Saturday, April 11, 2020

9 Surprising Ways Writers Can Supplement Their Writing Income

9 Surprising Ways Writers Can Supplement Their Writing Income 9 Surprising Ways Writers Can Supplement Their Writing Income Val Breit is the founder of The Common Cents Club, where she coaches others to take charge of their finances, their future, and their freedom so they can spend more time doing what they love (without going broke). She especially loves strategizing ways to turn a love for writing into multiple streams of income as a stay-at-home mom.You’re an author. You love to write. And you’d love to earn a full-time income from writing, but so far, those book sales are not paying the bills. You may even wonder if you should throw in the towel on this author dream.Honestly, most authors are in that boat - myself included.But I was determined to stay with my kids rather than return to my stressful day job, so I ventured outside of the author box to discover new ways to supplement my income. Now I’m excited to share with you ten of the best ways you can earn money from your book and your self-publishing skills to keep the dream alive.1. Start SpeakingAs a writer, there’s a fairly good chance you’re an introvert like me. I had no intention of public speaking when I published my first book. Then I read  You Must Write a Book  by Honoree Corder and vowed if I was ever invited to speak and share my experience and knowledge, I would accept.As a first-time, no-name author, I didn’t think it would happen†¦ until it did. Without any mention of speaking on my website, social media, or in my book, I received paid invitations to speak just a few months after publishing. Albeit nerve-racking, I connected with new readers, expanded my author platform, and even paid a few bills! Taking advantage of speaking opportunities is yet another way to earn money related to your book.2. Become a GhostwriterIt’s always a good idea to offer a bonus item for your readers in exchange for their email address. Anyone who’s already read your book is interested in what you have to say - now imagine having an entire list of those people right at your fingertips the next time you publish a book. While this strategy doesn’t pay immediately, it makes selling future books much easier. Not sure how to start growing your email list as an author? This free course is a fantastic place to start.8. Monetize Your BlogDo you already have a blog that you’re directing your readers to? Not only can you gather email addresses and build a relationship with them, you can also use affiliate links or ads to monetize it. Again, this is not a get-rich-quick method, but if you love blogging and already have traffic coming to your blog, monetizing it is fairly simple. People like Pat Flynn and Michelle Shroeder-Gardner have mastered and teach affiliate income strategies for bloggers.9. Freelance WritingLast but not least, freelance writing is another way to earn money by writing. Make a Living Writing is a great site for learning how to find writing jobs and keep a full roster of freelance clients. There are websites in just about every niche that pay $50 or $100+ per article.By saying â€Å"yes† to opportunities outside your comfort zone, you can find new ways to earn money beyond your book sales.Have you tried any of these money-making methods before? Which are you most excited to try? Leave your thoughts in the comments below and we’ll get back to you right away.

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Organizing Your Genealogy Files

Organizing Your Genealogy Files Piles of copies of old records, printouts from genealogy websites, and letters from fellow genealogy researchers are sitting in piles on the desk, in boxes, and even on the floor. Some are even mixed in with bills and your childrens school papers. Your papers may not be completely disorganized if youre asked for something specific, you can probably find it, but it definitely isnt a filing system that you would describe as efficient. Believe it or not, the solution is as simple as finding an organizational system that suits your needs and research habits and then making it work. It might not be as simple as it sounds, but it is doable and will ultimately help to keep you from spinning your wheels and duplicating research. Which Filing System is Best Ask a group of genealogists how they organize their files, and youre likely to get as many different answers as genealogists. There are a number of popular genealogy organization systems, including binders, notebooks, files, etc., but there truly is no individual system which is best or correct. We all think and behave differently, so ultimately the most important consideration in setting up your filing system is that it must fit your personal style. The best organization system is always the one that you will use. Taming the Paper Monster As your genealogy project progresses youll find that you have numerous paper documents to file for each individual that you research birth records, census records, newspaper articles, wills, correspondence with fellow researchers, Web site printouts, etc. The trick is to develop a filing system that will enable to easily lay your fingers on any of these documents at any time. Commonly used genealogical filing systems include: By Surname:  All papers for an individual surname are filed together.By Couple or Family:  All papers related to a husband and wife or family unit are filed together.By Family Line:  All papers related to a specific family line are filed together. Many genealogists begin by starting with four such ancestral lines one for each of their grandparents.By Event:  All papers related to a specific event type (i.e. birth, marriage, census, etc.) are filed together. Beginning with any of the four systems mentioned above, you could then further organize your papers into the following categories: By Location:  Papers are first grouped by one of the four genealogy filing systems listed above, and then further broken down by country, state, county, or town to reflect your ancestors migration. For example, if you chose the Surname Method, you would first group all CRISP ancestors together, and then further break the piles down into the England CRISPs, the North Carolina CRISPs, and the Tennessee CRISPs.By Record Type:  Papers are first grouped by one of the four genealogy filing systems listed above, and then further broken down by record type (i.e. birth records, census records, wills, etc.). Binders, Folders, Notebooks, or Computer The first step to starting an organizational system is to decide on the basic physical form for your filing (piles dont count!)   file folders, notebooks, binders, or computer disks. Filing Cabinet and File Folders:  File folders, probably the most popular organizational tool for genealogists, are inexpensive, very portable, and easily hold papers of different shapes and sizes. When dropped, however, file folders can become quite a mess with papers thrown out of order, and possibly misplaced. File folders make it easy to consult documents, but you have to be diligent about making sure the paper is put back where it came from. Once youve generated a lot of paper, however, the file folder system is the most flexible and expandable.Binders:  If youre someone who really likes to keep things together in one place, then organizing your printed genealogy data into binders may be a good option for you. This method standardizes your genealogical records into a regular size paper format. Documents that you dont wish to three-hole punch, can be added in polypropylene sleeves. Binders are portable and dont require a filing cabinet, however, if you do a lot of genealogic al research you may find that binders eventually become too cumbersome on their own.​ Computer Disks, CDs, and DVDs:  Transcribing  or scanning genealogical documents into the computer can save quite a bit of space, and computerized organizational systems can greatly speed up tedious tasks such as sorting and cross-referencing. CD-ROM quality has also greatly improved, supposedly lasting indefinitely under proper storage conditions. But, will your descendants 100 or more years from now have a computer that can read them? If you choose to use your computer as your primary organizational system, consider also making and preserving copies or printouts of important documents. Once you get started organizing your genealogical clutter, youll probably find that a combination of storage methods works best. Some people, for example, use binders to organize proven family and file folders for miscellaneous research on unproven connections, neighborhood or locality research, and correspondence. It is important to keep in mind that organization is and always will be a work in progress. Organizing Your Genealogy Using File Folders To set up and use file folders to organize your genealogy records you will need the following basic supplies: A filing cabinet or file boxes with lids. The boxes need to be strong, preferably plastic, with horizontal inner ridges or grooves for letter-size hanging files.Colored, letter-size hanging file folders  in blue, green, red, and yellow. Look for ones with large tabs. You can also save a bit of money here by purchasing standard green hanging file-folders instead and using colored labels for the color-coding.Manila folders. These should have slightly smaller tabs than the hanging file folders and should have reinforced tops to last through heavy use.Pens. For best results, use a pen with an ultra fine point, felt tip, and black, permanent, acid-free ink.Highlighters. Buy highlighters in light blue, light green, yellow, and pink (dont use red because it is too dark). Colored pencils also work.Labels for file folders. These labels should have blue, green, red and yellow strips along the top and permanent adhesive on the back. Once youve assembled your supplies, its time to get started with the file folders. Use different colored file folders for the lineages of each of your four grandparents in other words, all folders created for the ancestors of one grandparent will be marked with the same color. The colors you select are up to you, but the following color choices are the most common: BLUE - ancestors of your paternal grandfather (fathers father)GREEN - ancestors of your paternal grandmother (fathers mother)RED - ancestors of your maternal grandfather (mothers father)YELLOW - ancestors of your maternal grandmother (mothers mother) Using the colors as outlined above, create a separate folder for each surname, writing names on the hanging file tab insert with the black permanent marker (or printing inserts on your printer). Then hang the files in alphabetical order in your file box or cabinet by color (i.e. put the blues alphabetically in one group, the greens in another group, etc.). If youre new to genealogy research, this may be all you need to do. If you have accumulated a lot of notes and photocopies, however, it is now time to subdivide. Here is where you need to choose how you want to organize your files. The two most popular methods as discussed on page 1 of this article are: by  Surname  (further broken down as needed by Locality and/or Record Type)by  Couple or Family Group The basic filing instructions are the same for each, the difference is primarily in how they are organized. If you arent sure yet which method will work best for you, try using the Surname method for one surname and the Family Group method for one or two families. See which one suits you best, or develop your own combination of the two. Family Group Method Create a family group sheet for each married couple listed on your pedigree chart. Then set up manila folders for each of the families by putting a colored label on the file folder tab. Match the label color to the color of the appropriate family line. On each label, write the names of the couple (using the  maiden name  for the wife) and the numbers from your  pedigree chart  (most pedigree charts use the  ahnentafel numbering system). Example: James OWENS and Mary CRISP, 4/5. Then place these manila family folders in the hanging folders for the appropriate surname and color, arranged in alphabetical order by the husbands first name or in numerical order by the numbers from your pedigree chart. In the front of each manila folder, attach the family group record of the family to serve as a table of contents. If there was more than one marriage, make a separate folder with a family group record for each other marriage. Each family folder should include all documents and notes from the time of a couples marriage. Documents which pertain to events prior to their marriage should be filed in the folders of their parents, such as birth certificates and family census records. Surname and Record Type Method First, sort your files by surname, and then create manila folders for each of the record types for which you have paperwork by putting a colored label on the file folder tab, matching the label color to the surname. On each label, write the name of the surname, followed by the record type. Example: CRISP: Census, CRISP: Land Records. Then place these manila family folders in the hanging folders for the appropriate surname and color, arranged in alphabetical order by the type of record. In the front of each manila folder, create and attach a table of contents that indexes the contents of the folder. Then add all documents and notes which correspond to the surname and type of record.

Saturday, February 22, 2020

Describing two works of art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Describing two works of art - Essay Example The picture itself is revealing almost all striking colors that catch the eye of the viewers. I think the artist has successfully conveyed the message that one should live a life full of joy in order to be happy, as well as to spread happiness among others. Poppy Fields by Zhang Huan is one of the most attractive artworks of recent times. The artwork features a wide range of colors on an oil-on-linen painting. If we look at Poppy Field No. 5 by some distance, four main colors catch the eye, which include teal, pink, lilac, and faded red. The artwork looks like as an abstract art if we look at it from some distance. However, from a closer look, tiny faces and skulls become visible. The meaning of the artwork as expressed by the artist is birth, illness, senility, and death of humans. I personally think that the meaning being conveyed through this artwork as described by the artist does not appear in the mind of every viewer. For example, to me it looks like conveying that every person in the world has a different internal color which becomes evident with the display of different

Thursday, February 6, 2020

Computer Based Learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Computer Based Learning - Essay Example Others find that it hinders their efforts, as secondary education students tend to use it for entertainment and not as intended. Within the context of writing classes and writing research, Computer Based Learning (CBL) / Computer Assisted Assessment (CAA) have been employed primarily to support collaborative writing endeavours. (Zakrzewski 2003) The feature sets of CBL and CAAs provide a rich environment for the activities of group writing tasks, peer reviewing, and information exchange. Further, CBL and CAAs provide opportunities for instructors to expose secondary education students to knowledge, as well as opportunities for secondary education students to build their own knowledge through interaction via an electronic communications medium. (Mccabe 2000) The exposure to and development of secondary education student knowledge transpires as a function of the dynamic interaction process within the learning environment. Thus, usage of CBL and CAAs may promote active learning of course material by engaging the secondary education student in communication activities and behaviours that stress interaction among secondary education students and between the secondary education student and the instructor(s). (Salmon 2003) However, secondary education students must use (and adapt usage of) the CBL and CAA in a manner that supports effective interaction to gain such benefits. (Zakrzewski 2003) Research has shown the following characteristics of some students who tend to have and unfair advantage in CBL and CAA, communicative interaction significantly influence such student's effectiveness: communication message content, communication exchange format, and communication exchange timing. The secondary educator of today faces a difficult challenge when given the choice of employing CBL and CAAs in traditional face-to-face or distance learning situations. Administrators facing pressures to cut university costs (and maximize usage of faculty resources) argue for the use of CBL and CAAs, whereas conventional secondary education students research presents conflicting results regarding the effects of CBL and CAA use in higher education settings (see, for example, Alavi; Alavi; Leidner and Ruberg). What is an educator to decide The purpose of this study is to shed light on this very real problem today is higher education faculty face. In this study, we focus on exploring secondary education student interaction within the context of CBL and CAA usage to gain a deeper, situated understanding of how secondary education students choose to use the CBL and CAA to meet assignment requirements, and ultimately to uncover factors that may influence secondary education student learnin g outcomes. (Mayer 2003) Nevertheless, before we can isolate factors that influence secondary education student learning, we must first have a well-grounded understanding of the type and kind of interaction that actually occurs when secondary education students complete computer-based communication assignments on their own, with minimal instructor intervention. (Mandinach et al.

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Advertising In Our Life Essay Example for Free

Advertising In Our Life Essay When I was browsing the internet, an advertisement caught my attention. It was a Nike skateboarding advertisement. The clip has a nice soundtrack, technical tricks, good pace and nice scenery. When you see that advertisement, it will help to change your mood for the day. The video focuses on the Nike shoes line known as SB dunk. Nike, by understanding its audience, has created an effective advertisement through the internet. This advertisement runs for 2 minutes. It shows people from various nations skateboarding and everywhere wearing SB dunk. On the sidewalks in Los Angeles, the skateboarders use the grinding rails to slide with skateboards. In New York, they use benches to do tricks and slide. In Italy, the skaters play in the park near a beautiful river, and lastly the d shows skateboarders skating down the slopes in the San Francisco area. Most of the places contain graffiti art in their surroundings. This gives us the atmosphere of a street culture. The video also shows an event that took place in USA where there were lots of professional and famous skateboarders wearing SB dunk taking autographs. The end of the advertisement shows the Nike SB logo. Back in its earliest days, Nikes product still carried the classic Nike logo without the SB at the right bottom. However, in 2005, Nike has started changing the logo by adding SB at the bottom of the logo, which stands for skateboarding. This could make the people distinguish its skateboarding line from another Nike product such as tennis, soccer and even basketball. In an advertisement, the model are wearing the Nike logo with SB on it. The Nike SB logo that appears in this clip is white on a black background. I think that this color is very unique and simple. Both of these colors are good for advertising. They are used to signify power and create a sense that the company is professionalThe video also uses language to appeal to consumers. There are three quotes that appear in the advertisement. The first quote is Master Technician. I think that this quote is trying to tell us that when you wear these shoes, you will master the techniques in skateboarding. The second quote isSerious Commitment. For most people who purchase these shoes, they believe that wearing the shoes will get them to commit seriously to skateboarding. The last quote is, Limited Edition. Most of the people in  that advertisement are wearing limited edition shoes. One of them is called the Heineken SB dunk shoes, which are very limited and the price is very high, starting from 500 dollars. The color provided and the pattern of the shoes is designed by artists in Holland. Until now there are only 65 types of shoes, but not all of them are limited. The other limited shoes that attract my eyes in the advertisement are the denim shoes. The denim shoes, more limited than Heineken shoes and the price are more than one thousand dollars. This great advertisement will attracts attention of the youngsters to buy the Nike SB product and it could be the envy on 6h3e streets among skaters. Skateboarders are individuals who desire to stand out among the people. Therefore, they p robably love the fact that there arent many others who are wearing the same shoes. This advertisement is targeting teenagers who are skaters. This idea is apparently trying to target male group and not the female. By showing various countries, and the autograph session by professional skaters, it is trying to depict that the shoes worn by famous skaters who are also celebrities around the world. If skaters see this advertisement, they will believe they could be like one of the professionals when they are wearing the shoes. They also show fabulous skateboarding trick. Skaters will assume that by wearing the Nike SB, they could perform like the professional in the advertisement. The shoes are worn by Tony Hawk, Mark Appleyard, Pj Ladd and other famous skaters. Although most of the music in the advertisement features Rock and Hip Hop, which are associated with teenagers and skateboarding, Nike SB promotes its products in advertisement differently. Instead of Rock or Hip Hop music for the skateboarding advertisement, Nike uses a classical, soft and comfortable music for us to enjoy while watching the advertisement. In this commercial, the beautiful scenery in different countries shows that the shoes are appropriate and comfortable to wear in every location. Nikes top of the line skateboarding product is mainly shoes. Nike launched this line in 2002 to enter rapidly growing skateboarding market. I think by making this advertisement, the company could increase more attraction for  the people especially the skateboarders. Skateboarding still are a relatively small community, not enough to attract serious interests from major shoe makers while they were battling out in the precious basketball territory. I think that this advertisement gives Nike a chance to gain ground in the skateboarding market. To attract and establish itself as a major force in the market, Nike, has successfully made this advertisement for skaters. Work CitedNike SB advertisement. The name of the website is sole redemption. Date posted was 4 February 2006 07:14p.m. Date I looked at the advertisement was 2 March 2006 (http://www.soleredemption.com)

Monday, January 20, 2020

Analysis of a Passage from The Grapes of Wrath Essay -- essays researc

Depicting the Dust Bowl exodus, The Grapes of Wrath is a literary masterpiece. Development and hierarchy are portrayed. In the passage to be studied, almost at the beginning of the novel, Tom Joad, who has just been released from prison, discovered his abandoned house. Travelling with Casy, a former preacher, they met Muley Graves , one of his former neighbours who refused to leave the country, after people have been tractored off. Hardly the only one to speak, Muley explained how he then lived alone, wandering from one empty house to another. A certain evolution is present throughout the passage that can be compared to a human being?s life. First, birth can be paralleled with a kind of creation. Then, the adult is the one who makes a living, and has responsibilities towards the younger ones, as well as the older ones. And finally, a human being?s life ends with death, and this shift can last more or less. Birth is the beginning of life. It can be compared to a kind of creation. Muley refers to a birth in his discourse: Joe?s birth. Because it is a significant episode and it illustrates the beginning of a new life, one?s birth has always been a happy event: ?An? her so proud she bust three cups that night? (l35-6). Becoming a father is a meaningful step in a man?s life. Moreover, a child is the promise of something new: new hopes, a new life. But parents have to take decisions for the wellbeing of their child since they are the only means of survival, and the most important decision might be the one choice of the place where the child is to be born. As far as the land matter is concerned, nationality depends on the place where somebody was born. Therefore, it explains the strong feeling someone can have for the place wher... ...ossible advancement. A kind of hierarchy is present throughout the passage: in life, in society, and with Nature. A person is born, lives and dies. In the countryside, people live thanks to Nature and what it offers its best: a land to work. But in town, people, especially clerks and banks, have another preoccupation: benefit. The passage enhances that money is becoming more and more important, and it will take an important place in people?s life from now on. Between the three characters, a kind of hierarchy is felt too: the child, self-centred, but who wants to learn what life is, the adult, open-minded, who wants to help others, and the old one, desperate and lonely, who has no future but to think incessantly to his past life. A transcendentalist vision can be added to the passage, and then the part played by Nature opposed to the part played by human beings.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Effective writing Essay

Effective writing is very important when writing an essay because it helps us explore our thoughts and feelings about a certain topic. Especially when you have so many essays you must write during the years in college, you must know how to use different writing such as persuasive or informative skills to accomplish good writing. There are so many different writing elements to use but you must understand these skills to achieve good paper potential. When it comes to having different type of writing skills, there is a lot to know which ones are important to remember. Writing is not only for school but it is where you can express your thoughts by using strong writing skills and techniques. I think effective elements of academic writing is having a strong thesis, good supporting details, and knowing your audience because this will create your paper. Having a strong thesis is the main point of an academic paper. It is where you have a quick summary on what you are trying to inform or support for your whole paper. A thesis is the statement you put in your introduction where you discuss what your paper is going to be about which is very significant to build well. Read more:  How to write a good thesis for a synthesis essay. Your thesis is very important because it is where your reader will understand in the beginning what your paper will be about. The introduction paragraph is a very important part of the essay, and the thesis is a main part in the introduction for the reader. The thesis drives the essay from the beginning because it hooks the audience. As a student, I ahave learned that building a strong thesis is very important because it has to be very specific on what you will be explaing about further on the paper. It has helped me start my paper with a guideline, that I must support my thesis during the whole essay. Although all the paragraphs in the essay are academically important, the introductions take a very big part of it due to the thesis. For example, when you start a research paper and pick your topic you must determine your working thesis. Your thesis will be mostly based on your synthesis on what you have found in research, class, or even experiences. The thesis can be a struggle to make at first but once you achieve a working thesis, then the flow of your paper will be easier. Your thesis may change during the time you write your paper because of many ideas that will pop in your head during writing. The thesis is very detailed to where a five year old child would know what you will be trying to inform in your paper. When writing different types of essays where you would need put good supporting detail, you have to have credible sources. The supporting detail can be known as different terms such as, information, and evidence that will add more information, and then supports the idea or claim. Back to the last paragraph of a thesis, the supporting details â€Å"support† the thesis with proven information in which you research for. When you are writing a research paper, the supporting details come to a play, and you must have very detailed information to support your research. Supporting details is not always to give detailed information, but also to support you point in your paper. The term sounds so simple to do but the concept in having good supporting detail is so important in many types of writing or speaking. The supporting detail comes after the topic sentence in each paragraph. It is like the structure of the body paragraphs because you must use good support to make up the body paragraphs. It not only makes the paragraph but supports the main idea of the paragraph which supports your thesis also. Your details also must be very relevant to your main point and thesis, you cannot just write unintellectual facts to put in your paper. In other words, you have to realize that in writing you should avoid unnecessary words and to also avoid on focusing on the wrong this in your paper. Good writers probably spend a lot of time in providing supporting evidence and information about their topic for their paper. A good writer’s focus is to provide supporting details for your arguments in a form of facts, data, opinions, anecdotes, reasons, and proofs. Another valuable element to put in your writing is to know your audience. When writing your essay, it is to determine what the audience is looking for in your writing. To produce a good piece of essay you must not only know your audience but also you have to become your own audience. You must see what you are writing and what your audience might compel to it, or understand it. You have to make sure you understand your reader’s expectation, how they might react to your paper, and if they’re going to understand you whole point of your essay. Knowing your audience helps you make decisions about what information to include in your paper, how you should arrange your paper, and what kind of supporting detail you might use for your paper to have the audience to understand. When writing an academic paper, you also must remember that your instructor will not only be the audience you will have. While it is important to know that your instructor is your audience and you must meet requirements in your writing, you should consider the intended audience that might read your paper. In order to effectively plan and write your paper, you must know who your audience is, and what specific needs they might have. The best place to understand is to read your professors hand outs and also their prompt. All three of these writing elements I believe is very important to use in academic writing. To use and understand a strong thesis, good supporting detail, and knowing your audience correctly, the paper would work out smoothly. There are so many different writing uses that can comply to writing a good paper, but having a strong thesis is a main part in your paper which I inform during this whole essay. Also having good supporting details make the essay enjoyable to read and builds it. Finally knowing your audience is a strong source to use when writing the essay because you would know how to write it due to who is reading your paper. Writing is very difficult when you doing know what type of writing elements to use and understand some of these might help you write a good paper.