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Characteristics Of Technical Writing: What Every Technical Writer Needs To Know

Web Researcher — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 20:30:46 +0000

Are you well informed about the characteristics of technical writing? You should be if you want to enjoy its benefits, as technical writing is quite in demand nowadays. Due to the constantly changing technology, companies, blogs and other websites have their hands full. They need all the help they can get; and luckily, you’re around to give them aid. The characteristics of technical writing are different from the usual essay and creative writing gigs. A lot of people might consider this field a little too mechanical and stiff, but it’s not often the case. It’s up to you to work your way around the fundamentals. Characteristic # 1 of Technical Writing: AccuracyMake a mistake on one detail and you could get everything wrong. For example, writing that the second-generation Acer Aspire One D150 model has an Intel processor of N270 instead of the new N280 already has dire consequences. Readers will think that there’s nothing really special about the second generation mini laptop and would then decide not to buy it instead. As a technical writer, you are expected to provide accurate information on whatever subject you’re writing about. Characteristic # 2 of Technical Writing: Crystal Clear LanguageA lot of technical writers make the mistake of writing in pure jargons. Unless your audience is also a major techie fan, you can’t expect your readers to understand what you’re going on about. Your purpose is to help your readers understand what a product is all about – in layman’s terms. If you must use jargons, try your best to explain what these are. Characteristic # 3 of Technical Writing: Descriptive DetailsIn technical writing, you have to be as descriptive as possible. Keep in mind that your readers will have a hard time picturing the product without sufficient details. These three characteristics of technical writing may be basic, but they are also the most important. They are the foundations of an effective technical article.

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English Writing Software? – 3 Benefits You Can Use Now!

Web Researcher — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 16:31:39 +0000

Until recently, the idea that computers could correct your grammar was not thinkable. Today, we have English writing software that does just that. Essay Punctuation & Grammar Software is designed to help correct common mistakes writers make when writing articles, term papers, books and other documents. This software is surprisingly intelligent and versatile. It contains a large database of correct English usage enabling it to compare what you have written with this information. It can then suggest alternatives to your usage. For people who must write a great deal, whether for school or work, English writing software has the potential to be an invaluable tool. Writing skills, often not taught well in modern schools, are nonetheless essential in many areas of life. There are three main areas where this kind of software can help people. 1. In your everyday work environment you may have to frequently send out emails and write reports. Improving your writing can enhance your reputation and credibility with coworkers and managers. 2. If you are in any kind of technical field where you have to convey information to others in your field, or the public, you must communicate in written form. This material should be as clear and grammatical as possible. 3. If English is not your native language, but you are learning it, you would like to communicate as clearly as possible in English. For this, English writing software can provide a quick solution. These are only a few of the situations where this innovative software can be useful. The point is, we live in a world of communication, and anything that improves your ability to do this will enhance your life. If you. . . * Speak English as a second language and want to impress everyone with perfect essays, emails or letters – every single time * Need an easy way to generate rich and interesting content for your website – quickly and without any worry * Want to take your writing to the next level – and even discover a few little-know tricks along the way * Need to boost conversions on your website (or enrich your letters and reports) with mere minutes and a few clicks of the mouse * Want to write fresh articles(and renew old articles) in record timeJust imagine being able to. . . * Sit down at your computer and write without ever worrying about mistakes, boring text or duplicate content! * Save time gain the respect hat you deserve. All you have to do is to hit the F2 button and know that everything you compose is perfect and compelling!Use it for: Business Writing, Letter Writing, Essay Writing, Article Writing, Creative Writing, Email, Instant Messaging, Social Media, Blogging, Legal writing, Medical writing and much, much more. Instantly you will sound more professional and you will ensure that your message gets across the way you intend. Simple spell check will never be able make you a better writer, and it will never help you master the English language – but with the right tool the possibilities are endless. This software is so easy to use that all you need to do is press a button and let it do all of the work for you! You will receive options to change the spelling, improve your sentence wording and replace boring words with exciting and enticing ones! Just think of the respect that you will earn and the great first impressions that you will be able to make. It’s going to skyrocket your ability to write perfect English – and it’s going to do it quickly and easily. And what is all that worth to you? If you took writing courses you would be looking at hundreds if not thousands of dollars. And you would have to buy at least 3 other software programs to equal the power of it. You can instantly download your package after purchase and begin to craft impressive and influential emails, letters, reports and proposals today You will be amazed when you read your very own writing! You will have the confidence to tackle even the most difficult writing tasks!

Watch how advanced English writing software instantly puts your writing to an expert level and learn how innovative NLP writing technology can help you to write persuasive copy.

Technical Writing Services

Web Researcher — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:32:02 +0000

The exactness of an organization’s technical documentation will definitely be an asset to the company. Since it’s a trustworthy resource on how to use the product of the company, it’ll benefit the company and its customers. In fact bad user manuals are frustrating and can alienate customers. However in contrast, good technical documentation has real benefits. Also, clear reference materials can reduce customer errors and make the business processes more reliable. And since your documentation is the first thing that visitors to your organization will scrutinize, you need technical documentation that reflects the organization’s quality and compliance activities. And unlike other pieces of writing, in technical writing of any documentation the use of words play have an important role. Technical writing is not the same as creative writing where use of action verbs and colorful adjectives and imagistic metaphors are encouraged. So, you need a good technical writing service to help you out of the tight spot. And, now you have the option of outsourcing technical writing services to India. Online Technical Writing programs may include courses in prose, technical disciplines, advanced technical skills, and documentation, among others. Degrees in Online Technical Writing range from certification to Masters of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies. If you have a curiosity for understanding technology. technical writing may be a very enjoyable field for you. As a technical writer, you will constantly be learning how new technologies work and explaining their functionality to the users of those products. If you learn quickly and have previous experience with technology, the learning curve will be much easier and you will be more adept as a technical writer. The ultimate goal of technical writing is to serve as an advocate for those who use your products. Finally, technical writing courses prescribe a dominant format and organization to make information readable, available, and accessible. The format must cater to the specific cognitive levels and psychological needs of the target readers, so they can understand the document as its author intended, and therefore react accordingly. A technical writing course will streamline your writing to make it simpler, more poignant, unambiguous, and user-friendly. According to the official course catalog, to receive this kind of Certificate, “students must successfully complete a major or minor in an approved scientific or technical field (such as biology, mathematics, engineering, or computer science) and 18 credits in selected courses, including a 3-credit internship. “Freelance technical writers find themselves in different jobs, from the fields of healthcare, to engineering, to consumer manufacturing, to business, and then back again. If you become a full-time technical writer for a company, you will not only be asked to write and edit technical manuals, but also to produce online tutorials and training materials. You need to be open to new experiences and challenges, Technical writing work can be mentally challenging. You need to be able to learn technical concepts easily in order to survive. Technical writing is not just different from other writing styles but is also more clear and precise. Leaving no room for imagination, technical writing offers answers to all your questions and possible problems that may arise. Since it offers a good deal of potential, technical writing is more in demand, especially in the corporate sectors. More and more businesses and companies are going online and hence the rise in the demand for technical writers is inevitable. Read About Search engine Optimization Also Read About Writing Papers and Technical Writing Services

Read About Website Optimization and Keyword Optimization

How To Write A Business Letter

Web Researcher — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 04:31:08 +0000

Business writing is significantly different from creative writing or technical writing. Business writing includes business letter writing, writing business plan, writing business proposals, etc. All these need to be written well otherwise it will create a bad impression on business clients and can affect your business in a bad way. The way in which you draft a business letter is a lot different from other letters that we usually write. This article provides useful tips on business letter writing that can help you impress your clients. Be Clear and Concise: When you begin with your letter, be sure of what you want state in the letter. While writing a business letter don’t keep on piling words. Always be to the point and don’t write wordy sentences and long paragraphs. The purpose of your letter should come across to the recipient from the first line it self. Always use a formal tone: The most important thing to be considered before writing a business letter is to check the tone which tone needs to be formal and polite. Also, pay attention to proper opening and salutation apart from subject of the letter. Correct the spelling and the grammatical errors: You need to have a proper understanding of the language, in terms of the grammar and the spellings. You cannot afford to be careless about this. Even if someone goes through your letter in a hurry he will notice the spelling mistakes and grammatical errors. Use spell checks before sending your letter. Proper Formatting: Apart from writing your business letter well, make sure that it is well formatted so that it looks professional. For this use a consistent font throughout the letter, use bullets wherever necessary, and bold important points to draw attention. Using business writing software: Though you can always opt for writing the business letter on your own; to have the professional edge, you can take help of business plan software. A business writing software tool assists you not only to write a letter in a professional way but also helps you to get rid of the common misspellings, grammatical errors, etc. Business letter writing can be done very efficiently with the help of business writing software, not only letters but writing business plans is also made easy with business writing software. Also in offices business letters need to be written very frequently business writing software allows you to write the letter efficiently and quickly which save a lot of time. Business writing software can play a significant role in helping you write impressive letters in an easy way. On sites offering writers software, you can find excellent business writing software that can help you write high quality business letters, business plans and proposals. The software guides you completely and you need not worry about the misspellings and other errors.

Valeria Kennedy is a professional writer, writing for business writing software – a software for business letter writing, creative letter writing, resume writing and all types of technical and professional letters.

Zen And The Heart Of Writing

Web Researcher — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 00:31:31 +0000

“Life is what happens while you’re making other plans”—John Lennon
Everything you can think of will and in an odd way SHOULD get in the way of your writing. In other words, if you are doing the work. . . REALLY doing the work, you are constantly digging into the least comfortable corners of your psyche, constantly struggling to understand yourself, your culture, your world. Constantly engaging with questions of the origins of violence, sexuality, love, hate, war, need, hope, and hopelessness. In other words, you are going deeper and deeper into the one human being you will ever have any hope of comprehending. . . yourself.
There is a thought exercise that goes something like this: take a beaker and fill it with rocks. Is it full? Yes? No? Take pebbles and pour them into the beaker so that they fill the gaps between the larger stones. NOW is it full? Yes? No? Take sand and pour it in so that it fills the gap between the pebbles. NOW is it full? Yes? No? Finally, take water and pour it in so that it fills the gap between the grains of sand. NOW is it full? You get the picture.
This exercise has been used as an illustration in physics classes, and in time-management courses (do the big things first!), but here, I want to apply it to something else. As I’ve said repeatedly, I’m in the run-up to finally finishing the most punishing project of my life, the novel Great Sky Woman. The copyedited manuscript came back to me for a final two-week read over. . . you guessed it. . . during Christmas vacation. In fact, it was delivered to me in Atlanta, where I traveled with my family so that my wife could experience the birth of her niece. Along the way our jet-lagged two year old woke us up at ungodly hours. We never quite knew where we were going to sleep (just logistical stuff—no one’s fault. ) Rooms were too cold, or too noisy. Vehicles that were supposed to be available became unavailable. Nerves were on edge. Maps were inaccurate, leading to long, stressful drives. Cassette players didn’t work, making drives even worse. By the time we got home we were flu-ish, and I was running out of time to work on my book (and I hadn’t been able to do much in Atlanta, because my research material was all at home in L. A. !) The baby, now adjusted for East Coast time, was waking up too early AGAIN, as he adjusts for West Coast time. Stress, stress, stress. . .
And yet. . . you know something? This is life. A beautiful child was born. Tananarive got to spend precious time with her sister at a critical moment. My son got to play with his cousin Jaxon, a wonderful little boy. We got to have Christmas with her family.
These things are far more important than a book. Any book. They are the essence of life itself. But the temptation is to think that they are “distractions” from the work. No. they are what life is about. What any book, any story worth a damn is about. Life. Our hopes and dreams, and how reality interacts with them.
How to do it? How to navigate these perilous channels? Lifewriting suggests that the answer is in us, and in the way we address our challenges daily. The creative flow, the magical moments when we are swallowed whole by the work we love, is still there, waiting for us to slow down, center, and find it. . . ESPECIALLY when we are stressed out. Slow the #@$$ down, people. Listen to your heartbeat. The rocks, the pebbles, the sand are the emotional reactions we have to the “distractions. ” The water, which can ALWAYS fit between these “problems,” is the emotional juice of our lives, our ability to improvise, to reinterpret, to create in the midst of chaos. This is your challenge. How will you Flow through the madness?
In everything we write, aren’t we constantly addressing the question of how a character will respond to unexpected pressures? How in the world can we learn this without developing such skills ourselves? The “water” is the zen immersion in the moment. It is our genius, our capacity for full engagement. The voices in our heads are the rocks, the pebbles, the sand.
Be clear that you are the water. Regardless of the challenges or barriers, you must be committed to returning to the ocean of your soul, your creativity. Writing, as life itself, must be a constant search for what is real, and beautiful, and absolute, even in the storm of life itself.
When all is said and done, that is all that really matters, isn’t it?

NY Times bestselling author Steven Barnes has published three million words of fiction. He has lectured on creativity from UCLA t the Smithsonian Institute. Learn more about his unique whole-mind writing system at: www. lifewrite. com

Allow Me To Help You Get Those Creative Juices Flowing

Web Researcher — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 20:30:40 +0000

Brainstorming is all about ideas. It’s about setting off a bumper crop of visions, options, and inspirations. From these, you will be able to select that first-class, unbeatable “miracle thought”. . . the one that has been all that you wanted and needed it to be for your successful business. This exceptional idea perhaps will be THE solution to your dreams for future success!
Brainstorming is a creativity system for generating ideas for solving a problem. The highest result of a brainstorm session may be the above-mentioned COMPLETE solution to your problem. Or it may result in a list of ideas for tactics for a solution somewhere down the road. It may even result in a checklist for the formation of a plan to research and build a solution.
A simple brainstorming session can speedily kick-start your inventiveness and help you to stimulate ideas at a rapid rate. If you can only imagine something, brainstorming can always expand on it and perfect it. Always start by priming yourself for any session of brainstorming. Do a bit of research into your brainstorming topic. This will heighten your creativity think-cap.
You can brainstorm either individually or in a group. With group brainstorming, the participants are encouraged, and often expected, to let the others in on their ideas as soon as they are generated. The secret to brainstorming is to not disturb the thought process. As ideas come to mind, they are captured in written form, which will eventually provide the “history” of the session, and the stimulation for the development of better ideas.
There is a focus on quantity of ideas — The more ideas that are generated, the greater the chance of turning out a radical and effective solution. Group members initially focus on extending or adding to the ideas, but they reserve criticism for a later “critical stage. ” By postponing judgment, you allow a supportive atmosphere where members feel liberated for generating unusual ideas.
To get a good and long list of ideas, of course it is the unusual ideas that are particularly welcomed. These may open novel ways of thinking and present better solutions than “regular ideas. ” Atypical ideas can be generated by getting a glimpse from another perspective, or simply by setting aside one’s assumptions. If an idea is too “wild” to be practicable, it can be tamed down to a more fitting idea with more ease than thinking up yet another new idea.
There appears to be a common notion that creating ideas is a difficult undertaking. Many people seem to think that creativity is a mystical art, known only to a privileged “chosen few,” and that such “thinking outside the box” takes years of tormented study to learn this skill. Clear all doubt from your mind, as this is just simply not true! Creativity is simple. We would even say it is painless and comfortable. Anybody can learn to think creatively. Anyone at all can come up with extraordinary, original ideas. We all were literally born to brainstorm!
Idea generation is a cognitive process — The ability to make spontaneous connections between ideas or concepts is what brainstorming is all about. Every idea leads directly to the next, with no pauses for thoughts or examination. This, in fact, is what is behind the workings of the original, icon-based Macintosh computer (NOT the PC. . . icons came later for PC, after the success by Macintosh} where the brain sees one picture (icon) and automatically connects that to another concept. . . and you, the user go: Click! There is no prearranged order to this — ideas should flow randomly, without any attempt to organize or structure them.
Below is a sample collection of the multitude of things that brainstorming can be applied to:
- Creative projects — fine art, commercial art, inspiration for media projects,Web projects, multimedia, performance-based art
- Creative writing tasks — stories, books, scripts, articles
- Business ideas — new businesses, new products, new markets for existing products, methods for adapting existing products, advertising campaigns, marketing and promotional, sales force motivation
- Business names — find the supreme, extreme name for your next profit-pulling venture
- Scientific or technical research — win that grant or publish that novel! “A-Ha!” and “Eureka” ideas instigated most of the greatest scientific discoveries
Although the main purpose of brainstorming is to generate ideas, there are additional benefits:
- Improves creative thinking — members learn to move toward problems creatively and use association in the idea-making process, which becomes a skill they can use after the session, in their own lives
- Improves morale — participants work collaboratively to find a solution to a problem and every member is encouraged to take initiative. The “self-worth” value is immense
- Enjoyment — members usually like the interactive element of this creative atmosphere
The second you sit down to “make” yourself be creative, you probably will find that your brain goes into lockdown! Nothing in, nothing out. Zilch. Nada. That’s because there is no such thing as “forced creativity. ” The best way to allow your mind to form ideas is when you are busy doing something else. Your brain goes into free flow; the doors are wide open for thoughts to enter in.
The human brain has an immense capacity — But the majority of it remains untapped in day by day life. In essence, the more you practice brainstorming, the simpler it will become to open up new, more ingenious and spontaneous patterns of thought. Are you beginning to visualize what these concepts can do for you, the Internet marketer? This will help immensely for:
- Never being stuck for a memorable, new idea
- Creating your best catchy marketing concept
- Sailing effortlessly toward the “solution of the riddle”
- Finding successful marketing concepts that are faithful to your brand and to the nature of your unique business
The knack to brainstorming is to nudge your brain into working FOR you and not against you! On a personal level, you may become your own best friend — but in your business, you will become your own best ally!

Don Resh is CEO of WebForce, Inc. A more detailed bio is available at:

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10 Tips to Writing Great Trivia Questions

Web Researcher — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:30:46 +0000

These past several months, our content team has written over 20,000 trivia questions on 100s of movies, TV shows, video games and celebrities. We thought you might like a few pointers.
10. You cannot please everyone
It’s hard to balance questions between easy (for the casual fan) and difficult (for the die-hards). The casual fan wants to stay with what’s in the movie, and on the DVD case. The die-hard wants to be asked about the history of the film and its production, and probably has all the dialogs memorized. Be clear which type of fan you want answering a specific question correctly and get it out there. The fact that some people find the questions too easy does not mean others do not enjoy them.
9. Make each question stand on its own
Make it easy for someone to read your question and get everything they need to answer the question. It’s frustrating to have to browse up, down and around to get the context of an incomplete question. Don’t just ask the question: “Who punches first, the chicken or Peter?”. Someone playing will go, “Who’s punching chickens? What movie was THIS in?” You’ll probably get better reception if you ask: “On Family Guy, who punches first, the chicken or Peter?”.
8. Make every word count
How long do you scan the subject line of an email in your inbox before you decide to open it or trash it? 5 seconds tops? Same goes for a trivia question. Ask yourself if a user can scan your question in 5 seconds and get what it’s about. Make the question crisp, to the point. Pick a writing style. Be consistent with your choice of words so the user knows what you’re getting at easily.
7. Double-check your facts
Your mind can play tricks on you. You might remember something that didn’t actually happen. Try internet resources like Wikipedia and IMDB where you can read what others have said about a movie. Have you assumed something that isn’t there (or confused one character with another)? Checking facts is harder for newer movies, but definitely worth the effort. Remember, people really want that perfect score, and you don’t want a true trivia buff get upset at you for saying their correct answer was wrong.
6. Know your audience
Who is your question directed to? The horror movie buff? Or the Frat Pack fan? A 15 year old casual film goer? Or a 35 year old die-hard movie buff who’s watched every movie by a cult director in the theaters or on DVD the moment it comes out? As you think of your trivia questions, be clear on who you want answering your question correctly. That way, you can be sure that it challenges some who play, and educates others as well. It helps if you throw in a fun factoid about your correct answer, that pops up after someone has answered your question.
5. Mix it up so it never gets predictable
Here we are talking of the structure and grammar of your question. Let’s say you love the video game “Gears of War”. What if a string of 20 questions came at you, and every one of them started with: “In Gears of War, what. . . “. Wouldn’t that get boring? On the other hand, you will probably enjoy answering the same 20 questions, if each one was phrased a bit differently. Move the game title around in the questions to different spots. You will have more fun reading and playing, right?
4. Stay away from obscure numbers and fringe facts
People play trivia for fun, not to be quizzed on what they barely saw in a movie or game. So no trivia on that phone number that flashed in the middle of a thriller movie. Or the room number where the evil guy stayed in a horror film. A good way to not be obscure is to write trivia after seeing the film, than during the film. The film will confirm details, but don’t study every frame to dredge up facts nobody remembers. If you can’t explain why it’s important to the movie, then you probably shouldn’t do trivia on it.
3. A photo or image can be more than eye candy
There’s many a great trivia question hiding behind a photo that relates to the movie, or TV show or video game that you want to write about. If you do have a photo you could use, try crafting a question around the photo (instead of throwing in the photo later into the mix as an after thought).
2. Know how you want to be known
Do you want to be known as the ultimate expert on a specific movie, TV show, video game, actor or celebrity? Or are you a lover of a whole movie genre or pop culture area? If it’s the latter, then show your range with the depth and variety of questions that you submit. Remember, with every question you submit, you are developing your reputation within a community of fellow trivia and entertainment fans.
1. Don’t write when you don’t feel like it
The best trivia questions take life when your brain cells are popping with creative ideas. It’s no different than being in the mood for any form of creative writing, be it a short story, a blog post, a novella. Anything good that’s worth sharing with others just cannot be rushed. If it isn’t working for you, take a break, go for a walk. Then get back to it a bit later.
Finally, you’ve read all this, but still don’t feel like writing trivia questions? Then just don’t. You can always just play trivia games instead.

At Kwanzoo we have free trivia games for entertainment fans. You can play trivia games about your favorite films, tv shows or even video games. We invite you to come create your own trivia game, submit a single trivia question, or just play along with your friends.

Definition of Creativity

Web Researcher — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 12:30:57 +0000

“Creativity is…seeing something that doesn’t exist already. You need to find out how you can bring it into being, and that way be a playmate with God. ” – Michele Shea According to Webster’s Dictionary, the definition of creativity is artistic or intellectual inventiveness. Creativity is marked by the ability or power to create or bring into existence, to invest with a new form, to produce through imaginative skill, to make or bring into existence something new. When you create something, you are actually bringing it into being, making it from nothing. But how do you make something from nothing? How do you achieve creativity? What is the essence of creativity? Perhaps only magic can explain creativity, that sudden “aha!” moment when it all comes together. Some have said that it’s something mysterious and puzzling, perhaps impossible to figure out. Some have said it must be divine inspiration. Creativity is simply thinking the impossible, and then doing what no one else has done before, sometimes developing completely new worlds. If you’ve taken a new approach to a problem and it works, then you’re using your creativity. Creativity comes in many forms. It can be scientific creativity, resulting in inventions or medical cures. It can be artistic or musical, resulting in beautiful paintings, sculptures or operas and songs. It can be creative writing, resulting in novels, short stories and poems. Creativity can even be as simple as arts and crafts, such as needle arts, yarn crafts, and woodcrafts – things you create with your own two hands. The important thing to remember is that creativity includes generating the idea or concept, as well as applying that idea and producing or manifesting the end product or result. Creativity or imagination is an integral part of being human and separates us from the animal world. Carl R. Rogers said, “The very essence of the creative is its novelty, and hence we have no standard by which to judge it. ”

Creative Maxx – How To Be More Creative and Find Inspiration In the Life.
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The Value of Creativity – Part 1

Web Researcher — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 04:30:46 +0000

I make my living, such as it is, on creativity, spit and a little shoe polish. Well, not so much spit and shoe polish. I’m a writer, a designer, and a serial entrepreneur. I’m also a so-called “expert” on creativity. Which is why I found myself, at three o’clock one morning, thinking about the inherent value of creativity.
Well, that’s one reason; the other is that I couldn’t sleep, and I had to think about something.
Here are some of the thoughts I came up with during my late-night contemplation.
A Bold Assumption
Of course, by discussing the “value” of “creativity,” I’m making the bold assumption that creativity has value.
I’d like to start by defining both terms, so we know exactly what we’re talking about when we begin to converse about the value of creativity.
Dictionary. com defines value as, among other meanings:
“- Worth in usefulness or importance to the possessor; utility or merit: the value of an education.
– Precise meaning or import, as of a word. ”
I like the idea of creativity as the precise meaning of something, but what we’re really concerned with is that creativity has value in terms of being useful or important to its “owner. ”
So what is creativity? Again, pulling up Dictionary. com:
I found three definitions, and all of them are useful in this context:
“1. Having the ability or power to create: Human beings are creative animals.
2. Productive; creating.
3. Characterized by originality and expressiveness; imaginative: creative writing. ”
I’m going to use the third definition, “characterized by originality and expressiveness. ”
So when we talk about the “value of creativity,” what we’re saying is that it’s useful or important to be able to think and produce with originality and expressiveness.
The Monetary Value of Creativity
But I want to digress for a moment and talk about the monetary value of creativity, which can also be very important. Creative people, and even those people who don’t think of themselves as creative but do have creative thoughts, have to make a living.
How can creativity have monetary value, aside from the obvious things like rock stars and bestselling authors?
There are several things to consider here. The first is that a lot of people make a living, sometimes a very good living, doing creative work without reaching the status of movie idols. Some of those people are writers, some are graphic designers, some are lighting technicians….
But aside from those people doing obviously creative work for a living, most people who are happy and successful in their jobs are using creativity to make a living. They may be auto mechanics who have a special ear for that knock in the engine, or CEOs who are particularly astute with numbers and seem to have a knack for understanding complex figures.
Whatever their official job, they’re using creativity on the job because they’re using originality and expressiveness in their jobs.
So creativity does have monetary value.
[End of Part 1]

Angie Dixon is a creativity expert and author of The Leonardo Trait: Living the Multipassionate Life. Get a free creativity kit at LeonardoTrait. com. Contact Angie at mailto:angie@LeonardoTrait. com

Using “Journals” to Develop Purposeful Writing in the Classroom

Web Researcher — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 00:30:43 +0000

Writing in “journals” or “journal time” was one of my favorite subjects growing up in school. I can remember looking forward to the comments the teachers would write daily in my journals. As years passed on in grade school, I grew accustomed to positive grades and opinions being given to me on my journal entries.
I can remember when journal writing was a must do all the way up to attending high school. When I entered college, journals became non-mandatory. What a shame.
Journals are like having a conversation with a person, yet written down on paper. Journals force you to focus on your own thoughts, not necessarily the thoughts of others. I truly believe that my personal thoughts about what I was learning dialy helped me become a better writer.
I find that journals help students think of their writing as purposeful, rewarding, and wonderful. Journaling is a great task to do on a daily basis in the classroom. Writing journals ARE a wonderful form of communication(a very important Language Arts concept). The reader and writer are more involved in the process, and the writing can many times be extremely focused, detailed, and specific.
I am learning that journal writing interests me to the utmost. The overall structure of journals is very free, fun, and focused to me. I make entries to my personal journal daily. Often they are about things I have learned or things that the Almighty has taught me that day.
The thought process of a writer is the key to what all journals should be about. Journals are very much like creative writing in a box. Overall, journals are enjoyable to write, and at the same time they are very relaxing and a great escape from the rigors of daily life.
What I picture my students writing is basic creative thoughts that come from their minds. For example, as a class, we may have a discussion about taking care of dogs. I, as the teacher, expect to read journals on either what it is to raise a dog, the students’ own opinion on dogs, what type of dog they should own, and the pros and cons of having a dog.
Or. . . whatever else they’d like to write about dogs. I hope to have a free, open writing policy with my students, so that they are free to express themselves clearly in thoughts, questions, and especially in their writing. In conclusion, journals ARE the last task that my students do at the end of a busy day. I have them write about what they learned that day and. . . they love it.

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