Do you know why the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series is so popular? Aside from terrific marketing and unequaled publicity, readers love the stories and personal essays. They are short, personal and teach a lesson or moral. If you would like to be a better writer of the personal essay, opinion pieces, reports and letters to the editor just follow the suggestions listed below:
1. Be brief. Many written reports or stories are 500 words or less. However, there is a general rule that an essay is between two and twenty typed, double-spaced pages. The most important criteria to remember is that a good piece needs to be an unbroken reading experience. The reader will lose interest if it is too long or wordy.
2. Tell a story. A personal essay is a story that has happened to you or that you know about firsthand. The reader assumes that it is nonfiction and that it will contain details and descriptions with which we are familiar. Structure your story around examples, using a pencil as your paintbrush to evoke images and paint a picture in the reader's mind.
3. Make a point. You will want to illustrate your point, teach a lesson, explain a specific topic, or even support or criticize an idea. Your goal is to win sympathy or agreement. Do not turn it into a sermon or a soapbox to present the superiority of your ideas by including "shoulds" or "musts" aimed at the reader.
4. Use your senses. Enliven your essay with sensuous detail like how it smelled, tasted, sounded or felt. Make the reader feel like they are seeing and experiencing it through your body.
5. Tell about the ordinary. Personal essays are often best when they describe a common but freely shared experience. It doesn't have to be about being a survivor of the Twin Towers. Talk about your reaction to 911. Or tell us about watching a sunset or baking bread. When you talk about walking your dog, take us along.
6. Make it engaging. An essay should arouse curiosity about life. Instead of preaching, invite us to consider your point of view by sharing the particular experience that brought you there, describe what happened, how you reacted, and why you interpret your experiences the way you do.
Think about your own interests and areas of special knowledge, activities, skills, attitudes, problems as well as typical obstacles faced in life. Teach us what you gained or lost in your life lesson. It is much easier to be convincing when you can draw from personal and firsthand information. Write it today. Submit it to Chicken Soup for the Soul or your local newspaper and become a published author. There are readers out there who want to share your slice of life.
? 2005 Judy H. Wright
This article has been prepared for your use by Judy H. Wright, author and life educator. You have permission to reprint it in your ezine or newsletter as long as the author and her web address is included http://www.artichokepress.com; 406-549-9813. Check out the website for upcoming workshops, tele-classes and books. You will also find FREE articles and be able to subscribe to the ezine The Artichoke-finding the heart of the story in the journey of life.
housekeepers near Park Ridge ..It is important for all webmasters to realize that if... Read More
It is amazing to see how much we all still... Read More
It's no secret that writing and publishing helpful articles is... Read More
Every day thousands of people join affiliate programs and yet... Read More
By now most entrepreneurs realize that the most cost effective... Read More
I am sure that there would have been a moment... Read More
When you have to share what you've created, where do... Read More
Writing for websites -- content, as it is called --... Read More
Have you ever seen articles that are not only related... Read More
The ezine article is of major importance to the world... Read More
If you have submitted your articles to EzineArticles.com you have... Read More
What is Anchor Text Optimization?Anchor text optimization consists of the... Read More
Many writers struggle with the decision of whether or not... Read More
Writers talk about rejection all the time ? just part... Read More
Last month, I began promoting Jason Potash's "Article Announcer." I... Read More
The biggest challenge facing any online business today is how... Read More
I've been blogging occasionally over the last two months about... Read More
So how can you make your article worth reading?It's all... Read More
For me, to decide to start a home business was... Read More
Although this may sound like a funny metaphor, if you... Read More
Writing articles is one of the best ways to get... Read More
There is probably no easier way of earning extra money... Read More
MS: John, you must be one of the most prolific... Read More
Many people which in online business world find difficulties in... Read More
Your author bio is a vital part of your article... Read More
scheduled cleaning services Mundelein ..Online readers love information, but be sure your information is... Read More
For me, to decide to start a home business was... Read More
Writing articles for publication on the Internet is, at the... Read More
The name of the game as far as Internet marketing... Read More
The first step to getting published is to find your... Read More
1. Choose A Topic.You need to choose either a hot... Read More
There is no doubt that Spam has affected online business... Read More
A lot of great ideas happen when two or more... Read More
Do you know the difference between simultaneous article submissions and... Read More
Writing articles is one of the most powerful, if not... Read More
A great way for self employed professionals to enhance their... Read More
Many online marketers have crowed about the value of writing... Read More
Still following along on the Copywriter's Crash Course in article... Read More
It has become common knowledge that the smartest and most... Read More
Gasp! I can hear it from the purists now: Matt... Read More
Writing a letter to your newspaper's editor is a privilege... Read More
Many successful authors close their mind to learning HTML because... Read More
Queries are not written like business letters or emails; they... Read More
Ever read one of those web articles written by an... Read More
In today's busy world, whether your business is large or... Read More
Thanks to recent information that leaked by Google within their... Read More
Original quotes, when used at the beginning or at the... Read More
You've already agreed that putting some of your best articles... Read More
Lately, there seems to be some confusion between Article Marketing... Read More
It's stunning sometimes how far article marketing has come over... Read More
Article Writing |