Monthly Archives: March 2023

XNews

Book Writing – 25 Tips on Getting Started Writing a Book

Here are 25 tips on getting started writing a book:

1. Before you start know who you are writing for. Spend some time building up a character sheet on your target reader.

2. Before you start, identify what your target reader’s pain points are. Seeking to avoid those is the greatest motivation your target reader will have to read your book.

3. Before you start, identify what your target reader’s pleasure points are. The desire to reach these will help provide motivation to your reader.

4. Before you start, identify what your target reader’s problems are. Solving those will help to keep your reader reading your book.

5. Before you start, write down how your book will help avoid the reader’s pain points, solve their problems, or help them achieve their pleasure points.

6. Before you start, identify why you are writing. By identifying your pain points or pleasure points, you’ll help to motivate yourself to finish.

7. Make a sign of why you are writing. Use large letters, oversized pictures and whatever else you need. Post it over your computer. Or better still make several! Post them around your home where you can’t help but see them when you are doing something else.

8. Know in advance how you will publish book. This will affect the format and length of your book.

9. Know how many pages you want the book to be.

10. Know the style you will use. Do you want to use a conversational style? Or a formal or academic style? The type of book you are writing will help to limit your choices.

11. Have a system for designing and writing your book. This is probably the most important tip. Having a system will help to ensure you have a good book and that you finish it.

12. Use a cognitive tool to develop your outline. It’s much easier to build up your outline when you use a tool that works with your mind, not against it.

13. However you create your outline, make it detailed down to the paragraph. You can easily write a hundred words on a point you’ve already been given. But writing 2500 words on a topic (i.e. chapter) is very difficult.

14. Do your structural editing on the outline. Some of the older systems hold off editing until the whole book has been written. The problem is that you may end up having to make wholesale changes (i.e. rewrites) if you have a structural problem. By editing while the book is in outline form, you can identify and fix structural problems while they are easily fixed.

15. Have a separate space to write in. By having a specific space, you’ll train yourself to write when you’re in that space.

16. Have a specific time scheduled for writing. Not only does it help stop you avoiding writing, it helps set up the writing habit.

17. Use music to create a mood. Whether that mood is reflected directly in your writing doesn’t matter. Baroque music, for example, is known to help thinking. If you’re writing romance, Frank Sinatra or French blues may help you get in the romantic mood.

18. Have a comfortable chair. Pain is not conducive to writing!

19. Have everything you need to write always at hand. That way you don’t have an excuse to waste writing time.

20. Turn off the phone. Interruptions are a great excuse to waste writing time. Avoid them.

21. Have a user id on your computer that doesn’t allow access to games or email. The second most common excuse to avoid writing is reading emails.

22. Set rules for interruptions. You can’t expect your family to give you writing time if they don’t know when it’s appropriate to interrupt you and when it isn’t.

23. Start by editing your writing from the previous day. This will get you in the mood to write. And when combined with a detailed outline, will help you to avoid writer’s block.

24. Write first, write fast, edit later. If you are always going back and correcting what you do, it will take much longer to write your book. And it will be an unpleasant task. By following this advice you’ll find you finish quicker, your writing is better, and you’ll enjoy writing more. So you won’t be as tempted to avoid doing it.

25. When push comes to shove, there is only one tip that truly matters. Sit down and write! If you never start you’ll never finish.

XNews

Enthusiasts Spur Popularity of Model Steam Trains

Although real steam trains have become a thing of the past, collecting model steam trains is a very popular hobby maintained by thousands of people around the world. Model railroading is a very extensive hobby to maintain and it can involve a considerable amount of investment and hard work. This is because not only does the hobbyist have to spend money to acquire a model train of his choice but he also has to put in the time and effort to set up the railroading tracks. However expensive and extensive it may be model railroading is considered to be a very wholesome and rewarding hobby to maintain.

The kind of model steam trains that you will be able to find in the market display dramatic variance. The simplest of them will be a plastic remake of the original whereas you will be able to find incredibly detailed steam trains in various sizes that can be further accessorized to create realistic city landscapes. You also need to be aware of the fact that one needs to have a considerable amount of skill when it comes to creating an entire landscape for your model trains.

Today you will be able to find model trains made out of a wide variety of building materials. The most commonly used materials include plastic, brass and cut wood. The hobbyist will also have the opportunity to choose between different model train scales when it comes to model steam trains.

Variants of the Steam Train Model

The most common scale that is easily available in the market is the HO model train. People generally prefer to go with this standard because finding relative inexpensive accessories is considerably easier. This enables them to add on freight cars, passenger cars or any other accessory as and when they feel like it.

The N standard model stream trains are also popular amongst model train collecting enthusiasts. However these trains tend to be considerably smaller when compared to the above-mentioned standard. This makes them difficult to manage and maintain because setting up N standard railroading requires a high level of skill. Another reason why most people tend to avoid standards other than HO when it comes to model railroading is the fact that finding accessories is all the more difficult in these scales.

In general most toy train models are downsized versions of famous Eastern and Midwestern American railroads. One of the things that set these historic model steam trains apart is the fact that they come equipped with all the necessary decals.

You can search the inventory of any company that offers these products to look for specific steam engine trains that you are interested in. The particular scale that is best for you depends solely on your personal preferences. In general however beginners are advised to stick to the HO scale model trains. The more experienced model train collectors can experiment with other scales such as N, Z and O.

The image of a model steam train with the smoke stack and the classic lines would make any collector proud. Trains can be easily purchased and accessories are readily available. Although they are some of the most expensive trains to collect they are well worth the cost and the tradability is exceptional.

Writing

Finding a Faith Based Private School in San Francisco

Your family’s faith is one of the most important foundations of your child’s life. Consider nourishing this aspect of your child’s education at a faith based private school. San Francisco parents have nothing but wonderful things to say about the following institutions for providing a well-rounded curriculum and promoting tolerance, respect, and kindness among their students.

Star of the Sea School

Star of the Sea School is a Catholic preschool and K-8 institution known for their small yet uniquely diverse population of students, athletics department, and after-school enrichment program. Founded by the St. Joseph Sisters of Carondelet in 1909, this charming school hopes to encourage a real love of learning in their students and teach them how to apply their Catholic faith in their everyday lives.

Aside from providing students with a solid academic program, students are given the opportunity to participate in enrichment classes when the bell rings. Musically-inclined kids can take private piano lessons and group guitar, or audition for the Children’s Choir and join rehearsals after school. The school also has several organized sports team, but the sports program also provides golf lessons to interested students. Those who are passionate about science and math have more than just traditional clubs to join; the school has a chess club and a unique after-school class that teaches engineering and math principles using Lego. Budding writers can help write, edit, and publish the school paper with the help of a faculty advisor. And finally, Star of the Sea offers one of few Mandarin and Cantonese K-8 programs in the Archdiocese, as well as Spanish language classes. As part of the school’s commitment to the community, students can also join several outreach programs in the area of their choice.

Zion Lutheran School

A good K-8 school should prepare children for the demands of high school while helping them achieve their fullest potential in extracurricular fields. Zion Lutheran School is one such place you can send your child to. Since 1947, Zion Lutheran School has been providing their young Christian students with an academically-rigorous curriculum and a rich variety of extracurricular activities. This school uses a research-based curriculum called the Core Knowledge Sequence, a powerful program that builds knowledge upon knowledge. Everything a child needs to know about language arts, literature, history, math, science, music, and the visual arts is carefully outlined and taught in an age-appropriate sequence. Class sizes are very limited so that teachers can provide equal attention to all students. With such a strong academic and spiritual foundation, graduates of Zion feel confident about moving on to high school.

But academics are not the only strong suit of Zion; art and athletics makes up a strong part of the school’s curriculum. Students are encouraged to audition for the school’s annual spring musical, and those in 4th to 8th grades are welcome to join the Hand Bell Choir and participate in several performances. Athletic girls and boys are welcome to try out for the basketball team at fifth grade, the volleyball team at 7th grade, or the track team. Other after-school classes include art, cooking, music and chess.