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Many believe that they can become a writer if they were given the chance. However, it is not as easy as some people would like to believe to be a writer. For the most part the life of a writer is difficult and stressful. Getting noticed by the publishing community is nearly impossible and your book must be prolific and unique to even shake a possible publishing deal from an agent.

The main problem that people have when they begin writing is the fact that they do not know where to start. This is very common among new writers as the process of writing can be confusing to those that have never attempted it before. This is why there are now so many places that offer writers resources in an attempt to garner the hope for the next generation of authors to hit the world’s bookshelves. These places hope they can foster the dream of writing for many people and bring about the best in the new literature that will be available to the next generation.

If you are considering a career change to author then it is best to start out small. Before tackling a novel, which can take years to complete, try the short story market. For all intents and purposes a short story is nothing more than a very short novel and gives a new writer the ability to get their feet wet. Learning to create interesting characters and plots is all part of the game. For this it is best to join a short fiction forum. A short fiction forum is a discussion area for writers of all walks of life. New and old gather to discuss the in and outs of writing short fiction. Most often you will find that there are places to have your work critiqued and also get some helpful suggestions on things like endings and plot structure.

Another valuable resource for writers is the new software that has hit the market. With writers in mind many software designers have brought out programs that help the writer to organize ideas, create plots and also manage the characters involved in the story. The programs are very easy to use and offer the new writer a chance to keep everything straight and they are far superior to the standard word processing programs. There is much value in software packages like these especially for the new writer. The best part is that many of them are free and can be downloaded right from the internet.

There are many resources available to writers the world over and they are easy to find. The many websites that are dedicated to writers and writing are invaluable tools in helping the new author learn the craft.

There are two main reasons to write a business proposal. Either someone has invited you to submit a RFP (Request for Proposal); or you are trying to gain support or funding from your employer or another organization.

When drafting a proposal the most important thing to keep in mind is that the reader is looking for benefits; they want to know how your product, service, or idea adds value to their operation. Therefore your proposal must be well-written and it also must clearly indicate how you can fulfill a current need.

Here are a few tips to help you improve your proposal:

1. Make the proposal about your customer. A proposal is not the time to tell about your mission, your locations, or how long you have been in business. Instead you should state how these (or any other) aspects benefit your client.

2. Show and don’t tell. Do not tell your prospect what you can do for them, but show them using clear examples. Avoid unsubstantiated hype like “best value”, “low risk”, and “cutting edge”; unless you are willing to prove it.

3. Be careful not to include irrelevant information. If you are making the proposal about the reader, and showing instead of telling, then you should have no problem with this.

4. If you are responding to a RFP, read the request more than once. You want to ensure that you completely grasp the requirements.

5. Show your creditability. Who have you worked with before? How did you help them and how does that relate to the company you are submitting this proposal to?

6. Watch your language. It is very important to make sure your proposal is politically correct. Additionally, you want to avoid jargon unless it is commonly known in the field you are targeting. Also, avoid writing in passive voice.

7. Include samples if it is appropriate. This is a great way to show that you are capable of handling the job.

8. Be specific. State your time frame for completing the project and your rates (if applicable). This will help eliminate differences in expectations.

9. Above all, if you are a poor writer, seek assistance. Proposal writing is time-consuming and it requires a certain amount of skill.

Writers are an interesting breed of humanity &ndash they can make us feel joy, sadness, anger and empathy. Sometimes they can cause us to feel all these emotions simultaneously.

There are certainly more lucrative methods of gaining an income, yet everyday thousands of individuals will sit down at their keyboard pounding out a story that may never actually be published.

There is a creative energy required to create a meaningful story. It is hard to invest that energy into a story if there is a feeling the story has no chance of success, yet writers will do so.

What motivates a writer to spend their time and talents on something that may bear little fruit?

The answer is found in a quote from author Isaac Asimov, “I write for the same reason I breathe — because if I didn’t, I would die.”

For many writers the reason stems from the fact they have a story in their mind that won’t leave them alone until the story is drained onto the written page only to be replaced by a new story that requires telling. The story might be for the author alone or it might be for a larger audience.

Many writers are not in the market to be famous, they simply agree with the sentiments of Fran

Learn to type &ndash its’ easy and only takes a half hour to understand and about 6 to 10 hours to master. Today’s breakthrough typing software will help you learn to type and pass any typing test needed for a new position. When you realize how easy it is learn to type, you will wonder why you waited so long to download typing software and learn to type .

Typing Software - Learn to Type

Do you know all the keys on the keyboard? Not yet? Typing lessons begin with fun exercises to teach the keys. Do you all of your fingers to type? Typing lessons will guide you to learn to type with all your fingers. Soon you will be touch typing with all ten ur your fingers. Do you type the letters and numbers without looking at them? No? Sounds like you owe it to yourself to learn to type and the best way to do it is to download typing software today!

Typing Test - Learn To Type

Good typing skills allow you to get the work done without wasting time searching for keys. Once you learn to type you’ll will make corrections in seconds not minutes. Also, it’s no fun to hunt and peck like a chicken. Instead, download typing software and tell yourself, “Today, I’m going to learn to type &ndash and you will! There are excellent typing lessons on the net and you can try some of them BEFORE you buy. Improve your typing skills today so you pass any typing test next week for any new position.

Typing Software - Learn to Type

Typing Software is a lot of fun and takes you back to the days when learning was fun. You can learn to type and spend a few enjoyable hours at the same time. What’s more, you will learn to type and that will save you time. Once you learn to type, you will answer email more quickly, chat online with ease and write better in less time. Good Luck!!

Those who venture into fiction writing often fall prey to certain avoidable, yet highly normal faux pau’s with their first book.

Many of these novels are grand experiments. Often chapters unfold without advance direction or character notebook, sometimes there is a multitude of point of view shifts and there is often a desire to try to pack as much into the story as possible.

One of the key difficulties for new novelists is to track down inconsistencies in their work. For instance if you mention that your character grew up in Ohio it is bad form to mention Chicago as their hometown later in the novel. This can be a somewhat innocuous detail in the book and most people will probably missed it, but the inconsistency is there nonetheless and may detract from the flow of the story is the reader questions the veracity of the claim.

Most authors believe that because the work is fictional the details are less important, but as an author you are creating an entire world for your readers and that world has to become as real as the world in which they live. Since novels have a unique escapist quality to them the last thing you want is to shut down your reader’s link to the book because they are stumbling over inconsistencies.

Another point where first time novelists get into trouble is the addition of gratuitous violence or other points of gratuity. The author often wrongly believes that if they can shock the reader it will cause the book to be more memorable for the reader.

Many readers simply see this as a means to mask a weak storyline. This is not to say that there is no place for violence in a novel, but it must be in context of a superior storyline - not as a means of increasing the chances that your reader will recommend the book to their friends.

Most readers see gratuitous elements in a novel for what they really are and this knowledge provides an instant ‘turn-off’ factor. If you have someone who is willing to read through your manuscript ask him or her to check for anything they consider gratuitous and any inconsistencies they may encounter.

Avoiding a couple of significant potholes on the road to publishing your first novel will provide an advantage with both publisher and reader alike.

The business of books is big business with 172,000 new titles released in 2005 and sales in the United States of about $40 billion. But what makes a book successful? Are there any common characteristics that can spur on sales? As part of the research for “The Making of a Bestseller” Dee Power and Brian Hill, the authors, surveyed over 100 editors and agents to answer those questions.

*Previous Success is the Key Indicator of Future Success *

Editors and agents are in agreement that an author’s previous bestselling book is the key factor in determining future success.

*Quality of Writing is Paramount*

For writers yet to produce a bestseller, comfort can be taken in that both agents and editors rank quality of writing highly. Great writing wins out. However, there are no hard and fast criteria about what constitutes “great writing.” It comes down to subjective judgments made by individuals. Book reviewers may argue that a successful book by the very virtue of its sale’s success can not be considered great writing.

*Reviews, Whether Good or Bad, Don’t Count*

And speaking of reviews, the survey participants discounted the importance of reviews to nearly last place in sparking sales of a book. This contradicts the advice given to “new” authors that it is critical they get their books reviewed. These results could also indicate that as an author becomes more successful, has built a fan base and has had previous bestsellers, reviews decline in importance.

*Timeliness of Topic is of the Essence*

Old news is bad news when it comes to the subject of a book’s topic. Common sense dictates that there isn’t much interest in topics that have already been hashed over by the daily news media. Since book production takes from six to 12 months, it’s an amazing feat to get a book on a hot topic out to the market at just the right time.

*Word of Mouth and Fan Base*

Readers telling other readers about a fabulous book they’ve just read has a tremendous impact on success. Book buzz is priceless in the publishing industry. Authors on the upward sales track take their fans seriously.

*What’s Not As Important*

Reviews have already been mentioned as not having as great an effect on success. Promotional efforts whether those of the publishing house or the author’s, fall toward the lesser end of the scale in importance as well. Advertising doesn’t seem to be as important either.

*Money Doesn’t Count*

Contrary to popular belief, or perhaps it’s just wishful thinking on the part of the author, the size of the advance paid isn’t a significant factor to success.

The most important factors in a book’s success,

in order, are:

Previous book was a bestseller

Quality of writing

Timeliness of topic

Fan base

Word of mouth

Author’s promotion

Publicity

Reviews

Advertising

Size of advance

Brian Hill and Dee Power were inspired by their own publishing experiences to research and write “The Making of a Bestseller: Success Stories From Authors and the Editors, Agents and Booksellers Behind Them,” 2005, Dearborn Trade. Hill and Power have also co-authored two other nonfiction books and a novel, “Over Time.” The drama of high finance, hostile takeovers and vicious venture capitalists is interwoven with an emotionally engaging, nostalgic football story about friendships that last forever.