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12-Copywriting Tips to Make Your Advertising More Profitable
Year after year people make the same mistakes in direct-response copy and advertising. You can avoid the most common and costly blunders by following the following proven tips... 1. WRITE IN DIRECT RESPONSE LANGUAGE: * Use short paragraphs and...
Advertising Copywriting - The Top Ten Clichés and Why You Should Avoid Them
We've all seen them plenty of times. Frankly, once is too many. Copy clichés are more likely to put off prospective customers than convince them to buy your product or service. If your advertising copywriter comes up with them, find another...
Earn A Fortune Writing "How To" Reports
HOW TO WRITE MONEY-MAKING "HOW-TO" REPORTS This is the "real" Money Maker in the Mail Order business - the basic "How To" Report. It's something anyone can produce, and with all the proper ingredients at the right time, you can become independently...
Earn Money From Freelance Writing
If your writing skills are not so good, or you’ve failed your English test on the high school, you may be feeling a little slighted about writing an article, report, sales copy or ebook. If it’s your case, there is a solution just for you. ...
How To Receive Advance Information From God In Writing
This ability IS your gut instincts in writing. It carries profound accuracy, and is available to you every moment. That “still small voice” within, that “gut feeling” or sudden brilliant idea, IS God communicating to you to help you in your life. ...
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Understanding The First Rule Of Writing—Before You Start The Great American Book
Chaos and confusion comes when established rules and procedures are not followed. Even mixing and matching systems to favor one’s own position can cause a great deal of consternation. In writing a book, the first rule is to know and understand why you want to write in the first place.
In other words, you need to develop a theme that will answer the question of why you want to write. I usually get a blank stare when I ask a budding author, “What is your book’s theme?” Eventually the answer I get may be the title of a manuscript.
When I explain that a title isn’t a theme, I then may hear, “It’s the story of my life.” That is unquestionably the number-one answer I get. There is a big difference between the title of your book and your theme.
While your title may be the sizzle, the theme is the flavor and is formally defined as a “recurring, unifying subject or idea.” This is the aim or the main message of your book. Generally speaking, in writing there are two themes: the author’s theme and the book’s theme.
The author’s theme is the usual subject matter the writer handles, or the one the writer is most comfortable with. For example, a writer may find his forte in the subject matter of healing or forgiveness. Another may write most of the time in the area of spirituality or motivation.
Don’t confuse the author’s theme with genre, which is the category of writing. In addition to establishing if you are writing fiction or non-fiction, there are several categories your book may fall into. Some of the most popular ones today are biography, science fiction, fantasy, mystery, romance, thriller/espionage, horror, inspirational, historical, and courtroom drama.
Your book’s theme is what the
reader should learn most after reading your story. There are two answers that you as a writer shouldn’t give when questioned about your theme: 1) This book is about me and the things that have happened to me; and 2) A rambling, almost incoherent dissertation that leaves one asking, “Huh?” Every author should ask and answer the following questions: “Why am I writing? What am I trying to articulate? What kind of outcome will the story have on the reader and what is the outcome I’m aiming for?”
In other words, what is the rationale behind your book? For example in his bestseller, The Purpose-Driven® Life(Zondervan), author Rick Warren, founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California, takes readers on a “personal 40-day spiritual journey” to find the answer to the question, “What on earth am I here for?” To me, the most important element of your book is its theme.
Writing professors will probably disagree with me, and that is their right. In fact, some say the title is the most important. I understand, because all of this is subjective and mostly based upon personal preference. After all, there are many elements to creating a successful manuscript. But after years of trying to get would-be writers to complete their novels, short stories or even church talks, I’ve discovered that nothing has helped to move them “off the pot” quicker than having a well-developed theme.
Marvin D. Cloud is founder of mybestseller.com and author of "Get Off The
Pot: How to Stop Procrastinating and Write Your Personal Bestseller in 90 Days." Visit http.//www.mybestseller.com and grab a free copy of the "Get Off The Pot" newsletter, dedicated to motivating ordinary people to write, publish and sell their books faster, efficient, and more cost-effective.
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| www.nanowrimo.org |
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| A concise guide to some of the most frequently violated rules of writing, punctuation, and grammar. |
| www.junketstudies.com |
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| See all blog posts tagged with writing on Technorati. |
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| Free online English dictionary and reference guide. List of sites writers can use. |
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| Daily and interactive writing prompts. |
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