Here are ten tips I've picked up around the internet for writing better, whether you're writing that perfect article or blog entry or even penning off a quick letter to a friend; your writing must stand out and reflect you as a person, right?  So here they are:

1. From Thomas in Daily Writing Tips

   Particiate in NaNoWriMo, the site that challenges you to write a 50,000 page novel in a month.  I thought about doing this one, but I don't have that much time.  But if I ever do get the time, I will definately start one. Another way to do it would be to set yourself the challenge of writing a certain number of words, no matter what you write, in a month.  Just log your word count each time and then start a running tally to see how much progress you're making.

2. Bill Harper on Daily Writing Tips

   Try not to edit while you're creating your first draft.  This is a no-brainer.  If you try to edit while you're writing, you'll just end up messing yourself up.  Writing and editing are two intrinsically different processes, and should not be intertwined.  Write first, then edit it, I always say.  I follow this guideline to the tee.

3. Jacinta on Daily Writing Tips

   Write daily for thirty minutes minimum!  I always write when I can, whether it's an hour or thirty minutes at a time, sometimes a couple times a day, because I don't know when I might get another chance to write, but I set a minimum of ten minutes to write every day.  This way, even if you think it's no good or it's another piece entirely, at least you've written something for that day! And who knows, you might be able to incorporate it into your main work at a later time!

4. H Devaraja Rao on Daily Writing Tips

   Avoid wordiness.  where one word can be used instead of three, replace it!

5. David on Daily Writing Tips

   Write as if you're on deadline.  I like to set myself a time to have what I'm working on done, whether it's a month from now or two weeks, then I stick to that judiciously.

6. Amit Goyel on Daily Writing Tips
   

   To be a good writer is to start writing every day.  I write every day, every chance I get.  Usually what I come up with is crap, but if I've written something, then I'm ahead of myself.

7. Jai on Daily Writing Tips

   Try to write in a simple way.  Another thing to do is cut out as many adjectives as possible.  Remember, keep it simple.

8. Mark on Daily Writing Tips
   

   Read great stories for inspiration.  I have this exercise I do where I open up a book at random, read the first sentence I see, and then write a page starting with that sentence, or a poem starting with the last couple of words.  It's an amazing way to get rid of writer's block too!

9. Aaron Stroud on Daily Writing Tips

   Write often and to completing by following a realistic writing schedule.  I don't follow a regimented writing schedule, but that doesn't always work for everybody.  At the very least, write something, anything, when you can. Sometimes that's all the schedule you need!

10. If you're writing fiction, it's a great idea to have a plot.

    I've noticed in my experience that it's always a great idea to have a plot, at least loosely whether you're writing a memoir, a poem, a blog entry or a classic novel.  That way you can have a much more structured piece, whatever you're writing.

My last piece of advice is to keep up the reading.  Remember, you are what you read, so read and write well.  And don't forget, have fun whatever you do!

While waiting for our dream to come true, we can sharpen our skill of writing by reading as many books as we can. These books are available at the library. If you cannot find it, talk to the librarian, and he/she will find it for you from other libraries.

Voice Lessons by Mimi Schwartz

This is a fantastic book to have as you starting out in your writing career. There are many tips such as deciding who you are in the story, and finding your place in the story, as well as strategies to find that voice.

How to Create a Strong Voice by Patricia Cornwell

Here is a quote from this book: "Whatever your story is, if you write enough, Certain Themes will reappear. Watch for them. Don't be afraid to face them." The author offers many other wonderful tips, and the aspect of writing.

7 Steps to a Powerful Opener by Sam McCarver

To capture the readers, your opening must be powerful and grab their attention right away. This book is important to read, as it is applied to article writing, blog writing, and writing in general. There are so many tips in this book to learn from to craft a powerful first page.

How to Make a Scene by Quinn Dalton

"Scenes are units of significant action that provide new information and advance a story. Compelling scenes contain many elements." This quote was from the author, and you must read the book to find out what elements he is talking about.

5 Steps to Turn Facts into Fictions by Jordan E. Rosenfeld

The author gives five simple and direct steps to create your story from the facts of life. This book is worth looking in and to learn from. We all turn to fiction from our own experiences at one time or another.

These are books that I have read over the years. If you want to keep current on what is new in the market, the Writer Magazine is a wonder place to start. Carry one of these books around for when you find yourself waiting to pick up your children from school, or sport events. Not only you will be focus on just reading, you are also using your time wisely.

Ripped From The Headlines....

Before the television program, Law and Order, used this phrase as its signature, writers from Mark Twain through Dominic Dunne have used news stories as the basis for their fiction. Cannibalism In The Cars was based on the ill-fated Donner party expedition, but Mark Twain added a humorous twist by having congressmen stranded in a snowstorm debate one another as to who should be eaten first (the king of filibusters won and lived to tell the tale.) Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy was a fictionalized version of the Leo Frank murder trial; Dreiser expanded on the shell of facts presented in the newspapers, and embellished them in order to create “the rest of the story.” In a similar vein, Dominic Dunne's A Season In Purgatory was a thinly-veiled account of the Martha Moxley murder case. Dunne, however, researched his story heavily, using police reports, witness accounts and other resources. In this book the names were changed, but any reader familiar with the Kennedy clan could figure out which family members he was describing. After Michael Skakel was arrested for the crime, Mark Fuhrman wrote the true-crime book, A Murder in Greenwich. Fuhrman used much of Dunne's research as the starting point for his nonfiction treatment of the story. Clearly, one news story can be manipulated in any number of ways, depending on the writer's point of view and favored genre.

From Ordinary to Extraordinary

Testing cantaloupe at the grocery store, strolling through the mall or having the oil changed the car at the local Quickie Lube are events that can be launchpads for inspiration. Why? Because each of these activities involve interacting with people, and people - characters - drive stories. In addition, these aren't esoteric activities; unless the reader lives in Malibu or upper Manhattan and has nannies, servants and caretakers attend to basic needs, the reader has been in the same situation, dealt with the same characters and possibly reacted in a fashion similar to the protagonist. This allows readers to become fully engaged in the story, and allows writers to do research while living an ordinary life.

Great insights can also be derived from ordinary events. Just read any books in the Chicken Soup series, and see what life lessons and “big picture” discoveries have come to authors from petting a cat, working in the garden or watching their grandchild nap. Jesus Himself spoke to the multitudes using tasks and situations familiar to them - pruning grapes, fishing, serving food at the dinner table - in order to illustrate points, and the Parables are marvels of both brevity and wisdom. Mundane situations and events are treasure troves, if a writer is willing to mine the gold out of them.

Find A Need....

Finding a need and filling it, or building a better mousetrap, are time-tested ways of achieving success. This is no different for writers seeking a topic. Some needs seem to be perpetual - handling money effectively, time management, relationships and weight control are topics that offer infinite numbers of possibilities, and for which magazine, newspaper and book publishers continually seek submissions.

Some needs may come to light during the course of doing business, and may evolve thanks to the ever-present intrusion of technology in our lives. Ten years ago, for example, no one would have needed to write articles or books pertaining to cell phone etiquette; today, the cell phone (and its user) is the object of both love and hatred. Again, these topics can be treated in a number of ways - humor, opinion pieces or “how to” articles can all be derived from any number of needs-based topics.

“Writer's block” happens, but overcoming this inertia may be as simple as taking a trip to the mall, followed by a journey past the Dairy Whip to stop for ice cream. Who knows what poetry could come from ingesting a double scoop of Moose Tracks slathered in hot fudge?

Suppose that after months of toiling away at my laptop I finally complete my first novel. It is a great story, a classic tale of innocence lost in American youth. My heroine is a young girl who spends most of her teenage years addicted to drugs and working as a prostitute. After a close friend dies of a heroin overdose she decides to pull her life together and eventually, after overcoming several major obstacles, she graduates at the top of her class from Harvard. I send the manuscript off to a publisher and a few months later I receive a phone call. They love the story; there is only one problem. They don't think it will draw interest as a work of fiction. Memoirs are what are hot in publishing right now. Audiences want to read true tales of heartache. Now they want to publish and market the book as a true story, with me playing the part of the reformed prostitute. Now, I have a dilemma. Do I sacrifice my integrity in order to put out what I am told will be a best-seller that will bring me fame and fortune, only to potentially lose my credibility if or when I am discovered?

Should I decide to risk my integrity, follow my publisher's advice, and turn my story into a “memoir”, it could be a big hit. My days as a struggling writer could be over. The publisher is promising me sales, and with those sales my rent is being paid, my needs are being met, and I get more work as a writer. However, if I am discovered as a fraud, not only is my reputation ruined, but I may lose my audience and I risk not getting work due to the controversy.

On the hand, I could tell the publisher no, take my book, and walk away, integrity intact and pockets empty. After all, there is always the possibility that another publisher will take it as is. Why risk my reputation? However, there is always the chance that by doing so, I will be missing out on my big break. So, what is a writer to do?

In my opinion, a person is nothing without integrity. Were I to choose to publish a fabrication as my own experiences I would not be true to myself. Not only that, but I would be cheapening and capitalizing in on the experiences of those who share commonalities with my characters. It is not fair to those who have actually lived through those experiences.

Even though it would be missing out on a potentially huge possibility, I know that I would not be able to publish a lie with my name on it. When reading a memoir, people feel a certain connection with the author. I could not sleep at night knowing that the person that my readers were sympathizing with was not really me. I had fooled them. It just would not be right, and for me at least, that is a fact.