Nevertheless, even the most hopeless slobs amongst us would agree that we love having a clean, organised house. It looks more inviting. It's easy to find what you want, when you want it. If only it didn't take so much time to get it that way!

If you're lucky enough to have a cleaner, then you've solved the problem. It's someone else's job to clean up and get rid of the dust and the mess. Most of us don't have that luxury. If we want a clean and clutter-free environment, we have to work to get it that way.

It's exactly the same when it comes to writing. If you want a fresh, clutter-free piece of text - you have to clean it up yourself. Readers don't like to be surrounded by clutter any more than you do.

What Is "Clutter"?

"Clutter" in writing may be described as anything that clogs up the channel between the writer's imagination and the reader's experience. If you have a hard time identifying what is clutter and what isn't, use these points to guide you.

1. Be guided by the viewpoint character's thoughts, emotions and reactions. Climb inside the skin of the viewpoint character. What does he/she feel? Think? Decide? When something happens, what would this character's logical reaction be?

2. If something is not noticed by the viewpoint character, or is not important, don't put it in.

3. Don't over-explain. Remember that we all come to any novel with a host of experiences behind us. Readers and authors share many common experiences. For example: mention the word 'vomit' and that is quite enough for most readers to fill in the gaps. They don't need you to go into detail about the smell, texture, colour and so on.

4. Avoid the temptation to personify inanimate objects. If you attribute human characteristics or emotions to anything from a mailbox to a rock, it (a) distracts the reader, focusing his/her attention on something that is not important and (b) reduces the impact of the human character's emotions. (In a fantasy novel, of course, you may have all sorts of strange objects or creatures that take on human characteristics.)

5. Avoid repetition. This means repeated words or phrases (often repeated because the writer is too lazy to find an alternative) a
   Dealing with Taxes if You Sell on EBay
   In the good old days, the IRS seemed to be unable to deal with the concept of online auction sales. Alas, the good old days are over. If you are an EBay seller, you have to report your earnings.In many ways, the government is like a baby bird. It is always hungry. It always has its mouth open. It expects someone else to feed it. In this case, the food is tax money. You and I are responsible for coming up with the grub to keep little baby happy.A few years back, the government didn’t really have a grasp of how the web worked. It really didn’t understand that there were certain niches where a lot of money was changing hands. One area in particular, auctions, were completely overlooked. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. The government wants its chunk of change and knows you are out there.I mention EBay, but you should be clear that you have to report earnings from any auction site. Obvious
   luxury. If we want a clean and clutter-free environment, we have to work to get it that way.

   It's exactly the same when it comes to writing. If you want a fresh, clutter-free piece of text - you have to clean it up yourself. Readers don't like to be surrounded by clutter any more than you do.

   What Is "Clutter"?

   "Clutter" in writing may be described as anything that clogs up the channel between the writer's imagination and the reader's experience. If you have a hard time identifying what is clutter and what isn't, use these points to guide you.

   1. Be guided by the viewpoint character's thoughts, emotions and reactions. Climb inside the skin of the viewpoint character. What does he/she feel? Think? Decide? When something happens, what would this character's logical reaction be?

   2. If something is not noticed by the viewpoint character, or is not important, don't put it in.

   3. Don't over-explain. Remember that we all come to any novel with a host of experiences behind us. Readers and authors share many common experiences. For example: mention the word 'vomit' and that is quite enough for most readers to fill in the gaps. They don't need you to go into detail about the smell, texture, colour and so on.

   4. Avoid the temptation to personify inanimate objects. If you attribute human characteristics or emotions to anything from a mailbox to a rock, it (a) distracts the reader, focusing his/her attention on something that is not important and (b) reduces the impact of the human character's emotions. (In a fantasy novel, of course, you may have all sorts of strange objects or creatures that take on human characteristics.)

   5. Avoid repetition. This means repeated words or phrases (often repeated because the writer is too lazy to find an alternative)
      5 Tips to Improve Your Google Rankings
      Google is hands down the top search engine with an estimated 50% of the search traffic. Thus the SEO (search engine optimization) actions that you do should be geared firstly to Google. This is a key point in developing an Internet marketing strategy.You must entice the search engine to find you using these tips. If the search engine can't find you or you don't rank in the top few listings, you are losing most of your potential customers. A beautiful site that is not search engine friendly is a waste of your money.Organic listings -- prime real estate"Savvy marketers know the best links are organic. Known as natural or algorithmic listings, these links are the non-sponsored, free listings that appear in the major search engines upon keyword queries. Organic listings are derived from databases built by search engine spiders and ranked by proprietary search algorithms generally based on relevant
      der's experience. If you have a hard time identifying what is clutter and what isn't, use these points to guide you.
      1. Be guided by the viewpoint character's thoughts, emotions and reactions. Climb inside the skin of the viewpoint character. What does he/she feel? Think? Decide? When something happens, what would this character's logical reaction be?

      2. If something is not noticed by the viewpoint character, or is not important, don't put it in.

      3. Don't over-explain. Remember that we all come to any novel with a host of experiences behind us. Readers and authors share many common experiences. For example: mention the word 'vomit' and that is quite enough for most readers to fill in the gaps. They don't need you to go into detail about the smell, texture, colour and so on.

      4. Avoid the temptation to personify inanimate objects. If you attribute human characteristics or emotions to anything from a mailbox to a rock, it (a) distracts the reader, focusing his/her attention on something that is not important and (b) reduces the impact of the human character's emotions. (In a fantasy novel, of course, you may have all sorts of strange objects or creatures that take on human characteristics.)

      5. Avoid repetition. This means repeated words or phrases (often repeated because the writer is too lazy to find an alternative)
         Credit Scoring - Does It Matter?
         If the borrower has a satisfactory credit history and the ability to pay timely payments, the borrower may be considered a prime borrower and rated as an “A” borrower. In this case the loan will be closed using standard mortgage documents referred to as “A paper”. If he does not qualify for an “A paper” loan, the borrower may seek financing with companies known as “sub prime lenders”.Lenders frequently use a scoring system known as FICO scores. FICO is an acronym for Fair Isaac Company, the company that created the original scoring system.A credit report is ordered by the lender and the credit reporting agency establishes a score to help a potential lender determine the risk of granting the loan. The scores range from 375 to 900 points, and in general, a score of 650 or above indicates a very good credit history. Average scores fall into the range between 620 and 650. Several factors can have a negat
         t it in.

      6. Don't over-explain. Remember that we all come to any novel with a host of experiences behind us. Readers and authors share many common experiences. For example: mention the word 'vomit' and that is quite enough for most readers to fill in the gaps. They don't need you to go into detail about the smell, texture, colour and so on.

      7. Avoid the temptation to personify inanimate objects. If you attribute human characteristics or emotions to anything from a mailbox to a rock, it (a) distracts the reader, focusing his/her attention on something that is not important and (b) reduces the impact of the human character's emotions. (In a fantasy novel, of course, you may have all sorts of strange objects or creatures that take on human characteristics.)

      8. Avoid repetition. This means repeated words or phrases (often repeated because the writer is too lazy to find an alternative)
         How to Take Your Competitor's Customers
         Growing your brand’s market share demands taking customers from the competitor’s camp meaning that you need to change a purchase behavior and break what may very well be a long-standing and habitual pattern. Change is the keyword and change is the key. It is not an easy thing to accomplish—nothing of great value ever is. Napoleon once said, “If the art of war were nothing but the art of avoiding risks, glory would become the prey of mediocre minds.”Too often, we are our own worst enemy. Because we lack the ability to look at our own business dispassionately, we deceive ourselves and begin to believe our own rhetoric. It is, after all, human nature to believe in those things that provide us with the greatest comfort. Victory belongs to those who are intellectually rigorous and are willing to challenge the core of their own business beliefs.How is Preference Created? D
         tions to anything from a mailbox to a rock, it (a) distracts the reader, focusing his/her attention on something that is not important and (b) reduces the impact of the human character's emotions. (In a fantasy novel, of course, you may have all sorts of strange objects or creatures that take on human characteristics.)

      9. Avoid repetition. This means repeated words or phrases (often repeated because the writer is too lazy to find an alternative) and repeated ideas. You don't need to explain the same thing three different ways.

      10. Avoid words that will be unfamiliar to most readers. Don't take the high road and decide that it's your job to improve your readers' vocabularies. Most of them won't thank you for it. They don't want to put down the book and go find a dictionary. One unfamiliar word isn't a problem; a book full of them annoys the reader intensely. Do you want to annoy your readers? I hope not.
      An Example Of A Scene Filled With Clutter

      Gasping for air, Marcy raced through the dark green forest, not daring to look behind her in her state of raw panic. Tripping on a protruding root she half-fell, but recovered quickly and maintained her reckless headlong course through the knotted vines and lashing branches that were taking evil swipes at her as she ran. She had to get away from her pursuers.

      "Ouch!" she yelped as yet another branch attacked her, the 'thwack' of its savage assault echoing through the half-light. Almost falling again she managed to recover, grabbing on to a handy nearby swinging vine to save herself. Wishing she had never set out on this trip, she decided to stop to catch her breath. Taking the opportunity to look around, she suddenly saw a strange plant, its leaves an odd mottled purple that was at odds with all the greenery that surrounded it on every side. What a strange plant, she thought.

      Going over to take a closer look, she was intrigued by the way the plant seemed to be in a space of its own. No other plants grew close in the dim light of the forest; this one was entirely by itself.

      What's Wrong With The Above Scene?

      Plenty! I'm amazed you've persevered this far. (It made me nauseous just having to write it.) Okay, I've exaggerate