If, instead, you go with the more traditional desk (and I’m not knocking the cushion because, really, it’s portable, and you can take it to a park or a friend’s house or a garden or something and have a change of scenery, which is always good), what does this space look like? Is it covered with books or bills or plants or receipts or clothes or dishes from lunch yesterday?

Have a little respect! Move that stuff somewhere else. Get a good lamp, put a picture or quote over your desk, something you won’t mind staring at a lot (there’ll be a lot of staring, trust me), tape some quotes on your monitor to inspire you (but keep an eye on these. When they seem tired because you’ve looked at them so often, put up some new ones.) Keep the area current with things that inspire you, change things up, perhaps on a monthly basis. Here are some ideas:

How about some flowers? Or a plant?

A container of your favorite pens – perfect excuse to go to Staples and buy things you don’t really need but always make you feel better having: labels, hole punch, multi-colored paper clips, blue paper, post-its shaped like flowers…I can hear those waterproof markers calling me now…

A small notebook for jottings – sometimes writing it down before it goes on the computer helps you think and write differently. Make it an attractive notebook, not a spiral with the Power Rangers on it because it was cheap. (Unless you dig the Power Rangers. Then go for it!)

A couple of books you keep going back to for inspiration – when I get stuck I grab one of a few favorite books of poetry or fiction, and look for passages I’ve underlined that might jump start my writing again.

A couple of placemats in a friendly color or pattern covering the desk area – these double as sponges when you scream ‘eureka!’ and knock over your soda in joy because you finally found the most amazing metaphor ever to describe your character’s eating habits.

Have a dictionary and thesaurus nearby. Duh.

If you keep disks of old writing – what am I saying–IF? You better hold onto those fragments and scraps of ‘failed’ writing. Are you crazy? That’s a goldmine – keep those near as well, so you can go back and look for something you might use now and don’t waste time digging in the ‘miscellaneous drawer’ in the kitchen, a box in the basement, the trunk of your car, or your ex-boyfriend’s bathroom closet. Go on, you still have the key don’t you? Go get them!

Your version of worry beads – sometimes I need something for my hands to do while I’m thinking. For some reason, this smooths things out in my head. I keep shells or stones on my desk, because sometimes I find I get anxious when things are going too well, when I’m working on a piece that is zooming along and I need to slow down a bit and make sure I don’t lose any of the ideas as they come pouring in. When it’s all falling into place I worry I might ruin it. It helps to pick up a stone and roll it in my hands and remember to take my time, listen, and stay out of my own way. This works even if things aren’t going all that well. I get great ideas when washing dishes or driving the car. Moving an object between my hands creates a soothing, repetitive motion that allows my mind to relax, consider, drift, while lightly focusing on the object. It’s a sort of meditation and it really works.

One of my favorites – cut out pictures from magazines of people that best represent what your characters look like. Or a picture of their house, the town, their cat. For example: if you’re writing a poem on Paris or winter or winter in Paris, cut out a picture that evokes the mood you’re going for. Tape these up on your monitor. Imagine your characters talking to each other. Fighting. Kissing. Imagine them walking through the streets or staring out the window of the living room. What are they thinking about? What are you thinking about? Visual representations like these can give a huge boost to your writing.

Burning some scented candles or incense – but don’t leave them to run to the store for ice cream or to put the laundry in the dryer. It would really suck if the house burned down and with it the novel you just finished, wouldn’t it? Be safe.

Dress up or down – this is the perfect time to put on the pajamas with the goldfish on them your mother gave you for Christmas. You know, the ones with the matching tank top and socks. Hey, go all out. Put a bow in your hair. Wear a festive necklace. If you’re a guy – time for the team jersey, those silk boxers your girlfriend gave you that you swore you’d never wear, a robe with a scarf at the neck, a tie tied around your forehead or the pajamas with the goldfish on them your mother gave you for Christmas. Be silly. Be weird. Why not? This is not the time for pride. It’s time to do whatever you can to get things flowing. You want to establish a good routine, and then throw something in to shake things up a little.

Try some music to get yourself in the mood – for writing! Take a few minutes to gauge how you’re feeling right now, what you might like to listen to (classical, sounds of rain or birds or the ocean, disco, rap, drumming, the original cast recording of Oklahoma!?) put the cd in and let it take you straight into your imagination.

Also, we know your tricks. Make sure you walked the dog and tivo’ed the game before you sit down. No excuses.

Now, get to it! Remember, setting the right stage for your work, using all the senses, and creating a routine for entering your space cues your brain that it’s time for writing, a habit you definitely don’t want to break.

Christine Stewart, M.F.A. is an artist-in-residence with Creative Alliance in Baltimore. She is the recipient of a Ruth Lilly Fellowship, a Pushcart Prize nominee, and has been published in Poetry, Ploughshares, and other literary magazines. To subscribe to her Real Writer newsletter, find information on mentoring and teaching services for writers, or purchase the upcoming e-book “The 30-Day Writing Challenge,” (and receive a FREE writing evaluation!), check out her website at http://www.therealwriter.com

You’ve cleared the first hurdle in commercial publishing. Whether through an agent or your own submission, the editor is interested in your book proposal (a package that included your proposal, one or two sample chapters, and your biography). The next step in this delicate dance is the Reader Report: a market feedback tool used by an editor as part of the publishing decision process.

A “reader” is someone the editor trusts for his or her commercial acumen. In other words, readers help the editor decide if your book concept is salable. The editor solicits opinions from an eclectic mix of readers, reflecting different tastes and topic viewpoints. For example, two people might be interns or editorial assistants within the publishing company; authors from an unrelated field; professionals within your industry; avid readers interested in the topic and who are friends with the editor. Typically, your proposal is sent blind to the reader, meaning that your identity is anonymous.

In a Reader Report, the editor asks questions that focus on salability and the target customer.

1. Identify the primary bookstore category.

2. What’s really new here? How is the author in touch with or slightly ahead of the market trends?

3. Does the title work? Do the title and subtitle state the book’s benefit clearly or is the customer mislead about the book’s actual premise?

4. In one catchy line, how would you pitch the book to the publisher’s sales representatives?

5. Characterize the author’s writing style. Identify sections where the author engages the reader with compelling stories or examples.

6. What are the book’s key themes and why are they intriguing?

7. Would you buy this book or recommend it? Please explain.

Upon receipt of these reports, the editor reads these responses for consistency. For example, an editor is sensitive to the following points.

1. Did the readers identify the same key themes? If so, that is a good indicator that the book’s structure will be solid.

2. How are the catchy one line phrases similar? Consistency here indicates that the author understands the primary bookstore category.

3. Do the readers buy the author’s premise? Is the reader convinced the author will deliver the book as outlined? Why or why not? The editor looks for reasons to be confident about the book’s market position before going further.

Prior to contacting you and sharing the feedback, the editor may circulate the proposal and the reports to marketing and sales colleagues for their opinions. At this stage, it is likely an informal request. A smart editor knows how to create a buzz around an exciting project. No book succeeds alone. It takes a team of people who are as passionate as the author and the editor in order to commit the financial resources required for the project.

Unless the project is competitive, patience is an author virtue at this stage. Calling the editor every day is not a winning strategy; it alienates the editor. When the editor does follow-up with you, usually within seven to 10 days of analyzing the reports, you can expect several possible outcomes.

1. For whatever reason, the editor turns down the proposal. Because it was an achievement on your part to make it this far in the process, be sure to ask for specific feedback. This is your opportunity to be curious about the publishing business and not defensive about your work. Try to put yourself in the editor’s shoes and understand his or her rationale.

2. The editor suggests substantial changes and invites you to resubmit the proposal for further consideration. The ball is now in your court. If you agree with the changes and believe these changes will make for a stronger book, you may want to agree to this request. If not, you may decide to try other publishers.

3. The editor suggests minor changes and plans to present your proposal at the next publishing board meeting. If the board (representatives from editorial, marketing, production and sales) agree to buy your book proposal, the next step is a contract offer that will be made to you by the editor.

In conclusion, readers play a critical role in the editorial decision process. This article highlights the key steps. For more information about book proposals, please see Five Key Secrets to Winning Book Proposals and The Book Proposal Submission Checklist.

C2006 Melissa A Rosati. All Rights Reserved

Thousands of booksellers and librarians found their buying decisions on reviews. But the major review journals (i.e. Library Journal and Publishers Weekly) will only review your book if you send them a bound manuscript – a.k.a. bound galley – three to four months in advance of your targeted publication date.

A galley is a compilation of unbound signature pages of your book. The contents of a galley can be photocopied or printed from your computer.

A bound galley is a galley that has been bound into book form. Bound galleys are generally produced after a manuscript has been typeset but before proofreading.

If you plan on sending out more than 25 pre-publication review copies and you do not have access to a photocopier, it may be more cost-effective to make bound galleys. This is because galley printers typically charge less per page than your local copy shop.

The majority of reviewers are content to read books in manuscript form, but it is worthwhile to get them bound in some way – a visit to your local Kinko’s® should do the trick. A small amount of reviewers do object to bound manuscripts, since they are usually more bulky than galleys.

Make sure the galley or bound manuscript includes this information
either on the cover or first page:

* title
* author
* publication date
* ISBN
* number of pages
* price
* trim size
* hardcover or softcover
* number of illustrations and/or photographs
* publisher name and contact information
* distributor name and contact information
* publicist name, address and contact information
* print something like this on the cover: “Uncorrected proof. Galley copy only. Do not quote without prior permission from the publisher.”

Electronic galleys (egalleys) are the next stride in the evolution of the printed galley. Egalleys can have the same contents of printed galleys – they are just in ebook format. Egalleys are faster, easier, and cost much less to produce than printed galleys.

Egalley invitations can be emailed to everyone you’d send a bound galley: reviewers, catalogs, libraries, journalists, resellers, Websites, bookstore buyers, and other agents of influence.

My suggestion: Use a combination of both printed and electronic galleys. Send bound galleys to the most significant reviewers while using egalleys to expand your marketing reach to independent bookstores, smaller publications, and international markets. If possible, send the reviewer/buyer the version they prefer.

© copyright 2004 Chris Willitts

About the Author

Chris Willitts is the Founder of Go-Publish-Yourself.com. For the Latest Self-Publishing Tips and Unspoken Book Marketing Secrets, visit http://www.go-publish-yourself.com. Special Gift: Be sure to get your free Self-Publishing Action Plan (it’s a $19.95 Value) when you stop by.

First they usually say something like; “I enjoy reading your articles online. You really have a nice writing style and great, practical information. Because you’re such a good writer, especially in the marketing area, I’d like to run an idea by you.”

Well that is a bunch of horse crap indeed. You see I am not a great writer, I have virtually no style and this is obviously a “form letter” pitch with no sincerity; it does not take a rocket scientists for someone to tell when someone else is “stroking you” and it sure seems petty and weak that any writer would fall for that line of BS?

But what they usually say next is something like this; “The purpose is to provide a place where people can find good quality, useful information about how to improve their lives. You and I both know there’s a lot of marketing content on the Internet. And much of it is not very useful (spam, advertising, fluff or just poor quality).”

Now then what is so ironic about this is that their pitch to the online writer is nothing more than a boiler-plate format recruitment letter they are using; that is to say that it is SPAM, Advertising, Fluff and just another poor quality pitch for weak minded followers you see? Consider this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow” – Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

The Hero’s Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the Hollywood movies we have deconstructed are based on this template.

Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters.

The Hero’s Journey:

a) Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.

b) Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.

c) Interpreted metaphorically, laterally and symbolically, allows an infinite number of varied stories to be created.

and more…

Hero’s Journey / Monomyth: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) deconstructed [basic]

FADE IN: context: Hole in wall gang; Wild West; old, silent movie.

Meeting Hero 1: Butch checks out the bank.

Hero 1 Capabilities: Butch has a sense of humour.

Meeting Hero 2: the Kid playing cards.

Hero 2 Capabilities: the Kid has a reputation as a fast shooter.

Developing Hero 1+ 2 characters and relationship: Butch and the Kid riding together to the Hole in the Wall.

Foreshadow of the Journey / Transformation: Butch wants to go to Bolivia.

Developing Hero 1+ 2 status, characters and relationship: Butch beats up Harvey and regains control.

Ordinary World and Ordinary Selves: robbing the Flier; Woodcock won’t open the door.

Foreshadow of the First Threshold: Trying to raise a posse.

Developing Characters and Relationships: Butch and the Kid in the whorehouse.

Symbol of the Ordinary World: the bicycle.

Romantic Challenge [Hero 2]: the Kid meets Etta.

Romantic Challenge [Hero 1]: Butch wakes Etta with the bicycle; the song.

Developing Characters and Relationships: what are you doing? Stealing your woman.

First Threshold: Butch and the Kid rob the Flier again.

Warning / Obstacle: Woodcock still won’t open the door.

Warning / Obstacle: blowing up the safe.

Outer Cave: the train pulls up; pursued.

Middle Cave: in the whorehouse; pursued from there.

Inner Cave: followed at night; following one horse; who are those guys?

No Going Back: asking the Sheriff what’s going on.

Belly of the Whale: realising it’s Lord Baltimore and Joe Le Fors.

Resisting the Journey / Transformation / New World New Self: I can’t jump.

Pushed to the Physical Separation: they read the paper at Etta’s.

Goodbye to the Old World: throwing away the bike.

Physical Separation: on the boat to Bolivia.

New World [of the Transformation]: Bolivia.

Trial 1: [learning to rob banks in Spanish.]

Not being able to speak Spanish whilst robbing the bank.

Etta teaching them Spanish.

Robbing the first bank in Spanish.

Doing it regularly.

New Name: Bandidos Yanquis.

Celebration: dinner

Pushed to Trial 2: seeing Joe Le Fors.

Trial 2: [getting jobs as payrole guards]

Persuading Percy to hire them.

On the way down the mountain.

Hiding from the bank in town.

Being robbed on the way up.

Meeting the Oracle: giving away the money and escaping.

Seizing the Sword: getting the money back from the Bandidos.

Near Death Experience:

They decide to go back to robbing.

Etta leaves.

Atonement with the Father: robbing the payrole; not liking jungle work.

Apotheosis: being recognised; battling the local police.

Ultimate Boon: deciding to go to Australia.

Immortalisation: the Last Stills.

Learn more…

The Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and other story structure templates can be found at http://www.clickok.co.uk/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

**********************************

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made, the author’s name is retained and the link to our site URL remains active.

This makes particularly good sense from your point of view, because, once you establish a sound working relationship with a good writer, you eliminate all that ground work in the future.

Here are the points you should cover in your detailed brief for the writer.

The sales letter: This should be as complete as possible, before the book is written. It should include every bullet point, referring to specific aspects of the book, so these can be incorporated in the outline of the book.

Writing style: As a general rule, e-books tend to be written in an informal manner, much as we speak. This will vary slightly with the subject. However, it’s true to say, any writer worth their salt will be aware of their “voice” and adjust it accordingly.

The working arrangements: I recommend you see every chapter, as it is finished, so you can check the book is shaping up in the direction you want. It’s important to set some sort of time frame for these to come to you. Bear in mind there should be an initial period, whilst research is carried out, when nothing will appear. However, much will be going on behind the scenes. Once the chapters do start appearing, you can expect them to appear more and more frequently as the muse begins to flow.

Revisions: If you carefully lay the groundwork, the need for revisions will be minimal. Do bear in mind a book is never finished and a writer, like any artist, will never be quite satisfied with their work. The more dedicated the writer, the truer this will be. Try to remember you’re paying for it all.

The first part of the book needing your approval is the Table of Contents. This should be more than just a bald list of chapter headings and outline the contents of each chapter in some detail.

Once created, and approved by you, the Table of Contents will form the outline of the book. The author should then start the first chapter, which should be sent to you for approval. You should then return this quickly with the agreed level of revisions clearly marked. If you’ve taken the trouble to have the author write a few articles beforehand, you should have few problems with either their style or content.

Despite laying the groundwork and selecting the author, your work is still not finished. You have to be:

Available: Always make sure the writer can contact you at short notice — even if it’s only a cell phone text message. If you go away, make sure they have your location and number. Make sure nothing you do hampers the work flow.

Prompt: Always deal promptly with any material sent to you for comment or revision. After all, if you don’t appear fully committed to the project, you can hardly expect the writer to maintain their enthusiasm.

Nothing sours a relationship faster than being a tardy payer, once the project is complete. So, once you’re happy with the finished book get the writer their payment without delay. Most ghost-writing sites, like Elance, have a system whereby they act as stakeholders and pay half the fee, once everything is agreed and the writer starts the project and the balance, when you signal your satisfaction with the completed material.

Flexible: If your writer comes up with an idea to improve the book, approach this with an open mind — even if it prolongs the production time or increases costs.

New students often tell me finding the time to write that first e-book, whilst they’re still on the job treadmill, is the biggest obstacle in getting their internet business off the ground. But, thanks to the global reach of the internet and the ghost writers of Elance, and other sites, it’s not a problem.

© Copyright 2005 Paul Hooper-Kelly

Paul Hooper-Kelly owns http://AutomaticMillionaires.com/ helping people achieve their dream lifestyle by creating automated websites that provide passive incomes.
Paul publishes a regular newsletter, called “Escape To Freedom”, devoted to helping create a dream lifestyle by setting up multiple streams of passive income. Grab your copy at http://AutomaticMillionaires.com/passiveincomenewsletter.html.

1. Read

Reading is essential to anyone who wants to write. In order to be able to write a good short story, you must read other short stories first. This will not only give you the motivation and inspiration for your own story, but it will also help you learn how other authors made an impression on the reader and use their style as basis to create your own style and impression.

2. Get inspired

For seasoned professionals, there is no need to obtain inspiration because thoughts naturally flow and they only have to put them into words on paper. But for novice writers, it is important to have one because it will not only help you begin your first paragraph but also keep you going throughout. Your inspiration may take the form of an object. a person, or an event that you just can’t seem to forget.

3. Conceptualize your story

Think of something you want to talk about with your readers. Let’s say you want to relate a story about a couple who fell in love with each other. What about the couple? What is it about them that you are interested to let your readers know? Focus on this idea and think of other concepts that you want to associate with this couple. Suppose the girl’s parents discommended their relationship. What about the parents? What did they do to stop the two from loving each other? This could signal a good beginning for your story. From here, you would have the notion what to write down.

4. Map out the scenes

In order to keep your writing aligned with your pre-conceived story events, it is good to briefly map out scenes of your story on a different piece of paper. Write down the possible characters of your story and list the main events in order. You don’t have to put so much detail on them because this only serves as a rough sketch of how your story will look like.

5. Chooose your point of view

Who tells the story and how it is told is very critical for a short story to be effective. The point of view can change the feel and tone of the story radically. Hence, you must decide carefully before finally resolving with the angle of vision to use for your story. But whatever it is you decide to choose as the point of view, make sure it stays constant throughout your story to maintain consistency.

6. Conceive your characters

For a short story, create a maximum of only three main characters. Too many main characters will make your story confusing since each new character will provide a new dimension for the story. Each character should be more than cardboard caricatures. Make your characters speak naturally in proportion with their traits. Make them believable but mysterious.

7. Furnish a good introduction

When you have everything planned out, start scribbling your first paragraph. Introduce your main characters and set out the scene. The scene must be some place you know much about so that you’d be able to supply the necessary snapshot for a clearly described setting. Make your introduction interesting to hold the reader’s interest and encourage them to read on to the end. It is also important to hold back significant details and the greater part of the action at this point so the mystery is kept.

8. Build up a great plot

From your introduction, draw out events that will eventually create a problem or a conflict for the main character/characters. After that, begin laying out an array of clues to keep the reader interested, intrigued and guessing. Intensify the conflict as the story moves forward. This will not only make your reader enthused to read more but will also keep them riveted to your story.

9. Show don’t tell

The characters should be the ones responsible for expressing the story through their actions and dialogue and not the writer telling the reader what is being expressed. Rather than saying, “Annette was really mad at her bestfriend Christina for stealing her boyfriend”, say “Annette felt an ache in her stomach and a strong pang of betrayal as Christina approaches her and flashes her with a sweet smile. She breathed hard trying to calm herself as she speaks with suppressed anger: “I hope you’re happy now that you’ve proven yourself as a friend.”

10. Use active verbs

Put as much life into your story as you can. In order to do this, employ verbs in the active voice in your story. Instead of saying,”The flower was picked by Johanna”, say “Johanna picked the flower.”

11. Use dialogue every now and then

Dialogue is important in bringing your story to life. Don’t just use it to pad out your characters. Use it to convey your character to identify with the reader. Use it in direct quotes like “Go there!” instead of indirect quotes as “She told him to go there.”

12. Keep references handy

A good reference such as a thesaurus or a dictionary is crucial in creating a good story. You can use them to check your spellings and to find the words which best fit your description. Instead of using one lengthy sentence or paragraph, you can utilize one or just a few words to convey what you want to say. Oftentimes, one strong word has a greater effect than a paragraph full of fancy language.

13. Conclude briefly

Conclusions are tough sledding. For a good ending, it is advisable to experiment and to add a little twist. Make your ending unique but not hanging in a loose end. Make it satisfying without making it too predictable. Keep in mind to keep it short but concise and lingering so that the reader is left with a feeling of resonance. Your conclusion should wrap up everything from start to finish.

14. Edit and revise

After fashioning the last words of your story, it is time to begin the editing cycle. Carefully go through your work and fix all your mistakes regarding sentence construction, word usage, formatting. punctuation marks, diction, spelling, grammar, and descriptive analysis. Scratch out words, phrases and even paragraphs which don’t seem to contribute to the basic elements of the story. After you’re done, let it sit for a while for days and even weeks, then edit it again. Reread your story over and over again at different occasions. This will make you see various things you may want to change to make your story shine at its best.

15. Let others proof read

Have your friends take a look at your work. They may just be able to see mistakes which you have missed. For instance, they may be distracted with some words or lines which you adore dearly. In this case, you have to decide on changing it or cutting it off completely.

Writing a short story may not be easy but it can surely be done. With some knowledge on the basic elements and some passion and patience, it’s effortless to pull together a story with just a few ideas. Just keep in mind that you’re writing not because you have to, but because you want to. Keep the spirit up! Give it a go now!

Rachelle Arlin Credo is an entrepreneur and relationship coach. She also works as an image consultant and part-time writer. Her stories, articles, essays and poetry have been published in various magazines and online publications.

What we want to do is to offer them incentives to self-nominate themselves for future contact while screening out those unlikely to actually buy our services.

If you just want to collect a lot of cards you can say, “If you’re interested in learning more about what I’ve been speaking about and would like to receive our white paper on this topic, drop off your business card in the box by the door on your way out.” You’ll get a lot of volume this way but will spend a lot of unproductive time calling the tire-kickers who will drop their card in any fishbowl they see.

That’s why I opt for an approach that focuses more on quality rather than quantity. My approach is to ask audience members to fill out a brief survey in return for receiving the white paper or other offer. Depending on the audience I’ve even offered to send individuals an audiocassette of the program if they will fill out the survey. In order to do this I simply tape record the program, duplicate it and later market the tape as a “live” presentation.

You can also use the ubiquitous evaluation form as a powerful data-gathering tool. This is an often-overlooked opportunity. For example on my evaluation form, I try to get a variety of data. First are the more commonly asked questions about what did you think about the program, what was most beneficial and what do you wish there had been more time for?

Good information to get, but the answers don’t directly help me build my business. Thus, I also ask if you would be interested in any of my other services such as coaching or training. I also ask if you would be interested in having this program conducted in-house at your company. Finally, I ask for names of other people I should contact regarding my services.

Let me make one point about follow up. If you don’t call people who fill out the survey form within two weeks, the entire effort is for naught. You will not get any business unless you follow up with prospects. It’s as simple as that. No more than two weeks and ideally within one week.

Mark Satterfield is the creator of the Gentle Rain Marketing System: How to Generate a Consistent Flow of New Clients. Quickly & Easily. With No Cold Calling. Find out more:
http://www.gentlerainmarketing.com/product_bootcamp.html

I understand that many students ask this question simply because in their own experience they have always been presented with two main scenarios, and nothing in between. They want to know where they are going to be standing as regards their learning.

Which are those two scenarios? Well, in one extreme we have those language courses that teach grammar almost exclusively, as if preparing the students to be grammarians of the second language rather than users. in the other extreme we have those “communicative” courses in which the only thing that is done is to talk about something or to read an article and comment on it. In many cases, what is seen in one class has no resemblance to what is done in the next.

In my experience, both scenarios may seem good for very specific purposes but I personally feel both are inappropriate for most language learners. For starters, by itself, a good command of the grammar of a language does not imply that the person is able to communicate effectively, as we usually see with students who have only been exposed to an all-grammar-oriented approach sometimes for many years. Many could recite the grammar by heart but if asked to express basic information, they would hesitate too much and browse through all the grammar rules in their heads before making an utterance or simply dry up.

Secondly, just talking in class without anything else done in order to learn from the actual conversation is not good enough either. It may be helpful of course, but up to a certain point. This approach may be more useful for very advanced students who just need to brush up their second language but for those in need of building up the foundations of a new language, it is certainly too vague and flux, without any consistency.

So then, when asked: “is grammar really important for a second language learner?” I always say “yes,” but, the real question, or issue here is not whether grammar is important or not but rather how we should present grammar to our students. You may be surprised to hear that most of my own students, even advanced ones, have very little awareness of grammar jargon and terminology, in spite of the fact that they can make a pretty good use of the second language. “How is that possible?” you may ask. First and foremost, teachers need to know precisely what they are trying to prepare their students for. I do know that what I want is to “create” users of a new language.

I want to prepare people to actually engage in communicative situations using appropriate language and patterns. I am not definitely interested in their explaining to me or making a mental list of all the grammar uses that a certain pattern has.

For example, think of your own native language. Name all the tenses that you can find in your own native tongue with their corresponding uses and structures. Unless you are a teacher, a translator or someone who needs to have a very good grasp of this meta-language, more likely than not you may feel at a loss to answer that question. And that does NOT mean in any sense that you are not a terrific user of that language. After all, you can understand and express whatever you want with ease. What is more, by being able to do so, you show an awesome command of the internal grammar of the language. If you knew no grammar patterns you would not be able to make a single sentence but you can. This means that although you may lack the conscious ability to describe how your language works (i.e. its grammar) you can use it perfectly. You are a user of the language. You make a perfect use of the grammar of your native language intuitively or unconsciously.

Again, our primary goal as second language teachers must be to create users or the language, not linguists! It escapes the aim of this article to describe how we can achieve this but basically we are going to name the main elements to consider to create “language users.”

To begin with, it should be noted that whatever we present our students with should follow a progression from the very general meaning to the very specific pattern or structure we want them to learn (or that they need to learn of course) I would like to highlight that all this takes place within the same class

Before we start to use the material we have selected, it would be good to introduce the students to the topic you are going to work on. They can have them guess or infer what the material will say about it, they can make predictions and when they fail to use appropriate language, you may provide it. This is good to elicit vocabulary that may be necessary for them to know in order to understand the topic. After you have created curiosity in the topic and provided students with key terms on the topic, make sure you follow a progression such as the one that follows:

1) Provide them with exposure to real language and real situations IN CONTEXT.

2) Initial focus on gist, not form

3) Focus on more specific meaning.

4) We can then focus on very specific meaning

5) Analysis and systematization: after we make sure the students have a good understanding of the whole material, you can have them focus on particular items or patterns that may be important for them to learn at their stage (i.e. grammar) You can systematize it more formally and teach them how it works. After all, they have already seen it in practice and they have also worked around meaning, now it is time for them to learn how to use it.

6) Give them exercises for them to practice the new structure. Do not be afraid of using grammar drills and patterns. They could be VERY useful for them to fix the new structures in their brains.

7) Give them homework to force them to revise this at a later time. The homework does not necessarily need to be communicative in nature. Profit from the time in class to communicate and interact. If possible, avoid drilling activities while you are with them in class. However, the time they are on their own could be very well used to do all the drilling and rote practice that may prove useful for them to gain a good command of the grammar form you are trying to teach them. Personally I feel that the time in class must be used for providing learners with as many communicative situations as possible, rather than making them focus on drills and patterns that they could easily practice on their own.

Provide them with ample opportunities to practice what they have learned in REAL or REALISTIC communicative situations. Create situations so that they can make lots of mistakes and encourage them to improve on them by reminding them of what they have studied.

9) Recycle and mention the topic again as many times as necessary, time and again.

This is essential for them to finally acquire the new structures in a natural way.

As you can see, I am not condemning grammar at all as some readers may feel when in my articles I complain about teachers working almost exclusively with a grammar-oriented approach. On the contrary, I feel it is essential in order to master a language. However, how grammar is presented to the students is what really matters. I utterly disagree with those teachers who come to class and tell the class: “open your books. Today we will learn the “Simple Present Tense.”"

In the suggested steps to follow in any class, you will have noticed that I have used a quite eclectic approach, starting from a communicative situation (steps 1-4) with the focus on understanding the message from the gist up to very detailed info and later, and only later, once meaning is clearly understood, we reach the grammar item we may need our students to learn at their stage. The obvious advantage of this approach is that while dealing with grammar, the students will have a clear idea of the context in which it was used and the communicative need it satisfied.

Julio Foppoli is a teacher of English as a Second Language, teacher of Spanish as a Second Language. He is also the creator and owner of http://www.esaudio.net/Spanish/online_classes.html, an online educational website with a technological edge, specialized in the teaching of Spanish as second language via audio-conference to native speakers of English from all over the world.

I’m trying desperately to learn what it takes to become an author.

First; I figure that you should probably have an interest in writing or at least be good at it. Then, when you write, people can feel your passion about a particular subject matter. There’s nothing worse than reading something that doesn’t hold the reader’s attention with good quality content. Also, once you have an article published it is one of the fastest and easiest ways to build your credibility as an industry expert. At the end of each article you are given the opportunity to gain free exposure for your online business or affiliate program by including your website link. Not a bad tradeoff for your time.

Second; I figure that you have to know how to organize your thoughts into an outline form on a page. Your thoughts have to flow from one logical thought to the next. You have to explain or describe what you want the reader to visualize. Most of the articles out there are nothing more than an abstracted sales pitch or material that does not contain any valuable information, therefore it is useless to the reader. The best way to get your article completely read, is to educate and inform the reader. Any good article should be educational to the reader and have some sort of value. If you can’t sell your article to yourself, then don’t publish it.

Third; I figure that you have to work at developing each thought into something of interest to your reader. If you publish a poorly written article, then people will not read it. This will have an impact on your credibility and on any future articles you publish, so do it right the first time by educating them. You must work on the format so that it’s as friendly as possible.

I know there are books you can read and study to learn more about the art of creative writing. But, I still think that it comes from within ourselves. Everyone has the ability. But, you still have to be a creative person at some level on the inside.

Man, this is tough for me. I hope that I don’t run out of something intelligent to say before I get to the end of this article. Actually, this has been a good learning experience for me.
I never thought that I could pick a topic and develop it into an entire article. I really chose this subject because it was something that I had a challenge with. Frankly, its been fun!

Just think… People are really going to read what I wrote! That’s both amazing and exciting. Most of us have something to say, but never get a chance to express it. Maybe, because you were told that you couldn’t write or aren’t good at it you haven’t really tried.
You’ll never know until you try.

If I can do it – Then you can do it!

D.S. Mueller

http://www.moneyinyourwallet.com

I am proud to submit my 4th article.