How to Kill Your Darlings

How to Kill Your Darlings How to Kill Your Darlings This August, Simon Woodward published his fifth book, Dead Weapons. During the writing process, Simon faced a struggle familiar to many writers: should he follow his creative instincts or tailor his novel to enhance its marketability? In this article, Simon talks about the act Faulkner’s coined â€Å"killing your darlings,†   and discerning the difference between making clever marketing decisions and self-censorship.Where do you get your ideas from?Most writers have been on the receiving end of this question; the go-to question from friends and family when discussing their writing career. I admit I've never been able to answer this because, well... I don't know.The idea for my novelMy new novel, Dead Weapons, emerged from a soup of ideas and influences that had bubbled away in the back of my brain for a year. One of the main influences was Blur's song, â€Å"Kids With Guns,† and its haunting chorus: â€Å"They're turning us into monsters.† In my mind, it evokes the frightening statistics around the rise in teenage knife and gun crime in London - quoted, adjusted and recalculated in the media, then used by some right-wing commentators to create a public image of a feral generation.  Both of these contributed to the idea for a dystopian novel based around an aging society that has collapsed into a  terminal suspicion of the youth, leading to a permanent child curfew. Finally, the book’s original title had been on my mind from the get-go: And This Boy Loved His Gun. This title was the piton I used to hammer into the rock face, and to haul myself up that 80,000-word edifice. The title is the piton that hammers into the rock face, and hauls you up the 80,000-word edifice. As soon as I had this title, I knew I wanted to write a story for this 'feral generation' of teenage boys. I wanted it to be a dark, contemporary adventure, powered by a cinematic narrative (accompanied by an imaginary thumping bass), and I wanted it to be from their viewpoint. I wanted to return society's suspicious and fearful gaze from the teenagers’ perspective.Writing for a challenging demographicFrom the outset, I felt I was taking on a challenging project: the presence of the words boy and gun in a YA book title was likely to elicit knee-jerk reactions from  some,  and although I wanted to write this story for the teen demographic, there was no guarantee they'd want to read it.Highlighting the second issue was a 2016 Neilson Book Research investigation that reported a decline in teenagers who regularly read for pleasure - in particular amongst boys.  The report identified the battle for attention with social media, YouTube, the gaming industry and even good old-f ashioned television. When interviewed, boys of all ages named video game/app integrated books as the key thing that would encourage them to read more.I don't own the rights to any video games or killer apps, and so I resolved to give them the closest thing I could. Dead Weapons’ hero is Ciaran Richards, a sixteen-year-old boy framed for murder. On the run from the police, a powerful gangster, and a secret government department, Ciaran has a malfunctioning, intelligent revolver stuck to his hand - making him the literary version of a first-person shooter from computer games.  However, the last he wants to do is use the gun. He wants to let it go so he can go back to his life, but he can’t.Determining the marketability of my bookWhen my agent approached publishers with the book, several editorial directors were keen to take it on, but in each case marketing departments squashed its chances  at the acquisitions stage. I suspect that this had something to do with the subject matter and those two words sitting close together in the title. Perhaps it wasn't self-censorship after all, but a classic case of a writer refusing to cut or change something that didn't serve the story. Maybe I'd forgotten an essential piece of writing advice. As Stephen King said in On Writing (paraphrasing William Faulkner): â€Å"Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler's heart, kill your darlings.† "Even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler's heart, kill your darlings.† - Stephen King Please share your thoughts, experiences, or any questions for Simon Woodward in the comments below!Dead Weapons is available in paperback and on Amazon Kindle.

An Evolution of the Human Brain

An Evolution of the Human Brain Human organs, much like the human heart, have changed and evolved over the history of time. The human brain is no exception to this natural phenomena. Based on Charles Darwins idea of Natural Selection, species that had larger brains capable of complex functioning seemed to be a favorable adaptation. The ability to take in and understand new situations proved invaluable to the survival of Homo sapiens. Some scientists believe that as the environment on Earth evolved, humans did as well. The ability to survive these environmental changes was directly due to the size and function of the brain to process the information and act upon it. Early Human Ancestors During the reign of the Ardipithecus Group of human ancestors, brains were very similar in size and function to those of a chimpanzee. Since the human ancestors of that time (about 6 million to 2 million years ago) were more ape-like than human, the brains needed to still function like that of a primate. Even though these ancestors tended to walk upright for at least part of the time, they did still climb and live in the trees, which requires a different set of skills and adaptations than that of modern humans. The smaller size of the brain at this stage in human evolution was adequate for survival. Toward the end of this time period, the human ancestors began figuring out how to make very primitive tools. This allowed them to begin hunting larger animals and increase their protein intake. This crucial step was necessary for brain evolution since the modern human brain requires a constant source of energy to keep functioning at the rate it does. 2 million to 800,000 Years Ago Species of this time period began moving to different places across the Earth. As they moved, they encountered new environments and climates. In order to process and adapt to these climates, their brains began to get bigger and perform more complex tasks. Now that the first of the human ancestors had begun to spread out, there was more food and room for each species. This led to an increase in both body size and brain size of the individuals. Human ancestors of this time period, like the Australopithecus Group and the Paranthropus Group, became even more proficient in tool making and got a command of fire to help keep warm and cook food. An increase in brain size and function required a more diverse diet for these species and with these advances, it was possible. 800,000 to 200,000 Years Ago Over these years in the history of the Earth, there was a large climatic shift. This caused the human brain to evolve at a relatively rapid pace. Species that could not adapt to the shifting temperatures and environments quickly went extinct. Eventually, only Homo sapiens from the Homo Group remained. The size and complexity of the human brain allowed individuals to develop more than just primitive communication systems. This allowed them to work together to adapt and stay alive. Species whose brains were not large or complex enough went extinct. The different parts of the brain, since it was now large enough to not only accommodate instincts necessary for survival but also more complex thoughts and feelings, were able to differentiate and specialize in various tasks. Parts of the brain were designated for feelings and emotion while others stayed with the task of survival and autonomous life functions. The differentiation of the parts of the brain allowed humans to create and understand languages to communicate more effectively with others.

Monetary Unification in Europe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Monetary Unification in Europe - Essay Example Critics were so skeptical on the Europe’s idea of monetary unification claiming that Europe was not close to optimal monetary union. This idea was just a mere political project, which did not give into account economic fundamentals and was doomed to fail the single currency, and Europe’s failure to see monetary unification as an evolutionary process. Over the past few years, the Euro has tremendously challenged the US dollar, which is globally reserved currency, and within a very short period, it has transformed economic and political landscape in Europe. Monetary experiments has never been such an exciting history as there have been no any sovereign state surrendered its currency to a common central bank currency restraining from monetary sovereignty (Charles, 2010:176). Although the need to unify European currency started a long time ago, we begin to review its recent attempts to attain that goal. Prelaunch, which took place in late 1989, witnessed France extract German commitment to monetary union in favor of German reunification. The same year, Jacques Delor, filed a report introducing European Monetary unification in three stages. It comprised of creation of institutions like European System of Central Banks charged with the responsibility to formulate and implement monetary policies. The phases between 1989 and 2002 gave a name to the common currency that was to unify the European states â€Å"euro†, which replaced the old currency unit, the ecu. The institution laid down steps to accomplish monetary unification first of which was abolishing exchange controls that saw capital completely liberalized in European Economic Community on July 1, 1990. On 7 February 1992, leaders from different European countries signed the Maastricht Treaty with the aim of creating a single common currency but without United Kingdom participating by January 1999. Having the treaty approved proved a challenge since countries such as Germany, France, and Denmark were reluctant (Evgeny, 159). Another attempt derived from Stage II of Delor’s report that led to the creation of European Monetary Institute in 1994 that replaced European Monetary Cooperation Fund with Alexander Lamfalussy as the first president. After sometime, there rose a pool of disagreements that led to adoption of euro as new currency on December 1995 doing away with the name ecu previously used as the accounting currency. Theo Wagel suggested the name. He was by then the German’s finance minister. Date 1 January 1999 was set for the launch of the currency name. With the launch of euro in the European Union, credit institutions were able to process real-time payments. This supposedly helped in serving monetary policy needs of Euro system as well as harmonizing business practices in the EU and promoting money market integration(Gertrude and Peter, 2003:13). Owing to the total number of states, the Euro bloc designed and produced new 7.4 billion notes and 38.2 billion coins for issuance to consumers and business operators on 1 January 2002. This attempt displayed some obsolete results with tasks set to educate European people on the new currency and finally on 15 December 2001 banks commenced exchanging euro starter kits. As a matter of encouraging continuous effectiveness and integration of European currency, banks all over Euro zone, offered same high quality services, interfaces, and single price structure irrespective of their location. Such policies facilitated unification of currency across Europe as banks and other financial institutions operate under similar conditions. In the wake of

Divorce's Impact on Preschool, School-age, and Adolescent Children Essay

Divorce's Impact on Preschool, School-age, and Adolescent Children - Essay Example This more differentiated body of research is helpful in policy formation and for educating divorced parents about known risk factors for their children and what protective behaviors may enhance their children's longer-term adjustment. Life stress associated with marital disruption was found to account for the majority of children's adjustment problems. Children from nonintact homes show poorer adjustment than children from intact homes. Siblings experience increased closeness as a result of the shared experience of going through the divorce of their parents together. The young women also report turning to each other for support as a result of the emotional unavailability of their parents during the divorce. From the point of view of children, divorce is a stressful experience because of the disruption of the home and its financial, emotional, and social costs. The adverse impact, however, can be minimized by realistic and sensitive attention to its effects on children. Although divorce alters the living arrangements of affected families, it does not end family relationships. Most teenagers and their parents adjust to divorce and later regard it as having been a constructive action; but one-third do not. In those instances the turbulence of the post-divorce phase plays a crucial role in influencing pathological reactions in affected teenagers. Divorce is common in the contemporary way of life and deserves objective study. 3. Focus questions Does divorce have effects on children of different age groups What does literature say about it If these are negative how they can be avoided If these are positive, how can they be utilised in clinical practice 4. Review of literature 5. Search strategy based on key words, exclusion and inclusion criteria. 6. Findings from literature review: Critical review of contemporary literature on parental divorce and its effects on children, their mental health, social performances, economic parameters, and performance. Analysis of the causes and effects. Identification of the positive and negative aspects of these effects and their practice relevance. 7. Way forward: Summary of findings of literature review and suggestion for practice. Discussion about the ways to minimise divorce and improvement of coping mechanisms of the children. 8. Conclusion: Summary of the work. Introduction The ratio of marriage and divorce rates has been stable at about 50 percent for the past thirty years, indicating that, during this time, for every two marriages there has been one divorce. The number of divorces peaks only two and a half years after marriage; most divorces occur within ten years. In 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a report about marriage, divorce, and remarriage trends based on a nationally representative sample of women fifteen to forty-four years of age. The data indicated that, after only three years, 12 percent of marriages had ended in either separation or divorce. After five years, 20 percent of all first marriages had ended; after ten years, 33 percent; and after fifteen years, 43 percent. The risk for marital disruption is greatest in the first years of marriage and noticeably levels off after the fifth year. Thus, the risk for divorce decreases with the length of the marriage (Bramlett and Mosher,

Introduction and Motivation Essay Example for Free

Introduction and Motivation Essay The following chapter provides the foundation for this thesis. It begins with a scope clarification including a definition of the Supply Chain 2020 research initiative, and this thesis position within that overall project. Additionally, this chapter discusses the motivation and methodology behind this paper as well as provides an outline for future chapters. The Supply Chain 2020 Project is a multi-year project initiated by the Center for Transportation Logistics (CTL) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The major research goal for the Supply Chain 2020 Project is to identify the components that will constitute excellent supply chains in the year 2020. In identifying the strategies, processes, and metrics that will comprise excellent supply chains, Supply Chain 2020 hopes to assist companies in multiple industries in developing strategies to remain competitive in the future. The academic year 2004-2005 is Phase I of the Supply Chain 2020 Project. The scope of the initiative for Phase I is to identify and research excellent supply chains in the aerospace, apparel, automotive, communications, computer, consumer products, distribution, pharmaceutical, resources, and retail industries. Specifically, the scope of this thesis is the retail industry. We will focus on the strategies, operating models, network designs, and supply chain processes that constitute an excellent supply chain in the retail industry. In looking at the components listed above, the existing best practices will be analyzed with respect to how they support and promote the business strategy of the specific companies being analyzed.

Comparison and Contrasting Between 3 poems: - The Flea (John Donne), Es

Comparison and Contrasting Between 3 poems: - The Flea (John Donne), Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer's Day (William Shakespeare), and Jenny Kissed Me (James Leigh Hunt) These three love poems or sonnets were all written pre 1914 but by very different writers. The authors of these poems use different styles of writing love poetry. For instance, John Donny is very clever. His poem, 'The Flea' brings out an angle of smart sayings to get people to have sex. William Shakespeare focuses more on actually love, while James Leigh Hunt focuses primarily on a blunt approach. Two of these three poems are very short, merely one verse if you can call them that. 'Jenny Kissed Me' by James Leigh Hunt rhymes creating a quicker tempo and bringing a real life experience to the readers mind. It brings over the fact that someone is infatuated with another. Someone 'stole' Jenny's love in this poem. ''Time, you thief, who love to get' indicates that someone picked their time to steal her love. However, much like Shakespeare's 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day', this poem is about love, and not infatuation. It shows that the love has stayed through the course of time. William Shakespeare's 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day' is a very popular sonnet. It is about love, very much unlike John Donne's the flea, which is merely about sex. It is easy to see the love shown in this sonnet by a variety of quotes. 'Though art more lovely and more temperate', 'Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines', 'Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest', and 'So long as men can breathe or eyes can see'. Almost every other line there is a reference to the beauty of the subject of this poem. 'Shall I compare thee to a summers d... ...onne's 'The Flea' is about someone trying to seduce a woman to have sex with him before marriage, while William Shakespeare's 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day' is more about how love can be good, but can also hurt. A complete contrast to both is James Leigh Hunt's 'Jenny Kissed Me', which has a theme about someone being loved once, and clinging on to that memory, which could be for a few reasons. The actual dates of the poems reflect something about them. For instance, both Donne's 'The Flea', and Shakespeare's 'Shall I compare thee to a summers day' were written around the same time and culture, however, 'Jenny Kissed Me' by James Leigh Hunt was written about a hundred years afterward, this may reflect the dramatic change in styles of writing, just like the old English of the past and the contemporary writing styles have a remarkable difference.

Gothic and Romanesque Cathedrals

The Romanesque style transformed into the Gothic style during the Middle Ages. This happened for many reasons. The Romanesque period was a time of trial and error while the Gothic period was a time of advancements in inventions. Religion was an important factor in the shift between Romanesque and Gothic. The locations of the two types of cathedrals also contributed toward the change between Romanesque and Gothic, as well as the power of the relics and the community to raise funds for the Gothic cathedrals.There are several reasons the architecture of the cathedral changed from Romanesque to Gothic in the Middle Ages. The Romanesque period lasted from 1000 to 1200 AD. Today's France was the center of Romanesque architecture and the birthplace of one of the most beutiful features of medieval architecture, the ambulatory with radiating chapels. â€Å"Romanesque is the name we give to christian architecture in Western Europe from the end of the Roman Empire to about the close of the twe lfth century. Prevalent from the 9th through 12th centuries CE, Romanesque architecture combined the influences of Roman and Byzantine styles.The style was named, in the 1800s, because one of its key features, the barrel vault, resembled the classical Roman arch. The use of barrel vaults allowed for huge interior spaces built entirely of stone. But that also meant the roofs were extremely heavy, so the walls had to be tremendously thick to prevent buckling. Strong walls also meant fewer windows, so the insides of Romanesque churches often look dim and feel like fortresses. Gothic architecture began in the mid-12th century with the intention of making churches look like heaven: soaring, colorful, and bright.The biggest difference from the preceeding Romanesque style was the use of flying buttresses. These support structures or towers, set off from the main walls and attached by arches, and displaced the pressure from the roof outward. Essentially, this meant the buildings could get t aller, walls could get thinner, and there could be a lot of windows, which were often stained glass. Gothic churches have huge, ornate, petaled round windows called rose windows. They also are much pointier than their Romanesque predecessors, with pointed arches and tall spires (instead of blunt towers) characterizing the style.

Kant Categorical Imperative Essay

Kant’s Categorical Imperative is made up of two formulations, Formula of Universal Law and The Formula of the End in Itself. The first formulation is best described by the following statement, â€Å"Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law without contradiction. † (Kant, 1785, 1993). What does this mean? A maxim is the fundamental rule of conduct or your moral belief upon which you chose to act. A universal law is a law that everyone must follow regardless of the outcome. How do we determine if the maxim can become universal? One of the first things to do is to ask yourself if it would be acceptable that everyone do the same thing that you are considering doing in that situation. We were given several examples in The Elements of Moral Philosophy and the one that made the most impact was â€Å"suppose a man needs money, but no one will lend it to him unless he promises to pay it back-which he knows he won’t be able to do. Should he make a false promises to get the loan? † (Rachels, 2012). If this happened the maxim or universal rule would be anytime you need a loan tell a lie that you will repay it and you will get the loan. This is not something that everyone would be willing to do because you will no longer believe others when they tell you this statement and no one would be willing to make the loans. The second thing you should do to determine if the maxim can become universal is look at your answer to the first question. Did you say â€Å"yes, I think that everyone will do it? †. If so, then ask yourself if it makes rational sense to want everyone in the same situation to do what you are contemplating doing. If your answer was no to either question then your maxim cannot become universal law because it is not considered moral. Overall, based on Kant, an act is morally right only if the primary rule of behavior, which is how you decide to act morally, can constantly and universally relate to you and others. The second formulation is best described by the following statement, â€Å"Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never merely as a means to an end, but always at the same time as an end. † (Kant, 1785, 1993). Basically, this means that morality consists of doing your duty to treat people, including yourself, and an end, never as a means to an end. Kant combined the second formulation with the first because we have a perfect duty to not use the humanity of ourselves or others merely as a means to some other end. Most ends are somewhat subjective because they need only be pursued if they are in line with some particular hypothetical imperative that a person may choose to adopt. (Categorical Imperative Explained, 2012). The second formulation also leads to the imperfect duty to further the ends of ourselves and others. If any person desires perfection in themselves or others, it would be their moral duty to pursue that end for all people equally, so long as that end does not contradict perfect duty. The question of whether or not Kant adequately addresses the problems evident in comparison of the two formulations cannot be summed up with a simple yes or no answer. He makes a good argument for both sides just as he opposes both sides. The difference is whether or not we have the right moral sense to determine why and how our decisions affect ourselves and others. Kant shows that you have struggles when rationality and practicality are conveyed to cover the same matter. So after all this we ask the question, â€Å"How plausible is the theory? † I think that it is a logical theory that clearly assists in making decisions. It provides a plausible account of morality because you can look at others and have a tendency to complete your actions based on those of others. Kantianism is a more consistent theory because it can be universally applied to all. It is more believable because even if the penalties of carrying out an action aren’t necessarily the best, the individual is still obligated to perform the action because it is their duty to do so. Kant’s theory focuses on the motivation of actions and has a clear and distinctive set of universal rules, and is morally sound. Consequently, ethically and morally they are doing the right thing. Bibliography Categorical Imperative Explained. (2012, April 12). Retrieved from Everything Explained: http://everything. explained. at/categorical_imperative/ (1993). In J. W. Ellington, Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals (p. 30). Hackett. Kant, I. (1785, 1993). Grounding for the Metaphysics of Morals 3rd ed.. . In J. W. Wllington. Hackett. Rachels, J. (2012). The Elements of Moral Philosophy. McGraw-Hill. Reason – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Reason Chicago: Reason – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Reason (accessed April 17, 2012). The Elements of Moral Philosophy. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://jamesrachels. org/78improvedsentences. htm Chicago: The Elements of Moral Philosophy, http://jamesrachels. org/78improvedsentences. htm (accessed April 17, 2012).

Top Ten Confused Words [T]

Top Ten Confused Words [T] Top Ten Confused Words [T] Top Ten Confused Words [T] By Maeve Maddox My cumulative list of â€Å"words commonly confused† continues with ten that begin with the letter T. The confusion relates to spelling or meaning. 1. taught / taut The word taught is the past tense of the verb to teach. It is also used as an adjective to mean instructed: â€Å"Howard Phillips Lovecraft, weird fiction writer and primogenitor of modern horror fiction, was a self-taught writer.† The adjective taut means â€Å"pulled tight.† A common error is to spell taut as taught, as in this fishing advice in a magazine called Backpacker: INCORRECT: Use more weight to keep the line taught. CORRECT: Use more weight to keep the line taut. 2. titivate / titillate The verb titivate means â€Å"to spruce up, to make more attractive.† Ex. We decided to titivate the kitchen with new cabinets and countertops. The verb titillate means â€Å"to excite the senses or imagination in an agreeable way.† Ex. Camilla Ochlan has crafted a supernatural mystery-thriller that  will titillate  the palate of even the most discriminating  Sci-Fi Fantasy  reader. The error is to mix them up, as in this example from a restaurant site: INCORRECT: We are sure to have something to titivate your tastebuds. CORRECT: We are sure to have something to titillate your taste buds. 3. tortuous / torturous The adjective tortuous means â€Å"full of twists; complex.† The  tortuous road  we had to climb had one steep and narrow curve after another all the way to the  top. The adjective torturous means â€Å"full of pain or suffering. Ex. More significantly, the book prominently features a scene in which the heroes resort to torturous means in order to extract vital, life-or-death information. The error is to mix them up, although some might argue that a thing can be full of twists and pain at the same time. 4. tenant / tenet A tenant is someone who rents property. Ex. The tenant always paid her rent on time. A tenet is a principle or belief. Ex. The tenet to love one’s neighbor is stated in Leviticus 19:18. The error with these words goes both ways: INCORRECT: This course is designed to give the students an overview of the basic  tenants  of Christian Doctrine. CORRECT : This course is designed to give the students an overview of the basic  tenets  of Christian Doctrine. INCORRECT: Most importantly, stay informed about your rights as a  tenet. CORRECT: Most importantly, stay informed about your rights as a  tenant. 5. than / then The word than is a conjunction used after a comparative adjective or adverb to introduce the second member of the comparison. Ex. She thinks her border collie is smarter than my boxer. The word then is an adverb that refers to a specified time, past or future, as opposed to the present. Ex. We didn’t have enough money for luxuries like books then. 6. through / threw Through is a preposition used to convey the idea of entering the inside of something and coming out the other side: They always go through the churchyard on their way home. Threw is the past tense of the verb to throw: He threw the ball over the fence. The usual error is to spell through as threw, as in this example from a geocaching site: INCORRECT: You will need to go  threw the tunnel  to access this cache. CORRECT: You will need to go  through the tunnel  to access this cache. 7. throws / throes Throws is the third person present singular of the verb to throw: He throws with his left arm. Throws can also be the plural of the noun throw that refers to a light blanket: She keeps throws on all the couches and chairs. Throes is a noun that means â€Å"severe pains.† Figuratively, it can mean â€Å"difficult times.† Ex. The pirate lay in the last throes of death. The Smiths are in the throes of divorce. 8. track / tract As a noun, track is a mark or series of marks left by the passage of something. The Mountie caught the fugitive by following the track left in the snow. One meaning of the noun tract is â€Å"a book or written work treating of some particular topic.† Ex. The evangelists passed out tracts on the subject of salvation. 9. till / ’til Till has different functions, one of which is that of conjunction with the same meaning as until: ‘to the time that; up to the point when†: I will sit here till he agrees to speak to me. The form ’til is an unnecessary shortening of until. The error is in thinking that till is a shortening of until. 10. torpid / turgid The adjective torpid means benumbed or â€Å"devoid of the power or motion of feeling.† Ex.  Even when he was awake he was completely  torpid. The adjective turgid means swollen, distended, puffed out. The word is applied figuratively to language with the meanings inflated, pompous, bombastic. Examples of literal and figurative use: My arm was turgid where the snake had bitten it. Eventually, the movie surrenders to the most turgid Hollywood speechifying and sentimentality, far more so than the original permitted itself to do. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Misused Words category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:7 Types of Narrative Conflict15 Great Word GamesHonorary vs. Honourary

5 Soft Skills For Your Resume That Will Get You Hired

5 Soft Skills For Your Resume That Will Get You Hired A resume is a very tricky document to write. You have to include your concrete results and numbers, but also convey a lifetime’s worth of professional skills. The skills are considered â€Å"soft† (read: less quantifiable) data for employers, even though they’re highly important in hiring. So how do you finesse those to be more like the hard data? To help you to navigate this, here are 5 commonly used soft skills and how to turn them into hard facts on your resume.1. â€Å"I’m innovative.†This is a great word, and makes the writer sound oh-so ahead of the curve, right? Kudos to you for being forward-thinking, but the interviewer or hiring manager doesn’t know what you did to be groundbreaking. Make sure to provide examples of how you’ve innovated:â€Å"I implemented a brand-new program for employee social media.† â€Å"Developed a software program to convert site visits into sales leads.†Same goes for â€Å"visionary.â⠂¬  If you’re going to make that bold statement, you should absolutely be prepared to back it up with your visions.2. â€Å"I’m creative.†This is a case where showing is definitely the key. Do you have visual examples of something creative you’ve done and can attach to the document? An example of a time when you found a unique solution to a problem?3. â€Å"I’m an effective communicator.†This is one where you have to take a holistic approach†¦ because if your overall resume is a mess, that will send a red flag to the hiring manager about your communication skills. In addition to providing specific examples of your communication (client outreach, interoffice email blasts, etc.), you should definitely make sure that your entire resume has a clear and concise vibe.4. â€Å"I was responsible for†¦Ã¢â‚¬ The easiest way to convert soft skills into hard data is to go through your resume and take out all the passive language. Be asserti ve! Use action verbs! It makes for a cleaner read, and lets you present specific numbers or examples without extra baggage for the reader to parse.5. â€Å"I’m professional.†This one might be my favorite, and I’m pretty sure I’m guilty of abusing it back in my early job hunting days. One would hope that if you’re applying for a job, you’re professional. If you’re not professional, the hiring manager will likely figure that out pretty quickly; no amount of insistence on paper will change that.   I’d leave this one out, and find a more specific adjective to show your awesomeness.The attitude to keep in the back of your mind as you revise your resume should be â€Å"show me.† These skills can really put you over the top, so it’s important to be as specific as possible!Read More at Careerealism

Personal Career Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal Career - Essay Example First, I need to evaluate my principles/values and align my career in a way that honors these values in order to have a deep satisfaction in the career that I intend to pursue. Since childhood to date, I have passion for economics and finance and math. I really look up to building a successful career in financial analysis in a prominent investment firm. This is because this is a prestigious career that is highly respected in the business world and I intend to work my way from junior position to senior level. Secondly, I have to make adequate planning on my career. I believe I have done so, since I have already set my vision, mission and overall objectives. My vision is to be a highly qualified business analyst who provides quality services to others (Hooley, Watts, Sultana & Neary, 2013). My mission is participation in business consultancy world with the aim of providing quality financial solutions to firms, individuals, institutions and the government in general. Additionally my objectives are, to provide quality financial solutions to firms and to maximize profits while maintaining economic ethics. Additionally, since I am undertaking a business related course, I believe that the skills acquired will enable me perform the duties as required and since I intend to further my course by doing business mathematics, economics and computer packages, my skills will be very essential and will facilitate me achieve success (Hooley, Marriott, Watts & Coiffait, 2012). In addition to this, I intend to evaluate my career plans annually. This will bring clarity and focus to my career and enable me avoid distractions. This annual evaluation will enable me to reflect on my career course, as well as identify areas of failure, success opportunities wasted and threats to my career. It is very important to integrate personal likes, dislikes, hobbies, past time activities basic wants and needs in your career plan. In this regard, I have to

Homeless English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Homeless English - Essay Example However, many individual, structural, family and social factors are also contributing to this problem. For example, divorce rate is increasing day by day in America and subsequently single parenthood is also rising. Single parenthood prevent families from achieving enough income for managing family expense and the ultimate outcome could be poverty and homelessness. Many people are of the view that governmental intervention and assistances are necessary to assist people do build have their own homes. â€Å"Around $2.5 billion of dollars has already been sanctioned by the Obama administration for solving homelessness problems in America† (Obama Administration awards $1.4 billion in homeless grants). However, many others are of the view that such assistance is not necessary to this problem. In their opinion, such huge assistance will make the people lazy or idle and they will approach the government for everything without doing their duties properly. This paper analyses the argum ents in favor and against governmental assistance to homelessness problems. contribute to the homelessness problem. Children seem to be most important community upon which homelessness problem affect seriously. Government, social organizations and individuals should combine well and act effectively to eradicate homelessness related problem from the world. Homeless children are sick at twice the rate of other children. They suffer twice as many ear infections, have four times the rate of asthma, and have five times more diarrhea and stomach problems. Homeless children go hungry twice as often as nonhomeless children. More than one-fifth of homeless preschoolers have emotional problems serious enough to require professional care, but less than one-third receive any treatment. Homeless children are twice as likely to repeat a grade compared to nonhomeless children. Homeless children have twice the rate of learning disabilities and three times the rate of emotional and behavioral proble ms of nonhomeless children. Half of school-age homeless children experience anxiety, depression, or withdrawal compared to 18 percent of nonhomeless children (Bassuk &Friedman, 2005, p.2). The above statistics clearly show that homelessness may cause extreme damages to the children and it should be reduced or avoided completely for the better development of the children. Children are the future asset of a nation and no country can keep a blind eye towards the healthy development of the children. Homelessness in fact affect children more than any other community. Not only for physical growth, but also for the emotional or mental growth. Children need their own homes. Homelessness will create an unsecure feeling in the minds of the children which is not good for their healthy development. Community based shelter homes are provided to many of the homeless people in America. Such strategies may cause more damage than good to the safe development of children. So, governmental assistance is necessary to avoid homelessness in America. The recent recession, has affected the poor people more than the rich people. Poor people usually stay in rented homes since they are don’t have enough resources to purchase a property and build their own homes. Financial institutions already started the tightening of screws while allocating mortgages or home loans as a result of the lessons they learned from the recent recession. So, poor people are facing extreme difficulties in finding enough financial assistance for making their