Should You Write a Book?

One morning, you open your inbox and find several e-mails that will boost your business. There is an invitation to speak at a local group comprised of your best prospects. Several emails have arrived from people who've "heard of you" and inquire about your services.

There is a message from a potential joint venture partner who has invited you to be a guest on a teleconference that will reach 500 people, all of them prospects. Later that day, a journalist calls. She wants to write a story about your business, which she heard about on a radio interview you gave weeks earlier.

Is this a fantasy? No. This could be a typical day in your life as a published author.

More and more business people are realizing the power of writing a book to catapult their businesses to a higher level. Speakers, consultants, coaches, therapists and other small business owners are learning that publishing a book is one of the most powerful marketing strategies available.

Published authors report that their lives change, often dramatically, when their books reach the marketplace. When you become an author, you become known as the expert. When you are known as an expert in your field, whatever your field, you will find that the world will beat a path to your door.

A Book Generates Visibility and Attracts Clients

Of all the information products you can create, a book has the greatest potential to open doors. A book can give you more recognition and professional credibility than audiotapes, CDs, videos, seminars, workshops and public speaking.

Since my book Get Slightly Famous was published last year, I have been amazed at how it has transformed my business.

Publishing my book was a newsworthy event that resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in new business, high-profile media coverage, speaking engagements, radio interviews, partnership opportunities, and too many other benefits to mention.

Prospective clients now hear about me from all over the world. The media regularly call me, and I appear in newspaper articles and radio interviews.

Get Slightly Famous is not just my most effective marketing tool. It has become the core of my brand identity. My book provides a marketing platform for my business that gives all my marketing efforts a natural, sharp focus.

Best of all, marketing is not such a struggle anymore.

As a successful author you will find the stress of constantly seeking new clients can largely become a thing of the past. Clients will seek you out, ready to pay good money for your services, because you are seen as a leader in your field. You become their first choice.

It's Not Just a Book -- It's a Business!

Your book is the seed from which you can grow a multi-faceted "empire'' of related products and services, including seminars, teleclasses, reports, consulting packages, audiotapes, and other profitable information products.

Imagine selling thousands of books to trade associations as premiums for their members. Or how about creating a $49-a-month newsletter, a $995 home-study course, a $499 a year membership web site? Could you use your book as the basis for a year-long mentorship program for which individuals or groups that pay thousands of dollars a piece to participate?

The idea is to see your book as a launching pad for new business opportunities.

Barbara Hemphill used her book Taming The Paper Tiger to develop a multi-pronged branding strategy. Hemphill offers organizing skills services designed to reduce stress and increase productivity. Her business is based almost entirely on her book.

Barbara has used her book to develop Taming the Paper Tiger software, gain an endorsement by Pendaflex, and found the Hemphill Productivity Institute. Her company now employs more than 70 Paper Tiger authorized consultants across the U.S. and Canada.

You can write a book!

Me, publish a book, you ask? Yes, you. It is easier than you might think, and you don't need to be a seasoned writer to become a published author.

Writing a successful book is not the easiest thing in the world, but it is entirely possible. The talents and expertise you bring to your clients can form the basis of a successful book. If you know your subject area, and can communicate your ideas in a clear, compelling, organized manner, becoming a published author is within your reach.

A strategy that works for many is to break the process into smaller steps by writing a series of articles. They then become the basis for a book. Or, you can work with a talented freelance writer to help you express your ideas clearly and with conviction.

The most traditional route is to find a publisher who will handle the production, marketing, promotion and distribution. This involves up front work (you write a detailed proposal, a table of contents, sample chapters and a market overview). Then you shop the proposal around to potential publishers, either on your own or with the help of a commissioned agent.

Self-publishing has many advantages over traditional publishing, the most compelling being greater financial returns for the author. "When you self-publish, you keep all the profits," says Dan Poynter, author of The Self-Publishing Manual. "Additionally, you get into print quickly, own the copyright, and take all applicable tax breaks."

On the downside, self-publishing can be expensive. You pay up front for all the production and distribution costs, and if your book does not sell, you will be stuck with the leftover inventory. However, if your book is successful, you will not only have the satisfaction and advantages of being a published author, you will make more money.

Whatever publishing route you choose, the Internet provides a global marketplace for your book. Never before has it been so easy to market a book if you are willing to invest the time and energy to write one.

About The Author

Steven Van Yoder is the author of Get Slightly Famous. He teaches small business owners how to duplicate his success and become a "slightly" famous author in your field. Visit <a href="http://www.getslightlyfamous.com" target="_new">www.getslightlyfamous.com</a> to claim your FREE Slightly Famous Marketing Plan Workbook and learn how to attract more business with less effort by creating your own information empire.

<a href="mailto:steven@getslightlyfamous.com">steven@getslightlyfamous.com</a>

The Cost of Being a Writer

You are the only one who knows what being a writer means to you.

You are the only one who knows whether you consider it to be a career, or a pleasant hobby.

And therefore, you are the only one who can judge how much you are willing to invest in your writing business.

In this article, we're going to talk about cost in financial terms. Not the cost in time; not the cost in sleep; not the cost emotionally. We're just talking dollars and cents. And we're not going to discuss the cost of a writer's tools (computer, internet access, printer, software), because that has been dealt with in another article. This time, it's all about building your knowledge and expertise.

First, decide whether being a writer is, for you, a career or a hobby. Is it a business or a pleasant way of whiling away your time? If writing is just a hobby, and that's all it's ever going to be, this article is not for you. You can choose to invest money in a hobby, or not. You can pick it up and put it down. This article is for those who are serious about their writing and want to build a business, brick by brick.

1. Setting a Budget

OK. We've established that you are in BUSINESS. That means that you are prepared to invest money as well as time. If you are time-rich and cash-poor, then you can go the long way round and it will cost you less. If you are time-poor and have funds at your disposal, you can cut the learning curve by buying books, enrolling in courses, subscribing to industry magazines and attending seminars. If you are rich in both time and funds, then you're luckier than most.

Look at your income and savings and decide how much you are prepared to invest in your writing business over the course of 12 months. $500? $1,000? $2,000? $5,000?

Let's jump in and look at the biggest figure first. $5,000 will buy you a lot of expertise and networking via seminars, writing products and coaching over a year. It might seem like a lot at first - but $5,000 is just $416 a month - $104 a week. Many people pay more than that off a car loan. Many people spend that on a meal out for two once a week. And countless people spend far more than that on clothes.

At the other end of the scale, $500 is less than $10 a week. That's barely noticeable to most of us. Yet you can subscribe to writers magazines and get some quality critiquing of your work for that amount. You can attend a number of one-day or weekend workshops.

If you still are undecided, think about how much money other businesses invest in their start-up operations and ongoing training. Then look around to see what would help you grow MOST as a writer. <ul> <li>A writing course?

<li>A 2- or 3-day seminar with lots of networking possibilities and big-name writers, editors and publishers?

<li>A critique service to help you with your manuscript?

<li>Books, magazines, and software to help you grow? </ul> It's up to you. Once you have decided (a) what you most need to develop your skills and (b) how much you can allocate to your writing business, be firm about sticking to it. Nothing less than an emergency should deflect you from your course.

2. Paying for Your Business Investment <ul> <li>You can give up something that is not as important to you as your writing business. New clothes, eating out, Starbucks coffee, a gym membership... there are plenty of ways to swap one expenditure for another.

<li>You can get a pert-time job to fund your business. If you want to invest $5000 over a year, you need to make $104 a week. What can you do? Join a party-plan business and do one party a week? Offer a resume-writing service? Clean houses?

<li>Do some gardening; walk dogs; clean cars; wait tables; offer a consulting service in your area of expertise. Depending on your skills and the demand for your services, it might take you a day to make $104 or you might do it in a couple of hours.

<li>You can ask for money towards your writing business instead of gifts for your birthday, Mother's Day, Father's Day and Christmas.

<li>You can volunteer at a writers' centre in exchange for free attendance (or a reduced fee) at workshops.

<li>Join writers' organizations and volunteer to be on the organizing committee for conferences and seminars. This does not always mean a reduced fee, but sometimes does. </ul>

3. Re-invest Early Profits for a Faster Business Growth

Most healthy businesses do this. As you build your skills and start to sell your writing, money will begin to flow in instead of out. It probably won't be much at first - but think about re-investing to *further* develop your skills and expertise.

Here's just one example: I've had several writers contact me, after being to a writers' seminar or conference, to ask about writing an article for the Writing For Success newsletter. They are being smart: parlaying their new-found knowledge into income, by passing on what they've learned to others. You could try this too... and use the payment to buy an e-book on writing, or put it towards a seminar.

What if you write an article but the market doesn't pay? See if you can swap an article for a free subscription to a writers' newsletter or a membership site.

4. At The End of 12 Months, Assess and Refine Your Business Plan

It makes good business sense to track your income and outgo. At the end of 12 months, assess the following: <ul> <li>how much you have invested

<li>the return on your investment in (a) dollars, (b) increased knowledge and (c) new relationships and contacts that can help you build your writing business.

<li>decide on your next step(s) and how much you will invest in your business during the ensuing 12 months. </ul> You can, of course, check on your income/outgo/results at the end of 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months as well.

You'll find that a definite plan for investment in your writing business will give you not only a greater sense of control, but a better sense of where your money should be spent for development.

A couple of quick examples: <ul> <li>$500 spent on an intensive novel critique (from a reputable critique service or freelance editor) can save you months or even years of time muddling along on your own not knowing where you're going wrong. This can mean a faster sale and a quicker start to your career as a published writer.

<li>$1000 spent on a seminar or conference can result in your making just the contact you needed to get your novel in front of the right editor. Don't underestimate the importance of face-to-face contact. </ul>

(c) Marg McAlister

Marg McAlister has published magazine articles, short stories, books for children, ezines, promotional material, sales letters and web content. She has written 5 distance education courses on writing, and her online help for writers is popular all over the world. Sign up for her regular writers' tipsheet at <a target="_new" href="http://writing4success.com">http://www.writing4success.com/</a>

Vital Verbs

Remember back in the dark days of your school years when you had to learn the parts of speech? A noun is the name of a person, place, or thing. When asked what a verb was, you smugly answered, A verb is a word that indicates action, or some such definition. Fine. You got that straight. Since then, you've uttered or written verbs in the hundreds of thousands.

Verbs are great words. They enable us to describe actions or states of being or feelings we'd be hard pressed to convey without them. "John outside the house. John inside the house. John in bed." Primitive, to say the least. With the help of verbs, we can say, "John came home and went directly to bed." Still, if verbs are indispensable in our speech and in our writing, why do we neglect them so?

Yes, we neglect them terribly. There are countless verbs just sitting in our dictionaries that are rarely taken out and used, seldom get to feel themselves flowing out of our mouths or proudly sitting on the paper on which we write. You have to feel sorry for them.

Why are they neglected? You can blame it on the nouns and adjectives. They're the real culprits. We can't express a worthwhile thought without a noun. Without a noun (or pronoun), how do we indicate the very subject we are talking/writing about? In the example above, without nouns, you'd have, "outside the," "inside the," and "in ." It wouldn't make any sense.

Adjectives we can sometimes live without, but for the most part we have been brainwashed since those same school days to use adjectives. As writers, we use them extensively, carefully choosing, then eliminating, then choosing again, until we feel we have the perfect adjectives to describe our protagonist, our settings, our emotions. I suspect much of your time as a writer is devoted to being so very particular in the adjectives you use. That's great. That's important.

To get back to the poor, neglected verbs. Oh, we use them all right. We use the few hundred (if that many) in our vocabulary. We use what we need, we use the ones we're comfortable with, we use the same old, tired, hackneyed verbs day in and day out. What are those verbs? They're the dead verbs. The ones which may tell others that something happened, but never tell anything more than that, never give the reader an image of a special kind of action.

Let's go back to the example above. I used two verbs, "came" and "went." All those two verbs tell you is that John was no longer outside his house, and is now in his bed. What if I had said, "John flew though the front door and dashed upstairs to his bed."? You get a picture: for whatever reason, John was in a hurry. How about this: "John staggered through the front door and crawled up the stairs to his bed." Do you get the impression John is intoxicated or sick or injured?

Let's try a few other simple examples. "Mary entered the room" vs. "Mary glided into the room" or "Mary stumbled into the room" or "Mary inched her way into the room." Each of these paints a picture of more than mere transference of locale.

It's cruel for your heroes and villains to be limited to listless verbs. These characters are the very essence of your action. They should barge into, seldom just come into; they may sometimes snarl, snap, snicker, smirk, or shout, instead of just say; they're also able to punch, plunder, pillage, plow under, or pelt, but seldom merely touch. Even your minor characters should be as colorful in their actions. Just because they are not the stars of your masterpiece doesn't mean they don't play important and exciting parts. Charles Dickens knew that probably better than any other writer. His most minor characters are sometimes as unforgettable as his major players.

A suggestion: On the following list of dead verbs, notice the alternatives:

action: walk
alternatives: stroll, amble, jog, dash, sprint, stagger,
action: lie (down)
alternatives: sprawl, lounge, curl up, stretch out
action: say
alternatives: mumble, stutter, spew, shout, protest
action: look
alternatives: scan, squint, glare, study
You get the idea.

Now, try this. Go to something you've written recently. Scan through and pick out a number of dead verbs. You know the kind, the ones which just sit there and don't tell you much of anything about the action. Try replacing them with verbs which tell the reader precisely what just happened. Reread, and you'll see how your writing comes out of its coma, and begins to take on a new, interesting life.

Finally, keep in mind that in writing as in all of life, moderation and common sense should prevail. Don't have your work look like a thesaurus, using every verb ever conceived. This is especially true in sentences where you use other descriptive words. Don't let your heroine always float into a room, squeal with delight, or wither others with her sarcasm. The villains should not always bluster, rampage, or bulldoze. Remember, there are plenty of times when it's preferable for your characters to merely say, just come or go, or quietly nod, but use enough real action verbs to add color to your writing, and use them when appropriate. Those poor, listless verbs do, after all, serve a purpose, and that purpose is to vitalize your other verbs.

copyright Joseph E. Wright

Conditions of use: Editor: The following article is offered for free use in your ezine, print publication, or on your web site, as long as the content is not altered, and the copyright and author credit box at the end are also included. Notification of use would be appreciated.

Joseph E. Wright is the author of Tales from the Wrecktory (<a href="http://www.metropolisink.com" target="_new">http://www.metropolisink.com</a>}, The Bodies Out Back (A Murder Mystery) and The Remigrants (Those who come back from the dead), both published by <a href="http://www.booksunbound.com" target="_new">http://www.booksunbound.com</a>. His writing has appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.

About The Author

Joseph E. Wright was born and wemt to school in New England and later moved to Philadelphia. He considers Philly his home town. Joe grew up addicted to the British cozies of Christie and Sayres and the American counterparts of Queen and Stout. He was a fan of the film noir of Hammett and Chandler.

His first published novel, Memorandum of a Murder (Manor Books) confirmed his determination to become a writer. A short story of his appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.

While writing, Joe had to make a living, which he did in many ways. One period of his life, he lived in a dark, rambling, nineteenth century rectory in downtown Philadelphia. It inspired his Tales from the Wrecktory (MetropolisInk) which appeared last year.

Somewhat different from the whodunit style of novel, Joe's The Remigrants, the story of those who return from the dead, is currently in the editorial stage. The Bodies Out Back is the first in a completed trilogy starring Pat Montgomary and Phillis Toner. The next two, The Maris Cove Murders and Aisle of the Dead should be published this coming year.

Joe and his life partner spend most of the year in sunny Florida.

<a href="mailto:glpjew@excite.com">glpjew@excite.com</a>

Why We Dont Write Our Books

In the ten years that I've taught people how to get on with their books, I've noticed a phenomenon that I'll call &quot;Author's Block.&quot; Would-be writers can, indeed, sit down and work when pressed to it. The problem is that they're not so sure they want the pressure of being an author. But they do want to. But they don't. And so on.

Ah, the agony of getting on with your book.

Well, I'm here to diffuse that situation with a list of what I think are the key reasons we don't immediately set down to write. Perhaps this will help the next time you find yourself polishing doorknobs instead of sitting down to write.

* We lie to ourselves about why we can't write the book. We think our stalling is about lack of time, or too much pressure at work, or not enough solitude in the evening. But guess what? Chances are a deeper, darker reason may be at play, like 'I'm not supposed to be bigger than Mom' or 'What if this thing really takes off?'

* We fear the impact our book could have. Sometimes when I coach writers in my self-help author's crash course, I'll ask them what's impeding progress. And after some probing, it will come out that they're afraid of the big exposure a book can have if it takes off. I'm here to assure you that should that happen, (and chances are your book will not unleash wild mobs of millions) you will be able to handle it. How do I know? On that deep level where psyche meets karma, you won't create a reader more than you're ready to receive.

* We think our book doesn't matter, so why bother? One writer I know put this so succinctly: &quot;I've tried getting up at 5AM to write, and staying up late, and leaving my home, but none of it works. I have this tired feeling that none of it's going to amount to a hill of beans.&quot; In fact, writing and publication can be an entirely self-determined activity these days. If the publishing pundits don't go for your book, there's always self-publishing and e-books on your website. In other words, your book does matter, and you really have no excuse. (Acid test: if the book keeps on patiently urging you to sit down and write it for months and even years, chances are you'd better do it.)

* We think we don't know how to write a book. Guess what? Neither does any other first time writer. And that may be a wonderful thing because you don't com in with a carload of expectations and demands from your process. You're just open, like? well, a nice blank book. All you really need is your intuition, and the will to write your book as honestly as you can.

* We have no support. You need someone in your corner, cheering you on, to get through the long and somewhat tiring process of birthing a book. That's why my Self-Help Author's Crash Course is not an e-book (believe me, it would be easier!) but a 12-week teleclass series. Because these writers need a place to show up and be accountable for their progress. They need someone to keep saying, 'Yes, you really can do this.&quot; That's how tricky and difficult our minds are when it comes to big challenges.

* We're afraid we'll run out of material. There isn't a writer out there who hasn't had this fear. And I'm here to say that if you just stay loose and open, and willing to receive the ideas, they will show up. All you have to do is commit ? really sit down, and begin to bring that book into being ? and the work will magically appear. Sometimes it won't flow that easily, and sometimes it will scare you with it's speed and power. But it will, indeed, show up.

* We think 'Who am I to write a book?' And yet, you are the perfect person to write your book, because you're the one chosen to receive this material. (You don't have to be spiritually inclined to believe this.) I personally believe that books are given to us when we're ready to receive them? and when we do, our lives are changed by that process.

* We fear uncomfortable moments. Ah, but that's the most exciting thing about writing your book. You will be given challenges and lessons that just seem untenable along the way. And if you're committed enough, you'll rise above them and so become stronger in the process. This is especially true for self-help books: we write what we need to learn.

I'm here to urge you to just get on with your book. Not only do you deserve it ? so do we.

About The Author

For more information on how you can find the support to turn your book idea into a publisher-ready book proposal, go to <a href="http://www.howmuchjoy.com/selfhelpbook.html" target="_new">http://www.howmuchjoy.com/selfhelpbook.html</a>

<a href="mailto:info@howmuchjoy.com">info@howmuchjoy.com</a>

Stimulate Your Sensebuds...and Wave Goodbye To Writers Cramp!

When you get stuck for ideas, and the words won't flow, invariably it's because one, more or all of your senses aren't being stimulated.

Staring at a blank screen or sheet of paper really doesn't help. The best way to stimulate all your senses in one hit is to provide an inspirational space you can work with.

Lots of Feng Shui arrangements appear in western homes these days, and they're great, but outside those four walls of your writing space, there is another world bursting with enlightenment and inspiration.

Of course you may have to work at it a little, but hey, we all need some exercise sometimes!

Whether you have a balcony or a backyard, you can very simply build a natural living world to plunge into whenever you choose. If you have neither, consider renting a small patch of land or sharing a garden with someone.

Gardening conjures up all sorts of hard work images; tools, backache, blisters etc;. but it's only as hard as you make it. Start small and design your garden on paper first. Decide where you want herbs, flowers - and even vegetables, if you have the space and inclination!

A tiny balcony or back yard can be bordered with herbs and flowers. If you're staring at several square metres of concrete, don't despair. Plant your sensory stimulators in pots. Paint the pots different colours if you like.

Choose strong smelling, long lasting flowers, such as wallflowers ( Cheiranthus ). They will grow in some shade and do well against walls, fences and hedgerows. Climbing roses will only need a few hooks screwed into the fence, and they will happily cover your fence in blooms. Both these flowers are colourful, smell beautiful and are velvet to the touch.

Many herbs will grow in pots. Grow chives for something to nibble as you wander round the garden. Mint varieties are many , from spearmint through to the newer varieties such as pineapple or melon mint . Try them! They really do smell of pineapple and melon.

Some herbs are perennial and, once established, will need very little care. But remember to pick them to encourage growth.

The acoustics in your outside space will change dramatically when you have flowers growing. Those bees and bugs won't be able to resist.

Rub the leaves of your mint plants or other herbs and fill the air with the scent.

Now relax in a chair, listen to the humming of the insects and nibble on your chives. Within ten minutes you'll either be dozing and gaining some well needed rest, or you'll be running back to your keyboard with more words in your head than ever before!

About The Author

Linda Gray is a freelance writer and, with her partner, has spent ten years renovating an acre of neglected woodland. Drop in at <a href="http://www.flower-and-garden-tips.com" target="_new">http://www.flower-and-garden-tips.com</a> for pots of gardening inspiration!

The Magic of Layout in Your Story

"The Magic of Layout..."???

Okay... "magic" might seem a bit over the top when you first read this article title. But believe me, although it doesn't involve incantations or bubbling cauldrons, careful selection of layout does work magic on the reader.

Picture book authors understand this (as do parents and others who read a lot of picture books aloud). By moving a sentence - or even a word - to the next line, the author can add a lot of impact to the text.

When a word or sentence is moved to a new paragraph, the reader automatically pauses before reading it. This might be a physical pause, if the story is being read aloud, or it might be a mental pause. This can create tension, or set the reader up for a humorous twist, or add emphasis to one word alone.

Let me demonstrate.

TAKE ONE

Ben hauled himself over the sill and dropped silently into the room. He moved to one side, away from the window, and waited several minutes while his eyes adjusted to the dark. Objects in the room gradually began to take shape, defined by the bright moonlight. Ben mentally traced the path he would tread to get to the door; he didn't want to bump into anything, or send something crashing to the floor. Just as he was about to move, he heard a sound. A quiet sound... a sort of whispery scrape. No, not a scrape exactly. He listened harder; all senses on alert. Then there was a creak... and another. He realised it was coming from the hall outside. Someone was making an effort to move quietly. Ben took a few quick steps to one side, and crouched in a corner, half behind a chair. Then the door swung open and a figure was outlined in the dim light cast by the low-watt bulb in the hallway. His heart thumping, Ben exhaled slowly. It was McInerny in his dressing gown and slippers. The above is written in one 'solid' paragraph. It tells the story, but it fails to take advantage of the opportunities offered to build suspense. The pacing seems rushed; the tension doesn't really build.

We can change this simply by changing the layout. Sometimes, you will have to change the sentence itself to achieve the effect you want. You might have to shorten it, or use a sentence fragment (these often do a better job of reflecting someone's thoughts than complete sentences). You might find that you get the effect you want by putting a word or phrase in a paragraph on its own.

Let's experiment:

TAKE TWO

Ben hauled himself over the sill and dropped silently into the room. He moved to one side, away from the window, and waited several minutes while his eyes adjusted to the dark.

Objects in the room gradually began to take shape, defined by the bright moonlight. Ben scanned the room, mentally tracing the path he would follow to get to the door. He didn't want to bump into anything, or send something crashing to the floor.

Just as he was about to move, he heard something.

A quiet sound... a sort of whispery scrape.

No, not a scrape exactly. He listened harder; all senses on alert.

A creak. Then another.

Shuffle...creak.

It was coming from the hall outside, and getting closer. Someone was making an effort to move quietly.

Ben slid a few steps sideways into the corner, and crouched, half behind a chair. He shouldn't be immediately visible if anyone came in.

The door swung open. A figure was outlined in the dim light cast by the low-watt bulb out in the hallway. Ben exhaled slowly, his heart beating fast.

McInerny. In his dressing gown and slippers.

ANALYSIS

What we've done in the scene above is take one long paragraph and break it into ten paragraphs. This is quite a dramatic change... but it has been done with an eye to building in a lot more tension.

Imagine what it's like for Ben, dropping in through the window in this dark house. We don't know why he's there (since I just made it up) and we don't know how much of a threat McInerny is. But the point is, we have created suspense by showing the reader that Ben doesn't want to be seen or heard. By creating many more pauses - by making the reader wait until the next paragraph to find out what happens - we mimic the breathlessness and anticipation felt by Ben. (Remember, suspense is created not so much what happens as the anticipation of what will happen.)

Ben has come in through the window, so we can assume he's not supposed to be there. He doesn't want to make a noise or reveal his presence... so he's either afraid of being discovered, or he wants to keep his visit a secret.

Either way, we need to keep the reader on the edge of his or her seat. We can do this much more effectively by manipulating the layout, as you have seen.

PLACEMENT OF SPEECH TAGS

Changing the layout or structure of a sentence can work wonders in dialogue, too. Most writers tend to put a speech tag on the end of a sentence:

"I thought I left it at home," he said. That works just fine with short snippets of dialogue. But when you've got a character relaying a lot of information, you can give the reader a mental breather by moving the speech tag to the middle.

NOT THIS:

"I had no idea that he was involved in anything like this. As far as we knew, he just went to work every day. He always came home looking as though he'd done a day's work - dirty clothes and a black face. But come to think of it, he started working different hours about a month ago. If the boss wanted to keep going on a job they'd do a few hours overtime... or that's what he told us. Now it sounds like he wasn't even at work half the time," said Jenny. BUT THIS:

"I had no idea that he was involved in anything like this. As far as we knew, he just went to work every day," said Jenny. "He always came home looking as though he'd done a day's work - dirty clothes and a black face." She glanced across at Monroe. "But come to think of it, he started working different hours about a month ago. If the boss wanted to keep going on a job they'd do a few hours overtime... or that's what he told us. Now it sounds like he wasn't even at work half the time." In the first example, there's a fairly big chunk of dialogue followed by 'said Jenny'. This lessens the impact of what has been said, and the whole paragraph has been written so the reader isn't offered any 'mental pauses'. By inserting 'said Jenny' after the first two sentences, we're giving the reader time to absorb some information before going on to the next bit.

The sentence "She glanced across at Monroe" helps us to picture Jenny's actions as well as giving another 'pause' during which she seems to be processing the information she's just found out - and follows it up with more information: that he had been keeping different hours. This has added impact because it's offset from the rest of what Jenny has to say.

Next time you're editing your manuscript, play around with the words and paragraphs. See what happens if you create these mental pauses. Look at the page and judge the effect of building in a lot more white space, instead of one big, dense paragraph. You're sure to find that a simple thing like changing the layout can add a lot of zing to your style!

(c) Copyright Marg McAlister

Marg McAlister has published magazine articles, short stories, books for children, ezines, promotional material, sales letters and web content. She has written 5 distance education courses on writing, and her online help for writers is popular all over the world. Sign up for her regular writers' tipsheet at <a target="_new" href="http://writing4success.com">http://www.writing4success.com/</a>

Web Writing: Create Writing Flow With Four Uncommon Connectors

Connectors -- conjunctions, punctuation, and transitional phrases -- allow readers to process information promptly by creating balance and relationships between sentence parts. The connectors are performing the same work as verbs, objects, modifiers and multiple subjects.

Here are four uncommon connections that will create an easier flow for your readers:

1. Parallel Constructions. This side-by-side structure builds the bond between multiple joined parts. Example: In the children's story, Peter Pan stresses the need "for Wendy to sew" his shadow back on, "for her to return" to Never Never Land with him to take care of the Lost Boys, and "for them to leave" before her parents returned.

2. Beginning your sentence with a conjunction. One way to divide a long sentence or several independent clauses is to make each clause an independent sentence. And, but and or are three common conjunctions used frequently. This shortens the sentence, creates a conversational level, and keeps the reader moving forward.

3. Creating A Series Without A Conjunction. Using punctuation, usually commas but not limited to them, instead of words to separate, opens the door of possibilities in the reader's mind. It allows them to "feel" the "something more" and mindfully fill in their own words. The series allows readers to sense a separateness rather than a joined relationship. Example: Tinker Bell got angry, didn't like Wendy, flew frantically around the room. Many times editors want to add a conjunction -- and, but or or -- to the last series. When actually it is intentionally not added to create the feeling of possibilities. Ask yourself, "Do I want to create this feeling, or be more adamant with the reader?"

4. Listing Your Series In Order of Length -- From Short to Long. Arranging the words of your series from short to long and from simple compound/ complex make the process easier to understand. And if you can list them in alphabetical order it expands flow. There has also been research done on how people try to memorize and slow down when they read this type of series.

In the first example, parallel construction, the listing was an exception. The complex part was in the middle because of the chronological series of events.

In the first paragraph, "verbs, objects, modifiers and multiple subjects" is listed in the short to long and create an easier reading flow. If you read the sentence this way: "The connectors are performing the same work as modifiers, multiple subjects, verbs, and objects" your mind stops and goes. Many times this causes the reader to be confused or even for them to exit.

Web writing differs from paper-printed writing because of the way it is read. People scan what they read. This is people don't blink and they approach the Net with a mind set of information overload. Additionally, this is why there are different structural rules. Using connectors is just one such change you need to make in your writing for the World Wide Web.

Catherine Franz is a Marketing & Writing Coach, niches, product development, Internet marketing, nonfiction writing and training. Additional Articles: <a target="_new" href="http://www.abundancecenter.com">http://www.abundancecenter.com</a> blog: <a target="_new" href="http://abundance.blogs.com">http://abundance.blogs.com</a>