Dumb Little Man | Tips for Life

It won't be an exaggeration if I say that English is the language of this world. Although Mandarin (Chinese) tops the list of most widely spoken languages, we know that it's English which connects people around the world. Hence, it can't hurt to get a deeper understanding of this ubiquitous language and work towards improving your grammar and vocabulary.

When it comes to online resources to improve your English language skills, there are millions of tools available. They range from software, tools, blogs, dictionaries, puzzles and much more. In this post I primarily mention websites which fall in the dictionary / thesaurus category. I'll preserve the other resources for another post.

• Visuwords
  Visuwords is an awesome visual tool to find new words and improve your vocabulary. When you look up a word in this tool, it shows a neat graph which connects that word to various other words based on different relationships between them. You can hover over each word to get its definition and also zoom-in and zoom-out using your mouse wheel. It's certainly an excellent dictionary plus thesaurus.
  


• Dictionary.com
  Dictionary.com is probably the most common and most comprehensive of all the dictionary tools available. Apart from giving the word meanings and pronunciation, it also provides various tools (like the dictionary.com toolbar), RSS feeds to improve vocabulary and word explorer podcasts.
  
  Thesaurus.com
  
• Thesaurus.com is a part of dictionary.com and gives an elaborate description of words, the part of speech they belong to and various synonyms and antonyms of that word.
  
  Definr
  
• Definr, as it says, is an incredibly fast dictionary. It starts suggesting the nearest possible word as you start typing a particular word. Most of the time you get the required word after typing 3 or 4 letters and then you can just click on the word to look up its meaning. Definr also provides some nice tools which make this service more useful.


• Merriam-Webster Online
  Merriam-Webster Online is a huge online resource for learning and improving your English. It provides dictionary and thesaurus which includes spanish-english and medical dictionaries. You can easily look up words and listen to their pronunciation. Further it provides other resources like crosswords and word games. It also has a visual dictionary which combines words with images.


• MetaGlossary
  MetaGlossary.com approaches the task of finding meanings of words in a different way. It aggregates various links on the web which provide an explanation to the term and shows the results. Hence it does the job of pulling definitions of the word from the entire web.


• Thsrs
  Thsrs helps you to get shorter synonyms of long words. Although it's not dead accurate but still can be useful at times. It also provides a browser plug-in to easily look up shorter synonyms of words with a right click.


• Wordsmith
  Wordsmith is a nice resource for new words, especially its ' A Word A Day ' newsletter, which is immensely popular and delivers new words everyday to your email inbox.


• BBC Learning English
  BBC Learning English is another comprehensive resource of not only English grammar and vocabulary but on various aspects of this useful language. It includes stories, pictures, quizzes and various communication tools to improve your English vocabulary.


• ESL Quizzes
  ESL Quizzes is a part of englishclub.com, a website which is a prominent destination for those who want to learn the language from scratch. Its vocabulary quiz section has some nice quizzes to help you learn new words and phrases.
  
  Ninjawords
  
• Ninjawords, like Definr, claims to be a very fast dictionary. Although it doesn't show words as you type like Definr but is certainly very fast in displaying the meanings and synonyms once you hit enter. It also has a random tab which can be used to play around and learn new words.


• About.com's Quizzes
  About.com's English Quizzes is a good place to find various quizzes related to grammar and vocabulary. It also provides listening quizzes for real time listening practice.


• Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus
  Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus is a free-to-try visual tool which shows related words in an interactive map and helps you to easily find their meanings and listen to their pronunciation.


• AskOxford
  AskOxford is the online version of the famous dictionary by the Oxford University press. It's comprehensive without a doubt and includes various other vocabulary resources and a quotations dictionary.


• Urban Dictionary
  Urban Dictionary stands out from the herd. It's a dictionary of slang words. So use this dictionary and don't miss out on slang words either. :)
  
  
• Alpha DictionaryAlpha Dictionary doesn't directly show you the meaning of a word. Instead it searches all the available online dictionaries (most of them) and displays the results in the form of links to the meaning of that word in those dictionaries. So choose your favorite dictionary (if at all you have one) and click on the corresponding link to view its meaning.Each of the aforementioned websites tries to accomplish the same task in a different manner and hence helps you to further refine your vocabulary and get a stronger grip on the world's most cherished language.

Do you use any other websites to improve your English language skills ? Let's hear about them in the comments.

Written by Abhijeet Mukherjee. Abhijeet is a blogger and web publisher from India. He loves all things tech as long as it aids in productivity. He edits Guiding Tech, a blog that publishes useful guides, tutorials and tools. Check it out and subscribe to its feed if you like the site. You can also find him on Twitter.

Photo Credit: teacherhax

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I finished . I looked up at my friend sitting across from me. I was in school. It was 1st grade and I had just finished writing a story in my small, blue and white notebook. Back then, I had an affinity for writing short stories where animals could talk, and most of them died in every story, much like Kenny in Southpark.

Since writing those short stories, I’ve always loved writing.

It wasn’t until 2007 that I wanted to start making a living with my words, specifically through websites. It took me a few years to get the hang of it all, but it finally clicked. All it took was the willingness to keep moving forward, and have faith in the fact that I would learn what I needed to learn.

There are still many out there that want to try, but just don’t know how, or maybe you write fine, but would like to get even better, and even faster. That’s what this article will do, if you apply what you learn. Consider these:

1. Outline
   It’s easy to get lost in your writing. In order to maintain focus, I always try to outline my articles. Sometimes I outline in more detail, and sometimes I just jot down a few sub-headings that will guide me through it all.
   
   Once in a blue moon, I may write without having an outline, but that’s for shorter articles. I live and die by the outline, and it works beautifully for me.


2. Freewrite
   Once you’ve got your outline in place, throw the editors hat on the shelf and just start writing. Don’t censor yourself; let it all come out. It doesn’t matter if what comes out is rubbish. Write, and write some more until you have more than you need.
   
   Don’t worry about spelling, grammar, or flow.
   


3. Rewrite
   Once you’ve got your lump of text in front of you, it’s time to rewrite what you’ve got. Now you take off your creative writing hat, and grab your editor’s hat. Rewrite your article once as best as you can, then sleep on it, and come back in 24 hours. This simple rule works wonders.


4. Observe
   Now, for the insightful part; observe what you think about and what happens during the day. There are a lot of things that happen to you that you take for granted. Many of those things are nuggets of gold for your readers, because not everyone is you.
   
   You may have the solution to a pesky problem many have, but it’s second nature to you that you don’t even think about it.


5. Read Books
   I love reading books. Books are a great place for inspiration and new ideas. You see, books are carefully researched and written, which means you can borrow a lot of ideas, and you can improve your writing by leaps and bounds if you pay attention.


6. Kill Your Comfort Zone
   We all want to be comfortable, safe, and secure, but the truth of the matter is that the more we go out of our comfort zone, the more ideas we have. The more you break through your fear, the more inspiring and interesting you become.
   
   Break your patterns, do something new, and inspiration will hit you like a brick wall. You can’t miss it.


7. Be You
   Last, but definitely not least, give yourself permission to be you, with quirks and all. The more you try to hold back, the harder it is to write, because you’re trying to be someone you’re not.
   
   Think of it like this: the more you can be you, the more of the people you really want to hang out with you will attract.

What’s your take on this? Do you have any secrets to share on how to write faster, better, and more insightful articles?

Written on 1/30/2011 by Henri Junttila. Henri writes at Wake Up Cloud, where he shares his personal tips on how you can live the life you know you deserve. When you feel ready to take action, get his free course: Find Your Passion in 5 Days or Less. And if you liked this article, you will enjoy one of his top articles: 77 Great Quotes That Will Change Your Life.

Photo Credit: Ed Yourdon

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Most jobs involve some element of writing – whether it’s sending emails to clients, producing reports for the boss, or creating content for the company website. If you’re not a professional writer, this can be daunting and a lot of people end up procrastinating. A project that should take a few hours ends up dragging on and on for weeks.

I’m a professional writer, and I can tell you this: when you write for a living, you don’t have the luxury of letting a project get the better of you!

There’s nothing mystical or especially hard about good writing: anyone can improve their writing.

Here are my five top tips on how to write like a professional:

1. Don’t Procrastinate, DUH!
   Writing is a high-energy task, and there’s always something easier you could be doing – whether it’s surfing the net, making a coffee, or deciding that you really need to clean the fluff out of your computer keyboard. All of these activities are just ways to procrastinate.

Professional writers rarely procrastinate. (The ones who do? They’re those “starving in a garret” writers you’ve heard about...) Writers know that the initial reluctance will start to fade as soon as they start to plan, outline and research the project. They know that even on the biggest projects, such as books, a little effort each day will pay off, and that it’s possible to write even when you think you can’t.


2. Use the Writing Process
   Did you notice that I mentioned how writers “plan, outline and research”? This is part of the writing process, which professional writers tend to follow (whether they consciously know it or not). The writing process breaks down into:
   • Pre-writing (planning and research)
     
   • Writing (the first draft) – this is where many non-professionals get stuck!
     
   • Rewriting (subsequent drafts)
     
   • Editing (including proofreading)
     
   • Publishing (or emailing, printing, etc)
     
   Although you can go back and forth between the stages, you shouldn’t try to merge them. Nothing kills your first draft momentum faster than stopping to research a new bit of information, then starting to rewrite everything you’ve already written.
   
   So what do you do if you’re drafting your big report and you realize you don’t have an important figure to hand? Simple – put a note to yourself saying “Insert annual $$ total here” or similar. Highlight it in yellow so that you don’t forget to look it up later. (Or use the “comments” feature in your word processing program to put a note in the margin.) Once you’ve finished the draft, go through to find all the notes, and research them all as a batch.


3. Ask For Feedback
   I’ve belonged to writers’ circles for a decade and I’ve noticed something that distinguishes amateur would-be writers from professionals (whether they’re published or not): professional writers are concerned with making their writing as good as possible – not with their own egos.
   
   Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback – perhaps from a colleague, from a fellow student, or from a writers’ circle. This is one of the fastest ways to improve. If the feedback is sometimes negative, don’t take it personally: see it as a great opportunity to make your piece of writing even better.


4. Proofread Your Work
   Now, most professional writers (myself included) would admit that they occasionally slip up on this one – that’s why professional editors and proofreaders exist! Nevertheless, if you don’t have the luxury of an editor (and most writers don’t), you need to do your own proofreading.
   
   That means checking your work for spelling and grammar mistakes, as well as typos. It’s a good idea to get into the habit of reading through emails before sending them: a typo-ridden email doesn’t create a good first impression for a new client.
   
   (I’m always reluctant to mention proofreading in blog posts, as some eagle-eyed reader will invariably delight in pointing out a typo! If you find one in this post, I obviously put it there deliberately to test your proofreading skills... ;-))


5. Keep Learning
   Finally, professional writers are also students of writing. They practice their craft on a daily or very regular basis. They almost always enjoy reading – and often learn new words and new writing techniques from what they read. Many professional writers keep a “swipe file”, where they save quotes and clippings that they found particularly effective.
   
   Some easy ways to learn about writing are:
   
   • Look up the definition of any unfamiliar words you come across when reading
     
   • Read a book about a particular aspect of writing: there are books on everything from writing romance novels to writing advertising copy
     
   • Take a writing course or class
     
   • Read blogs about writing (I’m fond of Daily Writing Tips)

If you’re a professional writer, what tips would you add? If you have to write as part of your job and hate it, what methods make writing easier for you?

Written on 12/11/2009 by Ali Hale. Ali is a professional writer and blogger, and a part-time postgraduate student of creative writing. If you need a hand with any sort of written project, drop her a line (ali@aliventures.com) or check out her website at Aliventures.

Photo Credit: Unhindered by Talent

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As part of your job (or your personal life), you’ll sometimes have to write more than a simple email.

Chances are, you put off doing the writing for as long as possible. Writing can be incredibly hard, especially if it’s something you feel that you’re not very good at. You might have no idea where to begin.

Here’s how to make it a whole lot easier – by following what the professionals do.

Step #1: Understand Your Purpose
What’s the point of your writing?

Let’s say you’re working on a leaflet for a community organization. Are you trying to:

• Raise awareness of a particular issue?
  
• Encourage residents to come to a meeting?
  
• Persuade people to sign a petition?
  

...or something else entirely?

If you’re not clear what the purpose of your writing is, then find someone who can help explain it. Don’t accept “well, we figured we should have a leaflet” or “our company website needs a blog”. Get a clear sense of what the goal is.

Even on simple, personal tasks, it’s worth writing down a few words summarizing the purpose.

• I’m writing this email to ask for a reference.
  
• I’m writing this letter because I need a faulty product replaced.
  

Step #2: Know Your Audience
Who is going to read this piece of writing?

The way in which you write needs to be tailored to your readers. For instance, if you were writing a software guide for use within your IT company, you probably won’t need to spell things out too much for your colleagues. If you’re writing a guide for your company’s clients, though, you’ll need to make sure that you avoid technical jargon.

Your audience might be:

• Highly educated ... or barely literate
  
• Very young ... or very old
  
• Receptive to your message ... or hostile towards it
  
• Experts in this area ... or complete beginners
  

The needs of your audience will influence every aspect of your writing: the length, style, content and even the presentation.

Once you’re confident about your purpose and audience, you can move on to the actual writing...

Step #3: Create an Outline
Talk to any professional writer and they’ll almost certainly tell you that they plan out what they’re going to write before they get started – especially on larger or more complex projects.

An outline helps you to organize your thoughts before you begin. It makes the writing process much easier by giving you a framework.

If you’re struggling with your outline, try using these words as prompts:

• What?
  
• Who?
  
• Where?
  
• When?
  
• Why?
  
• How?
  

(You won’t necessarily need all of them for every outline.)

Outlines are useful even for short pieces. Let’s say you’ve been asked to write a short article for a community newsletter to encourage residents to use the recycling facilities. Your outline might look like this:

• Explain where residents can recycle
  
• Remind them why recycling matters, giving some specific statistics
  
• Tell them who they can contact for further details
  

Step #4: Start Writing
For many people, this is the really tough bit! You might feel like your mind goes blank when you sit down to write, and you may struggle for hours to manage just a few sentences.

It doesn’t need to be that tough. Remember that writing is just a form of communication – like speaking. And remember that you can always go back and change what you write later; you’ll have the chance to redraft.

Imagine that you’re speaking to someone in your intended audience – perhaps one of your customers. How would you express yourself? What words would you use?

Some people find it helpful to use speech-recognition software. Others like to write as though they’re emailing a specific person.

If you’re still struggling to get going, try giving yourself a time limit. See how much you can write in just 30 minutes. Often, getting started is the hardest part (and yes, professional writers find it tough too)!

Step #5: Edit Your First Draft
No-one’s writing comes out perfect first time. Your draft will need some editing.

When you edit, don’t just check for spelling mistakes. Read through your finished piece and ask yourself:

• Is there anything missing?
  
• Have I included anything superfluous?
  
• Do all my sentences flow clearly? (You might want to try reading the piece aloud.)
  
• Have I used any words that aren’t appropriate for my audience? (e.g. too formal, too informal, too technical)

Watch out for typos – especially ones that spell-check won’t pick up, like missing words or homonyms (words that sound the same but that are spelled differently).

If you can, ask someone else to read your piece too. They might be able to spot areas of confusion that you’ve missed, or mistakes that you didn’t spot.

And that’s it! You should have a finished, polished piece of writing - with, hopefully, a minimum of stress.

If you’re a writer (whether professionally or not), what tips would you add?

Written on 10/12/2011 by Ali Luke. Ali writes a blog, Aliventures, about leading a productive and purposeful life (get the RSS feed here). As well as blogging, she writes fiction, and is studying for an MA in Creative Writing.

Photo Credit: peteoshea

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I'll confess before I begin - I still struggle a bit with keeping my emails short and sweet. Not that I don't know the merits of getting to the point right away in your email, it's just that I need to put in more conscious efforts to make them precise.

The other day I was reading Leo's post on disadvantages of long emails and that made me realize that I am not the only one who has this bad habit of (sometimes) writing long emails. In fact, it isn't just about the length of the email. There are various other ways to improve your email writing skills, and make sure that it gets opened and read even when it reaches someone who gets hundreds of emails each day.

The following five tips are something that I've learned over the past few months, and they have undoubtedly helped me a lot in improving my emailing skills. I am yet to perfect them though. Just a matter of time I believe.

Ditch Long Emails Except..
As Leo rightly mentioned in his post, long emails (mostly) don't work. Everyone's busy and just seeing a long email could cause a temporary shutdown of the senses, thereby causing an instant archival or deletion of that email. It's no joke, just ask people who deal with email fatigue on a daily basis. They'll hate you if you send them long emails.

So, keep your emails precise and to the point. Ditch the Hi and Hellos. Don't talk like a robot though. Keep in mind that there's a human reading your email at the other end. But keep it as short as possible.

Now, there are situations when long emails might be necessary. Like, emailing a new hire to give certain instructions..or the ones you send to your Mom. Well, I think, you are wise enough to decide who has the time to read your emails and who doesn't. So send them accordingly.

Write Better Subject Lines
What are the chances of you opening an email that has the subject line as "Hi" versus an email that says "Seeking Quick Advice On Site Optimization"? I think you are far more likely to open the second email. The first one doesn't convey anything about what the email contains.

Email subject lines matter. Hence you need to learn how to write them. Copyblogger has a nice post on how to write email subject lines that won't be ignored. Although the post focuses on email marketers, I think it has some tips which we could make use of in our everyday email activity too.

Be Creative
Creativity in email content can be of big help, especially when you are pitching your product or service in the email. An absolutely amazing example is this email that a startup sent to TechCrunch, the blog that probably gets hundreds of pitches by startups each day. As you will see in that post, they are creative and interesting which quickly got them TechCrunch's staff attention.

Be Personal
I touched upon this in the first point, where I mentioned that you should keep in mind that there's a human at the other end who'll read your email. Believe it or not, most of the businesses don't understand this. I get a huge number of emails each day which are not addressed to me and look like spam even though they aren't. Do you think I respond to them? Of course not!

There are a lot of things you could do to make your emails personal. Seth Godin has all of them neatly summed up in this brilliant post. He's right on target as usual.

Check Before Hitting Send
Last but by no means the least is the practice of going through your email before hitting the send button. This is probably the most important, and yet most ignored email writing tip. How many times have you sent an email to the wrong guy? or sent it without the attachment? or sent it when you were drunk? You know what I am talking about.

I think everyone using Gmail should enable the Undo Send feature which definitely is a Godsend. It lets you undo the email you just sent, and avoid embarrassment. You won't believe how many times you'll end up using this feature. So, make sure you enable that.

What else do you think one can implement in his emails so that they don't get ignored?

Cheers,

Abhijeet

Written on 4/7/2010 by Abhijeet Mukherjee. Abhijeet is a blogger and web publisher from India. He loves all things tech as long as it aids in productivity. He edits Guiding Tech, a blog that publishes useful guides, tutorials and tools. Check it out and subscribe to its feed if you like the site. You can also find him on Twitter.

Photo Credit: Mike Towber

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With job satisfaction rates at record lows and more and more people looking to enjoy a higher quality of life, millions of people are desperately trying to leave their miserable jobs and are flocking to the world of blogging and Internet marketing.

If you're already a blogger, chances are you've heard of Darren Rowse, Brian Clark, and Leo Babauta. These names are synonymous with blogging success and the dream of living the "Internet lifestyle".

On the surface, blogging as a business seems like a dream job. You get to set your own hours, work from anywhere with little more than a laptop, connect with fascinating people from all over the world, and potentially have an impact on the entire world.

Now THAT'S a job!

The Truth
Don't get me wrong, blogging does offer all these things and more and beats the hell out of sitting in a cubicle working for the man every day of the week.

Given how many people are drawn to this lifestyle, the competition to stand out and become noticed is enormous. Millions of blogs are started each day and cover every conceivable topic imaginable.

What often begins as the thought of a life working on your iPad while sitting on a sandy beach, slowly transforms into the harsh reality of what goes into building a successful and profitable business from your blog.

Before you embark on a journey to quit your job and become the next pro blogger, you need to fully understand what goes into creating a sustainable business.

10 Things To Consider Before Committing Yourself To Blogging For A Living

1. Time
   Blogging takes time, A LOT of time. If you want to get rich on the Internet, it can be done for sure. However, blogging is not the quickest way. Not even close. Be prepared to spend months or even years just learning the basics, building significant traffic, and becoming an authority in your niche.
   
   You need to really think long and hard and be completely honest with yourself about whether you are going to be wiling to invest your precious time into building your blog. The statistics show that most bloggers quit within the first 6 months and I think one of the main reasons is that the time required of them is too demanding.
   


2. Patience
   If you were not blessed with an inordinate amount of patience, then you need to learn how to become so quickly. Blogging success will not come easy and if you think it will, you are going to be sorely disappointed. Does rapid success happen?
   
   Yes, there is always the chance you will hit the lottery and your story will be picked up be some huge player, but that's a rarity. Plan on the process of becoming successful as a long journey and if it happens quickly, then all the better.


3. Commitment
   If your goal is to blog part-time and you just want to build it when you have the time, then that's just fine. Blogs can certainly be turned into profitable businesses by taking this approach; it just takes much longer.
   
   However, if your goal is like mine, which is to build your blog into a full-time income producing business and leave your job, you may want to consider making a stronger commitment.
   
   With this type of commitment, I'm talking about jumping in with both feet. And that often means living, breathing, and sleeping your blog. Personally, I think this is instrumental to blogging success. The funny thing is that when you really love what you're doing (which hopefully you do), you want to be completely enveloped in your blog.
   
   It doesn't even feel like work when you are passionate about it. Just remember, this is YOUR empire you're building, you should be committed like none other.
   


4. Passion
   You had better be 100% sure that you have a burning passion for your blog and what it's all about before you jump in head first. One of the biggest reasons people fail as bloggers is that they choose a topic that they are lukewarm about.
   
   That's not good enough if you are going to become the leader in your industry and a sought after expert. You need to love what you talk about, period.
   
   Just take a look at people like Gary Vaynerchuk and Tim Ferris, they LOVE what they do. Their passion is contagious and your needs to be as well.


5. Support
   This is something that you need to consider before attempting the long road to blogging success. You will be sacrificing nights, weekends, and sleep in the quest to create an incredible and profitable business.
   
   There is also a very good chance you will alienate friends and family in your quest for blogging greatness. If you are single, you should surround yourself with like minded people. If you can, join social groups, become part of a mastermind group, or build a closely knit network of peers.
   
   If you are married or in a committed relationship, you will have a much smoother journey if they are on board with what you are doing. The problem is that many non-bloggers don't understand what we do at all.
   
   Trying to explain all that goes into a building a successful blog is like trying to teach someone a new language. If your significant other doesn't get what you're doing, your job is to show them.
   
   One method is by showing them results. If you start bringing in revenue, they might not even need to understand what you're doing. They might just be happy by knowing that you are making money.
   
   If you're not making money yet, you will need to help them understand what blogging entails. Believe me, this is not an easy task.
   
   There is a very strong chance that their eyes will glaze over as you start talking about the importance of the placement of your opt-in box. Explain things a little at a time. The language bloggers use makes no sense to most, so take it slow.


6. Balance
   Blogging can be all consuming. It can literally eat up all of your time. If you are in a relationship, it's imperative that you find time for your significant other.
   
   I can speak from experience here when I say that a marriage can suffer because of a lack of balance. It's incredibly easy to get wrapped up in your blog and forget about everything else. Don't do it!
   
   You must force yourself to spend time away from your blog and spend more time with your family. I have 2 small children who I love more than anything, but I often find myself so intent on working on something that I forget all about spending time with them. Setting a schedule will help with this.
   
   For example, set a timer for 2 hours and when time is up, you're done, period. Many choose to blog only at night after everyone is asleep. This is hard to get used to, especially if you have kids who like to get up early, but there is always a way to make it happen! It's all about sacrifice.


7. Sacrifice
   Be prepared to sacrifice many of the things you have grown accustomed to if you are truly committed to become a professional blogger. Gone are the nights of playing xBox, watching tv, and partying.
   
   OK, it doesn't have to be this way, but you will need to forego many of these luxuries in order to give your full attention to your business. And why wouldn't you?
   
   Ask any business owner who is passionate about what they are doing and they will tell you that they would much rather be working than goofing off. Unfortunately, many people are not willing to give these things up and find themselves spending less and less time on their blogs.
   
   This usually results in an abandoned blog.. just another statistic.


8. Learning
   The Internet is evolving at lightning speed and we need to be willing to keep up. If you think you have it all figured out, you're wrong. Any successful blogger (or business person) will tell you that the in order to remain that way, you need to be in a constant of learning.
   
   Internet marketing, the means by which most bloggers will build their business, is changing rapidly. Many of the core principles remain the same, but in order to gain a competitive edge, we need to be in the know.
   
   If everyone is marketing a certain way with their email newsletter, you need to do it better. How? Learn what everyone is doing and do it differently. Teach people something they don't know already. Cover stories that just broke. Do reviews on products that were just released. Use your imagination. Become THE expert.


9. Trial and Error
   There is no manual on how to blog successfully. Scratch that, there are thousands of manuals on how to blog successfully. The problem is that they all work and none of them work.
   
   The ingredient that changes everything is YOU. These how-to books don't know you, your style, your voice, or your passions.
   
   Therefore, it's impossible to create a product that you can just plug in and become an overnight success. What you do with it will make you a success or failure. Blogging, like most other things, is a trial and error process.
   
   The good news is that we need this process in order to learn, understand, and grow. The experience we gain from this process in invaluable to our success.
   
   Ask any blogger who is earning a living online and you will find that they have tried (and often failed) at multiple different ventures. That's how we learn to be great, we try to figure out, through the trial process, what works the best.


10. Positivity
    If you are by nature a cynical or negative person, you need to work on changing that immediately. With all the obstacles in our way to success, it's absolutely critical that we remain positive and actually believe that we will succeed.
    
    We will all become overwhelmed at one point and doubt and fear will want to overtake us. This is a normal part of this business. However, we need to keep our eyes on the end result and remember that we CAN do it.
    
    The only thing stopping us of from being a huge success is US.

Please note that this post is not intended to talk you out of your dreams of become a professional blogger, but rather to set realistic expectations of what lies ahead.

Keep your mind sharp and your vision strong and you will be well on your way.

Written on 3/14/2011 by Steve Roy. Steve is the owner of EndingTheGrind.com, a blog about escaping the daily grind of a 9 to 5 job, building an online business, and living your passions. You can also find him on Twitter at @EndGrind.

Photo Credit: Annie Mole

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If you've been reading Dumb Little Man for a while, you might have figured out that I'm a writer. I love words. I write for a living – and it's a childhood dream come true for me.

Now, you might not be a writer. In fact, for all I know, you hate writing.

I'm going to suggest that you think about keeping a journal, all the same. Why? Because journals have a bunch of awesome benefits – not just now, but in the future.

1. Track Your Progress
   If you're heading towards any sort of long-term goal, a simple journal can be a very powerful tool. In it, you can track your progress day by day and week by week. It might not seem like much at first – but pretty quickly, you'll find that you can flip back to previous weeks and see how you've improved.
   
   The very act of recording something often helps you to be motivated to do it, too! This works really well for exercise programs, diets, reading plans, studying...


2. Explore Your Thoughts
   When I'm feeling upset or anxious, journaling almost always helps. It gives me a space to spill out what I really think, and often seeing it in black and white gives me a sense of perspective!
   
   Many people find that writing about problems is actually more helpful than speaking about them. (Richard Wiseman's book 59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot goes into detail on this, if you're interested.)
   


3. Record Your Life
   One day, your journal could be a very interesting historical document – for you, for your family, and potentially for a wider audience. Obviously, you might not want anyone to ever read the journal itself, but by recording details of your life, you'll have them for future reference.
   
   Your memory will fade over time, and things which seem perfectly normal and commonplace now might be fascinating to your grandchildren. With technology changing especially rapidly, the world of the early 21^st century might seem almost unrecognizable in a few decades. A journal can keep these memories alive.


4. Become More Self-Aware
   If you keep a journal regularly over a period of time, you're going to become more aware of your own thoughts and feelings – and perhaps your failings. You'll spot patterns, both positive and negative ones.
   
   Few of us take time on a daily or weekly basis to step out of the busy moment-by-moment flow of our lives. But this higher-level reflection can be incredibly important, even life-changing. A few sessions writing in your journal could lead to a breakthrough that gets you to change careers, get fit, or turn your life around.


5. Improve Your Writing
   Finally, keeping a journal will almost certainly help you to become a better writer. This might not be a benefit that you're necessarily looking for – but almost all of us have to write in some context (perhaps emails or reports at work).
   
   Regularly journaling helps you get into the habit of writing, so that it seems like less of a chore. It can also help you to express yourself in different ways through words – perhaps you might write a poem in your journal, or deliberately try to expand your vocabulary.

If you currently keep a journal, or have kept one in the past, what benefits has journaling brought you? And if you've never kept a journal before, what's stopping you from giving it a
go?

Written on 3/14/2011 by Ali Luke. Ali writes a blog, Aliventures, about leading a productive and purposeful life (get the RSS feed here). As well as blogging, she writes fiction, and is studying for an MA in Creative Writing.

Photo Credit: puuikibeach0

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After all these years you finally have the courage and opportunity to write the email announcing that you and you alone have single handedly saved the company from utter disaster. You're excited, you type it, you spell check it, and you hit send.

Everything is great except that your gold star memo has dangling modifiers, double negatives and run-on sentences colliding with each other.

Now I am no grammar whiz but I know a good resource when I see it. Purdue University maintains an online writing lab and I spent some time digging through it. Originally the goal was to grab some good tips that would help me out at work and on this site, but there is simply too much not to share.

Learn and enjoy!

Adjectives and adverbs

• A or An?: with exercise and answer key


• Adjective or Adverb?: with 2 exercises and answer keys


• Adjectives with Countable and Uncountable Nouns


• Using Articles ( A/An/The ): with 2 exercises and answer keys
  

Nouns

• A Little Help with Capitals


• Count and NonCount Nouns (with Plurals, Articles, and Quantity Words): with 2 exercises and answer keys


• Count and NonCount Nouns (with Articles and Adjectives): with exercise and answer key


• Writing Numbers: with exercise and answer key

Prepositions

• Prepositions of Direction: To, On(to), In(to): with exercise and answer key


• Prepositions of Location: At, In, On: with exercise and answer key


• Prepositions of Time, of Place, and to Introduce Objects


• Spatial Relationships of Prepositions

Pronouns

• Using Pronouns Clearly


• Pronoun Case

Sentence structure

• Appositives: with exercise and answer key


• Dangling Modifiers


• Independent and Dependent Clauses (definitions)


• Making Subject and Verbs Agree


• Parallel Structure


• Run-ons, Comma splices, and Fused Sentences


• Sentence Fragments: with 3 exercises and answer keys


• Sentence Punctuation Patterns


• Some Strategies for Improving Sentence Clarity

Verbs

• Active/Passive Verbs


• Irregular Verbs


• Sequence of Tenses


• Tense Consistency:w with an exercise and answer key


• Two-Part (Phrasal) Verbs- (Idioms)


• Verb Tenses


• Verbs with Helpers (Perfectives and Auxiliaries)


• Verbals: Gerunds, Participles, and Infinitives


• Voice and Mood

Apostrophes and Quotation Marks

• Apostrophes with exercise and answer key


• Quotation Marks: with exercise and answer key

Commas

• Commas after Introductions: with exercise and answer key


• Commas vs. Semicolons in Compound Sentences : with exercise and answer key


• Commas with Essential and Non-essential Elements: with3 exercises and answer keys


• Proofreading for Commas


• Using Commas: with 5 exercises and answer keys

Hyphens

• Using Hyphens

Other punctuation

• Brief Overview of Punctuation: Semicolons, Colons, Parentheses, Dash, Quotation Marks, and Italics: with exercise and answer key

Sentence Punctuation

• Sentence Punctuation Patterns


• Run-ons, Comma splices, and Fused Sentences

Spelling

• Spelling: Sound-Alike Words


• Spelling: Accept/Except and Affect/Effect : with 2 exercises and answer keys


• Spelling: i/e rules: with 2 exercises and answer keys


• Spelling: Noun Plurals


• Spelling: Suffixes–- ible vs. —able : with exercise and answer key
  

Written on 12/22/2007 by me, Jay White, the founder of Dumb Little Man and an all around average guy. Republished on 12/21/2010 because this stuff is just SO useful!

Photo Credit: tommy the pariah

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As a writer, you know how hard it can be to get inspired and write something you’re happy with. You’re constantly running into mental blocks, and things keep popping up that break your flow. It’s hard, yes, but it can be made a lot easier with a few tweaks.

Ever since I was 7 years old, I’ve loved writing. I started with short stories and worked my way to longer ones. I even won a few t-shirts in children's writing contests. I thought it was awesome.

As I grew up, I realized that perhaps writing isn’t the best way to make a living, so I gave it up during my teen years. Luckily, I picked it back up a few years ago, and I am now making a living writing. It’s my job to know how to get inspired, but sometimes it feels like it cannot be done.

What I’ve found is that writing is closely related to what’s going on in my life. If my life is boring, and I feel stuck, my writing will reflect this. If, on the other hand, I’m enjoying life, traveling, meeting people and feeling good, my writing flows effortlessly, and I’m bursting with ideas.

I do a lot of things to get inspired, but to keep things simple, here are 7 of my favorites:

1. Nature
   Is there anything better than going out in nature and taking a break from society? Sometimes we get so caught up in our lives that we forget to go out and enjoy the planet. Whenever I feel blocked, I grab a notebook, and go to whatever nature I have close to me. It may be a park, the beach or whatever. I lie down, relax, and if I get ideas, I get ideas.
   


2. Music
   For the longest time, I enjoyed writing in complete silence but lately I’ve started listening to music. It has made a huge difference. I listen to whatever I am in the mood for. It could be anything from Bob Marley or Bach to Iron Maiden or an unknown Finnish band.
   
   The rhythm, the melody and the lyrics help me get in the flow of writing, and depending on what kind of music I listen to, my writing becomes different. It’s also an excellent way to listen to something completely new and see what happens.
   


3. Pets
   I’ve been allergic to almost all kinds of pets for my whole life, but luckily there are still a few I can live with. My girlfriend has a miniature schnauzer and I’ve found that hanging out with animals really calms me down.
   
   They’re constantly in the now, and studies have proven that just having a cat or a dog around relaxes you.
   


4. Happiness
   If your life sucks, you probably won’t feel inspired to write anything of significance. I’ve noticed that the more I take care of my own life, the better my writing flows.
   
   It’s almost as if the more blocks I clear from my own life, the more blocks I clear from my writing. If you’re worried, afraid, frustrated or overwhelmed, there are many things you can do.
   
   You can take action and solve the problem, if there is one, or you can take your power back from your mind and center yourself in the now. Breathe, relax and feel your whole body.
   


5. Put Yourself Out There
   One of my biggest obstacles in putting myself out there has always been about how I will look. What if people don’t like my writing? What if I make a fool of myself?
   
   The more I’ve written and the more I’ve put myself out there, the more I’ve realized that all of these things exist in my mind. Sure, someone could hate my writing, but what do I really want to do? Do I want something like this stop me from following my passion?
   


6. Help
   It’s interesting how doing something nice for someone gets you out of your mindset. It can be as simple as helping someone across the street or buying someone dinner.
   
   Helping someone else is really helping yourself, and it again gets you out of your mind. It gets you feeling good, and very inspired.
   


7. Experience
   Whenever I’ve been inactive for a long time, I become inactive in my writing. It’s amazing to see how many ideas I get when I make a short trip or go on an adventure somewhere.
   
   It could be anything really. Going out and meeting new people. Learning a new language, or even going bungee jumping (which I’ve never done). As long as it is something new, something out of your normal routine, it will have an impact.

Last, But Not Least
Bring a small notepad with you everywhere you go, or at least something where you can jot down your ideas.

I’ve noticed that I get inspired at the weirdest times. It’s hard to get inspired when sitting in front of a computer, so act on your inspiration when it pops up. Don’t let it go to waste!

Written on 10/17/2010 by Henri Junttila. Henri blogs at, Wake Up Cloud, where he shows you how you can earn money online ethically. You can also get the Passion Blogging Guide, which is free, but really shouldn't be.

Photo Credit: tnarik

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Are you ever at work and the task that you're handling just flows and gets done without much effort? It's almost as if your brain and creativity just explode and you slice through the task with ease. That feeling, the flow, is an awesome feeling but how often do you have it? Wouldn't it be great if you could somehow bottle that feeling and release it when you need it most? Easier said than done.

There are probably a lot of variables that go into achieving this feeling and like most things, they are totally different for everyone. However, with a little thought, most of us can most likely identify a handful of things that help promote their inner creativity.

Here are 11 tips I've found to work. If you have other steps or rituals, let us know!

1. The Medium
   Are you using the right medium to communicate your work and message? Your medium is the outlet that you communicate with. This can be a nurse, writer, speaker, artist, etc. Maybe you have the message right but it's not being shared through the right medium. This happens to lots of super creative people who find themselves in jobs they don't like with lots of restrictions. Creativity knows no limits. Try a new outlet and see if your creativity improves.
   


2. Admit It Will Be Terrible
   Just go ahead and start writing. Know before you begin that this will be the worst thing you have ever created; it's then impossible to be disappointed. More often than not, as you get moving, creative ideas will come to you and it is nowhere near as bad as you first pictured. Sometimes you just need to have the courage to take that first step towards creating what you desire.
   


3. Quota
   Say to yourself "I will work on this for 1 hour" or "I will write a minimum of 500 words before standing up". We can't always be creative but every single one of us can make ourselves work on something for a set period of time as short as one hour.
   


4. Just Start
   Start creating whatever is in your mind; writer's block is often overcome this way. If you sit there for 30 minutes and nothing is coming, you're not going to get anything. Get up and do something that you love. Go for a walk, calm and center yourself, play with your kids, meditate. There is always a way. As I read in a fortune cookie once, "Many a bad move is made by standing still". Those 30 minutes have at least been spent moving towards creating rather than stagnating doing nothing.
   


5. Singing and Dancing
   Whenever I feel like I'm in a creative rut I sing or dance. Take some time to just totally let yourself go. Put on a song that you love and sing and dance to it and you'll get yourself out of all those negative thought patterns and in a really positive place. Really let yourself go. One way to get to a new level is to sing louder than you ever have done before. It leaves you feeling amazing and creativity just flows after that. WARNING: You might want to vacuum your house while singing this loud. It saves other people's ears and is super productive too!
   


6. Go For A Walk
   I find that your best ideas come will come to you when your mind is still. When you're too deep into a project struggling to get creative, it makes sense to have a mental reboot every 30-60 minutes. Just go for a walk. Get some fresh air into your lungs and a change of scenery.
   


7. Take A Day Off
   Creativity comes in ebbs and flows. Some days you might just be so uptight and tense that you need to take the day off. It's not unproductive because rest is essential to gear yourself up for the days when you really exert yourself. If you have the opportunity spend time with friends, family or doing something you love just for the sake of it. You'll come back to it tomorrow with a fresh mind and fresh ideas.


8. Time Mastery
   Do you sometimes find it tough to get creative because you feel like you just don't have enough hours in the day? I get it all the time. Truly deep creative thoughts don't usually come to you within the first 30 minutes of creating something, they come as you dive deeper into it after spending at least one hour there. It's tough to get that deep without the time.
   
   What would benefit you is to set aside a few hours to become a master of your time. Batch similar tasks all in one, start reducing pointless internet browsing, etc. Then you'll be able to experience deep creative flow once again.
   


9. Watch A Baby
   I see babies as naturally creative. They know no limits and no fears. Watch a baby for a while and see how they just do things. They are totally focused in this moment, not at all held prisoner by their past. Imitate their aliveness by spending time with them and you will find beautiful ideas flowing through you that you never thought you could access before. This leads me to the next tip ...
   


10. Be In The Moment
    Being in the moment is without question the best thing you can do for creativity. If you are thinking about the past, you are limited by it. By being here and present you have access to all the precious gifts that you have now. This is a process of concentrating the mind and the best way for this is through meditation.
    
    You hear meditation defined a lot of ways but it is really just concentrating, which is concentrating your mind on this moment. Practice concentrating 100% on reading this article until the end or the feeling of the keys you are typing. Life is a meditation practice and opportunities are everywhere. The creative benefits can only really be experienced, they're fantastic that's all I can say. It's a whole new level of living.
    


11. Spend time With Nature Daily
    Sometimes, we spend too much time indoors between the four walls of our homes and at our desk and lose touch with our natural roots. Long spells in natural environments refresh the spirit. Nature is the ultimate creative inspiration. Have you ever looked out across a still river or up at the skies on a dark night and just been awe-struck? They're the beautiful experiences that life is made of. Doing this will invigorate your spirit, body and mind so they are all fresh and aligned towards creativity once again.
    

Written on 5/6/2010 by Richard Shelmerdine. Richard writes passionately about his love of spirituality and self improvement over at RichardShelmerdine.com.

Photo Credit: Mirza R

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Your first book isn't going to happen by itself. If writing a novel or non-fiction book is something you've dreamed of, the only way to make that dream a reality is by putting it into action -- day by day.

And the best way to do that is to develop some simple habits that will make the dream a reality, one step at a time.

I've learned a lot about writing habits over the years. As a journalist, a freelance writer, and a speech writer, I've written thousands of articles over the last 17 years. I've also written a novel, numerous short stories, a couple ebooks, and am now working on a non-fiction book. It's a struggle, daily.

But I've found that certain habits go a long way, and after awhile, they're not as difficult as they are during the first week or so. Get past that first-week hump, and it'll get easier. And that dream of your first book will come true.

Note on forming habits: I recommend trying to form only one of these habits at a time, starting with the first one and working downwards. Focus on each for at least 2-3 weeks, until it is ingrained. Then move on to the next.

1. Writing time
   The most important habit you can form is the daily writing habit. Even if you only write a page or two in a day, that's OK. The important thing is to do it. Eventually, you'll get there. Some days will be good, some will be not so good. Still sit down to write. It's important that you have one dedicated time for writing. You might do more, at other times, but make that one time be sacred. It might be first thing in the morning, right after lunch, right after work, or right before bed. Choose a time that you can do every single day, without fail. Dedicate at least 30 minutes to writing ... at first. Later, you'll need at least an hour, preferably two.
   


2. Simple tools
   Get into the habit of focusing on the writing, and not the tools. You need to block out all distractions, especially Internet and email. Disconnect from the Internet, turn off the phones, plug some headphones into your ears to block out other distractions, clear your desk. If you use a pen and pad, choose simple ones. If you use a computer, use the simplest word processor or text editor possible. I recommend Dark Room or WriteRoom or some variant thereof -- just plain text, with no formatting, in full screen mode. It's you and the words and nothing else.
   


3. Writing log
   This can be as simple as how many words you wrote today. Check your word count when you finish, and log it in. You could also add in notes about what you wrote, how you feel about it, etc., but the important thing is to log it in so you can see your progress over time. It helps enforce the daily writing habit, and it motivates you to keep going.
   


4. Idea time
   You will probably be thinking about your book all day, if you're engrossed in it, but it's good to make it a habit to think about your book at certain times of the day. Exercise is a great time for that, as is house cleaning, driving, walking, government work, and any other activity where you don't need to think much. Make that time dedicated to thinking about the book.
   


5. Capture ideas
   You will have ideas at different times of day, in different places. You will overhear dialog that you want to remember. You will think of brilliant character flaws while at the grocery store. You'll think of eccentric plot twists while driving. You need some way to capture ideas -- I suggest a notebook or index cards, but whatever works for you is fine. More importantly, you need to make it a habit to write your ideas down wherever you go.
   


6. Just start
   There will be days when you don't feel like writing. That may actually be every day. But if you let that stop you, you'll never write a thing. Instead, you need to make it a habit to just start writing. It doesn't matter what you write, or whether it's any good. Just start. Make your fingers move. I find a good way to start is by typing something ritualistic, such as my byline on an article, or common formatting stuff. That gets my typing going, and then I just continue that. Once you get started, you might find that writing will come easier. In any case, get into the habit of just starting, no matter what.
   


7. Write when inspired
   In addition to the routine writing time you designate (in Item #1 above), there will be other times when you'll want to write. Especially when you get a burst of energy or inspiration. You need to get into the habit of taking advantage of those times, and sitting down and writing immediately. Even if you're not at your computer, have your idea notebook, and just start writing. Inspiration comes at the most inopportune times -- you need to use it whenever it comes.
   


8. Revise
   The dreaded word for many a writer, but revision is one of the most important aspects of the writing process. No one gets it right in the first draft. No one. If you aren't willing to revise, you might as well not write. But you don't need to develop this habit right away. Get into the writing habit first, and then begin developing rewrite habits. My suggestion is to begin half an hour of rewrite time, daily, after a month or two of developing the writing habit.
   


9. Book bible
   Most writers won't bother with this, but that's a mistake. If you are serious about your writing, a book bible is a must-have. However, you can work on that last. This is ideally a binder with everything about your book contained in its pages: plot outline, character sketches, notes, bits of dialog, small details, scene description, research, etc. You'll find this extremely useful. The habit to develop: get a binder, write notes on characters, plot, scene, dialog, and keep it updated, as soon as you're done writing. So: write, log it, then update your book bible.

Written for Dumblittleman.com on 09/12/2007 by Leo Babauta and republished on 4/30/10. Leo offers advice on living life productively simple at his famous Zen Habits blog.

Photo Credit: dragongirl

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Freelance writing is a fabulous industry that allows you to stay at home and run your own business. Despite the ease in which you can find online based writing work, most wannabe writers struggle to find their feet in this chosen vocation. They often fail to lap over the first hurdle - getting a job.

What stops most aspiring online writers is the guts to "just go for it." They end up being held hostage by their own fear of failure and never make it past the starting line.

Procrastination is the biggest reason for their failure! Unless you try, you'll never know whether something could have worked out or not. In getting back to landing a freelance writing job, let's see how this could affect you.

You know you are a great writer. You think you can make some money writing copy, but how exactly do you get those lucrative writing jobs you read so much about? Navigating the cyber world of job opportunities is not like other job searches. Internet employers are often one man or woman companies who do not require the same rigid application process of resumes and interviews that you have gone through in the past. In fact you might never meet or even speak to your new employer.

It is quite possible to find work, good paying jobs over the Internet with bosses whom you will never meet in person. So the question is, how do you market yourself without the aid of a fancy resume and your thousand watt smile?

Tips of the trade:

• Never give up.
  When first starting, you might find some little jobs that do not pay much or even work for which you never get paid. Don't let that hinder your determination. Sometimes it takes months or longer of having to comb through different websites and doing lots of little jobs to find that perfect opportunity.


• Be honest with yourself.
  Give some real thought about the amount of work you are able to take on and how much your work is worth. If you think a certain writing job does not pay you what you are worth then politely refuse the offer.


• Be honest with your potential employer.
  If you read a job description and you do not understand everything that might be expected of you, say so. Most employers prefer someone who is honest and ready to learn than someone who says they can do things and ends up unable to fulfill required tasks.


• Don't burn any bridges.
  Just because you no longer want to do a particular job does not mean you must sever a relationship with someone. By the same token if you do not get a job for which you have applied, accept the rejection with grace. Don't be surprised if those same employers contact you again for other work or if things don't work out with your replacement.


• Stay in touch...
  with the freelance writing community. Network with as many people doing different things as you can. Read blogs and forums and ask questions. There are so many avenues to go down in this industry that you need to have several different irons in the fire at all times. It will help you get ahead and be more marketable because you are knowledgeable about what is going on in the community.

You will also find that by simply taking the first step - regardless how silly it might feel at the time - you can start to gain some invaluable industry contacts and even land a great long term job to boot. I have scored some of the best clients by going with my gut feeling. Others have ended up employing my services because they saw my prose published on another blog.

Getting freelance writing jobs is easy. Landing freelance writing jobs that are regular and pay well, requires a little bit more work. Knowing what works for you and how to get your work recognized and valued is the key to getting bankable writing jobs.

Written on 12/27/2009 by Monika Mundell. Monika is a passionate freelance writer and pro-blogger. Her blog Freelance Writing helps new freelance writers to get started in this exciting industry. If you like to work with Monika, feel free to visit her Portfolio site.

Photo Credit: Bright Meadow

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First, let is be known that we are talking about punctuation and not our friend embedded into our digestive system!

Following the success of the article The DumbLittleMan Guide to Comma Use the editor decided to put me back in the lions den and gave me the go ahead to write an article on the colon.

In the punctuation mark Christmas party, the colon would be considered an infrequent visitor: someone who pops their head in just to say hello and remind us, every now and again, that they still exist and working on trying to garner some backers to revive its fledgling career.

The colon was first introduced in the 16th century and is all but extinct in the 21st century.

9 Ways To Use The Colon

1. To introduce a list
   The list is the colon's bread and butter and the place you are most likely to see it used. For example:
   
   

   "She had everything: looks, personality, brains, compassion and even a little money."



2. To introduce direct speech
   The comma has really taken over this role, and many purists wouldn't thank you for the colon here, however, its role here is merited:
   
   

   "He strode confidently over to the two men, looked at each of them in turn: 'You been picking apples from my tree,'he growled."



3. When showing an example
   You will often see this used after the words for example, e.g., as follows. For example:
   
   

   "You can do lots of things to increase your social status within the blogging community, for example: write lots of guest posts."



4. To offer a conclusion
   The colon here is used to give us a conclusion to someone's thoughts, actions or to give a closing statement.
   
   

   "The fact that the blog had over 80,000 subscribers could mean only one thing: it was a great blog."



5. To explain something more fully
   The use of the colon here is to give a little more detail about the preceding clause.
   
   

   "He had become one of the most successful businessmen in the world: no wonder, he worked every hour he could."



6. To Introduce a subtitle
   This is self explanatory, however, here is a short example:
   
   Dumb Little Man: Tips For Life
   
   
7. As a substitution for a conjunction
   This is not used often in the English language but it can provide emphasis in a sentence and make it a little more gritty.
   
   

   "He gently held the back of her head, looked into her eyes, then kissed her: she didn't resist." (Think I'll go write for Mills and Boon.)



8. To link independent clauses
   A colon might be used to link independent clauses that are closely related to each other or if the second clause is a continuation of the first clause.
   
   

   "The editor, Jay White, had only one decision to make: whether or not to publish the article."



9. To Introduce a question
   A comma may be used to set up a question however a lot of writers still use the colon.
   
   

   "All the readers seemed to be asking one thing: was he talking rubbish?"

Other familiar uses of the colon
Oh yes, this versatile punctuation mark has a few more tricks up its sleeve and is used in a few other ways, which you will be familiar with.

Time colon - The time colon is a way to separate the hours from the unites when presenting the time. For example: Flight 1047 will be leaving at 23:45

Maths colon - The colon here can be used in several ways. One way is to use it in ratios or odds. For example: DumbLittleMan readers from the US outnumber readers from the UK by 12:1

Letter colon - This is mainly a practice in the US. Business letters will use a colon after addressing their reader. For example: Dear sirs:, Dear Sir or Madam:

Stageplay colon - If you've ever seen a written stage play you will be familiar with this use of the colon:

Tom: The world is a stage!
Dick: Is that so?
Tom: Yes, but the play is badly cast.

Biblical colon - You will often see this when biblical quotes are being used in text. For example: Matthew 7:1

When not to use the colon
We have looked at a lot of ways where the colon should be used correctly. As with most punctuation marks there will always be a few times when it is used incorrectly.

The main rule with colon use is:

The preceding clause should be able to stand on its own and make complete sense, if it does not a colon should not be used. For example, look at these two sentences:

1. The secret recipe contained: curry powder, chili powder and a little thyme

2. The secret recipe contained some unusual ingredients: curry powder, chili powder and a little thyme.

Sentence one has the clause 'The secret recipe contained.' This, on its own, would not make sense, so a colon should not be used here. Instead, a comma would replace the colon.

Sentence two has the clause 'The secret recipe contained some unusual ingredients.' This, on its own would make sense as a sentence on its own, so a colon can be used here.

Conclusion
Colons are a great tool to use when writing and its use is fast becoming redundant. However, I believe it still has its place and should be a main tool in your writing toolbox.

Written on 12/04/2009 by Steven Aitchison. Steven is the Author of Change Your Thoughts and works as an alcohol and drugs counselor. He has a BSc in Psychology and has a passion for studying belief formation, thought processes and values and principles. His blog focuses on personal development through changing your thoughts but covers the whole personal development field.

Photo Credit: Jay White

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