How to Write a Story That's Interesting

You could say it of practically any area where  creating things is open to the general public - that almost all of it is an absolute waste of time. But you know what - it's not their fault. They say, genius is rare today because information isn't widely available on the means to become one.

Take how to write a story that's interesting and engaging. Almost all the stuff out there is quite difficult to take. And we're talking about things that have made it through an editorial board at a publishing house. You might well imagine what the rest of the stuff is like that hasn't been accepted.

A lot of this is because the means of how to write a story well hasn't been widely made available. A good story has to come from a great deal of interest in your subject. It needs to be forceful. You need to stop caring about what's right or wrong. You need to stop caring about what makes sense. You just need to care about what seems interesting - what seems to move you. That's all that matters.Period.

Okay, let's get with some specific advice on how to read a story. You know what the master composer Stravinsky says about creativity, don't you? He says that good composers borrow, while great ones steal.

Appropriating another's creation is what great creation is all about. You need to do it and then cover your tracks in a really good way. Don't be shy about borrowing heavily some of the people that you admire. The only important thing is that it should be good, high-quality stuff that you steal. Once you're done borrowing heavily, you can do what the geniuses do - you could cover your tracks over.

There's an episode in the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, where a fan one day tells Raymond that he loves his newspaper sports column, except that he feels that he doesn't give a balanced view of things. To which Raymond comes up with a stunning answer - it's his job to give his opinion. It isn't his job to be balanced.

In truth, a balanced, well-considered opinion is not how to write a story that's interesting. That's the stuff of research and lectures. Basically, when you want to be creative and be interesting, stop trying to be good and pure.

Be all the things you're not allowed to be - be insulting, be unfair and unjust, be lopsided, and don't be politically correct. Just be who you really want to be. Say what you would say if you could get away with it. And then, you'll know how to write a story.

Reading Difficulties In Children

You may love to read, but do you know if you can pass that one to your children. Some think that boys do not like to read simply because they are boys, but that could be because we just assume so we do not spend as much time trying to get them to enjoy books. Everyone should read and they should be able to read well in order to do well in the future. Not only should children read, they have to understand what they are reading. If they are not, you have to wonder what is going on. Some don't like to read naturally, but some have problems. Learn to spot reading difficulties in children so you can turn the problem around early.

Some children have problems because they have a learning disorder. This should not be your first assumption, but you should know it might be a possibility. There are often tests that can be done either at school or by your doctor to let you know if reading difficulties in children in your home are because of a learning disability. You want to know this early so that they can get help. The earlier they get assistance the better they are going to do all throughout their schooling career and on into adulthood. Learning disabilities do not have to define your children forever.

If your children do not have learning disabilities, you have to find out what else is causing reading difficulties in children. One simple thing is that they simply do not enjoy reading. This causes them to think of reading as a chore, and they are only going to do it when absolutely necessary. This means less practice and slower reading. As a parent, you should find out what your children are most interested in reading about and offer stories and books based on those things. No matter how much you might like trains, your child that could not care less won't be interested in reading. Go with what they love and they will start to enjoy reading more.

Some children have problems with comprehension. This means that they are reading words but they are not understanding what they are reading. This could be because they do not understand the words and what they mean. To find out if this is a problem, ask them to read out loud to you. Words that cause them to struggle are probably words they do not recognize. Tell them when they come to such a word they should ask for a definition or encourage them to use a dictionary. You can also help buy broadening your vocabulary so they hear all kinds of words in context in every day life.

If you have tried everything, and you still see reading difficulties in children in your family, you may have to accept that they are not naturally going to love reading just yet, but know that this could change in the future. Talk to them about reading and what makes it a chore for them. This may be the area where you are going to have to work with them the most with homework. Some kids have problems with math and some have problems with words. That is just how it is. You can make the difference though, so keep trying and keep encouraging them to find fun in reading.

There Are Some Serious Homeschooling Advantages

My younger sister started out her academic career at a public school. My brother and I had done it and so would she. By the time she reached middle school, however, she wanted to be home schooled, and my parents did not object to this. While she did suffer in certain areas, such as her social development, we did start to notice that there are some serious homeschooling advantages that we had never really thought about. Looking back, my sister said she would not have it any other way!

One of the big homeschooling advantages that my sister brought up was the fact that she did not have all of the distractions a classroom has. She told me that when she was in class at the middle school she attended, students were constantly disruptive, throwing paper wads and talking loudly in class. She said that in most cases, it did not seem like the teacher had control of the classroom, which really made it difficult on the students who were there to learn. My sister was definitely one of them.

Another thing that my sister said was one of the real homeschooling advantages was that she could dress however she wanted to and not feel that she was being judged. My sister was always shy and kind of sensitive when she got around other people. She said that school had become like a fashion show for her and said that most of the girls would tease the other girls who did not have all of the latest fashions. My sister said she had a very difficult time in this respect, and said she would sometimes come home and cry because she her feelings were hurt.

Then there is the fact that students can study at their own pace, which to me is one of the biggest homeschooling advantages, if not the biggest of them all. My sister was way ahead of most of the other students in her class, but had to learn alongside other students who needed more individual help. I think my sister finished two years of middle school in a year and a half and then four years of high school in three. She started college when she was 17 years old!

There are many homeschooling advantages for students who have the opportunity to take advantage of this option. My sister has always said that it made her educational experience much more palatable than if she had to go to a public school in middle school and high school, and I believe her. I am not sure that it is the best option for everyone, but for some students, it makes completing their education much easier.

When Kindergarten Schools Come With loan Desks

Student loans are more difficult to come by these days. And they are more expensive too. If you are nodding along in agreement that student loans for college or just extortionate, hold it right there. We aren't talking about student loans for college. We're talking about kindergarten schools here.

If you happen to live next to rich people or people who want to be rich, you've probably already seen this phenomenon. Ambitious parents put their children in private schools where the tuition per year can run to $6000 for kindergarten and twice that for middle school. When you step into such a school, right away, it will be like stepping into a car dealership. There's a student loan desk that they refer you to, they'll talk to you about your down payment, your monthly payments and everything.

Now this can't be a healthy trend, can it - kindergarten schools having loan desks? It may not be that big a trend now. But wait a while - it will become just that. There are a number of nonbanking lenders that specialize in this - companies with names like Your Tuition Solution. They report that business is great.

Understandably, it's high income families that even try to do something like this. You may wonder about why if they are high-income families, they would need to borrow to send their children to kindergarten. That's just the way it is these days. They probably have other expensive commitments to think about as well. There's only so much that a $200,000-a-year salary takes you these days.

The problem is that these loans can be expensive - an 8.5% fixed rate usually. It can take you two or three years to pay back the $20,000 you've borrowed if have a couple of children in school. Some schools helpfully of long-term loans. You don't have to pay your loans back until your kids graduate from high school. But that can't be a pretty sight - parents on the hook for tens of thousands of dollars in school loans and then college loans to think about as well.

You'd be surprised to know that private schools have grants and financial aid. They do - just like you would see in colleges. But even so, not that many qualify.

Whatever happens, private kindergarten schools and elementary schools everywhere do find takers. Parents of course, don't know how they are going to pay for all this. They just hope for the best and try to do the best they can for their children.

Finding the Right Acting School Course For Your Needs

When you try looking for an acting school to help train to become an actor, you'll find that there are so many schools that offer you some manner of training that it can be hard to decide which way ahead makes sense. As with any college that you might pick, there is a general reputation out there that each acting school comes with. And at first at least, the name of the school you come from will have an effect on the eception you receive.

There are a number of things you should keep in mind when you decide on an acting school. The first one of which is that you need to know what you aim really is. Which is a lot simpler really than might appear at first.

Are you just looking for an acting class for a little bit of training, or are you looking for a real intensive course that teaches you everything over three or four years?

Actually, often, you can just take a class or two over the weekend at first. And as you go on,you will find that you've fallen in love with acting so much that you'd like to switch to a serious course.

So if you aren't completely sure that you want to go into acting, or if you're not sure about what kind of acting you would like, short weekend acting classes may be a lot better than full courses. You'll learn a lot about your strengths and weaknesses and about acting itself.

But let's suppose that you going to acting school because you are sure. In this case, you'll want to think about whether you will need a BA or BFA - actual credentials. If this isn't really necessary, a conservatory education should be fine. The BA will give you more than just acting.

A BA will give you a grounding in some of the other skills that you need in life or as a working performer. It wouldn't be a bad idea going to a scjool that offers both the BA and the BFA. This way, you could start off in one kind of course, and change your mind a little down the line. You just can't decide before you get started.

But these are things you decide on when you have an overall grounding in the art form. What if you are already an actor, and you would like an introduction to a few kinds of acting that you're not good at already? That's the thing about learnng more than one kind of acting technique.

If you have a problem with doing a kind of role at any point, you can always try another strategy. If this is what you need, then of course, a long three-year course is not what you're looking for.

Distance Education Universities Are Becoming More and More Prevalent

With the internet, the world has become a much smaller place, and that certainly extends to the academic world. There are more distance education universities available to prospective students than at any other time in history. I currently have three friends who are taking advantage of the convenience of distance education universities and said they could not imagine getting their educations any other way. They have told me that while it does take discipline to complete their courses, they really enjoy this option.

The University of Phoenix is really the first of the distance education universities that I remember starting to advertise seriously for its services. I know a number of people who have decided to pursue a degree from this university and have been quite happy with the results. They have told me that they have received a great education and said they did not have a difficult time finding a job once they had graduated. They told me that they it was very convenient for them for a couple of reasons and said they were glad they made the decision to go that route.

One of the big things that I always hear about distance education universities is that they are very convenient for people who have a lot of time constraints. It allows them to work on their own when they have the time rather than feel constrained by a set schedule. A lot of people really like that idea. Another thing that I hear about such universities is that their students do not have to worry about a commute each day, which they would have to do if they were attending a traditional university.

I currently have three co-workers who attended distance education universities who said they were a bit concerned when they tried to hire on with our employer. They said they were not sure how a distance education school would be viewed in the eyes of our employer, but said they did not hear anything negative at all and said that they were offered jobs on their first interviews. That was when it really hit me that not only are distance education universities becoming more prevalent, but that they are also more respected than they once were.

Distance education universities appear to be the wave of the future. Even traditional universities are offering a lot more distance education plans. It's not that I think that the traditional university will ever go away entirely, but I do believe that distance education is a nice option to have. I know that a lot of my co-workers and friends agree with that.

What are the Foundations of Education?

When trying to determine what the building blocks of education actually are these days, people are going to have different opinions. When I was growing up, all I heard about were the three R's: reading, writing and arithmetic. I always found it humorous that only one of those three actually began with the letter R, especially since we were talking about a quality education, but there is a great point to this. The foundations of education are based on those three areas, and it is easy to see why.

I have always said that the most important aspect of a quality education is to have good reading skills. Reading is definitely one of the foundations of education, because it permeates every other aspect of learning. In other words, in order to be able to understand a difficult equation in math or to prove a really complicated scientific theorem, one has to have the ability to read. In order to learn about the history of the world and appreciate the arts and culture of various societies, one has to have solid reading skills.

Then there is math. Math is involved in practically every aspect of our lives and for that reason, it is one of the foundations of education that should be taught well. It does not matter if we are at the grocery store, if we are balancing our check books, or if we are trying to keep a score card at a ball game; math is necessary, and that is always what has struck me the most. We use math at work, in our leisure activities and in practically every other facet of our lives on a regular basis.

Of all of the foundations of education, writing is my probably my favorite. I have been writing since the age of 15 and it is something very near and dear to my heart. Writing, along with speaking, is how we communicate with others. I have found as I have continued to work that the ability to communicate with good writing skills is one of the keys to success. Strong writing skills should be cultivated early and nourished with frequent activities that include writing. If one can communicate effectively through the written word, the sky is the limit.

The foundations of education may be different for different people, but to me, the most important components are reading, math and writing. I truly believe that there is a reason that these have always been emphasized before anything else, and they are critical to a well-rounded education. While other subjects at school are certainly important, these three serve as the basis for everything else in school.