Archive for January 7th, 2010

Did it ever occur to you that your merciless English teacher returned a lot of your papers for you to revise? Or that same unforgiving English teacher had given you a low mark in a writing assignment? Did your nerd classmate rudely laughed at you right after reading your work that you just want to quickly throw him or her off the window? And last but not the least, have you experienced all of these dreadful, shameful situations because of your poor spelling abilities?

Hey, maybe it’s not your fault that there are some terms that are too technical and unfamiliar, they are very difficult to spell. But come to think of it, you would not be able to amaze your teachers nor your classmates if you continue to work this way. Of course you don’t want to receive a failing mark by the end of the term. You ask: how can I write articles minus the misspelled words?

If you are going to ask your teacher, he or she might advise you to go over your items after writing or typing them. But subsequently checking your papers will consume a lot of your precious time, most especially if assignments, paper works and projects in different subjects have all piled up on your study table. This might leave some of your tasks to be left undone. Besides, you think that proofreading your articles over and over again is both very tiring and boring. What to do now?

Well, be thankful that you are born in this high-tech period; things were invented to make life easier. And this soft ware would surely make your school life easier: the English spelling guide.

So how can a simple computer program solve aid in that research paper of yours?

Don’t underestimate the abilities of this guide. Compared to the process of going through your papers for errors, with a few clicks of the mouse, the soft ware will detect the misspelled words right after typing them. The incorrect word will be highlighted, which then leaves you to correct that term by choosing among the list of suggested words that the program has predicted to be nearest to what you intend to use. Isn’t that easy?

Besides, the chances of revising your work will be least possible with this helpful program.

If you’re still not persuaded with the marvels the English spelling guide application presents, then just ask the students who had the same problems like you before. But they were finally free from that identical trouble when they rescued their almost critical marks by installing this soft ware in their personal computers.

Prevent words that are not correctly spelled. Perfect that thesis paper you have worked so hard on. Acquire a grade of A+ in your assignments. Impress your teachers with your write-ups. Save time for other tasks and for leisure. Put that geek classmate of yours to shame as revenge. Imagine all the things you can do and dig up when you get the English spelling guide. Opt for this better solution. Hesitate no more, better grab this software today!

Author: Jane Sumerset
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Duty tariff

When you think of creative writing, you may not think of focus. However, focus is essential to all writing, and the creative exercise is no different. Without focus, you’re wandering in a mire of tangents and rabbit trails that will leave your reader confused and frustrated.

Different writers achieve focus in different ways. Some focus their writing by creating detailed outlines of what they want to say. Others begin with a vague idea of where they want to end up. Others simply get an idea and start writing. All different techniques, all valid, and all offering their own challenges when it comes to focused writing.

I don’t know which method you prefer. Maybe you don’t even know. If you don’t, here are some tips to help you along.

1. If you work from an outline, then make it as detailed as possible and stick with it. Your focus may change during the writing; that happens. If so, rework your outline so you remain on track with the new focus of your writing.

2. If you start with a vague idea of your ending, or no idea at all, go with the flow. Then, you’ll have to go back and rid your writing of the inevitable digressions that have shown up along the way. It will be difficult-no one likes to “kill their darlings,”-but the end result will please you.

Finally, focus means using the correct words to convey your meaning. What does that mean? It means every word, every phrase and paragraph, must move your writing toward its objective. If you’re writing fiction, every word needs to move your plot forward. For an article, you need to use every word to support your main idea. For poetry, use every phrase to build your thought. So, if you remember nothing else, remember this: make every word count. Your readers will thank you.

Author: Andrea Di Salvo
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Cool mobile gadgets

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: Canada duty tariff

An eloquent profile conveys the expertise, talents, and temperament of an individual. It’s like a fine painted portrait, which shows you layers of information about the subject and gives your reader a strong sense of them as a person.

An eloquent profile can do at least three things for your hospital communications:

1. Remind your community that, despite all the high tech equipment and the steely-eyed surgeons, you are a place of healing
2. Convey your hospital’s valuable expertise
3. Develop a connection that endures-sometimes called a brand.

The most important aspect of an eloquent profile is the content. Here are eight tips for finding the right content for your profile:

Tip 1: As with any writing for public consumption, start by considering your audience. Are they physicians, or other clinicians with a technical interest in your subject’s field? Be extra sure you have the information down correctly.
Are they patients or family members? If so, you might want to use a sidebar for highly technical material. Here’s a good example, if you need one, of technical sidebar material, from The Journal of Knee Surgery: “clinical and functional outcomes of knee reconstructive procedures were correlated with the accuracy of implant and limb alignment and the quality of soft-tissue balancing.”

Tip 2: Describe what the subject brings to the hospital. A director of development celebrating her 20th anniversary, for example, will have raised a specific amount of money for the hospital, and she will also have made some very important projects possible, such as a pediatric oncology play area, or a renewed and refreshed emergency waiting room.

Tip 3: Tell your reader what hospital staff think about your subject-as long as it’s positive! For someone just joining you, see if you can get a good comment from a previous employer.

Tip 4: Find out how your subject came to be what they are. And look for what they most like about their work and what is most rewarding. For example, if you are writing about a nurse, it’s equally interesting to read “since I was a little boy I’ve always wanted to be a nurse,” as it is to learn “I was in my forties and working with homeless kids when I became intrigued by the idea of nursing.”

Tip 5: Don’t just work from the resume. Try to speak with the individual directly, or with someone who knows him well. Listen for the quote that sings. This is from an interview with a pharmacist: “When I was a little kid I loved experimenting with stuff in the kitchen. Then I got to high school chemistry and discovered that mixing could actually be a science.” You wouldn’t see this in a resume, and yet it gives a sense of the pharmacist’s depth of interest in his work.

Tip 6: Make it clear that, like your readers, your subject has a life beyond work. Whether they like surfing in Australia or painting watercolors, this is a great way to convey their humanity and to develop connections with your readers.

Tip 7: Include some family information, especially if it is related to the larger topic. If it just so happens that your new chief cardiologist’s spouse is an avid vegetable gardener, mention this interest, and find a way to tie it to the position-perhaps, in this case, relating vegetables to heart-healthy eating.

Tip 8: A Q&A format is an alternative to a simple narrative of your subject, and easy to do, since you’ll have been asking questions in order to get your information. For example, suppose Dr. LaSalle says she loves to play the clarinet, and likes to give informal concerts. Your profile could read: “Dr. LaSalle loves to play the clarinet at informal concerts. It could also read:

Q: What do you do to relax?
A: I love to play the clarinet, and get together with friends for informal concerts.

Finally: Remember always to get your subject’s approval before publication.

Author: Jane Sherwin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty rate

Here’s how you can produce better newspaper articles:

1. Choose your stories wisely. The success of your newspaper articles will depend on your stories. If they’re compelling and downright interesting, you can be assured that your articles will be read by your audience. Stick with those issues that are very controversial. For example, issues about politics are always hot. You can also talk about the economy, its condition, and how it can affect your readers. Just stick with topics that they will find interesting and you’ll never go wrong.

2. Deliver complete information. Don’t start writing unless you get all the sides of your chosen stories. Interview all the people who are directly involved and ask for their opinions. It’s important that you present all sides of your stories so your articles will sound balanced and very informative.

3. Check your articles. It’s important that you check your articles before you submit them to your editors. Make sure that they’re factual, free from any types of errors, and that your content flow smoothly. Remember, your readers will gauge your professionalism based on the quality of your articles so you better make sure that they’re perfect.

4. Ask for feedback. Get a trusted friend to read your articles before you submit them for publication. Ask for his feedback and comments. Sometimes, we fail to see what’s wrong with our articles because we’re the one who created them and because of personal bias. This will help you easily figure out what’s wrong with your articles and how you can possibly improve them.

Author: Sean R Mize
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: How Electric Pressure Cookers Work

We like to write letters and the same time to love to receive them also. We get many letters in our mail everyday. We sort these out mechanically as we retrieve them from our mailboxes. These mails are categorized as business letters, professional letters, personal letters, employment letters, billing or collection letters and many more kinds of letters.

But the kind of letters we always look forward to is the personal ones. All of us receive this kind of letter, be it on special occasions or on just on ordinary days. Personal letters can be simple thank you note, invitations to a party or reunion, messages of apology, appreciation letters, notes of condolences to a family, and the most common is the love letter.

Love letters are precious. It never fails to make a heart beat faster as we read it word for word. People would never get tired reading and rereading love letters, until they have taken to heart every single word. What makes love letters exceptional is that unlike others, it sends an emotional high to the readers.

For single males, love letters are sure fire ways of courting their crushes. It is also an effective means of communicating with their girlfriends. But love letters need not always be romantic expressions. It can also be written for family members or favorite grandmother. It is a way of admiring the persons these single males love or owe their lives to.

Married males write love letters to their wives and children. It is their way of telling them how much they appreciate the concern and support being shown. It also a good way of telling them how important they are, that they work hard to make them happy. Married males may also send love notes to their parents or siblings. It may likewise be notes of appreciation, that they became good husbands because of them.

Single females use love letters to communicate their feelings more easily to guys they like. This sometimes rids these girls of the awkwardness of telling their feelings face to face to the guy. They use letters to be more direct with what they want to say.

It is also an effective way to communicate with their boyfriends. It becomes more romantic sometimes to write letters instead of telling it in person. Love letters perpetualize the emotions. It can be read over and over again.
Single females also write love letters to their parents and siblings, or even friends. They let them know how much they are appreciated, and extend their gratitude for taking care of them, and being there for them when they need it.

Married women will communicate with their husbands through letters also sometimes. They let their men know how much they love them, how much they appreciate the way their men take care of the family. Married women also write to their sons and daughters, letting them know how much joy it brought them when they were born.

Love letters can be written for several reasons. The very common reason is to simply express love. Saying “I love you” is made more beautiful through written words. It can also be made more romantic by striking up a good rhyme that one would love to read repeatedly. There are many people who affect our lives dearly, and we want to tell them how much we love them. They may be our parents, siblings, friends, mentor or significant others.

Telling someone how much we miss them is also an expression of love. People send out such love letters to their lovers or friends living from miles away, and who they have not seen for a long time already. It is an indication that though not physically together, they are remembered and held dearly in their hearts.

A romantic love note brightens the day of the sender’s sweetheart. It can just be any topic under the sun, liking writing the favorite chorus of a song, telling what happened in their week, or what went on in their jobs.

Not all love letters are joyous and happy to read. Some love letters are sad, like saying goodbye or breaking up with a significant other. The loving feeling emanates throughout the message, but the reason behind writing it is heartbreaking.

Sweet love notes are collection of love notes. Most are just short everyday messages written in small papers like post-it notes. It is just meant for romantic purposes that normally brighten up a day when the receiver finds it upon waking up. These love notes can be posted on the bathroom mirror such that it will be easily noticed when the receiver wakes up. Or it may be posted on the receiver’s favorite cup of coffee.

Friendly letters are exchanges of stories between two buddies. These letters are expressions of friendly love. As the two exchange their personal stories, it manifests how much they mean to each other that they will be the first to hear the significant events that happen to them. An example would be relating the excitement of getting accepted in a job.

Love letters can also be by way of apology. It is normal that misunderstandings will occur sometimes in any relationship. Letters of apology express how much the other person mean to us, that we would want to make amends any way we can.

The most important thing about love letters is that it should express the true feelings of a sender. It should state how much the sender feels for his receiver. It may be asking the receiver to answer the courtship that he has done, join him for a meal or a movie or anything else. The ones who receive a love letter do not necessarily mean that he/she should answer the letter. This letter is given voluntarily so answers of these letters should also be voluntarily written.

Author: David Urmann
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Programmable pressure cooker

“I love the United States, but I see here everything is measured by success, by how much money it makes, not the satisfaction to the individual.”

-John Fellows Akers

Tech Writer Salaries in the United States

Being a technical writer can be a lot of fun. You get to meet a lot of people, write about a variety of topics, and, if you’re lucky, get to do some travel. But let’s talk about the bottom line – how much money can you make as a technical writer?

It’s hard to say how much money full time freelance technical writers make. But we do have some data on salaries made by full time technical writers working for a company.

Let’s take a look at the percentile salary estimates for technical writers. (Note: The following data is based on research in the U.S. If you live outside of the U.S., you should research technical writing salary statistics in your region.)

Percentile – 10% – 25% – 50%(median) – 75% – 90%

Hourly Wage $18 – $22 – $29 – $37 – $45

Annual Wage $36,490 – $46,680 – $60,390 – $76,650 – $94,550

Source: U.S. Department of Labor

Note that those in the top 10% average $94,550 a year. That’s a pretty good salary for a technical writer. Can you make $90,000 plus per year as a technical writer? The answer to this question depends on two factors:

1. Your level of experience

Broadly speaking there are three levels of technical writers:

Entry level technical writers – 0 to 3 years of experience

Mid level technical writers – 3 to 7 years of experience

Senior level technical writers – 7 plus years of experience

Let’s match these three levels to the annual wages in the chart. If you’re an entry level technical writer, you fall into the 10 – 25 percentiles and make between $36,490 and $46,680 per year. A mid level technical writer falls into the 50% percentile and makes $60,390 a year. Senior level technical writers at level three make between $76,650 and $94,550 a year.

You have to be a senior level technical writer to make $90,000 plus per year. This doesn’t mean it will take you seven years to become a senior level technical writer. For some of you it may take longer. For others the journey will be shorter.

It will also depend on which companies you worked for and the degree of complexity of your projects. If you have worked on complex projects at major companies you can apply for senior level technical writer jobs for sooner than seven years.

2. Your location

State and local taxes and standard-of-living play a part in determining your salary also. The pay level is higher in some states than in others. Technical writers get paid more in California and Massachusetts as opposed to Texas and Louisiana.

Top paying states for technical writers:

State Hourly Mean Wage Annual Mean Wage

California $36 $75,470 Massachusetts $35 $72,820 Washington $35 $72,490 New Hampshire $34 $69,680 Nevada $33 $69,530

Source: U.S. Department of Labor

Keep in mind that these are averages. You could make more or less depending on your skill and experience.

Whatever your location or skill level, these figures show that there’s a lot of opportunity for technical writers, and there’s potential for a good income.

Author: Bryan S. Adar
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Smart cooker

Writing is one of the best ways to bring out an individuals creativity. With the power of pen, writers have moved governments, started political revolutions and written wonderful love stories. The point that we are trying to make is, writing can say it all. If writing is something that interests you, then you can take it up as a profession. Writing jobs are available in various forms. It all depends upon what kind of work you are interested in.

You may be interested in writing novels, short stories, articles, copywriting, resume or any other form of writing. For each of these categories there are assignments available. It needs to be noted that the best way to start off with a writing job is to hunt work over the Internet. There are online portals where different kinds of writing jobs are available. A good idea would be to start of with shorter versions of writing such as web content writing. These writings do not require a publisher to publish your work and if you can deliver quality you can begin a long term career in writing. Web content writing requires a writer to write short articles, reviews, and blogs to be published on a website. The articles are short and the word count varies between 200-800 words. If you have a strong command over language and a certain degree of research capabilities, this is one of the easiest ways to start earning money from a writing job.

Students at graduate levels often require help to edit their term papers and essays. There are portals which take up these jobs and execute them to perfection. If you have competencies in any particular subject you can enroll yourself as a writer in any of the portals and start getting jobs. If you can deliver the job to the clients satisfaction then you can start earning handsome money. If you are interested in short story writing and novels you need to hunt for a publisher who is ready to publish your stories in print. There are online publishing portals which also publish stories and try to market them on behalf of the writers.

Writing jobs are also published on the many online national newspapers. You need to look in the job postings section to find writing jobs which match your skills. You can also join online Internet newsgroup or message boards which helps you to connect with other writers and get leads. The chances of getting a writing job are higher if you can display some previous experience in the job that you are applying. There are a number of ways in which you can gain writing experience. Some of them are submitting articles to online magazines and forums. A writing job helps you to develop a broader knowledge base apart from the monetary benefits that you gain.

Author: Dave Modie
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Pressure cooker

Where fantasy goes into uncharted territory, the kind of story that couldn’t exist, science fiction, a term made famous by the likes of Philip K. Dick, Isaac Asimov, and Robert Heinlein, goes into charted territory. Let’s make sense of that last statement: Science fiction is based on truths, questions of reality, and questions of survival. Its purpose is to go where other fiction cannot. Unlike horror, it tells something far more dangerous because it could happen. Unlike mystery, there isn’t always someone at the other end of the gun, maybe “something” instead. Like mainstream work, it proposes fascinating philosophies on mankind in the past, present, and future.

When writers talked of space stations maybe they were onto something. When Star Trek characters could talk to each other on small, hand-held phones, most thought it was too good to be true. Now we have cell phones, computers that can talk, computers that can think in some ways, and a variety of other ideas that were often proposed in science fiction.

But the science fiction novel has its own place outside of the realm of Star Trek and Star Wars. For one, the legend must be created in words, not film or TV images. Second, the writers behind it are often as much philosophers as authors. Lastly, science fiction is its own frontier, a place for free thinking.

The thesis for all this would be that the science fiction novel engages a reader in a “This is how it could happen.” The purpose is, as in all writing, to say something different. Long before “War of the Worlds” and even longer before Star Trek and Star Wars, people looked to the skies with hope, emboldening their legends with all kinds of flying creatures-angels, demons, sometimes aliens-who could do things they could not. That is exactly the purpose of the modern science fiction novel-it says we, the human race, can do something that right now we cannot.

The final purpose of the science fiction novel is always to make a mark on society. Star Trek could only go so far. When one looks at a science fiction novel, however, sometimes it seemingly is a race to the finish instead of a treatise on life in the future. Something is always happening; it happens fast. Take Philip K. Dick, for example, who once wrote 11 novels in 2 years (he used various drugs, much like Hunter Thompson, to improve writing speed). However, there is nothing superficial about the science fiction novel. This is because even films have a hard time capturing the legion of ideas presented in the classics, like “The Man In the High Castle,” Philip K. Dick’s best novel. If any film does capture the purpose of science fiction, it’s “Blade Runner,” considered to be one of the best films of all time, based on the Philip K. Dick story “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”

Where it can be hard to pin down the modern science fiction novel, it can easily be seen that writing one can be a lucid ride into the unexplored. One of the best in recent memory is “Hyperion,” a science fiction novel that won the famous Hugo award. Here, Simmons explored what is real, much like Philip K. Dick, and did it as though he were poet, forming a tale of seven pilgrims to a far away world, much like “The Canterbury Tales.”

Some of the finest novels of the 20th century were labeled “junk” because they explored taboo subjects or had sexually revealing covers. Without the likes of Philip K. Dick, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, and the hundreds of other talents, maybe there would have been no Star Trek, Star Wars, or Battlestar Galactica. Without the junk science fiction novel bought for a nickel in the 1940s and 50s perhaps mankind would never have dreamed of stepping on the moon in the 1960s.

Author: Dal Hayer
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The secret to writing a great fantasy novel is the laying of a firm foundation.

Writers of fantasy novels understand what fantasy is, fantasy is not something incredible. In fact, for a fantasy novel to work it must be believable. If your novel is not believable, you would sooner be writing a comedy.

To write a fantasy novel that works, your world, your characters and the intention, adventure or quest must all fit together. Long before to you get to write once upon a time, or in a land far, far away, you must create this time and place. The writer of a fantasy novel must know this place in as much detail as they know their real world.

In the creation of this fantasy place, the writer must pay careful attention to believable detail. Consider that if sun never rises in a fantasy place, the vegetation would not be vibrant and, well, unless there is some other element in the environment that should explain the impossible. If the land is barren, there is unlikely to be an adequate water source, unless somehow this source is polluted, stagnant and infertile. If the writer feels compelled to include a viable water source here, they must explain some force that makes it so.

If there are animals in this world, they must belong to this world. An arctic wolf is unlikely to fare well in a hot humid environment, but some cousin of the wolf that evolution has produced with a thin sleek skin will do nicely. Perhaps the writer really wants an arctic wolf, should attribute its presence to some magic or other force, but this force should also have a reason to belong.

After the environment has been set, or even in the creation of the environment, the characters should be given form. As important as it is that the characters have physical form, it is vital that they have personalities and human traits complete with fatal flaws. To properly develop the characters, they must have a history, direction and purpose. Although clearly defined in the writers notepad at the very beginning of developing the fantasy novel, these things should be revealed in the duration of the novel.

In developing the characters (this is still very much before the writing of the novel can commence) with their individual qualities, the writer should also examine how they interact with other characters and their environment, and their relationships to each other. These things will be revealed to the reader in the appropriate scenes in the finished fantasy novel. The writer of a fantasy novel should keep in mind, or learn to accept that his characters are real, and as such conflicts and tensions are often apparent even if not spoken out loud, these things can be represented in the way they relate to each other and situations.

All good fantasy novels must include a quest or an adventure and a reason with motivation. It is here that the fantasy novel explores humanity. The secret to writing a fantasy novel is knowing that the novel is a vehicle for understanding what life is. The writer should not say this to their reader, but do allow the reader to draw their own comparisons to the world they are reading the fantasy novel from.

Finally, the secret to writing a fantasy novel beyond creating the foundations are the same as they are for any other novel. A fantasy novel must have an interesting plot, and themes. Typically, fantasy novels should include the examination of good and evil, and, the quest to understand oneself, complete with challenges.

The history of the characters is an ideal backup story, so a good fantasy writer would have developed a thorough history for their characters. I do this myself. I create diaries and journals kept by my characters and refer to them in the character development. I do not write these into the novel but simply write them to know them and draw the characters development out from them.

It is important that the writer of a fantasy novel create their world and their characters from their own imagination. Writing your characters into someone elses world is sure to prove a disappointment to the reader who will know this world from someone elses novel. A fantasy novel is not an extension of someone else’s work; it is the creation of a new one.

Number one secret to writing fantasy novels- make it believable.
Number one not so secret to writing a great fantasy novel- create a solid foundation.
Number one rule to writing any fantasy novel- use your imagination, not another writer’s.

It’s goodbye from me

That’s it folks

Barry

Author: Barry Sheppard
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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