How to create characters readers really care aboutHow to create characters readers really care about

This is a guest article by Alex Limberg. If you want to write a guest article of your own be sure to read the guest article guidelines.

Some writers claim they know their characters even better than their spouses. It’s great when your spouse doesn’t just exist on paper, and even greater when you can create real, three-dimensional characters. The more real your character seems, the more your audience will root for him. Your readers will be more involved in the story emotionally and live with him through his fears and joys. This makes for a much more rewarding reading experience.

This post will show you how to make your characters come alive. Also, because it’s easy to overlook when your figures lack depth, you can download a free goodie below the post to help you discover any problems with your characters and pretty much any other aspect of your story (it uses test questions).

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How to write great scenes: tips and toolsHow to write great scenes: tips and tools

This is a guest article by Michael McPherson. If you want to read a guest article of your own be sure to read the guest article guidelines.

Writing for a living is not as easy as people think. Most persons believe that writers have a great life – just sitting at a desk, filling in blank pages. But the truth is that freelance writers struggle to survive everyday by trying to create new and exciting content. Fortunately, in our informational era, there are a lot of apps designed to help you organize the text. A better visualization of the scenes means less time spent arranging and more time spent writing.

So here are some amazing tools that a freelance writer must know about.

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Six habits of more effective writersSix habits of more effective writers

This is a guest article by Michael McPherson. If you want to submit a guest article of your own be sure to read the guest article guidelines.

Effective writers are writers who are proficient with effective writing. And the goal of each and every piece of writing is to make it effective. So who are these writers? And what do they do? Well, they have some habits – which are easy to learn. Which are easy to understand. Which can make you an effective writer as well. Which you need to learn if you want to be a full-time writer. They are…

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Tips and tricks to add humour to creative write-upTips and tricks to add humour to creative write-up

This is a guest post by Stewart Agron. If you want to submit a guest post of your own be sure to read the guest post guidelines.

Forming up creative ideas and retaining creativity throughout a write-up is as arduous as trying to figure out how to put a giraffe in a refrigerator. But adding humour to your article, essay or a novel isn’t as difficult as you imagine.

Humour is a part of our life and we tend to use it – intentionally or unintentionally – in our everyday interaction. For instance, we tend to use the popular expression LOL or the iconic smiley when we text our friends or family.

Likewise, we sometimes say or do things that are amusing in their own way, even if the act wasn’t intentional at all. I’ve a habit of turning off my monitor when I leave my seat and turning the display on when I come back. However, sometimes when I forget to switch off the screen and later come back, I press the power button unconsciously even though the display is already on.

The point is that humour is already there and it is already in our life. Hence, anyone can use humour in his writing since having a sense of humour is a bi-directional trait of humans, us – unless you think you are emotionless like Jason Vorhees from Friday the 13th.

Before I proceed to the main topic of my article, let me outline some of the common techniques of humour which I (daresay) you must understand before using it in your work.
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Magnetic writing enemy: boredomMagnetic writing enemy: boredom

The epidemic of boredom has attacked nearly everything.

All the new things are boring these days. Innovation in all fields is now at record low levels. New scientific and technological devices may be impressive on a technical perspective, but for the average unimpressed consumer, they’re just more marketing nonsense.

They’ve even managed to make smartphones boring these days. The latest phones from Samsung, HTC, Apple, Nokia, LG, etc. may have new features and sky-high prices, but they offer astonishingly little in terms of actual benefits over older, cheaper handsets.

But what does this have to with magnetic writing, you ask? It’s because writing, by default, is boring. It’s not interactive like a video. It’s not even as interactive as audio. It’s the oldest and safest method of communication, but writing isn’t enough these days.

You could end up writing something which is useful for your readers, but most of them won’t even bother to fully read it.

Why? They’re bored. They need help to turn the page even because there is so much they can do, so many things demanding their attention. Market saturation? Yes. But we can still defeat boredom.

We can still make our writing magnetic by ensuring it isn’t boring first. To change the default condition of a piece of writing from boring to compelling, here are the things you should keep in mind for transformation:

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What is good writing?What is good writing?

Good writing. More precisely, a piece of writing or multiple pieces of writing which have been labelled with the quality of goodness. Everyone strives to have their writing become, through hard work, good writing. Good writing is a great thing, a thing to strive for.

But what is it, really?

Why is that we don’t have a single complete definition of what exactly good writing means?

Is it because good writing is subjective? After all, for one person, a piece of writing may be good. But that same piece of writing could be pathetic for a different reader. There lies the problem. Any definition of good writing won’t hold water for a second if it’s based on the writer’s own opinion. One could say, “good writing is writing which contains so-and-so”, and then a reader with different likes / dislikes will say: “What? Those qualities worsen a piece of writing instead of the other way around…”

How can anyone define good writing when people are not really thinking of good writing as such but good writing for them (a substantial difference) and when people are thinking of effective writing and not good writing?

Takeaway: let’s forget “good writing” for a moment. Consider a different concept, effective writing. Why? Because that can be measured. And the measurement leads to comparison in terms of degrees. The most effective writing turns out to be irresistible writing. Irresistible writing, in the proper context, leads to magnetic, award-winning, profit-making and productive writing.

With that in mind, let’s move on to the qualities of good writing — ahem, I mean effective writing…

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