Twelve Non-Negotiable Elements of Force in Writing

Twelve Non-Negotiable Elements of Force in Writing Twelve Non-Negotiable Elements of Force in Writing Twelve Non-Negotiable Elements of Force in Writing By Guest Author This is a guest post by Arthur Plotnik. ALL WE WRITERS CRAVE is to charge into the resistant, overloaded brain of a reader and shoot forked lightning through every last dendrite. Why else, if not to achieve high-voltage impact, do we push our own synapses into the red zone night after night, year after year? We are talking force herethe force that gets writing devoured, felt, remembered and published. Lacking it, the worlds most crafted content fizzles at the first neuron . Force in writing neednt always be nuclear-strength, any more than nonverbal cues have to be violent or clangorous to seize attention. Think of a despairing glance that pierces the heart, or a sound-squelching image like Scott Spencers botanical silence. But to overcome a readers natural resistance to static, sameness, and irrelevance, written words must somehow deliver the Godfather imperative: This is a message you cannot refuse. The ways of such force are legion, ranging from over-the-top exaggeration to sly understatement. Classical rhetoricians described these techniques by the hundreds. Writing programs pound away at a standard few, such as amped-up verbs and pared-down verbiage. I would include these among the knee-breakers Ive found most persuasive in overcoming reader resistance. Here I offer you an even dozen. You cannot refuse them: I know where you writers live. 1. Specificity. Why say she ordered an appetizer when you can pucker the senses with pickled herring or giant shrimp in Tylers ketchup sauce? We experience life in particulars, and theynot generalities jolt our memories and feelings. Name the telling things and actions as specifically as you can, but dont dilute their force by specifying everything. 2. Supercharged verbs. Every writer knows this techniqueshe savaged her steak rather than she ate the steak hungrily. Find or create forceful verbs; rewrite to be and to have sentences with action verbs. But writers beware: Overuse of forceful but trendy verbs (she rocked a bikini) and the huffing of too many power verbs per passage become transparently bush. 3. High performance modifiers. Like most words, adverbs and adjectives have personalities: some are kickass powerful, others are totally lame hangers-on. Unfortunately, the lamest ones have given the whole class a bad name. But robust terms like venal, venomous, strident, radiant, rousing, meteoric can be the driving force of a passage. Contrary to myth, even No-Adjective Ernest Hemingway used evocative modifiersif sparinglyto trigger response. ( . . . the sleigh-smoothed, urine-yellowed road; . . . three of the big birds squatted obscenely.) Pull your listless modifiers and plug in high-performance ones where force counts. 4. Fresh intensifiers. Drop such overused, now-forceless intensifiers as great, incredible, awesome, and amazing from your writing unless you can recharge them, as in skull-spinningly great or fall-to-your-knees awesome. Look for or create Grade-A Intensifying Adverbs, the kind that give fresh emphasis to commonplace adjectives: concussively stupid, sublimely stupid, weapons-grade stupid. 5. Sound words. Whomp. Whap. Nuzzle. Guzzle. Words imitating sounds suggest the forces that make the sounds. Even quiet forcesmurmur of innumerable beesgrip the imagination when evoked by onomatopoeia, as the technique is called. Sounds make for resonance, whether as the THOOM! of graphic novels, the KABOOOOM of a climactic literary passage (Everything Is Illuminated, Jonathan Safran Foer), or the boom, boom of clogs amplifying a girls fears (The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold). 6. Surprise images. Apt and unexpected images, as in metaphors, excite cerebral enzymes. He had the complexion of baba ghanoush.. His tongue darted into my mouth like a tadpole escaping from a jar. (Marisha Pessl, Special Topics in Calamity Physics). Anticipated imagery such as she blushed tomato-red excite nothing. 7. Nowness. Vogue terms and pop references carry the force of novelty, fashion, and immediacyfor about one week to a year, after which they become swiped-out. But used in their moment, especially in journalism, they can be party-starters of Bieberesque boldness. 8. Street beat. Capture the rhythm and soul of the street, and you gon be head of the situation, knowm sayin? Who isnt moved by echoes of street life in all its raw effusiveness and funky phrasing? Cant kill nothin and wont nothin die. Any street will doany ethnic. Theres a girl who keeps bumping into you. You say to her, Pero mi amor, ya. And she says, Ya yourself. (Junot Dà ­az, The Cheaters guide to Love. ) The trick is to develop an ear for authenticity and an eye for fitwithin the overall tone and momentum of your narrative. 9. Big nature. Writers have always drawn on the energy of natural forcesthe violence of typhoons, the insistence of tides. Big nature makes for mighty figures of speech: Shes a Mount Saint Helens waiting to erupt. Theres an ozone hole in his thinking. But be creative; a maelstrom of clichà ©s lies in wait. 10. Tough talk / Irreverence. You talkin to me? Kiss off. Make a hole. Go take your shoes for a walk while you still got legs. To break through apathy, theres nothing like defiant expression armored with attitude, menace, slang and sometimes profanity. It can bear the force of insult, of dire consequence, of all that thrills as it threatens. The usual rules of execution apply: well timed and credible. 11. Understatement. Less can be overwhelmingly more when the immensity, the ironythe jokeis snapped together in the readers mind. When Mom says, Dont worry, its nothing, alarms go off. The not scantily endowed beauty sets hearts juddering. Lets take a little ride is not what you want to hear from Tony Soprano. 12. Torque through intensity. The ultimate force is an aggregate effectthe various elements winding the spring, torquing the intensity. It comes about via soul-jarring themes, characters in peril and on the edge, smoldering conflict, inflamed dialogue, manic introspection. It demands strategies and, yes, craft. My non-negotiable advice: go for it, element by element. Whatever the outcome, youll be a force to be reckoned with. Arthur Plotnik is an acclaimed editor and author whose eight books include the newly revised and expanded The Elements of Expression: Putting Thoughts Into Words (2012) and the recent Better Than Great: A Plenitudinous Compendium of Wallopingly Fresh Superlatives (2011). He lives in Chicago. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Idioms About Numbers"Owing to" vs "Due to"Proverb vs. Adage

Activity Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Activity Report - Essay Example Time is an important aspect of any project as it dictates the amount of resource used and the time within which services can be accessed. Optimally, the project will require two months and one week for completion. To achieve this, independent activities of the project will run parallel while dependent activities will run one after the other. Running the programs parallel will ensure that we follow the critical path and the project is complete within the shortest time. However, we anticipate a number of challenges while implementing this project. To begin with, the expect user difficulties in using this software. For instance, the users may face the challenges of working with a new mail system. To ensure that the project is successful, the project team will train all the employees on how to use the system, and the technical staff will handle the specific challenges that arise thereafter. Intensive training will ensure that all employees can safely work with software and that they can learn it as quick as possible (Smith, David, Kelly and Nowacki 45). In addition, we anticipate that a number of errors will arise during the implementation stage. The software team will monitor the process to correct all software errors as soon as they arise. In this light, we believe that the project will roll out in a smooth manner and will have optimal benefits to the organization. On the other hand, it is recommendable that the employees co-work with the implementation team so that they learn any arising issues as soon as possible. In addition, it is recommendable that the management team co-works with the software development team to foresee any challenges for correction before implementing the project. On this ground, we invite the corporate board to grant this project as part of its commitment to development the information technology system in the

I wondered how a person can be developed to be a leader Essay

I wondered how a person can be developed to be a leader - Essay Example An effective leader knows what needs to be done to bring life back to the company, to deal with the company’s debt and financial burdens, to manage burgeoning and diverse groups of employees or to introduce more consumer-relevant products. The leader is the person who knows how to bring results. This is the reason that company leadership is the first variable that is changed when it hits rough patches. Conversely, the asset that is most appreciated and valued when the company is gaining speed. I understand that an innate set of leadership characteristics is essential in a person to be a good leader, combined with relevant education and training. I attained that education in business school right at the onset of my career and it has proved instrumental in my career progression and leadership capabilities. I have surmised that leadership is very contextual in nature and exists in many forms and manifestations. There are no didactic rules surrounding leadership; leadership is suc cessful when it is addressing change and bringing results. What is Leadership? While there are countless definitions of leadership in textbooks, the one I found most relevant was presented by Kotter, saying that leadership addresses change in organizations and prepares it for the ensuing struggle (2001). The world is in a state of constant change and dynamism, affected by a multitude of factors including newer technologies, economic shifts, globalization, social responsibility, the internet and scarce resources. As a result, today’s companies need people at the helm who are capable of dealing with change and deciding strategies that bring about change. The legendary Steve Jobs is commended as being one of the best leaders of our times because he steered Apple single-handedly not only towards profit, but made the company the most innovative company in the world which affected billions all over the globe. The idea crafted by Jobs, in retrospect, seems so simple: to enable the e veryday consumer to have simple yet artful gadgets for everyday entertainment. It was that vision of change, combined with Jobs’ management of Apple’s resources to steer it towards achievement of that vision that has allowed Apple to become what it is today. Thereupon, I take leadership as the force that not merely creates a vision for betterment, but also communicates it to all stakeholders, making it possible for that vision to be realized. The Leadership Role With the understanding that leadership exists to address change, I attempted to understand the exact role leadership plays in this process. Leadership is about refusing to limit one’s mind to ‘either this or that’ scenarios, says Martin (2007); the author explains that leaders do not simply consider two three options and select among them, but rather they create new, unheard-of solutions. Effective leaders are not afraid of complicated problems and nor do they develop strategies that fit som e pre-conceived mould. Instead, leaders strive to find a special solution that meets the unique business need. The innovativeness in leaders’ thinking is represented by creative solutions to problems that are a result of multidirectional factors and often opposing options (Martin). McShane and VonGlinow (2009) state that leaders use all the persuasion tactics at their disposal to motivate people to understand and implement their creative solutions. I learnt

Metacognition knowledge and academic achievement of university students Essay Example for Free

Metacognition knowledge and academic achievement of university students Essay In general, metacognition is thinking about thinking. More specifically, Taylor (1999) defines metacognition as â€Å"an appreciation of what one already knows, together with a correct apprehension of the learning task and what knowledge and skills it requires, combined with the agility to make correct inferences about how to apply one’s strategic knowledge to a particular situation, and to do so efficiently and reliably. † The more students are aware of their thinking processes as they learn, the more they can control such matters as goals, dispositions, and attention. Self-awareness promotes self-regulation. If students are aware of how committed (or uncommitted) they are to reaching goals, of how strong (or weak) is their disposition to persist, and of how focused (or wandering) is their attention to a thinking or writing task, they can regulate their commitment, disposition, and attention. To increase their metacognitive abilities, students need to possess three kinds of content knowledge: declarative, procedural, and conditional. Declarative knowledge is the factual information that one knows; it can be declared—spoken or written. Procedural knowledge is knowledge of how to do something, of how to perform the steps in a process. Conditional knowledge is knowledge about when to use a procedure, skill, or strategy and when not to use it; why a procedure works and under what conditions; and why one procedure is better than another. Metacognition affects motivation because it affects attribution and self-efficacy. When students get results on tests and grades on assignments (especially unexpected results such as failures), they perform a mental causal search to explain to themselves why the results happened. When they achieve good results, students tend to attribute the result to two internal factors: their own ability and effort. When they fail, they might attribute the cause to these same internal factors or they might, in a self-protective rationalization, distance themselves from a sense of personal failure by blaming external causes, such as an overly difficult task, an instructor’s perverse testing habits, or bad luck. This tendency to attribute success to ability and effort promotes future success because it develops confidence in one’s ability to solve future unfamiliar and challenging tasks. The converse is also true. Attributing failure to a lack of ability reduces self-confidence and reduces the student’s summoning of intellectual and emotional abilities to the next challenging tasks; attribution theory also explains why such students will be unwilling to seek help from tutors and other support services: they believe it would not be worth their effort. In addition to blaming failure on external causes, underachievers often â€Å"self-handicap† themselves by deliberately putting little effort into an academic task; they thereby protect themselves from attributing their failure to a painful lack of ability by attributing their failure to lack of effort. The tasks that students need to perform vary not only among disciplines but among instructors in the same discipline. An effective strategy for preparing for a multiple choice test in biology is different from what is needed to prepare for a history exam with an essay that asks students to synthesize information from several chapters. Yet students often employ the same strategy—and sometimes the least effective strategy—for studying for very different kinds of tests. Furthermore, many students who perform badly misinterpret the tasks. Students need to understand the task accurately in order to use the most effective strategies. Research Question: The basic aim of the study was to identify the relationship between meta-cognitive knowledge and academic achievement of university students. Methods: To analysis and interpretation of data and Survey was planned to collect data from University of education (UE) and Govt. College University Lahore (GCU). Twenty five (25) students were collected of UE and Twenty five (25) students from GCU randomly. Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) was used to measure meta-cognitive knowledge. This inventory consisted of six components i. e. Planning, monitoring, evaluation, declarative knowledge, conditional knowledge and procedural knowledge but researcher selected three components i. e. declarative knowledge, conditional knowledge, and procedural knowledge. Responses were collected on three point scale i. e. Yes, no and to some extent. Scores of these components were used to compare Metacognitive knowledge of UE and GCU students. Analysis of data was presented in the form of Tables. Null hypothesis: There is no difference b/w the metacognition knowledge and academic achievement of students. Alternative hypothesis: There is difference b/w the metacognition knowledge and academic achievement of students. Ho: ? 1 = ? 2 Ha: ? 1 ? ?2 Table 1. 1 Comparison of mean scores of UE students and mean score of GCU students on component of Meta cognitive knowledge (Declarative Knowledge) by Independent samples t-test. University of Education (n=25) Govt. College University (n=25) t-value Mean SD Mean SD 6. 21 1. 63 6. 52 1. 23 .749 The result of independent samples t-test was conducted to compare mean scores of UE students and mean score of GCU students on component of Meta cognitive Knowledge (Declarative Knowledge). The value of t (48) = . 749 is not significant at ? =0. 05. This means that mean scores of UE students and means score of GCU students are not different on component of Meta cognitive Knowledge (Declarative Knowledge). Fig 1. 1 Bar chart shows comparison of mean scores of UE students and means score of GCU students on component of Meta cognitive knowledge (Declarative Knowledge). Table 1. 2 Comparison of mean scores of UE students and mean score of GCU students on component of Meta cognitive knowledge (Conditional Knowledge) by Independent samples t-test. University of Education (n=25) Govt. College University (n=25) t-value Mean SD Mean SD 2. 98 .87 3. 10 1. 08 .430 Table 1. 2 shows the result of independent samples t-test. Independent samples t-test was conducted to compare mean scores of UE students and mean score of GCU students on component of Meta cognitive Knowledge (Conditional Knowledge). The value of t (48) = . 430 is not significant at ? =0. 05. This means that mean scores of UE students and mean score of GCU students are not different on component of Meta cognitive Knowledge (Conditional Knowledge). Fig 1. 2 Bar chart shows comparison of mean scores of UE students and means score of GCU students on component of Meta cognitive knowledge (Declarative Knowledge). Table 1. 3 Comparison of mean scores of UE students and mean score of GCU students on component of Meta cognitive awareness (Procedural Knowledge) by Independent samples t-test. University of Education (n=25) Govt. College University (n=25) t-value Mean SD Mean SD 4. 16 1. 01 3. 76 1. 109 1. 328 Table 1. 3 shows the result of independent samples t-test. Independent samples t-test was conducted to compare mean scores of UE students and mean score of GCU students on component of Meta cognitive Knowledge (Procedural Knowledge). The value of t (48) = 1. 328 is not significant at ? =0. 05. This means that means scores of UE students and means score of GCU students are same on component of Meta cognitive Knowledge (Procedural Knowledge). Fig 1. 3 Bar chart shows comparison of mean scores of UE students and means score of GCU students on component of Meta cognitive knowledge (Declarative Knowledge). Table 1. 4 Comparison of mean scores of UE students and mean score of GCU students on component of Meta cognitive knowledge by Independent samples t-test University of Education (n=25) Govt. College University (n=25) t-value Mean SD Mean SD 13. 38 2. 83 13. 30 2. 60 .104 Table 1. 4 shows the result of independent samples t-test. Independent samples t-test was conducted to compare mean scores of UE students and mean score of GCU students on component of Meta cognitive by Independent samples t-test. The value of t (48) = . 104 is not significant at ? =0. 05. This means that mean scores of UE students and mean score of GCU students are same on component of Meta cognitive by Independent samples t-test. Fig 1. 4 Bar chart shows comparison of mean scores of UE students and means score of GCU students on component of Meta cognitive knowledge (Declarative Knowledge). Table 1. 5 Comparison of mean scores of academic achievement and Meta cognitive knowledge of both universities student’s by Independent samples t-test UE GCU Low Achiever (n=25) High Achiever (n=25) t-value Mean SD Mean SD Declarative knowledge 5. 08 1. 49 7. 33 0. 78 4. 64 Procedural Knowledge 2. 46 0. 72 3. 46 0. 72 3. 48 Conditional Knowledge 3. 50 1. 07 4. 77 0. 44 4. 0 Meta-cognitive knowledge 11. 04 2. 18 15. 54 1. 09 6. 6 Table 1. 5 shows the result of independent samples t-test. Independent samples t-test was conducted to compare mean scores of academic achievement and Meta cognitive knowledge of both universities student’s by Independent samples t-test. These results show that mean scores of Metacognitive knowledge and academic achievement of both universities student’s are different. Procedure: To fulfill the above mentioned purpose instrumentation, data collection methods and procedures for analysis of data were used. The study was descriptive in nature as it addressed the prevailing situation of using meta-cognitive knowledge in daily life by students. The target population for this study was the students of UE and GCU Lahore. The researcher selected sample by using convenient sampling technique from the students of UE and GCU Lahore. Fifteen items wee included in the questionnaire taken from meta-cognitive awareness inventory. After the selection of sample and development of the questionnaire, the questionnaires were distributed. The questionnaire was administered personally by the respondent and filled questionnaire collected back. The return rate of the questionnaire was 100% due to personal administration. To analyze the data means standard deviations, independent sample t. test, was calculated. Results: 1. The mean score of Meta-cognitive knowledge (declarative knowledge) of University of Education are same from mean score of Govt. College University. Because the value of t is not significant at ? =0. 05. 2. The mean score of Meta-cognitive knowledge (conditional knowledge) of University of Education are same from mean score of Govt. College University. Because the value of t is not significant at ? =0. 05. 3. The mean score of Meta-cognitive knowledge (procedural knowledge) of (UE) are same from mean score of (GCU) because the value of t is not significant at ? =0. 05. 4. The mean score of Meta cognitive Knowledge and mean score of academic achievement are different among both universities. Because the value of t is significant at ? =0. 05.

The Effects of the Industrial Revolution :: Expository Essays Research Papers

The Effects of the Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was absolutely beneficial to the progress of the world from the 1800s all the way to present day. Sacrifices were made which allowed technological advancements during the Industrial Revolution, which in turn, created happiness, life opportunities, and an over-all, definite amelioration of life. At the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, many hardships had to be overcome, causing great grief to most of the population. Faith was lost, patience was tried, and a blanket of oppression covered the people of Europe. When new inventions arose to facilitate the producing and mass-producing of goods that supplied the people of Europe, nearly everyone was forced to begin a new career within a factory. These are just some of the hardships that many loyal, hardworking citizens were faced with. The reverberations of these new inventions caused a dramatic plummet of the life expectancy of an average citizen to an alarming 15 years of age. Women and children were expected to work up to 16 hours a day and doing labor that could cause serious injury, like carrying extremely heavy loads. For their work, they were paid ridiculous wages, women around 5 shillings per week, and children about 1. One can easily recognize the negative aspects of such a dramatic event. However, if one "steps bac k" to view the revolution as a whole, he will notice that the positive aspects completely out-weigh the negative aspects. The revolution began when inventors introduced their creations to improve the way people were producing goods. Machines such as the cotton gin, water frame, power loom, and spinning jenny allowed textile products to be produced in mass quantities. These techniques of mass-production made other methods such as cottage industry, where families produce items by hand, obsolete. As a result of this, people began to work in factories with these machines. Factories became so dominant that eventually the cottage industry no longer played a part in people's lives. This dramatically changed people's lifestyles, and for a long period of time, there were terrible work conditions. These factories had its positive and negative aspects. The work conditions were very dangerous, there were no safety devices, and many had to work long hours. However, due to the mass production, many jobs were available, and the prices of goods considerably decreased because of the extreme availability. The job opportunities and price decrease definitely improved the lives of the people, giving them a chance to be a part of the society and be able to purchase products at a price that wasn't too bad.

Individual Behavior and Communication Essay

The Walt Disney Company was established in 1923, by Walt Elias Disney and his brother Roy. The two brothers founded the organization on big dreams and determination. Their primary goal was to make people happy and provide quality entertainment. The Disney organization has been around for over 85 years. The core ideology of the Disney Company promotes a source of guidance and inspiration. The core values and mission of the company is what the employees base their foundation on. Attitude and behavior is attributed to the core values of the organization. The values that Disney represents are maintaining strong innovation, maintaining high quality services, and striving to achieve quality products. The underlying principles innovation, quality, community, and storytelling are what the Disney organization symbolizes. Walt Disney worked very hard to provide the community with an outstanding organization. Anyone who is affiliated with or working for the Disney organization is expected to maintain and be held accountable for the same high standards that Walt Disney founded his organization on. Disney provides quality entertainment for everyone. In order for visitors of the park to receive a memorable experience employees must undergo a vast amount of training. The Disney Company has created a culture in which their employees are valued as individuals and as part of a team. Disney believes you can have happy guests only if you have happy employees. (http://voices. yahoo. com/the-magic-disneys-organizational-behavior-concepts-550698. html). This is one example of organizational culture. Communication within an organization is the key to making any company successful. Disney believes that if the work environment is comfortable mployees will feel free to share their thoughts and ideas, and speak their mind. This is turn can lead to generating creative ideas. Employee participation ensures that everyone is working toward achieving the same goal of providing quality service and a memorable experience to park visitors. It is plain to see that Disney demonstrates diversity and empowerment.

Contact The Belief Of Religion And Science - 1244 Words

Contact I found the movie Contact very interesting as it explored both the belief of religion and science. I think Ellie suffered many losses in her life so it was no surprise to me that she had no faith that God existed. How could someone exist, yet cause her so much pain at such a very young age? In the beginning of the movie, Ellie asks her father if he believed if there was life on other planets. Little did she know at the time that answer would come full circle by the end of the movie. So it was no surprise to me that she became a doctor of science, an astronomer, looking for a sign or signal via radio that life out there did in fact exist. Was it coincidence that an atheist like Ellie would embark on this journey to finding†¦show more content†¦The love that was forming between Ellie and Palmer almost became symbolic that you can have both science and religion come together. I think that it was almost fate that the first test run ended in mass destruction and th at the first space craft was destroyed. It was almost meant to be that another model was made and that Ellie would be the one to take that trip to Vega. I have always been a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. Not that innocent people losing their life was a good reason, but it was in fact a symbolic one. Palmer and Ellie had many conversations throughout the movie that tested their attraction to one another. Ellie was a firm believer that science could reveal that God never existed. While Palmer on the other hand could not understand how anyone could believe that God did not exist. The interview for the seat on the spacecraft was one of the most important parts of the movie. While selfishly Palmer did not want to risk the life of Ellie sending her into the unknown, Ellie was willing to risk it all to prove that science could prove that extraterrestrial life did in fact exist outside of us. He asks her if she believes in God. While someone on the panel states to her that most of the population believes in some form of spiritual being, Palmer wants the answer to whether or not she believes in God. I do not know if it was for his own selfish understanding or if he was just trying to protect her. I do not think that he