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To Enter or Not to Enter Writing Contests (writing contests) If you are a freelance writer, it is because you love to write. Why not put those abilities to use and enter a writing contest? You have nothing to loose and a lot to gain. You can find writing contests by simply searching the Internet. Writing groups and message boards may also have listing for these contests. No matter what you writing genre maybe poetry, fiction, non fiction, there is a contest out there for you. Read about them and choose which ones are right for you. It is not necessarily about winning or loosing but about the experience and knowledge that you gain to get there. Whether you win or not there are still valuable things that can be learned or gained by entering into contests. Entering writing contests will help you hone the skills that you have. Try something new, you may choose to write in a niche that you normally wouldn’t. You get constructive criticism from someone new. Someone that doesn’t have to worry about hurting your feelings and that is unbiased can be a wonderful asset to your career. The feedback you receive can be invaluable to you. It will get your name out there and give you a place to showcase your work. Depending on how good your story, if you make it to the next round your writings could be in front of editors and agents. This feedback and criticism is even more important than the first. Do not your eggs all in one basket. Enter a couple contests to get multiple feedback sources. Not every editor or agent is going to agree. By entering multiple contests and find common points about your writing that need perfecting you will be able to concentrate on a general consensus about your abilities. There are some downsides to entering writing contests, too. Chances are that a simple contest is not going to launch your career into star status. Do your research just as if you were going to write an article about contests. For many contests you give up your rights to your entry whether it wins or not. You need to decide whether or not you are willing to give up all rights to your story. If you win it is not a big deal, but if you loose your giving your work away. Are you willing to do this? Research the contest. You can search the Internet for reports or opinions on contests run by the company. You can find valuable information on if the contest is legitimate, if entering has had any effect of previous entrant’s careers, and if it is really worth it in the long run. The bigger and well-established companies will give credibility to your work if you win. But the bigger and more well know the companies are will also bring in tougher competition with well know authors. Some companies offer contests as a disguise. Yes they will give away prizes and declare winners but their main goal with the contest is advertising. It can be in the form of offering you to buy obscure book featuring your contest submission. Sometimes it is an editing company that offers a discount for its services or a company that will offer you discounts on writing classes. A writing contest is just a possible stepping stone. Whether it helps you or not is the unknown, but it definitely won’t hurt you. It may help you reach the next level of your career. You and only you will be able to make the decision on whether or not writing contests are a good move for your career.

The Importance of Written Communication (written communication) Written communication is just as important as oral communication. Of course, all communication requires a clear concise flow of ideas, and words that are easily understood by any reader or listener. Written communication is one of the most difficult forms of communication as writers are typically prone to write for themselves, instead of for their audience. It is important for readers to understand what has been written and why it has been written. Writing is very different from oral communication, because words are written they cannot be taken back. Communicating through writing is more concrete than verbal communication with more room for mistakes and misunderstandings. The slightest misunderstanding can cause chaos for many, so it is important to right as clear and concise as possible. This form of communication is defined as a clear expression of ideas in writing. The clear expression of ideas includes grammar, organization, and structure of an essay, book, article, or report. Grammar is a large part of written communication, and writers must always consider spelling, punctuation, writing style, and wording before displaying their work to the world. Proper grammar and form may have a varying importance for different writing jobs, and usually depend on the method of communication used for that job. However, it is always important to strive to use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Most writers use spell check and grammar check on their computers to ensure that the grammar and spelling is suitable. Grammar is also a major factor when writing as a freelance writing and submitting work to an editor. Many editors will reject further submissions from writers who have too many grammar and spelling errors. Organization of a letter, essay, article, or book is also important factors of written communication. Communication should always have a logical organization that is easy for readers to follow. For the reader, it is much easier to read a paragraph with one common theme that relates to the entire work. Most writing requires a clear flow of ideas and proper transitions to indicate when a new idea is being presented. However, transitions are not often needed for pieces of writing that are clearly organized. Ideas should also be expressed in a manner that is easy for the reader to understand and recognize. Data in the writing should also be presented accurately to support conclusions and recommendations given by the writer. The structure is also important in a piece of writing. All writing is organized into five to seven sentence paragraphs that all relate to each other. The number of paragraphs usually depends on the work that is being written. For example, it is common for essay to contain five concise paragraphs that all relate to a common theme. Generally, essays begin with an introductory paragraph, followed by three supporting paragraphs, and ended with a concluding paragraph. The basic structure of a piece of writing is only the beginning of written communication; the words used and the organization of the work is important to the readers understanding of the work. In many cases, the style format, and content must be adjusted to the communication level of the reader. The ability to convey ideas to a certain reader are very important, and a key component of written communication. Like oral communication, written communication can be seen as an aspect of life that makes the world go round, and learning to communicate through written word has become a basic skill for most people. Communication is needed in all aspects of life, and although many people cannot write well, it is important to be able to communicate out loud and on paper.

Steps on Reinventing yourself to Land a Better Job Having a decent job can greatly improve the quality of your life. You probably spend a fair amount of time at work. With that in mind, you do not want to be miserable when you are at work. If you want a better job, make yourself more attractive to employers. This task may be easier than you think. Start making some simple changes and watch the job offers begin to appear. The number one way to reinvent yourself in order to land a better job is to reform your attitude. Even if you are working at a nightmare of a job at the moment, you need to fight to stay positive. That negativity can be seen a mile away. You may not realize it but your face expression, posture and quality of work give off your frustration. This attitude is the first thing that has to go. Simple ways to change the way you feel about your current job include being on time and in uniform or proper dress code. These are two easy steps that will give you more pride about yourself. If you are out of dress code and late, you are not just making statement about the job. You are making a statement about yourself. Change these aspects of your working environment and you will be on your way to increasing positive energy. Take some classes. Whether you have a degree or not, brushing up on skills is always a good idea. No matter what your schedule is like, you can find time for a class or two. Use the Internet and take online classes if time is a major issue. Work at your own pace and pick up new skills. A degree or a couple of classes will make you more attractive to employers. Move away. If you are tired of dust collecting on your Communications degree while you wait tables, move to a place where your degree is more marketable. Find an area where the job market is fertile. When the economy goes south, certain job types are completely eliminated. If you are eager to find a better job you may have to go somewhere else to do it. Apply for higher positions in the company that you currently work for at the moment. Even if you are not really that thrilled about the current company you work for, while you are there you should make the best of it. Get as much experience as you can so that you will have a nice extensive work history to refer to when you are looking for a new job. If you want a better job, do some networking. Take advantage of the people that you know that have better jobs. Surround yourself with people that are working at jobs that they enjoy or are successful at. This is a great way to pave the way for yourself to get a better job. Figure out what type of job you want before you start looking. Narrow down the search and target the positions that fall in line with the jobs that you are most interested in. If you a constantly saying that you want a better job but don’t have any idea what the better job is, you are not going to be very successful in you search. Have a job in mind before you start your search. Join networking sites. These sites can be used for networking for jobs among other things. Be sure that you take the professional route when you put up your page. Let employers know that you are serious about finding a job. Do not post pictures of yourself at parties or in questionable positions.