And if you are a current or aspiring freelance article writer who wants to make article writing your bread and butter, bear in mind that there is intense competition in the publication field be. With this, you have to create excellent pieces of literature with contests that appeals readers. Following a certain set of article writing tips will surely you compose masterpieces that will stand out from the rest.

One of the things that any online writer should do is to perform a keyword selection for his article. Why? This is because if you want to get your client’s website, product, or services to be known throughout the web people should be able to find it quite easily, and with the help of your articles. When people would want to search for something online, they simply type the keywords that they think would provide them a list of websites or articles that they need. Now for you to make sure that they find yours, you need to do search engine optimization which you can learn by studying an SEO course.

You must always remember that for most people who are reading texts on web pages their attention span is very short. They can be very impatient so it is very quick and easy for them to easily get bored or tired of what they are reading especially if the article is not really that interesting. So your goal with your article writing is to keep it as easy to read as possible. Make sure that not only do you have a catchy title but that the rest of the article is also worth spending the time on. Always remember that the back button is there for your reader to click or they can just type a new web address in the URL field of their web browser.

You should also ensure that your article is filled with the information your readers would be looking for or be interested in. It will be to your disadvantage to publish weak articles, weak because either it was poorly written or just not enough data in it. Some of the setbacks may include your reputation as a writer would be affected and also of that of your client. Less people or websites will distribute and post your article because they perceive it as of very low quality.

Write to an avatar. What many successful article writers and copywriters would often do is to think of an imaginary reader or customer who they think embodies their ideal reader or client for the product being promoted through an article. This way you will be writing content laser targeted to that demographic.

Read blogs on writing, web writing, and search engine optimization. The same thing with forums and other websites. Why? This is because you also need to be kept updated with the trends in these fields so you can easily adapt if there are any major changes.

So there you have it. These are just some of the article writing tips that you should know today. If you are interested in getting online jobs work from home then I suggest you follow and practice the suggestions in this article.

1. Read & Write a Lot

This was the most popular answer given by the authors interviewed. In order to become a writer you need to read a lot of different books and practice your writing. By reading and writing you open up the door to becoming a better writer. You’re learning and opening your mind up to new ideas.

2. Set Daily Goals

Daily goals are important to become a writer because it helps keep you motivated and gives you a purpose to your writing. If you don’t have goals, you’ll put your writing on the backburner and won’t write regularly the way you would with goals.

3. Study and Practice your Craft

It’s important to practice writing to become a writer, because with every story you write you get a bit better each time. I agree. The very first story I wrote was horrible and I am glad that publishers rejected it. Because slowly over time by reading more, and writing more, my writing is being to improve. If you’re not writing, how are you ever going to become a writer?

4. Find a Mentor and Work Hard

Some writer’s claim a mentor really helped them become a writer. It depends on what’s best for you and how you learn. If you’re better off by yourself, great. If not, perhaps a mentor or teacher might help you get closer to learning to become a writer. I know when I was considering whether or not I was good at writing; an English teacher really inspired me by giving my special assignments and encouraging me to write outside my comfort zone. If he hadn’t gone above and beyond, I might not have taken up writing.

5. Believe in yourself and learn to write from the Heart

This is important because only you know what you want. I’ve always wanted to become a writer, so regardless of what my family and friends have thought, I have never given up on this idea. I think it’s important to soul search and find out what you really want, and if it’s writing what’s you want, go for it.

6. Find Support

Having some kind of support system is important to help you become a writer. Support could come from family, friends, other writers, or just someone to bounce ideas off of. Support can also be financially like it was for Piers Anthony, Dean Koontz and many other popular authors. Either way support is great when you’re down and you need someone to help inspire you or lift you up.

7. Feedback & Rewriting your Work

Editing and feedback are an important part to become a writer. Once you get your first manuscript done, you need to edit, rewrite and rewrite again until it’s perfect. Often feedback is an important part to learning what works for you and what doesn’t. Just remember it’s only someone else’s opinion. Take from it what you need to learn and move on. Don’t obsess, let it go. Get back to your writing roots.

8. Always be Professional

Like any career, if you want to become a writer you need to always be professional. Keep your cool, try to remember this is a job. By being professional you’re learning to become a writer. Remember that whatever you write on the internet is there to stay and might be copied to other websites. Don’t be negative and always put your best foot forward.

9. Self Publishing Advice

When you become a writer, an important step is publishing your work. There is a lot of debate about self publishing versus using a publishing house. Before you make a decision, make sure you have all the facts. Self publishing might work for you if you have a lot of time and money to spend on marketing yourself. But if you don’t than don’t accept packages that you have to pay to get yourself published. Remember the goal is to be writing not marketing yourself.

10. Never Give Up

The last piece of advice is to never give up. Don’t let anyone kill the dream if writing is what you really want to do. To find out more check out Creative Writing. To read the whole article check out Top 10 Ways to Become a Writer..

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All creative writers are bound to an invisible law of journalism. There is nothing new about a story structure; only the plot is new. These things are laid in stone. But after this lesson, you will see that story structure is far more than the initial breakdown:

· Exposition – the beginning, what the story is about

· Conflict – conflict with man vs. man, man vs. nature, or man vs. internal conflict

· Climax

· Resolution

If you Google “story structure,” you will find variations of the story structure. You may see conclusion, conflict, plot, or conclusion, climax, theme. The basic answer is the same, regardless of how it is worded. All of these things are necessary to the story line.

But you must expound on the following things, no matter what kind of story you are writing:

· Point of View

· Plot

· Theme

· Setting

· Characterization

· Dialog

· Action

· Writing style

· Genre

If you want to transfer your reader from their sofa or chair to the scene in your mind, you must use settings. This can be anything from an open window with a curtain blowing in the breeze to a murder scene in progress. The best idea is to open midway of an action scene. This manipulation will hook your reader quicker than any other.

Most writers don’t know the difference between plot and theme. Plot usually refers to the main, climactic scene. But theme = the not so easily seen driving force and motivation. Flopping curtains will only be part of the setting, but it will lead to the larger picture, the plot. Each time an event occurs, ask yourself questions: “Why is the window open? How did the window get opened? Such questions lead to the theme. Answer these questions: who, what, where, when, why, how. If you answer these questions, you will find the theme that is driving the story.

How the reader sees the story will be told through the point of view. The reader will see the story through your eyes if you use first person point of view (I went to the store… ). The reader will see through the character’s eyes in third person point of view, (He went to the shop… ). The whims of editors turn; while most newbs like to write in first person, third person will sell best. If you want to sell, you must follow what the editors are buying.

A few words on the above: Characterization – concentrate on attitudes, quirks, failures, and descriptions. If you use accent in dialog, don’t make it the main character. Settings: use scenes that directly involve the plot or theme.

When you have finished reading this article, you will have a good idea on how to write believable dialogue and know when you can break the rules.

Effective dialog is essential as a main part of the story. Good dialog moves the story forward whiles it brings life to the characters. Dialog engages readers while you breathe life into your characters.

Per the Encarta World English Dictionary, dialog is defined as “the words spoken by characters in a book… or a section of a work that contains spoken words.

Dialogue has several functions:

♥ To express through conversations what the reader must know so they can understand the character’s actions, motivations and thoughts.

To convey character that will reveal the lives of people in the story.

♥ To give the reader a sense of time and place through speech patterns, dialect, vocabulary and rhythms of certain kinds of people.

And, lastly, it develops conflict.

The secrets of writing effective dialog is writing a good flow of conversation. People don’t use good grammar in informal courses of speech; in print, it will make dry reading. Dialog should flow as easily as listening to a conversation between two old women.

Follow these simple guidelines.

Spoken words are sometimes incomplete sentences.

♥ People don’t always speak with proper grammar.

♥ Use words and word patterns that reveal your character’s age, gender, region, ethnicity and/or historical time period.

Give your characters individuality with their choice of grammar.

Write dialog just the same as what you would hear in real life conversations. Unlike real life, too much dialog is distracting. Keep it simple to over being over zealous.

Let’s take a peek at the scene in Gone With the Wind, where Miss Scarlett and Mammy are talking.

Mammy’s tone became wheedling.

“Now, Miss Scarlett, you be good an’ come eat jes’a lil. Miss Carreen an’ Miss Suellen done eat all dey’n.”

When you watch this kind of scene in a movie, it is one thing, but when a reader has to wade through pages of it, it’s altogether another. Just try to read “Brer Rabbit” (or some other equally hard dialog)!

More often than not, this kind of written language will not succeed; save it for the experienced authors. For example, an Irish brogue is a monster to read. Keeping your dialog simple makes thankful readers.

Although people do talk for hours on end without stopping to admire scenery, it won’t work that way in writing dialog. Generally speaking, for every three or four paragraphs of dialog, insert a break of scenery or setting.

Use good tase when you choose the words for dialog. Don’t use long scenes with people arguing; this is one way that dialog can be overbearing. Learning to write believable dialog takes time.

To write believable dialogue, sit in train stations, buses, or a restaurant and listen to people talk. Take notes when you can (but you better not let them see you do it).

Most creative writers are so eager to sell their work that they don’t stop to consider what rights they are selling. The word “Rights” indicates how the buyer can use your work. “Rights” does not refer to anything pertaining to your copyright or what you can get paid for your document.

The most common rights is First North American Serial Rights, or FNASR. After the buyer publishes the story one time in North America, the author once again retains the rights to it. When you’re offering these rights, place “Offering First North American Serial Rights” in the top left hand corner of the document.

One Time Serial Rights – When you offer your story or article for simultaneous submissions, place “One Time Serial Rights” in the top, left corner. This grants the first magazine that snaps up your work the right to publish your story or article one time.

· Second Serial Rights – If you have previously sold the story or article, you will be offering Second Serial Rights to the next magazine. This means they will be able to publish your work only once.

All Rights – If you are developing a course for a school or some such thing, no big deal; but normally you would shudder at the sight of these rights. It means that whoever bought your work has all the rights to it. The rights go to the buyer and never revert back to you. Your rights are gone – period.

· Work for Hire – This is another “right” that you should shiver at. Work for Hire exists only two ways: An employer pays you a wage and you create the document at work (and he owns the rights) or you sell your rights as an independent contractor.

Non-Exclusive Rights is another undesirable. Although the “rights” revert back to you after one year and you can sell it again, the original buyer can continue to use the work and reproduce it in syndication without sharing the profits.

Exclusive Rights – If you sign away these rights, you just gave the farm away. Some places assume full rights when you submit your work – such as Associated Content. The rights go to them and never revert back to you. Your document is gone. Ker-plunk! Down the commode.

· One-time rights – You can sell one time rights simultaneously to as many people as you want. Columnists often use this right to sell to multiple markets.

As you can see, there is only the difference of a hair’s breadth on some of these rights. Hang onto this article and refer back to it before you sign anything!

There is a variety of rights, but these are the more common ones.

Twisting the ending of a story is like putting icing on a cake, a cherry on top of a sundae, or nuts in brownies. It is the ultimate satisfaction.

The reader won't see a good twisted ending coming. There are times when the writer doesn't even know what the ending will be. You'll have a lot of trouble twisting the ending if you don't have a natural ending planned.

First, find a natural ending. Next, decide on an ending that will be a shock for the reader. Look for a common denominator. Find a place where you can split the story off into an unsuspecting direction.

One good twist is to take the reader back to the beginning scene of the story. This is the loop effect. You can also use irony for a twisted ending.

Ironic example: A gent buys a cub wolf and raises it as a pet. The government captures the wolf and decides to euthanize it. He files a lawsuit against the government and wins. (This story is fantasy.) The man gets the wolf back. They have a big reunion, and the reader thinks the climax has come and gone. The reader is coming to the end of the book, just half a dozen paragraphs left – and he reads that the man takes the wolf for a romp in the snow and the wolf turns on his owner and tears his throat out.

Make your readers think they know the ending, and then pull the rug out from under them. This is what made Alfred Hitchcock so famous. When you watch his old movies, you’ll never figure out who did the dirty deed until the last scene. Mr. Hitchcock was the original master of TV's twisted endings.