THE WRITER’S EYES

Writers have the tendency to neglect their health as they dig for writing  ideas, task the mind on the choice of words and expressions, race to meet  deadlines etc. if you are passionate about writing, you must have subjected your body to some unhealthy practices. Well, as the year round off, we must decide to take care of ourselves, so we can continue to write.

Here is an article a dear friend of mine contributed to my Writers’ Digest a few years ago. It’s titled, The Writer’s Eyes. You don’t have to be a writer to read this.

Enjoy!

Grace Greatman

THE WRITER’S EYES

Dr. (Mrs.) Oma Ulu –Optometrist

Image courtesy of Google Images

The writer’s eyes are a vital asset to him. Without them, he will be utterly limited. Every seeing writer fears to go blind. Yet many do not know how to give adequate care and attention to these organs that facilitates the writing passion. The eyes are a part of the body, the two organs that you see with. This organ of vision measures just 24mm and weighs 7.5 grams. Our eyes allow us to perceive light, dark and color in astonishing detail, revealing the beauty and complexity of the world around us.

The human eye is remarkable. It accommodates to changing lighting conditions and focuses light rays originating from various distances on the eye. When all the components of the eye function properly, light is converted to impulses and conveyed to the brain where an image is perceived. However, some common practices engaged by people are harmful to the eyes and may eventually leave a permanent damage.

Here are some activities you should not engage in when you are in the dark or in a place that is poorly lit.

Image courtesy of Google Images

      1. Reading and writing

      2.   Working on the computer

      3.   Watching television

Doing these three things in an environment that is poorly illuminated result into headache, strain and pain in the eyes. 

Image courtesy of Graur Razvan Ionut/freedigitalphotos.net
  

These discomforting symptoms may cause you to stop reading or working on the computer, thereby reducing your productivity. Although, these effects are just temporary discomforts that go away once you sleep or take a break, the strain they cause may degenerate your eyesight as you become old.

WHAT TO DO

1. Ensure adequate illumination of your environment.

2. Don’t work with the computer in the dark. This is because the contrast between computer-generated light and lack of background light strains the eye.

3. Task light should be positioned to provide direct light for reading and other office work, but not to shine directly on the computer or in your eyes.

I will discuss some other harmful practices to the eyes in the next edition.

Meanwhile visit an eye doctor for routine eye examinations especially when there is a noticeable change in the eyes.

Compliments of the Season

Enjoy God’s Exceeding Grace!

HOW TO WRITE A CAPTIVATING ARTICLE

Yes, millions of articles are published every day; on the web, in national dailies, journals, newsletters; you name it. but many of these articles are never read or read through, not even by one person, except may be, by the author. This means, there are things about an article that attracts people to start reading and read through.

If you are an article writer or wants to be, learn and master ways to command high readership for whatever article you write.

Here are a few tips.

A catchy title

This is the first contact a reader has with your writing. So make it alluring. Some say, the shorter the better. I agree, but the length of your title is not as important as the magnetism. It can be a sentence as long as it catches interest.

If the title attracts them, they move on to the first paragraph. If the first paragraph excites them, they continue on the ride with you. Keep them interested from the beginning to the end.

Use an outline.

This is like a guide, a structure you can follow to give your article the proper shape. An outline is a rough plan that concentrates on the main features of your articles, not the details. It keeps you focused, helps you to eliminate irrelevancies and makes your writing complete and proportional.

A simple article outline consists of a beginning, middle and end, all separated by paragraphs.

The beginning is the opening paragraph. A well-written article of about 650 words needs an opening paragraph that introduces the topic in an exciting manner.

The middle should consist of about five to six paragraphs that explicate your topic. Here is where you give facts and explain your point of view. You can give instances or share experiences to throw more light.

The last paragraph, which concludes the article ties together your points and summarizes it interestingly. 

Say more with less

Keep your sentences and paragraphs short. Sentences make up paragraphs. The easiest way to have short paragraphs is to use short sentences. They not only give your article a fast pace, they make it easy to read and understand. Long, winding sentences can be confusing and boring. A paragraph can be a single, succinct sentence. 

Use Sub-headings

Web writing is mostly fast-paced and people appreciate it when the information you are serving is not lumped together.

Sub headings divide your article into sections and make it easier for your reader to move smoothly from one point to the other. Your article may look like a block of words without sub-headings. Like the title, make your sub-headings attractive but short. It gives your article a breezy outlook. 

Use numbers or bullets

These also help to avoid the single block look if they are formatted with indentations. Itemize your point with numbers or bullets. It not only emphasizes your key points, it makes them easy to read, digest and remember.

Write about what you know.

Nothing kills your motivation faster than writing about unfamiliar subjects. Nothing stimulates your creativity faster than writing about subjects you know and enjoy. So, write about what you are familiar with; your profession, a particular sport or hobby you enjoy or an experience that strikes you.

Start small

If you are a beginner, write short articles first, about 500-600 words. The shorter, the easier; the easier, the more you want to write more. You can write several short articles on a topic and later merge them together to make a comprehensive article.

For example, if you are writing an article on Binging, start with describing what it is and what causes it. Do that with 400 to 450 words and get it published. Next, do the Dangers of Binging, giving an example of someone you know who suffered from it. Publish that too. Then do another one on how to overcome the disorder.

You can then merge the three articles in about 650 t0 700 words to publish in another forum, with a captivating title like “The Dangers of Binging” or “Overcoming Binging.”

Make it succinct

Web articles especially, should be between 450 and 650 in length; long enough to make a coherent piece and short enough to hold your reader’s attention to the end. In addition, if you have to churn out articles every day, then it is better to make it short and to the point, or you wear yourself out.

Captivating articles sell especially if you are into article marketing on the web. You can use them to build links to your website and attract other webmasters who will want to put your articles on their sites.

You can print these articles on your website and in your e-newsletters free of charge, provided you don’t change the article in anyway and you include the link to our website.

©2012 PenParables

Publishing Rights: You may republish this article in your web site, newsletter, or ebook, on the condition that you agree to leave the article, author's signature, and all links completely intact.

10 WAYS TO GET YOUR CREATIVE JUICES FLOWING

Grace Olumayowa Aideloje 
Sometimes I can’t just light up my writing fire. The deadlines are deadly close. Yet the ideas swim lazily in my muddled mind. I strike the match. Put it to the wick. They touch. I expect the flame to kindle. It doesn’t. I rack and delve, but can’t get through the first sentence. I squeeze my eyes in frustration. It’s like getting juice out of a dry orange. If you are a writer, you know what I’m talking about.

One of our struggles is getting the creative juices flowing especially when we need them most. Here are ten proven ways to break the block, light the candle and keep the creative juices gushing most of the time, if not all the time.

1.        Keep an Idea Diary or Journal.

Almost anything can trigger creative ideas anywhere, anytime. You must write down all ideas that come to you. You never can tell when you will need them.

2.      Write about the familiar.

It is easy to write about things you know, things you enjoy and things that come naturally to you.

3.      Take time out every day.

Every writer needs brief solitary periods of rest and quiet to unclutter the mind, relax and think.

4.      Consider your experiences.

Writers write out of the abundance of their daily experiences. Bring your past and present encounters to mind. Relive them. Evaluate them. Analyze them. It won’t be long before you start writing pages.

5.      Discover what inspires you.

Knowing yourself and what works for you is essential. Some writers are fired up by reading other people’s works, some by watching a movie or taking a walk. What inspires you? Do it always.

6.      Create your own workspace.

Apart from setting up a place conducive to writing, you should identify things that aid you and make them part of your workplace. A painting, soft music, white wall, nature; whatever makes you feel like writing. I like to write sitting at my office desk. What’s your best writing spot? Your garden, a library or the old chair by the window?

7.      Break away from routine.

Do something unusual from your daily schedule. Take a trip or an adventure. Visit an orphanage or a farm market. The unusual gingers up creativity.

8.      Take on some writing challenge.

It makes a demand on your intellect and creativity. Get involved in a writing competition or take on a job with a tight deadline.

9.      Join a writers’ group.

Nothing stimulates creativity in a writer better than rubbing minds with like-minded writers. Get into a critique group or just a chat over coffee and cookies can set the juices flowing. The Christian WAR Forum is a good one to join.

10.   Attend a writers’ conference.

That’s one of the best places to go for a rich dose of creativity apart from honing your writing skills and networking.

Creativity is the fuel that keeps your writing going. It is a risk to run low on it. Keep your creative tank full of juices and write on!

©2012 PenParables

Publishing Rights: You may republish this article in your web site, newsletter, or ebook, on the condition that you agree to leave the article, author's signature, and all links completely intact.

FIVE TIPS TO SET AND ACHIEVE YOUR WRITING GOALS

Melinda Copp

If you want to write a book, or tackle any other important writing project, then setting clear, powerful goals can put you on the path to success. No matter what you hope to accomplish, the following five tips can help you get there.

1.      Define Your Goal

The first step in setting and achieving goals is to determine what exactly you want. Strong goals are specific goals. For example, “I want to devote more time to writing this year,” doesn’t have as much meaning as, “I will spend one hour a day writing my book.”

“Devoting more time to writing” offers too much flexibility. Spending one hour a day, writing is much more specific and easy to understand. So be clear about what you want if you really want to see a difference.

2.     Give Yourself a Deadline

Putting a deadline on your goals gives you a target to aim for and allows you to gauge your progress with a timeline. For example, if you want to write a book this year, you might give yourself an intermediate deadline for completing the first draft and a final deadline for completing your revisions. This time frame will help you move forward and give you checkpoints to aim for on the path to success.

3.     Be Realistic, but Stretch Yourself, Too

 Overly lofty goals are often unattainable, which can be frustrating and disappointing. If you aim too high, then you risk giving up on your writing goals. So make sure your goal is something that you can reasonably achieve in the time frame you’ve established for yourself. At the same time, don’t set your goals too low. Stretching yourself a little will make your success that much sweeter—and you’ll feel empowered to accomplish even more!

4.    Write Your Goal Down

We’ve all heard that if you want to make something happen, you have to write it down. And it’s true—writing down your goals gives them more power. Writing your goal in an important place that you can revisit often will help you stay focused, as opposed to writing it on a napkin or scrap of paper that eventually gets thrown away. So write your goal in your journal or on an index card that you carry with you all the time.

5.     Envision Your Success

If you really want to achieve your goal, then imagine what it will feel like when you’ve already done it. Imagine the satisfaction you’ll feel when your book manuscript is completed and polished. And imagine how wonderful it will feel to see your name on the cover of your book. Revisit this feeling of success and satisfaction every time you sit down to write, and before you realize it your dreams will come true!

         To Your Success

Writing a book, or completing any other writing project, is easy when you are clear about what you want and you take steps to make it happen. With these five strategies, you can achieve any writing goal you want. So what will you accomplish?

Melinda Copp is an editor and ghostwriter who specializes in helping aspiring authors achieve their writing goals. Sign up for Melinda’s e-zine, and get a free copy of “The Top 10 Mistakes Aspiring Authors Make and How to Avoid Them!”

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Want To Be An Accomplished Writer?

Keilah Gold

Of course your answer is, ‘Sure, who doesn’t?’

Every writer wants to be only one thing; An Accomplished Writer.

Well, here is the first thing you must know - Writing is not easy.

Try writing when the juices are not flowing. Try working against the writer's block, when you have a deadline to beat. Writing is hard work and harder if you are aiming for excellence. It is difficult to revise a book repeatedly. It's hard to search and research for needed information. It's not easy to sit on a chair for hours on end sometimes forgetting you’ve not had your first meal for the day. I can go on and on.

Writing Is Rewarding

Nothing compares with the joy and satisfaction of a finished work, knowing that God worked through your mind to write something that makes a difference in the life of someone. You can never tell where your work will get to, and it will still be available long after you are gone. Nothing satisfies more than living a purposeful life and making a difference in other people's lives.

Keep these in mind if you want to make a success of writing.

You Must Be Humble

Humility is a quality every great writer must possess. Be meek, teachable, correctable and approachable. Everyone makes mistakes, and it takes humility to let other people see them. 

Humility makes you surrender your work to another to read, and make inputs.

Humility makes you take healthy criticisms healthily.

You Cannot Go It Alone

Join a writing group. Take writing classes. Post your work for others to see. Share and take. You need other people's contributions to be a better writer. Getting feedback on what you have written is more important than any temporary fear or discomfort. Writers all over the world help themselves with advice or criticism. No writer can do without connecting with other writers.

This is the primary focus of the Christian Write and Read Forum. It gives us a platform to network with other like-minded writers.

Keilah Gold is a member of the Christian WAR Forum.

She is a Copy Editor and works from home.

Contact: penparables@gmail.com