don t polish the turd and other oddball writing advice that works

Even with a dozen published books to my name, I sometimes need a dose of inspiration when I sit down to write. Above my desk, I've posted a paper with various pieces of fiction-writing wisdom I've collected over the years. Some of the advice may sound odd, but I've found it all helpful. Here it is:

1. Write as if no one's reading. If you always imagine a reader perched on your shoulder, you'll be afraid to take chances. At least for the first draft, ignore that imaginary reader and free yourself to write whatever crazy, impossible, lousy things occur to you. You can always fix it later - in fact, you SHOULD fix it later. But you'll have nothing to rewrite if you're too intimidated to write in the first place.

2. Show up at the page. Writers write. They sit down - ideally every day but at least as regularly as possible - and write.

3. Don't polish the turd. If you find yourself spending a lot of time trying to save an idea, a chapter or even a sentence, it usually means it's time to move on. You're wasting your time trying to beautify something that, well, just plain stinks.

4. Make bad things happen to good people. Novels are driven by conflict, and that means bad things have to happen to your characters - these people that you've created and have grown to love over the course of your novel. Your main character can have a happy ending, but along the way, he or she has to deal with sorrow, disappointments and possibly even danger.

5. Murder your darlings. That sentence you LOVE? The sex scene that you're sure will win you the Pulitzer? The pages that moved you to tears? Be prepared to kill them. In a novel, it's the piece as a whole that matters - not so much the individual parts. Sometimes your best writing will have to see the sharp end of your editing blade to make things work.

6. Let Sean Connery write your sentences. As James Bond, he's a man of action: things are not done to him, he does them. That's how you should structure your sentences. Jason did not get stabbed by Susan - rather, Susan stabbed Jason. The weapon was not found by police - the police found the weapon. Writing in the active voice keeps things moving...and your readers reading.

7. When in doubt, pick one, any one. At some point in your story, you're likely to face a fork in the road. Should Marianne get in the car? Or should she take off running down the road? Should she slap the guy? Kiss him? Reveal that she's always secretly loved him? When you're faced with a decision you can't seem to make, just make it. Pick one, start writing, and see where it goes. If it doesn't work out, you can always cut it and try again (see #5).

8. Keep your friends close and your reviewers closer. It can be helpful to get feedback as you go, but choose your readers carefully. Giving your precious pages to someone who is frustrated at their own inability to write a novel is like handing them a loaded gun ... pointed right at you.

9. Rewriting is writing. You may have heard the old saw that "writing is rewriting," but I like to flip it. Rewriting is just as valid a form of creativity as your first draft. Sometimes it takes more than a polish - it takes reaching into your gut and daring to make whatever changes need to be made, no matter how extensive they may be.

10. Skip and go naked. Be free. Have fun. Through the hard and often lonely work that is writing, remember to feel the joy. Unlike money, fame or even publication, it's the one payoff that's guaranteed.

Great technical writing improve document searches

OVERVIEW

Searches in User Documents (manuals, etc.) often fail because the Reader uses different words for a concept than the author uses. Since the Reader's words do not appear in the document, the document search mechanism cannot find them, resulting in frustration. This article describes a User-friendly technique for improving searches, without having to change the Users' behavior or the search software.

YOUR READERS' WORDS

People use the words that they know when they speak, write, or search. It's folly to try to force the Reader to use the writer's terminology; the Reader simply might not know the "proper" term. Forced to use unknown words, the Reader will find the User Document to be arrogant, or at least difficult to use.

For example, a User Manual for a word processing program will probably use the word "formatting" when dealing with character fonts and size, as well as page layout. But suppose that your Reader uses the word "appearance" to refer to these topics. How can we get the search mechanism to provide the correct result if the Reader searches for "appearance"?

THE TECHNICAL ANSWER: A THESAURUS SEARCH

The technical solution would be to convert the document search software from being an "exact term" search to a "Thesaurus Search." In a Thesaurus Search, the User enters a word that he/she knows, and the search returns synonyms or references to the synonyms in the document. Thus a properly set up Thesaurus Search should return references to "formatting" if the Reader searches for "appearance."

Unfortunately, the Thesaurus Search is rarely available, and creating one would require changes to the existing search program. A low tech solution may be the best answer.

THE ANSWER: SYNONYMS

For this technique, you need to put synonyms of the author's word ("formatting") on the pages that you want the search to find. Such synonyms may include "appearance," "design," and "layout." This is a simple, effective solution.

You can find appropriate synonyms by using the thesaurus that is a component of most word processors and of many libraries. Select the synonyms that your Readers are likely to use. "Likely to use" is based on your analysis of your Reader.

This leads us to the next question: How do you put the synonyms on the page?

DON'T USE HIDDEN TEXT

Technically savvy writers may ask "why not use hidden text for the synonyms?" The benefit is that hidden text will not "clutter up" the page.

So, if in the sections of the User Document where "formatting" is presented, the writer put the word "appearance" as hidden text (assuming the search utility would find this hidden information), then the following will happen:

1. The Reader searches for "appearance."

2. The search takes the Reader to the "formatting" section of the document.

3. The Reader wonders "How did I get here?" The word that he/she searched for ("appearance") does not appear on the page, since it is hidden.

Given that a goal of a User Document is to answer the Reader's questions, then doing anything that causes him/her to ask another question ("How did I get here?") is counter-productive. Hidden synonyms are not the best answer.

THE ELEGANT SOLUTION: "YOU MAY KNOW THIS AS..."

Hiding the synonyms is not a good idea. It's better to let the Reader know what's going on. The easiest way is to add a line of text on the page where the topic appears. This line of text begins with the phrase, "You may know this as..."

To continue our "formatting" example, our explanatory synonym phrase becomes, "You may know this as appearance, layout, or design." A search for "appearance" brings the Reader to the "Formatting" section.

Upon seeing the phrase "You may know this as appearance, layout, or design," the Reader knows why the search found this location. The search satisfied the Reader, and did not add uncertainty to the situation.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The goal of all good User Documents is to improve the Reader's experience with the product. By using synonyms for "technical" terms, the writer makes the Reader's document searches more effective, since the needed topics will be found using the Reader's words.

By not hiding the synonyms, the Reader is not confused as to why he/she arrived at that place in the document. The result is a better experience with the document and the product.

How to get a book published - the competition is tough in the book publishing industry

How to get a book published is a question every author asks themselves.

How difficult is it to get a book published by a commercial book publisher? Well the odds are better gambling in Las Vegas. It has been estimated that 25 million people in the United States consider themselves writers and only 5% have been published anywhere. At any one time 5 to 6 million manuscripts are looking for a publishing home.

Most major book publishing houses, and many small presses, will not accept submissions that aren’t represented by a literary agent. During the research of The Publishing Primer: A Blueprint for an Author's Success, we asked literary agents how many unsolicited query letters/proposals/sample chapters, they receive. For the typical agency it is close to 5000 per year. On the average these agents accepted only 11 new clients, that’s about 1out of every 500 submissions.

Of course writers submit to more than one agency in the hopes of obtaining representation which makes the odds a little better, but not much.

It has been estimated that the five large book publishing companies, Random House Inc., Penguin USA, Simon & Schuster, Time Warner and HarperCollins, account for nearly eighty percent of all book sales in the US. This has occurred for the same reasons any other industry goes through consolidation: by combining certain administrative or staff functions, costs can be reduced and profits increased. Publishing, relative to many other industries, has not enjoyed a high Return on Investment (ROI) for investors. Now, book publishers are much more focused on having every single book they publish be profitable. This means a more risk averse philosophy, with a preference for publishing authors with successful track records--a sound business strategy.

How to get a book published by a commercial book publisher isn't an easy task, but with perseverance and a good book you can do it.

Seo content writing

Content writer’s main aim is to create a new written piece which is original, simple, engrossing and also to the point. One should always keep this in mind that content writing generally involves thought, research, subbing and editing. Half of your battle is won if the client or visitor likes your writing and also provides him certain benefits he or she is looking for. That’s why it is said that content writing should be done in keeping the target audience in mind. How does that happen? There are a few simple steps to it. Let’s get started.

A - Try to think from the visitor’s point of view. Means understand, listen, think and learn. Before writing give a deep insight to the client’s requirements. This gives you the chance of knowing what client wants to look in the writing. And in any case you’re unsure of the client’s brief and specifications then simply inquire and ask him till your mind is clear of any doubts. Never forget that the content is aimed to target audience and if you can do that, you have delivered the goods.

B - Before getting onto writing, just do some search and research. If you’re unsure about the topic then hunt for some information and its related areas. But prior to that ask the client for useful link to develop content rather then spending time creating something that is not even close to the clients agenda.

C - Content writers should always keep in mind that normal content writing is completely different from SEO content writing. SEO content writing is strategically placed to optimize the search engine rankings of the written pages. That’s why write a foolproof, striking, attention-grabbing content along with the proper keyword placement.

D - SEO content writer must realize that he is targeting the audience as well as the search engine. And his content can either make or break the client’s agenda. Thus, it becomes necessary for the content writer to work in tandem with the business goals of the client.

Content writer must endeavor hard to achieve and maintain high standards in his SEO content writing. He should write and provide a creative, business oriented, keyword centric copy.

Freedom of speech

Freedom of speech in mass media must be considered one of the major achievements of our modern age alongside with Internet and latest discoveries in medicine. We have a precious chance of making our judgments based on different points of view presented in various informational sources.

A struggle for freedom of speech starts from the ancient times. The tradition of freedom of speech came to us from Greece. Greeks cultivated freedom of speech and held special forums, where famous orators performed and people could have their say. People always longed to be free of any obligations and formalities, built up by a state, but even now there are limits to the freedom given to mass media that are considered the speakers of the public. Some journalists and politicians consider censure to be illegal and try to limit the censure percentage. According to the last data provided by CNN, the level of censure varies from 80% till 10% depending on the level of prosperity and political situation in the country. Freedom of speech is just a formality in countries where the communist party is the only political force in power. Everything that is opposing to the main ideas and principles of the party is blocked by censure. But in the developed countries of the west of Europe it is easy to pass the censure and provide the information for publishing or issuing.

Censure now covers only items and matters that contain strong language, provocations, violence and other things that influence the outlook of the citizens. There are quite different attitudes towards censure. Some consider that it helps to refine the media from the dirty influence. Others consider that it limits freedom of speech and freedom of choice. Most probably without reasonable censure freedom of speech might turn into a total chaos.

Dusting off a dream writing success at any age

“Give me a stock clerk with a goal and I'll give you a man who will make history. Give me a man with no goals and I'll give you a stock clerk.” - J. C. Penney

Country recording artist Tim McGraw confided in an interview that there was a guy at a 7-11 that could sing him under a table. So, why is that guy serving up Slurpees while Tim is performing to packed stadiums?

The reason is the same for writers as it is for singers. There are many incredibly gifted writers who will never have a book published. The reasons are many, but it often comes down to their willingness to follow a dream or to shelve the dream for other reasons – some noble and some steeped in fear.

“The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible -- and achieve it, generation after generation.” - Pearl S. Buck

There is something about the idea of writing without fear. The dreams we may have once had do not need to remain a simple reference point for ‘what if’s’ and ‘might’a beens’.

The good news about writing is that the more real-life experiences you have the more you may be able to relate. It is never too late to pick up a pen and began to compose something extraordinary.

Sometimes the only thing that will set you apart from a better writer is simply your willingness to write – then share it with others.

"Self-trust is the first secret of success." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The noble art of writing allows a wordsmith to venture into the hearts of humanity and welcome others to the exploration. Unlike certain other entertainment fields, becoming an author is something that can and is done at any age.

Success

Bessie Anderson Stanley

He has achieved success

who has lived well,

laughed often, and loved much;

who has enjoyed the trust of pure women,

the respect of intelligent men

and the love of little children;

who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;

who has left the world better than he found it

whether by an improved poppy,

a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;

who has never lacked appreciation of Earth's beauty

or failed to express it;

who has always looked for the best in others

and given them the best he had;

whose life was an inspiration;

whose memory a benediction.

Perhaps its time to dust off a dream.