Each winter I escape from the frozen tundra of Michigan to the warm, sunny climate of central Florida. For the past three years, I’ve chosen to stay at a vacation home in Kissimmee (very close to Walt Disney World) rather than my usual Disney resort hotel. Why? Because a vacation home feels like a retreat and allows me to really relax, rather than run myself ragged. I still go to the Disney parks (of course), but my day starts with an inexpensive breakfast made in my home’s kitchen and possibly a dip in the pool, and ends with a movie on my home’s big-screen TV and a soak in the hot tub. This is a REAL vacation … I get the Disney parks for fun and the vacation home for relaxation.

This is not to say that I dislike or discourage others from staying at Disney resort hotel — quite the contrary. But each vacation is different, even those taken by the same person. Disney resort hotel stays are great when you want to be in the middle of the magic (and avoid seeing International Drive or US-192), take advantage of on-property perks like Extra Magic Hours, and have easy access to the services of a hotel. But when you want (or need) to relax, it isn’t always the best choice — when you stay on-property, there’s often a sense of urgency to get to the parks early and stay late (especially with evening Extra Magic Hours), and the resort hotels are not usually quiet, calm places, what with their popularity. So what makes a vacation home so relaxing? Read on…

Space.
Probably the single most compelling reason that I stay at a vacation home is the space it offers. My family can spread out without stepping on toes. Depending on the vacation home you choose, you can have separate bedrooms for adults and kids — including separate bathrooms — plus dedicated kitchens, living rooms, game rooms, TV rooms, and even a pool and hot tub. There’s nothing quite so luxurious as being able to take a dip in your private pool before breakfast, or to watch the morning news (or, in our case, “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse”) on a big-screen TV while you fix breakfast in a full-size kitchen with full-size appliances.

On my latest vacation home visit, my family and I returned to the exact same house that we used the previous year. I already knew I loved the house from our previous visit, and the home was now familiar to me and my family. The vacation home has several bedrooms and bathrooms, living room, kitchen, game room, home theater room, computer with Internet access, washer/dryer, a screened patio with a pool and hot tub, and even a kids’ playset in the backyard. It was nice for my husband to be checking mail on the computer upstairs while my son played with Legos in the living room and I enjoyed a cup of coffee at the dining room table.

I should note that housekeeping is not generally included in vacation home rentals, though you can often purchase the service for an extra fee. Honestly, I don’t need it — I have no problems hanging my towels up to dry or popping my dishes into the dishwasher. I must also admit that I like the lack of interruptions from a housekeeper — I always find it a bit annoying when the housekeeper knocks on my hotel room door too early, or I feel pressured to leave the room so s/he can clean. But if housekeeping is important to you, do keep this in mind.

Separation.
Not only does all the space give us some separation from each other when needed (hey, when you live and work together 24/7 like my husband and I do, you need some space once in while!), but it offers separation from the hustle and bustle, too. When I came “home,” I left behind the frenzy of the parks and the glare of the tourist traps. It’s quiet and peaceful at a vacation home. No kids running along the corridor outside your room; no loud TVs or alarm clocks in the room next door.

On my most recent trip, I really appreciated coming home at night to a quiet house. Putting my son to sleep was easy as he had his own room (he likes it dark and quiet). After he was in bed, we had the run of the house and didn’t need to worry about waking him up. When I was in the mood for some magic, I looked out the back window — I could see “Mt. Everest” (Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom) in the distance. I really felt like I could breathe easier at this vacation home.

Savings.
It’s easier to relax when you’re saving money, and vacation homes can offer excellent savings over Disney resort hotels. You’ll find the savings are especially good when you travel with a large family or a group (but, of course, with all those people it might not be quite as relaxing!). Rates for Orlando vacation homes generally start at around $100/night for condos/townhomes and around $200/night for vacation homes with their own pool and spa. You can stay at a motel or (occasionally) a Disney value resort for less, but that’s it — everything else is more expensive and usually offers FAR less room (and beds) than a vacation home.

When you stay in a vacation home, you do need to rent a car — if you don’t normally do this, you need to factor it into the cost comparisons. You may be able to get a free rental car with your vacation home rental.

The most telling factor is how I felt AFTER my vacation. Unlike most other trips when I return home feeling like I need another vacation, after a stay at a vacation home I always feel well-rested.

About the Author: Jennifer Marx is the author of over 40 print books, including the award-winning, best-selling PassPorter Walt Disney World guidebook. She is married to author Dave Marx and mom to two kids who love Disney. Read more of Jennifer’s articles on Disney and general travel at http://www.passporter.com and in the popular Disney discussion forums.

If you are anything like me you have heard that phrase all your life, usually from well meaning parents, teachers, family and friends, who in turn probably learnt it from the same sources that you did. Let me ask you something - how happy and wealthy are you and all those arm chair experts today?

I used to believe that “money can’t buy happiness” too until I realized that having money, preferably lots of it, certainly goes a long way towards actually making you feel very happy indeed. Which would you prefer-being wealthy and happy or being broke and happy? I know which one I would prefer.

We sometimes get so hung up with all these different beliefs that without us even realizing it we are subconsciously undermining ourselves and living our lives by them. i.e. Money doesn’t grow on trees, rich people are greedy, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer and millions more. These are all designed to keep us living with a poverty mentality and in turn we pay the price for it in terms of our lifestyle, health and relationships. Lack of money can put tremendous stress on families and relationships. It is one of the major causes of the breakdown of a relationship, not to mention what it can do to a persons actual health and well being. We become so consumed with our own financial problems that we operate in survival mode and are really not much use to anyone.

Many of us focus so much of our attention on past negative events that we have no room left to even consider making constructive changes for the better. Usually we are not even aware that we are doing this as it has become such an ingrained habit. What are you thinking about right now? Are you thinking thoughts that are inspiring you to create a better way of life, or are you still playing the blame game and the poor me game. You may freely choose what you think about but keep in mind that what you persistently think about you bring about, whether it is wanted or not.

By making a conscious effort to tune in to what you are thinking about you will become aware of the self limiting beliefs that are probably dominating your thought patterns. A good way to start to become aware of your thoughts is to use a trigger to remind you to check what you are thinking about. For instance every time you look at your watch, ask yourself what was I just thinking about, or maybe the trigger for you could be whenever you see a certain bird, or whenever you open the fridge door-you decide what works best for you. You will be amazed at how often you will catch yourself thinking of something that is very self limiting. The more you practice doing this the more you will become aware of what your predominant thoughts are and then you can start using those triggers to shift your attention away from those self limiting beliefs to what you truly desire in your life.

If you have read this far you are obviously ready to learn new concepts and create true wealth and well being in all areas of your life. The ideal is to learn to master money and have it work for you as opposed to you working for it.

Alison Bolger has been studying and teaching self improvement and wealth creation including teaching business and personal development for over 20 years. Alison’s passion is researching and sharing the wealth of resources and knowledge she has acquired over the years. To read more tips and techniques like the ones in this article please click here: http://www.learnwealthysecrets.com

This belief could have stemmed from an experience that our parents or grandparents had, and so it is passed on through the generations. Even though today we may know that this is a belief that no longer serves us, at some subconscious level it could still be preventing us from creating the wealth we are entitled to.

Do you have any idea where it could be impacting your life now?

Let’s take a look at where you are right now. Are you totally happy and fulfilled in every area of your life? I’ll take a guess and say that maybe there is room for improvement somewhere, as otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this article. Which brings me to another point. You are reading this article because at some level you attracted this information to you. You are open and ready to learn new concepts on how to create a better life for yourself in some way.

If you currently do not have the wealth you want, let’s take a look at some of the beliefs that could be preventing you from achieving this. Maybe you grew up in a household where there was very little money and you were constantly being bombarded with-money doesn’t grow on trees, we can’t afford it, money isn’t everything etc, etc. There could have been arguments over some of these issues. Maybe you had your heart set on a toy that everyone else had but your parents couldn’t afford to buy one for you. Some of these issues probably left you feeling very upset, stressed and humiliated. Your emotions would probably have come into the equation and possibly left a permanent scar deep in your subconscious. Once the emotions become involved it can then lead to all sorts of issues and you may find you now link pain to money without even realizing you are doing it.

I personally grew up in a family where we had to pretend we were wealthy even though we were not. As I grew older it took me a long time to realize that I was still so busy pretending I was wealthy that I had no time or energy left to actually create my own wealth. Believe me it was exhausting keeping up that pretense.

One way of tuning in to your underlying beliefs is to start paying attention to what you are thinking about. Maybe next time you go to the supermarket notice what your reaction is when it comes to buying products. Do you catch yourself saying things like “I can’t afford it”, or “it costs too much”. The law of attraction states that what we think about we bring about, whether it is wanted or not.

Another area to tune into is your emotional self. Be aware of any feelings of unease or turmoil that you are feeling in your body. Ask yourself what has caused you to feel this way. Sometimes just writing down what you are feeling can help you to recognize where this feeling is coming from. Stay aware as you may notice that these feelings and emotions will reappear on a regular basis and you will begin to find the issue that triggers them.

Most of us have grown up being conditioned to believe that for some reason it is wrong to be wealthy. We keep self sabotaging our success because of these underlying beliefs and if we don’t learn to change the way we think - as the law of attraction states-we will continue on the road to self sabotage.

We deserve to be rich. To live our lives in prosperity is so much more fun than living a life of constant struggle and poverty. We can do so much more for ourselves, and the best part of all is the satisfaction you will feel by helping others to realize that they too can do the same too.

Alison Bolger has been studying and teaching self improvement and wealth creation including teaching business and personal development for over 20 years. Alison’s passion is researching and sharing the wealth of resources and knowledge she has acquired over the years. To read more tips and techniques like the ones in this article please click here:http://www.learnwealthysecrets.com

There are several types of bicycle racks for cars. Trunk mount, Roof mount, Spare Tire mount or Receiver Hitch mount. Trunk mount bicycle racks for cars are the most common.

Advantages To Trunk Mount Bicycle Car Rack

Trunk Mount are usually cheaper than other types of racks.
Simple installation. Easy to store when not in use.
Often they are great for hauling one or sometimes two bikes.

Disadvantages to trunk mount bike racks
If your car is dirty and you put a trunk mount on, the dirt under the rack feet will act like sandpaper and ruin the paint.
Some Trunk Racks do not get the bike far enough from the car so the bike can rub on the car.
You cannot attach the upper rack straps to a glass window. If your car’s back window opens and there is not an attachment point above that that is metal you cannot attach a trunk rack. Some of the older Camaros, Firebirds, Toyota 4 Runner have this problem so you either need to use a receiver hitch rack or a roof rack.
If your exhaust pipe points directly at the tires on your bike it can overheat the tire and ruin it.
Many racks do not separate the bikes well and the bikes will rub the paint off of each other.
You cannot access the back of the vehicle when you have bicycles on the rack.

Advantages to Roof Racks
The bikes are well separated so they do not rub on each other or the car.
You can pull a trailer and the bikes will not be in the way.
The roof racks protect the finish on your car really well.
Often there are a lot of other accessories to carry canoes, skis, snowboards etc. to fit the roof rack.

Disadvantages to Roof Racks
People have been known to forget the bikes are on the roof and run into the garage. This is really hard on the car, bike and sometimes the garage.
Usually Roof Racks are quite expensive. Often it will cost over $400 for a two bike roof rack.
Putting the bike on the roof can be a chore sometimes.
The extra wind drag from the bikes above the car will significantly affect your gas mileage.
Installing a roof rack can be a chore.
Putting your bike on a roof rack can be difficult.

Advantages to Spare Tire Racks
Sometimes they are the only rack that will fit the vehicle.

Disadvantages to Spare tire racks
They do not fit many cars.

Advantages to Receiver Hitch Racks

Easy to install.
Less wind drag than Roof Racks.
The bikes are kept away from the car so they do not rub on the paint of the car.
The rack only touches the car by slipping into the Receiver and either bolted or pinned to the receiver.
Receiver racks are easy to move from vehicle to vehicle as long as the vehicle has the right size receiver. Check out my Receiver Hitch Tips page.

Disadvantages to Receiver Hitch Racks
If your vehicle does not have a receiver it usually costs around $200 or more to have a receiver put on.
You cannot haul a trailer when your rack is on your car.
Like the Trunk rack and the Spare Tire Rack when your bikes are on the rack it is often hard to get into the back of the car.

Rick C. Kern
Zbikenut
Mountain Bike Accessory and Installation Guides Also check out
Bicycle Hangar Missoula, Montana Cycling guides Don’t miss my Cateye Computer Installation Guides.
Bike to live, live to bike.

In fairness, for some of you long-time craft show warriors, this might be review. And in reality, there is only so much to know - and then the rest is probably learned from experiencing the actual craft shows themselves. But, take a look at the 4 things I have included in this article, and then you can judge for yourself!

Here are 4 things you didn’t know about making money at craft shows:

1.) Double, triple or more your cost - That’s right! If you are making a craft for $4 each, depending on the craft, you can double the price minimum - likely triple it, and possibly charge more. One of the biggest problems with crafters is that they sell their crafts short - and it affects the bottom line. Figure out your cost, and then make as much as you can on it!

2.) Added value sells crafts - It likely doesn’t even matter how valuable the added items are, but the perception from the buyer is that are ‘receiving’ more. This can be a powerful tool in selling your crafts. It can also allow you to charge a little more for your craft, because the perception of receiving more allows it.

3.) Eye level sells more crafts - If you have a variety of crafts in your craft show booth, you want to keep the ones that are going to make you more profit at eye level. Studies show that people tend to buy more products that are at eye level than if the (crafts) were near the floor, or up above the head. People like to see what they are buying, and they like to have it convenient - so eye level is always best to sell the crafts in your booth.

4.) Provide all pay options - The more options you accept for payment, the more sales you are going to make. Many crafters will make sales by credit card and by cash, but you can make even more if you allow buyers to use their personal banking card - as if they were at an ABM (Automated Banking Machine). This is a convenient option that is sure to convert a few more sales in your craft show booth.

I certainly hope you weren’t disappointed. I know these things are going to help you make more money in your booth - some of them might be common knowledge, too! Still, if you incorporate just two of these suggestions, I believe you are going to see a definite increase in the profit from your craft show business!

Natalie Goyette shows you how to make your craft show business profitable in her best selling ebook: Craft Show Success Secrets. Visit her site: Craft Shows

I am so excited!

I want to share with you an AWESOME Deal.

First, I want to give you a little background.

I was at a seminar a few years ago and I met another investor
who is now a great friend.

We were talking during a break and he told me how he bought a
house for $10 and didn’t have any payments at all.

None!

I was a bit of a skeptic so at first, I didn* t believe him.

So I went home and tried it for myself.

The first time I did it was amazing!

Now I buy at least one house a month using this technique.

Before I share this amazing secret with you, I want to tell you.

Most deals that you create would never happen unless you do one
thing.

You have to ASK for it.

Just because you*ve never done it, doesn’t mean it can*t be
done.

Ok Toby just get to the point already!

Ok, here it is.

Are you ready?

Here*s what happened.

A seller stopped me at the post office because they saw my
Traveling Billboard.

What’s a traveling billboard?

It’s just my van with the words We Buy Houses written all over
it.

Anyway, the seller told me she and her husband were building a
new house and just wanted to get rid of their old one without
any hassle.

My heart started pounding.

This is our specialty, right?

She was definitely a motivated seller needing to sell.

The house was Free and Clear meaning they owed $0.

The house was approximately 50 years old and in good condition.

The seller had no idea what it was worth and frankly, didn* t
really care.

Money was not an issue with her.

My heart started beating faster.

I just had to take a look at this house.

I went to visit the house with just a manilla folder and
Purchase & Sale Agreement in hand.

I*ll skip the details.

In my professional opinion, the house was worth about $80,000.

My first question to the seller was,

”How much are you asking?”

She had no idea.

You know me, I said,

”Well how about $1.”

Ha Ha

Anyway, she finally said, ”I would like to have $65,000.”

Those of you who are students of mine know what my next question
was.

”If I pay you all cash and close quickly, what is the least you
will accept?”

She said, $60,000.

Remember what the next question MUST be?

”Is that the best you can do?”

She paused.

I shut up. (This is very important. Do not say another word,
let them answer)

She said, ”$55,000 and that’s my final offer.”

Wow I just made $10,000 with just two very simple questions

Amazing isn’t it?

My next question was.

”Do you need all your cash now or can you wait on your money?”

She said, ”I can wait. How long are you talking about?”

My response was, ”How long can you wait?”

Did you catch that?

I answered her question with a question.

Always, Always, Always make them tell you what they will accept.

Never ever be the first to give away what you will accept

She came back with, ”How about one year?”

Now keep in mind, our average holding time is three months. Do
you think one year would be a problem?

It wan* t for me

See how easy that was.

SHE gave me the selling price.

SHE created the terms.

All I did was ask the questions.

Here* s how the deal worked.

She Ok*d the Purchase & Sale Agreement (Remember, we never use
the word SIGNED……..It*s too scary for the seller.)

I gave her a $10 Earnest Money Deposit.

What ?!?!

$10 ? ? ? ?

Yep, that*s what I ASKED for and that*s what she agreed to.

I created (well my title attorney created) a short term deed of
trust for one year for $55,000.

No Payments……………… No Interest.

What ?? No payments, No interest!

Is this lady nuts? ?

Nope. Cash Now really wasn* t an issue with her.

She just wanted to get rid of her house, know that she was going
to get the money in a year and move into her new house.

That*s it.

Don*t try to guess why a seller does what they do.

Just get the deal!

I ended up helping a seller get a loan and selling the house.

Normally I would put a Lease/Option tenant in but a buyer came
forward within just a few days.

Oh well.

My buyer paid $85,000 with a little down payment assistance from
me (Don*t worry, you*ll learn all about how that works a little
later).

I walked away from closing with a check for $25,000.

How much did I have invested in this house?

That*s right, $10.

It was that easy.

You can do this too.

Register for your fr*ee newsletter, “Secrets to Real Estate Wealth with No Money Down” at:

http://www.6sinternational.com/

Toby Lynn has been teaching No Money Down real estate techniques as a speaker, workshop and seminar leader

Get your FR*EE Secrets to Real Estate Wealth with No Money Down at

http://www.6sinternational.com/

Copyright 2006

Don’t miss your opportunity to grab your copy of Toby’s Brand New #1 Best Selling Book, “Overcoming Obstacles as a No Money Down Real Estate Investor.” Click this link now to get yours.

http://www.6sinternational.com/resources.php

In general, tigers tend to avoid each other rather than fight. When tigers do fight, they seldom fight to the death, but injuries may occur that later cause death. Both male and female tigers will fight other tigers if necessary to defend, expand, or acquire a territory. Male tigers may fight another male if both are attracted to the same breeding female. Male tigers may occasionally attack and kill young tiger cubs. Conversely, female tigers will attack male tigers and other predators to protect their young.

Tigers are essentially solitary animals, except for courting pairs and females with young. Tigers with adjoining ranges may have friendly relationships, but even individuals with overlapping ranges usually keep 2 to 5 km (1-3 mi.) apart. Though they hunt alone, tigers sometimes share their kills with other tigers. Female tigers regularly share kills with their young dependent cubs. Sibling tigers, when learning how to hunt independently in their mother’s range, occasionally share kills. Male and female tigers may share a kill during courtship.

Groups of two or more tigers, of various ages and sexes, may share a kill if food is plentiful. These aggregations are most often observed at man made feeding stations where prey is regularly provided (to attract tigers). When young tiger cubs share a kill with each other and/or their mother, they often feed simultaneously. When adult tigers share a kill, usually only one tiger feeds at a time.

Tigers are essentially nocturnal. Most tigers are active and moving primarily at night (sunset to sunrise). Night activities include hunting (a tiger’s prey is also active at night), patrolling and marking home ranges, courting mates, and tending to young. These same activities may also occur during the day, but less frequently. If hunting is unsuccessful during the night, a hungry tiger will hunt during the day. Mother tigers will also hunt during the day to provide enough food for their cubs.

Tigers are least active from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. Activity steadily decreases after sunrise, reaching its lowest point at mid-day. Movement gradually increases again until the hour before sunset, when the majority of tigers are active. Mid-morning to mid-afternoon is the hottest part of the day. To stay cool, tigers often rest in dense vegetation, or lie along, and in, streams and rivers. Most daily movements take place on land, but tigers are also good swimmers. Tigers can easily cross rivers 6 to 8 km (4-5 mi.) wide, and have been known to swim distances of up to 29 km (18 mi.).

Keith Londrie II is the Webmaster of http://tigers.about-animals.info A website that specializes in providing information on tigers that you can research on the internet at your own pace.
Please Visit http://tigers.about-animals.info now!

Do you have bad breath problem? Do you only want to hide your unpleasant mouth odor with breath freshener product every time or find the best remedy and be free from bad breath forever? Remedy for bad breath may be the best solution for you to end the problem.

Bad breath is called halitosis in medical term. It’s an unpleasant condition that’s cause for embarrassment and mess up your relationships. No one will tell you when you have bad breath. It’s such a taboo for people to talk about this, so some people with bad breath aren’t even aware there’s a problem.

If you concern about having bad breath or halitosis, there are some helpful tips about remedy for bad breath to prevent or cure your bad breath or halitosis. Just see and try if this remedy for bad breath can work best for you.

Some of remedies for bad breath that might prevent or cure your bad breath or halitosis include:

–The important is your oral hygiene. You should brush your teeth and scrub your tongue properly and regularly everyday.

–If you use mouthwash. Choice the right mouthwash, avoid rinses containing alcohol, because it makes worse your bad breath.

–Mixed baking soda with warm water and then irrigate your mouth with this mixture.

–Dip baking soda on your toothbrush, and brush your teeth using that and then rinse with water. Baking soda is great remedy for bad breath because it changes the pH in your mouth and makes it a less friendly environment for many bacteria in your mouth.

–For temporary relief especially after eat something that results bad breaths you can use breathe freshening gum or chew mint leaves.

–Mix half a lemon with warm water and then irrigate your mouth using the mixture. Lemon is very good at stimulating saliva and help to suppress the activity of some odor-causing enzymes.

–Parsley give a pleasant aromatic substances into the lungs, it can helpful to freshening your breath too.

–Drink plenty of water to keep your mouth moist, not coffee, soft drinks or alcohol.

Mouthwash products are generally cosmetic. It just masks your bad breath temporary. Do not have a long-lasting effect on your bad breath. Do you want constantly use a breath freshener to hide unpleasant bad breath, or find the best remedy for you now and forever.

When you notice that something is wrong with your breath, just looking for a possible cure for your bad breath, not just masking the problem. Remedy for bad breath is your best choice to solve your problem.

© http://www.ez-tips.com/curing-bad-breath.htm

Do you want constantly use a breath freshener JUST to HIDE & MASK unpleasant bad breath all in your life? Did you know they can make your bad breath worst? Discover this Special BAD BREATH REPORT, about amazing REMEDY for Bad Breath FOREVER! Click Here: Bad Breath REPORT - Remedy for Bad Breath

When you use private money for real estate investing there are several clauses your lending agreements should never be without. One of those clauses is the “Substitution of Collateral” clause. Here’s how it works.

Wouldn’t it be great to be able to just swap one property for another on your mortgages? Of course it would, and when you use private money for real estate investing, you can… just by including one little clause in your private lender’s notes.

Here’s how the clause would read.

“Borrower reserves the right to substitute like collateral of equal or greater value” Did you see what just happened? By inserting one tiny little phrase in your private notes, you’ve created a scenario where you don’t have to pay off your loan and get a new one every time you sell and buy property. The flexibility and power this one little clause will give you is outstanding. Suppose you own a duplex that you used private money for real estate investing to obtain, but now you have the opportunity to sell at a large profit. Instead of worrying about the hassle of paying off the note and getting a new loan for your next property, why not just go out and find an equal or greater value property to invest that money in.

Once you finalize the transaction, it’s important that you file your lender’s security against the property with the appropriate government agency, normally your county clerk. Your lender will most likely insist on having a mortgage or deed of trust on file to protect their interest.

The flexibility and leverage this clause gives you is yet another great reason why using private money for your real estate investments is a wise idea.

Your investor will be happy to keep his money working, and you will too. It’s a win-win for both of you, and it’s possible because you thought to include a “Substitution of Collateral” clause in your private money for real estate investing note. For more information visit http://www.private-money-real-estate-investing.com

Smart… very smart.

Want a shot of adrenaline for your beginning real estate investing? Tom Dunn writes “DealFiles - Real Estate Investor Stories”… stories of real investors just like you and their real deals. Why not check it out right now? It’s FREE!

I’m really struggling with this story at the moment. So far I’ve written 1500 words and it was like getting blood out of a stone. I just don’t know where this one is going - I have a vague idea but I keep changing my mind about it - but I just have to trust my writing and rewriting ability and keep at it.

I do like my character though. He’s interesting, because he’s an anti-hero; a person I wouldn’t like if I met him in the real world. He’s arrogant, materialistic and fueled by testosterone. He works in a high-powered industry but unlike his co-workers he has a chink in his armour - a conscience, and the dirty tricks his company has played are beginning to catch up with him.

My favourite characters are the ones who are a little bit different and who stand out from the crowd. Stereotypes on the other hand are boring and will do little to keep your readers interested. The tough cop with the heart of gold. The loose cannon. The girl next door. The femme fatale. A good way to avoid stereotypes is to get to know them first. Sniff them out in films, books and plays. Pay attention to how they speak, dress and react.

Once you’ve learned everything about them you can look at your own characters in a different light. Perhaps you’re writing about a gold digger. Instead of just giving her the usual characteristics, put a different spin on it. Perhaps she’s a carer for a sick parent or she’s a single mother, and she’s desperate to give them some security. Or perhaps she grew up in a poor and unstable home and thinks money equals happiness. And instead of making her a clueless bimbo, surprise your readers by giving her a degree or a dry sense of humour. In other words make your characters’ personalities rich and multi-faceted like real people and avoid the cliches. Your characters deserve better.

I’m an extremely green writer who has given up work to write a novel, which is made up of ten short stories linked by theme and location. I live in Dublin, Ireland. http://ithadbetterbegood.blogspot.com