If you have just returned from a great vacation at a ski resort, which might not be the best ski resort, but you had fun, you should write a review for that ski resort and pen down all your experiences, good or bad. Writing a ski resort review will help other people who want to plan a trip to ski. When they read your ski resort review, they will come to know what all to do when they reach the ski resort. Also, it will help increase future customers who based on your ski resort review will want to enjoy all the amenities and activities which you enjoyed.
But while writing a ski resort review, you should take into account some points.
Note down the time of the year you visited the resort, its crucial.
If you want visited during a holiday, the resort might have been a little busy, and the customer service, amenities and waiting times might have been different than what they would have been had you visited during the quieter months, so, for a perfect review, it's very important to mention the time of the year you visited the ski resort. You shall not miss small details while writing a ski resort review and try to share all the moments with the readers who will read it.
You might also write a negative ski resort review if you had problems with the place or if the waiting time was more even if the visitors were less.
How was your actual skiing experience?
A person spending a fortune on a ski resort would definitely be interested in skiing, so this is one aspect you just can't miss to add in your review. You should write about the slopes, the level of difficulty they offered, the kind of equipment, if the equipment was easily available at the resort itself, or you had to take yours along or rent it from a local vendor. The whole experience about how you felt while skiing needs to be penned down very carefully, therefore the most important thing while writing a ski resort review is the type of equipment and its availability. If you were no able to ski due to the faulty equipment then you should tell others about the possible problems they are bound to face.
About other amenities.
You should tell others about the crucial aspects of the resort. People reading your ski resort review should know if they have to come prepared for any circumstances such as bad quality food, or too much time wasted in a particular activity, try and add aspects like the educational relevance of the trip.
If you liked something, like an additional amenity, the quality of service, the kind of equipment, the dining area, children's recreational area or maybe the general ambience of the whole place, you should speak out.
Finally, the Ski resort review should contain the website and other official information regarding the resort.Remember, the ski resort review is not only your experience, but also a great vacation for a future traveler
About the Author:
Here you will find the insight on how to take a cheap Ski Vacation. Please visit http://www.SkiVacationresources.com Also, you will learn the in and outs of taking your family on your next Ski Vacation.
Keyword tags: Ski resort review, Ski Vacation, Ski resorts,Cheap Ski Resorts, Cheap Ski Vacation
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
Write Articles For Money - How to Write Articles For Profit
Want a fun creative money making idea? Learn to make money writing articles like this one. In fact there are many folk who make whole lifestyles from writing articles and I'm not talking about professional writers in the author mould, I'm talking about normal everyday folk just writing articles and making money from home. Let you creative streak out, it's really quite easy.
Writing articles for money has become a popular way to make a home business whether its just a bit of extra cash or for that whole lifestyle. It is sometimes called 'bum marketing' although I believe there are some distinctions to be drawn on that point. Bum marketing is really a subset of the wider article writing sphere, targeted to specific niches. This strategy is often used by affiliates of various marketing programs. It involves targeting a particular product and a specific keyword or phrase that the affiliate sees some opportunity in for search engine listings. We'll come back to that in a moment.
Article writing in its wider sense can be thought of as the activity of writing articles for blogs and websites, or articles to be compiled into topical reports and ebooks to be sold on the net, and of course article writing can also for a website owner who wants a writer to create content for cash. Take a look at eLance.com to see the variety of demand for article writers.
If you intend making your living by it then get some practice first! While there is lots of opportunity and your articles don't have to be creative masterpieces, they do need to be informative and structured so as to lead readers to where you want them to go. You will need a little practice to get into a rhythm of producing good articles.
One rewarding way to practice is to go to Paydotcom.com or Clickbank.com and look through the various products there. Sign up for an affiliate account and then pick a product to write about. Pick something you already know is in demand and that maybe you have some basic knowledge on, though you can also pick something and research it a little. Find out what keywords folk re likely to be using when they are searching for such a product. Pick a phrase they use and write an article based around that phrase.
When your article is ready, post it on article directories or at Squidoo.com, Hubpages.com or other free websites like say Blogger.com. Try to make variations of it and post it to several of those sites. Include a link or two to your chosen affiliate product using the affiliate code you got when you signed up at Clickbank or wherever. Interlink some of the articles and pages so the search engines can find your articles and you'll get some readers.
When you have had a few sales this way you'll know you are starting to get things right! You'll soon find yourself picking all sorts of niche areas to write about and profit from! Even niches you never thought about before will start to look attractive enough to make you do a little research and article writing. Warning - earning commissions like that is highly addictive!
What is stopping you? Think you can't write well enough to make a shopping list? So did I once but this little article here took me about 20 minutes just now and articles I have just like it are making a little money every month. Check out the links below if you would like to know more.
About the Author:
Get your free downloads and learn to make money at home with crafts, writing and other true home based methods - http://WorkAtHomeFiles.com Learn other honest ways to make money at home: http://workathomefiles.com/work-at-home-business-ideas
Keyword tags: article writing, how to write articles for money,
Writing articles for money has become a popular way to make a home business whether its just a bit of extra cash or for that whole lifestyle. It is sometimes called 'bum marketing' although I believe there are some distinctions to be drawn on that point. Bum marketing is really a subset of the wider article writing sphere, targeted to specific niches. This strategy is often used by affiliates of various marketing programs. It involves targeting a particular product and a specific keyword or phrase that the affiliate sees some opportunity in for search engine listings. We'll come back to that in a moment.
Article writing in its wider sense can be thought of as the activity of writing articles for blogs and websites, or articles to be compiled into topical reports and ebooks to be sold on the net, and of course article writing can also for a website owner who wants a writer to create content for cash. Take a look at eLance.com to see the variety of demand for article writers.
If you intend making your living by it then get some practice first! While there is lots of opportunity and your articles don't have to be creative masterpieces, they do need to be informative and structured so as to lead readers to where you want them to go. You will need a little practice to get into a rhythm of producing good articles.
One rewarding way to practice is to go to Paydotcom.com or Clickbank.com and look through the various products there. Sign up for an affiliate account and then pick a product to write about. Pick something you already know is in demand and that maybe you have some basic knowledge on, though you can also pick something and research it a little. Find out what keywords folk re likely to be using when they are searching for such a product. Pick a phrase they use and write an article based around that phrase.
When your article is ready, post it on article directories or at Squidoo.com, Hubpages.com or other free websites like say Blogger.com. Try to make variations of it and post it to several of those sites. Include a link or two to your chosen affiliate product using the affiliate code you got when you signed up at Clickbank or wherever. Interlink some of the articles and pages so the search engines can find your articles and you'll get some readers.
When you have had a few sales this way you'll know you are starting to get things right! You'll soon find yourself picking all sorts of niche areas to write about and profit from! Even niches you never thought about before will start to look attractive enough to make you do a little research and article writing. Warning - earning commissions like that is highly addictive!
What is stopping you? Think you can't write well enough to make a shopping list? So did I once but this little article here took me about 20 minutes just now and articles I have just like it are making a little money every month. Check out the links below if you would like to know more.
About the Author:
Get your free downloads and learn to make money at home with crafts, writing and other true home based methods - http://WorkAtHomeFiles.com Learn other honest ways to make money at home: http://workathomefiles.com/work-at-home-business-ideas
Keyword tags: article writing, how to write articles for money,
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Beating Writers Block the Easy Way
At some point or another every writer experiences writers block. It could be because of tiredness, life's stresses and strains, or it could be for absolutely no reason at all. There is no one type or reason, but there are many ways in beating writer's block that you can incorporate into your daily routine.
Write all the time
Writing every day in little bursts will help combat the serious bout of writers block. Where ever you go keep a notebook handy so if a great idea comes to mind you can write it down there and then. If you can't get past it, the best way I find to help unlock your thoughts on to paper is to go for a short walk, to clear your head before returning to the computer screen.
Meditation
I find that meditation helps quite considerably. It helps you to relax and allows you to find a peaceful place in order to gather your thought. After meditating I find I am at my most creative and relaxed. Most meditation courses can be found by private teachers, but if you are lucky to have a Buddhist center near by, they offer regular classes which run at different times during the day to suit you.
Don't try too hard- take a break
Sometimes it can feel like you have to squeeze the words out, and in the end you are just not happy with what you have created. Don't push yourself, even if you have a deadline as this will only stress you out further. Give yourself a break even if it's to recharge to return to it an hour later or the next day. The best way to beat writers block is to come back to your writing when you are refreshed and relaxed. I find first thing in the morning is when I am at my most creative and fluid.
Change your scenery
Changing your surroundings can be a great way to alleviate writers block. Take yourself to a quiet café, or if it's a nice day go outside. New things could give you inspiration and I find this helps when I get the worst of writers block.
Refresh your skills
It is always a good to refresh your skills once and a while to beat writers block. There are many inexpensive short day workshops for creative writers of all levels that you can use to your advantage.
A few years ago I went on a creative writing holiday in Scotland. The scenery among other factors was a great inspiration and being able to write with others meant I could learn new skills and techniques. These courses don't happen all the time so snap it up when you get the chance.
Listen to how you write
One of the best bits of advice when beating writers block is to write with your talking voice. It is always obvious when a writer is not expressing themselves naturally and in the end, is more frustrating to write and uncomfortable to read.
I find the best way to combat this is to read what you have written or your problem passage and record yourself. Play back the tape and what you have written will sound completely different. This will help you to find the right words and will help get rid of writers block.
No matter what method you use to rid yourself of the dreaded writers block, it is always important to remember that really, writers block does not exist. It is a name we have given to the inability to make decisions when writing. Look at where you are having problems in coming to making your choice, whether its wording that paragraph or chapter. Sit and then figure out what decision you are not making and make it.
About the Author:
The author writes for several websites including her own Article Directory http://www.bb-articles.com, http://www.creativewriter.me.uk and http://www.cashwrite.info where you will find lots of tips and information about making money from writing.
Keyword tags: Writers block,writing,beating writers block,writing advice,creative writing,business writing
Write all the time
Writing every day in little bursts will help combat the serious bout of writers block. Where ever you go keep a notebook handy so if a great idea comes to mind you can write it down there and then. If you can't get past it, the best way I find to help unlock your thoughts on to paper is to go for a short walk, to clear your head before returning to the computer screen.
Meditation
I find that meditation helps quite considerably. It helps you to relax and allows you to find a peaceful place in order to gather your thought. After meditating I find I am at my most creative and relaxed. Most meditation courses can be found by private teachers, but if you are lucky to have a Buddhist center near by, they offer regular classes which run at different times during the day to suit you.
Don't try too hard- take a break
Sometimes it can feel like you have to squeeze the words out, and in the end you are just not happy with what you have created. Don't push yourself, even if you have a deadline as this will only stress you out further. Give yourself a break even if it's to recharge to return to it an hour later or the next day. The best way to beat writers block is to come back to your writing when you are refreshed and relaxed. I find first thing in the morning is when I am at my most creative and fluid.
Change your scenery
Changing your surroundings can be a great way to alleviate writers block. Take yourself to a quiet café, or if it's a nice day go outside. New things could give you inspiration and I find this helps when I get the worst of writers block.
Refresh your skills
It is always a good to refresh your skills once and a while to beat writers block. There are many inexpensive short day workshops for creative writers of all levels that you can use to your advantage.
A few years ago I went on a creative writing holiday in Scotland. The scenery among other factors was a great inspiration and being able to write with others meant I could learn new skills and techniques. These courses don't happen all the time so snap it up when you get the chance.
Listen to how you write
One of the best bits of advice when beating writers block is to write with your talking voice. It is always obvious when a writer is not expressing themselves naturally and in the end, is more frustrating to write and uncomfortable to read.
I find the best way to combat this is to read what you have written or your problem passage and record yourself. Play back the tape and what you have written will sound completely different. This will help you to find the right words and will help get rid of writers block.
No matter what method you use to rid yourself of the dreaded writers block, it is always important to remember that really, writers block does not exist. It is a name we have given to the inability to make decisions when writing. Look at where you are having problems in coming to making your choice, whether its wording that paragraph or chapter. Sit and then figure out what decision you are not making and make it.
About the Author:
The author writes for several websites including her own Article Directory http://www.bb-articles.com, http://www.creativewriter.me.uk and http://www.cashwrite.info where you will find lots of tips and information about making money from writing.
Keyword tags: Writers block,writing,beating writers block,writing advice,creative writing,business writing
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Are You Ready to Write a Thesis
Many college and graduate students write a thesis each year. A thesis is an important part of your collegiate experience. This is often looked at as a mark of distinction when applying for a job or graduate school. There are many benefits to writing a thesis. However, not every student is actually ready to start the process of creating their thesis when they would like to. Being properly prepared is critical and will give you many tools for success. Here are some self-evaluation questions, and tips for thesis writing that will help you.
Is your thesis statement strong enough to support writing now? Not every thesis statement is strong enough to support a longer paper. Many students are used to writing shorter papers, typically shorter than twenty to ten pages. A college thesis is often twenty five to fifty pages and a graduate thesis typically begins at one hundred pages. It is critical that your thesis statement have enough substance to support your writing. Without this very beginning, your project will not be successful.
Have you done all of your research? This in some ways is a trick question because many students find that during the thesis writing process, they continue with their research. The process of writing the thesis stimulates the creative thinking and investigating the research you have already done may create even more questions you want to discover. A strong thesis uses every possible resource, from books, magazines, journal articles, newspapers, internet sources and even personal interviews with sources.
Is your writing organized and planned? Most students who write a thesis try to organize the majority of their writing for a successful thesis. They may create a bare-bones outline, something to follow and start to fill in. While you may decide not to follow your outline to the letter, having an outline to follow is a great beginning and gives you something to work with. It helps keep you organized and gives your research and writing a real flow.
What has been the feedback on your thesis process? Many students must check in with a thesis adviser during their thesis process. Each student has their own strengths and challenges. Perhaps your strength is research but your weakness is the outline. Alternatively, your weakness is procrastination but your strength is a passion for doing the project. Take notes on everything your thesis adviser says and keep their comments well in mind as you do your project. These comments give you valuable information from someone with great experience advising on many thesis projects they have truly been in the trenches so to speak. Listening to their comments can save you time, worry, stress and give you confidence in your own abilities.
Do you understand the formatting you must follow for your thesis project? This is actually more important than some students think it is. Some thesis projects are done in APA style and others are done using the Chicago Manual of Style. Whatever style method your school and/or department prefers, it is critical that you follow it to the letter. Your ignoring this style method could cost you a letter grade or could cause the department to reject your project initially, asking you to reformat your project. Pay attention to formatting.
Just about every student with an interest in doing a thesis is able to tackle this ambitious project. Students can learn a lot by writing or creating a thesis project. This is a time to study something that truly interests you, and take it to the next level.
About the Author:
http://www.essaytown.com - college essay
Keyword tags: term papers,research papers,essay writing,dissertations,college term papers,college essays
Is your thesis statement strong enough to support writing now? Not every thesis statement is strong enough to support a longer paper. Many students are used to writing shorter papers, typically shorter than twenty to ten pages. A college thesis is often twenty five to fifty pages and a graduate thesis typically begins at one hundred pages. It is critical that your thesis statement have enough substance to support your writing. Without this very beginning, your project will not be successful.
Have you done all of your research? This in some ways is a trick question because many students find that during the thesis writing process, they continue with their research. The process of writing the thesis stimulates the creative thinking and investigating the research you have already done may create even more questions you want to discover. A strong thesis uses every possible resource, from books, magazines, journal articles, newspapers, internet sources and even personal interviews with sources.
Is your writing organized and planned? Most students who write a thesis try to organize the majority of their writing for a successful thesis. They may create a bare-bones outline, something to follow and start to fill in. While you may decide not to follow your outline to the letter, having an outline to follow is a great beginning and gives you something to work with. It helps keep you organized and gives your research and writing a real flow.
What has been the feedback on your thesis process? Many students must check in with a thesis adviser during their thesis process. Each student has their own strengths and challenges. Perhaps your strength is research but your weakness is the outline. Alternatively, your weakness is procrastination but your strength is a passion for doing the project. Take notes on everything your thesis adviser says and keep their comments well in mind as you do your project. These comments give you valuable information from someone with great experience advising on many thesis projects they have truly been in the trenches so to speak. Listening to their comments can save you time, worry, stress and give you confidence in your own abilities.
Do you understand the formatting you must follow for your thesis project? This is actually more important than some students think it is. Some thesis projects are done in APA style and others are done using the Chicago Manual of Style. Whatever style method your school and/or department prefers, it is critical that you follow it to the letter. Your ignoring this style method could cost you a letter grade or could cause the department to reject your project initially, asking you to reformat your project. Pay attention to formatting.
Just about every student with an interest in doing a thesis is able to tackle this ambitious project. Students can learn a lot by writing or creating a thesis project. This is a time to study something that truly interests you, and take it to the next level.
About the Author:
http://www.essaytown.com - college essay
Keyword tags: term papers,research papers,essay writing,dissertations,college term papers,college essays
How to Write a Dissertation Paper
If you're a scholar and you use the World Wide Web to contend with infinite writing assignments, then you recognize how many dissertations on the internet can be obtained there. Many writing providers give you a big assortment of dissertations on the internet. You have to inquire into what type of dissertation it is, whether they're worth relying on and whether or not they are genuine to buy.
Pre-written dissertations can be very resourceful, primarily to avoid penning your own. Cyberspace dissertations have gotten very popular over the years. Pupils are so lazy that they attempt to find all potential means not to compose their own reports and some choose to merely purchase it. Occasionally, students just don't have adequate time for authoring their own reports. So they employ such writing companies every once in a while.
If you're among them, then net dissertations are for you. It doesn't take much to get dissertations online either. All you have to do is go online to any search engine and enter your in your keywords. You should browse several writing service sites and match up what each one has to offer. If there is any customer feedback on the site, you should definitely read through it. After you find the site that meets your needs you will be ready to go ahead with your order.
Some may feel that online dissertations are not trustworthy however that is a very biased opinion. Of course, you may find a few places that offer you pure and exclusive internet dissertations that will mail you back something pre-written. Or that has been previously posted from another source. This does occur from time to time. However, just be doing simple search engine searches, you can quickly see if it's online or not. Nevertheless there are some web sites that are worth believing and using to. You need to do a little investigating into the writing service you hire for your custom dissertation.
Determine everything conceivable about these businesses by studying the good words given by former clients, the good and the bad. Scan through some of the sample writings on their homepage. You could also inquire with your acquaintances, perhaps a few of them may know where the most adept dissertations online could be found. Remember that every dissertation on the net must be assured by particular plagiarism curricula which most places offer.
Otherwise, you could buy a dissertation on the net, turn it in and be caught on cheating. Is it worth all of the work you put in studying and doing homework each semester to throw it all away on cheating? So, if you've decided to order a dissertation on the internet, you must be sure that it's 100% authentic. This is more important than the actual dissertation itself.
What will you do with your internet dissertation? The most beneficial advice I can give is to utilize such dissertations only as an extra piece of research. If you don't recognize what to write on in a few areas, you can search for information in diverse dissertations online. But still, you shouldn't entirely re-create it into your own work. Study the material, dissect and compose it as you interpret it in your own words.
About the Author:
http://www.essaytown.com - college essays
Keyword tags: term papers,research papers,essay writing,dissertations,college term papers,college essays
Pre-written dissertations can be very resourceful, primarily to avoid penning your own. Cyberspace dissertations have gotten very popular over the years. Pupils are so lazy that they attempt to find all potential means not to compose their own reports and some choose to merely purchase it. Occasionally, students just don't have adequate time for authoring their own reports. So they employ such writing companies every once in a while.
If you're among them, then net dissertations are for you. It doesn't take much to get dissertations online either. All you have to do is go online to any search engine and enter your in your keywords. You should browse several writing service sites and match up what each one has to offer. If there is any customer feedback on the site, you should definitely read through it. After you find the site that meets your needs you will be ready to go ahead with your order.
Some may feel that online dissertations are not trustworthy however that is a very biased opinion. Of course, you may find a few places that offer you pure and exclusive internet dissertations that will mail you back something pre-written. Or that has been previously posted from another source. This does occur from time to time. However, just be doing simple search engine searches, you can quickly see if it's online or not. Nevertheless there are some web sites that are worth believing and using to. You need to do a little investigating into the writing service you hire for your custom dissertation.
Determine everything conceivable about these businesses by studying the good words given by former clients, the good and the bad. Scan through some of the sample writings on their homepage. You could also inquire with your acquaintances, perhaps a few of them may know where the most adept dissertations online could be found. Remember that every dissertation on the net must be assured by particular plagiarism curricula which most places offer.
Otherwise, you could buy a dissertation on the net, turn it in and be caught on cheating. Is it worth all of the work you put in studying and doing homework each semester to throw it all away on cheating? So, if you've decided to order a dissertation on the internet, you must be sure that it's 100% authentic. This is more important than the actual dissertation itself.
What will you do with your internet dissertation? The most beneficial advice I can give is to utilize such dissertations only as an extra piece of research. If you don't recognize what to write on in a few areas, you can search for information in diverse dissertations online. But still, you shouldn't entirely re-create it into your own work. Study the material, dissect and compose it as you interpret it in your own words.
About the Author:
http://www.essaytown.com - college essays
Keyword tags: term papers,research papers,essay writing,dissertations,college term papers,college essays
Monday, August 25, 2008
Research - Seek and You Will Find
I am going to write about research and I believe that it would be better for me to define the word before explaining it in detail. The Webster Dictionary defines research as,
"Careful, systematic, patient study and investigation in some field of knowledge, undertaken to discover or establish facts or principles. P 1208" 1982.
However the definition does not state the irrefutable fact that cognitive human beings are engaged in research every day of their lives.
A three-week old baby is aware of the fact that when she is hungry she will scream her little head off and someone will feed her. The crying is an instinctive survival mechanism but the correlation between making loud noises and achieving positive results is a form of research known as trial and error. How about checking your fuel gauge to see if you need gas or your watch to see what time it is, or collecting and checking the documents you need for that all-important meeting, and of course checking the weather and traffic before leaving home for your commute. I could go on and on but I think I have made the point. The process of research is intensified in schools, colleges, and universities across the nation and it is therefore a logical assumption that you are well prepared to garner the information you need before and during the process of writing your book.
The process of research begins in your head. Your brain, mind, and memory will combine their resources to create an image of what you want to say and how you intend to say it. You should extract this information and keep it in note form, and I must pass on an important piece of advice. You should always have a notebook and a pen or pencil to jot down your thoughts and even your dreams and that includes your daydreaming. You will discover that from time to time your mind will drift away from the demands of the immediate and you will begin to think about the anecdotal episodes in your past and your hopes and expectations for the future. You are daydreaming and this is good, as soon as you return to the present grab your notebook and record what you were daydreaming about. A word of caution, please do not daydream while you are driving or operating machinery.
Creating characters is an essential to the write process. Every character in your book should have a history and a personality. He or she must be carefully developed to fit into the story line or plot. For example, "John may be white, six feet-two, slim and athletic with a touch of gray at the temples. He is ruggedly handsome, polite and has a charming smile."
Research is vital in every aspect in the development in your body of work, John and others will not appear out of thin air you have to search for them. If your story is set in Miami, Florida, what do you know about the geography, topography, and demography of Dade county and Miami? What about buildings and their architecture ancient and modern, the intercoastal, the cruise ships and yachts, and the ethnic diversity? In order to create a credible setting research is essential. Use your personal knowledge, use your computer and if possible pay a visit, get a sense and feel of the environment and take pictures, lots of pictures, go for it.
About the Author:
Bernard Steele is a veteran law enforcement officer (operational and administrative), now retired. He was the former chief security officer of the National Banking System of Guyana S.A. To learn about his new book visit http://www.deathinsmalldoses.com.
Keyword tags: research, novels, writers, books, authors, publishing, character development, fiction
"Careful, systematic, patient study and investigation in some field of knowledge, undertaken to discover or establish facts or principles. P 1208" 1982.
However the definition does not state the irrefutable fact that cognitive human beings are engaged in research every day of their lives.
A three-week old baby is aware of the fact that when she is hungry she will scream her little head off and someone will feed her. The crying is an instinctive survival mechanism but the correlation between making loud noises and achieving positive results is a form of research known as trial and error. How about checking your fuel gauge to see if you need gas or your watch to see what time it is, or collecting and checking the documents you need for that all-important meeting, and of course checking the weather and traffic before leaving home for your commute. I could go on and on but I think I have made the point. The process of research is intensified in schools, colleges, and universities across the nation and it is therefore a logical assumption that you are well prepared to garner the information you need before and during the process of writing your book.
The process of research begins in your head. Your brain, mind, and memory will combine their resources to create an image of what you want to say and how you intend to say it. You should extract this information and keep it in note form, and I must pass on an important piece of advice. You should always have a notebook and a pen or pencil to jot down your thoughts and even your dreams and that includes your daydreaming. You will discover that from time to time your mind will drift away from the demands of the immediate and you will begin to think about the anecdotal episodes in your past and your hopes and expectations for the future. You are daydreaming and this is good, as soon as you return to the present grab your notebook and record what you were daydreaming about. A word of caution, please do not daydream while you are driving or operating machinery.
Creating characters is an essential to the write process. Every character in your book should have a history and a personality. He or she must be carefully developed to fit into the story line or plot. For example, "John may be white, six feet-two, slim and athletic with a touch of gray at the temples. He is ruggedly handsome, polite and has a charming smile."
Research is vital in every aspect in the development in your body of work, John and others will not appear out of thin air you have to search for them. If your story is set in Miami, Florida, what do you know about the geography, topography, and demography of Dade county and Miami? What about buildings and their architecture ancient and modern, the intercoastal, the cruise ships and yachts, and the ethnic diversity? In order to create a credible setting research is essential. Use your personal knowledge, use your computer and if possible pay a visit, get a sense and feel of the environment and take pictures, lots of pictures, go for it.
About the Author:
Bernard Steele is a veteran law enforcement officer (operational and administrative), now retired. He was the former chief security officer of the National Banking System of Guyana S.A. To learn about his new book visit http://www.deathinsmalldoses.com.
Keyword tags: research, novels, writers, books, authors, publishing, character development, fiction
6 Tips For Writing Top-Notch Press Releases
Very little is more distracting and uninspiring than poorly-written press releases. After all, if a consumer is considering purchasing your product or service, he wants to know that you are competent and capable. If your press is sloppy or unorganized, you're probably not going inspire a lot of confidence in your ability to provide a stellar product. So here are 6 tips for writing top-notch press:
1. Grab 'Em At the Beginning
You heard it in fourth grade: a good report answers the 5 W's: who, what, when, where, and why. The same is true for a good lead. It should be able to stand alone as a news item that will grab the attention of a potential customer and make him want to read more. Tell them whatever they need to know in the first few sentences, but make it enticing enough that they'll want to continue on.
2. Read As Many News Stories As You Can:
You know what grabs your attention and makes you sit up and take notice. That's the kind of press you want to write: something flows well and that's going to make someone else take notice. The more you read good copy, the more you'll be able to imitate it in your own writing. Observe that good copy remains objective, states facts simply, and draws attention away from the writer and to the product.
3. Always Use Third Person
Even though you're writing about your own product, your copy should sound as though it was written by an objective third party. Using the third person makes the information sound more credible and unbiased.
4. Cite All Opinions
In the same way that you want to write copy that sounds as though it came from an objective third party, you also want to attribute all opinions to an expert. If your copy simply states that "XYZ company has created the most advanced widget of its kind," there's no reason for a person to believe you. But if you attribute the claim to a business outsider, or even to an expert within the company, you will sound more credible.
5. Make the Inverted Pyramid Your Friend
All budding marketers learn early on about the inverted pyramid, which basically says that all of the most vital information in the release should appear at the top. As you reach the bottom of the inverted pyramid, the information becomes less and less important. But shouldn't you keep your reader in suspense? Not always. If the editor has to cut your eight-paragraph story down to four paragraphs, the most important information will still be there. And if the editor is pressed for time and only gets to read the first few paragraphs of your press release, she'll still include the most important stuff.
6. Eliminate the Roadblocks
Nothing stops a journalist in her tracks like poorly written copy. She knows that your only intention in submitting a press release is to sell yourself and your company, no matter how objectively your copy is written. So don't ruin her willingness to suspend her disbelief by reminding her that your intentions are purely selfish. Here are the three most important roadblocks to be aware of:
• Using Trademarks: There's no better way to scream, "I'm not objective!"
• Flowery Language: Never confuse press releases with advertising. Never claim that you are the best, the brightest, the biggest, or the fastest. If you must, back up your statements with quotes from experts either within or without the company.
• Complicated Language: Use simple phrases, avoiding lots of commas and conjunctions. Only use words that you'd use when talking about your service or product with someone face to face.
Anyone can write a press release. But writing a good press release takes skill and practice. Maybe you're interested in honing those skills yourself, but if not, you can always use the services of a internet marketing expert to help you improve your copy writing capabilities and get the business you're looking for.
About the Author:
Seomul Evans is an Internet marketing and SEO services expert: http://www.seo-1-marketing-services.com http://www.internet-marketing-cafe.com http://www.seo-marketing-guide.org
Keyword tags: SEO,Google,Internet,marketing,internet marketing,SEO services,SEM,Business,promotion, web,feeds
1. Grab 'Em At the Beginning
You heard it in fourth grade: a good report answers the 5 W's: who, what, when, where, and why. The same is true for a good lead. It should be able to stand alone as a news item that will grab the attention of a potential customer and make him want to read more. Tell them whatever they need to know in the first few sentences, but make it enticing enough that they'll want to continue on.
2. Read As Many News Stories As You Can:
You know what grabs your attention and makes you sit up and take notice. That's the kind of press you want to write: something flows well and that's going to make someone else take notice. The more you read good copy, the more you'll be able to imitate it in your own writing. Observe that good copy remains objective, states facts simply, and draws attention away from the writer and to the product.
3. Always Use Third Person
Even though you're writing about your own product, your copy should sound as though it was written by an objective third party. Using the third person makes the information sound more credible and unbiased.
4. Cite All Opinions
In the same way that you want to write copy that sounds as though it came from an objective third party, you also want to attribute all opinions to an expert. If your copy simply states that "XYZ company has created the most advanced widget of its kind," there's no reason for a person to believe you. But if you attribute the claim to a business outsider, or even to an expert within the company, you will sound more credible.
5. Make the Inverted Pyramid Your Friend
All budding marketers learn early on about the inverted pyramid, which basically says that all of the most vital information in the release should appear at the top. As you reach the bottom of the inverted pyramid, the information becomes less and less important. But shouldn't you keep your reader in suspense? Not always. If the editor has to cut your eight-paragraph story down to four paragraphs, the most important information will still be there. And if the editor is pressed for time and only gets to read the first few paragraphs of your press release, she'll still include the most important stuff.
6. Eliminate the Roadblocks
Nothing stops a journalist in her tracks like poorly written copy. She knows that your only intention in submitting a press release is to sell yourself and your company, no matter how objectively your copy is written. So don't ruin her willingness to suspend her disbelief by reminding her that your intentions are purely selfish. Here are the three most important roadblocks to be aware of:
• Using Trademarks: There's no better way to scream, "I'm not objective!"
• Flowery Language: Never confuse press releases with advertising. Never claim that you are the best, the brightest, the biggest, or the fastest. If you must, back up your statements with quotes from experts either within or without the company.
• Complicated Language: Use simple phrases, avoiding lots of commas and conjunctions. Only use words that you'd use when talking about your service or product with someone face to face.
Anyone can write a press release. But writing a good press release takes skill and practice. Maybe you're interested in honing those skills yourself, but if not, you can always use the services of a internet marketing expert to help you improve your copy writing capabilities and get the business you're looking for.
About the Author:
Seomul Evans is an Internet marketing and SEO services expert: http://www.seo-1-marketing-services.com http://www.internet-marketing-cafe.com http://www.seo-marketing-guide.org
Keyword tags: SEO,Google,Internet,marketing,internet marketing,SEO services,SEM,Business,promotion, web,feeds
Choosing the Right Writing Course
Writing is a quickly learned skill for those who have a strong desire. Within a year or two, most writing students are ready to charge into the future fully prepared.
But what writing course to choose becomes the question. Take it from one who has tried all the shortcuts and found there were none - you will save yourself time and grief if you will begin at the beginning. Writing courses are an investment, and you are worth the time and money it takes to reach your goal.
The writing course you should choose depends not on what talents you have, not on what experience you have, not on what education you have, but mostly on what knowledgeable level of writing foundation you have. More than likely, you will already have some foundation, but it will have holes in it. That is to say, you will know some things, and not others. In such a case, determine your lowest point, or "hole", if you will, and begin there.
For example, if you have problems with punctuation, you should start with a Basic Review class. There you will learn how and when to use the proper punctuation, and some of the most common basics. This is an excellent place for older students to begin, as they often need such a brush-up course.
If you are good with English and you have the punctuation skills down pat, you may want to begin in Mechanics of Writing. There you will learn basic sentence structures, foundational writing rules and common mistakes to avoid. This is another good brush-up course.
If you're up for the challenge of deeper writing rules and more in-depth assignments, it sounds like you're ready for Creative Writing 101. This is a great class for those who are interested in cross-writing (that is, writing for more than one genre instead of finding one niche and staying in it). Creative Writing will teach you foundational rules of writing, how to write a snappy first paragraph, and will take you into deeper steps with more writing practice. This is an intermediate class.
Non-Fiction writing is for students in the intermediate class. It will teach you how to write for magazines and newspapers. It's a very good step for intermediates because non-fiction writing pays better than anything else.
Do you like to write stories? Then Short Story writing is the class for you. However, it is also an intermediate class. You should know the rules of English, have good sentence structure, and practice the basic rules of writing before you attempt this course.
If you like to write children's stories, you would love Writing for Children, but there again, it is an intermediate class. Writing for children is not easier than writing for teens or adults. It can, in fact, be harder, so be sure you have a good foundation before attempting this class. Be prepared with proper English, and the basic rules of writing.
If you are into fantasy writing, you will love Fantasy World. Have you wondered how to invent those far away places you see in your mind? This is the class for you. It is an intermediate class, so be sure you get your foundational courses first. Science-Fiction writing is coming soon. Possibly in the next term.
If you are an advanced student, Wordsmithing is the class for you. There you will learn writing skills that no other class teaches. This is the class that will explain how other authors can string words together in an artistic style. It will teach you to recognize things like assonance, consonance, asyndeton, and many more little known techniques so that you can apply it to your own writing. This is the final stop on how to jazz your writing and edit it with snappy styles and techniques. Wordsmithing is a unique class in that it can be at the beginning of your career, or the end. For me, it was the technique that put me over the top.
If you wonder if you need a certain class to advance to a higher level of learning, the chances are, you DO. Your subconscious is telling you your foundation isn't complete. Don't challenge yourself with more advanced classes. You need all the rules of writing in order to succeed. Skipping ahead usually means having to return to a lower class at a later time to pick up what you missed.
When you have your foundation and pass through the various stages in order, the advanced classes will blend and mesh all your learning experiences into one vision. I can't reiterate this strongly enough – get your foundation first. Start at the bottom and learn every single rule. You'll save yourself grief in the future.
About the Author:
If you are still in doubt as to which class you should take, send a 1,000 word story or a 200 word article to deborahowen@cwinst.com and ask for an evaluation. (Join our Short Story/Article Writing Contest from Aug. 1 - Sept. 30, 2008) Compliments of http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com.
Keyword tags:
But what writing course to choose becomes the question. Take it from one who has tried all the shortcuts and found there were none - you will save yourself time and grief if you will begin at the beginning. Writing courses are an investment, and you are worth the time and money it takes to reach your goal.
The writing course you should choose depends not on what talents you have, not on what experience you have, not on what education you have, but mostly on what knowledgeable level of writing foundation you have. More than likely, you will already have some foundation, but it will have holes in it. That is to say, you will know some things, and not others. In such a case, determine your lowest point, or "hole", if you will, and begin there.
For example, if you have problems with punctuation, you should start with a Basic Review class. There you will learn how and when to use the proper punctuation, and some of the most common basics. This is an excellent place for older students to begin, as they often need such a brush-up course.
If you are good with English and you have the punctuation skills down pat, you may want to begin in Mechanics of Writing. There you will learn basic sentence structures, foundational writing rules and common mistakes to avoid. This is another good brush-up course.
If you're up for the challenge of deeper writing rules and more in-depth assignments, it sounds like you're ready for Creative Writing 101. This is a great class for those who are interested in cross-writing (that is, writing for more than one genre instead of finding one niche and staying in it). Creative Writing will teach you foundational rules of writing, how to write a snappy first paragraph, and will take you into deeper steps with more writing practice. This is an intermediate class.
Non-Fiction writing is for students in the intermediate class. It will teach you how to write for magazines and newspapers. It's a very good step for intermediates because non-fiction writing pays better than anything else.
Do you like to write stories? Then Short Story writing is the class for you. However, it is also an intermediate class. You should know the rules of English, have good sentence structure, and practice the basic rules of writing before you attempt this course.
If you like to write children's stories, you would love Writing for Children, but there again, it is an intermediate class. Writing for children is not easier than writing for teens or adults. It can, in fact, be harder, so be sure you have a good foundation before attempting this class. Be prepared with proper English, and the basic rules of writing.
If you are into fantasy writing, you will love Fantasy World. Have you wondered how to invent those far away places you see in your mind? This is the class for you. It is an intermediate class, so be sure you get your foundational courses first. Science-Fiction writing is coming soon. Possibly in the next term.
If you are an advanced student, Wordsmithing is the class for you. There you will learn writing skills that no other class teaches. This is the class that will explain how other authors can string words together in an artistic style. It will teach you to recognize things like assonance, consonance, asyndeton, and many more little known techniques so that you can apply it to your own writing. This is the final stop on how to jazz your writing and edit it with snappy styles and techniques. Wordsmithing is a unique class in that it can be at the beginning of your career, or the end. For me, it was the technique that put me over the top.
If you wonder if you need a certain class to advance to a higher level of learning, the chances are, you DO. Your subconscious is telling you your foundation isn't complete. Don't challenge yourself with more advanced classes. You need all the rules of writing in order to succeed. Skipping ahead usually means having to return to a lower class at a later time to pick up what you missed.
When you have your foundation and pass through the various stages in order, the advanced classes will blend and mesh all your learning experiences into one vision. I can't reiterate this strongly enough – get your foundation first. Start at the bottom and learn every single rule. You'll save yourself grief in the future.
About the Author:
If you are still in doubt as to which class you should take, send a 1,000 word story or a 200 word article to deborahowen@cwinst.com and ask for an evaluation. (Join our Short Story/Article Writing Contest from Aug. 1 - Sept. 30, 2008) Compliments of http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com.
Keyword tags:
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Top 5 Article Writing Tips
Whether you are an internet marketer, and entertainment writer, or simply looking to put some good copy into the world, you'll find that there are a number of situations where you want to make sure that your articles shine! Writing articles is a great way to get attention online and off, but if you are looking for ways to make sure that your articles stand out, there are a few things that you should keep in mind. Remember that no one is knowing how to write well, and that these tips are perfect no matter what kind of article that you are writing.
1. Know your stuff.
When you write articles, you'll find that you are establishing yourself as an expert. Whether you mean to or not, you are saying that you are authority on the matter at hand and that people should trust your word. Because of that, it is vital that you do not put in erroneous information and that you should always double check your sources. Making a mistake like this can come back to haunt you, especially if people go on to attribute a certain mistake to you!
2. Know your market
Who are you writing for? When you think about any kind of writing at all, you need to think about your audience and you need to keep in mind how you talk to them. For instance, if you are writing for retirees, there is a good chance that you would be writing in a different style than if you were writing for teens. Keep your audience in mind and remember that you should always think about how to please them and how to get their attention.
3. Get personal
The more that your reader can empathize with you and really feel what you are doing, the more he or she will want to keep reading. Think about how you will draw your reader in, and think about what they are looking for. The more that you can let them infer that you are "just like them" and that you have a great deal in common, the more they will stick around to hear what it is you have to say.
4. Don't over-commercialize
If you are writing an article to promote a good or a service, you'll find that you still need to make sure that you are coming at your article from a very informative standpoint. If your audience feels that you are simply selling them something, rather than giving them valuable information, they won't take you seriously at all. Leave the mention of your product or link to your website to the end, and take some time to think about what you are really trying to do.
5. Find good article submission directories
When you are looking to make sure that your article gets put up in a way that will make it findable, take some time to look at the article submission directories. You can put your article in more than one, but take the time to consider where you post it and why!
About the Author:
To get more tips on effective article writing and to get free content for your website or blogs, please visit http://www.articlefinder.org
Keyword tags: find articles, article writing tips, website content, submit articles, free articles, article search
1. Know your stuff.
When you write articles, you'll find that you are establishing yourself as an expert. Whether you mean to or not, you are saying that you are authority on the matter at hand and that people should trust your word. Because of that, it is vital that you do not put in erroneous information and that you should always double check your sources. Making a mistake like this can come back to haunt you, especially if people go on to attribute a certain mistake to you!
2. Know your market
Who are you writing for? When you think about any kind of writing at all, you need to think about your audience and you need to keep in mind how you talk to them. For instance, if you are writing for retirees, there is a good chance that you would be writing in a different style than if you were writing for teens. Keep your audience in mind and remember that you should always think about how to please them and how to get their attention.
3. Get personal
The more that your reader can empathize with you and really feel what you are doing, the more he or she will want to keep reading. Think about how you will draw your reader in, and think about what they are looking for. The more that you can let them infer that you are "just like them" and that you have a great deal in common, the more they will stick around to hear what it is you have to say.
4. Don't over-commercialize
If you are writing an article to promote a good or a service, you'll find that you still need to make sure that you are coming at your article from a very informative standpoint. If your audience feels that you are simply selling them something, rather than giving them valuable information, they won't take you seriously at all. Leave the mention of your product or link to your website to the end, and take some time to think about what you are really trying to do.
5. Find good article submission directories
When you are looking to make sure that your article gets put up in a way that will make it findable, take some time to look at the article submission directories. You can put your article in more than one, but take the time to consider where you post it and why!
About the Author:
To get more tips on effective article writing and to get free content for your website or blogs, please visit http://www.articlefinder.org
Keyword tags: find articles, article writing tips, website content, submit articles, free articles, article search
Friday, August 22, 2008
How to Write a Great Term Paper
Writing a term paper can be a disheartening and frustrating thing for a student to do nowadays. Often, papers are given on short notice, and one only has a brief amount of time to complete the work. To make matters worse, students feel that they do not have enough time in their schedule to write papers. However, if one is familiar with term papers and how to write them, they do not need to be so intimidating.
People often underestimate the importance of term papers. All of them together make up a large portion of one's final grade, and doing poorly on just a few can have a significant impact. Therefore, it is important not to brush off term papers as unnecessary and not worth the time. In addition to being worth a lot of points, they also expand your knowledge and help you do better in the class as a whole.
Most term papers are long, detailed, and require multiple sources and documentation. In essence, they are advanced research papers, and are usually only given out in college and other higher level institutions. Several different perspectives are utilized to attempt to prove a point or explain something intimately. Even though many of the ideas of a term paper come from external sources, it is critical that plagiarism be avoided. Some students accidentally commit plagiarism, as it is still plagiarizing if you paraphrase text and do not cite it. As long as one is consistent with paraphrase and citations, plagiarism can be avoided easily.
It is not easy to write a term paper, and thus, the process is broken down in to several manageable steps. Trying to write a term paper in one fell swoop will leave you frustrated and unaccomplished. The first step is choosing the ideal topic, which is usually made easy since a teacher often gives the topic. If they do not, and rather give an overall subject, you can deduce a topic by thinking about something that could be proven or argued for.
Once you have the topic, you must start gathering notes and doing research about it, gathering as many perspectives as you can in order to develop your argument as fully as possible. After all your notes are ready, the outline of the paper can be drafted. An outline follows the form that utilizes Roman numerals, capital letters, and numbers to structure the document.
It is best to include any citations that you are going to use in the outline, so they are all ready to be placed in the paper. It is only once all of these preliminary steps are completed that the paper can actually start to be written. y this point, writing it is not so hard, as you have the outline to follow and you only need to make minor adjustments. The initial attempt at writing a term paper is known as the first draft. When the first draft is done, the final step is to read over it, edit it, and transform it into the final draft. The final draft includes everything, and should be ready to be turned in for a grade.
As long as you take a term paper bit by bit, it is quite easy to complete. With the Internet, you have an almost limitless amount of resources, so writing a term paper is easier now than ever.
About the Author:
http://www.essaytown.com - term paper
Keyword tags: term papers,research papers,essay writing,dissertations,college term papers,college essays
People often underestimate the importance of term papers. All of them together make up a large portion of one's final grade, and doing poorly on just a few can have a significant impact. Therefore, it is important not to brush off term papers as unnecessary and not worth the time. In addition to being worth a lot of points, they also expand your knowledge and help you do better in the class as a whole.
Most term papers are long, detailed, and require multiple sources and documentation. In essence, they are advanced research papers, and are usually only given out in college and other higher level institutions. Several different perspectives are utilized to attempt to prove a point or explain something intimately. Even though many of the ideas of a term paper come from external sources, it is critical that plagiarism be avoided. Some students accidentally commit plagiarism, as it is still plagiarizing if you paraphrase text and do not cite it. As long as one is consistent with paraphrase and citations, plagiarism can be avoided easily.
It is not easy to write a term paper, and thus, the process is broken down in to several manageable steps. Trying to write a term paper in one fell swoop will leave you frustrated and unaccomplished. The first step is choosing the ideal topic, which is usually made easy since a teacher often gives the topic. If they do not, and rather give an overall subject, you can deduce a topic by thinking about something that could be proven or argued for.
Once you have the topic, you must start gathering notes and doing research about it, gathering as many perspectives as you can in order to develop your argument as fully as possible. After all your notes are ready, the outline of the paper can be drafted. An outline follows the form that utilizes Roman numerals, capital letters, and numbers to structure the document.
It is best to include any citations that you are going to use in the outline, so they are all ready to be placed in the paper. It is only once all of these preliminary steps are completed that the paper can actually start to be written. y this point, writing it is not so hard, as you have the outline to follow and you only need to make minor adjustments. The initial attempt at writing a term paper is known as the first draft. When the first draft is done, the final step is to read over it, edit it, and transform it into the final draft. The final draft includes everything, and should be ready to be turned in for a grade.
As long as you take a term paper bit by bit, it is quite easy to complete. With the Internet, you have an almost limitless amount of resources, so writing a term paper is easier now than ever.
About the Author:
http://www.essaytown.com - term paper
Keyword tags: term papers,research papers,essay writing,dissertations,college term papers,college essays
Write a Research Paper in 5 Steps
So you have been asked to write a research paper, but you are unsure on how to start or what is expected of you. Fear not, there is plenty of advice available to help you understand this and to guide you along the way. Once you are aware of the steps needed then writing the proposal will not seem as daunting as before. Read on to find out why you need to plan your work carefully and the importance of proof reading.
The first thing that you should do before anything else is to plan your time in advance. Time management skills are vital in any sphere of life and so it is a good idea to get into good habits as soon as possible. Ideally for an average research paper of 15-20 pages you should give yourself a month to complete the whole process. No doubt you will have other commitments beside the paper so you need to factor in when you will definitely not be able to work on the paper as much as the time when you can.
Try to plan the project so that you aim to complete the paper one week before it is due. This is a fail safe method that will allow for any last minute problems and ensure that the work is not affected by any last minute rush.
Now on to the research paper itself. You can begin by writing down a research hypothesis. This does not need to be anything more than a few sentences, but should address a particular problem or issue and specifically ask a question that will be answered eventually by the research.
Once this is done and you have a clearer idea of what your research intends to do, it is time to visit the library. At this stage you should thoroughly research the topic, reading and developing a good understanding of the background to the problem, the various arguments and positions on the problem and any other relevant material. It is important that as you carry out your research you methodically record what materials you have read and plan to use in the research paper. This is good practice, but it will also make the writing of the research paper much easier later on. It will also form the basis of your bibliography.
The next stage is to write an outline of the research paper. Begin with the introduction by expanding upon your initial hypothesis and then outline the key points to the paper. Examples might be the background to the problem, the key arguments for and against and then reasons for further research.
Now that you have the outline and the research is done you can begin the most important part of the process, the writing. Follow the outline and allow yourself to freely write a rough draft of the paper. Do not worry about errors and inaccuracies at this stage as they are easy to correct later.
When this is complete you can begin the proof reading stage. It is a good idea to ask someone else to read through it as other people so often see things that we ourselves miss, but you can do this yourself also. Carefully read through the paper looking for any spelling and grammatically errors. You can also do some fact checking and generally tidy the paper up so that it is ready for submission.
About the Author:
http://www.essaytown.com - research paper
Keyword tags: term papers,research papers,essay writing,dissertations,college term papers,college essays
The first thing that you should do before anything else is to plan your time in advance. Time management skills are vital in any sphere of life and so it is a good idea to get into good habits as soon as possible. Ideally for an average research paper of 15-20 pages you should give yourself a month to complete the whole process. No doubt you will have other commitments beside the paper so you need to factor in when you will definitely not be able to work on the paper as much as the time when you can.
Try to plan the project so that you aim to complete the paper one week before it is due. This is a fail safe method that will allow for any last minute problems and ensure that the work is not affected by any last minute rush.
Now on to the research paper itself. You can begin by writing down a research hypothesis. This does not need to be anything more than a few sentences, but should address a particular problem or issue and specifically ask a question that will be answered eventually by the research.
Once this is done and you have a clearer idea of what your research intends to do, it is time to visit the library. At this stage you should thoroughly research the topic, reading and developing a good understanding of the background to the problem, the various arguments and positions on the problem and any other relevant material. It is important that as you carry out your research you methodically record what materials you have read and plan to use in the research paper. This is good practice, but it will also make the writing of the research paper much easier later on. It will also form the basis of your bibliography.
The next stage is to write an outline of the research paper. Begin with the introduction by expanding upon your initial hypothesis and then outline the key points to the paper. Examples might be the background to the problem, the key arguments for and against and then reasons for further research.
Now that you have the outline and the research is done you can begin the most important part of the process, the writing. Follow the outline and allow yourself to freely write a rough draft of the paper. Do not worry about errors and inaccuracies at this stage as they are easy to correct later.
When this is complete you can begin the proof reading stage. It is a good idea to ask someone else to read through it as other people so often see things that we ourselves miss, but you can do this yourself also. Carefully read through the paper looking for any spelling and grammatically errors. You can also do some fact checking and generally tidy the paper up so that it is ready for submission.
About the Author:
http://www.essaytown.com - research paper
Keyword tags: term papers,research papers,essay writing,dissertations,college term papers,college essays
Methods of Writing an Essay
Over the course of your studies, whether in high school or college, you will be required to write a multitude of essays on a wide range of topics. Therefore, it is imperative to your success that you can write superb and engaging essays, as without this skill, it is difficult to even pass a class. Constructing an essay is not as intimidating as it first appears, as long as you recognize the steps of writing and take in to account some helpful tips.
Transitioning from high school to college can be a tough experience, as the general requirements for essays become harder. Also, professors often do not alert you to the new requirements, as they expect you to already know them. Sometimes the only way to become familiar with a different grading style is to write an essay normally and then read whatever comments are put on to it after it is graded. In this manner, you can adapt fairly quickly to a fresh environment and be as successful as you were in high school.
The major focus of a college essay is on analysis and critical thinking. High school essays usually require that you just demonstrate a basic understanding of the subject by simply reporting information. These essays test the student's research skills more completely than their thinking capacity. Large portions of a college essay should focus on a small part of the topic, but elaborate on that part with intense analysis. It may take time to adjust to writing in this style, but after a few tries, it becomes much easier to craft an essay of this nature.
To write the perfect essay, it is essential that you plan what you are going to say. By writing along as you go, your thoughts become disorganized and do not follow the flow than an essay should. Once you have finished the plan, start writing right away. It is easy to make a plan and then wait a few more days to actually start, so try hard to avoid this.
Establish a clear direction and focus early on in the essay. A written work that jumps around and does not stay on one topic is usually not regarded well, and a lack of focus influences other parts of the essay. If you have already developed a plan, then staying relevant should not be difficult at all.
To be able to write an essay, you must also be able to read essays. Digesting other writers essays that are of a similar topic to yours can give you new ideas and improve your general writing skills. There are plenty of essays available online, so there is no shortage of reading material. Take time to analyze each essay, as totally understanding one essay is better than having a slight comprehension of ten.
Once the essay is completed, it cannot be stressed enough to have it proofread, preferably multiple times. Reading it over yourself is good, but to get the most useful feedback, it is necessary to have someone else proofread your essay as well. Not only can they spot spelling and grammatical errors that may have evaded you, but they can also give you ideas on restructuring the format or adding/deleting a passage. There is no doubt that having a proofreader greatly increases your chances of a high grade.
About the Author:
http://www.essaytown.com - Essays
Keyword tags: term papers,research papers,essay writing,dissertations,college term papers,college essays
Transitioning from high school to college can be a tough experience, as the general requirements for essays become harder. Also, professors often do not alert you to the new requirements, as they expect you to already know them. Sometimes the only way to become familiar with a different grading style is to write an essay normally and then read whatever comments are put on to it after it is graded. In this manner, you can adapt fairly quickly to a fresh environment and be as successful as you were in high school.
The major focus of a college essay is on analysis and critical thinking. High school essays usually require that you just demonstrate a basic understanding of the subject by simply reporting information. These essays test the student's research skills more completely than their thinking capacity. Large portions of a college essay should focus on a small part of the topic, but elaborate on that part with intense analysis. It may take time to adjust to writing in this style, but after a few tries, it becomes much easier to craft an essay of this nature.
To write the perfect essay, it is essential that you plan what you are going to say. By writing along as you go, your thoughts become disorganized and do not follow the flow than an essay should. Once you have finished the plan, start writing right away. It is easy to make a plan and then wait a few more days to actually start, so try hard to avoid this.
Establish a clear direction and focus early on in the essay. A written work that jumps around and does not stay on one topic is usually not regarded well, and a lack of focus influences other parts of the essay. If you have already developed a plan, then staying relevant should not be difficult at all.
To be able to write an essay, you must also be able to read essays. Digesting other writers essays that are of a similar topic to yours can give you new ideas and improve your general writing skills. There are plenty of essays available online, so there is no shortage of reading material. Take time to analyze each essay, as totally understanding one essay is better than having a slight comprehension of ten.
Once the essay is completed, it cannot be stressed enough to have it proofread, preferably multiple times. Reading it over yourself is good, but to get the most useful feedback, it is necessary to have someone else proofread your essay as well. Not only can they spot spelling and grammatical errors that may have evaded you, but they can also give you ideas on restructuring the format or adding/deleting a passage. There is no doubt that having a proofreader greatly increases your chances of a high grade.
About the Author:
http://www.essaytown.com - Essays
Keyword tags: term papers,research papers,essay writing,dissertations,college term papers,college essays
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Six Critical Things to Look For in a Foundation’s 990 For Successful Grant Funding!
Prospect research is the absolute key when you're investigating potential sources of foundation funding. And there is no finer tool for truly observing the workings of a private foundation -- and whether or not their mission provides a match with your organization -- than with a thorough investigation of a foundation's federal 990-PF form (downloadable at a number of sites for free, including Guidestar and Nozasearch).
For a clearer picture, download the past three years of the foundation's 990.
What, exactly, should you be looking for? Let's take a walk through a typical grantmaking foundation's 990-FP:
1. Do take a look at the foundation's Fiscal Year. Why? Well, if they happen to be closing in on the end of their fiscal year, they may have already spent the required 5 percent payout. On the other hand, if they're fairly new to grantmaking, the foundation may have yet to hone their grantmaking policies – and you may get lucky if they're looking to send some last minute grant checks out the door.
2. Assets: Note, of course, the total fair market value of all assets recorded on line 16 for the last year reported. Now take a look back - has the XYZ Foundation's assets declined or grown over the past few years? Are they a fairly new operating foundation?
3. Part I, Analysis of Revenue and Expenses summarizes other sections of the report. Pay particular attention to line 1. If major contributions have been made during the year in question a founder or trustee may have recently passed – and an increase in giving could be in the future.
4. Part VIII – Take note – here's one of your most important resources. Information about officers, directors, trustees, foundation managers, highly paid employees and contractors: You will certainly want to note the names of the trustees. Could members of your board possibly know any of the trustees of XYZ Foundation? Does the XYZ Foundation have staff members or is it entirely family-run? Are the trustees paid?
5. Part IX-A - Summary of Direct Charitable Activities: Here's where you find out the exact dollar amount given in grants. If the foundation you're researching tends to give many grants in the $2,500 to $10,000 range (as opposed to a few grants in the $25,000-$100,000 range) and you are a first time applicant, you'll want to frame your first ask accordingly.
6. Part XV: This section will tell you how grant applications should be prepared, if there are any deadlines, etc. along with a listing of grantees. Although it's still a good idea to phone and get grant application guidelines directly from the foundation in question, this section will get you started (and don't write a foundation off if they specifically note that they only grant to pre-selected organizations - I've had success with smaller grants of $250-500 with these foundations when there was an otherwise good match in giving!) Are there organizations similar to yours on that listing of grants given in 2003? What is the dollar range in their grantmaking and where would your organization fall? Income from investments: Why would this be of interest to a potential grant-seeker? Taking a look at the XYZ Foundation's investments can give you a generalized idea of their overall philosophy. Are their investments centered in "grandfather" stocks? Their philosophy may be rather traditional and conservative. Do they invest in eBay and Amazon? Perhaps they're more open to creative approaches to problem solving and would welcome a more inventive grant application.
Have your basic funding research form ready and do a little detective work to really "get to know" the foundation you're seeking funding from. You'll dramatically increase your chances of successful funding!
About the Author:
Pamela has worked in the nonprofit arena since 1995. Since 2003 she has had her own private consultancy, assisting nonprofit organizations with proposal development, prospect research, annual appeal strategies and communication planning. Pamela is the author of "Five Days to Foundation Grants" and publishes a weekly blog, "Towards Effective Nonprofit Writing" - http://writegrantproposals.blogspot.com/.
Keyword tags:
For a clearer picture, download the past three years of the foundation's 990.
What, exactly, should you be looking for? Let's take a walk through a typical grantmaking foundation's 990-FP:
1. Do take a look at the foundation's Fiscal Year. Why? Well, if they happen to be closing in on the end of their fiscal year, they may have already spent the required 5 percent payout. On the other hand, if they're fairly new to grantmaking, the foundation may have yet to hone their grantmaking policies – and you may get lucky if they're looking to send some last minute grant checks out the door.
2. Assets: Note, of course, the total fair market value of all assets recorded on line 16 for the last year reported. Now take a look back - has the XYZ Foundation's assets declined or grown over the past few years? Are they a fairly new operating foundation?
3. Part I, Analysis of Revenue and Expenses summarizes other sections of the report. Pay particular attention to line 1. If major contributions have been made during the year in question a founder or trustee may have recently passed – and an increase in giving could be in the future.
4. Part VIII – Take note – here's one of your most important resources. Information about officers, directors, trustees, foundation managers, highly paid employees and contractors: You will certainly want to note the names of the trustees. Could members of your board possibly know any of the trustees of XYZ Foundation? Does the XYZ Foundation have staff members or is it entirely family-run? Are the trustees paid?
5. Part IX-A - Summary of Direct Charitable Activities: Here's where you find out the exact dollar amount given in grants. If the foundation you're researching tends to give many grants in the $2,500 to $10,000 range (as opposed to a few grants in the $25,000-$100,000 range) and you are a first time applicant, you'll want to frame your first ask accordingly.
6. Part XV: This section will tell you how grant applications should be prepared, if there are any deadlines, etc. along with a listing of grantees. Although it's still a good idea to phone and get grant application guidelines directly from the foundation in question, this section will get you started (and don't write a foundation off if they specifically note that they only grant to pre-selected organizations - I've had success with smaller grants of $250-500 with these foundations when there was an otherwise good match in giving!) Are there organizations similar to yours on that listing of grants given in 2003? What is the dollar range in their grantmaking and where would your organization fall? Income from investments: Why would this be of interest to a potential grant-seeker? Taking a look at the XYZ Foundation's investments can give you a generalized idea of their overall philosophy. Are their investments centered in "grandfather" stocks? Their philosophy may be rather traditional and conservative. Do they invest in eBay and Amazon? Perhaps they're more open to creative approaches to problem solving and would welcome a more inventive grant application.
Have your basic funding research form ready and do a little detective work to really "get to know" the foundation you're seeking funding from. You'll dramatically increase your chances of successful funding!
About the Author:
Pamela has worked in the nonprofit arena since 1995. Since 2003 she has had her own private consultancy, assisting nonprofit organizations with proposal development, prospect research, annual appeal strategies and communication planning. Pamela is the author of "Five Days to Foundation Grants" and publishes a weekly blog, "Towards Effective Nonprofit Writing" - http://writegrantproposals.blogspot.com/.
Keyword tags:
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Learning How to Write a Letter of Reference
Have you ever experienced writing a letter of reference and not knowing what to write? Has anyone approached you requesting a letter of reference and you felt you had to say no? Have you ever wondered how to write a letter of reference?
This letter is generally meant to help someone obtain employment. They are also used when applying for college. There are employers who would require this letter from their employees and regard this letter as a character reference. Often, the purpose for which a letter of reference is intended is huge. This is why it is important to learn how to write a letter of reference especially if you seem to have a lot of people requesting this letter from you.
In almost all cases, only people who know you will request this letter from you. You need not wonder how to write a letter of reference. It's easy but it's easier to write a letter if you are at least familiar with the person; otherwise, you wouldn't even know where you would begin. It is advisable to decline the request and promptly suggest that the person seek for it elsewhere. It is also not advisable to write a recommendation letter if you don't feel like creating one for a particular individual, although you may know of him or her. This kind of letter only works well if you know you can actually recommend the person.
Learning how to write a letter of reference is not that difficult. It doesn't even have to be wordy or long. You only need to explain how the person is related or known to you. Is he your neighbor? Is he a co-worker or a business acquaintance? Is he your student? You also need to put down how long you have known the person. This would determine how well you know the person. A letter of recommendation for someone you have known only known for two days is not really credible.
Aside from mentioning the length of time you have known the person, you also need to mention your shared experiences with the person if there are any. This would give the recipient of the letter a clue as to how trustworthy your claims and recommendations are.
Many people do not know how to write a letter of reference because they do not simply know what to say. Basically, you need to mention of three traits that the person requesting the letter possesses. Is the person honest? Is he dependable? Is he the kind of person that you would want to have on your team? What are his skills?
You need to carefully think of the things you have to say before you actually start writing the letter. Make a draft if necessary. Add an anecdote if you feel like it would help. Just make sure that the person will stand out.
Once you have learned how to write a letter of reference, you wouldn't have difficulty phrasing the words and sentences that will help the person achieve the purpose for which your letter is intended.
About the Author:
John Grant is a the author for a how to do it your self site ( http://www.ihowd.com/ ) where he is writing articles about how to write a reference letter ( http://www.ihowd.com/how-to-write-a-reference-letter ).
Keyword tags: how to write a reference letter
This letter is generally meant to help someone obtain employment. They are also used when applying for college. There are employers who would require this letter from their employees and regard this letter as a character reference. Often, the purpose for which a letter of reference is intended is huge. This is why it is important to learn how to write a letter of reference especially if you seem to have a lot of people requesting this letter from you.
In almost all cases, only people who know you will request this letter from you. You need not wonder how to write a letter of reference. It's easy but it's easier to write a letter if you are at least familiar with the person; otherwise, you wouldn't even know where you would begin. It is advisable to decline the request and promptly suggest that the person seek for it elsewhere. It is also not advisable to write a recommendation letter if you don't feel like creating one for a particular individual, although you may know of him or her. This kind of letter only works well if you know you can actually recommend the person.
Learning how to write a letter of reference is not that difficult. It doesn't even have to be wordy or long. You only need to explain how the person is related or known to you. Is he your neighbor? Is he a co-worker or a business acquaintance? Is he your student? You also need to put down how long you have known the person. This would determine how well you know the person. A letter of recommendation for someone you have known only known for two days is not really credible.
Aside from mentioning the length of time you have known the person, you also need to mention your shared experiences with the person if there are any. This would give the recipient of the letter a clue as to how trustworthy your claims and recommendations are.
Many people do not know how to write a letter of reference because they do not simply know what to say. Basically, you need to mention of three traits that the person requesting the letter possesses. Is the person honest? Is he dependable? Is he the kind of person that you would want to have on your team? What are his skills?
You need to carefully think of the things you have to say before you actually start writing the letter. Make a draft if necessary. Add an anecdote if you feel like it would help. Just make sure that the person will stand out.
Once you have learned how to write a letter of reference, you wouldn't have difficulty phrasing the words and sentences that will help the person achieve the purpose for which your letter is intended.
About the Author:
John Grant is a the author for a how to do it your self site ( http://www.ihowd.com/ ) where he is writing articles about how to write a reference letter ( http://www.ihowd.com/how-to-write-a-reference-letter ).
Keyword tags: how to write a reference letter
Trucking School
The more I pondered the mystery, the deeper it grew: big trucks everywhere…around me every day of my life. Yet I found I knew nothing about trucking or the people manning the cabs — outside of one hokey Hollywood film that threw an ape in there with the driver. How was anyone to get a true picture of truckers and the people populating the industry? It seemed truckers didn't write…and writers certainly don't truck….
The front axle and enormous steer tire of an idling over-the-road giant sat opposite my open window as I waited for a light on N.J. route 46. I had just left an angry agent in the "Big Apple." She'd given up on placing my first novel, a saga about the gambling resurgence in Atlantic City. Her advice, after six major trade publishers had turned it down: "Cut it in half!" After five years of writing, I wasn't going to halve 750 manuscript pages and maybe slice the heart out of my story…no siree, bob! (Nor had
I enough distance from my work, at that point in time, to rationally begin a reconstruction — if the story even demanded it.)
Nine years later, I wouldn't have known I'd been staring at the front axle of a W-900L Kenworth "K-Whopper." That day, when I returned to my Pennsylvania home, I phoned a friend who owned a big old Brockway dump truck and asked him to give me driving lessons. I was itching to dig into what promised to be a fantastic eye-opener, that BIG story — waiting out there on the road — my second novel! Logically, I felt the only way I was going to get at it was to become part of the trucking industry…just for a spell.
After a few minutes of instruction, I took the wheel of my friend's Brockway and began my studies. We got only a few feet down his drive before I had another decision to make: I had no idea that my attempt to shift his balky gear box would create a metallic, grating scream of agony that nearly ended our long friendship. He snapped, "Go ahead…wreck my gear box, or find yourself a trucking school!" Deciding to keep a friend, I took the advice on a school.
I settled on a trucking school down in the "Dutch Country" southeast of Harrisburg and north of Lancaster, a quaint enough place to while away a few summer months should the trucking curriculum prove boring. Boring it was NOT. The school proved to be an education in itself.
With about a hundred students, the bulk of them leaning on some strange kind of PA educational grant, the academic tenor was decidedly weird. Three of the young ladies enrolled in my class had nothing less in mind than heavy partying with any instructor who might show an interest (not a problem). I found myself assigned to a crew that shrank daily, until I was left alone in a creaky combo rig with our instructor and "Jackknife Johnny" — a suicidal freak in his early twenties, who insisted on slowly drifting the truck and trailer into the oncoming lanes of any road we traveled. That straightened out when I went to the school's director, demanding the return of my tuition…it took two visits.
The apartment I rented in the nearby farming town of Marietta, PA became a workshop for the setting of my book. The mood of the place, its attitudes and localisms, later showed up in the characters of "Old Ed" Rothermel and Abner Weaver — though Abner was based mainly on three other characters who had never set foot in Marietta.
Somehow, the prior experience with my friend's gear box hung on. I had trouble with shifting from day one, but not nearly so bad as did one gal, a former school bus driver. I think her bus had an automatic transmission, and try as she might, she couldn't master a nine-speed stick shift. One day she broke down in tears and was never seen again. Her frustrations reappear in Dawn — Chapter 11 — when Abner sits Dawn behind the wheel for her first lesson. Dawn, however, pulls it off with flying colors. As for me, it took two years over the road before my shifting finally smoothed out; I could finally go up and down the gears completely without the clutch, except for the first shift from a standing start, surprising myself no end.
The school possessed a half-dozen old trucks (tractors) and trailers. By some great good luck while I was at the school, no one, including "Jackknife Johnny," ever managed to smash one up. (I later heard that "Jackknife" killed a family in a wreck he'd had at his first — and last — place of employment.)
The school's rigs seemed to have quite a bit of snap. They moved out smartly…and maybe this had something to do with the difficulty a few of us had catching gears. I only mention this because, while landing my first job, I was put behind the wheel of a company truck and told to hook to a road trailer that sat at rest in the yard. With a former State Police Officer in the jump seat taking notes on my performance, I remarked that the company truck seemed to have practically no power compared to the ones at school. He grunted, "Maybe so….""
When I became flustered on a highway ramp and began grinding gears, he told me to calm down, saying he'd watched other former students exhibiting the same problem. When we got back to the yard, he broke out laughing: "Well, you finally caught on — didn't you? Some day, I'm gonna phone those nitwits at your school and tell them to graduate you guys on a full trailer…" That's when I learned I'd just pulled my first real LOAD — 22 tons worth!
Maybe I was still grinding gears when I graduated, but I won the school award for the most improved student driver in yard work and docking. That was another joke. No dock out there in the real world was that easy to hit squarely…and all of them were different. But by the end of my career, I could do a 90 degree blindside jack into a crooked alley off a crowded Brooklyn, NY street — and did so, many times…practice makes perfect.
Oddly enough, I didn't write a word of 3 Aces while I logged nearly a million road miles. I tried a tape recorder for a while, then notes. But found myself too busy — and generally too damned tired — to concentrate on writing about the adventure that, in retrospect, provided one of the most exciting and rewarding times of my life.
Instead, I carefully packed the sights, sounds, joys, and tragedies of a nine-year, long-haul trucking stint into my noggin in neat, little cubicles. I'd had the decided advantage of finishing one long novel before hitting the road. I knew what to look for, what to retain…and I'd thought long and hard, over all those miles, about packing those experiences and teachings from everyone I'd met and every place I'd been in the forty-eight and Canada into a tighter, more exciting book.
And when I finally left the road, I pulled the plug and let it all pour out. Did I capture what I'd set out to do? Let me hear from you… please. Let me know….
About the Author:
Richard Ide is a writer of realistic, action-adventure and romantic-suspense fiction. On May 26th, 2008, Button Top Books released 3 ACES, his first published work. Now available on http://Amazon.com or by special order (ISBN: 978-0-615-15821-1) in bookstores. For more information on Richard and 3 Aces, visit: http://www.3acesthenovel.com.
Keyword tags: trucks, big rigs, truck drivers, long haul trucking, US travel, US driving, fiction, novels, authors
The front axle and enormous steer tire of an idling over-the-road giant sat opposite my open window as I waited for a light on N.J. route 46. I had just left an angry agent in the "Big Apple." She'd given up on placing my first novel, a saga about the gambling resurgence in Atlantic City. Her advice, after six major trade publishers had turned it down: "Cut it in half!" After five years of writing, I wasn't going to halve 750 manuscript pages and maybe slice the heart out of my story…no siree, bob! (Nor had
I enough distance from my work, at that point in time, to rationally begin a reconstruction — if the story even demanded it.)
Nine years later, I wouldn't have known I'd been staring at the front axle of a W-900L Kenworth "K-Whopper." That day, when I returned to my Pennsylvania home, I phoned a friend who owned a big old Brockway dump truck and asked him to give me driving lessons. I was itching to dig into what promised to be a fantastic eye-opener, that BIG story — waiting out there on the road — my second novel! Logically, I felt the only way I was going to get at it was to become part of the trucking industry…just for a spell.
After a few minutes of instruction, I took the wheel of my friend's Brockway and began my studies. We got only a few feet down his drive before I had another decision to make: I had no idea that my attempt to shift his balky gear box would create a metallic, grating scream of agony that nearly ended our long friendship. He snapped, "Go ahead…wreck my gear box, or find yourself a trucking school!" Deciding to keep a friend, I took the advice on a school.
I settled on a trucking school down in the "Dutch Country" southeast of Harrisburg and north of Lancaster, a quaint enough place to while away a few summer months should the trucking curriculum prove boring. Boring it was NOT. The school proved to be an education in itself.
With about a hundred students, the bulk of them leaning on some strange kind of PA educational grant, the academic tenor was decidedly weird. Three of the young ladies enrolled in my class had nothing less in mind than heavy partying with any instructor who might show an interest (not a problem). I found myself assigned to a crew that shrank daily, until I was left alone in a creaky combo rig with our instructor and "Jackknife Johnny" — a suicidal freak in his early twenties, who insisted on slowly drifting the truck and trailer into the oncoming lanes of any road we traveled. That straightened out when I went to the school's director, demanding the return of my tuition…it took two visits.
The apartment I rented in the nearby farming town of Marietta, PA became a workshop for the setting of my book. The mood of the place, its attitudes and localisms, later showed up in the characters of "Old Ed" Rothermel and Abner Weaver — though Abner was based mainly on three other characters who had never set foot in Marietta.
Somehow, the prior experience with my friend's gear box hung on. I had trouble with shifting from day one, but not nearly so bad as did one gal, a former school bus driver. I think her bus had an automatic transmission, and try as she might, she couldn't master a nine-speed stick shift. One day she broke down in tears and was never seen again. Her frustrations reappear in Dawn — Chapter 11 — when Abner sits Dawn behind the wheel for her first lesson. Dawn, however, pulls it off with flying colors. As for me, it took two years over the road before my shifting finally smoothed out; I could finally go up and down the gears completely without the clutch, except for the first shift from a standing start, surprising myself no end.
The school possessed a half-dozen old trucks (tractors) and trailers. By some great good luck while I was at the school, no one, including "Jackknife Johnny," ever managed to smash one up. (I later heard that "Jackknife" killed a family in a wreck he'd had at his first — and last — place of employment.)
The school's rigs seemed to have quite a bit of snap. They moved out smartly…and maybe this had something to do with the difficulty a few of us had catching gears. I only mention this because, while landing my first job, I was put behind the wheel of a company truck and told to hook to a road trailer that sat at rest in the yard. With a former State Police Officer in the jump seat taking notes on my performance, I remarked that the company truck seemed to have practically no power compared to the ones at school. He grunted, "Maybe so….""
When I became flustered on a highway ramp and began grinding gears, he told me to calm down, saying he'd watched other former students exhibiting the same problem. When we got back to the yard, he broke out laughing: "Well, you finally caught on — didn't you? Some day, I'm gonna phone those nitwits at your school and tell them to graduate you guys on a full trailer…" That's when I learned I'd just pulled my first real LOAD — 22 tons worth!
Maybe I was still grinding gears when I graduated, but I won the school award for the most improved student driver in yard work and docking. That was another joke. No dock out there in the real world was that easy to hit squarely…and all of them were different. But by the end of my career, I could do a 90 degree blindside jack into a crooked alley off a crowded Brooklyn, NY street — and did so, many times…practice makes perfect.
Oddly enough, I didn't write a word of 3 Aces while I logged nearly a million road miles. I tried a tape recorder for a while, then notes. But found myself too busy — and generally too damned tired — to concentrate on writing about the adventure that, in retrospect, provided one of the most exciting and rewarding times of my life.
Instead, I carefully packed the sights, sounds, joys, and tragedies of a nine-year, long-haul trucking stint into my noggin in neat, little cubicles. I'd had the decided advantage of finishing one long novel before hitting the road. I knew what to look for, what to retain…and I'd thought long and hard, over all those miles, about packing those experiences and teachings from everyone I'd met and every place I'd been in the forty-eight and Canada into a tighter, more exciting book.
And when I finally left the road, I pulled the plug and let it all pour out. Did I capture what I'd set out to do? Let me hear from you… please. Let me know….
About the Author:
Richard Ide is a writer of realistic, action-adventure and romantic-suspense fiction. On May 26th, 2008, Button Top Books released 3 ACES, his first published work. Now available on http://Amazon.com or by special order (ISBN: 978-0-615-15821-1) in bookstores. For more information on Richard and 3 Aces, visit: http://www.3acesthenovel.com.
Keyword tags: trucks, big rigs, truck drivers, long haul trucking, US travel, US driving, fiction, novels, authors
Zoos More Than a Walk in the Park
This time of year, your favorite zoo is about the busiest place in town. With the gas crises in full swing, many families are choosing to stay near home and take the family to the local menagerie.
Which begs the question - why does every modern city that can afford a zoo have one today?
There are probably half-a-dozen good reasons: recreation, education, nature appreciation, research, conservation, and another purpose best described as sociological.
The recreational aspects of a zoo are evident in the millions who stream through their gates every year. The San Diego Zoo, where I spent some years as PR director, consistently draws over three million people a year to its tropics-like park setting.
Since most zoos are generally located in a park, a visit to them offers a walk in a natural setting and mild exercise, both spiced with close-up views of the living wonders of nature.
In a broad sense, the zoo is a source of entertainment. (And to stay competitive in today's tourist market, the larger zoos have to offer up additional events, acts, prizes and special days.)
Directors, curators and vets on the staff would prefer to emphasize the more serious purposes of education, research and conservation. But for the endless streams of people who come to the zoo, entertainment is the primary motive – recreational and educational.
Still animals as entertainment cannot be the zoo's sole purpose. For that, there are circuses.
Nature appreciation is closely akin to the recreational function of the zoo but goes well beyond. Properly designed exhibits — and more and more zoos have modernized their exhibition areas — must lead to a sense of wonder at the infinite variety of life and appreciation of its mystery.
Close watching should temper the idea of the "slimy, slithering" snake to wonder at its geometric beauty and obvious cleanliness. The sight of the leading male baboon slapping at the adolescents, but enduring every indignity from the young, is a lesson in parenthood.
The ancient Chinese name for zoos, "parks of intelligence," indicates how far back the idea of the zoo's educational purpose goes. However, real acknowledgment of its educational purpose is a relatively recent addition to the zoo function, dating from the change from menagerie to zoological garden.
Obviously, the zoo teaches natural history and zoology. It also teaches the interdependence of life, and it should teach appreciation for the dignity of all creatures.
Zoos educate at many levels. There is the simplest form of education, that of the casual stroller who learns that a wolf really isn't as big as a bear, and that a tiger isn't a constantly raging beast.
The more interested stroller, reading the informational signs, learns what a marsupial is, and that porcupines cannot shoot quills.
At a still higher level are the conducted zoo tours in which informed guides lead groups on walks.
One of the great advantages of the zoo as an educational institution is that almost no one minds learning this way. Even the most fractious child will absorb information on a zoo trip. San Diego and a majority of the larger zoos have formal arrangements with local school systems for teaching visits.
The research function of the modern zoo is more and more being appreciated and used. Today's scientists have turned to wild animal collections with basic questions:
What kind of a blood system does the giraffe have that allows it to drop its head 18 feet to drink without having a heart attack?
What kind of a digestive system does a vulture have that allows it to eat putrefying fish without getting food poisoning?
How does a bird navigate over water on a cloud-shrouded night?
What psychological barriers exist in most species that make it almost impossible for one animal to deliberately kill another animal of the same species?
In early times, kings kept wild animals to show that their dominion extended even over the kings of the jungle. Romans imported ferocious beasts to take part in bloody contests in the arena. Later, noblemen and rich merchants kept them as status symbols.
Today, with a thousand species of animals now considered endangered, conservation of our wildlife may be the zoo's most important function.
About the Author:
Bill Seaton is a prize-winning author and lecturer who has served nearly 25 years as public relations director of the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld and the California State Lottery. To learn more about the San Diego resident's books, blogs and awards, visit http://www.billseaton.com.
Keyword tags: zoos, San Diego Zoo, wild animals, writing, books, authors, publishing, nature
Which begs the question - why does every modern city that can afford a zoo have one today?
There are probably half-a-dozen good reasons: recreation, education, nature appreciation, research, conservation, and another purpose best described as sociological.
The recreational aspects of a zoo are evident in the millions who stream through their gates every year. The San Diego Zoo, where I spent some years as PR director, consistently draws over three million people a year to its tropics-like park setting.
Since most zoos are generally located in a park, a visit to them offers a walk in a natural setting and mild exercise, both spiced with close-up views of the living wonders of nature.
In a broad sense, the zoo is a source of entertainment. (And to stay competitive in today's tourist market, the larger zoos have to offer up additional events, acts, prizes and special days.)
Directors, curators and vets on the staff would prefer to emphasize the more serious purposes of education, research and conservation. But for the endless streams of people who come to the zoo, entertainment is the primary motive – recreational and educational.
Still animals as entertainment cannot be the zoo's sole purpose. For that, there are circuses.
Nature appreciation is closely akin to the recreational function of the zoo but goes well beyond. Properly designed exhibits — and more and more zoos have modernized their exhibition areas — must lead to a sense of wonder at the infinite variety of life and appreciation of its mystery.
Close watching should temper the idea of the "slimy, slithering" snake to wonder at its geometric beauty and obvious cleanliness. The sight of the leading male baboon slapping at the adolescents, but enduring every indignity from the young, is a lesson in parenthood.
The ancient Chinese name for zoos, "parks of intelligence," indicates how far back the idea of the zoo's educational purpose goes. However, real acknowledgment of its educational purpose is a relatively recent addition to the zoo function, dating from the change from menagerie to zoological garden.
Obviously, the zoo teaches natural history and zoology. It also teaches the interdependence of life, and it should teach appreciation for the dignity of all creatures.
Zoos educate at many levels. There is the simplest form of education, that of the casual stroller who learns that a wolf really isn't as big as a bear, and that a tiger isn't a constantly raging beast.
The more interested stroller, reading the informational signs, learns what a marsupial is, and that porcupines cannot shoot quills.
At a still higher level are the conducted zoo tours in which informed guides lead groups on walks.
One of the great advantages of the zoo as an educational institution is that almost no one minds learning this way. Even the most fractious child will absorb information on a zoo trip. San Diego and a majority of the larger zoos have formal arrangements with local school systems for teaching visits.
The research function of the modern zoo is more and more being appreciated and used. Today's scientists have turned to wild animal collections with basic questions:
What kind of a blood system does the giraffe have that allows it to drop its head 18 feet to drink without having a heart attack?
What kind of a digestive system does a vulture have that allows it to eat putrefying fish without getting food poisoning?
How does a bird navigate over water on a cloud-shrouded night?
What psychological barriers exist in most species that make it almost impossible for one animal to deliberately kill another animal of the same species?
In early times, kings kept wild animals to show that their dominion extended even over the kings of the jungle. Romans imported ferocious beasts to take part in bloody contests in the arena. Later, noblemen and rich merchants kept them as status symbols.
Today, with a thousand species of animals now considered endangered, conservation of our wildlife may be the zoo's most important function.
About the Author:
Bill Seaton is a prize-winning author and lecturer who has served nearly 25 years as public relations director of the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld and the California State Lottery. To learn more about the San Diego resident's books, blogs and awards, visit http://www.billseaton.com.
Keyword tags: zoos, San Diego Zoo, wild animals, writing, books, authors, publishing, nature
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Writing Children\s Books: A Crash Course in Submitting a Manuscript
While the submission process may feel like second nature to experienced writers, it's easy to forget that newcomers aren't aware of the specific procedures. And since everyone can benefit from a refresher course now and then, here's a rundown of the steps:
First, collect addresses of appropriate publishers by perusing market guides like Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market , industry newsletters such as Children's Book Insider, and looking through similar books at the store or library. Then send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the publisher asking for writer's guidelines (you can start this process while you're still writing your book as it may take a few weeks to receive a response). Review the guidelines carefully to make sure your manuscript fits with what the publisher is looking for.
Most publishers want to see the entire manuscript for picture books. Type your manuscript on white paper, double spaced, indenting at the beginning of each paragraph. Use at least one inch margins on each side, and justify the left margin only. Put your name and the title of the book at the top of each page, and number the pages consecutively. Your name, address, phone number and email should appear in the upper left-hand corner of the first page. Center the title of the manuscript about a third of the way down on page 1, skip a line, and then start the text.
Don't break the text up into pages as it would appear in the finished book, and don't include illustrations unless you're a professional artist (in which case, send a black and white dummy with a sketch of each illustration and 2-3 copies of finished color illustrations along with the typed manuscript). Send with a brief cover letter stating the title, intended age group, and word count of the story. Add any previous publishing experience and memberships to writing organizations (if you don't have such experience, leave this section out). Mention if this is a simultaneous submission (sending the manuscript to several publishers at once), and include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with enough postage to return the manuscript if necessary.
For longer fiction, publishers often want a query letter and sample chapters. The query starts out with the same basic information as the cover letter above, but also includes a brief synopsis of the plot. Try to write the query in the same style as the manuscript, and include information on the main characters, the conflict and the resolution of the plot. Add your publishing experience, and tell the editor you can send the entire manuscript if she's interested. Ideally, the entire query letter will fit on one page. Send with the first two chapters of the manuscript and a SASE.
For longer nonfiction, a book proposal is generally requested. This gives a brief overview of the book (one or two paragraphs describing the tone and slant of the information), and a chapter-by-chapter outline (with a sentence or two listing the information covered in each chapter). Attach the first two chapters if it's requested in the writer's guidelines, and also a bibliography of your resources. In your cover letter, list the target audience, the estimated length of the finished manuscript, why your book is different from others on the market on the same subject, and your expertise on the topic. Send with a SASE.
Nonfiction picture book publishers may require a query (in which case you'd outline the book in one or two paragraphs and also include the information from the nonfiction cover letter above), or the entire manuscript. If sending the whole manuscript, attach a brief cover letter as with fiction picture books, but also mention how your book fits into the current market and your credentials on the topic.
Following the proper submission procedures gets easier with practice, and ensures that your manuscript will get a serious look. Take the time to give each editor exactly what she wants, and she'll give your work closer consideration.
Note: For much more information on writing cover letters, query letters and book proposals, see Author to Editor: Query Letter Secrets of the Pros, edited by Linda Arms White. It includes over 30 actual queries used by authors to sell everything from picture books to young adult nonfiction. Go to http://write4kids.com/a2e.html for all the details.
About the Author:
Laura Backes publishes Children's Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children's Writers. For info about writing children's books, free articles, market tips, insider secrets & more, visit http://Write4kids.com. For a free 3 month mini-subscription to CBI, go to http://write4kids.com/minisub.html
Keyword tags: writing, children\\\'s books, manuscripts, author, writers, writer, write
First, collect addresses of appropriate publishers by perusing market guides like Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market , industry newsletters such as Children's Book Insider, and looking through similar books at the store or library. Then send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the publisher asking for writer's guidelines (you can start this process while you're still writing your book as it may take a few weeks to receive a response). Review the guidelines carefully to make sure your manuscript fits with what the publisher is looking for.
Most publishers want to see the entire manuscript for picture books. Type your manuscript on white paper, double spaced, indenting at the beginning of each paragraph. Use at least one inch margins on each side, and justify the left margin only. Put your name and the title of the book at the top of each page, and number the pages consecutively. Your name, address, phone number and email should appear in the upper left-hand corner of the first page. Center the title of the manuscript about a third of the way down on page 1, skip a line, and then start the text.
Don't break the text up into pages as it would appear in the finished book, and don't include illustrations unless you're a professional artist (in which case, send a black and white dummy with a sketch of each illustration and 2-3 copies of finished color illustrations along with the typed manuscript). Send with a brief cover letter stating the title, intended age group, and word count of the story. Add any previous publishing experience and memberships to writing organizations (if you don't have such experience, leave this section out). Mention if this is a simultaneous submission (sending the manuscript to several publishers at once), and include a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) with enough postage to return the manuscript if necessary.
For longer fiction, publishers often want a query letter and sample chapters. The query starts out with the same basic information as the cover letter above, but also includes a brief synopsis of the plot. Try to write the query in the same style as the manuscript, and include information on the main characters, the conflict and the resolution of the plot. Add your publishing experience, and tell the editor you can send the entire manuscript if she's interested. Ideally, the entire query letter will fit on one page. Send with the first two chapters of the manuscript and a SASE.
For longer nonfiction, a book proposal is generally requested. This gives a brief overview of the book (one or two paragraphs describing the tone and slant of the information), and a chapter-by-chapter outline (with a sentence or two listing the information covered in each chapter). Attach the first two chapters if it's requested in the writer's guidelines, and also a bibliography of your resources. In your cover letter, list the target audience, the estimated length of the finished manuscript, why your book is different from others on the market on the same subject, and your expertise on the topic. Send with a SASE.
Nonfiction picture book publishers may require a query (in which case you'd outline the book in one or two paragraphs and also include the information from the nonfiction cover letter above), or the entire manuscript. If sending the whole manuscript, attach a brief cover letter as with fiction picture books, but also mention how your book fits into the current market and your credentials on the topic.
Following the proper submission procedures gets easier with practice, and ensures that your manuscript will get a serious look. Take the time to give each editor exactly what she wants, and she'll give your work closer consideration.
Note: For much more information on writing cover letters, query letters and book proposals, see Author to Editor: Query Letter Secrets of the Pros, edited by Linda Arms White. It includes over 30 actual queries used by authors to sell everything from picture books to young adult nonfiction. Go to http://write4kids.com/a2e.html for all the details.
About the Author:
Laura Backes publishes Children's Book Insider, the Newsletter for Children's Writers. For info about writing children's books, free articles, market tips, insider secrets & more, visit http://Write4kids.com. For a free 3 month mini-subscription to CBI, go to http://write4kids.com/minisub.html
Keyword tags: writing, children\\\'s books, manuscripts, author, writers, writer, write
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Learn How to Self Publish a Magazine
Self publishing a magazine that's something that many individuals are interested in, not only for the money that is possible to make but also so that they can pursue an interest of theirs to its fullest extent. There are several different things that you're going to need to do in order to start a periodical and it may be difficult to learn how to start a magazine unless you start at the very beginning. All of us have different ideas of what success is as far as our magazines are concerned but by following the proper path, you will have the greatest chance of finding the success you're looking for.
The first thing that you're going to need is to find the proper financing in order to start a magazine in the first place. Before you have a large readership, it is often difficult to attract any advertisers in order to make the initial money to begin publishing. One of the easiest ways to do this is to come up with a business plan for your magazine so that you can approach a lending institution to help you with the financing. Once your readership begins to improve, you can find advertisers that will begin to pay for all of the publishing cost and to make your magazine run in the black.
You also need to determine how large your magazine is going to be. If you're working on a very specific niche, you may want to have a smaller magazine or perhaps only publish it several times per year. There is no set rule that says that you need to publish a magazine every month in order for it to be successful. Many magazines have been published for a very long time that are only available once or twice per year.
There really are a lot of other things that are involved in how to start a magazine. As long as you have the desire and an interest in maintaining one of these periodicals, however, you can generally be successful with it. Give it time to grow and make sure that you are constantly promoting the magazine in order to have a larger following. Eventually, your magazine will have a life of its own and you would be surprised at exactly how far you will be able to take it. It is a very old way to make money but it is one that still works today.
Laying out a magazine can me more of a hassle then writing the content for it. One great way to massively cut down on the time it takes to lay out your magazine is by using an InDesign magazine template. Once you learn how to use an InDesign template you will be able to spend less time laying out the pages of your magazine and be able to spend more time writing content for it as well as promoting it. Since time is money both of those things can in turn lead to more profits, so this is a very worthwhile investment.
There are many websites online that sell InDesign magazine templates so it should not be a problem finding one that meets your needs. If you feel that you can not find a template that fits your specific needs then you might consider hiring a freelancer to design the template for you. This is a once off expense that will save you countless time in the future. InDesign templates are simple to use and will absolutely help you save time that you would have spent laying out your copy. Using these templates are fast and simple. You just layout your content as you want it to look in the template.
When you consider how much time and effort you save by using an InDesign magazine template you soon realize what a worthwhile investment they are. By just using a simple layout you are also maximizing how much you are able to fit on each page. If you do not already use a magazine templates and you are looking for a way to save time and money the acquire one today.
About the Author:
http://www.magazine-template.com indesign magazine template
http://www.magazine-template.com publish a magazine
Keyword tags: magazine template, magazine templates, publish a magazine, start a magazine, newsletter template, ez
The first thing that you're going to need is to find the proper financing in order to start a magazine in the first place. Before you have a large readership, it is often difficult to attract any advertisers in order to make the initial money to begin publishing. One of the easiest ways to do this is to come up with a business plan for your magazine so that you can approach a lending institution to help you with the financing. Once your readership begins to improve, you can find advertisers that will begin to pay for all of the publishing cost and to make your magazine run in the black.
You also need to determine how large your magazine is going to be. If you're working on a very specific niche, you may want to have a smaller magazine or perhaps only publish it several times per year. There is no set rule that says that you need to publish a magazine every month in order for it to be successful. Many magazines have been published for a very long time that are only available once or twice per year.
There really are a lot of other things that are involved in how to start a magazine. As long as you have the desire and an interest in maintaining one of these periodicals, however, you can generally be successful with it. Give it time to grow and make sure that you are constantly promoting the magazine in order to have a larger following. Eventually, your magazine will have a life of its own and you would be surprised at exactly how far you will be able to take it. It is a very old way to make money but it is one that still works today.
Laying out a magazine can me more of a hassle then writing the content for it. One great way to massively cut down on the time it takes to lay out your magazine is by using an InDesign magazine template. Once you learn how to use an InDesign template you will be able to spend less time laying out the pages of your magazine and be able to spend more time writing content for it as well as promoting it. Since time is money both of those things can in turn lead to more profits, so this is a very worthwhile investment.
There are many websites online that sell InDesign magazine templates so it should not be a problem finding one that meets your needs. If you feel that you can not find a template that fits your specific needs then you might consider hiring a freelancer to design the template for you. This is a once off expense that will save you countless time in the future. InDesign templates are simple to use and will absolutely help you save time that you would have spent laying out your copy. Using these templates are fast and simple. You just layout your content as you want it to look in the template.
When you consider how much time and effort you save by using an InDesign magazine template you soon realize what a worthwhile investment they are. By just using a simple layout you are also maximizing how much you are able to fit on each page. If you do not already use a magazine templates and you are looking for a way to save time and money the acquire one today.
About the Author:
http://www.magazine-template.com indesign magazine template
http://www.magazine-template.com publish a magazine
Keyword tags: magazine template, magazine templates, publish a magazine, start a magazine, newsletter template, ez
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Babbel - In so Many Words
Whenever I find myself in trouble regarding the spelling or the exact meaning of a word I resort to my trusty Webster dictionary. I developed this habit a long time ago in the days when I had to write important reports and absolute accuracy was an essential prerequisite. In those days computers with spell check did not exist, nor did cell phones or any of the communication technology that are available to us in this era. A typewriter along with typing paper and carbon paper were the tools of the trade. I have a question for the younger generation, do you know what carbon paper is, and have you ever seen a sheet of the accursed item? If the answer is yes, good for you. If you haven't you may want to check it out and it will help you to understand the absolute wonder of a printer, a copier, and a fax machine. Let us move on to the real point in issue, accurate and timely communication.
There is no doubt that we attempt to communicate as accurately as possible and of course we are inclined to assume that the message or information was sent and received intact and without ambiguity. However I must tell you that this is not always true. Miscommunication is very inconvenient and in some situations it can become dangerous. Many years ago I received instructions to assemble a team and to quietly insert ourselves into a farming community some distance from the capital. Our orders were to find and arrest a suspect who was wanted for several murders and burglaries. The Assistant Commissioner made it clear that he must be captured alive if possible or dead if necessary, he was known to be armed and dangerous.
Shortly after our arrival, we received good information from a farmer who happened to be a victim, and acting on the tip we quietly surrounded a cottage on the outskirts of the village. According to the informant the suspect was in the habit of visiting a lady who lived alone in the cottage and he would usually arrive after midnight and leave before dawn. At around 10 p.m. the team was in position behind trees and brushes. The instructions were simple, watch and wait and close in before he entered the house.
Ten o'clock became midnight and then 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. and still nothing. Shortly after 4 a.m., the front door of the house was opened and standing there was our suspect. He had entered the house before we were in position. I made a quick decision not to make a move until he was away from the house, too far away to turn and run back. When I judged the time to be right I shouted to the team, "move in" and I sprinted toward him intent on bringing him down. I was almost there when I heard the sound of gunfire and I saw tracers whipping past my head and body. I hit the ground screaming, one of my team member was trying to shoot the suspect and almost shot me. The suspect took off like a bat out of hell, scaled the fence and disappeared in the brushes. We managed to corner him a week later in a sugar cane plantation and with the aid of a police dog named Butch. He was tried, convicted and sentenced to death.
A review of the episode revealed serious lapses in our planning along the way. My orders were, "shoot to kill if necessary." The officer who opened fire said that he did not hear, "if necessary." I made a serious, almost fatal, mistake when I took off after the suspect, I should have turned on my flashlight to indicate my position, and last but by no means least, I should have sent for Butch (the police dog). I survived the incident but I learned an important lesson, make sure that everyone understands what is required in detail and follow through or rehearse when necessary.
Misunderstandings and mixed messages are the bane of the human society and this condition is made worse by the fact that we do not speak the same language. Try to imagine the suspicion and fear when two potential antagonists confront each other and begin in to babbel.
About the Author:
Bernard Steele is a veteran law enforcement officer (operational and administrative), now retired. He was the former chief security officer of the National Banking System of Guyana S.A. To learn about his new book visit http://www.deathinsmalldoses.com.
Keyword tags: books, authors, publishing fiction, thriller, mixed messages, language, communication
There is no doubt that we attempt to communicate as accurately as possible and of course we are inclined to assume that the message or information was sent and received intact and without ambiguity. However I must tell you that this is not always true. Miscommunication is very inconvenient and in some situations it can become dangerous. Many years ago I received instructions to assemble a team and to quietly insert ourselves into a farming community some distance from the capital. Our orders were to find and arrest a suspect who was wanted for several murders and burglaries. The Assistant Commissioner made it clear that he must be captured alive if possible or dead if necessary, he was known to be armed and dangerous.
Shortly after our arrival, we received good information from a farmer who happened to be a victim, and acting on the tip we quietly surrounded a cottage on the outskirts of the village. According to the informant the suspect was in the habit of visiting a lady who lived alone in the cottage and he would usually arrive after midnight and leave before dawn. At around 10 p.m. the team was in position behind trees and brushes. The instructions were simple, watch and wait and close in before he entered the house.
Ten o'clock became midnight and then 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. and still nothing. Shortly after 4 a.m., the front door of the house was opened and standing there was our suspect. He had entered the house before we were in position. I made a quick decision not to make a move until he was away from the house, too far away to turn and run back. When I judged the time to be right I shouted to the team, "move in" and I sprinted toward him intent on bringing him down. I was almost there when I heard the sound of gunfire and I saw tracers whipping past my head and body. I hit the ground screaming, one of my team member was trying to shoot the suspect and almost shot me. The suspect took off like a bat out of hell, scaled the fence and disappeared in the brushes. We managed to corner him a week later in a sugar cane plantation and with the aid of a police dog named Butch. He was tried, convicted and sentenced to death.
A review of the episode revealed serious lapses in our planning along the way. My orders were, "shoot to kill if necessary." The officer who opened fire said that he did not hear, "if necessary." I made a serious, almost fatal, mistake when I took off after the suspect, I should have turned on my flashlight to indicate my position, and last but by no means least, I should have sent for Butch (the police dog). I survived the incident but I learned an important lesson, make sure that everyone understands what is required in detail and follow through or rehearse when necessary.
Misunderstandings and mixed messages are the bane of the human society and this condition is made worse by the fact that we do not speak the same language. Try to imagine the suspicion and fear when two potential antagonists confront each other and begin in to babbel.
About the Author:
Bernard Steele is a veteran law enforcement officer (operational and administrative), now retired. He was the former chief security officer of the National Banking System of Guyana S.A. To learn about his new book visit http://www.deathinsmalldoses.com.
Keyword tags: books, authors, publishing fiction, thriller, mixed messages, language, communication
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Top Tips on Writing Your Own Greeting Cards
Did you know that Americans buy 7.4 billion greeting cards in a year? And if you apply your calculator to the task, you will be one of Americans who buy 235 cards per second! Not to disparage the greeting card industry or anything, but you can make your own greeting cards, too.
You can make your cards more personalized, which definitely beats buying a store-bought card. Just get your reliable Cross pen and pencils, coloring materials and envelopes, plus a healthy dose of artistic inclination. As for writing the messages, here are a few helpful tips for you.
Write For a Specific Person
You have to express yourself - emotions, angst and passion included - and share yourself with the person you are making the card for. Though expressing yourself can be harder than most other activities, you have the advantage of writing and re-writing your thoughts on paper with your Cross pen.
Unlike the spoken word, the written word can be edited as many times as you like until you come up with the right words. You need to aim for the "right words" rather than the "perfect words" lest you sound too edited and artificial. And do not depend on your Cross pen to do the writing for you either! You have to work on it.
Also, you should take the "me to you" approach in writing your message. For example, writing "I am sorry for hurting you" is way better than "The situation was not in my control and for that, I apologize". You are asking for a personal apology, not giving a business explanation (which is better covered by a business letter)!
Develop Your Own Writing Style
You can either mimic your favorite greeting card writers' styles or you can develop your own. The latter is highly suggested for obvious reasons, originality and personalization among them.
Since most greeting cards are written in poetry, you can learn poetry, too. As the movie "Mr. Deeds" showed moviegoers, your first efforts might be funny to some and horrendous to others. But if you keep at it and inject real passion into your verses, you will eventually do it right. Just be sure to keep a handy-dandy paper and your dependable Cross pen to write your thoughts whenever inspiration (or Erato or Polyhymnia or Calliope, all Muses of poetry) strikes.
This begs the question of "to rhyme or not to rhyme?" Depending on your mood and mode, you can actually do both, so long as the emotion is there.
Write Tight
If you will look closely, off-the-rack greeting cards are written tightly. A specific emotion is expressed in a few words but they still pack in a wallop, which you should aim for. When you write tight, you are actually writing in a conventional manner, only very much shorter in content but not in substance.
In short, keep it sweet and short. (And do not include "stupid" because you have to give yourself slack; you are just starting out, after all.)
Who knows? Someday, you might be one of the authors of those 7.4 billion greeting cards!
About the Author:
Want to know how to make full use of your passport holder (http://www.executivegiftshoppe.com/passportholders.html) to travel and fill your briefcase for women (http://www.executivegiftshoppe.com/briefcases-ladies.html) with cash? Get out your Cross Pen (http://www.executivegiftshoppe.com/cross-pens.html) and start writing greeting cards! All these personal accessories are available at http://ExecutiveGiftShoppe.com! Visit them now!
Keyword tags: Cross Pen
You can make your cards more personalized, which definitely beats buying a store-bought card. Just get your reliable Cross pen and pencils, coloring materials and envelopes, plus a healthy dose of artistic inclination. As for writing the messages, here are a few helpful tips for you.
Write For a Specific Person
You have to express yourself - emotions, angst and passion included - and share yourself with the person you are making the card for. Though expressing yourself can be harder than most other activities, you have the advantage of writing and re-writing your thoughts on paper with your Cross pen.
Unlike the spoken word, the written word can be edited as many times as you like until you come up with the right words. You need to aim for the "right words" rather than the "perfect words" lest you sound too edited and artificial. And do not depend on your Cross pen to do the writing for you either! You have to work on it.
Also, you should take the "me to you" approach in writing your message. For example, writing "I am sorry for hurting you" is way better than "The situation was not in my control and for that, I apologize". You are asking for a personal apology, not giving a business explanation (which is better covered by a business letter)!
Develop Your Own Writing Style
You can either mimic your favorite greeting card writers' styles or you can develop your own. The latter is highly suggested for obvious reasons, originality and personalization among them.
Since most greeting cards are written in poetry, you can learn poetry, too. As the movie "Mr. Deeds" showed moviegoers, your first efforts might be funny to some and horrendous to others. But if you keep at it and inject real passion into your verses, you will eventually do it right. Just be sure to keep a handy-dandy paper and your dependable Cross pen to write your thoughts whenever inspiration (or Erato or Polyhymnia or Calliope, all Muses of poetry) strikes.
This begs the question of "to rhyme or not to rhyme?" Depending on your mood and mode, you can actually do both, so long as the emotion is there.
Write Tight
If you will look closely, off-the-rack greeting cards are written tightly. A specific emotion is expressed in a few words but they still pack in a wallop, which you should aim for. When you write tight, you are actually writing in a conventional manner, only very much shorter in content but not in substance.
In short, keep it sweet and short. (And do not include "stupid" because you have to give yourself slack; you are just starting out, after all.)
Who knows? Someday, you might be one of the authors of those 7.4 billion greeting cards!
About the Author:
Want to know how to make full use of your passport holder (http://www.executivegiftshoppe.com/passportholders.html) to travel and fill your briefcase for women (http://www.executivegiftshoppe.com/briefcases-ladies.html) with cash? Get out your Cross Pen (http://www.executivegiftshoppe.com/cross-pens.html) and start writing greeting cards! All these personal accessories are available at http://ExecutiveGiftShoppe.com! Visit them now!
Keyword tags: Cross Pen
How Writing Articles Can Help You Earn Quick Money
Did you know that people around the world are writing articles to earn quick money? Yes, it's true and you can do it too! Read on.
There are a host of innovative occupations; one can undertake to earn quick money with a stable income. No longer does one have to depend on a nine-to-five job for generation of income. One can be a writer and a website owner and operate from the comfort of his or her home and still generate income. Writing articles is also a powerful way to increase the income from a particular website. So all in all it is a good business to be in.
No Expertise Required
The great thing about writing articles is that there is no expertise required. All you need to have is some amount of flair for the language and you are ready to go. What you need to do is use simple language to put forth your views on a particular subject or topic. Remember, that you are doing all this for a particular website, or for your website. What you are not writing is fiction, and hence it does not really matter whether your article is not as interesting a story. What matters is the content and how you have phrased it.
Persistence Pays
So you have decided to resort to earn quick money by writing articles in a bid to increase the sales of your website by attracting more and more visitors to it, through your articles. However, you expected quick results and so far they have not been forthcoming. Well, do not fret. You must persist until this method of internet marketing works for you. If you are not good at writing, then article writing won't be easy for you. But, it's not difficult to learn and what's more, after a bit of experience you will be rewarded handsomely for your persistence.
Free Submission Available
The great part about writing articles is that you can submit them free of charge at the various article directories available on the net. This way your article marketing endeavor won't cost you a penny and what's more your article will start creating a brand value for your website. All this without putting any kind of investment at all! If you are doing ghost writing for a particular site then you can still generate income through these free submission sites, albeit, in an indirect manner.
Use it like a Tool
Use the whole process of writing articles as a tool to generate income. Do not think of it as a chore that you must accomplish or a job that you must finish before the day is out. Take your time and learn to write effective articles. There are score of tips available, online, which will tell you how to best write articles for income generation. Bear in mind that results are not immediate and you might have to wait a while. However, if your articles are good, then the results will follow. Distribute your articles in the right manner and you must go about it in a manner, which tells people that your objective is the disbursement of information. This is where your articles will be more than effective and thus your website will generate a steady income. As a result, this provide you a way to earn quick money
About the Author:
Writing Articles can earn you a living right from your living room. It's that easy. For more details, go to http://www.goodinternetmoney.com/Articles-Submission.php today to learn how you can earn quick money.
Keyword tags: Writing articles, earn quick money
There are a host of innovative occupations; one can undertake to earn quick money with a stable income. No longer does one have to depend on a nine-to-five job for generation of income. One can be a writer and a website owner and operate from the comfort of his or her home and still generate income. Writing articles is also a powerful way to increase the income from a particular website. So all in all it is a good business to be in.
No Expertise Required
The great thing about writing articles is that there is no expertise required. All you need to have is some amount of flair for the language and you are ready to go. What you need to do is use simple language to put forth your views on a particular subject or topic. Remember, that you are doing all this for a particular website, or for your website. What you are not writing is fiction, and hence it does not really matter whether your article is not as interesting a story. What matters is the content and how you have phrased it.
Persistence Pays
So you have decided to resort to earn quick money by writing articles in a bid to increase the sales of your website by attracting more and more visitors to it, through your articles. However, you expected quick results and so far they have not been forthcoming. Well, do not fret. You must persist until this method of internet marketing works for you. If you are not good at writing, then article writing won't be easy for you. But, it's not difficult to learn and what's more, after a bit of experience you will be rewarded handsomely for your persistence.
Free Submission Available
The great part about writing articles is that you can submit them free of charge at the various article directories available on the net. This way your article marketing endeavor won't cost you a penny and what's more your article will start creating a brand value for your website. All this without putting any kind of investment at all! If you are doing ghost writing for a particular site then you can still generate income through these free submission sites, albeit, in an indirect manner.
Use it like a Tool
Use the whole process of writing articles as a tool to generate income. Do not think of it as a chore that you must accomplish or a job that you must finish before the day is out. Take your time and learn to write effective articles. There are score of tips available, online, which will tell you how to best write articles for income generation. Bear in mind that results are not immediate and you might have to wait a while. However, if your articles are good, then the results will follow. Distribute your articles in the right manner and you must go about it in a manner, which tells people that your objective is the disbursement of information. This is where your articles will be more than effective and thus your website will generate a steady income. As a result, this provide you a way to earn quick money
About the Author:
Writing Articles can earn you a living right from your living room. It's that easy. For more details, go to http://www.goodinternetmoney.com/Articles-Submission.php today to learn how you can earn quick money.
Keyword tags: Writing articles, earn quick money
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Book Review: Dealing With Divas by Shelley Anderson
A Survivor's Kit for the Celebrity Personal Assistant (or Anyone with a Pesky Boss)
I have to admit that one of the most fun parts of being a reviewer is that you learn something new every day. It was not until I had read Dealing With Divas that I realized there was an association solely committed to the plight of those that work for the famous. Well there is, and it is called The Association of Celebrity Personal Assistants.
I am not a personal assistant to a celebrity, but I certainly understand the issues involved. Being a reviewer and interviewer I play on the edge of the celebrity world. Some of the folks I have worked with are indeed 'different.' My favorite story concerns an interview I had scheduled with Keith Emerson, I called him at the prearranged time of noon, and get his answering machine, I leave a message and move on to the next project. It had been a long day, so about 9pm my wife and I call it a day. The next thing I know is my wife Jan shaking me awake, and saying "Honey, you are going to hate me, the phone rang, I thought it was Joey (her 15 year old son), so I think I have just been rude to Keith Emerson."
On the whole I have found the rich and famous to be fairly easy to get along with, but on the other hand I have seen up close and personal just how demanding the Divas can be. Last summer my wife and I were the invited guests of a very famous singer, he wasn't a diva, but his wife certainly was. I watched in awe as from the stage, with mic in her hand she gave the three guys running the soundboard a good solid berating for everyone within a mile radius to hear, and the concert wasn't due to start for another 2 hours. The poor guys had glazed expressions on their faces, and were obviously wondering why the hell they had taken the job!
While Dealing With Divas is clearly aimed at the niche market of Personal Assistants that work with the sometimes eccentric and egocentric, it is a delightful little read. It is by no means a 'show and tell,' there are no wild revelations about your favorite star, but there are some truly funny anecdotal tales.
My one criticism of Dealing With Divas is that it is not nearly long enough. You just start to enjoy the subject, and maybe speculate about some of the situations, and Shelley Anderson pulls the rug out from under you, there are no more pages to read!
She shares one wonderful 'agony column' letter that she received that I think really encapsulates the entire industry of dealing with the rich and famous:
I'm fed up. My boss is unappreciative of how I got her on a fully booked, nonstop flight from New York to Bangladesh. She was unhappy that it was a 757, not a 747, and that the seats were blue and not maroon.
What a fun read, you can find out more at the Dealing With Divas web site, and order your copy from Amazon.
About the Author:
Simon Barrett is an adult educator in Calgary, Alberta. With the 11 months a year of winter, he reads a lot of books! He is also a contributing editor for http://www.bloggernews.net and maintains a personal blog at http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com.
Keyword tags: books, authors, book reviews, publishing, celebrities, personal assistants, divas
I have to admit that one of the most fun parts of being a reviewer is that you learn something new every day. It was not until I had read Dealing With Divas that I realized there was an association solely committed to the plight of those that work for the famous. Well there is, and it is called The Association of Celebrity Personal Assistants.
I am not a personal assistant to a celebrity, but I certainly understand the issues involved. Being a reviewer and interviewer I play on the edge of the celebrity world. Some of the folks I have worked with are indeed 'different.' My favorite story concerns an interview I had scheduled with Keith Emerson, I called him at the prearranged time of noon, and get his answering machine, I leave a message and move on to the next project. It had been a long day, so about 9pm my wife and I call it a day. The next thing I know is my wife Jan shaking me awake, and saying "Honey, you are going to hate me, the phone rang, I thought it was Joey (her 15 year old son), so I think I have just been rude to Keith Emerson."
On the whole I have found the rich and famous to be fairly easy to get along with, but on the other hand I have seen up close and personal just how demanding the Divas can be. Last summer my wife and I were the invited guests of a very famous singer, he wasn't a diva, but his wife certainly was. I watched in awe as from the stage, with mic in her hand she gave the three guys running the soundboard a good solid berating for everyone within a mile radius to hear, and the concert wasn't due to start for another 2 hours. The poor guys had glazed expressions on their faces, and were obviously wondering why the hell they had taken the job!
While Dealing With Divas is clearly aimed at the niche market of Personal Assistants that work with the sometimes eccentric and egocentric, it is a delightful little read. It is by no means a 'show and tell,' there are no wild revelations about your favorite star, but there are some truly funny anecdotal tales.
My one criticism of Dealing With Divas is that it is not nearly long enough. You just start to enjoy the subject, and maybe speculate about some of the situations, and Shelley Anderson pulls the rug out from under you, there are no more pages to read!
She shares one wonderful 'agony column' letter that she received that I think really encapsulates the entire industry of dealing with the rich and famous:
I'm fed up. My boss is unappreciative of how I got her on a fully booked, nonstop flight from New York to Bangladesh. She was unhappy that it was a 757, not a 747, and that the seats were blue and not maroon.
What a fun read, you can find out more at the Dealing With Divas web site, and order your copy from Amazon.
About the Author:
Simon Barrett is an adult educator in Calgary, Alberta. With the 11 months a year of winter, he reads a lot of books! He is also a contributing editor for http://www.bloggernews.net and maintains a personal blog at http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com.
Keyword tags: books, authors, book reviews, publishing, celebrities, personal assistants, divas
Book Review: One Foot in the Black by Kurt L. Kamm
Oops, it wasn't until I had had read almost the entire book that I discovered that this was fiction and not biographical! This story is so well constructed it is impossible to tell fact from fiction. The characters are life-like, and they are crafted with a skill and panache that one rarely finds in a novel. I was devastated when I discovered it was a novel, I really wanted to ask Kurt Kamm about that time on the mountain with the fire all around!
Having made my confession, let us talk about the story. The title One Foot In The Black is a reference to fighting Wildfires, more importantly the placement of firefighters, they are in the just scorched area dealing with the fire at close range. It is to say the least a dangerous place to be. If the wind changes, you are in big trouble, but the science and experience shows that you at least have a possible escape route.
Author Kurt Kamm takes us on an odyssey of discovery, a discovery of what it is like to be on the fire line, and a look at what drives the people who risk their lives so that we still have possessions after the fire has tried to rip through our property. Maybe most important of all, we get to peek inside the mind of one young man that has decided to make this his career.
The style that Kamm has adopted is an interesting one, and one that essentially permits two very different stories to be told side by side. We have the story of 19 year old Greg Kowalski entering the field of wildfire fighting, and we have the rather dark and sad story of Greg's upbringing. Living in a dysfunctional family with a verbal and physically abusive father Greg can think of little more than how to escape. The opportunity arises when he attends his father's 'office' Christmas party. The abusive elder Kowalski is also a fire fighter, and it is the station chief that offers Greg the opportunity to move to California and become a seasonal member of the CDF.
This is an opportunity that Greg cannot turn down, escape from Saginaw and the oppressive regime that his father has created. Of course there are downsides, what will happen to his mother and sister, who will still be under the ogre's spell.
What Greg lacked in Saginaw, he finds in California, a father figure he can admire, a father figure that offers genuine friendship and leadership. Fighting wildfires is a dangerous occupation, as Greg discovers first hand, caught by surprise with a wind direction Greg faces a life or death situation. To save himself, or risk near certain death to try and save his friend and mentor?
I think it would be inappropriate to reveal more, I have a sadistic streak! You will just have to read One Foot In The Black yourself to find out what happens!
I really like the meticulous attention to detail that Kurt Kamm has included. And clearly the detail is factual, his book has been endorsed by several fire fighting organizations. Kurt Kamm lives in Southern California and has had some first hand experience with wild fires, apparently one actually made it to the front door of his Malibu home.
You can find out more about this author from his web site, and One Foot In The Black is available from Amazon.
About the Author:
Simon Barrett is an adult educator in Calgary, Alberta. With the 11 months a year of winter, he reads a lot of books! He is also a contributing editor for http://www.bloggernews.net and maintains a personal blog at http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com.
Keyword tags: books, authors, book reviews, publishing, firefighting, wildfires, California wildfires
Having made my confession, let us talk about the story. The title One Foot In The Black is a reference to fighting Wildfires, more importantly the placement of firefighters, they are in the just scorched area dealing with the fire at close range. It is to say the least a dangerous place to be. If the wind changes, you are in big trouble, but the science and experience shows that you at least have a possible escape route.
Author Kurt Kamm takes us on an odyssey of discovery, a discovery of what it is like to be on the fire line, and a look at what drives the people who risk their lives so that we still have possessions after the fire has tried to rip through our property. Maybe most important of all, we get to peek inside the mind of one young man that has decided to make this his career.
The style that Kamm has adopted is an interesting one, and one that essentially permits two very different stories to be told side by side. We have the story of 19 year old Greg Kowalski entering the field of wildfire fighting, and we have the rather dark and sad story of Greg's upbringing. Living in a dysfunctional family with a verbal and physically abusive father Greg can think of little more than how to escape. The opportunity arises when he attends his father's 'office' Christmas party. The abusive elder Kowalski is also a fire fighter, and it is the station chief that offers Greg the opportunity to move to California and become a seasonal member of the CDF.
This is an opportunity that Greg cannot turn down, escape from Saginaw and the oppressive regime that his father has created. Of course there are downsides, what will happen to his mother and sister, who will still be under the ogre's spell.
What Greg lacked in Saginaw, he finds in California, a father figure he can admire, a father figure that offers genuine friendship and leadership. Fighting wildfires is a dangerous occupation, as Greg discovers first hand, caught by surprise with a wind direction Greg faces a life or death situation. To save himself, or risk near certain death to try and save his friend and mentor?
I think it would be inappropriate to reveal more, I have a sadistic streak! You will just have to read One Foot In The Black yourself to find out what happens!
I really like the meticulous attention to detail that Kurt Kamm has included. And clearly the detail is factual, his book has been endorsed by several fire fighting organizations. Kurt Kamm lives in Southern California and has had some first hand experience with wild fires, apparently one actually made it to the front door of his Malibu home.
You can find out more about this author from his web site, and One Foot In The Black is available from Amazon.
About the Author:
Simon Barrett is an adult educator in Calgary, Alberta. With the 11 months a year of winter, he reads a lot of books! He is also a contributing editor for http://www.bloggernews.net and maintains a personal blog at http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com.
Keyword tags: books, authors, book reviews, publishing, firefighting, wildfires, California wildfires
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Get Paid to Write Online - It\s a Great Time to Make Money Writing!
High gasoline prices are fueling even more Internet growth! It does not cost gasoline to shop, work or surf for information on the Internet. This explosion in growth demands even more written text to fill up new websites, renew and promote old ones. Writers are needed, no experience necessary! If you can write in simple, clear English at the 5th to 9th grade level, you can make money writing for the Internet. This article discusses the opportunity and shows you how to get started...
This is a great time to make money writing. It is now easier than ever to get paid to write online for the Internet. You see, gasoline prices are up, people are cutting-back on driving their gas-guzzlers to go shopping, but the Internet is booming! You can visit dozens of stores online without using a drop of gas!
Internet marketers are rushing to meet the demand, to offer more products and options to Internet shoppers. They need a huge amount of new, unique, written text. Most of this text will be generated by writers working on contract. These writers will be regular people like you and me, whose first language is English.
None of the text generated will win a Pulitzer Prize for literature. That is not the objective. Most of it will be written by people with no previous writing experience before they began to get paid to write online.
The needs of the Net are simple. Generate text that is clear and informative, that explains things in simple terms. Write it clear and write it fast. There will be many articles generated. Few (if any) will be as elegant or as eloquent, or will use as extended a vocabulary as the one you are reading now. :-)
But they will be understandable, they will communicate well. They will get across the messages they intended to convey. And they will do it in timely fashion, now.
If you can write in clear, simple English at the 5th to 9th grade level, you can make money writing for the Internet. You can get paid to write online for the Internet. You can write professionally, get paid well and make money.
To participate you will need to know where to start and how to go about it. You don't want to try and compete with writers from India and China on price. You want to take advantage of the fact that these writers cannot compete with you (if your first language is English) for clarity and ease of understanding.
Like any new field the business of writing for the Internet is one you will need to understand before you try to get started. Fortunately there are several good guide books on how to do so, written by writers with extensive Internet experience.
You might also consider joining an Internet writers membership group that has already negotiated contracts for writing work so all you have to do is choose the area for which you wish to write. Then sit down at your computer and start writing, knowing that you will get paid to write online for this contract work.
For more detailed information, including guide books and writers' membership groups, just follow the links below.
Begin now and you can start to make money writing almost immediately. You could get paid to write online and be receiving your first check or deposit in your PayPal account within a week!
About the Author:
For more details on how to get paid to write online, see: http://makemoneywriting-site.com/Make_Money_Writing_Online.html
To learn more about writers groups visit: http://www.makemoneywriting-site.com/Join_a_Writers_Group.html
Jorge Chavez is an experienced writer, Internet marketer and author
Keyword tags: get paid to write,paid to write online,paid freelance writing, make money writing,freelance writing
This is a great time to make money writing. It is now easier than ever to get paid to write online for the Internet. You see, gasoline prices are up, people are cutting-back on driving their gas-guzzlers to go shopping, but the Internet is booming! You can visit dozens of stores online without using a drop of gas!
Internet marketers are rushing to meet the demand, to offer more products and options to Internet shoppers. They need a huge amount of new, unique, written text. Most of this text will be generated by writers working on contract. These writers will be regular people like you and me, whose first language is English.
None of the text generated will win a Pulitzer Prize for literature. That is not the objective. Most of it will be written by people with no previous writing experience before they began to get paid to write online.
The needs of the Net are simple. Generate text that is clear and informative, that explains things in simple terms. Write it clear and write it fast. There will be many articles generated. Few (if any) will be as elegant or as eloquent, or will use as extended a vocabulary as the one you are reading now. :-)
But they will be understandable, they will communicate well. They will get across the messages they intended to convey. And they will do it in timely fashion, now.
If you can write in clear, simple English at the 5th to 9th grade level, you can make money writing for the Internet. You can get paid to write online for the Internet. You can write professionally, get paid well and make money.
To participate you will need to know where to start and how to go about it. You don't want to try and compete with writers from India and China on price. You want to take advantage of the fact that these writers cannot compete with you (if your first language is English) for clarity and ease of understanding.
Like any new field the business of writing for the Internet is one you will need to understand before you try to get started. Fortunately there are several good guide books on how to do so, written by writers with extensive Internet experience.
You might also consider joining an Internet writers membership group that has already negotiated contracts for writing work so all you have to do is choose the area for which you wish to write. Then sit down at your computer and start writing, knowing that you will get paid to write online for this contract work.
For more detailed information, including guide books and writers' membership groups, just follow the links below.
Begin now and you can start to make money writing almost immediately. You could get paid to write online and be receiving your first check or deposit in your PayPal account within a week!
About the Author:
For more details on how to get paid to write online, see: http://makemoneywriting-site.com/Make_Money_Writing_Online.html
To learn more about writers groups visit: http://www.makemoneywriting-site.com/Join_a_Writers_Group.html
Jorge Chavez is an experienced writer, Internet marketer and author
Keyword tags: get paid to write,paid to write online,paid freelance writing, make money writing,freelance writing
SEO Content Writer - Make Money Writing From Home
You must agree that the Internet is growing at a very fast pace. And with this amazing growth comes the need for good SEO Content Writers. These SEO Content writers need to be able to fill the pages of websites everywhere with quality information so that people who are searching for answers can find them.
So what exactly is an SEO Content Writer? Well the job of an SEO Content Writer is to create quality and thorough articles, blog posts, webpage content, message board posts, etc... while at the same time positioning the best keywords within their work to attract search engine traffic.
The only real reason that any webmaster needs to create content is to generate traffic to his website. And if he doesn't have enough content on his website then he will get very little (if any at all) traffic to his website.
This is the reason why an SEO Content Writer is in HIGH demand online. But in order to make money from it, you must be able to do these few things:
1) Write Good Content - This comes as no suprise. You can't be a SEO Content Writer if you can't write good information. But don't get discouraged if you have never written anything, because it's really not that hard.
In order to become a good Content Writer, you just have to do a little research on the topic that you are going to write about. For instance, if you are going to write an article about "Fruit Gardening" then I would read 5-10 articles written by other people on "Fruit Gardening" and then simlpy write my own.
Yes it takes a little time write good content, but once you get good at it you will be able to put almost any price on your work.
To make this process even easier, I would recommend writing content for topics that you are already familiar and comfortable with. This will cut back on the research.
2) Keyword Research - This is very important when becoming a SEO Content Writer. You have to be good at finding "opportunity keywords". These are keywords that the website you are writing for can compete successfully for in the search engines.
You can't use saturated keywords that everyone is fighting for like "Make Money". You have to find keywords that generate a good flow of traffic if you were to get a 1st Page spot in the search engines. But make sure that the keyword is worth your time. You don't want to waste your time writing an article using a keyword that no one is searching for.
Then the goal as a SEO Content Writer is to find a few of these "opportunity keywords" and write short content pieces using them.
3) Link Building - This is not something that a SEO Content Writer is asked to do, but if you do it you will benefit in the long run when people see that everything you write ranks high in the search engines.
After writing good quality SEO Content you will want to get a few links for the page where your content will be displayed. This will get the page listed in the search engines fast and will also increase the visibility for that page.
You can build a few links by posting your page address on blogs, message boards, and online directories. These are free places to put a link so all it will cost you is a little time.
Following these three steps will help you to create excellent online content and become a super SEO Content Writer.
There are webmasters everywhere that NEED SEO Content Writers to provide quality information to generate traffic for their websites.
If you are serious about making money from home as a SEO Content Writer, then I suggest reading the "Cash For Content System". It gives a FULL look at what you will need to generate income writing content online.
About the Author:
http://www.LootSwoop.com http://www.LootSwoop.com/SEO_content_writer
Keyword tags: SEO Content Writer,Write Content
So what exactly is an SEO Content Writer? Well the job of an SEO Content Writer is to create quality and thorough articles, blog posts, webpage content, message board posts, etc... while at the same time positioning the best keywords within their work to attract search engine traffic.
The only real reason that any webmaster needs to create content is to generate traffic to his website. And if he doesn't have enough content on his website then he will get very little (if any at all) traffic to his website.
This is the reason why an SEO Content Writer is in HIGH demand online. But in order to make money from it, you must be able to do these few things:
1) Write Good Content - This comes as no suprise. You can't be a SEO Content Writer if you can't write good information. But don't get discouraged if you have never written anything, because it's really not that hard.
In order to become a good Content Writer, you just have to do a little research on the topic that you are going to write about. For instance, if you are going to write an article about "Fruit Gardening" then I would read 5-10 articles written by other people on "Fruit Gardening" and then simlpy write my own.
Yes it takes a little time write good content, but once you get good at it you will be able to put almost any price on your work.
To make this process even easier, I would recommend writing content for topics that you are already familiar and comfortable with. This will cut back on the research.
2) Keyword Research - This is very important when becoming a SEO Content Writer. You have to be good at finding "opportunity keywords". These are keywords that the website you are writing for can compete successfully for in the search engines.
You can't use saturated keywords that everyone is fighting for like "Make Money". You have to find keywords that generate a good flow of traffic if you were to get a 1st Page spot in the search engines. But make sure that the keyword is worth your time. You don't want to waste your time writing an article using a keyword that no one is searching for.
Then the goal as a SEO Content Writer is to find a few of these "opportunity keywords" and write short content pieces using them.
3) Link Building - This is not something that a SEO Content Writer is asked to do, but if you do it you will benefit in the long run when people see that everything you write ranks high in the search engines.
After writing good quality SEO Content you will want to get a few links for the page where your content will be displayed. This will get the page listed in the search engines fast and will also increase the visibility for that page.
You can build a few links by posting your page address on blogs, message boards, and online directories. These are free places to put a link so all it will cost you is a little time.
Following these three steps will help you to create excellent online content and become a super SEO Content Writer.
There are webmasters everywhere that NEED SEO Content Writers to provide quality information to generate traffic for their websites.
If you are serious about making money from home as a SEO Content Writer, then I suggest reading the "Cash For Content System". It gives a FULL look at what you will need to generate income writing content online.
About the Author:
http://www.LootSwoop.com http://www.LootSwoop.com/SEO_content_writer
Keyword tags: SEO Content Writer,Write Content
Monday, August 4, 2008
Article Writing and Submission
Writing does not entail great talent. Even the mediocre can learn how to write interesting topics. Yes, you can be a writer without a talent but without your desire, every word you write will become too incomprehensible and it may look unnatural. Your articles won't even become a hit. But if you have what it takes in writing, then this is your chance to express yourself whether for fun or any other reasons. Whichever your reason may be, you sure will get satisfaction as long as you love what you are doing. Now, let's tackle about writing for the sake of being published.
Writing articles can actually give you so many perks. Included in its long list of perks is that you'll be able to achieve link building so your site can gain the needed popularity and traffic in the search engines. Popular sites could actually mean credibility. Also, the more visitor that would visit the sites from which you write content articles mean it has greater and stronger standing in search engine result pages.
Website owners who have ability to write don't need to hire writers for your site's content. But for those who do not have this kind of ability, the usually pay writers to write good content in their site. Usually there is an "about the author" section where you can get to know more about the writer. Usually, this is located at each end of the article. So if you are one of the contributors of the article, you can add information about yourself and a link to the site you are promoting. Actually there are some website owners that provide restrictions on what only information you may include in the "about the author" section. So, before doing your job, it is important that you familiarize first the terms and conditions or the other article submission guidelines.
This is actually a win-win situation as you get to publish your very own work and you can get listed on the many websites around the world. On the part of the website owner, he can have good quality content for free. The resource box will be preserved and will link back to whichever website you are promoting. This way, you can now be building links back to your site and at the same time giving the owners their needed content.
Each time you submit your written articles to any publisher that features a free content directory, people from all over the globe will have the chance to appreciate your work. Others also allow to republish your post hence giving you more exposure that what you've expected. Consider yourself lucky if you are capable of writing very good content since many publishers would want to publish well-written articles to their free e-books.
So if you want to be known as a good article writer, good content is the key. This will keep the readers informed and at the same time entertained. If you gain many followers, then your credibility as a writer is achieved.
About the Author:
You can submit your Free Articles on many Free Article Submission sites like http://www.selectarticle.net/ and can get one way links to your website.
Keyword tags: free articles, free article submission, free article publishing
Writing articles can actually give you so many perks. Included in its long list of perks is that you'll be able to achieve link building so your site can gain the needed popularity and traffic in the search engines. Popular sites could actually mean credibility. Also, the more visitor that would visit the sites from which you write content articles mean it has greater and stronger standing in search engine result pages.
Website owners who have ability to write don't need to hire writers for your site's content. But for those who do not have this kind of ability, the usually pay writers to write good content in their site. Usually there is an "about the author" section where you can get to know more about the writer. Usually, this is located at each end of the article. So if you are one of the contributors of the article, you can add information about yourself and a link to the site you are promoting. Actually there are some website owners that provide restrictions on what only information you may include in the "about the author" section. So, before doing your job, it is important that you familiarize first the terms and conditions or the other article submission guidelines.
This is actually a win-win situation as you get to publish your very own work and you can get listed on the many websites around the world. On the part of the website owner, he can have good quality content for free. The resource box will be preserved and will link back to whichever website you are promoting. This way, you can now be building links back to your site and at the same time giving the owners their needed content.
Each time you submit your written articles to any publisher that features a free content directory, people from all over the globe will have the chance to appreciate your work. Others also allow to republish your post hence giving you more exposure that what you've expected. Consider yourself lucky if you are capable of writing very good content since many publishers would want to publish well-written articles to their free e-books.
So if you want to be known as a good article writer, good content is the key. This will keep the readers informed and at the same time entertained. If you gain many followers, then your credibility as a writer is achieved.
About the Author:
You can submit your Free Articles on many Free Article Submission sites like http://www.selectarticle.net/ and can get one way links to your website.
Keyword tags: free articles, free article submission, free article publishing
A Few Rules For Writing Articles for the Web
Writing articles for a book and writing for the web is rather different. With these tips in mind you can be on your way to being a great web writer!
Some people say that writing articles is an art and that you need quite a bit of creativity inside of you, to write a good article for purposes of article marketing. However, even when it comes to article writing, you will have to follow some rules and regulations when it comes to writing. These rules would enable you to construct a good article that becomes an effective tool of income generation.
Be Concise
Don't waste words, but try and conserve them as much as possible. Yes, you can write all you want but its best to be as frugal with the text as possible. This lends a bit of simplicity to the proceedings and also helps lend some clarity to the article in general.
Don't Write to Impress
You are not writing a story, which needs to impress people. What you are doing through the process of writing articles is sharing information with the people, which in turn promotes your website. Writing for the web must be purposeful and you must accomplish this purpose in quick time, hence don't write to impress but write to empower.
Use single words, Instead of Wordy Phrases
This pointer is similar to the earlier one about not writing articles to impress but to offer information. You must cut short your wordiness and use single words whenever you can. This limits the spread of your content and you can make your point without beating about the bush. Moreover, it makes sense to use simpler words that everybody can understand rather than using important sounding words that are not easy to understand.
Use Bullets, if Possible
Bullets and numbering are a great way to make your article more readable. Bullets are also simpler to read then long sentences. They cut short the length of the article and are to the point. While writing articles, if you come across a few pointers that need to be shared with the readers then it would be a great idea to use bullets. If anything they offer a neat look to the article in general.
Precision in Language
On the whole, you don't need to meander. Your audience does not have all the time in the world to read your article and hence you must integrate all the pointers given above to construct an article that is precise, meaning that it uses the pronoun minimally for the improvement of clarity. If you use your pronouns sparingly, then it also helps in the process of search engine optimization.
You could call what has been mentioned in this article a few rules or can also call them important pointers towards writing articles that are an effective tool for article marketing. When it comes to web writing, these rules will make it possible for you to create content that people will actually read and not just skim through. So keep these rules/pointers in mind and I am sure that you will be able to configure articles that are not only good but quire readable also.
About the Author:
If you follow these Writing Articles tips for web content, you will definitely succeed as a web writer. Look at http://www.goodinternetmoney.com/Articles-Submission.php for more information.
Keyword tags: Writing articles
Some people say that writing articles is an art and that you need quite a bit of creativity inside of you, to write a good article for purposes of article marketing. However, even when it comes to article writing, you will have to follow some rules and regulations when it comes to writing. These rules would enable you to construct a good article that becomes an effective tool of income generation.
Be Concise
Don't waste words, but try and conserve them as much as possible. Yes, you can write all you want but its best to be as frugal with the text as possible. This lends a bit of simplicity to the proceedings and also helps lend some clarity to the article in general.
Don't Write to Impress
You are not writing a story, which needs to impress people. What you are doing through the process of writing articles is sharing information with the people, which in turn promotes your website. Writing for the web must be purposeful and you must accomplish this purpose in quick time, hence don't write to impress but write to empower.
Use single words, Instead of Wordy Phrases
This pointer is similar to the earlier one about not writing articles to impress but to offer information. You must cut short your wordiness and use single words whenever you can. This limits the spread of your content and you can make your point without beating about the bush. Moreover, it makes sense to use simpler words that everybody can understand rather than using important sounding words that are not easy to understand.
Use Bullets, if Possible
Bullets and numbering are a great way to make your article more readable. Bullets are also simpler to read then long sentences. They cut short the length of the article and are to the point. While writing articles, if you come across a few pointers that need to be shared with the readers then it would be a great idea to use bullets. If anything they offer a neat look to the article in general.
Precision in Language
On the whole, you don't need to meander. Your audience does not have all the time in the world to read your article and hence you must integrate all the pointers given above to construct an article that is precise, meaning that it uses the pronoun minimally for the improvement of clarity. If you use your pronouns sparingly, then it also helps in the process of search engine optimization.
You could call what has been mentioned in this article a few rules or can also call them important pointers towards writing articles that are an effective tool for article marketing. When it comes to web writing, these rules will make it possible for you to create content that people will actually read and not just skim through. So keep these rules/pointers in mind and I am sure that you will be able to configure articles that are not only good but quire readable also.
About the Author:
If you follow these Writing Articles tips for web content, you will definitely succeed as a web writer. Look at http://www.goodinternetmoney.com/Articles-Submission.php for more information.
Keyword tags: Writing articles
Sunday, August 3, 2008
An Interview With Zach Samuels About Confessions Of A Crack Head
Zach Samuels has just published a rather disturbing book Confessions Of A Crack Head about his life as a drug user. I work with the homeless and a good proportion of my clients have addiction problems, so this book was one that I could definitely relate to. Zach (not his real name) agreed to sit down and give a short interview.
My normal style is to begin an interview with a biographical question, you know the sort of thing, 'tell us a little about yourself.' Obviously that wasn't going to work, he writes under a pen name and has changed all the names and places. Instead I decided to find out his motivation behind the book, and where the idea came from.
Zach: About two years ago I was at a birthday party for my sister and my mom and my cousin from Toronto, who is an actor/writer/director, was there. I started telling him some of my story and he got really interested in making it a play and told me to just start writing. So I did and the words just flowed. Soon it turned into a book. I really don't care too much about fame or fortune; if I help a few people by telling my story I'll be happy.
One of the observations I have made in the 6 years I have spent working with people who have addictions is that they age really fast, in real years they may be 25, but they look more like 75. Bad skin, no teeth, thin like an escapee from a Nazi concentration camp, and health issues beyond comprehension. As one sage person told me 'There are no old Crack Heads,' they have a career potential of an average NFL player a few seasons, and they are done. Zach seems to have fared better than most.
Zach: I used crack for about 9 years and then a couple more after stopping for 12 years. My breathing isn't very good anymore, I cough a lot and I have to use a puffer now. That's the only damage I'm aware of.
I live in Calgary, it is a city of just over one million people. It used to be a very friendly place. Over the past few years there has been a huge increase in street gangs, violence, and drugs. Crack being very prevalent. Hardly a day goes by without some mention in the local press about violence and drugs, is there any kind of solution?
Zach: I think education is the best prevention. I used to go to schools and tell my story so that kids would know where to get help if they got into trouble. I think it should be a big part of the curriculum in high schools.
I am not so sure I am in total agreement with this answer, yes, it is important to educate, but it is equally important to remove the dealers, the runners, and the cooks, from the picture. It is a rare day that I do not walk by a group smoking Crack or doing a joint, yet the police seem to ignore it. Unless there are guns or knives and a whole lot of blood involved, they prefer to look the other way. Too much paperwork involved? Too overfilled jails? Too much aggravation, to just watch while a Judge lets them out again? I don't know the answer, I only see the problem.
There is a school of thought among the pot smokers that pot should be legal, it does not lead people to stronger drugs. My thoughts on this are divided, for some people pot is enough, I know people that have smoked for years, and have never been tempted to try anything else. I also believe that there are people that for whatever reason are compelled to move on to other drugs. This leads to the idea, can an addict move back down the ladder? From Crack to let's say Pot?
Zach: It's my opinion that if you're an addict you have to stay off all drugs and alcohol in order to recover. Substituting with alcohol or pot will just get you hooked on that or lead you back to your drug of choice.
It is said, once an addict always an addict, do you think controlling addiction becomes easier over time? My wife used to smoke cigarettes, she gave up 7 years ago, but she still has the occasional craving. Does time temper the urges?
Zach: The simple answer is no. The nature of the disease of addiction is that we have an allergy which means as soon as we put a substance into our body we develop a craving which demands more and we can't stop. That never changes so the answer is complete abstinence.
I know that addiction has become a part of government funding, but I often wonder if there is enough funding, or if this is just a sop to look like they care, while basically ignoring the problem. Spending $100,000 for a drug rehab program makes for a good 'sound bite' but when you consider the fact that it is probably costing them millions to just repair the pot holes on main street, you have to wonder.
Zach: I believe the government is already doing a lot at the rehab level. In my city they are pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into a new rehab and I think the trend is nation wide which is great.
I still remain skeptical. Little money is ever given freely in the area of mental health, and I don't think Alberta is unique in this trait. If you are missing a limb, sure you are disabled, and the money comes easy, if there is a mental health issue, all bets are off!
The one thing that I am certain about, is that Zach's support system is outside of the mainstream government funded one.
I wish Zach all the best in his conquest over Crack, and hope that others will learn the lessons from reading his book, rather than by personal experience.
(Originally published at Blogger News Network and reprinted with the permission of the author, Simon Barrett).
About the Author:
Simon Barrett is an adult educator in Calgary, Alberta. With the 11 months a year of winter, he reads a lot of books! He is also a contributing editor for http://www.bloggernews.net and maintains a personal blog at http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com.
Keyword tags: writing, books, authors, addiction, Crack, recovery
My normal style is to begin an interview with a biographical question, you know the sort of thing, 'tell us a little about yourself.' Obviously that wasn't going to work, he writes under a pen name and has changed all the names and places. Instead I decided to find out his motivation behind the book, and where the idea came from.
Zach: About two years ago I was at a birthday party for my sister and my mom and my cousin from Toronto, who is an actor/writer/director, was there. I started telling him some of my story and he got really interested in making it a play and told me to just start writing. So I did and the words just flowed. Soon it turned into a book. I really don't care too much about fame or fortune; if I help a few people by telling my story I'll be happy.
One of the observations I have made in the 6 years I have spent working with people who have addictions is that they age really fast, in real years they may be 25, but they look more like 75. Bad skin, no teeth, thin like an escapee from a Nazi concentration camp, and health issues beyond comprehension. As one sage person told me 'There are no old Crack Heads,' they have a career potential of an average NFL player a few seasons, and they are done. Zach seems to have fared better than most.
Zach: I used crack for about 9 years and then a couple more after stopping for 12 years. My breathing isn't very good anymore, I cough a lot and I have to use a puffer now. That's the only damage I'm aware of.
I live in Calgary, it is a city of just over one million people. It used to be a very friendly place. Over the past few years there has been a huge increase in street gangs, violence, and drugs. Crack being very prevalent. Hardly a day goes by without some mention in the local press about violence and drugs, is there any kind of solution?
Zach: I think education is the best prevention. I used to go to schools and tell my story so that kids would know where to get help if they got into trouble. I think it should be a big part of the curriculum in high schools.
I am not so sure I am in total agreement with this answer, yes, it is important to educate, but it is equally important to remove the dealers, the runners, and the cooks, from the picture. It is a rare day that I do not walk by a group smoking Crack or doing a joint, yet the police seem to ignore it. Unless there are guns or knives and a whole lot of blood involved, they prefer to look the other way. Too much paperwork involved? Too overfilled jails? Too much aggravation, to just watch while a Judge lets them out again? I don't know the answer, I only see the problem.
There is a school of thought among the pot smokers that pot should be legal, it does not lead people to stronger drugs. My thoughts on this are divided, for some people pot is enough, I know people that have smoked for years, and have never been tempted to try anything else. I also believe that there are people that for whatever reason are compelled to move on to other drugs. This leads to the idea, can an addict move back down the ladder? From Crack to let's say Pot?
Zach: It's my opinion that if you're an addict you have to stay off all drugs and alcohol in order to recover. Substituting with alcohol or pot will just get you hooked on that or lead you back to your drug of choice.
It is said, once an addict always an addict, do you think controlling addiction becomes easier over time? My wife used to smoke cigarettes, she gave up 7 years ago, but she still has the occasional craving. Does time temper the urges?
Zach: The simple answer is no. The nature of the disease of addiction is that we have an allergy which means as soon as we put a substance into our body we develop a craving which demands more and we can't stop. That never changes so the answer is complete abstinence.
I know that addiction has become a part of government funding, but I often wonder if there is enough funding, or if this is just a sop to look like they care, while basically ignoring the problem. Spending $100,000 for a drug rehab program makes for a good 'sound bite' but when you consider the fact that it is probably costing them millions to just repair the pot holes on main street, you have to wonder.
Zach: I believe the government is already doing a lot at the rehab level. In my city they are pouring hundreds of thousands of dollars into a new rehab and I think the trend is nation wide which is great.
I still remain skeptical. Little money is ever given freely in the area of mental health, and I don't think Alberta is unique in this trait. If you are missing a limb, sure you are disabled, and the money comes easy, if there is a mental health issue, all bets are off!
The one thing that I am certain about, is that Zach's support system is outside of the mainstream government funded one.
I wish Zach all the best in his conquest over Crack, and hope that others will learn the lessons from reading his book, rather than by personal experience.
(Originally published at Blogger News Network and reprinted with the permission of the author, Simon Barrett).
About the Author:
Simon Barrett is an adult educator in Calgary, Alberta. With the 11 months a year of winter, he reads a lot of books! He is also a contributing editor for http://www.bloggernews.net and maintains a personal blog at http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com.
Keyword tags: writing, books, authors, addiction, Crack, recovery
An Interview With Eric Kampmann About Trail Thoughts
I recently had the opportunity to review Eric Kampmann's latest book Trail Thoughts. It is a very reflective piece with biblically inspired thoughts for each day of the year. This is a book designed for the reader to sip and enjoy, rather than guzzle down like us reviewers are apt to do!
I had the opportunity to ask Eric about his book, and also about himself.
Can you tell us a little about yourself Eric?
In one way, you need a "unified field theory" to understand my bio. I am an entrepreneur, a businessman, a publisher, a distributor, a teacher, a photographer, a section hiker on the Appalachian Trail, and most importantly of all, I am the author of Trail Thoughts: A Daily Companion for Your Journey to Faith. I guess the real point is I love all the things I do and I particularly enjoy sharing them with other people.
Trail Thoughts is a very reflective piece, where did the idea come from and how long did it take you to put it together?
In a sense you are asking another biographical question. This journey began with a discovery. Up until the late 1980's, I knew about the Bible, but I certainly did not know the Bible. Quite the opposite. But in early 1991 I began reading a little bit every day and over time I became committed to not only knowing the Bible but also sharing it with others. That was the seed for my first book Tree of Life which began as a book of daily Bible verses for my three sons. It later became a full-fledged book of verses of wisdom for men. (Not a brilliant marketing move as most books are bought by women). But again we are talking about planting seeds and so in January 2003 I began writing a daily reflection for each verse in The Tree of Life. Approximately five years later, Trail Thoughts was published.
What kind of feedback have you received from readers?
I have had great individual reviews and I have even received testimonials. People sense that Trail Thoughts is a work of love, written to touch the human heart as well as the mind. So I have been really pleased by the response. It also has a near highest rating at Amazon.
Do you have a web site where people can find out more information?
The Web Site is trailthoughts dot come. Not only can you get a devotion a day sent to you, but you can view some of my photographs in the gallery section. Plus we have a place where the readers can blog.
Changing the subject completely for a moment. When you are not writing, and I understand that you currently have 3 books to your credit, you are involved in the publishing industry. In fact if my memory serves me correctly it was your house that published the O.J. Simpson If I Did It book. Can you tell us a little about that project?
Talk about a question that requires a long answer! Yes, my publishing company did publish If I Did It last September. Perhaps I am naïve, but I did not expect the intensity of interest that the book generated during the moments after it was announced that Beaufort would indeed publish the book. A point of clarification: The Goldman's owned the book Beaufort published, not OJ Simpson. The Goldman's won the book in a bankruptcy court as part of the judgment they had won against Mr. Simpson years before. Ironically, they hated the book, but the court awarded it on the condition that they publish it. The Goldman's knew nothing about publishing. I did, therefore, I decided to do what I could to help them succeed in this endeavor.
As for the decision to become involved, I had few qualms because I was working for the Goldman's and not OJ Simpson. Many people were enraged that the book would be published but they missed the real point. OJ Simpson's own words would finally show the world who this man really was and people could then decide whether justice had been rendered in LA back in 1994.
Apparently, the public wanted to know more about this case and they wanted to read Mr. Simpson's own words. The book became a national bestseller topping out at number 2 on the NY Times bestseller list.
In retrospect was it a good business decision?
In retrospect it was a riskier project than I first thought. It is only from the vantage point of today that the book looks like an inevitable bestseller.
What is your next personal writing project going to be?
I believe I am headed more in the direction of speaking. I have no books planned, but I would love to fill up my speaking calendar.
What would you like readers to get out of Trail Thoughts? What would you like them to take away?
When I began reading the Bible on a daily basis I began to become aware of the power of language, the beauty of it and how profoundly it changes our view of not only ourselves but also of the world. Psalm 65 ends with this magnificent picture: "You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands overflow; the hills are clothed in gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing."
You can see it, feel it, taste it even. Who doesn't want to be in this bounteous place? And just think: It was written three thousand years ago. Amazing.
Thanks for taking the time to do this, it is greatly appreciated.
About the Author:
Simon Barrett is an adult educator in Calgary, Alberta. With the 11 months a year of winter, he reads a lot of books! He is also a contributing editor for http://www.bloggernews.net and maintains a personal blog at http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com.
Keyword tags: writing, books, authors, devotional, Bible, Christianity, meditation, Christ
I had the opportunity to ask Eric about his book, and also about himself.
Can you tell us a little about yourself Eric?
In one way, you need a "unified field theory" to understand my bio. I am an entrepreneur, a businessman, a publisher, a distributor, a teacher, a photographer, a section hiker on the Appalachian Trail, and most importantly of all, I am the author of Trail Thoughts: A Daily Companion for Your Journey to Faith. I guess the real point is I love all the things I do and I particularly enjoy sharing them with other people.
Trail Thoughts is a very reflective piece, where did the idea come from and how long did it take you to put it together?
In a sense you are asking another biographical question. This journey began with a discovery. Up until the late 1980's, I knew about the Bible, but I certainly did not know the Bible. Quite the opposite. But in early 1991 I began reading a little bit every day and over time I became committed to not only knowing the Bible but also sharing it with others. That was the seed for my first book Tree of Life which began as a book of daily Bible verses for my three sons. It later became a full-fledged book of verses of wisdom for men. (Not a brilliant marketing move as most books are bought by women). But again we are talking about planting seeds and so in January 2003 I began writing a daily reflection for each verse in The Tree of Life. Approximately five years later, Trail Thoughts was published.
What kind of feedback have you received from readers?
I have had great individual reviews and I have even received testimonials. People sense that Trail Thoughts is a work of love, written to touch the human heart as well as the mind. So I have been really pleased by the response. It also has a near highest rating at Amazon.
Do you have a web site where people can find out more information?
The Web Site is trailthoughts dot come. Not only can you get a devotion a day sent to you, but you can view some of my photographs in the gallery section. Plus we have a place where the readers can blog.
Changing the subject completely for a moment. When you are not writing, and I understand that you currently have 3 books to your credit, you are involved in the publishing industry. In fact if my memory serves me correctly it was your house that published the O.J. Simpson If I Did It book. Can you tell us a little about that project?
Talk about a question that requires a long answer! Yes, my publishing company did publish If I Did It last September. Perhaps I am naïve, but I did not expect the intensity of interest that the book generated during the moments after it was announced that Beaufort would indeed publish the book. A point of clarification: The Goldman's owned the book Beaufort published, not OJ Simpson. The Goldman's won the book in a bankruptcy court as part of the judgment they had won against Mr. Simpson years before. Ironically, they hated the book, but the court awarded it on the condition that they publish it. The Goldman's knew nothing about publishing. I did, therefore, I decided to do what I could to help them succeed in this endeavor.
As for the decision to become involved, I had few qualms because I was working for the Goldman's and not OJ Simpson. Many people were enraged that the book would be published but they missed the real point. OJ Simpson's own words would finally show the world who this man really was and people could then decide whether justice had been rendered in LA back in 1994.
Apparently, the public wanted to know more about this case and they wanted to read Mr. Simpson's own words. The book became a national bestseller topping out at number 2 on the NY Times bestseller list.
In retrospect was it a good business decision?
In retrospect it was a riskier project than I first thought. It is only from the vantage point of today that the book looks like an inevitable bestseller.
What is your next personal writing project going to be?
I believe I am headed more in the direction of speaking. I have no books planned, but I would love to fill up my speaking calendar.
What would you like readers to get out of Trail Thoughts? What would you like them to take away?
When I began reading the Bible on a daily basis I began to become aware of the power of language, the beauty of it and how profoundly it changes our view of not only ourselves but also of the world. Psalm 65 ends with this magnificent picture: "You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance. The grasslands overflow; the hills are clothed in gladness. The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing."
You can see it, feel it, taste it even. Who doesn't want to be in this bounteous place? And just think: It was written three thousand years ago. Amazing.
Thanks for taking the time to do this, it is greatly appreciated.
About the Author:
Simon Barrett is an adult educator in Calgary, Alberta. With the 11 months a year of winter, he reads a lot of books! He is also a contributing editor for http://www.bloggernews.net and maintains a personal blog at http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com.
Keyword tags: writing, books, authors, devotional, Bible, Christianity, meditation, Christ
Vacation - Time Well Spent?
Hellen DeRich was sitting at the dressing table in her boudoir. She loved staying at her penthouse in Manhattan, it was so convenient and the city at night was the place to be especially in the spring. However it was time for vacation once again and the planning and arrangements had to be taken care of. This month the destination was Paris and the Chateau needed to be opened and made ready, time to call our agency, and of course the fitting at La Maison de Argent for her spring outfits. Hellen sighed quietly as she remembered that her personal dressmaker had warned her that she was gaining weight, and in all the wrong places. She shrugged the thought off and moved to the next item on the agenda, the children.
As usual they were delighted to spend time at the ranch in Montana, their grandma and pap-pap were looking forward to seeing them and of course there was horse riding their favorite pastime. She made a note to have them fitted with new things for the trip; they were probably bored with their outfits, after all those things were almost three months old. She picked up her phone and called her husband. Harry answered the phone, he sounded hurried and irritable, and she felt sorry for him. All these stocks and bonds and brokers and bankers that he had to deal with was wearing him down and she was happy that he was taking some time off. One week vacation every month was hardly enough but it was the best he could do, poor fella. She reminded him to schedule their private jet to take the children to the farm and to return in time for their trip to Europe. Hellen hung up and changed into her swimsuit for an early morning dip.
Okay, okay back to the real world. We all take vacations, well most of us do but there are the people that are so in love with their jobs that the thought of taking a break never occurs to them. However if you are an author or you are planning to become one I would recommend that you choose your vacation destinations with care. I am suggesting that you consider combining your time off with a suitable venue that could be added to the book you are planning to write. For example a trip to a Caribbean Island would be perfect if you could include the ambiance and beauty of the island in a segments of your book.
"Bill met Milly the dragon girl at the beach party, the night was warm and sultry and the reggae music was intoxicating. They were seen wandering down the beach close to the lapping waves and that was the last anyone saw of them."
In June of 07, I took a long overdue vacation, my book was finally finished and in the hands of the editor. I was physically exhausted but emotionally elated. I packed my bags and with my "lovely wife" at my side we headed for Europe and the Mediterranean. It was my first trip to that part of the world and I made sure that I did not forget my trusty notebook and my camera.
There is a major disadvantage to traveling by cruise ships, you never get to see as mush as you would like to at any port of call. On the other hand, the convenience could never be overstated, and the cost compares well with other forms of vacationing. In three weeks we visited seven countries, France, Italy, Portugal, Croatia, England, Spain, and Gibraltar. There are so many things I could say about this trip, we came face to face with the ancient history of the old Europe, the magnificent Cathedrals, the Vatican, the Eiffel Tower, the Pantheon, and the Coliseum, the list goes on and on. I took pictures and I made notes and on my way home a glimmering of an idea took root.
"It started in America, a super secret team left Washington on a luxury yacht for Gibraltar to join an equally secret British team for a raid across the straits to Morocco." But that is another story. Do your homework, make notes, and take pictures.
About the Author:
Bernard Steele is a veteran law enforcement officer (operational and administrative), now retired. He was the former chief security officer of the National Banking System of Guyana S.A. To learn about his new book visit http://www.deathinsmalldoses.com.
Keyword tags: books, authors, publishing, travel, writing tips, writing ideas, cruise, vacation, Europe
As usual they were delighted to spend time at the ranch in Montana, their grandma and pap-pap were looking forward to seeing them and of course there was horse riding their favorite pastime. She made a note to have them fitted with new things for the trip; they were probably bored with their outfits, after all those things were almost three months old. She picked up her phone and called her husband. Harry answered the phone, he sounded hurried and irritable, and she felt sorry for him. All these stocks and bonds and brokers and bankers that he had to deal with was wearing him down and she was happy that he was taking some time off. One week vacation every month was hardly enough but it was the best he could do, poor fella. She reminded him to schedule their private jet to take the children to the farm and to return in time for their trip to Europe. Hellen hung up and changed into her swimsuit for an early morning dip.
Okay, okay back to the real world. We all take vacations, well most of us do but there are the people that are so in love with their jobs that the thought of taking a break never occurs to them. However if you are an author or you are planning to become one I would recommend that you choose your vacation destinations with care. I am suggesting that you consider combining your time off with a suitable venue that could be added to the book you are planning to write. For example a trip to a Caribbean Island would be perfect if you could include the ambiance and beauty of the island in a segments of your book.
"Bill met Milly the dragon girl at the beach party, the night was warm and sultry and the reggae music was intoxicating. They were seen wandering down the beach close to the lapping waves and that was the last anyone saw of them."
In June of 07, I took a long overdue vacation, my book was finally finished and in the hands of the editor. I was physically exhausted but emotionally elated. I packed my bags and with my "lovely wife" at my side we headed for Europe and the Mediterranean. It was my first trip to that part of the world and I made sure that I did not forget my trusty notebook and my camera.
There is a major disadvantage to traveling by cruise ships, you never get to see as mush as you would like to at any port of call. On the other hand, the convenience could never be overstated, and the cost compares well with other forms of vacationing. In three weeks we visited seven countries, France, Italy, Portugal, Croatia, England, Spain, and Gibraltar. There are so many things I could say about this trip, we came face to face with the ancient history of the old Europe, the magnificent Cathedrals, the Vatican, the Eiffel Tower, the Pantheon, and the Coliseum, the list goes on and on. I took pictures and I made notes and on my way home a glimmering of an idea took root.
"It started in America, a super secret team left Washington on a luxury yacht for Gibraltar to join an equally secret British team for a raid across the straits to Morocco." But that is another story. Do your homework, make notes, and take pictures.
About the Author:
Bernard Steele is a veteran law enforcement officer (operational and administrative), now retired. He was the former chief security officer of the National Banking System of Guyana S.A. To learn about his new book visit http://www.deathinsmalldoses.com.
Keyword tags: books, authors, publishing, travel, writing tips, writing ideas, cruise, vacation, Europe
The Origins of Dawn Carlisle
I'd like to tell you that Dawn came fully clad out of the cleft head of Zeus...but that would be avoiding truth in favor of myth. To give you a fair answer, the character of Dawn contains a part of every woman I've ever known — from my own mother, to my former wife, down to the wildest tigress I ever dated. And it doesn't stop there.
Quite a confession...but not very satisfying. No mere floozy is Dawn Carlisle, this wild woman wanderer, who suicidally jumps out of Abner's truck at the Palm Coast I-95 exit in Florida, then turns into a principled young woman capable of nursing an injured bull terrier back to health. She then, in good time, falls for her rescuer, Abner Weaver, the truck driver who has interrupted her march to oblivion down the American road…all of it, quite a stretch. How can this woman have so many sides?
Where, but in America, does a woman have the right to cast herself adrift with no one concerned enough to come to her aid? Someone might help (as Abner Weaver most certainly does), but it would take an unusually kind person — sensitive to the pain in another — to step outside the callousness we generally display toward anyone wandering the berm. Head down, bindle under an arm, deep in anguished thought, a female vagabond exhibiting not the slightest desire of needing a lift… Health and legal ramifications aside — would you stop to pick up such a woman?
What if…you DID stop, accepting whatever it was that was coming to you for committing such a foolhardy act? Suppose you had no ulterior sexual or monetary motive in attempting to aid such a person? What Christian credits might be chalked to your slate? But…you never intended to stop, did you? Not in a million years…
That's the beauty of the novel. We can indulge ourselves...let it all hang out! The truth is, I have a lot of pent-up emotions regarding the women I've formed close bonds with over the course of my life…I've drawn freely on some of those feelings to shape Dawn. Fifteen years of married life packed plenty (the good and the bad) in my emotive memory bank. Then the nastiness of a divorce…the painful transition to a solitary life.
Does a man then insulate himself from the complexities of the female mind? I guess that's done easily enough…writing, as I do, in isolation. But living like a hermit, how do I feel the emotions I'm no longer privy to? How, as a writer, do I reconstruct situations I no longer experience? Numerous women novelists have accurately cranked out the thoughts and emotions of male characters...why not the reverse? After all, I do have a rich backlog of experience to draw from. My years before marriage weren't particularly cloistered.
Let me sidestep to another theory: that men and women are neither all masculine, nor all feminine; instead, a mixture, genetically, of inherited traits — some feminine, some masculine. You might describe the physical features and dress of a gorgeous female creature, yet gift her with the cold, calculating mind of an international banker, softened again with a mother's love for her child, bringing the reader a fascinating and convincing character. (This is partly what appeared when I first set Dawn Carlisle on the page.)
But you can't just woodenly toss a bunch of character traits into a big mixing bowl, stir them around and expect something believable to pop out. You must feel a genuine excitement in the character you've chosen to set down — sensing in them a budding star quality. (A few main characters will be allowed to steal the show; but you will need to suppress your secondary characters so they do not. Even so, those minor characters may toss off tiny sparks of stardom.)
I really believe that, within yourself, you've got to feel the same gut emotions each character is experiencing. If you don't, neither your description of their actions, their personae, or the words they utter will convey that indefinable "IT" quality — that stellar quality — which must emerge, or like empty sacks your characters will collapse.
Every writer has to kill his own snakes, getting "IT" onto the page. If you find my characters interesting, that may come from the magical education I received in the mid-1950s, when I studied "method" and character acting in New York with the great Stella Adler. When the people you are writing about are so deeply imbued in your psyche you can virtually touch and feel them as you write their scenes, that's a gift no one can ever take from you. (It's bound to produce riveting work.) It may take years of banging away at the keyboard, but one day you will be startled — you'll know when you see "IT" on the page. You'll sit back, scratching your head, "Did I just write that?…"
To get into the desperate, scrambled brain that is Dawn Carlisle's when she jumps out of Abner's truck, conceivably to her death, I started with the recordings of Janis Joplin; film clips from Bette Midler's portrayal in "The Rose;" then read a few biographies of Janis. (This was occasioned by a writing instructor at the Cape Cod Writers' Conference. She had given our class a reading assignment; a story so oddly violent that I refused to believe the young woman protagonist capable of such jumbled thinking.) By the time I'd finished my study of Janis Joplin, I was a believer. I felt my own nervous system twitching, jangling, rebelling …forget the drugs. I was THERE…with Janis!
But Dawn's male side — that's the poker wizard. Cool, calculating, and exacting. The careful student of Doyle Brunson's Super System, her gifted mathematical mind plotting the way to clean out every poker player in Steelton and Reading, PA…revenge for the fortune her alcoholic father had lost at the game. (This is back-story, off the page.)
And let's not forget that Dawn is the mother of a five-year old daughter, Lisa. You'd better know, from your observation of life on this planet, that the female of the species — animal or human — is not to be separated from her offspring. A good mother will do anything to protect and nurture her child. Anything imaginable…no holds barred!
Somewhere I read that women are gatherers and men the hunters who "risk death to bring back meat." Women bring back the immediately useful stuff, like "honey, fruit, water…and the hunters." Women mostly live longer than men; programmed by nature to do so. They are (generally) more conservative in their actions. A woman's wiles can translate to the cadgey; to downright unscrupulous behavior when it's necessary for survival or the protection of a child. Once sobered up by Abner's ministrations and the care she administers to an injured dog, Dawn begins to redirect her energies toward regaining possession of her daughter.
Dawn Carlisle originates from good stock, part of it Sioux Indian. So we must know something about what it is and was like to be an Oglala Sioux, transported east to attend the Carlisle Indian School in the late 1800s. That was her great grandfather — the Sioux character very much a part of Dawn's every decision, as is the white, Irish industrial heritage on her mother's side.
She loves Abner with a barely concealed Sioux fierceness, and here we are back to my longing for a character who is not afraid to shower love on someone worth loving. When Dawn knows love, she shows love. I gave Dawn objectives at every turn. Within each scene she has an objective.
Whether Dawn gains that objective or is frustrated in her efforts to achieve it, we watch how she acts and reacts. As writers, we judge her behavior. Should it ring false to the persona discovered in Dawn, should it deface that "IT" star quality she has exhibited before, we'll do that scene over — NOT her character. Dawn's traits, speech and actions are now ingrained — her character walking, thinking, talking in one distinctive way. Instinctively, we know that way when we see it. And we will cast out the crap, whenever and wherever we see it, as not representing the true and honest origins of Dawn Carlisle.
About the Author:
Richard Ide is a writer of realistic, action-adventure and romantic-suspense fiction. On May 26th, 2008, Button Top Books released 3 ACES, his first published work. Now available on http://Amazon.com or by special order (ISBN: 978-0-615-15821-1) in bookstores. For more information on Richard and 3 Aces, visit: http://www.3acesthenovel.com.
Keyword tags: books, authors, publishing, character development, writing ideas, novels
Quite a confession...but not very satisfying. No mere floozy is Dawn Carlisle, this wild woman wanderer, who suicidally jumps out of Abner's truck at the Palm Coast I-95 exit in Florida, then turns into a principled young woman capable of nursing an injured bull terrier back to health. She then, in good time, falls for her rescuer, Abner Weaver, the truck driver who has interrupted her march to oblivion down the American road…all of it, quite a stretch. How can this woman have so many sides?
Where, but in America, does a woman have the right to cast herself adrift with no one concerned enough to come to her aid? Someone might help (as Abner Weaver most certainly does), but it would take an unusually kind person — sensitive to the pain in another — to step outside the callousness we generally display toward anyone wandering the berm. Head down, bindle under an arm, deep in anguished thought, a female vagabond exhibiting not the slightest desire of needing a lift… Health and legal ramifications aside — would you stop to pick up such a woman?
What if…you DID stop, accepting whatever it was that was coming to you for committing such a foolhardy act? Suppose you had no ulterior sexual or monetary motive in attempting to aid such a person? What Christian credits might be chalked to your slate? But…you never intended to stop, did you? Not in a million years…
That's the beauty of the novel. We can indulge ourselves...let it all hang out! The truth is, I have a lot of pent-up emotions regarding the women I've formed close bonds with over the course of my life…I've drawn freely on some of those feelings to shape Dawn. Fifteen years of married life packed plenty (the good and the bad) in my emotive memory bank. Then the nastiness of a divorce…the painful transition to a solitary life.
Does a man then insulate himself from the complexities of the female mind? I guess that's done easily enough…writing, as I do, in isolation. But living like a hermit, how do I feel the emotions I'm no longer privy to? How, as a writer, do I reconstruct situations I no longer experience? Numerous women novelists have accurately cranked out the thoughts and emotions of male characters...why not the reverse? After all, I do have a rich backlog of experience to draw from. My years before marriage weren't particularly cloistered.
Let me sidestep to another theory: that men and women are neither all masculine, nor all feminine; instead, a mixture, genetically, of inherited traits — some feminine, some masculine. You might describe the physical features and dress of a gorgeous female creature, yet gift her with the cold, calculating mind of an international banker, softened again with a mother's love for her child, bringing the reader a fascinating and convincing character. (This is partly what appeared when I first set Dawn Carlisle on the page.)
But you can't just woodenly toss a bunch of character traits into a big mixing bowl, stir them around and expect something believable to pop out. You must feel a genuine excitement in the character you've chosen to set down — sensing in them a budding star quality. (A few main characters will be allowed to steal the show; but you will need to suppress your secondary characters so they do not. Even so, those minor characters may toss off tiny sparks of stardom.)
I really believe that, within yourself, you've got to feel the same gut emotions each character is experiencing. If you don't, neither your description of their actions, their personae, or the words they utter will convey that indefinable "IT" quality — that stellar quality — which must emerge, or like empty sacks your characters will collapse.
Every writer has to kill his own snakes, getting "IT" onto the page. If you find my characters interesting, that may come from the magical education I received in the mid-1950s, when I studied "method" and character acting in New York with the great Stella Adler. When the people you are writing about are so deeply imbued in your psyche you can virtually touch and feel them as you write their scenes, that's a gift no one can ever take from you. (It's bound to produce riveting work.) It may take years of banging away at the keyboard, but one day you will be startled — you'll know when you see "IT" on the page. You'll sit back, scratching your head, "Did I just write that?…"
To get into the desperate, scrambled brain that is Dawn Carlisle's when she jumps out of Abner's truck, conceivably to her death, I started with the recordings of Janis Joplin; film clips from Bette Midler's portrayal in "The Rose;" then read a few biographies of Janis. (This was occasioned by a writing instructor at the Cape Cod Writers' Conference. She had given our class a reading assignment; a story so oddly violent that I refused to believe the young woman protagonist capable of such jumbled thinking.) By the time I'd finished my study of Janis Joplin, I was a believer. I felt my own nervous system twitching, jangling, rebelling …forget the drugs. I was THERE…with Janis!
But Dawn's male side — that's the poker wizard. Cool, calculating, and exacting. The careful student of Doyle Brunson's Super System, her gifted mathematical mind plotting the way to clean out every poker player in Steelton and Reading, PA…revenge for the fortune her alcoholic father had lost at the game. (This is back-story, off the page.)
And let's not forget that Dawn is the mother of a five-year old daughter, Lisa. You'd better know, from your observation of life on this planet, that the female of the species — animal or human — is not to be separated from her offspring. A good mother will do anything to protect and nurture her child. Anything imaginable…no holds barred!
Somewhere I read that women are gatherers and men the hunters who "risk death to bring back meat." Women bring back the immediately useful stuff, like "honey, fruit, water…and the hunters." Women mostly live longer than men; programmed by nature to do so. They are (generally) more conservative in their actions. A woman's wiles can translate to the cadgey; to downright unscrupulous behavior when it's necessary for survival or the protection of a child. Once sobered up by Abner's ministrations and the care she administers to an injured dog, Dawn begins to redirect her energies toward regaining possession of her daughter.
Dawn Carlisle originates from good stock, part of it Sioux Indian. So we must know something about what it is and was like to be an Oglala Sioux, transported east to attend the Carlisle Indian School in the late 1800s. That was her great grandfather — the Sioux character very much a part of Dawn's every decision, as is the white, Irish industrial heritage on her mother's side.
She loves Abner with a barely concealed Sioux fierceness, and here we are back to my longing for a character who is not afraid to shower love on someone worth loving. When Dawn knows love, she shows love. I gave Dawn objectives at every turn. Within each scene she has an objective.
Whether Dawn gains that objective or is frustrated in her efforts to achieve it, we watch how she acts and reacts. As writers, we judge her behavior. Should it ring false to the persona discovered in Dawn, should it deface that "IT" star quality she has exhibited before, we'll do that scene over — NOT her character. Dawn's traits, speech and actions are now ingrained — her character walking, thinking, talking in one distinctive way. Instinctively, we know that way when we see it. And we will cast out the crap, whenever and wherever we see it, as not representing the true and honest origins of Dawn Carlisle.
About the Author:
Richard Ide is a writer of realistic, action-adventure and romantic-suspense fiction. On May 26th, 2008, Button Top Books released 3 ACES, his first published work. Now available on http://Amazon.com or by special order (ISBN: 978-0-615-15821-1) in bookstores. For more information on Richard and 3 Aces, visit: http://www.3acesthenovel.com.
Keyword tags: books, authors, publishing, character development, writing ideas, novels
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Tips For Writing Articles in an Effective Manner Revealed
Even the more experienced writers find it difficult to write effectively. Here are some tried and tested tips for writing articles effectively.
If you want to get the most out of your article marketing efforts, then your article must be effective. It is the efficacy of the article that makes for increased sales generation. Writing articles will help you in the building of a powerful online presence. Given below are a few tips that might just help you in the writing of an effective article.
Write a Good Article
Everybody wants to write a good article. After all, nobody would like to write a bad article. However, the word good means different things for different writers. For some it would be writing articles that are informative, for others it would mean an article that has a lot of flowery language, while for many other writers it would mean using keywords in each and every sentence. One must realize that a good article means an article that is able to convey the information to the target audience in a way such that they are able to understand the topic and thus base their decision based on the content of that article.
The Conversational Mode
It's best to talk like a friend while writing articles. Don't write like a teacher giving instructions to students, unless specifically asked to do so. A conversational style of writing also enables a writer to connect with the conversation that might be going through a readers mind. This also allows a writer to build trust through his or her article as they connect with the reader in one form or the other. As a writer, your job is to not only write good article but also form a bond with the reader. You must get in touch with their thoughts and ideas.
Lay your Foundation in Simplicity
While you are writing articles, you must make sure that people understand your articles. This can only be accomplished if you write in a simple language. Article marketing concentrates on all kinds of people, which mean that there will be people, who do not have a firm hold of the nuances of the English language, who will read your articles. You need to configure your articles in a way such that even the average readers understand your written word.
The Keyword Quotient
A large part of writing articles is dictated by the integration of keywords into the content. Only articles having keywords are effective, when it comes to article marketing. This is because keywords make it easier for search engine spiders to recognize the efficacy of a particular article and thus rank them at the top of the pile. The efficacy of article marketing is dependent on the use of keywords and keyword phrases in the article. This has to be accomplished in a natural manner and it must not look like the keywords have been put in the article, just for the heck of it, without any thought whatsoever.
These tips would definitely help you write effective articles. There are many more, but keeping these in mind will also help you immeasurably.
About the Author:
When it comes to Writing Articles effectively, there's only one resource you can trust on the Internet. That is http://www.goodinternetmoney.com/Articles-Submission.php .
Keyword tags: Writing articles
If you want to get the most out of your article marketing efforts, then your article must be effective. It is the efficacy of the article that makes for increased sales generation. Writing articles will help you in the building of a powerful online presence. Given below are a few tips that might just help you in the writing of an effective article.
Write a Good Article
Everybody wants to write a good article. After all, nobody would like to write a bad article. However, the word good means different things for different writers. For some it would be writing articles that are informative, for others it would mean an article that has a lot of flowery language, while for many other writers it would mean using keywords in each and every sentence. One must realize that a good article means an article that is able to convey the information to the target audience in a way such that they are able to understand the topic and thus base their decision based on the content of that article.
The Conversational Mode
It's best to talk like a friend while writing articles. Don't write like a teacher giving instructions to students, unless specifically asked to do so. A conversational style of writing also enables a writer to connect with the conversation that might be going through a readers mind. This also allows a writer to build trust through his or her article as they connect with the reader in one form or the other. As a writer, your job is to not only write good article but also form a bond with the reader. You must get in touch with their thoughts and ideas.
Lay your Foundation in Simplicity
While you are writing articles, you must make sure that people understand your articles. This can only be accomplished if you write in a simple language. Article marketing concentrates on all kinds of people, which mean that there will be people, who do not have a firm hold of the nuances of the English language, who will read your articles. You need to configure your articles in a way such that even the average readers understand your written word.
The Keyword Quotient
A large part of writing articles is dictated by the integration of keywords into the content. Only articles having keywords are effective, when it comes to article marketing. This is because keywords make it easier for search engine spiders to recognize the efficacy of a particular article and thus rank them at the top of the pile. The efficacy of article marketing is dependent on the use of keywords and keyword phrases in the article. This has to be accomplished in a natural manner and it must not look like the keywords have been put in the article, just for the heck of it, without any thought whatsoever.
These tips would definitely help you write effective articles. There are many more, but keeping these in mind will also help you immeasurably.
About the Author:
When it comes to Writing Articles effectively, there's only one resource you can trust on the Internet. That is http://www.goodinternetmoney.com/Articles-Submission.php .
Keyword tags: Writing articles
Book Review: Confessions of a Crack Head by Zach Samuels
I work with the homeless here in Calgary, addiction is a word that we hear a lot of, drugs, booze, and gambling are the big three. Often addicts are plagued by other mental health issues, depression, bi-polar, and a variety of other medical terms outside of my realm of knowledge.
There have been plenty of books written about addictions, but Confessions Of A Crack Head is different, it is written by the addict, and takes us through the torrid reality of the sickness.
Maybe the most disturbing aspect of this book is that there may well not be a happy ending. Zach's story is a sad one indeed. He is a well educated guy, had a beautiful wife, home, and baby. Then he discovers the demon Crack Cocaine, possibly one of the most addictive substances ever created.
Sure Zach is a compulsive, but few people regardless of their mental make up can resist this drug. In the space of an eight month time frame Zach hits detox and rehab 4 times. His, unfortunately is not a unique story, I see Zach on a daily basis, sometimes he is black, sometimes he is white, sometimes he is female, but always he is helpless.
As Zach explains, when you do Crack you rapidly become completely out of control, the only thing that matters is where that next hit is coming from. In a two day period he spent $2,500 on the drug. Was it for the 'high?' No is the simple answer, when using heavy you need to keep it in your system to merely maintain. The withdrawal symptoms are too grim to even contemplate.
It did not take long for Zach to crash hard, losing his family, and piece by piece his possessions, and even a place to live. From owning a $500,000 house to picking up butts from the pavement to smoke, in what seemed a blink of an eye.
One of the interesting aspects of this book is the peppering of Daily Journal entries. While these only come from the 'clean' phase, you get a real understanding of his heartbreak. Time and time again you get a real feel for the problem that an addict faces, he doesn't 'use' because he wants to, in fact often he doesn't want to, he wishes nothing better than to be able to drive right on by the dealer's house. But inevitably he does stop, inevitably he buys as much as he can, and inevitably he cannot stop at one or two hits.
After the money in the bank is gone, and all your possessions are just a memory where do you go next? You defraud the bank with fake ATM deposits, you steal money, you kite cheques, you steal, you do anything you can to get that next hit. Zach did all of these and more.
As I said earlier, I see Zach everyday, and it is sad. A couple of months ago he visited my Computer Lab, in the mornings I teach, and because I wanted to make some minor changes to a PowerPoint presentation I had left my Laptop and Digital Projector set up. In the blink of an eye, the laptop was gone, they (there were two of them) didn't even bother to take the power adapter. The machine was password protected, the serial number registered, so it had a very low street value, but enough to get that one more hit. Oh, and this was done under a CCTV system, they were arrested the next day!
Confessions Of A Crack Head should be on everyone's reading list, for the would-be user it should scare you into the next century, for any parent that is worried about son Johnny and drugs, this will give you sleepless nights.
Zach, I know that is not your real name, and I know you have moved the locations around to protect the guilty. But I also know your story is a very true and very frightening one.
Generally I like to grumble about spelling, grammar, and editing, (of course I hate it when I am on the receiving side) but this is a book written from the heart, and had it been over edited much of the 'core' would have been lost.
You can pick up your copy from Zach's website, confessionsofacrackhead dot net.
About the Author:
Simon Barrett is an adult educator in Calgary, Alberta. With the 11 months a year of winter, he reads a lot of books! He is also a contributing editor for http://www.bloggernews.net and maintains a personal blog at http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com.
Keyword tags: drug addiction, drug dependency, addiction, recovery, rehab, books, authors, publishing, reviews
There have been plenty of books written about addictions, but Confessions Of A Crack Head is different, it is written by the addict, and takes us through the torrid reality of the sickness.
Maybe the most disturbing aspect of this book is that there may well not be a happy ending. Zach's story is a sad one indeed. He is a well educated guy, had a beautiful wife, home, and baby. Then he discovers the demon Crack Cocaine, possibly one of the most addictive substances ever created.
Sure Zach is a compulsive, but few people regardless of their mental make up can resist this drug. In the space of an eight month time frame Zach hits detox and rehab 4 times. His, unfortunately is not a unique story, I see Zach on a daily basis, sometimes he is black, sometimes he is white, sometimes he is female, but always he is helpless.
As Zach explains, when you do Crack you rapidly become completely out of control, the only thing that matters is where that next hit is coming from. In a two day period he spent $2,500 on the drug. Was it for the 'high?' No is the simple answer, when using heavy you need to keep it in your system to merely maintain. The withdrawal symptoms are too grim to even contemplate.
It did not take long for Zach to crash hard, losing his family, and piece by piece his possessions, and even a place to live. From owning a $500,000 house to picking up butts from the pavement to smoke, in what seemed a blink of an eye.
One of the interesting aspects of this book is the peppering of Daily Journal entries. While these only come from the 'clean' phase, you get a real understanding of his heartbreak. Time and time again you get a real feel for the problem that an addict faces, he doesn't 'use' because he wants to, in fact often he doesn't want to, he wishes nothing better than to be able to drive right on by the dealer's house. But inevitably he does stop, inevitably he buys as much as he can, and inevitably he cannot stop at one or two hits.
After the money in the bank is gone, and all your possessions are just a memory where do you go next? You defraud the bank with fake ATM deposits, you steal money, you kite cheques, you steal, you do anything you can to get that next hit. Zach did all of these and more.
As I said earlier, I see Zach everyday, and it is sad. A couple of months ago he visited my Computer Lab, in the mornings I teach, and because I wanted to make some minor changes to a PowerPoint presentation I had left my Laptop and Digital Projector set up. In the blink of an eye, the laptop was gone, they (there were two of them) didn't even bother to take the power adapter. The machine was password protected, the serial number registered, so it had a very low street value, but enough to get that one more hit. Oh, and this was done under a CCTV system, they were arrested the next day!
Confessions Of A Crack Head should be on everyone's reading list, for the would-be user it should scare you into the next century, for any parent that is worried about son Johnny and drugs, this will give you sleepless nights.
Zach, I know that is not your real name, and I know you have moved the locations around to protect the guilty. But I also know your story is a very true and very frightening one.
Generally I like to grumble about spelling, grammar, and editing, (of course I hate it when I am on the receiving side) but this is a book written from the heart, and had it been over edited much of the 'core' would have been lost.
You can pick up your copy from Zach's website, confessionsofacrackhead dot net.
About the Author:
Simon Barrett is an adult educator in Calgary, Alberta. With the 11 months a year of winter, he reads a lot of books! He is also a contributing editor for http://www.bloggernews.net and maintains a personal blog at http://zzsimonb.blogspot.com.
Keyword tags: drug addiction, drug dependency, addiction, recovery, rehab, books, authors, publishing, reviews
Friday, August 1, 2008
A Writer Looks Back – Gives Tips
I'll be blowing out 80 candles on the cake this month.
It's one of those terrible events that can't be avoided. The only way to avoid it is not get there.
So I've spent some time reflecting on where I've been.
And it occurs to me that I've been a writer (and author) for 60 of those years.
Which means I've cranked out millions of words, counting those penned at different career stages as a journalist, public relations man and creative writer of books and short stories.
Most of my earlier professional success came in the public relations field, where you might say Shamu at SeaWorld and the San Diego Zoo's Albert Gorilla, helped fund my kids' education. Now in my retirement years, I have managed to publish several books and take a crack at screenwriting.
People sometimes ask me if it's hard writing a book.
I use a quote from comedienne and author Fran Lebowitz, who once answered that question by saying: "Three things are hard:
1. Cancer research.
2. Coal mining.
3. Writing a book.
Everything else can be done over lunch!"
A bit glib — but you do have to go into the deep, dark crevices of your mind and sweat and search for the words. And that's what it takes to complete a printable book, a novel, a screenplay.
As I said in an earlier blog, "having to face a blank piece of paper is God's way of showing you how hard it is to be God."
The key to success, of course, as you've heard a hundred or more times, is discipline. Nothing will substitute for it. Authors Danielle Steele and Stephen King display it by cranking out several novels a year consistently - writing on schedule every day, rain or shine.
Stephen seems to make writing a best seller as effortless as whipping out a nose tissue. He removes one and out pops another. Kind of makes me feel like a shut-in (with only my two published memoirs and a few near-miss screenplays to show for years of struggle)
I might point out that for most, rewriting is the other key to success. The slow, repetitious (and often gratifying) process of cutting, adding polishing and rethinking is a must.
As best-selling author James Michener admitted: "I am one of the world's worst writers – but most successful rewriters."
And a deeper thought I find intriguing comes from playwright David Mamet: "All writing is getting over what happened to you before you were ten years old."
You may want to ponder that one.
Then I have this piece of wisdom in my novel file: Forget every rule the writing teachers taught you – except one. Never be boring.
And what does a good script boil down to, generally speaking, but that it should contain a simple premise with unforeseeable twists and turns.
I would add that helps to make your characters interesting. And try gaining sympathy in some way for your lead early on, so the reader can give a damn what happens.
Was there a writing background in my own family? No. My mother was a schoolteacher for a short time, then a bookkeeper. My father was a music teacher and band leader. My brother was into electronics but also loved playing piano.
Any creative genes may have come from my maternal grandmother. The dear wrote some poetry and displayed a vivid imagination in helping her children with school essays and English papers. Man on the moon and people from Mars stuff.
You might say I developed on my own what "The Writer" magazine used to call the creative writing urge: "The Divine Discontent." I HAD to compose stories from time to time, no matter what else I was involved in.
Otherwise, I grew hard to live with and walked over standing ashtrays and into closed glass doors while deep into forming a new plot or piece of brilliant description. My wife and four children would retreat to their own doings.
The burning desire to communicate I harbored, the urge to commit to paper a story you can't get out of your head, a passion to be heard can be found in most writers. It has been wisely said: "Writing is an aggressive demand for attention."
Robert McKee, famous for his screenwriting seminars, sums it up this way: "Literary talent is ten a penny. What is rare – so rare as to be worth hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars, is story ability. Movies live and breathe and thrive on story ability. And very few people in the world have it."
When did I know I wanted to be a writer? I couldn't exactly pinpoint it.
I co-wrote a play with a friend in Iowa at the age of nine. We made 50 cents by coercing neighborhood kids to attend the barn presentation.
Then I was eighteen before a bit of talent surfaced (though I knocked down "A's" in English and theme writing.) The Navy, of all places, announced after a routine aptitude test, that I qualified to enter their new journalism school established at the end of World War II.
It was a surprise to me - but sounded better than chipping paint of some destroyer during my two-year hitch. When I graduated from the Navy's accelerated course, the die was cast. I joined a small daily newspaper at home in Iowa, after 16 months in the Navy Department's PR wing.
And soon after marrying, bought a portable typewriter on credit and in any spare moments wrote short stories unsuccessfully for "True Romance" magazine and other pulps of that ilk.
I kept at it through rejection-after-rejection. But often I received encouragement from editors and fellow writers.
I'm not any smarter than the next fellow. (In fact, I'm a college drop-in). But I never gave up. I'm still not on the best-seller list. But now I know the exhilarating satisfaction of holding in my hand a published book with my name on the bright cover and the ego-boost of book-signings at Barnes & Noble and requests to speak at libraries and civic clubs all over San Diego County.
And I still dream that when I finish the rewrite on this optioned screenplay, I'll surely make that Hollywood million and Jennifer Lopez will play the lead (Elizabeth Taylor, my first choice, is too old).
About the Author:
Bill Seaton is a prize-winning author and lecturer who has served nearly 25 years as public relations director of the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld and the California State Lottery. To learn more about the San Diego resident's books, blogs and awards, visit http://www.billseaton.com.
Keyword tags: books, authors, publishing, story, writing tips, writing advice
It's one of those terrible events that can't be avoided. The only way to avoid it is not get there.
So I've spent some time reflecting on where I've been.
And it occurs to me that I've been a writer (and author) for 60 of those years.
Which means I've cranked out millions of words, counting those penned at different career stages as a journalist, public relations man and creative writer of books and short stories.
Most of my earlier professional success came in the public relations field, where you might say Shamu at SeaWorld and the San Diego Zoo's Albert Gorilla, helped fund my kids' education. Now in my retirement years, I have managed to publish several books and take a crack at screenwriting.
People sometimes ask me if it's hard writing a book.
I use a quote from comedienne and author Fran Lebowitz, who once answered that question by saying: "Three things are hard:
1. Cancer research.
2. Coal mining.
3. Writing a book.
Everything else can be done over lunch!"
A bit glib — but you do have to go into the deep, dark crevices of your mind and sweat and search for the words. And that's what it takes to complete a printable book, a novel, a screenplay.
As I said in an earlier blog, "having to face a blank piece of paper is God's way of showing you how hard it is to be God."
The key to success, of course, as you've heard a hundred or more times, is discipline. Nothing will substitute for it. Authors Danielle Steele and Stephen King display it by cranking out several novels a year consistently - writing on schedule every day, rain or shine.
Stephen seems to make writing a best seller as effortless as whipping out a nose tissue. He removes one and out pops another. Kind of makes me feel like a shut-in (with only my two published memoirs and a few near-miss screenplays to show for years of struggle)
I might point out that for most, rewriting is the other key to success. The slow, repetitious (and often gratifying) process of cutting, adding polishing and rethinking is a must.
As best-selling author James Michener admitted: "I am one of the world's worst writers – but most successful rewriters."
And a deeper thought I find intriguing comes from playwright David Mamet: "All writing is getting over what happened to you before you were ten years old."
You may want to ponder that one.
Then I have this piece of wisdom in my novel file: Forget every rule the writing teachers taught you – except one. Never be boring.
And what does a good script boil down to, generally speaking, but that it should contain a simple premise with unforeseeable twists and turns.
I would add that helps to make your characters interesting. And try gaining sympathy in some way for your lead early on, so the reader can give a damn what happens.
Was there a writing background in my own family? No. My mother was a schoolteacher for a short time, then a bookkeeper. My father was a music teacher and band leader. My brother was into electronics but also loved playing piano.
Any creative genes may have come from my maternal grandmother. The dear wrote some poetry and displayed a vivid imagination in helping her children with school essays and English papers. Man on the moon and people from Mars stuff.
You might say I developed on my own what "The Writer" magazine used to call the creative writing urge: "The Divine Discontent." I HAD to compose stories from time to time, no matter what else I was involved in.
Otherwise, I grew hard to live with and walked over standing ashtrays and into closed glass doors while deep into forming a new plot or piece of brilliant description. My wife and four children would retreat to their own doings.
The burning desire to communicate I harbored, the urge to commit to paper a story you can't get out of your head, a passion to be heard can be found in most writers. It has been wisely said: "Writing is an aggressive demand for attention."
Robert McKee, famous for his screenwriting seminars, sums it up this way: "Literary talent is ten a penny. What is rare – so rare as to be worth hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars, is story ability. Movies live and breathe and thrive on story ability. And very few people in the world have it."
When did I know I wanted to be a writer? I couldn't exactly pinpoint it.
I co-wrote a play with a friend in Iowa at the age of nine. We made 50 cents by coercing neighborhood kids to attend the barn presentation.
Then I was eighteen before a bit of talent surfaced (though I knocked down "A's" in English and theme writing.) The Navy, of all places, announced after a routine aptitude test, that I qualified to enter their new journalism school established at the end of World War II.
It was a surprise to me - but sounded better than chipping paint of some destroyer during my two-year hitch. When I graduated from the Navy's accelerated course, the die was cast. I joined a small daily newspaper at home in Iowa, after 16 months in the Navy Department's PR wing.
And soon after marrying, bought a portable typewriter on credit and in any spare moments wrote short stories unsuccessfully for "True Romance" magazine and other pulps of that ilk.
I kept at it through rejection-after-rejection. But often I received encouragement from editors and fellow writers.
I'm not any smarter than the next fellow. (In fact, I'm a college drop-in). But I never gave up. I'm still not on the best-seller list. But now I know the exhilarating satisfaction of holding in my hand a published book with my name on the bright cover and the ego-boost of book-signings at Barnes & Noble and requests to speak at libraries and civic clubs all over San Diego County.
And I still dream that when I finish the rewrite on this optioned screenplay, I'll surely make that Hollywood million and Jennifer Lopez will play the lead (Elizabeth Taylor, my first choice, is too old).
About the Author:
Bill Seaton is a prize-winning author and lecturer who has served nearly 25 years as public relations director of the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld and the California State Lottery. To learn more about the San Diego resident's books, blogs and awards, visit http://www.billseaton.com.
Keyword tags: books, authors, publishing, story, writing tips, writing advice
Mystique of the Long Haul Trucker
What happened to the bull whacker of old? With the evolution of the automobile and the truck, the "freighters" (Conestoga wagons) of Santa Fe and Oregon trail days, pulled by teams of oxen and urged on by the bull whackers, evolved into today's eighteen wheelers. Interstate highways gradually replaced the bull whacker's muddy, rutted trails. But that drover spirit has never died; it lives on, in the heart of today's trucker and any kid that yanks his arm up and down coaxing a blast from the air horn of a passing big truck.
What is it that makes you abandon some hum-drum factory job...or a job flipping burgers that's insidiously sealing you into a greasy cloud of desperation? It's the same thing that drew the bull whacker to the trail - a simple, pulsing call of adventure - the call of new places; the "Call of The Wild," the WEST! Ah, the West...
Until you have experienced the sights and scents of the vast prairie, the endless midwest cornfields, soybeans, and, further west, sorghums and wheat...the fields of southern cotton...you haven't sensed what America is all about! Then there are the Rockies, appearing first as a thin purple ridge line in the distance - gigantic as you reach the base of each front range. The high prairie of Wyoming; the great basin, Salt Lake, Nevada; and then another climb over the Sierras and down into California. No, you haven't lived until you've covered each and every route back and forth — time and time again.
Most of us at home are too busy to bother thinking about trucks and truckers. They are simply there, jamming up our roads; threatening us with their speed and bulk. Deliver your goods we demand! But don't block our path to the mall; don't you kiss my car with that truck of yours and tear the "Born to shop!…" sticker off my bumper.
For one minute, totally put away your desire for more "things." Lean back in that Barka-lounger of yours and dream…just what would it be like to close up the house, kiss the kids good-bye (maybe shuffling them off to the grandparents) to settle in (with your old lady) behind the wheel of a big rig. For a year or so, imagine the both of you…miles flying behind you in your California flat mirrors, endless Interstate ahead—beckoning you on and onward…
Boring..? Never! On each trip, watching the light fall differently over the same countryside, changing each remembered scene to something never before viewed; moonlight...sunlight...dawn to dusk, every time a different mood.
And the easy comradery of the CB - voices out of the blue (some you recognize, but mostly new) jocular banter - good-natured America on the move. A lot like army humor; repeated jokes, catch-phrases; sometimes lines stolen from TV shows and ads; yet much of it original — invented humor — the active mind of the trucker conjuring up anything to get a response out of the CB and make the miles fly even faster. Yes, and sometimes grim: warnings of a "bear" on the prowl; or some "local-yokel taking pictures" (a county cop with a hand-held radar gun); and even grimmer, the occasional accident (they can be bloody). It's all laid out for you…weather too. Awesome at times.
Truck stops: oases that would make the old timer blush — and not from shame: they're no longer "Grapes of Wrath" vintage. Truck stop managers have struck gold with the drover of today. We, all of us — like it or not — are trained consumers; not even the modern bull whacker is immune.
Inside a typical truck stop "store," a pricey array of merchandise seems doomed to sit on the shelf. But hang around for a while: watch an inquiring hand poke through a pile of something or other; and watch it shrink (the pile of goods, not the hand). CBs; cell phones and accessories; maps and books of all imaginable kinds; tire-billies; boxes of snack food; electric coolers; chrome gew-gaws to dress up the truck; outsize, rubber mud flaps; all kind of clothing.
Okay, while we're on the subject of clothing…let me get something off my chest. You know that guy you've seen leaning against a down-at-the ears fleet truck that's taking up nine car spaces and part of one lane in your local mall — the guy dressed to the nines in a spotless Zorro outfit and an outlandish floppy western hat? Right…that guy. Well he's on my list, bud! Just out of trucking school, and he's yet to make his first delivery on time (and if it's not trucking school, make it the State funny farm).
Now the jerk is standing on his truck steps admiring himself in the flat mirror, with not the slightest desire to slip behind the wheel and do some real driving. I give that bobble-head one more week with the stupid outfit that hired him and he's down the road—hoofing it.
Let's go back inside, where we'll probably find a lavish buffet. The food is likely to be healthy, not the greasy slop the film studio fed to Clint Eastwood and his monkey co-driver. In fact, in most truck stop restaurants you have to make a special point of ordering up unhealthy stuff like biscuits and gravy. Some habits die hard.
Then there's the always pinging, banging, binging electronic game room; and after that big meal of steak and 'taters and salad and berry pie ala mode, there's hot showers and a quiet, protected truck lot in which to sleep it all off. The truck stop of today is the modern bull whacker's anticipated bit of heaven at the end of a long day's rig wrangling.
All this and more, hand... America awaits you!
About the Author:
Richard Ide is a writer of realistic, action-adventure and romantic-suspense fiction. On May 26th, 2008, Button Top Books released 3 ACES, his first published work. Now available on http://Amazon.com or by special order (ISBN: 978-0-615-15821-1) in bookstores. For more information on Richard and 3 Aces, visit: http://www.3acesthenovel.com.
Keyword tags: trucks, big rigs, truck drivers, long haul trucking, US travel, US driving
What is it that makes you abandon some hum-drum factory job...or a job flipping burgers that's insidiously sealing you into a greasy cloud of desperation? It's the same thing that drew the bull whacker to the trail - a simple, pulsing call of adventure - the call of new places; the "Call of The Wild," the WEST! Ah, the West...
Until you have experienced the sights and scents of the vast prairie, the endless midwest cornfields, soybeans, and, further west, sorghums and wheat...the fields of southern cotton...you haven't sensed what America is all about! Then there are the Rockies, appearing first as a thin purple ridge line in the distance - gigantic as you reach the base of each front range. The high prairie of Wyoming; the great basin, Salt Lake, Nevada; and then another climb over the Sierras and down into California. No, you haven't lived until you've covered each and every route back and forth — time and time again.
Most of us at home are too busy to bother thinking about trucks and truckers. They are simply there, jamming up our roads; threatening us with their speed and bulk. Deliver your goods we demand! But don't block our path to the mall; don't you kiss my car with that truck of yours and tear the "Born to shop!…" sticker off my bumper.
For one minute, totally put away your desire for more "things." Lean back in that Barka-lounger of yours and dream…just what would it be like to close up the house, kiss the kids good-bye (maybe shuffling them off to the grandparents) to settle in (with your old lady) behind the wheel of a big rig. For a year or so, imagine the both of you…miles flying behind you in your California flat mirrors, endless Interstate ahead—beckoning you on and onward…
Boring..? Never! On each trip, watching the light fall differently over the same countryside, changing each remembered scene to something never before viewed; moonlight...sunlight...dawn to dusk, every time a different mood.
And the easy comradery of the CB - voices out of the blue (some you recognize, but mostly new) jocular banter - good-natured America on the move. A lot like army humor; repeated jokes, catch-phrases; sometimes lines stolen from TV shows and ads; yet much of it original — invented humor — the active mind of the trucker conjuring up anything to get a response out of the CB and make the miles fly even faster. Yes, and sometimes grim: warnings of a "bear" on the prowl; or some "local-yokel taking pictures" (a county cop with a hand-held radar gun); and even grimmer, the occasional accident (they can be bloody). It's all laid out for you…weather too. Awesome at times.
Truck stops: oases that would make the old timer blush — and not from shame: they're no longer "Grapes of Wrath" vintage. Truck stop managers have struck gold with the drover of today. We, all of us — like it or not — are trained consumers; not even the modern bull whacker is immune.
Inside a typical truck stop "store," a pricey array of merchandise seems doomed to sit on the shelf. But hang around for a while: watch an inquiring hand poke through a pile of something or other; and watch it shrink (the pile of goods, not the hand). CBs; cell phones and accessories; maps and books of all imaginable kinds; tire-billies; boxes of snack food; electric coolers; chrome gew-gaws to dress up the truck; outsize, rubber mud flaps; all kind of clothing.
Okay, while we're on the subject of clothing…let me get something off my chest. You know that guy you've seen leaning against a down-at-the ears fleet truck that's taking up nine car spaces and part of one lane in your local mall — the guy dressed to the nines in a spotless Zorro outfit and an outlandish floppy western hat? Right…that guy. Well he's on my list, bud! Just out of trucking school, and he's yet to make his first delivery on time (and if it's not trucking school, make it the State funny farm).
Now the jerk is standing on his truck steps admiring himself in the flat mirror, with not the slightest desire to slip behind the wheel and do some real driving. I give that bobble-head one more week with the stupid outfit that hired him and he's down the road—hoofing it.
Let's go back inside, where we'll probably find a lavish buffet. The food is likely to be healthy, not the greasy slop the film studio fed to Clint Eastwood and his monkey co-driver. In fact, in most truck stop restaurants you have to make a special point of ordering up unhealthy stuff like biscuits and gravy. Some habits die hard.
Then there's the always pinging, banging, binging electronic game room; and after that big meal of steak and 'taters and salad and berry pie ala mode, there's hot showers and a quiet, protected truck lot in which to sleep it all off. The truck stop of today is the modern bull whacker's anticipated bit of heaven at the end of a long day's rig wrangling.
All this and more, hand... America awaits you!
About the Author:
Richard Ide is a writer of realistic, action-adventure and romantic-suspense fiction. On May 26th, 2008, Button Top Books released 3 ACES, his first published work. Now available on http://Amazon.com or by special order (ISBN: 978-0-615-15821-1) in bookstores. For more information on Richard and 3 Aces, visit: http://www.3acesthenovel.com.
Keyword tags: trucks, big rigs, truck drivers, long haul trucking, US travel, US driving
Everyone Can Write - By a Dyslexic
Genevieve Dawid was born dyslexic and dysphasic and yet still have become an author.
At school her spelling was so poor that she was told not to participate in English classes. Therefore she believed that she would never be able to write.
Genevieve comments, "I left school not knowing where a comma went, let alone being able to spell. In greeting cards I simply put my name, fearing that a written sentiment may contain spelling mistakes. I had someone else type letters on my behalf and totally avoided having to write."
However, when she moved into further education at the age of 16, teachers diagnosed her as dyslexic; within weeks and with extra tuition she started to write far better, and found herself enjoying it.
Learning to use a computer also changed her writing for good, as it had the added benefit of a Spell Checker.
Genevieve goes on to say ... "When I started to write more as I got older, it was suggested that my life story and experience in personal development should be published; I was petrified."
After a serious illness came the perfect opportunity to create her long awaited book. It was without doubt the hardest thing she had ever done, but she was determined that she would write all the words herself, and not have it ghost written.
Daily, she spent hours writing, and in just a month had the bones of a book. She then sent it to an editor for appraisal, direction and corrections before finally turning it into a book. (Most authors use editors before submitting a manuscript to a publisher.) The whole process took nine months.
Eventually, her part biography and self help book, 'The Achiever's Journey' was published in 2007; one of her greatest achievements. Now she has the writing bug! She regularly writes articles and editorials
Recently she took a world cruise and kept a daily diary, - which went out weekly via e-mail to family and friends. A wonderful record of a very special time in her life.
What writing has made Genevieve realise is the extent to which our society has snobbish values about writing. "It is not how you write, but what you write."
Everyone should write a memoir. For example writing your thoughts on your wedding day, after giving birth, or other memorable life experiences.
"When my Father was dying of cancer he started to write about his life. I longed for him to be able to record all of his experiences. Sadly, he only wrote a fraction of it, but I treasure to this day the bit he did accomplish. However, there is so much I wish I could ask, and can't. Now I'm older I want to know more."
Whatever memories or knowledge you may have, write them down. Her grandfather was a brilliant gardener, but unfortunately none of his tips were passed on.
"I have a wonderful son who is also very dyslexic. I treasure every word that he writes; most spelling mistakes are still readable, such as 'shud' for 'should'. Every day I encounter others from the same generation, or who like me, were overlooked or not accepted, for not meeting the standards set for writing. Worse still, I see children leaving school today without basic writing skills. "
Putting pen to paper regularly has made Genevieve more confident with her writing. If you want to improve your English, by all means look to get assistance through additional education.
If you don't want, or are not in the position to gain further education, then still write. Just write in your own style; it doesn't have to be perfect. You could also choose to use a dictaphone and have someone type it for you. Then again you could record memoirs or information on a video recorder. Or type straight onto the computer.
Remember, what ever you write, you will without doubt benefit another, please loved ones, as well as providing an historical record.
About the Author:
http://www.genevievedawid.com Genevieve Dawid is a published author of the http://www.theachieversjourney.com self help book http://www.theachieversjourney.com The Achievers Journey. She is a highly successful consultant, lecturer, and mentor, for both individuals and corporations.
Keyword tags: dyslexia, writing, dyslexic, writer, book, genevieve dawid, dysphasic
At school her spelling was so poor that she was told not to participate in English classes. Therefore she believed that she would never be able to write.
Genevieve comments, "I left school not knowing where a comma went, let alone being able to spell. In greeting cards I simply put my name, fearing that a written sentiment may contain spelling mistakes. I had someone else type letters on my behalf and totally avoided having to write."
However, when she moved into further education at the age of 16, teachers diagnosed her as dyslexic; within weeks and with extra tuition she started to write far better, and found herself enjoying it.
Learning to use a computer also changed her writing for good, as it had the added benefit of a Spell Checker.
Genevieve goes on to say ... "When I started to write more as I got older, it was suggested that my life story and experience in personal development should be published; I was petrified."
After a serious illness came the perfect opportunity to create her long awaited book. It was without doubt the hardest thing she had ever done, but she was determined that she would write all the words herself, and not have it ghost written.
Daily, she spent hours writing, and in just a month had the bones of a book. She then sent it to an editor for appraisal, direction and corrections before finally turning it into a book. (Most authors use editors before submitting a manuscript to a publisher.) The whole process took nine months.
Eventually, her part biography and self help book, 'The Achiever's Journey' was published in 2007; one of her greatest achievements. Now she has the writing bug! She regularly writes articles and editorials
Recently she took a world cruise and kept a daily diary, - which went out weekly via e-mail to family and friends. A wonderful record of a very special time in her life.
What writing has made Genevieve realise is the extent to which our society has snobbish values about writing. "It is not how you write, but what you write."
Everyone should write a memoir. For example writing your thoughts on your wedding day, after giving birth, or other memorable life experiences.
"When my Father was dying of cancer he started to write about his life. I longed for him to be able to record all of his experiences. Sadly, he only wrote a fraction of it, but I treasure to this day the bit he did accomplish. However, there is so much I wish I could ask, and can't. Now I'm older I want to know more."
Whatever memories or knowledge you may have, write them down. Her grandfather was a brilliant gardener, but unfortunately none of his tips were passed on.
"I have a wonderful son who is also very dyslexic. I treasure every word that he writes; most spelling mistakes are still readable, such as 'shud' for 'should'. Every day I encounter others from the same generation, or who like me, were overlooked or not accepted, for not meeting the standards set for writing. Worse still, I see children leaving school today without basic writing skills. "
Putting pen to paper regularly has made Genevieve more confident with her writing. If you want to improve your English, by all means look to get assistance through additional education.
If you don't want, or are not in the position to gain further education, then still write. Just write in your own style; it doesn't have to be perfect. You could also choose to use a dictaphone and have someone type it for you. Then again you could record memoirs or information on a video recorder. Or type straight onto the computer.
Remember, what ever you write, you will without doubt benefit another, please loved ones, as well as providing an historical record.
About the Author:
http://www.genevievedawid.com Genevieve Dawid is a published author of the http://www.theachieversjourney.com self help book http://www.theachieversjourney.com The Achievers Journey. She is a highly successful consultant, lecturer, and mentor, for both individuals and corporations.
Keyword tags: dyslexia, writing, dyslexic, writer, book, genevieve dawid, dysphasic
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