Free Online Writing Courses

Free Online Writing Courses Whether you want to become a famous novelist or just make your way through college English, these free online writing courses and journalism courses can help. Learn the basics of English grammar, the poetic form, strategies for journalists, and how to make your business documents stand out from the crowd. StoryMind (Dramatica) With over a hundred short videos, this course takes fiction writers through the process of creating characters, framing action, focusing on a theme, developing their plot, and writing for a specific audience. English Writing and Composition (Arizona State University)   In this 8-week introductory English class, you’ll learn the basics of academic writing and set yourself up for a successful college career.   NewsU (Poynter) This highly-respected journalism organization offers quite a few free online courses in addition to their paid options. Free courses include: â€Å"Core Skills for the 21st Century Journalist,† â€Å"Covering Islam in America,† â€Å"Covering Poverty in the Suburbs,† â€Å"Document Mining,† and more. Writing for Young Readers: Opening the Treasure Chest ​ With assignments, video lectures, and interviews with well-known authors, aspiring children’s authors will love this course. Figure out your own writing identity, develop the structure of your work, learn editing basics, and consider your publishing options. You’ll finish the course with a handful of writing samples ready to become your portfolio. High Impact Business Writing   If you’re looking to up your game in the workplace, this no-nonsense business writing course can help. Learn how to create the most commonly used business documents, edit your work, and even effectively communicate through social media. Sharpened Visions: A Poetry Workshop ​(California Institute of the Arts) Poets (and aspiring poets) will appreciate this free online course’s emphasis on craft. Learn how to follow the rules of poetry†¦then learn how to break them. Throughout this 7-part course, you’ll discover dozens of hands-on tools to make your own work better. Crafting an Effective Writer: Tools of the Trade (Mt. Saint Jacinto College)   If you want to start from the beginning (or just need a refresher), this is the course for you. Learn the various parts of speech, the uses of subjects and verbs, and the ways that phrases and clauses can combine to create compelling sentences. This 5-unit course will help you understand how a solid grasp of English grammar can dramatically improve your writing.

Harness the Power of Your Critique Group

Harness the Power of Your Critique Group Ten years ago I went looking for writing advice in my community and joined a loose affiliation of novice writers. Over the years, weve grown into a dedicated group of eight authors with cumulative publishing credits that include ten books, 24 short stories and numerous awards. Along the way, weve helped each other learn the craft of writing, work toward publication and market our work. Thinking of starting your own critique group? Want to make your group run more effectively or work harder for everyone involved? Here are some tips: Numbers I recommend a closed group - one in which new members are only invited because someone leaves. Six to eight people is an ideal size. Leadership It helps to have one person in charge of organizing and chairing the meetings, at least until the group is well established. Timing There are various ways of running meetings. My group meets once a month, with three stories sent in advance Focus You know those book clubs that are more about the food and the wine than the books? Dont make your critique group a dinner club. Try 15 minutes of chat at the beginning of the session and then get down to business, or all business for two hours followed Commitment Our group really took off when we began setting a rotation for submissions a few months in advance. Everyone is expected to submit something when it is his/her turn, with a fixed upper word count (ours is 4000 words). If someone cant make a meeting, they email their critiques to the other writers. Other groups dont have these expectations, but we needed the added pressure to keep writing. If meeting in person doesnt work for you, check  www.inkedvoices.com  , a source for online critique groups.   Do your critique group members attend seminars and workshops or read articles online and in print? Probably. Everyone in the group can take advantage of that learning - both through explicit sharing of the knowledge acquired and Widen your contacts and leads through your group. Share: = Useful lists, websites and newsletters (I made sure to tell my whole group to sign up for FundsforWriters.) = Contests = Publishers (If I read a book similar to the writing of one of my group members, Ill mention it to them.) = Upcoming workshops Once you are published you can help each other increase sales: = Commit to promoting your work via email and social media. = Review each others work on Goodreads and Amazon. = Traveling? Visit local bookstores and talk up your book as well as those of your critique group members. = Consider holding group launches to reduce costs and increase attendance. If you write in different genres this is a great opportunity to widen your nets. = Contact local media about your group, or better yet, query them. Get paid to write an article about the success of writers in your area. = Apply to speak at a writers conference as a group. Critiquing other writers work takes time and commitment, but a well-run group can result in a return on investment that brings your writing career to the next level.

Video analysis presentation and paper about selfy Essay

Video analysis presentation and paper about selfy - Essay Example To get more comments and likes, some of these photos are usually edited to make it look more casual and flattering. The title of the short film is Aspirational’ featuring Kirsten Dunst and two unknown girls. The video is about two selfie-obsessed girls meeting Hollywood star Kirsten Dunst. Boys are not so much accustomed with selfie as compared to girls. In this video, all these two girls wanted from the Hollywood star were to have a selfie taken with Kirsten Dunst. In fact, these two girls didn’t seem to care about the state and feelings of the Hollywood star. The video is reflecting on how our behavior as human beings is changing due to the effects of social media. In the current world, life is increasingly becoming dependent on selfies to mark important life events. In relation to the chosen video, these two girls were using the selfie to mark an important event of their lives upon meeting the Hollywood star. It is apparent that if you ever happen to meet the star in the streets, the first thing to carry out is to take a selfie with the celebrity. Basically, their main intention of these two girls was to make their friends believe that they have personally met a celebrity. The Hollywood star is on the road waiting for a car to pick her up. She is spotted by another car occupied by two young girls. The girls are star struck after seeing her. The two girls awkwardly jump out of the car and attempt to take selfies with her. The two girls completely ignore the Hollywood star Kirsten Dunst’s presence. They don’t even bother if she is breathing and if she is a living person, which makes the situation sad. It is even uncomfortable to watch because it’s disturbing. Because of the positive and negative sides of selfie, the description of the video narrates that one has to think twice before taking a selfie. Based on the video, selfies have lost the real meaning selfie as a

GNC Corp1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

GNC Corp1 - Essay Example Let us consider the first option that is to hire native Chinese worker into the company. In order to successfully run the operation GNC Corporation will face the issue of cultural differences that exist between America and China. In One survey it has been recognized that cultural differences is the biggest barrier which any company faces while doing business. The management practices of America and China is different. So they need to take into consideration the cultural differences between them to be successful. There is a great difference between China and US with respect to political system, economic system, laws and social values despite the fact that major changes have occurred in China in recent years. China works in a centralized way while US is relatively decentralized. China follows collectivism principle. But in US they follow the principle of individualism. US enterprises have short-term orientation as compared to China’s long-term orientation (Baines 45). . These di fferences in culture greatly affect human behavior and the thinking process, and GNC must provide a platform where people from both the countries can interact on the basis of shared values. These cultural differences will impact the management practices in terms of cooperative strategies, decision making, conflict management, motivation systems and work group characteristics. American managers use open forms when faced with conflicts which are new to Chinese workers as they use assistance from third party. Also Chinese people pay more attention in building social and interpersonal relations. Also for motivating the employees the Chinese follows equity principle which is ignored by the American companies (Ambler 78). But hiring Chinese workers can do a lot of good also for GNC Company. Chinese workers will bring diversity in the business which is required for them to operate in China. They know the local people, what they need and which product will be able to sell most. Also rules a nd regulations that GNC has to follow in Chinese market can be easily followed if there is a presence of Chinese advisors in the company. With such Chinese workers they can reach out to the people in a far effective way. They will direct the strategies which the company needs to take so that their profitability increases. Another strategy that they will employ is to sell their product online, so that they can reach wider consumer base. In China the internet penetration is increasing and it has the second highest internet user base in the world. This opens up avenues of e-commerce base business style. Also the consumer can use the mobile phone as the strategy to reach to new consumers. GNC has to capture Chinese market by reaching out to the Chinese people through the use of their smart phones and digital devices. The rules and regulation of the Chinese government is strict as compared to the US market. They sometimes ban use of social media if they feel like it is a threat to the na tional security. Hence GNC must be careful to implement the online marketing which they will use. They can use Face book, twitter and their local social media sites in China to reach out to wider consumer base. Also telephone marketing is also a way of marketing through which they can use it as a medium to convey about the new products which they are offering to the consumer. Since today

Experience of Illness and Disability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Experience of Illness and Disability - Essay Example This study analyses Michael’s case, where interview reveals a number of social perspectives on his view regarding health. Through drawing from literature concepts and critically analysing the case study, specific aspects that will be covered are the lay health beliefs, illness behaviour, social support and practitioner-client interaction as they gradually progress in Michael’s illness narrative. The guiding thesis for this study is that a sociological viewpoint is pivotal in establishing the experience of illness and thus determining health outcomes. Studying lay health beliefs is critical to the healthcare industry due to a number of reasons; it helps understand practitioner-client relationships; it aids design of effective health education programs; most of healthcare work is carried out by lay people in terms of self-care or friend-family care (Nettleton 2006, pp. 35-36). Lay ideas and concepts about health are socially mediated and vary according to several considerations including time, social location, cultural contexts and socio-economic conditions. There appears to be points of divergences and convergences between expert knowledge and lay beliefs about explanations and definitions of health, health behaviour and the relationship between health maintenance and disease prevention (36). According to Gabe, Bury and Elston (2004, pp. 135-136), individual beliefs about illness, health and healthcare are vital in establishing illness behaviour such as non-compliance and the decision to visit a physician among others. Such belie fs are shaped by broader cultural and social factors that are also context dependent, influencing the actions taken by the individual for instance through the lay referral system where individuals consult family and friends about visiting a doctor (67). Besides, lay beliefs about health influence individual lifestyles and risks that have a bearing on such individuals’ health and

Afghan-war prisoners Essay Example for Free

Afghan-war prisoners Essay Some insurgents failed attempt on an US military convoy was provocation enough for them to gun down 16 civilians, leaving another 25 severely wounded. The groups – dead and alive, contained woman and children. It is an event of March 4, 2007, took place in Iraq, on the Jalalabad highway in eastern Nangarhar province. The day next US army again responded the terrorist attack by 2000-pound aerial bombing in the civilian area, killing five women and three children. This happened at the Kapisa outpost. These are regular features in Iraq; between January 2006 till date, more than thousands of civilians were killed by US attack. Back home, US authorities are no less active under the anti-terrorism movement. Ahmed Alenany, an Egyptian physician, was picked up from the road of New York City and was detained for five months, charged with overstaying, in spite of his valid ground of filing for its extension well before the expiry. His fault was that the police found two pictures of WTO in his car and he held a roadmap when arrested. That was one bubble on the sea. The United States securely took away 650 Afghan-war prisoners to their military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where they are reportedly passing their days in small single-person cells. India: On July 2005, four Kashmiri youths went to attend a wedding in Vilgam, Kupwara, and while out in the open at night for smoking away from the disapproving adults, three of them were gunned down by the Indian army all on a sudden. Later army admitted its mistake and wanted to compensate, though there was enough effort to suppress this news. India is also experiencing zero tolerance in counter-terrorism, especially after the militant attack on its parliament on December, 2001. They have even created a special law, POTA , which is capable of detaining anyone under the slightest suspicion on any ground of terrorism, that would later arrest 131 Muslims for the Godhra carnage of Hindus in 2002, who later retaliated with the killings of 2000 Muslims throughout the Gujrat state, were mostly able to slip past this law. China: Charged for crimes of terror and incitement to separatism, the popular religious leader Tenzin Delek Rinpoche was arrested in Sichuan on a night in December 2002 and sentenced to death. He was linked to the series of bombings. Same fate met his co-defendant Lobsang Dhondup, even quicker as he was executed. Now the open secret was that the authorities were up against his activities all the time, as he was a known supporter of the Dalai Lama. Egypt: This country has a track record of arresting hundreds of people either for their proximity to the Muslims, or for possessing suspicious literature. In a known case, 94 such victims, allegedly belonging to an Islamic Group though none heard about its name), were arrested in May, 2001. It was before the September 11 attack and after the attack, they were charged additionally for plotting to kill the government officials! The hapless victims belong to almost all rank and file – Doctors, engineers, professors, to name a few. They were dragged into the military courts whose norms, understandably conform to the trial standards set internationally. Accordingly, 51 were convicted! Georgia: Armed by the US support Georgian authorities have targeted the Chechens at Pankisi Gorge, a place which Russia also labelled as a haven for the terrorists. Here the governmental approach to the human rights violations is indicative of non-caring, as it is echoed by the words of its President Eduard Shevarnadze, who, right after extraditing five Chechens to Russia (October 5, 2002) without holding any court, said, International human rights commitments might become pale in comparison with the importance of the anti-terrorist campaign

Twelfth Night Essays: Learning About Love :: Twelfth Night essays

  Ã‚   In Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, it is clearly evident that the fluctuation in attitude in the dual role, situation and tribulations imposed upon the character of Viola/Cesario gives rise to a better understanding of both sexes, and thus, allows Viola to have a better understanding for Orsino. Through the love of Orsino and Olivia, Viola learns the difficulties of love from both standpoints, man and woman's. Near the opening of the play, when Viola is adopting her male identity, she creates another self like two masks and may decide to wear one or the other while swinging between the two identities in emotion and in character. She decides to take on this identity because she has more freedom in society in her Cesario mask, which is evident when she is readily accepted by Orsino, whereas, in her female identity she would not be. Thus, a customary role in society and to the outlooks of others is portrayed. Orsino sees Cesario, as a young squire just starting out in the world, much like himself as a young, spry lad, so he has a tendency to be more willing to unload onto her his troubles and sorrows, seeking a companion with which to share and to teach. Thus, Viola grows in her male disguise to get a better feeling for his inner self, not the self that he shows to the public, or would reveal and share with Viola in her true female self, but rather his secret self, as he believes he shares wi th a peer. So, she grows to love him.    But, Orsino's motivation is actually not love for Viola, but rather he seems to be in love with love itself. His entire world is filled with love but he knows that there might be a turning point for him, like when he says: "If music be the food of love, play on; give me excess of it, that, surfeiting, the appetite may sicken, and so die" (I, i, 1-3). This quote shows that he knows that he is so caught up in "love," that he hopes his appetite for love may simmer when he takes more than he can handle.    Near the end of the play, when all tricks and treacheries are revealed and all masks are lifted, Orsino "falls" in love with Viola. He first forgives her of her duty to him, the master; then says that she shall now be her master's mistress.