As you may know, I?m a great fan of the works of the Canadian author, Robertson Davies. So, when I?m looking for inspiration and ideas, I turn to his articles on writing. I came across a speech he gave in 1990 for the Tanner Lectures in New Haven, Connecticut. One is entitled simply Writing, the other Reading. What makes a novel good or even really great, so that it will be read one hundred years from now [or more]? What takes a novel out of its own time, so to speak, and ...

The article tells about the ways to arrange your ?mind maps ?during writing. It is meant both for beginners and experienced authors. I also advise students to read the article, though it does not contain any information about term paper format. Still I find it useful for you as it shares the strategies of the effective writing you may apply in your endless written assignments.

Creating characters that are believable takes time and discipline. Creating dynamically real individuals and not imposing your own thoughts and impressions upon them is not easy to do, and is often the difference between a novel or screenplay that sits in a closet and one that finds its way around town and into the hands of audiences. Spending your time building your characters before they enter the world of your story makes the process of writing an easier and more enjoyable...

An important question for any artist is: How can I built a career and simultaneously be true to myself? It?s an important question, and during the twenty years I?ve taught writing, hundreds of students have expressed the belief that success and personal integrity are mutually exclusive. The Lifewriting? approach to fiction suggests that not only do these two qualities overlap, but that the safest, surest, most satisfying path to discovering your true voice, your deepest cr...

Freelance job sites are filled with work. If you want to work for pay today, it is possible that you can do so. You might even be able to write as many articles as you want to write. "$1.00 Per Article - As Much Work As You Want" Yes, you too could be on the road to a very lucrative career if you could write a few hundred articles a day. Let's see, if it takes me 45 minutes to write an article because I know something about the subject already then I could do 32 arti...

I have been writing articles and blogs lately, not knowing whether you, the reader, are pleased with what you read, or even if I?m even writing about what you would like to read about. Therein lies my problem and why I need your help. My reason for writing is not to please me, but to satisfy your need for good reading. I?m happy no matter what I write because I like to write. To know my readers are happy with my writing is worth money in the bank to me. (It better be since...

Serious freelance writers know their income may come from other sources, not just writing articles for magazines or clients. Ultimately, their freelance writing leads to writing books or e-books for themselves or as ghostwrites. If you decide to ghostwrite e-books and trade paperbacks for clients, consider the following: If a client hires you as a "work-for-hire" ghostwriter, then the client pays you for your work, and he owns all rights. Make sure: 1) You receive a 50% re...

You know the secret to a long-term, and profitable, client relationship is delivering effective communication tools. But you may not realize that the impact of your writing has more to do with your skill as a writer than with your knowledge of the subject. And unless you help your clients understand the value of your skills, you limit your opportunities to sell those skills again and again. Every business has its own specialists, people who know more about their product...

Want new short story ideas? Start writing, because work usually precedes inspiration. Then use these methods to come up with new short stories.

There was a time when you needed to relocate if you wanted to become a successful writer. In essence you went where the work was. The Internet has opened a whole new world for writers. The idea of telecommuting has become a welcome component to the mechanism of freelance. Today you can sit in a kitchen in Iowa and write for a publication based in the heart of New York. You can write for a firm in Australia from the comfort of your home office in Ontario. You can also wr...

The phone rings. The laundry pleads to be stuffed, cycled, dried and folded. Chaos reigns in the kitchen, e-mails queue for attention. Our lives are at once mundane and undeniably seductive at the same time. When we sit down to write at home, suddenly everything that marks our existence as tedious becomes compelling. Writing at home can seem tantamount to training for the Olympics past age nineteen. Yet carving out time to write at home is possible. You can even design a h...

A debate is taking place on the worldwide web in connection with the use or overuse of content. Everyone seems to agree that the use of quality content is important, but how much is too much and what ways are best for the distribution of your content? Please note that this issue is not related to write-for-hire or contract content writing. Close to the Vest Some writers in this camp indicate they feel there is an integrity issue at stake when a writer makes their wor...

Once you have an idea for a book and a plan for how to get it written and marketed, it?s time to put your brain to work with some writing exercises. Here are 10 different tips to help your brain get the ?WRITE? idea: ? When an idea comes to you, usually unexpectedly, it is time to write ? right now! Record it on anything that?s handy and transfer it to full size paper as soon as possible so you won?t lose it. ? You should write as long and as often as possible when you...

Writing sales copy for a new or to-be-relaunched product takes a lot of energy and concentration. When you finish that first draft, take a rest. Then go back to what you?ve written with this sales copy checklist, which outlines the eight most frequent corrections and improvements I make on copy given to me by clients or students. 1. Pronouns. Do you have a preponderance of "we" or "I" and very little "you"? Wherever possible, change pronouns to "you," which comes across as...

I have no idea how many books are crammed onto bookshelves all about the subject of marketing, there must be many millions. It is a subject well understood, how do you make someone buy your Widget as opposed to the other guys Widget? Marketing is the answer, but, marketing comes at a price. How much can you afford? I have a friend who is a retired BBDO exec, and in his mind, marketing that widget should cost the same as the national debt of a small country. Most small busi...