Why Being the Grammar Police Isnt A Good Freelance Writing Quality

Do you find yourself cringing and biting your nails when reading blog posts and articles filled with grammatical mistakes? You might even be in the Grammar Police group and not even know it! The impulse to email the business or blogger about their errors is all too-consuming because not only do these grammar errors leave a sour taste in your mouth, but youre also fed up with all the mistakes you see online from bloggers and even from freelance writers likeME! Ive said many times on my blog that Im not a perfect writer and I dont claim to be perfect with grammar (thats why I use Grammarly and have a proofreader for my client work). And, Im even fortunate enough to have nice bloggers and writers tell me my grammatical mistakes. In the years Ive been writing online, Ive only had less than 3 Grammar Police ridicule my writing skill. I usually get something like this: In the post, I noticed an error. I thought you might like to know so you can get it corrected. In future lessons will focus on the pages *will* should either read as: we will or well. Or, you could eliminate In so the sentence will read: Future lessons will focus on the pages. Hope youre having a great day!Linda H. As I said, Im fortunate that my tribe of writers, mamas and bloggers arent the Grammar Police but constructively critique my writing. And thats a good thing because if youre a freelance writer, being the Grammar Police to clients and prospective clients is not an excellent quality. In fact, its a bad quality to have. Get My Free Course on Getting Paid to Write Online Why Being the Grammar Police is Hazardous to Your Work Writing is personal. You pour your heart and soul into your writing, whether its for your own personal enjoyment or your freelance writing job. You have a connection with your words, and when you hear that your writing is horrible or that you the professional freelance writer should be aware of these grammar errors, it doesnt make you feel good, right? So, imagine this Grammar Police telling strangers they have horrible writing because they have one or few double negatives or typos in their articles? Do you think this person gets freelance writing jobs every day? Lets go over five ways being the Grammar Police makes you less money and lessens your chance at landing freelance writing work. 1. Grammar Police Are Rigid If you live by grammar and all things related to having error-free writing, I can bet you are unwilling to infuse personality into your writing. Your passion for writing is limited by not ending your sentences in a preposition or ensuring you never have a dangling modifier. And, in the end, what do you end up with then? Writing that lacks creativity. Writing that doesnt breathe life. Your writing becomes too rigid and something that clients dont want on their website. A freelance writing client wants an engaging writer that can tell a story with their words. And more importantly, isnt afraid to bend the rules of grammar for the sake of making their writing more conversational. If you find yourself self-editing constantly, consider the result of that when you read your writing. 2. Clients Dont Like Grammar Police Grammar Police are also nit-picky and rudely demonstrate this quality at times. As the person dishing out the grammar advice, you may not see this. You may feel you are doing your part in helping your clients with their copy. Which is ultimately right, but if you nit-pick every little thing on your clients website, do you think youll be their go-to writer? Clients usually collaborate with easy going writers. These are the writers that turn in excellent work all the time, never miss a deadline, never ask for an extension and are easy to reach (and dont nit-pick!). 3. Grammar Police Are Slow Writers My writing process sometimes can take a while to accomplish. Its hard for me not to hit that backspace/delete button as Im typing my clients post. I self-edit all the time, but Im learning to limit this constructive criticism in my brain and just write. But, for many other writers, they cant turn that off in their brains. The Grammar Police thrive in them, and writing becomes excruciating and fixated on one paragraph or solely on the introduction. You can also call this perfectionism 🙂 And, you know how what ends up happening when you write slow? You make less money as a freelance writer. 4. Grammar Police Focus On the Wrong Thing Again, grammar gets the spotlight when you write, rather than the content idea or the actual writing. You become focused on eliminating your grammatical mistakes and typos, rather than seeing if the idea flows from point A to point B. When you make your outline for your article the spotlight, you start to care about what you are writing about, instead of how your writing sounds like or how it comes out across. 5. Grammar Police Come Across As All-Knowing Its unfortunate, but I lump Grammar Police with trolls on the Internet. And many feel the same way and call Grammar Police huge jerks. Of the few that have called me out on my grammar or writing style, the most memorable was when I didnt even write a post, but I did a webinar about freelance writing. One person emailed me after the webinar and told me point blank that she would NEVER buy ANYTHING I created. She thought my webinar was terrible, that my speaking was poor and that there was no way that businesses were paying for my writing. Ouch! I never publicly told this story because it hurt me! Deeply! The next time I did a webinar was two years later! Grammar Police want to come off as all-knowing because they just want to be right. That is not how you do business with potential clients. The Right Way to Acknowledge a Grammar Mistake Look I know that many of you reading this arent Grammar Police, but you want to know how you can tell someone (ahema potential client of yours) that they have a typo or grammatical error. How do you do it kindly? As I mentioned, the bloggers, mamas, and writers in my community are very helpful and very kind when they tell me I have a spelling mistake: But, McKinzie is a blogging friend of mine, so its easy to call-out other friends for a typo. Its different when you want to tell a potential client they have errors all over their website. How do you tell them? In my private Facebook group for Writeto1k course students, Michelle asked: How do you suggest someone hire you as a copy editor without sounding rude? I have seen so many big brands with typos and other errors lately, but I dont know how to contact them and not seem like a jerk by pointing out the mistakes. I asked my dear friend and editor, Lorraine Reguly this question and here is her expert advice: When you contact the company, the very first thing you want to do is compliment them on their content. This will create favorability in their mind, which will hopefully lead to a positive response. Once that has been established, you can then point out their mistakes, using screenshots, and explain that you are concerned about their image as well as their professionalism online. Then you can make your pitch! By pointing out all of the positives, you will gain their trust. All of the positives will outweigh the negatives, so a positive response will be more likely to happen! As you can see, instead of being the Grammar Police, Lorraine suggests that you compliment the company first. As the saying goes, you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. The same is true for business always start with a positive thing to say before you state a negative. Lorraine also makes it a point to say that you should tell prospective clients you are concerned about their brand and image, and professionalism. This changes the mindset of the potential client feeling inferior or embarrassed by the typo, and instead, puts the idea that these mistakes can hurt their brand. This opens the door to your editing and writing service. Dont Be the Grammar Police Am I inviting Grammar Police by writing this post? I hope not! I want to help as many writers as possible tomake money with their writing. If grammar is your sole focus, you may be better off as an editor rather than a writer! But, if you truly love writing, its okay to point out typos, just use constructive criticism because everyone makes mistakes! Over to you have you been called out by the Grammar Police? What was your experience? Remember to pin me! Get My Free Course on Getting Paid to Write Online

Understanding Environmental Problems through Poetry

Understanding Environmental Problems through Poetry Environmental issues are burning ones in modernity; however, they are not new for the 20th and 21st centuries, since they were raised much earlier, at the outbreak of the Industrial Revolution. It is also true that the environmental problems have been frequently raised in poetry – the works of Wordsworth, Bishop, and Yeats may serve as evidence for this fact. All these authors have repeatedly raised the issues connected with the pace of progress and its impact on the surrounding nature, and have devoted some lyrics to these questions.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Understanding Environmental Problems through Poetry specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One of the remarkable pieces of poetry dedicated to the impact of man on nature is Sonnet; the poet voices his regrets about the Industrial Revolution and its effect on the connection between people and nature. He stresses the fact that with the emergence of machin es people have lost their unity with nature they used to have before: â€Å"Little we see in Nature that is ours† (Wordsworth 3). This is the reason for which the author disapproves of the progress and longs back to the time when no pollution, plants, manufacture, and industry existed, and wants to become a wild pagan on the untouched Earth: â€Å"Id rather be/A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn† (Wordsworth 9-10). The topic of regretting the progress and missing the genuine nature are also visible in the work of Yeats called The Lake Isle of Innisfree written at the end of the 19th century. The beginning of the poem takes the reader to the beautiful, untouched world of charming nature. All the author wants to have is a hut â€Å"of clay and wattles made† (Yeats 2), and â€Å"a hive for the honeybee† (Yeats 3). The dream of the poet is to â€Å"live alone in the bee-loud glade† (Yeats 4). The pictures that the poet draws with the following lines of the verse are romantic, attractive, and naturally charming for all people who know what natural, simple beauty is. However, the author then shows the setting of his dreams, thus juxtaposing his dream and the surrounding reality: â€Å"I hear the water lapping with low sounds by the shore/ While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements gray† (Yeats 10-11) The motives of nature are also present in the verse titled The Fish by Elizabeth Bishop, and the author’s intent is to show both the dominance of people over the nature, and the respect they should have towards it. First of all, she shows that the way fish live is much better because of the pollution people have created â€Å"his gills were breathing in/the terrible oxygen† (Bishop 22-23). By these words the author shows that her habitat is worse than the fish’s is, but still she is the winner in the race as she has caught the fish that is in her power. Only seeing that the fish is an old fighter, and he has got into her hands only because he is tired of fighting, she provides an artistic comparison of the fish to people. She compares the hooks in the fish’s lip with the medals of an old soldier, and gives a metaphor of an old, wise man with a beard:Advertising Looking for essay on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Like medals with their ribbons frayed and wavering, a five-haired beard of wisdom trailing from his aching jaw (Bishop 61-64) Thus, as one can see from the present works, there is much on the issue of environment and nature in poetry; the poets have been not only worshipping the beauty of nature in their verses, but have managed to show how tragic the disconnection of people with nature is, and how drastic the role of industrial development is in this process. Poets show themselves as tied to the modernity, but longing back to the untouched, virgin nature that is lost foreve r for contemporary material and technologically advanced people. Their nostalgia about the foregone times of unity with nature serves as a good guide for people forgetting about the nature, its place in human lives, and its truly dominant position compared to mechanics and human impact. Therefore, such readings and analysis may deepen the human understanding of what environment is, and what it should be for us – not only the subject of preservation, but of admiration, attention, and appeal in its genuine simplicity and charm.

Suicide Before and After Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Suicide Before and After - Essay Example This paper submits that while these measures are important, and in fact, are supported by a great weight of scientific evidence, in dealing with the family and helping them cope after the suicide of their loved one, it is best to treat the person as a unique individual, rather than as a statistic to affirm previously-projected patterns. It is important to discuss my first-hand experience on this matter, as this will prove to be relevant to the abovementioned thesis statement. My brother shot himself to death recently. He was married to his wife for 27 years and was the father of two boys. He was a quiet worker, albeit a bit quiet and not too comfortable in social functions. He decided to undergo therapy to cure his social disorder, and his sessions have largely been successful as was saw him become more relaxed, outgoing and openly affectionate. He then found out that his wife was having an affair, and the next day, he decided to end his life. Our family did not see it coming. We knew the revelation of his wife's affair had hurt him greatly, but we did not know that he was suicidal. We saw no indicators of that. InIndeed, the problem of suicides is a serious one. In the United States, more people die because of suicide each year than because of HIV or homicide. (SPRC Internet). That is why there have been many studies conducted about the "type" of person who is more susceptible to commit suicide. In the website of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, it was stated that at least 90% of those who kill themselves have a diagnosable treatable psychiatric illness, such as major depression, schizophrenia, or are suffering from alcohol or drug abuse, or have an antisocial personality. (AFSP Internet). Males are also three to five times more likely to commit suicide, and elderly Caucasian males have the highest suicide rates. (Ibid.) Hopelessness and pessimism are also an indicator of long-term suicidal risk. (Beck, et. al. 190). There are studies that have been conducted that state that family genetic history may be partially responsible for suicidal impulses of a human being. (Brent, at. al. 1) Of course, it is not difficult to conclude that a stormy family life - one riddled with conflicts and problems - can probably affect a person's coping mechanisms and make him more susceptible to suicide. These studies are good in the sense that they can provide a macro picture of trends and patterns, so that solution on a more general level may be reached. However, on a micro level, when one is dealing with an individual with a name and a face, foisting stastistics and data might not work. In order to more effectively prevent a suicide, the intervention must be one that operates on the premise that the individual is precisely that - an individual with with a unique personality, a unique emotion, and yes, a unique patchwork of problems that desperately cry for resolution. According to Edwin Schneidman, a clinical psychologist who is a leading authority on suicide, "Suicide is not a pointless or random act. To people who think about ending their own lives, suicide represents an answer

Role of ict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Role of ict - Essay Example Processing includes management of data (like computing, storage of data in databases, protection and retrieval of data) and its networking. Transfer includes transmission of data from one place/desktop to other using communication techniques. Both technologies are collectively called information and communication technology (ICT) (tutor2u, 2009). The purpose of introducing ICT in education is to enhance the learning and educational activities of students and support the teaching process by means of computers, internet and the latest technologies. According to Saverinus Kaka (2008, July 25), â€Å"education sector can be the most effective sector to anticipate and eliminate the negative impact of ICT. Technology (internet) in another side can be the most effective way to increase the student’s knowledge†. Students can be made familiar with computer aided simulations and educational games. The objectives of ICT in education are to incorporate latest technology based learning in schools, to endorse literacy about newer technologies in students, to support distance education, and to improve the teaching process by using latest techniques supported by ICT. â€Å"ICT has a distinctive contribution to make to the aims of the national curriculum as a whole† (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, 2009). In the national curriculum, ICT has played its role in planning work sequences and learning and teaching procedures. It has helped students to enjoy their educational activities because they can relate the technology based learning to their everyday lives. Students have been able to develop their own independent thinking regarding research, analysis of problems and decision-making. The national curriculum has put forth such programs of study that use ICT to enable the students to develop self-confidence and think about new ideas. The ICT based study programs in the national curriculum support safe usage of

Convince Catherine Essay Example for Free

Convince Catherine Essay Rodolfo started singing for Catherine, but Eddie intercepted him when he says â€Å"Hey kid – hey, wait a minute –â€Å"showing that he’s surprised and also suggests that Eddie thinks it is not masculine for a guy to be singing. Eddie also says to Marco â€Å"They got guys all over the place, Marco. I mean.† A masculine guy to Eddie is a guy who protects loved ones and a man that works and keeps a family together. This says that Eddie thinks the normal masculine guys in the area will not approve or like the fact that a guy enjoys singing. Catherine also takes pleasure from the singing of Rodolfo which gets Eddie jealous making him increasingly agitated. When Eddie notices the heels that she is wearing he orders her to take them off, because they appear to him as though they would attract other men. She felt embarrassed and anger maybe displaying that she feels embarrassed, because Rodolfo was witness to Eddie’s orders. It also shows the protective and possessive side that Eddie has for Catherine. Jealousy is what makes Eddie so protective over Catherine and he goes to extreme measures whether it means betraying his loved ones to stop the relationship between her and Rodolfo. Firstly Eddie tries to convince Catherine that she should not get too close with Rodolfo. By the stage directions Miller uses we see an evil side to Eddie as his eyes glare at Catherine and he tries to fake a smile. â€Å"Why don’t you talk to him, Eddie? He blesses you, and you don’t talk to him hardly†, Eddies eyes are described as enveloping and replies to Catherine â€Å"I bless you and you don’t talk to me† which shows he is trying to make her feel guilty about her spontaneous interests in Rodolfo. He also tells Catherine that Rodolfo don’t respect her and that he doesn’t bless him, trying to persuade Catherine to stay away from him. When this does not change Catherine’s interests in Rodolfo, Eddie feels like he has been defeated and takes his p roblems to Alfieri. This is where Eddie’s downfall begun. Eddie was losing control of his emotions, making him become crazy. He approached Alfieri to report Rodolfo and stated that he was only after Catherine to get papers. Alfieri described Eddie’s eyes to be like tunnels showing that he was already feeling defeated and described his jealousy as a passion that was controlling his body. â€Å"Eddie, I’m a lawyer. I can only deal in what’s provable. You understand that, don’t you? Can you prove that?† asked by Alfieri. Eddie replied â€Å"I know what’s in his mind, Mr Alfieri!† The italics show desperation as well as the exclamation mark showing that he is gradually losing his temper. Eddie also describes Rodolfo to Alfieri saying that â€Å"you could kiss him he was so sweet.† Eddie had revealed to Alfieri that he thought Rodolfo was homosexual using it as an excuse to convince Alfieri that he wants papers. You are kept reminded by Eddie’s death throughout the play by the use of foreshadowing and help from Alfieri narrating Eddie’s actions and the play. Alfieri said â€Å"I knew where he was heading for, I knew where he was going to end.† This reminds an audience of the opening scene where we knew from the start, Eddie’s ending. Also Alfieri includes a metaphor to warn Eddie of what he will face if his jealous ways get the better of him. â€Å"A river will drown you† spoken by Alfieri indicating that it will become too much for him to handle and he won’t be able to face the consequences he faces of breaking the law. Eddie has an impenetrable wall of denial and during the play if someone tried to shatter it, he would fill with fury. Anger is shown multiple times with the use of punctuation such as exclamation marks. When Alfieri says to him, â€Å"She can’t marry you can she?† Eddie infuriately responds, â€Å"I don’t know what the hell you’re talkin’ about!† Also when Beatrice screams at him, â€Å"You want somethin’ else, Eddie, and you can never have her!† These words got Eddie so angry they could have been the words that lead to his death. This was probably Eddie’s biggest problem. He just couldn’t face the truths that made him lie resulting in his crashing downfall. I think the way Arthur Miller presents the character Eddie Carbone allows the audience to understand the message far easier. Eddie shows what can happen if you allow yourself to be too known. Really there are desires and secrets that are best to be kept to you in order for the protection of others that is. And this is explained in the ending when Alfieri said, â€Å"most of the time we settle for half and I like it better.† This means that you should compromise and allow justice, be fair and don’t be greedy. Also I think that the play teaches you about the psychology of relationships and that you shouldn’t betray your friends which Eddie did and look where he ended up. But there is a side to me that does feel sympathy for Eddie as it can become quite hard to release a daughter figure into the open world, especially when it comes as sudden as it did.

gatmoral Moral Responsibility in The Great Gatsby :: Great Gatsby Essays

Moral Responsibility in The Great Gatsby Bang! Gatsby's dead! George Wilson shot Gatsby! However, who is morally responsible for killing Gatsby? The obvious answer would be George since he pulled the trigger. However, it is clear, if for no other reason than for the unimportance of George in the book, that others were also partly responsible. In The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tom, Daisy, and George are morally responsible for the death of Gatsby. Tom, because of his tattling on Gatsby, can be morally blamed for the murder of Gatsby. When George talked to him, Tom told George it was Gatsby's car that hit Myrtle, but he failed to mention that it was Daisy driving. Even though it was never directly mentioned, it is shown that Tom knew Daisy was the one who killed Myrtle when Nick said, "...and anybody would have said that they were conspiring together," (p.146) when referring to Tom and Daisy talking in their house. This "conspiring" was probably a plan to get Daisy away from the whole incident. Furthermore, Tom and Daisy leave town the next day, proving Tom's knowledge of Daisy's guilt by just trying to escape with her. Even knowing this, Tom still had the indecency to tell George it was Gatsby's car. Tom can also be morally blamed for the killing of Gatsby because of his affair with Myrtle. George killed Gatsby not only because he thought he killed Myrtle, but also because he was under the impression that Gatsby was the one having the affair with his wife. Tom knew George was thinking this and when George talked to him, Tom seized his opportunity to get off the hook for his sin and directed it to Gatsby, making himself even more morally incorrect for doing it. It is clearly justifiable to blame Tom for Gatsby's death. Daisy can also be put morally responsible for Gatsby's death. Her bad morals relating to Gatsby's death are displayed when Gatsby said, "Anyhow - Daisy stepped on it. I tried to make her stop, but she couldn't..." (p.145) Daisy was not morally responsible enough to stop the car after she hit Myrtle. She would also not take the rap for driving the car later, but instead, left town.

Business Writing Course Essay

Proper written communications in a business is a very specific mark in professionalism. Poor writing and communication in the workplace is mostly attributed to lack of professionalism, lack of proper training, and lack of confidence. Therefore this is a request to take a Business Writing Course at Kaplan University in Urbandale, Iowa. The cost of the course is $1500. 00 which includes all books and necessary course materials. The course begins July 10 and ends August 14, 2013. The course is offered online so all course work and attendance will be in the evenings or weekends so it will not disrupt the schedule at work. The course has to be paid in full by July 1, 2013. As sponsors of the Kaplan University Business Writing Course, Airgead Corporation will benefit because all the course material will be compiled in a binder and given to you for future training purposes. All office personnel will be able to reference all their business professional writing techniques by looking through samples and templates provided in the manual. The text books and all other course materials will become property of Airgead Corporation upon completion of the business writing course. As your Project Manager, this course will significantly improve the ability to write clear, concise, effective messages in professional manner. Writing skills promote effective communication which in turn will increase productivity, success and job satisfaction. Besides improving overall business communication skills, this course will also offer: * Tips on style and writing in first person.