How To Read When You’re Writing
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on February 17th, 2009
Many writers say it: “I don’t read when I’m writing”. They think it will contaminate their voice, that whatever style they’re reading will somehow seep into their work and it really won’t be theirs. That’s only a problem if you’re writing a 21st-century urban romance and last night’s reading of Pride and Prejudice has you making your characters sound like they’re in an English drawing room and not a Miami nightclub!
In fact, if you’re not reading while you’re working on your book, you’re missing out on the many ways you can learn from authors past and present who have dealt with the very same issues you’re struggling with. I once heard that if a writer is stuck or has writer’s block, it’s because he or she hasn’t done their homework, and for a writer homework is reading. But how do you know what to read and how to make use of it? Here are 4 easy tips to getting the most out of your reading.
Identify the Strategies/Techniques You’re Using in Your Book
Take out your book’s outline (or notes or whatever pages you have written so far) and highlight the writer’s tools you are using. Now you may not see them as tools. For instance, your character is sitting in a car and she’s having a memory of a car accident that happened when she was little and you tell the story of the accident. That’s a flashback. Maybe you used internal dialogue, maybe you’re telling your novel in the 2nd person voice or your whole book is historical fiction so getting the setting right is crucial. Once you’ve identified your main tools, ask yourself, “What tool do I want help with the most?” Then…
Find Books in Which the Author Has Used a Similar Technique
Sometimes the right book will come to you automatically. Writing in the 2nd person voice? Then Jay Mcinerney’s Bright Lights, Big City comes to mind. It’s a great example of a strategy that’s very tricky to pull off. I would definitely want to read it if I wanted to be as effective as he was with his novel. Great examples of historical fiction include The Known World by Edward P. Jones and anything by Toni Morrison. When I was learning how to use flashbacks effectively in my novel I re-read Pat Conroy’s The Prince of Tides and The Mourner’s Bench by Susan Dodd. Ideally as a writer you are reading extensively and the books that come to mind for you will be ones you have already enjoyed and know well. If you need a few ideas you can try referring to a compilation such as Book Lust by Nancy Pearl where you can find books listed and discussed by their characteristics.
What’s the Best Way for You to Learn From What You’re Reading?
Ask yourself this question to help you develop a way to work with what you’re learning from the book you’re reading. It may be a matter of taking a few notes on the types of words the author uses or the kinds of details he or she uses to create an effective scene setter. Or it could be more complicated. When I was learning about flashbacks, I was trying to figure out how long you could keep the reader in the past without losing the tension in the present day storyline. So I took The Prince of Tides and did a rough outline of it, counting out how many chapters and how many pages Mr. Conroy devoted to his past and present day story lines. I also noted what the reader learned or what was revealed in each chapter so I could get a sense of how he paced the book. That’s just what made sense to me–to create a visual that could help me grasp the whole book. What would help you best understand what a writer has done? This is important because it will help you with the last tip…
No Beating Yourself Up!
Reading is NOT helpful if you spend your time marveling at how good an author is and how you “could never do that.” Focusing on reading critically and understanding the craft will keep you in the mindset of being a writer trying to learn from another writer. You’ll soon see that reading the book of a great author is kind of like examining a designer gown. If you look closely you’ll see the gown has seams just like any other dress–it’s just that the stitches are smaller and the workmanship impeccable so the seams aren’t as evident. As you read you too will see the workmanship behind the art and allow yourself the opportunity to improve your workmanship likewise. And while it’s still possible you “could never do that”, I can tell you for certain you will “never do that” if you don’t practice and keep writing!
How to Protest the Online Gambling Ban
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on February 16th, 2009
Protesting the government is not a cast of protesting a company because you do not like a product, this is a case of you trying to change the mind of the government and this can be hard to do, but it can be done.
Before you can even have a chance at holding a successful protest the first thing you should do is to circulate an online petition, this will give you an idea of how many people support your cause and gives you a list of names with phone numbers that you can call to get people to come to your protest.
The next step is to go online and find other groups protesting the new internet gambling act, and see if that group would be willing to join your protest, the more people protesting the online gambling ban the better the chances are of getting the law reversed.
After this you should start a letter writing campaign not only to your local congressmen but to all the Congressmen and see where they stand. Some of them will not be in support of the online gambling ban and will be willing to not only sign your petition but will be hey may be even willing to speak at your protest.
The next step is to plane your protest. The timing of your protest is important if you choose to protest at the Whitehouse you do not want to do it when the president is not there or if you choose to make your stand at congress do not do it at a time they are on a brake, this can make a big difference in the effectiveness of your protest.
Make sure to have a well written press release to the press at least 2 days before the protest to ensure that you will get press coverage. The more people who hear about your protest the more names you can get on your petition.
The point of a petition is to basically let someone know that people are not happy with what they are doing, and if enough people protest the government you can get them to change their decision. This is especially true with a politician. They know thee job depends on votes and if they are going to gain enough votes to secure their job they will do it even if they truly do not agree with it.
You must apply for a permit to protest at least 30 days in advance, or if there are delays you may not have a permit on the day you have told your protesters to show up, to truly insure you have time, apply for the permits at least 60 days in advance.
When applying for the permits you should be able to find out about the rules for setting up any sound equipment you will need so you can make the arrangements for them.
The only thing left to do for your online gambling ban protest is to wait for the big day.
How to Plan the Perfect Spring Break Family Vacation
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on February 16th, 2009
From time to time everyone needs some time away from their life. It does not matter if you are 10 years old and in 5th grade or 35 years old and working a full time job, to maintain good mental health you have to take the occasional vacation.
Some time around the beginning of April most public and private schools have Spring Break from School which is a great time to plan a vacation.
Most vacations when you have children become about them, and you wind up at places like Disney land or some other child orientated vacation spot, but what about you?
Las Vegas used to be known as an adult getaway where what happens there stays there. This is no longer the case. Over the past 15 years, Las Vegas realized that more money can be made from a family orientated city rater then just from gambling.
Many casinos started adding attractions for children like go carts and other amusements, and many other activities aimed at giving a child a good time, but the casinos also opened up day care centers, so parents can get some time to enjoy themselves as well.
I know when I would go to Disney World with my kids after the 2nd or 3rd day I was looking forward to getting back to work.
For the last several years we have been going to Las Vegas for our family Vacations over spring break and the kids enjoy it. They get to go on roller coasters, swim, play video games, watch movie the list really goes on and on for all the things they can do, and I get to spend a few hours ever day with my wife in the spa getting a message, eating in nice restaurants and playing some Blackjack in the casinos.
Since we started doing this I have seen my family grow closer. My wife noticed that I am in a better mood for the rest of the year after we get back from vacation. I am enjoying my job more and all in all life is just better.
Putting together a Los Vegas vacation is very simple to do. You can go to a travel agent, or do it yourself online. I have always preferred to go to a travel agent and just let them do it, but if you are trying to save money you can get some good deals online that a travel agent can’t or won’t offer you.
If you choose to do it yourself, it is easy to do. You can go to your computer and do a search for Las Vegas. You will see every casinos and hotel listed and you can go thru them one at a time and see what they offer for you and your family to do.
You will also see everything the city and surrounding areas have to offer, and there really are tons of fun things for everyone in Las Vegas.
I hope to see you and your family there.
How to Prepare for a Long Flight
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on February 15th, 2009
The first thing I like to do is to get as little sleep as possible the night before I fly, this way by the time I get to the plane I can hopefully just go to sleep and wake up at my destination. I only recommend this if you are able to perform any tasks you need to do before your flight. If you have to drive for 5 hrs first you may want to get a good night sleep, and maybe take some Tylenol pm or something else to make you drowsy. Many people like to get a little drunk on a flight, I am not one of them, but if it helps you relax and get some sleep then I say go for it, just don’t allow yourself to drink to the point where you become an obnoxious drunk on a plane.
My next tip is to get to the airport 3 hours in advance, this is for 2 reasons. By getting there so early I am always one of if not the first to actually check in for my flight, which usually gets me a good seat, and I don’t have to wait in long lines. The other reason for always getting t the Air port at least 3 hrs before your flight is, if you check in early you cant get bumped from the plane, the people who get there last minute sometime here the words overbooked.
Things to pack in your carry on:
When ever possible I try to avoid putting things under the plane, but sometimes it is unavoidable, depending on how long I am going away for. What you take with you on the plane can make a big difference between having a pleasant flight and being so unbelievable bored that you go mad.
I always make sure to bring a fully charged MP3 player, my MP3 player hold 20 gigs of music so I never have to go into my bag to chance a CD or a memory card, and I have way more music to listen to then time to listen to it. This way I have the music for any mood I may be in, so I just load it up and listen as I fall asleep on the plane.
Just incase I cant sleep I will also make sure to bring a book with me, if for whatever reason I can not fall asleep which does happen to me, I like to take my mind off things by getting lost in a good story, but something light and entertaining, I have always found a good Action book or even Science Fiction to be good for that.
I also recommend bringing a thick soft sweater with you on the plane, this can be used if it is cold on the plane, or you can use it as an extra pillow.
I like to play video games, so I travel with one of the new hand held video games everywhere I go, so if I am not in the mood for reading I can play some games and keep myself occupied, and that really is the key. Keep yourself busy on the plane and you will be amazed at how fast the flight goes, if you stare at the clock and focus on the planes progress it will feel like forever.
How to Play Texas Holdem, For Beginners
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on February 14th, 2009
Texas Holdem is by far the most common for of poker played today due to is popularity there are even several TV shows of the game. Besides being popular texas Holdem is also the best game for a beginner to learn, the game can be learned after a few minutes and afte just a few hours of practice you can be playing fairly well against other beginners, but to really get good you must play often.
Texas Holdem is played the same way in the casino, online casinos and in your home with your pals.
Texas Holdem is played in the following manner:
1. Betting structures can vary. In Texas Holdem rarely are antes used. Most Texas Holdem games start with first two players on the dealers left placing predetermined bets. These players are called the small and large blind, and their bets are called posting the blinds.
2. Each player receives 2 cards face down. These cards are called you pocket cards and they are the only cards that are unique to you.
3. After each player is dealt their hole cards a round of betting takes place starting with the player to the left of the 2 blinds this round of betting is called the pre-flop. Just like in any other poker game a player can call raise of fold during their turn.
4. After the Pre-Flop round is over the dealer will remove the top card from the deck and discard it, this is called the Burn Card. This is done to make sure that no cheating is done. The dealer will then turn over 3 cards in the center of the table. This round is called the Flop. Any player may use any of these cards to make the best 5 card hand possible, but you are not allowed to actually touch the cards, each player can use the same cards if it help them, this is why your hole cards are so important.
5. As with the pre-flop there is now another round of betting, it is at this point you will start to see players folding.
6. After the betting is over, the dealer will burn another card, then deal the fourth of the communal cards. This card is called the Turn card
7. Again another round of betting begins and now is when you will start to see the size of the pot really grow.
8. One last time the dealer burns the top card before turning over the last card of the game, called the River card. Players now have all 5 of the communal cards and their own hole card to make the best 5 card hand.
9. One last chance is given to raise the bets or get out of the game. After this each player still in the game will show their cards. This is called the Showdown. The player with the best hand is declared the winner and wins the pot.
Now that you know the basic order of the game you are ready to start playing Texas Holdem. Holdem is a simple game to learn but if hard to master. This is the part that will take you many hand and many dollars, but if you put in the time you will be rewarded for it.
How to Plan a Great Vacation
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on February 14th, 2009
Making sure your vacation goes according to plan is not difficult to do, but it does need to be planed carefully.
First you need to decide where to go, this year I have decided to go to Holland for my vacation. Once you have decided where you want to go on vacation you can start to plan the things you want to see and do. In Holland I am interested in the Van Gogh museum, the Rembrandt museum and the Casino.
I have always enjoyed casinos, so this is going to be my first chance to go to a casino in Europe, so how can I pass up the chance to play some European Roulette, and I have been practicing at an online casino, ok I have to admit I have also been “practicing” poker and blackjack, please don’t tell my wife.
After you have figure out where you want to go and what you want to do when you are there you can get a feel for where you want your hotel to be.
There are many different websites that offer the best prices on hotels, so make sure to check several of them before making a final decision. Most of these sites will offer pictures of the hotel facilities and the different rooms.
After looking at the hotels pick the top 3 and do a search on the internet for them. Try to find reviews from people that have stayed there before. The hotels site is always going to tell you how great the hotel is, but if someone were annoyed enough to trash a place or tell you how great it was, then you can be pretty sure they are telling you the truth.
The first hotel I was looking at for my Amsterdam trip said it was close to the center of the city, in a nice area, but reading reviews from former patrons told me the area was filled with drug addicts and homeless, and this is not really what I want to see on my vacation, so I found a much nicer location. It is a little farther from the city center but it is near the museums we want to go to, so by being closer to them we can get up early walk to the museums and spend the rest of the time walking around looking at the shops and attractions inside the city’s center.
Now all that is left is packing the right clothes. Unless you are going to someplace where the weather is always a constant, make sure to pack clothes for both good and bad weather. My trip is in a week and the weather is expected to me mostly sunny and in the 50’s but there is a chance of rain so I will be packing a coat for the rain, ad extra socks just in case.
If you are gong to be in Europe and plan to visit a casino you should know that in Europe casinos are more upscale then in the USA. They will not let you in wearing your shorts a T shirt and sandals, most casinos require men to wear a tie and jacket or a turtleneck.
It is also always helpful to buy a travel guide for where ever you are going. Besides having helpful recommendations for things to see and places to eat, many of them offer discounts for attractions.
Well the only thing left is to go and have a good time, I know I will.
How to Play Texas Holdem
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on February 14th, 2009
Texas Holdem has become such a popular Game that most tournaments now days are Texas Holdem games, and there are even 2 or 3 television shows dedicated to the game. Texas Holdem is a 5 card poker game, but instead of each layer being dealt 7 cards, the dealer deals 5 cards in the center of the table, these cards are used by all the players to make the best hand possible. To make your hand each player is also dealt 2 cards and the object is to use the cards in your hand and the ones on the table to make the best hand you can.
There are 5 rounds of Texas Hold’em Poker and they are:
The Pre-Flop
The Flop
The turn
The River
The Showdown
During a Texas Holdem game between each round there is a round of betting, and is when players with bad hands may fold.
In the game of Texas Holdem the first round is the pre flop. During this round the big and the small blinds place their bets, the big and small blinds are the first two players to the dealers left. Before the players are allowed to look at their cards the small blind must place a bet of half the table minimum and the next player who is the big blind must place a bet of the table minimum and then the dealer gives each player their hole cards. The hold cards is the name of the 2 cards each player has that are exclusively theirs, these cards guarantee that each player has a chance to make a better hand then the other players, without them all you would have is the 5 communal cards.
In Texas Holdem the next round is the flop. This is when the dealer deals out the first 3 of the 5 communal cards. It is during this round that most players will fold; betting in this round is usually very conservative because 2 more cards are still needed and betting big on the chances that the cards you need are the ones that will appear is taking a big chance with your money, one that can coast you to bust out of the game early.
The third round is called the turn. The turn is when the dealer puts out the 4th communal card. At this point you can get a good idea of your chances of getting a winning hand and now is when the betting starts to heat up, and more people will drop out of the game.
The river is the last of the 5 cards to be turned over by the dealer. At this point all the cards available to make the hands have been put out, this is also the last time to bet before turning over the cards.
The last round of Texas Holdem is the showdown, this is when all players turn over their cards and a winner is declared.You now have all the information you need to start playing Texas Holdem.
How to play animals
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on February 14th, 2009
While sitting around with friends this weekend I discovered the greatest card game ever. The name of the game is Animals, and the game is very easy to learn, easy to play and a great source of entertainment.
The game is not a gambling game but gambling can be done easily enough, but I would not expect to see this game in your local casino anytime soon.
I suspect the game started out as a memory game for children, then was taken you young adults and turned into a drinking game, but it does not matter if you are gambling with this game, drinking with this game or just trying to have a fun evening with friends, because it is fun whatever you are playing for.
The best way to play the game is with at least 4 people but no more then 8. You will also need 2 or 3 decks of cards to play Animals and a table for everyone to sit around.
Before the game starts each player must choose an animal noise and a hand gesture to represent them in the game and going around the table each player must announce the name of their animal, the sound the animal makes and its hand gesture. An example of this would be to say I am a cat, meow and the hand gesture may be wiping your face with the back of your hand.
In this game the dealer remains standing the entire round. The dealer will go around the table continuously dealing 1 card to each player until all the cards have been dealt. The dealer must stay at a steady pace and go not too fast and not too slow.
the players must continuously scan the other players top cards and when someone has the same number card on top of their pile as you, you have to make that persons sound and hand gesture. If you do it before they do you get all their cards.
That person is not out of the game the next time the dealer goes around they still get another card. The person with the most cards at the end of the game winds, and is the dealer for the next round.
For kids this is a great game because they have to remember everyone’s noise and gesture, this is a fun way for them to help develop their memories, and a great way to get them away from the television for a little while.
For those looking to gamble this game may not earn you as much as playing Blackjack but it is a lot if fun to sit around and make fools of yourselves and make a few bucks. All you have to do is set an amount and everyone puts their money into a pot and the winner gets the pot. It does not get any easier then that.
The drinking game has an extra rule or two. If you make someone’s noise and gesture before they do yours, besides getting their cards they need to drink and at the end of each round all the losers need to drink.
How to Meet that Special Someone
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on February 13th, 2009
Chances are unless you are very lucky you will go thru many different relationships before you find your special someone. Finding your sole mate is like gambling. In poker and blackjack you may have to play dozens of hands until you get a winning hand, and it is the same with relationships.
During your life you will probably meet some people who seem like they may be the one, or that they are close, but still have the feeling that something else is missing. My advice is that if you are not happy, because something seems like it is missing, then it usually is not right.
Before I found my special someone, I was in a relationship for over 10 years, and I thought everything was great, until I started to seriously consider getting married. Then I noticed that we had so little in common and in reality wanted so many different things out of life and one day we both realized there was much about each of us that we both wanted from someone, but it was not us that we wanted.
Then one day I decided I had enough of trying to go to clubs and bars to meet people. I was sick and tired of trying to find someone in the time it takes to finish a drink. It always seemed the ladies I would meet were all wrong for me, or they seemed great after talking to them for 5 minutes but they seemed to have no interest in me.
Then one day I had an idea, it was not an original idea but I decided to use the internet to try to find the right person for me. So I proceeded to make a myspace profile. On this page I tried to put the real me and not the funny guy trying to be charming that was looking for love at the bar.
And as I would at the poker rooms I went all in, I poured my heart and sole into this. I wrote what I wanted and wrote down who I truly think I am and not who I want to be, and I was rewarded by 1 email responding to my site.
It was amazing; the response I got was like a dream. Imagine you are sitting in a Las Vegas casino playing poker. You are down to your last few dollars, you go all in and you wind up being dealt a Royal Flush, and suddenly the sky is bluer, the grass is greener, and all your worries seem to just fade away.
At first things were a little awkward for the both of us. We decided to hold of on actually meeting until we got to know each other first. We spent a month just talking everyday on the internet. You can really open up to someone and show them the real you and not have to worry about rejection on the internet, after all you are just a faceless ghost, and if things don’t work out you could be sitting next to her on the bus one day without ever knowing it.
The key to finding happiness is realizing you are going to bust more then you are going to get blackjack, but you must keep trying, trying to remember you only need to find the real thing once.
How to Plan the Perfect Spring Break Family Vacation
Posted by Buy essay Blog | Uncategorized | Posted on February 13th, 2009
From time to time everyone needs some time away from their life. It does not matter if you are 10 years old and in 5th grade or 35 years old and working a full time job, to maintain good mental health you have to take the occasional vacation.
Some time around the beginning of April most public and private schools have Spring Break from School which is a great time to plan a vacation.
Most vacations when you have children become about them, and you wind up at places like Disney land or some other child orientated vacation spot, but what about you?
Las Vegas used to be known as an adult getaway where what happens there stays there. This is no longer the case. Over the past 15 years, Las Vegas realized that more money can be made from a family orientated city rater then just from gambling.
Many casinos started adding attractions for children like go carts and other amusements, and many other activities aimed at giving a child a good time, but the casinos also opened up day care centers, so parents can get some time to enjoy themselves as well.
I know when I would go to Disney World with my kids after the 2nd or 3rd day I was looking forward to getting back to work.
For the last several years we have been going to Las Vegas for our family Vacations over spring break and the kids enjoy it. They get to go on roller coasters, swim, play video games, watch movie the list really goes on and on for all the things they can do, and I get to spend a few hours ever day with my wife in the spa getting a message, eating in nice restaurants and playing some Blackjack in the casinos.
Since we started doing this I have seen my family grow closer. My wife noticed that I am in a better mood for the rest of the year after we get back from vacation. I am enjoying my job more and all in all life is just better.
Putting together a Los Vegas vacation is very simple to do. You can go to a travel agent, or do it yourself online. I have always preferred to go to a travel agent and just let them do it, but if you are trying to save money you can get some good deals online that a travel agent can’t or won’t offer you.
If you choose to do it yourself, it is easy to do. You can go to your computer and do a search for Las Vegas. You will see every casinos and hotel listed and you can go thru them one at a time and see what they offer for you and your family to do.
You will also see everything the city and surrounding areas have to offer, and there really are tons of fun things for everyone in Las Vegas.
I hope to see you and your family there.