, the more popular it is, more people find it and voila! you have a popular site.
If you are constantly marketing and networking, eventually, it will seem effortless and referrals will flow in. Thats because you build traction just by being around. Many freelancers dont hang in there long enough to get this type of seamless recognition.
In conclusion, freelancing is a wonderful career — if, like anything other venture you enter, you take it seriously enough to work it like a business.
Author: Yuwanda Black
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Beading Necklace
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the best proofreader in the world. Far from it, in fact. And I’ve had my share of “horrable” typos slip through.
My problem is that, as a creative writer, I get completely carried away trying to get the words right. So by the time I edit, cut, zap, expand, re-write, discard, tweak, change, contract and re-arrange all the words to make the sentence say exactly what I want it to say within the exact amount of space that is allocated to it… I just don’t see the sentence on the screen anymore. It’s engraved in my mind. And what I see on the screen is exactly what’s my mind wants my brain to see.
Neat mind-trick that! But it can be a kind of embarrassing trick for the mind to play on a professional writer if it makes you frequently overlook typos, spellos, no-nos and so much more! But how do you stop a very active mind playing tricks like this on you?
Here are a few professional proofreading techniques that might work for you next time you have an important proofreading job to do.
Tip 1. Always use the spell check – always!
Tip 2. Print out your copy before you proof it – believe me, it’s easier to proof from paper than to proof on screen.
Tip 3. Read the copy out loud as you proof it – this forces you to slow down and it brings the extra sense of ‘sound,’ as well as sight, into the proofreading process.
Tip 4. Give it time – set your work aside for a little while before you proof it. This gives your brain time to forget what you’ve written, so you’ll see everything with a fresh pair of eyes.
Tip 5. Show your copy to someone else. No matter how well you proof your own work you are simply not going to beat a new pair of eyes looking over it.
Tip 6. But, perhaps the best tip of all is to read everything backwards from the bottom of the page to the top.
Ok, this last strategy is slow, tedious and often, meaningless! But it sure does work. Try it sometime and see for yourself how effective it is. In fact, why not try it now. Here’s tip No.6 again, only this time it’s written backwards, exactly as you would proofread it if you were reading everything backwards:
.top the to page the of bottom the from backswards everything read to is all of tip best the perhaps, But.
Did you spot that superfluous letter ‘s’ in the word ‘backward’? Easy, wasn’t it? As the professionals say ‘it’s easy when you go back!’
Author: Robert Hayes-McCoy
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty rates
If you’re just starting a career in journalism, you might be clueless on how you can make your articles impacting. You can do this by simply following these tips:
1. Carefully choose the stories that you’re going to cover. Consider your target audience and the things that can capture their attention when choosing your topics. Your best bets are current events that affect the global community, news about sports and entertainment, news about politics and economy, etc.
2. Write your articles using the inverted pyramid technique. There is no other way to write your newspaper articles than using this particular writing technique. As your readers are pressed for time, you’ve got to offer them all the information they need as quickly as possible. Put everything that they want to know on your first paragraph.
3. Deliver complete information. Do you homework before you write your newspaper articles. Perform an extensive research and strive to get all sides of the story. Interview people who are directly involved or who are in the position to comment on what you’re writing about. You will need to do this to make sure that your readers will easily understand your articles.
4. Use formal tone. You can’t really sound upbeat (unless you’re writing about entertainment news) when writing your newspaper articles. You will need to offer the information that you have gathered as they are. You cannot interpret them and you cannot deliver them using conversational tone.
5. Review your articles. Before you submit your articles to your editors, make sure that they’re ready for publication. Check them for grammar, spelling, and other common writing errors. Also, ensure that all the information you share are based on facts.
Author: Sean R Mize
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: US Dollar credit card
Based on the feedback that I have been getting from visitors
to my writinghelp-central.com Web site, letter writing is
definitely the area where most people are looking for help
or guidance when it comes to day-to-day writing.
Over 55% of the visitors to my site are seeking some sort of
letter writing information or assistance. The following
lists the Top Ten letters that people request information
on, in order of popularity:
* recommendation letter
* resignation letter
* thank you letter
* reference letter
* business letter
* complaint letter
* cover letter
* sales letter
* introduction letter
* apology letter
The 7 Strategies
Here are a few practical letter-writing tips and strategies
to help you when writing that next letter:
1. Keep It Short And To The Point
Letters involving business (personal or corporate) should be
concise, factual, and focused. Try to never exceed one page
or you will be at risk of losing your reader. A typical
letter page will hold 350 to 450 words. If you can’t get
your point across with that many words you probably haven’t
done enough preparatory work. If necessary, call the
recipient on the phone to clarify any fuzzy points and then
use the letter just to summarize the overall situation.
2. Make It Clear, Concise, And Logical
Before sitting down to write, make a brief point-form
outline of the matters you need to cover in the letter.
Organize those points into a logical progression that you
can use as your guide as you write the letter. The logical
blocks of the letter should be: 1. introduction/purpose,
background/explanation, summary/conclusion, action required
statement. Use this outline process to organize your
approach and your thoughts, and to eliminate any unnecessary
repetition or redundancy.
3. Focus On The Recipient’s Needs
While writing the letter, focus on the information
requirements of your audience, the intended addressee. If
you can, in your “mind’s eye”, imagine the intended
recipient seated across a desk or boardroom table from you
while you are explaining the subject of the letter. What
essential information does that person need to know through
this communication? What will be their expectations when
they open the letter? Have you addressed all these issues?
4. Use Simple And Appropriate Language
Your letter should use simple straightforward language, for
clarity and precision. Use short sentences and don’t let
paragraphs exceed three or four sentences. As much as
possible, use language and terminology familiar to the
intended recipient. Do not use technical terms and acronyms
without explaining them, unless you are certain that the
addressee is familiar with them.
5. Use Short Sentences And Paragraphs
Keep your sentences as short as possible, and break the text
up into brief paragraphs. Ideally, a paragraph should not
exceed two to three sentences. This will make the letter
more easily readable, which will entice the recipient to
read it sooner, rather than later.
6. Review And Revise It
Do a first draft, and then carefully review and revise it.
Put yourself in the place of the addressee. Imagine yourself
receiving the letter. How would you react to it? Would it
answer all of your questions? Does it deal with all of the
key issues? Are the language and tone appropriate? Sometimes
reading it out loud to one’s self can help. When you
actually “hear” the words it is easy to tell if it “sounds”
right or not.
7. Double Check Spelling And Grammar
A letter is a direct reflection of the person sending it,
and by extension, the organization that person works for.
When the final content of the letter is settled, make sure
that you run it through a spelling and grammar checker. To
send a letter with obvious spelling and grammatical errors
is sloppy and unprofessional. In such cases, the recipient
can’t really be blamed for seeing this as an indication as
to how you (and/or your organization) probably do most other
things.
The foregoing basic letter writing strategies and tips are
mostly common sense. Nevertheless, you would be amazed how
often these very basic “rules of thumb” are not employed
when people write letters.
2005 by Shaun Fawcett
Author: Shaun Fawcett
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Hybrid and Electric Cars
What is a technical writer?
Technical writers are engineered one drop at a time until the inkwell of their experience matches the precision of their Rapidographs.
Technical writers are usually persons who have technical skills and background in some kind of technical, scientific or research discipline. This may include a having background in medicine, engineering, IT, website technologies, technical and scientific illustration, information design, consumer literature, educational and training materials, business, finance, military, government, legal – to name just a few.
Many technical writers are qualified to write in just one or two areas of expertise. A surprising number of them are competent professional writers in several areas. Often, non-writing professionals come to technical writing as a second profession. Yet other technical writers started out in journalism or some other non-technical field, and came to specialize in whatever ‘beat’ they covered as journalists. The common threads that tie together all those who make their livelihood doing professional technical writing are a masterful command of the written language, a superb ability to explain or illustrate complex concepts simply and clearly, and the skills to convey technical information to the target audience whether that is a high school dropout figuring out how to operate a stereo system or a PhD reading up on the latest peer review research in rocket science.
What is technical writing?
Simply defined, technical writing is the presentation of factual information. Usually, this means information in word form, but the term is often extended to include other media and kinds of production like illustration or graphics, video scripting for documentaries or training purposes, populating databases, or various technical endeavors that require both analysis and reporting (like SEO/SEM or other forms of technical marketing).
What sorts of things to technical writers write about?
Technical writing is one of those subjects vast in scope yet little understood by the great majority of people. Basically, every bit of factual information that gets conveyed via word, chart, illustration or computer software is technical information that has almost certainly passed through the hands of one or more technical writing professionals. In practice, this means everything from the labels on pill bottles to those 400-page computer books you find on the bookstore shelves with names like The Programmers Guide to Advanced Database Design – Part One.
Of course, in between those two extremes are user manuals, training videos, assembly instructions, trade journal articles, project management charts, catalog descriptions, and so on. Endless variations exist on the general theme of conveying technical information. Business technical writing may involve corporate reports and financials, company info and product write-ups, engineering data, business process development, the company newsletter and website, and the HR manual for new hires. Online technical writing may involve websites, blogs, forums, backend reporting for SEO and SEM, content management administration, distribution lists, FAQ pages, and many more.
A real world example.
A good way to think about technical writing is to consider going to the market to buy a chicken for dinner. Technical writers had a hand not only in the package information found on the shrink wrap, but also wrote the operations manuals for the meat department’s scales, label printers, coolers, saws, instructions for sharpening the shop’s knives, and the job safety poster stuck on the back wall. The store employees all received their employee handbooks and other materials when hired, written by technical writers. Tech writers helped specify the parts diagrams and operating procedures for the checkout conveyor, the receipt printer, the scanner, and the cash register. Teams of writers, working for several different manufacturers, also provided the engineers and architects clear descriptions of all the building materials that went into constructing the market itself. And the website that advertised the great deal on chicken (Good Thru Tuesday!)? Specified, documented, and programmed by technical writing professionals of course.
And that’s just the beginning.
Author: Tim Thompson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty
Independence is an important word in a teenagers vocabulary and quest to be grown-up. I truly appreciated my allowances that I got, but knowing I was not the only child in the family, clearly indicated that I didnt want to continue soliciting money from my parents. I was aware of the fact that in order to buy the clothes, music, shoes and other little things I wanted, finding a job was a requirement. With the help of one of my high school teachers, I landed my first paying job! The day I was offered my job, I was excited, emotional and felt like I was on top of the world!
In high school, I took a couple of elective classes in DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) and received a wealth of tools needed to survive in the working world. I learned skills such as filling out a job application, job interview preparation and actually applying for a job. During my second year of DECA, getting an A out of this class was sealed, if I got a job, kept it throughout the school term and maintained a good work record.
How would you develop a multitude of stories or articles from this one topic? Lets examine the following questions that we can remember about our first jobs and try building some compositions from them:
1. How old was I when I got my first job?
2. Where did I get my first job?
3. What was my job description and responsibilities?
4. Who was my supervisor?
5. Why did I get this job?
6. How did I get this job?
7. Did I have to make any sacrifices while working this job?
8. What did I like about this job?
9. What did I hate about this job?
10. Would I recommend this job to someone else?
Of course, this class requirement came with raised eyebrows from my parents, out of concern that my grades would probably suffer. I made a deal with them that I would quit my job if my grades took a nose dive. I was determined to get an A from this class, so my personal challenge was that failure was not an option. Needless to say, I truly enjoyed my job, not only for the fringe benefits, but because my employers gave me the opportunity to come back and work during the holidays and summer months when I was on break from college.
Lets look at a few market possibilities that you should contemplate when submission opportunities present themselves on this topic:
Business magazines
Educational magazines
Teen magazines
Parent magazines
Family digests
Newspaper articles
Trade magazines
College magazines or newspapers
Writing a book or an e-book
Psychology magazines
The importance of good work ethics was instilled in me with my first job. I wanted to always do my very best. I was so proud of my first paycheck that I had to look at it for a long time before cashing it. This inspired me to work more and also kept me from having to ask my parents for a little piece of change (that they used to call it). There are so many ideas that can come from your first job experience. Why not take this topic, write, edit, submit and make your own paycheck?
Author: Kym Gordon Moore
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Excise Tax
What is women’s fiction? Women’s fiction is a specialized writing genre. Although there are many similarities between women’s fiction and other genres, women’s fiction stands on its own. Some consider “women’s fiction” to refer to any fiction targeting women; however, the term is often used within the publishing industry torefer to a specific and distinct genre.
Women’s fiction as a genre is distinct from romance, chick lit, literary fiction, mainstream fiction, etc.-though, as with most genres, there is often some crossover and blending. Some might say women’s fiction is an emerging genre that’s been around-unnamed-for a very long time. Women’s fiction can be published as trade paper (larger paperback size), mass market (smaller paperback size), or hardcover. Women’s fiction is published by many publishing houses, and because women are generally held to be the most frequent purchasers of books, it can be very profitable. Sometimes, the only difference between a women’s fiction novel and, say, a contemporary romance is the way the publisher chooses to market it. Romance is often published as mass market and shelved in the romance section. Women’s fiction may be shelved in general fiction. Some may argue that women’s fiction is an artificial designation of genre. But certain elements do show up again and again:
Voice. Women’s fiction writers tend to have a thoughtful, insightful voice. Authors reflect deeply on their lives and experiences, and they translate those experiences to the page. Women’s fiction can be first person or third person. The prose can be transparent or more stylized, depending on the author. Generally, women’s fiction tends to have a more genre-esque or mainstream tone, as opposed to a highly literary or experimental syle.
Issues. Women’s fiction often tackles those issues that are important to its readership. Family, birth, death, sex, money, love, careers, men, motherhood, aging, and other issues of women’s lives are all welcome topics. Controversial topics, like abortion and religion, are also frequently addressed. More often than not, difficult issues are dealt with straightforwardly, and with sensitivity and care.
Characters. Women’s fiction features strong female protagonists who are often at a crossroads in their lives. Heroines have meaningful and often complex relationships with other characters in the story. Family, friends, lovers, and colleagues all feature meaningfully in a heroine’s choices. Female characters live in intricate social structures, just like women in real life.
Setting. Women’s fiction can be set anywhere-urban or rural, it makes no difference, though by my count there seems to be a slight favoring of contemporary rural or suburban settings. The cultural setting of the book is often as important as the geography. Sometimes heroines come up against cultural values of what it means to be female; other times, they delight in those values.
Love. Though not necessary, there is often a love interest in women’s fiction. Romantic relationships can follow the traditional arc of genre romance novels, or they can push the envelope. They can have graphic sex or love scenes that are off the page. Heroines might fall for the guy they meet at a bar, or they might rediscover a long-dormant passion for a husband or an ex. While love is important, it is often not the main interest of the book. A love story in women’s fiction is frequently a byproduct of some larger issues. Romances do not need to have traditionally happy endings (marriage or implied permanent union). It’s more important that the relationships are resolved in a satisfying way for the heroine and reader.
Author: Lisa Dale
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Import duty tariff
Each November, more than 100,000 brave souls take part in National Novel Writing Month. The aim is simple: write a complete novel in one month, beginning on November 1st and finishing on or before November 30th. The only condition is that your novel must be a minimum of 50,000 words.
It’s a worthy cause, aimed at stopping people from just thinking or dreaming about writing a novel (something that most of us might do forever), and instead actually getting on and writing it. That can only be a good thing. It’s only for a month, so it isn’t going to disrupt your life for too long. And it’s in November, when nothing much else happens anyway.
So, is it actually possible to write a novel in 30 days? Don’t most novels take at least a year to write? Well, 50,000 words in 30 days works out at 1,667 words per day – that’s the same length as a short story or a moderately long article. Journalists should have no trouble achieving that – it’s the sort of thing they churn out every single day.
And in fact some very famous writers have written much longer novels in a fraction of that time. Take the example of Ray Bradbury, who wrote ‘Fahrenheit 451′ in a little over nine days. Okay, it’s not a particularly long novel at 192 pages – but nine days is still pretty impressive.
But nine days is by no means a record. Bradbury was easily beaten by Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman) who wrote one of his novels in just seven days. Interestingly, King started using his Bachman pen name because he was writing novels faster than his publisher was prepared to release them. One Stephen King novel per year was more than adequate, they said. The public won’t accept more than that. So along came Mr Bachman, and King’s productivity (and indeed wealth) doubled. At the rate of one book every seven days, King would have needed another 50 pen names to keep his publisher happy. As far as I’m aware he only has the one, so he must have decided to take things more leisurely after that!
But seven days is hardly a record either. One of the world’s most prolific writers was the Belgian novelist Georges Simenon, creator of the police detective ‘Maigret’. Simenon regularly produced up to 80 pages per day and could write a novel in just six days. And, yes, he too had a pen name that allowed him to publish more books. But for him, one pen name just wasn’t enough; he had more than two dozen of them! During his lifetime Simenon wrote several hundred novels and novellas, as well as short stories, articles and autobiographical works. His famous detective ‘Maigret’ appears in 75 of his novels, and in a further 28 short stories.
Even more amazing – though not when you know the secret – is the story of the French writer Alexandre Dumas. As well as being a prolific novelist whose works include ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ and ‘The Three Musketeers’, Dumas was also a successful playwright. He once placed a wager with a friend that he could write an entire play – one of his ‘Boulevard Comedies’ – in just three days. His friend accepted the wager, feeling sure that Dumas was attempting the impossible and would lose the bet. He was wrong. Dumas emerged from his office less than 72 hours later clutching the finished script.
Not to be outdone, the American writer Jack Kerouac wrote ‘The Subterraneans’ – another fairly short novel at 192 pages – in just three days too. Now admittedly Kerouac was a bit of an oddball, and he probably stayed up all day and all night for those three days to finish it. But when the muse strikes, it’s always a good idea to stick with it if you can – even if it means doing without food and sleep (but not alcohol – in his case at least). Kerouac once worked as a sports reporter, which is undoubtedly excellent training for anyone wanting to break novel-writing records.
Speaking of records, let’s consider the Guinness world record holder at this event: Dame Barbara Cartland. Dame Barbara was a prolific writer throughout her long career, publishing 723 novels during her lifetime and well over a hundred more posthumously. Her most prolific year was 1983, when she published 26 novels – conceived, written and edited at the rate of one every 14 days. That record is unlikely to be broken for some considerable time. Cartland is also listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world’s top-selling author, with more than a billion books sold.
With all that in mind, let’s return to National Novel Writing Month. Yes, a whole month! It doesn’t seem so difficult now, does it? All you need is a great idea, and most of us have at least one novel cluttering up our heads dying to come out. I know I do. Perhaps this is the year when yours finally gets written.
If you’re thinking of joining the 100,000+ people who will enter National Novel Writing Month this year – NaNoWriMo as the aficionados affectionately call it – here’s some advice from a published writer:
- Try to make your novel longer than 50,000 words. Most commercial novels are at least 80,000 words, so aim for that if you hope to get your book published.
- NaNoWriMo is only about the process of writing. There’s nothing to stop you planning your novel and writing a detailed outline before the event begins. And similarly, editing your novel and turning it into something publishable can be done after the 30-day deadline has passed. In fact there’s another event called National Novel Editing Month (NaNoEdMo) that caters for this process and takes place each March.
My typing speed isn’t particularly fast – let’s say 50 words per minute. If I was entering NaNoWriMo this year I’d set my target at 80,000 words or 2,667 words per day. I’d have done the planning already, and I’d leave the editing for later. So, typing away at 50 words per minute, it should take me less than 55 minutes to achieve my daily target. Even the busiest person should be able to manage that – after all it’s only for a month, and you’ll have a finished novel by the end of it!
You can find out more about National Novel Writing Month at www.nanowrimo.org
Good luck!
Author: Dave Haslett
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Benefits of electric pressure cooker
About
The Writers' Corner is dedicated to providing the tips and resources required for developing a career as a professional writer.Stuff We Like