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The Write Way The Write Way is a newsletter published in the interest of aspiring writers. The Write Way is intended to guide writers of all backgrounds toward their goal of becoming successful writers. It is a monthly publication with refreshing material. The Write Way will inspire the creative process of the amateur as well as the professional writer. The newsletter’s main goal is to provide the essential resources available to the freelancer at a free or nearly free cost.
02/29 Ever been scammed?
It’s too embarrassing to talk about, isn’t it? Well now that the cat is out of the bag, we should take a good look at him. He’s in the mail, he’s on the internet and he’s even in the local classifieds.
He knows how to stroke your ego; he knows how to call you to action. He wants to know more about you; he wants your physical address; he wants your e-mail address, and he wants your phone number.
What does he do with this information? Well, after all, he is in business to make money. So, he offers you the moon and the stars. And then, he sells your information to the highest bidder. Before you know it, your mailbox, your inbox, and your answering machine is clogged up with everything but the moon and the stars.
How does it work? He targets specific audiences. He finds your weakness. If you are looking for a loan, he creates a fraudulent credit application. He then compiles a list of desperate individuals with a low or poor credit history, and sells the information to anyone in the market for this type of information.
Most of them are telemarketers. The newest scams, according to the BBB are employment scams. USA Voice, a/k/a, World News has an unsatisfactory report with several unresolved complaints. This organization seeks reporters and editors. See the full report about USA Voice, a/k/a World News at: www.dc.bbb.org/
If you are looking for a job, the scammer pulls your resume from an on-line service and offers you an irresistible employment package. The result is that you could be working for free. In the mean time, you are overwhelmingly distracted by the junk in your message centers.
There are several sites which have created communities in order to halt the power of these scammers. Another useful site is www.scam.com
The moral of the story is simply this, “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
11/07 Want to be a Writer? So, you want to be a writer. Well now, that is interesting. First thing first though. You have a gazillion ideas running through your mind. Where do you start…in the middle…at the end…or in the beginning?
Slow down. Slow down. Take a deep breath. And repeat after me, I want to write__________(fill in the blank). There are many types of writing. Let us take a few minutes and review our options.
A Fiction Writer utilizes their imagination in order to create a reality which is either similar or different than our real world. A Fiction Writer may create a story completely from the beginning to the end. However, the writer may choose to base a story on some real event and elaborate on the details. This type of writing requires a vivid imagination. This medium may generate several types of literature.
The Novel is a book length work of prose which is created to describe a story. Novels generally utilize a narrative to explain the story to the reader. Novels tend to have a complicated plot structure with many characters, sub-plots and themes embedded within the story.
The Novella is long enough to be a book, but generally shorter than the novel. A novella can suggest a situation and by and large does not utilize as many characters, sub-plots and themes as a novel.
Even shorter still is the Short Story. The short story is a work that can ideally be read in one sitting. Short stories usually have few characters and only one plot.
The Screen Play is a form of script writing. The audience will have a limited view of the total message, within a few short acts. The writer has the challenge of relaying to the actor, directions of motion and expressions. The screen writer must also describe the setting to the director, and the stage manager. Finally, the screen writer must be very creative with speech patterns, vocabulary and the like.
Similarly, Drama uses a technique which tells an unfolding story which may continue through many different segments. Dramas usually unfold on a television screen. The writer must be exceptionally creative with the cliff-hanger situation. In other words, the writer must compel the audience to stay tuned-in.
A Poet makes the most of words, their meanings and their connotations. A poet commonly uses a poem in order to illustrate an emotion. There are many different forms of poetry. Poets tend to find their voice and develop a particular style.
Journalism is for the type of individual who can convey the story with a minimalist voice, and an un prejudiced tone. Journalism is reporting. This is the basic type of writing, which gives readers, and sometimes listeners, the facts. The five W’s, the Who, What, When, Where and the Why of what has happened, or what will happen. This type of writing requires attention to detail. The Journalist must be clear about their story. News is reality. In order to pursue this type of career, one must be prepared to answer to any mistakes in factual reporting. This is not the place for speculation or hearsay. Editorial writing is best left reserved for the Editors.
The Non-Fiction Writer is the historian type person. This type of work is for the person who is concerned with the factual events. Non-fiction writing can generate novels, novella, short stories, essays and the like. Non-fiction usually is concerned with real-life events as they happen to real characters in real settings.
The Technical Writer is usually the type of person who has worked in a technical area for many years and has become an expert in the field. This type of writing is used to create manuals of instruction. Technical writing can be useful for the instructional phase of a specific company, or industry. Technical writing is used to create documents for several different audiences, such as the consumer. A Technical Writer may be asked to compose a manual of operation for a piece of equipment, such as a VCR. This type of writing requires accurate descriptions of products, equipment and/or procedures.
The Scientific Writer is similar to the Technical Writer. Scientific writing is used to compose documents which explain the methods of a particular study, or suggest the need for a wider area of examination. Scientific writers are generally well versed in medical and engineering terminology.
The Grant Writer is the philanthropist type individual. The grant writing process requires the writer to describe the need for funding to the granting organization. Grant writing is needed generally in the Non-Profit sector. This type of writer must focus on the “big issues” of a particular problem. The grant writer must be able to demonstrate the outcome of the smaller details which will lead the non-profit organization toward eliminating or at least minimizing the problem.
Well, enough said about that right now. We will be visiting the different types of writing in more detail soon enough. As you can see, there is plenty of room in the market for just about any kind of writing that you wish to do. The trick is to focus on a particular area of interest that you already have. This will allow you to develop your skills at a pre-determined pace, and allow room for personal and professional growth. |
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