Can’t think of how to write what you want to say?
Well, the secret is to write those words how you would describe the particular issue or topic to someone else.
This is what you should remember every time you hit a stumbling block.
Although, that does not mean, write in slang or put a lot of colloquialisms into your writing, but insert formal and sophisticated language where appropriate.
Good luck.
Tomorrow leaves one week to the final at the Alma Lodge Hotel, Stockport.
Firstly I want to give a mention to Manchester United who narrowly beat a very spirited Blackburn Rovers 2-1 at Old Trafford. And thanks to our rivals Manchester City we now sit eight points clear at the top of the league.
Our goal difference is also superior by ten goals. This is yet another outstanding achievement, considering that the Reds went through a run of successive single goal victories. Blackburn are too good to go down but look what happened to West Ham United when they were relegated.
I am pleased to see that Rooney has scored back to back goals because once more goals come he will be close to becoming a complete player, although there is always room for improvement for some aspects of any footballer’s game.
Then there is Cristiano Ronaldo. He got booked for diving and could have well been sent off for a stupid lunge on David Dunn. But this is what makes Ronaldo special. He scored a sensational free kick from a very tight position just left off the outside of the area.
I thought that I had finished making any more amendments to my speech. In case you have not read my previous blog post I am discussing why I think that there should be a review of how Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is distributed to students in state schools and sixth form colleges.
Because Cleland has qualifications in Speech and Drama and Public Speaking I have asked him for constant feedback on my two previous speeches. For some daft reason, I often anxiously refresh my Google mail account if I am expecting an important email.
His feedback was that it was good. He liked the human example and said some of my otherr content was excellent.
But he had reservations about my technical information about EMA. I agreed with him. I had reservations when I was typing the speech too.
As I am reading the speech, editing is being made. I am amending the Microsoft Word text. I think I have covered every angle. There will be no more amendments by me personally. Although Mr Birch may decide some omissions and or additions are necessary.
I have finally completed the additions to my speech for the semi-final of the Rotarians Public Speaking Competition this Wednesday.
My speech is about why I believe that there should be a review of Education Maintenance Allowance payments.
If have been really trying to put together what I think may be a winning speech, with a mixture of humorous, memorable and serious content. After all there is no point selecting a topic that at least three people are bound to choose.
The best four speakers attend the final at the Alma Lodge Hotel, Stockport where a meal will be served that is made even better by the fact that you can invite your own guests (FREE OF CHARGE).
I really hope that I can be there. What ever happens, I have really tried my best.
Today is the end of what has been quite an eventful day.
I have enjoyed keeping up to date with current affairs and being immersed in my reading and writing. Not to forget that I also managed to stay ahead of the deadline for editing college magazine articles.
With certain things you are more than capable of doing them if you really encourage yourself to and invisage the positive outcome.
Gerry replied to my amended version of the articles and said”it will do nicely.”
I hint that he was quietly pleased that I had made this article work.
Off to town. Portraits and a haircut.
I will enjoy reading more of The Age of Turbulence and the Advertiser.
There is no substitute for learning different things everyday.
The greatest thing about learning is when you gain a personal understanding of something.
You can tell yourself: “Yes I understand” that and can apply what you have learnt when it needs to be applied.
Gerry sent me an email saying that my exclusive interview had to be relevant to North and East Manchester. Rusholme is in North West England, about two miles south of Manchester city centre according to my very trustworthy source of Wikipedia.
I fall into the trap of not always checking whether the story links to North and East Manchester before proceeding. I seem to forget that I have a huge pool for story ideas since the newspaper represents not only all the areas in North Manchester, but areas in East Manchester too. 17 different areas to be precise.
With my new found resilience I decided to go back to the drawing board. Because with anything, before you try to tackle the eventual complexities and become really skilled at something, you have to understand the basic fundamentals that make way for the complexities to exist.
I ended up typing “How to write for a local newspaper.http://ezinearticles.com/?How-to-Write-News-Articles-for-Your-Local-Newspaper—Four-Things-Freelancers-Must-Know&id=439821
What Nazvi Careem said made sense, but I am not sure whether his E-book tips on making a shed load of money as a freelance writer is totally accurate.
I knew how to do this but wanted to learn and read.
I emailed Paul and explained the situation as clearly as I could.
He understood that I needed to link the story to who the paper represents:
“Wright Robinson High School, based in East Manchester, send pupils who don’t attend school to our Schools Non-Attenders Project (SNAP) for support in continuing their education. Young people who attend SNAP receive GCSE Math and English, PHSE & Citizenship sessions and activities, plus work experience. We will be working more closely with the school in the coming months.”
This is my edited version:
“Wright Robinson Sports College based in Gorton send pupils who don’t attend school to Trinity House Community Resource Centre’s Schools Non-Attenders Project (SNAP) for support in continuing their education. Young people who attend SNAP receive GCSE Mathematics and English, PHSE & Citizenship sessions and activities, plus work experience. Paul Mattis, Community Development Manager of Trinity House Community Resource Centre, Rusholme says that ‘Trinity House will be working more closely with the school in the coming months.”
I then began to edit my questions and the answers he had given me. Too much perfectionism isn’t good but then I began to understand the importance of impeccable grammar.
I must have proof read the exclusive interview text several times.
I emailed Gerry the final draft with a picture of Trinity House. I urge him to use it. I want to start including pictures with my stories.
Another eventful day.
For a second successive month, Cleland has included me in the ’success story’ part of his newsletter:
Mentor student Samson Dada has had several articles published in his local paper:
http://www.nemadvertiser.co.uk/news/s/1092302_future_hopes_now_rest_with_president_obama
http://www.nemadvertiser.co.uk/news/s/1093758_how_important_is_junior_football
http://www.nemadvertiser.co.uk/news/s/1096534_church_will_go_in_peace
To think I have only been writing articles regularly since the start of this year.
After completing my Government and Politics essay stating the case against reforming the electoral system, I am now nearing the end of my academic tasks, but there is still more to do.
I must type a major Sociology essay assessing the Marxist view that the role of the education system is to reproduce and justify the existing class structure.
Plus, my speech calling for a review of how EMA payments are distributed needs to be altered with the new points; and I must familiarise myself as much as I can with the speech before the semi-final next Wednesday.
I really want to reach the final.
Before I did that I watched live footage on MSNBC of President Barack Obama signing his $787bn economic stimulus package. Why did he have to use several pens? I think I know the answer but have yet to work it out yet. It is probably an obvious reason.
I have never seen a politician that has put so much on the line.
He seems so confident his plan will work but its effect will probably be minimal.
I think because of the deficit what Obama has tried to do is shove in health care and energy investments, because he has promised to address the deficit later and reign in spending.
He is adopting a Reagan tactic where he raised taxes for a while and then cut taxes. I do not think he may be able to pass a huge health bill, or do anything much with regard to creating a self-reliance culture on producing energy.
Whatever success comes from this bill will not only depend on what is stimulative but how much is directed at short-term and long-term results. It’s all a philosophical way of looking at the economy. You could say let’s act now to stop unemployment rates and home foreclosures, but fail to safeguard such things happening in the next decade.
Or you could slowly prepare for the long-term and lose sight of jobs being lost everyday.
The balance is difficult.
Received an email from Gerry.
He says that he will try and publish my article this week. If not, the following week.
I like Obama the man, but I am having a few issues with Obama the President.
He may be looking more like a one term Jimmy Carter everyday, but then again Carter was unlucky.
Isn’t Obama adding to the deficit by sending 17,000 additional troops to Afghanistan?
When I am indoors I never get bored.
Mary Jo Campbell sent me an email saying that I provided “spectacular answers to my interview questions. It looks like we will be using this Q&A in our Young Authors Success Corner in the March 1, 2009 issue of the Capitol City Young Writers Newsletter.”
I also received a forwarded message from Verna Dreisbach of Dreisbach Literary Management,”she offers professional representation for distinctive voices with a diverse range of both fiction and non-fiction interests.” Her picture is quite alluring.
I said to Mary Jo that she should have to spread the word about me in America.
She reckons I am going places.
I remain modest. Writing is a gift for everyone.
I may drop Verna a line before my day is over.
I do not know how I managed to do it but I finished my college magazine article.
My instincts were spot on and I was right to check the name from a veryvague: ‘Saving our press’ to ‘Paper or Paperless.’
I have not only edited the articles for tomorrow’s deadline but Monday’s.
I wish some of the writers would implement basic presentation into their work.
Ever seen ‘text wrapping’ to neatly position pictures?
Updated latest article to site and devised a list of contacts for potential Advertiser stories along with several other mini tasks.
Paul Mattis, Community Development Manager at Trinity House Community Resource Centre came good with our exclusive interview questions.
RBS Cuts Staff Bonuses From £2.5bn To £175m
Even if the government miraculously wiped out our debts, the electorate may not even care that a Labour government did it.
But why are we less placed to handle the recession than US when our deficit is in the early billions and America have a near double digit trillion dollar deficit?
Here are some excerpts from an unexpected letter I received this morning:
Dear Parent/Guardian
The Government and Politics Department is organising a trip to St Anne’s College Oxford for AS Politics and Economics students on Saturday 14th Philosophy, Politics and Economics course.
I’m sure you’ll agree that this is an excellent opportunity for our outstanding students both to find out about the course and to visit Oxford University in term time.
We have selected th0se students who have been identified as Gifted and Talented by Xaverian as a result of their GCSE profile, and who also have a natural aptitude and good grasp of one or both 0f these subjects.
I was thinking of a title for today’s blog post and decided to call it ‘The Voice.’
Why?
Today I have just been very impressed by the way I have articulately presented my ideas whether through the written word or the spoken word.
As I have said before, I absolutely love when Thursday comes around. I usually have my latest publication released, independent study (If you want to be formal) in the morning and then another free period after lunch.
Worked further on History essay titled: Do you agree with the view that Mary Seacole, and not Florence Nightingale, was the real ‘angel of mercy’ during the Crimean War?
In Government and Politics, filled in disadvantages of referendums.
Yet again, I contributed with an original point.
“Government decides the timing and issue which can be manipulated to suit them.”
Looking at nature of representation, three types of model and analysing all major UK referendums.
Given essay tips in Sociology.
Pleased that lesson finished very early as I could work on essay.Had lunch with me so there was no problem regarding those arrangements.
Few hours later done. Finished.
Rushed over to library to print it.
Back and forth looking for Mr Gregory.
Told he would return at 3 pm.
Handed in work. Got fruit and a few Subway cookies.
Significantly cut down on sugar, but thought I would get this as a little snack. There are not enough fruits for snacks.
English involved looking at Wide Sargasso Sea.
At times I felt it was a lesson between I and Miss Bailey, I was very impressive and I do not normally such things about myself.
Credit where credit is due.
Funny end of lesson.
I, Gemma, Rabia and Huma drawing on board. Only we understand the pictures!
There is an Asian woman that likes to get on the bus stand and rant about her life. Only problem is no one can hear her.
She was getting abused- but she is a very annoying women.
Could analyse more but I suppose not.
She read my Mr Rochester love letter to Jane and I read her story from the view of Jane herself.
She could not stop laughing!
Pleased I am adapting writing to different things.
Looking forward to holiday.
Work, keeping up to date with current affairs, reading more of great books, Advertiser publication, special journalism and making new contacts.
I think I have missed some stuff out.
I remembered.
I thought the list looked bare.
Only the small matters of editing several articles for the college magazine, typing my public speaking speech, learning the bulk of it and practicising my delivery.
I do not want to relax just because I have one week off.
Getting stuff do will ease relaxation.
I remembered something else.
Sitting down and seeing whether I can realistically be involved with Youth Parliament.
I think there is room for one project.
This room will be important over the coming week.
I call it “The News Desk” or “Media Laboratory.”
I was going to say this is where the magic happens, but I heard the phrase used some many times, some in strange contexts.
The images it conjures can be better described in another way.
Funny how the picture is of Nightingale.
I don’t think she is the angle of mercy. Seacole is.
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