LadyPens » Writing

5 Ways To Build A Blog Title Swipe File

Lynette Chandler — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 17:38:47 +0000

Among thousands of blog posts put out everyday, how do people decide what they will read? It may not be the only factor affecting people’s decision, but there’s a very good chance people judge your post – and perhaps your blog by your titles. A good title grabs people’s attention, makes them look twice and take a few minutes to click through to read. A bad one… well, doesn’t even register on the radar. Full Article

Writing For Money – Three Ways to Get Started Making Money Writing on the Internet

Elisabeth Kuhn — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 21:53:37 +0000

Writing for money is cool. You get to stay home and choose your own hours. Yet some writers feel that writing for money is almost a sacrilege. Others feel that earning a good income from writing is an impossible dream. Read on to discover why making money writing can be well within reach for most writers, including you. Full Article

Writing from the Heart – How to Really Connect With Your Audience

Alice Seba — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:09:25 +0000

One of the best ways to draw repeat visitors, build a community around your website and motivate sales is to connect with your audience. When content is your single most powerful and effective marketing tactic, it makes sense to use it to forge that connection. However, writing from the heart can be a challenge for some. Here are a few ways to let your words create a bridge between you and your website visitors. Full Article

Different Types of Content You Can Add To Your Website

Alice Seba — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:07:54 +0000

Understanding that you need content on your website is just the beginning. The next step in the process is actually creating that content so your online business can flourish. In order to continue to prospect you’ll also want to create a content strategy that includes publishing new content on a regular basis. This of course creates a challenge. How do you create all that content? Variety and options help. Let’s take a look at the different types of content you can add to your website. Full Article

Repurposing Your Content – Easy Tips and Ideas

Alice Seba — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:05:59 +0000

One of the best ways to get more bang for your buck is to learn how to repurpose your content. In addition to getting your money’s worth, it also maximizes your time and effort. Here are six tips and ideas for repurposing your content. Full Article

Why Content Is King to the Search Engines (And Your Visitors)

Alice Seba — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:01:54 +0000

You’ve probably heard that content is king, or queen, online and without it a website cannot survive. It’s true. Content is the key to your success. To understand why content is crucial to the success of any website it makes sense to first consider your own behavior when you go online. Full Article

Five Easy Tips to Help You Write More Content

Alice Seba — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 09:40:47 +0000

Content rules the internet. And while video and audio content are certainly a force to be reckoned with, print content still rules the bandwidth. As an online business owner, that means one thing – writing content. However, writing tons of content can take tons of time, right? Well, it doesn’t have to. Full Article

3 Things Make the Biggest Difference in Moving Your Writing Forward

Dawn Goldberg — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 01:23:20 +0000

As writers, we all want to continuously be moving along in our goals. Think of it as a river. A river constantly flows. There may be places where it looks very calm and barely moving, but if you look close enough, you’ll see a current. Full Article

How To Write Great Content In A Snap

Alice Seba — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 16:27:04 +0000

Many small business owners launching websites today create and manage their own website content. There are some tried and true strategies for ensuring that the content you create helps to support your marketing and sales objectives. Full Article

Wal-Mart, Chico’s, and Nordstrom

Dawn Goldberg — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 19:34:24 +0000

When I acquired AuthorSmart from Gail Richards earlier this year, I chose not to make any major changes, especially with regard to the fee structure that was in place, and just concentrated on getting the spring/summer session rolling. Full Article

Conscious Writing

Dawn Goldberg — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:29:29 +0000

I talk a lot about having a writer’s filter, the idea that you start to look at the world through lenses of words. Just like that old saying of looking at the world through rose-colored glasses that make the world look pink and rosy, having a writer’s filter allows you to look at the world of words. You see words all around you. You don’t just notice the delivery van as you’re driving to the bank. You actually take the time to look at the tag line and analyze it. With a writer’s filter, you find yourself constantly going, “Do those words work? Do I like how they’re put together? Do I understand? How did the writer do that? Would I do it differently?” Full Article

R.O.U.S.’s – I don’t think they exist

Dawn Goldberg — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 02:46:23 +0000

I’m reading William Goldman’s supposed adapted book version of The Princess Bride, and I’m really enjoying it. Every so often (but not so often as to be annoying), he breaks in with his author persona and explains why he removed S. Morgenstern’s original text. For a reader and an author, it’s an enjoyable read. Full Article

3 Ingredients to a Finished Book

Dawn Goldberg — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 17:56:13 +0000

Traveling from the airport to the hotel on my way to the eWomen Network International Conference, I shared a shuttle van with a fellow attendee. We quickly figured out that we were going to the same place and for the same reason, AND she was there to attend the AuthorCamp day-long workshop where I was presenting. In the short, 20-minute ride down the highway to the hotel, we chatted about a number of things, from writing (of course) to connection. Full Article

Writing Well As a Barrier to Creativity?

Dawn Goldberg — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 01:32:15 +0000

A few years ago, I ran across a blog post where the author claimed that those who think that writing well is important sap the life out of creativity. She recounted how she was discouraged from sending a letter to Mad Magazine because her English teacher critiqued it too harshly. I feel sorry for her that she let one person's comments keep her from doing something that to this day she regrets. How much do we read and hear that if we're really passionate about something we should go ahead and do it anyway?

10 (and 1 Extra) Tips for Writing Your Book

Dawn Goldberg — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 02:58:40 +0000

I say over and over about how beginning, and even experienced, writers can get bogged down by the idea that a “real” writer lets the words flow, a beautiful, uninterrupted, constant flow of words. Full Article

Self-Contemplation and Success

Ruth Hegarty — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 21:39:35 +0000

As promised in my note above, my “article” today consists of a series of questions that will help you contemplate who you are, who you want to become and continue to be moving forward. Take some time this week (and continue to do this process on an ongoing basis) to just sit and allow these questions to bubble around in your mind. Write down whatever comes up for you. This kind of contemplation leads to deeper self-understanding and success, in both life and work, and directly relates to how you see yourself on the inside which leads to how you live on the outside. Full Article

Why You Need To Learn Internet Copywriting

Melissa Ingold — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:58:13 +0000

Internet copywriting can be intimidating, especially for business owners who do not consider themselves to be “writers”. However, learning copywriting and applying it to your business website can and will increase your profit-earning potential. Full Article

Mobilize Your Passive Income by Creating & Selling Information Products

Melissa Ingold — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:56:47 +0000

If knowledge is power, then selling information products is your one-way ticket to the top. With little to no overhead, zero production costs, and no inventory to maintain or keep track of, selling information can be a highly profitable venture for both you and your business. Full Article

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About PLR

Nell Taliercio — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:20:56 +0000

Content is King. You’ve probably heard this phrase many times. You are also probably aware that content is key to driving more traffic to your website. That’s great. Now all you have to do is get content on your site and watch them all come. Full Article

Brainstorming Blog Post & Article Ideas

Courtney Chowning — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 16:41:51 +0000

Do you keep a list of blog post and article ideas? I do. They are great to reference when I get stuck or in a rut when writing. I just look at my post and article idea list and choose one topic off the list to write about. It is a great time saver. Full Article

Writing a Christian Based E-Book

Courtney Chowning — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:27:19 +0000

Creating e-books are a great way to help others buy sharing your expertise and experience in a particular subject. As a Christian it is also an easy way to make some money without sacrificing your faith or values.By creating your own Christian based e-book you are able to mix your faith and passion together in order to help others. Full Article

The Building Blocks of Powerful Writing

Dawn Goldberg — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 20:33:26 +0000

What exactly is writing well? Is it writing with perfect grammar? Not necessarily.

Is it writing that’s worthy of The New York Times bestseller list? Maybe, but I’m not sure how practical that is. Full Article

Your Book Is a Business

Dawn Goldberg — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 19:05:11 +0000

Whether you are writing a book on frogs, women business owners, creating financial stability or something entirely different; you have to start looking at your book as a business. Read on to learn the six areas that need serious thought before you head down the road toward publishing.

Planning & Goal Setting

Ruth Hegarty — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 22:49:05 +0000

How can you achieve your goals without a plan? Most people know what they want but have no plan to achieve it except by sheer hard work. Your yearly plan should be reviewed daily and reset as your achievements are met. Successful people make lists constantly. It enables them to stay on top of priorities and remain flexible to changing priorities. This should be done for both personal and business goals. Full Article

The Four Thinking Barriers that keep you from being a Successful Novelist

Holly Lisle — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 15:42:45 +0000

Even the most successful writers of today had to overcome various obstacles to bring us the thrillers, romances, mysteries, and epics that we enjoy reading. Every writer has to tackle the four barriers that mess with our thinking processes: Safe, Perfect, Victim and Feel. Full Article

Effective Character Descriptions for Novel Writers

Holly Lisle — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 15:40:58 +0000

What is your character all about? A character is more than just a name; he or she has something to say and to offer to the reader. Any reader who seeks a decent story wonâ€™t be satisfied with a character that exists in one dimension. Full Article

Create, Complicate, Resolve: The Keys to Keeping your Readers Interested

Holly Lisle — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:39:31 +0000

The challenge of writers is to create a story others will be interested in. You wonâ€™t find a more honest or brutal group of people than your readers. The family loves you, hopefully, so they will like whatever you create for them to read. But, that doesnâ€™t guarantee that the publisher wonâ€™t find the story worthless. Full Article

Assessing your Novel Writing Progress: Check These Four Things

Holly Lisle — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 15:36:45 +0000

Itâ€™s important to check the status of your novel now and again during the writing process. The middle of your draft makes for a good stopping point. Is the story heading towards an ending that will wow your readers? Take a time out and see how you are doing. Full Article

4 Steps to Finding the Market for your Novel

Holly Lisle — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:36:35 +0000

Knowing what genre your book will fit into will help you decide where to begin in the search for a market for that novel. It is easy to come up with a zillion ideas for the novel, but marketing is entirely another ballgame. There are four important steps to remember when shopping for the perfect place for your story. Full Article

How to Optimize Your Amazon Profile to Market Your Book

Phyllis Zimbler Miller — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 23:36:41 +0000

Published and self-published authors can optimize their exposure on Amazon thanks to many author-friendly features. And if you donâ€™t know about these opportunities, youâ€™re wasting free book marketing resources.

How to Get Free Targeted and Sincere Reviews for Your Book

Phyllis Zimbler Miller — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:44:28 +0000

Getting free targeted and sincere reviews for your book requires research, commitment and follow through. Full Article

Fiction Book Marketing Tips to Help Authors Build a Bond with Readers

Phyllis Zimbler Miller — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 11:47:42 +0000

In order for readers to spend their money on a novel, they must have the desire to spend time (plus their money) in the world that you the author have created. Full Article

6 Tips for Creating Book Club Discussion Questions for Your Book

Phyllis Zimbler Miller — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 20:31:11 +0000

Youâ€™re a book author and you want to promote your book. You have a website where you have downloads of your first chapter or chapters. Have you also made available discussion questions for book clubs to use? Full Article

Saying Yes to Self-Publishing Your Novel: My Story

Phyllis Zimbler Miller — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 02:03:22 +0000

How many of you have a partially written or completely written novel stashed in a drawer or on your computer, destined never to see the light of day? Full Article

One Space or Two?

Lorrie Morgan Ferrero — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 05:51:44 +0000

One of my subscribers writes ‘I can’t hold my tongue any longer…not that that is fun or anything, I just had to tell you something! Just a tiny ‘lil thing. You have 2 spaces after each period. Unless you are typing on an “old fashioned” typewriter, on a computer you use only one space. This is part of my business, graphic design. I hate to criticize but I know you want to be professional and that stands out. It creates a visual break in the copy making it like a stutter in reading. This is a common mistake for those not “in the field”.’ Full Article