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Writing4Success Tipsheet Archives
These archives contain priceless nuggets of information to help you achieve just what you want in your writing career.
You'll find tips on plotting, characters, technique, career-building, and running a home business... and a lot more besides!
There are two things you need to know about using the content in the Tipsheet Archives.
First, there are around 100 articles on writing in this section. (And there are even more in other sections below the 'For Everyone' banner on the left). ALL the articles in the Tipsheet Archives are available to all visitors and members. Just scroll through the list below - and the headlines on the linked pages - to see what's here.
However, if you use the search box at the top of this page to look for something specific, it searches the whole site - and it will probably return some articles that are in the members' area. If you want to view only the articles that are available to everyone, then work from the links under 'For Everyone' in the left-hand navigation bar. Anything underneath the "For Members Only" icon will be... well, for members only! :-)
Enjoy our archives!
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Six Quick Tips on Technique
Marg McAlister
Here are six quick tips on technique. You'll find that they barely scratch the surface - they're more 'flags' to tell you what you need to look for. Every one of them should lead you to hundreds of articles telling you exactly how to achieve the effect you want in your work in progress. When you check your work against the list below, be honest about the need to brush up on any areas of weakness. . . . keep reading
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Characters Who Are Mary-Sues
Marg McAlister
Is your character a "Mary Sue"? Until recently, when someone wrote to me about it, I had never come across this term before. What on earth, I wondered, was a "Mary Sue"? Naturally, I Googled it, and landed on the Wikipedia page where I discovered that this is actually a wonderfully useful term! . . . keep reading
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Using Microsoft OneNote
for Writing Research and Notes
Marg McAlister
How Microsoft OneNote can help any writer stay organised: take notes, drag pictures and website clippings around, and even capture emails to send to your notes folder. Whether you're researching a family history, chasing up details for a forensic thriller, or writing a novel... this program will be a real boon. . . . keep reading
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Poetry Slam - Fun for Fearless Poets
Marg McAlister
Lots of writers enjoy writing poetry. Some have fun with rhyming picture books; some write Pam-Ayres-type humorous ditties, and some find that poetry taps something deep inside that can't be expressed in straight narrative. In short, poetry can range from free verse to haiku and include everything in between. Now, more and more poets are finding that it's a whole lot of fun (in a scary kind of way) to sign up for a poetry slam. . . . keep reading
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Write a Story Ending That Will Satisfy Readers
Marg McAlister
Story endings are hard to write -- often much harder than beginnings. Any author who wants to be published must understand how to write a book with a powerful ending. It's important to know two things: one, what will disappoint readers (and editors) and two, what works well. The following four 'duds' are amongst the biggest offenders in endings that will disappoint... . . . keep reading
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Making a Book Trailer
for YouTube or Your Website
Marg McAlister
The latest way to promote your book is through video. Some authors (used to playing around at home with video software to record family events) won't find it very difficult to move on to doing something similar to make a book trailer. Actually, it can be a lot easier! . . . keep reading
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Writing a Short Book Blurb
Marg McAlister
Writing a short book blurb is not only fun, but great practice for writing promotional copy of any kind. This article gives you simple steps to follow to write a book blurb, and gives examples of both fiction and non-fiction back cover blurbs. You'll also find some useful links to websites with further information. . . . keep reading
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How Useful Are Your Writing Tools?
Marg McAlister
I've lost count of the number of times I've heard the following mantra: "Form Follows Function". Simply put, this means that whatever you use - from the design of your kitchen through to the software on your computer - has to WORK for you. It has to fit the purpose. It's worthwhile giving some thought to how well your writing tools work. Something that seems to have all the bells and whistles that you are likely ever to need might actually be a waste of space (and perhaps a waste of money). . . . keep reading
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Go With The Flow
Marg McAlister
Cast your mind back to those early schoolroom lessons in writing. The basic advice was probably this: "Every piece of writing has a beginning, middle, and an end." Your job as a writer is to let readers know what is going on in the beginning, to fill in all the details in the middle, and then wrap it up satisfactorily at the end. It's a simple plan - and effective. Unfortunately, many writers seem to lose the plot (literally!) once they start to write. . . . keep reading
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Short Writing Tasks
Marg McAlister
A great deal can be accomplished in successive small windows of time. Next time you realise that you're putting off starting something because it's all just too large and overwhelming, grab a piece of paper and divide the job into small, achievable tasks. Then tackle them one at a time. The tasks suggested here can be slotted into a short window of writing time. . . . keep reading
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What Can Your Reader SEE?
Marg McAlister
Here's a tip: when you're editing your book, spend some time going through it simply imagining what the reader will be 'seeing' for each scene you write. You might find that doing this for even half a dozen scenes will give you a whole new way of looking at your book. You may realise, with a sense of shock, that your character is doing entirely too much thinking and not enough acting. . . . keep reading
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Handy Software for Writers
Marg McAlister
Here's a collection of free software that will help to make your writer's life easier: XNoteTimer, yWriter, PageBreeze, NoteTab Light and ShortKeys. In short... a desktop timer, a program to help you organise your novel, an HTML (website) editor, a plain text editer and a text replacement program for text or information that you type repeatedly. . . . keep reading
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Writing a How-To Book or Manual
Marg McAlister
Keep just one thing in mind and the whole 'How To' project will become much, much easier: "If I were buying this book or manual, what would I hope to find out?" Put yourself in your readers' shoes. What is the best possible information you can give them? What would it take to make them say "Wow, I'm so glad I bought this book!"? . . . keep reading
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What Does Your Character WANT?
Marg McAlister
"What does your character want?" It seems like a simple question - yet it is one that can cause untold problems for some writers. They fuss and fiddle about with all manner of MINOR things that the character wants, and totally miss the big one! . . . keep reading
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How to Flesh Out a Story Without Padding
Marg McAlister
What do you do if you read through your final draft, and realises that your story needs a bit more flesh on its bones? How can you make sure that you add substance, rather than just padding? How DO you flesh out a story? . . . keep reading
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YOUR WRITER'S RADAR -
Finding Markets and Adapting to Change
Marg McAlister
What you need to know is that there are no easy answers to 'how can I market my work?'. Whether you are trying to sell a novel, a self-help book, or an article, you need to stay in tune with the marketplace and be ready to adapt to changes. This is not what most people want to hear. It's so much easier to follow a formula. ('Follow these ten easy steps and you'll get a 'yes' from that editor!') Unfortunately, there is no formula. But you do have your writer's radar... . . . keep reading
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