Another article up at Ezine Articles . . .

How fun! Another article -- Creating Extraordinary Writing from Ordinary Phrases has been accepted by Ezine Articles.

Hubby is hard at work pushing my articles out and about, so I'm really clueless as to where all my articles have spidered (technical Google term) at this point. It's possible to see my by-line on any number of Internet sites as a result of his marketing tenacity.

The article writing is part of my self-promotion plan -- building a readership from all spectrums. For those interested in submitting to Ezine just click on that link. As an article author, you are required to open an account with Ezine. No, it doesn't cost anything. Word of warning, they do send a slew of information emails. There maybe a 'disable' function for the emails. Hubby has it set to drop the emails to us, and we're learning the ins and outs of publishing articles. Helpful information is contained in the emails, so you might want to accept them for a bit and then decide. Particularly helpful are the emails regarding Titles. Maybe they are just helpful to me, as I'm title-challenged. Just ask my critique partners. Hubby is titling my articles, but we're learning together how to pack punch into a few words and increase readership -- always a valuable tool to employ.

Is Ezine just for writers?

Absolutely not.

For my teaching friends -- pearls of wisdom from this front are always useful.
My career cronies -- time management, new sales, office negotiation, all topics that could find a home on Ezine.

Bottom line is if you know 'stuff', then writing (and publishing) an article is possible.

How to can pickles that family and friends will love.
How to repair the garage door opener without paying a professional.
10 things to know before buying a MP-3 player.

All of us, with a little age to our teeth, know things. It's called LIFE. Any number of the experiences can be shared as an article.

Not great at grammar?

Then definitely keep the Ezine Information articles coming in. Each week, valuable insights on navigating grammar waters are provided.

Bonus . . . when one of your friends asked what you've been doing . . . it's lovely to say, "Oh, just getting my articles published."

Happy writing (article or not) to you all.
It's still raining on the backporch, but we're sloshing through. Even my dog, who hates the rain, has finally conceded defeat and will take a stroll through the fat drops when Mother Nature calls. As for me, I did actually find my umbrella. Yep, it even works.
Drop by the porch again.
Until then,
~Sandra

Monday Madness . . .

Another Grammar article -- Dealing with the Comma -- picked up by EzineArticles.com. Wahoo, for me. My written word floating around the web is always a good thing. Besides, I'm a little partial to getting the use of the comma corrected. Too many extraneous commas -- missing ones for that matter -- in basic writing today. A good grammar book should be a must for all. Not, just writers! I can think of few careers into today's job market where a certain amount of writing is not required. Yet, folks by the hordes throw words at a page and assume they'll stick in the proper, punctuated order. Not hardly. So, writing grammar tips on the comma was another of my simple attempts to save the English language.

I've been hard at work through the weekend discovering a lost manuscript. CHASING DESTINY as it stands is a contemporary romance. Decent plot, good characters, dynamite backstory and strong motivation, mediocre writing. CHASING DESTINY was only my second completed manuscript, so my writing level has increased significantly since then. It's good to know that the book is salvageable, if . . . and here's the biggie, I need a suspense plot woven into the story. As all my books now fall into the Romantic Suspense category, and this book shares one of the same characters from the Donavan series, it should all be shelved together. See how positive I am? One day, when all my books hit the NYT best-seller list, I want the readers to find them all together. The difficulty I'm encountering with the suspense element is that my heroine has suffered through a painful history. Not ancient history, but recent, so it becomes a matter of how much bad luck can any individual be expected to survive. Then there's the whole coincidence issue -- contrived coincidence is always the kiss of death for realism. I must find the balance between a suspense that naturally evolves around her, without seeming to dump on her head. I've finished my read through CHASING DESTINY and brainstormed several suspense twists. Now, I'll leave it alone for a little fermentation. Maybe, just maybe, like great wine, I'll have something wonderful to pour out of the bottle of my brain.

Also, been working hard and heavy on finishing TRICKLE OF LIES. It's way past time.

My critique partners, Sherry Davis, Mary Karlik, and LA Mitchell, have submitted like crazy over the past few months, totally shaming my lack of effort. They, collectively, have received a number of 'no's, but they're closer to a 'yes' simply by their efforts of continual submission. I have a great beta reader lined up for TRICKLE OF LIES as soon as I can type The End. All said, there's no reason not to plant my fanny in the chair and write.

I'll keep you posted from the back porch.
A spurt of lovely weather has sailed into Texas. Highs today in the upper 80s. That is lovely for us.
Happy Monday to you all, and drop by the porch again.
Until then,
~Sandra

What you know and how to write it in an article . . .

Article writing 101 . . . actually, it's more like pre-101, however, it's been tremendous fun sharing a number of the writing lessons I've learned. Good writing is important for everyone -- a point I'm constantly making to my kids. Whatever the career, whatever the emphasis, everyone needs to know how to communicate, and communicating through written word is crucial. Apparently, EZine magazine thinks it's important, too, because they've accepted several of my articles regarding writing.

They sent this link: ezinearticles for my Clear and Concise Writing.

For those of you who don't think you could write an article, consider all the things that you know how to do -- there will be a lot! If you can break it down into steps, then you can become an article writer.

It's hot here on the porch -- matter of fact there is no sitting on the porch until we pull out of the 100s, 17 days so far this summer. Upswing is that it's even too hot for the mosquitoes.

Until next time
~Sandra