Are you wondering what the best laptop for a writer is? Or just browsing laptop possibilities? You have come to the right place. As a web tool catered to writers of all kinds, we are uniquely able to tell you which laptops are best for writers. With each laptop review, we will also tell you for what writing the laptop is suited, be it for writing books, novels, notes, business proposals, etc.
Essay writing is part of any academic activity. From grade school through college, you will often be asked to write descriptive essays so it's important to understand what a descriptive essay is and how to write one. What exactly is a descriptive essay? It is a type of essay that requires the writer to describe something whether that thing is an object, a person, experience, or a situation. Through descriptive writing, the writer describes the situation in such a way that the reader can see and feel the situation, almost as if the reader is interacting with the object or thing as they read. All of the human senses are given importance while writing such an essay. The reader is able to understand the situation clearly because of illustrative language and the writer should be able to convey the same using crisp and clear language. Steps to Writing a Descriptive Essay How to write a descriptive essay is something that most of the students and first-time writers ponder when they first are asked to write a descriptive essay. They may have a situation in hand, but conveying the same to the reader without losing the situation's true essence is tricky. Here are seven steps you should follow to write a descriptive essay that conveys the idea in your mind: Understand the audience: The first and foremost step to writing a descriptive essay is to understand the audience for whom you are writing. The tone of the essay depends on the audience. If the audience is small children, then the description should contain simple words that small children are able to comprehend. For a more [...]
Writer's block is inescapable and happens to nearly everyone. Regardless of whether you are a prolific writer or amateur, sometimes putting down your thoughts on paper or a blank computer screen can be an uphill battle. If you have ever experienced it, you will probably agree that writer’s block can leave you stuck. In this article, we hope to give you some creative ways to overcome writer's block so you can get back to writing. You may have faced writer's block when you first started writing or after you've already written several chapters. It doesn't matter; it affects us in the same way. Writer's block traps your mind, leaving you with little creative ability. Despite knowing what to say, it becomes hard to put it in words. Common Causes of Writer's Block The common causes of writer’s block include poor timing, perfectionism, and fear. Poor timing: Sometimes you feel that it is not the right time to do your writing or you are just too late in writing your piece. This is when you lose your ideas, and you end up procrastinating. Usually, in this case, you may need to spend some time processing your ideas. The idea of perfectionism: This is when you want your writing to be perfect. You end up spending too much time fleshing out your ideas. Perfectionism can be very tempting, but if your writing isn't done correctly, you may end up writing nothing at the end. Fear: This is horrible and happens to all of us. You don’t want your audience and others to criticize your piece. In fact, fear, even the mere thought of it, is the big reason [...]
Are you looking for a new laptop for college? You have come to the right place. We have evaluated a number of laptops that our visitors use at college everyday. Continue reading for the best laptops for college students. Preparing for college can be stressful enough without having to decide which laptop to buy. Since most colleges require a laptop these days, it is necessary that you buy the right laptop with the right specs. Most colleges will give you the required specs of the laptops they allow, but we've gone a step further with this article to recommend laptops that not only meet the requirements of colleges, but generally exceed them. Given that most college students need to be mobile, we will keep this list to only laptops, but you can certainly get a desktop for college as well when you need more computing power in your dorm. The following guide of best laptops for college students is geared towards students who need lightweight laptop options to take to class, but anyone is free to read our guide. Before we begin, let us define what makes a great laptop for college students: What makes a great laptop for college students? Buying a new laptop can be a challenge if you aren't familiar with what specs are required. Most colleges will provide these specs, but here's an overview of what specifications you should be looking for in a new college laptop. The eight key things you need to look for when buying a new laptop are below: Recommended laptop configuration for college students: Storage: These days, at least 250GB is ideal. If you travel a lot, you may want [...]
Two spaces after a period When people used to learn how to type on a typewriter, the “two space after a period” rule was a must, since additional space was needed to show the difference between the spacing between a word which was smaller and the spacing between the sentences which was larger. The world has since changed. You’re not going to like it when I say no two spaces after a period, just use one. You were probably taught to use double space after a period in high school typing class too, but that was wrong. How do you change the habit? You can easily break the habit as I haven’t used or tempted to type two spaces for decades. Quitting two spaces after a period is not like quitting a lot of things, like smoking. You don’t find yourself in a nostalgic typewriting situation and suddenly get hit by an unexpected urge to use a double space after a period. Most people have been using two spaces after a period, as they were taught, but to correctly follow most style guides, you only need to use one which is more than enough to differentiate a sentence and words on most modern computers. The easy way to get rid of two spaces after a period If you don't want to read the whole reasoning behind using only one space after a period, there is a simple shortcut to get rid of all double spacing in your documents. Simply use the CTRL + H in most word processors on Windows and COMMAND +SHIFT + H on Mac. Then in the "Find" text box, type " " without the quotes. [...]
Now that you’ve spent the last six days improving your writing, you’ll want to showcase your improvements somewhere. Today you’ll learn where to publish your work and how to make sure it’s ready for publishing. Where can you publish your work? You have three main methods for publishing your work that vary in cost and audience size. Online Publishers Amazon is by far the most well-known online publisher. They offer Kindle Direct Publishing which allows you to instantly share your writing or books with millions of readers via Kindle ebooks, but also provide full-service publishing to fill all your publishing needs. Other notable online publishers include: AuthorHouse, Apple’s iBooks, and Lulu. A new site, Reedsy, will even help you connect with the best online publishers. External Publishers For hundreds of years, the classic way to publish books has been to find a publisher who is willing to print your book. You had to convince the publisher that your book was going to sell a lot of copies or else it wouldn’t be worth the publisher’s time and investment. In fact, many well-known authors, including JK Rowling, were turned down the first time they approached a publisher. Unless you know your book is going to be a bestseller or has gained a large following via another form of publishing, you may want to hold off on publishing externally. The four major publishing companies are: Simon and Schuster, HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, and Hachette Livre. Other The Internet has opened many doors for amateur writers. No longer do you need a major publishing house or newspaper to publicize your writing, you can just post it [...]
The best way to get better at writing is to seek criticism from peers and mentors who are invested in your journey to becoming a better writer. No one gets better without feedback, and writing is no exception. When I say to seek criticism, that does not necessarily mean asking someone to proofread your writing. Rather, have your coach evaluate your entire writing and suggest ways to improve. What is constructive criticism? Constructive criticism is feedback you receive from someone else about your writing. Feedback can focus on any number of things related to your writing, including: tone/mood, grammar, vocabulary, flow, captivating intros, etc. A solid mentor, which we’ll discuss in the next section, will be able to provide you with feedback on all of these areas and help you identify the areas where you need to get better. Where can you seek constructive criticism? While you can always seek relatives or friends as writing coaches, the Internet has also opened up a whole host of other resources. From Subreddits about writing to online proofreading tools, you have access to writers and editors from around the world. Family and Friends Family and friends will probably be the most convenient sources who can provide feedback on your writing. While they may not be professional writers or editors, they can provide you with a general compass for your writing. Be wary of feedback from friends and family though, as it may not be as useful as criticism from strangers since people you know may hide your weaknesses so as to not offend you. Online Forums The Internet is filled with forums that allow you to interact [...]
It is important that you define your audience for writing. Understanding who you are writing for will determine the tone of your writing. Knowing who you are writing for will allow you to better captivate your audience. Determine Who Will Read Your Writing The first step that you need to take to define your audience is to determine who will read your writing. You will need to figure out if the audience that you are writing for is primarily technical, business, or leisurely. You will then need to look at the demographics within those groups to ensure that you are able to write in a manner that will grab their attention. Who is Your Primary Audience? To determine your primary audience, you need to think about who is going to be reading your work. There are three main audiences that you will need to consider: Business Technical Leisure Once you have determined which category your writing falls into, you will need to determine the demographics of the category that you are trying to reach. Each category will need to be broken down further to refine your audience. Business If your writing will be business-focused, you need to make sure that you are familiar with the business for which you will be writing. When you are writing for business there are a couple of questions that you will want to ask yourself: What type of business am I writing for? Is my primary audience male or female? What is the average age of people in this type of business? Am I teaching or informing? Once you have answered these questions, you should have a general [...]
Writing is a time consuming creative process to begin with, so why waste more of that time with formatting, planning, etc. Here are five of the tools many writers find to be invaluable. 1. Grammarly - Grammar Checker Grammarly is the best all-around grammar and format checker there is. It checks over 250 different points about your grammar, including style, spelling, punctuation, grammar, and sentence structure. It even has plagarism detection!They have a free Chrome extension that gives you feedback real-time, but you can also pay $29.95/mo to use their web-interface and use their full functionality.To learn more about the benefits of Grammarly, read our Grammarly review here. 2. Trello - Planning Made Simple Trello is an awesome tool for managing both your writing and your team's. It allows you to easily create categories (I normally use classic Kanban style "To Do," "Doing," "Done"), create tasks in each of those categories, then assign or color code those tasks. Moving the task cards is as simple as clicking on one and dragging. Trello is 100% free unless you want some advanced features such as integrations with external apps, larger file attachments, etc. Give it a try! They have a free Chrome extension that gives you feedback real-time, but you can also pay $29.95/mo to use their web-interface and use their full functionality. 3. Google Docs You probably already use Google Docs and Sheets, but they are definitely worth mentioning. Google Docs has almost the exact same features as Microsoft Word, is cloud based, and can be edited real-time by anyone on [...]
What’s the number one way people are turned off by an author? Poor grammar and lots of typos. Ok, not always, but generally when an author has a typo he/she immediately loses credibility. How many times have you pointed out a spelling mistake on a menu? We know We have. If you’ve ever had issues with grammar or vocabulary, you are not alone. The onslaught of spell-checking software and grammar-checking websites exist for a reason. But never fear! There are a ton of ways you can improve your grammar and vocabulary. Start by Defining Your “Issues” Getting better at anything requires you to identify your weak areas. The same is true for improving your writing, grammar, and vocabulary. Ask a friend or seek professional help in order to spot your mistakes if you cannot identify them. Write down what you want to improve as starting point Figure out where you want to end up. Starting with the goal in-mind is crucial to bettering yourself. Want to improve your vocabulary? Set a goal to learn 100 new words in 3 months. Then create a strategy that will help you achieve that goal. If you set your goal around improving your vocabulary, set a goal to include 10 new words in every piece of writing going forward. With a goal and strategy in mind, you will soon be on your way to achieving your goal. Tools for Improvement Now that you have your goal and plan for improvement, how can you actually improve your grammar, vocabulary, or other writing skillset? Thanks to the Internet, there are a lot of resources that you can [...]
