Freelance Writers

Writer is a one who expresses in words ones feelings, observations, views. Writing is the expression of ones thoughts. Whatever one believes in and stands for. Most of all, whatever one ‘feels’ strongly about is what makes a piece readable, acknowledged & appreciated. The passion works as ink. The words carry the undercurrent tone & mood that creates in the reader, the effects of whatever caused the writer to write in the first place. Freelance, well the word is self descriptive – Free to be. They have their freedom to approach whichever setup or platform they wish to. They have the freedom to submit to a variety of publication houses if they write on diverse subjects, without concern of restraints.

Freelance Writers are independent & unbound by time limits or other considerations (restrictions, terms or conditions) they would have to abide by in a job contract. There are times when writers go through temporary of long durations of writer’s blocks. This can create further anxiety & overwhelm which of course can aggravate or prolong the already frustrating experience. Thus unlike in a contrasting situation of writing as a job, such phase can be devastating for the reputation & credibility of the writers especially if they are new or aspiring writers.

The topics, the style, the content are all unlimited for Freelance Writers. Their passion is expression & a way of viewing whatever goes on in the mind & heart. They have the freedom to write about which ever topic they wish to write about. However the variety to choose from can be overwhelming! Especially if they want to express about urgent concern issues. Unlike writing as a job, the readership is a probability. For example if one writes for a regular magazine or newspaper, maximum readership is a natural outcome. Whereas when Freelance Writers write for their own blog they need to post it on multiple social networks to invite readers or attract comments. As Robert Kiyosaki emphasized in his book Rich Dad that, to become a bestselling author, knowledge of salesmanship is greatly helpful.  

Freelance Writers  are at liberty to experiment with various genres. One can even enjoy combining different styles. Thereby may end up creating a revolutionary masterpiece, who knows, after all nothing is beyond possibility. With this level of creative freedom   Freelance Writers are able to write & / or perhaps learn to master a variety of creative efforts. This way they can enjoy career satisfaction & fulfillment in what & how they come up in creative endeavors.

Online Creative Writing Jobs

This title Online Creative Writing Jobs is quite unique & in a way a bit ironic. “Online” & “Creative Writing” suggest an openness & flexibility in term of time & place. The employer & the employee may be continents apart yet still be connected. The limitations get down to the bare minimum.  Whereas “Job” implies that certain considerations or limits apply, nothing problematic about it though, just that the writer is expected to adhere to certain terms or conditions, perhaps time limits for submission of assignments. Consequentially “job” also implies that a written piece will actually be read as the purpose is it is being written for a reading audience. Further in a job contract the writer is also actually paid for the work done.

Online Creative Writing Jobs for me is very inspiring. I am a stay home mom of 5 kids & life at times under constant routines gets tedious, even though creative management is part of it all. I am a book worm & love creative writing. This for me carries motivation as it helps to ease off pressures of the daily routines. Being a freelance writer for quite some time now & at times I face overwhelm regarding selection of topics. Online Creative Writing Jobs are an opportunity to have a selective topic or pre-selection of topics to apply my creative abilities to.

Being a job it has certain welcoming upsides. Time is of utmost importance. Online Creative Writing Jobs  are time bound, so any worthwhile  creative Endeavour will be bound to be completed & not left unfinished or fall prey to procrastination.

Further, it nurtures personal satisfaction & boosts motivation to have one’s work actually read. Receiving admiration or sure reviews even if it is criticism polishes up the writer’s work potentials as well as outcomes.

Online Creative Writing Jobs are a breakthrough concept. These serve as bridging the gap between talent hunters & real talent, appreciation seekers. Additionally the financial interests are higher. The writer’s time is spent in actual creative output, instead of spending time & efforts in travelling to & fro or in restricted job hours. Being online, the employers can give assignment  in the late hours of the evening resting assured while the employee on the other side of the globe having day time works on the assignment. Thereby tasks get completed within unbelievable timeframes.

The term “value” has been redefined in the past few decades. This unconventional concept of Online Creative Writing Jobs suggests that these jobs give value to time, quality, talent, flexibility & globalization. The variety & blend of employers with employees brings with it cultural flavors & growth opportunities thus not only open up horizons & scope but also cater to multiple clients & readers.   

There Is No Hope Of Doing Perfect Research (Griffiths, 1998, P97). Do You Agree?

There Is No Hope Of Doing Perfect Research (Griffiths, 1998, P97). Do You Agree?

            I do not agree with the topic on a number of grounds. The very term “research” indicates that whatever has been “searched” was for some reason “re-searched”. This ‘reason’ in my humble opinion can be ‘hope of doing perfect research’. What I mean by saying this is that, at a particular time when research was being done, under the circumstances which may be level or scope of knowledge, conditions, methodologies, tools & equipment, researcher’s capacities & abilities etc etc. i.e. what ever had been available, must have been utilized to the best possibility. But, since knowledge is never stagnant, with the passage of time, developments & expansions in creative curiosity intrigues seekers to search for more. The never ending “What ifs…….?” & the resulting explorations have always added new dimensions to what earlier may have seemed as a ”perfect research”. Thus it cannot be said that since due to some possible shortcoming in the efforts of the earlier works undertaken, one passes a strong notion that, there is no hope of doing perfect research. For example Literary criticism is the evaluation, analysis, description, or interpretation of literary works¹. All works of art are & have been viewed & reviewed countless of times not because there was no hope, on the contrary it is hope that aspires researchers that may be they may be able to do better justice or simply pay their humble tribute to the master or masterpiece. Secondly, acknowledging the natural phenomena of evolution & development, the methods of  mixed methodology research² have been utilized by some enthusiasts to avoid  imprisoning their thought in one system².

The following are some of the variables that can & do affect research & content:

1.      Test Validity³

a)      Concurrent Validity.  Concurrent Validity refers to a measurement device’s ability to vary directly with a measure of the same construct or indirectly with a measure of an opposite construct.  It allows you to show that your test is valid by comparing it with an already valid test.

b)      Content Validity.  Content validity is concerned with a test’s ability to include or represent all of the content of a particular construct.  The question “1 + 1 = ___” may be a valid basic addition question.  Would it represent all of the content that makes up the study of mathematics?  It may be included on a scale of intelligence, but does it represent all of intelligence?  The answer to these questions is obviously no.  To develop a valid test of intelligence, not only must there be questions on math, but also questions on verbal reasoning, analytical ability, and every other aspect of the construct we call intelligence.  There is no easy way to determine content validity aside from expert opinion.

c)      Predictive Validity.  In order for a test to be a valid screening device for some future behavior, it must have predictive validity. For example tests like SAT, GMAT , LSAT etc., because without it, they would be worthless.

2.     Test Reliability.  Reliability is synonymous with the consistency of a test, survey, observation, or other measuring device.  Imagine stepping on your bathroom scale and weighing 140 pounds only to find that your weight on the same scale changes to 180 pounds an hour later and 100 pounds an hour after that…….Would you consider their results accurate?

a) Test-Retest Reliability.  Test-Retest reliability refers to the test’s consistency among different administrations.  ……..To determine the coefficient for this type of reliability, the same test is given to a group of subjects on at least two separate occasions.  If the test is reliable, the scores that each student receives on the first administration should be similar to the scores on the second.  We would expect the relationship between he first and second administration to be a high positive correlation.

One major concern with test-retest reliability is what has been termed the memory effect.  This is especially true when the two administrations are close together in time.  For example, imagine taking a short 10-question test on vocabulary and then ten minutes later being asked to complete the same test.  Most of us will remember our responses and when we begin to answer again, we may just answer the way we did on the first test rather than reading through the questions carefully.  This can create an artificially high reliability coefficient as subjects respond from their memory rather than the test itself.  When a pre-test and post-test for an experiment is the same, the memory effect can play a role in the results.

b) Parallel Forms Reliability.  One way to assure that memory effects do not occur is to use a different pre- and posttest.  In order for these two tests to be used in this manner, however, they must be parallel or equal in what they measure.  To determine parallel forms reliability, a reliability coefficient is calculated on the scores of the two measures taken by the same group of subjects.  Once again, we would expect a high and positive correlation is we are to say the two forms are parallel.

c) Inter-Rater Reliability.  Whenever observations of behavior are used as data in research, we want to assure that these observations are reliable.  One way to determine this is to have two or more observers rate the same subjects and then correlate their observations…….It does not, however, assure that they are measuring it correctly, only that they are both measuring it the same.

Further in the case of Pieget’s experiments the outcomes lead to further researches. Whereas some of his researches were so “perfect” that these are considered as Piaget’s Legacy: While there are few strict Piagetians, most can appreciate Piaget's influence and legacy. His work generated interest in child development and had an enormous impact on the future of education and developmental psychology⁴. The following aptly explain some additional variables that can influence or must be considered in researches.

Support for Piaget’s Theory: Piaget's Impact on Education Piaget's focus on qualitative development had an important impact on education. While Piaget did not specifically apply his theory to education, many educational programs are built upon the belief that children should be taught at the level for which they are developmentally prepared.

In addition to this, a number of instructional strategies have been derived from Piaget's work. These strategies include providing a supportive environment, utilizing social interactions and peer teaching, and helping children see fallacies and inconsistencies in their thinking (Driscoll, 1994).

Criticisms of Piaget: Problems With Research Methods:-  Much of the criticism of Piaget's work is in regards to his research methods. A major source of inspiration for the theory was Piaget's observations of his own three children. In addition to this, the other children in Piaget's small research sample were all from well-educated professionals of high socio-economic status. Because of this unrepresentative sample, it is difficult to generalize his findings to a larger population.

Problems With Formal Operations: Research has disputed Piaget's argument that all children will automatically move to the next stage of development as they mature. Some data suggests that environmental factors may play a role in the development of formal operations.

Underestimates Children's Abilities: Most researchers agree that children posses many of the abilities at an earlier age than Piaget suspected. Recent research on theory of mind has found that children of 4- or 5-years old have a rather sophisticated understanding of their own mental processes as well as those of other people. For example, children of this age have some ability to take the perspective of another person, meaning they are far less egocentric than Piaget believed.⁴

Thus in my opinion it is not agreeable to state that "There is no hope of doing perfect research". This applies to all kinds of works be it a literary in nature or scientific or even Psychological. The main fact is that evolution & development in study methods & methodologies are a constant phenomenon. Therefore even trying to consider a research as “perfect” is faulty & will be futile.  Furthermore, having “no hope” is a self imposed & limiting obstacle in any area of life, & is an injustice especially to the field of “research”.

Sources:

¹ Literary Criticisms

http://ipl.org/div/pf/entry/48496

² Reading Mixed Methods Research: Contexts for Criticism

DawnFreshwater1

Journal of Mixed Methods Research

file://localhost/C:/Documents%20and%20Settings/The%20Queen/Desktop/Reading%20Mixed%20Methods%20Research_%20Contexts%20for%20Criticism.mht

³ Research Methods

Chapter 7: Variables, Validity, and Reliability

 http://allpsych.com/researchmethods/validityreliability.html

⁴ Support and Criticism of Piaget's Stage Theory http://psychology.about.com/od/piagetstheory/p/piagetcriticism.htm

Constructing Reality

Constructing Reality

The Next Level
Ultimate Target Vision
Purpose
Long Term Target						Purpose
Year 1				Year 2				Year 3
1				1				1
2				2				2
3				3				3
4				4				4
Medium Term Target						Purpose
Month 1		Month 2		Month 3		Month 4		Month 5		Month 6
Short Term Target						Purpose
Day 1	Day 2		Day 3		Day 4		Day 5		Day 6		Day 7
Ground Realities – Foundations to be Developed
Strengths	Weaknesses		Conflicts		Successes		Failures		Network		Resources

Knowledge Management

Knowledge:    (Collier’s Encyclopedia Dictionary) 1. Familiarity, understanding, awareness, or information acquired through experience, study, or observation. 2., Fact of knowing. 3., that which is or can be perceived or learned. 4., some or range of that which is or can be perceived or learned. 5., specific information or fact concerning a given matter.6., to (the best of) one’s knowledge.

                        (Concise Oxford American Dictionary) 1., Facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject. What is known in a particular field or in total; facts and information. True justified belief; certain understanding, as opposed to opinion. 2., Awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact or situation.

Management: (Collier’s Encyclopedia) 1.Act, art, or practice of managing 2.a. person or persons who manage a business, institution, or other enterprise.2.b. such persons collectively, especially in relation to workers or unions.

                        (Concise Oxford American Dictionary) 1. The process of dealing with or controlling things or people. The responsibility for a control of a company or similar organization. The people in-charge of running a company or organization, regarded collectively.

Knowledge Management “cultivating a learning culture whose organizational members systematically gather knowledge and share it with others in the organization so as to achieve better performance. [i]”

Thus,  Knowledge Management is the process of K.nowing N.ecessities & O.pportunities W.idely spread L.eading to E.conomic D.evelopment & G.eneral E.volution through M.utual A.lignment to N.urture, A.dapt & accommodate thus ,G.etting results close to plans E.nthusiastically &, M.anaged E.ffectively by N.avigating T.alents & Technologies. Notice the bold letters can be utilized as acronym as this unique definition is formulated deliberately.

As Robbins puts it an organization is “a deliberate arrangement of people to accomplish some specific purpose .ⁱⁱ”  These specific purposes are of doing business activity in ways that meet a target market needs resulting in popularity, profit & prosperity ⁱⁱⁱ. Secondly, with respect to the organization, which itself being assembled with deliberate strategic decisions can survive, let alone prosper, only if & when all its managerial levels as well as operation systems nurture a culture of appropriately collecting, organizing & sharing relevant information timely. This obviously includes technology developments & personnel trainings for resourcefulness with lesser possible costs. Only in this optimal combination of planning, organizing, leading & controlling processes of management results in effective teams & thenceforth to efficient performances, production & profits.

Knowledge Management covers the entire organization no matter what the structure is. Broadly speaking, there are simple, complex & not for profit varieties of organizations. Even if the business entity is a sole proprietorship one , it does need an outsource team varying from suppliers of raw materials or packaging end product for distribution as well as cash recovery. 

With complex structured organizations additional activities involve Research & Development, Managing in-house personnel & procedures, stakeholders, Finance Departments & transaction, Strategic management & Marketing management to name a few.

---

[i]  , ⁱⁱ Management,by Robbins, Stephen P. and Coulter, Mary, eight edition.

ⁱⁱⁱ Concise Oxford American Dictionary

Collier’s Encyclopedia Dictionary

PASSION IS CONTAGEOUS, PASSION IS BLIND – A TRIBUTE TO SPELT & SPELTers

Life’s experiences lead us o some point or destination, one after another. Sometimes there are mentors, while for some inspiration is the only fuel.

I wrote this article during the midnight hours of Sunday 16^th October & Monday 17^th October 2011. Both these dates have a remarkable significance. On 16^th October the 27^th SPELT Conference concluded. While 17^th October marks the birth date of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, the pioneer of Muhammadan Anglo Oriental School that later due to his passion & vision, over the years was upgraded to Aligarh University. This was way back in the 19^th century. Sir Syed’s passion can be measured by the fact that he called himself a learner never a teacher, to the point that he used to wear the uniform of the institution to set practical example of what he believed in.

The SPELT Conference came at a time when I as a teacher & trainer was getting disillusioned about my abilities, with accelerating self doubt & complaints about my work & students. I was on the verge of loosing all hope. With the ‘push’ of my mentor Mr. Abbas Husain, I half heartedly attended the inaugural session, with the mind of attending the next two days partially. I had no idea how it would all transform, infact create a makeover for me & my profession. Mr. Peter Grundy’s presentation was the turning point. The next to days I attended the entire conference.

The workshop titles, presenters with their zeal, the high level creativity & vastness of approaches are just to name a few. Not only had all these rekindled my creativity, the energy, dedication & community, re-ignited my passion. I am a solution oriented person. Creating simple, easy & time effective solutions that save, effort & time are my specialties, which I have been working on & with since over 20 years.

The challenges I was facing or thought them to be as challenges now seem to disintegrate, are manageable & handleable just because of those who were generous enough to share the vastness as well as depth of rich experiences. Also the astounding attendance of seekers & believers in ‘better future can be built today’, was a source of strengthening hope. It recreated for me the meaning & value of education, learning & creating not just as words or concepts but as concrete strategies & support network. Participants turned themselves blind to the constraints & limits. Some amazingly motivated ones attended the conference along with their little ones tagging along in the workshops or waiting patiently outside throughout the day while their mother pursued her professional commitment.

My special thanks & salute to the School of Writing who set up opportunity to aspire writers to voice their thoughts & visions. They also distributed encouragement prizes to the best line writers.

The variety & uniqueness of all events, many occurring simultaneously was too overwhelmingly difficult to choose from. Thought it is wished (suggested) that workshops be reshuffled same or next day & repetition of events be reconsidered for next year. Secondly, it is suggested that the event be next time scheduled during December winter vacations to allow more time & opportunity to all those who are hungry & craving for all that SPELT stands for & has remarkably achieved. May we have many more (preferably every six months)! What do the rest of you, fellow SPELTers say?

The  writer Shireen Khan is a teacher & freelance trainer, with a voluntary support platform – Goodwill Network for healing & Life management. She can be contacted on soishireen@gmail.com

Map with no destination

Have you ever felt how it is when you know most of or all there is to know about:

1. How to do something?
2. How to reach somewhere?
3. How to be?

Yet NO CLUE about your destination. To me this feels like having a glass & not know what to drink???

The solution: Drop Everything & Breath!!! 10 t 20 Loooooooooooong Deeeeeeeeeep Breaths to get self centered & then Accelerate :)

Talking it out to the beat of my heart

I had no idea this would be soooooooooooo hard. but well it was . I made countless attempts to open the blog page & write nothing at all. Yet there are times that when expressing comes in such a flow that even I am amazed where & how it all came from ???? The more I make effort to make what I wish to express, barely a word or 2 come out. But when I just let myself Be..............well my first blog is what Passion does :) Hope to keep it up with more to come:)

S.E.T. – Specific, Enthusiastic & Timely.

“Life is not about finding (self, balance, purpose, courage) it is about Creating it!”. This is an anonymous quote I have adapted as my Mantra.
When one sets out to create ‘motivation’ in an audience one sets out to ‘move’ them out of ‘rotation’. Thus, loosing sight of ones’ Passionate Vision, the listener seeks realignment & looks up to the speaker. The speaker is the Voice of the Divine. How this role is addressed depends on how the speech is S.E.T. The results are Enlightening & Insightful. It comprises of 3 Secrets.

1. Be Specific:
This union of speaker & listener is of sacred communication. So what you give & get in return, all counts. Communication is comprises of - Words, Tone & Energy. Assign 25% points to each category, Utilizing audio & visual aids & team mates. Assess the quality of each category on a scale of 0-25 get a baseline quantitative measure.
Words matter. Select Specific, Clear, Easy to understand & follow suitable to audience age, gender & experience level. Too many analogies & explanatory statements confuse. Speeches that sound as coming out of the book or theoretical lack the effect.
Tone garnishes humour & humble deliverance. A speech about Goal Achievement if delivered with monotonous tone or speed of a funeral procession is a failure. A high pitched, hyper animated speaker sets the audience into the urgency mode, but is always short lived. Some results need to be worked on with patience & persistence, the adrenaline rush is inappropriate.

Energy is abstract & underestimated. Mime performers are exemplary presenters. A speaker may ‘fake it to make it’, but energy does not lie. Inner energy of self doubt & pessimism or overconfidence & over optimism can be felt. The audience can pick up & carry the energy. When someone applies from fakeness the effects are consequently unfruitful or unfulfilling if not harmful. The message needs to be appropriately sent across.
A speaker with excellent choice of words & flawless tone of enthusiasm may be awarded. But to “Move towards Goal Achievement” the results count & have more value, than the numbers of audience or speaker’s awards. When we communicate we have the responsibility to also give relevant information, as someone may actually act upon it.

2. Be Enthusiastic:
Enthusiasm is infectious. The body language, doses of humour, emotional expressions & presentation is a powerful package. Gimmicks are part of the parcel but the actual package is the quality of beliefs one holds for self, others & life. Our quality contribution to life proves our value to existence. Spices & flavours of all types are essential for the palate. It is the blend & balance determines if it will take the receiver to miles, before they sleep. A simple subject matter with choice of difficult words, matter of fact tone & solemn deliverance are prone to disaster.
An engaged audience is created with interactive deliverance. Like the hand on the clock which moves consistently every second, the enthusiastic speaker impacts the states in the audience. This meaningful measurable difference reforms realities, even without referring to workbooks & notes.

3. Be Timely:
This can never be overemphasized. Standup comedians & stage presenters are masters of timing. It makes or breaks the audience spirit. A speaker may speak to an x number of audience. The actual task is to reach the spirit across. In Urdu, language of the Asian subcontinent, a saying goes by “what comes from the heart holds effect”. Repetition is the nurturer of skill. Repetition enhances effects of what the audience beholds. Lack or over dosage, demolishes the purpose of speech.
Presenter’s interactive on the spot application of knowledge, entertains & wins hearts. Mind is designed by Nature for creativity which is why ‘arguments’ are also termed as ‘creative discussions’. Mind games can woo the audience but wining hearts is mastery of time.
Lastly, a timely subject matter e.g. the environment issues are now more than mere concern. Endless discussions have been around for a century. However the pace of results fell short of desired results. The gap between subject matter addressed & resulting response determines the direction & pace value created thenceforth.

Conclusion
S.E.T. the motivational address accordingly. Extend the limits of your comfort zone. Assess baseline performance versus ideal performance. The 75% self evaluation points mentioned much earlier on, help measure where one stands. The remaining 25% points creating a 100% experience, comes from audience Feedback again in the form of Words, Tone & Energy. So, encourage them, to replicate Specific experience, not just use adjectives - good or fine etc. Get them to be Enthusiastic enough to stand up for their Dream Goals within Time Frame, thus the message gets delivered.

  

This is the post I wrote for James Malinchak Big Money Speaker Blog Contest and was selected as one of the finalists. The link can be viewed here.