Journal of my close friend

My Close Friend Who is that? Is that your best friend? I am sure everyone had been asked by those questions in their life. So do l. So, what it is close friend? Close friend is someone who always cheers you up in no matter what happened either in happiness or sadness. Hangout, gossiping, playing, studying, shopping, laughing, crying, and so on, all you do is together with them, your best friends. In my life, I do have a close friend. She is my sunshine. She also is my rainbow after heavy rain had passed. I laughed with her. I cried with her.She never left me, so do l. We are a best friend. Forever, I will cherish our friendship. I still remember how I met her in our first meeting. On the first day of my high school, I went to school early. When I stepped in my class, I saw someone was sleeping in the corner of my class. I got a little shocked when looking at her. For sure because I do think she might be a ghost or someone who are homeless. But somehow, I told myself to be brave, so I came near to her then I realize, she also a student, same as me. I woke her up and she is awake.She looked at me innocently with her puffy eyes. Suddenly she cried hard in front of me. I was so anxious with that unexpected scene. Did I hurt her when I woke her up? When I asked her, she told me everything. Nothing less but it was about her heartbreaking. I Just listen to her and comfort her. Although it was a little awkward since that was the first time I met her, still, I feel comfortable with her. The feeling want to be her friend were strongly linger in myself. After that, we always keep in touch and end up as a best friend. Sharing all story together.When I was in trouble, she is ready for me and I had never leave by her side when she needs me. Where is she, there is always me by her side. That is why everyone called us a twin. She is a thin girl with a sweet smile. She is so cool most of time but when something had troubled her, I easily recognized it. All of her feeling is sho wn at her beautiful face without barriers. That is why I as her only best friend will always cheer her up. I love to see her smile and her sorrow are my first thing I must vanish away. I love her, my only best friend, Siti Najihah†¦

How to Start a Story Kick Off the Writing Process to Invest Readers

How to Start a Story Kick Off the Writing Process to Invest Readers How to Start a Story Kick Off the Writing Process to Invest Readers You want to learn how to start a story because youre smart. You know the introduction of the book is the most important part.After all, most readers skim those first few pages before deciding to read or not.So what if you had a process that intrigued readers from the first page?What if anyone who read your first few pages immediately wanted to buy your book?Its possible, and we have a proven system to make it happen.Here are the steps for how to start a story:Connect the readers and characterProduce intrigueElicit an emotion in your storyStart your story with a strong visual snapshotWrite a compelling first paragraphLeave a hintEnd the first chapter on a cliffhangerEnd the first chapter with a bookendNOTE: We cover everything in this blog post and much more about the writing, marketing, and publishing process in our VIP Fiction Self-Publishing Program. Learn more about it hereHow to Start a Story with IntentionBy default, nobody wants to read your book. Not even your mother. Not real ly. She’ll humor you, she’ll hope for you, but she doesn’t want to.Since nobody is instilled with an innate commitment to read your book, you must craft that desire personally. Your opening paragraph, hell, your opening sentence is as much largess most people will be offer.As any good salesperson knows, a crack is an opportunity and anything that opens a little can be forced to open a lot. All you need is confidence, technique, and the guts to push forward.To this end, when starting a story, you must:Hook the readerOffer promises to sustain interestCultivate a connectionSell the book!Yes, that is a lot to ask from the first page, which is why so many writers stop before they get started.Remember, the first page isn’t the first page you write, it is the first page someone reads. Of all the darlings you must get used to killing, your original first page should always be ripe for the axe. #1 Connect the reader to your characterYour opening sentence shouldn’t be a warning shot. No haphazard hail Mary you hope lands. It needs to be well aimed and land solid. It sets a tone, introducing the reader to you and your world.Like any first impression, it has as many don’ts attached as it has do’s. Let’s hit the do’s first.You want to achieve a minimum of one and a maximum of three of these in your first sentence. Three is pushing it, you might want to try for that all-in approach, but you will just end up coming across disorganized. A page long sentence can be an interesting, impressive feat, but as a first sentence it reeks of smarter-than-the-room and will alienate most readers.Connect the Reader to a CharacterProduce IntrigueElicit an EmotionSnapshot a Vivid ImageDiving off a cliff puts the reader immediately into the action. In film school you will see this as in media res. It works by forcing the reader to accept everything that is currently happening while also inviting them to see what happens next or hear what brought the character to this moment.To execute this action-packed introduction, you need to have a firm idea of what is happening and deliver the setting with confidence, don’t over explain and don’t linger.How to Start a Story Example:â€Å"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed.† – The Gunslinger by Stephen KingConnecting a reader to a character is done in several ways. You can show off a strength, reveal a weakness, or share an in:Locke Lamoras rule of thumb was this: a good confidence game took three months to plan, three weeks to rehearse, and three seconds to win or lose the victims trust forever. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch#2 Produce intrigueProducing intrigue works a lot the same as the Dive. The difference is you want to leave more questions than generate answers.Again, the more you know about the story when you drop this first hint, the more clearly it will communicate.Avoid vague prophecy, hit them with something that will echo when the reader arrives at the resolution.How to Start a Story Example:â€Å"Chris Mankowski’s last day on the job, two in the afternoon, two hours to go, he got a call to dispose of a bomb.† – Freaky Deaky by Elmore Leonard#3 Elicit an emotionEliciting an emotion is about getting the reader to feel something, not just displaying emotive language. You don’t want the reader to feel for the character or the world, as those fall into other categories.With this opening, you need to place the reader in a specific emotional headspace to engage with the rest of the page. You accomplish this by using trigger phrases and touchstones.How to Start a Story Example:â€Å"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.† – Neuromancer by William Gibson#4 Create a strong visual snapshotFinally, a snapshot is exactly that, a picture painted in words. You don’t want to make a whole landscape. Take a look at a random post card for five seconds.What stood out to you? How would you describe that scene to someone else? Thatâ⠂¬â„¢s the essence of a snapshot, the highlights, and standouts, not the overview.How to Start a Story Example:â€Å"The thing was big and white and hairy, and it was eating all the ice cream in the walk-in freezer.† Monster by A. Lee MartinezWhile you toil to create these openings, you want to avoid a few key elements. Each of these can destroy your efforts and drive the reader into dismissal mode.Avoid these elements when starting a story:MundaneClichà ©sâ€Å"He woke up†World building is about establishing what your world is, not what it isn’t. Describing how the regular world works and then adding ‘but mine doesn’t do that’ wastes a lot of time.Expect your reader to know mundane information and don’t bother repeating it. It bores you to write and the reader to read.Clichà ©Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s have their place in an established book genre. Don’t confuse a genre trope with a clichà ©. What you want to avoid is saying the same thing in the same way.Your fantasy world may well have a dungeon and a dragon, but you don’t want to put those facts too close to each other.Clichà © will kill emotion in its cradle. Readers want to feel something genuine and clichà © is the opposite of that.Far too many science fiction stories start with someone coming out of some kind of sleep. There is a temptation to start the story from the very first conscious moment of the character but remember that you don’t even really remember the first few minutes of your day.Start the story where you remember starting your day, usually after breakfast and post stimulant.Not convinced? Alien 3 started with Ripley waking up in a tube. Nobody likes Alien 3, ergo, no starting by waking up.#5 Construct a compelling first paragraphIf everything has gone to plan you have gotten a foot in the door, wedged the sucker open, stepped into the vestibule, and presented your wary, but accepting, mark†¦ er reader, with your wares.You ha ven’t made the sale yet, but you have an opportunity to deliver a spiel before they work a clever excuse to get you out.Seize that advantage by showing that your opening sentence leads into an opening paragraph that isn’t just more of the same but a makes some promises that most of the rest of the pages are also going to offer something worth sticking around for.Having gained some headway, you have more to lose than gain. That is, there are more wrong things to do with the first paragraph than there are right things.The right course of action has three options for your starting paragraphs:Stay the CourseRamp Up GraduallyDouble DownStaying the courseStaying the course means keeping the same tone and attention you presented in the first sentence. This works best for mystery stories or when you have started with a Dive.In both of these cases, the idea is often to put the reader immediately into the world and you need to be careful not to shake the hook loose with too much pull.Example: Back to Stephen King and The Gunslinger, the paragraph after the opening line is a delicious snapshot of the desert mentioned. It holds the reader, drawing them further into the enormity of the task presented by the preceding sentence. He already has us ready to find out more, so he sets the hook gently, rather than pulling us right into the boat.Note also how he goes from one strong type of opening, the Dive (mixed with a character connection), into a snapsh ot. Right there he’s established three strong openings without breaking a sweat.Ramping up graduallyRamping up gradually is seen more often in character connections and snapshots. With each detail you add through the paragraph, you build interest. The character gets slowly separated from other characters of their type.If you start with a high school student, you see how they break the mold. If you start with a city, you reveal what makes that city unique.Example: Consider the wide panoramic opening of EM Forester’s Passage to India, how he shows the country in an almost dreamlike shot you can immediately visualize. The book was written before film was invented and yet it used a standard technique employed in nearly all aerial establishing shots.Double downThe hardest technique to use is the double down. Here you pull hard and fast, hoping to take the opportunity gained by your first sentence to really wow the reader.While this can be done with several techniques, you s ee it least commonly with the Dive. If your action is strong enough, more action blows the reader away. However, a complication to the action works.By slipping in some Emotion or Intrigue you deepen the scene without pushing the reader out.Example: In The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, a mysterious circus appears in the first sentence. Complicating this matter is the first paragraph which suggests the sudden appearance wasn’t the kind where it was simply not advertised in advance but hints it may well have materialized out of nowhere.Regardless of the approach, remember that the first paragraph serves to grow your lead and hold the reader through the chapter.While pulling is the goal, the main aim, as mentioned several times, is to avoid pushing the reader out.We call these the Goldilocks Paradox:Too ObviousToo ObscureIn the Too Obvious scenario the reader develops a certain â€Å"Simpson’s Did It!† mentality. If they feel like they know exactly where the story is going, that this is just one more reprise of the hero’s journey, the fetch quest, the star-crossed lovers, they will put it down.Conversely, if you go Too Obscure, they won’t have any investment. Sure, nobody has ever really read a book quite like those composed by Thomas Pynchon, but then again, ask anyone what Gravity’s Rainbow is about and be prepared to get a ‘the what and who?’ in response.You want to land in familiar territory with some new spins. You don’t want to reinvent story structure or character, not in the first chapter. You need to gain trust before you start pulling the rug out from a reader.#6 Leave a hint in the last paragraphWhile the first sentence gets the reader hooked and the first paragraph makes promises, the last paragraph needs to introduce more concepts while limiting resolution.That sounds like a heavy order because it is. It isn’t all that bad once you break down the components.Aim for one of the following: Hint at the EndRoadmap to a PlanCliffhangerBookendEach of these chapter endings provides the reader a reason to keep going. Many television pilots fail at this, they either wrap up the first story and have nowhere to go, or they toss in a last-minute villain preview to suggest a larger threat somewhere.Sure, it worked out for Avengers to tease Thanos but they also had the advantage of a sixty year comics history to assure viewers they know how to build a multi-part story.When you give a Hint you want it to be broad enough to be interesting but narrow enough that your resolution (within the next chapter or two) satisfies it completely. If you toss an owl through a window to get Harry Hunter or Harry Potter to explore a magical world, you better make good on the magical world sooner than later.If you are building up a large world and need to set several things in motion before you get to the major plot, which is a risky move in itself, you need to show the reader a roadmap. The hobbits need to get out of the Shire before they can get to Rivendell on their way to the ultimate goal.#7 Opt to end the chapter on a cliffhangerEnding on a cliffhanger is usually a good call. The pulp stories of the 30s were sometimes christened Cliffhangers because they used this technique extensively. When releasing serial stories, it is the default way to go, how will our heroes get out of this sudd en predicament!?It makes the ending exciting and demands the reader pick up the next installment, or, in your case, turn the page and keep going just a bit further.Cliffhanger Generation Tricks and Tips:Someone Appears!A Lingering QuestionA Sudden InsightThe Depths AppearDropping a new character into the scene, especially one that shows up with the same aplomb as a first sentence Character Connection, gets the reader going. They want to know who this is, and why they will have importance to the next section.The end of the first chapter of Stardust by Neil Gaiman does this perfectly, introducing us to a baby delivered via faery door. You have to turn the page to find out more.In a Lingering Question scenario, you invite the reader to ponder something about the event that just transpired. Why was it so hard, so easy, what was the significance of the turns? Any question that goes unanswered makes the reader wonder. In a serial, they would have to wonder for weeks, or months. In a book, they can always find out by turning a few pages.Sudden insight works somewhat the opposite of the Lingering Question.Here, a character understands something that just happened, something the reader may have been in the dark about, this often goes hand in hand with the next tip. Knowing what is at stake drives tension and the character and reader both being ‘in on it’ delivers.The Depths Appear works well in science fiction, horror, and fantasy stories.Any place where the world isn’t just what is known, where other dimensional forces can act, where a universe of possibilities can exis t, it is possible for something else to be out there.Alluding to the larger forces at the end of a first chapter puts the story into a context against these larger, more meaningful threats. This is especially a good idea when your first chapter reads like a self-contained story.#8 Try a bookend for the first chapterI lied about the mother thing, turns out she really does want to read your book. She always did, she can’t not, mostly because she loves you.This type of ending paragraph reflects the Bookend. Here, you offer a mirror version of the first sentence to show that what has been set up and was so gripping originally has turned around. This works especially well for stories that start in a known world.Dorothy isn’t in Kansas anymore, Alice ends up down the rabbit hole, and the once bright sky is now overcast with the coming troubles.Start a Story off RIGHTAre you ready to start your story the right way- not just with the writing but with the entire process?Weve got the training to help make that happen.

How to Tell Time in English for Beginners

How to Tell Time in English for Beginners Use this role play to practice telling the time. Make sure you know how to use the twelve hour clock to speak about times in the morning, in the afternoon and in the evening. Use the preposition at to speak about specific times. Key Vocabulary Related to Telling Time Excuse me, could you tell me the time, please?What time is it?Its half past...Its quarter past...Its ten to...Its quarter to...Its twenty toIts twenty pastIts ten forty five.1:00 -   One o’clock2:00  -   Two  o’clock3:00  -   Three  o’clock4:00  -   Four o’clock5:00  -   Five o’clock6:00  -   Six  o’clock7:00  -   Seven  o’clock8:00  -   Eight  o’clock9:00  -   Nine  o’clock10:00  -   Ten  o’clock11:00  -   Eleven  o’clock12:00  -   Twelve  o’clock Talking About the Time of Day There are many ways to talk about the time of day in English without using an exact time. Here are some of those vocabulary words. Dawn: Early morning before or just as the sun rises.Sunrise: When the sun rises.Sunset: When the sun sets.Noon: Exactly 12 P.M.Midnight: Exactly 12 A.M.Midday: The stretch of time in the middle of the day, from approximately 11am to 1pm.Afternoon: Literally, the hours afternoon, but more specifically from 1 to 4 P.M.Early: The morning hours, approximately before 9 A.M.Day/daytimeTwilight: The time just before the stars come out.Dusk: Early evening, just before or as the sun is setting.Early evening: From about 4:30 to 6 P.M.Evening: The period of time after sunset but before night.Late: The evening hours, approximately after 11 P.M.Night/nighttimeoclockA.M.Used with a 12 hour clock for talking about times before  noon and after midnight.P.M.Used with a 12-hour clock for talking about times before midnight and after noon. Practice Dialogue Jane: Could you tell me the time, please?Steve: Certainly. Its 3 P.M.Jane: That late? I thought it was early afternoon still.Steve: Time flies when you are busy. Did you enjoy your morning?Jane: I did, but now I have to rush in order to get home before dusk.Steve: Have a good evening. See you back here tomorrow bright and early!Jane: Yes! Ill arrive by dawn or shortly thereafter.

Karst Topography and Sinkholes

Karst Topography and Sinkholes Limestone, with its high calcium carbonate content, is easily dissolved in the acids produced by organic materials. About 10% of the earths land (and 15% of the United States) surface consists of soluble limestone, which can be easily dissolved by the weak solution of carbonic acid found in underground water. How Karst Topography Forms When limestone interacts with underground water, the water dissolves the limestone to form karst topography - an amalgamation of caves, underground channels, and a rough and bumpy ground surface. Karst topography is named for the Kras plateau region of eastern Italy and western Slovenia (Kras is Karst in German for barren land). The underground water of karst topography carves our impressive channels and caves that are susceptible to collapse from the surface. When enough limestone is eroded from underground, a sinkhole (also called a doline) may develop. Sinkholes are depressions that form when a portion of the lithosphere below is eroded away. Sinkholes Can Vary in Size Sinkholes can range in size from a few feet or meters to over 100 meters (300 feet) deep. Theyve been known to swallow cars, homes, businesses, and other structures. Sinkholes are common in Florida where theyre often caused by the loss of groundwater from pumping. A sinkhole can even collapse through the roof of an underground cavern and form whats known as a collapse sinkhole, which can become a portal into a deep underground cavern. While there are caverns located around the world, not all have been explored. Many still elude spelunkers as there is no opening to the cave from the earths surface. Karst Caves Inside karst caves, one might find a wide range of speleothems - structures created by the deposition of slowly dripping calcium carbonate solutions. Dripstones provide the point where slowly dripping water turns into stalactites (those structures which hang from the ceilings of caverns), over thousands of years which drip onto the ground, slowly forming stalagmites. When stalactites and stalagmites meet, they forum cohesive columns of rock. Tourists flock to caverns where beautiful displays of stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and other stunning images of karst topography can be seen. Karst topography forms the worlds longest cave system - the Mammoth Cave system of Kentucky is over 350 miles (560 km) long. Karst topography can also be found extensively in the Shan Plateau of China, Nullarbor Region of Australia, the Atlas Mountains of northern Africa, the Appalachian Mountains of the U.S., Belo Horizonte of Brazil, and the Carpathian Basin of Southern Europe.

CRJ565 AL 4 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

CRJ565 AL 4 - Essay Example People and especially clients are likely to see him as a leader that trusts his employees as well as one that is democratic in his leadership. The main problem is lack of interpersonal communication with her employees that is face-to-face which makes her leadership somehow cold. By her reducing her use of social media to communicate as well as utilizing lunch and tea breaks to interact with her employees on a more personal level, they are likely to start regarding her in high status and opening up to her. She will get to know her employees more if she spends much more time with them in meetings. Brenda however needs to have a team building experience with her employees away from the workplace in order to get to learn about her employees on a more personal level. This will enable much warmer communication, identify skills and talents and utilize them to increase performance. I agree on the point of appreciating the work the managers are doing by letting them seal the seal with the clients as they have been working at it for a long time. This will be empowering the employees and building up their confidence and managerial skills. Employees look up to their leader for inspiration, guidance as well as a role model. If the leader continues portraying certain behaviors that are not empowering, the employees will in turn emulate and repeat these same behaviors and this would affect the productivity of the company. If the CEO wants to be involved in the final signing of the contract by the clients, he should simply be present as a support figure and not interfere in any way. The nicotine test I agree is an invasion of the privacy of the employees and instead of doing so which only leads to his resentment by the employees, he should seek incentives to encourage them to live a healthy lifestyle. The nicotine test should be voluntary rather than mandatory. By providing incentives and rewards to the employees taking initiative over their

The great man theory Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The great man theory - Assignment Example The article takes a deeper look at the great man theory that puts it clear that a great leader is God given not man-made. It only provides two options; either one is born as leader or one is not born a leader. The history of the great man theory dates back to the 19th century, when great leaders seen at that time were in born heroes, for instance Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi and Alexander the Great. The theory had also focused on the highly quested positions in the army which were hereditary from father to son. This also led to the name, great man theory since no women were holding commanding positions. In the 1800s, military authoritative positions would paint the leadership skills of a man. With the assumption that the skills are inborn, the son of the leader was to take over since it was believed they had the same skills as their fathers. Thomas Carlyle, a Scottish writer, is credited for his move to popularize the theory in the 1840s. According to Thomas Carlyle, the history o f the world is nothing, but a bibliography of great men. He also believed that great leaders are those born with divine inspiration and proper characteristics to lead a group of people. The theory simply tends to separate leaders and followers. It gives the assumption that leaders differed from their followers. The theory portrays the fact that, in society different people posses different levels of intelligence, energy and moral strength, and in whatever way people are influenced to go, they are always led by the superior minded few. (Miller, Vandome & McBrewster, 2010). Back in the days, many leaders had the opportunity of having a chance of leadership through the birthright. This hindered the lesser in society in having the opportunity to be leaders. This brought up the assumption that leadership abilities are inherent. Proponents of this theory comprise of the world great leaders who came into power due to situational causes, for instance, John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Lee Lacocca. In another concept, a great leader always steps up regardless of their social status or location. A person with inborn leadership qualities will effect positive change in every place he or she goes. A person may not be a holder of an authoritative post but influences great masses to any direction he or she wishes. In deed, this is a description of a born leader according to the great man theory. Applications of this theory are visible in modern day management. Apart from government organizations, private company owners prefer to hand over their businesses to their sons after their retirement. They believe the leadership skills in them have been passed on to their sons. With this, one is able to see the long life of an organization, which has been led by one family for over 40 years. In some cases, the application of the inherent leadership posts may be difficult for offsprings but situational purposes make the shoes fit for them. Another application may be evident in co ntesting of parliamentary or presidential posts. In many instances, it has been

Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Strategic Management - Essay Example Therefore, to understand the identity of Tolapp Corporation and define it, clear perception of what is being conveyed in the corporate communications to their audiences, like the sales papers inserted in the newspapers twice a week, is essential. The mission statement is an essential component of corporate communication in establishing its identity. It aims to achieve this externally by expressing what its various target audiences can expect from the services and products (Schnelle, 2008). The corporate communications to their audiences, like the sales papers inserted in the newspapers, is a primary source for the information required for preparing the mission statement for Tolapp Corporation. The synopsis of Tolapp Corporation provided, gives information on the products of the organization, manufacturing locations of their products, and the distribution chain used by Tolapp Corporation to male their products available to their customers. The nine essential components of a mission st atement are customers; products and services; markets; technology; concern for survival, growth, and profitability; philosophy; self-concept; concern for public image; and concern for employees (Rigsby & Greco, 2003). The mission statement developed for Tolapp Corporation is as follows: At Tolapp Corporation we strive to provide energy saving power products, globally acclaimed, through innovative ideas in the creation, development, and manufacture of our products that exceed expectations in value for our customers, and thereby fulfilling the aspirations of all our stakeholders. We believe that to achieve this, empowerment of employees, development of sustainable operations, and commitment to the natural environment is essential. Principle for Prioritizing of Implementation Steps The principle for prioritizing the implementations towards achieving strategic objective of penetration of the global market place is developing the strategic priorities, and developing a response plan on th e basis of the strategic priorities. For example, understanding which country markets are the strategic priorities towards achieving the strategic objective of the global market expansion makes it possible for developing a response plan for penetrating the market of that particular country, and the order in which the markets of different country markets need to be tackled for successful achievement of the strategic objective of global expansion. This priority is necessary as resources are always limited and it is only through the identification of strategic priorities that successful prioritization of resources can be achieved. In addition, by identification of strategic priorities response planning consisting of identification of actionable goals ?communication of priorities ? understanding what can be done ? iterative work ? outcomes review ? next strategic priority can be undertaken (Cooke, 2010). Thus, using the principle strategic priorities helps in identifying and prioritizat ion of the implementation steps towards achieving the strategic objective of penetration of the global market place by Tolapp Corporation. Feedback Mechanisms for Evaluating Effectiveness Monitoring and controlling the response plan of global expansion as a strategic objective is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of the response