When writing a good essay you are going to need to find the right balance of personal opinion and fact. When using fact in your writing you are going to have to link back to the author of the fact and this is called adding references to the bibliography. You need to do this at high school level, university and college other wise your paper can be refused to be marked or you can face even worse consequences. People have actually even been kicked out of there respective university or college for it, so if you are using other peoples thoughts, which you should than link back to them because it is required and even leads to better marks.

The best time to bring fact or solid information in is when you are voicing your personal opinion. Usually towards the end of the paragraph. Also make sure you bring in fact from the best scholar in the field, always choose the person with the most influence over the area of study as teachers love this and usually mark well for it.

A detailed bibliography is needed at the end of the writing. The more detailed the higher you will get marked for your writing. You also need to use the Harvard referencing, this is widely recognized throughout subjects such as history, English and geography. For business and economic related subjects another referencing system is needed. Make sure you put the hard work in for your writing, do the research and use the information of the best scholars in your writing to support your opinion and then reference to it.

Visit Advice On How To Write A High Quality Essay! This is a must see site if you need some advice or improvement for your writing. Advice On How To Improve Your Writing Standard!

Commas are important, because they separate the parts of a sentence into clear segments. It takes a conscious effort to translate the rhythm of a sentence into writing using punctuation. The comma often marks a brief pause in the flow of a sentence, and helpfully distinguishes one phrase from another.

The comma helps the reader, and without it the reader would often have to go back and reread a sentence to find out exactly what the writer meant.

The comma often helps set off interrupting matter within sentences. Many writers don’t realize that they are setting off a phrase, so they begin with the first comma but omit the second, which should conclude the parenthetical matter. Check for this sort of thing in your proofreading.

A standard use for commas is in separating the items in a series: knives, forks, and spoons. Authorities differ as to whether that final comma before the and is required, so you can use your judgment.

Use the following rules for clear and correct comma use:

• Use commas to separate independent clauses when they are joined by any of these words: and, but, for, or, nor, so, yet.
  i.e. The class was over, but the teacher would not finish talking.

• Use commas after introductory clauses, phrases, or words that come before the main clause. Introductory clauses that should be followed by a comma include: after, although, as, because, if, since, when, while.
  i.e. While I was jogging, the rain would not stop.

• Use a pair of commas in the middle of a sentence to set off clauses, phrases, and words that are not crucial to the meaning of the sentence.
  i.e. My favorite desert is ice-cream. My brother, however, prefers chocolate cake.

• Use commas to separate three or more words, phrases, or clauses written in a series.
  i.e. Angie, Dan, and Tina went to school.

• Use commas to set off all geographical names, items in dates (except the month and day), addresses (except the street number and name), and titles in names.
  i.e. Los Angeles, California is a dynamic city.

• Use commas wherever necessary to prevent possible confusion or misreading.

• Don’t use a comma to separate the subject from the verb.

• Don’t put a comma between the two verbs or verb phrases in a compound predicate.

More writing tips: href="http://www.whitesmoke.com">WhiteSmoke English Grammar Software

FORWARD

The 188 stage Hero’s Journey (Monomyth) is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the hundreds of Hollywood movies we have deconstructed (see URL below) are based on this 188+ stage template.

Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters. This is the template you must master if you are to succeed in the craft.

[The terminology is most often metaphoric and applies to all successful stories and screenplays, from The Godfather (1972) to Brokeback Mountain (2006) to Annie Hall (1977) to Lord of the Rings (2003) to Drugstore Cowboy (1989) to Thelma and Louise (1991) to Apocaplyse Now (1979)].

THERE IS ONLY ONE STORY

THE 188 STAGE HERO’S JOURNEY:

a) Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.

b) Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.

c) Gives you a tangible process for building and releasing dissonance (establishing and achieving catharses, of which there are usually four).

d) Tells you what to write. For example, at a certain stage of the story, the focus should be on the Call to Adventure and the micro elements within.

ABRIDGED TIPS, EXCERPTS AND EXAMPLES:

(simply go to http://www.screenplay-structure.com/ or http://www.story-structure.org/ for full details)

*****Demonstrating the Magical Gift*****

One often missed stage of the Hero’s Journey is the demonstration of the Magical Gift. In the Bond franchise, Q also demonstrates the gadgets. In Star Wars (1977), Ben fires up Luke’s light sabre. In Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Bonnie dares Clyde to use the gun.

*****Transmogrification and the Antagonism*****

It is around the time of the Seizing of the Sword and the progression of the Transmogrification that the Antagonism increases in intensity. In Straw Dogs (1971), Norman appears with the gun and rapes Amy too.

ABRIDGED TIPS, EXCERPTS AND EXAMPLES:

(simply go to http://www.screenplay-structure.com/ or http://www.story-structure.org/ for full details)

*****Rest Break*****

It is common for a rest break to occur (past the stage of the Road of Trials). In The Godfather (1972), Michael gets to walk around Sicily.

This is a time to bond with Allies. In Alien (1979), right before the Alien explodes from Kane’s stomach, time is spent getting to know the characters. In Romancing the Stone (1984), Joan gets to know Jack in the downed aircraft.

The Hero and allies reference their Old Selves and Back Story. In An Officer and a Gentleman (1982), Zach talks about his days in the PI. In Romancing the Stone (1984), Jack didn’t know the Doobey Brothers had split up; he was into short cuts.

*****Refusal of the Call*****

A staple of the Hero’s Journey and Transformation. The Hero refuses psychologically for a number of reasons, is interdicted by the interdictor (punishments for following the Call) and blocked by Doves using a number of techniques. In Bonnie and Clyde (1967), Bonnie plays hard to get, she’s is going to work. She walks, Clyde follows.

Learn more…

WRITE THAT SCREENPLAY!

The Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and other story structure templates can be found at http://www.monomyth.info/

188 stages of the Hero’s Journey can also be reached from http://www.heros-journey.info/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

**********************************

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made, the author’s name is retained and the link to our site URL remains active.

FORWARD

The 188 stage Hero’s Journey (Monomyth) is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the hundreds of Hollywood movies we have deconstructed (see URL below) are based on this 188+ stage template.

Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters. This is the template you must master if you are to succeed in the craft.

[The terminology is most often metaphoric and applies to all successful stories and screenplays, from The Godfather (1972) to Brokeback Mountain (2006) to Annie Hall (1977) to Lord of the Rings (2003) to Drugstore Cowboy (1989) to Thelma and Louise (1991) to Apocaplyse Now (1979)].

THERE IS ONLY ONE STORY

THE 188 STAGE HERO’S JOURNEY:

a) Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.

b) Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.

c) Gives you a tangible process for building and releasing dissonance (establishing and achieving catharses, of which there are usually four).

d) Tells you what to write. For example, at a certain stage of the story, the focus should be on the Call to Adventure and the micro elements within.

ABRIDGED TIPS, EXCERPTS AND EXAMPLES:

(simply go to http://www.screenplay-structure.com/ or http://www.story-structure.org/ for full details)

FORWARD

The 188 stage Hero’s Journey (Monomyth) is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the hundreds of Hollywood movies we have deconstructed (see URL below) are based on this 188+ stage template.

Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters. This is the template you must master if you are to succeed in the craft.

[The terminology is most often metaphoric and applies to all successful stories and screenplays, from The Godfather (1972) to Brokeback Mountain (2006) to Annie Hall (1977) to Lord of the Rings (2003) to Drugstore Cowboy (1989) to Thelma and Louise (1991) to Apocaplyse Now (1979)].

THERE IS ONLY ONE STORY

THE 188 STAGE HERO’S JOURNEY:

a) Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.

b) Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.

c) Gives you a tangible process for building and releasing dissonance (establishing and achieving catharses, of which there are usually four).

d) Tells you what to write. For example, at a certain stage of the story, the focus should be on the Call to Adventure and the micro elements within.

ABRIDGED TIPS, EXCERPTS AND EXAMPLES:

(simply go to http://www.screenplay-structure.com/ or http://www.story-structure.org/ for full details)

*****Night Sea Journey*****

It is post the Seizing of the Sword that the Hero is led on a Night Sea Journey. In Brokeback Mountain (2005), Ennis and Jack go to the mountains for a couple of days.

*****Final Conflict: Hand to Hand Battle*****

Post the Crossing of the Return Threshold and before the Master of Two Worlds and Selves, a hell of a lot happens that is rarely given mention. The Final Conflict (a metaphor for this stage) follows a distinct process. One element of this stage of the journey is the direct conflict with the antagonist. They do not battle from afar. In Straw Dogs (1971), David takes Tom’s son out with a crowbar. Then he takes on and kills Ratboy.

*****Final Conflict*****

Often in the Final Conflict, it is the Hero that travels to a place of great danger (from his perspective). But the danger can come to him (or her). In Straw Dogs (1971), Tom et al drive to David’s house and once inside, become antagonistic (the pointing and pushing).

*****Inner Resolve*****

With the coming of the Inner Resolve, the Hero says goodbye to his Old Self and the Old World. In Brokeback Mountain (2005), Ennis drives away and this will be the last time they see each other.

Learn more…

WRITE THAT SCREENPLAY!

The Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and other story structure templates can be found at http://www.monomyth.info/

188 stages of the Hero’s Journey can also be reached from http://www.heros-journey.info/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

**********************************

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made, the author’s name is retained and the link to our site URL remains active.

There is no longer room for the starving writer. Why? Writers do not have to live from hand to mouth anymore because now writers are in high demand in the Internet Marketing Industry. Some brilliant marketers discovered the value of writers. They discovered that people really do look for information on the internet.

Daily, the internet is bombarded with millions of people worldwide search for answers to certain questions, information on a variety of topics and mainly searching for information that will help them make their lives better. It is the very reason why the internet is known as the Information Superhighway.

As such, the people who best fulfill this need are writers. As a writer, if you can answer some questions or know how to improve people’s lives, why not earn a living doing it? However, what writers must accept is that this does not undermine the integrity of the work.

So, the question now is: “How do you fulfill this need of information as quickly as possible. After all, the internet is about getting information and getting it fast. The answer is online e-books. Online e-books are electronic books that people can read online. Online e-books can be read in many different formats. However, the best format is Adobe pdf format because readers can download Adobe Reader absolutely free.

This makes it all so much easier. Your online e-book should the following this very effective formula:
1.-A letter from the author telling your readers why you have written the e-book.

2.-An introduction to the subject matter

3.-An answer to the top 20 questions most people ask about the subject matter.

4.-A new piece of information most people don’t know about (this can be very important to your marketing strategy).

5.-Instructions on how to effectively apply the information you’ve provided.

6.-A conclusion

7.-Information about additional products, services, or business opportunities related to the subject matter (this would be a great area to up-sale any affiliate programs or products you may have).

Now the question you might be asking is: What will people pay money for your information? E-books are strange in this way. Some people pay more for an e-book than they do for a book from a bookstore. The reason is a simple one. People pay more for e-books for the immediacy of the product. If you decide to market your e-book on a site like Clickbank.com or Paydotcom.com, then a competitive price range would be $27.00 to $97.00 depending on how in demand your information may be. Furthermore, you will be paying your affiliates anywhere from 25% to 75% of your e-book’s price. This can become a lucrative option. However, if you are marketing your e-book from your personal website, then you should price your e-book from $15.00 to $39.00.

Again, as a writer, there are options available to you to help steer your writing career in the right direction while you earn a lucrative income online.

Carmellita M. Brown is a Success and Wellness Coach. She is the instructor for the online class Abundance Training 101 located at http://universalclass.com/i/crn/14056.htm and she is the publisher of an Article Directory at http://www.headlinearticles.com Ms. Brown has developed the popular blog entitled “In the Company of Writer” specifically for self-published writers or writers who wish to self publish. Her philosophy as a success coach is to help her audience live in wellness, wealth and wisdom. Ms. Brown believes this can be accomplished by considering the whole self which includes health, relationships, finances, spirit, intellect, and purpose.

As novice writers we are always looking for that one big break that would help to jump start our careers. Sometimes we take things way to seriously and forget that writing at first is not about paying the bills. I love writing but let me tell you if I had to rely on it to pay the bills I would be living on the street. In this article I am going to point out some small tid bits about writing so sit back and enjoy.

1.-The Paragraph

The paragraph first made its debut in the 1866 book Composition and Rhetoric, by Alexander Bain, a professor of rhetoric at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. Bain defined a paragraph as a “collection of sentences with unity of purpose.” Later, the paragraph came to be seen as a small-scale composition, a view we still hold today, due to the clear beginning, middle, and end that both share.

2.-Plot

Plot is the arrangement of events in a story. Plots include the exposition, rising action, climax, and denouement (resolution).

3.-Bake A Cake

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that writing is a neat process. It’s rather messy, like baking a cake. As you add each “ingredient,” You stir the whole thing around a lot to blend it altogether. If your paper looks sloppy, then you’re probably on the right track.

4.-Some Formats

Paragraphs in essays, novels, short stories, and so on are normally indented 5 spaces. This is set automatically on your tab key. Business letters, in contrast, are often typed in “block format,” without indented paragraphs. Instead, you separate the paragraphs with a double space. When deciding whether or not to indent paragraphs in business documents, follow the style conventions used in your business or company.

5.-Too Much

There’s such a thing as too much elaboration. You’re under no obligation to include everything you found. Don’t beat the topic to death.

If you look around you will find hundreds and hundreds of little tid bits like the ones here. In the future I will be writing more articles with more of these little helpers. If you choose to use any of them, that is entirely up to you but they are fun to read and discover where a lot of them come from.

Dale Mazurek

Dale is a professional on line writer. He is also in the process of getting his first novel published. You can check out some of his very popular blogs at http://stcajo-readshortstories.blogspot.com/ or http://relationshiptidbits.blogspot.com/ and his newest http://funtidbits.blogspot.com/

The writing world is changing fast. If you’re limiting your opportunities to a single writing market, like magazines, you’re missing out. In this article I’ll give you an overview of opportunities for writers, both new and experienced. Remember, this is only an overview. It would take a book to cover all the opportunities.

Let’s Start With Your Hourly Rate - Place A Monetary Value On Your Time

I know many writers who never consider their hourly rate. They have no idea how much they’re earning for the hours they spend writing. Yes, some of them love writing, and would do it for nothing anyway, but this is scarcely the way to develop as a writer, or to become successful.

Everyone’s time is limited, we all get the same 24 hours. Therefore, you need to set a monetary value on your writing time. When you’re starting out, you can set a minimal rate, like $30 per hour. With some writing experience, and writing credits, you will be charging more, anywhere from $100 to $300 an hour.

Once you take your hourly rate into account, you soon realize that there’s lots of time for which you can’t charge. If you’re writing queries and proposals for example, this is unpaid writing time, and that time is gone forever. Writing queries and proposals to markets like magazines therefore cuts severely into any writer’s income.

I like to be paid for the work I do, with a retainer before I start. I hate writing fruitless queries and proposals, and doing work “on spec”, so I don’t do it, ever. If you’re like me and hate no-profit busy-work, there are two opportunities which pay you a retainer before you start writing - copywriting and Web writing.

Copywriting Opportunities: Writing For Business - An Ever-Growing Demand

Every business needs to market itself, or it won’t be in business for long. Copywriters write for businesses, chiefly marketing collateral, which can be anything from product descriptions to brochures and newsletters. The best way to start out as a copywriter is to write for local businesses, because you’ll usually be the first copywriter who’s ever approached a business. When you’ve built your writing credits, you can write for businesses across the globe.

As stated, I enjoy copywriting because this is paid writing - a business establishes its bone fides by paying a retainer, and most businesses have work for you several times a year. With some clients, you become a de facto member of staff, writing for them weekly.

Web Writing: Explosive Growth, High Demand - Great Opportunities

Web sites are vital to a business because they lower a business’s costs. Since Web sites need writers - the Web is built on words - you can see that the writing opportunities are massive, and they continue to grow. If you can write for the Web, you can name your price as a writer.

Web writers are divided into Web copywriters, who write Web sales material, and Web content writers, who write everything else. You don’t need to choose between these two opportunities, you can write both copy and content for the Web.

Take Advantage Of The Massive Opportunities In Copywriting And Writing For The Web, And Prosper

Copywriting and Web writing are packed with opportunities for you, even as a new writer. Once you become known for what you do, you’ll have clients who eagerly approach you to work for them. This is the best of all possible worlds for a writer - great money, fun writing opportunities, and no rejection, ever.

If you can write, you can write your own ticket online as a freelance writer. Writers are in high demand on the Web. Job-hunt no more, dear freelance writer. You can create your own freelance writing jobs with with Angela Booth’s Fab Freelance Writing Ezine at http://fabfreelancewriting.com/ezine/fab-freelance-writing-ezine.html and her new ebook “Beat Your Paycheck!
Web Writing SECRETS” at http://abmagic.com/Beat-Paycheck/index.html Discover both creative and financial freedom with your writing.

Ebooks are hot items today. They’re easy to create and easy to sell. They require minimal investment, and you can reach a wider targeted market if you promote them properly. However, for an ebook to do well and obtain your desired results, creating a better ebook is a smarter decision than creating a fast ebook. Here are some tips on creating an ebook that gets you more sales and return visits to your site:

Provide content that gives value to your reader. Plenty of ebooks are slapped together without thought to well-researched content or good information and advice. These types of cheap ebook are souring the market, and most individuals who’ve been burned are leery of buying ebooks. Once bitten, twice shy, as the saying goes.

Unsuspecting individuals may buy poor quality ebooks once, earning you one sale only. You can guarantee that the individual won’t purchase a second ebook from your site and won’t recommend your ebook to friends. Respect those who pay money for your product and give them something of value. Ebooks empty of content cheat people and are a poor strategy for online success.
Write well. Do the best job that you can with grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. Sloppy writing or spelling mistakes will turn readers away, and they won’t take your ebook seriously. If you’re not the best writer, hire a ghostwriter to either create the content or edit what you’ve written. It’s worth the investment.

Organize your ebook properly. By sectioning your content into short chapters and making sure that each one flows logically into the next, you’re helping your reader stay focused and turning pages. Also, including a table of contents and an index helps readers find the information they want quickly, often appreciated when the content is worthy of a second glance to apply advice.
Add visual aids to hold reader interest. Attention spans today are short, and the world is a fast-paced one. Readers aren’t going to appreciate long blocks of chunky text. Break things up into small, short paragraphs and sections. Add lists, bullet points, and headers. Breaking things up allows readers to scan text quickly and helps maintain focus.

Choose the right formatting and layouts. Selecting a big, bulky font is a common mistake of many ebook writers. Big fonts don’t make ebooks easier to read, they take up space on a page, and they frustrate readers who have to continually scroll down to get to the next sentence. Don’t choose a tiny text either. Compromise by choosing a medium-sized font that saves people from squinting but that doesn’t add unnecessary bulk to your pages.

Make your ebook pretty. Graphics, borders, nice-looking fonts, and any other way you can think to add a bit of splash to your ebook increases the value. People enjoy looking at pretty things, and adding a few images to your pages is a good trick to boosting the appeal of your ebook.
Remember that you’re writing an ebook for people. You want individuals to enjoy your book, appreciate your content and information, and to come back to your site for more. Cheap ebooks only get you a single sale or visit, and they drive away traffic instead of boosting it. By producing high-quality ebooks, you’ll help increase your online success and gain a reputation for having good products.

© Copyright James Chartrand 2007 All Rights Reserved

Need a pro to write your ebook? Want an expert to spruce up your text? Get the superior services you need from someone who knows about ebooks that sell. Visit JCM Enterprises for all your freelance writing needs.

I have just been asked a question from a former colleague of mine, and it was about something that I hadn’t really thought about. It is because I work from home, and he thought that it was quite a difficult status to achieve. He had been trying for ages and wanted to know my secret. Well, I can’t think of a secret that I’ve adopted to be able to work from home. So I feel we best way to explain it is to say exactly how it all happened to me. Hopefully, you can find something in this story that you can use to help you start working from home, whether it be through your current employer, or starting a small business of your own.

Some years ago while I was living and working in Holland, a small company I worked for went into bankruptcy. It was all right for three of the four people in the office as they were contractors, who came from England, but to me it was slightly different. I had set up home in Holland. So, I had to keep the job of some sort is. As the company went into decline, one by one the other members of staff left. Just leaving me there in the office alone. Now I wanted to be able to have an income the next year after the company closed so I decided that I would keep working on the project’s. even though I wasn’t getting paid. This gave me a lot of contacts with the companies we were working for. With this one-to-one contact with the companies I achieved a reputation of wanting to get the job done, whatever the circumstances. So when the New Year came and I had no salary, I had to find another way of making an income. So I went to see an accountant, who helped me set up a one-man business. I then contacted the people I had been working for and said I would be willing to carry on with the project. They were quite happy with the continuity and therefore I started working to myself.

I realised that this work was not going to last forever, so I started advertising. Even though it was in a different language, being only an English speaker living in Holland, but that seemed to work well. The thing about technical writing, as opposed to any other kind of writing. It is not continuous, project based projects have highs and lows. They do not always need to be documented at that moment, seven hours a day, five days a week. So, people were quite happy to hire me on an hourly basis as long as the schedule was met. With long-term projects. I did fixed quotes, and then invoiced equally over the six-month, this gave me some kind of regular income. This also meant I had to find other tasks to occupy my time and also would fill my bank account. So I didn’t just stick to technical writing but looked at other aspects of the job and that included finding translators for people at desktop publishing. Basic illustration and consultancy. All these tasks got me out to meet people, and my name was passed about, which in itself was self publicity.

After a few years working like this I decided to move back to my roots in the United Kingdom. Because I did not have a reputation as a freelance writer. I went back into contracting, basing myself on site. I did this for approximately 18 months. Then I explained to the manager of the department I was working for that there was not really enough work to keep me occupied for 40 hours a week, probably only about 25. Obviously, this meant a cut in income, but it also meant a cut in expenditure for such things as travel, eating out, etc and also gave me more time with the family. Following on from this conversation, I suggested that I worked from home and came into for meetings once a week. In turn this would focus the other members of the software teams time on when they had to give me information to carry on with the project. Working on site meetings can be cancelled or pushed back or deadlines, switched very quickly, but if you state that you will be in on Thursday for a meeting. The meeting actually happens when and where it was set so therefore the project keeps on schedule and everybody’s happy. The manager was quite happy that his budget was not going over on documentation, and I was able to find more freelance work, while I was staying at home. Self publicity, again, I suppose.

Sometimes it is hard getting jobs where they do will allow you to work from home, but it all boils down to trust, your self belief belief and your ability to be able to get to their site in a reasonable time, if required.

So in conclusion, what I am saying about being able to work from home, is that it is a combination of getting people to trust you, having belief in yourself, self publicity, (that is the bit I don’t like really), and getting the job done on schedule on budget and correct. You must also be willing to do jobs that you wouldn’t normally do. They could be jobs that are on the periphery of your main task. For example, my main profession is technical writing, but I am quite happy to take jobs as a proof reader copywriter and editor at desktop publishing. You have to change the rates you ask, according to the task you’ve got but if you want the luxury of working from home, and it is a luxury. You have to be flexible.

So if you really want to work from home and stayed with the company you’re working for the best plan is to make a list of the benefits that you feel it could give to the company, how often you feel you would be happy with being on site, what you would be willing to give up, to be able to work from home and make sure you have the facilities to be able to work from home and still be in contact with the office during the working day. And now the difficult bit, finding your boss in a good mood and presenting your plans to him.

David Odell has been a freelance technical writer for over 20 years. Having worked on varied projects from Bakers Ovens to Flight Simulators and Accounting Software to Medical Equipment all over Europe, he is used to writing to different audiences in different countries. He is now exploring different writing genres and related topics.

http://www.daveodell.co.uk

http://www.techauthors.co.uk

My estimate is that at any given time around two-thirds of the world’s adult educated population has thought about writing a book. What’s my basis behind that statistic? It’s the percentage of people that come up to me and tell me so when they find out that I am a writer and writing coach.

So if that is the case why aren’t we flooded with endless book releases? There are a variety of reason, of which here is a handful: Book publishers only take on about 1-2% of submitted manuscripts, self-publishing a book takes money and promotional knowledge to be successful, keeping yourself motivated whilst you write 40, 80 or 100 thousand works is tough, book writing isn’t always as easy, fun and riveting as it sounds.

However, if your sight is still firmly fixed on getting your book written here are some tips on novel writing that will hopefully see you not only finish your novel but raise a publisher’s interest in it.

Plot your story

A story is always easier to write if you know what is going to happen, when it is going happen and how all the other events and characters fit in around it. If you are unsure how to plot make the most of the vast selection of writing courses, books, e-books and even computer software created to help.

Make characters believable

If you have realistic characters that are absolutely believable they can almost hold any story together on their own. But once again this requires some forward planning, perhaps even before the story-plotting. Decide who your characters are, why they behave the way they do and what their traits are. This can be done in many ways, write their biography, their CV, pretend to interview them for a magazine article or even write a journal for them. How you do it is up to you, but having a profile and understanding of your characters will once again make writing about them smoother and easier.

Set yourself a writing goal

There is nothing like, thinking you’ll start your next chapter tomorrow to create procrastination. Decide how much time you can give to writing then set yourself an achievable date for your first draft. If that sounds too much set yourself a deadline for the first chapter. In this busy world it’s far too easy to let time go by because of distractions and other priorities. If your writing is important, set a goal and stick to it.

Prioritize your writing

Do you consider your writing or the fun you have writing worth your time on? Chances are that if you have read this far into the article your answer to this question is, ‘Yes’. If so, give your writing the respect it deserves. Put it up there on the top of your ‘To Do List’ with eating and sleeping.

Have fun

This may seem a funny one to some people, but as a writing coach and a mother of teenagers I know that it’s a lot easier to motivate yourself and others when you’re having fun. Add to that the fact that if you’re bored with your novel it will reflect in your style of writing and then become apparent to your reader. Let’s face it, who wants to read something that is even boring to the person creating it? So find ways to keep your writing exciting, goal setting is a great way to do this, as is your writing environment, software and equipment. Find what inspires you and stick with it.

Elizabeth Bezant, a long-time writer and writing coach, spends most of her time giving workshops and talks to help other writers towards their true writing potential. To find more of her articles and advice visit http://www.elizabethbezant.com