Proof Positive: the importance of proofreading

Last week I was having a quick browse on eBay when something caught my eye. "Black patient shoes!" screamed the headline. "Must see!"

"Wow!" I thought. "Patient shoes! What are they when they're at home?" I clicked on the link. The shoes appeared. Black they certainly were. But 'patient'? No. Or not as far as I could see, anyway. These, you see, were patent shoes - as in 'patent leather'. And very nice they were too - just what I was looking for, and in my size. Did I buy them though? Not on your life. I didn't buy the "gorgeous sequence dress" I found a few minutes later, either. (Answers on a postcard if you can guess what a "sequence" dress is?)

My reasoning was simple. If the sellers of these items couldn't be bothered to take the time and care to make sure they'd got the name of the product right, and spelt it correctly, then how on earth could I trust them with the more complex matter of accepting my payment and sending out my patient shoes? The answer: I couldn't. The sloppy spelling had created the impression of a sloppy seller. It had also lost them a customer.

So it is with business. You may think that a couple of spelling mistakes in an email or report don't matter. They do. Just ask all of the prospective job candidates whose applications didn't make it out of the slush pile because their covering letter was littered with typos. They don't get an interview because they've already made themselves look careless; if your website is a mess of bad grammar and spelling, then it doesn't matter how great your product or service is - you already look unprofessional. And if your marketing literature is littered with mistakes- forget it!

Whether you're a large-scale business or a small-time seller, proofreading is something you really can't afford to skimp on. It's also something you shouldn't try to do yourself. As any professional writer will tell you, when you work on a piece of writing you become blind to its faults. No matter how carefully you re-read it, you see what you think is there. That's probably why last year a well known news website confidently predicted that John Kerry would "knot" win the US election. And why my accountant keeps writing to me about "teh business."

If you're serious about your professional image, get someone else to proofread your brochures, website, letters and adverts. And steer clear of patient shoes?

Amber McNaught runs Writing World, a new agency for freelance writers. Writing World provides a free agency service which helps writers find work, and helps employers find the best writer for their project.

Writing World also offers a range of service such as proofreading, edting and manuscript appraisal services to new and aspiring writers.

Visit the Writing World website at http://www.writingworld.org

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.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/08/AR2009010802356.htmlcid=1287788727ei=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNFBIvWdXnu5nfCR-8I_a1JqGsMtUgimg src=http://nt0.ggpht.com/news?imgefp=eP_HonB-ivoJimgurl=media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/photo/2009/01/08/PH2009010802357.jpg width=59 height=80 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/1-0fd=Rurl=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7817304.stmcid=1287788727ei=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNEErghHvGLpLpGuZ5Ll6KAwd4P0xACoens nominated for bwriting/b prize/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fBBC News,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobr14 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=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNHD_yTQeEpdgQYwbHmJ35SkxemHwgNolan 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=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNGBogcyW96MnnxpHozofAY-KwWvwAWGA 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=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNFb8IdrvXBmblJM1hZ5GEl9E5drZA#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=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNE-PmCwFxzGxA5Hb5A58yUzVq-ITwnobriFMagazine/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=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNEhHc8ZJmLja5mNNRTkZX_rDzLu8QnobrGlobe 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 599 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=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNHYKgKHfPlUXX0uFf26vzxLgFrzZQChildren#39;s creative bwriting/b class is Saturday at Writers#39; Gallery/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fYucaipa/Calimesa News Mirror,nbsp;CAnbsp;-/font nobr16 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=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNGl9XHXqifwBCPufmc4u8h7VZ7DSgWriters 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=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNEyEbN1NGD3Xzyd9jcDyxFAwCzGBwimg 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=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNEyEbN1NGD3Xzyd9jcDyxFAwCzGBwThe Flat Stanley Project gets kids reading, bwriting/b, and learning b.../b/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fExaminer.comnbsp;-/font nobr20 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=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNHNPqKoiMxYGYRy_p7ixHwwNlh3hAEx-broker guilty of bwriting/b bad check/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fBillings Gazette,nbsp; USAnbsp;-/font nobr15 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=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNGw-2oG1KLK8feRcQkDR6i_HRN-sQRed 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 6 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.welt.de/english-news/article2992194/Russia-Ukraine-make-no-progress-at-gas-talks.htmlcid=1287643687ei=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNF_0CSXUFVIyaDHKzpY3x9negYwrQimg src=http://nt2.ggpht.com/news?imgefp=km0tIJolAPQJimgurl=www.welt.de/multimedia/archive/00730/eng_gas_GBT_BM_Baye_730156g.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/6-0fd=Rurl=http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/feedarticle/8216731cid=1287643687ei=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNEHJaemyJkq7CJQcRkbdiDwOHmqawRussia says will restore gas when monitors in place/abrfont size=-1font color=#6f6f6fguardian.co.uk,nbsp;UKnbsp;-/font nobr7 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%3D9QQGXDfC8LAcid=1287643687ei=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNGP0xf3fdrIz2a76OwqauVEug8Q0QVideo: Ukraine leaves Europe without gas - Gazprom/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrRussiaToday/nobr/fontobject width=448 height=356param name=movie value=http://www.youtube.com/v/9QQGXDfC8LA/paramparam name=wmode value=transparent/paramembed src=http://www.youtube.com/v/9QQGXDfC8LAtype=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=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNGn2myAXSKnGF2NO5wXJg_ORP7UugGazprom: 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=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNFXyQxhJZb7Lr3rc-ey8oIXQ9mi1gGazprom 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=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNFC-K9VtDE67iH6opiJnyF_1pr8GAnobrReuters/nobr/anbsp;- a href=http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=Tct=us/6-5fd=Rurl=http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSL84569920090108cid=1287643687ei=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNEzG2616XBgDHzJZ8tobe_9Gpt1qQnobrReuters/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 7,192 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.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5450299.ececid=1286705204ei=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNFBTqLPUhjPGQ6-kP2_9c6w7WuiCwimg src=http://nt2.ggpht.com/news?imgefp=_vLJMBwZC94Jimgurl=www.timesonline.co.uk/multimedia/archive/00459/Gaza1_459794a.jpg width=80 height=38 alt= border=1brfont size=-2Times 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=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNHHHIq65hpF2iNsicLX9U_87NUUSAIsrael’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%3DPD65pre_PeAcid=1286705204ei=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNG1hqvDPwgjZZw0EK5ZALuKeHrf3AVideo: Gaza Gets a Brief Break/a font size=-1 color=#6f6f6fnobrAssociatedPress/nobr/fontobject width=448 height=356param name=movie value=http://www.youtube.com/v/PD65pre_PeA/paramparam name=wmode value=transparent/paramembed src=http://www.youtube.com/v/PD65pre_PeAtype=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=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNFF11uLofXU0u5rO7pHmVnx2g3vwgAnother 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=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNGKYh9Bb2-o4FSsuTYC9N5LTFAIFgCouncil 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=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNHQddh35xqj8LFiHdxUL0egsG2UygnobrCNN/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=Y5tmSeGcOuaPmAeh26W3BAusg=AFQjCNEGzc-sFSlPurlWL7IVq7Gq3nvUugnobrBBC 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 30,020 news articles/nobr/a/font/div/font/td/tr/table

It#39;s about your opinion, not his - Seattle Post Intelligencer

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

Writing - Google News

RELATED ARTICLES

Writing Query Letters that Count -- Close the Deal with Your First Letter!
Your query letter can be a deal maker or a deal breaker. So, if your query letter just lies there, you've killed the sale immediately or your story or novel immediately.

Keys to Characterisation
Far too many inexperienced writers create flat, stereotypical characters: the brave fireman, the damsel in distress, the strict schoolmistress. The best characters are those who evoke emotions within the reader - fear, admiration, affection, laughter, horror? If the writer fails to make us care about the characters, no matter how ingenious the plot, we will toss the story aside without a second thought.

Understanding The First Rule Of Writing - Before You Start The Great American Book
Chaos and confusion come when established rules and procedures are not followed. Even mixing and matching systems to favor one's own position can cause a great deal of consternation.

Kick-Start your Juices
Listen, consider this scenario.You have a deadline to honour.

Top Ten Reasons Its Great To Be A Writer
10 - You will always have a job. As long as people want to read, other people like us need to write.

Screenwriting, Screenplays, Screenwriters - Good Ideas for Stories
The principle for writing good screenplays begins with good idea generation and then the use of structure to extrapolate that idea into a coherent story.Sources of Good Ideas a) Ideas that push cultural boundaries work well.

Grow Your Ideas Without Letting Words Grow Like Weeds
Q: How do I expand on an idea without getting too wordy?A. Before you begin counting words, focus on holding the reader's interest.

Publish It Now! No Matter What It Is
Do you want to publish something? An article, a non-fiction piece, a short story, a children's book, the great American novel? What are you waiting for? You may be answering that it's just too competitive. Competition in the writing industry is fierce, no doubt, but many good writers have piles of work collecting dust in a box, sitting in the corner, or in file upon file, tucked away in a desktop PC.

Vary Your Writing Style and Win Readers
First drafts are for getting down the ideas. Anna Jacobs calls the first draft the 'dirty draft'.

Format Each eBook Chapter Before you Write It
Do you have a problem creating a focus in your chapters? Does your writing slip around, leaving a muddy path to the gold--your unique, useful message? Format each chapter in your book. Your consistency, your organized, focused copy will compel your reader to want to read every chapter because they are easy to understand.

Writing Good Dialogue.
There's nothing that kills a scene like hackneyed dialogue. Just stop and think about the average B-Grade Hollywood Movie.

Hero's Journey - The First Threshold
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.

How to Outline your Book and Chapters with Mindmapping
Mindmapping is better than linear outlining because authors can use flexible thinking and relativity in writing their book. One can add and subtract a thought or phrase from a mindmap easily.

Write Your Way To A Better Brain
Boost Brain Power Through WritingHave you ever noticed what happens to an idea once you express it? Just talking about it or writing it down causes you to clarify it in your own mind. How can you use this to increase your brain power? Start writing.

What you Dont Know About Book Publishing Can Cost You
Dream that your book can be a number one best seller? Read books or visit Web sites that say they have your answers? -- All you need to do is get their program, follow their advice, and the world is yours. Or, you think I'll write it, but someone else can market and promote it.

How NOT to Get a Freelance Writing Job
In the business of freelance writing, it's not enough to be good at writing. You also have to be good at finding work - and selling yourself when you do.

Writing Query Letters
A QUERY LETTER is written to an editor or agent to describe a piece of writing to ask if they'd like to see it. It is sent in lieu of an unsolicited (unasked for) manuscript.

Overcoming Writers 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.

Self-Examination
Self-examination sheds light on a writers motives, goals, and aspirations, while self indulgence hide the obvious and absorbs any illumination before it occurs.When a writer exams his motives, goals, and aspirations, he opens up new viewpoints because he or she sees other avenues to writing; perhaps the short story writer can see a novel develop from the theme of a short story, or an article to clarify that subject matter.

Why Researching Is Good, And A Failure To Do So Is Not
What a lack of research could do to you.When creating an ebook how well do you research the topic before hand?It's absolutely crucial that you research what problems your target market is having andwhat they're spending money on.