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Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all. – Dale Carnegie

Some of the special skills discussed in writing may have you feeling as if there is really no room for expressing your own personality in your writing. However, there is always a misunderstood need for personal innovation in storytelling. There will always be intriguing stories that defy conventional wisdom.

Children’s author Pamela Jane struggled with the advice she was receiving from others in the field of children’s literature. The suggestion was that Pamela should write about the subjects she knew. She was advised to avoid stories about dolls, fantasy and seasonal titles.

As it turns out, Pamela had just written a story about a doll she had owned as a child and the imagination she used to convey a fantasy Christmas story.

Pamela angrily accepted the advise of her writing friends and set the story aside. However, another friend encouraged her to at least explore the possibility of publishing the story.

“I decided to send it to an obscure regional publisher who might not have heard that seasonal doll fantasies were pass?,” says Pamela. However, before the work could be reviewed Pamela was encouraged to send it to a major publishing house.

Pamela did not follow the normal pattern for children’s literature and she did not follow the accepted pattern for cover letters.

The query simply read, “It’s a Christmas fantasy about a little girl and a ballet doll.” Pamela assumed it would to be an automatic refusal so she didn’t attempt to put her best foot forward.

The editor that looked at her sparse cover letter responded with four words that defied the odds, “Please send your story.”

That story, “Noelle of the Nutcracker”, became the first of more than twenty children’s books for Pamela Jane. While she has had more conventional books, her first was one that helped Pamela see that sometimes writing does not need to follow a prescribed formula to connect with a reader.

There are no guarantees in writing, however if you have something that you really believe in follow through with it even if the experts insist you might have it wrong. Accept their advice and then do what you feel you have to do. You might just have a success hiding away on a shelf somewhere.

Popularity: 12% [?]

English is the dominant Internet and business language so making cash online (or offline) often involves English writing. More importantly perhaps, is the fact that everyday, but life-changing documents, resumes job applications, essays, term papers, business plans, loan and rental applications, and sales letters, are often written in English.

How often has your next career or business initiative relied on the English writing in a document?

How often has the reader chosen someone else’s document instead of yours?

How often have subtle messages in the writing, often sub-conscious, swung a life-changing decision against you? Often, you will not be told the real reason.

English is a very complex and forgiving spoken language, but a demanding and unforgiving language in its written form. When people are talking, there is usually enough contextual and other information to work out the meaning. So, if the words are spoken in the wrong order, or wrong words, or incorrect grammar used, the listener can usually work out what the speaker really means. In conversational english, you can get away with a lot.

However, written English is not so forgiving and, once you hit the enter key, it’s too late. You cannot get your business submission, resume, proposal, or assignment back. It has to be right before submission.

Readers of written English, both online and offline, form very quick judgments about the written English used in critical documents. Micro-second judgements are formed when reading life-changing written documents like resumes, business letters, loan and tenancy applications, proposals, grant submissions, assignments, term papers, business emails and other forms of written communication. The writing in documents can be judged very harshly.

One of the problems is, where English is a second language, people tend to think in their first language and then translate into English. Often the translation process is done subconsciously using the grammar and other rules of their primary language. The results tend to jumble the grammar and syntax so their English writing becomes stilted and awkward. The writing loses its ?flow’ and, in turn, confuses or irritates the reader.

This means, very often, the long hours, effort, and hard work and preparation put into the document begin to unravel at the last hurdle – writing the document in English. The written communication does not adequately reflect the character of the writer.

I used to work in a multi-cultural call centre in Australia and saw this happening a lot. Friends and colleagues would come to me for advice about writing their resumes, covering letters and various other written documents. Their writing was stilted, repetitive and difficult to read. I would work through the document, leave their ideas and concepts intact, but improve the flow and readability of the document so that the reader could more easily and quickly move through the written information.

I am a writer and provided the service for nothing and in my spare time. They were friends and colleagues who just wanted to get an interview, find a better position, and move forward in life. I have the skills, love writing, and had a well paid job. I could afford to help people. Finding someone who will do that and charge nothing is a rarity.

However, why rely on the favours of others when software is available, an online English writing tool that makes English writing easy. English writing software can give your writing the professional edge that makes the difference between being read or being left for dead.

Popularity: 13% [?]

There are a variety of online and software programs that provide writers with assistance in developing stories, poetry and even screenplays.

As with writing these programs were developed by someone well versed in the art of writing in a certain style and the software allows you to write in a similar fashion.

Power Structure

According to product information, “Power Structure is outlining software with a story development heart. If you are a writer who’s learned your craft you want software that will learn YOUR system, YOUR terminology, YOUR dramatic sense. Power Structure’s fully customizable interface is designed to create the writing environment that totally works for you.”

This product for fiction writers is sold for $150 retail, but may provide a solid base for conforming to your personal style as opposed to insisting you develop a new style.

First Aid for Writers

Would it be worth it to you to have a program that helped get you off of dead center in your writing journey? First Aid for Writers touts these benefits?

Eliminates writer’s block, backstory techniques, revision, and pitch techniques

QuickFix for beginnings, indoor/outdoor description, characterization, pacing, concealing exposition, employing other senses, ‘give-away’ prevention.

Non-fiction: Beginnings, conflict and drama, suspense, originality, dialogue dangers.

This literary aid retails for $300 and works more as an interactive assistant enabling you to get moving in your writing career.

Movie Outline

If you are involved in writing screenplays one of the products available to assist you is Movie Outline. Product information indicates, “By streamlining the creation process of each scene and the outline structure as a whole, Movie Outline gives the Screenwriter the space to think and view the full outline of their story while simultaneously working on individual scenes.”

The retail price on this product is $80 and may be very useful to those beginning a screenwriting career.

WriteExpress Rhymer

While there are numerous free rhyming dictionaries online, WriteExpress Rhymer and Phonetic Finder indicates it can, “Find the rhymes you need to complete your masterpiece. With over 93,000 words, Rhymer takes the storm out of brainstorming so you can spend your time creating.”

The retail price on this product is $25 although there are sites where certain versions of the product are freely downloadable.

Friend or Foe

These and countless other software products are geared toward assisting writers to become better at what they do. For some writers, the use of these products seems to take creative energy away from the project. However, it may be that any software product that can assist you while you learn a new writing process could be a valid consideration.

The real lesson in all of this is we should never stop learning and never stop growing as writers. You can consider software a friend or foe, but in the end it is you that will ultimately be responsible to actually write.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Have you put together a writer’s checklist? You know, the things you will need in order to put your story together.

A few suggestions?

1. A pen or pencil.
2. A note pad.
3. Alternatively a personal computer with a word processor.
4. A dictionary.
5. A thesaurus.
6. Applicable research materials.
7. An outline providing direction for your work.

OK, if you’ve checked everything off your list then you’re ready to go, right?

Well, maybe not.

In the world of writing one of the components often forgotten is ?passion’. I’m not talking about romance here. I’m talking about a personal vested interest in the story or subject matter you are seeking to write. Is it something you are passionate about?

“What is it that you like doing? If you don’t like it, get out of it, because you’ll be lousy at it. You don’t have to stay with a job for the rest of your life, because if you don’t like it you’ll never be successful in it.” – Lee Iococa

I recently read the story of a screenwriter who had listened as a friend explained the premise of a movie they would like to see made. The screenwriter decided he could write a screenplay based on that vision. Two years later, the screenwriter was still having difficulties pulling it all together. He was miserable and couldn’t figure out why. The truth for this individual was he had no passion for this type of story. When the writer took the time to think about it, the story was one he would avoid reading or watching in his personal life. He lacked passion for the project. He learned a lesson late, but once he moved on to other personal projects the joy of writing returned.

If you want to be successful in a particular field of endeavor, I think perseverance is one of the key qualities. It’s very important that you find something that you care about, that you have a deep passion for, because you’re going to have to devote a lot of your life to it. – George Lucas

If you are writing for hire there may be times when you lack a passion for the subject matter, but you write it anyway. For some writers the act of writing IS, in fact, work and they are often left with little choice in style, direction or overall content. However, it is possible and even imperative that you discover what you are passionate about and find a way to write about it. Carve out time for your own personal writing and make sure it is something that infuses your passion for writing with new energy.

Popularity: 12% [?]