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	<title>Zunus &#187; Writing</title>
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		<title>Navigating the Self Publishing Waters&#8230;.</title>
		<link>http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/navigating-the-self-publishing-waters/</link>
		<comments>http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/navigating-the-self-publishing-waters/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Feb 2012 20:51:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book publishing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[editing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self publish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[traditional publishing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[writers]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/navigating-the-self-publishing-waters/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Self-publishing is a growing trend among writers. With avenues into the various traditional publishing houses becoming narrower and narrower, often times, doing it yourself and going it alone are the only ways you&#8217;ll ever see your work in something resembling print. I began writing as a child and continued all the way to the present: [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Self-publishing is a growing trend among writers. With avenues into the various traditional publishing houses becoming narrower and narrower, often times, doing it yourself and going it alone are the only ways you&#8217;ll ever see your work in something resembling print.</p>
<p>I began writing as a child and continued all the way to the present: short stories, poetry, songs, screenplays, etc&#8230;.all the while hoping that one day I might be discovered and become the next Stephen King.  I probably would have never given self-publishing a second thought if it weren&#8217;t for my newsletter.</p>
<p>I put out a newsletter as a part of my then career in music, blathering about what was going on in my life, announcing upcoming shows and projects, and generally trying to make folks&#8217; lives a little brighter by offering some off the wall humor and inspiration. After a time, people began to suggest that this might make good material for a book.</p>
<p>I took on the task which, once completed, I had no idea what to do with. Somehow, a collection of musings (no matter how brilliant) from a relatively unknown regional musician just didn&#8217;t sound like something traditional publishers would be chomping at the bit to snap up. What to do?</p>
<p>Then it hit me&#8230;..I was touring full time and had a ready made audience&#8230;&#8230;the people that would likely be on my mailing list were in attendance at my concerts every night. I could produce the book myself, and market it at my various appearances. The result was the book &#8220;Crossroads&#8221; published in 2007.</p>
<p>If you are thinking about diving into the self-publishing well, there are a few things to consider. First, the good stuff:</p>
<p>You have control. You are able to control the whole process. In traditional publishing, once a manuscript leaves your hands, it goes to somebody else for editing, somebody else for artwork, somebody else for marketing, etc. Self-publishing authors retain all rights and control over how the work is produced and used.</p>
<p>You know your market. You have a product that may have a specific niche audience, one you are very familiar with. I was a Christian music artist and had written an inspirational book based largely on some difficult times in my life. I knew this book would have an audience.</p>
<p>A matter of time. Self-publishing gets you on the streets quickly. If you are accepted by a traditional publishing house, it may still be more than a year before your book hits the shelves. The turnaround time on my book was only a matter of weeks following my beating it into final draft status.<br />
<br />Money. At the end of the day, let&#8217;s face it; it&#8217;s all about the money. In traditional publishing, an author gets about 10% of the selling price per book. A self-publishing writer can receive up to 60% of the selling price. There is motivation here to do well.</p>
<p>Sound good so far? Well, stay tuned, children, because there is always a darker side. Some of the negatives include:</p>
<p>Flying solo. Traditional houses have large teams of professionals in all areas of production, from editing, graphic design, packaging, sales, distribution, legal, etc&#8230;&#8230;you need to either get really competent in all these fields or be prepared to part with some cash to hire qualified help.</p>
<p>Marketing. This is the toughest nut to crack. Many of us can write, but successful marketing is a unique talent all its own. How are you going to get enough folks to buy your book for it to be successful?</p>
<p>Money. In self-publishing, you have to invest your own money into your project, with no guarantee that you will ever see a return on that investment. With traditional publishers you generally get an advance and royalties if your book sells well.</p>
<p>Prejudice. There is a knee jerk reaction to self-publishing, with some people believing &#8221; well, if the author had to publish it himself, this thing must really suck.&#8221; Of course self-publishing also put authors in the same company as Charles Dickens and Mark Twain.</p>
<p>So there you are with your manuscript. Weigh the pros and cons, and go after the scenario that best suits your personal and professional goals. Now, go therefore and write well&#8230;.</p>
<p>Darrell is Direcftor Of Content at LeadsByFone LLC, alead generation company servicing the <a href="http://www.waterdamagelocal.com/"> water damage restoration industry</a>.</p>
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		<title>How To Fix Poorly-Developed Paragraphs</title>
		<link>http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/how-to-fix-poorly-developed-paragraphs/</link>
		<comments>http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/how-to-fix-poorly-developed-paragraphs/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:12:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jane Sumerset</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bad-developed paragraphs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[paragraph lengths]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[paragraph writing]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/how-to-fix-poorly-developed-paragraphs/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What do you think is the reason why your paragraphs have gotten so badly? Have you notice it yourself or are you unaware about the current standing of you writing? Basically, every writer knows where their writing had gotten wrong. And most of the time, they know if they have commit any mistakes in their [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>What do you think is the reason why your paragraphs have gotten so badly? Have you notice it yourself or are you unaware about the current standing of you writing?</p>
<p>Basically, every writer knows where their writing had gotten wrong. And most of the time, they know if they have commit any mistakes in their grammars. A writer has to be an editor towards their own writing though there are some who are only relying to what they can write and let other people edit and correct their work.</p>
<p>However, if you want to improve your skills in writing more, it is best that you know how to correct your own mistakes in writing.</p>
<p>The most common problem why most writers tend to commit bad writing is because of grammar issues. Many writers fail to write good grammars or even notice that they already committed one.</p>
<p>Your paragraphs are very important in your content since they contain vital information or ideas that best describe the topic. Paragraphs shows how they are related to one another so that the concept of your topic will be described clearly and systematically.</p>
<p>However, there are situations where paragraphs are written so poorly and the worst part is that, not all writers are aware about it. This can lead your work to rejection if you happen to submit your final work. How will you react if you&#8217;ve been into this kind of problem in writing? instead of worrying in a corner, you should relax for you to solve this problem easily.</p>
<p>But, will you spend hours or days to correct your writing? You don&#8217;t have to. Fixing your writing can be done with less consumed time. You don&#8217;t have to take forever just to make it perfect.</p>
<p>When your teacher or editor says you are writing in poorly-developed paragraphs, do you know what they mean? After all, there&#8217;s no way you can improve unless you actually understand what they&#8217;re trying to tell you.</p>
<p>Most of the time, your problem will fall under one or more of these. Figure it out by allotting appropriate time to reviewing your work with the help of a powerful editing software.</p>
<p>Your ideas are lacking. The supporting points may be clear in your head, but unless you write it in a detailed and specific manner, it will come across as vague and abstract. Guess what, your paragraphs will turn out undeveloped. Provide enough detail, examples and illustration for each paragraph&#8217;s main point in order to paint a clear image in the reader&#8217;s mind.</p>
<p>You omitted necessary items. Many times, a process or a flow of thought is so clear to you that you take it for granted that your reader will be of the same mind. Guess what? They&#8217;re often not. Explain the relationships between ideas fully. There&#8217;s immense value in being thorough.</p>
<p>You need to define the terms you use. During the course of your research, you will come across different terms. Many of those will likely have different meanings depending on your reader. You will need to clarify how you want them defined for the purposes of your piece, lest risk a potential misunderstanding.</p>
<p>See how innovative <a href="http://www.englishsoftware.org/">Power Editing Software</a> instantly can boost your English writing and watch how NLP technology can help you to write perfect emails, essays, reports and letters. <a href="http://www.englishsoftware.org/articles/improve-english-writing/fix-poorlydeveloped-paragraphs/">More Info</a>.</p>
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		<title>Three Quick Tips For Writing Better Content</title>
		<link>http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/three-quick-tips-for-writing-better-content/</link>
		<comments>http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/three-quick-tips-for-writing-better-content/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:11:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[corporate communications]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[freelance writer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[quality work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[speeches]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/three-quick-tips-for-writing-better-content/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Businesses today need to tease maximum value out of every dollar spent but the issue is especially acute when it comes to promotion: every word people read about your business contributes to their perception of it and that can translate into dollars earned &#8212; or lost &#8211; in the blink of an eye. It also [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Businesses today need to tease maximum value out of every dollar spent but the issue is especially acute when it comes to promotion: every word people read about your business contributes to their perception of it and that can translate into dollars earned &#8212; or lost &#8211; in the blink of an eye.</p>
<p>It also means entrepreneurs today must be especially vigilant when developing their websites, brochures, newsletters and reports. Clear, strategic language is key, and while many factors contribute to great writing, it&#8217;s particularly important to focus on your audience &#8211; not your own business &#8211; in crafting a promotional document. Here are a few tips on how to approach the job:</p>
<p>1. Know your audience<br />
<br />Start by gathering as much information about your target audience as possible &#8211; age, marital status, education, occupation, income and number of children (if any). You need to know the biggest challenges and greatest joys members of your target audience face &#8211; as well as any other details that could affect their need for your product or service. It may sound like a lot of work, but when you sit down to write, you need to have a precise idea of your readership in order to ensure you select words and phrases that are consistent with how they live their lives. Miss this step and you risk disconnecting with your audience before you&#8217;ve even grabbed their attention.</p>
<p>2. Features AND benefits!<br />
<br />Once you have a handle on audience specifics you can also key in on how, exactly, your product or service can help prospective customers solve their problems and achieve their goals. This means going beyond listing all the great features of what you offer and explaining how, specifically, you will improve people&#8217;s lives. In developing a relationship with your potential customers and clients, you want to highlight the fact that you understand what&#8217;s important to them. Your written sales and web materieal is the most powerful way to show that you &#8220;get it.&#8221;</p>
<p>3. Look for contrasting ways to express yourself<br />
<br />Few audiences are completely homogeneous and they won&#8217;t all filter experience the same way you do. For example, some people get excited about achieving goals and others love solving problems. The difference is subtle but very important.</p>
<p>Some people key in on the importance of the big picture and others look at details. Some people are highly procedural and others do things on the fly. We all default to what&#8217;s comfortable for us &#8211; but we are not our market. As you write, try to incorporate as many of these contrasting ways of accessing experience as you can in order to maximize your appeal. I usually layer these contrasting points of view into my work after I&#8217;ve finished my first draft.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that a promotional document is not about what YOU feel is great about your product or service &#8211; it&#8217;s about what your audience needs, wants and cares about. Remember that you aren&#8217;t just writing about your company, product or service, you are writing about how what you offer can solve your target audience&#8217;s problems &#8212; and meet their most pressing needs.</p>
<p>Writing on its own can&#8217;t take the place of a solid marketing strategy. But a marketing strategy that lacks intelligent writing is not as effective as it could be &#8211; and that means lost opportunity for the entrepreneur who needs to make every word count.</p>
<p>Susan Crossman is a career writer who promotes excellence in communication through writing with clarity. Her freelance writing services include web content, newsletters, reports, speeches and other custom documentation. For more details, please visit her website at <a href="http://www.crossmancommunications.com" title="http://www.crossmancommunications.com" target="_blank">http://www.crossmancommunications.com</a></p>
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		<title>How To Hire An Expert Content Writer</title>
		<link>http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/how-to-hire-an-expert-content-writer/</link>
		<comments>http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/how-to-hire-an-expert-content-writer/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:01:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[content]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[content writer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Internet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seo content writer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[web]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[web content writer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Web Design]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/how-to-hire-an-expert-content-writer/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[You&#8217;ve bought your domain name. You&#8217;ve haggled with a web designer but now your basic site is nearly online. So, what are you going to put in its pages? Most sites consist of about four basic pages: Contact us, Index, About Us, and What We Offer. To attract more attention, site owners realise they have [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>You&#8217;ve bought your domain name. You&#8217;ve haggled with a web designer but now your basic site is nearly online. So, what are you going to put in its pages?</p>
<p>Most sites consist of about four basic pages: Contact us, Index, About Us, and What We Offer. To attract more attention, site owners realise they have to get more content. This is usually video, software, images or articles. It&#8217;s article commissioning we&#8217;ll be talking about here.</p>
<p>Commissioning articles is the simplest way to get more traffic and thereby more customers. You put up an article about your widgets. You can have sales pages, reviews, how-to&#8217;s and technical specs. Customers like these and search engines do too. You&#8217;re giving the impression that you are an authority on what you&#8217;re selling.</p>
<p>So how can you get some good articles done, quickly?</p>
<p>Answer: Find a web content writer. Preferably one who knows SEO (search engine optimisation).</p>
<p>It&#8217;s no use having great articles unless search engines can also figure out that you are an authority on what you&#8217;re selling. So a writer who knows SEO is essential. He can make sure your article has just enough keywords in it to rank for its topic but not so many it suffers an over-optimisation penalty. What&#8217;s that?</p>
<p>An over-optimisation penalty is where a search engine algorithm thinks a webmaster is trying to fool it by cramming a web page with keywords. So it pushes that page to the back of its search engine results pages (SERPs).</p>
<p>So, where to locate such a writer?</p>
<p>Answer: Via forums, search engines and freelance websites. _This_ site can probably rustle up a few, too!</p>
<p>Freelance sites are particularly good as they include ratings of writers. The more happy clients a writer has, the better his ratings. But be careful! Many SEO content writers are used to churning out boilerplate articles. This is what webmasters want. These are mediocre articles which fill up a page with text about a keyword but read poorly. They&#8217;re dull. They don&#8217;t get the reader squirming in his seat with excitement.</p>
<p>This is not the writer&#8217;s fault. Many site owners got the idea that 300 articles, on 300 keyword subjects, were better than 30 great articles on 30 choice keywords. And they were. For a while.</p>
<p>Also, foreign writers won&#8217;t know local colloquialisms: the kind of things you pick up living in a country. Their work will be a little, or very, stilted. Years studying English as a foreign language in a local college won&#8217;t make a Pulitzer Prize winner out of a foreign national. They will produce OK but not oustanding articles.</p>
<p>The problem is Google is getting better and better at winnowing the wheat from the chaff. It&#8217;s looking as user behaviour. If people only spend 2 seconds on your page and click away, that looks bad. There&#8217;s also the future value of your websites. An &#8216;me-too&#8217; site with 30,010 duplicate articles is worth a lot less than a commercial, niche website with 300 unique, on-topic articles.</p>
<p>For future profitability, you need great articles.</p>
<p>Want to read more? Go to <a href="http://www.seowebcontentwriter.com">http://www.seowebcontentwriter.com</a> and then &#8216;phone Tommy. Tommy is an <a href="http://www.goseoconsultant.com">SEO consultant</a> and <a href="http://www.hireawebdesignerlondon.co.uk">web designer</a> living in London, UK. He has 12 year&#8217;s experience in commissioning websites, software and services and knows how to get your work done quickly and to a high standard.</p>
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		<title>How to Organize Source Materials</title>
		<link>http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/how-to-organize-source-materials/</link>
		<comments>http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/how-to-organize-source-materials/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 28 Jan 2012 08:51:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jane Sumerset</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[organize Source Materials]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[organized writing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[organizing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Source Materials]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/how-to-organize-source-materials/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In writing, it not usually more on adding ideas of facts just to complete the whole content but it is also about how you are going to organize these ideas so that you can set all things in their proper order. Organizing your writing is very important especially in handling information and reports. Also, it [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In writing, it not usually more on adding ideas of facts just to complete the whole content but it is also about how you are going to organize these ideas so that you can set all things in their proper order.</p>
<p>Organizing your writing is very important especially in handling information and reports. Also, it is very useful in story writing since you have to be clear on your point on how to run your story correctly.</p>
<p>A very messy writing is not considered a good content. Instead, it has to be well-organized and each details should be written properly.</p>
<p>You can hook your reader&#8217;s easily if they find your writing very interesting. That is, if they understand the concept of your topic clearly and how you each statements are related to one another.</p>
<p>Imagine how each of your statements are written randomly in your content and once any of your readers find it out, they will start to get confuse since your writing is not properly organized. See how it affects the quality of your content?</p>
<p>It can make a huge effect therefore, in order to organize every details in your writing, you have to proofread and revise your work once your are done writing your first draft. This way, it will be easy for you on how to sort out every statement in order.</p>
<p>During the research phase of any writing work, ideas for your arguments, examples and illustrations can literally come from anywhere. It&#8217;s not uncommon to pick up one or two i</p>
<p>Grabbing a hold of these things when you&#8217;re writing isn&#8217;t easy. Unless you have eidetic memory, you&#8217;ll likely forget more of them than you&#8217;ll remember. As such, gathering these individual nuggets into a single source, where you can refer to them handily, is an important part of streamlining your work process into something better and more efficient.</p>
<p>There are many ways you can organize these sources.</p>
<p>1. An idea notebook. Whether you use a physical notebook or a software-based electronic one, having a single place where you can take down ideas, thoughts and research gives you an easy-to-access facility that you can use when you need to refer to them later. In case you&#8217;re searching for good notebook software for writing, the most popular at the moment are Microsoft&#8217;s OneNote and Evernote, with the latter having the advantage of supporting numerous mobile platforms, including Android, iPad and iPhone.</p>
<p>2. Mind maps. A diagram intended to show relationships between different ideas, this is my preferred method of organizing information. Not only does it let you keep all research for a topic in a single place, it allows you to show relationships between them in a visual, easy-to-understand manner.</p>
<p>3. Index cards. Similar to using a notebook, you jot notes down on index cards that you keep in your pocket. This makes it easy to get rid of individual items (just throw them away) or add new ones, all while having all the information right in your pocket.</p>
<p>See how innovative <a href="http://www.englishsoftware.org/">Software For Writing</a> instantly can boost your English writing and watch how NLP technology can help you to write perfect emails, essays, reports and letters. <a href="http://www.englishsoftware.org/articles/writing/organize-source-materials/">More Info</a>.</p>
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		<title>Tips on How to Write a Novel</title>
		<link>http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/tips-on-how-to-write-a-novel/</link>
		<comments>http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/tips-on-how-to-write-a-novel/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:11:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[author]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[book]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how to make a novel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[novel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[publish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[write a novel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[writer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[writing novels]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/tips-on-how-to-write-a-novel/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[At some point in everybody&#8217;s life, there must have been a book that they could not put down. Some people are so inspired that they even aspire to write their own novels. There are tens of thousands of books being written every year which means writers are more than just a handful. While the truly [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>At some point in everybody&#8217;s life, there must have been a book that they could not put down. Some people are so inspired that they even aspire to write their own novels. There are tens of thousands of books being written every year which means writers are more than just a handful. While the truly exceptional ones and bestsellers are really the cream of the crop, you can also pen your own novel if you are truly inspired. Here are some important steps that you should follow when you want to write your own novel.</p>
<p>- You should map out a story and see how the whole story will flow. Mapping out a story is basically just figuring out the different major parts of the story and is different from the whole writing process. However, when you write, it doesn&#8217;t matter whether you follow step by step or just simply jump in into writing the rest of the story.</p>
<p>- Identifying the plot is an important aspect in writing and the plot should include a beginning, middle and an end. The plot is the main part of the story so without it, the novel simply becomes a string of sentences without a central theme.</p>
<p>- Draw out your main characters and other supporting characters. Novels generally move around a central character that moves towards and around the main plot of the story. Called the protagonist, this character is challenged by an antagonist, someone who goes against everything the main character stands for. You should also create the other characters who can help shed more information about the protagonist and the antagonist and help create a more dynamic and colorful facade for the story. Some of these characters also move towards the end plot while some characters disappear at one point or another in the story. Make your characters believable so the readers can identify with them.</p>
<p>- Tell a lot about the environment where the characters are set. Identify the period or era, identify the place, and other events, happenings and activities in their surrounding so the readers can have a vivid picture of the story and get to better understand and dwell deeper into the situations of the characters.</p>
<p>Other important things you should remember are the following. A good grasp of English is necessary. Even if your writing is not that flawless, editing, re-editing and proofreading can do the job. This is normally done by somebody else so a fresh new set of eyes can see what is wrong compared to what the writer can see. You should also have feelings. While every human being has this, incorporating your feelings and personal experiences is more important than the technicality of writing. General knowledge will also come in handy so you can inject actual world facts without the readers having to question and be distracted by them.</p>
<p>When you start writing, go to a quiet place, with windows perhaps, to clear your mind and draw inspiration. When you&#8217;re done with your draft, get feedback and see how else you can improve your writing. When you mind is focused and new ideas pop into your head, just sit down and start writing and worry about editing the content later. Before you know it, your novel will be well on its way to being completed.</p>
<p>Criss White writes for Bridal and Wedding Favors about wedding and writing topics. For more articles or to check out some <a href="http://www.bridalandweddingfavors.com/bookmarks.html">wedding bookmarks</a> and <a href="http://www.bridalandweddingfavors.com/keychains.html">wedding keychains</a>, visit Bridal and Wedding Favors.</p>
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		<title>The Impact of Electronic Media in the Literacy of Your Children</title>
		<link>http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/the-impact-of-electronic-media-in-the-literacy-of-your-children/</link>
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		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:12:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cyber- economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[electronic media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[literacy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reading]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self defense product]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/the-impact-of-electronic-media-in-the-literacy-of-your-children/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A host of progressives protest that literacy is much more complicated than a simple technical mastery of reading and writing. This claim is supported by most of the relevant academic work over the past 20 years. These studies argue that literacy can only be understood in its social and technical context. In Renaissance England, for [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A host of progressives protest that literacy is much more complicated than a simple technical mastery of reading and writing. This claim is supported by most of the relevant academic work over the past 20 years. These studies argue that literacy can only be understood in its social and technical context. In Renaissance England, for example, many more people could read than could write, and within reading there was a distinction between those who could print and those who could manage the more difficult task of reading manuscript. An understanding of these earlier periods helps us understand today&#8217;s crisis in literacy debate.</p>
<p>There does seem to be evidence that there has been an overall decline in some aspects of reading and writing- you only need to compare the tabloid newspapers of today with those of 50 years ago to see a clear decrease in vocabulary and simplification of syntax. But the picture is not uniform and does not readily demonstrate the simple distinction between literate and illiterate which had been considered adequate since the middle of the 19th Century.</p>
<p>While reading a certain amount of writing is as crucial as it has ever been in industrial societies, it is doubtful whether a fully extended grasp of either is as necessary as it was 30 or 40 years ago. While print retains much of its authority as a source of topical information, television has increasingly usurped this role. The ability to write fluent letters has been undermined by the telephone and research suggests that for many people the only use for writing, outside formal education, is the compilation of shopping lists.</p>
<p>The decision of some car manufacturers and self defense product companies to issue their instructions to mechanisms as a video pack rather than as a handbook might be taken to spell the end of any automatic link between industrialisation and literacy. On the other hand, it is also the case that ever- increasing numbers of people make their living out of writing, which is better rewarded than ever before. Schools are generally seen as institutions where the book rules- film, television and recorded sound have found no place; but it is not clear that this opposition is appropriate. While you may not need to read and write to watch television, you certainly need to be able to read and write in order to make programmes.</p>
<p>Those who work in the new media are anything but illiterate. The traditional oppositions between old and new media are inadequate for understanding the world which a young child now encounters. The computer has re-established a central place for the written word on the screen, which used to be entirely devoted to the image. There is even anecdotal evidence that children are mastering reading and writing in order to get on to the internet. There is no reason why the new and old media cannot be integrated in schools to provide the skills to become economically productive and politically enfranchised.</p>
<p>The new media now point not only to a futuristic cyber- economy; they also make our cultural past available to the whole nation. Most children&#8217;s access to these treasures is initially through television. It is doubtful whether our literacy heritage has ever been available to or sought out by more than about 5 per cent of the population; it has certainly not been available to more than 10 per cent. But the new media joined to the old, through the public service tradition of British broadcasting, now makes our literacy tradition available to all.</p>
<p>Joseph Pressley is a certified TASER instructor and a Tae Kwon Do black belt and a father of two. He is the co-founder of BestStunGun.com which provides a good variety of <a href="http://www.beststungun.com/">Pepper Spray</a> and <a href="http://www.beststungun.com/how_to_choose_a_stun_gun.html">Stun Gun</a> for personal protection. To learn more on how these products can save your life, please visit http://www.beststungun.com.</p>
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		<title>Freelance Copywriting . . . You Can Do It</title>
		<link>http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/freelance-copywriting-you-can-do-it/</link>
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		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:18:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[become a copywriter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[copywriting course]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[freelance copywriter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[freelance copywriting]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/freelance-copywriting-you-can-do-it/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If you&#8217;ve decided to become a copywriter, you&#8217;ve made one of the best decisions you can possibly make. There was a time when it seemed that most writers were broke, starving artists. Not today. Yes, many of them still are; however, those who have become freelance copywriters who consistently repeat certain successful practices, have a [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If you&#8217;ve decided to become a copywriter, you&#8217;ve made one of the best decisions you can possibly make. There was a time when it seemed that most writers were broke, starving artists. Not today. Yes, many of them still are; however, those who have become freelance copywriters who consistently repeat certain successful practices, have a different story to tell.</p>
<p>It&#8217;s like an epiphany when, as a writer, you realize you don&#8217;t have to be a writing slave for someone else until you get your big break, which may never come. Actually, freelance copywriting requires consistence and persistence, but it&#8217;s not grueling. And the sky is the limit when it comes to how much money you can earn. You set your rate. You decide how many hours you are willing to work to earn X number of dollars.</p>
<p>To top it off, your quality of life improves immensely. Your work environment is whatever you want it to be. If you want to stay in your pajamas and work on your laptap in your bed, you can. If you prefer to sit in your backyard, or walk your dogs and record your copy on your cell phone&#8217;s recorder, you can. The choice is yours.</p>
<p>There are three things a successful freelance copywriting business must have, and they are: time-management, motivation and a commitment to marketing your freelance business.</p>
<p>Time Management</p>
<p>Set aside a number of hours per week for your business. Divide this chunk(s) of time into smaller chunks of time and allot a task to each slot. The tasks could include things like: sending out a newsletter, tweeting, blogging, real life networking, social media networking, drafting and mailing sales letters to prospects, cold-calling, learning and applying the latest copywriting techniques and, of course, writing copy for clients. The point is that you want to be certain that everything that needs to get done to keep your freelance business up and running ends up in this schedule you devise.</p>
<p>Motivation</p>
<p>There are many ways to get motivated. One way is to stay in touch with the industry; that is, join the newsletters of successful freelance copywriters. Listen to their webinars; read their blogs, white papers and other information; and drop by their forums and expos or conferences. Stay current with what&#8217;s going on with their copywriting businesses and the copywriting industry overall. Many of the leading copywriters share their experiences and reveal how they&#8217;ve dealt with certain issues that you may have. A lot of them also talk about their triumphs and tell you exactly how they got there. Moreover, they impart very useful knowledge and let you in on secrets that you would never get from a competitor at a day job. Copywriters are generous like that, and the more successful they are, the more they divulge. If you are genuinely interested in the freelance copywriting, this will help you stay focused and, equally important, motivated.</p>
<p>A Willingness to Market Your Freelance Copywriting Business</p>
<p>Putting a marketing plan into action is not hard. Creative people tend to recoil when they hear the word marketing. However, to be a successful copywriter, you will need to market your business, but it&#8217;s not as grueling as you think. The great thing about marketing your copywriting business is that there is a marketing method that suits every personality and every style of work. If you are shy and not a people-person, but don&#8217;t mind talking on the phone where no one can see you, you can do cold calling. If you prefer not to speak at all, you can send out a sales letter and sales emails. If you are sociable and like meeting people, there are scores of networking groups, mastermind groups and business groups, many of which offer a great number of opportunities to promote your freelance copywriting business. Of course, there is a right way to network and many wrong ways, so it behooves you to check out one or two articles written about the optimal way to network off line and on line.</p>
<p>Becoming a successful copywriter is not hard. Simply remember to manage your time wisely, stay in touch with the industry so you can stay motivated, and market your business consistently. If you wanted, you could even have a freelance copywriting business up and running in the next 60 days.</p>
<p>Stacey Mathis Copywriting/Consulting: Guiding New Copywriters to Successful Freelance Careers. Your Free Information-packed Special Report is available at <a href="http://www.staceythewriter.com" title="http://www.staceythewriter.com" target="_blank">http://www.staceythewriter.com</a></p>
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		<title>How to Write Professional Articles For an Online Business Newsletter</title>
		<link>http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/how-to-write-professional-articles-for-an-online-business-newsletter/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:31:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[guidelines for writing articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how to write newsletter articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[write articles for online business]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/how-to-write-professional-articles-for-an-online-business-newsletter/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Do you have an online business? Congratulations! There are so many exciting new ways to market your service or product, as you may already know. Or perhaps you&#8217;ve been hired to write articles for a client&#8217;s online business, and want to make sure you&#8217;ve thought of everything. This article outlines the key actions to take [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Do you have an online business? Congratulations! There are so many exciting new ways to market your service or product, as you may already know. Or perhaps you&#8217;ve been hired to write articles for a client&#8217;s online business, and want to make sure you&#8217;ve thought of everything. This article outlines the key actions to take in writing professional, well-written and engaging content for an online business.</p>
<p>Action #1: Most online businesses have a matching online newsletter that comes out on a regular basis. Others are retailers who sell both on line and in stores, and use both email messages and hard copy catalogues. In every case, the articles (and other content) are focused on the benefits to the client. Your article may be about what you sell, but it must definitely tell the reader what they can do with the product and/or how the product will help them. &#8220;Our furniture is made of solid oak&#8221; doesn&#8217;t work as well as &#8220;Furniture from the Orchard Studio is made of solid oak that lasts for generations.&#8221;</p>
<p>Action #2: Begin your article with some intriguing statement or anecdote, as a way to draw your reader in.</p>
<p>Action #3: Remember that an article in a newsletter is not a sales tool, but a way to provide useful information to your clients and prospects. Over all, your newsletter should have only 20% promotional material-the other 80% should be informational. The purpose of the newsletter, especially its articles, is to be helpful and to demonstrate the depth of your knowledge. The more your clients see how expert you are, the more likely they are to trust buying from you.</p>
<p>Action #4: If your articles are to be published in an enewsletter, with the use of an email service provider, keep them quite short-200-300 words. People reading on line scan, rather than read carefully, and only read small portions of the content. If you believe that your content is important, while too long for an online newsletter, simply provide the first paragraph or two in the enews, and then provide a link to the rest of the article on your website-which is where you want them to go, anyway!</p>
<p>Action #5: If you send out a hard copy newsletter as part of your marketing plan, even though your business is entirely on line, you are free to use much longer articles. For example, Upton Tea Imports, in Holliston, MA, does almost all of its business through the web, but they also provide a 20-page combined newsletter and catalogue. The articles in the newsletter, highlighted on the web, educate the reader about the history of tea, its harvest and curing, and the many different ways it has been sold over time. Since Upton&#8217;s readers, as tea-drinkers, have a special interest in the subject, this makes good sense.</p>
<p>Action #6: Your articles, whether long or short, should be well-written. This means following all the rules of grammar, and proof reading for typos. Read the article aloud to yourself-a great way to spot rough patches-and ask someone else to read it over for errors. Remember that spell-check doesn&#8217;t catch everything!</p>
<p>Copyright (c) 2010 Jane Sherwin. You may reprint this entire article and you must include the copyright info and the following statement: &#8220;Jane Sherwin is a writer who helps hospitals and other healthcare facilities communicate their strengths and connect with their readers.&#8221;</p>
<p>Learn more about Jane at <a href="http://worddrivecommunications.com/index.htm" title="http://worddrivecommunications.com/index.htm" target="_blank">http://worddrivecommunications.com/index.htm</a>. Subscribe to Jane&#8217;s free monthly e-newsletter at <a href="http://tinyurl.com/2enrdqx" title="http://tinyurl.com/2enrdqx" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/2enrdqx</a> for practical tips on communicating effectively with customers, clients, employees and the public.</p>
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		<title>10 Mistakes to Avoid When Writing an Article</title>
		<link>http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/10-mistakes-to-avoid-when-writing-an-article/</link>
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		<pubDate>Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:08:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Writing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[guidelines for writing articles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[how to write a newsletter article]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[write newsletter article]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.zunus.com/2012/writing-category/10-mistakes-to-avoid-when-writing-an-article/</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Here are 10 mistakes that writers tend to make when writing articles for newsletters or magazines. Keep the list nearby and rely on it to help you produce your best work, making your editor and your readers happy! Mistake #1: Your article is too long, or too short The right length of your article depends [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Here are 10 mistakes that writers tend to make when writing articles for newsletters or magazines. Keep the list nearby and rely on it to help you produce your best work, making your editor and your readers happy!</p>
<p>Mistake #1: Your article is too long, or too short</p>
<p>The right length of your article depends on context: How long is your newsletter? Readers who count on a 12-page hard copy newsletter will expect your lead article to be 1000 or more words. Readers expecting your monthly e-news will, on the other hand, count on your key article to be no more than 300 words, if that.</p>
<p>Mistake #2: Your paragraphs are too long</p>
<p>Despite the rules you learned in middle school about paragraph structure, it is always possible to break your paragraphs into two, or three. Just be sure that those three paragraphs have valuable content, rather than repetition.</p>
<p>In the long run, paragraph length has more to do with layout than with content. Again, the appropriate length of your paragraph depends in part on context. If your article is in a 2-inch column it can be 15 lines long without wearying the reader. If, on the other hand, your article covers half your newsletter&#8217;s front page, 15 lines may be stretching it. The purpose is to keep the reader reading, and this is more likely to happen without a wide swath of type.</p>
<p>By the way, paragraphs can never be too short, just like this one, especially if you want to highlight the content.</p>
<p>Mistake #3: Your title is inappropriate</p>
<p>It&#8217;s not about your subject, thus misleading the reader. It&#8217;s too long (try to stick to about 5-7 words). It&#8217;s boring-needs some color, using verbs. It helps to invite the reader in, by suggesting interesting content.</p>
<p>Mistake #4: You refer to readers in the third person (they, them) rather than the second person (you).</p>
<p>Your newsletter is about your readers. Refer to them directly, e.g. &#8220;Our patients are our key concern. We value your opinion and your good word (not &#8216;their opinion and their good word&#8217;).&#8221;</p>
<p>Mistake #5: Your opening is of little interest, rather than gaining the reader&#8217;s attention with an anecdote, or a startling fact.</p>
<p>For example, if you are writing about a patient&#8217;s recovery from heart disease, don&#8217;t start with a general statement about the causes of unhealthy hearts, such as &#8220;Heart disease is often related to lack of exercise.&#8221; Instead, begin a story about the patient, e.g. &#8220;Henry Smith had always thought exercise was a waste of time, until he experienced chest pains one autumn afternoon in 2009.&#8221; Work into your article some information about causes of heart disease, along with Henry&#8217;s own treatment. Conclude your article with a description of Henry out walking his energetic new dog.</p>
<p>Mistake #6: You&#8217;ve provided lots of facts, with no sources given. People want to know what you base your statements on.</p>
<p>Newsletter articles are not generally scholarly papers, so you don&#8217;t need detailed footnotes with bibliographic information. But, you do need to tell readers where you have learned the information you provide. For example, if you&#8217;ve discovered at Jakob Nielsen&#8217;s site on the Internet that users have time to read 20 percent of the words on an average web page, simply tell your readers that this is according to Jakob Nielsen at useit.com.</p>
<p>Mistake #7: You&#8217;ve not proofread or spell-checked your content.</p>
<p>This one should go without saying, right? But, it&#8217;s easier said than done! Try to include these steps:</p>
<p>Use spell-check and grammar tools.</p>
<p>Print out a copy and read it aloud, looking carefully for typos and other errors like &#8220;manger&#8221; instead of &#8220;manager.&#8221; Spell-check will not find everything for you!</p>
<p>Ask someone else to read your draft.</p>
<p>Remember that spelling and grammar can make a huge difference in your reader&#8217;s impression of your content.</p>
<p>Mistake #8: You&#8217;ve written for the wrong audience.</p>
<p>Oops! I was once asked to write an article for low-income seniors about staying healthy in wintertime, and my editor sent it back saying &#8220;This needs to have shorter sentences and simpler concepts so our readers can follow what you are saying.&#8221;</p>
<p>Always, always start by considering your audience. Stop for a minute and imagine your reader, seated at a desk, or in a comfortable chair, or waiting in a car. Are they old, or young? Harassed, or at ease? What are their interests-and their reading level?</p>
<p>Mistake #9: Your article doesn&#8217;t meet the requirements specified by your editor.</p>
<p>Oops, again! If you are your own editor, you are presumably following your own directions. If your editor has sent you a set of instructions for the newsletter, be very sure that you understand. Even if you think the instructions are clear, it&#8217;s wise to send a message with an outline, in your own words, of what you think the editor is looking for.</p>
<p>Mistake #10: Your article is boring.</p>
<p>Even if your reader has absolutely no interest in your content, you can make your article interesting. Keep your words and your sentences short. If you have data to provide, do so in brief chunks. This is a newsletter you are writing for, not a technical report. Use anecdotes. Describe the location where you&#8217;ve gone to learn about a new medical device, or the office of a new employee you are interviewing. Tell your readers why your information is significant to them.</p>
<p>Copyright (c) 2010 Jane Sherwin. You may reprint this entire article and you must include the copyright info and the following statement: &#8220;Jane Sherwin is a writer who helps hospitals and other healthcare facilities communicate their strengths and connect with their readers.&#8221;</p>
<p>Learn more about Jane at <a href="http://worddrivecommunications.com/index.htm" title="http://worddrivecommunications.com/index.htm" target="_blank">http://worddrivecommunications.com/index.htm</a>. Subscribe to Jane&#8217;s free monthly e-newsletter at <a href="http://tinyurl.com/2enrdqx" title="http://tinyurl.com/2enrdqx" target="_blank">http://tinyurl.com/2enrdqx</a> for practical tips on communicating effectively with customers, clients, employees and the public.</p>
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