LIZ PURCELL

They say everybody has a story to tell. The problem is in the telling. Let’s face it. Some of us can string words together into decent, readable sentences, and others of us cannot. The former sometime go on to string words together professionally, helping out the latter, and getting paid for it in the process. And it’s no shame to admit that, although you’ve got a super nice keyboard, the latest word processing program, spell-check, punctuation-check, grammar-check, and all kinds of other checks, you’re just not able to write something that reads the way you’ve got it in your head.

That’s the problem with writing. It seems easy. The materials are cheap enough. (You can use a pencil and a notepad, for crying out loud.) You know the alphabet. You’ve got a decent vocabulary. And you’ve got a great idea. Unfortunately, there’s a significant gap that stretches from mind to paper. It’s a long ways to go. From the time most people ride their idea from their brains all the way down to their fingertips to push the letters on their keyboards, something invariably gets lost. And what they end up reading on the screen in front of them is nothing like what they had imagined it would be. Worse, some people can’t even get past the idea stage and don’t even know how to get started, let alone see their efforts materialize on paper.

If this sounds like you, then maybe you need somebody to help you with your writing. Maybe you need a ghostwriter. What can a ghostwriter help you with? Anything from an article to a book. Want a little publicity for your business? How about writing an article about what you do for publication in your local paper? It’s a good way to become an expert in the eyes of your potential customer base. Have an idea that you’re sure will be a bestseller? Write a book! Don’t let your ideas go to waste just because you’re having trouble putting them on paper. That’s what ghostwriters are for.

Ghostwriters can either write from scratch, or edit and rewrite something you’ve already written. If you have any writing talent at all, the second way is obviously a cheaper route. But if you’re completely stuck and can’t even get started, a good ghostwriter is worth his or her weight in gold.

An effective ghostwriter will talk to you and, more importantly, listen to you. He or she will be skilled in the interviewing process, making sure to get all the information you have so that it can be translated to the written word. A good ghostwriter will get into your head and become a natural extension of your thoughts. He or she will bridge that gap from mind to paper.

It’s a partnership, the relationship between writer and client, and, depending on the size of the project, it can be a long one. Therefore, it’s important to choose your ghostwriter carefully. First and foremost, make sure you’re comfortable with the writer. Make sure you feel as though the ghostwriter is a person with whom you can communicate. This is somebody you’re going to spend some significant time with so you’d better feel a healthy level of trust.

Secondly, especially in the case of a book you hope to get published, the writer ought to have some rudimentary knowledge of the publishing industry. No ghostwriter can guarantee publication (run screaming from one who does), but they should at least be able to point you in the right direction when it comes to finding an agent or a publisher. They should be able to help you write a book proposal that summarizes your work (most agents and publishers will prefer to see this first, rather than the whole book), as well as help you with a query letter, a letter sent to agents and publishers to get them interested in the book proposal in the first place.

Naturally, of course, you also need to work with a writer that can deliver within your budget. Be aware, though. Good ghostwriters do not come cheap. A book might take several months to write. Don’t expect a writer to basically put his or her business on hold for that period of time to write your book, for mere peanuts. A decent ghostwriter might charge anywhere from $50 to $200 per page. Those who charge on the lesser end sometimes look for compensation by taking a percentage of the book’s potential royalties, sometimes up to 50%, while those charging on the upper end might take nothing at all.

It might be wise to look for somebody in between. I personally like the idea of giving the ghostwriter an incentive to finish the book by giving him or her some percentage of the royalties (even ten or fifteen percent). This makes the writer just a little more invested in the book’s outcome.

Terms of your deal with the ghostwriter should be spelled out in advance. Make sure there is mention of a timetable. And your payment to the writer should be split over this time frame. If it’s going to take four months to write the book, then your payment ought to be split in quarters.

Other terms include an understanding of how the ghostwriter is to receive your information, the fact that the work will belong to you and appear to the outside world as though it was written by you and not the ghostwriter, and a note on non-disclosure to ensure the writer will not divulge your story to anybody without your approval.

Do you have a story to tell? Don’t let it just sit there in your head. Find the right person to put it into printed words and get it out there for the world to see.

Copyright 2009, Jerry Payne

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Source by Jerry Payne

The copywriter portfolio is an essential tool for impressing potential clients. After the inevitable, ‘How much do you charge?’ the next question is often ‘What have you written?’ That’s where a great portfolio comes into play. Here, in one experienced copywriter’s opinion, is what a copywriter’s portfolio should look like:

• Online and offline
• Your best work
• Tailored to current prospects’ needs
• Up-to-date
• A hard copy copywriter portfolio should be in a suitable holder

A copywriter portfolio should be both online and offline

With the importance of the web as a tool for finding copywriters, it’s essential that you maintain both online and offline (hard copy) copywriter portfolios. The online version could be on your website or in a blog, but either way, it should contain examples of your best work. That way, prospective clients can see what you are capable of around the clock, whether they’re in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire or on the other side of the world. The hard copy portfolio should be in an easily-portable format that’s easy to carry to presentations.

A portfolio should contain your best work

Resist the temptation to overload your portfolio with everything you’ve ever written. Be selective and make sure that only your best work appears there. Quality matters as much as quantity, maybe more so.

Good copywriter portfolios are tailored to the current prospect

Allied to the foregoing point is the importance of tailoring your portfolio to a potential client’s requirements when you visit them. Your online copywriter portfolio can of course contain all your samples. But when you are face-to-face with a prospect, make sure that your hard copy or electronic presentation is focussed on work that will resonate with his or her immediate needs. A website project? Put more emphasis on your web or SEO copy. A press release requirement? Don’t overdo the direct response copywriting examples. It’s just a matter of common sense, of maximising the relevance to the prospect and not tying their time up with your whole creative history…

Your copywriting samples should be up-to-date

People like to work with someone who is successful and currently active. A busy copywriter is an ‘in demand’ copywriter. That is a great indicator that you are good, so make sure your copywriting samples are as current as possible. It can be difficult, especially with hard copy samples, which can sometimes be difficult to get from agencies and end-clients. Do your best; even a studio PDF of a brochure spread is better than nothing at all.

A hard copy portfolio can take many different physical forms

Different copywriters prefer different physical portfolios. For some it will be a smaller version of the classic art-directors’ portfolio; for others, an A4 folder with punched filing sleeves will be perfect to hold examples of work. Whatever you choose, make sure that the physical container doesn’t distract from your samples. Neutral finishes are better than ‘busy’ patterned ones. And of course, you will always make sure that your copywriter portfolio is clean, tidily organised and free from shabby dog-eared corners and grubby finger marks…

Ultimately, what your copywriting portfolio looks like will reflect your preferences, experience and the resources available to you. However, if you follow the guidelines above you can be sure of a great head start over competitors who haven’t given much thought to their presentation. Start now, put that portfolio together and get ready to wow potential copywriting clients with your best work.

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Source by Al Hidden

So you’re an author (or an aspiring author) who has an interest in writing erotic fiction. But many authors worry about using their real name when penning erotic pieces, for several reasons. Several famous authors who at one point, sooner or later in their careers, wrote erotica chose a pen name, including Harlan Ellison and Anne Rice. Some, like David Sedaris, write erotica under their own name.

However, the fact that it is known that these authors wrote erotica has a lot to do with their current day popularity. If you are considering using a pen name, be aware that it is not only acceptable but also the general practice. For many authors, the pen name is akin to the stage name; despite the lofty cerebral aspirations of writing, a lot of writing success is still based on marketing. While writers often wish that people did not judge a book by its cover, the truth is, we all do. We judge two hour movies based on thirty second trailers, and we remember actors’ names based on their catchiness. Authors are unfortunately, not immune to this, and choosing a pen name when writing erotica is actually an opportunity to start marketing before the book is even written.

However, there are many other reasons to consider when deciding if you should use a pen name.

First, there is separation between your real life and your written works. Many erotic fiction writers are women; and like it or not, some people cannot separate fantasy from reality, and thus a woman who writes erotic fiction might be thought of a sexually available and exhibitionist when is isn’t true. It’s sort of the same issue with the actors on the Sopranos – many people actually believe they are gangsters, not thespians. Actors who are well known for recurring villain roles have many stories of being reprimanded on the street by fans that could not separate the fact that the actor was not the character.

Thus, it is beyond mere prudishness that someone might choose to employ a pen name. It can be a method of separation between an author’s real life and the written word. Stephen King has stated that in the books he’s written which reveal details of his life, he has changed details and street names to prevent people from invading too much of his privacy. Men who write erotica might not face the same exact issues as female authors, but there is more than enough reason to create a veil of secrecy around your life. Be aware that writing under a pen name does not mean you can’t do radio interviews or podcasts, any more than an actor would. However, if your writing career advances to a point where you are as popular as say, Dean Koontz. You might want to consider changing your tactics then.

Another reason to use a pen name is because some authors may want to try different styles, and sell to different genres. A writer of romance may want to tackle fetish erotica, but may want to establish two distinct pen names to do so; authors are also artists, and often like to experiment, and it is easier to do so if readers are not aware of an author’s existing works. I suspect that the reverse is true for aforementioned authors such as Anne Rice, whose erotica probably remains a consistent back list seller simply because of her current day notoriety.

As an editor, I am often asked by new authors (or, at least new to erotic fiction), about using a pen name and they often express anxiety that the publisher will use their real name. They envision a racy title finding its way to the bookshelves with their real name plastered all over it, and they imagine the mortification they would feel if everyone they knew suddenly saw it. While this is a most unlikely scenario, I must state that no serious publisher would ever use an author’s name if the author did not want to, and that publishers of erotic fiction are more than aware that many authors want to use pen names. If you are paranoid, ask for a line or two in the contract about which pen name will be used and that your real name never be used without your written permission.

Also be aware that even if you write a best-selling erotica book, your name is not likely to be all over the New York Times best seller list and your name is not likely unique. A quick visit to the web site howmanyofme.com reveals that there are 221 people in the United States named Anne Rice and 1,563 people with the name Stephen King. There are even 19 people named William Shakespeare. The point is, just because it’s your name doesn’t mean people all over the world will even know it’s you. If it makes you feel better to use a pen name, do so, but also realize that it’s probably more for your mental awareness than anyone else’s.

Now one thing I personally recommend to authors is make sure that your contracts with any publisher list your real name, not just your pen name. Contracts should list both if desired, but the rights established and the length of the contract is assigned to you. There is some legal wrangling that can be done in many cases to get your rights when it is not accurately represented in the contract, but why worry about that? Get it in writing right up front. One publisher I work with, Sensorotika Press, has told me on several occasions that most authors never really look at their contracts, and that even though the publisher attempts to create fair, thoroughly defined contracts, authors constantly return to ask questions long after the contract is in place and in effect. The issue of authors and their contracts is too much for this article, but as it pertains to your pseudonym, this is a business for both the publisher and the author, and if the author feels more security having their pen name and the like in writing, then they should say so.

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Source by Sebastian Wallace

Many freelancers have questions about what is SEO; what is SEO copywriting; what is SEO writing. This article explains – in detail – what this is. And, how to make money from it as a freelance writer.

What is SEO?

SEO is an acronym for the phrase “search engine optimization.” Search engine optimization is all about doing specific things to your website to drive more traffic to it so that you can increase online sales – and traffic.

What are some of these “things?”

There are many, but here we will discuss what it is as it applies to freelance writers. And, this means writing text in a certain way so that web surfers (ie, internet users) can land on a particular site.

What is SEO As It Relates to Freelance Writers?

What freelance writers need to be concerned with is keywords. What are keywords? Keywords are the words and phrases that web surfers type in when they search for things online.

For example, let’s say you were interested in starting a foreclosure cleanup business. You may not know anything about it other than foreclosures are hot in the news right now and you are interested in starting this kind of company.

So, you log onto your favorite search engine, (eg, Google, Yahoo! MSN, etc.) and type in the keywords “foreclosure cleaning business” or “foreclosure cleaning” or “foreclosure cleanup” or some other relevant keyword phrase.

Note: When you type words into a search engine to find something on the internet, the words you type in are called a keyword (one word) or a keyword phrase (two or more words with commas in between).

How Businesses Get to the Top of Search Engine Results

When you type in these words and hit “ENTER”, a bunch of sites pop up and you start to surf (ie, click on the results) and start investigating the sites to see if they have the information you need.

The sites that pop up are the results that search engines like Google, Yahoo, MSN, et al think are the most relevant to the keyword phrase (aka search phrase) you typed in. Companies pay a lot of money to be among the first two or three pages in the results that search engines return.

Why SEO Copywriters are So In Demand and How They Make Their Money

One of the ways they get to pop up in the first two or three pages of results is to have relevant text that contains the proper keyword phrases. And, this is where you as an SEO copywriter can make a lot of money. You write the text that their site needs to pop up high in search engine results.

Many times, companies will simply give you a bunch of keyword phrases and let you write what you want — as long as it’s a certain length (usually 300-500 words).

There are many freelance writers – hundreds of thousands, if not a few million. BUT, only a tiny minority know what SEO is and how to write this type of copy. And, this is why they’re so in demand.

SEO copywriters have an in-demand skill. And, as more and more companies move larger portions of their advertising budgets to internet marketing, there is an even greater demand for their skills.

In the SearcheEngineWatch article, The SEO Copywriter: Wordsmithing the Web, William Flaiz, underscores the importance of an SEO copywriter. He writes:

“The role of the agency SEO copywriter is unique because…. Suddenly, the writer must optimize press releases, craft articles for social news, monitor social network communications, and develop wiki content…. a strong SEO copywriter is adaptable and capable of internalizing a lot of new information extremely quickly. These unique individuals have fast become the backbone of many SEO engagements. If content is king, then they [SEO copywriters] are the kingmakers.”

And this is why SEO copywriters can charge a premium for their services. If you’re looking for a way to start or maximize your income as an online freelance writer, then SEO copywriting is they way to go.

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Source by Yuwanda Black

All words are good words. Some, however, are overused without adding value to what you write. As a result, they reduce the readers’ interest, make text seem redundant, and cause the writer to appear amateurish.

We have created a list of 10 overused words, based on the documents we have edited over the last 5 years. We don’t recommend that you remove these words from your writing. Instead, we recommend that you become aware of how often you use them and that you revise your documents to limit their use.

1. There
When writers are not sure about the subjects of their sentences, they will often use this word as the subject. This results in weak writing. (For advice on correcting this problem, see our article “Where Is There?”)

Example: “There was no one at home.” This can be revised as “No one was at home.”

2. You
Writers often use this word when referring to general or reoccurring situations. “You” rarely refers to the reader and should be avoided.

Example: “Our grandmother was nice. She always gave you candy.” This can be revised as “Our grandmother was nice. She always gave us candy.”

3. If
Although “if” is a fine word, it is overused by writers trying to describe options and thought processes.

Example: “If she took the bus, she wouldn’t have time to stop by the grocery store.” This can be revised as “Taking the bus would leave her too little time to stop by the grocery store.”

4. When
Readers realize that actions can occur at the same time, which is what the word “when” indicates. Thus, “when” is usually unnecessary.

Example: “When she opened the door, she saw blood on the floor.” This can be revised as “She opened the door and saw the blood on the floor.” Some writers use “when” to describe actions that cannot occur at the same time, as in “When she woke up, she made coffee.” Actually, she first wakes up and then makes the coffee. This can be revised as “She woke up and made the coffee.”

5. As
We once worked on a book in which the author used this word repeatedly to describe the timing of actions, often 3 or 4 times in one paragraph.

Example: “He was shouting ‘Follow me!’ as he ran down the road.” This can be revised as “He ran down the road shouting ‘Follow me!’ “

6. Very
Mark Twain made this comment about using “very”: “Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write ‘very’; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.” “Very” is a crutch for finding the right word to describe what you mean to say. Find the right word.

Example: “He was very old.” This can be revised as “He was ancient.”

Also, in this example, you can simply write, “He was old,” and then provide text to further explain what you mean by “old.” For example, you could write, “He was old. He walked hesitantly, knowing that his brittle bones would surely break were he to stumble over an unseen obstacle.”

7. Really
Generally, this word can be removed without changing the meaning of a sentence. Anything that is true is also really true.

Example: “He was really nervous about speaking in public.” This can be revised as “He was nervous about speaking in public.” To show a greater degree, use a different word, as in “He was panicky about speaking in public” or “Public speaking scared him.”

8. Am/Is/Are/Was/Were (“to be” verbs)
Action verbs are always preferable to state-of-being verbs. Use words that describe the action occurring. Rather than saying what something/someone is, show the reader what something/someone does.

Example: “I am envious of her success.” This can be revised as “I envy her success.”

Example: “She was dressed in leather chaps and a flannel shirt.” This can be revised as “She wore leather chaps and a flannel shirt.”

9. So
See #7. “So” is also overused as a conjunction.

Example: “Her face was inches from his own, so he leaned forward and kissed her.” This can be revised as “Her face was inches from his own. He leaned forward and kissed her.”

10. Because
This word is overused to provide explanations. To fix this, use the word “and” with action verbs.

Example: “He wanted to go to the fair because his friends would be there.” This can be revised as “He wanted to go to the fair and meet with his friends.”

Example: “I want to leave because I am tired.” This can be revised as “I’m tired and want to leave.”

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Source by David Bowman

Here are 15 questions to ask a grant professional you are considering for a job:

1) What is your grant writing success rate? The best way to determine a success rate is to divide the number of approved grants by the number of submissions.

2) What are some examples of grants you have received?

3) How much money have you received in grants?

4) What is your primary area of grant writing expertise?

5) What is the main type of funders you have approached? For example, have you mainly approached private corporations and foundations or public government agencies on a federal, state or local level?

6) What has been the main focus of your grants… like education, health, human services, arts and culture, environment?

7) What types of expenses have you gotten funding for… like seed money, curriculum development, and travel?

8) What experience do you have in the area of grant seeking? What experience do you have in how to research and find funders to meet our agency’s needs?

9) What experience do you have in program design and development? What kind of strategies would you use to design and develop programs in our agency? What ideas do you have to get input from stakeholders and build partnerships?

10) What experience do you have in writing proposals? What training or experience do you have in crafting an effective grant application and writing a convincing case for funding? What training or experience do you have in analyzing requests for proposal (RFP’s), including elements of standard proposals (e.g., problem statements, action plans, timelines, evaluation, etc.), and making a persuasive argument?

11) What experience do you have in grant management? What experience do you have in completing reports accurately and timely, ensuring regulatory compliance, and facilitating completions of activities outlined in the grant’s activity timeline and evaluation plan?

12) What is your preferred mode of communication? Find out how they prefer to communicate (i.e., by phone, email, text messaging, instant messaging, social media, etc.).

13) What’s your response rate for emails or phone calls? Find out up front, how quickly they will respond to emails or phone calls (My response rate is typically 20 minutes. However, I mention up front that I have a 24-hour response policy), how often they will update you on status, timelines for completion, and deadlines.

14) How do you address problems that might arise? Asking this question up front will give you an idea about how the candidate will approach solving problems. Ask for a specific example of how they have addressed a problem in the past.

15) What are your expectations?

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Source by Phil Johncock

How to Get the Best Out of Dodgy Audio

I have worked as a transcriptionist for the past eight years and have learned quite a few handy hints along the way on how to get the best from a poor quality piece of audio.

Here’s just a few:

· Turn it up! I use Express Scribe transcription software and there are many options for tuning poor quality audio. The first I try is the channel toolbar. Dictation audio often includes a floor threshold reading. Using the channel bar on Express Scribe, you can alter the dB (volume) of two channels within the audio. This can really help to make a speaker’s voice stand out. For extremely quiet, or distant speakers, a better option may be Extra Volume Boost within the Special Audio Processes menu. This can be used if the volume needs more power than the main controls give you. Extra Volume Boost increases volume by 10%.

· Fine Tune it! For extremely fuzzy sound, there are other Special Audio functions in the Express Scribe software. For fuzzy or muddy sounds, you can ‘Reduce Background Noise’ or use the ‘High Pass Filter’. Reducing the background noise should be your first option if the speaker is audible but possibly driving in a car, sitting in a cafe, or rustling papers whilst he dictates. In this function, the Express Scribe distinguishes sound by volume, so if the volume of background noise is almost equal to that of the dictation, using the High Pass Filter may be a better option. The High Pass Filter distinguishes sounds by pitch so here, only sounds above 450Hz are kept in the audio. This is a highly valuable tool for clearing up ‘muddy’ audio.

· Skip it. When you are typing a transcript and can’t hear a word, it’s very tempting to keep pressing that foot pedal and listening to that same word again and again. The truth is by doing this, you are actually making your job harder by taking the word out of context. Try noting the unclear and then listening to the end of the sentence, or even the next few sentences. Chances are that word may be repeated, and if not, you still increase your chances of deciphering it by considering, ‘What word is actually missing from this sentence?’

· Give it Time. Ever noticed that transcription seems to get easier midway into the audio? Sometimes it takes a while to get used to a speaker’s accent or to pick up jargon. If you find you’re getting a lot of unclears during the first five minutes or so of your audio, don’t get hung up on it. Note your [unclears] and carry on typing. You’ll most likely find when you go back to it later on, you will have adjusted to your speaker’s accent, pitch and style and will be able to catch that word a lot easier. Also, listening to one word again and again can give you a type of mental block. It can be helpful just to take a break by finishing your typing and then going back with a clear mind.

· Share it. If you have someone to hand, get them to have a listen. Two heads is better than one and you’ll be surprised how effective this method is.

· Guess it. – Well, sort of. This tip tends to work well for industry specific jargon. If you think a word is a company name, product or industry specific term, it can be very worthwhile to simply type it phonetically into Google and see what comes up. We all know that if you use the Autocomplete function in Google, the search engine gives you suggestions of words. Watch those words as you type each letter and check if any seem right. If one does, click onto it and check the meaning to see if it makes sense within the context of your transcript. Alternatively, type your word, and see what spelling corrections Google comes up with. This method is brilliant for finding the correct spellings for medication when taking on medical work. Beware, however, that you do check the meaning, spelling, and relevance of the word, and also listen to it one more time in the audio, just to be sure.

So if you are offering transcription services, you can be sure that with these tips you can always get the best from any audio file.

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Source by Samantha Linnane

Experienced freelance writers make money by ghost-writing scores of articles for clients across the world. the following useful article writing and selling tips will help budding writers find a firm foothold in the world of content writing. You can plan and prepare your writing career and prevent a ‘trial and error’ approach.

The important fact to bear in mind is that in order to be able to sell your writing services, you must be able to first follow certain basic rules of online writing.

Article Writing Tips

1. Writing formats: Get familiar with different writing assignments that you could be asked to complete. For example, writers could be asked to work on grant submissions (requesting funds for upcoming projects, usually related to NGO and charitable organizations), press releases (information regarding the release of a new product or service), website content (landing page, ‘about us’ page and so on) or e-books.

The formats of each form of writing is different. There is plenty of information available on the Internet; invest time reading about different types of writing.

2. Choice of English style: Articles are generally written in American, UK or Australian English. Please understand that these are all different variants of the English language. Clients may request that articles be written for a local or international audience. There will be subtle differences in spelling as well as language.

For example, ‘neighbor’ is American English while ‘neighbour’ is British English. Similarly, the Americans say ‘counselor’ while other countries spell the same word as ‘counsellor’.

If you are not sure, ask your client for further clarification. Correct spelling is a crucial factor in getting good work assignments. One incorrectly spelled word can ruin the impression.

3. Research: Researching abilities are another vital contributing factor in crafting a top-notch article. As a budding freelance writer, you may be required to write articles on various genres and subjects. These could include finance, banking, gardening, cooking, health, business, home decor, parenting among several others.

Obviously, we cannot be experts on every subject under the sun. Hence, intensive research will help you find out salient facts and useful information.

For example, if you are asked to write an article about savings accounts in the UK, sit down and read through four or five credible websites for information. If you read about ‘CD ladders’ (bank deposits), look for more information about CD ladders and how they work.

Your article should be able to provide solid, useful and well-researched information to readers. Your aim is to put together information from various sources so that the reader has access to all the information in one place.

A word regarding choice of websites: Please bear in mind that there are excellent websites and several mediocre and unreliable ones at the same time. Avoid gathering information from ‘forums’ etc. Stick to government, educational or reputed websites. This way you can be sure of providing your clients with updated and factual information.

4. Work count and keyword insertion: Keywords are important words and phrases that help an article or website attract traffic. They are based on the factb that all readers begin a search with a word or phrase.

For example, readers looking to travel to Paris may type in ‘Paris holiday’ in the browser to begin seraching for good Paris holiday deals. Clients may often request the use of certain keywords in order to help their website gain visibility.

For instance, a client may ask you to write an article of 500 words and use a specific keyword say, three times in the article. You must be able to weave the keyword skilfully into the article without making it appear contrived. Avoid simply ‘stuffing’ it in. Use the keyword in a way that sounds sensible and logical.

Ideally, keywords should be used in the title, first line and last line (however, this is not a hard and fast rule). Pay attention to required keywords and keyword count.

Please do not ‘fill’ in the article with useless, shallow information. In the world of freelance writing, this is referred to as ‘fluff”. As the name suggests, ‘fluff’ refers to useless, irrelevant information that is merely written to complete the required word count.

Here is an example to illustrate the point:

a. Everybody needs a bank account to manage their money. Banks offer customers several options for saving their money. Services and quality varies across banks.

b. Opening a bank account is an excellent way to manage your money. banks offer several options including deposits, saving schemes and investment portfolios to help you build a consolidated fund pool.

Option (b) is more informative sentence compared to (a). Avoid scrimping on research. Shallow and inadequate research is tantamount to producing ‘fluffy’ content.

5. Plagiarism issues: While crafting content for clients, please do not copy-paste information. All information on the Internet is copyrighted and copying is illegal. Read up information and then write it in your own words. That’s exactly what you are getting paid for.

Images, diagrams and photographs are also associated with strict copyright. Please ensure that you use legitimate, copyright-free images that you are allowed to use.

Taking unscrupulous short cuts is likely to lead to a bad name and poor reputation. You can also consider buying credits from ‘Copyscape’; a website that helps you check your work for plagiarism.

6. Deadlines: Deadlines are sacrosanct and writers must respect them implicitly. Examine the amount of work that you need to do and allot yourself the required time duration. Avoid promises that you will find difficult to honor. If you need four days to complete a piece of work, communicate that to your client honestly.

Missed deadlines and delays should be avoided because you will ruin your reputation with your client. He will end up leaving a poor review for you out of pique and frustration.

7. Choose your clients carefully: Please remember that there are thousands of clients looking for writing services. As with other fields of work, there are excellent clients. But not all of them are professional. During the course of your writing career, you may come across stingy, demanding, rude and unreasonable clients.

In my humble opinion, looking for good clients is far more important compared to looking for good projects. The simple reason is that a good project will come to an end while a good client will provide regular work.

This is not to say that you should not consider any work from new clients. However, learn to be discerning in your choice of clients. You are here to sell valuable writing skills. Conduct yourself with dignity and treat your work with respect. Not everyone can write – that’s why your client wants your services in the first place. Avoid selling your work short – this also harms the prospects of other writers.

Clients get the false impression that they can always strike a bargain and pay cheap rates for good work.

8. Client-writer etiquette: The good news is that 96% of clients are really nice. They are here to look for good writers and will be happy to pay for competent services. Ask for feedback from your clients after you complete a piece of work. Be ready to incorporate any requested changes/revisions (within reasonable limits). Build a good rapport with clients. Make it a point to respond to all queries within 24 hours. They will be likely to contact you for further assignments.

9. Use your spare time to build credibility and a good reputation. Write to well-known websites that accept articles for submission. This will help you prove your abilities and reliability to your clients.

There are thousands (indeed millions) of websites that require content, images and articles and blogs to be written. Online writers can earn a decent income from writing for clients who want to build websites. Additionally, you can write for agents who sell your work to clients.

Freelance online writing is an interesting field that is pleasurable and lucrative at the same time. All it takes is effort, diligence and perseverance to make a successful career out of online writing.

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Source by Nirupama N Raghavan

Rap songwriters for hire can help you write a rap song. Rap songwriters can organize your themes and ideas into a completed song. Hiring a rap songwriter is the ideal way to get a hit rap song created without spending countless hours writing, rewriting, and editing. Whether you just have an idea or already have a rough draft rap song, these rap ghostwriters can write your completed rap lyrics.

Rap songwriters for hire are extremely helpful for a rap band as they bring in loads of experience and amazing writing skills to the table to pin down some chart busters. The process of writing a rap song can be time consuming without the natural talent. As the professional writers work on writing rap lyrics for a living, they would put in everything to get it right and accepted. With rap lyric writing skills, they can write rap songs in styles and themes that are compatible with your flow. They would know the right art of mixing language, slang and style to write a rap tune.

Another benefit of rap songwriters for hire is that they enable you to focus on other related tasks such as music composition, productions, arrangement of tunes, or marketing. The professional songwriters for hire would have the necessary skills, tools and experience to write the song in quick time, and also you will compose the track to get a desired tone. Professional songwriters for hire are in a better position to implement all the components and sections such as the intro, hook, and verses that flow.

Songwriters for hire provide the advantage of having a well written rap song with a catchy title, hook, and lyrics. When seeking songwriters for hire, it is beneficial. This is extremely essential to ensure that the rapper gets an experienced and skilled songwriter who can pen potentially hit song tune that is a good fit for their client. The ghostwriter should be able to write lyrics based on the rapper’s needs and unique experiences.

Whether you are an established rap artist or you have always dreamed of becoming a rapper but are just getting started, a ghostwriter for lyrics can be a tremendous help. In addition to writing song lyrics, some of these ghostwriters can even write original music and bass beats, which is essential for a completed rap song. Most rap lyricists find it best to write the lyrics to an instrumental beat. This ensures that the flow and lyrics will coincide.

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Source by John Halas

Journalists are taught how to write news, which means writing no-nonsense copy that gets to the important information as quickly as possible.

In a hard-hitting news story, there is no room for opinion, advice, humor or commentary. Most importantly, you should dispense with flowery writing and twinkling prose. It is not a literary masterpiece that is going to impress your readers. It is the information you give them.

A news story is a stripped-down article that tells your readers what happened or who said what. Great news writing is as much an art as stringing together priceless prose for an elegant novel or thought-provoking poem.

And the best news writing involves the simplest words and the most basic of sentence constructions. You would be surprised at how much difficulty some rookie writers get into in trying to perfect this straightforward formula.

Journalists write to a set pattern most of the time. It is a tried and tested format that is pretty much unchanged for many years and successfully outlines key information in the correct order.

While journalists in different organizations around the world may tweak the formula here and there, news writing, by and large, involves for elements.

1. Angle – A news story without an angle is like pizza without cheese. Try biting into a pizza minus the cheese and all you get is …a sandwich. When you learn how to write like a journalist the first thing you should be taught is how to identify angles, which in effect is your topic and is the reason you are writing an article in the first place.

2. Introduction – Often called intro or lead, this is your first one or two paragraphs of your news story. While an angle defines what you are going to write, your intro is actually going ahead and putting it into words. Intros employ the who, what, when, where, why and how concept in order to get your story out quickly.

3. Quote – Almost all news stories have some sort of quote. A quote humanizes the story and also provides it with authority. The best kinds of quotes support what you write in your intro. Quotes should have the full name and title of the person being quoted. Less ideal is “reliable source” or “spokesperson” but sometimes it is unavoidable. News articles can be written without a quote but this is not ideal.

4. Attribution – Following on from quotes, you should do your best to make sure events are attributed to somebody, especially if you were not at the scene. In court reporting, this is of utmost importance, which is why in these types of stories you may see phrases such as “the court was told”, “he told the court” and “the court heard”.

News writing is not like informational articles. In a news story, you solve the problem as soon as possible. “How to” articles may identify problems and then offer a solution. In news writing, however, you do not have time for this.

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Source by Nazvi Careem