What If I Am a Writing Frog?

In most cases, when you, guys, ask me what kind of job I would recommend you, one of the options is a profession of a writer. And in 80% of cases, I hear ‘What if I am a writing dummy?’ Not to repeat every time the same, I decided to answer you here :)

First of all, you have to mind that no professional writer was just born, and that's it. If we look at this question from the psychological angle, writing skill is always gained through the life. If you are not sure that you could show your best self in writing, it doesn't mean that you are ignorant; it means that you haven’t done anything to move off dead center.

So, what can be done to become a pro out of a dabster?

Read! It doesn't matter what books you prefer; you just have to read to see how thoughts are presented on paper. While reading, you will notice that your brain remembers everything that seems catchy to you.

Highlight! Get a highlighter and mark all the phrases and sentences that seem well-built. When you lack imagination and creativity to express your own thoughts, reread these highlighted sentences and they will surely inspire you!

Watch films! This is almost the same as books for every film has a written script that actors read, but you comprehend the plot aurally. Listen to how actors express their thoughts. In some films, you may even face the type of writing you suffer from.

Make notes! When reading a book, you highlight interesting thoughts, but in case of watching films, it would be beneficial to make notes! Write down everything that impresses you. It doesn't only concern films. Take a notebook always with you! You can't predict when a great thought will come :)

Personal tip: do not rely on your memory; you will definitely forget it!

Find a pen friend! Despite the fact that the most modern people communicate via social networks, post offices still offer their services. Do you have a dream to visit a country you have never been to? If yes, join the ‘postcrossers’ at Postcrossing.com. It is a network where people find pen friends from different countries and send each other postcards with greetings. Find here a person who shares your interests, and maybe one day they will invite you to visit them so your dream can come true ;) Again, this is also writing and you will have to do your best to make a person understand you.

Create a blog! There are a lot of platforms where you can create your own blog. Choose a topic you like most and off you go! Put a goal and write posts every week. This will definitely help you master your writing skills as well as become helpful for other people who are quite poor at your strong side.

Let me say it once again: “There are no poor writers, just those who haven't tried to master their skills. Next time when you want to ask “What should I do, I am a writing dummy?” Let this article answer your question.

Good luck, guys! I believe in you ;)

Judge Your Piece: 5 Essential Parts You Have to Think of First in Your Writing

Everyone knows that it is very important to check your writing before submission as well as proofread it. But is it enough to review the paper for grammar and punctuation errors? Actually, you have to make sure if it has everything that will make it catchy for the readers. So, read you paper one more time, following this checklist.

1. Urgency of the Topic

When it’s time to get down to your writing assignment, the very first thing that you have to evaluate is your topic. The title is a face of your piece, so you have to make it as pretty as possible. Don’t even hope that a dull topic could take the audience.

First of all, it has to be fresh and on point. You may take a vivid idea, but if it does not concern the particular group of people, you are likely to fail. The same thing will happen if you are talking strongly on the point for the audience, but the information you use to back up your arguments is outdated or improper. Making up the topic for your paper is no time to chill out. Create an inspiring title that will make your paper stand out from the others.

2. Causes and Effects

As the topic has to be effective, the whole body of the paper has to be logical and “influential” as well. Now, it’s time to check the relevance of the information, provided in the text. Look through the arguments, covered in your paper, and mull over if they are currently still on point. In this case, you have to understand that the originality is crucial here as it makes the total impression about the work, there is no need to tell that there are a lot of plagiarism detection software that can help avoid such an issue, as it is already well-known.

Provide your readers with some up-to-date data that haven’t been heard of yet. As you can see, having completed your juicy topic, there is no time to slow down, as your main part of the piece has to back up your great title.

3. Solutions

In every paper, we have to present a problem, and consequently, we have to give some solutions to this particular issue. So, the next item you have to check in your paper is the solutions that you include. Remember, the problem-solving has to be also fresh and trending. If a person has found your topic interesting, do not disappoint him/her; do not give them with the solutions that are currently well-known, find something really challenging, or even extraordinary.

4. Predictions

Let’s move on further! Anytime we face a problem in our lives, apart from the possible solution, we want to know the aftermath. The main aim of your paper is to provide the reader with a sufficient amount of information so that he/she do not have any questions when you finish your presentation. Do not let people leave your piece to find some extra material on your subject.

As practice shows, most papers fail just because they don’t have enough information due to the after-effects of the given solutions. Keep it in mind that it is quite better to cover less points than to cover a heap of them and lead none to the logical ending.

5. Call to Action

And here we come to the last point. The finishing touch is to call your audience to action. It can be an open discussion of the problem, or it can be a call to actual actions, such as doing something that will help them to completely solve the trouble.

If you see that the audience hasn’t made any outputs, it is a strong sign that the paper hasn’t really impressed them. In order to see if your audience will appreciate your thesis, you can gather some of your friends, who are the same age-grade, and present them your paper. Your mates are the best audience to test your piece in, as they will provide you with honest feedback for sure; so, you will know the approximate reaction of the university community.

Your reader has to be involved in the problem you are currently covering. Thus, it is a must to mention all these points to catch the reader.

Report #7: Academic Writing and Eddie Murphy

Well, this is my last report. When something good ends people tend to feel sad. But I don’t. I feel happy because to be this way I don’t need a challenge anymore. It showed how it is right to enjoy your job.

So, let’s explore how I spent my last 5 days of 30 day writing challenge!

Day #26: Write about an area in your life that you’d like to improve.

I wrote about self-development because I can never manage to combine everything at once and it irritates me much. That’s why I am trying to prioritize and so far it has been well.

Day #27: Conversely, write about something that’s kicking ass right now.

What can I write about  apart from academic writing?

Day #28: Post 5 things that make you laugh-out-loud.

These things are hilarious!

Day #29: What are the difficult things in academic writing that you want to overcome?

I want to overcome many barriers and difficulties. Despite the fact that academic writing is rocking now my life, it doesn’t mean that I mastered it. I need to learn so much more …

Day #30: Your highs and lows for the month.

The most interesting thing is that I couldn’t make up any lows J

Well, that’s it. 30 day writing challenge has ended but my lifetime writing challenge has only begun.

If you are interested how this 30 day writing challenge influenced my life, wait for the article for EssayLancers. They were very excited to publish an article on their blog about my feelings about such a great think. So, coming soon … 

Report #6: Lessons I’ve Learned the Hard Way and Academic Writing

Day #21: What three lessons do you want new freelance academic writers learn from you?

Well, there are many pitfalls in academic writing and it’s not such an easy occupation as it seems to be. So, three lessons I want newbies to learn from me are:

1.       Never think that you know enough about this or that topic.

2.       Always review the structure and peculiarities of the paper you are going to write.

3.       Don’t think you can’t write something; just start and the work will pour out of you.

Day #22: Put your music on shuffle and post the first 10 songs.

Love these tasks the most because my music is always with me!

1.       Disclosure – Magnets (feat. Lorde)

2.       Brika – Expectations (Artiq Remix)

3.       Lido – Lost feat. Muri (Stwo Remix)

4.       Cosmo's Midnight – Snare (feat. Wild Eyed Boy)

5.       Whilk and Misky – So Good To Me

6.       Calvin Harris – Blame (feat. John Newman)

7.       Ben Howard – I Forget Where We Were (Boehm Remix)

8.       James Morrison feat. Nelly Furtado – Broken Strings

9.       Gareth Emery – Concrete Angel feat. Christina Novelli

10.   Tapecut – drops ( The XX - Together remix )

Day #23: A letter to someone, anyone.

I wrote a letter to my old friend Nat Cleary. We’ve been friends for almost 10 years and I appreciate this friendship much. This is the kind of bonding that lasts a lifetime. We have an agreement. As we meet very rarely because of different circumstances, we send each other books that we have read and that we suppose to be worth reading. It’s very interesting because our tastes in books are not the same. Yet we always have what to talk about.

Day #24: Write about the lesson you’ve learned the hard way.

I think there are many lessons that I’ve learned the hard way but the most vivid in my memory is the one when I understood that I’m too naïve.  That’s what I wrote about . But after reading this it came to me that I haven’t stopped being naïve. Because I like being that way.

Day #25: Think of any academic word that you like and write something inspired by it.

“Significant”. I classify this word as academic as it can be used in various situations and render the exact meaning you need. But it also can be applied to my life because I have too many things that I care about and it inspires me to live.

That was my second to the last report and I hope you enjoyed it. Because I did.

Wait till my last one and you’ll find out what effects such kind of challenges have on writer’s consciousness.

Report #5: Facts about Myself and Academic Writing

I can’t believe that I’ve passed 20 days of my 30 day writing challenge. I officially announce that I’m proud of myself. I thought I would quit it after 10 days. But you know, regular reporting in front of public makes you more responsible. Besides, there wasn’t a day I wanted to stop. Are there life-time writing challenges?

Day #17: Post about your Zodiac sign, and whether or not it fits you.

I’ve posted but I really don’t know. I used to be suspicious about this Horoscope thing but the more I read, the more I find some similar description that fit my personality characteristics. So, I’m really lost here.

Day #18: Write 30 facts about yourself.

I appeared that most of the facts deal with films, books and music. My constant companions in life J

Day #19: List the most difficult things for you in academic writing.

Although I love my job, I can’ say that it is easy. Vice versa, it’s pretty complicated. But when I overcome some difficulties connected with my job, I become even happier than I am. So, it’s worth it.

Day #20: Take any referencing and change it according MLA, APA and Chicago style.

Ugh … Can’t say that it is the most pleasant stage of my challenge, but I need to do this. This is the weak spot I need to beat.

MLA

Sugarman, Joseph. Advertising Secrets of the Written Word. Las Vegas: DelStar, 1998. Print.

APA
Sugarman, J. (1998). Advertising secrets of the written word. Las Vegas: DelStar.

Chicago

Sugarman, Joseph. “Advertising Secrets of the Written Word”. Las Vegas: DelStar (1998).

Done. 10 more days and I'll tell you how 30 day writing challenge makes my life better.

Report #4: Harry Potter and Academic Writing

Here is me and my 4^th report about #30DayWritingChallenge. Can’t believe that I’m half way down the road. I feel good and that’s the most important thing.

Day #11: Something you always think “What if …” about.

I tried to imagine how the things would be going if I wasn’t a writer. I tried to imagine myself being a teacher and it wasn’t bad. Maybe I will even try it in real life J That’s where this challenge leads me to. Amazing, isn’t it?

Day #12: Write about the things you’ve acquired since you started freelance academic writing.

I just can’t stop talking about how freelance academic writing is great, don’t I? But what can I do if it’s really that wonderful? That’s right, I can do nothing. That’s why I just tell everybody about it.

Day #13: What are you excited about?

I wanted to compare my excitement from the childhood and the feeling I experience now. I guess I still feel excited about many things and I’m very happy about it.

Day #14: Post your favorite movies that you never get tired to watch.

There are so many things that I can consider my favorite that it’s very difficult to choose. Am I the only one with such a dilemma?

Day #15: Bullet-point your whole day.

Seems like a normal day when I have organized it on the paper. Have to do it more often J

Day #16: Something that you miss.

I wrote about my efforts not to miss anything. I think that I’m doing pretty well with it because the point is in self-programming. If you make yourself miss, you will miss. The same thing is with happiness.

That’s it. I feel very balanced with this writing challenge. It opens some new possibilities within me and I don’t see any obstacles to use them.

What about you? Do you want to try it?

Report #3: Adele and Academic Writing

So, here I am with the 3^rd report, still eager to tell you what I have been doing and how everything has been going. I don’t want to rush the things but I just can’t miss the chance to say that this challenge is changing me and my attitude to my work. We’ll see what comes next. I’m very excited. Very.

Here is my portion of writing.

Day #6: Five snacks that get you concentrated on the assignment.

Well, I like talking about snacks.

·         Roasted peanuts;

·         Vanilla yogurt;

·         Carrot sticks;

·         Gummy lollies;

·         Banana chips.

Few months ago I would add cookies and candies here, but now I try to brace myself up and avoid these evil snacks and you know why.

Day #7: List 10 songs that you’re loving right now.

       

1.       Adele – Hello

2.       Glass Animals – Love Lockdown

3.       James Brown – This Is a Man’s World

4.       Flyte – Eloise

5.       Pharrell Williams – Freedom

6.       Hozier – Foreigner’s God

7.       Prince George – Upswing

8.       Khai – Do You Go Up

9.       Oh Wonder – Landslide

10.   The Weeknd – I Can’t Feel My Face

Day #8: Share something you struggle with.

I wrote an essay on my fears because I struggle with them every day as any other human being. They are connected with my career and it’s difficult to talk about them. But I feel much better having written it on the paper. Advise you to do the same.

Day #9: Post some motivational quotes that inspire your academic writing.

Day #10: Write about something that really matters to you.

How I spend my life with my family is the thing that matters me a lot. That’s what I have written about.

Next report in 5 days J

To be continued … 

Report #2: Stephen King & Academic Writing

I am very glad that I’ve taken this 30 day writing challenge. Believe it or not I think about it all the time and it makes me feel so happy. It’s one of the best decisions that I’ve made.

I chose to write in a notebook. I don’t really know why, maybe because it feels more personal. So, here we go. My 2^nd report.

Day #2: Write an essay “The reason I chose academic writing”.

I don’t know how many words I wrote (this is paper notebook) but it rushed out of me without stops. I wrote for thirty minutes and it covered six sheets from both sides. I really admit that academic writing plays a very important role in my life not only because of the benefits I listed in my previous report. But because it changed my life, my routine and me. I write, work and learn. Isn’t that just amazing?

Day #3: Find the paper that you consider your best and justify your choice.

Well, I dug deep to find this one. My favorite type of academic writing is essay and papers of this type take up almost all of my storage space. Of course, I don’t have all texts I wrote (after all, I’ve been 16 years in academic writing business) but I certainly can choose among available. It’s an essay on “How Reading Influences Life”. I think you already understand why I chose this text. Because I wrote it with so much passion as a true book lover and bookworm that I could barely give it away. I will read it to my children when they grow up because there are my thoughts on why everybody on this planet should read every day. And I’m sure they’ll understand it.

Day #4: Write about someone who inspires you.

I even didn’t need to think. Of course, I wrote about Stephen King because this is the writer I respect and admire. I read his books and constantly find topics for essays because he always touches upon serious sociological issues and that’s incredible. Who knew that it’s possible to combine Stephen King and academic writing?

Day #5: List 5 places that you consider the most comfortable and workable for academic writing.

1.       My reading nook. It’s the best place when I have to write about something light.

2.       My kitchen. I have a very comfortable chair and table there.

3.       Park. Mostly because of the sunlight and fresh air.

4.       Café. Sometimes a little bit of bustling is all I need to get started.

5.       Beach. Though I rarely get the chance to enjoy it, I use every opportunity I have.

That’s my report for now. I have to say that I enjoyed these 5 day much. And you?

Report #1: How I Start My 30 Day Writing Challenge

Ok, guys. It's November, 1 and I start my #30DayWritingChallenge. It's nice to begin your day with writing as always and I feel fresh and full of will and strength. You know, when you realize that you do such cool things the sun shines brighter, I swear! You have such an elevated feeling that you can do anything and impossible is nothing.

So, getting down to business.

Day #1: List 7 things that you like about freelance academic writing.

Well, that's pretty easy :)

1. I can take up any topic I want to write on.
2. I organize my time and work load myself.
3. I've got the most useful skill ever: researching.
4. I constantly get to know tons of new things.
5. My speech has become more sophisticated and it's improving every day.
6. I have become flexible in terms of different types of writing.
7. Communication with different clients boosts socializing skills a lot.

Here they are: 7 things I like about freelance academic writing. I can certainly name more because this type of work is the best.

My next report is scheduled on November, 5 and it will surely be bigger, so, get ready to read my stories.

To be continued ...

Tips on Storing Work on Cloud

We all know by now that Cloud is not just a fancy name for uploading files to a server. It goes much further and provides a lot of flexibility especially for us, freelance academic writers. I experienced it myself once when my laptop passed away and took all of my work with him. It was disastrous for me so I decided to look for new solutions and I found them.

OneDrive and Google Drive offer 15GB free of charge, with 10GB from Box a little behind and Dropbox in the end, giving away only 2GB. Dropbox, however, can be upgraded to 16GB with special actions such as referrals. A growing stash of photos and videos will soon need more. In this case you may consider OneDrive and Dropbox 10$ per month for 1TB paid plans or 7$/1TB per month for Google Drive. But I would rather store photos and videos on external hard drive cause, you know, I’m not ready to pay for space in the Internet yet.

App of choice depends on which features are important for you, as some of them are able to greatly enhance your work. In Google Drive, for example, you can edit your documents right in the Cloud with built in-office suit and shared access for multiple users.

As far as special features go, OneDrive organizes the files by type and has an auto-upload feature for photos. It comes built-in with Windows 8 and 8.1.

Dropbox is one of two apps that support Blackberry (the other being Box) and the only one that works with Kindle Fire. It comes with auto-upload for photos as well. Box has an endless list of sharing and privacy features, including comments and notifications.

I strongly recommend storing your work on cloud because freelancing supposes that your tasks can catch up you anywhere. You can access your unfinished essay or research paper at your friend’s place, while traveling or visiting your parents. That’s very comfortable and much safer than relying on your laptop. Remember my case; you don’t want to feel that way as I did.

So, stay calm and back up your files.                

P.S. What cloud storage service do you use?

Clear, Specific, Precise and Exact: This Is All about Academic Writing

Academic writing is mostly the language of facts. I say “mostly” because there are various types of papers that sometimes require more than some scientists’ viewpoints and their analyses. But the most vivid peculiarity of academic writing is clarity. Professors and scientists overall do not speak with metaphors and proverbs. They are prone to use specific words and phrases that do not have double meanings. This is the feature number one that you have to take into account when writing academic papers, so, let’s make sure you are specific enough:

1.       Do you use facts?

The points given in the paper must be proven by commonly known facts or solid arguments that belong to respected and renowned people. But your facts must be clearly stated without extra words that can distract the reader from the main point.

2.       Do you include figures?

Statistics has always been a very useful tool that raises the reliability of the whole paper. For instance, instead of saying “over half of the population” you write “630 thousand of people”. You see, the style is changing right in front of your eyes.

3.       Do you avoid filler words?

Words like “so”, “well”, “you know” are unacceptable because you are stating facts, not speaking with your friend. In general, all words that do not bear semantically important information are reduced from the academic text because they avert readers from grabbing the essential viewpoint.

So, next time you are going to deliver an academic paper, ask yourself these 3 questions. If your answer is yes to all of them, then you’ve done a great job. But if there are some doubts, better revise to be sure whether your writing clear, specific, precise and exact. Be a professional freelance academic writer!