The Biggest Error of a New Freelance Writer

The Biggest Error of a New Freelance Writer Here lately Ive received a rash of emails asking me how to become a freelance writer and make money. Well, actually, they ask how they can write and get paid So, lets look at this for a moment . . . Im supposed to take on someone who is not a commercial writer, teach them how to write such that it IS marketable, then pay them $50 for 500 words that fit FundsforWriters. Some submitters become quite disgruntled when I refuse them. Some pitch me anyway, then when I reject (always with reasons to help them learn), they get angry that I am not giving a new writer a chance Note to writers everywhere: It is not an editors job to teach you how to write. When you pitch, you are professing to already know the craft. It should be only a  matter of the writers pitch fitting the need of the publication. The best ways to learn how to write for a publication: 1) Read all the freelance chapters in a Writers Market. 2) Read enough of the publication youre pitching to understand their style. 3) Read the guidelines and study the editorial calendar (if available). 4) Ensure your writing is polished enough so that the editor wants to read more. 5) Know the Chicago Manual of Style. Second note to writers: Editors are not there to edit your work for you. They are there to edit for the publication, to find the best topics for their readers and then edit the stories to fit the space. Take the time to learn how to write well. Then take the time to learn how to pitch smart. Do not use editors for your trial and error learning process. Find beta readers and critique groups to test drive your work. You cannot undo a first impression, and yes, many editors remember. An idea that doesnt quite fit is one thing.not knowing how to write is quite another. Freelance writing resources for the new freelance writer: therenegadewriter.com/ makealivingwriting.com/ writersmarket.com/

E.B. White on Writing

E.B. White on Writing Meet essayist E.B. White- and consider the advice he has to offer on writing and the writing process. Andy, as he was known to friends and family, spent the last 50 years of his life in an old white farmhouse overlooking the sea in North Brooklin, Maine. Thats where he wrote most of his best-known essays, three childrens books, and a best-selling style guide. Introduction to E.B. White A generation has grown up since E.B. White died in that farmhouse in 1985, and yet his sly, self-deprecating voice speaks more forcefully than ever. In recent years, Stuart Little has been turned into a franchise by Sony Pictures, and in 2006 a second film adaptation of Charlottes Web was released. More significantly, Whites novel about some pig and a spider who was a true friend and a good writer has sold more than 50 million copies over the past half-century. Yet unlike the authors of most childrens books, E.B. White is not a writer to be discarded once we slip out of childhood. The best of his casually eloquent essays- which first appeared in Harpers, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s- have been reprinted in Essays of E.B. White (Harper Perennial, 1999). In Death of a Pig, for instance, we can enjoy the adult version of the tale that was eventually shaped into Charlottes Web. In Once More to the Lake, White transformed the hoariest of essay topics- How I Spent My Summer Vacation- into a startling meditation on mortality.   For readers with ambitions to improve their own writing, White provided The Elements of Style (Penguin, 2005)- a lively revision of the modest guide first composed in 1918 by Cornell University professor William Strunk, Jr. It appears in our short list of essential Reference Works for Writers. White was awarded the Gold Medal for Essays and Criticism of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award, the National Medal for Literature, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 1973 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. E.B. Whites Advice to a Young Writer What do you do when youre 17 years old, baffled by life, and certain only of your dream to become a professional writer? If you had been Miss R 35 years ago, you would have composed a letter to your favorite author, seeking his advice. And 35 years ago, you would have received this reply from E. B. White: Dear Miss R:At seventeen, the future is apt to seem formidable, even depressing. You should see the pages of my journal circa 1916.You asked me about writing- how I did it. There is no trick to it. If you like to write and want to write, you write, no matter where you are or what else you are doing or whether anyone pays any heed. I must have written half a million words (mostly in my journal) before I had anything published, save for a couple of short items in St. Nicholas. If you want to write about feelings, about the end of summer, about growing, write about it. A great deal of writing is not plotted- most of my essays have no plot structure, they are a ramble in the woods, or a ramble in the basement of my mind. You ask, Who cares? Everybody cares. You say, Its been written before. Everything has been written before. I went to college but not direct from high school; there was an interval of six or eight months. Sometimes it works out well to take a short vacation from the academic world- I have a grandson who took a year off and got a job in Aspen, Colorado. After a year of skiing and working, he is now settled into Colby College as a freshman. But I cant advise you, or wont advise you, on any such decision. If you have a counselor at school, Id seek the counselors advice. In college (Cornell), I got on the daily newspaper and ended up as editor of it. It enabled me to do a lot of writing and gave me a good journalistic experience. You are right that a persons real duty in life is to save his dream, but dont worry about it and dont let them scare you. Henry Thoreau, who wrote Walden, said, I learned this at least by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. The sentence, after more than a hundred years, is still alive. So, advance confidently. And when you write something, send it (neatly typed) to a magazine or a publishing house. Not all magazines read unsolicited contributions, but some do. The New Yorker is always looking for new talent. Write a short piece for them, send it to The Editor. Thats what I did forty-some years ago. Good luck.Sincerely,E. B. White Whether youre a young writer like Miss R or an older one, Whites counsel still holds. Advance confidently, and good luck. E.B. White on a Writers Responsibility In an interview for The Paris Review in 1969, White was asked to express his views about the writers commitment to politics, international affairs. His response: A writer should concern himself with whatever absorbs his fancy, stirs his heart, and unlimbers his typewriter. I feel no obligation to deal with politics. I do feel a responsibility to society because of going into print: a writer has the duty to be good, not lousy; true, not false; lively, not dull; accurate, not full of error. He should tend to lift people up, not lower them down. Writers do not merely reflect and interpret life, they inform and shape life. E.B. White on Writing for the Average Reader In an essay titled Calculating Machine, White wrote disparagingly about the Reading-Ease Calculator, a device that presumed to measure the readability of an individuals writing style. There is, of course, no such thing as reading ease of written matter. There is the ease with which matter can be read, but that is a condition of the reader, not of the matter. There is no average reader, and to reach down toward this mythical character is to deny that each of us is on the way up, is ascending. It is my belief that no writer can improve his work until he discards the dulcet notion that the reader is feebleminded, for writing is an act of faith, not of grammar. Ascent is at the heart of the matter. A country whose writers are following the calculating machine downstairs is not ascending- if you will pardon the expression- and a writer who questions the capacity of the person at the other end of the line is not a writer at all, merely a schemer. The movies long ago decided that a wider communication could be achieved by a deliberate descent to a lower level, and they walked proudly down until they reached the cellar. Now they are groping for the light switch, hoping to find the way out. E.B. White on Writing With Style In the final chapter of The Elements of Style (Allyn Bacon, 1999), White presented 21 suggestions and cautionary hints to help writers develop an effective style. He prefaced those hints with this warning: Young writers often suppose that style is a garnish for the meat of prose, a sauce by which a dull dish is made palatable. Style has no such separate entity; is nondetachable, unfilterable. The beginner should approach style warily, realizing that it is himself he is approaching, no other; and he should begin by turning resolutely away from all devices that are popularly believed to indicate style- all mannerisms, tricks, adornments. The approach to style is by way of plainness, simplicity, orderliness, sincerity. Writing is, for most, laborious and slow. The mind travels faster than the pen; consequently, writing becomes a question of learning to make occasional wing shots, bringing down the bird of thought as it flashes by. A writer is a gunner, sometimes waiting in his blind for something to come in, sometimes roaming the countryside hoping to scare something up. Like other gunners, he must cultivate patience; he may have to work many covers to bring down one partridge. Youll notice that while advocating a plain and simple style, White conveyed his thoughts through artful metaphors. E.B. White on Grammar Despite the prescriptive tone of The Elements of Style, Whites own applications of grammar and syntax were primarily intuitive, as he once explained in The New Yorker: Usage seems to us peculiarly a matter of ear. Everyone has his own prejudices, his own set of rules, his own list of horribles. The English language is always sticking a foot out to trip a man. Every week we get thrown, writing merrily along. English usage is sometimes more than mere taste, judgment, and education- sometimes its sheer luck, like getting across a street. E.B. White on Not Writing In a book review titled Writers at Work, White described his own writing habits- or rather, his habit of putting off writing. The thought of writing hangs over our mind like an ugly cloud, making us apprehensive and depressed, as before a summer storm, so that we begin the day by subsiding after breakfast, or by going away, often to seedy and inconclusive destinations: the nearest zoo, or a branch post office to buy a few stamped envelopes. Our professional life has been a long shameless exercise in avoidance. Our home is designed for the maximum of interruption, our office is the place where we never are. Yet the record is there. Not even lying down and closing the blinds stops us from writing; not even our family, and our preoccupation with same, stops us.

Working with and Leading people Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Working with and Leading people - Essay Example Testing and assessment should also be done in this stage. The next step will be interviewing the candidates. This allows the organization to further understand a candidate. An interview should go beyond the skills in a resume or the score of a test - it should focus on how the candidate can apply the skills and scores in the work environment. For a position of call centre are much needed, a person possessing high level of communication skills and social interaction. These agents should have the capacity to handle customer service in an international set-up. Applicants should also possess technical knowledge in the fields where the agent is assigned. For call centre manager handling corporate clients, a perfect candidate would be a person that has superb leadership and management skills. He should also display mastery in receiving/conducting calls so that he can be a perfect example to the staff he is leading. Therefore he should have effective communication and interaction skills that his subordinates can emulate. For a human resources department administrator, an applicant should have excellent presentation skills and can motivate others by his inspirational and motivating speeches. Call centre business needs someone who can uplift the spirits of agents who are prone to be upset by distracting and irritating calls. This is exactly their job. A manager A manager that has a just and conscientious vision for his fellow employees, that is what a human resources manager should possess. He should have the zeal to improve his other employees in the company. To put this vision into action, the candidate for this post should have superb managerial and planning skills and capable of spearheading the organization towards staff development. He should also have sufficient knowledge in pertinent legal knowledge needed to ensure that employees will be given just compensation and benefits. Just like the human resources manager, the senior sales manager should be competent in meticulously planning the sales campaign of the company. He should be able to produce sales targets and quotas for his sales representatives. Training his sales force is his other significant responsibility. Because of this, he should have excellent presentation and training skills (Assessment and Selection, 2007). Security staff should be vigilant and physically fit for the position. Since security personnel are needed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, applicants should also be willing to work in different 8-hour shifts. In recruiting, human resources personnel should be wary about certain legal, regulatory and ethical requirements. The first one is the character and productivity background of the applicant. HR personnel have the responsibility to look over the attitude and behaviour of its applicants. Yet in doing so, the HR should be cautious about the legal issues in recruiting. One such concern is the right of the applicants against discrimination from disability. Disability Discrimination Act 1995 in the UK protects the rights of the disabled (Employer's Forum for Disability, 2004). Aside from this, UK has various laws that will protect employee's rights, such as Race Relations Act 1976, Sex Discrimination Act 1975, and Employment Equality Regulations 2003 (Independent Police Complaints Commission, n.d., p.2). Full-time long term employees have the experience unparalleled by the new-comers. They also have the zealous concern in

Motivation based on the Video Case.Dick Learns About Tipping Case Study

Motivation based on the Video .Dick Learns About Tipping - Case Study Example It can either be positive or negative. In the video, Dick Solomon promises the waitress that there is one pile of one dollar bills and calls it ‘potential tip’(stimulant). This indicates that the tip will not just be unleashed for the normal service but for satisfactory service (the desire). He then tells the waitress that if he is pleased, the pile of the tip grows (positive reinforcement). Otherwise if unsatisfied, the pile shrinks (negative stimulus). As the waitress places the drinks on the table, she serves Mary the Dick’s drunk and vice versa. At that point, Dick interchanges the drinks and goes further to penalize the waitress for that mistake as they earlier agreed. The waitress does not know the salad dressings and again the pile shrinks. On bringing the dressings, the first one doesn’t appeal Dick and he goes on to deduct the tip but on tasting the second one, he finds it nice and adds some more bills to the tip. The waitress now more enthusiastic comes with two alternatives of what the two would have for dinner. Dick is dissatisfied by the options and decides to reduce the tip. At that point the waitress reactions show displeasure (the undesirable behavior). The expectancy theory assumes that people will perform better when they believe money will follow effective performance (Spector, p. 235-257). If money has a positive value for an individual, higher performance is expected (the waitress is happy when a tip is proposed). For a staff, outcomes are outcomes that are highly valued and high expectations will direct a person to make greater effort in the task (depicted by the waitress enthusiasm). In this video, Dick’s strategy was not successful. This is depicted where Mary has to come in between Dick and the waitress to be a reconciler. Mary decides to pay the meals as she saw that both Dick and the waitress were unpleased by each other. To increase the success of his attempts to motivate the waitress, Dick could hav e employed the Goal-setting theory of motivation. This theory explains how goal setting importantly relates to job performance. It states that clear and challenging goals with feedback lead to better job performance (Locke, Edwin, & Gary, p388). Goals give direction of what is expected thus indicates the efforts required. In this scenario of Dick, he could have stated from the word go what he specifically wanted. He ordered the drinks well without waiting for the waiter to suggest for him the variety of drinks they served. Similarly, he could have done so for the meal. In so doing, it would have been easier for the waitress to serve them efficiently because the goals are specific, clear, and realistic. The waitress serving her clients was an enough motivator for her to see her clients (Dick and Mary) satisfied. Again, if Dick’s feedback was appropriate as it is advocated for in this theory, the waitress could have served them better. After the waitress mentioned the type of m eal they offered, Dick just rushed to reducing the tip. Instead, he could have explained his displeasure and could have been served well. Tommy and Harry’s behavior was influenced by equity and reinforcement theories. Equity theory advocates the principle of balance, fairness and justice. Ones motivational level is thus measured against his level of perception of equity. In our case, when Tommy is standing he receives tips from two passersby while Harry who is sited receives from one passerby. On realizing this,

Forgotten People of the Blue Highways Essay -- Blue Highways

Forgotten People of the Blue Highways Journeying along the back roads of the blue highways of the road maps, William Least Heat Moon discovers the forgotten people of America in Blue Highways. In the beginning, his trip seems to be motivated by anger and disillusion. But when readers look deeper into the story, they see that Least Heat Moon focuses the attention on how to "climb out of a world which he realized was impersonal and materialistic" (Lyons 63). By avoiding the large cities, he focuses his attention on the forgotten civilizations. His ability to convey feelings with his storytelling doesn't commercialize the people or the stories. According to one critic, "Least Heat Moon has the judgment to step aside and let them tell their own often remarkable stories in their own words" (Perrin, 858). By mapping out his route, Least Heat Moon goes full circle from his hometown of Columbia Missouri to Othello, New Jersey, and back. Feeling as if his life is going nowhere, Least Heat Moon starts his journ ey in the middle of America. Throughout the novel, t...

Scarlet Letter Notes Ch. 8-10

Scarlet Letter Notes American Lit. ACC Per. 1 9/17/11 Chapters 8-10 Plot- (Chapter 8) Hester and Pearl meet Governor and guests. Governor and Wilson call Pearl a child of Satan or sin? Governor wants to remove Pearl from Hester’s care Hester says she can teach Pearl from her mistakes. Wilson questions Pearl regarding Christian faith. Pearl tries to escape through the window and refuses to answer his questions even though she probably would of gotten them right. Pearl announces she was not made but plucked from the rose bush. Wilson states Pearl should not be with HesterHester argues her case but the governor and Wilson don’t listen to her so she goes to Dimmesdale for help. Dimmesdale comes to her aid and argues her case. Succeeds and Minister and Governor rests the case. Pearl shows a sign of love towards Dimmesdale and he kisses her on her brow in return. Chillingworth tries to get the men to look for the father. Men refuse his plan. Governor’s sister invites H ester to witch’s ceremony. Hester refuses (CHAPTER9) Describes Chillingworth. He left behind his entire identity after he found out that his wife committed adultery.He severed all ties with his past life and created a new identity as the town physician. The people like him because of his vast knowledge of herbs and medicine that he learned from being with native Americans for a long time. Treats Reverend Dimmesdale. People start to wonder if Dimmesdale wants to die or something else after he refuses treatment but later on accepts. Chillingworth scrutinizes Dimmesdale’s actions and finds something suspicious in them. The two men reside in the same house so that Chillingworth can take care of him. Dimmesdale has no interest in marrying any of the townswomen.They have live in two completely different kinds of rooms (holy vs. scientific) People start to wonder about the physician and the more they look at him his face becomes more evil and sooty. They began the theory that the physician was sent by the devil and is fighting a war with Dimmesdale making him sick. (CHAPTER10) CHillingworth wants to find out more about Dimmesdale’s background and his story. The men are talking about burying sin and a heart of sin They hear pearl and Hester outside in the graveyard. Pearl runs away telling her mom that the devil has gotten the minister and she dosent want him to get them too.The two men talk and when the minister falls asleep, Chillingworth opens his shirt and finds something on him and rejoices. Setting- Governor Billingham’s Estate- grand estate filled with pictures of the Governor’s ancestors and decorated with medieval things (ex. The armor) Old English castle like. Chillingworth and Dimmesdale’s house- in between the church and the graveyard. Characters- Governor Billingham- old, elderly man who governs the town. Likes Old English things ( his house) John Wilson- strict pastor Hester Prynne- committed adultery and had a b aby, Pearl.Pearl- child of Hester and is accused of being a witch or child of Satan Dimmesdale- town’s reverend, health declining due to pastoral duties Chillingworth- friends with Dimmesdale, been in town for two to three years, physician Conflict- Hester Prynne v. Society- the people want to take away Pearl to educate her in a Christian manner but Hester states that Pearl is better of with her because she can learn from Hester’s mistake. Dimmesdale saves her by arguing her cause. Dimmesdale v Himself: He is described as more ill than before. He keeps his hand to his heart and â€Å"his large dark eyes had a world of pain in heir troubled and melancholy depth† (101). Religion v. Science- There had been many arguments between science and the divine nature. Chillingworth is science driven while Dimmesdale is devoted to God and his religion. This can become a greater conflict later on in the book. Chillingworth v. Dimmesdale- chillingworth is trying to find out th e mystery behind the reverend. Townspeople v. Chillingworth- at first welcome him but then grow weary when his facial features turn evil and deceiving. Symbolism- Pearl- she is a physical representation of the scarlet letter, a constant reminder of Hester’s sin.Saved Hester from becoming a witch after she was granted guardianship of Pearl forever. â€Å"Heavenly Father†- represents the God as the father of everyone and also my theory about Dimmesdale being the father since he is holy and a reverend. The House- it is pretty but it resides on and in between the graveyard and the church kind of like Dimmesdale himself. He is a reverend yet he looks physically dead because of his illness and heartache. Chillingworth- the Devil, from what Hester called him when they talked and what the people and the narrator describe as his changing features (demon-like)

Healthcare, Scripps Mercy Hospital, And Kaiser Permanente

Sharp Healthcare, Scripps Mercy Hospital, and Kaiser Permanente are the major stakeholders in the San Diego healthcare market. The main competitor for Scripps Mercy Hospital is Sharp Healthcare, with both hospitals having around 25% of the inpatient discharge. Furthermore, Sharp has a slight edge over Scripps regarding the overall comprehensive care provided. Kaiser Permanente and UCSD Medical Center maintain approximately 10% of the market share (Tu et al., 2013). In terms of space and resources, all of these hospitals provide emergency care and acute care facilities. Both UCSD Medical Center and Sharp Healthcare equally engage Scripps Mercy in providing a diversity of medical facilities. Moreover, UCSD Medical Center and Sharp Healthcare are the major competitors in this distinct segment. Kaiser Permanent poses a moderate risk to Scripps Mercy Hospital, as it outsources significant services to other hospitals. Kaiser permanent is planning to grow in this segment as it has plans to expand by three more hospitals by the end of 2030. In the near future, Kaiser Permanente will ultimately become a major competitor for Scripps (Tu et al., 2013). Sharp Healthcare provides substantial competition to Scripps Mercy in terms of cost-effectiveness, as Sharp is one of the lowest cost providers. In general, Scripps provides most services at a premium cost. Furthermore, all of the other three hospitals are high-risk competitors to Scripps Mercy Hospital in this segment. The quality ofShow MoreRelatedThe Major Stakeholders Of San Diego Healthcare Market1301 Words   |  6 Pages Sharp, Scripps and Kaiser are the major stakeholders in San Diego Healthcare market. The main competitor for Scripps is the Sharp Healthcare, with both hospitals having around 25% of Inpatient discharge, Sharp has the slight edge over Scripps. Kaiser Permanent, UCSD and other hospitals have approximately 10% of market share. (Tu et al., 2013). In terms of facilities, all these hospitals provide Emergency care and Acute care facilities. Both UCSD and Sharp match with Scripps in providing all facilities