I'm in a mood right now.  Have you ever been there?  Of course, you have.  I'm in the mood to write. 

Every writer has benefitted from and been harmed by writing moods.  Sometimes I find that a mood takes me to places I've never been before in my writing.  Other times, writing in the midst of a mood can be disastrous.

Image by Ethan Hein, flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/ethanhein/3004519550/

Moods Curse Me

Often times a mood will generate an idea or a desire to express itself.  These moods seem to sweep me away.  I sit down to write, and what comes out?  Anger, bitterness, depression, hate, sadness. 

I thought that mood would spur me on to greatness, to touch the world with my keyboard.  Instead, all I found was my internals on display.  We all have read a poem that shocks us with the reality of disdain for life, and while we appreciate the candor, the author's moodiness is projected onto us, making our hearts heavy and our shoulders droopy.

Beware of the mood that drives you to write.  You may hurt your readers by transferring your negativity onto friends, family, or a Web stranger caught unawares.

Moods Bless Me

Other times a mood will motivate me to pour out my heart and mind in ways previously unimaginable.  The right mood has the power to take my writing to a place it has never been before.  Shades of sorrow or glimmers of gladness are sometimes just the right ingredients to spice up an article.

Like spices, moods can be sprinkled onto an already great idea, enhancing the flavor and benefitting the presentation of the meal.  Or a mood can carry the main course, and bring full satisfaction to the reader.

The write mood, expressed in the write way, at the write time will change the world - or at least one person who needs a special touch.  We all have read an unique article that expresses the perfect tone with a heavenly voice.

Watch for moods that will enable you to pioneer the publishing frontier.

Image by Intgr, Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Mood_dice.svg

Discerning the Mood

As writers we need to discern our moods to know whether or not to follow the mood to the keyboard.  Here are a few guidelines:

• Can others relate to what I am feeling?
• Am I in control of my feelings as I write?
• Is the focus of this piece myself or my audience, or both?
• Can this emotion be expressed in words meaningful to another person?
• Do I want to help or harm someone with these words that are driven by this mood?

Writing makes writers feel better as we share a piece of ourselves.  We ought to make sure that we edit well if we think a particular mood has heavily influenced one of our pieces.  The mood may be mightier than the pen.

Image by diCkIE 2D, flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/dickie2d/2307866733/

The more we examine our moods the better writers we will become.  I would appreciate your feedback on this article, as I was feeling a bit moody when I wrote it.  Was this mood a blessing or a curse? 

You the reader will decide.  My mood is my mood.  Did it become your mood?  Did it benefit you?  Or did I write selfishly for myself?  Yes, you the reader will be blessed by my mood or you the reader will be cursed by my mood. 

The choice to write is mine but the reaction and responses are yours.

#1 Triond

In my opinion Triond is the best website that you can express your writing, pictures, or even media for money.  Triond is one of the safest websites to receive a money transaction.  Plus it’s my personal favorite and I've never had a problem with it.

#2 Helium

I like helium too and they have a lot of great articles about everything.  You could find how-to articles or cooking or sometimes gaming articles.  I've used some of the tips in some of the articles.

#3 Associated Content

The only reason why I have associated content my #3 is because I have had some account troubles before.  It wasn't the payment but the confirmation code.  Anyway...it’s the same thing like Triond or Helium but sometimes you can get paid more if your article is AMAZING.

I know everyone has heard of other great sites like treasure trooper but recommend these sites since I've experienced their content and it’s really safe.  Not to mention that not a lot of personal information is needed unlike treasure trooper.

Have FUN contributing content and earning some cash!!

Yet what to write about. That is the question. Sci Fi is really just my canvass. For what though? Maybe for me it’s all about Being Human. Existence. Religion. About exploring and asking questions. In many ways I am Mr. Average. Other ways I am not. My journey through life has been very typical, yet also unique. My “Paul White” idea looks relevant.

When I say “Mr Average” I of course refer to being male, heterosexual, white, middle to working class, ex professional, and so on. In fact I belong to many groups that have been favoured over the ages. I live in a relatively rich country too. My ethnic background is rather vague actually: but still good old Anglo-Saxon. I cannot honestly write from experience about being downtrodden etc. Only that my Mum’s ancestors were Huguenots. And my dad’s lot were “boat people”. For real angst you have to read the work of black female lesbian disabled ex slaves!

So what’s unique about me? That would be telling! I am of just above average intelligence and very lexic. Good at the arts and humanities but also at some of the sciences. Bad at woodwork, number, practical and mechanicaltechnical things. Sometimes useful with people, at other times inept. Still single.... Hints of autism some say. Lover of music. Frustrated at not being a father etc. Not one for Relationships yet fundamentally Caring. In some ways rather complex: that’s where  it could get interesting. Nuff Said Fer Now. Out.

Reason 1. It uses your imagination

For me this is key. Any task that builds something out of other materials could be done by a machine. To imagine:  that is what separates us humans from robots and animals. And writing is imagination on the purest level. It is literally dreaming up worlds and sharing them, thinking about how interesting characters might react in different situations. Imagination lets us tap into the wonder of play we experienced as children where life was a game and every experience a thrill. What happens to this when we go out and become drones inside a corporation? How could we expect to be happy that way? Even the simple act of writing, using simile and metaphor to illuminate other people’s thoughts, is a wonderful experience and truly enlivening.

Reason 2. You get better as you age

Writing well depends on having a wealth of experience on which to draw; not just the experience of life, but also the repeated action of jotting down all that the narrator inside your head, or muse, if you will, commands. It is a task that requires the slightest physical ability - people who could only move an eyeball have written books - and as such is a long term undertaking that you can continue to improve on years and years after your sport-playing, pointlessly competitive peers have fallen by the wayside. How awful it must be, you can think as you watch them wreck their body, how awful it must be to rely on a physical ability for your happiness and to feel it slip away from you day by day, minute by minute.

Reason 3. You can work from home, or indeed anywhere

All you need to write is a pen and paper and some imagination. I like to get in the habit of taking a notebook and pen with me everywhere, or some pages I have already written that are in need of editing. That way I can pull out my work and be absorbed by it any time there is a chance. It makes journeys on public transport disappear because I am no longer on public transport when writing - I am in a world I created, having the time of my life. Even if you have no equipment on hand, once you have been writing and training your imagination it will burst onto the scene and enliven any dull walk to the bank, or tidying of the house. Your imagination can be always on, thinking of new story ideas and characters. You can train it to produce on a whim.

Reason 4. You can ignite some fires

Don’t write what you think will be a commercial success. Write about something you care for. That way the passion will give you the energy you need to succeed, and chances are, if it is a topic that makes a fire inside you, someone else will feel the same, and it could just be that reading what you created was the thing that turned around their life. Storytelling is a powerful powerful thing, and it has been going on since the very beginning, since evolution blessed us with a mighty imagination. Stories move people like nothing else. Something you write could change the world, bring down a dictatorship, and set people free to follow in your footsteps. That doesn’t happen if you work for a bank.

Reason 5. Fame and fortune awaits, well maybe… aka Non-linear returns

My day job is one that you could describe as strictly linear: outside of my timetabled weekly hours I can earn extra money doing roughly the same thing but on a freelance basis. But there is a limit to what I can earn because there are only so many hours in the day. This effect limits the wages of most normal jobs, which is not to say that is a reason against them. In fact, it could be argued that the regular linearity is a reason to do a normal job - be a dentist, there are only so many teeth you can pull in a day, but there will always be a ready supply of them to go around. Being a writer is different. When JK Rowling sells a copy of Harry Potter she hasn’t had to sit down and type it out again for herself. Once she has made one manuscript the book can be duplicated ad infinitum. The possible returns are endless because it takes a negligible time to produce each copy of the book and it sells at a profit. Now there is no guarantee in writing that the effort will equal the pay-off (hence non-linearity), but there is a very large tail on the potential income distribution: if you get lucky you can be a millionaire doing what you love.

Some online publishers charge a fee for their publishing. Lulu is easy to use, free, has several marketing services (of course these cost something), a community so you can get to know other people that have published through them as well as fantastic online help. I can't think of anything I would say negative about this publishing company. They have been great for me and I've published quite a few things through them.

With Lulu you write your book using something like Microsoft word and then download it onto the Lulu website. You then get to choose a cover for your book. You can use one of their many photos they have to offer for your cover or you can download one of your own photos or drawings etc. to use for the front cover. The cover is a little confusing because of the sizing and all, but with the help of the online help it becomes quite easy. They are very informative and seem to really know what they are talking about.

When publishing a book you can have it edited by lulu for a fee. You can choose to have an ISBN put on the back of your book so it can be sold other places than just Lulu. This service is free if you choose for Lulu to be listed as your publisher. If you choose to be the publisher yourself, it is $99 for each title.

If you want you can create a calendar. Of course you will need to use your own photos or artwork for this. I've not done this particular thing through lulu yet but plan to in the future. I'm sure it is really easy to do.

You can even publish a photo or artwork and sell it with the option of purchasing it with or without a frame.

Lulu gives you a website where all your published works are displayed. You can choose to keep some work from the public if you want. Let's say you are publishing a family cookbook or a family calendar etc. and you want only your family to purchase it, you can choose to keep this item from your website and from the public eye and offer it by sending an email with a link to that particular item.

With Lulu they give you a base price that it costs to print your work and you can choose the price above that to put on your creations. When someone buys the item you are selling, Lulu keeps the amount that it costs to print it and you receive the rest. If you choose to do this through paypal and your revenues are more than $5 you will receive this once a month. If you choose to be paid with a paper check and your revenues amount to $20 or more you will receive payments quarterly.

There are so many things you can publish on Lulu that I haven't even mentioned here so if you are interested in publishing something through Lulu.com I suggest you go to the website yourself and read their FAQ's section after clicking “Publish”. There are many questions asked and answered there that I have not covered here and you will find a list of all the things you can publish through Lulu.

You really need some pointers to get started. There are thousands of people making thousands of dollars a month selling their ideas and their idea is not even as good as yours is. All they know is how to get people interested and how to market their idea. They know that it takes more than just relying on search engines to bring up your site by chance in a sea of eBooks. There are some very good tips and points that I will try to make in this article.

First off, you need to be able to identify the niche your eBook is about. You need to surf forums that are related to your eBook and let people what is going on. You need to be the biggest marketer for your book. If you do not tell your story then no one will. By searching forums that are related, you do not even have to focus on a certain group, you are already in the group. You will be surprised in the return you will get from forum surfing, just don’t spam. This will get you a bad reputation and most likely banned from sites.

One thing that is huge in today’s eBook market is offering resale rights. If you want to sell your eBook to many future or aspiring resellers then this is a way to make a lot of money. Don’t worry; if you offer resale rights then you will not really create your own competition. The trick is that most people that buy your book just to resale it will not be effective at marketing and will probably not sell any. This does not make it dishonest; it just gives the opportunity to make money if the effort is put in. Most people will buy the book and give up a few weeks later.

Now, if you sell your book to customers that are really interested in the subject, then be sure to have great content. Make it original. One sure way to keep making money off these same people is to offer updates at a very low cost. If you get 1000 subscribers that buy regular updates, then you sell an update for 5 dollars. You just made 5 thousand dollars for an update that maybe took you one day to write (and that is if the update is 20,000 words long or more). You could even offer monthly subscriptions if the niche you are exploiting is regularly changing or needs updating (such as online games).

You could also purchase some other eBooks with resale rights and offer them up as freebies to your customers or recurring customers. If an eBook cost you 50 dollars to buy resale rights, and you have 100 loyal customers that buy this eBook, then you probably just made a 5000% return on your investment. You just need to get you reader population and loyal fans up. You do this by writing quality, unique content that no one else can offer (this is the reason you are in this situation to begin with, right)?

Don’t be afraid to put parts of your eBook out there and let people sample it. If need be, then you can put copyrights on that piece of work. But this sample could bring all the right people in.

There is a lot of free info and eBooks out there that will give you more information if you want to read more about this subject. One of the best reviewed one on one guides, where you actually speak with an instructor, can be found here.  This website will not only help you with marketing, but will help you set up secure payment and website development.

Good luck with you search, and learn to use the resources offered to you. If you are diligent, every cent you spend to grow will pay tenfold in the future.

Eyeing the majestic grandeur of these five peaks has inspired me to consider five pillars that rock me to be a writer.  Before I share these pillars with you, I want to ask you a question. 

What Separates Your Writing from the Rest of the Pack?

We are all tempted to conform to the perceived needs of the publishing world because we all want to be published.  We seek to write popular content that drives the search engines.  At the same time, we attempt to offer our unique voice to a world screaming at our screens.

Want to rock somebody's world today?  Me too.  These five pillars reign over my writing just as the five peaks of Mt. Massive tower over Colorado.

Pure Passion

My passion to write is unpretentious.  It has grown over the years and is as hot as it has ever been right now.  I'm not sure where the passion comes from.  I do know that if it wasn't present, you would not be reading this article because I would not have written it.

What drives you to write well?  Deep down there is something within you trying to find its way out.  Explore your passion.  Taste and see by trying different genres, various topics, and varying writing styles. 

I want my passion to influence the world.  Similarly, my world will be better when your passion touches me through your blooming writing.

These flowers remind me of our writing:  the author is the bush and the flowers are the works of the author.  Notice that Mount Massive serves as a background (like the pillars) to the fruit of the bush.

Ultimate Purpose

I know what I want in life:  to make a difference in the world, to influence others for good.  I know from where I have come and where I am going.  My writing expresses my interests but it also is an avenue for me to touch your heart and to seize your brain.  I enjoy life and have a lot of fun.  I also want my very next breath to matter eternally.

Why do you write?

Tested Experience

I have been around the block a few times.  My life experiences are mounting up and significant they have been.  I am married with three children.  I have lost a child to heaven.  Three different continents have called me resident.  Both victories and losses hang on my wall of history.

The power of the pen (keyboard, ha, ha) is that we discover as we write.  We learn when we teach.  We conquer as we empower.  We prosper as we propagate.

What is the foundation of your writing?

You are unique.  There is no one on this earth like you.  Put yourself on display for the rest of us to see.  We want to know who you are, how life has impacted you, and how you are turning your blessings and curses into a life worth sharing.

Emerging Talent

Today separates my successful future from my less than fruitful past.  My hands contain some writing ability.  My limited success has not limited my ability to grow my talent as a writer.

The boulevard named Good Writer is still around the corner from me, but I am headed in the write direction.  Isn't it cool that as writers we can only get better?

How gifted are you as a writer?  What tools do you need to enhance your God-given talent?

Just as Mount Massive emerged from behind this hill into my sightline, I know that your writings will appear before our very eyes.

Insurmountable Hope

One sentiment enables me to move forward in touching my communities:  every article I write is better than the last one.  Wow, stop and think about that for a moment.  If I get to wake up tomorrow, and the next day, then the future is as bright as the opportunity that I give myself to make an impact.

I call this hope insurmountable because I truly believe that my writing will become better and better and better.  History shows that.  My heart tells me that.  My earnings page reveals it as well.  

My future is hope-filled because I want to become a better writer.  I want to use my passion to show my neighbors around the world, including you, that life is good.  As a writer I will turn my life's tragedies into triumphs, instilling still more hope.

What keeps you going as a writer?

The Tallest Peak is You

Pure passion.  Ultimate purpose.  Tested experience.  Emerging talent.  Insurmountable hope.  These five pillars lead us back to the computer screen day by day.  But one peak stands taller than the rest. 

You are you and no one else is. 

You are a real beauty.

Thus, I started looking for a good agent. I didn't want to try to sell my novel to a publisher when I had no idea what I was doing. And I have yet to find one that wants to work with me. Through my research, I've seen testimonies of writers who go this route and end up calling it quits, out of despair. They're left feeling like their stuff isn't any good, or that it's not interesting enough, among other things.

Disappointment is a friend of mine, and it isn't a fun friendship. But I need it; I've learned a few things through my disappointment.

One thing I've learned is that, if you retain the bitterness that comes with rejection, your work - indeed, your life - will suffer. Also - and this is very important - I've learned to see publishing for what it is: a business.

Agents, for one, are busy people. They have little time to do anything other than send a standard rejection slip. They already have authors that need their attention; and though they want fresh talent, they need to see something they can sell. Then again, the agent you submit to simply might not be interested in your writing. So keep looking; find one who is.

Run a search; type “literary agents” and then your genre. Check out the agency's web site and pay close attention to their guidelines, once you find one that seems suitable. Many writers get rejected simply because they don't follow the submission guidelines. You should follow them to the letter.

Publishers, as well, are busy. Not only that, it takes time and money - on their part - to produce your book. And like any good investor, they want to know they'll get a good return on it. Most first novels don't do well, but they (and the agents) want to see something with growth potential. So a first-time run is expected to be on the low side, though, of course, with hopes for future runs. For novelists, the breakout nowadays doesn't usually happen with the first or second book, but the third or fourth.

In this instance, the book is no longer a piece of literature - it's product. As I said, publishing is a business, and it needs to be treated as such.

When I feel the despair creeping in, I look to my heroes. One is Stephen King. It's hard to imagine, but he was rejected time and time again before he finally made his first sale.

And there's the late, great Frank Herbert, who always tried to find a way to laugh in any situation. “Dune” almost never made it to publication; when it did, the publisher was one best known for publishing auto manuals. Now, it's one of the bestselling science fiction stories of all time.

Don't listen to doubters. Defiance can be your friend here, if you use it right. A writer must be thick-skinned, even though we're some of the most sensitive people in the world. We also tend to be insecure (whether we realize it or not), and yet we must have strong egos. It takes persistence, both in developing one's craft and in succeeding in the business. Self-doubt is a writer's greatest enemy. If you don't believe in yourself, no one else will.

Rejection is part of the business. Even if you sell your first piece, that's no guarantee that you'll sell the next one. Just keep writing, and keep submitting.

That's what I tell myself every time the doubts try to crowd around me, which is around nearly every corner of this rollercoaster we call writing. Never give up on your dreams. I once heard of a woman who published her first novel at the age of ninety-three. And remember: “The Lord of the Rings” tumbled through the underground for a decade before it became known for the masterpiece it is.

I hear three little words ringing through all that: Never give up.

I've been with Triond now for about 1 year, and I've made over $120.00. Some may look at this figure and be amazed that so many can be earned online on one site. Others will look at it and think it is a waste of time. But I have a word of warning for everyone. It is neither amazing nor a waste of time. I have only written 35 articles to date on Triond, and I've earned that much from them. 35 articles take very little time to write, and yet I've earned $120.00 from them. Not only that, but I will continue to earn from those articles, and any new articles I may choose to write, forever. For the time it takes to write one article, I will continue to earn cash for the rest of Triond's existence. That's no waste of time in my opinion. There are users on Triond who earn far more than me, and you or I could match them if we so choose. All you have to do is dedicate some time to Triond, believe that it can help you earn extra cash, and in no time at all you will be earning that extra cash. Triond has done wonders for me. It has improved my writing skills, it has given me extra cash to spend on things that I want to buy, and it has given me more confidence in my journalism skills. It can do this, and much, much more for you too. If you're interested, why not check it out now. It's just a click away. This may be your present, but Triond could be your future.