The Steps I Took to Land My First Freelance Writing Job

Do you want to be a freelance writer but have no clue how to start? Or, are trying to make some money as a freelance writer and all youre getting are one-off content jobs for $20? Navigating the world of freelancing can be a challenge if you dont know where to find jobs or how to have steady work. I started freelance writing over two years ago. My twins werent even two years old when I landed my first client. I was new and made a lot of mistakes. Looking back now I see the steps that helped me land my first freelance writing job as a writer for an automotive website. Lets first look at what didnt work and then what did work. You Cant Make a Living With Freelance Marketplaces The very first place I found work was on iWriter. Now I know this isnt a freelance marketplace; its a content mill. All I knew was that it was easy to sign up and create a profile, look for a gig and get hired. My first – and only – writing job I had was for a toy product description. It was around 300 words, but it took me hours to write. Why? Well, I had no idea what the toy was and had to research on Amazon and YouTube to get an idea of its features. I then had to create a small description about the toy using a conversational tone. The client didnt want just a bullet list of the features or specifications. The client wanted a bit of a backstory to the toy. I finished the piece and received payment – $1.62 and decided this was not for me. I didnt have the time to waste writing for pennies. No way. I switched gears and signed up to Guru and Upwork (it was oDesk at the time). I created profiles and set my rate and pitched to jobs. I pitched to countless jobs and didnt land any of them. Im not sure why I never landed any of those gigs. It could have been my lack of experience or the rate I bid was too high. Im actually happy I never landed a gig with Upwork because I think I wouldve totally given up and not have pursued freelance writing. I realized it was impossible to make a living as a writer since the work on that platform was ghostwritten and your pay is based on your rate and not the value you place on your content. Letting Doubt Stop Me One thing I had to battle with as a new writer was the constant doubt I had. I felt like an imposter and knew I didnt have the credentials to back me up. Why would anyone hire me? Im not a journalist. Im not a good writer. Im an introvert. For a while, I was paralyzed, and my doubts took over me, but with some much-needed pep talks by my husband I was able to snap out of it and get back in the game. Here is what helped me land my first freelance writing job. I Created an Online Presence I learned early that to make it out there as a freelance writer (away from Upwork and other freelance marketplaces) I had to make a name for myself. But how? I decided to set up a Twitter account and LinkedIn account. I also knew I needed a   home base or a website for my services. At first, my niche was generalized. I didnt want to pigeonhole my service and felt that if I was just a content writer that ANYONE would hire me. I now know that thats the wrong way to approach freelance writing, but back then I still managed to get clients, so it didnt hold me back that much. So, my website and my social media profiles helped me get online, but I still needed a way for prospects to find me. They werent going to stumble on my site anytime soon. I had to find a way to spread the news I was a freelance writer. I Strategically Guest Posted Can I tell you a secret? When I first started out as a freelance writer, I looked up to a lot of other freelance writers. I studied their website, their copy and where they were writing. Then I researched if those places hired or accepted guests posts. If that successful writer published on Social Media Today, you bet I will try that too was my philosophy back then. I made sure to write guest posts in my niche back then (health and parenting) and guest post on sites that I saw other freelance writers guest post on (like Social Media Today and Brazen Careerist). During this time I started a blog but mostly blogged about the world of freelance writing since it was a new passion of mine and I wanted to write about it. So in a month or so I had several guest posts out, started a blog and was ready to start pitching. I Pitched Hard I learned that the more I pitched, the better chance I had at landing gigs. But, in the beginning, I just pitched to ads I liked and were in my niche. Those pitches were for a lot of health and parenting blogging gigs. The pay wasnt the greatest ($25 a post), but I just wanted to land a gig. I also did some cold pitching and pitched to educational companies that used Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). Since my educational background is in Psychology and ABA therapy, I thought there might be a need for a content writer that understands the principles of behaviorism. After a while though, I wasnt getting any responses to my pitches. I had to make a change. Right then and there I decided that I had to pitch to jobs that werent in my niche, but were still interesting to me. I pitched to job ads for a: Canadian living writer Pilates writer Article writer for a refrigeration company Pet writer WordPress theme writer If I was remotely interested in it, I pitched to it. And one of my pitches caught the eye of the editor for an automotive enthusiast site. Soon after I had an inquiry for social media writing and editing. I found new confidence and started getting inquiries for eBook formatting and eBook cover design. I couldnt believe I was getting paid to do all this fun stuff. I love creative work and writing. I finally found a path to getting paid for my value and making a living as a writer. I wasnt scrambling trying to land a gig for $25. I was making $100 a post, then $120 and I kept moving up and up and recently, I made $600 from a post under 1500 words. My way was working, and I found a framework, or blueprint, that can work for anyone. What Are You Waiting For? My blog is filled with information to help you get out there and land a freelance writing job. But, dont you want more? Dont you want to know how to build a successful freelance writing business so that you can make a living as a writer? Over to you – tell me what youre doing to land your first gig. If youre ready to really earn a living from writing, you can get your step-by-step profitable freelance writing blueprint by joining Write Your Way to Your First $1k. It walks you through the exact action steps you need to take to land clients, tweak your website to increase conversions and get paid as a writer.

Japan and Its Neighbors essays

Japan and Its Neighbors essays Japan, China, and North Korea have a strong history that makes dealing with the present and future very difficult. All three countries have close geographic proximity to one another, but have very different cultures, governments, and histories. After World War II (WWII) and the Allied Occupation, Japans constitution includes Article Nine, which states, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes. Many people felt that this clause would bring an end to the ongoing struggle in the region, and that Japan would fall to the wayside as an international power. Also, because the historical dealings that Japan had with China and North Korea, mainly had negative outcomes because of the Japanese military, it would be easy to assume the three nations could resolve conflicts more easily now. On the contrary though, history is still an argument used each time China and North Korea have any diplomatic involvement with Japan. Now there is talk of amending Article Nine and allowing the Japanese to rebuild a military, but with its neighboring countries so close, and still so bitter about the past Japan will not be able to have its own free standing military in the near future. China and North Korea both bring up arguments of their histories with Japan when illustrating why Japan should not remilitarize and amend Article Nine. The Japanese first invaded North Korea in 1359 and 1361 when they forced out the Mongolians who were occupying the area. In 1592 and 1597 the Japanese launched major assaults against Korea. Korea was independent until the 19th century when China in attempt to pacify some of Japans strength, established Korea as part of China. These tensions led to the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, in which Korea was annexed by Japan after another war with Russia in 1910. It was not until Japan was d...

Definition and Examples of Conditional Clauses

Definition and Examples of Conditional Clauses In English grammar, a conditional clause is a type of adverbial clause that states a hypothesis or condition, real (factual) or imagined (counterfactual). A sentence containing one or more conditional clauses and a main clause (which expresses the result of the condition) is called a conditional sentence  (also known as a conditional construction). A conditional clause is most often introduced by the subordinating conjunction if. Other conditional subordinators include unless, even if, provided that,  on condition that, as long as, and  in the case of. (Note that unless functions as a negative subordinator.) Conditional clauses tend to come at the beginning of complex sentences, but (like other adverbial clauses) they may also come at the end.   Examples and Observations If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. (Anne Bradstreet, Meditations Divine and Moral)Romans park their cars the way I would park if I had just spilled a beaker of hydrochloric acid on my lap. (Bill Bryson,  Neither Here Nor There: Travels in Europe. William Morrow, 1992)Even if it snows, even if there is a tornado, nothing will put off this expedition. (J.F. Powers, Death of a Favorite, 1951)After that first taste of the sandal in the dining room, I foolishly believed I would be safe as long as I stayed away from the table. (Adrienne Kress,  Alex  . Weinstein Books, 2007)and  the Ironic GentlemanIf you can keep your head when all about youAre losing theirs and blaming it on you,If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,But make allowance for their doubting too;If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,Or being lied about, dont deal in lies,Or being hated, dont give wa y to hating,And yet dont look too good, nor talk too wise...(The first stanza of Rudyard Kiplings If- , 1895) What Are 'Conditions'? Conditions deal with imagined situations: some are possible, some are unlikely, some are impossible. The speaker/writer imagines that something can or cannot happen or have happened, and then compares that situation with possible consequences or outcomes, or offers further logical conclusions about the situation. (R. Carter,  Cambridge Grammar of English. Cambridge University Press, 2006) Stylistic Advice: Positioning Conditional Clauses Conditional clauses have traditionally been placed at the beginning of a sentence, but you should feel free to place a conditional clause elsewhere if doing so would make the provision easier to read. The longer the conditional clause, the more likely it is that the provision would be more readable with the matrix clause rather than the conditional clause at the front of the sentence. If both the conditional clause and the matrix clause contain more than one element, you would likely be better off expressing them as two sentences. (Kenneth A. Adams,  A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting. American Bar Association, 2004) Types of Conditional Clauses There are six main types of conditional sentence: For example, the equilibrium between liquid and vapor is upset if the temperature is increased.(General rule, or law of nature: it always happens.)If you start thinking about this game, it will drive you crazy.(Open future condition: it may or may not happen.)But if you really wanted to be on Malibu Beach, youd be there.(Unlikely future condition: it probably wont happen.)If I were you, I would go to the conference center itself and ask to see someone in security.(Impossible future condition: it could never happen.)I would have resigned if they had made the decision themselves, she said.(Impossible past condition: it didnt happen.)If he had been working for three days and three nights then it was in the suit he was wearing now.(Unknown past condition: we dont know the facts.) (John Seely,  Grammar for Teachers. Oxpecker, 2007)

Curriculum questions Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Curriculum questions - Coursework Example According to the chosen standards documents, the analysis process is highly focused on few major aspects including curriculum documentation process, situation resulted in the development phase primary purposes and organizing process of the contents, implementation process of the curriculum and evaluation of the learning outcomes, and identifying strengths and limitations of the curriculum (Parkway Central Middle School, 2013). The limitations that have been recognized in the curriculum documentation process are the inability to define the key roles and significance of the curriculum critically along with its transaction. Moreover, problems associated with exploring syllabuses and their association with the ESOL standards is observed as a major limitation of the curriculum analysis (Posner, 1995). During the development phase of the curriculum, the project team is involved in various situations. In this regard, the superintendent makes the curriculum development project. The superintendent is accountable for generating effective set of cast characters associated with the curriculum standards and accordingly, supervise their roles. Few of the major cast characters associated with the development phase of the curriculum include Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning; Assistant Superintendent of Student Services; Human Resources Consultant; Chief, Communication, Information and Financial Officers. The key cast characters in the curriculum development project are affiliated with the curriculum standards in English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). According to the curriculum development project for 6-8 grade, the Assistant Superintendents of both teaching and student services are responsible to identify the required set of curriculum activities that can address t he needs of the first grade learners. Moreover, they are also accountable to

Design of Concrete Frame based on Iranian Code (2800) and Eurocode (EC Literature review

Design of Concrete Frame based on Iranian Code (2800) and Eurocode (EC 8) for Resistance to Earthquake - Literature review Example Another incident claimed 1000 people in 1981 in Kerman while 40,000 faced the same in Gilan, a province in Northern Iran. The Ritcher scale reading struck 7.2. An earthquake that occurred in Bam in December 2003 is numbered among the 130 major earthquakes in Iranian history with estimated casualty cases of 30-50 thousand (Iranian Studies Group, 2004, p.2). The foundation of assessment of seismic hazard in Iran is on the frequency of seismicity in relation to time and space. In the assessment of seismic hazards, seismotectonic sources are considered. The success of this study relies on regional and local knowledge on geology, seismicity and tectonics. The core sources of seismotectonic forces are; †¢ Fault sources and †¢ Area sources (Takavoli, B., and Ghafory, M., 1999, P.1013). Research conducted by different firms like Wilson (1930), Niazi (1968) and many others reveal that seismicity in Iran is linked to local surface geology and tectonics (1014). Iranian plateau is characterized by active faults, active volcanoes with an Alpine earthquake belt that is elongated and of high surface. Active earthquake activities are found along Zagros fold thrust belt thus making most parts of Iran vulnerable to earthquakes (Takavoli, B., and Ghafory, M., 1999, P.1014).... This allows the required dissipation energy. Capacity design protocols, parameters and fashion designs assist greatly in obtaining of design standards followed in design procedure. Seismic design codes vary from country to country due to various factors which include: The desire for seismic design codes of high quality The impact created on previous earthquakes relying on provision s indicated on the codes Research conducted at academic institutions on seismic designs and The period taken in the implementation of policies and legislative laws. Iran being an earthquake prone area has developed its own codes to be implemented in construction of structures. Reinforced Concrete Frame Buildings Reinforced concrete is composed of horizontal elements called beams and vertical elements called columns. These two components are joined together with rigid joints. The beams and columns are cast together to form a monolithic structure. Reinforced concrete frames offer resistance to gravitational and lateral loads by bending that occurs in beams and columns. Some of the subtypes of reinforced concrete frame construction are: Nonductile reinforced concrete frames with or without infill walls, Nonductile reinforced concrete frames with reinforced infill walls, Ductile reinforced concrete frames with or without infill walls. Tremendous changes have been made to design and details of reinforced concrete frame structures in seismic zones. Earlier building codes focused on requirements needed strength of a structure. The structural members were to provide resistance to lateral seismic loads. From various researches conducted about earthquakes, building codes shifted focus to sectioning and detailing of beams, columns and joints. The aim

Health and social care unit 7 Essay Example for Free

Health and social care unit 7 Essay Behaviourist approach, people believe that behaviour has been learned when we are younger and effects us later on in life e.g. if a child is too strictly potty trained then may effect them later on in life, and could have OCD Freud believed this. Classical conditioning is a theory discovered by Pavlov a Russian physiologist he worked on dogs and the digestive system before this study people believed that saliva was produced when food in in the mouth but then Pavlov found out it happened when the dog saw the food, possibly smelling the food. Pavlov used classical conditioning, his experiment was used with a dog. When the bell rings the dog doesnt do anything until after a while Pavlov gives the dog a treat every time the bell is rung so every time the bell rings now the dog will start salivating. This is how systematic desensitisation works, people associate a fear or a phobia by something they may of seen the say that an accident may have occurred causing the phobia e.g. if a man had a car accident and the car that crashed in to him was blue, the man may have a fear of blue now because of this (the dog learning that food comes with the ring of the bell) psychologists can help this by slowly showing the man that blue isnt scary by talking about the colour, seeing the word written on paper then seeing the colour and being comfortable with it, this is then cured of the fear this is called the Hierarchy of fear. This reaction cant be learned so he called this unconditioned response. This theory is what psychologists use to look at phobias, it shows that there is always something too set a behaviour off e.g. if something bad happened in your life and the most thing you remember is a poster on the wall or even a song you listened to that night, you could develop a phobia of that poster or song. The best way to help this is to find the cause and ask the patient to make a list of their worst fear about that phobia. This is where operant conditioning comes in, this is used to help peoples frame of mind, they use reinforcement techniques and create more appropriate behaviour. â€Å"Let’s say that at your house whenever someone flushes the toilet the shower gets crazy hot. After a while, you learn to jump out of the shower stream whenever you hear the toilet flush. A guest at your house won’t know that this happens, so she will jump out of the stream of water when it gets hot but not when the toilet flushes.† http://instruction.blackhawk.edu 20:39 18/12/12

Flannery OConnors A Good Man is Hard To Find Essay -- Literacy Analy

Flannery O’Connor’s A Good Man Is Hard to Find is one of the most well-known short stories in American history. A Good Man Is Hard to Find is a disturbing short story that exemplifies grace in extremity as well as the threat of an intruder. The story tells of an elderly grandmother and her family who embark on a road trip to Florida. The grandmother is a stubborn old woman with a low sense of morality. While on the trip, the grandmother convinces her son to take a detour which results in a broken down car and an encounter with a convicted fugitive, The Misfit. Although the grandmother pleads for mercy, The Misfit kills off the rest of her family. Through the grace she finds in her extreme circumstance, the grandmother calls The Misfit her own and implores him to spare her life. The Misfit does not oblige her and states after her death, â€Å"She would have been a good woman if it had been someone to shoot her every day of her life.† Through Flannery Oâ₠¬â„¢Connor’s disturbing and shocking display of the grandmother’s demise, she gives the reader a sense of the threatening power of an intruder and the idea of extreme situations bringing about a state of grace. The reason for such a powerful work may have resulted from Flannery O’Connor’s religious upbringing as well as the state of the nation at the time. During much of the 1930’s and 1940’s, the United States was a fairly isolated nation. While much of Europe and rest of the world were waging war against Germany, the United States kept a fairly pacifist stance and refrained from military involvement (World War II: Isolationist America). Many citizens in the United States feared an intrusion from outside forces, especially after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, which changed t... ...dly evil character, The Misfit, is able to help the grandmother to find grace makes him redeemable as well. Whatever the reason was for Flannery O’Connor to write A Good Man Is Hard To Find, it will forever be one of her best works as well as one of the best and most unusual short stories of all time. Works Cited Gordon, Sarah. "Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964)." New Georgia Encyclopedia. Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press, 3 Mar. 2009. Web. 10 Mar. 2012. . Shmoop Editorial Team. "A Good Man is Hard to Find" Shmoop.com. Shmoop University, Inc., 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 10 Mar. 2012. "World War II: Isolationist America." Second World War II Campaigns. Historical Boy's Clothing, 31 Dec. 2002. Web. 10 Mar. 2012. .

Biag ni Lam-ang

Biag ni Lam-ang (The Life of Lam-ang) is an epic poem of the Ilokano people from the Ilocos region of the Philippines. Recited and written in the original Iloko, the poem is believed to be a composite work of various poets who passed it on through the generations, and was first transcribed around 1640 by a blind Ilokano bard named Pedro Bucaneg. Lam-ang is an extraordinary being, manifesting when he begins to speak in his early years, thus enabling him to choose his own name.His adventures begin when his father, Don Juan, set out for a battle but never returned. At barely nine months, Lam-ang goes to search for Don Juan in the highlands where the latter was said to have gone. Aware that her child was a blessed, exceptional creature, his mother Namongan allows him to go. Lam-ang then goes off in search of his father, leaving his grieving mother behind. When Lam-ang arrives at the place where Don Juan had disappeared, he is enraged to see his father’s severed head atop a bamboo pole; a scene he dreamt beforehand.Lam-ang demands to the local people why that had happened to his father, but does not receive an answer. Instead, the chieftain of the village tells him to leave under pain of suffering the same fate as his father. Lam-ang defies the caveat and bravely fights the chieftain and his tribesmen. The hero emerges victorious from the battle with little effort, avenging his murdered father. Fom this story, we can realize how the love of a son to his father and

Elementary School Literature Class Essay

The biography genre allows the reader to learn about the events in the life of a non-fictional character. An example would be the book Rocks in His Head by Carol Hurst. After reading the text, the students may then be required to complete a character biography which would outline personal information about the character, interesting information about him, important dates mentioned in the text, his name, where he lived, and such. a)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fable The fable genre introduces things which are given human qualities as characters. Fables often contain moral lessons. An example of a fable would be Aesop’s fable of The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Students may then be asked to fill out a dissection chart wherein they will have to describe scenes corresponding to the different parts of the story, such as conflict, resolution, moral, etc. b)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fairy Tale Fairy tales are fictional stories which often have magical elements integrated into the story. An example would be Hans Christian Andersen’s Thumbelina. A story map would be one applicable graphic organizer which would require the students to map out the beginning, purpose, conflict, most important moment, and conclusion of the story. c)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Folktales Folktales are stories which are grounded on the cultural tradition of a particular place. The story of Johnny Appleseed is one popular American folktale. A venn diagram may be used to graphically organize the information learned from the story. d)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Historical Fiction Historical fiction is a sub-genre of fiction. It portrays fictional stories of historical figures or events. An example would be the book The Mary Celeste written by Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple. A time line may be used as a graphic organizer in the case of historical fiction stories. e)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Informational Text or Nonfiction Informational texts are non-fiction texts which give the reader current and accurate information regarding a particular topic. Secrets of a Civil War Submarine by Sally M. Walker talks about the disappearance of the first submarine to sink an enemy ship in the Civil War and is a leading example of an informational text. For this purpose, a map may be accomplished by the student plotting out the problem and solution found in the informational text. KWLs are also popular organizers for informational texts. f)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mystery Mystery texts involve the solving of puzzles or crimes by the characters in the text. There are several series which involve mystery plots such as Nancy Drew and Babysitter’s Club. With this genre, charts may be used after the reading of the text requiring students to fill out information regarding the characterization of the hero, the villain, the victim, the crime or problem and the solution. g)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Picture books Picture books provides verbal and visual narratives of the plot and story. Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are is a good example of a picture book. The text is quite simple and sparse but the blend with the visual narrative makes for better communication of the author’s intention. A character analysis or a plot diagram may be accomplished by the student after reading a picture book. h)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Poetry Poetry depicts a concept or story through a particular form. A famous children’s literature poet is Shel Silverstein. Some of his more popular works are The Missing Piece Meets the Big O and The Giving Tree. Since poems are more complex than story-telling texts, a plot diagram would be a good graphic organizer for students to accomplish. i)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Realistic Fiction Realistic fiction presents fictional characters, plot and settings but depict them in such a way that they could be found in real life. There are many examples of this genre such as Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret by Judy Blume. The challenge is for the author to create a story addressing a concern or issue of the target reader audience. Given the purpose of realistic fiction, a character analysis may be completed by the student along with an analogy for what the student would do if they were in the same situation. 7. Design a literature lesson plan to include the following categories: grade, 2 behavioral objectives (Sunshine State Standards), 2 activities, 1 assessment instrument, and 1 follow-up homework assignment. Include the title of the book and its genre. This is a literature lesson plan for a second grade class. One picture book will be used as class reading material, in this case Maurice Sendak’s Where The Wild Things Are, and several wordless picture books will be provided for the students’ activities. One objective of the lesson is to teach students the various character perspectives that may be employed in telling a story and to have the students apply this learning in the activities. Another objective is to have the students exercise and display their creative talents, particularly their writing skills through the creation of their own story. At the beginning of the lesson the picture book will be read to the students. After the reading of the text, the students will be asked to complete a character diagram for each of the main characters involved in the text. They will be asked to map out the descriptions of the characters as well as the activities which the character actually engaged in throughout the story. This will not only allow the instructor to assess the students’ understanding of the story but it will allow for a better platform for discussing how character perspectives can be used in telling a story. The students will thus be asked to engage in an activity of shifting the character perspectives in the book so that the narrative is told from a first, second or third person perspective. This will be done by focusing on particular scenes in the picture book used for storytelling. Having in mind their description of the characters, the students will be asked to change the text corresponding to the scene pinpointed so that it would be in first, second or third person perspective. Further application of the lesson will be engaged in by having the students break off into groups. Each group is to take a wordless picture book. They will then be asked to draw a piece of paper from a hat. The strip of paper will indicate in what perspective the text of the narrative should be told. The students will then be asked to write a simple narrative for the wordless picture book. One line narrations for each picture would be deemed sufficient. The students would be informed that although creativity in formulating the text would be incentivized, what is more important is the proper use of the perspective as well as the grammatical correctness of the work. At the end of the class the students will submit the completed story. Before dismissal, the instructor will make copies of the students’ stories. The stories of the different groups will be switched so that each student is left with a copy of a story completed by another group. As an assignment, the students will be asked to shift the perspective of the story assigned to them. They are informed that they may vary the manner in which the story was told as long as they maintain the same framework for the narrative and as long as they are able to use a perspective other than that which was used.

The Amazing Sixth Sense essays

The Amazing Sixth Sense essays With obvious gifts for directing children, creating atmospheric stories, and working honestly with deeply felt themes about the role of the dead in our lives, writer-director M. Night Shyamalan has followed up last year's touching Wide Awake with an even better film about a boy in the grip of loss and fear. Bruce Willis stars as child psychologist Malcolm Crowe, who is shot by a former patient who claims Crowe did nothing to alleviate his supernatural childhood terrors. Months later, Crowe is a changed man, isolated, remote from his wife (Olivia Williams), and quietly bent on helping another boy named Cole (Haley Joel Osment) who seems to be undergoing similar traumas to that of the gun-wielding assailant. For most of the film, young Cole seems like a sharp but terribly frightened child, his slight frame a natural metaphor for an inability to cope with some awful, invisible force in his life. He tells Crowe he has learned to deflect the worries of his single mother (Toni Collette) by drawing happy pictures instead of the horrifying ones he actually sees, and he has even made a deal with a local bully to pretend to be his friend. Crowe sees through Cole's facade, but it takes a long time before the boy reveals what's ailing him: he has an unwanted gift for seeing the dead, particularly those who have died violent, unjust deaths and seem to be seeking him out. While The Blair Witch Project is more primal in its suggestive scares, The Sixth Sense has an old-fashioned Gothic touch that Shyamalan uses with effective economy. For most of the film's running time, all the director really needs to do is frame certain shots with an airy anticipation and throw in a few evocative details: chilled breath, leaves blowing along a street, the hint of a spectre rushing past a doorframe. (Interestingly, Cole often seeks refuge in a makeshift tent in his room, which ends up amplifying his and our fear in much the same way as in Blair Witch.) By ...

7 Fun Challenges to Hold During Your 2016 Office Olympics

7 Fun Challenges to Hold During Your 2016 Office Olympics Olympic fever, 2016 edition, has set in. And although you’d rather be sitting on your couch watching round-the-clock streams of water polo and steeplechase, there’s the pesky fact that unlike Bob Costas, you’re not paid to live, breathe, and eat Olympics for the next few weeks. So you need to go to work- but that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to leave all things Olympic behind. Here are some Olympic events you can host at work, until you can get home and watch the USA basketball team humiliate some tiny nation that doesn’t have an NBA-packed roster.1. Competitive Chair SwivelHow many times can you spin without your feet touching the ground?2. Synchronized Stair WalkingIt builds teamwork![via Giphy]3. The 100M Freestyle Hallway SwimEat your heart out, Michael Phelps.4. Lobby GymnasticsBe sure to stick the landing! [via Tumblr]5. Cubicle HurdlesMaybe don’t do this one without a doctor present, or if your company has policies against, uh, da ngerous activities.6. Water Cooler Clean-and-JerkHow much can you lift without getting your shoes wet? [via Tumblr]7. Parking Lot MarathonGet ready for 26.2 meters of glory. [via USAFTW]The Closing CeremonyDon’t leave it out–pageantry is important! [via fanpop]

Lesson Aids Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Lesson Aids - Essay Example Each card contains pictures of various servings of food. Five cards consist of the total number of servings from each food group. These cards carry 5 points. 20 cards comprise specific food portions ranging from three servings to one serving. The points attached to these cards range from three to one respectively. There are also three wild cards displaying oil as a food group but students have been taught that oil is not a food group although a small portion is needed to keep one healthy. Therefore anyone picking an oil card will be required to lose a turn for the next round. An oil card may be cancelled when the player gets a card containing the total number of servings from any particular food group (Cancellation of an oil card is the player’s choice). The game begins with each player choosing a card from the 28 stockpile. The player with the highest score on his/her card has the first turn. Each player then picks 5 cards. The first player places one card on the table. In an anti-clockwise manner, the remaining players match the first card using the same food group as displayed on the table ensuring that the recommended daily requirement is not exceeded. The player with the card with the highest points wins that round and ceases the played cards of the opponents. This person plays first in the next round. These ceased cards are put in the player’s basket which would be used to tally the winning score at the end of the game. When a player does not have a card from the food group displayed on the table, he/she is required to take cards from the stock one at a time until a card belonging to that particular food group is obtained. The game ends when either the stock pile is completed or one player has utilized all the cards in his/her hands. The player with the highest points in their basket at the end of the game