How To Get Noticed By Editors And Publishers: Make Your Strengths Shine
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on January 28th, 2009
To be a successful writer and get noticed, being good often isn’t good enough. You have to shine. You have to have something that puts you above all others. Of course though, nobody is perfect. Everyone has faults and flaws. But everyone has talents and abilities too. What’s your talent?
Find your talent and focus on it. Develop it. Showcase it in your writing so it really shines through. Remember, one thing that stands out is far easier to notice than ten things that are good, but not great. Make sure your best skill stands out.
Stacey’s Story: Start With Something Special
I had my breakthrough while taking a break from writing. I was watching the movie Bring it On and decided to watch the bonus features. One of them was an interview with the director and he talked about how the screenplay got noticed because it opened with the cheer song. That stood out, that got their attention, that made them want to read the rest. I decided to take the same approach. I took chances with the start. I started with a letter, a poem, a snippet from a diary. It must have made the difference because with that one change, a manuscript that had been rejected 14 times got purchased. &ndashStacey, Novelist
Carmen’s Story: Use Your Strengths
I was told by my teachers and by readers that my dialogue was really strong. So I decided to stop hiding it away and I put it right out front. I made the first chapter of my novel almost all dialogue. It got the attention of an agent, who has since told me that the individuality of the first chapter told him that he had found a new writer with a clear sense of style. He took me on and is now trying to sell that sense of style to publishers. Even better for me, he’s not just trying to sell my first book, he’s trying to sell me as the next new thing, a young writer to look out for! &ndashCarmen, Novelist
Editor Says: “Forget Modesty”
Writing is not a business where you can afford to be modest. You have to get in there and show what you’ve got. Whatever you do better than everyone else, show it off. Build your work around your best skill. Otherwise, you’re going to be lumped in with the rest of the writers that are good, but don’t stand out. &ndashJames, Editor
Editor Says: “I’m Looking for One Thing”
Many writers make the mistake of trying to show me everything they do well. Forget it. I’m glancing at hundreds of manuscripts a day. To catch my attention, you have to hit me between the eyes with one strong point that I can’t not notice. There will be time later to show me your other strengths. For the first contact, focus on making one clear point about yourself and make it a good one.
&ndashDarryn, Editor
Susan’s Story: Is it Really a Flaw?
In the early days of Susan’s career, everyone advised her that she relied on dialogue too much. So she cut out the dialogue. She kept writing but found her work lacked energy. Years later, she decided to ignore all the advice. The novel came naturally to her and it was almost all dialogue. The book reviews praised her unique style and voice. Susan learned her lesson&ndashnever suppress what comes naturally to you. Remember, what comes naturally to you might be your greatest gift, not your greatest flaw.
Top Six Ways to Find Your Strength
1. Ask other people what stands out about your work.
2. Read some of your best work and make a list of what makes it good.
3. Read through the contents of a book about writing and ask yourself if there is an area you are good at.
4. Think about what other people have said about your work. Are there any comments that keep being repeated?
5. Ask yourself what you care about when you write.
6. What do you like about other people’s work? Often the things you notice in other people’s work are also the things that you are good at.
How to get back in shape
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on January 27th, 2009
Before starting to work out make sure you get a full physical from your doctor and a letter stating it is ok for you to do physical activity. Many gym and aerobic centers will require this before letting you start.
Depending on how long it has been since you last did regular exercise it is recommended that you start off slow and gradually build up your workout to harder levels.
It is generally recommended to start off at the gym with just the treadmill and the lifecycle for the first week or 2. This is to wake the muscles up and to slowly get you prepared for a harder workout.
You will generally want to find a speed on the treadmill that is a pace you can keep up with little discomfort and do it for 20 minutes. After this take a 5 minute break, stretch a little and have a drink of water, then go back and increase the speed just a bit then do another 20.
Remember that pushing yourself too far is taking a gamble that you may not be able to live with. In a casino you can put everything you have on the roulette table and maybe you win and maybe you lose, but in the gym if you push too hard you can die, so take things slowly.
Many people make the mistake of getting back into an exercise program and going all gung ho an trying to get back in shape in just one hour, well let me tell you this will not work. The only thing this will do is make you very sore the next day and you will not be able to workout that day, and it will make you lose interest fast in the gym. Discomfort in ok pain is not.
Depending on how long it has been since you last worked out, I recommend working out 4 or 5 days a week. This may seem like a lot but if you were trying to win a poker tournament you would go to a casino or an online casino and poker room to practice almost every day right? So you will have to do the same with the gym.
Working out 5 days a week does not necessarily mean you have to go to the gym every day. I recommend the gym 3 times a week and the other day or 2 you can just go for a long fast paced walk around your neighborhood. Try to vary the things you do so that you do not work out the same parts of your body 2 days in a row.
Most professionals will tell you that if you work out your arms and chest on a Monday do not exercise those muscles again for at least 48 hours. This is to give the muscles time to heal and grow. It is this straining and resting of the muscle that makes it grow not just the working it out. If all you did every day was work the same muscle group in a few days the muscle would be more likely to tear in a painful experience and the only thing you will be able to do for several months will be playing in an online casino from your laptop in bed.
How to defeat terrorism
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on January 26th, 2009
Stopping terrorism is not like gambling, in poker there are different variables that can affect the outcome but it fighting terror the only way to win is to fight to the end.
Many people thing that the terrorist feel they have been wronged by something or someone and that giving them something will end the fight be it land or money, but history has repeatedly shown us that by appeasing the terrorists we are only giving them what they want, and prolonging the fight. They will continue to take everything they are given but they never stop wanting more.
An example of this is clear in the Israeli- Palestinian conflict. Israel allows the PLO to return to the west bank and Gaza and form the Palestinian Authority, Israel supplied weapons and the Americans provided training to the Palestinians so they could start a army to fight crime and terrorism.
Israel was repaid by the terrorists by suicide bombings in malls, restaurants, clubs and busses.
More recently Israel pulled all Jews from Gaza and gave all the land to the Palestinians. The Israelis left behind infrastructure and greenhouses, which could have been used for businesses by the Palestinians. The moment the last troops were out of Gaza the terrorists destroyed what the Israelis left behind and again repaid them with rockets on Sderot and Ashkelon, two Jewish cities bordering Gaza.
Many of you are thinking that these problems were brought on by the Israelis stealing Palestinians land, but what was it that the United States did that angered Al Qaeda?
Many will say it is because America has troops in Saudi Arabia where the two holiest locations to the Muslim people are, these people are wrong. This fight is not about the terrorists wanting America out of the Middle East.
This was is about the pride of one individual. Osama Bin Laden, and that’s all it is about.
In 1991 when Saddam Hussein Invaded Kuwait, Saudi Arabia was worried and was looking to get help to protect its oil fields. Osama Bin Laden offered his assistance to help protect his homeland with the help of his Mujahadim, who had helped protect Afghanistan from the Russians in the 80’s.
But rather then gamble on Bin Laden’s holey warriors, the Saudis asked for help from the United States, and this wounded Bin Laden’s pride. Now Bin Laden is on a quest to show the world that he is the true protector of Islam, do not be fooled this is a war of religion.
The only thing that has ever worked is not to try to negotiate with these people but to fight them with force. You will find that with any military action against terrorists once you start to make some headway they will start to yell about a Hudna or temporary cease fire.
When you are in a poker tournament in Casinos Online or land based and your opponent is almost out of chips, do you back off and let your enemy regroup or go all in and force him out.
The Only way to defeat terrorism is to fight terrorism whenever and wherever it shows its head, and to never let up on those who would use terror to forward their goals.
How To Get A Reporter’s Attention For Your Book
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on January 25th, 2009
Reporters are busy people. On any given day they are fielding dozens of phone calls, making calls of their own, reading stacks of newspapers and magazines and rushing to meet deadlines. So how do you break through all the noise to get a reporter or an editor on the phone to listen to your pitch?
In my 15 years as a magazine journalist I’ve fielded hundreds, if not thousands, of such calls. The following tips are what I’ve told many authors and publicists. The ones I eventually wrote about are the ones who listened and learned from the conversation.
1.) Ask If the Reporter Has Time to Speak to You
Make “Is now a good time?” the first question you ask when you get a journalist on the phone. Don’t assume that if he or she is busy, they won’t answer the phone because sometimes a reporter on deadline has to pick up. They might be waiting for confirmation from a source or to connect with a colleague in the field, and Caller ID doesn’t always give enough information for proper screening. There were many times when I was on deadline and answered my phone only to find, to my chagrin, a non-stop pitch on the other end. But the callers who impressed me would ask immediately if I was on deadline. All I had to say was “Yes” and they’d say they would call me in another day or so and hang up. Totally cool. I made sure I made time when they did call back. Sometimes I even checked my mail to see if I could find the caller’s press release so I would be ready for our talk.
2.) Understand This: The Fact That You Wrote a Book is Not a Story!
You may have written the best book in the world, but unless you’re Stephen King turning to pulp fiction (as he did recently) or Terry McMillan publishing your first novel in several years and getting divorced at the same time (as she did recently), you and your book are not a story. I’m sorry but that’s the plain truth. Of course if you land on the bestseller lists then we’d have something to discuss. There is one instance, however, when you would be a story and that’s when you…
3.) Connect to a Story Already in the News
When promoting your book you should be reading the newspaper and watching the news (local and national) daily. You’re looking for stories related to the subject matter in your book. Ideally you would have something to say and you would offer that up to a reporter. For instance, if you’ve written a book on cronyism in official government posts you could have put out a press release and called up a reporter during the Hurricane Katrina disaster with information such as, “This kind of cronyism has caused mishaps in government response before. I can tell you how it happens and where it has happened before.” The press release would list the details in easy-to-read bullet points. It would be easy to see you’d make a great interview subject.
This can work for novels as well. Alice Sebold’s The Lovely Bones is an exquisite book in its own right, but it got a huge publicity boost because it happened to get published at a time when several stories of missing girls were in the news.
4.) Ask What the Reporter is Working On
If the reporter isn’t interested in your story, don’t just cut and run. Engage the person in a friendly conversation and find out what types of stories he or she is working on for future issues. This way you get to cultivate a relationship–important because good media contacts are difficult to come by. You’re also learning what is newsworthy so you can either tailor your message for other outlets or come back to the reporter when you do have information he or she can use. I used to love it when the latter happened–it made my job easier!
One last note: Always follow up on the press releases you send out. You might be thinking, “Well, if they’re interested they’ll call” but nine times out of ten it doesn’t work that way. Your press release could be in the mailroom, in someone’s office under a pile of papers or in the garbage unopened. It definitely hasn’t been read! Don’t be afraid to make the call. Whatever the outcome, at the very least you’ll be able to use what you learn for your next publicity effort.
How to Deal with gambling Addiction
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on January 24th, 2009
They say the first step to beating an addiction is to admit that you have a problem.
Dealing with someone who has a gambling addiction can be painful. They have a tendency to withdraw from family and loved ones, so what are you supposed to do when someone you care about has developed a gambling addiction.
There are several things you will need to do and some of them are very hard to do.
The first thing you have to do is to hide all your valuables, and if this person lives with you, then you need to keep them behind locked doors and if that is not possible then take them to a bank and lock them in a safety deposit box.
If this person is you child or your spouse then you need to limit there access to your money. In many circumstances people have spent their family’s savings and kid’s college funds. So if at all possible try to get that persons name of the accounts if it is not already too late, and cancel all their credit cards.
At some point you will have to confront them. When you do confront them it is important to not yell and do not get angry just tell them how what they are doing affects you. Make sure that all the persons close friends are there to help with this.
It is important that everyone take turns and tell the person how his gambling has affected their relationships, but in a non angry, caring manner. This will help the person realize that the people that care about him see something that maybe he does not and hopefully will take an honest look at his gambling.
Remember the goal of confronting someone is not to make them stop gambling, it is to help them recognize they have a gambling problem and to encourage them to seek professional help.
Some people recommend that you try to get your friend to go to a gamblers anonymous meeting, but I do not recommend this. Gamblers Anonymous is a great organization that truly helps those with gambling problems stay away from gambling, but before you are ready for this most people need one on one sessions with a psychologist or a counselor trained to deal with gambling addiction.
After all is said and done, you must be prepared because most of the time the gambler continues to gamble, maybe they will make a brief attempt to stop before starting again in secret.
With most addictions the person with the problem needs to hit what they call a “bottom”. This is when the gambler has lost everything that really meant anything to them, such as family and friends, and it is only at this point many will see the problem and seek help.
If you know someone who is unwilling to admit their gambling problem I recommend that after you have tried your best to get this person to seek help if they do not, you may have to be prepared to leave them, remember at some point you have to abandon a sinking ship before you go down as well.
To find more information on gambling addiction search gamblers Anonymous and
Codependence websites.
How to cure Agoraphobia
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on January 24th, 2009
Many people in the world have a disorder known as agoraphobia. This disorder brings on extremely strong panic attacks when in crowded places. Most agoraphobics eventually wind up trapped in bed or institutionalized.
The definition for agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder. The main manifestation of the disorder is a fear of having an embarrassing situation that the person can not escape from
Someone with Agoraphobia will sometimes have panic attacks when they are in a situation where they feel trapped, uncomfortable or when they are not in control or are too far away from their comfort zone, which are usually their homes. In extreme cases an agoraphobic may only be able to exist in only a room or two of their own home and may even become unable to get out of bed.
Sufferers of Agoraphobia are often overly sensitive to bodily sensations and over react to everyday occurrences, like climbing a flight of stairs. The effort it takes to climb stairs can cause a full blown panic attack, because their hart rate rises as does their breathing. The sufferer may see this is the onset of an attack and actually causes the attack to start, instead of seeing it as a natural reaction to climbing stairs.
With the invention of the internet many agoraphobics have found they are able to have contact with the world while still at home in their “safe place” and one thing that many agoraphobics have in common is that many of them enjoyed being able to gamble with other people in online casinos.
Many doctors feel that online casinos is a great form of therapy for people suffering from agoraphobia because they can interacts with several people at the same time, and it gives them the ability to interact and be relaxed at the same time and in many cases the agoraphobic has been able to lessen their fears and eventually leave their home with the goal of eventually getting to a real casino with other people.
But after October of 2006 when president George Bush Signed the Unlawful internet gambling ban into law he took away the best form of theory doctors have found to help Agoraphobics re-enter society.
Doctors found that in games like poker and blackjack where the player’s game depends on the moves of the other players; have a tendency to be better for patients rather then on online roulette or craps game, where you can easily have no interaction with other players.
The interaction is healthy because the agoraphobic is not concentration on themselves they are actually concentration on the game and the other layers moves. For a sufferer of this disorder this is a huge step in being able to re-enter society, but unless the online casino ban is overturned doctors will have to find other ways of helping their patients.
How to Find Paying Telecommuting Writing Jobs Online
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on January 23rd, 2009
As a freelance writer, you probably spend hours scanning free job boards looking for telecommuting writing jobs — in other words, freelance writing jobs you can do from home. With so many websites listing non-paying gigs amongst their paying job postings, it can take an hour or more each day to wade through the mess. Not to mention, just because a job is listed as a freelance job doesn’t necessarily mean you can do the work from home. Many job posters are looking for freelance writers who will come to their place of business and do the writing work on-site. For those of us freelance writers who telecommute, this only complicates our job search.
My daily freelance writing job search on free job boards consists of the following: I pull up Indeed dot com and enter in several groups of search terms, such as “freelance writer” and “writer” “telecommute” — there are at least a dozen keyword groups I search after these, but you get the idea. Then, I move on to the JournalismJobs dot com, WriteJobsdot com, and even Online-Writing-Jobs dot com. Then comes Craigslist, with its dreaded wade through the pools of non-paying gigs, gigs that pay in ad revenue only, and gigs that list “TBD” in the payment line. After much practice, I’ve honed my job searching system down to a half-hour process. Of course, this is just search time and doesn’t include the time spent responding to ads, attaching resumes/writing samples, etc.
As seems to be the trend in the freelance writing world, most job posters never reply back. The few that do seem interested might ask for follow-up details and then disappear from the face of the earth, frequently because they find my rates not within their $3 per article budget. Let’s face it — the process of searching for telecommuting writing jobs on free job boards can be infuriating.
So, what are the alternatives to searching for telecommuting writing jobs on free job boards? Pay a membership fee to sites like GoFreelance dot comor JustMarkets dot com. Or, go with the job bidding sites like Elance dot com or Writerlance dot com. But, what about people who can’t afford the fees? Chances are, if you’re just starting out, your budget won’t allow you the cost of such luxuries. Although membership sites may be considered legitimate business deductions for tax purposes (depending on where you live), the bottom line is that the money will come out of your pocket initially, even if you do deduct the cost on your taxes later.
Of course, there are the traditional methods for finding telecommuting writing jobs, like creating a website to advertise your freelance writing services, and visiting job sites that allow you to post your freelance writing resume free. Posting in freelance writing forums and networking with other writers can help you get clients. Starting a blog is another route many freelance writers take to get noticed. Paying for pay-per-click advertisements and even writing articles to submit to free directories can also help. Still, for the bulk of freelance writers, most jobs still come from taking the time to search for telecommuting writing jobs online.
Unfortunately, there is no path to finding telecommuting writing jobs that won’t take some time or money. However, by getting into a regular job-search routine and using bookmarks and job feeds to your advantage, you can speed up the process and make things a little less frustrating for yourself.
How to Clean a Dirty Aquarium
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on January 23rd, 2009
A fresh water fish tank requires about 30 minutes to an hour of work a week depending on the size of the tank.
Waht you will need:
1) You will need a clean 5 gallon bucket that has never had chemicals or soap inside of it.
2) A hose or gravel cleaner
3) A bag of natural or synthetic sea salt
I have split the work into two parts the tank which needs to be cleaned ever week on the same day and the filters which can be cleaned every 2 or 3 weeks.
The very first thing you have to do before you start cleaning your fish tank is to unplug your tanks heater if you have one. The heater can not be allowed to be removed from the water while it is hot so make sure to leave it unplugged at least 20 minutes before attempting to remove it. The water help cool the glass on the heater if removed it could crack, or the glass could totally shatter. You should also remember to never stick your hand inside of any fish tank before making sure the heater is not only off but unplugged from the wall. A small crack in the heater could be more then enough to cause a shock to you that can be fatal.
After the heater has ha time to cool you can safely remove the heater from the tank or it the heater is submersible you can just push it down to the bottom of the tank.
Now take any decorations you may have placed in the tank, so all you have are the small gravel at the bottom, this will allow you to get any dirt that those decorations may have been covering up. Now if you do not have a gravel cleaner you are going to have to roll up your sleeves and get your hands wet. You will need to stir up the gravel to get the dirt that has settled between the gravel into the water, and start removing the water into the bucket with the hose. Do not throw out the water you will still need it to clean the filters.
If you have a gravel cleaner, push the plastic tube into the gravel until it hits the bottom of the tank, then start a siphon into the bucket, every second or 2 move the gravel cleaner over an inch or 2 and repeat this process until either you have removed 15 percent of the tanks water of you have cleaned all the gravel.
Now at this point you can clean the Aquariums filters. The insides of the filters are used to grow bacteria, that help break down the nitrites and nitrates that are in the water from fish waste and uneaten food. To make sure we don’t kill all these Aquarium friendly bacteria, we clean the filter materials and sponges in the dirty water that I also full of the bacteria. Take everything out of the filters and rinse them of in the bucket of dirty Aquarium water, then give the sponge a couple of squeezes in the bucket and reassemble the filters, and put them back on the tank.
Now before adding the water sea salt must be added to the tank. All water has some amount of salt in it and to replicate the natural habitat of the fish there must be salt in your tank as well. Add approximately 1 cup of sea salt for every 50 gallons of water.
Now you can add water to the tank, but you must make sure the water is the within a degree or two of the temperature of the water in the tank. A drastic change in the tanks temperature suddenly can throw the fish into shock and kill them or weaken their immunity and help give them a fish disease. I recommend filling the bucket with hot water and checking it regularly till it is the same as the tanks temperature, then slowly add the water to the tank, start the filters and the heater.
Cleaning the filters only needs to be done once or twice a month, but the water in the tank must be cleaned on the same day every week.
How to Concentrate in 4 Magic Steps
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on January 23rd, 2009
One of the main problems that deter a person’s success is their lack of concentration. Lapses encourage disturbances to get in the way and stall progress. If ones wishes to proceed on their road to success, it is imperative they learn how to concentrate. Here, we show you some easy to learn exercises that are easy to implement.
1) Silence or Noise:
Most people cannot concentrate when it is too noisy, but others work better with music or others in the midst of a crowded room. If you are not aware as yet what best suits you, then try out the different environments. How? Take a notepad and a pencil or pen with you and try and write down a letter in all the three circumstances in a set amount of time. Ten minutes. That is all you will need to determine where your source of concentration lies. How? Check not only for length but also for development as that is more important.
2) Focal Point:
Every morning, before you leave for work or on the way, stare at any object for ten minutes. You can do this while in the toilet, car or bus. You will find this difficult, but whatever happens, do not move your gaze away. Hold it. Wait. And then, as the minutes pass you will find yourself deeply meditating about things that happened to you yesterday or challenges you have to face in a few minutes. Congratulations. You have just conquered the art of meditation.
3) Deep Breathing:
In the beginning, you can do this while staring at the object from tip number two, but if you wish to move towards real concentration, do this separetly. Sit down on the floor. If its hard, place a cushion. Close your eyes. Breathe. Count the number of inhales. When you have reached 100, start counting backwards but this time count the exhales. Mastering this will take you a while, but once you do move on to other kinds of mathemathical calculations such as naming the months of the year from December backwards or alphabetically. After that, make up exercises as you like.
4) Movement:
Focus on an animal: cat, dog or even ant or bird. Follow their every movement as if they exist in a vaccumm. Study every tiny spot on their body. The point of this is to learn how to diversify your concentration in such a way that movement does not deter you from your goal.
Conclusion:
Practice the above four tips and like magic, you will start enjoying life to its fullest because you will be able to focus on the things you want to focus on and disregard those that disrupt. Practive the above tips daily and you will be that much more closer to achieving your dreams and goals. Best of Luck!
How to Find a Good Inexpensive Hotel
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on January 22nd, 2009
When going on vacation somewhere you have never been it can be hard to find a good quality Hotel working on a budget. So here is a guide to help you find a good place cheap, so you don’t have to worry about where you will stay.
In my life I have done a great deal of traveling, and I have many nightmare stories about the things that have happened to me in some of the cheap hotels I have stayed in. I remember once I was ok a ski trip and half the floor in my room actually dropped about 6 inches. I woke up and my head was lower then the rest of me and was confused for several seconds before I managed to come to my senses. Lucky for me the room was on the first floor. On another trip, the police raided the hotel looking for illegal immigrants, and there was noise all night long. It was probably quiet the next night, but I did not stick around to see.
Finding a good inexpensive hotel should not be a gamble. The best way to find a good hotel is to go to a place you have been before, but assuming that is not an option the next best thing is from someone who has been there.
If you know someone who has been to the same vacation spot as you are planning on going, ask them about the place they stayed, the worst that can happen is they tell you they hated it or that it was too expensive.
But what if no one you know has ever been to where you are going to be? Unless you like to gamble, you can’t just make reservations anywhere, if you are looking to gamble on something play blackjack or poker in a casino, but don’t roll the dice with the place you are going to use as your home base for your vacation.
Use the internet to look for hotel reviews. There are many websites that have reviews from people who have stayed in the hotel. Now one mans hell may be another mans heaven, but at least this way you can see that 5 people stayed there and said it was fine and two said it was not good maybe these 2 people were the exception.
Or maybe the two that did not like the hotel were in town for business in an area popular with tourists. This can be an annoying situation when everyone around you is partying and you are trying to sleep, this is one of the reason why no business is conducted in Daytona Beech during Spring Break.
Talking with a travel agent is always a great way to assure your happiness with your lodgings, and helps keep the gambling in the casinos and out of your room.
A good thing to do is to make sure to ask lots of question on the phone with any hotels you are considering staying in.