The 10 Best Books for Freelance Writers

Most writers agree that the best way to improve your craft is to read (and write) often. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or making your freelance writing debut, there are books that can help you write better copy, better manage your client relationships, and find better work-life balance. I’ve combined some of my favorites along with some industry leading titles to bring you the 10 best books that every freelance writer should read. On Starting Out There are plenty of guides available on how to become a freelance writer (I mean, we made one too.) But if you’re looking for a different perspective on becoming a freelance writer, then consider checking out some of these books. 1. Word Work: Surviving and Thriving as a Writer There is plenty of advice around on how to write or how to make money online – instead, this book focuses on how to be a writer. Author, Bruce Rogers, takes readers through various aspects of a writer’s life, such as the managing writer’s block, working towards long-term happiness, and handling both rejection and success. If you’re considering breaking into the freelance writing scene, consider checking out this book first. 2. The Successful Author Mindset: A Handbook for Surviving the Writer’s Journey Many of the struggles writers face on their journey to success are mental. Self-doubt, perfectionism, and fear of failure are common in writers of all types. Joanna Penn approaches these topics and more in this writer survival guide. While the book focuses on more traditional publishing, freelance writers can take value from the read as well. On Creating Content 3. Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously GoodContent If you work in the content writing space, then you know Ann Handley. She is a writing and digital marketing veteran and a Wall Street Journal bestselling author. Content has become a central part of nearly every digital marketing campaign, which means that the ability to write ridiculously good content is more important than ever. Simply put, Everybody Writes is your handbook for creating flat out amazing content. If you spend any time writing for businesses, then I’d suggest checking out The Content Code for its well-referenced and well-thought advice. Written by Mark Schaefer, a best-selling author and prolific business writer, this book will give you hundreds of practical strategies and ideas for creating content that moves. It also covers topics like content distribution and how to articulate a brand through content. On Getting Clients 5. How to Get Freelance Clients This book is a collaborative effort by 3 freelance writing all-stars, Carol Tice, Linda Formichelli, and Chris Marlow and is filled with advice on how to attract and land writing clients. Whether you’re looking to find your first clients or expand your practice, this book can offer some useful advice on finding, approaching, and landing new clients. 6. How Clients Buy: A Practical Guide to Business Development for Consulting Professionals For many freelance writers, sales are the toughest part of the job. But that’s because they’re too focused on selling rather than building relationships. How Clients Buy will reinvent the way to approach and speak with potential clients, focusing more on building rapport and trust before trying to close the deal. On Motivation and Balance 7. The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal Managing yourself is an incredibly important skill for any freelancer to have. While most productivity wisdom focuses on managing your time this book takes a different approach, suggesting that you instead focus on managing their energy. While not specifically written for writers, this book gives you a scientifically based method for better managing your energy – and how many of us couldn’t use a little more of that? 8. A Writer’s Guide to Persistence: How to Create a Lasting and Productive Writing Practice â€Å"Practice. Polish. Persist.† This book’s mantra should be written on a sticky note stuck to your laptop. The journey to becoming a successful freelance writer is far from straight, but this advice can take anyone from beginner to expert, it’s just a matter of time. On Social Media 9. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World Freelance writers that can tell a business’s story really, really well are enjoying a lot of success at the moment, and that doesn’t look changing anytime soon. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook is written by social media legend Gary Vaynerchuk and explores how to create content for social media that engages readers and knocks out the competition. While it’s mainly geared toward marketers, writers can definitely take some gems from this book. Bonus 10. Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action You might be wondering why I’d include a book on â€Å"great leaders† in this list. Well, let me start with why. The goal of nearly all business writing it to engage readers and inspire them to take an action. Regardless of what that action is, whether it’s to buy a product, book a demo, or schedule a call, how you inspire people is the same. Start with Why breaks down how to make real connections with people by focusing on the â€Å"why† rather than the â€Å"what† or â€Å"how.† While many businesses are focused on what they do and how they do it, many of the most successful campaigns instead focus on why. If you can master this principle and learn how to write copy that truly inspires readers, you won’t have any shortage of eager clients knocking at your door. Well there you have it, the 10 best books for freelance writers. Have you already read any of these books? Any notable omissions? Share your thoughts in the comments! Looking to land your next freelance writing client? Constant Content makes it easy for you to sell articles and land writing clients.

Paraphrasing Exercise Essays - Paraphrase, Rhetoric, Free Essays

Paraphrasing Exercise Essays - Paraphrase, Rhetoric, Free Essays Paraphrasing Exercise Directions: On a separate piece of paper, write a paraphrase of each of the following passages. Feel free to read each passage a couple times. Try not to look back at the original passage. 1. The Antarctic is the vast source of cold on our planet, just as the sun is the source of our heat, and it exerts tremendous control on our climate, [Jacques] Cousteau told the camera. The cold ocean water around Antarctica flows north to mix with warmer water from the tropics, and its upwellings help to cool both the surface water and our atmosphere. Yet the fragility of this regulating system is now threatened by human activity. From Captain Cousteau, Audubon (May 1990):17. 2. The twenties were the years when drinking was against the law, and the law was a bad joke because everyone knew of a local bar where liquor could be had. They were the years when organized crime ruled the cities, and the police seemed powerless to do anything against it. Classical music was forgotten while jazz spread throughout the land, and men like Bix Beiderbecke, Louis Armstrong, and Count Basie became the heroes of the young. The flapper was born in the twenties, and with her bobbed hair and short skirts, she symbolized, perhaps more than anyone or anything else, America's break with the past. From Kathleen Yancey, English 102 Supplemental Guide (1989): 25. 3. Of the more than 1000 bicycling deaths each year, three-fourths are caused by head injuries. Half of those killed are school-age children. One study concluded that wearing a bike helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by 85 percent. In an accident, a bike helmet absorbs the shock and cushions the head. From Bike Helmets: Unused Lifesavers, Consumer Reports (May 1990): 348. 4. Matisse is the best painter ever at putting the viewer at the scene. He's the most realistic of all modern artists, if you admit the feel of the breeze as necessary to a landscape and the smell of oranges as essential to a still life. The Casbah Gate depicts the well-known gateway Bab el Aassa, which pierces the southern wall of the city near the sultan's palace. With scrubby coats of ivory, aqua, blue, and rose delicately fenced by the liveliest gray outline in art history, Matisse gets the essence of a Tangier afternoon, including the subtle presence of the bowaab, the sentry who sits and surveys those who pass through the gate. From Peter Plagens, Bright Lights. Newsweek (26 March 1990): 50. 5. While the Sears Tower is arguably the greatest achievement in skyscraper engineering so far, it's unlikely that architects and engineers have abandoned the quest for the world's tallest building. The question is: Just how high can a building go? Structural engineer William LeMessurier has designed a skyscraper nearly one-half mile high, twice as tall as the Sears Tower. And architect Robert Sobel claims that existing technology could produce a 500-story building. From Ron Bachman, Reaching for the Sky. Dial (May 1990): 15.

Manager Profile Short Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Manager Profile Short Report - Essay Example I grew up with the company and help set it up from where it is now. Me and my friends just saw this trend a decade ago when companies are breaking up their operations to save on cost. You know, the effect of globalization and stuff. We knew then that with the liberalization of business and the heightened competition brough about by this free trade, it will be inevitable that companies will be looking for somebody who could some of its work better. That is how we came in the business and that is how i came into this position. Question 2: How long have you been in that position? I held this position since this company started, give or take around 12 years. We started around 12 years ago and the company took off 2 years later. Question 3: How is your typical day in the office like? It actually depends. To properly answer that, you have to look first what my role in the company and what my objectives are. First, I am responsible for the continuity of the business and the direction of whe re it is going. I no longer do the overseeing of the day to day operation of the business, I have my managers to do it. To fulfill that function, my day typically begins with a quick browse of my emails and any other communication and documents from our clients, vendors and partners. You see, our clients, vendors and partners operate on different time zones so I have to constantly check any updates from them. That will give me a clearer picture of how the company stands for the day. Then a meeting usually ensues with my manager. Then I make my rounds with employees if time will allow. Again, I go back to the office and do creative things on how we can be more competitive as a business How does that fit in the usual Managerial concepts and functions? You know what is taught in school and stuff. Ah, you mean the planning, organizing, staffing, and controlling stuff. That is pretty much how things are done here and elsewhere only that we don’t call it strictly with such names an ymore. My role involves more on the planning organizing and leading and some creativity. In addition, a portion of my time is also dedicated on assessing the direction of the industry. You see, in IT industry, everything happens so fast and trends changes in a dizzying manner that I have to keep myself updated otherwise our company will become obsolete. When it becomes obsolete, you pretty much know what will happen next. In addition, I also have to keep in touch with our clients, vendors and partners just to have a constant pulse on them. Sort of a liaising thing but more than that because I can make decisions in behalf of the company. It’s a sort of PR thing that you want to give your client a â€Å"feel† that they are being taken cared of. I think your interaction falls on that part. When I already have the bigger picture of the industry, company and clients, that is where planning comes. But I have to know my objectives first, or what would I like to happen. Say fo r example, my objective is to have a zero percent error free, then my planning would involve how am I going to achieve that. Then I call on my managers to organize its implementation. It does not happen immediately. You see, the system and structure of the company has to allow that to happen. It will not happen by balking to everybody that you want your processing error free or telling everybody that is what you want. So I

See instructions Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

See instructions - Research Paper Example With its fastly growing population rate and sprawling cities, economic disparity between the social classes is increasing. Moreover, the high population growth poses several other problems to development including poverty, living conditions, health, social progress, and most importantly economic progress. Although Brazil has always been â€Å"bullish† about their population rise (Merrick, 1976), it is true that its population is constraining its economic development. Despite its high incomes and drop in unemployment rates, Brazil still struggles to keep economic inequality to a low level. Income inequality is high and these are reflected in the historical trends that show an unequal distribution of wealth and resources among the rich and the poor. There are much evidences to show that income inequality has detrimental impacts on the economic growth and development of a particular country. These factors go beyond the usual effect on poverty but relatively more important is that fact that it essentially curbs growth (Meier and Rauch, 2000). Although Brazil’s economy is apparently doing well with high incomes and a decline in the unemployment rates however these figures are not good determinants of its general well being (Baer, 2001). Historical figures of income distribution suggest that a high percentage of the income goes to the pockets of the rich while the poor only get a small share of the income. Coupled with the increasing population, economic disparity is increasing among the people. Moreover, the migration from rural to urban areas of Brazil has created severe health and sanitary problems. It is pleasing to see, though, that Brazil has made rapid progress since the Great Depression in the 1930s in terms of demographic transformation (Baer, 2001), to doing spectacularly well between 1968-73 during the Brazilian Miracle

Are Humans Naturally Violent?

Are Humans Naturally Violent? Its evident that most human beings think that war can never be avoided and for these reason many of the societal ideas have been based on the concept that violence is part of human nature. Human social, scientific thinking, religious and political ideas are basically based on idea that every person is born a killer. Violence is much in us that its rarely questioned by the society and other people. As human we tend to look for the cause of evil things or those that are considered to be vile for instance violence as we fail to look for the cause of the good things that are happening around us. Violence is thought to be caused by frustration and this is best explained by the aggression theory. For these reason one of the many questions in the human minds is how violence became part of us (Senker and Gifford 8). Violence is one of the prominent things in our civilization. Smell of war and violence has left its victims confused about what they might have done to deserve such a harsh treatment. As those who caused the much affliction and pain to humanity defend themselves by saying that was all that they had to do; we cant help it but wonder if violence is truly inborn in us. Despite the fact that violence is one of the best way that is applied by human to cover their inner emptiness and frustration it usually brings more harm than any good. For example those who have been victims of bombing and war are usually left with a scar that can never disappear or heal. Its very painful and difficult to loose your whole family in war and this are some of the daily happenings in our society (Kurtz and Turpin 100). Despite the controversies and argument surrounding these concept there are organizations which have come up with some evidence to dispel the concept of violence being perceived as innate human trait. For example UNESCO came up with a statement to oppose these belief and they further planned to incorporate their research into the student curriculum in order to mould the young people in the rightful way. Sigmund Freud argues that there is a spontaneous and natural aggression energy which is reserved within humans. And in order to avoid harmful deeds he recommends that one should do competitive sports more often in order for this energy to be removed. Freud argues that those who do not do exercise are more likely to indulge into violence as a way of removing the extra energy (Senker and Gifford 10). Many have regarded this model to be false since other behaviorist have indicated that the origin of violence is something which is external as opposed to internal stimulant. Some irritant external factors are thought to stimulate violent deeds and behavior. They support this fact by the aspect that many communities live quite well without any form of aggression and secondly he argues that there is no evidence to prove that there exists an in build pressure within people that makes them to behave violently. On the contrary if its true that there is energy that accumulates within us then we are not supposed to be aggressive as Aristotle indicates in his theory. Research that has been done indicate that people become violent by consistently watching or taking part in violent deeds. This is attributed to the fact that engagement in aggressive deeds enables one to react aggressively therefore if one has not accumulated violent scenes in his mind as a result of watching or practicing viole nt deeds they cannot become violent. Scientist concluded in 1986 that there is no scientific evidence to prove that aggression and violence is inborn. Despite the fact that it cannot be scientifically proven whether men are naturally violant the belief of the same is strongly held by our society. Some argue that animals are naturally violent and since we share the same ancestral line we cannot alienate ourselves from this truth. Our history has many stories about war, and cruelty and at the same point the physiologist has indicated that our brains have some hormones that are related to aggression and for these reason biologically man is created violent. Its important for humans to draw a line between themselves and animals since human beings are very complex than animals. There are many aspects that are in humans which are absent in animals. For example humans have the ability to reason whereas animals are not in a position to critically reason (Kurtz and Turpin 57). In spite the fact that science informs us about our ancestry we should not limit our mind to the actions of animals. Lets not allow the animal behavior to influence our actions as a society. For these reason we should not allow our instincts to influence us the same way animals are influenced. When we are violent because our relatives which are animals are also violent then we are not using the knowledge that we were given as humans. On the other hand animal are not very violent as many think unless they equate hunting to violence. Animals rare form aggression groups and if this actually happen it must be as a result of the circumstance animals found themselves in or because of the environment. Among the humans there is violate behavior but that does not give us the reason to belief that violence is innate. Therefore its important for us to realize that by the fact that something is universal done does not mean that its natural and innate. For instance, by the fact that several commu nities may be producing pottery is not an indication that there is a pottery gene in that community (Baumeister and Bushman 306). Therefore aggression is not a universal thing since there are some cultures which are peaceful. For these reason humans are not born violent simply because not all people are violent. Its also true that men who are very primitive are not war like; war like character has increased among the modern men. One can choose to be violent or peaceful and a good example is Sweden which in the past years was a violent nation but at the moments its rated among peaceful industrialized nation. On addition violence and war has a lot to do with politics, personal interest as well as the social setting therefore this practice has little to do with nature. The fact that war is a dominant aspect of our history does not men that war is part of a humane nature. Therefore whether we believe that we are naturally violent or not its our decision. The belief is still rooted in our society and the many controversies about the same will still continue. Finally everyone has a responsibility to make a rightful decision. Therefore one can choose to be peaceful or violent because there is much knowledge that is bestowed upon humanity to make the rightful decision. Our bad choices and character should not be excused in the name of nature because them that succumb of this ill remain in a state of confusion as they keep wondering about the turn of things. Life is precious and peace is a wonderful experience that every sensible person may ever long for (Baumeister and Bushman 304). Work cited Cath Senker and Clive Gifford. Violence on the Screen. New York, NY: Evans Brothers, 2010. Roy Baumeister Brad Bushman. Social Psychology and Human Nature. London,UK: Cengage Learning, 2007. Kurtz Lester Jennifer Turpin. Encyclopedia of violence, peace conflict. New York, NY: Academic Press, 1999.

Nora †A Classical Hero in Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll`s House Essay

Nora Helmer, the central character, wife of Torvald, and mother of three children, is indeed a classical hero in Isben’s A Doll’s House. She was hiding her character and personality throughout the play under the pretense of the ‘ideal 19th century wife’ who completely abides to her husband. The character of Nora is quite tough to interpret as she is made out of a combination of different traits. Even though she is found to be playful and silly in certain places, she appears very differently in certain other places being very practical and astute. She is indeed a hero as she was successful in showing that she is a supporting wife, and a good mother. Nora attempts to become a strong individual even though she was being locked in a male dominated world. Her husband Torvald’s dominating nature was the one that was preventing her from become self motivated. She appeared inexperienced, naà ¯ve and vulnerable till the end when she surprised everybody by boldly leaving her husband and children to live an independent life. Nora’s world appeared to be so childish that the author has named it as a ‘doll’s house’. She appeared as an alien to the real world with no real world experience. She was even found humorous in few incidents. But we can see the same Nora being serious and trying to be superior as she says â€Å"one isn’t without influence†. She is indeed a captivating character. Even though Nora is constructed as immature and silly, we can see that this nature is enforced by the society around her. However her true nature was destined to be revealed later. Nora is found to be an independent woman who was restricted within the ‘dollhouse’ by her husband. Her life was like that of a butterfly that is trying to get out of the cocoon to show its true colors. We can see Nora striving, throughout the play, and finally unveiling her original self. She is indeed a classical hero. She was submissive to her husband and was enthusiastic and smart. We can say that Nora was always right in her attitude as this was the best she can be towards her dominating husband. Towards the end of the play she discovered herself and took the big shocking decision to leave her husband and children for ever. Nora is found to be swinging along the extremes. We can find her extremely happy during some times and deeply depressed in certain other times. We can find her desperate and needy and also prosperous and self sufficient. Nora is sometimes wise and sometimes silly. She is tottering between the personality she wants to be and the personality she pretends to be. She was found subordinate to her husband Torvald who believed that women are frail and can never make decision of their own. However finally Nora gets hold of her individuality and dares to take the great decision to abandon her husband and children. Nora’s great passion for life and her strong feministic beliefs stimulated her to take the decision of her life. She courageously broke away from the doll house that appeared as a prison for her all through these days. Nora was always under the care of someone, first with her father and then with her husband. Nora was a materialistic, impulsive and babyish. But Nora appeared as a bold woman in the final scene of the play. We can see Nora the classical hero walking out of her house in the final scene to live her life. All this makes us doubt whether she was pretending to be silly all through these days to adjust with the patriarchal oppression she was suffering from her husband Torvald. Nora finally becomes fully independent to renounce the false union of marriage and the burden of motherhood. She says â€Å"Never see him again.   Never.   Never.   Never.   Never see the children again.   Them too.   Never. never.   Oh – the icy black water!   Oh – that bottomless – that -!   Oh, if only it were all over!   Now he’s got it – he’s reading it.   Oh, no, no!   Not yet!   Goodbye, Torvald!   Goodbye, my darlings.† Nora always wanted to get out of the clutch of her husband as she says to Rank and Linde â€Å"I’ve the most extraordinary longing to say: ‘Bloody hell!’†Ã‚  She finally gets out all her social and traditional commitments and obligations as become free as a hero. She is such a classical character that our hearts are with her even though she took the pitiless decision to leave her moral husband and innocent little children. She can be called as a hero as a fought for a good cause, the freedom for the weaker sex. The position of women in the 1800’s, during the time of Nora was too low. They lived as housewives with no right to vote, own property, and make any significant transactions. Nora recognized her slavery and preferred to break away and live a life with freedom. It is nothing but her courage to fight against oppression made her the most admirable stage heroine of the century. What she has done is perfectly justifiable in the light is modern ideology and culture. She was just being a model to the women of modern days. She stepped into a wider world and making her husband understand that he is not the noble person that she expected him to be. She understands that she can no longer continue as a shadow of her husband. She turned out to be a classical hero in the contemporary male dominated society that oppressed women to the core and considered them as a second-class citizen. She just initiated an awakening and made a classical turn in history. Work Cited Ibsen, Henrik. ‘A Doll’s House’. Introduction to Literature: Reading, Analyzing, and Writing. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice, 1990

Childhood and Young People Essay

Describe ways in which discrimination may deliberately or inadvertently occur in work? The ways in work that this would occur would be if you have a policy where you will employ anyone without discrimination but without having disabled access that would be inadvertently. Describe the sorts of behaviour problems that should be referred to other and to whom these should be referred? The sorts of behaviour problems that should be referred are if a problem keeps re-occurring such as hitting, biting, and swearing. This should be referred to your manager and then that’s for the manager to take further or not. Describe the different transitions children and young people may experience? There are different transitions that children and young people may go through can be planned for such as moving to a primary school but the transitions that you cant plan for will be a sudden death in the family which this could be traumatic for the child. Explain how to give adult support for each of the transitions? The most important part of giving adult support to a child when going through these transitions would just letting the child know that there is someone for them to rely on. Explain how a work setting can encourage children and young people’s positive behaviour? Depending on the age of the child the encouragement doesn’t really change for example 1-2 year old you would distract the child if they aren’t displaying good behaviour and then praise them while keeping calm and patient and make sure you stay being a good role model. For a 3-4 year old you would praise and encourage the child and then next explain while keeping patient and then supervise the child and then make sure that you continue to be a role model. Reflect on own role in promoting positive behaviour? In my role I think promoting positive behaviour is important so you build a bond with that child so when they do go through a stage of bad behaviour they respect you and listen to you when you guiding them in the right direction. Also praise is the most important when promoting positive behaviour this would be a case of reverse physiology. Review effectiveness of own contribution to the assessment of the development needs of a child or young person? Review effectiveness of own role in supporting the child or young persons development? Identify changes that can be made to own practice in supporting child and young person development? Outline own role and responsibilities in the event of a child or young person requiring urgent medical attention? When a child needs urgent medical attention the first thing that you should do is find out how bad the injury in to determine what you need to do to help the child then you need to react and provide first aid on the child if more serious ring for an ambulance. Then next monitor the child for further re-occurring effects, this is mainly for a head injury. Then you will need to record the injury and what happened and what first aid you carried out on the child. Outline procedures for infection control in own work setting? The procedures that we have in place in the work setting are cleaning charts and professionals that come in and check over the setting to make sure that it is clean. Also we make sure the toys are clean for the children to play with to reduce infection and cleaning the nursery every night. Also if there is a spill of any kind such as blood or sick, we have different coloured buckets to clean it up to reduce contamination. If you were to be in the kitchen we use different coloured chopping boards to stop the risk of cross contamination which could lead to infection. Explain how the procedures of the work setting protect both children and young people and practitioners? This protects everyone in the setting from infection such as illness for example the common cold. This protects everyone because the cleaner the better, if the rooms were never cleaned or tidied that’s how infection would built because when you clean you kill any type of infection. Describe what is meant by a positive environment? A positive environment would be where staff and children are happy at all times, where everyone gets on well and keeps the setting positive. Making sure that the children have enough the play with both indoor and outdoor to keep them happy, when there is enough space for the children to play it keeps them positive. Although we need to make sure that the setting is fun and attractive it needs to be safe and secure. Identify regulatory requirements that underpin a positive environment for children and young people? The regulatory requirements that underpin a positive environment for children must be safe to work in, so this is why there are ratio’s to children to staff. Also yearly Ofsted will visit the setting to make sure you are sticking to these requirements, a few examples would be the heating, making sure it’s always at the right temperature which is 15-18 degrees or for babies 20-22. Another would be radiators and pipes to be covered and smoke alarms fitted in the setting and making sure that emergency equipment is always available. Explain how to effectively care for children and young people’s skin, teeth and hair? It is always important that children’s skin teeth and hair is looked after. Skin – children are encouraged to wash hands after using the toilet or before they, also as they get older they should be encouraged to wash their own bodies when they wake up and before they go to bed for example letting the child have their own flannel will encourage this.