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Writer's Newsletter

 

ARTICLES:

A Step-by-Step Approach to Hiring and Working with a GhostwriterThere are certain tell-tale signs to look out for when deciding which writer to hire.

 

 Which Ghost Writer Handles Unexpected Challenges Best?Ghostwriters are not immune to huge challenges that risk project failure. Which ones are best suited to meet those challenges?

 

 Tips on Writing Natural DialogueWriting is simply not like talking. It doesn't matter how much you try to mimic ordinary speech to make your text sound informal—or realistic, in the case of dialogue.

 

"Are Memoirs Beating the Fiction Market?"Memoirs are not only holding their own in the book market, they're filling an important gap left by the fiction market.

 

"Why Anybody Can Write a Memoir"

 

 "How to Get the Best Out of Your Ghostwriter"

 

"Why You Should Think Before You Write"

 

"Tips on How to Soften Your Writer's Block"

 

BOOK REVIEWS:

Stephen King's latest novel, Under the Dome

 

 "The Old Cold War Magic We All  Miss by That Much"—A recently discovered CIA manual of old secret tricks.

 

 Short book reviews

More book reviews & must-reads

 

BLOG ARTICLES:

 The Secret to Writing With an Authentic VoiceFiction writers consider dialogue one of the best ways to breathe realism into a story.

 

Tim Fitzgerald's ground-breaking memoir of his days as a youth activist in the 1960s.

 

"Do You Have to Be Famous to Write Your Memoir?"That's the myth, and here are the facts...

 

Want to be notified about new blog postings? Send me a brief e-mail message by clicking on:

Afshaker@aol.com

 

PUBLISHING NEWS:

"An e-Book Melee Worthy of a Soap" and more...

 

COOL FACTS:

 Did You Know...?

 Famous Ghostwriters

 

 

WRITING TIPS

Writing With Style

Writing Tidbits: Sentences

Writing Tidbits: Paragraphs

 

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TIPS ON WRITING-

1. Active vs. passive

Many books on writing insist on the use of active rather than passive sentences (“Mary wrote that book,” not “That book was written by Mary”). Follow their counsel to the letter and you’ll end up with loosely strung sentences. It’s far more important to allow your sentences to flow one from the other. Leave some sentences passive to maintain consistency.

 

2. Consistency

A good way to check for consistency inside a paragraph is to underline the beginning of each sentence. Read those beginnings to make sure each ties in with the words and references toward the end of the previous sentence.

 

3. Information flow

Two great thumb rules to follow: (1) Put the newest or most important information toward the end of your sentence, which information you intend to expand on in the next sentence. (2) Put at the beginning those ideas you’ve already mentioned or implied in the previous sentence.

 

 

Usage & Abusage

 Use neither” to refer to only two things (persons, actions, groups, companies, etc.). For three or more, use none or not any. “Shirley, Clive and Rupert went to town; none wore blue.”

 

 Use loath” to mean disinclined toward something (“I’m loath to believe it”); and loathe to say you dislike something (“I loathe the smell of failure!”).

 

 Use incredulous” to mean skeptical, incredible to mean unbelievable. I often hear outbursts like: “It was so incredulous!” That's wrong. On the other hand, it’s idiomatically acceptable to say: “You're incredible, you know that?”

 

 Don’t abuse “a lot of” by employing it too often in the plural. Everybody does it, of course, but "a lot" is singular, and will stay that way to the end of time. Instead of "a lot of farmers have singing talent," say: "Lots of farmers have singing talent." Better still, "Many farmers do." And I can vouch for that!

 

 

 

 

Testimonials

 

Anthony has been key to developing my writing career. He has been, and continues to be, a mentor, a trusted intellectual mind that holds thoughts and words with care and insight. Yet he sees, not merely the written text, but the soul and spirit that is behind every passage that emerges from an author's deepest parts...

- Nenosi Mae 

The Colour of Barashash (novel)

barashasha@yahoo.co.uk

 

 

 

My mother said she would like to meet you one day…I have to agree that you did an incredible job getting in sync with my memories and emotions. I am so glad that I decided to work with you! I hope we will continue to work together on future projects.

 

- Margot Hyland, American from

South Africa and mother
   of young US marine serving in Afghanistan
   Across the Color Line (memoir) 

mihland@yahoo.com

 

 

I have just completed the process of publishing my first manuscript, and I must say that you have helped me find the most eloquent and highest expression for my thoughts. I want to acknowledge your tremendous contribution to my personal success and that of my book project. I look forward to using you as my resource to support all of my writing needs. You are a true master at what you do.

 

- Harold Davis, MscD, PhD

Inspirational speaker and success coach
    Moving the Stars With Your Words: How to be the creative factor and achieve

what you really want out of Life 

drhdavis@movingthestars.com

www.movingthestars.com 

 

 

Dr. Shaker, I have read the manuscript and I am so darn impressed with what you have done I can't find words to express it. You are definitely a master at what you do. I hope you will allow me to include you in my acknowledgments, because I want those who read the book to know about you...You certainly deserve that if you would allow me.

 

- Robert Sullivan,

Georgia businessman

The Formula: Building Competitive

Advantage for the Motor Carrier

robert.l.sullivan@att.net

 

Read more...

 

 

________ Wordstead Writers' News ________

HOME

 

The latest in writing & publishing, expert writing tips

and reliable book reviews

 Anthony F. Shaker, PhD
writer/editor

 

AFS Wordstead

afshaker@aol.com

(819) 597-4072 (EST)

www.wordstead.com

 

 

 

 

Go to current Winter 2010 issue:

 

 

 


  

 

Go to Autumn 2009 issue:

 

CONTENTS:

 

FEATURE ARTICLE: "Why You Should Think Before You Write"

"Maybe the answer is simply to make a better effort at thinking more deeply about what we write before sending its million-fold impressions into cyberspace...")

 

WHAT'S NEWS:

The end of the beginning: Yahoo has announced it will close down GeoCities on October 26. GeoCities, in its heyday the third most popular destination on the web, was born back in 1995 as Beverly Hills Internet, a small web-hosting firm...
Remember Joe the Plumber? John McCain mentioned him in the last presidential debate in 2008. Nobody knew who he was then, so everyone figured Joe was just a JOHN DOE...

Speaking of JOHN DOE, apparently there is such a man! No, it’s not a ghostly visitation by Gary Cooper. No alias or sales gimmick, either. This John Doe immigrated from...
The English-language Wikipedia, one of the ten most popular web sites with 60 million visits every month in its English version alone, plans to limit the changes that readers can make to its articles on people...
An unexpected rise in the number of literary fiction readers has caught everyone by surprise—especially writers, publishers and literary agents. In a report, the National Endowment for the Arts says that reading has increased...

Journalism and mass communication schools are granting more diplomas than ever, according to a survey by Lee Becker of the University of George....

 

ONLINE PUBLISHING:

Ê Companies who sell electronic reading devices couldn’t be happier. Amazon claims...

Ê Two years after its US launching in the US, Kindle—an electronic reader the bit-size of a paperback—is still unavailable in many parts of the world...

 

DID YOU KNOW?

A few facts you might like to know.

 

MUST-READS

STORMY WEATHER: The Life of Lena Horne by James Gavin. Illustrated...

LAST NIGHT IN TWISTED RIVER by John Irving...
HOW TO BE A MOVIE STAR: Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood. By William J. Mann. Illustrated...

 

FAMOUS GHOSTWRITERS

 

 

© 2009 Anthony F. Shaker and AFS Wordstead

  

 


  

 

 

 

Anthony F. Shaker, PhD
writer/editor

(819) 597-4072
Afshaker@aol.com  
www.wordstead.com

 

 


 

Please send your comments to Afshaker@aol.com, or simply reply to this message. Make sure you indicate your name, e-mail address and, if you like, your URL. Your comments will be published shortly on my web, along with the contents of this newsletter.

 

Anthony F. Shaker, PhD
(819) 597-4072 (Eastern Standard Time)
(819) 597-4547
Afshaker@aol.com


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