This is in some ways a more difficult style of effective writing because you need to make often intricate points in plain, clear English. Writing effectively is rarely a process of finding the most beautiful ornamentation – any two bit hack can do that. Instead, the best writers try to find those few images that will really hit, while cutting out any other decorative nonsense that might get in the way of communicating the message. Along with knowing your audience, you have to know your genre. Try entering a few writing contests if you don’t believe me. Your beautiful, evocative, poetic language won’t get you anywhere in a short essay contest. Similarly, your analytical explanations will probably not make for a prize-winning poem.
October 28th, 2008
Posted by
hlgiles
General, Publishing, Reference
no comments
Chipping Away Your Writer’s Block
In almost every writer’s forum, the deplorable perennial problem of writer’s block has always been brought up by both professional creative writers. Some discussions have gone as deep as defining the nature of writer’s block. In case a writer’s block (a.k.a. "fear-of-the-blank-page") should come up in the middle of the deadline, the writer will be able to hopefully do something about it.
But what is a writer’s block? On the surface, it is simply a period of non-activity for the writer. A writer or a poet may attempt to write something based on the need to write something, but then they come up with absolutely nothing! What causes a writer’s block and what can be done about it? Here are some thoughts and suggestions:
1. The fear of coming up short from their last project - Collectively speaking, most artists and writers have an obsessive compulsion to concretize and materialize, through their works, abstracted thoughts and ideas. Once they start at some project, there is always that fear of producing something despairingly short of what they have intended to create. Thus, they become disappointed in themselves. If artistic or writer’s block does not happen prior to the start of the project, it may also very well occur while the work is in process. This explains why several writers may work on different projects at the same time and jumping from one unfinished work to another. Some even abandon previous works altogether for a new one but ultimately end up not accomplishing anything in the end.
2. A comeback after a long time off - Vacations and some time off taking care of familial/domestic or personal matters can only have two extreme results: either it rejuvenates, recharges and inspires the writer for the next project, or it completely diminishes or finishes off whatever is left of a prolific and fecund mind! Let’s face it, even professional writers are, first and foremost, human beings before they are writers. And, as humans, writers too are bound to lose footing once they have taken some time off from writing, if not inspired and recharged, as mentioned.
3. Insecurities - Lack of formal training…Being a newbie…The writing style…a friend who’s a better writer…etc., etc., etc., these can all spell one thing: insecurities. Our insecurities can really work nasty for writers. We know there is no other way out other than a paradigm shift or a change in perspective for the writer. We know that there will always be other people more educated, more renowned in the creative writing field. We know there will always be writers who are relatively better than us, other trends and styles in writing which the we can become unfamiliar and intimidated with. However, the bottomline is that it is just a matter of gritting your teeth with some decision-making: to write or not to write?
4. Bills to pay, daily tasks, and other small details - Where do I get the money for the bills? Who brings and fetches the children to and from school? For writers with actual day jobs and many deadlines to meet, who can still think of writing? These concerns, to mention only a few, hampers the writer’s writer’s sensitive thoughts. These are practical things that need to be done on the daily basis. On the surface, these concerns may seem harmless to an aspiring writer. However, eventually, these daily concerns will dry up the creative writer’s reservoir that needs constant nurturing. This is not to say, however, that children, career and domestic chores and other concerns should no longer be tended to in order to write. Being a great writer does not necessarily entail shunning away from daily practical concerns, in the same manner that a person with no other daily duties does not guarantee a prolific writer. Difficult for the right-brained writer as it may be, time must be managed. Schedules and systems must be established in order to attain the perfect juxtaposition and equilibrium of work (chores and responsibilities) and play (writing).
April 2nd, 2008
Posted by
raymond
General, Publishing
no comments
PowerPoint has become such a common business standard that a second-rate PowerPoint presentation is immediately marked as such. particularly if you’re making a sales presentation, a poor presentation may even harm your business.
In other kinds of corporate meetings, they can help to underscore the point being made, or simply present an outline for the presenter to follow. Putting time into creating a top quality PowerPoint presentation is a great way to explain to attendees of a meeting that the facts you’re giving is important, accurate,and in the case of sales presentations, financially valuable to all
But working on a high quality PowerPoint presentation takes time. And while it is sometimes tempting to simply pass this work on to somebody with more time, it is often a good intention to do this work yourself, or at least create and set up the information for each slide.
One way to create greater quality PowerPoint presentations is to use higher quality graphics. Clipart taken straight from Microsoft Office screams “this information wasn’t important enough for me to make an effort.” In particular, avoid using MS Office “screen beans,” which are so usual as to become laughably cliché.
Another good way to help your PowerPoint presentation is to write a handout to go along with the information. With PowerPoint, you want to underscore the information you’re providing, so be sure to keep the facts in the presentation itself to a minimum. Keep slides clean, clear, and impactful.
Paid PowerPoint templates incorporate the kind of pictures, animation, and transitions that you might not be able to create yourself. With well-made flash animation and sharp pictures, your presentation will really stand out. But be sure not to get anything too flashy. You don’t want to distract from your presentation itself.
Don’t use too many bullet points and particularly don’t use paragraphs to get your information across. You should be doing that yourself. Also, don’t overwhelm your presentation with graphics, flashy animated transitions, and graphics. Remember that the talk is about the information. Especially for selling presentations, you don’t want anybody in the room to depart feeling that they’ve wasted their time watching fancy cliparts. Too many extras on your PowerPoint slides will detract from your presentation rather than add to it.
A concept to keep your PowerPoint presentations clear and useful is to follow the 10-20-30 rule for PowerPoint presentations. The 10-20-30 rule tells that a presentation should be no more than ten PowerPoint slides, last no more than 20 minutes, and utilize a font no smaller than 30-point. Following the 10-20-30 rule assists you to keep your meeting short, clear, and informative.
PowerPoint is one of the most effective presentation tools you can use for business meetings and sales presentations. A great PowerPoint presentation helps to underline your idea while giving the audience pieces of information that will last. While a good presentation will help your business and add to your meeting, a ineffective one can do just the opposite.
www.eyefulpresentations.co.uk
January 3rd, 2008
Posted by
hroberts
Business, Publishing, Software
no comments
Over the last decade PowerPoint has become one of the most central presentation tools in both business and education. At every important meeting you run, you’re expected to assemble a PowerPoint presentation that will update each attendee of your concept in a way that is clear,succinct , and to-the-point.
PowerPoint presentations can be utilized for several purposes. In education and in informational meetings, they use illustrations and easy-to-read text to help attendees to understand the information being given.
But making a high quality PowerPoint presentation takes time. And while it is sometimes tempting to simply pass this responsibility on to somebody with more time, it is often a good idea to do this work yourself, or at least create and set up the information for each slide.
Since PowerPoint in sales talks and other meetings is such an important tool, it’s important to spend some time learning how to improve your own PowerPoint presentations. For both beginner and advanced users,there are always tricks to be learned to make your talks more striking and effective.
If you have important points to make, especially if they’re whole paragraphs, include them in handouts. If you’re giving a vibrant presentation and want to keep your audience’s complete attention, make sure to pass out any handouts at the final, as they can be distracting.
Purchased PowerPoint templates incorporate the kind of clipart, animation, and transitions that you might not be able to create yourself. With well-made flash animation and sharp clipart, your presentation will really stand out. But be sure not to get anything too fancy. You don’t want to distract from your presentation itself.
Whether using a template or creating a PowerPoint presentation yourself, there are a few common mistakes you should try to skip.The first is giving too much facts. A PowerPoint presentation is intended to accentuate your idea, not describe it in full.
A way to keep your PowerPoint presentations clear and useful is to follow the 10-20-30 rule for PowerPoint presentations. The 10-20-30 rule states that a presentation should be no more than ten PowerPoint slides, last no more than 20 minutes, and utilize a font no smaller than 30-point. Following the 10-20-30 rule assists you to keep your meeting short, clear, and informative.
PowerPoint is one of the most effective presentation tools you can use for business meetings and sales presentations. A great PowerPoint presentation helps to underline your concept while giving the audience pieces of information that will stay with them. While a good presentation will help your business and add to your meeting, a bad one can do just the opposite.
www.eyefulpresentations.co.uk
December 19th, 2007
Posted by
hroberts
Business, Publishing, Software
no comments
