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Whether you dream of being a super-star author, or just wish to share your reflections with people in your inner circle, the experience of memoir writing is essentially the same. So while you're writing your memoirs, be careful to avoid these five, big traps. Any one of them can turn your book or fun writing project into a work you'll regret -- a back-end nightmare. #1 Memoir Writers Mistake: Not Making "Um" the Word If you want the very best fodder for your memoirs, you may not be able to stay "mum" about that great occurrence twenty years ago. But maybe you should at least stay "um" about it. In other words, do what's necessary to well disguise the names and characteristics of friends and...

Writing a memoir can seem like a daunting task at first. However, with a little bit of help you can create an interesting record of your life's most important events that your friends and family will cherish for years to come. In this article I am going to show you just how to write a memoir that will be appreciated by all who read it. Step 1 - Decide Who The Memoir Is For This is one of the most important steps of memoir writing. You need to decide who your target audience for the book is going to be. You could decide to write it for your family and close friends in which case you could use a more informal, intimate writing style. However, if you plan to release your memoir to a general audience...

What's a memoir and how is it different from an autobiography? The first difference has to do with the length. While a bio will tell the tale from conception to death (or the current point in that person's life), a memoir is much more focused on a certain "point" of a person's life. Memoirs are far less structured and less encompassing than formal autobiographic literary works. Due to their relative ease of writing - as far as research and chronological structure is concerned - millions of people write memoirs every year, either about themselves or someone else. There's still nothing "easy" about writing a memoir, and many people seek out tips on writing a memoir every day. Writing is sometimes...

p>We all love well-told stories. We love the entertainment, the sound effects, the punchy plot built around solid characterization. As we share stories in our everyday conversations, we inevitably use fiction techniques to keep our listeners' attention and interest. When we say "And then she said...," we are using dialogue - that's a fiction technique. In our memoir writing, we will often veer toward the same techniques fiction writers use. In fact, we don't seem to need urging at all to adapt our stories to make them more compelling or to ensure that they drive our point home. We do this spontaneously. Many life writers ask, "But, am I twisting things when I use fiction techniques? Is it really...

Teaching a group of individuals how to write their life stories can be a fun and rewarding experience. Here are a few tips to get you started. Research The first thing you will want to do when you are teaching a memoir writing workshop is to do your research. Go to your bookshelf and take down a few of your most favorite memoirs and do a quick study of each one. What is it that you like about them? What does each author use as a starting and ending point? These are just some of the aspects of this work that you will want to take a look at, and that can gives you ideas to pass on to your students if they feel stuck. You might also want to take a look at one or two of the many books out there that...

u know the inner essence of writing? Do you think it is because you have to share something to the public and influence them about the topic that you are writing? Do you think that writing only focuses on how words and phrases are written accordingly in your content? Probably, there are writers who think that writing is just a result of a person’s creative mind where all you have to do is to rely with what your head is dictating. It might be true since most writer really have to stick on what they are thinking to produce a factual and creative piece. But do you also consider that when you use your mind all the time, you tend to have writer’s block? It is like you are stuck in your...

rs are entitled with their own point of views. This is one of the element of writing where ideas are shared fairly in their contents. Writer’s points of views sometimes arises the reader’s mind regarding their reaction about the topic. This raises arguments inside the content which makes it more interesting as readers will eventually pays attention with what they are reading. Although it may depend on how they will accept the concept of the topic and how they will leave a final statement about it. Therefore, there’s this small imaginary line that connects the writer to its readers through the message he conveys in his writing. Organizing point of views should be taken into...

Many inexperienced fiction writers make the mistake of stuffing their stories with stereotypical characters. You know the type: the strong, silent protagonist; the damsel in distress; the single-minded evil stepmother; and all the usual folks. While those characters aren't terrible, they've been used numerous times over the years. In fact, if you ask schoolchildren to write a story, there's a good chance they'll have those same characters making the rounds. Using them in your own work can leave readers feeling like they've seen and heard everything before, no matter how much help you get from your fiction writing software. More importantly, there's no reason to keep your characters at this level...

are different reasons why you need to write a story. It can be a requirement from your school, a real hobby or even a job that you need to accomplish within a given time. Writing a story can be so complicated especially if you are planning to make the plot an interesting and a thrilling one. Since you are aware about the different characters in your story and their roles, you should know how your story would start and end. The best part of the story is the climax as it holds the major and the most exciting event about the topic that you are writing. And everyone is expecting to have a very satisfying and worth reading ending. But you can’t just write a story without any planning and organizing...

There's a great load of advice available on how to set up an office perfect for writing how-to books. You can find advice on the internet. You can find it in writing magazines. You can find it in books. But it's often contradictory and often doesn't work in real life. Why? Because you need to know what your writing style is. Not the one on the paper but the one that gets those words to the paper. In this article, I'm going to give you 10 questions to ask yourself to discover your style of writing. 1. Are you going to write several how-to books or just one? If you are going to be a professional then you need to get the best setup you can from the very beginning. After all, anything you use will need...

Many people believe that creativity is for the lucky few and that inspiration just occurs randomly (and not often enough). Writer's block is a state commonly experienced by both established and aspiring authors alike, and I've lost count of the times I've heard the phrase "where has all my inspiration gone?" muttered by frustrated writers. The good news is that experiencing inspiration, sometimes referred to as light bulb moments, doesn't have to be random. Have you ever had one of those light bulb moments where an idea comes in out of the blue? It's the sort of idea that you feel compelled to act on and it can make you drop everything or keep you awake in the early hours. Perhaps you had a vision...

When you're buying a writing system it's important to buy one that is able to help you to write the type of writing you do. There's no point in buying a fiction writing system if you write how-to books exclusively. You see any system should help you to structure the end product. And to do that it needs to create artifacts that support that type of writing. Fiction writing is by its nature a much more complex type of writing than non-fiction. As such it requires more artifacts to support the writing. For example, fiction is time based writing. It follows a time line and develops the story over a period of time in chunks called chapters. But fiction is also character based. It brings together a soup...

As many people reach retirement age, they think about how they are going to fill all of the extra time that they have available to them. A large proportion of them have always thought that it'd be nice to live the life of a writer and perhaps write a book or some articles. The hardest part is figuring out how to start. Should they enroll in a writing course at their Jr. College? Should they go to the library and check out some books on writing? Or should they just start writing? In the age of the Internet, what many have decide to do is to take an online writing course. Online writing courses are convenient for a number of reasons. The biggest benefit, of course, is that you can learn from the...

"Facebook: Friend or Foe?" and "OMG! Drama Llama" are among the personal, critical essays composed in 2008 by students in a first year college-level writing course. The course, offered by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), is known as Writing on Contemporary Issues: Culture Shock! It's one of hundreds of free online writing courses that are open to the public. The MIT writing course specifically might help even experienced writers compose, edit and publish pieces that can engage readers in cyberspace. The Facebook article, published in the institution's online Culture Shock! Magazine, addresses such issues as Facebook addicts, the implications of making private lives public and...

I have a problem with the term 'basic communication skills'; my problem is that this term implies that these skills are very simple and that you are somehow lacking and weak if you don't have them. Certain communication skills are certainly 'basic' to the extent that they are very necessary and that a lot of the success of communication has to be built upon these foundations. But it is by no means true to say that everyone should somehow naturally possess these skills, which is a slur on those who find communication difficult. Communication skills can be earned. In every situation and every occupation in adult life, it helps to have certain communication skills. Verbal Communication: 1. You should...

Writing articles is one of the hardest things I've ever done. I've spent countless hours in online forums, and spent a fortune on special blueprints from the Gurus. All that was an enormous help, but there was still something missing. What I learned was so simple, I couldn't see it for looking. It may have been a confidence issue - in the face of what seemed an insurmountable challenge a year or two ago. I realized there were some critical keys to master: · Persistence is one critical key. Unless you stick like glue to practicing, you'll get nowhere fast. Practice re-writing the content of existing articles first - you can rewrite anything that you can find in online directories. Don't submit your...

So, if the freelance writing lifestyle seems like an ideal option for you, let's run through some advice on what you should expect: First and foremost, you really need to ensure that your writing skills are up to scratch. If you have any doubts in this regard and feel this may hold you back as a freelance writer, never fear, there is something that can be done about this. Why not check out the multitude of online writing courses that exist to help you in this regard? Be careful to select an inexpensive course that will offer plenty of tuition through a professional freelance writer who really does know what they are talking about. If your writing skills are good then you're ready to go. The most...

Doing creative writing exercises is a great way to get over writer's block and get those "writing muscles" back into shape, so to speak. Writer's block is after all just the result of getting lazy and not writing daily, which is, by the way, something that every serious writer should make a habit of. And doing writing exercises is a great way of achieving this goal. So even if your writing has gotten a bit rusty, rest assured that the talent is still there, it is just a little atrophied and nothing that some writing exercises can't cure. Many books exist, which offer quality creative writing prompts and other exercises aimed at helping writers perfect the craft of writing. However these are usually...

Ideas for plots or stories can be found in unusual places such as newspaper articles, watching people in a doctor's office, or from a book of prompts. One such book is The Writer's Book of Matches - 1001 prompts to ignite your fiction by the staff of fresh boiled peanuts, a literary journal. In an online writing conference (The Muse 2007 Online Writers Conference), Linda Barnett-Johnson gave some examples and initiated some exercises which helped develop ideas. A helpful hint is to keep a small notebook to jot down ideas. I participated in that conference and in Linda's exercises. I would like to share some ideas her suggestions triggered in my mind and the results of the exercises. First some ideas...

The first step of any process is one that fiction writers use in every story: The Day That Was Different. That's the turning point event that moves a character toward the central conflict. In order to turn your book or book idea into your primary business, you'll have to make the decision that Today is The Day That is Different. Do you find your current circumstances satisfying? · Months or years spending blood and tears on a manuscript then handing control of it to strangers who have no passion for it besides a bottom line · Hours spent creating and tweaking proposals · Spending thousands of dollars on writers conferences on a thread of hope that you will catch...

"Did you ever feel like the whole world was a tuxedo and you were a pair of brown shoes?" asked comedian George Gobel in 1968. But you'll be surprised at how relevant that question becomes for your self-published book. Most self-publishers leave it up to the author to market their book. So, you've got to have a plan - a marketing strategy. However, when you're promoting your book, you don't want to end up "brown shoes" in a "tuxedo" world; you want an appropriate method of promotion. But where to start? While a great marketing plan consists of a marketing mix, a good way to get started is by jumping right into the network of public appearances, during which you can connect with your potential...

The process of writer publishing comprises of the following stages: - pitching potential publishers; - approval by editors, signing contract with a publisher and publishing itself; - marketing campaign (books only). In self-publishing the pitching is excluded and these are cases where the writer either applies for publishing grants (applicable for scientific works), looks for potential sponsors / lenders that may be interested in the work's subject or uses his own money to publish. A writer normally looks at self-publishing as a last resort option, with the most important (apart from marketing) part of the writer publishing to be successful pitching with tips on which available on 'Writer's Publish...

Carma: I ran across your Working Writer's Coach Blog back in March 2007 and I kept being drawn back to it. Actually I think it was when I subscribed to the Morning Nudge that kept me going everyday and still does. Tell us how The Morning Nudge came about. Suzanne: As a writing coach, I like to encourage my clients to get a little writing done every single day. When I first started coaching, I was sending out a weekly newsletter, but I suddenly thought how much more helpful it would be to my clients and other writers by sending them something every week day. That's how the Morning Nudge came about. I have a friend who calls it "The Morning Shove" because some days I just want writers to stop making...

Is there some secret for success as a children's writer? Inquiring minds (i.e., yours and mine) want to know, so I interviewed L.D. Harkrader whose first middle grade novel, Airball: My Life in Briefs, was recently released by Roaring Brook Press. Harkrader doesn't seem to have any real secrets, but she does offer some insights into the writing process and a look at what an author needs to do to promote a book once it is published. Q: Tell us a little bit about your writing background. What kinds of things did you write along the way to publication of your new middle grade novel, Airball: My Life in Briefs? A: I've been writing seriously for thirteen or fourteen years. My first short story...

Real writers don't wait for the muse; neither do they wait for uninterrupted quiet time nor squall about having "writer's block." They get busy. They write! And when they've written, they concentrate on selling their work. If they have self-published, they network to promote and sell their books; if they are seeking an agent or a publisher, they network to get noticed. Networking is about giving and receiving attention, about exchanging information. It is about gathering resources, including introductions to people who can help you get what you want. You can network at parties, community events, at a local business, or by simply meeting someone on the street. You can even network in the...

Ever wondered how to make money writing fiction? It's a common question. When you hear about the millions of dollars that many bestselling authors earn, it's natural to wonder how you can turn your own love of storytelling into a profitable venture. In this article, we'll cover three essential steps you'll want to follow if you're serious about making money writing fiction. Implementing these tips isn't necessarily easy, but if you're willing to put in the time and effort, you can achieve your dreams. 1) Write a compelling story in a popular genre. Being well-paid for your fiction writing efforts begins with creating an engaging story in a popular genre. This may sound like basic advice, but many...

I am a published writer, and I thought I should be able to submit another manuscript to a publisher directly. But all I received was rejection slips with a note telling me that the publisher did not accept unsolicited manuscript without a literary agent. After more than 10 such rejection slips, I realized that I should look for a literary agent. I went to the libraries and read directories about literary agents, and I noted down a long list of names. I wrote each of them a query letter, a book proposal, sample chapters, as requested. All I got back was rejection slips with the same explanation: They only accepted new clients through recommendation. Undaunted I decided to explore other channels, and...

Social networking involves the simple act of grouping people. Something we have been doing since our days of living in a cave. Today in the age of instant messaging and information social networking has taken on a more significant persona. Its instantaneity and spontaneity have changed the rules of normal discourse. As is often the case with new technology there is an increase in new terminology. Among these terms are social bookmarking, social networks, crowdsourcing, blogging, podcasting, commentary, folksonomy and Ezines. Folksonomy is perhaps the most unusual term of the group. It means social tagging and multiple users can add key words to shared information. Ezines are digital online magazines...

Maybe you've been writing articles successfully for a very long time now. Perhaps you've never thought about how you could still be improving your article writing skills. Maybe you think you are doing just fine and why should you have to change anything? These are all valid points but there is one very important thing to know about article writing, especially in an online market. If you do not continue to improve your article writing skills over time, the market will eventually outgrow you. This means that in time, you will not continue to be as successful in your article writing and you may discover that your earnings drop as well. There will be other article writers, even if they are not as...

You face more challenges than ever before as an interior designer. You're probably feeling the impact of external pressures like never before. What are the ten biggest threats to your interior design salary today? 1. The recession is obvious to all of us. Many interior designers provide services to the affluent, and yet the affluent are feeling less wealthy these days and they are questioning everything...especially your fees. 2. Consumers are more savvy today than every before. They are shopping on the Internet for the products that were traditionally available only through you. 3. Some social networking sites are selling services that are commoditized and limited in scope, but are designed to...

Creative writing is any form of fiction, non-fiction, or poetry that is not technical in nature. Writing creatively is known as free writing, the type where there are no rules or structure to follow. Creative writing can be found in novels, short stories, articles, poetry and even screenplays. Writing creatively is a more modern style of writing than any other kind. Writing creatively represents anything that is original. Creative writing is the medium that celebrates self expression. It allows you to express your opinions, thoughts or ideas in any medium or form. If you're new to writing you might want to start with something small to get a taste of it. By writing a short story you can get an idea...

The top 15 most viewed articles for a particular category in Ezine Articles receive extra traffic and exposure. You're not going to achieve this by writing and submitting just one or two articles a week. Here are 7 ways to achieve this: 1. Write high quality articles High quality means your article offers great value to your readers. Ezine publishers don't want to provide the same old information to their subscribers but give them unique tips that they haven't heard of before. If you continually write top quality content publishers will seek you out as you will be recognized as an authority on that subject. 2. Only write unique content Don't try to rehash content that's already been published but...

There are many types of information products. It's important to know that you can take one product and transform it into multiple information products. For example, you could write a 30-50 page document and create an eBook. Next, you could read it aloud and record it onto a cd, or MP3. You could also take that same information and create a video, a seminar, an email training series, a special report or just about anything else. Listed below are some of the different types of information products. All are easy to create. Some are more profitable than others.eBooks: An eBook is simply a digital book that can be downloaded onto someone's computer. To create an eBook, you type a Microsoft Word document...

Writing letters to the editor is a quick and easy way of getting published. It brings instant recognition, as the letters page is often the most widely read section of a newspaper or magazine. It is, however, a competitive activity - most newspapers and magazines publish a very small fraction of the letters they receive. I guess I've been lucky in this field. My very first letter, on car-pooling, got published in The Ottawa Citizen alongwith a photograph. Since then, there has been no looking back and I just keep writing more and more letters. By contrast, it has been much harder to get articles published. Here are a few tips on making letter writing work for you, based on personal experience. 1...

"body"> Posting articles online in free article directories, creating pages on free Web 2.0 properties, building your own websites, sending e-mails, posting free advertising, etc. is easy, fast, and cheap - no doubt about that. However, many people who sit in front of the computer too much (that includes me) often forget that these are not always the most effective ways to get out the world about you, your business, your products or services. What we need to keep in mind is that there are still plenty of people out there who read newspapers and magazines more often than they email, they don't even have a twitter account set up yet, so no, they won't be reading your tweets any time soon. And it does...

The answer to that question is yes - every good, intelligent author needs an editor. Even the most brilliant writers in the world need editors. For a new, upcoming writer, this can be a critical factor in getting published. A good editor can mean the difference between rejection and acceptance for publishing. One of the most critical, avoidable mistakes any new writer makes is in failing to provide a grammatically correct manuscript free of misspelling and punctuation errors. Too many of these will ensure that any publishing house or literary agent will simply fill out the form rejection letter and toss your manuscript aside. These types of errors tell a publisher that the author lacks attention to...

Many aspiring novelists, begin the writing process without really thinking about what his/her publishing objectives are. They don't think about questions such as: Why do I want to write a book in the first place? How will this book be published? For whom am I writing this book? Who is my target market? How am I going to market my book? These are questions that should be answered prior to writing your book. Here are a few things to consider: What are your goals and objectives? - Why do you want to publish a book? (What is your Big "Why"?) - Is this a hobby or do you want to earn a living as a writer? - Are you going to print just a few copies for friends and family or do you want worldwide...

1> Procrastination is the common denominator. So how can an author overcome procrastination?.... In Part I of this article, the common excuses would-be authors have about why they cannot get their book written were identified. Procrastination is the common denominator. So how can an author overcome procrastination?Being curious by nature, we have studied the small percentage of authors we have worked with who are successful in making progress, writing on their blogs, organizing their book content, and who are getting published. Profile of Successful Authors Here’s the typical intellectual profile of a successfully published author: 1. He/she writes almost daily on...

One of the best ways to get your creative ideas flowing is to search through calls for submissions into anthologies. Anthologies are generally collections of short stories based around a central theme. While the pay rate for fiction published in anthologies is generally not high, there are many advantages to writing for these compilation markets. 1. You have a new published credit to add to your portfolio 2. You can stimulate your own creativity by reading through the submission guidelines of anthologies that interest you 3. You have the opportunity to break out of writer's block by writing something short on a topic created by someone else 4. You can learn to hone your...

With the internet becoming the most important platform, of information exchange and doing business, the way we used to spend our life has changed a lot in the past few years. The changes have been brought by the involvement of innovation and technology in our way of life. The world of magazines has changed a lot. Now ezine publishing is much more important as compared to any other kind of publishing. It is easier to get published in the online world as it presents lots of opportunities. People today prefer to get published in ezines as there is a vast horizon of writing for those who have a flare and natural talent for writing. If you are one of those people who can write really good and creative...

-link"> Being a creative writer has never been easy. From learningthe craft, to practicing it, to selling your work. But that enthusiasm we felt sparked into passion as we gotmore involved in it and it continues to ignite us through the longand hard road of getting published. We are ready to make money from our writing. And it standsto reason that we should. We have already perfected our profession. Shouldn’t the money follow? It doesn’t because being a good writer does not guarantee apublisher will notice you. So as the rejection letters begin pilingup you begin to question whether being a writer was actually agood idea or should you have hit yourself over the head. Being a writer is...

It's easier said than done to write great 500-750 word articles. Some of us simply have too much to say. We have trouble reigning things in at less than 1500 words. Others are on the opposite end of the spectrum strain to make their articles long enough. Knowing that a 500-750 word article marketing article has a greater chance of getting published on a top website like About.com, I consistently try to get all of my articles to conform to that range. Today, I reveal some of my secrets so you can get published on more top websites and ezines. 1. Create an outline I write a lot of how-to's and list articles. They are the simplest and best articles you can write for online marketing purposes. After I...

Many aspiring freelance writers struggle to get their writing careers up and running. They get so anxious to start selling their work that they lose all focus on the work itself. Instead they focus solely on getting published. If you're wanting to make a living from your writing, then, of course, you must be concerned about publication and sales. But the odd thing is, if you focus on that MORE than the writing itself, you will publish less and sell less of your work. Why is that? Because writing is a competitive business. There is always someone out there who is a more skillful or more talented writer. And, if your writing is awkward or clunky, or not clear and to-the-point, readers, editors, and...

Travel writers are sometimes invited to visit attractions for free or a reduced rate. Getting press trips, however, is not a good reason to become a travel writer. Instead,  trips may be viewed as a necessity for research when funds are limited to cover a destination or write a review. Getting invited on media tours does not come with the territory of becoming a travel writer. Media tours are not handed out by virtue of stating that one is a travel writer, but instead, they are offered to travel writers with good reputations and the ability to get published in choice publications. What are  Media Tours? Convention and Visitors Bureaus, public relations and marketing firms offer evaluation trips to...

I have been putting pen to paper since the age of thirteen with various levels of success. Apart from my regular job, I took to freelance writing in 2005. This entailed various odd content related stuff like website content, marketing collateral, brochures etc. In 2005 I decided to seriously write a book. In fact, I have had always wanted to write a novel but it never materialized. Some got abandoned after the title selection and some after a few pages. It took me close to 4 years to write Have a Pleasant Journey, my first book. I started writing Have a Pleasant Journey in 2005 and had to fight distractions like affairs, jobs and marriage (not in that order) to complete it in the latter half of 2009...

Times have changed, so why is it that everyone is still working with the old forms prospecting? Today's market requires innovative new techniques to convert suspects into prospects and prospects into sales. Today's buyers and sellers are inundated with marketing and advertising. David Shenk in his book Data Smog - Surviving the Information Glut, states that the average American encountered 560 daily advertising messages in 1971. By 1997 that number had increased to over 3,000 per day. Can you imagine how big that number is today? With that much competition there is no way to stand out from the crowd. This is why cutting-edge marketers are looking into how they can respond to a client's need rather...

First and foremost, you must submit your articles to the top article directories. The top two, in my opinion, are and The reason that this is so important is because many e-zine and web site owners turn to the best when searching for articles to publish. They know that these sites have strict guidelines and that the articles in their databases have been reviewed and are ready to publish. Next, and not necessarily any less important, you really need to go out and find popular sites in your niche. If you notice that a popular site publishes articles written by others and they include the authors' by-lines, then you should be e-mailing them. In the e-mail be sure to provide a link to some of your work...

How often do you sit down at your keyboard, stare at the screen, and think, “I’m just not in the mood to write today?” Or maybe you don’t admit that to yourself, but instead use the time you’ve set aside to check your e-mail, read about the latest Lindsey Lohan, O. J. Simpson or Britney Spears folly, or play solitaire...until you realize your writing time has elapsed and you need to be somewhere else. If you’re either smiling or grimacing in recognition of this scenario, you’re not alone. Sometimes it is joyously easy for us writers to write. But at other times, maybe even most of the time, it’s—well, it’s work. And if you’re freelancing, there’s no boss (other than you...