Archive for February, 2009

Writing Process: One Size Does Not Fit All

February 5, 2009 - 7:50 am

Developing an individual writing process is a key part of becoming a real writer. If you want to learn and grow as a writer then you must work to develop a unique writing process. If you want to be a more productive writer and for your work to improve then you must develop a unique writing process.

While most writing processes contain the same basic elements, each individual writing process is as individual as the writer it serves. Each writing process contains these steps: brainstorming, organizing, writing, revising and editing. Some people condense the essentials into only three parts: brainstorming and organization as one, writing, and then revising and editing as the final step. While you may well end up with some variation of a writing process that is close to the latter I think when you are first individualizing your writing process you should start with the five distinct steps.

How do you begin to develop your own unique writing process? You must write — a lot — and you must experiment with different methods and different styles and different variations within each of the five steps. Even if you find the “idea” of one experiment to be uncomfortable or unwieldy then you must still give it a try because that might be the key to unlocking your own successful style.

This is especially important when it comes to the first step in the process — generating ideas. Experiment with all the variations of brainstorming you hear about from free writing, clustering, questioning, listing and journaling as well as the many other options out there.

After you have spent time brainstorming it is important to begin putting those ideas into some semblance of organization. Sometimes you will need to do this on paper and sometimes it can be done in your head. You may be able to do some rough organization with arrows, numbers or highlighting or perhaps you might need to use note cards or a computer program. Again, experimentation is key to find the method that works best for you.

The actual writing portion of your writing process should be the easiest and least painful. Remember, you will take care of revision and editing later on so you only need to worry about filling your required allotment of pages. Do not slow down your creative process by self editing as you write. Just let it flow and sort it out later.

Some writers combine revision and editing but I like to separate these steps. In my mind, revision is the heavy lifting where you continue to write and rewrite as well as refine and reorganize. Most of my writing involves multiple drafts in the revision stage.

I personally consider editing to deal with those fine, picky details such as spelling, grammar, and punctuation. It might to some extent involve word choice but usually those details are dealt with during revision. Do not forget to read your work out loud at this point to catch awkward sentence and paragraph structure.

And that is how you can develop your own personal writing process. Do not forget: Developing an individual writing process is key to your development and success as a writer.

My Adventure With Creative Writing

February 3, 2009 - 5:35 pm

During my last semester of college I had a few hours that I got to fill with elective classes. I had heard good things about the professor who taught Creative Writing and so I signed up for the class without too much thought about the content of the class or what it would require of me. Little did I know when I signed up that the Creative Writing class would be one of the hardest of my entire college experience.

I entered the class on the first day of the semester and was surrounded by what appeared to be all English and Art double majors. I tried to shake the fact that I was surrounded by people who write excessive amounts of poetry and gripping short stories for fun, but I just couldn’t do it. In my mind all I could think about was the inevitable failures that were to come as I glanced at the syllabus of assignments for the months ahead. I even calculated my credits for graduation on the evening after that first class to see if there was any way that I could graduate without taking Creative Writing class.

Because I needed the credits, and quite honestly because I was intrigued by my classmates, I entered the classroom on the second day of class and on each day that Creative Writing met for the entire semester. It proved to be the most challenging classroom of my education. Each time I entered it was with a mixture of fear and excitement. I felt fear because I knew that each day things were required of me in Creative Writing that I had never experienced before, yet I was excited because I had so rarely been challenged to think, really think, before.

The first half of the semester Creative Writing was focused entirely on poetry. I spent many late nights and many tear filled afternoons working on writing poems. It didn’t come easily for me like it did for all of my classmates. Poetry was what naturally came from their mouths everytime they talked. I was certainly not used to making my words sound beautiful or intentional. The goal of our poetry section in Creative Writing was to come up with ten polished poems that each met different requirements.

After the torture of poetry we moved on to writing short stories and scripts. This half of Creative Writing class proved no less challenging for me. I struggled every day until the last assignment had been turned in.

In the end, Creative Writing was not only the most difficult class I had ever taken, it was also my favorite.

5 Reasons to Start Writing a Research Paper in Summer

February 3, 2009 - 3:32 pm

Half summer is gone. You had enough time to experience its beauty and enjoy the long-expected freedom to the fullest. Another half is ahead. Don’t you think it is high time to settle down and find the way to make your studies in the coming year much easier?

Writing a research paper will be the perfect match for this objective.

Do not feel like writing a research paper? Then leave your feelings aside and let your mind work instead. Then you will definitely see that there is great use in writing a research paper on vacation. In fact, writing a research paper in summer has far more benefits than you could imagine.

Reason #1

In the middle of July going to the beach, hanging out with friends, and common outing to cafes does not seem exciting and cool anymore. The little treats you dreamed of a couple months ago now seem run-off-the-mill and dull. It is high time to make changes in your daily activities.

Don’t you find writing a research paper a nice alternative to got-used-to activities? You could start looking for research paper topics, do a preliminary research and come out with an outline for your paper ahead of everyone else in your class. In other words, you could start writing a research paper and still enjoy your vacation at the same time.

Reason #2

You must have heard from your forerunners or learned it from your own experience that writing a research paper is a tiresome and time-consuming task. It involves creating drafts, thinking of a good research paper topic, developing an outline, and writing good introduction, body and conclusion.

As your workload at school increases every year, you will be spinning like a soccer ball, trying to meet a deadline, find relevant information, and fulfill all requirements for research paper writing when time finally comes.

However, you can escape the trap so many students fall into and write a research paper without deadline pressure by simply starting your work on it in summer. It is a proven way to escape a rush before the deadline and write a reward-winning research paper.

Reason #3

Another consequence of the huge workload at schools and colleges is that quite often students do not find enough time to explore their research paper topics from cover to cover. Not only the students get poor grades for their research papers and leave loads of information beyond their attention, but also find the assignment dull and tedious.

If you do want to have the outstanding knowledge and derive satisfaction from your research paper, start writing it in summer. You can explore the research paper topics in libraries, figure out which one is to your liking, come out with research paper ideas or make some other preparations.

If you continue the work on the research paper on a regular basis during the studies you will get the desired effect, namely a deep knowledge of the subject under consideration.

Remember that knowledge you gain today is a nice investment in your future.

Reason #4

Do you know that people with books in their hands seem to be more intelligent, smart and broad-minded? Actually, they create a far more positive image than those who dislike reading. Why am I saying this? It’s just that you can turn this fact to your own advantage.

Let us make it out. Your major tool in writing a research paper is either a book, or a note book. Take them everywhere with you and who knows, probably, they will help you meet your sweetheart or just make a useful acquaintance. Moreover, people around will pay more attention to you, which can greatly help boosting your self-esteem.

So, arm yourself with a sophisticatedly-named book, like “Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London”, and be sure to knock out the person you are aiming at :-)

Reason #5

Last but not least, writing a research paper in summer can boost your confidence and self-esteem greatly. Think what a great sensation it is when you know that your summer was not spent in vain and you managed to overcome your own laziness. It may inspire you to other challenges that will lead to great success.

Moreover, your parents, friends, and teachers will be astonished when you will be boasting of your achievements on the 1st of September. Surely, you will impress everyone with your thoughtful approach to your academic writing.

Hope these reasons assured you of the importance of writing a research paper in summer and you will spend the rest of your vacation with your future research paper in your mind.

Of course, it doesn’t mean that you should beaver away at studies round the clock. Summer is still summer. It is meant for fun and recreation. Still, make sure that you spend the vacation with some benefit for your studies, namely writing a research paper!

Why Do So Many Lawyers Write Novels?

February 3, 2009 - 2:06 pm

Ever wonder why so many lawyers write novels? And very successful ones at that? Just think of John Grisham and Scott Turow, both of whom have written exciting, entertaining stories that grab hold of us until the very last page.

Both men have had active legal careers in the criminal courts. Every day, they have dealt [literally] with life and death issues. Every day, they have witnessed the brutal effects of crime upon victims, families and upon the lives of the perpetrators and their families.

Often crime is a matter of fiery emotion erupting into the apparent ‘normality’ of everyday life. The law tries hard and does much to maintain that ordered calm Yet, while we prize that peaceful vision, every one is tantalized by the prospect of what lies beneath it. The eruption of its opposite fascinates us. ‘Madness’ we call it. Of course, it exists in others but never in us, so far as we are aware.

Now put a lawyer into the situation where he or she is dealing with these highly emotional stakes and is at the same time is trying to maintain some sort of order. What effect does this exposure have on a human being? Of course, it can lead to burn out or the choice of another occupation. Some lawyers harden themselves and just get on with the job and hide the effects upon themselves in some dark dungeon of the psyche.

Other lawyers see this as an opportunity and undoubtedly, it fulfils a need. In fact, law practice gives him or her a wonderful window on humanity. Every day, the lawyer deals with murder, theft and fraud. He sees the worst of human nature and strives to find the best and achieve a balance. How can that lawyer not think about and comment upon that? How can she not draw conclusions from what she experiences and learns from such dramatic situations?

Most of us go from day to day in the ‘normal’ tangible world, acting as if that is all that exists. We have our families, our houses and our cars. We go to the office, the mall, the movies and out to restaurants. But deep down, we recognize somewhere in us that there is much more to life and human nature than meets the eye. Every day, the newspaper tells us so. We read that last night, a man raped an elderly woman and stole ten dollars from her purse and a mother took the life of her child. There must be a whole other dimension to life, but not ours.

I like to think that there is much more to human life than meets the eye. Joseph Campbell, an author [a mythologist, not a novelist] I greatly admire said that “The latest incarnation of Oedipus, the continued romance of Beauty and the Beast, stands this afternoon on the corner of Forty-second Street and Fifth Avenue, waiting for the traffic light to change.”

Oedipus? You know, the one who lent his name to the mother complex. What on earth could Campbell have meant? Simply this, that each and every one of us [whether or not we are conscious of it] is acting out all the great mythological themes and dramas in our lives. And the lawyer has a front row seat on the action. How could they not write about it? Such work is tremendously popular because we like to glimpse that side of human nature from the safety of an armchair.

Now, I am just an estates lawyer. I have never had a murder or rape trial. But, in my practice I have seen the inmost workings of families. For example, when a parent dies, I have learned that there is often far more at work than just a tidy accounting. In other cases, I have seen almost every variation upon elder abuse, whether it is physical, financial or emotional. This is just another form of murder or rape.

An estate lawyer is witness to and participant in every conceivable human relationship and interaction at a highly volatile time. And so, that has been my window on the world and the inspiration for three novels: Conduct in Question, Final Paradox and A Trial of One, all part of the Osgoode Trilogy, in which I like to explore the effects of this dark side of humanity on Harry Jenkins.

Who is Harry? He is an estates lawyer and the protagonist of the trilogy, in which there’s plenty of murder and fraud in estate distribution. Indeed, I’ve thrown plenty of questions at him, such as how much money is enough? Can love and forgiveness be found amid fraud and deceit and must you be selfless to be compassionate?

And so, the question is really, how can a lawyer not be inspired to write especially when he or she is witness to so much of human relations?

Article Writing - Key Phrase Optimization

February 3, 2009 - 1:47 pm

Ok, I have to review a lot of articles that are submitted to my article directories and those that writers send me as samples of their work. Those applying for a job as a writer want to impress me with their ability to optimize the sample article I give them for the key phrase I assign.

In doing so they send me a sample where every sentence begins with the key phrase. Or one sentence ends with the key phrase and the next sentence begins with the same key phrase.

There are a lot of webmasters buying this type of content on the web. They think that the number of times the key phrase is in the article is way more important than the actual content and the article’s readability.

Because these webmasters BELIEVE they know about SEO and article marketing, they request this keyword density as if it is the most important thing.

Then writers that are new to the web and who want to please their customers do as they have been asked to do. After all the customer is paying for it. So give them what they want right?

Wrong. I may be a total pain in the butt, but my clients know that when they request something and I don’t agree with it because I know it won’t help them, I speak up and let them know how they could benefit more by doing it a different way.

Being a yes-man is not what these clients need. They need someone who spends time to learn what does or does not work and who will advise them on the best approach to SEO or article marketing.

Write the article for the reader first and SEO second. you will find that you will naturally include that key phrase where it is appropriate to do so. Read it over after you finish and see if there is a spot or two where you could have added the key phrase without the article being spammy to the reader.

It can be done. Our writers do it all the time for our clients. You can too.

How To Create Traffic Online With Article Marketing

February 1, 2009 - 9:09 pm

The main function of many WebPages is to deliver information of value. People use search engines to find web pages that deliver information of value to them. This is where articles come in. Articles are used to give information of value to the online surfer. This demand for such articles converts them to an important marketing tool.

A Simple Process

Article marketing is a simple process. First you have to write an article that is of great value to the readers. Then you add a bio at the end of it and a couple of links within the body. Viola! You are ready to go. This dramatically affects the amount of traffic going to your website and even increases your search engine ranking. More people pour into your site from search engines as well.

The article should be anywhere between 250 &ndash 1000 words, though larger articles are permissible as well. Do not be blatantly promotional. Up to three links are generally allowed. Make the information useful. A bio of 75 &ndash 150 words is generally one that works well.

Proofread all your articles carefully. The smallest errors need to be avoided as they damage your reputation online. To create traffic online with article marketing, submit your articles to sites like ghostwriters.com, articlewheel.com and isnare.com. These sites charge a nominal fee. The quantity of articles you write matters here. The more articles are written, the better.

Work Towards a Great Headline

Invest your time towards writing a great headline. A headline is what noticed first when you create traffic online with article is marketing. It is what draws a reader to read your article or overlook it. Naturally you must work on the headline as the most important part of the article. Use credible words. Be specific, believable and beneficial.

Invest Time in a Signature/Bio

The Bio is the second most important part of the article after the headline. The anchor text in the bio should include the phrase that you want to rank highly on in search results. If you want to rank highly on “New York Lawyers”, make sure that it is a part of the bio and features as the anchor text that links back to your website.

Register a Google Alert For Your Article

Within 3-4 days Google will start showing you where your article appears. You will be surprised and even amazed at the results. Google alerts also let you track down article thieves that copy your work.

The Time Consuming Part of Article Submission

The most time consuming part when you create traffic online with article marketing is the initial registration. Once this is done you can easily submit articles to the same directories using the same username and password.

Submitting an article to 50 article directories should generate over 200 backlinks within 3-6 months.

Bookmark the Web Pages with Your Articles

To create traffic online through article marketing, bookmark the web pages with your articles with popular bookmark sites, for example digg.com and del.icio.us, these sites are growing in popularity by the day. Adding social bookmark links to your articles makes it easy for readers to find your content. It’s also enjoyable, simple and efficient. You can use this Social Bookmarking Tool .expertarticles.com/bookmark/ to bookmark your articles with more than 50+ social bookmarking sites. You can also add the “Bookmark It” button on your web site so your visitors will be able to bookmark it with most Popular Bookmarking Services.

Writing - Job Or Hobby?

February 1, 2009 - 1:40 pm

Writing is a part of everyone’s life. Every one of us has had to write an article, a composition or a letter to a loved one, at least once in our lives. In schools, it is as common task as learning how to count or memorize multiplication tables. Yet as people grow old, some continue on to write until old age while some completely shun writing as if it’s a burden one needs to keep away from as much as possible. The difference between who you are among the two is how you answer the question, “Is writing a hobby or a job for you?” The answer you give could tell you of your perspective of the written form of art.

Job or Hobby?

When does writing become a job then? Some may think that when you get paid then it becomes work. But why then did the great poets of times past who died miserable, alone and broke continued to write until they were on their deathbed? By this example alone you could deduce that writing may still be a hobby even if you are great author as long as the passion and the love for writing is there. But once other factors affect that passion for writing then it’s a different story altogether. Apparently, some great writers have been burned out at least one time in their lives because of the pressure to beat the deadline, the anxiety of having to please the readers and the dreadful idea of not living up to the expectations that surrounds a best-selling writer.

Searching for the Reasons Why One Writes

So then how do you keep the passion to write a love letter, the fervor to churn out poetry and essays, or to still beat the deadline without having to feel that writing is a heavy burden? How do you make writing a productive exercise and still to still call writing a hobby? There are many ways to respond to the posed questions above, but the simplest and most efficient way is to ask yourself, to ask that writer within you what reasons you have that you bothered to continue writing in a journal, a daily diary or on pieces of paper around your flat when in fact no one asked you to. Searching the inner soul could produce many definite answers for you. Maybe you view writing as a way to blow steam off on bad days, or maybe you chose to write your dreams because you want to preserve a memory of yourself, afraid that when you get older, you would somehow become this senseless, disconnected person. Or maybe writing for you is a form of release or expression.

Whatever the reason is, you have to ask yourself if you still have it in you and if the tides of time have not washed away that passion and the reason for that passion to write. If you could answer that positively, then you’ll always be able to view writing as a hobby, as an activity that you will always cherish to do no matter what is going on in your life. A true writer will always write because of internal reasons, whether you are a novice playwright, a successful novelist, or a child who keeps a diary.