Archive for January, 2009
If you love to write poetry, there’s still a chance for you to get involved with Secret Press USA. Jason A. Gray, writer and creator of Secret Press USA is looking for submissions for an anthology he’s putting together on the 50 states. There will be a few poems from each state included, and Jason still needs poems from the following states:
- Alaska
- Arkansas
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Iowa
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Nebraska
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- Utah
- Wyoming
So, if you have some poems that no one has read collecting dust in your closet, or you’d like to try your hand at writing about your own home state, give it a go! You’ll receive a free copy of the anthology and will have your name featured on the Secret Press USA website. There is also a chance that you’ll be invited to read your poem or others at poetry readings.
The deadline is January 30th, so you’ve only got a few days to send in a submission. Be sure to check out the submission guidelines first, though. Jason’s goal is to have the first anthology published by Spring of 2009 – how exciting. If you have a way with words and live in or are from one of the states above, I urge you to get involved.
How many websites have you come across that display that intimidating “wall of text” – blocks and blocks of never-ending paragraphs that often bore readers to death? A wall of text is literally painful to endure and can actually cause eyestrain and headaches. That doesn’t seem like a very effective way to keep readers on your personal or business website and/or blog.
Always remember that writing for online readers is much different than writing for print. In order to attract repeat visitors to your website or blog – you need to promote easy scanning of the text.
Let’s face it – people rarely read an entire blog post or web page. They rarely dissect every word or fully absorb all information. Instead, they scan the page. Certain words, phrases, and sentences will catch their eye. If you’re successful in keeping their attention, you may gain a reader that will digest most of what you have to say. Successful websites learn how to make things easy for readers. They may use:
Subheadings.
Alert your audience to distinct changes in your text. Make the information that is most important to readers easier to find. For instance, a business offering an article on various training tricks for animals could use ‘Dogs,’ ‘Cats,’ and ‘Birds’ as their subheadings. A dog-owner that comes to the site will save a lot of time by easily locating the training tips focused on dogs.
Bulleted lists.
Call attention to significant pieces of information by using bulleted lists instead of burying details in a wall of text.
Highlight keywords.
Lure your reader to certain blocks of text by highlighting certain words and phrases. When you highlight keywords in your text, you can choose to change the typeface or color, or use hypertext links.
A simplified writing style.
Remember to use vocabulary that is easy to follow. Let’s say you’re trying to sell a product. Deliver the most important information to potential consumers in a concise manner. In other words, don’t lose the interest of a reader by using ‘big words’ that typically don’t see the light of day outside of the dictionary.
One idea at a time.
Each paragraph should address one idea at a time. Some readers tend to skip the end of paragraphs. Position the most important information within the first few words.
Short paragraphs.
Long-winded paragraphs not only lose the attention of a reader, but also contribute to a wall of text that smothers key points.
The inverted pyramid.
Take a hint from newshounds and embrace the inverted pyramid approach when writing for the Internet. Deliver the conclusion first, followed by the most important details. Basically, the ‘who,’ ‘what,’ ‘when’, ‘where’, and ‘how’ are presented in the first paragraph. The end of your article, web page, or blog post is then used to give background information. When using an inverted-pyramid writing style, visitors can stop reading at any point and you’ve still impacted their lives.
Keeping in line with our commitment to promote an eco-friendly world, Priceless Writers is proud to announce our work featured on The Green Connoisseur – your escort to a luxurious and eco-conscious lifestyle. As contributing writers and bloggers, Priceless Writers presents information regarding the latest trends in ‘green’ fashion, travel, relaxation, food and drink.
A few of our articles include:
We also encourage you to comment on the Green Connoisseur blog, where you will find posts written by Danielle, Samantha, and Yona.
With the downward spiral of the economy, an increasing number of people are looking to make a career change into a more stable field. If you’ve been employed at your current place of business for quite some time, you’ll probably have to freshen up your resume. As employers sift through the piles of resumes riddled with qualifications, skills, and educational prowess – will yours stand out for all the right reasons?
Sometimes, the difference between landing a job interview and not receiving the call you’ve been waiting for comes right down to the presentation of your resume. Don’t fall victim to the following mistakes:
A Generic Free-for-All
Are you applying to several different positions and decided to send the same generic resume out to every single company on your list? Since no two businesses are alike – you’re missing out on the power of tailoring your resume to fit the organization. Take the time to customize the skills, professional experience, and characteristics that you possess to accommodate the needs of a potential employer. Use their job description as a guide. Increase your chances of being noticed by incorporating relevant keywords found within the ad. Employers know when a resume lacks focus. If you send out generic results, you’ll receive a generic response: “Thank you for your application, but….”
It’s Not a Thesis Paper…
Plunging into the dictionary to locate the most “smart”-sounding words to describe your skills and experience isn’t the best approach to impressing a potential employer. Sometimes, hundreds of applications are beckoning the attention of interviewers. If he or she has to take a breather when scanning your qualifications– you’re probably not going to get a phone call. It’s best to replace long-winded sentences with concise bullet points. Leave “impressive” terminology to the English professors. Stick with getting straight to the point in as few words as possible.
Avoid Discrimination
Age discrimination is a sad but true reality. An employer either fears you’re too expensive to hire or doubts your ability to keep up with the latest trends and technology. Some job seekers at the senior level make it a habit to only list about 15 years worth of jobs. They may also delete the date of their college graduation to avoid age discrimination.
Watch your typos!
Careless Mistakes
It’s a shame when you’re credibility as a professional is damaged…and a potential employer hasn’t even met you yet. View a resume as your ‘voice’ until you are able to dazzle an interviewer with your charisma and sharp wit. Years of valuable experience and impressive skills are often overlooked when a resume is plagued with spelling mistakes, grammatical blunders, and poor punctuation. Keep in mind that a boss looking for someone with an attention to detail who also takes pride in his or her work will send your application to the ‘NO’ pile without a second thought if it is poorly presented.
Professional vs. Personal
Resume clutter is an instant turn-off for hiring managers, who are viewing application after application. Some people make the mistake of disclosing a little too much information regarding their personal and private life. A potential employer does not want to know your marital status, birth date, or what you like to do on the weekends. A well-organized resume should not include the link to your Facebook or MySpace page. Know when not to cross the lines of professionalism. Eliminate any personal details that have nothing to do with your ability to perform job duties.
2008 has been an amazing year. We’ve had the good fortune to meet many wonderful new clients, work on some exciting projects and so much more. We believe 2009 is going to be even more wonderful! We have some exciting projects in mind for Priceless Writers and without revealing too much – we feel that those projects are going to create a better original content company for our current clients and the clients we have yet to meet.
Here’s to collaborations yet to come and success yet to be achieved!
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