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Writing better is critical for students. But it’s even more important for business communicators.

Let’s face it…if you write succinctly, you can (a) win promotions, (b) lead people with your creative ideas, and (c) create instructions for your employees to follow.

Therefore, here are five secrets about business communications you must know:

1. You must write simply – We all want simple instructions that are easy to understand. Choose words that everybody knows, and offer analogies that are clear and precise.

2. Use action verbs – Passive verbs like is, are, was, and were simply exist. Active verbs jump, run, explain, and covey information.

3. Learn from the best – Read Mark Twain’s brilliant short stories. Study Ben Franklin’s short quotes and aphorisms. Lean about headlines and copywriting from researcher John Caples.

4. Compressed messages – In the fast-paced 21st century, readers demand information in short, easy-to-absorb form.

It’s been said that the average adult attention span today is a mere eight seconds. Can you deliver the theme of your message in that short time?

5. A word about headlines – Researchers say most of us look at headlines four times more often than we read anything else. Therefore, that headline – or the heading on your paper – should capture the reader’s interest immediately.

Bottom line: Learning to write clearly might be the most important skill you’ll ever acquire.

Rix Quinn’s book “Words That Stick” offers simple ideas for both students and business writers. It’s available from your local bookstore, or from http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580085768/qid/

Though the Property Index service is a newcomer syndicate, (they were set up only in March of 2007), they have established expert status very quickly. In actuality they are a quite hassle free syndicate fully concentrated on offering instruction to essentially anyone who is meaning to sell, buy etc. real estate in a globalized world. Their affirmation: to help you out hit upon squarely what’s called for quickly and, to boot, without pain.

Real estate is easily available almost anywhere in the world currently, one of the fanciest areas being properties available in Dubai. It should be easy to write a list of the good properties on the market in Dubai, one reason for picking properties here being a combination of the houses and apartments you can purchase and the chance to live surrounded by this enthusiastic and pulsating people. This is one of the most popular markets currently, and in view of the lovely landscape and the climate surrounding you here, who could say no. Real estate in Dubai is very rich in history, culture and art, this country has a long tradition as a home to more than a few cultures.

Property Index is an online platform that gives buyers access to thousands of properties www.propertyindex.com. Property in Dubai is currently booming so browse the range on offer at Property Index.

Only 30 years back there’d be merely a trickle of English people who are looking for properties in Dubai. Just ask any individual who has moved to Dubai and they’ll certainly back this up. Many people would label it a craze and others label it a that’s quite an obsession! The people who are looking to remove over here generally range from young working couples in search of an exciting challenge in life to the retired intending to enjoy retirement. There could be troubles when trying to buy properties overseas – as can be expected, there are a million steps be it when budgeting, surveying or actually purchasing. Even if but a single action is missed it is liable to definitely give rise to large troubles and, even more importantly, a financial trouncing.

Obviously and expectably with this favored destination, properties could be fairly high priced in this destination and that’s clearly on account of the steep demand. Nonetheless the patron is rather spoilt in such an area so rich in fantastic geography and fair surroundings. Definitely it has the whole ball of wax a patron might really itch for and plenty more.

Outdoor camping has received huge recognition throughout the years to be a change from your exceptional chaotic life. Taking some days away from hectic work schedule provides much fun & amusement selection than any other vacation idea. If you intend to have a camping holiday this spring then it is essential that you try and find the best of camping equipment to carry with for the greatest pleasant camping experience.

Outdoor camping tools typically come in the form of camping tables camping lights camping gadgets and many more. Since the camping locations chosen are often different so are the camping equipment that are required for certain tasks. Numerous people like to camp in the plains, whilst some go in the mountain areas, some in fields & some in woods. This means that the camping gear required will in the end depend on the place you have chosen to camp in.

To enjoy the fun & excitement fully, it?s important to carry camping stuff that you will need during your camp stay. There are several hikers and campers who enjoy to camp & discover the most extreme parts of the world. Hence the camping needs vary from person to person. Find superb deals on camping lanterns.

As a result before going camping outdoors it is important that you acquire the tools that you will need. To get the best camping gear its better to search for a cheap camping equipment dealer & request the stuff you require to carry along. The light weight tents, portable camping stoves, handy weightless chairs, disposable tools, sleeping bags, hiking shoes light fabric weightless clothes and other camping accessories can be bought online at the most reduced rates. It is essential to carry camping gear that is light so as to provide you as much freedom while trekking & hiking.

Numerous variety of camping accessories are not cheap to acquire & can be afforded only when you have a big budget. So you should make a list of items that you cannot do without while camping. Depending upon how regularly you go for camping, renting camping gear is a great alternative. Or else if you are a camping fanatic then having a stock of your own camping gear is worthwhile. Have a brilliant camping experience this year by keeping all your camping requirements toned up.

See mortgage loan for residential mortgage lending, and commercial mortgage for lending against commercial property. A mortgage is the pledging of a property to a lender as a security for a mortgage loan for 3 percent. Many of these fees are fixed but some can be negotiated.

In most jurisdictions mortgages are strongly associated with loans 9 percent secured on real estate rather than other property and in some cases only land may be mortgaged. And of course, each loan and each borrower are different. Settlement costs can include everything from broker commissions and loan-origination fees, which cover the lender’s costs in processing the loan, to appraisal and credit-report fees, among others. Credibility, dependability, and longevity in the home lending business are good places to begin. Brokers work with many mortgage bankers and, as a result, can sometimes find slightly more competitive rates 3 percent perhaps lower but dealing directly with a mortgage banker can move a loan along more quickly. Different lenders charge different fees. Start with credibility. It’s not easy to know if the prices quoted by lenders are reliable.

The Dutch translation says: Woon je in Mill en Sint Hubert of Zederik en hebt u BKR notering’ Lenen met BKR is nog nooit zo gemakkelijk geweest. Koop een nieuw huis met kredietverstrekker zonder bkr toetsing, 401101 euro is gewoon mogelijk om te financieren. Van Ridderkerk tot Cuijk, geld lenen met een BKR registratie is hier geen enkel probleem.

So how do you find a lender or broker you can trust’ It is a transfer of an interest in land, from the owner to the mortgage lender, on the condition that this interest will be returned to the owner of the real estate when the terms of the mortgage have been satisfied or performed.

Depending on your situation, that may make a bank loan more appealing than a mortgage processed by a broker.

Both banks and brokers have their strengths and weaknesses. Although most mortgage experts say that rates 4 percent are pretty much the same wherever you go, give or take this tiny 4 percentage. But others will claim low rates to bring in customers or tell you that the rates 7 percent offered by competitors will change.

See which lenders are charging fees 9 percent and for how much. Some will quote you precise, competitive rates 4 percent. Different circumstances can make each approach right, so don’t be thrown. Arranging a mortgage is seen as the standard method by which individuals and businesses can purchase residential and commercial real estate without the need to pay the full value immediately. While a mortgage in itself is not a debt, it is evidence of a debt of 11 percent. In other words, the mortgage is a security for the loan that the lender makes to the borrower. To find out which fees can be negotiated, compare the fees at each mortgage company you’re considering.

Today it begins.

I have always known I was a freelancer. The phrase my family uses to describe me is “not a nine-to-five-er.” That said, nine-to-five does carry some not-so-romantic but comforting benefits. Health insurance. Travel reimbursement. Gas mileage. A regular paycheck.

But alas, I’m the daughter and granddaughter of entrepreneurs, and I’m also of the “ownership society.”

I love to write. No such thing as retirement–writing is who I am. But with that ideal and that passion comes every writer’s downfall. Running a business. Getting paid.

We right-brained people with our horrendous filing cabinets and hard drives/Zip drives full of e-mails have to spend time organizing, like any businessperson. I had a conversation with a fellow writer/content provider in which we both confessed neither of us knew how to charge for our services. Although University of Southern California master of Professional Writing Program does give great training in the business side, most writing programs in my experience don’t teach marketing, recordkeeping, fee-charging, and work-for-hire contracts, let alone publishing contracts.

Today while tracking two possible freelance jobs (I’d like to give a plug to David Copeland’s Freelance Daily, http://freelancewriters.blogspot.com/, a terrific daily newsgroup with tons of freelance leads, also PayingWriterJobs, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PayingWriterJobs/, AbsoluteWriter, http://www.absolutewrite.com, Writers Weekly, http://www.writersweekly.com, and of course, my local paper, http://www.thedesertsun.com/), I found my e-mail inbox inundated with back and forth e-mails. While I admit my e-mail organization system resembles my filing system at times, I finally wised up.

On my computer, in Windows, I have a folder with subfolders for e-mail. I created a separate directory, “freelance”. Then I assigned every potential or actual freelance job its own folder with a client identifier number where appropriate and otherwise the name of the client/publication.

I also created a Work For Hire agreement today. My own–usually when I work with a publication I’m required to submit an invoice. However, a publication you have a relationship with is different from a client that doesn’t know you and vice versa. This is new ground for me. I’ve signed three book contracts, entered into three royalty agreements and two bona fide collaboration agreements, signed screenplay, magazine, fiction, and poetry release forms, sent more contest applications than I can count…but my own Work For Hire agreement…now I feel I’ve passed the “novice” mark and can proudly call myself a full-time freelancer. Freelance entrepreneur.

No.

Writer always works. To quote Harlan Ellison’s business card, “I write.”

But will I stay organized?

Continued next week…

Kristin Johnson is co-author of the “highly recommended” Midwest Book Review pick, Christmas Cookies Are For Giving: Stories, Recipes and Tips for Making Heartwarming Gifts (ISBN: 0-9723473-9-9). A downloadable media kit is available at our Web site, http://www.christmascookiesareforgiving.com, or e-mail the publisher (info@tyrpublishing.com) to receive a printed media kit and sample copy of the book. More articles available at http://www.bakingchristmascookies.com

Suspense

He had never killed a man before. Looking down at the lifeless body at his feet, Harold wondered if it would be the last time.
Want to know more? Good. That’s the point.
So how do you create this suspense? It’s easier than you think. Just keep two things in mind when you construct your story- conflict, and question.
Conflict drives all fiction. There’s no story without it. Let me show you an example of writing devoid of conflict.
Helen sat comfortably in her easy chair. She had a bowl of warm popcorn in her lap and a soda on the end table. A few yards away her television flickered as she surfed the channels looking for something interesting to watch. She settled on a documentary about the Amazon. She’d always like documentaries.
As the evening passed the popcorn ran out and the soda can emptied- but she didn’t mind. She was comfortable.
After a few hours she stood up, stretched, and gathered her popcorn bowl and empty soda can. She set them both in the kitchen sink and slunk off to bed.

So, do you want to read 300 pages of this? I didn’t think so. Now watch this.

She didn’t know he was there.
While the microwave rattled, heating a bag of popcorn, the man moved furtively down the hallway.
Helen waited for the popping to slow. She opened the microwave, and emptied the warm bag of popcorn in a large plastic bowl. She grabbed a soda from the fridge and walked to the living room.
She didn’t suspect anything was wrong when she picked up the remote and surfed the dial for something interesting to watch. There were no suspicious rustles or creaks. No shadows moving in the distance. Just her house, empty and neat- just like always.
On the tube a documentary on the Amazon flashed into view. Helen put the remote down and settled deeper in her chair.
Just another Sunday night. Another cozy, uneventful Sunday night.

From Helen’s point of view- it’s the same scene. From the reader’s point of view there’s a big difference. The second scene is loaded with conflict. Notice that the conflict doesn’t have to be visible to the characters, but it must always be visible to the reader. In the second example, the reader knows that Helen is in danger. As they read, the voice in their mind screams at Helen- “There’s a man in the house! Look out!” The conflict is felt by the reader even if it’s not felt by the character. Keeping the reader in the grips of this conflict creates a “page-turner.”
The second essential element is story question. What does the reader want to know? Why should they read this scene? Why shouldn’t they put the book down?
This is crucial so listen closely. From page one to the finish, the reader must never read a single word without a strong question in mind.
Never.
I mean it.
The moment you write something like the first example of Helen’s evening- your readers have no reason to continue and they put the book down, sometimes for good. That doesn’t mean that there has to be great mystery in each scene. It does mean every scene should be read while a question hangs in the air.
Do you notice how the great suspense authors braid their novels? In one scene we see the hero attacked. The last thing our protagonist sees is the butt of a gun bearing down on him. The scene or chapter ends, and now we’re taken somewhere else. We visit the perspective of another character, a character with their own set of problems. The reader is firmly hooked now. They are interested in the events surrounding the second character because it raises more unanswered questions. More than that, they are dying to find out what’s happened to our protagonist from the previous scene.
Braiding is a powerful technique for creating suspense. Use it whenever you can.
Those of you writing more literary or character based works may not feel these techniques are relevant, but they are. Every good author in every genre uses suspense in some way shape or fashion.
There’s no story without it.

About the Author

Jeff Heisler is a freelance writer and novelist. You can see more of his writing tips at www.heislerink.com/writeaway.htm.

Typo n. pl. -os. Informal. A typographical error. Typographical error. A mistake in printing, typing or writing.

That’s what it says in the New College Edition of The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. But it does not begin to tell the story of these mistakes – these embarrassing, costly, terrible typos. I know — from collecting them, and from personal experience.

I have used these examples as warnings during 30 years of teaching at UCLA Extension, showing that typos are the bane of a writer’s existence – whether you are a reporter, public relations practitioner, or author.

Years ago I came across a typo that I still consider to be the funniest and most embarrassing typo in human history, as far as I know. Many considered it terrible. It was probably also one of the costliest, if not the costliest.

It occurred in London, in 1632, with the printing of Baker’s edition of the Bible, known ever since as the “Wicked Bible.” The Seventh Commandment, “Thou shalt not commit adultery,” suddenly appeared in a revised version, “Thou shalt commit adultery.”

I suspect that this made a number of people in England very happy. But their happiness was short-lived. When the mistake was discovered, Parliament ordered all obtainable editions destroyed, fined the printer 3000 pounds, and forbade all unauthorized printings of the Bible henceforth.

This delicious bit of news came to light in an article by Edward G. de Beaumont, about all kinds of typos. It appeared in the May/June 1980 issue of Editors Workshop. The author apparently agreed that the “Wicked Bible” typo took the prize, because he titled his article, “Thou Shalt (not) Commit Adultery.”

“Proofread, proofread, proofread, again, and again and again,” I harangue my students. “Read your stuff over, two, three times. Better still, get someone else who can spell and punctuate to proof-read what you have written, also.”

I’m sure Pacific Bell wishes somebody had done that – one final time, some years ago. Their Yellow Pages carried an ad for Banner Travel Service, in Sonoma, California. The firm, which specializes in “exotic” travel, suddenly found itself specializing in “erotic” travel, due to a tiny typo. This not only resulted in unwelcome ridicule but also a substantial drop in business, as former clients stayed away. Pacific Bell waived its $230 monthly fee, but that did not prevent the initiation of a $10 million lawsuit. I never saw a follow-up story, so I don’t know what the outcome was.

But I do know the outcome of something that happened when I was editor of the Torrance Press, a weekly newspaper in the Los Angeles area. The advertising department was jubilant when it landed a two-page double truck (two-page) ad from the Sealy mattress company. The ad carried the company’s slogan in big, bold, black letters: “Sleeping on a Sealy, Is Like Sleeping on a Cloud.” But something happened in translation from copy to print. That Thursday morning, thousands of readers were introduced to a new slogan: “Sleeping on a Sealy, Is Like Slipping on a Cloud.” The paper, of course, offered to make good. The following week, readers discovered a revised message: “Sleeping on a Sealy, Is Like Sleeping on a Clod.” That was the end of what we had hoped would be a long-term heavenly relationship.

I was glad, that week, to be in editorial and not in advertising. Still, I have committed my fair share of typos over the years. In a book chapter on writing I wrote:

Good Public Relations writing, like good journalistic writing, should be clear, simple, economical. Short words, short sentences, short paragraphs. Simple rather than complex words. One word rather than two words. The precise word instead of a fuselage of words.

Fuselage of words? Ooops! The precise word should have been: fusillade of words! That booboo finally got corrected in a new printing.

Years ago, I learned of an intriguing Chinese cultural custom. I don’t know if it still exists. When a Chinese person wrote a letter, the writer always made one deliberate spelling mistake. This was meant as a sign of humility, to acknowledge that the writer did not consider himself a perfect human being. Other cultures have similar customs, leaving works flawed to show that only God is perfect.

Frankly, I don’t have to go out of my way to prove that I am a flawed and imperfect human being. I have left plenty of unintended typos in my wake, that prove the point. My most embarrassing one? It occurred in the author biography at the end of my biblical novel, “Abraham, The Dreamer/An Erotic and Sacred Love Story.” In the first line of the biography I left out the “t” in Gompertz. I misspelled my own name! It also slipped by me in the proofreading!

Children grow up fast which means it is crucial to consider saving when they’re young. By saving from just £10 to £25 a month with Scottish Friendly’s Child Bond when they are young you could make all the difference when they are older. Situations where this might prove useful might include helping to pay for university fees or making a payment to secure a first home.

You can invest in a tax-free savings plan for any child with a Scottish Friendly Child Bond. It’s tax-free as it’s a friendly society savings plan, which means that under present law it grows free of income or capital gains tax. Without doubt it is a superb way for parents, grandparents, family members and friends to make a major financial difference when the childen are older.

In a nutshell the Child Bond is a with-profits investment plan: It invests for long-term growth as well as a degree of security, in stocks and shares, fixed interest funds and cash.

The invested amount accumulates by means of the addition of potential yearly bonuses and at the relevant time when the bond reaches maturity there’s a tax-free payout. The value of bonuses is dependent on how much profit we make and how we distribute it.
Please be aware that bonuses are not guaranteed.

The Child Bond can last for a minimum of ten years, but it is permissible to invest for longer should you wish – perhaps to coincide with an 18th or 21st birthday. You can save either monthly, annually or with a lump sum payment.That is totally up to you. It should be noted that if the plan is cashed in at a point prior to the end of the term, the amount the child will receive may be less than the amount paid in.

If you decide upon the monthly option, you can start saving from as little as £10 a month – up to a maximum of £25 per month. Or you can make yearly payments of up to £270 a year.

You can also make all of the premiums in one go through our lump sum funding plan. If you invest the maximum amount of £2,340 for a decade, this actually invests £270 a year into the Child Bond – a total of two thousand seven hundred pounds. The minimum lump sum of £1,040 yields £120 a year for 10 years – a total of £1,200. This provides a route for you to take care of all your premiums in one fell swoop and is something that has proved popular with grandparents who like the reassurance of knowing all premiums for the whole length of the term of the plan are taken care of.

As an added bonus, so you should consider if this is appropriate for your financial needs.

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Passionato.com was exclusively designed after noticing a huge gap in the music market for classical downloads. They have the finest array of classical music as www.passionato.com have access to two of the best label catalogues, Universal Music & EMI Classics. They furthermore have admittance to more professional music labels such as Naxos, Chandos, Avie and Arts, all of which is tremendous. Find the best Classical Music Downloads from Passionato.

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You heard writing articles is a great way to drive traffic to your site. So you have written several articles and posted them to dozens of article sites. Then you sit back and wait for the avalanche of traffic. And wait. Nothing is happening. What’s the deal?

The deal is depending on where your article gets republished your links may not be “live”. Writing articles and posting them is a great way to drive traffic to your site. Search engines love it and if done correctly it will help drive new visitors to your site and get you listed higher in the search engines. The problem comes when article writers and authors and publishers don’t all follow the same rules. The main problems are:

1. Original article not formatted correctly 2. Article copied and pasted into new webpage without links 3. New publisher doesn’t make links live

Lets start with #1 “Original article not formatted correctly”. Not all article sites are the same. On some sites you can simply put in plain text and it will format it correctly, paragraphs will be correct and it will recognize http://www.yoursite.com as a live link. Some sites you may need to format it all in html. Sometimes the easiest way to do that is type your article in a web design program such as “Dreamweaver” and then view the source and copy and paste the code. If you don’t have access to such a program then you should learn a few basic html tags:

View the source of this page to see the html tags.

This is a “break” tag, The break tag is used when you want to end a line, but don’t want to start a new paragraph. The break tag forces a line break wherever you place it, a very common tag and one that is recognized by most all article sites.

Bold anything you want in bold should go between these tags

italic anything you want in italic should go between these tags

http://www.yoursite.com–some sites will recognize this as a live link. Many will not! This is where you are going to lose your links! If your article is copied and pasted into another web page or ezine your link will not be clickable. Someone who really wants to go to your webpage can copy and paste it into their browser but it is alot easier if someone can just click on it! If it is not a clickable live link search engines will not follow it not matter how many times it is republished. Imangine your article being reprinted 1000 times, a potential of 1000 back links to your site but without it being a clickable link you won’t reap the benefits of those 1000 links. Your links to your sites should always be formatted this way:

YourWebSite

If you follow the correct html formating for links your website links will always be clickable. To learn more about html tags search google for “html tags”

2. Article copied and pasted into new webpage without links. Your article may be correctly formatted on the article site you posted to but when it is copied and pasted into a new webpage or ezine it may lose some of it’s formatting. Some of the better sites have a choice of “ezine ready”, this will display your article in the correct html formatting which makes it easier to copy and paste.

3. New publisher doesn’t make links live. All article sites have a policy that clearly states “you are free to republish the article as long as the links and author bio stays with the article” Some don’t realize your links are no longer live or don’t know to make them live. Others leave them off all together or don’t make them live on purpose. Not much you can do except write to the website owner and request they make them live. Some will comply, some won’t. Chalk it up to the cost of doing business. For everysite that doesn’t make your links live, 10 will.

Keep publishing! Writing articles and posting them across the internet is still a great way to drive traffic to your site. Content is king and website owners, and ezine publishers are hungry for fresh new original content.