Transitioning from Nonfiction to Fiction Writing

Transitioning from Nonfiction to Fiction Writing First of all, it is possible. Ernest Hemingway and William Kennedy moved from journalism; Sue Monk Kidd from memoir; and C. S. Lewis from essays and treatises. Sue Monk Kidd states that the most frequently-asked question on her book tours is, â€Å"How did you go from nonfiction to fiction?† Here are some tips and support to help you make the transition: You need to transition your reading, as well. Read your most-admired authors and new fiction authors also. Remember, C.S. Lewis says good readers read a piece more than once. Have a plan. Stagger your writing. Perhaps write fiction and nonfiction on alternate days. Or, write your fiction first, then go back to the nonfiction you’re more comfortable with once you’ve met your word count in the other. Writing fiction is a discipline for which you have been well-trained through your nonfiction deadlines. Produce five to ten pages a day faithfully! Try flash fiction first. Because it is short, it is easier to start with and there are numerous contests listed in FundsforWriters newsletter. Your nonfiction themes can find a home in your fiction. For instance, C. S. Lewis’ themes concerned Christianity which he incorporated into his fiction (Chronicles of Narnia) without being didactic or preachy. The skill sets you have developed while writing nonfiction will serve you well in fiction also. These include: 1) Attention to detail. Your descriptions of the who, what, where, why and how will help you in plotting fiction and in description. 2) Interviewing. Interview your characters on what they think about - religion, politics or an event - just as you would a source. 3) Sense of place. Your knowledge of a place garnered from nonfiction can serve you well in fiction. William Kennedy reported on Albany, NY first for the Albany Times Union and then set his cycle of Albany novels there. Readers always want to see a place with which they are familiar portrayed accurately, and your nonfiction experience of place sets you apart. 4) Journal Writing. Your journal or dream journal writing can help with both plot and productivity. This angle also falls in the category of â€Å"write what you know.† 5) Research. Nonfiction research is helpful to fiction. You’ll get that time or place right, but William Kennedy talks about the danger of research: â€Å"And so I got hooked on research, couldn’t get out from under the library’s microfilm machine until I finally realized I was doing myself a great disservice; because your imagination can’t absorb all that new material and synthesize it easily.â€Å" Finally, William Kennedy describes the difference between nonfiction and fiction: â€Å"But the journalist must report on life objectively, and the novelist must reinvent life utterly, and the work has to come up from below instead of down from the top as a journalist receives it. But experience alone will produce only commonplace novels. The real work is a blend of imagination and language.† Source for quotes: Allen, Douglas and Mona Simpson, â€Å"William Kennedy: The Art of Fiction 111,† Paris Review, Winter, 1989.

Homemade Biodiesel Titration Test Procedure

Homemade Biodiesel Titration Test Procedure One hundred percent virgin or lightly used waste vegetable oil (WVO) requires 3.5 grams of lye per liter of oil to cause a biodiesel reaction. Heavily used oil can require significantly more, and must be tested to evaluate its acidity. Titration is a common method used to determine the appropriate amount of lye (base) needed for a particular batch of WVO. Titration Equipment: an electronic scale or beam balance2 beakers or jarsa graduated dropperlitmus test strips or electronic pH meterlyeisopropyl alcoholdistilled water Following are the steps to complete a titration test: Measure 1 gram of lye on a scale.Measure 1 liter of distilled water into a beaker.Thoroughly mix the gram of lye with the liter of water until it’s dissolved.Measure 10 milliliters of isopropyl alcohol into a separate beaker.Thoroughly mix 1 milliliter of used vegetable oil into the alcohol.With a graduated eyedropper, put a 1 milliliter drop of the lye/water mix into the oil/alcohol mix.Immediately check the pH level of the oil/alcohol mix with a piece of litmus paper or an electronic pH meter.Repeat step 7, keeping track of the number of drops used, until the oil/alcohol mix has reached a pH level of between 8 and 9normally no more than 4 drops.Calculate the amount of lye needed for the biodiesel reaction by adding 3.5 (amount of lye used for virgin oil) to the number of drops from step 7. For example: suppose a titration uses 3 drops of lye/water. Adding 3.0 plus 3.5 6.5. This hypothetical batch of oil requires 6.5 grams of lye per liter of oil.

Qualitative study appraisal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Qualitative study appraisal - Essay Example It is the continuity which has several harmful manifestations. Literature Review In order to influence, justify and explain certain actions in research, it is always important for the researcher to conduct a literature review. This is also the case if readers are to believe the findings and other assertions formulated by the researcher. To Mason (1996), a research report without literature review lacks an integral part which is supposed to accord the researcher the opportunity to cite reliable who have researched on the same topic. To Mason further, literature review asserts confidence that the writer is not the first to contemplate on the issue, others before have. Newham (1997) argues that, any research paper without literature review is full of the author’s thoughts and opinions and is very hard to convince others otherwise. The researcher in this paper has put a considerable number of reliable citations giving the research paper the required foundation. Study Approach Both qualitative and quantitative research designs were used. Interviews and questionnaires were used to collect the information. The combination of the two approaches accords the researcher several advantages. Qualitative approaches generate verbal information and not numeric which is analyzed using the holistic analysis approach proposed for qualitative research designs. Inductive reasoning which is involved in qualitative research studies gives the researcher more freedom to probe for more information and explanations. Further, the researcher chose to continue with the qualitative approach since qualitative data collection tools are flexible and can accommodate urgent changes/refinement in cases of new research ideas. This means that the research setting is not affected in the process of the research design implementation. Data collected using the qualitative data gathering methods is very rich and has justified explanations which evoke feasible research contexts.  A qualitative me thod leads to more realistic feel which cannot be given by numerical data analysis in addition to giving the researcher the opportunity to interact and have a feeling of the participants in their own terminologies. The findings which emanate from such techniques benefit from the fact that the data is primary and unstructured and thus the researcher can twist them to fit the context thus giving a better meaning. Quantitative approaches on the other give rise measurable data and are directed by a formulated hypothesis which is determined by the collected data set empirically. In quantitative research design, the research statements and problem are defined in specific terms and not generals statements and clearly specifies the independent variable and the dependent one. Quantitative approaches gives rise to measurable and objective hence providing an effective way of determining casual findings. Data collected using such methods is said to be reliable and valid as there are restriction s placed before actual data collection. Such information puts controls and ensures objectivity in analysis. A valid and reliable approach is used by the researcher to articulate issues. Combining the advantages of the two approaches eliminate any possibility of a biased report. Considering a small group representing other races ensures data quality which makes it possible to generalize the findings to fit

Marketing Channel for Saturn Motor Corporation Case Study

Marketing Channel for Saturn Motor Corporation - Case Study Example This paper illustrates that in order to market their products, Saturn targeted the working group of people, i.e. 18-49-year-old graduates from college; white collar job workers whose salaries exceeded $35,000 annually; and older women. It adopted an innovative approach to its marketing strategy by integrating technology, consumer ideas, and business systems into making quality low-cost vehicles that satisfied the customers. It's pricing policy of not haggle, and marketing strategy of bonding consumers to the company and extensive advertisements ensured a steady consumer supply due to its friendly approach. Utilizing the "market area approach" to assign geographical supply areas to retailers and promotion of brand loyalty through the use of names of cities helped to cultivate consumer specific approaches that reflected the needs of consumers from different environmental areas. Empowering the dealers to relate their suggestions to important decisions of the company assists the company to make important decisions for consumer satisfaction and dealer effectiveness. All dealers are trained in leadership in transacting, resolution of conflicts, listening assertively and organizational behavior on recruitment to enable maintenance of dealer organization whose aim is customer satisfaction. Restricting owner's name from appearing in the dealership may also place a huddle in the marketing channel since some of the dealers might have big names that some of the customers may wish to relate to. Opportunities Saturn can relax their strategy of no-haggle to incorporate bargaining to cater for the customers who may be more attracted to this strategy hence attract more customers. They can increase their customer base and target other people outside their age limiting brackets thus increase the number of their customers. They can apply some of the channeling strategies used by other successful auto dealers in their own strategies in order to compete effectively. Threats Competit ion from the Japanese; foreign manufacturers and other automobile companies especially those whose standards are flexible to accommodate various customer and dealer preferences. Banks may require a lot of conditions before they can offer loans to the company. These conditions may prove hard for the company to meet thus banks may end up delaying money to be used in market channeling or refuse to loan it at all thus causing great inconveniences. Misrepresentation of Saturn's products by the media companies may threaten the reception of the products by the people. Marketing Channel Strategy The target markets usually adopts ways through which they would wish products to be sold hence, designing consumer-friendly strategies involves giving an ear to the demands of the consumers and giving their suggestions as inputs in the

The Power of Models and Modeling Essay -- Science Agriculture Essays

The Power of Models and Modeling Models have evolved since the turn of the century. There are models for most any item or system that exists. Developments in mathematics have enabled the world of models to explode. Now most everything can be modeled using some sort of mathematics. Agriculture is field that must rely on predictions. The Farmers Almanac is a source of information that allows one to predict upcoming events. The data in the Almanac is used to model events, especially hydrologic events that can occur in the future. The models that are created today are complex and involve numerous computations that only a computer can do. These models are used in a wide variety of tasks. Models have long been a vision to people, now they are a reality, and have been used to create systems that produce cost-efficient and effective answers to everyday problems. RESTRICTIONS ON MODELING As with life, models come with restraints. These constraints must be weight to see the proper â€Å"give and take† ratio to ascertain a compatible model. There are numerous restraints exist among modeling. The obvious is the budget of the project. The more money available, the precision of the model increases. The use of complex mathematical relationships with multiple iterations leads to the need of vast amounts of computer time. The trade off is the computer time and cost is marginal compared the salary of an individual that is capable to do these mathematical computations. Educated personnel with extensive knowledge and understanding of the model are necessary to determine if the data created makes sense. Finally a model is of no use if there is not real world data to simulate. Simulation of this data checks the validity of th... ...Drainage and Uncontrolled Drainage. Paper No.87-2548. Presented at the ASAE Int’l Winter Meeting in Illinois, December 15-18, ASAE, ST. Joseph, MI (Parsons 1987) Kuo, Wen-Ling, Tammo S. Steenhuis, Charles E. MuCulloch, Charles L. Mohler, David A. Weinstein, Stephen D. DeGloria, and Dennis P. Swaney. 1999. Effect of Grid Size on Soil Moisture for a Variable –Source-Area Hydrology Model. Water Resources Research, Vol. 32, No11, 3419-3428. (Kuo 1999) Muà ±oz-Carpena, Rafael, John E. Parsons, J. Wendell Gilliam. 1998. Modeling Hydrology and Sediment Transport in Vegetative Filter Strips. J. of Hydrology. 214, (1999): 111-129 .(Muà ±oz-Carpena 1998) Skaggs, R. W., M. A. Breve, and J. W. Gilliam. 1995. Predicting Effects of Water Table Management of Loss of Nitrogen from Poorly Drained Soils. European Journal of Agronomy, Vol 494: 1-11. (Skaggs 1995).

Learning Team Presentation Data Collection Essay

This pack of QNT 351 Week 2 Learning Team Paper – Data Collection shows the solutions to the following problems: Use either the data one of your Learning Team members retained from RES/351 or the data from University of Phoenix Material: Ballard Integrated Managed Services, Inc., Part 1. Discuss with your team whether you have data from RES/351, and if your team would like to use one team member Deadline: ( ), Business – General Business I need tutorials from week 1-5 with all assignments!!! Please help me Learn to budget. No matter where you get your money as a college student, you need to make sure your money lasts as long as you need it. Make a list of your expenses and think of how you can cut corners so that you can do what you need to do without going broke. This pack of QNT 351 Week 2 Learning Team Paper – Data Collection shows the solutions to the following problems: Use either the data one of your Learning Team members retained from RES/351 or the data from University of Phoenix Material: Ballard Integrated Managed Services, Inc., Part 1. Discuss with your team whether you have data from RES/351, and if your team would like to use one team member Deadline: ( ), Business – General Business I need tutorials from week 1-5 with all assignments!!! Please help me Learn to budget. No matter where you get your money as a college student, you need to make sure your money lasts as long as you need it. Make a list of your expenses and think of how you can cut corners so that you can do what you need to do without going broke. This pack of QNT 351 Week 2 Learning Team Paper – Data Collection shows the solutions to the following problems: Use either the data one of your Learning Team members retained from RES/351 or the data from University of Phoenix Material: Ballard Integrated Manage†¦ Complete course guide available here – https://bitly.com/1xptjLj Learn how to write an essay using the â€Å"5 Paragraph Essay† format. This is a simple essay format that is often taught in elementary or middle school. Although it is simple to learn, it is invaluable in college. This format will help you easily get through most essay assignments. Deadline: ( ), Business – General Business

What Are Contractions in English Grammar

A contraction is a word or phrase that has been shortened by dropping one or more letters. In writing, an apostrophe is used to indicate the place of the missing letters.  Contractions are commonly used in  speech  (or written dialogue),  informal forms of writing, and where space is at a premium, such as in advertising. In very formal writing, such as academic papers, grant proposals, or other works that need to appear professional, you may not want to use contractions at all. Why Do We Use Contractions? We rely on contractions all the time in normal conversation. When people speak to each other, there is typically an expectation that they will use contractions (cant, wont, shouldnt) whenever they can, as doing so saves time. Some people are under the impression that contractions should never appear in writing, but this belief is mistaken. The use of contractions is directly related to tone. In informal writing (from text messages and blogs to memos and personal essays), we often rely on contractions to maintain a colloquial tone.  In more formal writing assignments (such as academic reports or term papers), avoiding contractions is a way of establishing a more serious tone. Before deciding whether to use contractions in a writing assignment, consider your audience and your purpose for writing. The Contractive  Apostrophe In telescoped words and phrases (e.g.,  doesnt, theres, souwester), an apostrophe marks the spot where one or more letters have been omitted. It is not necessarily where the words have been joined together. This apostrophe is also known as the contractive apostrophe. Some people, including the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, have been in favor of eliminating apostrophes entirely. Shaw called them uncouth bacilli, though its unlikely that Shaws analogy to bacteria will help the apostrophe go away anytime soon. Contracted Nouns and Pronouns In casual conversation, contractions involving  nouns  are fairly common (My  dadll  be home soon). In writing, however,  theyre  much rarer than contractions with  pronouns such as Ill, hed, and shes. You can contract proper nouns to mean is or has, such as in the sentence Shellys coming with us, or Jeffs bought a new computer. Watch out for the homonyms whos and whose; the contraction is who is or who has, and the whole word is possessive, as in Whose car is that?  And of course, if youre visiting the South, youll likely hear the colloquial yall for you all. Negative Contractions and Verb Contractions Contractions are often made with auxiliary, or helping, verbs, such as to be, do, have, and can. We can say it isnt raining or its not raining. But we cannot say itsnt raining. In negative clauses, we have a choice between using negative contractions like not  (nt) and contracting the pronoun and verb (its). But we cant do both. Contracting Not The contracted form of not (nt) can be attached to  finite forms  of the  helping verbs  be, do, and  have. However, amnt (mainly Scottish and Irish) is extremely rare, unlike the disparaged aint. The nt form can also be attached to most of the modal auxiliaries  such as  cant, couldnt, mustnt, shouldnt, wont, and wouldnt. Yet, you wont hear many Americans saying maynt or shant;  even those contractions are too formal. Contractions in  Tag Questions A tag question is a short question added to the end of a  declarative sentence, usually to make sure that something has been done or understood. For example, Its a tag question,  isnt it? Because of their  colloquial  nature, negative tags are commonly contracted:  didnt we? havent you? arent they?  This is much less formal than did not we? or did we not? Ambiguous Contractions Most contractions ending in  d  and  s  are ambiguous. The  d  can  represent either  had  or  would;  s  can represent either  has  or  is. All the same, the meaning of these contractions is usually clear from their  context. For instance, Sams  finished his term paper implies completion in the past  (Sam has finished), while  Sams  tired is in the present tense, meaning  Sam is. Multiple Contractions They may look odd in print, but certain multiple contractions such as  Idve  (or  Ida) and  wouldntve  are fairly common in speech. We like shortcuts, so its easy to say something like, If  Idve  told you the real reason, you probably  wouldntve  come back with me. Quite often, we dont even notice it.  The words just run together as we talk. Under the category of rarities, there are a few double and even triple contracted nautical terms. These include words like  bosn  (short for  boatswain) and  focsle  (a variant of  forecastle), words that landlubbers can probably live without. Before you start recklessly sprinkling apostrophes everywhere, make sure youre not putting an apostrophe plus s on something that should actually be plural: i.e., the  greengrocers apostrophe. Aphaeresis, Syncope, and Apocope Another common type of linguistic shortening (or  elision) is the omission of certain sounds or letters from an individual word. In phonetics, elision at the beginning of a word (for instance, gator from alligator) is called aphaeresis. In the middle of a word (maam from madam), it is a syncope. When it appears at the end of a word (ad from advertisement), we call it an apocope. Aphaeresis and apocope can occur together, as in  flu—a  clipped  form of  influenza. Standard Contractions in English In the following table, youll find a list of more than  70 contractions in English. aren't are not can't cannot couldn't could not could've could have didn't did not doesn't does not don't do not e'er ever hadn't had not hasn't has not haven't have not he'd he had; he would he'll he will; he shall he's he is; he has I'd I had; I would I'll I will; I shall I'm I am I've I have isn't is not it'd it would it'll it shall; it will it's it is; it has let's let us ma'am madam mightn't might not might've might have mustn't must not must've must have 'n' and needn't need not ne'er never o'er over ol' old oughtn't ought not shan't shall not she'd she had; she would she'll she will; she shall she's she is; she has shouldn't should not should've should have that'd that would that's that is; that has there'd there had; there would there'll there shall; there will there's there has; there is they'd they had; they would they'll they will; they shall they're they are they've they have 'twas it was wasn't was not we'd we had; we would we'll we will we're we are we've we have weren't were not what'll what will; what shall what're what are what's what is; what has; what does what've what have where'd where did where's where is; where has who'd who had; who would who'll who will; who shall who's who is; who has who've who have why'd why did won't will not wouldn't would not would've would have you'd you had; you would you'll you will; you shall you're you are you've you have