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01 Sep 10 How to Take Frequent Breaks Without Losing on Article Quality

In the last article, we talked why it is important for a write to finish one article in one sitting. I supplied quite a handful of reasons to support my claim. While writing that piece, at the back of my mind I had this feeling that there are times when a writer cannot just sit and write. He is bound to get distracted. What to do in such situations? And then I came with something that will help all of us leave our half-finished articles to attend other matters at hand. Let’s see how we can do that.

Prepare a structure for the article

Before you begin writing, you should create a structure of the article. When you undertake this exercise what you are basically doing is creating a skeleton which you will later fill with flesh, blood, and muscles. The structure of an article provides it a basic framework that will later be developed in a full grown article.

Divided the contents in subheadings

Once you know how your final article will look like, you need to divide your articles into sections and sub-sections using headings and subheadings for better readability. To break an article into sections and subsections apply the rule of thumb given below. The rule of thumb is: always put the important ideas into headings of an article, so that people know what individual paragraphs will talk about, and what the article, as a whole, is about.

Write down main points

Now it is time to add some flesh to the structure you have created so far. Under each headings and subheadings, write 2 or 3 bullet points that summarize the central idea of each paragraph, and which add up to make the complete paragraph.

That is it. You are done. Now only the filling up step is left, which could be done anytime, even after one or more breaks.

As said, the final step in the process is to write content beneath headings and subheadings using the main points (bullet points) that you have listed. By following this guide, you will be able to write good quality articles even when you take frequent breaks.

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21 Feb 10 A Job-Search Guide to Help People Over 45 – XIII

In the last couple of posts, we talked about résumé and the role it plays in building your case for your employment. We will continue this discussion in two more posts. In this part, we will see what all you can do to fine-tune your résumé.

Wear your Employer’s Shoes

Well, not literally. What I meant was you need to have a fresh look at your résumé to see how a person on the other side of the table will look at it. Put yourself in your employer’s shoes and see if you would have called a person carrying this résumé for the interview? There is no point for being right, so do not lie to yourself. This exercise is done solely to find problem in your CV.

See what is the flavor of the market

Tight fitting, camel toe revealing outfit might be a huge fashion in yesteryears, but today if you wear it you will look funny—I am not a fashion person so I might be wrong here. But, I know I am not wrong when I say you need to use the format that looks modern. See what format is used these days, and follow that trend. You may be 45, but your résumé should not look that old. Dress it up like youth does!

What’s the new lingo

In your youth, hyperlink and HTML would have meant nothing, but today it does. There are many similar changes in terminology of almost every field. Find out what words got omitted and what got added to your field in last couple of years, or from the time you last checked. Embrace the change, at least in your résumé. It will tell your employer how much you are unlike your age, I meant up-to-date with current trend.

We all new to adapt and evolve with time, this is the only way we can sustain ourselves. Keep on working, and keep on evolving.

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05 Nov 09 Finding Ideas To Write About

One of the huge problems being a writer, is finding your ideas.  You have to be able to create an influx of ideas, even when you feel stuck.  Part of having the longevity to have a writing career is knowing how to work past the tough days.  As a writer, not having an idea of what to write about just isn’t an option, so here are a few tips to make sure you always have fresh ones aplenty.

Something that people are usually able to write about at any time, is an issue that bothers them.  Whether a story in the news, or in your personal life, write about something you dislike.  This can be a useful exercise, as it’s easy to let yourself rant.  Once the words start flowing about something, they’ll start flowing about everything.

If you have a personal blog, which all writers should have, try writing about something different.  If you mostly focus on your current daily life, try writing about your past.  Think about the way things were before you are now.  Confront some hardships, or an aspect of your life that you miss.  Anything that moves you, to get those creative parts of your brain moving and working.

Try to challenge yourself.  Write outside of your comfort zone.  Anything that forces you to think outside of your normal box.  That’s a useful activity to help you constantly see scenarios in different ways, so that you’ll always have new ideas.

The more you can force yourself to write about different things, the  more you’ll be able to write.  Part of writing is letting yourself write content that you aren’t confident about.  You don’t always have to submit that work for someone else’s approval, but progress is progress.  At least getting something out will make you feel better, and less stressed for the next time.

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