Tips on reseraching for a non fiction book

There exists a predicament which unfortunately just about all authors have. How to study for writing a non fiction book without having to use up far too much time?
It's really an issue which i've needed to combat for countless years.
And yes it exists simply because, as I have recently realized, I'm keen on research. The truth is, I enjoy investigating a lot better than I like writing. Writing is without a doubt work. Research is entertaining although being aware of when you should stop researching generally is a challenge.
But that's the main element to studying without the need of totally wasting precious time... find out when you should stop. In the following paragraphs, I will provide you with a few tips regarding how to research free of throwing away precious time.
To begin with you should utilize a organised procedure for research as you do designed for writing. To put it differently, this means that you need a system. This system should include a organised intellectual tool. Inside our circumstance we call it an interest map. Nonetheless, a mind map is definitely an unstructured variant and in the next few paragraphs I will put it to use as opposed to the topic map.
Everybody knows a little something concerning the topics we all come up with. It might not be much however it will likely be something. Rarely are you given the job of authoring some thing you know absolutely nothing about. At the very least not as an experienced author. For that reason start with that. Sketch a mind map to exhibit the knowledge you presently know about the topic. Allow it to go on it's own for just a day perhaps in between attempts and include data while you remember it.
Now go look at the kid's portion of your local library. Yes, I proclaimed the children's section. The reason why? Because your present job is to get a simple perception of the subject. In order to complete the mind map you have already drawn with a little bit of the data you do not know... essentially to assist you find out what you do not know. Kid's sources are simple to go through, quick to read and offer a summary of the subject. Which makes all of them ideal for your present job.
Congratulations , you really should have a mind map that is fairly complete about the subject however at a extremely high and basic degree. Your task is currently going to be to complete it.
However merely to the degree you really need it completed.
So your task now could be to ask questions. Exactly what queries will you need solutions to? Exactly how much details will you be needing to complete? Do you know the limitations towards the study you will have to perform? Exactly where should you fill out details?

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Christian Fiction Novel Opens the Imagination of Young People to a Deeper Walk

       "The Golden Globe, Gate, and the Encounter," by N.D. Shine calls the attention of young people all over the world to open their minds to have a deeper walk with God. The book is about ten teenagers representing seven different countries, one including the United States of America, going through different walks in their lives. One day, they stumble across a magnificent globe, causing them to come together for one common purpose. But what they experience would change their hearts, minds, and destiny forever. N.D. Shine quotes on the book that "one heavenly encounter in the actual presence of God is an eternal experience never forgotten, life changing, and world shaking." The Golden Globe, Gate, and the Encounter reaches children all over the globe in grades 4th through 12th.

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Satellite Internet Broadband: Yesterday’S Science Fiction Is Today’S Reality

Who would have thought that one day, the common man would have satellite Internet readily available at his fingertips? It sounds like something out a science fiction movie or some phenomenal technology that only a spaceship would have to stay in contact with central command while it explored a far away galaxy in search of new life forms. But not only is satellite Internet real, it is actually economically feasible as well. It is really quite amazing.
Just think that only around twenty years ago, the Internet as we know it today did not even exist. And today that any American can connect himself to the World Wide Web instantly by having a satellite dish installed on his roof is a complement to all of the scientists and researchers who have been involved in the process.
The Internet is a great place to search for information of many kinds for any type of person, including couples, parents, children, business owners, and employees among many others.  Families can look for fun vacation spots to visit on their time off and stay updated on local issues in their community. Couples can read restaurant reviews so they know where to go for their hot date on Saturday night, or look for their first home together.
For parents, if used right, it can be a very useful tool in raising a child. A new mother can look up food recommendations for her baby, research ways to child-proof her home to prepare for the stage when her child becomes more independent, or search for remedies to get tough stains out of clothing when her child gets a bit out of control with his or her food.
Satellite broadband can be used by a new father to look for activities to do with his kid to form a strong bond, or look for instructions on how to change a diaper to prove to his wife that he will help with those hard tasks and play a strong role in the development of their child. He can even seek information on how to approach that uncomfortable talk about the “birds and the bees” when they reach that stage.
Children can go on the internet to look for movie times to go hang out with their friends, do some research for a difficult homework assignment, chat with friends through instant messaging programs, watch his or her favorite television show, or find out where they can buy the new video game that they want. Employers can look for techniques that help to unite employees, facilitate the purchase of necessary office supplies, and stay updated on issues regarding workmen’s compensation.
When it comes to using the Internet, the possibilities are truly endless. Especially with satellite Internet, which is available anywhere in the United States, in both rural and urban environments. Yesterday’s science fiction has become the reality of today for all Americans.

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Christmas Fiction Review: An Amish Christmas by Cynthia Keller - "To Be, Rather Than To Seem"

If your spouse was downsized from a high-paying job and didn't tell you for three months, could you forgive him or her? If they also secretly gambled away the family fortune, forcing the sale of your house, withdrawal of your children from private schools and moving in with your parents in another state, could and would you forgive them? That's the premise of Cynthia Keller's new book, An Amish Christmas.

The Hobarts - James, Meg, Lizzie, Will and Sam, reside in a five thousand square foot home in an upscale Charlotte, North Carolina neighborhood. James and Meg have been married 18 years. James is well-paid legal counsel for a software company and his family wants for nothing. Meg, primarily rears their three children, and, while more of a saver, still enjoys her materialistic perks.

The Hobart offspring espouse a sense of entitlement, attending private schools and enjoying modern-day technologies, including laptops and iPods. Fifteen-year-old Lizzie chastises Meg for not spending five hundred dollars on a dress for her upcoming Holiday Dance; and thirteen-year-old Will, repeatedly and carelessly loses his dental retainer at four hundred dollars a pop.

As Thanksgiving approaches, Meg prepares to engage in her favorite holiday. Each year she cooks for eighteen neighbors, using her impressive, laborious entertaining skills, including a time-consuming menu.

For months, Meg has sensed something isn't right with James, now regularly complaining of "too many bills," and the need to "batten down the hatches." She decides to give him until New Year's to explain.

While dressing for her Thanksgiving feast, James reveals that in August he was downsized at work. Too proud to confess, he secretly invested in a real estate deal sure to double his money. The transaction backfired, leaving the Hobarts virtually penniless, since James used their house as collateral.

Naturally, Meg is dumbfounded. How could James be so selfish by not consulting her and jeopardizing the future of their children? Their short-term solution is to regretfully move in with Meg's parents in Homer, New York. Her parents are stark, emotionless people. When Meg tells her mother she'll be able to spend more time with her grandchildren, she replies, "Just remember, Margaret, I brought up one child and I'm not bringing up any more. Once was enough."

The Hobarts pare down their possessions and prepare to travel in James's 1969 vintage Mustang. During Meg's last moments in the house, she retrieves a North Carolina state magnet on the refrigerator, which reads, "Esse quam videri," meaning "To be, rather than to seem."

En route to New York, on a cold, dark, icy evening, the Hobarts swerve to avoid an Amish buggy in Pennsylvania. They hit a tree, causing extensive damage to their car.

Buggy driver, and Amish man, David Lutz, invites the Hobarts home, pending car repairs. Their intended day or two stay brings news of a necessary two-week car restoration.

Will's comment "Can you believe this place?" and Lizzie's "Kill me now" lament, exemplify James' and Meg's challenge to make their spoiled adolescents appreciate David and Catherine Lutz's generosity. The couple has nine children, some close in age to the Hobart trio.

Keller imparts a cross-section of Amish cultural knowledge into the storyline. Sam excitedly experiences a school day with Eli Lutz. He learns that Amish children are formally educated only through the Eighth grade in a one-room schoolhouse. Once graduated, boys work in the fields full-time and girls contribute domestically.

Meg is aware how little the Amish display affection, except towards babies and toddlers: "But she couldn't recall seeing the adults exchange a hug or a kiss or even an unnecessary touch."

The Lutz's eldest son, Benjamin is away. At age 16, Amish children are free to leave home and explore other lifestyles before deciding to be baptized. This period is known as rumspringa.

Resolution finds the Hobarts beginning a promising new life, clearly influenced by their brief Amish encounter. As they prepare to leave the Lutz's, Meg rediscovers the North Carolina state magnet in her pants pocket. The short time with the Lutz's allowed her and her family to live that motto.

It's easy to dismiss An Amish Christmas as another feel-good story about simple living, based on the book's cover art depicting a bucolic setting and silhouette of an Amish woman in a white bonnet. Don't.

Read An Amish Christmas and find yourself evaluating your stance on issues, including forgiveness, marriage vows, and materialism. Keller's message is especially timely during this era of economic challenges, foreclosures and high unemployment.

In addition to being an entertaining, informative read, An Amish Christmas is well-written literature. To learn more about Amish culture, visit http://www.amishliving.com.

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Paranormal Hoaxes - Fact or Fiction?

Whether you believe paranormal events to be true or not, there is no denying that the subject matter has led to some of the most fantastic hoaxes of modern times. Coming up with a grand scheme to deceive the masses requires quite a bit of time and effort, but for the mastermind behind a hoax, it is well worth it when they are rewarded with believers willing to give them the fame and fortune they seek. Hundreds, possibly thousands, of hoaxes have taken place over time, all in an effort to dupe others into believing something that seems to defy logic. Following is an overview of two of the most famously purported paranormal hoaxes that have occurred during the last century; however, it's important to keep in mind that controversy does remain over the validity of these events, and sometimes the line between fact and fiction can be blurred.

Amityville haunting - The quaint town of Amityville, New York is located on Long Island, and is known to be a small, close-knit community of folks who treasure the peaceful atmosphere of their town. But on the night of November 13, 1974, the events that transpired were anything but peaceful. Four children, along with their parents, were brutally murdered at the hands of their oldest brother, Ronald DeFeo, Jr. Barely a year had gone by before the large colonial-style house was on the market, the scene of the crime already a fading memory. Newlyweds George and Kathy Lutz were eager to start their lives together raising their three children, and the fact that six murders had occurred in the house did not deter them from purchasing the home. Just twenty-eight days after moving in, the Lutzes fled, claiming they were being terrorized by supernatural and demonic forces at work in the home. In September 1977, not two years after leaving the home, the Lutzes shared their experiences through Jay Anson's book, The Amityville Horror.

The "true story," though immensely popular, was immediately met with criticism from people familiar with the home and the details surrounding the DeFeo murders, the grounds upon which the subsequent paranormal aspect had been formed. Though the debate continues to this day over the accuracy of the Lutzes' claims, the most popularly held belief is that the events detailed in Anson's book are part of a hoax created by the Lutzes for monetary gain and celebrity appeal. Whether the events were fabricated or real remains a mystery in the eyes of many, but the Amityville story is undoubtedly regarded as one of the most well-known hauntings, and hoaxes, of the 20th> century.

The Fox Sisters - In 1848, sisters Kate, Leah, and Margaret Fox became instant celebrities when they began communicating with the dead. Living in a house supposedly serving as the burial site of a murder victim substantiated these claims of spiritual communication, and the series of raps and knockings that could be heard in response to the girls' questions were immediately assumed to be coming from beyond the grave. People from all over the girls' hometown of Hydesville, New York came to witness the phenomenon, and soon people from all over the state and country arrived to see for themselves. The sisters became famous, holding public séances, serving as mediums between the living and dead, and playing key roles in the growing Spiritual movement. From the beginning, however, there were doubters who believed that the communication was nothing more than a hoax, and that the rappings and knockings were somehow created by the girls themselves. Years later, Margaret made a startling confession; she claimed that the spiritual communication had been part of a scheme, and that she was responsible for the noises. Skeptics reacted knowingly, but others didn't buy it. Believers had faith in the possibility of mediums at work and were convinced that communication between this world and the next was possible. Unfortunately for the sisters, their lives ended tragically, marred by alcohol, poverty, and depression. But their legacy lives on in the resulting Spiritual movement that they played an integral role in.

Crop circles - With their intricate patterns and mysterious origins, crop circles have prevailed as one of the most intriguing occurrences over the past two decades. Usually done in the shadows of night, crop circles range in size and pattern and have occurred all over the globe. People first began taking note of these perplexing formations during the 1970s as they began popping up all over England before spreading to the U.S., Canada, and Russia. One of the most puzzling features of crop circles is the complexity of the geometric patterns which characterize them. Many of the circles are much more than their name implies, with designs that are so accurate and symmetrical that it seems virtually impossible that any human could have created them. Additionally, the large sizes of most of the crop circles also lend credit to the belief that these patterns could not possibly be manmade. Perhaps the most mysterious circumstance surrounding the circles, however, is that they are done in the cover of night and with uncanny speed. Unwitting farmers go to bed after a long day at work and wake up to find that the very same field they had been working in the previous day now has an extraordinary array of circles and other designs! Indeed, crop circles appear to be the result of paranormal forces at work; however, most cases have been proven to be the work of men. Most reports say that the circles we have been so mystified by over the years stem from the idea of two bored Englishmen itching to pull a prank. With a little rope, wire, wooden planks, and a whole lot of ingenuity, these two men were able to flatten portions of wheat fields into creative patterns across Britain, reveling in the surprise of their fellow citizens in the morning. Word spread, and soon people around the world were reporting their own crop circles and offering explanations ranging from UFOs, wind vortexes, ball lightening, or yes, even a grand hoax. In spite of the compelling evidence that the phenomenon is nothing more than a prank, crop circles continue to spring up today in all corners of the globe, continuing the debate between paranormal believers and those who view the events as nothing more than manmade.

Paranormal activity has always been a controversial issue, with sound arguments from believers and non-believers both. Unfortunately for those who strongly believe in supernatural events, there is a continuing backlash that various hoaxes, or supposed hoaxes, have caused over the years. A great example of this is shown by the story of the Fox sisters. When the girls' claims of spiritual communication were disputed, the unquestioning belief that many had in supernatural events was challenged, creating a backlash that paranormal believers struggle with to this day.

You can learn more about paranormal events, supernatural hoaxes, and specifically, the Fox sisters and their claims of ghostly communication in "In Search of White Crows," just one of the chapters from the fascinating documentary "Visions," True Stories of the Supernatural produced by Ad-Hoc productions.

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Hoot - Children-Youth Fiction Book Review

Hoot is a story about a fun adventure that has a small group of young people making positive choices. The setting for this mystery-fiction tale takes place in the state of Florida, USA. The main character, Roy, has moved regularly with his family and he is used to being the new kid in schools and neighborhoods. His previous experience helps him make new friends and ward off a big bully who singles him by stalking and harassing Roy.

This new life seems like just another cycle to Roy until he witnesses a very strange event that leads Roy and his friends on a whirlwind adventure. Young boys and girls find themselves taking on something greater than their selves or their small worlds - the very definition of a hero. Saving a few members of an endangered species from greedy building contractors is an issue dear to my heart.

I not only loved the environmental theme but truly feel the author deserves praises for creating such intelligent, well-spoken characters - especially Roy, Beatrice and the mystery boy. I was impressed by Roy's speech about schools teaching youth how ordinary individuals became a part of positive change in the world simply by doing what they believed in - which was very moving and is something teachers and parents alike will appreciate. Two of the kids in this book have a difficult home life and the awareness of how hard life is for some, may bring some discussion into classes and families.

Author Carl Hiaasen depicts a character without describing in minute detail - thus leaving the imagination of the reader to determine how a character looks. Forgivable flaws in individual characters are made so by being so human - such as the policeman who makes some serious, yet understandable, blunders.

I would recommend Hoot by Carl Hiaasen anywhere, anytime! This is a fantastic tale that youth between the ages of 7 to 13 would relate very easily to, though I believe the range of readers Hoot would appeal to would be much wider than this. I, for one, am nearly 37 and I truly enjoyed doing this review project!

Publisher: Yearling
ISBN: 0-440-41939-5

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Doctor Who Breaks Science Fiction World Record

Doctor Who is now the longest running science fiction show that has been on television. The series commenced on 23 November, 1963. The Stargate SG-1 series holds the record for the world's longest running consecutive science fiction show.

Doctor Who is a British science fiction television series produced by the BBC and is shown around the world. In 2006 Doctor Who won recognition as one of the finest television programs produced by Britain. It won the British Academy Television Award for the Best Drama Series.

The story of Doctor Who centers around an alien time traveler, the Doctor, who travels in his time machine, the TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimensions In Space). The original run of the series was from 1963 to 1989, with a television film being made in 1996. The second run of the television series began in 2005.

Doctor Who possessed the ability to regenerate his body as required and was played by many actors with the original Doctor starring William Hartnell and the current Doctor starring David Tennant. Doctor Who shares his adventures with up to three companions.

In his travels Doctor Who has various adversaries and villains to overcome that have included the Daleks, that are mutants with metallic voices from the planet Skaro and have the aim to exterminate all that are inferior to themselves. The Cybermen are humanoids with artificial parts in their bodies who are extremely calculating. The Master is a renegade time traveler and the greatest enemy of Doctor Who.

Dr Who has attracted a cult following around the world and has resulted in many spin off products, action figures and toys to supply enthusiastic followers of the popular science fiction series.

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Writing Book Reviews - Fiction

A book review describes, analyzes, and evaluates the quality, meaning, and significance of a book. It should not retell, and it is not a book report or a summary. A review is a commentary. Although no "right" way to write a review exists, some essential information is needed in each. Fiction and non-fiction books have differences not only in the content but also what components should be in a review. Let's look as some suggestions to consider when writing a book review for a book of fiction. I will use one of my books in the examples.

First of all, do not give away the story, climax, ending of the book. Do use occasional quotes from the book to support or explain points made in the review.

The first paragraph should include the title of the book and the author's name. Sometimes publishing information such of ISBN, publisher, type of book, and general subject matter is noted.

Example of a first paragraph: The Base Stealers Club, by V. Gilbert Zahel, follows the progress of a middle-school-aged baseball team as it plays its way to a championship. A part of the team also help solve a mystery plaguing the community. Published by 4RV Publishers, ISBN: 978-1-84728-220-0, the book appeals to those who interested in sports, mystery, and adventure.

Other points to be covered, in different paragraphs, are as follows:

Characters: Are the characters flat or round? A round character is multiple dimensional. Round characters make a story line more interesting and believable; therefore, the analysis of the author's use of three-dimensional characters or flat characters is important.

Example of character portrayal: Ryan Scott not only is an excellent athlete, but he also cares about others. He helps find the thief in the story; then he wants to help the young man who stole money from locker rooms. An instance where he acted as peace maker on the team is shown in the following excerpt: Ryan stood beside Colby, slipping his arm across the shorter boy's shoulders. "Hey, Colby, settle down. Josh is just repeating what he heard. I've heard my dad say the same thing about some criminals." With a slight smile, Ryan turned to Josh. "Josh, what does the preacher say about forgiving? What have we learned in church about forgiving others?"

Theme: The theme of a book may not be written word for word, but the review should note how the author reveals or develops the theme or themes. Mention whether you, as the reviewer, agree or disagree with the author's theme(s) and why.

Example of theme: The author gives support for moral values and actions through the book. Yet, the message isn't preachy or blunt, but the theme flows throughout the story. The author's opinions are solid and are ones that young readers need to realize and learn to accept.

Plot: Are the various elements of plot handled well? The elements of plot include introduction, conflict, climax, and conclusion.

Example of plot: The Base Stealers Club introduces the conflict, the problem in the first two chapters of the book, both the start of the games leading to a successful season and the missing money in locker rooms. The suspense intensifies as the team plays and tries to help find the thief. The climax is unique, as is the reaction of team members.

Author information: V. Gilbert Zabel, who also writes under the name Vivian Gilbert Zabel, for adult level books, and Granny Zabel, for children's books, played baseball and helped coach a baseball team. Her interest and background in the sport, as well as with children, can be found in the pages of this book.

Give a brief summary of the book: Give an overview, but do not give away the plot climax or conclusion.

Example of summary: The Jonesville Chargers, a baseball team of middle school-aged boys, pursues championship dreams and the solution of a mystery plaguing their team.

Give your opinion of the book: Tell how the book affected you. Say whether or not the book is interesting, entertaining, or memorable. Would you recommend the book to readers? Why or why not?

Example of opinion: I enjoyed The Base Stealers Club because I became swept up in the chronicling of a team's season, games and attempt to find a thief. This book will appeal to readers aged ten to fifteen who love baseball. Young sports fans will be better for having read the book.

Important note: Having correct grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and other components of good writing are as important in a review as in writing a book. Reviews are a form of writing.

The suggestions can be arranged differently or combined, and some others can be added. Some can be eliminated, but most of the information needs to be somewhere in the review.

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Discerning Facts From Fiction: The Truth About ADHD

You probably would have heard about a lot of rumors spreading about ADHD or Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and you may be wondering if all of these are even true. Though there had been a lot of researches made about ADHD, there are still a lot of stories being spread around leaving people with questions regarding the truth about ADHD.

Since a lot of rumors have been spreading about ADHD, it is about time you learn the truth about ADHD. Though a lot has been told about the probable causes or about the conditions of people who suffer from ADHD, you should know how to discern fact from fiction regarding ADHD.

One rumor that has been spreading about ADHD is that ADHD is considered as a personality disorder. For some, it is a personality trait or even a special trait in children as some exhibit incredible creativity as well as intuitiveness. But the truth about ADHD is that it is known to be a neurological disorder which could stunt the impressionable mind's development, and if your child is showing ADHD-like symptoms, you must not ignore them and address the underlying problem properly.

Children who have ADHD will outgrow it. There are some people who believe that ADHD occur during a person's youth and the person eventually outgrows the disorder and adjust with normal individuals. But evidence shows that the truth about ADHD is that it affects a person for his whole life. Though ADHD stays for a lifetime, a child always has the possibility of being able to cope fairly well with his condition even if special attention is required since a child tends to help positive feelings maintained without having to take away the energy as well as the imagination that comes with this ADHD.

ADHD is usually over-diagnosed. You would probably have heard of this a lot of times especially from concerned parents who do not trust psychiatry. There are many cases wherein parents overreacted regarding the symptoms of ADHD and have treated it with strong medication. The problem is that the child's development has been ignored by some of these parents. The truth about ADHD is that you need to pay attention to your child's needs if he suffers from ADHD and should give him or her proper treatment consisting of behavioral modification as well as medication or therapy as needed.

Another thing being said about ADHD is that it is caused by poor parenting. The truth about ADHD is that it is not merely caused by poor parenting but with the presence of bad parenting, the ADHD condition in a child could be exacerbated.

No matter what is being said on the truth about ADHD, you have to be aware of the symptoms that your child exhibits before being diagnosed of ADHD. It is important that proper treatment is given to help your child cope with the disorder and be able to live a better life.

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How to Write Good Fantasy Fiction

Following the cinematic success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Harry Potter, the Narnia Chronicles and, now, the Philip Pullman novels would-be fantasy authors are busy redusting their manuscripts in the hope they will be the next thing to be discovered. Theoretically fantasy fiction should be easy to write. As an author you have little factual research to do, the members of your target audience are already predisposed to the suspension of disbelief that's required of readers, your plot line is not hampered by real-world limitations and your characters do not even have to be human.

By all accounts fantasy fiction should have a huge volume of work and a huge number of writers and yet the fact that it is still considered niche publishing indicates that it is neither easy to write nor can it be always written well. This also means that the current success of Tolkien, Rowlin and Pullman notwithstanding fantasy fiction is still regarded as science fiction's, let alone mainstream fiction's poor relation.

It was in search of answers to these questions that I spoke to Thoma Hunt via email in what is probably one of the rarest exchanges in fantasy fiction. Those who know Thomas Hunt, know he wrote The Shade and know that he does not do media interviews. He is, however, never short of answers when it comes to either writing fiction or talking about the publishing industry and the way it is evolving which is how him and I got going in the first place.

Fantasy fiction, Hunt says, is more about writing about mythical universes. Its appeal harks back to fairy tales and the Jungian archetypes within each culture and each person. Because the appeal occurs at a basic and largely subconscious level it is exceedingly hard to write Fantasy Fiction that reiterates the things we find familiar and comforting in fairy tales and yet breaks new ground in a way that is fresh without being disturbing.

"It's a little like sex," says Thoma Hunt rather disingenuously, "in order for it to work it has to have a certain familiar structure in the sense that we need to roughly know where we are going and what we should expect on the way there. It really does not matter if the payoff is exactly what we expect or something that totally surprises us or even disappoints us. What is important is that the tropes work in such way that they achieve two things: 1. They prepare us, mentally and psychologically, for the journey ahead 2. They make us, through the process of subconscious expectation and mental and psychological preparation, whole-hearted participants to the enterprise. Then the fantasy novel becomes a shared journey of discovery between the author and the reader and a masterpiece is born."

Thomas Hunt makes it sound easy because he's an expert and knows the genre inside out. His novel, The Shade, treads much of the territory. In his analysis of literature, culture and archetypes Jung laid out four main archetypes:

The Self, the regulating center of the psyche and facilitator of individuation. The Shadow, the opposite of the ego image, often containing qualities that the ego does not identify with but possess nonetheless

The Anima, the feminine image in a man's psyche

The Animus, the masculine image in a woman's psyche

Although the number of archetypes is limitless, there are a few particularly notable, recurring archetypal images which appear again and again in fairy tales, epic poems, parables, stories, novels and great literature:

The Syzygy

The Child

The Hero

The Great Mother

The Wise old man

The Trickster or Ape

The Puer Aeternus (Latin for "eternal boy")

The Cosmic Man

The artist-scientist

These archetypes appear with such consistency that it is evident that there is a lot more than mere assumption to the theory. Fantasy Fiction writers who embark upon a tale without an awareness, at least, of the way these archetypes work on the reader's imagination and the reader's expectation are doomed to fail.

"Fantasy fiction has a lot in common with fairy tales," says Thomas Hunt, "it needs to have a message and a moral and it needs to be clear-cut." Which is why, I suppose, sex is such a taboo subject in the genre. "There is very little Fantasy fiction written which actually depicts sex in anything more than hints," says Hunt, "this is one of the conventions of the genre which means that, depending on how you look at it, the time has come to either make it a sacred cow and never question it, or prick the bubble and see what happens."

In The Shade Thomas Hunt has chosen to do the latter depicting sex between adults in a way that makes the story feel claustrophobic almost and makes the almost inhuman protagonist seem, suddenly, very vulnerable and very human.

Is that enough to make a Fantasy novel stand out from the crowd?

"Absolutely not!" says Thomas Hunt, "if you approach writing this way you may as well start believing that changing the font is enough to make a badly written book, good. When I was writing The Shade I had to make a conscious choice whether to stick to the accepted norm regarding sex in Fantasy fiction or stay faithful to the story. I chose to go with the latter conscious of the fact that I was breaking with convention but really wanting to tell the best tale possible."

So writing great Fantasy fiction requires an awareness of the tropes of the genre plus the necessary strength of vision to know when to stay faithful to the story and depart from convention. It requires a story which taps into the arcane archetypes of our psyche and it requires characters which are also reflected by these archetypes. Put all these elements together, allow them to percolate and what you end up with is a tale that is powerful, memorable and fun to read.

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The Abilene Paradox-Is It Fact or Fiction?

Recently I conducted a creative training program for a large aerospace firm. During the course I asked the training participants to gather into teams. Once their teams were formed I asked each team to brainstorm a creative solution to a hypothetical situation. During the follow-up and team discussion about their solutions, and the process by which they arrived at their recommendation, many of the team members admitted they "went along for the ride." Either they felt overwhelmed by more dominate team members, or they did not believe their solution was as strong as the one agreed upon.

In essence they agreed because everyone else was in agreement, the Abilene Paradox revisited.

For those of you who have discovered that there is fact in the Abilene Paradox you may have, like me, found the outcome of this version of "going along for the ride" usually ends up in a less than satisfactory outcome. For those of you who would like a refresher or a heads-up on the Abilene Paradox here it is in a nut shell, as observed by management expert Jerry B. Harvey.

"On a hot afternoon visiting in Coleman, Texas, the family is comfortably playing dominoes on a porch, until the father-in-law suggests that they take a trip to Abilene (fifty-three miles away to the north) for dinner. The wife says, "Sounds like a great idea." The husband, despite having reservations because the drive is long and hot, thinks that his preferences must be out-of-step with the group and says, "Sounds good to me. I just hope your mother wants to go." The mother-in-law then says, "Of course I want to go. I haven't been to Abilene in a long time."

The drive is hot, dusty, and long. When they arrive at the cafeteria, the food is as bad. They arrive back home four hours later, exhausted. One of them dishonestly says, "It was a great trip, wasn't it." The mother-in-law says that, actually, she would rather have stayed home, but went along since the other three were so enthusiastic. The husband says, "I wasn't delighted to be doing what we were doing. I only went to satisfy the rest of you." The wife says, "I just went along to keep you happy. I would have had to be crazy to want to go out in the heat like that." The father-in-law then says that he only suggested it because he thought the others might be bored.The group sits back, perplexed that they together decided to take a trip which none of them wanted. They each would have preferred to sit comfortably, but did not admit to it when they still had time to enjoy the afternoon."

How many times have you sat back and wondered why you "went along for the ride?" Was it to be nice; to avoid confrontation; to try something new out of boredom? Or, did you actually believe that what was in store on this ride was going to result in a more productive outcome?

Next time you are faced with "going along with the ride" or the Abilene Paradox syndrome shows up in your dialog, apply assertive behavior techniques. For example, use "I language. In addition, when an idea is presented that you believe will take you down a less than desirable path, speak-up and provide an alternative solution. Keep the dialog moving forward until everyone has had the opportunity to say what's on their mind then select an alternative, when appropriate. Now, let's go back to the scenario on the front porch and apply these techniques.

You might say, "I think your idea is great, however I like playing dominos here on the porch with you and the family." The response may then be something like this. "Well it was just a thought; I didn't want you to think I wasn't thinking of you and your Mom." You might respond with another assertive statement, "It's very relaxing here in the shade and I really believe the company is what it's all about."
The idea about driving fifty-three miles across a dusty, hot landscape may be dropped immediately or, there may be additional input from others about alternatives that can work for everyone.

This leads us to the next important step. Let's go back to the front porch conversation. If you are the person who suggests the fifty-three mile trek, stay assertive by contributing to the ideas as they begin to unfold during the discussion. Sulking because your idea did not meet with everyone's agreement makes you look as if you do not have personal confidence or confidence in others to develop additional ideas. Something wonderful may happen, you may come up with a better idea or the other individuals may come up with another idea or stay focused on the current course of action. Not all change is needed or necessary.

Whether you are in a family, team or group setting. Ask yourself. "Is the proposed idea the best solution?" Speak up and use the "I" language. And, if you suggested the original idea, listen to the recommendations of others. Figuratively speaking, who knows you may discover you really don't need to take that long fifty-three mile trek across a hot and dusty landscape there may be a different route.

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Creative Writing - Writing Fiction

Creative Writing can be overwhelming, especially if you are a novice attempting to come up with the perfect idea for your first novel. There are so many great writers, so many stories have already been told, and new ones are being published every day. You may feel intimidated and think that there may not be any stories left to tell.
How will yours differ? Can you write something that will be praised or will it just be a pale lookalike in the eyes of your peers? Where will you end up in the never ending stream of wannabe storytellers?

Every idea that comes to mind is criticized, cut down and thrown out with the trash.

Space and Time:

Your mind wanders off through the universe, in search of new planets or aliens, ideas begin to take form, moons, stars, spaceships, you've seen it too many times, give up, and warp back to reality, wondering if there ever lived a worm in a wormhole.

Underwater:

Now that's an idea! Underwater cities - taken, man-eating sharks - taken, mutating fish, mermaids, submarines, you're drowning, and decide that you really didn't want to get your feet wet anyway, as a giant squid hangs you up to dry off.

Fantasy:

That's got to be easy, it's just make believe, imagination... You can have mad beasts, winged horses, fairies, even talking animals, a few wizards maybe...oh no, you forgot the magic words, and you spilled the potion on your draft.

Romance:

Tears come to your eyes as you think up the scenes to the best love-story ever, who could write a romance novel if not you. You live and breathe it every day. Waiting for prince charming to knock on your door, ready to throw yourself into his arms and hide your tear stained face at his muscular chest. You take his hand and ride off into the horizon and as the sun sets you become one.

Creative Writing gives you power! You have the entire known and unknown universe at your fingertips. You have the power to manipulate, to build and create, to do anything.

Anything and everything - do you feel that power?

You and only you can tell the story!

Create alternate universes, non existing planets, beings never imagined before. Cities, rivers, forests and mountains unknown to man, uncharted lands lie before and beyond you. People or aliens, different races and species, with fiction there are no boundaries or limits. You are the creator!

Mad, evil, loving, dumb, they are putty in your mind's eye, add or take away. Make them all suffer for eternity or let them live happily ever after. Give them the breath of life or send them to their death. They laugh, they cry, you are in control. Life and death are in your hands!

Did you ever think that creative writing could be so empowering?

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How Point of View Works For Fiction

In works of fiction, point of view can play very specific goals. Choosing one, you define how you're going to tell a story, setting very specific limitations that can help or hinder it.

First person. The first person unites the reader with the narrator, as the latter shares a series of intimate information that only the two of them could know. Done well, it can make the readers part of the entire story, as they experience it from a specific character's perceptions. On the down side, this "closeness" with the narrator limits the readers' connections with other characters.

Second person. The second person puts the readers in the actual scene, pushing them to confront events and circumstances directly. It typically requires heavy participation for the reader and, as such, is rarely employed.

Third person omniscient. This point of view allows you to explore all the characters' thoughts and motivations, paying extended attention to each one as needed. This might be a great choice if your story involves more than one figure that is central to the story, giving you the facility to give them individual treatment.

Third person limited. This point of view tells it from a detached position, yet offers the intimacy of a central character's perceptions. You can think of it as a mix of the first and third person omniscient.

Regardless of which point of view you end up taking for your short story, you should look towards getting the help of fiction writing software to aid you. With one, you can focus on telling your tale, rather than get bogged down by technical details stemming from the need to stay faithful to your point of view.

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Secrets of Writing Children's Fiction - 5 Easy Steps to Help You to Succeed

Many people carry the misconception that children's literature is easy to create. It is often thought that storylines can be much more simplistic than adult fiction, that language can be unelaborated and that characters don't have to be particularly three-dimensional. And in many ways this is true. Storylines for children's fiction do not have to be as complex as those used in adult fiction, language must be construed relatively simply, and characters do not need to come with all the baggage and background life stories that adult literature demands. But what is forgotten is the complexity of the reader for which one is writing for when they write children's literature.

A child sees the world in a very different light to most adults. That world needs to be captured and represented in children's fiction. To represent such a world through fiction is hugely challenging, and I take my hat off to all who do it successfully!

As with any form of writing, there are several steps that you need to follow when planning and writing a children's book. You need to do your research, you need to develop a storyline or plot, you need to create the primary characters and you need to ensure that the ending of the story will be satisfactory to the reader. Alongside these key steps, there are two additional areas that need to be thought about when creating children's literature:

- Language
- A Contemporary Setting

Let's discuss these in turn!

Language

The mark of a great writer - their ability to use brevity successfully! Children's novels are, by their very nature, short. A picture book will be carrying a few hundred words as a maximum; a book for a six year old reader will be coming in with a word count of around 1,000 words. Such a small word count leaves you without any room for error - EVERY WORD COUNTS. Let me say that again, EVERY WORD COUNTS! Every use of punctuation or grammar, every description, every sentence uttered by a character, every sigh, breath, movement, decision or thought has to be 100% correct. When you are working with a word count of 100, 500, 1,000, 5,000 words, EVERY WORD COUNTS.

Contemporary Setting

The need to understand and potentially use a contemporary setting for your storyline does not mean that your children's book has to be set in the 'here and now'. Children's stories based in Medieval Times or in Out of Space (for example) are still hugely popular and successful. But.., a storyline should maintain a contemporary feel. Perhaps the easiest way to achieve this is to focus the text around a contemporary issue that affects 'Today's Children'. Think about divorce, same-sex families, bullying, step-families, illness, the internet, drugs, alcohol, sexual relationships, violence, or modern technology, and see how each of these key issues could be brought into the make believe world of your children's fiction piece.

Summary - The Main Steps to writing Children's Fiction

1 - Research. Know your market. Read current children's fiction releases for the age group you are interested in writing for.
2 - The plot or storyline should have a contemporary feel
3 - Use a mixture of creative language and speech to bring your characters to life. They must be instantly visible to the young reader.
4 - Ensure the ending is satisfactory. Ensure all issues are resolved by the last page...don't leave your poor reader hanging!
5 - Edit and re-edit the language until you are happy with the usage and placement of every single word!

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