short fiction, creative non-fiction, poetic prose, or poetry First Prize $500 Two Second Prizes of $100 each Entries are now invited for the EV nature writing contest. Only winners will be notified and entries will not be acknowledged or returned. The deadline for receipt of entries falls on October 15 (of each year). The EV nature writing contest is held to support the cause of writing on the subject of nature and deep ecology. Any outstanding proceeds support the EV project. First prize: $500. Second and third prizes: $100 each. Two (or more) honorable mentions. This contest is open to any writer in English producing an original short piece of fiction, creative non-fiction, poetic prose, or poetry on a theme of nature, deep ecology, spiritual ecology, or any work that has some element of nature woven into it. Submissions can be published or unpublished material, length to range between 500 and 2500 words per entry (poetry can be smaller). One title per entry, you can enter as many times as you like, new entry fee to accompany each entry. Winners will retain all rights, and will be invited to post their entries on the Earth Vision website. Entry fee: $12 (U.S.) You can either donate $12, or purchase two or more E-books from the Earth Vision site (at $6 each). Instructions: - there is no form for this contest. - peruse the Earth Vision material - either by reading the excerpts on the site, or buying any two of the E-books. - either donate $12 through the “donation” link on the EV site - or purchase two or more E-books from the five available on the site - then email your entry through the address below, as either a Word, or PDF document. Email (available on the contest page of the site - follow directions) - enter “EV contest” on the subject line of your email - and remember to attach your entry. - include a cover page with title, contact, and author information, plus a short biography. The deadline falls each year on Oct 15th. Only winning entries will be notified. Winners will be posted on this site by November 15th. Explore more at - The Earth Vision Writing Contest, on the Earth Vision website. An article from Insight21 and Earth Vision - doorways for the 21st Century.

Does your school work load have you overwhelmed? Are you looking for a faster, better solution to writing essays and term papers? Whether you are writing about Pre-Columbian history, the Revolutionary War, or slavery and the Civil War, there are custom American history essays available for you. Many students have trouble with their grammar or paragraph structure while trying to get a paper written. Spending hours more on the assignment revising, rewriting, and still feeling unsatisfied with your work is very discouraging. Using an online reference to help you get started may be the perfect solution you are looking for. Whether for high school or college, free American history essays are accessible online to anyone who needs them at many levels of writing. Remember, plagiarism is an academic no-no, so use the free essays to give you a start. Pull up a few and compare the information in the text to what you are required to turn in. Pay attention to word flow, content and tone the paper conveys. Make revisions where you need to, not only to avoid plagiarizing someone else’s work, but to match the exact specifications you may have for the assignment. Consider combining the ideas from two or more papers into something that fits your style. Imagine if you got lazy, decided to turn in the paper just as you had found it online, and your teacher used plagiarism checks and found an exact match. You would be guaranteed to fail the assignment and possibly face suspension. You might be saying to yourself, “My teacher doesn’t do plagiarism checks. I’m safe.” Remember, because these American history essays are provided to you free of charge, many students writing the same assignment as you may be utilizing them. Imagine the embarrassment and frantic scrambling you would have to do if you got to class and someone else had selected the exact paper to copy and paste from the internet. To avoid that kind of humiliation, just revise any papers you choose from a free selection on the internet. If you decide that the temptation to plagiarize is to too strong or for some other reason you do not want to use pre-written American history essays to get inspiration for writing your own paper, consider where you are going to do your research instead. Other than your textbook, what other convenient venues do you have other than the internet for research? Finding an essay and revising it is the same concept as finding an article over the subject and revising that, changing the format into something that resembles an essay. The only difference is that altering the essay, which is already in a format you need, is faster and easier. Looking at someone else’s essay on the same topic you need to write helps with such difficulties as syntax and phrasing. You could choose to look in many locations and compare material, or you could simplify it for yourself and revise an already existing American history essay and be just as valid. Wade KnoxvilleAmerican History Essays

You want to go back to school and continue your education. Perhaps you’d like to earn your first degree or you’d like to earn a new degree in a different field. You’ve been dreaming of that degree but haven’t dared believe your dream can come true because you think you are too old. You aren’t. It really is that simple. I don’t care what your age is, as an experienced college-level educator I can assure you that you are not too old, because there are many nontraditional students on college campuses today (and likely some of those are older than you are), your life experience gives you many advantages over more traditional students, and with the growing nontraditional population many colleges have programs and services especially tailored for the nontraditional student. I went back to school in my 30s and today I teach college. Yes, I have many traditional students in my classroom but every semester I have a large percentage of nontraditional students as well. I have studens in their late 20s as well as 30s, 40s, 50s, and up. I have students who have retired from one career and are looking to move into another. I have students whose children (or grandchildren) have left the nest so they are looking to enter a new stage in their life. I also have many students balancing school with work and family. I have students who are the traditional age but are in nontraditional circumstances including children and family, work and military service, as well as sports and other activities. You are a unique person, but your situation is not as unique as you might think. In many ways, your age, or rather your life experience, will be a tremendous asset for your return to school. Nontraditional students understand much better than traditional students how to manage their time and prioritize tasks. In addition, nontraditional students are often much more motivated and goal-oriented than their more traditional counterparts. Finally, your life experience also gives you a great deal of knowledge and experience to fall back on or pull from when it comes to understanding, applying, or adapting the new knowledge you gain through college. I regularly see my nontraditional students outperform traditional students in many ways, but it ultimately comes down to a maturity of thinking and reasoning that can only come with growing up. I know when I returned to college as a student after working for a number of years that I did much better in the classroom and also handled my work load much better than I did when I was a more traditional student. Today colleges recognize they have a changing student population and offer classes in a variety of formats including on campus, off campus, televised, and internet as well as a range of schedules including days, nights, weekends, and accelerated. In addition, there are now support services available for students who fall outside the traditional student role. Many financial aid and scholarship programs also exist specifically for the nontraditional student. In the end, it really comes down to your own gut feeling. Do you really want that degree? Are you ready to change your life? You can do it and there will be help and support available for you. Don’t use your age as an excuse not to pursue your dream. Did you find this article useful? For more useful tips and hints, points to ponder and keep in mind, techniques, and insights pertaining to Internet Business, do please browse for more information at our websites. .allhottips.com .bookstoretoday.com

In today’s global market, why is: 1. Business writing sought after by every organization? 2. Improving writing skills an important aid in one’s career development? 3. Business writing training of crucial importance? Let us look at the answer to these pertinent questions: you will realize how business writing skills training contributes to one’s professional development and drives the productivity of an organization. 1. Business Writing is sought after by every organization in today’s global village In today’s global market place - whatever be the language and culture - it is vital to communicate in a clear and precise manner. Business writing is, till date, the only method of formal communication that is used by all organizations. All outputs are given in written form. Research has shown that business counterparts have to transact of a piece of information for an average of seven times, before it is completely understood by the intended receiver. When the time spent over an email is calculated over a month, it shows an enormous drain on productivity for all parties involved. While reading a report, email or other written forms of communication, the impact left on the reader must be such that he/she is able form thoughts out of the words. The appreciation achieved from this builds up over time. It may be intangible, but this will reap returns and increase your organization’s dependability and resourcefulness. 2. Improving writing skills an important aid in an individual’s career development In an AC Nielson research project conducted upon employers in 1999, literacy skills and business writing skills were rated as very important. This result stands true even today. It has been further found that job applicants

It can take quite a leap to get from the written word to a movie screen. A screenplay, for all its clear descriptions of where characters are and what they say, has to work hard to meet the dramatic immediacy that we expect from films. 1. Stick To The Present Tense Writing in the present tense helps, keeping the text direct and different from the prose you’ll find in most novels or short stories. 2. Add Sound Effects Sound effects can be effectively replicated on the page, using onomatopoeia such as BANGS for gunshots and SCREAMS of characters in danger. 3. Keep It Tight Keeping the whole script tight is one of the best ways to capture the in-your-face nature of a modern movie. Concise dialogue and snappy scene descriptions will help you to avoid a novel’s tone. 4. Write Pictures Thinking visually is the most important part of the process. Writers are not always inclined to ‘talk in pictures’, creating images on the page. By cultivating a visual eye, you can create a script that’s written to be SEEN, not just read. Just as in any form of writing, those images will jump out at the readers and stay in their minds. Screenplays just happen to be the most image-driven of all forms of writing. Start looking, recording dreams, taking notes. Get hold of a camera - still, video, film, whatever you can get your hands on - and look through the viewfinder. You don’t have to stop loving words to start thinking in pictures, so get in the habit of finding appropriate pictures. When you’re writing your script, take every opportunity you can to tell your story using those kinds of images, ones that resonate with you and your characters. If they’re relevant and contain an element that hasn’t been seen before, they’ll resonate with your readers. After all, movies aren’t referred to as “Pictures” for nothing. For more useful tips & hints, please browse for more information at our website :- .adsence-dollar-factory.com .100earningtips.com KEYWORDS : Reports, Survey, Email Survey, Customer Report, Business Reports, Writing, Creative Writing, Writing tips.

Writing a book is a lot like getting married. It is intensely personal, it calls for a big commitment, and it requires a sustained effort. And like marriage, it carries no guarantee of success. Books and marriages often fail for the same reasons. The most common reason is that the writer doesn’t know enough about the four essential components of a successful book. It may surprise you to know that the first and most important of these components is the self. 1) self — Many writers get an idea and jump into writing about it, never giving any thought to the motive behind writing it. Yet why you want to write helps determine what you write. The second component is: 2) the subject –Do you know enough about your topic to convey how your (or your character’s) experiences felt? Do you know enough to teach your readers what they want to know about the subject? The third essential component is 3) the readers — Are you clear about who you are writing this book for? Do you know the profile of the ideal reader of this book? The fourth component is, of course, the actual writing of the book. This includes the format, mechanics, style, tone, etc. 4) the writing– Do you know the writing techniques that will create and sustain reader interest in your book? If you have sufficient knowledge about your motives, your subject and your readers, you’ve already solved many of the most aggravating problems of writing. Successful writing requires a harmonious blend of writer, subject and reader. When this is achieved, an alchemy takes place. This alchemy informs the writing process, cutting through the common problems writers face. Once the alchemy is there, a writer can usually work swiftly and efficiently, avoiding many writing pitfalls and completing the book in less time than (s)he expected it to take. Achieving this alchemy depends on knowing a number of things about yourself, the writer, and your motives; about the subject to be written about, and knowing some essentials about the people you hope will read your book. Let’s take a look at each of them: WHY YOU WANT TO WRITE: Maybe you’ve always dreamed of achieving fame and fortune as an author. You’ve pictured yourself chatting with David Letterman or Jay Leno, or being interviewed on Good Morning, America. You see yourself autographing books for a long line of admiring readers or standing before large audiences, telling them about your book. Perhaps you see your book being made into a movie. Do you know what kind of book to write to turn this dream into a reality? Maybe you want to write as a means of self-actualization. You know you have things to say that others will find interesting but you’ve never taken the time to organize them into a meaningful text. Writing a book can create just the opportunity you need to organize your vast body of knowledge on a subject, or to explore your own psychological depths. Do you know who would be interested in reading this book? Or maybe you hope to gain immortality, to perpetuate yourself through your autobiography. Other reasons for writing an autobiography include creating a legacy for your family, to give children and grandchildren a sense of belonging and continuity. Your motive for writing a book might be to help others. You may have pioneered an experience (anything from a self-cure for cancer to roller blading across the U.S.) or discovered a new or better way to do something. What you’ve done or learned could help others, and you want to write a book to share. Do you know who would welcome this information? Recording knowledge, experience or history is a valuable contribution. It can bring fame and fortune, help you self-actualize, advance your career or be a way to spend your spare time constructively. Your book could provide an important teaching tool. It is important for you to know which of the above motives are your reasons for wanting to write, because your reasons are tightly connected to whether or not the kind of book you write will be a success. WHAT YOU WANT TO WRITE First, what types of books are there? Books can be broken down into fiction or non-fiction. Fiction includes general, romance, Gothic and historical novels; westerns; mysteries; suspense and adventure stories; children’s books. Nonfiction includes all factual books: how-to’s; cookbooks; books on history; art; travel, plus academic books on any area of knowledge. There are also hundreds of professional and trade journals which print articles in specific areas of interest. These can be written in any of the following nonfiction forms: news, feature, analysis, how-to, opinion, speculation, interview, inspirational, evaluative, study, narrative, history, journal, observations, creative nonfiction, summary, list or satire. Now, how can your motive influence the success of the kind of book you want to write? Well, consider these facts. According to the Writer’s Market, only 5% of writers earn over $80,000 a year. Your chances of attaining fame and fortune will be better, therefore, if you write the type of book that the greatest number of people want to read. It helps if it’s the kind of book that will translate well into film or video format. The most popular kinds of fiction books are love stories and legal thrillers. The most popular non-fiction books are how-to’s, followed by books on health care; men/women relationships; business and management advice; spiritual and psychological works, and dieting If your motive is self actualization or to help others, the popularity of your book will be a minimal factor for you. You may already know that your book will appeal to only a limited market. Who over 40, for instance, will be interested in roller blading across the United States? How many people will be interested in reading the history of your home town, or your opinions, evaluations, or your life story? Perhaps your main motive is career advancement. Will this purpose be best served by targeting beginners in your field as your audience? Your peers? Those who have been in the field longer than you? Do you know what differences in approach are needed to write successfully for these three different markets? The same questions apply to those who want to write a book to help others. Who are these people? How much do you know about them? Is your reason for helping them to impress them, to encourage them or to inform them? These are all factors in determining the contents and style of your book. Now you need to know if you have what it takes to write that book. IF YOU CAN WRITE Do you have the time to write? Do you like to write? Are you an idea person? Do you have patience? Do you have the training to be a polished writer? Can you make the emotional commitment to the type of solitude and perseverance required to write your book? Don’t get discouraged if you’ve answered no to some of these questions. By following the step-by-step approach outlined in my book, you’ll find that a time commitment of as little as one hour a day can get the job done. The essential part is your emotional commitment. You’ve got to believe in your project and believe in yourself. You have to be convinced of the importance of writing this book. You have to commit to it, and the best way to do that is to make a contract with yourself. Your contract is your vow. Decide on a time of day when you can consistently devote time to writing. Then assess how much time you can spend at it daily. Don’t overestimate. It’s important for you to write consistently each day, at the same time and if possible in the same location. If all you can realistically expect to devote to writing on a daily basis is fifteen minutes, then contract with yourself for fifteen minutes. Then, if it turns out that you can spend two hours at it on some days, consider that bonus time. Once you’re clear with yourself about when, where, and what time you can give to your writing, write a simple contract with yourself: Here’s an example: I am a writer, now engaged in the writing of a book about __________________. I pledge to devote __________(minutes/hours) to this project every day, from __________ (hour) to__________ (hour). Signed: Date: Don’t over look this step. It seals your commitment to yourself to follow through on this project and solemnizes the importance of this task. It also formalizes exactly what part of your life you will carve out to make way for this accomplishment, and it commits you to getting into the habit of writing. Now inform your family, friends and associates that you will be unavailable at those times. It’s important that your writing time be uninterrupted. Other people will have to take it as seriously as you do, allowing you quality time for your work. Patrika Vaughn, the world’s foremost Author’s Advocate, helps writer’s write better and get published. The above article is excerpted from her audiobook, How To Write Your Own Life Story or Your Family’s Saga. Find this audiobook and others, plus online classes and consulting services, on her website: Write Better, Get Published

As one of the biggest online shopping websites around, eBay is enjoying a healthy stream of sales from consumers worldwide. Consumers around the world enjoy excellent choices from eBay. But still a lot more consumers do not enjoy the same shopping opportunities because shipment coverage is limited. So if you don’t have a USA address within the shipment coverage, does that mean you can’t enjoy shopping online from the USA? eBay is a highly active online shopping site, and its popularity extends beyond the USA. It currently operates in local markets with bases headquartered in several countries such as Australia, the UK, France, Germany among many others. However, a lot of people still prefer to shop from the original US-based eBay for American products, many of which come from world-famous brands that can only be bought in the US, even without a USA address. However, since eBay has local headquarters, the US site does not ship to all countries anymore. If you don’t have a USA address, you will be limited to buying from your local eBay shop. But not when you’ve got a package forwarding service to help you out. So how do these forwarding services work? A package forwarding service provides you with a USA address that you can use as your shipping address when you shop online. With a US address, you can shop from eBay all you want and have your packages shipped to your package forwarding service provider. So what do you need to do in order to avail of a USA address and buy from the US-based eBay? It’s simple. Just sign up for an account with any international shipping and forwarding service. Trusted service providers will provide you with a complete USA address, not a P.O. Box. This means you can count on timely and smooth delivery of your packages, with no time wasted and with every movement easily monitored. You can also benefit from special offers if you choose a trusted package forwarding service such as OneUSAaddress.com, which allows you to decide whether you want direct forwarding or you want a re-packaging so your package will be smaller and your costs even lower, as if package forwarding services are not affordable enough already. Package forwarding services charge minimal fees and do not charge unnecessary and hidden fees. You can avail of various service plans and treat the package forwarding service not as a service provider but as a trusted partner in your shopping ventures. And with the additional offers of some package forwarding services, which even provide free protection from loss or damage of your shipments, you can have peace of mind even as your package goes across the world. For more information please visite USA address, package forwarding 

• 4 Questions to Ask Yourself before Writing Your Articles Below are the 4 questions that you need to ask yourself before you start tapping on your keyboard. These can help in making your articles focused, impacting, and highly targeted: 1. Who are my target readers? This is the most important thing that you need to know. You see, when you have a solid idea about your readers, choosing the elements to use on your articles will become relatively easy. You’ll know what topic to write about, what specific information to share, and what writing style to use that will match the preferences and needs of your readers. 2. What is my message? What is it that you would like to get across? Would you like to inform or educate your readers? Would you want to influence their buying decision? Are you trying to persuade them to sign up to your newsletters? 3. How can I set this article apart from the rest? You don’t want your articles to be just a replica of other articles that are now posted online otherwise, your readers will not have compelling reasons to read what you have written. Think of ways on how you can differentiate your articles. Think out of the box or simply offer new, hot information that online users will not find elsewhere. 4. How can I impress my readers? As a writer, this is your ultimate goal. Get to know your readers really, really well and determine the elements that will make them happy when reading articles. As for me, I recommend that you offer them not only useful information but insider tips as well — they are going to love you for doing so. • Tips to Become an Expert Article Writer As you might already know, articles offer so many benefits especially for people who are trying to make money online. If you can master this craft, there is no doubt that you’ll be able to reach your financial freedom in no time. Here’s how you can become an expert article writer: 1. Increase your knowledge. Make it a point to increase your knowledge about this field by simply reading relevant websites, blogs, and ezines. Take note of the techniques and elements that you think you can apply on your own articles. The more you know about article writing, the better. 2. Hire a coach. It would be best if you can learn from an individual who have been there and done that and who have made a mark in the field of article writing. Right now, there are countless article writing coaches that you can find online. Take advantage of their coaching services and you’ll surely become an expert in writing in no time. 3. Constant practice. As they say, practice makes perfect. Find time to write at least a couple of articles everyday. Then, get an objective third party who can critique your copies. Through this, you’ll be able to pin point your weaknesses and you can gradually convert them to strengths. 4. Widen your vocabulary. It pays to know the most appropriate or perfect words when you are trying to get your message across. Exert effort to widen your vocabulary to become a more effective communicator. Aside from checking your dictionary every now and then, it would also help if you list down the words that you are not familiar with when reading online resources. Get to know their meaning and know how you can properly use them on your articles (when needed). Sean Mize teaches coaches, consultants, and small business owners how to package their knowledge and sell it in high priced coaching, consulting, and online class pack-ages. Internet Marketing High Ticket Marketing

The term “ghostwriting” refers to writing for someone that you don’t receive credit for. Famous people, for example, seldom write their own autobiographies. Instead, they hire a ghostwriter to tell their story for them. Why would a freelance ghostwriter agree to forfeit credit for his or her work? Simple: money. Clients usually pay ghostwriters far more than a “normal” writer’s fee of $20-$50 an hour. Small books (150 pages or less) usually cost a client at least $25,000. Fees go up from there depending on the length and type of book, as well as the amount of research required by the ghostwriter. The fees are high because you can’t slap your byline on the work and you forfeit all rights to royalties that your book generates. The exceptions are if the client agrees to put your name in print on the cover, name you as a co-author, or offer you part of the royalties. In those cases, you would often give a hefty discount depending on the return you expected. What types of books can I ghostwrite? Many industries seek the skills of freelance ghostwriters. Fiction and children’s writing are common

Having been engrossed in the reading of Stoker’s novel, Dracula, when I looked at my watch, it was way past my bedtime (midnight); so I meandered to farthest bathroom at the end of our long hallway, since I didn’t want to awaken Mary Patricia (my wife). Halfway there I was seized with a primal fear that froze me to the spot: I could swear the evil vampire Dracula –lurking in the shadows– was welcoming me to his kingdom, fangs bared, blood dripping, arms outspread. Fear I’ve felt before, but this was different. Dracula is a novel one has to revisit once in a while. Finally it dawned on me that Dracula scared the living daylight out of me not because of his appearance or ill-fame, but because the vampire owns something I don’t: non-human knowledge. Bram Stoker’s Dracula is one of the scariest books ever written, and the reasons for its perennial appeal are basically two: (1) The vampire theme in which the supernatural is thrown into the natural world (2) Writing techniques: use of Absolutes. When Count Dracula says, “There are far worse things awaiting than death.” Ah, what could that be? Orpheus, Tiresias, and Dante, belong to the set of personages who returned from the other shore; and what they had to say was horrifying, but they said things within human understanding. So, what are the “worse things” that Dracula mentions in passing? Is it something unmentionable? Is it something so tremendous and non-rational and unholy that he must leave unsaid? Human fear I can live with. Take? Stephen King –the unsurpassed master of horror– who terrifies us with human knowledge: sins, transgressions, and human cruelty. With adroit prose and distinctive voice Stephen King exploits our fears and dark emotions, often appealing to grossness and revulsion. Bram Stoker also uses this sense of repugnancy in his novel: “As the Count leaned over me and his hands touched me… a horrible feeling of nausea came over me, which, do what I would, I could not conceal.” Yet, what always puts a chill in my heart and mind is the lingering question of the beyond: what worse things did Dracula refer to? Because the novel Dracula raises questions rather answering them, it will go on delighting readers for many generations. And what a treat it is! Not sparing a single rhetorical figure, Bram Stoker stabs and twists the reader’s central nervous system where horror resides. In some scenes, the narrating voice employs the ‘Nominative Absolute’ to add the sensation of simultaneity. Watch closely this excerpt: “As my eyes opened involuntarily I saw his strong hand grasp the slender neck of the fair woman and with giant’s power draw it back, the blue eyes transformed with fury, the white teeth champing with rage, and the fair cheeks blazing with passion.” “Eyes transformed” is a past participle Absolute: “Teeth champing” and “Cheeks blazing” are both present participle Absolutes. While we think that Ernest Hemingway was the inventor of the Absolute, Stoker was way ahead of him. Hemingway abused the technique, Bram Stoker was measured and sober in his use of it. Subjunction is a rhetorical device that repeats contiguous words. Notice how Stoker makes use of it: “I closed me eyes in a languorous ecstasy and waited-waited with beating heart.” Rhetoric isn’t dead. It is always present in the great works of literature. Humans instinctively seek beauty in what they read. In Dracula we find it not in the theme or the plot, but in the composition itself, since it is masterfully written. Readers, students and blossoming writers who are serious about literature will find elegant and yet thrilling writing that will seize both their minds and viscera. And if one reads this novel at night, don’t go to the bathroom! What makes Dracula such a beautiful piece of work? There’s only one answer: it is well balanced by the power of well-balanced sentences; it is harmoniously woven, and its prose sparkles with a radiance that is short of wondrous. Retired. Former investment banker, Columbia University-educated, Vietnam Vet (67-68). For the writing techniques I use, see Mary Duffy’s e-book: Sentence Openers. To read my book reviews of the Classics visit my blog: Writing To Live