by Simon Barrett
El Tigre is John Manhold’s first immersion into the world of novels, but it his not his first book, he has something like 6 textbooks and a lexicon in four languages under his belt. I really enjoyed El Tigre. I don’t usually get very excited about Historical Fiction, or the ‘Wild West,’ El Tigre has an allure to it though. I love history, and this book is steeped in it, John Manhold artfully melds fact with fiction. One way of looking at it is, if you buy this book you get a great work of fiction, and you will walk away afterwards understanding some very complex historical issues.

Maybe you could tell us a little about yourself, a quick bout on Google shows that you have a pretty interesting resume?

I’ve always been restless and would think maybe attention deficit, except I can zero in on something I enjoy and take it to a conclusion. However, activity in any one area for too long a period does bore me. I grew up in Rochester, N. Y., when it had only a couple hundred thousand people, and enjoyed many hours of hunting small game and fishing the Genesee River. My father was quite a hunter and fisherman and we would go after deer and bear in the southern tier of Pennsylvania, Northern Maine and Canada. We used to tramp the pot holes for duck in the old Montezuma Swamp Area back in the days when your limit of duck was more than you could carry. High School, college and graduate schools were routine, although even here, I bounced around.

Majored in Elizabethan and 17th Century Poets, progressed to study dentistry and then medical pathology and finally picked up an advanced degree in psychology. Taught pathology at three different schools, but became interested in Psychosomatic Medicine. Did some unusual research that got me an invitation to Russia in the days before glasnost. Elected president of the Academy of Psychosomatic Medicine and between this discipline and my research in both dental and medical fields bounced around giving lectures in many places in the world.

For recreation, I played soccer, wrestled, played golf, and did some fencing. Later, played club golf and some international. Became interested in boating, earned U.S.C.G. Captain’s and Master’s papers, finally bought a 48-foot Marine Trader trawler which my wife (who became a graduate diesel mechanic for the trip) and I took on a 6000 mile trip from Florida up the east coast to the Great Lakes, down the Mississippi to the Tennessee, the Tombigbee and back home across the Gulf. Went out to the islands a couple of times also. Got interested in sculpture, studied with a couple of famous people and received some prizes and commissions.
I Served in WWII and the Korean Action where, among other things, taught knife fighting to recruits after being indoctrinated by an old fencing opponent who needed help and convinced the CO I would be the person.

I have also published 6 textbooks and a lexicon in 4 languages and served as a scientific editor for J. B. Lippincott for 12 years.

What made you move into the world of historical fiction?

I did a great deal of research for several pharmaceutical houses while at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and continued after retiring. They would send me data that I would analyze and return. A couple of years ago, I assume the powers-that-be began to worry about how much longer I would be available and the request for my services began to decline. Being somewhat of a workaholic, I began to grouse and my wife said “why don’t you go write a novel?” I was amused but the idea began to take hold, so I did it.

El Tigre is very well put together, fictional characters against a historical background, but not just one set of events, which is the standard fare, but several events spanning countries and continents. The amount of research needed to do this boggles my mind. How long did it take to research and write El Tigre?

The actual time to research and write El T. took 9 months. However, I had a great head start. My lectures and consultations for years have taken me to many places in the world; my whole life has been in research; the web saves huge amounts of travel time and I had a grandfather who was a graduate of the Prussian Kriegsakademie and was awarded medals in the Franco-Prussian War. I also had a couple of uncles who were gunfighters in the Nebraska Territory.

The idea of my characters participating in more than one series of events stems from the fact that every conference or meeting one attends, where ‘westerns’ or ‘historical fiction’ are discussed, stresses the necessity for ’something different’ if the genres are to survive. No one does anything about it. I decided to do something.

Where did you get the idea for El Tigre from?

I am a member of the Single Action Shooting Society (SASS) where every member is required to select an alias that is registered as specific to him or her. I always have been interested in old Mexico and have spent some time in it back in the days when it was pleasant and laid back and the girls would stroll in the parks with their duenas and the boys in their groups while a lousy band played in the retreata. I took the name of El Tigre Viejo (the Tiger, but an old one, because of my age) because I could dress for our formal dinner, which always ends a competition, as an old Spanish Don — one of the types of suits may be seen on my web page.

As I understand it, and the picture on the back flap of the dustcover seems to prove it, you have a real interest in early guns, can you tell us a little about that?

I had my first single shot .22 rifle when I was about 8 years old. My father taught me, as the marines stressed later in life, that there is no accident with a gun. Anything that happens is carelessness and is not to be tolerated. In the marines, an ‘accident’ produces jail time. Anyway, I would get on the streetcar with my rifle and ammunition, ride to the end of the line, walk a short way to an embankment, do my shooting and get back on the streetcar to come back home. Can you image today?

Following this, my father bought me a lever action Marlin .22, and a single shot 20 gauge shotgun, both of which I still have, and a Winchester 30-30 for deer and we began hunting. Through the years the interest continued and I moved into skeet shooting and other competitive shooting sports.

Novels work a lot different from text books. With a text book, you have pretty much a captive audience. With a novel, it is up to the whim of the would be reader. A novel is a risky business, shelf space in the book store is at a premium, and for the most part the traditional book store only stocks what it knows will sell (Tom Clancy, Steven King, and the rest of the grossly over edited, and in my mind over rated authors), how are you finding the battlefield for space?

Actually you have hit upon one of the big problems facing authors today. The big publishers won’t even look at something that does not come through an agent, and the agents are, for the most part, not particularly interested in a new author. For this reason, the new author more frequently ends up with a small publisher and the brick and mortar houses are not particularly interested in either. The big boys can offer too many incentives, put more money into advertising and provide the ‘name’ authors. So, to get to the personal level, as an unknown author, published by a small publisher and writing in a genre that occupies a very small piece of the pie, it is tough. Since El Tigre garnered two awards in the 2008 National Indie Excellence Awards, and has received so many kind words from so many nice people, Barnes & Noble have decided to give it another look, as to stocking — it is distributed by Baker & Taylor and thus listed in B&N for order, but not stocked at the stores.

I am probably not like the average reader. I have picked up some very bad habits. It is only as a result of the fact that I read so many books. I hated English Lit in school, I hated, and still do hate, picking a book apart. While I don’t look for deeper meaning, I do look for execution. El Tigre is very well put together. You must have had some damn fine proof readers and editors, either that, or you are the most gifted author I have ever met.

I sincerely thank you for such a compliment, and am most pleased to hear the manner in which you look at a book. I, too, read voraciously and believe a book is to be enjoyed. The text must flow and if I mix tenses occasionally, or pull some other bonehead grammatical mistake, as long as it does not interfere with the flow, I let it go, and have received criticism from editors for it. But, if I don’t think it will detract from the story, I leave it alone. I had an editor with El T who was a good editor. However, most of her changes I rewrote. El T was a Prussian Junker, an aristocrat who I would not allow to become another ‘cowboy.’ His actions were different as was his speech. He was a man who, because of his prowess, could fit into any masculine situation. However, he still could enjoy the life of Spanish Nobility and had the sentimentality to understand the trauma suffered by Lolita and her need for understanding.

There are two schools of thought about historical fiction, one says it’s easy, the plot is already there, just slot your characters in, and you have a book. The other schools says it is very hard, the historical aspect is set in stone, you must weave your story into an intractable situation. What is your view?

I believe that, to be well done, a historical novel must weave its way through the facts. Your time line must be accurate, your geography must be the geography of the period, and the mores of each society treated must be proper to the time and place. I enjoy history and I respect it, and, as weird as it may sound, I can project myself back into the time and almost feel the reactions of the people. I remember visiting Masada in Israel several years ago and standing in the remains of the old fortress city where the thousand defenders committed suicide rather than surrender and just being almost overwhelmed by ‘rejecting myself’ to the action. Crazy, I know, but you’ve got to be to write, I think.

What can we expect next from John Manhold?

I have two books pretty much ready to go, before finishing El Tigre II which is half done in the first draft.

The Elymais Coin is a modern mystery/adventure that involves a search for a 3000-year-old-coin that becomes involved with several murders, a clash with forces of al-Qaida and a subversive plot to undermine the United States from its very core.

The second is LOBO, the story of a young Ohio farm boy who survives a massacre, Indian captivity, rescue and travel to England with education at Eton and life with the aristocracy before being forced to flee to the States to find a beautiful Creole paramour in New Orleans, be caught up in the Civil War, the Reconstruction Era and beyond.

Simon Barrett is an adult educator in Calgary, Alberta. With the 11 months a year of winter, he reads a lot of books! He is also a contributing editor for Blogger News and maintains a personal blog at Simon B.

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by Duncan Gelby
Before we go into the nitty-gritty of how to prepare a wedding speech, you must keep the following basics in mind:

1. Your speech has to be short, say 5-7 minutes at the most.

2. Make your speech humorous — everyone will love it.

3. Focus the speech on the couple, not on yourself or on your pet dog’s lover.

4. The couple’s parents will be present — so, no off-color and honeymoon jokes please!

5. Rehearse the speech a few times before you deliver it, and deliver it in a style that has a lot of drama, action and emotion built into it.

6. Don’t drink before you deliver your speech.

7. Remember to look good when you’re on the podium. Finish your rest room tasks before you begin.

8. If you’re not good at reading written speeches, then carry cue cards and keep your speech informal. Read a cue card, look at the audience mood and then talk impromptu.

Now, here’s how you prepare the speech:

1. Does the audience know you? If not, prepare a small paragraph that introduces you to them and explains your relationship with the couple.

2. Next, heap praises on the emotion-charged wedding ceremony and about how marriages are made in heaven, and so on.

3. Prepare two paragraphs that talk about the sterling qualities of the couple, one paragraph devoted to the bride (ladies first!) and the other to the groom.

4. Now it’s time to talk how the couple got together, some personal trivia that can be made public, why they love each other, why their love will last forever, and a little about their families. This section can be about 2 paragraphs.

5. Though humor works well, don’t force it in and don’t include it if you cannot talk funny with a straight face.

6. Lace your speech with memorable quotes — you’ll find loads of quotes on the Internet.

7. Don’t talk about ex-boyfriends/girlfriends or spouses of the couple.

8. Refrain from talking about any plans the couple has told you about.

9. The last paragraph must be motivating. Take an example of a successful-in-life-and-still-together couple and draw parallels.

10. Once done, ask all to raise a toast to the couple. Cheers!

Finally, remember that you have to be, or at least act, confident while delivering your speech with a clear voice that doesn’t spew words like a machine gun spews bullets. Speak at a slow, measured pace and try your best to hold the attention of all the guests. If you are running out of time or just so busy to write your own speech, you can surely find someone to write a wedding speech for you. In so many ways it can help you save your time and will free you from stress of finding an appropriate words to write to make your speech entertaining. Make sure to enjoy on delivering your speech because no matter how joyful your speech was if you appeared boring you won’t get the satisfaction that you want from the listeners.

Wedding Speech for you will answer your question on how to write wedding speeches. You will be sure to find professionally-written speeches that you can use to express what you feel, and which will surely be loved and enjoyed by everyone.

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by Charles Jacobs
You struggled for months to hone your new book to a level of perfection that would please even the pickiest literary agent or publisher. But when you proudly offered your masterpiece to the market, you struck out. Some first time authors have broken the barrier and found a publisher, but you haven’t been that fortunate, and you don’t know why.

Selecting the Best Method to Publish Your Book

The publishing world is complex and may seem impenetrable to a start-up writer, but determining the best method to publish your book is not as daunting as it seems

Unfortunately, publishing just ain’t what it used to be. Not too long ago the industry was composed of editors and publishers devoted to the preservation of quality literature. People who would take risks to introduce new talents and new ideas. Sadly, those lofty principles have fallen victim to the new standard — the bottom line.

Proud publishers, respected throughout the literary world, have lost their identity and their commitment as they have been swallowed up by huge publishing conglomerates. Today, major publishing houses seldom take risks. They place their money behind sure bets, books about or by show biz celebrities, political figures or other notables, often bypassing highly talented new writers.

The Traditional Route

Traditional publishing is a three-way partnership between author, literary agent and publisher. The number of layers involved makes this a slow and ponderous process that can take as long as two years before you see your book in print. In addition, many feel it is as difficult to finding an agent as it is finding a traditional publisher, perhaps harder.

The national book tours, elegant publication parties and other promotional efforts that were once the hallmark of traditional publishing are now offered only to top level star-studded authors. All the rest of us are expected to finance our own promotional efforts out of meager royalties (usually 5% on net sales), adding strongly to the trend away from traditional publishing.

Nonetheless, this is by far the most prestigious method of publishing your book. It makes challenges like obtaining reviews and gaining access to bookstores and book club rolls far easier. If you are willing to wait patiently for your book to come off the press and if prestige is important enough to you to sacrifice control of your book during production, then traditional publishing is the road you should follow.

There Are Alternatives

A growing number of dedicated smaller publishers have become alternatives to the majors, and are maintaining impressive standards. Just a year ago, the Book Industry Study Group, the prestigious monitor of industry trends, described these independent small publishers as “sizable and growing with surging numbers.”

In addition, dramatic advances in printing technology over the last decade have spawned a brand new industry, Publishing on Demand (POD). These advances have also made possible cost effective printing for short press runs, and that has opened the door to easy, relatively inexpensive self-publishing. Beginning writers are no longer at the mercy of costly vanity presses that required them to accept large press runs of books that then remained unsold in moldy basements and garages.

This fledgling POD industry has finally overcome the stigma that surrounded it in its earliest days when the rest of the publishing world demeaned it and reviewers refused to consider books it produced. With their books beginning to capture awards and reach best seller levels, they have gained substantial respect, and represent a very effective way for a newcomer to publish what you write.

If you decide to go this route, study the fine print of your POD contract before signing. Be aware that POD houses promise you total control over your book throughout the publishing process. However, that is not completely true. In the vast majority of cases, the ISBN (International Standard Book Number) belongs to the POD house, not the author, and the entity that owns the ISBN controls all financial aspects of the book. Decisions on key factors like pricing and profit are made by the house, not by you.

Making Life Easy

Nonetheless, POD offers real benefits to the wannabe author who has never experienced the complexities of publishing a book. The house assumes all the responsibilities of production and basic distribution. In addition to the ISBN and bar codes, the house will obtain a copyright and catalog your book with the Library of Congress.

It will produce an attractive cover for the book and format the interior text to equal the quality of books produced by traditional publishers. Once all of the nitty gritty of pre-publication is completed, the house will arrange for printing and list the book with a major distributor.

However, don’t rely on your POD publisher to promote your book. That’s your job. Stay away from the alleged promotional programs offered for an additional price by POD publishers. They basically add up to nothing more than a release that is essentially ineffective distributed to the press.

Self-Publishing

More and more authors now choose to follow the self-publishing route. The advances in technology have made doing it yourself a great deal easier and faster than following the traditional route. Excellent books have been published to guide you through the experience. I strongly recommend Dan Poynter’s classic Self-Publishing Manual and Patricia Fry’s The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.

While one can argue that the prestige of publication by one of the majors is inducement enough, a simple dollars and cents (perhaps better yet dollars and sense) analysis demonstrates how much more beneficial it is to collect all the profit from self-publishing than to receive a minuscule 5% royalty from a traditional house with little or no help on promotional expenses.

Today’s fledgling authors have these four options as they seek to publish their first book: major or independent traditional house, POD or self-publishing. Of course, there are pros and cons when you analyze each of them, so it is important that you understand the process and whether it is suitable for your needs.

If prestige is what you seek and you are willing to sacrifice speed in production and minuscule returns, the traditional route is yours to take. If speed is a factor because your book is timely or if you are an unsure beginner, POD may be the answer. If pride of self accomplishment and/or higher profits intrigue you, then perhaps your best choice is self-publishing.

Let author Charles Jacobs help you become a published writer. Click onto http://www.retirement-writing.com for free articles and info on his coaching programs. Charles’ latest book “The Writer Within You,” was chosen as a Best Books of the Year by five organizations. It will guide you through writing and publishing your work. Order a discounted copy at http://www.retireandwrite.com.

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by Jonny Seeley
Content is king

The phrase ‘content is king’ originated on the web, reminding us that information is more valuable than visuals. But the principle holds true for every kind of communication. Although presentation and branding are important, what you way is ultimately more important than how you say it.

A copywriter helps you establish exactly what you’re trying to say, and to whom. Then they find the words to express it as clearly as possible, in a way your audience will understand. So when people meet your marketing, they will immediately see why your product or service is important and relevant to them. Making this first, basic connection is far more important than trying to impress people with flashy design.

A sound investment

Content comes remarkably cheap, considering how crucial it is. Even if you’re just creating a basic leaflet, your design and print will cost far more than a freelance copywriter.

Moreover, your copy can live on and on. For example, a concise summary of what your business does might work very well on your website’s home page, welcoming visitors and confirming that they’ve found what they were searching for. But it could also be used in leaflets, brochures, presentations, reports, directory listings and sales letters. In fact, it’s an indispensable part of your marketing, and will pay for itself many times over.

Don’t do it yourself

While you probably can’t print your own brochure or build your own website, you can certainly do your own copywriting. The tools of the trade are in your hands right now. We write all the time at work, then blog in our spare time. Couldn’t you just write it yourself and save the money?

Of course you could. Many people do, and the results are all around us: dull websites, unread sales letters and confusing presentations. And those who get professional help with their copywriting are grateful, because it means they stand out from the crowd. As Red Adair said: ‘If you think hiring a professional is expensive, try hiring an amateur.’

Not sexy enough?

Some of the reluctance to hire freelance copywriters may be to do with product perceptions. Designers can dazzle you with their visual invention. Web developers can grant you access to a password-protected secret garden where your new site is being carefully cultivated. Print reps can bring in boxes of your wonderful, shiny new brochure. But copywriters just email you a boring old Word document.

You need to think carefully about the business value of what you’re buying. While it’s important to reach the appropriate quality standard, marketing should not be a creative love-in where you just indulge your own sensory whims. Every component of the marketing machine should perform as well as it can.

The view from outside

It is very easy to get too close to a communication project. The result is too much focus on in-house concerns, or a lack of essential background. There’s a danger of overestimating what the audience knows - or how much they care. A freelance copywriter can help by taking the part of the audience and ensuring the fundamentals are covered.

By asking very basic questions, the copywriter can sometimes find new angles and approaches, or uncover key issues that need to be addressed. In fact, a willingness to look a bit stupid can be a real asset to a writer. As Zen master Shunryu Suzuki put it: ‘In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind there are few.’

Making ideas real

Creative dialogue can help to firm up the details of a new product, service or business plan. Some clients value this ‘strategic conversation’ with a freelance writer more than the words themselves. In the early stages, writing down an idea is a crucial step towards making it real. But it’s essential to choose your words carefully if you want that idea to develop in the right direction.

Working with a copywriter brings focus to that process. Since good writing is about achieving clarity and avoiding ambiguity, involving a copywriter often forces the client to resolve conflicts and choose between mutually exclusive options. This can help to get projects on the right track.

Words are very powerful, shaping the way we think about ourselves and the world. On one level, the company description discussed above is just content to fill up your home page. But on another, it’s the essence of how you want your business to be perceived — by your people, your customers and the world at large. Since this goes to the very heart of your strategy as a business, it’s easy to see why freelance copywriters who can add value in this area are so appreciated by their clients.

Jonny Seeley wrote the Article ‘Why use a freelance copywriter?’ and recommends you visit http://www.abccopywriting.com for more information on freelance copywriter services.

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by Michael Hehn
It is widely considered that article writing is now one of the key promotional tools that should be employed to drive targeted traffic to your website. Promoting your site via the use of fresh, new articles or those from article directories has become very popular and convenient. The popular search engines want new, creative material and content for their users who are very demanding. As such, the major search engines view the internet as one huge resource for information just as internet users consider it to be an enormous database. If you’re considering this subject from the search engine’s point of view, which many people do, then rewriting an article simply means to make the article content unique.

You may wish to write completely fresh, unique content articles in which case there are certain points you need to remember. First of all, research your topic, there is a wealth of information you can search for before you start and all you need to do is enter a few keywords into a search engine. Setting the article out correctly is paramount otherwise it will not flow so you will need the subject introduction which may highlight a particular problem, then a middle section explaining the subject more, finishing with a conclusion. The structure is important but so is the length with most around 400 to 500 words with the conclusion about five sentences or so to summarize. Remember to split the article up into about four to five paragraphs for easier reading; once you have written the article, you need to include a resource box containing your information and any links.

Making money online isn’t just about writing articles for your self to promote your own website or business because you could even be asked to write articles for other people’s websites, blogs etc. If you are not full of ideas of what to write, then I can help you a way to start. Well, why not use ideas from your own experience, it could be anything but let’s say you enjoy fly fishing and want to tell people how to make their own flies. If you would prefer not to write about your experiences, which would be a real waste, then why not write about smaller niche markets which can open up all manner of possibilities.

To become a good article writer you should employ good writing techniques. Once you have found an unlimited source for ideas then you must write something every day for your skills to improve until it becomes second nature. Writing this regularly has worked well for most writers as practice makes perfect. I wish that these guidelines were like the Holy Grail of writing but they’re not although they have worked for many writers including myself, only you can decide whether it’s this system or another that best suits you, however, whatever method you choose, stick with it.

For a limited time, I’m giving away a free romance writing email course.Get your free course worth $27 at romance writing tips.

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by Larry McCullough
Trying to make money online can be a frustrating and humbling experience. All of the advertisements and rumors of making fast cash with minimal work, are well, a bunch of crap. Sure, a few people may have hit pay dirt not doing much but I don’t know any of them. Most of the people I know that are successful online, spend time researching their options, creating a plan and then working that plan. With that being said, there are various ways to earn online. I will discuss some of the best ways below.

1. Affiliate Marketing: Affiliate marketing is a fast way to start making money quickly. Because you don’t have to worry about creating or designing your own product, you can get started quickly. You are a given a link to a completed website and the only thing that you have to do is to promote it. While this used to be far easier a few years ago, it can still be very profitable. It will just take a little bit more work. Consider creating a simple website that provides information on the same topic as the affiliate product you are trying to sell. Be sure to collect email addresses, as you may be able to market other products to this same group. Market affiliate products using articles, social networking sites, forums and pay-per-click.

2. Selling Your Own Product: Selling your product is another great way to make money online. Depending on how you go about your product development, this could be a fast or slow process. One way to speed it up, if this is a concern, is to purchase PLR rights. Often times Private Label Rights come with a ready made website. For a few bucks, you have your very own e-book and website to sell it from. However, this method has its’ disadvantages, namely, other people will be selling the product and perhaps for cheaper. To combat this, consider, re-writing the sales letter and purchasing new graphics. Also add special and unique bonuses to make your offer appear more attractive.

3. Ebay: Many people are still making money on Ebay. Ebay has cracked down on digital products. However, you can still sell them, just put them on CD and send them out. You can also use the classified ad format listing to sell digital products. I use it and have had some success. If you want to sell physical products, find a good drop shipper or wholesaler.

4. Offering Services: If you have a marketable service, this is a good way to make money. Many people make money by writing articles, Press releases and site reviews for other webmasters. Other people offer coding and web design.

5. Blogging: Blogging can be a fun way to make a lot of money. The way to accomplish this is to first, monetize your blog. You can do this by selling affiliate products, your own products, selling advertising space or placing Adsense like ads on your blog. Also be sure to optimize your blog for the search engines just like you would a website. Next you need drive traffic to your blog and develop a following. Writing press releases, articles, joining forums and pay-per-click, are all ways to get traffic to your blog.

Larry McCullough has been marketing and writing on the internet for over 10 years. Owner of various websites. Main site Blog

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by Andre Niemand
What is writer’s block?

Well, I just can’t think of a single darn thing to say. Oh well, I’m outta here!

Sound familiar? No! Oh, get real! We’ve all experienced this phenomenon when we absolutely have to write something, particularly on deadline. I’m talking about,uh, I can’t think of what the word is,oh, yes, it’s on the tip of my tongue,it’s:WRITER’S BLOCK! Whew! I feel better just getting that out of my head and onto the page!

Writer’s block is the patron demon of the blank page. You may think you know EXACTLY what you’re going to write, but as soon as that evil white screen appears before you, your mind suddenly goes completely blank. I’m not talking about Zen meditation stare-at-the-wall-until-enlightenment-hits kind of blank.

I’m talking about sweat trickling down the back of your neck, anguish and panic and suffering kind of blank. The tighter the deadline, the worse the anguish of writer’s block gets.

Having said that, let me say it again. “The tighter the deadline, the worse the anguish of writer’s block gets.” Now, can you figure out what might possibly be causing this horrible plunge into speechlessness?

The answer is obvious: FEAR! You are terrified of that blank page. You are terrified you have absolutely nothing of value to say. You are afraid of the fear of writer’s block itself!

It doesn?t necessarily matter if you’ve done a decade of research and all you have to do is string sentences you can repeat in your sleep together into coherent paragraphs. Writer’s block can strike anyone at any time. Based in fear, it raises our doubts about our own self-worth, but it’s sneaky. It’s writer’s block, after all, so it doesn’t just come and let you know that. No, it makes you feel like an idiot who just had your frontal lobes removed through your sinuses. If you dared to put forth words into the greater world, they would surely come out as gibberish!

Let’s try and be rational with this irrational demon. Let’s make a list of what might possibly be beneath this terrible and terrifying condition.

1. Perfectionism. You must absolutely produce a masterpiece of literature straight off in the first draft. Otherwise, you qualify as a complete failure.

2. Editing instead of composing. There’s your monkey-mind sitting on your shoulder, yelling as soon as you type “I was born?,” no, not that, that’s wrong! That’s stupid! Correct correct correct correct?

3. Self-consciousness. How can you think, let alone write, when all you can manage to do is pry the fingers of writer’s block away from your throat enough so you can gasp in a few shallow breaths? You’re not focusing on what you’re trying to write, your focusing on those gnarly fingers around your windpipe.

4. Can’t get started. It’s always the first sentence that’s the hardest. As writers, we all know how EXTREMELY important the first sentence is. It must be brilliant! It must be unique! It must hook your reader’s from the start! There’s no way we can get into writing the piece until we get past this impossible first sentence.

5. Shattered concentration. You’re cat is sick. You suspect your mate is cheating on you. Your electricity might be turned off any second. You have a crush on the local UPS deliveryman. You have a dinner party planned for your in-laws. You . . . Need I say more. How can you possibly concentrate with all this mental clutter?

6. Procrastination. It’s your favorite hobby. It’s your soul mate. It?s the reason you’ve knitted 60 argyle sweaters or made 300 bookcases in your garage workshop. It’s the reason you never run out of Brie. FACE IT!IT’S ONE OF THE REASONS YOU HAVE WRITER’S BLOCK!

How to Overcome Writer’s Block

Okay. I can hear that herd of you running away from this article as fast as you can. Absurd! you huff. Never in a million years, you fume. Writer’s block is absolutely, undeniably, scientifically proven to be impossible to overcome.

Oh, just get over it! Well, I guess it’s not that easy. So try to sit down for just a few minutes and listen. All you have to do is listen.You don’t have to actually write a single word.

Ah, there you all are again. I am beginning to make you out now that the cloud of dust is settling.

I am here to tell you that WRITER’S BLOCK CAN BE OVERCOME.

Please, remain seated.

There are ways to trick this nasty demon. Pick one, pick several, and give them a try. Soon, before you even have a chance for your heartbeat to accelerate, guess what? You’re writing.

Here are some tried and true methods of overcoming writer’s block:

1. Be prepared. The only thing to fear is fear itself. (I know, that’s a clich,but as soon as you start writing, feel free to improve on it.) If you spend some time mulling over your project before you actually sit down to write, you may be able to circumvent the worst of the crippling panic.

2. Forget perfectionism. No one ever writes a masterpiece in the first draft. Don’t put any expectations on your writing at all! In fact, tell yourself you’re going to write absolute garbage, and then give yourself permission to happily stink up your writing room.

3. Compose instead of editing. Never, never write your first draft with your monkey-mind sitting on your shoulder making snide editorial comments. Composing is a magical process. It surpasses the conscious mind by galaxies. It’s even incomprehensible to the conscious, editorial, monkey-mind. So prepare an ambush. Sit down at your computer or your desk. Take a deep breath and blow out all your thoughts. Let your finger hover over your keyboard or pick up your pen. And then pull a fake: appear to be about to begin to write, but instead, using your thumb and index finger of your dominant hand, flick that little annoying ugly monkey back into the barrel of laughs it came from. Then jump in quickly! Write, scribble, scream, howl, let everything loose, as long as you do it with a pen or your computer keyboard.

4. Forget the first sentence. You can sweat over that all-important one-liner when you’ve finished your piece. Skip it! Go for the middle or even the end. Start wherever you can. Chances are, when you read it over, the first line will be blinking its little neon lights right at you from the depths of your composition.

5. Concentration. This is a hard one. Life throws us so many curve balls. How about thinking about your writing time as a little vacation from all those annoying worries. Banish them! Create a space, perhaps even a physical one, where nothing exists except the single present moment. If one of those irritating worries gets by you, stomp on it like you would an ugly bug!

6. Stop procrastinating. Write an outline. Keep your research notes within sight. Use someone else’s writing to get going. Babble incoherently on paper or on the computer if you have to.

Just do it! (I know, I stole that line from somewhere). Tack up anything that could possibly help you to get going: notes, outlines, pictures of your grandmother. Put the cookie you will be allowed to eat when you finish your first draft within sight,but out of reach. Then pick up the same type of writing that you need to write, and read it. Then read it again. Soon, trust me, the fear will slowly fade away. As soon as it does, grab your keyboard and get writing!

Andre Niemand is a dentist,with a love for marketing, especially the latest unique strategies.Find out how you can easily break into this market at http://www.moneybookmachine.com

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by Kerry Thomas
One of the absolute best ways to improve your search engine rankings and directly promote your products and services is by submitting articles to quality article directories.

Search engines find and index relevant content. What exactly is relevant content? Ideally you should be able to search for a specific keyword or phrase and all the search results returned should be related to that search term. Right now, articles offers the web promoter a widely accepted method to gain traffic to their site.

Some of the past web promotion techniques did not always deliver the results that visitors were looking for. Link exchanging was one such technique that has lost favor with search engines.

I do not recommend using link exchanges and bought text links. Webmasters were all too eager to swap links with other sites even if both sites were completely unrelated.

As you can imagine,link exchanges simply diluted the search results and allowed some non-relevant sites to be returned in the search results.

The search engine’s job becomes easier to do when a website–your perhaps–has lots of textual content that is linked to from other related sites.

Search engines look at links and the content around links to determine how relevant the web page would be to to a particular keyword search.

Article writing gives you the perfect way to deliver exactly what the search engines are looking for and in return you generate traffic for your website.

One should avoid the excessive use of keywords and simply write for a human audience. Please note that this method of marketing will require that you regularly submit content.

Keep the information flowing and always try to keep new and fresh content available. Remember that once your work is published you may develop a loyal bunch of followers that will be looking for more of your information.

Your writing can and should be targeted to a specific niche that fits your purposes and stands an excellent chance of getting indexed into the search engines.

Once the web page with your article is indexed then you will have a link pointing to your site that helps your search rankings. Another perk to this method of marketing is the fact that you will generate direct traffic to your site.

Don’t struggle to optimize your website with methods that don’t work. Relevant content is what it takes and quality articles will get your site noticed.

Kerry Thomas is active in article marketing and writing. He owns the following article directory

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by B.L. Lindstrom
Several years back my boss’ boss walked into my office and declared me to be an outlaw-rebel-maverick. I thanked her, which was clearly not what she wanted. But what did she expect from an unbranded individual who frequently strayed from the herd?

As I recall this particular issue called for me to give up on the idea of a PC on every desktop and just accept a couple of shared resources that would be placed in a public area. I kid you not. The powers that were, wanted to put two “personal” computers in a room for 30+ people to share. The absurdity of such a request was lost on these executives who held that a terminal view of mainframe processing was all the computing power that was needed (Pun totally intended).

In 1984, (no joke), I stood up and stated we should be giving everyone some processing power of their very own. We should use the mainframe network to share our individual accomplishments until such time as a faster more efficient method is developed. And everyone in the company should be given an email address.

The level of executive outrage and defiance that reigned down upon me was matched only by the number of people who lost their jobs as this company struggled to keep up with their competition while using outdated, slow responding, ever more expensive central computing systems, locked away in an enormous squeaky clean expanse. While I did not lose my job over this, the wasted resources and missed opportunities embraced by those who just wanted to git along like little dogies drove me and every other outlaw-rebel-maverick that remained at this company, out.

Years later I was approached by a group of trail bosses from this organization asking me to return to the fold, to rejoin the team, to help them blaze new trails and find greener pastures. I did not oblige them. As Gomer Pyle once warned, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.” This wisdom was well heeded for shortly after that recruiting session, the company imploded.

The point is, those of you who are (or were once) outlaw-rebel-mavericks should never give up your independent spirit in the name of team unity. If you disagree with the direction the team is taking you have an obligation to the larger organization to stand your ground until you are convinced that theirs is the better way or they are convinced that yours is or there can be found some alternate solution on which you can all agree. If the team proceeds without your consent and everything works out, it’s okay to admit you were wrong but don’t let that stop you from standing up the next time. If things go seriously wrong with their approach, don’t say anything, just help fix it. If they proceed successfully down your path share the glory with the team.

If your path leads to disaster, accept the defeat, find the root cause, fix the problem and adjust your thinking accordingly. You may have to work twice as hard to convince them of your next proposal’s merit, but your integrity will be unquestioned. Those of you who are not outlaw-rebel-mavericks should learn from those who are. Don’t be afraid to ask your questions. Challenge the prevailing opinion, regardless of its source. Be heard, not herd. Of course if you simply agree with the direction of the team, then you still need to contribute always mindful that, having no “I” in team is not an excuse for taking YOUR eye off of innovation and improvement.

B.L. Lindstrom is a highly paid and sought after systems janitor and author in multiple media. His latest communications can always be found on his Blog Authorian Adventures in the Ether, So I Wrote This Book. If you want to know more about his work you can visit B.L. Lindstrom.

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by Warren Wong
You won’t believe the exposure you can get as a writer and as the owner of a website until you submit free online articles to an article directory. Not only are these articles free for other publishers to use, it doesn’t cost you anything to register and start submitting articles. This is one method that publishers use to generate traffic to their sites, many of which translate into sales.

In order to keep a visitor when he/she clicks onto your website, you need to have valuable information related to the product or service you are offering. This could be something you are selling directly from your website or you could be an affiliate marketing driving customers to another site where they will make a purchase of which you get a percentage. Although you have articles on your site, you can write different articles and submit them to a free directory. The articles must be original and not published elsewhere, which means they cannot be duplicates of the content you have already published online. In the author bio section you include something about yourself and a link back to your website. These directories then submit your article to search engines and make them available to publishers.

You are not losing out by writing free articles for directories. In order for publishers to use your material, they must include a link back to the directory and the article will still have your name as the author. Now your exposure has increased yet again.

Free articles are a great way for a publisher that doesn’t have the inclination or time to write articles for his/her site. This person can browse the categories listed on the directory and then the articles within that category to find an article that suits he/her needs. The directory provides a link for the publisher to obtain both the plain and HTML text needed to place the article on the website. Then when visitors click on this page they will see the authors name and the link back to the directory from which they can visit your website. This is a win-win situation for everyone.

There are also free article directories where you can earn money from the articles you write. When you submit an article, you earn a percentage of the advertising revenue that the site earns from visitors reading your articles. This may only be a small amount per month, but the more articles you submit, the more money you make.

You can submit articles about the same product to multiple directors, but the content has to be different each time. You can also submit numerous articles to the same directory. Every article gives you exposure, so the more you write the more of an expert you will become in that field. The directories do specify that they have the right to remove any articles at any time and they may switch them to a different category than you specify if they feel that you material is better suited elsewhere.

One of the best places to get free articles is the free article directory http://www.ArticleCircle.com This site offers free online articles on lots of different topics.

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