All Entries in the "Articles" Category

The headline is the most important part of your story. The reason for this is that five times more people read a headline than the body copy of a story. Think about how you read a newspaper or a magazine. Most likely you scan the headlines and only read the news stories and advertisements that have a headline that catches your attention and interest. That is why writing an attention grabbing headline is so vitally important.

Writing headlines is a skill that you will learn with practice and patience. It is worth the work of writing good headlines, because one headline can out produce another headline by as much as 1800% with no change in the body of the story at all. That means that a promotion which made $1,000 could have made as much as $18,000 just by changing the headline. Suddenly, a promotion that could have been unsuccessful has the potential to be a real moneymaker.

An effective headline will capture the reader’s attention and create a desire to continue reading your story. For this reason, your headline is the most important part of your message. Without your headline driving people to read your message, you will not have readers. You may have written the most wonderful message ever, but it will produce nothing if your headline does not capture the reader’s interest and desire to act. Headlines have the power to tap into your emotions, wants and needs. Simple words can have a significant psychological impact on you. When you see or read something that caters to your desires you tend to act on that desire to satisfy it. You feel that you must read on to see how the website is going to help you.

With this in mind, what should the headline say or do to attract attention? A good headline will attract attention, be easy to read, and create enough curiosity to cause a reader to continue on to the rest of the story. Use strong “power words” like Free, Breakthrough, Sale, and Secret. Simply using words like these along with words like Shed and Amazing will create a strong sense of emotion in the reader. They will become intrigued by the words and convinced to read on. The effect these power words have is almost hypnotic. Other power words such as Discover, Build, Learn, Fast, and Sell also encourage the reader to stay on your page and read more of your story.

By: Scott Brooks

About the Author:

Writing an E-zine is more than just a pretty packaging for words. Those words are the meat of your E-zine and your message. You have to think about content and your audience and writing it well and getting your readers’ attention and keeping your readers’ attention and…. The list goes on and doesn’t ever seem to stop.

Today I’m going to focus on one facet of writing, writing well. If you write well, then your E-zine will accomplish all those goals: getting your readers’ attention, keeping their attention, and meeting their needs. Now, we’re not talking about correct grammar and sentence mechanics, although that is important to writing well. We’re talking about how to make the writing come alive, to be yours and yours alone.

–> Be creative. Whether you’re writing titles or giving examples, come up with your own ideas. It seems clever to riff off the “Got Milk?” slogan, but after a while (and sometimes a very short while), that gets old. You don’t have to worry about your writing being cliche or old when you come up with your own creative ideas.

–> Be yourself. You’re not the answer for everyone, and not everyone is going to be attracted to your stuff. However, if you write authentically, then you have a better chance of people sticking around to see what you have to say. It’s basic Law of Attraction.

–> Be original. You don’t have to do it like everyone else. You don’t have to follow all the rules. You don’t have to incorporate all the great advice you read in E-zines (even in mine!). Do it your own way and stand out from the crowd. If you’re like everyone else, what would make people gravitate toward you? Give them a reason to pick you.

–> Be strong. Choose a stand and believe in it. If your writing is filled with “I think” and “I guess” and “I believe” and “it seems,” you come across as wishy-washy. Take those words out and stand firm. Say what you believe and believe what you say.

–> Be human. We all make mistakes. Don’t try to pretend you’re perfect. If you make a mistake, own up to it. Your audience wants someone to whom they can relate. If you come across as perfect, how can they relate to you? Admit your weaknesses and be authentic.

–> Be fun-filled. Enjoy what you’re writing about. Write from the heart. Be passionate. If you like humor, be funny. If you like word play, add a few puns. If you’re thrilled with what you’re doing, let that joy come out in your writing.

Makes you want to go off and write, doesn’t it? Enjoy, and may you all write well!

By: Dawn Goldberg

About the Author:

Many people think Romance writing is a bit like knitting. There’s a pattern to follow and, even if you’re a bit clumsy at first, you can knock off a finished product in a few afternoons while the kids are out playing. If you have approached Romance writing with a swagger and a shrug, with the idea that “everyone knows” it’s easy as pie, you’ll have discovered the error of your ways. And if so, you may have been left with the dejected feeling of having failed at something you thought would be a cinch. Being published seems the most remote dream.

Neither attitude is realistic. Writing Romance is hard work. Genre fiction isn’t easier than other forms of story-telling. But it’s not a mysterious process.

Here are my five most important tips to make you a successful Romance writer. If you can make each of these work for you, you’ll have a humdinger of a Romance.

Tip One: Believe in love – If you write romance, you need to believe in your story – and that true love is possible.

You can’t write romance with your tongue in your cheek. It’s too obvious that you don’t mean it. Lovers of romance read with their hearts. They become emotionally involved, immersed in the story you’re telling them. If you don’t believe it yourself, neither will they.

Tip Two: Believe in your readers. They’re not stupid. Most romance readers have some college education and many are educated professionals. Most work outside the home part or full-time.

They read for escapism – and for the emotional intensity. Don’t talk down to them.

Tip Three: Create strong characters. Romantic stories are character-based. We need to identify with them if we are to care what happens to them.

Let them have depth, and some quirks and contradictions. People aren’t one-dimensional, nor are they stereotypes. Neither should your characters be.

Tip Four: Create conflict. Something must keep your characters apart, while they are irresistibly drawn to each other. You can’t just throw in a few arguments and misunderstandings. We must wonder how they’ll ever be together.

Conflict can’t be intractable. They can’t be so unpleasant that we worry about them being together in the end.

But neither can you construct a Romance based on two people meeting, having a few happy times together – walking on the beach, going out with his friends (who all like her), meeting his mother (who approves) and finally tying the knot. What’s there to keep us reading?

Tip Five: Write in strong scenes. We want the story told in a series of tangible scenes that show us what’s happening to them. Each should have a dramatic proposition that carries the story forward and develops your characters.

Don’t tell us what happened between them. Place us right inside the scene, so that we can see and hear it for ourselves.

By: Jo-Anne Richards

About the Author:

Journal writing is a powerful and useful technique… but many of us have major blocks when it comes to the thought of writing … “I’m not a writer!”… “what would I write??”… “I don’t know where to start!!”… “what do I say?”

Does this sound familiar? These were a few thoughts running through my head when I first heard about the benefits of journal writing and contemplated giving it a go.

Once I started my journal, it became addictive… in the very best sense!

How to get started:

• get yourself a large notebook, writing pad, diary, personal journal, or set yourself up with a folder on your computer, that is specifically where you will do your writing

• you can hand write or use a computer. Handwriting is more flexible because you can do your journal writing wherever you want e.g. in the park, in the car or wherever you get the urge — sometimes you are not anywhere where you can access your computer

• find a place where you can keep your journal where no one else can see it or find it — your journal is very private!

• your journal writing is for your eyes only! You are not writing an academic article or an assignment or something that is going to be read by any other person but you!

• when you first start, your writing may feel stilted or awkward… just keep going and soon you’ll find thoughts will begin to flow and you’ll begin writing almost automatically. Sometimes I don’t think I will write any more than a couple of lines… but once I get going, it begins to flow and sometimes I end up with a couple of pages

• it doesn’t matter if you write only a couple of words or a saga! Length isn’t important

• in the beginning, I found I was trying to make my writing look good and read properly — because your journal writing is only for you, don’t worry about grammar, punctuation, neatness, making sense, or sentence structure. The key is to just write, write and write!

• it’s beneficial to date every entry e.g. Wednesday 19/3/08. This is useful when you want to reread your journal; you can see how you were going at a certain time in your life compared to where you are now.

• in the beginning, it can be useful to set aside a certain period of the day where you do your writing; this isn’t always possible because of commitments, schedules and responsibilities… but try to do some journal writing each day

• journal writing is a very personal experience… therefore there is no right or wrong way for doing it… you will find your own way and it will be perfect!

By: Jeanne May

About the Author:

Do you get stuck? Does your writing slow down at times? Does a mental block affect you occasionally preventing you from continuing your writing? If so then it’s time to put lots of energy and enthusiasm in your life to get that writing passion going again. You are not a machine so it is natural that you would slow down at times. However you do want to finish your book in a timely manner because you know your book will be a great benefit your readers.

Don’t get stuck. Practice these 10 tips for breaking writer’s block.

1. Skip around and write. Skip to another section in your book. You can skip all over your manuscript wherever you get an energy boost to write. Keep on writing until you’ve reached your quota of time for the day or continue writing until you finish the chapter. Writing a book is serious business and deserves the same type of commitment as the other aspects of your business life.

2. Believe you are getting paid. It’s amazing how motivated we get when we are getting paid for writing and have a deadline to meet. Give yourself an affirmation, “I am getting paid to write this terrific book that will be finished in four months.”

3. Set up and follow a schedule. Book a regular schedule in your appointment book and then stick to it, even when you don’t feel like it. In 30 days you will have developed a good writing habit and your creativity will just keep on flowing.

4. Get connected with other writers. Join a local writers’ group or start your own. Meet once a week or twice a month and share your thoughts and ideas. When you get stuck call one of them and share the experience. It could help you keep your writing zip going for the day.

5. Set up a writing regimen and follow it. “Write so regularly that it feels strange not to write,” advised author Jennifer Egan in the May 2007 issue of “The Writer.” Stay with your writing regimen and soon it will become a habit. Write consistently. Don’t wait until you have free time to write. A regular schedule makes it easier to write and it then becomes a good writing habit.

6. Get organized. Writing a book becomes difficult or slows down when there is no real plan. Organize your notes, set up a preliminary table of contents or outline, have your main points clear in your mind, and know where you can find a topic when you need it.

7. Go for a walk. If you really are stuck, shut down the computer, put down your pen and pad, and go for a walk. Bring a small notepad and pen with you because during your walk new ideas will pop up and you must make a note of it right away so you don’t forget. You’ll come back with fresh new ideas and your creative mind will be operating at full force again.

8. Write some poetry. Find a nice quiet place and write some poetry. Just a few lines even if you’ve never done it before. No one else is going to read it unless you share it. You will feel great, maybe you’ll have a few laughs or cries, but one thing is for sure…your mind will be free and clear to get back to your writing.

9. Reinforce your belief system. Self-esteem is fleeting. It needs frequent strengthening, support and reinforcement. Whether it is tackling a challenge at work or writing a book we must believe in ourselves in order to achieve our goals. Many first time writers become full of doubt after writing a few chapters. They start out with passion and a great idea for a book then as writing time goes by doubt slips in and some stop writing. All the sudden they begin to doubt their writing. When creative ideas slow down writers must maintain their positive attitude and continue to believe in themselves. To maintain our self-esteem, we need to receive moral support from our positive-thinking friends and colleagues. We increase our self-confidence when we set a goal, make a plan, and stick to it. Stay with your writing plan and write every day. Imagine how many readers will be helped when they read your book. It is a great feeling. Savor those thoughts and begin writing… Your reader is waiting for you.

10. Maximize enthusiasm! We need excitement, hope, faith, enthusiasm and other energy boosters to keep on writing. We have to continually reenergize our bodies, minds and souls. Once we learn how to maintain that inner urge of self-motivation, anything is possible. Writing is a lonely profession yet we must stay enthusiastic to finish our book. Identify the things in your life that keep you motivated. Enthusiasm is the greatest energy booster to keep us writing. Find those enthusiastic friends in your life and let their zeal rub off on you. Laughter, giggles and smiles can give you the enthusiasm you need to keep on writing.

These 10 tips on breaking writer’s block can help you while you are writing a book. Believing in yourself and enthusiasm are so important to your writing success. Remember to keep on going, find ways to get unstuck, and never give up.

Copyright 2008, Joan Clout-Kruse. All rights reserved.

By: Joan Clout-Kruse

About the Author: