Show, Don’t Tell Avoiding the Information Dump in Fiction

SHOW, DON’T TELL: AVOIDING THE INFORMATION DUMP IN FICTION The key to good fiction is giving your readers a reason to keep going — little mysteries and mini-conflicts that add suspense and create tension. After all, if you feel like you know everything about a character in the first few pages, is there any real reason to waste time finding out what will happen to him? Here’s what I mean: Pete works at a pharmacy. He’s in his mid-20s, and he loves Asian cuisine and professional wrestling. He lives with his mother, but he wants to move out on his own when he saves up the money. He likes a girl at work named Myrna, but he’s afraid to ask her out on a date. This is critical stuff: We have hints of a few conflicts: Pete is shy, but he’d like to go on a date with a coworker. He wants his own apartment, but he can’t afford it right now. And, we know a little about his interests and goals. But, it’s dull, dull, dull. It’s an information dump — in a rush to introduce Pete, we’ve put our readers into a coma. This one’s a little better: Pete set down his plate of teriyaki and stared at Myrna from across the break room. Even dressed in her white, polyester lab coat, she was stunning. I wonder if she likes wrestling, Pete thought. I’ve got two tickets to next week’s match. Maybe I should just ask her out. Just as friends. Oh, who am I kidding? I can’t even afford my own place  Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã‚  who wants to go out with a guy that still lives with his mother? Myrna looked up and met his gaze. Pete snatched a newspaper and opened it to a random page, trying to look casual. That’s when he saw the advertisement: â€Å"Wrestlers needed for amateur match. Saturday night. First prize $5,000.† The hints of conflict in the first version have become specific questions: Will Pete ask Myrna on a date? Will he put on tights, get in the ring, and win first prize? Focus on showing — revealing details through a character’s speech, thoughts, and actions —  rather than simply telling the reader what’s important.

Symbolic Interactionism Essays

Symbolic Interactionism Essays Symbolic Interactionism Paper Symbolic Interactionism Paper Symbolic Interactionism is and American branch of Sociology and its founder is George Herbert Mead. Symbolic interactionsim explains social actions in terms of the meanings that individuals give to them. They tend to focus on small-scale interactions rather than large-scale. Mead divided his studies into three core elements of symbolic interactionsim; the symbol, the self and the interaction. Symbols In Meads view, anything which humans do is essentially social and this owes to the fact that humans interact through a number of symbols, most of which are contained in a language. A symbol can define objects and events in a particular way and indicates a response to them. Symbols impose specific meanings to objects/events to avoid confusion. For example the chair can be of metal or wood, it can be used to sit or assault someone but its name it will still be chair even though it is different in each case. Symbols provide a way through which humans can interact with their natural and social environment. They are human-made and they refer to the ways in which people perceive them. Symbols are necessary to guide human interactions and behaviours. Therefore people classify the world around them so as to define both the stimuli and their response to them. Role-Taking Symbols are only useful when they are shared amongst many members of a society otherwise communication is impossible. In order to accomplish human interaction, the people must interpret the meanings and intentions of others. This is possible through common symbols and what Mead called role-taking. This process involves one person imaginatively placing themselves in the position of the person with whom they are interacting so as to understand that persons intentions. On the basis of this interpretation they will make response to the action of the other. For example when a person waves his hand, the second person interprets this gesture as a greeting or a goodbye wave so he/she waves back. Therefore human interaction can be seen as a continuous process of interpretation, with each person taking the role of the other. The Self Mead argued that through the process of role-taking individuals develop a concept of self. By placing themselves in the position of others they are able to look back upon themselves. Symbolic Interactionism How Social Order, Is Possible According To George Herbert Mead’s Symbolic Interactionism Perspective To achieve social order in society, individuals assume that they understand the modes of interactions made by other people so they conduct themselves in a calm way. People assume that they know how other people expect to be treated for instance. This in turn provides a kind of regulation of how people should behave. On a large scale, this translates to order in the society since possible conflicts are now avoided due to that mutual understanding that the other person expects me to treat him or her in a certain way for me to get the same type of treatment from them. There are certain symbols that everyone in the society relates to that connect us to other people. Language as one of these symbols enhances communication among people. Communication is a vital element of conflict resolution and in turn contributes to social order. According to Mead’s theory of Symbolic Interactionism, there are several ascribed meanings that human beings relate to irrespective of their background. There are concepts and objects that have some ascribed meanings connecting all people. An example of these is liberty. Liberty is an ideal that advocates for the freedom of people across all origins. When people from different backgrounds meet for example, they could relate to this concept as a way of identifying the similarity in their culture. This in turn contributes to social order. A merger of individual interpretations of distinct concepts and ideals also contributes to social harmony. When people gather and share their views of certain things, their minds are opened to new things that they had not thought of before. People also share their experiences of how they learnt of something the hard way and use this to advise others against doing some things. These kinds of interactions lead to understanding between people lead ing to peace and order in the society (Ridener, 2007). The Concepts of â€Å"The Self, Self-Interaction, the Development of the Self, And Symbolic Meaning Mead says that there is a special connection between the ‘self’ and the mind of any individual. During our interactions with others, we are socially developed and we give others the first impression of who we really are. Similarly, we also make first impressions of the people we talk to everyday. It is through our interactions with others that we get to understand ourselves and create an impression of ourselves. While creating an impression of ourselves, we also get to know how other people perceive us. These two perceptions of ourselves make us behave in an expected way that in turn enhances our interactions with others. Enhanced interaction leads to peace and harmony in the society (Ridener, 2007). Self-interaction refers to the way we connect what we perceive of ourselves to what other people perceive of us. We should be in a position to reconcile the two in cases where they differ from what we expect. Once an individual is at ease with what others perceive of him and what he perceives of himself, he is in a better position to be at peace with others since there is no point of conflict between him and the others. The symbolic meaning refers to the perceptions of particular concepts or objects that are shared by many people. These meanings bind people together towards a common course for example peace and cooperation. This collective nature of understanding contributes to harmony in the society. References Ridener, L. R. (2007). George Hebert Mead. In Pfeiffer.edu. Retrieved from http://media.pfeiffer.edu/lridener/dss/Mead/MINDSELF.HTML

How to Write a Concept Paper on Infection

How to Write a Concept Paper on Infection Concept Paper on Infection Purpose of a concept paper on infection How to start the paper How to write the thesis statement How to write the introduction Tips on how to write the introduction and thesis How to write body paragraphs Tips on body writing How to finish the essay Tips on conclusion writing Tips on revision Outline sample Concept paper on Infection (Sample) Purpose of writing a concept paper on infection Concept papers, alternatively known as proposals, are summaries of issues or projects that mirror the interests, expertise, and experience of the writer or organization. Concept papers are written with the purpose of providing a detailed discussion of a subject that the writer firmly believes in, usually with the intention of acquiring funding for that specific project. The phrases â€Å"proposal† and â€Å"concept paper† are often utilized interchangeably because they serve the same purpose. Concept papers can further be utilized as instructional tools that have developed from extensive research, outcomes of a current project, or a committee input. Added to offering guidance for the execution of a program, such papers can also discuss philosophies, best practices, and other related matters that the writer strongly believes in. How to start the paper As you start composing your concept paper on Infection, make sure your chosen topic adheres to the assignment requirements. Carefully go over your topic and ask your instructor for feedback whenever you feel uncertain. Choose a topic that genuinely interests you. It might seem rather obvious, but choosing a topic that you are truly interested in makes the research process more engaging and fun. Upon the selection of your desired topic, conduct extensive research; this is advantageous as it helps you build your chosen topic or alter it in ways that are more fitting. Even though conducting extensive research seems like additional work, it is an advantageous and a time-saving step. Upon the completion of the steps mentioned above, you can now start off your essay by composing an introduction (your paper’s first section which identifies where and how your mission and the funder’s mission align or intersect). After composing your introduction, you will then compose your pape r’s body-paragraphs, which are your paper’s building blocks as they represent distinct logical steps within your whole argument. Lastly, once you have successfully composed your body-paragraphs, you will compose your conclusion which summarizes your paper and states its significance. How to write the thesis statement After choosing your topic and sorting your ideas into relevant categories, you must then create your thesis. Your thesis statement is written in aims of telling your reader what your paper’s main point is. Your thesis statement will be separated into two sections. The first section will state your topic whereas the second section will state your paper’s main point. A perfect, standard place to assert your thesis is at the end of your introductory paragraph. Readers normally find theses there; therefore, they pay special attention when reading your introduction’s last sentence. How to write the introduction The introduction, your paper’s first section should incorporate some information concerning the funding agency. Here, you must reveal that you have conducted extensive research and you now fully understand the funding agency’s mission and the kinds of projects supported by them. You then need to identify the agency represented by you and how its mission and the funding agency’s mission mesh. Tips on how to write the introduction and thesis Start off broad then narrow down: Concisely describe your concept paper then narrow down to your particular focus. State the importance and aims: Show your paper’s importance and say what you desire to attain. Keep your introduction short: Try and avoid long introductions. Ensure your thesis is focused and specific. How to write body paragraphs The body paragraphs of your perfect paper will explain your topic. Each body paragraph contains the same structure. As your introductory sentence, begin by writing one of your key ideas. Next, in sentence form, write your supporting ideas but leave four to five lines which you will fill with detailed examples to support your position. Fill these spaces with reasonable information which will link your ideas together. Tips on body writing Begin with a clear topic sentence. Incorporate supporting detail and specific evidence. Cohesion and unity. Transitions between your sentences and your paragraphs must be seamless. A concluding sentence that successfully ties everything together and closes the paragraph. How to finish the essay Your conclusion summarizes and wraps up your overall ideas, all the while giving a final standpoint on your topic. Your conclusion is composed of three to five sentences. Compose your conclusion by reviewing your main points and providing reinforcements of your thesis. Tips on conclusion writing Make it brief. Use your introduction as your guide. Do not add any new information here. Summarize your paper. Make any necessary or beneficial disclaimers. Tips on revision Check En Dashes, Hyphens, and Em Dashes. Mixing up En dashes (–), Hyphens (-), and Em dashes (- ) is easy as they all look alike. Thoroughly check your document for every instance of dash usage and pay attention to hyphenated phrases. Check spelling: Check your word processor’s language setting and ensure the language is consistent throughout. Check headings and formatting: Ensure they are formatted consistently. Check for grammar and syntax errors. Ensure spelling and capitalizations are consistent. Outline sample I. Introduction Sentence capturing your reader’s interest One-Two sentence declaration (thesis statement) II. Body Paragraphs Objectives and Goals/Research Questions Timelines and Methodology Anticipated Outcomes/Benefits III. Conclusion Costs and support needed Concept Paper on Infection (Sample) I. Introduction Nairobi took a major hit when the main clinic went on strike due to a cholera outbreak. As an individual who regularly visits the clinic for my dialysis, I was disgusted by the clinic’s unkempt state, sewage flowing into the facility, and the overall untidiness of our main clinical facility, which I believe contributed to the cholera outbreak. II. Body paragraphs 1st body-paragraph Truth be told, nobody takes a town that cannot handle its waste disposal and waste management seriously. If one wants his/her local authority to remain strong, he/she cannot issue mandates from a flood of overflowing sewage and empty medicine boxes. I believe I can be of great assistance in helping Nairobi’s main clinic regain its authority. With assistance from my crew, we will jointly weather the insults, break strike lines, and ensure our clinical facility is spotless. 2nd body paragraph First, my crew and I will hit the commonly utilized areas – the consultation room, the hallways and elevators, the wards, and the kitchen area – and then shift to the lesser-utilized areas like the pharmacy and storerooms. Our licensed cleaners and trash haulers will clear out the sewage and move the trash to a landfill in neighboring Mombasa, where it will be properly disposed. 3rd body paragraph Upon the completion of the cleaning process, we will ensure the facility remains spotless during the strike. We will even go further and collect the remnants left by daily protestors. Nobody feels comfortable walking through empty Styrofoam cups and dropped picket signs. Once the hospital strike ends, we will stop our interim services and allow the hospital sanitation to resume its duties. III. Conclusion For this beneficial and timely service, we are only asking for a nominal $3000 fee weekly. This is less compared to what the clinic spends on its sanitation services. In return, my crew and I will provide the tidiest, cleanest facility seen by the city since the strike began. As a regular patient at the clinic for my weekly scheduled dialysis and a local business owner, the cholera outbreak has greatly affected me along with other patients. I would be highly honored to make our main clinical facility clean again.

Statistics and Data Interpretation Project Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

And Data Interpretation - Statistics Project Example It will show: systolic BP and diastolic BP taken from the same set of subjects either while supine or standing. 2). Using Excel, calculate three new columns, giving for each subject their MABP supine and standing and their increase in MABP when standing rather than lying supine. From the new columns, again using Excel, calculate, for the whole class, and for males and females separately, the mean, SD and SEM for MABP for supine and standing positions and for the increase in MABP. You do not need to print your columns of raw data. Present all these summaries, including the numbers of subjects and units of measurement, in a single table. It should also include a title and a legend which states briefly how the experimental data were obtained (i.e. summarises what was done in the practical). Round the values up to an appropriate number of decimal places. 3). Complement the numerical statistics with a graphical display: From the MABP increase values, construct a grouped frequency table for the whole class, showing the frequency and percentage frequency at 5 mmHg intervals. Remember that % values should add up to 100. Draw by hand the histogram. It is normal in biosciences for these to be plotted as percentage frequency, NOT % freq density. Remember to label the axes and intervals and include a title or legend so that the graph is readily understandable. [4 marks] 4). Perform a t-test to compare the two positions for the whole class with respect to mean arterial blood pressure. Are the differences significant? Marks will be deducted for not explaining your choice of test or your conclusions, for not showing your working or for serious errors in calculation. The data will be provided separately as an Excel spreadsheet entitled ‘renal data’ on the 4BBY1060 module website ‘Coursework’ tab. It will show: average urine flow rate over 120 min, and average urine osmolality over

How useful is the Concept of Self Esteem For Supporting Students With Essay

How useful is the Concept of Self Esteem For Supporting Students With Special education Needs - Essay Example This assignment will firstly, begin by my stating my approach to learning about this topic before I joined the course, followed by what I learned about this topic during the course. These two section will be generally based upon personal self-reflection. The next section is academic, as I survey the literature surrounding the topic of self-esteem with regards to special needs students. This is followed by my observations about personal development, and how this impacts self-esteem. The last section is the conclusion, in which all these concepts are drawn together What do Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell, Walt Disney, Whoopi Goldberg and Tom Cruise have in common? Of course, they are all famous people. However, only a few people know that they all suffered from dyslexia, a disability associated with difficulty in reading and spelling words. Albert Einstein was known to suffer from dyslexia mainly because of his bad memory and his constant failure to memorize the simplest of things. Alexander Graham Bell had poor grades. Walt Disney suffered from reading difficulties. Whoopi Goldberg had a lot of difficulty in school and Tom Cruise suffered from abuse as a child, and was also a victim of bullying in school, both of which were partially because he suffered from dyslexia. (Disabled World, 2008). However, they all overcame their disabilities to play a major role in the area of knowledge and entertainment. They refused to let their disabilities define them. They are all examples of individuals who overcame disabilities, partially because of their reliance upon their own self-esteem. When we have a positive self-esteem, we are capable of doing more things and can serve as an inspiration to others. Though there is a feeling sadness and being down, it is just but normal, yet, we must not allow it to define ourselves. We should learn to maximize our level of confidence, because if we feel good

Evaluation of a Membership Card Design Essay Example for Free

Evaluation of a Membership Card Design Essay * If Mr Patel wanted he can put a photo of the member on the membership card I left a space on the membership card for Mr Patel to stick on a photo for the member if he wishes to do this, he can stick a passport size photo of the member. * The membership card must look bright I have met this by using very bright colours to make the membership card, I have used light blue to make the membership card look bright, this makes the membership card stand out. * The membership card must look attractive I have met this by adding colour on the membership card, I have used bright colours and made the font size big, so that the membership card stands out and looks attractive. * The title, Member name, Member ID, logo and the must be on the membership card I have met this by adding the fields for the title, First name, surname and member ID on the membership card and by adding the logo on the membership card. * The system must be made in a way that the details of the members are inputted automatically on the membership card I have met this by using the fields from the members table, and put them on the membership card, by doing this the system will automatically input the details on the membership card, when the phone number of the member is entered * The members table should be linked to the loans table in order to link the loans with the members. I have done this as the loans table and members table are linked together through relationships in Microsoft access, so that all the information in different databases can be searched in one query. * Some of the fields in the tables must be validated in order to accept reasonable or valid data. I have met this by validating some of the fields, so if a user enters invalid data an error message will come up on eh screen telling the user that invalid data is entered. * The Member ID field must be the key field. I have met this by making the Member ID field the fey field, and I have made this field as an auto number so that the number will be computer generated, so that nothing else can be entered in this field * There must be a command button linking back to the main page. I have met this by putting a back button on all of my forms so that by pressing this button, it will allow the user to go back to the main page. * There must be a command button letting you add a new Member. I have met this by putting a button on my members form that allows the user to add a member by just a click of a button. * There must be a command button letting you delete a member. I have met this by putting a button on my members form that allows the user to delete a member by just a click of a button. * There must be a command button letting you save a new member. I have met this by adding a button on the members form, which allows the user save a member, by just clicking the button * The parameter Query should ask a question regarding the telephone number of a member I have met this by inputting a criteria for the parameter query which is: [Please enter your telephone number] this will ask the user what the telephone number of the member is. * All the forms in the system must look identical. I have met this by using the same header for every form; by using the same logo, by putting the businesses name on the every form, and using the same background colour for every form. * There must be a command button letting you add a video. I have met this by putting a command button on the videos form, to let the user add a video by clicking a button * There must be a command button letting you delete a video. I have met this by putting a command button on the videos form, to let the user delete a video by clicking a button * There must be a command button letting you save a video. I have met this by putting a command button on the videos form, to let the user save a video by clicking a button * The Videos table must be linked to the loans table. I have done this as the loans table and videos table are linked together through relationships in Microsoft access, so that all the information in different databases can be searched in one query. * The Videos database table must have the field headings; Video ID, Video title, Genre, Rating, and the format. I have done this by making the titles of the table the ones that are listed above. The reason why I have done this is because it makes the system very easy to understand as these field headings are self-explanatory * The system must look attractive I have done this by inserting logos of the business, and changing the background of the form to yellow which makes it look very attractive, I have also changed all the font colours in these forms to orange, to make it look attractive. * The video ID must be set as a key field I have met this by making the Video ID field the fey field, and I have made this field as an auto number so that the number will be computer generated, so that nothing else can be entered in this field * The system must be easy to understand/Use I have met this by using simple words for the headings of each table, I have kept it as simple as possible so that Mr Patel would not get too complicated for Mr Patel. I have also labelled every command button. There are also different command buttons to do different jobs. * The parameter query should look up the correct information. I have met this by putting the parameter queries in square brackets, this will work when the question of the parameter query is put in squared brackets. * The information about the members and the videos must be present in the query I have met this by inputting all the fields for the videos and members in the query. I have done this so that the user would know the name of the member who has overdue videos. * The mail merge letter must have the details of the members I have done this by including all the fields of the members in the letter, so that it would be easy for the user to tell who the letter is for * Their must be a template created of the mail merge letter. I have met this by creating a template for the letter before actually making the mail merge; this would help the user so that he would not have to retype the letter every time. * The system must show the correct people who have overdue loans I have achieved this by making a query which shows all the members information and all the loans information, when the parameter query is filled in, it will show all the people who have overdue videos * The system must show the loan details I have done this by inputting all the loans fields on the table, so that it shows all the loans information on the table. * The parameter query must ask a question regarding when the loan was due back. I have met this by inputting a parameter query which will ask the user for todays date, it will be put in squared brackets and will look like this: [Please enter today date?] * The system should be made in a way that it is reusable I have achieved this by inputting parameter queries that can be reused for example please enter todays date using this question the system will be reusable. * The mail merge letter must look formal I have achieved this by using the correct font for my letter, as I have also inserted Mr Patels signature on the letter, and have used an appropriate font for this. Overall I believe that I successfully met all my performance criteria in creating this database. I also believe that I dont need to do any major corrections to my system.

Frankenstein Speech Outline :: Mary Shelley Shelly

Frankenstein Speech Outline Introduction What happens when you abandon somebody that you use to care for so dearly? Are they mad and want revenge because of this or do they keep on living their life? In the story Frankenstein by Mary Shelly, Robert Walton, the captain of a ship bound for the North Pole, recounts, to his sister back in England the progress of his dangerous mission. Successful early on, the mission is soon interrupted by seas full of impassable ice. Trapped, Walton encounters Victor Frankenstein, who has been traveling by dog-drawn sledge across the ice and is weakened by the cold. Walton takes him aboard ship, helps nurse him back to health, and hears the fantastic tale of the monster that Frankenstein created and abandon. The monster in Frankenstein goes through a lot of phases and changes and has traits such as being confused, sad, evil, good, and depressed. In the story Frankenstein, it suggests that people must take responsibility for what they do. (First, let’s talk about the very beginning of the monster’s life) Body I. Monster’s misunderstood by everybody. He doesn’t understand why people didn’t like him at first, until later on in his wandering. Making him confused and depressed all of the time because of this reason. A. People run away in fear of him, or try to kill him to get rid of him. Even his creator abandoned him. Everybody won’t give him chance to be understood, he is a mystery to everybody, representing the question marks going down the face for his confusion. 1. I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked, and trampled on. (115) This line evokes the motif of abortion: the monster is an unwanted life, a creation abandoned and shunned by his creator. 2. The monster Frankenstein travels alone by himself a lot so no one hurting or screaming at him since he is the eight-foot-tall, hideously ugly creation that everybody runs in fear of. The monster clearly understands later on in the story his position in the world, the tragedy of his existence and abandonment by his creator. 2 3. The monster assists a group of poor peasants and saves a girl from drowning, but because of his outward appearance, he is rewarded only with beatings and disgust. Making him having to fight back and run away. B. Wants to be loved and taken care of, he also wanted to know his purpose in life and why was he created.