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Some of the grammar checker's comments are quite annoying. For example, what use is it to know that you have used the passive, if there is no explanation of what the passive is and why you should not use it? Still, there are some surprisingly useful tools in there - here is an example:
Hidden-Gems-in-the-Grammar-Checker.html
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Some people have a problem with starting a story. I don’t. I have a problem with finishing them. I know where I want to go, but getting there can be a problem. One technique that I’ve learned to use is called bringing it to a point. If you have closure issues, it might work for you as well.
Bring-It-To-A-Point-–-A-Closure-Technique.html
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Here's what happens (and I bet you do this too): a book jumps out at you at the bookstore. It might be the colors, an image on the spine, an author's name, or the title, but something draws your attention and you single the book out of the masses. You glance at the cover, turn it over and read a few lines of the back cover copy. You open the book and read a little of the inside jacket copy, then turn to the first page, and ...
The-Power-of-Your-Novel's-First-Sentence.html
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If you look for advice on your writing, surf the Internet and you will find advice galore. One writing site tells you that one reason we plunk down money for writers like Stephen King is because they use adverbs to make their writing interesting.
Stephen-King-and-the-Road-to-Hell-for-Writers.html
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A clever plot will draw readers to your book but if they don't care about your characters you will soon lose them. The most exciting stories, the ones you remember long after the book is closed are those with a cast that's larger than life. It's important to make the people in your story jump off the page.
How-to-Breathe-Life-into-Your-Characters.html
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Have you contemplated taking your writing to 'print on demand' or 'POD' status? If so, you aren’t alone. Many entrepreneurial writers who have had difficulty finding a literary agent (or who have been hesitant or unwilling to send out dozens of queries) have decided it's better market and sell their novels and nonfiction books themselves. However, the big question remains - once you've taken this step, does it make it easier or more difficult to get an agent in the future?
Will-Print-On-Demand-Help-Me-Get-an-Agent-.html
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Most people have seen the character worksheets that encourage writers to identify everything from shoe size and favorite food to sexual turn ons and turn offs. And while knowing your character's most treasured possession might come in handy, it won't tell you how your character will react when disaster strikes.
What-Will-Your-Character-Do-When-Disaster-Strikes-.html
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Non-writers often ask, "Where do you get your ideas?"
The answer is everywhere. A word or phrase can fire a writer's imagination. Overhearing a conversation in a café, or the way a person cocks their head, or watching strangers say goodbye at the airport may spark a story. News items, children's antics, cloud formations, an unusual name or the scent of a nightblooming flower, can be the match to burst a twig-size idea into forest fire.
Capturing-Ideas.html
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When it comes to creating titles, I know of no other writer who does it so well as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle did. Even Agatha Christie, the Queen of Mystery, never produced a title as intriguing as those of Doyle.
Tips-on-Creating-an-Interesting-Title.html
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Storms of life can leave you battered and shipwrecked from your writing. Whatever the crisis, the resulting chaos can dam up your ability to create. It’s difficult, sometimes nearly impossible, to be creative and inspired when you’re in turmoil - emotionally or physically. You feel drained. As if the ability to write’s been sucked out, leaving you empty. Words that once bubbled forth, vanish.
Writing-Again-After-Life-Upheaval.html
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One thing is true of all stories. They all have a beginning, middle and end. Film scripts typically run from 100 to 120 pages with each page representing about a minute of screen time. Within these script pages there will be five vital events.
Scriptwriting-The-Five-Key-Points-of-Story-Structure.html
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Writing For Children and Teens. Part of the writing process is experimenting. Writers differ on their opinions about outlining--some love it, some hate it, and some are mixed.
Writing-For-Children-and-Teens-Should-You-Outline-Your-Story-Before-Writing-.html
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How focused is your creative writing? How consistently do you write? How far do you get with the creative writing projects most important to you before losing momentum?
In his article "How To Be More Focussed" Dan Goodwin tells you how.
How-To-Be-More-Focussed.html
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You want to write a mystery novel, you have a terrific idea, you know who kills whom and why. You have a great detective and think the killer is ...killer. Where do you start? "How To Write A Mystery - The Right Beginning" shows you how.
How-To-Write-A-Mystery-The-Right-Beginning.html
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For a theme to work and the story, which will revolve around the theme, it has to contain three things: Character, Conflict and Resolution
Does-Your-Theme-Contain-Character,-Conflict,-Resolution-.html
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Most people are under the impression that only a select number of people are able to write creatively and confidently. They have a gift or have gone to school to learn the secrets to confidently write creative articles, blogs, and books. But in reality, almost anyone can learn to write confidently.
5-Ideas-to-Confidently-Unleash-Your-Creative-Writing-Skills.html
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There is a technique called 'concept combination' which is to create new products to sell. Use it to create new stories, and it is usually good for a few laughs and a few ideas as well. All you have to do is imaginatively combine old stories into new ones.
Creative-Writing-Ideas.html
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For me the most important tip is to write, write every day, 365 days a year. Remember practice makes perfect.
Ten-Writing-Tips-For-Budding-Authors.html
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When I took composition classes in college, I often became frustrated with all the reading I had to do, story after story after story, many times thousands of pages per assignment. Yet as we discussed the stories and what made them interesting or what didn’t, I was earning how to write. Even today, as I read and review, I learn more about what makes a good story and what doesn’t.
First-Step-in-Publishing-Short-Stories-Reading.html
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What's not so easy about becoming a travel writer? You travel, write down everything you see and hear, sprinkle in your incredibly funny personal experiences, and send an article off to a dozen editors. Someone will buy it, right? Oh so very wrong!
Become-a-Freelance-Travel-Writer-in-10-(not-so-easy)-Steps.html
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O.K., so you've finished your story or article, you've breathed a sigh of relief and are just about to reach for the envelope and stamps when the Good Writers' Fairy raps you smartly on the head and whispers "What about editing, numbskull?'
Six-Simple-Steps-to-Sensible-Editing.html
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Other writing articles for your delectation
Other-Writing-Articles.html
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I have two short stories and some poems finished and would love to see if they are good enough to be printed. People tell me I am good I don't think so .
I-Don't-Think-My-Writing-Is-Good-Enough.html
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Please could you advise me of the typical cost for a ghostwriter to assist with a novel?
Could-You-Advise-Me-of-the-Typical-Cost-For-a-Ghostwriter-.html
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I have a life story that is complicated. It starts off with one family and touches another two. I have begun my memoirs with a dream sequence. How do I continue please?
I-have-begun-my-memoirs-with-a-dream-sequence.-How-do-I-continue-please-.html
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I am editing by late Fathers memoirs and hoping to get them published. Should I change the names of people mentioned or keep them (or just some)?
Names-in-memoirs-use-real-or-fictitious-.html
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I keep the chapters of my novel in separate Word documents but I want the page numbers to follow on from chapter to chapter. How do I do this?
Numbering-chapters-when-in-separate-Word-documents.html
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Do you know any FREE writers competitions for kids?
Do-you-know-any-FREE-writers-competitions-for-kids-.html
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My stories keep getting rejected. What advice can you offer to help me deal with this?
Dealing-with-Rejections.html
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I have downloaded and installed a program but the desktop icon doesn't seem to have come up on my desktop. How can I create an Icon so that I can use the program?
How-Can-I-Create-a-Desktop-Icon-For-a-Newly-Installed-Program-.html
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Is there any way to stop spam e-mails if you don’t have a firewall?
Is-there-any-way-to-stop-spam-if-you-don't-have-a-firewall-.html
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How can I make sure my computer is protected by a firewall?
How-can-I-make-sure-my-computer-is-protected-by-a-firewall-.html
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What is Spyware and do I need it? Is it really harmful to my computer?
What-is-Spyware-and-do-I-need-it-.html
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How do I work in several Word for Windows documents at one time?
How-do-I-work-in-several-Word-documents-at-once-.html
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I've been reading Harry Potter and want to know: how do you actually pronounce 'horcrux' and 'horcruxes'?
How-do-you-pronounce-'horcrux'-.html
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When entering a writing competition, if not mentioned, should a short story have a title?
Should-a-competition-story-always-have-a-title-.html
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Does Microsoft Word have a simple way of getting answers to questions?
Word-'Help'-System.html
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I have a tremendous fan called Viagra. He writes to me every day sometimes 20 times. How can I set up a Spam box for him to leave his messages in?
Outlook-and-spam.html
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What is de-fragging? How and why should I do it? What happens when I de-frag?
What-is-de-fragging-.html
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Can I keep very large documents, say 50,000 words, on my computer?
Handling-large-documents-in-Word.html
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Where do deleted documents go from Word, and can they be recovered?
Where-do-deleted-documents-go-.html
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If a web site says your cookies are disabled which reduces the functionality of the site for you: what do you do?
Cookies-disabled.html
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Printing labels. If I go into Envelopes and Labels and select Labels, I can never sort the correct sizes out as I don’t speak metric. Can you help?
Envelopes-and-Labels.html
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In MS Word how do you get rid of something (a box or window) that suddenly overlaps a previous one on screen? How do you recover a piece that suddenly disappears off screen?
Disappearing-boxes-and-windows-in-MS-Word.html
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When opening several Word documents, how can I select them from the file index collectively rather than individually?
Opening-several-Word-documents-at-once.html
