by: Linda Correli

Writing is a form of preserved talk, talk that has been pinned down on paper so the words can be heard again. The basic principles of good writing, apart, from grammatical correctness, might be presented as follows:

1) written sentences should sound like natural speech;

2) the words we use must be exact, fresh, full of strength and vitality. Picture making words are better than vague, general words;

3) fresh point of view will give flavor to the style;

4) humor will lighten it.

Though, it is true that written sentences should sound like natural speech, they fully present an image of the natural speech. The reasons for this are fairly obvious: natural speech is a great deal more than words; it is also tone of voice, facial expression, gestures, and even the speaker’s appearance.

The whole point of writing is to create something better than we really talk – something more interesting, more thoughtful, and more effective in every way, for “effectiveness is what matters, and if an expression is confusing, ambiguous or unintentionally vague, it can hardly be an effective use of the language.” (C.R.E.Parker).

The only thing we must borrow from the natural speech to achieve an air of naturalness is the rhythm of speech. Now before we speak of sentence rhythm at more length, we shall consider one of the major qualities of writing – sentence length.

To begin with, fashions in sentence length constantly change. Past generation were more hospitable to the long sentences than we are, and prose writers sometimes created sentences 200-300 words long. They are often well-arranged sentences too; after all, the thought they convey is complex and can be hardly skimmed through. Indeed, some of them present the works of art.

In the twentieth century, the tendency in writing has been toward shorter, easier-to-grasp-at-one glance sentences.

- This tendency can be easily explained by the spread of the literacy among masses of people.

- Consequently, the style of writing should be clear and comprehensive for everybody, and aimed at satisfying the demand in easy and interesting reading.

- The increase in the tempo of living and absence of leisure-reading matter must be fitted to the needs of those who read only in the odd moments of their lives, between household chores and television programs, business meetings and social duties.

Hence, what can be inferred from the length of the sentences the writer uses?

Indeed, sentence length and grammatical complexity vary from writer to writer, from idea to idea, from sentence to sentence. There can’t be any general rules, which every person, who starts writing should strictly stick to. However, there are a handful of good ideas that can be applied by the writers.

Sentence length depends greatly on the complexity of the idea to be expressed. In our time, the average length of sentences is somewhere between 20-30 words. Now the simplicity and naturalness of the written and spoken language is deemphasized. So, the usage of short sentences became the custom of the day.

Short sentences can infuse a fresh spirit into the way you write and speak. Get to know why?

* The writer, who wants to persuade the audience, should remember that he will succeed best when the argument is couched in brief, even staccato sentences.

* In most readers’ mind, the short sentence carries an unmistakable sense of wisdom, because down through the ages it has acted as the setting for all the familiar gems of “truth”.

* Since there is no room in a very short sentence for anything but one elaborated thought, it follows that an idea to set forth in such a sentence will receive a large degree of emphasis.

* The short sentences can be used to express the feeling of suspense, excitement, or even horror. What would be a crime thriller be like without the terse, clipped sentences that portend a tense episode? The concentration upon a few bare facts adds a peculiar sense of horror or vice verse excitement to the narrative.

* The very absence of elaboration gives a writer a great opportunity to deliver the message to the reader in a simple and comprehensive way.

* The short sentences give unity to the expressed ideas, relieve monotony of too many clauses, and in general, make the expression more exact and accurate.

Undoubtedly, every writer should pay special attention to the length of the sentences he uses. Thus, the primary concern in writing and speaking must always be that our sentences fit the thoughts they are communicating.

by: Maui Reyes

Your website is just one of the billion sites parked on the World Wide Web. Chances are, you don’t think yours will ever get noticed.
We hear your cries for cyber attention. Here are five ways to get people clicking on to your site.

1.) Make sure it’s professional looking.
No one likes looking at website that reminds them of a book report they wrote back in school. Invest in learning a good web design program (Dreamweaver MX and Microsoft Frontpage are good picks), and let your creative juices flow. Make sure it’s compelling, well-designed, and organized. People don’t exactly find it fun to weed through haystacks of cyberfiles to get the information that they want.

On that note, don’t make it a heavy site. Putting up some flash intros may be great eye candy, but the average internet surfer only waits 10 seconds for a page to load, and then they’re off to the next.

2.) Put your URL on every search engine possible.
Putting your URL on business cards and bugging your family and friends to check out your site won’t exactly increase traffic. Submitting it to search engines will make it easier for people to find you, provided that your webpage carries the topics they’re looking for. To understand how a search engine works, think of it as a “spider”: it crawls through your website, picking up words and information which would later be indexed in the search engine’s database. So make sure you pepper your site with keywords you think are relevant to what people are looking for. Web directories, like Yahoo!, are operated by humans who actually categorize the websites themselves.
If you don’t feel like submitting your website to numerous directories, consider subscribing to sites like www.submit-it.com, who, for a fee, will automatically submit your site to search engines and directories for you.

3.) Link everywhere.
Find other sites that carry similar content as yours and ask to exchange links. Create banners to be placed on other peoples’ websites, and offer to the same for them on your site. Add your URL on your e-mail signature. Join webrings if you must—there’s nothing like strength in numbers.

4.) Advertise offline.
The world of cyberspace isn’t enough to get you noticed. Write up press releases and send them to local newspapers and magazines. Print out fliers to be distributed. Just make sure that your site is already up and running to avoid giving people a bad impression (no one likes getting pumped up for something only to get disappointed).

5.) Interact with your readers.
Put up forums or message boards for your visitors to interact with each other. Chat rooms are often time-consuming for some, while message boards allows them to check back every so often for replies. Create an e-mail list so you can update your visitors about new developments, and always be open to feedback—that’s what will make your site even better.

by: Tania French

My sister loves lists. She says they keep her on track and trigger her memory. So, she asked me to make a list detailing what it took for me to reach the level of success I have.

Actually what she really wanted is to learn what it takes to stay committed and focused on a goal. Her goals seemed to blur and then disappear after initially burning as bright as the sun on a summer's day.

This is quite common. So don't fret.

But now forget that you were once a goal-setter-trasher. Go into unfamiliar territory and cast off those shackles of procrastination. Be fearless and eager to learn.

Let's start with the basics:

1. Turn off the TV. You won't change your life if you keep watching the world go by. So get off your couch, or bed, toss the remote, walk to your tube and press the OFF button. Better yet, put it behind closed doors. It's addictive. Seeing it might disturb your creativity. Now, I know you might feel deprived and suffer from withdrawal, but, when your life changes you'll get over it.

2. Go to a bookstore. If you don't have a good dictionary and thesaurus, Walk to your local bookstore and purchase these two indispensable items. While your browsing, check out the Biography section to read books written by people you wish to emulate. Equally as important, buy How To/Advice books on the subject your interested in.

3. Read. Back home on the couch, sans remote, read, read and read. Underline, highlight and take notes. Write down what you are learning.

4. Grab a pen and notepad. Now that it's quiet, start listening to your thoughts. Write. Write anything that comes to mind. Write about the life you want. Describe it in absolute detail. This should not be a hardship. Make it fun. Feel yourself living the life you always wanted. If you can't handle it, go back and start from the top.

5. Ask questions. Ask experts who have succeeded in what you want to do all the questions you have. Commit this Rudyard Kipling poem to memory: "Six honest serving men--they taught me all I know--their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who."

6. Pick a product you want to sell. Remember - all forms of art must be successfully marketed into actual products or services. Create your first niche product.

7. Watch your thoughts and words. In order to maximize success, remember: the words you choose and use create your life's news.

Your full commitment is changing your life for the better. The more creative fuel you emit towards your goal, the faster you'll reach it. You know your life is in your hands. Now get those hands dirty. Watch your fears melt away.

That is the power of Creative Action.

About the author:
Click here for your common-sense guide to living a fulfilled and wealthy life.

Tania French is a composer who has enjoyed performances and radio broadcasts of her music worldwide.

by: Jim Faller

As more and more people are becoming comfortable using their computers at school, home or in the office it’s only a matter of time before they encounter a computer virus. Here are our top 10 steps to protect you from computer viruses.

Use a high quality anti-virus program. There are many different anti-virus computers programs on the market some of them are better than others.

Look to reputable computer magazines or websites for ratings to help you find the one that matches your needs.

Always use your anti-virus software. Make sure your anti-virus software is always turned on and scanning, incoming and outgoing email messages, and any software programs you run.

Keep your antivirus programs up to date. Most programs come with a yearly subscription make sure you take advantage of the updates. More advanced programs allow you to schedule updates or full system scans for “off hours” like 2AM when you aren’t likely to be using your computer.

Keep your computer up to date. From time to time operating systems fall victim to security holes or issue updates. Make sure you check periodically to make sure you are running stable up to date versions of your software.

Backup your data regularly. Most windows computer users keep their documents in the “My documents” folder. This makes it easy to back up all of your important documents. Make weekly or monthly copies to CD or USB drives.

If you use floppy disks or USB drives on public computers like your school computer lab, Kinko’s, or even digital photo printing store make sure you scan them for viruses. Public computers are notorious for not being up to date and properly protected.

Be wary of email attachments. Treat any email attachment as potentially dangerous. Never open attachments from people you weren’t expecting. Also be careful of attachments from people you know but weren’t expecting. Many computer viruses replicate themselves by reading the contacts from an infected computer.

Use text email if possible. While HTML email is prettier and allows you more control over formatting it also can carry computer viruses. If you use text based email the only way to get a virus is by opening an attachment.

Use downloaded freeware and shareware files or software with caution. Try to download them from popular reputable sources that scan the programs before they are uploaded. To make sure you are safe scan the program before you install it on your computer.

Be wary of links in IM or instant messaging software. Don’t accept invitations from people you don’t know and never click a link from someone you don’t trust, they can easily redirect you to another website that will try to install a virus on your computer system.