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Sunday, April 29, 2007
Why put Images in your AC Articles?
How to Download Embedded Videos from the Interent
Clipped from Daytipper using Clipmarks.
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Blogging Tips from Daytipper
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Sunday, April 15, 2007
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Writing Articles that Sell
How to Write Articles That Sell
by Allison Whitehead
Writing an article is rather like building a zoo – you’ve got to sort out your cages before you put the animals in.
Before you think I’ve mixed my monkeys with my metaphors, let me explain. A factual article is an attempt to pass on a series of facts to the reader. These facts should be suitably arranged within the article, the aim being to present a smooth and rounded piece of work.
Obviously enough, a high standard of writing is required throughout. And in order to achieve this, a carefully planned outline should be sketched out first. Any flaws in the structure can then be dealt with before the first draft reaches the page (or the screen).
Of course, there are some fortunate people who can sit down and write an article without first sketching a plan – and then go on to sell the final result. They are the envy of many an article writer, as they can plan the necessary information out in their heads before they begin, thus saving time, paper and trees. Yet I suspect the majority of us will have to be content with doing it the hard way.
Starting with the basic facts, the first step is to arrange your information in a logical order. I tend to use a flow diagram at the planning stage, as it gives me space to branch out with additional ideas which I may also use. My initial diagram will provide an initial and very broad base to work from, while a second one will concentrate on the development of just one of those initial ideas.
A good structure may not show itself in the finished product – but the lack of one almost certainly will. Time and thought is well spent at this stage, and should make the actual writing of the article easier to approach. You will not want to be concerned with the planning process as you begin to write, as this will stem the flow of your creative juices. A good plan will allow you to concentrate on putting the right words in the right order.
The key point to remember is not to put your monkeys in with your macaws. Make sure your facts relate to each other, both in succession and within the entire article. I very much doubt if the monkeys would get on well with the macaws – and facts which do not belong together will clash in much the same way.
If you are constructing a ‘for and against’ article, the opposing viewpoints will need to receive special attention. There are several ways to approach this in your initial plan.
If the magazine’s style favours it, you may choose to set out the points in a chart form, under the appropriate headings. This is probably the simplest method. It can also be used in article form, with the ‘for’ and ‘against’ arguments following each separate point in the debate.
Alternatively, you may choose to present the ‘for’ argument entirely separately from the ‘against’, using examples and anecdotes to illustrate the pros and cons.
Whatever the subject and approach you use, the outline should be somewhat like a word association game when completed. A well structured plan will flow logically and smoothly, as should the finished article, and your sixth writer’s sense should tell you when this has been achieved.
You may find it helpful at this stage to indulge in some free writing. Keeping your rough diagram to one side, jot down any thoughts or ideas which may work their way into the article.
Do not worry if you begin to distance yourself from the original thought. You are not writing the article at this stage. Any ideas which are not relevant can be discarded, and perhaps picked up later as the basis of another article.
So, having completed a suitable structure and a list of ideas, we can now move on to the first draft. The initial task here is to get a rough version of the article down on paper. The refining process will come later.
Keeping to your outline, begin to develop the facts into a simple yet informative style, paying special attention to the first sentence. You should always aim for a strong opening which will reach out and grab the editor by the throat; something which will make your article leap from beneath the hundreds of other manuscripts and demand to be read.
One method of doing this is to use the ‘question mark’ opening – ask a question which you will then provide an answer to in the final paragraph. By asking a question, you immediately bring your readers into play by talking to them.
Adapt to the pace people live at today. If you have not managed to attract their attention within the first few words, it is highly unlikely they will read further. And of course, if you don’t create an eye opener for starters, your article probably won’t even get past the editor. Remember the key word – it must be readable.
So, having created the best opening sentence in the history of literature, you should now avoid the slippery slope into oblivion. A strong opening will gain attention, certainly, but it will not help to sell the article if the remaining words and paragraphs do not continue the initial promise. And no article sells on the first sentence alone. Every sentence must make the reader want to continue to the end.
The style you adopt will depend on several factors: length, the style preferred by your target market, the demands of the subject itself, and your own personal preferences. This is perhaps the correct order in which to list them, as your own personal style must be adapted for the occasion. If, like me, you tend to have the occasional bout of verbal diarrhoea, then you should be particularly careful when writing a 500 word short.
So, having teased out the first draft from your plan, you can now progress to the third stage. Put the article in a drawer, folder or file, or on a rarely used disk and leave it alone for a few days before editing it.
This is often the hardest part. Having been so close to your writing, it is difficult to let go completely and move on temporarily to something else. Yet it will provide you with the best results.
Errors made by a smoking pen at times when you think faster than you can write will shine through the initial draft and beg to be put right. If time allows, this process is best repeated, in order to get rid of tiny errors which you may previously have overlooked. Always aim for the best you can do.
And over time, if you continue to persevere, you will find that your best will get even better.
About the author:
Allison Whitehead has been writing – and selling – articles for sixteen years. Her extensive knowledge has been distilled into a four step blueprint for article writing success, called ‘Hey! I Really CAN Sell My Articles!’, available for immediate download from www.lulu.com/smoo_publishing
by Allison Whitehead
Writing an article is rather like building a zoo – you’ve got to sort out your cages before you put the animals in.
Before you think I’ve mixed my monkeys with my metaphors, let me explain. A factual article is an attempt to pass on a series of facts to the reader. These facts should be suitably arranged within the article, the aim being to present a smooth and rounded piece of work.
Obviously enough, a high standard of writing is required throughout. And in order to achieve this, a carefully planned outline should be sketched out first. Any flaws in the structure can then be dealt with before the first draft reaches the page (or the screen).
Of course, there are some fortunate people who can sit down and write an article without first sketching a plan – and then go on to sell the final result. They are the envy of many an article writer, as they can plan the necessary information out in their heads before they begin, thus saving time, paper and trees. Yet I suspect the majority of us will have to be content with doing it the hard way.
Starting with the basic facts, the first step is to arrange your information in a logical order. I tend to use a flow diagram at the planning stage, as it gives me space to branch out with additional ideas which I may also use. My initial diagram will provide an initial and very broad base to work from, while a second one will concentrate on the development of just one of those initial ideas.
A good structure may not show itself in the finished product – but the lack of one almost certainly will. Time and thought is well spent at this stage, and should make the actual writing of the article easier to approach. You will not want to be concerned with the planning process as you begin to write, as this will stem the flow of your creative juices. A good plan will allow you to concentrate on putting the right words in the right order.
The key point to remember is not to put your monkeys in with your macaws. Make sure your facts relate to each other, both in succession and within the entire article. I very much doubt if the monkeys would get on well with the macaws – and facts which do not belong together will clash in much the same way.
If you are constructing a ‘for and against’ article, the opposing viewpoints will need to receive special attention. There are several ways to approach this in your initial plan.
If the magazine’s style favours it, you may choose to set out the points in a chart form, under the appropriate headings. This is probably the simplest method. It can also be used in article form, with the ‘for’ and ‘against’ arguments following each separate point in the debate.
Alternatively, you may choose to present the ‘for’ argument entirely separately from the ‘against’, using examples and anecdotes to illustrate the pros and cons.
Whatever the subject and approach you use, the outline should be somewhat like a word association game when completed. A well structured plan will flow logically and smoothly, as should the finished article, and your sixth writer’s sense should tell you when this has been achieved.
You may find it helpful at this stage to indulge in some free writing. Keeping your rough diagram to one side, jot down any thoughts or ideas which may work their way into the article.
Do not worry if you begin to distance yourself from the original thought. You are not writing the article at this stage. Any ideas which are not relevant can be discarded, and perhaps picked up later as the basis of another article.
So, having completed a suitable structure and a list of ideas, we can now move on to the first draft. The initial task here is to get a rough version of the article down on paper. The refining process will come later.
Keeping to your outline, begin to develop the facts into a simple yet informative style, paying special attention to the first sentence. You should always aim for a strong opening which will reach out and grab the editor by the throat; something which will make your article leap from beneath the hundreds of other manuscripts and demand to be read.
One method of doing this is to use the ‘question mark’ opening – ask a question which you will then provide an answer to in the final paragraph. By asking a question, you immediately bring your readers into play by talking to them.
Adapt to the pace people live at today. If you have not managed to attract their attention within the first few words, it is highly unlikely they will read further. And of course, if you don’t create an eye opener for starters, your article probably won’t even get past the editor. Remember the key word – it must be readable.
So, having created the best opening sentence in the history of literature, you should now avoid the slippery slope into oblivion. A strong opening will gain attention, certainly, but it will not help to sell the article if the remaining words and paragraphs do not continue the initial promise. And no article sells on the first sentence alone. Every sentence must make the reader want to continue to the end.
The style you adopt will depend on several factors: length, the style preferred by your target market, the demands of the subject itself, and your own personal preferences. This is perhaps the correct order in which to list them, as your own personal style must be adapted for the occasion. If, like me, you tend to have the occasional bout of verbal diarrhoea, then you should be particularly careful when writing a 500 word short.
So, having teased out the first draft from your plan, you can now progress to the third stage. Put the article in a drawer, folder or file, or on a rarely used disk and leave it alone for a few days before editing it.
This is often the hardest part. Having been so close to your writing, it is difficult to let go completely and move on temporarily to something else. Yet it will provide you with the best results.
Errors made by a smoking pen at times when you think faster than you can write will shine through the initial draft and beg to be put right. If time allows, this process is best repeated, in order to get rid of tiny errors which you may previously have overlooked. Always aim for the best you can do.
And over time, if you continue to persevere, you will find that your best will get even better.
About the author:
Allison Whitehead has been writing – and selling – articles for sixteen years. Her extensive knowledge has been distilled into a four step blueprint for article writing success, called ‘Hey! I Really CAN Sell My Articles!’, available for immediate download from www.lulu.com/smoo_publishing
Freelancing Online
Writing from Home: Four Self-Induced Time Traps
By Elizabeth Clark Wickham
Congratulations. You’ve finally succeeded in setting apart a block of time for your new home-based freelance business. Perhaps you’re making headway in juggling a two-year-old, a five-year-old and your editing work. Or you’re managing to work at the dentist’s office in the morning and extract your novel’s chapters in the evening. Along with adjusting your own lifestyle, such as reducing TV-viewing to add more hours to your day, you’ve triumphed in training those around you to interrupt you minimally during keyboarding time.
But before you dub yourself the king or queen of time management, you may want to take a closer look at how you spend your actual working time. It’s easy to attribute failure to others’ interruptions, but sometimes poor time usage is self-induced.
Inadvertently, these four time traps may be stealing your valuable freelance minutes:
E-mail
Downloading and answering e-mail is part of the business. You need to send query letters and hear from editors, discuss a word rate with a client, or network to get the interview you need.
But some e-mail, while seemingly business-related, may be subtracting actual working time. For example, have you been too absorbed in swapping chit-chat with other writers? For an eye-opener, calculate how much time you spend dealing with e-mails versus how much time you spend actually writing or editing.
You can also slash e-mail time by doing the following:
Keep a folder of standard e-mails (a sample query or rates proposal, for example) to copy and modify.
Send clean, well-written e-mails but ignore your perfectionistic streak and don’t deliberate for hours over word choice.
Answer e-mail promptly as pile-ups cut back on efficiency.
Maintain well-organized e-mail folders and subfolders; this will save you time when needing to refer to past e-mails.
Set a timer and spend only that amount of time each day answering e-mails.
Separate personal e-mails to handle later.
Online multitasking
When you surf the web, stick to business. It’s easy to multitask online, searching for airline tickets for summer holidays while you look up statistics for an article on bad posture. Or it’s hard to avoid checking out your old university roommate’s new website while you download writer’s guidelines.
Nonrelated multitasking, however, usually has two effects that slow you down. First, it leads you down rabbit trails. Usually one interesting webpage leads to the next, and before you realize it, you’re lost in cyberspace. Second, nonrelated multitasking splits your mind, giving way to daydreaming. Daydream about your writing, not about e-Bay purchases! Keep on track.
For strictly business web surfing, it’s smart to write down a short list of what you actually want to do online. Then you may open four windows and do everything at once, but you’ll be ensuring that your searches have to do with your work.
“I’ll forget” prompts
Mental distractions are easy to act upon when working from home. You’ll remember that you didn’t put macaroni on the grocery list or that you didn’t thank Uncle Bert for the Christmas check. And the urge will be, “If I don’t do it now, I’ll forget. I’ll just take a quick break.”
Quick fix-it breaks at home are a common trap because everything is within reach. If you were at an office, you wouldn’t be able to “just pop” the laundry into the washing machine.
But getting up from your desk to tend to one of these epiphanies usually leads to another short job and yet another. By the time you return to your senses, you’ve lost 40 minutes.
One solution is to keep a “bother list” handy, a sheet of paper or a notebook next to your work area. If anything unrelated to work nags your neurons, just write it on the bother list. The new motto is “On the list, out of mind” and you can continue to freelance.
Later, when you’ve finished working, consult your bother list and take care of each item to your heart’s content.
Good reading
When you begin to freelance, you need to read lots of articles to understand what you’re getting into, what rights to offer, how to improve your queries or which markets to pursue. All of us are indebted to the valuable information we’ve received from numerous websites, authors and fellow beginners.
As you continue to freelance, you still need to remain abreast of your field. You’ll find yourself interested in articles describing the newest editing software, book reviews and successful writers’ insider tips.
But let’s face it: You could easily spend the six hours you normally dedicate to your business perusing interesting, well-crafted articles – helpful articles! Yet if those articles detract significantly from your actual business, they’re not so helpful after all.
If reading is your self-induced time trap, try saving your reading for certain days or time slots. If you run across an interesting article online, click “Save as” and download it to a “Read later” folder. And then dedicate your allotted reading time to that folder and to other books.
So... may I ask what you’re doing still reading this article online?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elizabeth Clark Wickham is a freelance writer, editor and translator based in Europe. For more information about her, visit www.complete-edit.com.
By Elizabeth Clark Wickham
Congratulations. You’ve finally succeeded in setting apart a block of time for your new home-based freelance business. Perhaps you’re making headway in juggling a two-year-old, a five-year-old and your editing work. Or you’re managing to work at the dentist’s office in the morning and extract your novel’s chapters in the evening. Along with adjusting your own lifestyle, such as reducing TV-viewing to add more hours to your day, you’ve triumphed in training those around you to interrupt you minimally during keyboarding time.
But before you dub yourself the king or queen of time management, you may want to take a closer look at how you spend your actual working time. It’s easy to attribute failure to others’ interruptions, but sometimes poor time usage is self-induced.
Inadvertently, these four time traps may be stealing your valuable freelance minutes:
Downloading and answering e-mail is part of the business. You need to send query letters and hear from editors, discuss a word rate with a client, or network to get the interview you need.
But some e-mail, while seemingly business-related, may be subtracting actual working time. For example, have you been too absorbed in swapping chit-chat with other writers? For an eye-opener, calculate how much time you spend dealing with e-mails versus how much time you spend actually writing or editing.
You can also slash e-mail time by doing the following:
Keep a folder of standard e-mails (a sample query or rates proposal, for example) to copy and modify.
Send clean, well-written e-mails but ignore your perfectionistic streak and don’t deliberate for hours over word choice.
Answer e-mail promptly as pile-ups cut back on efficiency.
Maintain well-organized e-mail folders and subfolders; this will save you time when needing to refer to past e-mails.
Set a timer and spend only that amount of time each day answering e-mails.
Separate personal e-mails to handle later.
Online multitasking
When you surf the web, stick to business. It’s easy to multitask online, searching for airline tickets for summer holidays while you look up statistics for an article on bad posture. Or it’s hard to avoid checking out your old university roommate’s new website while you download writer’s guidelines.
Nonrelated multitasking, however, usually has two effects that slow you down. First, it leads you down rabbit trails. Usually one interesting webpage leads to the next, and before you realize it, you’re lost in cyberspace. Second, nonrelated multitasking splits your mind, giving way to daydreaming. Daydream about your writing, not about e-Bay purchases! Keep on track.
For strictly business web surfing, it’s smart to write down a short list of what you actually want to do online. Then you may open four windows and do everything at once, but you’ll be ensuring that your searches have to do with your work.
“I’ll forget” prompts
Mental distractions are easy to act upon when working from home. You’ll remember that you didn’t put macaroni on the grocery list or that you didn’t thank Uncle Bert for the Christmas check. And the urge will be, “If I don’t do it now, I’ll forget. I’ll just take a quick break.”
Quick fix-it breaks at home are a common trap because everything is within reach. If you were at an office, you wouldn’t be able to “just pop” the laundry into the washing machine.
But getting up from your desk to tend to one of these epiphanies usually leads to another short job and yet another. By the time you return to your senses, you’ve lost 40 minutes.
One solution is to keep a “bother list” handy, a sheet of paper or a notebook next to your work area. If anything unrelated to work nags your neurons, just write it on the bother list. The new motto is “On the list, out of mind” and you can continue to freelance.
Later, when you’ve finished working, consult your bother list and take care of each item to your heart’s content.
Good reading
When you begin to freelance, you need to read lots of articles to understand what you’re getting into, what rights to offer, how to improve your queries or which markets to pursue. All of us are indebted to the valuable information we’ve received from numerous websites, authors and fellow beginners.
As you continue to freelance, you still need to remain abreast of your field. You’ll find yourself interested in articles describing the newest editing software, book reviews and successful writers’ insider tips.
But let’s face it: You could easily spend the six hours you normally dedicate to your business perusing interesting, well-crafted articles – helpful articles! Yet if those articles detract significantly from your actual business, they’re not so helpful after all.
If reading is your self-induced time trap, try saving your reading for certain days or time slots. If you run across an interesting article online, click “Save as” and download it to a “Read later” folder. And then dedicate your allotted reading time to that folder and to other books.
So... may I ask what you’re doing still reading this article online?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elizabeth Clark Wickham is a freelance writer, editor and translator based in Europe. For more information about her, visit www.complete-edit.com.
Finding Free Stuff to Sell on EBay
How to Find Free Stuff to Sell On EBay
by Allison Whitehead
Everyone knows there’s money to be had on eBay. And the biggest profit margins have to come from those items that don’t cost you a cent to get hold of in the first place.
But where do you find them?
Well they’re actually easier to find than you might think. You just need to know where – and how – to look.
Let’s start close to home. Now is the time to have a clear out, and create a pile of stuff you no longer want or use. Once you’ve done that, cast your net further afield and start talking to friends and family. You’d be surprised how many people have stuff they just want to get rid of. We’ve had relatives donate an entire loft full of stuff to us – and they wouldn’t take any money for it.
You’re probably thinking they’d have to be nuts not to hit eBay and make some money themselves, but consider this. Not everyone has the time; not everyone is as ‘into’ eBay as we are; and not everyone wants the cost or hassle of hiring a skip (or three) to get rid of it all. We saved them money and took the whole lot away for them. Problem solved.
Another ideal place to go is boot fairs and similar sales, but make sure you hang around until the end. Lots of people leave their unsold goods behind as they don’t want to take them all home again. You can pick up some good stuff like this.
Another idea - keep an eye out online and in magazines for free, no obligation offers from any number of companies. You know the kind of thing – receive our free monthly newsletter and receive a free book to keep with the first issue. There are countless offers like these popping up all the time, and you can apply for them and put the free items on eBay to turn a quick profit. Join a few internet sites, like Smart Free Stuff, to get information on the latest freebies available.
Above all, make sure you tell everyone you’re after stuff for eBay. They’ll get in the habit of phoning you before they throw anything out.
And that’s definitely good news.
About the author:
Allison Whitehead is a freelance writer, whose articles have appeared all over the web. For more FREE information and guidance on earning more cash from eBay, visit these links – http://tinyurl.com/f8s8x and http://tinyurl.com/h3y6x
by Allison Whitehead
Everyone knows there’s money to be had on eBay. And the biggest profit margins have to come from those items that don’t cost you a cent to get hold of in the first place.
But where do you find them?
Well they’re actually easier to find than you might think. You just need to know where – and how – to look.
Let’s start close to home. Now is the time to have a clear out, and create a pile of stuff you no longer want or use. Once you’ve done that, cast your net further afield and start talking to friends and family. You’d be surprised how many people have stuff they just want to get rid of. We’ve had relatives donate an entire loft full of stuff to us – and they wouldn’t take any money for it.
You’re probably thinking they’d have to be nuts not to hit eBay and make some money themselves, but consider this. Not everyone has the time; not everyone is as ‘into’ eBay as we are; and not everyone wants the cost or hassle of hiring a skip (or three) to get rid of it all. We saved them money and took the whole lot away for them. Problem solved.
Another ideal place to go is boot fairs and similar sales, but make sure you hang around until the end. Lots of people leave their unsold goods behind as they don’t want to take them all home again. You can pick up some good stuff like this.
Another idea - keep an eye out online and in magazines for free, no obligation offers from any number of companies. You know the kind of thing – receive our free monthly newsletter and receive a free book to keep with the first issue. There are countless offers like these popping up all the time, and you can apply for them and put the free items on eBay to turn a quick profit. Join a few internet sites, like Smart Free Stuff, to get information on the latest freebies available.
Above all, make sure you tell everyone you’re after stuff for eBay. They’ll get in the habit of phoning you before they throw anything out.
And that’s definitely good news.
About the author:
Allison Whitehead is a freelance writer, whose articles have appeared all over the web. For more FREE information and guidance on earning more cash from eBay, visit these links – http://tinyurl.com/f8s8x and http://tinyurl.com/h3y6x
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