My Children's Books:
My Books on Writing:
My Articles:
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label writing. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
How to write a great article headline
Ready, aim, fire!
This headline is the title for an article about taking great pictures. It’s a good headline because it achieves a number of objectives:
1. It’s short and to the point
Imagine an article about taking better pictures with a title something like this:
101 techniques for taking quality pictures that are guaranteed to take your photography skills to the next level!
You might be tempted to laugh, except for the fact that there are already plenty of articles with headlines like this online. It’s almost as if the writer thought it would be a good idea to put in everything he or she could think of. Whether or not it would pass Helium’s title restrictions is not the point; the point is that it doesn’t get and hold your attention.
It’s too long. There are too many words. We don’t have the time to wade through it all in the hope that the rest of the article will be good in spite of the clumsy title. Because, deep down, we know it won’t be.
How could it be? It was likely written by the same person.
2. It arouses curiosity
An article with the title Ready, aim, fire! might be about a lot of things. Unless you find it on the front cover of a photography magazine, it’s not necessarily obvious.
That’s good news, because if you can make the reader curious about something, he or she will be forced to read on. The need to know will be overwhelming, and your article will have a better chance of being read from start to finish.
3. It’s clever without being corny
There’s nothing wrong with being clever. But titles that rely on word play, puns or similar literary devices can get boring very quickly.
The trick with “being clever” is to balance it out. For example, if you were the cinematographer that filmed a movie starring Omar Sharif, you could write an article with the title...
Go to my Helium page to read the rest of this article :)
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
It's A Sentence!
A sentence is a group of words expressing a complete thought.
I found this information online today when I was browsing after finishing some work. It reminded me about how I was taught in school.
This is the most satisfying definition I've yet to come across. Some sources go further with simple, complex, and compound sentences, but they're all variations on the main theme, which is:
A sentence is a group of words expressing a complete thought.
I jot it down again because it seems like not everybody understands the concept. A complete thought doesn't have to be deep and meaningful. It could simply be:
I jot it down again because it seems like not everybody understands the concept. A complete thought doesn't have to be deep and meaningful. It could simply be:
Get lost!
That's a complete thought, right? Or how about:
Jesus wept.
That's a complete thought, too. All you need is a subject (or an implied subject in the case of Get lost!) and a predicate (think verb). And you're good.
Which one of these is a sentence?
A. The long and winding road
B. That road is long and winding.
If you said B, have a cookie. Example A is just an phrase. No action going on. Not a complete thought because nothing happens to the road and nobody seems to be on or near it.
Ain't words brilliant? Especially in combination...
Monday, April 20, 2009
Make Money Writing Online
Here's a brand new course that'll give you the potential to earn up to $100k a year writing for the Internet.
It's been jointly written by Nick Daws and Ruth Barringham who together have made a fortune writing online material.
Nick is the best-selling author of How To Write ANY Book in 28 Days, while Ruth is the author of many books and the founder of Australian company Cheriton House Publishing.
You've probably heard about other products that claim to be able to show you how to ear money writing online. I know I've seen dozens of them myself. So what makes this one different?
The main difference is that Nick & Ruth are both successful writers. They recommend tips and tricks that they use. They know how to get started making money quickly, because they're experienced, professional writers themselves.
And everything is covered in depth:
- article writing to affiliate marketing;
- blogging to copywriting;
- e-books to self-publishing;
- auction websites to sales copy;
and more.
As they say on the site, if you work quickly enough, it's possible you could earn your first paycheck as early as TONIGHT!
I was fortunate enough to be asked to edit the course, and I can tell you that it's truly excellent. I've even started using some of their tips myself.
Want your own copy? You can pick it up RIGHT NOW at a discounted introductory price. Just click on the link below to get started earning:
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
The Ode Less Travelled!
My wife and I are reading through Stephen Fry's new book, The Ode Less Travelled.
Subtitled "Unlocking the Poet Within" it attempts to teach everyday folks how to write their own poems. So, we're having a go.
Here's one I came up with using iambic pentameter. The rules are that it has to be 20 lines long without any rhymes. I cheated on the last two lines, but nobody's perfect :)
I Am Bic Pentameter
I do not have a poet in my breast;
No metaphors or trochees pouring forth.
The world is not poetical to me,
All dirt and shame and empty toilet rolls
That get recycled, burned or thrown from cars
By people unconcerned to keep things clean.
I could not coin a phrase to save my life,
Or pick the choicest word from lists of three;
Well read am I, and clever, to be sure,
But not intent on wasting precious time.
Poetic licences cannot be bought
Or won as raffle prizes at a fair...
You can read the rest of the poem by going to my Helium page here.
If you like writing poetry, you could do a lot worse than get your hands on a copy of Fry's book.
Subtitled "Unlocking the Poet Within" it attempts to teach everyday folks how to write their own poems. So, we're having a go.
Here's one I came up with using iambic pentameter. The rules are that it has to be 20 lines long without any rhymes. I cheated on the last two lines, but nobody's perfect :)
I Am Bic Pentameter
I do not have a poet in my breast;
No metaphors or trochees pouring forth.
The world is not poetical to me,
All dirt and shame and empty toilet rolls
That get recycled, burned or thrown from cars
By people unconcerned to keep things clean.
I could not coin a phrase to save my life,
Or pick the choicest word from lists of three;
Well read am I, and clever, to be sure,
But not intent on wasting precious time.
Poetic licences cannot be bought
Or won as raffle prizes at a fair...
You can read the rest of the poem by going to my Helium page here.
If you like writing poetry, you could do a lot worse than get your hands on a copy of Fry's book.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
How To Write With Style
Here’s an article I wrote for my Squidoo lens called Style: A Tricky Concept. The basis for the article came from a section in The Ultimate Copywriter.
The concept of writing with a particular style is a difficult one for many writers to grasp.
That might be because they're not sure what it means, or because style is something they think of as being personal and individual. But even so, there are things you can do to help build style into your writing.
Needless to say, you could write a book or two on the topic of style alone. This article is not meant to be the definitive statement on the subject: its aim is to get you started writing in a manner that will make it easier for your own style to shine through. And for that we'll turn to one of the stylistic masters of the twentieth century, Ernest Hemingway.
Hemingway began his writing career at the age of 18 as a junior reporter for The Kansas City Star. He only worked there for 6 months, but that was enough. He used the Star's style guide as the basis for almost everything he wrote after that:
1. Use short sentences.
2. Use short first paragraphs.
3. Use vigorous English.
4. Be positive, not negative.
That's all you need to know to inject style into your writing. And here's why...
1. Short sentences are easier to read. They get the information across quickly. They break up paragraphs into digestible chunks. And they stop you from constructing complex sentences full of commas and semicolons.
2. Short first paragraphs help get your story or article underway quickly. They give readers the crux of what you're saying and make them want to read on. They're the hooks that lure readers into the story line.
3. Vigorous English pulls, moves, races, propels readers into your text. It's packed with energy. Words aren't wasted or used unnecessarily. Anything that saps energy should be removed, including flowery adverbs and adjectives.
For example, look at this sentence:
"The young boy had picked up a shiny blue stone and tossed it unceremoniously at the cur."
That's a rather long-winded and clumsy way of saying: "The boy threw a rock at the dog."
If it's a boy, it must be young. If he threw the rock, he must have picked it up. If it's a dog, call it a dog. And forget the ceremony: it's just an action.
4. Finally, there's the notion of positive v. negative. What Hemingway means is that you should state what something is as opposed to what it isn't. Rather than saying the sky isn't blue, say it's dull, grey or cloudy. That new dress isn't inexpensive; it's affordable.
There are lots of other techniques you can learn to help give your writing style. If you write often, you'll pick up many of these naturally. You can also find information online and in good books by authors and editors.
In the meantime, these four tips from Hemingway should be enough to set you on the right path.
The concept of writing with a particular style is a difficult one for many writers to grasp.
That might be because they're not sure what it means, or because style is something they think of as being personal and individual. But even so, there are things you can do to help build style into your writing.
Needless to say, you could write a book or two on the topic of style alone. This article is not meant to be the definitive statement on the subject: its aim is to get you started writing in a manner that will make it easier for your own style to shine through. And for that we'll turn to one of the stylistic masters of the twentieth century, Ernest Hemingway.
Hemingway began his writing career at the age of 18 as a junior reporter for The Kansas City Star. He only worked there for 6 months, but that was enough. He used the Star's style guide as the basis for almost everything he wrote after that:
1. Use short sentences.
2. Use short first paragraphs.
3. Use vigorous English.
4. Be positive, not negative.
That's all you need to know to inject style into your writing. And here's why...
1. Short sentences are easier to read. They get the information across quickly. They break up paragraphs into digestible chunks. And they stop you from constructing complex sentences full of commas and semicolons.
2. Short first paragraphs help get your story or article underway quickly. They give readers the crux of what you're saying and make them want to read on. They're the hooks that lure readers into the story line.
3. Vigorous English pulls, moves, races, propels readers into your text. It's packed with energy. Words aren't wasted or used unnecessarily. Anything that saps energy should be removed, including flowery adverbs and adjectives.
For example, look at this sentence:
"The young boy had picked up a shiny blue stone and tossed it unceremoniously at the cur."
That's a rather long-winded and clumsy way of saying: "The boy threw a rock at the dog."
If it's a boy, it must be young. If he threw the rock, he must have picked it up. If it's a dog, call it a dog. And forget the ceremony: it's just an action.
4. Finally, there's the notion of positive v. negative. What Hemingway means is that you should state what something is as opposed to what it isn't. Rather than saying the sky isn't blue, say it's dull, grey or cloudy. That new dress isn't inexpensive; it's affordable.
There are lots of other techniques you can learn to help give your writing style. If you write often, you'll pick up many of these naturally. You can also find information online and in good books by authors and editors.
In the meantime, these four tips from Hemingway should be enough to set you on the right path.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Banish Writer's Block
Ever suffer from writer's block?
I don't.
Over the years I've developed a bunch of strategies to keep writing no matter what. These include techniques for changing direction, ideas for injecting life into text, and just simply taking a quick break.
I put these ideas together in a little book called Knock the Socks off Writer's Block. It's available from Lulu.com by following this link.
I know lots of writers who tell me they never suffer from writer's block, or that they don't need any external motivation to overcome it. That's fine with me. But not everybody's so lucky.
If you're one of those people for whom a blank page can be daunting at times, then I think you'll find some of these techniques useful. If so, please be sure and let me know.
I don't.
Over the years I've developed a bunch of strategies to keep writing no matter what. These include techniques for changing direction, ideas for injecting life into text, and just simply taking a quick break.
I put these ideas together in a little book called Knock the Socks off Writer's Block. It's available from Lulu.com by following this link.
I know lots of writers who tell me they never suffer from writer's block, or that they don't need any external motivation to overcome it. That's fine with me. But not everybody's so lucky.
If you're one of those people for whom a blank page can be daunting at times, then I think you'll find some of these techniques useful. If so, please be sure and let me know.
Friday, January 23, 2009
A Load Of Nonsense!
Introducing the How To Be Funny course...Ever wanted to write jokes, gags, one-liners?
Every time you see a comedian on stage, you can bet there's another person behind every clever word that comes out of his or her mouth.
We sometimes forget that joke tellers need people to sit down and write those jokes for them. And that includes one of my favourites types of joke, the limerick.
Limericks are easy to write once you get the hang of it. Typically they're five lines long with a rhyme scheme a,a,b,b,a. Here's a famous example by Dixon Merritt:
A wonderful bird is the pelican
His bill can hold more than his belican
He can take in his beak
Food enough for a week
But I’m damned if I see how the helican
Part of the fun with limericks involves playing with language, and even sometimes corrupting the rhyme scheme altogether, such as this corker by W.S. Gilbert:
There was an old man of St. Bees
Who was horribly stung by a wasp
When they said, “does it hurt?”
He replied, “no, it doesn’t –
It’s a good job it wasn’t a hornet”
Or this well-know anonymous sample that pokes fun at the structure of limericks:
There was a young man from Japan
Whose limericks never would scan.
When asked why this was,
He answered "because
I always try to fit as many syllables into the last line as ever possibly I can."
Limericks are lots of fun, for sure. But they're also quite creative. Finding words that rhyme (or don't!) and still managing to write something interesting can tax the best of us.
This is just one of the techniques you'll find in the How To Be Funny course. There's also information on Spoonerisms, tongue twisters, and puns; tips on comedy timing and creating jokes out of thin air; and techniques for incorporating comedy into your social life.
It's a great book, full of useful tips for budding comics, writers or otherwise. I've read it myself, and it tickled my funny bone.
Hopefully it'll do the same for you :)
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Write Jokes & Laugh All The Way To the Bank!
Want To Write The Funny Stuff?
It's no laughing matter. Writers can make LOADS of dosh writing gags and one-liners.
There are even companies like Reader's Digest that pay hundreds of dollars for humorous stories. And somebody has to write it all.
Why Not You?
Got a humorous side? Like to write quips, jokes, comedy sketches? Limericks?
Then the How To Be Funny course could be just the ticket!
If you enjoy making up and telling your own jokes, then you could be in for some serious money. And if that doesn't tickle your funny bone, then maybe this will...
Order your copy of How To Be Funny, and I'll make sure you receive:
It's no laughing matter. Writers can make LOADS of dosh writing gags and one-liners.
There are even companies like Reader's Digest that pay hundreds of dollars for humorous stories. And somebody has to write it all.
Why Not You?
Got a humorous side? Like to write quips, jokes, comedy sketches? Limericks?
Then the How To Be Funny course could be just the ticket!
If you enjoy making up and telling your own jokes, then you could be in for some serious money. And if that doesn't tickle your funny bone, then maybe this will...
Order your copy of How To Be Funny, and I'll make sure you receive:
A Full Ten Bucks Off!
To pick up a terrific bargain TODAY, simply click on the link below:
Click Here for How To Be Funny Discount
P.S. I can vouch for the contents of the course, too, because I was involved in doing some of the research. :)
To pick up a terrific bargain TODAY, simply click on the link below:
Click Here for How To Be Funny Discount
P.S. I can vouch for the contents of the course, too, because I was involved in doing some of the research. :)
Saturday, November 29, 2008
My First Children's Book Published
My first children's book has been published!
When I started writing full-time, I dreamed of having a book in print with my name on it. And now it's happened.
It's hard to believe, but I wrote the first draft of this story back in 1992. I sent it to a few of the big publishers, who weren't interested. Over the years I did some editing and revision, and also asked people to read it. Then, about 18 months ago, a publisher agreed that it was as good as I thought it was.
It just goes to show that you should never give up.
Flutter Bunnies is the first of several of my books for children that will be published in the forthcoming months. Check back here at my blog to find out when the others get released.
The pictures have been provided by artist Kit Grady, and they really help bring the story to life.
Copies of the picture book are available from Guardian Angel Publishing at http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/flutter-bunnies.htm
When I started writing full-time, I dreamed of having a book in print with my name on it. And now it's happened.
It's hard to believe, but I wrote the first draft of this story back in 1992. I sent it to a few of the big publishers, who weren't interested. Over the years I did some editing and revision, and also asked people to read it. Then, about 18 months ago, a publisher agreed that it was as good as I thought it was.
It just goes to show that you should never give up.
Flutter Bunnies is the first of several of my books for children that will be published in the forthcoming months. Check back here at my blog to find out when the others get released.
The pictures have been provided by artist Kit Grady, and they really help bring the story to life.
Copies of the picture book are available from Guardian Angel Publishing at http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/flutter-bunnies.htm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)