Single Mother University and College Scholarship Federal Grant Information
Scholarship and federal grant money are readily available for a single mother desiring to attend university. The uncertainty of being able to afford the tuition fee is one of the main concerns many single parents fear when considering higher education.
The information a needed to determine if she qualifies for a university scholarship or grant to offset these costs can be found by searching online, visiting a library or inquiring at federal agencies. Finding grant money is easy.
However here are a few guidelines to keep in mind.
Narrow your search by focusing on the single mother university scholarship federal grant that best suits you. For instance, if you plan to study at a local university, do not include out of state university scholarship programs.
Do not assume that because the information about the scholarship does not spell out that it is a single mother university scholarship federal grant that you cannot apply. Apply for grants liberally.
Ask questions about any scholarship orl grant that seems to meet your other criteria. For example, if it's for a nursing degree or engineering degree, these should be specified.
Checkout grants for individuals under the nontraditional, reentry, or adult students program. Because of the many diverse circumstances in our society these grant programs are becoming more available at major universities.
One of the most overlooked areas for advancing education is through online university degree programs. These may also be eligible for single mother university scholarship federal grants under newer programs.
You will also need to know how to apply for university scholarship federal grants. The way you write your application and the type of information you provide can make the difference between getting the financial aid you need and being denied. The most important advice here is to never omit pertinent information. Answer all the questions to the best of your ability. And don't be afraid to do research for inspiration. This little extra effort will give you the edge over other single moms and general scholarship applicants.
Many universities offer scholarship federal grant program. Both mature and young mothers can access some of the single mother federal grants, however many are specifically for older, more mature students in special circumstances. Don't allow this caveat to sway you. As a single mother you're probably qualified.
Begin with making a list of the universities you are interested in attending. You can gather significant amounts of scholarship information just by visiting websites all over the internet. If you cannot understand all the information on the website or you need clarification, pick up the phone and call the financial aid office. I have found this to be the greatest and quickest way to learn the language of university scholarship federal grant terms and get those in between questions answered. Even if the university itself does not offer single mother university scholarship federal grants they may well know where you can get help.
As is the case with everything in the world, things always come with preconceived ideas and ideas. There is something someone has to say about everything. The cricket matches, share markets, and even web writing, or the content of writing as it is popularly known. And even the content is written their ties and people are ready to formulate their own opinions about what happens in it. A good story will always remain a good article. No difference if it is written on a page or a computer screen.
The common perception that most people have is that readers who surf the web avidly are always in a hurry. So almost never get to read the full article. Now another argument against surfaces. If it is indeed a problem like that arises then why write long articles? There are some points to write new successful businesses on the web: -
The article written must be specified in a limit of words, eg 500-600 words "The problem posed by readers do not read the entire article does not do justice to the writer written and full length articles. So the article should stay nice and cool in a range of 500-600 words.
The use of titles and subtitles should be properly handled "This is again one of the key aspects of good writing up. Readers are often demanding and want to know about a specific thing. So break the article in 4-5 subtitles allow the reader to choose and read what he wants.
Use short paragraphs and the text is firm-The use short paragraphs does one thing. Do not bore the reader as do long paragraphs. And writing well means that you should stick with the text and its relevance and not to material it unnecessary. A blatant piece of information may consider interesting too.
Vital information must be shared in advance Article-What this means is that what they are writing about must be properly modeled in the beginning of the text. Paragraphs should build the relevance of the topic in the course of each line and must be clearly visible on what you want to convey through the article.
These are some of the myths that are created the minds of readers and writers alike, while the technology shows, write an article, only requires a sense of skill and knowledge of the subject matter. So the success behind a good article is the meaning of the presentation was merged with the right information at the place and show what is right!
Your literature professor has asked you to write a 7-page essay comparing Medieval and Renaissance poetry; your economics professor wants 15 pages on how globalization is affecting the economy in three different countries; and your mathematics professor has forgotten this is a mathematics class, and wants 5 pages on the quadratic formula. And you have been staring at the computer screen for over an hour wondering how on earth you are going to do all of this in the next four days.
This is an all-too-familiar scene to many students. Many students learn of these large assignments at the beginning of the semester when they receive their class syllabi, and immediately forget about them because November seems like years away. Other students are busy with extracurricular sports, trying to adjust to being away from home for the first time, and other events and issues. Still other students are quite frankly terrified of the writing process, believing the blank page to be worse than their worst nightmare, and so these assignments get shoved aside to remain untouched until the last minute.
It is an interesting fact of college life that all students, regardless of major or discipline, are asked to write about their subject matter -- often quite extensively. While it is certainly important that all individuals be literate, and knows how to read and write in a variety of capacities, styles, and genres, it is also the case that not everyone has to be a professional academic writer (www.korepetycje.com/join_us.html). Engineers need to know how to design bridges or better towel racks; pilots need to be able to take off and land safely and smoothly; and physicians need to be able to diagnose illnesses and injuries and to prescribe the correct medical interventions. None of these people needs to know how to write a term paper.
What, then, are the options for the poor student struggling in the first paragraph? What will happen to the student who is a prodigy on the piano but is facing failure because she cannot write 10 pages on Beethoven? What will happen to the next Frank Lloyd Wright who is stuck in his psychology seminar, unable to write a series of vignettes portraying various mental illnesses?
There are a few options. Most college campuses have writing labs, where many students are helped with researching and writing their papers. Many students form study groups, where they help each other through the tough assignments. Some students write their custom essays and term papers (see: http://www.korepetycje.com/indexam.html) and then pay an editor to polish them. Still others turn to professional writing services for assistance with their assignments. This is where services such as CustomPapers.com come in. We have a large staff of professional writers who specialize in writing papers about a wide variety of disciplines ranging from economics to ecology, marketing to Mozart, Hemingway to heart murmurs. We can also assist students with related projects, such as PowerPoint Presentations. In the many years of our existence, we have found tremendous success helping students with assignments of all sizes, all levels of difficulty, and all subjects.
Regardless of what type of help you choose, the important thing is that you get through college as quickly and effectively as possible. College is a step leading up to the rest of your life -- don't let a term paper be the skateboard in your path.
Research is the backbone of any written and the sources used for research are also important. The primary sources are, for example, newspaper cuttings, interviews and other sources quoted directly from, for example, accounts of historical witnesses. It is often considered more valuable than secondary sources. Secondary sources, such as the name implies, second-hand accounts of events. For example, a book story written by an author using primary sources for the interpretation of a historical event.
The use of different sources of research will will see the strengths and weaknesses of his argument. Their role, in effect, you must be a response to a proposal for debate - for example, "this house believes: that diets do not works ". You should in their research are always aware of what the arguments of the opposition, is likely to present, so that you are responding to these arguments in writing. For example, the response to the proposal could be, "Weight Watchers is a successful organization because its members lose weight." Weakness the argument might be, "but how many members do not add more kilos success?" and an audience that listens to a debate in doubt on its argument, so will the reader, so you should always design an answer to these questions and expose them as incorrect. You can do this by using quotations from expert sources, for example. Using a variety of sources will ensure that present a balanced argument and obtain reliable information on which base their arguments.
Before you start writing your article you must plan the points you want to perform. Planning Your role is vital. It is true that "if fail to plan - will fail. "Once you have an idea of the direction you want steering the ship, then you can look forward to enjoying the journey! Your plan should specify the different points you want to do in a logical sequence. These points should form the basic structure of paragraphs in your document. In presenting each concept for the reader, which develops and destruction of any doubts about your arguments keep the reader interested and help them see your point clearly.
Each piece of writing has to lead the reader gently into the area through an introduction and college papers are no different. You would not expect a friend to tell you the crown of a joke without building otherwise the joke would fall flat. Similarly, if you do not lead the reader by establishing the basis for rest of his discussion with an introduction, the role of the university may also suffer the same fate and the reader does not want to continue reading. The introduction should address to summarize and the reader's interest.
An introduction is of paramount importance when writing a college paper for several reasons. First, an introduction a waiver competent work by assuming that the reader has knowledge of the subject. It also gives them an idea of what to expect in the development and helps the reader to adapt their thoughts to your writing style. The most important of all, a good introduction should summarize the work and give an idea of what the conclusion is. Think of the introduction as an overview of the entire work, even though the work maybe. A successful introduction to explain the reader what the paper is about and prepare for the development of that idea or argument.
Think about the development of intermediate section of a college paper as a way to convince the reader of your argument. Decide are the points you want to do. This is where your research comes in. His research will strengthen and inform your own views and opinions. His job now is to implement research to support your arguments effectively.
The conclusion that its role should remind the reader why their particular views and the reasons for them and give them a second opportunity to agree or disagree with you based on the arguments and facts you present.
In summary:
- Research theme
- Be critical in your research - Lee with one question in mind, always critical of the source of secondary material that you read. If not directly "From the" horses' mouths, then question the reasons for the conclusion of writer you think are biased? For example, a journal of an advocate diets diets, because that is their rationale?
- Brainstorming - Brainstorming with friends helps to clarify their views, if we can discuss a topic out loud, is more likely to be able to discuss the paper.
- Plan your work in logical points
- Write the main points to be completed before developing the role, that way if you have a map of where you are trying to reach, you will be able to drive there faster.
- Use points of his plan as the paragraphs in your paper for each individual idea.
- To develop these points, explaining his rationale for the reader and justify them by research and eliminate the arguments against backup of your people with the facts not just opinions.
- If you are writing within the limitations of examination time and not to complete the paper, have marks for the planning of their role, as the examiner will be able to see that you understand the topic.
- Use a style appropriate to your audience - which means the adjustment of its language and tone, sentence length and vocabulary to suit the audience.
- Always introduce the topic, summarize what they will say: -
- Do not make assumptions - Do not assume that the reader is familiar with the subject
- Be aware of your audience:-be aware of which you are trying to convince and adapt their argument to that audience. This should be reflected in their language and ultimately, his tone and writing style.
- Do your research - can not be expected competently to argue your point, if you do not have strong facts and the opinion with which a backup.
- Develop your argument using research sources and events that have come together to develop and substantiate their arguments.
- Be aware of your own prejudices and make a conscious effort to be objective.
- Complete the work with a summary of his original thesis, or an idea.
- Check writing for grammatical errors and spelling mistakes as this can leave their writing and irritate the reader.
- Read the document thoroughly, aloud if possible and make changes, do not be scared to shorten the paper if it means that your paper is more succinct.
- Remember - the best writing speaks to the reader and the reader has suffered for almost unconsciously account!
About the Author
Learn about corals, <a href="http://www.knowledgegalaxy.net/acan_coral/acan_coral.html">acan coral</a>, aquarium corals, colored beards, <a href="http://www.knowledgegalaxy.net/beard_coloring/beard_coloring.html">beard coloring</a> , how to color beards and other information at the <a href="http://www.knowledgegalaxy.net">Knowledge Galaxy</a> site.
Writing Articles - How to Create Articles Like a Pro
A professional article writer gets their articles read. They produce compelling titles, produce informative content and generate a good reason or a good call to action in the bio so that the reader will click on to their website.
You, too, can do the same in a very short space of time. It is not that difficult. It just takes practice. As you know, article marketing is very effective in creating massive traffic and in generating massive back links to your website.
With massive back links, your search engine results continue to improve on a daily basis. With high traffic, the numbers of subscribers that sign up to your squeeze page will continually grow and afford you the opportunity to sell more products from your website.
So how do you produce articles like a pro?
1 - Choosing a topic. It is vitally important that the topic that you choose for your article is related to your business or your website.
For instance, if you have a website that sells stationery products, then it is important that your article is based on some aspect of your stationery business, such as
- “How to Obtain the Cheapest Printer Cartridge for Your Business”; or - “How to Reduce Your Stationery Bill in Two Weeks”; or - “Where to Find the Cheapest, Most Cost-Effective Facsimile Paper for Your Machines”.
I think you get the idea now, don’t you? Just choose a topic that people generally ask questions about on a regular basis.
2 - Write the title. The title of your article must strike your readers’ fancy. It must compel them to read your article from the beginning to the end, and the way to do that is to create compelling article titles.
How about this one:
- ”How to Save Money on Your Stationery Budget”; or - “How to Reduce the Amount of Paper You Use Within Your Business”; or - “Seven Steps to Halve Your Stationery Budget”.
When you first start drafting articles, it can be difficult to come up with titles and content every day. It may not feel natural. It can be awkward. The easiest and best way to overcome this situation is to practice. Promise to draft yourself at least two to three articles every single day.
3 - Organize your article. It is important that your article has a title, an introduction, a body and a conclusion. It is even more important that the body of the article reads naturally after the introduction.
A simple method would be to highlight seven steps of something or five steps of something. The conclusion need only be a couple of sentences.
4 - Writing your article. It is important that you use easy-to-understand language that is chatty and friendly. Ensure that your article is grammatical and error-free. Write your article like you are talking to a friend, giving away some free information. Your article should be between 350 or 450 words in length, as this is acceptable to most article directories.
5 - Generating a biography. This is one of the most important aspects of your article, as it includes a link that will send your reader back to your web page for additional information or sign up as a new subscriber.
6 - Submit your articles to the various article directories. You can submit your articles to as many article directories as possible. Ensure that these article directories have a good reputation and will help you improve your search engine ranking.
Within a short space of time, you, too, can be producing articles like a pro. You will appreciate the massive traffic that it will generate, and of course, the increase in income. What would it be like for you if you could increase your income within the next 12 weeks to $1,000 per week? Give it a go.
Underground Hip Hop: The New York rapper Strikws Back In 2010
Redrum MURPHY CANE grew alias Stapleton, Staten Island (Shaolin) and moved to Section 8 housing in South Beach where he was known to beat boxing and Freestyle Cyphers sparks at the corners. Downing 40 bottles of Old English, Murphy was known for Irish comic wit and story telling. Fighting poverty, turned to bomb the streets of graffiti to the point that he was a wanted man by the working group Graff. In high speed chases with the police, Murphy was later picked up in a sweep of Narcotics in the infamous South Beach Arcade hustling. He left everything in life and entered into the rap game
The rapper paid his dues in New Yorks' Rap Underground scene to perform more than two hundred times. From grinding at open mics, showcases, battles, and everywhere in between to make a name for himself. He traveled throughout the United States with Grammy Award winning singer and guitarist - "Vernon Reid and DJ Logic, and the hope on a track with Rap Legend Slick Rick "on his album" front end lifter. Cane was one of the few rappers chosen to act in the first "Bronx Fest" with Hot 97 in attendance. In addition to being featured on Mixtapes D. JVlad
"Blended Rock Star" and "Coast2Coast Mixtape 81", "Bedtyme 357" (DJ Remy Ma). It has also been featured in "Canadian Peace Magazine, as well as online magazines" Juniors "Cueva, Musical, etc. Combining South. In 2005 he signed a two-year cane license "Missing Link Music." In 2006 he was in a Hip-Hop compilation entitled "Island Staten Stand up ", hosted by DJ G9D. In 2007 he released his first single on Mekanizm Productions. In 2008's in Mixtape DJ Vlad" Rock Star Blends Vol. 2 ". In 2009 is highlighted in the mixtape entitled "unholy union" with Hip Hop artist "The Game" and "Don Demon" History Cane Murphy is in February issue of XXL magazine. In 2010 Reed Murphy appears on several mixtapes, including Mixtapes Hosted by "DJ Khaled" Coast2Coast Mixtape 115 Smoke and DJ "Displays 75" Mixtape. After surviving a major spine operation and Narcotics almost claiming his life, overcoming physical and mental obstacles, Reed Murphy is now off their debut album "You Do not See side" of March 2010 with the production of producers of Platinum "Rocwilder" and "D12's Mr. Porter" ...
Reed Murphy and Bio Insirational full story. Reed Murphy has been known as Redrum rhyming and writing songs since his teens. He put a group together called "Mekanizm-continued and in carrying out and sell cd's. In 1999 he went solo under the name of the artist "Redrum" and worked with Grammy award winning artist "Vernon Reid" (rock band "Living Colour") and toured the U.S. with Vernon and DJ Logic in 2002/2003 with a rap song that was marked "Slick Rick" with the album titled "Front End Lifter "The launch of a rope .. Dope Records in 2004 starred in the first Festival of the Bronx with" Hot 97 "and" Power 105 "in attendance, Murphy where the cane has to do with some of Hip Hop Pioneers. In 2005 he made a name for himself as an underground rapper and lyricist in New York and was performing at open mics, showcases and college radio, TV as a monitor of time and signed two years "License Agreement" with lack Music Link. Cane was presented in several television programs such as Time Warner "stage" The actors, "Shaolin - Off the Hook, and" Morano Vision. He appeared in the independent film score for the film Field whispers "Jimmy back to Mulberry Street, "starring" Clem Caserta (Goodfellas). By 2006 cane Redrum aka Murphy made several collaborations with rappers and producers around the 5 boroughs of New York, including a song with Brooklyn rapper "Eddie Cane", the famous "Queens Dream Team" and rapper Kaitawn "" .. In 2008 he declined their first independent single "This here is the Night" and "Remix Industry." He then threw his infamous remake of one of the greats of Hip Hop Lyricists ("Rakim payment in full"). The song helped gain credibility Reed Murphy On the street, fellow MCs, producers and fans.
Murphy Reed was featured on "DJ VLAD's Rock Star blends Vol. 2." For the year 2009 Murphy cane appears in magazines and online Rap "Juniors Cave", "The Mix Sur", "Music Notes Magazine, LyricsInc Mag "and more. In 2010 Murphy Cane inspriational History of the Fight through the pain while waiting for a reconstructive operation of the second spine of an accident of tradgic to hit the studio and finished recording their debut album in the magazine and Canada Urban Culture XXL Mag - "Peace Magazine .. March / April 2010 Cane is filming his debut video for their single "When I'm with You" With Island Def Jam Singer Ashley Loren. " Reed Murphy is offered in several mixtapes great this year, including Infamous Mixtapes "DJ Khaled" Coast2Coast Mixtape 115, and smoke DJ "Displays 75" Mixtape. Cane is working on their second song with the exclusive production of Multi-Platinum Producer "Rockwilder" and collaborate with talent and producers from "SINIMA '(pro). To know more can go to: href =" http://www.redrumhiphop.com/ "> http://www.redrumhiphop.com
About the Author
Matt turner is a online marketing expert. His current article hip hop mysterio Cane Murphy and his succession with the hip hops
'GLIDE' trailer - frisbee/graffiti/parkour/free-running video game
Are you unclear on where to begin on writing term papers on sociology? Not well versed enough with the subject matter at hand? If history is a lesson which would teach us to emulate the great leaders of yesteryear and learn from their mistakes, we have to take the first step, which is to learn.
Researching the internet, reviewing professional publications and texts from your local library will not help you much if you do not wish to learn. Writing term papers on sociology comes naturally to those who are knowledgeable with their chosen subject matter and the topic at hand.
Writing about an individual or a group of people requires simply an analytical approach and review of the biography of the person(s) involved. Another idea is to review a professionally published and write a critical analysis on it. Researching published facts and writing a review will prove to be an easy task for any American student.
Term papers on sociology can be about theories developed and recorded by experts. Most courses on sociology require that the students compile a study based on previously published articles, books, journals, etc. Using the concepts published therein and testing them on present settings and situations. An in-depth analysis of the concepts first and the situation to be reviewed second, lead to a great written report.
All the ideas listed above are only a general indication of the requirements of this course in relation to various principles, disciplines, development peculiarities and a number of sociological issues.
Wedding Speech 4 U Review - Type wedding best man toast
Is your best friend getting married? Have you been asked to stand godfather to the wedding? Well, we will the man best wedding toast and is giving thought butterflies? This article is for all the best men out there who are agonizing over the toast to be given. There are tips and guidelines to help you write a more intriguing wedding toast man.
Weddings around the world are very different from each other in terms of dress, customs and ceremonies. The wedding toast originated in France when it was customary to drop a small piece of toast in the couple glasses for a healthy life. The best friend of the groom wedding toast probably originated in Saxon times when the best man was more protective of the bride.
When asked stand the best man is an honor and is usually the best friend of the groom who takes this honor. There is some element of pressure to have to stand before a large crowd and give a speech without making a mess of things right. To send a toast great you have to be patient and creative, and with a bit of effort that just might be surprised at the results.
You can always start by putting their thoughts about the groom that you should know very well if your best friend. Then write what you know about the bride. Write Stuff like how you know them and for how long, they are described using the first five adjectives that come to mind, go to talk about how they met and recall one or two humorous incidents that occurred during their courtship. Now you have an outline of his best man wedding toast.
Now is the time to put everything together in a speech funny but entertaining; begin by introducing yourself and attract the attention of people out to tell a joke or a funny story. Let's thank the people organizing the evening, usually parents. If the bride and groom are the hosts then thank people for coming to help the couple celebrate the happy occasion.
At this stage the incidents could be related funny about the couple or the groom and talk about how they met and their experiences with them through the relationship. Do not walk because people get bored easily and does not tell stories that will humiliate the bride or groom, and certainly do not talk about former partners.
Now go its closure, which must include a resounding cheer the newlyweds couple. It is customary to raise your glass and propose a blessing and to wish the couple best for your new life together. In his excitement do not forget to make your own toast!
The Internet is a great place to get ideas for writing humorous anecdotes to keep the attention people while you are doing your best man wedding toast. Use the guidelines is associated with some ideas of the internet to write a large text, and the bride proud and groom on their special day.
To download the Guide wedding speech, visit the website link below for more information.
About the Author
Are you looking for best man wedding toasts? Don’t do it yet, because the author has found many useless wedding speech guides on the Internet. Visit his website at http://www.weddingspeechguides.com where he tells you about the best websites for finding top quality and professional speeches.
For a limited time, you can also get a FREE Speech E-course where you can learn tips for crafting your own unique and touching wedding speech!
Good technical articles are challenging to write. They’re time-consuming, demanding to research and hard to organize. But they’re valuable weapons in the PR and marketing arsenal, and you need them.
If you can outsource the article, great. That’s what writers like me are here for. But if you can’t – or don’t want to -- then read and apply the tips below to save time and energy on research and writing, and come out with a much better product.
Get Ready
1. Review your resources – hard copy like books and articles, Web access, interview contact information.
2. Arrange for interviews if you need them, it always takes a while to track down the interviewees. Note: If you’re ghostwriting an article for a company, you may not have an interview past the initial meeting.
3. Make sure you know the following: a) the reader’s challenge, b) the key message relating to their challenge, and c) the type of reader you’re writing to.
4. Understand the main message the client want to communicate. Many technologies are similar, but your client will have a defined slant on their implementation. (If they don’t, they should – this is your chance to offer them your strategic message building services.)
5. Even “vendor-neutral” articles are written with a point of view – either the writer’s or the company the writer is working for. This is only a problem if the article bias makes for a misleading article, or tells a whopping big lie.
Outline
6. Never skip this step, for your own or your readers’ sakes. Outlines speed up your writing, and readers will follow your argument much better.
7. Organize your research into three themes. Some thematic organizations are obvious – for example, I wrote an article on three steps to optimizing your storage. In other articles, there may be several possibilities. There is probably no one right choice, so if two or three seem fine to you, just pick one and go with it.
8. Remember your junior high school/high school/college outline lessons? They apply. If you don’t remember your lessons, here’s a reminder: I. Introduction (Outline problem, introduce solution, state theme) II. Body A. 1st major point B. 2nd major point C. 3rd major point III. Conclusion (short case study/example, restate solution, concluding paragraph)
9. Put your outline on paper and let it guide you as you go. It’s not iron-clad – if a new organization presents itself while you’re writing you can change it – but don’t do it too much or you’ll defeat the outline’s purpose.
Writing the Rough Draft
10. Here’s the key to writing your rough draft: Just Do It. Write without thinking about it. Paste in random chunks of text from your research. Write some more. Write in any bizarre, random order. All you want to do at this point is get down large masses of information onto paper.
11. Keep going until you’ve got 2-3 times the words you actually need, then you can stop.
12. Once you have your mass of information on paper, you can organize it into your outline. No big deal – just cut and paste paragraphs under the points they best fit.
13. Now that you’ve slapped all of your rough text and research into your outline, guess what? The draft is done. Congratulate yourself and take a break.
Subsequent Drafts
14. Now it’s time to whip this rough mass into shape. Start by saving your rough draft under a different name. You’re going to be doing a lot of deletions in this stage, and you don’t want to accidentally delete something you meant to use.
15. Working with the new copy, start your edits. Paraphrase the notes you have from other sources -- memos, product briefs, other articles, brochures. (Journalists do it all the time. It’s called "research.")
16. I'll often download online research but mark it in a different color, so as not to commit the embarrassing – not to mention illegal -- mistake of repeating someone else's writing. When I’ve learned what I need to from the research, I capture the facts in my own words and delete the original notes.
17. Borrow freely from your client’s Website and other materials. Don’t repeat the text – that’s bad policy and bad writing – but you’re not going to be accused of plagiarism. Laziness maybe, but not plagiarism.
18. Music can be helpful on writing assignments. Personally, I like Vivaldi for drafting and movie scores for revising. Quite the combo. (As I write this sentence, The Last of the Mohicans is playing. Baroque is better for the draft stage.)
19. You might find that dictating works better for you at the rough draft stage. Probably not the old-fashioned kind, where the hard-bitten boss called in his trusty secretary to “Take a memo!” You’re more likely to use an application like Naturally Speaking. This type of application needs a lot of training beforehand – the application, not you – but can be very helpful for writers who try to critique themselves out the gate.
Writing the Final Draft
20. You’ve done the rough draft, 1st draft, and are into the 2nd draft. You’ve put everything in your own words and are observing your outline structure. The article is starting to sound less like something you’ll get blamed for, and more like something you might actually claim.
21. Edit for readability, grammar and style.
22. Use active voice in all your writing. “Active voice” is a sentence construction where the subject performs the verb action. Don’t go to sleep on me, this is important. Example: “The dog bit the boy.” Quick, active, easy. Here’s an example of passive voice: “The boy was bitten by the dog.” Yikes!
23. Technology writing is full of hideous passive voice construction. Here’s another example from a technology marketing document: “This successful vendor interoperability was demonstrated at the Summit in Chicago.” Ack! Instead, write: “Vendor teams successfully demonstrated interoperability at the Summit in Chicago.” See how easy that was? PLEASE use active voice. Everyone will be so much happier.
24. If you learn nothing else about business writing in all your born days, learn to write in active voice. Subject all of your sentences to this simple little exercise and you will improve your writing 100%.
25. Please don’t be boring, but don't get too cute. I will stick in something funny every once in a while -- mostly because I get a big kick out of myself -- but don’t get too chummy.
Final Draft
26. You’re almost there – you see light at the end of tunnel, and it isn’t a train. Now is the time to polish sentence structure and word choice, and punch up your paragraphs.
27. Polish your opening paragraphs. Add a snappy lead, define what you're talking about and why it's important, and list the three or so points you’re going to make.
28. Read through your article and make sure you’ve made those points. If you did an outline, the main points should already be subheads. (See why an outline is so great?)
29. Polish your conclusion. The conclusion doesn’t have to be undying prose, but do restate your points and conclusions.
30. Read through one more time for overall readability.
31. Run your spelling and grammar check.
32. Save and send – but be careful to send the right file! I accidentally turned in my rough draft once instead of the completed final. Luckily this was with one of my oldest clients, so they contacted me and asked me for the real article. A new client would simply have assumed complete incompetence on my part.
33. And for the final tip: everything gets easier with practice. Good thing, too.