[EzineArticles] What Writers Can Learn From Zombies, Werewolves, and Vampires

What Writers Can Learn From Zombies, Werewolves, and Vampires These Gruesome Beasts Can Teach You How to Improve Your Writing The monsters from supernatural lore get a pretty bad rap. Of course brain eating, dismembering, and murder to name a few are difficult to overlook ... But there's a thing or two you can learn from the most hair-raising monsters which can help you successfully bring your writing efforts back from the dead. What You Can Learn From Zombies Opportunity - Although zombies can't tell time, have terrible hygiene, and are frequently missing parts of their anatomy, they do have a remarkable trait that many of us would die to possess: Zombies are opportunists. You can be too! Fearlessly seize the moment and ensure your writing doesn't pass up on real opportunities. Set realistic goals so you don't blindly stumble into an unwinnable position, but have faith in taking a new direction when opportunity presents itself! Dedication - Dedicated to their cause, zombies will go through great lengths to achieve their goal: Eat brains. Sure, they don't sleep or stop to take a break, but their unyielding focus is applaudable! Turn the tables by applying this same unwavering dedication as a writer. Stay innovative and give your readers the best content to reap the rewards (more exposure, authority, lead generation, etc.). If a zombie can do it, so can you! Sense of Urgency - "Brains!" Zombies are very straightforward in identifying their goal and will not waste time in their attempt to achieve it. You too can adopt this sense of urgency! Foster this mindset: "I will complete [insert your task] without delay." During your planning, consider the benefits of achieving that goal and the consequences in not achieving the goal to help you kick your efforts into a higher gear and watch your productivity increase. What You Can Learn From Werewolves Preparation - The full moon may be a pleasant sight for us, but it's a horrible curse for werewolves. They may not know precisely when the next full moon is, but werewolves don't want to be caught off guard (especially if they're protecting someone they love) and will make preparations. You too can make preparations for the inevitable curse that plagues so many authors: writer's block. Develop a daily writing routine and have a plan to be ready for any unforeseen obstacles so you can continue providing content for your readers without delay. Hunger - Werewolves are notoriously gruesome beasts, that's fairly clear. They possess an insatiable hunger - their actions can be reckless and done purely for personal gain. Acquire an insatiable taste for your goals (without the reckless part of course!). Start with short-term goals and build upon them to challenge yourself to be better, faster, and smarter. This will help you maintain a hunger drive to write and build upon your success! Transformation - Vicious and savage, a werewolf transforms into beast mode: a superhuman state of being in which instinct takes over mind and body to achieve a primary goal. Transform your ho-hum writing spells into productive, high-intensity, and creative beast-mode sessions by letting go of outside criticism and telling that self-doubting little voice in your head to stuff it. Be the writer you want to be and allow the endless possibilities to be your transformative guide. What You Can Learn From Vampires Purpose - All charisma, style and intellect, vampires have a sense of purpose that other monstrous creatures lack. Whether their purpose is to find companionship, fight boredom, get lunch, or to avoid getting staked, vampires carefully try to assimilate to the crowd and build trust. Consider your purpose for writing and create a plan to execute it (as well as take precautionary measures to combat any negative backlash about you or your business). Having a clear purpose with your business will help relieve impending complications and provide a feeling of fulfillment. Embrace the Lifestyle - Whether it's the richest fashions or the most extravagant castle decor, vampires totally own their lifestyle. In part, it's an attempt to blend in, but typically vampires are confident and proud to be who they are by embracing challenges and remaining devoted to their way of life (or would that be "way of death"?). Give yourself over to a writing lifestyle by developing your own voice, building your writing strengths, and turning your weaknesses into opportunities. Work it; own it! Research - Garlic, crosses, sunlight, stakes - many methods that slow down or kill a vampire have been researched and passed on over the years. What many don't consider is these same methods are also explored by vampires who take precautionary steps to understand what they can and cannot do as well as document their research (usually in really old, thick books). Perform your writing research by understanding your niche and your audience to ensure your writing and your voice make a lasting impression. What else can you learn from the most grotesque and fascinating monsters? Click here to share your feedback - we'd love to hear from you! To Your Article Writing Success & Passion! Penny, Managing Editor http://Blog.EzineArticles.com/ http://EzineArticles.com/ PS: Even zombies, werewolves, and vampires know the monstrous value of Article Templates. Shuffle on over to the EzineArticles shop to gain a howling competitive advantage that you can really sink your teeth into! http://shop.ezinearticles.com EzineArticles Member Endorsement "EzineArticles.com has worked out extremely well ..." The relationship with EzineArticles.com has worked out extremely well. As a consequence of publishing articles on EzineArticles.com, I have built a huge body of material that enhances my credibility and search engine optimization. However, and most importantly, I have been able to use EzineArticles.com as a way of helping others. Nigel Brooks NigelAlBrooks.com EzineArticles Newsletter Information Join EzineArticles | Manage Your Subscription | EzineArticles RSS Feed | List Support Create Free Membership Account | Login For Members Only To Leave The EzineArticles Newsletter: leave-9362211-4591749.2ee37a53b1b55f6b57794ace0b613d97@lists.permissionbasedemail.com ISSN: 1525-7126 - Library Of Congress, Washington D.C. Postal address: EzineArticles.com, PO Box 12740 Green Bay WI 54307 USA © Copyright 1999-2013 EzineArticles.com. All Rights Reserved.

[EzineArticles] Article Writing Tips to Retweet: October 2013

Article Writing Tips to Retweet: October 2013 Every month @EzineArticles provides hundreds of useful tidbits of information, motivation, and training for over 100,000 followers. We've gathered some of the best ones from the better part of October right here. Retweet any of them for motivation or to share with your Twitter followers. Just CLICK on  to Retweet. Motivational Quotes for Expert Authors Never stop learning, innovating, and writing to lead. "Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other." - John F. Kennedy If you have the power within you to make each day great, then why wouldn't you? "Make each day your masterpiece." - John Wooden The path to success: "Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence." - Helen Keller Embrace your struggles: The struggle you're in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow. How much time do you dedicate to revisions? "I probably spend 90% of my time revising what I've written." - Joyce Carol Oates Fulfill your vision. "Vision without execution is hallucination." - Thomas Edison Strive to go beyond: "There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." - Bruce Lee Keep your eye on your goal. "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal." - Henry Ford Isn't worth in the eye of the beholder? "Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing." - Benjamin Franklin Keep moving! "Perfection is like chasing the horizon. Keep moving." - Neil Gaiman Inspiration and Images to Share With Your Audience Before you write your next article, consider this: Will you inspire others? pic.twitter.com/YjWq4H4djH Always consider the source. pic.twitter.com/nbRppJt5RL Pay it forward: Write for the benefit of others. pic.twitter.com/J2Ib7qtGOg By writing, you empower yourself to live the life you want to live with every word: pic.twitter.com/6qtDQm1cZ0 Risk a few critics: Do something, say something, and be something. pic.twitter.com/tjyhdEZQ0t Trouble telling the difference between ensure and insure? This comic might help! pic.twitter.com/HzxiiLjHLf Make reading, discussing, and writing a special part of your day: pic.twitter.com/GWtBJb8vC3 Take the oars: pic.twitter.com/zVEi2hNrui Find opportunity in writing informative articles that help others: pic.twitter.com/ixFCOWyXzl Quality is intentional: pic.twitter.com/IwrP0E1rDg EzineArticles Inside Information It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Check out the inspiring and informative articles by these Expert Authors: ezinearticles.com/?cat=Cancer:Br... Happy Birthday to the Father of the American Dictionary! We're celebrating in this edition of the Top Misused Words: blog.ezinearticles.com/2013/10/top-mi... Writing Tip: Cut the verbiage. Words like "just," "really," and "very" slow down the power of your message. Don't say in 3,000 words what could have been said in 600. - Robin Henry (@WSmarterBlog) More great tips at blog.ezinearticles.com/2013/10/7-of-t... Give yourself a break! Get more out of your articles by creating fresh, original content with these best practices: blog.ezinearticles.com/2013/10/best-p... Why wait for old keywords when you can predict them and become the leading authority in your niche? How to: blog.ezinearticles.com/2013/10/how-to... Be Kind to Writers Tip #6: Write a review that highlights what you liked about the author and how others will benefit from their work. Are you sabotaging your success? blog.ezinearticles.com/2013/10/10-dis... Be Kind to Writers Tip #7: Respect the writer's progress and be supportive. pic.twitter.com/tlprTpldQl What's your favorite Tweet from October? Click here to let us know - we'd love to hear from you! P.S. For more posts like this, check out the Article Writing Tips to Retweet category and don't forget to follow us on Twitter to stay up-to-date on the latest EzineArticles information and training. To Your Article Writing Success & Passion! Penny, Managing Editor http://Blog.EzineArticles.com/ http://EzineArticles.com/ PS: Today, we gave you a slew of article writing tips to retweet ... but we forgot one. Tip 30: Give Premium Membership a try. It provides a collection of powerful tools designed to make you a better author. https://EzineArticles.com/Premium/ EzineArticles Member Endorsement "I have grown my monthly newsletter to over 14,000 subscribers." I started article writing when I started my newsletter in late 2006. At that time, I had about 25 subscribers - mostly friends and family. Since then I have grown my monthly newsletter to over 14,000 subscribers. Lee Binz TheHomeScholar.com EzineArticles Newsletter Information Join EzineArticles | Manage Your Subscription | EzineArticles RSS Feed | List Support Create Free Membership Account | Login For Members Only To Leave The EzineArticles Newsletter: leave-9356156-4591749.2ee37a53b1b55f6b57794ace0b613d97@lists.permissionbasedemail.com ISSN: 1525-7126 - Library Of Congress, Washington D.C. Postal address: EzineArticles.com, PO Box 12740 Green Bay WI 54307 USA © Copyright 1999-2013 EzineArticles.com. All Rights Reserved.

[EzineArticles] Speed Up Article Writing Without Sacrificing Quality

Speed Up Article Writing Without Sacrificing Quality A Story of You, a Genie, 3 Wishes, and a Ton of Great Articles Today, we're going on a journey to find out a little secret that several of our top authors already know. So grab a beverage, sit back, relax, and read on. Our Story Begins ... Imagine you're walking down a tropical beach when you suddenly spot something glinting in the sand ahead. Upon closer inspection you discover a gold lamp covered in sand. Picking up the lamp, you dust it off and admire its gleaming surface. An instant later, the lamp begins to vibrate. As a wisp of smoke shockingly begins to rise from the spout, you quickly drop the lamp at the water's edge. The smoke roils and churns while slowly taking the form of a rotund figure floating lazily above the waves - an EzineArticles logo embroidered upon his cap. You realize immediately it's the legendary EzineArticles genie and you will now be the lucky recipient of 3 wishes! "Greetings!" booms the genie. "I am here to grant you 3 wishes that will make you a better Expert Author. What is your first wish?" You briefly think before responding, "I want to write faster so I can gain the competitive advantage of publishing a ton of articles." "Your wish has been granted," the genie replies. "You now have the ability to write more articles than ever before. With these articles you will flood the Internet with useless drivel." "What!? I don't want to do that! I want to write only high-quality articles!" you shout. "Is that your 2nd wish?" asks the genie. "Yes!" you reply emphatically. Your wish has been granted," says the genie. "You will now write the best articles the Internet has ever seen. Each will take you many hours to complete." "That's not what I want either!" you blurt out. "I want to to write a ton of high-quality articles faster than I ever have before!" The genie laughs, "Well, why didn't you say so in the first place? Is that your final wish?" In barely a whisper you say, "Yes. Final wish." The genie waves his hands in a grandiose gesture ... and nothing happens. "So ... what about my wish?" you ask. The genie chuckles, "It has been granted. Sign into your My.EzineArticles.com account and check your Digital Locker. In there you'll find a collection of 157 article templates designed to make you a faster, better writer while also providing you with the ideas you need to get started." As the genie vanishes, you smile. It appears that you got your 3 wishes after all. ... The End Obviously, this is just a story, but what 3 wishes would you make if it was real? If the first two wishes match those in the story, then you're not alone. A large percentage of our Expert Authors strive to write great articles fast, but they often end up going overboard one way or the other. The result is poor quality articles or articles that took hours to write. It appears that there's no solution to this quandary. That's where Article Templates come in. These PDF documents are just the ticket you need to generate great ideas, write quickly, and build your portfolio of high-quality, informative articles. Looking to have that 3rd wish granted for you? Look no further than the EzineArticles Shop! Have questions or comments? Click here to let us know - we'd love to hear from you! To Your Article Writing Success & Passion! Marc, Product Marketing Manager http://Blog.EzineArticles.com/ http://EzineArticles.com/ PS: As you can see in today's newsletter, templates are an excellent tool for writing great articles. So is a Premium Membership. If you haven't looked into the benefits of Premium, perhaps you should. You can find out more here. EzineArticles Member Endorsement "I love the templates" I find I love the templates and have a file with copies of all of them. Sometimes I go through them and put Post-it notes on individual templates with ideas/titles/themes - ready for possible development into an article ... it often stirs a memory or fits somehow with an opinion I hold, or an idea that's still deep within my 'think tank.' Christine Larsen CDCraftee.com EzineArticles Newsletter Information Join EzineArticles | Manage Your Subscription | EzineArticles RSS Feed | List Support Create Free Membership Account | Login For Members Only To Leave The EzineArticles Newsletter: leave-9351079-4591749.2ee37a53b1b55f6b57794ace0b613d97@lists.permissionbasedemail.com ISSN: 1525-7126 - Library Of Congress, Washington D.C. Postal address: EzineArticles.com, PO Box 12740 Green Bay WI 54307 USA © Copyright 1999-2013 EzineArticles.com. All Rights Reserved.

[EzineArticles] The Original Do's and Unoriginal Don'ts to Creating Great Content

The Original Do's and Unoriginal Don'ts to Creating Great Content What Makes Great Content? Whether it's articles, social media, video, and more, the "secrets" to creating great content for any medium cannot be packaged in a nice little box. Although there are many factors that make great content great, it really comes down to this: you reap what you sow. In content marketing (especially in article writing), you cannot throw a handful of articles on the Internet and hope something catches. That's not a sustainable marketing practice and you'll wear yourself (and what readership you have) out. However, if you make content creation a conscious priority by giving it the love and dedication it deserves, it will love you right back. The Do's and Don'ts of Content Creation Why is it that "Do's" always occur before the "Don'ts"? It's my belief that you should always end on a good note ("hit me with the bad news first" philosophy), so let's get those dirty, unoriginal don'ts out of the way so we can savor the good stuff. Unoriginal Content Creation Don'ts This list is pretty self-explanatory, so we'll keep it quick: Plagiarize other people's content Imitate other's people's content Spin articles Use PLR articles Works in the Public Domain Repeat yourself by rehashing Add a few sentences of fluff just to meet the minimum word count Be Vague Over Quote Original Content Creation Do's Be a trendsetter. Writing original content isn't about ensuring your article is word-for-word unique; it's about being the source for others. Plan (from goal setting to strategic planning) in order to stay organized and focus on your goals. Know your audience! Write based on their needs and keep up with trends to predict upcoming content that will pique their interest. Allow your personality into the article by exhibiting a confidence in your knowledge and experience that you're sharing with readers. Choose a niche you're passionate about as well as have relevant personal and professional insights and experiences. Stay classy by properly citing your sources if you do choose to quote. Ensure portfolio variance to keep readers interested in your brand by writing 80% evergreen content and 20% on current topics/trends. Retain the exclusive license for content produced for you by ghost writers (or purchased in any other manner). Get with the times by providing relevant content that relates both to readers and your niche. Aim for a quality user experience with a memorable and motivational take away. Break down your writing process into strategic steps to create quality, original content. Of course, this isn't a comprehensive list: creativity and writing cannot be wholly boxed and content creation is like a living, breathing entity that is constantly changing. What do's and don'ts would you add to this list? Click here to let us know - we'd love to hear from you! To Your Article Writing Success & Passion! Vanessa, Editorial Manager http://Blog.EzineArticles.com/ http://EzineArticles.com/ PS: Creating great content isn't easy, but you can make it a LOT easier on yourself by using EzineArticles Article Templates. Designed to give you the ideas and structure you need, these interactive PDFs are easy-to-use, inexpensive, and wonderfully inspirational. Get the original 52 templates here or select from our packages containing 15 unique templates here. EzineArticles Member Endorsement "... the positive effects of passive income and name recognition is well worth the effort." Thanks so much for the great publicity. I was amazed at how many articles I already had written when I started digging out all my old notes and speeches. It just took a little reformatting, bringing up to date and filling in here and there to have them ready to send off to you. Even though we are swamped with projects, the positive effects of passive income and name recognition is well worth the effort. Keep up the good work. Judy H. Wright ArtichokePress.com EzineArticles Newsletter Information Join EzineArticles | Manage Your Subscription | EzineArticles RSS Feed | List Support Create Free Membership Account | Login For Members Only To Leave The EzineArticles Newsletter: leave-9332401-4591749.2ee37a53b1b55f6b57794ace0b613d97@lists.permissionbasedemail.com ISSN: 1525-7126 - Library Of Congress, Washington D.C. Postal address: EzineArticles.com, PO Box 12740 Green Bay WI 54307 USA © Copyright 1999-2013 EzineArticles.com. All Rights Reserved.