Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Response to the article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Response to the article - Essay Example The article by William Robin titled, The Fat Lady is still singing, was in response to an article written by Mark Vanhoenacker that called for the death of this genre of music. In the article, Robin indicates that the passion and enjoyment of this genre of music lives on despite the various shortcomings related to funding challenges and the changing audience being rampant in relation to this genre of music. In fact, William Robin insists that classical music is still alive and it thrives in the current society. To underline his point, Robin insists that there have been various instances that have been used to mark the supposed death of this genre of music. The author indicates by the use of an info graph, the number of times that people have predicted the death of this genre of music with the music not witnessing its death as called on by the prophets. In my view, Robin raises various points although I am wondering why there are no similar discussions related to art forms of paintwork, literature, and cinema. In this case, I think that painting is on its deathbed while, on the other hand, it is my opinion that both cinema and literature are thriving. This brings the status of music in between the dying status of painting and the thriving status of both art forms related to literature and cinema. In particular, this is the current position in which classical music finds itself. My opinion is informed by the fact that the level of creativity surrounding classical music is on the decline as witnessed in the last fifty years although the level of performing classical music is rising, especially due to the heavy influence and the role of the piano as the fundamental accompaniment during performances. At the same time, there is an apparent state whereby individual performers without knowledge and understanding of counterpoints are incre asingly becoming pop stars. This implies that there is a problem although
Letter for parntes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Letter for parntes - Essay Example This compares to a national average of 5/9 in these categories overall. 3) In the ‘Total Reading’ area your child scored the highest on the subtest of ‘Reading Vocabulary’ with a raw score of 27/30, and in ‘Reading Comprehension’ scored a total of 46/50. The student’s lowest score was ‘Sounds and Prints’ where they had a raw score of 26/30. 4) In the ‘Total Mathematics’ subtest, the student did the best in ‘Concepts & Problem-Solving’ with a raw score of 34/40, and the lowest result was found in ‘Computation’ with a raw score of 24/30. 5) This Management Aptitude Test (MAT) evaluates the performance of the student, the class, and the school in comparison with national averages. This testing is conducted in accord with the Ohio State Department of Education standards. 6) As teacher of the student, my personal assessment of these scores in relation to her performance in class is that †Å"Mary†is one of our best students and consistently ranks in the upper percentile of the class in most subjects. She is very strong in math and reading, but could benefit with more time improving her computer skills. I am available during the Parent-Teacher Conferences and also after school hours to discuss any questions you may have about these test results.
Monday, October 28, 2019
The Split-Cycle Engine Essay Example for Free
The Split-Cycle Engine Essay The Split-Cycle Engine changes the heart of the conventional engine by dividing (or splitting) the four strokes of the Otto cycle over a paired combination of one compression cylinder and one power cylinder. Gas is compressed in the compression cylinder and transferred to the power cylinder through a gas passage. The gas passage includes a set of uniquely timed valves, which maintain a prechargedpressure through all four strokes of the cycle. Shortly after the piston in the power cylinder reaches its top dead center position, the gas is quickly transferred to the power cylinder and fired (or combusted) to produce the power stroke. Split-cycle internal combustion engine claims have the potential to double fuel efficiency for same size engine, while reducing the manufacturing price by up to 50% which includes a built in dedicated compressor. Rather than using batteries and electric motors/generators to harness braking energy, the engine uses the air compressor. A split cycle engine includes a novel compressor apparatus driven by the combustion engine, a closed-cycle refrigeration system in cooperation with the compressor apparatus, and a pneumatic motor driven by compressed air from the compressor apparatus. Refrigerant in the compressor absorbs thermal energy from compressed air and assists in compressing the air. High-pressure air from the compressor is stored in a storage tank and may be used to drive the pneumatic motor or other auxiliary equipment in addition to providing high-pressure combustion air for the internal combustion engine Introduction An engine includes a crankshaft having a crank throw, the crankshaft rotating about crankshaft axis. A compression piston is slid ably received within a compression cylinder and operatively connected to the crankshaft such that the compression piston reciprocates through an intake stroke and a compression stroke of a four stroke cycle during a single rotation of the crankshaft. An expansion piston is slid ably received within an expansion cylinder. A connecting rod is pivotally connected to the expansion piston. A mechanical linkage rotationally connects the crank throw to the connecting rod about a connecting rod/crank throw axis such that the expansion piston reciprocates through an expansion stroke and an exhaust stroke of the four stroke cycle during the same rotation of the crankshaft. A non-circular path is established by the mechanical linkage which the connecting rod/crank throw axis travels around the crankshaft axis. Moving Engine Technology into the 21st Century The first four-stroke piston engine was developed in 1876. This four-stroke piston arrangement is still the primary design of engines built today. Today’s engines operate at only 33% efficiency. This means that only 1/3 of the energy in each gallon of fuel is used the rest is lost through friction and heat. With over a billion engines currently in use worldwide, even small gains in efficiency will have huge impacts on the economy, dependency on foreign oil, and the environment. Despite immense efforts over the past century, engine efficiency has remained the same. The Heart Of The Engine Needs To Change: The heart of the internal combustion engine is a piston moving up and down in a cylinder connected to a crankshaft. Its simplicity makes improving performance almost impossible. Small improvements have proven difficult and large improvements have been considered impossible. Improving the four-stroke piston design has become the Rubik’s Cube of engineering, a puzzle that nobody has been able to solve until now. While the industry struggles for gains in the 1% range, the design of the Split-Cycle Technology pushes engine efficiency and performance to an entirely new level. Conventional Engine Design The heart of the internal combustion engine is a piston connected to a crankshaft, moving up and down in a cylinder through the four strokes of the Otto Cycle, the intake, compression, power and exhaust strokes. In a typical four-stroke cycle engine, power is recovered from the combustion process in these four separate piston strokes within each single cylinder. This basic design has not changed for more than 100 years. The Various Strokes And Stages Involved A. Intake and Compression: The basic concept of the Split Cycle Engine is to divide the four strokes of a standard engine over a paired combination of one compression cylinder and one power (or expansion) cylinder. These two cylinders perform their respective functions once per crankshaft revolution. The concept is illustrated in Figures 1 through 8. A common misconception is that twice as many cylinders are required. This is simply not accurate. Because this engine fires every revolution instead of every other revolution, the number of power strokes produced is equal to the power strokes produced by two of the conventional piston/cylinder designs. A four cylinder engine would still have four cylinders. There would simply be two sets of paired cylinders instead of four individual cylinders. In the configuration shown, an intake charge is drawn into the compression cylinder through typical poppet-style valves. B .Compression Stroke The compression cylinder then pressurizes (Fig. 2) the charge and drives the charge through the crossover passage, which acts as the intake port for the power cylinder. In this illustration, a check valve (best seen in Figures 6, 7 and 8) is used to prevent reverse flow from the crossover passage to the compression cylinder, and likewise a poppet-style valve (crossover valve) prevents reverse flow from the power cylinder to the crossover passage. The check valve and crossover valve are timed to maintain pressure in the crossover passage at or above firing conditions during an entire four stroke cycle. C. Power and Exhaust: Combustion occurs soon after the intake charge enters the power cylinder from the crossover passage. This means that the start of combustion occurs after the power cylinder passes through its top dead center position. The resulting combustion drives the power cylinder down. Exhaust gases are than pumped out of the power cylinder through a poppet valve to start the cycle over again. D. Previous Split-Cycle Designs There have been other similar split-cycle engine designs in the past, but they have never been able to match the thermal efficiency levels of the standard four-stroke engine. This is due in large part to the fact that, as the gas is transferred from the crossover passage to the power cylinder in the prior engine designs, the gas has always been allowed to over-expand in the power cylinder and then must be recompressed before initiating combustion. The extra work required to recompress the gas greatly reduces efficiency levels.
Accomplished Senior Level Accountant Resume Essay Example for Free
Accomplished Senior Level Accountant Resume Essay SENIOR ACCOUNTANT / AUDITOR Accomplished Senior Level Accountant with exceptional analytical skills and in-depth knowledge of internal controls concepts. Expertise in conducting operational and financial audits and identifies and implements business process improvements.  Effectively writes recommendations to strengthen internal controls resulting in improved operational efficiencies. Excellent communication skills. Fluent in English Chinese                CORE KNOWLEDGE AREAS à ¼Ã‚ Internal Controls à ¼Ã‚ Superb Organizational /Analysis Skills à ¼Ã‚ Staff Development Training à ¼Ã‚ Policies / Procedures à ¼Ã‚ Operational / Financial Audits à ¼Ã‚ Team Leadership RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE, Chicago, IL                                                              2001-Present Auditor-in-Charge (2006-Present) Staff Auditor (2001-2006) As Auditor-in-Charge, conducts audits through formal walkthroughs of accounting processes, internal control evaluation and testing, risk assessments high level analytical review, business organization and strategy analysis, and consideration of fraud. Develops audit procedures. Developed and maintains the audit budget, tracking any deviation and reporting it to the Supervisor. Prepares audit summary reports with documented audit findings and recommendations. Facilitate information requests from audit team members to accounting personnel ensuring a smooth workflow process. Mentors new hires on career development through on-the-job training. In the capacity of Staff Auditor, conducted financial audits of large insurance companies such as Allstate Insurance Company, Zurich Life Insurance Company and Country Insurance Company. Successfully audited over 30 various companies and performed substantive audit procedures to test the validity of financial information. Documented audit procedures and testing conclusions. Analyzed/validated financial data regarding material assets, net worth, liabilities, income and expenses. Verified large amounts of asset and liability account balances in excess of $1 billion. Provided corrective actions for companies to avoid fines and license suspensions. ADDITIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE CENTER FOR ECONOMIC PROGRESS, (City/State)                                                                     2003-Present Voluntary Tax Preparer Prepared federal and state income tax returns using TaxWise for hundreds of low income families. COMPUTER SKILLS Microsoft Word  ¨ Excel  ¨Ã‚ ACL   ¨ TeamMate Audit Management System EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-CHAMPAIGN, Champaign, Illinois Bachelor of Science, Accounting, 2001 CERTIFICATIONS Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), 2005 Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI), 2004 Certified Financial Examiner (CFE), 2004 Certified Public Accountant (CPA), 2003
Saturday, October 26, 2019
The Woman Who Fathered Me: A Caribbean Womans Role in the Family Essay
The Woman Who Fathered Me: A Caribbean Woman's Role in the Family Female children born into low income families in Jamaica and other islands of the Caribbean are burdened with a stereotype that their male counterparts will never know. When faced with the gender oppression their society has constantly been feeding, and the fact that so many women must act as the single financial heads of their families, many women of the Caribbean must settle for low paying occupations associated with 'female' or domestic labor. For women born into families at the bottom of the economic ladder, there is little hope of social mobility or escape from the fist of poverty. In most cases, the cycle continues to feed itself from mother to daughter. In my paper I will demonstrate this cycÀle by examining the Caribbean women's role in the family as head of the household and the education, employment and survival strategies characteristic to many of these women. I will conclude my paper by discussing some of the new organizations and movements that have surfaced in the C aribbean within the past thirty years that are fighting for women's empowerment. In his highly acclaimed novel In the Castle of My Skin, which he dedicates to his mother, in chapter three George Lamming eloquently describes what is actually a common scene among islands of the Caribbean: women gathered together in a common yard for the purpose of gossip. While it may seem to be an insignificant event, in a region where the responsibilities involved in raising a family fall mainly on women's shoulders, their bond with each other is essential. Miss Foster. My mother. Bob's mother. It seemed they were three pieces in a pattern which remained constant. Miss Foster had six children, th... .... 1998. 3. Ellis, Pat. Women of the Caribbean. New Jersey: Zeb Books Ltd., 1986. 4. Haniff, Nesha Z. Blaze a Fire. Toronto: Sister Vision, 1988. 5. Lamming, George. In the Castle of My Skin. USA: University of Michigan Press, 1991. 6. Massiah, Joycelin. omen as Heads of Households in the Caribbean: family structures and feminine status. Colchester: Unesco, 1983. 7. Senior, Olive. Working Miricles: Women's Lives in the English-speaking Caribbean. London: James Currey Ltd, 1991. 8. Shepherd, Verene. Engendering History: Caribbean Women in Historical Perspective. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995. 9. Walker, Susan."Rastafarian Women Speak Out"The Toronto Star 12 Aug. 1994: Pg. D12. 10. Yawney, Carole D. Moving with the dawtas of Rastafari: from myth to reality. pgs. 15--23; 33--55; and 65--73. (excerpts from Teresa Turner's New Society.)
Friday, October 25, 2019
Alcohol: A Growing Problem In The World? Essay examples -- essays rese
Alcoholism, as defined by the Random House Dictionary of the English Language, is â€Å"a chronic disorder characterized by dependence on alcohol, repeated excessive use of alcoholic beverages. The development of withdrawal symptoms on reducing or ceasing intake, morbidity that may include cirrhosis of the liver, and decreased ability to function socially and vocationally.†As you can see my report is on alcohol and alcoholism. The report will show statistics, the different types of alcohol and alcoholics, both the positive and negative health consequences and effects of alcohol, and other interesting facts and details. Here are some questions to ask yourself before you begin to read the rest of my term paper; â€Å" Am I an alcoholic?†â€Å"Do I know an alcoholic?†â€Å"Does my family of a history of alcohol problems?†If you answered yes to any of these you definitely may want to read this research paper. Alcohol dates as far back as the early Stone Age. Alcoholic beverages were first fermented in the year 4200 BC. In 1640 the first distillery in the United States was established in what is now known as New York City. In 1769 the first Canadian distillery was established for the production of rum. In the early 1800’s Rum became the most popular alcoholic beverage. In 1789 the first bourbon was produced in Georgetown, Kentucky. During the mid 1800’s a movement of prohibition began. The prohibition went into a Constitutional Amendment in 1920, but by 1933 repealed it. Today the most popular spirit is whiskey. It has accounted for 38 percent of all spirits consumed. Even so, the sales of beer and wine have greatly increased since the late 1940’s.           The drinking habits of the European differ from the drinking habits of Americans. Since Europe has many different climates and geographical features it is ideally suited for the wide variety in the production and drinking of alcohol. In Southern Europe the people mainly drink wine. Such countries are Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, and Greece. The people of Ireland, England, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Austria, and Czechoslovakia are known as beer drinkers. The Northern countries, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, and Poland are basically spirit drinkers.           There are many different types of alcoholic bevera... ...th among teens is car crashes; drunk drivers cause more than half of these accidents. There are many groups who help people overcome their alcoholism. I will talk about one of the most famous, Alcoholics Anonymous. AA has organizations through out the world consisting of men and women who want to help each other overcome their problem. Some of these people share their success stories with those who need incentive to become sober. Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in 1935. It has 63,000 groups in the Unites States, Canada, and over 110 other countries. Anyone who joins must realize that it isn’t a medical or religious organization. The mailing address is P.O. box 459 Grandcentral Station, New York, New York 10017. To terminate my term paper, I feel alcohol has its ups and downs. While it has certain positives, it also has many negatives. I’d also like to say I enjoyed doing my research paper because I learned many things about alcohol and alcoholism that I didn’t know before I did my research. In the next couple of pages I have a table showing the alcohol involvement for drivers in fatal crashes and a chart of different drugs and the interactions they have when taken with alcohol.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Procter & Gamble Financial Analysis Essay
What began as a small family-run candle and soap business, grew through innovation, creative marketing and partnerships to become the largest consumer goods company in the world. William Procter, emigrating from England, established himself as a candle maker in Cincinnati, which was a busy center of commerce and industry in the early nineteenth century. And James Gamble, arriving from Ireland, apprenticed himself to a soap maker. The two might never have met had they not married sisters Olivia and Elizabeth Norris, whose father convinced his new sons-in-law to become business partners. As a result, in 1837, a bold new enterprise was born: Procter & Gamble. William Procter was born in 1801 in England. As a boy, he worked as general store apprentice, learning to â€Å"dip candles†– a skill that would later lead to both fame and fortune. His first entrepreneurial venture, however, met with disaster. The day after opening, his dry goods shop in London was robbed, leaving Procter $8,000 in debt – a huge sum in 1832. Determined to rebuild, he and his wife decided to immigrate to the United States. While traveling down the Ohio River, Mrs. Procter became ill and died a few months after their arrival in Cincinnati. Procter first worked in a bank. He then decided to use his past experience as a candle maker to earn extra income and help pay off his debt. He took advantage of the fat and oil by-products from Cincinnati’s large meatpacking industry. Procter began as a one- person operation – manufacturing, selling and delivering candles to his customers in the area. During this time, he also met and proposed to Olivia Norris, the daughter of a prominent candle maker in town, Alexander Norris. Meanwhile, James Gamble was born in 1803, in Ireland. He immigrated with his family to America in 1819 as part of a mass exodus from Northern Ireland. They were headed for Illinois, but during the trip, James Gamble, then 16, became violently ill; his parents took him ashore in Cincinnati. By the time James recovered, the family had decided to stay. At 18, James began an apprenticeship with a local soap maker, then years later, opened his own soap and candle shop with a friend. Before long, Gamble met and married Elizabeth Ann Norris, the second daughter of Alexander Norris. The business began during nationwide panic and depression. But the struggling young firm survived. Cincinnati proved a sound business base because as a meat packing center, it offered plenty of fat and oil for soap and candle making. †¢The Procters’ eldest son, William A. Procter, was the first P&G President in 1890. †¢Son Harley T. was the company’s first Advertising and Sales Manager. He named Ivory Soap. †¢The Gamble’s eldest son, James N. Gamble, invented Ivory Soap and founded the first laboratory in P&G history.
Military Family
The military family experiences several challenges in their working conditions. This ranges from culture, pressure they experience from work, low pay, and poor housing conditions among others. Culture basically refers to people’s way of life. The military has been treated in the past time in a way that reflects that they live in a vacuum or space. Therefore the major challenge or crisis the military family experience is the stress they get on deployments. These people have physical and family separation when deployed in other areas. They feel that they belong to a different world where people do not exist. The military troops are also not expected to have their families with them. The frequent deployment has therefore made a lot of the military army to remain family less. They can have a family if in the real sense they would not have enough time for them.(Rhea,1998,p21). The other challenge that has been raised by the American Military Service Personnel and their families is the stressful condition in the work place since the September 11, 2001 bombing. These people face psychological risks and mental health-related problems as a result of frequent deployment rates. Life within most of the military families has been constantly changing whenever a service member is deployed to a combat zone. Most of them have been killed with majority sustaining physical wounds and a range of permanent disabilities. Some of the disabilities included traumatic brain injury and eye problems. Some of the members who were deployed in the support of the GWOT returned from the combat zone with a lot of psychological injuries. The military members also are faced to the kind life that changes in areas they are deployed. This was experienced especially those who were deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Majority of them found themselves dead. Could be the kind of topography in this area outweighed their experience. They did not have the appropriate survival strategies which are highly adaptive in a combat environment. This was the biggest challenge to the families of these people. The family life was seriously affected by the exposure of the combat environment making the families suffer a lot of psychological stress (Stephen, 1985, p64). A part from sustaining physical and psychological injuries, the military families also faced a number of problems as a result of frequent deployment. The living conditions where they reside is very poor and not worth for human health. These people do have families comprising of children who need special care. So in most cases a lot of health related problems do emerge among the family members of the military officers. This even makes them have a feeling of not having a family. Most of the houses they live in are just meant for survival since they are not permanent in areas they are deployed. Therefore poor housing condition is a major challenge faced by these families. The other challenge faced by the military members and their families is lack of adequate medical care given to them. Generally it is very true that these people tend to live in remote areas where the climate is not friendly. Like in Iraq and Afghanistan the place is just too dry with extreme temperatures experienced during the day and night. Since they lack proper medication most of them return home with several diseases developed. (Sonia, 1999, p34). The other challenge faced by the military members and their families is ineffective deployment timetable. Most of them complain of lacking time for their families. Therefore a suitable deployment timetable should be structured in such a way that their interests are catered for. These people are human beings just like us. Therefore they suffer from emotional stress when subjected to a lot of pressure and stress. It is the right for these people to have a family member. It therefore goes without a say that too much work make Jack a dull boy. Therefore some periods like holiday should be provided to the military troops to help them have time with their families. (James, 1997, p98). Most of these military service men also complain about lack of motivation. There was no even proper and effective compensation that was given to family members who lost their people during the war and bombing attack. Those who were compensated were given a low pay that could not match the service offered so lack of compensation and motivation to the military officers and service men bring a lot of issues to be discussed. Several measures have been put into place to address the challenges and problems send by the Military Family Association which is a non profit organization has been formed with an objective to influence the development and implementation of polices. The polices mainly focuses on the improvement of lives of the military family members. The National Military Family Association was also formed with a mission of serving the families of the seven unformed services through offering education, information and advocacy. This is basically offered by its staff who volunteers to help on military family issues. In order to address the psychological needs of the military members and their families, the American psychological Association (APA) President came up with a task force to address the issue. The task force was given the responsibility to identify the psychological needs of military members and their families during and after deployment. The task force was also able to develop a strategic plan for working with the military and other organizations such as NMFA in order to meet the military members’ needs. Among the services the task force was to provide include medication to the members who reformed from the combat zone. (Barbara, 1996, p65). The department of Defense Investigation general has also come up with a program to evaluate the military Mental Health systems to address the health related issues. The American Department of Defense (DOD) has also formed military compensation as one of the tools used to attract more people and even retain the solders in their work. Military compensation work on the principle that all service members including reserve and active ones should be treated fairly. This was a sign of motivation to the service members and their families. The US president, Bush has also come with a good policy in support of the troops. There has been tax relief for the American military families. The military service men have been exempted from paying some tax thus the overall tax they pay is lowered. This is a motivation factor to make them feel loved by the people they serve. There has also been improvement on the pay for the military officers/personnel. The increase in pay is a way of encouraging and also motivating them to perform their duties with utmost good faith. Health care improvement has also been initiated for the families of the military personnel and service men. This was to address the poor condition of those who returned from war with physical wounds. The other achievement that the department of defense has made is coming up with a deployment time table to serve the interest of the service men. Today many people are joining military because of the good condition of the work place the government has put into place. References Barbara, C. A. (1996). Family and Gender and Race; Family and Development Perspectives. London. The Haworth Press, Inc. James, E. (1997). Fighting on Two Fronts: African, Americans and the Vietnam War. London: Barnes & Noble. Rhea, V.A. (1996). Family and Gender among American Muslims: Issues Facing Middle Eastern; London; Temple University Press. Sonia, P. (1999) Eat First – You Don’t Know What They’ll Give You; New York: Xlibris Corporation. Stephen, M. (1985). The Trauma of War: Stress and Recovery in Vietnam Veterans. New York: American Psychiatric Publishers.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Corporate Social Responsibility Essay
Competition is becoming more and more fierce while the market is becoming globalization. With higher consumer sovereignty, customers are no longer satisfied with qualify products and good services. The society concerned more about the business ethic and environmental issues. Companies are expected to act virtuously nowadays. The ideas of Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Citizenship are spreading faster than ever before and become one of the hottest business models in the recent decades. â€Å"Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)†is defined as â€Å"the commitment of business to contribute to sustainable economic development, working with employees, their families, the local community and society at large to improve their quality of life†at the World Business Council for Sustainable Development in 2000. The main idea of CSR is that corporations should be responsible to the stakeholders which include the customers, shareholders, suppliers, employees or any other party that may be influenced by the corporate actions. Different organizations may have formed different social responsible programs which can be categorized in four major components: the environment, the community, the work place and the market place. Different companies will emphasize on different aspects to create the social responsible programs. â€Å"Particular CSR initiatives may do good, or harm, or make no difference one way or the other, but it is important to resist the success of the CSR idea. â€Å" (Briggs & Verma, 2006) Mounting evidences show the benefits brought by the CSR Programs. For example, corporations made huge donation to disasters nationwide and to the bottom billions. However, not every CSR Program can be built up successfully. Nestlà © had suffered from a boycott last over 30 years which is the result from its failed CSR Program. Known as the baby killer, Nestlà © is blamed to kill thousands of Babies in the less developed region. They promoted and distributed free instant formula milk powder to replace breastfeeding and led to severe health problems or even death to the babies (Sethi, 1979). The two opposite results of CSR programs bring up queries for CSR programs. Is there a business case for CSR? How can corporations be benefitted from CSR? Theses questions will be discussed in this essay and so as the answers. B. Is there a business case for CSR? â€Å"Corporations are expected to be good citizens†asserted by Briggs and Verma (2006). Customers are demanding more from the corporations. Responsible corporates are required to meet the â€Å"Triple Bottom Lines†which are the economic sustainability, environmental sustainability and social sustainability. Join Elington illustrate the interrelationship of the triple bottom line in 1997, â€Å"Society depends on the economy – and the economy depends on the global ecosystem, whose health represents the ultimate bottom line†(Elkington, 1997). CSR programs can also help the company to achieve sustainable growth which is the ultimate goal for every CSR program. Sustainable development is development to satisfy the needs of present generation without sacrificing the ability of future generations to development (WCED, 1987). Study indicates that sustainable growth and business success cannot be achieved solely by maximising short-term profits, but instead th rough market-oriented and social responsible programs (Neal, 2006). The CSR programs may engage with the following four aspects: the environment, the community, the workplace and the market place (World Business Council, 2000). As the foundation of every human being in the earth, responsible to environment is an essential part of CSR programs. Learnt from the Industrial Revolution when people sacrifice environment for business growth, private organizations today have worked to improve the environment. For example, Toyota has developed the hybrid card models which can use both fuel and electricity as power source. It can help to reduce the air pollution and reduce the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This innovation is also being considered as long-term oriented and sustainable for future development so both the customers and investors are satisfied with it. The second aspect of corporate social responsibility is the community. Corporations have to be responsibility to the local community as they are the essential for the business success. Social responsible firms should hire local labour force in the work place. Corporations often make donation after huge disasters such as earthquake or hurricane. For example, companies had donated over US$547 millions after the catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 (Briggs & Verma, 2006). Although some criticize that the corporations are making disasters into opportunities for public relationship, the donation can certainly help the community to rebuilt their home afterward, The third aspect of corporate social responsibility is the workplace. Companies are responsible to ensure the safety and ethnic in the workplace. The employees are generating the profit so the companies should be responsible to them by creating harmless and harmony working environment. For example, Nike, and other American and European sports wear production companies, promise to monitor the working conditions in its supplier factories in less developed countries (Vogel, 2005, 1). Corporations should also be responsible to the market place. Not just manufacturing quality product but also meeting the needs of various customers. For example, although smart phones are becoming popular in recent years, some people with visual disability may not able to use those products without assistant from other people. By introducing the Voiceover application, customers with visual disability can use the smart phone or other devices created by Apple easily. Besides the positive point of view, there have always been criticisms of CSR ever since it was invented. In 1970, the Nobel Price winner, Friedman wrote â€Å"The Social Responsibility of Business is to increase its Profits†and the three main arguments he stated in his article have become the foundation for the criticisms against CSR. In his first argument, Friedman claimed that only human beings have a moral responsibility for their actions (Friedman, 1970). As a collected entity, companies do not have the responsibility of the decision made by the management. However, corporations act like human in many ways. For examples, in legal terms, corporations are consisted as an artificial person whose behavior is decided by the corporate internal decision structure and the organizational culture. Many corporations are acting progressively to create a public perception of good citizenship to gain positive image and competitive advantages from the society (Brigs and Verma, 2006). In the following article, Friedman pointed out that the government, instead of the private business section, should be responsible to solve the social issues and problems (Friedman, 1970). Later scholars support his argument that with huge amount of tax collected by the government, the responsibility of social support should be transferred to the government and the public sectors. However, in some cases, government may not be able to take the responsibility due to insufficient funds or malfunction of government agent. Geoge Kell, executive head of the United Nations’s Global Compact Office, indicated that â€Å"So long as government fail to do their part and so long as business goes global, CSR helps fill an important void†(Brigs and Verma, 2006). The last argument of Friedman is that the managers should be responsible for the interest of shareholders (Friedman, 1970). Charring out CSR programs may increase the cost and weaken the company’s performance. In which way, the interests of the shareholders are harmed (Henderson, 2001). This argument is proven wrong by the countless successful business cases of CSR programs. C. How can corporations be benefited from the CSR programs? 1. CSR can help the corporates to increase the profits. Corporations can be benefited from the CSR programs in many aspects. Since the most important goal for the company is maximise its profit, scholars and managers are working to figure out how CSR programs will influence the company’s profitability. Companies generally increase their profitability by two means: Cut cost and Differentiation (Porter, 1985). An effective CSR Programs can help the corporations to achieve both points. Cost reduction can be achieved by CSR Programs directly or indirectly. The direct way is to reduce the cost by using the raw material or energy in a more efficient way. For example, by reducing the packaging, companies can cut the unit cost of product and protect the environment by producing less waste at the same time (Welford, 2000). The other way is to reducing the indirect cost such as the employee training cost, the management cost. For example, the employee caring programs can lower the employee turnover rate and reducing the hiring and training cost for new employees. By this mean, the employees are more satisfied to the companies and will be less likely to resign and have better performance in the workplace. Google has been paid attention to this issue. The company created the â€Å"best†working environment in the world and create the most satisfied. The CSR program successes in increasing ability to attract and retain employees and reducing operating cost. Another way to increase profitability is differentiation. By using differentiation strategy, the products can be outstanding among the competitors (Welford, 2000). Corporates have been using CSR programs as differentiation points long ago and achieve positive result. Take the Body Shop as an example. They differentiate their products from the other skin care products by using all natural ingredients and making statements such as â€Å"no animal test†and â€Å"support community fair trade†. By building such social and environmental responsibility image, the Body Shop successfully build up its brand image and reputation and create the customer loyalty. 2. CSR can enhance brand competitiveness. Today’s companies can no longer afford to ignore CSR. More and more corporates build up their own CSR programs to enhance their brand competitiveness by enhancing the image and reputation of the corporates. Firstly, customers nowadays focus more on the image and reputation of the brands. They demand more than quality product and nice services. According to the research conducted by the PR firm Hill & Knowlton, 79% of Americans take corporate citizenship into account when makings purchase decision (Briggs and Verma, 2006). Corporate Social Responsibility Programs can help the corporate to gain the public trust and support which will enhance the brand competitiveness. Customer sovereignty has further supported the ideas that with high degree of freedom and information, customers can make their choices among different brands. The brand with better image or reputation will be more likely to win in the industry. Secondly, Corporate Citizenship is demanded by the government. Especially for some sensitive business that companies need to maintain nice relationship with the government. For example, Casino Industry in Las Vegas and Macao are expected to make large donation to the â€Å"responsible gambling program†or the charity funds. By making public donation, the firms may be able to build up better image to reduce the resist in the society and the government. Managers continually encounter demands from multiple stakeholder groups to devote resources to corporate social responsibility (McWilliams & Siegel, 2001). Investors consider more about the social responsibility of the invested firms nowadays. Companies cannot managing their impact on society and the environment if engaging in CSR (Brigs & Verma, 2006) D. Conclusion Corporate Social Responsibility is becoming the trend of social public relationship strategies in the recent decades. In this essay, questions of CSR programs have been discussed in many aspects. With thousands of successful cases of corporate citizenship, companies all working hard to catch up with the trend and develop their own CSR programs. Although there are criticisms about the intention and the necessity of corporate social responsibility programs, the effective of CSR programs is ascertained. Later study shows that successful CSR program can benefit the society and the company at the same time. The corporations can enjoy higher profits and better brand competitiveness by setting up CSR programs. Therefore, companies should work with the community to achieve the â€Å"win-win†situation. Bibliography: Briggs, W. & Verma, A. 2006. ‘Sharing the wealth’. Communication world. January – February 2006. pp. 25-28 Freeman, R.E. 1984 ‘Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach’. Marshfield, MA: Pitman Publishing Inc. Friedman, M. 1970 ‘The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profits’. The New York Times Magazine, September 13, 1970 Henderson, D. 2001. ‘The Case Against â€Å"Corporate Social Responsibility†’. Policy Vol.17 no.2. pp. 28-32. Winter 2001 Neal, A. C. 2007. ‘Corporate Social Responsibility: Governance Gain or Laissez-Faire Figleaf?’. HeinOnline. 2007-2008. pp. 460-474 Robison, M. 2002. ‘RSA Wold Leaders Lecture – Beyond Good Intentions: Corporate Citizenship for a New Century’. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. London, 7 May 2002. Sethi, S. P. 1979. ‘A Conceptual Framework for Environmental Analysis of Social Issues and Evaluation of Busin ess Response Patterns’. The Acdemy of Management Review, Vol.4, No. 1, pp. 63-74 Vogle, D. ‘The Market for Virtue: the Potential and Limits of Corporate Social Responsibility’. 2005. Harrisonburg, Virginia WCED. 1987. ‘Our Common Future, World Commission on Environment and Development’. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Welford, R. 2000 ‘Corporate environmental management 3: Towards sustainable development’, London: Earthscan.
Media Studies
April 5, 2013Unit 3 – Lesson 14 – Key Question #30Keitlin Okell In today’s society the media can portray different â€Å"groups†in certain ways towards society. One of these groups are teenagers; the realities that are portrayed within this specific group can be very misunderstood or very accurate depending on what is â€Å"seen†and â€Å"not seen†, values are also constructed within the media around us as teenagers not valuing what was valued in the past generations.Finally with the different media surrounding everyone’s lives, the commercial factors do influence the media with the â€Å"teenager†topic with giving teenagers a bad image sometimes but however the commercial factors can give a positive look on teenagers. If people were asked what their first thoughts of when they heard the word â€Å"teenager†, the first thoughts that come to their mind will probably shock you, with it being; negative, wild, irresponsibl e, immortal, violent, monsters, etc. These type of thoughts that are constructed about teenagers come from the media and what is â€Å"seen†and â€Å"not seen†.What is seen in the media the â€Å"glamorous†lifestyles of teenagers that go out to drink, party, abuse alcohol and drugs, deal with violence, and other inappropriate actions; all these actions are shown within movies, TV shows (reality or not), newspaper and even music. An example is the movie â€Å"Mean Girls†, this movie is about cliches, and how the high school life â€Å"is†, with the lies, sex, drinking, and not showing the positives of being a teenager and the difficulties that every teenager goes through. The media doesn’t show the hard part of being a teenager such as being bullied, exams, stress and insecurities.Also what is not shown within the media about teenagers is that they do care about politics, society’s issues, the environment, volunteering, their school work and other positive activities. Realistic wise, the media over exaggerates the topic of being a teenager because the media thrives on scandals even if that includes over reacting the â€Å"life of a teenager†; this is to get the audiences reaction, awareness and entertainment all at once. The values that are represented about teenagers are right but are also wrong.The negative values that are represented for teenagers is that they don’t care about â€Å"anything†, self-discipline, self- control is not as important as it was before. Teenage girls seem to be known to have the values of â€Å"teenage pregnancy†, while other teenagers have values of smoking weed, drinking, having a good time rather than having a good education, a future and moral values that will be needed to everyday life. On the other hand the positive values that are shown about teenagers are their families, education, respecting ourselves including our bodies, and some people might th ink this is bad but it could be a good thing, technology.Technology is growing every day and affecting everybody’s lives one way or another so the opinion that the teenager values technology all depends on the person’s thoughts. The social consequences of media portraying teenagers in this manner is that teenagers get a bad â€Å"image†and when someone sees a teenager now a days they will think they are up to no good, having no hope for the future generations including us and the generation after us. Teenagers have this â€Å"bad image†of being irresponsible, untrusted, and just unappreciated takes a toll on someone and they can act out and do the actions everybody expects them to do.Also what could happen is that with such a high expectation for somebody it can just be too much for that one person and that is where more problems can appear. Other social consequences that the media can contribute to is when on the TV, teenagers see these celebrities eat so much but yet have those â€Å"perfect†bodies that everybody seem to want, having commercials with models that look flawless when in reality they don’t look like that but of course the media doesn’t tell the audience that.The final discussion I want to talk about is the commercial factors that influence the media; the media mostly shows a Caucasian attractive person who is very confident and it seems to be that this â€Å"person†is in every TV show, commercial, movie, etc. The commercials that are shown in today’s society vary different objectives in the audience in what they want to sell or promote, it can be from a new smartphone (new technology) to a campaign about stopping bullying. The media is influencing the commercial factors by showing the audience of what â€Å"teenagers want†and what â€Å"teenagers need†as in help having a voice in bullying for example.The commercials can either show a positive look on teenagers or a negative look, normally the media has a little of both and that can influence a teenager either in a good way or bad. For example you see commercials that set awareness of drinking and driving or texting and driving giving teenagers a new outlook of what could possibly happen if they do these actions which in this case will leave a positive influence on teenagers in making the right choice. Commercial factors can influence teenagers, but in the end it all depends on the eenager and their thoughts and values. In the end, media does influence teenagers as it also portrays a good and bad image even if it’s realistic or not. The media has two sides of this, the â€Å"seen†and the â€Å"not seen†realities of teenagers, the values can be depicted by the audience if the teenagers values are true or not. The social consequences can vary but can be very serious with the media surrounding everybody every day and with the commercial factors that are also influenced by the media the teenager topic can either be looked at in a positive way or negative. Media Studies April 5, 2013Unit 3 – Lesson 14 – Key Question #30Keitlin Okell In today’s society the media can portray different â€Å"groups†in certain ways towards society. One of these groups are teenagers; the realities that are portrayed within this specific group can be very misunderstood or very accurate depending on what is â€Å"seen†and â€Å"not seen†, values are also constructed within the media around us as teenagers not valuing what was valued in the past generations.Finally with the different media surrounding everyone’s lives, the commercial factors do influence the media with the â€Å"teenager†topic with giving teenagers a bad image sometimes but however the commercial factors can give a positive look on teenagers. If people were asked what their first thoughts of when they heard the word â€Å"teenager†, the first thoughts that come to their mind will probably shock you, with it being; negative, wild, irresponsibl e, immortal, violent, monsters, etc. These type of thoughts that are constructed about teenagers come from the media and what is â€Å"seen†and â€Å"not seen†.What is seen in the media the â€Å"glamorous†lifestyles of teenagers that go out to drink, party, abuse alcohol and drugs, deal with violence, and other inappropriate actions; all these actions are shown within movies, TV shows (reality or not), newspaper and even music. An example is the movie â€Å"Mean Girls†, this movie is about cliches, and how the high school life â€Å"is†, with the lies, sex, drinking, and not showing the positives of being a teenager and the difficulties that every teenager goes through. The media doesn’t show the hard part of being a teenager such as being bullied, exams, stress and insecurities.Also what is not shown within the media about teenagers is that they do care about politics, society’s issues, the environment, volunteering, their school work and other positive activities. Realistic wise, the media over exaggerates the topic of being a teenager because the media thrives on scandals even if that includes over reacting the â€Å"life of a teenager†; this is to get the audiences reaction, awareness and entertainment all at once. The values that are represented about teenagers are right but are also wrong.The negative values that are represented for teenagers is that they don’t care about â€Å"anything†, self-discipline, self- control is not as important as it was before. Teenage girls seem to be known to have the values of â€Å"teenage pregnancy†, while other teenagers have values of smoking weed, drinking, having a good time rather than having a good education, a future and moral values that will be needed to everyday life. On the other hand the positive values that are shown about teenagers are their families, education, respecting ourselves including our bodies, and some people might th ink this is bad but it could be a good thing, technology.Technology is growing every day and affecting everybody’s lives one way or another so the opinion that the teenager values technology all depends on the person’s thoughts. The social consequences of media portraying teenagers in this manner is that teenagers get a bad â€Å"image†and when someone sees a teenager now a days they will think they are up to no good, having no hope for the future generations including us and the generation after us. Teenagers have this â€Å"bad image†of being irresponsible, untrusted, and just unappreciated takes a toll on someone and they can act out and do the actions everybody expects them to do.Also what could happen is that with such a high expectation for somebody it can just be too much for that one person and that is where more problems can appear. Other social consequences that the media can contribute to is when on the TV, teenagers see these celebrities eat so much but yet have those â€Å"perfect†bodies that everybody seem to want, having commercials with models that look flawless when in reality they don’t look like that but of course the media doesn’t tell the audience that.The final discussion I want to talk about is the commercial factors that influence the media; the media mostly shows a Caucasian attractive person who is very confident and it seems to be that this â€Å"person†is in every TV show, commercial, movie, etc. The commercials that are shown in today’s society vary different objectives in the audience in what they want to sell or promote, it can be from a new smartphone (new technology) to a campaign about stopping bullying. The media is influencing the commercial factors by showing the audience of what â€Å"teenagers want†and what â€Å"teenagers need†as in help having a voice in bullying for example.The commercials can either show a positive look on teenagers or a negative look, normally the media has a little of both and that can influence a teenager either in a good way or bad. For example you see commercials that set awareness of drinking and driving or texting and driving giving teenagers a new outlook of what could possibly happen if they do these actions which in this case will leave a positive influence on teenagers in making the right choice. Commercial factors can influence teenagers, but in the end it all depends on the eenager and their thoughts and values. In the end, media does influence teenagers as it also portrays a good and bad image even if it’s realistic or not. The media has two sides of this, the â€Å"seen†and the â€Å"not seen†realities of teenagers, the values can be depicted by the audience if the teenagers values are true or not. The social consequences can vary but can be very serious with the media surrounding everybody every day and with the commercial factors that are also influenced by the media the teenager topic can either be looked at in a positive way or negative.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
10 Best Note-Taking Strategies to Ease Your Work
10 Best Note-Taking Strategies to Ease Your Work The importance of effective and efficient note taking cant be stressed too highly when it comes to academic success. Good notes take a large and complex topic and reduce it to digestible nuggets, making it easier to memorize, and also providing the organization thats an essential foundation for a well-structured essay. Electronic or Manual Note-Taking? Taking notes traditionally relies on nothing more advanced than a pen and paper. These days, the convenience and portability of laptops and tablets mean that they are becoming increasingly popular for notes. They offer several advantages such as easy backup, syncing between devices, a simple way to search through your notes, and so on. There are dedicated note-taking apps available of varying complexity, while for fast typists even a simple text editor might have the edge over paper. Nonetheless, the basic principles of effective note-taking apply whether using electronic or manual note taking methods and considering that electronic means arent suitable for all situations, knowing the best practices is important whatever your choice of tools. Developing Your Own Abbreviations and Symbols No matter how fast your handwriting is, in a classroom, youre unlikely to be able to keep up making an accurate transcription of a lecture. To speed things up, use the following techniques: Use abbreviations in place of common phrases, whether subject-specific or common language. Draw arrows to link concepts and topics together. Highlight important points using stars, capitals, or underlining. Use bullet points when listing facts or other discrete ideas. Many of these last symbols already have recognized meanings, often rooted in mathematics, but dont be afraid to adapt them to your own purposes. So long as you use them in a consistent way and understand them, theyll serve their purpose. When you develop your own system of abbreviations and symbols, make sure you write a reference outlining the shortcuts youve used. What might seem obvious now might not be quite so clear when you come to review your notes in a few months time. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FOOTNOTES AND ENDNOTES 10 Basic Steps to Become a Better Note-Taker 1. Don’t write down everything heard in a lecture. Focus on the main points, listen and try to focus on the â€Å"meat†of the subject or point of the lecture. Most times, one’s professor will provide points, examples, or anecdotes to help their students better remember key points in a lesson. 2. Write with brevity. Class notes should be pithy in nature, consisting of keywords and phrases. In fact, notes with loose ends (such as a word without a definition or meaning behind it) allow the student an opportunity to expand on their notes through exploratory research. 3. Be accurate. If the student is not sure they heard something correctly, they should not write it down. Rather, they should write a question mark near that section of notes to examine after class. In this case, they should also ask their professor for clarification after class. 4. Do research before class. Most times a professor will have a syllabus informing students what subjects or topics will be covered at certain times throughout the semester. It is to the student’s benefit to be well informed on the subject beforehand, so they can focus on some of the bigger ideas discussed in the lecture – which means that reading ahead in a textbook or conducting preliminary research never hurts the student’s understanding of a subject. It can only help. 5. Develop a system that works. Don’t worry about punctuation, picture-perfect spelling; instead use abbreviations, write succinctly, and leave plenty of white space in the notes to expand on after class. 6. If a point is missed, don’t dwell on it. If it’s a crucial point, ask the professor after class. Simply leave some extra space and go on. It is better than missing yet another point in the lecture. 7. Keep notes in organized places. For example, refrain from writing downs on random pieces of paper – they could be misplaced too easily, never to be seen again. Instead keep notes in ONE notebook for a certain class. Organizing one’s workspace helps organize their mental clarity when learning. 8. Use symbols/punctuation to indicate the most important information. Many times a professor will say something is crucial to know or to remember, and so it may benefit the student if the student marks this passage or fact in their notes with a symbol that stands out from the rest of the notes. 9. Immediately after class, reread the notes that have been taken. This will help the student store the information into their long-term memory and clear up any questions they may be looming from the lecture. 10. For some students, rewriting their notes after class is a helpful exercise. It helps them expand on words or phrases that had to be abbreviated, often causing them to perform a bit more of research to make sure that what they wrote down was indeed accurate and correct. TEST-TAKING TIPS AND STRATEGIES The Cornell System Making the Best Use of Your Notes The Cornell Note Taking System is a method which is equally suitable for taking your course notes, or for summarizing texts for revision or research purposes. The Cornell method helps you take the notes you make in class or the library, and begin the process of organizing them into a coherent foundation for an essay, an exam answer, or as a way of ordering your thoughts for better learning. Although the following description of the method is for making handwritten notes, if you prefer to take notes electronically there are templates available for use with popular note-taking apps such as Evernote or Microsoft OneNote, as well as dedicated laptop and tablet software from various vendors. This method works by dividing your notes page into three sections. Section off the bottom two inches or so of each page by drawing a horizontal line. The area below the line will be your summary section. Next, section off a leftmost couple of inches of your page: this will be your keyword or recall section. You will then be left with the largest area of the page in which to take notes as normal, dividing them into rough paragraphs by topic or idea. After completing your basic notes, for each paragraph write a question, or a keyword or two, in the recall section to the left. Choose words which will help you remember the contents of the main notes. As well as forcing you to clarify the main concept of that section of notes, it will serve as a quick reference study guide in the future. Some people prefer to add these reminders as they go along, but if youre struggling to keep up the pace its more important to concentrate on the main body of your notes. Its better to add accurate keywords later on than to rush them during the main note-taking, to the detriment to both. Finally, use the summary area at the bottom of each page to write a high-level overview of the contents of the page, limiting yourself to only a couple of sentences or a few bullet points. Here is a picture that will help you better understand what Cornell system is: Successful academic notes dont concentrate on the exact wording, but on capturing concepts and ideas, and important specific facts if appropriate. Youre not taking legal minutes, and your notes only need make sense to you. Developing a system that suits your preferences, and that balances speed with accuracy will stand you in excellent stead in your educational efforts. Writing is a time and effort consuming thing. In case you experience any difficulties with writing contact us and get our professional assistance.
Free Essays on Anabaptism
The Hated Anabaptists â€Å"One cannot and should not use force to compel anyone to accept faith, for faith is a free gift of God. It is wrong to compel anyone by force or coercion to embrace the faith, or to put to death anyone for the sake of his erring faith. It is an error that in the church and sword other than that of the divine Word should be used. The secular kingdom should be separated from the church, and no secular ruler should exercise authority in the church. The lord has commanded simply to preach the Gospel, not to compel anyone by force to accept it. The true church of Christ has the characteristic that it suffers and endures persecution but does not inflict persecution upon anyone†(Bender). In order to realize the importance and to understand the problems of the Anabaptists, we need to look at the causes of the eventual movement from a historical perspective. In the early 1500’s great changes were taking place in the European economy. The peasants, for example, were leading fairly pleasant lives on their farms. Taxes were low. Landowners who rented land to peasants started getting a little greedy and began collecting more rent for their land. Since the governing authorities were trying to enforce new laws of taxation, the peasants and the working class were badly affected. They were paying taxes in order to support the cities and nobility. This badly hurt their way of living. The value of money sank and prices of goods rose, which caused inflation in the economy. So, with the increase in taxes and rent there was great disappointment amongst the people. They became desparate and turned to anything they could find for comfort. One of these things was Religion. ( Jedin 3 ) The more educated class began examining documents and teachings of the church, which at this time were very strict. The church back then was not as it is today. The church was joined with the state, so everything that affected the church, aff... Free Essays on Anabaptism Free Essays on Anabaptism The Hated Anabaptists â€Å"One cannot and should not use force to compel anyone to accept faith, for faith is a free gift of God. It is wrong to compel anyone by force or coercion to embrace the faith, or to put to death anyone for the sake of his erring faith. It is an error that in the church and sword other than that of the divine Word should be used. The secular kingdom should be separated from the church, and no secular ruler should exercise authority in the church. The lord has commanded simply to preach the Gospel, not to compel anyone by force to accept it. The true church of Christ has the characteristic that it suffers and endures persecution but does not inflict persecution upon anyone†(Bender). In order to realize the importance and to understand the problems of the Anabaptists, we need to look at the causes of the eventual movement from a historical perspective. In the early 1500’s great changes were taking place in the European economy. The peasants, for example, were leading fairly pleasant lives on their farms. Taxes were low. Landowners who rented land to peasants started getting a little greedy and began collecting more rent for their land. Since the governing authorities were trying to enforce new laws of taxation, the peasants and the working class were badly affected. They were paying taxes in order to support the cities and nobility. This badly hurt their way of living. The value of money sank and prices of goods rose, which caused inflation in the economy. So, with the increase in taxes and rent there was great disappointment amongst the people. They became desparate and turned to anything they could find for comfort. One of these things was Religion. ( Jedin 3 ) The more educated class began examining documents and teachings of the church, which at this time were very strict. The church back then was not as it is today. The church was joined with the state, so everything that affected the church, aff...
Monday, October 21, 2019
How to Write a Book Step by Step Essentials for a Good Book [Video]
How to Write a Book Step by Step Essentials for a Good Book [Video] How to Write a Book Step by Step: Essentials for a Good Book [Video] Writing a book is hard without the right help. Without someone whos done it before, you can end up making crucial mistakes.Anyone who says learning how to write a book is easy has neveractually tried. If they did, theyd know writing a book takesa lotmore than a helpful piece of grammar software.It takes help from someone whos done it before.If you’ve ever tried to write a book, you know how it goesYou stare at a blank page for 5 minutes, but it feels like hours. To combat the boredom, you stand, stretch, and brew yet another pot of coffee.Anda week later someone asks how your book is coming, and you think, â€Å"Book? What book? I havent even come up with a book idea yet!†But now youre ready to start writing a book- and were going to help make sure you do.Heres how to write a book step by step:Prevent procrastination when writing a bookAdopt the Mentality of a WriterPreparing to Write a BookSchedule writing timeGet book writing toolsWriting Your BookAvoid Book Writing M istakesLaunching After Writing Your BookReady to get started as a serious writer right now? Check out your free training below before reading the rest of this post! How to Write a Book Despite ProcrastinationThere are plenty of reasons why writing a book, whether youre writing a fiction novel or nonfiction, puts most writers directly into procrastination mode.These are some common reasons you procrastinate when writing a book:Youre not sure how to get startedIts terrifying to spill your guts to the world in a bookYoure insecure about your writing and have writers block before youve even startedYoure afraid of getting negative book reviews when you do eventually publishYoure worried that even if you do write your book, nobody will buy it and youll end up with low book sales for lifeYoure not sure how to take your idea and turn it into an actual bookTake a deep breath (but no more coffee, you’ve had enough). Remember that all authors have been exactly where you are right now. E very successful writer- from William Shakespeare to Walt Whitman to Stephen King- began by staring at a blank page.You’re in illustrious company!Ready to learn how to write your first book and go from blank page to published author in just 90 days? Then let’s get started!Do you have what it takes to become a published author?How to Write a Book Step 1:Think Like a WriterBefore you sit down and type a single word, it will pay off if you take some time to address a few attitude questions and adopt the right mindset.This is one of the most frequently overlooked steps in becoming a published author, which is a big reason why so many people fail to finish their book.Take it from me- it’s worth your time to complete these steps. They will make the rest of your book-writing experience much, much easier and more satisfying.#1 Find Your â€Å"Why†for Writing a BookBefore you open your laptop and start daydreaming about which photographer should take your best-se lling author headshot, or about getting interviewed on Oprah, you need to answer one question:Whats your reason for writing a book? It’s not enough to have an inspiring book idea. Before you put pen to paper, you need to know your purpose.I won’t lie. Writing a book is rewarding, but it requires hard work. It requires emotional labor, long nights (or early mornings), extended weekends, and facing a constant self-critical process that is unlike anything you’ve experienced before.Solidifying the purpose fueling your book will carry you through this difficult process.Ok, you’re thinking- â€Å"Don’t worry, I know why I want to write a book. I want to write to feel important!†That’s an interesting thought, and feeling important may be a byproduct of becoming a self-published author.However, feeling important isn’t the same as your purpose- your WHY. Feelings are fleeting, whereas a purpose is a deeper, intrinsic motivator which wi ll keep you burning the midnight oil to power through Chapter 23 when the rush of feelings have long dissipated.These are some popular reasons for authors to write a book:Authority: To build credibility.Money: For financial gain, business success, or to make a living writing.Grow a network: To meet and connect with others in the industry.Passion project: To share an empowering story for the greater good.To have an escape: A mental escape can help you deal with real-world problems.To give others an escape: If you write fiction, you might want to give others struggling a safe place to go.To change lives: Books change lives and your message could empower others to make a change in their life.There are no wrong or right purposes for writing a book.Your WHY will be unique to you.Once you’ve honed in on your WHY, let that purpose help focus your writing. By keeping your purpose at theforefront of your creative process, you’ll make the writing process quicker and smoother tha n you thought possible.#2 Get Rid of Your Excuses for Not Writing the BookYou’ve figured out your WHY and articulated your unique purpose for writing a book. And right on cue, something is going to try to derail your progress already: your writing excuses.When there’s nothing standing in your way, it’s sadly typical to start letting excuses for not writing your book become the obstacle to your success.But you can overcome it.It’s worthwhile to spend a little time addressing some common excuses many of us make to prevent us from writing.Once you’ve cleared out the cobwebs and smashed those mental roadblocks, you’ll be better prepared for the writing process ahead. Getting your mind ready is one of the first steps to producing valuable work, whether than a publishing an ebook, the next great American novel, or a passion project.Excuse #1 You don’t know what to write.You may not realize it, but you have a story worth telling.In fact, y ou may be pleasantly surprised to find as you write that you have more than one story and you’re having a tough time narrowing down the content.The easiest way to start writing your first book is to choose a topic you’re comfortable with. You can literally write a book about anything, so go with what you know.Heres how you can figure out what to write about:Look at a list of writing prompts or story ideas and choose an ideaWrite a list of all the things youre most passionate aboutWrite down a list of everything youre very knowledgeable aboutWrite a list of areas you want to be seen as credible inCompile all of these lists and rank your ideas in order of what youre most passionate aboutImagine which idea youd be most proud to have your name onChoose the idea you know the most about and are the most passionate aboutOnce you have an idea narrowed down, you can go ahead and start your mindmap and outline.Excuse #2 You don’t have enough time.Today, we’re all busy. I get it.Plus, how long does writing a book take in the first place?But I have some good news: Writing a book takes less time than you think. Find an hour a day you devote to something mindless- social media, video games, internet, or TV- and start writing instead.And if you don’t have an hour, try 30 minutes. Even 5 minutes 3 times a day can be a source of massive writing productivity. Think about it.The average person can type 60 words a minute. 60 words x 5 minutes = 300 words. Do that 3 times a day and you’ll produce close to 1,000 words a day.You’ll amaze yourself at how an hour per day adds up to something productive! Excuse #3 Good writers spend all their free time reading.Think you need to read all day long to be a writer? Think again.In fact, many prolific writers cut down on their reading- at least temporarily- in order to give themselves enough time to write.Besides, you don’t need to be a literary connoisseur to write a great book. Your writing style and voice is your own.And the best way to discover your own natural writing voice is by sitting down and writing (not reading what others have written).Here are some tips to use reading to help you write a book while reading less:Only read a chapter or two at nightRead in a genre different than your own (this helps avoid being influenced too heavily by another book)Be intentional about what you readHave designated reading time that doesnt interfere with writing timeStop reading for a while if you have very little spare timeExcuse #4 You’re â€Å"not an expert.†A lot of people get tripped up on this. They think, â€Å"Oh, I’m not really an expert on ___. I can’t write about that.†The truth is that the whole concept of â€Å"expert†is very subjective. An amateur astronomer wouldn’t seem like an expert to Stephen Hawkingbut to 99% of the rest of the world, they would be an expert.You don’t need to know everything about your topic. As long as there’s a knowledge gap between you and the reader- and as long as you’re helping to fill that gap by teaching them the things they don’t know- then you’re expert enough to write a book.So stop worrying about â€Å"not being an expert!†If you’re passionate and knowledgeable about a topic, then you are 100% qualified to write a book about it.Excuse #5 Your first draft must be flawless.A draft is a work-in-progress, and the goal is simply to get it on paper. A draft will have mistakes and that’s okay- that’s what the self-editing process is for.Even experienced professional writers who finished a book that ended up covered in the red pen of an editor or numerous red changes in a document, just like the one pictured below.As Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said, â€Å"Done is better than perfect.†If it works for a multi-billion-dollar company, it should work for your first self-published book.Don ’t get me wrong, as I’ve already said, writing is hard work. But shedding these excuses should help get you into a positive frame of mind for the writing process.#3 Realize You Don’t Need to Be PerfectThe thought of writing a book causes many people to think, â€Å"I’m not a good enough writer. I need to do _____ before I start writing.†Well, I’m here to tell you that:You don’t need a creative writing class.You don’t need a writing mentor or coach (though it does help).You don’t need to read thousands of good books.You only need one thing: a system for finishing your book.There’s no such thing as a perfect book or a perfect writer. When you get down to it, the most important distinction is between authors who finish their books and authors who don’t.Don’t worry about being perfect. Just focus on your book, and your writing will get better and better over time.As with anything we learn, writing is a skill. It requires practice to hone over time. So let go of the idea that you’re not good enough and work to improve by reading expert writing tips and practicing daily.This will help you make the mindset switch from â€Å"I can’t†to â€Å"Let’s get this done!†How to Write a Book Step 2: Pepare to Write a BookNow it’s time to start your prep work. Before you start putting any words onto the page, you need to focus on a few important preparations.Take the time to complete these steps and you’ll be setting yourself- and your new book- up for success.#1 Schedule Your Book Writing TimeHere are 3 things you can do to create your own customized book writing plan.Without a plan, it’s too easy to let your book writing goals get pushed to the background, eventually fading into the soft mist of â€Å"someday.†Step 1 Develop a writing habit and plan it outDon’t let your book end up in the graveyard of dreams. In order to realize your end goal, you need actionable steps to follow.Assess what’s going on in your life in the next 30 days, then block out when you can write, and when you can’t. It’s common for new writers to set unrealistic time goals, which in turn generates stress when it’s impossible to meet those arbitrary deadlines.Avoid this and stay realistic, since developing a writing habit is most important at this stage in learning how to write a book.Thirty minutes (or even 5 minutes) spent writing is better than nothing, so resolve to make it happen and find the time.Look at Laura Bennett, a Self-Publishing School student. She was working full-time, running a business, and working on her Master’s degree- busier than most people- yet she found the time to write her book Live Your Dream: How to Cut the Crap and Prioritize Your Purpose in 2 months!If Laura could make it happen, then writing your book is certainly an attainable dream.Step 2 Choose the time of day you plan to writeYou might decide to get up early and write before the obligations of your day crowd out your writing time. But if you’d win the gold medal in the Olympic sport of snooze-button slapping, then choose a different time or make sure you get to bed earlier so you’re fresh in the morning.If your evenings are free, but your brain is mush and you’re only good for sinking deep into the couch cushions, then choose a different time or rearrange your schedule so you aren’t so burnt out in the evenings.Alternatively, you can grab some time on your lunch break, or sneak small blocks of time into your workday, such as when you’re transitioning between activities, or waiting for a meeting to start.Whatever time of day is convenient for you, stick with it so that it becomes a predictable part of your day. This will establish a writing habit.Step 3 Set a deadline for writing your bookSetting an end date forces you to stay on schedule and keeps the forward momentum going. So consider giving yourself a deadline for your book.You may be wondering: How do you choose a deadline when you have no idea how long the book-writing process will take?One month is a good benchmark to start with. Self-Publishing School recommends writing until you hit a daily word count of 500-1,000 words, but this ultimately depends on how many words are in your book. If you can commit to an hour a day, you should be able to reach that goal. After 30 days of daily writing sessions, you will have completed a 30,000-word draft.Consistency is key. Small, consistent actions toward writing your book is how it comes to life.If that schedule doesn’t work, then commit to a time period and a daily word count that does. It’s okay if that’s 15 minutes per day.The ultimate goal is your rear end in the writing seat for that allocated period of time each day.Share the end date of your first completed draft with others so you have extrinsic motiv ation to keep moving toward that finish line.It’s a good idea to choose an editor for your book (before you finish your first draft) and schedule when you’ll have the completed first draft of the manuscript in that person’s hands.That way, if you’re tempted to flake out and put off a writing session, that looming deadline can help keep you going.#2 Create Your Writing SpaceThe physical space where you write your book is important. If you try to write in an environment that’s too loud, too busy, or too cluttered, and you’ll find yourself getting frequently distracted.True, some authors can write in a disheveled environmentbut I suspect that most of these authors would become even more focused and productive if they cleaned up their writing space to make it easier to focus on their writing.However, that’s just my opinion. The truth is that the â€Å"best†writing environment is going to be personal to you. We all work well in di fferent settings, so with that in mind, consider these general guidelines to boost your productivity:How to Start Writing TipExecutionMinimize Distractions- isolate yourself from family/friends/even the family dog - remind everyone it's YOUR time - Turn your phone off - Close ALL web browsers - Close your emailGet Comfortable- invest in a GOOD chair - or resort to using a stand-up desk for more energy - fill the area with motivational quotes - make sure you're physically comfortable for the next 30 minutes or an hourChoose Beneficial Background Noise- turn off all sounds if it distracts you - turn on lyric-less music to help you concentrate - choose energizing music to help you focus(To get the sound of a cafe from the comfort of home, check out Coffitivity.)You might need to experiment to find the writing environment that allows you to focus and write freely.Bottom line: Find the writing environment that makes you comfortable and go with it. Once you find the best creative process for you, you’ll even look forward to writing!#3 Equip Yourself with the Right Writing ToolsWould you try to construct a piece of furniture without a hammer, nails, or wood?Of course not! You need the right tools for the job.Well, the same principle applies whenwriting a book. And when it comes to writing, your most important tool is your choice of writing software. Unfortunately, most people don’t really put much thought into which program they use to write their book. They just use whatever word processor they’re most familiar with.But doing this can cause you to really miss out- especially if there’s another program out there that would work much better for you.There are countless options out there, but most people end up using one of the â€Å"big 3†word processors:Microsoft WordScrivenerGoogle DocsWell cover all of them for you below.Microsoft WordIf you just want a time-tested program that works, Word might be the program for you. It’ s the most widely used word processor in the world, which means it’s highly reliable and consistent. It also provides a lot of formatting options and even has a navigation pane you can use to easily find the chapter you’re looking for.One of the biggest downsides to Word is that it’s fairly expensive as far as word processors go.ScrivenerIf you like advanced features, definitely check out Scrivener. It was created specifically for authors, and it contains all sorts of tools that are really helpful for both fiction and nonfiction authors.For example, you can use the corkboard view to organize how youll write your book using virtual notecards:The biggest downside to Scrivener? Because of all the advanced features, it has a steeper learning curve than other word processors.If you do decide to go with Scrivener, heres a Scrivener tutorial for you to learn how to use it best: Google DocsYou can think of Google Docs as sort of a â€Å"Word Lite†program that yo u can access online, for free. While it doesn’t boast as many features as Word or Scrivener, it’s the hands-down most convenient program out there for sharing and collaboration.Because everything is stored online, you can access your work from anywhere. And it’s easy to share your work with others and collaborate by leaving comments in the margins:The big downside to Google Docs? It lacks the more sophisticated features of Word and Scrivener.Of course, these are only 3 options- there are many more great writing tools out there.How to Write a Book Step 3: Actually Write Your BookOK, we’ve got the preliminary stuff out of the way- time to sit down and actually write this thing!This is an exciting part of the processunfortunately, it’s also the part where many people get overwhelmed and give up.But there’s good news: actually writing a book can be a lot easier than you think- if you have the right system. A system that guides you from your idea through your outline and all the way up to your final, polished, publication-ready draft.Here are the most important things you need to do when writing your book.#1 Come Up With Your Book IdeaBefore you can start typing, you need to have a topic. That might seem obvious, but it can still be a stumbling block if you don’t know what to write about.Fortunately, there are countless book ideas that could turn into bestselling books.I recommend brainstorming a long list of book ideas. This way you’ll have a lot of options- giving you the freedom to choose the best possible book topic.You can even utilize lists of writing prompts to get your mind moving in the right direction. View this post on InstagramA post shared by Self-Publishing School (@self_pub_school) on Feb 25, 2019 at 4:29am PSTHere are a few questions to ask yourself tocomeupwithabookidea:What are you passionate about?What’s your favorite hobby?What do you get paid for? What’s your expertise?What are people coming to you for advice on?What’s a topic you know a lot about or can’t stop talking about?These are all great ways to come up with bestselling book ideas. In a nutshell, you’re trying to find topics that you’re knowledgeable or passionate about. Because these are the topics that you’re going to do a great job writing about!Notice that I highlighted the question, â€Å"What do you get paid for? What’s your expertise?†That’s because this is a particularly useful question for coming up with book ideas. A lot of people seem to forget that there is usually at least one topic on which they are a bona fide expert- and that’s their job!It might not seem that exciting or special to you, because you’re so used to it, but to someone else who’s trying to learn what you already knowyour job-related knowledge can seem very valuable indeed.#2 Don’t Censor YourselfWhen you’re brainstorming idea s, don’t censor yourself. Just let the ideas flow. Realize that there is no such thing as a crazy idea. Anything can make a great book topic.So don’t ever let yourself feel silly or start to judge yourself- doing so is a surefire way to stop your creativity in its tracks.On the other hand, don’t feel bad if your topic sounds too commonplace either. Even if you’re writing about an age-old topic- like a weight loss book or a romance novel- that’s OK!The truth is that there are no â€Å"new†ideas. Everything has been written about before.But it hasn’t been written from your unique perspective. And that’s what really matters.Realize that a writer’s job isn’t to come up with never-before-seen ideas. Doing that is pretty much impossible in this day and age.Instead, a writer’s job is to explore topics from their own point of view. To lend their unique spin on them.#3 Take a Reader-Centric PerspectiveWhile thinki ng of your book topic, here’s a piece of advice that I strongly recommend you follow:Think from your reader’s perspective (not your own).Many people are too self-centered when they write. When I say â€Å"self-centered,†I mean that they’re thinking only of themselves: their interests, their hobbies, their passions.Yes, it’s true that those are great topics to explore when coming up with your book topic. But during this process, you’ll need to switch from a self-centered perspective to a reader-centered perspective.Ask yourself questions like:What would my reader be most interested in?What would my reader most like to learn?What are my reader’s biggest problems?Whats the biggest question my readers are asking?When you start to think this way, it becomes much easier to write your book in a way that provides immense value for the people who matter most- your readers.#4 Figure Out Which Book You Should Write FirstBy now you should have a long list of book topics. And you might be wondering, which topic should I write about first?Here are a few tips to help you choose the best starting project:Which one can you finish the fastest? Usually, this is the topic where you have the most experience. This is a good thing to keep in mind because the faster you can finish your book, the faster you can get it out in the world where it can earn you money and help people. (And the faster you can get started on your second book!)Which one are you most likely to finish? Usually, these are the topics you are more passionate about. For your first book, I highly recommend choosing a topic that you’re really passionate about to help make sure that you’ll remain interested throughout the entire process.Which one is going to make you happy? This is a little harder to define, but it might be something that strikes a chord with you. Maybe there’s a certain book topic that stands out for one reason or another. If that ’s the case, then go for it! Remember, writing should make youNow with these tips in mind, choose the topic for your very first book before proceeding to the next step.#5 Come Up With a TitleThe most important words of your book are the ones that appear on the outside cover:Your book title.You don’t have to decide on your final title at this point, but your title is so important that it’s worth thinking about up-front. But knowing how to write a book title can be tricky. Here are a few tips on creating standout, marketable titles.For a nonfiction book, your title should†¦Include the solution to the reader’s problemUse a subtitle for clarityBe unforgettableAnd for a fiction book, your title shouldBe appropriate to your genrePique the reader’s interestTake its inspiration from your charactersIt always helps to do a little research on Amazon. To do that, just head here and select your book genre on the left-hand side of the page:Then you can tak e a look at some of the best-selling titles in your genre. You can even sub-niche down several times: â€Å"History Ancient Civilizations Mesopotamia.†Now pay attention to the titles and look for common themes or trends to use for your own book.Remember that you’re just starting, so you can always change the title later. But for the time being it can help to have a â€Å"working title†(a temporary title that you may change before publication).#6 Fill Out The BookMapThe BookMap is a free downloadable book outlining template you can use to quickly gather all the important information you’ll need for your book - fiction or nonfiction.Essentially, the way it works is you’ll create a mind map- sort of a brain dump with a line connecting related ideas together- on your book’s topic.Start your BookMap by writing your intended topic in the center. From there, answer the questions and add as many related ideas as you can think of. (Again, conne ct related ideas with a line.) The BookMap gives you the benefits of writing in free-form and creating structure from all the connections you make.Click here to learn more about the BookMap and download a free PDF template.#7 Turn Your BookMap Into an OutlineOnce you’ve completely filled out your BookMap, the next step is to group all the related ideas into categories. There’s no hard and fast rule for how to do this; just combine your ideas in the way that makes the most sense to you.One way to do this is to rewrite each idea on a fresh piece of paper, this time grouped together in related topics. Or, you could simply use different-colored highlighters to categorize your ideas with different colors.Either way, the result is the same: when you’re done grouping your ideas, those categories will form the outline for your book- each category is a new chapter. So now you know exactly which topics to write about, and you know which points to cover in every chapter o f your book. #8 Capture More Notes with The Sticky Note MethodYou can use this method instead of the BookMap, or as a supplement to it.For about a week, carry around sticky notes and write down anything and everything that crosses your mind regarding your possible book topics.When the week is up, organize all your sticky notes into sections and themes. Then, organize these themes into the patterns that would make sense in the context of chapters of your book. You can then elaborate in areas where you notice missing pieces to the puzzle, and use all of the material you’ve gathered and organized to create an outline.This method may be helpful if you’re struggling with the notion of committing to writing a whole book since it lets you break down the process into manageable pieces. The ultimate outcome of using this method is deeper thinking, clarity, and concise organization of thoughts and patterns.#9 Now Write Your BookOne Chapter at a TimeYou now have a chapter-by-ch apter outline for your book. The only thing left to dois to actually sit down and write it!There’s not necessarily a right or wrong way to write your book. But there are some ways that are easier, faster, and more successful than others.And in my experience, there’s one writing method that works better than any other. Here’s how it works:Complete a mini-BookMap for that chapter, brainstorming everything you know about this topic. (10 minutes.)Organize your ideas and turn that BookMap into an outline. (10 minutes.)Write or speak the chapter by following the outline you just created. (45-60 minutes.)Repeat this process, chapter by chapter, until your book is completed.Steps 1 2 should be familiar by now- they’re the same steps you followed to create your overall book outline. You just repeat those steps on a smaller scale for each chapter.Then in step 3, you have a choice: you can type out your chapter on a computer, or you can use a recording device tran scription service to dictate your chapter.If you like the idea of dictating your book, rather than typing it out, here’s how to do it.#10 Speak Your BookThis method works well if you’re a strong speaker and you prefer speaking to writing. The ultimate outcome is that you can create your book draft as quickly as possible, with no actual â€Å"writing†on your part. Cool, huh?Once your chapter outline is complete, the next steps are:Speak your first draft aloud into a recording app or device such as Voice Memos or Audacity.Get that audio file transcribed using a transcription service like Rev.Read through the transcription and revise/polish it up.As I mentioned, one of the benefits of this method is its speed. Just how fast can you write a first draft using speech dictation?If youre writing a nonfiction book specifically, this method will work great for you.Well, if the average book is 15,000-25,000 words long, and if the average person speaks at about 150 words/ minute, then you can easily speak your entire book in approximately 2-3 hours.Of course, your spoken transcribed book will need some polishing and revision to get it publication-ready. But it’s still the fastest way of writing a book I’ve ever come across.#11 Speed Up Your WritingWriting faster means getting to publication- and to profits- that much sooner.Try these pro tips to maximize your daily word count:Flex your writing muscles each day. The more you work, the more efficient you’ll get. Create your writing routine and stick to it.If you get stuck on a particular section and stop making progress, find a different part of the book that appeals to you today and write that section instead.Planning and research can be necessary- or a method of procrastination. Limit your prep work to a reasonable timeframe so it won’t stop you from writing. Use a timer if it helps you stay on track.An accountability partner can keep you on track. Set up weekly meetings to review work and cheer each other on.Spots are limited!Click Here to Save Your SpotHow to Write a Book Step 4: Avoid Potholes Along the WayIf you’ve been following along with steps 1-3, then you’re in the process of writing your book. You’re working from a solid outline, which means you know exactly what to write in every single chapter.So nothing could possibly go wrongright?Unfortunately, no. Even when you have a solid plan, a proven system, and a detailed outline, you can still get tripped up by some of these sneaky book writing roadblocks.Luckily, I’ve got some tips to help you overcome the most common book writing problems.#1 Beat Writer’s BlockWriter’s block can rear its ugly head in many ways. For some, being blocked means no words at all, while for others, it means trying to nail down a functional draft in the midst of a tornado of swirling ideas.Most of the time, writer’s block is a symptom of a paralyzing fear of othersà ¢â‚¬â„¢ opinions. The harsh reality is, if you write, at some point you’ll be on a first-name basis with a bout of the block. The only way to deal with it is to beat it.Here are 8 methods I’ve found personally useful when fighting writer’s block:Circle back to your BookMap or outline and see if there’s useful info that sparks fresh inspiration. Sometimes it just takes looking back at the bigger picture to remind you where you’re going with your draft.Change up the physical way you’re writing; sometimes a simple shift can boost creativity. If you use a laptop, put pen to pad. Try some new music, a new location, or new beverage to sip at your desk.If you find you start writing slowly and warm up as time goes on, allow adequate time during your writing sessions to get the creative juices flowing.Review what you wrote yesterday to refresh your memory.Talk it out. Sometimes a quick conversation with yourself is enough to work through writerâ€⠄¢s block. Or call a friend and bounce some ideas off them if you’re truly stuck.Remember that what you’re writing doesn’t need to be perfect- you’re writing a first draft. If you have a case of perfectionist syndrome, tell yourself it’s okay to write something you’ll think is terrible. Making something good is what second drafts and the editing process is for. Always remember: Done is better than perfect.Go for a walk. You might be surprised at how a walk outside, or a brief bit of exercise, helps refresh and recharge your creative juices.Read another author who has a style you like. Read their book for 10 minutes and then start typing, holding their voice in your head.#2 Don’t Edit While You WriteTell me if this sounds familiar:You sit down to write and you bang out a page or two. Then you stop and reread what you just wrote. And instead of continuing, you go back and start editing those first few pages of writing.In your mind, you ’re just fixing up your work. You want everything to be just right before you continue on ahead.But in reality, you’ve just stopped all your forward progress. You spend the next hour trying to make those pages PERFECTand when perfect doesn’t happen, you get frustrated and stop writing.Usually, when this sort of thing happens, it becomes very difficult to do any more writing. Why? Because writing and editing use different parts of your brains- and when you allow yourself to slip into a more critical/judgmental frame of mind, it becomes almost impossible to start creating again.That’s why, even though editing is an important skill, you need to resist the urge to edit your work while you’re still writing.Dont start editing your book until AFTER you’ve already created the entire first draft.#3 Format Your Book ProperlyFew things are more irritating than having to go back through your entire book to fix the formatting.The take-home lesson? Think about how you want to format your book before you write it, and then be consistent. It’ll save you a lot of time in the long run.And take the time to figure out how to format your book for publication. For example, did you realize that fiction and nonfiction books typically use different indentation styles?Nonfiction books tend to use block paragraphs, like this:Whereas fiction books, like TheSaviorsChampion by Jenna Moreci below, use indentation instead:Here are a few more book formatting tips:Avoid using hard indents. (Don’t hit â€Å"tab†at the beginning of a new paragraph; instead, change the paragraph settings to automatically give each paragraph the indentation you want.)Only use one space after a period. (Using 2 spaces was necessary with typewriters, but not with computers.)If you want to create a page break, do not hit â€Å"Enter†repeatedly until you reach the next page. Instead, use the â€Å"Page break†function. This is the only way to ensure that your page break will work even after people resize your book on their Kindle.#4 Keep Going, Don’t Stop- You’re Almost There!Now you know not only how to get started writing your book, but how to complete your book project in a mere 90 days!Remember to keep your WHY at the forefront of your mind, and you’ll be able to crush any and all obstacles that get in your way. If any of the common challenges or obstacles we’ve mentioned rear their ugly head, you’ll know how to deal with them.With just a little bit of time and a lot of determination, you are on your way to officially calling yourself an author.How to Write a Book Step 5: Launch Your Book SuccessfullyBy this point,your book is completed- congratulations! You’ve done something that most people will never do.You’ve written a book.But you’re not done yet. Not quite. Because you still need to launch your book in a way that sets it up for success; in a way that maximizes your readers, your income, and your influence.Unfortunately, most people who succeed in writing a book never get this whole â€Å"launch†thing figured out. They throw their book up on Amazon without really having a plan, and as a result, they get very few sales, make almost no money, and are frustrated at the lack of response to their work.It’s true that self-publishing your book on Amazon is a great way to go. But you can’t simply publish your book and expect people to find it. Instead, you need to dedicate some time to mastering the publishing and marketing processes on Amazon to sell more books. This is the only way to make sure that your book makes its way into the hands of the people who will benefit from reading your words.If you follow this simple launch plan, you can rest assured that your book will come out with a bang and will generate steady sales right out of the gate and for years to come.#1 Get a Good CoverWe all know you shouldnâ€⠄¢t judge a book by its cover. But in reality, people do exactly that- all the time. And that’s why, if you want your book to sell, having a powerful book cover design is important.Really, really important.And a good book cover does 2 things:It grabs people’s attention.It instantly tells people what the book is about.Here are a few examples from some of my own books:Notice a couple things. First of all, it’s orange- which helps it to stand out and grab attention. Second, it’s super-clear what the book is about. The title is in the upper third of the book in large print, so you can read it even in a thumbnail.Both covers were designed using the same basic principles. They’re simple, bold covers that stand out. They also have subtitles that clarify exactly what the book is about.Now this style of cover works great for my niche, but it won’t necessarily work for every type of book. For example, it would make a terrible cover for a romance novel !Why? Well, in short, it doesn’t look like a romance novel. Remember that part of a cover’s job is to tell people what the book is about. And in many genres of fiction and nonfiction, readers have come to expect a certain type of book cover.In order to clearly communicate what your book is about to your ideal readers, you need it to fit in with their expectations- while also standing out enough to grab their attention. This is another reason why it pays to head over to the Amazon bestselling books list and study some of the most successful books in your genre.What do those covers look like? Do they share a similar layout? Color scheme? Font style?For example, if you were writing a romance novel, you would want to study these covers:Find out what the most successful books in your genre look like, then imitate that look- but change it up just enough so that it stands out and grabs your readers’ attention.#2 Build a Launch TeamOnce youve chosen whether to go with self-publishing versus traditional publishing, the real key to a successful book launch is building and leveraging a launch team.So what is a launch team? In a nutshell, your launch team is a small team of people who are supporting your book. They could be friends, family, associates, online affiliates- anyone.At first, your launch team might be limited to your immediate friends family. That’s OK! Launch your book with their help, and work on continually building your launch team every chance you get.When you build a launch team, you need to make 2 things clear for everyone:What are they agreeing to do for you?What are they getting in return?Step 1 is pretty simple: you want them to read your book, leave a review, and share it with their own friends and family.This is how you spread the word about a brand-new book when you don’t have an email list or a social media following.Step 2 can vary from person to person. What do your friends family get in return for helping you? In many cases, they get things like:A free copy of your bookTheir name mentioned in the â€Å"Acknowledgements†part of your bookThe chance to be part of something inspiringThe personal satisfaction of helping to create something meaningfulAs your launch team grows bigger, you might need to offer more than that. For example, maybe another person in your niche agrees to promote your new book to their email list- but in exchange, they want a percentage of your profit.(This is called affiliate marketing, and it’s a great way to grow your audience and your revenue while letting somebody else do the marketing for you.)But don’t worry about that for now. Just reach out to anyone you know who would be willing to support your first book launch and ask for their help.#3 Get Ongoing ReviewsIf there’s one thing we know about the Amazon algorithm, it’s this:It loves reviews.One of the biggest indicators of success with self-publishing is getting Amazon r eviews.If you want your book to show up in search results and as a â€Å"Recommended†book when people are looking at similar products, you need to continue generating ongoing reviews to keep the algorithm happy.When you do, your book will start to show up at the top of Amazon results:Reviews are a fantastic form of social proof. They’re a credibility sign that lots of people have read your book and loved it- and that makes other people more likely to want to read it, too.But you have to be careful about how you go about trying to get Amazon reviews. For example, you can get in big trouble if you try to pay for reviews, swap reviews with other authors, or offer free gifts in exchange for reviews.You can solicit reviews, but they cannot be â€Å"incentivized†reviews.So how can you generate more reviews without offering people something in return? Well, I’ve discovered a few tips that work incredibly well. Click here to learn my 8-step process for generati ng more Amazon reviews. #4 Get Help From a Mentor Who’s Done It BeforeI’d like to leave you with one final message:The best way to learn how to write a bestselling book is to get help from somebody who’s been there before.People often ask me how I was able to make so much money and sell so many copies of my very first book. And I always tell them the same thing:Because I sought out a mentor. Someone to teach me a proven book-writing process that had been tried and tested. A book-writing system that was almost guaranteed to work, as long as I followed it properly.Well, that’s the real secret to my success as an author. I sought out the help I needed to give my very first book a major head-start.My Final TipforLearningHowtoWriteaBookAnd now I’m sharing the opportunity to learn from someone whos mastered writing and self-publishing books with you. To learn from a mentor who can help you achieve your dream of writing and publishing your very first boo k.
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