Article Writing - One of the Most Important Aspects of Online Business

Article writing is essential to the success of any online business. Whether you use them for backlinks to your site, as site or blog content or for SEO purposes, knowing how to write a compelling article is one of the most important things you can learn. Here are some tips to help you achieve success with your writing.

While most people can learn to write well, some simply cannot. Writing comes naturally to many people, and others couldn't learn to put their thoughts into words if you paid them. Sometimes it can't be helped. In cases where you can't do the job yourself or simply don't have the time, outsourcing is an option you should consider.

Why is article writing so important? You've heard the saying "content is king". This is so true! When visitors come to your site, they want information that is interesting and useful. Why stay if all they find is boring rhetoric that is simply there for the sake of keywords?

Without visitors, your site will not flourish. Sales will be down if not totally non-existent. Traffic is crucial, and articles are one of the best ways to get it. If you can do a little basic writing, here are some tips that will help you improve your articles:

1. Create a killer title. The title is the first thing your reader will see, so make it good!

2. Your first paragraph should hold your readers interest. When you write that first paragraph, tell your readers a little about what they want to know. Let them know that by reading the rest of the article, they are going to get some great tips or information.

3. The article body should give your readers just enough information to pique their interest. Build them up to want more, but don't give them the entire answer.

4. Create an enticing author resource box. Your tagline should be something exciting, not something boring such as "Joe Smith is the owner of website such and such". How boring! Make it exciting, such as "To find out how YOU can look younger than ever in two weeks or less", etc. You get the point.

These are a few tips that will make your article writing much easier. With a little practice, you will find that doing this little task isn't really so difficult.

If you do decide that you simply don't have the talent or time to write articles, outsourcing to a professional is the best thing to do. Without content, your business will suffer tremendously.

I hope you can benefit from the tips in this article. Should you need excellent quality, unique articles and content for your site and SEO campaigns, we can do it at rates you can afford. When it comes to article writing, we excel above the rest!

To Your Writing Success,

Tess Tackett
Get Great Articles - Ghostwriting Services

...Read More.

Article Writing For The Web - Top Five Secrets To Success

If you're moving from print to Web writing, you'll find that there are sharp differences in styles. Since article writing for the Web is highly lucrative, it's worth learning how to do it well. These five secrets will ensure your success.

Firstly, let's talk about WHY article writing is so lucrative online. Understanding the needs of your customers is vital, and those needs involve the search engines. The people buying your articles use them to get traffic to their sites, and ultimately to make sales.

Unlike print articles, articles for the Web are written both for people, and for search engines, so keywords are vital.

So let's look at your five secrets for success.

1. Keyword-rich titles are essential

Clever article titles using plays on words like puns are disastrous online, so while you can be clever and creative in writing titles for your articles, ensure that the words you use are those words (keywords) by which your articles will be found on the search engines.

Although you don't need to be an expert in search engine optimization (SEO) to write articles for the Web, your article buyers will appreciate your care in writing keyword-rich titles.

You'll often be provided with keywords to use in your articles by buyers. If you aren't given the keywords, do a little keyword research yourself.

2. Keep sentences and paragraphs short

In print, your sentences and paragraphs can run on for many lines. However, on the Web readers don't read: they scan. So write short sentences, and keep paragraphs short too. Use more sub-headings and bullet points than you would for a print article.

When editing others' writing, I can always tell whether an article writer has written for the Web before. Dense, long paragraphs just aren't appropriate on the Web.

2. Provide useful information

There's a wide range in quality of Web articles. Some articles barely deserve the name. They can be summed up in a sentence (the title) and are 400 0r 500 words of waffle with keywords inserted like raisins in a pudding.

Article writing is becoming much more competitive. As more and more Web sites struggle to get traffic, the quality of articles becomes vitally important.

When you write quality articles, you'll sell more of them, and you'll be able to charge more, so aim for quality - provide useful information and your career will thrive.

4. Have you answered your promise to the reader?

Web articles always make a promise to the reader; either explicit, or implied. Read your articles carefully to ensure that you've kept that promise.

5. Target your articles - who's your audience?

Before you start writing an article, think about the reader. Who is he or she? Why is she reading your article?

For example, let's say you're writing an article about dog training. This is a wide topic, and has many potential audiences. Your audiences may include: new puppy owners, owners of older dogs with behavioral problems, professional dog trainers, or vets.

You'll write a completely different article for each audience.

Therefore, if you're not sure who the target audience will be, ask the person who's buying your articles. If you try to target several audiences in one article, you'll confuse everyone.

So there you have my five top secrets to article writing success. Take them to heart, and you'll soon be a pro.

Discover how easy it is to make money writing for the Web with Angela Booth's "Sell Your Writing Online NOW" Training Program at http://sellwritingnow.com/Home/training.html The program is fun and profitable too. There's a full year of lessons and assignments:"Sell Your Writing Online NOW" helps you to earn while you learn, even as a brand new writer.

...Read More.

10 Ways a Virtual Copywriter Can Help You Work SMARTER, Not Harder

Wouldn't it be nice if you could just pick up the phone or pop open a new email and get instant copywriting and marketing support from someone smart, web-savvy, capable, and whom you trusted?

Oh, but you have a Web Guy, right?

Your Web Guy is behind the scenes, doing amazingly detailed work to improve the functionality of your web site. Functionality ensures that everything's in working order. Web forms that reach your inbox without a hitch. Seamless updates to make sure your links are all linked (ever click a link on someone else's site that leads to nowhere? Gosh, that's frustrating!). Image files that are easily loaded so your readers can view them with no problem. Glitch-free forum software for a positive interactive member experience. You'd be shocked if you knew the amount of time and effort your web designer puts in to keep your site in tip-top shape.

So what would you need a copywriter for?

You need a copywriter to drive the business.

People don't just drop in to visit your web site from thin air. They find it by way of inbound links from other web sites, blogs, ezines and networks. Sure, your web guy could get you out there no problem... if he knew how to clone himself.

People don't just find your sales page and click ORDER NOW. They need to feel comfortable with you first. An ezine (or email newsletter) takes care of the job... and also requires boatloads of planning, creativity, and coordination with the rest of your marketing.

Do you and your web guy really have time to devote the MINIMUM 20 hours a month that it takes to get your web marketing machine humming? Does your web guy know how to keep new prospects rolling in while maintaining relationships with the old ones?

If you're NOT utilizing the assistance of a web-savvy copywriter, then you're doing a serious disservice to your business. Without a copywriter or marketing expert, half the work is left undone. And that's a huge chunk of profit that you just gave away to a competitor who branded his web site better than you did.

Here are 10 ways a web-experienced copywriter can help you work SMARTER, not harder.

1. Push your web site further out with article submissions that brand your good name and reach a higher paying target market.

2. Put all those unfinished marketing plans of yours into instant action that attracts positive attention and brings real results.

3. Pulls in new orders each month for your products and services with fresh, intelligent monthly ezine mailings.

4. Build trust in your company by publishing high-quality information on your behalf.

5. Brainstorm, create and carry out promotions that serve as an extra incentive to buy from you.

6. Craft highly persuasive copy that works to convert more sales for your latest e-book, telecourse, conference or other method of passive income.

7. Help you expand your reach and influence by way of monthly press releases that drive interest and traffic.

8. Puts the finishing touch on your written communication to help you appear more professional and increase your credibility.

9. Connect with your readers on a regular basis - for better customer relationships and more profit for the long-term.

10. Combine great persuasive copy with search engine optimization... ensuring web content that keeps you on top of the Google hierarchy while attracting real humans who want to know you and buy what you sell!

Ready to take your business to the next level of professionalism? Get to know the feeling of having a terrific web copywriting at your beck and call. Visit Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing Services

Copyright 2006 Dina Giolitto. All rights reserved.

Liked this article? Have more of the same emailed to your inbox each month. Sign up for the Copywriting and Marketing Ezine from Wordfeeder.com today.

...Read More.

Get Your Articles Noticed

Tips On Getting Your Articles Noticed

interesting. Poorly written articles are rarely read or used by publishers. The purpose of your article is to get a message out there, with a little effort, the time you spend on creating your articles will pay off.

Creating a well written, effective article doesn't have to be complicated and stressful. In fact, just the opposite is true. Simple, easy to read articles are quite effective in achieving your goals of increased website traffic and profits. Once you get the hang of it, writing articles can become a fun, worth while endeavor.

Write articles about something you're familiar with, if you've spent a lot of time building a website with original content, you most likely have a plethora of information from which to work. You're probably quite knowledgeable about the topic of your site anyways. It's just a matter of making your articles creative and interesting.

Here are six tips which will increase the chances of your articles being picked up by a website publisher and read by a number of people. These tips will make your articles readable and interesting.

1) Use succinct, to the point paragraphs. Longer paragraphs have the potential to ramble on. As a result, the reader may disregard the article and move on to another one which may be easier to read. Paragraphs can be as short as a single sentence.

2) Make use of numbers or bullets in your article. Numbers and bullets can quickly make important points easy to remember and digest. Format your bullets and numbers with indentations so they stand out even more from the rest of the text.

3) Use sub-headings to divide your article into distinct parts. This makes it easy for the reader to find the information they're looking for and allows the reader to move from one point to another. If you provide readily accessible information you'll be more apt to keep the readers attention. It will also be easier to write the article as the all the important points are outlined.

4) Come up with an interesting, attention-getting title for your article. If your title can capture someone's attention you're halfway to getting a them to read your article. Use statements and questions which utilize keywords that people often search for. Use sub-titles which describe your article's content; these should be concise and to the point.

5) Keep your readers interested from beginning to end. From your opening paragraph, use real life situations that reader can relate to. Use interesting descriptions and metaphors to make your point. Using metaphors allows the reader to imagine what you are talking about. Making the experience pleasurable and enjoyable for them.

6) Utilize figures when making points rather than just random statements. Using specific facts and figures can give your article some authority.

R Birch is the publisher of http://www.gardenlistings.com To submit artilces to the site's directory visit http://www.gardenlistings.com/articles

...Read More.

Who Should You Write For?

Do you really think that somebody who is in the grips of making a decision about a major purchase, with all the emotional turmoil and all the question and uncertainty they have, with all the stress and anxiety over spending, do you really think that your one-page flyer that says, "We care," is going to interest that prospect enough to want to do business with you, as opposed to the ten million other businesses in their area?

See, they want to understand what's going on. They want to understand why you're the one who can help them. And, as long as it takes to do that - is as long as it takes!

Are your prospective clients any different from you? Do you really think that for big decisions about major purchases or investments, they want some short, sweet thing? No. What they want is someone they can trust. In order to develop a trust, you have to make an emotional connection with them - to the heart.

In order to make that connection, you have to talk to them in a way they understand; in a way that makes them feel that you have empathy and that you can solve their problems or give them the best product or service. All that can not be done in one page!

I don't have a rigid answer for how long the copy should be. In ads and postcards, you're limited by size, so you don't have as much room. Sometimes it's very difficult to cut copy down to make it fit on one page. I know! But, when it comes to sales letters, you have as much room as it takes. I promise you - people will read it if they are interested. So, write for interested people.

You cannot trick people who are not interested into becoming interested. And people who are interested want to know everything before deciding who they're going to do business with.

So, again, who should you write for? The majority of the people who aren't interested, and try to trick them into becoming interested? Or, for people who are interested, who want as much information as they possibly can have before they make a decision? Or, at least, for people curious enough to want to know more and to respond to you?

When you think about it this way, it makes a lot of sense. If you were a sales person, you'd go nuts if your boss told you that you only had one minute to close a sale. You should go just as nuts if somebody says your copy should be "short and sweet."

See, we're not fans of long copy because we're fans of long copy. If we could market to people in one page, we'd do it. It's cheaper and easier to do. Unfortunately, though, what marketers "like" has nothing to do with what prospects love!

Keep in mind that the best marketing is marketing that works! Not marketing that fits into a certain size envelope, or that has lots of white space or whatever.

The only issue is what works. And if it takes long copy to make it work, then that's what you write because you are interested only in finding out what works.

Now, if you test something, and it works in one page, more power to you! Because I'm not saying you should always do things one way or another.

No. What I'm saying is that you should, always do what works. And if you can make something work in one page, GREAT! BUT, I am going to tell you that, in most cases, what usually works is longer copy.

So, don't leave this secret with a predetermined notion on exactly how long something should be. The only way to really know is through testing.

You should know, though, that going "as long as it takes" may move you out of your comfort zone when you first get started.

Try to have faith in what I'm talking about. It makes sense, and it's right. Not because I say so, but because it's been proven through years of testing. Long copy outpulls short copy if it is interesting and relevant to the reader, and it tells the whole story.

When you start getting customers responding to you because of the long copy that you are using, you'll quickly give up your preconceived notions about "short and sweet."

You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter on your web site as long as the byline is included and the article is included in it's entirety. I also ask that you activate any html links found in the article and in the byline. Please send a courtesy link or email where you publish to: support@multiplestreammktg.com

Copyright 2006

Abe Cherian is the founder of Multiple Stream Media, a company that helps online businesses find new prospects and clients, who are anxious to grow their business fast, and without spending a fortune in marketing and automation. http://www.freehomebusinesstips.com

...Read More.

A Matter of Style : On Writing and Technique

This book on writing with style is aimed at students and writers who already have good basic skills and are looking for help with more advanced techniques. Using rhetoric as its frame of reference and drawing from examples in literature, the book offers an original approach to style.

Order it here >>> A Matter of Style : On Writing and Technique

...Read More.

Make Your Words Work: Proven Techniques for Effective Writing, for Fiction and Nonfiction

Gary Provost practices what he preaches in Make Your Words Work. He helps you learn to write well by, among other things, writing well himself. His warm, witty, entertaining instruction teams with solid examples as well as exercises. Get the good word now. This is the writing course to help you make your work more powerful, more readable, more salable.

Order it here >>> Make Your Words Work: Proven Techniques for Effective Writing, for Fiction and Nonfiction

...Read More.

Techniques in Teaching Writing (Teaching Techniques in English as a Second Language) (Teaching Techniques in English As a Second Language)

Even though this book is a bit old, it still can be useful for new teachers. In it, you'll find very specific ideas on how to use materials (such as pictures, readings, etc), and how to incorporate controlled writing and teacher response into student writing.

order it here >>> Techniques in Teaching Writing (Teaching Techniques in English as a Second Language) (Teaching Techniques in English As a Second Language)

...Read More.

Writing With Power : Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process

Whatever your reason for writing, Peter Elbow has a "recipe" to guide you. A longtime proponent of "freewriting" (writing without stopping, for a preset amount of time), Elbow incorporates its use in a variety of ways. Have a limited amount of time? Spend half of it freewriting and half of it cleaning up your prose. Got all the time in the world (and only a vague sense of what you want to say)? Freewrite, then focus, then freewrite, then focus, repeatedly, until you get "a trustworthy vision of your final piece of writing." Elbow offers a plethora of prompts for priming the creative pump, as well as several ways to revise the piece of writing that results: thorough revising, revising with feedback, cutting and pasting, proofreading, and the like. He pays close attention to the ways in which focusing on an audience can assist or interfere in the writing process, including a terrific chapter on the strangeness of writing for teachers, in which "your task is usually to explain what you are still engaged in trying to understand to someone who understands it better." And he provides an excellent section on how to solicit the kind of feedback you want. Though it is a new edition of a 1981 book, there is nothing tired about Writing with Power: it provides many tools to help a writer feel empowered throughout the writing process. --Jane Steinberg

Order it here >>> Writing With Power : Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process

...Read More.

Writing Prose : Techniques and Purposes

This book is full of great prose that is fun to read and questions that really make you think about the techniques used. It takes a really long time to fully work through this book from start to finish, but it is worth every minute. Especially if, like me, you haven't been to college. I can only speculate that in school you'd have a few good writing classes that teach these concepts. This book will open your mind and you'll really begin to understand the importance of word order and general organization in writing. It's a great book.

Order it here >>> Writing Prose : Techniques and Purposes

...Read More.

Creative Writing: Forms and Techniques

If you are looking for an easy, non pretentious book that will show you the basics of creative writing, this is it. Many books on writing are so scholarly that they either confuse of bore the reader to tears. Others are back pating "yes you can books" that give the reader plenty of insprarion but no techniques. Creative writing is very direct and simple. It shows all of the various forms of creative writng. It gives you an exapmle of the writing and then shows you how to do it. Very simple. I found this book to be extremely usefull whenver I am looking to explore a new from of writing and I want a basic understanding on how to do it. A good buy for novice writers.

order it here >>> Creative Writing: Forms and Techniques

...Read More.

Master Class in Fiction Writing: Techniques from Austen, Hemingway, and Other Greats

What aspiring writers can learn from theworld's masters of fiction-;a truly novel approach to storytelling. Master Class in Fiction Writing lets you learn the craft of writing from the best storytellersof the past two centuries. Under the directionof renowned creative writing coach Adam Sexton,they'll learn point of view from Toni Morrison, descriptionfrom Vladimir Nabokov, characterization from JaneAusten, and plot construction from Joseph Conrad, toname just a few. Over the course of just ten chaptersyou can master all the components of great shortstory and novel writing. Adam Sexton taught me how to readlike a writer-;and, in a way, how to writelike a reader. For without first consideringthe experience of reading stories-;seriously, thoroughly, the way Sextondoes-;you can't possibly write oneworth reading. -;Tara McCarthy, author, Love Will Tear Us Apart

order it here >>> Master Class in Fiction Writing: Techniques from Austen, Hemingway, and Other Greats

...Read More.

Writing Articles as an Affordable Internet Marketing Method

by: Kevin Oorlynck

From Overture, a keyword suggestion tool, you will see the millions of searches done to a certain keyword. When these keywords are typed on search boxes of search engines, indexed websites containing articles with those keywords will be displayed. And this is what leads traffic to websites with keyword-rich articles. Yes, the magic word is articles.

Content is king. You can say that again. That is why writing articles is one of the most utilized Internet marketing media today. Internet surfers just can't get enough of information on various fields. Providing information through these articles is a surefire way to drive hot traffic to your web site.

Why is this so? Here are the benefits that writing articles can give your Internet business.

1. It's absolutely free.

Too good to be true? Not. Okay, you have to pay for your Internet Service Provider. That's it. All you need is your thoughts, your computer, and your hands. If you have those, nothing will stop you from typing words that will make you complete that article for your website. On which aspect of that process did you really shell out any cent? Maybe later when your electric bills come.

2. Your website will be noticed in a short period of time.

Submit that article of yours to article directories that get the most web traffic and in no time your web site will be crawled. That is if you don't forget including your resource box or byline.

3. Obtain back links automatically.

When you submit your articles to directories, surely, other websites will make use of your article too. With the copyright terms of your articles, the URL of your website will still be intact and will subsequently direct more traffic to your website.

4. Improve your reputation.

As an Internet marketer, if you plainly display your products on your website, you will not gain much conversion rate. Conversion is when your traffic converts to sales. You have to show that you are knowledgeable on your field. And what better way to show that than by writing articles that will allow you some bragging rights, right?

Just make your creative juices flow and jot down or key in those ideas quickly to jumpstart your article writing momentum. With those benefits listed above, a writer's block is the last problem you will ever be able to surmount. But that's another story...

About The Author

Kevin Oorlynck is the editor of the Wealth:Time4Evolution! (www.internet-marketing-evolution.com) Newsletter and Webmaster of the Evolution Resources Center (wealth.time4evolution.com/ERC) ~~ Feel free to reprint this article as long as you let this resource box attached And an active link to http://wealth.time4evolution.com is required.

...Read More.

Your First Step To A Digital Publishing Empire

By: Markku Saastamoinen

The hardest part of writing is the first sentence. When you look at the whole project, it seems like an impossible task. That's why you have to break it down into manageable tasks. Think of climbing a mountain. You are standing at the foot of it and looking up at its summit vanishing into the clouds. How can you possibly scale such an immense and dangerous mountain?

There is only one way to climb a mountain ? step by step.

Now think of writing your ebook in the same light. You must create it step by step, and one day, you will take that last step and find yourself standing on the summit with your head in the clouds.

The first thing you have to do, as if you actually were a mountain climber, is to get organized. Instead of climbing gear, however, you must organize your thoughts. There are some steps you should take before you begin. Once you've gone through the following list, you will be ready to actually begin writing your ebook.

Beginning Steps to Writing an ebook

First, figure out your ebook's working title. Jot down a few different titles, and eventually, you'll find that one that will grow on you. Titles help you to focus your writing on your topic; they guide you in anticipating and answering your reader's queries. Many non-fiction books also have subtitles. Aim for clarity in your titles, but cleverness always helps to sell books ? as long as it's not too cute. For example, Remedies for Insomnia: twenty different ways to count sheep. Or: Get off that couch: fifteen exercise plans to whip you into shape.

Next, write out a thesis statement. Your thesis is a sentence or two stating exactly what problem you are addressing and how your book will solve that problem. All chapters spring forth from your thesis statement. Once you've got your thesis statement fine-tuned, you've built your foundation. From that foundation, your book will grow, chapter by chapter.

Your thesis will keep you focused while you write your ebook. Remember: all chapters must support your thesis statement. If they don't, they don't belong in your book. For example, your thesis statement could read: We've all experienced insomnia at times in our lives, but there are twenty proven techniques and methods to give you back a good night's sleep.

Once you have your thesis, before you start to write, make sure there is a good reason to write your book. Ask yourself some questions:

• Does your book present useful information and is that information currently relevant?
• Will you book positively affect the lives of your readers?
• Is your book dynamic and will it keep the reader's attention?
• Does you book answer questions that are meaningful and significant?

If you can answer yes to these questions, you can feel confident about the potential of your ebook.

Another important step is to figure out who your target audience is. It is this group of people you will be writing to, and this group will dictate many elements of your book, such as style, tone, diction, and even length. Figure out the age range of your readers, their general gender, what they are most interested in, and even the socio-economic group they primarily come from. Are they people who read fashion magazines or book reviews? Do they write letters in longhand or spend hours every day online. The more you can pin down your target audience, the easier it will be to write your book for them.

Next, make a list of the reasons you are writing your ebook. Do you want to promote your business? Do you want to bring quality traffic to your website? Do you want to enhance your reputation?

Then write down your goals in terms of publishing. Do you want to sell it as a product on your website, or do you want to offer it as a free gift for filling out a survey or for ordering a product? Do you want to use the chapters to create an e-course, or use your ebook to attract affiliates around the world? The more you know upfront, the easier the actual writing will be.

Decide on the format of your chapters. In non-fiction, keep the format from chapter to chapter fairly consistent. Perhaps you plan to use an introduction to your chapter topic, and then divide it into four subhead topics. Or you may plan to divide it into five parts, each one beginning with a relevant anecdote.

How to make your ebook "user friendly"

You must figure out how to keep your writing engaging. Often anecdotes, testimonials, little stories, photos, graphs, advice, and tips will keep the reader turning the pages. Sidebars are useful for quick, accessible information, and they break up the density of the page.

Write with a casual, conversational tone rather than a formal tone such as textbook diction. Reader's respond to the feeling that you are having a conversation with them. Break up the length and structure of your sentences so you don?t hypnotize your readers into sleep. Sentences that are all the same length and structure tend to be a good aid for insomnia!

Good writing takes practice. It takes lots and lots of practice. Make a schedule to write at least a page a day. Read books and magazines about the process of writing, and jot down tips that jump out at you. The art of writing is a lifetime process; the more you write (and read), the better your writing will become. The better your writing becomes, the bigger your sales figures.

In an ebook that is read on the screen, be aware that you must give your reader's eye a break. You can do this by utilizing white space. In art classes, white space is usually referred to as "negative space." Reader's eyes need to rest in the cool white oasises you create on your page. If your page is too dense, your reader will quit out of it as soon as their eyes begin to tear.

Make use of lists, both bulleted and numbered. This makes your information easy to absorb, and gives the reader a mental break from dissecting your paragraphs one after the other.

Finally, decide on an easy-to-read design. Find a font that's easy on the eyes, and stick to that font family. Using dozens of fonts will only tire your readers out before they've gotten past your introduction. Use at least one and a half line spacing, and text large enough to be read easily on the screen, but small enough so that the whole page can be seen on a computer screen. You will have to experiment with this to find the right combination.

Of course, don't forget to run a spell and grammar check. You are judged by something as minor as correct punctuation, so don?t mess up a great book by tossing out semicolons randomly, or stringing sentences together with commas. (By the way, that's called a "comma splice.")

Last of all, create an index and a bibliography. That's it! You've written a book! Now all you have to do is publish your ebook online, and wait for download request from your website visitors.

About The Author

Markku Saastamoinen is an Online Business Entrepreneur and has recently created an amazing system for increasing your free time AND profits in under 7 days at: http://www.megapreneursystem.com

...Read More.

Voices in Your Head

By: Mike Foley
-------------------------

Are you struggling with your story’s dialogue? If so, you’re not alone. Dialogue is tough for many writers. Fortunately, by learning to listen, you can make your fictional dialogue much stronger. So let’s begin by looking at a quick dialogue exchange, from a short story I’ve been working on.

Her eyes finally met mine. “This isn’t right, Neil. You felt it out there. I know it.”

I nodded. “But it’s free floating. It doesn’t cling to the water and it really isn’t a part of the tank. And there’s no body. A spirit just circles the site.”

“A broken circle,” she said gravely. “Pieces missing…death. Someone died out there.”

“So you’re saying this is a murder?”

“Maybe. Don’t know. No body. But the evil...the dark spirit. It’s still there.”

I had learned over the years that Kathy might be wrong about events and timing, but rarely about feelings. To her, the evil we felt meant death.

“Look,” I told her. “We’ll never know what happened out there. I say we just send the spirit away and go home.”

She shook her head. “It won’t leave…not now, anyway. Isn’t settled…”

Although you’re coming into the story somewhere in the middle, without really knowing the characters, you still get a “feel” for each of them simply by reading this short passage of dialogue. One character is more analytical, trying to make sense of what they’ve seen. The other relies mostly on feeling and instinct, taking a more direct approach to the situation. Two distinct individuals.

But the question is, “How do we know this?” Certainly there’s a bit of narrative here, but not much. Most of what we know we learn from the spoken words. And I’m not talking about the information here. Instead, I’m referring to way these characters speak. For example, notice how the analytical character speaks in complete sentences, in larger concepts. The woman, on the other hand, speaks in short bursts, using clipped sentences and fragments. Each of these speech patterns relates directly to the characters and who they are.

People are unique in their physical characteristics, the way they dress, and how they view the world. We use these things to paint portraits of people in fiction and nonfiction. But it’s important to remember that people also speak in unique ways. And those speech patterns tell readers just as much about that person as anything else you write. In fact, a unique method of speech often creates a deeper portrait. The readers actually hear the person, as well as seeing your visual description. And that can be a powerful tool.

To achieve this, start listening to the way people speak, paying particular attention to some of the following aspects of speech.

1. Wordiness—Some people will use many words, in many long sentences. Others (like our character above) may speak in short bursts and fragments. This can tell readers a lot about the character’s approach to life. It may even hint at some sort of agenda. Wordiness, for example, may be tool for evasion, helping the person avoid answering a question.

2. Tempo—People speak slowly or at high speed and again, that’s a clue to who they are and how they live their lives. Listen to tempo in speech. Listen for pauses, especially those that might stem from caution or lack of an answer. The rate at which a person offers words can be a great character-building tool.

3. Slang—People and characters will often use slang, helping readers determine their age, economic background, ethnicity, and career. Remember that a simple slang word speaks volumes about a person. Make sure it’s telling readers what you want them to know.

4. Vocal Habits—One person may always clear his/her throat before speaking. Another may overuse a certain word or phrase. Another might be liberal with short sounds, like “uh.” Each of these identifies the person for readers and when they see him/her again, they’re able to immediately grasp that unique character. And that helps keep the story moving.

One very helpful exercise for developing dialogue is to use your friends, relatives and acquaintances. Take a line of dialogue from a short story or a quote from a nonfiction article you’re working on. Then imagine each of your friends saying that line. How would your best friend say it? Your mother? Your boss? You should be able to hear differences just by imagining how others would tackle a particular line of dialogue.

Once you have that firmly in your mind, practicing writing it so that it sounds different to readers with each new speaker. You’ll soon find your dialogue skills (and your ear for speech) improving.

Best of luck with all your writing.

©2005 by Mike Foley

About The Author

Mike Foley is editor of Dream Merchant Magazine and author of more than 700 published stories and articles. He also teaches fiction and nonfiction writing in the extension program at UC-Riverside. Since 1986, Mike has operated the Writer’s Review critique/editing service, helping hundreds of aspiring writers improve their fiction and nonfiction projects.

For information on Mike’s critique or coaching services, visit his website: http://www.writers-review.com/

...Read More.

Top 10 Common English Goofs by Web Authors

By: Kempton Smith
----------------------------

In reviewing and browsing web sites over the years, I have compiled a list of the most common misuses of English by web authors. Here they are in Letterman (reverse) order.

10. Who, which or that?

"Who" (or "whom") refers to persons. "Which" refers to animals or things, never to persons. "That" can refer to either persons or things.

Examples:
The girl who was hungry.
The dog that wagged its tail.
The software which I wrote.

9. Anyone vs any one

"Anyone" means "any person," not necessarily any specific person. It could refer to multiple people simultaneously.

As two words, "any one" refers to a single person.

Examples:
Anyone can download my software. But the software can only be used by any one user at a time.

8. Commonly misspelled words

All right
Dependable
Independent
Recommend
Responsible
Separate

7. Don't put punctuation at the end of a URL

While not technically an English grammatical error, don't put a period or anything immediately after a URL reference. Doing so will usually invalidate the URL. You might call this an internet grammatical rule.

Example:
Notice the lack of a period in the following sentence. My URL is http://article-promotion.blogspot.com

6. Software not softwares

"Software" can be singular or plural. Never use "softwares."

5. Do the quotes go after or before the period?

Put quotes after a period or comma. Put quotes before a colon. Put quotes after a question mark unless the entire sentence is a question. This is a US English standard. British English usage can differ.

Examples:
He asked, "Are you hungry?"
She replied, "Yes, I am hungry."
Did she say, "Yes"?

4. There, their, or they're

"There" is used in two ways. It can specify a place. It can also be used as an expletive or empty word to start a sentence.

"Their" is used as a possessive form of "they".

"They're" is short for "they are."

Examples:
I live there, not here.
There are nine planets in the solar system.
The two boys raced their bikes.
They're both tired after walking up the stairs.

3. Powerful

Too many developers describe their software as, "XXX Software is a powerful, easy-to-use, ... ." I searched download.com and found 2149 descriptions or titles of software containing the word "powerful." Powerful has many meanings, most referring to how effectively something is performed, as in muscular. A car with 450 horsepower is clearly more powerful than one with only 200 horsepower. But what is powerful software? If you mean feature-rich (like Adobe Photoshop), then say so. If your software does only one thing, but it does it completely or thoroughly (like CounterSpy), then say so. But please, no more powerful software.

2. Site or sight

A "site" is a place.

"Sight" refers to your sense of vision.

Examples:
A web site is a place on the internet that you visit with your browser.
A beautiful sunset is a marvellous sight.

And, finally, the most common English blunder by web authors is:

1. Its or It's

Use "it's" only when it means "it is." Unless you can replace "it's" with "it is," use "its." Never use "its'."

Examples:
It's raining today.
The dog wagged its tail.

Conclusion:

English is very difficult for persons whose native language is not English. It is also difficult for many English-speaking authors.

Unfortunately, most of the common grammatical errors will not be caught by a spell checker, so you have to manually check your writing for them.

An excellent reference is the short and timeless book, The Elements of Style, by William Strunk, Jr. and E.B. White. A free online version of this book is available at http://www.bartleby.com/141/index.html

I hope that web authors can use this article to recognize and correct some of the most common grammatical blunders that abound on the internet.

About The Author

Kempton Smith helps internet businesses promote their products or services online by ghostwriting affordable, unique, keyword-rich articles for them. Email him now at articleghostwriter@yahoo.com for a free article for your online business, no obligation. Or for a free report on how to use articles to promote your product or service, visit http://article-promotion.blogspot.com.

Copyright © 2005 by Kempton Smith. This article may be freely published provided you leave it intact.

...Read More.

How To Use Quotations Effectively?

by: Brenda Wilson
--------------------------------

Quotations are the repetition of words used by somebody in the past. When you repeat the speech or spoken words of a character from a play or novel, you are said to be quoting that character. Use of quotes requires quotation marks, speech marks or inverted commas to denote repetition.

Take the example of a lawyer who is trying to convince the jury of his argument in an essay. No matter how convincing he is, without evidence the jury cannot be completely influenced. The same applies to quotations, which like evidence convince the audience of the truth in your theory.

Therefore quotations have the purpose of backing a person’s ideas but not as replacement of the ideas or the means of telling a story. Quotes help in exploring the usage of themes, characters and language in a play or novel. Normally there needs to be some sort of context to accompany the quote, explaining the intrigue involved.

Use of quotes can be compared to the preparation of a sandwich or burger.

The introduction to the quote is like the bread that is required. Once the idea is conveyed, some context for the quote should explain its relevance.

The quote itself is like the meat content in a sandwich. Though tasty, it is enhanced when two pieces of bread accompany it.

The second piece of bread is equivalent to a comment on the quote explaining its interest factor and significance in elaborating a certain aspect or character.

As a rule, avoid excessive use of quotations as it may suggest that original ideas on the subject are lacking. Otherwise quotations can be handy in adding emphasis to the ideas, instead of replacing them. This is especially the case if the quotation is attributed to a noted name, sounds unique or outstanding or if it is being used in elaborating a rather unusual or controversial subject.

It is not advisable to use a quotation solely by itself in the assumption that it would be self-explanatory. The essence of the quotation needs to be specified, as does the explanation about its relevance to the subject involved. It may also be necessary to convey one’s interpretation or perspective on it. Quotations can be considered very similar to examples in their use for clarifying an idea. It is essential to realize that the role of quotations is limited to adding support and helping to elaborate the ideas being dealt with. What they are not meant to do is to act as substitutes for the ideas as they are useless by themselves. Quotations usually require some sort of interpretive phrasing following the quotation to indicate that the meaning of the quotation is being explained and how it helps in establishing a certain viewpoint. These phrases include: Thus it is clear, therefore it is apparent, and consequently it can be seen, etc.

Quotations work best when the original words are accurately reproduced. Proper punctuation is a must for quotations. At times quotations require acknowledgement of any omissions from the original words and editorial comments to clarify vague ideas and correct grammar. Like in the case of paraphrasing and summarizing, there needs to be an introduction to the quotation, apart from explanation of its relevance by merging the quotation within the text and naming the source involved.

Search for Famous Quotations Online at www.quotedb.com

About The Author

Brenda Wilson is a professional speech writer since 1985. She has worked with people from various professions and helped them sound like professional speakers. She is in the process of writing a book that will help thousands of people become more effective in their speeches and presentations. Please visit www.quotedb.com.

...Read More.

How To Outgrow 'Write What You Know'

By: Jenna Glatzer
--------------------------------------

Every writer has heard it time and again, and it’s not without merit: “Write what you know.”

When I began freelancing, I was just out of college, so what did I write about? College. I wrote profiles of collegiate entrepreneurs, I wrote editorials about college life... and after a while, I really wanted to move on and write about other things. But I didn’t feel qualified.

Luckily, I didn’t let that hold me back for too long.

“Write what you know” is a very good starting point. But that’s all it is. It’s a place for you to go to get your feet wet, and a place to come back to when the tide gets too high. But it’s not a place to stay for very long.

A better piece of advice, in my opinion, is “Write what you WANT to know.” One of the great perks of being a freelance writer is that you get paid to learn about things. So… what do you want to learn about?

If I had completely disregarded “Write what you know” and simply opened a page of the Writers Market at random, figuring I’d send a query to whichever market my finger happened to touch, my career would be very different today. I might have ended up writing about finances, miniature horses, and aerobics. And you know what? I would have hated it.

I have no experience with any of the above topics, and there’s a good reason for that: I never really WANTED to have experience with them. Since I have no real passion for any of the topics, if I had to write articles about them, it would feel like work.

But did you ever stop to think about the things you always wanted to know, but never found out? Or all the interesting people you wanted to meet? Or the problems you’ve encountered that you wanted solved? Now those are article topics.

Try this exercise. Fill in the blanks with your answers.

1. If time and money weren’t factors, I’d love to take a course in ___________________.
2. I’ve always wanted to ask (person you know)______________________ about _________________________.
3. I’ve always wanted to know how __________________________ works.
4. My life would improve if I could only ______________________________.
5. When I have a sleepless night, it’s usually because I’m worried about ____________________.
6. The worst injustice I can think of is ______________________________.
7. When I was a kid, I was really passionate about _________________________.
8. I have always been embarrassed to admit that ________________________really interests me.
9. In my life, I have overcome ___________________________________________.
10. If I could volunteer for just one cause, it would be __________________________.
11. I wish I were better at ___________________________________.
12. I have always wondered why _________________________________________.

You may have lots of answers for each statement. That’s great! Each answer is a possible article topic. Most of them won’t be specific enough (or perhaps too specific) for an article, but they should give you lots of new starting points from which to brainstorm angles.

Think of freelance writing as your own opportunity to learn about all the things you ever wanted to know, and don’t worry if you’re not yet an “expert” in any of these areas! Among my favorite writing assignments have been topics in which I had no previous expertise:

-An article about a woman who started her own greeting card business for Woman’s Own. Of course, I’ve never started my own greeting card business—but the topic certainly interested me, and I wanted a good excuse to learn more about it.

-An article about how “media overload” affects children’s development for KidsGrowth.com. I’m not even a parent, let alone an expert in child psychology. But I’ve always wondered how increasing media immersion (TV, Internet, video games, radio, etc.) has affected people in MY generation.

-An article about book packagers for Writer’s Digest. Okay, I had written for a book packager at that point-- but just one, and I was eager to learn more about the industry and its players. It gave me the perfect excuse to contact book packagers and learn more about the market. And If not for this article, I would never have written Celine Dion's book... I sent my resume and samples to one of the packagers I interviewed, and an editor there wound up calling me years later with the assignment!

-Several articles about interesting inventions for Zooba.com. How much fun did I have learning about how Velcro, aspirin, and Post-It Notes were invented? This made for great dinner table conversation for weeks. My father always fancied himself a bit of a mad inventor, and I guess the gene spilled over to me. I devour these quirky stories of how the human mind approaches problem-solving creatively.

-Every disabilities-related article I’ve ever written. Was I an expert in this area when I began? No. I have a brother who has Down syndrome, so I had the benefit of some extra understanding, but I only became an “expert” by writing about this topic over and over. Each time, I learned something new that I really wanted to learn-- new legislation for people with disabilities, profiles of amazing people with disabilities, issues of discrimination, etc.

When working to broaden your writing horizons, be sure to think about two things: your passions, and your curiosities. You don’t need to write only about topics that mean “everything” to you

About The Author

Jenna Glatzer is the editor of http://www.absolutewrite.com (pick up a FREE list of agents looking for new writers!) and the author of 14 books, including MAKE A REAL LIVING AS A FREELANCE WRITER, which comes with a FREE Editors' Cheat Sheet. She's also Celine Dion's authorized biographer. Visit Jenna at http://www.jennaglatzer.com

...Read More.