The Management Consulting Group

Amelia Island Resort
In the event that beach bums went to paradise, that paradise could well be known as Florida. The Sunshine State contains many hundreds of miles of beaches which usually caress its entire border. Unless you’re caught in the center of a swamp or even the core state, you’ll wind up on a beach in Florida. And exactly what a place to wind up. Your best Amelia Island resort has a beach that meets your fancy. Family beaches, such as the radiant fresh Hollywood Beach, have the kids with pails and sandcastles going on. Charming, secluded beaches, just like the sweetly top secret section of sand in Lovers Key State Park in close proximity to Fort Myers, enables you to wiggle your own feet in the sand along with have that extended walk on the beach front.

Dallas Hotels
Dallas hotels are all around and that’s a very important thing because there is often a reliable influx of visitors every year. But, this does cause it to become hard to come by the best offer while trying to find a hotel, but the truth is you don’t have a need to pull your hair out during the scenario. All you have to try to make sure a great deal attached to Dallas hotels is work with a web-site that’s centered on searching offers which are not always advertised by Dallas hotels. These kinds of web pages investigate a large number of Dallas hotels all at once and are generally allowed to offer special offers on Dallas hotels that may be outstanding quality, but they can be reduced price.

Boise Chiropractor
The wonderful good effects of chiropractic are not just constrained to correcting what is broken, but also to optimizing what is already ok. It is well known to many people about the positive effects of Chiropractic as a physical rehabilitation tool and is important component of physical therapy options. Having a well aligned spine can be the source of a sound body and mind,, whether or not the “patient” is initially “damaged” or not. This document will discuss some of these profound effects. Apart from keeping the spine well aligned, it also puts hips and pelvis along with the other joints in perfect condition. There are a few of direct and indirect body systems that chiropractic is able to efficiently deal with. The circulatory system, the nervous system and the muscular and skeletal system are kept in proper condition. Even a handsome sum of money wouldn’t stop me from visiting my Boise Chiropractor in Idaho on a regular basis! There is also a process called “chiropractic detoxification” in which captured toxins are freed from the body via soft tissue manipulation by a experienced chiropractor. This practice is said to have the capacity to detoxify the body and recover the bodily systems back to stability, tranquility, and best performance.

After the video production is concluded the editing phase gets going. Normally editing control units remain as a rule with the editing studios & the technically expert professionals put forward a high level of creativity throughout the editing procedure. Generally all through the editing assignment the positive sections of the video footages are kept and surplus parts are deleted. There is lots of sophisticated software that are in immense demand for this purpose. The aim of the video is analyzed & subtle amendments are finished also. Audio clips & background music are also made use of at some stage through the editing process. There is also Special Effect Generators (SPG) which helps to make the specific footage more eye-catching. A number of the video production agencies provide the video production and the editing services.

Today many video production companies operate to satisfy goals of different organisations. Apart from corporate presentations, videos are also made use of to record priceless events of life like that of anniversaries, birthdays, special parties; family holidays and so forth. Portable video camcorders with digital chips are today commonly available in the market. Short films have grown to be all the rage on top of being very informative and amusing. In truth videos allow people to relate better to the topic than any other form of media communications. Are you looking to utilise online video as part of your marketing mix? If so, then Vidify has the video productions services your want.

Today, quite a lot of people are setting up video production and publishing studios as need of these sorts of studios are on the increase. It is also simple to obtain heaps information from the World Wide Web on video production just with one or two mouse clicks. The expansion of online video market has influenced the rise of short-format online video commercials and to manufacture nice-looking commercials, a good-quality video production and publishing business is key. Videos play a critical task in implementation of business strategies & at this moment online video production and marketing is a popular idea with the World Wide Web users. As a result, across the globe video production plays an important role.

The sensible old Chinese anecdote has a great suggestion; the motto put into words the fact that we all trust an event much more if it is watched. Using video production or videography it is feasible to record a series of events. Vidify offer unique video production and distribution solutions. Visit the website.

Today in lots of corporate presentations, video clips are regularly adopted. By utilising video production services it’s realistic to supply the essential information to several different potential consumers to help encourage them. Video production currently is used for several different tasks; however, more than a few short format videos and brand associated productions are usually manufactured in order to attain desired company objectives.

Audio video productions are presently in vogue and are therefore used in nearly any sort of corporate activity. Digital media companies at the outset initially work with a certain type of client or a corporation that wants to develop a corporate video, a presentation or a series of video clips. The total work of video production is carried out by individual freelancers; however there are a select number of specialist video production agencies around at the moment.

The contribution of music composers, cameraman and script writers are also common when creating online video presentations. Furthermore, marketing agencies and public relations firms have recently become involved with many aspects of online video production & marketing.

One big mistake of PC owners is the constant seeking for “best antivirus”. There’s no such thing! When you ask for something “best”, be prepared to get very biased recommendations. In fact, every big PC security vendor has its avid advocates and most determined haters alike. Norton and McAfee are just popular examples. There are people who stick with Symantec and will never go for any other solution! Same is with McAfee. These are loyal customers, and we can’t really blame them for some short-sightedness. New players on the growing market of computer security software have to try new marketing methods to attract customers - and free versions are just an example of such tactics. Free is not bad. Actually, in the field of PC security free software can have evident advantages. There are enhanced search and sorting options so any suspicious activity can be easily traced.

Keyloggers, as it is clear from the name of the program, log keystrokes –but that’s not all. They capture everything the user is doing — keystrokes, mouse clicks, files opened and closed, sites visited. A little more sophisticated programs of this kind also capture text from windows and make screenshots (record everything displayed on the screen) - so the information is captured even if the user doesn’t type anything, just opens the views the file. When unsuspecting users visit malicious sites, various nasty applications are downloaded and executed on their computers. Unfortunately, more and more often these applications contain keyloggers–software programs for intercepting data. Data loggers, key loggers and Get Rid Of Internet History are just a few vices which harvest info from your computer. If the malicious software is still on your computer someone is able to read your emails delete your emails or send emails from your account. That is why every computer owner who’s worried about Get Rid Of Internet History needs Winclear.

Online Privacy With Delete Internet History: Get Rid Of Internet History. Or can you just erase the important file that you stored and carry on with your life? You can’t hide from this people even if you put some anti spyware or adware remover they can still penetrate from your personal information. Winclear has been the industry leader in fighting keyloggers and Get Rid Of Internet History for the last 8 years.

Sometimes an important feature of every antivirus or anti-spyware - real-time scanning - is taken off of the free edition. That is the reason why you need Winclear installed onto your computer, is to Get Rid Of Internet History. The average pedophile will victimize between 50-150 children before he comes to the attention of law enforcement. Find out more about Get Rid Of Internet History. Protect your computer security by using Winclear!

Do you work for one of those organisations whose “training” invariably consists of someone standing up in front of a group and saying something? If you answered ‘yes’, you’re not alone. It’s a common practice which leads to a widely held perception among many that it’s training. It’s a perception that has annoyed me over many years. I’m not against information sessions … they have their place. What I am against is calling them ‘training sessions’.

Information sessions are very useful for, strangely enough, disseminating information. They are next to useless for transferring learning. True, you can run an information session advising staff in a credit union that the interest rate has risen from 6.3% to 6.7% and that from hereon they are to use that rate in all transactions. It would be hard to argue that there wasn’t at least an element of learning involved (and by inference, training). After all, everyone who attended probably learnt that the new rate of interest is 6.7%.

But consider the long-winded, verbose information session. How much does anyone expect to learn from that? The problem with these types of sessions is that there is usually no learning focus ie, by way of learning outcomes or objectives, no structure in the content, no practice, and little guidance in what to remember and what not to remember. It’s simply a matter of … ‘This morning I’m going to tell you about the new procedures for ….’ And then, blah, blah with dozens of overhead projection slides.

I’ve attended possibly thousands of information sessions. I’m an information junkie. It’s an illness I’ve never been able to overcome. I just have to attend everything that sounds like it is relevant or interesting for which I have time (and sometimes the money). I don’t go to learn specific facts, but to hear others’ points of view. I may recall some outstanding facts and opinions, but as time passes and I move onto the next information session, the content of the previous one is forgotten.

Occasionally I write notes about what I heard and I link them to things that are relevant to me. This helps me to consolidate major themes and also provides a source of reference when I want to revisit the concepts or principles again. In some cases, just writing the topic and linking it to what is relevant to me makes a huge difference.

Recently the definition of what is, or is not training or learning, has been blurred by the different ways in which we now facilitate learning. Essentially, we still learn the same way, but the method of processing the content is different. For example, just-in-time training uses a demand/supply methodology … we learn something just before we need it so that we don’t carry around a bag full of knowledge, skills or attitudes that we may never use. Online learning is a model that should still use structure, repetition, revision, assessment, feedback and all the other good things learning involves. Then there’s on-the-job learning which is still popular, but doesn’t differentiate between accurate learning and learning from low performers who perpetuate their performance in others.

Improving Your Info Sessions

You can improve the value of an information session by doing just a few simple things. If the session is intended just to tell someone what a great trip to China you had, it really doesn’t matter what they remember. If you are telling someone about the new, revised procedures of your firm, focus on the changes that have occurred between the old procedures and the new procedures. At the end of the session ask questions to clear up doubtful points, then give your audience a summary of the changes to which they can refer when needed as a memory aid.

Alternatively, if the information session is about something else, consider this; if there are more than about five to nine key points to make, break the session into several sub-sessions and do not handle more than the five to nine points in each. Write the key points you intend to make on a whiteboard or display them on a projector screen in point form. Then address each point concisely and accurately. Explain the how, what, when, where and why of each point. Ask your audience if there are any questions, answer them and tick off each point before moving to the next point.

By not exceeding say seven points (the middle of the range) you reduce the chances of detrimental information overload. The visual cue helps your audience to ‘home in’ on the topic you are addressing, to recall what has been finished, and know what is to follow. They can then mentally separate content into meaningful and manageable ‘parcels’. This chunking will result in an information session becoming as near to a training session as possible without crossing the border.

When you do the next session in a series, have a short revision session. Ask some questions to get people thinking about the topic. For example. ‘Last session we covered five key points to consider when analysing financial statements … what was one of them … [pause] … John?” This helps establish a mental link between the previous and current topic.

Information certainly ain’t instruction, but it can be much more effective with a little planning, structure and effort. At your next information session, give some of these ideas a run. You’ll find they are much more successful.

Copyright Robin Henry 2005

Robin Henry is a human resources and development specialist and Internet marketer. He operates his online business, Desert Wave Enterprises, from Central Australia.

He has written articles about a range of topics, many of which are at Ezinearticles.com. Others are accessible from his site at http://www.dwave.com.au.

The first step in the writing process is to put your ideas down on paper. Once you have text to work with, the second step is to revise what you have written to make it as clear, accurate and powerful as you can. The final step is to edit your work carefully.

Editing Tip #1: Take a Break

When you have concentrated on your writing for long periods of time, there is a tendency to read what you think is therenot what you have actually written! By taking a break for a few hours (or even a few days), you will return to your work with a fresh mind and fresh eyes. Suddenly you will realize that:

• The rhythm of your sentences and paragraphs is off; either they are too short and choppy or too convoluted and long.
  
• Some of your ideas are out of place and belong in a different paragraph.
  
• One of your paragraphs doesn’t make any sense!
  
• You forgot to address a crucial aspect of your topic.
  
• Some of your data is wrong or missing.
  
• You have misspelled several words and accidentally omitted others.
  

Editing is conducted at two levels. First concentrate on the conceptual, or substantive, level to ensure that your ideas are strong, logical and well-organized. Once this step is complete, go through your work line-by-line to check for small details such as spelling, grammar, word choice and punctuation.

Conceptual Editing

When you begin to edit at the conceptual level, try to approach your work as though you were the intended reader instead of the author. In your role as reader, look at the introduction. Is it compelling? Do you clearly understand what the topic, major points and slant of the communication will be?

Then look at the body. Do the ideas flow well, or are they confusing? Are they presented in some kind of logical order? Do concrete details help to paint a clear picture? Are any stray ideas lurking in unrelated paragraphs?

Does this communication seem to be written for you? In other words, do you feel like you are its intended audience, or does the writer fail to explain concepts, terms and acronyms you don’t understand? Is the voice of this communication appropriate? Is it too formal? Too informal? Just right?

Did the writer insult your intelligence by repeating the same ideas over and over? Or did the writer present a strong, clear, coherent argument that you understood immediately? Finally, what is your overall impression of this communication (and its writer)? Positive or negative?

This technique of reading what you have written as though you were the intended audience will help you see your communications from a different perspective. Some of what you discover may surprise you. Make any changes that are necessary and then proceed to line editing.

Line Editing

The final step in the editing process is to go through your document line-by-line to check for errors in mechanics (e.g., spelling, grammar, punctuation), word usage and format.

If you included tables or figures, be sure to check that the captions are correct and that you entered the data correctly. Also be sure you have expressed your ideas as succinctly as possible. If you find your sentences are filled with empty, unnecessary words, delete them.

Try This!

If you are having problems “seeing” your errors at the line level, go to the end of your document and read the last sentence. Then read the second to last sentence. Continue working from the end to the beginning until you reach your opening line! This technique keeps your brain from automatically reading what you think you wrote and helps you see what is actually on the page.

A Special Word About Homonyms

The English language has many words, called homonyms, that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. The four most common sets are: their/they’re/there, too/to/two, your/you’re, and its/it’s.

These are FREQUENTLY used incorrectly! Even when you know the difference between them, it is easy to type the wrong word when you are concentrating on getting your ideas down on paper. Unfortunately, ordinary spell-check programs cannot distinguish between homonyms that are used correctly and those that are used incorrectly. Therefore, always pay special attention to these words when you are conducting a line edit.

Editing Tip #3: Always Spell-Check Your Work

It is amazing how often writers fail to perform this final edit–especially since it is so easy to do! I will agree that spell-check programs attached to word processing software cannot detect homonyms, that they highlight unfamiliar words that are actually spelled correctly, and that the grammar check is frequently just plain wrong.

On the other hand, they do pick up incorrect spacing between words, highlight a few grammar problems correctly, and catch most of your misspelled words. The process doesn’t take very long and is easy to perform. In the end, you have nothing to lose by taking this final step and potentially much to gain!

Clarice Kyd Dankers, M.A., offers editing and coaching services to business and academic clients around the world. Her work incorporates eight years of experience in business communications with extensive experience in linguistics, publishing and university teaching. For more information about her servicesor to sign up for her free monthly newslettergo to http://www.PolishYourWriting.com

In our modern world, we frequently compare and contrast several things, facts, theories, events or personalities. We have been comparing different economical, social and political systems for ages. How we develop this process? How this technique is achieved and perfected?

It can be achieved by comparison/contrast technique. One should show similarities in comparing several things, and one should point out the differences when contrasting.

First step in the writing of comparison/contrast essay is the choosing of particular topic. However, do not try to choose incomparable things- the taste of lemon and the color of the wall, or the toughness of the ball. One should choose some events, figures and things that have many similarities. Once, you have chosen the subject of comparison you can start working on your compare/contrast essay.

Second, you should enlist all things that you know about these subjects. After, you have completed this process try to identify differences and similarities.

Third try to develop the main point of your argument. For example, if you compare the cat with the dog, you should indicate differences and similarities, by answering the following questions:

What I have learned about these animals?
How does the cat differ from the dog?

Once you have answered these questions, you may develop your argument. It may look like the following: Despite the fact that the cat and the dog are husbandry animals, nevertheless they have some similarities and some distinctions as well. Many students do not understand why this type of an essay is so frequently assigned to them. The answer lies in the fact that your tutor would like to teach you to develop your analytical and argumentative skills. That is why the compare/contrast essay is one of the most popular essays assigned at the colleges and universities.

Compare and contrast essay is widely used in many other types of writing assignments. For example, one can use it in designing of the English essay.

This type of an essay is assigned to test your abilities to express yourself in clear, lucid and coherent language. Regardless of the topic of your essay, you should demonstrate your reader your ability to write on familiar and unfamiliar topics alike.

Apart from this, you should clearly and unequivocally express your point of view on the subject you research as well as provide some proposals on the possibilities to resolve some controversial issues of the subject. You might also, answer such questions as advantages and disadvantages of the situation you research as well as describe the problem you research, why it is important to resolve it, and what effective steps should be taken to eliminate it.

You certainly, may use some compare/contrast techniques in order to show differences and similarities between some points of the events, things and personalities you research. Remember, however, that it is vital almost indispensable for this type of assignment to connect your paragraphs with logical and convincing sentences; also do not provide any facts unless they are backed up by some evidence.

And whatever topic you are assigned with, whatever subject should be written do not forget to check out your essay on grammar and spelling mistakes.

Elisabeth Grainstone is a senior writer at RushEssay.com. RushEssay.com is a reputable leader in providing custom essay writing services for college and University students in many countries of the world.

The title may sound almost contradictory to many people. Let me explain.

Recently, I have been editing a children’s novel for a well-known author who likes someone independent to check her work before it goes to her agent and a publishing editor. This is the third time that I have helped her and we have gradually refined our method of working together to get a better outcome. These are not short books, but 80,000 word novels, with complex plots, rounded characters and some quite tricky emotional and social issues.

For convenience in writing as well as her confidentiality, let’s call the author Jane. (It’s as good a name as any.) We have reached a point now where Jane asks me to look at several specific issues:

• Consistency - e.g. do the characters hold up through the entire narrative? Do events follow on? Are modes of speech maintained?
• Pace - e.g. is the overall pace right? Does the pace change to give rhythm to the narrative? Would the pace improve with addition or deletion of some scenes?
• Geography - e.g. does the virtual map make sense? Are travel times appropriate?
• Complexity - Do the sub-plots improve the whole or distract the reader? Are the moral, social etc. issues okay from the intended audience? Are the grammar and vocabulary at the right level?
• Spellings, punctuation, grammar, etc. (These, of course, are never finished. Every published book contains at least one typo!)

This is, of course, by no means a definitive list of ‘the role of the editor’. These are the issues for which Jane wants particular help and a different author might well seek alternative input. These are aspects that Jane thinks are especially important or about which she is concerned for some reason. Like any successful professional she knows her own strengths and plays to them, but also takes care that relative weaknesses (and I stress that they are only relative) are rectified.

One might expect an established author to work without the assistance of a freelance editor. After all, the agent and publisher will surely do all that is necessary, won’t they? Well, Jane reckons not. Both agent and publisher (and remember that most agents have come from a publishing house) always have an eye on the costs, the market, publicity etc. They are generally extremely competent, but cannot escape the commercial pressures. These, quite naturally and mostly very helpfully, influence their advice. What Jane wants is independent support first, so that there is less that needs the attention of those who are commercially influenced. This, she says, keeps her books fresh and original while some authors, more reliant on the publishing house for editing, become predictable and stale.

I suppose the message to all aspiring writers (and perhaps some experienced ones) is to get someone to edit your work earlier rather than later. But I would say that, wouldn’t I?

John Philip has been a writer, editor and educator for over 30 years. He now provides consultancy and support to businesses, professions, authors and public services and continues to work for befirstgroup.com, which offers writing and editorial services.

Strange Happenings
By
Kenneth J. McCormick
Webmaster
http://aboutfacts.net/

There are many strange things in this world, but thank goodness, some really strange things are no longer with us. One of these things is a bug. Oh its not an ordinary bug, we have plenty of them. As a matter of fact there are more of them than us, a lot more. The bug I am talking about lived in what is now New Mexico and was over 8 feet long. It lived about 3 million years ago and was a many legged millipede. I guess if people would have been around then, the bugs would have stepped on them. It seems that this huge bugs lasted from 325 million years ago to 280 million years ago, well before even the dinosaurs.

A man in England has invented a way of broadcasting sound without using speakers. His device sends a beam of sound into a room and when you walk into it, you hear the sound or music, what ever the case may be, in your head. By the way, he received the Lamelson-MIT prize of 500,000 pounds for his invention. Not to shabby I would say.

Many strange events are organized in bars but the Moon Amtrak has to be one of the strangest. A bar, which will remain nameless, has organized an event that draws hundreds of participants every year on the second Saturday in July. The event goes this way, hundreds of people line up by a fence where the Amtrak train passes by and when it gets there, they drop their pants and moon the train as it goes by. I bet the people on the train are surprised.

One of the big events in Spain, that people come from all over the world for, is the huge tomato fight. The tomatoes are not huge but the crowd is. This events draws thousands upon thousands of people. But food fights take place in other countries also. In Italy there is the fight with oranges. I bet this hurts more than tomatoes.

A library somehow was carrying a porn movie as a Disney Feature. A young child found this out when his mother put the movie into the VCR, then left the room. A little while later the poor kid ran into his mother saying that people were doing nasty things on tv.

There is a figure on the wall of a Chicago underpass and many people believe that it is the image of the Virgin Mary. Some people are saying that it is a miracle but others are saying that it is just a stain.

In Wisconsin there was a proposal put before the Conservation Congress to allow hunters to hunt cats. We are talking about any free roaming cats. Cat lovers were aghast. This will never become law since the Governor refuses to sign it. Can you picture this, some hunter blowing away poor little kitties with his double barreled shotgun?

A bakery in New York had a unique Christmas Gift. For $125 you could get your face put on 2 dozen cookies. If you needed more the price was $36 per additional dozen. When you consider the work involved, you may realize this is a bargain.

A group of monkeys over ran an Indian village. They drank all the alcoholic brew that was being made and became drunk and attacked the villagers. The villagers counterattacked the drunken monkeys with sticks and weapons, driving them away. The villagers make a drink from marijuana leaves as an offering to the Hindu Gods.

Calls poured in to the authorities from Catalonia and Valencia in Spain. A huge fireball was seen in the sky over those areas. It has been deemed to have been a meteorite that hit the atmosphere at about 6,600 mph.

A taxidermist is offering to turn your deceased pets into pillows for you couch or bed. Shocked animal rights people have been sending her death threats. It doesn’t look like this idea is going to get too popular.

African Monitor Lizards, which are over 9 feet long, escaped while in the Ukrainian city of Maioupoi. The frightened population was told to keep all pets inside. The cages of 9 giant lizards had been unloaded onto a dock where they were to be transported from, but had been allowed to sit there for several hours without being checked. Apparently someone had decided to release all the animals.

People are beginning to say that the ice mummy, the frozen hunter from over 5,700 years ago that was found , was cursed. What is this based on? The tour guide who found the mummy died. He froze to death in a blizzard. Next to die was one of the forensic team who examined the mummy, he died in a head on car crash. The mountaineer who led the team to the body was crushed in an avalanche. The journalist who did a documentary on the ice man.developed a sudden illness after the program and died a few months later. The head of the German rescue team that searched for the tour guide died from a sudden heart attack. Lastly the archaeologist who was the expert on the ice man acquired cancer and died. Is there really a curse, what do you think?

Experiments have been conducted by an amateur scientists on the weight of people while they are sleeping and he claims some strange results. He claimed that at times the person only weighed 1/6 of their normal weight and at other times weighed double. Most results were said to show a dramatic decrease in body weight.

Copyright © 2005 by About Facts Net and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Permission is given to post this article if no changes are made to it and all links are left intact.

About the author:

Ken is the webmaster of About Facts Net. About Facts Net is a free internet magazine. It contains many interesting articles, often accompanied by photos, video and/or audio. It is suitable for the entire family.

Http://aboutfacts.net

You can learn a lot about what it takes to place a story in an ezine by starting up one of your own.

Last month I started work on a new ezine for writers, which I intended to use to publish high-quality, contemporary fiction, from writers all over the world. We placed a few adverts asking for submissions of just that. What we got was a revelation.

As a writer myself, I know how competitive the market is. Even non-paying markets are deluged by wannabe writers desperate for a by-line and some publicity. Competition, I had thought, would surely lead to a high quality of submissions, with every writer determined to submit only their very best work. Not so.

Of the handful of submissions we received the day after the adverts went out, only around four were fiction. One was a “how to write” style article. One was an essay on “the day my gran died”. Two were stories about vampires. One guy just sent us his CV - in Arabic.

Tip one, then: read the guidelines carefully. If the market you’re aiming at publishes fiction, then no matter how brilliant your essay or article is, it’s not going to be accepted. Neither is your CV….

Tip two, I hardly even need mention: If the publication is in English, don’t send your submission in Arabic, on the off-chance that the poor, beleaguered publisher will understand it. Simple. Having deleted the non-fiction submissions, I moved onto the “good stuff”. Or so I thought. Of the four remaining pieces of writing, none had been proofread too carefully. One story made reference to a businessman “clenching the deal.” One made frequent use of the word “teh” and had apparently random. Punctuation. A bit like. This. The other two were … stories about vampires.

Tip three: Proofread. Or, ideally, get someone else to do it for you. Any writer knows that once you’ve worked on a piece of writing, you become blind to its mistakes. You can “proof” it as many times as you like, but you’ll still just see what you think is there, rather than what actually is there. In any artistic endeavour, a fresh pair of eyes is essential in providing a little bit of clarity and perspective. For this reason, I present:

Tip four: constructive criticism is your friend. There are a lot of aspiring writers our there. Get together with one, even if it’s only by email, and swap stories with them. Chances are they’ll be able to point out something about your story that you’ve missed. They may have some knowledge about your subject matter that you lack - for example, the fact that it’s called a “bass” guitar, not a “base guitar”, as one enlightening submission had it.

Tip five: let your writing do the talking. When it comes to biographical info, less is more. I want to read your story, not a breath-by-breath account of the last twenty years of your life. Keep it simple, keep it short.

And tip number six? Well, if you’re thinking of submitting your writing to a publisher, visit our online writing community first for tips, articles, and our popular manuscript appraisal service.

Amber McNaught runs Writing World, a new agency for freelance writers. Writing World provides a free agency service which helps writers find work, and helps employers find the best writer for their project.

Writing World also offers a range of service such as proofreading, edting and manuscript appraisal services to new and aspiring writers.

Visit the Writing World website at http://www.writingworld.org