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  • A Tumbler of Your Daily Life – Making the Most Out of Journaling

    With all the accessible forms of communication these days, it’s easy to dismiss the pleasure of setting time aside in our day to collect our thoughts and write them down. Whether via the old-fashioned pen and paper or through electronic devices, it is a great idea that can make you feel good. Oftentimes, we feel that since we spend most of our day talking, texting, emailing, private messaging, and maybe even snapchatting, there’s really no use for maintaining a journal.

    However, we shouldn’t underestimate the advantages of gathering our day-to-day experiences and putting them into writing. It helps relieve stress and enhances your writing skills. Here are tips to maximize journaling amid this busy world:

    Choose the medium that feels right to you.

    We all have our preferences when it comes to taking notes in the classroom, and it’s the same when journaling. If you’re comfortable typing your daily journal entries on your smartphone, do it that way. If you prefer to handwrite it, go for it. No need to buy fancy journals and pens though. However, if you feel those leather-bound notebooks motivates you to write, be ready to make an investment as you may need to save up for them.

    Go with free writing method.

    When it comes to writing for academic subjects, grammatical and spelling rules tend to bind you. However, keep in mind that in journaling, it’s best to set aside these rules. Just write whatever comes into your mind and don’t restrict yourself. Let it all out. Think of it as when you’re dancing when no one’s looking – you feel the beat more so you move more freely. As a result, you feel much better afterwards.

    Designate a time to write.

    When we are juggling multiple tasks, it will be difficult to keep to a schedule and take the time to sit down and write. This is when you should put your discipline skills to the test. If you normally find yourself free at 7pm, do your best to keep to that schedule. Don’t make excuses unless there is a good reason behind it.

    Select a place to write too!

    If you feel that your writing mood improves when you’re at a coffee place rather than at a library, then write your journal entry when you’re there. Of course, be prepared to accept that this may not always be applicable so be flexible and work with what you can. If you often find yourself on the go, the best option is to carry your pen and notebook everywhere you go.

    Unleash your creativity.

    Remember you’re not writing a term paper where you have to meet a certain number of words or pages. As such, it wouldn’t hurt if you also go beyond writing. If you like to doodle, for example, include those doodles in your entries. If you’re the scrapbooking type, include items like a receipt from a restaurant that you really liked or a concert ticket you went to that you were excited about.

    Be resourceful.

    If you feel like there was nothing worth noting about your day, don’t beat yourself up for it. However, this is no excuse for you to skip writing an entry. A good alternative is to find a book or a magazine or newspaper, choose an interesting passage or story from it, and jot down your thoughts or opinions of it. Who knows, this could lead to better writing ideas in the future!

    Journaling seems like an outdated idea with all the social networking sites we can post everything on. However, with journaling, there’s no requirement to edit so you can maintain appearances. It’s freeing, and in the process, you learn about yourself more. That’s certainly something that social networks can’t offer.

    SOURCES:

    http://writetodone.com/how-to-journal-5-tips-for-capturing-your-best-ideas-part-1-of-2/

    http://lifehacker.com/why-you-should-keep-a-journal-and-how-to-start-yours-1547057185

    https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/mar/22/how-to-start-journal-writing-drawing

    http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Create-a-Good-Journal-Entry/

  • How to Get Better in English Studies

    How to Get Better in English Studies

    If you had to name your most important subject in school, you might name something like math, computers, or science. They can lead to good jobs in programming, research, or other well-paid fields. Still, you would never be able to manage in those areas without your English studies.

    People often think that English studies are less useful than other subjects because they rarely lead directly to jobs, except possibly in teaching or writing. However, a good grasp of the language is extremely important for most other jobs, and even studying literature or grammar can help with communication skills that people need every day.

    Suppose that you want to become a doctor. Learning to treat a broken leg or a fever might seem more important than reading or writing. However, you still need to read other people’s articles to learn more about new treatments, and you will also need to write about your own special knowledge. The same is true in many other fields, such as mathematics, engineering, and teaching.

    People have different ways of improving their English skills, and you should find the ones that work best for you. The most important thing you can do is read. Reading poetry, fiction, and non-fiction can help you learn different styles of writing and how they affect the audience. Trying to read a bit above your normal level of understanding can also be good, but not all the time. Finding a good mixture of high-, medium-, and low-level reading is best for most people.

    Even though almost any kind of reading can be helpful, you should try to make sure to include at least a few of the classics, such as Shakespeare or Dickens. These works still have a lot of good insights into life, and they have influenced many modern writers. If the originals are too long and difficult, you can find simplified versions of them to read instead, such as Charles and Mary Lamb’s Tales from Shakespeare.

    The same is true of writing. Your school classes probably give you the chance to try different types of writing, but you can also experiment with it on your own. Try writing instructions for putting together a toy or a machine, or write a poem or short story about any subject that interests you. Even if your writing is bad at the beginning, it will improve with practice.

    Depending on your personality and home life, you may or may not be able to discuss your English studies with your family, but your friends might be available. Finding people who can encourage and help you with reading and writing can make the whole process easier.

    No matter what you end up doing, your English studies will be important. With a bit of extra work now and in the future, you can make sure that you do the best you can in this essential subject.

    Bibliography:

    Fitzpatrick, Katarina. “How to Get Better Grades in English Class.” http://classroom.synonym.com/better-grades-english-class-6373163.html

    Swanson, Beverley B. “How Can I Improve My Child’s Reading?” http://www.readingrockets.org/article/how-can-i-improve-my-childs-reading.

    WikiHow.com. “How to Succeed in English Class.” http://www.wikihow.com/Succeed-in-English-Class.

    WikiHow.com. “How to Get Good Grades. “ http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Good-Grades

    The Wordstream Blog. “16 Ways to Improve Your Writing Skills.” http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2014/08/07/improve-writing-skills

  • Best Books to Read Before University

    Best Books to Read Before University

    Here is a little heads up about university: you will have to read A LOT. More than that, you will have to write a lot. There will be essays expected in nearly every subject and some previous literary knowledge can really come in handy. It not only helps make you sound more experienced and knowledgeable in your essay writing, but will help with in-class discussions and group work. There are plenty of different books to not only take advantage of but truly enjoy. Here are a few to start you off on the path to being the smartest and most well read freshman in the room:

    A Room of One’s Own – Virginia Woolf

    Ms. Woolf really knew how to say the things that lie deep in one’s mind. A Room of One’s Own is an insightful and eloquently written long essay that explores feminist themes on literal and figural space for women writers within a largely male dominated arena. It is based on a series of university lectures Woolf gave, and is perfect for getting the mind thinking about feminist issues and autonomy. Especially consider tackling this one if you are heading into Women’s Studies, English, Philosophy, Psychology or Political Science.

    The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath

    Plath’s brain is a fascinating place and she has penned some truly great work. The Bell Jar is arguably Plath at the height of her brilliance. A look at mental illness, anxiety and depression, its attributes for students lie in the complex themes often mulled over by Plath and truly many people every day. It is very dark, yes, but professors in university will be impressed at your knowledge and its many psychological themes and strong English will make its way into your paper writing when school begins.

    The Armies of the Night – Norman Mailer

    You want to talk about great thinkers and writers? Look up Norman Mailer. The amazing (although at times not the most politically correct and socially acceptable) writer was at the forefront of the New Journalism movement and knew how to combine non-fictional reporting with creative-form writing. The Armies of the Night is a work of art about the 1967 March on the Pentagon. Perfect for those interested in either politics, 1960s culture or historical figures, this book is for both the creative and the scientific. Chock full of deep thoughts and great one-liners, Mailer is a quotable entity if there ever was one and not a single professor is unaware of his credentials. Read this one.

    Just Kids – Patti Smith

    There are many different kinds of brilliance, and artistic brilliance is a heavy-hitter. For inspiration and a truly stunning example of impeccable poetry read rocker Patti Smith’s Just Kids. A memoir about her and former lover and life-long friend photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, Just Kids is not only a love letter to a soul mate but a love letter to muses, different art forms and the process and hard times of the artist. It’s not enough to want to learn in order to achieve a career, you should also want to have passion for that learning. Smith is all about passion and it’s infectious.

  • Why Your Ideas are Important

    Why Your Ideas are Important

    We all go through periods in which we feel as if we are sapped of creativity. Many refer to these periods as being “blocked”—when good ideas seem nowhere to be found, and you often can’t think of anything worthy of efforts. Yet sometimes, it’s possible to escape these blocks simply by appreciating what you have to offer.

    Your ideas are important. Whether they’re scribbled on the back of a cocktail napkin or hiding somewhere in the bottom of your school bag, they matter. And, even when it feels as if you can’t possibly come up with anything intelligent or interesting, know that you have enough brainpower to work towards your next finding.

    It is rare that we truly appreciate our own creative potential. Every individual has their own unique life experiences, opinions, and perspectives to draw upon, and it is important to remember that we all have something interesting to bring to the table. A story that may seem benign to you may bring others to tears; meanwhile, the struggles of others may hit home with you in a way that you could never have anticipated.

    Moreover, you need to be honest and kind to yourself if you want to make creative progress. Something you come up with may seem weak, but it’s unwise to judge your abilities based on just one thing. Good brainstorming sessions often don’t come easily, and you often have to go through a lot of first drafts (and a lot of abandoned projects) before you hit the jackpot.

    There are a few ways you can maximize the productivity of your brainstorming process by channeling your ideas more effectively:

    • Write everything down—keep a pen on you at all times in case inspiration strikes. Struggling to remember that amazing idea you got while on the subway (but never got the chance to record) can be torturous.
    • Surround yourself by creative triggers, or people, places, or things that get the gears turning.
    • By pitching your ideas to others, you will be able to see how your ideas look from their perspective, as well as appreciate facets that you perhaps would not have otherwise noticed.
    • Create a visual idea board to physically represent and connect concepts. It is especially helpful if you keep this board close by while you’re working.

    Overall, remember that blocks aren’t forever, and that you’re capable of working through them. Stay positive, and keep at it. You’ll be on to the next big thing in no time.

  • Cursive Writing: A Dying Art in School

    Cursive Writing: A Dying Art in School

    With the modern popularity of computers, tablets, and smartphones changing the way people communicate, there is also the consequence of fewer people knowing how to use cursive writing. On the larger scale, this is partly because many people no longer regularly write by hand, and partly because in many places this skill is no longer taught in elementary school. While it is somewhat understandable that the focus is on typing and computers, given that more and more communication tasks are becoming digital, there are nevertheless some downsides to the loss of cursive writing.

    Learning and using cursive writing has many benefits.   Typing does not offer much feedback to the brain, so there is a better connection in the brain between the information and the physical act of handwriting, because handwriting engages circuits in the brain that typing with a keyboard simply does not. Cursive handwriting is a complex skill that affects and engages cognitive development, visual, motor and memory circuits, and hand-eye coordination. With the decline of learning cursive at a young age, there can potentially be a detrimental effect on people, such as taking longer to perfect these fine motor skills. There is also a strong scientific and psychological following that the use of handwriting affects how deeply and expressively people are able to understand and communicate their thoughts and ideas.

    There are of course many practical considerations to learning cursive writing skills. One of these is to develop your own unique written signature for signing documents. While there is an increased trend toward digital signatures and biometrics such as fingerprint scanning, the unique identifier of a written signature is still valuable.

    As well, there are still many times you will encounter situations in which using a computer, keyboard, or other electronic device is simply not an option; as a student, most of these will come in the form of in-class midterms and final exams, which are typically still handwritten. Especially in writing-heavy courses, time is of the essence when you have to complete essay answers and other written work in only an hour or two. Writing in cursive is much, much faster than printing, and can make the difference between being able to get all your answers down, or running out of time with questions and discussion points still unfinished.

    If you never learned cursive, it’s not too late! All you need is a guide of the letterforms, and then it’s just practice, practice, practice by forcing yourself to write in cursive all the time. Before long, it will be as natural as breathing! And if seeing fancy handwriting seems intimidating, just remember that no one expects perfect letters, loops and joins all the time; rather, learning cursive will allow you to develop a fast, easy, and personal writing style all your own!

    SOURCES:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cursive

    http://2machines.com/180907/

    http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/long-held-tradition-cursive-handwriting-slowly-dying-america/

  • The Benefits of Keeping a Journal

    If you are looking for a new activity to engage in this summer, consider starting a journal. Keeping a personal journal is a great way to create a reminder of all your summertime fun. By creating a journal, you can look back on all the memories you made with friends and family during the summer.

    Whether your summer will be jam-packed with travel and adventure or laid-back with hobbies and family, a journal is a great place to write about what you’re doing, thinking, and feeling. You can even include mementos of your experiences, such as photos and drawings, or keepsakes like the ticket stub from an event or a pressed leaf from a camping trip. You can look back through your summer journal whenever you want to remind yourself of the fun you had, or take it and share with trusted friends.

    But don’t just do a journal for the summer – keep it going! Having a private place to express your personal thoughts and feelings, whether they are happy ones or sad ones, is great for your mental health by letting you “get it all out”. This will help you work through your thoughts and feelings about the events going on in your life, so that you can understand yourself and the situation better.

    You can also use your journal to get a great self-esteem boost. By recording the great things that happen to you, and the successful things you do or participate in, you will remind yourself how unique and talented you are. Then you can look back through your journal for motivation, to remind yourself how good you felt at achieving your goals, or just to cheer yourself up when you’re having a bad day.

    Lastly, keeping a regular journal will help increase your creativity just by giving you somewhere to practice your thinking, writing, and communication skills. Whether you engage in other creative hobbies or not, the ability to think creatively and communicate clearly will serve you through your entire life.

    You can keep a journal in many different ways, so try various methods until you find one that works best for you. The most common is a paper notebook or hardbound journal and pen, great for those who like the feeling of a pen and paper, and feel connected to their words when they write things by hand. If you prefer technology, it is easy to keep a journal in a text document on your computer, or there are many mobile apps to help you keep a journal on your phone or tablet device. Just remember to keep it simple – the benefit is from the writing, not the medium or technology used to hold your thoughts.

  • Making a Living in Poetry

    Making a Living in Poetry

    If you read about the lives of famous poets like John Milton and William Shakespeare, you might notice something they had in common. They wrote great poetry which is still popular hundreds of years later, but they also had other jobs. William Shakespeare made only eight pounds for writing each of his plays and even less for his sonnets. He had to work as an actor to make a living. John Milton wrote political pamphlets to help pay his bills. Marianne Moore, a twentieth-century poet, worked as a librarian. Making a living as a poet has never been easy, but is it possible?

    Working as any kind of writer can be difficult. Novelists often have to go through many rejections before they can get their books published. Even then, making a living through writing can be hard to make much money. It can be even harder for poets. Their work is often less popular than novels and other types of writing, and they are often unable to sell many copies of their work. Often, they must teach classes or find some other way to make a living while writing poetry on the side. The Manitoba poet Sarah Klassen, for example, taught English for many years while she was writing and publishing.

    Being flexible and inventive can help poets make money through their writing. The traditional method of publishing books of poetry is likely to be difficult, but poets can make money in other ways. Magazines in print or online often include a few poems, and literary contests can also be good places for new poets to get their work published. In some cases, poets can even get fulltime work in advertising, producing greeting cards, or other fields where the skills of a poet are useful.

    Being able to communicate is an important part of being a poet. Some poets are good at telling stories and others are better at showing emotions. However, all poets learn to use language in new ways. Poetry is a very brief and sparse way of communicating. Often, a few words have to communicate complete thoughts in poetry, and poets have to choose their words carefully.  Even in narrative poems that tell stories, using the fewest words possible can be the most effective. Developing good writing skills is an essential part of becoming a poet. The first step is often to read a lot, learning from poets of the past and present. Courses in English literature or in writing techniques can help new writers develop their skills.

    Poets also need to develop their own styles. Some poets like to use complete sentences in their work. Others like to use as few words as possible to say what they mean. Another important factor is what publishers and readers want. Different styles of poetry appeal to different types of people, and publishers’ guidelines can give you a good idea of what works best in each situation. Learning to adapt your writing style will help you become successful as a poet.

  • How to Write an Effective, Powerful Resume

    An effective, powerful resume is an advertisement for you. It tells the employer what you can do for them and proves you’re the best person for the job. If your resume is strong, it will get you interviews and put you on the fast track to the job you want.

    An employer decides in less than a minute whether to read your resume or put it aside. You can be one of over 100 applicants, so your resume must be short (no more than two pages), sweet and to the point. It must make a powerful impact immediately, otherwise you’ll be knocked out by the competition.

    An employer has many questions on their mind: Who are you? Can you do the job? Will you get along with my staff? Can I trust you? Your resume must answer these questions.

    Contact Information. The header of your resume includes your name, phone number (home and/or cell), email and social network address like LinkedIn or Twitter.

    Objective. Some experts say you don’t need an objective; however, it can be useful if you just finished school because it tells the employer exactly what you want. Your objective can be one or two lines and can say something like, “Seeking a challenging opportunity where I can use my skills to contribute to the organization’s success.”

    Professional Profile. Here is where you really get to sell yourself and show off all your key strengths, but be careful not to come across as arrogant. You tell the employer what makes you different to anyone else – known in the world of advertising as your Unique Selling Proposition, or USP. It explains why you’re the best person for the job using adjectives like “reliable”, “punctual” and “positive”.

    Skills. An employer must know if you can do the job. List your skills as nouns and organize them in groups like Technical, Administrative or Research. Mention any foreign languages you speak since that is an asset in today’s workplace.

    Work Experience. Start with your most recent job first then work backward. Include the employer’s name, city and province, job title and employment dates. Use short bulleted points to explain what you did, beginning with powerful action verbs such as “organized”, “planned” and “developed”. Rather than listing only job duties, explain how you benefitted your last employer so the potential employer can understand how you would help them. For example, instead of saying “Handled phone inquiries”, it’s better to say “Handled telephone inquiries in a professional, friendly manner to ensure customers were highly satisfied.”

    Education. List your most recent education first then work backward. Include your degree, school name and graduation year. Include your GPA only if it’s 3.0 or higher. If you have less than three years of work experience, your education is your strongest point so list it before your work experience. Include your high school if you haven’t yet started university or college.

    Personal Interests. You can include hobbies but don’t mention partying or socializing because this will send a negative message to the employer.

    References. Some experts say you don’t need this section. If you need to fill empty space on the last page, say “References available upon request.”

    If you remember these simple points, you’ll write an effective, powerful resume and get the job you want.

  • Tips for Writing the Perfect Paper

    Tips for Writing the Perfect Paper

    The perfect paper is a true work of art. It’s perfectly organized and has a clear, structured flow from thesis to conclusion. It has a flawless bibliography and citations, with no spelling or grammar mistakes in sight. It has a title that’s both concise and clever; maybe it even has headings. But that perfect paper can be hard to come by—because it takes a whole lot of work to nail down.

    If you’re in the pursuit of the perfect paper, here are some tips to help you out.

    Use your own words. You may feel the urge to pretty up your sentences with lots of figures of speech and adjectives you dug out of the thesaurus. Don’t. You’d be surprised at how effectively you can get the point across if you just use your own words. Of course, you should be professional and use academic language, but going on in circles just because you want to sound competent will actually make you seem anything but. An embellished paper is not necessarily well written; simpler is better.

    Be specific. Provide historical examples, data sets and any information that you feel will best back up your claims. Specificity provides clarity on your subject, as well as credibility that you actually understand the information you are presenting. A good paper can then connect the facts you present to broader themes in the discipline. Vague statements that don’t have evidence to support them will unfortunately fall flat.

    Cite well. This is specific to research papers: keep a detailed record of what information you got from what source. Make sure you are keeping up with footnotes/endnotes or in-text citations (depending on the required format), and that they fall in line with what is written in your bibliography. This becomes especially crucial once you enter university, because plagiarism is considered a serious academic offence (even if it’s accidental). Keep track of your information and you’ll be in the clear.

    Proofread—repeatedly. No matter how good a writer you are, you should never hand in your first draft as a final copy! Look over your paper not only for spelling and grammar mistakes, but in order to eliminate redundant words, rephrase awkward sentences and overall make your paper flow as seamlessly as possible. You should do this a couple of times until you’re sure what you’ve produced is your best work. Still in doubt? Have a classmate look it over and see if there’s anything you missed.

    Take these tips to heart, put pen to paper and get writing!

  • Keeping a Journal

    Keeping a Journal

    Keeping a journal is a great way to find clarity in your thoughts and to express yourself. Maybe there are issues you are going through in your personal life such as family problems,  issues with your friends or maybe the passing of a loved one.

    Writing daily or weekly in a journal/diary is a great way to let your emotions and feelings out. It can prove to be very therapeutic.

    Getting started is very simple. Grab a notebook or diary from the dollar store, write the date and just start writing. It would be helpful to write alone in your room or outside in quiet area that you may find peaceful. Write about anything that comes to mind and don’t over think it. There’s no right or wrong. Write about what you did that day. Where did you go? Who did you see? What did you accomplish? What do you feel during that moment? Are you sad about something? Are you happy? Are you stressed?

    You can even write about your short-term or long-term goals. What steps do you need to take to get there? Write them down. By writing down your dreams and goals, you are making more of a concrete commitment to them instead of just thinking about them. By writing them down and seeing them, you are more likely to act upon them later.

    Keeping a journal is not about just writing in it. It’s a great way to reflect as well by reading past entries. Maybe as the days go on and you read what you wrote before, you’ll realize that life isn’t so bad after all. You may feel better about a particular issue you were having before or maybe you changed something in your life for the better. You will see progress in your life. Maybe you accomplished some of your goals. Knowing that you achieved something that you wrote down from before is a great feeling in itself.

    As you get older, you will be glad that you kept a journal to see how your life was like in your younger days and how your life is different now. It’s a great way to keep track of memories and important moments in your life that you may forget otherwise if you didn’t write them down.

    Overall, keeping a journal is a great tool that serves many purposes. Happy writing!