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Hope Wilbanks

Expert Guru
Hope Wilbanks is an inspirational author who writes to motivate and encourage others.

Hope has had a constant love affair with writing most of her life. The affair began when she entered (and won!) a creative writing contest in grade school. As a pre-teen, Hope pecked away on an electric typewriter, creating worlds and stories of her own, before walking away from writing for a few years.

Then one of Hope's English teachers in high school made it mandatory for his class to keep a daily journal. Because the journal was part of the class grade, Hope had to participate, but loathed nearly every page she wrote--until creativity kicked in again. That English class and mandatory journaling stirred the passion of writing within Hope again.

Now over a decade later, Hope still journals. She is also a widely published inspirational author. She self-publishes a monthly newsletter called "Cup of Hope." To subscribe, send a blank email to: CupOfHope-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.




10 Tips from Hope Wilbanks

Improve Your Articles With Better Headlines

If your articles don't seem to be attracting the attention you expected them to, don't be discouraged. Sometimes all you need to do is spice up your headline.

Try some of these attention-grabbing headlines with your articles:

- XX Easy Ways To _______________

- The Lazy Man's Method To ________________

- Free ____________ For Your ______________

- The Secret To __________________

- Simple Ways to _____________________

- Top XX Warning Signs Of A ______________________

Try these headlines with your articles and watch the interest grow.

Build A Better Blog

According to Technorati, there are 50+ million blogs online today. If you don't want to drown in that huge sea of bloggers, you have to build a better blog.

One of the best tips for building a better blog is to know your audience. Who will read your blog? How old are they? What are their interests? Who pays their bills? How much money do they make? What type of career are they in?

Knowing your readership will help you build a terrific blog.

Business Blogs

If you run an online business, you should have a business blog, too.

A business blog is a simple and easy way for you to keep in touch with your customers. Much like a newsletter, your business blog is a great place for you to share important information. Unlike a newsletter, your blog is instantly updated and the information is fresh and unique.

Keep It Simple

One of the worst mistakes people make when designing their own website is using too many graphics and wild, crazy color combinations. When creating your website, you should keep it as simple as possible:

- Include a navigation bar on the top or in the left sidebar. Make it easy for your visitors to find what they're looking for.
- Don't use more than three colors. If possible, stick to a 2-color combination, but don't use more than three different colors. Make sure the colors you choose are complimentary and easy on the eyes.
- Use a white background for text. Stay away from black/dark backgrounds with light text. It's way too hard on the eyes and chances are your visitors will click away quicker.
- Use little-to-no graphics on your pages. You should especially avoid using animated graphics. These are a sure sign of an inexperienced web designer.

Using these three simple steps will get you started with a more professional-looking website.

Article Marketing For Targeted Traffic

One of the easiest ways to get free traffic to your website is to use articles to market your business. This is so easy that it has turned into a wildfire marketing technique that many online business owners use.

If you run a website and need more traffic, simply start by writing some articles relevant to your niche and submit them to article directories.

Your articles are then picked up by newsletter publishers, bloggers, and other people looking for quality content to share with their visitors.

The potential for targeted traffic to your website grows exponentially when you continue to market with articles.

Take a Break

When you work from home, it's much too easy to get so wrapped up in your work that you neglect yourself. You become tired, cranky, irritable. You need a break!

Set a timer or a calendar reminder to go off every two hours and give yourself a 10-15 minute break. You should also take a lunch/dinner break as well.

Often, some time away from your work brings clarity and helps you to focus better on your work as well. Taking a twenty-minute break to go for a short walk can clear your head and help you to be more productive the rest of the day.

Remember...take a break!

Do something nice for yourself

Writers are often guilty of secluding themselves from the world. They peck away at computers and neglect taking care of themselves.

If you are a writer, do something nice for yourself today. Visit your favorite hobby store and purchase a new fountain pen and leather journal. Have a spa day. Get a pedicure and manicure.

Take a break from the writing world and be nice to YOU.

Blocked? Here's how to get "unstuck"

If you're feeling a wave of writer's block coming on, stop it dead in its tracks. You don't have to suffer

Journaling For The Writer's Soul

If you are a writer, you may experience burn-out at some point. During this time, you feel unable to write anything of value. You might even consider quitting writing altogether.

Keeping a daily journal is a great way to stop this from happening. A journal can be very healing to every writer's soul.

If keeping a journal seems like a waste of your writing time, think again. Your journal can be used as your "dumping grounds." Write about all the things that are bothering you. Write about your frustrations and the latest fight you had with your spouse.

All these things create negative energy. When you store that negative energy inside, it builds blocks. Those blocks are what keeps you from being as creative as you can be.

Go ahead...start your journal today and see if it doesn't help you.

Keep an Idea Notebook

A frequently asked question is "Where do you get ideas from?" The answer is very simple: Keep an idea notebook.

Purchase a small notebook that can easily fit into your handbag or tote. Carry it with you everywhere you go. Every time you get an idea, write it down in your idea notebook.

Your ideas may vary. Sometimes you may write a single word. Other times you might write a phrase, or an entire paragraph even.

Regardless of how you write down your ideas, the important thing is that you write them down. You'll come to find that this little notebook will be your gold mine when it comes time to write your next article or short story.