Writing Information
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Don’t Let the Global Village Prevent You from Sharing Your Family History with Future Generations

There was once a time when grandparents sat amidst a group of wide-eyed grandchildren telling stories of days gone by. As the global village shrinks and families spread out across the nation and the world, the tradition of sharing family stories orally is in decline.Oral tradition – passing stori. . .

New Recipe For Your Fresh Paper Pie

Many writers aspire to create original and incomparable works, so that to stand them out of heaps of previously written stuff. They resort to crafty tricks to grab the attention of readers and eagerly try to find an unoccupied niche, undeveloped idea or some lurid news to make their papers one of. . .

Screenwriters & Filmmakers - Pitching the Cold Heart of the Banker

Can a creative pitch alone get your script produced? Pitching the script is an art that is much talked about, put into college curriculums and lauded by the Pop Culture. But, there's a big factor missing from creative pitches. It's fundamental; but broadly ignored by key creative people.For over . . .

What Employers Look For In A Freelance Writer

Freelance writing is as much about selling yourself as it is about writing. With this in mind, we asked some of the employers who use our site, and others like it, just what it is that they look for in a freelance writer. Here's what they told us:1. Employers won't go looking for the information . . .

So You Need Some Inspiration? Try Some RPC: Risk, Passion and Creativity!

You want to write. You really do. But the passion you feel never gets translated into actual writing. And if it does, it doesn’t last very long. You run out of steam.There are reasons for this. First, you may be writing out of your conscious mind. Another problem for many writers is that they don. . .

Writer's Voice: Five Places to Find Meaning

Have you seen my voice? Odd question, I know. Voice is associated with sound not sight. Still, I’ve been looking for it everywhere: writer’s retreats, a bedroom converted into a chic writing studio, the refrigerator, which is filled with brainpower snacks, specifically chocolate-mocha Haagen-Dazs. . .

Why I Write Horror

These are some of the snapshots I carry with me:My father coming up to visit me after first being diagnosed with leukemia. The visit was a surprise, and he brought a new computer with him. As he carried it into the house, he said, "This isn't yours, but I'm going to let you use it." Later that. . .

Understanding The First Rule Of Writing—Before You Start The Great Bestselling Book

Chaos and confusion come when established rules and procedures are not followed. Even mixing and matching systems to favor one’s own position can cause a great deal of consternation. In writing a book, the first rule is to know and understand why you want to write in the first place.In other word. . .

Combating Writer's Depression

Depression is something every writer I've known faces. When you sit at your desk staring at the blank page you think of a million things, hardly any of which belong to the story your're trying to write. Did I pay the gas bill? Will they shut me off today? Was my daughter's recital this Friday or . . .

The Naked Truth About Writing

I know ya’ll are gonna think I’m pulling your legs, but I swear on a stack of BTO CDs that I received the following email just a couple of days ago....Ed,I just wanted to drop you a quick note and tell you how much I enjoy reading your various writings. I get “Free Wheelin’” in my local paper, an. . .

Standards of English

From the history of English language it is clear that good English has the tendency to vary from time to time, from area to area and from one social group to another. And these variations can be generalized according to two types – i) Standard English ii) Non-standard English . Sometimes we. . .

Eight Ways To Write Better Instantly

Is it possible to improve your writing instantly? The answer, happily, is “yes.”While researching a book on famous speeches and essays, I found eight easily correctable mistakes writers often make. Here they are…and how to correct them instantly.1. UNFOCUSED SUBJECT – Focus on a single theme only. . .

Le Poem De La Sweat

I made a bad mistake a couple of weeks ago and got into a discussion about poetry with my good friend, Henry County Herald columnist Amy Eason. Amy likes poems, and was telling me all kinds of stuff about them in an effort to convince me that I should like them as well. She was fighting an uphill. . .

'Your Instinct is Your Life-blood,' says author.

Fourteen thousand civilised people died when the tsunami hit Andaman Islands – five percent of the population – meanwhile a cannibal tribe, inhabiting the same island, hardly lost a life. And do you know what saved them – the earliest early-warning system known to man.When the Jarawa tribe saw ju. . .

No-Cost Student Loan Consolidation

A no-cost student loan consolidation – doesn’t that just sound too good to be true? Think about it. You have just accrued thousands of dollars in debt through student loans after 4 years of college, or possibly even more. Then, a company offers to take all of your loans off of your hands, put the. . .

Post Colonial Studies

Postcolonialism has been defined as: A description of institutional conditions in formerly colonial societies. An abstract condition of the global condition after the colonial period. A description of discourses informed by psychological and epistemological orientations. the social, political, ec. . .

Orientalism

Edward Said's Orientalism can be summed up in three following points: first he talks of the distinction between pure and political knowledge, shows the power relation of any text to political, cultural, intellectual and moral domain; secondly he shows how the methodology used by the West to defin. . .

Five Secrets of Winning Book Proposals

Working in the publishing industry comes with a high expectation, especially from complete strangers. After the causal ‘hello’ progresses to ‘what do you do,’ and my answer is ‘I am a publisher,’ the words, like fairy dust, work magic; and in the eyes of my conversation partner, I’m transformed i. . .

A First Time Author's Publicity Kit Materials

If you're a new author that has been requested to send publicist materials, you may feel left in the dark on what to send. Here's a list of the usual items.1. Author BioThis is no place for modesty. You're competing with many other authors out there and need to show how your hot and worth it. Rem. . .

Someday Dead Writers Need To Worry!

Do ya’ll ever notice that the older you get, the more attention you pay to the obituaries section in the newspaper?I hate to admit it, but it’s true. When I was a young man, I never even bothered looking at the obituaries. The concept of death seemed so far removed that it really didn’t have much. . .

A Great Loneliness

'Man must treat the beasts of this land as his brothers.What is man without the beasts?If all the beasts were gone,Man would die from a great loneliness of spirit.For whatever happens to the beasts,also happens to the man.All things are connected.'Chief SeattleSpeech of 1854Most people are now aw. . .

Notion of Correctness in Speech

There is an old story about a girl, who asked her grand pa whether he keeps his long beard over or under the blanket while sleeping. Until then the grand pa never thought of this , but from that moment he tossed and turned every night trying to decide what to do with the beard – the poor fe. . .

Promoting Your Ezine and Recruiting Subscribers

So you're ready to start promoting the publication of your ezine in an effort to recruit subscribers. First of all you will need a webpage a list of free webhosts are here thefreesite.com, if you don't know anything about webdesign you can get advice from a Web designer.Always have a subscription. . .

Absurdity of Absurd: Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot

What does ‘Absurd’ mean ?When I searched the glossaries ,I found the word to be ‘out of harmony’(1).But yet the definitions trying hard to explain the term , just to end in total ‘Absurdity’ (assuming for a while that we know the meaning of the word),as they ta. . .

The Great, Okay and the Ugly of E-Publishing

SHALLA CHATS with author Tina Gerow about: “The Great, Okay and the Ugly of E-Publishing”Who’s Tina? Tina Gerow has great passion for romance and anything paranormal. She writes “the weird stuff” with sarcasm. Her debut novel, Into a Dangerous Mind, published by Triskelion, comes out this May. S. . .

Spoken and Written English

The English of speech tends to be different from the English of writing some fairly obvious ways. For instance: We have time to plan our message in writing, but that is not possible while using the spoken form of English. We often use words like Well, You see etc in speech. But in writing we tend. . .

Is the Formula of 'Professor of Terror', a Hoax?

The most remarkable thing I found in Orientalism, the reputed revolutionary text by Edward Said -- more famously dubbed as the ‘Professor of Terror’ since 1999 by the rightwing American magazine Commentary – is the point where he talks of the power-relationship of the knowledge . . .

The Subject And Object Theory

I am Tushar Jain, a student of literature. This subject, literature, is one which is susceptible to every clause scripted, every letter sculpted, and is liable to get one enamored by vacuous words like ‘subjective’. To the wholesome degree of which the students believe in the language, there is b. . .

The Stool Pigeon and the Indian Lake

It never occurred to me that Norman would chicken out and become a stool pigeon. He was aggressive, a good athlete, a gambler, (for baseball cards and streetcar transfers), a veteran explorer of our neighborhood and Crotona Park. He was a very persuasive talker, a take-over guy and besides, he . . .

English as a Medium For Indian-Writer

In a paper at Regional Conference of the Association of Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies Held at India International Centre ,New Delhi on February23-6,1975,R.Parthasarathy , while exposing the position of Indian writers in English reffered to the comments of American poets Allen Ginsb. . .

How To Check the Spelling of Names Used as References in a Research Paper

Whether you are doing a term paper for high school or you are working on your doctoral thesis, you will be creating a list of references (or bibliography) of the resource materials and other published works that you have cited in your paper. Here is an easy tip for avoiding misspelling the names . . .

How To Re-Set Spellchecker to Recheck Document

After you have written a text and run spellcheck, you might find it necessary to go back and revise the document. You might also have found that you have been running spellcheck, your brain has gotten a little numb, and you can't remember if you actually fixed the last error or just "Ignore" auto. . .

In Spellchecker We Trust... Right?

This article could have easily been titled "We Don't Need a Proofreader...right?" Businesses today are transforming printed text into computer-based documents and, well, all you have to do is run the computer's spellchecker to make sure there aren't any mistakes...right?Spellcheckers are wonderfu. . .

So, You Think You Want to Be a Freelance Proofreader

How many times have you thought to yourself that you would be a good proofreader? You have a decent working vocabulary, you are able to construct a well-turned phrase, and you know when to hyphenate a compound noun (or maybe you don’t, but you could take a good guess!). You’ve always wanted to wo. . .

Being the "Butt" of an Article

A writer friend of mine just forwarded me an email that someone has just sent her. She’s a brand new writer, has a column going in her local paper, and really enjoys writing. The email she was sent is as follows, only the name of the person sending it has been changed:“Dear Columnist,Recently the. . .

Stafford Loan Consolidation

A Stafford Loan, which can help to finance your way through a college or university, comes in two forms: Subsidized Stafford LoansA subsidized Stafford Loan, which you can receive based upon your specific financial aid. When a Stafford loan is subsidized, you are not required to pay any interest . . .

Your Spellchecker Can Catch Punctuation Mistakes

Even though you should never only rely on your spellchecker to find mistakes in your document, you can make the most of your spellchecker by changing the settings. It isn't as scary as it sounds and once you learn where these settings are, you can change them as often as you need to for whatever . . .

I'm All Storied Out!

One of the nicest and most frustrating parts of being a writer of stories is that when you’re out somewhere, people will come up and tell you stories - lots of them. I’ve actually been at book signings where people have come up and stood there for ten to fifteen minutes telling me some story of t. . .

The Lecture Experience: Part I

During the past year or so, I have done nearly a hundred talks about my book, “LADIES: A Conjecture of Personalities.” It’s about the First Ladies – the OLD First Ladies, Martha through Mamie. Since they talk to each other and cross through centuries, it is, of course, an historical fiction. I. . .

Writing From The Edge: Trembling Your Way to Publication

A few nights ago in the final class of the third incarnation of the Book Proposal Boot Camp, we reviewed parts of one author’s proposal and all concurred: Though her author bio and marketing analysis sections sparkled, her overview rambled and failed to clearly convey the power of her book’s mess. . .

From Book Notes to Book Reports

Writing papers and book reports has long been the bane of high school and college students’ existence. It seems that no matter how hard you work to stay caught up, there is always a paper due tomorrow. Using book notes to help get the ideas flowing can save you time, heartache, and the stress of . . .

Federal PLUS Loans

Federal PLUS LoansAs a student entering college, it is very unlikely that you have a few spare checks lying around that you can cash and magically use to pay for college. Most college-aged students, ranging from late teens through mid-twenties, have no line of credit and cannot receive much money. . .

Keep Thy Journal Private!

If you live with other people, I know you shudder to think about what would happen if your personal journal fell into the wrong hands. Journaling is not about writing something and then leaving it on your bed so your family can see how you really feel about them. You may be tempted to do that. . .

The Phantoms of Six Mile Road

I was going through a box of personal belongings a couple of weeks ago, when I stumbled across some pictures of my 1978 high school graduation. My daughter Vonnie laughed at those pictures and asked me if everyone dressed that way in the old days. The old days? 1978 is now the old days? I gue. . .

Taming The Book Proposal

Oh, that most maddening of documents! For so many of us eager to move forward with our nonfiction projects, it looms large like a guard at the queen’s castle, blocking the path to publication. Its perfection eludes us yet it stands there teasing, “Complete me, or your manuscript will never see th. . .

Do You Really Want to Get Published? Write for Trade Magazines!

Have you been repeatedly snubbed by consumer magazines? Do you have little to show for your research and querying efforts other than a folder of form rejection letters? If your writing dream includes earning a halfway decent to excellent income writing magazine articles, there are editors at thou. . .

Platform Development Tip #1: Switch Writing Hats!

Platform-Building Tip #1: Switch Writing Hats!Around eighty percent of nonfiction books today are written by “experts,” that is people who have a) earned credentials in the field they’re writing about, b) germinated information via articles, live presentations or other media, or c) had extraordin. . .

Success Redefined

When our youngest child was in second grade, we moved to a small Colorado town. The first day, even before we’d gotten the house unpacked, I headed for the library. Over the next three months, I spent four to eight hours a day in that threadbare space, reading every word I could find on non-ficti. . .

Harnessing The Wisdom of Procrastination

The Heart of The Delay: Harnessing the Wisdom of Procrastination, AKA Writer’s BlockI am sure that at in some era, at some desk, with some kind of paper (and perhaps some very special ink), some writer has breezed through a lengthy and challenging project from beginning to end with no delays. No . . .

The Arrogant Writer: Five Ways to Nurture and Defend your Muse

Arrogance has a bad rap. We think of arrogant people as unpleasant to be around, full of themselves, and incapable of taking an interest in anyone else. However, when applied to one’s own writing, a certain measure of well-placed arrogance can be a useful tool.Writing can be a scary enterprise. T. . .

Break in with Fillers: The Best Market for New Writers

Interested in breaking into writing or breaking into a new area? You can't go past writing fillers. Fillers are one of the most overlooked opportunities in the freelance writing world and offer one of the best opportunities for new writers. Fillers Are In DemandI've spoken to hundreds of editors . . .

A Good Book Cover Design is Key

Marketing your Book cover, Spine and Information. Whether you've written your book or are just starting out, having an eye catching cover is a must. Did you know that customers may be looking over your book for 10 seconds or less? A good book cover entices the customer to want to read more inform. . .

I Wonder Why Dictionaries Went Out Of Fashion

More Tips For New Writers (Part IV)When you begin writing for your home based business, never lose sight of the following facts: People notice things (sometimes even the most minute detail) People remember things (sometimes even the most minute detail) People love to point out mistakes (sometimes. . .

Private versus Federal Consolidation Loans – What’s the Difference?

A consolidation loan lets you combine your federal student loans into a single loan with one monthly payment. There are two programs available for consolidating student loans: The Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program, through which banks, secondary markets, credit unions, and other lender. . .

Basic Writing Tips – Some Controversial, All Correct

As a previous article (“Making Better Word Choices – 4 Examples”) explained, writers can take steps to prevent simple, and common, errors from degrading their writing. Five areas of writing that cause authors problems are discussed in this article.Split InfinitivesFirst let us exam the famously . . .

5 Dynamite Ways to Generate Ideas for Parenting Articles

The key to selling reprints to parenting publications is the creation of dynamite ideas followed through with professional writing. Here, I’m focusing only on finding those lucrative topics.Most topics in regional parenting publications are straightforward: finance, parenting tips, health, sports. . .

Federal Student Loans versus Private Student Loans – which is best for me?

Federal Student Loans versus Private Student Loans – which is best for me?You have gotten all the grants and scholarships you can, but you still need money for your education. It’s time to look at loans. But which is better – federal loans or private loans?Federal loansIf you need to take out a l. . .

Reproaches for a Request Earnest

I've posted an article appealing to the bloggers, not to use blogs for erotic and pervert purposes in 'lulu.com'. Immense fury I've to face for such a humble request, which manifested in the form of abusive replies with clamorous curses and roaring reproaches. Well, blogs are for venting our grie. . .

Writing in the Shower (or Wherever You May Be)

I just glanced at the clock. 7:35 am. That leaves me ten, maybe fifteen minutes to write before it's time for me to head for my day job. What can I possibly accomplish in so little time? A lot, as it turns out. My current schedule only permits me to devote snippets of time to my passion, my true . . .

Checking for Mismatched Quotation Marks

—or—How To Make Sure that Every Opening Quotation Mark Has an Ending Quotation MarkWhen writing a term paper, research paper, or post-graduate thesis, one of the most common errors is "mismatched" quotation marks. That is, an opening (beginning) quotation mark will not have a closing (ending) quo. . .

Subtle Writing Techniques of the Mystery Writer

Here is the first of five articles taken from my lecture series, "Subtle Writing Techniques Used in Creating a Successful Mystery Novel." This series is designed to explain the working methods of the mystery/suspense writer, offering insight and understanding into the technical process of writing. . .

Win More Clients, Projects and Freelance Jobs By Making Three Small Changes

I've spoken to hundreds of editors, employers, and project managers about how they choose a freelancer for a job. Whether they were reviewing job applications or considering project bids, they all had one thing in common. As every one of them started to look at the applications, they had their sk. . .

Are You Achieving Your Writing Goals?

At the start of this new year, like at the start of every other new year, I came across dozens of articles about the importance of setting achievable goals, challenging myself to do new things and fixing measurable standards and working towards them. But what happens when you mess up the goals fr. . .

Why Book Writers Need A Running Mate

By far, I have found that the lack of discipline is the biggest hindrance for most people, when it comes to writing a book of any kind. Although I urge you as a would-be writer to develop a theme because once you are clear on "why" you want to write a book, your motivational level will shift into. . .

Hooked On Books? Write A Book Review For Your Target Audience

If you are burned out with writing how-to articles to promote your business then consider writing a book review. I recommend you write a review about a book you enjoyed that is related to your products or services. Your review, of course, will be capped off with your 5-6 line byline that includes. . .

Quick Proof Reading Can Lead to a Costly Mistake

If you know of anyone writing that likes to hear others experiences from authors, please share this and include the byline.One Isn't Enough When it Comes to Proof Reading Your WorkHere's a story of an author who had to learn the hard way that one proof reading isn't enough. She had finished her m. . .

Chaucer's The Prologue to the Canterbury Tales

Criticism of the portraits in Chaucer's General Prologue to the Canterbury Tales has taken various directions : some critics have praised the portraits especially for their realism, sharp individuality, adroit psychology and vividness of felt life; others, working in the genetic direction have po. . .

Take My Publisher, Please!

An actual phone conversation I had earlier today....“Hello, is this Ed?”“Uh, yes it is.”“Ed Williams, the writer guy?”“Uh, yeah, Ed Williams the writer guy.”“How are you? My name is Sam Filbert, and I’m a big fan.”“Hey Sam, it’s nice to meet you, what can I do for you?”“It’s really you, isn’t it?. . .

Wake Up Your Writing Spirit

The Blogfest 2005 Writing Contest has only been running for two weeks and already the results are overwhelming. And not because we’re getting far more entries than we expected. It’s because along with entries, we’re also getting heartfelt messages from writers all over the world. I’ve run a few c. . .

Wordsworth's "Ode on Intimations of Immortality"

In a letter written in 1814, Wordsworth referring to " Intimation to Immortality' ode wrote the following to clear his stand on the poem:The poem rests entirely upon two recollections of childhood, one that of a splendure in the objects of sense which is passed away and the other an indisposition. . .