Writing In Series for the Online Crowd - A New Way to Write for the Amazon or E-Book Reader

Not long ago, I was talking to an English teacher at Starbucks. He taught the advanced students at the local high school English, and he was busy grading papers still at 7 PM at night. We got to talking about how the students' writing was changing due to the information age, mobile technology, Twitter, and all the social networks. He said things just weren't the same anymore, and he had been teaching for well over 20 years. Yes, he's seen a lot of changes hasn't he?

We both agreed that this might be the last generation of fine literature, and that the vocabulary was becoming shallower, and new abbreviated words were entering the language and becoming acceptable due to text messaging. He also noted that the rules of grammar in society seem to be changing, and it's hard for him to keep up with it, or convince students that they need to do it the old and approved way. Nevertheless he is an English teacher, and he must teach them the legitimately accepted sentence structure, grammar, and spellings.

He's right, things are changing, and as an online article author with now over 27,500 articles, and almost 200 e-books, I am noticing the changes in my own writing online and in the digital age, wondering if the way forward is to allow this innovation and evolution to occur, or if we need to stop and do something about it. Those with e-readers are demanding their content at a faster rate, and those surfing the Internet don't spend more than 12 to 20 seconds scanning online articles. Apparently, the new age online article author and Internet writer needs to adapt or die, that's a scary thing for a writer - trust me.

Fast Company had an interesting article posted on September 7, 2012 titled; "Amazon Changed Reading. Now It Could Change Writing," by Sarah Kessler which in the subtitle asked a dubious question; "What if Dickens had analytics? Jeff Bezos's Kindle Serials might tell us," and then discussed fiction writers writing in series and watching their readers' interests to adjust the storyline, incidentally Amazon is allowing writers to post in series now.

Still, as great as this is for fiction writers posting a chapter or a few at a time for $.99 it seems to me that it is suited for non-fiction writers as well, such as college courses, textbooks, or someone that writes a series of columns for industry, or on a wide range of topics. For instance, I write about Future Concepts, so I could post 20 simple articles at a time for my readers and keep the price really, really low, as in$.99 and well, that might work for me personally, and thus, it could also work for non-fiction writers and not just fictional novelists you see?

Perhaps you can see by this simple example that things are changing, and it is not only the writers an online authors that are changing things, the readers are also demanding changes, and therefore everything is evolving, and if we don't adapt, we won't get read.

Now then, is this really a new development or a replay of how things once where? The Sherlock Holmes series used to appear in the newspaper, a chapter at a time. Science Fiction authors like Isaac Asimov put forth short stories, often in series in science magazines, many authors had also done similar back in the day. Well, it appears that the newest form of e-books is quite suited for this isn't it? Sure it is, so, history repeats, albeit in the digital age in a totally different form - do we dare call this innovation, evolution, and nuance, or should we just call it; about time? Please consider all this and think on it.

Lance Winslow has launched a new provocative series of eBooks on Future Concepts. Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank; http://www.worldthinktank.net/

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How to Learn a Language the Correct Way

Learning a language can be hard, but it is possible. The problem with learners is that they easily give up. Everybody has the ability to learn a language. It requires passion, time, and effort.

Moving on, if you cannot afford a class or a tutor to learn a language, buy a book. Make sure that it is a good book, especially with an audio CD, and look on the Internet for good recommendations. The problem with a book is that it does not teach well enough. A good thing about having a class or a tutor is that everything is explained in detail, and that is very significant for language learning. Make sure you have something like this to help you.

After struggling with a book for months now, I have come with a solution. Everybody learns different, but you should consider this idea. What I do is I read the whole first chapter, and I look for important phrases that I think I should remember, and I memorize them. I memorize them by using my phone, and write down the words in the "notes" section. So wherever I go, I will have my phone with me at all times. If I'm sitting down on a bus or if I am out of my house, I can just look at my phone for a quick second, and it saves me from bringing my large book everywhere. Next, go over what is left of the book, most of it will be grammar. It makes you look at it more when you are away from home, you will see yourself looking at the words more often and making things a lot easier. You just have to be sure that you completed everything you needed to memorize.

What can clutter your head is if you try memorizing first, you still have to then try to figure out the grammar. What can happen is you don't focus enough on memorization, you will focus more on grammar, but the grammar won't help when you don't understand what words you are learning. So you should learn the words first, and then learn grammar and the depth of the language for that chapter.

Next, with time management, people say to study about 2 hours a week. That is wrong. What I do is I learn about one to two hours a day. What you do is you have to spread your time out. Learn 30 minutes in the morning and then 30 in the afternoon. That way you won't clutter your head and you will learn slowly and gradually. It will be easier to memorize words, for example.

Another strategy that I use when I'm learning words is I use the words in an everyday situation. I will list a few examples. One is, the word "street" in polish means "ulica" so whenever I am walking and I see a road, I don't think in my head "that is a road" I think "to jest ulica" (that is a street). So every time that I walk down a street I don't call it a street in my head anymore, I call it an ulica. In my second example I learned new words, one of them was "duzy" which means "big". So to help me memorize the word, I would grab something big and hold it in my hand, and I would say "duzy". The next time I would see something big, I would say "duzy". It sounds silly but it really works.

Next, pronunciation is very important, you need to make sure that you will understand it the correct way. I got lucky and on YouTube I found a video where each letter was given a sound, and you could hear it and understand it. I kept re-playing it until I knew that I understood it. Then the video showed two letters together like in English (ch, sh, th, ing). I learned pronunciation fairly quickly. It was very, very hard at first, but I got the hang of it. It's the only way to learn it, keep practicing. In your case, look on YouTube. There has to be something some pronunciation tutorials out there. If there isn't on YouTube, look on Google. You will find some there for sure. Listen a lot to people speaking their language by watching a movie or on the radio. You can find radio online that will speak in the language you are studying. Try meeting friends online who speak in the language you are learning, there are lots of forums out there that you can learn from natives of that language. My point, you can find a lot of ways to learn pronunciation quickly and easily.

Something that also people think of pronunciation is that they need to know every sound of every letter the exact correct way. In a way this is true, but not in the beginning. Keep learning and moving on with what you are doing. Make sure you have a basic understanding of how to say words. There will be some words that you won't know how to say, and that is fine. After reading lots of words, you will begin to understand how to say those harder words. You will know more about the letters and how they sound differently in different words. It all just comes after time.

These are just some examples and methods that I use to learn my language. I hope that you will try these and that they will be successful for you. I have a lot more of this material on my blog. You should really look at this, you will learn more and your language learning skills will increase.

Here is my blog: http://learnlanguagescorrectlyandswiftly.blogspot.co.uk/

Take care

Jonah

learnlanguagescorrectlyandswiftly.blogspot.co.uk

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How to Enjoy the Most Boring Conference Ever

A healthy share of conventions is always good for business, however many times these very important conferences have turned into really long, boring affairs that we just love to hate. In these instances, it is important to have a good action plan before attending the conference. I would suggest that you use the ideas below at your next convention to boost your overall experience;

Ensure that you interact with as many people from your industry as you can during breaks. Use their insights to start exciting discussions on your Facebook page. Encourage the discussion by adding your view on the subject and constantly update your wall with facts that come up from your interviews. At the very least, you shall have made helpful contacts for your business and remained relevant to your business.

Take pictures throughout the conference and upload them to your social networks with brief commentary on each photograph. Use the pictures to describe the conference and its importance to your industry. If you have taken pictures of the keynote speakers, make brief commentary on the topics they discussed and generate a buzz on the subjects. Ensure that you also get interviews with these speakers to add to the budding discussion.

Interview influential people in your industry at the conference. This extra information will come in handy for future use on your online platforms for many purposes, not least being company publications such as newsletters and blogs. A good quote from an influential person in your interview would also be a useful item to have handy for use on your company website, so make sure that you ask your interviewees for permission to publish their statements on your website.

In case the conference becomes too unbearable, you should take out your laptop and use the time to catch up on lost office time. Consider this the best time to catch up on emails, write-up reports and prepare for upcoming meetings. Basically, you should use this time to prepare for your inevitable return to the office.

Write stories for your blog during the most unproductive points of the conference. You could write about your overall experience in the meeting as well as your impression of the surrounding country, if the event is in a different state or district.

In conclusion, there will no longer be any reason to completely write off a convention as useless when you realize that every bit of information is crucial to the success of your business. This realization will free you to generously offer your customers as much material as you can glean from any opportunity.

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Don't Miss These 5 Essentials of Article Writing

I love to write; articles, short stories, poems, book reviews, novels or news reports. It's great fun to see your own work in print and always a bonus if you can get some income from it.

In this short note I want to think about some key points that should be included if you want your article to be noticed.

1. Love it! I believe this is an essential - have passion for what you're writing. There are two reasons for this. Firstly is that it is so much easier to write when you're writing about something you enjoy. Do you have a blog? Is it filled with things that keep you happy? Second is that readers can generally tell if you're writing from the heart - passion comes across! I believe that this is the core to all writing - love it and enjoy it. Even when you have an assigned piece of writing - remember you promised your friend you'd do a piece for him - do it from a point of enjoyment. This can mean putting humour into the article which can be successful if you know how to tell a joke; if you don't then forget it!

2. Grab a snappy title. Keep it short and have a bit of mystery in it or lead people in to the core. Make people want to read it. When I was a research Physicist I had to read so many scientific papers that it made my eyes bleed! The content was often excellent but the titles... Having this experience led me to a fun way to get school students to write Science papers; I would get them to write up their report as though they were a sensationalist journalist! Great stuff - and it inspired them to study Science further.

3. Lists. Everybody loves a list. How often do you click the link on a website when it says '10 ways to see if you have the right partner' or '7 ways to boost your sales' or '5 ways to meet more girls/boys'; or '50 ways to leave your lover' as Paul Simon said. (Who is singing this in their head right now?)

4. What is hot? Articles on current topics will get noticed. It could be about the latest fad in food, fashion, music or Science! Be careful though as these articles generally have a short shelf life.

5. Paragraphs. Keep it short - people skim read and it's easier for them to follow you if the paragraphs are short!

There are five ideas to work on. Did I follow my own guidelines? Let me know by writing to peter@writewithpeter.com

Write some more but enjoy it first!

For more free tips to help with writing articles and generating an income from them visit http://www.writewithpeter.com/

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On Writing Well - Unnecessary Information in a Narrative Bloats Text and Inhibits Pacing

Unnecessary Information in a Narrative

Editors routinely discuss transitioning with their clients, as the way a story hangs together is one of the most crucial aspects of writing fluent prose. Transitioning elements determine not only readability but everything from plot believability to story continuity. Often a single word, placed in the proper location, can create the ideal scene from the perspective of all the nuances I just discussed. But what determines what does and doesn't need to be included in a narrative?

Eschew What's Obvious to the Reader

I read a novel by a popular author who decided his readers needed to know when his protagonists went to the bathroom. I'm eternally thankful he spared us a discussion of the actual event, but we still received an account of each trip behind a bush. I'm not making this up, and I can only assume this writer was trying to make a sideways stab at humor, but because of the serious nature of his material otherwise, it didn't work for me.

Likewise, Don't Write About Issues That Have Nothing To Do With the Scene

Readers can assume a garage door was shut before the hero or heroine entered the house, as well as that the kitchen lights were turned off as a character leaves to enter another room. This is no different from answering the phone. Someone can simply write that "John answered the phone" and move on to the actual conversation.

Or the same activity could read like this: "John heard the harsh cacophony of the ringer inside the old, white, oblong phone hanging on the wall in his kitchen. He pushed himself up from his lounge chair in the living room and walked briskly to the grab the receiver, noting the location of the furniture along the way so he wouldn't bump into anything. As soon as he reached the phone, he placed his right hand firmly on the handset and removed it from the cradle, pulling upward and outward in one swift motion. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath, holding the speaker section directly below his mouth, but not so close that his chin would touch it. He wasn't at all concerned with whomever was on the line, so in a pleasant tone he said, "Hello."

Some Things Can and Should Be Taken for Granted

The same sort of laborious writing describing answering a phone can apply to almost any normal activity. I read a paragraph in a novel recently that was as silly as the one I just wrote, but in that instance it depicted a person entering a car. Instead of the character driving away from the scene of the crime, I was told how he got in the driver's-side door, placed the key in the ignition, started the engine, shifted the transmission in gear, and then pressed the accelerator. That really was more information than I needed to know, although I appreciated the tutorial, as I'm getting old and tend to forget how to get my own car going.

Some Aspects of a Scene Must Be Explained

Editors are paid to look for plot holes, and it's their responsibility to tell clients if Jill was in Chicago at the same time she was in Dallas or that Mike was drinking coffee when it was never established he was offered a cup. It's this sort of thing that can have writers scratching their heads as to why one issue is considered important and another trivial, but it relates to either scene transitioning or story continuity or both. And determining what's important and what isn't, and acting on this prudently, can make or break a story.

Robert L. Bacon, Founder
The Perfect Write®

Free Critique Service! The Perfect Write® is now providing a Free Opening-Chapter Critique and Line-Edit. Paste the first chapter of your manuscript (up to 5000 words) to theperfectwrite@aol.com (no attachments). In addition to the critique, The Perfect Write® will line-edit, if applicable, up to the first three-pages of your double-spaced material also at no charge.

Also Free! Receive The Perfect Write® Newsletters that feature articles on writing at a publishable level. Click here http://www.theperfectwrite.com/ and scroll to the bottom of The Perfect Write® Home Page for the simple two-step sign-up form.

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How to Write a Succesful Novel

First of all, writing a novel is not a difficult thing. Just ask Eminem. It's like keeping a diary from a godlike perspective. Pay attention to a few things which should get you started in no time.

One of them is planning. A novel starts as a project, just like a house does. You want to build it and sell it, then you need to plan it first. You can't put a flimsy foundation on a four storey just like you can't end a tragedy with a wedding taking place. So at first, plan your course of action. Decide what the end is before you start writing the beginning. Otherwise you'll just go with the flow, the main reason successful writers suddenly get blocked. Inspiration comes and goes, but rationale doesn't, as it's not based on momentum, but on a logical course of ideas. In this case, we're talking a fictional course of ideas. Begin with knowing where you start, where you go from there and when will it end.

Next step, characters. There's a reason writers like Hemingway or Mark Twain chose to build their characters based on themselves and friendlies: they're real, therefore plausible. It's hard, extremely hard I might add, to build plausible characters from scratch. That happens because of the difficulty one encounters when trying to be several people at once. A good 'fictional' character is one you are able to see and react to it, care about it. Think about Tom Sawyer for an instant.

Next comes coordination. Once you find the persons you want to build your characters around, find their connections. Of course, those are tightly related to your plot. By taking in consideration the psychology of your characters you need to find the best way they can relate with one another and with the plot for maximum of impact on the readers. Actually this is the hardest part. That's because you need to detach yourself emotionally from you brainchild and exploit its pieces to the limit. Once you get that done there's no turning back. You may have dozens of drafts written, but those will only affect the novel semantically or grammatically, the core itself will have been established.

I do not care to elaborate on certain novel rules and limitations. As far as modern writing goes, there are none. In the old times there had to be certain truths to be established, characters to be defined by the course of their or others actions. There are no such tedious requirements today. Everybody writes. But a weak novel is still weak, old rules or new. Before you write you have to think as a director. If you can manage that you're halfway there. The other half is pure luck.

Oana is an active user of Lacartes.com -a business network for people looking to connect with great services and meet people with similar interests and share photos, updates, reviews and more. In her spare time she likes to read books and write articles on different topics that interest her. Come join us for FREE. This article can only be reproduced in its entirety when the link to lacartes.com is live at all times.

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Is Sentimental Jewellery All Diamonds?

Buying jewellery is often a difficult task especially when you're looking for a piece of jewellery which is to last a long time and mean something. You can easily pick up a piece of costume jewellery which looks nice but it's not going to last long and so you don't want it to have too much sentimental value.
If you want a piece of jewellery to hold sentimental value then it needs to be something that will last and so it needs to be made of a real metal and not just be plated. A silver necklace will last much longer than a necklace which is silver plated.
Before you go out to buy a piece of jewellery you need to know what your budget is first. If you don't know your budget then you don't know what you can look at. You should make sure that you know what style of jewellery the person who will be receiving your gift likes, do they like simple delicate pieces or a large piece which stands out? You should also make note of what pieces of jewellery they wear, some people may wear a necklace on a daily basis, others may prefer a bracelet which they can slip on when the occasion calls for it.
When it comes to choosing that special piece of jewellery you must take your time, look at what is available in your local jewellery stores. You don't want to go out and buy the first piece of jewellery that you see, you should look all around the different stores, take note of which pieces you like and what it is that you like about them. You don't want to buy a piece which is simply something that you like, by taking your time you will be able to ensure that it a piece which the receiver will like too.
Many people think that a special piece of jewellery should include diamonds, but it doesn't have too, the important part about that piece of jewellery is that you've chosen it along with the reason behind giving that gift. If you want to give a silver heart shaped locket to your partner with pictures of you and your children inside on one of your anniversaries then you can do that. It is a gift which will be loved and will hold a lot of sentimental without the need for a diamond to be in sight.
You may decide that the right thing for you is to have a piece of jewellery made so that you can give a gift which is unique and unlike anything which someone else has. If you want to create your own piece of jewellery it is important that you think about what you want it to look like and maybe even draw out a simple sketch of a couple of ideas you've had. By drawing out your ideas the jeweller will be able to see what it is you like and will also be able to add their own suggestions to help you create your piece. If you are adding diamonds or other precious stones then you will be able to choose your very own. It is very important that your jeweller is aware of your budget so that they can ensure that they only show you the options which are available to you.
A piece of diamond jewellery will always be stunning but you don't need to have a piece of jewellery which is full of diamonds for it to be special. It is the reasons behind the choice in jewellery and the occasion which make it a truly special piece.

The Diamond Trade Centre is a well established in diamond jewellery Manchester can help you to find or create the perfect piece of jewellery to give as a gift.

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Ghosts for Writers

Ghosts are a very flexible supernatural phenomenon - easy to create and write about. But don't call it a ghost when it's not! Don't confuse them, for instance with Spirits. In this respect the Christian Bible is unhelpful because it uses the terms Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit as if they were interchangeable. A ghost can, if it wishes, be visible. A spirit can't. The only visible phenomena at Pentecost were 'tongues of fire' which hardly qualify. Shakespeare does not help by putting the wrong word into the mouth of Hamlet's father, who is quite obviously a ghost. "I am thy father's spirit", it says. One big difference is that a spirit can invade a person, altering his personality and behaviour. A ghost can only do that indirectly by informing or frightening. Confusion also arises because 'spirit' has other meanings, being used to describe whiskey and brandy and rum.

The most common sort of ghost is the appearance - apparently physical - of some dead person. Amongst a sample of, say, twenty ordinary people there will be one or more who reports having seen somebody who they later discovered to have been dead This sort of thing has several 'normal' explanations, such as mistaken identity, poor eyesight and wishful thinking. If the fact of death remains unknown, the viewer may never realise that he or she has seen a ghost at all. That raises the possibility that many more people have seen a ghost than know it. A good example of such an apparition was the British admiral who was responsible for a major naval disaster in 1893 and, very properly, went down with his ship. The same evening his wife was holding a reception in London and several guests saw the admiral in full uniform and remarked on his early return. A more recent case concerns the two pilots of Flight 401 who, after the disaster of that flight, were seen several times by passengers on other flights. It seems that such ghosts are seen in places they frequented in life.

Such ghosts are 'real' in the sense that the person recently existed and romance has not yet taken a hand. The non-corporeal variety - the sort that can walk through walls - depend on literature. There probably was an original person - sufficiently noteworthy to inspire tales - but the ghost has become the property of writers. For instance, Shakespeare did the job on several people who had been murdered by Richard III and caused them to walk past Richard the night before he was killed at Bosworth. Any writer is free to create a ghost. The only essential requirements are a significant original person and a sound reason for the ghost to walk.

The most common reason is revenge. The ghosts appearing to Richard III wanted his death in revenge for their own. Hamlet's father claimed to have been murdered by his brother and wanted revenge through action by his son. The ghost of Banquo gets Macbeth so frightened that he incriminates himself in front of two witnesses (who can't themselves see the ghost) and their change of allegiance contributes to MacBeth's end.

Another good story appears in The Ingoldsby Legends. It is about a Drummer Boy who appears to his murderer on a stormy night in the middle of Salisbury plain. The killer is frightened into a confession. He later retracts, but evidence comes to light that supports the confession and he is duly hanged.

More confusing is Herne the Hunter whose legend attaches to an oak tree in Windsor Great Park. He was a keeper murdered by his colleagues for being better than they were at his job. Rendered more incompetent than ever by a curse, they returned to the scene of the crime to seek a remedy and were forced by Herne (themselves being still alive) to hunt every night through the park with horses, hounds, and all the proper hunting gear. This made such a disturbance that the King turned out one night and asked Herne to stop it. He said, "Hang all this lot, and then I'll do as you ask". The King obliged. Since then the hunt has been entirely ghostly and silent.

There are other motives, too. The ghost of Patroclos appears to Achilles during the Trojan War to say "Get my body buried quickly instead of fighting over it". The ghostly wife of Periander told him where to find a treasure. Marley's ghost in 'A Christmas Carol' seeks to save Scrooge from condemning himself to torment. An imaginative writer can give his ghost many different reasons for appearing and even different capabilities. Marley's ghost, for instance, can cause the window to open behind his retreating form. Not all ghosts talk, but Marley's ghost is quite loquacious and Hamlet's father can explain that when day breaks " I to sulphurous and tormenting flames must render up myself".

Ghosts do not always appear of their own free will. In the Bible, King Saul wants military advice and goes to a witch who can, he believes, call up the dead prophet Samuel. There must be many other 'evocation scenarios' to be exploited.

Because ghosts have a thrill-value, stories about them are repeated many times, and exaggerated. In England there are hundreds of local ghost stories that, only a century ago, caused people to avoid haunted places at night. The thrill-factor was often increased by presenting the ghost as headless, and this was extended to include headless horses and dogs. A fine example is found is Anne Boleyn, the wife that King Henry VIII executed. On the anniversary of her execution, the story goes, her father turns up at the Tower of London driving a team of headless horses to take her body back to her childhood home at Blickling Hall in Norfolk. Having delivered the corpse, he has to drive his team over a circular course - crossing twelve bridges - and get back before dawn.

Genuine ghosts of the see-through variety are not subject to physical changes that have taken place since their death. They can walk through walls. If a floor level has been raised, the ghost is visible only from the knees upwards. If a floor level has been lowered, it walks on air a foot above the new level. If Anne Boleyn's father has to ride over a bridge that has since been demolished, he rides over the old structure regardless. This restriction works both ways. They can ignore physical changes but they are compelled to stick to their original environment.

The normal exaggeration of story-telling means that a fabricated ghost is sometimes credited with a reality it does not deserve. A true ghost comes from a real-life person and his actions. So Anne Boleyn's father fails to qualify. Anne herself would make a fine ghost, but her father is not famous enough and never drove to London like that.

Careless use of the word is common in the stories of ghost ships. By strict definition, few truly exist because the original never 'died'. In most cases the ship is a real one surrounded by mystery. One 'ghost ship' in the true meaning of the word is the Lady Lovibond which was wrecked on the Goodwin Sands (thus counting as dead) and which reappears once every fifty years. Better spectator value is the paddle streamer Eliza Battle. That burned in 1858 on a river in Alabama. It appears 'fully aflame', on cold and windy winter nights.

It would be great to include the Marie Celeste, but she was totally real. Likewise The Flying Dutchman, which fails the test because the ship in the legend never existed.

The Ingoldsby Legends. Amazon and Kindle
http://www.thingsbelieved.com/
Hamlet
Richard III
Macbeth
1st Book of Samuel

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Metaphysical Poets (Donne Vs Marvell)

If ever there was a poet that had sex on the mind, it had to be John Donne. Through poetry he brings religious belief and language to meld with human relationships and sexuality through metaphors-the metaphysical. "The Flea" for instance was one of Donne's more famously controversial poems during the 17th century as it depicts a wanting for sex by the speaker. When first reading the line "in this flea our two bloods mingled be", it seemed to me Donne was phrasing a desire to merge two souls together through the imagery of a flea; and continues its usage to justify the act of losing virginity with "This cannot be said a sin, nor shame, nor loss of maidenhead" (Jokinen, 2007). Clearly he was describing a promiscuous act, but this also illustrates the metaphysical practice with religious language by associating the flea both with marriage and with holding the blood of two lovers. The association is very apparent in the lines "this flea is you and I, and this our marriage bed" and goes on to claim a religious stance by stating it to be "Sacrilege, three sins in killing three" (Jokinen, 2007). Another example of John Donne mixing metaphors with religious reference is also depicted in "A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning" when he describes in the lines "As virtuous men pass mildly away, And whisper to their souls to go," a parting of souls from the human body (Jokinen, 2007).

Andrew Marvell is another interesting fellow as well as a metaphysical poet. However, Marvell's metaphors take on a more serious, logical tone in interpreting the human condition compared to John Donne. The religious aspect in his metaphors, though, seems to focus on separation from the physical. In the poem "The Definition of Love", Marvell first expresses the idea of "Hope" in the lines "Where feeble Hope could ne'er have flown/ But vainly flapped its tinsel wing" as beauty that is too delicate and weak to thrive on its own (Jokinen, 2006). This is much like real love, as it cannot exist on its own freedom without nurture and care. Separation can in fact cause love to die. The poem suggests the hope of love can be imprisoned by the cruel "iron wedges" of "Fate", personified as "jealous" and is clearly overpowering (Jokinen, 2006). It seemed to me that in this stanza Marvell may have been phrasing that love could last forever through separation. In the lines "But ours so truly parallel/ Though infinite, can never meet" Marvell puts forward the idea that love, which is imagined as human souls, can live eternally even if that love never touches another.

Jokinen, Anniina. "The Works of John Donne." Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature. 5 May 2007. Web. 4 May. 2012. http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/donne/donnebib.htm

Jokinen, Anniina. "The Works of Andrew Marvell." Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature. 10 September 2006. Web. 4 May. 2012. http://www.luminarium.org/sevenlit/marvell/marvbib.htm

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Letter Writing: Confrontational Letter Writing - 12 Tips

A confrontational letter is a letter that confronts a situation, a problem or dispute. It seeks a specific objective from the recipient that will not usually be granted without resistance.

The writer wants a certain objective and the recipient of the letter will not grant that objective unless convincingly persuaded that he should.

Here are some tips as to how to effectively structure a 'confrontational letter:'

1. Appearance is very important. The letter must be a hard copy and appear impressive and professional. You must use good quality paper and have the letter printed using a good printer on a professional appearing letterhead.

Emails do not project the impressive image that is truly effective.

Emails are unimpressive and these days a hard copy is becoming more and more rare. For that reason the appearance of an impressive appearing hard copy letter signifies that the letter is a serious letter and written by a writer deserving serious consideration. An impressive hard copy letter stands out from the crowd.

Have you ever noticed how much more respect a man in a well-tailored suit receives? The same principle applies and the physical appearance of the letter is very important and must project the writer as a serious, refined, educated individual.

Behind that projected image is implied the fact that the writer has the ability and wherewithal to take the matter further - i.e. to superiors of the recipient and/or to authorities that oversees the conduct of the recipient and his organization.

The serious and impressive appearance of the letter projects the clear understanding that the writer is the type of individual who may subsequently refer the matter to a lawyer for further action if the request for relief is denied.

What must also be borne in mind is the mindset of the recipient of a confrontational letter. That is to say, the greatest fear of a recipient of a confrontational letter is that his decision not to grant your request may be overruled by his superiors.

Therefore, if the recipient has received an impressive looking letter that is persuasively written this basic fear of being overruled will weigh very heavily on his mind. He may grant the request out of fear that the letter looks like 'trouble' both in appearance and content. He may therefore decide to quickly grant the request and close the file. The recipient will save negative responses for letters who do not appear to be 'trouble.' I personally have experienced this situation many times and that is why I place particular emphasis upon the physical appearance of the letter.

A professionally appearing letterhead can be easily created by a word processor. I recommend a border around the page and that the paragraphs be justified on both sides to give the letter a distinctly professional appearance. If you have a degree or some sort of designation include it on your letterhead.

I am not suggesting that if you have a weak argument that an impressive looking letter will in itself be effective. However what I am suggesting is that an impressive letter, in every sense, shall likely ensure that the persuasive argument contained within that letter gets the serious attention and careful treatment it deserves. And that objective is more than half the battle!

2. The letter must be well-researched and well-organized. If there is background and supporting information that must be conveyed to the recipient then that information must be included, accurate and complete. In order to keep the letter itself to a minimum consideration should be given to putting supporting information in an attached appendix to the letter.

The package put in front of the recipient must be total so that the reader does not have to secure other records in order to confirm or understand the situation correctly. This too is the mark of a professional and will have a positive impact upon the recipient. The recipient will feel that he is dealing with a professional who has his act together and that feeling shall increase his concern.

3. The letter must be entirely professional in tone and content and must project a distinct tone of civility and respectfulness. To deviate from this standard gives the recipient an excuse to place the request into the category of an unreasonable request. After a request has been characterized as 'unreasonable - whether justified or unjustified - it is very difficult to rehabilitate that request.

4. If there are facts that have to be stated make sure that they are stated clearly and in short paragraphs of one or two sentences at the beginning of the letter. Short sentences and paragraphs are easier to read and the information contained is easier to digest. You want to make your factual case very clear and consideration should be given to numbering these paragraphs so that the recipient may easily refer to them by number.

5. State the request as briefly as possible and give justification for why the recipient should grant the request. Make your argument as short and simple as possible. Your letter should be as brief as possible because if you digress and add more detail you may put something in that an unscrupulous recipient may seize upon to unfairly deny your request. The touchstone - make things as clear and simple as possible.

6. End the letter in an up-beat manner. Indicate that you hope that the reader recognizes the merits of your position and invite him to respond if anything is unclear. I find the following sentence particularly effective: 'If you are unable to agree to my request or if I am in error on any of the facts or, on any other aspect of the case I have outlined, please specifically advise.'

If the recipient gives you a detailed explanation as to why he is refusing your request it shall be your road map to further attempts to persuade him that he should agree to your request. It may also put him on the spot in a close case when his response is inappropriate and may be reviewed by a superior.

If the recipient does not give you a detailed explanation as to why he is refusing your request then that fact can be seized upon to suggest in a subsequent letter that the recipient is not being reasonable in considering your request.

7. Never refer to your 'request' as a 'demand'. It should be respectfully framed as a 'request'.

8. Always end the letter with 'Respectfully Yours'.

That 'respectful' ending further and emphatically confirms that the letter has been respectfully submitted which is crucial.

If the recipient responds in a disrespectful or less than respectful professional manner then the contrast between his approach and your approach stands in stark contrast. This fact will be to your advantage when the letter and the entire situation is reviewed by someone else... i.e. someone in authority to the first responder, a regulator, another interested third party, etc.

Many of these confrontational situations are won only narrowly and can easily go one way or the other. The fact that your letter(s) is reasonable and respectful may be the crucial difference. I have seldom seen a disrespectful, unreasonable letter secure its objective. It is much more difficult to deny a request in a polite, respectful well-written letter.

9. Do not end the letter with a 'cc' to the regulator or any other third party that may stand as an authority to the recipient. It is completely inappropriate, unprofessional and the mark of an amateur.

Reference to a third party may be appropriate at a later stage but the first letter should stand entirely on its own and the recipient should not be made to feel that he has a gun to his head.

The recipient well knows that you may appeal to a higher authority and does not have to be reminded. Most first responders are very sensitive to this issue and so why antagonize him by waving that threat in his face? Do you really want to antagonize the person whom you are trying to convince?

10. A demand in the letter that there be a response within a specific time frame is completely inappropriate and unnecessarily irritating to the recipient and should not be inserted within your first letter.

True professionals fully understood that a timely response should always be provided and some responders take the request for a quick response as an indication of desperation or impatience and a weakness to exploit. For that reason many first responders will purposely delay their response in order to exasperate the writer and perhaps provoke an intemperate letter which is usually always to the recipient's advantage.

Forget about asking for a quick or timely response - you have no control over that fact so why mention it?

In fact a tardy response can be a plus in your favor at a subsequent stage. A slow response can look bad when reviewed later and will tend to indicate that perhaps the recipient to your letter is being unreasonable, unnecessarily dragging his feet and acting inappropriately.

11. Make sure that there is nothing in your letter that can be criticized. Do not allow your anger to show through. Remember at some point your this letter is very likely to be reviewed by others and it should be completely beyond reproach. An understandable temperate expression of exasperation may be in order to prove a point but not anything more.

12. If you have the luxury of time then sleep on the letter and come back to it when you are fresh.

It is amazing what a fresh set of eyes can see and it also amazing what other points may occur to you as you go about your regular schedule.

Review the letter critically and tweak it so that it is as concise as possible and flows smoothly. Remember the key to good writing is 're-writing'.

If possible get a friend who has good judgment and good writing skills to review it. A good second opinion together with constructive criticism can be invaluable.

Richard F. Vero, B.A.,LL.B., former corporate executive, lawyer and consumer advocate - specializing in confrontational letters. Owner of http://www.letterwritingetc.com/

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2 Tips on How to Write Email Content

Two techniques for writing emails to potential clients.

One of the sources of income for Article Writers is to produce marketing emails for companies. Lots of small companies like to outsource this skill. I am sure that many of us have added a few dollars to our purses by working in this way.

When doing this it is a hard task to get the balance between informing and selling. Emails should give out some useful information but should also be aimed at pulling customers into the funnel. After all the purpose of the email is to generate business.

Here are a couple of useful tips that you might want to use.

1. Write in a conversational tone as though you were chatting with one of your mates. This puts the reader at ease and takes away the obvious sales pressure. There should not be any hype, sales talk or being pushy. People will appreciate this tone and are more likely to read to the end. Imagine the recipient of the email is one of your friends and write to them in a chatty manner. Imagine you are trying to get your friend to do something for you!

One of the important things in trying to get a sale is making sure that the buyer is not on the defensive and is willing to trust the salesperson. In this case the salesperson is the email. If it comes across as too aggressive then you have probably lost a prospect.

2. Consider Paretos Law or the 80/20 principle. This has been written about extensively and seems to come up everywhere.Basically this says that 80% of your outcomes originates from 20% of your inputs. So think carefully about the content of your email and how it will appeal to the 20% of the recipients who will come back with most of the business. If you apply this rule in the content of your email then maybe 80% should be information and 20% a call to action - sales!

Consumers demand to receive genuine value from online businesses. This value comes from a variety of sources, including valuable information, but also from feeling a connection to the person sending them an email and feeling as if they're part of a community. Use these 2 techniques to start creating a solid connection with readers, and you'll reap the benefits as you will be in demand to write more copy.

If you want more information about the 80/20 Principle I thoroughly recommend reading the book of the same title - The 80/20 Principle The secret of achieving more with less by Richard Koch.

For more useful tips on how to monetise your writing go to http://www.writewithpeter.com/

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Do You Use These Tenacity Tools To Get Gigs

In this article you see the single strategy that, relentlessly engaged, lifts you from where you are now to speaking business success and then to significance.

1. THE PREREQUISITE

There's a prerequisite before you can be a success as a paid public speaker. You first make yourself a success as a marketer of your speaking services. Why? Because public speaking is a business and business disciplines apply. Public speaking engagements are not marketed face-to-face. Never were. They are marketed by telephone. At least this is my experience in my 30 years in the speaking business. You gotta get the gig before you can deliver it. Unless you have the charm of an Elvis or a Sinatra, or deep pockets to engage others to market your programs... you have one option, only one: Develop your marketing skills. And it takes relentless tenacity, day in, day out, bulldog resolve, iron will, too. How are you to successfully get your tenacity into gear: You use tools, tenacity tools. Tenacious telephone marketing tools. A wily old scoundrel, Ralph Hunt, taught me about tenacity tools before he died. Tenacity tools are hash marks. (/) That is a hash mark.

2. YOUR FIRST FOUR TOOLS

For a start, keep a record of how many hours you make outbound calls each day. Next record how many times you place an outbound marketing call each day. Then record how many times someone answers the phone. After that, record how many times you are connected with a decision maker who could hire you.

3. YOUR NEXT FOUR TOOLS

Did you make a presentation? That's another hash mark. Did you respond to a rejection or a question? Another. Was a booking secured? Another. Did an initial payment reach you. Another.

4. THE MAGICAL OUTCOME

Relentlessly keep these records, day in, day out, week in, week out, month in, month out. Then compare your results for the previous week with the same week last month, last year. And magical outcomes blossom. Why and how does this happen: Because you awaken to the reality that your only competitor is you. You last week. You the same week last month. You the same week last year. Then your natural competitive spirit kicks in. You double down, resolved to produce better outcomes than you did in each comparable week of your past.

5. HOW THIS WORKED FOR ME

When I started using these tenacity tools I was selling desert lots near my present home in Arizona. I was low man on the totem pole, the newest and poorest producer of 150 sales people. I recognized these tools, accepted these tools, embraced these tools--and engaged these tools. Oh, did I engage them! I made them my secret weapon. Within a year of intensive work I was in the top 10%. By the end of year two I was the top producer and was appointed sales manager. Years later, when I resolved to be a public speaker I again used these tools to move up from obscurity to six figure public speaking success.

6. HOW THIS CAN WORK FOR YOU

This technique spurs you on. It inspires you, motivates you to be your best. Then to raise the bar and be even better. You move your character up a notch. Then another. Your concept of the possible you grows. In time you become a greater you. You shatter preconceived boundaries. You transcend imagined limits. You make yourself a master.

7. YOU REVEAL YOUR MAGNIFICENCE

And you do this with your tenacity. Your tenacity is the first, the primordial requisite. The steadfast, iron-willed, relentless, self-assured, deliberate, unwavering, unswerving, unflinching, unyielding, imperturbable, implacable, irreversible, single-minded dedication and devotion to becoming first successful and then significant in the speaking business. You release the power rooted in your essence, in your values, in your gut. You tear back the veil from the your personal core, from your heart, from your soul. Even, dare I say it, even from the marrow of your bones. Significance gestates here. Get that please. Significance gestates here. You enter the pantheon; you make yourself one of the great ones.

Do you find value in this article? Want access to a continuing stream of such articles. Would you like a helping hand, a guide, a mentor to show you the ropes of success as a paid speaker.

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Capacitive Stylus As An Ascending Step In Technology

The touch capabilities of the iPad and the Android Tablet have been at the top of the list of the favorite features consumers appreciate about their tablet computers, but there are a number of real-world applications in which fingers just can't match a pen. Artistic applications, diagrams and quick notes are examples of instances when a writing instrument beats the finger, hands down. Now it's not very difficult anymore to find a stylus that permits you to do tasks you normally do on a paper such as drawing and writing, because these types of uses are continually growing and getting more and more famous. With some exploring, you can surely find a stylus that will provide you the excellence and features you are expecting if you will use pen and paper.

The stylus for Android Tablets and iPads are now available everywhere because many companies are offering them. There is a new technology called capacitive stylus that perfectly imitates the aptitude of the human finger in terms of object manipulation on iPads and Android Tablets. Sometimes to be able to hastily navigate the Android or iPad, finger serves as the best way consumers can make use of. On the other hand, there are certain incidences when the finger does not have the subtlety to do some required tasks like drawing or taking down notes.

Although there are situations when a stylus is specifically what's needed, sometimes the use of it with iPads and Androids may still look like insignificant. If, for example, you want to convince a potential customer you're chatting with in person that your business process is more effective than that of your competitor, a flow chart can help explain it much better than your words can. Although you will lose that on-the-spot presentation impact, still you can make a flow chart once you got back in your workplace. One capability an iPad stylus can give you is to access information from your iPad promptly and present a flow chart fitted to the specific conditions of your buyer.

Still there are many people who don't see the call for adding a what they consider an outdated pen to the technology, despite the fact that iPads and Androids are believed to be the most used among all tablet computers. iPads and Androids an indeed do more is they are used with a stylus. You can draw on your screen with to a much more detailed degree or write notes to yourself on the go. The scientific knowledge of these tablets gives extra enhancements, but still it's typical for you to develop thoughts that a paper can work just the same. The moment you finished creating a diagram or flow chart and jotting down notes, you can then send them to your work team through email.

Another dashing way of using the capacitive stylus is being able to email an entire document you've pulled from your tablet to friends after you have made notes on it. You can ring a bell to do tasks like taking action towards a project, commenting on your team's future projects, or just share your thoughts on a website. You're required to do is have a photo of that page and move it in your iPad's app, then you can proceed on commenting and emailing it to your friends.

You may be a student who appreciates the ability to diagram processes or take notes with a stylus, particularly if you're a fumble-fingered typist. Now you can easily share notes and related materials to study groups with the help of your iPad or Android Tablet. To further improve your classroom work you can go ahead and add some funny photos to your notes such as smiley faces and arrows.

Medical students and doctors in particular find that a stylus is exactly what they improve to their note-taking on their patients, particularly when they're making rounds or otherwise facing a packed schedule. As a medical student, you can do many tasks in just a few minutes such as pulling up a record of certain patients, writing down notes and emailing them to colleagues or even to yourself.

A stylus emulates the capacitive function of our finger and it is intended to work with tablets and iPads. The stylus is made to recreate the screen's ability to pick an electric current from our fingers. The electrical flow from our fingers is transferred to the tablet's screen though the stylus's conductive material which is usually metal. Most of the time the stylus is made with foam, a soft and sensitive material that also conducts electrical flow and won't damage out tablet screens. The usage of a capacitive stylus can appear as a step back in technology, but still it's effects are progressive.

Need a stylus? Don't spend too much time with your gadget without a stylus. Here's a better deal for you, take a visit!

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Creating a Blog That People Will Love to Read

Starting a blog is not only easy, it can be a fun and creative way for you to share your thoughts, opinions, and expertise on a particular subject. Some people use their blog as a personal journal to share with the world. Others focus on a very specific topic and attract a group of readers who also share an interest in that topic. Whatever reason you choose to begin writing, you can develop a high-traffic web blog that people will enjoy reading on a regular basis.

Before setting everything up, it's important to figure out what topic you want to write about. It's best to stick to a topic you have a sincere interest in. More often than not, people start up a new blog, write every day for about a week, and then give up because the subject matter no longer interests them. Your best bet is to find something you like learning more about, something new you are trying, or anything that you feel passionate about.

Some popular topics include:

Health & fitnessFashionCelebrity gossipSportsFinancialSelf-improvement

Hobbies are great topics also. Are you an avid fisher? Do you make your own clothes? People who share an interest would probably visit a web site dedicated to their hobby quite often. These specific niche type of web sites can develop a loyal following. Once you have a following along with new visitors on a daily basis, you can then consider including advertisements and begin earning income from your blog.

Always write for the readers and not the search engines. While it is important to use keywords in your titles, write because you enjoy writing about your subject. People can see right through filler content. They won't feel the need to read your posts or to leave comments.

Whatever you write about, write posts that offer help or advice. Writing with the intention of helping other people is one of the quickest ways to establish readership. Not only that, your posts are more likely to get linked to and the more one-way links your web site gets from other web site owners, the higher your posts may rank in the search engines.

Finally, be consistent with how often you write. Don't write one or two posts, quit for a couple of months, and then pick up writing again. The readers you did have will think the site has closed down and quit visiting. Not only that, but the search engines will have more content to crawl.

Choose topics you have a personal interest in and write to help your readers. That combination will help you develop many loyal readers.

I've developed many blogs that earn passive income for me on a monthly basis. Learn my exact steps on how to create a money making blog absolutely FREE. Visit http://echpublishing.com/ to learn how.

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The Hope Series

Stories of Hope Series

Living in Poverty - the Trapper and Family

Born high in the mountains of Tennessee
With no running water, or electricity.
Living in rags that her father found in the woods
Was her only salvation, her only goods.
They put her in pampers that they had found
Dirty and filthy and pulled from the ground.
A rock stove and firewood
They would eat when they could.
He did fishing and trapping just to survive.
The closest neighbor was twenty miles away
By the time he walked there he would have to stay.
The neighbor would take all that he trapped
In return give him food, clothing, ammunition and fat.
The neighbor then told him:
This is no way to raise a child.
You've been in the mountains quite a while.
Things have changed drastically
In school is where this child should be.
This child must learn how to read and write
What you're doing to her, just isn't right.
He packed up his knapsack and up the mountain he fled
Putting her with other children, was something he did dread.
He finally got home where his wife and child awaited
He looked at them and then hesitated.
With gleams in their eyes of the goodies he brought.
The child looked in the bag for a doll that she sought.
Not finding the doll in the bag, she turned and walked
From the room looking so sad
She went outside deep in the woods
her head hung down and there she stood.
The tears started to form in her eyes
And then she did cry.
Her father saw this and his heart broke in two
Now he knew what he had to do.
The following morning he went back down the mountain again
To speak to his neighbor, his only friend.
He asked his friend what should I do
My daughter is suffering and feeling blue.
I don't have the money to buy her things, or send her to school
And living in the mountains is not the right tool.
He said: you are a natural born mountain man
And for you I do have a plan.
How would you like to teach others how to survive
And into your mountains they would climb.
You can teach them how to hunt and fish
This is on a city dwellers wish list.
You will get paid for what you love to do
And to your heart you will be true.

Looking at his family and the way they lived
An education for his child he had to give.
His friend set up flyers and posted them all over town
And on the internet this mountain man was found.
He brought his child down from the mountain top
And until she had an education he would not stop.
She stayed with this neighbor and friend
And saw all that she had missed
She was in heaven, she was in bliss.
Her father now made enough to continue her education
And to learn those golden rules, now he knew she had the tools.
She grew up with hope in their heart
And her father and neighbor gave her the start.
Now don't ever think that there is nothing
That you can't do.
With hope in your heart, you can follow through.
HOPE IS THE KEY TO SET OURSELVES FREE.

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Using a Journal to Hone Your Writing - Journal Writing Topics

There's nothing like a good book or even reading a good article, either at the beginning or the end of the day, to really inspire you. And inspiration from reading can often lead to writing, which is perhaps why reading and writing often go hand in hand. Take a look inside almost any book on writing, and book authors talk at length about how often they read. One author even suggested reading 1000 words for every word you write.

The best thing to start with on your writing journey is a good writing journal. Laptops are great, but sometimes you will be in a place where you won't want to be lugging around electronics. Writers of all kinds in the 19th century used to have journals called commonplace books - a kind of journal where the writer would place all their musings, little stories, notes, or even pictures they'd drawn of things that inspire them. In fact, the writing journal is an excellent way to store items of a common theme. Journals can be leather-bound, lined or unlined journals, embossed journals, fold-over journals, or even extra-large journals, particularly for a longer story or a 19th century-type commonplace book that could last for years.

Despite modern technology (or maybe helped by it), the art of letter-writing and notetaking will likely never die. Sometimes just putting pen to paper - especially if it's crisp and lovely gold-foil stationery or a delicate thank you note or notecards - is enough to really get you going in the writing process, whether you're writing a note to a friend, or starting a diary, or attempting to write poetry or a story. After all, we never really can run out of things to say, can we? We just need the right writing tools and resources. It all starts with a journal, a great pen, and a sturdy writing surface.

Like many things in life, it's always best to be thorough, to ensure you have all the tools you need for writing, like a nice sturdy surface to write on, such as a lap desk or stationery box, particularly if you happen to be in a place where you can't get a traditional workspace or table to write on. Sometimes the best writing resources can be a lap desk writing set or a writer's box with journals and pens, which some stores offer. Let the writer within you begin, and make sure you have all the tools you need to make a great writing start.

Visit IMAGINATIONTREE.COM - gifts for writers, including embossed writing journals, quality writing papers, and writing gift sets - for the writer in you!

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Writing Prompts - Seven Prompts for Seven Days

Need some writing help? Whether you've been writing for years, or just getting started, chances are you need a little inspiration every now and then. Sometimes, though, we can get so bogged down with what our characters should do next in our fiction writing that we paralyze ourselves, and more importantly, our fingers over the keyboard. That's why these writing prompts were created. Use them to jump-start a stalled project - anything from creative writing to novel writing, to kick off a new story or just to keep your writing muscles flexed in between projects.

And, here are a few writing how-tos:

Take yourself back to your teenage years. What if you could redo (or just relive) those years, but this time, with no fear of getting grounded or hurt? What would you now have the nerve to do? Write 250 words.

Set your timer for 1 minute. Write down everything you can find in a medical lab. When the time is up, write a story using all those words, but make sure your setting is nowhere near a hospital, lab or anything else medical.

Most novels and short stories are written in either first-person (I) or second-person (she). For 250 words (again, about a page), write a story written completely in the seldom-used third-person (you). Trust me, it'll make going back to your She- or I-centered story a piece of cake!

Write what you hope your obituary will say one day. Unlike real-life obituaries, you can say whatever you want (you lived on the moon as a teenager, you went back in time to romance Ava Gardner, etc.) and there's no price per line. Spend 10 minutes on it.

Begin a story where the only characters are ghosts. They can exist on another plane that is populated only by ghosts, or it can be an ethereal existence with no real setting. Maybe they have lived peaceably in a home by themselves, but the home has recently sold and the new live owners are about to move in.

It's a well-known tale that Ernest Hemingway once won a friendly wager with a friend when he crafted a 6-word story. As the legend goes, the complete story was, " For Sale. Baby Shoes. Never Worn." While the veracity of this memory has never been determined one way or another, you can't deny that the example is a complete narrative with a beginning, middle and end. Now's your turn. Write a complete narrative in as few words as possible. Can you beat Hemingway's 6-word winner?

The 1950 Kurosawa film Rashomon is a classic. It illustrates the fluid nature of truth and how unreliable witnesses are. Write a story with four characters retelling an event - a car accident, murder, or robbery - and they all have different recollections. Which one is just remembering incorrectly, and which one has something to hide?

Jenn Maxwell is the author of 101 Writing Prompts, available at http://www.jennmaxwell.net/. The 40-page ebook is packed with enough writing prompts to get you through a year's worth of writer's block. Visit the author's website at http://www.jennmaxwell.net/ for more information on 101 Writing Prompts.

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How to Find Your Voice As a Nonfiction Writer

Often, aspiring writers are concerned about creating a unique voice in their writing. They want to sound like no one else, to express themselves in a way that thousands or even millions of people will find compelling. Maybe it's unrealistic that any of us will truly sound like no one else, but we like to believe that our writing is a true expression of ourselves.

However, if we're honest, we don't have one voice any more than we have one side of ourselves. We act differently in different situations, and speak to our best friend one way and a stranger another. The words we use and our tone of voice change when we address different people. Thus, when we go to find our voice as writers, what we are really looking for is the right voice for the piece. The voice we use is determined by three factors:

--What we want to say

--What effect we want to have on the reader or readers

--Who our readers are

Think about it. Let's say you want to complain about something. You will use different language than if you want to express deep gratitude. If your reader is your best friend, and you want her to feel empathy for you, you will use a different voice than the one you would use if your reader were the customer service representative of a company and you wanted to persuade that individual to replace the company's defective product for free.

Perhaps you want to write about container gardening. Do you want your reader to container garden and learn some basics about how to do it? Or are you simply writing a humorous essay about how you overcame your brown thumb and became overzealous about your bumper crop of parsley?

What effect do you want your writing to have on your reader? Do you want the reader to experience a particular emotion-if so, which one? Do you want the reader to take action? Do you want to persuade your reader to adopt your opinion?

What language will surprise, motivate, or amuse the person who has stumbled across your blog? What idea will grab the attention of your letter's recipient?

We all want to express ourselves, but we also want to be heard. When you use a voice that appeals to your reader and serves the purpose of your writing by transforming that reader into a person who is entertained, intrigued, mesmerized, educated, fascinated, comforted, and so on, you not only get to experience the satisfaction of self-expression, but you also get the satisfaction of having your writing be truly appreciated. Remember, your writing voice shouldn't be determined solely by you and your mood of the moment. Always remember your purpose and your audience.

Nancy Peske is a bestselling author and freelance ghostwriter, developmental editor, and book publishing consultant. She provides helpful information for aspiring authors on her website and blog at http://www.nancypeske.com/

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Tips for Writing Successful Non-Fiction

THOUGHTS IN THE NIGHT
I'm not interested in writers not like myself.

Write fast.

The first draft is the final draft.

Write as you do when you have procrastinated, the deadline is upon you, you must do it now! No time for second drafts.

My most successful stories were written fast, one draft. Example: I wrote a short story a day for 30 days -- 8 were published. The first draft is the final draft. The short story done in from one to three hours, depending upon length. 1000 words an hour.

Five minutes to contemplate story ideas, five minutes to take down ideas about a possible story. 50 minutes to write a thousand- word short story. Three hours for 3000 words.

The easiest stories to write are fiction. And the easiest of these fiction stories is a story which is all dialogue. The first speaker says something threatening or cynical or offhand about the second speaker. The second speaker responds. The first speaker responds to that. The dialogue intensifies, there are insults, tempered by sudden bursts of affection or kindness. The story resolves itself from the writer's unconscious -- and what comes up in the dialogue.

Fiction, in my case, is always done in an ironical tone, tongue-in-cheek, often funny, existential, derived from my past. But not intentionally serious. Minimally controlled.

When I write fiction, I consider it worthless, dangerous, disgusting. I do it easily, it is fun. It is my smoothest writing. It has no importance. It is subversive, mischievous, laughing at the world and myself.

It's easy to publish fiction because people want escape, want to read what they're used to -- fiction writers borrowing from fiction writers, an endless relay of lies.

I'm amused, disgusted, by how easily I do it, how readily it is accepted. It is like going to church, everyone knows the format, it's comfortable, everyone around you knows, expects, the same thing. It is endlessly repeating, brainless, the same story. Requires minimal energy, no thought. Comfortable, and deadly safe, like twilight of sleep. Seemingly harmless. As harmless as a tranquilizer, or one more drink. Choir preaching to the choir. Like a subtle drift to death. Brainless.

Rewriting, the necessity to rewrite, is merely a bad habit. An initial laziness which requires mop-up. A drunk slopping his drink as he goes from the bartender to his seat, only in this case he has to go back, clean up his own, lazy, only-half-there droppings.

A bad habit, developed over countless repetitions of the same mental block/malaise, half-speed, "anything is better than nothing," an accepted escape mechanism unfortunately used in the beginning to "get over the hump," then done again and again, half-assed way of getting something down on paper -- until finally the poor writer can start writing no other way, half-hearted, half-there, sloppiness, laziness, not important -- it can be cleaned up later, put right.

A habit, like a tired housewife putting up with intercourse -- because it is familiar, it might lead to, on occasion, something more interesting.

Merely a habit, a bad habit, an accidental bad solution to the problem -- how to get started?

The difficulty is, like any bad habit, finally it impedes, diminishes, becomes worse.

And finally, the bad habit of the writer knowing he will re-write, thus can be sloppy on the first draft, becomes worse and more powerful, until the writer spends more and more time re-writing timid, lazy, uninspired, no-heart writing, until it becomes a necessity to rewrite a dozen times because each rewrite is weakened by the expectation, thus necessity, of re-writing again, again, again.

I have no interest in talking to escape writers -- science-fiction, romance, mysteries, detective novels -- fiction.

Lies borrowed from liars, borrowed endlessly from endless generations of liars -- fiction.

I have no interest in talking to writers who feel real life, their life, their experiences, is uninteresting, boring, useless. If they think so, I agree with them. Odds are they're right. They shouldn't attempt to be a writer. They have nothing to offer. They should be lawyers or brick layers or chicken farmers.

They shouldn't write about their own lives, because they are boring. And they shouldn't write fiction, that is, lies, because there are more than enough lies already.

I'm interested only in talking to writers very much like myself. And only if they are 18 to 30. After 30, a few. But mostly no, they're lost. Like trying to cure an alcoholic. But a few, maybe. Late bloomers. Still innocent, by accident.

Actually, the only writers I'm mildly interested in talking to -- writers very much like myself -- don't need me to talk to them.

They, like me when I was young, are inspired, unconscious-gifted, by the great autobiographical writers they read: Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Wolfe, Henry Miller, Anais Nin, D. H. Lawrence, Theodore Dreiser, Somerset Maughm. Maughm only in one book, "Of Human Bondage." Roth, Mailer, Bellow, Agee, Burroughs, Jack London, Orwell, Conroy, Kerowac, Melville, James T. Farrell.

"All great fiction is autobiographical since authors write most effectively about what they know." Judith S. Baughman.

"Write what you know, not what you read." Grant Flint.

Great writers illuminate life. Hack writers facilitate escape from life. Commercial writing is first cousin to booze, over-eating, cocaine. Temporary escape. Life then worse.

Literature begins when the young writer is inspired by true-life, autobiographical novels, is inspired to say, "I could do that! I have to tell my life!"

I'm interested only in those writers.
The hour is up. 1000 words. No, that's fiction. Only 925.

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Letter Writing: Confrontational Letter Writing Defined

'Confrontational letter writing' is a distinct form of letter writing.

A confrontational letter is a letter that confronts a situation, a problem or dispute. It seeks a specific objective from the recipient that will not usually be granted without resistance.

The writer wants a certain objective and the recipient of the letter will not grant that objective unless convincingly persuaded that he should.

It is not a cheery letter exchanging pleasantries. It is starkly confrontational and directly confronts an issue and seeks to elicit from the recipient of the letter a favorable response. In most instances the recipient is not eager to provide the objective being requested.

Usually there are two basic situations where such a letter emerges:

The First Situation: An individual has received an important and serious letter from another individual, a government, a regulator/authority, a lawyer, a bank, a corporation, an institution, etc. - a letter which contains a demand of some sort.

The individual needs to effectively confront and respond to that letter. He needs a well-written persuasive letter that forcefully confronts that party with his own position and attempts to persuade that party to either moderate, post-pone or abandon the demand.

The Second Situation: An individual has a serious situation or problem and wants to confront and persuade a 3rd party - another individual, the government, regulator/authority, a lawyer, a bank, a corporation, an institution etc. to do something - to agree to his request for some sort of action or forbearance.

In order to accomplish this goal the individual needs a well-written persuasive letter that persuades the recipient to agree to his request.

These letters are confrontational letters. Letters that confront a serious problematic situation and attempts to resolve the problem exclusively through the use of letters.

To be effective this form of letter writing must usually be restricted exclusively to letter writing and not be augmented by verbal confrontation. This is because in many instances verbal confrontation gives a distinct and unfair advantage to the recipient of the letter.

'Confrontational letter writing' is a distinct form of letter writing and to increase the chances of success it necessarily needs to be written by a writer who is experienced in writing such letters. This is not the sort of exercise that can usually be effectively conducted by a novice or the average layman - expertise and experience is essential.

The professionals most adept at writing confrontational letters are lawyers who have had extensive experience in this type of writing. Many of the skills required to be a successful confrontational letter writer are those same skills that make for an effective court room litigator or negotiator.

While general advice can be given as to how best to write and structure confrontational letters - there is no substitute for experience. A novice confronted with an urgent need to send an effective confrontational letter should seek professional assistance.

Richard F. Vero, B.A., LL.B. Former corporate executive, lawyer and consumer advocate - specializing in confrontational letters. Owner of http://www.letterwritingetc.com/

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The Modern Day Aboriginal Artist

Australian Aboriginal paintings will always be considered as a brilliant type of modern art. It is an important section of the oldest cultural traditions in the world. The large choice of potential Aboriginal paintings comes with a glimpse of the exquisite work of art which may have a unique place in the field of art and culture. Native art is generally prepared by the Indigenous peoples of Australia. A very close co-operation exists between the Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Australians. Aboriginal art features special pieces of art work that features wood carving, sandpainting, paintings on leaves, ceremonial clothing and sculpture.

Aboriginal people in Australia were working on unique pieces of fine art from a traditional time. Aboriginal art work is available in many forms and could be seen throughout the nation. The traditional engravings, bark paintings, rock art, figurines made from wood, sand painting and fibre craft are among the special kinds of Australian Aboriginal art. The Rock art which is often thought to be a specialized form of art also throws light on the concept concerning the existence of human life within Australia. One can possibly come across a wide selection of Rock art in Australia. A number of tourists visit Australia to learn a lot more about the Native paintings and rock art. Some of the most well-known places to search for rock art in Australia are Murujuga, Panaramitee and The Sydney Rock Engravings. The Murujuga rock art is renowned for its collection of petroglyphs and also portrays images of animals that are now extinct. The Sydney Rock Art is better noted for its style and unique characteristics. Intricately curved animals, symbols as well as images humans are the main top features of the Sydney Rock Art.

Aboriginal Australians used to tell their unique stories and helped others find out more about Dreamtime. The dreamtime stories helped the folks obtain a better idea of the various aspects of life and religious beliefs. It represents stories about food obtaining, marriage, rivalry, birth and even death. Storytelling was the conventional way pursued by the Australian Aboriginals to describe relating to glorious past, customs and laws.

These days, modern-day items are commonly used for the painting purposes. Nevertheless, it is true that the authentic symbols will be utilized to keep their ancient customs and traditions alive. Many experts have realized that the designs and signs used in contemporary art are very just like the ones available on rocks and caverns. Dot paintings are an exceptional sort of Aboriginal paintings and so are well-accepted. In this type of art the canvas used for painting is noted with dots of paint which is often used to make patterns and designs. For anyone who is familar with the Dreamtime stories won't find it difficult to understand the symbols. Unlike, the traditional times bright colors are now used often instead of the crashed seeds and ochre. It has been observed that the Aboriginal modern art has witnessed a fast growth in recent times.

In the modern times, modern-day materials are utilized to make paintings. However, the conventional symbols will always be used to keep their ancient culture alive. It has been found that the symbols featured in today's modern art are more or less very similar to the ones available on caves and rocks. Dot paintings are also an exclusive kind of Aboriginal paintings and deserve a special mention. In this kind of paintings the canvas is mostly covered with small dots of paint which can be used to create symbols and patterns. If you are acquainted with the Dreamtime stories then it won't be hard for you to understand the symbols. Traditionally natural pigments like crashed seeds and ochre was used but presently bright colors are more widely used. Aboriginal contemporary art has shown an immediate growth since the early 1970s.

A local Aboriginal artist in Australia. For more information about Aboriginal paintings

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Do You Do This To Charm And Intrigue Your Audiences

In this piece we look at one part of your success potential as a paid speaker. I refer to your creating a connection, an instant intimacy, an easy resonance with your audience. Why is this important? Because when you're in the public speaking business, it is essential that you magnetize, grip, and retain everyone's attention. That you include shticks that fascinate, inspire and hold the eyes and ears before you.

Because when you enrapture everyone by something you do, you produce involuntary (and positive) feelings. You thus allow your message to sink in to the consciousness of those before you.

For example, yesterday I was in an audience of speakers in Las Vegas. I watched Dan Thurman, one of the world's great speakers, do this with his gymnastic and juggling talents. While balancing himself precariously on top of a 7 foot high unicycle, he juggled a sword, a machete and an axe. Every eye was glued to him. Few folks have these talents. So what do you do: You use the talent you have.

Here's one simple process I find myself doing intuitively. It takes no talent. It works for me. I'll bet it'll work for you, too:

1. BE IN COMMAND

For your time at the head of the room, remember it is YOUR room and you, like the Captain of a ship, are in command.

2. BE THE MASTER OF YOUR MESSAGE

Know your subject backward and forward, upside down, inside out. Why? So you can concentrate on the theatrics of what you are about to do.

3. HAVE A SAMURAI'S EYES

Look around the room before you say your first word. Identify a few friendly faces. You are going to speak directly to one person at a time.

4. AND A WARM, RECEPTIVE GAZE

Look directly at the first person you intend to target. Smile. Gaze at that person with soft eyes. Think of the soft, wide eyes of a small child. Let your eyes be in receiving mode. (As distinct from Svengali mode.)

5. USE THEIR FIRST NAME

When you say your first sentence, include that person's first name. And, there's more to this than simply including the person's name. Direct focus, unwavering contact, eyeball to eyeball with that one person, is essential. I mean your smiling unwavering focus, eyeball to eyeball, for the duration of the sentence in which you use their name. This is a requisite.

6. ENGAGE THE POWER OF THE PAUSE

The most important part of this formula is your pause, your multiple pauses... The pause, (give it a beat,) after you lock eyes with that person before you utter a sound, and the longer pause, (give it 2 beats,) when you complete the thought before your gaze leaves their eyes.

Something mystical happens when you are proficient doing this. Every person in the room sees this direct connection. Each person feels that intimate contact too. They become a surrogate. They feel that person's feelings. They sense the emotional intimacy. They are moved.

7. SURRENDER TO YOUR MASTERSHIP

Your mastership proceeds to affect everyone paying attention. They know they are in a PRESENCE. You then move your gaze to a different person in another part of the room. You repeat the process. When there is time, you gradually do this with every possible person in the room. Rinse and repeat. Your Evaluations get better and better. You become profound. Maybe even unforgettable.

L'ENVOI

Be ego-free as you engage this mastership. Regard it as licensed to you by your creator. It is not to be used for personal gain. Its function is to create a slippery slide. It is to move your message home.

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Should We Start Using Alternative Energy Resources Before We Exhaust Non-Renewable Fuels

At the rate we are currently using our standard fuels scientists say that with in as little as 40 years we will no longer have any more non-renewable fuels to burn. Just like anything else on the planet there's only a certain amount of this product obtainable and once it's gone there's no way to replace it. Our children are going to need to cope with this issue, but it's possible that we are going to not actually see this in our lifetimes. In this article we are going to be taking a look at what is going to happen to the earth if we continue to use our non-renewable fuels the way we're using them now.

A thing that you need to bear in mind once our oil is used up, is that we are going to not have the ability to run gas powered machinery which includes automobiles or even create heating oil for our homes. Homes can currently be heated using solar energy and automobiles can be run on electrical energy, but there are still many vehicles and homes that rely on oil. If the men and women on this planet would begin using these alternative resources now before we run out of our oil, it may lengthen the time we have before we run out of oil. There is obviously the chance that we are going to not run out of oil, and this can be assured if everybody would begin using alternative energy sources for their vehicles and to heat their houses.

Solar energy is among the things which can replace our reliance on non-renewable fuels, and it's an energy source we are going to never need to worry about running out. One of the ways that we can actually utilize the sun to heat our homes is by storing the sun's energy in battery packs and then working with those batteries to power electric heaters to keep our houses warm. Something else I ought to mention is that utilizing this kind of energy to heat your house is in fact free once you get past the initial setup costs. I ought to also point out that if you're one of the folks who have an electric automobile, you can take full advantage of the same technology to charge up your automobile without shelling money out to the power company.

You need to keep in mind that the sun is not the only type of alternative energy that we can draw from, as we can also use the wind and water. Even though at this time it's still simpler to harness the energy from the sun these other options are still available and in time will be just as simple to use.

The fact is, that if we continue burning our standard fuels at the rate we're doing right now in 40 or 50 years they are going to be used up, and these aren't renewable. By now I should not have to tell you how important it is to begin to use these alternative energy resources for your energy needs, and the sooner you begin using them the more prepared you are going to be.

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Why Should a Business Consider Outsourcing Their Phone Services?

Have you ever been a receptionist for a business? If so, it is highly likely you realise the importance of this job position. The receptionist is the first voice a customer will hear and this makes it a very important job. The question many companies are asking today is should their business consider outsourcing their phone services?

The answer to this will ultimately lie in the hands of the business owner, but due to the high technology of phone systems in this day and age it is an excellent choice to outsource this job. There are many reasons a business may wish to select this option for their business.

For example, a business that receives a high volume of calls each day may find this a viable option to avoid distracting their office employees all day long. The phone system can easily answer the calls and all of the calls can be reviewed at a later time during the day. This allows the employees to do their jobs better and more efficiently without the constant interruption of a phone ringing.

Businesses are doing more and getting paid less these days due to the current economic climate. This means that the majority of small and medium size businesses are looking for ways to trim the fat and lower the daily costs of operating the business as much as possible. One of the most effective ways to do this is by outsourcing their phone services to a phone system. This will entirely eliminate the salary of a receptionist and can ultimately save the company a great deal of money.

The average salary of a receptionist can range from 25k - 40k a year depending on many factors such as the size of the business, the location of the business, etc. This can be a tremendous saving to any business that is actively looking to save money, and that would certainly mean most if not all businesses these days. This money can be used for many other things to help the business grow, making the idea of outsourcing this job a very good one.

There are many factors to consider when it comes to making the best decision for your business, including whether to have a live voice on the other end or an automated one. This is definitely a decision the business owner will have to make, but based on the monetary savings that can quickly be provided. Businesses are looking to make a profit and having a phone service is a great way to add to that profit for most businesses.

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Make Money Online: Become a Ghostwriter

Who Wants to Hire Me?

Webmasters, online business and website owners want people who can write well with authority and yet convey the information to a wide variety of readers. Well written content is king on the Internet, and your talent is necessary for websites to attract traffic from a high ranked place on the first page.

What is Ghostwriting?

A client asks you to write an in-depth article on a particular subject and pays for your expertise. Unlike freelance writing, the ghostwriter does not get the credit and does not receive a byline for the article. The downside is you cannot use the article for your portfolio, but you can use the client or the website as a reference.

Does it Cost Money to Write for a Website?

First, never pay anyone to sell or post your writing. Depending on your expertise and writing mechanics, it may take time to build your portfolio and feel comfortable with your writing. Anyone can brush up on their English skills and present a well written article with a little practice and patience. The internet has numerous help for punctuation and grammar tests and practice. You never need to pay anyone to learn how to write an article.

What are Paying Clients Searching for in a Writer?

Online businesses and webmasters need quality articles for their clients and customers. Informational articles on all subjects and topics are needed to attract traffic to their online businesses, and must be not be outdated information. Users want freshness in their content and truly useful information that help their customers find valid answers to their questions.

How do I apply to an Online Contractor for my Work?

There are many sites that are looking for all kinds of Authors with your expertise. Technology, health, gamers, home and garden, psychology, education, computer information and the list goes on. Finding your niche is the best way to start and writing on a subject you are comfortable with. No need to delve into topics you are not an expert on, just brush up on your writing mechanics and the proper use of English in text and you can write for a good living.

Keep Practicing your Writing Speed

Early on, it might take you some time to produce an article you can be proud of, but do not give up. In fact, the more you write the better your writing becomes. If you plan to make a good living, you will have to write faster to make more money. As your work develops more polish and writing becomes second nature to you, the higher paying websites will employ you for a better rate of pay.

For more information on becoming an online author, visit TrueIntellect format for tips, tricks, and more information on making a living as an author-absolutely free.

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