Writing Skills - What You Can Do to Be a Master of It

Writing Skills
Just like every other skill, you can enhance your writing skills over time. It can be done easily if you keep in mind the following points.

Leave other things & focus on what you are doing
A focused mind is necessary for writing. Never get distracted with other issues in your life & career while writing. Focus on the topic that you have in mind. In this way you can write a lot more easily & in less time.

Think freely
Try to think freely while writing. The more you can think, the more power will be there in your writing. It does not mean that you should write whatever you are thinking but in this way, one can easily find a lot of quality in your writing.

Gain enough knowledge before starting
You should have a grasp on the subject on which you are writing. It really is a test of how much you know about the topic which you are writing. If you do not have enough knowledge then first give some time to research about that topic. It really helps.

Follow a plan
You should have a process in place which you follow while writing which must include research, writing, editing & final publishing. By having a process in place, you will help yourself in increasing your speed as well as writing quality. Success in any field is all about following a proven plan or process that always work.
If you can keep in mind the above points than you will see that with time your writing skills will improve considerably.

The Writer's Instinct

It's happened to every new mother. The baby is crying. She's checked the diaper, fed the new bundle of joy and has been trying for over an hour to rock him to sleep. Yet instead of quiet bliss the new mom is rewarded with piercing screams.

When it comes to writing, sometimes the same thing occurs. You've followed the written plans of what you should do. You've created a plot, developed characters, created quirky dialogue and still the story is off. It's as if your characters are trying to beat you over the head with a broom. It's your writer's instinct intervening.
Writer's instinct is the intuition that a writer has that something is missing from their work in progress (manuscript); it is that quiet voice that says that indeed something on some level isn't fitting correctly. The more one writes the better attuned one becomes in hearing the quiet voice.
When the writer is plagued by such, it is best to dive in, and be ready to listen.

1.Cause and effect
Does the plot make sense? Are the effects logical to the story or is a part of it forced? The writer's instinct trumps. If for some reason a nagging feeling is telling you that the cause or effect is not working, then it is best to analyze why and attempt to ascertain a solution. Just as the newborn is unable to speak words to clarify its discomfort, it is the same with story. It cannot tell you if the plot has holes or where it may need to be fine tuned. Instead all it can do is cry for your attention and hope that your instinct and fine handling will make it possible to become a better work in progress and ultimately a finished story.

2. Analysis - who, what, when, where, why and how
Make sure to ask the difficult questions. If for some reason you feel that something just isn't right with your story then there is a good chance that your reader will too. Take the needed time to analyze it.

3. Get help
When one is new in any field, including motherhood, even the basics have to be learned. In writing, this principle is the same. Don't be afraid to ask someone's opinion; to discuss your story with a trusted critique partner, family member or friend. Sometimes through conversation one is able to gain insight into the problem and come up with a new solution on how to fix it.
Each day brings new opportunities and chances to discover the writer within. Take the time to nurture your creativity and when you need it the most, it won't disappoint. The writer's instinct is there to help to make you a better writer. Let it whisper softly into your ear.

How to Jumpstart your Next Writing Session

How to Jumpstart your Next Writing Session
by: David Parton


I have always enjoyed writing. Sometimes it’s a problem for me to just sit down and write something. There are days when I choose “procrastinating” over “proactive.” Putting things off is common with everyone. I am very gifted in this area. ;)

Here are 4 areas to focus on to jumpstart your next writing session.

* Concentration
* Preparation
* The First Word
* Use your notebook

Concentration:

There are way too many distractions. Cell phones ringing, blaring car alarms and unexpected visitors are just a few things that can disrupt your concentration. It then becomes easier to justify not writing today.

The best thing to do to encourage creative writing is to make it a ritual. Find a nice spot to write, maybe, in a quiet room in your home where you will be left undisturbed for a period of time. Set a time to work; a scheduled time to write. Stick to it.

Keep reference books and materials close to hand.

Focus on one idea at a time.

View your next writing session as an opportunity; an opportunity to do something you enjoy. It can be fun. And when you are having fun nobody ever has to tell you to “concentrate!”

Preparation

Once you have your topic: Google it. Read everything you can online and offline related to your idea. Search the net for testimonials, reviews and articles about your topic. Brainstorm related sub-topics.

Give it a rest. Let your subconscious mind percolate and play with the information you provided. Get some exercise. Some of my best ideas come to me while I am out walking around in the evening.

Getting Started

Where to begin? That blank page staring back can be intimidating.

Just dive right in there!

Type the word “The.”

Type the next word (the first thing that pops into your mind) and the next word.

At this point, quality is not important. You just want to create a “flow” where the words come easily.

Don’t stop to edit. Save all your corrections for the second draft. Resist the impulse to rewrite. That will only interrupt the flow and is another way to avoid the task at hand.

If you are like me you will have a 2nd, third and fourth draft. You have to get your first draft completed before your have anything to rewrite! Stay focused.

Carry a Notebook

As a creative writer, you will be “hit” by odd ideas and notions in the oddest of places.

Maybe you are stuck in traffic or brushing your teeth when inspiration strikes.

You could wake from a dream and have a killer idea.

“ I’ll remember that.” We say to ourselves, but when next we write there is no access to that memory file.

Just use a notebook. Jot those things down as they come to you. It only takes a moment.

Capture all your of your ideas as they transpire. Who knows? One of them may be the “Next Big Thing!”

- David Parton

About The Author

David Parton
Now You can Expand your Opportunities with FREE Tips & Resources about Affiliate Marketing, Making Money from Home, Website Development & Self-improvement for Both Sides of Your Brain! Discover... http://ExpandingMind.com

david@expandingmind.com

The Purpose Of Writing An Effective Memoir Article

In this world of high technology and instant information, it is easy to forget that it wasn't always there. As little as twenty years ago, cell phones were a dream. Fifty years ago computers were still on the drawing board. Whole generations of people will be growing up with no idea what it might have been like. This is a field rich with possibilities for senior citizens who have interesting stories to tell and share.

Memoir writing is not as difficult as it would seem. Mostly, it just takes a desire to remember details of a childhood without all the gadgets we have today.

Begin your memoir by brainstorming all the life events you can remember that were either very important to you in a positive way or memorable in a negative way. Talk to other members of your family to get ideas, to help you remember events from when you were small, and to help fill in the details that might have been forgotten.

There is no right or wrong time to start writing about your life. There is only now. If you are comfortable with writing on your computer, you can start directly into a Word or text document. If you don't want to do that, go to the store and purchase some type of spiral bound notebook. You will be carrying this with you and making your notes as you think of them. A combination of these is probably going to work best.
Whichever you choose, just pick a year and start making notes of all the things that happened to you that year. Label each page with a month and work through the whole year.

When you are ready to write, select the event, or series of related events, that seems most interesting to you. Brainstorm again but in more detail, trying to recall names, places, descriptions, voices, conversations, things, and all the other details that will make this an interesting account.

Ask yourself these questions - how much was food, what kind of car did my parents have, what was the politics, where did my parents work, what was my school like, what did I play, what siblings did I have, - and jot down notes for each month.

Work at this note-taking stage for a few days, until you feel you've got it all down on paper.
You will be surprised to see that even more details begin to appear once you start to write. For your first draft, write quickly to get all your ideas down from beginning to end. Don't worry about editing. Before you revise, share your first draft with someone in the family. Consider their response, but go with what feels right to you. Rewrite, and then start editing as needed.

Good narratives are about everyday things, but they are interesting; sometimes just as interesting to read as a good novel. But remember, this chronicle is supposed to be true, so be careful not to exaggerate or embellish the truth.

Once you have finished one year, begin on another year. You might want to write various versions of each year by focusing on different topics. It is your story. The only limit is your imagination.

Writing Articles Online - You Are Smart Enough

Writers are in high demand and website owners are willing and able to pay for simple, easy to read content.
This demand has opened the door for ordinary people to write for this need on the internet, while working from home. Authors are writing for money from their homes on a part-time basis, or even full-time.
You are not required to have a degree or to be a published author. If you can email a friend a reasonably easy to read message, you are qualified to write articles for money and can begin enjoying an online writer career with significant income.

Thousands of people who are making money writing articles are working from their homes. If you have a desire and the ability to write at a 10th grade level, you have a gold mine at your disposal.
Getting paid enough to make a living is something most people are faced with. Becoming an article writer requires no monetary investment or up-front cost.

The quickest and easiest way I know of to make money writing articles is to make a list of your hobbies, interests and subjects you are familiar with. Research your list and write practice articles. When you are comfortable with your writing skills, do another search for websites along the same lines as your list and sample article. email a good number of these sites and send them your sample article. You may be surprised that soon you will have a writing assignment. Remember, webmasters can not find you, you have to find them.
All websites need unique, fresh new content to help their ranking with the search engines. Even if they have an article writer, it would be hard for them to turn down a unique article.

Article writing is a competitive field, but you never have to be afraid of competition. In fact, competition is good. It will make you a better writer, therefore creating more jobs for you writing articles for money. I urge you to start today, don't delay.

Getting Paid to Write Articles - I Rank It Five Stars

Most good writers are good readers. To make money writing online start reading other articles. You should be able to recognize a certain style and composition. You will also see that web content would not win any literary awards. Anyone that can write on a 10th grade level can write web content.
Writing for the web is different from traditional writing. When someone does a search, the content will be for information about products, services or general knowledge. Article writing is simply supplying information on these services.

Now, web masters are always looking for new, original, fresh ideas for their content. They are relying on web ranking for searches to locate their sites. Articles will help improve the ranking of web sites.
One of the easiest and quickest ways for you to get a job writing online articles would be to contact these sites with a free sample article. Ask for future consideration for writing opportunities they may have. If your articles are eye-catching, you may get a client. It doesn't take many clients to start making a good weekly paycheck. Most websites will want several articles weekly. You invoice weekly for completed articles and the web master normally pays weekly for your articles.

There are many people today on the internet getting paid to write articles or working as a freelance writer. I know one person that writes grandma's recipes for websites and makes extra money every month. The possibilities are unlimited.

I would suggest a good write at home system and begin on a part-time basis. After you are established, there is no limit to the amount of money you can make. There are thousands of online businesses looking for web content. You have to contact them, they cannot find you! Remember, research is the key here. Keep in mind that all you really have to do is write in the same way that you speak.

Writing Articles Online - Fight the Recession

Stop shouting, I can hear you - there is a recession going on. If you are reading this, you have experienced the down turn in this economy. You may have lost your job or you are not making enough money to meet your bills.

After spending years surfing the net, it finally occurred to me I had been looking at a gold mine and not even realizing it. Web content. All of the information on the net is written by someone. A lot of websites or web masters do not have time to write their own content. They use outside sources or what is termed as "freelance writers".

High demand is out there for unique, fresh, new ideas for content. Your content can be worth a good sum of money to these web masters or companies.

I started out by making a list of my hobbies, interests and subjects. I took my list and started doing tons of research. I even researched other articles to see their style and content. I then started writing practice articles. After I was comfortable with my writing, I compiled a list of websites that related to my list. I emailed my list a sample article and asked for consideration on their next writing assignment. That was two years ago. Now I write full time. It's like Christmas morning every day when I see my inbox filled with writing assignments.
In this area of internet opportunities, the recession is not an excuse or a reason to be unemployed or not making ends meet. You do not have to work cheap, economically, or for a low price or discount. The quality of your articles will dictate your prices. You do not have to invest capital or pay any up-front cost. There are no hidden costs in writing web content. You do not have to have a formal education or be a published author. If you can write on a 10th grade level, you can write web content. In fact, websites prefer simple conversational articles.

Writing an article is not rocket science. A good article is a small step, a bad article is wider than the Grand Canyon. A good article will bring you repeat business for years to come. Don't delay, start today.