6 Ways to Make the Most of Any Writing Workshop Or Writing Class

If you've recently signed up for a writing workshop or writing class, in the hopes of becoming a better writer, then follow these simple steps to make the most of that experience:

1) Read! Read! Read!

Before the very first class or workshop, survey ALL the class materials so you will get an idea of what to expect.

Most good writing classes (and workshops) will provide students with a wealth of helpful materials. But these materials won't do you any good if you don't bother to look at them. In fact, if you have time before the workshop starts, read as many of the materials as you can. You might not fully understand what you are reading. That's okay. Learning is recursive - which means your understanding will increase each time you study or reread the information.

If you don't have time to read the materials before the class begins, then at least look over all the materials beforehand. Also, besides the required course materials, if there are suggested additional materials, get those too. And read them!

Also, read the kinds of things you wish to write. If you want to write stories for children, READ stories for children. If you want to write culinary mysteries for adults, READ culinary mysteries for adults, etc.

SPECIAL NOTE: Also, realize this. If you don't enjoy reading, then you probably won't enjoy the work it takes to become a successful (by that I mean, published) writer. Published writers are like sponges - anxious to soak up any information about their craft that they can.

6 Ways to Make the Most of Any Writing Workshop Or Writing Class

2) Carefully read the directions for each and every assignment and follow the directions TO THE LETTER.

I'm surprised that so many people pay for a writing course (like the one I teach for the Institute of Children's Literature), yet a large number of these people don't follow the directions for each assignment. In some cases, it's painfully evident that they didn't even bother to READ the directions. What they need to understand is this - usually each assignment or lesson in a writing course or workshop was designed with specific objectives in mind. If the student doesn't bother to read and follow the directions for each assignment, then the instructor has little chance of helping the student meet those objectives.

3) Avoid defending your work to your instructor.

Generally, students pay an instructor because he (or she) has some expertise and experience in writing, which usually includes many publishing credits. In fact, you should ALWAYS look for an instructor who has publishing credits. But then listen to what that instructor has to say about your writing, then follow his advice without trying to defend your work if it goes against what he has suggested.

Your instructor knows what he is talking about. For example, many times I tell students that in stories for children, adults should play very minor roles, and the child or teen in the story should always solve his own problem without a parent or other well-meaning adult stepping in to save the day. Many students want to argue that adults save the day for kids all the time in real life, so it should be okay that Aunt Martha calling at the last minute to offer little Janie the money she needs for summer camp is the perfect resolution for their story.

Sure, this kind of thing happens in real life. But, in stories for kids or teens, editors want the child to solve his own problem. Don't waste precious time (yours or the instructor's) arguing about something like this. Your understanding of WHY you should do what your instructor is asking you to do (or not do) will increase over time and study. Do what your instructor suggests, without defending your reason for going against his directions, and you'll move ahead at a faster pace.

4) Learn to research all sorts of topics. In other words, don't depend on instructors, editors, publishers, or anyone else to provide you with ALL the information you need in order to become a published writer.

Your instructor will probably give you research tips and marketing information, of course. But most published writers are self-directed learners. By that I mean, when they don't KNOW something, they figure out HOW and WHERE to get the needed information themselves (more about how to do this, next).

5) Find other writers to network with and even hang out with, and read publications for writers.

Join a local writers' group or at least sign up for one online (at yahoogroups.com you'll find all sorts of groups for writers). Try to find a group that includes at least a few published writers. Generally, writers like to be helpful. They will usually share marketing tips, writing resources, etc. and will help you to more fully understand what you learn in a writing workshop or writing class.

Also, talk to some of the other writers in these groups to find out how they write. Then use some of their tips to improve your own writing, writing habits, etc. Hang out with the published writers and you'll soon learn that they probably do a LOT of rewriting before they sell any of their work.

Read publications for writers to gain current marketing news and tips, and to find out how other writers became successful.

All these things will help give you the confidence to keep writing (and to keep practicing what you learn in your writing workshop or writing course) until you manage to get something published.

6) Don't expect writing to be easy, and don't assume that if it isn't it must mean you don't have enough talent to succeed as a writer, so you might as well drop out of the workshop or writing class.

Actually, most successful writers will tell you that talent isn't the most important quality for success. The ability to follow directions (which will eventually come from an editor or editors) and the willingness to continue writing and rewriting, until at least some of the many rejection letters you get in the mail turn into acceptance letters, are much more important qualities for success as a writer. If you realize this BEFORE you start any writing workshop or writing course, you will be more likely to stick with it, even when the work gets difficult.

These successful children's writers offer additional tips:

Cynthia Leitich Smith, award-winning author of JINGLE DANCER (Morrow, 2000)(ages 4-up), RAIN IS NOT MY INDIAN NAME (Harper, 2001)(Listening Library, 2001)(ages 10-up), and INDIAN SHOES (Harper, 2002)(ages 7-up), and other works, says:

"Be brave. Participate. Put yourself out there. Don't defend or explain away your work. Don't think of the other students as competition. And don't worry if you're not 'the star.' Your focus should be on improving your craft--period."

Pat McCarthy, an Instructor with the Institute of Children's Literature, and author of 5 YA biographies and 5 nonfiction books for children suggests:

"Don't write something different from what is assigned because you like to do it your way. Do use the manuscript format - double spaced, etc."

Susan Wright, another instructor for the Institute of Children's Literature, and author of the DEAD END ROAD MYSTERIES (for ages 10 & up) advises:

"Pay attention when others' work is being read and critiqued--it's not just common courtesy, but we can often learn a lot from it. Resist the temptation to go off on personal conversational tangents until after the session. Workshop or class time is limited and valuable."

L.D. Harkrader, author of 9 nonfiction books for children, and the middle grade novel, AIRBALL: MY LIFE IN BRIEFS (released earlier this month by Roaring Book Press) says:

"When your instructor makes suggestions on how to improve your stories, don't be afraid to revise, and don't trick yourself into thinking revision is merely cosmetic work--a word or comma changed here or there. Consider what your instructor has suggested, give your stories a hard, honest look, then dig into your revision, ruthlessly cutting or changing anything that doesn't work. Your stories deserve to be as strong and as publishable as possible, and the only way you can achieve that is to be brave and do the work."

Okay. So now that you know how to make the most of that writing workshop or writing class you just signed up for - go get ready for it. And have a great time!

6 Ways to Make the Most of Any Writing Workshop Or Writing Class

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Write Your eBook - 6 Great Ways to Find the Time

Busy! Busy! Busy!


What's new? And who isn't busy?

The majority of eBook authors are part-time writers. There are very few professional writers making their living writing non-fiction eBooks. In most cases, the eBook author is a professional with a full-time business or career to run or the author has an interest about which she/he is passionate and is using the eBook as an expression of that passion.

Finding the time to write an eBook among all the other demands made upon you is a difficult task. The process and planning required to complete the eBook authoring process can be managed but the real time you must find for actual writing requires some new attitudes, skills, and knowledge.

The A.S.K. Principle (Attitudes, Skills, Knowledge) is the foundation of all teaching and learning. It is applicable to eBook authoring and finding the time to write your book. As you reflect on the 8 suggested ways to find time to write, consider whether you will require an attitude change, learn new skills, or acquire additional knowledge in order to help you find the time to write.

Attitude changes may be as simple as giving yourself permission to take the time to write. It may require requesting the cooperation of family members to leave you some undisturbed time in a large block once a week to write.

Skills are really the application of knowledge. Simple to complex skills and everything in between can be acquired through experience or instruction. A well organized filing system for researched materials is a skill that requires little effort. Learning how to maximize the word processing software you use to write your eBook requires more effort.

Write Your eBook - 6 Great Ways to Find the Time

Knowledge is the information we collect via experience and formal instruction. Facts and information is what we generally consider as knowledge. Applied knowledge is wisdom. Consider the knowledge factor in writing eBooks. The use of a Table of Contents is of paramount importance to authoring an eBook. Knowing that the TOC is your blueprint for your eBook frees your mind to pursue other things, including writing.

When you get a good idea taking the 2-3 minutes that it requires to write that idea down will be an invaluable habit resulting in some extraordinary writing. Don't forget to include some key points that immediately come to mind. You can "flush out" the details of the idea later but it's essential you write down enough information that you will be able to plug back in to the original thought pattern whenever you get back to it. Never lose a good idea. It may not return to you and a great opportunity may have been missed.

The premise that good writing can only be accomplished while using large blocks of uninterrupted writing time is false. A friend of mine claims he wrote his eBook at Interstate Highway rest stops while traveling on business. His rest breaks become his writing time and a break from driving. It took some organization on his part, but the shortness of his blocks of writing time (10 - 30 minutes at a time) wasn't an impediment. In fact, he claimed it forced him to get right down to work and forced the ideas to flow without worrying about doing any editing.

You can prove to yourself that writing in short time frames is useful and productive. Select any three words, or have someone else select them for you. Choose a noun, an action verb and an adjective/adverb. Time yourself for 5 minutes writing non-stop, with no corrections or editing, incorporating those three words somewhere in the first few sentences of your writing. You will be amazed by how much you can write in just 5 minutes. You will be amazed at how easily just 3 "trigger" words can generate ideas. You will be amazed at the quality of your writing when the "flow" is flowing! You will prove to yourself how productive just 5 minutes of writing time can be. Try this exercise. It'll only take 5 minutes.

6 Great Ideas for Finding Time to Write

1. Carry with you at all times key words and phrases from your Table of Contents along with supporting points you want included. Use this barebones outlines to write in the waiting rooms of doctor's offices or while your wife/husband is shopping or the last 10 minutes of your lunch break or whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Key words and phrases is all you need to get you started writing. It's all the inspiration you need. Don't worry about editing. There's plenty of time for that later. Don't forget to record any new ideas in the margin of your writing so you don't lose that next great gem of an idea!

Your Table of Contents flushed out into sub-topics then in to key words is all you need to get you started. You don't have to carry a lot with you. Just carry one current chapter or topic with you at a time.

Some writers simply use a small black notepad that fits in their pocket or purse that contains the key words they are working on at the time. You can transcribe your writing later.

2. The key to productive writing is to get the ideas flowing and to go with the flow for as long as you possibly can. When the ideas are flowing, it is not the time to be using your best hand writing or the perfect typing skills. Punctuation and sentence structure takes a back seat for the time being. You want ideas on paper or on the computer monitor. Most people will be hand writing their initial notes especially if they are doing it in small snippets of time. Legibility is important so you can understand what you've written when you transcribe it. But beautiful handwriting is not an objective. Use as many shortcuts as possible to keep the ideas flowing. Use abbreviations for often repeated words like "t" for teacher. Use acronyms. Record the ideas not actually sentences when good ideas are coming faster than you can write. You can always come back to those ideas at another 5 minute writing interval and expand on it. The beauty of learning how to write in small chunks of time is that you always feel empowered with the progress you make at each writing session.

3. Arrange to exchange babysitting or child watching sessions with someone to allow you to write in a large block of time when it's your best time to write. At what time of the day or day of the week are you most productive? Where do you get the most inspiration to write? How effectively do you get down to work and what kind of physical environment is most conducive to writing effectively and efficiently? Exchanging child sitting time must be mutually beneficial. Perhaps the person you exchange time with wishes to pursue a hobby or interest that makes the exchange worthwhile. Using this kind of arrangement also removes any guilt and frustration you might have in finding and using large blocks of time. Don't feel guilty about paying a babysitter in order to write. If writing is important to you; If writing is a passion; If writing is a "re-creational" activity; then give it the importance it deserves and treat yourself to writing time.

4. Prioritizing is a key to successfully reaching your goals in life. Making writing one of your priorities and advertising that as a priority of yours will open up possibilities to write more. Others respect what you value if they value their relationship with you. The Aladdin Factor (Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen) points out that you only get in life what you ask for. If you require time to write and make a point of asking others to help you find that time, you are much more likely to be successful. Bring others on board as teammates. Be ready to give as well as receive in order that others can reach their goals. We get more by giving away more! One simple technique that is very effective is to schedule writing sessions into your planning for the week and do it on a regular basis. Habits are formed through repetition. Many successful and prolific writers say that without scheduling time to write they wouldn't get much accomplished. You can't always wait for the right time to write. Using key words and outlines you can begin the writing process quickly and write productively. You train yourself to write when you need to write.

5. Use your time more efficiently by having all the materials you need for writing located in one location so you can just sit down at any time and write. This includes having your materials ready for "on the go" writing. Whenever you end one writing session you should automatically prepare the catalyst material to begin the next writing session. This includes being very specific about the topic and key words to begin writing immediately upon sitting down. You will save 10 to 15 or more minutes per writing session when you prepare in advance. Take 5 minutes to get ready at the end of each writing session to prepare for the next writing session and make better use of the writing time for the next session.

Each of us has a preferred time and place to do our creative writing. Creative writing needs a catalyst as mentioned above. If you prefer to write initially with pen and paper, you can then use your non-creative time to transcribe your written notes to your word processor. Evenings watching sports on television is when I do my keyboarding. It's a no-brainer time for me. It's not a time for thinking. Some writers avoid the word processor altogether by having someone else type their notes or by dictating their notes and having them transcribed. Knowing your strengths and weaknesses is important and using that knowledge is even more important.

6. Writing breeds more writing. The more writing becomes a habit the more it happens. Research says it takes 21 repetitions to break an old habit and establish a new one. Writing for 5-15 minutes per day for 21 consecutive days should establish writing as a regular habit. So give yourself a reasonable target of 21 repetitions to establish new writing behaviors. That's just 3 weeks of writing. Imagine how much you will have written at the end of that time. Make a conscious effort, especially when you are first starting out writing material for your eBook, to make writing a habit. Write out your goal of 21 consecutive days of writing for anywhere from 5 - 30 minutes per day. Copy a page of a calendar and post it on the refrigerator so you can stroke off every successful day of writing. Record the total time spent writing and the total number of pages written. Share your goal with those who may be most affected by your chosen activity. Post a written copy of your goal everywhere that will remind you to stay on task. Advertise to those around you how important that this is to you. If you don't ask for assistance you won't get it. Have a buddy with whom you can share your progress and one who will help keep you on track if you should falter. Weight-watchers and Alcoholics Anonymous realize the importance of a team of supporters to help reach goals. You need a team as well.

Write Your eBook - 6 Great Ways to Find the Time

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Real Money - Ghost Writers

Writing has become one of the easy stress free way of making money online from articles writing, personal letter, newsletter, sales letter even business proposal. If you have passion for writing then you have an oil well right inside of you which can be turn into a source of income.

They are a lot of people out there even companies ready to pay you on the internet. These individuals or companies need people to write newsletters, articles, sales letter just to mention a few for companies or individual websites as a way of promoting products and services of the companies also writing letters to customers and company profile.

Real Money - Ghost Writers

Now that you now know you have passion for writing then you have just being opportune to have another stream of income, this is a home base job you can do full time or part time and it is call ghost writing which can earn you an extreme income beyond your widest dreams. The reasons being lots of big organization are ready to pay good writers most especially for newsletter, sales letter and advertisement that will be able to promote their products and services.

This is a niche that is highly demanded on the internet despite the fact that the competition is high but the sky is too big for two birds to collide. There are millions of companies/individuals looking for ghost writers, you can also do a writeup on a particular hot topic and sell as a private label right so there are many ways to making money as a ghost writer.

Note you will find certain guild line on how to get started as a ghost writer on the internet and will find list of companies looking for ghost writers. Furthermore ghost writing needs concrete information concerning different fields they choose to write on this will give them an edge over every other ghost writer.

Real Money - Ghost Writers

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Article Ghost Writers Can Make You Money

Article ghost writers can make you money by taking a fresh look at your niche. If your website is getting a bit flat, and your visitors dwindling a bit, then you may need a bit more zing and pizzazz in your writing. Something to attract visitors and keep them there when they arrive. This is what a good ghost writer could give you.

Free Articles Are Not Free

Many web owners try to bulk up their websites with free articles from the internet. The trouble is, nothing is free on the internet. There is always a price, and the price for free article content is generally that you cannot put your name to the content. Free articles normally require you to keep the writer's name at the top and resource page at the bottom. This does three things.

Firstly it is apparent that you are not the article writer. If not, why not? Don't you know enough about your subject to write about it? If not, why should I visit your site? I'm not going to learn much from you if you can't even write your own articles. I think I'll leave and look for somebody who knows a bit about the subject. . . wait a bit. Who did write this article?

Article Ghost Writers Can Make You Money

Free Articles Have Expert Writers - Are You An Expert Writer?

That's when you get the second consequence: your visitor notices the article writer's resource page, which has a URL on it. Why not click on that - this writer seems to know a bit about what he is writing about. Let's try him. So you lose your visitor to the guy that wrote the article. An article ghost writer adds no resource page. The third 'bad thing' that such an article brings you is a link away from your site. The writer's URL is actually a one-way link from your site which can harm your search engine ranking.

Use an article ghost writer, on the other hand, and your name appears under the article. You are the one that appears to be the authority on the topic of your webpage - just as it should be. You keep your visitor who thinks you know a lot about the topic and that you may be able to solve his or her problem. Also, there is no resource box! No bleed off from your site and no competitor in view to attract your visitors from your site.

Not only that, but you get exactly the content you want. Somebody else's article might be just a bit off topic for you, but due to copyright restrictions you can't change it. You have to keep the article as it is. Bad news! With a ghostwritten article, you can have it modified until it is perfect for you.

Ghost Writers Bring You Authority

If you need content and can't. or don't have the time, to write it yourself, use a ghost writer. OK it costs, but it's way better than using a free article that could bring the opposite effect to what you want. How much is your traffic worth to you? And think of that publicity if you also use an amended version for the article directories. All these lovely back-links will do your rankings a world of good. All due to using the services of an article ghost writer.

Do What You Do Best - Pay For The Rest

It's the 'fresh look' that's the main advantage though. If you've been writing your own content, you can get stuck in a rut and your site will become stale. To get good rankings it has to be dynamic, with frequent changes in content. A pair of fresh eyes can do just that. An article ghost writer can also save you a lot of time: let him spend his time writing while you do what you are best at, sorting out the joint ventures, arranging the deals and handling any affiliates you have. Leave the content to a professional who knows just what you need.

A Fresh Pair of Eyes Knows Content Is King

It has been said that the writer is as important as the article. This might be possible if search engine results are unimportant. A search engine cares not if the writer is you and I or Stephen King - in fact it might prefer you or I! The content counts. 'Content is King' as they say. It's not the writer, it's the article, and a fresh pair of eyes can frequently provide that article content with a difference.

That's where your ghost writer enters the scene. A 'fresh pair of eyes'. The word 'competition' frequently comes up in discussion about web page content. This is balderdash. No matter how good your product is, the more unique web page content will win the day in the eyes of search engine spiders. Article ghost writers are trained to produce this unique content. Leave it to them!

Article Ghost Writers Can Make You Money

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Who Uses Ghost Writers

If you want to know about who uses ghost writers, just read my article below:

Ghost writers are writers that produce content, articles, press releases, or other projects for people. They sell the projects and the buyer retains full rights to the pieces, including copyrights, etc. This allows business men and women to order articles and other things they need but don't have time to write. They are then able to place their name on the project.

Many people obtain the services of a ghost writer, especially business men and women and large companies. This is because constant marketing and promotion is needed, but often, these people just simply don't have the time to write the necessary pieces. A ghost writer is more than happy to do it for them, and usually charge a flat fee for their services.

Who Uses Ghost Writers

A ghost writer isn't just for business men and women, though. Anyone needing something written can utilize the services of a ghost writer. If a senior business manager needed a speech to motivate his employees, he could hire a ghost writer. If a person needed a great family reunion letter, they could hire a ghost writer. For anything that's needed, there is a ghostwriter to write it.

One thing that is great about hiring a writer to do some work is that they are experienced in writing techniques. They should be able to write in any tone you desire. For example if you want the project to have a humorous edge, or a serious and professional tone, or even a satirical undertone. Writing for many different clients helps a ghost writer develop these abilities. This means that they are valuable to many different people because they can change their tone to suit.

Most business men and women hire a ghost writer for a few different reasons. Article marketing is one of the biggest ways to generate traffic, build reputation and credibility, and get your name out there. Business men and women want to take advantage of this method, but since they normally don't have a lot of time, they hire a writer to do it for them. They may also need the services of a professional writer for web content, and press releases to promote their business. Some people even hire a ghost writer to do product reviews.

Another reason that companies may utilize the service of a ghost writer is to write the company newsletter. They know that the work is taken care of, they are able to proofread and make sure that everything is great, and hit the send button. It's a lot easier than trying to find the time to sit down and do it themselves. Ghost writers are valuable players in the internet business and marketing world, and are a great partner to business men and women everywhere.

Who Uses Ghost Writers

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Writer or Author?

In the world of writing there are two main people, the writer and the author. Do you know the difference between the two? Writing and writing are two activities that use means of communication and the same target, the reader. The difference is the source of his writing.

In writing, there are more adaptations of the writings of others. Even if there are write ideas or opinions, usually refers to the opinion or findings of others. The resulting works were usually written nonfiction.

The writing is the result of imagination, fiction, or fantasy author himself. The resulting work is a fictional essay.

Thus, the author is the person who set back things that have been raised by others. The author is usually collect, summarize, or incorporate a variety of information to be a complete article. The author is the person who presents the work of creative imagination and sheer creative fiction in print. Thus, a author is not a writer. This is because the author did not make things up and do not fantasize. Author works, nor is it speculative.

Writer or Author?

However, there are many authors who wrote his work based on data and facts or true stories. This is done so that the essay easier to read. Thus, are come the notion that the author is also a writer.

That is one of the benefits of writing, which could be a famous writer. In addition, the benefits derived from the activities of writing, is as follows.

A. To convey the desire.
2. To help your memory.
3. To produce work.
4. To communicate.
5. To achieve my goals.

Writer or Author?

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