Think Globally, Act Locally, Providing information, content, and sustainable resources to enable simple, more fulfilling lives.

Subcategories:


Article Writing	Business Writing
Copywriting	Market Your Written Word
Non Fiction	Public Speaking
Publishing	Writing Software
Writing Tips

Title\|Newest\|Oldest
A Writer's Secret Place By : Gary Eby Journaling can help a writer connect with the source of inspiration within. This article will provide addition advice to aspiring writers. Why are Some People So Hard to Understand? By : Lynda Stucky Learning a foreign language can be a daunting task. But you have persevered and learned the grammar and pronunciation of American English perfectly. However, you are finding that people don't seem to understand you despite your good grasp of the language. Find out why some people continue to be difficult to understand and the important role of intonation. Shakespeare Didn’t Blog By : Jacquie Ream-8975 Author Says Texting and Testing Are Destroying Kid’s Writing Style Marketing Virtual Assistant Services to Authors By : Gail Richards Although objectively I know there are far more authors in need of virtual 'author's assistant' services than there are trained virtual assistants to meet their needs, the first question I hear from someone considering adding to their virtual skills to work with authors is: "How do I know I can find clients if I invest in getting additional training to work with authors?" How to Get Paid for Freelance Writing Jobs Online By : David Hinds Freelance writing is quickly becoming a common way for people to earn a living from home. The internet has opened the doors for making a real living as a freelance writer. Finding freelance writing jobs online is much easier than querying magazines, submitting articles by mail, and waiting months for a paycheck. Freelance writers can now do work over the internet and get paid rapidly via online payment methods like Pay Pal. Tips For Freelance Writing Success By : Jo Ann LeQuang A good writer does not automatically become a successful freelance writer simply by wanting to become one. Freelance writing requires discipline, consistency, and a few tricks of the trade. If you can think about writing as a business rather than a passion or a calling, and you have the discipline to maintain regular business hours, you may have what it takes to have a successful career as a freelance writer. Internet Authors don't need advice By : Mike Scantlebury You're an author. You're feeling a little isolated, a bit lonely. You want comfort and encouragement. You ask for advice. Bad luck! What you get is unhelpful and contradictory. Better to ignore these offerings and get your work into print. On the internet. The only place that accepts whatever you have to offer and gives you feedback once the work is in print, not stifling your efforts before they ever see the light of day. The Top Seven Reasons Publishers Reject Nonfiction Book Proposals By : Gail Richards Publishers are deluged with manuscripts and book proposals, and must review thousands each year in hopes of finding the few that will become high-quality, best selling books. What authors don’t know is that publishers reject most of these after spending less than one minute reviewing them. I'm the One By : Lisa Thomas Where do we draw from when we can't see how we can have what we want? Is it that we've stopped believing in ourselves? Have we simply given up on our dreams? Have we become resigned or complacent with what we currently know and have? Are we simply comfortable with the way things are? Find out the answers to these questions and much more by reading Lisa Thomas's article. Writing Your Way to Freedom By : Lisa Thomas Writing soothes my soul and allows me to escape into my own created world where there are no boundaries. It calms me and takes me into an unknown world well worth the adventure. On Public Speaking: Making Utter Terror Look Good By : Harrison Monarth Harrison Monarth talks about how speakers who are less than confident can manage their anxiety and put a good face forward when presenting their message to an audience. Writing for the Web - Web Copy that Converts Visitors into Customers By : Now that the Internet is generating over $100 billion per year in retail e-commerce sales, writing for the web is more important than ever. A website that showcases your product or service effectively is a vast resource for your business that allows you to connect with prospects anywhere in the world! Are you using it to its full advantage? Learn how to write web copy that converts your visitors to customers! Sometimes the best thing to say is...Nothing. By : Harrison Monarth This article teaches readers one of the most powerful tools the world's most effective speakers use in their communication, the use of the Pause, as taught in the prestigious GuruMaker School of Professional Speaking. The New Financial Realities of Book Publishing By : Gail Richards Especially if you self-publish, you will want to set up a financial model. While no one can tell you with any certainty how many books you can expect to sell, you can be precise about what you will spend to get an idea of how many books you must sell to break even and then turn a profit. Briefing Notes Keep Everyone "In The Loop" By : Helen Wilkie Keeping senior management informed on various projects and other business activities can be a challenge, because their time is at a premium. Briefing notes are the answer. This article provides an overview of the structure of a briefing note and how to write one. A Good Solution for Research paper outline By : Sharon White A research paper outline serves as a guideline on how the author would want his paper or project to move about. It maps out the author’s plan for the papers. The author may already know the basic parts of a researching document such as the introduction, the formulation of the hypothesis, the discussion of result findings and the conclusion. But the question of how the author will move from one part of the project file to another is where the benefit of having written outlines comes in. APA format for research papers By : Sharon White It is a growing trend these days that one needs to submit his/her thesis in the APA format for research papers. The APA or American Psychological Association format is not confined to only the areas related to psychology or even to social science but can be used in many other fields of study as well. This format basically sets up a standard of conventions which are used for manuscript formation. It has directives in detail about the indexing, in-page citation reference, margins, reference lists Freelance Writing Success - How to Survive and Thrive as a Freelance Writer By : David Hinds Deciding to start a freelance writing career is fairly easy. Achieving lasting freelance writing success is more difficult. Finding steady work as a freelancer can be difficult, especially in the beginning. Freelance writers have to constantly look for work and promote themselves in order to stay ahead of the competition. Although freelance writing can be stressful at times, it's a career well worth the effort. Ten Things Rookie Authors Do To Mess Up Their Non-Fiction Book Success By : Gail Richards First time authors just don’t know what they don’t know. Learn and be better prepared to maximize your potential for book sales and publishing success. Here are the top ten things we find that are most likely to sabotage that first book effort: Book Proposals – Strategies to Get Yours to the Top of the Stack By : Gail Richards If you decide a traditional publisher is right for you, then you will need to create a world-class book proposal. The book proposal is a business plan for your book. You are attempting to convince a publisher of two things: that this is an idea on a topic that will sell and that you have the credibility and marketing connections to make the sales happen. When A Thank You Card Says More Thank You Think By : Geraldine Jozefiak A Thank You Card is the perfect way to send a quick appreciative message after an act of thoughtfulness. It is a socially acceptable way of demonstrating our thanks. Nothing too large and certainly not an act measured in size. It's the giving that makes the difference rather than the size of the gesture. Presenting Ideas Effectively: Speak To The Audience's Interests By : Helen Wilkie Presenting your ideas persuasively takes a bit of work. The first thing you must do is figure out how to frame the problem, and your solution, in terms that are clearly in the interests of the people you are trying to persuade. This article will help you decide on your best approach. 3 Ways to Talk so Clients Listen By : Robert Moment Communications skills are very important in business success.If you’re ready to get your point across and be heard, read on to find how to use a client’s self-interest to your advantage and talk so they really listen. Romancing the Screen By : Peter Temple Never be accused of standing and reading your visual support again - the thing audiences dislike the most! Here's how to determine what to put on the screen as an alternative that will help you create an "experience for your audience." Return On Investment of a Non-Fiction Book to the Author By : Gail Richards A soft cover book, perhaps 6” x 9” or other industry standard size for a trade paperback would be priced retail anywhere from $12 to $30 for consumer distribution, up to $50 for a professional book, and even higher for a textbook. An add-on CD might be $20, and a book plus CD package might sell for $40 minimum. Character Development Secrets - 7 Steps to Developing Real People Who Bring your Fiction to Life - 4 By : Character development is paramount to a successful story. In this article we’ll explore how to determine your character’s essential essences, definitive moments in their past, resulting behaviors and emotions, and then LET THEM PLAY! You will learn how to create convincing characters that are real and will truly excite your readers. Your Poetry Won A Contest! But Is It A Scam? By : Steve Bralovich Scammers are conducting misleading contests trying to lure innocent victims into paying to have their poetry published. This is the heart of the poetry scam. Learn five ways they prey on the unsuspecting Call-Killing Phrases By : Wendy Weiss How often have you started a call to a friend, family member or business associate with the phrase, “How are you?” I’m willing to bet the answer is a lot. I know I say it frequently. It’s commonly used as a greeting, as a “hello.” Book Marketing Plan – Don’t Write a Word Without It By : Gail Richards Your marketing plan provides an opportunity for you to consider the strategy you will take to get your book to your audience. Regardless of who publishes your book, the primary responsibility for marketing it successfully falls to you as the author. Generating your marketing plan before you write your book will help ensure that your book content, cover, publishing, and distribution all work together and support your marketing efforts. Use Communication Techniques To Persuade People To Your Way Of Thinking By : Fact Publisher Understand what you can do in your communication with others in order to get them to see your way of thinking and persuade them to see things your way. Character Development Secrets - 7 Steps to Developing Real People Who Bring your Fiction to Life - 3 By : Bea Fields and Corey Blake Character development is paramount to a successful story. In this article we’ll explore how to determine your character’s essential essences, definitive moments in their past, resulting behaviors and emotions, and then LET THEM PLAY! You will learn how to create convincing characters that are real and will truly excite your readers. Ezine Article Writing Tips - The Best Person To Proofread Your Articles By : Elaine Currie When choosing somebody to proof read your ezine articles before publication, you must make sure the person to be given the honour will not be afraid to give you an honest unvarnished opinion (good or bad!). Character Development Secrets - 7 Steps to Developing Real People Who Bring your Fiction to Life - 2 By : Bea Fields and Corey Blake Character development is paramount to a successful story. In this article we’ll explore how to determine your character’s essential essences, definitive moments in their past, resulting behaviors and emotions, and then LET THEM PLAY! You will learn how to create convincing characters that are real and will truly excite your readers. Ten Powerful Strategies to Write a Nonfiction Bestseller By : Gail Richards Many people not only want to author a book, but they want the book to be commercially successful. If you want to write a book that is a best seller, there are things you need to do in the creation of the book. Internet Authors live in the present By : Mike Scantlebury Bad day? If you're already feeling bad, it's hard enough to cope with the 'here and now'. And who knows what disasters tomorrow may bring? Talk to Mike Scantlebury and hear why it's a good idea to 'pick yourself up' and start again, but even better to brush off the dust of defeat as well as keeping your head out of the clouds of what might be coming. (It might not.) Let's talk about 'now'. What can we do - today? Ezine Article Writing Tips - Who Said That? By : Elaine Currie Adopting a conversational tone is perfectly acceptable when writing for ezines provided the tone suits the subject matter. A relaxed friendly tone should not, however, be permitted to lapse into a sloppy approach which hints at lack of respect for the reader. Internet Authors free the genie By : Mike Scantlebury What if? What if? The perennial call of the dreamer, the visionary, and the Internet Author. Such creative writers have seen the future, and it's not as we know it. It includes the end of the domination of Traditional Publishers and the rise in importance of The Reader, the ultimate customer of all writers. People may now make their livings on the net. What next? Mike Scantlebury has a prediction. The Secrets of Writing for Online Niches: What Ink-and-Paper Writers Must Know to Thrive By : Jo Ann LeQuang Writers who want to work online often approach niches like writing topics, but that can be misleading! An ink-and-paper writer seeks the scoop, the untold story. But for online projects, it is much better to create a website or information product that taps into a pre-existing online community. In other words, finding a busy niche and a lot of competition can be a good thing for a successful online writing venture! Do You Need Permission to Use That Quote in Your Book? By : Gail Richards As you write your own book, you may find you want to use material that has been previously published. You might want to cite a research study, or use a quote from a famous person. In some situations, you are free to do that, but in many others you have to request permission from the organization that published the information or from the person who you want to quote. How to Write a Business Letter: the Eight Component Parts By : Helen Wilkie A well constructed business letter has eight component parts. Here they are. The Seven Deadly Sins for Non-Fiction Writing By : Gail Richards Even the most compelling writing and subject can fail if you let the small irritations get in the way of that connection with your reader. Make your writing worth reading and take it from good to great by avoiding these seven pitfalls. Seven Essentials for a Profit Pulling Sales Letter By : Laurence James There are many ways of writing a great sales letter, and no rules are hard and fast. For a start, many essential elements in the process are nothing to do with the letter itself. Presentation Skills: your secret career weapon By : Helen Wilkie Helen Wilkie says if you want to showcase your professional competence, you must have great presentation skills. According to Wilkie, if you present well, people think you do everything well! Article Writing For Free Targeted Traffic By : Brian Ankner Most marketers know that article writing is a good way to get links back to and exposure for your web site. A secondary effect of article writing is credibility as an authority on the subject. People feel more comfortable purchasing from someone that actually knows what they are talking about. Article writing can accomplish this in short order. How to Write Effective Keyword Articles By : Laurence James Copywriting is an excellent way to make some extra income, and it can be very lucrative if you become proficient at it. One way to put your skills to work is to learn how to write keyword articles or keyword-optimized articles to publish on the Internet. It’s also a useful skill to use in promoting your own websites. Top Tips To Earn Money Writing Online By : Lucy May Advice and suggestions for those wishing to discover how they could start earning money by writing online. Making the Most of Speech Openings By : Robert F. Abbott Consider audience responses to your speech openings, and never address your audience as a monolithic group; always address it as a collection of individuals. Bottom line: avoid both "Ladies and gentlemen..." and "Hello everyone..." (and similar speech opening variations) unless you have good and specific reasons. Internet Authors have feelings too By : Mike Scantlebury You've written a novel? Sure, you want to get it published. That's easy, if you're a robot. On the other hand, if you're a human being with genuine feelings, then you're going to stumble, fall, and eventually be totally defeated by the humiliation of rejection that seems to be the norm being handed out by Traditional Publishers. That's enough. If you want another way, try Internet Publishing. It works. Real Writers Get With The Program By : Gary Crow It would be very cool to be a real writer. I experience the creations of people who are and I usually can’t get enough. Once I get started, I can’t quit. They draw me in and there is no letting go until they turn me loose, satisfied and wondering how they do it. It’s amazing. This article may help some with understanding the key to their success. Effective Introductions: A Speaking Tip By : Robert F. Abbott Introducing a speaker can be a manageable challenge. And you can meet that challenge by focusing on the speaker, not yourself, by establishing a link between the speaker and audience, and by smoothly getting the speaker to the lectern or podium. The Importance of Research for Effective Copywriting By : Laurence James Most people who write for a living will tell you getting it right takes about 10% actual writing time and 90% research. Knowing what to write before you write it, and to whom, might sound like an obvious place to start, but when you’re under pressure to meet a business writing deadline, the obvious can go out of the window. Good Questions for Effective Communication By : Robert F. Abbott One form of effective communication is the concise question. And, you'll be better able to ask concise questions if you know what kind of information you want, stay focused on one issue at a time, and listen as carefully as you speak. Defining and Writing for an Audience By : Laurence James As part of the essential research you should do before starting to write, it’s a good idea to begin by defining your audience - the people who will read, see or hear the message in your content. Although often taken for granted, this process is crucial to achieving effective writing - and everything related to what you write will flow out of it. How a 105 year old Poem can Make Your Presentations More Persuasive By : Robert Greenshields Discover a simple and scientifically-proven system for quickly and easily creating persuasive marketing material and convincing business presentations. It's based on a poem written more than 100 years ago. Dissertation thesis By : Sharon White Dissertation and thesis carry the same meaning. In a dissertation, the writer will culminate all the findings and research on a topic and present it to get the degree that is sought for. Dissertations or theses are varied in forms according to the requirements of the faculty or the courses that the writers are pursuing. Real Benefits You Can Taste! By : Peter Temple If you've ever had the challenge of putting together a persuasive presentation to sell a product or service, you know the importance of clearly defined benefits. You also know you have to keep them separate from features. Features, Advantages and Benefits are quite different from each other. Benefits have to personally affect your audience. Here's how to write them. Literature term paper By : Sharon White To write a Literature term paper is the test of your own latent literary genius. Through this paper you get the best opportunity to express your own valuable opinions. Don’t you get such opportunities in other term papers? You do get, but Literature term paper is something special. It is closely linked to your personality. Whatever may be the topic of the Literature term paper, you can’t help penning down and tactfully comment upon the experiences of your own life. Biography term paper By : Sharon White When you write a biography term paper, you are the soul-guard and the bodyguard of the individual you are going to take charge. You need to understand the person and go into deep details before you attempt to write the paper. The dictionary definition of biography is, -- an account of someone’s life that has been written by someone else. Dissertation help By : Sharon White Dissertation help is available to you in different forms, depending on what you are in search of. Most commonly, you can obtain dissertation help online. There are different websites from where you can obtain Dissertation help. Aside from the sources that advise you and provide tips to write better dissertations, you can obtain help from companies that offer to write complete dissertations for you. Dissertation topic By : Sharon White Choosing the dissertation topic is critical. Though one can take it casually, but giving due importance to the dissertation topic will help the student provide quality work along with the advancement in the field of study. Dissertation Thesis By : Sharon White Many scholars who have a good track record during their academic years pursue PhD to attain a doctoral degree in their chosen subjects. During the final year of your research as a PhD scholar, dissertation thesis needs to be written to receive the doctoral degree. Education term paper By : Sharon White Usually the teachers or future teacher would have to write the education term paper. Education term paper is mainly about the research on education. This could mean everything and anything under the sun. It is up the teachers or the instructor to decide on the term is paper is about. Dissertation thesis By : Sharon White Dissertation thesis writing is a very high standard form of academic writing. Students as well as teachers take this form of writing seriously. The term ‘Dissertation thesis’ tells you two things. The first is that it is a dissertation, and the second is that it is thesis writing. Therefore, the emphasis is greater on every aspect of this form of writing. Term Paper By : Gabriel Rise Term paper is one of the major vehicles of judging a student’s grasp on a particular topic or subject. Instead of being busy day and night writing a term paper if the student pays attention to a few simple tips he can excel in writing it. If writing is not perceived as a daunting task but a way of putting forward one’s viewpoint in paper then writing the term paper can be a highly fulfilling experience. Essay By : Gabriel Rise An essay is the most common form of writing. It is a piece of writing that puts forward a writer’s viewpoint in a simple and easy to follow style. Essays are subjective, non-fictional, narrative or expository in nature. They are not only reflections or recollections of the author, but can also be categorized as deeply read arguments, literary criticisms, political manifestos, and observations of different facets of life. Effective literature writing By : Tatiya T. Are you looking for some inside information about how to become a literature author? Here's some initiative guidelines that many literature writers should learn from. The best time to learn about literature is before you're in the thick of things. Wise readers will keep reading to earn some valuable literature experience while it's still free. What is hard-boiled detective fiction By : Tatiya T. Hard-boiled detective fiction is generally referred to any detective fiction that has short, straightforward and often ironic style for a realistic, unsentimental effect. With its first introduced in the year 1920, the general plot of this kind of story is familiar with urban and industrial environment. The heroes/heroines of the story generally not some one who are very famous and they always work alone to sort the case. Thriller Fiction : Know basic principle of a good thriller By : Tatiya T. As simple as the initial questions are what make thriller fiction become more attractive to readers and how to make thriller really thrilling? What is mechanism of thriller fiction writing and how does it work? Which factor of common element that I should pick up for my writing? And end up with a kind of question like how to write a successful thriller fiction? Historical Fiction, the way forward unique and effective writing By : Tatiya T. For those of you who love to write historical fiction, this article may be useful for you to develop writing skills as well as to improve quality of your writing piece. As we all know among people who are historical fiction writers that writing kind of this work requires a lot of time and massive effort as well as creativity to combine the historical fact with the story to make the perfect casting as well as endearing and dislikeable characters. College Research Paper Writing By : Timothy Anderson Research paper writing is an ongoing struggle whether you are a college or a high school student. Tips outline below will guide through the complicated process of research paper writing. The Secret of Writing a Book Instantly! By : Steve Manning Start writing your book faster than you ever thought you could. Starting right now! You Too Can Write A How-To Book (or eBook) By : Shaun Fawcett I am a firm believer that 99% of people who have specific knowledge of ANY subject, coupled with a passion to share that knowledge with others, are natural how-to authors. This article explains why and how you can write "how-to" too. Letters of Recommendation – Writing Tips and Strategies By : Shaun Fawcett In addition to standard letter-writing dos and don'ts, there are a number of basic guidelines that apply specifically to most situations related to the writing of letters of recommendation. These are usually more "situational" than "how-to" in nature. Here's how to write a recommendation letter. The Four Parts of an Academic Term Paper By : Robert Palmer This article explains the functionality and interrelatedness of the four parts of a college term paper. Improve Your Writing in Eight Simple Steps By : Robert Palmer This articles explains how a student can improve his or her writing by following eight simple steps. How to Write an Ebook By : Stan The hardest part of writing is the first sentence. When you look at the whole project, it seems like an impossible task. That's why you have to break it down into manageable tasks. Think of climbing a mountain. You are standing at the foot of it and looking up at its summit vanishing into the clouds ... How You Can Increase Your Vocabulary By : Royane Real When we increase our vocabulary, we increase our ability to understand the world around us, and the world within us. We become more flexible in what we can communicate to others. Most of us use just a few thousand words on a daily basis, yet there are hundreds of thousands of new words just waiting to be discovered! Greatness By : Laurent Grenier What is the worst evil in the world? Wouldn't you agree that it is what prevents the achievement of everything that is good? And what prevents this achievement more than the weakness in a person's very soul that leads this person along the path of mediocrity, or worse, criminality? Let's take a look at this evil, first in the context of writing, then more generally in the context of living. Effective Networking For Writers By : Sophfronia Scott 'Tis the season for conferences and seminars! Many of my friends have all been conference-hopping in recent weeks and we've been discussing how fruitful these gatherings can be when you can make great and lasting contacts. But how do you come away with something more substantial than a stack of business cards? Here are a few tips to keep in mind. 1.) Speak Up! The Magic of Telling "Isolation is a dream killer," says life coach Barbara Sher. One of the women in my mast... Great Job Resumes: The First Step To Landing Great Jobs By : Paolo Basauri How Important are Job Resumes in Securing the Perfect Job? The function of outstanding job resumes is to get the attention of your potential employer. More than simply a listing of your accomplishments, education, skills and experience; a job resume is the first point of contact you have with the company with whom you are seeking employment. No matter what skill set you bring to the table, if your resume isn’t effectively presented, you may find it difficult to locate work...