TheOatMeal have a poster on “when to use i.e. in a sentence”.

Check it out. You might learn something from it.

Not only it is funny, it is educational as well.

Link Love #10: When To Use I.E. is a post from: Writing Consultation

It is a slow process but it is also an important process of writing especially if you are a professional writer.

Here are a few tips to help you proofread easily.

1. Get a reliable reference book especially on Grammar. Oxford is by far the best but you can check out other sources for reliable reference books.

2. Apart from checking spelling and grammar, there are other stuff to look out for such as heading and font sizes. Be sure to ask yourself, what you want to check before you start proofreading.

3. You might want to print out a copy of your work to proofread. Some people find it easier to proofread on papers. If you have a printer, print the material, proofread and correct using a red pen, if necessary.

4. Check the font sizes. Small font sizes will increase the chances of missing out the mistakes you make.

5. You might want to consider to hop around while reading. Read from the beginning until the end seems to be the perfect way to proofread but actually by hopping around, you can increase the chances of spotting mistakes especially wrong spellings.

6. Not everyone is keen on proofreading. It is a boring job (it is true!) because you have to spend so much time reading and spotting for any mistakes. However, someone has to do the job, and if you are not up for the challenge, find someone who is willing to do the job (with a price to pay). You can get a freelance proofreader through any freelance job sites.

7. Check again! Once you are done, read through the whole material again. It doesn’t hurt although you might not be in the mood for more reading (of the same material). Still, you have to do it to make sure you have a perfect copy before publishing (99.9% no mistake).

If you have any other proofreading tips, feel free to share with us.

7 Proofreading Tips To Help You Proofread Effectively is a post from: Writing Consultation

Yes, sometimes, we are too stressed to write / too tired to write.

We can even be too tired to think about writing (what to write about…).

However, if you are stressed, try these tips to help you get back to writing easily.

1. Listen to music

2. Take a shower

3. Call a friend

4. Watch TV

5. Read a book

6. Play a game

7. Clean your room / clean your work table

8. Exercise (walk / run / jog)

9. Read jokes / watch funny videos and laugh

10. Go outside and take a walk

If none of these work, get a nap (or sleep for a long time).

To Stressed To Write is a post from: Writing Consultation

I try to leave out the parts that people skip.  ~Elmore Leonard

Writing for blogs have to be straight to the point because people skip when they are reading. They are looking for something and when they cannot find whatever they are looking for, they leave. Some of them might be kind enough to linger around so they can continue their search on your blog. Maybe you have some hidden gem somewhere in your blog that is worth checking out.

There are many blogs out there. How many can you read? This is the question to ask when you write for your own blog. Provide that your have a credible blog, surely you have a loyal fan base. This is a very tough challenge – to provide information that will keep your fans. I am having the same problem.

*Sigh* I am trying hard to be better.

The moral is to write your articles the KISS way: Keep It Short and Simple. While some articles cannot be short because you have many points to make, the most important thing is deliver your tips and ideas and not rambling about something irrelevant.

Straight To The Point is a post from: Writing Consultation

[photo credit: Andreika]

You have something you need to write. You have a deadline for a story, a news article or a press release. Something that you have already known — and it is sitting in your mind at this moment.

The problem is, you are too busy meddling with other things you don’t need.

Twitter. Facebook. Friendster. Tagged. Emails. Blogs. Gossips. Everything.

How do you eliminate all these distractions?

To be honest, I encounter these distractions often too. However, a girl must do what a girl must do.

There are two solutions.

1. Cut off your internet connection.

2. Shut down all unnecessary applications except the one that you are using to work on your article.

Yes, these are what you need to do if you want to get things done on time.

Cut Off Internet Connection.

As the title suggests, this is when you don’t need to research anything online. You have everything you need offline in order to complete your work so there is no need for internet connection at all. Otherwise, you will find yourself going back to Twitter. Facebook. Friendster. Tagged. Emails. Blogs. Gossips. Everything.

If you think that you have the power to control your desire, then you may connect to the internet at your own risks.

Shut Down Applications.

Shut down applications such as Winamp or Windows Media Player and leave only Microsoft Word or Notepad on. This will help you focus rather than messing with the songs and videos. Just like internet, these applications are distractions. We will never get started while we are still playing with these stuff.

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So, there you go, two simple and effective ways to get you started working on your project, whatever it is.

How To Get Focus In Writing Something You Don’t Need Research is a post from: Writing Consultation

In your writing career, you might be given difficult topics that you never heard of before.

Imagine having been a pro in writing about animals, suddenly you are given a topic about construction, surely you will be scared after all this is not your expertise.

This is a challenge for you, but you can overcome this by using the following steps.

Look through the article directories for more ideas.

Ezine Articles and Go Articles are good source of information to dig in and gain everything you need to know. Read up some of the articles and begin your own piece of article based on what you understand. It is not difficult at all.

Check out some free E-books on the internet.

If you can’t find what you need at the article directories, you can always look for free ebooks. There are many sources to get free ebooks on the internet for different topics. Of course the best part is they are all free of charge so you can get as many ebooks as you need.

Practice as often as possible.

This is not easy but if you have been writing often, surely you realise that the more you practice the better you can write and sometimes you don’t even need to refer to any other reference, as you can write an article based on your knowledge.

Most of the time, writing can be much easier, especially if you know where to source for information you need for your topic. Take your time when you write and never rush just to finish the work quickly so that you don’t end up with a piece of garbage.

How To Write About Something You Don’t Know is a post from: Writing Consultation

p/s: the note pad in this case is paper, not the Notepad on your computer, although you can use it if you like.

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Why you need a note pad that you can write on?

1. You need to write to get the ideas for what you are writing about.

I know these days, we are no longer a ‘writer’ logically, because we are all typing words into our PC or laptop. Technically, we are ‘typist’ but what makes us different is that we don’t just type. We type articles and stories that we create on our own.

A general typist can just type in whatever she/he is given.

2. It is much easier to organise your ideas, restructure it the way you want and arrange it accordingly.

This is simple. You draw maps, graphs or whatever you need for your ideas. Can you do this while ‘typing’?

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Wait, I can hear some of you protest of using papers.

Ok, I get it. You want to reduce the use of papers to save trees.

I am not asking you to waste the paper. You can use recyclable papers, you can recycle the papers you have used once you no longer need it and you can always save papers by using only one piece for every ideas you need.

Who says you need plenty of papers to brainstorm ideas?

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Now, I believe you are familiar with Ezine Articles. I am myself a fan of Ezine Articles.

They have come up with a special note pad that you can print out to write on.

I would recommend you to get this Ezine note pad if it is convenient for you to print it out.

Easy Tips For Writing Part Two: Write Ideas In Note Pad is a post from: Writing Consultation

This tip was given to me when I was in school.

My English teacher said,

“Writing long sentences is not wrong, but it will increase your chances of making more mistakes in terms of grammar and spelling.”

So, try to keep it short and straight forward especially if you are new to writing.

Easy Tips For Writing Part One: Do Not Write Long Sentences is a post from: Writing Consultation