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6 Tips about writing, editing and marketing your book

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If you are looking for tips to get your self-published book to readers, here are six tips about writing, editing and marketing your book. Writing is a journey. If you have taken this journey you will have discovered that the road on which you are travelling is not smooth and that you have embarked on an uphill journey, following a path with its twists and turns. In addition, you will have discovered that you have to always step over or climb over, or go around a number of obstacles in your way. But having successfully negotiated all the twists and turns and cleared all the obstacles in your way, you finally have reached a height of excitement and achievement in which you have gloried for a while. Your manuscript is the achievement for which you toiled and its completion is exciting. But you'll soon realize that there are many more steps that you have to take to claim to have had a successful journey.  Tip 1: Go where the story leads you You're never quite sure what

Why do you teach?

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  ABOUT THE TEACHER'S GIFT You are a teacher and much is expected of you. You are expected to make your students learn the content of your lessons while being their counsellor, parent, friend…. In addition, with the move by government to ensure that there is accountability in government institutions – which is a good thing – you have to engage in a number of administrative tasks, in addition to your teaching role. As a result, you are stressed and find yourself close to the breaking point. Th e Teacher ' s Gift: A Teacher’s perspective will help you to regain your equilibrium. Learn how to: prepare yourself to manage your teaching job interact with the stakeholders of the school measure your success on the job maintain your mental health Take back your joy which is being slowly taken away from you by intractable students, hassled administrators and the demands of the job. Get your copy  here ! Before you go, spend a few minutes to

Why do you write? Finding your writing mojo

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I'm fascinated by cultures, the ways of life of groups of people who showcase their identities by what they say and do - the way they practice life. I'm fascinated by cultures because I believe that within them lie keys that open doors to human understanding, our understanding of each other's hopes, dreams and motivation. I believe that if we truly make it our business to learn about the cultures of people who differ from us in so many ways, and if we truly try to understand the custodians of these cultures, we will begin to break down the walls of misunderstanding which sometimes lead to conflict among us. Pie in the sky? Probably. But, I continue to hold on to this belief which simply put is: Learning about cultures fosters understanding, strengthens communication and reduces conflict among people . One way to begin this process, I think, is by reading because reading allows us to vicariously travel the world, mingle with people whose way of life is totally diff

How to create memorable characters

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                You are here because you want to learn how to create memorable characters as  some of your favourite writers have done.  It is not as difficult as you think.  By the time you finish reading this post, you will be well on your way to create your characters that readers will remember decades later - every writer's hope. Look at yourself and the people around you. You are all actors on this stage called life, according to William Shakespeare   - characters really.  In writing your characters you need to capture the essence of yourself and the people around you in your writing - quirks and all. If you manage to do this, you will have created an authentic character that will stimulate the imagination of readers. Characters The writer is an artist who uses the tools that she possesses - words, general knowledge of the writing process and her experiences in creative ways to craft stories that tug at the emotions of readers in specific ways. These stories may be fi

Don't forget this important step on your writing journey.

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Why do I write? This is a question to which authors/writers have had to find an answer because either their curious fans or interested others have wanted to understand their motivation for writing. Whenever someone poses this question, the answers are swift in coming from some authors/writers.  We hear responses like the following: I write because I have to. There is something in me that forces me to write. I write because writing is therapeutic. It's a way to help me deal with my demons (Okay, I came up with the "demons" part. I'm not sure anybody actually says this, but probably somebody does). But some writers believe that the process of writing helps them to deal with the challenges of their lives. I write because I have a story to tell. I write because writing is my passion.  I write because I want to make money... We all have our reasons for writing. Some of us do not hesitate when someone asks us to articulate o