Learn to Write Like a Pro

Many writers write for the experience. Others dream of having a number one best seller. Both are wonderful reasons for writing. What many fail to realize is that these two do not have to be mutually exclusive. With a little research, you can enjoy writing incredible stories and see to it that they generate a profit.

The first thing that is needed is a business like attitude toward the process. From day one you must:

1) Know your niche.

Research which books are popular in your genre. Go to bookstores and start reading popular authors in your field. Also pick up writing magazines and see what publishers are looking for today.

2) Know your audience. If you are writing for children, for example, know the developmental stage that a child reading your book needs to be and cater to them.

Ex. A five year old would not be a good candidate for a chapter book.

You can also talk to your future readers and find out what really sparks their interest.

Ex. If you are a sci-fi writer, you can go into sci-fi chat rooms and ask what books are the most popular and why. Also ask what they feel is missing in this field. Do they want a return to some of the earlier styles of sci-fi books are an even more futuristic approach?

3) Write from this knowledge.

Once you know what your audience wants, create your story and characters around that theme. Give them what they want, what they crave and you have a better chance of creating a book that they and publishers will love.

4) Pre - market. If you are self-publishing, you can give away a free chapter of your book on hundreds of sites to spark an interest and get feedback. You can also send out press releases right before your book is about to be releases. Prweb.com is a great place to send out free press releases.

Those are just a few examples of pre - marketing. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of other free ways to gather interest and get feed back.

The more information that you have before you write, before you market and before you go to press, will determine your chances of creating an enjoyable and profitable book. Remember you can be creative and profitable. Just start from a place of knowledge and the rest will follow.

About The Author

Caterina Christakos is the author of How to Write a Children's Book in 30 Days or Less. For more writing tips and articles go to: http://www.howtowriteachildrensbook.com

CCHrist896@aol.com

MORE RESOURCES:

Course shows companies what NOT to put in writing - Reuters

Coens nominated for writing prize - BBC News

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j8PZADrpEJzYr-6ByMf2Uf0rfx2gD95J6AMO0cid=1287788727ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNE0QnzKsHGenuQbdJLXdgtttMr_1Qimg src=http://nt2.ggpht.com/news?imgefp=xkmoBYE_yJcJimgurl=www.google.com/hostednews/ap/media/ALeqM5ik-3Jzog8UNM6apF5Wt3txHWN9Fg width=59 height=80 alt= border=1brfont size=-2The Associated Press/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-0fd=Rurl=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7817304.stmcid=1287788727ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNHDZCJG-4opVg1mgWlmaoUQhhyUcACoens nominated for bwriting/b prize/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fBBC News,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobr12 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Film-makers Joel and Ethan Coen have been nominated for a prize at the Writers Guild of America awards for their movie Burn After Reading. b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-1fd=Rurl=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j8PZADrpEJzYr-6ByMf2Uf0rfx2gD95J6AMO0cid=1287788727ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNE0QnzKsHGenuQbdJLXdgtttMr_1QNolan nabs directing nomination for `Dark Knight#39;/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrThe Associated Press/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-2fd=Rurl=http://www.animationmagazine.net/article/9411cid=1287788727ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNFsBUngKj8urpVkLCQP6jTqtUvFYgWGA Nominates Bashir, Chicago 10, Dark Knight/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrAnimation Magazine/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-3fd=Rurl=http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/burn-milk-up-wga-screenplay/story.aspx%3Fguid%3D%257B4B251FC1-2BEF-474F-8C29-F0D30CA43027%257D%26dist%3Dmsr_1cid=1287788727ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNFpvaU0ojR_GAYUcr-RBgSs2TlnUw#39;Burn,#39; #39;Milk#39; up for WGA screenplay award/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrMarketWatch (press release)/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-4fd=Rurl=http://www.ifmagazine.com/new.asp%3Farticle%3D7385cid=1287788727ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNEvYy8xpVscSP3M8rWKJkHIZGVs9QnobriFMagazine/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/1-5fd=Rurl=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090108.BUZZ08-1/TPStory/Entertainmentcid=1287788727ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNFGFuhvVKqn0uSqVLhJlZe69xyuMgnobrGlobe and Mail/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1287788727hl=ennobrall 565 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Gonzales writing book on years in Bush administration - Austin American-Statesman

Children#39;s creative writing class is Saturday at Writers#39; Gallery - Yucaipa/Calimesa News Mirror

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/3-0fd=Rurl=http://www.newsmirror.net/articles/2009/01/08/news/07news.txtcid=1287879816ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNG22wajfrTLloTw9oJBNMDN_5HS_AChildren#39;s creative bwriting/b class is Saturday at Writers#39; Gallery/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fYucaipa/Calimesa News Mirror,nbsp;CAnbsp;-/font nobr14 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1The Writers#39; Gallery in Yucaipa will present a Children#39;s Creative bWriting/b Class on Saturday, Jan. 10, from 10 am to noon. This class will be taught by b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/3-1fd=Rurl=http://www.berwick-advertiser.co.uk/leisure/Writers-with-murder-in-mind.4851777.jpcid=1287879816ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNGp6jISTr6uZIvtPZS7wPPnuHeGiwWriters with murder in mind/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrBerwick Today/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1287879816hl=ennobrall 2 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

The Flat Stanley Project gets kids reading, writing, and learning ... - Examiner.com

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/4i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.examiner.com/x-562-Book-Examiner~y2009m1d7-The-Flat-Stanley-Project-gets-kids-reading-writing-and-learning-geographycid=1287811701ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNHfJw97PEivjMbxUvVmfi-UUYpdtgimg src=http://nt2.ggpht.com/news?imgefp=Nj8BWNePNEUJimgurl=image.examiner.com/images/blog/author/img530michelle_kerns_photo.jpg width=80 height=67 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Examiner.com/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/4-0fd=Rurl=http://www.examiner.com/x-562-Book-Examiner~y2009m1d7-The-Flat-Stanley-Project-gets-kids-reading-writing-and-learning-geographycid=1287811701ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNHfJw97PEivjMbxUvVmfi-UUYpdtgThe Flat Stanley Project gets kids reading, bwriting/b, and learning b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fExaminer.comnbsp;-/font nobr18 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1b.../b could scarcely have imagined that decades later his quirky creation would be used in bwriting/b and geography projects for schoolchildren around the globe. b.../b/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Ex-broker guilty of writing bad check - Billings Gazette

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/5-0fd=Rurl=http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2009/01/08/news/state/55-badcheck.txtcid=1287866693ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNHLc1YLFFOQIxpx0NQzWY49VCtfVAEx-broker guilty of bwriting/b bad check/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fBillings Gazette,nbsp; USAnbsp;-/font nobr13 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1By LINDA HALSTEAD-ACHARYA Jeanne Rizzotto, a former Red Lodge real estate broker, pled guilty Wednesday in District Court in Red Lodge to bwriting/b a bad b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/5-1fd=Rurl=http://www.kxmb.com/News/317363.aspcid=1287866693ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNGvVVe7EUo3tVRPWxXCD1ExHzo-igRed Lodge woman pleads guilty in bad check case | KXNet.com North b.../b/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrReiten Television KXMB Bismarck/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1287866693hl=ennobrall 5 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Russia says will restore gas when monitors in place - guardian.co.uk

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/07/AR2009010700618.htmlcid=1287643687ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNFSMCgiGCzCnajH43MO7LScoZNaTQimg src=http://nt2.ggpht.com/news?imgefp=_vmFIRXwrCMJimgurl=media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2009/01/07/PH2009010700620.jpg width=80 height=61 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Washington Post/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-0fd=Rurl=http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/8216731cid=1287643687ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNHxhvlXZSERAgJirw62DfKNkVCf1gRussia says will restore gas when monitors in place/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fguardian.co.uk,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobr4 hours ago/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1b.../b Faulconbridge in Kiev, Marcin Grajewski in Brussels; Martin Santa in Bratislava; Jan Lopatka in Prague; bWriting/b by Jon Boyle; editing by Ralph Boulton)/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-1fd=Rurl=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DWDaHAtQVYSIcid=1287643687ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNEbyJs-PIA4H1tTZFv8w5XE3LOJkAVideo: The gas crisis in Europe online/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrfrance24english/nobr/fontobject width=448 height=356param name=movie value=http://www.youtube.com/v/WDaHAtQVYSI/paramparam name=wmode value=transparent/paramembed src=http://www.youtube.com/v/WDaHAtQVYSItype=application/x-shockwave-flashwmode=transparentwidth=448height=356/embed/objectbr/fontfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-2fd=Rurl=http://www.kyivpost.com/world/32802cid=1287643687ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNEvuMucQZrV5JFGRtfdJENbGs-0cwGazprom: Yushchenko should work instead of bwriting/b letters/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrKyiv Post (subscription)/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-3fd=Rurl=http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSBRU00715620090108cid=1287643687ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNHiENQ_aeQ6QyiRxhO4W-Zc4MTIPwGazprom refuses to agree to EU gas monitoring plan/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrReuters/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-4fd=Rurl=http://uk.reuters.com/article/oilRpt/idUKPRA00230820090108cid=1287643687ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNGOoqPrBWiJf5cw0nxNh8WUBaaD5QnobrReuters/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-5fd=Rurl=http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSL84569920090108cid=1287643687ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNF7twg5OHeHPlBVNBeGCd7sQuoCbgnobrReuters/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1287643687hl=ennobrall 6,876 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Israel’s Vicious Circle: Ten Years of Writing on Israel and Palestine - Washington Report on Middle East Affairs

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/7i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.welt.de/english-news/article2984931/Israel-Hamas-agree-to-temporarily-hold-their-fire.htmlcid=1286705204ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNG8hjPf-h1e5J0mv9xhQfLHoyzYfwimg src=http://nt2.ggpht.com/news?imgefp=ti2N4zrgCJgJimgurl=www.welt.de/multimedia/archive/00729/eng_gaza_gbs_BM_Bay_729479g.jpg width=80 height=53 alt= border=1brfont size=-2WELT ONLINE/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/7-0fd=Rurl=http://www.wrmea.com/archives/December_2008/0812072.htmlcid=1286705204ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNFl_KMbmAHUlFNiP7z-LxKEQij3wQIsrael’s Vicious Circle: Ten Years of bWriting/b on Israel and Palestine/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fWashington Report on Middle East Affairs,nbsp;DCnbsp;-/font nobrJan 6, 2009/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1His bwriting/b exudes urgency, provokes debate, seeks doorways in the darkness. As the situation in the region has deteriorated over the past decade, b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/7-1fd=Rurl=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D1KSDbxn6uOQcid=1286705204ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNHEH0V0GS4hOApavraTJYmwMXJjsQVideo: Israel responds to rockets fired from Lebanon - 08 Jan 09/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrAlJazeeraEnglish/nobr/fontobject width=448 height=356param name=movie value=http://www.youtube.com/v/1KSDbxn6uOQ/paramparam name=wmode value=transparent/paramembed src=http://www.youtube.com/v/1KSDbxn6uOQtype=application/x-shockwave-flashwmode=transparentwidth=448height=356/embed/objectbr/fontfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/7-2fd=Rurl=http://ashahed.blogs.finalcall.com/2009/01/mass-murder-in-gaza.htmlcid=1286705204ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNE5xoZmPRdP-I0zf3R1LZ0PcLMYHwAnother Look at Israel#39;s Assault on Gaza/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrFinalCall.com/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/7-3fd=Rurl=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/08/AR2009010801937.htmlcid=1286705204ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNFiM7CVo2PHfdj7tP1dMW4dScTVAACouncil on Foreign Relations/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrWashington Post/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1 class=pa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/7-4fd=Rurl=http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/meast/01/06/iftikhar.gaza/cid=1286705204ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNEeKdqI3jXM961AIvneU2_nDY_EownobrCNN/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/7-5fd=Rurl=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7814303.stmcid=1286705204ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNGo6LggIMs_4ZrAQTJWVRSxXYPKvgnobrBBC News/nobr/a/fontbr/font class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1286705204hl=ennobrall 32,206 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

The business press: The horror of writing your own obit - BloggingStocks

Manhattan Public Library holding art and writing contest for MLK ... - KTKA.com

table border=0 width= valign=top cellpadding=2 cellspacing=7trtd width=80 align=center valign=topfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifa href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9i-0fd=Rurl=http://www.murfreesboropost.com/news.php%3FviewStory%3D14791cid=1287567128ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNF6cD-OeLKZYclTb5r42ewTlRUHrQimg src=http://nt2.ggpht.com/news?imgefp=-gjAoq-wUKAJimgurl=www.murfreesboropost.com/files/image/article/full_14791.JPG width=80 height=60 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Murfreesboro Post/font/a/font/tdtd valign=top class=jfont style=font-size:85%;font-family:arial,sans-serifbrdiv style=padding-top:0.8em;img alt= height=1 width=1/divdiv class=lha href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-0fd=Rurl=http://www.ktka.com/news/2009/jan/07/manhattan_public_library_holding_art_and_writing_c/cid=1287567128ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNHEikJh4a17VtC2Aw5kvg6eAuAPRwManhattan Public Library holding art and bwriting/b contest for MLK b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fKTKA.com,nbsp;KSnbsp;-/font nobrJan 7, 2009/nobr/fontbrfont size=-1Write down your experience or the story of someone you know and submit it to the annual Manhattan Community Martin Luther King Jr. Art and bWriting/b Contest. b.../b/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-1fd=Rurl=http://www.marionstar.com/article/20090107/NEWS01/901080321cid=1287567128ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNFucpAzKxdhJUJ-uB2zvRUocc6NbwKing#39;s #39;Peace#39; theme puts youths#39; skills on display/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrMarion Star/nobr/font/fontbrfont size=-1a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/9-2fd=Rurl=http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S23/13/67G96/index.xml%3Fsection%3Dannouncementscid=1287567128ei=LHtmSen1OZ_S9QSYndDqBAusg=AFQjCNEvhXEKW_AAIUU1zAxLZM8kqTFONgAmerican presidential transition is theme of King Day event/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrPrinceton University/nobr/font/fontbrfont class=p size=-1a class=p href=http://news.google.com/news?sourceid=navclientie=ISO-8859-1rls=GGLG,GGLG:2005-22,GGLG:enncl=1287567128hl=ennobrall 162 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

Writing - Google News

RELATED ARTICLES

How to Write Bad Poetry
So you've decided to crown yourself with a title that a million other people (just like you (yes, just like you!)) give themselves every day. Some people believe giving yourself such a title is equivalent to, and just as beneficial monetarily, as naming yourself Queen of England.

The Bottomless Notebook
Reading through a writer's notebook or journal is like discovering pearls, rubies and diamonds amidst a pile of rubble.That little notebook is a powerhouse of ideas for every writer: The more you write down bits and pieces of your thoughts and observations, the more you are adding into the well of ideas for future works.

Writing Helpful Help - A Minimalism Checklist
User documentation is all too often written by programmers for programmers. It tends to focus on the product's features, rather than the user's tasks.

In Praise of Personal Pronouns
Rudolph Flesch, a pioneering advocate of readability, put great stock in the liveliness of the written word.One way of getting that liveliness into our writing, he said, is to use the personal pronouns: you, me, I, we, us, he, she, him, her, and they.

Get An Attitude About Your Writing
(This excerpt is taken from my new writing workshop Writing To Sell In the Internet Age.)Writer John Clausen, in his excellent book about freelance writing: Too Lazy To Work, Too Nervous To Steal, recommends that you get an attitude about your work.

Starting a Freelance Writing Career (or Thoughts About Taking the Plunge)
Nike's ad has taken on new meaning for me of late; "Just do it!" runs through my mind like a mantra. Although my dreams have nothing to do with athletic shoes and little to do with athletics (unless you count the long list of ideas I have developed which revolve around my sons and their activities), I have spent a long time avoiding the one thing I've always wanted to do - write.

Formats for Writing Life Narratives
Q and A.Best choice when subject is very verbal or there are two or more people beinginterviewed or taped at the same time.

Getting Published Is Different For Everyone: Two Paths Among Many
One obvious question that can get overlooked in the process of seeking publication is, Why do you want to publish this book, article, story or poem? Most likely, the answer involves some combination of artistic or spiritual vision, desire for recognition, need to communicate an idea or body of knowledge, feeling a compelling urge to shift consciousness around a particular topic, seeing a knowledge gap in the general society and feeling called to fill it, and of course receiving a little or a lot of financial compensation for one's efforts.As writers, as creative people, it can be difficult to join the artistic and spiritual sides of what drives us with the practical and business concerns.

Is Horror Dead?
I've noticed a big shift away from traditional horror recently, in books, shorts and in subs to E2M.What's happened to the werewolves, devils, demons, ghosts, vamps and other nasties?Some claim that the above has been done to death.

8 Great Journaling Tips
Mix a martini, don't forget the olives, or pour yourself atea, relax and enjoy!There are no hard-set rules for keeping a journal. How oftenyou write, time you spend, and how rigorously you maintain aregular journaling schedule are matters of personal choiceand circumstance.

Think Market!
Griselda spent hours polishing up her resume. No detail was too small: type face, layout and spacing.

Taming The Book Proposal
Taming the Book Proposal: The BasicsOh, that most maddening of documents! For so many of us eager to move forward with our nonfiction projects, it looms large like a guard at the queen's castle, blocking the path to publication. Its perfection eludes us yet it stands there teasing, "Complete me, or your manuscript will never see the light of day, mwahahahaha!"In truth, that's a lie.

Alternative View Points and the Lamp of Creativity
Pictures they say are worth a thousand words, but many writers know that they are worth much more than that!Without decent photographs or other artwork to accompany an article many features published in todays magazines and newspapers would never see the light of day, so it makes sense to try and supply illustrations along with your submissions.Last month's article gave some tips and advice on how to improve your camera wielding technique so click here if you missed it.

The Prologue - When to Use One, How to Write One
What is a prologue? When should you use one? Should you forget about a prologue and simply start at Chapter 1?All too often we pick up a published book and read the prologue, then wonder why it was there at all. It doesn't seem to do anything that Chapter One couldn't have done - or that couldn't have been worked in during the story itself.

How to Finish Your Self-Published Book Fast
Started a book and then got bogged down? Like many of my bookcoaching clients do you say, "I have so many other demands, I just can't get to the book."This isn't procrastination or fear.

Business Writing: 10 Great Authors
Great business writers combine narrative skills with sound judgment to create classics that help both the beginner and the mid-career professional.Writing's completely subjective.

Editing
EditingExpect, allow, and accept that every first draft will represent your lowest standard and have at it.A first draft is just that, a draft with its lack of organization, lack of cogent thought, poor syntax, grammatical errors, typos and spelling slip-ups, and other inaccuracies.

Story Structure - Final Conflict
Beyond three and four act story structure, lies the Hero's Journey.The Hero's Journey is the most usable story structure consisting of at least 106 stages and the template for successful contemporary stories, from Star Wars to Al Pacino Scarface to The Incredibles to War of the Worlds to The Dirty Dozen to Midnight Cowboy.

A Checklist For Drafting Business Letters And Emails
Write Right - You have an all important business letter or email drafted, proof read and waiting to be sent. Before you dash it off, use this self questionnaire to ensure that you have written to Express and not to Impress.

Finding The Book Writing Resources, Tips, And Help You Need!
Writing can be more difficult that just compiling your thoughts on a few pieces of paper. In fact, it can be a challenge to find something new, interesting, and publishable to write about.