Misc Articles

Break In With Fillers The Best Market For New Writers

(category: Misc, Word count: 733)
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Interested in breaking into writing or breaking into a new area? You can't go past writing fillers. Fillers are one of the most overlooked opportunities in the freelance writing world and offer one of the best opportunities for new writers.

Fillers Are In Demand

I've spoken to hundreds of editors and been told over and over again that fillers are the one thing they never get enough of. Most publications tend to publish more freelance fillers than they do freelance articles. Yet, they often receive 100 times more articles than fillers.

This is a gap in the freelance market that you can take advantage of.

Fillers are a Great Place to Get Started

Many publications are careful about publishing feature articles from writers they don't know. Even if your article is good, an editor might decide not to publish you because they don't know you as a writer. This is especially true if you don't have a lot of experience or any clips.

But even without experience or clips, most editors will consider a filler. In fact, many editors treat writing fillers as the testing ground to see if a writer can be relied on to write feature articles.

Here's what one editor had to say about fillers:

"One of the best ways to break in is to write fillers. It gives me a chance to start to build a relationship with a writer and see that I can trust them. Of all the freelancers I work with, over half started out writing fillers." - Margaret, Magazine Editor

So not only can writing fillers get you some clips, it also has the potential to turn into a long-term writing opportunity. Consider fillers a stepping stone to much bigger things.

The Smart Way to Write on Spec

Fillers are almost always submitted on spec. This means that you avoid the problem of having to query the publication and sell yourself as a writer, because your filler is doing the work for you and showing the editor your writing skill.

The big argument against writing on spec is that you spend your time writing pieces that might never sell. Fillers reduce this problem because they are short and take less time to write. So even if your filler doesn't sell, you haven't wasted as much time as you would have on a longer feature article. Fillers are also more flexible, with few publications having set guidelines for fillers. This means that a filler will often be suitable for more than market. So if it gets rejected once, it's not a waste of time. You can just send it to a new market, often without having to make any changes.

Fillers Rely on Information, Not Writer Qualifications

Fillers usually rely on information, not on the writer's qualifications.

This means that you don't have to sell yourself when you submit fillers. Instead, the information you put in the filler sells it for you.

This makes fillers a perfect option for writers lacking the experience or clips to sell themselves to an editor.

You Can Write a Lot of Them

Since fillers are short, you can write a lot of them and submit a lot of them. You could literally have hundreds of pieces out in the market for consideration in a short time. And if you write them well, you could have a lot of them published in a very short time. That means you can build a list of clips fast.

And one other benefit is that magazines don't have as limited a space for fillers as they do for feature articles. So if your filler gets accepted, it's likely to get published fast. The same isn't true for feature articles, where an accepted article will often be scheduled for an issue a year or two away.

That's one more good reason why fillers are a great way to build clips fast. Once you've got the clips, then you have a few more options. Until then, fillers are a great place to start.

And one final tip. Once you have the clips and start moving into feature articles, don't forget about fillers. As you're researching a feature, take note of interesting facts, trivia, or anecdotes you come across. These can make fillers and be an added bonus, bringing in some extra cash and some extra clips.

Get Help With Invitation Wording

(category: Misc, Word count: 427)
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If you are trying to write an invitation to an important event or celebration, don't let yourself struggle with finding the perfect invitation wording all on your own. There are several great but perhaps unexpected sources you can use to help get the right invitation wording for your needs.

The first source of great invitation wording, although perhaps not the most practical for everyone, is to hire a professional writer to help you write the invitation wording. A professional writer is, obviously, a professional who is trained and able to help with all your writing needs. You should have no problems entrusting even the most serious and elegent invitation wording needs to a professional writer. You can find professional writers in your area in the phone book or by doing an iternet search.

Another great source of invitation wording is to talk to people who have done invitations like yours before. For example, if you are trying to come up with the right invitation wording for your wedding invitation, than you would do well to talk with other brides and grooms who have gone through the process of finding the right invitation wording for their own weddings. Think about people in your life who have already experienced the events that you are now walking through and utilize them as a resource. You will be so glad you did and they will most likely be so glad to help.

A third possible source for help with invitation wording is to hire someone online. There are so many online sources of writers that are usually available within a day of making a request for their services. Do a search for the particular kind of invitation wording that you need and then hire the best writer for your needs. You can also look online for sources that may already have samples of invitation wording that will be perfect for your needs. If this is the case, you can often purchase already written invitation wording at a small charge.

The point is that invitation wording isn't something to be taken lightly especially when you are planning events that are important to you. No amount of time and effort is too much when you want your invitation wording to be just right. So take your time, think through your options and then make the best choice for yourself and your needs. Use the resources that are available to you and don't be afraid to check out several resources before choosing the one that is best for you.

The Fine Points Of Writing A Critical Essay

(category: Misc, Word count: 118)
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The last thing many majors want to do is write, much less write critical essays on some political or social concept or controversy he or she could give a rat's a** for.

But the requirements for a number of classes include the writing of critical essays, so rather than fight it, go with the most manageable process for accomplishing the assigned task.

That is, keep in mind a few essential steps and elements, and you should be able to fly. First, the basics of writing critical essays are the same for writers of most modes.

Here are the modes that you might directly or indirectly be asked to write in

Busted 5 Writing Myths

(category: Misc, Word count: 723)
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One common element whenever human beings gather is the need to talk and share experiences. Often that need turns into something a little more fun, a little more dangerous - gossip. Gossip is often fun but it can also be dangerous because it spreads quickly (because it is fun) and often distorts or even completely avoids the truth. Gossip creates myths in many fields and professions, and the field of writing is especially prone.

The top five myths about writing are:

Myth 1: Writing is easy for some people. Let me tell you that is just about the biggest myth going. I have been a professional writer for going on three decades now. I also know many other professional writers of various ages, experience, and income. I don't know a writer that will tell you that writing is easy. Writing is brutal, hard work and there are times when I think it would be easier to simply open a vein as Red Smith said. However experience and practice can make many writing tasks easier. There are some writing tasks that I can almost accomplish on autopilot because I have written that specific format and/or topic a lot.

Myth 2: Writing requires talent. I won't lie. Talent can certainly help and talent is what separates the great writers from the good writers. But the truth is that talent is not enough to make a writer great or even good and talent is not a necessary requirement to be a good writer. Writing is a skill that can be learned, developed and honed. If you practice your craft, if you read the writing of others to learn more about your craft, and if you seek and accept guidance and suggestions about your writing then you will improve and grow as a writer. Dedication harnessed with talent can create amazing results but if I had to pick just one then I would go with dedication. You can always increase your skill level through dedication.

Myth 3: Writing isn't a useful skill. I have made my living as a writer for my entire professional life but even if you don't intend to make your living with words you will need this crucial skill. There simply isn't a profession that does not involve writing. Perhaps the form will vary, but written communication is the cornerstone in every professional field. Your writing ability will often impact landing a job as well as advancing in your career. Today written communication is even more crucial in professional and personal relationships.

Myth 4: You can't make a living as a writer. I can remember when I told my father that I wanted to be an English major in college. He was very worried that I wouldn't be able to support myself. The truth is that I have never had trouble finding a job and today I own my own business because of this flexible and important skill. Not only can you make a living as a writer but writing is an essential tool for many other careers and professions.

Myth 5: Writers block is alive and torturing writers as you read this. I'm not dismissing the difficulties inherent in dealing with writers block but whenever I talk with writers purportedly suffering from it they fall within two general groups. The first group actually creates their own block by insisting on the perfect place, mood, or alignment of planets in order to write. This is beyond ridiculous. One of the many benefits I gained from years of newsroom experience is the ability to write in almost any condition or mood. Deadlines will teach anyone how to give writers block short shrift. The second group I have more sympathy for as their problem really is internal in nature. Usually the problem is that the particular story (whether fiction or nonfiction) they want to tell is not yet finished cooking in their brain. In this case, while the writing may be stalled I don't agree that it is blocked. The writer must listen to that inner voice and respond appropriately. Sometimes the idea needs more time to percolate and sometimes more research and/or planning is necessary. Once the proper adjustments are made the writing will begin to flow again.

Don't let your writing fall victim to these five myths about writing.

Book Proposals 101 What Publishers Want

(category: Misc, Word count: 888)
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Lots of writers like to talk about writing books. You hear very few talking about writing book proposals. Maybe that's why it's easy to forget that a strong book proposal is the first step to getting a great deal for your non-fiction book. It's where you make the big pitch and tell the editor everything that's going to make him or her want to buy.

A book proposal is also a great time saver for you because you'll find in the course of researching your book proposal whether or not your idea is viable, or whether your category is already crowded with similar books. Here are the parts that make up a book proposal, and a few tips on how to make it really stand out to a potential publisher.

Title Page

This is the first page of the book proposal. Your title should be centered and printed about two-thirds of the way down the page. In the bottom left hand corner you'll type in your name, address, phone number, email address and the name and contact information for your agent.

Overview

You'll want to have two to three pages explaining the overall premise of your book. You'll also want to include a Table of Contents that shows what points will be covered in each chapter.

Bio/Credentials

This isn't just your usual resume stuff, this is a big opportunity to sell yourself as THE person to write the book. Write it in the third person starting with your education and credentials. You'll want to point out any experience that specifically relates to the subject matter of the book. Have you written articles or previous books on the topic? Note those as well. List any public speaking that you have done and will do in the future, including television and radio interviews. Include a really nice photo. It doesn't have to be a glamour shot, but you do want to look interesting and engaging. A 5?x7? is fine.

Competition

The publisher will want to know if there are books similar to yours already out there. It will help them to see that there is a market for such books. At the same time, you'll want to point out how your book will be different, or better, than what's already out there. Do not trash someone else's work. It's bad form. It's enough to say a competitor's book left something out, or doesn't cover a certain aspect. If you don't know what competing books exist, you can look them up in Books in Print. Most libraries have it in the reference section.

Outline

This will be your chapter-by-chapter outline showing what you will cover, point-by-point, in each chapter. You can plan on allotting about half a page per chapter.

Sample Chapters

This is where you get to show that you really can write! You should submit at least three chapters of content. It doesn't have to be the first three chapters, but if you haven't written anything yet those may be the easiest to do. Then again, some writers like to start in the middle of a book! The main key here is to be good-no typos, no misspellings and no factual errors.

Marketing

The marketing section of your book proposal is so important that many publishers will often read it first. So make sure you spend the time to make this the best it can be. Lay out your whole marketing plan here. Explain who your target audience is, how big it is and why they will buy this book. How do you plan on reaching them? Are you buying your own advertising? If so, in what publications and what is their combined circulation? Will you be reaching out to book clubs, corporations or college classes where you book could be taught? How can you make your book stand out against the ones that are already out there? You want to make the case that there is a ready made audience out there and all the publisher has to do is reach out and grab them by signing you.

Promotion

Remember, a publisher wants to acquire you and your connections, so this is another important section of the proposal. How will you put yourself out there for your book? You'll want to explain if you'll be doing public speaking, or maybe you have a huge list you communicate with via newsletter every month. How many are on your list? If you plan to hire your own publicist, put that fact in as well. Do you have famous connections that will help you get great blurbs? Do you have a budget? If so, how much? Yes, they do want to know if you plan on spending some of your own money!

Publishing Details

Here you'll detail the length you propose for the book (in words) and whether the book will have any illustrations or photos. You'll also want to give an estimate for the time you'll need to turn in the finished manuscript.

And that's it. When your proposal is done you might want to hire an editor or a book consultant to go over it and give you some strong feedback. That way you'll know you have it in the best shape possible and you can feel confident when you're sending it out.

Top 10 Writing Tools For Helpless Students Revealed

(category: Misc, Word count: 1063)
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What to do when you don't have a good head for writing, but your teacher wants you to write a splendid article, short story, or an essay? Don't get upset so easily! You mustn't be a born storywriter to get an excellent grade for a composition or some other paper work. With the right strategy writing can become your strong point; it can be even fun.

You must have experienced it million times: whenever you are required to submit some paper, you don't have a clue how to approach writing, what to write about, how to start, or finish the story. Numerous pieces of advice from your friends don't come in handy, and, what's more important, don't help you get things moving. After several efforts you end up helpless, and, on top of everything, absolutely exhausted and worn-out.

But it's all over now because I have discovered some sizzling writing tools that will definitely facilitate your writing process and make it as easy as ABC. They are simple to apply and tempting to give a try. So, calm yourself down and find out the best writing tools that can work miracles!

Tool # 1 First of all take it easy! Being nervous and anxious will only worsen the matter, and let all your brilliant ideas (and, believe me, they are brilliant) escape from your grip. Instead of being nervous, calm yourself down by any possible means. You shouldn't spend sleepless nights for the sake of just one piece of writing that doesn't play extremely important role in your academic performance. There is always an opportunity to make your grades higher.

Tool # 2 Take plenty of time to get ready. Brilliant ideas never come out of the blue. Try to figure out what makes your spirits flow high and your mind work efficiently. Make sure you are not distracted and focused on your topic.

Tool # 3 Put your pen away and think what the purpose of your writing is. Identify your general subject matter and narrow it down to the topic statement. Your topic should be specific and brief, but at the same time substantial to give enough room to uncover your thoughts and ideas.

Thus, a great variety of new approaches to the existing subject matter will make your writing assignment versatile and breathtaking. However, be consistent in your writing and always confine yourself to the topic under consideration. Don't stray away from your main idea and avoid any ambiguous points.

Be sure to develop the topic at hand in a sufficient number of paragraphs, and then come out with the conclusion pressing on the message you wanted to deliver and leaving the reader dumb-struck. Who will be able to resist such an influence of yours?!

Tool # 4 Simultaneously think of your target audience. Is it a boss eager to see bare statistics, a group of teenagers willing to witness some true-to-life-and-still-unique examples, or your teacher who wants an abundance of sophisticated words and phrases from you?

Once you make up your mind, think of the appropriate backup, style, and word usage. And now let your pen write a masterpiece!

Tool # 5 While writing, be simple and clear. Don't try to sound like a 50-year-old granny with life-long experience behind her shoulders or a PhD with scientific lexis, when you're a simple teenager from the street. Just make your words sound natural and up to the point.

Though, don't stuck on simplicity, add some zest to your paper that will make your work stand out from heaps of other students' papers. Let your sentences be short and easy to contemplate, seek original images, and think of some interesting names. In a nutshell, be both simple and original, and always follow the format requirements for your writing assignment.

Tool # 6 Yet to create an impression of an educated and smart writer, use some backup in the form of quotations, proverbs, extracts from some well-known books, your own, or somebody else's experience. It will make the reader believe in what you're saying and prove your rich fund of knowledge.

Tool # 7 Another successful strategy to write a strong introduction and well-grounded conclusion is to use a good quote in the beginning and a strong quote in the end. This truth is as old as the hills. So, my advice to you is to look out for some impressive and thought provoking quotes of famous people that will help you trigger off your writing process and give you much food for thoughts. Though, beware of some stale and battered ideas, which can spoil your paper.

Tool # 8 Don't be afraid to experiment a bit: play with words, and remember that even the most

serious topic can be turned out into an amusing story. Stay away from clichés and battered things, and do not exaggerate. Look for the gold mean between the extremes.

Tool # 9 Read and proofread your writing several times. Be critical, but not

too harsh on yourself. It is better to proofread your paper few days after writing, when you mind is cool, your head is not cluttered with different stuff, and you can objectively evaluate your piece of writing.

One proven writing strategy prompts to ask for proofreading a friend, a parent, or a familiar editor, surely if you know any. When you are right and ready, submit your writing to the teacher. Do not forget to do it with a beaming smile on your face.

Tool # 10 If your paper wasn't approved by the professor, don't panic, stay positive, and appeal to some good writing tools that will help you make your writing better. Analyze your mistakes, and try to avoid them next time you will get down to writing. Thus, you will find a rule of thumb that works just for you.

Hope that now you have got the main idea about how to approach the writing process in general and academic writing in particular. Be sure to harness these miraculous writing tools that have undergone real-life testing and see how enjoyable your writing will become. I advise you to use these helpful writing tips on an on-going basis, and in the course of time you will be able to set afoot even the most perplexing writing task.

Geek Yourself Up And Out Of The Bozone

(category: Misc, Word count: 464)
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"What's that," you say? If you're not quite sure what a "bozone" is, just keep reading. This Information-Aged world is spinning fast, and so is its vocabulary. Geek is no longer a euphemism for nerd or freak. It's taking on the much more fashionable definition of a hi-tech-savvy person who speaks in the latest technical terms about the latest technical gadgets. If you want to understand what they have to say, you're going to need to learn some new terms. If not, you might find yourself clueless when your colleagues have so much fun nicknaming your boss "a noisy seagull", and you just stand there forcing a smile. So make friends with some new words even if they are just street terms, and spare yourself the rare occasion that ruins your day. Here are some terms with less than 10,000 hits from major search engines; you can expect them to catch on very soon:

(1) Bozone: The persistent atmosphere around an intellectually challenged person, which prevents any technological information from penetrating and educating them.

(2) A Seagull Manager: a manager who makes quick visits around the office, flusters everybody, makes a lot of noise, and then leaves just as suddenly.

(3) Open-Collar Worker: or telecommuter, a person who works from home with his wireless computer.

(4) Square-Headed Girlfriend or Square-Headed Boyfriend (less frequent): another term for a computer, especially when talking about computer addiction.

(5) Computer Widow/Widower: the victim of a square-headed girlfriend, or a square-headed boyfriend.

(6) The Elvis Year: the most successful year, or the peak of somebody or something.

(7) Nickvoice and Nickface: coined by the media morphing Avnex, Inc. and widely used by the media morphing industry and community to refer to the anonymous vocal or visual identities provided by morphing programs (morphers), for the sake of their user's safety.

(8) Lullabouy: an idea that keeps floating in your head, and prevents you from falling sleep.

(9) Blamestorming: a session in which a group discusses how to decide who gets blamed for a failure.

(10) Xerox Subsidy: humorous term for using company photocopy machines for personal purposes.

My last geek term for you: Search Engines. Don't laugh. You might master bug, backdoor, phishing, messengers, blogging, and lifestreaming. You might also have already heard some of the above ten words, as well as many other geeky terms listed in countless articles everywhere. But what the old friends Search Engines give you is far more valuable than just the words and their meanings. It's the initiative they provide for the smart users that keeps you on the forefront of the geek language, and turns you into a pro at water cooler jokes and company parties, always ready to throw out the very latest terms.

Types Of Translation

(category: Misc, Word count: 336)
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In the chaging world of today, translation needs vary greatly, and so do the kinds of translations. Translation agencies use various terms to refer to different kinds of work they have to perform, and this article will help you to understand better what they mean.

There are three main types of translations, technical translation, scientific translation, artistic (literary) translation, translation of documents, and general translation.

Technical Translation is the kind that can be considered one of the most highly demanded, as such translation requires technical knowledge of some specific field, be it reciprocating compressors or an anti-spam program. With such translations, usually translation agencies are preferred to free-lance translators because a good translation agency posesses not only a highly qualified translators with technical knowledge (or even education), but also a special glossary of technical terms that ensure that the terms used in the translation are homogenious, and specialised proofreaders who make sure the translation not only sounds ok, but also will be of help to technicians who will work with it later.

Scientific translation. To this kind may be referred medical translations, translations of scientific works in various fields of studies (such as chemistry, physics, mechanics), different research works. A good translation agency will make sure that the terms used in the translation are special terms that will be understood by foreign researchers, doctors, and other specialists.

Literary translations don't only require a thorough knowledge of the source and target languages, but also the ability to correctly translate the original feelings and to employ the most appropriate language means in the translation. A good translation agency will provide you with an experienced proofreader whose native language is the target language of the translation.

Translation of documents is a kind of translation that in all cases has to be ordered from a translation agency because almost always it requires a special certification.

General translation is the simplest kind of all because it deals with a language without any special terminology or literary means.

Not A Term Paper Mill

(category: Misc, Word count: 223)
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I have seen jobs posted for help with term papers. What I mean by "help" is a little more than editing a student's term paper. Specifically, there are college students who are willing to pay hundreds of dollars to have someone else write a paper for them. This practice is nothing new, but it is much more prevalent than many folks realize.

Truthfully, I could probably make a good sum of money writing term papers for the rich kids out there. In college, I usually garnered an "A" or "A-" on my papers. Yes, I did quite well and that was due to my paying attention to what the professor wanted written and being thorough with my research. Once my research was completed, I worked very hard to produce a "jam up" paper. It was exhausting work, but personally rewarding!

So, my policy is this: write the paper yourself. Learn how to do it the right way and show some integrity and fortitude. You will be a better person for it, too, and prove to yourself that you can overcome a challenge.

How about you? Do you accept every project that comes along or do you have certain standards in place? How you answer these questions speaks volumes about you as a writer and as a person.

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