Improving Your Writing Skills & Marketing

Bookpleasures' is excited to bring you some excellent articles on how to improve your writing skills and other topics related to writing. Check these out. I am sure you will find them very useful.

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    There’s a big irony to the writing process, and it is this: While we seek to optimize our creativity while writing, the inert nature of the task works against the brain’s ability to perform at its imaginative best It’s become axiomatic that flashes of insight or even grand epiphanies come to us while showering, driving, walking, hiking through the woods and so on

    When I first began writing professionally in 2006, one of the first things I did was pick through my copy of Writer’s Market for every resource I could find. Writer’s Market, published once a year, has a list of helpful websites and other resources a writer might be interested in. I looked at many of the websites listed there, hoping to find that magical website that would make me a wealthy and creatively satisfied author. Almost four years later, I still haven’t found the “magical” website. I have, however, created this list of resources I regularly turn to and have found helpful.

    Novel writing is easy if you follow these few simple tips I hear writers groan all the time about how difficult writing a novel is

    There are many writers that say that you don’t need to plan before you write a novel They say that the novel will just grow as they write

    Every writer wants to write a great novel, but not every writer knows the secret that can make the difference between a successful novel and a failure

    Have You Made this Mistake When Writing a Novel?

    When you get the idea to write a novel, it seems to just jump into your head. You have an “Aha!” moment; a brilliant moment of inspiration. You can see the entire novel played out in your head. Now all you have to do is write it down on paper


    With today's search empowered readers, do we need to market and publish books differently? Does general publishing makes sense in an age of Google searches, micro communities and niche marketing? 


    Eric Erin O’Riordan shares her valuable advice concerning word play and as she states, "There are all sorts of fun things we can do with words, from the silly sounds of onomatopoeia to the dangers of the double entendre.  Play with your words today!"

    Peter Bowerman, author of The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living discusses self-publishing

    Peter Bowerman, author of The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living discusses self-publishing pitfalls


    Peter Bowerman, author of The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living makes some very interesting comments about bogus reviews

    So, you have a killer plotline idea that you’re confident will sell a million books You may even have a title that will jump off the front cover and grab the attention of anyone who sees it




    What do these books have in common: Eragon…The Celestine Prophecy…Joy of Cooking…South Beach Diet…Worms Eat My Garbage…The Read-Aloud Handbook?




    A large part of social networking is the grouping of individuals into a particular group of interest. People join websites like Facebook and MySpace to find people of similar interests. All social networking websites allow users to connect to each other via buttons and groups. The more friends you have on these websites, the bigger your network is.


    Of all the article marketing tips I could give you, writing articles for free advertising online is likely the most beneficial to you if you currently spend money on advertising your website There are several reasons for this, but the major reasons why article writing can bring you better results than expensive pay per click (PPC) adverts or taking a chance with reciprocal links are detailed below

    Author Eva Etzioni- Halevy discusses listening to the women in the bible and how it has influenced her writing

     Peter Bowerman, author of The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book into a Full-Time Living discusses if your book is viable

    You’re doing everything right; you’ve studied under the experts, you’ve been reading about writing, you network with the right people and you’ve put time in the trenches. You are a writer. What can possibly go wrong? In a word: plenty.


    The success of your book depends on your willingness to promote it. Following are ten ideas that will surely get the customers’ attention

    First-time authors are eager to see their books in print. I know this. I’ve been there and I’ve made mistakes. As authors, we work long and hard on our projects. The last thing we want to deal with after finishing a manuscript is the learning curve. But the alternative can most certainly lead to failure.






    Author Vera Jane Cook Shares With Us Her Thoughts About The Brave New World of Self-Publishing



    The act of writing poetry is something that is very personal to us poets, and sharing it for the first time can be a very frightening experience The first experience of having your work criticized can boggle your mind and set you back a step in your writing

    Michael Volkin Discusses Selling More Books By Using Twitter Hashtags

    "Writers Are Troublemakers, Too"

    " ...And I don’t need a single book to teach me how to read

    Who needs stupid books? They are for petty crooks..."

    ("Troublemaker," lyrics by Rivers Cuomo. From Weezer’s self-titled 2008 album)

     


    Want to Get FREE Publicity for Your Books? Try Pitch Rate



    The "blurb" is the back cover material for your book --- the selling points that will get people to buy the book If you write the blurb before you write an outline, you're guaranteed not to wander off the track as you write your book

    Many aspiring book writers yearn to get a literary agent for representation Literary agents have become valuable to getting books published

    You're ready to publish your first book You want to find the best publisher

    These fiery hot topics are on the rise You can pull any one of these to use for your book

    Groups of people willing to buy nonfiction books include hobbyists At any given time, these people look for ways to spend their money on their hobbies

    Finding an agent/ publisher is the first step to selling your book proposal However, even after you've sold your book proposal, you'll want to stay current with agent and publisher news to sell your next proposal, and the one after that

    These days more people are flocking to purchase self-help books Self-help books are leaping off shelves at brick and mortar book stores and online stores

    Fantasy novels are the most exciting stories to write Writing fantasy gives the author so much freedom about every character and event of the story

    A book publishing agreement is a document or contract that a writer signs with a publisher before their work can be put into print and distributed in different media Getting such a book contract is probably on every author's wish list

    The hardest part as a book author may not be the writing, nor book marketing or finding a book publisher Negotiating with a publisher also may not be as difficult -- that is, if you educate yourself about what is rightfully yours as the creator of the work

    A survey cited by "The Wall Street Journal" says that a person who surfs the book store actually spends more time looking at the front book cover before he reads the back cover Yes, you got it right

    In writing fiction or non-fiction, many writers commit common mistakes as they build their stories Achieving the right balance between developing strong characters and a believable plot is sometimes difficult

    Issues on copyright are hot topics in the creative world From movies, to music, and authorship, people have been disputing the legal concept of copyright

    Writing is a fruitful and fulfilling endeavor The downside is you may find it difficult to get your book published

    Your book's content is vital to your book's success Readers don't buy books because the front covers entice them

    Book topics of special interest to women The facts don't lie

    Selecting a hot topic for a book is so easy People are hungry for information, and people are buying books and e-books to feed their hunger

    Fiction and non-fiction have been compared tirelessly throughout the years Because each genre has its own pros and cons, people often debate about which writing style is easier or more practical

    Book editing can be a grueling, boring process If you are not used to critiquing your own work, then you may pass over errors without realizing it

    Start by visiting some large bookstores Take your notebook and a pen

    There's nothing mysterious about coming up with ideas for your book Within a page or two, you'll have more ideas than you know what to do with

    Research is time-consuming and hard work; however, this phase in writing is essential to write a book that readers will find believable and original As long as you know where to start and what you want to achieve with your work, then research shouldn't be a problem

    What did the women of the Bible look like? Did they cover their hair? Did they cover their faces with veils?

    Excuse Me, Are You a Literary Agent?

    Maybe it’s not so odd that dogs appear in all my books. I grew up with them. They fold into the fabric of my youth like my Aunt Kitty and my Uncle Jack. Memory images squared off in black and white. Color came later, with my Shih Tzu, Charlie. 


    Phyllis Zimbler Miller shares her sage thoughts!

    Short story structure demands that you abandon all ideas of forming your own brand of storytelling The rules are very simple: comply to the form that sells, or you don't sell

    How do you write about personal topics? How you motivate people with your articles?

    When developing a story or article, aspiring authors often hear this writing tip: learn to incorporate the "who," "when," "where," and "how" But what often gets overlooked is the "why?"

    Characters can make or break your fiction It’s imperative that you people your story world with characters who feel real

    You want to write a book You have a great idea for a story, yet when you sit down at your computer you stare blankly at the screen wondering why your story doesn’t come pouring out of your fingers

    When you're writing an article, it's very tempting to simply jump write into your word processor and start pounding the keys. However, crafting copy this way can lead to copy that is weak, overly complicated, or takes too long to produce. In order to maximize your articles potential and minimize the time you spend on the article, it's best to formulate your plan ahead of time. One of the most tried and tested means to do so is the simple, yet effective, outline.

    A copywriter is different from other writers We don’t just describe, we excite, inspire and motivate people to find out more about your business, and ultimately, to hire you

    SEO experts and internet marketing professionals know that the key to online business success is great content on your website Your website is the first, and maybe the only, chance to make an impression on potential customers, so it has to have great content

    Coming from a family of authors and editors, Grael Norton has always had writing and publishing in his blood His dad has worked as a freelance writer for more than 30 years, ¬the last 20 of those years as a travel writer

    Creative writers write to entertain. They entertain themselves, and they entertain those who dare to read what they write. This can be both good and bad.

    Creative writing calls for all the talent you can muster If you don't have very much talent, that's just dandy



    Have you ever wanted to write fantasy, but perhaps did not know where to begin? Then this is the article for you. By the time you finish reading, you will know enough to write your first fantasy story.

    Stories may differ in message, content and characters, but each one is required to have these 16 different elements By the time you finish this article, you will be well equipped with a checklist that will be worth keeping – albeit, not necessarily written in the proper order



    Creative writing for the little people is not the same as writing for adults In fact, it may even be more difficult, as the first qualification of writing for children is being able to think like a child



    Learn the DeBowen short story system, the newest writing rage Every story has one climactic conflict, and this is where you are going to start your story



    For many writers finding great article ideas is the hardest part of the job Most writers all wonder at some point how to get ideas for writing articles

    Creative writers – make a lot of money writing for newspapers The writing is easy, you don't have to worry about "Show, Don't Tell," and you can resell the articles all over the country with simultaneous submissions



    Any one that is running an online business that needs good website content such as articles for e-books, e-zines, article directories, etc. will find themselves doing quite a bit of writing. This is true if they are writing from scratch or even if they are just rewriting someone else’s written work and calling it their own. Those that are not that comfortable with their writing skills and feel lacking capability, need not be overly concerned. It is possible to improve one’s writing skills measurably and be able to produce clean, clear, and effective copy. The trick is to understand what makes your audience tick and keep your reader in mind whenever you are composing something. Here are some good tips to keep in mind when you need to do some writing.

    Article Writing: Start One Sentence at a Time.

    Writing for some is a great source of anxiety. For the most part it really has nothing to do with the actual act of putting words to paper, though that is often how it is expressed.

    Creative writers – don't wait to edit your work until you know every word by heart – learn to edit the easy way Do you know what to look for in editing?

    Wikipedia defines a twisted ending as an unexpected conclusion or climax to a work of fiction, which may contain a surprising irony, or cause the audience to review the story from a different perspective by revealing new information about the characters or plot. A twist ending is the conclusive form of plot twists. This literary device is also referred to as a surprise ending.


    According to the dictionary, a writer is one who writes. Yet most writers don't consider themselves "real" writers unless they have been published. Is it because the literary world is responsible for dubbing a person a "writer"? Or is it because writers lay that definition on themselves? I think it is the latter.

    Editors know what they are looking for in a query letter. This guide follows the teaching of Noah Lukeman, editor, novelist, literary agent and teacher at Writer’s University.

    Most new writers are so eager to sell their work that they don't stop to consider what rights they are selling. "Rights" refers to how a publisher can use your work. "Rights" has nothing whatever to do with what you are paid or the copyright of your work.

    Writing a book is a lot like getting married.  It is intensely  personal, it calls for a big commitment, and it requires a sustained effort.  And like marriage, it carries no guarantee of success.

    When creative writers think of parenting, they normally think of someone biologically bearing a child, but there is more than one kind of parent. There is the unmarried parent, the divorced parent, the parent to be, and the adoptive parent, to name a few. But still there is another kind of parent we haven't named, and that is parenting the created word. Although it may not conjure up the same status as that of physical parenting, the labor is just as real.


    Let's face it, regardless of the odds we authors still want to get into bookstores. But if you've been having a hard time with this, take heart. It's getting harder and harder to get into stores but not impossible. We're going to look at some of the possibilities here.

    If you’re sick of hearing all the bad news then come sit by me. I’m so tired of it I could scream. So here’s some good news. Seven ways to make all of this pandemonium work for you. Enjoy!

    In as much as I’ve taught Internet marketing and publicity classes, the idea of marketing yourself online is still very confusing to a lot of people. Let’s face it; our company has a department dedicated to this. Why? Because stuff changes all the time on the Internet; if we didn’t have a dedicated department researching this and reading all the “geek stuff,” we’d never be able to keep up. But for right now I want to give you the bottom line basics because at the end of the day, we all need to start somewhere and the best place to start is online.


    Every main character must be a three-dimensional person. Exactly what does that mean? It means they must be like real people who have nuances, nervous habits, attitudes, bad habits, good habits, a past, present, and future, and are often unpredictable. This is what it takes to make a believable character.

    Over the past several days I've fielded a number of calls from authors frustrated with their progress. "Nothing is happening," "Am I doing this right?" and "My book isn't selling" are some of the biggest complaints I hear when authors are marketing on their own. Especially now, when we feel the pressure to make every marketing effort count, marketing effectively is becoming more of a concern. Authors like to blame it on the downturned economy, but the truth is, books are a low dollar item and likely to sell better over the holidays than the spiffy new iPhone. So here's a little reality check, mixed with some inspiration and a few ideas to hopefully kick-start your momentum!

    When there are so many creative writers out there, why is it that so relative few are published? Could it be that they don't have the self-confidence to move forward to publication? Or is it because they don't know how to get published?

    Every story and every article has a "voice". What do we mean by voice? It is the angle from which your story is viewed. No one point of view (POV) is right or wrong.

    Most creative writers have a secret desire to enter a writing or poetry contest at some point in life. Yet they stifle that desire by thinking they aren't good enough to enter. It's one thing to analyze your writing and know that you are not a Thoreau or Stephen King, and it is altogether another to think so little of your writing that you won't take the chance on entering contests.

    All creative writers are bound to an invisible law of journalism. From the beginning of time, the same structure has been used. All of the great writers use it. But after this lesson, you will see that story structure is far more than the initial breakdown:

    Developing a story is very simple, but most people go about it the wrong way.

    Are writing lessons for everyone? No, but if you’re asking yourself if you should take writing lessons, the answer is probably yes. Ye olde subconscious doth not lie.


    All writers have style, but what is it? How is it developed? Can it be changed? Read the answers to all these questions and more – inside.


    Do you enter writing contests? Have you won any? Here are reasons why you should enter – even if you lose!


    Article writing can be very lucrative, and if you know how to write articles for money, you should be able to get through the current economic squeeze unscathed This article will explain how you can learn to write articles in a form needed both for website content and for directory submission

    When I started creative writing, I felt like the Lone Ranger. I didn’t know a single writer, or a single writing rule, for that matter. Further, I had no idea where to go to get the knowledge. Creative writing classes were too expensive, and it never occurred to me that the library had a wealth of information at my disposal (duh); thus, I was totally on my own. There is no worse way to learn writing than that.

    Do you have the reader in the palm of your hand? If so, you can control how fast he reads, and even how fast his heart beats. Learn how within.


    Isn’t there enough writing in the world? Why add your two cents? There are many good reasons why you should. Read to find out.


    So you wrote your stories, and you can’t find markets for them. Right? You’re going about your marketing in the wrong way.


    Never let the reader predict you story. Twist that ending, and then twist it again. Read this to see how.



    We’ve heard people say a writer can make a living doing what we love most, but is it really true? If so, what is the secret?


    Deborah Owen is here to answer your questions.

    What is the best way to write a story? What is a plot? How do you develop a plot? How should you develop your style? Read this to find out.

     


    As a creative writer, you must feel the mood your are writing about It is imperative if you want to reach your audience

    Creative writers have a hard time dealing with criticism – constructive or otherwise After all, our written words are our babies, and how dare anyone criticize them or try to change them

    All creative writers use inference, whether by choice or by accident So you may be thinking, “If I can do use it by accident, why should I study it

    Creative writing is a finely honed skill. We can temper it and study it until we are blue in the face, and we still will not have plummeted its depths. That is what makes it so fascinating.

    Many creative writers attend the public educational system to sharpen their prose and poetry skills, and this author certainly applauds all who make such a grand effort. However, the question becomes, is it necessary to invest multiplied thousands of dollars on colleges the average person cannot afford. Is the same thing available for less money? The answer is yes.

    Creative writers and journalists sometimes have the problem of smoothly transitioning from one paragraph to the other, especially when they are changing the subject This is a learned skill that is not hard to master

    Creative writers know that every climactic scene is emphasized by the conflict within it. The conflict can be anything that creates tension, anxiety, uncertainty, incompatibility, or opposing forces. It can be an argument, a scene of abuse, a rapist resisting the urge, two sisters fighting over a boy, or a man in a sailboat trying to survive a storm. All of these conflicts and more are normally divided into four groups. I have added a fifth group.


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