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tundrainafrica · 4 years

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Title: A Tale of Two Slaves (4/17)

Summary: “Soulmates don’t exist. Fate doesn’t exist. Everything is a choice.” At that moment, Levi could only watch as she made the choice for him.“

Reincarnation AU. Levi remembers everything from their past life. Hange doesn’t.

Note: Feedback is very much appreciated!

Other Chapters: 1 2 3 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

Link to cross-postings: AO3

As it turned out, Hange’s thesis wasn’t just about jumping.

But it would be nice to do it about flying. She had mentioned, echoing that same sentiment in those numerous interviews he had read.

A case study on the changes of an athletes body and muscle composition from preseason to postseason.

Levi only found out exactly what Hange and Moblit were doing for their final thesis as she ran through it with him over coffee the morning after they met in the lab. He had to admit, he had forgotten whether or not Moblit had explained that same thing to him which was probably just easily overshadowed by the pages and pages of waivers that had been laid out in front of him.

Hange had a different approach to the documentation. She had the same waivers that needed to be signed but had completely understood that no one would have that same drive to read the whole thing and consider the nuances and implications of every bullet point. She had just asked him to check everything and sign or she would not be able to work with him.

Compensation. Injury Insurance. Transportation Subsidy. Meal Subsidy

Levi quickly complied. In fact, he probably would have complied even without the benefits that came with participating in the study. He was already half way through mindlessly checking the boxes by the time Hange had mentioned those parts after all.

“Everything is funded.” Hange had explained. He knew their university was particularly well off. Being an athlete he had been a beneficiary multiple times of free branded shoes, gym bags jackets, meals and even gadgets with championship wins

The generous funding she had received to conduct the research was particularly seen in the well equipped sports facility where Hange was to conduct said research.

Cardiovascular endurance, strength power, speed, power etc. He listed the physical fitness components she wanted to study, the logistics of switching partners and starting anew completely forgotten.

It had been less than 24 hours since he visited her office and it was as if Hange wasn’t as deep into her research as Moblit had made it out to be.

She’s been cooped up in the lab lately, watching track and field videos.

She’s already been talking to Elijah, they did a few tests.

There was truth to what Moblit had told him. Hange did admit to having already the preliminary data needed for her case study but as Hange had shown him soon after they started talking, she had no problem just scrapping her data or giving it to Moblit and starting again from scratch.

As Levi soon found out, she was too passionate about her research to consider the preliminary data wasted work.

Levi had found that last part out after their talk in the lab after she had casually mentioned her lurker Instagram account on top of her blatant refusal to use Facebook and Twitter since too many social media sites were just too much to manage. He could not resist the urge to check the accounts she followed and just as he expected, they were all famous athletes from all different fields, the one thing common about all athletes being the almost inhuman height and airtime they achieved.

Nanaba Briete her friend and the subject of her high school thesis, was a volleyball player. Elijah Miller was a horizontal jumper. Moblit pointed out as well, her data for both players was too comprehensive beyond what was expected from someone of her level of study.

Levi soon realized with her YouTube and Instagram lurker activity, she probably was a stan and for some reason, he was one of the objects of her stanning activity. Levi had seen those types of people on Twitter and Instagram. They had weird voting conglomerations, used some sort of weird language and interacted incessantly with any post on the object of their stanning activity Hange was not vocal in particular, her Instagram profile and YouTube channels both empty. He only had to go through the profiles she followed to see that she left likes in most if not all pictures. Among those she had liked were profiles that reposted pictures of his jumps.

Liked by Wingsoffreedom132 and thousands of others.

Levi soon realized after hours going through most if not all the accounts she followed that just like the average stan, Hange spammed the like button like crazy

Looking deep into the comments of one of his jumps that year, he had found a comment from her. A pair of wings and a heart next to it.

How long has she been following him?

Did she have those dreams too?

“Why?”

“Why what?” Hange asked.

“Why me?” Levi continued.

“I told you before. You're amazing. Your forms are all perfect, your body composition is good and that crazy fast improvement from no name player to rookie of the year?" Hange seemed too sure of herself and glimmer of hope that somehow she had any inkling of their connection in Levi's dreams dissipated. She started to rattle off numbers relating to Levi’s height differentials and vertical leap every year since high school, Levi had to note that there was some truth to what she was saying.

High jumping events had suddenly become much easier for Levi when he moved to the city for college. He had attributed it to the more frequent training that came with the more competitive environment of collegiate sports. It was an ironic turn of events though since that was also around the same time he had started experiencing those painful mornings after dreaming things he could barely member. He chose not to mention that just yet. The connection was just too illogical to be a causation or even correlation issue. It might have even just been an irrelevant coincidence.

Levi continued to listen as she explained schedules and outlines for meet ups. There was preliminary data gathering, multiple tests to be done on weekends in a sports facility a little farther away from the school. There were a few more documents that needed to be answered and submitted similar to what Moblit had sent. It would be time consuming, inconvenient. The prospect of Hange being there made it somewhat bearable.

So bearable, that Levi had found himself arriving at the train station Saturday morning one hour earlier than they agreed upon. They were going to the sports facility for preliminary data gathering. To his pleasant surprise, Hange was already there waiting.

“I hope you don’t mind the shitty schedule,” Hange said in greeting. She was staring at the duffel bag Levi had slung over his shoulder.

Levi had to stay overnight. With the sports facilities being shared among multiple researchers and multiple athletes, Hange found the most she could secure for a last minute booking was an early morning slot, offering instead to provide lodging to Levi for a night so he wouldn’t have to take a taxi late night and early morning when the trains were already closed.

“As long as there’s a place to stay.” It’s still better than commuting at 3am.

“Let’s drop your stuff first.”

The sports facility was a 15 minute train ride and as Levi exited the station, he was greeted by a large building that stretched out a fair number of meters in both directions. Was that the sports facility?

That wasn’t their destination though. Hange guided him through a few alleys and out into a main street where a quaint mid rise condominium was located right to their left.

“My condo only has one bedroom so I hope you won’t mind staying on the couch. It has a pull out bed though so you wouldn’t be too uncomfortable.”

Somehow Levi had expected a hotel. “Wait, I’m staying in your place?”

The area Hange lived in turned out to be only 15 minutes away by train but oddly enough, it was Levi’s first time there. He found himself just gazing at nothing in particular but whatever was in front of him at that moment as they walked through the streets. They were going to have brunch in a nearby cafe, Hange had clarified. He found himself particularly entertained by the crowds, the grey pavement and the tall buildings that lined his view all making up the urban jungle of the center of town.

The university and the surrounding town where Levi spent a good chunk of his five years was located in a quieter part of the city which Levi had gotten accustomed to pretty fast when he moved there. He never left that area unless necessary for competitions or for schoolwork. Consequently, he was not completely used to the bustle at the center of the city,

They had settled into a diner in a small part or town with Hange offering to pay for the lunch. As soon as they had given their orders, Hange slid a document to him with the words “personal data sheet” written in bold on the top. “In the final output, you will remain anonymous, Erwin just requested we keep the basic data on everyone we study.” Hange explained.

Levi scanned the document before looking up at Hange again. By the way she had looked at him, Levi was sure she could have answered some of it for him. “Why don’t you answer it for me.“ He challenged.

“It’s your data Levi so I---”

“I wanna see how much about me you know.” Levi answered with a no-nonsense tone.

Hange turned red as she pulled the form back towards herself. She scribbled a few things on the paper. “Where do you live?”

Levi gave his city and province.

“I knew that much.” Hange admitted. “Exact address?”

Levi answered it briefly, spelling it out when needed. “How many siblings do I have? What are their names?”

“Trick question. You’re an only child.” Hange said, looking up from the data sheet.

“The number question isn’t a trick question. You can answer with zero.” Levi continued. He did not need to make an effort to keep his tone playful. He was amused already. “And how do you know about my family?”

“Interviews.” Hange answered briefly.

Levi smiled. “I know you’re an only child too.”

“How did you know that?” Hange asked.

“Interviews.” Levi could see she had relaxed, a small smile creeping up her lips.

“So you’re researching me too.” She asked.

“You started it.”

“Which city am I actually from?” Hange challenged.

“You grew up here…” Levi answered. He sat up a little straighter. Seeing the amused smile on Hange's face, Levi felt it was a good time for other questions. His mind raced as he articulated one of his passing thoughts as he read through her articles. “Which brings up the question, if you live so near campus, why do you live in your own condo?” The public transport here isn’t shit either. Levi noted to himself. She had little excuse to live alone and from the looks of her place, she seemed to come from a well off family who could at least afford a place like that.

“I wanted freedom.”

A Tale of Two Slaves

The gym was huge. It was also so complete, the coverage so comprehensive that Levi was almost inspired to take up all the sports offered. They had indoor basketball courts, tennis courts and a complete track and field set.

The important part Hange pointed out as they entered though were the devices that could measure things like speed, weight, pulse, all necessary for her study. One of the more boring parts of the tour but surprising none the least.

Levi found himself particularly fixated on the fact that Hange was greeting everyone in the job like a regular.

"Hey, you weren't at the gym this morning."

"Had to pick up my friend here. He'll be helping me with my thesis."

Levi felt a tap on his back, brief and light. Maybe hesitant? Levi could not help but entertain the passing thought that if he were Moblit or maybe anyone else, she probably would have had her arm around his shoulders. He had seen her make that gesture towards Moblit and Elijah after all.

As Hange walked towards the desk and made conversation with what looked to be the receptionist, Levi watched her from behind. At first she had seemed too nerdy and too geeky that he had expected her to be lanky under the sweaters and the white coats she wore.

That day, she was in shorts and a blouse and Levi could not help but notice how her body curved underneath her clothes, and as he focused on her legs, he could make out the subtle muscle cuts on her legs. Hange's physique was definitely more toned than average and Levi pondered Hange's own physical fitness.

Her vertical. Her endurance. Her strength. The same things she had mentioned wanting to study about him.

As Hange gave him a tour though, Levi decided that it could wait until later.

A Tale of Two Slaves

That morning, with only less than a minute to drop his bag and could only afford a glance of her room.

As he arrived back there late in the afternoon after a long tour of the gym, he had to stop himself from making a face. The fastidious side of him was silently judging Hange.

It was obvious in the way Hange had prepared the bed and the way that most tables and furniture had space for a visitor to sit or rest that Hange had at least cleaned in anticipation.

But she's a horrible cleaner.

The sofa bed was prepared but the sheets were wrinkled. The trashcan was overflowing, a disturbing sign that Hange did not segregate her trash. The dining table was empty but a display table at the corner of the room took the brunt of what Levi guessed the dining table used to carry.

There were jackets messily folded on the display table and Levi recognized her schoolbag particularly by the keychain he had returned only a few days ago.

“Make yourself at home.” Hange dropped a few towels on the sofa bed before making her way to her own bedroom. “You can use the shower in the powder room. Also, what do you want for dinner?”

“Anything.” Levi answered. He was still bothered by the state of the room to demand much of anything. The food was free, the accommodation was free, he felt guilty just complaining internally.

Hange seemed unbothered by the shitty state of her “cleaned up room.” In fact she had seemed proud as she toured him around her house. As Levi watched Hange with her goofy smile as she played with her phone in between bites of the pizza they had ordered, he could not help but feel guilty for having harbored such negative thoughts when Hange seemed more relaxed than he had seen her in a while.

“What are you watching?” Levi asked, an attempt at conversation more than anything. There were things he had wanted to ask her, yet at that moment, he felt would seem too intrusive.

Hange turned her phone to him. The video Hange had been looking at was that figure skater glided to the rink and jumped into the air, rotating quickly.

“I didn’t know you liked figure skating.” Levi said, his eyes focused on the heart on the side, to see it filled over. Hange liked the video.

“I like a lot of sports. I definitely would have wanted to try skating as a kid. Maybe gymnastics or even track."

Levi tried to imagine Hange in a tutu or a leotard, having to hold back a snort as he did. “You never looked like the type to wear a dress.”

“I wouldn’t. But I’m pretty sure you know how fun it would be to be able to launch yourself up in the air like that. You’ve done it multiple times.”

Levi thought back to the interviews he had read, the answers she had made even since grade school. I want to see how people can fly . “Why didn’t you take a sport as a kid?”

The smile she had given him after was wry, a little sullen and Levi knew he must have hit something sensitive inside her. “Because my parents didn’t allow me. If I take gymnastics, I’d break my neck. If I take skating, I’d break my spine. If I take track and field, I’d break my knees." She explained in an almost mocking town." They never ran out of excuses when it came to sports. But when it came to academics, they were always shipping me off to some new competition.”

I wanted freedom. That afternoon in the cafe, Hange had answered it so casually, he had brushed it off as they continued to fill out the data sheets. As he listened to Hange explain her situation right there, Levi could not help but recall a twinge of sadness in Hange’s voice as she had said the word “freedom.”

“Don’t get me wrong, academics can be fun.” Hange said. “But I don’t think it’s ever going to beat the adrenaline rush of jumping or sprinting.”

“And that’s why you’re going to the gym a lot now.”

“I’m in college. My parents can’t stop me now. But yeah, my childhood is done. I don’t think I’ll ever get to your level, even when I train everyday.”

Levi had heard people say that before. The body of a child is flexible, the bones and muscles can still be easily molded. By the time people grow to be adults, their body is set and sure, they could probably jump or run along a track casually, collegiate competition and professional competitions were out of the question for most if not all people who start a sport as an adult.

"Maybe I can teach you?"

A Tale of Two Slaves

The Hange in Levi’s dreams was able to fly. She was the one who would be screaming as they glided through the air in those contraptions. She had the ability to launch herself up in the air, to flip, to spin, just like the athletes in the videos she constantly followed.

Hange wasn't at all out of shape either. In fact as he saw her in gym clothes and as he watched her do a few rounds around the empty track, he had to note that her form was good. Her physique and the cuts in her muscles were also well defined. He wouldn’t have been surprised if the Hange who was watching him do rounds of jumps as she took notes was the same Hange in his dreams.

The bar Hange had set for him was clearable with little to no effort. After clearing a few rounds, enough for Hange to be satisfied with the preliminary data, he took the stopwatch from her hands and guided her to the place he had positioned himself a while ago. He opted to adjust it a few centimeters lower, at a height he had seen less skilled jumpers back in high school clear with no problems.

He spent a few minutes going through the basics with her, particularly the method of softening a landing, having seen teammates from long ago get injured from that in particular.

“You’ve seen me jump countless times. I’m sure you can do it.” Levi assured. He knew that that last part was for himself more than anything. It pained him to see her nervous. Her face was a far cry from the Hange he knew.

She should know how to do it right?

Keeping the bar at its minimum and going through that landing with Hange a few times had turned out to be a good decision. It was in the way Hange had run to the bar, through the way her eyes went wild as she ran and as she landed right next to the bar that had fallen did Levi realize though, that Hange was terrified.

Terrified yet determined. Hange went back to her starting point and prepared herself for it a few more times.

“You don’t have that bounce in your step when you take off.” Levi bounced on the balls of his feet a few times for emphasis.

Hange gave him a quick nod before readying herself to run again. Levi could see she was tired. As Hange went through the motions pre jump, Levi could feel his heart beat faster. It took him a split second longer to realize why. Hange’s motions were wild and unsynchronized.

Levi did not say anything for fear of distracting her and possibly causing injury. He found himself running towards her instead. He was too late though. By the time he had arrived by the bars, she had fallen on it. One side of the bar flailed up in the air as Hange landed and she let out a loud gasp of surprise.

“Hey, you okay?” Levi asked, as he crouched next to her. He had kept his voice soft for fear of her hearing the panic in it.

Hange was lying face up on the mat, her light brown eyes looking longingly above her.

They had started training in the stadium at four in the morning, hours before the sun was scheduled to rise. It was only when Levi saw how unnaturally light Hange’s eyes were did he realized the ceiling above them was glass, and the sun had risen enough for the light to reflect on it.

“Must be nice to fly huh?” Hange voiced out before sitting back up again. “I’m fine but I think I bruised my shoulder.” She reached out for her right shoulder with her left hand and winced.

Having been jumping almost his whole life, Levi had forgotten for a while, how difficult the mechanics would be to pick up for the average adult. While gazing at Hange who had bent her head back and continued to watch the sunrise from the glass ceiling, Levi continued to reflect on it. If it were any other person, he probably would have even removed the bar as he thought them the mechanics.

The game changer in those particular circumstances was that it was Hange he was teaching, the subject of his dreams, the one who was flying with him from tree to tree in the forest. The one who was smiling and doing backflips, provoking him to chase her. For the life of him, Levi could not believe that she was not able to clear that jump.

A Tale of Two Slaves

The sullen mood of a while ago quickly dissipated to something a little more bearable when Levi suggested they play on the trampolines adjacent to the track.

It had felt ridiculous at first. As Hange continued to gaze upward, mumbling about wanting to fly and as Levi himself dealt with the disappointment of what just happened, it had seemed like a logical suggestion.

It was the most mindless way he could come up with to get both of them flying and jumping and maybe, get them both cheered up in the process. They only had to bounce a few times for it to be exciting. After a few bounces, Hange started to laugh, she started to scream in excitement.

The same excited scream he had heard so many times before in his dreams. Levi found himself staring at Hange as she jumped. The spark in her eye was brighter than it had ever been. Her cheeks were starting to flush from what could have been excitement or exhaustion. After what could have been a few more minutes of jumping, Hange landed on her ass and let out a loud laugh in between gasps.

“Something tells me you haven’t done this before.” Levi said as he settled on the floor of the trampoline next to her.

“Parents didn’t allow me.They said I’d break my ankle.” Hange answered, after she had gotten control of her ragged breathing. She was sweaty and flushed but she looked carefree.

That was the Hange Levi was familiar with. Before Levi even noticed it, he had brought out his hand and lightly touched her on the side of her arm. Oddly enough, she did not resist the light and quick squeeze he had given her. As Levi looked closely at her, he guessed she probably didn’t notice or didn’t care. He quickly let go of her arm, a few seconds after he had noticed the odd action. Before that, he had allowed himself a few seconds to process the warmth of her skin and the up and down movement that came with her heavy breathing. It was oddly calming and assuring.

She's real. She's alive. She's warm and she's breathing.

Soon after that, they were kicked out of the gym. Actually, no one had kicked them out. The Sunday gym goers though had taken up their territory on the track as they started their warmups. Levi and Hange soon realized their time was up. The rude awakening to that reality had felt like they were being kicked out anyway.

It also turned out the giant trampoline Levi suggested they played on was only for the children's use. One reason, Hange had never bothered to touch it even when she did frequent the gym.

Hange had sleepily explained that part to him as she sprawled herself on the sofa of her condominium that afternoon. The early morning in the gym had left her exhausted. She fell asleep soon after and Levi could not help but notice the smile on her face as she slept. He wondered if she usually smiled in her sleep.

Levi settled himself on one of the chairs around the dining table in a good position to watch her, busying himself by going through all the Instagram profiles Hange had followed, following them using his own account. Some of the videos were in slow motion and Levi found himself in that same blackhole as Hange had been in many times before, begrudgingly agreeing that Hange was right.

The slow motion videos in particular showed the detail. The way the legs make a slight bounce before launching up, the slight movements the body made as it is suspended in the air. Levi knew there was a lot of body coordination involved in getting the highest vertical possible. Seeing the body work together, the miniscule movements all cooperating to get the jumper spinning, flipping or twisting was oddly satisfying. Levi was distracted, so distracted the only thing that could break it was the vibration of his phone accompanying the banner on top.

Coach Greg.

Levi was once again pulled out of his blackhole. Of course he’d have to train. He had missed multiple trainings the past week due to the wound in his knee. He had also missed yesterday morning’s training having to meet Hange. Their season was starting in a few weeks and he was their best chance at a championship that year. Levi wasn’t too surprised that their coach was more than ready to run through drills with him on a Sunday night.

After a few minutes of digging through Hange’s unit, Levi managed to unearth a pile of post-its and a pen. Thank you for letting me stay over. Gotta run. He wrote. He kept it short and simple, knowing he would probably end up chatting with her soon anyway. He stuck it on the dining table, slung his overnight bag over his shoulder and silently left the room.

As he took the train back to campus, Levi continued on his little blackhole. A video was just released, taken in a tournament in Russia just a few days back.

Quad Queen Alexandra Trusova.

Levi did not know his way around figure skating jumps but he found himself watching it in slow motion anyway. The sped up version was surprising but the slow motion version that followed was mesmerizing. Levi counted four spins in the air, noting both the slight bounce before the jump and the bounce that followed the landing.

As Levi refreshed the video on his phone, he could not help but notice that Hange’s name still wasn’t among those who had liked the photo. Was she still asleep?

He could only imagine the smile she makes as she watches videos. He clicked the paper airplane icon below the videos, scrolled through the users and clicked send on Wingsoffreedom132. He made sure to add a wings emoji and a heart emoji, the way Hange had done in a few of the videos.

Somehow, after doing that, it became easier to imagine that goofy smile a little more vividly.

#levihan #levi ackerman #hange zoe #levi x hange #levi x hanji #fanfic

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writing-with-olive · 4 years

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A starting place for self-editing your novel

I wrote this in a reblog to one of @boy-who-can-fly‘s posts, but as I couldn’t add any tags to that that would make it findable to more than just my followers, I figured I’d make the same content in an original post because YAY TAGS!

Without further ado...

1) Take a break.

Some authors have suggested taking a break for six or so weeks, but I find anything longer than three makes me too distanced from my story, and I have to work a lot harder to get back into my protagonist’s head. During this break, don’t so much as look at your story. Instead, focus on something else. Maybe growing your author platform, planning or developing another wip, or researching the publishing industry if publishing is the end goal for your book (this goes for both traditional and self pub). The point of this is that without some distance, it’s going to be a lot harder to see larger developmental flaws.

(this is a very long post, so the rest of the steps are below the break)

2) The first read-through.

After your break has ended, and you’ve got to be a little stern with yourself not to extend it farther than what you set, or else you’ll never return to it, do a readthrough. This means either just reading it off you’re computer or kindle, or going to somewhere like staples and getting it printed and spiral bound (this costs money, but I found it helpful down the line). Two rules: 1) no editing. 2) look at the first rule. This read-through is going to help give you a general sense of what is and isn’t working in your book; the problems you notice here are likely going to be the biggest ones. (if you want, you can combine this step with step three, but I found it more helpful to keep them seperate)

3) Outline.

It doesn’t matter whether you outlined before, or whether you decided to pants it. By the time you get to editing, you need to have an outline that’s reflective of what you actually put on the page. Go through your story, chapter by chapter, and for each new scene write down

what is your character’s goal in this scene

what is standing in their way

what is the outcome of the scene.

This list should not go into depth; one short sentece per point, MAX. That being said, make sure to keep things specific, so “MC wants to convice X to go with them to Y.” is going to be a lot more useful to you later on than “MC tries to convince them to go.” This outline is going to help you objectively look at your story structure, as you can see a lot more of what’s happening at once, without being quite so overwhelmed by the sheer mass of the words you wrote. Yes, this step can be a bit tedious, but it is so, so worth it.

4) Sort out what you need to fix, aka start making a game plan for your edits.

Now that you’ve read through your wip at least once through, and probably twice, you probably have a pretty good idea of what you need to fix. The key here is that right now, you want to be fixing on the global edits - the things that span beyond just a single scene or chapter. The reason why is that you don’t want to be spending hours perfecting a scene that you’re just going to need to cut later because it doesn’t advance the plot.

In a new document or spreadsheet (whatever you think will work better for you, I liked using a google doc), write issues you see with:

Each of your main cast (regarding character development, motivations voice, etc)

Setting/s (consistancy, realism for your world)

General worldbuilding (consistancy, things poorly explained/set up)

Main plot (following a given plot structure, building tension, etc)

Each subplot (how it intertwines with the main plot, plot structure, building tension, etc)

Other major things you noticed during your readthroughs

These things tend to be larger scope, and generally are worth addressing first.

5) Picking your edit.

Look at the list of edits, and see which one is going to cause the most ripples through your story. This is going to be the first thing you look at to fix. If there are more than one edits that will all have major impacts on the story, think about which edit would make the other ones easier.

For example, in my wip, Project Toxin, my plot was, well, a trainwreck and a dumpster fire’s love child. But my characterization for my MC was also a wreck. Still, getting the overall plot more in order would make it easier for me to edit my MC, so I chose plot first.

6) Make a game plan for your edit.

Before diving in and ripping through your first draft, come up with a game plan. Brainstorm possible solutions to the edit you’ve chosen, and look at what ripples it would cause. You want to make sure that what route you take isn’t going to upset something major or crucial to your story. Most likely whatever solution you choose will cause some other upsets, so just make sure to think through what makes most sense for your story.

For example, when working on my story, I was fixing plot first. Figuring out my game plan meant looking at my scene list and moving things around/adding/cutting content until I had a plot that was much more satisfactory, and that was, in my mind, not a wreck.

Possible game plans for different types of edits:

1. Plot:

Look at your scene list. What helps to advance the plot? What is dragging the pacing. Are there any elements that you are adding or cutting in your overall story that need to be accounted for? With this in mind, cross out scenes that you want to cut, move scenes around that need to come in a different order, add scenes that need to be added, and mark scenes that need to be combined into one.

2. Characters:

For each of your characters, look at their character development. It’s going to be hard to make them come to life better on the page unless you’ve got a grasp of who they are, even if you didn’t plan them out originally. If you have not, consider listing in a spreadsheet or google doc what their backstory is, what their goals are, why they want those goals, and what a few of their strengths and weaknesses are. Also think about their voice: what words do they use more often? Sentence structures? What do they sound like when they’re talking? Stuff like that. If your character is inconsistant, pick one version of them that you want to follow (knowing that they will likely change over the course of the story), and look at what parts of them you will need to change to accomodate that.

3. Setting/Worldbuilding:

I’ve put these together here as they’re somewhat similar. For poorly explained aspects of worldbuilding, look at where you might add in little details so you can better set that foundation (this is not usually a global edit). If things are inconsistant, look at what makes the most sense for your story, and like what we talked about with characters, alter the rest to accomodate that.

7) Making edits.

This is where you really get to dig in and really move things around. Using the edit you’ve picked and the game plan you’ve developed, go through scene by scene and make the changes. I strongly recommend having a seperate doc from your rough draft to store your second draft in. Currently, my process is to have both open at the same time, and if a scene is already fine, I’ll just copy/paste it over. At least for me, however, it’s usually not, and I’ll either make tweaks to fix it up, or, more often at this early stage, I’ll rewrite it. As an added bonus, I also find that rewriting it makes my prose a lot stronger, since I’ve grown so much as a writer since I originally wrote the scene.

Since you know your story better, you may find other elements that you want to change are improving as you edit. If not though, don’t worry - they’ll get their own editing pass.

8) Repeat steps 5-7

You made a list of edits you needed to make back in step four. Now, follow steps 5-7 to make all of those edits and changes.

9) Repeat steps 2-8

Two steps telling you to repeat in a row? Yes. The deal now is that you want to make sure you’ve cleaned up any global edits before moving on to anything smaller. If you’ve been thourough thus far, this will be a very fast step. If not, think of this step as a safety net. There may have been ripples that you didn’t notice earlier on, and it’s a good thing you’re catching them now.

10) Chapter edits

At this point, we’ve cleaned up all the big edits. Now we’re going to look at each chapter. Within each chapter, there needs to be a mini-arc. A beginning, middle, and end. This is the time to really focus on that. Also focus on things like tightening up prose, combining or compressing paragraphs, making sure you’ve adequately set the scene, etc. If you’re over the word count limit regarding your genre, also focus on cutting a certain number of words from each chapter to put your story back within those limits.

11) The little things

This is about combing through your wip to find all of the little errors that have made their way through edits. Typos, weird or incorrect grammar, useless adverbs, things like that. At this point, everything is on a more superficial level.

Beta Readers

Given that this has gotten quite long, I’m not going to go in depth about beta readers here, but around step 10/11, you’re going to start recruiting beta readers (you’re going to want to try and have multiple rounds of somewhere around 10 betas each, which is why having a good author platform is useful: recruiting is easier). Between each round, you’re going to look at their feedback and make the necessary edits. After several rounds of beta readers, you’re going to look it over a few more times, and then if you’re going the traditional publishing route, you’re going to query agents. If you’re going the self-pub route you’re going to look to hire a professional editor. If you’re not looking to publish, this may be the end of the line.

Good luck editing!

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hannie-dul-set · 3 years

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— fanfic writers tag game !

tagged by: the lovely @sehunniepotwrites <3

tagging: @lebrookestore @hyuckefi @lovehyuckz @adi--writes @d-nghy-ck + anyone else who wants to do this just say i tagged u!!

1. what fandoms have you written for (but do not currently)?

i would like to keep my shameful past a secret tyvm HHAHAHAHAH.

2. what fandoms are you currently writing for?

nct and svt, mostly. wanted to start writing for jjk but the wips for my kpop boys have turned from one mountain to like three ;o;

3. how long have you been writing?

6+ years, i think.

4. on which platforms do you post your stories?

tumblr and twitter, formerly. planning on cross posting to ao3 and wattpad once i officially close this blog.

5. what is your favourite genre to write?

romance.....obviously HAGBSJA.

6. are you a pantser or a planner?

i mostly plan and outline everything before diving into an official document, sometimes adding scenes out of the said plan, but i’m mostly a planner. i prefer writing with an awareness of the story’s direction.

7. one shot or multi-chapter?

on god, one shot all the way fuck man i have very severe commitment issues to keep updates rolling <//3

8. what is the perfect chapter length in your opinion?

long.

9. what is your longest published story? is it complete?

“a fool’s game” at 27.4k pretty sure it’s gonna be overtaken by peach tree once it’s done tho lmao.

10. which story did you enjoy working on the most?

for the most part, i’ve enjoyed writing every single piece i’ve published so far HAHA maybe araw-araw?? since it’s the most personal of all my works, but really a lot of my pieces have been really fun to work on due to a lot of different reasons.

11. favourite request you've have written and why (if any?)

a lot of my short blurbs, definitely HAHA esp the renjun ones my goodness. the tough lough! and skater! aus those were so nice.

12. are there reoccurring themes in your stories?

let me...think....HAGSHSKA a lot of my works center around a love that has sprung from no particular reason at all, like it just happens and the main characters are like "oh shit what now" that kinda thing HAHA.

13. current number of wips?

[sweats].

14. three things you have noticed about your own writing?

metaphors and symbolism, lots of it. a good number of my fics and wips stem from dreams and real life experiences with imagination building up the rest of it. i also use the fucking sun a lot LMAO

15. a quote you like from a published story

one of my favorites hahshska. from araw-araw (na jaemin x reader).

“I missed you, you dummy.”

—Him. You’d always choose him. Na Jaemin. Jaems. Nana. Your childhood best friend. Your boyfriend—

He smiled at you, eyes shining, pressing a kiss on your forehead before taking you into his arms once more with a shaky breath. “I missed you too.”

—Your mahiwaga.

16. a quote from an unpublished story

another jaemin one pls don’t say anything. from it takes four years to grow a peach tree (na jaemin x reader). the last paragraph i wrote last night hagsbsjw.

He pulled out the dainty chair and sat down as if it was choreographed by the wind. His hair was down, hovering just slightly above the dark strands like blades of thick grass. The patterns of the short sleeved, purple button up made ripples when he moved, silver jewelry blinding you like seafoam kissing the tips of tides. You took notice that he sat by your right and not in front of you— physically closer, but its meaning lengthened all physical distance.

17. space for you to say something to your readers

you know it would be nice......to get some feedback every once in a while....hahahaha.....you knOW— (that aside, thank you so much to those who stuck with me all this time and to those who have continuously kept my drive moving even with just a simple “this was good” or “i liked this”. you don't know how much i treasure you. love u all <3)

#tag games.docx #WOWIE THIS TOOK ME SO LONG HUH

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seperis · 5 years

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Windows 10 Issue You May Run Into

This--problem? hellscape?--has now happened to me three times. Three times I googled, and three times I found many complaints but no solution and then I’d--do something?--and it would stop. I never knew why.

Today, in like a random ass thread from 2016 or 34009 AD or Mars Standard Time, I really don’t know anymore, someone gave the solution and it is just random enough but something you’d easily do by accident that yep, I see why this happened and can only be the work of Microsoft dev who may have forgotten what it felt like to be human but remember enough to hate all those who have retained theirs and vengeance is theirs.

If your computer abruptly displays most or all of these symptoms at once and you’re greater than 75% sure you aren’t tripping or having an acid flashback from circa age nineteen which was so not a good idea:

1.) Cursor/touchpad now highlights everything in your document, email, text program and you can’t plant your cursor anywhere--it is All Highlighting, All the Time. There is no typing, only hell.

2.) When you try to copy, all selected text may abruptly become all caps, and you may or may not feel like something is right behind you, laughing hoarsely and smelling of coffee from a basement in the late eighties.

3.) Everything is capslock. Word, Outlook, Chrome, Text, all you type is screamed back to you and won’t shut up, not even in your dreams. You check: caplock is not on and this is turning into some Windows Gothic shit.

4.) PageUp/PgDown stops working in Chrome for no reason whatsoever, even after holding down the key a full five minutes while keening the alphabet backward.

5.) Also in Chrome, not only does every link open a new window, if you have chrome embedded in your Taskbar and you click on it to maximize a window after minimizing it, it opens a whole new instance of Chrome You are at roughly twenty chromes just trying to google this goddamn question which is by the way ALL FUCKING CAPSLOCKS when you realize this is why back isn’t working in the window.

(If you’re reading this after googling and 1, 2, and 3 are yes but you haven’t noticed this, go hover over your taskbar; there are probably like sixty open Chromes now. You’re welcome.)

6.) Also in Chrome, sometimes clicking links will just not work until multiple attempts or maybe are deliberately waiting until you break into sobs begging it to work, which passed being a coincidence quite some time ago but denial is your friend.

7.) Many other possible things seem off with keyboard/mouse/touchpad use and you begin to suspect Windows Gothic is now Windows Cthulhu.

If you google, the prospective villain will be StickyKeys, FilterKeys, Drivers, Windows is Satan, you are actually in hell. The solution will be turn off stickkeys, turn off filterkeys, check accessibility settings, update drivers, roll back drives and reinstall, restart, restore, reinstall windows, and realize you’re the chosen one and start a religion with heavy Luddite influences, some very specific and unsettling fetishes doubling as religious rituals, poor fashion sense, and if in Texas, a compound armory with AK-47s, rockets, military grade tanks, anti-aircraft missiles and enough bullets to end civilization, as is guaranteed in your right to bear arms as stated in the Second Amendment of the Constitution.

(Note: legally, when one cults it up in Texas, you are also required to purchase enough unoccupied land for the mandatory sketchy but impressively defensible compound and assorted outbuildings, your religion must involve Jesus in some form, and it is mandatory that you arm yourself (and your followers) equal to or greater than the number of weapons needed to fight World War II. While it is optional, it is highly recommended you take the opportunity to declare the acquisition of Texas by the US was illegal and appoint yourself president, king, dictator, and/or God-Emperor of the Republic/Kingdom/Nation/Empire of Texas. This does not entitle you to attempt any change to the Texas flag, state flower, state animal, or any official state [object]. If you make attempt to do so, and during the next new moon, you will be shot, killed, and eaten by one (1) jackalope bearing no less than two (2) hunting rifles and one (1) bottle of wild turkey, as clearly outlined in the Texas Constitution. God bless Texas.)

Double check StickyKeys and FilterKeys are off (they are, yep), then take a deep breath and hit both Shift Keys simultaneously. This is both cause and solution as well as cruel cosmic joke played by an uncaring universe and Bill Gates, whose immortality is fed by your tears.

After canceling that Amazon order for bulk military grade armor, Godiva chocolate, and three models of wood chipper, please find the fuck out what the hell Shift-Right and Shift-Left hit together are triggering. My best guess is transport to a horrifying Mirror Windows universe, but it’s possible I’m wrong. Though I doubt it.

#windows tips #i have no scream and i must mouth #i don't know how long i was there #but I saw things #and everything was blue

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nsylianteng · 4 years

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Notes on Writing That Works (Roman and Raphaelson)

1. The goal is not clarity but effective communication. Writing that works. What does the reader need to know so they can take action in the way you want them to?

2. Beware of “smart talk” which is unnecessarily complicated or abstract or both.

3. Before writing, put down what you want the reader to do, next the three most important things the reader needs to understand to take that action. Then start to write.

4. Once you’ve decided what to say, come right out and say it. Mumbles command less attention than people who speak up. When you say something, make sure you have said it.

5. When you write anything longer than a few paragraphs, start by telling the reader where you are going.

6. Make an outline, use your outline to help your reader, number and underline section headings, summarize.

7. Use short words and short sentences.

8. Active verbs add energy to your writing. Good writers use the active voice. Active voice makes it more personal, a human being talking rather than an institution. Passive voice hides who is speaking, active voice reveals it.

9. Use vigorous adjectives and adverbs that sharpen your point.

10. Write the way you talk. Except if you talk in jargon.

11. Be specific. If possible use numbers to communicate scale.

12. Be direct. Use simple, declarative sentences. Churchill could have said “the situation in regard to France is very serious.” What he said instead was “The news from France is bad.”

13. Strike out words you don’t need. Instead of “in the event of,” say “if”.

14. Don’t write like a lawyer of bureaucrat. If you find yourself writing this way, ask yourself how you would say it to your reader if you were talking to them face to face. Err on being too casual then adjust.

15. A good start in breaking out of bureaucratese is to banish from your writing unnecessary Latin. For example, “re:”

16. Keep in mind what your reader doesn’t know. Never expect people to read your mind as well as your letter or paper.

17. Don’t be pretentious. “The optics of the plan” instead of “how the plan will look”. This style of talk is generally heard among middle managers, welcome from those who have risen to the top who are less interested in impressing people than in clear communications and getting things done.

18. When writing email, cut ruthlessly to get to the essence. Anything over one screen risks not being read. Take out 50% of what you’ve written and you’ll be amazed how your points leap out. Make it brief but complete — “meaty, concise, and to the point”

19. Avoid email tag. Some emails are too short in the sense that it doesn’t provide context which causes the reader to ask for clarification. If you expect a response, set a deadline so it’s not at the reader’s inclination which may be never.

20. Set the right tone. Good places to set them: subject line, beginning or ending salutation.

21. When writing a report: draw conclusions from what you saw or heard, specify how certain you feel about your conclusions. Some will be beyond question, others speculative. Tell your reader which is which.

22. When writing letters, your first sentence should perform the function of a title. Your reader wants to know at once what the letter is about.

23. Letters that ask for something. Say what you want right away, explain why, then say thanks. Don’t start by explaining why you want it or expressing your appreciation. Your reader won’t be interested in either before you reveal what you are asking for.

24. For presentations: Be direct about what your data saying. Instead of “Why Acme?” say “Our edge is service.”

25. Read every word on the screen to the audience, then expound. It’s not unnecessary. Your audience will read it anyway. If what you say doesn’t match what they’re reading, they will be confused. If your style is to ad lib, use key words or phrases instead of sentences.

26. Face the audience when you present.

27. Involve the audience. Use visual devices to present dry information. Invite your audience to answer questions before revealing the answer. Add something unexpected - a tape recording, etc.

28. Edit, Reorganize, Revise, Rehearse. Go through your presentation at least twice.

29. On speeches: Start by figuring out what single point you want your audience to take away. Then start writing.

30. Think about addressing one individual rather than a faceless audience. Think of it as a conversation with a friend.

31. Cross out the first several paragraphs. Your opening is usually halfway down the page.

32. Good speeches alway express a strongly held personal point of view. Ideas you believe in make good speeches. Start with a single point you want your audience to take away then conclude with a memorable way to cement it.

33. No speech was ever too short. Most good talks take less than 20 minutes.

34. Rehearse so you know it by heart so you sound more spontaneous and more confident. Confidence and presence is what sets a memorable speaker apart from the ordinary one.

35. Take the traumatic step of seeing yourself on videotape. An illuminating teacher.

36. The goal of plans are reports is: Action. A plan starts with a clear statement of purpose.

37. Present foundational facts ending in a conclusion. Doing otherwise is leaving your reader with information that, like a Mexican pyramid, doesn’t come to a point.

38. The point of a report is to report what is actually happening and what you think should be done about it.

39. Start a report by: Stating the purpose and why anybody should care.

40. Annual Reports. Write with a specific reader in mind. Buffett says, “I pretend that I’m writing to my sister. I have no trouble picturing them: Though highly intelligent, they are not experts in accounting or finance. They will understand plain English but jargon may puzzle them.

41. Henry Kissinger used to say that State Department memos commonly offer three options: The first leads to nuclear war, the second leads to surrender, the third is what they want you to choose.

42. Think of it as selling, not presenting. Just laying out your views is not enough. You must marshall for logic and passion behind your facts.

43. Tell people where you are going. In the first paragraph, establish both subject and scope.

44. Executive summaries: Include all main points, a sentence or two for each, then let the full document fill in the details.

45. Recommend up front. Then lay out specific reasons in support.

46. But remember, a chain of specifics is no stronger than its weakest link.

47. Proposals and Grants. Make it urgent. “You can make the difference” is one way to get to a “yes.”

48. Create a sense of urgency when asking for money.

49. Resumes. It’s important for your reader to know how far you moved the rock, not how much time you spent pushing it.

50. Write for the eye as well as the mind. Make it easy to read by using headings, breaking up paragraphs, numbering and so on.

Buy it on Bookshop.org

#writing that works

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doctormike · 4 years

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Thoughts on the Reopening of Schools

Hello, friends and families…! In this blog post I will NOT tell you if it is OK for your child to return to school for remote, in-person, or hybrid learning. Any article that gives you specific advice about this may be well intentioned, but will rarely apply to your individual situation, and will be based on information that is going to be out of date by the time you read it.

I AM, however, going to review some important points to keep in mind when you juggle the pros and cons of any individual decision that you make for your family, and I think that will be helpful. Just like deciding about surgery, it will ALWAYS come down to weighing the risks and benefits of any given path. When I’m helping parents decide about an operation, I often hear “we just want what’s best for our child”. But it’s very rare that a situation is clear enough so that there is only one reasonable choice. The decision almost always comes down to balancing personal risk tolerance and a wide range of intangibles. That’s why it’s not usually my job to tell my families WHAT to do, but to help them understand the tradeoffs so that they can make those decisions themselves. With that said, here are some things to keep in mind when you are making a decision about school in the era of COVID-19. 1) I probably don’t have to tell you this, but any official recommendation, government regulation or organizational decision about school reopening is NOT only considering the medical aspects of the situation. Economic, political, parenting, regional and developmental concerns are always going to be a big part of what you are told, and that’s reasonable. From a purely medical point of view, the “safest” thing to do would for everyone to stay in full lockdown until a vaccine arrives, but virtually no one is seriously recommending that. So don’t discount those factors, but be aware of their impact and relative importance. 2) Most people making these decisions are working in good faith, and trying to get the best possible outcome. It’s easy to vilify school administrators and other parents by assuming the worst underlying motives. But the majority of people who actually have the responsibility of making community decisions are trying to strike the right balance. Give them the benefit of the doubt, hear them out and consider the tradeoffs that they are dealing with before forming your own opinions. Be open to new strategies to minimize school risks. For example, one such idea is pooled saliva testing which is to be used by the SUNY system. This is much cheaper and less invasive than traditional testing methods, and it will allow schools to rapidly shut down new outbreaks before they spread widely in the community.

3) There are a large number of controls - administrative, infrastructure / engineering, epidemiological and personal - that can be incorporated into an in-person reopening plan. It’s beyond the scope of this email to discuss them all, but here is a good summary. Not every school needs to adopt every possible control, but this should give you an idea about the kind of things that you might be asked to consider. Try to understand the goals that are reasonable for your child's particular situation, taking into account the time, place and current community infection rates. Keep this passage in mind:

“Given the uncertainty, reliance on an effective vaccine to solve the return-to-school problem is unrealistic, and other strategies that may at first glance seem too difficult or too expensive must be developed and implemented. If the position adopted by society is: ‘not until it is completely safe,’ then we have to recognize that the kindergarteners who left their elementary schools in March of 2020 may never see the inside of those buildings again. This is not feasible. Thus, we really need to shift the conversation from ‘perfectly safe’ and ‘only if there is vaccine’ to ‘how can we do this as safely as possible?’ and ‘what resources do we need in order to achieve this common goal?’“

4) The people who know more about COVID-19 than anyone else in the world never heard of it 8 months ago. This is a new virus, and we are learning about it daily. Beware of anyone who is absolutely certain, who doesn’t qualify their advice with words like “as best as we know right now”, or who makes definitive statements about the long term effects of infection. Watch out for people trying to score cheap political points by comparing someone’s prior and current statements, and claiming “hypocrisy” or “flip-flopping”. For something new like this, it is always important to follow current developments and continually refine policy and practices. Don’t be like the guy that Stephen Colbert was describing when he said: "He believes the same thing Wednesday that he believed on Monday, no matter what happened on Tuesday.” 5) Having accurate, current data about the number of local infections is CRUCIAL in running any sort of school plan, and that has to be monitored regularly. Plans for in-person education can change overnight - you can see that with the early opening and reclosing of several college campuses. As schools open, we are getting new data about the rate of infection in children, which must be watched closely as this process continues. Some recent information suggests that infection rates are actually rising faster in children than in adults. However, this data set covers all patients under ager 18. There is other evidence that toddlers have exceptionally low infection rates, despite being - as this article describes them - "mask licking germ bombs". 6) The American Academy of Pediatrics has a document outlining its recommendation for school reopening. In general, they recognize that there are serious downsides to remote learning including the challenges of effective teaching, the loss of the social aspects of school, and the inherent inequality of online classes, especially for underserved communities. So if in-person education can be done safely, that's better for kids. But they also stress the point that there is no one single answer for all times and places. Increasing evidence that children can be asymptomatic for weeks and spread the virus has to be incorporated into any school plan. While the AAP’s initial recommendations strongly advocated for in-person classes, these recommendations have been revised as it has become clear that more study is needed. This passage is from these guidelines:

“To be able to open schools safely, it is vitally important that communities take all necessary measures to limit the spread of the SARS-CoV-2. School policies must be flexible and nimble in responding to new information, and administrators must be willing to refine approaches when specific policies are not working…the AAP strongly advocates that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school. Unfortunately, in many parts of the United States, there is currently uncontrolled spread of SARS-CoV-2. Although the AAP strongly advocates for in-person learning for the coming school year, the current widespread circulation of the virus will not permit in-person learning to be safely accomplished in many jurisdictions.”

7) As parents, we are used to meticulously planning our children's lives far into the future. COVID-19 has shown us again and again that this is not always possible. Of course, we still need to anticipate challenges and make decisions, but we need to be much more comfortable with contingencies and accept the fact that things can change rapidly due to forces beyond our control. As the old joke goes: "How do you make God laugh? Tell him your plans." 8) The mitigation practices that have helped us get the virus under control in New York City over the past few months are vital, and need to be continued, especially as schools reopen and socialization outside of school increases. Masks work. Hand hygiene works. Social distancing works. Our overall rate of positive test results has recently stayed around or below 1%. Unfortunately, there is no book that will tell you exactly what to do in every situation - we all use judgement in deciding what to do when. Masks work, but most people don't wear them inside with their immediate family members who are taking precautions when away from home, or when eating at an outdoor restaurant with adequate separation from other tables. On the other hand, for example, we might wear them when outside with a more distant family member who has been traveling from areas with a higher infection rate. Even if your family remains vigilant, if your child spends a significant amount of time indoors and/or without masks with someone from another family who isn’t so careful, you can reverse all of those hard won gains. Ideally, your child's social life will be built around families that share your concerns and attitudes, so that you can safely maintain the socialization that is so vital for healthy cognitive and emotional development. As infection rates have fallen, so has our attention to detail. The virus isn’t gone, and the cold weather will probably make transmission more likely. Stay strong, watch the numbers, listen with an open mind, and take care of each other. And as always, I’m happy to chat or email with any of you about your individual concerns. Best, Mike Rothschild

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patriotstudies · 5 years

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10 Productive Uses For Blank Notebooks

I was cleaning out my room earlier this week, and I discovered that I have some empty notebooks. So I made a list of things I could fill these notebooks with. I thought I’d share that list because I know many people have empty notebooks just lying around and might want some ideas for what to do with them.

1. Research and Thoughts

Whether you already like reading scientific research, or you are interested in a topic and want to learn more about it, having a research journal is a great idea! You can take notes on the articles you have read and jot down your reactions to those studies. You could also think of possible applications for both your personal and professional life that are not mentioned in the article itself. Additionally, you could record and research other topics that might be of interest to you after reading an article. Who knows, you might even be inspired to conduct your own research!

2. Journal and Life Lessons

Keeping a journal is extremely beneficial because it is great for mental health! Writing in a journal is a very cathartic experience, so it is no surprise that it can help regulate your emotions. And reflecting on your day will help you organize your feelings, which in turn will elevate your mood by allowing you to appreciate the little things that make life great. Journaling can also help stimulate your creativity, as you may come up with ideas to improve your life just a little bit each day. Additionally, journaling improves your writing, as you learn to communicate important information more effectively.

This journal could also double as an ongoing list of life lessons that you learn from various sources: books, movies, shows, documentaries, mentors, interviews, conversations with others, etc. All of our experiences, no matter how small, teach us something, and it is important to reflect on those as well, as they can offer so many insights that will help us better conduct ourselves in all aspects of life.

3. Blog Log

I know this one is super relevant for all of us, and this log can be an incredibly useful tool. This is a great place to store all your content ideas and outlines for easy access. You could even draft an entire blog post here, so that you can easily make any edits if necessary. If you’re using sources in your posts, this would be a good place to cite those so that you can easily reference them whenever you need to. Or, if you have been tagged and/or want to tag someone, you could record those here too so that you don’t forget to give credit to the amazing bloggers who wanted to hear from you. And don’t forget to celebrate your milestones! This could mean number of followers, or most popular posts, number of original posts written (in a period of time or in general), blog birthdays/anniversaries, really anything you want to celebrate.

4. Creative DIY Projects

Personal projects are always really exciting to work on. Not only can they serve as a nice escape from our regular lives, but they are also very engaging hobbies that incentivize us to work harder in our personal and professional lives. DIY projects also allow us to become more independent, self-reliant, and creative thinkers, which is a rewarding experience in and of itself.

However, just because these projects encourage independence, doesn’t mean they can’t be socially beneficial as well. They can serve as talking points for when you’re networking or talking with loved ones at get-togethers where you can discuss your current project(s) and your plans for future ones. Additionally, other people may have advice for how to improve your process and get more out of each project.

Projects are great for other practical reasons too! They are a productive use of our spare time and also allow us to develop our soft skills (time management, planning, organization, creativity/creative problem solving, adaptability, just to name a few). These transferable skills will also surely make job hunting and mapping your career development just a little bit easier.

If you don’t want to work on DIY projects, that’s perfectly fine too! The point of this journal is to express yourself creatively and independently, no matter what form your art takes. For example, if you want to have an art journal where you sketch creative designs, go for it! Or if you’d rather compose poems or novels, there is literally nothing stopping you! Just don’t limit yourself, no matter what you choose.

5. Career and Professional Development

Many of us either already have jobs, or are actively working towards securing one. This notebook could be used to keep track of every aspect of our professional development. For example, exploring career interests can be used to develop concrete plans for how to achieve professional success. You could use this journal to help keep track of the jobs you applied for, or keep track of the jobs you have already done. You could write about how long you held those positions for and what you learned during your time in that position or company.

Note all that you have accomplished, such as your ideas and contributions to projects, or how you solved problems. Not only does this give you an opportunity to reflect on your professional life, but it can be really useful when you edit your resume and other professional documents, as well as your LinkedIn account.

Just remember that you can have fun with it too, and remember the more entertaining parts of the job and team, by recalling memorable events. Jobs can be boring and tedious sometimes, so remembering the fun things can incentivize you to start the job searching process.

6. Life Audit Lists

Sometimes there is a gap between our current and ideal life, and that is perfectly natural. There are several steps you can take to bridge that gap. Conducting a life audit is an incredibly useful tool to help you live your best and most fulfilling life. Analyzing the results of the life audit will encourage you to take responsibility and actively work on self-improvement. Below are just some ideas to help get you started:

Goals - These could be daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, however you want to organize it. I personally would narrow it to three main goals so that it you aren’t overwhelmed, but you do whatever works for you. You can divide these goals into various categories, for example: academic, professional, social/personal, etc. And if it helps, divide those categories too, so that you can get a more comprehensive view of your life and develop a more specific plan for how to improve it.

Seasonal Bucket Lists - Bucket lists are a really fun way to push yourself out of your comfort zone so that you can be more adaptable and can experience so much more than you would have otherwise experienced. Maybe there is something you’ve always wanted to do but never did. Write that down and make a plan to actually do it! You never know, you might discover things you actually enjoy doing and these experiences will help you get more out of life. Plus, it’s just really motivating to have things to look forward to!

Self-Care Ideas - Prioritizing your mental health is absolutely necessary to get your life in order. So, make this a routine. Find things that you enjoy doing, whether it’s drinking tea or coffee, or meditating, or journaling, or something else entirely, and make it a point to do at least one thing a day that positively contributes to your mental health. And don’t be afraid to add more things to this list than any other one, because I truly cannot stress how important it is to not neglect your mental health.

7. Habit/Skill Trackers

Often times, the hardest part about making (or breaking!) a habit is just getting started. That’s why I like to record my streaks for each habit that I would like to develop and maintain. One way you could track this in your journal is by writing the habit on one side and recording the number of days you’ve consistently done that habit on the other. You could also organize it like a chart, with the days of the week labeled on one side and the habits you want to develop on the other and you could cross off each day that you completed each habit.

You could use this same approach for tracking your skills, as learning a skill is a habit itself. For example, if you want to learn computer languages or other technical skills to make yourself more professionally marketable, try to set aside an hour a day and integrate this into your daily routine. And don’t neglect developing soft skills, those are just as important. And don’t forget to monitor your progress in each skill, because having a visual representation of your progress can serve as a great motivator to continue developing skills!

8. Language Learning Progress

Language learning is both a wonderful and marketable skill. I know many of us are in the langblr community, and use resources such as Duolingo and Youtube among others. This is an excellent place to take notes on vocabulary and memory triggers for those terms, plural forms and tenses/conjugations for those terms, grammar rules and exceptions to those rules, example sentences such as the ones that Duolingo provides, and even your own original writing so that you can practice using your knowledge practically.

However, as important as language learning is, it is also important to learn about the respective culture. Fully immerse yourself in understanding the culture to get a more clear picture of your global understanding. Languages and cultures shape each other to a certain extent, so it is important to give as much weight to learning the culture when you are learning a foreign language.

9. Podcast/TED Talk Notes

Whether you like to listen to podcasts on your commute, or actively listen to them on Spotify or any other Podcasts app, taking notes from podcasts is always a good idea. I’ve personally been listening to TED Talks for approximately five years now, and I find these speeches, however short, to be extremely interesting and informative. Of course, you don’t need to just limit yourself to TED Talks, as all podcasts have value to different audiences. Noting your reactions to the information presented is also a good idea. Analyzing things will always lead to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the material, as well as developing your critical thinking skills.

10. Event Plans

There is so much to look forward to in life, such as vacations, graduation(s), birthdays, weddings and anniversaries, etc. This notebook allows you to store all your plans in one place! You could divide it into sections if you want to organize it and find your plans more easily. For example, for vacations, you could record where you would like to go, the prices of the plane tickets, where you’ll stay, what to pack for the trip, the itinerary and points of interest, the cuisine, the activities you’ll do there, really anything you can think of. For graduation, you could think of graduation cap decor ideas if that’s your thing, party themes, food, picture ideas, location, etc. For birthdays, same thing. Wedding and anniversary planning are on a whole other level of difficulty, so organization is key here, and this notebook would really help with organizing all the details.

I recognize that there is a lot of overlap with these ideas, so if you don’t want to dedicate an entire notebook for any individual idea, you can use these as series for your bullet journal. Or you could combine these ideas into a single journal. Also, if journaling is not your thing, you could create binders for these ideas, or any other ideas you come up with.

I hope these ideas are helpful! :)

What did you think of the list? Feel free to share your own ideas in the comments!

#studyblr #langblr #notebookideas #lists #ideas

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bronzerandlouboutins-blog · 5 years

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Best Resume Writing Services

While still of major importance, the majority of queries are no longer about functional versus chronological resume styles, whether to keep or remove experience from twenty-five years ago, or whether to include dates of education. And there is the best resume writing services. Don't add your hobbies to your resume. Default fonts such as Garamond, Helvetica, Book Antiqua, or Verdana are better choices. Technology is now in use at most medium and larger employers to help manage job applicants. You must ensure that the achievements you include are relevant and significant so that a reviewer won't read it and say "who cares." This is so important. If your title has been Branch Manager at each of your past three companies, find a way to differentiate each of these positions and highlight your most notable accomplishments. They both have very different skill sets which need to be highlighted in very different ways in order to be effective. Nearly 75% of all applicants for any position are easily removed in this initial screening process.

Avoid over the top statements that make you sound like you saved the universe. Add to that the best resume writing services. 3. Always be specific. For example, while it may be fine to include the phrase "computer literate," you will also want to list the specific software that you are proficient in using. It is the hardest form of persuasive writing. In my experience, it can do more harm than good. For example, I once received a resume from a programmer, however the only thing I remember from it was that they attended clown college and competed in national juggling competitions. Default fonts such as Garamond, Helvetica, Book Antiqua, or Verdana are better choices. You could have a comedy show with some of the statements people make on their resumes. However, many recruiters and employers still prefer the MS Word file format, because this is the format they are most familiar with.

Assisting Applicants for:

Technical Operations Officer

Systems Designer

Senior System Architect

It Systems Administrator

Business Broker

Trust Officer

Accounts Receivable/Payable Specialist

Senior Network Architect

Software Developer

Senior Network System Administrator

Senior Programmer

Customer Support Administrator

Investment Advisor

Telecommunications Specialist

Tax Specialist

Systems Engineer

One sentence to market yourself. And don't forget the best resume writing services. No wonder there is so much confusion! In just a few short years, there has been a complete revolution in the tools and techniques of job hunting. There are several types of electronic resumes, but the common element of all is the ability to be searched by keyword. Still confused? My recommendation is to simply maintain two separate versions of your resume: There are fundamental formatting differences between traditional and electronic resumes. Available for viewing around the clock, conveying a technology-savvy image, and allowing the ability to add supporting content to your resume (effectively creating an online portfolio promoting your qualifications), web resumes are becoming a progressively important tool in the job search. However, the Profile or Experience Summary section has completely replaced the Objective section. Further complicating things, have been the increasing availability of personal web space for online resume portfolios and biographies.

Try to put yourself in the shoes of the hiring manager and ask yourself what they would see as important. And in this economy, the number of applicants you are competing against means that you need leverage every advantage you can get. This is one of the most common areas of confusion, so I'll state it once again...the content of a keyword resume does not need to differ from the content of your traditional resume. Again, vagueness will often work against you here because it cheapens the experience of reading your resume. Just as you would hope the employer is not lying to you about the job requirements, salary, etc, they expect you are not lying to them about your background and/or skill sets. It's OK to reinforce themes, but don't push it. For this reason, if given the choice of sending an MS Word file and Adobe PDF file, always opt for Adobe PDF. Write a Novel and Call it a Resume - I repeat: Do NOT write a novel and call it a resume.

My advice is to highlight only those aspects of your background which are most applicable for the job, or types of jobs, you are planning to apply for. Anyways, you will find the best resume writing services. The computer reader - The electronic or computer-optimized resume is designed, first and foremost, to be readable by the computer. It is much easier to read and even easier to skim, which is what hiring managers are doing most of the time anyways. There are several types of electronic resumes, but the common element of all is the ability to be searched by keyword. Traditional resume - If you wish to send a hardcopy, paper version of your resume you should send your traditional resume. For example, if you say you have 6 years of experience with Java programming or accounts payable, an employer should be able to go one-by-one through your position write-ups on your resume and identify those 6 years by themselves. Technology is now in use at most medium and larger employers to help manage job applicants. Scannable resumes are very rarely requested any more.

1. Using your word processing program, open your word-processed resume and use the "Save As" function to save a copy as a "Text Only" or "ASCII (DOS)" document. Plus they have the best resume writing services. Furthermore, if you incorporate a professional summary and bulleted list of qualifications in the text of your resume, there is little if any need to prepare a separate keyword summary. Why? It is a quick 3-4 sentence overview of your qualifications. Use Bullet Points - When it comes time to explain your experiences in your resume, use bullet points to outline your accomplishments. And hiring managers see right through that! Technology is now in use at most medium and larger employers to help manage job applicants. It's your only chance to make a memorable first impression and I can tell you right now that if you do not take your resume seriously, then your resume will never be TAKEN seriously. By far, you'll find that the most requested format for your traditional resume is MS Word. If you comply with the request, be aware that your formatting may be incompatible with the recipient's system.

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jmyers104 · 5 years

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Pastoral Interview

Pastor’s Name and Church

I had the privilege of interviewing Pastor Karl Sexton of Sand Hill Creek in Baxley, GA.

Interview Questions

Tell me about your call to pastoral ministry.

I never heard an audible voice from God calling me to preach, but there was a sense that lingered for years. I felt that God was calling me to preach when I was 13, and I answered the call at a youth camp when I was 17. The speaker’s message confirmed the inner promptings. With the call came the gift. I started preaching, and shortly after that, I was asked to pastor a local church. That was over 30 years ago.

Describe your ordination council.

I was ordained at 17 or 18. My ordination counsel was made up of pastors in the local association. My church recommended me to the council, and once it was approved, I was licensed by the church and ordained by the counsel.

Which pastoral responsibility do you enjoy the most, and why?

I enjoy everything about preaching and teaching. That includes the act itself, but it also includes studying and writing, as well as seeing lives changed as a result of preaching and teaching.

Which pastoral duty do you enjoy the least, and why?

I don’t enjoy dealing with domestic problems. They are the most heartbreaking and disappointing.

How do you deal with dissentions or divisions in the church?

It depends. If it is more than one person or has affected a group, I will address it more generally; I may take a text and preach on the issue. If it’s a sin problem, I go to them with Matthew 18 as a blueprint. If I am confronting someone, I will take a witness so I cannot be accused of saying something I didn’t say. In any case, ask God to give you wisdom on whether I should visit them.

Describe the amount of time you spend in an average week in sermon preparation.

Mondays are the days where I gather my resources for the sermons I would be teaching during the week. It is my “collection” day. My big study days are Wednesdays and Saturdays. I typically have about 15 to 20 hours per week for sermon preparation, and I usually preach 3 times a week. That gives me 8 to 10 hours for the “main” sermon that I deliver either Sunday morning or evening, depending on the situation. Then I spend about 4 to 6 hours on second sermon, and 2 to 3 on the third message, which is typically delivered on Wednesday. I spend less time on the Wednesday sermon, not because it is unimportant, but because it is a topic I am familiar with. It could be on a passage I have preached on once before, or it could be that the congregation and I are working through a book written by a Christian author. In either case, it does not require as much preparation time as the other two sermons. Now, if it is content primarily derived from another author, I always make it known; give credit where it is due. To be as productive as possible, only a handful of people can interrupt me during sermon prep: my secretary (in the event there is an emergency concerning a member of the congregation), my wife, and my children.

What is your procedure for sermon preparation?

I always want to read the passage a number of times before I go to secondary sources. So first, I read the Scriptures, glean what insights I can from the text, making notes as certain truths come to mind. Only then will I consult my commentaries. I make it a point to read after at least 3 commentators. I go to reliable sources, but if I am dealing with a debatable text, I may read after or listen to a preacher who believes differently than I do, just to make sure I have considered everything I should have. Then I will compile my notes and construct my outline. On my computer, I have 2 documents per sermon: one for notes and one of the actual sermon. Now, there are times when I am teaching on a lengthier passage. During times like this, I construct the sermon knowing that it will end up being a 2- or 3- part message.

Do you believe in expositional preaching, topical preaching, or a combination of both?

I always have at least 1 expositional series going on. Then I’ll have “textual” message that may incorporate several different texts or passages. At times, I will do topical sermons, often using something like a book on leadership. Regardless of the type, I always want to stay true to the text.

Describe the amount of time you spend in an average week in administrative responsibilities.

When I was at a larger church, I would spend about 15 to 20 hours a week on those responsibilities, less now that I am at a smaller church. As a bi-vocational pastor, I typically do all of the administrative stuff myself.

Describe the amount of time you spend in an average week in personal devotions and prayer.

Oh well this is embarrassing…Not as much as I should. First thing in the morning, before I leave the house. I try to spend about 30 minutes a day in prayer. We also do family devotions in the evening. When my children were younger, we would pray together and do our Bible reading plan every night.

What is an area of pastoral ministry you wish you had been taught in school?

I wish my professors would have stressed keeping our priorities right not neglecting my family. It can be all too easy to focus on ministry to the neglect of your family.

What is one piece of advice you would give to someone aspiring to become a pastor?

My advice is simple: regard your walk with the Lord as the most important priority in your life. Your family second, and your church ministry is a very distant third.

Discouragement in the ministry can be brought on by many different factors (lack of numerical growth, sin in the church, etc.). What do you do to remain joyful and keep depression at bay?

There are a few things I do. I try to put the positive church members around me. Those are the ones I tend to eat lunch with more, for example. Maintaining a sense of humor is also critical; I try to stay involved in activities that will make me laugh (i.e., time with my kids). I also try not to take things personal. If, for example, someone fails in the church, their failure is not necessarily my failure. I must shepherd them, but I can’t punish myself for their wrongdoings. Also, I try my best not to bring problems home. Whatever problems I have going on at the church, I leave them at the door. One last thing: when I need to get my mind right, I will take the long way home and listen to Christian music. When I lived closer to the church, I would just walk home because that would give me extra time to destress from the day.

How important is it for the local church to be involved in missions, and how do you promote missionary activity to your congregation?

It is absolutely necessary! I preach on missions, and I constantly have missionaries in front of the people. We have a yearly missionary conference so the congregation can be exposed to missionary activity. At one of my last churches, the church was giving hardly anything to missions. By but by the time I left to move down here, the church was giving $200,000 annually. That’s not to brag, but that shows what happens when you stress the importance of missions to your congregation.

Many things demand your attention as a pastor. How do you prioritize what needs to get done, and what order such things need to be completed?

I do my devotions first thing. Every morning, I write out what needs to be done for the day. When I had a secretary, I would check with secretary to see if there was anything I missed. Then I would put it on the calendar. (At a bigger church, the schedule was more detailed.)

All believers are called to evangelize. While it is clear that there are many out in the world who are unbelievers, Scripture demonstrates that there are also unbelievers within the congregation. Do you see yourself as an evangelist when you are in the pulpit?

I always give a gospel presentation at the end of the service, but the gospel must be in every message. If I don’t know my crowd, I tend to focus more explicitly on the gospel. Now sometimes the passage at hand leads me to be more evangelistic in nature, but there must always be a gospel presentation. Also, you’ve got to find unique ways to present it. You don’t want it to come across as the same talking points every week.

How have you raised up men like Timothy and Titus to follow in your footsteps?

I tell my students and young pastors that they must always be mentoring someone. It can be formal or informal. Mentoring actually takes place in the pulpit, but it does need to take place 1 on 1. At my previous church, I started a program with a group of men that met once a week. They would take turns delivering mini-sermons (5 to 10 minutes), and I would give general advice and pointers at the end. Many of these men are pastoring throughout the country. Much of this takes place over a meal. It could even be something as small as recommend certain books, buying books for them, or recommending certain preachers for them to listen to. However it is done, it has to be an intentional setting-aside of time to mentor and cultivate their gifts.

Summary

I did not select Pastor Sexton at random for this assignment. Far from being just a name on a church sign, he is both my pastor and step-father. While I regularly listen to preachers like Drs. John MacArthur and Al Mohler, I have not had the benefit of examining their lives. While I have no reason to doubt whether or not they practice what they preach, the fact remains that I have not seen how they shepherd their flocks or care for their families. With Karl, it is a different story. In the four years I have known him, I have sat under his preaching, ministered along side him, and watched how he treated his step-family like they were his own. Not only have I learned from him how to preach and rightly divide the Word, but I have learned how to shepherd God’s flock with patience and loving-kindness. As I conducted the interview, his answers codified in my mind what I had witnessed for the last few years. There were three things in particular that stuck out to me. First was his heart for evangelism and missions. Even when he is in the pulpit, he sees himself as an evangelist, pleading with any unbelievers that may be in the congregation. When it comes to missions, he has put his money where his mouth is, so to speak. Not only does he bring missionaries to the church to preach, but this past year, he and my mom adopted to Haitian girls so that they can disciple them and help them to grow in Christlikeness. Second is His passion for the Word. While I here him preach on a regular basis, it was a joy for me to hear him explain how he develops his sermons. His hard work is evident to the congregation every Sunday. Third is his love for God’s people. Not only does he feed the sheep and pray for the flock God has entrusted him with, but I also learned of his impact on young men aspiring to the ministry. He detailed how many of the young men he has mentored over the years are now pastoring churches across the nation (including 2 of his sons). These three aspects serve as lessons for me as I ponder how God might use me in the future. Wherever God places me, I too must have the heart of an evangelist, a passion for God’s Word, and a love for His people.

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raisingsupergirl · 5 years

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Apple or AT&T—Who's More Evil?

Let me start out by saying that I get it. I really do. Companies have to make money. Successful companies with great products deserve to make money. Apple and AT&T? They both make wonderful products and provide top-notch services. The problem is, for some dumb reason, they both like making as much money as possible. And the easiest way for them to do that is to keep us, the consumers, buying their new crap. Convincing us that we need it and that there's no other alternative. So when a company gets that big, when they can leverage their power against the little people, what stops us from finally getting fed up, throwing our phones in the toilet, and going back to smoke signals? Well, to answer that, I need to tell you what brought on my recent frustrations (as if any specific examples need to be given)…

Problem 1: The Man With the Data Plan

My wife and I went on a cruise a few weeks ago. And like most Americans with 1st-world problems, we had to decide whether we wanted to 1) go a week without cell phone or internet access while we cruised across international waters…yeah, right, 2) buy an international data plan from AT&T, or 3) purchase access to our ship's Wi-Fi access. In the end, it looked like the Wi-Fi package would be the cheapest, so that's what we went with. My wife was careful to turn off all wireless data to all apps and services on her phone (I just kept my phone turned off all week. I would have thrown it in the ocean and never looked back if she'd have let me) as directed on the various FAQs she found, and she logged onto the ship's Wi-Fi without complication. Smooth sailing… or at least we thought so until we received our AT&T bill. Yup, you guessed it—$100 worth of charges for iMessages and calls.

Problem 2: Disposable Phones

My wife and I bought new iPhone 7s two years ago. It was a great time in our lives. I remember the occasion fondly because it was the same day that our sweet Avery (two years old at the time) dressed up in her yellow "Beauty" princess dress and took in her first movie theater experience with Mommy and Daddy. Well, fast-forward two years, and we just paid off those phones. And lo and behold, my wife updated her phone earlier this week and within 30 minutes…it stopped working. Not completely, just the microphone, which, contrary to this smart phone generation's beliefs, is kind of important. And there was "nothing" that could be done to fix it. Which meant, just when we were free from the clutches of our AT&T contract and iPhone debt, we were sucked back in. Sure, the wife would get her fancy new phone, but at what cost?

So off we went to the AT&T store. We spoke with our customer representative (Ayla, which is easy for me to remember because it's the name of a cavewoman character in my favorite video game of all time, but I digress…), and she was great. She upgraded our antiquated data plan, made sure we understood the new plan, showed us where things could be improved to fit our needs, let us know who to contact about the $100 charge on our AT&T bill, and put up with our two insane daughters while my wife got her new phone set up. All in all, it was a great experience, but it was one that should never have happened in the first place. Why? Because Apple is intentionally breaking their older iPhones (if two years is considered "old") so their customers will buy the newest model. If you're not aware of this practice (YES, it's real, and it's confirmed by Apple's corporate reps), read on. If you know about it, feel free to skip the next three paragraphs.

First, imagine a perfect product. Let's use a fish aquarium heater as an example. Its job is simple—heat water to a specific temperature so your tropical fishies don't freeze to death. A company could easily create a heater that would last for decades, but why in the world would they do that? Even if they charged double the price of typical heaters, they would still lose money because in those two decades' time, its customers would by three or four of those "disposable" heaters that crack or short out from routine use. So it just doesn't make financial sense for them to make a durable product when they could make one that works just long enough to keep the consumer coming back for more.

Now, take that principle to the tech world, and we have to look at things a little differently. For those of you old enough, you remember those first Nokia brick cellphones well. Why? Because they were indestructible, their batteries lasted forever, and they had service EVERYWHERE. They were perfect phones. Except, the most exciting game on them was Snake, and within a few years, the Blackberry (and all of it's thumb-injuring successors) had overshadowed the poor, reliable Nokia despite its inferior construction. In this way, the tech world kept consumers buying new products every year because the amazing technology advanced so rapidly. I mean, you'd be insane to use those boring old bricks that could only make calls and use T9 to text when there were newer phones out there that could take pictures and check electronic mail!

Then something happened. The technology started to stagnate. It kept improving, but not nearly as fast. All phones had cameras, internet access, and most importantly, apps. At that point, if a phone didn't break, it could be used forever while the user just downloaded whatever new apps that came out. Sure, the new apps would take up more space and demand stronger processors and whatnot, but a frugal user could make due for years and years. And that kind of return just didn't work for the tech companies. If they were ever going to be able to swim in a vault filled with gold coins a la Scrooge McDuck, they needed to find a way to keep selling new products that consumers had no real reason to buy. And so, they invented the "update." Oh yes, you NEED this update! It'll keep your phone safe. It'll keep it running smoothly with all those new apps. It'll keep it… updated. But we should mention that those updates will eventually fry your phone's "old" processor, forcing you to fork out a grand every couple of years.

I'm not going to pretend to be tech savvy enough to outline every reason for this (and that's not what this blog's about, anyway), but we've all been victims of the sudden battery death, random crashing, and in my wife's case, microphone failure that happens immediately after one of these "updates." And as I said, this practice is documented and admitted. For the big companies, it's essential to keep them afloat. Heaven forbid that they keep giving us actual reasons to buy new products. No, they've already perfected the smartphone, so instead of creating something new, they've found ways to keep selling us the same thing. It's brilliant, in an evil mastermind sort of way.

Okay, back to the story. My wife got her new phone. She was safe for the next couple of years (though it's just a matter of time before MY phone dies of update sickness…), so now it was time to take the fight to AT&T's retentions department and see about that $100 charge on our bill.

Round 1: I called 6-1-1 and I spoke with the level 1 boss, though I didn't catch her name… She told it to me, but I didn't catch it. She was polite the entire time. She explained how there were, in fact, charges on my bill and how those charges were because we'd used data and call services in international waters. I explained (politely) that we hadn't authorized these usages because we turned off all cellular data, etc. and only used Wi-Fi while out of the country, and that I didn't plan to pay these extra charges. 30 minutes later and she let me know that she was going to "send this case up," and I should get an email within 24 hours. "No," I said, again politely, "I think I'll just talk to someone now." Brief (ten minute) pause, then [insert name here] said, "One moment please."

Round 2: Level 2 boss's name was John, and his accent fit his name. He, just like Level 1 Boss, took a good while searching through the charges and getting back to me, but he also remained completely polite the entire time. He explained that the Wi-Fi packages on most cruise ships only cover international water usage, and our AT&T charges had come while we were docked in port in Haiti. Why? Because my wife's phone started using the Haitian towers (instead of the cruise line's Wi-Fi) without our approval. It made perfect sense whether it was true or not, but John went on to tell me that, while he may not be able to get ALL of the charges removed, he would do what he could because we were, "…long-time valued customers." His words, not mine. Five minutes later, John took me off of hold and told me that he obtained approval to take $75 off of the bill, so we would only have to pay $25. Truth be told, I had no intention of paying ANY of that bill, but my interaction with John was so pleasant (I didn't have to ask him to reduce the bill. I didn't have to bring up the fact that we were valued customers, or that we could take our business across the street to Crickett Wireless. He knew all of these things, and he that knew I knew them. And he got the job done, or close to it) that he'd gained my respect. I wasn't going to fight John over the remaining $25, even if it did take over an hour to get that $75 knocked off. Game over. Roll credits.

So here's the thing—I'm a huge skeptic. With everyone I worked with throughout this debacle, I know that there's a possibility that they were all just working off of a script. That they did exactly as they'd been trained, performing damage control and getting every cent possible out of a tough customer like me. After everything, it's possible that AT&T and Apple still won. But at least they played the game. At least these REAL people listened to me and answered my questions, and in the end, the interactions were extremely pleasant. Yes, I get that I'm a number to the companies, but I was a person to their employees. And they treated me with respect. And I did the same with them.

My title poses the question of who's more evil between AT&T and Apple. Unfortunately, I don't have the answer to that question, but in THIS case, as much as it hurts me to say it, the bigger evildoer is definitely Apple. Why? Well, in AT&T's case, their charges were legitimate. My wife incurred roaming charges in Haiti because of the cruise line's failure to explain how their services worked. And even if John straight up lied to me about that, his company still only wound up stealing $25 (and one hour) from me. Apple on the other hand… they're openly breaking their own phones so their loyal customers have to buy new ones. And those new phones cost a whole lot more than $25. Yes, our experience in the AT&T store was pleasant while buying that new Apple iPhone (thanks to Ayla), but it should have never come to that.

In the end, we're victims of our circumstances. We're brainwashed by brilliant marketing. We're forced into competition with our neighbors. And there's only one thing I can say as I finish up typing this scathing report on my Apple MacBook Air—Joke's on you, Satan, er, Apple. Money's not real. No one really owns anything anymore. There's no privacy. No Freedom. The only things we have are our experiences, our interactions, and our attitudes. And as the days get longer and the grass gets greener, I can't help hoping Y2K is just running fashionably late (all you millennials should Google Y2K along with The Matrix and Surge soda. There's so much you've missed…). In the meantime, I'm going to go cut my grass with a lawnmower that's older than every piece of technology I own, and believe it or not, it's never had a single update. What a world.

#att #apple #appleproducts #appleproblems #at&t #cellphoneproblems #tech problems #big business #momblr #mumblr #dadblr

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autoirishlitdiscourses · 3 years

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Discourse of Tuesday, 21 September 2021

Let me know right away if that still doesn't work, especially for specific passages in question and being an appropriate essay topic. Good luck with the connection between textual material and the Stars How would you characterize O'Casey's portrayal of home is disturbed by his disturbed parents, and I appreciate that you're saying and look for cues that this class was welcoming and supportive to other people have received several questions about how to deliver it. Again, I think you can start with major themes in the way that the professor wants is for your recitation notes and underlining, should be read allegorically as being the cranky ramblings of an overview of a status is this racial, cultural, historical, linguistic, and incur the no-show penalty, you should know the answer is. On reading the text than to worry about not having a full schedule this week. Your ultimate guide and final exams, and you managed to introduce some major aspect of the few I haven't pointed them out, and failure to notice an email saying Welp, guess I'll have a notebook in which students commonly make errors. So, the topic you proposed it's just that it's come to section. Let me play devil's advocate here and there are some quotes tagged philosophy of history on my shelf at home, possibly by style, narrative clues, etc.

This is again entirely up to that but it's more or less a series with which the novel as a TA for English 150 this quarter! Your third discussion question is a concrete suggestion for how you're using an abstraction would help for you for a productive exercise I myself would like you to be changed than send a new document, what do you see these ideas represented in the Forest of Arden itself a kind of viewer is likely to complain if I recall correctly: once during the week in section this quarter. What you primarily need to do well, in part because it won't actually be able to give a textually perfect recitation that you use. However, this isn't quite as carefully as the citizen, the culture of silence that prevails in the front of the implications of saying that you're phrasing a claim in a paper/, so pick any passage that's currently bespoken in that part is not a bad thing, I realize. I think that this is what I thought on the more likely during a future week, constantly reproducing women in the afternoon could we meet at 1:00 to 3. Of course! Your paper is due or a human being and a grade somewhere in the sense of the class was welcoming and supportive to other people are reacting to look closely at the smaller scales, too. I normally try to force them along, though. I think—as is quite a good job of setting up an interpretive pathway into what Yeats meant by the rules. /Or ideology, for instance. —4. I think that these paintings fall within the larger-scale course concerns and did an excellent Thanksgiving and a grade on the central issue is absurdism, but this is your central argument as your thesis statement is so good and it doesn't. I won't forcibly cut you off. Tomorrow night!

You've got some good, fairly contemporary 1948 reading of the same day as another person, dropped off in the outside possibility that you heard that the items on the construction of this, I felt like you to push yourself up to you with comments at the moment, it will be paying attention to the connections between the selection in the context of your performance.

And yes, that's one of the more that the best option for you, which would have helped some, here. What you might think about my own tongue. Thank you! This paper is often a way that the performance that you'd thought about the stereotypes involved are absolutely welcome to speak can be a stronger, clearer stand on how effective is a rather general argument, as you write, and what positions do you think, too, for instance, I really did quite a strong job!

Which texts I have that are relevant to them. As it turns out that there is a scholar's job to make sure that they're integrated into it. You are absolutely welcome to ask whether Molly generally thinks extensively about how you did a number of places that you examine as part of the Irish pound was subdivided, as a whole.

I think that it throws into relief some rather nitpicky issues, specifically, issues relating to slavery, identity, but getting the group is one of the paper is due to the group's discussion over the line into A-for-someone-else-to-last stanza, and I enjoyed having you in the text s with which they engage. I flipped through my email during the morning. I'm looking forward to your paper's thesis, because yes/no-show penalty. At least, with Stephen's rather strained relationship with each other, and do what the boss says. In addition, here is what I have you down many dark rabbitholes, such as mid-century American painter Willem de Kooning's Woman series is full. Again, thank you for a job well done, both of you. Well done on this you connected it effectively to do in order to turn your final paper? I didn't have a fever of 104 or a B for the recitation/discussion, since someone canceled. You've been very punctual this quarter.

I also think that you have other business during section or not you agree with me for any reason during that time passes differently when you're making photocopies of the section to get to. You also did some very good arrangement. My name is not a demand, because the section why they appeal to you. Great! Your Grade Is Calculated document I do have one extensive monologue from someone who is beleaguered by temptations that he understood the issues that you turn in a comparative manner over time, so that I sent to you earlier. It is/your/grade, but rather that you're working with all of these bonuses, which words and ideas in here, and you have just under 95% for the quarter provided that you examine late in the west have become more comfortable with the time that you make notes about things that interest you to be as successful as you're capable of working through a merciless editing process. Or you might find helpful. You displayed an excellent summer! Then re-think your plan, either in linking to it from my student again for doing a good one, I think that it is necessary to call on you as you may very well if you miss section, but really, you could say so as to avoid dealing with this by dropping into lecture mode if people don't immediately know the exact time or the MLA requires parenthetical citations. It's often that the paper, but I think that you've outlined a series of questions that go straight for it to. With an idea, it feels to me in my 6 o'clock section, so I'd say to i says in this particular passage that's not unusual at this point. You handled your material you emphasize I think.

#Irish literature #automatically generated text #Patrick Mooney #Python #Markov chains

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omnimd-blog · 3 years

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Billing denials adversely affect the operational and financial efficiency of a healthcare practice resulting in higher administrative charges. According to a recent Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) report, 76.1% of healthcare leaders say that denial is the biggest challenge.

By the time your claim gets denied, you have already spent not less than two weeks. Then to appeal a denied claim, you invest additional time, money, and resources. It also means a longer waiting period to receive reimbursements. Cardiology billing denial is no exception.

With more insurance companies imposing stricter eligibility criteria for claims submission, cardiologists find it increasingly difficult to receive reimbursements. Wondering why cardiology claims get denied? Some of the most common reasons for cardiology billing denials are:

Incorrect or incomplete documentation.

Illegible handwriting if claims are manually submitted.

Incorrect coding.

Missing modifiers, combination codes.

Preauthorization not obtained.

How to Prevent Cardiology Billing Denials

As outlined by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA), a practice should achieve a 95% or higher clean claim rate. Interestingly, most practices struggle to achieve a clean rate above 75%. Now even for a small practice that files 2000 claims with a 10% denial rate, it comes to 200 denied claims! According to MGMA, reworking a claim costs $10-$25, translating into a considerable number for these 200 claims.

Given the complexity of these challenges, you should act fast and start with addressing the core issues. To help you understand where it could go wrong, we have shared nine tips. Following these will surely increase the clean claims ratio and prevent denials or audits.

1. Avoid Late Filing

In order to meet timely filing requirements, billers need to make sure their claims are acceptable. A claim can be rejected at any stage, and once it returns to your desk, half the time is gone. Note that your payer is only interested in entertaining your claim when submitted with the required elements necessary for processing and well before the deadline.

Familiarize yourself with the best practices that ensure timely filing of claims to avoid denials:

Always check payer-wise timely filing limits on claims submission.

File fresh claims daily.

Appeal denied or rejected claims before the deadline.

Use an electronic claim submission software to avoid late filing.

2. Enter Correct Patient Information

Most mistakes start with the patient registration process. Avoid entering incorrect patient data and always double-check their date of birth, name or spelling, subscriber number, and other important information before filing. As, managing patient files manually can be challenging and there are chances of misplacing them, you can use an EHR to manage patient information and health records easily, update real-time, and securely share with authorized users. It will also help you avoid repeated paperwork and chances of mistakes.

3. Minimize Coding Errors

Accurate coding is critical to achieving claim success. Cardiology practices often face various challenges, such as, entering incorrect or deleted codes, missing modifiers or combination codes, lacking specialty-specific coding experience, and under coding. As a result, claims are either denied or underpaid. Codes like 93880 (non-invasive cerebrovascular arterial study) can be billed twice a year only. 93297 and 93295 cannot be used in conjunction together. To minimize coding mistakes, refer to the latest CPT, HCPCS, and ICD-10 CM and PCS code books. Subscribe to the quarterly newsletter released by the American Heart Association (AHA) to stay informed about the recent updates and changes. Additionally, you should often check for updates with the CMS and local regulatory bodies.

4. Check Insurance Coverage

Whether you are rendering service to returning patients or registering new clients, it is necessary to verify the patient’s eligibility and benefits each time.

Pay attention to:

Pre-existing conditions.

Lifetime benefit cap.

Change of employer or insurance plans.

Whether your facility is listed as in network or out of network provider.

Cardiac tests and services are not covered under the plan.

5. Avoid Duplicate Filing

Beware of duplicate filing claims for the same individual, same visit, and same service. Consider periodic audits and remove duplicates. When appealing a denied claim, ensure the necessary corrections. Failing to comply with the rules and resubmitting claims without making proper changes will lead to your claim being denied on the ground of duplicate billing and may even lead to auditing.

6. Use Diagnoses and Signs/Symptoms Codes Judiciously

According to the 2019 ICD-10-CM Official Guidelines for Coding and Reporting, Section I-B, healthcare practitioners are required to report confirmed diagnoses, if found, and not use signs/symptoms codes (2). The report indicates, “Codes that describe symptoms and signs, as opposed to diagnoses, are acceptable for reporting purposes when a related definitive diagnosis has not been established (confirmed) by the provider.”

7. Seek Pre-Authorization When Needed

Nearly 64% of physicians report it is difficult to determine which tests and procedures require pre-auth by insurers. Many cardiologists lose out on their claim(s) settlement failing to abide by the pre-auth requirements. Several cardiac procedures on the heart and pericardium like ‘pacemaker installation, ‘electrophysiologic’ and/or implantation of hemodynamic monitors, etc., require preauthorization. If you render services that fall under this criterion, verify with the insurance provider, and obtain a preauthorization.

8. Ensure Complete & Accurate Documentation

Incorrect documentation can cost your time, revenue, and put you at risk for denials and payer audits. As short-hand notes can be confusing and lack depth, you should ensure complete documentation and transcription. It will help you avoid unnecessary hassle and miscommunication with billers and coders. An Electronic Health Record and Practice Management System can efficiently help you achieve higher accuracy.

9. Optimize Revenue Cycle Management Software

Using an advanced revenue cycle management software can significantly reduce administrative errors and billing denials. For example, OmniMD comes with intuitive solutions for cardiologists, and specialty healthcare providers, such as it triggers alerts, generates automated predictive analysis to potential flag denials, offers preauthorization tracking module all in one place. Consider switching to an effective and efficient EHR and Revenue Cycle Management software to enhance your claims filing experience and minimize revenue cycle gaps.

Cardiology billing denial is both unnecessary and avoidable. With the best practices and effective revenue cycle management software, you can surely achieve a higher clean claim rate and prevent denials.

#denial management #Denial Claims #claim management #Healthcare #rcm #rcm services #revenue cycle management

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youthcenter2020-blog · 6 years

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What has been completed this week and summer plans for our project!

For the past week, Jade and I have been working on some of the main key steps before getting started with our project which are the feasibility study and our business plan. Despite the crazy amount of work that has been assigned for the past two weeks, we still haven’t let the large amount of work affect our motivation and drive for this project!

What is a feasibility study?

A feasibility study is a type of analysis which is used to measure the ability and to successfully complete a project including all relevant factors. It must account for factors that affect it such as technological, economical, legal and scheduling aspects. Project managers use feasibility studies to determine the potential positives and negatives outcomes of a project before investing a considerable amount of money or time into it!

Here is a part of our feasibility study that has been completed throughout this week and was needed to be completed before we had gotten started with our project. This is the first page of the feasibility study, where names are required, if the priority of your project is high, medium or low and the description of your project.

In order to write a successful feasibility study, you need to ensure that you are very specific and you have an organized plan for what you are going to be doing in the future. While you write your feasibility study, some of the main requirements to fill are:

Project description:

Exposing the diverse youth of Costa Rica by offering a global cultural experience through activities , meaningful engagements and games that will enrich and diversify their mindsets through a variety of cultural experiences. Involving activities such as connecting the youth group through social interactions.

The strand of CAS meaning if your project is lead to more of a creative, active or service project.

Activity

The main purpose of your project

The purpose of this project focuses on the youth of Tamarindo to develop social skills and cultivate their knowledge of various cultural experiences.

Background (why does this project interest you?)

This project will give us the opportunity for personal growth while also utilizing skills amongst what the community offers. This exchange of knowledge will allow both sides to grow not only as an individual but as a community.

Main supporting evidence meaning (included interviews, research about other projects that are similar, websites)

Ashley Look: Director of Tamarindo Youth group ( Church )

Carolyn Herman: Workshop coordinator, vice president of board of directos

Some of the mentors/Advisors/Advocates that will help you with your project. Some of the major potential

Carolyn Herman

Kevin Herman

Amy Jacobs

Ashley Look

Silvana Zindovic

Nadja Imbert

Major Potential Benefits:

Cultural experiences

Community involvement

Social interactions,

Variety of Cultures

Safe and friendly environment

New faces

Anticipated Outcomes:

Create a safe environment for teens to have fun and interact socially through meeting new people and exchanging cultural experience.

Which of the 7 learning outcomes will be addressed?

1. Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth, 2. Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process, 3. Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS project, 4. Show commitment and perseverance in the CAS experience, 5. Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively, 6. Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance, 7. Recognize and consider the ethics of choices and actions.

Project Funding:

Mention what is the determined budget and the source of funding for this project!

What is a business plan?

A business plan is a strict and precise document filled with business goals, reasons on how they are attainable, and some of the main plans for reaching those goals. It also contains background information about the organization( project) and team in reaching these specific goals.

Since we’ve started this project, one of our mentors Ms. Amy Jacobs has assigned us to create a business plan with a given outline, the business plan is extremely important before getting started with our project because with the business plan we have an organized layout in order to determine the main plans of our project before getting started.

Outline of business plan:

• Name and address of the proposed business • Cost of premises and the all other start-up costs • Details of the owners and past business experience • The type of business organization (sole partnership, etc.) • Quantifiable goals and objectives of the proposed business or project The product • Details of the goods and or services being offered • Supporting evidence showing why customers will pay for the product • Where and how production will take place, (the equipment that will be needed) • Details of the suppliers of resources such as raw materials or components • Costs of production (the expected costs of operating the business • Pricing strategies to be used The market • The expected number of customers or the forecast level of sales • The nature of the market such as customer profiles and market segmentation • The expected growth of the market in the foreseeable future • Competitor analysis (market share, strengths, and weaknesses) The finance • Proposed sources of finance (how will the business be funded?) • Break-even analysis • Security (financial guarantees) in case the borrower defaults on the loan • Cash flow forecast and steps to deal with cash flow problems • Forecast profit and loss account for the first year of trading • Forcast balance sheet showing the financial health of the business • Forecast rate of return for investors The personnel • The number and job roles of the workers likely to be employed • Organizational structure of HR • Details of payment systems (wage rates) The marketing • Market research and test marketing • The distribution plan, detailing where the products will be sold • Details of the promotional mix used to target customers • Any unique or distinctive selling point to differentiate itself from its rivals

This might look like a very large list but extremely worth it because once this has been completed, an organized layout of your project is sat in front of you and makes the start of your project much easier!

During this summer, one of my main focuses is writing about some of the few things I will be focusing on getting started with once school starts and what will be the first few things that will be attempted to be started with. I am very glad that Jade and I were able to find someone that will be able to supervise our project once we are out of the country, and we won’t need to worry about taking care of the location or the project once it’s on hold when we are out of the country! I can’t wait to get started with this project, we have a great head-start since we have our location, our feasibility study and business plan completed! Once I am back from Summer break, I will get started as quickly as possible, by meeting with some of our mentors and finding out with what we will get started with next!

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