HowToDoThings.com Recent Writing & Literature Articles

How To Write Books for Children

Kidwriter — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:47:27 -0500

How To Do a Good Translation

CVRAJAN — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:59:05 -0500

The world may be divided by peoples of different languages but knowledge transcends the barriers of language, thanks to the existence of translators. Doing translation from one language to another is both a skill and an art. Mere knowledge or scholarship on two languages alone can not make one qualified to be a good translator.

When translating a written text from one language to another, the type of skills required for a translator varies depending upon the content -- whether it is fiction, non-fiction, poetry, textbook, biography, philosophy, religion, holy scripture, mythology, hymns, etc. A good translator, having excellent command over the two languages, need not be able to do translation in all (or several) of these groups of content. A translator must make an honest self-judgment about his range of knowledge, exposure and degree of assimilation and decide to undertake translation only on those subjects where he can do real justice.

How To Write a Love Letter

3100 Caldera Blvd — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:40:13 -0500

How To Detect Plagiarism

Uninvited Writer — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:59:52 -0500

How To Make a Living as a Writer

L.500 — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:30:13 -0500

How To Find the Time to Write

Kidwriter — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 14:50:36 -0500

If writing is not your main profession and you have other responsibilities (and most of us do!), trying to make time to write is hard. Of the 500+ students I teach yearly, from most I hear the same thing – I just don’t have time to write! But do you have time to watch television, talk on the phone, surf the net? Could you give up one of these time-consuming activities to focus on your writing? Ultimately, it means that in order to become a published writer, you must make sacrifices – something no one wants to hear!

How To Write Freelance

Kidwriter — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:51:18 -0500

You don't need a college degree to become a freelance writer. It's not a job for the weak of heart. If you don't like to write, this is not the career for you. But if you are passionate about writing and you're knowledgeable on a particular subject, then freelancing might just be for you!

How To Spin Your Life Story

aesta — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:45:10 -0500

For many, life is a series of quiet adventures and most people have a story to tell. However, most of us have never really thought much about being a storyteller, about organizing our experience and really thinking through what we have learned about ourselves, about our families…about life. We think that unless there are great events with characters like Indiana Jones, no one is interested. Wrong.

Many great stories are about ordinary people doing ordinary things, but written in interesting ways. When we write our own story, we really get a chance to look for meaning in small events and when we learn how to tell the story, it helps others think about their own lives, too. Start with the following:

How To Improve Handwriting

3100 Caldera Blvd — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 12:34:47 -0500

With a few simple steps and a few changes you can improve your handwriting. As with most things you may have to practice before you have wonderful handwriting worth talking about, but it can be done. Even the sloppiest writer can make it into something neat and legible.

How To Copy Edit

susannahquinn — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 14:15:52 -0500

If you’re producing professional documents – whether you’re a copywriter, PR, small business owner, marketing manager, press officer or other media professional – you should copy edit any text you write before submitting it to clients or potential clients. Copy editing improves the quality of your writing, reassures clients that you’re a capable business expert, and gives whatever you’ve written more credibility and impact.

Here are the nine ‘how to copy edit’ rules for business writers:

How To Use an Ideas Journal to Enhance Your Creative Writing

dangoodwin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 14:25:01 -0500

Creative ideas are the raw material from which all creative projects are built. Without any ideas, you have nowhere to begin to write from, no starting point, no direction to focus your creative writing talents.

So it follows that one of the most effective ways you can enhance your writing and let your full creative writing talent come to the fore is to keep a ready supply of great ideas to develop.

Here are 3 important steps to using an Ideas Journal to keep your writing ideas flowing:

How To Write Your Way Out of the Grip of Writer’s Block

dangoodwin — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 12:54:04 -0500

We’ve all struggled at times with our writing, and wondered not just where the next poem, song or chapter of our novel will come from, but where the next WORD will come from. Or if it would come at all!

Commonly known as writer’s block, it’s easy to demonize this state and give it far more power and influence over your writing - and your ability to write – than it actually has.

Here is an effective 5-step plan to help you write your way out of writer’s block, if you find yourself struggling to write freely again:

How To Write a Movie: Part Three

lwgray — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:24:13 -0600

Now that you've gotten your act together in screenwriting part 1, and read about brainstorming in part 2, here is part 3 of the Screenwriting Course. As you might have guessed by now, I am assuming that you are reading, or have read other "How To Write Screenplay" books. So I am not spelling out every single detail of the process, but then nor am I assuming you know anything. Essentially what I want to do is to put the theory into perspective for you. I do not want it to hinder you. So many people dismiss the theory because they feel it interrupts their creative flow, but at the same time their creative flow never produces anything that can find a market. But if used incorrectly, the theory will start you writing with the confidence and passion required. If you are too formulaic, nobody will be interested.

How To Rejuvenate Your Creative Writing With Writing Prompts

dangoodwin — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:57:28 -0600

At times when you struggle to write fluently, you might wonder not where the next chapter of your novel or poem in your anthology will come from, but where your next SENTENCE will come from.

Creative writing prompts are a great tool to rejuvenate your creative writing and get it flowing once more. A prompt is simply a phrase or idea you can use as a starting point from which to write.

It’s like being a food lover and getting a lift to an “All You Can Eat” restaurant for your favorite food. The writing prompt isn’t the food itself -- it’s simply the ride to get you there. Once you’re inside, you need no encouragement in how to eat! Here then are 5 of the top ways that writing prompts can rejuvenate YOUR creative writing:

How To Have More Creative Writing Ideas Than You Thought Possible

dangoodwin — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 16:21:43 -0600

Ever feel like you could be a much better writer if only you had more ideas? Do you sometimes struggle to have ANY ideas, let alone any good ones? Then here are your 7 steps to having more creative writing ideas than you thought possible:

How To Easily Read Shakespeare

Marilisa560 — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:03:25 -0600

I think that if a poll was taken of high school students asking, 'Who would you most wish to see tortured?', William Shakespeare would top the list. English teachers love the Bard in all his wonderful, bawdy 16th century dialogue and prose; English students hate him for the same reason. If you need or want to read a comedy, tragedy or sonnet of Shakespeare's and don't know how to begin, here are some tips to get you started.

How To Revitalize Your Creative Writing in 7 Different Ways

dangoodwin — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 21:24:13 -0600

Are you looking for new ways to add a little sparkle to your creative writing? Maybe you felt recently that you’re producing the same kind of words and sentences time and time again? Or maybe you’ve not been able to write anything lately?

Here are 7 different ways you can revitalize your creative writing today:

How To Do Non-Fiction Writing

mfrench1 — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 19:52:13 -0600

Writing non-fiction isn’t easy, is it? When you must for some reason write non-fiction, like it or not, it pays to do it right. These steps have helped me; maybe they will help you.

How To Make Money Writing Articles Online

3100 Caldera Blvd — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:30:18 -0600

While making money online is much like starting your own business, it can happen. You need no start up costs. All you need is time, energy, and dedication. At first you won't be making enough money for it to be worth your time, but as you do more you will make more. Writing articles is one of the best ways to make money online.

How To Juice Up Your Creative Writing with Creative Writing Exercises

dangoodwin — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 19:26:03 -0600

If you’ve found lately that your writing has become a little predictable or stale, or you’ve been struggling to write anything at all, then creative writing exercises are a great option.

Writing exercises provide you with a framework or an idea to take your creative writing in new directions you may not have thought of yourself. Here’s how using writing exercises gives your writing a fresh surge of energy, in 5 steps:

How To Beat Writer’s Block For Good

dangoodwin — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 13:32:08 -0600

Not being able to write as freely as you know you can--sitting staring at the page wondering where the next coherent sentence is going to come from--is a state most writers dread.

Writer’s block, we’re told, can hit us at any time and last for a few moments, or a few years. But you needn’t be at the mercy of this condition. There are many ways to beat writer’s block, and like many things, preventing it happening in the first place is better and easier than struggling in the grip of it time and time again.

Here are 5 steps to avoiding writer’s block – and beating it for good:

How To Write the Movie You've Always Wanted

Emmyking — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 19:20:54 -0600

Writing a good movie requires creativity, skill, research and intelligence, yet it can be fun and financially worthwhile, especially if writing is a natural gift. However, gift or no gift, you can do this in a few steps, which I will discuss below:

How To Write a Movie: Part Two

lwgray — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 15:12:48 -0600

The screenwriter obsesses over The Idea because without it, we cannot sell our work. It is this more than anything else that allows us to break through the layers of industrial machinery to get our scripts onto the desks of people who may or may not want to make them into movies.

In movie-writing part 1, I described how you must get your act together before writing a movie. So in the following article I shall explain the creative process that you need to go through before you start the script:

How To Write a Movie: Part One

lwgray — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:40:30 -0600

Over the next few articles I will explain the most important aspects of writing a movie:

How to brainstorm ideas and create a treatment.
How to analyze that treatment to see if it will work as a script.
Then, the second most important part, how to write the script.
And finally, how to get together a business plan so that you can begin the long arduous process of marketing your product.

But first, get your act together!

How To Supercharge Your Self-Belief in Your Creative Writing Abilities

dangoodwin — Thu, 24 Jan 2008 15:57:04 -0600

What’s the one factor that limits how much you achieve with your writing more than anything else? The single element that determines exactly how much of your creative writing potential you fulfill?

The answer has nothing to do with how talented you are. It’s about what you believe about your abilities that’s crucial.

So here is your 5-step plan for supercharging your self-belief to new heights, and helping you reach your writing potential more consistently:

Be honest with yourself. What do you REALLY believe about your creative abilities? Be completely open with yourself. Do you feel that you’re a writer with a significant talent that can write whatever you feel like writing to a rewarding level?

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How To Become a Better Creative Writer in 3 Simple Steps

dangoodwin — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 15:29:18 -0600

How much of your creative writing potential would you say you were putting to good use on a regular basis?

Few of us who write are reaching anywhere near the best we’re capable of, for a whole number of reasons.

So here is a simple yet powerful 3 step system to help you write better, write more, and channel that creative writing talent within you more often.

How To Understand William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Jennifer de Guzman — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 15:45:18 -0600

How To Promote Your Writing and Yourself

stevenmanchester — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 19:38:18 -0600

When promoting oneself as a published author, I’m certain that different approaches have worked for different people. I’ve also learned, however, that the only restrictions are found within the mind. The trick is to get yourself out there, constantly, and to be tenacious in your pursuit. Below are just a few of the practices that have worked for me over the past 10 years.

On the practical side:

Create a websites for yourself and promote it shamelessly.
Volunteer your time (at literacy events, etc.), and read your work at open mic nights.

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How To Understand the White Whale in Moby Dick

CaptainAhab — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 12:23:00 -0600

By now it is a thoroughly worn cliché to talk about Herman Melville’s masterpiece Moby-Dick as being saturated with symbolism and allegory, whose exact meaning can never fully be deciphered. However, this should never deter the reader from at least making the effort, as even a little understanding can increase one’s appreciation of this genuine American classic. This article offers some suggestions as to how Moby Dick, the White Whale, might be interpreted, but is by no means exhaustive on the subject. For this reason I have listed at the end a few links that I feel may be of further use to enterprising students.

How To Start Blogging

magusgreen — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 11:55:18 -0600

Every blog needs traffic (traffic = people visiting to view product). But how do you start a blog that will get lots of traffic?

How To Write a Paragraph

simondixie — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:38:13 -0600

Remember when you first learned to ride a bike or drive a car? Your first attempts were rather awkward, weren't they? Those activities are skills; the more you practiced, the more accomplished you became. Right? Writing is also a skill, and practice in writing improves our writing, just as driving a car makes us better drivers. We're going to practice writing a paragraph, but remember, this endeavor must be practiced many times. Let's take the first step now.

How To Do Technical Writing

pawppawp — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:44:22 -0500

Technical writing has several definitions. Basically, there are two types -- writing technical manuals and instruction booklets, such as software documentation or product specifications; and writing feature articles, case studies, or marketing materials on technical topics that are intended for a technical readership, usually in a particular industry. Although I'll address both in this article, the latter will be the main topic.

How To Protect Your Copyright on the Internet

triple1 — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 11:47:19 -0500

The information provided in this article is specifically for authors. However, creators of Internet graphics, software, and other online intellectual or patented products can also utilize many of the tips.

Your copyright statement is important. Protect your work by including a copyright notice at the end of every article, short story, poem, etc. that you create.
Avoid using the copyright symbol. Instead, opt for (c). Some online sites will experience problems displaying special symbols or foreign language characters.
Do not waste a lot of time searching for violators' contact information. Thieves will do their utmost to remain anonymous. Trying to locate an e-mail address or other contact information for someone who has stolen your work is usually difficult. These reprobates are good at hiding their tracks, and they are often from foreign countries.

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How To Create a Memorable Main Character in Children’s Fiction

Kidwriter — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 14:38:52 -0500

Every story must have a main character. This character is vital. This character will ultimately be the hero of the story. Here are some things you should know about creating a memorable main character in children's fiction.

Read Children's Fiction. It's always a good idea to read children's fiction before you start writing it. As you do, jot down whom the main character is. What are some traits that this main character has? What is the problem the main character resolves? Think of ten stories for children and see if you can name all the main characters in each story. Chances are you can because there was something special about that character that you could relate to. Do you know who the main character is in these stories?

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How To Instill a Love for Literature in Children

Kidwriter — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 18:53:27 -0500

A love for reading doesn't often come naturally. Unless children are introduced to books and magazines early in life, they won't choose to read over playing a video game or watching television. It's sad too that most parents do not read to their children. Not only do parents miss out on the opportunity to spend quality time with their children; children miss out on an important experience. Many children who are not read to at an early age often have low reading skills and scores on reading tests. Here are some tips on how to instill a love for reading that will last a lifetime.

How To Decide If You Need a Literary Agent

Kidwriter — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 14:04:46 -0500

"You have to find an agent," said a fellow writer friend over lunch. "It's that important in today's industry!" I rolled my eyes and quickly stuffed the Reuben sandwich in my mouth. The thought of finding an agent scared me. Still, many questions arose, and so in my search to find an agent who would represent me, I discovered something else. It's not easy to find an agent! Here are some steps to help you determine if you need a literary agent and to find one if you do.

How To Write a Novel Step by Step: Chapter Content

tjbooks — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 13:05:56 -0500

If you went through the first four parts of this series you should have some idea about developing fictional characters, establishing time and place, developing objects of central importance in your story, and mapping out the story line.

In this section we will discuss chapter content. Note that more than one chapter may be needed to cover what is going on. A common way to handle things is to have alternate chapters discuss the hero and the villain. Eventually these two must collide in action chapters.

How To Become a Nonfiction Children’s Book Writer

Kidwriter — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 12:44:01 -0500

Nonfiction for children is a genre that has grown in the last few years. In the past, many people felt a children's author just did not have credibility unless she wrote and sold fiction. This is not the case today, as the nonfiction genre has opened up many doors for both authors and publishers. Prestigious awards are given to authors who can convey a subject in a clear and meaningful way, but still keep a child interested and even entertained. The opportunities to write and sell nonfiction are huge and continue to grow, but how does a writer just starting out "break into" writing for nonfiction book publishers?

How To Write a Novel Step by Step: Your Story Line

tjbooks — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 12:34:10 -0500

Perhaps you think that you should work on your story line before you should define characters, place, and objects. Okay, do it that way. But I think that you will develop a better story line if you know where you are, who the characters are, and what objects are important.

Elizabeth George is a fine writer and she likes to share her knowledge with other writers. She says that she does not start a story until she has defined her characters and setting and knows how the story ends. She does not like to wait for her characters to come alive and tell her the ending. On the other hand, I’m not great at predicting endings. While I’m writing, I get more excited about what is going on and I can’t wait to see what is going to happen and how things will work out.

I think that Elizabeth George is right. If you can define the ending before you write the novel, go ahead and do that. It will save you time and energy later.

How To Write a Novel Step by Step: Develop Fictional Characters

tjbooks — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:45:53 -0500

I heard that Ellery Queen sat on his porch in Florida and wrote out his novel by hand in a notebook. Off it went to the publisher. I heard that Earl Stanley Gardner simply dictated his novel, and that was that. And then there was Hemingway who was after one perfect page each day and he didn't care how many times he had to rewrite that page.

You can sit down and grind out a novel without doing any preliminary analysis about your story, the characters, the time frame in which the action takes place, the location or place where the action appears, and the articles or things that are important in the story (such as a sword, a ship, a horse, etc).

You can simply decide on how many chapters, typically 20 chapters for a genre novel (detective, western, romance, etc.) you desire and write a synopsis of each chapter before you start.

Or, you can just start writing.

How To Write a Novel Step by Step: Develop Objects

tjbooks — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 14:02:46 -0500

As you write your novel, objects will come into view. You will need to describe them in some detail according to their importance.

I suppose that you saw one of the zillion Titanic movies. The ship was an object. In the latest version of Titanic, there was a necklace. These are important items.

Movies don’t describe objects -- they just show them. As a writer, you must describe objects so that your readers can "see" them. Here's how you can make notes about your objects before you write the novel. (If you are using novel-writing software, it will give you a hand.)

How To Write a Novel Step by Step: Develop Time and Place

tjbooks — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 16:59:31 -0500

In Part 1 of this series on how to write a novel step by step, we discussed character development. In this article we talk of time and place.

Place. There are only so many story lines as they say. The same story can be told over and over again in different settings. I often say, "Against different backdrops."
For example: Our story is about a man who turned jewelry thief to support his family. He gets caught, goes to jail, and later helps the police find other jewelry thieves while still burglarizing homes for jewelry. In the end he accidentally helps the police capture himself.

Now, where can this story take place?

Jake Brimley dismounted Pinky and patted her on the nose. "Now you keep quiet, Pinky. Don’t be a-whinnying after Buck Henson’s stallion like you do. I got work to do."

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How To Make a Rejection Letter Work for You

Kidwriter — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 12:56:21 -0500

When I told my critique group I was going to give a lecture on how to make the rejection letter your best friend, I got a lot of laughs. So I changed it to making the rejection letter your best buddy. They still laughed but thought maybe I was on to something when I explained myself more clearly. Instead of hating it and getting depressed each time you get one, it's time to change your attitude and learn to like and appreciate this wonderful learning tool, this letter of promise, this letter, your newest friend! Remember, every author receives rejections. You are not alone and in fact, the sooner you realize this is just a normal part of the process, the easier it will be to get a rejection.

How To Enhance Your Creative Writing Today

dangoodwin — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 12:01:55 -0500

Do you find that however much you try to write differently, you somehow keep returning to the same formats, the same themes, and even that it feels like you're writing the same sentences over and over? Are you even boring yourself with your creative writing? Then maybe it's time for a fresh approach.

Here are 5 new tips you can use to help inject your creative writing with a little excitement and experimentation once more:

How To Write Your First Novel: Self-Publish

tjbooks — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 18:40:13 -0500

So everyone has a novel waiting to be written -- how can you help it see the light of day? In the past, that was a formidable task. Even if you wrote your great masterpiece, you couldn’t get it published. That is no longer true. Because of Print-on-Demand publishing, you can publish your novel at no or little cost.

I could tell you that your next step is to find a publisher for your first novel and later, a literary agent. If your uncle does not own a publishing house or is not a literary agent, forget it. (The writer's rule is to never pay a literary agent anything other than a percentage of your royalties. Some agents make their living by charging extra for services.)

How To Write Your First Novel: Writing the Story

tjbooks — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 18:23:39 -0500

Now that you've succeeded in finding your story, it's time to write. Novel writing software can help you on your way.

Keep track of the length of your story. I suggest that you decide to have 20 chapters and that your first novel be about 200 pages or less. It is not considered a novel if you have less than 50,000 words, so try to produce 70,000 to 80,000 words. Ernest Hemingway, who lived up the road a piece from here, tried to write one good page everyday. That is about 400 words. In 100 days, he had 40,000 words. In 200 days, he had a novel.
You don't have to quit your day job to write a novel. I wrote Bull in airports from London to Tokyo.

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How To Beat Writer’s Block in 3 Powerful Steps

dangoodwin — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 17:51:21 -0500

Ah the dreaded writer’s block, responsible for more frustration, pain and anguish than anything else a writer can experience...

How many times have you sat staring at a blank page, feeling as if droplets of blood are forming on your worried brow? Writer’s block can be completely debilitating and drain a writer’s confidence like nothing else.

But you don’t need to be a helpless victim.

There ARE ways to beat writer’s block and vastly reduce its negative effects.

Here’s a powerful 3 step approach you can start using today:

Boost your self belief. Be honest, what do you really believe about yourself as a writer and your writing abilities? And what beliefs do you hold about writers in general?

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How To Break into Children's Publishing

Kidwriter — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 15:43:32 -0500

Are you tired of running to the mailbox only to find yet another rejection letter? Do you want to write for children but you're just not sure where to start? Writing for children is not only a lot of fun, but it can be a good second source of income for many people. But breaking into children's publishing is difficult. Many people have given up on their dream for one reason -- they quit. It's hard to get published when you don't submit your work!

Let's say you have a story. It's been edited and rewritten several times. It's as close to perfect as you can get it and you feel it's ready to be sent out to publishers. You should know some important things that can make or break your dreams to publish for children before taking this final leap.

How To Write Your First Novel: You Need a Story

tjbooks — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 14:01:26 -0500

They say that everyone has at least one good novel in him or her. That may be true, but how do you get it out?

The most important aspect of a novel is the story. Everything else is secondary. Readers will step over the rocks in your writing road if the story is gripping. That’s what you need—a gripping story. All else, such as place, characters, etc., is secondary.

The story line is called plot, but do you really need to know that?

How To Write a Personal Profile

Marilisa560 — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 14:13:17 -0500

Personal profiles, especially online profiles, are an excellent way to distill information about you into a digestible and interesting format. A profile is a scrapbook of your life in words. The goal is to create a cross-section of your life and self that will intrigue the reader and make her want to find out more about you. Whether you are creating a profile in order to look for jobs, relationships or as a form of advertisement for your vocation or business, there are some basic writer's guidelines that you will want to practice.