This week I had the pleasure of reviewing an excellent book and I would like to share my review with you.  I am not affiliated with this book in any way.  The link that you will find here in this blog is to Amazon and yes I do have an Amazon affiliate account so if you purchase through this link I will receive a few cents.

The Gettysburg Approach to Writing and Speaking Like a Professional – By Phillip Yaffe

I must admit, I am not normally a fan of books that claim to teach you how to write.  I believe that writing is personal and you either have a passion for it or you don’t. That being said, I am so glad that I chose to read this book.  It gave me an edge that I hadn’t realized I had been missing and I discovered a lot of really great information about the different aspects of writing that I had neglected to learn.

I was captivated from the first page of this book and found it to be a truly remarkable read.  The book explains everything you could possibly need to know about writing both creatively and expository.  From characters and plots to dialogue and scenes, everything was covered and no stone was left unturned.

This book will teach you how to get your readers and listeners to want to read and listen to what you have to say.

The book is divided into two sections.  In part one you will find the fundamentals of writing which covers both fiction and nonfiction.  Part two of the book covers oral presentation and details how to get readers and listeners to hear and read your words.  It explains how to organize your information, how to gain interest in what you are saying and it gives you all the proper techniques that you should be using.  I found this section really remarkable.

The book is really in-depth and covers everything which is something that you very rarely find.  The author also approaches every subject with common sense and explains in detail what you should or shouldn’t do.  This book is a great companion to anyone looking to write or speak to an audience.  It covers absolutely everything and I am so glad that I took the chance to read this.  It has given me more focus and I now understand so much more about the writing process.  As for giving a speech and speaking in public, after reading this book I am more confident about my ability and I know exactly how to formulate my speech and the key ingredients it needs to contain.

I would definitely recommend The Gettysburg Approach to Writing & Speaking Like a Professional to all writers and public speakers.  There is something to learn for everyone.  This is one writing guide that I will be referring to again and again.

Until next time,

Keep Writing

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Choosing a freelance writing job to bid on with Elance isn’t as simple as just logging on and placing a bid and there are a number of things that you should take into consideration before you do this. There are some tricks and tips that can help you make the most of your bids (connects as they are called on Elance) and not waste them.

Connects are explained in the previous post http://ghostwritinguncovered.com/Blog/elance-fees-and-connects-explained/

When you log into your Elance account and go to the Writing and Translation category to find jobs there are a few things that you should do. I always choose the show all category so that I can see a list of all the jobs that are available. Here’s a screen shot of what you should see:

Next I will start at the top of the list. If we take a look at the first project listed which is for a Creative Writer That Loves Food, we can see that there are no bids at this time. We can also see that the buyer has selected not sure for their budget (this can be a sign that the buyer is just putting up the project to get an idea of what it might cost them). If you mouse over the buyers name Ferntec you will see that they have posted 18 jobs and awarded 50% of them so that is a good sign. Next thing that I would do is to click on the + beside details to take a close look at this project. This acutually shows very little so I would click into the actual project itself to see what the buyer is looking for.

The job description is very poor:

Job Description:

Need a very creative writer that loves food, cooking, recipes etc..

Want ot to be very personal and fun…will only give slight suggestions – hopefully you can direct the newsletter yourself – self reliant, dependable

I have a few ideas for the newsletter – must promote products etc..

Please attach some writing that you have done – can be your choice

There is no indication as to how many words this buyer requires or exactly what they want. For me unless I was interested in writing newsletter I would leave off bidding on this project. The reason being I don’t want to waste my connects having to ask questions about exactly what the buyer wants.

Moving on, the next job listed is a featured project. You will see that this freelance writing jobs has been highlighted. This means that you will use double your connects to bid on it. It’s a translation job so I would skip this anyway. The next job I would look at is for 20 Articles. There are no bids on it as yet so let’s take a look. The first thing we can see is that the budget is less than $500. This is also the first project this person has posted and when we look at the details we see that this buyer has a very detailed description which is good, and it is also very clear, you are given the required layout for the articles and told that they are to be 500 words each. If I were to bid on this project I would bid a minimum of $10 per article so $200 for the articles and then include the Elance fees which are Payment Processing costs (2.75%) and Elance Service fee (from 4% to 6%). You will see these fees when you put in the amount of your bid as below:

There are a number of things to look out for when placing bids: If a buyer states “this project is easy for someone who knows what they are doing” this literally means I expect this to be completed for next to nothing so I would avoid bidding on this. Be sure to always check how many projects the buyer has posted and how many they have awarded. Elance insist that buyers award 20% of their projects which is one in 5. I mention this because if you bid on a project and it’s not awarded you don’t get your connect back.

Check out the buyers feedback too and always insist on using Escrow for payment. Don’t forget to include your Elance fees in your bids too as these are important. If you have any questions or comments on bidding on freelance writing jobs using Elance please leave them below in the comments section and I will answer them as quickly as possible.

Until next time,

Keep writing
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Yes it’s Friday again and time to tell you about my favourite blog posts this weeks.

First off we have the freelance Parent who this week celebrated their one year anniversary and including a really valuable and honest post about their year as freelancers and how successful they have been. Their post included a break down of the work plan that they created initially and also how well they have done in achieving all their goals. This post is definitely worth a read and the ones that follow this one too. Here the link for their post:

Creating and reviewing our annual freelancing goals

The next post I want to talk about is from the Freelance Writing Gigs blog.  It is a great post about sharing information and you will find a lot of valuable stuff in this one post.  I know I now have some excellent resources because of it.  Let me know what you think.

FWJ Community Project:  Share Your Favorite Resources

Ok well that’s it for this week.  I hope you enjoy my selection.

Until next time,

Amanda

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In today’s world short is everything.  When completing writing of any kind most clients want short sentences and short paragraphs.  Call it the web but it seems that most people skim through web pages without actually reading the content.  So in order to get your point across you need to keep your sentences short and to the point.

I’ve just been browsing and came across a great website that will help you to hone your short sentence writing skills.  It’s called Espresso Stories and the idea behind it is that you write a complete story in just one or two sentences no more than 25 words in total.  It’s a great way to get your juices flowing so why not check it out when you get a chance.

Until next time,

Amanda

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Browsing through a number of writers blogs this morning I came across an interesting post on writing words that sell.  Take a look for yourself and make note of these words especially when you are writing sales copy.

Until next time,

Keep writing

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Before ghostwriting an article, have you ever felt overwhelmed by a blank sensation, not knowing where to start?

…I’ll bet you have!

This checklist should help you eliminate some common problems in writing articles:

1. Have a specific purpose in mind.

Always have a specific purpose in mind before you begin writing: you should be crystal clear about what are you hoping to accomplish by writing your article.  Is it an article clarifying an issue for your client’s customers, to attract prospects, to improve the link
popularity for their website? Ask your client to clarify this for you.

2. Know your client’s target population.

Before ghostwriting an article, conduct research on the target population. What are their experiences, their interests, and their wants in the chosen topic? What pain or problem do they try to avoid?

3. Develop a detailed outline first, stressing on the benefits.

Now that you have a purpose and a target, organize  your article so that scanning it quickly will immediately show readers how they will benefit from it and what are the most important points.

4. Stop readers in their tracks with your title.

Your title should grab the reader’s attention and ‘force’ him to read your first paragraph. Using your most important benefit usually does it.

5. Start your article with the most important information

Again, do not keep your most important information for the conclusion! Give it immediately and develop on it in the following paragraphs.

6. Keep jargon to a minimum.

If possible, avoid jargon as well as prejudices and insinuations. Write your article so that even a child can understand it.

7. Make your article warm and personal.

Speak direct to the reader. Use a lot of ‘you’.  Reading your article, the reader should feel warmth and empathy, knowing that you have the same problems and goals as him.

8. Keep sentences short and simple.

Using short and simple sentences will allow easy reading and prevent the reader getting bored.

9. Spend more time rewriting than writing.

Besides formatting your article for easy reading and nice presentation, be sure to use tools to carefully proofread your writing for grammatical and spelling errors.

Remember that the more ghostwriting you do, the better you will get.

Until next time,

Keep writing.

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I just read an excellent article on the differences between American and English grammar which I thought I would share. This article is taken from Trent Steele’s Smart Writers Newsletter:

Mind Your Language!

Oscar Wilde famously declared that Britain and America were two nations divided by a common language.

Actually he didn’t quite say that, but he should have done — which is why he is always misquoted.

First there are the differences in spelling; some of them familiar, others less so.

For example, while American films are in color, British audiences watch them in colour. On Broadway you go to the theater, but in London’s West End to the theatre. Americans measure in meters, the British in metres. American center is British centre. And so on.

As a British writer I have to keep these differences constantly in mind when writing for US publications. On finishing the article I always check carefully to make sure that I have paid due honor – not honour – to American usage. In this I fulfill – not fulfil – the editor’s requirements.

Of course I don’t imagine that an American editor would be mortally offended if a British spelling did slip through, but a true professional will not allow that to happen. American writers hoping to sell to Britain need to take similar care.

So, let us look at some other spelling differences:

* A sick American may be hospitalized but he is never hospitalised, which is the more common British form.

Similarly, civilized behaviour is more likely to be civilised in Britain.

* An American writer eagerly awaits a check, while his fellow-scribe across the Pond longs for a cheque.

* An American’s mustache becomes a moustache in Britain.

* American vehicles have tires; in the UK they need tyres. In the US you step off the curb to cross the road; in Britain it’s the kerb.

* Where Americans wear jewelry, the British don jewellery.

* American craftsmen are skillful, British craftsmen skilful.

* An article in a US magazine may be libelous; in Britain it is libellous.

* In America you take offense, in Britain offence. As you would expect, American defense is British defence.

Apart from spelling, there are many other differences between American English and British English. Master these, and you will improve your chances of selling your work across the Atlantic. Here are some of the more notable examples:

* Americans leave well enough alone, the British simply leave well alone.

* An American looks out the window, a Briton out of the window.

* An American businessman plays golf on weekends, while his British counterpart plays at weekends.

* Americans play checkers; the British play draughts.

* In the US students go to the university; in Britain they simply go to university. Likewise, in the US a patient is in the hospital; in Britain he’s in hospital.

* American “I just arrived” translates as “I have just arrived” and “I just ate” as “I have just eaten”. Most completed actions carry similar differences of expression. This also applies when an anticipated action remains uncompleted: for example, “I didn’t speak to him yet” becomes “I haven’t spoken to him yet”.

* Where American women wear panties or underpants, their British sisters wear knickers or pants. In Britain underpants are for men. An American garter belt is a British suspender belt.

* American men keep their pants up with suspenders; the British male keeps his trousers up with braces. Where American babies wear diapers, British infants wear nappies.

* While Americans work from Monday through Friday, the British toil from Monday to Friday.

* In the US the trees turn red and gold in the fall; in Britain this happens in autumn.

* A budding American writer will be told by his employer not to pen his masterpiece “on my time”; a British employer will say “in my time”.

* In the US you invite friends to “come lunch with us” but not in Britain, where the invitation will be “come and have lunch with us”, or simply “come to lunch”.

* After detecting a gatecrasher at his party, an American will report later: “I asked that he leave.” In Britain, the expression is “I asked him to leave.”

* An American mails a letter; a Briton is more likely to post his.

* Americans take their chances, while the British take their chance. In the US you go see; in Britain you go and see.

* Ask the time of an American and he might tell you that it is twenty of four or perhaps a quarter after eight. The British versions are twenty past four and quarter past eight.

* In the US you might start April 1st; in the UK you would start on April 1st.

* A half hour in the US becomes half an hour in Britain. An American automobile becomes a car in Britain.

* In the US you go get the car; in Britain you go and get it. American gas is British petrol. In the US you drive under the overpass; in Britain it’s the flyover.

* While the American farmer plows his fields, the British farmer ploughs his.

Of course this list is by no means complete, nor is it set in stone. Many Americanisms have become widely accepted in Britain and the process is ongoing.

Recently a retired British judge called out “Hi there!” when I waved to him from the other side of the road. Such a greeting from a man of his background would have been unthinkable a generation ago.

If you would like to read more about transatlantic language differences, I can warmly recommend The Oxford Companion to the English Language (Oxford University Press) and The English Language, by David Crystal (Penguin Books).

Leo Knowles has written numerous articles for publications in Britain and the US. The author of six books, he has also written extensively for radio and TV.

This really is an excellent article for any writer and no matter where your clients are located you will be able to create excellent articles.

Until next time,

Keep writing.

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Have you decided to start a home-based ghostwriting business? You may be juggling a full time job, a part time job and family life. You know that there are many things you need to do in order to successfully start your business and work from home. How are you going to fit your business project into your daily commitments? It’s easy to become overwhelmed and lose focus. Losing focus will cause you to take no action. Action is essential to moving on from where you are now, to where you want to be.

Here are 5 tips to stay focused on starting your home based ghostwriting business:

1. Break Things Down

If you have a large task to tackle, it is always easier when you break it down into smaller components. You’ll find it easier to focus because you won’t feel as overwhelmed. For example, ‘Registering your ghostwriting business name’ can be broken down into: ‘Think of five business name ideas’, ‘Find out how to register your business name’, ‘Get registration form’ and so on.

2. Keep a ‘to do’ list

Once you’ve broken down major tasks into smaller ones, make and keep a ‘to do’ list. Always keep a notepad and pen with you so that you can jot down any new ideas as they arise.  A great free software program is the Cool Moon To-Do-List.  You can put everything into this and cross them off as you go along.

3. Schedule your time

Every evening, decide on three to five tasks on your ‘to do’ list that you wish to accomplish the following day. Stay focused on these tasks and only move on to the next tasks on your list once these have been completed.  This will help you to stay focused and stop you from moving ahead before you have the necessary tasks finished.

4. Set goals

There is nothing better for staying focused than setting goals. Visualize exactly where you want to be in a month, six months and a year. In a month’s time, do you want to have registered a ghostwriting business name and have all your equipment set up? In six months time, how many clients do you want to have? How much revenue do you want to generate in a year’s time?

5. Say no

Be assertive and carve out more time for your ghostwriting business project. Saying ‘no’ to those extra demands from your boss every once in a while, can get you home one hour earlier a couple of days a week. How about cutting back on the amount of housework that you do? Imagine how you could channel that extra time into your ghostwriting business.

If you put these five tips into practice, you’ll definitely find it easier to focus on and achieve your ultimate goal of working from home and having a successful ghostwriting business.

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