Archive for May, 2009

Develop Your Memory

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

Our memory is quite an unreliable storehouse of the data, its contents may change affected by new information. Some of the events linger in our memory for a long time, others fade very fast. On the other hand if we have remembered everything, then finally our brains would fail to discern primary from the secondary and its activity would be completely paralyzed. That is why our memory is not only the ability to remember but also to forget. Scientists distinguish three types of memory: spontaneous, short term and long term. Spontaneous memory (direct memory) keeps the information for about 1/4 seconds, and if its signals do not attract highest parts of the brains the information is erased and direct memory is filled with new signals. Short term memory lasts for 20 seconds. If the data is not introduced once again, it vanishes with no noticeable trace. The research showed that short term memory considerably improves at the age of 5 &ndash 11. Then up to 30 it remains on the same level. Later from 30 to 70 it can either progress or degenerate. Strong emotions also influence the memory characteristics. Sometimes we memorize some events because of their emotional significance to us, even if they don’t occur any more.

We always remember those things we want to learn than those which are of no interest to us. The more material is connected with other factors in various contexts and from the different points of view the better we memorize it. There are no tricks as for developing a sound memory. The best way to improve it is to learn how to arrange the information efficiently at the moment of memorization. Sometimes you can’t recollect some lists of words or figures, detailed content of the research essay you wrote a week ago. People have always tried to find ways to memorize as much information as possible. For this purpose a number of mnemotechnic methods was designed from simple limericks to complicated methods. It will be easy for you to remember a phone number or a bank account if you group the figures in larger blocks. The same refers to the list of essential purchases. If you go shopping not to forget anything divide the items you want to buy into fruit, vegetables, meat or food necessary for breakfast, dinner or supper. Rhyme and rhythm method is the basis of the rhymes. Advertising also extensively takes advantage it for a better consolidation of an advertising image in a people’s consciousness:”Don’t be afraid. Ask for Raid”. “You’ll wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with Colgate.” “Our custom research papers are the best, we differs from the rest”. Acronym method is also very wide spread. It consists in making abbreviated forms from the first letters of the words ( NATO, USA). Chain method is more complicated. Your aim is to associate the elements of some list with the help of mental images that reflect the connections imagined for each pair of links. So, you have to memorize a shopping list: coffee, butter, ham, eggs, chicken and cabbage. What image occurs to you first? Let it be a chicken pecking coffee grains, this chicken hatches out of the egg. The egg is in the cabbage and the leaves of the cabbage are bread, butter and ham sandwiches. Keeping this complicated surreal image you can fearlessly start off to the shop - you are sure to remember everything you wanted to buy.

Ancient Roman and Greek public speakers used special mnemotechnic methods. They recollected all the objects located on the way they walked along daily. Then they “tied” either a thesis or an argument of their speech to each of these objects. Pair association method uses both rhymes and mental images. You should find rhymes for 10 (20) figures and some words: four &ndash door, five &ndash knife, eight &ndash plate. This method is widely applied in the foreign language teaching for memorizing new words. You can also try to “tie “the impersonal figures to some significant date for you. If you have to learn a poem by heart, do it to music. In case all the efforts for creating such mnemotechnic schemes will seem too excessive in comparison with the results you get, mind the game is still worth the candle. Requiring constant mobilization of your imagination, it will develop your creative capabilities.

Develop Your Memory

Thursday, May 21st, 2009

Our memory is quite an unreliable storehouse of the data, its contents may change affected by new information. Some of the events linger in our memory for a long time, others fade very fast. On the other hand if we have remembered everything, then finally our brains would fail to discern primary from the secondary and its activity would be completely paralyzed. That is why our memory is not only the ability to remember but also to forget. Scientists distinguish three types of memory: spontaneous, short term and long term. Spontaneous memory (direct memory) keeps the information for about 1/4 seconds, and if its signals do not attract highest parts of the brains the information is erased and direct memory is filled with new signals. Short term memory lasts for 20 seconds. If the data is not introduced once again, it vanishes with no noticeable trace. The research showed that short term memory considerably improves at the age of 5 &ndash 11. Then up to 30 it remains on the same level. Later from 30 to 70 it can either progress or degenerate. Strong emotions also influence the memory characteristics. Sometimes we memorize some events because of their emotional significance to us, even if they don’t occur any more.

We always remember those things we want to learn than those which are of no interest to us. The more material is connected with other factors in various contexts and from the different points of view the better we memorize it. There are no tricks as for developing a sound memory. The best way to improve it is to learn how to arrange the information efficiently at the moment of memorization. Sometimes you can’t recollect some lists of words or figures, detailed content of the research essay you wrote a week ago. People have always tried to find ways to memorize as much information as possible. For this purpose a number of mnemotechnic methods was designed from simple limericks to complicated methods. It will be easy for you to remember a phone number or a bank account if you group the figures in larger blocks. The same refers to the list of essential purchases. If you go shopping not to forget anything divide the items you want to buy into fruit, vegetables, meat or food necessary for breakfast, dinner or supper. Rhyme and rhythm method is the basis of the rhymes. Advertising also extensively takes advantage it for a better consolidation of an advertising image in a people’s consciousness:”Don’t be afraid. Ask for Raid”. “You’ll wonder where the yellow went when you brush your teeth with Colgate.” “Our custom research papers are the best, we differs from the rest”. Acronym method is also very wide spread. It consists in making abbreviated forms from the first letters of the words ( NATO, USA). Chain method is more complicated. Your aim is to associate the elements of some list with the help of mental images that reflect the connections imagined for each pair of links. So, you have to memorize a shopping list: coffee, butter, ham, eggs, chicken and cabbage. What image occurs to you first? Let it be a chicken pecking coffee grains, this chicken hatches out of the egg. The egg is in the cabbage and the leaves of the cabbage are bread, butter and ham sandwiches. Keeping this complicated surreal image you can fearlessly start off to the shop - you are sure to remember everything you wanted to buy.

Ancient Roman and Greek public speakers used special mnemotechnic methods. They recollected all the objects located on the way they walked along daily. Then they “tied” either a thesis or an argument of their speech to each of these objects. Pair association method uses both rhymes and mental images. You should find rhymes for 10 (20) figures and some words: four &ndash door, five &ndash knife, eight &ndash plate. This method is widely applied in the foreign language teaching for memorizing new words. You can also try to “tie “the impersonal figures to some significant date for you. If you have to learn a poem by heart, do it to music. In case all the efforts for creating such mnemotechnic schemes will seem too excessive in comparison with the results you get, mind the game is still worth the candle. Requiring constant mobilization of your imagination, it will develop your creative capabilities.

Does It Summarize?

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

I go through an interesting writing exercise regularly: I take magazine articles and write abstracts of them for a newsletter client.

The challenge involves taking an article, one that normally ranges from 1,000 to 3,000 words, and condensing it into a few hundred words. That means I need to get the essence of the article squarely in my sights and to write about it in my own words.

When I go through that exercise, I’m amazed at the number of articles, many from highly respected business magazines, that don’t have internal integrity.

An article has internal integrity when the writer started out with a central idea, developed it well, and reached a conclusion involving that idea. For example, the writer might start with an anecdote, using the anecdote to illustrate a problem.

She then goes on to explain why this problem deserves our attention. That’s followed by one or several potential solutions, and the pros and cons of each one, along with a recommendation or two. She concludes the article by summarizing the problem, the alternative solutions, and her recommendation then links back to the opening anecdote. That’s just one story development model, but one that works.

As I say, many articles don’t have that kind of integrity. Some miss one or more parts of the model, others get them in the wrong order, and some don’t have a model at all, just the non-fiction equivalent of stream-of-consciousness (a fiction model).

You can ensure your writing has internal integrity — whether for memos, articles, instructions or anything else — by taking measures before or after your write. Perhaps the most familiar strategy is the preliminary outline. Before you start writing, you set out the elements you’ll address.

Another possibility is to go back to your message afterward and write a short abstract, and ask yourself whether or not it makes sense. Does the story flow logically and clearly? Do you see any part of your model that might be missing?

A third possibility is just to set aside your writing for a few days, and then look at it later with fresh eyes.

Whichever you technique your choose, and that’s mostly a matter of your personal style, your writing will get better results if it has internal integrity.

Does It Summarize?

Wednesday, May 20th, 2009

I go through an interesting writing exercise regularly: I take magazine articles and write abstracts of them for a newsletter client.

The challenge involves taking an article, one that normally ranges from 1,000 to 3,000 words, and condensing it into a few hundred words. That means I need to get the essence of the article squarely in my sights and to write about it in my own words.

When I go through that exercise, I’m amazed at the number of articles, many from highly respected business magazines, that don’t have internal integrity.

An article has internal integrity when the writer started out with a central idea, developed it well, and reached a conclusion involving that idea. For example, the writer might start with an anecdote, using the anecdote to illustrate a problem.

She then goes on to explain why this problem deserves our attention. That’s followed by one or several potential solutions, and the pros and cons of each one, along with a recommendation or two. She concludes the article by summarizing the problem, the alternative solutions, and her recommendation then links back to the opening anecdote. That’s just one story development model, but one that works.

As I say, many articles don’t have that kind of integrity. Some miss one or more parts of the model, others get them in the wrong order, and some don’t have a model at all, just the non-fiction equivalent of stream-of-consciousness (a fiction model).

You can ensure your writing has internal integrity — whether for memos, articles, instructions or anything else — by taking measures before or after your write. Perhaps the most familiar strategy is the preliminary outline. Before you start writing, you set out the elements you’ll address.

Another possibility is to go back to your message afterward and write a short abstract, and ask yourself whether or not it makes sense. Does the story flow logically and clearly? Do you see any part of your model that might be missing?

A third possibility is just to set aside your writing for a few days, and then look at it later with fresh eyes.

Whichever you technique your choose, and that’s mostly a matter of your personal style, your writing will get better results if it has internal integrity.

Don’t Give Up On Writing That Novel

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

Think it’s hard to get a novel published? For most writers, it is - but it’s certainly not impossible. I’ve had two hit the shelves-in 10 countries, and with book club and movie rights picked up. People often ask me how I did it, and the truth is simple. All it takes is, 1) talent, and 2) actually writing the thing.

As much as I hate to admit it, the second is the more important factor.

Fact is, plenty of great novels go unfinished. The statistics are staggering: of those who start writing a novel, only about 3% will finish. And unless you’re the child of a rock star or Shakespeare’s long-lost descendent, no agent or publisher will look at your novel unless it’s complete. Only in rare instances will a publisher make an offer to a newbie novelist based on a partial manuscript.

On my first novel, Flip-Flopped, I actually did have interest from an editor at a major publishing house before I was finished. I’d been taking a writing class, and the teacher passed along a short description of my book to an editor acquaintance of hers, who professed interest. I’d written about 100 pages at the time and was elated - that is, until my teacher added, “Of course, she doesn’t want to see it until it’s done.”

It may seem unfair. If your novel starts with a bang, why can’t you just give a few chapters and an outline? Surely that’s enough to prove your mettle. But publishers want evidence of more than writing skills. They need to see you can go the distance. In the world of writing, a novel is the marathon. A finished manuscript is the only way to show you can cross the finish line in the same sort of shape you started.

It took me two years to write my first novel. Even with an editor waiting - and knowing she wouldn’t wait forever - I nearly gave up many times along the way. A single mom with a full-time job, my only writing time was in the early hours before work and during my son’s naptime on weekends. I not only had to learn novel basics like how to plot and create strong characters, I had to learn how to stick with it.

If you’re struggling with finishing your novel, these tips may help:

1. Tell yourself a little white lie: that you have a real deadline. One of the main reasons writers give up is because they begin to question whether anyone really cares. Pretend there’s an editor or agent waiting, drumming his or her fingers, eager for that completed manuscript to arrive.

2. Set a daily goal. I set a minimum of two hours a day, every day. You may prefer to designate a certain number of pages, such as three to five. Writing is a lot like dieting: people who approach it reasonably on a daily basis are more likely to meet with success than those who try a crash program.

3. Don’t write a novel - write a first draft. A first draft can be imperfect - and in fact, it will be. That’s okay. Just get the pages down. You can fix it on the second draft.

4. Be careful whom you show it to. It can be helpful to get feedback as you go, but choose your readers carefully. Giving your precious pages to someone who is frustrated at their own inability to write a novel is like handing them a gun … pointed right at you.

5. Spend more time writing than you spend planning. It can be helpful to have an outline and some basic research, but typically writers who mire themselves in creating lengthy drafts of what they’re going to write rarely get around to actually writing.

6. Feel the joy. Remind yourself why you’re writing a novel. Few people if any set out to write a first novel because they have to. They do it because they have something to say…a passion for the written word…a dream of seeing their name on a shelf next to writers they admire. Hard work may be the backbone of a writing career, but it’s the joy of creating something amazing that keeps us going.

So keep going!

Don’t Give Up On Writing That Novel

Tuesday, May 19th, 2009

Think it’s hard to get a novel published? For most writers, it is - but it’s certainly not impossible. I’ve had two hit the shelves-in 10 countries, and with book club and movie rights picked up. People often ask me how I did it, and the truth is simple. All it takes is, 1) talent, and 2) actually writing the thing.

As much as I hate to admit it, the second is the more important factor.

Fact is, plenty of great novels go unfinished. The statistics are staggering: of those who start writing a novel, only about 3% will finish. And unless you’re the child of a rock star or Shakespeare’s long-lost descendent, no agent or publisher will look at your novel unless it’s complete. Only in rare instances will a publisher make an offer to a newbie novelist based on a partial manuscript.

On my first novel, Flip-Flopped, I actually did have interest from an editor at a major publishing house before I was finished. I’d been taking a writing class, and the teacher passed along a short description of my book to an editor acquaintance of hers, who professed interest. I’d written about 100 pages at the time and was elated - that is, until my teacher added, “Of course, she doesn’t want to see it until it’s done.”

It may seem unfair. If your novel starts with a bang, why can’t you just give a few chapters and an outline? Surely that’s enough to prove your mettle. But publishers want evidence of more than writing skills. They need to see you can go the distance. In the world of writing, a novel is the marathon. A finished manuscript is the only way to show you can cross the finish line in the same sort of shape you started.

It took me two years to write my first novel. Even with an editor waiting - and knowing she wouldn’t wait forever - I nearly gave up many times along the way. A single mom with a full-time job, my only writing time was in the early hours before work and during my son’s naptime on weekends. I not only had to learn novel basics like how to plot and create strong characters, I had to learn how to stick with it.

If you’re struggling with finishing your novel, these tips may help:

1. Tell yourself a little white lie: that you have a real deadline. One of the main reasons writers give up is because they begin to question whether anyone really cares. Pretend there’s an editor or agent waiting, drumming his or her fingers, eager for that completed manuscript to arrive.

2. Set a daily goal. I set a minimum of two hours a day, every day. You may prefer to designate a certain number of pages, such as three to five. Writing is a lot like dieting: people who approach it reasonably on a daily basis are more likely to meet with success than those who try a crash program.

3. Don’t write a novel - write a first draft. A first draft can be imperfect - and in fact, it will be. That’s okay. Just get the pages down. You can fix it on the second draft.

4. Be careful whom you show it to. It can be helpful to get feedback as you go, but choose your readers carefully. Giving your precious pages to someone who is frustrated at their own inability to write a novel is like handing them a gun … pointed right at you.

5. Spend more time writing than you spend planning. It can be helpful to have an outline and some basic research, but typically writers who mire themselves in creating lengthy drafts of what they’re going to write rarely get around to actually writing.

6. Feel the joy. Remind yourself why you’re writing a novel. Few people if any set out to write a first novel because they have to. They do it because they have something to say…a passion for the written word…a dream of seeing their name on a shelf next to writers they admire. Hard work may be the backbone of a writing career, but it’s the joy of creating something amazing that keeps us going.

So keep going!

Don

Monday, May 18th, 2009

Freelance job sites are filled with work. If you want to work for pay today, it is possible that you can do so. You might even be able to write as many articles as you want to write.

“$1.00 Per Article - As Much Work As You Want”

Yes, you too could be on the road to a very lucrative career if you could write a few hundred articles a day.

Let’s see, if it takes me 45 minutes to write an article because I know something about the subject already then I could do 32 articles in a day - if I don’t sleep. It just might work if I can be guaranteed no interruption.

And at the end of a marathon day of writing I might have earned $1.33 per hour, which is well below the poverty level.

You many wonder who would possibly agree to work for these wages.

Most of these jobs go to either new freelance writers who don’t know any better or to writers from developing countries who find this wage to be better than what they may be capable of earning in their own country.

Many webmasters are willing to accept this work and either retool it or use it as is.

The problem for many website visitors is that the English often used is not “Americanized” English and is often filled with mistakes.

Reputable websites refuse to cut corners and are anxious to find qualified and dependable writers who can take care of their writing needs. In most cases websites are willing to pay well for a writer who can provide a good fit for their needs.

Some of the most experiences freelance writers can earn $250 or more per hour. However, in these cases it is important to note that they are full-time and have factored what they believe to be the actual number of hours per year they will actually be able to bill clients for their work and set their hourly fee accordingly.

The fee these writers receive from clients help offset those hours when they have no writing work.

Most freelance writers do have a day job and any writing they do for clients provides a supplemental income. In these cases clients find a lower price for the work, but may not find a delivery time that is as quick as a full-time freelancer.

For a client that plans well, this is rarely an issue. Most qualified freelancers find they have plenty of work and at a price that they set and can live with.

Don

Monday, May 18th, 2009

Freelance job sites are filled with work. If you want to work for pay today, it is possible that you can do so. You might even be able to write as many articles as you want to write.

“$1.00 Per Article - As Much Work As You Want”

Yes, you too could be on the road to a very lucrative career if you could write a few hundred articles a day.

Let’s see, if it takes me 45 minutes to write an article because I know something about the subject already then I could do 32 articles in a day - if I don’t sleep. It just might work if I can be guaranteed no interruption.

And at the end of a marathon day of writing I might have earned $1.33 per hour, which is well below the poverty level.

You many wonder who would possibly agree to work for these wages.

Most of these jobs go to either new freelance writers who don’t know any better or to writers from developing countries who find this wage to be better than what they may be capable of earning in their own country.

Many webmasters are willing to accept this work and either retool it or use it as is.

The problem for many website visitors is that the English often used is not “Americanized” English and is often filled with mistakes.

Reputable websites refuse to cut corners and are anxious to find qualified and dependable writers who can take care of their writing needs. In most cases websites are willing to pay well for a writer who can provide a good fit for their needs.

Some of the most experiences freelance writers can earn $250 or more per hour. However, in these cases it is important to note that they are full-time and have factored what they believe to be the actual number of hours per year they will actually be able to bill clients for their work and set their hourly fee accordingly.

The fee these writers receive from clients help offset those hours when they have no writing work.

Most freelance writers do have a day job and any writing they do for clients provides a supplemental income. In these cases clients find a lower price for the work, but may not find a delivery time that is as quick as a full-time freelancer.

For a client that plans well, this is rarely an issue. Most qualified freelancers find they have plenty of work and at a price that they set and can live with.

Dusting Off A Dream: Writing Success At Any Age

Sunday, May 17th, 2009

“Give me a stock clerk with a goal and I’ll give you a man who will make history. Give me a man with no goals and I’ll give you a stock clerk.” - J.C. Penney

Country recording artist Tim McGraw confided in an interview that there was a guy at a 7-11 that could sing him under a table. So, why is that guy serving up Slurpees while Tim is performing to packed stadiums?

The reason is the same for writers as it is for singers. There are many incredibly gifted writers who will never have a book published. The reasons are many, but it often comes down to their willingness to follow a dream or to shelve the dream for other reasons &ndash some noble and some steeped in fear.

“The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible — and achieve it, generation after generation.” - Pearl S. Buck

There is something about the idea of writing without fear. The dreams we may have once had do not need to remain a simple reference point for ‘what if’s’ and ‘might’a beens’.

The good news about writing is that the more real-life experiences you have the more you may be able to relate. It is never too late to pick up a pen and began to compose something extraordinary.

Sometimes the only thing that will set you apart from a better writer is simply your willingness to write &ndash then share it with others.

“Self-trust is the first secret of success.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The noble art of writing allows a wordsmith to venture into the hearts of humanity and welcome others to the exploration. Unlike certain other entertainment fields, becoming an author is something that can and is done at any age.

Success

Bessie Anderson Stanley

He has achieved success

who has lived well,

laughed often, and loved much;

who has enjoyed the trust of pure women,

the respect of intelligent men

and the love of little children;

who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;

who has left the world better than he found it

whether by an improved poppy,

a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;

who has never lacked appreciation of Earth’s beauty

or failed to express it;

who has always looked for the best in others

and given them the best he had;

whose life was an inspiration;

whose memory a benediction.

Perhaps its time to dust off a dream.

Dusting Off A Dream: Writing Success At Any Age

Sunday, May 17th, 2009

“Give me a stock clerk with a goal and I’ll give you a man who will make history. Give me a man with no goals and I’ll give you a stock clerk.” - J.C. Penney

Country recording artist Tim McGraw confided in an interview that there was a guy at a 7-11 that could sing him under a table. So, why is that guy serving up Slurpees while Tim is performing to packed stadiums?

The reason is the same for writers as it is for singers. There are many incredibly gifted writers who will never have a book published. The reasons are many, but it often comes down to their willingness to follow a dream or to shelve the dream for other reasons &ndash some noble and some steeped in fear.

“The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible — and achieve it, generation after generation.” - Pearl S. Buck

There is something about the idea of writing without fear. The dreams we may have once had do not need to remain a simple reference point for ‘what if’s’ and ‘might’a beens’.

The good news about writing is that the more real-life experiences you have the more you may be able to relate. It is never too late to pick up a pen and began to compose something extraordinary.

Sometimes the only thing that will set you apart from a better writer is simply your willingness to write &ndash then share it with others.

“Self-trust is the first secret of success.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

The noble art of writing allows a wordsmith to venture into the hearts of humanity and welcome others to the exploration. Unlike certain other entertainment fields, becoming an author is something that can and is done at any age.

Success

Bessie Anderson Stanley

He has achieved success

who has lived well,

laughed often, and loved much;

who has enjoyed the trust of pure women,

the respect of intelligent men

and the love of little children;

who has filled his niche and accomplished his task;

who has left the world better than he found it

whether by an improved poppy,

a perfect poem, or a rescued soul;

who has never lacked appreciation of Earth’s beauty

or failed to express it;

who has always looked for the best in others

and given them the best he had;

whose life was an inspiration;

whose memory a benediction.

Perhaps its time to dust off a dream.

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