Browsing Archive: December, 2008

With the holidays, the weeks have been a bit short around here.  This week I'm finishing up an article on wealth and poverty in America from the mid-1700's to the mid-1800's.  I'm also working on another project for a client.  These projects are right up my alley, since my primary focus as a graduate student in philosophy was social justice and societal ethics. 

Since the new year is coming up, I've been thinking about goals.  One thing I would like to do in the new year is wrap up Night Song...
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I started reading Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones' Diary this week.  I know I'm late in catching on, since the movie has been out for a long time, but I had not yet gotten around to reading the book.  So far, I'm disappointed.  I feel that the main character, Bridget Jones is somewhat weak.  The fact that she talks about 130 lbs (I don't recall reading about her height in the book) being overweight disturbs me.  For a woman of the age 30, who is 5'10" tall, a healthy body weight is around 160 ...
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Goals...

It's that time of year, when we reflect on times past and look to the future.  What are your goals for next year?  In my blog post where I discussed good goal setting practices, I mentioned that it is best to be specific.  This writing prompt will deal with setting your goals.  Imagine that you are looking back at your year on December 31, 2009.  What did you accomplish?  As always, the rules for the writing prompt are:

• Time yourself fifteen minutes
• Don't stop writing!
• Don't pick your pe...

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I apologize for not updating this blog sooner.  This past week has been quite busy.  I've had many Bright Hub writing assignments.  I finally put the "Italian Unabomber" and "Minutemen" articles to bed.  I've started up a few new projects as well.  This week I'm working on an article on wealth and poverty for a history encyclopedia, more Bright Hub articles, and motherhood encyclopedia entries.  I also am working on another project concerning poverty in Marin County and I will be scheduling i...
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Using a writing prompt can be a helpful way to brainstorm ideas for a paper when you are stuck.  Today we will use a topic for research as the writing prompt.  The rules are:

• Write for five minutes.
• Don't stop writing.
• Don't pick your pencil up off the paper.
• Don't cross anything out.

For today's prompt, you will write the topic at the heading of your paper.  The topic I'm working on this week is "Wealth and Poverty."  Start timing yourself and write everything that comes to your mind for the next...
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An important step in beginning research is to conduct a survey of the materials available.  By formulating a preliminary bibliography before beginning work on a research project, you can help kick-start your project.  The first step in constructing a working bibliography is to consult an encyclopedia.  Now, an encyclopedia is not a valid source in itself.  It can provide you with a general overview of a topic, and subtopics you should be familiar with.  The most useful part of using the encyc...
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An annotated outline is an important part of the pre-writing and research process. The annotated outline can help you to see your arguments played out and how different parts of the paper will relate to one another.  This helps to make your writing a cohesive whole. 

Write the annotated outline only after you have conducted preliminary research.  If you begin writing it before you have compiled any research you will not know enough about your topic or the direction of your paper to properly o...
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This week is pretty much the same as last week.  I have many Bright Hub articles that will be up in the coming days.  I also am putting the finishing touches on two encyclopedia articles this week - one on the Italian Unabomber and one on the Minutemen - and finalizing research on my wealth and poverty article.  I may have a new client and I'm waiting for that to be finalized. I also plan on posting some new Associated Content writing and finishing my plot outline for Night Song.  Exciting th...
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Writing prompts are a great way to release your worries.  Today's writing prompt will function like a meditation.

    The rules for this prompt are:

•         Keep your hand moving.
•         Keep your pen on the paper.
•         Do not cross anything out.
•         Take as much time as you need in order to complete the exercise.
  

Today, write a list of everything that troubles you.  Don't censor your list.  Once your list has been completed, then start at the top.  As yourself, "Why does this worry me?"  T...
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It's that time of year again.  When the holiday season rolls around, we spend many more nights with friends and family, give and receive gifts, and donate our time. One of the most overlooked components of all of these activities is the thank-you note or letter.  Here is a list of times when a thank you letter would be appropriate:

• After an Interview
• After you have received any gift
• After you have enjoyed a meal at someone's home
• When someone has done you a favor
• After you have stayed at someone's...

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Setting goals and seeing them come to fruition can be difficult.  A way to make sure goals are achieved is to set goals that are measurable, meaningful, realistic, and that have a time table.  Below you will find tips on how to set effective goals.

1. Goals should have a time-table.  If this is the first time you are writing goals down, you may find it helpful to start with 1-month, 3-month, 6-month, 1-year, 5-year, and 10-year goals.
   
2. When you write down your goals, do so in past tense, as if the ...

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Peer editing can be a helpful tool when you are short on time and your paper is due.  By pairing up with another student in your class, you can make your writing more powerful. There are a few rules to follow so that this system is as helpful as possible.

1.  Pair up with someone who will be honest with your work.
2.  Always be honest.
3.  Don't take criticism personally.  Remember it's better that it is your classmate telling you they don't understand the point of your essay than the professor....
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A well-crafted outline can help you to write a better organized paper.  Skipping this important step in the writing process can lead to papers that wander off course.  Below is an introduction to outlining as part of the pre-writing process.  Next week, I will discuss how outlining can be used as an important part of the research process.

The first step in outlining a piece of writing is to determine the main topic.  It is important that your topic be as narrowly focused as possible.  For exam...
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You may have seen on my website that one of the services I provide is something called "academic coaching."  Academic coaching is more than tutoring.  It is a service I provide to help succeed in academic life.

This service includes:

• Helping the student to set goals for academic success
• Helping the student to create a study plan
• Helping students to create an organized study area
  
• Training the student in time management strategies
• Assisting with the college or graduate school application process
• Assis...

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As I begin this week, I am getting ready to write articles for Bright Hub. I will be writing an article on great Playstation 2 games, several on project management topics, and several on home office topics.  Look for these in the near future.

Meanwhile, I'm finishing up work on my encyclopedia articles on the Italian Unabomber and the Minutemen.  I am also working on two articles for a great magazine called Urban Mainstream.  I'll have more information on these soon.  The final update is that ...
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Writing prompts are a great way to unleash your creativity.  In order to create suspense from the beginning of a story, begin things in the middle. 

    The rules for this prompt are:

•         Time yourself for 10 minutes.
•         Keep your hand moving.
•         Keep your pen on the paper.
•         Do not cross anything out.

Start your writing prompt with "While she knew...  she didn't know that..." 

What did she know?  How can you contrast this with what she did not know? 

Happy Writing!
...
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Everybody makes mistakes.  That is why it is crucial to proofread your work before you turn in a final copy.  Below is an editing checklist to help make sure your writing is as close to perfection as possible.

• Check your spelling.  Also, check for usage of words such as their, they're, and there. 
  
• Check your grammar.
• Double check the tense in the piece of writing.
• Avoid Sexist Language.
• Check subject-verb agreement.
• Check for consistency.
• Double-check all quotations and paraphrases for accuracy.
• Ens...

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As promised, today I will discuss electronic note-taking methods. It is vital when taking notes to be accurate and organized with the information you record. The main benefits of using a computer for note-taking are that paper is conserved and searching is facilitated. Using a computer is also suggested when taking extensive notes for large research projects. Below are three methods for taking notes on research sources electronically. 

Using a Word Processor

1. Open a new document for each new so...

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On this cold December 1, I'm working on a few pieces.  My priority today is to complete all research for encyclopedia entries I am working on.  The first encyclopedia I am working on is the Motherhood Encyclopedia.  The other encyclopedia is the Anti-Terrorism and Homeland Security Encyclopedia.  Both projects are very exciting.  You can understand why, then, good note-taking skills are on my mind.

Another exciting project I am working on is online programming reviews for Black Hole Online.  T...
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It is vital, when writing, to document any material you used during the research phase.  Being able to document accurately quotations and paraphrases depends upon careful note taking methods. 

One method for taking notes on research material is with pen and index cards.  To do this, you first obtain an index card box, some dividers that correspond to the topics you will be covering, and index cards.  This can be done two ways.

The classic way to use index cards is to use one index card for eac...
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