Posted by on Jul 19, 2010 in
Writing Skills Anyone who has ever searched for info about improving your grammar & writing skills will be sure to find the information contained below most extraordinary. It seems that there’s finally an ingenious yet simple technology which guarantees that anyone can produce perfect text in the english language, even if language skills are lacking. Are you interested in hearing the details? Check out the information that follows – be prepared to start rethinking what you were taught about the intricacies of english.
It’s always been the case that acquiring advanced english grammar writing skills took a lot of time and effort and demanded that you practice and memorize constantly. There are so many grammar and spelling points to keep in mind and you have to be careful even when you’re writing something simple – you have to think back on everything you’ve learned in order to look professional and impressive.
If you search the internet for improving your grammar & writing skills I am happy to report that there’s an easy way that enables you to write your sentences while this “behind the scenes” tool does its job of correcting your errors. The people responsible for this – a group of natural language processing experts – have given us a cutting edge System which automatically analyses and corrects text. This tool is stocked and regularly updated with fitting words and sentence parts for any context; consequently, as it examines your work, it has the power to detect any mistakes and fix them for you on the spot.
It’s plain to see that writers of all skill levels who search the web for improving your grammar & writing skills should try out this new tool. Communicating via the written word has long been a vital part of human interaction; we must always consider its power to influence, since it is often the basis for people’s judgment of us and what we can bring to our professional lives. If you’ve ever dreamed of transforming your english writing into a distinguished and effective product in just a few clicks, then you can stop looking – this is the ideal solution. Take a moment to visualize how this system can perfect your ordinary correspondence, papers, and all your current and future projects. And that’s not all – it corrects not only any questionable grammar, but, in addition, such basics as spelling and punctuation.
Tags: Grammar, Improvement, Skills, Surprised, Writing, You'll
When you are a writer, you cannot separate your writing from your life. Writers cannot not write, so writing for you is like breathing. It is so natural you don’t even think about it. I think it’s a shame that so many writers treat their writing as anything from “special time” to the last thing on their to-do list. Writing is life. And so the principles of life, or the truth about life, are also the principles of, or the truth about, the writing life.
I recently re-read a favorite spiritual book, and in it I found a quote from the author’s high school drama teacher. This drama teacher must have been a wise man because he always taught his drama students the following:
The Truth About Life
1. Leave your personal problems at the stage door.
2. Treat the material with honesty, dignity and without embellishment.
3. Show up fully no matter how many people are in the audience.
I was suddenly struck with a simple thought: The Truth About Life is exactly the same as The Truth About The Writing Life, and so many of us forget these simple truths, as often in our everyday lives as we do in our writing lives.
So as a reminder, for all the writers out there, here is my version of The Truth About (The Writing) Life
1. Leave your personal problems at the stage door.
When you are writing, IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU! What? Not about me? Well then who is it about?? It’s about your view of the world, your take on things, how the world appears through your own unique lens, and yes, you need to write from your own emotional experience, or at the very least you need to write about something you care about. But that’s where it ends. While you are writing from a place within yourself, or you’re channeling something from the depths of your unconscious, you are still doing it with one very important proviso. You are disengaging your ego, and writing from some deep inner truth, or emotional place. Get out of your ego and into the soul or spirit of your characters. You are a writer. You are there to serve the story. It’s not there to serve you.
A great idea is to have an imaginary hat stand, coat rack or even a cardboard box outside the door of the room where you write. Every time you enter the room to do some writing, mentally drop all your baggage, problems, ego issues and any other personal issues into the box or hang them on the racks and walk into the room unencumbered. Then, while you are writing, imagine that someone or something comes and whisks all your baggage, problems and issues away, so that when you’re finished, the doorstep is empty.
2. Treat the material with honesty, dignity and without embellishment.
I firmly believe that when you are writing, you are co-creating with a force larger than yourself. Whether you call that force God, the Universe, the collective unconscious, the spirit of your dearly departed grandmother, Allah or simply your Higher Self, when you truly enter the creative imagination you are only one element in many that go into making up the totality of your story. So when the material comes through (when you write it) you do need to treat it with honesty, dignity and without embellishment. Let it flow through you honestly. Don’t try and change it as it flows. Just let it flow, get it down on the page, and if there are changes that need to be made, address them in the rewriting and editing processes. Dignify the material with your time and your skills, and for goodness sake, don’t embellish. There is nothing worse than a wonderful story and good writing being asphyxiated by attempts at literary high-mindedness. If the character gets hit in the head, tell us he gets hit in the head. Don’t tell us that a large object projected itself into his cranium. Be blunt and use simple language. You will find the greatest writers do that. At the risk of sounding like another American self-help guru, you’re best served to “tell it like it is”. Thanks Dr Phil!
Go back over some of your own writing and see where you may have been guilty of embellishment. The beauty and complexities of great novels come from the story, the narrative, the rich drawing of characters and their relationships to each other, not from using lots of big words.
3. Show up fully no matter how many people are in the audience.
Write for the sheer joy of it, the pleasure, the beauty, peace and satisfaction it stirs in you. Write because you have to, because you can’t not write. Write because there’s a story that’s bursting to get out of you. Don’t write to please editors, publishers, readers, your mother, teacher or partner. Write for the sense of abundance it brings into your life. Turn up at the blank page or screen and write just for the heck of it. It doesn’t matter whether you’re the only one who’ll read your words or whether you have a print run of 1,000,000 books ready to roll when you finish your manuscript. What matters is that you show up fully at the page, every day. Because writing in and of itself, is all that matters, isn’t it?
So next time you’re sitting at your page thinking “what am I doing here?” have a look at these 3 simple Truths About (The Writing) Life and remember how simple it really is. You write because you can’t not write. So leave your personal problems at the door, treat the material with honesty, dignity and without embellishment and show up fully at the page, no matter how many people are in the audience.
And watch your writing improve.
Tags: about, Life, Truth, Writing
Posted by on Jul 19, 2010 in
Writing Books Writers are the voice of the people. They draw on our human truths and use their imaginations to paint the nature of life. Their voice of honesty paired with a parallel imagination defines their ability to capture the attention of readers everywhere. Everyone has the capacity to write. Some writers get heard through traditional publishing houses. Most don’t. But with the infusion of writers using print on demand publishing technology to publish their work over the last decade, writers who have traditionally been left out of the book publishing industry now have a voice of their own.
Writing a book isn’t easy, as is any activity one puts their time, energy and money into. However, when you do write a book it becomes liberating and rewarding to see your words, your stories, your voice, organized in a paperback or hardcover book. Publishing a book can be done on your own and here are some guidelines to help you get your book off the ground and get it printed in less than a year without much investment and without selling your soul.
Start Writing Your Book Now.
Begin writing your book. What are you waiting for? Without writing you have no book! Write about something, write about anything. Write about yourself. But don’t hold back from writing. At this point, you’ve at least set a goal in your mind about writing a book. So write!
Be consistent with your goals. Define clear parameters with your writing.
Writing is a very personal process. It is an expression that’s developed from the heart, cultivated from the mind and delivered from the soul. This form of expression can only be tapped into at a persons deepest moments of focus and attention. Be clear with yourself and your expectations. It’s unlikely that inspiration will come from hanging with friends so remind yourself that for a period of time you will have to make sacrifices to certain commitments and relationships you have with others. You will feel alone but the reward of having a book published outweighs any selective time of isolation. This process should take around one to four months to complete.
You’ve Started Writing. Outline What Type of Material You Want to Produce.
So you’ve began writing. What have you written so far? Are you writing about your personal feelings? Are you writing about someone else’s personal story? Are you creating a story out of your imagination? At this point you’ve written quite a lot. Now is the time to hone your writing and define what type of work you would like to produce. Will it be a fictional story, will it be an autobiographical story? Remember, everyone has a story.
Researching the genre you want to write within will add value to your completed published work. You don’t have to be a scholar to do research. A little time spent online browsing titles on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, as well as the occasional visit to your local library will get you familiar with the elements that have worked best for others in your genre. This process should take around five to seven months to complete.
Let It Go! Share Your Work With the World.
You’ve written until your heart couldn’t take it any more, pouring your soul into your masterpiece. You’ve researched the best of the best of your intended genre and picked out the elements that have worked for those chosen few. Now is the time to let go and detach yourself from your writing. Now is the time to entrust the public’s ears. Share your work with friends, with family, with co-workers, with anyone who will read it. For most, our family and friends deflect our over anxious attempts to get their reader reviews and feedback on our work. No worries. There is a large community of internet bloggers that bask in the glory of reading work created by first time writers and authors. Use this network to gauge feedback from others regarding your work.
At this point you’ve received the loads of feedback from friends, family, siblings and strangers. They’ve all given you some food for thought. Take this feedback and go back to the drawing board. Combine everything you’ve taken in so far (feedback from family and friends, information you’ve extracted from your research and what you feel is right in your heart) and craft the best possible piece of writing you’re capable of producing. Now you have all the elements you need. This process should take around eight to ten months to complete.
Identify Your Publishing Goals.
By now you’ve written a novel. An autobiography. A biography. Have you thought about what your publishing goals are? Do you want to share your writing with your friends and family or do you have dreams of becoming a commercial success, possibly the next Stephen King? Whatever your goals are, identify them. Because without a target you’re shooting into thin air.
There are a wide number of self publishing companies that offer publishing packages that range in the low hundreds to the low five figures. Packages range due to the level of services they provide for each author. Most offer interior formatting, issuance of an ISBN number and allow you to retain most if not all of your rights, all for a fixed price. Packages also include special marketing and promotional services to help sell your book. Either way, what ever your publishing goals are shoot for the stars. But remember; since this is probably your first introduction into publishing be practical and realistic with your expectations, and your pocket book!
Tags: Book, write, Year