Writing Articles & News
How To Break In And Succeed As A Screenwriter
Screenwriting is a competitive trade. To distinguish yourself as a prize-winning writer you need to master organizational skills, take creative risks, and learn how best to present your final product. For the aspiring screenwriter, Tom Lazarus' book, "Secrets of Film Writing" is one of the best. An exceptional screenwriter with five produced screenplays, Lazarus developed this book for beginning writers enrolled in his classes at UCLA.
Why Ezine Articles Make Me Dance
I wrote my first ezine article in December 2001. I titled it 'The Power of Online Friendship'. It was five paragraphs long and contained 3 typos. I used it to promote 'The Free Promotion Tips Ezine', an ezine of mine that has long since faded into the Great Void of Cyberspace. I still think it's one of my most moving articles.
The Online Writing Business Requires Constant And Regular Writing
Many writers do not understand that the online writing business is very different from the offline writing world. The economics are totally different and no amount of lobbying and noise will change that.
The Editor Rejected Me
I’ve always felt ‘rejection’ is a cruel way to describe the return of writing masterpieces. Just how awful I discovered when I looked up the word in my Collins Australian ‘School’ Dictionary. Rejection (noun): From Latin reicere meaning ‘to throw back.’ Ouch! All that hard work, hours of slaving over a hot keyboard, only to have someone, supposedly a person with knowledge of what constitutes quality writing, ‘throw it back’ at me. Now how fair is that I ask? I never know in which particular ...
A Publishing Genius Finds Niche!
Edward Stratemeyer was a publishing genius. Born in Elizabeth, NJ, he began writing juvenile fiction shortly after he graduated from high school. He wrote using many pseudonyms. He began The Stratemeyer Literary Syndicate in 1905. His greatest desire was to be a “paperback writer” not unlike Horatio Alger.
Summer Is The Perfect Time To Write
As of July 1st, the year was half over! July 1st is the Wednesday of the annual calendar, it's an annual hump day (stop giggling!), and we'll be on the downslide, smoothly sailing toward the end of the year. Summer will have just begun. The first day of summer arrives on June 21st and lasts until September 22nd.
Ambition Versus Dedication
All writers aspire to recognition, but are we dedicated? Ambition is simply the drive or strong desire for something. It is the enthusiastic wanting, that yearning felt in every pore, every cell in our bodies toward a specific aim. Sounds a lot like an addiction, doesn’t it? That’s because it is. We become addicted to our fantasy of what it’s like to live as a working, paid writer. That fantasy is great, it’s wonderful. Keep it. Don’t let it take the place of dedication.
Your Article Headlines Will Make Or Break Your Business
Most people with an online presence will have to regularly deal with the issue of coming up with an appropriate headline. The problem is that most people do not take it seriously enough. Many do not realize that the headline is so important that no matter how good the content is, it will never get read if the headline does not beckon surfers to it. The power of a headline In the offline world of the tabloid press, one headline can sell a few hundred ...
Comma Usage Made Simple
COMMA USAGE MADE SIMPLE Copyright 2005, Michael LaRocca Don't they drive you nuts? You can visit all the rules of style you want, and you can read all the books and articles you want. You'll still be confused. You'll see inconsistency. You'll see experts who don't agree with each other. And, you'll pull out your hair. Unless you're me, since my hair's falling out all by itself. I think it'd do that even if I weren't an editor hunting down errant commas. ...
Apostrophe Usage Made Simple
APOSTROPHE USAGE MADE SIMPLE Copyright 2005, Michael LaRocca According to one of my previous articles, whenever a Southerner says "Y'all watch this," get out of the way because those are probably the last words he will ever say. Well, I'm a Southerner. I used to live in the southeastern United States, but I moved to the southeast of China. And, I'm about to say the magic words: Y'all watch this. The word is "week." If I want to talk about more than one week, like what I ...
Awesome Ending
Awesome Ending Bungee jumping, sky diving, secret mission, Indy 500: how do these events compare to the art of fiction writing? Each one brings to its ‘doer’ an element of anticipation, exhilaration, unfamiliarity, and adventure. A pure adrenaline rush. And as a writer of fiction, this is the plateau you want your reader to experience. Straying from the anticipated ending to a twist makes for good reading, pleasing the editor, and upping your chance of getting accepted. But be wary. Your ...
Writer School?
WRITER SCHOOL? Copyright 2004, Michael LaRocca Here's something from my mailbag. "Dear Michael, do you need to do good in school if you want to be a writer? I stink at school and all my friends laugh at me when I tell them I want to write, but I'm serious." Followed by a sentence or two of "I need your words to encourage me" or some such nonsense. Fortunately, a writing sample is rarely attached. If it is, either it's excellent or it stinks like rancid yak butter. There's a ...
The One-plot Wonder
THE ONE-PLOT WONDER Copyright 2004, Michael LaRocca Back in the mid to late 1980s I was a security guard. The pay was lousy, but it gave me many hours in seclusion to write short stories and novels. However, I usually worked over 80 hours a week. No one can write that much. Well, at least not me. Thus I discovered the joys of my local libraries. Recently, I decided to look up an author who gave me great pleasure in those days. Most of his books are now out of print, I've learned, even the ...
How To Keep Growing As A Writer
“Learn as if you were going to live forever. Live as if you were going to die tomorrow.”— Mahatma Gandhi
how You Can Find Freelance Editing Jobs
Freelance editing opportunities are out there, you just need to know where and how to look for them. As a matter of fact, there are hundreds of companies that are waiting for you, right now, to fill their job vacancies. Each and every one of them has an exciting opportunity for someone. What are your areas of expertise? What can you do to benefit these companies? Finding freelance editing opportunities is simple when you know what you are looking for, who you are looking for, and where to ...
Print-on-demand - A Definition And A Comparison
PRINT ON DEMAND - A Definition and a Comparison Copyright 2005, Michael LaRocca The purpose of this article is to consider Print-On-Demand publishing as an alternative for the aspiring author. It has its strengths and its weaknesses. You may wonder as you begin reading this, but in the end I'm going to say some good things about it. The title explains the technology. The way that literature has traditionally been printed involves running many copies simul- taneously in order to bring the ...
Learning How To Write
LEARNING HOW TO WRITE Copyright 2004, Michael LaRocca As a student of Spanish, my goal was to think in Spanish. Skip the word-by-word translation so I'd have the necessary speed to speak and listen. I know words in Spanish that I'd be hard pressed to translate. Usually profanity, I confess. Chingow! For years my students here in China have studied grammar, and know it better than you or I. They read. They write. But speaking involves moving faster than that. In conversation, we ...
The Benefits Of Submitting Articles
In the current market, there is a great need for article submission. A lot of different people, and corporations alike are seeking independent writers to create articles for them, whether it be reviews, or terms of service agreements. There is a major need for these products. First, let me explain what article submission's all about and how it can benefit you. Article writing for a lot of people, is a stepping-stone. It's a way of either getting your name out ...
How To Cash In On The Huge Online Demand For Writers
Currently many online writers and would-be online writers, feel very much like folks in a ship that is out at sea somewhere but which has run out of drinking water. The fact is that although there is so much water everywhere, getting drinking water becomes a challenge because the water is salty and probably needs some sort of purification and processing to be made drinkable.
Finish Your Book Already!
I owe the completion and success of my book to a big cardboard box that saw me through the entire process. I found this box and filled it with any and all information I could find on my topic ‘advanced presentation skills for speakers and business presenters.’ I printed out articles I had written, listened to tapes and read every single book on presentation skills that has ever been published. I have a huge library filled with these books, which are a great thing to have. I took notes and ...
Mixing and Mingling: The Door to Publication?
Mixing and mingling with industry professionals is an opportunity that you should NEVER let slip by. Here are some tips from my own experience to help you make the most of your conference:
Three 30 Day Journaling Ideas
Here are 3 journaling or diary ideas that can contribute to, and enhance your life. You can use a notebook, The 5 Year Journal, a blank book, even a computer.
Story Building with Imagination
In the words of Aristotle, "happiness is self contentedness helping to make children deeply and quietly glad that they are who they are, and gives them a priceless legacy: the strength to meet life's stresses and the courage to become committed, responsible, productive, creative, and fully human adults... Helping a child is the greatest gift you can give in the language of the human heart. It spells love in the most profound way."
7 Journaling Tips
Set your journal or diary where you will see it everyday, i.e., on your nightstand, at your desk, where you have coffee. This will help to remind you to journal.
The ENTP Inventor Writes A Novel
People familiar with the Myers-Briggs Personality test know that the writer is introverted, intuitive, feelings-oriented and judgmental. This is the classical INFJ, who is introverted, intuitive, feelings oriented and judgmental.
Overcoming Writer's Block
Do you suffer from writer's block? Is there a pending project you are putting off because you lack the inspiration to even get it started? You certainly are not alone. At various times you will go through extended periods of energetic writing as well as lengthy dry spells. Here are some tips you may want to consider to help you keep those slow times to a minimum.
The Joys Of Address Labels
The Joys of Address Labels Address labels are many things to many different people. If you are a huge fan of address labels, you aren't alone. If you are not a fan, you simply haven't yet realized the many benefits address labels carry. Address labels are quite simply a quick and efficient tool for creating a more convenient life. Most people use address labels to simplify mailing, to express their personality and to offer a unique hello to friends and family. Let's look at ...
The Wonderful World Of Address Labels
The Wonderful World Of Address Labels Ever wonder where address labels come from? Avery® is perhaps one of the most well-known manufacturers of address labels. Rightly so in some respects. Avery® contributed much to the world of professional labels. Stan Avery, founder of the company started the company in 1935. During that time the company, named Kum-Kleen Products, produced self-adhesive labels for many purposes. Within a few years, Mr. Avery realized just how popular and useful ...
Improve Your Professional Image Using Address Labels
Improve Your Professional Image Using Address Labels One of the simplest ways to improve your professional image is by using address labels. Self-adhesive business labels are THE way to go when it comes to a professional image. Why handwrite addresses when you can get preprinted ones cheaply and easily? Most companies today use some form of preprinted address or return labels. Some companies also prefer using a rubber stamp embossed with their company logo. You can usually customize ...
Correct Formatting Maximizes Effectiveness Of Online Articles
Understanding the rules of correct formatting for online articles will assist webmasters in driving greater awareness of and traffic to their online enterprises.