The Cuckleburr Times » A Guest Article Writer

Life Zigs and Writing Zags

A Guest Article Writer — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 07:00:21 +0000

This Be My Guest Article is by Paula Renaye, Author of The Hardline Self Help Handbook:What Are You Willing to Do to Get What You Really Want?

When we look back on our lives and think about how we got to where we are, it is never a straight line. That’s a good thing! It’s the zigs and zags that make us who we are. Whether mine were all necessary is a different matter!

As for my writing career, it’s hard to say exactly when, where and how it all started. Was it when I was old enough to hold my first book? Was it because of my exposure to journalism in high school? Well, that’s certainly the first writing contest I recall winning. Then again, my promising journalism career in college was important too, except that I walked away from all that for “love”—big huge zig-zag.

Of course, there really isn’t a true line in the sand that I stepped over and proclaimed myself a writer. It took a while for me to get in sync with where my heart had always wanted to go.

If I have to pick a point where that inner knowing grabbed me by the throat—kind of literally—and said it was time to get busy, it was when my dad died suddenly in 1991. I did not handle it well, and the turmoil unleashed a lot of things that had been bottled up for many years. And it came bursting out in a really odd way—I started hearing songs in my head.

The lyrics and melodies would just pop in so I started writing them down. After a while, I had a pretty good collection—a couple of local groups even played a few in public venues, which was really fun. But since I was neither a singer nor a musician, I didn’t really know what to do with them—or myself.

I was, however, really enjoying writing again and wanted to do more. So, I found a local writers group and joined in. A couple of people were writing poetry and short stories, but most were writing novels. Well, I thought, I wanted to do that!

I’d read zillions of books and I saw no reason why I couldn’t just whip one out. So I did. Here is the first line of the first book I ever wrote: Still holding the warm gun, Maddie lifted her skirt and ran for the buggy.

Now, seriously, it’s a pretty good line! That book actually won several contests right out of the gate, but never made it to print. My first published novel was Hot Enough to Kill, a humorous mystery that was featured in Redbook. My second, Dead Man Falls, won the 2001 WILLA Literary Award for Best Original Paperback. The third, Turkey Ranch Road Rage, was released last year and I’m working on Killer Moves in all my spare time.

So, you ask, how did it happen that I went from writing funny mysteries to self help books? Well, if you’d read my fictional tales you wouldn’t need to ask that question!

Actually, after the first book came out, life happened. The second book was already set to be published, but life kept zigging and sagging—and not in a good way. In short, death, divorce and delusion took a toll. And, like many people, I started searching for ways to ease my own pain.

I spent a lot of years feeling like I was just treading water—I knew I needed to do something, but I couldn’t see what or how. I love the movie The Secret, but when I was in that stuck place, the only thing I was capable of manifesting was more pain. I needed a pre-requisite class—I needed the secret before The Secret!

Over the course of about ten years, I started some version of a self-help book at least six different ways, but it just never came together. I knew what I wanted to do—to help people who were in the same boat I was, people who feel stuck and yet were afraid to be un-stuck. I wanted to give people in pain, as I had been, a simple and direct roadmap out of it.

That’s really what The Hardline Self Help Handbook is about. It’s a do-it-yourself short course based on what I learned on my own jagged journey and what I now do with my coaching clients and in my workshops. It’s a step by step guide to help people figure out what they really want in their lives, why they don’t already have it—and how they can.

And while the title of the book let’s you know you’re in for some tough love, and with times as they are today, it’s exactly what a lot of us who have been zigging and sagging need and are ready for. Which is exactly why the subtitles asks: What Are You Willing to Do to Get What You Really Want?

Take the challenge, do what you need to do, make your zigs and zags a little less harsh and start living your joy!

Paula Renaye is a professional life coach, motivational and empowerment speaker, regression hypnosis practitioner and award-winning author in both fiction and nonfiction. She has been a consultant for 18 years, holds a degree in Financial Planning and is a member of the International Association of Coaches. Her passion is helping people face reality and take personal responsibility for their choices in order to reclaim their own power and live the life they really want. For special book tour bonus materials and a link to purchase the print book at a discount, visit www.hardlineselfhelp.com. The book is also available here at http://www.amazon.com and on Kindle.

‘Choosing’ to be a writer

A Guest Article Writer — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 04:10:39 +0000

Some years ago when I decided to take the plunge and become self-employed I was offered the chance of a little financial help and support from a local small business start-up unit. I had reservations about taking up the offer because most institutions don’t see ‘Writer’ as a career, more as a sign of self-delusion and possible mental instability. The financial carrots being waved by local and national government were, however, substantial enough for me to go through the motions at least.

My fears were largely confirmed when I found myself sat alone in a room with a grey looking man in a suit, drinking cheap instant coffee out of a plastic cup. I don’t think he’d read through my details in advance because when I explained what my ‘business’ was, he jumped both visibly and nervously. I realised that there was a gulf in understanding opening up between us when he said that I’d certainly ‘chosen an industry that was hard to break into’. At least he showed the courtesy of calling it an industry. While he sifted through his paperwork I pondered the word ‘chosen’. I’ve never felt I had a choice when it came to being a writer.

The writer’s life

In the end the business support was of little help – although he did explain that I would have to pay my own tax, not exactly a revelation. Perhaps business advice shouldn’t be aimed at us sensitive, artistic types; at least that was the impression I got from the advisor. Writing is, I’ll admit, a difficult industry to break into, but in the case of nearly all writers I’ve met along the way, I never did get the impression that they ‘chose’ it. In some cases, like my own, many just ended up giving in to writing, instead of having proper jobs like normal people! But if you are facing the fact that you no longer have the strength to resist the call of the writer’s life, where on earth to start? There are plenty of claims on the internet that you can make a living as a writer, working from anywhere in the world. They offer seductive images of the possibilities, but what’s behind this and is any of it really true?

Bloody Revolutions

The internet revolution evolves each day – if not hourly – and as Charles Dickens once put it ‘it was the best of times, it was the worst of times’. Revolutions are like that. For writers, the internet revolution is exactly that, the best and worst of times. While the internet has created a massive market for content – written content still being the basis for this new media – it has also created a whole industry full of pitfalls. To those contemplating the move into full-time writing, understanding what the opportunities are, and why they exist, can be very useful indeed. Content writing or web copywriting is about selling stuff, simple as that really. However, there are a huge range of techniques used by online marketing professionals to do so.

Research subjects

The techniques are varied and change as the internet changes. For those looking to become online copywriters researching the opportunities and techniques below is worth a little time:

SEO Copywriting: This subject is so vast that it really defies a short summing up and the best thing you can do is a lot of your own research! In short this type of writing is designed to raise the profile of a piece of writing (and the site it appears on) amongst search engines. These little robots have some pretty high standards and they prefer quality and originality over something called ‘keyword stuffing’. Recent changes to the way the major search engines operate mean that originality and quality are more important than anything else – so if you can manage those your work is likely to be saleable.

Content Farms: I’ll avoid libel as best I can here. Content farms operate on different models, some generate titles based on the most popular search terms ‘du jour’ (literally) which they then pay writers to create. Pay is, in some cases, something of an imaginative leap as the rates are pretty poor. There are good and bad content farms out there; from the writers perspective they are all relatively lowly paid, but they offer the chance to learn the trade from the inside. They are also a good place to hone your skills and develop a portfolio.

Online copywriting agencies; there is a growth in online copywriting agencies – big and small. These offer some real opportunities to writers. Because the search engines are focussing on matters of quality and accuracy when it comes to web copy, this type of agency is in a strong position to build a ‘stable’ of good quality writers – and pay them well. Some are just one man/woman operations while others have a number of writers.

There are probably as many routes into online copywriting as there are individuals working in the industry. It’s fast paced and changes constantly. While some sites claim that anybody can be an online writer this claim may be a little enthusiastic. Good writers will find it more straightforward than bad! If you are prepared to study, learn and practice you will in time find that success is possible and the rewards are, believe me, well worth the effort.

Chris Hoole provides copywriting services and more for Apple Copywriting.com If you would like to find out more information about Apple Copywriting visit their website at www.applecopywriting.com. They offer a no obligation quote to any visitor interested in their services.

The Dynamic Duo: Words And Your Imagination

A Guest Article Writer — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 01:22:09 +0000

Writing can be a very simple process. You put pen to paper and watch what comes out. For many, it truly is that easy. For others, it’s a little bit more of a struggle. You stare at a blank piece of paper for awhile and wonder how you’re going to get any words on it.

Writing is about using your imagination. Focus not on the topic but how the topic makes you feel. Transport yourself to another part of the world. Close your eyes and pretend like you’re not sitting at your desk trying to write something. Think about the topic.

Now, open your eyes and write what you saw. As your hand connects with the pen you will likely be surprised that there are suddenly words sprawling across the page. You are using your imagination to form words that will ultimately lead to a really creative article. It really is possible but sometimes pressure is our worst enemy.

There are a few things that you can do to help get your imagination and your words working together to write creatively.

FIND YOUR VOICE
You need to find your voice. Everyone has one. This is how you’re going to be expressive within your article. You can write a fact-based article and still have some fun with it. Many people may be reading this and the only way that they’re going to get through the whole thing is if they are enjoying themselves while reading it.

You can be sarcastic, energetic, monotone or any other emotion as you are writing. It will come through in your writing so it’s important to actually be aware of it. You don’t want to sound monotone throughout the article or people will stop reading it. No one wants to be bored when they’re reading, even if it is about a boring topic.

DO YOUR RESEARCH
Whether you are writing fiction or nonfiction, you need to have your facts straight. You can still be imaginative, but if you write something that has any grounding into reality, you need to know what you’re talking about. If you make up information because it sounds good, people won’t trust you anymore and they will stop reading things that you write. Even if you think people won’t notice, you need to assume all of your readers are going to be experts about what you’re writing.

The research has to be done in such a way that you are weaving facts into your creative work. No one wants to have a bunch of facts spewed at them. They want to slowly learn about them throughout your witty article that has them wanting to keep reading. Otherwise, they could get the same thing from going to a trade journal or reading from wikipedia. Your job is to wow them with the facts.

WRITE, WRITE, WRITE
The more you write, the more you will want to write. If you get stuck on one thing, start writing about something else. Even if it’s a journal entry, write. It’s why so many writers have multiple projects going at once. It will get the creative juices flowing so that you are ready to take on the next article with much more vigor.

There are plenty of ways to stay active writing. You can write for work or for pleasure, or both. It’s important to write when you want to be a writer. It’s exercise, just like an athlete hits the gym every day, you need to hit the paper every day.

Anything’s possible with imagination but sometimes our head gets in the way. If our imagination and our words can pair up without interference, the results are often quite impressive.

Article by Alice McCoy. Alice’s father was a long-haul trucker and ever since a kid she’s been fascinated with that life. Although she stays at home with her kids and writes now, she is still involved by keeping an eye out for CDL jobs and writes about topics like commercial truck insurance quotes. One day she hopes to have her own rig.

The Good China

A Guest Article Writer — Sat, 28 May 2011 07:02:16 +0000

This Be My Guest Article is by Eric Poole, Author of Where’s My Wand?: One Boy’s Magical Triumph Over Alienation and Shag Carpeting.

A while back, a friend of mine told me that her mother’s aunt used to stand in front of the stove, cooking dinner, wearing a full-length mink coat and her best jewelry.

This is my kind of woman. Not just because she sounds slightly insane and obviously doesn’t care if somebody breaks a tooth on a diamond brooch in the meatloaf; but because this kind of behavior represents a “live for today” attitude that I pretty much suck at.

Don’t get me wrong, my furniture isn’t covered in clear plastic (yet). I don’t reuse toilet paper (yet). I do manage to have a little fun. But all too often in my life, I’ve “saved the good china”.

And then, I lost a work friend to diabetes. And another friend’s longtime partner to AIDS. And last week, my partner’s twin brother to liver disease. All of them in their 40′s. All in the space of a few weeks.

And I began to think that life is waaay too short. So maybe I should just go crazy. Maybe I should take a trip around the world or try out for America’s Got Talent or blow all my money on a talking robot.

Of course, I can’t take months off of work to backpack the world. And it’s unclear exactly what talent I actually have. And I don’t really need one more person yelling at me on a daily basis.

Maybe I’m just too practical for my own good. I’ll probably end up in the spirit world going, “Damn, why didn’t I show up at Starbucks in my SpongeBob p.j.’s? Why didn’t I hand out $100 bills at homeless shelters? Why didn’t I rent an Amish buggy to drive to a rave?

Which leads me to a question: What constitutes “living for today”, and what is just plain irresponsible?

Trying to balance having a life of No Regrets with the possibility that you might outlive both your money and your liver is not exactly easy. I’d kinda prefer not to hit my expiration date lying in some gulag nursing home staffed by Nurse Ratched and the guy from Saw.

So what’s the answer?

Maybe Controlled Crazy. Maybe I’ll travel as far around the world as I can get in two weeks. Maybe I’ll try out for a stand-up comedy class at the Improv. Maybe I’ll blow $100 on a talking pedometer.

Hey, baby steps.

Eric Poole, author of Where’s My Wand?: One Boy’s Magical Triumph Over Alienation and Shag Carpeting, is a VP of marketing for a major media company and the winner of more than thirty advertising awards. He was once called “the best undiscovered writer I’ve ever met” by Tracey Ullman, an accolade he continues to live up to. He lives in Los Angeles with his partner of nine years.

For more information please visit http://www.ericpoole.net, and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter.

Book Review: Ain’t No Sunshine by Leslie DuBois (Kindle Edition)

A Guest Article Writer — Sat, 28 May 2011 07:00:46 +0000

Blurb:

WHITES ONLY
Those words adorned every building in Livingston, Virginia during the summer of 1963 confusing and angering a five-year-old Stephen Phillips. Those words told Stephen that what he felt for his colored neighbor Ruthie was wrong. As he grows older, Ruthie becomes the only ray of sunshine in his abusive life and he is not willing to let her go without a fight, a fight that could lead to murder.

This story wowed me. I was immediately drawn in, and the wonderful narration kept me glued. The imagery is strong and the dialogue is believable and engaging. The characters are well developed and I cared about their outcome.

The story begins as Stephen Phillips is interrogated by a badgering Chicago police officer. “Did you do it, Stephen?” The officer places gruesome photos of Reverend Phillips’ bloody corpse on the table, but Stephen refuses to look at them. “Why don’t you look at your father’s mutilated body? Beaten to death with a shovel outside his own home.”

The officer continues asking Stephen if he murdered the man who lay dead in Virginia. The same man who raised and loved him for eighteen years. Stephen replies, “My father never loved me. Never.”

When the officer’s goading doesn’t get the desired response, he attempts another tactic—changing the direction of the conversation to Stephen’s girlfriend Ruthie who sits in a nearby interrogation room.

“Maybe I’ll just have to ask that pretty little colored girlfriend of yours,” he said, staring at Ruthie’s picture and licking his lips.

“You leave her out of this.” My hands clenched into fists.

“I don’t know if I can do that. She seems to be pretty involved.” He kept staring at her picture as he spoke. “Your father is found dead at your home in Virginia and you’re found seven hundred miles away with a Negro whore. I can’t -”

He didn’t get to finish his thought. I leapt across the table and started pounding his face in. Seconds later, I was subdued by several officers. They placed me back in the chair and handcuffed me to the table.

This was getting worse and worse by the minute. I’d gladly go to jail for killing that man. He deserved to die. I just didn’t want Ruthie to get dragged into this. After all we’d been through, at least one of us deserved a chance to be happy.

After the room settles, another officer enters the room. Lieutenant Drake has a friendlier, gentle approach, and Stephen begins to soften.

“Why are you running? You know running only makes you look guilty and I don’t really believe you killed your father. I don’t think you’re capable.”

I stared at him. “You have no idea what I’m capable of. You have no idea what that man did to me.”

“You’re right. I don’t,” he said, trying to hide his surprise at my response. He sat down and crossed his arms. “So why don’t you tell me? You obviously have a story and you need someone to listen. So tell me your story. Tell me everything.”

Stephen’s story soon begins to flow. He tells about Ruthie, his childhood friend, and how their friendship eventually blossomed into a powerful love as they grew—despite the fact that loving a ‘colored’ was forbidden. He remembered staring up at the colored balcony in his father’s church when he was six years old, trying to catch a glimpse of his beautiful Ruthie. He paid for it when he got home with a beating. That didn’t stop his love for Ruthie. He refused to let his father take the one thing in his life that brought him true happiness.

He tells the officer about the lifetime of abuse he, his brother (Matthew), and mother (Marjorie) endured by the hands of the cherished small town Virginia reverend, Theodore Phillips. His father’s explosive anger and violence plagued him every day. After years of violent abuse, Matthew disappeared, and Marjorie suffered mercilessly until becoming an empty shell; but Stephen endured by retreating into that loved part of his heart. The beautiful part that Ruthie filled.

Stephen divulges the many ordeals that cursed his life that led to the day Theodore Phillips died. He reveals the eccentricities, secrets, and atrocities his father kept concealed behind his reverend cloak, and in the end, the truth behind the reverend’s death.

Upon completing this novella, I felt somewhat changed. It is a sad story with victories, and a terrifying tale with soft and loving moments. Such a wide range of emotions that finally left me feeling satisfied—yet not settled.

Review by C.E. Hart. C.E. Hart, a closet writer for several decades, is now knocking on doors, pushing send buttons, and flying paper airplanes into publishers open windows. She writes poetry, memoirs, and short stories, and is currently working on three novels. Her southern upbringing often gives her work a nostalgic flavor; but that’s not to say she doesn’t have a fun quirky side as well. Visit C.E. Hart (aka Nic) on her new author blog http://cehart.blogspot.com and on her quad-authored writing blog http://www.wenchwriters.blogspot.com.

How to Improve your Chances when Applying for Freelancing Jobs

A Guest Article Writer — Fri, 27 May 2011 23:33:40 +0000

With the recent surge in popularity of freelancing websites like oDesk, vWorker, Elance and Freelancer.com, the potential to earn a full-time living from such sites has now become a reality but, with that, comes some stiff competition. Finding freelance work is not as simple as just joining up and throwing a few words here and there on your profile, you need to be pro-active and make an effort to impress potential buyers with your skills and experience. You can do this by spending time filling out your profile and by writing professional and courteous cover letters.

Portfolio

Most freelance websites offer members the opportunity to upload items to a portfolio which showcases their experience. This is important in all categories of employment but, particularly when it comes to design work and writing. Writers can upload PDF files of their articles and designers can upload jpegs or PDFs. If you’re worried about somebody stealing your designs, put a watermark symbol in the background. An empty portfolio sends the message that you’re not really interested in finding work. Why should a buyer blindly trust that you are skilled enough to do your job?

Resume

The resume section of your online profile gives you the chance to put in all details pertaining to work experience and education. This is your chance to shine and tell buyers about any courses you’ve done, certifications you’ve achieved and jobs you’ve had in the past (and what you’ve learned in those jobs).

Overview

If there’s an overview section in the profile settings, this is your chance to introduce yourself and inform buyers in a succinct manner what you can do for them.

Cover Letters

One of the most important components of an online job application is the cover letter. This is what sells your skills to the buyer. You must ensure that punctuation and grammar are correct and that the letter is professional but, at the same time, friendly. Try to resist the urge to cut and paste from one cover letter to another. It’s okay to re-use some sections but try to customize the bulk of the letter to suit the individual job you’re applying to.

Skills Tests

Some freelancing sites like vWorker and oDesk give members the opportunity to take skills tests. If you score well in these tests it gives buyers a good idea of your capabilities and it offers them peace of mind before handing over their hard-earned cash to you.

Keep learning

Just because you’re already a professional doesn’t mean you can stop learning. The internet offers a multitude of wonderful resources to help you learn new skills. Take advantage of these resources and, whenever you have a quiet hour or two, learn something new. Even the skills you are already adept at can be honed further by keeping up to date with the latest technologies and standards.

Increase the odds of getting jobs

Unfortunately, not everyone who advertises job/project openings ends up hiring someone. Some people post jobs and then disappear and never even bother to read the applications. Others post on a multitude of sites and end up choosing contractors on one of the sites you don’t belong to. It takes a lot of work writing cover letters and keeping your profile up to date but it’s worth sending a lot of applications every week to maximize your chances of success.

Article by Darren. Darren writes on the topic on doing people search for free, finding people and reconnecting with them online.

Connecting with Teens in a Small Screen World

A Guest Article Writer — Fri, 27 May 2011 23:09:43 +0000

This Be My Guest article is by Dr. John Duffy, Author of The Available Parent: Radical Optimism for Raising Teens and Tweens.

We are on vacation in Florida with another family. Three young teenagers are on board, my 13-year-old included. A number of times over the past week, I have peered over to see each of their beautiful faces lost in a 3 ½ inch screen: a Nintendo DS, iPhone, iPod Touch, or any other thing!

One might be texting friends back home, another might be selecting a new song, while yet another is playing the latest downloaded game. There they were in the car last night, screens lighting their faces. There they were on the couch, in front of the giant TV screen! Even in bed, all faces illuminated, eyes entranced.

So how is a parent to counteract the draw of the tiny, sophisticated, intoxicating hand-held plaything?

Well, for one, recognize that if you can’t beat them, join them. Whatever it is that is displayed on that tiny screen, your teen is clearly engaged in it. Sit down with her. Have a look at the contraption. Ask what it does — teens love to be teachers. Most importantly, ask what your teen loves so much about it. This is a golden opportunity to connect, to get to know your teen better.

And you might want to write her a clever text once in a while: “How are you?” “What are you doing/listening to right now?” I worked recently with a father who took to writing his daughter an “I love you” text every day. He called me with glee the day he got one back.

You need to know that texting is the preferred mode of communication for many teens, whether we adults want that to be the case, or not.

Also, recognize your own addiction to the tiny screen. What I did not mention above is the myriad opportunity I have had to see adult faces lit up by an iPhone in the past several days. We serve as the strongest role models for our teens. Our screen time is seen as latent permission for their own.

Finally, you might want to engage your teen in a different way. For instance, my wife Julie and I designated yesterday’s lunch as a “No Screen Zone.” We engaged our teenagers in conversation. We talked about music, movies and politics. It was fun, and everyone was engaged and participating.

So make sure you protect some time together where all screens go dark.

© 2011 John Duffy, author of The Available Parent: Radical Optimism for Raising Teens and Tweens

Dr. John Duffy, author of The Available Parent: Radical Optimism for Raising Teens and Tweens, is a highly sought-after clinical psychologist, certified life coach, parenting expert, and proud parent. He has been working with teens, tweens, and their families for more than fifteen years. He has provided the critical intervention and support needed to help hundreds of families find their footing.

He has served as a contributing parent expert for a number of media outlets. These include AOL Health, AOL Parent Dish, Notre Dame magazine, Root & Sprout, bettyconfidential.com, makeitbetter.net, examiner.com, theteendoc.com, Chicago Parent, sheknows.com, Psych Central, Current Health Teens, The Oakland Tribune, and Working Mother Magazine. He has also served as a parenting and relationship expert on a number of radio programs, including the nationally-syndicated Mr. Dad program with best-selling author Armin Brott, and The Lite Show on WNTD in Chicago. Dr. Duffy has also contributed to a number of books, including Living Life as a Thank You (Viva Editions) by Mary Beth Sammons and Nina Lesowitz.

For more information please visit http://www.drjohnduffy.com and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter.

10 Common Mistakes that Will Kill Your Online Marketing Efforts

A Guest Article Writer — Wed, 18 May 2011 22:26:14 +0000

Within the last few years, everyone has practically jumped on the bandwagon and either started a blog or a website. However, many of realize much too late that they are doing everything wrong when it comes to internet marketing. But hopefully, you will not make the same mistakes if you acknowledge these shortcomings:

You Don’t Have a Self Hosted Blog. Even though Google is very closely associated with Blogger, no one is going to treat you as a professional if you do not purchase a domain name for your website and host it yourself. In this particular case, a Blogger blog is not going to cut it.
Your Website does not look Professional. If you want to be taken seriously on the internet, you have to have a website that looks like it was professionally designed. If you don’t, the competition is going to eat you alive. This is because no is going to continue to visit a website that seems amateurish. Your traffic efforts might get them to your site, but once they see how unprofessional it is, they will not stick around.
You Want to Do Everything On Your Own. This is the reason that you failed in reason number two. You either refused or waited too late to get professional help. There are just certain things that you should leave to a professional. When it comes to internet marketing, the list is long. You will not have enough time to do everything on your own. Get help.
You Don’t Scope Out the Competition. Just like with brick and mortar businesses, you have to know what your competition is doing at all times. Also, remember that you have competitors from all over the world, which means that you have a large amount of competition. You can’t keep your head in the sand and not find out what things they are or are not doing.
You Don’t Use Tracking Tools. Chances are if you are lacking with reason number 4, then you never used tracking tools in the first place. Not only should these tools be used to spy on your competition, but they should also be used to monitor the health of your own website.
You Create Your Website and Sit Back and Wait. Many gurus will tell stories of creating a website and then waiting for the money to just start rolling in. This is not the case. Once the website goes up, you have to start promoting and backlinking in order for your website to be successful.
You Have a Confusing Call to Action. You cannot be shy when it comes to your call to action. You created that website for a reason. You want your customers to do something in particular. If you do not clearly tell them what you want them to do, then they will not do it. Lead the horse to the water and make it gulp up that water. Also make sure that your call to action is in a place that will be seen, which is above the fold.
You are too Cheap to Use the Right Vendors. Stop trying to skimp on everything in sight. This is your business. When you hire professionals, remember that you get what you pay for. Spend the money and make your website grand.
Your Checkout Process is Unclear. If your customers have to think too hard about what to do in order to purchase your products, you will lose plenty of sales. Make it easy for your customers. Don’t make them go all around the world just to purchase an eBook.
You Throw in the Towel Before You Really Get Started. Understand that internet marketing is not something that brings success as quickly as you want it to. You will have to work at it for a while, but success will eventually come.

Brian Waraksa is founder of Raxa Design, a Houston SEO firm. Brian has been in advertising and marketing small company branding since 2002. Feel free to follow Raxa Design on Twitter. Raxa Design, 2100 West Loop S # 900, Houston, TX (832) 429-7292

Wile for a while

A Guest Article Writer — Sun, 01 May 2011 02:36:58 +0000

Poem by C.E. Hart.

My vacation flew by

Feeling weak all week
I came back with the flu

I lay pillows behind my head
on my bed
and laze the days away

It doesn’t matter
whether the weather
is rainy or not
because I lay in a daze
and dream of days
filled with sunshine

Spurious sol beams shimmer
and surround my soul

Suddenly
my flu blues are erased
by blue skies

My nose knows it’s autumn
but
it senses the scents of summer
in a sense

I am fain
to feign summer warmth
because
I’d rather be wrapped
in rapt dreams
than mourning
this cold and drizzling morning

C.E. Hart, a closet writer for several decades, is now knocking on doors, pushing send buttons, and flying paper airplanes into publishers open windows. She writes poetry, memoirs, and short stories, and is currently working on three novels. Her southern upbringing often gives her work a nostalgic flavor; but that’s not to say she doesn’t have a fun quirky side as well. Visit C.E. Hart (aka Nic) on her new author blog http://cehart.blogspot.com and on her quad-authored writing blog http://www.wenchwriters.blogspot.com.

Taking Criticism

A Guest Article Writer — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 23:37:52 +0000

“This is a very subjective business . . .”

Are you just about sick of hearing that? How many rejections, critiques, or pieces of group criticism begin or end with that remark? And while perhaps meant to temper the above, we all know it’s a plot (sort of as we use in the South, “Bless her heart,” after trashing the bejeebus out of some character quirk).

Any creative endeavor, however, and especially writing, where you’re often relegated to one person’s opinion at a time, is very subjective. So, how do you know when to take the criticism, and when to reject it? Because what you do with the words from the book editor, literary agent, contest judge, or critique group most assuredly predicts your success.

Whether beginner or seasoned pro, we all need outside eyes. Many of my writers upon receiving rejections ask, “Is it the market, or is it my book?” The answer to that is of vital importance to your writing career, so let’s sift through, separating the wheat from the chaff.

Especially when first starting out, the critique from a writer’s group can seem very harsh. Sometimes the criticism may indeed be self-serving, being more about the person giving it than the work itself. But often, the folks who have been around the block a time or two want to help new writers along the path. The trick is to keep in mind the personalities involved, then weigh the validity of the comments. And listen to it all. Yes, you may dig through a ton of BS before finding a jewel, but that very gem may be the thing that pushes you over some creative hump. In the beginning, all of the skills and tools involved in book writing may seem overwhelming, but by listening to such critique, these skills become more accessible. As you progress down the writing path, critique serves as a sounding board, letting your know that indeed, you are on track. Or not, and need to go back to the drawing board.

The same holds true for a judge’s evaluation through a contest or conference. Usually the evaluator is a seasoned pro (a novel editor, etc.), and can identify strengths and weaknesses in a flash. I will say that I’ve judged a lot of conference contests, and some of the evaluators don’t give a piece five minutes. But most do. And before your ego reacts, try to stay objective to the subjective point of view, and look at the criticism from arm’s length. Does the person have a point? Is the writing flat? Are the characters thin? If you were reading your work from the standpoint of outside eyes, would you feel the same?

The brings us to the submissions to literary agents and editors. Everyone has probably gotten the form rejection, the “Not for me” standard line. The next step may be closer, but say, “I didn’t fall in love with x, y, z.” Followed of course with “This is a subjective business and another agent . . .” Even after you’ve become agented, you’ll get that ‘no’ from publishing-house editors. And taken one step further, once you’re published, some awful book review editor may slam you. The nerve! Again, these run the gamut, but hopefully they’ll respond more in-depth (just one reason why having a good agent is important).

As you sift through, does a pattern surface? Are many saying they loved x but were put off by y? Perhaps loved the prose, the voice, but the problems lay in the basic book development? If so, you’re getting there. Those problems are fixable, and doing so may be your ticket to success. If not, you may be facing something as simple (yet difficult) of not yet targeting the right house or agent with your work.

Again, listen to it all. I can’t say that enough. Much more worrisome than keeping your ego intact is to miss something that may be key to your book or story selling. In today’s insanely tough market, a work has to be more than perfect to sell; it has to shine above all the rest in order to make an editor fall in love. Remember, the editor who does so still has to convince both the editorial board and the sales’ reps of the book’s brilliance. Never has traditional publishing been more difficult. Never has it meant more as per prestige.

Which brings us to the crux. Creativity really is subjective, and in those murky waters lives the only true demon–the ego troll. Nothing is closer to our core than the stories we write. We’re not selling bread dough here; we’re selling work from our very souls. This leaves us so vulnerable that the ego naturally jumps up to provide at least some protection, and in doing so can undermine the very essence of what we’re doing. Getting that troll out of the way so that you can be objective can be the true beast. But you must do it.

I’ve worked with just about every kind of book author. And I’ve seen very talented writers fail because they believed their work was so pristine, so perfect, it needed no editing or revision. I’ve seen semi-talented (and you have to have some talent, but the rest is about skills and those can be learned) writers succeed because they were willing to set aside their egos, dig back in, learn from the critique and their mistakes, and write better.

The best way to deal with the ego troll is to look it in the face. Is your writing perfect? No. If honest, we all must answer that way. Can it improve? Of course. Does x agent or y editor or z critique group know anything? Hopefully. If not, why did you submit, join, etc.? It all comes back to you in the end. And even if you decide he/she/they were idiots (which surely they were!, as the old cliché goes (don’t let me writers know I’m using one!), even a blind hog finds an acorn now and then.

Put your ego on the shelf for an hour and look at your work as if it belonged to someone else. The validity of any critique (or lack thereof) will shine through. And some always exists, even in the most pedantic response. Your job is to find the subjective pearls, through your objective mind, and put those into practice. Sooner or later, that obnoxious phrase with which we began this will not come.

And that agent, editor, judge will simply say, “Yes.”

Susan Mary Malone (http://www.maloneeditorial.com) is a book editor who has helped over 30 authors get their books published with traditional publishers. Her professional background includes working as an editor, columnist & reporter. Malone’s edited books have been featured in Publishers Weekly & won numerous awards. Clients include NY Times Bestselling author Mary B. Morrison, & Essence Bestselling author Naleighna Kai, among many others. See her blog at http://www.maloneeditorial.com/blog/

The Summer of ’82

A Guest Article Writer — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 02:28:00 +0000

Summertime’s supposed to be when livin’ is easy. At least that’s what Billie Holiday sang in the classic George Gershwin song. The summer of ‘82 was not an easy livin’ kind of summer for me. The seemingly airless days blended together into a shadowy fog, ultimately besieging me.

The previous summer, my parents surprised me with a backyard cookout for my eighteenth birthday. It was festive; complete with balloons, streamers and friends. Mom later told me she wanted to create a special day for me that I’d remember when she was gone. I remember the taste of the bacon-wrapped hot dogs and the white double-layered cake with cream cheese frosting. And the smoky smell of the charcoal briquettes Daddy skillfully tended to, as well as the smear of coal he left on his shoulder when he ended a mosquito’s feeding frenzy. But most of all, I recall Mom’s laugh. I believe she enjoyed my birthday more than anyone.

“Mom, really? Pin the tail on the donkey?”

“It’s just a game.” Mom cackled. Her laugh always ended with a long, drawn out, “A-h-h.”

Although it’s a childhood game, we had fun. I understood Mom still thought of me as her little girl and always would.

“You couldn’t find your own butt if both hands were tied behind your back!” Daddy shook his head when I missed the donkey altogether. He loved to tease me and did it often. We even bobbed for apples, which helped cool us from the glaring southern sun. Yes, it was a memorable birthday. We played, gorged on food, and laughed. The following birthday would also be memorable, but in a different way. My mother wouldn’t be there.

***

Cancer, the evil monster, kidnapped my mother’s body in the spring of ‘80. It descended upon her body and viciously assaulted it for two years, but she wouldn’t allow it to consume her. During her ‘good days’ between chemotherapy and radiation sessions, she stayed active, participating in craft functions, directing the local YWCA and composing magical landscapes with her treasured oil paints. This evil monster even tried to take her painting away, making it difficult for her to endure the strong smell of the oils and turpentine, but she fought back by wearing a mask to block out the nauseating fumes.

After two years of holding her hostage, the evil monster finally demanded its ransom in the summer of ‘82. It promised to set her free if I agreed to spend the rest of my life without her. For the final month of her life, it held her in a coma, preventing her to even blink. I just couldn’t let her go. I wasn’t sure if I could live without her.

One sunny Saturday afternoon in June, I walked into Mom’s hospital room and sat beside her bed. The overwhelming scent of a rose bouquet on the window sill made me nauseous. Red roses were Mom’s favorite.

‘Daddy must have brought them. I don’t like them. They have the same stench as a funeral home.’

I grabbed a tissue from the bedside table and wiped the tears slipping from Mom’s unseeing eyes. The doctors said they were caused by the inability to blink, but I knew they were much more than that. They were pleas for me to let her go. I knew she was ready, but held on for me.

I sat alone. Mom’s body was there, but I didn’t feel her spirit. I longed to hear her over-zealous laugh with the drawn out a-h-h, but instead, I listened to the clamoring machines the evil monster afforded, and the rasping, burbling sounds in Mom’s chest.

‘Oh, those roses are going to make me ill.’ Thomas Moore’s poem, The Last Rose of Summer, came to mind. ‘Tis the last rose of summer, left blooming alone …’

I stared at Mom’s vacant eyes. I felt my own tears seep. Swallowing forcibly, I tried to keep the trickle from launching a dam break. I held her hand. Suddenly, I felt…something. It was Mom; she was there! She gripped my hand and slowly shifted her eyes to look at mine—and blinked. For the first time in exactly 30 days, she blinked. I stood and gazed.

“Mom?” My voice sounded foreign and high-pitched. An incredible knot rose in my throat, almost robbing my ability to speak.

Again, she blinked.

Strange, uncontrollable thoughts over swept me. ‘Does Mom recognize the pink sun-dress I’m wearing is the one she sewed for me? What will Daddy say when I tell him Mom heard me and gripped my hand… and blinked?’ It was the first time I felt her presence in a month. I knew it was time. Time to pay the ransom the evil monster demanded.

“Mom?” I waited to make sure the blank stare hadn’t returned. “Mom, it’s okay to go.” I secretly hoped a blinding light would suddenly shine across the room, accompanied by a booming voice announcing I passed the test and Mom would live. But no miraculous light shined; only the glow of the monitors and the soft sunlight peeking from the edges of the window shades.

“It … It’s okay to go,” I repeated. The aching mass in my throat threatened to choke my last words to her. “I love you, Mom.”

Mom’s grip lessened. The blank stare returned.

I stood in the unquiet room a few moments longer. Thoughts screamed in my head. ‘Run! Go! Leave!’ The machines seemed to get louder and Mom’s lungs cried out, begging to trade fluid for a wisp of air. Suddenly a dreadful moaning noise filled the room. I glanced around to see where it was coming from, and finally realized it was me. I released Mom’s hand, and stared at her unblinking eyes.

My weeping blurred my vision, and sanity. I walked backward to the door, barely able to see, and blindly left her.

“Daddy, please take me home. I want to go.”

Daddy nodded and briefly left to check on Mom. It felt like a lifetime. People stared when they walked by me. I was a mess; sobbing and shaking—staring at them with condemning eyes. I’m not sure why they angered me. I suppose because their mother wasn’t dying in the room across the hall.

Neither Daddy nor I said a word during the drive home. My crying and shaking ceased. I even stopped thinking. I felt hollow and numb. When we got to the house, I ambled downstairs and collapsed onto the couch.

Strange thoughts raced through my mind again. ‘I’ll be nineteen in a few hours. Mom said she would make me chicken croquets for my birthday. Will she be alive? Is this her last summer? Why did I tell her I didn’t like those red, white and blue earth shoes she bought me in sixth grade? Why didn’t I at least pretend to like her homemade soup?’

I turned on the clock-radio to drown out the voices of scrutiny, and watched the numbers of time flip over as Ronnie Milsap sang. “Any day now, when the clock strikes ‘Go, you’ll call it off and then my tears will flow…”

The number tabs on the clock flipped to 6:00 pm. The phone rang. I sat up. My mind reeled. I held my breath, trying to hear what Daddy said to the caller.

“Yes. Okay. Yes. Thank you.” His voice was almost a whisper. He hung up.

The third stair creaked. He was coming downstairs. I knew. The clock struck ‘Go.

I leapt and ran to meet Daddy in the foyer. He looked so sad. His eyebrows were wrinkled together and his blue eyes suddenly looked old.
“Mom’s gone,” he whispered, wiping away tears.

I felt like a mad-woman—like I could lose my mind if I didn’t run from those awful words. I collapsed into Daddy’s chest instead and we wept together.

The evil monster delivered its promise in the summer of ‘82. At the funeral, its treacherous voice haunted me. ‘I have a birthday gift for you. The last rose of summer, is set free.’

Tis the Last Rose of Summer

-by Thomas Moore

Tis the last rose of summer
Left blooming alone;
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone:
No flower of her kindred,
No rose-bud is nigh,
To reflect back her blushes,
Or give sigh for sigh.

I’ll not leave thee, thou lone one!
To pine on the stem;
Since the lovely are sleeping,
Go, sleep thou with them.
Thus kindly I scatter
Thy leaves o’er the bed,
Where thy mates of the garden
Lie scentless and dead.

So soon may I follow,
When friendships decay,
And from Love’s shining circle
The gems drop away.
When true hearts lie wither’d,
And fond ones are flown,
Oh! who would inhabit
This bleak world alone?

Article by C.E. Hart. C.E. Hart, a closet writer for several decades, is now knocking on doors, pushing send buttons, and flying paper airplanes into publishers open windows. She writes poetry, memoirs, and short stories, and is currently working on three novels. Her southern upbringing often gives her work a nostalgic flavor; but that’s not to say she doesn’t have a fun quirky side as well. Visit C.E. Hart (aka Nic) on her new author blog http://cehart.blogspot.com and on her quad-authored writing blog http://www.wenchwriters.blogspot.com.

Does Emotional Wellbeing Contribute to Your Success as a Writer?

A Guest Article Writer — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 01:15:33 +0000

Human beings are a mass of seething emotions, much of which we keep deep inside. It’s just the tip of the iceberg that’s visible on the outside, the 10 percent we allow the world to see and which portrays a façade of normalcy and efficacy as we go about our daily jobs. However, our deeper feelings spill over into our everyday tasks, and we become more efficient or dull depending on where the needle lies on our emotional wellbeing meter. Some people are better than others at not letting their emotions spill over into their professions, but for creative minds, isn’t angst a muse that brings out their best work?

Writers are a breed unto themselves – there are different genres and different styles of writing, but at the core of them all is the fact that writing comes from deep within. So it’s only natural that your emotional state of mind spills over into your words and paints a secondary picture, one that is hidden inside the primary story you’ve written. It is this subtly hidden undercurrent that makes your writing more powerful, more compelling, and more captivating to the reader. Simply put, when you write from the bottom of your heart, it makes for fantastic reading.

But does this mean that you have to always be in a state of emotional turmoil for you to produce your best work? No, not necessarily – any intense emotion is a good catalyst that helps you better express in words what your mind conceives. Also, joy and happiness and satisfaction and all the other positive emotions help you get routine work done more efficiently – after all, every writer does have mundane tasks to attend to too as part of their regular routine.

However, in order to become a complete and well-rounded writer, you must have gone through the whole gamut of emotions, from pain and unbearable longing to happiness and unsurpassed joy – when you’ve actually felt them, your words make much more sense and carry much more conviction. So yes, emotional wellbeing does contribute to your success as a writer, but you must know how and where to draw the line, depending on what you want to achieve with your writing and the kind of audience you’re writing for.

This article is by Michael Parsons, who writes on the topic of Masters in Psychology Online . You can contact Michael at his email id: mike.parsons261-AT-gmail.com

Faithful

A Guest Article Writer — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:20:54 +0000

We are faithful companions
to the unfaithful stars…

I am faithful to Chance:
He made one mother
look away
and the other
he kept by my side.

I am faithful to Lady Luck:
She kept me strong
when the other babies didn’t make it.
She kept me healthy
when the other kids were coughing.
She kept me safe
when the other teens were stolen.

I am faithful to Fate.
Her will is solid.
She united me with them,

I pledge my allegiance to you,
Stars.
I will be your faithful companion
to your unreliable promise of

life.

Poem by Sylvia Rosen.

Sylvia is an online writer who writes article reviews on the latest business technologies, home security services and health trends. In her downtime, Sylvia enjoys reading the latest mystery novel and writing poetry.

How I Nearly Killed My Wife’s Kindle Swiping At The Screen

A Guest Article Writer — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:10:47 +0000

My wife is a professional book hoarder. She reads between 3-5 full-length paperback novels a month. Tally that up for a year, and you have a spare bedroom and hallway littered with her books. One pile here…two piles there… one pile for the cat to sleep on. “When are you going to get rid of these books,” I always ask her. She usually shrugs her shoulders at me, saying the same thing I’ve heard many times: “Soon, honey, soon.” She never rids the house of her old books; she collects them and hoards them and moves them around to fool me. Those books are priceless, precious memories to her. To me, they are stains on the carpet.

When I heard other book hoarders (who are ravenous readers like my wife) were falling in love with Amazon’s Kindle, I had a brilliant idea: if I bought my wife a Kindle for her birthday, it would solve my problem and her problem. I would have a clean house, free of Danielle Steele, Anne Rice, Stephen King, and Nicholas Sparks; and my wife could have all of the books she ever wanted to read right in her lap.

So for her birthday, I bought my wife a Kindle. Her eyes lit up and her lips pouted in awe when she saw I had gotten her a Kindle. The Kindle device shined and gleaned in the living room light as she removed the Kindle from the box. She held the delicate device up to her heart in both hands, and cradled it like a baby and cooed at it. (Yes, she really did coo.) “Thanks so much, honey. I love it! I always wanted one!”

Then the irritating questions began. “How do you turn it on?,” Where’s the switch?,” “I pressed the button…why isn’t anything happening?” Yeah, my wife is technically-challenged. She still thinks the US Postal Service sends all of her e-mails. I looked at her, shaking my head, and sighed. “Why don’t you try plugging it in?” I pointed to the thing-a-ma-gig — a plug. “You probably have to charge it up,” I told her.

“Well, okay,” she said sharply. “You don’t have to get short-tempered with me.” I thought to myself: Oh, great, our first fight over a Kindle.

She plugged in her Kindle and waited. Nothing happened. She started poking the screen with her fingers, like shes does with her iPod Touch. Nothing happened. She then started pressing the buttons on the side, the keyboard buttons on front, and lastly, the menu key. “Honey, nothing is happening… I think it’s broken… If it’s broken, you’re going to have to return it… How could they ship it broken? Was the box damaged?” She paused a second and glared at me. “Can you come over and help me, please!”

I was semi-occupied playing with my iPad, reading my e-mails, and swiping the screen to browse the Internet while she was trying to figure out her Kindle. I thought to myself: “Why can’t everything be as simple as my iPad? You press a button and swipe. That’s it. You swipe.”

I set aside my iPad and stepped over to the couch. I grabbed the Kindle. The Kindle screen stared blankly at me. I looked for a power button somewhere below the screen, like my iPad has, a power-on button so blatantly exposed. Nothing but arrow keys and little tiny letters that make a low-tech keyboard. I found buttons on the side of the Kindle, and fiddled with them. No power. My fingers brushed against a switch at the bottom of the Kindle, which looked exactly like a power-on switch from a 1980′s plug-in calculator. I slid the switch forward. Kindle’s screen glowed to life in all its brilliance. My wife and I smiled gratefully at the screen, amazed at the typeface, so crisp and clear.

My wife and I were both eager to download an e-book and put the Kindle through its paces. The screen instructed us what to do. I pressed my finger on the area of the screen to navigate to the setting’s page. Nothing happened. I pressed my finger on the screen again and again. Nothing happened. Frustrated, I began swiping and zig-zagging my fingers across the screen to get somewhere. The Kindle screen did not budge; instead it stared back at me, as if mocking me.

“Okay, stop,” said my wife, looking annoyed. “You’re going to kill my Kindle doing that.”

“What the hell?” I said, dumbfounded. “How do you navigate this thing?”

“Here, let me see,” my wife said with a sigh. She grabbed her Kindle and the instructions manual and quickly briefed herself on how to navigate the Kindle. I refused to read the instructions because I have a big ego when is comes to technology. I build websites for a living. I use the latest tablet and mobile devices. I know how technology works. So what gives?

My wife figured out the problem in no time. “You have to use these buttons on the side to move up and down,” she said. “And use these other keys and characters to set it up.”

“Well, that sucks,” I said, pondering to myself why Kindles do not have a touch screen to navigate and input settings, like my iPad, which is so easy to use.

In any case, my wife and I downloaded her first e-book to her Kindle. The reading experience on the Kindle was awesome. Letters, words, and paragraphs flowed so beautifully and smoothly together, so crisp and clear on her Kindle, I was in awe. But…I still couldn’t figure out why Amazon’s engineers and designers decided to use ugly, antiquated push-buttons for input and navigation, instead of using an easy-to-use touch screen.

One day, when I was cleaning the finger and thumbprints off of my iPad’s screen for the millionth time, I realized why Amazon decided to forfeit a touch-screen in favor of buttons. When Amazon designed the Kindle, they did so with their core users in mind: book readers and book lovers. The company did not want Kindle users mucking up their crisp and clear Kindle screens with their dirty fingerprints. That would make for an awful reading experience. Additionally, the side buttons to navigate the pages allow Kindle users to hold their Kindles in one hand and turn a page as they read, as most hard-core readers do with a regular paperback book.

This story has a happy ending. My wife is still ecstatic with her Kindle. I am happy that we have less paperback books cluttering the house. Occasionally, I pick up my wife’s Kindle to see what she is reading and I find myself habitually swiping the screen with my fingers to turn a page. It takes a few seconds for me to catch my error. Sometimes my wife laughs at me. Sometimes I laugh at myself too. I am not as high-tech as I thought.

Brian Scott is a professional freelance writer with over a decade of experience. Learn about self-publishing ebooks at http://www.ebookselfpublishinghelp.com

Book Review: The Art of SEO by Eric Enge, Stephan Spencer, Rand Fishkin, Jessie C Stricchiola

A Guest Article Writer — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 17:49:59 +0000

I know that most people have heard this phrase: “SEO or search engine optimization is now the best of all internet marketing tools”. Because search engines like Google are becoming the biggest marketing mediums, marketers had to move from traditional marketing to internet marketing. While there is no better traffic than the organic traffic, SEO has become an obsession for most internet marketers seeking targeted traffic and high conversion rates.

One of the best books which discusses SEO is The Art of SEO. This book is authored by top four SEO experts: Eric Enge, Stephan Spencer, Rand Fishkin and Jessie C. Stricchiola. It is for advanced as well as novice readers; it covers almost all SEO aspects from keyword research to obtaining a high ranking.

The authors of this book start showing you how search engines work so you can understand what they like and what they don’t. The other great thing about this book is that it covers how you can identify long tail keywords so you can use them and obtain a high ranking very easily. Also it covers seasonal trends so you can optimize you site to sell more stuff on those holidays. While most SEO books concentrate solely on Google, this book covers other search engines such as Bing.com.

Chapter 3 of this book explains how you can determine your SEO objectives and define your site’s audience before you do anything else. Starting with a good SEO plan in mind will make your efforts more effective and you’ll end up with the right results you have wished for. As SEO differs from one audience to other, you need to identify your audience type, whether you want straight sales, branding or ideological influence.

The best thing about The Art of SEO is that it goes through every known SEO process gradually. It begins with keyword research, where you use various marketing tools to identify potential high traffic keywords which have the least competition possible. After that it concentrates on developing high quality content that is worth linking to. It covers the latest link building techniques which you can use to take your Web Pages to the highest point possible on the SERPs (hopefully the 1st spot) and finally how you can measure your success by tracking results.

This book includes additional chapters that discuss many subjects that no other SEO book I’ve read has discussed before like: domain changes, troubleshooting, outsourcing, building an SEO team and a future look at SEO. Whether you are an SEO beginner or expert, you’ll find hundreds of things you didn’t know about SEO. If you intend to start an online business or plan taking an existing one to the next level, then I can’t see a book better for you than this one.

Book review by Edgar Boutaric.

The Art of SEO by Eric Enge, Stephan Spencer, Rand Fishkin and Jessie C Stricchiola (O’Reilly Media, Print ISBN: 978-0-596-51886-8, Ebook ISBN: 978-0-596-80960-7, 608 pp) is available everywhere. To find out more and purchase the book, please visit their website at http://www.artofseobook.com/ or O’Reilly Media.

Book Review: Emotional Freedom by Judith Orloff MD

A Guest Article Writer — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 07:00:00 +0000

Emotional Freedom: Liberate Yourself From Negative Emotions and Transform Your Life written by Judith Orloff MD is the perfect book to come along at the perfect time. I couldn’t put it down!

We live in a tumultuous, fear-dominated period in history and must become masters at overcoming fear and other negative emotions so they don’t sabotage our power. With skill and compassion, Dr. Judith Orloff shows us how to become heroes in our own lives by transforming anger, loneliness, and envy and more rather than simply “reacting” when our buttons get pushed.

An Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA and intuition expert, Dr. Orloff shares her wealth of personal and professional knowledge to illuminate the field of emotions. She draws on wisdom from traditional medicine but goes light years beyond it by presenting emotions as a path to spiritual, energetic, and intuitive awakening. Why is this leap so important? The intellect has restricted vision about emotions, but bringing intuition into the feeling realm lets us go deeper within. Dr. Orloff asks us to see every success, every heartbreak, every loss, every gain as vehicles for transformation. She teaches readers to view emotions in a non-ordinary way, rather than simply making you happy or miserable. Everyone will benefit from the insightful instructions that continually guide us and also from the author’s intimate personal journey and well-earned life wisdom. Judith is the kind of doctor we wish we all had.

Part One of the book introduces you to the four components of emotions: their biology, spirituality, energetic power, and psychology. Understanding each component in yourself will lead to inner breakthroughs that aren’t possible without seeing the whole picture. It offers a self-assessment test to evaluate your current level of emotional freedom so you can increase it practicing this book’s principles. Dr. Orloff invites you into her romance with sleep and dreams as revolutionary states of consciousness. She also helps readers determine their “emotional type” including “the intellectual,” and “the empath. “so they can make the most of their own finest qualities. As an empath, Dr. Orloff knows the gigantic challenges of being an “emotional sponge” and teaches other empaths who’ve been labeled “overly sensitive” how to stay grounded in an often-overwhelming world.

You’ll enjoy the “emotional vampire survival guide”–specific advice for dealing with emotional drainers. We’ve all met them. You’re talking to someone, when suddenly you feel anxious, depressed, or tired. She describes the narcissist, the victim, the controller, and other types of vampires. Plus, there are quizzes to help you determine “Are you in a relationship with an emotional vampire?” or if you might be one yourself. Sometimes, we all have the capacity to be draining, but with mindful compassion we can catch ourselves early and make a shift.

Part Two of the book offers a hands-on approach for facing the most prevalent negative emotions and building positive ones Each chapter is called a “transformation” in which you learn how to transform a negative emotion into its counterpoint. For instance, fear is transformed with courage, frustration with patience, and jealousy with self-esteem.

You learn to do this in your life by taking a wealth of quizzes, from Dr. Orloff’s patient studies, and her own intimate journey with each emotion.

Emotional Freedom is the rare book that can open your mind and your heart to more empowerment. Give yourself a gift and read it.

This book review is by Caroline Myss.

EMOTIONAL FREEDOM: LIBERATE YOURSELF FROM NEGATIVE EMOTIONS AND TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE
UPLIFTING NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER BY Judith Orloff MD (in paperback now!)

Judith Orloff MD, a UCLA psychiatrist, presents her unique approach for viewing emotions as a path to spiritual and intuitive awakening. You’ll learn how to stop absorbing other people’s negativity and how to stay calm instead of reacting when your buttons get . Synthesizing neuroscience and intuitive/energy medicine, this book liberates you from fear—and the emotional vampires who suck you dry.

Purchase book plus get your “Embrace Joy” gift collection at http://www.drjudithorloff.com/emotional-freedom-paperback/

How Jumping Genres Saved Me

A Guest Article Writer — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 20:00:14 +0000

I was a poet. I ate, read, wrote, and slept poetry. It was all I cared about. It was my entire identity. I based my self worth on my meter and syntax. Talk about putting all your eggs in one basket. I had remarkably fragile eggs and a really tiny basket. I was obsessive.

And I managed this delicate balance, this precarious existence, for years. I had another job (that I chose specifically to complement the poet-lifestyle) that paid the bills, and I spent all my free time pursuing the poetry. I made just enough money at it to pay for (most of) my postage stamps and reading fees.

It wasn’t that I wasn’t interested in other genres. I read them. I just didn’t believe that I was capable of creating them. I had gone to Stonecoast for my MFA, and those fiction and nonfiction writers just seemed so untouchable. And they told me that poets were strange artist types who liked starving. There was a definitive divide between genres and very, very few crossed it.

But after years and years of poetry, I started to grow tired. Though my work was probably accepted for publication about 25% of the time, the other 75% started to nag at me. My muse left me. She just up and moved out. I didn’t feel like writing poetry anymore. I wondered if I was depressed. I wondered if I was losing my mind. I had been writing poems every day since I was about five. And suddenly, I just didn’t want to anymore. I stopped writing, stopped submitting, and even turned down offers to read at some of my regular venues. I was just tired.

And then, I heard a submission call from a nationally recognized magazine. They wanted poems and essays. And for reasons that I cannot even identify, I decided to write an essay. And I submitted it. And it was accepted immediately. I took this as a sign. Maybe I was an essay writer?

And so I began to write essays and felt some of the old thrill I used to feel when creating poetry. I began to feel alive again and I returned to the keyboard. The dam broke, and essays gushed out of me.

And then, something weird happened. The poems came back. They came back gently. There was no pressure, no aching need – they just eased their way back into my life, back through my fingertips.

And then I had a crazy idea. I wrote a short story. It was published and I got more feedback from that one story than I ever got from any dozen poems.

Suddenly, I was a cross-genre writer. I became so excited about writing that I couldn’t seem to do anything else. I began to churn out the work again, but I wasn’t obsessive anymore. I was really quite relaxed. It just sort of happened.

Students will sometimes ask me for advice. I used to give them some cryptic zen maxim that couldn’t have possibly been of any use to them. Now I just say, “Don’t limit yourself. Experiment. You don’t know who you are as a writer if you don’t test your limits.”

So while there is a lot to be said for focusing on what you are good at, I’m so much happier now that I don’t. I sit before you now, still a poet, but more importantly, a Jane of all trades, master of absolutely none.

Article by Robin Merrill. Robin is a poet who happily spends a lot of her time writing prose about Criminal Justice Jobs and Criminal Justice Colleges and Universities. She splits her time between Maine and Michigan. Robin has an MFA from Stonecoast and she is the proud mother of two terrific toddlers and two behaviorally challenged hounds, Maybelle and Orville. Visit Robin at http://robinmerrill.com

Autumn Leaves

A Guest Article Writer — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 18:49:06 +0000

I sit, staring through the window.
The backyard seems so empty.
So peaceful. So quiet.
And though invisible,
I know the wind blows by.
The tree’s hair is now dusk gold.
October seems forever lasting.
My pain feels forever going.
My heart is forever broken.
My eyes shall never see your smile again.
Our hands shall never touch again.
Your voice shall never be heard again.
Forever lost. Forever remembered.
I miss our fights.
I miss our games.
I miss you, dear;
I miss my friend!
But now you are gone.
Nothing left to say.
Nothing left to see,
but falling autumn leaves.

Bio: My pen-name is Rowen Mahogany and I’m from Honduras. I love reading and writing. My favorite literature genre is definitely magic-fiction. I’m a big fan of the Harry Potter Series, Narnia Series, and the Twilight Saga.

Psychological issues that freelancers working in an office face and how to deal with them

A Guest Article Writer — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 17:44:41 +0000

Freelance writing may be one of the world’s most demanding occupations, no matter whether full-time or part-time. Creativity is the stock in trade of a freelance writer, and today, when clients are eager to see a higher and higher quality, it can be very challenging to keep up the pace.

You have to sacrifice something, especially if you are working full time as a freelance writer. This is even truer for the freelance writer who is working in an office.

Why is that? It’s simple:unlike someone working at home, you don’t have access to some of the same luxuries.

You probably already know that our fragile psychological balance is closely correlated with our physical health. There is no need to recite the scientific proof of this, since it is so well known. This is why most of the issues addressed in this article will be related somehow to our physical well-being.

There is a plenitude of sites/resources on the Internet offering solutions for a healthier life. In most cases, however, you need only to stick to the basics to stay healthy physically and, thus, psychologically. Given this, are there are any special concerns for freelance writers?

As a matter of fact, there are. However, freelance writing drudgery is not substantively different from any managerial work in any big company. Why? The office is the common, shared culprit. It can be a major obstacle to psychologically stable work.

I personally think that offices can “suck out your personal energy”, if you will allow me such a definition. There are a number of reasons for asserting this.

One of the most important reasons is the type and number of appliances that you might have in the office – copy machines, air conditioning, and computers.

Why are they bad? In brief, they don’t just sit there humming and clicking – they emit all sorts of things.

Some of them create additional amounts of ozone. Ozone, or O3, which makes the outdoors smell wonderful after a lightning storms. However, ozone crowds out the kind of oxygen (O 3) we need to breathe if it is emitted into the air in enclosed spaces (your offices) over long periods of time. Other gases produced include nitrous oxide (N2O) carbon monoxide (CO), neither one beneficial.

Other machines emit small amounts of electromagnetic radiation. Again, in close quarters, over months and years, the long term consequences can be really dangerous.

This does not even address the chemical vapors and particulates that waft through the office atmosphere. You can be exposed to volatiles from toner, the wallboard, the carpeting glue, the paint, and micro-particulates from ink, or your neighbor’s smoking residues.

How are these bad for your psychological balance? All of these emissions can cause different sorts of illnesses, from a simple headache to something more serious – we will not specify, to keep matters a bit more positive. When you have constant headaches and lack of oxygen, you will feel poorly, of course. And that has a good chance to cause mental effects over the long run, in a long-term period.

Depression is one of the most devastating potential effects, and can seriously block your creativity, which is your greatest asset. How can you offset these problems? Well, if you can do so, try opening up the windows in your office. Even if your offices have good industrial air conditioning, it is nonetheless better to go out and take a walk during your breaks. Breathe deeply (assuming that you are not in the midst of massive traffic exhaust), and stretch your muscles as you walk.

Another important issue is dehydration. While working on a computer, you need to be able to drink regularly and adequately in order to maintain your body’s fluid balance.

As you can see, there are a variety of factors affecting your work, but, apart from those generated by your physical surroundings and internal conditions, there are also issues that are purely psychological. Creative blocks are among the most potentially handicapping. How can you fight creative block? There are ways you can combat it, be assured of that; it need not be permanent or crippling.

However, you need to know what is causing it. First of all, you must eliminate the possibility that your creative paralysis is due to clinical depression, whether from something distressing in your life, whether short term or long term. If there is a chance that you are suffering from clinical depression, you need professional help.

There are many other reasons for creative block; mundane, repetitive work, routine scenarios, boring duties, and similar issues. There are actually many approaches you can take to offset these situations.

Have you ever thought about changing things around on your desk? Do you work in a cubicle or have a separate desk in the office? Try brightening them up with your favorite posters. You could also add some pictures of your friends and family. Have you heard of this new fad – putting enlarged pictures of all of your Facebook friends on the walls of your office? You should probably ask your boss if it’s OK to do that. This will definitely enliven your environment, and may actually kick-start your creativity.

Who knows, perhaps looking at them will remind you if an intriguing anecdote about a friend, perhaps one that could be useful in a paper with which you are struggling. Like chicken soup and mother love, it couldn’t hurt.

Another important source of either stimulation or boredom is your location. You may take the same route to work daily, and sit in the same office. This can be quite deadening to many people, and can drag their creativity down.

There are some simple ways to counteract this problem: you can change your route to work, even if it means leaving a bit earlier to take a small detour. If you drive or have access to a portable radio, you can listen to an entirely unfamiliar station.

You can also have a mini-vacation for a weekend. If you can manage the cost, you can go with your family to a hotel in a nearby community, and be ‘tourists’ there for a day. An alternative is to find a hostel, which would be considerably less expensive. In some areas, religious communities open their doors to guests, usually at modest cost.

Campgrounds offer another low-cost way to be elsewhere and take a new perspective on life. Serving at a homeless shelter or similar charity can offer a new paradigm for living without ever leaving your home town. All of these things can energize you and break the paralysis that too much routine can cause.

These are just some basic tips and principles that most of the office writers with our company, ResearchWritingCenter.com, use. They are tested personally by our staff and so you can consider them to be effective. If you have your own techniques for fighting the negative psychological effects of working in an office – feel free to share those in the comments section for this article!

Article by Alex Toll, Editor at ResearchWritingCenter.com. Favorite Quote: “Knowledge is of no value, unless you put it into practice” – Anton Chekhov

10 Ways for a Book Author to Share Free Content on the Internet

A Guest Article Writer — Fri, 19 Nov 2010 12:18:14 +0000

Book authors sell their books — the fruits of their writing labor. Thus it may seem counterintuitive to recommend that, for online book marketing success, book authors must be willing to share abundant free content.

Why is this?

On the Internet people are usually looking for relationships (connections) before buying something. Even if the book author has an effective website – one that makes it immediately clear what’s on offer and provides an easily visible BUY button, this effective website is often not enough by itself to motivate buying the author’s book.

Let’s look at 10 ways that fiction and nonfiction authors can share free content:

1. Offer a free sample chapter on their websites and on other sites around the Internet.

2. Write a blog with information based on their book or on another interest.

3. Provide book group discussion questions.

4. Leave thoughtful comments on other people’s blog posts.

5. Participate in conversations on Twitter.

6. Write articles and upload these to article directories such as Ezinearticles.com.

7. Participate in groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.

8. Write book reviews on Amazon.

9. Write brief book review comments on Glue.com.

10. Upload several chapters or the entire book to fReado.com.

Now let’s discuss what all this free content sharing does:

• Perhaps most importantly, it demonstrates that you can indeed write well – that your book is probably well-written.

• It also demonstrates that you’re not just out to sell your books. You’re interested in engaging with readers. In fact, readers can contact you directly at social media sites such as Twitter.

• Third benefit? You may have just written enough new material to compile into an ebook that you can sell off your website.

• And, finally, it does help you sell your books because people are reminded of you and your book at different places around the Web. How many times have you decided to buy something and then forgotten to buy it? With your name and writing examples all over cyberspace you’ve provided potential fans with subtle reminders about your book.

Some writers are concerned that others will “steal” their material if that material is so easily accessible. I believe you have to be willing to take this slight risk in order to reap the greater probability of having people become interested in your writing.

Although some writers are happy to write only for themselves, most writers would like as large a reading public as possible. Being willing to share free content on the Web can help book authors attract a wider fan base.

Article by Phyllis Zimbler Miller. Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller on Twitter) is the co-founder of the social media marketing company Miller Mosaic Power Marketing and the author of the novel www.MrsLieutenant.com. She blogs on social media and marketing topics at www.millermosaicllc.com/blog
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