by: Jesse Dawson

Writing is not really an art. It is a craft – and you can learn a craft. Follow these four techniques to improve the quality of your writing, no matter what type of writing you do. Writing Tip #1: After you run your spell checking software, go back and re-read your writing. Few people are good spellers, which is why so many of us rely on spell checking software. Unfortunately, spell checkers have their own flaws and sometimes flag silly errors. For example, the words "form" and "from" are both good, legitimate words. But if you wrote a business letter that said, "We took $200 form your checking account to cover the payment," most spell checkers won't catch that oversight. Yet this simple typo changed the meaning of the sentence. Spell checkers are a convenience; they are neither authoritative nor foolproof, so don’t rely on them. Always read through your writing at least once after you spell check -- and keep a dictionary handy. Writing Tip #2: Use that famous "KISS" principle for your punctuation. You know the rule, don't you? "Keep It Simple, Stupid." Apply this rule to punctuation. If you don't know how or when to use a semicolon, then avoid semicolons; you'll only display ignorance if you get it wrong. In keeping with that KISS principle, limit your use of commas. Far too many people use far too many commas. Just because a sentence is long does not mean it needs a comma. Well-placed commas make reading easier. Commas thrown in simply to break up words are incorrect and distracting. Another important rule of punctuation is to avoid using exclamation marks, almost always. If your choice of words, sentence structure, and overall prose don't convey the sense of excitement you are seeking, then using an exclamation mark won't do it. If your writing conveys your sense of excitement, an exclamation point is, well, pointless. Writing Tip #3: Make sure your writing is grammatically correct. You don't need the skills of an English teacher to use correct grammar. You simply need to learn the basics -- verbs and subjects agree in number, for example. That is, "he was" is correct; "they were" is correct. To say "they was" is incorrect. If you are not sure about using grammar, especially if English isn't your "first" language, go to some good reference sites for fundamental English grammar and usage. (If you are writing in another language, the same advice holds true for that language.) Invest in a good, basic grammar book or style manual. Check with any bookstore, online or offline, and you can find one. 4. When you finish some writing, put it aside for a couple of hours or days (if possible), then re-read it before you let go of it. Of course, if you're writing or dictating a business letter or other "time-sensitive" document, this may not be possible. If you set your article or story aside for a day, then re-read it, you may notice glaring errors or want to make significant changes. And you thought before you had finished. Many writers and teachers have commented that all true writing is done in the rewriting. Take that advice to heart and you will significantly improve your writing. These four steps, rechecking your spelling, taking care with punctuation, watching for fundamental grammar errors, and rewriting, will improve your writing. They are proven tools used by every wordsmith.
About The Author
Jesse Dawson recommends using http://www.whitesmokesoftware.com/ to improve your writing and fix embarrassing grammar mistakes. Dawson is the author of "Can YOU Read Me Now?," a free e-book on using readability formulas to write better, available at http://www.readabilityformulas.com/.

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Image by fmc.nikon.d40 via FlickrArticles and press releases are two very useful search engine marketing strategies that many traders still use today. But unlike in the past that the press articles and can be easily found by the online community, the enormous number of articles and press releases today have made it more difficult for one who stood out from the rest. Now it's almost impossible that a press release about your new product or an article to be read by all.

However, many companies still send press releases and articles. Fact of the matter is, there are some articles and press releases are read by customers. Despite the heavy competition, there is still a way to reach their customers through the articles and press releases. The key is to create something that captures their attention and intrigued enough to investigate and go to your site, user profile, or information center.

Here are some tips on how to make an article or press release that are among the thousands of other articles and press releases:


Press releases and articles are also addressed. We know that. Do not write and publish something only for ourselves, we do so for the benefit of others, too. When marketing, press releases and articles are intended to be read by your target audience and keep in mind when creating the press release or article.

Know your target audience will allow you to write in a way that if you are "speaking their language." You know who to communicate to your target market and in the process of capturing their attention. It may include facts and information that you know would be beneficial to them and will therefore be of interest to them. You will also be able to optimize their press release or article to the definition of the best words to know what keywords your target audience is looking for.

Knowing who your target audience, you can research on what keywords to focus on optimizing your article or press release. Once you've found the key word for the best article or press release, that as a basis to write. Optimizing keywords through assistance with their ranking on search engines and crawlers can read press releases and articles. If your article or press an issue, and has perfected it very well, is very high rank in search engines.

You know there is a strong competition that exists. Thousands of pressure from the press and articles are sent via the Web through sites, e-mail, directories, and feeds. You have to do more than just write ... you need to write creatively! You have to think about how your article or press release can help customers better than the other articles and press releases. You need to give the public a reason why we should pick up your article or press release among the many thousands of others.

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Image via Wikipedia by: Simone Mary

The task of getting published is one of the daunting aspects of writing. This can be difficult, if you want to get published by a traditional publishing house. It's not as difficult if you want to self-publish. In this article I will share with you the steps involved in getting your work published either traditionally or through self-publishing.

Mainstream publishers are often reluctant to accept work from young writers as anyone under 18 cannot sign a contract on their own and will require parental involvement. That is not to say you cannot submit to them but make sure your work is of high quality as you will be competing with adult writers. There are also several publishers that cater specifically to young writers, for a list of these, check out the book THE YOUNG WRITER'S GUIDE TO GETTING PUBLISHED. There are also several sites on the web that accept work from young writers such as http://stonesoup.com and Merlyn's pen. Make sure you edit your work thoroughly and follow the submission guidelines for publishers carefully. Some publishers prefer that you send a query letter only at first describing your project. The query letter should be only one page long. If it is longer than that a busy editor will likely just throw it to one side. Think of the back cover summary yo!

u see on most books you buy, try to summarize what your book is about in a few words. This can be difficult but it must be done and done in a way that grabs an editor's attention. Some publishers will allow you to submit a query letter and a few chapters of your work or your entire book. It is important that you use the correct font, you can't go wrong with courier new 12 pt and a double spaced manuscript. The query letter can use the same font but there is no need to double space it.

Let's now take a look at self publishing. Self publishing has become quite easy with the advent of self publishers like Lulu. At http://lulu.com you can publish your work for free. However lulu does take a small commission of anything you sell. Lulu also sells ISBN's for around $100 U.S. dollars. An ISBN will make your book available for international sale. It will become available to places like http://Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and hundreds of other distributors worldwide. When you self publish you set your own price and your age never becomes a factor as it will be with some traditional publishers. If you decide to self publish everything falls into your hands, from editing to formatting. Lulu provides several services for these publishing details, however the costs can add up for young writers. The good news is that with patience and determination you can do it yourself. Lulu provides !
templates for formatting your book. If you can find a teacher, friend or parent to help you with editing you are well on your way without breaking the bank. Lulu makes making your book cover as easy as possible although you are responsible for finding your own image if you do not wish to use their images.

Finally, there is nothing like seeing your work in print and the opportunities for young writers are greater than ever.


About The Author
Simone Mary is a teacher, writer and artist. She is the author of the eBook WRITING A STORY? WHAT EVERY WRITER SHOULD KNOW, for more writing strategies and for a free copy of the eBook GET ON THE HONOR ROLL-TEST AND EXAM TAKING TIPS THAT WORK visit http://www.thereadingandwritingshop.com

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Image via Wikipedia by: Trevor Johnson

So you've decided that history (or at least your friends and family) need to read your memoir. Just how do you go about starting to write your memoirs?

Start by deciding whether you are going to write about your whole life or just selected parts of it. In part, the decision will be made by how much you have experienced in your life and how old you are. Film stars and politicians often release more than one set of memoirs as their careers progress.

Then move onto an outline. Producing this will make sure that you don't forget to include important parts of your life. You're not looking for lots of detail at this stage, just making sure that you include all the important events that you want to talk about in your memoir. It may be worth making some headings such as "school years" or age ranges to help prompt you with doing this.

Dust off the cobwebs of your memory.

Look through old photographs. If you kept a diary that you actually wrote things in, read through this to help recall the different events in your life.


Talk to friends and family. Most of them will have certain events in your life lodged firmly in your mind. If your parents or grandparents are still alive, talk to them as they'll almost certainly have memories of your formative years that have slipped from your conscious mind completely.

Read over your CV or resume. This likely gives important milestones in your life and could well trigger your memories.

At this stage, you're looking for anything that will help you to remember the things you have done in your life. It's a bit like pulling teeth at first - the memories have been gathering dust in the canyons of your mind for years - but the more you do this, the more you'll start to recall.

Are you going to write or speak your memoirs?

There's software out there which will transcribe your speech and "write" your memoir for you. Depending on whether you are a good typist or not, this could be worth investigating. Or, if you prefer, you could just record your memoir and then pay a transcription service to type it up for you at a later date.

When you are writing, don't be tempted to edit yourself. Editing is a separate process and will stop the flow of words that you are speaking or typing. Just let the words flow onto the paper or screen (sometimes called a brain dump!) and then edit them at a later stage. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how little editing is needed when you work this way and how much your "voice" comes out in the words.

Once everything is complete, the decision is then how to publish your work. Whilst there are vanity publishers who will charge a fee to produce your book, that's not something I'd recommend. Instead, use one of the "print on demand" services like Lulu or Cafe Press to get your book professionally printed at an affordable price in quantities as low as just one.


About The Author
Trevor Johnson

Get more tips on writing a memoir and start the process of writing a memoir at http://www.squidoo.com/writingmemoir

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