Things for writers to do when stressed out

We all have days when we are extremely overburdened with work and so stressed out thinking of ideas and combining words into sentences for our writing projects, not to mention dealing with difficult clients, that sometimes we really need to get away from it all. And we are not even talking about getting rid of writers block.

What I usually do in situations like this is to:

1. Surf the internet - reading up and catching up on our industry is a good way to de-stress and at the same time learn new things.

2. Online shopping - as long as you practice some self-control, I guess it is a good way to 'pamper' yourself with some stuffs that you have always wanted. That's what I call shopping therapy!

3. Be young again - what's more mind-numbing than some fun video games? The Nintendo Wii of course! Getting into some action-packed game could be a great stress reliever, just don't overdo it and forget everything. The great part about this is that you can download a variety of games with just a click of the mouse and yes, the games are pretty affordable too so it won't burn a hole in your pocket at all.

4. Read a book - as writers, it is always a good excuse to pick up a book and spend hours lost in it because we are actually 'working' by reading. It is all in a day's 'research', doncha think so?

5. Go for a massage and spa treatment - that is the ultimate pampering solution to de-stress and get all those tension and knotts in your shoulders to dissolve and go away.

6. Do a spot of yoga - why not grab your yoga gear and head on to somewhere peaceful and quiet for a great yoga workout to relax the body, mind and soul? Yoga has been known to help you maintain your agility, reduce stress and yes, even help you lose weight.

7. Blog - I know it may sound weird to be blogging in order to get away from all your writing stress but we writers tend to feel better after getting it all out through words and what better way than to blog? When blogging, you do not need to worry about deadlines, clients' needs or anything like that. It is just purely therapeutic to let it all go!

So, there you are. The 7 things I do when stressed out. If all else fail, I guess, you will be in need of the ultimate de-stress solution of all time:

Go for a holiday!

Where to find your writing muse

As a writer or author, we are pretty dependent on our muse to get the writing juices flowing and the ideas tumbling out like an endless waterfall.

So, what exactly is a muse? Contrary to what people would like to believe, especially in fantasy fiction, a muse could be anything and need not necessarily be a mysterious invisible being sitting next to you, injecting creativity and flair to your subconscious as you write.

Granted, it is a pretty good idea. Imagine, we just need to have this lucky Muse sitting next to us and we'd soon be tapping out the next Big Thing and be the next bestselling author. However, in real life, it does not work that way.

Nope. We, mere mortals, will have to depend on our own wits and ideas to find our own Muse. Or to create one, if need be.

A muse could be anything. It could be a watercolour painting your child drew for you. Or the overstuffed, comfy armchair in the den. Or the breathtaking scenery from your picture window. Or even the soothing tones of classical music. Anything at all.

You see, a muse's main responsibility is to give you inspiration. To keep your fingers tapping, your brains busy churning out beautifully creative ideas, for articles or books or blogs. Whichever area of writing that you need to get done!

A muse will come in handy to get rid of your writer's block and yes, it will definitely get your creative juices going in a jiffy. So, how do you know which item (or person, for that matter) is your muse?

Well, you don't. Sometimes your computer may very well be your muse but you didn't notice. So, you will really need to open up and build an awareness of your surroundings and things around you.

The best way to find out is when you reach one of your writer's block episodes and then move around, try various methods and trust me, you will soon find your muse and the block will be long gone!

Happy writing and may the muse be with you. ;-)

Is article marketing worth the trouble?

It takes time to write, post & submit your articles to the article directories. Considering everything else that a good Internet Marketer has to do is article marketing worth the trouble?

No!

Not if you are wanting instant traffic to your website. For instant traffic you really want to spend your resources (including money) on PPC. Of course, you stand to lose a lot of money if you don't do PPC correctly. Whereas if you write an article incorrectly it costs nothing more than the article submission software you may have purchased.

However, you don't even need article submission software to succeed with article marketing. All you need is a good list of places to submit your articles.

The advantages of article marketing are numerous.

As you write more about your niche, you build yourself into an expert in your own right within your targeted field.

Each article is like a new sales agent running through the Internet telling people about your website.

As you increase the number of writings your website has you morph your website from an entity to a resource. People are more likely to return to resources than they are just another website.

As long as you are willing to wait for your articles to mature and take root on the Internet it is indeed worth your time and resources to write articles. Especially if you use strategies like bum marketing and linking your blog and website together as one.

You don't have a blog yet? Two resources people like to use on this front are…

* Blogger.com (my own personal favorite) * WordPress.com

There are others, but if you have a website it's a really good idea to have a blog as well as blogs increase the interactive nature of your website.

Therefore, next time you ask yourself is article marketing worth the trouble? You'll know the answer.

- Guy Siverson

Benefits of being an author

Apart from the immense joy of seeing your words come to live and sitting pretty in major bookstores, being an author has the below benefits:

1. Authority - Notice how the word "author" is in Authority? That's right, being an author makes you look like an expert in the topic that you are writing about. People will look to you for answers and even quote you for related topics. Develop a name for yourself as an expert in your field. Over time, you will develop a reputation and may be sought out by others for your expertise.

2. Creative exchange - Share your creativity, opinions, talents and interests with people from all over the world. It’s wonderful to receive feedback from like-minded individuals who have connected with your words.

3. Satisfaction - It is incredibly gratifying to birth a book. From being impregnated with ideas to the end result of holding your "baby" in your hands, the journey may have ups and downs but is nothing short of exhilarating!

4. Passive income - The rewards extend to the monetary. You work hard for a while and get paid for the rest of your life. Your book royalty is like an annual bonus from a generous company...year after year.

5. Springboard - You are able to branch out to different avenues - you can organise seminars related to writing or your expert topic, be a consultant or sought-after speaker.

6. High esteem - You join the publishing industry and people hold this circle in high regard. Every year, publishers churn out thousands of books on a myriad of topics from relationships to business management which are lapped up by millions of people.

7. Build your literary reputation - Writing a well established and respected book, gives you the platform to develop a literary reputation for yourself. As your literary reputation develops, your chances of acquiring work as a freelance writer or selling your work will also improve.

8. Boost business - Link your book to your personal or business website where you sell your products or services. This will increase business and is an effective promotion of your services.

- Pearlin Seow

Writing poetry

Is no easy task

But it

Is not impossible

As long as you

Let your feelings through

Forget about

Rules

Stanzas

Rhymes

Rhythm


Concentrate on

How you feel

Describe

Express

In

Words

Expressions


All you need

Is

A spoonful of

Creativity

A bowl of

Feelings

A pinch of

Luck

And stir

With a pen

A keyboard

Anything

To get the words

Flowing


So, if you want to

Write

Poetry

Remember

There are no rules

Just feelings

Warm

Or Cold

All put on paper

Or typed into computer

Let it all go

Let it spill

And then only

Will your succeed!