Thursday, February 10, 2011
A Balanced Learning System
Monday, January 31, 2011
Writing For Children - Turn Your Idea Into a Book
Maybe you're one of those lucky writers whose head is bursting with ideas. Or perhaps you have one idea that's been nagging you for weeks, always at the edge of your thoughts. Either way, you're itching to begin writing. That's good. But before you rush headlong into your story, stop and ask yourself one question: Is this just an idea, or is it a book?
Ideas, of course, are the seeds of any work of fiction or non-fiction. But until an idea is fully developed, until you can envision its beginning, middle and end, that one idea might not be enough.
The experience of writing for pages about an idea and ultimately getting nowhere (or getting a pile of rejections) has taught many writers to outline their books before they begin. But if the thought of an outline sends shivers up your spine, at least thinking your idea through and making sure it merits months of writing can save you future frustration.
A lot of writers, especially when they're beginners, get ideas for fiction from their own lives. This can be useful for several reasons: you're emotionally invested in the topic, you can relate directly to the main character, and if the situation actually happened to you, you're less likely to be unconsciously basing the story on a book you've read.
But remember, just because you find this thing that happened to you or your child fascinating, it doesn't mean it will be fascinating to thousands of potential readers. Very often, a real-life event is just that--an event. It's a vivid scene you recall with pleasure, or a family joke that's repeated over and over. It evokes strong emotions when you remember it, perhaps you even look back on an event as a turning point in your life. But only rarely does reality provide a plot.
When writers stick too closely to what really happened they fail to develop the elements necessary for a good story: a believable main character who is faced with a problem or conflict, mounting tension as that character tries to solve her problem and experiences setbacks, and a tension- filled climax followed by a resolution that's satisfying to the character and the reader.
If your main character is really your son, you might not want to get him in trouble or throw rocks in his path. But you have to. It's the only way you'll create a story that will keep readers hooked and wondering how it will end.
Speaking of endings, if the resolution of your story comes too easily, it's probably obvious and predictable. Try mixing up real life and have the situation evolve in a different direction. Surprise yourself, and you'll surprise an editor
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Saturday, January 30, 2010
Paying Off A Student Loan
Students are taught to believe that going to college will result in higher paying jobs, and therefore- paying off the loans required to get that higher education will not only be “easy to pay off”, but well worth the investment, no matter how much that investment ends up being.
When graduation comes and the job offers do not- many students are stuck with high loan payments that are anything but easy to pay off, and the day-to-day struggle; and living paycheck to paycheck- begins. The parents can also be negatively affected as often they have to provide security for the loan.
Education is never a bad thing; and it absolutely should be considered a valuable investment- but having tens of thousands of dollars in debt as you enter the 'adult world' after college can be an eye opening experience for most students. College does little to prepare people for the high payments that come due six months after you finish your college days.
As much as having a degree should result in higher paying positions- there are no real guarantees that you will in fact find a position that pays you a high salary just because you finished college. If you do eventually land that amazing position that pays a high salary- chances are it won't be the day you graduate- and it may not even be within the six month grace period you have before the student loan statements start arriving in the mailbox.
This means you've got to find another way to make your student loan payments and keep up with your day to day living expenses on a lower paying salary. It is for this reason that you might consider generating some extra income through an online marketing program.
Online marketing is relatively easy and can be started on a very low budget. In fact there are many examples of new entrants to this market, known as "newbies" that have made a fortune within a few months.
Want to know how?
Then go to ===> http://easy-extra-money.com
You will discover a real easy option to make that extra money to pay off that outstanding student loan.
Just remember, that every little bit helps!
Gerard.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Controlling Children
Everyone agrees that controlling children is not always desirable, but it is not that clear whether disciplining children is the best way to help them become independent. Research indicates that punishing children increases aggression and violence in children. You acquire more influence with children when you give up trying to use power to control them.
Rather than seeing an either-or choice between authoritarian controlling of children and permissiveness, adults should focus on building self-discipline through influence. Authority has multiple meanings
- Authority based on expertise (“Authority E”)
- Authority based on position or title (“Authority J” J=Job)
- Authority based on informal contracts (“Authority C”)
- Authority based on power (“Authority P”)
All other authority is based on mutual understanding but Authority P is involuntary. Children don’t respect Authority P, even if they have to obey it.
Is effective communication then not an appropriate avenue to pursue? It is recommended to engage in active listening by giving your full attention to what the child is saying, and to afterwards reflect back to show that you have understood.
It is essential that parents also understand the power relationships at play when they want to start controlling their children. Using unnecessary or excessive power causes you to lose influence, but the other side of the story states that giving up the use of power lets you gain influence. Try and strike a good balance between the two.
For additional information on Parenting and how to maintain a happy Family environment then go to;
===> http://tinyurl.com/happykids4life
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Good Parenting - Do You Have The Necessary Skills?
Good parenting is about nurturing a positive attitude within your children and steering away from negativities. This means trying not to use phrases like "listen to me as I am your parent". These type of words will not do anything to enhance the child's independence, as it sounds far too authoritarian. Children who can identify how or why they are going wrong will benefit only from positive encouragement. Kids can become rebellious at times especially when they do not comprehend what the parent is really saying.
An additional but normal parenting drawback is comparing the child with another sibling and berating the kid to be more like others. This is being unjust to the child who must actually be taught to grow up to be optimistic about life. Comments like "why can't you be more like your brother or sister" will cause sibling animosity and could have a detrimental effect on him or her for the rest of their lives.
Children are normally much terrified about what others feel and think about them. Good parenting requires the mother and father to acknowledge the good in their children and building better confidence in their lives from a very young age. Some parents also tend to tell their children to pull their lives together, but such remarks can cause the kid to keep away from expressing themselves.
It is therefore evident that by applying good parenting skills, you can make a real difference between having a child that is self-assured and self-reliant, and one who is a troubled or delinquent. As a parent, the choice is ultimately in your hands.
Much of the advise on good parenting is too theoretical and therefore useless. If you really want some additional insights into this fascinating subject, then you must visit;
===> http://tinyurl.com/happykids4life
Regards,
Gerard.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Motivation From Your Children
Motivation can come from seeing your beloved child working hard to accomplish something – a drawing, an exercise routine, a Rubik’s cube or another task that appears to be very challenging . To see them hard at work, struggling and finally succeeding can motivate you as a parent to do something just as good and possibly better.
We see how satisfied those children feel when they accomplish something challenging and it makes us want to accomplish something ourselves in order to feel the same way.
As a parent it is sometimes difficult to grasp and understand that self-motivation doesn’t always come from yourself. It is indeed a big step in understanding where you can find motivation to get you through the day, the week, or even just this hour as your work tirelessly to improve yourself so that you can positively affect the lives of children.
Whenever you are stumped for motivation or if you’re ever feeling like you just need to sit back and give up for awhile, take a few minutes to reflect on the relationships that you have with your family, especially the children.
Think about how you can use your family to find your motivation to succeed in life and continue turning your environment into something successful and impactful.
There are lots of sources for motivation and it usually doesn’t come from you.
If you still need additional information on Happy Families and Happy Kids, then go to
===> http://tinyurl.com/happykids4life
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Successful Parenting Is About Implementing Practical Solutions
The art of successful parenting involves practical solutions for parents, tips for improving communication, building positive relationships and other useful parenting skills in order to develop children's self-discipline and help them become the winners they were meant to be.
To become a "manager of his child's temperament', a successful parent must have an emotionally "neutral" stance, by thinking rationally, rather than become emotionally embroiled in the temperamental difficulties of his child. The adult needs to learn the difference between the temperamentally determined behaviour, and that which is learned, and deliberately manipulative as a means of achieving a selfish outcome.
By understanding and improving the child's attitude and habits, parents will make great strides in enhancing their self- esteem and positive development. There are of course several parenting strategies for very intense children, and parenting strategies for slow-to-adapt children. The children's personality will ultimately develop itself as a reaction to the environment, and a response to the way they are perceived by the others, with parental influence playing a huge role.
The development of a positive self-concept is the corner stone for the successful rearing of children and teenagers. The medium to long term benefits are that it will help them to act independently, assume a responsibility, take pride in their accomplishments, attempt new tasks and challenges, and handle both positive and negative emotions in a proper manner.
Raising children is not “child's play” but parents can go a long way in adding value to the process by fulfilling the role of guardian, mentor and non-critical coach.
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For additional and more hard-hitting facts on this matter, I suggest that you go to;
===>http://tinyurl.com/happykids4life
Don't forget to get others to visit the site as well.
Thanks,
Gerard.