Are You Making This #1 Amateur Writing Mistake

Are You Making This #1 Amateur Writing Mistake Are You Making This #1 Amateur Writing Mistake? Are you looking for the secret sauce that will turn you into a bestselling author? After 21 New York Timesbestsellers, I can tell you there is no shortcut. But writers still often ask meforthat Yodaesque bit ofwisdom â€Å"you’d give me if you could tell me only one thing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  So here it is:Avoid on-the-nose writing. It’s no magic bean but if you geta handle on this amateurwriting pitfall, you willinstantly outpace 99% ofyourcompetition. Though it might sound like something positive, on-the-noseis a term coined by Hollywood scriptwriters forprose that mirrors real life without advancing your story.This is one ofthe most common mistakes I see in otherwise good writing. No one chooses to write this way, but even pros fall into it unaware. It hasnothing to do with one’s ability to put together a sentence, a paragraph, or even a scene.The amateur writer may even have a great idea, know how to build tension, and have an ear for dialogue. On-the-nosewriting reads like this: Paige’s phone chirped, telling her she had a call. She slid her bag off her shoulder, opened it, pulled out her cell, hit the Accept Call button, and put it to her ear. â€Å"This is Paige,† she said. â€Å"Hey, Paige.† She recognized her fiancà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s voice. â€Å"Jim, darling! Hello!† â€Å"Where are you, Babe?† â€Å"Just got to the parking garage.† â€Å"No more problems with the car then?† â€Å"Oh, the guy at the gas station said he thinks it needs a wheel alignment.† â€Å"Good. We still on for tonight?† â€Å"Looking forward to it, Sweetie.† â€Å"Did you hear about Alyson?† â€Å"No, what about her?† â€Å"Cancer.† â€Å"What?† Here’s how that scene should be rendered: Paige’s phone chirped. It was her fiancà ©, Jim, and he told her something about one of their best friends that made her forget where she was. â€Å"Cancer?† she whispered, barely able to speak. â€Å"I didn’t even know Alyson was sick. Did you?† Trust me, not one reader is going to wonder how she knew the caller was Jim. We don’t need to be told that the chirp told her she had a call (duh), that her phone is in her purse, that her purse is over her shoulder, that she has to open it to get her phone, push a button to take the call, put the phone to her ear to hear and to speak, identify herself to the caller, be informed who it is†¦you get the point. If you’ve fallen into on-the-nose writing (and we all have), don’t beat yourself up. It showsyou have the ability to mirror, real life. That’s nice. Now quit it. Leave that to the people who are fine with amateur writing. Separate yourself from the competition by noticing the important stuff. Dig deep. Go past the surface. Mine your emotions, your mind and heart and soul, and remember what it felt like when you got news like that about someone you deeply cared about. Don’t distract with minutia.Give the readers the adventure they signed up for when they chose to read your story.Take the readerwithPaige when she says: â€Å"I need to call her, Jim. I’ve got to cancel my meeting. And I don’t know about tonight†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Now that’s a story I’d keep reading. Wouldn’t you? How will you avoid this amateur writing mistake in your next story? Tell me in the comments section. Ill respond more quickly than you might think.

Free Essays on California Economy

California's Unemployment Crisis According to statistics compiled by the U.S. government and mined by BridgePath (bridgepath.com), California has a far higher unemployment rate than most of the country (see chart). While areas like the Silicon Valley continue to flourish, much of the nation's most populous state still remains in recession. In fact, only four other states have a higher unemployment rate for 1997 than California (two of them being Hawaii and Alaska states with traditionally high unemployment). California's 6.3% overall 1997 unemployment rate is almost a point and a half greater than the national rate of 4.9%. That rate ranks California fifth worse in the country though it is an improvement over 1996 (where the state was plagued with 7.2% unemployment). The BridgePath analysis suggests that two Californias may exist. Regions like Modesto (13.4%), Fresno (12.5%), Bakersfield (11.4%), and Stockton (10.8%) are experiencing double-digit unemployment like many European countries. Even Los Angeles has 7.0% unemployment. These alarming numbers are offset by regions like the San Francisco Bay Area, the San Diego Area, and Orange County which all have unemployment far below the national average. San Jose, for example, has a 1997 unemployment rate of only 3.1% (the lowest in the country). This dichotomy has come about chiefly due to California's changing economy. Though much of the state's economic progress relies on agriculture, technology is quickly becoming the largest employer. Regions like San Diego, Orange County, and the Bay Area all rely heavily on technology while cities like Bakersfield have been slow to adopt. It is not surprising that all these new growth areas have grown up around world class universities that help spur innovation. But California's situation is not unique. All around the nation, two economies are springing up the educated and the non-educated ... Free Essays on California Economy Free Essays on California Economy California's Unemployment Crisis According to statistics compiled by the U.S. government and mined by BridgePath (bridgepath.com), California has a far higher unemployment rate than most of the country (see chart). While areas like the Silicon Valley continue to flourish, much of the nation's most populous state still remains in recession. In fact, only four other states have a higher unemployment rate for 1997 than California (two of them being Hawaii and Alaska states with traditionally high unemployment). California's 6.3% overall 1997 unemployment rate is almost a point and a half greater than the national rate of 4.9%. That rate ranks California fifth worse in the country though it is an improvement over 1996 (where the state was plagued with 7.2% unemployment). The BridgePath analysis suggests that two Californias may exist. Regions like Modesto (13.4%), Fresno (12.5%), Bakersfield (11.4%), and Stockton (10.8%) are experiencing double-digit unemployment like many European countries. Even Los Angeles has 7.0% unemployment. These alarming numbers are offset by regions like the San Francisco Bay Area, the San Diego Area, and Orange County which all have unemployment far below the national average. San Jose, for example, has a 1997 unemployment rate of only 3.1% (the lowest in the country). This dichotomy has come about chiefly due to California's changing economy. Though much of the state's economic progress relies on agriculture, technology is quickly becoming the largest employer. Regions like San Diego, Orange County, and the Bay Area all rely heavily on technology while cities like Bakersfield have been slow to adopt. It is not surprising that all these new growth areas have grown up around world class universities that help spur innovation. But California's situation is not unique. All around the nation, two economies are springing up the educated and the non-educated ...

CAL Final Literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

CAL Final Literature - Essay Example They state further that the application and use of organizational learning mechanisms embody organizational learning. The utilization of organizational learning mechanisms helps the organization to collect, store, analyze, publish and make use of this information to the benefit of the organization. 2 RESEARCH APPROACH Organizations use research as one of the means of creating knowledge. Research is also used to identify problems and find solutions. Lee and Greenley (2010, p. 5) emphasize research has to be conducted in a business environment but researchers need to make sure that their research has the required rigor and relevance. The discussion further leads to viewpoints from various authors and one particular viewpoint of induction approach particularly was significant to me. This was from Evert Gummesson, who argues that for achieving good results and to ensure rigor a researcher should follow an inductive method. This is because within a deductive method the theory that will be used may be outdated or based in different environments. Therefore, it cannot be adopted to attain the desired results from the research. The argument is that, through the use of inductive approach; a researcher is not influenced by previously established theories and starts to begin with collecting information. Within my organization study, I opt to carry out a deductive approach which is contradicting with Evert Gummesson arguments (Lee and Greenley, 2010, p.5). I support this approach as I am not basing my discussion on a particular research or textbook but by analyzing different literatures on the topic of employee motivation and organizational behavior. Different point of view and...Organizations use research as one of the means of creating knowledge. Research is also used to identify problems and find solutions. Lee and Greenley (2010, p. 5) emphasize research has to be conducted in a business environment but researchers need to make sure that their research has the required rigor and relevance. The discussion further leads to viewpoints from various authors and one particular viewpoint of induction approach particularly was significant to me. This was from Evert Gummesson, who argues that for achieving good results and to ensure rigor a researcher should follow an inductive method. This is because within a deductive method the theory that will be used may be outdated or based in different environments. Therefore, it cannot be adopted to attain the desired results from the research. The argument is that, through the use of inductive approach; a researcher is not influenced by previously established theories and starts to begin with collecting information. Within my organization study, I opt to carry out a deductive approach which is contradicting with Evert Gummesson arguments (Lee and Greenley, 2010, p.5). I support this approach as I am not basing my discussion on a particular research or textbook but by analyzing different literatures on the topic of employee motivation and organizational behavior. Different point of view and findings from researchers would provide a strong point of view for beginning the research.