Originally posted to SuiteU, part of Suite101. SuiteU is being removed from the site. I wanted to save the ecourses so this resource would not disappear.

Writing a Children's Book

By Sally Odgers

Introduction

Do you enjoy writing for children? Have you often read books to children and thought you would like to write one? Do you read some books for young people yourself, just for enjoyment? Have you kept up with the success stories and the controversies surrounding different juvenile titles over the past few years?

Do you often pop into the children's section at book shops or the local library? Do you look at the books your kids bring home to find out what they're reading? Have you recommended books to your children, or to any other young people?

Do you have an active mind? How about a good ear for dialogue? Can you quote two or three catchphrases kids use now? Do you enjoy the company of children and young people? Have you ever read stories to a child, or children, apart from your own? Can you remember the stories you enjoyed most when you were young? …more

I explore abandoned houses and such places. The rule is not to take anything (or leave anything, like garbage). I photograph the outside of old farm houses mainly, seldom entering them at all. In more than five years exploring the only thing I have ever taken was a green Pyrex bowl which I found out in the deep grass, full of rotting weeds. It took several bleach washings to get the smell out of the bowl. I kept the bowl and I have no desire to sell it. I kept it for the house, the history of the place.

My Mom and I go to auctions, flea markets and thrift stores. We also pick up stuff from the side of the road if it looks good. But, we don't sell it. Most of it gets refurbished and then we give it to family members and friends who need it. We repurpose. The odd time something ends up being left at the bottom of our own driveway for another picker to pick it up and see what they do with it.

A few times I tried selling old things we don't still use or have space to keep around. But, it was annoying to deal with people who wanted to shop, rather than buy.

When does collecting become hoarding? I think a lot of people forget the actual pleasure of having something you enjoy. Instead they just want the hunt, the finding of  so-called collectibles and then they just want to own it. Not to enjoy it, but just to own it, like having the right number in their collection. They forget to actually enjoy having it. Someone could move all the items and they could never see them for years and it would make no real difference. They might even prefer to just collect it again rather an feel the loss of it.

I like to watch the shows about antiques, collecting, the storage locker buyers and even (less often) the hoarders. But, I don't think I will take it on as a business. That would take the fun out of the picking up of junk and turning it into something of value. Plus, I don't want to take on more stuff. There is only so much space available and only so much time I want to spend on dusting and maintaining stuff.

• HubPages: American Pickers: Who Has the Money to Buy This Junk?
• HubPages: How to be a Picker of Antiques and Collectibles
• Daily Motion: Pickers Inc.
• Yard Sale Shark
• Snip.it: Antiques, Vintage Collectibles and Collecting
• Entrepreneur: Four Tips for Getting Started in a Collectibles Business
• Mother Earth News: How to be an Antique Picker
• HubPages: Would you Be a Great Picker?

The above photo is upcycled jewellery from The Key of A.

Originally posted to SuiteU, part of Suite101. SuiteU is being removed from the site. I wanted to save the ecourses so this resource would not disappear.

Writing Mysteries

By Janet Blaylock

Janet Blaylock writing on Helium

Introduction

What are your favorite genres? Romance perhaps? Maybe it's Adventures or Comedies? How about the more intense genres of Mysteries, Detective Fiction, Suspense, Horror, or just good old Thrillers? Have you ever wondered how they are written? How the author builds up the suspense and the excitement that keeps you turning those pages right to the very end? If you do, then you will probably find "Writing Mysteries" intriguing. In the previous course, "Mysteries," you learned about the different writers such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie; or the later writers such as Catherine Coulter, Nevada Barr, Sara Paretsky; or the famous authors of suspense or thrillers such as Mary Higgins Clark, Tess Gerritsen, Stephen King, and John Grisham. They have learned the essence of a good thriller/suspense book. When you first pick up a book and you say to yourself, "This looks like a great book." They have already captured you and will now hold you hostage until the plot is inevitably revealed. Finally, you say to yourself, "Wow, I wish I could write a book like that!" Well, you can! You will learn about the elements of fiction writing such as settings, themes, characters, plots, etc. You will also learn how to write mini-mysteries and short stories. The information you receive in this course will help you to write your first novel, so lets climb on board and let the suspense begin!   …more

Originally posted to SuiteU, part of Suite101. SuiteU is being removed from the site. I wanted to save the ecourses so this resource would not disappear.

Science & Tech Writing

By Melissa A. Nelson

Introduction

The practice of Scientific and Technical communications has been around for years; however the fields are both considered new fields. While there have been writers writing about the latest scientific discoveries since Aristotle, and technology since before the printing press was invented, the fields were not given these names until just the last few decades. Due to the fact that the fields often intertwine, knowledge of what is expected to practice in both can be invaluable to anyone wishing to practice in either field. The goal of a scientific or technical writer is to create communications that enable the reader to take some form of action, or to make important critical decisions based on the information the communication is relaying to them. Another goal, simply put, is to take something difficult to understand and make it easy to understand. Scientific and technical writers do not just communicate the information others give them; often times they help to create the information that they communicate. A person who practices in either of these fields has a diverse arena in which they can practice their craft. It is important to remember that it is a craft, while you are not writing fiction-you are writing, and you have the opportunity for your style and talent to shine through whatever document you are producing. Whether you are producing pamphlets for a pharmaceutical company or documentation for software-while it has to follow certain standards-there is nothing saying it has to be boring. A writer writes and both the scientific and technical fields are a great place to do it. The goal of this course is to help a prospective student decide if either scientific or technical writing is a career that they would like to pursue. This will be accomplished through the use of the text "The Practice of Technical and Scientific Communication: Writing in Professional Context", which is edited by Jean A. Lutz and C. Gilbert Storms. The course will show the many arenas open to a scientific or technical writer by showing the various fields; what the role of a scientific or technical writer is in each of these fields; how one prepares to enter each of these fields; what additional education is necessary, and the prospects for a future in each of them. There will also be profiles of communicators in each of these fields to give a student a "hands-on" idea of what is really involved. Through lessons and reading the student should leave the course with a strong feel for what is involved, and whether or not it is something they would really like to pursue. It is my hope that this course provides enough information to help them make an informed decision.   …more

Originally posted to SuiteU, part of Suite101. SuiteU is being removed from the site. I wanted to save the ecourses so this resource would not disappear.

Writing Well

By Katherine Swarts

Introduction

Professional authors hear it on a regular basis: "I could write a book, too, if I had the time." Obvious implication: writing is easy. Well, maybe writing is easy. But writing well definitely isn't. Think back to your earliest school reports. Remember how your teacher insisted on seeing a rough draft before the final copy? And remember how you grumbled, "Why should I do all that extra work?" Because writing is work. Authors know that. Other people tend to forget after graduating from research papers. Okay, but you're not an author, and you don't care if your byline ever graces so much as a letter to the editor. So why should you bother improving your writing skills? Because you still have to write: Friendly e-mails/Thank-you notes/Letters of complaint/Office memos/Business reports/You name it. Have you ever read an e-mail advertisement and thought, "Why should I hire someone who can't even spell?" Or looked over a letter and muttered, "What is this person trying to say?" If you want to make a better impression than that_{whether your readers are supervisors, customer-service representatives, or old friends}polishing your writing skills is a good place to start. You may be thinking, "Yes, but I use state-of-the-art word processing software with spelling and grammar checkers." Checkers can be helpful, but they don't take the work out of writing. They won't create smooth transitions between paragraphs. They won't write to your reader's vocabulary. They won't stop you when you've said everything that needs saying. They don't even do their proper jobs flawlessly. To paraphrase a classic ditty, "Eye no this peace is error-free; my checker tolled me sew." That line_{good only for laughs in the real world}got by my computer's spell checker without a single red mark. Not to mention that spelling and grammar checkers often wag their fingers at things that are correct. According to the Word 2000 spell checker, my name, "Swarts," doesn't exist. With a long list of names and addresses, the typical spell checker can leave you wondering if the operator was shot at the keyboard and spurted blood on the screen. Worse yet is the grammar checker that doesn't recognize good conversational writing. Reread the first two paragraphs of this introduction: "Professional authors hear it on a regular basis: 'I could write a book, too, if I had the time.' Obvious implication: writing is easy. Well, maybe writing is easy. But writing well definitely isn't. Think back to your earliest school reports. Remember how your teacher insisted on seeing a rough draft before the final copy? And remember how you grumbled, 'Why should I do all that extra work?' "Because writing is work. Authors know that. Other people tend to forget after graduating from research papers." See anything wrong in there? No? Well, the grammar checker did. It underlined "Because writing is work" and labeled it "Fragment (consider revising)." Revising to what, it doesn't say. "You had to do the extra work because writing is work"? That gets past the grammar checker, but it also commits a cardinal sin against readable writing: it says in eleven words what could be said in four. It sounds stiff and redundant, less natural than the sentence fragment. In any case, it takes more than perfect grammar to create an effective letter, an impressive business report, or even an understandable memo. It takes clear, concise, and convincing writing. Harnessing the Power of the Written Word is the perfect course for "everyday writers" who want to ensure that ordinary written communications achieve their purpose, whether it's convincing a manufacturer to replace a faulty doodad or giving a warm feeling to the friend who opens your e-mail. The course will cover: Minimizing misinterpretations -Cleaning up clutter -Writing to persuade -Making a professional impression -Editing your work -Writing the friendly letter -Writing the thank-you note -Writing for the hard cases_{condolence and complaint Harnessing the Power of the Written Word will be valuable if you: Write memos, reports, and/or letters in the course of business -Are drafted to write an article for your business's, organization's, or congregation's newsletter -Have to write a letter of thanks or condolence -Need to write a letter of complaint -Get the urge to write a letter to the editor -Feel you "don't write often enough" (even if just by e-mail) "Wait a minute. Who needs writing skills to dash off an e-mail? I don't have time to proofread that. And anyway, they'll know what I mean." Probably they will. Then again, maybe they won't. Picture receiving the following note from your former college roommate: "Hi, Tracy, thought you'd be interested in this contest. All you have to do is e-mail your entry to this address and include your name, city, and county." Hold it. Should that be county or country? They'd be more likely to ask what country you came from, wouldn't they? Unless this is a contest reserved for residents of your state. Hard to tell, since the note doesn't mention states at all.... If you're lucky, the message includes a link to the sponsor's website and more detailed instructions. If not, you have to e-mail your friend back. Either way means extra work. Many people will give up without trying, wondering if any of the former roommate's professors bothered to emphasize clarity. And that's just for a casual note. Imagine the consequences if: You send your supervisor a note explaining why you deserve a raise}and you misspell his name; Fifty staff members get up early on the wrong Saturday because your memo said, "the seminar is on the 11th" instead of "the 18th"; Your department sends out a thousand sales letters that read, "We value attention to detil"; You order twenty copies of a book instead of two copies; A new widow receives a letter that starts, "So sorry to hear your husband is out of his misery." Harnessing the Power of the Written Word will help you avoid such embarrassing experiences and create writing that gets you what you want. Yes, good writing is hard work. No, you may never have the talent of a best-selling novelist. But basic writing skills have countless uses in everyday life. You may even fall in love with the written word.   …more