www.dual3.co.uk

Deborah Owen

Creative writing is so much more than stringing your words together in the proper order. It is the wondrous transport by which you place your own thoughts and fears into the hearts and minds of others. How much do you know about writing? Test your knowledge, and check your answers in the bottom half of the article.

1. The main climax scene is called the ________

2. The main idea of the entire story is called the ________

3. How you phrase your thoughts is called your writing _______

4. The four kinds of conflict are _________

5. Name the four points of view.

6. Name the two kinds of voice.

7. Another word for people “speaking” is _______

8. The first paragraph should set the ________

9. Developing a character is called _________

10. Making the readers see the setting in their minds is ________

11. Use _______, don’t tell.

12. When you have finished writing, the final step is _______

13. The end of the story is called the __________

14. Fantasy, horror and romance are three different ____________

15. Don’t split an ___________

16. Wordiness is called _________

17. A person who writes an article for someone else and receives no byline is called a ________

18. A writer’s pseudonym is his _________ name

19. A writer sends a ________ letter to see if the editor wants to buy his work

20. When a writer submits the same story to more than one place at the same time, it is called a _________ ______________

Answers:

1a. The main climax scene is called the plot.

2a. The main idea of the entire story is called the theme.

3a. How you phrase your thoughts is called your writing style.

4a. The four kinds of conflict are man against man, man against nature, man against self, man against society

5a.. Name the four points of view

Deborah Owen

Creative writers

Brian Scott

In your APA Style thesis or dissertation, the reference list provides an alphabetical listing of all the sources you used to create your paper. When creating an APA Style reference list, which some people call a bibliography, you have to follow specific APA formatting rules, depending on the type of source involved.

First, let’s discuss some basic rules about the reference list.

AUTHORS. List the author’s last name, followed by the initials. If you have more than one author for a source, list each one individually, until you’ve listed the sixth author, then use “et al.” for any subsequent authors. When listing more than one author, use an ampersand (&) instead of the word “and” ahead of the final author in the list.

INDENTION. After the first line of each source, indent each subsequent line about one-half inch, creating a hanging indention for each source.

ORDERING. Alphabetize the entire list by the authors’ last names. If you have more than one source from an author, list the earliest source first.

PUNCTUATION. Capitalize all major words in the titles of the works that you’re citing for journals, but not books. With longer pieces of works, such as books and journals, italicize the titles. Do not italicize shorter pieces of work, such as essays.

I. Reference List Examples

Next, here are some examples for listing various sources in APA Style.

BOOKS. Include the year of publication, the book title, the publisher’s location and name, along with the author’s name(s).

*Johnson, T. J., & Smith, X. Q. (2003). Economic growth in Africa. New York: Jones Brothers Publishers.

ELECTRONIC SOURCES. List the author’s name, if known; date of publication, if known; title of the online article or Web page; volume or issue number, if known; date of retrieval; and Internet address. The first example is from an online periodical.

* Johnson, T. J., & Smith, X. Q. (2004). Determining technology’s role in economic growth. Retrieved August 20, 2007, from (website address)

If you’re simply referencing a standard Web page, use this format.

* Tracking the Economy Web site. (2006). Report on technology’s growth. Retrieved May 16, 2007, from (website address)

For sourcing an online lecture or presentation, follow this example.

* Johnson, T. J. (2006). Technology’s role in the economy [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from (website address)

GOVERNMENT DOCUMENT. Because such a document usually doesn’t include an author, list the governmental division in the alphabetical list.

* Department of the Treasury. (2005). Economic growth forecast, 2006-2010 (Publication number 2005-10-0032). Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.

PERIODICALS. When using a magazine or newspaper as a source, list the author, date of publication, article title, name of the periodical, and page numbers used.

* Johnson, J. T. (2006, November 29). Governments invest in technology. New York Times, p. B1.

A journal requires slightly different formatting. Be sure to include the issue number in italics ahead of the page number(s).

* Johnson, J. T. (2005). Technology controls local economies. Journal of Economic Growth, 7, 423-427.

VIDEO. If citing a movie as a source, list the producer, director, date of publication, title, country of origin, and studio.

* David, L., Bender, L., & Burns, S. Z. (Producers), Guggenheim, D. (Director). (2005). An inconvenient truth [Motion picture]. United States: Paramount Classics.

II. Citing a television show follows a similar format.

* Jones, G. (Producer). (2000, Sept. 6). The nightly news [Television broadcast]. New York: Public Broadcasting System.

III. Odd Situations

SAME AUTHOR, SAME YEAR. If you end up with several sources from the same author, some of which were published in the same year, use an “a” and “b” designation to differentiate between the two sources in your alphabetical listing.

* Johnson, J. T. (2006a). Technology in economy. Economist Magazine, 113, 17-18.

* Johnson, J. T. (2006b). Economic conditions worldwide. Economist Magazine, 115, 23.

SECONDARY SOURCE. If you’ve used a secondary source in your paper that references another work, you should refer to the original work and use a citation for the secondary source in the main text. In the reference list, however, only list the secondary source.

IV. Finally, for additional information on formatting sources in a reference list, look at the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association or visit the APA Web site, where you’ll find some online resources designed specifically for formatting online sources.

Brian Scott is a professional freelance writer with over a decade of experience. He recommends using an APA formatting software to correctly write and format papers in APA Style, available at http://www.masterfreelancer.com/apa-writing-style-software.php

Brian Scott

When writing an APA Style paper, it’s required that you properly cite any sources you’ve used. Citing sources is important for a few reasons. First, it allows instructors to check the accuracy of your research. Second, it gives your readers the opportunity to find additional related information. Most importantly, citing sources gives credit for the research and theories that you’re citing to the people who’ve created them.

Citing sources in APA Style requires two processes. One citation is required at the position in the main text where the cited material appears, called an in-text citation. The other citation occurs at the end of the paper, in a list of all cited works, called a reference list.

In this article, we’ll focus on materials you’ll need to cite within the main text of the APA style paper.

I. CITING A PRINTED WORK IN APA STYLE

Often times, the type of APA formatting used for an in-text citation of printed material will depend on the structure of the sentence, as shown in these examples.

Citation example A:

Include the names of the author within the sentence, followed by the year of publication inside parentheses.

The study created by Johnson, Smith, & Jones (2003) indicates that technological advancements spur economic growth.

Citation example B:

You can place the names of the authors inside the parentheses with the year of publication, depending on your sentence structure.

Some economists have indicated that technological advancements spur economic growth (Johnson, Smith, & Jones, 2003).

II. SUBSEQUENT LISTINGS

Once you have listed a printed source and its author(s) in your paper, you sometimes can abbreviate with subsequent in-text citations of the same work. As shown in these examples, the number of authors determines whether an abbreviation is appropriate.

One or two authors:

On subsequent references, list it as you did the first time, with one or both authors’ names and the year of publication.

Additionally, the Johnson & Jones (2003) study indicates …

Three or more authors:

On subsequent references, you only need to list the first author, followed by “et al.” before the year of publication.

Additionally, the Johnson et al. (2003) study indicates …

III. SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

With published works, figuring out the authors’ names and the year of publication is a fairly easy process. With some sources, creating the proper in-text APA citation can be a little more difficult.

For example, a Web page might not readily include an author’s name. If one isn’t available, you can use an editor’s name, simply listing it as you listed the author’s name in the examples shown earlier.

If no author’s name or editor’s name is available, just list the name of the organization or institution that’s associated with the Web site, as shown in the following example.

An economic organization’s study has indicated that technological advancements spur economic growth (Worldwide Economists Group, 2006).

You also can use the title of a Web page or publication with the in-text citation, if no author is listed. Remember, with an in-text citation, you’re simply trying to ensure that those who read your paper can easily find the full listing of the source in the reference list at the end of the paper.

IV. Quotations

When quoting source material directly within your text, use the same in-text citation formatting we’ve already described, along with a little additional information.

Short quotations:

For any quotation less than 40 words in length, use quotation marks around the quotation, followed by the page number of the reference.

According to Johnson (2003), “Spending tax dollars on technological advancements spurs growth in the local economy” (p. 43).

Long quotations:

Follow the same APA format for in-text citations, including the page number(s), for a long quotation of more than 40 words. However, you’ll want to create a special block of text for the long quotation by indenting about one-half inch from the left margin for all lines of the quotation. Return to the normal left margin after reaching the end of the quotation block. Do not use quotation marks with this long quotation block, and double space throughout the block.

V. MORE INFORMATION

Keep in mind that APA Style says that you should always use past tense or present perfect tense when describing research that requires an in-text citation.

Finally, if you have a particularly tricky source to cite within your text that isn’t covered here, you can find the answer in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, which is the ultimate resource for APA Style.

Brian Scott is a professional freelance writer with over a decade of experience. He recommends using an APA formatting software to correctly write and format papers in APA Style, available at http://www.masterfreelancer.com/apa-writing-style-software.php.

Nirjara Rustom

Startling Facts:

* Unnecessary interruptions consume about 30 percent of an average knowledge worker

Anthony J. Namata

You’ve worked your way through an article, an essay, a book… with the written word, but what comes next is perhaps even more hard work in terms of making your piece more readable. To achieve this, you’ll want to ensure that it flows well, and that it is grammatically correct and free of typographical errors; has good diction; and succinctly delivers the message you want delivered. You’ll need to proofread your work! This article will offer tips on how to improve your proofreading in 3 simple steps.

Whenever I write, it is the proofing that takes up the bigger chunk of my time. Indeed, it takes me more man hours to proofread than it does to write. But I enjoy it, so it is a joy to do … for me. But I am well aware that it isn’t everybody’s cup of tea. So unless you’re going to hire someone to proof your work — which can be costly, the next best thing is to learn how to do it yourself — but, more meticulously and with less stress and frustration on your part.

Writing is fun. I’ve always enjoyed writing and that’s why I took it up as a profession. But what defines a good writer and sets you apart from the rest of the pack is a well written article devoid of the typos, inappropriately thrown-together words, and clumsy sentences that neither sit nor flow well with the piece. They’re easy to spot during the proofing phase of assembling your article. This is where you get to clean up your work so that it is well refined and enjoyable to read.

You should begin by putting all of your ideas down on paper, or as the case may be, on your computer. You need the idea behind the piece you’re working on to be laid out on an assembly line so that you have the entire story you want to tell right in front of you. This will enable you to objectively evaluate your article’s content. As you write, don’t stop to think. If you can help it. Get everything you want to say written down. That should be your first objective. Once you’ve completed your article, it is time to dissect it piece by piece to see how it reads, and most importantly, how it delivers your message.

As you read through it the first time, you’ll want to correct typos, missing words, sentences and phrases that don’t cut the mustard, so to speak, and so forth. And don’t be afraid to add new material to your content during this process. Ideas will spring to mind … stick them in before you forget, and keep going as you continually review your work. I use the word ‘continually’ here because to be thorough with your proofreading you will have to reread your article many times. Don’t make the mistake of limiting yourself to a limited number of rereads. I’ve reread my work over a hundred times — in some instances — just to get it right. It get’s easier with time, and you get more proficient with time. Focus on getting it right. That should be your primary goal.

The final phase in your proofreading should aim to improve the quality of your article. This is where you prune out words and phrases that sound a bit repetitive (or could be phrased differently to sound better); and where you pay due diligence to refining your punctuation… as nothing brings the written word to life more expressively than good punctuation. What I like about the English language is that there are so many different ways of saying the same thing. It is a very colorful language, so the more you express yourself using well thought through prose, the more your readership will be entertained and impressed with your work.

Anthony J. Namata is an approved volunteer proofreader at PuffRead.com - a community of readers and writers working together to make this world more readable. He is also a freelance Creative Writer and successful home-based entrepreneur who publishes an Online Diary that chronicles his entrepreneurial endeavors on the net.

Deborah Owen

According to the dictionary, a writer is one who writes. Yet most writers don’t consider themselves “real” writers unless they have been published. Is it because the literary world is responsible for dubbing a person a “writer”? Or is it because writers lay that definition on themselves? I think it is the latter.

I remember the first time I ever heard “a writer is one who writes”. To test the theory, I started calling myself a writer. Of course, the first question people asked was, “Where have you been published?” or “How many books have you written?” My own mother said, “Until you’ve had something published, don’t call yourself a writer.” You will probably run into the same thing, but let me give you a clue:

Friends and family will never look upon you as a writer, no matter what you do.

If you were to ask them how many shoes a cobbler would have to make to be a shoe cobbler, they would answer “one”. Or if you asked how many ships a company had to make to be known as a ship builder, they would say “one”. So why is it that you can write a journal, memoirs, poetry, etc., and are not recognized as a writer in their eyes? Perhaps it is because you don’t see yourself as a writer in your own eyes. Doesn’t your writing hold value for you? If it does, you are indeed a writer.

Journaling is described as a written account of your daily life. Many writers develop their style and form while writing a journal. Any kind of writing will develop you in some way.

A memoir, on the other hand, is a written account of your life. You will find that most documentaries are founded on either journals or memoirs. Although yours may never make it to print (and most of us would not want it to), that doesn’t make your writing any less important.

In my younger years, my mother was always scribbling out poetry. The verses were the kind that you could never find in a card shop

Deborah Owen

Most new writers are so eager to sell their work that they don’t stop to consider what rights they are selling. “Rights” refers to how a publisher can use your work. “Rights” has nothing whatever to do with what you are paid or the copyright of your work.

Deborah Owen

Wikipedia defines a twisted ending as an unexpected conclusion or climax to a work of fiction, which may contain a surprising irony, or cause the audience to review the story from a different perspective by revealing new information about the characters or plot. A twist ending is the conclusive form of plot twists. This literary device is also referred to as a surprise ending.

Alfred Hitchcock was the first master of twisted endings. In only half an hour, he could develop a plot and mislead the viewer into jumping to the wrong conclusion. It was something akin to the game of “Clue” where the viewer was left to draw his own conclusions, but the clues lead in the wrong direction. This type of twisted ending is called a “red herring”.

In the movie Moby Dick, Captain Ahab spends his life searching for the white whale that bit his leg off. The twisted ending comes when Ahab becomes ensnared in ropes attached to the great white and the whale drags him through the sea, drowning him.

Let’s suppose a man has murdered a woman and her husband is out to catch the killer. Let us further suppose that the husband finally catches the murderer, and just when hubby is about to kill him, the police arrive on the scene and take the man into custody. While the husband wishes with all his might to see the murderer die, we can make a twisted ending. Imagine that the murderer goes to trial and his plea is to be put to death. But instead of executing him, the judge feels he would suffer more by going to prison without chance of parole. The husband is happy that the killer is miserable instead of dead. The reader is satisfied.

The secret to a twisted ending is finding the point where you can veer off to an alternative resolution.

In the last illustration, the point to veer off was when the police arrived and took the killer into custody. From that point on, anything could have happened. The murderer could have tried to escape while in the courtroom and the police could have killed him; a prison inmate could have killed the murderer while he was serving his time; the murderer could have served X number of years and then was paroled, only to be hit by a car on the way to a hotel.

But the best ending of all is when you twist the ending, and then you twist it again. For example, the murderer could have served his prison time, been paroled, and been hit by a car, as we said. When the reader begins to think the murderer will die at the scene of the accident, we could change the ending so that the murderer will be paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of his life. As long as the reader feels satisfied in the end, you can do all sorts of things with the ending.

Now you try it! See below for more writing tips.

Private tutoring, $185 for 8 wks. at http://www.creativewritinginstitute.com - the only fully mentored writing school on the net. Take your classes any time in the next year. Sale ends Jan. 1, 2009! Only 15 to a class. Reserve your space now!

MARK BARKOW

Any one that is running an online business that needs good website content such as articles for e-books, e-zines, article directories, etc. will find themselves doing quite a bit of writing. This is true if they are writing from scratch or even if they are just rewriting someone else