60 Awesome Search Engines for Serious Writers June 20th, 2010 Finding the information you need as a writer shouldn’t be a chore. Luckily, there are plenty of search engines out there that are designed to help you at any stage of the process, from coming up with great ideas to finding a publisher to get your work into print. Both writers still in college and those on their way to professional success will appreciate this list of useful search applications that are great from making writing a little easier and more efficient. Professional Find other writers, publishers and ways to market your work through these searchable databases and search engines. Writing These helpful tools will help you along in the writing process. Research Try out these tools to get your writing research done in a snap. Google Scholar: With this specialized search engine from Google, you’ll only get reliable, academic results for your searches.WorldCat: If you need a book from the library, try out this tool. Reference Need to look up a quote or a fact? Niche Writers
How Can I Earn Some Pocket Money Online? Dear Lifehacker,I usually spend a decent amount of hours sitting in front of my PC when I have time off, doing pointless, non-productive things. Then it hit me: I could be using this time to earn a little extra spending money. Got any suggestions? [jump] Thanks,Bored and Looking to Make a Few More Bucks Dear Bored,Many of us have more free time than we have money, so why not turn that extra, wasted time into cash? For Occasional Cash Boosts: Easy Online Tasks Everyone Can Do We’ve previously mentioned several types of simple online tasks you can do—and the services that pay you to do them—to earn some pocket money. For most of these tasks, you have to wait for the right opportunity to arise and fit specific criteria. Mobile Gigs and Online Rewards Programs You can also earn some beer money with your mobile phone by doing simple gigs while you’re out and about. Microjobs The “microjobs” marketplace—for short, one-off tasks—is booming now. Freelance from Home What are your marketable skills?
50 Best Blogs for Creative Writing Students Posted on Monday September 27, 2010 by Staff Writers Creative writing students can learn a lot from others in the industry, whether they’re fellow students, educators, or successful writers. You can find advice, inspiration, and more, just by checking out creative writing blogs online, and we’ve found 50 of the best to share here. General Find information and interesting tidbits for writers on these blogs. Inkygirl: Inkygirl has daily diversions for writers.The Best Damn Creative Writing Blog: Get your literary life with the help of this blog.Literary Rejections on Display: See literary rejections on this blog.Three Guys One Book: These bloggers discuss books together.Like Fire: Like Fire is devoted to everything wonderful in literature. Advice You’ll find excellent advice for writing and more in these blogs. Success Check out these blogs to find the secrets to creative writing success. Education Educators, students, and more share their creative writing insight on these blogs. Resources Journals
Make Money in Your Spare Time Doing Simple Online Tasks Polly Courtney: 'Now I'm back to self-publishing, I've regained control' You achieved the dream of many a would-be author when you were signed up by HarperCollins. Why are you self-publishing your new book? When I signed with HarperCollins, I thought "Great! This is the golden ticket I've been waiting for!" I thought it would be a great collaboration between me and the publisher, given my success self-publishing my first two novels. The reality was a big disappointment. "Brand Polly Courtney" was increasingly muddled, leading to confusion for readers. Tell us a bit about Feral Youth. Feral Youth is a fictionalised account of the summer leading up to the 2011 riots. Have you worked with an editor or designer on the novel? I have a brilliant editor called Joy, whom I came across during the research for my last book. Do you think this is important? The term "self-publishing" is a misnomer; it doesn't mean that the author takes on all the parts of the publishing process as well as the writing. Can you talk us through how you're publishing - print and ebook?
How to Email Busy People (and Not Be Annoying) If you want to get in touch with influential people (aka: BUSY people), you need to know how to email them. Despite the buzz around social media, far more people use email to communicate than any other online medium1, and business today still gets done over email, not through tweets. Today, I’m going to show you the elements of the PERFECT outreach email, and how you email busy people the right way in order to make things happen. You’ll also get exact scripts and email screenshots to journalists that landed me big features (worth 200,000+ hits). That said, let’s dig in! Why This is Important to Know Knowing how to write outreach emails might seem like a “no-brainer” or maybe even an unnecessary skill to have, but I can assure you the opposite, on both accounts. If you’re serious about networking and building your platform/personal brand, you MUST know how to email important people, and important people are busy people. Avoiding the Dreaded Trash Bin (“Bin-bound” Outreach) 1.) 2.) 3.) 1.) a.)
Why Kafka Matters In the July/August issue of the Atlantic, Joseph Epstein uses the release of Saul Friedlander’s book “Franz Kafka: The Poet of Shame and Guilt" to pose the larger question of whether Kafka is still relevant. “Great writers are impressed by the mysteries of life; poor Franz Kafka was crushed by them,” he observes, noting that “Kafka’s small body of work, which includes three uncompleted novels, some two dozen substantial short stories, an assemblage of parables and fragment-like shorter works, diaries, collections of letters (many to lovers whom he never married), and the famous ‘Letter to His Father,’” represents an achievement so insular that it “cannot be either explained or judged in the same way as other literary artists.” What this means, Epstein goes on, is that, in Kafka’s universe, “illogic becomes plausible, guilt goes unexplained, and brutal punishment is doled out for no known offense.” What do we make of such an image?
The Interview Question That's Always Asked (and How to Nail It) "Do you have any questions for us?" As someone who regularly conducts interviews, I find it staggering how many interviewees are not prepared for the one question that you can be absolutely certain will be asked. In some ways, it is the most important question of the entire interview. If you just respond with, "No, I have already heard what I need to know," it makes you seem disinterested and complacent. With these responses, he unknowingly communicated that his top priorities were to avoid coming into the office as much as possible, and that he really wasn't interested in helping our team succeed, but instead wanted to use us as a stepping stone to find something else more interesting. The Right Way The contrary side to all of this is that the question is actually a huge opportunity for you. The secret is to pose your questions in a way that will get those conducting the interview to talk for a few minutes, and then allow for you to respond to what they say. Questions You Can Ask
What Does Your Handwriting Say About You? What Does Your Handwriting Say About You? graphology Graphology is the study of handwriting, especially when employed as a means of analyzing a writer's character, personality, abilities, etc. How you write can indicate more than 5,000 different personality traits. In the medical field, it can be used to refer to the study of handwriting as an aid in diagnosis and tracking diseases. size large letters You are out-going, people oriented, outspoken & love attention. small letters You are shy or withdrawn, studious, concentrated and meticulous. average You are well-adjusted and adaptable spacing between words wide spacing You enjoy your freedom and don't like to be overwhelmed or crowded narrow spacing You can't stand to be alone. slanting No Slant You don't let your emotions get the best of you. Slants to the right You are open to new experiences & enjoy meeting new people. Slants to the left You tend to keep to yourself and generally like to work behind the scenes. shape of the letters Rounded letters Open
5 Best Practices for Financial Institutions on Facebook Banks, often held back by industry regulations, are rarely considered innovative when it comes to social media. But Facebook is the perfect place for financial institutions to loosen their neckties, roll up their sleeves and show some personality. The Facebook community wants to connect on a personal level, rather than learn about policy updates. This may sound like a challenging feat for those accustomed to banks' traditional platforms of communication. If you're involved in a financial institution's marketing plan and unsure of what your Facebook presence should like — or even if you should have a Facebook presence at all — take a look at these best practices. 1. Facebook — and social media in general — is all about connecting with people. "Banks aren't really the most trusted institutions right now," says Frank Eliason, Citi's SVP of social media. "Most importantly, we recognize that it's OK to learn and it's OK to try new things," Eliason says. 2. 3. J.P. 4. 5.