Answer Upon - Writing and Speaking

Choosing To Work At Home
Have you been thinking about working from home? Are you thinking about how you are going to bring money in to help with the bills? There are many advantages to working at home. I am actually saving money being at home rather than sending my 3 kids to daycare. Here are some of the pros about staying at home:1) Saving money on gas and not having to worry about the wear and tear on your car. In addition, insurance companies ask how far you drive each day. This is important in determining your rates. With no commute, your insurance might even go down.2) All the tax deductions that you can claim on your taxes for your home business.3) Saving money by not sending the kids to daycare is great. I would be working just to pay for daycare for the kids. It’s important to look at the numbers. How much would you pay for daycare, versus how much would you earn?4) Saving money on two different wardrobes. Not having to buy clothes just for work and clothes for at home.5) Being at home for your kids when they hit all their milestones.The first thing you have you have to do is sit down and write all of the pros and cons of working outside the home versus working from home. Weigh your options. Figure out exactly how much money you have to bring in, in order to stay at home.What type of work at home business you are going to do? Maybe something that goes along with your hobbies? Look and see how much everything is going to cost you to run the business. Set your hours that you are going to work. Come up with a

d it? Structure is important, but needs a ‘plot’. The plot is all-important: It must tempt me to want to follow it. It must hold my interest, make me think: Take me and keep along on the ride. It may well be incredible - but must be believable. Does it have twists and turns that keep me wondering or in suspense? If not, and it follows a well-tried standard plot, then the onus will fall heavily on the other story components – particularly the characters you’ve created - to keep me stimulated.

Without characters of substance, you’ve no chance of holding my attention. It’s through your characters you make the connection with me - Use run-of-the-mill characters and I will jump off the ride. You have to give them individuality, substance and depth. I’ve no interest in stereotypes - I want uniqueness: Characters conjured up from a mixture of your own imagination, observation, and life-experience. I want to know them, have empathy with them. Maybe even live them.

Having amassed your characters, plot, and a story structure, you have to add another ingredient – ‘action’.

It is essential your characters interact with each other within the scenes and throughout the story naturally, because of who they are, and their disposition. The action must flow naturally because of circumstances within the plot. No character should ever be made to do or say anything incongruous to ‘fit in’ with some twist in the plot.

You should have established a connection between each individual in the story and me as a reader through the various components of your story: Having them forced into doing anything odd to fit the plot and they lose credibility. They become unbelievable. My illusion is shattered. Any connection I had is lost. I will toss the book down in disgust.

Serving You The Right Way - Secured Loan Finance
You look up the sky with a desire to reach there. But is it that easy...? No, it is not. We always dream of things which we don’t have because of the same reasons i.e. the finances. But if you dream something, you yourself have to take the initiative to achieve them. It’s obvious, that you need to have appropriate finances for that. Secured loan finance is such financing for your wants.Secured loan financing as we all know is financing through secured loans. When you take a secured loan, the title or the deed of the collateral is transferred to the lender. The collateral can be any valuable property (mostly home). The lender is given the right to take the possession of the collateral in case the borrower fails to repay the loan amount. Other than this secured loan finance is the perfect financial partner a borrower could have.There are other benefits too in going for a Secured loan Finance like:• Low interest rate• Longer and repayment period and flexible terms and conditions• Larger amounts to borrow• Higher approval rate• People with bad credit history and poor credit score can easily apply i.e. CCJ’s, IVA’s, defaulters, arrears, bankrupts etc.• Reduced paper workYou can borrow amounts ranging from ₤5000 to ₤750000 and even more in certain cases. It depends on equity in your collateral, that how much amount you will get. We can define equity as the market value of your home less after deducting the debt already taken against it. You can borrow these loans for a

We've all done it! We've all written our 'masterpiece', smiled smugly, sent it off to an editor - and waited (im)patiently to receive his reply, and become rich and famous overnight.

Perhaps it was a short story, an article maybe, a poem, or even our first book. (The one we just knew was a winner.) Whatever it was it is almost a certainty that at best all we received was a rejection slip. At this point most abandon all thought of becoming an author and concentrate on knitting blanket squares - or breeding iguanas.

So what went wrong? Why didn't the editor like your work? What do you need to do to impress an Editor, and sufficiently inspire him or her to not only read your manuscript - but offer you a contract? How do you set about convincing them to take a chance and publish your book? Many of you will try several times. and submit your M/S to several Editors. Most of you will fail - and wonder why!

The answer is simple: You are trying to convince the wrong person - FORGET THE EDITOR: The person you should be convincing of your manuscript’s merits is ME. Who am I? What’s so special about me? I am the one that supplies the cash to make the thing a viable proposition. Keep me happy, and Editors will snap your work up.

How do you convince me to part with my cash? Easy: I am a simple kind of guy called ‘Joe Public’. Impress me, and I’ll buy your stuff. If not, it probably sucks: I’m easy to please, but no sucker.

Although I’m easy to please, your writing will need to follow some simple guidelines to grab – AND HOLD – my attention. If it does that, fame and fortune beckons you.

The following is applicable whatever you write, irrespective of genre. For the sake of simplicity we’ll take writing a fiction novel as an example:

First, last, and foremost, it must grab my attention from the start – and hold it to the last page. Like any item I consider buying, I look for two main things: I want it to provide me with what I am looking for - And I want value for money. I want a work of fiction to supply me with a ‘good read’. I want it to give me an ‘experience.’ I want a story to give me a feeling of interacting with it. It must set me thinking. If your story does that, you’ve given me value for money - and I’ll come back for more.

When looking for fiction to read, my first rule is to ignore the cover picture. Chances are that even a book on growing carnations - or bee keeping - will have a naked lady in some un-natural pose adorning the cover, hoping to catch the eye of any male punter in a hurry.

Having said that, you ignore YOUR cover at your peril! - It is the first thing your prospective purchaser sees. It is their first interaction with your story. At this point, they have no feeling for the contents, no connection with story or characters.

In my role as Joe Public, if I’m in a hurry I’ll grab a book that I’ve not read, but is written by an author I’m familiar with. With time to spare, I’ll peruse titles at leisure, read any synopsis or other blurb, and flick through a few pages to get a feel of the story. It is at this point your skill as an author is put to the test. Your story must be written in a way that – even a cursory perusal – will grab me, set me thinking, wondering, and reacting: It must make a connection with me. The better you’re able to make this connection, the more certain you are to sell me your story.

To do this you require certain basic building blocks to use in your story’s construction: A good plot, believable characters, and some form of action. It will require dialogue, some descriptions, and a definite structure to it. Use these components with skill, give them substance and quality, add a touch of your unique style and you will create an enjoyable experience for me.

The quality of each component in your construction is critical: Any weak link in the chain, and your story will exist as a collection of words and sentences of uninteresting mediocrity. I will dump it – having made a mental note to ignore anything by you in future.

You may be thinking I’ve missed the main point: ‘How do I get my book onto the bookshelves in the first place? – So you can read and decide if you want to buy it? Surely I need to get an Editor to accept it first?’

Patience – read on…

Earlier, I mentioned adding a touch of ‘style’. This is a small but all-important ingredient. Like any meal, a book is made up of basic ingredients. Most of us can use them to produce an edible meal for ourselves. But how many others will sample it and come asking for more? It is the acquired knowledge and skill of the cook, and his unique contribution to its preparation, which transforms a meal into a culinary delight, and turns him from ‘Cook’ into ‘Chef’: So it is with writing…

The writer uses the basic building blocks, adds his touch of uniqueness, and moves up from being a ‘Writer’ to becoming a ‘Published Author’.

Every would-be footballer knows the basic rules of the game. However, it takes dedication, training and practice, and a natural flare and uniqueness of style to stand out from the crowd, and catch the Football Scout’s eye.

As a writer you will have a natural style, though at first you may not know it. Initially you may try to emulate some author you like. That’s fine for practice, however, you must adapt it so you write with a pace and flow that feels comfortable and natural to you, otherwise it becomes forced, artificial – AND IT WILL SHOW. It will not impress your readers.

Experiment. Find what way of thinking, moving your story along, what pace, what way of speaking, feels most natural and comfortable for you. Once you’ve found this you can then drop automatically into this style and frame of mind each time you sit down to write. With practice, it becomes second nature: You can then concentrate 100% on the content without the concern of how you present it.

It is important you develop this individuality of style to suite you: MORE IMPORTANT is that this style ALSO suits your readers! This is where learning the ground-rules from successful authors is a must. There are many ‘Writing Schools’ available for this. Most will cost you an arm and a leg: Try the extremely friendly, but very professional group at www.longstoryshort.us for value, or use a search-engine to find one. You should also join a small group of fellow writers. (I use www.writespots.com ) which has just re-emerged, but the web has many to choose from.

Having found what style suits you, it’s pointless pressing on using it unless others like your style too. Test it out by presenting samples to others, and getting their feedback. Be prepared to modify and adjust, as a result of the critique you receive. Feedback will often be controversial, it may disillusion you, and be hard to swallow, seem over harsh, or appear as a personal attack: 99.9% of the time it will be none of these. What it WILL be is a genuine effort by others just like you to offer their ten-cents-worth to help you.

However varied and controversial the comments, invariably they will have some consensus running through them. It may be they indicate your style is too ‘ceef’ (wordy), has too much ‘tell’ and not enough ‘show’. Or that the dialogue does not flow naturally, or your characters lack personality, or believability! Maybe it is too ‘ceef’ from you using a proliferation of adverbs. Maybe you change tenses mid-stream, or unwittingly use too many hackneyed phrases.

What seems to you as fine - and something of a masterpiece - may be pulled to shreds before your eyes. However, along with critique will be suggestions on how you can improve your work. At this point, it's time to swallow your pride, digest the comments, pick out the ones you feel most useful – and do a re-write incorporating them - then re-present the work for further critique. Do this until you are happy with it, and the comments received convey the satisfaction of the readers. And always remember: each commenter is also a ‘Joe Public’ – like me.

Having modified your style, then perfect it. Once perfected it becomes that special ingredient which embellishes all your work and makes your writing unique. However, that is merely the finishing flare touch - the special addition you bring to your basic construction: Unless your other building blocks are sound, it is worth naught…

Does your story have a sound ‘structure’? Does it tell what you want in a way that presents it in its best light?

Have you really thought about it? Or merely trotted it out in some conventional manner?

Does it have your stamp of individuality?

Will it give me an ‘experience’ when I read it? Structure is important, but needs a ‘plot’. The plot is all-important: It must tempt me to want to follow it. It must hold my interest, make me think: Take me and keep along on the ride. It may well be incredible - but must be believable. Does it have twists and turns that keep me wondering or in suspense? If not, and it follows a well-tried standard plot, then the onus will fall heavily on the other story components – particularly the characters you’ve created - to keep me stimulated.

Having amassed your characters, plot, and a story structure, you have to add another ingredient – ‘action’.

Accomplish 20 Times as Much with the Same Time and Effort
Change is the law of life.― John F. KennedyAn emergency room (ER) nurse kept hearing complaints from patients who had been waiting for hours to see a doctor. After reading The 2,000 Percent Solution, she began to keep track of how long it took various kinds of patients to get the attention they needed. She was shocked to find that those who were too sick or injured to explain their problems but who appeared to be okay sometimes waited for more than 10 hours ― even if they needed immediate treatment. This nurse shared her concerns with the other ER nurses and physicians. They discussed possible solutions and decided to train the guards at the door to spot people who couldn't explain about themselves and bring a triage nurse immediately to check the patient. Waiting time for these vulnerable, hard-to-diagnose patients dropped to less than 10 minutes. Although her colleagues didn't know it, they had just put in place a 2,000 percent solution.A 2,000 percent solution is any method of accomplishing what your organization does now with zero-to-four percent of the current time and resources, or accomplishing an increase of 20 times in results while employing the same or fewer resources. A combination of those results can also be a 2,000 percent solution.That much improvement probably sounds pretty extreme to you. It shouldn't. We've all seen 2,000 percent solutions, but we don't usually label them as such. For example, a slow reader takes a course in better reading methods. Reading speed increases from 10

acting with it. It must set me thinking. If your story does that, you’ve given me value for money - and I’ll come back for more.

Patience – read on…

The writer uses the basic building blocks, adds his touch of uniqueness, and moves up from being a ‘Writer’ to becoming a ‘Published Author’.

Does your story have a sound ‘structure’? Does it tell what you want in a way that presents it in its best light?

Have you really thought about it? Or merely trotted it out in some conventional manner?

Does it have your stamp of individuality?

Having amassed your characters, plot, and a story structure, you have to add another ingredient – ‘action’.

What You Must Know About Your Health Insurance Plan
Health insurance coverage is something you typically don't give much thought - that is, until you or someone you love needs it. This very thing happened in my family. My husband, son and I carried group health insurance through my husbands' employer. Shortly after we married, I persuaded my husband to switch from the Blue Cross plan (80/20) to the HMO offered by his employer. Premiums for the HMO were somewhat lower and there was better coverage for doctor visits and pharmacy.Within 2 years of switching health plans, my husband was diagnosed with lymphoma, a slow-growing cancer. The prognosis was good, but treatments, medications, and hospital stays were exorbitant. Medical expenses would have been overwhelming had we not switched to the HMO plan. Our HMO health insurance plan covered almost all expenses we incurred with his illness. We basically only paid our co-pays, and, of course, our premiums. In fact, our health plan still pays for his treatments.Should everyone change to an HMO health insurance plan? Not necessarily. What is important is to know basic facts about our health plan. Important questions to answer include:What does the health plan cover? Does the coverage meet your needs? Some plans do not include wellness care and preventive care, while others do. If you require many prescription drugs, are these included in your plan? What does the health plan NOT cover? Health insurance plans usually do not include cosmetic surgery (unless the surgery is reconstructive, repairing damage from bur

h of ‘style’. This is a small but all-important ingredient. Like any meal, a book is made up of basic ingredients. Most of us can use them to produce an edible meal for ourselves. But how many others will sample it and come asking for more? It is the acquired knowledge and skill of the cook, and his unique contribution to its preparation, which transforms a meal into a culinary delight, and turns him from ‘Cook’ into ‘Chef’: So it is with writing…

The writer uses the basic building blocks, adds his touch of uniqueness, and moves up from being a ‘Writer’ to becoming a ‘Published Author’.

Does your story have a sound ‘structure’? Does it tell what you want in a way that presents it in its best light?

Have you really thought about it? Or merely trotted it out in some conventional manner?

Does it have your stamp of individuality?

Having amassed your characters, plot, and a story structure, you have to add another ingredient – ‘action’.

Just What is Currency Option Trading
Some people, when they hear about the currency market, they only think about the foreign exchange market. Rarely do you hear about the other side of currency trading which is known to some people as currency options trading.Currency options trading involve selling and buying the rights to buy and sell a certain fixed amount of a currency at a given amount of time.The very basic premise of currency options trading is that you can have the prerogative to trade this much amount at whatever cost it has during the time.This means that you can make, or lose money much faster this way.The currency option trading market is the only 24-hour option trading market in existence. This is due to the 24-hour operation of the foreign currency market.Currency option trading also reflects the erratic nature of the foreign exchange market. In buying or selling currency options, you have the potential to make a lot or lose a lot of money pretty quickly.Currency options' trading is like betting on the future. If you pay this much money for the right to sell this much cash, how much will you be able to make?However, currency option trading is more stable than foreign currency trading and is often used by corporations as a way to hedge against the effects of fluctuating exchange rates.Currency option trading involves anticipating the different risks a long time before they actually happen. Unlike in the foreign currency market where things can change in a matter of minutes and therefore, decisions are don

style suits you, it’s pointless pressing on using it unless others like your style too. Test it out by presenting samples to others, and getting their feedback. Be prepared to modify and adjust, as a result of the critique you receive. Feedback will often be controversial, it may disillusion you, and be hard to swallow, seem over harsh, or appear as a personal attack: 99.9% of the time it will be none of these. What it WILL be is a genuine effort by others just like you to offer their ten-cents-worth to help you.

Does your story have a sound ‘structure’? Does it tell what you want in a way that presents it in its best light?

Have you really thought about it? Or merely trotted it out in some conventional manner?

Does it have your stamp of individuality?

Having amassed your characters, plot, and a story structure, you have to add another ingredient – ‘action’.

Save Money By Saving Your Change!
Save money by saving your change can add up to thousands of dollars for your nest egg! That’s right, by taking the change you have in your pockets, purse, vehicle or anywhere you keep change, can help you to start saving money. Think about it, you can start saving your change today and you are guaranteed if you continue to save your change every day, that you will save a significant amount of money over time.You’ve been saying, that it’s hard for you to save, and you just don’t make enough money to be able to do this. Well, you can start slow by just taking that spare change you have laying around and putting it in a jar and just let it grow over time. It won’t take long before your change jar starts growing and you now have money saved.Imagine when you count the amount of change you’ve saved, after six months of dropping your change in your jar, you are astounded at how much money you have collected in just a short period of time. You can do it, just start saving your change today! Don’t wait to save, it doesn’t matter that you’re starting out small by saving your change. It only matters that you just start saving!These five tips should help you when you start saving your change:1) Get yourself a jar to put your change in. Nothing fancy needed, the idea is get yourself a jar so you can start saving your change now!2) Make it a goal to collect all your change and put it in a jar on a daily basis from either your purse, wallet, clothing, vehicle or any other place you may have your change.d it? Structure is important, but needs a ‘plot’. The plot is all-important: It must tempt me to want to follow it. It must hold my interest, make me think: Take me and keep along on the ride. It may well be incredible - but must be believable. Does it have twists and turns that keep me wondering or in suspense? If not, and it follows a well-tried standard plot, then the onus will fall heavily on the other story components – particularly the characters you’ve created - to keep me stimulated.

Having amassed your characters, plot, and a story structure, you have to add another ingredient – ‘action’.

Characters are not usually all mute. They are required to speak - so your story needs ‘dialogue’. Any dialogue must be natural. However, great care is needed to not make it TOO natural. Whilst staying within the constraints of each character’s background and personality, it is best to err by using more regular written language. Using vernacular can make for heavy reading and understanding. (Providing ‘translations’ should be unnecessary, and avoided like the plague.) Be sparing with ‘street talk’ – it takes great skill to use this successfully without making reading tedious.

The golden rule when it comes to dialogue is to ask, “Is it necessary? Is it said well? Is it REALLY worth saying?" Pruning dialogue is all-important – so is pruning ‘description’.

Description is another integral part of a story, and needs thought and skill. Be ruthless: Remove ‘ceef’ (non-essential incidentals and trivia). Nevertheless, don’t miss showing or telling the reader vital information about anything, or any character. Your descriptions must fit the tone of the story and be integral to transmitting information of the plot, characters, and actions.

Information on locations and atmosphere add to the reality-feeling experience of the reader. Done in your unique style, these will enhance reader-experience, and draw them deep into your story.

Ask yourself: “Have I left my readers looking in from the outside? Or have I taken them inside the story with me?”

If you succeed in taking me inside the story – and keeping me there throughout the journey - you just sold yourself to your Editor. You see, the Editor’s a ‘Joe Public’ too…

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Change Management in Government Purchasing

Change Management in Government Purchasing sure causes chaos indeed. In fact we have a whole company under investigation who will be paying 100s of million dollars in fines because it hired a government purchasing agent from the United States Air Force to come work for them and she took the job while she was still working on other military contracts and procurement solicitations which involved the very large Aerospace Company she went to work for.

Corporate Wellness - the Key to Corporate Success

What have sickness, recuperation, rest, mindset, humour, energy and diet got to do with companies? These are terms applicable in physical wellness but they are equally relevant in the context of corporate wellness.

How to Get Paid to Speak

Speaking for free is easy, getting paid is another story. This article discusses how to get paid for speaking engagements.

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Answer Upon - The ONLY Sure-fire Way to Impress ANY Editor - and SELL your Article, Story, or Book

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