Being a Good Writer

A lot of us dream to be next best selling author and admire the work that others have done. This article seeks to answer the question on what it takes to be a good writer.

There are several types of writers. Some writers are authors of books – fiction and nonfiction. Others write articles for publications, either online or in print. Still, others are journalists and reporters.

The first step to becoming a good writer is being aware of your motives and why you would like to write. Some writers start writing because of a specific topic about which they would like to educate others on. Some writers are born out of their passion for a specific subject in which they are knowledgeable and are dedicated to.

Knowing exactly what your motives are and why you are writing provides a guiding mechanism to help you in your goal. Recognize that writing is hard work and knowing why you are choosing to make it a career or a hobby will make things easier.

Obviously, in order to become a good writer, it is essential to develop good writing skills. Study or take classes if you need help with basic writing skills. The extent to which your writing skills will initially matter depends greatly on the type of writing you set out to accomplish. If you plan to publish books for sale in stores, you will need an editor to go over your work. If you plan to publish your work online by yourself, you will need to catch your mistakes yourself. In addition to having good grammatical and writing skills, developing an appropriate style is important. Before even thinking about writing, read different works in the particular style you plan to use.

Publishing is also an arduous task, and before a publisher will usually take you on as a client, you should have a proven record of good writing. Try writing for yourself first before attempting to find a publisher. If you have a website, start by writing your own articles. You can also publish your own books and sell online rather than in print.

If you are writing as a journalist, see if you can report on small stories, even if they are not particularly interesting to you. If you are a member of any type of organization or attend college, see if you can write for the publication. This will give you experience and earn a reference for gaining employment later on.

You may want to consider to start out writing for free or minimal pay, since the experience gained can be worth more than the money. What you will learn will allow you to develop the skills needed to become a professional writer. Say you intend to write fiction. Try joining online writing communities that give feedback on your work. Be prepared for criticism and see it as a gift.

Many writers get started by networking and gain popularity for work they have already accomplished that has been well received. Build on your experience and exposure and the money will come as a consequence of your hard work.

Protecting Your Income

Most people have insurance in case their home is destroyed, or they are in a car accident, or if they die unexpectedly. These are usually not second guessed because they are often required by law. There is insurance, however, that is not required by law, but should be in every responsible person’s portfolio. This particular insurance is called income protection insurance and it can help save your family’s finances in times of crisis.

If you do not know what income protection insurance is, this is a very straight forward insurance that will pay you if you are ever injured to the point of incapacity or are so ill that you cannot work again. This insurance will not cover injury that is sustained while on the job. That is covered under worker’s compensation.

For example, if you are vacationing and you break a leg while playing volleyball, this insurance will help your family keep afloat whilst you are recovering in the hospital and are unable to work. If you are hiking and you fall and break your back, this will also help your family replace your income until you can return to work.

An example of an illness that you might get is if you are a teacher and you develop breast cancer. The money that you have invested into this insurance could go to the medical expense of trying to treat this cancer and making certain it does not return. On the other hand, if you break an arm while trying to fix a machine at work, worker’s compensation will pay for the hospital bills.

That is where this insurance can step in. Typically, this insurance will pay approximately 75 percent of your salary to you for a set time period. The time period of payment is determined by you at the time that the insurance policy is taken out and can be written for 2 years, 5 years or up to when you reach 65 years old.

The premiums for income protection insurance will be taken from your pay check every time you get paid, much like how your taxes get taken out of your check without you having that money in your possession. The amount that the insurance company will take out is anywhere from two to five percent.

As with all insurance policies you will need to research exactly what you think you will need for your family’s financial well being, then plan to double that especially if you are the only person who is working in the household.

There are hidden things that you often forget to plan for, like dental, medical, and car problems that can surprise the most prepared person. So, be prepared for anything because it can happen.

6 Tips For Improving Your Credit Score

Working on improving your credit score means that first you need to be aware of what that score really is.

Many places on line will offer you a "free" credit report and then attempt to sign you up for some paid program. Others will give you the report of all your credit but not include the actual score.

Be careful who you choose and what they require from you. Also, you need to know that there are 3 main credit reporting services. They may not all have the same information about you so typically end up with slightly different scores.

1. If you have unused accounts, keep them open. Most of us feel that if we are not using a credit card we should get rid of it. The truth is that part of your score is based on your debt to credit ratio. Your unused cards will raise the credit part of that ratio, giving you a higher score.

2. Instead of putting all your debt on one card and using all the credit available, spread the debt around. Even if you keep the same amount of debt, having it on several cards and keeping some credit available on each card is better than having a lot of credit available on several cards but NO credit left on one or two cards.

3. This is a no brainer. Pay your bills on time! Even one late payment can really affect your overall score. If you have difficulty with this and pay online, you have many options from e-bills to automatic bill payment. Check them out and get your system set up so that ALL of your bills are paid on time.

4. If you have your credit cards in place, do not keep applying for more. Yes, a lot of wonderful offers come through the mail. But the more applications you fill out in a short period of time, the more your credit score will be affected.

5. If you are a "prefer to use cash" person, then good for you. However, in order to maintain a good credit score, you will need to use your credit card once in a while. Having no credit is just as detrimental as have bad credit.

6. Check your score at least once a year. If you are planning a big purchase and trying to improve your score for that, then you may want to go with quarterly statements. At any rate, stay on top of what is happening with your credit.

By using these strategies, you should see improvement in your credit score. The higher your credit score, the less of a credit risk you become.