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If a story’s central purpose is to show a certain kind of person in a particular kind of situation it will have something revealing to say about the nature of all men or the relationship of human beings to each other or nature. That generalization that arises from the specifics of the story is the theme.

The theme is like a plot. It may be stated at great length or briefly. The theme can be stated in a single sentence or it may need a chapter for more clarity. In a short story you can use one sentence, but pick the central insight that explains the greatest number of elements in the story and relates them to one another. However, using a one sentence statement will necessarily leave out a great part of the story’s meaning.

A good story will give us many insights into life and the object of the interpretive writer is not to state but to show and make the theme vivid to the reader. The author delivers to the senses, emotions,and our imagination. Unvisualized it is a dry desert without water or life. The writers first duty is to reveal life. He is wary of “explaining” to the reader, as some people spoil a good joke by explaining it. The author writes to interpret some segment of humanity to his readers.

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Some people, especially students look for a “moral” in everything they read. And occasionally a theme of a story can be expressed as a moral principle without doing damage to the story. However, the word “moral” is too narrow to fit the kind of insight provided by a first rate story. The word “moral” is better avoided in a story that displays human character. The word “theme” is better for several reasons. It is less likely to cloud the fact that the story is not a preachy sermon.

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The person who seeks a moral in every story is likely to simplify the theme by reducing it to some platitude like, ” Be kind to animals.” or “Look before you leap.” The purpose of the interpretive writer is to give us a greater awareness and understanding of life and insight into our existence as human beings. In getting to the message of the story, it is better not to ask, What does this story teach? but What does this story reveal? The story may reveal some insight that we had not had before and expand our horizons, or it may make us feel some truth that we know but have not felt emotionally. The writer performs a service for us-interprets life for us-whether he gives us new insights or merely refreshes old ones.

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The structure of the short story has not changed for hundreds of years: beginning, middle and end; the form has remained a significant event given closure.  The variations that can be created from this structure and form are nearly infinite.  How is this possible?  Let’s just explore the variations in one significant event.

I’m sure we can all agree that the end of a relationship is a significant event.  My argument is that this one significant event can yield numerous ideas for the writing of several short stories, all of them different.  How?  Let’s list a few. 

The end of a marriage.  The end of a friendship.  The end of employment.  The end of a firmly held belief.  The end of a political association.  The end of a love affair.  The death of a parent.  In essence, these can all be seen as relationship stories.

And to add even more variations, each one of these stories could have a happy ending.  Or a sad ending.  Or an inspiring ending. 

It all depends on your imagination and skill as a writer.  Remember, we got all these writing ideas from one significant event: the end of a relationship.

That’s how for a writer a little can go a long way.  You feel you don’t have enough ideas to write about.  Surely you have ten basic ideas.  That’s all you need.  Ten will keep you busy writing for a life time.

Whenever you feel short of ideas for writing articles, read. Read old Triond articles from your friends, their friends, or those you might find using the Explore feature provided on the Triond menu. Once you start reading, you will notice that every article is brim full with ideas. Reading a single article gives me so many ideas, I usually have to make a list to keep track of them.

Just as obviously, many of those ideas will never be realized by me, maybe because I find an article has already covered that special item and there is not a lot or even nothing to add to that. Sometimes, I find a theme needs so much explaining that is has to be split down into manageable chunks. And sometimes I am just not happy to find all the information I find is necessary to do justice to what I want to write about.

And an article doesn’t necessarily have to be about the newest book or publication. A good article may be written about our best poets or authors from centuries past and still be a valuable read with a relevant message. One such article is The Choices of Romeo and Juliet: It Was Not Fate But Human Error by Routledge.

My second choice is again an example to show that an article doesn’t have to contain the newest news, but solid information is a help: Pascal’s Triangle Created by Blaise Pascal by larcha 51. Writing about science may seem to be less creative (which it isn’t) than writing poetry, but it certainly has the advantage that your article is timelessly interesting to anybody researching a theme.

If you are a cook, there are so many possibilities what you could write about. Take this example: Affordable Fall Meals by Laurie Byrne Smith.

There are articles that will attract readers in a revolving yearly fashion: Writing about seasonal goods or festivals means they’ll lay dormant until they are in season again: Too Old for Trick-or-treating? by Holly Sendy. When you write about seasonal events, browsing with the Explore button will be very rewarding and you’ll end up with many links you might want to include in your article.

Finally, the very first poem of one of my favourite writers, a person who astonishes me time and again with her articles, stories, and poems: My Love by lindalulu. Her portfolio is well worth your time and energy to browse and read.

What it all comes down to: Triond is family; therefore make use of all the information that has already been stored. Use the site’s many features, link to your friends to make it easier for readers to follow up on information, and get inspired by what everybody has been writing so far. Taking your ideas from articles written earlier is no crime, and these articles will inspire you to write new and interesting stuff for people to read.

When you write for Associated Content the only thing you need is the URL and your login details. Even I can remember at least one of these. When you want to get published with a publication, you need a contact point to begin with.

I present, for your consideration, the Writer’s Handbook 2010. Edited by Barry Turner and described by The Times as ‘The book no writer should be without’.

The book describes itself as ‘The complete guide for all writers, publishers, editors, agents and broadcasters’ it contains an extensive directory of publishers, literary agents, magazines, poetry presses, broadcasters and many more. It also lists various competitions and educational courses.

The index is easy to search by genre or by name. With a list this large, you’re likely to find the publication or organisation you look for and several more in that genre. The more you talk to the better your chances of getting published.

For each listing there is a contact point for submitting articles and most have some background information on the publication or organization itself. Many have advice for the kind of content to submit and how to go about it; you can even find information on payment.

The beginning of the book features an introduction by Barry Turner and nine more informative articles of advice for the budding or established writer. The articles themselves are done by winners of a competition from the previous edition. By buying this edition, you have the chance to be published in the next edition.

By buying the book you also get access to the website which gives you more resources, news and a digital version of the listings. On that note, Associated Content is not included in the list of online resources.

It’s not that you can’t find this stuff online or in the publications themselves. But this can save you a lot of legwork, give you some great advice and maybe even some inspiration.

At $29.95 RRP it may be the best investment you make as a writer, besides perhaps a notebook and pen.

It seems to me that written language allows writers to not only identify our joys and hopes but also our fears and demons.  I really don’t know if this is true.  I’m just doing some thinking on the page.

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I always tell people that I suffered two traumas in life: my father beating my mother and Vietnam.  By the time I was 18 and able to sign myself into the army my father had not hit my mother in maybe five years.  I still didn’t want to be around him.  Children don’t forget.

Back in the USA, after Vietnam and living on my own, I would find myself up at 2:00 AM drinking beer and writing furiously with one of several pencils in one of my many notebooks.  I wanted desperately to be a writer and to get published.  I wrote about war and domestic violence among other things.  You know, what you would expect a male in his early twenties in the late 60s and early 70s to write about: booze, sex and rock and roll.  I didn’t do drugs.

What I’m trying to get at is that I think very often we writers use writing to identify those things in our lives that we need to grapple with.  Writing allows us to do this.  It comes out in the articles we write, in the content we produce.  No matter how we try, we cannot fake what is bothering us.

My argument is, we writers are not just putting words down on paper.  Obviously, it can go much deeper than that.  Not always.  But enough times where we may even help to heal the reader.

I’ve taken a bit of a hiatus from Triond to explore some other online writing opportunities. Of all the sites that I’ve dabbled with so far, I believe Suite101 has the most to offer in terms of what a writer gets out of the experience monetarily and otherwise.

Application Process at Suite101

To be a writer at Suite101, you must apply. The application process requires that you describe yourself and then submit two writing samples of 600 words maximum.

It appears that the application has been simplified a bit since I applied. When I applied, I had to also list my publication credits and what topics I was interested in writing about for Suite101. I had to describe how how my experience qualified me to write on these topics.

Tips for Being Accepted as a Suite101 Writer

I’m a newbie on Suite101, but from hanging out a bit on the site, I have some unofficial recommendations for being accepted as a Suite101 writer.

Suite101 does not accept every writer who applies, so some strategizing is in order. I would suggest that you include your publication credits in your application. Suite101 loves to see professional writing experience. They also tend to favor writers who are working on or have earned a degree. List any schooling you have.

For your writing samples, I would include professional samples written in the third person (no “I,” “you,” “we”). Suite101 articles are all written in the third person. It would also be good to include articles in which you cite your sources since Suite101 requires that all Suite articles include sources.

Writing the First Article for Suite101

I found writing my first article for Suite101 to be a bit daunting. I think I spent about 10 hours on it. It took me so long because I was trying to learn and apply the principles from the Suite101 handbook that all writers must follow.

Your first article at Suite101 is carefully reviewed by an editor. The editor flags the article for issues that you must resolve before the article goes live. My first article was flagged because it was too long. The editor suggested I break it into two articles. She also suggested improvements for my use of keywords and asked me to cite my sources. Suite101 likes all articles to link to two external sources (other credible websites, books, and so on) and two internal sources (Suite101 articles).

After your first article goes live, your subsequent articles go live immediately. The editors review these subsequent articles after they have been published. If they find problems, they will flag them and you will have to go back and revise them. So far I’ve written 12 articles for Suite101. In addition to the flags on my first article, I’ve had one other article flagged. I’ve found that the editorial flags have been worthwhile and have helped me improve my online writing.

Suite101, a Professional Site with High Standards

I am very impressed with the professionalism of Suite101, and I wholeheartedly recommend them first and foremost because of this. Suite101 takes online writing very seriously and has high standards. They employ professional editors, who take an active interest in writers and help them to improve their skills. Suite101 also has a great community of writers, who are passionate about writing and about helping one another. I have learned more at Suite101 in a few months about being a successful online freelance writer than in my previous six months of writing online by sort of winging it.

Learning the Art of Writing Online at Suite101

Suite101 has many resources to help new Suite writers. There is an extensive Learning Hub, with tutorials on where to find images, how to write SEO keyword phrases, how to write good titles for articles, how to generate revenue, how to promote articles, and so on. The Suite101 forums are also especially useful for new online writers to get tips and advice from seasoned writers.

Payment at Suite101, Pros and Cons

Now on to what most writers who apply to write for Suite101 want to know: how much does the site pay? Well, payment on Suite101 isn’t quite as straightforward as pay-per-page-view sites. Suite101 pays solely on ad clicks. In other words, it doesn’t matter how many people read your article; it only matters how many ad clicks your articles get.

Payment by ad click alone has its pros and cons. Writers do not necessarily have to get a high volume of traffic to their articles to earn money on Suite101. However, writers must be cognizant of what types of articles generate ad clicks. For instance, articles that do well on Triond might not do so well on Suite101 because of the way payment work. My cat humor articles do well on Triond, but probably would not fair well on Suite101 because people looking for a laugh probably aren’t looking to click on an ad to buy something.

To do well on Suite101, it is imperative to use the Google Adwords Keyword Tool to research keywords, research that includes the competition for ads, CPC (cost per click) for ads, number of monthly searches, and so on. There is a big learning curve. However, the skills that you learn on Suite101 can translate into your writing on other sites. This knowledge can come in especially handy on Triond since Triond has now integrated with Google AdSense.

The Bottom Line About Suite101

Some writers on Suite101 are doing very well. It was recently disclosed that one writer, Lena Gott, recently earned $5,000 in one month. Other writers are earning enough to pay for their mortgages each month. The site has great potential for those who stick with it and pour in the time and energy needed to learn the ropes of successful online writing.

Suite101 also offers perks for writers who stick with them. All writers must sign a contract to produce 10 articles every three months. Writers earn a 10 percent bonus on all earnings after they publish 50 articles. Writers who are promoted to Feature Writer status earn an additional 20 percent bonus on all earnings. Feature writers specialize in one particular topic area, and must produce a certain amount of content for that area, but are also free to publish in other topic areas.

I definitely recommend Suite101. Nevertheless, time will tell if I will reach the level of success on the site I would like to. For now, I’m content increasing my earnings by a few pennies each week, and I’m anxiously awaiting the day I will reach the $10 payment threshold.

If you write for Suite101, please post a comment sharing your experience.

Readers may also enjoy reading about my experience on Associated Content, Constant Content, and Demand Studios.

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Without inspiration a writer is as good as an empty keg of beer at a frat party.  If a writer writes only when inspiration strikes that writer won’t write much.  That’s because if a writer writes long enough a bad idea may turn into another, better idea.  Do you see where this article is going?

Online writing is tough.  Especially online writing for money.  But a writer won’t have much online success if the writer doesn’t keep writing.

It’s a good feeling to feel creative.  It’s a good feeling to produce content that someone else wants to read.  Making a long term commitment to writing has benefits.  Making money from writing is just one of the benefits.

Money is mentioned a lot in this article.  I think about money a lot.  But if money had been my reason for writing I would have given up being a writer years ago.  So I guess I don’t write for money, but I sure like it when my writing makes money. 

Do what you have to do to keep writing.

 Much of the problem behind the need to be a good speller is what effects convention. Is one doing this to break away from the standards that have been set before and looking for alternative writing modes such as writing phonetically? A recent test has shown that readers can make out many words that are purposely misspelled because of the latest trends to write according to the sound of the word but that does not help to solve the problem of languages laden with words that have the same pronunciation and meaning but are considered correctly spelt in American or British English circles. One then has to alter ones spelling to fit one genre or the other because of the likelihood of coming across a British editor who will refuse American spelling which is not his standard.

Imagine you are going to submit a manuscript to an editor who you know will view and criticize your style, form and presentation. Do you think he will just settle for two of the three items? You may come across as someone that has organized your work well in terms of having a good opening line, body and conclusion but if the spelling is inferior how can you expect him to find readers that will appreciate your work? One has to choose the road of least resistance when it comes to submitted work so that it will touch as wide a reading audience as possible.

 This is not to say that one has to be a perfect speller to be a successful writer; it merely means that good spelling is essential when wanting to create the image of knowing what you want to want to write and being able to put your message out in a way that is the most appealing. So action comic book writers will be more concerned with exclamations, explicatives and short sentence forms and their spellings than the saga writer who has to develop a more descriptive style in order to transport the reader into the world he wants to portray. Each writer is responsible for the spelling of those catchwords and phrases that the reader identifies with!  I would think that is spelling were inferior in any of these genre, the reader would eventually be turned off and would just prefer to watch a video versions

Many novice writers, who will use abbreviations in their texts or write phonetically because that is a current trend, forget that appearance is dear to the minds of editors, scriptwriters, playwrights and other writing professionals. Years ago this writer and language coach learned that if he wanted to write effectively, he had to use the long form and that meant the abbreviated form of negations would be kept for oral speech. Today there are editors out there that consider such abbreviations just as bad as spelling mistakes.

Today much of the email language has been condensed and abbreviated as we used to abbreviate messages to be sent as telegrams. This has become an effective means of communication between colleagues but try to submit such a writing form to someone who you want to impress or show off your writing ability to express yourself effectively. The writer risks not being taken seriously by any scientific journal, book review or other media that has kept up a higher standard of content and spelling, that both go hand in hand.

To the native speaker, writing in such condensed forms does not imply spelling errors necessarily but to the new language learner, shorten or clipped words are often confused with other words and abbreviations are confused as the only way of talking and writing!

 I think I can extend the argument on the critical need of putting out proper lyrics to be communicated efficiently; writing those lyrics ineptly with spelling errors is a good way to turn off serious music composers who also depend on the word to be an effective means of getting a tune across. Improper spelling could mean a mispronunciation by a musician and contribute to an effective line of music. Obviously instrumentalists won’t have to worry about any words except the ones on their compact disc jackets.

One simply has to examine some of the great speeches made to address important political and social events. Those people would not have gone very far reading those speeches had there been a slew of spelling errors. The public in turn would have mocked the reader and his message would have had less impact.

So the importance of proper spelling is not only key in getting to get your work read among the people in the write places but also affects the manner of presenting yourself to those people. Improperly spelt cover letters that are not poorly written will mean your manuscript will not get read. Taking the cover letter for granted will not get you in the front door but if you do mange to coerce somebody into reading your opening letter, once he sees that the same lackadaisical manner is present in your first book he will not go very far and you will be burning your bridges.

Lastly one simply has to examine some of the great speeches made to address important political and social events to appreciate effective writing skills including spelling. Those people would not have gone very far reading those speeches had there been a slew of spelling errors. The public in turn would have mocked the reader and his message would have had much less impact than they did.

Efficient spelling then goes hand in hand with the effective writing styles, composing good lyrics, making effective speeches and getting your message across with the public. It is an accepted accompaniment to effective oral and listening skills, which contribute to better communicability. If one stops to consider this as a decent means of writing properly one is putting a damper on communicating effectively.

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If you find an event in history you want to write about. Write it as creative non-fiction. Writing about history as a novel is like looking through a mirror darkly. Bring your story to life by making it more dramatic through descriptive dialog, scenery, and character. Do your research and arrange your material as looks best to you. Look at every sentence and see how you think it will appear to your reader. Don’t worry too much about the beginning. You will likely rewrite or strike it all out so don’t waste your time on it. As you write you will have a clearer sense of what you want to say. Don’t use any word for walk other than “walk” and don’t use any word for say other than “say.” Never use a fancy word when a simple one will do.

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Start your article with the time and place, the look of the person, land, or country. Use first and last names. Don’t describe feelings. The way to the readers emotions is through the senses. Give short shift to small unimportant details and stretch your important scenes out. Describe it so your reader can see and imagine it. Learn to ignore your feelings about your work. If you get discouraged, lay it aside a few days and read it again. If you feel it is really terrible, throw it away and start again. Don’t waste time on something that was likely a bad idea in the first place.

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Just because you can’t get your work published, don’t think it isn’t good. The chance of any work being published is one in three thousand. Many publishers publish only famous people and will reject yours even if it is better. Or the magazine might just not have space for your article. It’s well to remember that eight books of nonfiction are published for every book of fiction. Keep all these facts in mind, then go write whatever you wanted to.

http://socyberty.com/religion/demons-and-sex/

http://socyberty.com/psychology/conscioness-during-dreams/

http://therealowner.co/health/how-to-help-your-pet-in-an-emergency/

http://sportales.com/football/how-to-throw-and-kick-a-football/

Within the writing community, I find some are not respecting this or understanding this and abuse those of a different race. The abuse can become so severe they even question the authenticity of your culture and race. Claiming you are not in fact Italian, Spanish or French. It is a form of racism at its best.

Racism is defined as being a form of discrimination, and people who are racist will imply that ones grammar is an issue, or an accent, or even if they wear a turban. Moving to an English speaking province when I was twelve, was quite a trial for me. I only went to French speaking schools in Quebec, where French was and is the primary language of that province. My parents tried to enforce me to speak French at school, and English at home. This never worked. I had issues maintaining English speaking only in the home.

When you are faced with racist comments as a published writer, the implications and hurt can be astounding. You begin to loose your self respect, and self esteem with how far one has come with grammar, spelling and learning.

My advice to all writers who have had to deal with this form of racism is to simply ignore the ignorant, and to continue producing articles and stories. Do not let them win your healthy self esteem, and continue to plug at it. Do not to continue to engage in conversation with these sorts of individuals, and keep a safe distance from this form of racist abuse.

I also suggest joining with other writers who are multilingual or bilingual, to help cope with the feelings of abuse, rejection and hurtful comments. Joining forums with other writers that speak or read more then one language can help one cope with this form of racism.

Continue in the writing community with those like minded, and those who encourage you to continue to learn and grow. Ignore the ones who are holding you back from growth, or even the ones associated to these sorts of people. When people support racists it usually signals an issue with the others too.

Another suggestion would be to find sites that promote anti racism within the community, and ban and warn these individuals from this conduct.

Stay strong and continue to contribute to the writing world!