Author Tips Writing a Book

Author Tips Author Tips As anyone who has ever attempted it can attest, writing a book is not easy. If the sheer work involved isn’t enough to scare you off, trying to keep you subject matter, characters, form, and other elements can be downright mind-boggling. We’ve covered this topic before in our How to Write a Novel guide, but it never hurts to have more author tips that can help you accomplish your goals. Author Tips: Read, Read, and Read Some More One of the dangers that authors run into is myopia. Being so focused on your work and ideas that you lose sight of how other books are written. While it’s hard to find time to read in our busy world, reading can provide you with author tips that can flow into your subconscious. No one works in a vacuum, so don’t be afraid to steal liberally and weave those thoughts into your own voice. It also helps to read different works that are outside of your target genre. For instance, if you’re writing non-fiction, a science fiction novel can remind you of how to make more engaging prose. Vice versa, non-fiction can bring a dose of realism that can make your ideas more relatable. Author Tips: Be Aware of Your Style Of all the author tips presented in this article, style should be a foremost concern when writing a book. Have you ever read a book that seems like it was written by more than one author? It probably was—or, at the very least, it conveys that an author wasn’t consistent. Authors need to make a cohesive work that retains a definitive style unless they are going for a disjointed, avant-garde style. Style augments the story and subject matter. Consider two books written about war – Hemingway’s â€Å"For Whom the Bell Tolls† and Kurt Vonnegut’s â€Å"Slaughterhouse 5†. Both stories have a number elements in common—a male narrator trapped in military conflict, describing the horrors around them while trying to maintain their composure under extreme stress. Hemingway’s laconic style displays his famous â€Å"iceberg theory,† where the reader is left to grasp at the narrator’s true, hidden feelings. In â€Å"Slaughterhouse 5†, Vonnegut’s tone is similarly stark, but with a hint of disconcerting humor for a person undergoing the effects of PTSD. So it goes†¦ If you haven’t had an opportunity, read Strunk White’s The Elements of Style. This short book will open your eyes to some of the options authors have when trying to convey their story to readers. Author Tips: Using a Pseudonym Consider how your work will be viewed by your professional colleagues and future employers. Should you attach your name to it, or are you willing to forego the recognition and adulation by using a pseudonym? This is important for those looking to write about controversial topics that may impact their life. It’s one thing to specialize in erotica, but would you want your family, students, and coworkers to know about your hobby? The same goes for political affiliations. If you want to state your beliefs without regard to the consequences, be aware of how your decision will appear to those who don’t know you personally. And while we’d all like to make writing our main focus, some employers look down on authors that â€Å"moonlight† on their passion projects. After all, would your literary commitments impact your job performance and availability? Then again, it may increase  your job prospects! Author Tips: Nose to the Grindstone, Sort of†¦ Books don’t write themselves. While this may seem like one of the most obvious of author tips, no one else is going to write your book for you—unless you subcontract  it. Traditionally-published works seem like the work of one person, but often this isn’t the case at all. Books are usually composed by not only an author, but also a team of editors, copyeditors, designers, fact-checkers, and other personnel that hone the work into a professional document. Likewise, if you have a literary agent  and ask friends review your work, they can be considered a part of your team. While it’s tempting to be the mastermind behind your masterpiece, no one does it alone. Author Tips: Motivation People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing, that’s why we recommend it daily †¨- Zig Ziglar One of the most overlooked author tips out there is the subject of motivation. If you’ve ever met writers who are continually working on their book year-after-year, you may have sensed that they’ve lost the will to finish. The trick is to maintain your enthusiasm in the same way that you would routinely fill your car with gas on a long road trip. There will be times where your work may seem like it was better fit for the garbage heap; keep writing until you â€Å"finish† the work. Events like NaNoWriMo may be the antidote to your motivation problems. By having a finite goal of 50,000 words, as well as a community of individuals to keep accountable (at least in a quasi-public fashion), you can generate the motivation to finish a rough draft of your new work. Similarly, if you can’t make the November commitment, spread your intentions on social media. Having to face the shame of unfinished work could be just the motivational ticket. Author Tips: Trust Your Work Remember that you and you alone are responsible for crafting your work. Don’t discount the idea that others may feel jealous, as your newfound status as an author tips the scale in your personal relationships. It’s not unusual to arouse the envy and pessimism of those around you when undertaking such an all-encompassing task as writing a novel. Trust in your abilities, and take the following quote by author Neil Gaiman to heart: â€Å"Remember: when people tell you somethings wrong or doesnt work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong. * * * If you take these author tips to heart, you can be well on your way to realizing your dreams of writing a novel. It is no easy feat, but then again, that may be why you started writing in the first place! Good luck.

Cognitive Dissonance Essay - 1280 Words

â€Å"Your best friend is having a beer bash tonight. Everyone you talk to indicated their positive intentions of going to the best beer bash of the millennium. However, you have a Psyc 135 final next morning that you havent studied for. Your midterm scores have been low going into the final, but everyone claims that the final is easy every semester. Should you stay home and study for the final or go to this millennium beer bash and merrily consume alcohol?† Above stated scenario raises several questions in my mind and lands me in a state of psychological tension. Having a choice of attending a social event or studying for the final exam puts me in a dilemma as to what to do next. Deciding to stay home and study for a test may very well anger†¦show more content†¦One decision is to stay abstinent from alcohol or follow in the footsteps of my beer bash friends. Prescribing to any of the alternatives may lead to dissonance as drinking may deteriorate health and cause lower grades, while not attending the beer bash may give my best friend and peers a sense of their rejection. What happens to people when they discover dissonant cognitions? The answer to this question forms the postulation of Festinger’s theory. Festingers theory of Cognitive Dissonance postulates that individuals, when presented with evidence contrary to their worldview or situations in which they must behave contrary to their worldview, experience cognitive dissonance (Festinger, 1957). Dissonance can be simply understood as an â€Å"unpleasant state of tension.† A person who has dissonant or discrepant cognitions is said to be in a state of psychological dissonance, which is experienced as unpleasant psychological tension (Berkowitz amp; Cotton, 1984). This tension state has drive-like properties that are much like those of hunger and thirst. When an individual has been deprived of food for several hours, he/she experiences unpleasant tension and is driven to reduce the unpleasant tension state that results (Berkowitz amp; Cotton, 1984). The general sequence of a psychological tension is as follows, (a) conflict, (b)Show MoreRelatedCognitive Dissonance1266 Words   |  6 PagesCognitive Dissonance Cognitive Dissonance or mental stress which is primarily caused by contradictory beliefs, can be a common part of some peoples life’s however we are psychologically motivated to avoid situations which cause mental stress. This paper will discuss a situation and the behavior using attribution theory, the reciprocal relationship between behavior and attitudes as well as how cognitive dissonance theory could be used to rationalize the behavior. Situation and Subsequent Behavior Read MoreCognitive Dissonance1161 Words   |  5 PagesPsych Cognitive Dissonance Cognitive dissonance theory has been around since the late fifties. It has inspired many psychologists to figure out the murky depths of people’s minds. The theory relates strongly to decision making, social phenomenons and mental angst. Many paradigms exist within cognitive dissonance. Two important paradigms are the Belief Disconfirmation paradigm and the Free Choice paradigm. There are several experiments that have been studied that relate to cognitive dissonance, includingRead MoreCognitive Dissonance Theory1621 Words   |  7 Pagescreated the cognitive dissonance theory as an attempt to explain why people desire to have consistency between their behaviors and actions. Cognitive dissonance is the distressing mental state people feel when they find themselves doing things that don’t fit with what they know, or having opinions that do not fit with other opinions they hold (Festinger, 1957; as cited in Griffin, 2009). Thus, people are motivated to change either their behavior or their belief when feelings of dissonance arise. Read MoreCognitive Dissonance Paper1671 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction The words Cognitive Dissonance were fascinatingly interesting; therefore more research went into the origin of these two words. Both words are Middle English, which was the English in use from 12th to 15th centuries and both used in the 15th century [ (Merriam-Webster, 2011) ]. Cognitive is an adjective meaning, there is physical activity involving the mind; be it: thinking, reasoning or remembering. Dissonance is a noun meaning, when there is a tug-of- war between one’s actions andRead MoreAssignment on Cognitive Dissonance1417 Words   |  6 PagesTheory Paper on Cognitive Dissonance Theory â€Å"Sometimes people hold a core belief that is very strong. When they are presented with evidence that works against that belief, the new evidence cannot be accepted. It would create a feeling that is extremely uncomfortable, called cognitive dissonance. And because it is so important to protect the core belief, they will rationalize, ignore and even deny anything that doesn t fit in with the core belief.† ― Frantz Fanon, Black Skin, WhiteRead More Cognitive Dissonance Theory Essay1027 Words   |  5 Pages nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The theory of Cognitive Dissonance states that when individuals are presented with information that implies we act in a way that contradicts our moral standards, we experience discomfort (Aronson, Wilson, and Akert, 1998, P. 191). This is considered Cognitive Dissonance, A psychological term used to describe mental conflict that occurs when beliefs or assumptions are contradicted by new information; arouses unease or tension; relieved by one of several defensive maneuvers:Read MoreCognitive Dissonance1475 Words   |  6 PagesCognitive Dissonance Cognitive Dissonance Consistency, the absence of contradictions, has sometimes been called the hallmark of ethics. Ethics is supposed to provide an individual with a guide for moral living, and to do so it must be rational, and to be rational it must be free of contradictions. When consistency and ethics are compromised, this is known as cognitive dissonance. Leon Festinger shared his brilliance with the world when he created the Cognitive Dissonance theoryRead MoreCognitive Dissonance And Its Effect On Behavior1654 Words   |  7 PagesPeople experience cognitive dissonance when they perceive that there is a mismatch between their attitudes and behaviors. Because we are motivated to keep our cognitions consistent, the inconsistency brought about by dissonance becomes a drive that must be reduced. This is done by changing either the attitude or the behavior such that they may accurately align with each other. Eventually, the New Look model to dissonance will shift the causal path to an explanation using avoidance of aversive consequencesRead MoreThe Theory of Cognitive Dissonance Essay example877 Words   |  4 Pagestheory of cognitive dissonance started as a very simple observation by Leon Festinger that people do not like to deal with inconsistency. This simple observation led to the development of a theory that became very controversial, and it would be this controversy that propelled the theory forward. Many years of research has led to many different ideas of what cognitive dissonance really is and why it actually occurs. Festinger developed the term cognitions while developing his theory on cognitive dissonanceRead MoreActions Caused by Cognitive Dissonance Essay919 Words   |  4 PagesFestinger’s cognitive dissonance theory that asserts that we act to reduce discomfort or dissonance, an unpleasant tension, we experience when two of our thoughts or cognitions are inconsistent. Mkimmie, et al. (2003) investigated the impact of social support on cognitive dissonance arousal in their experiment, â€Å"I’m a Hypocrite, but So Is Everyone Else: Group Support and the Reduction of Cognitive Dissonance.† The psychologists aimed to test the impact of social support on dissonance by testing two

Relationship Between Sex And Power - 955 Words

Introduction Michel Foucault was a French philosopher, historian, social theorist, philologist and literary critic whose work had a tremendous impact on several disciplines. He was not a sociologist by training, but he worked diligently on sociological issues and otherwise had significant influence on the work of other sociologists. One of his most famous works is the The History of Sexuality, in which he examines the emergence of sexuality as a discursive object and separate sphere of life. According to Foucault, the idea that everyone has a sexuality is relatively a recent development in the West. In Volume 1, Foucault discusses the relationship between sex and power in a historical context. He states that the ways in which humans think about sexuality is primarily shaped by the repressive hypothesis, which claims that Western society had suppressed sexuality from the 17th to the mid-20th century, and this was due to the rise of capitalism and the bourgeois society. There are several ke y concepts in this book that will be discussed in this paper include repressive hypothesis, sexuality, power, and discourse. This paper will seek to show the ways in which sexuality is a discursive object, and how sexuality was linked to power throughout history. Foucault describes the repressive hypothesis as one that supposes that any increase of energy on purely pleasurable activities, such as sex, has been frowned upon since the rise of the bourgeoisie. Due to this, sexShow MoreRelatedThe Body Politic : The Removal Of Agency And The Struggle For Power1352 Words   |  6 PagesThe Body Politic: The Removal of Agency and the Struggle for Power The demand for sexual services is a universal constant in human society—from the sexual slavery of the Indo-Asian colonial period, to contemporary Canada, the relation between sex and power is an undisputed fact. Prostitutes and concubines are and were people who struggled with power historically due to their positions in society and their occupations; they have struggled for political access, for their own safety, and for theirRead MoreSame Sex Marriage Should Be Legal1659 Words   |  7 Pages Same-sex couples can hardly remember a time where they were not fighting for their right to marriage in the United States. After several court cases, California Proposition Six, and their struggle against the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), same-sex couples found their way into U.S. society. Many misguided studies appealed to those opposing same-sex marriage, but after several years of integrating in society, same-sex couples found the support they were looking for. Before the S upreme CourtRead MoreThe Court Hierarchy Of Australia1305 Words   |  6 Pagessystem). 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Same sex marriage is marriage between two people of the same sex. The legal recognition of same-sex marriage or the possibility to perform same-sex marriage is called marriage equality or equal marriage. The recognition of same-sex marriage is a political, social, human rights, civil rights, and religious issue in many nations around the world, and there are continuous debates over whether same-sex couples shouldRead MoreWorld Wide Intimate Partner Violence1078 Words   |  5 Pages not only for heterosexual relationships, but also for same-sex relationships. In an article IPV was best described as abuse that occurs between two individuals in a close and intimate relationship and usually refers to romantic couples, be they are married, dating, living together, or former partners/ spouses (Samuelson, Kristin W. and Oringher, Jonathan 1). When we think about it, then why have we not heard about IPV in same-sex and even in heterosexual relationships and why isn’t it reported.Read MorePower Relations : An Overview Essay1562 Words   |  7 PagesPower Relations: An Overview Michel Foucault analyzed the relationship between types of power and its relation to creating a subject—a person. He gives an analysis with mention of the modern state and pastoral power. The modern state exerts its influence on society causing subjection of individuals based on the preferences of a certain group of people within society (ed. Rabinow and Rose 2003). In relation to sex education, we can attribute this subjectivity to macro-level factors such as legislatureRead MoreSexual Boycotts, Documented During The Greek Empire And The Peloponnesian War1070 Words   |  5 PagesSex boycotts, documented during the Greek empire and the Peloponnesian war between Athens and Sparta, have been a traditional interesting non-violent method to resolve conflicts. The Australian aboriginals community also illustrated the sex boycott as a popular practice. Contemporary examples in Colombia in 2005 , in the Philippines and in Canada in 2012 confirmed the vulgarization of the â€Å"Lysistrata regime† to achieve social, political and economic goals. Also aimed to counteract several formsRead MoreGender Asymmetry, Emotion Work and Its Role in Gender Power Relations1242 Words   |  5 PagesEmotion Work and Its Role in Gender Power Relations In this essay the following topics will be discussed, gender asymmetry, emotion work and what role this plays in gender power relations in the context of heterosexual couples. Duncombe and Marsden in 1993 use local survey evidence to illustrate the gender difference or asymmetry in intimate emotional behaviour. It is a commonly known belief that in the first stages of a relationship, it is passionate, loving, full

Hamlet Comparative Essay Example For Students

Hamlet Comparative Essay Hamlets agonized worrying over his state of existence begins before his first encounter with the ghost. He reports first to his mother that These but the trappings and suits of woe (I,ii) do not begin to illumine his inner heartbreak over the death of his father. But it is soon revealed in his first soliloquy that he despairs more over the hasty remarriage of Gertrude than the death of King Hamlet. a beast, that wants discourse of reason, / Would have mournd longer. (I,ii) Gertrudes apparent disregard of his honorable late father causes his suicidal dejection. When he hears from the ghost of his fathers murder, he does indeed vow revenge. However, that revenge never seems to materialize, he thinks and worries but commits no action to fulfill his vow. For some reason, he plays the fool and delays his revenge. Significantly, he presents the play with the scenes altered to mirror the circumstances of Claudius crime so Hamlet can watch his reactions with his own eyes. For I mine eyes will rivet to his face, / And after we will both our judgments join / In censure of his seeming. (III,ii) Hamlets revenge, when it finally occurs, is the result of considerable provocation. Claudius has been exposed by Laertes as a conspiring murderer of Prince Hamlet. Claudius has caused Hamlet to be the death of several people, notably Ophelia and Gertrude. In the end Hamlet kills Claudius, and the ghost is revenged. But truly, whose revenge has taken place? The connection among all of Hamlets actions is merely himself. He certainly mourns his father, but mainly he feels sorry for himself because he lost his mother and his crown the day his father died. It is possible that he misses Gertrude and Denmark more than his father the king. Also, Hamlet cannot accept the ghosts word for Claudius guilt, he arranges a situation where he can watch Claudius condemn himself. Again, this is a reaction from his self-centered motives-he requires the feeling of hatred that is only achieved when he is the victim of a crime. Although the play shows him a first-hand picture of Claudius guilt, it is still not enough provocation for murder. In Hamlets case, self-centered is not a fault but a way of feeling emotions. He is evidently unable to feel the necessary passion when they are related secondhand, he must have the immediate relation to his own psyche. Finally, Claudius presents Hamlet with all the reasons for revenge and no room for reservations. A dying Laertes reveals Claudius plot to send Hamlet to an English death, and Gertrude is dead from Claudius poison that was meant for Hamlet. With such incitement, Hamlet is able to execute Claudius. Hamlet can be deemed successful in the end, because he has redeemed the wrongs committed against his person if not his fathers. He lacks some interior ability to commit bloody revenge for some victim other than himself. However, Claudius eventually unites Hamlets passion to avenge the old king with his need for a primary injury, which causes Claudius death and the satisfaction of all Hamlets goals, both for himself and his father.