Writing Inrochester

Words are fun. I especially like the word “oxymoron”, which is a contradiction of words. I find them to range from very serious to very humorous, and all fascinating in their intent to communicate.

On the news last night, I heard the words, “military intelligence.” There is nothing intelligent about sending the U.S. military to Iraq. Our military should be used for something truly intelligent, like cleaning up hurricane “war” zones.

My spouse and I each had a shrimp cocktail before dinner last night. They were jumbo shrimp. Since jumbo means very large, and shrimp means very small, I was confused, but the shrimp were delicious.

Amicable divorce is one of my favorites. No matter how magnanimous people are, I don’t know of anyone whose divorce has been friendly.

How about adult male, or logical female? I’m not going into too much detail here, for fear of an amicable divorce.

If you’re tired of reading those outdated magazines while waiting in the doctor’s office, grab that small spiral notebook from your back pocket, along with your favorite pen, and start writing down as many oxymora as you can think of. This will keep you from calling the doctor’s office staff a bunch of morons for keeping you waiting two hours because they overbooked patients.

Happy writing!

Pamela Beers is a freelance writer, educator, and horse trainer when she isn’t waiting in the doctors office. You may visit her website for more creative ways to juggle words.
pamelabeers.com pamelabeers.com

The amount of people searching for information online is increasing daily. A recent poll showed that they are starting to rely more heavily on the internet for their information needs. Last months tally of online searchers was a whopping 72% of Americans, and there is no let up in sight.

These people are hungry for information and as a result, search engine use is steadily climbing. A whopping 85% of American adults are using them to hunt down information. These online users number well over 100 million. What share of these visitors do you get to your website?

If you want to reach your share of those visitors you should publish articles on the web. When you write articles you should provide your readers with useful, honest and interesting information.

Information is the basis of the internet. By providing the search engines and your online visitors with plenty of information on your topic you will have plenty of opportunities for the search engines to list you in the search results.

It is personally rewarding to create information. When you do this you will also become a resource for other websites that may link to you. They will provide your site with valuable hyperlinks. Information is a great way to show your visitors that you have something worthwhile to impart and they will be more likely to recommend you to others.

Information can be news related to your topic. It can also be given in the form of updates, even commentary or just plain tips and hints. Everyone loves a how to article; especially when it breaks down a challenging process into bite size chunks.

Most authors find that article writing has a residual value for their site. It drives traffic to their site long after they were written. Well written articles are the catalyst for establishing search engine placement and optimization.

Compelling, quality articles are necessary if you want to drive targeted traffic to your website. Why is this strategy so successful? Simply because people love to be informed and entertained. This trait in people is what increases the value of your articles immeasurably.

Article writing can be a daunting task for some. Others find a great deal of pleasure in writing. Most find that the difficult part of writing is actually starting the writing process.
Starting is made so much easier when the author is well versed in the selected topic.

You must determine the problem you want to solve with the article. The next step is to write the headline then compose the article around the headline. In doing so the writer must ensure that the content and layout fit the problem they are addressing.

The author must decide to now publish the article. Publishing articles will drive an automatic and continuous stream of traffic to your site. This decision stops so many writers dead in their tracks. Fear of rejection by the readers and criticism from others is the primary cause of the big freeze.

What is the quickest way to overcome this fear? The easiest and fastest way to control the fear is by publishing the article to one of the many article directories. By taking this step the author will experience such a positive rush the fear will soon dissipate.

Did you find this article interesting and informative? Did it give you a better understanding of certain aspects of the article writing process? You can write better articles than this one! If that is your desire, follow this link:
clefinfodesigns.com Write Great Articles!”

So, you’ve decided you want to be a writer. Now you need to develop
your writer’s library. After all, books are a writer’s tools of the trade.

First, you need a good selection of reference books. Whether you’re
writing fiction or non-fiction, you want your writing to look polished and
professional when you submit it to an editor. If you don’t have a current
edition of the THE CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE, get one.

Strunk And White’s, THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE; ROGET′S
THESAURUS; WEBSTER’S DICTIONARY plus PUNCTUATE IT RIGHT
by Harry Shaw, and THE ONLY GRAMMAR BOOK YOU’LL EVER NEED
by Susan Thurmare are all excellent resources for grammar,
punctuation, and vocabulary.

Next, you′ll want to have at least a few books dealing with the kinds of
subjects you wish to write about. That is, if you’re writing about
gardening, you need gardening books. If you’re writing about birds, you
need books on birds, and so on. These will be handy references as
you′re writing and need to know a specific term or tidbit about the
subject at hand.

Finally, if you’re going to write fiction (for either adults or children)
several good references for this are: CREATING CHARACTER
EMOTIONS by Ann Hood, WRITING DIALOGUE by Tom Chiarella,
CHARACTERS AND VIEWPOINT by Orson Scott Card, and THE ART
OF WRITING FOR CHILDREN by Connie Epstein, plus THE ABCs OF
WRITING FOR CHILDREN, compiled by Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff.

As your writing career progresses, you’ll purchase additional books for
your reference library. These books will inspire you to keep writing, help
you write better, and provide you with information on topics you wish to
write about.

So, don’t wait. Get your writer’s library started.

Carol Boles has a master’s degree in Special Reading and an
Educational Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction. She has
over ten years experience teaching K-12 reading in public schools. She
now manages her own business and is a member of The Lieurance
Group, a freelance writers cooperative. Find out more about her writing
services at lieurancegroup.blogspot.com lieurancegroup.blogspot.com or email her at
mailto:Cwrites-56@hotmail.com Cwrites-56@hotmail.com

Are you looking to set yourself a challenging goal for your writing career this year? Why not aim for the sky? Set yourself the goal of being published in an in-flight magazine, one of the publications provided by airlines in the seat pockets in front of passengers.

Many freelance writers dream of being published in an in-flight magazine. Imagine your story being read by travelers as they fly all over the globe. Many of those magazines will eventually find new homes - from coffee tables to taxis to dentists’ waiting rooms - after passengers carry them away at the end of their flights.

Why Write for In-flight Magazines?

There are several reasons why being published in an in-flight magazine is a worthy goal for your freelance writing career. Firstly, there’s the exposure. Secondly, you will have an excellent publishing credit to add to your writing portfolio. Winning other high-paying assignments will become just that little bit easier. Thirdly, you’ll be paid well. Most in-flight publications pay very well, with many paying in the vicinity of one dollar per word.

Diverse Passengers, Diverse Topics

Don’t limit your article ideas to traditional travel writing. Although many airline passengers are on vacation others travel for business or other reasons. Since passengers come from all walks of life in-flight magazines publish articles on quite a wide variety of topics. Their content includes articles on travel and adventure, food and entertainment, business, nature and the environment, and many more topics.

Always remember when pitching ideas to an in-flight publication that destinations are critical. Every article must have a connection to the destinations and routes of the airline.

Did I Mention Competition?

There must be a catch, right? Well, getting your work published in an in-flight magazine is not going to be a walk in the park. You will not be the only freelance writer pitching your ideas to these editors. To say it will be highly competitive is probably an understatement.

Editors of in-flight publications demand a high quality of work, and they prefer to work with freelancers who have proven experience and professionalism.

It’s Not For Beginners

What should you do if you have just starting out in freelance writing? Start elsewhere. Try targeting some local publications. After you have a few pieces published begin working your way up to regional magazines. As you build up your portfolio of published credits you will eventually be ready to target in-flight magazines and other leading publications.

Some Examples of In-flight Publications

The following are just a few examples of in-flight publications that you could write for.

Alaska Airlines Magazine
The in-flight magazine for Alaska Airlines, reaching more than a million travelers every month in Alaska, California, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Nevada, Western Canada and Mexico. 80% freelance. Columns include Journal (arts and culture), Business, On Location, Profiles, Sports, Technology and Travel. Rates begin at $50 to $100 for shorts through to $300 for columns and $500 for features.

Enroute
Air Canada’s award-winning bilingual (English/French) in-flight magazine. This is an upscale travel lifestyle magazine interested in everything from wine to design, popular science to pop music. “As many travellers’ first introduction to Canada, we are proudly Canadian but never parochial about Canadian content.” Pay: base rate is CDN$1 per word.

Spirit
Southwest Airlines’ in-flight magazine. A general interest magazine that appeals to the upscale consumer. Explores a diverse array of subjects, including pop culture, business, personal technology, sports, health, food and drink.

US Airways Magazine
January 2006 marked the debut of this new US Airways magazine. They are looking for writers who can deliver smart, pithy copy. “We like breezy. We like humor. We like a light tone. And we like writers who can deliver short pieces as well as longer stories.”

Each of the magazines above has freelance writer’s guidelines available at their web site. To get the direct links to these publications’ guidelines and for even more in-flight magazines, visit worldwidefreelance.com/inflightmagazines.htm worldwidefreelance.com/inflightmagazines.htm

Gary McLaren is the editor of Worldwide Freelance Writer. For more information on freelance writing for in-flight magazines and a database of more than 1,800 writing markets, visit worldwidefreelance.com/inflightmagazines.htm worldwidefreelance.com/inflightmagazines.htm

The Hero’s Journey (Monomyth) is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the hundreds of Hollywood movies we have deconstructed (see URL below) are based on this 188 stage template.

Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters. This is the template you must master if you are to succeed in the craft.

[The terminology is most often metaphoric and applies to all successful stories and screenplays, from The Godfather (1972) to Brokeback Mountain (2006) to Annie Hall (1977) to Lord of the Rings (2003) to Drugstore Cowboy (1989) to Thelma and Louise (1991) to Apocaplyse Now (1979)].

THERE IS ONLY ONE STORY

THE HERO’S JOURNEY:

a) Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.

b) Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.

c) Gives you a tangible process for building and releasing dissonance (establishing and achieving catharses, of which there are usually four).

d) Gives you a universal structural template upon which you can superimpose your situational story. This is why stories such as Alien (1979), Gladiator (2000), Midnight Cowboy (1969), American Beauty (1999), The Graduate (1967) and many others (all deconstructed at the URL below) appear to be different but are all constructed, almost sequence by sequence, in the same way.

and more…

STAGES OF THE JOURNEY AND TRANSFORMATION INCLUDE (ABRIDGED):

*****Expansion of Consciousness*****

The Hero’s Journey is all about the Hero gaining a capacity that he (or she) previously lacked.

Whilst the Oracle may be capable of defeating the Antagonism, this is not his purpose.

The Oracle’s purpose is to guide the Hero toward an Expansion of Consciousness.

The Expansion of Consciousness (an intangible) is represented by a tangible (the Sword).

The Oracle tells the Hero that he (or she) must Journey and retrieve the Sword.

The tangible is often a bride, treasure or fire (power), but in contemporary stories can be represented by any physical thing. In Syriana (2005), the Sword is a post-it note. In The Matrix (1999), Morpheus is the Sword.

*****Overcoming Doubt (into the Road of Transformation and Trials)*****

Pulled In. Though doubtful, the Hero is pulled into the Transformation. In Shawshank Redemption (1994), the library and helping the guards with their taxes pulls Andy in.

Encouragement. Mentors or some other force may encourage the Hero. In Dances with Wolves (1990), the Indians meet and decide to engage with John. In Scarface (1983), Frank helps Tony’s maturation into dealer. In Gladiator (2000), Juba attempts to persuade Maximus to fight. And Proximo is intrigued by him.

Learn more…

WRITE THAT SCREENPLAY!

The Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and other story structure templates can be found at clickok.co.uk/ clickok.co.uk/

The Managing Creativity and Innovation MBA dissertation, DIY creativity Audit, Powerpoint presentation and Good Idea generator software can be found at managing-creativity.com/ managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

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You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made, the author’s name is retained and the link to our site URL remains active.

Many people like to compare their online article submissions with other online article submission authors. And in doing so they will believe that their popularity as a writer has something to do with this. It does not really and it is very unwise to believe it does.

Recently it was stated that if someone had 70 articles posted online and I have 7000 articles online then we could compare these average consider the amount of time that each author had them up online. For instance if I had my articles up for 16 months and they have had theirs up for 8-months then our averages should be similar in that my averages should be twice as much since they have been up for twice as long.

Well on the surface this seems like a good idea and mathematically correct however it is totally wrong and that is a complete fallacy. Why? Well consider that I post so many new articles it drags down the averages and another author may post fewer articles and that allows their articles to move up faster on an average basis.

Now then if we posted at the same percentages to the total each month it might seem to be relevant however also there is seasonality in Internet traffic at different times of the year too and therefore that somewhat throw all the numbers out of wack unless we both started on the same day of the same year you see? Consider all this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” - Online WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/ Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance in the Online Think Tank and solve the problems of the World; WorldThinkTank.net www.WorldThinkTank.net/

If you were to survey two hundred editors, you would come up with two hundred different quotes for manuscript editing. Unfortunately, the industry standard for editing isn′t entirely reliable, and there are hundreds of factors that editors take into consideration when generating a quote. Some editors have flat rates that they charge per word or per page, while others prefer to create custom quotes based on specific manuscripts.

The bottom line, however, is that you need to know a reasonable price for manuscript editing. How much should you actually pay? And how do you know when you’re being taken for a ride?

Level of Editing

The first thing that an editor will take into consideration when determining fees is the level of editing required to make the manuscript presentable. Few editors can take a manuscript that needs developmental editing and simply proofread the document; it isn′t in our nature. That said, you will need to find an editor who can work within your budget for the level of editing required.

Word Count

In many cases, you’ll pay less per word for a longer manuscript than you will for a short one. Some editors work on sliding scales that benefit the client for book-length novels and books. To discover if this is the case without asking directly, simply ask for two quotes: One for a 3,000-word short story and one for an 80,000-word novel. From there, you can divide the price by the word count and see whether length makes any difference.

Type of Material

A technologically-complex manuscript will usually cost more to edit than one without any complicated jargon or explanations. Some editors won’t even work on technical projects, while others will do so for a price. Make sure to ask about the editor’s technical editing fees if your manuscript is technical in nature.

Editor’s Experience

This is where your editing fees come with a Catch-22. You will probably save money by hiring an inexperienced editor who has very few clients under his or her belt, but you might be sacrificing quality for price. Paying more for an experienced, talented editor will ensure that you don′t have to repeat that process. It just depends on your budget and your manuscript quality.

Rush Delivery

Most editors have a rush delivery service, which involves an additional fee for fast editing. For example, I offer 24- and 48-hour rush delivery for an additional 10% of the editing quote, though this will certainly vary by editor. If you’re working on a deadline or are simply impatient, you will probably pay more for editing services.

Bottom Line

Now that I’ve outlined some of the factors that go into determining an editing quote, let’s talk about the bottom line. How much should you spend on editing services?

Proofreading. For a small editing job such as proofreading, the project will take your editor the least amount of time and it will involve the least amount of effort. Some editors charge as little as $0.02/word for proofreading, while others might charge around $0.05/word. That comes out to between $5.00 and $12.00 per page.

Copy Editing. Since it’s more involved and is more of a time commitment, copy editing will be somewhat more expensive than proofreading. According to the Writer’s Market, the average copy editor charges between $0.12 and $0.40 per word, which comes out to between $30.00 and $100.00 per page.

Developmental Editing. This is the most complex of all editing, and is sometimes referred to as a Ghostwriting/Editing Blend. The editor will add and subtract entire paragraphs (or even pages) to improve upon the manuscript. Since it’s extremely involved, most editors charge between $0.30 and $0.50 per word, which amounts to between $100 and $125 per page.

You Get What You Pay For

As a final note, I want to remind you that you’ll often get exactly what you pay for. If you try and go the “stingy″ route, you might want up with an editor who doesn’t know what he or she is doing, which is simply money down the drain.

Laura J. Thompson is a professional editor, ghostwriter and consultant. She provides these services at competitive prices for both businesses and individuals all across the United States. You can learn more about her services by visiting her website ( editingbylaura.com editingbylaura.com) or by reading more of her articles. She specializes in fiction ghostwriting and editing, though she also enjoys self-help and other non-fiction articles and books.

Article marketing is a popular form of online advertising because it’s free and effective. With article marketing, you promote your online business by writing relevant articles related to your products and services, and adding a small byline at the bottom of the page with a link to your site. You submit these articles to article directories and syndication sites, wherein an unlimited people can read what you′ve written. Some site owners can even take your articles and upload them in their own sites for free, provided they will not remove your byline and link to your site. The more popular your articles are, the more websites they appear in, and thus the more promotion your site gets.

To make article marketing work for you, you need to be a powerful writer who can provide interesting information in as short as 500 words. If you think you’re not very good with writing, you can always hire good writers at low rates. The competition between freelance writers is stiff so you can always find people willing to write for a minimal fee. In many cases, you can even hire ghostwriters so you don’t have to us any other name in the byline but yours.

Once you have the articles at hand, the next step is choosing article syndication sites to submit your articles to. It’s advisable to send them to as many as you can, starting with the most popular ones. Your main concern is providing visibility to your articles, and this time, there is great strength in numbers.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article marketing success, ‘Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide‘

Download it free here:

When it comes to some writers, publishers, and readers, there are two categories of fiction: General Fiction and Christian Fiction. If you’re an author you may sometimes wonder where your work fits, so let’s define the two.

-General Market
Most often these books are written with what is called a secular world view. The target market is much wider and from my observations includes anyone who reads books. Content can be graphic but that is not always the case. Readers often assume none of these books have any faith content – that is an incorrect bias.

-Christian Market
What earns these books their section of a bookstore is their Christian world view. The target market here is readers who want overt faith in their fiction. Content can be honest and at times gripping but is not usually graphic although that is changing. Readers sometimes assume these books are “fluff”. This is a misconception.

As a writer (and a believer) I spend time and money in both sections because reading is my continuing education.

While I try to stay true to the story I’m given to write, I’m also a writer who wants readers, so I study the market on both sides of the aisle. I can spend hours learning from book covers. I will take time to write the title, author, and publisher in my notebook so I can check back and see what intrigued me enough to pull the book off the shelf when it’s time to design my next cover. I read the back cover copy – the blurbs that sometimes are just enough to make a reader buy the book. I check out the opening lines to see if I’m drawn in. Then I may take in the first chapter. If I enjoy the pace, language, and over all writing, I will either buy the book or add the title to my wish list. (I have a very long list!) I’ll spend a lot of time looking over bestsellers in my ongoing study of what works.

The first time I read a book is as a reader. No highlighter or pen although I might dog ear a page I know I want to come back to when I begin the reading as writer phase. The second reading is faster as I search for key spots the author delighted, scared, or disappointed me.

I’ve developed my own “code” for these places I’m drawn to and therefore learn from. A smiley face for places I found funny or that made me smile. A heart for a phrase I loved. A cross for a faith moment and a black dot for a spot that scared me spit-less. A sad face for a where the author disappointed me. An arrow means this is something I want to ponder, argue, or agree with. Question marks means there’s something there I didn’t understand and may want to learn more about. An exclamation mark means “right on!” in my short hand. Highlighted passages are those I want to remember either because they taught me something about writing or myself. These symbols become a word-less journal within the book.

As a reader and a student of writing, I’m picky about the books I purchase. If the books I buy can be both entertainment and text book, I get to double my pleasure.

As a writer and seller of my own books, reading books from both sides of the fiction market shows me what writers are up to and what readers are buying. Keeping my eyes on the shelves doesn’t curb my story or writing passion. It simply helps me stay current with fads (fun but usually short-term on the market), trends (new but with lasting potential), and classics (standard but with enough pizzazz to keep readers buying for years – sometimes long after the author is dead).

I’ve also come to believe from reading that writers can put their faith all over their fiction. Bold authors are respected and read. Readers are savvy and unafraid of being converted. When an author writes a compelling book, people will buy it and read it if only to disagree. This kind of writing stays in the hearts of the readers and on the sales reports of bookstores for years. If a story is well-written, readers will cross-over.

Joy DeKok is an author and speaker. One of her life’s passions is encouraging people to see and live their potential. Joy is not a coach but might be considered a “life cheerleader.” Because she’s living out her dreams, she knows others can too. This is one of the driving factors in her writing and speaking.
joydekok.com joydekok.com
gettingitwrite.net gettingitwrite.net
raindancebook.com raindancebook.com

FORWARD

Kal Bashir’s 188 stage Hero’s Journey (Monomyth) is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the hundreds of Hollywood movies we have deconstructed (see URL below) are based on this 188 stage template.

Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters. This is the template you must master if you are to succeed in the craft.

[The terminology is most often metaphoric and applies to all successful stories and screenplays, from The Godfather (1972) to Brokeback Mountain (2006) to Annie Hall (1977) to Lord of the Rings (2003) to Drugstore Cowboy (1989) to Thelma and Louise (1991) to Apocaplyse Now (1979)].

THERE IS ONLY ONE STORY

SITUATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL STORYTELLING

It’s important to get away from this idea that all stories are different.

On a situational level all stories are. For example, Gladiator (2000), Alien (1979) and The Godfather (1972) all are situationally very different.

But on a structural and subconscious level, they’re all the same.

And I don′t mean basic structure, like three act structure (of course stories have a beginning, middle and end). And I don′t mean plot points etc either (Plot Point 1 and 2, Midpoint etc).

I mean, sequence by sequence, the vast majority of successful stories [we haven't found one that doesn't] follow the same process that pushes the Hero and Major Characters through the process of Transformation and Challenge Resolution.

What this means is that you, as a writer, must confidently understand this structure (Kal Bashir’s 188 stage Hero′s Journey), use it to establish your structural outline and then superimpose your situation over it.

more…

(simply go to heros-journey.info/ heros-journey.info/ for full details)

ABRIDGED TIPS, EXCERPTS AND EXAMPLES:

A JOURNEY WITHOUT TRANSFORMATION

We are often asked whether it is possible to write a great story that includes only a journey and not a transformation.

Our response is always the same (essentially saying the same thing, but in different forms):

a) The purpose of the Journey is Transformation. That’s why the Hero embarks on one. It is the Journey that provides the Hero with the capacity to conquer challenges.

b) If you haven’t induced a Transformation, then you haven’t carried your Hero through the appropriate Journey. The Journey includes, for example, Rebirth post a Near Death Experience.

b) Every successful story we have deconstructed (there have been hundreds) includes a transformation somewhere. (It is not always the Hero who transforms the most. In Back to the Future (1985), George McFly is the person who changes most. In Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Rosewood changes the most, not Axel Foley).

c) Assuming that a Hero has a challenge at the beginning of every story, there must be a transformation for him (or her) to be able to overcome that challenge by the end of the story. Transformation is implicit. Every Hero must transform from an Old Self to a New Self. It is the New Self that is able to conquer challenges that the Old Self could not.

d) Why the need to exclude the transformation? Often the block is understanding the Process of the Journey but not the Process of Transformation.

Learn more…

WRITE THAT SCREENPLAY!

The Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and other story structure templates can be found at monomyth.info/ monomyth.info/

188 stages of the Hero’s Journey can also be reached from heros-journey.info/ heros-journey.info/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made, the author’s name is retained and the link to our site URL remains active.

**********************************

Kal Bishop, MBA