My First Love Is Doing Business - 904 Words

My first love was doing business. With my family operating a restaurant when I was a child, I unconsciously learned how to run an operation and deal with customers within the business surroundings. It would be easy to trace its origins back to my mother, who was a restaurant manager, and while she definitely encouraged me, I had a natural drive to unlock the power of doing business, which gave me a lens through which to view the world around me. During the summer of my junior year in high school, I hosted my first charity bazaar, a charity sale for self-customized T-shirts for a local orphanage that sponsored by my high school. Given much advance publicity, I did well at the sale, making over $100 in an hour. That accomplishment made me realize my passion toward marketing and motivated me to pursue a Bachelor degree in Business Management during my undergraduate studies. When I enrolled at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), marketing was my core interest: it has provided numerous opportunities for hands-on experience from class projects, such as predictive analytics with software like SPSS and Tableau, and strategic case analysis with marketing tools like SWOT and Porter’s five force. In addition, with my supporting minor in psychology, I also gain a psychological perspective and deeply understand how customers are attracted to, and persuaded to, purchase merchandise as well as how companies build lasting relationships with those customers. Besides, after taking aShow MoreRelatedThe Study of Beauty: Cosmetology Essay1590 Words   |  7 Pagesinner creativity. That is one of the many reason I love this line of work, because when I do hair it lets me express myself while creating a hairstyle of my own. The first time I started doing hair was when I was about 10 or 11, I was a natural! I want to be able to know my clients and exactly what w ill look right on my clients and read people, so I would know what they do like just by talking to them. I need to learn to separate family from business. I do know some things about this field I beforeRead MoreMarketing And Strategy Execution Of The Social Media Space935 Words   |  4 PagesThrough past internships, I discovered my passion for digital marketing. Although I found my previous work experience to be extremely valuable, I was only offered the opportunity to gain experience about marketing strategy execution in the social media space. Moving forward, I want to expand the breadth of my digital knowledge and learn more about new digital marketing strategies. I want to be a part of an organization that will offer me opportunities to learn and challenge me to grow, and I feelRead MoreImplementing A Workable Business Plan1428 Words   |  6 Pagesinsightful. 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Hospitality Industry Knowledge Free Essays

Hospitality Industry Knowledge 1. List six sources of current industry information: – Media: Such as newspapers, television, magazines and radio. The media publicises current information, trends developing and any government initiatives. We will write a custom essay sample on Hospitality Industry Knowledge or any similar topic only for you Order Now – Customers: By doing customer questionnaires this can inform enterprises as to what they need to improve, as well as which staff are working well. – Information services: For example the Australian Bureau of Statistics and Tourism NSW (all these services are provided by the government) and provide a whole range of issues within the industry. Internet: Sites such as The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) provide information on environmental issues and trends frequently. Anyone can publish anything on the internet, so it is important to check that the information sourced is credible and correct. – Industry Journals: (Also known as trade magazines) are not available from local industries and usually require a subscription, as they are extremely valuable sources of current information. Within the either national / international journals hospitality positions are advertised, trends are addressed and practices of various enterprises are shown. Training courses: May eit her be on-site or off-site, and provide the opportunity for staff to experience specific training in a chosen area. 2. Differentiate between primary and secondary sources of information: A primary source is when information is gathered first hand, whereas secondary source is when the information is gathered from a source that has already conducted the research. 3. Indentify the basic research skills that are required when researching: It is important to recognise that the source is credible and that it is of relevance. . List three channels that may be used to disseminate information once collected: Media, Internet and customers. 5. Explain the importance of updating hospitality industry knowledge: Updating hospitality industry knowledge ensures quality service is maintained and the customer’s needs are constantly being met. 6. Analyse recent government initiatives affecting the hospitality industry: Government initiatives are acts by the government that result in a number of impacts on the industry. Promoting Australia’s image overseas: In campaigns such as â€Å"where the bloody hell are you? † and ‘Australia week’ in the USA; and enhances Australians quality of life as well as boosting tourism in regional areas. – Australian tourism industry: Over $600 million was allocated to the Australian tourism industry in the 2004/05 federal budget. The government set up a new body in 2004, ‘Tourism Australia’, having $120 million allocated to the body in 2004 in order to market Australia internationally as a holiday destination over the following years. To market tourism within regional areas of Australia, an extra $45 million was allocated. – The federal government is now taking on apprentices (New Apprenticeship’s Scheme). This will help with the costs accompanying training new apprentices and offers and encourages employers to take on new enterprises. By introducing these further funds for enterprises, it has also allowed students to take on a part-time apprenticeship whilst attending school, as well as enabling more flexibility for those wishing to pursue a career in commercial cooking. Obesity: This issue has been constantly reported via the media, statistics stating that now over 50% of the Australian population are overweight. This is a result of certain lifestyle changes: individuals are now less active, have increased their consumption of fatty/high energy foods, and often resort to fast food because they believe they do not have enough time to cook themselves. The health problems connected to being overweight have placed a lot of pressure on the health system. This has resulted in the government introducing healthy eating campaigns and new school canteen food requirements. Farmer kits: Was launched by the Federal Minister for Tourism in 2003: ‘Farm and Country Tourism on your Property: Assessment Tool’ These kits were for families looking to enter the agricultural tourism industry and enables them to see whether or not their farm is suitable. 7. Explain recent trends in emerging markets and the importance of internet presence for business: The Internet has enabled the hospitality industry to access a wider market, allowing budding customers to view the available products and services of different enterprises, and to make a booking online. Internet booking have increased dramatically over the past few years (due to the ‘technically savvy’ Y-Generation) and has resulted in an increase in competitiveness between hospitality enterprises. 8. Analyse the impact of social issues on the hospitality industry: Some enterprises choose to become involved with the community by doing things such as participating in community fundraising (e. g. providing a complimentary meal) or by contributing left-over food to charities. The obesity epidemic has also caused the hospitality industry to provide healthier menus, so that consumers now have the option of having either fatty or healthier food. Doing so has caused the face of the hospitality industry to change, as they are no longer regarded as selling only fatty foods. Racial tensions were a result of the Cronulla Riots in Sydney. A number of businesses were closed down, and when re-opened were not able to operate due to a lack of customers. Due to an increase in intoxication and binge drinking licensed premises must ensure they do not serve intoxicated people, as intoxicated people are more likely to commit crimes. The government has responded to this by introducing curfews and lockouts within problem areas. They have also raised the price on Alco-pops to discourage young people from drinking excessively. 9. Outline factors that have caused expansion within the industry: Factors that have caused expansion within the industry include: – International sporting events: attracts a large number of short-term visitors – Cultural events: attract people to specific regions – Seasonal influences: increased travel during holidays, in particular the Christmas and summer holiday period – New liquor licensing laws: may encourage more small bars to open – Medical tourism: hospitality provides forming partnership with hospitals 10. Outline factors that have caused retraction within the industry: – An oversupply of facilities after the 2000 Sydney Olympics – Incidents (such as war on Iraq, tsunami, SARS) resulted in less abroad people travelling to Australia, although inbound tourism did increase – Competition among enterprises caused them to slash their prices (reduced profit) – World oil prices increased which resulted in airline tickets increasing and households to restrict their extra spending money (due to increased cost in petrol) – Rising food prices caused higher menu prices, which may deter customers from dining out – Credit crisis 1. Describe current labour issues and their impacts on enterprises: – Labour turnover: Employee’s left with few hours during the quieter months may choose to leave and find alternative employment. The cost of losing / replacing staff members is quite substantial and costs thousands per employee. – Shortage of qual ified chefs: result of more students staying to year 12 rather than leaving in year 10 – Hiring staff with illegal visa statuses – Paid unjustly: a number of employee’s in the industry are unaware of their rights and may be paid lower wages 2. Explain technological issues affecting the hospitality industry: – Has improved the delivery of customer service and impacted on the delivery of training – Systems and procedures are now more efficient and has reduced many errors and has enabled service to be provided more timely. – Addressed skills shortages by allowing individuals to complete training courses in a more flexible environment through registered training organisations on-line. How to cite Hospitality Industry Knowledge, Essay examples

LANDFILLS Essays - Waste Management, Landfill, Anaerobic Digestion

LANDFILLS Solid waste is the term that civil engineers use to refer to what most of us call garbage. Municipal solid waste is most familiar to us. It comes from households, institutions, and small businesess. These solid wastes enter the solid-waste stream, and the flow never ceases. While many normal activities are suspended during weekends and holidays, the flow of garbage is non-stop. Some holidays, such as Christmas, create an enormous wave of solid waste. There are essentially four ways to deal with garbage: 1) recycle it into something that can be used again, 2) dump it, 3) burn it, or 4) reduce the source of material products (such as packaging) in order to eliminate future garbage. Throughout history, dumping has been the preferred means of disposal. Today, landfills are America's primary method for the disposal of garbage. Approximately 40 to 50 percent of everything we throw away is paper. Newspapers account for as much as 18 percent of the volume in a landfill. Grass clippings and raked-up leaves account for nearly 20 percent of our waste. Much of the notion that biodegradation takes place within a landfill is a myth. Some food and yard debris degrade at a very slow rate, but the remainder of the garbage in landfills seems to retain its original form, weight, and volume. Even after being buried in a landfill for several years, the print on newspapers remains legible. Landfills also contain a considerable amount of hazardous waste. Today, pesticides, cleansers, and motor oil are commonly found in most households. Many of these find their way to the trash. Therefore, landfills must be designed for the safe disposal of hazardous household waste. Currently, there is a critical shortage of landfills, expecially in the northeastern United States. It is estimated that 40 percent of the landfills now in use will close down within five years. The reason the percentage is so high is that most landfills are designed to be in use for only about ten years. Many landfills now closing are open dumps. Rain and groundwater trickle through the trash and dissolve metals and other chemicals. This toxic liquid, called leachate, can ooze into the ground and contaminate nearby wells and streams. In sanitary landfills, daily deposits of fresh garbage are covered with a layer of dirt or plastic or both. However, sanitary landfills can still exude leachate into the water table. In new sanitary landfills, the basin is often lined with clays and impermeable plastic sheets to keep the leachate in. While so many of the country's landfills are closing down in the next several years, solid-waste engineers face tremendous challenges to properly seal, salvage, and monitor some of the nation's most contaminated dumps. The use of sanitary landfills presents several additional challenges beyond safety and efficiency. One major problem is cost. It is often necessary to transport garbage several hundred miles to an available landfill. The cost for transporting garbage to a landfill can be excessive. An even bigger problem is location. Even if the landfill does not leak pollutants or foul the air, no one wants a landfill for a neighbor. Consequently, the old landfills are not being replaced. Due to the critical shortage of landfills and the concerns about their safety, environmental consciousness has been raised. There is a growing awareness of the need to improve the environment and become less dependent on landfills. We must finds ways to reduce waste, and we must find ways to convert waste into something that can be used again. Source reduction offers a real and lasting contribution toward solving our nation's solid waste problem and conserving landfill space. Talk to your legislators, both federal and state, about this genuine method of reducing the volume of garbage. LANDFILLS Essays - Waste Management, Landfill, Anaerobic Digestion LANDFILLS Solid waste is the term that civil engineers use to refer to what most of us call garbage. Municipal solid waste is most familiar to us. It comes from households, institutions, and small businesess. These solid wastes enter the solid-waste stream, and the flow never ceases. While many normal activities are suspended during weekends and holidays, the flow of garbage is non-stop. Some holidays, such as Christmas, create an enormous wave of solid waste. There are essentially four ways to deal with garbage: 1) recycle it into something that can be used again, 2) dump it, 3) burn it, or 4) reduce the source of material products (such as packaging) in order to eliminate future garbage. Throughout history, dumping has been the preferred means of disposal. Today, landfills are America's primary method for the disposal of garbage. Approximately 40 to 50 percent of everything we throw away is paper. Newspapers account for as much as 18 percent of the volume in a landfill. Grass clippings and raked-up leaves account for nearly 20 percent of our waste. Much of the notion that biodegradation takes place within a landfill is a myth. Some food and yard debris degrade at a very slow rate, but the remainder of the garbage in landfills seems to retain its original form, weight, and volume. Even after being buried in a landfill for several years, the print on newspapers remains legible. Landfills also contain a considerable amount of hazardous waste. Today, pesticides, cleansers, and motor oil are commonly found in most households. Many of these find their way to the trash. Therefore, landfills must be designed for the safe disposal of hazardous household waste. Currently, there is a critical shortage of landfills, expecially in the northeastern United States. It is estimated that 40 percent of the landfills now in use will close down within five years. The reason the percentage is so high is that most landfills are designed to be in use for only about ten years. Many landfills now closing are open dumps. Rain and groundwater trickle through the trash and dissolve metals and other chemicals. This toxic liquid, called leachate, can ooze into the ground and contaminate nearby wells and streams. In sanitary landfills, daily deposits of fresh garbage are covered with a layer of dirt or plastic or both. However, sanitary landfills can still exude leachate into the water table. In new sanitary landfills, the basin is often lined with clays and impermeable plastic sheets to keep the leachate in. While so many of the country's landfills are closing down in the next several years, solid-waste engineers face tremendous challenges to properly seal, salvage, and monitor some of the nation's most contaminated dumps. The use of sanitary landfills presents several additional challenges beyond safety and efficiency. One major problem is cost. It is often necessary to transport garbage several hundred miles to an available landfill. The cost for transporting garbage to a landfill can be excessive. An even bigger problem is location. Even if the landfill does not leak pollutants or foul the air, no one wants a landfill for a neighbor. Consequently, the old landfills are not being replaced. Due to the critical shortage of landfills and the concerns about their safety, environmental consciousness has been raised. There is a growing awareness of the need to improve the environment and become less dependent on landfills. We must finds ways to reduce waste, and we must find ways to convert waste into something that can be used again. Source reduction offers a real and lasting contribution toward solving our nation's solid waste problem and conserving landfill space. Talk to your legislators, both federal and state, about this genuine method of reducing the volume of garbage.

Wild Turkey Essays - Game Birds, Poultry, Bird Anatomy, Free Essays

Wild Turkey Essays - Game Birds, Poultry, Bird Anatomy, Free Essays Wild Turkey The wild turkey, the largest game bird in North America, is related to pheasants, quail, and grouse. It is found throughout the United States, except for Alaska, and in parts of Canada and Mexico. There are five recognized sub-species, which vary slightly, in color and size. The male wild turkey, called the tom or the gobbler, is a large robust bird weighing upt o 30 pounds and standing as high as four feet tall. His body color is brownish black with a metallic, iridescent sheen. The head and neck, nearly bald, vary from white to blue to red. Bright red, fleshy bumps, called carnucles, droop from the front and sides of the neck, and a fleshy flap of skin, called a dewlap, is attached to the throat and neck. A fingerlike protrusion called a snood hangs over the front of the beak. When the tom is alert, the snood constricts and projects vertically as a fleshy bump at the top rear of the beak. A clump of long, coarse hairs, called a beard, protrudesfrom the front of the tom's breast and may grow as long as 12 inches on older birds. Each leg has a spur on it; these spurs are small and rounded on young birds; long, pointed and usually very sharp on older birds. The male is called a gobbler for a good reason:his rattling, deep-toned call is one of the most recognizable sounds in all of nature. At mating time, toms gobble with full-volume gusto, attempting to attract hens for breeding. Adult males display for hens by fanning their tail feathers, puffing up their body feathers and dragging their wings as they strut. Their heads and neck turn bright red during breeding season or when the tom is otherwise excited. Adult females, or hens, are considerably smaller than toms, rarely weighing more than 10 to 12 pounds. Their overall body color is duller than themale's and lacks his metallic, iridescent sheen. The hen's head and neck are usually blue-grey color and sparsely covered with small, dark feathers. Caruncles are sometimes present, but smaller than those on toms. Some hens grow small beards and spurs. Although they dont gobble, hens make a variety of cluck, purr, cutt and yelp sounds. Dominant hens may assert thenselves with a display resembling that of a male, though they do not strut. Juvenile birds mature quickly. By their fifth month, the juvenile male(jake) and juvenile female(jenny) closely resemble adult birds. However, juveniles have dark legs, which turn pink as the birds age. Jakes make feeble gobbles, higher pitch than the calls of mature toms. Their beards are shorter in length and usually have amber colored tips. With its powerful legs, the wild turkey is and exceptional runner, and has been clocked at speeds up to 12 mph. Although strong short- distance flier, turkeys usually run when threatened. When necessary for escape, turkeys launch thenselves with a standing leap or a running start to accelerateto 35 mph in a matter of seconds. They cannot remain in the air for more than a few hundred yards, but can glide for half a mile or more when coasting down from a ridge. Regardless of region, wild turkeys require three elements if they are to survive, water, trees, and open grassy areas, Turkeys may be found in areas where one or more of these elements is in short supply, but the population is unlikly to flourish. Throughout most of their range

Story-Writing Masterclass 10 Tips for the Perfect Piece of Fiction - Freewrite Store

Story-Writing Masterclass 10 Tips for the Perfect Piece of Fiction - Freewrite Store With the rise of self-publishing on platforms like Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing and Lulu.com, it’s never been easier to realize your dreams of becoming a published author. You can publish with Amazon - both paperback and Kindle editions - for zero cost. There’s nothing holding you back from seeing your name in print. But the availability of self-publishing for all isn’t an entirely positive thing. With no quality checks, no requirements for your books to be edited, and no painstaking procedure of submitting to publishing companies (and waiting for the inevitable rejections), there’s much less pressure on would-be authors to spend time really honing their craft. That is a travesty. Don’t be one of those writers who, just because you don’t have to worry about publishers rejecting your novel, cut corners in the writing process. Your (potential) readers deserve so much more. That’s why, in this masterclass article, I’m going to share with you my ten top tips for the perfect piece of fiction - drawing on the wisdom of some of the greatest bestselling authors of all time. 1.The Glint of Light on Broken Glass The great 19th-century Russian story-teller, Anton Chekhov famously advised: â€Å"Don’t tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass.† You will, of course, recognize the cornerstone piece of advice that every fiction writer reads in every single book on writing: show, don’t tell.  Ã‚  It’s not a secret, it’s not new or revolutionary, so why is it still at the top of my list? Because it’s the single most important piece of advice a writer needs. It doesn’t matter whether you’re starting your first short story or you’ve got twenty novels under your belt, if you forget this rule, you’ll let your readers down. And even the most seasoned writers have off-days (or, more commonly, off-books) where their writing becomes more tell than show and loses its impact.    So, how do you ensure that you’re showing and not telling? For me, the magic happens when I’m editing, so I don’t worry too much about the first draft. No one is going to see that but me, so it doesn’t really matter how bad it is. When I’m editing, I’m ruthless. In fact, the more books I publish, the more ruthless I get - because, seriously, I cringe when I read back my first (traditionally) published novels and wonder how on earth they managed to get published in the first place. When I’m editing, I distance myself from the writing and imagine I’m a reader, not a writer. I get bored easily, which is a good thing when I’m looking for too much tell and not enough show. If I’m bored, there’s too much tell. What works for me may not work for you (so I’m not promising anything here). You need to find what works for you. However, when you’re editing, think of Chekhov’s words. Are you writing sentences like â€Å"the moon was shining brightly†? Bo-ring! Isn’t â€Å"the glint of light on broken glass† so much more evocative? That’s what takes you from a regular writer to a masterful writer. 2. Storm Through the First Draft - and Don’t Look Back Do you know what one of the biggest stumbling blocks for would-be authors is? The fear of the blank page. I’ve worked with hundreds of writers in my years as a writing coach, and it seems to be a universal fact that the black page (or the blinking cursor) keeps a lot of people from ever realizing their writing dreams. Don’t let that happen to you! Fearing the blank page is a totally irrational fear, but it can be crippling. You probably know exactly what I’m talking about - sitting at the computer or with a notebook in front of you for hours, worrying about somehow starting your story wrong. Here’s a secret I learned from bestselling author James Patterson: There’s no such thing as starting your story wrong. The only way you can start your story wrong is if you quit and never start it at all. Beating that fear of the blank page has one simple solution: start writing. It doesn’t matter how bad it is. It doesn’t matter whether you scrap scenes later when you’re editing. The most important thing is to get words - any words - on the page. Never edit while your writing your first draft. The moment you start editing, you start questioning yourself, and that can stall the writing process all over again. So, start writing, get words on that page, and don’t you dare look back until you get to the end. 3. To Plan or Not to Plan, That is the Question This is one thing that can divide authors into two different camps - and the debates can be ferocious. I don’t want to start an all-out war, so I’m not going to tell you which camp I sit in. Instead, let’s look at both sides of the debate - and you can decide which you prefer. Just don’t make the mistake of discussing it with your writing buddies - it can get real ugly, real fast. First, let’s tackle the dedicated planners. Bestselling authors like James Ellroy and James Patterson are firmly entrenched in this camp. Ellroy, for example, writes a synopsis for his books that can be over 200 pages long. Likewise, Patterson, who writes several books a year, puts every plot detail into an outline before he starts writing his first draft. He reckons that makes it easier to start writing the first draft. What about the non-planners, or, the write-by-the-seat-of-their-pants camp of authors. British author Ian Rankin is one of these. For him, not having a plan for his novels means that writing is much more of an adventure. It’s a bit like the novel has a mind of its own and will control its own destiny - which is a pretty cool way of looking at it. Rankin’s first draft is an opportunity to get to know the characters, and that wouldn’t work if everything was planned in advance. 4. Building Your Writing Muscles You know how if you miss a week (or six) of your gym routine, getting back into the swing of it is a real struggle? The same goes for writing. Your writing ability is, in fact, a muscle, that, if not regularly exercised, will quickly atrophy. When you’ve missed a couple of gym sessions, have you ever noticed that it’s much harder to convince yourself to go back? Are you, perhaps, like me, who, once I’ve missed a couple of weeks, then there’s virtually no chance of me going back? The same can happen with writing. You can so easily get out of practice, out of the habit of daily writing, so when you do schedule time to write, you almost have to force yourself to do something that you love to do. It’s not just about keeping up a routine, either. When you’re writing fiction, writing every day keeps your relationship with your characters fresh and the plot tight. For horror-writer extraordinaire Stephen King, a daily writing habit is essential for the successful completion of a manuscript. 5. Disconnect From Distractions The internet is amazing. It connects us to like-minded people on the other side of the world, makes researching facts for your fiction an absolute breeze, and allows you to easily communicate with your fans. But for writers, the internet is also the biggest enemy of creativity and productivity. Smartphones have made the situation even worse. There are so many distractions. Social media notifications, email notifications, websites that steal our time and give us nothing in return. The number of hours I’ve lost to aimless internet browsing is embarrassing. I’m easily distracted, and since I can’t get back the hours that I’ve lost, I now resolve to disconnect from all potential distractions. When I’m working on a novel, I deliberately turn off the WiFi. Not on my computer - it’s much too easy to turn that back on. I turn off the router, because I’m less likely to give in to temptation if I have to go downstairs to reconnect to the internet. If turning off your WiFi isn’t practical, or you have other family members to think about, a distraction-free device like Freewrite may be the perfect solution for you. With no browser to distract you, you can focus on the craft of writing - and see your productivity levels soar! 6. Creating Complex Characters One of the major keys to quality fiction is characters that your readers can really care about. Creating three-dimensional characters that seem as if they could walk right off the page is a skill that can be difficult to develop. I love to read - but there’s nothing so disappointing as a book full of flat, cardboard-cutout characters. Even the best, most riveting plotline can’t save those books for me. You’ve probably noticed that human beings can be unpredictable. For your characters to be believable, then, they also need to be unpredictable. It’s important that you’re able to show different sides to your characters because that’s how your readers get to know them. For example, beginner writers often make the mistake of having villainous characters that only ever show their menacing side. However, that kind of predictability makes villains too easy to forget - and you want your characters to stick in the minds of your readers long after they’re finished reading the book. Think about it - what’s more memorable: the villain who only ever does nasty things, or the villain who’s nasty 90% of the time but spends every Sunday afternoon teaching his kid brother self-defense? 7. The Movie Reel in Your Mind Screenwriters are usually able to make the switch to writing fantastic fiction quite easily, but fiction writers don’t find it so easy to write scripts. That’s not always the case, and there are always exceptions to the rule, but there is a really good reason why that’s the case. Writing for the screen means having a kind of birds’ eye view of your story, picturing every detail as if the movie is already made and running on a reel in your mind’s eye. When I coach writers who are struggling with mastering story elements like point of view (POV) and bringing their stories to life on the page, I often recommend a short course in scriptwriting. Having to constantly think about whose point of view each scene is from and focus on the details of the setting, what characters are doing as they speak, and even what’s visible at the edge of the shot is great practice for writing realistic fiction that really draws your readers in. There are short courses in screenwriting that you can find online - such as courses on Udemy - and it’s worth trying these out to see for yourself how your writing can improve when you’re running every scene through the movie reel in your mind. 8. Follow Your Characters Wherever They Lead If you fall into the camp of painstaking planners we discussed earlier, this one may make you feel a bit uncomfortable. Planners don’t like to take diversions. But if you’ve never had the joyful pleasure of allowing your characters to take your story in a different direction, then you’re missing something really quite exhilarating. Sometimes it doesn’t work out, and you have to go back, but other times your characters take you on an adventure of discovery that allows you to share the same sense of excitement and anticipation that your readers get to experience. To be able to follow your characters, though, you have to bring them to life on the page. It’s the larger-than-life characters that take you on the best adventures - and help you to discover the true depths of your own imagination. I love to read books that suddenly head off in an unexpected direction because I know that the author has been on one of those wonderful adventures - and their writing is so much richer for it. Never be afraid to see where your characters want to take you - what’s the worst that could happen? 9. Live Your Character’s Life Has your character eaten today? I’m serious. Have they? Did they shower this morning? You might be thinking that I’ve lost the plot (pardon the pun) but the details of your characters lives matter to your readers. Or, at least, they should. I’ve lost count of the number of manuscripts I’ve reviewed for coaching clients where I’ve started to get seriously concerned about the characters. No, I don’t need to know each time a character takes a bathroom break, but your characters need to have some level of humdrum in their lives to be believable. A really effective tool you can use to see how believable your characters’ everyday lives are is to try to live your character’s life for a day. If you get to the end of the day and you’re exhausted and grumpy because you’ve been dashing around all over the place without eating a single meal, then you might be able to see the cracks in the believability. Regular things have to happen as well as the exciting things that keep the plot moving forward - or your readers might start losing interest. 10. If You Don’t Read Regularly You’ve No Business Being a Writer That may sound a little controversial - and I am aware that there are some bestselling authors who insist that they cannot possibly read anyone else’s fiction while they’re working on their own novels. If I’m honest, I used to worry about how reading novels would affect my writing - until I realized that not reading was worse for my craft than reading ever could be. Not only does immersing yourself in another author’s creation offer the opportunity to relax and unwind, but it helps you hone your craft. Even if the book you’re reading is terrible, there’s something you can learn from it (like how not to write a novel). Reading books that bestselling authors have written is an excellent way of developing your own skills. You can enjoy a book and learn from it at the same time. Recognize the techniques that have the most power. Discover ways of using language that you haven’t considered before. Examine the pacing and the plot twists and all the myriad ways that authors show instead of telling - and pillage and plunder those same techniques for your own writing. Bonus Tip - Write For Yourself One of the biggest mistakes you can make as an author is to start to worry about what other people are going to think about your masterpiece. The moment you start staring into that particular black hole, you’re setting up a whole load of trip-wires for yourself. Don’t worry about who might - or might not - read your novel. Don’t give them a second thought - not while you’re writing. Write your novel for you. Enjoy it. Savor it. When you get too focused on the mysterious ‘potential reader’ you start questioning and second-guessing yourself, until your creativity gives a big sigh and stomps off in frustration - leaving you staring hopelessly at that flashing cursor on the blank page - right back where you started.

Summarize the geologic history of the Mojave National Preserve Essay

Summarize the geologic history of the Mojave National Preserve - Essay Example A low, moving cloud of ash and some rock fragments spread out at extremely high speed across the nearby areas. Some of the rock fragments were approximately 60 feet across this preserve (Glazner et al. 15). The hot ash buried every living thing that was along its path, while the magma spread across a region of approximately 600 kilometers, and the hot rock and ash segments welded together when they reached the ground. Some of the rocks, exposed at the preserve, are from 16.5 to 1.4 billion years ago. They consist of metamorphic rocks, derived from the pre-existing volcanic, sedimentary, and igneous rocks. Some of these rocks have extremely high-grade metamorphic textures and minerals that are because of the high pressures and temperature that are typical of crust 20-40km below the earth’s surface (Glazner et al 16). The preserve has several admirable sceneries; the rocks form a prominent place for a tour, and through the vast and complex history of how the preserve came about to be formed, one cannot but appreciate the beauty of the

Jihadism constituted a radical break from earlier traditions of Essay

Jihadism constituted a radical break from earlier traditions of Islamism - Essay Example Jihad has a very long history in Islamic world and it started since it was allowed under the basic tenets of Islam. This was done in order to allow Prophet (PBUH) so that the religion can be spread and the power and strength of Islam as a religion and Muslims as a community can be established. In order to understand the concepts of Jihad as outlined in the Islam and as they are being practiced now, it is really critical to understand the overall concept of Jihad and how it has been outlined by the Islam in it original principles. Further, it is also critical to explore as to how the Jihad is being conceived and practiced now and whether there is a drift from the earlier established principles or not. It has been argued that the Jihad as it is practiced now is a complete shift from the earlier traditions of Islam and is now believed to be practiced in a manner which marks a complete shift from the same. Whether this is the case or not or whether Jihad is exactly practiced the way earl ier traditions outlined is the topic which this paper will attempt to explore and discuss. The literal meaning of the word Jihad in Arabic is struggle and is a noun in Arabic language. The word Jihad has appeared in the Quran for more than 40 times however, indirect references to the metaphysical meanings of the word have also been made in Quran on various occasions. Quranic interpretation of Jihad therefore indicates a struggle in the way of Allah and is considered as one of the important religious duties for the Muslims. There are various instances in Muslim history in which Prophet (PBUH) has considered doing Jihad under different conditions. The overall importance which has been attached to it is because it is not only mentioned in Quran but it was also practiced by the Prophet (PBUH) himself. (Burgat & Dowell, 1993) There are various instances in the Islamic history wherein Prophet (PBUH) has specifically mentioned that the greater Jihad is the struggle against one’s own desires. Based on this, Jihad is therefore often divided into two categories i.e. lesser Jihad and greater Jihad or Jihad e Akbar. Greater Jihad is often referred to the notion where a pious Muslim has to strive against his wishes and ego and make a complete surrender to the Will of Allah. Such surrendering to the will of Allah and renunciation of the worldly wishes is therefore given a greater significance in Islam as compared to the waging a lesser Jihad in the way of Allah. It is also argued that Jihad has also been named as a process to bring a balance between Islam, faith and righteous living. This so called spiritual struggle is still considered as one of the fundamental aspects of defining the Jihad and its right context. This concept is relatively more critically in order to accurately trace down the differences between the Jihad as described in the earlier traditions of Islam and how it is being practiced now. The visible differences between the approach of the moderate Mu slims and more fundamentalist Muslims towards the interpretation of Jihad and its actual place in ordinary Muslim Life is one of the fundamental arguments which need to be discussed further. Jihad is often used within three different contexts i.e. jihad or struggle to correct oneself and fight with oneself in order to correct the faith of an individual, Jihad in order to improve the Muslim society and Jihad as a holy war. It is this third concept of jihad as a holy war which has attracted much of the significance and importance over the period of time because of its direct and indirect influences on the other communities i.e. non- Muslims. The original concept of Jihad and its allowing in Quran is often considered as the time