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Writing Inspiration: Who are you?

Four ways to write a great tweet that sells books

Five Great Quotations about the Pleasure of Writing - Inventing Reality Editing Service

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Published on February 12, 2018 04:30

5 Great Quotations about Passion for Writing

��I can still remember the miraculous feeling of writing a sentence, then more sentences, telling a story. The first thing I wrote was a one-page summary of Robinson Crusoe and I am so sorry I do not have it any more; it was at that moment I became an author.�� - Henning Mankell

��I belong to this notebook and this pencil.�� - Ernest Hemingway

��Getting warmed up and getting into the obsession and focus of writing is its own reward.�� - Seamus Heaney

��Anything that I write comes from the soul.�� - Martin Gore

��I never met a word I didn't love.�� - Gail Carson Levine

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

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Writing Inspiration: Who are you?

Four ways to write a great tweet that sells books

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Published on February 11, 2018 05:18

Self-doubt about your talent? Has creative writing lost ...

Self-doubt about your talent? Has creative writing lost its joy? With Writing Affirmations: A Collection of Positive Messages to Inspire Writers, you can reclaim the pleasure of writing and pen the book you��ve always dreamed of. Respected and award-winning editor Rob Bignell offers uplifting, meaningful phrases that can be read out loud or internalized weekly over the course of a year. Writing prompts and tips follow each affirmation, giving you the inspiration and motivation to keep writing. When you��ve completed this book, you��ll be able to say ��I am a writer�� with confidence!

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Published on February 10, 2018 05:25

How to outline a script for your YouTube video

Once you��ve brainstormed and selected the topic for your YouTube video, the next step is to outline a script.

You never want to begin shooting until you have a script. If you wing it, your video will look unprofessional, you��ll miss out on telling readers important information that would convince them you��re the expert whose books or services are worth buying, and you��ll end up spending more time (and probably money) than you should on reshooting to get it right.

Before writing a script, ask yourself several important questions:
�� What are your goals? This will give your video direction. Your goal may be to inform the audience of something �� who you are, about how you wrote your books, of some writing tip. Or it may be the persuade the audience to take some action �� buy your books, purchase your services, to write a novel themselves.
�� Who is your audience? Recognizing that you are making your video for a specific age group, gender, economic class, geographic region, interests or a combination of these will help shape your word choice, the script��s tone, and any humor you include.
�� What is your specific topic? Don��t be too general. If you say your topic is skiing, that��s too vague. A more specific and focused video would be ��How to put on your skis,�� Five great ski trails in Utah�� or ��What��s the best ski pole for going downhill?��
�� What will you say? Everything you write should focus on key takeaways, that is what you want your viewers to learn. What you want them to learn should match your goals. So if your goal is to get readers to learn about Utah��s five ski trails, you shouldn��t write about any other topic, like why you think Utah��s ski trails are better than Colorado��s.
�� What will be your call-to-action? You always want viewers to do something, related to your goals, when they��ve finished watching your video. It might be buy your book or to contract your services or to simply subscribe to your site. The text of your video subtly suggests that they need to act on your call when the video is done.
�� What will be the visuals that accompany what you will say? Find or make images and graphics that give examples of or emphasize your key takeaways. If writing about ski trails, you may want footage of skiers going down the specific trails you��re discussing.
�� What will be the music and any special effects? These items will accompany what you say and your visuals. They can subtly guide viewers�� emotional reactions to your points.

Once you��ve determined the answers to those questions, you��re ready to start writing. As penning your script, keep the following in mind:
�� Remain conversational �� Write in a friendly tone, as if your viewer were sitting in a comfortable chair right across from you. Use short, crisp sentences.
�� Be complete �� Script every word. Don��t be satisfied with an outline, or you��ll meander or spend too much time on one point but not another. Also include info on where shots change (like to close-up shot of your book), on scene changes, and on any wardrobe changes. Note the spots for your B-Roll (extra footage you cut away to while you��re speaking), text overlays, and voiceovers. Free script templates are available online to help guide you.
�� Keep the script to 1-2 pages �� That may not sound like a lot, but just a couple of pages will result in a 3-6 minute video. Remember that shorter is better. Besides, you want to keep your first few videos simple, and as you feel more comfortable with the process ramp up the sophistication.
�� Write several drafts �� The first draft of a script isn��t the best version. Read the script aloud and look for ways to shorten sentences and to be more conversational. Fine tune the script three or four times before going on to your next step, which is a run-through of it on camera.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

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Published on February 09, 2018 04:45

Authors increase revenue by selling merchandise

Many motion pictures and musicians actually earn more from merchandising than they do from tickets or CDs sold. As an author, you can do the same with your books.

For those readers who love your writing, purchasing products is a way to express their fondness. For those who love your book��s topic or the genre you write about, offering interesting, related merchandise is a good way to introduce them to your titles.

The first step in merchandising is to decide what you want to sell. It might be T-shirts or coffee mugs with witty sayings from your book or poster prints of your book cover art. It could be mouse pads or tote bags. Remember that the products only need to be related to your books and not necessarily directly promote the book; for example, if you write children��s books about animals, you can simply sell children��s T-shirts of the mammals featured in your latest title.

Next, find an online retailer of stock and user-customized on demand products where you can set up a shop. CafePress and Zazzle are a couple of popular options, but there are quite a few other companies, including those that specialize in specific products. These websites actually allow you to create your own online shop where you can select what products to sell and how they appear. Initially the websites may seem confusing, but you��ll quickly get the hang of them.

Once you��ve set up a store front, the next step is to create products. This involves designing them, which can scare authors who don��t think they are artistic. In most cases, all you need is a photo or illustration and some words that you select the font for. Play around with the online design tool for a while, and you��ll quickly pick it up. In addition, create new products regularly, maybe one a week. The more products you have to sell, the better.

After you��ve got a few products for sale at your storefront, start promoting your merchandise via social media posts, a widget on your blog and website, and a page at the back of your books. When using social media, be wary of spamming your followers with promotions. Instead, sneak in a promo every once in a while, ensuring that posts offering valuable content (like links to your blog) dominate what followers see.

Be willing to change your merchandise and to adjust your prices. For example, with my hiking guidebooks-related merchandise I found T-shirts of the national and state parks featured in my books just didn��t sell; the market probably is saturated. Coffee mugs and magnets purchases, though, were a daily occurrence. I began adding more coffee mug and magnets designs, and my sales soared even higher. Then I dropped the price on my T-shirts and sales of them rose, albeit not by much.

Always monitor your competition. Look at what they��re selling �� you may want to sell the same products. Look at what they��re not offering �� you may want to give it a try. And look at how they��re pricing their services or products �� you may want to slightly undercut them.

Lastly, order some of the merchandise to sell your events, such as book readings/signings, guest speaking appearances, and at fair booths. The more items you have at your table, the more traffic you��ll attract to it.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

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Published on February 08, 2018 04:45

Indefinite pronouns: Singular or plural?

In most cases, we know if a pronoun is singular (referring to one person or thing) or plural (referring to two or more people or things) �� she, me and I are singular while us, them, and they are plural. Such words are called definite pronouns. But a few pronouns �� each, anyone, everything, no one, somebody �� aren��t so clear. Sometimes these indefinite pronouns can be either singular or plural; that is, they lack a ��definite�� meaning. These indefinite pronouns can cause havoc when writing.

An indefinite pronoun always must match the verb��s number. So if a pronoun is singular, then the verb must be singular; if a pronoun is plural, then the verb must be plural. For example, in the sentence...

Of the two guys I met, one has asked me for my phone number.

...one is an indefinite pronoun. It is singular (one refers to a lone guy), and therefore the verb has asked must be singular.

To determine if an indefinite pronoun and its verb should be singular or plural, you must look at how the pronoun is used in the context of the sentence. If it refers to a single entity or a group that acts as a lone, single thing, then the verb should be singular. If it refers to a group of things that act independently within the group, then the verb should be plural. For example:

Everything is forgiven. (Everything is singular because it refers to all transgressions in their entirety.)

All of the football players were sore after the rough game. (All is plural because it refers to football players, who could be sore in different ways.)

One trick to determining if the indefinite pronoun is singular or plural is to see if it has a prepositional phrase next to it. In the last example, of the football players is the prepositional phrase and is plural. Therefore the indefinite pronoun and its verb must be plural as well.

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

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Published on February 07, 2018 04:45

Write Out There: 5 SciFi Writing Prompts

Science fiction stories typically arise from a novum, a scientifically plausible concept that is a ��reality�� in the tale. The novum might be an mechanical device like robot servants, artificial intelligence, or faster-than-light spacecraft; it also can be a hypothetical idea such as ��The Earth is a scientific experiment run by aliens to determine the meaning of life�� or ��The government outlaws books.�� The author then asks ��What if?�� exploring how the world with this novum is different than ours.

Among the problems of many novice science fiction writers is instead of introducing a new novum they rely on used furniture �� that is, they borrow novums from popular SF series. After all, how many novels have you read that use starships exploring the galaxy for the Earth-based Federation? Barely changing names to appear as if you are not appropriating �� a starcraft seeking M-class worlds for the Earth-centered Alliance �� still doesn��t cut it as original or fully using the potential that science fiction offers to examine our culture or humanity.

To help SF writers, here are some novums of potential near-future inventions from which stories could be built:

Artificial pancreas
What if a device, via algorithms and dietary input, could program hormone treatments to ensure personalized care for those who need a new pancreas? Will this be an intermediary solution until pancreases can be grown from stem cells or cloned as replacements?

Plasma-based aircraft
What if plasma-based tech were used to improve aircraft efficiency by reducing drag and heating? Plasma shot out in front of the aircraft literally would punch a hole in the atmosphere as it flew at supersonic speeds.

Quantum probes
What if hundreds of millions of marble-sized probes, capable of repairing and reconfiguring themselves, were sent into interstellar space to explore for us, due to the limitations that the many light speed barrier places on our bodies and large spacecraft? Will the probes�� evolving purpose remain the same as the human creators�� reason for launching them?

61 Cygni AB colonization
What if a habitable planet were found around each star of this binary star system and settled by interstellar colonists? What relationship would evolve between these two planets and how does it parallel a current interconnection on Earth?

Skyscraper airports
With the advent of carbon nanofibers, what if airports could be elevated on platforms 15 stories above ground with the terminals, offices and other airport facilities on floors below the top where airplanes land and take off? What would be the advantages of a raised airport?

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

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5 Great Sci-Fi Writing Prompts - Inventing Reality Editing Service

Writing Inspiration: Who are you?

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Published on February 06, 2018 04:18

7 Things Writers Should Know About Theme

�� Never be afraid to write what you believe. If the message speaks the truth, others will fear you.
�� Don't burden us with a self-indulgent digression
�� Utilize milepost character to critique concepts
�� Layer story's imagery with symbolic meaning
�� Place Easter egg to reward careful readers
�� Include clever in-jokes by tuckerizing
�� Challenge yourself to write ��dramables��
�� BONUS: "A great writer reveals the truth even when he or she does not wish to."

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

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Four ways to write a great tweet that sells books

Editing client publishes her first SF novel - Inventing Reality Editing Service

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Published on February 05, 2018 04:45

5 Great Quotations about Novels

��A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author.�� - GK Chesterton

��When you write a movie, you have a hundred collaborators. But when you write a novel, it��s yours.�� - Sidney Sheldon

��This is what I love about novels - both reading them and writing them. They jump into the abyss to be with you where you are.�� - John Green

��A novel is a mirror walking along a main road.�� - Stendhal

��It takes a lot of energy and a lot of neurosis to write a novel. If you were really sensible, you'd do something else.�� - Laurence Durrell

Professional Book Editor: Having your novel, short story or nonfiction manuscript proofread or edited before submitting it can prove invaluable. In an economic climate where you face heavy competition, your writing needs a second eye to give you the edge. I can provide that second eye.

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