A - Z of Writing Success

Genre. Choose your genre well. Write in the areas you know about rather than be tempted by markets which you may think offer big returns but which you are not really comfortable with. If you enjoy what you write this will show through in your work.

Humour. When appropriate try and inject some humour or light relief into what you write. This could be an anecdote, a quote or curious fact but its inclusion can help to make your writing more enjoyable and illustrate points in a more memorable way.

Ideas are essential to a writer and ideas are all around. Observe what is going on, look to newspapers and the media for inspiration. By being aware, by wondering, by asking ‘what if?’ you will find ideas coming more readily.

A - Z of Writing Success

Having got back from quite a bit of travelling here are the next 3 letters in the A-Z of Writing Success.

Discipline. To write and keep going requires discipline. So many writers have given up on good ideas when they run into problems or enthusiasm wanes. But to realise your potential and see results, you do need to remain disciplined and persevere.

Editing. As a writer you are aiming to sell your work and the better you edit the more favourably it will be viewed. In addition to checking spelling and grammar, look for superfluous words, clichés and sentences which may need tidying up. By editing well, you will be increasing your chances of acceptance.

Facts. In your writing, take care with the facts you use. Readers can be very quick to spot mistakes and if you make one, it will lessen the quality and authenticity of your work. When possible use more than one source and if you have any queries, check. Thanks to the internet it is possible to get information as well as contact experts far more easily.

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For those who are interested in my special writing report, Achieve More Acceptances and be Published More Often, a new edition will be made available on Lulu fairly soon. However if you would like a discounted copy, do please email me.

A - Z of Writing Success

Over the next few weeks I will be sharing what I call the A - Z of Writing Success and hope these thoughts will be helpful and inspiring.



Acceptance. This is what so many writers want but getting those acceptances requires determination. And if at the start of your writing career, rather than aim for top magazines or big publishers where competition is greatest, consider more regional publications or smaller publishing houses. In writing it is best to start small, gain experience and then gradually build up your writing career.

Belief. You must believe in yourself and your work. To doubt your abilities or what you write will undermine your work and chances. Remember the praise and constructive comments you may have received and successes enjoyed. As a writer, know you have it within you to write and to write well.

Contacts are important. Make the most of chances to meet other writers and those in the publishing industry. And if an editor or publisher takes your work, aim to build on this and keep in contact.


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Do please email if interested in my special report Achieve More Acceptances and Be Published More Often.

Your Subconcious

In this posting I would like to share a tip which has served me particularly well. And it is an unusual one and perhaps not found in many writing manuals.

When you are wanting an idea, whether for a story or article, tell yourself 'I need an idea' and leave this thought to dwell in your subconcious. When it is ready, your subconcious will respond.

Barbara Cartland used this method on many an occasion to help her come up with new plot scenarios and only last Sunday I told myself I needed a new article idea. By Monday morning I had one and an editor has already expressed interest.

Do remember the power of the subconcious. Put in requests. Tell yourself what you want - and you will get answers.

It is really effective.

Try it and I hope you will enjoy some good results.

Neil

ACHIEVE MORE ACCEPTANCES - Important Announcement

Thank you to those who have bought and also praised my special report.

I am about to revise and update it and the previous link to www.achievemoreacceptances.com is no longer valid. When I have finished revising I will be selling it on www.lulu.com.

In the meantime if you are interested in obtaining a copy of Achieve More Acceptances at a special discount do please email me at neil@neilsomerville.com

Alphasmart Neo - a review for writers

A writer friend I have was given an Alphasmart Neo as a Christmas present. It is a battery operated keyboard and which allows you to type in work, edit, print it out, send or beam it to a computer or Palm device. The word processing programme it uses, Alphaword, also has a great many features including find and replace, a spell checker, thesaurus, word count and copy and paste. In addition it has a calculator function and a typing tutor.
I was so impressed that I decided to buy one and it has already proved its worth.

No longer do I need to sit at or be tied to a computer and with the distraction of the internet and emails that come through. I can instead take the Alphasmart around with me and use it to type and edit my work virtually anywhere. It is very light and portable. Also the screen is clear and does not have the glare of some monitors and which can I am sure lead to eye strain. The Alphasmart has an incredibly long battery life – possibly 800 hours or more - and is very energy efficient.

Another impressive feature is how easy the Alphasmart is to use with the computer. Files can be sent through a USB cable to MS Word or relevant programme or beamed over using IR. I have also used it with my Palm TX and again beaming files was easy and straightforward. From the Palm I send the text as an email attachment and with both the Neo and Palm so portable this has already proved exceptionally helpful.

The Alphasmart model I have is the Neo and this does seem a firm favourite with Alphasmart User groups. There is though another model available in the US called the Dana and which does have internet and email capabilities.

On the one occasion I needed to contact the makers of the Alphasmart, they were most helpful and responsive. The Alphasmart is not only an impressive product but backed by an equally impressive company and with great customer support. The Alphasmart, because of its reliability and simplicity has also been introduced into many schools but for writers it has my highest recommendation. It is convenient, sturdy, portable, energy efficient and I have no doubt will help to increase my productivity and output. For further details visit www.alphasmart.co.uk or www.alphasmart.com.

Writing Output

I have been asked how many words I write a day?

The answer is probably about 2000 although sometimes, when I have a lot of editing to do, it is much less. I try to have 2 main writing sessions - first thing in the morning and this is when I write on Chinese horoscopes - the second is the afternoon when I write or revise articles.

Although it is always interesting to know how much writers write each day, I feel the main thing is not so much the number of words but that you do actually write something. Even if you are only able to write 50 or 100, at least over time your words will mount up.

As a writer, do aim to write something everyday - it will help your output and your craft.

Good luck - and do please email me with any questions.