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Nearest - DearestMalcolm R. Campbell Begin with the clear conception that the subject of deepest interest to the average human being is himself. -- Horace Greeley Was the founder of the old New York Tribune overly cynical or simply realistic in his advice to a friend who planned to start a newspaper When it comes to news, we seldom ignore exciting or shocking events far away. But nearest is dearest for truly capturing our attention, if not our hearts. “What Greeley said is true,” say Campbell and Wolseley in How to Report and Write the News. “Today—as a century ago—the news consumer reads what interests him. This interest has its origin in his expectation of some immediate or delayed benefit.” What interests you Perhaps your list includes health, wealth, advancement, safety, achievement, companionship, entertainment, and inspiration. Whether you’re writing a news story or a press release, a white paper or user manual, a novel, a how-to article, a routine e-mail message or a love letter, you communicate about what you care about. But will you reader care about it, too When you write “grand opening tomorrow” or “the scheduling software includes a genetic algorithm,” will your reader care Ah, that depends on the benefits! Grand opening tomorrow = products you need, 25% off. Genetic algorithm = less down time, better throughput. Your attention to unity, coherence and emphasis in your writing will help you show others what you care about. But, if you want your message to be understood and bring about a positive response from your readers, remember nearest-dearest.
| | | | RELATED ARTICLES Win More Clients, Projects and Freelance Jobs By Making Three Small Changes Ive spoken to hundreds of editors, employers, and project managers about how they choose a freelancer for a job. Whether they were reviewing job applications or considering project bids, they all had one thing in common. As every one of them started to look at the applications, they had their skeptics hat on. Contest Advice for Screenplay Writers Introduction Is the Formula of Professor of Terror, a Hoax The most remarkable thing I found in Orientalism, the reputed revolutionary text by Edward Said -- more famously dubbed as the ‘Professor of Terror’ since 1999 by the rightwing American magazine Commentary – is the point where he talks of the power-relationship of the knowledge of the Orient with the socio-political and ‘culturally hegemonic imperial projects’ of the West. Said at first in his book distinguishes between two types of knowledge – ‘true’ and ‘political’. He points out the consensus working in academia the idea that ‘true’ knowledge is non-political. Rather he argues that the supposedly apolitical scholarly works we involved in ‘interest’ and geo-political power relation, and hence the texts are un-detachable from power relation of political, cultural, intellectual, and moral domains. The Lecture Experience: Part I During the past year or so, I have done nearly a hundred talks about my book, “LADIES: A Conjecture of Personalities.” It’s about the First Ladies – the OLD First Ladies, Martha through Mamie. Since they talk to each other and cross through centuries, it is, of course, an historical fiction. In doing so many lectures, I thought it might be interesting to discuss are some of the things I have learned…. Cooking with Annie Dote The submission deadline to an anthology is looming and I want to write an essay for it. I take a seat at my kitchen table, and begin flipping through my journals for inspiration. How to Market Yourself Successfully as a Writer To ensure a steady flow of work and income, a writer should promote himself constantly.Not everyone knows you are a writer and the competition for work is very high.Not only do you compete with publications regular staffers and commissioned writers but with more learned and skilled freelancers. Want To Start a Publishing Revolution Calling all publishers, editors, journalists and freelancewriters. Its time to breathe more life into your copy. Turn your articles into living pieces that spark measurable debate, get closer to your readers and engage their mind and soul - were talking revolution. 7 Deadly Mistakes that Cost You Money and Assignments Sometimes, you just don’t get second chances. Freelance writing works a little that way. If you’ve offended an editor, it’s quite unlikely that she’s going to work with you again. If you don’t muster up the courage and ask for a higher payment rate, you won’t get that chance till the next acceptance. And if you sell all rights for less, you write away all future income from the sale of that piece. Write Your Life Take out a white piece of paper and place it on your kitchen table.You now have two choices.You can write or draw on it, or you can leave it there. Write For Yourself First It would be very selfless or noble of me to tell you that I have created my web site only to help you and the rest of humanity. The reason for me spending so much time and energy into my writing and this site is selfish. And I must remind myself of that from time to time, especially when I move into a down period and I am asking myself "why." Nonfiction Idea Generators The hardest part of nonfiction writing is finding a subject to write about. Unless you’re a student or a professional writer no one is going to select a topic for you. That means you have to come up with your own themes. If you’re like most writers, your subject matter will be things that interest you. I used the headings listed below to generate ideas for my writing. Hopefully these idea generators will help you become a more productive writer. The Pros and Cons of Print on Demand Publishing When I was five years old, my parents bought me a manual typewriter for a Christmas present. I practiced every day until I was able to type letters to my grandparents and other relatives. Although it is safe to say that I have been a writer since 1963, I didn’t start making money from my writing until I started Graphico Publishing in 1988. 6 Ways to Leverage Technical Articles Technology vendors often contribute bylined articles to trade journals. The articles are great exposure for these companies but they dont come cheap – the trades rarely pay for these articles but the vendors spend time and resources to assign pieces, write them, approve them and submit them. Your PR agency can help your clients leverage their investment by wringing top value out of these articles. Here are some possibilities:ReprintsWhite papersProduct briefsBookletsSpeech outline and handouts Writing Tips For Novice Authors If you are reading this article then you probably have asked yourself at some point in your life, "Do I have what it takes to become an author" Defy the Myths, Get Your Book Written--Fast! - Part 1 Why dont you write a book How to Start and Sustain a Career as a Freelance Writer Have you wondered how you can make a career writing books or articles for various publications Or are you seeking a viable second income opportunity but do not know where to start Well, freelance writing may be the right career for you and it can open a world of lucrative opportunities for you. Mainstream media has become a single-minded authority on how we should perceive life. Theirs is a negative perspective. Could there be a new way of hearing the stories we feel are relevant in our lives If you’re anything like me you are really getting tired of the mainstream media’s one-voice-to-many analysis of life on Earth. First of all, it’s just too negative! I read a survey recently that stated that fourteen out of fifteen newspaper and TV News stories had negative fear-based stories. I don’t know about you, but if I look at my everyday life, the amount of good and bad I experience seems to be much more balanced. Why does the ‘big’ media think we all love hearing the dark side of things so much Why Every Freelancer Should Have A Web Site "Do I send samples, a media kit, or just the query, postcard and/or sales letter" As a freelancer, when you are trying to reach new clients or stay in touch with old ones, how to approach the contact can be a sticky, confusing, discombobulating journey. Having a web site can solve all of these situations. How The Lure Of The Limerick No-one knows for certain how the name of an Irish Mid-Western city came to be associated with the short, irreverent, often bawdy verses of the limerick. Publicity Through Philanthropy For Writers I am twenty three years old, have sold over four thousand copies of my first book in a matter of a month after its release and recently been contacted for contracts with Random House and Harper Collins for two new titles. I think a good deal of my recent success ishighly correlated withmy Reading for Charity Contest and the attention it has drawn. Ill explain the entire background, but as pre-thoughtI think it first manifested itself through a combination of my looking for a good way to market my first book, while balancing out my karma a bit. A way to interweave my love of novel writing, increase my books visibility and provide a benefit to society in some way shape or form. All of these tasks have seemed to be accomplished- although my karma could still probably use some more balancing. |
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