dotText | Writers For Writers
It is amazing how far computers have come since I have been alive. I don’t remember not having one in my home and let’s just say that I have been around for a good thirty years. I suppose I was in the minority to have one in my home as a child as my father was a big fan of computers. I can very easily remember sitting in front of the screen playing on our Commodore 64. It was a great old machine, new at the time of course, but now the computers you find in homes are quite different.
As a matter of fact, you would be hard pressed to find a home without at least one computer, perhaps a laptop or desktop. But those are not the only computers that people have in their homes today. Almost everything that is electronic has some type of computer in it. From microwaves to video game consoles and even watches and phones, computers are everywhere. But of course they are not only in our homes, but are a large part of most businesses.
In factories, computers keep things running. They help business owners keep track of sales and are necessary in retail stores so that transactions can go as smoothly as possible between a customer and a sales person. It is important to remember though that as much as we depend on computers to keep things going, the people behind the computers are also much needed. If there is no one to operate the computer or fix it when it is not working properly, computers would make life more difficult instead of making it easier and that would not be good for anyone.
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With so many different types of computers, it may seem like a difficult task to try to find the one that will fit your needs the best. What you need to do when you are shopping for a computer is to figure out what you will be using your computer for the most. Some people spend most of their time on the computer doing design work. Others use their computers for gaming or visiting websites the majority of the time. But before you can buy a computer, you need to search out the best place to purchase one.
There are many options for buying computers and not every option is right for everyone. Some people prefer to buy things like computers in a brick and mortar store. There are many benefits to this including the fact that you can see the computer in person. But don’t forget, when you buy in a store, you will also have the chance to talk with a salesperson and ask questions about the many varieties of computers.
There are also benefits to purchasing a computer online. The cost is likely to be cheaper when you purchase online, but this is not always the case. Another benefit is that you can have it delivered right to your home. If you decide to purchase your computer online, be sure that you know what you are buying. Online computer purchases are best left to those who have a lot of experience with computers because they know what specifications to choose when ordering.
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I was looking around my home the other day, and I realized that I had five laptops in my home at one time. Now to be fair, one was my work computer, two were old computers that my husband and I replaced but never parted with, and two were the aforementioned newer computers. So I’m not hoarding laptops or selling them on eBay.
It got me to wondering though. Are computers becoming obsolete? You know I am a troubleshooting queen. I can fix most problems on my laptop, but when I am in class with my kids, they can’t even fix a faulty network connection. I couldn’t figure it out. Then it dawned on me one day. While I was playing with a student’s phone (I couldn’t figure it out!) I almost had a meltdown, because what I realized was that I could work the dinosaur laptops in my classroom but not the new smartphones. What is the world coming to? I’m not even thirty yet, and I am getting outdated with technology.
I think laptops and desktops are becoming obsolete. I think it’s the first steps towards more handheld technology. This makes me wonder though; I can’t read my laptop without my glasses. Granted my eyes are not that bad, but still I can’t read small stuff on my computer. How in the world am I going to function when all the technology is smaller than my hand? Oh what a scary thought. Computers must be getting obsolete, because if it’s not portable it’s not technology according to my kids. Oh, what is the world coming to?
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Today’s cell phones offer an immense variety of functions. In fact, they are much more than phones! One of the most popular functions of cell phones today is the capability to send and receive text messages. This is a capability that was not around several years ago. It has changed the way that we communicate and has developed a sort of shorthand new language used by text message users everywhere.
Texting is the process of being able to send a written message to someone that you choose through your phone. You open up your messaging software on your phone and then use your phone’s keypad to compose a message. Once you complete the message, you click SEND and the message that you wrote will be sent to the person you selected to receive the message.
The text message will be delivered to their phone and will read exactly as you typed it. Other options for text messaging are photo messaging and video messaging. For photo message, you use your phone to capture a picture. Once you have the picture pulled up on your phone, you select to SEND the photo to an intended recipient. You attach the picture to the message and then add any text that you would like to include. This works the same way for a video message. You will click SEND once your picture or video has the text that you would like to include. It will be delivered to the cell phone of the recipient that you selected immediately. This is a great way to stay in touch with friends, family and loved ones even if you aren’t able to use your phone to make phone calls often.
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It’s an annoying part of being a writer, but it happens to all of us at some point. You are pounding out that amazing novel or crafting the perfect article when suddenly your mind goes blank. It is like some cosmic vacuum has sucked out all of your ideas, creativity, and imagination. If you are like me, your motivation tends to leave along with the rest. This predicament is what we call “Writer’s Block” and it is a major problem, especially if your income is dependent on your ability to churn out the words.
When writer’s block occurs, there are a few things you can do to reverse it. The trick is all about inspiration. You need to locate something that will inspire you! As soon as something triggers that creative impulse within your mind, the rest is history and you will be back at the keyword in the blink of an eye. So where can you find inspiration?
My first step is always to go outside. Nature and the environment often inspire me so I head outdoors in search of fresh ideas. I take a walk along the beach or go sit on the pier and watch the waves crash. Sometimes the fresh air is all it takes to break the spell and allow my creativity to flow again.
If I’m still stuck, the next step is to read a book. Sometimes I find inspiration in the work of other writers. Find a few authors that you truly admire and then stock up on some of their work to read when you get stuck in your own creative endeavors. By getting your mind off of your immediate project, you can sometimes unlock brand new ideas and break the hold of writer’s block.
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Being the vice president of a large bank has not been easy especially in the past few months of the economic down turn. Stress has been at a maximum for me and every one that works for me and above me. As life got more stressful and the bank situation got more stressful I found myself trying to find a way to cope. I had never been a smoker before but I was seriously considering starting to smoke. My wife and family forbid it but I did not want to listen to them. With all the stress there was just something I had to do so that I could relax and calm myself down.
The president of our bank had heard me discussing smoking with my wife and had heard her side of why she did not want me to smoke. He called me to his office and showed me that he smoked but what he was smoking was not made from tobacco. He said that he smoked an electronic cigarette. As he twirled his Green Smoke between his fingers, he raved that they were a great way to relieve stress without bothering anyone around you. He explained that instead of smoke, a Premium E Cigarette has water vapor with nicotine. They are completely harmless and odorless he explained. He also told me that they were much more affordable than regular cigarettes and even my wife and family should be ok with them. He wrote down a few of the more popular ecig brands and their websites and sent me on my way to investigate the SmokeTip Reviews for myself.
When I got home from work that night I got online and printed off some of the information to show my wife. When I showed her all of the E Cigarettes in the news, she finally got on board with my smoking wishes. She ordered my first batch for me and even showed up at my office with my ecigs. My boss came in and showed me exactly how to set them up and work them. Within just a few days I had gotten the complete hang of smoking ecigs and was forever grateful to my boss for introducing me to these cigarettes.
While the banking world remains increasingly stressful for me and other people I find myself feeling at least less stress free with electronic cigarettes. I am also a lot healthier than I would be if I had started smoking tobacco based cigarettes. Smoking ecigs also saved me money because many tobacco cigarettes were way too expensive for me to consider buying. I will forever use ecigs to help relieve stress and will recommend them to anyone who wants to smoke or who is smoking.
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If you join any writer’s group, there is one thing that will nearly always ring true. Writers tend to love their cigarettes! However, in recent years there has been a big switch to a new smoking technology. Electronic cigarettes are becoming more and more popular. New manufacturers have been entering the market, which is bringing down the cost of smokeless cigarettes.
What is an electronic cigarette ?
It is a battery powered vaporizer that delivers nicotine. With an e-cig, there is no flame, tar, carbon monoxide, or ashes. An atomizer in the e-cig creates a thick vapor to simulate the pleasurable effects of smoking without the health risks. While there is still the possibility of nicotine overdose, there have not been any peer-reviewed studies showing other health detriments.
Many people have chosen to quit smoking tobacco and use the best electronic cigarette to save money and their health.
Electronic cigarettes were invented almost forty years ago, but recent changes in technology have allowed them to be produced for a lower price and are now cheaper than smoking cigarettes. There is an investment in the purchase of the electronic cigarette, but over time, you may save money because cartridges are cheaper than packs of tobacco cigarettes. One cartridge generally lasts as long as a pack of cigarettes does. In New York, cigarette taxes have increased dramatically, so a pack of premium cigarettes can cost about $10. If you buy e-cigs online, a box of five e-cig cartridges can be found for $5-10. This would cut the cost of smoking to a fraction of that of tobacco cigarettes!
E-Cig Reviews
If you are looking to make the switch, there are many companies from whom you can buy e-cigs. Below are some electronic cigarettes reviews of companies who offer kits for those who wish to get started.
The Smokeless Delite starter kit comes with five cartridges, the electronic cigarette, an atomizer, a power cord, an AC adapter, and two batteries. Users enjoy the unique flavors offered by Smokeless Delite, such as Energy Drink and Pineapple. The volume of vapor created by the Smokeless Delite is on par with traditional cigarettes. The three-piece set screws together and resembles a real cigarette.
V2 Cigs is a popular manufacturer of e-cigs. Starter kits on their website range from $60 to about $150. The economy starter kit comes with one battery, ten cartridges, an AC adapter and a USB charger. The high end starter kit comes with three color coded batteries, twenty-five cartridges, a USB Charger, A/C adapter, car charger, carrying case, charger case, and two e-cigs. One is the V2 Power Cig and the other is their Notebook Cig. V2 Cigs also allows you to create your own cartridges and adjust the levels of nicotine and flavor.
If you are looking for the cheapest way to start, Pure Cigs offers a starter kit for $19.99. This is a bare-bones kit for someone who is looking to try out e-cigs. The kit comes with one menthol cartridge or tobacco flavored cartridge, a battery, a USB charger, and the atomizer. For the cost of two packs of cigarettes, you can switch to electronic cigarettes and start saving money sooner. Pure Cigs also sells higher end kits if you want a case or a portable charger.
Other popular brands include SmokeTip and the ultra popular Premium e cigarettes. Try one or try them all… you are bound to find one that works for you! With the cost of smoking tobacco rising and the health risks becoming more evident, electronic cigarettes can help to keep you satisfied without breaking the bank. Competition between companies is making it a buyer’s market. Almost every company offers a discount off of their retail price, and Green Smoke Reviews always have discounts in them, so take advantage of these now and make the switch to electronic cigarettes!
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History is full of authors who have managed to write incredible books but who did not want to have anything to do with society. They were hermits. The most famous example of this type of author was JD Salinger who seemed to go out of his way to avoid people.
Today things are different. Today, publishers expect authors to take some responsibility for their own marketing, and one of the best ways to do this is via social networking.
The problem that many authors currently find themselves facing is that they are unsure or just how much social marketing they should get involved with. Many authors love to talk and make new friends, but they are authors and they already spend a huge amount of time on their computer, the last thing they want to do is waste precious writing time communicating with others.
The trick is to make the most of your social networking. Instead of creating your own blog which you will be responsible for updating, try to find a blog that is willing to have you as a semi-regular poster. This eliminates the need to write a blog post every single day and also helps you get some name recognition.
Instead of trying to friend a million people you don’t know on Facebook, you should create an author fan page. Doing this allows you to communicate with your fans quickly while also keeping your personal life separate. The great thing about this type of social marketing is that it also allows your fans to communicate with one another.
Twitter a wonderful solution to social marketing. The great thing about Twitter is that it can be used quickly. Simply participating in a few online chats or posting your daily writing progress is an excellent way to gain followers who will hopefully help you promote your book.
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Janet Evanovich got her start writing category romance but she really hit it big when she created a series that revolved around the world’s worst bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum. Each book in the series is funny, fast paced, destroyed cars, and full of colorful characters. They are the perfect choice when you are looking for something fun and light to read. All of the books in the series are sure to have you wiping tears of laughter.
I have been a Stephanie Plum fan for several years. Even though I found the last few books in the series to be lacking something. The writing felt forced, and I did not experience as many laugh out loud moments while reading them.
I’m not going to give away any spoilers, but I will confess to being very surprised to discover that Evanovich seems to be using this book to actually move her characters forward, something she did not seem to be interested in doing. Personally, I was okay with her previous approach to the characters’ lives, but am astounded that Evanovich has changed her approach.
While the book does take some surprising twists, I do miss some of the comedy that can be found between the covers of the earlier books in the series. I also find myself missing some of the characters, most notably Sally Sweet. I also found the book lacking in explosions, something that I have come to expect from this particular series.
I will warn you; this book does end with a cliffhanger, something I usually hate. The good news is that it is the kind of cliff hanger that leaves you eager for the next book, but does not leave you with the idea that the world will come to an end if you cannot get your hands on a copy of the next book right now. It is the kind of cliffhanger that my friends will most likely spend an enormous amount of time discussing and laughing over, though I will admit that I will most likely be preordering the 18th book and eagerly awaiting its arrival.
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The first draft of your novel can be written any way that you want. Some writers choose to outline and think about each chapter long before they start to write. Other writers prefer to write by the seat of their pants and let the story lead them wherever it wants. The way that you tackle the first draft is up to you, just keep in mind that at some point you are going to have to revise the first draft.
At some point during the revision process you are going to want to sit down and think about your chapters. Unless you are writing a children’s picture book, you manuscript should be divided into chapters. The length of the chapters really is not very important, but you do want to make sure that each chapter has a few basic things.
The first thing you want to look at is the beginning of each chapter. It does not matter if the chapter is the first in the manuscript, somewhere in the middle, or at the end, the first sentence needs to be something that draws the writer directly into the story and makes them want to keep reading. Try to avoid using backstory at the start of your chapter which can be confusing to the reader. Make sure that the start of the chapter is somehow connected to the end of the previous chapter.
All chapters also have to have an ending. The biggest mistake that many novice authors make is that they try to wrap up a section of the story line at the end of the chapter. This seldom works. The best way to end your chapter is with a cliff hanger so that the reader will want to continue reading.
You never want a chapter where nothing happens. Read through each chapter carefully and make sure that it contains scenes that move the story foreword. If you have a chapter that you think is stagnant, you are going to have to look for ways that you can either eliminate the chapter all together, or breathe some excitement into it.
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