• bright pink background with silver glitter spilling out of a silver trophy, what is a writing contest?

    Writing Contests: What They are and How to Write a Winning Submission

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    Writing contests can be a great way to challenge yourself, hone your writing skills, and even win prizes. All writing contests are unique, too, which makes it fun to enter more than one. To make sure writing competitions are fair, contests often have specific guidelines and themes that writers must follow to be eligible to win. These guidelines can include word count limits, genre restrictions, and specific topics or themes that must be incorporated into each submission. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know to prepare for your next online writing contest. What is an Online Writing Contest?…

  • man reaching hand out with palm up, how to write a self-help book

    How to Write a Helpful Self-Help Book: 7 Key Steps

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    Whether you’re an expert in your field or just have a passion for helping others, self-publishing a self-help book can be a rewarding experience. For a self-help book to be helpful for readers though, it needs to hit some key points. Your back cover copy needs to clearly identify the issue your book will address and your content needs to make it easy for readers to put your advice into action in their own lives. Here are seven key points every self-help book needs for it to be helpful: 1. Identify the Issue Your Self-Help Book Will Address The first…

  • stack of five books and red apple on desk, book title capitalization

    Book Title Capitalization Rules

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    When it comes to capitalizing book titles, there are a few standard rules that you should follow. In short, for a book title you will always capitalize the first and last words. You’ll also capitalize verbs, pronouns, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs. You won’t capitalize articles, coordinating conjunctions, or prepositions. Let’s break down each of these rules and take a closer look at some examples. Capitalize First and Last Words As mentioned, you’ll always capitalize the first and last words of your book title no matter what those words are. For example, “The Catcher in the Rye” and “Pride and Prejudice”…

  • woman's hands typing on a laptop keyboard with reading glasses and a vase of flowers in foreground; how long does it take to write a memoir

    How Long Does it Take to Write a Memoir?

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    Every writer works a little different and has individual time commitments, but here are some general time guidelines to help you estimate how long it may take you to write a memoir. On average, it takes six to 18 months to write the first draft of a memoir. This timeline, however, can vary based on how much time you devote to your project, the length of your story, and your writing skills. In this article we’re also discussing five helpful tips to write your memoir and how to revise your work before sending it to an editor. 5 Steps to…