Don’t make these 8 writing mistakes!

Written by Rix Quinn


Is it possible to improve your writing instantly? The answer, happily, is “yes.”

While researching a book on famous speeches and essays, I found eight easily correctable mistakes writers often make. Here they are…and how to correct them instantly.

1. UNFOCUSED SUBJECT – Focus on a single theme only. Every sentence and paragraph should reinforce that topic.

2. TOO LONG – Abraham Lincoln crafted his Gettysburg Address in less than 300 words. Unless I’m specifically asked to do otherwise, I try to condense my work to one double-spaced single page (about 250 words).

3. WEAK PREMISE – Can you staterepparttar major focus of your message in 20 words or less?

4. NO ATTENTION-GRABBER – The first sentence or two must quickly attractrepparttar 105053 reader. Two ways to do this: (a) ask a question or (b) reveal a discovery.

5. UNLINKED PARAGRAPHS – Each paragraph should logically lead torepparttar 105054 next. One way some writers do this: (a) quickly write several paragraphs on a subject; ((b) prioritize them; (c) present them in descending order from most important to least important; (d) conclude by restatingrepparttar 105055 two or three most important points.

Do What You Love, Love What You Do

Written by Richard Hanes


Everyone dreams of a life full of love and adventure. But we fill ourselves with reasons not to follow our dreams. Instead of protecting us, they imprison and hold us back. Life will be over before we know it, so now isrepparttar time to really live life and love.

In Life Lessons, Elizabeth Kübler-Ross and David Kessler suggest that love isrepparttar 105051 only gift in life that is not lost and is ultimatelyrepparttar 105052 only thing we can really give. Start by loving yourself.

1.Love Yourself. To give love, you must have love. Too often we put conditions on love. Conditions on love weigh it down and keep us from loving completely.

·Be Compassionate With Yourself. Don’t judge, criticize or beat yourself up when you make a mistake. Cut yourself some slack.

·Nurture Your Soul. Do things that make you feel good about yourself and make you truly glad you did them. Letrepparttar 105053 love in that’s all around. Schedule and budget for these nurturing activities; pick something that will make you feel great and do it!

·Remove Barriers. Let go of conditions you place on giving and receiving love. Give love freely with no thought of receiving love in return. Receive love with no conditions or self-criticism. Rememberrepparttar 105054 Beatles song lyric from The End, “… And inrepparttar 105055 end,repparttar 105056 love you take is equal torepparttar 105057 love you make.”

2.Love What You Do. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, in Flow,repparttar 105058 Psychology of Optimal Experience, identifies eight major components of enjoying an activity. His studies on flow suggest an activity is enjoyable when at least one and often all eight components are present.

·Completion. We need tasks with sufficient complexity to challenge and stretch us to develop our skills but that won’t overwhelm us.

·Concentration. The root of concentrate means to “center”. We need tasks that allow us to wrap our mind around it and be challenged by it. Tasks that are too hard will overwhelm us; tasks that are too easy will bore us.

·Clear Goals. Stephen Covey tells us to begin withrepparttar 105059 end in mind, to know what we’d like to accomplish. A clear goal gives us a specific outcome that our mind can use to discern if we are meetingrepparttar 105060 test.

·Feedback. Feedback allows you to compare your outcome to your goal. It’s a symbolic message that allows you to create order in your consciousness and shift your efforts if your outcome is off course.

·Deep, Effortless Involvement. Attending fully to what is happening inrepparttar 105061 present prevents our mind from filling with extraneous worries, thoughts and distractions. Applying all your relevant skills to meeting challenges focuses your attention completely, so you cease being aware of yourself as separate from your activity. You become one with it; you act spontaneously.

Cont'd on page 2 ==>
 
ImproveHomeLife.com © 2005
Terms of Use