Ravensong Poetry And Writing Blog by Donovan Baldwin

Brother Wolf - Original Poem by Donovan Baldwin

2011-12-25T20:22:00.000-06:00

Ears lift in greeting to the voice of his companion, the wind,
The lean and silver beast turns now to black as day's fire dies.

He stands his watch alone, testing the air for the elusive scents,
Which tell as much to him, as a written page can tell a man.

So silent and so still, and completely part of the land on which he stands.

A king he is.
More a king than any king of man might be.

He guards the wisdom passed in his blood from countless ancestors,
Living as he must always live...wild and free.

Become A Poet In Ten Minutes

2011-12-23T09:07:00.000-06:00

By Steven Gillman

Have you ever sat there staring at the paper, ready to write, but unsure where to begin? Want a solution that will overcome even the worst writer's block? Anyone can start writing poetry today using a few simple techniques.

One, two, ...?

Did you say or think three when you saw the above? If not, you certainly would when I asked you to fill in the blank. Your mind is a powerful machine that recognises or creates patterns. To make this work for you as a poet, you simply have to lay out the materials in an implied pattern, and let your mind do its thing.

The "materials", in this case, of course, are words or ideas. So let's round up some materials for an example. If you want to write a poem about thunderstorms, you might start by writing down relevant words, and then choose the more evocative ones: flash, blowing, rumble, night, deadly and rain, perhaps.

Now you set the pattern. In this case, we'll write a four-line poem, using one of our words in each line. We'll only decide if we want a ryming poem after we start. This is what I came up with after five minutes:

Rain stands still in the sky

Trees dance as in a painting

In a flash it is here and gone

And night grumbles at being revealed

It doesn't matter if most aren't good poems. You just have to write a lot of them, and then work on re-writing the ones with potential. With a little practice, you can write a dozen poems in an hour, then pick out the gems. My wife has had poetry published using Deal-a-Poem, a game we created based on this technique, so we know that it works, and it's fun as well.

More Tips For Fast Poetry

The technique above works because when your mind focuses on a word with the intent to use it in a line, it is stimulated into action. It wants to find the pattern - or create it. To make this work even better, try the following:

1. Start with words that are evocative and metaphorically rich. You'll be more inspired and probably write a richer poem with "howled," "torn open," and "festering," than with "said," "broken," and "rotten."

2. Use this or any other technique as a starting point only. If you have a great line already in mind, don't force one of the words from your list into it. If a poem starts to write itself, and becomes ten six-line verses, forget about the technique. Treat it as a tool to be used when you need it.

3. Don't sit there waiting for inspiration. Write anything NOW. Start with any topic, or even random words. The surest way to get inspired in your poetry is to start writing a poem.

Steve Gillman has been playing with poetry for thirty years. He and his wife Ana created the game "Deal-A-Poem," which can be accessed for free at: http://www.dealapoem.com

Article Source: Become A Poet In Ten Minutes
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ORIGINAL POETRY BY DONOVAN BALDWIN

Passion and Poetry, and Life

2011-12-22T08:10:00.000-06:00

By Laurent Grenier

Ironically, the passion that can neutralize the repulsion for difficulties depends on the effort to overcome these difficulties. The irony resides in the circularity of this principle - which applies to all areas of activity, including poetry: One must make the effort to overcome difficulties to achieve success and feel capable, and one needs this achievement and feeling to have a passion for making this effort.

How can one enter this circle without this passion? In other words, how does one resolve the quasi-contradiction according to which one cannot passionately start the effort to overcome difficulties before it has ended successfully?

If difficulties are deemed insurmountable, mistakenly or not, the repulsion for them is absolute. In that case, nothing will motivate the effort to succeed, except an outside authority that can dictate this effort, or an outside influence that can generate faith and stimulate courage. In every other case where the seriousness of the difficulties is open to doubt, one may try one's luck with mixed feelings.

Assuming one tries, the result of this effort will constitute additional self-knowledge that will inform one's future choices. A positive outcome will act as a positive reinforcement that emboldens one to try again, with increased confidence and reduced hesitation; a negative outcome will do the opposite.

Should one refuse to try one's luck, this would slow one's progress, but not necessarily stop it. Confidence can be increased and hesitation reduced by degrees, through a series of baby steps that can eventually lead to triumph. All in all, people have more than one trick up their sleeve to succeed in life, though they cannot escape the necessity of achieving success to develop a passion for the difficult task of living.

As regards poetry, success may be achieved in a roundabout and gradual way. Take a young educated man who has a sense of imagery and a desire to express himself. While his education has prepared him for the written expression of his feelings and thoughts, this sense and this desire together drive him to write poetically, though he has no pretensions to composing a poem.

This first step is a manner of kickoff that gets the ball rolling. He becomes aware of his poetic ability within the limits of his poetic writing. What is more, he catches a glimpse of the poetry that is a blur in this writing and could emerge from the prose like a landscape from the fog. His potential as a future poet is thus faintly discernible. It assumes the form of an inkling whose haziness will progressively dissipate as further poetic efforts are made successfully. In the end the young man sees himself as a young poet. He is eager to grapple with the difficulties of writing poetry because he is confident that he will overcome them and delight in this achievement.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Laurent Grenier's writing career spans over twenty years. During this time he has broadened and deepened his worldview, by dint of much reflection and study, and in the end has crafted "A Reason for Living", his best work to date.

Official web site: http://laurentgrenier.com/ARFL.html

Article Source: Passion and Poetry, and Life
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ORIGINAL POETRY BY DONOVAN BALDWIN

5 Poetry Writing Tips For Beginners

2011-12-21T14:05:00.000-06:00

By K. Paul Mallasch

Writing poetry to some is a science while to others it's an art. Once you know the difference between the two methods of approaching poetry, you can choose which of the two is the best way for you to get into poetry. Of course, you might also choose both methods - paying attention to mechanics as well as meaning and the overall artistic message of your poems. Ah, but this is a short piece on writing tips for poetry beginners, so I'll stop there and continue with what you are after - how to write better poetry.

5 Poetry Writing Tips For Beginners

Here are five rules or suggestions for writing poetry.

To Rhyme or Not - Many beginners to poetry think you have to rhyme - all the time - on a dime - with a pine - well, you get the idea. This is not always the case. Some of the best poetry ever written doesn't rhyme - at all. That said, you don't want to try to consciously avoid rhymes either.

Tennis With or Without Nets - If you write sonnets and other structured poetry, it's like you're playing tennis with a net and rules. There's a lot you can do, but some poets like "free verse" or poetry without too much form. This will vary from poet to poet of course.

Where to Publish - While it's great to get your poetry published in a print magazine, sometimes it's just about getting other people to read your poetry. If that's the case, there are many great poetry communities online that you can become a part of without too much hassle. Find one and write your poetry!

When to Give Up - If you really are a poet, you're probably never going to stop playing with words. This is true even if you stop writing them down. A true poet will have the words going through their mind at all times whether they like it or not. Well, most of the time. I don't want to scare you. Although some good poetry is downright scary.

Ignore the Rules - You can read all the books and stories about how to write poetry that you want, but if you never sit down and write poetry, you will never know if poetry is something you're meant to do or not. There comes a time when you have to ignore the rules. You should know the rules before you toss them aside, but they shouldn't always be followed.

There you have it - some basic poetry tips for beginners. If you are really serious about poetry and using words to express yourself, you need to find a good poetry community so that you can grow as a poet. It's a long, difficult process, but for many people there's no other way of life that's worth living. Long live poetry - even poetry from beginners.

K. Paul Mallasch is the publisher of Ergo Poetry, a small community of poetry lovers who share and collaborate. Stop by to read, leave comments, or share your own poetry with the world. He also offers content creation services for really good rates.

Article Source: 5 Poetry Writing Tips For Beginners
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ORIGINAL POETRY BY DONOVAN BALDWIN

Top 20 Poetry Quotations

2011-12-20T17:36:00.000-06:00

By Danielle Hollister

Explore the meaning of poetry and the motivation of poets with this special collection of evocative quotations...

"A poet is someone who is astonished by everything."
-- Anonymous

"Reality only reveals itself when it is illuminated by a ray of poetry."
-- Georges Brague

"The poet doesn't invent. He listens. "
--Jean Cocteau

" In science one tries to tell people, in such a way as to be understood by everyone, something that no one ever knew before. But in poetry, it's the exact opposite."
-- Paul Dirac

" Genuine poetry can communicate before it is understood."
-- T. S. Eliot

"The adventitious beauty of poetry may be felt in the greater delight with a verse given in a happy quotation than in the poem."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

" There is not a particle of life which does not bear poetry within it."
-- Gustave Flaubert

"A poem begins with a lump in the throat. "
--Robert Frost

" Poetry is the language in which man explores his own amazement."
-- Christopher Fry

" There's no money in poetry, but there's no poetry in money, either."
-- Robert Ranke Graves

" Poetry is to hold judgment on your soul."
-- Henrik Ibsen

" When power narrows the areas of man's concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses."
-- John F. Kennedy

"Perhaps no person can be a poet, or can even enjoy poetry, without a certain unsoundness of mind."
--Thomas Babington Macaulay

"The poem is the point at which our strength gave out. "
--Richard Rosen

" Science is for those who learn; poetry, for those who know."
-- Joseph Roux

"Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world. "
--Percy Byshe Shelley

"Wanted: a needle swift enough to sew this poem into a blanket. "
--Charles Simic

"A poem is never finished, only abandoned. "
--Paul Valéry

" Poetry is the music of the soul, and, above all, of great and feeling souls."
-- Voltaire

"Poetry is the breath and finer spirit of all knowledge."
-- William Wordsworth

Resource Box - Danielle Hollister (2004) is the Publisher of BellaOnline Quotations Zine - A free newsletter for quote lovers featuring more than 10,000 quotations in dozens of categories like - love, friendship, children, inspiration, success, wisdom, family, life, and many more. Read it online at - http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art8364.asp

Article Source: Top 20 Poetry Quotations
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Original Poetry by Donovan Baldwin

Discussion: Dryden's Definition of Drama

2011-12-19T16:21:00.000-06:00

By Ali Oyo Asghar J

John Dryden is a great literary figure of his age. He saw the great plague of 1665; it drove him to Charlton in Wilt-shire where he lived for eighteen months and wrote dramatic poesy. The work is in dialogue form, consisting of four characters, discussing about drama. It was proved a popular literary form and reigned supreme in England during the next seventy-five years. It is an Aristotelian form because several persons with different wits and faculties participate in the discussion and contribute to it by giving or adding their views and ideas. In this dramatic poesy, the center of discussion is drama. Dryden's definition of drama really covers a wide range. It can be applied to heroic poems, epics and romance or dramas. He treats drama as a form of imaginative literature that appeals to poetry.

According to him, drama is a just and lively image of human nature, representing its passions and humours, and the changes of fortune to which it is subject, for the delight and instruction of mankind. He insists on the words 'Just' and 'lively' image of human nature. In support of the words, it must be admitted that material of all topics is drawn from a society. The society is made of mankind or living things, and without them, society is nothing. Dryden implies word 'Image' as an imitation or appearance of human nature must be just. Just means exact or as it is. It means an exact copy of reality. Dryden is different; he does not like only the slavish or exact copy of reality, but it must be lively. David Diaches expresses that the image of human nature is implied for drama as well as imaginative literature, which shows the acting of people in such a way as to reveal what they are like. He further says that Dryden has used the word 'Image' for the appearance of human actions. The human actions must be just and lively. Plato described the imitation of imitation or copy of the copy. He is not different, but he adds the word 'lively'.

In poetic imitation, the word 'Just' is not sufficient, but the word 'Lively' must be added. 'Lively' means interesting. David Diaches interprets it as interesting. R.A Scott James agrees and interprets it as beautiful and so delightful. Such interpretation admits that the poet is a maker or a creator. He finds material, works on and makes it beautiful by heightening its quality. John Dryden gives value to labour. If one reveals it as rough as it was, it must be a rough work with a trivial value. If it is represented lively, the work would be lively, and the poet would be valued.

Dryden is really a great critic and supporter of imagination. In his age, he is rather different from all the poets. He calls imagination as a special faculty of a creative artist without rules and regulations. It enables the artist to create the work of beauty that makes him distinctive. Indeed, imagination is like a polisher that makes the material elegant. Such labour uplifts its value more and more. In other words, it is more needed to say that imagination is a shaping power. Through it, the poet selects, orders, rearranges and heightens his material. In result, the more distinctive and more beautiful material is achieved. Through imaginative creation, the just images of human nature become lively.

The writers or creative artists don't hold the imagination of same power. Each has his own, and it brings something different and peculiar in his work. Indeed, it forms the personality of a writer. According to Dryden, it is an inherent element that is found different in Shakespeare, Jonson and Fletcher. Each poet has his own qualities, and through such qualities, their work is analyzed and valued. Dryden admits that Shakespeare writes better between man and man; Fletcher betwixt man and woman. The one describes friendship better and the other love. He is of the opinion that imaginative work gives birth to qualities and peculiarities of a writer; by which he is known in the world of literature. So, such qualities or peculiarities make him more distinctive writer. Actually, he talks about the individual qualities of the creative artists which are named and contrasted. By pursuing such qualities, he accepts Shakespeare as the Homer, or the father of dramatic poets, and Jonson is accepted as the Virgil, or the pattern of elaborate writing. He concludes that he admires Jonson, but loves Shakespeare. All depends on the faculty of imagination. The rich faculty forms rich work and makes the writer eminent.

In the definition of drama, John Dryden gives primary importance to delight, and the secondary to instruction. The function of poetry is delight, and to instruct is the function of prose. It is he who combines the both. It is examined that the instruction comes out of the delight. A bare imitation gives birth to bare instruction that is quite ineffective, but when the bare imitation is selected, ordered and shaped by the poet's imagination, the work becomes beautiful and lively. David Diaches expresses that the function of poetry is to inform the reader in a lively and agreeable way, or the way that human nature likes.

Scott James stresses on aesthetic pleasure or delight. Aesthetic delight is concerned to poetry which springs from a beautiful thought. Shamasuddin Bulbul, the great poet of Mehar city, also emphasized on aesthetic pleasure as the chief function of poetry. Scott James says that the pleasure which a work of art produces is of a certain kind; it is that which comes up from a sense of the lively creativity. For Dryden, speaking of poetry is speaking of beauty. If one speaks the pleasure of poetry, it means a pleasure that comes out of the beautiful art. The aesthetic pleasure has the power to move and to transport. According to Dryden, the power of aesthetic pleasure affects the soul and excites the passion, and above all, it moves admiration. The soul, thus, is moved by reading the beautiful work, and it compels the reader to value it.

The poetry instructs as it delights. A bare imitation of reality does not have such power. It lies on poet's imagination that makes beautiful works of art. John Dryden lives in the age of prose, but follows such concept that makes him distinguished from the others. His concept of poetic imitation is not mere imitation, but it is the work of a poet, a maker or a creator, whose endeavor is to produce some piece of art but beautiful. Such lively work gives pleasure or delight, and the delight gives birth to instruction that is very effective and resultant.

Email comments: ali_asghar_joyo2006@yahoo.com

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Article Source: Dryden's Definition of Drama
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ORIGINAL POETRY BY DONOVAN BALDWIN

Trying to Work It Out - Poetry in Villanelle Style

2011-12-18T09:19:00.000-06:00

By Lesley A Daunt

About the Villanelle Style

Poets have used villanelles for a variety of subjects, but all good villanelles have two things in common. First, villanelles have strong opening tercets, with the first and third lines providing a two-barreled refrain.

Shadows around me are dancing about.
Sometimes it feels as if I am dying.
I am trying just to work it all out.

The sunlight is trying to peer through clouds.
With no avail it still keeps me crying.
Shadows around me are dancing about.

This life is painful when you live without
Love from the one for whom you are pining.
I am trying just to work it all out.

The shadows are filling my head with doubt;
Never again will I see the sun shining.
Shadows around me are dancing about.

"When will this be over?" I hear myself shout.
I can't seem to take all the lying.
I am trying just to work it all out.

Life becomes painful when you live without
Love from the one for whom you are pining.
Shadows around me are dancing about.
I am trying just to work it all out.

Being a songwriter my whole life, it never quite dawned on me that in essence I was a poet. My process of writing songs has always been an odd one. Most musicians/singers write their lyrics than put them to music. In my early days of being in a band, I was the one who wrote the music, while I would sing the poetry of my bandmate. When her poetry stopped coming, I was left to come up with the lyrics as well as the music.

For some reason, I never actually sat and wrote any type of words - I was convinced what I wrote would end up being stupid. So I would "wing" it - I would just sing words off the top of my head while I was playing. They became the songs. Sometimes I wouldn't even know what I was singing. Than something weird happened - people would start telling me how they related to my "lyrics" - lyrics that I had given not one ounce of thought, lyrics that I wasn't even sure made sense.

I no longer sing in a band due to health issues. Something I miss more than anything in the world. So, here I sit actually writing poetry. Here I sit realizing I have been a poet all along.

Lesley Daunt http://contributor.yahoo.com/user/1160437/lesley_daunt.html

Article Source: Trying to Work It Out - Poetry in Villanelle Style
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ORGINAL POETRY BY DONOVAN BALDWIN

'Twas the Night before Christmas

2011-12-17T09:41:00.000-06:00

by Clement C. Moore

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:

"Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On Cupid! On Donder and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St. Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.

His eyes--how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
_"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."_
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Merry Christmas!
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Original Poetry by Donovan Baldwin

A Poem About the Sea

2011-12-15T13:39:00.000-06:00

To The Sea Of My Hopes
By Miles D.C.

To the sea, to the sea.
Everything flows towards it.
Tears of joy or despair,
make their way eventually,
to the sea.

To sit by its side,
its unpredictable waters,
is to be acquainted once again
and know silence,
as it has been there for thousands of years.
The same silence that whispers
ever so loudly,
dreams and hopes,
if, by chance, you've sat long enough
to be as silent, as it is.

To sit by the ocean,
the ever perpetual sea,
is a privilege of the few
who can see beyond what just is,
and look into the depth
of their own despair
of how, life, as we know it,
follows a rhythm
unlike that of the perpetual sea.
And unlike its nature,
knowing how time will inevitably
one day run out,
to just sit by the sea,
is to know hope.
And with hope, come all love.
Hope floats
when everything else fails.
Hope comes knocking
when it has washed away,
all despair,
all pride,
all anger
at how changeable everything is.
Like the sea.

To the sea then, to the sea.
Everything flows to it.
All the love that I have
makes its way eventually,
to the sea.

Resting my eyes on the horizon,
gazing upon the bright reflection
of the sun on the water,
I turn my face to the it,
to taste and breathe it in,
that distinct ocean scent -
the same one that's seen
a thousand other
hopefuls like me.

Hoping to be set free,
hoping to let go,
hoping to find peace,
in the midst of its turbulent waters.
I plunge head on, unmindful
of the wave upon wave
crashing around me.
Mercilessly.
Uncaring, of how close
or how far, I am to the shore.
Because, I came, to be with the sea.
To offer up my doubts,
my fears,
my laughter,
my happiness,
to its embrace.
Cold yet comforting.

To the sea, to the sea.
Everything flows to the it.
All that we are,
finds its way eventually,
to the sea.

Human life ebb and flow
like the sea, and like the sea,
it carries away
everything... all the pain,
the sins, the regrets.
It washes away even shame.
Shame borne out of living
only half a life.

Ever moving yet ever present.
Ever changing and ever constant.
Ever silent and ever full of the sounds
of the earth.

We'll all find our way,
one day,
to the sea.

That, is my hope, for you and me. http://joybound.wordpress.com/

Article Source: To The Sea Of My Hopes
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Original Poetry by Donovan Baldwin

Ancient Nahuatl Poem - Song at the Beginning

2011-12-14T07:33:00.000-06:00

The following is an example of 16th century Nahuatl poetry, after the Conquest and probably, by subject matter, composed by a convert to the Christian faith. The Nahuatl language was one of the Aztec languages of Central Mexico. The title, before translation, of course, would be "Cuicapeuhcayotl", or, in English...

Song at the Beginning

1. I am wondering where I may gather some pretty, sweet flowers. Whom shall I ask? Suppose that I ask the brilliant humming-bird, the emerald trembler; suppose that I ask the yellow butterfly; they will tell me, they know, where bloom the pretty, sweet flowers, whether I may gather them here in the laurel woods where dwell the tzinitzcan birds, or whether I may gather them in the flowery forests where the tlauquechol lives. There they may be plucked sparkling with dew, there they come forth in perfection. Perhaps there I shall see them if they have appeared; I shall place them in the folds of my garment, and with them I shall greet the children, I shall make glad the nobles.

2. Truly as I walk along I hear the rocks as it were replying to the sweet songs of the flowers; truly the glittering, chattering water answers, the bird-green fountain, there it sings, it dashes forth, it sings again; the mockingbird answers; perhaps the coyol bird answers, and many sweet singing birds scatter their songs around like music. They bless the earth pouring out their sweet voices.

3. I said, I cried aloud, may I not cause you pain ye beloved ones, who are seated to listen; may the brilliant humming-birds come soon. Whom do we seek, O noble poet? I ask, I say: Where are the pretty, fragrant flowers with which I may make glad you my noble compeers? Soon they will sing to me, "Here we will make thee to see, thou singer, truly wherewith thou shalt make glad the nobles, thy companions."

4. They led me within a valley to a fertile spot, a flowery spot, where the dew spread out in glittering splendor, where I saw various lovely fragrant flowers, lovely odorous flowers, clothed with the dew, scattered around in rainbow glory, there they said to me, "Pluck the flowers, whichever thou wishest, mayest thou the singer be glad, and give them to thy friends, to the nobles, that they may rejoice on the earth."

5. So I gathered in the folds of my garment the various fragrant flowers, delicate scented, delicious, and I said, may some of our people enter here, may very many of us be here; and I thought I should go forth to announce to our friends that here all of us should rejoice in the different lovely, odorous flowers, and that we should cull the various sweet songs with which we might rejoice our friends here on earth, and the nobles in their grandeur and dignity.

6. So I the singer gathered all the flowers to place them upon the nobles, to clothe them and put them in their hands; and soon I lifted my voice in a worthy song glorifying the nobles before the face of the Cause of All, where there is no servitude.

7. Where shall one pluck them? Where gather the sweet flowers? And how shall I attain that flowery land, that fertile land, where there is no servitude, nor affliction? If one purchases it here on earth, it is only through submission to the Cause of All; here on earth grief fills my soul as I recall where I the singer saw the flowery spot.

8. And I said, truly there is no good spot here on earth, truly in some other bourne there is gladness; For what good is this earth? Truly there is another life in the hereafter. There may I go, there the sweet birds sing, there may I learn to know those good flowers, those sweet flowers, those delicious ones, which alone pleasurably, sweetly intoxicate, which alone pleasurably, sweetly intoxicate.

'Love From the North" by Christina Georgina Rossetti

2011-12-13T16:02:00.000-06:00

I had a love in soft south land,
Beloved through April far in May;
He waited on my lightest breath,
And never dared to say me nay.

He saddened if my cheer was sad,
But gay he grew if I was gay;
We never differed on a hair,
My yes his yes, my nay his nay.

The wedding hour was come, the aisles
Were flushed with sun and flowers that day;
I pacing balanced in my thoughts,--
"It's quite too late to think of nay."--

My bridegroom answered in his turn,
Myself had almost answered "yea":
When through the flashing nave I heard.
A struggle and resounding "nay."

[28]Bridemaids and bridegroom shrank in fear,
But I stood high who stood at bay:
"And if I answer yea, fair Sir,
What man art thou to bar with nay?"

He was a strong man from the north,
Light-locked, with eyes of dangerous gray:
"Put yea by for another time
In which I will not say thee nay."

He took me in his strong white arms,
He bore me on his horse away
O'er crag, morass, and hair-breadth pass,
But never asked me yea or nay.

He made me fast with book and bell,
With links of love he makes me stay;
Till now I've neither heart nor power
Nor will nor wish to say him nay.

--Christina Georgina Rossetti
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Original Poetry by Donovan Baldwin

Thinking of Self Publishing Your Writing? Some Tips for You.

2011-04-24T17:20:00.000-05:00

Publishing your own book has been an option for a long time. However, these days, more and more people are opting in to this method of getting their words into print. If you think this might be something you want to try, take a look at what this young author has to say on the subject.

Quick Steps to Self-Publishing
By Cinnamon McCann

Step 1:

Finish the Book.

This sounds like "duh", but when it comes to writing a book, discipline is the first thing you need. Make your schedule and stick to it. You will decide to worry and overanalyze every single thing before you have even finished your first manuscript draft. When you decide to take on the task of writing a book, every form of procrastination will creatively find a way into your thoughts and activities, all in efforts to rob you of your time to complete your project. So before you overwhelm yourself with anything, just finish the book.

Step 2:

Determine if Self-Publishing is for You.

Although self-publishing has taken back some of the power from the traditional publishing houses, taking on this job is not for commitment-phobes. Yes it's true that self-publishing is probably your best, even only, chance at seeing your book in print. But you will be making a significant investment of your time and treasure to reach that goal. It is important to understand that writing your book was only your first step. Before you make a decision, consider the pros and cons of self-publishing. Make sure you understand what you will be getting into.

Step 3:

Take a Trip to the Amazon and Retail Bookstores.

Take a look at the competition and research successful books on Amazon.com and your local bookstores. Examine books in your subject area niche. Are there a lot of books on your topic? Are there too few books on your topic? Determine how your book will be different. Examine the features of other books in your book's niche. Pay attention to the covers, colors, fonts and formats. What makes them stand out? How many pages do the books have? What are the dimensions and pricing?

Step 4:

You are a Business so be Prepared to Act like One.

Before you take any steps in the publishing process, you need to get organized. That means deciding whether you want to be a sole proprietorship, corporation or limited liability company. You have to set up bookkeeping, get state and local licenses. You'll need to understand your business tax liabilities, and will probably want to find a tax professional to organize your business.

Step 5:

Determine Where You Want to Be.

You may have dreamed of seeing your book in bookstores but after learning that you will have to discount your book (at least 50%) or possibly get your books sent back, you may decide to sell your book only through online channels. Whether you decide to take either avenue or both, it is important to remember that certain forms of publishing will be more advantageous than others depending on your primary sales goals. If you decide you want to be in bookstores, remember that POD publishing companies may not be the best option for you.

Step 6:

Determine Your Desired Level of Involvement.

Determine your business personality so you can choose the best options for your style. Do you like to be in control and involved up to your elbows on every project you do? Or do you want to delegate, delegate, delegate? Is your strength in overseeing professionals who can get the job done faster, and better? Or are you somewhere in the middle? There are enough options in self-publishing for you to satisfy your individual business personality, if you take time to assess yourself.

Step 7:

Protect Yourself.

After all the work you have invested in it, you want to make sure no one can steal any part of your book. That means taking the time to copyright your material. To do this, you'll need to get an International Standard Book Number (ISBN) and register the book with the Library of Congress. Yes, it's a lot of paperwork. But it is for your protection.

Step 8:

Ask for Help.

No matter your business personality, you will need some level of professional help to get your book published. This could include a designer, editor, illustrator, or indexer. You may want someone to help you with marketing. Hiring and supervising independent contractors can be difficult, particularly when you are working in a virtual environment. Be sure you clearly define your expectations, verbally and in writing. Make sure you prepare the paperwork necessary to protect your ownership of any creative property.

Step 9:

Know the Book From the Inside Out.

A book has an anatomy, much like a human body. You'll need to understand how, and why, every part of a book works. Decide whether any of the parts can be cut out of your book, without hurting it.

Step 10:

Print, Pack and Ship.

Once you have written, edited and designed your book, it's time to start, printing. You'll need to choose which type of printing fits your business personality. Don't think that once the book is off the press, your work is done. Not nearly!! You've got to get your book to your customers. Once again, you've got options. If you don't want to spend your afternoons packing and shipping books, you will need to find help fulfilling your orders.

Step 11:

Barnes & Noble, Here I Come.

Do you dream of seeing your book featured in your local bookstore? Well, the reality of distributing your book to retail bookstores may be more of a nightmare that you bargained for. Just having your book in Ingram's catalog is not a guarantee that the bookstores will order it. And even if they do, it is not a guaranteed way to fame and fortune. Before you take this step, make sure you understand the ins and outs of wholesale book distribution.

Step 12:

Take a Ride up the Amazon (dot com, that is)!

Selling your books on Amazon.com is a great way to widen your market. You can even use the company to fulfill orders. Of course, everything comes at a cost. Still, you don't want to overlook Amazon.com's potential. Unfortunately, it's a bit of a nightmare trying to navigate the Amazon.com web pages to understand the programs which might help you. Take your time, follow our guidelines, and decide how you can make Amazon.com work for you.

Step 13:

Don't Be Shy. Tell the World About Your Book.

Marketing can make the difference between success, and using your books as Christmas and birthday gifts into eternity. Know how to toot your own horn! It is a talent almost as important to your book as your writing skills. Create a marketing schedule and a plan that includes traditional and Web 2.0 strategies.

Step 14:

Be Patient. Be Flexible.

Success rarely happens overnight. Give yourself time to promote your book, and to create interest. Be willing to make changes when necessary. No matter how carefully you plan, you are likely to have to make changes at some time. That's just life.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Cinnamon McCann is the author of Self-Publishing in Stilettos: A Woman's Guide to Publishing With Confidence. Learn everything you need to know about self-publishing and sign up for her newsletters to receive the latest tips and techniques by visiting her at http://www.selfpublishinginstilettos.com.

Article Source: Quick Steps to Self-Publishing
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Get Paid For Writing Short Articles

Are You Looking For Part-Time Writing Work?

2011-03-19T20:35:00.000-05:00

There is a company looking for some people that are interested in working from their home on a part or full-time basis.

If you want to earn $100, $200 or even up to $500 a day, and you don't mind writing some short opinions up, this is the perfect opportunity for you!

This company works with hundreds of other companies such as 20th Century Fox, Paramount Entertainment, Ford Motor Company, Google and more! They recruit people to fill 1000s of jobs for companies such as these every year.

Many of these jobs are simple online writing tasks, such as blogging about a movie that you recently saw, commenting on what your opinion is of a certain kind of car, proof reading simple documents and more!

RealWritingJobs.com

These companies are fighting for exposure on the internet and know the more people blogging about them, means the more exposure they are going to get, and ultimately the more money they are going to make.

There has been an explosion in the need for online writers,
regardless of skill. These companies are more interested in your honest genuine opinions when you're writing blog entries about their company... not if you are a very talented writer.

If you're a writer looking for work, or just want to make some part time money on the side, you might want to check out the jobs they have available.

They are currently accepting inquiries from interested individauls. You can sign up below.

RealWritingJobs.com

Forwarded From:
Lisa Roberts
Director of HR

Fiction Writing Tip - Use Your Own Experiences

2010-12-08T22:13:00.000-06:00

Writing Fiction Based on Life's Experiences
By Lara Wellen

People often think of their own imagination as too lacking to write good fiction. But the fact is that many great works of fiction started out as a real event in someone's life, and not just purely from their imagination.

We've all experienced good times and bad times, and these are the experiences that we remember the most. Think of an event that you remember very well, whether it was positive or negative. Then, think of how that event came to be, and then think of what happened afterwards.

Now, think of the people who were involved in that timeline.

Each person involved has a personality, a character, an attitude. They brought in their own experiences, their own upbringing, and they added something to the timeline that lead to the event. Each person is a smaller story within the larger story.

When writing a work of fiction, these people don't have to have the same names as they had in real life, and they don't have to be the exact same personalities. You can accentuate them to bring out flaws, conflicts, humor, passion, and all the qualities that make interesting characters.

I often start with a real event that happened in my life and then imagine what would have happened if I had done something different. Where would I be today if I had stopped, or turned left, or decided not to go somewhere. To figure things out, you need to understand the friends in your life. If you were in their shoes, what would they have done, and how would their actions contribute to the plot?

You can work out various scenarios just to spark some imagination, develop the subplots, and find material to make a plain story more interesting.

Most of the fiction I've written is based on my life. I take a single event I remembered, and often make that the climax of the story, and then work out various scenarios to creatively write out the events leading up to the climax, and the events that happen afterwards. The main character of the story is always myself. I use my real personality as the basis of that character and I fantasize on how things could have been different to make it more interesting.

What's interesting is how you often end up living out in real life the story you're writing!

Lara Wellen has written books, short stories, and articles for more than 20 years under various pen names, and has ghost written many more. She's currently writing a fiction serial based partly on her life: http://fulltimelara.blogspot.com.

Article Source: Writing Fiction Based on Life's Experiences
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Publish Articles Online

Article Marketing Tips from A Guy Who Runs a Huge Article Directory

2010-11-25T14:32:00.000-06:00

Article Marketing 101: The Perfect Author Resource Box
By Christopher Knight

If you want to really make your article "SELL" then you've got to craft the perfect RESOURCE BOX. This is the "author bio" that is below your article body and it's also known as your "SIG" (short for SIGnature).

Here are the essential items that should be in your RESOURCE BOX:

Your Name: You'd be amazed at how many folks forget to include their name in the RESOURCE BOX. Your name and optional title should be the first thing in your resource box.

Your Website Address: in valid URL form. Example: rel=nofollow http://Your-Company-Name.com/

Your Elevator Pitch: This is 1 to 3 sentences that encapsulates the essence of what makes you and your offering unique. Also known as your USP (Unique Selling Proposition).

Your Call To Action: You've got them warmed up and now it's time to lead them to BUY from you or visit your website. This is where you "Ask For The Sale." Best to only give (1) specific call to action.

Here are some optional items you could include in your RESOURCE BOX:

Your Ezine Subscription Address: While getting your interested visitor to surf your website is nice, capturing their email address can help you begin the confidence/trust process. If you're going to do this strategy, include a URL for your ezine subscription address and do not use an email address for the "join" address.

Your Contact Information: Such as your business phone number or how to reach you for interviews or your press/media kit. Keep in mind that article marketing is a timeless strategy and you may not have an easy ability to retract what you put in your article once it hits major distribution.

A Free Report: This could also be part of your call to action or your free bonus report that further enhances your credibility as the expert on the topic of your article.

Your email autoresponder: I'm not a big fan of this strategy due to the fact that spammers will text-extract your autoresponder address and add it to their spam list. Perhaps this strategy was best for the 1990's and has now run its course.

An anchor URL that is related to one keyword or keyword phrase that you want to build SEO strength for. Example: if I wanted to build search engine relevance/strength for the term " rel=nofollow Article Marketing," I'd link up that term in my resource box to my website. This is an intermediate to advanced level strategy and should not be abused by over-doing it. Keep it simple.

What NOT to include in your RESOURCE BOX:

A listing of every website you own. There is no faster way to dilute your credibility than by posting a half dozen irrelevant URLs that have nothing to do with each other. Best to only post ONE URL that is related to the topic of your article.

A listing of every accomplishment you've achieved to date. No one cares. Keep your resource box brief and to the point. Yes, your resource box should be benefit oriented so that the reader finds value in reading it rather than your ego being justified.

Advertisements or pitches for products that are not relevant to the topic of your article.

Keep the size of your resource box so that it's no larger than 15% of your total article size. Too often I see resource boxes that are 50% of the size of the total article and this is abusive.

Your Perfect Resource Box Conclusion:

The BODY of your article is where you "GIVE" and the RESOURCE BOX is where you get to "TAKE" for your article marketing gift of information. The resource box is the "currency of payment" you receive for giving away your article. Be sure to include your name, website address, your unique selling proposition as briefly as possible and a simple call to action.

About The Author:

Christopher M. Knight invites you to submit your best quality original articles for massive exposure to the high-traffic http://EzineArticles.com/ expert author community. When you submit your articles to EzineArticles.com, your articles will be picked up by ezine publishers who will reprint your articles with your content and links intact giving you traffic surges to help you increase your sales. To submit your article, setup a membership account today: http://EzineArticles.com/submit/

(c) Copyright - Christopher M. Knight. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Article Source: Article Marketing 101: The Perfect Author Resource Box
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Article Marketing Submission

What Should You Write About?

2010-11-14T09:37:00.000-06:00

Write true. Write what you know. Open the vein and let it pour out, said Faulkner.

I have always believed these widely known, often repeated pearls of writing wisdom to mean a good writer should somehow write about their own life, delving into their most painful memories, using glimpses of the things they have actually seen or done, even in fiction. That is, until today.

While I have been told by many that I should write a book about my life, my childhood in particular, that is something I am just not ready to do. At least not yet.

I have shied away from writing anything too personal, particularly the hardest experiences of my life - the experiences that played a major role in shaping who I am, often the experiences I try very hard not to think about. Instead, I choose to write about other people's experiences or realities - whether real or fictional - choosing situations that are as different from my own as possible, or if my own, at least my funnier experiences. Even in my journals I tend to focus on the present, or at least the pleasant.

I distance myself from my writing, and I often feel a little guilty for it, like I am not giving it my all because I want to avoid the pain. After all, aren't real writer's supposed to be angst filled and willing to pour out their tortured souls on paper? Willing to bleed ink?

Over the day's first cup of coffee I was reading "Escaping into the Open - The Art of Writing True" by Elizabeth Berg. I usually do a little reading before I start writing in the morning to help get into a literary frame of mind. During the first chapter she gives a short biography describing how she came to make writing her career, (which sounded very familiar). I was pondering the book's subtitle, wondering, as I often have lately, if I would ever be able to "write true" without actually sharing my own experiences. Suddenly I was blessed with one of those lovely little epiphanies that all writer's occasionally enjoy - that lightening bolt of pure, clear understanding that instantly illuminates a path you didn't know existed. It didn't exactly come from what I was reading, though it may get into this further along in the book, (I am quite anxious to find out and will finish reading it as soon as I finish writing this).

I suddenly understood that "writing true" doesn't mean you have to write about your actual biographical occurrences, the setting and situation is just the wrapping paper. To "write true" means to write about the core of any situation - the anger, envy, joy, grief, shame, loneliness, abandonment, longing, denial, rapture, fear and, of course, love - and the impression it makes on your spirit. Emotional landscapes that most of us have visited and sometimes lived in. Finding the grain of truth in any circumstance your characters are given and how the emotions brought on by those circumstances shape their hearts. It is not the specific experiences that readers usually relate to. Instead, it is the truest, deepest and most profound sentiments that lie behind those experiences - whether it be the humiliation that we wish to keep hidden, or the passion we want to shout from every roof top.

Maybe this is something I would have learned years ago had I experienced a formal writing education, but somehow I don't believe so. This is a realization I was meant to have today. An understanding that will change my writing from this day forward.

I don't have to put down on paper the experiences of my life, but I do have to remember those emotions. That is something I am willing to do.

Timber Shelton is a freelance writer from East TN. You can read more of her work and find out about her freelance writing services at TimberShelton.com.
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Publish Your Articles at SubmitYourArticle.com

Have You Been Thinking About Freelance Article Writing and Publishing?

2010-11-13T07:17:00.000-06:00

Freelance Article Writing - How to Get Started and Make Money Right Away
By Sean R Mize

The idea of having a 9am-5pm job is something that does not appeal to a lot of people. Imagine, you will need to spend 1-3 hours to drive to and from your office and if you're one of the unlucky ones, you will also need to endure the pain of office politics. These are just some of the reasons why more and more individuals (particularly moms) are now considering making money through the internet. They get to spend more time with their kids, they get to have direct control over their working hours, and they earn well.

If you think that this career is something that will compliment your skills and your preferred lifestyle, let me help you get started and later on, succeed in this endeavor. Here's what you need to do:

First, ensure that you know the ins and outs of writing articles for online users. Remember, writing internet articles is far different from writing essays and news articles. It will really help if you take advantage of web article writing seminars or if you hire a mentor to guide you at least for the mean time. Don't worry as mastering the art of writing effective web articles is a relatively easy. I am sure you'll be able to master it in no time at all.

Write several sample articles. It's very important that you have sample articles that you can show to your potential buyers the moment they show their interest in doing business with you. Write a lot of articles preferably on those topics that are currently popular in the online arena. Then, publish them on directories under your real name. You can then just send the link of your author page to your prospective clients. Needless to say, you must make sure that all your sample articles are nothing but impressive.

Join freelancing sites. Make the process of looking for trustworthy buyers and good-paying article writing projects by simply joining freelancing sites like Freelancer, Odesk, and Elance. In these sites, you'll be able to bid on those projects that you find interesting. In addition, you'll have the assurance that you'll get paid as these sites go to great lengths to protect their service providers.

Make sure that you have an edge over your competitors. If you tried bidding on article writing projects, you might already noticed that you're going up against a lot of people. To increase your chances of winning the bid, you must convince your prospective buyers that you're better compare to the people that you're going up against. Show them proof that you can provide them the exact articles that they're looking for. You also have the option of charging less and finishing the project sooner than the specified deadline.

Build good reputation. Slowly create a great reputation on your chosen freelancing site. Keep in mind that your clients will be given a chance to post feedback on your profile. So, you better make sure that you offer them nothing but 100% satisfaction so they'll have nothing but great words for you.

By the way, do you want to learn more about using articles like this to drive traffic to your website and increase online conversions?

If so, I suggest you check this out: article marketing traffic.

Do you want to learn how to build a big online subscriber list fast? Click here: Secrets of List Building

Article Source: Freelance Article Writing - How to Get Started and Make Money Right Away
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Publish Articles Online

Are You Considering Article Marketing?

2010-11-10T14:56:00.000-06:00

Launching an Article Marketing Campaign for More Traffic
By Yoav Rosenberg

So what is article marketing?

Put very simply, article marketing is an online marketing strategy that requires you to create content-rich articles on topics that relate to your topic with links to your website embedded in them. I know this seems overwhelming at first, but it will make perfect since once you are able to get your head around the concept.

The theory behind article marketing is that you build credibility on a specific topic (the topic associated with your website) and then give readers valuable content on the topic. Your content will make you an authority on the topic in your reader's eyes. Hopefully, you will provide enough value that the reader will want to click on the link (to your website) to learn more on the topic or view products discussed in the article.

Let's stop talking about it and get to work! Follow these detailed steps to launch the most effective article marketing campaign possible:

1. Determine two keywords or keyword phrases associated with your website that you think people will put into search engines to find what they are looking for. These words can include your location and a brief description of your business or niche. For example, "Los Angeles drycleaners" or "Daytona book stores".

2. Write five articles on topics associated with the topic of your website and insert your specific keywords throughout the articles. Each keyword should appear two to three times throughout the article. Articles should be at least 500 words in length. Make sure that these articles are valuable to the reader and present them with information that they probably don't know.

3. Create a new, free member account at ezine.com. You can use a pen name (fake name) to create these accounts. You can make the "authority" on the topic whoever you want. For example, the author of your articles can be "Jake Smith", who has eight years of experience in your particular industry.

4. Complete the profile section with details about the author you have decided on. Add a picture (real or fake) to your profile. This will build your credibility.

5. Submit each of the five articles to ezine.com. The website has a detailed description of how to do this. Start by clicking on "Submit New Article." You will be prompted to enter information about the article, like the author, topic and even a short description that will entice readers to click on your article.

6. Copy and paste your valuable article into the "body" portion of the page. Make sure that it is formatted how you want readers to see it.

7. Enter your specific keyword phrases and any others into the box labeled "keywords". This will cause your article to pop up when someone searches for these particular keywords.

8. Then you will see the author's resource box. This is your time to shine and your opportunity to insert links to your free website. It is important that you execute this part of the campaign correctly. You need to come up with two to three sentences that state your experience on the topic and promote your site. You will need to use HTML code to make the links live. The resources on the site will tell you how to do this. Use your keywords as your anchor text in these links.

9. Click on "submit your article" and you are finished. Ezine.com editors review all articles and this process can take up to a week. Your article will go live on the site after it has been approved.

10. Once your article is live, you can monitor the views it has received and how many times people have clicked on the link. This will show you if your articles are effective in driving traffic to your website.

There you have it. That is a very small, but effective, blueprint for launching an article marketing campaign. Remember, you can continuously add articles to drive more traffic and even submit the same articles to a variety of different article submission sites.

Now get to creating content, because there is traffic out there waiting to visit your site!

Yoav Rosenberg is a amateur photographer, art enthusiast and article writer. he works as freelance SEO and SEM specialist,He is interested in expanding his knowledge on free website and is excited to contribute his own tips on the subject.

Article Source: Launching an Article Marketing Campaign for More Traffic
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Want more traffic? Start an article marketing campaign.

Kobayashi Issa - Pillar of Haiku

2010-11-03T08:18:00.000-05:00

Kobayashi Issa - The Third Pillar of Japanese Haiku
By Ashraful Musaddeq

Kobayashi Issa is the third pillar of Japanese haiku. Matsuo Basho, Yosa Buson and Masaoka Shiki are the three rest pillars. Kobayashi Nobuyki (Issa, childhood name Kobayashi Yataro) was born in Kashiwabara, Shinano province (now Nagano prefecture, Japan) on June 15 1763. His father was a farmer. His mother died at two and he was cared for by his grandmother. His father remarried five years later.

At the death of his grandmother in 1776, Issa felt alienated in his own house, a lonely, moody child who preferred to wander the fields. His stepmother mistreated him. During this period, he started to study haiku under a local poet, Shimpo.

During 1777, he was sent to Edo (Tokyo) where he studied haiku under masters Mizoguchi Sogan and Norokuan Chikua (died 1790). He worked as a clerk at a Buddhist temple. In 1791, he was to be given a teaching post at a school but lasted just a year after it became clear that his modern style of haiku did not suit the clerical confines that were expected from him.

In 1793, he gave up Yataro and took pen name Issa and traveled two years extensively through southwestern Japan. On his return to Edo (now Tokyo) in 1795, his first collection Tabishui 1795 published. His father died in 1801 and he came back home.

He visited most of the prominent Japanese cities of the day over the next few years, publishing the following collections to recount his travels. In 1808, he went home on foot. His relatives and local priests mediated in the hopes of bringing about a settlement but in vain. In December, he tramped back to Edo.

In 1812, Issa again returned to his native village and after long disputes with his stepmother and stepbrother he was allowed to inherit the property. He married in 1815, at his age 51- her name was Kiku and she was 27. He enjoyed the reputation of the leader of the haiku world in northern Shinano.

During 1816 to 1823, his four sons and one daughter was born and died within one year and his wife also died in 1823. Issa remarried at age 61 in 1825 and new wife Yuki or Iki came from a local samurai family. After three months she returned home and he divorced her. In 1826, he married Yao third time and a daughter born just after his death in 1827.

Issa's property of Kashiwabara was destroyed by fire on July 24 1827 and he had to live in a storehouse, which is still kept in the town. According to the Western Calendar, Issa died on January 5 1828 in his native village of Kashiwabara, Shinano province (present-day Nagano prefecture). But according to the old Japanese calendar, he died on November 19, 1827.

Though he is the best-loved of the haiku master, he is a blooming misfortune with melancholic profile. He lost mother at early age, stepmother mistreated him, he suffered from poverty, his children died one after another and unhappy was his second marriage.

Issa wrote over 20,000 haiku, hundreds of tanka, and several haibun (prose + haiku)- his poems reflected the small joys of life and childlike simplicity. Making liberal use of local dialects and conversational phrases made him admired. His famous haibun are Oraga Haru (My Spring) and Shichiban Nikki (Number Seven Journal). He collaborated on more than 250 renku. He treated his subjects with humor, excelling particularly at affectionate portrayals of such creatures as fleas, frogs and sparrows. Now his poems on animals and insects are learned by every schoolchild in Japan. His other famous works are Chichi No Shuen Nikki (1801- The Diary at My Father's Death) and Oragaharu (1819- The Year of My Life)

His selected works are: Tabishui, 1795, Chichi no Shuen Nikki, 1801, Kyowakujo, 1803, Shichiban-Nikki, 1810, Waga Harushu, 1811, Hachiban-Nikki, 1818, Orga Haru, 1819 - The Year of My Life, Kuban-Nikki, 1822, Bunka-Kujo, 1840, The Autumn Wind: A Selection from the Poems of Issa, 1984 (introduction by Lewis MacKenzie),The Dumpling Field, 1991, Issa: Cup-Of-Tea Poems: Selected Haiku of Kobayashi Issa, 1991 (trans. by David G. Lanoue), The Spring of My Life: And Selected Haiku, 1997 (trans. by Sam Hamill).

Author is a public servant, as well as a poet of Bangladesh. He used to write poems in English and Bengali. Interested person can contract him at mnsf5@yahoo.com.

Article Source: Kobayashi Issa - The Third Pillar of Japanese Haiku

Poets from Around the World - an Urdu Poet

2010-11-01T07:46:00.000-05:00

Urdu Poet - Mirza Ghalib
By Asad Asrar

Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan, known to us as Mirza Ghalib, is undoubtedly one of the greatest, if not the greatest name exalting the stature of Urdu literature in general and Urdu poetry in particular by his absolute brilliance in expression of his highly intellectual, philosophical and visionary mindset, glittering the "Ghazal" genre of Urdu poetry with everlasting fame. He is rightly referred as the last classical and the first modern poet of Urdu language, not only taking the great literary legacy handed over to him by his predecessor Urdu poets of great expertise and fame to its pinnacle but also laid strong foundations of new trends and styles ever to dominate Urdu poetry and literature.

Fate handed him over to the parents of Turkish descent settled at Agra (former subcontinent) in 1797, the precise date subject to debate as yet. He saw the demise of two of the most dominant male figures in family life of an Indian Muslim of those times which had significant influences on his upbringing and mental posture, inculcating an ambivalent nature into his being, evident not only from his varied lifestyle but clearly mirrored in his poetry as well.

On one end, it evolved a free independent spirit into him that ultimately played a significant role in freeing Urdu poetry from the confining shackles of tradition and convention, exposing totally new, diverse and realistic dimensions to broaden the horizons of Urdu poetry. On the other end a sense of deprivation and dependency marred his psychology for being dependent on his maternal grandparents socially and economically. His inclination towards finding a permanent and secure source of livelihood all his life so desperately can help us surmise some of his early thoughts about his being.

Marriage, an important event in everybody's life, was dawned upon Ghalib at a tender age of 13, to a girl almost aged same, from a noble and wealthy family settled in Delhi. This took him moving to Delhi as well. This incident brought nothing more than a bit of financial bliss to his life. As far as his marital well being is concerned, it was always on tantrums, very likely to be a part and parcel of such an early marriage.

His marriage however, played a great role in maturing him as a human being with firm, diverse and somewhat complex ideologies towards life greatly shared and expressed with masses through his Urdu poetry with brilliance yet to find match. Most of what is known to us today as his substantially completed literary works in Urdu was developed by 1816, when Ghalib saw only 19 years of his life.

The diversity, depth, versatility and wholesomeness one sees in his poetry at an age as meager as 19 years is a proof enough of his intellect and caliber, expressed explicitly through his poetry with a craftsmanship and brilliance yearned by all but mastered by none.

He left indelible marks not only in Urdu poetry alone but bestowed a unique and everlasting style of prose, gaining mass acceptance in years to follow, through his letters to his mates and family members.

Literary masterpieces of Ghalib are it prose or poetry, shall undoubtedly serve strong inspiration to Urdu lovers throughout its history.

Asad have keen interest in Urdu poetry and Urdu literature. Asad have read many books on Urdu literature which forced him to continue studying and exploring Urdu. Feel free to contact Asad at asad_asrar@yahoo.com.

Article Source: Urdu Poet - Mirza Ghalib

Short Biography of a Poet

2010-10-27T16:27:00.000-05:00

Poetry Contest of the Day - WinningWriters.com

The Poet: Octavio Paz

By Pollux Parker

A prominent figure in Mexican literature, Octavio Paz was known for his surreal works which were mostly poems and essays. Some of his writings were also influenced by Marxism. His interest towards literature was said to have sprung from his exposure to the library of his grandfather, also a prominent liberal and a novelist.

Paz started writing at an early age and was said to be influenced by poets such as Gerardo Diego and Juan Ramon Jimenez among others. One of his longest poems was Entre la Piedra y Flor (Between the Stone and the Flower), which was about the oppression experienced by Mexican peasants under their landlords. Other notable works of Paz include El Laberinto de la Soledad (The Labyrinth of Solitude), which speaks of the Mexican identity, and the El Mono Gramatico (The Grammarian Monkey) and the Ladera este (Eastern Slope) which he both wrote in India where he stayed as a Mexican ambassador. Aside from India, Paz also travelled to Spain to express his opposition to fascism, to U.S.A., Tokyo, and Geneva.

Paz founded many literary newsletters such as Barandal (a literary review) in 1932, Taller (co-founded) in 1938 and the magazine Plural in 1969 together with other Latin American writers. He also founded Vuelta after the Mexican government stopped the publication of Plural.

Many of his works were translated into different languages. In 1990, he won the Nobel Prize for Literature. Prior to that, he received the Cervantes Award in 1981 and the American Neustadt Prize in 1982. The poet lived for 84 years and died on 1998 from cancer.

Pollux Parker is an adventurer who loves discovering secret island getaways in each country he visits. Pollux also likes to collect Mexico flag and buy cheap Mexico flag.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pollux_Parker

http://EzineArticles.com/?The-Poet:-Octavio-Paz&id=5274676

Are You a Beginning Poet? Tips for Beginners.

2010-10-08T20:11:00.000-05:00

Easy Guide on Writing Poems for Beginners
By Joseph Pressley

One of the methods wherein you can express what you think and feel is by writing poems. Some people use it as a profession and make money out of it while others just consider it as a hobby. If you are just a beginner in this kind of craft, you might need to follow this brief guideline on how to effectively do it. In time, you will get used to it and you will realize that it is a fun and healthy form of release.

As a beginner, before you will start writing, you must first specify what you want to write about. The entertaining thing about poetry is that you can write about anything. You can talk about your latest experiences like the feeling of going to college and how you were surprised when your mother gave you a pink stun gun. Other than that you can also write about what you feel today. Whether you are in love, sad, mad or happy, these emotions can be your source of motivation to write a poem.

An outline of what you will write can be an effective strategy for starters like you. You can construct headings which you think would be a good thing to talk about on the stanzas of your poem. Try to make a list of the possible words that you will use or the descriptions that you have in mind in order to make your poem pleasing to read or hear. A thesaurus near you would be recommended because it can come in handy when you write about anything.

Moreover, you need to know more about the different types of poetry. Just like the stun guns, poems are also designed in different ways and it depends upon the writer on what works well for him or her. Try to know more about how to construct each type and decide which one fits your writing style. But usually, when you are just starting to know more about this craft, you can begin by going for the free-verse type or the one which requires you to rhyme the words at the end.

After that, you can now start writing. Whether you choose to use the rhyming style of poetry or other forms, you must be motivated and inspired to write. Let your ideas flow and just write anything that comes on your mind. Once done, read what you have written all over again and make necessary improvements. You can also read it out loud to a close friend or any member in the family and ask about their opinions. You will be able to hone your skill in writing poems if you listen to the feedback of others.

This is an easy guide that you can follow especially when you are just a novice in writing poems. In time you will be able to have your own style of writing and you are already wise on your choice of words. Just continue to practice and do not be afraid to write about anything.

Joseph Pressley is a certified TASER instructor and the co-founder of BestStunGun.com which provides non-lethal self defense products such as [http://www.beststungun.com/all.html]stun guns, TASERs and pepper sprays. Discover how stun guns and TASERs can save your life. Receive a free report on Top 10 Self Defense Secrets Everyone Needs To Know. Limited amount available. Visit us and get your own copy now http://www.beststungun.com

Article Source: Easy Guide on Writing Poems for Beginners

Effective Writing - Learning Resources

2010-10-07T15:22:00.000-05:00

Stephen Lau believes that you can learn effective writing.

He begins with the understanding that many wish they could write better, and the idea that better writing skills can be taught. His concept is that learning the basics of writing and then practicing them can help prospective writers increase and improve their writing abilities.

Of course, any bookstore, including online bookstores, have all kinds of books on how to become a better writer. However, for many, there can be just too much information!

Where do you start to learn effective writing? How do you choose the best learning resources which can help you become a better writer?

Stephen Lau has written a simple, yet comprehensive, easy to read handbook for writers. Mr. Lau assumes that most potential writers will proceed best as we did as children, learning to crawl, walk, and then run.

So, who is Stephen Lau, and why does his advice matter?

Stephen Lau was born and educated in Hong Kong. There, he earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Hong Kong. He then studied in Singapore and the United Kingdom, where he also earned a linguistic qualification from the University of Cambridge.

Prior to coming to the United States, he taught English and Communication at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

He has now lived in the United States for many years. He is married, with one daughter, who is now an attorney in Washington, D.C.

His hobbies are writing, painting, and collecting antiques.

He is also interested in health and has written extensively on that topic. Along the way, he became aware of the difficulties facing those who wanted to write, and wanted to learn how to write well, but were not sure where to start.

This led him to create his book for those who want to learn how to write, and write well: Effective Writing Made Simple.

To learn more about Stephen Lau and many of his works, please visit www.stephencmlau.com.

About a Writer from the 18th Century - Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

2010-09-14T18:36:00.000-05:00

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe - Germany's Greatest Poet
By Pollux Parker

Born on August 28, 1749, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German poet and polymath and regarded by many as the Greatest Poet in Germany and one of the most significant thinkers of the Western Culture. His works extend to a number of various fields from poetry to drama to theology, literature, philosophy, and even science.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was the son of Johann Caspar Goethe and Catharina Elisabeth Textor. The young Goethe grew up in a large house located in Frankfurt, Germany receiving lessons from private tutors who introduced him to various languages such as Greek, Latin, English, and French. He also took up riding, fencing, and dancing lessons and has passion for drawing.

Goethe's "Magnum Opus," a drama with two parts, is considered as one of the most important literary works. He has also written poems such as "Bildungsroman Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship" and his novel "The Sorrows of Young Werther." In addition, he wrote "Theory of Colours" where his ideas about plants and animal's morphology and homology were used and further developed by known scientists such as Charles Darwin. Goethe was also considered an important figure of German literature and the Weimar Classicism movement during the late 18th century.

Displaying great interest in literatures from different countries such as France, Persia, England, Arab world, classical Greece, and more, Goethe was also credited for being the originator of the Weltliteratur concept (world literature). Aside from his interest in literature, Goethe's influence on German philosophy is also widespread, having influenced the generations of Schelling and Hegel.

Pollux Parker is an adventurer who loves discovering secret island getaways in each country he visits. Pollux also likes to collect German flag and buy German flag for sale.

Article Source: Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe - Germany's Greatest Poet

Poetry Dates Back to 4000 BC

2010-08-12T06:28:00.000-05:00

By William Williford

Poetry dates back to 4000 B.C. and started out as simply a form of song and recital with being orally spoken. Poetry started out as a way to preserve history, folklore, stories, genealogy, and law through various scenarios such as recordings. Poetry appears among the earliest records of most literate cultures.

The oldest surviving poem is the Epic of Gilgamesh, which was written on clay tablets from the Mesopotamia period. Most believe that the poems represent legends of the Sumer, which is the earliest known civilization in the world; the poems also consisted of their mythological king Gilgamesh.

En-hedu-ana (Enheduana) is the earliest known poet. She was a princess from the Akkadian period 2285 B.C. - 2250 B.C. she also was known as a high priestess of the Moon God Nanna in UR. Her collection of religious works is untitled and is referred to as Hymns To Inanna.

In ancient history the development of Poetics was formed. (Poetics) is the study of the Aesthetics of poetry which evolved to separate poetry by Form and to distinguish good poetry from bad. Aristotle's Poetics separated the art form into three classifications being Epic, Comic, and Tragic also set up a law of rules to separate the highest quality from each class. Then later came along a new breed of thinkers that changed the classifications to Epic, Lyric, and Dramatic and developed two sub-classifications under Dramatic Poetry being Tragedy and Comedy.

Poets of today usually write poetry in the modern form of Prose Poem and Free Verse. Prose poetry adds raised emotion and imagery the prose form was used quite often by the French from the 19th into the 20th century. Free verse poetry breaks all the rules of rhyme, meter or any other musical style staying away from any type of rhythm or rhyme in most poems.

For more info. and free poems submission please visit our newly launched poetry site.

Article Source: Poetry Dates Back to 4000 BC

Publishing and Promoting Your Book and Developing Spin Off Products

2010-08-10T07:13:00.000-05:00

By Gini Graham Scott

One way to monetize a book is to develop different products that might be targeted to different publishing avenues, including traditional publishing, a distribution deal with a major publisher, and self-publishing and distribution. Additionally, some books lend themselves to licensed products and branding.

A traditional publisher is great for retail book channels. But otherwise, you can market the book directly without having to split the royalties with the publisher or give them a cut of distribution. You can work with a fulfillment house to handle the details of orders. Also, you can base your print run on actual orders and go back for an additional print run, rather than planning for an initial print run of a large number of copies unless you make your sales target.

Marketing a Niche Version of Your Book

If you develop a niche version of the book, such as a how to guide or collection of chapters featuring profiles of different people in an industry, that can be most effectively marketed through direct selling and self-publishing, rather than through a deal with a traditional publisher. You will earn more and have more control, especially if you are already selling directly to this market. You don't need to create an expensive PR campaign to reach this market, since such a campaign is much broader in scope than is necessary to reach a targeted audience.

You can reach this targeted market through obtaining lists of people in your field and doing direct sales through e-mails; participating in workshops and seminars for this market (and possibly getting paid for such participation); and doing an e-mail blast to the media interested in this subject, such as provided by PR Wire, Business Wire, and PR and Networking Connection, which can reach 20,000+ media contacts. Another approach might be working with a small PR firm, in one of the major cities or in your metro area. Retainers average about $2000-5000 a month.

You might also create a bulk sales plan, where you target particular companies or organizations in your field and get them to commit to a certain number of purchases for their employees or members. This approach is best for a self-published book, where you get the money for the sales and don't have to share that with the publisher. If you have pre-sales, be sure to obtain formal commitments from those who have agreed to purchase the book and at what price.

Finding a Publisher for a More Popular Version of Your Book

Besides creating a more specialized niche book, you might create a version of your book with broad appeal, such as a popular business or self-help book, for the traditional publishing market. This way, rather than only having a specialized book for those in the field, this popular version would be targeted to a much broader market. In such a case, the publisher normally handles the publicity, and you coordinate your own PR efforts with the publisher. Commonly, publishers want and even expect you to do this extra PR.

If you are going to approach traditional publishers, use a common book proposal format, in which you have a 10-12 page introductory section and a couple of sample chapters. Commonly, this introductory section will include these major sections:
• a 3-4 page overview of book,
• a market research section featuring other books in your field and your comments on how your book is different or better,
• a promotional section on your past PR and what you will do in the future,
• an "About the Author" section,
• a plan of the book in which you indicate the length of the book and when and how you will do it,
• and a chapter by chapter outline.

The competitive and comparative titles are typically combined together in a market research section of the proposal. If you have sales figures or Amazon rankings for these books that would be helpful. Typically, it is best to focus on the most recent books organized in reverse chronological order, though include any books that are still selling well.

If you have any PR clips, you can include this. If you have testimonials from top people in your field, include them in your proposal, too, and in the promotional materials for the book. If you have published previous books, highlight their sales if they have done well, since traditional publishers are concerned with prior sales figures - and they will use that to help them estimate sales projections for your book. Then, include one to two sample chapters.

Commonly, the advances for most books are around $10,000-20,000, which includes the popular self-help and business genres. The royalties are around 10-15% on the retail for a hard cover, 8-10% of the net for a paperback, though you might receive more with a strong proposal. If the book does very well, you will get much more in the long run.

Generally, though the manuscript is first considered by an acquisitions editor, senior editor, or other type of acquiring editor, the most important review now is now by marketing. Essentially, the editors recommend what books they would like to edit. But the decision on what to publish rests with an editorial committee and marketing.

Even if you have outlined your anticipated sales based on your own marketing and PR effort in the proposal, the editors and marketing people will make their own analysis of how well the book will do. So, for example, even if you think the book will sell 1 to 2 million with all of your PR and direct sales efforts, the editors and marketing people will generally be much more conservative in their evaluation, and base their review on what other books in this genre more normally sell - more commonly about 5000-20,000 copies, or on what the author has previously sold. However, if the author doesn't already have a very strong track record - say 50,000 or more in sales, that won't count for much, and could even be a negative. Publishers may also want to test the waters with a limited marketing campaign and first run to see if this is going to be one of those break-out books, but the advance will be based on average sales of books in this category.

If you are buying books from your publisher yourself, the publisher will generally sell the books at a retail or wholesale discount of 40-55% if you have a retail seller's license -- or at an author's discount of around 40% with no advance. By contrast, if you are self-publishing the book, you will make about 70-80% on each book, which typically costs about 20% of the retail price. This is why if you expect to sell a lot more through your sales from direct selling, you might do better to publish that version of the book yourself.

Generally, publishers look for books that are around 250-350 pages. Thus, if your book is a very long and comprehensive, it is usually better to organize it into two or three books or into a series of shorter books. In some cases, you can use the extra material, such as interviews with prominent people featured in your book, as an extra download for buyers or as a promotional incentive for prospective buyers to learn about and then buy your book.

Doing Publicity for Your Book

If you can do any advance publicity for the book, so much the better. And if you have gotten presales for a specialized version of the book, point this up, too, since this can help you get a larger advance on a general interest version. Or if you already have significant pre-sales, consider going the self-publishing or distribution route, rather than seeking a traditional royalty deal with a publisher, since you will make more.

For your PR campaign, it is best to keep your costs down, before you invest a very large sum in PR, such as $100,000 to 200,000 with one of the biggest PR firms. A reason for being cautious is that while you can target major publications, there are no guarantees with PR that you will get the media to pick up your story or if they do that this will translate into book sales. Thus, if you have a limited budget, it can be better to do a pilot campaign in one or two key markets to see if you get traction, and which PR efforts have the most results (such as radio, magazines, or newspapers), before investing a huge sum. You can also keep your expenses down by doing a press release blast through a company like the PR Wire or the PR and Network Connection that goes out to thousands of editors, to supplement the more individualized efforts of a PR person making calls to a small number of targeted contacts.

While you are testing the initial response of the media and whether media appearances convert into sales, you can use radio and TV hookups, as well as phone interviews with the print media, rather than expensive tours, which have high costs for travel and daily expenses, in addition to what the PR firm is charging to set up appearances. Then, too, if the people featured in your book live in targeted media areas, you can invite them to be available, rather than traveling personally to every city.

If you are already selling direct to your target market, you don't need an expensive PR campaign to reach that market.

Finally, any PR campaign today should include the social media, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, where you create a targeted campaign through these networks. This has become an important strategy now. Though many traditional media firms don't include the social media in their usual promotional outreach, many specialty firms do, and the costs of such a campaign, done right, can be substantially less than a campaign to the traditional media, though ideally do both.

Using Additional Material for Other Products

An alternative to including extra material with your book or as an incentive to buy it, is using this extra material as part of a series of products that are monetized, such as creating a CD with advice or a short PDF that can be sold through an ad campaign or an e-book sold through various platforms. What you can do will depend on what rights you retain if you sell a popular version of the book to a traditional publisher. The rights you retain on the interests of the publisher and what you negotiate.

For example, some traditional publishers might want to market your book as a stand-alone item and not be interested in the online bonuses. Or they might like to use these extras as introductory incentives to get PR for the book. Or if you have the rights to these materials, you can market them yourself.
If your book is appropriate, think about the film and TV potential, too, since you might be able to pitch this material separately, as a feature, documentary, or TV series. If so, try to keep the rights for audio and visual rights to your book, so you can monetize this yourself, rather than sharing with a publisher - typically a 50-50 split.

If possible, beyond a written proposal, create a professionally done pilot, trailer, or sizzle reel to show what this feature, documentary, or TV series will be like. This will help you in selling the program to a network, film producer, or DVD distributor. They typically want to see an example, not just a proposal. You can easily find videographers to create the video - either in your city or through various online and printed directories of video services.

Finally, you might package the extra material on a CD or DVD, such as a collection of interviews, how-to materials, and short videos. You might include this material as a bonus for book purchases or sell this as a stand-alone product. Then, this can be an ideal product to upsell to those who already have the book and want to know more, or you can sell it to others who have not yet bought the book. Or perhaps offer a package price for the book and CD or DVD together.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Gini Graham Scott, PhD, is the author of over 50 books, specializing in work relationships, professional and personal development, popular culture, and social trends. She also consults with clients on how to write and publish their own books, and does ghostwriting and co-writing for clients. She is also a script writer and short film producer, with several projects in development and post-production, and writes scripts for others, too. Her Websites are at http://www.changemakerspublishingandwriting.com and http://www.ginigrahamscott.com.

Article Source: Publishing and Promoting Your Book and Developing Spin Off Products

Free Ebook: Article Writing Tips and Marketing Secrets

2010-07-21T06:50:00.000-05:00

FREE EBOOK
Article Writing Tips
And Marketing Secrets for Non-Writers

ABOUT THE BOOK

First of all, it's free. Just click on the cover or the link above, and you can download your free copy in PDF format (you will need Adobe Reader to read it). You can save it to your computer. If you are a PC, like me, right click and "save target as". Once the download is complete, you can read and re-read it as often as you like. I don't know how you MAC's do it, but here's the bare link http://www.viralebookexplosion.com/
myebooks/41708/affSphere.pdf.

This free ebook is intended for writers, and would-be writers, who might want to try their hand at article marketing. Article marketing is one of the most effective, yet least expensive, methods of selling almost anything online. It is also a great method for a beginning writer to get practice and exposure.

The book contains eight chapters:

1. Article Marketing Explained
2. The 4 Things ALL Articles Must Have
3. How to Create an Outline For All of Your Article
4. 5 Easy Ways To Get Your Creative Juices Going
5. What to Do Before Submitting To Article Directories
6. Red Hot Tips To Get Your Articles Read
7. Writing a Resource Box that Makes People Click
8. If You Hate Writing Articles…

You can view this free ebook on article marketing here.

Article Writing Guide - Traffic Generation For Small Business Owners on a Shoe String Budget

2010-07-05T17:10:00.000-05:00

By Darren K Chow

As a small business owner, every single cent counts. That is why it's important to focus on cost effective marketing solutions. If you are spending money on advertising but your investment is not generating a positive return, it's very easy to run into cash flow problems. Article marketing can be a highly cost effective solution. Here is a guide on how to get started with article writing.

Step 1: Pick just one top article directory and register for an account. Don't spend time trying to come up with a list of article directories... at least not yet. It's important that you get started right away with just one article directory. You can publish your content on other sites later if you want. The goal is to get a good feel of how article marketing works.

Step 2: Pick a topic that you are already familiar with and start writing. You first few articles may be rejected as you may not be familiar with the editorial guidelines. But that's alright as long as you are learning and picking up the lessons. Start with topics that you are familiar with so that you don't have to spend time researching for information. You should be able to complete the article within 30 minutes. If you are taking more than 30 minutes to write just one article, you are taking too much time.

Step 3: Remember to include links! At the end of the article, I sometime see new writers forgetting to include clickable links. Links will lead to clicks, and it's clicks you are looking for. Every article you submit has the potential to generate hundreds (even thousands) of clicks. How much did you spend on writing the article? You spent nothing except for a few precious minutes of your time.

Wait! There is more!

Brand new article writing guide is available for instant download. - Use this link for a special discount!

In this article writing guide, I will show you the exact system I use to write over 400 articles in a single month.

Article Source: Article Writing Guide - Traffic Generation For Small Business Owners on a Shoe String Budget

Japanese Flowering Cherry Tree

2009-09-27T21:18:00.000-05:00

By Elaine Friend

My timing was perfect, even if the place was not as I imagined. How could two cities be so different yet share something so distinct as to make them like sisters in a family? There was no doubt in my mind that it was the cherry blossoms that created the illusion before me - an illusion of something Japanese, in a place as American as New York City. Today was the annual Sakura Matsuri or cherry blossom festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden where more than 200 cherry trees were in full bloom. I remembered the Japanese because of the cherry trees.

In this shimmering spring day
Ah, with ever anxious heart
The blossoms are falling...
Ki no Tomonori
Japanese waka poet

What could be more joyful than this moment, when all the Japanese flowering cherry trees or Sakura were bursting with pale pink and white blossoms? I could see the delicate blossoms falling to the ground even before withering out, as if someone had shaken the cherry trees and thrown the petals in the air. The scent of cherries wafted the cool breeze in the garden, blending like a symphony with the laughter of the people who posed under, besides or in front of the cherry trees.

The radiance of cherry blossoms
Their scent, ever fresh with every passing year,
So man grows old, eternally.
Ki no Tomonori
Japanese waka poet

Like any tourist, I admired the cherry blossoms for its aesthetic value, not knowing the Sakura symbolized something more profound to the Japanese. The falling leaves or blossoms are a metaphor for death in Buddhism. That's because the Japanese compared the short life of a cherry blossom to the life of a samurai or warrior who was fully prepared to sacrifice his life in the cause of his master. I thought the samurai was rather like a Christian martyr who was fully prepared to sacrifice his life in the cause of his faith in Jesus.

Myriads of things past
Are brought to my mind -
These cherry blossoms!
Basho Matsuo
Japanese haiku poet

A few days ago, we were at the Senso-ji Temple, in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan where I noticed the cherry blossoms within the courtyard of the famous Buddhist Temple. Our good friend Yachiyo explained a little about the cherry and Buddhism.

"Those are not real anymore but made of plastic," she said. "They are there all year round so that people could hang their prayer petitions under the trees. We don't have a mass like you do. We don't worship a God like you do."

Yes, I did notice several sheets of paper (with characters on it) hanging under the shade of the cherry trees. It was something that even I could relate to. The scene reminded me of how the Jews inserted prayer petitions between the bricks of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Even Catholics have prayer petitions thru lighted candles or written paper that are burned after praying.

From a Buddhist's perspective, however, the cheery tree is a deity and each petal of cherry blossom is a person who sacrifices himself for a certain mission or ideal. It is as simple as the flower will wither, the warrior will die, and the world will fade away.

The rains poured down as I sat to eat our bento lunch underneath a large tent. Surrounded by cherry trees, I understood how people see the world from the perspective of their own faith but regardless of faith, I sensed the connection of mankind to nature and to a higher power above. Yes, immortality was never meant for man on earth but how beautiful it is to know that we have a purpose to strive for and like the Buddhists, we could live well at the moment with eternal spring in our heart.

This year on, forever,
It's all gravy to me now-
Spring arrives.
Issa
Japanese haiku poet http://friendelaine.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elaine_Friend http://EzineArticles.com/?Japanese-Flowering-Cherry-Tree&id=2870868

3 Reasons It's Easy to Become a Web Content Writer

2009-09-07T08:20:00.000-05:00

FACT: Writing web content is one of the easiest ways to make money online.

Why is this so?

1.) Writers are in high demand. If you know where to look, native English speakers who can follow simple instructions can easily start out at ten bucks an article. In six months or less, you should be able to raise your rate to fifteen dollars or more. And with just a little practice, you'll be able to write an article every 20 or 30 minutes--how does $30-$45 per hour sound?

The Internet marketing crowd is the core market that's looking for writing services. 99% of their business models require constant, fresh content for their web sites. And most of them have learned their lesson from outsourcing to India for five bucks an article.

You do need to be able to write like you talk (forget your English classes as they likely did more harm than good in this department!). Aside from that, all you'll need is a good attitude and the ability to set and meet deadlines.

(Clients will take a solid writer who is easy to work with over a difficult-but-brilliant writer any day. Keep a good attitude and don't get flowery with your writing, and you'll be good as gold.)

2.) Content writing is a sustainable business. Unless every English-speaking nation on the planet suddenly gives up capitalism, you are assured web-writing work for as long as you want it. Why?

The short answer is that the web isn't going away any time soon! The long answer is that more and more people are doing their shopping and socializing on the web as time goes on. And this trend isn't likely to reverse itself.

Simply put, more and more commerce is moving from the offline world to the online world. Even the present online economy can support more good writers than it currently has. What's even better is that it will only need more writers in the future!

3.) You don't even need to know how to make a website--or anything else technical. You don't need to be able to program a computer to advertise yourself online. In fact, you don't even need to know basic HTML! There are several FREE online services you can use to create an online web presence that shows your writing abilities.

Sites like Squidoo, Blogger, and Facebook offer no-cost, cut-and-past ways for you to network and advertise your services. You don't need any special skills to use them--if you can use Microsoft Word, you can build a page at any or all of these sites.

If you decide you want your own .com (and eventually, you will), you'll pay about nine bucks a year for the name and seven dollars a month for hosting.

Sites like Hostgator.com come complete with several different programs that let you easily build a templated website in an afternoon--without any technical knowledge at all. The only things you really need to learn are how to market yourself, and where to find clients.

Learn more about: The Content Chef - How to Make Money Online as A Content Writer

Freelance Writing Tips - Suspense

2009-07-26T10:06:00.000-05:00

Integrating Suspense Into Your Writing
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jane_Sumerset]Jane Sumerset

You don't need to be writing fiction to integrate suspense into your work. In fact, a dose of this tension might be exactly what your essay needs to nail that "A" in class (apart from clean writing, of course, courtesy of your English grammar software).

Of course, you don't need to craft a whole tale of dramatic anticipation to make your writing suspenseful. Unless you're writing a piece of fiction, you aren't likely to be that interested in concocting a whole tale that rivals the best on-edge novel from Stephen King. With regular writing, you accomplish the goal of integrating suspense by adding cliffhangers, short bursts of sentences that keep the reader wanting more.

Cliffhangers

You're probably familiar with cliffhangers from movies and TV shows. For instance, one of the main stars is about to reveal his secret identity when the scene is abruptly cut off, panning over instead to another time line. It makes you wonder what the secret identity is, how the other characters will react and so forth. Whatever thoughts spin around in your head isn't really the point - the important part is that it's got you involved.

Writing cliffhangers is pretty much the same way. You set up a possible scene in a paragraph, but leave its actual resolution in another, drawing your readers in to proceed. Peppered across your text, you'll end up creating drama all throughout your copy, getting your readers more and more involved.

When writing cliffhangers, the best way to integrate them is right at the boundary where you will introduce a new topic. In many ways, it can be used as a replacement for a regular paragraph transition, one that's more interesting and noteworthy.

Watch how innovative Grammar Software instantly can improve your writing on a daily basis and learn how advanced NLP technology can help you to write perfect emails, essays, letters or reports. Read more

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jane_Sumerset
http://EzineArticles.com/?Integrating-Suspense-Into-Your-Writing&id=2658813

---------------------------
6 Figure Freelancer System

About the Poet - Adrienne Rich

2009-05-12T15:59:00.000-05:00

Miracle Ice Cream Meets the Milkman - An Ode to Adrienne Rich
By Gerald Marchewka

Entering the private world of a master poet
is indeed a gift from God.

In her lonely room ...

Nuance, alliteration,
heroism, mettle, valor
bravery
and heart;

Colon's, comma's, apostrophe's, periods
exclamation points, question marks
and words.

Red ink is on the ribbon plate

A small blister on her thumb.

During the twentieth century one of the most influential poets is no doubt, Adrienne Rich. As a writer of considerable breath and scope, Rich became a recognized poet at the tender age of twenty-two.

In her last year of college, her first collection of poetry, A Change of World was selected for the Yale Series of Younger Poets Award. Rich was selected by none other than W.H. Auden, the eminent poet who is often considered one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century.

Over the years Rich became noted for the exploration of topics related to gender roles and human sexuality. In 1976, Rich published Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution. This controversial collection of poetry which was hailed by some critics and harshly criticized by others was a declaration of her lesbian identity. A subsequent publication, Dream of a Common Language contained explicit references of sexual desire.

In addition to her poetry, Rich's work was combined with a spirited interest in the social and political issues of her day. She became actively involved in protesting the American War in Vietnam. And she was also a significant figure in the woman's liberation movement.

Rich was a contributing member of the Boston Woman's Fund, the National Writer's Union, Sisterhood in Support of Sister's in South Africa and the New Jewish Agenda.

Gerald Marchewka is an American freelance writer currently staying in Siem Reap, Cambodia. At the moment he is teaching language, literature, culture and social theory at the Cambodian University for the Specialties. He may be reached at geraldmarchewka@yahoo.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gerald_Marchewka
http://EzineArticles.com/?Miracle-Ice-Cream-Meets-the-Milkman---An-Ode-to-Adrienne-Rich&id=2323817

Get your free copy of Online Freelancing Success at http://xtramoney4me.net/free_ebooks/Online_Freelancing_Success.pdf

Free eBook: Online Freelancing Success

2009-05-09T17:20:00.000-05:00

Your Guide to Becoming a Successful Online Freelancer

Topics covered in this free 26 page ebook:

Freelancing – 21st Century Way of Making a Living

Freelancing Exposed! Discover the latest way of earning more bang for the buck for your talent, skill and expertise!

Cool Benefits & Drawbacks: The advantages and disadvantages, pros and cons of living the lifestyle of a freelancer!

How to Get Into The Freelancing Business: Want to convert your skills into cash? Strongly desire to be renowned for your expertise? Here’s how in a “step by step” fashion.

Where To Look For Customers In Masses Discover the “hiding places” and large pools of TARGETED prospects that are looking for expert services from you!

In Closing: Is Freelancing Really The Way To Go? Is freelancing really for you? Read on to learn why and how.

Get your free copy of Online Freelancing Success at http://xtramoney4me.net/free_ebooks/Online_Freelancing_Success.pdf

Two New Poems of Mine

2009-04-02T16:28:00.000-05:00

Actually, they are not "new" poems, as I scribbled them down in a notebook in 1999 and forgot about them. We were going through some old boxes and I came across them. Rather than put them here, I have posted them on a simple little poetry website of mine.

They are:

She was Only a Whore

AND

Get in the Game

Freelance Writing Tips - What to Offer

2009-03-25T07:16:00.000-05:00

Copywriting Beginner - Essential Service Offerings
By Angela Booth

Are you a beginning copywriter? If you're new to copywriting, you may be wondering which services you should offer. You can offer any service with which you're familiar, and which you can write with ease. Let's look at three very simple offerings any new copywriter can create for his clients.

Big tip: as a beginning copywriter, focus on just a few offerings. Displaying a laundry list of copywriting products, offering everything from brochures to product manuals, lacks credibility when you're a beginner.

1. Press Releases: Easy Fast Promotion for Your Clients

Press releases are very powerful. With the development of the web, these essential tools have metamorphosed into an entirely new product, the "web press release", which is aimed directly at the target audience, rather than at the media.

An online press release service is a simple and easy service you can offer to clients.

2. Blogging As a Promotional Tool

Strictly speaking, blogging is content creation rather than copywriting. However blogs can be used as promotional tools too, so promotional blogging is a great service you can offer your clients.

Start by creating your own blog to promote your copywriting services business.

3. Web Site Revamps: "What's in It for Me"?

As the web develops and more and more businesses find their customers online, it's harder for sites to get traffic. Any business website which was adequate several years ago no longer makes sales.

Website revamping is a great service you can offer; few businesses have any idea of how to sell on the Web. Revamp websites, so that they answer the vital question every customer wants to know: "what's in it for me?"

Beginning copywriters have never had greater opportunities than they have a right now. If you're wondering whether you should start copywriting services business, yes you should. Even as a beginner, you can make a great income.

If you're a beginner and want guidance to learn copywriting, top copywriter Angela Booth's "Copywriting Master Class - Ten Weeks to Copywriting Genius" at http://angelaswritingclasses.com/Class/copywriting.html helps you to start and run your own copywriting services business and/or write copy for your own business

For quick results, Angela's ebook "Seven Days To Easy Money: Copywriting Success" at http://abmagic.com/Copywriting/copywriting.html takes you from novice to pro copywriter in just seven days. This popular ebook has been turning writers into successful copywriters for five years. Packed with information, the ebook also includes exercises which become your copywriter's marketing processes and portfolio. You could be signing up your first clients within two days.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Angela_Booth
http://EzineArticles.com/?Copywriting-Beginner---Essential-Service-Offerings&id=2134645

Freelance Writing Online for Money

A Poem on Experimentation

2009-03-05T16:19:00.000-06:00

Experimentation
By Donovan Baldwin

Testing.

I don't know the answer,
But
I experiment.

The experiment creates answers,
Or creates more questions.

A senseless exercise it seems,
But yet,
I must do it again and again,
For I am Man.

Each new question means
That I
Must experiment again.

Senseless?

I am man and because,
Of experiments,
Questions,
Answers,
And endless cycles,
I have left footprints on the moon,
And made uncounted dreams come true,
Because...
Of experiments.

Copyright Saturday 2/14/2009

Freelance Writers - Choosing an Editor

2009-02-22T11:18:00.000-06:00

Getting Your Book Published - How to Choose the Right Editor For You and Your Manuscript
By L Murdock

There are a lot of things you should consider when hiring an editor to help you hone writing chops and polish your manuscript.

Experience/skill level/past successes (How did your editor become an editor? Who has he or she worked with?)
Pricing structure/total cost (Make sure you're getting what you're paying for!)
Personality (Do you click?)
Areas of expertise (Does the editor know your genre? If your book is too close in plot to another book on the market, would the editor notice?)
Business philosophy (Can you ask questions after the edit is complete? How accesable is the editor before/during/after the edit or eval is complete? Is this a person you can count on?)

The process can certainly be confusing, but following the 5 steps below should keep you on the right track.

1. Go with your gut. For a full-length book, you'll likely be working with an editor for at least a few weeks; I've worked with some of my writers over several years and several books. The editing and evaluation process works best and will be the most valuable to you if you can develop a friendly, easy relationship with your editor. Early conversation - whether by e-mail or phone - should leave you feeling confident that you're working with someone who wants to help you succeed. If you don't feel comfortable with one editor, move on to another.

2. Get a second opinion. I always recommend that writers ask for references, particularly when they're looking for an editor to perform a good deal of work (line edits, developmental editing, extensive copyediting, manuscript evaluations and critiques, etc.). Go ahead and ask an editor if you can talk to one of his or her previous clients - they'll be able to give you unique insight into the process and the value of the services you're considering.

3. Do your research. Google the editor's name and/or business name. Look for any complaints or warnings other writers may have published online. At the very least, ask the editor about any troubling posts. Of course, Google has its limitations - don't worry too much if you find that your editor's name brings up a whole cast of strange characters - there are at least 5 other Lindsay Murdocks that pop up on my GoogleAlerts - one of them actually lives only a few towns over!

Also, although I've mentioned it before, I have to reiterate - check any editor you're considering hiring against the Preditors and Editors database. Not all freelance editors are listed there - but if an editor does have complaints against him or her, chances are those complaints are documented on this site.

4. Take a taste. When you order an expensive bottle of wine at a restaurant, the server will have you take a sip before serving the rest of the bottle, just to make sure you like it. An editor should do the the same - offering you a sample edit so you can see precisely what you're getting for your money. I offer a free ten page sample edit or evaluation to ALL potential clients. Most editors I know will do the same.

5. Get it in Writing. Some editors use written contracts, some don't. At the very least, get a detailed description of what you're getting for your money, what your options are, what deliverables you can expect when, how much it's going to cost, and when payments are due. Ask questions and get answers. Remember, your editor is a professional who will be working for you.

BONUS: Be nice, and expect the same from your editor. We're all in this together!

Good luck!

Lindsay is a freelance editor and publishing consultant specializing in Manuscript Evaluation and Manuscript Critique. Read more on her blog at http://www.murdockediting.blogspot.com or her website, http://www.murdockediting.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=L_Murdock
http://EzineArticles.com/?Getting-Your-Book-Published---How-to-Choose-the-Right-Editor-For-You-and-Your-Manuscript&id=1983345

Freelance Writing Online for Money

Any Freelance Writer Can Have an Online Business with Article Marketing

2009-02-13T07:34:00.000-06:00

By Donovan Baldwin

One of the best known, and commonly used, methods of Internet marketing is known as Article Marketing.

In article marketing, once the product has been selected, the marketer drives traffic to the selected website and heightens interest in the product by writing and publishing articles relevant to the product or service.

For example, if someone is selling AMSOIL synthetic motor oil, such as I am at lube2005.com he or she can drive a ton of targeted traffic to the site by publishing articles on automotive subjects, such as I have been doing for quite some time at EzineArticles.com.

Just a few of the great things about Article Marketing is that it is free, works great to increase site ranking as major article directories are regularly indexed by major search engines, and can be used to drive targeted traffic to ANY website.

Articles also stay up for years, leaving a constant link in place.

In the last few years, a new market has emerged for freelance SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Copy Writers, many of whom have their own business(es) on the side while providing copy for other Internet marketers as well.

If you are not certain how YOU can use article marketing to build an Internet business, you can click Here to get a free copy of The Fast and Simple Guide to Article Marketing in PDF format.

Freelance Writing Online for Money

Freelance Writing Online for Money - Try Medical Writing

2009-02-10T19:02:00.000-06:00

Breaking Into Freelance Medical Writing
By Cyndy Kryder

When I speak at freelance medical writing seminars, I can always count on someone who is just getting started in the business to come up to me and ask, "Now what should I do?"

I'm delighted to give up-and-coming freelance medical writers a little personal advice. And my first tip always is to join the American Medical Writers Association, AMWA for short. I know when you're just starting out, annual dues to a professional organization might not be in your budget. But the value you'll get from an AMWA membership will outweigh its cost. Besides, you've got to spend money to make money, and membership in AMWA is an investment in your future success.

AMWA and its regional chapters sponsor workshops where you can learn different aspects of medical writing. These workshops, and the annual national conference, aren't just for newbies, though. You'd be surprised by what even an experienced writer or editor can learn in a basic AMWA workshop! Plus, when you attend regional AMWA meetings, you'll meet other medical writers as well as prospective clients. This face-to-face networking will go a long way in getting freelance work. And you'll get a feel for the writing needs and the competition in your geographic area.

As for the next step, anyone considering freelance medical writing needs to decide what type of medical writing to pursue, and whether to be an employee or a freelance. In my opinion, medical writing can be divided into 3 broad categories: Regulatory, promotional, and educational.

Regulatory writing is highly scientific and involves creating documents that are often submitted to the US Food and Drug Administration. Promotional writing is any writing created for the purpose of selling or promoting a drug, intervention, or medical device. Educational writing includes any materials created for the purpose of educating health care professionals or the general public. This includes writing content for continuing medical education programs, as well as creating patient-education brochures.

Once you decide what type of medical writing you want to do and how you want to work, the next step is to identify the companies that employ writers or purchase that type of writing. They include pharmaceutical companies, CROs (contract research organizations), medical education companies, medical communications companies, and medical advertising agencies. Of course, you could also decide you want to write for a medical journal or a hospital, or even start a health column in your local newspaper. There are lots of avenues to explore.

For anyone who decides to become a freelance, one final suggestion is to begin a targeted promotional campaign to reach prospective clients. An easy way to do this is to join an online social network for professionals, such as LinkedIn. LinkedIn is just one such network, others exist. Use it as a tool to enable future clients to get to know you. Create a profile, seek out contacts, and join groups in your industry. Once you've become a group member, start discussions and respond to discussions that are already ongoing. Prove to group members that you have valuable information to contribute.

I can't stress enough the value of networking, especially virtual networking. But it takes a lot of time, and you need to be consistent in your approach. Make sure everything you put out there looks professional and portrays you in a positive manner. That means inserting a real photo rather than an avatar, using proper grammar and punctuation rather than "text-speak," and responding to contacts in a timely manner. Once you start your virtual networking, keep at it. You'll soon find that it pays off.

About the Author

Cyndy Kryder, MS, CCC-Sp, has been a freelance medical writer for more than 16 years. As one-half of the Accidental Medical Writer writing team, she offers advice and writing tips for aspiring medical writers at: http://www.theaccidentalmedicalwriter.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cyndy_Kryder
http://EzineArticles.com/?Breaking-Into-Freelance-Medical-Writing&id=1948959

Freelance Writing Online for Money

Freelance Writers - Plan Your Next Project

2009-02-05T16:40:00.000-06:00

Writers - How to Plan Your Next Writing Project
By Melinda Copp

Like any endeavor in life or business, in writing, a good end result is often attributed to a good starting plan. Just to sit down and to start to write can be effective as a jumping off point to figure out what your ideas are. But once you've put your main ideas into words, take some time to plan how those ideas relate to your main point and how the relate to each other. This process will help to ensure the composition flows from one sentence, one paragraph, or one chapter to the next.

To plan your next writing project, ask yourself the following questions.

What are you REALLY trying to say?

Look at your main ideas and try to sum up each point in a sentence. Consider what purpose each scene or section serves. What is each scene or section really about? What meaning do you want the reader to gain? How does it move the story forward?

When you know the main point of each section in your composition, then it's easier to determine what needs to go where, what to keep and what to cut, and how much time to spend on each topic or scene. Everything that doesn't move toward the main idea can go.

What arrangement is most effective?

One of the first questions to ask yourself when planning a composition is: what is the best way to present your main ideas? Or in a narrative work, such as fiction or memoir, where are your main scenes and how do they best come together?

In an instructional or academic work, you might dedicate a chapter to each main topic you want to cover. For example, in an article about types of military jets, you use a section for fighter planes, a section for interceptors, and a section for bombers. Then once you've explained what fighters, interceptors, and bombers are, you can then explain how a fighter's characteristics differs from an interceptor's or how some jets have the characteristics of both bombers and fighters.

In a short narrative work, you might only have one main scene. But within that scene you can break away from the narrative to explain the action. In a longer work with several scenes, you can dedicate a chapter to each main scene. Putting them in order will depend on chronology and dramatic effect. Keep in mind that your order will likely change as you write and revise.

How much space do you need?

Another important question to consider is the length of the composition. How much page space do you have to work with? Although you want to communicate your message in as few words as possible, some ideas need more space than others. If you write too long, you risk stretching out your ideas so much they become too diluted to be relevant.

The amount of page space you need is directly related to your topic and focus. For instructional works, you need enough space to introduce the subject, outline the main points in brief, explain them with examples, and then summate your purpose again in conclusion. In a narrative work, like fiction or memoir, you need enough space to thoroughly flesh out a scene, portray the action, and communicate your ideas and themes.

Planning Your Next Project

A well-planned composition will ensure each idea is explained and each scene is developed. And writing will become easier when you work from a plan, even if you adapt and change the plan later. Using these questions to plan your next composition will help solidify your message and save you time during the revision stage.

About the Author

Melinda Copp is a writing coach, book editor, and ghostwriter who specializes in helping aspiring authors achieve their writing goals. Sign up for Melinda's free e-zine, and learn the top ten mistakes aspiring authors make and how to avoid them!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Melinda_Copp http://EzineArticles.com/?Writers---How-to-Plan-Your-Next-Writing-Project&id=1950211

Freelance Writing Online for Money

Tips to Getting Rid of Writer's Block

2009-02-02T06:04:00.000-06:00

By Lyn Mok

I have a lot of writing projects including zillions of articles to write, several novels-in-the-making and tonnes of blog posts to put up but I also frequently get hit by writer's block and this will be the death of me at the rate of I kept getting this most dreaded condition. It is like the worst 'disease' ever to hit any writer, author or blogger. I mean, here I am with tonnes and tonnes of things to do but I am stuck. Literally. I could not even string a sentence together. Well, at least, not a very clear sentence that could fit into any of my writing projects.

So, of all people, I truly understand when it comes to writers block and getting rid writers block isn't easy. It is worst than having your wisdom tooth removed. I would know since I suffered the indignity of a swollen face for several days complete with a throbbing gum after the wisdom tooth was forcibly dug out by the evil dentist out to make me poorer and torture me at the same time. Yep, getting rid writers block is definitely akin, if not worst, than having your wisdom tooth removed. It is almost literally like a big huge boulder blocking your way mentally and physically.

Like someone placed a lock and vice on your computer (or typewriter or notepad - whichever writing instrument you use). It is like having our pens taken away. Our notepads destroyed. Our computers hacked and wiped out by some evil virus. Our typewriters incinerated. Well, you get my meaning. That's why I say I am almost an expert when it comes to writers block. I have very vast experience in it. Instead of completing my articles, I get veered off course by a big huge boulder landing on my computer. Okay, so, not literally but it is bad enough.

What do I do to get rid of writers block? Well, there are some ways to getting rid writers block and here are some of the methods I use:

1. I start typing nonsense and string nonsensical words together continuously for about an hour or so. Somehow these words will suddenly make sense and before I know it, I am writing one of my writing-project-in-progress.

2. I surf the net and check out other writers' websites and blogs and turn green with envy over their progress while plotting an evil takeover of their written works - okay, so I'm joking bout the taking over of their written works but blog hopping and website surfing on other authors' and writers' blogs do help as they sometimes do offer loads of inspiration to chase away your boulder-sized writers block.

3. I sing a song and do a silly dance - okay so, maybe I don't do that but what I meant was that I simply turn off the offending blank-screen and go do something else. At least, I am getting something done and not forcing any leftover braincells to try to work when obviously they are on vacation.

Getting rid of writers block is all about mind power, so try it and you will see.

There are plenty of other writing tips here and more tips to get rid of writers block here.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lyn_Mok http://EzineArticles.com/?Tips-to-Getting-Rid-of-Writers-Block&id=1936100

Freelance Writing Online for Money

How to Get Your Reader to Commit

2009-01-27T06:41:00.000-06:00

By Ambrosia Quirion

When it comes to poetry do you find yourself sitting looking at a blank page and eventually giving up?Well that tends to happen to us all. There's hope! What I have found that works well for me is thinking of things that relate to experiences in your life. Poetry is about writing "all emotion" Happiness, love, loss, heartache, etc. If you've ever found yourself so full of emotion writing is a great way to release those feelings. Here are some tips on getting started.

Pick a topic that interests you, write a sentence for "Example". If I wanted to write about flowers, Basic sentence "The red flower I hold in my hand" by me writing this sentence all you know is that I have a red flower in my hand what I want you to know is how I feel when I hold this in my hand.

"Example" inserting meaning "For my red flower lay softly in my hand covered by the tears I shower upon this land" Not only are you now writing how you feel your reader has the ability to understand you.This can also be very rewarding for yourself by giving your reader the opportunity to commit to your poetry.

So now you have a few tips on how to write poetry and how to interpret meaning from it.Remember be creative, try different things, do what works best for you. I hope my way of understanding poetry will be of value to you good luck.

To view poetry by Ambrosia. Please click on link below to visit her miles of poetry page. http://www.milesofpoetry.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Ambrosia_Quirion http://EzineArticles.com/?Poetry-Writing---How-to-Get-Your-Reader-to-Commit&id=1906709

Freelance Writing Online for Money

Become an Author to Prospect For Leads - Easy and Effective

2009-01-22T11:27:00.000-06:00

By Bill Broich

Why not write a book? When you think about it, it really isn't that hard to do. What is hard to do is sell a book, so don't sell it, give it away!

I know there are several marketing companies who will "ghost write" a book for you and put your name on it. You write a few lines and it is disclosed so you are not an imposture and the book is yours. Don't do it!

I have a better idea, why don't you actually write a book? It isn't hard and you will find it extremely enjoyable and amazingly easy. Plus it is authentic and it will actually mean something to you. Here are a few simple tips:

· Write in generalities, the simpler the better
· Create an outline
· Have at least 12 chapters
· Keep the book 70-90 pages
· Use at least 14 size fonts
· Use the internet for ideas
· Do not plagiarize, simply use numerous ideas and write it yourself
· Make sure your picture is on the cover, family members also will add credibility
· Think of a great title that will show you off

Here is another secret; almost no one will read it! Reading it is not the idea, giving it to a prospect is the idea!

When you give a prospect your book you are elevated in their eyes. Where can you go to get your book published? This used to be a problem but it is no more and it couldn't be easier. A simple internet search will provide numerous options for publishing your book.

Bill Broich is a leading expert in the field of annuities. He has helped many people use and understand the benefits of annuities. Want a financial product that is immune from a faltering economy? Want to protect your savings and retirement funds? Look at an annuity. Get a free annuity booklet from http://www.Annuity.com - Free Annuity Book.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Broich http://EzineArticles.com/?Become-an-Author-to-Prospect-For-Leads---Easy-and-Effective&id=1898978

NOTE from Donovan Baldwin - I have seen a similar technique used on three separate occasions. The authors gave free seminars related to their subjects, one was how to get free PR, and then, after the presentation, sold several copies of a small, inexpensive book which they had written on the subject. I do not write books, but use free articles to promote various products and services.

Become a Freelance Writer

Freelance Writers - Claim High Rewards For Precious Little Effort

2009-01-18T10:09:00.000-06:00

By Avril Harper

Writers specialising in fillers and readers' letters receive much high fees, word for word, than virtually any other writing genre. Fillers are small pieces, often just 100 words or so, and they can generate hundreds or even thousands of dollars in writing awards or for what editors pick as the week's best letter or filler. But writers have to be constantly on the lookout for unusual subjects for their fillers and they must always be hot on market research. These tips will help grow your income from filler writing:

* Keep your eyes and ears open for anything remotely interesting to use in your letters and fillers. Look for unusual household tips, try your hand at writing poems, look for press errors and other popular filler types.

* Study other published fillers, especially those in magazines you'd like to write for. You can't, of course, copy other people's work but there is no copyright on ideas, so what you see in one magazine can be borrowed to form the basis of a filler you write for another. Other things to watch out for include recipes, jokes you can change a little, recipes you might alter slightly, crossword and puzzle grids you can adapt to use in your work.

* Study at least a dozen or so publications of the type you would like to write for. Rank these in order of preference, according to filler types, payment, subject matter. Start writing and submitting material for those highest on your list.

* Think pictures. Think illustrations. Instead of sending just words to your target publication, include a photograph, maybe a cartoon or line drawing. As always, careful study of your target magazine will establish editorial preferences.

* Search your own experiences for material ready to be written up as it stands or amended to suit.

* Always have a notepad and pen at hand, and preferably a pocket camera and mini recorder. It's amazing where inspiration and ideas strike and how often there is nothing handy to record the incident. My best ideas come when I'm in the bath, ironing, gardening, or walking the dog! Those notepads pinned to every wall and popped into my handbag have repaid their cost many times over!

Once that's done you can look forward to regular high rewards for just a few minutes' easy work.

Avril Harper is a highly successful freelance writer and the author of HOW TO BE A FIVE MINUTE WRITER

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Avril_Harper http://EzineArticles.com/?Freelance-Writers---
Claim-High-Rewards-For-Precious-Little-Effort&id=1884265

How to Write Fillers, Writing, Poetry

The Shooting of Dan McGrew

2007-05-19T15:42:00.000-05:00

The Shooting of Dan McGrew
by Robert Service

A bunch of the boys were whooping it up in the Malamute saloon;
The kid that handles the music-box was hitting a jag-time tune;
Back of the bar, in a solo game, sat Dangerous Dan McGrew,
And watching his luck was his light-o'-love, the lady that's known as Lou.

When out of the night, which was fifty below, and into the din and the glare,
There stumbled a miner fresh from the creeks, dog-dirty, and loaded for bear.
He looked like a man with a foot in the grave
and scarcely the strength of a louse,
Yet he tilted a poke of dust on the bar,
and he called for drinks for the house.
There was none could place the stranger's face,
though we searched ourselves for a clue;
But we drank his health, and the last to drink was Dangerous Dan McGrew.

There's men that somehow just grip your eyes,
and hold them hard like a spell;
And such was he, and he looked to me like a man who had lived in hell;
With a face most hair, and the dreary stare of a dog whose day is done,
As he watered the green stuff in his glass, and the drops fell one by one.
Then I got to figgering who he was, and wondering what he'd do,
And I turned my head -- and there watching him
was the lady that's known as Lou.

His eyes went rubbering round the room, and he seemed in a kind of daze,
Till at last that old piano fell in the way of his wandering gaze.
The rag-time kid was having a drink; there was no one else on the stool,
So the stranger stumbles across the room, and flops down there like a fool.
In a buckskin shirt that was glazed with dirt he sat, and I saw him sway;
Then he clutched the keys with his talon hands
-- my God! but that man could play.

Were you ever out in the Great Alone, when the moon was awful clear,
And the icy mountains hemmed you in with a silence you most could HEAR;
With only the howl of a timber wolf, and you camped there in the cold,
A half-dead thing in a stark, dead world, clean mad for the muck called gold;
While high overhead, green, yellow and red,
the North Lights swept in bars? --
Then you've a haunch what the music meant . . .
hunger and night and the stars.

And hunger not of the belly kind, that's banished with bacon and beans,
But the gnawing hunger of lonely men for a home and all that it means;
For a fireside far from the cares that are, four walls and a roof above;
But oh! so cramful of cosy joy, and crowned with a woman's love --
A woman dearer than all the world, and true as Heaven is true --
(God! how ghastly she looks through her rouge, --
the lady that's known as Lou.)

Then on a sudden the music changed, so soft that you scarce could hear;
But you felt that your life had been looted clean
of all that it once held dear;
That someone had stolen the woman you loved; that her love was a devil's lie;
That your guts were gone, and the best for you was to crawl away and die.
'Twas the crowning cry of a heart's despair,
and it thrilled you through and through --
"I guess I'll make it a spread misere," said Dangerous Dan McGrew.

The music almost died away . . . then it burst like a pent-up flood;
And it seemed to say, "Repay, repay," and my eyes were blind with blood.
The thought came back of an ancient wrong, and it stung like a frozen lash,
And the lust awoke to kill, to kill . . .
then the music stopped with a crash,
And the stranger turned, and his eyes they burned in a most peculiar way;
In a buckskin shirt that was glazed with dirt he sat, and I saw him sway;
Then his lips went in in a kind of grin,
and he spoke, and his voice was calm,
And "Boys," says he, "you don't know me, and none of you care a damn;
But I want to state, and my words are straight,
and I'll bet my poke they're true,
That one of you is a hound of hell . . . and that one is Dan McGrew."

Then I ducked my head, and the lights went out,
and two guns blazed in the dark,
And a woman screamed, and the lights went up,
and two men lay stiff and stark.
Pitched on his head, and pumped full of lead, was Dangerous Dan McGrew,
While the man from the creeks lay clutched to the breast
of the lady that's known as Lou.

These are the simple facts of the case, and I guess I ought to know.
They say that the stranger was crazed with "hooch",
and I'm not denying it's so.
I'm not so wise as the lawyer guys, but strictly between us two --
The woman that kissed him and -- pinched his poke --
was the lady that's known as Lou.

********
More poems by Robert Service at http://ravensong.4t.com/robert_service/

The Call of the Wild

2007-05-12T13:12:00.000-05:00

The Call of the Wild
by Robert Service

Have you gazed on naked grandeur where there's nothing else to gaze on,
Set pieces and drop-curtain scenes galore,
Big mountains heaved to heaven, which the blinding sunsets blazon,
Black canyons where the rapids rip and roar?
Have you swept the visioned valley
with the green stream streaking through it,
Searched the Vastness for a something you have lost?
Have you strung your soul to silence? Then for God's sake go and do it;
Hear the challenge, learn the lesson, pay the cost.

Have you wandered in the wilderness, the sagebrush desolation,
The bunch-grass levels where the cattle graze?
Have you whistled bits of rag-time at the end of all creation,
And learned to know the desert's little ways?
Have you camped upon the foothills, have you galloped o'er the ranges,
Have you roamed the arid sun-lands through and through?
Have you chummed up with the mesa? Do you know its moods and changes?
Then listen to the Wild -- it's calling you.

Have you known the Great White Silence, not a snow-gemmed twig aquiver?
(Eternal truths that shame our soothing lies.)
Have you broken trail on snowshoes? mushed your huskies up the river,
Dared the unknown, led the way, and clutched the prize?
Have you marked the map's void spaces, mingled with the mongrel races,
Felt the savage strength of brute in every thew?
And though grim as hell the worst is, can you round it off with curses?
Then hearken to the Wild -- it's wanting you.

Have you suffered, starved and triumphed,
groveled down, yet grasped at glory,
Grown bigger in the bigness of the whole?
"Done things" just for the doing, letting babblers tell the story,
Seeing through the nice veneer the naked soul?
Have you seen God in His splendors, heard the text that nature renders?
(You'll never hear it in the family pew.)
The simple things, the true things, the silent men who do things --
Then listen to the Wild -- it's calling you.

They have cradled you in custom, they have primed you with their preaching,
They have soaked you in convention through and through;
They have put you in a showcase; you're a credit to their teaching --
But can't you hear the Wild? -- it's calling you.
Let us probe the silent places, let us seek what luck betide us;
Let us journey to a lonely land I know.
There's a whisper on the night-wind, there's a star agleam to guide us,
And the Wild is calling, calling . . . let us go.

I just like this one. Actually, I like almost anything by Robert Service. I have started a site with his poetry at http://ravensong.4t.com/robert_service/index.html

It will take me a while to get all his poems on the site, but thought I would go ahead and set up the link now.

Have a great day...

Don

A Place to Hear the Last Silken Sighs of a Dying Art

2007-05-01T15:48:00.000-05:00

Copyright 2007 by Donovan Baldwin

It is a small gallery on a side street in Carmel, California. There are more prestigious and glamorous sites in town, such as the Hogs Breath Inn Restaurant and Bar, owned by local resident Clint Eastwood, and it may be easily passed amid the maze of galleries of various arts.

My wife and I would never have seen it except for a sequence of failures, and we never would have met the lady who ran it had we been there one minute earlier, or if my wife had not loved embroidery and needlepoint.

Whatever the events, had we not encountered problems finding what we HAD been looking for, or had we not had trouble navigating the narrow streets of Carmel, and finally decided to park and search on foot, we might never have been introduced to Lu Luo, owner of Lu Lu Silk Art Gallery of Chinese silk embroidery. That would have been a shame, for then a certain macho dude, i.e. yours truly, would never have stood gazing in awe at what might be the last examples of a dying art.

We were actually looking for a scent shop when my wife, a lifelong devotee of various forms of needlepoint, glanced in a window. One more gallery in a sea of galleries, we commented on the beauty of the "paintings" and almost walked on. As we were about to leave, however, she realized that we were seeing for the first time in our lives exquisite examples of an art she had only read about and I had never even known existed...Chinese silk embroidery.

She called me back and I took another look at one of the "paintings" in the window. As I looked more closely, I realized that what had appeared to be tiny brushstrokes were actually threads, some of which seemed much smaller than a human hair. Using tiny silken threads, some of which actually are finer than a baby's hair, the hands that had held the needle had created a masterpiece equal to those of any brush wielding artist. In fact, as we gazed through the window into the closed shop, we saw that many of the works were almost of photographic quality!

Sadly, the shop was closed and we began to walk away, but as we left, we heard someone calling out for us to please wait. We turned and saw a diminutive oriental lady, who, as it happened, owned the gallery.

As one interested in art and needlework, my wife was in awe of all she saw. As a writer, I was in awe not only of the artwork, but of the story Lu Luo had to tell.

What we saw before us in her gallery were perhaps some of the last examples of an art begun a mere 2,800 years or more before. It was an art form developed for the pleasure and adornment of Chinese royalty, but modern times were drawing a line it could not cross.

Developed in Suzhou, China, this form of silk embroidery begins with a finely woven silk cloth as the "canvas", and the finest silken threads as the "paint". They are the finest threads because the artist must split each silk thread into as many as 64 smaller threads as one of the first steps in preparation for the creation of the work. This is the first stumbling block, as the artist must begin learning her craft when still a child, when eyes and hands are still keen and nimble enough to do this well. Attempts to teach even this apparently simple task to older women have failed.

Once threads have been split, each and every pass of the needle must be perfect as the artist employs approximately 40 different techniques to create effects such as fog, smoke, water, texture, or play of light. Should the artist falter in her stitches, there is no way to recover the work. She must begin again.

The effects produced with silken thread can be amazing. From the fine skin of a maid to the whiskers on a tiger's face, the range of effects is stunning...and unbelievably realistic. In one example on display in Lu Lu Silk Art Gallery, we were able to watch the morning light change to noon and dim back to the dusk of evening as we walked across the room in front of a work showing a scene in Suzhou. A skilled artist can create an original work in traditional Chinese motifs, duplicate or emulate the most famous works of western art, or convert a favored family photograph into a silken masterpiece.

As alive and vibrant as this work seems to be, its days may be numbered. The artists must begin training as children and dedicate their lives to their art. As China joins the commercial world, children learn other things and seek careers that seem more rewarding. The skills needed demand the lifetime attention and devotion of the artist, and it has become harder and harder to find those to take on the task. It is estimated that the artists working today may be the last, and the end of the art may be as little as twenty years away.

Each work demands time or artists. The larger or more complex the work, the longer it will take, and the only way to shorten the time is to assign more artists to the task. As an example, Lu Luo pointed to a beautiful picture entitled "Tang Dynasty Polo". It is a vibrant work showing Chinese girls on horseback playing polo for the entertainment of the Emperor and his court. It is approximately four feet by five feet in size, and a similar work would require a team of five or six artists a couple of years to complete or one artist several years.

My wife and I are grateful that we have had the chance to see this wonderful art, but we are saddened that in a few years, no new works will be available to the world.

For your opportunity to see this art while it is still available to the public, you can visit Lu Lu Silk Art Gallery on Mission Street in Carmel between 5th and 6th streets. You can phone Lu Luo for more information at (831) 620-1122, or visit her gallery online and view examples of the works on display at http://www.lulusilkartgallery.com.

Donovan Baldwin is a freelance writer living in Copperas Cove, Texas. He is a University of West Florida alumnus, a member of Mensa and the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, health, and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness, yoga, weight loss, the environment, global warming, happiness, self improvement, life and the arts. He has a collection of articles on health, fitness, diet and weight loss at http://nodiet4me.com/articledirectory/.

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My Little Rock of Ages Past

2007-04-17T15:56:00.000-05:00

Copyright 2007 by Donovan Baldwin

In 55 BC, Julius Caesar beheld the cliffs of Dover from the deck of a Roman ship in the English Channel. In 1982, I beheld the same sight from the deck of a ferry that held my car within its bowels.

I had problems with the subject of history all through school. It was so dry, so boring, so lifeless. It wasn't until I "grew up" and got to go wandering around the world that I began to see history in an entirely different light.

To me, "history" is not just treaties, or battles, or the names of famous men. For me, understanding, or at least feeling a kinship with history, means standing on the spot where those men have stood, seeing the sights that they saw, looking at the instruments they touched, the cup they drank from, the clothes they wore.

In the 1960's I was stationed at a U. S. military base in Bavaria at Bad Aibling, Germany. Almost every day, I walked over several insignificant flagstones set in the ground in a pathway beside one of the barracks. One day, one of my friends showed me some photos he had just printed at the post photography shop.

The post had been a Luftwaffe air base during World War II. When the allies had taken over the post in the 1940's at the end of the war, they had found several hundred negatives. Many of the negatives were still there, and the gentleman who ran the photo shop would help people print up photos. Several of the photos my friend showed me depicted Hitler reviewing the troops at the air base...standing on those insignificant flagstones in the dirt pathway!

To me, that was history.

Years later, a friend took me to the place in Nuremberg where Hitler held his huge rallies. I stood at the exact spot where he had stood, and took photos of my children playing there.

Whether it is Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, the White House, the White Cliffs of Dover, the labyrinth of corridors within the bowels of the aircraft carrier Lexington, or driving over Boulder Dam, history comes alive for me when I see what others have seen or the marks they left of their lives.

My love of history taken in this way does not end with the famous and the grandiose, however. In fact, when I recently went to see an exhibition on Queen Hatshepsut, I spent more time gazing at a wooden chair and wondering about the workman who had made it, than I spent on the wonders of the Queen. I spend several minutes looking at simple pots and tools while others ooh and aah over jewels and statues. Lost in reverie, I wonder more about the craftsmen who carved the statue than I do about the ruler it portrays. That's the man I would want to talk to!

Maybe I will get to touch history even a little more intimately. I just bought a little over seven acres of land in central Texas, near where the Comanche used to roam. It is undeveloped and includes a small hill with a commanding view of the surrounding countryside. I hope to learn a little more about rocks and artifacts, and scout through some of the overgrown cliff face that forms a portion of the land.

I'm still clearing trails through the brush on my land at the moment, but the other day, I picked up a rock of interesting appearance and stuck it in my pocket. That evening, safe and warm in my easy chair as a small storm blustered outside, I picked up the rock and began to examine it. As I turned it in my hand, it suddenly slipped into a comfortable position. There was a smooth spot for my thumb and each of my fingers found a perfect place to rest. As I looked at it in my hand, it reminded me of crude stone knives I had seen on the Discovery and History channels and in innumerable museums.

As I looked carefully at it, I realized that it more closely resembled stone scrapers that had been used to work the hides of animals. It looks as if spots have been chipped away, by man or by nature, to make the comfortable grooves that fit my fingers so well and to form the sharp edge that could have scraped a deer hide many years ago.

It is worn with time...perhaps with use as well?

I will probably never know, but I will have to learn a little more about rocks and artifacts, and roam around my little hill on the edge of Comanche country some more. In the meantime, my link to history...my rock of ages...sits on my desk beside my computer reminding me not only of the passage of history, but of the fact that I am only here within a pool of that huge river and that someday perhaps someone will wonder about something that I have touched or seen.

I am sure that my little rock of ages past is just an accident of nature, but wouldn't it be nice if...

About the Author:

Donovan Baldwin is a freelance writer living in Copperas Cove, Texas. He is a University of West Florida alumnus, a member of Mensa and the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, health, and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness, yoga, weight loss, the environment, global warming, happiness, self improvement, and life. He has a collection of articles on health, fitness, diet, and weight loss at http://nodiet4me.com/articledirectory/ .

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Can We Keep Her?

2007-04-14T02:33:00.000-05:00

It was 1994. I had just gone through a divorce after several painful and tumultuous years that had resulted in my becoming distanced from my children...or them from me.

I had met and married a lady with two children...twin teenage daughters. She, and they, had been through their own trying period as mommy and daddy's marriage fell apart, and their father dealt them all blow after painful blow.

My new wife and I had agreed that I was not to even try to raise her children. She saw that as an unfair task to place on me considering my experiences, their experiences, and their ages...they were thirteen. We did agree that I was the adult male in the house and, with her, was a co-head of the house and would act as father in all such events.

That's how we got Diamond.

We had just moved into our first real home together after a few months in a small apartment. We found a house for rent just around the corner from the girls' grandmother. It was great because they had visited there many times, and had even lived with her for a while, so they had grown up with many of the kids in the neighborhood and knew many of the families.

One of the families had a dog, and this dog had a litter of puppies. As my wife puts it, they were part Australian Shepherd and part fence-jumper. Some would say "Heinz 57".

I am sure that you have guessed what happened next! In marched the two of them carrying this little black bundle of fur. They went straight to their mom and asked the inevitable question, followed up by the inevitable selling point, "Can we keep her? They said we could have her. We'll take care of her. You won't have to do anything."

Shhh. I have to be careful how I handle this. Diamond's laying on the floor outside my office door looking at me.

My wife did what I guess was the right thing. She knew that the girls had still not accepted me completely, and not as someone who had a say-so over what they could do. She also knew what the eventual outcome of this was going to be, and she knew that I had a right to be involved. She told the girls, "I'm not sure about this. You'll have to ask Don."

The girls really wanted that dog, and they were ready to deal with the devil to get it, so they turned to me and gave me the same pitch. I knew that while this might not be a "make or break" situation in our relationship, what I did in the next few minutes was going to color the next few years in some way. This was the first real family decision that hinged on the girls' wants and needs, and I didn't want to blow it.

I was also falling for the puppy and could see my wife, who refused to admit to such emotions over animals, getting a "what a cute little thing" look on her face.

To stall for a minute, I asked what her name was. "She doesn't have one yet," they replied. As I looked her over and petted her a little, I noticed a small star of white among the coal black fur on the back of her neck. "That looks like a diamond", I said, and then I knew what to say next.

"Let's call her Diamond."

It took a second for that to seep in, but then they realized what that meant. She was going to be ours and she had a name.

She's got a little bit of arthritis now, but she is still the champion beggar of central Texas. She is the only dog I have ever known who taught herself to play dead so that she could be "revived" with treats. We have to spell in front of her, and my wife complains because the words are getting longer and she's having trouble catching them. The girls long ago taught Diamond to carry messages and small objects back and forth between family members. Although as she aged, she quit putting her toys away on command, she learned that she could barter for treats by picking up dropped objects such as the pieces of paper I tend to let fall around my desk. We had to stop her the day she tried to bring us the remote, however.

She is somewhat psychic and knows when we are about to go somewhere and might just take her along. When she realizes she is being left behind, she retreats to her "pouting spot" on the couch. If we are gone too long, she complains under her breath when we get back, and there is no way she can be enticed to go outside if she believes we might be bringing in people food.

She protects us diligently from all intruders including passing cars or helicopters that are a bit too loud, or kids playing a half a block away. She bravely and boldly attempts to terrify all visitors until they reach down to pet her, and the puppy of several years ago reappears, and they are friends for life...until the next time they come to the door.

The girls who were "going to take care of her"?

Oh, they live about 160 miles away. One is a new mother and has two cats and two dogs of her own, and her sister has two dogs. She recently got rid of her killer attack cat, but that's another story. They still love Diamond, and fuss over her when we come to visit and baby-sit her when we have to travel, but somehow she has become our dog...my wife's and mine.

I don't regret that. I am sure that everything would have turned out all right, but I think it all started to get a little easier for us to become a family the day we added Diamond to it.

You know what? She just got up and went into the bedroom. I bet she’s going to tell my wife I’ve been ignoring her. She’s long ago learned the fine art of going to Mommy if Daddy can’t be swayed.

About the Author

Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as yoga, writing, nature, animals, the environment, global warming, happiness, self improvement, health, fitness, and weight loss. Pick up some free information on cats at http://cat-and-kitten.com/ . He has also collected several of his articles on health, fitness, diet, and weight loss at http://nodiet4me.com/articledirectory/ .

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4 Tips For Writers On How To Create Some Creativity

2007-04-09T14:26:00.000-05:00

Copyright 2007 by Donovan Baldwin

Many people watching a writer at work probably wouldn't even realize that he or she was actually working. While the physical act of putting words on paper or into a computer is easy to recognize as "work" one of the hardest parts of any writer's task is not always coming up with the words to express an idea. For many of us, the most difficult part is coming up with an idea to write about!

While creativity is generally believed to be something that someone is born with, and maybe it is, everybody has some sort of creative streak within...no matter how well hidden. The trick is to find ways to tickle that creativity so that it produces at least the germ of an idea. Once many writers, and other artists, have that germ of an idea, the article, or statue, or poem, or painting will almost produce itself.

Below are 4 tips on how to wake up the sleeping giant of creativity within and put it to work.

1. Yoga and Meditation - Alternative Routes to Creativity

Most people want to attack a problem head on. For the artist or writer, however, that approach often just creates another problem. Do the words, "writer's block" mean anything to you? Hmmm? It seems that the harder we try to attack the creativity problem the harder and thicker the wall becomes between the conscious mind and the ideas that may be lurking just on the other side.

Yoga, meditation, long walks and other such physically relaxing and sometimes demanding activities actually tend to dissolve the barriers and allow us to access the ideas that have been hiding behind them. To express it another way, think of ideas becoming frightened and curling up like porcupines when they know we are looking for them. When we appear to be ignoring them, they uncurl and expose themselves to our subconscious which in turn puts them on a fast elevator up to the conscious mind where they seem to appear out of nowhere.

2. Creativity Is Your Job - So Show Up For Work

Back in school, we were given study tips that often included this one; study at the same time and in the same place. That sounds a little like "showing up for work". Freelance writers in particular often fall prey to not having a place to go to and a time to be there. Obviously, if the idea comes at half past midnight, in the middle of your morning shower, or while having sex, that's when you should get it down. Okay, delay that last one a little bit.

On the whole, however, to produce a somewhat steady stream of creativity, not to mention the output which should result there from, it is important to prepare an "office", even if it is a table on your patio. That's where you show up and expect your creative muse to meet you. Dock its pay if it is late.

3. Ideas Are Everywhere - Be Prepared For Them

In this crazy business of writing, or painting, or sculpting, ideas are all around. The trick is to catch them and keep them. The chance comment of a friend, a sound bite on a TV news show, an obituary, the neighbor's new car, the local high school football team, your spouse's opinion on the TV sound bite, a paragraph in a chapter in a second hand book you bought for $2.99. These can all hold the germ of the idea that later becomes the article, the poem, the short story, or the book.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that once you catch on to this, you will find yourself with more ideas than you can remember or develop at any given moment. That's why you want to have a notebook, diary, or journal to jot down the basic idea and a quick development if that's available. You might also want to invest in a small recorder so that you can dictate ideas while driving or at other times that writing might be difficult. This is a great suggestion if you have ever awoken with a great idea in the middle of the night and found that you have completely forgotten it when you wake up in the morning.

4. Your Brain Is Already Full Of Ideas - Put Your Built-In Search Engine To Work

Your subconscious is a brown-noser. It just can't wait to show you what it's done for you while you were sleeping or busy with another problem. As you lay in bed at night waiting to fall asleep, tell it forcefully and directly to come up with some ideas while you're asleep. This is not 100% perfect, but it will produce fruit from time to time. Unfortunately, the ideas often appear in the middle of the night (see tip #3) although you will often awaken with a great idea.

By the way. Have you ever heard about great discoveries being made while people sleep? Many of these stories are true.

It often happens that concentrating on a problem and then letting go of it to work on other things often produces the same effect as "sleeping on it". More than one cognitive flash has come about after the thinker let go of the problem. During sleep, your brain is at work replenishing neurotransmitters that organize neural networks essential to remembering, learning, performance and problem solving, and this activity includes tracking down and organizing seemingly random pieces of data into ideas!

There you are! Four tips just like I promised.

Oh! Where did I get the idea for this article?

Well, I was reading some notes I had made about a year ago, and....

Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as yoga, writing, nature, animals, the environment, global warming, happiness, self improvement, health, fitness, and weight loss. He has collected several of his articles on health and weight loss at http://nodiet4me.com/articledirectory/ .

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How And Why To Find New Friends

2007-04-08T15:27:00.000-05:00

Copyright 2007 by Donovan Baldwin

If you are someone wishing you could find new friends, I have some good news for you, even though the fact that you are reading this means that you might not agree with me.

There are millions of people who would really love to be your friend!

I am assuming that when I use the term "friend", we both understand that a wide range of relationships may be encompassed. You may find a thousand acquaintances, five hundred close acquaintances, one hundred friends, ten close friends and one love of your life. Or, you may find twenty acquaintances, fifteen close acquaintances, five friends, no close friends and no love of your life. The results will depend on time, the pool of contacts you are diving into, your particular goals, luck, and other factors often, at least momentarily, beyond your control...such as time and place.

Many people who are seeking friends actually limit their opportunities to come in contact with these people and join with them in friendship because they are not following one or more of the following tips.

1. Go where your new friends are to be found.

2. To find a friend, be a friend.

3. Friends keep in touch and show they care.

As you read the above, you will notice one common thread. All of those statements imply action or effort of some sort. How many of us in high school had the "friend" who never seemed to have many friends and often complained that..."nobody likes me"? Thinking back from a slightly more mature viewpoint, how many times do we realize how often that particular person never went anywhere, never did anything to be a part of the group, and often stood on the sidelines taking potshots at those who were having a good time with their friends?

I know that I personally fit into that category. I was in the U. S. Army before I realized that I wasn't "popular" in high school because I fit precisely into that category. I can see now how many times people tried to include me in their activities and circles as I wandered in and out of these events and passing relationships trying hard to show everybody that I was just fine without them!

However, this sort of behavior is not limited just to high school. Sadly, I saw my father follow this same path throughout most of his working life and into retirement (although he WAS careful not to mock other peoples' beliefs)...where he died several years before he should have in a state of self-imposed isolation with the belief that nobody liked him or cared if he lived or died.

Who needs friends?

Over the years, several studies have shown a strong correlation between one's length of life and level of health, and the structure of their social network, i.e. the friends and acquaintances with whom they remain actively linked. In fact, sites such as Dr. Thomas Perls' "Life Expectancy Calculator" (www.livingto100.com), are including questions about the size and strength of an individual's personal network of family and acquaintances as part of the process they use to estimate life expectancy.

Okay, so where are your friends to be found?

Well, that is one to answer for yourself. Many people try to find "friends" in bars. However, while chance encounters in alcoholically fueled environments certainly accounts for some true lasting friendships, genuine friendship is often better based on shared interests and activities. Getting smashed regularly might not be the best way to search for someone you can trust and rely on...no matter how much fun they are at the moment. If you are religious, go to church regularly. If you are athletic, join an exercise group or sign up for a gym membership. If you are a stamp collector, join a stamp collecting club. Even if you do not find someone within that group who really excites you, those people of similar tastes and life views may have friends who would love to have you as a new friend. The key here is to circulate, but circulate within spheres where you are likely to find people with similar (not necessarily the exact same) interests and attitudes.

Somebody has to take the first step.

If you meet someone that you would like to be friends with, that should mean that this potential relationship is valuable enough for you to invest a little personal effort. That person may be sitting at home wondering why YOU don't call! When I attended my 20th high school reunion, I learned of two girls who had once had crushes on me while I had sat at home never contacting them or anyone else because I was sure that they didn't like me!

Okay, so your feelings get hurt, or you find yourself with a friend that you wish you had never hooked up with. Well, there's not much I can tell you except that is a normal part of life and is likely to occur whether you are actively seeking friends or not. However, no matter how much it may hurt or upset you at the moment, it definitely does NOT define your worth or value, and it will fade in time unless you choose to keep it up front with genuinely important things.

Take the first step. It doesn't have to be a declaration of undying friendship or a date. Include the person in an activity that you think they might be interested in. Sometimes just the invitation is enough. Call or send a card on their birthday. Yes, make the effort to learn their birthday. If you are in a used book store, just go whole hog and spend the $2.99 to pick up a used copy of the book they said they wanted to read. Even if they have bought the book new in the meantime, the thought will be important to them. If not, they probably are not someone you would want for a friend anyway.

Do not let true friends "fall by the wayside".

"No man is an Island", said John Donne. When we let friends drift away, we are allowing a part of our "island" of self to erode. True, not every friend or acquaintance is going to maintain the same level of importance in our lives as we and they change, move, ripen, or sour. However, it doesn't hurt to drop a line, an email, or to make a quick phone call just to keep in touch. Their friendship was valuable to us at one time and will probably retain a value throughout our lives, You never know when the guy you used to go on business trips with turns out to be the one who shows up to help you through a particularly difficult period in your life.

I don't know about you, but simply from a selfish point of view, better health and a longer, more enjoyable life are good enough reasons for me to go out and make some new friends or renew old friendships.

Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as yoga, writing, nature, animals, the environment, global warming, happiness, self improvement, health, fitness, and weight loss. He has collected several of his articles on health, fitness, diet, and weight loss at http://nodiet4me.com/articledirectory/ .

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donovan_Baldwin

So You're Thinking About Becoming a Freelance Writer

2007-03-29T11:19:00.000-05:00

Copyright 2007 by Donovan Baldwin

You would think that writing is writing. You would think that just because you are doing it in freelance mode rather than under contract to a publication or advertising firm, for example, that it's the same thing. You would think, huh?

Well, like many things in life, when you step away from the beaten path and eschew the warmth and comfort of schedule, office, guidelines and are forced to do all that that implies for yourself, things change.

Anyone who is good at their job and decides to go out on their own...start their own business...very rapidly learns a bitter truth. Along with all the obligations to the boss, the kowtowing and dog and pony shows, the J.O.B. did provide some things that it can be hard to get along without.

Take that scheduling thing a couple of paragraphs ago. For many people striking out on their own, including freelance writers, a first dash of cold water from the fountain of freedom is the realization that they are not as good at scheduling their own time as their boss or office was.

Oh, it's great not to hear the clock go off in the morning, but at some point, if you want to be successful, you have got to get out of bed and go to work. The boss expected you there by a certain time and kept you there a certain time for a reason. Requiring a certain amount of time out of your life insured that a certain amount of work got done. With no boss to stand over you or glare at you as you come in late, it can be easy to cut the routine and suddenly find that your output has dropped off.

For a freelance writer, low output can mean low wages.

In the routine of the office, you knew that certain jobs had to be done in certain cycles and to certain rhythms. Many times, those rhythms and cycles were there when you came to work at that company. You may have modified them somewhat, but there is a chance you did not create them. As a self-employed individual, i.e. freelance writer, you are going to have to discover and create the cycles, rhythms, and schedules which will help you be successful.

At your job, you had to develop and grow. Maybe they provided training for you, maybe they didn't, but at some point you probably realized that if you wanted to advance, or at least keep your job, you would have to figure out how to work the new machinery, fill out the new form, or placate the new boss. A freelancer has to stay abreast of what's going on as well, only now, there is no one standing by to make sure you get the message.

Additionally, your job provided incentive for you to keep working even if things weren't going well. As long as you came in and did your work, you got your paycheck. For many, that, and the chance of losing a job, translates into a certain incentive to be creative. Often, when writers go freelance, they find that without any guidance and expectations from outside, their creativity dries up. Then, it is up to them to force themselves to produce.

Bosses also set expectations, and you knew as an employee what those expectations were. Many people who decide to freelance feel that they will now be able to call the tune. However, often what they want to write is not what others want to read, and they find that the boss had certain expectations because he or she knew what the market was demanding. Many a freelance writer, and others who take the self-employed route, find themselves doing many of the same things they did, but for less money and with no benefits.

The list can go on. There are a myriad of things that anyone leaving the work force and striking out on their own will realize need to be done. They will also realize that usually somebody else did them when they had a job. Now that they are self-employed, again, i.e. freelance, they are responsible for it all...from bookkeeping to sanitation. It is their responsibility not only to be a good employee but a good employer as well.

Going freelance in any profession can be daunting, and sometimes the rewards are not monetary. Many self-employed people make less than they did at their last job, but would never go back now that they have made the break. After all, where else can you quit work to watch the game or play with your kids, take a couple of days off because you feel like it, and do your work with a beer on the desk?

Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, health and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness, yoga, writing, the environment, happiness, self improvement, and weight loss.

You can find a collection of articles on health, fitness, diet, and weight loss and related subjects at http://nodiet4me.com/articledirectory/ .

I Got Paid Today

2007-03-25T15:42:00.000-05:00

Copyright 2007 by Donovan Baldwin

Recently I wrote an article in which I tried to point out that consistent effort was needed for success in many things. Persistence paid off, in other words. Shortly after posting that article on MySpace.com, a nice lady named Toni sent me a message about the article. She was not only kind enough to compliment the article, but in her message, she told me that she had been about to give up on something, and my article kind of pushed her back on track.

I have been paid in various ways for a lot of things in my life, but that has to be one of the nicest "checks" I have ever received.

You know something? Not only was Toni kind enough to say nice things about my article, but she took the time to let me know the impact I had had on her life.

Isn't that a great feeling? Years ago, I had the good fortune to train individuals in a new career. Many of these people had never had a job that paid as well, many had been going through a string of misfortunes, and I got to help set them on the road to success in a new career. A few came back to see me later and let me know how grateful they were for the difference I had made in their lives.

There, you go! Yet another "check".

You might be wondering why I put the word "check" in quotations.

Well, it's because Toni's response, and those of my ex-students, was not only a feel-good thing that brightened my whole day...and a payment of sorts...but it also reminded me of something we sometimes forget. It was a "reality check"...a reminder. One of the reasons we tend to forget is that we often don't get messages back telling us how we have done, what we have or have not accomplished, or the impact that we have had on someone else's life...for better or for worse.

You don't have to write an article to impact someone's life in such a way that they incorporate your message into their life. My wife has family members who are missionaries in foreign lands. She was telling me that in one country where they were missionaries, they were not allowed to preach or even tell others about their religion. They had to pass on their teachings and beliefs by being living examples of their faith.

We impact each other's lives almost every day, often without even realizing it. We may say one thing and five minutes later show our children, coworkers, or family members what our real core values are. Sadly, we sometimes say one thing and teach another through our actions. Often, our children, and others, may incorporate those values into their own lives. That's great as long as we have shown them the best lessons in life that we can muster.

Unfortunately, many of us continue teaching the wrong lessons and sending the wrong messages because we never get any response that lets us realize our mistakes and improve ourselves and our messages. Many motivational professionals and success coaches agree that to improve performance and achieve success, it is very useful to have some sort of feedback so that we can recognize our strengths and weaknesses, thus gaining an understanding of what we need to work on. Also, if we have been doing well, the positive message we get back from others can be a great reward while strengthening us in our determination to keep on doing the right things.

Several times in my life, I have received a "thank you", a compliment, or just a word of encouragement at just the right moment so that I was able to take hold of my life as it veered off track and put it back on the proper road.

That's why I say, "Thank you, Toni," for letting me know that I have made a difference in your life. I thank you also for reminding me that someone is watching and that my words and my life can have an impact, and it is up to me to determine what sort of message I wish to send. Your reality check not only rewarded me for my efforts, but brought back to my mind the need to write what I believe and live my life as it should be lived.

That sort of payment is worth a lot more than money.

Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, health and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness, yoga, writing, the environment, happiness, self improvement, and weight loss.

He has a collection of articles on health, fitness, diet and weight loss at http://nodiet4me.com/articledirectory .

Father Brown and the LIttle Irish Priest

2007-03-21T07:08:00.000-05:00

Copyright 2007 by Donovan Baldwin

"It's not that we don't have enough scoundrels to curse; it's that we don't have enough good men to curse them."

- G. K. Chesterton

I love words.

I love the way they can flow and twist and wind themselves together into a thought or an image. Maybe it's the Irish in me, but I do know that part of my love for the words of poetry, stories, and philosophical thought can be pinned on one dear little Irish priest...Father Cunningham.

It was the 50's and I attended St. John's Parochial school in Warrington, Florida, a small community which lay between Pensacola and the huge naval air station, NAS Pensacola, where my father, and many of my friend's fathers worked.

As part of the good Catholic education I was supposed to be getting, one of the priests was tapped to come over to class regularly and give us some religious education. I don't know what the Lord was thinking, but he sent us Father Cunningham.

Father Cunningham was, as the Irish (at least those in movies like "The Quiet Man") say, "a dear little man". He was, of course, small, with an unruly shock of black hair, and a perpetual smile. Everyone, including the nuns, loved him dearly. At that time, I couldn't understand why they would shake their heads and smile a little sadly when they learned that Father Cunningham would be the one coming "for religion" on a given day.

They didn't seem to be happy about it!

On the other hand, we loved it, as Father Cunningham knew a million stories, and, like a good Irishman, was ever prepared to regale us with tales of leprechauns, the banshee, and the black coach...not to mention a myriad of other characters that nobody else ever bothered to tell us about!

Of all the characters I waited for, Father Brown was the best!

Father Brown was a fictional priest/detective created by the great Gilbert Keith (G. K.) Chesterton, a prolific and wide ranging author whose work was characterized as much by his free-wheeling, often acerbic, style of writing and witty opinionating as it was by its diversity, hidden humor, and depth of thought.

Father Cunningham knew all the Father Brown mysteries and loved to share them with us. Fortunately for the nuns they were written as short stories. He would, with a beautiful Irish brogue and flair for the tale, take us down streets and alleys in foreign cities we had never heard of (or had forgotten about after the bell rang or the test was over), and introduce us to adults we had never known before...nor had we seen them in that light.

I hated school with all the passion of my young heart, but I soared when Father Cunningham came to class, and I could hardly wait to hear the next adventure of Father Brown.

As I look back these 50 years, I am able to see the impact that one small Irish priest had on my entire future.

A year or two later, in a library, I stumbled across a book that had the words "Father Brown" on its spine. It also had the word "Chesterton". I took the book and read it cover to cover over the next few days. I devoured all the Father Brown mysteries and moved on to all the other mysteries on either side. I read about Sherlock Holmes, Bulldog Drummond, Simon Templar (the Saint), the Lone Wolf, Mr. Moto, and Dr. Fu Manchu. When I had made a dent in all the mysteries and hungered for something else, I read the westerns. I started with Zane Grey and went through western story after western story, acquiring an admiration for Hopalong cassidy (the real one, not the movie one made famous by Bill Boyd), and Hashknife Hartley and his sidekick, Sleepy Stevens, along the way.

From there, I moved to Science Fiction and eventually became acquainted with the works of Heinlein, Asimov, and others too numerous to mention.

Somewhere, I discovered G. K. Chesterton had written many things other than Father Brown mysteries, and I began to read anything of his I could find and this lead me to the essay. Essays led to poetry and philosophy, and by the time my high school teacher exposed me to Shakespeare, I was ready! These readings did not lead only to the dusty shelves full of what could be considered "literature", but also led me to the output of modern writers.

From fiction I moved to non-fiction and, wanting to know more about myself and my fellow travelers upon this earth, I uncovered the likes of Dale Carnegie and Napoleon Hill and dipped into such esoteric areas as meditation and yoga. I taught myself speed reading and tried to read my way through lists of great books.

I cannot credit Father Cunningham with my love of books, as my parents began taking me to the Pensacola library on a regular basis before I could read. In those days it was still in Old Christ Church on the edge of what is now Seville Square in Pensacola. The floors were wood, and the stereopticon with the collection of slides was the first thing I headed for when we entered.

Nor did Father Cunningham teach me to love adventure, romance, God or my homeland, but he led me to a love of words and the thoughts of men and women both great and simple. All these thoughts and opinions and stories and poems have helped to make the happy, healthy, usually well-balanced 62 year old man I am today. Almost any simple phrase or common event can send me into the corridors of my mind where an untold number of tales and thoughts await to intrigue or amuse me. No high speed movie car chase or thriller plot can set my blood racing as easily and completely as one simple passage, "'Come, Watson, come!' he cried. 'The game is afoot...'"

It was years later, by the way, that I came to realize one other thing as well. The nuns need not have worried. By telling us the Father Brown mysteries, Father Cunningham introduced us to the concept of good and evil and was actually using these stories as morality plays to make points in ways that we could absorb into our young beings. The "learning" would come later.

Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, health and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness, yoga, writing, the environment, happiness, self improvement, and weight loss.

You can find his site on yoga at http://yoga-4-the-health-of-it.com/.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donovan_Baldwin

Consistency - Parent of Progress, Cornerstone of Success

2007-03-19T16:17:00.000-05:00

Copyright 2007 by Donovan Baldwin

In his book, "Awaken the Giant Within", Anthony Robbins has the following to say about achieving success:

"In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It's not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently."

Remember back down the line where someone told you that if you put a little bit of money in the bank every week or out of every paycheck, after a while you would have a large chunk of money? Made sense, right?

Or how about if you take a walk every day, or at least several times a week, you will lose weight, get fitter, go down a dress size...whatever! Do you remember that?

Okay, how about brush every day? I know you've heard that one!

So, what the heck do all these things have in common?

No peeking! You actually have to read the article.

Oh, okay. We all know and understand that simply taking the occasional swing at changing our lives or improving them or losing weight or making more money isn't going to work. It's the exercise done regularly and often over time that improves our bodies. It's the money put into the bank out of every paycheck that mounts up to enough to actually invest in something expensive. It is brushing our teeth every day that helps keep tooth decay in check and keeps the dentist off our backs.

That little Austrian kid, what's his name, probably did have some good genes going for him. However, Arnold Schwarzenegger never would have made "Pumping Iron", got discovered, made a lot more movies, married Maria Shriver, and become the governor of the state of California if he had only visited the gym once or twice and then quit...or only showed up every other Wednesday.

Like so many successful people, Ahnald (sorry, couldn't resist) visualized a goal for himself, figured out what steps were needed to get him there, and then was willing to spend the time and effort necessary to perform those steps regularly and religiously.

Raining and cold today? Got to get to the gym. Don't feel like working out? Got to get to the gym. Not only that, if something he tried wasn't working, he tried to figure out what would work and started over.

Was every step along the way perfect? Of course not. Just look at some of Arnold's movies, and you will see that some would definitely NOT remind you of the future governor of California...or of Gregory Peck, Charleton Heston, or Gabby Hayes, for that matter. What did matter was that he kept swinging...er, lifting, and did not give up.

Same with Ronald Regan, by the way.

Or how about that young black woman born in the segregated city of Birmingham, Alabama in the mid 50's? Who would have thought that she ever would have a chance to become anything. I grew up in the South of the 50's. I remember what she faced. It wasn't just two water fountains (white and colored) and three bathrooms (men, women, and colored). That's almost just an inconvenience compared to being considered by a large part of the population to be less than human and not being allowed to even dream of following the paths to achievement open to those who did not have skin the same color as hers. However, she too had a goal and never quit working at it despite the obstacles, and the almost certain times that she must have felt that her goal must be impossible to obtain.

Today, Condoleezza Rice is one of the most famous, most respected women in the world. Her name will go down in history because she had something to work towards and realized that just taking a casual swing at it once in a while would not get her where she wanted to go.

By the way, it was another person with skin the color of hers who would not give up and quit either. Partly because of the sacrifices of people like Martin Luther King, not only did the extra water fountain and bathroom go away, but so did a lot of the obstacles that little girl faced. He didn't quit trying either, until he could try no more...and that decision was not his.

Pick somebody successful. It doesn't matter if it is Tiger Woods, Thomas Edison, Donald Trump, or Tony Robbins. Heck, Edison even said, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." How many of us would have quit after two or three tries?

How about that unemployed ex-secretary in Britain. Thought up some silly characters and wrote a book about them. Twelve publishing houses rejected her story before one decided to take a chance on it. Even her good friends were telling her to give it up and get a real job when the first Harry Potter book by J. K. Rowling hit the stands.

An old story I remember from a bazillion (my spell checker says "kazillion" doesn't exist) years ago was about a sports writer watching a famous golfer sink a difficult putt. A man beside him snorted and said something like, "I wish I had been lucky enough to be born with his talent." The sports writer didn't say anything at that time, but he thought to himself of all the times he had seen that same golfer practicing putting over and over between rounds when he could have been resting.

Yeah, we all have different levels of skills and talents. Our parents may or may not have been able to help us out. Our genes, or the circumstances of our birth and heritage, may or may not have made it easier for us to accomplish this or that. However, again and again we can see that the winners...those who succeed, are not always the most talented, those born rich, or those whose genes made it easy for them.

So many times in life's race, the winner is the one who simply did not quit running.

Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, health and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness, yoga, writing, the environment, happiness, self improvement, and weight loss.

Learn how you can save hundreds of dollars with do-it-yourself legal forms and software at http://www.legal-forms-supermarket.com/ .

Who Will Rid Me Of This Meddlesome Priest?

2007-03-16T15:50:00.000-05:00

Copyright 2007 by Donovan Baldwin

It was late in the year 1170 when Henry II of England supposedly uttered the famous words which have come to us as, "Who will rid me of this meddlesome priest?" Actually, no one really knows the exact words spoken, but the idea was apparently conveyed in some similar language. Supposedly, the statement was preceded by something similar to, "What sluggards, what cowards have I brought up in my court, who care nothing for their allegiance to their lord."

Whatever the exact words, the idea put forth by the king with such fervor was enough to encourage four knights who were with Henry in France, to take horse, cross the channel, and ride to Canterbury cathedral where they found Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, taking refuge at the altar. There, on the afternoon of December 29, apparently believing they were acting on the wishes of their liege lord, they brutally hacked at him until he was dead.

Throughout history, and at all levels of power, words and wishes of those in positions of authority, even words and wishes not specifically defined but merely implied, have often been translated by others as statements of fact or even as direct orders.

Whenever I hear of people taking it upon themselves to manufacture a standing structure out of an illogical (sorry Spock) pile of rubble, I remember a cold morning in Germany when two young soldiers approached me and asked, "Sergeant Baldwin. Are we going to have an alert?"

For those of you who never knew the joy of getting a phone call at two in the morning and hearing a gruff voice on the other end say, "We're on alert! Grab all your gear and get here now!", it was, and probably still is, something to be expected by any soldier stationed overseas, and many in the States. At that ungodly hour, the real thrill was kissing your loved ones good-bye as you headed out the door, not knowing if, as everybody wanted to know, "the balloon's gone up for real" this time.

Back to the cold morning in Germany. I tried to answer as noncommittally as possible, "Well, I don't really know, but they normally call one a month and we haven't had one yet this month. It's been about a month since the last one." I shrugged my shoulders and went on about my business. A few hours later, I overheard one soldier tell another, "Sergeant Baldwin says there's going to be an alert tomorrow." A little later, the company First Sergeant wanted to know why I was telling the troops we were going to have an alert. My protestations of innocence must have really seemed untruthful when the next morning the battalion to which our company was assigned, called an alert.

I believe the First Sergeant believed me, although some of the soldiers seemed to take my denials with a grain of salt and a knowing grin. What is important to note is that the First Sergeant knew that I had this disgusting habit of telling the truth, particularly when it would have saved certain portions of my skin if I had lied just a little bit!

Based on this and other events in my life, I long ago learned to be very cautious of what I said and how I said it in certain situations. I am sure that the President, Condoleezza Rice, Donald Trump, and the local mayor have all learned this lesson long ago. Therefore, when executive officers of companies both major and minor, and political office holders and bureaucrats disclaim knowledge of or participation in certain activities or events such as the mass firing of a large number of employees, the revelation of supposedly secret information, or the redeployment of resources to new areas for unknown or illogical reasons, I find myself going back to square one.

In square one is the basic question: How honest and reliable has this individual proven himself or herself to be?

As very often happens today, particularly in the political arena, many officials do not have a good track record. In fact, it often seems as if many "knights" have jumped on horses and crossed the channel to rid their bosses of some "meddlesome priest". While they at least might have been acting from the highest motives and in the belief that they were fulfilling the desires of their boss, I wonder how often the boss made sure that his or her unvoiced desires and wishes were loud enough to be heard.

About the Author

Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, health and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness, yoga, writing, the environment, happiness, self improvement, and weight loss.

Learn how you can save hundreds of dollars with do-it-yourself legal forms and software at http://www.legal-forms-supermarket.com/ .

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Politics and the Art of Teaching Dogs Not to Bite or Bark

2007-03-09T17:13:00.000-06:00

Copyright 2007 by Donovan Baldwin

I was born in America, raised in the south of the 50's and 60's, lived in Europe for six years, attended three colleges, and was bitten by two "bad dogs" when I was a boy. Actually, several dogs have had a nip, not to mention cats, but those particular two were known to be "bad dogs".

How many times have you and I said or thought something, or reacted in a certain way because of factors like those? How many times have we thought about it later and realized that our initial reaction, whether correct or incorrect, was based almost entirely on what we had heard, read, or absorbed through our finely tuned "skin" of expectations and beliefs?

It happens to a lot of us with some regularity, and hopefully, over time, we learn that we should delve a little deeper into the facts and realities of a situation or a person before we reach some sort of damning or beatifying conclusion.

Now, that's those of us who are introspective and capable of pulling ourselves up to a higher plane of existence. In other words, you and me.

Let's talk about all the other people.

Most of them will never give a second thought to their actions or beliefs other than something along the line of, "I'm afraid of dogs because I was bitten by one when I was a child."

Hmmmm! Something wrong here. When I was a child, I was bitten twice by "bad dogs" and several times by dogs without a qualifying adjective and I have absolutely no fear of the critters.

I wonder if maybe all those other factors in my life had some sort of impact on my adult reaction to dogs!

Now, let's talk about the dogs.

A dog is a dog is a dog. Oh sure, they have different personalities, and some breeds having been bred for particular traits or sports may tend to be more passive or more aggressive...whatever! In the final analysis, however, except for the occasional Hound-ibal Lecter, most will be like us to some extent, becoming what they are raised to be within the constraints of their doghood. They cannot talk, but they can communicate by barking. They scratch because they itch, they lick themselves in places that offend our sensibilities, they leave gifts on our lawns, and, in general do what they as dogs are prone to do. While we can teach them to use a certain spot in the yard, or to give us a signal when they need to go out to use that spot, for the most part, they could care less about our desires and wishes...not because they are unthinking, unfeeling, or bad. They are dogs by birth and instinct, molded with a veneer of "social graces" that we have forced them to acquire. This is not bad nor good. It is merely "dog".

Back to people now.

I am not trying to compare people to dogs per se, any more than the old saying, "A leopard can't change its spots" makes humans into leopards when applied to one of us. However, maybe seeing that once a nature is formed either by birth, education, environment, events, circumstance, and a host of other factors, we will understand that the creature known as man is almost as susceptible to blind adherence to our nature as any other being.

With all this in mind, how many times in history has a ruler, a politician, a diplomat, or even a private citizen felt compelled to teach someone in another land, of another faith and belief system, the "right" way to think and do things?

You know, anybody who knows much about dogs knows that if you think that you can take food away from a dog the way you take food away from a child, there is a chance you may get bitten. Most of us with a modicum of common sense would think twice before we tried to force a bear to wear a dress and sit at the table with us. This is not because the bear is any more "bad" than the dog, but it is in the nature of most creatures to be what they are and resist change. A thinking creature, such as a human, perhaps, can go one step further and see, or believe, that his or her very humanity is being threatened.

A dog usually bites once in response to a stimulus, but humans are more dangerous. They can decide when, where, and how...and how hard...to bite...or worse.

A human will not change his or her thoughts or way of life to yours simply on your say-so any more than a dog will stop barking or biting because it offends your sense of right and wrong, proper and improper, which has been developed within you for all the years that theirs were growing in them.

Beware the human. He bites.

Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, health and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness, yoga, writing, the environment, happiness, self improvement, and weight loss.

Save hundreds or even thousands of dollars in legal fees and attorneys' fees with do-it-yourself legal forms and software at http://www.legal-forms-supermarket.com/ .

Captain America Is Dead

2007-03-08T05:03:00.000-06:00

Copyright © Donovan Baldwin

In 1941, against the backdrop of a world in turmoil, a new fictional character was introduced to the American public. A puny weakling in poor health but wishing to do his patriotic duty, Steve Rogers allowed himself to be injected with a serum intended to create a super soldier. Thus was born the hero in red, white, and blue...the shield wielding Captain America. Sadly, in the latest edition of his long-running comic, he is downed by a sniper's shot. It's sad when heroes die, especially if they are someone you have known since childhood.

Though no longer a comic book fan; I gave 'em up about 47 years ago, simply remembering the old days of sitting in front of the comic book rack at Woodrow Moulton's pharmacy in Warrington, Florida brings back so many other memories. The reference to Captain America, leads to the comic books...Superman, Batman, Ghostrider (the old cowboy one, not the flaming skull guy on the motorcycle), Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Lash LaRue, Tim Holt as Red Mask, and of course, Hopalong Cassidy and the Durango Kid.

It brings another memory as well. I remember when, a few years ago, my mother told me that Mr. Moulton (I never thought of him as anything but Mister Moulton...never Woodrow. He was too dignified a gentleman for that.) had been shot dead during a robbery on June 7, 1978 by one Marvin Edwin Johnson. She thought it had something to do with drugs although it might have simply been a robbery. Apparently the old pharmacist in his landmark pharmacy who had helped so many people over so many years tried to defend himself and his property. For this, he died.

You know, when my father and mother moved to Warrington, Florida, then a nearby community between Pensacola and the Naval air base, from Atlanta in 1945 right after I was born, they were happy to learn that they could buy the Sunday Atlanta Journal and Constitution at Mr. Moulton's "Warrington Pharmacy", and thus was born a ritual that lasted over three decades. After Mass on Sunday, there would be the trip to Warrington Pharmacy to pick up the Sunday Atlanta Journal and Constitution.

In fact, after I got my driver's license, my first trip in my father's car, on my own, was on a Sunday morning when he handed me the keys to his 1956 Chevy with the missing accelerator pedal (you had to step on the bar that would have been underneath the pedal) and told me to go get the paper. Backing the Chevvy out of the driveway and driving the two miles down and two miles back is something I still remember. Mr. Moulton was there and I wanted to brag about driving down by myself, but I sort of felt you just didn't brag to Mr. Moulton. Not that he would put you down, he would have simply expected it as something that had been bound to come about.

It's hard to believe Mr. Moulton is dead.

Shortly after they started getting the paper every Sunday, my dad went in one Sunday and they had sold them out. Mr. Moulton heard about it and told my father that from that day on, he would order one extra paper and put it under the counter for him. For years, it was not uncommon for one of the ladies to see my dad coming in the door and sing out, "I've got your paper over here, Mr. Baldwin!"

When it was time to buy my mother's birthday and Christmas gifts, I could count on Mr. Moulton or his staff of older ladies to steer me towards an inexpensive perfume, earrings, or fake strand of pearls. It wasn't until years later that I learned that they often cut the price for "Mr. Baldwin's boy" at a nod from Mr. Moulton.

What a great example of what a simple American citizen could be, and the influence he could have on the life of a youngster growing up in his community. What a sad thing that Mr. Moulton had to die because of someone else's desire to escape from a life which could offer so much. However, from time to time, I find the mechanic, the clerk, the cop, or the teacher who shows a sense of value such as his and I feel that although Mr. Moulton is dead, his quiet example of another, less flashy, American hero and guardian can still be found.

This is a time in our nation's history when heros are plenty. It's just that they are dressed in camouflage and some don't shave regularly yet...or don't have to shave because they are female. They don't always hit us between the eyes like Cap's shield, but they are there though sometimes hard to find for all the rhetoric their heroism gets wrapped in. Sometimes it is hard to see them for the row of politicians standing in front of them claiming the glory or exonerating themselves from blame, but they are still there. Sometimes, if you look closely, you can see that many of them are a little confused at their own heroism. They just see it as doing what they were supposed to do.

What a concept!

You know somethng? Though Mr. Moulton and Captain America are dead, their spirits live on. They may be gone, but there are others with their spirit and attitude to take up the slack.

About The Author:
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Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, .and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness,yoga, writing, the environment, happiness, self improvement, and weight loss.

You can find information on do-it-yourself legal forms and software at http://www.legal-forms-supermarket.com/.
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The Importance of Finding Yourself

2007-03-07T05:46:00.000-06:00

Copyright 2007 by Donovan Baldwin

Two vignettes from sometime in the 60's.

In the first, I am a teenager sitting in the living room with my father. We are watching television. Someone is being interviewed. I cannot remember who it was, but he has just said, "I am trying to find myself."

My father's response, "Hmmph! You're right there. What's so hard about that?"

Being a teenager, I naturally thought that was an excellent remark, although I never would have let my father know that. Yet, at the same time, I was in a quandary because I too was trying to find myself and wasn't sure where to look.

In the second, , I am driving around Pensacola, Florida, my hometown. I am listening to one of my favorite radio commentators, Earl Nightingale, whose motto was, "We become what we think about."

A listener to his program has asked the question, and I will get as close as possible to the question and the answer as I remember them, "I am about to enter college. How do I choose the career and course of study that will bring me success and the most wealth and pleasure from life?"

Earl Nightingale's answer, "Find what you love to do so much that you would do it even if nobody paid you, and make that your life's work. You will be happy to go to work every day. Your love of what you do will make you become the absolute best at doing it. People will see this and soon see you as someone who cares and is knowledgeable, and this will further your career more than anything else and you will rise each day eager and anxious to get to work."

Two vignettes and now a story.

In Pensacola, Florida in the 60's, a young man who wanted to write and who loved literature and the flow and sweep, mystery and mastery of words, wanted to know the same things. His advisors told him, "The money's in accounting. If you want to be successful and wealthy, go into accounting." So, he got an accounting degree.

Back to the present. The ex-accountant, ex-optical lab manager, ex-soldier, ex-restaurant manager has, after 45 years, "found himself". Oddly enough, his father's remark was on the money. He was right there all the time, but he went looking everywhere except within himself. Earl Nightingale's advice fits in as well. The ex-accountant who wanted to write, but only wrote instruction manuals, reports, and business letters, now gets to write every day...and loves it!

Rich? Not as some people would judge it, but every day, I get up looking forward to putting down the words rattling around in my head. When do I work? I am never quite sure, because when I am doing something that does not appear to be "work", I am absorbing, enjoying, stroking, and massaging all that happens around me. It all becomes a part of me and may eventually reappear as a story, a poem, an article, a comment, or as a thought in an email to my friends or family.

Now let's talk about reality. My father, 4F in World War II because of an eye injury, was a masterful concert violinist. When he married my mother, he was faced with a choice of earning a living and supporting a family, or making beautiful music. He was unable to find himself, that man who could support his family with his music. He chose one, support his family, over the other. He did a good job of it, but it wasn't unusual on a Sunday to find him wistfully playing recordings of beautiful music. He never touched a violin again.

I wish he could have done the thing he loved rather than bending over a table at Pensacola Naval Air Station for 30 years, repairing aircraft instruments. I wish he could have played the violin or conducted an orchestra for all the years of his life, rising each day to do what he loved rather than putting on his Archie Bunker hat and going to the Navy base with his carpool.

I am proud of my father. He had his faults, like any man, but he tried to do the right things for his church, his community, and his family. However, I wish that he had "found himself" and lived up to the desires and dreams of his heart.

My life has proven that, until the end, at least, it is never too late. Maybe the other lives I have lived were necessary to prepare me for this incarnation as "writer". I don't think so. As much as they have given me, I think my life would have been happier and more productive had I done the thing that I so longed to do rather than following paths which went places I really didn't want to go.

We only have this one life to live and there are no guarantees but one. It is best to choose to make your world what you want it to be before you have no choices left.

My father was right. We don't really have to go very far to find ourselves. We just have to look inside and find out what we really want to be. Not "have". To be. Once you know what you want to be, then work to become that and one day you will turn a corner and "find yourself" right where you were all along.

Donovan Baldwin is a Texas writer and a University of West Florida alumnus. He is a member of Mensa and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness, yoga, writing, the environment, happiness, self improvement, weight loss, and pets, of all things.

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If Somewhere Today A Child Has Died

2007-02-14T19:12:00.000-06:00

If somewhere today a child has died
Or falls asleep with tear soaked cheeks because
It knows not where a father or mother sleeps
Or if they have lived or died
...and...
We toddle off to sleep in soft warm beds
A good meal in our bellies and
Our children safe at home

What have we done? What have we done?

If tomorrow breaks and there is still Darfur
Or Afghanistan, or Iraq, or other pits of hell
Too numerous to mention
Where the fate of children rides upon
The whims of those who see only
What historians shall write, or
Where boundaries shall be drawn

What have we done? What have we done?

If we only raise our hands to summon
Another glass of wine, another glass of beer
Or only seek to change
The channel to another comedy
Brushing on the way past pictures
Which should have made us weep...

What have we done? What have we done?

Our voices should be raised in anger
Yes! And fists shaken violently as well.
Threats should be made and pens be taken up
To write the evil of the days
When we saw people who we called leaders
Turn to us and say that
This needs to be for better times to come.

If we have not wept, cajoled, pleaded, prayed,
Fought, and given all we could to save children
Who had no part in this evil
But that we have assigned and allowed to be,

What have we NOT done?

What have I NOT done?

Copyright Valentine's Day, Feb 14, 2007 by Donovan Baldwin

UNICEF

Now I've Written My Great (country of choice) Novel, Now What?

2007-01-29T06:06:00.000-06:00

Now I've Written My Great (country of choice) Novel, Now What?
By Robyn Whyte

In my case, it would be the Great Canadian Novel. But we are not all from the frosted North where the temperature plus windchill only equalled out to -26 Celcius today. I think I have frostbite on my cheeks still. I thought it was time for me to give insight into the process of pursuing publication.

So you want to be a noveliest? I hate to be the one to break the news to you. So has everybody else. Oh, I am not trying to tell you that the world is full of novel writers, just that there are a lot of aspiring novelists. What sets you apart is that you actually finished the book so keep reading. I'm going to tell you what comes after 'The End'.

When I was a very young child, I was at work on novels. It's true! Really. There was the animal pet detective series. Young romance novels. I would once in a while break my silence and show someone my novel or poem or anything creative.

I remember once taking a story to my mom. She read it and then said, "I don't get why you do this. Is this supposed to be funny?" This was followed by a blank stare. It's hard to believe I dedicated my first published novel to my mother, reminiscing like this. So the first rule will be:

Rule One: Don't Show It To Your Mother

Gosh, I wish I knew this remarkable rule then. Too late though.

Step one is to hire an editor.

Heck, don't show it to anyone that may belittle you or correct your spelling out of spite or kindness. Take all your money from whatever the job you're working and hire an editor. You may think that editors will cost a fortune but as you're only asking for an edit, you can go on a site like Guru.com and post a job for someone to edit your novel. You would be absolutely shocked how many talented people work from a site like this and will edit your novel for something on a budget.

You will not believe what a difference an editor can make. They can make a problematic spot in a novel disappear. They can make your first chapter sparkle all in collaboration. It's an investment.

Rule Two: Don't Read: How to make query letters books

Step Two

Seriously, do not read the query letter books. About two years ago, I was treated to a letter where an author had gone with the preachy, Hollywood template. She wrote about her novel like it is a fast-paced book. I pointed out that nobody was going to read this because they'd think it was uh...I didn't have words. It was terrible but I'm not a gal who likes to hurt feelings.

The best way to settle on a formula for a query letter is by sticking to the three paragraph letter. If you can't descibe your book succinctly in a one pager, chances are nobody is going to read it. Don't make it flashy or exciting. Instead, work on describing your novel. Publishing houses want to know how long your manuscript is. What is your manuscript like? What are your credits as an author? Do you think you will be able to market your novel? What are you willing to do to market your novel?

Stick to the basics. Make your paragraphs short and targeted at someone who doesn't have a lot of time.

Rule Three: Don't believe friends who say their friend is an editor and probably can publish your book tomorrow

I mention rule three because recently it happened to me. I was just minding my own business, cleaning the faces of all of my children and going off to visit a friend for an improptu pizza night. Suddenly, my friend introduced me to her friend who had not completed a book but wanted to complete a book on holistic medicine. It turned out pizza night was a segue into somehow me doing something for her. I just smiled and nodded as she talked about it. I really don't think anybody makes decisions in their personal time about their professional lives.

Step Three

Go to the library and write out the names of interesting publishing houses. Supplement these names by the ones online. Some of the listing are very specific as to what they want in terms of attached pages. Make notes.

Rule Four: Don't give up

Step Four

Persist. You have to realize by enduring as in submitting over and over again, you have something that some of the other budding novelists don't and that is determination. As well, you probably have stamps and money for envelopes. Both determination and money are good things when pursuing your lifelong dream to get your book published.

Good luck. Don't forget any of the rules and you're well on your way.

Robyn Whyte is the CEO of a seriously, independent press named Stargazer Press. Come stop by http://www.stargazerpress.com and read the first 13 pages of Kate Rizor's novel The Governor's Wife.

Kids, see Bitter Tastes by V.B. Rosendahl, a Virginia author.

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Articles and Headlines

2007-01-11T05:56:00.000-06:00

The Secrets of Writing "Attention Grabbing" Headlines
By Will Toh Kwang Hwee

“Own a Business of Your Choice without Investing One Cent”

A headline like this will definitely induce business minded individuals to want to read more. The world we are living in is overloaded with information that we will never be able to finish reading them all. This is especially true in today’s Information Age where we can easily find information we need using the Internet.

Having good content is simply not good enough because people don’t know how good it is until they read it! So, it is definitely critical that we catch our audience’s attention with an attention grabbing headline.

The measure of success for your headline is actually very simple. Does it make the reader want to click through and read you article or message? It’s Critical that we must have a headline that is impossible to ignore. People reading it should think, “I would be Crazy not to read this article!”

You are in for a treat. Right here I have listed a few personal secrets that I use which got me great results.

-Subject Has Three Rules: Short, Sharp And Sweet:

While you may want to convey as much information as you can in each headline, a long headline may spell disaster. So your best bet will be to have a headline that is short, sharp and attention grabbing.

-Tickle On The Reader’s Curiosity:

You must have the ability to pull the reader who is scanning tones to headline to stop and take a second look at your title. One of the best ways is to create a title that will induce people to want to click on your headline into your article.

-Create A Massive Sense Of Urgency:

The opportunity for gain can be great if people to want to read more. No one wants to lose out on a great moneymaking opportunity, or if they can get something for a bargain.

-Make An Announcement Or Share News:

You can make an announcement or share news in your subject line. Everyone wants to be the first one to find out new things.

-Emphasize How The Reader Will Benefit From Opening Your Email:

Do not tell them what the function is in the headline. People are simply not interested in that. They are more interested what is in it for them. What can they benefit from reading your material?

-Fear Of Lost:

This is one of the most powerful things to take note when writing articles, because subconsciously, the fear of lost will compel a reader to take action more than anything else.

Final food for thought - always remember to keep the headline using the above strategy. You will get amazing results if you can combine some of the strategies together in one headline. Once you have mastered the art of writing a great headline, combined with good content. You can be sure that your work will get huge exposure.

Will Toh is a preeminent and veteran internet marketer with immerse PASSION in Internet MLM and Personal Development. One of his goal in life is to help individual achieve Financial Abundance and Living Excellence.

Click here http://www.new-dollars.com

to Download for **FREE** a Classic Self Help ebook and find out more.

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Copy Writing - Are You Losing Sales By Missing This Word

2007-01-05T07:28:00.000-06:00

By Paul Hooper - Kelly

There's one word in the English language, that stands head and shoulders above all the others for getting a "Yes" response to your sales letter. And, no -- it isn't the word "free".

I hardly ever read books on copy writing, because I prefer to go right to the source. So I read books on human psychology. You see, to persuade people to do what you want them to do -- whether on a first date or in copy writing -- it pays to mug up on the psychological triggers that compel people to act.

You are reading this now, because of a psychological trigger I used in the title. The trigger that started you reading this was the fear of losing sales if you weren't using this particular word. So what is that word? The word is "because" and here's why it's so amazing.

Its astonishing power was discovered -- not by a copywriter but a lady psychologist -- to be the most compelling word you can use. Here's how she found it.

Harvard Social Psychologist, Ellen Langer, went up to some people standing in line to use a Xerox copier and said, "Excuse me, I have five pages to copy. May I use the Xerox, because I'm in a rush." All the people, bar one, were quite happy to allow her to go ahead.

Later, she asked a similar number a slightly different question, "Excuse me, I have five pages to copy. May I use the Xerox?". This time, only about 2/3 of the group were happy for her to jump right in.

Finally, she asked a third group, "Excuse me, I have five pages to copy. May I use the Xerox, because I have to make some copies?"

This last group mirrored the first group in their almost total acquiescence to her request.

Can you spot the reason for the difference?

In the first and third experiments, which met with almost 100% success, she used the magic word: "because". In the less successful -- but still pretty good -- middle experiment, the word "because" was absent.

So there you have it: one little word makes a 33% difference in the response. That's the awesome power of persuasive copy writing through psychology.

So make sure your sales letters are rich in the words "because" and "the reason why". For example, let's say you're selling an e-book. This has several benefits to the reader, in particular "instant gratification" (another psychological trigger), but if you are dealing with the price, you can minimize that by comparison (yes -- you've guessed it, that's another one!).

Here's an example of both sets of words in action . . .

If this was a hard bound book, not only would you have to wait several days for delivery, it would also cost you over $100. But, order it today and you can be discovering these amazing secrets just minutes from now for just $30, because it is available as an instant electronic download, and the reason why we can let you steal it at this rock bottom price is because we have no inventory or shipping costs, so we are delighted to pass the saving over to you in the form of this amazingly low price.

Copyright 2007 Paul Hooper-Kelly and InternetMarketingMagician.com.

Paul Hooper-Kelly owns http://www.InternetMarketingMagician.com and has been called "The Best Copywriter In The World" by one of his clients and has just compiled a FREE report crammed with more hints and tips you can easily use to take your copy writing to a whole new level of effectiveness. Grab your FREE copy now by clicking this link >> Copywriting_Secrets

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How to Write and Sell Your Novel

2007-01-03T04:25:00.000-06:00

By Victoria Rosendahl

Have you always wanted to write and sell a novel but weren't sure where to start? The writing part is hard enough but how do you get your masterpiece published and sold?

A series of three articles will give you a basic blueprint for options you can pursue, like:

• Agents – How to find a reputable one and learn who to stay away from

• Publishers – The best route for you may not be a big publishing house in New York … a smaller house may be just the right fit for you

• Marketing – Here are some steps you can take to set up appearances and what you need to interest local TV and radio stations

In this article, we’ll look at writing in general and whether you need an agent to sell your book. There’s lots to cover so let’s go!

WRITING

The Great American Novel.

It's a catchphrase writers have heard -- and been saddled with -- for a long time.

Writing a novel is organic; it comes from deep inside. While there are some tried-and-true formulas, the best teacher comes in two forms: writing and reading.

Why? Because to be a good writer you must be a good reader.

If you're interested in a particular area -- or genre – of fiction like mysteries, romance or science fiction, read as many books by different authors in those genres as you can. You'll quickly sort out the good from the not-so-good and learn to develop an eye for what works in a novel.

Reading novels teaches you structure, pacing and tone. It helps you learn how to develop characters and experiment with point of view and tension.

In fact imagery, tension and release are the three big factors in successful novels. Imagery is word painting. Richness of detail is what helps you connect with your audience and find a common ground the two of you can share. Tension keeps you turning the pages. And release ties it altogether.

If you're into writing and want to learn the basics, there are several avenues to pursue. You can pick up some terrific how-to books like On Writing by Stephen King or Bird by Bird by Anne LaMott.

Magazines like “The Writer” and “Writers Digest” are chock-full of articles to help hone your style and voice. And there are a slew of online courses to choose from. Try searching the `Net using keywords like "online writing classes" or just "writing classes" and you'll get loads of choices. Investigate writing clubs in your area or find out how to join a critique group. And many writing ezines publish free newsletters each month with loads of information about writing how-to’s and the business of being a successful novelist.

AGENTS

To Agent or Not to Agent, That's the Question

There are as many opinions on this topic as there are bagel varieties in Manhattan. Before the competition to sell a novel became fierce, agents weren't as necessary as they are today. And agent’s commission these days runs anywhere from 15% – 20%

The Big Seven

If your heart’s desire is to be published with one of the "big seven" houses in New York -- names like Random House, Little, Brown, or Doubleday -- you'll probably need an agent to get your little toe in the front door. Many large houses refuse to look at unsolicited (read that unasked for and, many times, unwanted) manuscripts.

For the big houses, a good agent is like having a backstage pass to the hottest show in town. And it's because of the relationship the agent has developed with the editors.

Now, there are big publishers that will accept unsolicited manuscripts but the chances of getting a book contract this way are less than winning Powerball.

Smaller Houses

Small to medium-sized publishing houses are easier to get into for an unknown writer and it's also a place where you can develop a personal relationship with the publisher.

And that's what you really want: a relationship.

It's true that advances are small to not-at-all in these houses but you’ll have a greater chance of being published. And an agent isn’t as critical -- in fact it's sometimes less desirable -- for small and medium-size houses.

Where to Find an Agent

If you decide that having an agent is the direction you'd like to go in, there are a few caveats to remember.

Anyone can call themselves a literary agent. There is no professional licensing that separates the good from the bad. There are, however, a few things you can do to protect yourself and your future reputation when selecting an agent:

• Talk to other writers -- Word-of-mouth is one of the best ways to find an agent. Ask lots of questions about whether the writer is happy with his or her agent, if the agent is courteous and professional, and if the agent does what they say they'll do and on time.

• Look for the AAR (Association of Authors Representatives) designation -- This isn't an ironclad guarantee that an agent is squeaky clean or will treat you the way you deserve to be treated. It does, however, add a layer of credibility to an agent’s reputation because, by being members, agents must conduct themselves in a way that doesn't breach AAR's ethical code of conduct. AAR’s website can be found at http://www.aar-online.org/mc/page.do and contains a searchable database of agents.

• Never pay a “reading fee” to an agent -- Reasonable fees for miscellaneous expenses like postage and copies are an expected part of working with an agent but paying someone hundreds -- or even thousands -- of dollars to read your manuscript is unconscionable. That's the kind of agent to avoid.

• Read other author’s acknowledgments -- Frequently, writers will thank their agents in the acknowledgement section of their books. If you're interested in or have written a novel in the same genre, make a note of the agent’s name, gather the contact information, and submit a query letter.

You can find listings of agents both online at sites like AAR and Writers Market (http://www.writersmarket.com/) as well as in books updated annually like Jeff Herman's Guide To Book Publishers, Editors & Literary Agents: Who they are! What they want! How to win them over! and Writer’s Digest’s Guide to Literary Agents. The online version Writers Market has a database of over 6,000 listings, updated daily, and contains a section where you can store information you’ve submitted to agents and publishers. There is an annual membership fee to join Writer’s Market online.

There's also a terrific web site you can use as an agent and publisher research tool called “Preditors and Editors” at http://www.invirtuo.cc/prededitors/peala.htm. It has hundreds of listings and also gives warnings about shady agents as well as kudos for agents who are terrific. You can even find bulleted lists of do’s and don’ts for spotting scam publishers and literary agents.

Above all, when you find someone who is interested in representing you, don't jump into a contract with them just yet. Interview them. Yes, you heard that right. Interview them.

Remember, your relationship with an agent is a partnership and the right one could last a lifetime. If your questions are answered to your satisfaction and you feel a rapport with this person, ask for the names and phone numbers of three other clients. If the agent is reluctant to give out this information because of privacy concerns, ask if they would contact the writers and have them call you. You're looking for references here -- just like ones you’ve provided when you've gone on job interviews.

Because that's what this is -- you're interviewing for the position of your agent.

At a writer’s conference a few years ago, best-selling author David Baldacci told the story of how he found his agent. He had just finished writing Absolute Power and had sent it, unsolicited and in full to five agents (usually you only send 1-3 chapters for first go round). All five contacted him. He flew to New York and interviewed them all. He chose Aaron Priest of the Priest Agency because of the rapport he felt with him.

Next time we’ll delve into the world of publishers -- big and small -- and whether you want to brave one of the big seven houses in New York or find a smaller publisher for your novel.

Victoria B. Rosendahl is a freelance copywriter, published novelist and book editor. Her newest novel, Bitter Tastes, is a mystery for ages 8-12 published by Canadian publisher Stargazer Press (http://www.stargazerpress.com). To order your autographed first edition of Bitter Tastes, go to http://www.vbrosendahl.com Victoria will appear with Donna Doyle and Beth Erickson at their seminar entitled “The Business of Successful Freelance Writing” in Wilmington, Delaware on May 5, 2007. Visit http://www.3chix.com for more information and reserve your seat.

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Publish Your Poetry Yourself

2007-01-02T07:34:00.000-06:00

Poetry Publishing: Chapbooks
By Nathan Harms

The street merchant adjusts the silver periwig which has slipped to the back of his head, tugs at his dusty knee breeches and steps into the road to present his latest merchandise to the pedestrians:

"Chapbooks! Chapbooks!

Fresh from the printer today.

Salty jokes for you,

A pretty new poem,

A fairy tale for the children too!"

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, itinerant merchants and street vendors known as “chapmen” plied their trade at road sides and street corners throughout England and Europe. Interested shoppers might search the bottom of a chapman's wooden cart full of saucepans and tallow, twine and folk remedies, to find the chapbooks, so called because they were sold by chapman.

More than a thousand printing presses operated in Europe by the year 1500. But although many books were printed, most went to the clergy and other educated classes. Few books were available or affordable to the average citizen. Chapbooks put the printed word into the hands of ordinary people. The small booklets, often only 4 inches by 5 inches, became ever more popular in the following century.

By the mid 1600s, times were very hard. Poor crops caused frequent food shortages and starvation. The population faced a series of subsistence crises and epidemics. Plague was rampant, then relented, then returned again to take more than 100,000 lives in London during 1665. Average life expectancy hovered at age 30.

Though less than half of the English citizenry could read well enough to even sign their own names, chapbooks were purchased cheaply, shared, and read aloud. Some of these booklets were only 10 pages in length. The printing was smudged and the illustrations crude. The pages contained simple medieval folk tales or poems, jokes, riddles, and sometimes ribald tales obviously intended for adult reading.

Religion was also a popular topic of the chapbooks. Of a sample of 450 chapbooks from the period, 120 are religious. Many of these deal with the lives of saints. The inventory of a Paris printer who died in 1698 suggests that his best selling work was "Pensez-y-bien," a chapbook about the art of dying well. When one considers the dire times, the subject seems appropriate.

In 1662, England's Act of Uniformity placed strict obligations upon the clergy and the public regarding the church. The powers of the Act gradually restricted and censured the content of chapbooks. Although chapbooks continued in popularity in France and Italy, advances in printing methods eventually brought "legitimate" books into the hands of common people.

Today, the chapman may be a quirk of history, but his legacy, chapbooks, play a vital role in poetry publishing and can be especially effective for Christian poets. Chapbooks put collections of fine poetry into the hands of readers at reasonable cost. Anyone disparaging of the legitimacy of present-day chapbooks ought to note a few of the respected poets whose work has appeared in chapbook form: Dorothy Livesay, Carl Sandburg and Walt Whitman, to name only a few.

Today's chapbooks are distant cousins to the chapbooks of history. For one thing, the publishing of chapbooks is now reserved almost exclusively for poetry.

High quality chapbooks consist of elegantly printed parchment pages bound in glossy card covers. Such books may also be illustrated with line drawings. At the other end of the scale, simple chapbooks may be only a dozen sheets of plain white bond, folded and saddle-stapled with paper covers.

Publishing agreements for chapbooks are similar to book publishing agreements. You mail a collection of your poetry (20-40 poems is a good number) to a publisher who indicates an interest in chapbooks of poetry. (Use your market guide to research such publishers.) Simultaneous submissions are usually acceptable if you inform the publishers.

Some publishing agreements may require you to finance the costs. In such cases you should be able to take delivery of all the books to distribute and sell yourself. A publishing agreement with a commercial publisher will probably offer you only a few copies for yourself and designate the remainder for retail sales. Decide what the goal of your chapbook will be. Do you want to distribute your book to local bookstores and promote it enthusiastically in person? Or will you be happy just to have a few books to show to your family and friends?

Signing a chapbook agreement with a commercial publisher may be simpler than landing a book contract, but it is still no easy task. If your manuscript is accepted, you have good reason to be proud. Although chapbooks are rarely reviewed in the major press, they are a legitimate and respected way to put your poetry into print.

Chapbooks can be made right in your home. Although you could make your chapbook by handwriting the pages, the process would be slow. It will be easier if you have:

- a computer with a printer

- a stapler

- good quality white paper for the inside contents

- heavy-weight paper for the cover

If you have access to a photocopier and a commercial quality stapler, you can probably produce high quality chapbooks right from your home, at a cost of only a few cents per book.

Start by collecting the poems you wish to include in your chapbook. Some "purists" think that all the poems in a chapbook should be related in some way, but I don't agree. Your book can be a collection of all your best work. You should have at least 8 poems for your book, but probably no more than 40. It's hard to hand-fold and staple the book if it's too thick.

Using your computer word processor, type up your poems with the layout of your page in "landscape" mode, so that the page is sideways instead of vertical. You can choose this option in almost any word processor. You want to type 2 poems on each page, with plenty of room in the center (gutter) where the staples will be.

When you print your poems, you'll need to flip the printed pages over, halfway through printing so that there are two poems on each side of the page. This is very easy to do, but sometimes you have to fiddle around with the paper a bit before it works out right.

When your poems are all printed correctly, each page of paper will have 4 poems, 2 on each side. For a small book like this, you really do not need to number the pages. Lay them in a stack and fold them together, "book-style." Crease the fold lightly to show where the staples should go.

If you're using a heavy paper cover you can print it separately and lay it beneath the stack of poem pages with the illustration facing away from you. Line the pages up carefully and staple 3 times along the crease at the center. Now you can fold the book and make the crease permanent by rubbing hard on it with a smooth object.

You've just created your first chapbook! Congratulations on continuing a book making process that has endured for almost 500 years.

Once you've finished the first book, you'll probably notice all sorts of things that can refine your process, and you can incorporate improvements into subsequent books. The great thing about making chapbooks this way is that you never invest more than a few cents at any time, and a book that doesn't turn out the way you want is not a big loss.

Copyright by Nathan Harms www.utmostchristianwriters.com

Nathan Harms is the founder and Executive Director of Utmost Christian Writers Foundation, a non-profit organization for poets of Christian faith. Nathan is a widely published poet, winner of numerous awards. He is highly regarded by Christian poets for his instructional and speaking abilities. www.utmostchristianwriters.com

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Writing A Story? Enjoy Yourself And Follow These Basic Rules

2006-12-31T08:55:00.000-06:00

By Gina Marie

Fantastic news, you’ve finally taken the plunge, I know you wish you’d done it years ago, but a spouse, three kids, two dogs, a full time job etc, etc, ……aarrgghh!! Tell me about it! Better late than never is what I say.

Is it a novel, perhaps a short story? It could be your autobiography or even an article for a magazine/newsletter. Regardless of the content, nature or intensity of your writing make your self one promise …enjoy it! So many would be writers fall at the first hurdle, not through lack of talent, effort, commitment or endeavour. It is almost always a lack of planning that proves to be the major stumbling block.

The first and most important area to work on is structure. This brings together all the individual elements associated with your story in an organised manner, these include;

Your characters and their interaction/dialogue – conflict, humour, misunderstandings etc.

The overall theme of your story – good versus evil is usually a good one.

The major plot – that’s up to you!

Any sub-plots – skeletons in cupboards, vendettas, unrequited love, you get the idea

Location/setting/timescale – where and when? Time span – how long is your story? More important for short stories

A sting in the tail – keep them guessing right to the end!

Remember this is only a guide, the suggestions above outline some of the proven key points but it is your own individuality, creativeness and imagination that really counts.

Think about your favourite books/stories for a while and you will notice that apart from the subject matter, the structure, as outlined above is always the same!

Follow the basic guidelines;

1. Think of a situation or problem that needs to be resolved.

2. Relate the methods/actions taken etc. to resolve the situation.

3. Solve the problem – everyone lives happily ever after!

Very few writers can boast the ability to complete a short story/novel without some sort of structure, an often used example is:

1. A man gets stuck in a tree

2. Throw stones at him

3. Eventually get him down

Alternatively it could look something like this!

1. Your friend slips on some dog pooh, his false teeth fall to the ground, said dog runs off with teeth.

2. After recovering from fits of laughter you set off in pursuit of mad dog.

3. Promising never to tell a soul about the incident you eventually retrieve the teeth. Somehow you forget to tell him it was your dog

Obviously there’s a lot more to it than this, but it really does help to start as you mean to go on. The formation of a structure for your story is essential, it may be nothing more complicated than the above example or possibly a far more elaborate blueprint.

After years of dreaming and worshiping the written word I have finally taken the plunge and dived headlong into my own writing career. More info and lists of Irresistible phrases can be found at www.the-importance-of-words.blogspot.com Gina Marie

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Feeling Sorry For Saddam Hussein

2006-12-30T12:49:00.000-06:00

Copyright 2006 by Donovan Baldwin

First of all, despite the title of this article, Saddam Hussein did evil things, and, if there are consequences to come from actions, then he probably got what he deserved...leaving aside any discussions about hanging or other forms of capital punishment.

However, once the verdict was announced and my wife and I became aware that Saddam Hussein was, indeed, going to be executed in days, or even hours, we each agreed on one thing. We felt sorry for Saddam.

I know that her sorrow comes from her personal convictions as a Christian and as an essentially kind person. Mine, however follow a slightly different path.

At least once upon a time, Saddam Hussein loved someone and was loved in return. At some time, he played with his children. Even now, after atrocities which have been perpetrated within his own family with consequences for his own children, his daughter spoke of how kind a father he was and how she could approach him for advice and counsel.

Many fathers who are not proclaimed by world tribunals to be monsters can only wish their children felt so well about them.

How different might the world have been for all of us, and for Saddam Hussein and his family, if somehow the love and affection he experienced for and from his daughter had found a means of extending itself to the world at large. Saddam was a passionate man with the daring, skill, and will to change the world he found into something else. If only he had used the skills and talents given him by whatever God there is to make the world better for all within his sphere of influence, what a different story might be playing out in the Middle East, and around the entire world at this time.

Christianity has been used as an excuse for Christians to massacre Jews and Muslims. Islam has been used as an excuse for Muslims to murder Jews and Christians. Judaism has been used as an excuse for Jews to fight and kill both Christians and Muslims.

True, in some cases, there are other apparently valid reasons for the murder and mayhem which ensued, but often there was either an overlay or undertone supplied by the religious beliefs of the combatants. I use the term "religious beliefs" in place of "religion" because often it is the interpretation of the basic tenets of a religion which provide the impetus for atrocity.

Those like Saddam Hussein, in view of the events unfolding around the world, are examples of how religious beliefs can rule more than just the man who claims that belief. The beliefs within the man, especially the man with the power to act upon them, become the policies, and sometimes the wars, of the nations they lead.

As a New Year approaches, let us hope that from the death of Saddam Hussein will arise a new view of religion and relationships and a world will be created in which a man or woman can hope to grow to be a leader and protector of all, and not just those who wear the same vestments, speak the same language, or worship the same God.

Maybe then, Saddam Hussein will have had a hand in the rejuvenation of the world, but only if we, the living, can find it in our hearts...Sunni, Shiite, Sufi, Hindu, Jew, Christian, Bhuddist, or whatever...to learn what happens when faith becomes a tool for torture and belief an excuse for intolerance.

I am sorry that Saddam Hussein's final vision of the world around him was the hangman's noose and not the smiling faces of his children and grandchildren. I am sorry for the happiness he could have received and could have given, but which somehow never came to be. I am sorry for the tyrant who condemned whole villages to annihilation, and I am sorry for an old, weary, gray-haired man who was told that he must hang for having been that tyrant.

Donovan Baldwin is a Dallas area writer, and an internet and network marketing professional. A University Of West Florida alumnus (1973) with a BA in accounting, he is a member of Mensa and has held several managerial positions. After retiring from the U. S. Army in 1995, he became interested in internet marketing and developed various online businesses. He has been writing poetry, articles, and essays for over 40 years, and now frequently publishes articles on his own websites and for use by other webmasters.

What Does A Writer Do To Find Ideas?

2006-12-29T07:09:00.000-06:00

Any writer, or would-be writer knows the feeling. It's called, prepare yourself for the terror, blank.....totally blank! A clean screen or sheet of paper lies before us and we are totally devoid of ideas. Hell, we can't even remember who we are! Okay, maybe not that bad. Here's a few tips for that defining moment of non-greatness.

Writing: Generating Ideas For Articles
By Donovan Baldwin

A couple of points before we get to the meat of this article:

1. I write informational articles, and I focus on that. That having been said, some of the techniques here could kick start the blocked brain of any writer; fiction, non-fiction, essay, poetry, advertising copy, and just about any other field you might think of.

2. Ideas come at strange times and from weird sources, so you need to be prepared. The idea that pops into your head at a party while chatting up a possible future ex-something can go away before you get home, sleep three hours, and take the morning alka-seltzer. Therefore:

Always have something to write on and with, and don't hesitate to use them. Hey, you're a writer! That's part of the mystique, right? okay, just think of it as a socially acceptable way to snub someone. If they are that big a fool, they will probably make a good character in a story, or case study. By the way, ever wake up at 3AM with a great idea, go back to sleep, and wake up again at 6 AM and not be able to remember anything about the world's greatest idea? Write it down!
Take a look at mini-recorders. It took me a while to remember that I had one with me, and even longer to find the button, but once I got that down I was capturing several ideas a day. Don't try to outline the entire plot and cast of characters, just get the idea down.
Always be on the alert for ideas. They won't always come to you. You will probably have to go looking for them, and you may need to move some shrubbery to see them. They are elusive little buggers, but they are everywhere. Track 'em down!

Now let's talk about generating ideas.

As mentioned above, ideas can come at weird times and from some off-the-wall sources. My wife and I often preface a remark with the phrase, "rabbit trail". That lets the other know that the next remark will not seem to have anything to do with the previous conversation. The human mind is like that, especially the creative mind. A stop sign can make me think of a big German policeman with a machine gun, which leads me to think about the times I got to fire the LAW (Light Anti-Tank Weapon) in the Army, which makes me think of Clint Eastwood's slip in one of the Dirty Harry movies, which makes me think of California...you get the idea.

Somewhere in all of that is an idea. Be prepared to pounce on it and make it into something.
Whatever technique you are using, get it down on paper. You may look back at notes you made last night or two years ago and have a story or article idea staring you in the face. Even if you start and it peters out, you might come back to it again and make it into something. Be flexible here. Just because you began the story in Antarctica doesn't mean you can't transplant the whole thing to Wisconsin if that makes better sense.

Places I get (or have gotten) ideas:

Road Signs: I'm not just talking about speed limit signs. There are hundreds of billboards with mini-stories along the highways. People put up odd or interesting signs on their business. Remember those rabbit trails? As an aside; years ago my wife and I traveled extensively all over the U. S. I always loved a certain part of California Highway 99, because there is a road sign for "Seventh Standard" road. I don't know about you, but I can just see Grisham or Ludlum (were he still alive), launching an entire thriller with those two words.
Conversations: Again, as mentioned, a conversation can have an idea embedded. Of course you are looking for ideas in conversations, but do you ever bother to start any? Turn on CNN and listen to some interviews. If you have convictions about, or interest in, any of the topics, you will probably generate an idea or two.
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias: I don't know about you, but often, one word is all it takes to trigger an idea. Many times I have generated entire articles and poems just by reading the dictionary.
Books: It doesn't matter what book, who wrote it, or what it is about. If you are out of ideas, pick any book, magazine, or twenty-cent-off coupon you have nearby and start reading. It doesn't matter where you start. One good thing about this random approach is that it takes you away from clues, hints, preconceived notions, and trails with which the author has been constructing his or her version of whatever the subject may be. This allows you to take the material from the second sentence of the third paragraph on page 97 and see it with your eyes and begin to draw your conclusions and construct your own reality about it. By the way, I love wandering through used book stores, especially in the cheap book aisles. Sometimes just the topic and titles suggest ideas to me.
Reminisce: Pull out the photographs. Think about the old times. Don't just stick with the good times. Think about sad times as well. Believe it or not, I got an idea for an article on social injustice while writing the previous two sentences. As an adolescent, I buried my first dog, Mike, in the woods near my house when he died. Later the local Catholic church, which bought the land, erected a convent over the spot. I buried him on a trail through the woods. The trail was used by local poor people to cut through a neighborhood that would have eyed them with suspicion. Like I said, "Rabbit Trail"! It's an idea. Who knows what I will do with it later?
Quotations: This is my all-time favorite, but that's me. I react favorably to capsules of wisdom or wit, and reading through a series of them will almost always trigger an idea or two. Recently, a couple of quotes caught my eye, and I have already written five articles on the area of "success" and have ideas for four more. The five I have written so far have been well received. This may work better for me than for a novelist, but who knows?
Write: Just put pen to paper every day and write something. Even if it doesn't come to anything itself, it may trigger an idea. If you simply cannot come up with a single coherent thought on any subject at all, get one of those books I mentioned earlier, and just start copying. Remember what I said about wandering around the used book store? I love to pick up those one and two dollar specials on the bargain tables. You would be surprised at the fresh outlook you often get from the authors nobody ever heard of. Oh, yeah! It's also good for your self-esteem. You can sometimes honestly say, "I can write better than this guy!"

You probably can, you know. Why don't you go and write something right now?

Donovan Baldwin is a Dallas area writer and network marketing professional. A University Of West Florida alumnus (1973) with a BA in accounting, he is a member of Mensa and has held several managerial positions. After retiring from the U. S. Army in 1995, he became interested in internet marketing and developed various online businesses. He has been writing poetry, articles, and essays for over 40 years, and now frequently publishes articles on his own websites and for use by other webmasters. He posts many of his articles on health at http://nodiet4me.blogspot.com/ and many business related articles at http://www.donovanbaldwin.blogspot.com
. He is the owner of TexasPrepaidCellular.com.

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How To Become An Overnight Success

2006-12-23T17:46:00.000-06:00

By Donovan Baldwin

Taylor Hicks, Evelyn Adams, William "Bud" Post, Eldrick Woods, Suzanne Mullins, and Joanne “Jo” Rowling all have something in common. For at least one time in each of their lives, they were an overnight success.

Many Americans, at least, will recognize Taylor Hicks as a 2006 winner of the popular TV show, "American Idol". British subjects have cause to be proud of Joanne "Jo" Rowling who is more easily recognized by her pen name, J. K. Rowling. Those who still don't recognize her have almost certainly heard of the boy wizard she created who goes by the simple name of Harry Potter. Harry's a bit of an overnight success himself, and he has taken J. K. Rowling along on a magical ride. Who's Eldrick Woods? Oh, if I had just said Tiger Woods, you would have picked up on it right away, and where's the fun in that?

Who are Evelyn Adams, William Post, and Suzanne Mullins? We'll get to that in a moment.

There are essentially two ways to become an overnight success. Taylor Hicks, J. K. Rowling, and Tiger Woods exemplify the first way.

Taylor Hicks became an overnight success in the middle of 2006 when he won top spot on the "American Idol" TV show. That much many "American Idol" fans and music buffs around the world now know. What many don't know, or even think about, is that Taylor Hicks spent a decade as an independent artist before his overnight success. Had you been at the Playboy Mansion, the Talledega Motor Speedway, or in Auburn, Alabama on the right night, you might have gotten to hear him perform. Over the years, he did get to perform with such legendary names as James Brown, Tom Petty, and Jackson Browne. However, up until the night he won the "American Idol" competition, HIS name was not exactly a household item.

Joanne Rowling was turned down by Oxford College in her younger days and worked variously as a researcher and secretary and also in Portugal as a teacher of English. In the early 90's, she got the initial idea for the young wizard who eventually became Harry Potter, and began writing. She completed her first novel while she was unemployed. She was living at the time on what we in America would call "welfare". When she first tried to market "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", a close friend, who was on her side, advised her to "get a day job" because he didn't feel she had a chance to make much money in children's books. The first printing run was one-thousand books and half of those were sent to libraries. Today, those first one-thousand books are each one a collector's item in itself. While this ex-secretary and English teacher must surely be pleased by the fantastic income she has made from the Harry Potter books and movies, she is possibly even more pleased by the fact that in 2006, in a poll by "The Book Magazine", J. K. Rowling was selected as "the greatest living British writer."

Okay, so how did Tiger Woods get in a list of overnight successes?

Well, you may have seen a small trend in the mini-biographies of Taylor Hicks and J. K. Rowling. Although they fit into the category, even a cursory scanning of their lives shows they paid their dues for some time before success found them. In fact, the overnight success they experienced came about after years of disappointment, standing on the bottom rung of the ladder, and in some cases, not even being near the ladder.

Tiger Woods has been called by some a "golfing prodigy", and that is not an unrealistic assessment. However, even a Tiger Woods does not get to where he is today by strapping on a set of cleats and wandering out onto a golf course with a nine iron and a dream. He learns, practices, fails, assesses, moves forward, falls down, gets up, and starts all over again.

In other words, an overnight success very seldom happens overnight. The success comes after a lot of effort on the part of the successful person.

After a memorable performance, a great pianist was approached by one of the audience. The fan spoke glowingly about the performance and finished with the remark that she wished that she could play as well. Perhaps with more truth than tact, the pianist replied to the effect that she was wrong. She could NOT genuinely wish to play as well as he. Otherwise, she would practice for hours a day year after year as he did, rather than simply "wishing" she could play as well.

Overnight success is so named from its apparently sudden appearance on one's doorstep. However, success is not too good at finding people unless they have built a pathway for it to follow, and perhaps lit a beacon as well.

I mentioned that there are essentially two ways to become an overnight success, and I have concentrated on the first group for a reason. If you wish to join that group, YOU are the one in control of the situation. If you seriously want to be in the first group, you now have an idea of what you might need to do.

So, who are Evelyn Adams, William "Bud" Post, and Suzanne Mullins? They too were overnight successes. They each won a lottery.

Evelyn Adams actually was an overnight success twice. She won the New Jersey lottery in 1985 and 1986. She won a total of 5.4 million dollars. She lost it all, donating part of it to some needy Atlantic City slot machines. "Bud" Post won 16.2 million dollars in Pennsylvania but eventually wound up living on his social security. Suzanne Mullins won 4.2 million dollars in 1993. She lost all of it and went even deeper in debt through poor decisions on its use.

There's another term sometimes used for an overnight success. That term is "flash in the pan". Many people who are seeking what they see as success will often wind up as just a flash in the pan at best unless they are willing to get out the necessary tools and prepare the pathway so that success can find them.

Tiger Woods, J. K. Rowling, and Taylor Hicks were willing to build the pathway and keep it cleared. Their names will be familiar for years to come, and they can always claim the victor's laurel wreath for becoming an overnight success.

Donovan Baldwin is a Dallas area writer and a University Of West Florida alumnus (1973) with a BA in accounting and a keen interest in health, self improvement, happiness, and success. He is also a member of Mensa and has held several managerial positions over the years. After retiring from the U. S. Army in 1995, he became interested in internet marketing and developed various online businesses. He has been writing poetry, articles, and essays for over 40 years, and now frequently publishes articles on his own websites and for use by other webmasters. He has a blog on health, fitness, diet, and weight loss at nodiet4me.blogspot.com, and is the owner of an cellular phone online store at TexasPrepaidCellular.com.

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KEYWORDS: success, overnight success, success story, success strategy, definition of success, success factor

Get Published - Writing Websites

2006-12-16T05:17:00.000-06:00

Top Four Writing Websites
By Laura College

The Internet is arguably the best place for writers to go when they are looking for a place to publish their content or to learn about the writing craft. There are literally hundreds of places you can go to network with other writers, look for writing jobs, or brush up on the latest trends. Following are my top four in writing websites – check ‘em out and see what they have to offer.

Top Writing Websites #1: AssociatedContent.com

If you are looking for a place to make a little bit of extra money and to see what others writers are up to, AssociatedContent.com is your best bet. They pay from $3.00 - $40.00 per article submitted (as long as it adheres to their guidelines) and they are quickly becoming one of the hottest media outlets. This year, they are hosting the first annual People’s Media Awards (PMA’s), which honors their “Content Producers” for hard work. Just sign up for an account and start writing!

Top Writing Websites #2: Guru.com

Freelancers writers everywhere sign up for accounts at Guru.com to have access to thousands of jobs posted for writers. When I signed up for a Guru account, I made my money back times ten with the first project, and thus far I’ve made more than $10,000 from employers on their site. The membership fee isn’t as high as Elance’s, and they have more projects to choose from. Just make sure that you have a clean resume, a few work samples, and that you use their SafePay service to protect your work.

Top Writing Websites #3: AllAboutWriting.org

This website is one of the newest writing websites, but it’s poised to become one of the biggest on the web. AllAboutWriting.com is a one-stop resource for advice, tips and articles about every aspect of writing, from magazine freelancing to publishing your book to ghostwriting for clients. They have also announced that, beginning in March of ’07, they will be purchasing content from freelance writers on the Internet, so definitely keep tabs on this site.

Top Writing Websites #4: WritersMarket.com

For a measly $4.00 per month, you can have access to the world’s largest database of freelance work, all at your fingertips in an easily searchable format. Writers’ Market is a must-have for every freelancer, and is helpful if you are looking for a market in which to publish your book. You can also check out their annual print publication, which is several hundred pages of paying markets for freelancers.

Laura J. College is a professional writer, editor and consultant currently based in Houston, TX. She writes tons of articles for aspiring authors and is currently working on her first novel outside of ghostwriting called Hour of the Nephilim. Check out her website at http://www.laurajcollege.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Laura_College

Magazines - A Writing Tip

2006-12-12T05:47:00.000-06:00

Writing for Magazines: Tips for freelancers
By Jeff Lakie

As the magazine industry proliferates, so does the need for writers. And as is the case in many industries, employers often prefer to use freelance or independent contractor help, instead of having fulltime employees for whom they have to provide benefits, workspace, and other support. And with computer and Internet technology what it is today, freelance writers can create their articles from anywhere, email them to their editors, and never even have to meet the magazine production staff in person. But as the task of freelancing and its logistics become easier, so does the competition between freelancers.

Here are four tips to help freelancers who want to write for magazines:

1) Be professional.

Many writers are willing to work for less money, in exchange for the status of being published. And some do it just as a hobby, because they have other sources of primary income. While this creates competition, it also means that many writers – or those aspiring to be writers – lack professionalism or talent.
The more you can stick to deadlines, present yourself in an organized way, and write copy that is free of mistakes, the more successful you will be as a freelancer.

2) Be unique.

If you have a background in a particular profession, hobby, or other interest, you may be able to parlay that into a writing job for a specialty magazine. Some magazines look for woodworkers, some need writers who know about cars or photography, and others need writers who understand wine or home decorating. If you happen to have some knowledge and experience, you can market yourself to magazines that follow the things you know and enjoy.

3) Communicate with your editor.

Good writers always stay in touch with their editors, without overwhelming them with unnecessary questions. If you have a problem with a deadline, tell your editor right away. If you have a question about editorial guidelines, ask an editor. The better you communicate, the more you will get hired.

4) Focus on what you do best.

If you are really good at interviews but no so good at doing research, then try to write for magazines that favor interviews over investigative reporting. And if you are a fiction writer who stumbles when it comes to non-fiction, then seek jobs in the fiction category. Doing what you do best not only makes your job easier, but it allows you to concentrate your energy on jobs that will probably pay you more in the long run.

Freelancing for magazines is not for everyone, but if you have a knack for writing and for managing your own time, then it can afford you great job satisfaction and a chance to work your own hours, from home. And along the way you’ll learn more about the writing craft, so that you can continue to build on your talents and marketable skills.

Jeff Lakie has helped many internet surfers since launching his website aeroplane monthly which details many aspects of the Plastic Surgery industry. Jeff also prides himself on over-delivering, why not stop by today and see why.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jeff_Lakie
===================
Looking for magazines? Click here!

A Poem About A Poet

2006-12-09T07:04:00.000-06:00

I was driving in evening traffic in Austin, Texas. It was bumper to bumper, so I was listening to National Public Radio on KUT. They interviewed a poet and spoke about how the death of his wife had affected him. Most of the poem came to me as I sat at a light, and I wrote it down as soon as I got home.

The Poet's Dead Wife

The poet's being interviewed on the radio,
And I listen as I drive the evening traffic.

The poet's wife is dead,
And I don't remember her name,
Or his.

As a man, I understand his grief.
As a poet, I understand his desire
To make a poem of it.

Whether words are used,
Or not,
Is immaterial.

The poetry is within
And witnessed without.

He feeds her birds,
Tends her flowers,
Observes her moods
In her absence,
Because that's who we poets are,
And how, sometimes, we say,
"I love you, and I miss you."

As I sit at the next light,
I feel a need to feed birds,
And mourn in Autumn
For unknown poets
And their losses.

***4/25/95****

Keys To Success - The Series

2006-12-08T11:12:00.000-06:00

Key To Success: The Dream
By Donovan Baldwin

"If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing you have to do is wake up."
-- Anonymous

We all have dreams, and I don't mean the kind we have at night. They can be anything from swimming the Atlantic Ocean to winning the lottery to receiving the Nobel Prize to learning a new language. There are as many different dreams as there are people...times ten.

While dreams might be ephemeral in themselves, there is one real fact about them, and it is embodied in the quote at the top of this article. While a dream MIGHT come true by accident or some happy combination of circumstances, to MAKE a dream come true, we first have to wake up and DO SOMETHING. Simply sitting around waiting for a dream to come true is no more effective than hoping to win the lottery because someone gives us a ticket. While that scenario could play out in real life, most lottery winners had to first actually buy a ticket.

However, just as buying a ticket, or a lot of tickets, in a lottery does not guarantee our success; life does not provide us any guarantee that we will achieve our dreams just because we start doing the things that will probably be required to get us there. On the other hand, just as our chances of winning the lottery improve with the number of tickets we are able to buy, our chances of achieving our dreams grows as we take more steps towards our goal.

Some steps that can be taken include setting goals towards the accomplishment of our dream, learning and refining skills that might help us, enlisting the aid of those who might be in a position to help us, and, perhaps of the most importance, persevering in our quest.

GOALS: We humans are goal-oriented creatures. Just as we are more likely to arrive at a physical destination if we know where we are going, having goals allows us to have a path to follow to the accomplishment of our dream. Once we have set goals to guide us, we will begin to notice events, information, and people that can aid us.

SKILLS: We cannot become a champion runner until we learn to walk first. Once we learn to walk, running may come naturally, but running in a championship manner is something that has to be learned and practiced. Additionally, a champion in almost any field has to learn other skills or talents which complement the attainment of the dream. Turning to sports once more, our championship runner will have to pay attention to nutrition, get the right amount of sleep and rest, and may need to learn exercises not specifically linked to the sport but which will improve performance.

OTHERS: Many times, we will be able to find coaches or mentors who can help guide us on our path, just as a runner may need a coach who knows about the training required to compete at a professional level. Others may simply provide a shoulder to cry on when we are down and certain that there is no way we can ever succeed. Some coaches or mentors can be found in books, by the way. If you are not sure how to get to where you want to go, read the biographies of a couple of people who did make it.

PERSERVERANCE: There are many, including myself, who say that one of the most important factors in success is simply the good old ability to stick to it, no matter how rough the road or far away the target is. Almost every field of human endeavor is replete with stories of those of ordinary skill and intelligence who reached the apex of their field just by not giving up.

Since I began this article with a quote, I will leave you with three:

"Eighty percent of success is showing up."
-- Woody Allen:

"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
-- Thomas Edison:

"Ah, nothing is too late,
Till the tired heart shall cease to palpitate.
Cato learned Greek at eighty; Sophocles
Wrote his grand Oedipus, and Simonides
Bore off the prize of verse from his compeers,
When each had numbered more than fourscore years."
-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, from Morituri Salutamus

Donovan Baldwin is a Dallas area writer and network marketing professional. A University Of West Florida alumnus (1973) with a BA in accounting, he is a member of Mensa and has held several managerial positions. After retiring from the U. S. Army in 1995, he became interested in internet marketing and developed various online businesses. He has been writing poetry, articles, and essays for over 40 years, and now frequently publishes articles on his own websites and for use by other webmasters. Get more insights on self improvement at http://web-home.ws/self-improvement/ .

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donovan_Baldwin

==============================

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Keys To Success

2006-12-07T04:15:00.000-06:00

Key To Success: The Mentor
By Donovan Baldwin

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.
-- Charles W. Eliot

Few things could help bring more success or success more rapidly, than the personal guidance of those who are experts in the field in which we are interested. Few things can help motivate and enlighten us more than the tales they tell and that are told about them.

However, it is difficult to find a mentor, or group of mentors, who can and will make themselves available at our whim or need. On the other hand, a large group of the finest minds and practitioners of your field can be found whenever you need them. They hang out at a couple of local joints waiting for you to drop by and pick them up. You can usually find the folks you need to talk to, or listen to, at your local library or book store. Heck, in this day of the Internet, you can find information on almost any subject, including quotes and entire passages from the foremost experts in any field just by entering a few queries into Google, Yahoo, or your favorite search engine.

In his Classic on the topic of success and self improvement, "Think and Grow Rich", Napoleon Hill, in his chapter on the "Master Mind", speaks of three sources of knowledge. One of these sources, he calls "accumulated knowledge". This sort of knowledge is available to all of us if we are willing to seek it out. It resides in books, encyclopedias, dictionaries, and today, in videos, on DVD's and other media. With access to even a moderately decent public library, most of the information we might seek in any quest for success is available for free.

Mentors and muses may also be found for reduced prices at discount book sellers, yard sales, and in the jumbled bin of books at the local Wal-Mart.

Few of these sources of knowledge and motivation will provide a blueprint for success, but continual perusal of them will provide some of the building blocks and mortar we can use to build our own temples.

A more structured means of gaining the guidance of great men and women is through structured education programs. The cost of colleges is skyrocketing, but with this increase in the cost of the traditional education, there has appeared a vast array of non-traditional educational experiences, usually under the guise of distance learning. For a few hundred dollars paid off monthly and some regular study, almost anyone can earn a certificate indicating familiarity with some specific field, and, from some sources, an actual college diploma.

Don't turn your back on success because there does not seem to be someone to guide you. Your mentors are there, waiting to help you achieve success if you will seek them out.

Recommended reading:

"Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill

"The Richest Man in Babylon" by George S. Clason

"How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" by Dale Carnegie

I pick these older books because of their general nature. Also, though they are old, and often simple, they are full of wisdom and were the ones which started me on my road to self improvement almost half a century ago and have served me well through many a crisis. They are all still in print, which speaks to the timeless appeal they have held for many years and the effects they have had on millions of lives.

Donovan Baldwin is a Dallas area writer and network marketing professional. A graduate of the University Of West Florida (1973) with a BA in accounting, he is a member of Mensa and has held several managerial positions. After retiring from the U. S. Army in 1995, he became interested in internet marketing and developed various online .businesses. He has been writing poetry, articles, and essays for over 40 years, and now frequently publishes articles on his own websites and for use by other webmasters. Get more insights on self improvement at http://web-home.ws/self-improvement/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donovan_Baldwin

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2006-11-30T13:19:00.000-06:00

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Self Improvement - Motivation

2006-11-21T06:15:00.000-06:00

Free eBook: http://web-home.ws/self-improvement/AffirmationCourse.exe
=====================================

Key to Success: Motivation
Copyright 2006 Donovan Baldwin

Motivation is not a new concept to most of us. We have felt that first burst of enthusiasm. Perhaps it was an ad or news story on TV, an article in a magazine, a chance remark, or an embarrassing moment that brought us that sudden rush of certainty that something needed to be done...could be done. We felt a strong, perhaps overwhelming desire to DO SOMETHING...something that would change what had been or create something new. Often, this is accompanied by a clear and certain knowledge of what to do, how to do, and what the result would be.

Maybe we decided to lose weight, start a business, or write a book. Still bolstered by our reaction to what we had seen, heard, or felt, were certain of success! We would start that exercise program, or open that savings account tomorrow; we would begin writing a chapter a day...tomorrow. No! Tomorrow was too far away! We knew what we wanted and how to get it and we were going to start today!

Nothing could stop us!!

Of course, we know what happened over the next few hours, days, or weeks.

The clear image we had of our success dimmed and blurred; perhaps disappeared all together. The daily exercise routine, became a couple of times a week, and then was dropped all together. We quit making the deposit, or the notebook we bought for writing our great novel suddenly seemed too full of blank pages to ever fill.

The dream ended. If we were lucky, that's all that happened...it ended. For some, however, it lingered on as one more reminder of all the unfulfilled dreams and became part of our self image. It was another defeat to add to the stack.

So! What happened and how do we change it?

What happened was a combination of life, human nature, and personality or character.

Life supplies us with a constant stream of information, events, and opportunities. It is difficult to keep sight of the goal and the process while maintaining the initial level of motivation which burned so brightly when it was the new kid on the block.

Human nature has defense mechanisms and weaknesses which combine to cause us to lose the fervor we felt...before we begin to become aware of the obstacles in our path. Sadly, an obstacle does not have to be real to be effective. The well-intentioned doubts of friends and family, whether real or imagined, are both equally effective in extinguishing the fires of desire.

As with many things in our lives, our personalities and characters have a great impact on our success or failure in any given situation. Whether they contribute to our success or become obstacles does not, however, define us as failures! It is also important to note that the factors of personality or character which may be in the way are NOT always set in stone and may be altered so that success becomes a more common state.

Ways to maintain motivation keep our dream clear, bright, and fresh after the first giddy rush of elation we felt when we first felt we knew "the answer". We cannot change life in general, but we can change how we live it and alter the human nature and circumstances which would rob us of success.

1. Write it down: Whatever the goal or dream, commit it to paper. Often, the dream simply becomes harder to see, more difficult to focus on, as new events and factors evolve. Writing it down allows us to refocus and see the goal again as we saw it when it was fresh.

2. Read it: Carry the paper you wrote it on with you. Make an extra copy and put it on your bathroom mirror, another on the refrigerator door. Take it out several times daily and read it...out loud is best, but silently in the bathroom is better than nothing.

3. Revise it: Things change, we grow, we learn. Be real. Having to alter a dream or the process of achieving it is not failure. It is reality.

4. Log it: Make note of what you did to achieve your goal or what you can do tomorrow or next week. Don't worry about how far you got, or how much you did...just that you did it.

5. Learn it: Study the subject. You don't have to go back to school for a degree, but regularly delving into the subject will help keep you focused and perhaps give you new ideas to help you on your way.

6. Share it: If you dare, you are the judge. Letting people know what you're doing, while being aware that they may have a negative view of it, can be motivating.

7. Read about motivation: These few words are not the only ones written on the subject. There are other ideas out there, and a sentence in another article or a book may be the key you need to go farther than you have ever gone before.

The goal is to keep the motivation level somewhere near the level it was when you started.

About The Author:
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Donovan Baldwin is a Dallas area writer and network marketing professional. A graduate of the University Of West Florida (1973) with a BA in accounting, he is a member of Mensa and has held several managerial positions. After retiring from the U. S. Army in 1995, he became interested in internet marketing and developed various online businesses. He has been writing poetry, articles, and essays for over 40 years, and now frequently publishes articles on his own websites and for use by other webmasters. Get more insights on self improvement at http://web-home.ws/self-improvement/.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

NOTE: You have full permission to reprint this
article within your website or newsletter as long
as you leave the article fully intact and include
the "About The Author" resource box. Thanks! :-)

---

Writing Sales Letters

2006-11-10T12:09:00.000-06:00

SECRETS OF MILLION DOLLAR SALES LETTERS – FOR MAIL CAMPAIGNS & INTERNET MARKETING

Regardless of what you are trying to sell, you really can't sell it without "talking" with your prospective buyer. In attempting to sell anything on the Internet, the sales letter you send out in the form of an email or webpage is when and how you talk to your prospect.

All winning sales letters "talk" to the prospect by creating an image in the mind of the reader. They set "the scene" by appealing to a desire or need; and then they flow smoothly into the "visionary" part of the sales pitch by describing in detail how "wonderful" life will be and, how "good" the prospect is going to feel after he or she has purchased your product. This is the "body or guts" of a sales letter.

Overall, a winning sales letter follows a time-tested and proven formula. It...

1) Gets attention
2) Describes benefits
3) Creates desire
4) Demands action

This is called the "AIDA" formula (Attention, Interest, Desire and Action), and it works.

On your website, your sales page should be about the length of what it would be
if you were doing a mailing, or longer if you're using bullets to emphasize benefits to build the desire. By the way, on a website, this creates "whitespace" which actually makes it a bit easier to focus on each point.

Of course, on the Internet you don't have to worry about letterhead stationery or the cost of postage, which is a considerable savings. If, however, you want to also do a mailing campaign then the following would apply. The sales letters in mailings that pull in the most sales are almost always two pages with 1 1/2 spaces between lines. For really big ticket items, they'll run at least four pages. - on an 11 by 17 sheet of paper folded in half. If your sales letter is only two pages in length, there's nothing wrong with running it on the front and back of one sheet of 8 1/2 by 11 paper. However, your sales letter should always be on letterhead paper - your letterhead printed, and including your logo and business motto if you have one.

Regardless of the length of your sales letter, it should do one thing, and that's sell, and sell hard! If you intend to close the sale, you've got to do it with your sales letter. You should never be "wishy-washy" with your sales letter. You do the actual selling and the closing of that sale with your sales letter - any brochure or circular you send along with in your mailing should just reinforce what you say in the sales letter.

There's been a great deal of discussion in the past few years regarding just how long a sales letter should be. A lot of people wonder if people will really take the time to read a long sales letter? The answer is a simple and time-tested yes indeed! Surveys and tests over the years emphatically prove that "longer sales letters" pull even better than the shorter ones, so don't worry about the length of your sales letter - just make sure that it sells your product for you!

The "inside secret" is to make your sales letter so interesting, and "visionary" with the benefits you're offering to the reader, that he or she can't resist reading it all the way through. You break up the "work" of reading by using short, punchy sentences, underlining important points you're trying to make, with the use of subheadlines, indentations and even the use of a second color, and leaving lots of white space around it. On your website, the sales letter should run down the middle of the page so the viewer doesn't have to keep adjusting the screen to see the whole sentence. This is very distracting and more apt to send that client to another website than losing patience reading a long letter.

Relative to the brochures and circulars you may want to include in your mailing with your sales letter - providing the materials you're enclosing are of the best quality, they will generally reinforce the sale for you. But, if they are of poor quality, look cheap and don't compliment your sales letter, then you shouldn't be using them. Another thing, it will definitely classify you as an independent home worker if you hand-stamp your name/address on these brochures or advertising circulars instead of having them printed.

Whenever possible, and so long as you have really good brochures to send out, have your printer run them through his press and print your name/address - even your telephone number and company logo - on them before you send them out. The thing is, you want your prospect to think of you as his supplier - the company - and not as just another independent entrepreneur. Sure, you can get by with less expense but you'll end up with fewer orders and in the end, less profits.

Another thing that's been bandied about and discussed from every direction for years is whether to use a post office box number or your street address. Personally, I don't like Post Office Boxes in a business address - because it transmits an aura of instability or temporary location. If your business is run from home, get a mail box from a post box vendor that has a street address. Then your address looks like, 1234 Willow Lane, #567, Your Town, and the box number could appear to the reader as a Suite number. However, if you live in a remote area where your address is 7890 Main St., RFD 42, Box 123, Your Town, then you have no choice but to include both your post office box number, AND, your street address on your sales letter. When doing it strictly for your website, put your street address, telephone number, and email address at the bottom of the page. More than likely, the customer will contact you by email, but it conveys dependability if that Internet buyer sees that you're willing to give your address. This kind of open display of your honesty will give you credibility and dispel the thought of you being just another "fly-by-night" mail order company in the mind of your prospect.

Above all else, you've got to include some sort of ordering page or coupon if you're mailing. The coupon has to be as simple and as easy for the prospect to fill out and return to you as you can possible make it. The order page on your website should already be filled out, with perhaps just the shipping left to choice. If your product is an eBook or software to be instantly downloaded, then you don't have any options to be chosen. A great many sales are lost because this order coupon is just too complicated for the would-be buyer to follow. Don't get fancy! Keep it simple, and you'll find your prospects responding with glee.

Should you or shouldn't you include in your mailing a self-addressed reply envelope? There are a lot of variables, as well as, pros and cons to this question. Overall, when you send out a "winning" sales letter to a good mailing list, a return reply envelope will increase your response tremendously.

Tests of late seem to indicate that it isn't that big a deal or difference in responses relative to whether you do or don't pre-stamp the return reply envelope. Again, the decision here will rest primarily on the product you're selling and the mailing list you're using. Our recommendation is that you experiment - try it both ways - with subsequent mailings and decide for yourself from there.

Blogging for Dollars

2006-10-16T05:37:00.000-05:00

"Learn
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to your Website -- For FREE!"

Product Review:

"Blogging For Dollars" By Derek Gehl and The Internet Marketing Center

While going through Derek Gehl's new "Blogging For Dollars" system, I was amazed just how powerful blogs really are. The amount of traffic you can drive to your website with a blog is impressive!

If you don't have a blog yet, NOW is definitely the time to start one!

And if you want to turn that blog into a huge success, Derek and his team have invested over $79,583.28 in developing and testing his new system, "Blogging For Dollars," and...

... Their test results were truly shocking!

Some of Derek's clients and members of his team were scooping up handfuls of #1 rankings in the search engines -- for HIGHLY competitive terms -- without hiring an expensive SEO specialist.

And I'm positive that anyone can secure a top 10 position in the search engines using the advanced blogging techniques explained in this system!

Plus, by having a blog, you can drive swarms of traffic to your website, explode your sales and profits...

... OR add new streams of revenue to your existing business!

But, what I like most about this system is that it's for both advanced users and it's totally newbie friendly at the same time.

In fact, "Blogging For Dollars" lays out a simple plan for starting your very FIRST online business using blogs, and teaches you how to set up your FIRST blog in 45 seconds... 5 minutes if you're slow!

Here's a tiny sample of what you'll learn:

How to use blogs to dramatically increase your website traffic -- and add 1,000's of EXTRA dollars to your bottom line!

How to rank #1 in Google, Yahoo!, and MSN -- for the keywords MOST searched by your target audience!

How Derek's team pushed a webpage to a #2 ranking in Google for a highly competitive keyphrase -- with less than 60 minutes' effort! (And why we saw traffic and sales results in less than 14 days!)

Which 3 critical steps you MUST follow to catapult your website to the TOP of the search engine rankings -- for any keyword you choose!

How to Attract 400% more repeat traffic than your static webpage! Since blogs take just seconds to update (from ANYWHERE in the world), it's easy to draw visitors back again and again with fresh news and postings!

... And MUCH more!

And since blogging is the biggest trend to hit the Internet in the last 10 years, there's more opportunity to profit from it right now than there ever will be. My prediction is we won't see another chance like this for at least another 10 years... Which means the time to act is now!

If you want to get in on the action, and maximize your blogging profits quickly, then I highly recommend you take a look Derek Gehl's new system right away.

"Blogging For Dollars" comes with a 96-minute instructional DVD, and an easy-to-follow guidebook containing 115 pages of every single detailed technique and strategy for generating MASSIVE profits from any blog!

Click here to get more details on the system that can help you take advantage of this incredible opportunity... Before it's too late!