But without discipline, all talent, confidence, creativity and ability in world won't get you published.

I can almost hear you say, "Okay, Mom, I get your point" (followed by a roll of eyes and an expression that says, "Now get off my back, okay?!"). And maybe that's how word discipline got its bad reputation in first place--from Mom, or other authority figures in our lives. After all, "discipline" has a somewhat negative ring to it, doesn't it? It reminds us of being sent to our rooms when we were children, or of school detention, or getting a warning from our bosses at work. And yes, that happens to be one definition of discipline--"treatment that corrects or punishes"--but in my trusty Webster's New World Dictionary, that is not primary definition. In fact, it's listed at number five!

Discipline primarily means "training expected to produce a specific character or pattern of behavior, especially training that produces moral or mental improvement." Isn't that what we writers really want, to develop habit of writing daily, submitting regularly, and pursuing our writing dream consistently? To constantly hone our skills and increase our successes? In that regard, discipline is our ally, not our enemy. While our imagination may send us into idle daydreams, and our observations may distract, dismay or entertain us, our discipline is one trait that will assist us in turning our daydreams into goals, and our observations into finished pieces of writing.

Here's to your writing success!

=>Both radio and web content communicate better without jargon or foreign terms. I once used French word "ennui" instead of "boredom" in one of my marketing articles. As a result, piece sounded pretentious and I looked like a twit.

=>Both radio and web writing are improved by personality. Think about radio announcers you like best. Probably you enjoy their voices as much as what they say. Your online content needs a voice too. For a good example of this, check out very distinctive personality of The Newbie Club (http://www.newbieclub.com), which carries right over into their newsletters.

=>The audience must come first. Radio announcers often pretend they are talking to just one person, imagining that person's age, their lifestyle, their hopes and dreams. (I once worked for a very earnest radio station that had production staff dress up a life-size doll to represent their ideal demographic - sort of a crash test dummy for target marketing!) You don't have to go that far, but aim what you're saying/writing to that one person who represents your target audience. They are reason for what you do.

Now start listening to radio with a critical ear. Practice writing content as if it's for radio. It may help you inject some real personality into your ads, e-zine or website.