Notes in the Margin

by Jodi M. Webb

People have been asking me for years where I get ideas for my articles. I’d like to say they come to me in a flash of brilliance but it’s much less impressive. They come to me from my daughters’ book bags, an advertisement on the back of my cereal box, or a comment made by my hair stylist. Every day, the ideas are there, waiting for writers to notice them and turn them into articles. Unfortunately, they hide in the most unlikely spots and don’t wear signs that read “I would make a great magazine article!”

Local Publications
The smaller a writer’s hometown the more valuable your local newspaper. Local folks that do memorable things could be interesting to people across the country—but how many of those people read your newspaper? After reading articles in my paper, I’ve written stories about local artists, charities, and events for statewide, national, and even international publications. Never read your paper without scissors in your hand and the question “Who would find this interesting?” in your mind. (more…)

by Kristen King

It sounds counterintuitive. Giving away free content that just anyone can use? How could that possibly help anyone? Two words for you, my friend: viral marketing.

In the article “Building Traffic with Article Marketing,” Brian Clark of Copyblogger describes article marketing as

submitting short articles to directories such as Ezine Articles, with permission for others to republish your work on their blog, website or in their email newsletter. In return, you get one or more links back to the site of your choice.

Over at Associated Content, Michael Brito takes the definition to the next level when he says,

By distributing articles to various article directories on the Internet, your business can reap the benefits ranging from an increase in web traffic, lead generation, new customers and a solid reputation. It’s a simple concept that has the potential to take your business to the next level and higher.

Article marketing is not writing content for article mills (which I fondly think of a plagiarism factories) for $.00002/word. Article marketing is a targeted, planned business technique that’s specifically geared to bring more people to your website/newsletter/whatever, increase your search engine ranking, and give you and your business more exposure. (more…)

by Nancy Callahan

Goals can compel you to write faster, write better, and submit more often — but they need to be specific, quantitative and not overbearing if they’re going to work. So what sort of writing goals are best for you?

If you’ve always aspired to write, but have never been able to squeeze time for writing into your busy schedule, Time-Based Goals will assist you in establishing a fixed writing routine. With time-based goals, the emphasis isn’t necessarily on the quality of your writing but on simply making writing a priority in your life. Here are a few examples: “I aim to write for a total of 5 hours per week.” “I am going to write for at least 30 minutes right after I wake up every morning.” “I will write for three hours straight every Sunday afternoon.” (more…)

by Joe Giunta

Great Sales Letters Focus on Readers Not Sales

How many times have you opened a direct mail letter and thrown it out after reading the first sentence? If you have discarded enough paper to recycle the Rainforest, you may feel that sales letters are a waste of time, money, and trees. Well, think again.

Good sales letters can generate leads, sell products and services, and increase charitable donations. They do it by focusing on the needs of readers rather than the needs of sellers. Here is how to write a sales letter that will get the results you want. (more…)

by N. Powell

One of the key elements in maintaining and growing a business is attracting good clientele. Businesses design and coordinate their efforts to project a professional image that defines their services to the client. Businesses are under tight deadlines and every minute is critical to a company’s earning power. While emphasizing “time is money,” businesses can sometimes ignore the time-honored adage “the customer knows best.”

In the rush to make sure a project meets deadlines, businesses forget that what is said in print reflects a client’s belief of the values the company possesses. Taking the time to make customers happy is time well spent in maintaining customer loyalty.

In the rush to get a message out, executives often rely on subordinates to draft and release memos they have produced. Common sense dictates that the articles be proofread and checked prior to release; however, these items are released without a second glance. Sometimes, this can lead to embarrassing situations.

To avoid any embarrassing or comprising situations, read and edit the works before any public display. Does the correspondence reflect the company’s mission statement? Do the words sound appropriate and understandable to the customer base?

Below are some writing tips to enhance a company’s writing style. (more…)

by Suzan L. Wiener

Have you hurt a writer’s feelings inadvertently by saying something when you only meant to be helpful? Here are five tips to avoid that problem.

• Always start off your critique by saying something positive about the work. No matter how poorly you might think of the writing, there is a way of writing an encouraging remark, such as “I can see that you have given thought to your story, but…” This way, the writer won’t feel defensive.
• When you write a critique, read it as if you were receiving it instead of you writing it. This way, you will see where you can improve the tone of something you have written. Even if you feel it is an honest assessment of the writing, you can word it in such a way as to not attack the writer personally.
• Don’t be afraid to give your honest opinion of the piece. Keeping it to yourself won’t be of any help if he/she wants to improve their writing, which most serious writers want to do. No one should be afraid of frankness. In fact, they should welcome it. You can always be tactful, even if you’re saying something less than positive.
• Be specific in your feedback. Saying “This stinks” is meaningless. Of course, the writer will know you don’t like the piece, but it won’t make him stop and think about why you don’t like it and he won’t be able to make the right changes without knowing what the problem is.
• If you think the work has no redeeming value whatsoever, it might be a better idea not to give it a critique. Trashing it completely isn’t the right thing to do. You won’t feel good about it and neither will the writer. Remember, the fact that the author bothered to take the time to write, makes him/her worthy of respect.
• Don’t feel that the first critique you do has to be an epic. One paragraph is plenty to start with, and then you can build it up as you gain more experience in critiquing.

For more tips on critiquing, check out these resources:

• How to Deal With Critiquing, by Rich Hamper
• Critiquing: A Gift You Can Give, by Angie Dixon
• Share Your Work at Absolute Write Water Cooler

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Suzan L. Wiener has had numerous articles on writing, stories and shorter pieces published by many major publications such as Canadian Writer’s Journal, MetroSeven, The Writer’s Ezine, Verses, Complete Woman, Mature Living, Mature Years, Reader’s Digest, and the Saturday Evening Post.

Although this article was published by Kristen King, the original author retains all copyright and should be contacted for reprint requests.

by Sarah E. White

Freelance writers can operate from anywhere in the world, and because of the Internet, we can work with editors and write for publications that might not be in the same country, or even on the same continent, as we are. But when you send that perfect story idea overseas, how do you find sources in another part of the world on deadline? Head for the ’Net, of course.

If you have time to spare, you can go to any of a number of Web sites for writers from all over the world that offer “reader request” sections, where a writer can explain his story and request people who would like to be interviewed to contact him. These “interviews” can be conducted entirely online; you hardly have to make contact with the respondents (you should thank everyone who responds, however, even if you don’t use their response).

But if you’re looking for sources on the fly with a deadline looming, you need to look a little more broadly. The Internet can help with that, too. There are numerous Web sites full of sources for writers, such as http://www.sources.com, which lists Canadian experts, and http://www.experts.com, which offers keyword-searchable databases of sources from around the world. Other sites for sources include http://www.researchconnect.com, http://www.expertsearch.co.uk (especially for expert witnesses in the UK, analogous to http://www.expertwitnesses.com.au/ in Australia), and http://www.journalismnet.com/experts. You can find an expert on one of these sites and contact him or her directly to see if they would like to be a source for your story.

The most popular and one of the biggest of these sites is ProfNet, which claims to allow writers access to 11,000 sources from government, small business, public relations firms, and other institutions around the world.

Registration for ProfNet is quick, simple, and free. Almost immediately after signing up, you can post a request, which requires contact information, publication name, a description of the type of information you need, and what your deadline is.

I tried the system recently when I was working on a story about reducing meat in people’s diets. I had written the shell of the story, but it needed some expert sources to jazz it up. So on a Friday morning I signed up on ProfNet and posted my query. In a matter of hours, I had three sources contact me. I “talked to” a dietician, an expert in internal medicine and a health researcher who had just published a book on the topic.

The best part was, I never had to pick up the phone. This type of interviewing is great for those of us who are shy because only those people who are interested in talking are on these types of lists, and you can conduct all your interviews by e-mail if you like.

Although not every interview can or should be conducted by e-mail, if you’re working with sources on the other side of the planet it is much easier to use e-mail because you don’t have to worry about time zones or international phone rates. You can get great quotes quickly, easily, and inexpensively any time of the day or night to make your story perfect.

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Sarah E. White is a freelance writer and editor living in Arkansas. Her home on the Web is http://www.sarahewhite.com.