Saturday, June 8, 2013

Outlet offer Lenovo Thinkpad Twist 12.5-Inch Touchscreen Ultrabook (Black)

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Writing Exercises

Authors often ask about writing exercises, and instead of giving you some, I'll tell you the advantages and several places to find excellent ones.

Writing exercises not only stretch your mind, they also give you an opportunity to try different styles and types of writing. When an exercise gets you writing about something you have absolutely NO interest in, you are forced to think in new ways. At that point, writing exercises become an opportunity for you to sharpen your writing skills and to clear negative and distracting thoughts from your mind before you get to work on your real writing.

If you try a writing exercise and do not relate to it, then switch and try something else. (However, it if is an assignment, then it's a test of your self-discipline and ability to step outside your comfort zone to complete whatever is assigned. Never pass up that chance to grow as a writer.)

Writing Exercises

A great writing exercise was introduced in Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way. She calls it "your morning pages"; it is simply journaling three pages every morning. Julia explains that writing these pages each day opens our hearts and minds to creativity, and starts our writing juices flowing.

I liked this because prior to reading her book, I would go months without journaling since there was not enough time in the morning to write everything I wanted to. By limiting myself to three pages, I could always find the time and it caused me to be selective and concise in my thinking. And yes, there were days when I was rushed in the morning, so I "cheated" and just wrote very, very big.

Another place to experience a writing exercise is a creative writing class. You don't have to pay the high cost of a college credit class and worry about final exams and so forth. You can usually find a Continuing Education Creative Writing class at local colleges, or park districts. Sometimes they will give an assignment such as "Write two pages about spinach" (or gutters or cocoons or paths). It is amazing, inspiring and surprising to hear how different students approach the same topic from a variety of angles.

Often writer's groups provide writing exercises. Look for a group at your library, or even at local book stores. Some are available on-line. If a group doesn't give you the help you need, keep looking and asking around till you find another one that suits you.

And if you have no group or class to join or if your group is looking for a writing exercise, you can find great ones at http://www.6ftferrets.com/exercise-content.html They have ideas for groups or individuals. You are bound to find something that will power up your creativity and writing style.

Writing Exercises
Check For The New Release in Health, Fitness & Dieting Category of Books NOW!
Check What Are The Top Cooking Books in Last 90 Days Best Cheap Deal!
Check For Cookbooks Best Sellers 2012 Discount OFFER!
Check for Top 100 Most Popular Books People Are Buying Daily Price Update!
Check For 100 New Release & BestSeller Books For Your Collection

Because you are searching for writing exercises, you are either a dedicated writer or about to become one. What if there were a system that would help you to finish your book, and get it published so you could start making big money with it? What if it didn't matter how big of a procrastinator you were because with the system the book practically writes itself. Don't think it's possible? Then you've got to check out http://www.helpwritingbook.com/ And let Rita Emmett prove it to you.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Technical Writing - How to Write a Business Process

Documenting your business processes is essential for long-term quality of operations and is part of the basic planning necessary to ensure that in the event of a disaster you can quickly get back on track. It doesn't need to be a complex task and while a technical author can minimise some of the headaches anyone can do it if they follow these six simple steps.

Get High Level

Before you write a complex document, get started by mapping out the big picture process - I like to use flipchart paper on a wall for this but you can use any tool you feel comfortable with. Don't get into detail, you're looking to identify the steps not the "how to" at this stage. If you aren't familiar with the process get the parties who currently perform the function together and get them to "information dump" on you. Once everyone agrees that you've got the outline covered you can move on.

Technical Writing - How to Write a Business Process

Get Graphical

Don't rush on to writing out the details, first map your high level process using some flowcharting software (if your organisation won't spring for Visio, there's a pretty good free flowcharting package that comes with OpenOffice, "Draw" and that's free). While there are specific conventions for flowcharts, they aren't mandatory and if you don't have any familiarity with them - use the boxes that make sense to you and your team.

Get Task Oriented

Now map out the tasks in detail, each task should be fully defined with the "owner" identified alongside timescales and any other necessary input. You should build in failure cases where proceeding tasks have not been performed correctly and what action should be taken in these cases. A simple table structure is fine for this.

Get Visual

Wherever possible grab some images to go alongside the words, for screen shots and the like Snag It is an excellent tool but if you can't get hold of it MS Paint does fine for screen capture (press the PRTSC button and then paste the image into Paint). People find visuals much easier to follow than a stream of text, but don't go overboard you need to include an explanation of each image too.

Get Complex and Simple

If your process has multiple choice options (different paths) then make sure you identify each step clearly and highlight the parts by the use of naming conventions and pointers in your text to make sure they are easily identifiable.

Include Hints and Tips

If there's more than one way to do something in your process, include some notes or "helpful hints" that detail these. For example if you're going to write a process about saving a record in a database there's often a "File Menu then Click on Save" option and a "click on the Save icon in the toolbar" option too. Don't leave out the details.

Writing up a process is a key business task but it doesn't have to be hugely complicated, just keep it simple and only include what you need to make it work and follow these tips to ensure the best documentation.

Technical Writing - How to Write a Business Process
Check For The New Release in Health, Fitness & Dieting Category of Books NOW!
Check What Are The Top Cooking Books in Last 90 Days Best Cheap Deal!
Check For Cookbooks Best Sellers 2012 Discount OFFER!
Check for Top 100 Most Popular Books People Are Buying Daily Price Update!
Check For 100 New Release & BestSeller Books For Your Collection

Nick is the President of http://www.authoring4u.com a specialist consultancy based in Shenzhen China, which helps companies from around the world save time and money in the areas of; technical documentation, Internet presence and marketing and Press Relations.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Three Essay Plans For Writing the Discursive Essay

A discursive essay is an expositive/argumentative piece of writing which discusses a particular issue, situation or problem. There are basically three types of discursive essays: a) For and Against; b) Opinion; and c) Solutions to Problems.

William Zinsser (Writing to Learn, Collins, 1989) teaches that clear writing is the logical arrangement of thought. One of the most difficult things about writing is how to organize are thoughts. One idea must lead and link to the next. In other words, we are talking about coherence and consistency. To be consistent, we need to plan our writing. And the best way to do this is to use a framework. No doubt, structure increases the quality of creative output. So, plans/frameworks and templates are valuable tools in helping to reduce complex problems into their component intellectual parts. But it is important to recognize, with Zinsser, that writing teaches writing, that is, writing organizes and clarifies are thoughts.

The Overall Essay Structure

Three Essay Plans For Writing the Discursive Essay

There are just two parts to an essay structure: the overall essay structure and the structure of each paragraph. Every discursive essay should consist of: an introductory paragraph in which you clearly state the theme (topic) to be discussed; a main body, in which you subdivide your argument into its relevant points (these points should be clearly stated in separate paragraphs and exemplified or justified); and a closing paragraph summarizing the most important points of the essay. You may, to use a common schema, visualize the overall essay structure as something like this:

Introduction: Paragraph 1
Main Body: Paragraphs 2-5
Conclusion: Final Paragraph

This blueprint explains necessary steps. The three fundamentals for our work are: the beginning, the exposition/problem, and the ending. Simply using this framework improves performance.

Let us see now three models that are a kind of procedure to enhance the process of writing. Surely, as is true with all structures, others can modify it successfully. Recall that to write a discursive essay you should use formal, impersonal style.

Three Essay Plans

Your goal is to write a simple six-paragraph article following the structures bellow. Notice that each of the four body paragraphs should expand on the points you identify in your thesis using ideas and examples.

1) For and Against
Introduction:
Paragraph 1 - state topic, without your opinion
Main Body:
Paragraphs 2-3 - arguments for and justifications, examples or reasons
Paragraphs 4-5 - arguments against and justifications, examples or reasons
Conclusion:
Final Paragraph - balanced consideration or opinion

2) Opinion
Introduction:
Paragraph 1 - state the topic including your opinion
Main Body:
Paragraphs 2-4 - viewpoints and reasons or examples
Paragraph 5 - opposing viewpoint and reason or example
Conclusion:
Final Paragraph - summarize/restate your opinion

3) Solutions to Problems
Introduction:
Paragraph 1 - state the problem and its causes/effects
Main Body:
Paragraphs 2-5 - suggestions/examples/results
Conclusion:
Final Paragraph - summarize your opinion

This is a simple strategy that will enable you to quickly write a short focused informational essay that you can use for your school needs.

Three Essay Plans For Writing the Discursive Essay
Check For The New Release in Health, Fitness & Dieting Category of Books NOW!
Check What Are The Top Cooking Books in Last 90 Days Best Cheap Deal!
Check For Cookbooks Best Sellers 2012 Discount OFFER!
Check for Top 100 Most Popular Books People Are Buying Daily Price Update!
Check For 100 New Release & BestSeller Books For Your Collection

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Creative Writing: How Long Should Your Novel Be?

The length of a novel should depend on two things, and two things only:

1) It should be long enough to qualify as a novel; and

2) It should be just long enough to tell your story.

Creative Writing: How Long Should Your Novel Be?

Too many authors try to stretch their novels into 200,000-word epics, only to bore their readers to tears. Others try to get the entire story over with in 50,000 words, leaving out valuable information. A novel should be just long enough to tell your story, but long enough so that all of the details are included.

Even the shortest novels, however, should be at least 50,000 words. Any shorter than that, and the novel becomes a novella. Anything less than 10,000 words is a short story. Although there really are no set "rules" for length of a manuscript, 50,0000-150,000 words is a safe bet. If your novel is more than 150,000 words, you might consider splitting it into two parts, creating a sequel.

That said, there are other factors which can influence the length of your novel. Pacing, characters and action are just a few, combined with the complexity of the subject matter. For example, in Tom Clancy's novels, he has to explain the complicated military jargon as well as the construction of planes and tanks. Therefore, his novels are much longer than 150,000 words. The same could be said for Jurassic Park, which uses in-depth scientific explanations.

Some authors choose to outline their plots before they begin writing, and using this technique, they can usually tell how long their novel will be before they even sit down to write. I never use an outline - I prefer to wing it - so the length usually comes as a surprise to me once I've finished. I judge the pace of the novel as I write, and I go over it chapter-by-chapter to make sure that I've written each scene as concisely and briefly as possible while still delivering the full effect.

For beginning writers, your best bet is to just continue writing until you get a feel for length. Write short stories to practice telling a story in fewer words and work on condensing sentences into their purest form. It's an art - that, I'll admit - but once you have a sense of your own abilities as a writer, it will be second nature.

Creative Writing: How Long Should Your Novel Be?
Check For The New Release in Health, Fitness & Dieting Category of Books NOW!
Check What Are The Top Cooking Books in Last 90 Days Best Cheap Deal!
Check For Cookbooks Best Sellers 2012 Discount OFFER!
Check for Top 100 Most Popular Books People Are Buying Daily Price Update!
Check For 100 New Release & BestSeller Books For Your Collection

Laura J. College is a professional ghostwriter with more than ten years' experience writing fiction and non-fiction manuscripts. Her work can be found all over the Internet, and she is currently accepting ghostwriting clients. Check out her website at [http://www.laurajcollege.com]

Monday, February 4, 2013

Ten Speech Tips for Writing Powerful and Persuasive Presentation

Have you ever had to give a speech?

Do you remember that feeling? A knot in the stomach, sweaty palms and a panic attack!

Not a very pleasant experience. And yet, I'm sure your speech was a success because 90 per cent of a typical audience want the speaker to succeed.

Ten Speech Tips for Writing Powerful and Persuasive Presentation

Yet according to The Book of Lists, speaking in public is one of our greatest fears.

Much of this anxiety is due to a lack of confidence in writing and preparing a speech rather than in the delivery.

Giving a presentation can be a great way to build your business, influence public opinion or kick-start your career.

It is an excellent way to stand out from the crowd and make a real difference in people's lives.

What are the secrets of writing a powerful and persuasive speech for any occasion?

Here are 10 tips for turning a good speech into a great one!

1. Have a plan and set some objectives & outcomes.

There is nothing worse than not knowing what you want to achieve. Do you want to educate the audience, inform, inspire, motivate or touch their emotions? Always work out what you want to achieve before beginning the speech process.

2. Have a formal structure - beginning, middle and end.

Audiences love structure and the best speeches stick to this tried and true rule. As they say: "tell them what you're going to say, tell them and then tell them again".

3. Avoid having too much content.

Hands up those that are guilty of this sin. I know I am. I have lost count the number of technical presentations given by CEO's, managers, scientists, engineers, geologists and other professionals who have just put too much content into their presentations. Far too much for an audience to absorb - remember even the best audiences face information overload after 20 minutes.
How do you overcome the content crisis? See Tip # 8.

4. Define who your audience is and use the most appropriate communication
channels to reach them.

Analyse how your audience likes to take in information - do they like to be visually stimulated or do they enjoy just sitting back and listening. Or do they like to get involved, to touch and feel in a kinaesthetic way. Work out the best mix of visual, audio and kinaesthetic and use this in your speechwriting.

5. Research your speech using a range of sources.

Be a keen observer of the trends your audience is likely to be interested in and keep a file of interesting articles and information. If you are time poor- a few quick questions when meeting an audience just prior to a speech, such as "what are the issues facing your business/industry/association at the moment?" can really help target your presentation and build rapport.

6. Use personal stories, examples and metaphors to make intangible concepts
tangible.

In many cases you are trying to sell ideas and concepts in a speech. These are intangible and often difficult for the audience to grasp. Personal stories, examples and metaphors make the invisible visible.

7. Have a strong opening and closing.

People remember the opening - first impressions count! The closing is important as it should reinforce the key message you want the audience to go away with in their head after they have heard the presentation. Ending with a 'call to action' can be a powerful way to get your audience to act on your message.

8. Add value and extra detail through a handout.

Here's a tip: if you want to provide detail - put it in a handout! You can get far more content across in the written form than in a speech. Always refer to this in your presentation but hand it out after your speech so the audience is not distracted reading through it while you talk. There is nothing more soul destroying for a presenter to see the audience leafing through written notes rather than looking at you!

9. Use short words and plain English.

The short words are always the best words. Avoid jargon. Use active words instead of passive. This has far more impact in the minds of your listeners.

10. Evaluate and review on a regular basis.

There's nothing more powerful than to hear back a speech you've written. If you are writing a speech for someone else always try and hear the speech or at least get some feedback. Recording and listening back to a presentation is the fastest way to improve your skills.

Ten Speech Tips for Writing Powerful and Persuasive Presentation
Check For The New Release in Health, Fitness & Dieting Category of Books NOW!
Check What Are The Top Cooking Books in Last 90 Days Best Cheap Deal!
Check For Cookbooks Best Sellers 2012 Discount OFFER!
Check for Top 100 Most Popular Books People Are Buying Daily Price Update!
Check For 100 New Release & BestSeller Books For Your Collection

Thomas Murrell MBA CSP is an international business speaker, consultant and award-winning broadcaster. Media Motivators is his regular electronic magazine read by 7,000 professionals in 15 different countries. You can subscribe by visiting http://www.8mmedia.com. Thomas can be contacted directly at +6189388 6888 and is available to speak to your conference, seminar or event. Visit Tom's blog at http://www.8mmedia.blogspot.com

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

The RFP Template - Writing Proposals That Win Bids

Many businesses and organizations use a request-for-proposal (RFP) format to receive bids for work or goods that they wish to purchase. By using this proven RFP template below, you can become more successful at proposal writing and win more bids.

Because RFP writing can be challenging and time-consuming, many businesses either don't participate in the bid process or they don't write bids that win. Proposal writing is a combination of science and art: you need to follow guidelines or a template (the science) and you need to write a compelling and persuasive bid (the art).

First, recognize that there are a number of different methods used for bids or tenders: request for expressions of interest (RFEIP), request for proposal (RFP), request for qualification (RFQ), request for information (RFI), and request for technical specifications (RFTS). These requests are typically used by all levels of government; hospitals; schools, universities and colleges; and a number of organizations (typically larger organizations such as banking institutions, utility companies, and so on). Often the value of the 'buy' dictates whether or not the request for proposal or bid process will be used (for example, no one is putting out a request for proposal for a roll of toilet paper, but if the request is to supply the whole hospital with toilet paper, it is likely to be purchased through the RFP process).

The RFP Template - Writing Proposals That Win Bids

Then, before you begin writing your response to the RFP, review the request for proposal and ensure that you want to bid for it; I've known clients that have got all the way to the end of proposal writing and then decided the RFP wasn't a good fit for them or that the bid was too big, too small, not right. Develop your own bid or no-bid criteria and assess each RFP or other requests (RFEIP, RFQ, RFI, RFTS) before you begin the work of writing proposals.

This RFP template provides an outline of how to write a proposal: (Note: this is for a common type of RFP; there are many variations)

The typical bid package or documents will include:
A project or goods overview or summary, including specifications, quantity, time frame and/or other details required for the proposal; A due date for the bid and for the work to be done or the goods delivered; If applicable, the vendors meeting schedule (usually provided if the specifications are complex and need to be discussed); Buyer's contact name, phone number, address and/or email address for delivery of the bid; Attachments as necessary: which often include payment terms and conditions, legal and insurance requirements, other related information; The package will also include management and technical requirements and expectations for the bid; The bid documents should also include a contact if questions are allowed (recognize that most times, questions and answers are posted for all respondents to see - be careful what you 'give away' to your competitors in your questions).

Your proposal needs to include:
Your Qualifications: Consider whether you have the necessary qualifications and experience for the proposal; if not, consider an alliance or partnership with another vendor or consider subcontracting parts of the bid. Make sure that with either scenario (partnership or subcontracting) that you control the service and the product: your reputation is on the line. In your qualifications, make sure you include a description of who will be working on the project and why your company is uniquely qualified to deliver the product. Provide individual or corporate resumes and biographies if appropriate and necessary. Your References: References should answer the question; Why should you get this bid? What is better and/or unique about your service and/or product - compared to your competition? Your references need to be carefully selected and you must contact those people you use as a reference in advance to ensure that they are willing to be your reference (I recommend asking for a reference (written if possible, plus contact information) well ahead of the need for one). Read the bid requirements carefully; some bids will limit the number and type of references you can provide. Try to use references for similar types of bids; if you do not have any, then ensure that you write the connection between your experience and the work you're bidding on (that is, what are transferable skills from your experiences). Your Solution: In this section, present your unique solution; the one that differentiates your proposal from others. Also, define your understanding of their request and how you plan to address their needs. Your service or product positioning must be clearly written. Make sure that your solution indicates to the buyer that you understand their problem, their market and that you can deliver the best solution. Your Price or Fee: Consider pricing strategies that are specific to your bid. The lowest price is not the one that wins - all the time. If you need to buy materials as soon as you are awarded the contract, write your bid to include progressive payments. You might want to show what the price includes, for example, 5 days on market survey design and launch; 5 days on survey tabulation and focus groups, etc. Your payment terms must be clearly identified and easy to understand (and not in conflict with any terms in the request for proposal). Build a cancellation clause into your bid: for acts above and beyond your control (earthquake, floods, fire, etc.) - have a lawyer review your clause and then use that as a standard clause on each proposal that you write. Build a price escalation clause for long term projects; you might want to tie the price escalation clause to inflation or to your projected cost increases. There are always administrative details to review; make sure you take the time to read them carefully and if you do not agree or cannot comply, then address the issue in your bid. Do not leave any sections or questions unanswered in your bid: you will score zero on that answer in the evaluation process (which usually 'marks' the answers in each section).

Once the bid or tender is awarded, and if you were not the winner, ask for a debrief or review: you want to find out why you didn't win the bid and you want to apply the lessons learned in the debrief on your next bid. Learning how to write an RFP, specifically how to write winning bids, becomes easier the more bids that you write. Once you've developed this RFP template into your own template for your business, you will find that writing proposals is faster, more effective and more successful. The goal is to write winning proposals.

The RFP Template - Writing Proposals That Win Bids
Check For The New Release in Health, Fitness & Dieting Category of Books NOW!
Check What Are The Top Cooking Books in Last 90 Days Best Cheap Deal!
Check For Cookbooks Best Sellers 2012 Discount OFFER!
Check for Top 100 Most Popular Books People Are Buying Daily Price Update!
Check For 100 New Release & BestSeller Books For Your Collection

Not all sales come from RFPs, learn how to Improve Your Proposal Writing Skills with more proposal writing tips and techniques focused on the selling process.

Kris Bovay is the owner of Voice Marketing Inc., the business and marketing services company and owner of the small business resource website, http://www.more-for-small-business.com

Kris has more than 25 years experience in successfully managing and leading large, medium and small businesses; businesses that she has worked with have grown by more than 30% in sales in the first two years. Use Kris' experience to help you manage and lead your business. Copyright 2008 Voice Marketing Inc.