Writing Inrochester

Our culture has always had a curiously ambiguous attitude towards its artists, who are alternately reviled or else elevated to nearly god-like status. They seem to be perceived as other-than-human, able to dispense with leisure, comfort and normal security and happiness in order to function within society AND bestow the gift of their insights upon everyday folks. People don’t generally ask their plumbers whether they’ve painted any wondrous canvasses lately, or ask their tax consultants if they’ve been inspired with mystical poetry. Yet modern-day artists are expected to magically fulfill their creative vision AND be shrewd, practically-minded and business-savvy.

Let’s consider this two-fold demand within the realm of the writing and publishing world. It takes a very different faculty of the mind to conceive of – and realize – a fictional novel or short-story than to draft a query letter or book proposal. Writers of genius might flounder in obscurity because they can’t grasp the intricacies of the publishing game, while writers of lesser talent thrive because they’re business-minded and know how to produce sleek press releases; or because they’re social butterflies at writer’s retreats or build up a coterie of influential contacts in New York.

When people write with one eye on the market, their books are robbed of something essential. The resulting work finds its niche – it becomes popular because it appeals to a ready-made audience – but it’s already lost its soul.

Writers who refuse to compromise their artistic vision will oftentimes be obliged to promote their work at a grass-roots level. This takes time; not only for people to become aware of the existence of these books, but also to open their minds to something they’ve not been exposed to before.

What’s seldom pointed out, though, is that every genre that exists today began with a groundbreaking book or story that no one knew how to categorize. J.R.R. Tolkien’s publishers hailed The Lord of the Rings as a work of genius, but also admitted that they didn’t know who the work would appeal to. Nowadays all the major booksellers boast at least one rack devoted to epic fantasy, and a high percentage of the books filling those shelves are an imitation of the seminal Middle-Earth trilogy. Pulp writers like H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard also found a much wider readership – and hosts of disciples – after their deaths.

It’s been a long time since I’ve even purchased a book that came off the press of a major publisher. I do a little more footwork, these days, when searching for reading. I browse e-zines, author websites, discussion forums and blogs. What I often find are groundbreaking works that never got the “seal of approval” from a big house because they couldn’t be easily categorized and labeled. They weren’t “the next” Harry Potter.

Perhaps it would be prudent for me to advise you, fellow writer, to educate yourself in all aspects of the publishing industry; to go to retreats (if you can afford them) and consult with agents and editors; to learn to polish that perfect query letter and, later, press release; to research the marker for publishing trends and reader tastes…

But, as I intimated earlier, the hand that wields the pen is sometimes not so adept at guiding the plow. A fertile imagination makes conformity difficult, if not impossible; and adapting your creative impulse to a popular genre - or to an editor or agent’s idea of sellable material – is conformity.

Instead I’ll offer a piece of imprudent encouragement. If you have a burning desire to write a story, then that is a story that WANTS to be born. Forget considerations like “what sells?” or “what do agents/editors look for?” Ideas have energy and life-force; once given birth to, they tend to find their own way in the world. Your audience is waiting. They might not even know it yet, but they are. Your inspiration has arisen as the answer to someone else’s prayer. Honor your vision.

Seth Mullins is the author of “Song of an Untamed Land”, a novel of speculative fantasy in lawless frontier territory. Visit Seth at authorsden.com/sethtmullins authorsden.com/sethtmullins

Engineers are among the favoured lot among management institutes. Clearing the written test would have been a breeze however communications skills are important at this stage as you will be competing against fellow engineers as well. So you are at par with others unless you can boast of strong communication skills. Here are 3 tips for engineers for preparing for a Group discussion

1. Knowledge of Economics: Utilise your God given capability to memorize facts to memorize key data about the economy. Nothing impresses the Group discussion panel better then MBA aspirants who are attuned to what is happening in the economy. By reading the Economic newspaper regularly you can make a list of key facts to state in the Group Discussion

2. Watch the economic TV channels: the only time when watching the TV was actually recommended. Listen carefully when key economic news is being relayed. Try to mimic the speech of the reporter. This builds a capability into your subliminal self to speak economic jargon. Try it for every half an hour each day. You will find a significant improvement in your skills

3. Team work: For those who are slightly apprehensive about their communication capabilities in public, simply practice with groups by taking a key economic issue. You don’t have to find friends- simply ask someone whom you respect such as your parents or an elder sibling and speak about your viewpoints on a chosen economic issue facing him/her seriously.

The more you talk, the more it builds into your subliminal consciousness. If you are interested in READY MADE GROUP DISCUSSION REPLIES based on ECONOMIC concepts on the Indian and World economy. Visit mbainterview.in

Priyanka is a MBA from IIM- Bangalore and works as a communication specialist. Her website mbainterview.in mbainterview.in provides useful tips for MBA aspirants to succeed in the MBA Group Discussion and Personal Interview

Some of the top online article submission web sites do not allow duplicate titles on the articles that they accept from article authors and article marketers. Does this rule makes sense? A few article marketers have complained because they save the best titles have already been taken.

Of course this really only happens on those online article submission sites that have over 300,000 articles and perhaps over 30,000 article authors. With that huge number of articles and authors it makes sense that there will be the occasional conflict. But how often does this actually happen?

Well, on one of the top online article submission websites that has this rule; I never seem to have to change titles, but there were 6 priors when they instituted that rule, I guess I would have had priority, since in 5 of the cases I was a member of the online article submission web site team and list of authors first, but I did not mind changing them. Today, I am very careful to make longer titles or tricky ones to prevent this. It has not been a problem at all for me.

Still there are a few article authors and article marketers who consistently write very short titles of two to three words and they have conflicts quite often because there are only so many combinations that can be used. Nevertheless I think the rule of no duplicate titles makes sense. It prevents confusion from the reader and actually helps the article authors in the long run. Please consider all this in 2006.

“Lance Winslow″ - Online WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/ Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance in the Online Think Tank and solve the problems of the World; WorldThinkTank.net www.WorldThinkTank.net/

If you haven’t started working on your thesis or dissertation or aren’t currently actively working on it on a daily basis — let’s face it, you will most likely not finish it. That’s why you have to establish several mini-goals for the end of the year and start working towards them.

What is it you want to cross off your to-do list this year instead of rolling over to next year’s resolution list? Perhaps you are looking forward to making significant progress on your thesis or dissertation before the end of the year. Be specific. How many pages/chapters would you have to finish for you to feel like you have made significant progress? We believe that a good thesis or dissertation is a DONE thesis or dissertation.

The biggest misconception about finishing a thesis or dissertation is the belief that writing is the key component to completion. The real key to finishing is effective time management. This is particularly true given the fact that, for most students, writing the document must be completed in tandem with numerous other important tasks, such as preparing for the job market; moving to or starting a new job; preparing for graduation or working a full-time job. If time-management is not your forte, there are many resouces available to help you manage, structure, and organize your time to maximize your efforts.

To help better manage your time, enlist your network of friends and family to assist you with completing tasks that don’t require your intellectual capital. Most loved ones are more than willing to be supportive if they only know what they can do to help. In response to my request, for example, my friend flew out to Wisconsin to help me pack up my house while I worked on my dissertation. He also got up at 2:30 a.m. to help me format tables, make copies, and drive me to Kinko’s, because my exhausted brain was simply too numb to be able to complete those simple tasks.

In addition, it is imperative that you give yourself ample time to complete your thesis or dissertation. I can’t emphasize enough that you should NOT wait until your coursework or qualifying/preliminary exams are finished to begin thinking about getting an early start. In fact, you should be thinking about a possible topic on your first day of graduate school. Let your interest guide you regarding what courses to take. Pursue a possible topic in one or two of your graduate seminars; these will force you to adhere to a strict deadline, and will also provide you with insightful feedback from your course instructor.

If you haven’t followed this advice, and have already finished your coursework and exams, all is not lost! Keep in mind that you aren’t actually starting from scratch. Think of this document as an extension of your proposal. Pull out your approved thesis/dissertation proposal and begin by reading, editing, and formatting it based on your university’s required specifications. Be sure to update your literature review by including any new studies that address your research question.

Regardless of what stage you are at in completing your thesis or dissertation, the following tips are designed to help keep you going when you feel you simply can’t write anymore. Remember: the key to finishing is to keep moving the project forward, and it is critical to spend at least 12 minutes EVERY DAY working on your document. Your goal is to make consistent, incremental, daily progress. And, even if you just can’t contemplate writing some days, there are still a number of required tasks that you can accomplish. Find something from this list you can do right now!!!

1. Transfer important semester deadlines to your calendar, day planner or palm pilot. Missing some of these deadlines can cost you time and money.

2. Get a copy of the format manual. Colleges and universities often have a book or brochure that provides information on the required format of all theses and dissertations. The manual includes detailed specifications for margins, page number locations, minimal font size, spacing and a host of other formatting rules. Pick up a format manual from your graduate school office/secretary, or download it from your university’s website.

3. Get your hands on ‘Depositing and Defending’ guidelines and deadline materials. Again, these documents are typically available through your graduate school office/secretary, or from your university’s website.

4. Do some field research. Visit the library and look at other theses or dissertations in your field. Make a note of how many chapters they contain, and be on the lookout for those in which your advisor served on the committee. If you find a thesis or dissertation on a topic similar to yours, be sure to photocopy the bibliography.

5. Nail down the format requirements. You’ve already gotten yourself a copy; now thoroughly review the format manual and become familiar with all of its contents. These requirements are not “optional,” so be sure you get them right the first time. Begin formatting your proposal and by creating a format template that reflects all of the requirements.

6. Have the tools you need in place. Making sure that you have – and have ready – tools such as your methods journal, binder, and the correct software settings. Being prepared will make your path much easier!

7. Create your title page. Be sure to set it up according to the format requirements!

8. Complete your approval page. Remember: every committee member will sign this, so it’s important! Again, be sure to set it up according to format requirements.

9. Develop your abstract. Even if you have only the energy to write the word “Abstract” on the page, do it. It will help as a page reminder that you still have to create an abstract.

10. Produce your “Dedication and Acknowledgements” page. This is your opportunity to thank your best friends and family for supporting you! Completing this page might even inspire you, and rekindle the energy you need to continue moving your thesis or dissertation forward.

About the Author: As a single mother, professor Wendy Y. Carter, Ph.D., completed three masters’ degrees and a PhD. Her motto is a Good Thesis/Dissertation is a Done Thesis/Dissertation. She is the creator of a new innovative interactive resource tool on CD—TADA! Thesis and Dissertation Accomplished. To learn more contact the author at mailto:drcarter@tadafinallyfinished.com drcarter@tadafinallyfinished.com. Or visit tadafinallyfinished.com tadafinallyfinished.com

We know that many students write research papers and turn them in for their upper division classes. Just because they have written a research paper on a very limited niche in a scientific domain does not mean they know what they’re talking about. Of course there must be peer reviews and then they need to get them published. In online article writing often writers or authors will discuss a certain subject as if they are an expert or authority on the topic.

Many people will look at a student of a certain subject and read what they are writing and assume that the student is expert. Of course a student of a certain subject cannot be an expert because they have limited time in the domain and they are a student not an authority. But how can the reader know the difference if the article is put onto the Internet online?

Another huge problem is many experts wish to persuade the reader into believing a certain point of view and rather than stating this or admitting that their article is an opinion, they will state the information as fact. If they pretend to be an expert in their field they can pull a fast one on the reader, because the reader believes that they know what they′re talking about.

Perhaps you can see the problematic situations which arise when readers are duped into thinking that they are reading information from an expert or that the information they are reading is legitimate, when actuality it is nothing more than opinion. A student on a subject matter who is busy reviewing information makes an excellent online article writer because all the information is fresh in their head to draw upon as they are writing.

Nevertheless, what they’re doing is regurgitating information rather than giving you an expert viewpoint and this is something the reader should consider and think about before accepting this information into their brain as fact.

L. Winslow is an Economic Advisor to the Online Think Tank, a Futurist and retired entreprenuer worldthinktank.net worldthinktank.net . Currently he is planning a bicycle ride across the US to raise money for charity and is sponsored by Calling-Plans.com Calling-Plans.com and all the proceeds will go to various charities who sign up.

Do you have a standard hour-length presentation, but your host can only spare a half hour? Are you in the middle of a presentation when you realize that, due to a late start or abundant questions, you are running out of time?

No matter what your topic, always be flexible and ready to cut short your session (or ready to lengthen, as the case may be). Here are some ways to make sure your presentation always fits the time slot.

Pointer #1: Use a timed outline

When you create your presentation outline, include time estimates next to each section (I like to add mine in red to make them easier to spot on the page).

A brief, one-page bulleted outline (or two pages double-sided) will be easier to time than a long, rambling novel written in paragraphs.

Practice your presentation and jot down time estimates as you go (two minutes for opening, five minutes for section I, seven minutes for section II, etc.) When you get to the end, add up all the time and determine whether you should add to or subtract from any sections to make it all fit into the allotted time slot.

If you have to edit severely to fit into a different time frame and your presentation will be adversely affected, you might want to develop separate self-contained presentations for short, medium and long time slots.

(If you are a PowerPoint user, see the book “Beyond Bullet Points” for instruction on creating a PowerPoint that serves different timing needs.)

Pointer #2: Shift information depending on its priority

If you notice that you are running out of time while in the middle of a presentation, you may have to shift some of your content around. If you have important points at the end of the presentation, now is the time to bring them forward. As soon as you notice the time crunch, start changing the order of your sections.

When creating and practicing your presentation, it’s always a good idea to think ahead about how you would handle this situation. The layout of your bulleted outline should make it easy to see which sections to leave out, move up or move down.

If you have to leave out something that you feel is important, gather business cards from the audience and offer to e-mail them additional content.

Pointer #3: Supplement with handouts

There’s usually some information that we want to share, but that we don’t necessarily want to include in our live presentation. You might have some relevant articles to supplement your workshop, or you might have charts and graphs that you didn’t have time for or the technology to project.

Use handouts wisely. If the material does not need to be reviewed during your presentation, then leave handouts at the back of the room for the audience to pick up on the way out. If you choose to put them on seats before you begin, be aware that your audience may spend half the time reading and not listening to you.

Your handouts should always include your contact information and a link to your website, if you have one. Make sure all resources and references are clear and easy to read; use graphics if appropriate and leave a lot of white space on the page. Don’t overload handouts with text; make them concise and relevant to your presentation. Otherwise, they will end up in the recycling bin!

Follow these suggestions, and you will always be prepared, no matter how much (or little) time you have.

Lisa Braithwaite is a public speaking and presentation skills coach based in Santa Barbara, California. Find your voice and regain your confidence with public speaking coaching! coachlisab.com/contactpage.html Sign up for my newsletter and find out about my coachlisab.com/ProcessCoach.html free consultation by visiting coachlisab.com coachlisab.com

Maybe you have seen the article generation “light.” Now, you realize that you may have lost some ground in search engine optimization, by failing to react to the need for unique content on your Blogs and web sites.

What should you do to produce articles as soon as possible? Many businesses, and website owners, respond with a vengeance, by creating quick articles. Are the articles produced going to be useful to your customers and prospects? This will take a bit of planning. For example, you could create useful articles by elaborating on your current frequently asked questions (FAQ’s).

If you do not have an FAQ page, your articles can be “recycled” into a very useful tool for prospects. Recycling your articles is a great way to use your article more than once. In the long run, recycling will also save you time.

I am not talking about “article mashing,” one good article into one hundred senseless articles, with software. Many people love parrots, but who wants to read one hundred articles written by a parrot? Articles have to say something more than the same message over, and over, again.

Hence the words “unique content,” effectively describe what readers and search engines are looking for. Customers want as much information as possible about your product or service. While search engines “spiders” look for original, relevant, and unique content, as they patiently “crawl the web.”

A few well written articles could become an “SEO magnet” to your site, a free report, an FAQ page, and part of your newsletter. You can be as creative with recycling as you like, but tweak your copy, so that it is useful to your readers. Your articles will help you establish a trusted long-term relationship with your readers, prospects, and customers.

© Copyright 2007 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga Teacher Training at: Aura Wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. riyoga.com riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga Teacher since 1995. To receive a Free Yoga e-Book: “Yoga in Practice,” and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

A Russian pen pal can be exciting and enlightening, as you write letters to a person living in Russia, sharing differences between your country and Russia. Russian pen pals also present an opportunity to share things that you may have in common. Amazingly, those who have a Russian pen pal will discover that there are many things they might have in common with a person from another country.

With the Internet, getting and maintaining Russian pen pals relationships has never been easier. Those looking for an Internet Russian pen pal can log on and find hundreds of pen pals from other areas of the world as well. Through chat rooms and through web pages that offer Russian pen pals, adventurous writers looking for someone to correspond with can access a variety of ages and even the other gender.

Online, there are websites that specialize in Russian pen pals and websites that specialize in pen pals from other countries as well. Having a Russian pen pal is increasing in popularity, as writers discover the intrigue of corresponding with men and women of Russia and building special bonds. Many singles develop online dating relationships with a Russian pen pal, and theses relationships have even evolved into marriage. Some Internet websites that specialize in Russian pen pals are created to introduce potential dating companions.

There are websites online that offer opportunities to have Russian pen pals free of charge, and there are websites that have membership fees for chat rooms and email exchanges. If you are interested in having a Russian pen pal, log on and conduct a search for a Russian pen pal. Be sure and investigate several websites, making sure that your personal information will be confidential and that the Russian pen pal guidelines fit with your own personal convictions. Writing internationally is great, and the opportunity to meet and speak with people from around the world is fascinating, but taking precautions is always best.

When Christians investigate corresponding with Russian pen pals, they will find the opportunity to share their faith with someone in another country. The Bible teaches us to speak of our faith, giving others the opportunity to accept Christ as their gift of salvation. Having a Russian pen pal is also an opportunity for discipleship. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with always, even unto the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:19-20) The Internet has brought the opportunity to take Christ words to others through technology.

For more information about Russian pen pal and Russian pen pals, visit:
christianet.com/cgi-bin/communitylogin.cgi?id1=0 christianet.com/chatroom/
christianet.com/ christianet.com/

Originality emerges from structure. Once you have a story idea, you can expand the idea into a story by using structure. In the initial extrapolation the new story structure will resemble the one being mirrored, but past a critical threshold, the needs of the new story will begin to dictate the structure. As you proceed (second and third drafts) the distance from the original mirror will increase significantly – enough that the terms “novel” or “original” can be applied to the new story. Hence originality emerges from structure and mirroring.

You can mirror structure but not ideas. If you analyse all your favourite movies or stories, scene by scene and sequence by sequence (admittedly, this relies on you knowing how to analyse stories), you will realise that you can argue that all stories are more or less the same. The expression “there is only one story” has some truth to it. Many writers, consciously or subconsciously, mirror story structure but not story ideas. After all, the audience has expectations as to what a story should be.

Time pressure versus incubation. Both are valuable. Initially use time pressure to extrapolate an idea into a complete story. Then allow incubation to provide you with richer insights.

Think of the apotheosis. Every hero has a seminal insight, an illumination - the apotheosis. Once you know what that insight will be, you can start building your story up to and beyond that point. If you know the apotheosis, then you know the hero’s inner challenge - this helps you keep the hero and story centred.

Think of the synergy. Synergy is a form of apotheosis. In The Dirty Dozen, Lee Marvin’s challenge is to make his men operate as an effective unit. When Charles Bronson et al attain synergy - they overpower the Major’s men in the war games sequence. The whole second act is constructed around the need to reach synergy – to bring all the protagonists together to face the common enemy.

The above are explained in depth at managing-creativity.com/

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

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You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author’s name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. His specialities include Knowledge Management and Creativity and Innovation Management. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached at managing-creativity.com www.managing-creativity.com

Building article directories is all the rage now. Practically every time I submit an article I get a pop-up asking me if I’d like to build an article directory like the one I’m visiting. But I have no interest in that. I like to write and submit articles.

Is article marketing just a phase? I don’t think so, look at where television was just 50 years ago and see how it has grown. The Internet is the television of future. Millions of people worldwide are entertained and informed by it every day. And one thing that is an absolute necessity for the Internet to continue growing is the need for fresh content. Just like television, both mediums need a constant source of fresh material to present to the public. That is very good news for those of us in the article business, and for that reason, I believe that article marketing is here to stay. The question is, as article writers, how can we capitalize on that? The answer is; write and submit targeted articles and add a well thought out resource box to each article.

By designing a good, well-conceived resource box, you can maximize the number of clicks each article generates. For each article I write, I design a different resource box. It is targeted specifically to the content of that article. In the first line, I add a link to your main site’s opt-in page. In the sentence or two that follows, give a short description of what your site offers. Make sure you tell viewers the benefits of visiting your site. If they click through to your website, give them good reasons to sign-in. Promise free downloads. On my website, I offer them the opportunity to view and download numerous articles, pdf’s and information on a number of techniques to generate money by writing articles.

Following that information, skip a line to start a new paragraph. In that section of the resource box, offer either one of your own products or an affiliate item. Follow that with a short sentence on how it would benefit the reader to through to that item.

Again, you should skip a line here and start a third paragraph. In this final section, provide a link on an additional product you are promoting. Try to vary the products and the order of their appearance.

Maximize viewer response by using three separate paragraphs. Using these techniques, your links will stand out more prominently, and you will dramatically increase the number of clicks.

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