Essay Online

Many of my students shrug their shoulders at the beginning of the semester when I tell them that time is their best friend. Just like my students, too many writers struggle with their writing because they treat time as a four letter word. However time is not the enemy if you learn to use it wisely. Time can be a tremendous help when you write if you plan ahead. Making a wise use of your time is a three-step process.

First, allow yourself enough time to live with the idea you plan to write about. Do not write. Give yourself permission to jot down notes but it is wisest to simply make these hard copy (or handwritten) notes. You want to give your muse, your subconscious mind, your brain, or whatever part of you that does your heavy lifting when it comes to writing, time to work. During this time just go about your normal life and work on other tasks, writing and otherwise. There is no need to schedule time to simply think about your future writing task. It is going on whether or not you pay attention to it. However every day you can give yourself for this process will save you much time, energy, and agony later on. Trust me. I have been there and I know whereof I speak.

Second, once you have given your brain some time to work out your rough draft (or at least the bones of it) then it is time to start writing. However before you start writing you should work out a schedule for yourself. Set goals and limitations and then stick to them. Perhaps you will write for a set amount of time or you might rather set a certain page count for your goal. Some days it will be a struggle to meet your goal and other days it will be almost painful to stop when you have met your quota, but over time your brain and writing muscles will become accustomed to the goal and the writing will come easier and faster.

Third, and this is where you need to pull out your calendar, you need to plan your schedule so you have plenty of time for that initial period of thought, a workable writing schedule, and time for drafts as well as time for breaks between drafts. Writing and revising through multiple drafts is one of the essentials to improving your writing product but if you do not allow sufficient time between those drafts then you might as well not bother with drafts at all. You need to give your brain time to rest and you need to allow yourself some distance from the initial creation.

Time is a writer’s best friend but only if you plan ahead sufficiently to allow time to live with your writing idea, plan a workable schedule, and give yourself time off between drafts. Pulling out your calendar and planning out a writing schedule can be the single biggest step you take to improve your writing.

I am often asked, “How do you it? Where do you find the time to work a full time job and also write books?” The answer is simple. I make the time. However simple the answer might be, actually doing it can be quite difficult.

I get up at 5:15 every morning. The first thing I do is turn on my computer, and log into my office. I am the network administrator for an international shipping company. That means I have to make sure everything is working properly before anyone else logs into the system. I do what I need to do there, and then I exercise. Yes, that’s right, sit-ups, touching my toes (which I can still do!) buttock tucks, the whole nine yards. After that, I get myself ready for work.

Without fail, I meditate before I have breakfast. I credit my meditation practice with training me to have the concentration I need to write. After I eat, I leave for work.

I put in a full day, doing what network administrators do. Computers are my life at the office. I do anything and everything that needs to be done to keep an office of more than fifty people running smoothly. We also have international users that remotely log into our network. Part of my job is to make sure they are connecting properly, too.

Once I get home, I have some dinner. Then, I start my writing workday. Weekday evenings, I try to put in a few hours at the computer before going to bed. If I need help shifting out of the problems of my workday, I use music. I have a Bose Sound Machine and wireless headphones that help me shut out the world and get into my writing space. I reread a page or two of what I last wrote and hope that the next line will come. It usually does.

The lion’s share of the writing happens on weekends. I usually spend at least twelve hours on Saturday and Sunday at my computer. Sometimes, it can be longer. On Monday morning, the cycle starts over again. Oh, yes, I took a week’s vacation to work on Take Me There. I had an April 15th deadline.

I lost some ground last February when I got the flu and couldn’t write if my life depended on it! I had a fever of 103.4, the highest fever of my adult life! To catch up, I put in nine consecutive twelve to fifteen hour days working on my manuscript. I only stopped to go back to work on Monday, and to do the blogging week for Romantic Inks. Come Saturday, I will be back in the harness.

Now comes the real question! How do I do it? As I’m writing this, I’m thinking no one is going to believe I keep this schedule. But I do. I’ve been doing it for almost two years now, since I signed my first contract with Kensington. Once I hit the two year mark in June, I will have written three novels and two novellas budgeting my time as I do. I haven’t missed a deadline yet, not even when my mother passed away last June. I came home from the funeral with page proofs waiting for Sins and Secrets. I plunged in, read and corrected them.

There is a single driving force behind how I manage this. I am a writer. That is different than being an author. Being an author is an occupation. Being a writer is a vocation.

The intangible something inside that compels me to write is not at all comfortable. The words don’t start in my mind. They seem to well up from my chest. Sometimes it feels like an alien is about to burst out. I fully expect one day Sigourney Weaver will show up in her Ripley costume, gun in hand, ready to take me out!

No matter how tired I am, and trust me, I do get tired, I have to write. The alien inside me needs to be appeased, or it will eat me alive! I am amused by the number of people who have said to me that someday, they’re going to write a book. The only way to write a book is to sit down and do it! Procrastination does not a novel make. It doesn’t matter if it’s a blank page, or a white screen from Microsoft Word on a monitor, it has to be filled with words. Those words are the writer’s responsibility. No one is going to do it for you. You have to do it yourself.

Of course, along with the fire that burns in the heart of a writer, there also has to be technical skill. To become a published author, you have to not only want to write, you have to be able to write. It astonishes me at times when I meet people who can’t put three sentences together in a coherent paragraph and expect to get published. The competition is extraordinary. You have to be good to get published. Period! End of story!

Talent notwithstanding, you have to also be willing to do what I’m doing. There aren’t many published authors these days who can make a living wage writing. Certainly, I’m not one of them, at least not yet. That’s why I get up at 5:15 everyday. I have to pay my bills.

So, to finally answer the question I’ve been asked so many times, that’s how I do it. My way isn’t for everyone. But it’s working for me. I have the books to prove it!

Having difficulty to start writing an article? Actually, writing articles isn’t as hard as you may think. If you understand the rules of proper grammar, own a word processor or word processing software that includes a spell checker, writing articles becomes quite easy. You will find the following 7 tips useful to you.

1. One step at a time. This is a common mistake, especially by the newbies in article writing. Think about what you want to say, then ignoring about spelling or grammar, just write until you have said all that you wanted to say. When all’s done, then that’s when editing comes in.

2. Know your topic. Don’t be stressed over it. Knowing what you want to sell is not enough. Visit forums to find out what your customers are looking for. Answer their questions through your articles.

3. The length of your article. Articles should be between 300 and 750 words. Most word processors come with the “word count” tool, so make use of this tool.

4. Submission of your article. Do not submit your article immediately after you have completed it. Read it over and make sure you included all that you want to say, and most importantly, get someone else to read it, and sincerely accept any criticism from the reader.

5. The objective of your article. Remember, you are writing an article, not a sales letter. The article should inform and lead readers to your website, where the selling will begin at the website. You do not want to risk losing your credibility with articles that are obvious sales letters.

6. Stay focused. That is, make sure your article stays on track. Should you deviate from your original intention, make a note about the new article idea that you have accidentally found, and get back on track with your original plan.

7. Last but not least, write in simple and easy to understand language. In short, write like the way you talk. In this way, your personality will shine through, and this is the first step to building a relationship with your readers.

Writing a letter to your newspaper’s editor is a privilege that Americans have exercised since the early days of journalism. You need not be an expert about the topic at hand, but by adding your voice to the discussion you can help shape people’s opinions positively and constructively. Here are some tips to help you get your letter published:

1. Keep it short and sweet. Most newspapers and ezines put limitations on the number of words you can write. Generally, 200 words or less is common although some newspapers allow for up to 300 words. If you find these limitations to be too confining, consider offering your thoughts to the editor via an “op-ed” piece.

2. Keep it “libel-free.” You can criticize someone personally, but you may not libel them. Don’t expect your letter to receive the light of day if you slander or libel someone. Free speech does have its limits.

3. Use your own words. Sharp editorial staffs will recognize plagiarism in a moment. Speak from your heart, don’t quote others unless you are responding specifically to an article or previously submitted letter to the editor.

4. Show good taste. This one is difficult. What is tasteless to one, is a freely spoken opinion to another. Remember: you want to get the letter published, so curb your language accordingly.

You don’t have to agree with the newspaper or ezine’s policy regarding letters to the editor. Still, if you want to get published you must take into consideration whatever guidelines are offered.

Please note that you will be required to submit your name, address, and city as well as your phone contact information too. Some, not all, editors will allow you to be listed as “Name Withheld by Request” while others will want you to identify yourself with the words you wrote. So, think carefully about what you want to have printed as misused verbiage can come back to haunt you later on.

Certainly sometimes you are assigned with the topic, but sometimes you have the possibility to choose one. It seems so easy yet so many students either have failed their assignments or did not write the paper they wanted to because no interesting, exciting and challenging topic had been chosen. Many students follow some simple and mistaken route- they choose the topics according to its popularity-if it is popular nowadays to evaluate this event or research this subject, than it might be worth my while to write the term paper on this subject as well. However, your interest, the topic that attracts your attention is what matters.Once famous Chinese philosopher Confucius said: “Choose a job you like and you will never have to work a day in your life.” What pertains to the life in general, pertains to the process of writing and designing of your term paper. Your aptitude to the term paper as well as your enthusiasm and your eagerness with which you will research, depends on that.

Your term paper will be more interesting to read and will gain consequently more points if you choose the topic that really concerns you rather than pick up the topic that will leave you indifferent. Once you have chosen the term paper topic, you can start organizing it. Your topic, whatever subject you research should not be too broad. At this stage it might be advisable to consult with your tutor. He will be able to advise you on this point; however most of the tutors require making of the topic more specific. For example one should not choose the topic “History of American continent in the 20th century”. Unless you write some 100 pages book, you will not be able to research and write a detailed story of American continent of the 20th century. It might be advisable in this case to narrow your topic to the following: “The collapse of France and its influence on political life of American continent in 1940”.

However, one should not try to choose the topic that are highly specialized or too technician or on which there is not enough material. Once the topic of your term paper has been chosen, you can start investigating and researching available material to gain a term paper idea on the subject. Start with one of the most popular and one of the most convenient sources of the information- online network. However, you should be very cautious in using of different sites. Remember, that some of the sites contain outdated or not credible information, and some of them just advertise the product and do not provide any information. You can use many online libraries or databases that contain useful and credible sources.

Domains that have such endings as gov, edu, and org. should be considered more credible ones; however you should treat information on other websites cautiously. Do not forget that many tutors and some of the educational institutions might not recognize web sites as the credible and trustworthy source, so it you can turn to more traditional ones &ndashbooks and printed journals.Finally, whatever sources you use, read guides on plagiarism before you start using other sources for your term paper.

Start small work your way up. Take care of the little things and the big things will take care of themselves. Climb the ladder one rung at a time. Get your foot in the door and the rest will follow. Well worn platitudes all. But what does it have to do with writing?

Many writers think that the secret to getting published by a major house is working their way up. Write a book, get it published by a vanity/utility publisher and that’s the first rung on the ladder to success. But is it? Do these books count for anything other than massaging the ego of the writer that they are indeed now ‘published’?

No. The publishing industry doesn’t consider a vanity book as a writing credit because it hasn’t been vetted. No one has determined that the book is well written or has market value. Quite a few agents and publishers look down on a writer that includes a vanity book in their resume as being unprofessional and na

When it comes to SEO and a stream of long term traffic to your site there really is only one way to go.

Articles are the best way to ensure that you have constant links to your site circling the web with a one time only input from yourself. And the best thing about article writing is that it doesn’t cost you a penny &ndash in any currency.

Here’s how it works:

-make a list of the things that you know enough about to be able to write a helpful and informative article on.

-Brainstorm the points that the article needs to cover,

-choose 3 or 4 main points and write a few sentences around them that can qualify them as ‘valuable content’

-put all that together into an article of around no more than 800 words (you don’t want to bore people away) 500-600 is best practice.

-close your notebook and leave it for a couple of days.

Why? Do you remember when you were in school and the teacher always used to tell you to ‘make sure you read over your work.’ Well they were right. If you submit your article straight away you will inevitably come back to it later and think to yourself that this sentence doesn’t make sense or that you could have worded that better. If you give yourself some time away from it and then come back with ‘fresh eyes’ you will be in a much better position to objectively critique your work.

Once you are happy with your article copy you will need to submit it to article and ezine directories so that editors and site owners can pick it up and use it as content in their own sites.

There are two ways to do this.

a) You can manually submit your article to your preferred sites which means that you will have total control over who your article goes to or

b) You can use automatic article submission. Submitting your article automatically will save you hours once you get going as you will only need to submit your article once and the website or software that you use will then take over to add it to thousands of lists.

The choice is yours but it’s pretty much a no brainer…

Make sure that you close each article with some information about yourself which lets people know that they are free to use your article and also tells them a little about you including a link or two to your own site(s). This is known as a signature box.

Along with providing good quality content a signature box is the whole reason for you writing the article as it will let people know that you are a leader in your field and where they can find out more about you and your business.

Once your articles start to circulate you will find that the number of visitors to your site will grow and so, therefore, will the revenue you make.

Articles are a great way to position yourself as a leader in your field, so be sure to write about what you know about. Don’t try to make things up as people will be able to tell and you will not be taken seriously.

The more articles you publish, the more links you will have to your site and the better your search engine ranking will be and your bank balance.

Happy Writing

Denise Hamilton

You’ve just completed a writing course. Perhaps recently graduated from college. Maybe your career has finally ended, and now that you’ve reached retirement you’re free to pursue your long-awaited dream of writing a book. You can’t wait to rush to the computer and finally get started on this long-held dream.

Slow down or you’ll find yourself in the clutches of that dread disease, Writer’s Block.

You don’t want to join the many hopefuls who sit and stare, their typing fingers paralyzed as they face a blank computer screen…their grand ideas shattered by the forbidding glower of that empty screen.

To avoid placing yourself in that position, you have some major decisions to make: What is it you want to write? How do you want to present your thoughts? Will fiction or nonfiction work best? All of that sounds rather elementary, doesn’t it?

It is, but these are essential exercises if you want to become a proficient writer and avoid an author’s greatest nemesis - writer’s block. As I state in my latest book The Writer Within You, careful planning is the best “medication” to help you avoid that frightening disease.

Fiction or Nonfiction?

As you begin developing your idea, a key consideration is whether you choose to write fiction or nonfiction. You have something you hope to pass on to your readers, probably something very specific taken from the deep well of your life experience, family history or career. The latter is very popular among retired writers who are reluctant to sever all connections with their former careers.

Among the questions you must ask yourself is whether your writing tends to be more journalistic or more fanciful in style. Can it best be presented in a strictly factual context or will a fictitious setting better serve what you choose to write?

If you are leaning toward fiction, can you flesh out a first-rate plot? Do you have the sensitivity and the insight to fine tune characters and settings? Are you able to create dialogue that reflects the nature of your characters and their relationships to others in the book? If the answers are both honest and positive, then you can decide among the many subgenres of fiction. Will you write a novel, a mystery, a series of short stories?

When you embark on the nonfiction route, the decisions you face differ somewhat. It is important to determine whether the topic you choose is timely and whether there is a substantial audience interested in that topic. Make sure your knowledge of the subject is fully up to date. Many retirees, for example, don’t stop to think that the world they knew in their working years has progressed to new levels.

Head to the library or to the Web. Do your research carefully. Make no assumptions that you are fully knowledgeable on a specific topic. Always remember that the key to writing successful nonfiction is content. To a publisher or to a reader looking for information, your understanding of the subject and your ability to explain it is of far greater consequence than the style in which you write.

Searching for Ideas

Many people have only a general idea of what they want to write about. Some are more fortunate and are eager to tackle a specific subject or issue. Possibilities abound everywhere. Start by looking right within your own home or within your circle of friends and acquaintances.

Perhaps you have a unique sibling…or even a unique relationship with a sibling. That can be the nucleus of a fascinating book or article. You may have some special ideas about parenting, developed during your years of raising a family. Have you experienced the trauma of a serious illness in the family? How did you and the other members cope? Your home and your family can generate a number of different ideas. Look carefully, and you will discover them.

Similarly, the workplace can offer endless possibilities. Trade journals are hungry for informative content. From the technical side of your job to interactions with fellow workers, from ethical workplace issues to managerial skills, all of these and more are grist for your writing mill.

Hobbies, sports and other pastimes are excellent subjects to consider if you are particularly knowledgeable about one of them.. You can place articles in the many magazines that are devoted exclusively to these subjects if you choose not to write a complete book.

Whether you are twenty-some, a baby boomer or a senior, your life has been filled with endless numbers of interesting events and contacts that can provide excellent starting points for writing either fiction or nonfiction. You’ve visited unique locations, met unusual characters, attended fascinating events…all of these are there for the calling. Summon up those memories, and get your computer’s keyboard chattering away.

Idea Resources

There are many helpful resources to stimulate your mind, and assist you to zero in on the best choice. Considered the freelancer’s bible by many, Writer’s Digest is an 1175-page compendium, revised annually, that lists 50 categories of consumer magazines and 60 types of trade journals. Whether you are planning an article or a book, it is an invaluable tool to trigger ideas as you range through subjects from Animal Lovers to Women’s Periodicals in the consumer section and from Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations to Veterinary Medicine in the trades.

A number of other helpful directories are available in your library’s reference room, and of course, browsing subjects on the Internet’s major search engines offers you an overwhelming selection of ideas. If that’s not enough to get you started, personalized coaching for your writing is available. You can find some of my fellow book coaches by searching the Web.

So toss aside the excuses and roll up your sleeves for several hours of concentrated research. Be sure to file away every idea that interests you for use now or in the future. The majority of my former students find it impossible to stop once they publish what they write. There’s a very strong likelihood that after your initial exposure to the wonderful world of writing, you’ll be hooked, and want to do it again and again.

There’s a television commercial, I believe it’s for E-trade, that talks about how nobody wants to be an ordinary…fill in the blank. Supposedly we aspire to be better. Nobody wants to be an ordinary athlete, nobody wants to be an ordinary investor. A photo of Hemingway flashes across the screen and it says “nobody wants to be an ordinary writer”. That made me pause. I wasn’t so sure about that.

You see, I am struck by how often I hear from writers who want to know if their current project is worth the effort. Basically they want to know if they can sell it. There’s no passion behind their idea. No writing for the love of writing. They’re willing to abandon an idea based on my say so or someone else’s. Somehow I don’t think John Steinbeck, when he was writing East of Eden went around asking anyone if it was worth the effort. In fact, I am inspired by what a reviewer said of that novel when it was published. “A novel planned on the grandest possible scale…One of those occasions when a writer has aimed high and then summoned every ounce of energy, talent, seriousness, and passion of which he was capable…”

I keep that quote in front of me as I write my next novel. I hope I’m aiming high. I’d rather aim high and miss than aim low and be ordinary. I’d like to challenge you to aim for greatness in your next project. If you’re not sure how to do so, here are a few tips that may help.

Seek Out Good Teachers

Shooting for greatness can be a lot harder when you don’t have the guidance and support of a strong teacher or writing coach. A good teacher will see you as a person as well as a writer which helps them to know what you are truly capable of. A good teacher will know when to push you and when to hold back. Many years ago I had a teacher who discouraged me from starting a novel. I was new to understanding my powers as a writer and he feared that I wouldn’t be able to finish what I started and give up writing altogether. He was right. I probably wouldn’t have finished back then. I was too immature.

I picked that teacher because after hearing him speak I instinctively knew he had the pieces I was looking for then to establish myself as a writer. Likewise it may help you to assess where your writing stands and what you need to learn to get your work to the next level. Don’t be afraid to interview an instructor before you take a class to see if you can get what you’re looking for.

Complete One Project

You may have a zillion ideas in your head right now. Choose one and complete it. Why? Because you will learn so much from sticking with one project and bringing it to fruition, even if it doesn’t get published. You’ll learn how to work with ideas, you’ll learn what to do when you get stuck, you’ll learn more about your own writing habits and your strengths and weaknesses. Have you ever gone to a museum and seen the drawings that an artist makes as “studies” in preparation for a larger painting? This is kind of the same idea. Once you get to your larger canvas, you’ll be better prepared to write your masterpiece!

Set Big Goals for Your Next Project

Okay, next you have to think BIG. What kind of book would be challenging and exciting for you to write? A massive 4-volume biography of a historical figure? A 500-page Civil War epic that spans 3 generations? (And don’t say the Civil War has been done before! Check out E.L. Doctorow’s The March and see how new creativity can enliven an old idea.) How about a romance novel good enough to win a National Book Award? Whatever your shot at greatness will be, the only requirement is that it’s something that you will absolutely love writing. Otherwise you won’t want to keep going when the going gets tough.

Remember to bring originality to your ideas. I recently read a piece that was adequately written, but every single sentence and expression had already been said in songs and other works. That’s not always a bad thing, but this author had done nothing to make the work her own. This is the kind of thing that can cause a manuscript to be rejected and the writer would be totally baffled because she thought she had written well. It takes more than a pretty sentence for a work to be great.

Read Other Great Work

You will hear this A LOT from me as well as many editors and literary agents: if you’re going to be a great writer, you must read. Always read great writing so you will be reminded of what’s possible with the language. Good writing can become almost like a tune in your head and you’re programming yourself to play that tune when you get in front of your computer screen. Now that doesn’t mean you’ve got someone else’s voice in your head and you’re writing in a Stephen King or E.L. Doctorow persona! It does mean that you can read your work back to yourself and recognize when you’ve hit a wrong note. In reading you’ll also learn how authors work with big picture ideas and themes–the kind of stuff that adds layers of depth and interest to a book.

Disconnect from Thoughts of Money

I know making money is important, but it can also be a huge distraction. For now, unplug from that impulse that makes you want to think about how much you can sell this project for or whether you can sell the movie rights to it. There will be time enough for all that when you have finished your great work. Of course, sometimes thinking about the finish line can be what motivates you. Maybe having a copy of a big fat royalty check on your bulletin board keeps you going. That’s okay. But if you find yourself trying to sell the book before you’ve made any headway into the project, beware. What if you did sell it at that point? Then you’d be caught up in meeting a deadline and meeting expectations. Those aren’t exactly ideal conditions under which to deliver a pacesetting work.

One last note: Even if your book project is not meant for the general public–maybe you’re writing a book for your children, for instance–that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have similarly high standards. After all, whatever you create is going to go out there with your name on it. That fact alone can inspire you to make your book the best that it can be.