How to Write Juicy Short-Story Introductions

The introduction for a short story should always be juicy...

It should give the reader enough incentive to go on. Oftentimes, the reader asks herself "What is in it for me?"

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It is your job, as the writer, to answer that question. Whether or not she will proceed with reading your story depends on how well you answer that question.

How to Write Juicy Short-Story Introductions

The awful truth is that no matter how fabulous your story is, if your introduction is lame, your readers won't go further than the first few paragraphs. So it is definitely something you should not overlook.

A juicy introduction is one that...

captivates the mind of the reader. promises a lot of good things. witty, yes, but not too complex.

Check out the following introductory paragraph of a story:

Once upon a time, there lived a little boy whose name was Bill. He lived in a town called Happy Town. The town was full of happy people. His family was also a happy one. Their home was warm, cosy and happy. The school he went to was called Happy Days Primary School.

After reading this paragraph, how much enthusiasm do you have to go on reading? The very first sentence almost bored me to tears. "Once upon a time" used to be a very cool phrase in the past, but let's get real-it has become a mere cliche nowadays, and hardly anyone uses it anymore, unless, of course, you are into writing stories for very young children...

The phrase "Once upon a time" also suggests that what follows is extremely fictitious and quite off from reality. Modern short story writing has become more and more about realism and about the oft unresolved problems that face humanity. So if you write about issues that affect people-day to day issues that they wrestle with, I reckon that they will be more inclined to read...

True, fairy tales have their own allure, but life is anything but a fairy tale nowadays and unless someone is in the mood, they will just yawn and close the book. But if you promise something that is a bit more realistic, someone may read a few more paragraphs, or sentences.

A juicy introduction screams "read more!!!" and it is so subtly alluring that the reader will find herself reading more without even realizing it. If someone has to labour on to read your story, it is not good. They have all the reason to toss it aside and pick up their TV remotes. In today's hectic world, people are usually busy or tired, so why make it harder for them by using unnecessarily big words or complex language? Furthermore, with time becoming ever so precious, you must convince your readers that your story is worth reading and won't be a waste of their time. And you must do that in your first few sentences.

By all means, lay off the cliches and trite phrases. They will not win the reader's interest. Try witty expressions that leave readers hungering for more. Cleverly constructed sentences and phrases are hypnotising and people easily fall in love with them. How easy is it to hypnotise the reader with "Once upon a time?" unless you use real magic, maybe...

So let us juice things up a bit on our paragraph. Let's kick out the proverbial "Once upon a time."(Sorry if you have fallen in love with it, but it has to go...):

Bill Happy was a happy kid-a very happy kid indeed....

The question that is ringing in your head is probably: "What the heck was he so happy about?" So your automatic reaction will be to read the next sentence and find out. You get the secret now, don't you? Leave the reader hungering and thirsting for more; don't give out everything at once. Consider the introduction as the desert-whets people's appetite for the main meal, which in this case is the body of the story.

Now the paragraph get's even more interesting:

He had everything a kid his age would want-a wonderful, loving family; good friends; and he went to a happy little school called Happy Days Primary School. He lived in a happy town full of happy people. The neighbourhood he lived in was happy and peaceful. But above all, his home was happy and cosy.

At this point the reader is exclaiming: "Come on, there is no place on earth were people are so happy!" Ah, she is probably right, but hey, you aroused her interest. She really wants to know why these guys are so happy and so she reads on. And, wait for it...

Bingo! Your story is read!

Remember your most powerful weapon-the first sentence. Notice the following introductory sentences in LJ Kundananji's stories:

"She was everything that I dreamt of-everything." -Lost Dream

"Esnart and I had decided to rendezvous at the end of the corridor-the high way." -She stood waiting

"When he left, he left without saying goodbye-or at least not in the manner he should have."-Forgotten.

"There were five girls crowded in the little room."- Girl Power

"Lewis hurled a stone into the Gomer Lakes."- Can't Live Without you

To read these and more of LJ Kundananji's stories, visit http://www.writing-lovers.com

All the above introductory sentences have one thing in common: they arouse curiosity. Who was she that was everything he dreamt of? For what purpose had they agreed to rendezvous? Why is this guy regretting not having said goodbye? Why are these five girls crowded in the little room? For what reason is Lewis hurling a stone into the Gomer lakes?

The only way that the reader can find out is to read more. By all means arouse curiosity, and more curiosity...

Do you see how powerful an introduction is? Do you? Good...then you are on your way to writing juicy introductions. If you do that, more people will read your stories, no matter how boring they are!!!

How to Write Juicy Short-Story Introductions

Michael Sinkolongo

I assist writers to write with feeling and infuse their work with passion and flair.

http://www.writing-lovers.com

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Report Writing - How to Format a Business Report

Introduction

Report writing is a time consuming business so it is a great shame if, having devoted all that time to writing your report, the quality is such that hardly anyone can be bothered to read it. Quite frankly, most report readers do not actually read all the report; they are too short of time. You might as well know it and accept it -- that is normal. They only read the parts that interest them. Frequently these are the summary, the conclusions and recommendations.

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Of course, some readers do need all the details you so carefully included, they are specialists, but most do not. Most readers just need two things: that the information they want is where they expect it to be so they can find it, and that it is written clearly so that they can understand it.

Report Writing - How to Format a Business Report

It is similar to reading a newspaper. You expect the news headlines to be on the front page; the sports coverage to be at the back; the TV listings on page whatever and the editorial comment in the middle. If what you want is not in its usual place then you have to hunt for it and you may get irritated. So it is with a report.

There is a convention as to what goes where. Stick with the convention and please your readers. Break the convention and people may get slightly irritated - and bin your report.

So what is that convention, the standard format?

Standard Sections

Title Section. In a short report this may simply be the front cover. In a long one it could also include Terms of Reference, Table of Contents and so on.

Summary. Give a clear and very concise account of the main points, main conclusions and main recommendations. Keep it very short, a few percent of the total length. Some people, especially senior managers, may not read anything else so write as if it were a stand-alone document. It isn't but for some people it might as well be. Keep it brief and free from jargon so that anyone can understand it and get the main points. Write it last, but do not copy and paste from the report itself; that rarely works well.

Introduction. This is the first part of the report proper. Use it to paint the background to 'the problem' and to show the reader why the report is important to them. Give your terms of reference (if not in the Title Section) and explain how the details that follow are arranged. Write it in plain English.

Main Body. This is the heart of your report, the facts. It will probably have several sections or sub-sections each with its own subtitle. It is unique to your report and will describe what you discovered about 'the problem'.

These sections are most likely to be read by experts so you can use some appropriate jargon but explain it as you introduce it. Arrange the information logically, normally putting things in order of priority -- most important first. In fact, follow that advice in every section of your report.

You may choose to include a Discussion in which you explain the significance of your findings.

Conclusions. Present the logical conclusions of your investigation of 'the problem'. Bring it all together and maybe offer options for the way forward. Many people will read this section. Write it in plain English. If you have included a discussion then this section may be quite short.

Recommendations. What do you suggest should be done? Don't be shy; you did the work so state your recommendations in order of priority, and in plain English.

Appendices. Put the heavy details here, the information that only specialists are likely to want to see. As a guide, if some detail is essential to your argument then include it in the main body, if it merely supports the argument then it could go in an appendix.

Conclusions and Recommendations

In conclusion, remember that readers expect certain information to be in certain places. They do not expect to hunt for what they want and the harder you make it for them the more likely they are to toss you report to one side and ignore it. So what should you do?

1. Follow the generally accepted format for a report: Summary, Introduction, Main Body, Conclusions, Recommendations and Appendices.
2. Organise your information in each section in a logical fashion with the reader in mind, usually putting things in order of priority - most important first.

Good luck with your report writing!

Author: Tony Atherton
© Tony Atherton 2005)

Report Writing - How to Format a Business Report

Tony Atherton is a freelance trainer and writer based in England. He has had four books published and about 90 of his articles have appeared in various magazines and journals. After an earlier career in industry he now runs in-company training courses in business writing, report writing (including technical reports) and taking minutes, as well as negotiation skills and time management. Over 6000 delegates have attended his courses. See http://www.tony-atherton.co.uk/reportwriting.htm for details of report writing courses, or see http://www.tony-atherton.co.uk for general information.

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Show And Tell - A Springboard For Math And Science Education

Before I started teaching, I imagined Show and Tell would consist of an interested group of young children listening politely to each other and passing items around with care. This assumption fell apart fairly quickly during my first year as a teacher. Although there were times that things ran smoothly, the problems with Show and Tell were many and I found myself avoiding the experience. Even four and five year old children competed about who brought the coolest things. The event became even less appealing as students wanted to have a turn playing with toys, bored children fidgeted, squirmed and lost interest or upset children disrupted the class routines as they tried to keep their items a secret. Show and Tell often became a weekly advertisement for the latest toy or fast food restaurant freebie.

Parents also complained of the stress of trying to remember Show and Tell days, of trying to help their child choose items to show or of dealing with indecisive children who wanted to bring something that would impress their classmates. Other parents took over the task completely, selecting objects and sending them with detailed notes to be read to the class or with instructions that no one was to touch the item nor was it to get broken. There had to be a better way.

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In an effort to make Show and Tell work for the students, for me, and for busy parents, I picked one day a week for the activity and scheduled it as part of my math and science time. Everyone in the class was asked to bring the same item each week. I usually brought a few extras for the few who forgot. Instead of using show and tell times to give children practice in public speaking, I scheduled different days for them to speak in front of the class about something they had recorded in their math and science journals.

Show And Tell - A Springboard For Math And Science Education

Parents received a letter explaining that the purpose of show and tell would be to extend the math, science and literacy programs by building vocabulary and practicing classification and comparative skills. The children were to have the responsibility of choosing the items, but from much narrower criteria.

The rules were: do not bring...
anything valuable, anything that could not be touched by all, or anything that would upset the student greatly if it got brokenanything alive, as students often have pet allergies and bugs in bottles are too often neglecteditems too large - ask - can they fit in a brown paper lunch bag? (exceptions here - books, and occasionally other items)toys - as they caused too many problems as mentioned previously

The parents were to remind their son or daughter to choose an item from the list, but not to interfere with their child's choice as long as it fit with the weekly list.

I also sent home a Show and Tell list for the whole year. This had a short note that suggested that the parents post the list on the fridge at their child's eye level, that they encourage the child to cross off each item weekly and to start looking for the next item, and that they remind the child to pack the item in their backpack the night before.

Classroom Show and Tell rules were: students were to bring the items into the class at the beginning of the day, label them with name tags (children have printed name tags in their take home boxes; tape is in most centers) and put them on the Show and Tell display table. The children were always very excited on Show and Tell mornings and I scheduled some free time for them to look at the items on the table and to tell a few classmates about their items.

Sample Show and Tell list

When creating a yearly Show and Tell list, put the date first, then the item to bring, illustrated with a simple drawing and finally a brief description of what the class activity will be. Keep the font large. Here is a sample from my list.

An apple (not for snack) - sorting, classifying and measurementSomething round - math vocabulary such as edges, face, circle, circular, classifying items by a variety of criteria such as size, color, materialA leaf - sorting shapes, colors, counting points, graphing similar types, tracing leaf shapes on papers and creating charts of similar and different leavesSomething shiny - comparison, vocabulary - reflection, reflect, testing (with a flashlight) how each item reflects lightSomething that can be recycled - knowledge of recycling, classifying items, counting, more, fewerAn old greeting card - measurement with blocks. How many blocks long is your card? How many one inch squares cover your card? Graphing holiday images A shell - classify and sort by size, color, shape, observation drawingsSomething about Canada (map, flag, book, trinket) - awareness of Canadian symbols, shape of country, shapes of provinces, counting provinces, graphing occurrences of similar symbols

I generally chose objects that complemented monthly themes.

Sample Show and Tell Lesson with a Rock

The children place their Show and Tell rocks on the center of the carpet, and then sit down in a circle around them. I start with observation type questions. "What do you notice about the rocks? How are they the same? How are they different?

Let's sort the rocks by size. Which rock looks the largest? Which rock is the smallest? Let's make a long line." Everybody takes a turn placing his or her rock with student or teacher suggestions to rearrange the rocks when necessary.

"Now let's sort the rocks by darker colors and lighter colors. We can put the darker rocks on this plastic mat and the lighter ones on the other mat and the striped or speckled rocks in the middle." When this activity is finished and depending on the group attention span you can further investigations. Examples, "Are there more dark rocks or more light rocks? Are there fewer dull rocks or fewer shiny ones? Let's sort the rocks by which ones wobble and which ones do not wobble. "

Counting items, graphing, extending math vocabulary or practicing other math concepts are easy to integrate into the lesson when there is a large quantity of the same object. Gear the lesson to the attention span of the whole group. Children who want to continue comparing their rocks, for instance with a balance scale, can do so at center time.

Next I model an observation drawing on chart paper. Draw with a marker and talk out loud to describe your thinking. "I noticed that there are more wobbly rocks and fewer rocks that do not wobble. I am going to draw that for my observation drawing. I will draw a line down my paper and put more wobbly rocks on one side and fewer rocks that don't wobble on the other. The rocks are mainly round shapes so I will make circles. I will add dots to some to make them look speckled. I am putting little lines beside the rocks on this side to make them look like they are moving. Now I will color in with crayons so I don't cover up my drawing lines. I will color some light grey and some dark grey. Now I need to print the word, wobbly under my wobbly rocks. What sound do I hear first and what letter do I use? What is the next sound and letter?" Do the same with the words not wobbly. Finish with a drawing of individual rocks. "I am going to draw the rock I brought to show on the other page. It is black and has white stripes." Stamp the drawing with the date stamp.

The children then sit at tables and record one or more of their observations about the lesson in their science and math journals. This is an open-ended activity and results will depend on the developmental level of each child. The children take turns stamping the date on their page.

This method worked well for the children, their parents and for me. All the children had an opportunity to be involved during each Show and Tell day and reviewing old, or learning new, science, math, and literacy concepts were a part of each Show and Tell experience.

Check out these pages for more information about teaching preschool and kindergarten science with Show and Tell.

Show And Tell - A Springboard For Math And Science Education

Patricia Bentham is an educator in Victoria, BC Canada. She has over twenty years of teaching experience and is the creator of http://www.kindergarten-lessons.com a site that emphasizes math and science for young children. Patricia has taught classes from K - 12 and adult education. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Education from the University of Victoria. She has also completed certification programs in Print Design & Typography and Website Design.

Check out her site for a complete yearly list of Show and tell items. Still have questions? Contact her through her website.

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What Is Happening To The Price Of Gold?

There is nothing new happening under the sun. What has already happened will happen again, as the world goes through the same cycle over and over again. If you want to know the future, look at the past to get a better picture.

When it comes to economics, the same truth holds good here too. World economy goes through a pattern which repeats itself endlessly. This is not because there is no other way to go. The cycles can be broken if people take the trouble to rectify the mistakes that have been made in the past and avoid them in the future. However, that never happens due to a fundamental reason - human nature!

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We are in the current economic condition that we are in because of the irresponsible way in which we have managed our money. Large banks, corporations, politicians and decision makers have made huge blunders that have landed us in the mess that we find ourselves in today.

What Is Happening To The Price Of Gold?

Extra dollars have been pumped into circulation while the gold reserves to back them up have been constant or dropping. As a result, the values of gold and silver have been dropping. Many people are wondering whether they should hold onto their precious metals or sell them even at a loss before the prices plunge even further.

Is it the right decision to sell your gold and silver to save your investment or to hold on, hoping that the value of these metals will rebound and start to appreciate. There is a lot of speculation on both sides and people are coming up with various different theories.

But as mentioned previously, everything happens in cycles, and the values of precious metals take the same route too. What has gone up will come down and what has gone down will come up, as long as people don't change for the better, and let things be as they are.

Therefore, the prices of gold and silver will eventually rise even though they may continue to drop in the near future. This is one of the reasons that this is the right time to invest in gold and silver. It is an effective way to guard one wealth and to grow them in the future. On an average, the value of investments in gold has appreciated several fold over the years. It is therefore one of the best and safest forms of investment today.

What Is Happening To The Price Of Gold?

Find Out Exactly What The Gold Market Is Doing And Where Its Going Now. Wealth Creation From The Beach!

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Ten Tips for Caring for Your Betta Fish

Betta fish, also called Siamese fighting fish are one of the most popular types of fish found in homes across the world. Their vibrant color and active lifestyle seems to draw in fish fanatics as well as those who have never had fish before. Betta's are relatively easy to care for and their low maintenance is particularly appealing to people who would like to have fish but don't have a lot of time to care for them.

Once you bring your Betta's home you should begin to familiarize yourself with their movements and typical behavior patterns. When you look at your fish after you've had them for awhile you'll know if something is wrong, if they are not feeling well, or if the water in their bowl is not in the best condition simply by being observant.

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1. Make sure the jar or bowl that you keep your Betta in is big enough so that he can swim around and not bump or tear his fins or scales. Also be sure there is plenty of surface area so that he can get enough oxygen.

Ten Tips for Caring for Your Betta Fish

2. Your Betta will thrive in the cleanest water that you can provide for him. He does not require a filtration system, but you should change out a third of his water every three days so it stays fresh and clean and keeps your finned friend from getting bacterial or fungal infections. Aged water (water that has set out for twenty four hours) is what should be used to replace the old water.

3. Do not put your Betta fish with other Betta's. They are called Siamese fighting fish because they are, in fact, fighting fish. They will tear at one another, often causing the death of at least one fish before they stop. Betta's can be coupled with algae eaters, guppies, or corydorus catfish safely.

4. Use a turkey baster to clean small particles of uneaten food or debris from the bottom of the bowl or jar. Allowing this debris to sit at the bottom of the jar will cause the water to become cloudy, unsanitary, and to smell awful.

5. The PH of your tank should be at exactly 7.0. You can get a PH testing kit at your pet store along with solutions to minimize or increase the PH of your water.

6. When you clean the plants, rocks, or decorations in the bowl you should never use soap on them. It's very hard to completely rinse all soap from these items and the soap residue can harm or even kill your Betta. Instead, use warm water and an abrasive brush to clean his things.

7. Keep your Betta tank, jar, or bowl covered! Your Beta will jump and you don't want him to end up flopping on the tabletop! Keeping the water level at least two inches from the top of the tank should also cut down on this problem.

8. Your Betta is a meat eater and likes live foods, such as brine shrimp the best. Frozen bloodworms are also a good choice for your meat eater. Most Betta fish will happily eat the Betta pellets sold at most pet stores. For a special treat every now and again you should offer some live food! You'll have fun watching him eat it up!

9. Do not decorate your Betta bowl with rocks or marbles that may cause your Betta to get stuck between or under them. Be sure that they are a flat smooth surface that provides no risk to the health of your fish.

10. Remember that your fish is a living, breathing responsibility. You need to feed, clean, and care for your Betta just like you would any other pet. If he's sick take him to the vet, if he's hungry feed him, if his home is dirty, clean it.

That's it! These ten tips for caring for your Betta fish will have you well on your way to keeping a healthy fish. Internet Betta Groups or library books can be a great source of information should you want to learn more about your finned friend!

Ten Tips for Caring for Your Betta Fish

Adam Short is the owner of Betta Fish Center and co-wrote the above article with Amanda Fenton. Amanda has been caring for Betta fish for over 25 years. She is a contributing writer to http://www.bettafishcenter.com - site providing information and tips on betta fish care.

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Personal Core Values

Each of us has our own set of values. These are what determine which aspects of life we regard as important or beneficial. Our values help determine our tastes, our way of life, our entertainment, our social, political and religious interactions. Each of us holds many values and these values are liable to change as we grow, reach different stages of life or have different experiences or influences in life. Some of the values we hold may be 'superficial', transitory or fitting solely the moment in which we find ourselves. Other values are more fixed and may stay with us through our life; these are our 'core values'.

Our values come from a range of sources. Our parents are a key influence upon our values as we grow as children. So, too, is any church or religious background we experience. Our society, our neighbours, friends and colleagues, too, can have an influence upon our values. So, too, can our teachers and our schooling.

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Often, school can be a place of conflict for it is there that we experience other values perhaps for the first time. Some of the values we experience in school can be in conflict with or contradict the values of our parents. As we go through high school, we start to experience values in ourselves and our peers that conflict both with school and our parents. Conflicting and unfixed values can be a major problem for adolescent and teenage years.

Personal Core Values

As we grow in years and experience, our values become more fixed, especially a set of 6 to 10 'core' values. It is these core values that determine what is really important to us as an individual. The surprising thing is that if you ask most people what their values are, many would not be able to give you an answer.

A good many people are leading lives unconnected with their core values. This can lead to a life of unhappiness, discontent and lack of fulfilment. Sometimes it can lead to conflict. Often the person does not know why their life seems unhappy, unfulfilled and sometimes full of conflict. Often, the cause is that the life they are living is not in accordance with their personal values.

For some people a conflict can arise within them because they are trying to live a life according to the values of a company, an organisation, a religious or political organisation, the values of their friends or colleagues or partner, rather than living a life according to their own core values. In doing this, the values of the other people or organisations are being met but the person's own values are being left unfulfilled.

This is not to say that a person is always wrong to seek to support and fulfil the values of other people or organisations. However, leaving your own values unfulfilled can lead to frustration and unhappiness. A key issue in this, though, is that the person may believe they are doing the right thing by working to the values of others and yet still feel a sense of frustration and unfulfilment; -the reason being that they may be unaware of their own values or, maybe, feel guilty of their own values where they conflict with the values of others.
So, if you feel your life is unfulfilled, unhappy, or maybe has too much conflict, then it could be that you are leading a life that does not accord with your core values. The question is; do you know your own personal core values?

Hiring a personal life coach can certainly help you to discover your personal values but for those who want to start the discovery for themselves, try answering the following question;

What, in life, is important to you?

Don't think about your answers (yes, there's likely to be more than one thing that's important to you), at least don't think about them at first. Just write down whatever comes into your head, no matter how strange, amusing or worrying they may seem. These first answers are probably your 'gut' or 'intuitive' answers; sometimes these are closer to the truth than answers that you 'think' about. Next, think about what is important in life for you. Take some time to consider your answers before writing them down in a word or short phrase. Don't worry if the some of the same answers appear in your first list; - just write them down again.

Now you have two lists. Take a look at them; is there anything there that surprises you or anything that worries you? Sometimes people can be quite surprised by what they write down and occasionally they may write down something that shocks them or they feel guilty about.

Quite common words that people put on their list of values include ; 'money', 'success', 'family', 'wife/husband/partner', 'growth', 'power'. If you find one, or more, of these words on your list, ask yourself another question;

What does (the word) mean for me?

So you may ask, 'what does money mean for me'. To which the answer could be; money means security, or money means success, or money means freedom, or money means being able to provide for my family.

By answering the second question you can help uncover the real or underlying value for you. So for you, money is not the real value, it is 'security' or 'being successful' or 'being independent' or 'being able to provide for my family' that is the real value.

So, by doing these simple exercises, you are beginning to discover your personal core values. The next exercise is to ask your self 'how do my life, my work and my relationships help fulfil my personal values?' If you find that they do not help you fulfil your personal values then perhaps you should consider changing your life. To do that; get a life coach.

Personal Core Values

Douglas Woods is a qualified life coach who works with individuals and couples seeking to improve their life or relationships. You can read more about his work at http://www.dougwoods.com.

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Lipotropic Injections - How Effective are Lipotropics Shots For Weight Loss - My Story

First, what exactly are lipotropics?

They are substances that help dissolve or break down fat so that it can removed from your body through your waste.

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How do lipotropic injections help you get rid of fat?

Lipotropic Injections - How Effective are Lipotropics Shots For Weight Loss - My Story

They stimulate the creation of lecithin in your liver. This helps to make the cholesterol in your body more liquid and this decreases cholesterol in your blood.

They thwart the buildup of fats in your liver. If your liver is fatty then your liver function will be slow moving and so will your metabolism.

They boost your immunity to illness through causing the production of antibodies that eat up viruses and infections.

Individual lipotropics such as choline, inositol and methionine help metabolize your fat, reduce liver fat and help protect your kidneys.

But let's get to the important question you might be wondering about..

Do lipotropics injections effectively help you lose weight?

I did an experiment because I wanted to boost my metabolism and lose some stubborn pounds.

I had read numerous positive testimonials from successful dieters who had used lipotropics to gain an edge in losing weight.

So I got started with the injections.

I followed a healthy diet where I simply restricted my calories - nothing fancy. I eat whatever I want as long as I stay within my caloric allotment for the day. I try to eat healthy food every day...but I don't always succeed. Overall I stick with my food plan and jot down everything I eat every day.

So after getting the shots for 6 weeks and following a healthy diet I lost quite a bit of weight.

We are talking a loss of over 15 pounds!

And these were those nagging pounds I could not get rid of before - you know, those last pounds that hang on like crazy glue to your body and don't want to let go.

Let me just say that I have dieted in the past and the difference with getting these injections was huge!

1 - I have more energy after I get a B12 and lipotropic injection.

I love the extra energy I get. It improves my mood and gives me the extra oomph I need to get my exercise workouts in several times a week.

2- I am seeing greater weight loss on the scale.

The steady weight loss encourages me to continue my healthy diet and stick with this plan. It is a huge boost of motivation having the extra help from the lipotropics in my weight loss battle.

Lipotropic Injections - How Effective are Lipotropics Shots For Weight Loss - My Story

Click below to read about a lady who really lost some weight with lipotropic injections. Her story is great!

http://www.lipotropicsinjections.info

Lipotropic injections

How effective lipotropic injections

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Lawyer Marketing Online With Copywriting to Attract More Clients

Lawyers who want to get more clients online typically begin with websites and blogs. They may also add articles and other types of content, such as Q&A and summaries of current laws. Many professionals fail to realize the impact of content on their online marketing effectiveness. To reach your target clients, you need a compelling message that directly addresses your client's problems.

Your content needs to reflect the client's emotions, not just the facts of the case. Clients come to you experiencing fear, anger, and frustration. Many legal problems reflect the most intimate details of a person's life. They're not only afraid of the outcome of a case; they're intimidated by the process and the need to call a lawyer. They can be afraid that you'll be aloof and judgmental. They may have heard stories from friends who spent thousands of dollars on legal fees and got nothing.

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Writing for the Internet is quite different from any other kind of writing. You need to use short, direct sentences. You have to anticipate that readers will skim rather than read carefully, line by line and word by word.

Lawyer Marketing Online With Copywriting to Attract More Clients

As a professional, you face a special challenge. You can't afford to sell yourself as if you were greeting visitors to a used car lot. The copywriting rule is, "Show, don't tell." Use examples and stories. Minimize the use of adjectives and adverbs, like "amazing." You can't promise results and outcomes but you can show how your office creates a unique experience for your clients. You can show that you go the extra mile and explain why you can enhance the likelihood of a positive outcome.

Besides compelling content, you need to research the words your prospective clients type into Google, Yahoo and other search engines. You need to make sure these keywords are included in website content. and include these keywords in your articles, blog posts and other online content. Of course your website also needs to be optimized, one page at a time.

Getting ready for search engines takes more effort than just sprinkling a few keywords throughout the copy. You need to be sure you are not overusing your keywords. Most experts advise choosing just 3 to 5 keywords per page, but your choice must be based on studying the keyword tools available online. Many experts encourage you to consider keyword phrases and geographic indicators.

Finally, your web designer or developer needs to set up your copy to be as easy to read as possible. Many professionals pay for well-written copy, only to see the message lost in the final web design. Use dark type on a white background and incorporate color and images in the header and sidebars.

Lawyer Marketing Online With Copywriting to Attract More Clients

And now I invite you to learn more by visiting Copywriting for Lawyer Marketing Online. Many professionals realize they need to create compelling content, but they don't get the greatest "bang for the buck" because they don't know how to hire and work with a copywriter. Discover secrets of choosing the best possible copywriter for your marketing team. Free Tips To Hire A Copywriter.

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Create Computer Games - Get Started on Creating Your Own Virtual Worlds

I’ve always loved video games, ever since I first played them on a friend’s computer in the afternoon after elementary school. There’s something almost magical about the fact that we can move images around and interact with virtual worlds, a living fantasy presented for us to interact with however we please. I’ve also always wanted to make games myself but, until recently, didn’t have the technical knowledge to do so. Now, I’m a second year software engineering student, so if I weren’t able to code a game without too many dramas there’d be something drastically wrong. But what about the common person: the person for whom the term ‘memory leak’ conjures up images of their grandfather, ‘pipeline’ is where the water flows, and ‘blitting’ is unheard of? Well, everyone can get in on the game creation process, and you don’t even need to learn ‘real’ programming to do so.

So where do games start? With an idea. Games, like all fiction, require an idea to be successful. Sure, in the same way you can just sit down and write a story without foresight, you can jump on in and slap a game together. However, unless you get ridiculously lucky, the best works are usually the ones that have been well thought out beforehand.

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There are two methods of planning a project. You can start from a known technological standpoint and build your project on top of that or you can just go for the design, add as many features and ideas as you like, and then remove the ones that you can’t use when you’ve decided on the technology you’re going to implement the game with. In general, the second type is probably the best one to go with when designing games. When you’re first starting out however, the first option will save you many headaches.

Create Computer Games - Get Started on Creating Your Own Virtual Worlds

So, for a first game you’re going to want a pretty simple idea. Don’t get me wrong, crazy-go-nuts game ideas are fantastic, and there should be more of them out there, but you’re not going to be able to create a real world simulator with fifty billion virtual people all interacting real time with your actions having a butterfly effect on the future of the virtual universe when it’s just your first game. Really. Many people try it; none that I know of have succeeded. Imitation is the best way to start out. Simple games such as ‘Space Invaders’, ‘Tetris’, ‘Pacman’ or even ‘Pong’ are great places to start. All are largely simple to create but have some inherent challenges. ‘Pacman’ for example, requires path finding for the ghosts. I recommend that you start even simpler than that for your very first attempt. ‘Space Invaders’ is a nice point to jump in. You can make a simple, complete game without much effort and it’s almost infinitely extensible.

If you’re stuck for an idea, pick a genre that you enjoy. Do you love adventure games such as ‘Monkey Island’, ‘Grim Fandango’, ‘Space Quest’, ‘King’s Quest’ etc.? Design one of those. Are you into fighting games like ‘Street Fighter’, ‘Tekken’, ‘Soul Calibur’, ‘Mortal Kombat’ and so on? Come up with an idea for that. Do you like first person shooters such as ‘Quake’, ‘Half Life’ or ‘Doom’? I don’t recommend it as a first project, but you can always give it a go. Feel free to be as generic as you like, this is a learning experience after all.

Now that you have your idea it’s time to flesh it out. Don’t worry about the technology or the fact that you may not know how to actually implement a game just yet, just grab yourself some paper and a pencil and go crazy with ideas. Describe the main characters, game play, goals, interactions, story, and key mappings, anything you can think of. Make sure you have enough detail so that someone can read through the notes and play through the game in their head with relative accuracy. Changing game design during the coding process is almost always a bad idea. Once it’s set, it should remain set until the tweaking phase (I’ll go into this more later) or you’re likely to enter ‘development hell’, where the project goes on and on; more and more work is done with less and less outcome.

At the end of this period of your game creation, you should have the following:

- A written outline of the game’s characters and possibly a sketch or two (be they space ships, yellow circles, cars or the prince of the dark kingdom of Falgour, you need to know who or what the player will be and who they will compete against)

- A written outline of the story (if there is one, this isn’t too vital for ‘Space Invaders’ or ‘Tetris’, but for ‘Uber Quest: An Adventure of Awesomeness’ it’s a really good idea)

- A description of game play, written or storyboarded. Storyboards are visual representations of ideas. Draw your characters in actions, with arrows showing the flow of action and short written descriptions detailing the events occurring in your image (because some of us aren’t fantastic artists and our images can be a little… open to interpretation…)

Now that you have a fleshed out idea, it’s time to work out how this will all get put together. If you’ve gotten to this point and are worried that you’re going to have to spend years learning complex programming languages in order to implement your idea, fear not! Others have already done the hard yards for you. There are many RAD (Rapid Application Development) Tools available for game creation, a number of which are available for free online. Some of them still require you to learn a ‘scripting language’ (a simplified programming language made for a specific task) but in general this isn’t too complicated or involved. I’ve compiled a brief list of some of these I have found at the end of the article. The free ones are listed first, organized by game genre.

Well, that should be enough to get you started in the creation of your game. The most important thing to remember once you’ve gotten this far is that you need to complete your game. Many people start a project and then lose interest and it fails, or they keep moving on to one new project after another without finishing anything. Start small, build a working (if simple) game that is, above all else, complete. When you get to this stage you will always have a huge number of things that you wish to change, fix etc. but you’ll get a great feeling from knowing that it is, in its way, finished.

From this point, you can start the tweaking phase. Play your game a few times and ask others to do the same. Take note of what isn’t fun or could be better and change things here. At this stage, it is more important than ever to keep backups of previous versions so that if a change doesn’t work you can go back and try something different without losing any of your work. It is at this point that you can add all new features, improve graphics and sounds, whatever you please, safe in the knowledge that you’re working on a solid foundation.

When you’re happy with your game, why not share it with the world? There are many cheap or free places out there for you to host your files on and then you can jump on link lists and forums and let everyone know about your creation. Well, I hope that this has been a helpful introduction into the art of creating games. It’s a great deal of fun, and can open whole new avenues of creative expression for you to explore. Jump in and have fun!

Links:

General Game Creation:
(Tools that allow easy creation of many different game types)
Game Maker: http://www.gamemaker.nl
MegaZeux: http://megazeux.sourceforge.net/

Adventure Games:
(Games such as Monkey Island, King’s Quest, Space Quest etc.)
Adventure Game Studio: [http://www.bigbluecup.com]
AGAST: http://www.allitis.com/agast/
3D Adventure Studio: http://3das.noeska.com/
ADRIFT (for text adventures): http://www.adrift.org.uk/

Role Playing Games (RPGs):
(Games such as Final Fantasy, Breath of Fire, Diablo)
OHRPG: http://www.hamsterrepublic.com/ohrrpgce/
RPG Toolit: http://www.toolkitzone.com/

Fighting Games:
(Games such as Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Tekken, Soul Calibur etc.)
KOF91: http://sourceforge.net/projects/kof91/
MUGEN (unfortunately the site is largely in French): http://www.streetmugen.com/mugen-us.html

Side-Scrolling Games:
(Games such as the 2D Mario Games, Sonic the Hedgehog, Double Dragon etc.)
The Scrolling Game Development Kit: http://gamedev.sourceforge.net/

There are many others available as well. One particularly useful site for finding game creation tools is: http://www.ambrosine.com/resource.html

Also of note, although not freeware, are the excellent game creation tools available by Clickteam at: [http://www.clickteam.com/English/]
Klik and Play and The Games Factory in particular are the programs to have a look at and download the free demos of.

If you really want to do things right and program the game yourself, there are some excellent programming resources available at the following locations:

Java Game Programming:
http://fivedots.coe.psu.ac.th/~ad/jg/
http://www.gamedev.net/reference/articles/article1262.asp
http://javaboutique.internet.com/tutorials/Java_Game_Programming/

Visual Basic Game Programming:
[http://markbutler.8m.com/vb-tutorial.htm]

C++ Game Programming:
http://www3.telus.net/alexander_russell/course_dx/introduction_dx.htm
http://www.rit.edu/~jpw9607/tutorial.htm

General Information:
http://www.gamedev.net/
http://www.gamasutra.com/

Create Computer Games - Get Started on Creating Your Own Virtual Worlds

Daniel Punch M6.Net http://www.m6.net Daniel Punch is a university student learning how to make a living through having fun.

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All Quiet on the Western Front - A Book Review

All Quiet on the Western Front is a book written by Erich Maria Remarkque. It was a book written to reflect the human cost of war. It shows us how war has a hidden face that most people do not see until it is too late. In the novel, he describes a group of young men who at first think war is glorious. But as the war drags on, the group discovers how war is not all it is set out to be. As the war went on, they saw their friends either die or be permanently wounded. Then the end comes when there was only one person left.

All Quiet on the Western Front takes place in Germany where a group of young boys are first encouraged to join the military. Thinking that it would be a great adventure, they enlisted, not knowing the fate that lies before them. At first, the group is sent to training. They aren't in a serious mood, thinking that war conditions aren't as bad as they really are. When the boys are sent to the front, it is only then when they start to realize how war is not great. This is when the boys are cramped into the trenches. Some of the soldiers were shell-shocked because of the constant bombardment. When one of the boys was wounded, he was taken to a hospital where there were many wounded soldiers. Some soldiers had to have parts of their bodies amputated in order to survive. When Kemmerich was in the hospital, Müller ask for his pair of boots. The boots was a visible reminder to the boys of the cost of war. Paul then has to face his own conscience when he kills one of the Frenchmen. He doesn't see the face of an enemy but just a face of another human being. He tries to comfort himself by promising to help the fallen soldier's family. After Paul is relieved from the front line, he decides to go on leave and return home. But when he tries to tell everyone of the horrible conditions of the trenches, everybody either laughs him off or calls him a coward. Paul returns before his leave actually ended, wishing that he had never come home. In the end, when Paul loses Kat, Paul realizes that the war has destroy his way of life. He has lost all his friends and has nothing to return to.

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There were many symbols and images in All Quiet on the Western Front. Examples of this include the pair of boots and the constant urge for companionship. The pair of boots and the fact that it was passed around so often tells us that death was a very common occurrence during the war and that the soldiers wanted to use everything then could find in order to aid their chances of survival. The urge for companionship is shown when the group crosses the river to see the French girls and when the group sees the picture of the girl while having a drink. As the boys start being killed in the war, the group wished that everything could that they could be back home doing things they enjoy. The pictures serve as a reminder that war disrupts everything, from people's lives and their dreams and ambitions.

All Quiet on the Western Front - A Book Review

The major theme of the novel All Quiet on the Western Front is that war must be avoided at all cost because of the severe consequences that will arise. War causes people to lose friends, makes people worried and creates a feeling of uncertainty among innocent people. War also creates hatred among people. For example, two friends of different nationalities may become bitter enemies only because their respective countries are at war.

I think the novel All Quiet on the Western Front is a well told story, mixing both fiction and non-fiction into a powerful novel which forces people to think deeply about war and all of its possible repercussions. The book makes me think of all the lost talent that was lost during the war. Even though levels of technology increases exponentially, we have to wonder what the people who died in the war could have done to help the human cause. The novel also tells us that friendship always prevails even though tough times. I would recommend this book to anyone who thinks that war can be short and glorious. Through this book, any reader can see that war brings unnecessary death to innocent people (soldiers and civilians). After reading the book, the reader will probably have a different outlook on war and all the low points that it brings.

Through this book, we, as human beings, should find attempt to find solutions through discussion and compromise instead of warfare. Countries in war may feel that they are gaining a lot through wars but what they fail to see is the losses they have suffered. In many cases, the gain is negligible when it is compared to the losses.

All Quiet on the Western Front - A Book Review

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The History of New Years Resolutions

The tradition of the New Year's Resolutions goes all the way back to 153 B.C. Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was placed at the head of the calendar.

With two faces, Janus could look back on past events and forward to the future. Janus became the ancient symbol for resolutions and many Romans looked for forgiveness from their enemies and also exchanged gifts before the beginning of each year.

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The New Year has not always begun on January 1, and it doesn't begin on that date everywhere today. It begins on that date only for cultures that use a 365-day solar calendar. January 1 became the beginning of the New Year in 46 B.C., when Julius Caesar developed a calendar that would more accurately reflect the seasons than previous calendars had.

The History of New Years Resolutions

The Romans named the first month of the year after Janus, the god of beginnings and the guardian of doors and entrances. He was always depicted with two faces, one on the front of his head and one on the back. Thus he could look backward and forward at the same time. At midnight on December 31, the Romans imagined Janus looking back at the old year and forward to the new.

The Romans began a tradition of exchanging gifts on New Year's Eve by giving one another branches from sacred trees for good fortune. Later, nuts or coins imprinted with the god Janus became more common New Year's gifts.

In the Middle Ages, Christians changed New Year's Day to December 25, the birth of Jesus. Then they changed it to March 25, a holiday called the Annunciation. In the sixteenth century, Pope Gregory XIII revised the Julian calendar, and the celebration of the New Year was returned to January 1.

The Julian and Gregorian calendars are solar calendars. Some cultures have lunar calendars, however. A year in a lunar calendar is less than 365 days because the months are based on the phases of the moon. The Chinese use a lunar calendar. Their new year begins at the time of the first full moon (over the Far East) after the sun enters Aquarius- sometime between January 19 and February 21.

Although the date for New Year's Day is not the same in every culture, it is always a time for celebration and for customs to ensure good luck in the coming year.

Ancient New Years

The celebration of the New Year is the oldest of all holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. In the years around 2000 BC, Babylonians celebrated the beginning of a new year on what is now March 23, although they themselves had no written calendar.

Late March actually is a logical choice for the beginning of a new year. It is the time of year that spring begins and new crops are planted. January 1, on the other hand, has no astronomical nor agricultural significance. It is purely arbitrary.

The Babylonian New Year celebration lasted for eleven days. Each day had its own particular mode of celebration, but it is safe to say that modern New Year's Eve festivities pale in comparison.

The Romans continued to observe the New Year on March 25, but their calendar was continually tampered with by various emperors so that the calendar soon became out of synchronization with the sun.

In order to set the calendar right, the Roman senate, in 153 BC, declared January 1 to be the beginning of the New Year. But tampering continued until Julius Caesar, in 46 BC, established what has come to be known as the Julian Calendar. It again established January 1 as the New Year. But in order to synchronize the calendar with the sun, Caesar had to let the previous year drag on for 445 days.

Global Good Luck Traditions

With New Year's upon us, here's a look at some of the good luck rituals from around the world. They are believed to bring good fortune and prosperity in the coming year.

AUSTRIA - The suckling pig is the symbol for good luck for the new year. It's served on a table decorated with tiny edible pigs. Dessert often consists of green peppermint ice cream in the shape of a four-leaf clover.

ENGLAND - The British place their fortunes for the coming year in the hands of their first guest. They believe the first visitor of each year should be male and bearing gifts. Traditional gifts are coal for the fire, a loaf for the table and a drink for the master. For good luck, the guest should enter through the front door and leave through the back. Guests who are empty-handed or unwanted are not allowed to enter first.

WALES - At the first toll of midnight, the back door is opened and then shut to release the old year and lock out all of its bad luck. Then at the twelfth stroke of the clock, the front door is opened and the New Year is welcomed with all of its luck.

HAITI - In Haiti, New Year's Day is a sign of the year to come. Haitians wear new clothing and exchange gifts in the hope that it will bode well for the new year.

SICILY - An old Sicilian tradition says good luck will come to those who eat lasagna on New Year's Day, but woe if you dine on macaroni, for any other noodle will bring bad luck.

SPAIN - In Spain, when the clock strikes midnight, the Spanish eat 12 grapes, one with every toll, to bring good luck for the 12 months ahead.

PERU - The Peruvian New Year's custom is a spin on the Spanish tradition of eating 12 grapes at the turn of the year. But in Peru, a 13th grape must be eaten to assure good luck.

GREECE - A special New Year's bread is baked with a coin buried in the dough. The first slice is for the Christ child, the second for the father of the household and the third slice is for the house. If the third slice holds the coin, spring will come early that year.

JAPAN - The Japanese decorate their homes in tribute to lucky gods. One tradition, kadomatsu, consists of a pine branch symbolizing longevity, a bamboo stalk symbolizing prosperity, and a plum blossom showing nobility.

CHINA - For the Chinese New Year, every front door is adorned with a fresh coat of red paint, red being a symbol of good luck and happiness. Although the whole family prepares a feast for the New Year, all knives are put away for 24 hours to keep anyone from cutting themselves, which is thought to cut the family's good luck for the next year.

UNITED STATES - The kiss shared at the stroke of midnight in the United States is derived from masked balls that have been common throughout history. As tradition has it, the masks symbolize evil spirits from the old year and the kiss is the purification into the new year.

NORWAY - Norwegians make rice pudding at New Year's and hide one whole almond within. Guaranteed wealth goes to the person whose serving holds the lucky almond.

Chinese New Year

Except for a very few number of people who can keep track of when the Chinese New Year should be, the majority of the Chinese today have to rely on a typical Chinese calendar to tell it. Therefore, you cannot talk of the Chinese New Year without mentioning the Chinese calendar at first.

A Chinese calendar consists of both the Gregorian and lunar-solar systems, with the latter dividing a year into twelve month, each of which is in turn equally divided into thirty- nine and a half days. The well-coordinated dual system calendar reflects the Chinese ingenuity.

There is also a system that marks the years in a twelve-year cycle, naming each of them after an animal such as Rat, Ox, Tiger, Hare, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Boar. People born in a particular year are believed to share some of the personalities of that particular animal.

The History of New Years Resolutions

Gary Ryan Blair is the inspiration behind Got Resolutions - http://GotResolutions.com

Got Resolutions was founded on the premise, that a single resolution can positively and profoundly create lasting change in your life and help to make the world a better place.

To learn more, visit http://GotResolutions.com

Gary can be reached for media requests, television or radio appearances and speaking services at 877-462-5748 or by sending an email to Gary@GoalsGuy.com

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Sympathy Cards - What Do I Say?

One of the most difficult cards to send to a family or friend is a sympathy card. Why? Because if you are like me, you have many mixed feeling on what is truly appropriate for the situation. But never underestimate the powerful message you convey by just sending a card at a time of grief. While many ask that donations be given in lieu of flowers, it is always appropriate to send a card to honor the departed person.

If you are reluctant to send a card, just because you don't know what to say, don't give up! Review these lists of phrases and read each one out loud. Place a check mark by the ones that sound "natural" and appear to fit your situation. Work with it until it feels right, combine or adapt them to meet the unique situation.

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If you are a spiritual person you may want to choose a phrase like:

Sympathy Cards - What Do I Say?

- You and your family are in our prayers.

- We ask God to send his blessings on your during this difficult time.

- You and your family member will be lifted up in our prayer group this month.

- God is here for comfort, ask and he will bring you peace.

- Our prayers and blessing surround you with peace.

Some people may be intimidated to mention prayer, especially if they are not regular church attendees, so some good choices would be:

- You and your family are in my thoughts.

- With deepest sympathy.

- Our hearts go out to you in this time of sorrow and loss.

- Our heartfelt condolences go out to you at this time.

- We are thinking of you.

- We loved your (father, mother, sister, brother) very much and share in your loss.

- We were very sorry to hear about the passing of (name of deceased).

- I am here for you when you need to talk, cry or smile about (name of deceased).

This is NOT a time where you need to go into details. One sentence with your signature can be sufficient to let your friend know you care and you are there for them. Send a card as soon as you hear the news. Then follow-up with another card to focus on the "survivor" and let them know you are there to help them through the grieving process. If you are sending a card to someone that is of a different religion, and you are unfamiliar with their grieving process, take a few moments to research about what is acceptable and not. They will appreciate you taking the time to send them an appropriate sympathy card.

If you feel inclined, and were close to the deceased person, you may want to send a short heartwarming story about how the deceased made a difference in your life or in the lives of others. This is a time to celebrate the uniqueness of that individual and help establish ways to remember them for the goodness and happiness they brought to others. This message will become a cherished memory that lives on for many years. Your thoughtfulness to share this special moment with that family member will lift their spirits and help them to focus on the positive.

Another way to share a memory is to put together a collage of pictures and phrases that were meaningful to the survivors and / or the deceased. Perhaps there were special vacation spots, annual family gatherings or traditions that were continued based upon the leadership and participation of that cherished family member. Having personalized cards that show the person smiling, in good health, hugging and sharing special moments with family are priceless. And adding a short note about how the person was a great bbq chef, or knew how to arrange flowers just the right way or even how just there smile lit up a room can bring joy into the grieving heart.

If you did not know the deceased personally but are friends or business acquaintances with someone who has suffered a loss, don't try to make up a story. Just focus on letting your friend know that you are there for them. By simply saying " I am here if you need someone to talk to", may be very comforting to that person and just what they need to hear.

And don't be afraid to offer condolences to pet owners. So many folks young and old have pets that are truly members of their families. My mother recently lost her cat Morris, who lived through all of his nine-lives to the ripe old age of 24. Morris and my mom had been through a lot together and I knew she was very sad to part with him. I found a simple little card and wrote a quick little line to comfort her. The next time we spoke she told me how important that sympathy card was to her, since Morris was "her child".

Finally, what about e-cards in this situation? My advice is to always send a REAL card. An e-Card is very impersonal. Even if the card does not arrive in time for the funeral, it will be appreciated. Many people keep the cards they receive and read them time and time again to help them get closure on their loss. I hope this article was useful and that you will print and save it for future reference.

Sympathy Cards - What Do I Say?

Send a sympathy card sent through the mail.
Karen Miller, author of this article, sends at least five greeting cards per day to help friends and family celebrate life's events.

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