Tuesday's Toolbox: No Donuts!

Law enforcement officers have a way of sneaking into stories - even if it's just to steal donuts! But how would he do it? It seems that cops have mannerisms that make them stand out in a crowd even if there's no gun on their hip, a uniform to identify them (or a donut in their hand - I knew you wouldn't forget that!).

Lynda Sue Cooper (a policewoman/writer) and her policeman husband have put together a profile of the cop at http://www.hodrw.com/cop2.htm

I found the profile to be informative, but did notice that they left out one important detail... the donuts. I thought all cops like donuts. But then they are cops. Maybe they are sworn to secrecy! I guess that explains it ;)

Tuesday's Toolbox: Shrink Lingo

Crazy Carl is experiencing the peak of a his manic phase. He's been out of control and giving the author a major headache. She doesn't quite know how to diagnose his radical behavior...

Do you?

Let's face it, if we as writers are going to step out on a limb and work with characters who don't walk the line of normalcy (whatever that means!), we need a little shrink experience.

I came across this great site http://www.archetypewriting.com/index.html where psychological help for authors is just a click of a mouse away. You'll find

Shrink lingo about psychological diseases and disorders

Evaluations of movie characters you've seen

Question and Answer opportunity

Articles and Resources

Muse help - ideas for developing characters

Check it out! Maybe you can help that character get back on track - or send him over the deep end, whichever gives you the most joy. ;) Then you're welcome to lie back, relax, close your eyes and tell me all about it....

44 Free Ebooks about Writing for Profit!

I'm excited to be able to bring to you 44 exciting ebooks about writing for profit absolutely free!

My personal favorite is "Create your own 3D cover for e-books and boxes. Since I'm I just finished an e-book for Sunday school teachers, this ebook couldn't have appeared at a better time.

The widget to download these books is at the right up corner of my blog page. Please feel free to browse and download. I don't make a penny off these books, so there's no hidden agenda! They're yours to use and redistribute.

Happy Reading :)

3 Minute Ghost Stories

Get ready, get set....


Yes, you!

Click the timer on the right, and start your own ghostwriting experiment. Our haunt for the day is...

Alice
29 years old
secretary
Oregon
having lunch with a co-worker

Go to the comment section of this post and

WRITE!!!!

Resource Center

You only get one chance to make a first impression. So it’s important to get your project right. If you’re not sure of correct grammar usage (beyond what MS word suggests), the correct way to format your work, or anything to do with the structure of your writing, this is a great one-stop-shop for all of your writing questions.


I'm the kind of gal who likes to do things the quickest and simplest way possible. Working smart, is what I call it (Mom called it something else - lol). I enjoy having everything in one spot and easy to use. I give this site an A+ for convenience.

http://webster.commnet.edu/writing/writing.htm

The Writer Resource Bonanza II

Marketplaces

What’s the sense in writing if you don’t have a market for your work? I suppose real writers write for enjoyment first, but most of us find pleasure in sharing that enjoyment with others. A little money for our efforts doesn’t hurt my feelings. I’m always looking for a great place to write for money.

My first experience was RentACoder.com. It was wonderful for giving a newbie a chance to see what she could do, but the money for the work was peanuts. To be truthful, a lot of these places aren’t big paying prospects. But here’s what I found out. They give you connections to clients.

I went from $5 per article writing for RentACoder to make $50 per hour for the same amount of work. It does work if you’re careful to build solid relationships and a reputation for writing quality products with a quick turnaround time.

http://www.rentacoder.com/

Don't let this site scare you. Coders are writers too. This site provides resources for programming needs as well as copywriting.

http://www.elance.com/

I used this site in the past. It can be free, but the to be honest you don't get a lot of projects unless you are a paying member. The membership fee is minimal and a good investment.

http://www.helium.com/

Helium is different than the other sites I have listed in that it is a great place to show off your work instead of writing for hire. They provide monthly contests as well as supply a list of paying jobs. Instead of a fee, they ask you to rank the writing of other authors.

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Find thousands of freelance writing and editing jobs...fresh jobs daily. Kickstart your writing career for just $7.00. Click here

The Writer Resource Bonanza I

Ezines
Ezines (electronic magazines) are great places to find helpful tips, resources or marketplaces. Many ezines are geared toward specific types of writing (children’s writing, for example) but some are generally focused on freelance writing.

It’s always a good idea to keep a steady flow of information coming to your inbox. Let’s be honest, neither you nor I have all the answers. There are times when I’m on a project and I delete most of them, but other times they are an invaluable source of inspiration.



http://www.authormania.com/

http://www.backwash.com/previewnewsarchive.php?newsid=1821

http://thedabblingmum.com/writing/

http://www.ewritersplace.com/

http://www.writergazette.com/

FEEDJIT Hotel?

I've been playing around with FEEDJIT. It's a pretty nifty little gadget that shows where people who visit your blogs come from, what browser they use, and what link they leave your site from. It's pretty cool.

I am scratching my head though. According to my calculations someone from Germany, Canada, Ohio, and Pennsylvania spent the night at one of my blogs. What do you think they were up to? I'm wondering if there's any future in virtual hotels! lol

The Business of Writing

During Christmas, I watched the gifts pile up under the tree. There were several there with my name on them (I must’ve been a good girl!), but one caught my attention. The wrapping paper was “Twisted Whiskah’s” - an adorable rendition of bug-eyed pets. I couldn’t wait to get my fingers on it.

Suckered again! It was something I’ll never wear, in the most putrid color of green I’ve ever seen, and definitely the wrong size – nothing like the quirky package I’d been eying.

As writers, we we’ve got to pay attention to the wrappings (you only three seconds to make a first impression), but what’s inside counts too. If you've got the package AND the contents, you're doing the job right.





3 Tips for Writing Impacting Content
#1
Know your target audience. Take the time to find out the facts about who will be reading your writing. Speak directly to them.

#2
Use the UFO formula. Open with a paragraph that is Useful, Fun, or Outlandish. Get the reader’s attention.

#3
Go ahead and wrap it well. Appropriate headings, subheadings, bullets, and graphics go a long way toward catching the reader’s interest before their mind ever wraps itself around your first word.