Posts Tagged ‘ghostwriting’

Tips for Writing a Fiction Book (Part Three)

Monday, February 9th, 2009

The first tip for writing a fiction book highlighted how outlining your novel can help develop ideas, while the second tip focused on added character development. This last tip will emphasize how to flesh out your novel with subplots.

Building Depth

Creating supplementary stories to your main storyline really helps to engage readers by giving your novel depth (as opposed to a boring, linear story). Also, it allows you to put your characters into situations that vary from the central plot which can enhance certain attributes or demonstrate a different side of your characters.

Unless you’re creating a children’s book, readers want complexity and substance that will make them question characters’ motives and actions. By having a subplot or two, it supplies an opportunity for your characters to expand out of their conventional element into situations where they can display more personality or abilities that wouldn’t be possible within the structure of the main plot.

Make it Connect

Of course, one of the major concerns is not to letting your subplots dominate your novel or water down the central plot. Subplots are meant to supplement, not supplant. Likewise, subplots need to be well-developed or they might take away the reader’s attention as they ask, “Why was that in there? What was the point of that?”

So, the trick is making the subplot secondary (which is what it’s supposed to be) to the main storyline, but at the same time making it relevant enough to have in the first place.

Conclusion

I hope that the three-part series of tips for writing a fiction book were helpful. As always, I’m interested in hearing what you think. Do you have additional tips for novelists? Feel free to write a comment below.

Ghostwriting Service - Copy Editing Service
Luis D. Bonilla
luis@wordszilla.com
Wordszilla, LLC

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Pros and Cons of Hiring a Ghostwriter

Monday, February 2nd, 2009

If you are looking to hire a ghostwriter, your selection could seem endless. Do you want to hire by price or by quality? Is there a way to get both? Do you want the ghostwriter to have English as their first language? Does the ghostwriter’s voice matter? Are they proficient (or at least familiar) with the topic I need written?

After you take a quick inventory of what you need completed by a ghostwriter, make a pros and cons list that will aid in your search. Doing so will allow you to get an idea of how much a ghostwriter can help with your writing project…or it can reveal that you might not benefit from having someone ghostwrite for you. The following is a small list to get you started.

Pros

  • Save Time: If writing isn’t your niche, think of what you could be doing with your time (i.e., promoting your project, finding a publisher, etc.).

  • A New Voice: It has happened to all of us at one point or another; we know what to say, but don’t know how to make it sound quite right. The appropriate ghostwriter can help you sound more professional, laid back, humorous…anything that you need your project to be.

  • Support: Having someone who is proficient in writing is a great luxury when you need new ideas for your project. A good ghostwriter will be constructive and encouraging with your written project, allowing for a completed work that is acceptable to you.

Cons

  • If English Isn’t the First Language: Although there are some rare exceptions, when a writer’s native tongue isn’t English, you can sense it in their writing. Make sure you know who you’re hiring and what quality (if any) you’ll be sacrificing.

  • Royalties/Contracts: Some ghostwriters prefer (or require) some type of royalties for subsequent sales of the book or writing project. This may be okay if you don’t want to pay a lot upfront, but it could be more than you’re willing to pay in the long run should your manuscript sell many copies. Be sure you know the boundaries of your ghostwriting contract.

  • Pricing is Too Low or High: C’mon, are you really expecting brand new, articulate work that is written by an experienced professional for about $3 a page? How about a 300-page self-help book written in three months for $10,000? Personally, I would steer clear of the “dollar menu pricing” ghostwriters (lack of quality) and the “my pen writes with liquid gold…really, that’s why I charge this much” ghostwriters (lack of…reality?).

(Note: There are ghostwriters that have attained “pen writes with liquid gold” status, but it is far from the norm, in my opinion.)

Ghostwriting Service - Copy Editing Service
Luis D. Bonilla
luis@wordszilla.com
Wordszilla, LLC

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What’s Up, Wordy? (Number Three)

Monday, January 26th, 2009

I only have one really good question to answer this time around (I’ve been bombarded with spam comments and emails). Until questions from readers increase, I’ll probably just answer the best available question.

Q. What is the difference between your custom writing service and your ghostwriting service?
—Anonymous, USA

A. For those that want a more in-depth description of the custom writing service, you may visit our main website. Basically, this service is divided into two parts: a rewrite and full creation.

Wordszilla’s rewrite service is for those that have existing content and/or ideas, but need assistance finalizing or professionalizing their text. I would say it is an enhancement of your concept.

The full creation writing service works best for those that do not have anything developed and require ideas along with creative, customized text. The client doesn’t have to provide any information, and we will research and create the concept ourselves (although the client is more than welcome to provide ideas and insight). The writing projects that fall into this category are website text, blogs, online articles, product reviews, and other similar content.

Now, the ghostwriting service is geared toward books (i.e., non-fiction, autobiographical, self-help, etc.), articles, or other texts that will require extensive research and a verbal interview with the client, as well as other unforeseen specifications desired by the client. I, as the ghostwriter, will work more closely with the client to ensure that the project stays focused.

Closing

As always, comments and questions are welcome. You may leave them on this blog post below or email us at feedback@wordszilla.com.

Ghostwriting Service - Copy Editing ServiceLuis D. Bonilla
luis@wordszilla.com
Wordszilla, LLC

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Guest Interview: SEO Web Design Company

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

New Shoe MediaThis week’s guest interview features Claye Stokes, owner of New Shoe Media (a business affiliate with Wordszilla). The following interview was conducted via email and covers topics related to SEO (search engine optimization), website design, and website copy.

The Goods

Luis Bonilla: What is the difference between a traditional website design company and New Shoe Media, an SEO web design company?

Claye Stokes: In my experience, many web designers have a tendency to cut corners when it comes to website development to save time and cut costs. Anyone who visits the website, including their client, doesn’t see the code anyways, so why spend time making the website standards-compliant? In the case of your nephew’s friend who can set up a quick website for free, he probably isn’t familiar with industry standards or search engine guidelines.

The unfortunate side effect is a website with sloppy HTML that is difficult for search engines to parse, or a website that uses Flash and JavaScript improperly, blocking search engines from the useful and important content that the website has to offer.

New Shoe Media emphasizes clean, lightweight code—the kind that search engines love. My websites also emphasize usability, with intuitive navigation structures and hierarchies, and design elements. Websites are useless if, 1) they aren’t getting any traffic, and, 2) when the traffic arrives, the website doesn’t offer a user friendly experience. My websites are the answer to both problems: my content-centric, search engine friendly websites will offer organic search engine traffic and are easy to navigate and use.

LB: What would you say are the top two most important aspects when building an SEO-friendly website?

CS: First and foremost: how content is displayed on the website. Website copy should never, ever, be displayed using frames, Flash, JavaScript, or images. Although each has their place, none is meant to display text (i.e. use Flash for animations and calls to action and use JavaScript to enhance usability). Instead, use simple, semantic HTML markup to display content and to make it easy for search engines to index and rank your content.

Usability is a close second. Google’s Webmaster Guidelines specifically state “make pages primarily for users.” Offer content that will benefit and add value for your visitors, don’t just try to sell. The usefulness of your website and content will determine how many links and attention your website will receive, so make content writing and construction one of your top priorities when building a website. You may even want to survey some of your visitors to ask if the content on your website is what they expected and/or needed, and make any necessary adjustments.

LB: Do you feel that anyone could write SEO-friendly copy (text) for a website? Why or why not?

CS: Well…yes and no. Search engines are intended to find the best content on the Web that is related to your search query, period—no matter who the author or what the content. So in that sense, then no. If you are an expert in your field, then whatever you write will probably be perfect.

However, it’s important to use buzzwords and keywords that people would use to search for your content as much as possible (while keeping the verbiage on the site natural and flowing). So, if you are in a competitive industry or if you aren’t completely familiar with the subject you are writing about, then it would be wise to hire a professional SEO content writer to optimize your copy and to research and implement copy based on the keywords that people are using most to find what you offer.

LB: You told me once in conversation that one of your biggest obstacles when constructing a website is waiting for your client to provide written content. What are some reasons you feel this occurs?

CS: I think it’s a combination of a couple things. First of all, I feel that my clients are surprised that they are in charge of providing the content. They need a website and just want somebody to make it, and they expect it to be a package deal: I pay for it, you make it, top to bottom. So I think that from the onset, they are normally unprepared to provide content, and it just takes time for them to formulate and construct the content for the website. I consult them on making good content from the sideline, but they are the experts in their field and will come up with much more useful, relevant content than I ever could.

And the second reason: I work most frequently with small business owners who have companies to run, so delay in receiving the content is just due to the many hats they wear that sometimes spread them thin.

LB : In your professional opinion, are the aesthetics of a website more important than the written content of a website? Equally important? Does it matter?

CS: I touched this lightly in the first question, but I believe they are equally important. Like I said, websites have to have good content that will provide natural traffic, but what good is it if it isn’t navigable or if it looks shoddy, unprofessional, or unexpected? As David Ogilvy put it, “You cannot bore people into buying your product; you can only interest them in buying it.” Use design to show off your professionalism, brand, and personality. First impressions are important, so try to impress the visitors who are coming to your site for the first time.

And returning to the importance of the written content: make it so useful that your visitors will want to link to it. Make it so remarkable they will share it; make it factual so that they will cite it in their blogs, articles, and reports. Finally, make it relevant so that search engines will deem it worthy of great rankings.

Interview Summary

Thank you Claye for a very elaborate and informative interview. I really enjoyed your answer on making the website for users. I feel that sometimes the optimization process can overshadow the user-friendliness aspect of a website, and that it is important to realize that the website should be built with navigation (and being informative) in mind.

As always, please feel free to leave a response or ask questions.

Ghostwriting Service - Copy Editing Service
Luis D. Bonilla
luis@wordszilla.com
Wordszilla, LLC

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