Archive for February 3rd, 2010

For many aspiring writers, the novel is the chosen path to publication. Yet with so few achieving this goal, why not consider some other pathways to success? This article lists three reasons why not to write a novel and gives some alternatives!

1. Novels take a long time to write.

On average, a novelist will spend a year on researching and writing their novel. Don’t forget that this is full-time work too! Any novel is a major undertaking in writing terms and for a new writer it can be a monumental undertaking. So here are a few alternatives for you:

Fillers: Plenty of magazines accept short (100-200 word) fillers that can be slotted in to fill a blank space on the page and, considering their length, are very well-paid. Don’t dismiss them as being ‘not writing’ – they are, believe me.

Feature Articles: These range from what you did on holiday to your favourite meal to how your dog means so much to you. Again, payment is generally good considering word length.

Short Stories: I’ve mentioned these so many times before but I make no apology for including them here. If you can crack the magazine short story market you may never feel the need to write a novel! It’s a lucrative and respected market full of ‘real writers’ – some of whom have also never written a novel and probably never will!

2. Novels face tough competition to get published.

This is very true. The reason? Simple – every aspiring writer, it seems, wants to write a novel. Many see it as the way to fame and fortune. Others regard the novel as ‘real’ writing and anything is is just playing at it. However, here again are a couple of real alternatives:

Factual Books: If you have in-depth knowledge and experience of a subject, a factual book may well be your way into print. It could be a book on your time in the armed services. Maybe you have for years been a keen gardener and want to share your knowledge, or perhaps you would like to write your biography. Factual books are one field of writing that new writers seem to ignore – yet they are a much more likely route to publication than any but the very best first novel!

Ebooks: There’s a lot of uncertainty amongst new writers concerning ebooks and yet it’s one of the easiest ways of getting into print via the self-publishing route. There are many online magazines, fanzines, e-zines and so forth that are always on the look-out for new, fresh material. Just because your book isn’t printed on paper doesn’t mean to say it has no value (you’re reading this article, aren’t you?). In fact many writers have started their career by writing ebooks and then ‘graduating’ to the print-on-paper variety after they have established a ‘track record’.

Short Stories: Yes, I know I’ve already mentioned these but the competition to get your short story published, whilst still intense, is nowhere near the pressure that exists within the new novelist encampments. True, you have to be good to get short stories published. Consider, though: A short story maybe will take a few days to write – not a year. If it doesn’t get accepted – write another. Then another. Repeat until you get accepted (and you will if you’re persistent and a half-decent writer).

The point with short stories is just that – they’re short. It’s the difference between strolling down to the local park and hiking around the world. An added bonus is that, with every short story you write, you get that little bit better. It’s true, trust me. So any stories that don’t make it can be shelved and looked at again later – maybe six months. I guarantee that you will want to edit and re-write them into better form!

3. Novels are technically difficult.

Although this is not strictly true, it is easy to get lost within the pages of your novel. Why? Well, a novel is not only quite long (the shortest is about 60,000 words), it also has many more characters and, normally, a far more involved plot than a short story or novelette (a long short story, if you know what I mean). Novels must be planned by new writers or their chances of completion are limited. So whilst novels aren’t always technically difficult to write, they are much more complex than shorter works. Alternatives to the novel? As always I fall back on:

The Short Story. Though often seen as the springboard to novel writing, the short story is a writing form in its own right – not just a ‘mini-novel’. Far from it and, although it’s true that the disciplines learned by short story writing can be transferred (at least to some degree) to novel writing, the short story stands alone in its form and composition. Write a novel? Why, when you can do any of the above? And yet, were I to recommend one form for the new writer it would of course be the short story. Get into this particular market and you should never really look back as a writer!

Author: Steve Dempster
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Electric Pressure Cooker

The New Yorker Magazine has long been famous for its well-illustrated jokes. The simple pencil line drawings are created by some of the top illustrators of jokes in the world, and although many of the magazines jokes have a peculiar and sometimes hard to catch sense of humor, they are nevertheless appreciated with laughter by millions of readers. And one of the magazines biggest merchandise items over the decades has been its annual joke collection books, which are usually sold as coffee table style books, desk calendars, or personal journals containing the best jokes of the year.

Then a few years ago the magazine took the unprecedented step of letting its readers make up the punch line captions for the jokes it publishes. Each week one illustration is printed without any caption attached and readers can compete to come up with the best one-liner caption to go with the picture. Then readers also get to vote on which caption they like the best, after a panel of judges helps to narrow down the top contenders. Eventually, one entry emerges as the winning line, and the person who submitted it is rewarded with seeing it published in the magazine. They are also given a framed copy of their joke of the week, as a keepsake memento of their winning moment of laughter.

Several jokes generally run at the same time on the reader entry page, and each of the jokes is in a different stage or phase of the contests progress toward picking a winner. If you were to pick up a copy of the magazine this week, it will show last weeks winner. Then it will show the three choices for next weeks winner, so that you can vote for the one that you think is the best. And the new joke illustration shown with no captions is presented on the page, with entry information so that you can make up a funny caption and email it or mail it to the editors for entry into the contest.

But in 2006 the magazine added another twist to the whole process, which surprised and dismayed some readers, while it made others happy and excited. They now advertise that if you want to have a framed cartoon of your own, just like the ones that the winners get to hang on their own den walls, you can. All you have to do is write a check for around $50, add your caption, and the magazine will send you a copy of the illustration with your own caption printed on it. Of course you dont even have to be funny, because it is not going to be judged by anyone, which makes some readers skeptical of the whole idea. But for the magazine and those who like the fun of seeing their own name attached to a cartoon, the concept which is essentially another way to sell magazine related merchandise is a winner.

Author: Jeff Lakie
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: How Electric Pressure Cookers Work

Writing is a process which is the most common way of expressing your opinions and commenting on other people’s, writing a five paragraph essay is a challenging task.There are few things you need to know that will contribute to achieving excellence in writing and are not difficult to learn. Once you inherit them, they just need some practice to gain the expertise. Practice is the only thing that makes all the difference in the world, and when it comes to writing an essay, it is this skill to which is needed to be mastered. Being grammatically correct and following a defined format is highly required to produce good essays. Writing essays on any topic requires a great amount research work. Essays can be written on any topic ranging from current to historical events. Essays are of various kinds and few are very small essays, whereas others are extremely large essays. Another kind of essay is the five-paragraph essay.

Writing five-paragraph essays is a very easy task. You do not have to be a magician to learn the skill of writing great five-paragraph essays. It is only some basic skills and practice which you require. The following writings will help you find the information needed by you to learn the skill of writing the essay. You are required to put in only a little bit of effort and you will be ready to write five passage essays on your own.

This type of essay consists of five paragraphs. The first one is the introductory paragraph; second, third and fourth paragraphs are support paragraphs, and fifth one is the concluding paragraph.

In the first paragraph, you will have to paint the background of the topic. This paragraph is the most important part of the essay and is considered the heart of the essay. Just like the heart supports the life system of the body, the introductory passage gives direction and life to the rest of the essay.

Remember that there is a strong link between the introduction and conclusion. These two paragraphs, when taken together, can make anyone understand the problem and the solution offered. These should be worked in sequence to make the job easier for you.

The paragraphs to follow are the body, or support paragraphs. These paragraphs should exclusively support the idea of the paper and should not imprecisely discuss the topic of the paper. Each support paragraph should be integrated, so that nothing in these paragraphs deviates from the main point of view. These paragraphs should contain some concrete examples, statistics, and facts and figures that support the introductory paragraph. There should be a long discussion on the points made in the introductory paragraph. You must also remember to have a clear transition between the present paragraph and the next paragraphs, in order to get a feel of the flow of the essay. Transition from one paragraph to another should be made only when needed and you should end the first paragraph with a transitional sentence to open the way for the next one. You can master this skill of transition with practice, as practice is the key in writing a five paragraph essay. Each paragraph should have a concluding statement that keeps the reader interested and focused on the discussion, and each body paragraph should focus on the facts and evidence. It should be able to connect the evidence with the idea of the essay, whilst also avoiding the use of informal words, keeping your writing simple and clear.

Your concluding paragraph should begin with restating the idea and then correlating it with the discussion of the other three paragraphs. You don’t want to cover any new information here, but look as reviewing and summarizing the main points in your essay.

This is the way to write a correct and interesting five paragraph essay.

Author: Nick Sanders
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Programmable pressure cooker

Can Quick Grammar Guide & Checker solve our grammar writing problems once and for all? English writing is one of the most important forms of communication today, it is necessary to maintain it correct and professional. Let’s take a look and see how recent technological improvements can help us on improving our writing skills.

Quick introduction

What is Quick Grammar Guide & Checker all about? Well, it is one of these innovative solutions that technology keeps bringing in order to make our life easier – in our case it is about fixing our English writing. By simulating the human mind, this technology analyzes your writing by comparing it to a dynamic large database that contains proper variations of your text. Sophisticated language processing solutions usually offer the following: editing and proofreading, checking on spelling and typos, and most importantly – analyzing our grammar writing.

Important benefits

We can easily find several important advantages while using this technology:

* Significantly enhancing the capabilities of our existing text editors.

* Improving our self confidence with our writing.

* Improving the image we want to project through our writing.

Extra research on this solution would probably bring up additional benefits that aren’t mentioned here, as this important webmarketing technique keeps changing, bringing us fresh solutions that help us on improving our English writing and editing skills.

Quick summary

If we summarize the main benefit provided by this powerful Quick Grammar Guide & Checker – it is helping us on identifying possible writing errors before we deliver or publish our writing assignments. Everyone agrees that it cannot completely eliminate our writing problems; however, it can significantly help us on improving our writing skills. Undoubtedly we can expect this exciting technology to further develop itself, for one simple reason: writing is one of the most important tools that help us achieving many of our goals.

Author: Gil Lavitov
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Smart cooker

Is there anyone who is not confused with the proper usage of the verbs “lay” and “lie”? I know I am from time to time. So that’s why I developed a “visual aid” to help myself remember what is what. It works for me and I hope it’ll be helpful for you as well.

1) Lay means to “place,” or “put” and it is a transitive verb. That is, it needs an OBJECT to make sense. You always lay SOMETHING.

VISUAL AID: Imagine the letter “a” in “Lay” as someone bending over to place a heavy object on the ground.

“Our engineers will lay the foundation of our new headquarters building.”

Both the past and perfect tense of “Lay” is “Laid.” Lay-Laid-Laid (1-2-2).

“Our engineers have laid the foundation of our new headquarters building.”

2) Lie, an intransitive verb that does not need an object, means to “recline” or “remain.”

VISUAL AID: Imagine the DOT on the letter “i” in “Lie” as the head of someone resting/reclining on a couch or bed.

But watch out — the PAST tense of lie is also lay! That’s why it can get pretty confusing.

“The puppy would not lie still even for a second!”

So when you see “lay,” you have to figure out whether it is to “put/place” or “recline/remain” from the context.

However the perfect tense of “Lie” is “Lain.” Lie-Lay-Lain (1-2-3).

“The overturned truck had lain in the ditch the whole night.”

3) Lie has yet ANOTHER meaning, as you know telling an untruth.

Its past and perfect tenses are “Lied” and “Lied.” Lie-Lied-Lied (1-2-2). Usually it’s easy to tell this form of “lie” from the other.

(“Puppy lied.” Correct? No. Puppies don’t talk. It should be “Puppy lay.”)

Author: Ugur Akinci
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Pressure cooker

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
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So who would like to be a great screenplay writer? More than likely, every single person that has even remotely fathomed the idea of writing a screenplay aspires to greatness. It is simply the common nature of the muse. Of course, wanting to be a screenplay writer and becoming a great screenplay writer are two different things. Screenplay writing can be quite difficult although this difficulty can be diffused through understanding a few simple scriptwriting tips that can aid in boosting a screenwriter’s potential. Not surprisingly, many of these scriptwriting tips derive from the process of reading screenplays.

Read as many good scripts as you can get your hands on. When a script has succeeded on aesthetic and commercial levels, it will provide a treasure trove of information on how to craft a solid narrative. Yes, being a prolific screenplay reader is often overlooked on the journey to becoming a good writer. As such, reading as many solid scripts as you can get your hands on are of paramount importance.

Read a few bad scripts while you are at it. No, reading a bad script is not a waste of time. Often, the flubs, flaws, and errors found in poor scripts can provide an insight into where the script went wrong and how to avoid such mistakes. Few scriptwriting tips mention that there is value in bad scripts. Yet, the truth of the matter is there is a tremendous amount of value in them. You just have to know where to look and this will become apparent as you comprehensive of screenplay devices

Looking over a shooting script while simultaneously watching the film it is based upon on DVD. This is an old trick many screenwriting professionals employ. By reading while watching along with the film allows you to see how the visual elements of the screenplay are translated onto the silver screen. To say this will open doors of perception as to how the movie is crafted from a screenplay would be an understatement. Consider this among the most helpful of scriptwriting tips.

Look at how screenwriting format is presented in the screenplay you are reading. Yes, screenplay format is standardized as any screenplay analysis will tell you. But, how does a particular master screenwriter weave his narrative into the confines of screenwriting format and make it work for him? When you can figure this out, you can apply such principles to your own writing and improve it immensely.

Try to get your hands on as many screenwriting coverage reports as possible. These are not always easy to procure but they are valuable. Such coverage reports give you an insight into how a script reader works and thinks which aids you in developing your own screenplay in a positive manner. Here is an important scriptwriting tip: when you know how readers think, you increase the odds of getting positive coverage from them.

Procure a few quality books on the subject of screenwriting and devour them. Some books are truly stunning and well worth looking into. Pick up a few of the good ones and see for yourself!

Author: Paul V. Warner
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Guest blogger