I have written countless articles since 2006 under various pen names. You can see a few under one of these names at ezinearticles, Michael Haydon, to give you a good idea of my style.
Here are some other samples:
This client wanted a series of articles on home improvements and had specific keywords (insurance related) to be targeted.
Five Great Home Improvement Tips.
Every proud homeowner wants to have their house looking great all the time. Even if you have to increase your home insurance cover it’s a proud moment whenever you finish a project that enhances not only the value of your home but also how it looks.
Whilst we shouldn’t be too hung up on keeping up with the Joneses, it’s important to your self image to keep your house looking neat, tidy and up-to-date. Interior decorating trends change all the time so it is difficult to keep paying for improvements that become fashion statements year after year. It’s the same with landscaping. Every year it seems landscape architects come out with new suggestions that can make your current landscaping look a little tired and out of date.
The trick is not to fall into the trap of redesigning the interior or exterior of your house just because an architect or designer publishers some new suggestion on a whim. It’s far better to follow your own sense of style and design and keep your house looking like it is a reflection of your family’s personality.
Here are some tips you can follow that will keep you out of the design traps which will still keep your house looking as good as ever.
- Painting. Nothing freshens up a house more than the new coat of paint. Sometimes it might be as simple as painting the front stairs or repainting the guttering to give your house a real lift. On the inside, why not consider a feature wall that you can change in just a few hours by applying a new colour or paint style. Many lounge rooms for instance can take on a whole new look simply by repainting a wall in a feature colour that is modern and fresh but still in keeping with your existing decor.
- Smarten up the Kitchen. You don’t have to install a new kitchen, why not replace the handles and knobs to give your kitchen a new feel and a fresh look? Sometimes cleaning up your existing kitchen can do wonders too. Try cleaning up the bench spaces and taking all your appliances away to store elsewhere in the house. Removing clutter and creating a more open feel and can change the look of the kitchen in an instant.
- Refresh the floors. This is not a major project and you could choose just one room in the house, for example the kitchen or dining room. Changing the floor coverings gives the effect of the whole decor being changed, but, in reality, all it takes is a re-polish of existing floorboards or replacing a rug.
- Clean up the bathroom. Freshening up the walls of your bathroom with a new colour or changing a few tiles can give the bathroom a completely new look. You can do this in a couple of hours and it won’t cost much either.
- Storage space. Sometimes it just takes a little planning to make your whole house look different. To do this all you have to do is reorganise how you store items in your house. Try removing a few pieces of furniture to a different room or hiding some of the existing clutter in a different room. Lack of clutter is a real feature.
These quick makeover tips will help you to keep your house looking fresh all the time and you won’t have to pay an arm and a leg for it either!
Here are some other samples, written for various other clients.
DATING
Mature Age Dating
My mother died just over four years ago. My father was devastated to time, but now he has moved into a new phase in his life, the world of mature dating. It has turned my world upside down.
I guess the problem stems from the fact that I just couldn’t ever visualize my father actually dating someone. It’s something that you don’t expect of your lifelong mentor and for some unknown reason I found myself rebelling against it.
Family relationships are more complex than I realized. I was just sailing along on an ocean of certainty, never planning for the stormy seas that lay ahead. After my mother died I know my father suffered really badly and my brother and I try to comfort him and look after him. She was only 49 years old and my dad 53 at the time, but I still thought of him as being a lot older and didn’t take into account the fact that at his age he still had needs and wants.
When I discovered last year that he was looking for a new partner I was shocked. What’s more he was chanting his arm at online dating and was actually surfing the net daily looking for someone to satisfy him! He broke the news to me one Sunday afternoon after lunch; I broke down in tears and marched out of the room. How could he do this to me? How could he do this to mum? My brother was a little more understanding and tried to console me but I wouldn’t listen.
I tried reasoning with dad, telling him he was too old for this and that he needed to show more respect to my mother, his wife of 30 years. He sat me down and told me that there wasn’t a day when he didn’t remember Mum and long for her to be here. He told me he would always love her and nothing could ever replace the memories of their life together. He also said that he was lonely and was just looking for someone for friendship and company. He said that there was room in his heart to love somebody else in the same way that there was room in his heart for me and my brother, equally and with the same intensity.
It made me stop and think about my own behaviour and how selfish I had been. I guess it was just part of my grieving process that had clouded my vision. I forgave my dad and I forgave myself.
I now recognize that older people have needs and wants in the same way that teenagers do! I even decided to help him find someone; after all he wasn’t that good at surfing the net by himself. If anything I now realize that although he is mature, dating is his prerogative and not mine.
FINANCE
Bad Credit Lending
Bad credit is a term that frightens most lenders, so it is no surprise that applicants with a bad credit history find it difficult to obtain a loan. It is nevertheless, sometimes true that bad things happen to good people, and there are circumstances where a bank or lender may be prepared to lend money either as a personal loan or a mortgage to buy or refinance a house.
The trouble is getting them to listen to you in the first place, and it will generally take a personal approach to get anywhere. I can tell you of many instances where applicants have been too embarrassed to talk about their problems and never ask the question and go on living without the credit they need to buy their own home. Alternatively, they apply online and get an automatic decline result. Online applications are usually doomed because once the credit check indicates a default or a less than perfect history; the decline is triggered without further chance to explain your circumstances.
There are ways around the problem, however, and here they are.
First you have to recognise that this is a specialty area which will require the assistance of a specially trained professional. Happily their services are usually free (if they are not, then I would advise you to try someone else, but I will cover this in a later article). These professional finance brokers will stand apart from most mortgage brokers by offering a specialised service geared specifically around what are known as non conforming loan products. Although most brokers will have a general knowledge, every case is different, and you really need the services of these specialty brokers.
They will not only give you the correct information but will also provide other helpful information about resources you can access to improve your chances of successfully applying for a loan.
Be warned, brokers that advertise easy to obtain finance may only be looking for a chance to earn a quick buck from you and then leave you in the lurch. Specialty brokers will investigate your individual case and advise on the best approach, often backed up by a direct approach to a lender on your behalf to establish a likelihood of success.
It is a little known fact that non conforming lenders offer the best commission for brokers, sometimes at nearly three times the rate of other traditional lenders. That is why they are so keen to “help” you. You will generally know when you speak to a broker exactly how good they are by asking them some questions as follows. Are you a specialist in non conforming loans? How long have you been dealing with bad credit applications? What special services do you offer people with bad credit problems? Can you get me a cheap rate? (The answer to this one should be “no”, but rates vary from lender to lender).
This should be enough to give you an idea as to their motivation.
After this, be prepared to tell your broker everything. This is the vital step because it will determine exactly whether you can get a loan or not. A good broker will take his or her time and go through everything, and may ask some strange sounding questions. Just be as honest as you can and be prepared to provide a lot of documentation if asked for it. The more you can come up with the better for you.
Finally, refinancing for bad credit may place you in a better situation than you ever realised. With good advice and a plan to move forward, you will soon be sleeping soundly at night, with peace of mind that comes with the right financing package.
HEALTH
Heart Disease
You can play your part in reversing heart disease by simply making some adjustments to your lifestyle. It’s a simple concept but so many people fail to make the small changes that can have such a massive impact in avoiding heart disease. Avoiding key risks can help you not only maintain a healthy heart but also lengthen your life.
When you put it simply, your heart is a pump that feeds blood through your body and all you have to do is make sure the pathways are clear. This means keeping your arteries clear so the flow goes on unimpeded. Blocked arteries lead to heart problems, heart attacks and death. It’s as simple as that. We have all heard this so many times it can often go unheeded, and that is where the real problem lies. If you maintain unclogged arteries you are actually reversing heart disease and, therefore, healing your own heart.
Reversing Heart Disease – Your Action Plan
It’s all a matter of diet and exercise. If you can keep your diet free of dangerous saturated fats and cholesterol, you will be well on the way to reversing heart disease. There is so much information on diets and tips on how to structure a diet comprising elements of the five food groups, that there is no longer an excuse for endangering your health. Some social commentators have suggested that health authorities can do little more in this regard short of forcing people to eat correctly by admitting them to dieting compounds where food is compulsorily healthy. This tongue in cheek assessment is just another way of saying your life s in your own hands. You can play your individual part in reversing heart disease by following the simple dieting rules available everywhere.
How Exercise Helps
Reversing heart disease is easily achieved if you simply get more exercise. With regular exercise, your heart becomes more efficient. The exercise does not have to be a complicated set of routines specially designed by an exercise physiologist. It can be achieved once again by making a few simple changes to the options you take every day. For example, you could walk instead of taking a bus. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, or simply walk around your neighborhood once a day, or just go for a relaxing stroll after dinner.
Surgery – The Last Option
Of course, surgery may be the last resort for reversing heart disease, but in my mind the prospect of surgery should be as great a deterrent as anything you can imagine. Whilst it is something of a comfort to know that surgery can be effective, surely prevention is better than cure. In any case, surgery will only be effective in acute cases and unless the cause is treated then you may face subsequent surgery if you don’t do what we have already suggested. In summary, to be active in reversing heart disease, you have to adopt a twin pronged attack. You just need to diet sensibly and exercise regularly. It’s not the end of the world to do this; in fact it could be the end of your world if you don’t!
Make it your challenge now to do at least one thing every day to get yourself in a strong position where reversing heart disease becomes a natural part of your thinking and lifestyle. Set an example to your friends and family and you’ll bear the boundless fruits of a healthy heart.
PETS
12 Ways To Name Your Cat
Naming your cat has to be one of the most difficult choices you will have to make. Most cats come home as kittens and will display a unique personality which may suggest name to you. Soon however, they may change and the name you first thought of may seem silly or inappropriate. If you have had cats before and allowed your child to choose, Henry soon became Henrietta. Perhaps you named a cat Tiny and later they outgrew their name. Her are some ideas to get you started on choosing the best name for your four legged companion.
1. Look around the neighborhood. Are there any place names that you can adapt kitty’s name to?
2. Cats have been named after people, song titles, movies and other things that appeal to their owners.
3. How independent is your new cat. If they need constant attention then a cute cuddly name will be better. If they are aloof, then maybe an upper class name or title will suit better.
4. Consider the length of the name you choose. If it’s too long you will probably shorten it later, so be careful or else you will have a cat with two names!
5. What season were they born in and what was the weather like?
6. Is pussy’s color distinctive? If so use a variation.
7. Let a child make up a name. it can be any child; yours , the neighbor’s, a child walking past. Kids often say the craziest things and sometimes it just works for a new kitty!
8. Choose short names that are easy for pussy to remember too. After all you don’t want to confuse the master of the house with a difficult to remember name!
9. what school do you think your cat should attend? Maybe Harvard or Yale or possibly an English college. There are some great names there.
10. Does pussy remind you of anyone famous or do you want her to be remembered as an historical character.
11. What about a rock star? Does pussy look like a lead guitarist or a drummer. Look at the names of rock bands and their members. (Band members are people who could have made an equally comfortable living making up names for cats.)
12. what about a business name. does your new kitten look like a budding media mogul or CEO of an Internet giant? If so just go straight to the yellow pages and look at the names.
If all of these tips fail, then you may just have to let pussy choose her/himself. Here’s how to do just that. First, talk to her and ask questions about possible names. When she hears her name she may respond with a cute “yes that’s my name” or alternatively “No, now get serious”. Sometimes kitty will pay attention if you seem to be on the right track, and other time just walk away. Either way she’s given you an idea, so why not try it even if you don’t like the choice. Using this method, you will soon learn a valuable lesson, and that is, whichever way you look at it, pussy will always get her own way.
