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“…Life is a gift. I don’t think anybody will argue on that with me. But after it’s given no one can take it away and it becomes the responsibility of the creator. Can a human be responsible enough to give life? If we look around we’ll see a lot of families where parents gave life to “new people”. And not only had they given life to them but really showed responsibility… So it’s all about responsibility…” – these were my first thoughts after I read Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”.

Victor Frankenstein’s parents were very much in love with each other, and for the first five years of his life he was their only child. They gave him life and filled his days with immense love and gentleness. It is him who says “…they seemed to draw inexhaustible stores of affection from a very mine of love to bestow them on me…”(p.24). They thought that his future “was in their hands to direct to happiness or misery”(p.29). It even seems that they felt like they owed something to him because he appeared into this world: “… With this deep consciousness of what they owed towards the being to which they had given life, added to the active spirit of tenderness that animated both, it may be imagined that while during every hour of my infant life I received a lesson of patience, of charity, and of self control, I was so guided by a silken cord that all seemed but one train of enjoyment to me…”(p.67). “…We felt that they were not the tyrants to rule our lot according to their caprice, but the agents and creators of all the many delights which we enjoyed…”(p.75)- this quote shows exactly the way Victor Frankenstein grew up. Victor Frankenstein had a childhood full of love. But is love by itself the only ingredient of the recipe of becoming a decent man? Shouldn’t parents give their children lessons about what is right or wrong, morality and so on? This is one of the questions Marry Shelley raises in her book.

It’s strange how his mother introduces Elizabeth into their house. She believes her to be a “pretty present for my Victor” and, of course, little Victor took it as it really was like that: “…she presented Elizabeth to me as her promised gift, I, with childish seriousness, interpreted her words literally, and looked upon Elizabeth as mine-mine to protect, love, and cherish…”(p.95). This moment was very important and basically was one of the things that led to the future outcome for it was the moment when he learned to take a living being as his property. And it wasn’t only that. He also learned superiority. Later on Frankenstein gets taken away by “thirst of knowledge”: “…My temper was sometimes violent, and my passions vehement; but by some law in my temperature they were turned, not towards childish pursuits, but to an eager desire to learn, and not to learn all things indiscriminately…”(p.115). He starts studying Cornelius Agrippa and begins following the wrong path. And what do his parents do with it? They continue enormously loving Victor, but don’t even take a chance to explain to him that the principles of the works he’s studying “had been entirely exploded”.

Looks like they didn’t even take a little notice about what he was doing. They just “loved” him. Victor Frankenstein himself came to the conclusion that if his father cared enough to explain him the uselessness of everything he did: “…It is even possible that the train of my ideas would never have received the fatal impulse that led to my ruin…” (p.104). He was self-taught, which is strange for children and in the first place – dangerous. Frankenstein’s life was cloudless, until his dear mother died after she saved Elizabeth from a severe illness. “My mother was dead, but we had still duties which we ought to perform; we must continue our course with the rest, and learn to think ourselves fortunate, whilst one remains whom the spoiler has not sized…”(p.119). Though he did talk about pain, but mostly it was the understanding that he won’t be ever able to see her, whom he saw every day of his life.

He left to study to Ingolstadt, and there, after he discovered that everything he learned before was of no use anymore, he started his studies all over again. Later he gets to the moment when he learned everything he could owe himself and his tutors. “… more, far more, will I achieve: treading in the steps already marked, I will pioneer a new way, explore unknown powers, and unfold to the world the deepest mysteries of creation…”(p.127).This was the moment to make this words come true. He decided to try to create life by scientific methods. He isolated himself from his tutors, family, and his friend and worked all on his own. He never stopped for he believed he will achieve his goal. “…After days and nights of incredible labor and fatigue, I succeeded in discovering the cause of generation and life; nay, more, I became myself capable of bestowing animation upon lifeless matter…”(p.141). Before starting talking about the main point of the novel – the creation of the Creature, it’s interesting to sum up what kind of person was Victor Frankenstein back then.

What were his personal qualities at the moment he brought his creature to life? He was a selfish kid of his parents, an obsessive child. He was not mature, though he was intelligent in a scientific kind of way. He was a person who grew up without guidance, who didn’t know what’s wrong or right, a person who got used to feel superior. He grew up in the world of science, all isolated from real life. His parent made an enormous mistake by bringing him up the way they did. I consider these to be the main reasons he wasn’t ready to take full responsibility for what he did. Finally his work was done, and the creature he wanted to be the master was alive. But what he felt terrified him: “… I had worked hard for nearly two years, for the sole purpose of infusing life into an inanimate body. For this I had deprived myself of rest and health. I had desired it with an ardor that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart…”(p.161). He got scared with what he created. He spent so much time creating it, and at the moment the Creature came to life he realized that he didn’t know what he is supposed to do with it. And he did a thing that all little children do when they get scared – he ran away. There’s no need to prove his immaturity by any other deed. It is just enough! Frankenstein left his creature. What he saw in it was : “he was ugly then; but when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived.”(p.169)

But think about the Creature… Did it know it was ugly? Did it really have cruel intensions towards its creator? It was still pure inside. All he did was he came into this world, or I should better say he was brought to life and the first thing he met with was rejection. How would it feel for any living being to be rejected? Afterwards, when Victor Frankenstein came back to his apartment and found out the Creature had escaped he “clapped his hands for joy”. So easy just to forget about something that needs to be solved. Out of sight – out of mind.

And what about the Creature? It got rejected by everybody, his master, by townspeople… and he didn’t even understand why. It suffered a lot, it was lonely and nobody even cared about it. He was guilty of nothing! Frankenstein forgets about what happened until the desperate, lonely living being he created kills his little brother William. The Creature follows Frankenstein and begs for a mate and companion. Everything the Creature asked for was somebody to love. But the only thing he gets – are words that hurt even more than silence: “…Devil … do you dare approach me? … Be gone, vile insect! Or rather, stay that I may trample you to dust! … Abhorred monster! Fiend that thou art! The tortures of hell are too mild a vengeance for thy crimes. Wretched devil! you reproach me with your creation; come on then, that I may extinguish the spark which I so negligently bestowed.”(p.182) Frankenstein destroyed all the good feelings that the “miserable creature” had inside and his own life turns to misery too. Victor decides that the best answer to the Creature and his only reason for living in this world would be revenge. essays in 24 hours

But let us stop right here. Life is a gift! Who dares to take it away? Victor brought his creature to life, didn’t even care enough to give it a name and even more that that – he hated it. But can we accuse the Creature in anything? The only thing it did was it just appeared into this world and didn’t get any sympathy at all. It was unhappy. It just was Victor’s toy! But doesn’t that sound familiar… Wasn’t Victor a toy of his parents, too? Can we blame him for not knowing what it is to be responsible? If his parents would’ve taught him that and supported it with their own example things would’ve been different. Seems life Victor is a creature, too, a creature of his parents. Mary Shelley gave us an impressive example of how important is parenting and some mistakes can have terrible consequences. A life – is not a toy to play with! buy essay

I won’t dare to call neither Victor Frankenstein nor the Creature a real monster. They are just victims. Victor is the victim of the mistakes his parents did, and the Creature is a victim of Victor’s ill perception of reality. It’s like an iceberg – we see only the top, yet the biggest part of it stays under the water. The top is Victor’s creating a monster that killed all his dearly loved people and what we see under the water – is real reason of things. What I would really like to call a monster is the people’s blindness. Blindness to mistakes, to the pain of other people, even to love. What I learned from this book is that things are not always the way they appear to be. And what seems terrifying may turn out to be just the pain of someone’s heart. Just like Frankenstein, just like his creature…

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Nearly all of us have it in us to write even thou we have never written and have never thought we could-ALEX F. OSBORN
Writing can do much to train imagination and help individuals to earn money as a part time job or full time business.

To become a freelance writer you need inspiration,you have to be innovative, creative, enlightened and well organized. Here are five tips to help you become a freelance writer-

(1)Read-reading gives your imagination some thing to feed on, it enables you to be well enlightened.

(2)Write a lot-practice all the time so that your writing skills can be well developed. Train your self to have multiple writing styles. Write articles on various topics and develop confidence in your skills.

(3)Proof read-take time to read your articles to correct mistakes in spelling and so on.

(4)Market your self-tell people that you are a freelance writer, talk to your business associates, tell your formal and current employees, inform every business owner in your community, tell your family, friends and neighbours.

(5)Run your business-manage your time and paper work effectively and efficiently. Reply to all enquiries within 48 hours, make sure there is effective communication between you and clients. use these tips as your guide to becoming a freelance writer. surveys have shown that a huge percentage of people are trying to writer for money. For every person that hits the jackpot in writing and accumulate richies, there are at least 30 or 40 who make comfortable incomes. I wish you success in your freelance writing career.

Victor Okhueleigbe is a freelance writer/ghost writer. He has years of experience, a passion for clear and effective writing, enthusiasm for projects, he is commited to communication and prompt.

I want to relate a story of a presentation I gave recently to an audience of over 200 people.

The night before the presentation I had the thought that I should at least have the bare bones of my talk down so that I wouldn’t feel like I would stumble once I got into it.

The more I pondered this however I began to feel a strange sense of discomfort inside. As I reflected on the feelings I realized that the outline I had drafted for myself felt too rigid and constraining.

Now let me make something perfectly clear. It’s not as if I had a complicated outline to follow. All I had written down were 6 main points and how I thought I would present them.

So why was I feeling this way? Well it was largely because I couldn’t possibly know what the flow of the presentation would be until I was right in the middle of it. I knew that if I was too married to something that I “needed” to follow i.e. my outline I would run the risk of appearing too rigid and disconnected from the audience whose attention and participation I wanted to enlist.

So many presentations I have been to over the last 25 years have left me feeling bored, tired and sleepy. This was largely because the presenters were working from such a rigid outline and needed it more to assuage their own anxieties than to energize the audience to the message.

So rather than work on my outline I decided to have a nice relaxed evening and to get up early then next morning and go for a brisk walk. As I did so I allowed myself to reflect on how I wanted to feel as I was presenting my material to the audience.

I saw myself appearing energized, passionate, joyful relaxed and focused. As I did this I began to get myself into what some call “The Zone”. Throughout all of this I wasn’t focusing much on “what” I was going to say.

When I later arrived at the room where I was to present I just relaxed and got a feel of the energy in the room. As I did so I was flooded with the same positive feelings as well as preliminary thoughts of how I would begin my talk.

As I started I allowed myself to relax and feel the flow of the audience’s interest as well as the opening up of my heart as it guided me through the right channels.

It was only by allowing myself to relax into this experience that was emerging from within and added to by the people around me that I was able to know how to proceed.

You see, there was absolutely no way I could have predicted or prepared for that moment until I was in it.

The trick was “being in the moment” so that I could intuitively, and I must emphasize, effortlessly convey what was to be conveyed.

After the talk I realized that it had come off extremely well as I was held over for more than an hour for questions afterwards.

So what I’m trying to say is that a speech is more than simply about preparation it’s about being in the moment with you heart, your intuition, and the audience.

Unfortunately the anxiety that most public speakers experience makes it impossible for all this to occur.

What’s more, some public speaking coaches advocate that preparation will diminish the anxiety. In my view it only gives the speaker a false sense of security. They may feel secure as they “hang on to” their outline while they are losing the audience along the way.

In the last 10 years I have perfected a new tool called the Mind Resonance Process(TM) (MRP) that allows individuals to tune into and surrender themselves to this immense intuitive inner wisdom.

MRP has allowed hundreds of individuals express their views in successful presentations in ways they could only have dreamed of before.

If you would like to unleash this ability in yourself then kindly visit the web link below and join one of my public speaking teleclasses or arrange an introductory consultation.

Dr. Nick Arrizza is trained in Chemical Engineering, Business Management & Leadership, Medicine and Psychiatry. He is an Energy Psychiatrist, Healer, Key Note Speaker,Editor of a New Ezine Called “Spirituality And Science” (which is requesting high quality article submissions) Author of “Esteem for the Self: A Manual for Personal Transformation” (available in ebook format on his web site), Stress Management Coach, Peak Performance Coach & Energy Medicine Researcher, Specializes in Life and Executive Performance Coaching, is the Developer of a powerful new tool called the Mind Resonance Process(TM) that helps build physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being by helping to permanently release negative beliefs, emotions, perceptions and memories. He holds live workshops, international telephone coaching sessions and international teleconference workshops on Physical. Emotional, Mental and Spiritual Well Being.

Web Site: http://www.telecoaching4u.com/PublicSpeaking.htm

A survey of America revealed that people are more frightened of speaking in public than of dying!

How incredible is that? To be more frightened of talking to a few people than of having your life ended.

It’s particularly surprising when you realise just how easily you can overcome your fear of public speaking. Using a program such as Unlimited Confidence can teach you tools to overcome this fear and be able to speak out when you need to.

When you talk about public speaking, people instantly think of standing on a stage in front of a huge audience presenting a lecture. However, public speaking is much more than just that. It could giving a speech at a wedding, doing a presentation at work, speaking out in a meeting, or for a club or society you belong to.

Being able to speak in public will help you to feel better about yourself and can help you get ahead in your career too. If you think about it, as you get higher up the ladder in your career, so you find you have to talk to more people and present; so this level of confidence becomes even more important.

This fear manifests physically before having to speak. It starts off as an anxiety, and then becomes a dry mouth, trembling muscles, rapid breathing, and a need to run to the bathroom. In worst cases it can involve sheer panic and the desire to run away.

So how can you get rid of this fear and feel more comfortable with speaking in front of people?

Firstly, you can practise. The more you do something the more confidence and comfortable you become doing it. You can join a group such as Toastmasters International which allows you to develop your communication and leadership skills. You can also volunteer to speak in front of any group of people too.

The Unlimited Confidence course teaches you some valuable tools to help you become more confident not only speaking in public, but in any situation. You will learn how to

* Instantly boost your confidence in seconds without anyone knowing what you are doing

* Learn how to use body language to convey confidence

* Discover how you can attach confidence to absolutely anything

* And many more practical and effective techniques

You will also learn in this course how to use mental rehearsal to program yourself for more confidence, and this can be applied very easily to public speaking. You probably currently run a mental movie of you falling on your face and embarrassing yourself when you speak in front of a group. If instead of running that movie you saw yourself speaking really well, the audience enjoying it and you get applauded at the end, what do you think would happen?

Of course, I am sure you could think of a number of different areas of your life you could apply this technique to, couldn’t you?

Speaking in front of people is actually extremely easy with just a few small changes to the way you think – and you never know, you might even enjoy it!

Jason E. Johns is a personal success coach specializing in helping you become more confident and raise your self esteem through an innovative and compassionate approach. Discover how you can become full of confidence at his self confidence website, http://www.UnlimitedConfidence.com

Imagine you’ve inherited the rights to a screenplay. You wouldn’t be alone. In fact, it’s trending — understandable since forty thousand plus screenplays were written per year for the last twenty-five years. It was only a matter of time before they were resuscitated as last bequeaths.

Your imaginary benefactor’s eulogy glorified the dedication, the passion and the sacrifice with which words were capture to the page. Words, which in a unique style, voiced muses, meanderings and observations on life. Words which were this aspiring playwright’s most valued possession. Words which, for whatever reason, you now own!

Every writer has experienced the curse of an untold story. Haunted by one’s own ideas is aggravating enough. But to be reminded of a legacy-in-waiting at every family function is insufferable. What were once whispers of time ill-spent, have gossiped into a responsibility to the family name. ‘It’s a shame to think that the only credits her work earned were in her will’ will shadow you when all you want is more potato salad.

Whichever befits your character, a stoic answer to the call of duty or a dramatic capitulation with arms in the air, be prepared for the onset of reality. Your pen has just written promises it can’t keep. If you’re a writer, time is already rationed amongst personal projects. On the other hand, if you’re ‘narrative challenged’ (as she was) the task is a bit more foreboding.

So . . . who ‘ya gonna call? Ghostwriters!

Don’t dismiss the idea too fast. Appreciate that ghostwriting has been a guiltless yet respectable option for centuries. For as long as there have been speeches, memoirs or sequels, writing has been outsourced. The cultural handiwork of ghosts has not been limited to literature. Music and painting have a history of contributions by ghosts as well.

Does it honestly matter that ‘co-authored by’ or ‘as told to’ appears on the jacket, as long as the story is engaging? Odds are the book is better on account of it.

At the next visit to your favorite online bookstore, make a point to browse the memoirs. Much of the work has been penned on the condition of anonymity. Ask yourself these questions: ‘Do you really think as many were self-written as claimed?’ ‘Is it reasonable to assume that celebrities and sports figures whose success resulted from a lifetime of practice, were suddenly as equally adept at being proficient authors?’ Picking up a scalpel would be beyond belief, so why isn’t a pen?

In the publishing and film industries, ghostwriting is ubiquitous. The Development Editor identifies extensive revisions necessary to make a manuscript marketable. On a larger scale, teams of unnamed professional writers do the same to major Hollywood releases. A script reversed from the finished production would rarely resemble the original.

Don’t let partial notions prevent further consideration of ghostwriting when you cannot do it yourself. If a qualified writer can be found at an acceptable price, is it not worth it to break the curse and free the story?

Assuming the decision to proceed, the next step is to find one. Rather than searching ‘ghostwriter’, post the writing project on a freelance database. The first approach will list services charging $10K to $30K and the project will have to fit into their schedule. The second will return multiple bids ranging from $500 to $1000 from an international wealth of eager writers.

At these rates, your scribe will be scrambling. Consequently, even the most efficient writing can hide serious problems between the lines. It may be bland without inspiration. Characters may be stereotypical or weakly drawn. Backstory and exposition may be information dumps disrupting story flow. The style may be rift with distractions causing the reader to disengage. The potential for flaws is considerable. Therefore, expect to dedicate some time for editorial review. Lean on friends and family to critique it as if it were your own. Use a standardized critique from writing sites or an editorial filtering service.

Before posting a project description, understand the differences between a screenplay and a manuscript. Any screenplay, even one nominated by the Academy is not publishable as a novel. Few people would purchase a copy of a screenplay for a good read.

Other than the directing instructions, the story content of a screenplay is essentially a subset of a manuscript. Both have a hook, characters, dialogue, a problem, a goal, conflicts, a climax, character growth and an ending. In addition to this, the manuscript has narratives which elaborate on the setting, the backstory, the characterization, the action and the emotional depth. Without these, a screenplay is mostly dialogue. In a manuscript, dialogue typically comprises 40% to 60% of content.

Therefore, the project is basically to approach the dialogue of the screenplay like the plotting or the skeleton of the story. To this, narratives consisting of the missing elements are fleshed or layered in.

The project description also has evaluation and promotional components. It is appropriate to request a sample chapter on spec, as well as, a pitch, a synopsis, and a logline.

As the bids trickle in, the evaluation process resembles the role of an H.R. dept. Desirable skill-sets include the abilities to:

- make the author’s words jump off the page in their original voice and style rather than what they personally publish;

- experience and interest in the subject matter;

- package the concept so that an agent can sell it;

- proofread and polish their own work;

- collaborate;

- research;

and of course,
– write.

The ability to negotiate will depend totally on the number of the bids. Concerning quality, there are no guarantees at any price. One tactic, however, can hedge your investment. Try to negotiate a progressive payment agreement. Request to have performance advances released upon remittance of predetermined chapters/pages. If the writing does not meet expectations at pre-established milestones, no commitment to continue will exist.

A second tactic to enhance the caliber of writing is to fully disclose collaboration with the term ‘co-author’. With the ghost’s name on the jacket, more effort will probably be invested. The glory or celebrity given up in exchange is fleeting anyway.

Finally, offer splitting any proceeds 50/50. Few experienced writers will accept projects on spec. If a talented novice does, it may motivate writing as if it were for a bestseller.

The services of a ghostwriter is worth considering whenever a story is trapped in a screenplay and either time or ability is scarce. If the screenplay is your own, don’t leave it until the reading of your own will. Forget about naming beneficiaries because of interest once expressed in your writing. They’re family. They were just being polite. Do it yourself while you’re alive. Let them enjoy the potato salad!

Copyright 2006, Matthew Evans

Matthew Evans hosts http://www.changingmediums.com, a resource for playwrights interested in developing their screenplay further into a manuscript for the purposes of self publishing as a novel. Ghostwriting and freelance databases are examples of the topics discussed in more detail. Matthew reads for the editorial filtering service http://www.4gatekeepers.com.

If you’re reading this article, you’re most likely in the preparatory stages of writing an academic thesis: a substantial academic paper written on an original topic of research, usually presented as one of the final requirements for the Master’s or Ph.D. degree.

It is important to note that an “academic thesis” should not be confused with a “thesis statement”. A thesis statement is “a basic argument” that clearly articulates what the Master’s thesis/dissertation is expected to demonstrate.

One of the initial building blocks to your immense writing project is to prepare a thesis statement: a sentence or paragraph that summarizes the argument you plan to make in your thesis/dissertation, as well as the supportive evidence you plan to use to back up that argument. In short, it provides a “road map” for the reader of where you plan to go with your thesis/dissertation. Most importantly, it must convince the reader that the claim is important to your academic field, and that it is likely to be true based on the evidence provided.

A good thesis statement should:

• Make a knowledge claim that purports to offer a new approach or idea in a particular field, and to explain why it is new. The purpose of any academic thesis/dissertation is to add to the existing pool of knowledge in a particular area, or to “fill in the gaps of knowledge.” As such, your knowledge claim should clearly state why the information/knowledge that you have to offer is new within your field, and should also convince the reader that your claim is likely to be true based on the evidence provided.

• Make an argumentative assertion that summarizes the conclusions you have reached about your topic after reviewing the literature. This assertion should be focused and specific enough to be “proven” within the boundaries of your paper. It should also identify the relationships between the pieces of evidence that you are providing.

• Outline the scope, purpose and direction of your paper. After finishing your thesis statement, the reader should clearly know the essence of your intended project, and also the boundaries you intend to place on it. Your thesis statement should not make the reader expect more than you are prepared to present in your final document.

Keep in mind that your thesis or dissertation topic should address an unresolved problem or knowledge gap in your subject area that needs to be explored and that concerns society as a whole. Your thesis or dissertation topic should be unique in that it should add something new to the existing literature. Merely digging up answers that already exist does nothing to contribute to an academic or professional field of knowledge. Simply put, a thesis or dissertation topic should be based on new knowledge and new solutions to existing problemsnot on simply churning up old answers. However, conducting research on questions that have already been answered is considered part of the literature review and is a useful exercise to find out if someone has already conducted research on your proposed research topic.

About the Author: As a single mother, professor Wendy Y. Carter, Ph.D., completed three masters’ degrees and a PhD. Her motto is a Good Thesis/Dissertation is a Done Thesis/Dissertation. She is the creator of a new innovative interactive resource tool on CDTADA! Thesis and Accomplished. To learn more contact the author at drcarter@tadafinallyfinished.com. Or visit http://www.tadafinallyfinished.com

Most often the word “traditional” is used when “conventional” is the proper word. In fact, the confusion of the words “conventional” and “traditional, and their subsequent misuse is so common that it wouldn’t occur to most people to check a dictionary. Here are their meanings:

TRADITIONAL: the handing down of customs, beliefs, statements from generation to generation

CONVENTIONAL: conforming to accepted standards, common, ordinary rather than different or original

As you see, the two words are very different in meaning, and cannot be interchanged.

RAPPORT and REPORT have become hopelessly muddled.

REPORT is generally pronounced and used correctly. It is an account or statement describing in detail an event, situation, or the like, usually as the result of observation, inquiry or mathematical figures. It is pronounced ree-PORT.

However, RAPPORT is now frequently pronounced half-way between the two words! What I’m hearing more and more often is ree-POR. Wrong!

RAPPORT is a French word, and is usually given an Anglicized French pronunciation, which means that we say the “R” the way we’d say it in “run”–your everyday American “R”. (The French have a back-in-the-throat “R” sound which is difficult for most English speakers, and we do not need to try to duplicate it.) Here in America it is pronounced rah-POOR. The “T” is silent.

Fortunately, it is only the pronunciation which is amiss. People usually use the word correctly–to mean a harmonious or sympathetic relationship or connection between people.

Favorite utterances for those people who have a strong opinion on a subject are as follows:
As a matter of fact…” “In point of fact…” “The truth is…” “The fact is…” “The truth of the matter is…” Before you use these hackneyed phrases, you might consider that “truth” and “fact” are seldom that. Far more often, they are simply opinion. These phrases add unnecessary verbiage without adding substance, and they weaken rather than strengthen your point.

Favorite Little Verbosities:

“At this point in time…” Better: “At this point…” or “At this time…”

“On a daily basis…” Better: “every day”; “daily”; or that good old unambiguous wordNOW!

“Well, I mean you know” This is a meaningless phrase. Please weed it out of your language.
“I mean” You mean what? If you mean something, say it!
“you know” What am I supposed to know? Tell me!

Remember, Sydney J. Harris, journalist (1917-86) said, “The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.”

Let your message shine with the clarity of sunlight!

Carole McMichaels, Author: “Fearless Public Speaking: How To Get Rid of Your Stage Fright and Prepare and Deliver a Winning Presentation.” A lifetime as a performing musician and composer, coupled with over 30 years as a therapist/coach and public speaker has given me a varied and comprehensive background for working effectively with clients on the technical, structural and emotional aspects of public speaking. Besides that, it’s fun!

You are welcome to use this article, for free, to reproduce online or in print. When you do, please print my URL or add a link to my website. Thank you.
http://www.getridofpublicspeakingfears.com

From our deconstruction of hundreds of Hollywood blockbusters at www.managing-creativity.com

The Hero’s Journey is the template upon which the vast majority of successful stories and Hollywood blockbusters are based upon. In fact, ALL of the Hollywood movies we have deconstructed are based on this template.

Understanding this template is a priority for story or screenwriters.

The Hero’s Journey:

a) Attempts to tap into unconscious expectations the audience has regarding what a story is and how it should be told.

b) Gives the writer more structural elements than simply three or four acts, plot points, mid point and so on.

c) Interpreted metaphorically, laterally and symbolically, allows an infinite number of varied stories to be created.

and more…

King Kong (2005) deconstructed

FADE IN: Context: monkeys and animals in the zoo.

Ordinary World: 20’s or 30’s; depression.

Meeting the Hero in her Ordinary World: Ann is an actress; performer.

Hero’s capabilities: juggler; acrobat.

Hero’s Challenge: may shortly be out of work.

Hero’s True nature: Anne invites the old man out to dinner.

Forced out of her Ordinary World: the theatre is closed.

Goodbye to the Old World: Old Man going back to Chicago.

Foreshadow of the Transformation: you find something you care about and someone comes along and snatches it away.

Meeting the Herald: Westin gives Ann the card.

Meeting the Mentor: Denham trying to raise financing for the film.

Call to Adventure: Denham tells finance about the map.

Refusal: Denham is ridiculed.

Pushed to the First Threshold: finance are about to sack Denham.

Time Pressure: Denham in a rush now.

Obstacle: someone tries to get Denham out of the car.

Mentor’s needs a Hero: Denham’s in the car with Preston.

Mentor finds Hero: Denham runs into Ann.

Mentor guides Hero toward the Journey: Denham buys Ann dinner and persuades her to the boat.

Refusal: Ann walks away.

Introducing the Romantic Challenge / Overcoming Refusal: Denham mentions Jack Driscoll.

First Threshold from afar: the boat from the harbour.

Meeting Allies: the Captain.

Warning: the Captain warns Ann.

Pushed to the First Threshold: Preston persuades Ann onto the boat.

Physical Marker of the Crossing: the bridge onto the boat.

Meeting the Romantic Challenge: Denham reads Jack’s script.

Resisting the First Threshold: Jack tries to get off the boat.

Forced to the First Threshold: Denham delays Jack until the boat leaves.

Meeting the Shape Shifter: the Captain.

Magical Gift: chloroform; the cages.

Meeting Allies / Developing Characters and Relationships: Baxter looking at his posters; Jimmy; Hayes, Ann meets the crew.

Developing the Romantic Challenge: Ann meets Jack.

Middle Cave: Denham tells Jack about the island; doesn’t want the crew to know; Jimmy finds out; tells the crew.

Developing the Romantic Challenge: Ann looking at Jack in the mirror; below deck; Ann cries in front of the camera.

Mentor pushing to the World of the Transformation: Denham persuades the Captain.

Inner Cave: the crew confront Denham; he tells them they’re going to find Skull Island.

Warning: the cook tells the story about the island.

Journey to the Belly of the Whale: on their way in the dead of night.

Developing the Romantic Challenge: Jack will write a play for Ann; the kiss.

Resisting the Belly of the Whale: the Captain turns around; there’s a warrant out for Denham’s arrest.

Warning: the compass fails; the skull on the map.

Pulled toward the Belly of the Whale: entering the fog.

Belly of the Whale: lost in the fog; running aground.

Warning of the Physical Separation: hearing the sounds of the island.

Physical Separation: Denham goes ashore on the boat.

Warning: Ann sees the rock in the shape of a skill; the skulls as they set foot on land; Hayes chat with Jimmy.

World of the Trials and Transformation: Ann et al look around the island.

Creatures of this World: the native inhabitants.

Foreshadow of the Transformation: the sound of Kong.

Pulled toward the Trials and Transformation: the natives capture Ann et al.

Resisting the Trials and Transformation: Ann et al are rescued by the Captain; back to the boat.

Developing Characters and Relationships: Denham toasts the dead on the ship.

Pulled toward the Trials and Transformation: the natives poll volt onto the boat and capture Ann.

Meeting the Transformation Mentor: Kong arrives and captures Ann.

Forced toward the Trials and Transformation: jack et al chase Ann behind the wall.

Time Pressure: 24 hours to return to the boat before the Captain leaves.

Developing the Transformation Mentor: Kong carries Ann around the jungle.

Trial and Transformation 1:

Resisting the Outer Cave: Jimmy can’t get a gun.

Outer Cave: shooting the super bugs; finding Kong’s footprint.

Resisting the Middle Cave: seeing the dinosaurs.

Middle Cave: dinosaurs and humans running from the Raptors.

Inner Cave: Ann plays dead with Kong; Denham is going to donate the proceeds of the film to the wife and kids of the dead; Baxter wants to leave Ann behind.

Ann tries to escape; Ann plays tricks with Kong; Ann tells Kong to stop.

Transformation: Kong gets mad and leaves. Ann escapes.

Trial and Transformation 2:

Outer Cave: falling back from the tunnel onto the log; Kong kills Hayes.

Forced to the Middle Cave: thrown into the cavern by Kong.

Middle Cave: Ann hunted by the Kimodo type dragon; the huge centipede.

Forced to the Inner Cave: Ann pursued by the Raptor.

Inner Cave: Kong battles the dinosaurs and saves Ann.

Transformation: Ann realises she must stay with Kong to stay alive.

Trial and Transformation 3:

Outer Cave: Jack, Denham et al wake up in the cavern; many are dead.

Middle Cave: attacked by the bugs.

Inner Cave: spider attack.

Transformation: the Captain comes to the rescue; Kong appreciates the sunset – he’s almost human.

Meeting the Oracle: Jack climbs the opposite side with the intention of rescuing Ann.

Warning against the Sword: the Captain warns Jack it’s useless.

Foreshadow of the Near Death Experience: Denham plans to capture Kong.

Journey to the Sword: Jack searches for Ann.

Guardians of the Sword: the bats and Kong.

Seizing the Sword: Jack rescues Ann.

Night Sea Journey: Jack and Ann in the river; Kong pursues Ann and Jack.

Resisting the Near Death Experience: Ann tries to stop them taking out Kong; Kong escapes the net.

Near Death Experience: Kong is taken out with the chloroform.

Reward: Kong is the centrepiece of the show back on Broadway, the Eighth Wonder of the World.

New Selves: Ann et al back on New York; Jack has a new play; Ann has a job again.

Atonement with the Father: Kong on show.

Apotheosis: Ann is not part of the show; they can’t hold Kong.

Ultimate Boon: Kong escapes; focused search for Ann.

Developing the Hero; Jack diverts Kong from Broadway.

Magic Flight: Kong on the ice with Ann.

Rescue from Without: the army shoot; Kong runs.

Crossing the Return Threshold: Kong climbs the Empire State Building.

Master of Two Worlds: Kong and Ann appreciate the sunset.

Final Conflict: Kong shot at and killed.

FADE OUT: it was beauty killed the beast.

Kal Bishop

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You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author’s name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. His specialities include Knowledge Management and Creativity and Innovation Management. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached at http://managing-creativity.com/

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The Complete 188 stage Hero’s Journey and other story structure templates can be found at http://www.managing-creativity.com/

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The ideas have rolled around in your head for long enough. In making a commitment to writing your book, setting up a structure is important.

In order to set clear expectations for yourself, you must have sections or chapters listed with a general idea of what will go in each. You may not end up with the same sections you start with in your first layout so don’t be too worried about what you call the chapters yet. This gives a framework.

Once a general outline has been set, create a directory in the word processing folders with the proposed title. Within that directory, have two folders: Needing Work and Completed. You can make hard copy folders and print out the chapters as they are completed ready for the first reader to run through the whole book but this is optional depending how you like to review your work as you go along.

Take each section or chapter of the outline and cut and paste it into a new document. Save each by number and title or descriptive word in Needing Work. This breaks down the task of writing a book into smaller sections.

Writing the prologue or forward is the next task. In the prologue explain why you are writing and what you hope to tell your reader. This will help focus your intent and keep the reader in mind as you tell your story. You may or may not use it in the final book and that can be decided later.

If I want to tell how betrayal tested my faith in friendship, I make a note on the outline where I will introduce the character who betrayed me and in which chapter I want to disclose when and how I discovered the betrayal. I also add which chapter or chapters I deal with the issues and include points as examples. I will include what I did to resolve the betrayal. By having the details pre sorted through the story line, actually writing each sections is easier.

Many stories do not have an epilogue. The epilogue is written to tell the reader where the story went and what they have experienced or learned. By writing one early in the process you create an ending boundary so when you review the whole story you can see if you have accomplished your goal. Incorporating the information from this summation into the various chapters can help keep the story on track.

In the final version, there may not be a prologue or an epilogue but creating one gives a target that can be useful when editing. Ask: Does my story lead from a premise to a conclusion and if not what needs to change?

Do not get bogged down editing one chapter to make it “perfect” as this is too time consuming and there will be additions and sections deleted later.

I often find a section of writing that includes intense emotion can be written in one sitting. Writing about confronting fear involves getting into the feeling and paying attention to my physical reactions as well as my thoughts and feelings. Emotional relief cannot come until I have the experience poured out. This can be exhausting emotionally. I plan a break afterward and do something completely different to change my mood. I have a treat planned as an incentive to get into the emotion but also knowledge that I will not stay trapped in the intensity, once the piece is written.

Finally I will make another folder called Finished. I will use it after all the chapters have been moved to Completed and I am ready to read and give another editing beginning to end in sequence. Sometimes I will add more detail to something I previously thought was finished or remove words if I feel it is too lengthy.

The next step is putting all the Finished chapters into one document. Then the first reader goes through the whole book and makes suggestions. This needs to be someone who loves to read and who you trust will be objective. You do not need to take all of their suggestions but consider them carefully. This leads to rewrites and changes in flow and clarity. You may have to develop a character more or remove repetitive sections.

Then the detail editor will start. This will catch many more issues that need rewriting, corrections, removal and adjustments. The seemingly never ending process will eventually lead to the content of a book. It then goes to the interior designer. This can result in more changes and many decisions about layout and spacing.

Cover design is a whole project in itself.

Then comes choosing a printer, paper, size and much more.

So get serious about the process of writing and someday you will have a book to be proud of. Then you are going to need to market your book. It is an ongoing project, so get started!

Marilyn Barnicke Belleghem M.Ed., is a registered marriage and family therapist with a private practice in Burlington Ontario Canada and author of books on personal growth through travel. Questing Marilyn: In Search of My Holy Grail (Quest Publishing Canada 2003) takes the reader through sacred and historic sites in England and Ireland and involves the search for the authentic adult Self. It explores: “Who can I be when I am free to be my Self?” Questing France: Deepening the Search for My Holy Grail (2005) is the process of holding onto the Self when in a marriage relationship. It explores flirtations, infidelity, qualities of a functional marriage as well as parenting children through marital conflict. Questing France explores the questions: “Can I be me when I am with you?” and “Why do people stay in a marriage after an affair?” http://www.questpublishing.ca

The most difficult and easiest task of all writing is the Short Story. It’s easy if you have a great idea. It’s impossible if you don’t. To me the best short story ever written is The Book of Job. The most beautiful short story is The Book of Ruth. The best modern short story is Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea.

Now you will say, The Old Man and the Sea is a short novel. Well you are right and I’m right. Let’s keep it that way so that we remain friends. The Old Man and the Sea has the elements needed in a good short story except as you said, it’s too long if you put a length limit on short stories. My novels are “short” stories if you compare them based only on length to War and Peace. They do not have the elements of a short story. Well, maybe the first chapter of Revenge on the Mogollon Rim does.

In a novel you can wonder hither and yawn and your readers will not only enjoy it, but they will forgive you. In the short story, you must stick to the point. The “point” is the whole purpose of the short story.

Edgar Allen Poe was the greatest writer from Boston. I put it that way as to not offend the other greatest writers. I hope it doesn’t offend Poe. I don’t want him haunting me every night. Some of his poems are short stories that he didn’t stretch out. His short stories are weird but poignant. He invented the detective story.

Poe was found delirious in a Baltimore gutter and died on October 7, 1849 (see http://www.online-literature.com/poe/). Also, Hemingway shot himself up the road a few miles from here. One mustn’t take short story writing too seriously. That is why I’ve remained a hack writer. I call myself “Taylor Jones, the hack writer” to remind me of that fact.

Hemingway learned his writing techniques from the Kansas City Star. He said, “Those were the best rules I ever learned for the business of writing. I’ve never forgotten them.” Here are the rules: short sentences, short paragraphs, active verbs, authenticity, compression, clarity and immediacy. (See http://www.lostgeneration.com/childhood.htm.) Go sit in a corner and memorize these rules. You will need them to write a good short story.

A short story is usually less than 35,000 words (a good deal less). It combines economy with unity. I know this is true because my old college text says so. Economy means it is short. Long character descriptions are out. Long scene descriptions are out. Please, no panoramic war scenes. Unity means that you don’t leave anything “important” out. It must be there in brief form or implied. If I say a man is a railroad worker, I don’t have to put him in overalls, do I?

You must remember emphasis and subordination. My old text says so. In other words, “What’s hot and what’s not?” Emotions, settings, the theme (only one allowed), must be fused snugly together. Here are some examples:

The Book of Ruth: A clever lady snags a husband.

Heart of Darkness: A weird jungle tale by Joseph Conrad. Speaking of MOOD! The horror!

Miss Brill: Katherine Mansfield tells of an old lady losing her self esteem due to thoughtless comments of youngsters. This story is sad.

The Killers: Hemingway’s famous story about how Nick Adams is more concerned about death by assassination then is the elected victim.

For Esmé-with Love and Squalor: The story about a little girl and a soldier. You must read this story by J. D. Salinger. Have a hankerchef at the ready.

The Book of Job: The devil picks on God’s servant, Job.

Let’s write a short story now.

First, take an idea, hook one end to the shady side of your barn and the other end to your mule walking south. Your idea is a wide rubber band. As the mule walks and stretches the band, the band narrows. When it reaches what we engineers call its elastic limit, it will break. Just before it breaks, it is War and Peace. When stretched thin, it is still a novel. Somewhere before that you have a short story.

Now think of point of view. First person is good. Poe liked this view. At any rate, don’t go beyond what the protagonist can see and hear with his or her own eyes. Remember this if you write in the third person as did Hemingway. You must not stand back and look at your story through a telescope. It must be intimate.

The protagonist is the main character. Who is the antagonist? You may need one in your story to be mean, nasty, cruel, uncaring, or having some other less than wonderful human trait. (You don’t need an antagonist in every short story. Most but not all such stories are called “boring.”)

Okay, let’s take an idea and run with it.

The sun beat down on the soggy field. Trevor was soaked from the rain, but now the warmth of the sun was quickly drying him. He slapped Bossy on the rump and said, “Let’s get to the barn, Bossy. If I don’t get you milked before Pa comes home, I’ll get the stick.” That’s when Trevor slipped on a cow patty and slid down the hill into the irrigation ditch. Bossy stared at the irrigation ditch for a while and then went back to chewing her cud.

John T. Jones, Ph.D. (tjbooks@hotmail.com, a retired VP of R&D for Lenox China, is author of detective & western novels, nonfiction (business, scientific, engineering, humor), poetry, etc. Former editor of Ceramic Industry Magazine, Jones is Executive Representative of International Wealth Success. He calls himself “Taylor Jones, the hack writer.”

More info: http://www.tjbooks.com

Business web site: http://www.bookfindhelp.com (IWS wealth-success books and kits and business newsletters / TopFlight flagpoles)