From the daily archives: Sunday, February 14, 2010
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: Latest trends in mobile phone
It is a common misconception that writing sales letters is easy one simply has to say whats needed and send it to everyone. Some even reuse sales letter drafts and just change the details to still make an ancient letter applicable and useful now. But these no doubt are ineffective readers would have read all these things before. So it is always important to note the following in order to make the best sales letters: be bold, be exciting, and be new.
Being bold means being quick to deliver the content of whatever is advertised point blank. Most of the sales letters in the past just lead the consumers on and on, and people are getting tired of being linked from one page to the next because of so much unnecessary information. To be listened to as soon as possible, then be brief and concise. But beyond accuracy, a good salesletter should retain an air of excitement. It should make sure that it will introduce something new and beneficial to the consumer and this can be done by making the letter conversational in tone. Being too serious bores readers while being too informal does not make it sound credible; but by using an interactive style, people will be more excited to finish the contents of the salesletter.
And last, be sure that the letter sounds like it is offering an innovative and even radical change. People hate having their time wasted and will only appreciate impressive but realistic offers that they havent been introduced before. Thus, boldness, excitement and novelty are really the way to go in the world of sales letter writing and advertising.
Author: Sean R Mize
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: WordPress plugin expert
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.
Over the years, I’ve noticed that successful freelancers, eg, those who make their living entirely from freelancing (writing, editing, copywriting, web design, etc.), have the following seven traits in common.
1. Write/design every day: Many freelancers are drawn to their particular career because they love it. They love to write, design, draw – whatever it is, they would do it for free.
Once they decide to freelance full time, most work at it every day. They write articles, design sites, doodle illustrations, etc. In other words, they don’t stop working on their craft just because there is no paying client.
Benefit to their career: These professionals always have a body of work to sell, show, update their portfolio with, etc. Beyond that, it keeps their skills fresh and allows them to work that much faster once they are being paid for a project.
As a personal example, when I first started to write articles to promote my business, it would take upwards of two hours to complete one. Now, I can knock one out in 30 minutes if I have to.
Side Note: I have run across more than a few freelancers who don’t exactly love what they do. BUT, because they like the life of freelancing, they discipline themselves to do what it takes, eg, (work at it steadily) to make a living at it.
2. Don’t wait for markets to come to them: Building on this first habit, when you are constantly churning out new material, you don’t have to wait for clients to come to you, you can pitch to them.
If you’ve written a great article on the benefits of yoga, why wait for a national exercise magazine to take months to get back to you. Pitch your local newspaper journalist who covers health. You’ll usually know within a week or two if they can use your story.
Your neighborhood paper can’t use it? Pitch the neighboring county’s newspaper, a popular e-zine dedicated to women’s health, a new health website that needs fresh content, etc.
Successful freelancers are this proactive. When I was recruiting, I was constantly amazed at the type of assignments successful freelancers were able to ferret out for themselves.
When I’d ask, “How did you get that assignment, come up with that idea?”, the comments ranged from, “I couldn’t sleep last night so I start doing some digging online because I just wrote this great article and wanted to get it published,” to “I was just doodling and came upon this great design; I knew it would make a great logo for this niche, so I put it on a t-shirt and pitched a few boutiques in my neighborhood …”
Successful freelancers are not only creative in their work, they’re creative in how they locate markets to sell their work.
3. Have more than one stream of income: By this, I do not mean that they have second jobs. Most successful freelancers do more than one thing.
For example, a writer may design a line of themed t-shirts with their witticisms on them. Illustrators, in addition to creating logos, may sell paintings or drawings. Web designers may also create online games.
I don’t know how many more brain cells creative types use than the rest of the population, but editorial and creative professionals usually dibble and dabble in more than one sector – and quite successfully I might add.
4. Have a niche: While this may seem to contradict the previous habit, it doesn’t. Most successful freelancers do one thing – and do it very well. Eg, they are a medical writer, a direct mail copywriter, a web designer.
This is because successful freelancers usually have a professional background in the discipline in which they freelance. Usually, they have built up a reputation and client list based on their expertise/experience.
Benefit to their career: This works well because once clients are comfortable with you on one level, you can approach them about doing other types of projects. In some cases, they will even approach you.
For example, if you are a web designer, you can approach a client about doing some logo design work. Most web designers are familiar with other tools of the trade like logo design software, that makes it easy for them to offer peripheral services to clients.
In the retail trade, this is known as upselling. BUT, you can only upsell if you have established a level of trust and professionalism in your base (niche) skill.
5. Have a website: Without fail, all successful freelancers have at least a basic website. They realize the need to present a professional image to clients and have invested in an online presence.
Every once in a while, I am still asked by those just starting out if they need a website. Invariably, I ask, “Would you do business without a telephone?” I think websites have progressed to this point.
Benefit to their career: Websites save freelancers time – which is at a premium if you are a successful freelancer. You can direct potential clients there to see samples of your work, get pricing info, your professional credentials, your client list, etc. Many times, this is how clients will find you to begin with.
So, is having a website a must to succeed as a freelancer? In my opinion, absolutely. And, it doesn’t have to be fancy and cost a fortune. Most web surfers are seeking information.
A basic site will serve your purposes just fine. Just make sure it is professional looking, is easy to navigate, is free from grammatical errors and has your contact info on every page (or a “Contact Us” button on every page).
6. Are savvy & consistent marketers: Revisiting habit three, successful freelancers are masters of marketing their services. They have to be.
When you are a freelancer, you have to remain hungry – for the next assignment, the next gig. By being proactive and consistent marketers, successful freelancers don’t wait for one project to be done before looking for the next one.
To this end, these professionals use many marketing tools (free and paid) to get the word out about their business, eg, search engine optimization, article marketing, press releases, e-book giveaways, speaking engagements, seminars, workshops, etc.
In other words, successful freelancers treat their careers like a start-up business – which is what freelancing really is.
7. Put in much more than 40 hours/week: Face it, you may be able to go to the grocery store at 2pm when everyone else is stuck in an office, but you probably didn’t log off until 2am, finishing up a project for a client who needed it at the last minute.
Freelancing is not a static career. Sometimes you will have weeks with nothing to do and then you will get slammed with three or four projects at once. It’s some type of weird Murphy’s law at work.
Projects never come when you want or need them too. They invariable come at the most inopportune time (eg, when your kid is sick, when YOU’RE sick, two days before vacation, on a Friday afternoon and needed by Monday).
So, while you may be able to work in your jammies – you may also not be able to go to the beach, hang out with your friends as much, take the afternoon off. Like anything in life, it’s a trade-off (a worthwhile one in my opinion).
Just know, while your time may be your own, it will be on an unconventional schedule.
Author: Yuwanda Black
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera Information
1. Accuracy. As a journalist, you must understand that you have the power to form public opinion and to affect major decisions. As such, it’s very important that you always stick with the truth when writing your news articles. Spend as much time as you need to verify all the data that you have gathered before you start writing.
2. Keep it simple. Remind yourself that you’re not writing to win a literary contest and that you can better serve your readers if you make it easier for them to understand your content. Write using their language and their preferences. As much as possible, avoid using highly technical terms or highfalutin words.
3. Offer complete information. You cannot afford to just present one side of the story as you don’t want to mislead or misinform your readers. So, before you start writing, get all the opinions of all the people who are involved in the story that you’re writing about.
4. Keep it short. Help your editors save some precious space by keeping your articles short and concise. Offer only the most important information and write your articles without using fillers and without beating around the bush. Just tell your readers the things that they need to know upfront.
5. Check your articles. Having an editor to check your articles is not an excuse for you to skip the proofreading part. As your articles reflect your credibility, make sure that they’re perfect. Read them aloud to easily spot errors. It will also help if you get neutral third parties to read and critique them so you’ll easily know what you need to improve on.
Author: Sean R Mize
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera News
If you plan on submitting an article for publication, the query letter is your new best friend. Written more frequently than any paying piece, this short letter is your chance to shine to the editor. In this newsletter, we are going to discuss the various parts of the query letter and ways to make them most effective. While I’ll caution that, thus far, none of my queries have gotten me published, I can also promise that in my obsessive-compulsive mood, I have put a great deal of research into the subject.
Header
Most articles I have read recommend a simple header. I recommend your name, address, phone number, and email address. Mine is centered at the top of the page in 10 point, Times New Roman font, bold. Other options, if you are actually making money, is to invest in letterhead. Most articles I have read caution against a logo or images of any sort. While it might look good for a Writing.com sig, it seems to scream “amateur.” Keep it simple. Also, I recommend you take a moment to visit the Post Office (www.usps.gov) and look up the four-digit extension to your zip code, which you should use on all SASEs. This seems to speed up the mailing process, and could shave time off the long, drawn-out wait for a response.
Quick note: For email queries, I do not use a header, simply because it doesn’t look right at the top left, and I’ve yet to find a standard way to center or right align it for email. Rather than look foolish, I include it at the bottom, under my “signature”. Thus, my ending reads (with / equaling a line break): Scottiegazelle/ scottiegaz@writing.com/1234 Peachtree St/Atlanta GA 12345-6789/770-123-4567
Scottiegazelle Lastname
scottiegaz@writing.com
1234 Peachtree St
Atlanta, GA 12345-6789
770-123-4567
Date
I also recommend including the date at the top left, one line above the address of your editor. This will help the reader know when the letter was sent, and keep them in a rough time frame for responding.
30 June 2005
Address
This is where you put the editor’s mailing address. How, you ask, do I find this information? The easiest (but not always most correct) method in the United States is to look in your most recent Writer’s Market (also available at http://www.writersmarket.com). Here you will find names, addresses, phone numbers, and often web sites for a large number of fiction and nonfiction magazines.
What if you don’t have access to Writer’s Market? Check the magazine! Frequently, addresses and phone numbers will be listed in teeny tiny print near the front, with all the editors names. Use a magnifying glass and search it out. Another option is to check the website. Frequently, you kind find important information in the “About Us” or “Contact Us” section (sometimes you can find Writer’s Guidelines here, as well).
Once you have the editor and the address, should you slap it on an envelope? Not necessarily. The next best step is to take the phone number listed (or look on the website to obtain it) and call the office. Then, take a deep breath, and tell the operator, “Hi, my name is ScottieGazelle, and I’m a freelance writer. I would like to submit a query letter to your _____ department (or for the _____ section, or as a feature/short story), and I wanted to confirm which editor I need to send it to. Here, you may be told that the editor listed has moved away, been fired, or is really not the query letter type. I also like to take advantage of the moment to ask, “Does (s)he prefer to be queried by regular mail, or is email better?”. Sometimes, a heretofore-unknown email address will surface. This is also a good time to ask, “And of course, I assume Jennifer is a woman.” With some of those names, you never know (so says a woman ‘named’ Scottie).
Story Master, Features Editor
Writing.com Magazine
1234 Story Lane, Suite 567
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania 12345-6789
Greeting
Never, never, never take liberties with an editor, with the possible exception being if they were already your best friend. Never greet them with “Wassup?”, never call them by first name, never give them random nicknames (“Jen” for “Jennifer”, “SM” for “Storymaster”, etc). Remember that your query letter is a business letter, and treat it accordingly.
Never assume “Ashley” is a woman, or “George” is a man. If you have confirmed on the phone (see previous section), then “Mr. Storymaster” is okay. However, don’t assume marital status. Apparently, some female editors get upset with “Ms.”, which boggles me since I was always told it could represent either. In some places, however, it is short for “Miss”, which could offend a married editor; similarly, “Mrs.” could upset that young, swinging single. Frankly, I prefer to go with a first-and-last-name greeting. After the editor has published you a few times and perhaps calls you to chat, you may be able to go down to a first name basis, but not before then.
Dear Story Master,
First Paragraph
No matter what you are writing, your first paragraph must grab the editor’s attention quickly. After all, most editors go through a large stack of query letters each month. Make yours stand out. I like to start with the first paragraph of my proposed story (or a similar one), since in both fiction and nonfiction both, you must be interesting enough to prompt someone to keep reading.
Never never never start with any of these lines:
I have written an article/story…
I am a professional writer…
My friends told me I should send this to your magazine…
If you do not want to start with the entire paragraph, or if you feel it will not give the flavor of your story, you may want to summarize. I recently did a query for a math puzzle, which completely lacked a paragraph! Instead, I tried to slant the first paragraph to describe the puzzle enough to catch the editor’s attention.
Finding adequate writing resources on the web can be difficult at best. Receiving honest feedback for your writing can also be a challenge. However, if you land at Writing.com, you can count on resources, feedback, and a whole lot more!
Second Paragraph
The job of the second paragraph is to let the editor know what they are in for. This is where you describe your story or article. You don’t have to give all of the details, but you want to give enough that the editor has a firm grip on what will happen, where the story/article is heading, and what makes it unique. For nonfiction articles especially, I like to reference what column or section I feel the article would best fit under, letting the editor know that yes, I read the magazine. I try to reference why this piece will be interesting to the readers. Obviously, a magazine on writing won’t be interested in an article on scrapbooking – or will it? What if I am submitting an article on scrapbooking your rejection letters? It depends on the magazine, of course, but make sure you help the editor catch your vision. I also suggest giving them an estimated word count (final if it is already written), so they can determine how to fit it into the magazine. However, make sure your proposed count is similar to the articles already contained within the section you are querying. That is, don’t submit a query for a 1000 word piece in a spot usually occupied filled with 500 words or less.
Finally, if you can let the editor see you have already done some research, they will see you as responsible. If you have already spoken with someone about an interview – or have already done one – they will recognize your enthusiasm. Also, if you have any photos or illustrations, this is the time to let them know that they are available.
Readers of Writing.com magazine will enjoy learning about a fantastic and helpful website that will provide them with the input they need on their journey to becoming a published author. I propose an 800-1,000 word article for your “Online” section detailing how to make the most of your Writing.com experience. Readers will be intrigued to learn about methods for obtaining honest, from-the-heart feedback, participating in various forums and real-time chats around the site, and, for fun, playing around with word searches and mad libs. I would like to interview various members of the site to get their feedback, and I have already spoken with the site owner and his wife, both of whom are open to an interview. I have several pictures of owners, members, and moderators available.
Third Paragraph
The third paragraph is the “why me” paragraph. This is where you get to strut your stuff, to show off your credentials. If you’ve been published in fifty magazines, why are you reading this? I mean, list only a few; perhaps those that are closely related. If you only have a single claim to fame, list that bad boy! If you’ve never been published, do not I repeat do not say this. Instead, list your credentials. If you are doing an article on kayaking, let them know that you’ve been an instructor for ten years, or that you’ve been kayaking for ten years. Tell them you’ve led groups or organized something. Your article is for a teen publication? Mention that you’ve organized the local Boy Scout kayaking trip for the last five years, or taken your church’s youth group. You haven’t done any kayaking with teens but you’re a high school teacher? Let them know you have influence in the teen world. Obviously, the closer you can slant towards your magazine’s market, the more professional you can come.
Another thing to never say: my mom/my friends/my neighbors/everyone I know or even everyone on writing.com says I am a good writer and should be published. Very much the amateur. Remember, you are professional, whether you have been published or not.
This is also the place to mention “clips”, those pesky little things mentioned in my previous paragraph. Having chosen the clips I plan to submit, I usually reference them parenthetically. If you have no clips, then I suggest making one up. No, don’t lie; instead, let them know you are submitting a “clip on xyz” subject (preferably related) to give them an idea of your writing style. If you are submitting your query to a teen magazine, write the clip skewed toward teens; if to a children’s magazine, skew towards kids; if to an executive, skew it towards…an executive! You get the idea. This is where Writing.com can be especially helpful. I like to submit my unpublished clips online and get feedback, enabling me to polish them up before sending them out. I put a note at the top to that effect and ask point-blank if the piece works for addressing my audience.
I also recommend letting the editor know how quickly you can get an article to them. For magazines, I honestly believe that, if I can get ahold of anyone I need to interview, I can have an article completed in a week, probably less. However, I try to allow for real life, and tend to pitch for three weeks. My goal is to finish in two weeks and submit early in all cases, thus causing the editor to view me as an early finisher. If I wind up sick, or one of my interviewees is harder to get ahold of, I should still be able to meet the deadline.
I have been published in various magazines, including Let’s Write and Online Journaling, and am enclosing clips from both. I have been a member of writing.com for the past two years, and a moderator for one month of that time. I have a great deal of interaction with site members, and believe I could return a finished article to you within three weeks of assignment.
Final Paragraph
I like to leave the editor with an upbeat, positive conclusion. If I am sending the query by snailmail, I will also note the enclosure of an SASE (a must-have if you want a response; otherwise, you may as well save yourself the trouble of crafting a query letter).
Enclosed is a SASE for your response. I look forward to working with you.
Signature
Again, be professional. No “cya later” or “take care”. I would try to stick with the plain old boring
Sincerely,
For a letter, go down four lines and then type your first and last name. For an email, I just put one line break, and then the info taken from the header (remember, I don’t send a header in an email).
Scottiegazelle
Enclosures
Finally, I list my clips. For a snail-mail query, I list the enclosures at the ending. One thing I’ve noticed about clips. If you have been published, make several copies. If you have a scanner, a nice (inexpensive) solution I found to the copy machine is to scan your article(s) and save them as a tif file. This is huge, but the best resolution. Then you can print the clip at your leisure. However, despite it’s location on the computer, do not email it. Most editors will not open an attachment.
(3) Enclosures: 1 pg Let’s Write
1 pg Online Journaling
SASE
For email, instead of enclosing the clips as a separate file, list them within the body of the email. I like to make a note where they were published at the conclusion. This gives them the opportunity to check it themselves if they feel the urge to verify.
Published with Write & Telescope, August 2004, pg 7
This article is obviously slanted towards nonfiction. Another type of writing that requires a query letter is the novel. Here, I would follow a similar approach, with a few changes.
Don’t start with the first paragraph. Instead, raise the issue of conflict very simplified. You still want to grab the editor’s attention, but don’t launch into a synopsis; that’s a different letter. And make sure you address what makes your novel different from the regular love story/sci fi story/your type of story. Editors want to know what will make your novel stand out.
I’m pretty sure most novels don’t require clips, so you can avoid mention of those. However, be sure to check your market or publisher to be certain – don’t take my word for it!
Here is a sample query letter for more instruction, from someone who has researched the field a bit more. http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/user_id/sherrashttp://www.writing.com/main/view_item/user_id/sherras
Another good link is here:
[http://www.geocities.com/charlottedillon2000/query.html]
Short stories usually do not need a query letter; instead, they need a cover letter. A cover letter is similar to the query letter, but much simpler. The biggest difference comes from the body, which can be highly modified.
For a short story cover letter, start with the simple introduction paragraph.
Enclosed please find my short story, “Scottiegazelle Writes Again.” I hope you will consider it for a future issue.
Then lapse into the section detailing your previous experience. Publications take first priority. Follow-up with any relative experience you have. Are you writing a horse story and you are a horse trainer? A murder mystery after twenty years as a police detective? A children’s story about life under the sea and you are a marine biologist? Pull no punches!
Finally, you need a conclusive paragraph similar to the previous ones. Basically a “love to work with you, SASE enclosed” line or two, such as that detailed under the “Final Paragraph” section.
I couldn’t find any on-site resources just for cover letters, but here is a good site off-line.
http://www.writing-world.com/basics/floyd.shtml
Whatever you write, in order to get published, a query or cover letter is a must have. Make sure you keep your letter professional and to the point, and you will improve your odds on getting published.
Author: Nola Redd
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Digital Camera Times
Enrolling in a college-level certification program in Technical Writing might be time consuming and not that cheap either but it’s an idea you might certainly consider. There are some excellent certificate programs offered by different universities in the United States if you are just starting out in your career.
Oklahoma State University (OSU)’s Technical Writing Program is one of the best available in the United States since its early beginnings back in 1977. The students get an BA, MA or Ph.D. degree, which are actually English degrees “with a specialization in Technical Writing.”
The OSU program boasts 5 lecturers, an Assistant Director, a Visiting Assistant Professor and Coordinator, and a full Program Director and Professor of Technical Writing.
The students learn how to write technical reports, write web site content, write manuals, tutorials, and rsums, conduct field interviews. The program exposes “students to the tools and time demands they will face in the profession” Plus “in this program, students can expect to hear expert speakers and get plenty of hands-on learning.”
Here are some of the B.A. level courses offered at OSU (all 3 credits):
English 3223 — Technical Communication Criticism & Theory
English 3323 — Technical Writing
English 4523 — Technical Writing Internship
English 4533 — Advanced Technical Writing
English 4543 — Technical Editing
M.A. level courses include:
ENGL 5513 — Introduction to Technical Communication
ENGL 5520 — Internship in Technical Writing (6 credits)
ENGL 5593 — Technical Style and Editing
If I were a high school graduate today looking for a college program to attend for a technical communication career, I’d definitely give the OSU program an honest thought.
Author: Ugur Akinci
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Beading Necklace
These days, online writing jobs are as profitable as your regular 9-5 timetable. If you’re just a newbie in this arena, you’re probably having a difficult time accepting all this. After all, you have been taught that you need to have your own desk at an office in order for you to achieve success financially. Well, I’m going to change all that.
As I’m quite familiar with online writing jobs, I realized that perhaps the best way to give you advice is to tell you exactly how I stumbled across my first online writing gig in the first place.
Unexpected Success
I started this trail of freelance writing jobs quite early. At first, it was only a way to escape another summer job over at my grandmother’s. She can be quite persistent and so I decided to just look for a job on my own.
I went to Google and typed something like “online writing jobs” or “freelance writers for hire.” I didn’t expect to get anything out of the search, but I stumbled upon an entry on a forum looking for freelance writers.
My hopes weren’t up, but I gave it a shot anyway, Lo and behold, I got a reply and was able to get my first freelance writing job as well.
Research Is Important.
Being relatively young and still studying in college, there were a lot of topics I knew next to nothing about.
As you go about your online writing career, you’ll realize that you will need to become a good researcher in order to come up with sensible articles.
If you don’t know what a particular topic is all about, don’t be embarrassed to ask for help. Or contact your client for more details. It will save you more time in the long run.
Journalists have something they call the idiot question. It’s a question that might make you look like an idiot but a question you have to ask anyway.
You’re Just as Good as Your Last Performance.
This is something a lot of actors and actresses take to heart. The same holds true for online writing jobs. Since this gig is a lot less personal, your employers won’t really get to know you and your work habits.
All they have to rely on is the last batch of articles you sent. So always keep in mind that what you’re writing now may very well be your next meal ticket.
Online writing jobs can oftentimes prove to be more profitable than your regular day job. However, there is no guarantee of a steady income unless you know the tricks and secrets of successful freelance writers. It’s all up to you on how you manage your time, money and creativity.
Author: Michael Lee
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty rates
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
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Anyone who knows me well will tell you that I firmly believe non-fiction is easier to break into that fiction. And I stand by that theory.
Don’t get me wrong, you can’t be a bad or mediocre writer and still get published in the non-fiction arena; you definitely need to be a good writer. It’s just that there are loads of paying markets available (whether that’s low, medium or high paying), and editors in the field seem to be more willing to take on newcomers.
Start by deciding the type of articles you’d like to write. I don’t believe any of this ‘write what you know’ nonsense; that’s what research is for. What you can do, however, is have a basic understanding of the subject you want to tackle.
Do you honestly think that I have personally been to every single tourist attraction in Australia, and that I know every intricate detail about Australian history? Because if you believe the ‘write what you know’ philosophy, then you must believe that twaddle too.
I undertake a lot of research for my monthly column about places of interest in Australia, but I certainly don’t visit every place. Of course I go to as many as possible, but that’s not always financially, or even physically, viable.
What I do though, is decide where I would like to write about, then contact each attraction, usually by mail, then later with a telephone call if necessary. I request as much information as they can supply, including videos, CD’s of photographs, and printed matter. Once that arrives, there’s always more research required to complete the project.
If you would like to propose a regular column (on whatever subject), firstly decide if you can find enough to write about to keep interest going. Jot down as many ideas as possible in a brainstorming session.
Do you have enough ideas to sustain your column for at least one year? If not, and there’s no possibility of doing so, there is no point continuing. Brainstorm for another subject until you find a viable subject.
When I decided to query for my travel column, I did a quick brainstorming session. After finding nearly three years worth of ideas in less than thirty minutes, I knew I had a winner.
Check out any publications that your articles would be suitable for. Do they need you to supply photographs to complement the articles? If that’s the case, are you able to oblige? What type of photographs do they require, digital or standard photos? Check the quality required. (Read as: resolution)
If you are unable to fulfil their requirements, there is no point proceeding any further.
You now need to send a query to the editor of the publication you are targeting. Check her name. Address your query directly to that person, ensuring her name is spelled correctly. Use Ms or Mr as appropriate. And never, ever, address a query to ‘Dear John’. Always address your query to “Dear Mr Black” in the first instance.
(When you get a positive response, and the editor changes the correspondence to a less formal style – “Dear Mary” – that is the time to change over to a more casual approach.)
On acceptance of your column, the editor will advice the word count for your column, and the number of photographs required (if any) for each article. In most instances, a contract will be issued. Go over it with a fine tooth comb; if there is anything – anything at all – that makes you feel uncomfortable, question it.
For instance, if the publication is asking for ‘all rights’ that means that you can never, ever, sell that article again. If that’s the case, you need to be paid mega bucks for every article.
Remember, once you have signed the contract, its binding; nothing can or will be changed.
So… your article or column has been accepted. What now?
Allow plenty of time; if you’re anything like me, you’ll be incredibly anxious about your first article with a new publisher (or your first ever article). Maybe even stunned that someone had enough faith in you to buy your work.
Planning your article will make it so much easier; jot down some notes about what you intend to include in the finished article.
What are the main points you’ve chosen to highlight?
What other points do you want to include?
Are there any quotes you can use?
Do the photographs you’ve chosen relate to points mentioned in the article?
Do you have a signed ‘model release’ for each photograph you’re using?
Make sure you start and finish your article creatively. Creative non-fiction is just that; you’re telling a story. Imagine you are writing a piece of creative fiction, except in this case the content is fact instead of fiction.
Your prose needs to be interesting and informative. Just because it’s non-fiction does not mean it can be boring.
Here’s the first line of my article about Puffing Billy – a beautiful old steam train in Australia:
I fell in love with Puffing Billy the very first time I heard it. I was around eight years old.
And here’s the last line:
Nearly forty years on, the thrill of Puffing Billy still haunts my memory – the love affair continues.
Now you’ve written your article, it’s time to do a check:
Will the title draw the reader in?
Does the first sentence grab the reader’s attention?
Have you researched sufficiently?
Is your content plausible?
Do you get to the point or ramble?
Are you repeating yourself?
Are all words spelled correctly?
Is your punctuation perfect?
Do all photographs relate to the content in some way?
If at all possible, let your article sit for a few days, then go back over it using the above check list again.
To ensure repeat business with this publisher, never, ever, miss a deadline.
Author: Cheryl Wright
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Credit card currency-exchange fees
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