How To Have Creativity In Your Writing Skills

When you hear the word 'creativity' what comes to mind? How about words like spontaneity, impulsive, hasty, on the spot ideas?

Some reason we associate creativity and not just in writing with the ability to quickly think on the spot. How we often perceive what creativity is limits whether we actually do become creative in our writing. If you want to become a great writer and you think a great writer as someone who can write a lot of articles, then you'll work towards writing a lot of articles. If a basketball player wants to be great at this chosen sport and he thinks a great basketball player is someone who scores thirty plus points a game, then he'll try to score thirty plus points a game.

Your limiting views affect how you act. These mental road blockages you erect can often constrain not only your creativity, but how you see creativity.

Hopefully I've expanded your views as to what creativity skills actually are. Now I'm going to give you some ideas for capturing this "impulsiveness" I explained about at the start. This advice I give you will be no surprise to you but hopefully my perspective and experience will change your mind about the technique and encourage you to begin using it for improving your creative writing skills.

All this technique is about is writing down your ideas.

From my experiences, I hear people going on about writing thoughts down on a notepad and I think to myself, "I'm not carry around a notepad, how damn geeky" or "it's just another thing to lug around". I see it as more of a liability then an asset. Rather, I should say "I use to see it as more of a liability then an asset."

Now, I have ideas for writing that pop into my head and I then quickly whack it down on paper.

When writing I do not come up with the ideas in a single session. I don't sit down and say that "right now, I'm going to come up with an idea about helping people with depression".

Carrying a notepad works whether you like it or not, but I like to write on scrap paper with a nearby pen. I do however risk not having the resources available but they have always been available.

My ideas come to me when I'm washing my hands, or when I'm at work. This is because I have a passion, and the thoughts about the subjects I love, I always think about. It is when I am daydreaming about my passion that creativity about possibilities hit me.

Events may spark ideas into you. For example, on a television show I see people arguing. I begin to wander off in my mind and ask myself "why are they arguing? What could be done to stop this?" Then wham. A solution I have never thought of hits me.

You need to capture the impulsiveness we see in creativity and begin to write it down on paper. Have a passion and let this explode your ideas. Don't let your creativity go to waste and start capturing them on paper. Use this simple and definitely overlooked to be able to improve your creative writing skills.

Joshua Uebergang writes a newsletter on how to communicate effectively which you can now sign up by visiting his effective nonverbal and verbal communication skills site. You can also learn how to improve your writing skills from the writing section.

How To Make Money From Your Writing Skills

I am one of many people who have realised the many benefits that writing articles can bring. Article marketing is now widely recognised as an excellent way of promoting a website, however there are many more opportunities out there to make money for the budding writer.

I just happened to stumble across the idea of writing articles around eight months ago when I was discussing different forms of website promotion with a friend of mine. I was looking at ways in which I could attract more visitors to my own sites and he advised me to commence writing articles.

The advice was sound and I have not looked back since. Writing articles is a superb way of gaining extra one-way backward links to your site and the readers of each article are also potential visitors.

I attempt to write around seven articles per week which is not easy at times but is something I am aware will help my sites.

In each article I try to give advice and attempt to make them enjoyable for any potential reader.

There are other ways that people like myself, who enjoy to write can make money from their skills.

Other people are also aware of the benefits of article marketing but just do not have the time to write themselves. These people are always on the lookout for somebody to help them out, somebody who will write and submit an article for them. There are a number of websites where each writer can notify people of their services and where other people can post a project that they would like to be completed.

Other areas where people can earn additional cash from their skills is via writing freelance for newspapers and magazines. If your skills are of a higher enough quality and what you write is of interest to a wide audience, there is no reason why you could not earn money in this way.

Writing has never been more in demand and now is the time for people who feel that they have the gift to make the most out of this opportunity. There is a lot of rubbish being written on the web at the moment and quality will always stand out.

Many people might argue that they are not well enough educated to be accepted as a writer in certain quarters. This may well be correct for some people out there, however if you do not try you will never know. Content is king as they say and if your content is good enough and of interest, why would people have an issue with your lack of examinations etc.

Ensure that your content is easy to read and that all of the words are spelt correct. The world is your oyster, go for it.

Stephen Hill helps to promote a number of websites including:

stuttering

guide to playing poker

college savings plans

Traffic Avalanche: Develop Your Writing Skills

Everyone has different abilities and talents. There are folks who can't even imagine writing three articles in a day. Some of us can write and have written 40 articles daily.

So, what if you don't have writing skills but are very good in all those technical stuff, do you start to compete with those of us who can churn out five high quality articles in an hour?

Yes and No!

To succeed online, you need to develop your writing skills. A lot of people can't write well because they've not worked at it. They've not disciplined themselves enough.

Not everyone can write like Hemingway. However, everyone can write for the web. You just need to learn how. I will give a link in the resource box for that. Now, let’s get to why it's crucial that you develop your ability to write for the web if you intend to get massive traffic.

People search for information online. So, if you have great content, you get their attention all other things being equal. High value information is the currency of the web.

If you have 1000 high quality articles, you can easily make $1 million from it within one year. Just imagine placing these 1000 articles on 100 article directories.

Now, let's assume you get just 5 views per article per directory per day on average, that gives a total of 500,000 page views (And this example is very conservative -- I get up to 100 views per directory for some articles).

If you link these articles to your name squeeze page and just 0.1% (that's one out of every 1000) signs up, that will give you 500 new subscribers daily.

If you get those numbers daily for 100 days, you'll have 50,000 subscribers!

And that's just the beginning...

Those will give you 100,000 links back to your site! This will greatly improve your page rank. And if you rank highly, you'll get more organic traffic from the search engines all other things being equal.

You also become recognized as the expert in your niche. And when people recognize you as an expert, they take your recommendations a lot more seriously.

There are other reasons why you should do all within your power to develop your writing skills (And, yes, compete with those of us who are already writing)

Now for why you shouldn't bother...

Don't worry about that if you have employed great writers and your time is better spent on other things than getting 500,000 page views daily!

Learn to write effectively and more easily here.

Learn how you, too, can start having 100,000 high quality visitors monthly within 12 months if you’re hardworking and committed. Subscribe to my newsletter.

Insurance Professionals: Are Good Writing Skills Required?

Are good writing skills required of insurance professionals? That is an interesting question. If good writing skills are not required of most insurance professionals, they should be. As an insurance professional, you have not just set up a stand on the corner of the block. You are not just calling out to passers-by to purchase your insurance policies. True, you are selling a product, but the product you are selling comes with a lot of “the written word” – especially before the sell is made.

How do insurance professionals get the word out about their products? Web sites, billboards, advertisements in newspapers and phone books – the list could go on and on. Each of these forms of advertisement requires some kind of writing. Your insurance company’s Web site and brochures include the most writing. Your goal is to sell insurance policies, but you also want to make sure you clearly explain the different kinds of insurance policies to your potential customers in terms they can understand. The world is your audience – your potential clients – so your writing has to be understood by everyone.

Even if your advertisement simply includes the name of your insurance company, your name and contact information, and a catchy phrase – as most billboard, newspaper, and phone book advertisements do – don’t you want that catchy phrase to be well-written? If you have good writing skills, you will be able to keep it simple and make it pack a punch at the same time.

If you are an insurance professional whose job requirements include writing – any kind, any length – and your writing skills are not quite up to par, you may want to consider taking a writing course. Writing courses are offered online or at a local college. Or, you may want to get your writing down on paper first, then have someone who is skilled at writing take a look at it and offer suggestions or make corrections.

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Motor Home Insurance

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Letters of Reference - Writing Power Phrases

As a result of writing literally hundreds of letters of reference over the years, I am aware that there are certain common elements and approaches that are applicable to almost all such letters.

If you look closely at most reference and recommendation letters you will notice that there are certain "types" of phrases that recur over and over again, throughout the various letters.

These statement types can be grouped into three major categories: opening statements, assessment statements, and closing statements. These statements are the three key components of any letter of reference. If you formulate these phrases well you are guaranteed to have an excellent letter.

OPENING STATEMENTS

The opening statement in a letter of reference should state the name of the person being recommended. It can also explain why you are the person writing the letter. The opening statement should normally be one short sentence and should never exceed two sentences.

Following are three generic typical opening statements for inclusion in reference letters:

• “I am writing this letter at the request of [name of requestor].”

• “This is in response to your recent request for a letter of reference for [name].”

• “I am pleased to be able to write this letter of reference for [name].”

ASSESSMENT STATEMENTS

Assessment statements in a letter of reference are those sentences and phrases that contain the recommender's specific assessment of the performance, characteristics, and attributes of the person being recommended.

Normally an assessment statement will be followed up by one or two specific performance-related examples backing up the statement just made.

Following are three generic typical assessment statements for inclusion in letters of reference:

• “In my opinion, [name] is a hard-working self-starter who invariably understands exactly what a project is all about.”

• “[name] consistently produces high quality work in a timely fashion.”

• “The only area of weakness that I ever noted in [name]'s performance was...”

A typical letter of reference will normally include three to four assessment statements.

CLOSING STATEMENTS

The closing statement in a letter of reference should be one or two sentences at most, and it should make a clear statement of recommendation that flows logically from the points made in the assessment part of the letter. They will often begin with transition phrases such as: "In summary...", "In Closing,...", "Based on the foregoing,...", "Accordingly,...", etc.

Closing statements in reference letters are generally positive, but in some circumstances they may be qualified, or sometimes, even completely negative.

Following are three generic typical closing statements for inclusion in reference letters:

• “I am therefore very pleased to be able to recommend [name] for...”

• “Based on my time working with [name], I recommend her very highly for...”

• “I respect [name] as a colleague, but I must say that in all honesty, I cannot recommend him for ...”

In summary, mastering these three types of "reference letter power phrases" is one of the keys to writing all types of letters of reference. As such, knowledge of how to write typical opening, assessment, and closing statements, as illustrated above, is essential to writing effective letters of reference.

That's why I have included more than 150 generic "Reference Letter Power Phrases" in the latest Revised Edition of Instant Recommendation Letter Kit - How To Write Winning Letters of Recommendation.

Copyright © Shaun R. Fawcett

About The Author

Shaun Fawcett is Webmaster of two of the most visited writing-help Web sites on the Net. He is the author of numerous “how-to” books on everyday practical writing help. He is also the Net’s foremost authority on the definition and writing of ALL types of letters of recommendation and letters of reference. See his comprehensive resource center: http://Recommendation-Reference-Central.com

How to Write Better Editorial Articles

Writing an editorial article may be one of the most satisfying forms of writing, especially for journalists trained to be objective at all costs. An editorial article can be about anything and from any standpoint. As long as you have an opinion and can support it with facts, you have the makings of an interesting piece.

We all have opinions, right? Yet not all of us are editorial writers and not all editorials are worth reading. What exactly makes an editorial article good -- and how do you write one?

KNOW YOUR THESIS

Too many people begin writing their topic with only a vague sense of opinion, never honing, or refining, that opinion into something sharp and distinctive. Be sure to have a solid grasp of what you’re arguing and why you’re arguing. Think about your topic and why you’ve chosen it first. What elements of the argument call to you? What angers or pleases you about this issue? Keep these things in mind as you begin to write.

MINE THE DATA

An editorial is only as good as its facts. Sure, you may think the death penalty is wrong and worthy of outlaw, but without backing it up with data, you have nothing but a half-formed opinion. Get the backstory, understand your argument inside-out. Research every aspect of your topic and cite as many facts as possible; generalities are the death of interesting editorials.

CONSIDER THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED

Don’t pigeonhole yourself into writing from majority’s opinion just because you can make easy arguments. Think long and hard about your position on the chosen issue and write from the standpoint that makes the most sense to you. Never, ever, ever compromise your beliefs for the sake of a byline.

AVOID HYPERBOLE

Sure, exaggerating slightly is expected during a heated face-to-face, but hyperbole has no place in a well-written editorial. You can rarely back up statements such as “always” and “never” with factual data, so stay away from them unless the hyperbole has a definite, and obvious, literary purpose. Typically, including these words will make your editorial prone to justifiable, and often fatal, criticism.

UNDERSTAND THE OPPOSITION

The only way to create a fully formed editorial with tons of depth and poignancy is to understand what the other side is arguing. Research opposing viewpoints with the same voracious energy as the ones with which you line up. Take the time to understand what the other side is arguing and why; after all, you can only combat a particular argument if you know exactly what that argument is.

About The Author
Brian Konradt has been a professional full-time freelance writer for over a decade. He is founder of LousyWriter.com ( http://www.LousyWriter.com ), a free online resource to improve your writing skills; and FreelanceWriting.com ( http://www.FreelanceWriting.com ), a free resource to help writers freelance full-time.

5 Great Tips to Effective Letter Writing

Many people might wonder the need for letter writing in a world dominated by emails. If you wish to streamline your communication, never ignore the power of a well constructed letter. An email cannot achieve the impact that a well written letter can generate. Whether it is business, sales, cover or personal letter, you can master it by learning some simple tips.

1. The content of a letter should be planned well. To streamline your communication, make a draft of your letter. This will help in communicating effectively. Make sure that all the points have been detailed and check your letter for readability. Rephrase those sentences that can be misunderstood. Check the spelling, especially, the name of the receiver. Another key aspect is the consistency in the spelling of names. To be on the safer side, it is always wise to prepare a draft of business, sales and cover letters.

2. Use of language. For business letters, always use formal language. Sales letters need to attract potential customers. So they can be informal with catchy headlines. But when the sales letter talks about guarantee, delivery and other core issues, use a formal tone. Cover letters should always be written in formal language. Maximum flexibility with language can be shown in a personal letter. Depending upon your relationship, you can choose a formal or informal language. To streamline your communication, you should learn the art of selecting the appropriate tone for your letter.

3. Your letter might be intended for several people. This does not mean that it should not have a personal touch. Always write a business or sales letter like writing to a single person. A personal touch in your sales letter or newsletter will make the reader feel more comfortable. The reader should never feel like reading a brochure. The letter should have the effect of a personal conversation.

4. One of the best methods to streamline your communication is to make effective use of all modern day writing techniques. Use headlines to indicate the subject matter. Make use of bullets to detail important points. Use simple language. If a scientific term is used explain it in parentheses. You can make use of italics, bolding and underling in the letter. You can also create a template for your letter.

5. Brevity. Today, people do not have time to spend on reading long letters. Make your point in least number of words. Never deviate from the core subject. Unnecessary deviations from the subject can do more harm than good. Sometimes the reader might totally ignore the letter.

Letters are an important tool of communication. Remember, they can also become documental evidences. Your success in the modern day world depends on how effectively you are able to streamline your communication.

http://www.communicationessence.com

About The Author
John Khu is an experience entrepreneur and internet marketer. He specialises in communication development and personal happiness.