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Self-Care for Writers: Key Issues, Key Steps

Starting a new writing project is exciting. You had the idea, planned the chapters, and the time for writing has come. When I’m working on a book I write for hours, think about revisions constantly, and even revise in my sleep. If I don’t monitor myself, however, I can become obsessed with writing. I work longer than I should, get behind on household tasks, have an aching back, and tired, gritty eyes. None of these things foster writing. While I’m writing I think of my disabled husband and my caregiving duties. Although I take good care of him, sometimes I don’t take good care of myself. To be productive, writers need to care for their physical and emotional selves. Self-care can prevent debilitating colds, long-term illness, and burn-out. Here are some suggestions for you. Adjust your chair. Mayo Clinic, in its article, “Office Ergonomics: Your How-To Guide, says your knees should be about level with your hips when sitting in a computer chair. My chair is comfortable, but it doesn’t support my lower back, so I use a small beanbag pillow. I bought the travel pillow from an airport shop and it’s a useful thing to have. Use a foot rest. Your feet may not reach the floor if you are a short person. The solution is to rest your feet on a small stool or stack of books. Usually my feet are flat on the floor. Still, after I’ve been working a long time, I worry about the veins in my legs, and stretch my legs out straight, and rest them on a stool beneath my computer desk. Get moving. Short breaks are surprisingly effective. I get up every half hour, do some stretches, and walk around the room. You may do this or walk in place. Desk exercises are pictured in the article, “Deskercise! 33 Smart Ways to Exercise at Work,” on the Greatest website. It describes stationary jogging, squats, leaning your back against a wall, chair exercises, and more. Choose some exercises and do them regularly. Eat healthy snacks. The calories in snack foods add up quickly. In fact,they may equal a total meal. Limit your sweet and salty snacks. You’ll find more ideas in “10 Healthy Office Snacks to Eat at Your Desk,” by Leyla Shamayeva, on the Calorie Count website. It recommends cereal cups, nuts, whole wheat crackers, peanut butter, dried fruits, and sealed fruit cups in water. Technically, water isn’t a snack, but it’s wise to keep bottled water on hand. “Sip throughout the day and watch your productivity and mood improve,” the author writes. Aim for eight hours of sleep. Even if you’re a “night owl” you need to get enough rest. Try to go to bed at the same time each night. Lower the temperature in your bedroom to promote sleep. Avoid big projects and upsetting television programming before bedtime because they can keep you awake. A body pillow may help you to sleep more comfortably. Nurture your spirit. I’m a health and wellness writer and when I bog down it usually is due to lack of information. Searching for additional information can be tedious. Instead of doing the research immediately, I call time out and renew my spirit with poetry (I love Robert Frost), or read a magazine article, or look at photos on a royalty-free website. Fifteen minutes later, I’m energized and ready to get back to work. These tips will help you stay energized and ready for writing.

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Using A Plagiarism Checker Online

If you work as a researcher, content writer or running a website, then epidemic of duplication and plagiarism has become a concern for you. Fortunately, there are tools available that help in plagiarism checking and detection. The online plagiarism checker helps to detect plagiarism from the text and highlight the part of the text published or copied to somewhere on the web. Using such plagiarism tools will help you to get rid of the plagiarism and create genuine content for your websites. How to Choose A Plagiarism Checker There are a number of reasons, which form the basis to use the plagiarism checker tools online. The plagiarism tools have a great variety ranging from free to paid tools. However, most of the free tools are enough to fulfill the purpose and you don’t need to buy plagiarism checker online. The user testimonials and feedback about a particular product or service plays an important role in choosing the plagiarism tool online. Following points can help to choose the right software for plagiarism: · One of the factors that users normally determined is ease of access to the tool. If you are able to access the website and use the tool without any complications then you may use the tool again and again. So, ease to access is the most important factor that determines the use of plagiarism tool. · Look at the popularity of the tool. If too many people are recommending and using the website for plagiarism, then the plagiarism tool has got something special and you should try it as well. · Check the number of sources that the tool has scanned in the history. The more tools, it has scanned, then the better the software will work for the plagiarism. · Check the percentage of plagiarism the software detects from the text. If it works 100%, then you must prefer the tool over the others. · Does this plagiarism checker tool offer any detailed report about the plagiarism checks? If it provides a detailed report about the plagiarism, then you should pick this tool to find plagiarism. · How long does it give free access to the users? If the tool is offered for the limited period of time, then it’s better to find out some other tool for checking plagiarism online. · Does this tool need any software to download and install to use the application? It is quite annoying for most of the users and normally users prefer to use such software without any hassles. However, every person has a different need and requirements to use the application. It might be important for you to consider the accuracy and cost, so consider all such points before finally using any software for checking plagiarism.

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The “What, Why, When and How” of a Content Plan

For a moment, visualize your website without the words, the images, the videos, the audio, the embed apps or even the raw data! How does it look and feel now? Empty, inanimate, useless, and worthless! Well, that sums up the value of web content. That said, you cannot fill up your website with just anything. The content you place and distribute over the World Wide Web, ought to have a purpose, which may be brand building, boosting online sales, simply delivering information to the visitors or a mix of all of these. When the content fails to hit these targets, it is nothing but noise. So, what differentiates a meaningful, relevant, goal-oriented content from the noise? The answer is – a strategic Content Plan. “What is Content Plan & Do I have one for my website?” The question is an obvious unless you are an online marketer who spends hours mapping digital marketing campaigns. In the plainest words, the Content Plan is a blueprint of what content you publish online, when, on what platform, for whom and with what objective. The other experts may add to the definition to widen its scope, but the essence is extracted in this one sentence. Now, addressing the latter part of your question, “Do I have one for my website”; well, if you have a documented plan for what content you release on the internet, your answer is a yes. Otherwise, you are still in need of one. “Okay! I don’t have a Content Plan, and I think I don’t need it either” That’s a common perception, and there’s nothing wrong if you feel the same way. However, please answer these questions to see if there is a shift in position regarding your Content Plan claim.

The 4 straight ‘No(s)‘ or even 3 of them, is an eye-opener – a Content Plan is required. “Agree! Suggest me a Content Plan then!” To get a Content Plan that’s tailored exactly as per your business requirements, you may seek assistance from the professionals who are expert in Web Content Development. In case, you want to do it yourself, here is an outline of the entire content planning process. “How Do I Start?” For a new website, you begin Content Planning when you are through with the user research. In case, you already own a website with no content strategy, the process can be divided into the following broad stages.

This is about identifying the online networks and communities where brands like you are discussed so that you can listen to the traffic and develop suitable content.

What the users want? The better way is to ask them. Conducting informal research and getting friends and acquaintances take up survey questions can be a good way of user research if you are all on your own.

What type of content is a hit among the users on a particular platform, network or online community? Content profiling involves the analysis of available content from similar brands so as to develop an engaging content in the form of text, images, audio, videos, apps and the like.

An integrated content calendar is a must for a successful digital marketing campaign. It involves scheduling of content releases on various platforms. Articles, blogs, tweets, Facebook status updates, and all other content type is planned in advance and tailored with an eye on trends and seasonality.

This is the most demanding part and involves combined efforts from the content strategists, editors, writers, data analysts and user behavior specialists. You may commission specialist content like video, infographics, mobile applications, etc. and serve the users with valuable, relevant matter. Linking to third-party content and directing visitors to useful content is another smart way of using the best content available on the subject.

The greatest of content, if not distributed, on the right time on the right space, will rot and eventually lose user-value. The techniques of Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Optimization, syndication, paid search and content partnership play a defining role on how well the content circulates in the exploitable channels.

You need to audit and measure the results of your content marketing efforts. It provides a keen insight on how the targeted users are influenced and how positive they are about the content, which will eventually govern the required modifications. Hopefully, all these details about the Content Plan will guide you devise an effective content strategy and help your website get bigger and better.

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Writers – Every Friday You Need to Evaluate How You’ve Spent Your Work Week

If you’re a writer, every Friday you should spend some time looking back over the marketing plan and writing schedule you created on Sunday or Monday to evaluate how you’ve spent your work week. If you follow your marketing plan during the week, on Friday you should feel pretty good about the progress you’ve made the last few days. And, you should have marked off several items on your “to do” list each day. But every Friday, as you’re evaluating what you’ve done during the last 5 days, also be on the lookout for behaviors and actions that you’ve taken that were not on your marketing plan – actions that really didn’t move you any closer to your major career goals for the year. For example, how much time did you spend on Facebook or Twitter during the week, just sharing cute pictures, interesting quotes, or silly sayings? Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are great for writers like you. But only when used strategically. Otherwise, they can rob you of valuable writing time. Were there actions on the week’s marketing plan that you KNOW would help move you closer to your goals, yet you didn’t take these actions because you felt a little “uncomfortable” about them? For example, did you plan to query a magazine with an article idea, yet you didn’t get the query written for fear it would be rejected? OR – did you plan to contact some local businesses with proposals for writing services you could offer them, but then you “chickened out” and didn’t get this done? Obviously, the first thing to evaluate each Friday is whether you even had a marketing plan and work schedule in place for the week. If you didn’t have these things in place, then your first task for the coming week is to get your marketing plan and work schedule created. Think of this – The life you are living and the success you are experiencing right now are a direct result of the actions you’ve been taking day after day, week after week. If you aren’t happy with your life and/or your business right now, then you need to get tough on yourself and start taking the actions that will ultimately lead to the life and business you really want. Evaluating how you spend your time each week will help you realize what you need to do differently the following week if you are finally going to get serious about reaching your goals. Try it!

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How to Prepare Yourself for Dissertation Defense

Dissertation defense is one of the most stressful things that a PhD student has to go through in his or her doctoral life. After the dissertation gets ready, now it’s time to prepare yourself for a “lekenpraatje” or attending a room full of scholars and present your dissertation. You don’t know what questions are going to come on your way and you have to be prepared for defending your dissertation to make a strong impact on the scholars and intellectuals. In this article, we will try to find out some useful techniques by which you can prepare yourself for the forthcoming array of uncertain questionnaire. Reread Your Dissertation: You have no idea what questions can be asked once you give your presentation. So it is very necessary that you have a good hold on what you have prepared so far. Go through your dissertation as many times as you can and make simple notes of important points. If you have taken expert consultation from some service provider, you can ask your queries to them and get a clear view of your paper. Don’t forget to pay minute attention to your theoretical chapter as questions may arise on your proposed model. Make a Gist of Your Dissertation: While reading your dissertation, you can make a gist of it. Try to compress the gist of a page into one line and note it down. This will help you to get hold of your subject matter and help you to memorize the crux of your thought. Make a Crisp Presentation of Your Dissertation: To create an impact on the scholars that are invited to attend the defense and give them an overview of your work, a presentation of your dissertation can help you no doubt. Prepare a Power Point Presentation long before the defense date and rehearse as much as you can. Make sure your presentation, captured in slides, represents your dissertation within the specified time limit. Try to Think Possible Questions: You can turn your meeting notes that you get from the committee members and turn those into probable questions. Try to gather an idea of probable questions from the committee members, promoter or copromoter. Give your guesswork an extra shot and try to list some possible questions per committee member. Make Some Smart Moves: You can make optimum use of internet, stay abreast with the things happening around the subject of your dissertation. Get in touch with experienced doctorates on social sites and try to seek their advice on how to handle a defense. Try to gather literature sources that are relevant to your dissertation. And of course, think positive, get a hold to your nerve and have enough sleep to keep your mind calm and cool.

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Biography of Martha Gellhorn

Martha Ellis Gellhorn famously known as Martha Gellhorn was known to be a novelist of an American origin, a writer as well as a journalist. She was famous mostly because of her journalism skills and the urge to be a foreign reporter made her a global name. She was also referred to as a war correspondent of the 20th century and was the best in what she did. She had an ardent interest in war stories and made sure that she covered each and every war story from around the world. Her stint as a war journalist lasted for around 60 long years. Apart from being a global name for war journalism, she was also famous as the third wife of the world famous American Novelist Ernest Hemingway. The marriage lasted for around five years but it no doubt brought about limelight to her life. She had to face a lot of criticisms from people when they compared her writing along with the writings of her husband. She believed bringing out her voice to the world according to the vision that she saw and not copy her husband just because he was a famous novelist known for his beautiful writing. Childhood and Early Life • Martha was born on the 8th of November 1908 to George Gellhorn and Edna Fischel Gellhorn in St. Louis, Missouri. Her mother Edna Fischel Gellhorn was a suffragist and her father George Gellhorn was a gynecologist. • She had two brothers who had great careers and excelled in whatever they did. • Martha had a rebellious nature and did what she felt was right and these traits flowed through her genes where her mother too was a social activist and believe in letting people enjoy their rights. • Martha graduated from her high school John Burroughs School in the year 1926 and got herself enrolled in Bryn Mawr College but left midway in the year 1927 to pursue a promising career in Journalism. • She made sure that her articles were put out for the world to see and thus they got published in The New York Republic and this continued till the year 1930. • She grasped the various messages that the world conveyed to her and eventually published her very first publication named ‘What Mad Pursuit’ in the year 1934. • She later came to America to find herself with a job with the Federal Emergency relief Administration. During the ‘Great Depression’ in America and thus she became the official reporter for the ‘Great Depression’ where the government stored the contents that she captured and were the official correspondence files. Career • She continued being a war journalist with a rebellious nature. She was hired for ‘Collier’s Weekly’ where she reported on Adolf Hitler who has recently become famous for his deeds. • She covered the details and the situations of the World War 2 from countries like Singapore, Burma, Finland, England and Hong Kong. • Martha made sure that she reached the depth of the war situation and made sure that no one caught her red handed while covering the war stories. On June 6th, 1944, she was the first woman to reach Normandy and also report from the Dachau Concentration camp after the camp availed independence from the Allied troops. • She later was employed for the ‘Atlantic Monthly’ where she covered the Vietnam War and the troubles between the Arabs and the citizens of Israel during the 60s and the 70s. • She was soon realizing that her body was giving up due to age as she had almost reached her 70th year and thus couldn’t manage to run about to places and countries in order to cover stories of political conflict. Major Works • Apart from being a fierce journalist, Martha Gellhorn was a novelist as well as a travel writer. She put down her experiences and the real emotions of the lives of the grief stricken people in words and publish acclaimed books named ‘A stricken Field’ in the year 1940, ‘The face of War” in the year 1959, ‘The Lowest Trees have Tops’ in the year 1967, ‘Travels with Myself and Another’ in the year 1978 and finally ‘The view from the Ground’ in the year 1988. Awards & Achievements • Being a globally famous war journalist during the time when women weren’t given much importance brought about a change in the lives of several women. Martha Gellhorn became an inspiration for women and years later in 2007, the United States Postal Service announced a stamp in honor of the best journalists of the 20th century. There was an award announced on her name where journalists from around the world were commemorated with an award each year for writing outstanding journalism content in English either for newspapers or the Internet. Personal Life & Legacy • Martha Gellhorn had several love affairs but had found true love when she met Ernest Hemingway. She married him in the year 1940 but parted ways in the year 1945 with a divorce. • She disliked being compared to his writings and wanted to be an independent novelist with a unique way of putting down her thoughts. • She had a second marriage to the former managing editor of the Time Magazine named T.S. Matthews in the year 1954. She had planned a sorted life with him by shifting to London but later divorced him after around 11 years. • She had adopted a baby boy in the year 1949 but soon had sour relationships with him as she had other priorities. • Towards the end of her life, Martha was almost blind, suffered from ovarian cancer and was reported to commit suicide and end her life by swallowing Cyanide. Trivia • Martha Gellhorn was considered to be a woman who was sexually manipulative and didn’t involve in physical relationships with her partners with her personal consent. She was also described as ‘conscientious’.

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Let Your Introduction Chapter Give a Lasting Expression

First impression is the last impression! This adage goes well with researchers. They should always keep it in my mind that the first chapter of their thesis or their dissertation, which is the Introduction Chapter, is pivotal for their success. So they should try to make it most reader-friendly as it is the chapter which will pass on their research motive to readers. There are many students who find it challenging to develop effective content for this chapter. However, with a little grit and determination, it is not that difficult to mark a lasting expression in the mindset of readers. Thus, the first job, in this effort, is to set the right base. The Introduction Chapter should set the base of the study by providing basic information which a reader requires. The initial thing which one should keep in mind is to give the background of the research and to explain about the problem and its practical implications. Thereafter, the researcher should discuss his methodology, principles and research design briefly to set the tone for research in reader’s mind. The readers should also be well-informed about researcher’s goals and hypotheses as it will help them to understand his study’s findings and applications. Secondly, the readers should know the aim and objective of the study. They should know why the researcher has chosen this study. So they should be made aware of the specific purpose which the study has adopted through this paper. Therefore, it is important to maintain the orientation and focus on study. To bring in clarity for readers, the statement of researcher’s purpose or topic of subject should be written somewhere in first few lines of the chapter. Thirdly the importance of the subject should be discussed. The readers should be made aware of different facts that make the papers important. They should also know about related researches that other people have been doing in the past. So try to add a context in the paper. Also, a background should be set for the study that is being pursued. Explain why this project has been selected. Try picking up some landmark studies that are related and linked to the study. This can highlight the importance of the research in the wider scheme. Lastly but not the least, certain relevant issues that exist in papers should always be addressed. If they seem important, they should be addressed and the readers should be informed about them. Thus, the conclusion of this article is that the first chapter of your research that is the introduction chapter should be organised well to make a lasting impression in reader’s mind.

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Invisible Child

Andrea Elliott is a writer that won the Pulitzer Prize in 2007. She seeks for the best stories even if they are the most complicated. According to the New York Times article about the author, she became passionate about disclosing poverty and social problems. On 2013 as an extensive report for the New York Times, after her article “Invisible Child” was published, she won the George Polk award among other honors. With this article she prompted city officials’ to remove 400 children from substandard shelters. As part of her background she faces the problem as there was no middle class in the city of New York, where financial pressure such as unemployment, health care, housing costs, and low wages are becoming more common. Andrea Elliott puts in the spotlight this social problem as a person; she has a name, a family, and a dream, but not a place that she can call home. This “invisible Child,” Dasani, comes out to the world to show people how little grateful they are, I include myself. This 11-year-old girl, seen by the eyes of Elliott, shows that Dasani is strong enough to wake up under the same roof of 22,000 other homeless, the same roof where drugs are toss around like air, where the oxygen is almost not enough, where the piles of unwashed clothes are bigger than her bed, and sexual predator are always puckish. Dasani still goes on, despite the daily struggle, her vast amount of responsibilities, her parental dysfunction, and her fear of being rejected by society. In my analysis I would show how the author makes her readers question about how fortunate they are; she sets forth this article via pathos, to indicate that this “invisible child” is still able to get up every day with zest and yet say “That is a lot on my plate.” Andrea Elliott shows her version of what New York is without the luxury, kudos, and wealth. That New York related with, commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, technology, education, and entertainment; opens its doors every year to approximately 55 million annual visitors. Sadly, according to the Coalition for Homeless Organization, 58,987 people will sleep tonight in New York City shelter, yes the same New York. Year by year this number gets higher and the solution gets more remote. That is why Andrea Elliott through pathos, plays an important role on the issue. Each word and each picture set on this article brought home the incompetence of society to take a closer look to the problem. This impressive and powerful article that Andrea Elliott shared provides a window into inequality. Every single time that Elliott talks about the homelessness, is easy to sense how this issue, dispensing the tragedy and the rough conditions is handle with bravery. Elliott implies on every line that the simple things can be more meaningful for people with fewer facilities in life. The author displays empathy with her readers on each detail. For example, a character on the story of the girls mother Joanie, got a her life turned around after the New York Times helped her to find a job she said that the best day of her life was her first day of job, they live by a dream ruling them, a reason to live. Normally a regular person that has everything will never catalogue his first day of job as the best of his life, most of the time they feel forced or miserable about it. Elliott touched me in a way that probably any article before. Elliott’s rhetorical analysis of pathos is her forte; her words to describe the situation are labels to describe a situation for example: garments, veneer of affluence, and yearnings are more emotional for readers than clothing. The use of analogies, metaphors, and other figures of speech not only make Elliott’s article more interesting and compelling. Dasani’s own spirited intelligence and devotion for life is what Andrea Elliott gives to her readers into pathos. She sleeps with her seven siblings, and her parents on six decaying mattresses. Not even close enough to the queen mattress where most of the New Yorker spends their nights. They share a communal bathroom, with toilets frequently clogged with vomit and feces. And yes! Sometimes people just complain about their siblings taking longer in the tub. Simple details can prove how unequal life can be. While some people are fighting for their life others are fighting against it. On that view given by Elliott, is possible to face with more than inequality; the real issue is how tight-lipped people shutter themselves when the moment of facing a social problem starts questioning their way of living. A concrete visual element opens many more emotional pathways that abstract words alone. One of my strongest connections with Elliott’s article was the visual that she used along her article. The persuasive appeal of pathos identify the audience self-interest, in this article her words are vivid and specific but is not the same, as a readers, to see exactly how the room of a homeless shelter looks like, a concrete demonstration of pathos. She creates and addresses image of the room where this family lives among a few others. An image can work on our pity thus descriptions of painful or pleasant things. Stories are normally the best path to get closer to an audience, just as Andrea Elliott does in her article, an author named Sherman Alexie in his book The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian tells a story, he get to his readers by humor in order to evoke emotions such as joy and surprise, and often triggers a strong connection of friendships. In this book Alexie, introduces himself as a hydrocephalic, not very wealthy, but an amazing artist. This author uses simple but engaging words in order to connect with his readers. This story of Alexie is a simple kid trying to live a better life in between of two different cultures while trying to discover his own potential. So how many invisible children are worth telling their story? His rhetorical style is based on the same story telling that Andre Elliott presents, the difference is that Elliot’s article even though has support from data to build credibility is connect with Alexie’s by pathos, on this emotional appeal with vivid language and numerous detail that only a story can present. A perfect example of this can be the article The Public Obligations of Intellectuals written by Michael Eric Dyson. He thinks that the problem of society is that has dumbed down, dumbed down till the point where people won’t take time to know the problem. I believe that 90 percent of the people that could have had access to Elliott’s’ article the problem could seem distant from them and out of their reach; but an action taken can be as simple as taking a closer look, a look than can be more meaningful than just turning the back and pretending that the problem is not there. If I compare Dasani’s economical poverty with tight-lipped people that are just pretending to be out of the problem, I get a 50-50. The story is based on a fact by pathos though a homeless girl that has plenty of what many lack. More than taking action the authors make a call that needs to be answer, and it can be as simple as getting into another’s’ shoes and at least taking the moral of this fable.

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Top 10 Podcasts for Journalists in 2016

It’s no secret that the podcasting world has seen quite the renaissance in 2015. It has never been easier to download your favourite podcast to take with you anywhere on your smart phone or tablet. Podcasts are an indispensable journalism resource and will become increasingly so in 2016. The modern journalist simply must keep abreast of the gadgets, software and trends shaping the industry today. The good news is that podcasts make this easier to do than ever-before! Here are ten amazing shows to wrap your ears around in 2016: 10. Content Warfare Ryan Hanley presents ‘Content Warfare’, this serialized podcast features some of the world’s most prolific creators of online content. Popular topics include content creation and marketing, audience building and social media. This is a good one for anyone working in the digital media space who is keen to keep abreast of the latest trends and tools available out there. 9. @Sree show Technology journalist Sree Sreenivasan was named Fast Magazine’s most creative person of 2015 for a reason, his podcast @Sreeshow is full of great hands-on advice for the digital journalist. Sree is prolific in the industry and taught at Columbia Journalism School for over 20 years before becoming Chief Digital Officer at the Met Museum of Art in New York City. He gives great advice everything from making the most of social media, photography and design, to tips on the latest mobile technologies. Worth a listen. 8. The High-Income Business Writing Podcast Ed Gandia is a B2B writer who presents a show which looks at the nitty-gritty of what it takes to succeed in copywriting or business writing. This twice-monthly show is very much aimed at those working in the (freelance) business writing space. Gandia uses real-life case studies to demonstrate the best ways to find better clients, prepare content, or streamline your business as a freelancer (and much more). This is an entertaining and very hands-on podcast and is one to follow in 2016. 7. On The Media This weekly hour-long radio show/podcast seeks to explore “how the media sausage is made”, as it “lifts the veil on the process of making-media”. And, it does. Hosts Brooke Gladstone and Bob Garfield take us behind the world’s headlines as they skeptically entertain us by revealing how the biggest stories are put together – whilst uncovering the not-so-obvious political narratives in everything we consume in the media. This is an eye-opener and should be required listening. 6. The Freelance Game Veteran freelancers Andrew Hayward and Nathan Meunier co-host “The Freelance Game” podcast which covers the industry generally (with expertise in video gaming journalism). This very entertaining podcast specializes in dispensing advice on all areas of a freelance writer’s life. If you need advice on pitching to editors, interview strategies or diversifying your income as a freelancer then you need to check this out. 5. The Media Podcast with Olly Mann The Media Podcast is recorded in London’s Covent Garden and is brought to us by Olly Mann (writer, gadget correspondent, LBC Radio presenter and occasional TV news commentator). Our affable presenter is our guide to all-things broadcast, print and digital media-industry related. The show frequently features leading UK-based journalists and should be required listening for anyone interested in the inner-workings of the British media. 4. How to Cover Money The How To Cover Money podcast is a weekly podcast bought to us by Arizona State University’s Reynolds National Center For Business Journalism. Hosts Micheline Maynard and Mark Remillard offer advice on how to make money from stories (even if you aren’t a business journalist). This is a serialized podcast which comes from a business journalism perspective (but provides help for all journalists by offering useful strategies for covering and making money from stories more generally). A very good reference for anyone interested in business or financial journalism. 3. Journalism.co.UK This is one of Britain’s leading media-related podcasts for a reason. Listeners are invited to take a look at the latest trends in digital journalism. The show often features industry experts who give an insight into how British newsrooms are handling these changes. Topics covered include everything from how to get into specific areas of journalism such as technology or broadcast, to tips for student journalists. The web-site (journalism.co.UK) is also worth a look and can be a great place to find media jobs. 2. The Media Show (BBC Radio 4) Guardian columnist Steve Hewlett presents BBC Radio 4’s own ‘The Media Show’, a podcast which features discussions into areas such as censorship, business, ethics as well as general analysis of the fast-changing media world. Expect new episodes every Wednesday. This one is well-funded, well-produced and ensures influential guests on a regular basis. Recent guests include the Chief exec of Trinity Mirror, the owner of The Huffington Post, and the CEO of Virgin Media. 1. The Longform Podcast Our number one podcast to follow in 2016 goes to The Longform Podcast. Each week hosts Max Linsky, Aaron Lammer and Evan Ratliff (CEO of media software company Atavist) invite a renowned journalist or editor to take us behind the scenes of a news story (whilst providing a master-class in journalism). If you want to get to know the people reporting the stories, or if you’re interested in how the world’s best staff writers or freelancers got started, then you need to listen to this podcast. Recent guests include a Pulitzer Prize winner, war-correspondents, and senior writers for the world’s leading publications. Longform deserves five-stars and wins the award for number-one podcast to follow in 2016.

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5 Good Reasons To Go For A Content Writing Service

If you have a blog or site to manage, you may need to go for a blog writing service. But how can you find out if you really need to hire a service? Actually, it depends on the fact whether you can handle the workload yourself and whether you have the budget to spend on a writing service. But to help you out further, we have put together 5 good reasons that you should hire a good content writing service. Multiple content writers Usually, content writing services have in-house writers that consistently deliver high quality content. Moreover, you have many writers at your service at all times. In case you have huge work to handle, you can ask them to engage multiple writers. Budget optimization Hiring a service won’t cost you as much as hiring a full-time writer. You will pay just for the work you wanted to get done, and that is it. You won’t need to pay them a regular amount of money. Once the work is done, you can end your contract with the service. And again if you need to get something written, you can hire them again. So, cost-effectiveness is another good reason you should consider hiring a content writing service. Lean workforce Hiring a writing service will allow you to get people to submit their assignments from the comfort of their homes. Nowadays, Internet has made it easier for people to get in touch with each other no matter where they are located. People don’t need to show up at your workplace for the submission of work. This will save you a good deal of time as you won’t need to meet writers in person for business. Scalable service Usually, you will need content on an ongoing basis. However, you may need less content at times. And other times, you may need more of it. When you have hired someone on a full-time position, you will have to pay him or her whether you need content or not. But this is not the problem if you hire a content writing service. What you will do is pay for, say, 10 articles that you got written and then end the contract with the service. From that point on, you won’t need to pay a single penny. Professionally written content New in-house writers need some time to get familiar with the type of content you need for your business needs. And you will have to pay them for this learning period despite the fact that you are not getting any content written by them. On the other hand, writers affiliated with a content writing service are well trained and will deliver content as per your needs and requirements. So, you will have peace of mind that the content delivered to you will be high quality. The takeaway If you need to get lots of web content written but you are on a strict budget, you may want to try out a content writing service. This will meet your needs at the lowest cost possible.

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Camp NaNoWriMo – Ready, Set, Go

I’ve been writing in one form or another for several years, but one thing I have never done is participate in NaNoWriMo. I came close November but chickened out at the idea of 50,000 words in 30 days. Then I discovered they also offer a NaNoWriMo Camp, which among other things, allows you to set your own writing goals. It starts in a few days (April 1st) so I thought it would be cool to document the journey. How to Sign Up When you go to campnanowrimo.org you will see several sections that you need to complete. The Account Settings section includes basics like name, email, and password. Remember to include a photo so others will recognize your posts immediately. The Camper Info section allows you to tell others more about yourself. I would take time to plan and polish your bio section. Who knows, you might need that when you publish your story! Remember to include your website link if you have one. Some of these contacts may last longer than 30 days. The Project Info section includes a synopsis, excerpt, and cover photo. If this is your first project you may or may not have all of this yet. But like your bio section, these things will be important when publishing later. This is where you grab your readers attention as quickly as possible. The Cabin Settings is where you select your own support group. Depending on the information you provide, you can be grouped with up to 19 other writers within your genre or you can choose to group together with writers you may already know. Even though there may be thousands participating this is where you bond and make personal contacts. How to Set Up Depending if you are starting from scratch or working on an existing project, there are certain things you want to think about before day one. In my case, I started with Word originally but have been using Scrivener for the last several months. I had to make sure everything I was working on was in the right format. Decide now on your font, size of text, and how you plan to keep track of your word count. If you have an existing starting point, read it several times before you start writing again. If you don’t already have a character sketch, now would be a good time to create one. Nothing is more embarrassing than having a blue-eyed character on one page and several chapters later you describe dark brown eyes. How you organize your story can vary greatly. Some people write down a few character names and a basic synopsis in one paragraph, others will write a 30-page detailed outline including every plot point. Personally, I start somewhere in between. I use a Beat sheet that I create specifically for that story. I use the basic three-act structure that gives me a beginning, middle and end with several key points I want to cover. The whole thing boils down to one sheet that I use as a roadmap. How to Get Going Setting a time and place to write sounds good in theory, but don’t get so locked into a schedule, that it stresses you out. If you usually write in the morning but have a family emergency, try writing that night. It might surprise you what a different perspective can do. The number one rule when writing is to write. I know that sounds obvious, but what I’m getting at is… there’s a time for writing and a time for editing. Do NOT do them at the same time. I’ve been known to spend an hour rewriting a single paragraph. The goal here is not to write a completely polished, ready to publish, award-winning novel. The goal is to complete the basic rough draft. The rest you can do later. I strongly suggest letting others know you plan to participate in NaNoWriMo. Force yourself to commit, tell everybody you know. Those who are not writers can encourage you IF they know you are doing something. Those who are writers can give ideas on perspective, characters, and storylines. The bottom line is you write alone, but you don’t have to feel alone. This is supposed to be fun. Even if you are thinking about writing a book, this will be good for you. Planning the story, writing a synopsis and expressing yourself can build your confidence dramatically. Interacting with other writers can be a great learning experience. I personally believe every person on the planet has a story to tell. You have everything to gain and nothing to lose. If you don’t have the time, then at least you know writing is not for you. If you make the time this might be the start of making your dreams come true.

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More Interesting Dialogue

There is a war of words going on in the writer’s world. Some contend when it comes to an effective dialogue tag “he said” or “she said” is all you need. They argue the word “said” is invisible to the reader, therefore, it does not interrupt the flow of the spoken word. Yet there is a growing opposition to this rule that cannot be ignored. As proof, I ask you to type the phrase, 300 Ways to Say Said into any search engine. In less than half a second, my Google search came up with over 15 million results. Does that mean using he said/she said is wrong? No, but let me ask you this, do you use the same exact word at the beginning of every chapter? Do you always put an explanation mark at the end of every sentence that shows action? The key is not that the rule is wrong, it’s just that it’s incomplete. Have you ever heard the saying, “Money is the root of all evil?” I’m not here to debate religious philosophy, but the phrase is “the love of money is the root of all evil.” Rather than saying “he said/she said is the only dialogue tag you will ever need,” I would say, “he said/she said is a great starting dialogue tag.” A dialogue tag is a small phrase either before, after, or in between the actual dialogue itself. Most people use it to let the reader know who is speaking, but it does not have to end there. Dialogue is used to create action, to move the story along, not to frustrate your reader. While using the same phrase repeatedly can be irritating, using a different phrase every single time can be worse. In other words, if you have a list that says 300 Ways to Say Said, do NOT use all 300 ways in the same story. When a writer creates a scene he writes visually, but when he writes dialogue he writes what he hears, so often we use phrases like softly, or loudly, or quietly. The problem with most adverbs is, they tell more than they show. One of my favorite Stephen King quotes is this: I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout it from the rooftops. To put it another way, they’re like dandelions. If you have one in your lawn, it looks pretty and unique. If you fail to root it out, however, you find five the next day… fifty the day after that… and then, my brothers and sisters, your lawn is totally, completely, and profligately covered with dandelions. Many writers agree with this sentiment, the use of adverbs (specifically “ly” words) can often become a bad thing. Some people try to overcompensate the “no-adverb” rule by pumping their verbs full of $300 words, like: “she insinuated” or “he beguiled”, the problem is these also don’t show us anything. One way to avoid redundancy is to use no tags at all. “Why are you always late?” he asked. “Because I have more important things to do,” she said. “So now you’re saying I have no life?” “No, I’m saying you’re not the only one.” Noticed we did use he said/she said to start, but with only two characters speaking you don’t have to repeat it every time. The same is true of names, remember this quote from the Brady Bunch? “Marsha, Marsha, Marsha,” that got old quick, didn’t it? The other choice is to use a dialogue beat rather than a tag. A dialogue beat is a clever way of breaking up dialogue by adding more details. Jason looked out the window. “Why are you always late?” he checked his watch for the third time. “Because… ” she gazed in her vanity mirror. “I have more important things to do.” Now we’re starting to move beyond words spoken by two people. Now it’s starting to look like a story. I don’t have to TELL you Jason was impatient, he checked his watch for the third time, SHOWS you what he was thinking. You can use a tag and beat at the same time, it doesn’t have to be one or the other. “Why are you always late?” Jason asked. (tag) He checked his watch for the third time. (beat). You can even use an “ly” word, occasionally, just don’t overdo it. Keep it pretty and unique, like Mr. King said. The bottom line is we want to keep the reader’s attention. If the words blah, blah, blah come to mind while reading your dialogue, maybe it’s time to break it up. Maybe you need to focus on showing more detail, not just reporting who said what. You can be creative without filling pages with $300 words, but you also don’t want to use the same nickel and dime phrases either. Exciting plots and exotic setting might be fun, but the dialogue is what holds the story together. Your job as a writer is to keep your readers turning the page, the best way to do that is to have a more interesting dialogue.

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Have a Blank Notebook, But Don’t Know What To Use It For? Here Are Some Ideas

Have you just received a blank notebook as a gift from a friend, colleague or from a family member or you saw a nice looking notebook at the stationery shop and bought it? Are you thinking of what to do with your blank notebook or you have no idea what to use it for? If you are thinking about which interesting, important and exciting things you can use your blank notebook for, we are going to assist you with some great ideas on what you can use it for. Things you can use your blank notebook for 1. Write lesson notes – If you are a student, this is obviously one of the important things to use your blank notebook for. Take your notebook to class and write your lesson notes so you can read them later to remember what you were taught in class and also during exams. 2. Write important private information – That blank notebook you have can as well be used to write down important personal information for remembrance. Maybe you don’t have a journal right now, a notebook can as well serve as a means to keep your important personal information safe. 3. To-do-list – Do you forget what you need to do each day of the week? A notebook can as well serve as your to-do-list, where you write down everything you want to do each day for the whole week. You can make your list in a tabular form and list it accordingly. It is a great way to keep you up-to-date with the things you have done and the things that are yet to be done. 4. Plan an event – Do you want to plan an event such as a wedding, birthday, anniversary, and so on? A blank notebook is a perfect means to get all your planning moving on well and up-to-date. With the use of a notebook, you can calculate your budget for the event, write down guest list, foods, and all other important things needed to make the event successful. As an event planner, a notebook should always be with you at all times. 5. Meal Timetable – A notebook can serve as an ideal meal timetable. You will be surprised how often people forget what they are supposed to eat each day of the week. To have a balanced diet every day for a week or a month, it is important to have a meal timetable and this is where a notebook comes into play. 6. Write down notes in seminars and workshops – Are you a professional, student or just a person that like to attend seminars or workshops? A notebook should always be with you so you can take down notes in the seminar or workshop. This is very important if you want to remember everything that was taught at the seminar or workshop. 7. Spiritual meditations – Are you going to church, mosque, or any other spiritual gathering where sermons are being taught? A notebook is important to take along with you so you can write down important spiritual teachings to remember. You can also write down prayers, inspirational quotes, and other spiritual meditations.

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Uses and Overuses of Shakespearean Phrases

I have nothing new to write about William Shakespeare, the 16th century genius who revolutionized the world of literature. Still popularly and admirably known as The Bard, Shakespeare has given the world, among many gems, certain catch phrases that are being used in day-to-day journalism almost exceedingly, even after four centuries. The crux of the issue is that, while anyone is free to use his quotations, overusing often kills the true essence of the situation in which they were originally used. Here are three examples of those world-famous phrases. To Be or Not to Be, That is the Question The most powerful soliloquy from “Hamlet” might have given the world of words the most commonly used phrase adapted for various scenarios. In fact, the usage of this phrase has become so mundane that even for very small things such as whether you should cook vegetables today, people tend to use this sentence as a representation of some kind of dilemma. The phrase originally was written around the moral question of life and death, about whether embracing death on the grounds of escaping the bitterness of life is the right thing to do. Hence, it would probably be wise to reserve this quotation to be used in extremely critical decisions that are immensely difficult to take, rather than throwing it in just to prove your knowledge of popular quotes. Et tu, Brute? Other variations of this famous “Julius Caesar” quote include “Thou too, Brutus?”, “Even you, Brutus?”, and so on. Although there are debates on the use of this statement being the work of other authors before Shakespeare, it is still the Bard’s play that made the statement so well-known and so widely used. The original statement represents violent treachery and betrayal resulting in a leader’s death. However, in today’s journalism and also in day-to-day speeches, we find this phrase often being used in scenarios involving betrayal of the slightest importance. The strong emotion of betrayal that is evoked through this sentence does not always match with trivial activities in human social life. Something’s Rotten in the State of Denmark Another gem from “Hamlet”, although not as widely used as the statement number one above, is still widely popular. A representation of the first realization of grave situations and impending doom, this statement is not fit to be used for scenarios arising from barely affected conditions such as heavy rainfall one night (that does not cause much damage). Although apt for describing turbulent political conditions, it could also be potentially used well in foretelling natural catastrophes, a mass upheaval of animal habitat, and other incidents of such scale. There are other generic statements by the Bard, for example, “All the world’s a stage” from the captivating play “The Merchant of Venice”, that are suitable to use in a wider range of scenarios. Even then, it is best not to overdo them, and save them for truly special occasions, in order to preserve their beauty.

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The Importance of Keeping A Notebook

A notebook is writing material used every day by a lot of people, especially students, either at the elementary level or tertiary level to jot and write down information for future and present purposes. It is also used by other professionals for jotting and writing down important information. Notebooks can be regarded as ancient writing materials because it has been writing materials used for centuries. Ancient writers and other professionals used notebooks to write down information for future and immediate use. Till this present day, the importance of notebooks cannot be over-emphasized as it is still been utilized every day by a lot of people for different writing purposes. There are many benefits and importance of using a notebook. We will be talking about some of these benefits and importance of a notebook; 10 importance and benefits of a notebook 1. Improves and Enhances your writing skills and abilities – Using a notebook improves and enhances writing skills and abilities. Right from our elementary days, notebooks are a means to teach little kids on how to write and improve their writing skills and abilities. Through the use of notebooks, pupils from the elementary level up to high school and even tertiary students have improved their writing abilities and vocabulary usage. 2. Increases spelling abilities and memory retentions – In recent times where computers and digital means of writing are gradually taking over writing on notebooks, we are experiencing a decline in spelling abilities and memory retentions as compared to the times when there were no computers and digital means of writing. This is to show that notebooks are very important in increasing spelling abilities and also the ability to remember things we have written down. When you write down information on a notebook, you have better ability to remember it in the future compared to when it is written on a digital device. 3. Better thinking and decision making – A notebook is a place that you have total control of. You are not limited to what you can do with it, unlike the digital devices that you may not be able to do the things you will easily do with a notebook. This increases decision making and enables you to think better. You may want to give your notebook different designs and patterns for better understanding and the quick search for any information you have written in the notebook. 4. It increases creativity – In a notebook, there are no templates, you create what you desire all by yourself unlike computers and other digital devices where you are limited. You have all the enabling means to be creative in your writing to better suit your understanding and other people that may come in contact with your notebook or want to make use of it. Most of us have experienced times that our younger siblings will want to make use of our notebooks from previous classes. When you are very creative in your writing, they will have a better understanding of what you have written and be able to assimilate with ease. 5. It improves personal responsibility and organization – A notebook has the ability to increase our personal responsibility because it enables you to sit down in a position and think without distractions. Students who write on notebooks are more responsible and better organized compared to students who use computers to write. This can be observed in our world today as compared to the ancient world before now were we have seen dedicated and responsible inventors and researchers such as Charles Darwin, Isaac Newton e.t.c, who made researches and remarkable inventions with the use of notebooks. 6. It is more safe and easier to access – A notebook is safer and easier to access compared to digital means. Using a notebook, you are not scared of any virus attack or loss of information due to technical dis-functionalities. A notebook is easier to access, as you can easily open it at any time you like and easily access any information without stress. You can easily take it along with you anywhere you go, unlike a computer that is quite heavy to carry all the time. 7. It is reliable – A notebook is a reliable means of writing at all times. It has proved to be a reliable means of writing better than computers because you do not need electricity to power it, there is no server error, you do not need any password to access your computer and it is always readily available to you at all times. Are you in the classroom, attending a seminar, at an office meeting, or attending a religious event, a notebook is easy to take with you and it is always available for use without any worries. 8. It is quick – It is quicker to write on a notebook as compared to writing on a computer or digital devices. It increases writing spontaneity and allow you to pen-down your thoughts faster without distractions. When using computers to write, you may experience some difficulty and distractions but when using a notebook you write with ease and your writing speed is increased. You can quickly flip from page to page, unlike a computer where you need to use the mouse and scroll up and down all the time. It also saves more time as you do not need to turn it on and wait for it to boot, unlike a computer. 9. It enhances ideas and inspirations – Ideas and inspirations can come at any time and when you do not write them down immediately they can be forgotten. Using a notebook will enable you to write down your ideas and inspirations immediately they come to you. As soon as you capture them in your mind you write them down in a notebook so you do not forget. 10. Reflect on what you have learned – A notebook is a place you write down everything you have learned so you can read and reflect on them any time you want. Either as a student, worker or a professional, you need a notebook to pen-down information so you can reflect on them some other times.

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The Changing Language Of Business

And there lies the paradox. Decades ago, our ancestors’ speaking style matched their writing style. Just as it should. Over the decades, our speaking style has evolved. But what has happened to our writing? Leave The Past In The Past Every language evolves to reflect the current times and changing needs. In the early half of the 19th century, business communication was very formal, relationships were formed slowly, resulting in passive voice and over-politeness being the norm. In writing, people embellished their messages with flowery, bombastic words. Lengthy messages were filled with redundancies and verbosity. This was perfectly fine in those days. It was entirely normal for the times we were living in. In those days, the oral communication style matched the written communication style. Today, the language of business communication has changed. We are speaking to our colleagues, clients and stakeholders in a very warm, friendly, natural, relaxed, personal style. And it’s still professional, or at least it should be. It’s essential that our written messages should reflect this. So how can you leave the past where it belongs and make the transition into today’s global business English? Communicate With Heart When you’re talking with a colleague, I’m sure you don’t beat around the bush or use long-winded sentences, and I’m sure you don’t use bombastic words and outdated language. So don’t do it in your writing either. Get to the point quickly but courteously, use everyday words, short sentences, and keep your writing style warm, natural, friendly and relaxed. When communicating with a potential client, a business partner or a customer, make your interaction relational, not transactional. Remember you are speaking (or writing) to a real person, and everyone has a heart. Let your interactions speak to the person, the human being with feelings. Do this when you speak, and then when you write, do exactly the same – write in a similar style to how you would speak if you were having a conversation. This is the essence of communicating with heart. Focus On Expressing Not Impressing Decades ago, our ancestors aimed to impress with their writing. Today, the key is to express. This means using plain English, which means writing in a simple, clear way that considers your reader and gets the right results. It’s faster to write, faster to read, easier to understand, it’s straight to the point, and it’s also courteous. It’s also much more friendly. Among the many benefits of adopting this style of writing will be developing great relationships, which will develop increased trust and confidence. This is more likely result in better client relationships, happier customers, increased sales, and successful partnerships. Consider Your Reader No matter what our country or culture is, one of the key considerations when communicating anything will always be the audience. In the case of writing, this is your reader. I feel sure that whenever you write any message, you are probably hoping for a positive response and great results. If you are to achieve this, I suggest you should:

Some simple but very specific changes can save you time and have a tremendous impact on the results you achieve from all your written communications. Here are some key points to remember:

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The Difference Between Academic Writing And Business Writing

Students write to demonstrate learning! Schools, colleges and universities exist to share knowledge and to help students do the same. The writing that students produce in academic settings can best be described as “writing to demonstrate what you have learned.” Students write to discuss and explore different topics, to argue a case, to demonstrate what they have learned to teachers and professors. They need to prove they can think about and apply what they learned. Students need to persuade readers of a particular theory or develop information gained from research. The writing that students hand to instructors or professors indicates how their mind works, how much they know, and what they think and feel about particular topics. In academic writing, students write to demonstrate learning, to impress! Business writers write to get things done! In the business world, we write to share information, to solve problems, to propose new strategies, to negotiate contracts, to report progress to stakeholders, etc. When we write in business – to managers, employees, customers, vendors, stakeholders, etc – we need to give clear information and explain what we want or what we want others to do. Business writers often recommend specific courses of action to their readers. Therefore, writing in business contexts can best be described as “writing to do.” In business, we need to get things done quickly, so we need to express ourselves clearly! Clarity is key and this should be the main focus in all business writing. In business writing, we write to get things done – to express!

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