How to Write Blog Articles

Below are the steps that you need to take in order to create amazing articles for your blog:

1. Always start the process by doing keyword research. You would want to make sure that you'll be able to address the specific needs and demands of your potential clients. So, know the keywords that they're using on Google to get an idea on the exact information that they're looking for. You're free to target those highly competitive keywords but you must realize this; more competition means lower chances of getting your articles listed on the top 10 search page results.

2. Write how-to and tips list type of articles. Years of doing blogging and article marketing have made me realized that online users are more likely to open an article if it contains tips or comprehensive step-by-step guide. This is because these people are going online looking for help on how to do things on their own. So, as much as possible, write at least one how-to or tips list type of article per day. I can guarantee you that this will help you boost your traffic in no time.

How to Write Blog Articles

3. Keep it short and simple. Keep in mind that you're writing for online users who are coming from different countries and who are using other languages aside from English. It's your job to help them easily understand the points that you're trying to get across. One of the best things that you can do (aside from using translation plug-in) is to write using simple language. Write as if your audience is a 10th grader. This is the technique I'm using and it has helped me easily get through to my prospects.

4. Use images and illustrations. Unlike when you're trying to publish articles on article marketing sites, you can actually use images, graphs, and illustrations when you're writing for your own blog. So, take advantage of this. This will help you break your text and make your content look more enticing to read.

5. Use conversational tone. One of the things that you would like to achieve when writing articles for your blog is to make that much-needed connection with your audience. You would want them to feel that they're talking to somebody who knows where they are coming from so you can easily build trust. It would help if you keep your tone friendly and conversational. It's okay to inject humor once in a while, to ask questions, etc. to engage your readers.

6. Link your articles. You would want your visitors to stay more than a couple of minutes when they visit your blog. The longer they stay, the better your chances of converting them to regular visitors. One of the best ways to do this is by linking your articles to other articles on the same topic to promote further reading.

7. Deliver great information. There's no doubt in my mind that your blog will become the talk of the town if you strive to share nothing but amazing information each time you tap on your keyboard. Offer expert advise (your readers will love you for this), answer frequently asked questions, and share trade secrets and insider tips. These are the things that you need to do to easily be known as the best resource person in your niche. That's exactly what you want to happen, right?

How to Write Blog Articles
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Author: Sean Mize. Sean teaches a unique perspective on growing your online information business using 4 key principles: 1) purpose and mindset 2) expert positioning 3) target market activation and penetration and 4) maximizing sales per buyer.

Sean's training is specifically geared towards advanced marketers who are already making money online and want to increase their market share through innovative and cutting edge methods.

You can find out more about Sean Mize here: Sean Mize's Website

Report Writing - How to Format a Business Report

Introduction

Report writing is a time consuming business so it is a great shame if, having devoted all that time to writing your report, the quality is such that hardly anyone can be bothered to read it. Quite frankly, most report readers do not actually read all the report; they are too short of time. You might as well know it and accept it -- that is normal. They only read the parts that interest them. Frequently these are the summary, the conclusions and recommendations.

Of course, some readers do need all the details you so carefully included, they are specialists, but most do not. Most readers just need two things: that the information they want is where they expect it to be so they can find it, and that it is written clearly so that they can understand it.

Report Writing - How to Format a Business Report

It is similar to reading a newspaper. You expect the news headlines to be on the front page; the sports coverage to be at the back; the TV listings on page whatever and the editorial comment in the middle. If what you want is not in its usual place then you have to hunt for it and you may get irritated. So it is with a report.

There is a convention as to what goes where. Stick with the convention and please your readers. Break the convention and people may get slightly irritated - and bin your report.

So what is that convention, the standard format?

Standard Sections

Title Section. In a short report this may simply be the front cover. In a long one it could also include Terms of Reference, Table of Contents and so on.

Summary. Give a clear and very concise account of the main points, main conclusions and main recommendations. Keep it very short, a few percent of the total length. Some people, especially senior managers, may not read anything else so write as if it were a stand-alone document. It isn't but for some people it might as well be. Keep it brief and free from jargon so that anyone can understand it and get the main points. Write it last, but do not copy and paste from the report itself; that rarely works well.

Introduction. This is the first part of the report proper. Use it to paint the background to 'the problem' and to show the reader why the report is important to them. Give your terms of reference (if not in the Title Section) and explain how the details that follow are arranged. Write it in plain English.

Main Body. This is the heart of your report, the facts. It will probably have several sections or sub-sections each with its own subtitle. It is unique to your report and will describe what you discovered about 'the problem'.

These sections are most likely to be read by experts so you can use some appropriate jargon but explain it as you introduce it. Arrange the information logically, normally putting things in order of priority -- most important first. In fact, follow that advice in every section of your report.

You may choose to include a Discussion in which you explain the significance of your findings.

Conclusions. Present the logical conclusions of your investigation of 'the problem'. Bring it all together and maybe offer options for the way forward. Many people will read this section. Write it in plain English. If you have included a discussion then this section may be quite short.

Recommendations. What do you suggest should be done? Don't be shy; you did the work so state your recommendations in order of priority, and in plain English.

Appendices. Put the heavy details here, the information that only specialists are likely to want to see. As a guide, if some detail is essential to your argument then include it in the main body, if it merely supports the argument then it could go in an appendix.

Conclusions and Recommendations

In conclusion, remember that readers expect certain information to be in certain places. They do not expect to hunt for what they want and the harder you make it for them the more likely they are to toss you report to one side and ignore it. So what should you do?

1. Follow the generally accepted format for a report: Summary, Introduction, Main Body, Conclusions, Recommendations and Appendices.
2. Organise your information in each section in a logical fashion with the reader in mind, usually putting things in order of priority - most important first.

Good luck with your report writing!

Author: Tony Atherton
© Tony Atherton 2005)

Report Writing - How to Format a Business Report
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Tony Atherton is a freelance trainer and writer based in England. He has had four books published and about 90 of his articles have appeared in various magazines and journals. After an earlier career in industry he now runs in-company training courses in business writing, report writing (including technical reports) and taking minutes, as well as negotiation skills and time management. Over 6000 delegates have attended his courses. See http://www.tony-atherton.co.uk/reportwriting.htm for details of report writing courses, or see http://www.tony-atherton.co.uk for general information.

Write Your Family History - 50 Questions You Must Ask Parents Or Grandparents Before They Die

No one expected it.

While climbing into his hot tub, my healthy 87- year-old father-in-law slipped, fell, and broke a rib. He began internal bleeding that the doctors couldn't stop. In two weeks, Gene was gone.

Fortunately, we had taken time a few months earlier to record Gene's life story, and discovered some amazing facts. He was a semi-pro baseball player, a fine watercolorist, and a US Marine. As a marketing executive for Kaiser and later Del Monte, he worked on national advertising campaigns with mega-stars of his day, including Joan Crawford, Debbie Reynolds, Stan Musial, Lloyd Bridges and others.

Write Your Family History - 50 Questions You Must Ask Parents Or Grandparents Before They Die

We recorded Gene's life story on two occasions: once at a small family dinner, then during a living-room interview a few months later.

We transcribed the audio files of the recordings, added pictures, and then uploaded the whole package to a new free web site that helps people write great personal and family stories. (See resource section,below). Gene's family and friends can view his story and add comments or photos if they wish. The profile that we co-created with Gene is a celebration of his life. It's also a direct, meaningful connection with his daughters and their grandchildren. Anyone can create a life story for themselves or a loved one. It's as simple as setting aside some time and doing some careful listening.

I've helped hundreds of people across the US, Canada, and Mexico capture their life stories. Based on hundreds of hours of interviews, I've boiled down my experience into three key tips, and the 50 most productive questions you can use for success.

Success Tip #1: Pre-Interview Preparation is Key

To get the most from your family history session, be as prepared as possible.

. Inform the subject of the purpose of the interview, who will see it, and how it will be used · Prepare your questions in advance · Set aside a quiet time and place free from interruptions

· It's a good idea to use a voice or video recorder; test all equipment thoroughly before starting

· It's often useful to use a tape or digital recorder and transcribe the dictation

· Photos, mementos, or other visual aids are great memory-joggers. Ask your subject to prepare some in advance

· Listen attentively and gently; ask questions of clarification

· Don't try to force the subject into something they are uncomfortable discussing

Success Tip #2: Be Flexible and Creative

When I first started doing life story interviews, it seemed as if people spent the majority of time talking about their early days. As I got more experience, I began to realize that most people have one, two or possibly three key defining times in their lives. For many, it's childhood. For a lot of men, it's WWII, Korea, or Vietnam. The defining moments emerge like finding a gold nugget in a streambed. Be sensitive to these defining moments and episodes. Listen extra-carefully, and ask questions. Often a deeper portrait of an individual emerges, laden with rich experiences, values, beliefs, and layers of complexity. If you don't complete the interview in one sitting, set a date to resume your conversation later

Success Tip #3: Organize Life Stories into Chapters

Most people (yes, even shy ones) love to be the center of attention and share stories from their lives. There are two challenges for a family historian. The first is to capture the stories in a structured, logical way. The second is to make sure that the stories are as complete as possible and contain facts (names, dates, places), fully-drawn characters, a story line, and perhaps even a finale. The GreatLifeStories web site divides the life experience into 12 "chapters" that follow the progression of many lives. On the web site, each chapter contains anywhere from 10 to 25 questions. (Below, I've selected the 50 questions that usually get the best results). Don't worry; you don't have to ask them all. In fact, after one or two questions, you may not have to ask anymore-the interview takes on a life of its own.

The most important objective is to make sure you cover as many of the chapter headings as possible. The chapter headings are logical and somewhat chronological in order: Beginnings, School Days, Off to Work, Romance and Marriage, and so forth. Feel free to add your own chapters, as well. The 12-chapter system is a great way to organize both the interview, as well as the life story write up, video, or audio recording.

CHAPTER 1: In the Beginning

1. What were your parents and grandparents full names, dates of birth, places of birth.

2. What were the occupations of your parents?

3. How many children were in your family? Where were you in the lineup?

4. Generally speaking, what was your childhood like?

5. What one or two stories do you remember most clearly about your childhood?

6. Are there any particularly happy, funny, sad or instructive lessons you learned while growing up?

CHAPTER 2: In Your Neighborhood

1. What was it like where you grew up?

2. Describe your most important friendships

3. Where and how did "news of your neighborhood" usually flow?

CHAPTER 3 School Days

1. Be sure to capture names and dates attended of grammar, high, colleges, trade or technical schools

2. What are your earliest school day memories?

3. Are there any teachers or subjects you particularly liked or disliked?

4. What did you learn in those first years of school that you would like to pass along to the next generation?

5. Were you involved in sports, music, drama, or other extra-curricular activities?

CHAPTER 4: Off to Work

1. What did you want to be when you grew up?

2. What was your first job, and how did you get it?

3. What was your first boss like? What did you learn from him or her?

4. Did you leave? Quit? Get promoted? Get fired?

5. Were you ever out of work for a long time? If so, how did you handle it?

CHAPTER 5 Romance & Marriage

1. What do you recall about your first date?

2. How did you know you were really in love?

3. Tell me how you "popped the question," or how it was popped to you.

4. Tell me about your wedding ceremony. What year? Where? How many attended? Honeymoon?

5. Tell me about starting your family.

6. Were you married more than once? How often?

CHAPTER 6: Leisure and Travel

1. What were the most memorable family vacations or trips you can recall?

2. What leisure time activities are you involved with?

3. What are your greatest accomplishments in this field?

CHAPTER 7: Places of Worship

1. Do you follow any religious tradition?

2. If so which one, and what is it like?

3. Have you ever changed faiths?

4. What role do your beliefs play in your life today?

5. What would you tell your children about your faith?

CHAPTER 8 War & Peace

1. Were you a volunteer, drafted or a conscientious objector?

2. If you didn't serve, what do you recall about being on the home front during the war?

3. What key moments do you recall about your service?

4. What would you tell today's young soldiers, sailors and fliers?

CHAPTER 9 Triumph and Tragedy

1. What were the most joyous, fulfilling times of your life?

2. Any sad, tragic or difficult times you'd care to share such as losing a loved one, a job, or something you cared about?

3. What lifelong lessons did you learn from these tough times? Joyous times?

4. Were there any moments you recall as true breakthroughs in any area of your life?

5. If you could do one thing differently in your life, what would that be?

CHAPTER 10 Words of Wisdom

1. What have you learned over your lifetime that you'd like to share with the younger generation?

2. People will sometimes repeat aphorisms such as "honesty is the best policy." If they do, be sure to ask how they learned that life lesson.

CHAPTER 11: Funnybones

1. What were your family's favorite jokes or pranks?

2. Who is, or was, the family comedian? "Straight" man?

3. What's the funniest family story you remember?

CHAPTER 12 Thank You

1. What are you most grateful for you your life?

2. How have you taught your children to be grateful?

3. Are there items or places that mark special gratitude for the ones you love? What are they? What are their stories?

In closing, it is always a good idea to ask an open-ended question such as:" Is there anything I haven't asked about that you would care to comment on?" You'll often be surprised and delighted at the answers!

RESOURCES:

For many more tips on how to capture precious family history, visit www.GreatLifeStories.com

Write Your Family History - 50 Questions You Must Ask Parents Or Grandparents Before They Die
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Mike Brozda is one of the founding members of the GreatLifeStories team. A veteran journalist, he has more than 30 years experience writing for national and international publications.

How To Write Better Editorial Articles

Writing an editorial article may be one of the most satisfying forms of writing, especially for journalists trained to be objective at all costs. An editorial article can be about anything and from any standpoint. As long as you have an opinion and can support it with facts, you have the makings of an interesting piece.

We all have opinions, right? Yet not all of us are editorial writers and not all editorials are worth reading. What exactly makes an editorial article good -- and how do you write one?

KNOW YOUR THESIS

How To Write Better Editorial Articles

Too many people begin writing their topic with only a vague sense of opinion, never honing, or refining, that opinion into something sharp and distinctive. Be sure to have a solid grasp of what you're arguing and why you're arguing. Think about your topic and why you've chosen it first. What elements of the argument call to you? What angers or pleases you about this issue? Keep these things in mind as you begin to write.

MINE THE DATA

An editorial is only as good as its facts. Sure, you may think the death penalty is wrong and worthy of outlaw, but without backing it up with data, you have nothing but a half-formed opinion. Get the backstory, understand your argument inside-out. Research every aspect of your topic and cite as many facts as possible; generalities are the death of interesting editorials.

CONSIDER THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

Don't pigeonhole yourself into writing from majority's opinion just because you can make easy arguments. Think long and hard about your position on the chosen issue and write from the standpoint that makes the most sense to you. Never, ever, ever compromise your beliefs for the sake of a byline.

AVOID HYPERBOLE

Sure, exaggerating slightly is expected during a heated face-to-face, but hyperbole has no place in a well-written editorial. You can rarely back up statements such as "always" and "never" with factual data, so stay away from them unless the hyperbole has a definite, and obvious, literary purpose. Typically, including these words will make your editorial prone to justifiable, and often fatal, criticism.

UNDERSTAND THE OPPOSITION

The only way to create a fully formed editorial with tons of depth and poignancy is to understand what the other side is arguing. Research opposing viewpoints with the same voracious energy as the ones with which you line up. Take the time to understand what the other side is arguing and why; after all, you can only combat a particular argument if you know exactly what that argument is.

How To Write Better Editorial Articles
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Brian Konradt writes articles on english grammar and literacy for http://www.LousyWriter.com and http://www.LiteracyNews.com

Magazine Article Writing - How to Persuade, Entertain, and Educate Your Readers at the Same Time

Persuade, entertain, and educate your readers -- this is your main goal if you're writing articles for magazines. Here's how you can make that happen:

1. Educate your readers. Ensure that you have in-depth knowledge on the topics that you're discussing. It's best if you have relevant first-hand experience so you can offer your readers with valuable, quality information. Don't forget to do your research so you can obtain ample information and supporting data. Make sure that you do not leave any stone unturned. If you're not an expert on the subject matter, interview some people who are. Doing this will make your articles sound more powerful.

2. Persuade your readers. If your main goal is to get your readers to believe in something, you've got to develop high level persuasion skills. It will help if you effectively present an argument to prove your point. It's also not a bad idea if you present testimonials or opinions of other people who are experts on the subject matter or who have had first-hand experience.

Magazine Article Writing - How to Persuade, Entertain, and Educate Your Readers at the Same Time

3. Entertain your readers. A lot of people are reading magazines simply because they would like to be entertained. Don't let them down. Start by writing your articles using friendly, conversational tone. Offer related stories, examples, and real-life experiences. Inject humor and visuals whenever you see fit. Don't forget to make your articles easy on the eyes. Present each of your idea using very short paragraphs. Use subheadings and bullet list whenever possible. If your articles run for more than 2 pages, I suggest that you highlight the most important information that you're giving out so your readers will easily find them.

Magazine Article Writing - How to Persuade, Entertain, and Educate Your Readers at the Same Time
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Check For 100 New Release & BestSeller Books For Your Collection

Author: Sean Mize. Sean teaches a unique perspective on growing your online information business using 4 key principles: 1) purpose and mindset 2) expert positioning 3) target market activation and penetration and 4) maximizing sales per buyer.

Sean's training is specifically geared towards advanced marketers who are already making money online and want to increase their market share through innovative and cutting edge methods.

You can find out more about Sean Mize here: Sean Mize's Website

Report Writing - How to Format a Business Report

Introduction

Report writing is a time consuming business so it is a great shame if, having devoted all that time to writing your report, the quality is such that hardly anyone can be bothered to read it. Quite frankly, most report readers do not actually read all the report; they are too short of time. You might as well know it and accept it -- that is normal. They only read the parts that interest them. Frequently these are the summary, the conclusions and recommendations.

Of course, some readers do need all the details you so carefully included, they are specialists, but most do not. Most readers just need two things: that the information they want is where they expect it to be so they can find it, and that it is written clearly so that they can understand it.

Report Writing - How to Format a Business Report

It is similar to reading a newspaper. You expect the news headlines to be on the front page; the sports coverage to be at the back; the TV listings on page whatever and the editorial comment in the middle. If what you want is not in its usual place then you have to hunt for it and you may get irritated. So it is with a report.

There is a convention as to what goes where. Stick with the convention and please your readers. Break the convention and people may get slightly irritated - and bin your report.

So what is that convention, the standard format?

Standard Sections

Title Section. In a short report this may simply be the front cover. In a long one it could also include Terms of Reference, Table of Contents and so on.

Summary. Give a clear and very concise account of the main points, main conclusions and main recommendations. Keep it very short, a few percent of the total length. Some people, especially senior managers, may not read anything else so write as if it were a stand-alone document. It isn't but for some people it might as well be. Keep it brief and free from jargon so that anyone can understand it and get the main points. Write it last, but do not copy and paste from the report itself; that rarely works well.

Introduction. This is the first part of the report proper. Use it to paint the background to 'the problem' and to show the reader why the report is important to them. Give your terms of reference (if not in the Title Section) and explain how the details that follow are arranged. Write it in plain English.

Main Body. This is the heart of your report, the facts. It will probably have several sections or sub-sections each with its own subtitle. It is unique to your report and will describe what you discovered about 'the problem'.

These sections are most likely to be read by experts so you can use some appropriate jargon but explain it as you introduce it. Arrange the information logically, normally putting things in order of priority -- most important first. In fact, follow that advice in every section of your report.

You may choose to include a Discussion in which you explain the significance of your findings.

Conclusions. Present the logical conclusions of your investigation of 'the problem'. Bring it all together and maybe offer options for the way forward. Many people will read this section. Write it in plain English. If you have included a discussion then this section may be quite short.

Recommendations. What do you suggest should be done? Don't be shy; you did the work so state your recommendations in order of priority, and in plain English.

Appendices. Put the heavy details here, the information that only specialists are likely to want to see. As a guide, if some detail is essential to your argument then include it in the main body, if it merely supports the argument then it could go in an appendix.

Conclusions and Recommendations

In conclusion, remember that readers expect certain information to be in certain places. They do not expect to hunt for what they want and the harder you make it for them the more likely they are to toss you report to one side and ignore it. So what should you do?

1. Follow the generally accepted format for a report: Summary, Introduction, Main Body, Conclusions, Recommendations and Appendices.
2. Organise your information in each section in a logical fashion with the reader in mind, usually putting things in order of priority - most important first.

Good luck with your report writing!

Author: Tony Atherton
© Tony Atherton 2005)

Report Writing - How to Format a Business Report
Check For The New Release in Health, Fitness & Dieting Category of Books NOW!
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Check For 100 New Release & BestSeller Books For Your Collection

Tony Atherton is a freelance trainer and writer based in England. He has had four books published and about 90 of his articles have appeared in various magazines and journals. After an earlier career in industry he now runs in-company training courses in business writing, report writing (including technical reports) and taking minutes, as well as negotiation skills and time management. Over 6000 delegates have attended his courses. See http://www.tony-atherton.co.uk/reportwriting.htm for details of report writing courses, or see http://www.tony-atherton.co.uk for general information.

Writing Lesson Plan - A Children's Writing Lesson Plan For Beginners

Since many aspiring children's book writers are also teachers, it might be a good idea to offer some advice in a familiar format -- a writing lesson plan. We'll develop this plan step-by-step.

LESSON ONE:

Let's start our adventure with a look at the categories of children's books:

Writing Lesson Plan - A Children's Writing Lesson Plan For Beginners

* Picture books -- In its broadest definition, a picture book is a book in which the illustrations play a significant role in telling the story. Under this umbrella are several types of books:

1. Baby Books -- For infants and young toddlers, these books are generally lullabies, nursery rhymes, fingerplays, or wordless books. The length and format varies with the content.

2. Toddler books -- Very simple stories for ages 1-3 (under 300 words) familiar to a child's everyday life, or concept books (teaching colors, numbers, shapes, etc.) Books are short (12 pages is average) and the format can be board books (sturdy paper-over board construction), pop-ups, lift-the flaps or novelty books (books that make sounds, have different textures, etc.) See the "Max" series of board books by Rosemary Wells (Dial).

3. Picture books -- Traditionally, picture books (also called "picture story books") are 32-page books for ages 4-8 (this age may vary slightly by publisher). Manuscripts are up to 1500 words, with 1000 words being the average length. Plots are simple (no sub-plots or complicated twists) with one main character who embodies the child's emotions, concerns and viewpoint. The illustrations (on every page or every other page) play as great a role as the text in telling the story. Occasionally a picture book will exceed 1500 words; this is usually geared toward the upper end of the age spectrum. Picture books cover a wide range of topics and styles. The list of Caldecott Medal winners, available from your library, is a good place to start your research. Nonfiction in the picture book format can go up to age 10, 48 pages in length, or up to about 2000 words of text.

4. Early picture books -- A term for picture books geared toward the lower end of the 4-8 age range. These stories are simple and contain under 1000 words. Many early picture books have been reprinted in the board book format, thus widening the audience. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (Philomel) is an example.

As we continue our writing lesson plan, we step up to a slighty older age group:

* Easy readers -- Also called "easy-to-read", these books are for children just starting to read on their own (age 6-8). They have color illustrations on every page like a picture book, but the format is more "grown-up" -- smaller trim size, sometimes broken into short chapters. The length varies greatly by publisher; the books can be 32-64 pages long, with 200-1500 words of text, occasionally going up to 2000 words. The stories are told mainly through action and dialogue, in grammatically simple sentences (one idea per sentence). Books average 2-5 sentences per page. See the "Amelia Bedelia" books by Peggy Parish or other "I Can Read" books published by Harper Trophy.

* Transition books -- Sometimes called "early chapter books" for ages 6-9, they bridge the gap between easy readers and chapter books. Written like easy readers in style, transition books are longer (manuscripts are about 30 pages long, broken into 2-3 page chapters), books have a smaller trim size with black-and-white illustrations every few pages. See "The Kids of the Polk Street School" series by Patricia Reilly Giff (Dell) or the "Stepping Stone Books" published by Random House.

* Chapter books -- For ages 7-10, these books are 45-60 manuscript pages long, broken into 3-4 page chapters. Stories are meatier than transition books, though still contain a lot of action. The sentences can be a bit more complex, but paragraphs are still short (2-4 sentences is average). Chapters often end in the middle of a scene to keep the reader turning the pages. Look at the "Herbie Jones" books by Suzy Kline (Puffin) and the "Ramona" books by Beverly Cleary (Morrow).

* Middle grade -- This is the golden age of reading for many children, ages 8-12. Manuscripts suddenly get longer (100-150 pages), stories more complex (sub-plots involving secondary characters are woven through the story) and themes more sophisticated. Kids get hooked on characters at this age, which explains the popularity of series with 20 or more books involving the same cast. Fiction genres range from contemporary to historical to science fiction/fantasy; nonfiction includes biographies, science, history and multicultural topics. Check out some middle grade novels from the list of Newberry Medal winners at your library to get you started.

Our final stop for this writing lesson plan is one of the hottest areas of publishing:

* Young adult -- For ages 12 and up, these manuscripts are 130 to about 200 pages long. Plots can be complex with several major characters, though one character should emerge as the focus of the book. Themes should be relevant to the problems and struggles of today's teenagers, regardless of the genre. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton defined young adult when it was first published in 1967; the Newbery Medal award list also contains many worthy titles. A new age category (10-14) is emerging, especially with young adult nonfiction. These books are slightly shorter than the 12 and up category, and topics (both fiction and nonfiction) are appropriate for children who have outgrown middle grade but aren't yet ready for the themes (fiction) or who aren't studying the subjects (nonfiction) of high school readers.

Back with Step 2 of our writing lesson plan soon! In the meantime, visit http://cbiclubhouse.com to learn about the right way to write stories and submit them to children's book publishers.

Writing Lesson Plan - A Children's Writing Lesson Plan For Beginners
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Laura Backes is the Publisher of Children's Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children's Book Writers. Want to learn how to become a successful children's book author? Come hang with the Fightin' Bookworms at http://cbiclubhouse.com Whether is writing picture books, chapter books, young adult novels, finding children's book publishers -- or anything else -- you'll find all the answers at the CBI Clubhouse!

Flight Attendant, Cabin Crew Cover Letters - How to Write Them Effectively

Your chances of succeeding in your job applications is enhanced when you include a well written flight attendant cover letter along with your resume/CV. Recruitment personnel of commercial airlines are faced with numerous applications for flight attendant (cabin crew) positions. A carefully crafted covering letter should be brief and not contain too much information that it becomes a replica of your resume. The letter is your opportunity to introduce yourself and briefly mention your background, experience and expertise. This will draw the reader's attention, adding impetus to your resume, giving it heightened prominence.

Your letter should be summarised in 3 or 4 paragraphs and a maximum of 5 paragraphs is acceptable. Importantly, your letter should not be a copy of your resume/CV. In the first letter introduce yourself and refer to the vacant position, affirming your interest, giving reasons by briefly mentioning your background. You should explain that the flight attendant position you are seeking is a natural progression in your career development.

The main body of your letter should comprise the second and third paragraphs. In this section of your covering letter, mention your current / most recent position along with the demonstrable competencies and skills you used to execute your remit. Also mention the job position that preceded that role and the skills used in your daily workload. Mention how your roles have helped you develop, hone and acquire skills. If you are aspiring for a Flight Attendant Manager role, mention how you have demonstrated managerial and organizational skills in the past, not only in work but also in your leisure pursuits. You should highlight skills and competencies relevant to those used by flight attendants and cabin crew.

Flight Attendant, Cabin Crew Cover Letters - How to Write Them Effectively

These skills include:

Excellent customer service skills A diplomatic approach to dealing with dificult passengers Excellent communication skills A friendly, warm and assured personality Enjoyment and desire to serve and assist others Good mental arithmetic skills for handling cash and multiple currencies Ability to work quickly and proactively within solutions-orientated teams Ability to work effectively in an assured manner, working under pressure

If you write your cover letter along these lines, it will carry persuasive impact and create a professional impression in the mind of the reader. Conclude your letter as you started, in a persuasive and professional manner by re-affirming your interest in the position. You should already have researched the airline prior to making your application by visiting their website and reading their press releases and other literature. Find out about their corporate culture and the opportunities and level of support they offer for staff development. Mention what you know about the employer from your research and how it fits with your career development goals. Let them know you want to be a part of their organization. Employers notice competent candidates that show interest and demonstrate knowledge of their organization. In addition mention that the skills and qualities that are evident in your resume/ CV are highly relevant to the flight attendant vacancy. Also mention that your confidence, enthusiasm and commitment would be hugely valuable to the airline.

Flight Attendant, Cabin Crew Cover Letters - How to Write Them Effectively
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Richard Blake is a resume writing consultant and provides CV writing service for professionals in all industries along with specific help for commercial flight attendants and cabin crew seeking cabin crew CVs and cover letters.

How to Write an Article Review - 5 Easy Steps

First of all an article review is a writing giving your opinion on certain thing. It could be a product, a service, a movie, a book or even an article. Writing an article could be a little bit challenging for some people, but is not have to be hard. I am going to give you 5 tips on how to write an effective article review.

1. Research. If you going to talk about a service or product you have to know it well. Even the experience use in it would be very helpful. You have to know their uses. If you do not have used the product or service research about people who tried it. Writing about an article or movie well you know what you have to do, read it and see it.

2. Introduction paragraph. Give a brief overview of what is about, with no details. A few main points will be fine.

How to Write an Article Review - 5 Easy Steps

3. Give information. A description of what does, benefits or importance for the user.

4. Critique. This is the most important part of the article. Why did you recommend it? Why not recommend it? Give your opinion of why you like it or not. You can compare it to others similar to it as well.

5. Wrap it up. Make a conclusion of why you recommend it or not.

There you have it. Follow this simple 5 steps and you can write effective article reviews and doing it fast. If you have questions or want to see some samples about articles review you can visit my blog.

How to Write an Article Review - 5 Easy Steps
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Online Writing Contest - Competition Tips - How to Win Every Contest You Enter

So you've stumbled across an online writing competition / contest, or perhaps your favourite brand of cereal is offering you a chance to win a holiday around the world. All you have to do is tell them in 25 words or less why you want it. And you want to win, right?

Well believe it or not there are a small number of easy steps you can take to dramatically increase the odds in your favor. And here they are, free of charge just because I'm such a nice guy...

No Sob Stories!

Online Writing Contest - Competition Tips - How to Win Every Contest You Enter

This tip goes first on the list, because it is the most important. For some reason the first thing that seems to come to people's minds with these contests and competitions is "how can I get them to pity me?" It sounds like a great plan as an entrant, but speaking from personal experience as a judge in these contests, I can tell you that it's a complete turnoff.

Nonetheless people will try ever trick in the book...

We can't pay the rent... our house burnt down... everybody in my family has cancer... I need 16 operations so that my dog stops being depressed and I can have my leg re-attached then pay the rent and burn the house down... well you get the point.

Let me make it very clear - this tactic does not work, even if you are telling the truth, because:

1. Judges can't verify your claims, so anyone can make up any story they like.

2. After a while these entries become so numerous and laborious that they don't stand out.

All that you will do is send the judge into a depression spiral. More to the point, you will end up highlighting your competitors' entries because theirs are more enjoyable to read.

Be Creative and Make it Fun to Read

Depending on the number of entrants, judges can often have a lot of text to read. As their head slumps closer and closer to the desk and the coffee starts to wear off, your entry is going to need to have something special about it to get noticed. The best thing you can do is get creative. And I mean really thinking outside of the box (if you are thinking poetry right now, you are not thinking hard enough).

My advice to you here is simple. If you come up with something different and make it really stand out, and MAKE IT FUNNY, you will win. When I hear a fellow judge burst out into laughter at his or her desk, 9 times out of 10 he or she is reading the winner. I can usually even tell which entry they are reading because I had the same reaction when I first read it.

If you can manufacture a reaction like this, chances are you are on a winner. I suggest using your friends and family as test dummies here. If they end up in a ball rolling around the floor you've done your job. If the best you get is "not bad", "(chuckle) very good" or even "looks good to me", then you need to go back to the drawing board.

Now that's not to say every winner will be comical or humorous, but your entry needs to stand out as somehow being impressive or interesting.

Stick to the Rules and Stay on Topic

If I had a penny for every time a "words or less" entry broke the rules, I would currently be Bahamas and you would be on your own with this one. Take the time to read the rules, terms and conditions before entering. And if you are provided with a quick-start guide to entering a competition, read it over at least 3 times and make sure you take the advice onboard.

In general, you should always:

· Stay within the word limit

· Write in direct response to the competition's question or topic (really important!)

· Avoid coarse language

· Submit your entry in the language requested

Short, Sharp, Shiny

Just because you are allowed to use 25 words doesn't mean you should. If your entry says what you want it to say, don't fill up the rest of your word limit by repeating yourself or adding useless details. All you end up doing is diluting your message.

Polish It!

So it took you 5 minutes (or maybe 2 days) to create your entry. Would another 5 minutes of proofreading kill you? No, of course not, but it will definitely help you win. Check your grammar, check your punctuation, check your capitalization and check your spelling. Presentation makes your entry easier to read, and will greatly improve your chances.

Submit It

It sounds obvious, doesn't it? But how many times have you seen a competition you would like to enter, only to let the due date slip by? As the saying goes, you've got to be in it to win it. And if you use the advice I've just given you, your chances of coming out on top will greatly improve.

So what are you waiting for?

Online Writing Contest - Competition Tips - How to Win Every Contest You Enter
Check For The New Release in Health, Fitness & Dieting Category of Books NOW!
Check What Are The Top Cooking Books in Last 90 Days Best Cheap Deal!
Check For Cookbooks Best Sellers 2012 Discount OFFER!
Check for Top 100 Most Popular Books People Are Buying Daily Price Update!
Check For 100 New Release & BestSeller Books For Your Collection

Michael Dorian is the founder of Wish and Vote, the world's easiest online writing competition/contest [http://www.wishandvote.com].