Writers Unbound

This can be helpul for newbies…this came from a PLR and was called Article Marketing Secrets. It’s over 20 pages long, and has lots of ideas. They also talk about using Clickbank lins to related products.

Why articles like this post? Mostly to get your mind wheels turning. The Publishing industry is changing rapidily. Thus writer must become savvy experiemnters and find ways to create and participate in new publishing markets. Perhaps you want to create your own ebook? Perhaps you want to learn how others are turning profits. Perhaps you just just need to create some extra cash. No investment required ebooks have a lot to teach. Pick them up often, and even read them now and again!

Submitting an article to an article directory would get it on the internet. That
part is what’s correct. But, it won’t mean that the article will actually get
viewed, and it also won’t mean that people will click the backlink.

Basically, you could end up with 1,000 articles that each get 1 view a day
since no one can find the article, and getting a total of maybe only 10 click-
throughs. Which is why, the basic ‘dummies’ theory of article marketing is
this:

1. Position your articles where they can be found

2. Write headlines that gain attention

3. Evoke interest in the article body

4. Call to action in the resource box

5. Get more visitors to visit your article

Chances are, unless you’ve done article marketing before, you probably
didn’t understand any of that. Let’s take a look at them one by one.

Using Keywords to Position Your Articles 

In a nutshell, keywords are just words or phrases that people use to search
for anything and everything online. Seeing as we’re getting the
nomenclature out of the way, ‘keyword density’ is the amount of a certain
keyword per 100 words.

Keywords are important – that can’t be stressed enough. Considering that
search engines are still the primary way in which people look for anything on
the internet, it means that people who are looking for things in whatever
niche you’re in, are going to be doing so on search engines.

Thus, when talking about positioning your articles, it essentially means
positioning them in the relevant searches, so that they’re more likely to be
found by the right people.

What happens if this isn’t done? Well, say you had an article about blogging
for money, but it didn’t contain any keywords that are being searched for a
decent amount of times per month. In this sort of case, there would be no
way that anyone would find your article, and so it would go pretty much
unread and unattended.

Admittedly, for long articles there inadvertently ends up being a keyword
used here or there, but for reliable results, you’re going to want at least a
1% keyword density (but not more than 3%).

First though, you’re going to have to find the keywords that you intend to
use.

Keyword Research

Basic keyword research is really pretty easy, and there isn’t too much about
it that even a beginner can’t come to grips with. To start off with, the
keyword research tool of choice is Google Adwords Keyword Tool.

Seeing as Google is the most popular search engine around, getting data
from it seems to be a logical place to begin.

When conducting keyword research, there are three considerations in
particular that play an important role:

1. Number of Searches

Quite literally, this is just the number of searches per month. If a term
has a high number of searches, it means lots of people are looking for
it, which definitely makes it a better choice.

2. Competition

Once you have a keyword that has a decent amount of searches, plug
it into Google and search for it. When you get the results, take note of
how many there are. For instance, if there are 11,800,000 results,
then that means a lot of people are competing for that keyword.

On the other hand, if you end up with something like 1,800 results,
then there are very few competing websites.

Needless to say, with less competition, you stand a much better
chance of appearing on the first page of the search results, which is
really what you should be aiming for. Once you’re there, you will no
doubt see a dramatic increase in your views.

3. Profitability

Not all traffic is as profitable, and sometimes, for certain keywords,
the traffic that is obtained just refuses to be converted. While there
are a lot of factors that can affect this, it isn’t too relevant as far as
keyword research is concerned.

Instead, it is better to know just one simple test of the ‘profitability’ of
a keyword.

When you perform a search for the keyword to scope out the
competition, take notice as to whether or not any adverts appear. If
they do, then that means someone out there feels that it is worth
spending money on that keyword.

Admittedly, this isn’t a 100% accurate test, but it should suffice to
give you a general idea.

Ever actually read some of the free ebooks you can pick up on the net? Every so often I do. Many are really good with practical tips that could save you time and even perhaps make you money. Go to the link and see if you can find this freelance writing book. Enjoy!

Cool Benefits & Drawbacks
After a long day at the office, you decide to stop by your local Barnes & Noble bookstore to pick up a copy of your favorite magazine.
When you open it up to a story that you find fascinating, you look at the author’s name and see that in his biography it says that he is a professional freelance writer.
Looking at the selected photographs, drawings and diagrams quickly makes you realize that all of the artwork for the story was also done by freelance photographers and graphic designers.
Returning home from the bookstore, you decide to start up your computer and log online to check out the news for the day that you might have missed.
Topping the list on your favorite tech news website is a brand new program that looks like it could be a lot of use to you.
Visiting the software programmer’s website shows that he is also a freelancer – and seems to be doing rather well at his chosen trade.
Realizing that so much is created by freelancers, you decide to dedicate the rest of your evening to researching the freelance databases to see if you have what it takes to join this growing world of self employed individuals.
Before you begin your hunt to be a freelancer though, you need to know the benefits and the drawbacks

Witness how Sara Snow grew to be ready to write her latest book:
Fresh Living: A guide to green room by room. Skip over to www.coachingcooking.com to see some recipes. Do visit Sara’s website for more of the story.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/yogaandlife/2009/04/13/Fresh-Living-with-Green-Lifestyle-Expert-Sara-Snow

www.sarasnow.com

Yoga and Life Radio with Stacey Shanks presents: Fresh Living with Sara Snow. Growing up in a naturalistic environment, Sara was living eco-friendly before it was called “green living”. She is a Lifestyle Expert and just finished her newest book, “Fresh Living -A Room-to-room Guide to a Greener, Healthier Family and Home.” She has been featured in magazines such as Body & Soul, Organic Gardening, Natural Health.

Self, Fitness, and Indianapolis Times. Join me as Sara gives us simple steps on making your home an envirnomentally friendly place to live. “Get Fresh with Sara Snow” appears on Discovery Health, while also working as an advisory board member of Discovery’s “Planet Green”.

“Million-Dollar Secret
That Can Change Your Life”
Lesson 1 (unfortunately the links did not work)

By Dr. Robert Anthony,
creator of “The Secret of Deliberate Creation”
Lesson 1
First of all, I want to take this opportunity to welcome you and thank you for your faith and confidence in me to allow me to share this information with you.

You have heard the saying that a journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step. You have just taken that step. Congratulations!

If you’re like most people, your life is very busy. However, for the next 6 days please take the time to read each lesson. It will only take a few minutes.

I will reveal the Million Dollar Secret That Can Change Your Life after we have covered some basic material that is essential to understanding how this secret works.

You may even figure it out before I tell you. Either way, relax and enjoy the course. Each lesson builds on the one before, so please do not make any judgments until you have completed the entire series of lessons.

With that in mind…… Let’s get right into it!

I would like to start off by asking you a question - Do you know WHY you are reading this right now?

Your answer might be “I came across your website on a search engine”, or “A friend told me about your program”, or it might be any other number of “LOGICAL” reasons.

The important thing is this: It doesn’t matter if there is a LOGICAL explanation or not. The fact that you are reading this means that there is something that you are seeking, but you haven’t discovered how to manifest it in your life yet.

It may have something to do with your business, your finances, your health, your relationships - or even something intangible, like peace of mind.
But until you understand what I am about to reveal, which is HOW things flow in and out of your life, you will never be able to CONSCIOUSLY create the life you desire.

On the other hand, once you know the Million Dollar Secret That Can Change Your Life, you will FINALLY be able to achieve your dreams and goals, one after the other, in a rapid, easy, stress-free manner.

I am sure I don’t have to tell you that your mind is your most powerful tool for achieving anything you want in life. However, since everyone (well, almost everyone:) has a mind, why don’t they use it to create the lives they desire?

Why is it that most people use the power of their mind to work AGAINST them, instead of FOR them? You are going to find out in just a few minutes.

FIRST OF ALL, I AM GOING TO PREDICT YOUR FUTURE!

That’s right. I am not a psychic, but I am going to start off by predicting your future with 100% accuracy!

How can I possibly do that?

It’s very simple. I KNOW something about you - something that will allow me to predict your future with 100% accuracy.

Here it is: “If you keep THINKING what you are thinking, you will keep DOING what you are doing, and you will keep GETTING what you are getting.

In other words, what you are experiencing NOW and in the FUTURE is the result of your previous thoughts. Your future is predetermined by your thoughts in this moment. So, if you want to change your future, you must change what you are thinking about in this moment.

If I can convince you to do that, I predict you will have an absolutely fantastic, successful, exciting and happy future.

THE POWER OF FOCUS!

We are going to talk a lot about THE POWER OF FOCUS throughout this course.

How you feel about life and anything in particular, depends on WHERE YOU FOCUS YOUR ATTENTION.

Ask yourself this question, “What do I focus on most of the time?” If you are like most people, you will discover something very interesting about yourself. You will discover that you spend more time focusing on what you DON’T want than what you DO want.

Why is this important?

Because you can’t expect to have what you WANT if you focus on the OPPOSITE of what you want. Put simply, you will create and attract MORE of whatever you focus on.

Want Proof?

Have you ever made this statement,

“I feel stressed out, but I don’t know why.”

From what you have just learned, it is easy to figure out “why”. It is impossible to feel bad, sad, tense or negative and not know why.

If you are feeling stressed it is because you are focusing on stressful thoughts. In other words, you are focusing on what you don’t want, which is to feel stressed.

Said another way, bad thoughts can never produce good results, and good thoughts can never produce bad results.

Anytime you feel stressed, worried, fearful, or have any other negative feeling, it is because you are doing two things.

1. You are focusing on what you don’t want to happen.

2. You are focusing on the future, not the present moment.
It is impossible to feel stress, worry, fear or any other negative emotion if you are living in the present moment. The ONLY way you can feel negative emotion is to focus on what MIGHT happen, or what you DON’T WANT TO HAPPEN, in the next moment, next hour, next day, next week, next year, etc.

So your assignment for this first lesson is to monitor your thoughts. From now until the next lesson I would like you to become the “observer” of your thoughts. Don’t judge. Just observe. Observe what you focus on most of the time.

Are you focused on the past? What happened and how you wish it were different? Are you worried about the future? The next minute, the next day, next week, etc?

Start right now. Take a look at what you focus on most of the time. As you do this, please keep in mind: What you think about today, in this moment, will become your future.

Once you understand this, you can accurately predict your future. If you keep thinking what you are thinking, you will keep getting what you are getting. But if you shift your thought patterns and focus on what you want, instead of what you don’t want, you can begin to create a new and exciting future.

I will explain this in detail as we go into the next lessons, but for now please observe your thoughts and become aware of what you think about most of the time.

In Lesson 2 we will talk about why most self-improvement programs fail and what we can do to guarantee our success.

Thanks again for taking the time to read and study this material. You have begun a journey into self-discovery that can truly change your life.

Talk with you tomorrow! In the meantime, have a great and prosperous day . . .

Your partner in success,

The 2009 Blog Money Guide
The 2009 Blog Money Guide Page 9
Blogging Ideas for Different Industries and Niches
One of the most common questions I get is “How can a blog help with with my (interest,
current business)?”
Another common question is what usually follows “Can I make (some or more) money by
blogging in (some specific) niche market?”
I give you several examples below how blogging can drastically increase cash flow, gigs,
branding, traffic, search engine rankings, and lead to opportunities and connections you might
otherwise never dream of achieving.
Affiliates
Most bloggers make the most money from affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is where you
sign up to become a registered affiliate of a product or service. When you send traffic to
recommended products or services through your affiliate link, the resulting sales earn you a
commission.
Affiliate marketing can be done in every market that has a significant base of interest from
web surfers. And it is the easiest way for people to get started making money with their blogs
with no product or their own and not enough traffic to attract big advertisers. (Yet!)
So if you don’t have a profession, service, or product of your own to promote, this will be how
you get started making money with your blog. I have a special section on affiliate marketing
with your blog in this guide, and a video you should watch that gets to the heart of exactly
how bloggers make the most money with affiliate programs.
Writers
The biggest reason most writers don’t get into blogging isn’t their fear of writing. It’s their
fear of the technology and a misunderstanding as to how easy blogging has gotten in the
last couple of years. Yet nothing is better suited to showcasing your writing talent online than
a blog.
If you are a writer looking for writing jobs, making connections with publishers, or simply
wanting to get paid for writing on your own terms (through advertising on your blog or several
other monetization methods) having a professional blog will put you in an entirely different
playing field.
For writers, a blog is an in depth resume, portfolio, and business card. It is where you
The 2009 Blog Money Guide
The 2009 Blog Money Guide Page 10
attract a following, generate buzz, and make it much harder for people to ignore you (such as
publishers, editors, or people looking for freelance writers).
Authors
Much the same as above. Authors are artists more than they are geeks. But needing to be
a geek is just the stigma attached to blogging rather than the reality. Many authors now use
blogs to keep in touch with their readers and further monetize their popularity.
It’s no secret most authors don’t get rich by writing a book and getting on Amazon and
Barnes and Noble bookshelves. Today, authors who blog are doing really creative things to
generate revenue for themselves out of the following they gain from their books.
Would-be authors have an easier time getting published if they can point to all their
followers and fans on their blog when pitching publishers.
Speakers
You need speaking gigs. The best thing you could do to increase your notoriety and value
as a speaker among the event coordinators in your market is to showcase your talent with a
blog. It really sets you apart from your competitors because most have not and will not take
the time and energy to put together such a presence online.
If you want event coordinators to really take notice of your skills, put together a blog with
some decent original content and any videos from previous speaking gigs to showcase your
talent. You will get more speaking jobs with a great blog!
Coaches/Consultants
You need an easy way to showcase your value as an expert in your field to attract new
clients. There isn’t an easier way to do this and land far more clients than with a blog.
You attract leads with your content, impress them with your deep well of knowledge in your
market, and groom your readers to become perfect clients. (We all know what its like to get
bad leads, and worse, take on problem clients who haven’t been fully vetted!)
Your blog lays out who you are, what you do, and sets the stage to attract the ideal clients
you’d like to work with.
Service Providers
Bob Parsons, owner of Godaddy.com, has a popular blog. There’s nothing more straight
forward than a domain registrar. So why blog? Because he attracts far more domain buyers
The….

In This Issue

Editor’s Corner

A word from WITS owner Yvonne Perry

The Art and Craft of Writing

by Dr. Marlene Caroselli

WITS Podcast Schedule

Writing Across the Curriculum

by Elysabeth Eldering

Network With Us

The Writing Life: A Word Game

by JJ Murphy

Book With a View

Read this month’s book reviews

Using “I” As a Conceit by C. Howard-Johnson

Writing Folktales by Karen Pierce Gonzalez

Poetry Corner

Poems from our readers

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editor’s Corner

by Yvonne Perry

Welcome to spring and another issue of Writers in the Sky Newsletter/E-zine. Some folks ask why this publication is called both a newsletter and an e-zine. Well, it’s really too long to be a newsletter, and it isn’t laid out as a magazine; however, it has characteristics of both. It’s delivered electronically, it has news, articles, and announcements from our readers, and it has its own place on the Web (http://writersinthesky.blogspot.com). So, it’s both an e-zine and a newsletter. What do you think of the idea of changing the name to Writers in the Sky News-zine?

While I’m changing things, I might mention that this column, which was called Author’s Corner, is now called Editor’s Corner. While I am both an author and an editor, most magazines and newsletter have an editor in charge of publication, so I’m catching up with the times and christening this new name. Champagne, please!

As spring is budding so are my four pregnant daughters! The first baby is due by C-section on April 10. Please keep Katie and her baby boy in your thoughts and prayers as she is a high-risk case due to health concerns. I’m making quilts for each grandbaby and you can see photos of my handiwork here:

Turtle for Katie and Jackson’s boy
Sock Monkey for Liam Owen
Transportation theme for Jonas Finn

I have two more to go: one for Ryah and Fred’s baby due in October, and one for Sarah and Nathan’s baby due in September.

WITS has been busy with a lot of great new and returning clients and I have personally been doing interviews. I’m especially thankful for Book Marketing Maven Dana Lynn Smith and the Q&A she posted on her blog. It’s all about authors working with editors, and I think you will find it informative and beneficial—especially if you are trying to decide whether or not your book should be edited before going to print.

On that same thought, I have written an article about the literacy rate being affected by authors who send poorly-written material to be published where it will be read by the public market. I’m not talking about a few typos; everyone makes mistakes. I’m referring to material that is below an acceptable level when it comes to grammar, spelling, punctuation, and overall development. I certainly intend no hard feelings to my POD friends, but in the article, I have given everyone something to think about. Feedback is welcome.

That leads me to introduce my POD friend, Tracy Lucas, who is the editor at Published by Westview. Tracy believes in publishing quality books at a reasonable price and getting them into mainstream circulation through Ingram. Tracy is also a columnist (Writing Careers) for the Nashville Examiner and she interviewed me about WITS. You may read the article here: http://www.examiner.com/.

Speaking of partnerships, Irene Watson and I have been in strategic alliance and have networked on several projects for the past three years. Irene’s company Reader Views hosts an annual Literary Awards event for which WITS is a sponsor. The 2008 winner of WITS’ $100 cash prize for best creative writing is James Earle McCracken for his book general fiction book, Rue de la Pompe: A Satiric Urban Fantasy (ISBN 9780595485055). Three WITS clients: Carl David, author of Bader Field (Nightengale Press); Dawn Menge, author of Queen Vernita’s Visitors (Outskirts Press); and Linda Ballou Wai-nani: High Chiefess of Hawai’i (Star Publish), won honorable mention in Reader Views Literary Awards this season.

Another strategic alliance I want to mention is our affiliation with Full Circle Admin. Owner Mindy Schwartz is able to assist clients with administrative needs such as calendar management, data entry, Excel spreadsheets, job search services, letter writing, typing, and transcribing. Other specialties include: coaching and mentoring to set up and maintain a high-traffic and sales-effective blog; stock, event, and product photography; link building; SEO writing; social networking and creating/posting trailers for books and businesses. Mindy and Sarah Moore work together as part of the WITS to give authors excellent customer service and a strong online presence.

Lately, clients have been coming to me asking me to serve as their writing mentor or developmental editor. I am delighted to be working with six writers on an hourly basis. Whenever one gets an article or chapter completed and is ready for me to look over it, I am able to offer a constructive critique either by phone or email about how to improve the piece. I would be glad to help you, too! You can hire me to work as few or as many hours per month as you wish, so why not invest in yourself and improve your writing skills with personalized instruction?

I’m co-writing a book with an author who needs teen or adult children of military parents to take her survey about being raised in a military family. Typical questions include: How many times did you move as a child of military parents? Did you live on a military base as a child? What was the highest rank achieved? Were you/your parent injured in conflict? If your parent was in the armed services, or if you are a parent serving in any branch of the military for any country, please go to http://tr.im/gA79 and answer a few questions. Thank you for helping provide stories for this book.

With all the attention in the media about stem cell research, it’s time for the average citizen to understand more about it. Why not read my blog? www.Right2Recover.com

WITS Web site: http://www.writersinthesky.com
WITS Blog: http://www.writersintheskyblog.com/
Phone: (615) 884-1224
MySpace
Facebook
LinkedIn
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The Art and Craft of Writing

by Dr. Marlene Caroselli

The Craft

For every writer, there are two prisms through which writing our words will be viewed. Readers expect us to be craftsneb. They trust we will have a fundamental grasp of the elements that constitute good writing. Researchers, for example, have found that sentences exceeding the ratio of one preposition for every eleven words are poorly written. They sound first-grade-ish. (”Syntactically immature” is what the experts call such writing.) The reader cannot flow through the sentence without encountering a verbal hiccup every few words.

Researchers have also found that sentences that contain more than fifteen words cause the reader to go back and read the sentence again to be sure they have understood the meaning. Think about it—some of the most persuasive sentences of our time are short: “Just do it!” “Yes, we can!” “It’s the economy, silly!”

Additionally, the successful writer knows her craft so well that grammatical errors don’t appear in it. Nor do clumsy phrases or a limited vocabulary.

But the successful writer knows both the technical matter and the techniques, has knowledge of the content, but can also place it in the right context, has a message and can find the perfect medium in which to place it. That’s where the art of writing comes into play.

The Art

Our language has a million words, and is growing daily. Contrast that number to the number of words in the native tongue of Arubans. Papiamento has only 500 words. We English speakers have so many choices with which to hook our readers. We have infinite combinations that can intrigue our fiction readers and persuade our non-fiction readers.

Your artistry is even more important when you are sending out query letters. After all, if you can’t persuade an editor to read your letter, let alone buy your submission, your readers will never get the chance to enjoy your artistry. Here are some Dos and Don’ts to consider before you send off your inquiry.

DO:

Regard life as an experiment. Write that cover letter in three different ways and solicit input as to which is most effective.
Use audience awareness to convince your reader. Consider what elements will be most appealing to your various readers. Use words that matter to them.
Remove barriers that may stand between you and others. One barrier might be your unfamiliarity with the publication in which you want to be featured. Spend some time learning about its uniqueness. Another barrier might be the editor’s “I’ve-heard-it-all-before” syndrome. Find ways to truly stand out from your competition.

DON’T:

Confuse persuasion with manipulation. Your efforts should yield mutually beneficial purposes.
Forget to consider the editor’s position. Editors are busy people. Make your query letters worthy of their time.
Neglect the questions that might arise in the editor’s head. Have answers incorporated within your query.

Your Love, Your Life, Your Lexicon

I often tell audiences I would rather write than do anything else in the world. (This may explain why I haven’t had a date since 1985!) If your passion matches mine, you are no doubt eager to expand your persuasive communications. Contact me about an e-book (Principled Persuasion) that will make your verbal expansion a pleasurable pursuit.

Dr. Marlene Caroselli (mccpd@frontiernet.net) is an author, keynoter, and corporate trainer. You can learn more about her via Google.

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Podcast

Listening to Writers in the Sky Podcast on a computer is easy. Just click this link: http://yvonneperry.blogspot.com and go to my blog. On the right sidebar there is a list of archived shows. Click on the interview you would like to hear and it will open a post that has a link to open the audio file. For information about being a guest on Writers in the Sky Podcast, see www.writersinthesky.com/writing-podcast.htm

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April 3

Sarah Moore will be interviewing Jeff Roberts about his new book titled Little Stories, a collection of short stories written during Jeff’s days as an undergraduate at the University of Iowa. The author will be discussing the inspiration he used to capture such raw emotion, his decision to place his student work into a published collection, and why he enjoys the short story format. See Outskirts Press to learn more about Jeff Roberts and Little Stories.

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April 10

Jay Greenfeld will be discussing his new book, My Choice, My Life, which shares methods readers can use to develop a greater sense of balance in key areas of their lives. The content is geared primarily towards a younger audience, with topics such as choosing healthy relationships, making smart decisions concerning alcohol and drugs, and succeeding in school or at that first job. Instead of providing a set of absolute answers, Greenfeld encourages readers to reflect on their individual situations and use his advice as a springboard to determine solutions that make sense for them. Purchase on Amazon.

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April 17

Storyheart talks about his new release, Across the Pond, a story about the innocence and excitement accompanies first loves. When teenager Fred Squire is sent by his parents to visit family friends in America, he never imagined that he would meet the girl of his dreams in the very house in which he was staying. Storyheart allows their romance to unfold with a refreshing level of appropriateness for the age of his characters, but always in a way that is respectful of their genuine emotions. He has fun playing up the cultural and language differences. Purchase on Amazon.

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April 24

M. Carol Coffey author discusses her new novel, Zoe Lucky and the Green Gables Mystery. The young heroine of this book has recently moved into a new apartment complex where frightening events keep occurring. She uses strong will and determination to pull together clues in her surroundings and bring the lurking criminals to justice. Coffey uses her love of animals and personal affiliation with organizations that educate about birds to integrate the winged creatures into her plotline. Purchase at Outskirts Press.

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Date

Guest

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• Article Marketing • Author Interviews • Personal & Business Bios • Blogging Services •Book Reviews •Media Kits •Media Releases •Podcast Interviews •Résumés •Sell Sheets • Ghostwriting • Editing
Choose two or more services, and get a 10% discount on the total project price if you mention seeing this ad in our newsletter!

A great deal for anyone needing online publicity!

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Writing Across the Curriculum, Creating Teacher’s Guides…

to Turn a One-subject-related Book into a Multi-curricula Teaching Aid for Supplementing All Subjects

by Elysabeth Eldering

Do you have a topic that is or can be used in the classroom to supplement a specific course of study? If so, how do you get that one topic to be multi-faceted and reach more than one subject? Teacher’s guides. It may take a bit of research to get to the point of being cross curriculum, but it can be done.

My series, the Junior Geography Detective Squad (JGDS) 50-state, mystery, trivia series, is just that. Although my initial intentions were to supplement 4th and 5th grade social studies classes by creating a story that gives the readers more information about the states they never really learned in the classroom, I found that when writing the teacher’s guides, I went beyond the social studies curriculum and ended up including science, arts and English Language Arts (ELA).

The teacher’s guides don’t have to be long to cover a lot of ground. For example, mine are about thirteen pages long and that is with the cover, copyright page, index, and bibliography. So how did I get from just a social studies supplement to include arts, ELA and science in such few pages? Easy. I added discussion/research questions all taken from some of the more historical clues and expanded them out so that the students will actually have to do a little bit of work and write a report or work in groups to come with a display or other creative item on the project. ELA is all about researching, writing, and reporting. This also adds the creative outlet for art projects. Next, I found that one of my clues actually has a science experiment that is widely used in schools across the United States. So, that clue became a science experiment with an explanation of how the experiment works. For fun, I added a puzzle and an end-of-book quiz that can be used for extra credit or can be graded as part of the curriculum. By doing these steps, I have just created a short, across the curriculum teacher’s guide.

If you have a topic that can be used in the classrooms and think you are only able to reach one course of study, think about a teacher’s guide to supplement the book. See how many subjects you can cover with a short, simple teacher’s guide.

With a childhood spent traveling the globe, it’s no wonder that writer Elysabeth Eldering has a passion for geography! Growing up in a military family, Elysabeth lived in Japan, Germany, New York, Kentucky, and Texas before her family finally settled in a small town in South Carolina. Elysabeth, who lives in Honea Path, SC, has put her globetrotting skills to work in the Junior Geography Detective Squad’s 50-state mystery trivia series. Published by 4RV Publishing, the series made its debut in summer 2008 with State of Wilderness. The Junior Geography Detective Squad will continue to put their mystery-solving talents to work in each state to challenge young readers on their knowledge of the nation’s geography and interesting facts. State of Quarries is next in the line-up. For more info contact Elysabeth at eeldering@gmail.com and check out her blog - http://jgdsseries.blogspot.com

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Network With Us

Add your announcement or brag about your writing accomplishment. Tell us about your book or business.
Share information and ideas or send articles or advertorial for the next issue by contacting us on our Web site www.writersinthesky.com/contact.php . Here are some announcements from our readers this month:

Creative (Right-Brain) People Can Attain their Goals!

Have you ever wondered how creative people attain success—and not only in their artistic field, but in other areas of their lives as well?

So many writers struggle with attaining goals, even after you’ve taken the time to list them, break them into actions, and set completion dates. You get frustrated with yourself, which powers your negative internal voice, which only leads to less motivation and more failure.

The UPositive Guide to Goal Attainment for Creative People leads you, step by step, through a system for success with writing. It can also be applied to other areas of your life.

The main problem for writers and other creative people in goal attainment is that most of the process of setting, tracking, and timing goals is left-brain (logical), while you’re spending your time using the right brain (creative, emotional, etc.).

According to author Batya D. Wininger, LCSW, MSW, KAP, Rev., the best way for you to attain writing goals is to use both sides of your brain, trading off activities that lead to goal attainment. She explains that even though the right and left hemispheres of your brain have different jobs to do, they actually communicate with each other!

Through The UPositive Guide to Goal Attainment for Creative People, you’ll learn how to have your right brain guide your left brain in setting up winning activities for the right brain to accomplish! Sounds like a see-saw? That’s exactly right!

With easy-to-understand exercises, step-by-step directions, and plenty of encouragement, you’ll be re-inspired to work toward your dreams, creative and otherwise; you’ll know exactly what next steps you need to take; you’ll be able and ready to take them; and you’ll succeed quicker and easier than you ever imagined.

For more information, or to order the eBook, go to: http://www.upositive.com.

After ordering the eBook, email Batya@UPositive.com. Let her know about your order and that you read this article through Writers in the Sky. You’ll receive a special, free workbook to accompany The UPositive Guide to Goal Attainment for Creative People.

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Pamme Boutselis recently joined the management team of a brand new poetry Web site, and invites writers to check out www.poetsphere.org.

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Friday, March 6, Steve Ouch may have made Twistory (Twitter History) by selling 200 copies of SteamPotVille, enough to reach #208 in Amazon’s ranking system, just behind one of Rick Steves’ travel books. What inspired the push? Steve’s banker had promised him a book tour loan if he could sell 200 copies today. So that’s just what he did.

SteamPotVille is at the heart of the eclectic and magical world, with its costumed animals and bright swirling landscapes. Preparing for his publishing debut in May, Steve used March 6 to get the word out. He remained on Twitter for fifteen hours and made hundreds of posts pushing his book. With over 10,000 followers, he only needed 2 percent of them to buy. And they did. He Tweeted when someone made a purchase and promoted that person. He excerpted lines from the book. Suggested adults would love it as much as kids. Offered it as a St. Patrick’s Day gift idea. There wasn’t a sales angle he missed.

If you want to learn something about marketing and self-promotion, follow Steve Ouch on Twitter. Or feel free to ask him, he’s always accessible.

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Frankie, the partially-paralyzed dachshund of author Barbara Techel, was inducted into the Wisconsin Pet Hall of Fame on February 28, 2009. Barbara wrote Frankie’s story, Frankie, the Walk ‘N Roll Dog after realizing the powerful lessons Frankie taught her about overcoming challenges. Frankie was recognized for bringing a positive face to all animals with disabilities and proving that they can live a happy, fulfilling life if given the chance.

Frankie continues to share her upbeat message by visiting areas schools, nursing homes, hospice and hospitals. For more information, or to watch Frankie’s inspirational video visit www.joyfulpaws.com. Kids will especially enjoy www.frankiethewalknrolldog.blogspot.com.

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Author Fiona Ingram has just completed The Secret of the Sacred Scarab, the first in her exciting children’s adventure series—Chronicles of the Stone. A 5,000-year-old mystery comes to life when a scruffy peddler gives Adam and Justin Sinclair an old Egyptian scarab on their very first day in Egypt. Justin and Adam embark upon the adventure of a lifetime, taking them down the Nile and across the harsh desert in their search for the legendary tomb of the Scarab King, an ancient Egyptian ruler. They are plunged into a whirlpool of hazardous and mysterious events, pursued by enemies in their quest to solve the secret of the sacred scarab. With just their wits, courage, and each other, the boys manage to survive … only to find that the end of one journey is the beginning of another! Young explorers will enjoy an interactive journey through Egypt, following Justin and Adam’s exciting adventure on www.secretofthesacredscarab.com.

Readers can also browse the first chapter of the book. Those who survive the journey and manage to translate the Curse of Thoth will be able to read the first chapter in Adam and Justin’s next adventure—The Search for the Stone of Excalibur—as they hunt for the Scroll of the Ancients.

T-shirts, mugs, and Stones of Power are available as well. Readers can purchase The Secret of the Sacred Scarab on Amazon.com, B&B.com or Barnes & Noble Bookstores, as well as many online stores. Find out more about Fiona on www.FionaIngram.com.

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Book Review of Patriot Acts

I hardly ever read fiction, but bringing fiction into reality is what Steven Clark Bradley has accomplished in his Patriot Acts. I like the impossible as well as the adventure. It is a fast and exciting read as well as historical and educational. Steven has hit the nail on the head with everything going on today in the world of terrorism. He explains in his own feelings and beliefs the way our President has tried to protect this great country of ours against the murderess scoundrels who kill and have no value of life. It is very creative how Steven put Fisher and Hamilton into a frame that shows the love and devotion the two men have for each other in the face of death, and how they manage to survive.

Patriot Acts gave me an education I never had, and I understood the message and the details about what our country and its people can expect, from terrorism. The educational part of Patriot Acts is a warning and gives us the knowledge to prepare for the worst. There will be different viewpoints of this great read, but in the end we all stand together in our fight against terrorism in our great country. Steven, I got an education in terrorism, thanks to Steven and Patriot Acts, I can prepare my family for its future.

Tony (Tony Nap) Napoli
Author of My Father, My Don

For more information about this book, see Steven’s blog.

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Dawn Menge’s book, Queen Vernita’s Visitors, made the finalist list for the EVVY award! The book is also one of the three semi-finalists in the 2008 literary awards for Reader Reviews. See the book video or listen to this author’s interview with Sarah Moore on WITS Podcast.

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Virtual Assistant to Businesses and Authors

Mindy Schwartz is able to assist with administrative needs such as calendar management, data entry, Excel spreadsheets, job search services, letter writing, typing, and transcribing.

Other specialties include coaching and mentoring to set up and maintain a high-traffic and sales-effective blog; stock, event, and product photography; link building; SEO writing; social networking and creating/posting trailers for books and businesses.

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On the Letters from 2030 series, my book ZERO Greenhouse Emissions - The Day the Lights Went Out - Our Future World is non-fiction. It contains many facts that the general public doesn’t know or understand about finite resource depletion and climate change. It was written to alert the general public to these issues and written in plain language that is easy to understand. It simplifies the science and I believe inspires the reader to become involved in being part of a solution to the many urgent challenges we face.

Trouble is if you haven’t got a person’s attention (with many issues facing people today ; economic, jobs, U.S. recession, etc) you haven’t got the audience. How the Letters from 2030 came about was to use many of the facts about now and the immediate future, but to fictionalize it as how it will be in 2030. By then, and I won’t scare you with the details here, the world will be well past the point of no return and we will leave a legacy of our present actions for those who come after us to deal with. They won’t find it very pleasant.

So what I’m looking to do is to connect with writers who wish to become involved with the ongoing series Letters from 2030. It can be viewed at http://lettersfrom2030.blogspot.com. Along with a number of other contributors, I see those wishing to be involved fictionally positioning themselves as a character in a location in 2030 that still supports population / outposts. Have a look at the blog and read the initial post first. It is proposed that the blog will become both a book and submission for a TV series.

Interested writers should write a letter as a fictional character and email it to me. I’ll slip in some facts if appropriate then post it to the blog as if it were happening in 2030.

Bob Williamson,
Founder & Chair Greenhouse Neutral Foundation
www.greenhouseneutral.net
The Dream Quest One Poetry & Writing Contest is open to anyone who loves expressing innermost thoughts and feelings into the beautiful art of poetry or to write a short story that is worth telling everyone! And to all who have the ability to dream. Write a poem or short story for a chance to win cash prizes. All works must be original. http://www.dreamquestone.com

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Don’t suffer

Humor? New voices that have been around perhaps for years, but not always heard, do you know these women? There are quite a few more videos from the Vancouver Canada Poetry Slam. A good visit.

Poets must garner courage to keep on. SOmetimes the career path may seem non-existant, however the ring of verse in our ears, and powerful voices that touch the heart cries to many to perservere, and write.

It seems a shame that we become so enamored with fame and wealth, that too many writers shy away from a serious dance with poetry. Muses await for the sincere, innocent, and determined one who might dare to keep the muses busy. Perhaps they will have time enough for tea.

Yes many a songwriter has the heart of the poet and has crafted the word to catchy, infectious lyric. However listening to these women, I am reminded that the sounds of verse reach beyond the notes, vocal chords demand another tempo and attention.

So rest awhile poet. Feel the earht under you expressing eternal support. LIfe the pen, and write of stories that must be told and share whenever you can the distinct perspective that you hear.

Poets, you may wander between the thoughts, through unchartere tempos, into edgey experiences, and bring to light life beyond the space of our minds. Yes poet, capture our senses, and make us remember the power that you unleash for all to share. Your perspective explodes with each breath. Thank you.