I registered with Google Alert, (http://www.googlealert.com). (This isn't affiliated with Google) and entered "writer's market" and "writer pay" I'm getting about 50 results regularly. Out of 50, about five are always promising. I entered the phrase "new breed of dog" as my personalized topic. I got 50 results. It helped me not only to do research on my current project on pets, but also to 'breed' many new article-ideas on this theme. And, I also get new sites and new pet magazines markets.

Google is also offering such service. Yet,writers are often annoyed when they get billions of results from the search engines like Yahoo, Google etc. Finding the appropriate market is a difficult task.

I found an easy system. Now, the amount of storage each Gmail user gets has surpassed 7 gigabytes. Get two or more Gmail accounts. With these email Id,subscribe for newsletters in various fields- parenting, family, gardening, business etc. You will get them daily or at regular intervals in you inbox. Websites such as Kidsource send e-mail messages 3 times per week on parenting, education & healthcare information. Major newspapers and magazines run newsletter service on many fields of Living. Most of them are free and some fee-based. Since Gmail's space is continuously increasing, you don't need to delete the messages. Reading all messages is time consuming. Do random survey of newsletters to get new article-ideas. Gmail lets you search your messages through the search box. So if you research on 'bullying among adults' type the words in 'search mail' and get many hooks on this theme. You can put the search results in a folder, called 'label'.

I caution you; for your professional correspondence, you must have a separate Gmail account. With hundreds of newsletters in your inbox, you may miss your editor's assignment.

Unfortunately, the truth is that there is no set formula for becoming a respected writer. However I feel I understand your strife and hope the following advice will provide inspiration for you and help you get started.

Can you read this sentence? Do you own a pen? You do?! Fantastic, that's all you need to become a writer.

It is commonly said that every person has at least one book in them, the difference between those that actually manage to successfully write one and those that do not is this; the successful ones manage to bring writing to the forefront of their lives. When you manage to make writing the first and last thing you think of during the day, you'll then start finding inspiration everywhere.

Good things come to those who wait, don't get discouraged because you're not writing or you haven't found inspiration. It will come.

Don't Carry a Notebook

(at least until you feel it's completely necessary to do so).

Let's face it, You're not Ernest Hemmingway. 21st century society frowns upon people scribbling on pages of pretty new notebooks. It's an alien idea to many people and it leaves you vulnerable to being asked awkward questions such as "what are you writing?" and "why?". Trust me, getting asked these kind of questions will eventually have you putting the notebook in the drawer never to see the light of day again.

Don't carry a notebook until the day you feel confident introducing yourself as a 'writer' to your fellow commuters.

Write Daily

When starting out as a writer try to write for at least 15 minutes every day. You should however, not let writing become a chore. If you cannot find anything to write about, don't worry, as long as you have the intention to write then you're making some headway.

Learn from Those You Admire

Read the books you enjoy, analyse them, try to find out exactly what it is you like about them. In contrast to this you should study books you don't enjoy to see what it is about them that you don't like.

Trust your own taste and judgement and don't feel guilty about mimicking the style of your favourite author(s).

Never Throw Away or Destroy Anything You Have Written

So you've spent 3 hours working on your last piece of writing only to read through it and decide that it's complete rubbish? What should you do? Tear up the page or send it on a one way trip to the recycle bin? Absolutely not!

Don't dwell on the negative, hold onto everything you write regardless of how bad it is, if you do this you'll be able to look back at a later date and marvel at how your writing skills have improved over time. 

Brush Up on Your Basics

Until you are a well established writer you will probably have to be your own editor too. Spell-checker software will not pick up every little error so you will need to proofread every line. Brush up on your grammar, spelling and punctuation. Complacency here might be the reason you don't get published.

Know Your Subject

From time to time you may find yourself writing about topics you don't particularly know much about. Learn to enjoy the process of researching and learning about new topics. You should try not to tell your reader too much though. So you spent a week reading up about samurai swords so you could accurately describe one in your novel. This does not necessary mean you have to explain where it was made, what metal it was made from or where the metal was forged.

Character Diversity

Another characteristic of bad fiction writing is a lack of diversity of characters.  If each character understands one another without incident or speaks using the same voice (without dissenting opinion) then it is almost certain to be a bad story.  However, this can only be true unless a lack of character diversity is being used as a plot/comedic/dramatic device.  As you can imagine, I would only suggest a very experienced writer use such a technique.  An example?  Animal Farm, by George Orwell.

Furthermore, a variety of characters who all say the same thing is indicative of a pompous author. And if there's one thing editors cannot stand, is authors who attempt to pound concepts in the head of the reader.  For the sake of ibuprofen, please keep off of the soapbox.

Ebb & Flow

When constructing the story itself (outside of characterization and plausibility), a bad fiction writer tends to jump from one scene to the next without transitions.  Plot devices withstanding, of course.  Mainstream literary fiction craves conceivable transitions.  As I'm sure you know, the vast majority of both print and web-based literary magazines want to do without genre fiction.  (Don't ask me, I adore genre fiction.)  In any case, for the love of realism, a good fiction writer must adequately explain why and how a character goes to a certain place, reacts a certain way, or smells the way she does.

If you haven't already guessed, character diversity and plausibility (here called ebb & flow) are interconnected.  Why?  Because something one character may regard as completely reasonable, it is advised that another character (for adequate reasons) find this same situation/item completely insane.  And as a human endowed with the power of empathy this goal as a good fiction writer, is completely within your grasp.

The Ending (Deus ex Machina)

Generally, I am of the opinion that stories do not end:  The bad guy is never entirely overcome and the protagonist may not live--let alone live "happily ever after."  It seems this sentiment goes against many centuries of American literature.  (Those of you outside of the States can rest assured.)  On the other hand, thanks to the comparatively recent "movement" of postmodernism, the trend in Western literature agrees (for now).
So, in my opinion, how does a bad fiction writer end a story?  Happily, I tell you.  If you care at all about realism (and you definitely don't have to) I would advise you end your masterpiece on a flat note--one neither particularly happy nor sad.

Reading is not a passive activity.  When one is engaged in reading, there are a seemingly infinite number of things upon which to ponder at the end of the adventure.  There's nothing wrong with leaving the reader upset--or even downright perplexed--as long as it is done skillfully and plausibly.

Pontification

This leads me, rather eagerly, to the next point.  If, through the entirety of your narrative, you have revealed nothing of your character's intentions or the plot of the story for the sole purpose of impressing your intended reader, you are pontificating.  Please.  Stop.  There is nothing more annoying (and boring) for an editor to read than a dissertation on philosophy of mind told through two guys sitting in a cafe using elaborate and unnecessary vocabulary.
Save that for academia.

Now, don't get me wrong.  Figures such as Sartre, who write out their philosophies in the form of prose create intriguing worlds in which to delve.  Novels/stories requiring a second read to gain more insight into the intricacies of the language used or a plot element are rewarding to readers.  Stories requiring several hundred reads with no epiphanies--are merely examples of the writer's superior intellect and complexity of wit.  Right...?

On that note, this editor has noticed on several (hundred) occasions that literary pontificators tend to use long sentences to get across the points of the story.  Please. Stop.  That kind of sentence structure was allowed (and necessary) in years prior to the twentieth century.  Now, however, at the beginning of the twenty-first, with the aid of technological advancements such as color photography and the internet, a reader does not need to be told what something like the Eiffel Tower looks like.  She probably already knows.  Seriously, sometimes less is more...

RR&R

Revise.  Revise.   And revise again. Word processors can't catch everything, y'know!  There's only one thing frustrating about reading an awe-inspiring story of great depth:  awkward sentence structure, misspellings, and nonsensical transitions.  Originality can't help you if you don't know how to form and represent your ideas in a professional way.  An editor should have no reason to doubt that you've been published online and in print magazines or anthologies from all over the world.

In addition, if your life's work contains errors so  minor even the editor doesn't catch them, I guarantee you one of the readers will catch it and find either your story, the magazine, or both to be unsuitable to his lofty tastes.

Professionalism

Speaking (figuratively, of course) of the guise of professionalism, it's extremely important in other ways as well!

1. Read the entirety of a magazine's submission and writing guidelines.

    Many top magazines have spam filters that will simply toss your work in the trash if you don't make sure to follow their rules.  Some of them may seem strange or superfluous to you, but believe you me, they exist for a reason.  Without an adequate system of accepting submissions, most editors would be pulling their hair out dealing with a myriad of writings and writers.
   

2. Do yourself a favor and assume rejection if you haven't received a response from an editor within six months.

    (Depending on the popularity of the magazine and the information provided on the website.)  Most mainstream literary magazines get an absurd number of submissions per month--far too many to give an acceptable reply to all of the authors.  Of course, you're allowed to send at least one e-mail inquiring about the status of your submission, but don't make it a habit; you're just more like to annoy an editor that way.
   

3. Don't limit yourself

    Or rather, don't dismiss publications that don't pay.  Even non-paying publications get a great deal of readers.  If you want to get your work out there, the best way to do that would be to... just get it out there, no matter where it's published.  Editing a magazine of meager reputation is still a labor of love; not everyone who wants to publish can afford to pay.  Instead of monetary compensation, you get your name (and stories) in circulation.
   

4. Lastly, but not least, if an editor actually goes through the trouble to give extended comments or feedback on your work, do not take this personally.

   Whether your work is accepted by the magazine or not, reflects nothing of your character--and may not reflect anything of your talent either.  If an editor doesn't have the most positive things to say about your fiction, thank him/her for the consideration and send your work elsewhere.  (You may also choose to take some of their advise and partake of some revision.)  The only way to increase your chances of publication is to submit your work to as many magazines, publishing houses, or small presses as possible.  Case in point, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was rejected a whopping twenty-one times before a publisher decided to take it.  And now look where she is!

1. Write what you know

   You've probably heard this before, but it bears repeating. Look at your life - your hobbies, interests, career, pets, children - and think about how you can parlay those facets of your life into articles that others will want to read. Practice brainstorming about these topics; thinking of interesting, unique, and creative topics is a large part of a freelancer's bread-and-butter. Get in the habit of thinking about story ideas as you go through your daily life.

2. Write for publications you know

   Look at the magazines you already have around the house or Web sites you already visit. These are likely to be linked to your hobbies and interests, and so they're often a good place to start. And don't overlook the lesser-known, free, or local publications you might read. Alumni magazines, local shoppers, and even some catalogs hire freelance writers, and some pay very well.

3. Learn to Write a Query Letter

   Query letters and e-mails are the basic way that freelance writers introduce themselves to editors, so it's important that you learn to write one. A query letter or e-mail usually has three parts: 1) Introduce your story idea, with an engaging lead - or first sentence - that will draw the editor in, 2) Introduce and sell yourself and your background, including details about why YOU are the best person to write this article, and 3) Contact information, including your phone number and e-mail address, so the editor can follow up with you if necessary. Remember: query letters are essentially sales documents. Make sure they're polished, engaging, and convincing. Look at the Writer s Market (a great published guide and online site for freelance writers) for examples of good (and bad!) query letters.

4. Be professional - and perfect

   As a freelance writer, you're selling your professionalism. This means you do what you say you're going to do, you turn articles in by deadline, and you check and doublecheck your facts. You'll also want to make sure your grammar and spelling are absolutely perfect. You won't do well in this profession if your writing isn't excellent. If you're concerned about this, buy and study a grammar guide such as Strunk and White's The Elements of Style. Also, don't be afraid to look up every word you're not sure about in the dictionary; Dictionary.com is just a mouse click away. Believe me, in this business, perfection sells.

5. Know Where to go on the Web

   The Web is filled with excellent job boards and sources of information for freelance writers. Some of my favorites are Mediabistro, JournalismJobs, and VirtualVocations. These sites offer job listings, advice, and networking opportunities. Mediabistro, along with Writers.com and WritersOnlineWorkshops, are also good sites for writing classes, which can teach you new skills and help you to generate publishable pieces.

Update your CV

• Include skills and experiences that might not seem relevant to you as a translator. They could be relevant for a potential client.
  
  (Example: I worked in the school system for many years, and a potential client is aware that I have experience working with children. You never know!)
  
• Stay honest and brief. Leave extensive details for later when they contact you. This also helps build a rapport, and the potential customer will be able to determine if you are a right "fit" for their needs.
• Remember to keep a fresh list of references. 3 contacts is great but 6-8 is better. Let your contacts know you are using their information as a reference. They will be flattered and more willing to give a positive impression of you to potential customers.

Offer samples for Free. Exposure will pay and pay again later.

• Use a generic text (news excerpts, survey content, free online books, instructions, manual content, script conversations) and translate them.
• Do several styles, subject, and concepts. This is practice to you and "experience, skill, style" for your clients. (If asked for a sample, you already have some available!)
• Post your samples on a blog, website, group, etc

Market to yourself

How much do you want to get paid for what?

• Have a clear list that you can refer to. Reflect services, fees, items, extras. (I use a template that I can update as my needs /my clients needs change)
• Add to your CV if possible.

Those are the main ingredients: CV, samples, rates.

So, what do you do with this? Join, post and network. Repeat every week!

Join

• Translators/Interpreters associations in your area/country. It will give you credibility .
• Discussion groups. Share your concerns, ideas, or experiences.
• List your services in online & offline directories.
  
  NOTE: Save some money for joining: Sometimes joining is free. Use your discretion. You are a valuable investment that will pay off.

Post

Anywhere, everywhere, everyday if possible. (NO SPAM)

• Use discussion boards, classifieds, weblink pages, blogs, vlogs, emails... if it is in print, you want it seen! Be sensible as to where you are posting and ALWAYS follow proper Netizen Net-tiquette. You want to be sought after, not thought of as a spammer.

Network

• Use your references! Make them aware that you are a professional with a vital service to offer.
• Friends and family are your best source for networking. There is always someone who knows someone-who needs YOU!
• Business cards: Leave them with ANYONE you talk to on an everyday basis. You will be surprised to find out who needs you, but you will know how they heard from you.
• Attend social/business/corporate/public events! This one is a jewel and cannot be missed!

Now go out there and get started!

Writing for most reputable magazines these days often requires a vetting process to screen out any article submissions that do not meet the editor's guidelines since these magazine-writing opportunities do employ a screening process and do not accept just any and all submissions. These publishing opportunities hold more weight than the typical "publish all content publishing companies" operating both online and offline do.

So, if you are a serious writer or you are currently a hobby writer and desire to become a serious writing professional, then this is an opportunity to carefully consider. Writing for magazines will test every writer's skills. Those writers, who survive the review panels and are published, can honestly feel that their writing abilities are among the cream of the crop.

Many of the following magazine writing opportunities are non-paying, but could potentially lead to paying opportunities when accompanied with a current publishing portfolio. Use these magazine opportunities to start building your own publishing credit portfolio, so your professional writing background will have the chance to reward your future. Writer's guidelines are included below.

1. Mothering

   Mothering Natural Family Living is a magazine that is primarily focused on parenting and child rearing issues facing the proudly new parents. Currently, Mothering is accepting professionally written articles for several different categories. There are submission guidelines to read before applying for this opportunity. Mothering does pay $200 to $500 for magazine articles that are accepted and published with the exact amount to be negotiated at the time it is selected.

2. Smithsonian

   For many serious writers, getting an article published in a world-class magazine like the Smithsonian Magazine is the turning point which signals that the smell of success is in reach. The Smithsonian Magazine currently accepts unsolicited proposals from established freelance writers for features and in other departments. If published, this is an excellent publishing credit to add to any writer's professional publishing portfolio.

3. MSDN Magazine

   The Microsoft Journal for Developer MSDN Magazine is always on the lookout for original, well-written articles that help developers evaluate and learn to use current Microsoft technologies for their software development projects. Articles that are published are eligible for payment (Microsoft employees are not eligible for payment) with rates set by contract before submission.

4. CHIPS Magazine

   This is quite an unique opportunity to write an article for CHIPS “The Department of the Navy Information Technology Magazine. This is a non-paying portfolio building publishing opportunity. Carefully, read the editorial writing guidelines to see if you are eligible to write for this magazine before submitting your article.

5. Diabetic Gourmet Magazine

   Share your cooking for diabetics knowledge with readers who must rely on healthy dining to sustain healthy living while living with diabetes. This is a non-paying writing opportunity that will continue to build a stronger professional portfolio. Diabetic Gourmet Magazine is published online and every article submitted must be reviewed and approved before publishing. Not all articles will be published.

6. Impact Times

   Impact Times consists of short articles on poetry, short stories, business strategies, book proposal suggestions, photographic techniques, etc. Writers who would like to have their articles considered will need to read the editorial guidelines before submitting any original works to Impact Times. This is a non-paying opportunity that could potentially lead to a future paying opportunity in the future. For now, this opportunity would be an excellent professional publishing credit to enhance your professional writing resume.

7. CIRE

   CIRE Magazine is offering an outstanding writing opportunity for real estate professionals that can write how-to, trend and forecast articles on a variety of topics relating to the commercial investment real estate market. CIRE published authors gain the distinguished international exposure of 14,000 real estate professionals worldwide. Published authors receive, in addition, 10 complimentary copies of the issue in which their article appears.

8. Toastmasters International

   Toastmasters International is an extraordinary professional organization that helps produce the future speakers and leaders in the world. Successfully being published in the Toastmaster Magazine will expose your article and your name to approximately 226,000 members in 11,500 clubs worldwide. Compensation for accepted articles depends on a couple of factors, so carefully read and understand the writing guidelines before submitting any articles.

9. Kid Magazine

   This is a perfect opportunity for writers who enjoy writing for children. Kid Magazine has writing opportunities that focus on story telling that young children would enjoy. This is a non-paying, portfolio building writing opportunity that will help authors gain more exposure for their works. Like with any opportunities, paying or non-paying, always carefully read the editorial guidelines and only submit your best original unpublished writing works.

10. CMS Jumpstart Magazine

    CMS Jumpstart Magazine is a unique opportunity for writers that run and operate a Joomla! site over time. Ideally, CMS Jumpstart Magazine is on the lookout for tutorials, deployment experiences and industry trends or editorials. Authors may be eligible to earn $5.00 - $20.00 per article upon being accepted and published. Articles that stand the best chance to be published are tutorial series that would span 3-5 articles.

One of the big issues I faced is having been asked to write academic papers and essays. Several paper mills have wooed me and I have dipped my toe in the water and signed up for a couple of on-line sites. Of course, I even have had requests sent directly to me from various clients and want to be clients.

I just cannot bring myself to do it. In the end, I will not do it.

It is true, as my mother always said, that the first person you have to face in the mirror in the morning, is yourself and you have to like that person. What is also true is that you have to respect that person. I cannot bring myself to write an academic paper for someone else for this very reason.

At first I was only personally affronted by the idea, a more of ‘I had to write my own papers and so should they', attitude. However, I began to have another feeling whenever I put myself in or someone tried to put me in that position.

I literally felt sick to my stomach.

I discovered the very thought of writing someone else's paper went, not only against everything I had been taught as a child, but it also went against everything I believed as a writer. It sanctioned plagiarism and cheating.

It does. I say this without prefacing it with any apology.

I believe that when you write an academic paper for someone who will then pass it off as work he or she has done, you are actively helping that person to cheat and that person is plagiarizing your work. In a learning situation where writing is part of how a student's knowledge is evaluated, and how, in the end, that student will receive formal acknowledgement from an academic institution for his learned expertise, that student has no business but to do the work him or herself. If he or she does not, they should not walk away with a University's acknowledgement in the form of a diploma.

The fact that there is software now that professors can use to see if the paper has been plagiarized saddens me. The only laughable part is when the student hiring you warns you against plagiarizing to help them avoid being caught with your paper by the self-same software. Moreover, it also makes me shake my head over another crime we as writers are allowing when we write these papers. We are aiding students in avoiding valuable lessons. These are not just academic lessons. They are life lessons in independent thought, in creativity, and in pride in one's own work. We are teaching them as well to avoid failure - perhaps the biggest lesson of them all.

In coming to this business crossroad, I know I am, like the great poet, Robert Frost, taking the road less taken. Whether professionally it makes a difference, I will probably never know. On a personal level, it makes all the difference especially to the face in the mirror.

I have noticed an increase in ads on the internet, which I can only classify as rude. They do not ask, but instead demand that the writer be nothing short of perfect, and then, by the way, they will own the copyright to the work after it is written. All this and they will pay the obscenely low price of $1-$5 per article and aren't you lucky to get this work?

Thank you. However, no, thank you. I say this because I regard these ads as revealing to me the tenor of what our business relationship would be and I know at least one of us (me) would not be happy at all.

For a long time I was troubled by the attitude these ads evoked in me. Was I being too old-fashioned? Was it a new world with everything going so fast that I was mistaking mere abruptness for discourtesy? Then I remembered something a teacher once told me.
Courtesy (politeness) never goes out of style.

There it is boiled down to one sentence. I want my writing always to be the best that it is within my power to make it. I also want my client relationships to like that as well. In exchange for my writing, I want and need to get back a professional response in all my dealings with my clients. As I must understand their wants and needs, and even, their wariness if they have encountered someone prior me who did not deliver as promise, they must respect me and treat me as a professional.

I do feel for someone who has been burned before in trying to get a project outsourced. The tendency is to build a very definitive wall of expectations. In doing so, however, they create the opposite of what they are trying to attract. A wall is no bridge.

I encourage people to take the higher road when they encounter these ads. Do not write back and berate individuals who place these ads to get a clue. That only cements the mud holding their wall in place.

Instead I advocate not answering these ads - period. Do not encourage a give and take response with someone who as indicated via their own writing that they are not in a giving mood. Forget even that some of you do not mind writing articles for extremely low rates. Just remember that respect like courtesy never goes out of style. Self-respect is the key factor for determining successful relationships including business relationships.
It is then you will be paid what you are worth because the relationship with your client is worthwhile.

Simple Diction

For most fledgling writers, the temptation to impress is a burning desire. Witty and well-formed ideas are usually tainted by too long phrases, words specifically selected to bamboozle their readers. The result is a literary piece in which the idea is blurred in the obscurity of a barrage of colossal words.

This I must say is highly unnecessary because it defeats being concise. It is like looking at a diamond of low quality. It is murky, like looking through a hazy glass. Yet, it is still a diamond. The clearer your literary piece without the excessive use of verbose words the better. Readers appreciate any work that is easy to understand. Do not make them loose sight of the central idea. You should sustain the reader's train of thoughts while not disjointedly interrupted them. It will be easier for your literary talent and professionalism to be appreciated. A simple and straight to the point literary piece is appealing, it reaches out at readers from the print of your write-up.

You do not have to force the horse to drink once you take it to the river. Good readers (and let me assure you, there are good readers and poor ones) are always thirsty for good writing.

Don't go over board with your diction. You even stand a lesser risk of running into a fix. A sentence should contain at best a single clause. For a fledgling writer, any more and you stand the risk of loosing yourself and your reader. Know exactly what you want to say and simply write it.

You should keep in mind that not every reader is a professor or has an MSC in English or English literature.

Have it mind that it takes very little to discourage a reader, especially on the Internet. You would want your ideas to be straight forward and interestingly captivating. Under this circumstance, the idea is not to carry a gun to a knife fight. Imagine how distracting it would be for some one on his computer constantly breaking to make reference to a dictionary.

Flowing Thoughts

Another mistake I have noticed fledging writers make is distracting or interrupting their own writing flow. This is in line with the first mistake. In fact they are so linked that the former leads to the latter.

What they do is to keep a dictionary by their side and while writing, make constant trips to the dictionary and lift heavy words to substitute simpler words and phrases. Just as it is important to maintain a flowing write-up that does not distract your reader, your constant trips to consult a dictionary are equally distracting. Maintain a flowing train of thoughts. To know how to achieve this, just read on.

Good Memory

Can you remember how it feels when an idea with great potential pops into your mind? Remember how you toy with it? You view it from all angles possible until suddenly you realize… eureka! You quickly pick up your pen and blast your guns away. Remember?

If you have ever had this feeling then it would not be news when I tell you that it can be slightly euphoric. If you are a fledging writer, this moment is like a big bang. As soon as the idea goes supernova, you pick up your pen and before you know it, you are quickly lost in your idea. First, it's the introduction, a body you can't recall, a conclusion you didn't plan for and then the final period. On reading it, you discover that the presentation of the ideas in your write-up are somewhat disjointed.

Here is the tip. To maintain a flowing train of thoughts, why not be practical and first of all decisively jot down your ideas as they come to you. Not that you may not have a good memory, but it makes your work a whole lot easier if they are initially jotted down in little points and notes. This gives you the option to later sit back and decide how best they would fit in a flowing, unbroken stream of thoughts. This saves you the trouble of rushing into a literary web of words in which the ideas are all tangled and convoluted.

Maintained Theme

I do not intend to sound patronizing to anyone, but the point here is that any literary piece should hold fast to its central idea. The whole write up should revolve around a central theme. Do not loose sight of the subject matter of your write-up.

It is my experience that keeping to the basics, especially ones that stem all good write-ups make your literary piece easier to follow. It keeps you on track, more like a check and balance situation. This may sound trite to more seasoned writers but keeping this technique paramount in my thoughts has never failed me till date. It is important that you equally do the same. This helps to keep you on your toes and at the top of you game.

Depending on the style/technique that you wish to adopt for your literary piece, having a paragraph that states what your literary piece is about at the beginning of your write-up can be very useful. This gives you and your readers a picture and a good, firm understanding of what your write-up is all about.

Some techniques may have short stories or anecdotes to introduce their write-ups. (Check out an example of this technique in my article, Life of a Graduate in Nigeria at this URL: http://www.socyberty.com/Sociology/Life-as-a-Graduate-in-Nigeria.94875) This is an easier way to spark your reader's interest. Your theme, while reflecting through your anecdote helps in conveying your subject matter to your readers, helping them to conceptualize your aim. This is especially useful for writers with a hard or serious message to convey.

The idea being that you may not want to plunge your readers straight into any hard and serious literature or article. Smoothly coax them into your write up while sustaining their interest before you later use the sledge hammer of your ideas to smash their brains! Just kidding, but you get my point.

Remember that while some readers may be seeking to satisfy some intellectual purpose or desire, others may very well be casual readers.

Niche of Interest

Novice writers should, as much as possible, write in a niche or class of topic that interests them. With out a doubt, you will find that most topics that whet your interest tend to be well and articulately written. These classes of write-ups display a wealth of information from your experience. It is your experience and full grasp of the write-up that you display as a writer that draws appreciation and satisfaction from your readers. This is probably why most of the literary tips I have come across always tell the writer to “write in a niche of your interest.”

The idea behind this is that it would definitely make your write-up a milestone of information, show casing your experience and personal knowledge in that particular niche. Readers love the fact that they are reading an article written by a writer with first hand and/or personal experience in what he has written. It would be a gamble for you if you were an inexperienced writer to write in a niche that is alien and abstract. It wouldn't take long before a critical reader gets the picture of a certain lack of depth and perspective flagrant in such write-ups.

A useful advice is that you should draw inspiration from your surroundings. The world around you is pulsating with lots of great ideas to build and write on. These experiences are floating in space just waiting for you to reach out and grab them. As a fledgling writer, you need to develop a critical mind. Just pause and look around. You live in a society that is a hive of ideas, of concepts, of information, of experiences. Know that you are a product of this society. The choice is yours to either sit back apathetically and be carried away by the waves of events around you, or use that writer's instinct and channel the experiences of these events through your pen.

Accepting Criticism

Criticism is good, especially healthy criticism, or is it criticism is healthy, especially good criticism? Either way, you get the point.

This happens to be the dread of most fledgling writers and experienced ones alike. They fear to be told about their flaws and inadequacies of their write-ups. They think this means that the write-up may be worthless, which may also mean that they are equally not good enough. Here is a simple way to tackle this.

As a writer aspiring to be a professional, the ultimate trick is to “know thy self.” Acknowledging your shortcomings and mistakes as a writer is a good start to knowing yourself.

The “why?” behind knowing yourself is that is that it gives room for you to find solutions and a way around your mistakes. To achieve this is to be one more step closer to becoming a professional writer. To find solutions for your mistakes can be a confidence booster, “it should make you stronger.” This is a quality most professional writers possess.

However, if you feel your nerves may still be too raw to handle the esoterics of a more experienced writer criticizing your literary piece, there is a way around this.

One of the things you may do is to give your literary piece to a peer or rather, a friend. Their criticism, editing or what ever you may like to call it, should not be the final process. Bear it in mind they may not be absolutely accurate. However, what you are really looking for is an initial second opinion from someone you are more comfortable with. As long as they can be objective as humanly possible and point out where they think you should edit or make certain necessary changes or addition, that should be good enough for an initial opinion. This you may call, healthy criticism.

I always tell myself “we can only be writers of our generation, through which we can influence generations to come.” Hence, what better way to get some healthy yet constructive and confidence building criticism, than from peers, especially friends.

However, make sure you do not stop here. Endeavor to give your literary piece to a more professional person for his opinions, editing and criticisms even if the cost is a trip back to the drawing board. What is essential is a write-up worth publishing. Have it at the back of your mind that there are equally talented and very professional writers out there. You have to match up. You can match up.

Self-Editing/Re-Editing

I previously made mention of a phrase, “final process.” I mentioned that, “the editing of a friend should not be a part of the “final process.”

What then should be part of the final process? You may ask. “Self editing,” should be part of the final process. The idea behind this is that there is no limit to the number of times you should go through your write-up for editing. Read and re read it over and over and over again. Be sure that you have left no stone unturned, or rather, no word unchecked. Like I initially stated, what is essential is a write-up worth publishing.

Know Your Readership

In the end, my final advice is that you should have a pretty good idea or rather, know for whom you are writing for. The question may be re-phrased as… whom do you have in mind whilst writing your literary piece? Who is most likely to be interested in your literary piece? Know-your-readership.

You should choose words, phrases and sentences that best suit your readers. If writing for children, your diction should be simple enough for them to understand. It should not be complicated or convoluted.

There you have it. 8 Simple, yet practical guides on how to show case your individuality as a fledgling writer. Use these tips and you are on your way to becoming a professional writer.

What fledgling writers need is nothing but a push in the right direction. Trust me, to make that establishment easier, I've got just the thing. The idea is to make writing like riding a bike, with a little guidance… presto! As simple as that!

Over time, writing for me gets easier and more exciting, all this because of three very easy and simple principles which guide my pen. The cool thing about these principles is that they have grown to be such an integral of me, influencing my writing that I had to find a name for them, I call them, “my three tions of writing,” - “tions” pronounced as “shuns.”

• The Attraction
• The Intention
• The connection

Starting up as a writer ready to show the world the connection between your mind and your pen is indeed a very trying task. Many novice writers believing they have what it takes jump head long into hard-core writing. Don't get me wrong, a lot of them do, but believe me, a little patient refinement can work wonders. Before I ever dared to begin publishing my work, I patiently took my time to hear and read what advice other more experienced writers had to offer. It was not until I had buried my face and ran my eyes through pages upon pages of “How to books” on writing and articles on basic tips of writing that I realized that like these more experienced and professional writers, I also had the ability to show the world the refined and fine tuned connection between my mind and my pen. Through patience and an open mind, I have found my own way to harness this ability, this talent.

The Attraction

The idea behind my first “tion” of writing was born and defined after I had written one of my very first literary pieces. In fact, it was a poem. I had just written the poem when I sat back to assess how I felt generally about it, the title, the arrangement of the lines, the fullness of it, the fluid beauty of the rhymes and so on. At the end of my assessment I thought, how like a beautiful lady the poem looked. That was it! The idea popped into my head, I was instantly attracted to it. Hence, this was the birth of my first “tion,” the ATTRACTION.

Being passionate about a well-written literary piece should come naturally. Like my equity law lecturer once said, “I can never publish a work which is not well written it embarrasses me.”

The aim basically of this article is not only to give fledgling writers useful tips on writing well but also to build their confidence in the expression of their individuality when writing. It does not matter what the write up is about, what should matter is if that ATTRACTION has been established.

Subsequently, the attraction grew into such an experience unlike the first time it had happened, which was way after I had already put pen on paper. Now, it has evolved into an experience that is always bound to happen as soon as a well-formed idea storms into my head. I'm able to tell if I'm attracted to the idea or not. The edge this gives me is that I have the chance to trash an idea around for a little bit, just to try and figure out how best to pen it. This should be a means by which you get to decide if an idea is worth your time and expression or should be taken back to the drawing board to be reassessed.

The Intention

This is next in line. I then thought to myself, after “the attraction” to an idea has been established, what next? Toying with this idea for a little more, certain questions stand out of the woodwork, what exactly do I want to say? How do I want readers to perceive what I have to say? What exactly is/are my intention(s)?

Mind you, this is exactly the same principle I have used over time in developing, writing and re-writing my articles, essays, assignments, poetry and other literary pieces. How hard the content of a piece is does not matter, what matters is the INTENTION and if it is perceived and understood. It is paramount that readers are convinced rather than confused by what is/are the perceptual intention(s) of any writer.

The Connection

This is the final point of contact. By now, the idea has grown, finding force and a voice. The voice finds words in your head and you pick your pen and connect. The CONNECTION. Putting down the words coming from ones head on paper is my last “tion.” From here you are past brainstorming. Yes, the ATTRACTION, the INTENTION and the CONNECTION are all one big but easy method of brainstorming, for me, and now, it can be for you.

If you understand and like what you have read so far, you are in luck. Like I initially stated, the whole essence of this article is for fledgling writers to know that finding the connection between that voice in their head and their pen is to create a balanced meet point. The idea is to find individuality and be totally unique and fresh.

A lot of other details follow; these can be read in my subsequent article, “Added Writing Tips 2.” But in the main time, this is the frame by which my thoughts and ideas are fleshed and brought to life.