Questions

Writing short stories is a genre in its own right and varies a lot from the other styles of writing. Many ***?ople have taken to writing short stories online to express themselves and explore their creativity. Like each specific style of writing, short stories have certain features that need to be kept in mind. Let’s look at these requirements in this article.

While a word count is essential when you write your story online, don’t focus too much on it. It may stunt the story and your natural style of writing. Consider the word count only when you’ve finished the first draft and you are starting to edit it.

When you write short stories online, have only a few characters. Include only those characters that are most relevant to the story. That way, you will be able to do more justice to their characterization. Also, avoid giving too much background information on these characters. Only provide information that is crucial to the development of the story.

When you write your own stories online, you do not have the luxury of using too many descriptive words. What may start ***? a short story may well end up ***? a novella if you are not careful about the amount of description and embellishment that goes into the story.

When you write your story online, you have very little room to deviate from the main plot of the story. Your short story should be crisp and ***?st paced. The events that follow through the course of the story should only include ones that are essential to the progress of the story.

Get straight to the point. Don’t spend too much ***?me to build up the story. That would be a waste of ***?me and words. Since there is a word limit, you need to get rid of the fluff. If you put too many words into the introduction and you have only a few left for the ****?max, it could ruin the effect of the story.


- Mikal Jhonson

We have already talked abit about linkbaiting.  We discussed how developing insightful and thought-provoking linkbaiting content for your site is a great way to attract engine rankings.  We also mentioned how great linkbaiting not only provides valuable content to your industry community, ****? also encourages an on-line dialogue with members of your market audience, be they local, national or international.   An informative conversation open to other points of view invariably encourages others to put their own two cents in.

Strong linkbaiting often features targeted research, thought-provoking arguments and ideas, creative and informative ***?nmanship, and insightful critical ****.sis.  Sound ***?miliar?  If you believed your mother when she told you during your college or university days that it was a complete waste of ***?me to take those Creative Writing and Political Science courses, it’s ***?me to reconsider her opinions.  

The truth is that the type of research and writing skills you developed in pursuing that Arts or Social Science degree will come in very handy if you are creating site content for linkbaiting.  Okay, so you think that surely you have long forgotten many of the details from the credit courses in English, Philosophy and Political Science that you took at ***?nRide College or Slackers University.   Chances are, however, that many of those ***?nmanship skills are still with you – researching, collecting and classifying information, developing ideas, considering the pros and cons of a particular issue, summarizing, offering concise critical ****.sis, even engendering an insightful dialogue with others. All these impressive and valuable abilities take considerable effort and ***?me (and tuition fees!) to develop and should not be downplayed.  And all these skills are really essential to strong linkbaiting.  Next ***?me your ***?mily or friends dish your arts or social science background, or that Introduction to World Politics course you took back in year one of your studies, be sure to remind them how relevant those courses have become, now that you are a professional linkbaiter!    


- Brad Lombardo

Some writers make the mistake of thinking that a brilliantly conceived plot will make up for poor characterisation. It won’t. Readers want to read about people they can believe in. Here are some pointers on how to develop flesh and blood characters.

Of course, you need to have a clear picture of what your hero or heroine looks like, and you should be able to describe them physically and the type of clothes they wear. Also make sure you get their names right, and that their manner of speaking fits the person they are.

But what sort of person are they? How do you build up a picture of your characters and get to know them intimately? Here is a guideline of what you can do to ‘grow’ a character from scratch.

First, get a clear picture of what they look like and what they wear. Oddly enough this can change as you get to develop and know them better, but you need to start somewhere.

I suggest you take a note pad and use one page for each character. Put the person’s name at the top of the page and jot down a brief description of their physical characteristics.

Next, write down how you see them relating to people in a social class other than their own. Below are four types of people your character may encounter:

1. An addict - drugs, drink, food;

2. Service worker - hairdresser, clothes shop, high class boutique, car salesman

3. Professional - bank manager, accountant, stock broker;

4. Authority class - politician, policeman, judge.

Using one example from each group and describe an encounter between them and your character. Use dialogue. This is where you start getting to know your character and and find out who they really are.

You may make the mistake of thinking all this is a waste of time, and I sympathise with you. I know, you just want get on with it and start unfolding your plot, which is fine. But this is short sighted if you will forgive me saying so. Your reader wants to know, if only subconsciously, that to you, this person is a living breathing human being and if they do that will make your character real to the reader also.

The next exercise is to place your character in a stressful situation. Maybe they are in danger, or have a situation that presents them with a dilemma and they have to decide quickly what to do. Perhaps they suddenly have to take action to avoid disaster. How do they react both emotionally and physically?

Here are three scenarios:

1. Hero sees an accident and is the only person around to help;

2. Hero is surrounded by group of belligerent youths;

3. Hero is under pressure to spill the beans on crooked employer.

Describe what emotional reaction your character would have, what they would feel and what they would do to remedy the situation. Bring out your characters strengths and weaknesses in these scenarios. Write them down.

Finally, and this is important, your character must have some area of vulnerability or failing. This can be a personality or character flaw, or a physical failing in some area. Whatever else you do in developing your hero, don’t make them perfect! Go back to the above exercises and see if you can introduce something that shows a failing or vulnerability in your character. This will make them human! None of us are perfect, so why should your hero be?

If you haven’t done this kind of character development before, stick at it. It will become easier the more you try. Keep working at it until you truly believe in your own creations and you will be well on your way to selling that story.


- Mervyn Love

I mean, do authors find it disrespectful, and do you think it is a waste of time to write?
- amethystdragonfaerie

Why not just send your manuscript directly to publishers? Writers ask companies to help them find publishers for their book projects all the time. The business of finding a publisher for your work is a multi-step process.

After your manuscript has been completed, edited, and formatted according to industry standards, the next step is to launch it properly into the world. Our advice–find a reputable agent first. Agents are the interim contact you need to connect your work to a publisher.

Keep in mind that agents do not want to deal with short works such as poetry and short stories. Agents work on commission, and there is no way to support themselves from sales of poetry and short fiction.

The majority of larger publishing houses no longer accept unagented submissions. It may seem a waste of time to query a large number of agents before querying publishers. However, this is a time-consuming, but very necessary, part of the submission process for book manuscripts.

If you want to get a good read, you’ll need an agent. Agents know what editors want. They spend much of their time cultivating relationships with acquisition editors. These are the folks who present books to their publishers for consideration.

Networking with editors is an important part of an agent’s job. Editors are happy to receive good manuscripts from agents. It saves them time.

Good agents will help negotiate a decent contract for you. This is their area of expertise. Publishers are interested in making money and taking care of their needs. Your agent will function as your advocate and make certain you receive a fair deal. If you don’t know about subsidiary rights and escalators, make sure an agent is on your side. Your agent will know which clauses are boilerplate and which may hurt your career. (Some people believe an attorney can replace an agent. Unless your attorney specializes in book contracts, find a good agent.) Because agents work on commission, they are interested in getting you the best deal.

Agents will monitor your royalty statements and help ensure that you receive prompt and proper payment. Most agents are paid 15% commission. A reputable agent should also provide you with copies of all rejection letters.

Do not begin querying agents until your book is complete. Unless you’re famous, agents won’t even read your query unless the book is ready to go. Nonfiction proposals are sometimes the exception to this rule. However, you’ll need to prove you can write the book, not just pitch it.

There are many people who advertise themselves as agents. Generally, they are NOT. Legitimate agents do not drum up business. There are literally tens of thousands of writers approaching a limited number of agents. They’ve got more work than they can handle. Your query packet must be perfect and represent you as a professional. It’s a difficult and time-consuming process, but there is no way around it. Get some professional help. Finding an agent need not be a daunting task.

If an agent requests money from you, run for the hills. Some expenses such as postage and copying costs are to be expected. However, over the years, unscrupulous people posing as literary agents have scammed would-be authors out of lots of money. Sometimes these scams are disguised as “editorial help.” Stay away. An agent should not insist that you have your manuscript doctored before agreeing to represent you.

Your agent should act in partnership with you throughout the publishing process. A good agent offering good advice is a wonderful asset. There is no better way to build your writing career.


- Christine Harrell

After I finish that novel, im planning to publish it. Im worried about finding publishers for it.

My name is Maithili.
- mithu

I can write well and have had many short stories published but i want to try novels now that i am in my 30s. do you think doing a creative writing degree might benefit me or would it be a waste of time and money just to have letters after my name? writers pls give me your opinion as it’s a big decision? thanks
- Mystery

When most writers think about marketing materials, press releases, and how-to writing projects, they assume creativity is a waste of time and energy. Why not give it to them straight—right? But business writing doesn’t have to all business. Business writers can borrow several techniques from their creative writing counterparts to make their marketing materials fresh and unique.

 

1. Allusion

One of the first techniques that any writer should master is called allusion. Simply put the allusion is a great way to describe something by calling attention to something well-known. For example, you can draw an allusion between a slow lumbering business and the white whale in Moby Dick. This is the type of allusion that will draw a parallel in a reader’s mind and give them a mental image of what you are trying to say. But you need to remember that the allusion will fail if the reader doesn’t make the connection between the two things—so test it on a colleague to make sure your intended meaning is clear.

 

2. Personification

As the name suggests, personification is a useful tool whereby an author can attach human characteristics to nonhuman things. Although the idea might sound a little lofty, personifications are quite common. Who hasn’t ever read about someone being slapped by the high prices or kissed by the sea? The use of personification is an excellent opportunity for you to make clear in your reader’s mind an action that is important to your message.

 

3. Symbolism

If you were awake during high school English, you probably remember symbolism—another important part of any writer’s arsenal. Symbolism is often stumbled upon accidentally by writers, especially in the literary world, so experts suggest that you don’t give it too much concern—generally incorporating symbols in your work is a byproduct of good writing and not something that most writer’s set out to do specifically. But in business writing, the rules are a little more flexible. Look for symbolic ways to communicate your value to your clients and prospects.

 

4. Sentence and Paragraph Length

Choosing sentence and paragraph lengths for effect is another creative technique. Professionals suggest that you pay as much attention to the structure of your sentences as to the length. Short sentences can emphasize a key point, and longer ones have a more wandering effect. The same advice applies to paragraphs. Readers generally get weary of long paragraphs and short paragraphs when they are used repeatedly and that’s one of the reasons that length variation is considered beneficial.

 

Getting Creative in Your Business Writing

Why should the creative writers get to have all the fun? Using these techniques borrowed from the literary world not only makes writing more interesting, it will make you and your business stand out among the competition.


- Melinda Copp