All modern educators want to reach their aims: to teach students to develop critical thinking, form their statements, explain their ideas flawlessly, and evaluate knowledge of students straightforwardly.

To reach these goals, teachers often assign students to write essays and other papers in the proper style, tone of voice, and unique content.

To be effective, a teacher must have time to give students feedback and provide a deep analysis of their work. Thanks to digital tools like online plagiarism checkers for teachers, this process becomes effortless. As a result, teachers get more free time and resources.

In our article, we will discuss how creative writing teachers can benefit from using a plagiarism checker.

What is a plagiarism checker?

A specific tool that helps to identify borrowed content in any text is called a plagiarism checker. Plagiarism chicken tools are available online and most of them are free.

By comparing the text entered a specific field on the page of a website, a user of a plagiarism checker can in several minutes or even seconds get an analysis resulted from a work of an algorithm that checks all web pages, articles and submissions of other students that could be fined on the Internet. As a result, a user gets the visual highlights of potential copied content in the entered text.

Read: How To Write A Story

Advantages of using a plagiarism checker by creative writing teachers

There are numerous benefits a plagiarism checker can give to creative writing teachers. For example, using such online tools as effective plagiarism checkers improves effectiveness and lets teachers give students feedback directly and promptly.

Using plagiarism checkers lets teachers ensure that students use unique content and follow all the manuals provided by teachers. Here are more advantages of utilizing the plagiarism checker below:

Proving originality and creativeness

Using plagiarism checkers lets teachers ensure the texts created by students are original. Tools that check the uniqueness of written assignments online can identify the parts and text that could be considered like other texts on online resources.

For example, a tool can find texts submitted by other students that have already been published. So, if a student just copied the text from an online resource and did not point out the proper citation according to the set formatting style, a plagiarism checker will consider this part borrowed. In turn, a teacher can discuss such an issue with the students and ensure that they avoid plagiarism in the future.

Encouraging academic integrity

Another way for teachers to benefit by using a plagiarism-checking tool is the promotion of academic honesty. Integrity is crucial for students who want to succeed in their studies.

Teachers must discourage plagiarism and explain the importance of the originality of students’ content. Creating academic papers aims to teach students to formulate their thoughts, and this goal is impossible to reach if a student borrows content.

Another aspect related to academic honesty is a significant part of ethical issues that is important to explain to students during the educational process.

Providing timely feedback on submitted papers

By using online plagiarism-checking tools, teachers become much more effective. The effectiveness improvement process includes providing timely feedback on papers students submit during their studies.

It becomes easy for teachers to identify plagiarism-related issues and give students direct and correct commentaries about such cases. For example, if a student provides a paper with borrowed content, and a teacher identifies this issue online, it is effortless to give a student feedback with a screenshot so that a student cannot avoid responsibility.

Identifying poor referencing

Teachers who often utilize online plagiarism detection tools are effective in identifying the areas of betterment in terms of referencing. For example, if a student misuses citations or references, the tool will let a teacher quickly identify the case and find the initial source.

In turn, a teacher can smoothly give students feedback regarding improper citations and comment on how to improve this situation. As a result, students realize their responsibility for proper citation and understand the importance of giving credit to original authors.

Helping students to become better writers

One of the main goals of a teacher is to help students improve their writing skills. It means that one advantage of using an online plagiarism-checking for creative writing teachers is the ability to easily identify improvement areas.

Explaining to students the specific aspects that need more work is very easy when a teacher can directly see the weaknesses of a piece highlighted by a plagiarism-checking tool. Helping students to develop strong writing skills and create meaningful papers is a part of keeping up the academic integrity process.

Developing critical thinking

Students appreciate it when teachers help them become better writers and develop critical thinking. Thanks to using plagiarism-checking tools, teachers not only identify the originality of the text.

They also allow students to see how independent thinking can make their papers better. To avoid plagiarism, students must learn to analyze the data and form their own opinions based on the originality of ideas and statements.

Saving time in analyzing student works

By using online plagiarism-checking tools, teachers can automatize evaluating student tasks. When a teacher gets an assignment, reducing the time spent on checking work is very easy.

If papers submitted by students are automatically checked for plagiarism, it saves a teacher more time to analyze the content more deeply.

Time resources saved by using online plagiarism-checking tools for analyzing student works lets teachers dedicate more time to giving students adequate and detailed feedback on their writing weaknesses.

Creating an effective evaluation system

Thanks to a plagiarism checker, teachers can not only focus on deep analysis but also create a fair system of evaluation to give students practical feedback.

For example, plagiarism-checking tools allow teachers to compare two works, and if there are similar sentences, the teacher will define the two students who provided the same texts. It will lead to an ability to promptly give feedback and identify violations of the academic integrity process.

Afterall

We hope that now, after reading the article, you realize that creative writing teachers can benefit from using a plagiarism checker. Digital tools are effective and help to save time. We hope you will detect the easiest and unique way to use the plagiarism checker for your needs. Good luck!

The post How Creative Writing Teachers Can Benefit from Using a Plagiarism Checker appeared first on Creative Writing News.

Budding writers often wonder how to write a story. Not just a story, but a good story that everyone remembers and recommends. The world is full of stories, so you have to work hard at yours to make it outstanding. So if you often wonder how to create a story, you have come to the right place. 

Prolific writer, Charles Opara in his article, offers writers a step-by-step guide on how to write a good story. This guide will help you figure out how to  create the best story you possibly can. It will also show you how to overcome certain challenges that writers face such as unproductivity nnd writers’ block.

Ready to learn? Let’s read on.

How To Write A Story Like A Literary Great (Story Writing Tips + Examples)

It is almost impossible to learn how to write a story without first understanding the concept of the story. So let’s start by describing or defining a story.

What is a story? 

When you think of a story, think of a necklace. Or a string of pearls. The entire string is the narrative. Simply put, it is the fiction-writing mode in which the narrator communicates directly to the reader.

The pearl, in other words, is the description. It usually contains the scenes. (Recall, the four rhetorical modes of discourse: narration, description, exposition, and argumentation.)  

Scene vs. Narrative And Why They Matter In Storytelling and Story Writing

The scenes paint a picture and they usually describe places, things, or characters. Consider the piece of string between two adjacent pearls.

In story writing, scenes move at a fast pace. The events that happen in this part are not detailed, and for that reason, advance much quicker.

Here, the writer wishes to inform the reader that this or that occurred, or that time has passed (events that take place between one scene and the next) albeit summarily. Without this vital part it would be difficult to follow the story, difficult to tell what stage the story is in.

While the pearls handle the significant events the writer wishes to share in detail, the string hides details of events the writer does not wish to bother the reader with. I’m sure you’ll agree that the pearls are the beauty of the necklace, the reason why we buy it. And so it is with fiction.

A Step-by-Step Guide On How To Write A Good Story.

When writing a story, even if you must sacrifice the plot (that thing that connects all your scenes) you can’t write a good fiction without at least a scene, which would most likely feature a character in a setting.

If you try, the outcome will be something aimed at informing the reader (rather than transporting him to a different time and place) like a story outline, a skeletal account, or plot points. And this is not good.

People read fiction mainly to be entertained, and it’s hard to entertain them when they do not feel drawn to your story.

While creating a story, it is important to note that  scenes are the building blocks of an entertaining story. There is no better way to make readers feel emotions like joy, anger, disgust, lust, horror, sorrow, tension, excitement and the rest than putting them in a scene with your characters.

Learn to move your story forward: How to keep your readers au fait

The renowned German poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht, who died in 1956, used narrators or narrative figures to fill the missing action in his plays. Today, the use of narrators before a scene opens has become a feature in epic dramas.

These narrators tell us the action that is not played out for us by the actors, the action that we missed between the last scene and the next.

Figure Out What Makes Up A Good Story

• A good story is a collection of scenes connected by a narrative. In other words, it has description and narration.
• Sometimes, a story can have just one scene.
• A good work of fiction can never be just the narrative. (That would be the story outline or the synopsis, which is different from the sample chapters we send to publishers and literary agents).
• The narration that doesn’t occur within a scene, often giving a sketchy account, is meant to help the reader follow the sequence of events in the story. We will refer to this as the narrative.

Master The Parts Or Elements Of A Story

The plot, the story goal, the theme, the characters, the conflict and the setting, especially the opening and final scenes, are six things you need to determine before you begin to write your story.

If you are clear on these, then, only your writing can let you down. Before I learned how to write a story, I used to be one of those people who didn’t plan my plot right up till the end before I started to write.

This meant I never knew how my story would pan out until I had reached the very last scene nor did I know how my characters would develop.

My theme was often a mystery to me. Which is why I often had to redraft my stories, many times — too many times. Sometimes having to make major changes to the story.

To forestall against this, develop the habit of working with and working through a story plan that includes the six elements of fiction. By story plan, I mean a skeletal framework on what you want to write about. A story plan is a vital step to writing a good story.

The elements of fiction (expressed as parts of the figurative story necklace)

Going back to our metaphor of the necklace, let’s appreciate the various elements of fiction better. We find the plot coursing through the whole necklace. Having the same dynamics as fluid, it moves much faster in the narrow string and much slower in the pearl.

As I’ve already said, the beads would be that part of the story where characters perform actions.  The part where your characters and their conflicts unfold, allowing you to form an opinion about them, an opinion not (explicitly) defined for you by the author’s narrative (as we see in the string), allowing you to experience or visualize a character or a setting (through sensory images). The string would be that part that takes you to a scene.

Or, you could say, the events mentioned in summary so the reader can follow the story better (e.g. the passage of time). Looking at the necklace more closely, you’ll notice a repeating pattern in the beads (there usually is, in a good necklace.) This pattern is the theme. There’s one part of the string I still haven’t talked about. The clip.

So, what element of fiction do you think the clip of the necklace represents? Here’s a clue: it’s something that keeps the necklace firmly around your neck. It’s that thing that brings all your elements together. Can you guess? Pause from reading and take a minute to think about it.

The Clip And Its Role In Helping You Learning How To Write A Story.

Without the clip would the necklace stay around your neck? No. It would fall off. So the clip is very important. In fact, without it, there will be no point of owning a necklace; its aim is defeated as you can’t wear it.

If you just carry it in the palm of your hand, no one will see it like it ought to be seen, no one will appreciate it. So what is that which plays the role of a clip in a good story?

It is the thematic statement. The theme has two parts: a concept and a statement. The thematic concept is the design or pattern that we see in the beads while the thematic statement is the clip at the end of the necklace that allows it to be worn. The thematic concept is commonly referred to as the theme.

While there isn’t a common name for the thematic statement, to my knowledge, my guess for its more generic term would be the story goal. (The story goal is different from the character goal, please take note.)

Story goals have to do with the morals or the lessons stories try to teach. The thematic statement is the salient message/idea/point that the reader gets from the story. And what determines this is usually how the story is resolved. So you will not be entirely wrong if you called the clip the resolution.

Decide On What The Point Of Your Story Will Be.

When a story lacks a thematic statement then it is  not a good story because it is all plot and no purpose, a collection of different events (different actions described within a setting) that have nothing binding them together, nothing to make you appreciate why the writer took the trouble to tell them. Many readers consider these type of stories a waste of time.

 What Makes A Good Story?

Most times, as writers, we focus on the art of writing, neglecting the art of storytelling or story-crafting. A lot of us are good writers, but some of us have trouble telling a good story.

When your writing is up to par, and you’re still having trouble getting your stories accepted for publication, it’s time for you to master the art of storytelling.

Storytelling is what takes your writing from raw sentences to real entertainment. It is like the glaze on a ceramic sculpture that makes it look finished.

If writing is artistic expression, storytelling is artistic direction. The two are like hand and glove. And like hand and glove, they can be separated.

Storytelling: How Story Writing Works.

Begin by asking yourself what the story you want to write is about. Can you say it in one sentence (called an elevator pitch, a premise, or a logline)?

Whenever you’re trying to figure out what a story is really about, look for the internal conflict. When you ask people what a story is about, most make the mistake of telling you the plot of the story.

Well, it’s not the plot. It’s the theme. And it ought to be so because, when you consider our story necklace metaphor, you’ll see that the theme gives the necklace beautiful patterns; it adds value to it. So it’s all about the theme when trying to decide on the worth of the necklace.

If the necklace is supposed to be a thing of beauty, then, it’s all about the patterns on it. If you can summarize the story you want to write in one sentence and make it include the theme, then, that’s it. That’s what it’s about.

The Two Types Of Conflict.

In a good story, there are usually two types of conflicts: the external one and the internal one.

Why? Because a well-developed story makes us appreciate a character’s inner turmoil, his emotional/ psychological struggle, and in the end, it says something about life. Stories with internal conflicts are deep. When you think of a good story to write, remember that conflicts are important.

They paint pictures about the human condition, the human struggle, the human mind, the human character, the human virtue, the human resilience, and more.  Ultimately, their resolution by characters who show humanities (even if they are aliens) gives your story its meaning, gives it an underlying message, a lesson that can be framed into one sentence called the thematic statement.

The Six Elements of Fiction.

• Plot
• Theme
• Setting
• Character
• Conflict
• Style

Things like, Point of View and Voice, Tone and many others fall under Style.

The plot

The plot is what happens in your story. It usually revolves around an external conflict.

For example, a man takes the bus home from work after his car breaks down.

The external conflict is all that stands in the way of his trying to get home. The need to get home is the character’s goal. It’s a combination of his car breaking down and all the setbacks he encounters on his way home.

The Theme And It Helps You Create A Stronger Story.

The theme is what your sub-story (your deeper, underlying story) is about. And it revolves around your internal conflict.

A man refuses to let his wife give him a ride back home when his car breaks down.

Why does he refuse his wife’s favour?

Because he’s still mad at her for cheating on him with the school coach, his best friend. They’ve already resolved this matter, but he still wants to give her a hard time over it.

So the internal conflict is the emotions he’s still dealing with surrounding his wife’s unfaithfulness, now that he has knowledge of it.

The theme here is infidelity, or dealing with unfaithfulness, the unfaithfulness of a spouse.

Let’s say our story opens with our protagonist trying to start his car. He gets a call from his wife. He tells her he’s having car trouble and turns down her offer to pick him up.

The rest of the scenes in the story detail the things the man sees on his bus trip, and the discomfort and culture shock he has as a result (he has never taken the bus in his life).

While all this is going on, his thoughts flashback to how he learned of his wife’s affair (exposition) and we understand better the phone conversation he had with her in the beginning, why she said something about him wanting to still punish her.

Our example is taken from a short story called The Bus by Brock Clarke. Most of the scenes take place in the bus so it seems the story is about a bus trip, but it’s not.

The internal conflict hints at what the story is really about.

The story is not about a dreadful bus ride. The bus ride is what happens in the story. That is the plot. The story is about a man trying to punish his wife for an affair she had with his best friend by turning down her offer of a ride home from work.

 I know this from the internal conflict. The theme will tell you what the story is about and it usually revolves around an internal conflict.

The Role Of Conflict, Plot, and Theme When Figuring Out How To Write A Story.

You can see that the conflict (both external and internal) is a distinct element of fiction, distinguishable from the plot and the theme. Plot and Theme usually revolve around conflicts. Plot is what happens in a bid to resolve some external conflict. Theme is the idea and the message that the internal conflict brings to our attention.

Do you now see why you should decide what your conflicts will be before you start to type your story? It helps you decide on what will happen in your story and what your story will be about, helps you decide on the plot and the theme.

What happens when a story has more than one external conflict?

Sometimes a story may have several external conflicts and several internal conflicts. But it should have one major internal conflict. If you have two or more internal conflicts, you could end up telling two or more stories instead of one.

That’s not a crime per se, but it is a little too much, from an aesthetic point of view, if you ask me. From an artistic perspective, I don’t advise this. Better for you to break up your story into several chapters and have one theme for each chapter. Or if you’re writing a TV series, have one theme for each episode.

Since the point of a story revolves around an internal conflict, having two internal conflicts would cause some confusion.

(Note that one internal conflict can lead to several external conflicts and not the other way around, not normally. You don’t want your readers to grapple with too many life lessons in one chapter or episode because it would water down or dilute the impact of your piece.)

From our story, our male protagonist could get off the bus and be chased by muggers. This would result in a new external conflict, one that takes place outside the bus: he now wants to escape muggers (the first was getting through an unbearable bus ride home), but it’s still one plot: a man’s effort to get back home after his car broke down (now having two parts: the bus trip and the chase).

When a story has several themes

A story can have several themes. A theme is an idea that the story revolves around. And it is usually rooted in an internal conflict. Several ideas could revolve around one internal conflict. A story can have several themes but it should make a statement about just one (the central theme). From our example, one idea could be unfaithfulness or infidelity. Another could be, resentfulness.

The theme: concept and statement

Earlier, I said the theme is both the idea (concept) and the message (statement) your story carries. If you have an internal conflict, you already have an idea for the theme. What remains now is what statement you make about it. Your theme is not complete unless your story says something about it. And you make it say what you want by how you end your story.

Oh

Determine The Thematic Concept Of The Story.

So, what do you think is the thematic concept of our story example?

How about, ‘Resentfulness vs. truly forgiving’? Begrudging vs. Letting go. What about, ‘the things we put ourselves through to make a point’?

Our ending determines what our thematic statement says.

If the bus trip turns out to be an experience our protagonist wishes he had not undergone, then, the thematic statement would be,

‘Resentfulness after reconciliation leads to regret’?

Or, ‘It doesn’t pay to still begrudge those who have told us they are sorry’.

Or, ‘Refusing to let old wounds heal begets new pains’.

Character and Setting Plays A Good Role In Story Writing.

The other elements of fiction, Character and Setting, are self-explanatory. I won’t go into them. I’ll just say, depending on the length of your story, you ought to devote a certain amount of words to character development and setting. In flash fiction, character development is either omitted completely or done in very few words.

Style

The last is Style, also called ‘writing style‘ or ‘narrative style’. It’s all about the technique you deploy in your narration. You should decide on what style to use after crafting your story, before you sit down to write it. And so it should also be one of your pre-considerations. Style is your art of writing, or your literary expression. It includes things like POV choice, Voice, Tone, Diction and more. It’s very broad.

How To Write a Story Using Diegesis and Mimesis

From our metaphor of a story, some could argue that the string tells more than it shows, and the pearl, a metaphor for a scene (and since scenes are heavy on description), shows more than it tells.

Showing and telling, telling and showing. Aren’t we, as writers, all too familiar with the terms?

The more technical terms would be Diegesis (telling) and Mimesis (showing). They are both style choices.

Diegesis

In diegesis, the narrator tells the story. The narrator presents the actions (and sometimes thoughts) of the characters to the readers or audience. Diegetic elements are part of the fictional world (“part of the story”), as opposed to non-diegetic elements which are stylistic elements of how the narrator tells the story (“part of the storytelling”).

In Diegesis, there is a filter to the action, a narrative filter that gives us a sense of an authorial presence.

We are made even more aware of this presence by the writer’s voice, especially if he or she speaks in a non-standard dialect. Remember the novel The Help by Kathryn Stockett? There are many more examples.

Mimesis

Mimesis is imitative representation of the real world in art and literature. It’s understood as a form of realism in literature.

Dissect The Diegesis vs. Mimesis

Mimesis shows rather than tells, by means of action that is enacted. Diegesis is the telling of a story by a narrator. The narrator may speak as a particular character, or may be the invisible narrator, or even the all-knowing narrator who speaks from “outside” in the form of commenting on the action or the characters. In Diegesis, there’s a filter to the action. In Mimesis, there’s none.

I’m sure you’ll agree that the decision to write with or without a filter is a style choice. So you see, it’s not accurate to say that showing occurs in the beads and telling occurs in the string because it’s a style choice.

A story can be diegetically told, with no aspect of Mimesis. Your writing style pervades all aspects of your story and can be seen in every part of the necklace, both string and bead. The only thing we can be certain of is that the plot moves at a faster pace in the string than in the bead.

Writing is art expression; storytelling is art direction

A good writer is not necessarily a good storyteller and vice versa. Writing is a literary expression; storytelling is literary direction. Some writers do one better than the other.

Think of the other five elements (outside style) as all the things that will make you a good storyteller, a good story crafter while style is everything you need to apply to your writing that will make you a good writer.

To learn how to write a story, learn to create a story plan.

If I’m asked what makes a good story, I would tell them it’s a story that deploys the six elements of fiction (plot, theme, conflict, setting, character and style).

If you want to write better stories, create a story plan that looks something like this:

• Plot Summary (in one or two sentences)
• Theme (in one word)
• Concept of theme (in more than one word)
• Statement of theme (in one sentence)
• Setting (place and time period e.g. present-day, 1994, medieval times.)
• Characters (List all your characters with their relationship to the protagonist or their relevance to the story in brackets.)
• Conflict
• External
• Internal
• Style
• POV
• Voice
• Tone

(You can add other aspects of style not on this list). You can create a story plan before you start writing your story, or after the story has been written. The story plan is supposed to help you figure out ways to plu plot holes and to develop your characters.

Conclusion On How To Write A Story Like A Literary Great.

Good story writing is not as easy as accomplished writers make it seem. But you can write good stories if you choose your scenes, characters and themes wisely. And pay attention to the narrative techniques in your story.

Have you learned the ins and outs of writing a story? Please share your tips with us in the comments section. We want to learn more on how to write a story.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Charles Opara is a Nigerian-born author who writes suspense, speculative fiction, and short stories, who is about to publish a collection of short stories. He is a programmer with a passion for groundbreaking technologies. His creative mind enjoys the logic involved in writing stories and programs. In 2015, his horror short “It Happened” was shortlisted for the Awele Creative Trust Prize and in 2017, another story ‘Baby-girl’ was long-listed for the Quramo National Prize in his country. His stories have appeared in Ambit, Flash Fiction Press, and Zoetic Press.

twitter handle: Charles Opara@OparaCc

The post How To Write A Story Like A Literary Great (Story Writing Tips + Examples) appeared first on Creative Writing News.

BMP to PDF converters are software tools or online services that allow you to convert images in BMP (Bitmap) format into PDF (Portable Document Format) files.

BMP to PDF converters can be useful for creating a document from scanned images, archiving bitmap graphics, or preparing a presentation with multiple BMP images in a single, easily shareable PDF file.

Bitmap portable format to PDFs serves as an indispensable tool for students and teachers, seamlessly transforming visual content into portable, universally accessible formats, fostering efficient sharing, collaboration, and the presentation of educational materials.

Read: How To Make Money From Writing.

It is a common task for researchers and learners to change the images from bitmap to portable document format. 

If you are an expert seeking to sort out the images into single, dissociable documents or a daily user and have the inclination to design a digital album, you will need a BMP to PDF converter for proficient work. 

Here, we will consider at 5 bitmaps to pdf converters which are specifically built for Windows. 

We will explore their attributes, easily operated, performance, and quality-to-price ratio. If you are looking for a fully featured instrument, a convenient converter, then a BMP to PDF converter is an efficient tool to make your way smoother.

Itspdf.com

For the management of PDF documents, an online instrument which is called itspdf.com is used to convert BMP to PDF documents. It is a fully featured tool that easily converts the document from BMP to PDF.

Simplified Conversion: 

At learner’s platforms, there are many computer students who need such an incredible converter to convert the files fast. Although it is not fully featured like desktop software, and is an easy BMP to PDF converter styled for Windows users.

Cloud-Based Conversion: 

Because of its web-based nature, it is available for any device with a connection to the internet and provides high convenience.

Fine Management: 

The platform involves fundamental file management functions that enable its users to combine, divide, and reduce portable document formats.

Pros:

• It is available on any window with an internet connection.
• No need to install the software, it helps to maintain the window machine neatly.

Adobe Acrobat DC

In the domain of PDF solutions, Adobe Acrobat is widely accepted. Adobe Acrobat DC is the new version of Adobe’s portable document software, giving the high-powered and flexible BMP to PDF conversion tool. They made it in such a way that it is easy to operate and makes the process for all types of use more genuine.

Batch Conversion: 

It is a timesaving tool, which is used to turn BMP into PDF.

Customization: 

You can easily customize PDF documents by adding headers, footers, watermarks, and even codes to enhance reliability.

OCR Support: 

Adobe Acrobat is a software that has optical character recognition in which you can scan the BMP images with text change in the searchable PDFs.

Pros

• Industry-standard PDF formation and modification
• Systematic update and client service
• Strong security characteristics for document

PDFelement:

PDF element is the most famous PDF editing tool that provides complete properties for PDF formation, correction, and transformation. It involves accessible BMP to PDF formation instruments appropriate for all types of users.

Drag-and-Drop Interface: 

BMP to PDF conversion becomes easier by Drag and Drop Interface.

Batch Conversion: 

You can change several BMP files simultaneously, which enhances your efficiency.

Pros:
Due to low cost, users can easily avail of it

• No need for technical knowledge
• Strong changing properties like text and image manipulation

Nitro Pro

Nitropro is a more powerful PDF changer that also involves BMP to PDF changing properties. They made it for all types of users who are in search of advanced PDF tools.

PDF Editing: 

The software provides a variety of PDF editing options that help to manage the document at once.

Sign-in Option:

Within the application, you can sign your PDF document electronically.

Pros:

• Advanced PDF editing and creation features.
• Enhanced security options, including password protection and encryption.

Convertio

You can convert BMP into PDF by using the simplest and easiest online conversion system. It is the best option for the customer who favors the ease of online gadgets.

User Friendly: 

The BMP to PDF converter provides a simple and innate user alliance, which constructs availability to users.

Wide Format support: 

It supports a wide range of image formats and makes it flexible for different conversion requirements. 

Pros:

• Availability from any aperture tool with an internet connection.

• Accessibility from any Windows device with an internet connection.
• No software installation is required.

Finally, on Top 5 BMP to PDF Converters for Windows

There are offline software and online services that offer BMP to PDF conversion capabilities. Many of them are simple to use and do not require any special technical skills. Some of them may offer additional features, like the ability to merge multiple BMP images into a single PDF, add annotations, and more.

The post Top 5 BMP to PDF Converters for Windows: Streamlining Educational Resources for Students appeared first on Creative Writing News.

Are you struggling to find topics ideas for content writing? It happens quite often that you find yourself in a situation where you can’t think of any useful topics to write about. 

Although finding topic ideas for content writing can be hard, there is a process that can help any content creator to generate topics and improve their writing skills. Let us explore some effective ways to find topic ideas for content writing.

Writer’s Block

Getting started can be the toughest part for writers. You may sit there, staring at your computer screen, unsure of what to write and where to find inspiration. 

Writer’s block is a common experience for new and even experienced writers. The reality is that inspiration doesn’t just fall into your lap, especially in the world of content marketing. It’s unlikely that you’ll stumble upon a topic without research. 

Most new writers get stuck while looking for relevant topics for their content. If you want to start your writing journey, you can take a course in content writing. In a content writing course, you get trained by experts about how to find topic ideas for content writing and write relevant content for an audience.

This is precisely why we’ve compiled a list of our favorite free tools for researching content marketing outreach articles.

Understanding your Audience Needs

The best way to figure out what to write about is by simply asking the people you’re trying to reach. Take a look at their comments on your blog, social media interactions, and customer support inquiries. 

Conduct surveys and interviews to gain insights. Dive into your own analytics to identify the topics that resonate with your audience. 

Prospect Needs

For businesses, marketing and sales teams can collaborate to brainstorm topics that also serve as sales enablement. What challenges are your top customers encountering, and how can you address them? Identify any roadblocks in the sales process that a blog post, video, or webinar could help overcome.

Industry Discussions

Your content can serve as a platform for participating in the ongoing conversations within your industry. Share your perspective and insights that your audience needs to stay updated. 

Stay informed by subscribing to industry newsletters, reading industry blogs, following thought leaders, and attending industry events to generate fresh ideas.

Here are some tools you can use to find topics for your content:

Google Search

Google knows what people are looking for, and you can use it easily to find out topic ideas for your content. You can type in your target keywords and Google will offer you some suggestions based on the relevance and search history. Before you complete tying your search query, Google will tell you the related keywords people are typing to look for information. 

Google Related Searches

When you type any query on Google, you will find some other questions people ask related to your search on the bottom of the search page. You can create content on any of those queries or keywords, as these are the queries people are actively searching online. 

Google Trends

Google Trends is another useful tool to research topics and ideas for content, but unfortunately only a few people use it. The best thing about Google trends is that it lets you know the trending topics for content in your niche. Although you cannot do a thorough keyword research, have an idea what is trending in your niche. Trying a combination of searches can help you create some topics for writing new posts. 

YouTube Search

YouTube is a video search platform from Google where people make millions of searches daily. There are many things that people prefer searching on YouTube rather than Google. 

You can use YouTube search in the same way as Google search to find what people are searching in your niche. Then use those queries to create topics and answer them in your content. 

Choosing Topics for Content Writing

Now that you have a wealth of topic ideas at your disposal, it’s essential to exercise discretion and select the most relevant ones. How do you make these decisions? Consider these four key factors:

Search Volume: It’s essential to create content that people are actively searching for. Opt for topics associated with keywords that have high search volumes. However, don’t focus merely on high search volumes. Many websites use keywords with high volume and create a high level of competition for ranking. So, you also need to focus on the competition. 

Competition: While some high-volume keywords might be challenging to rank for with a single blog post, consider an innovative approach, such as Pillar-Based Marketing. This strategy involves creating a cluster of content around a central topic and publishing it simultaneously to target a broader range of long-tail keywords, ultimately boosting your content’s visibility.

User Intent: Focus on topics that cater to different stages of the customer journey. Some individuals seek general information, while others are after specific details. For example, if you want to rank for the keyword “standing desks,” consider crafting articles like “the best standing desks” or “budget-friendly standing desks.”

Evergreen Content: While discussing current events can be tempting, remember that such topics may lose their relevance over time. Balance your content by covering subjects that will remain valuable regardless of trends, ensuring long-term utility for both your sales and search performance.

Summing Up on How to Find Great Topic Ideas for Content Writing

Finding good topic ideas for content writing is difficult, but it requires the right approach. Following the right steps, and using tools like Google search and Google trends, will help you get as many topic ideas as you want. 

However, it is important to ensure that the topics you choose to write are relevant to your target audience and cover their search intent. After getting the right topic, you can write high-quality content that satisfies the search intent of your target audience. 

The post How to Find Great Topic Ideas for Content Writing appeared first on Creative Writing News.

Applying for writing contests or competitions is a great way to put yourself and your literary work on the map.

Writing contests offers a space for you to showcase your works, as well as explore your strengths and weaknesses. It is also an opportunity for you as a writer to be recognized in the literary world.

However, writing competitions involve more than just sending in your writing and waiting for an approval. There are procedures and precautions that you must take to ensure you’ve done the right things that can guarantee a possible success. This article guides you through that process.

Look for Writing Competitions

There is no preparation without a writing contest. The first thing you should do is position yourself to have access to a range of writing competitions. There are several websites – which you can subscribe to in order to get information on writing competitions. These include: creative writing news, Brittle paper, Inkitt, Reedsy and More!

Carefully go through each writing contests’ requirement

Each writing competition has unique requirements according to their vision, mission and core values. As such it is important for you as an entrant to read these requirements before you apply. Read through the eligibility, know if you are eligible by age, location, nationality, also, know whether or not entry is free or paid.

Carry out research on the Judges of the Writing Competition

Writing perception is unique to people, therefore it is advisable to be familiar with the judges of the contest – visit their workshops if they have any, just to understand what makes them experienced enough to judge and see if you can learn a thing or two from them, so as to help you write a contest worthy story for submission.

Brainstorm and Have a Deep Understanding of the Theme

Before diving into writing for the competition, you should think carefully about the ideas , themes, and concepts for your story of entry. Outline what you want to write, know if it aligns with the theme of the competition and if it expresses it well enough.

If the theme of a contest is Freedom, do this

• You question what freedom means
• Know how the organizers of the contest want you to translate freedom
• How you want to translate freedom
• What does the story you want to write mean? Consider these before you dive into writing.

Write Exceedingly Well

The opening of your entry is a window to the rest of your work. Create a compelling hook, whether it’s a strange question, an intriguing statement, an action scene or a vivid description that draws readers in from the beginning. Hook readers at first read.

Develop Strong Characters and Plot

If your competition piece is a narrative, focus on creating well-rounded characters and a great plot to support characterization. Engage your readers with relatable characters and a storyline that keeps them invested from beginning to end.

Stay True to Your Voice

While it is essential to adapt to the competition’s requirements, do not lose your unique voice and style. Your voice can announce you. It can even set you apart from other entrants. So write that story your heart yearns for.

Edit and Revise

Never submit a first draft. Learn how to do a self-edit for writing competitions , or give it out to beta readers to help you. This can help you check for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. More so, ensure your writing is clear and understandable. Do not be ambiguous. Make sure to do this before sending it in.

Proofread

After editing, proofread. Even the smallest typos can affect the quality of your work and can make it one less problem from a bunch of other entries. Proofread your work multiple times to remove errors, or, use editing applications to make sure you are in the clear.

Take Note of Word Limits

Most writing competitions have word limits. Some require just 2,500 words and nothing more, while some require nothing less than 1000 words.

Adhere to this rule while writing, make sure your work does not exceed the required word count because this can lead to your work being disqualified! Do not gamble your chances.

Meet Up with the given Deadline of the Writing Contest

If the deadline says 1st of May, make sure you submit BEFORE then. It is the safest way to keep your chances. Submissions after deadline are often rejected or the portals might have been shut down.

I hope these tips can help you successfully apply for a writing competition and write for one. Following this guide does not guarantee your position in the contest, but it gives you an edge. So cease the day, go ahead and apply for that writing contest. Do it for you!

The post A Writer’s Guide on Successfully Applying for Legit Writing Contests (Tips + Tricks + More) appeared first on Creative Writing News.

Businesses are attracting customers through marketing their content. A piece of quality content with good marketing efforts can bring up great user engagement. Content is the source to bring up any website in search engine result pages. It is used for SEO of a website along with PPC campaigns.

Bringing up the quality of your content can also boost your engagement because search engines like quality content and they only show remarkable content to their users. Hence, there is no doubt in content enhances user engagement.

So, in this post, we will give you five practical tips to increase user engagement through content. But, before going into that first, understand the term ‘user engagement’ itself.

What is User Engagement?

Every business wants to get maximum engagement nowadays. But, what actually is user engagement? Let us explain it to you. When a user clicks on your website whether the click is organic or paid, it counts as an engagement.

Moreover, when a user like, comment, saves, downloads or shares a post, it also counts as an engagement. So, engagement is everything that a user performs on your paid ad post or organically ranked webpage.

User engagement can be more beneficial when it turns into leads and sales. People who tend to engage with your content have a high possibility to purchase, signup, or subscribe to your site.

User engagement is very necessary for calculating profitability, return on investment (ROI), and product performance. Additionally, you can calculate the number of visitors who came to your website manually instead of depending on the tools.

5 Practical Tips to Increase User Engagement through Content

As promised, here are five practical tips for enhancing user engagement through content. One can follow them to add more butter to his/her business and sales by following the below tips:

Write for the Audience

You would never like to read something out of your interest. Therefore, always write according to your targeted audience. 

Being aware of your audience helps you write engaging content for them according to their expectations. You can perform in-depth research to know your audience if you are new to the market. There are multiple ways to perform research for detecting the right audiences.

The most effective way is to study your competitors. Go through the content posted regularly by your competitors and see the people’s reactions and comments on it.

This way you will be able to see the problems of people that can be resolved with a product and you may also get to know the people you need to target. 

Another way is; giving time to social media platforms and question-answering forums. Answering people’s questions and analyzing the discussions on question-answering forums like Quora and Reddit will help you find their pain points.

When you know the right people while knowing their pain points, you can write a perfect piece of content for them. Always focus on the problems rather than the solutions. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram can also help you in finding the right audience by conducting surveys and polls.

Perform the Right Keyword Research

A keyword is a word or combination of words that people use to search on search engines. They are usually a combination of words that represent a problem or solution to some problem.

Keywords are an essential component of content writing. You add keywords on spontaneous occasions in the whole content. The number of times a keyword occurs in a piece of content is known as keyword density. It can vary according to the length of the content.

We will be discussing the keyword’s placement, density, and nature in detail, but first, let us explain the process of finding the right keywords. Hence, use the following techniques to perform the right keyword research:

• Use Google Search Bar:

Google search can help you find the right keywords for your content. Open Google Chrome and go to the search bar, then enter random words regarding your topic as I did in the figure below.

We entered the keyword ‘user engagement’ in the Google search bar and it gives me the related keywords to it such as ceiling fan watts, ceiling fan price, ceiling fan sizes, etc. It also gives you the LSI keywords of the main keywords. You can use these suggested terms as keywords in your content.

•  Examine Google’s People Also Ask Section

Whenever you search for something on Google, in the middle of the first page of the search results there is a section named ‘People also ask’. This section can help in finding the FAQs and points that you should discuss in your content because users frequently search for them. Adding FAQs at the end of your content makes the quality better.

• Do Consider Related Searches

At the end of the first page of search results, there is a section for related searches. They include FAQs and topics that people usually search on search engines. You can consider them as keywords and headings to add to your content. Adding the queries from related searches helps search engine to understand and rank your content higher in SERP.

• Use Keyword Research Tools

Online tools are used for in-depth keyword research. These tools include Google keyword planner, Semrush, Ahrefs, and Ubersuggest. They are all highly advanced tools that can even find the keywords on which your competitors are ranking.

These tools use high-end programming algorithms to find the exact keywords for a topic. Along with main keywords, they also provide secondary and LSI keywords. An online keyword research tool can give you the exact search volume of keywords in a month. Plus, it also provides the keyword difficulty and competitors that are ranking on a specific keyword. 

You just have to put a keyword or URL in the search bar of a keyword research tool and it will provide you with related keywords with high search volume. You can also apply filters while searing keywords with a tool such as country restriction, it will only show you the keywords ranking in a specific territory.

Courtesy: https://ahrefs.com/keywords-explorer

Qualities of a Good Keyword

• The keyword should be long tail (consist of 3-4 words)
• The keyword should have a good search volume
• The keyword should have a low difficulty/competition
• The keywords should be highly relevant to the topic.

Avoid Keyword Stuffing

Keyword stuffing is when you forcefully add keywords to a piece of content. Experts suggest that you adjust keywords normally because search engines and users want quality content instead of keyword-stuffed content. 

Therefore, add keywords only where they are necessary and look normal to the viewer. Keyword density is the number of times a keyword occurs in content. To decrease the keyword density, you can add LSI keywords instead of the main keyword. They are also called synonyms or alternatives to a keyword.

Hence, to give you an overview of keyword adjustment and density, here is the recommended keyword density in a 1000 words content:

• URL of the webpage: (1x)
• Title of content: (1x)
• Meta-Description: (1x)
• Introduction: (app. 2x)
• Body of Content: (use where needed & also add LSI keywords)
• Conclusion: (1x)

• Write Interactive and Readable Content

High-quality content is a necessity for enhancing user engagement. Whereas, for making high-quality content, interactivity and readability should be top-notch. But, what is meant by interactivity and readability?

Interactivity is about making the content talkative to the users. For example, you can ask users questions or put them in a situation where they have to think. Making the user think around a point can make the content interactive. Another great way to make the content interactive is to present it as a story and relate the reader to it in multiple places.

Visuals can also help in making the content interactive. Adding images and videos to your content makes the quality better because search engines like content with visuals in it. Make sure to add only relevant visuals and optimize them before posting. 

Whereas readability refers to the time taken for an average person to go through your content. Google suggests making your content easily readable by an 8th-grade student or a child of 13-15 years. This can be done using easy words, shortening the sentences, writing active voice sentences, etc. Difficult words and long sentences make the content hard to read.

The readability of content can be enhanced by rephrasing the sentences in it. To rephrase the content, you have to change the difficult words with their easy synonyms by using Google or by using online rephrasing tools. By doing this, you can rephrase your original content in a new way without affecting its main idea.

Moreover, changing the sentence structure is also included in the rephrasing process. Converting indirect sentences and complex sentences into simple and direct ones can also help increase the readability of content.

Rephrased content will definitely perform better in enhancing user engagement through content because users and search engines both like highly readable content. You can also use online tools like paraphrasing and rewriting tools to enhance the readability of your content. They can ease the hurdle of making the content highly readable.

Try Different Writing Formats

We use different writing formats or styles to write content according to requirement. For example, a piece of academic writing requires a formal content tone or style, while a movie script requires an informal or jolly tone. Below are a few writing styles mentioned with their overview:

• Analytical Writing:

Analytical writing is about comparing, dissecting, and analyzing current arguments with previous or already written content. In this type of writing, we majorly discuss the causes and effects of something. We use analytical writing for writing comparisons and review articles.  

• Narrative Style Writing:

We use narrative writing for writing novels, poems, stories, movies, serial scripts, etc. In this type of writing, we majorly emphasize the next moment. There is always a touch of suspense and drama in narrative writing, while it has no concern with reality. It may involve a message idea that a writer wants to convey to the audience.

• Persuasive Writing

In persuasive writing, a writer conveys his thoughts and emotion in the form of content. The writer peruses his content based on facts and logic, but there is a touch of emotions, humanity, or somehow bias. Advertisements and commercials are often crafted in this writing format.

• Expository Writing:

How-to-articles, guides, essays, articles, etc. are mostly crafted on this writing pattern. In expository writing, the writer only talks about the facts and figures while being unbiased. Your own opinions and thoughts do not matter in expository writing.

• Argumentative Writing:

Persuasive writing and argumentative writing are almost the same, with only one difference. In persuasive writing, the writer peruses his content based on facts and logic with a touch of emotions and biases but without proof or evidence. Whereas in argumentative writing, the facts or evidence for being biased are necessary.

Ensure the Content Uniqueness

You cannot enhance user engagement without high-quality and unique content. Therefore, plagiarism can be an evil of nights for you. After writing the content, it is necessary to check for plagiarism in it to ensure providing unique content to the users. There are still chances of plagiarism in your content even after you write it on your own. Due to the excessive amount of content available online, it becomes very difficult for content writers to avoid plagiarism.

Anyone can be trapped by unintentional plagiarism. Therefore, always check your content for any plagiarism traces by using online plagiarism-checking tools because they provide accurate results. A plagiarism checker can detect even a minor amount of plagiarism in your content using its highly advanced algorithms. If any part of your content comes up plagiarized, rephrase or cite it to ensure uniqueness.

Conclusion

We have listed the best five ways to enhance user engagement through content in this article. Always consider the audience while writing and write highly readable and plagiarism-free content. Moreover, adjust the right keywords in the right place. 

After writing content for the audience, always run it through by using online plagiarism-checking tools. This will help you to ensure the content’s uniqueness before presenting it to the audience.

Hope this article helps you in creating engaging content. Thanks for reading!

Author: 

The post How To Enhance User Engagement Through Content appeared first on Creative Writing News.

Figuring out how to write a grant proposal can be a real headache, for obvious reasons.

Grant proposals are the project’s defined deliverables for the financial expenses and how these finances would source from various areas. Therefore, the grant proposal is expected to be convincing enough to guarantee the success of the project. Otherwise, the funding will not be granted. So how can you write an effective grant proposal?

To eloquently write a winning grant proposal, you must ensure that it is well managed and packed with all the necessary information to cover a project’s needs. A grant proposal should not only focus on providing the generated profit but also explain how the project would bring a positive change.

In this article, we will guide you on how to write a grant proposal that will win the hearts of investors. We will share some tips and templates for writing a grant proposal. Moreover, we present the factors that should be ignored in writing a grant proposal.

Essential Elements of a Grant Proposal

Before you write your grant proposal, make a checklist of elements that must be included. The elements discussed below are essential tips for successfully writing a grant proposal to win an investment opportunity.

• Confident Tone

A grant proposal should show that you are confident in presenting your idea. You should use the terms like ‘might’ or ‘perhaps’ as it gives an impression that you’re not sure about what you’re trying to propose. Keep a confident tone supported with facts so the investor becomes obliged to respond to you.

• Goals and Objectives

To ask for the grant, you may have to present the goals and objectives you will achieve with that financial aid. Present the complete blueprint for what you will achieve and how long it will take to achieve these goals.

• Budget

The budget element in the grant proposal is not only based on a single figure. But you have to present the summary of the complete calculation, stating how you will spend the financial aid. It is important to mention all the expenses and cash flows to present a pre-decided budget. Do leave variation for unprecedented expenses.

• Conversational

Keeping a conversational writing style in a grant proposal doesn’t mean that you should start using slang language. You still have to keep it formal yet friendly. Grant proposal speaks for you, so be a conversation maker that compels the investor in your project.

• Avoid Fluff and Duplication

The readability and quality can win the hearts of investors. Ensure you are not repeating the same terms excessively, as it may affect readability.

Moreover, you must ensure that the content of your discussion in the grant proposal is unique, like a cover letter, problem statement, etc. Therefore, it’s vital to check plagiarism of your proposal before submitting its final version to the investors.

Steps to Write a Winning Grant Proposal

Now that we have learned about the crucial elements of grant proposal writing, let’s talk about how you can progress to writing a grant proposal following a step-by-step approach to keep things in order.

• Write an Effective Cover Letter

The cover letter is the first impression from your side on the investors. It presents you with the perfect opportunity to get the investor’s attention. Unlike the rest of the grant proposal, the cover letter is less formal and tends to hit the readers directly.

The purpose of writing effective content is to compel the reader to read the proposal. The investors may have received hundreds of proposals, and they may not spend hours reading one. The cover letter of your grant proposal should state how your reason stands out from the others.

Make Sure to:

• Keep it concise and to the point as much as you can.
• Mention the primary information like how much grant you need and what for.
• Avoid redundancy to keep the letter straightforward and readable.
• Make your goals and achievements relevant to state how they would have influence.

Example:

Palm Scholars High School is pleased to present this proposal to you for review. We look forward to partnering with you to provide a reading intervention program for students with learning disabilities called Reading for Success! Palm Scholars High School has more than 50 at-risk students whose academic achievement is more than two years behind their current grade level.

The purpose of the “Reading for Success” program! This program is designed to help all students with learning disabilities learn to read at grade level and improve their reading speed, comprehension, and attention.

Last year we hosted a Learn to Succeed! With a small group of students with poor reading skills, most of them improved their reading skills significantly, gaining a grade or two in reading. Read on for success! The program provides students with a supportive learning system and training for classroom teachers and learning professionals.

• Present an Executive Summary

The executive summary is the next important element that leaves the first impression on your investors. Every winning proposal needs to be started with an executive summary that states all the contents of your grant proposal.

A proposal summary gives you a brief overview of the entire grant proposal, which elaborates on what you will discuss. The executive summary should introduce your business, marketing segment, proposals, and project goals. It should present specific details to get the investors to understand your grant proposal’s point.

Make Sure to:

• Adjust the summary to at most 2 pages to give a brief overview of your proposal.
• Ensure to include the resources by mentioning the funds you are requesting.
• Do not go too deep with the details.

Example

Palm Scholars High School in Miami, Florida is seeking grants to support learning for success! A program that helps all at-risk students improve their reading skills and read at grade level using peer-to-peer books and materials.

Our goal here is to at least double our students’ reading speed and improve their reading skills by a grade or two by the end of the year. Read on for success! This program is based on the latest research in effective reading education. $16,504 is requested for software and hardware purchases for staff training and learning spaces in the school.

• Introduce Your Organization

Once you have written the cover letter and executive, you have set the platform, to begin with, your grant proposal’s details. You can begin introducing your organization by sharing as much relevant information as possible. You can discuss the organization’s history, infrastructure, mission, and experience or present a success story.

Since the introduction is about the first impression of your organization, it is vital to share the biography of your key staff and their roles in the organization. You can also highlight your expertise to discuss how you brought the company into a successful position.

Client recommendations and feedback from customers can also be helpful in this case. Don’t forget to mention any valid certifications regarding quality. All this information is necessary to support the fact that your company has the potential to bring an idea into reality with the help of some financial support.

Make Sure to:

• Be objective but avoid exaggerating things about yourself.
• Provide a supporting backstory with facts.
• Connect the grant maker as naturally as possible with your mission.

• Present the Needs Statement

The needs statement is one of the most crucial parts of the grant proposal. It is also known as the problem statement because you’re supposed to discuss the challenges faced in a community. In the needs statement, you present how your proposed idea would help to make a difference in society. In other words, how you would be the solution to a problem.

To present the needs statement, you must perform extensive research on the problem that your organization would help resolve. You may also have to discuss how others tried to resolve the discussed problem and why they potentially failed. So, the quantitative data in the grant proposal may rely heavily on it.

Make Sure to:

• Use comparable and quantitative data by showing the results and satisfactory outcomes.
• Press the urgency to begin the project before it’s too late.
• Focus on the key problem.

Example

Palm Scholars High School has 998 students, 69 of whom have been identified as at-risk for a variety of reasons, including attention deficit disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia or other economic and language-related learning disabilities. Problem. Palm Scholars High School is eligible for Title 1 funding, and research shows that these students are more likely to drop out if they don’t have the opportunity to improve their education.

• Discuss Organization Goals

The next thing to state in the grant proposal is the organizational goals. Many proposals get rejected because they fail to present the goals and objectives they expect to achieve in the project.

You can write the details about the expected outcome and how the success scale will be measured. The goals and objectives section are the key area where you can mention the changes you can bring to the environment. And most importantly, these changes should bring a positive change.

Even though the goals and objectives sound familiar, they should not be understood as the same thing. Goals can be considered broad statements, and objectives are more specific targets with expected outcomes in a given time frame. This step should not be forgotten, nor should it be mishandled in the grant proposal.

Make Sure to:

• Objectives should be mentioned as outcomes like you want to achieve them.
• Follow the SMART rule (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound).
• Relate the goals and objectives with the audience.

Example

The Palm Read to Innovate project allows at-risk students to improve their reading skills using five computers equipped with scanners and learning support software. With this innovative learning system, students have access to all learning materials, including textbooks, which provide access to the general curriculum.

Students improve their reading speed and comprehension to become more proficient in the classroom. Included in the research for success! This project is a day of training for education professionals and classroom teachers in the features and use of writing and editing software.

• State Flow of Project Strategy

Now that you have stated the goals and objectives, it’s time to elaborate on how you will achieve them. For starters, you can mention the skill sets and team that you have hired to achieve these goals. You can also discuss the additional facilities like transport and support services to make the workflow as smooth as possible.

It’s vital to mention project management methodologies with a disciplined schedule to keep a good focus on achieving the task. For further clarity, you can present examples of how your proposed methods successfully helped achieve some previous projects.

Make Sure to:

• Connect the objectives with the strategy. Your methods should be well outlined with a needs statement as well.
• Make your strategy cost-effective, so investors realize that your methods are rational.

• Evaluation Process

Evaluation is not only related to quality assurance but is mainly related to the progress tracking of your project. It includes the time frame required for evaluation and the person responsible for handling the evaluation phase of the project.

The evaluation process is another key section that has the investor’s attention. Funders are looking for this section to ensure how you will carry out the project. By analyzing the evaluation process, they can calculate if the project would be a success or not.

The evaluation process is crucial whether you’re writing a grant proposal to a government agency or a private firm. Every investor wants to know if their grant helped to make a difference or not. The evaluation process can be expensive as you must scope out all the exit and entry criteria.

Make Sure to:

• Obtain feedback from the community that’s taking part in the project.
• Perform internal evaluation with the help of your staff.
• Perform external evaluation by involving agencies that do it independently.

Example

• Mention the Financial Plan

The final section of your grant proposal should be the financial plan, where you will discuss the complete financial details of your project. In the financial plan, you have to outline the project budget to mention exactly how you will utilize the resources from the operational point of view.

In the financial plan, you’re supposed to mention the complete justification for all your project expenses. You can include a table of services to specify and clarify the services accurately.

The project budget section is the true element of your grant proposal, as here, you are supposed to mention how much investment you may need to carry out the project. Therefore, avoid overcharging or mentioning a high figure for your project.

Make Sure to:

• Mention all the details, including the travel costs, supplies, advertisement, etc.
• Double-check the figures that you have mentioned, such as zeros and decimals.
• Round of the numbers for the reader’s sake so they can quickly understand the grants required.

Example

Things to Avoid in Grant Proposal Writing

There are also some DON’Ts of grant proposal writing which are stated as follows.

• Avoid mentioning your competitors in the introduction as the investors may consider them compared with your organization.
• Do not get too direct with your investor. You can only refer directly to the proposal’s cover letter.
• Do not mistake the goals for the process. Goals are always stated as measurable outcomes.
• Do not neglect the time frame, and make sure that your evaluation strategies are periodic.
• Don’t forget to mention the indirect costs.

Conclusion

Grant proposal writing is not just about mentioning a project’s name and asking for a big sum of money from rich industrialists. You have to mention complete details to convince the investors how you will make a difference with their granted money. Every project and organization works on a set of principles that assists them in achieving the targeted goals.

This article featured the complete guideline, including the Dos and don’ts of the proposal writing. We also discussed the complete details of an easy-to-understand template that would win the hearts of investors.

Therefore, follow all the elements in proposal writing to achieve the goals with the given investment successfully. We hope this article gave you some helpful insights on writing an effective proposal.

The post How to Write a Grant Proposal That’ll Win the Hearts of Investors (Tips + Examples + Templates) appeared first on Creative Writing News.

If you love creative writing and want to study the craft at an advanced level, but lack the resources to pursue your dreams, you can consider applying for MFA in creative writing scholarships.

Many schools offer MFA in creative writing scholarships to selected students that meet their requirements. Unfortunately, many aspiring writers have little or no knowledge of how creative writing scholarships work. 

What is MFA in Creative Writing? 

A Master’s degree in Fine Arts (MFA) in a creative writing program helps writers learn the theoretical framework and practical skills required to build a successful career in writing. 

Writers can learn a lot from creative writing programs. Apart from meeting and learning from other talented writers, the program exposes you to the knowledge you need to sharpen your writing skills. 

Getting a scholarship for an MFA in creative writing is no mean feat. However, with determination and careful planning, it is possible to put together an application that will get you accepted into a creative writing program. 

This article will consider some of the most important things you need to know about an MFA in a creative writing program. 

Types of MFA in Creative Writing Scholarships 

There are many types of MFA in Creative Writing Scholarships,

Creative Writing—There are different genres of MFA in creative writing, like fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. Some schools, however, combine different genres of creative writing.

Acting—An MFA in acting teaches students various acting theories and the various methods of successful acting. 

Dance—An MFA in dance is for those interested in studying choreography and other kinds of dance performance. Some MFA dance programs focus on specific dances, while others do all types. 

Filmmaking—This program is for those interested in the study of the skills needed to build a successful career in film and television. 

Fashion Design—An MFA in fashion design helps students build skills to become fashion design professionals. The program exposes students to the various designs in the fashion industry. 

Photography—MFA students studying photography learn the different theories and processes of photography.  

Visual Arts—An MFA in visual arts exposes students to the theories and techniques of fields like sculpture, painting, drawing ceramics, and printmaking. Each MFA in the visual arts program has a specific area of focus. 

Theater—A theater MFA program focuses on most of the work carried out behind the scenes in live productions. 

Fully Funded MFA in Creative Writing Scholarships 

Fully funded MFA in creative writing scholarships are those where students get a full tuition waiver, health care insurance and a stipend for the duration of the program. 

The stipend offered to students is usually in exchange for a graduate teaching position or a research assistant. 

Fully funded MFA programs are very competitive. Each school receives thousands of applications from all over the world. 

Partially Funded MFA in Creative writing Scholarships 

We describe MFA in creative writing scholarships as partially funded when the students pay some tuition or school fees. 

Partially funded programs are different for various schools. In some schools, students pay tuition but receive some form of scholarship. In other schools, some students get scholarships while others are required to pay. 

How Long Does MFA Programs Last? 

MFA programs last between one to four years. The duration of an MFA program differs for schools. The shortest MFA programs last for only one year, while the longest can stretch for four years. 

Short MFA programs of one or two years are for those in a hurry to finish grad school. The three and four years longer MFA programs are ideal for writers who want to have enough time to write. 

Requirements for Applying to MFA Programs 

The requirements for applying to MFA programs are slightly different for each university. But the following are the basic requirements for most MFA programs. 

Application fees

While a few schools do not ask for application fees for their MFA programs, the vast majority require varying amounts of application fees. 

Some schools can waive the required application fees for some applicants in certain circumstances. 

GRE 

Another crucial requirement of some MFA programs is the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). The GRE is a multiple-choice, computer-based, standardized test for students applying for graduate studies. The GRE tests show a candidate’s ability in critical thinking, problem-solving, and written evaluation. 

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

Writing Samples 

Every MFA program requires each candidate to submit written samples of their works. The writing sample is an opportunity for the program to assess your strength and whether you are a good fit for their program. 

Letter of Recommendation 

A letter of recommendation is a vital part of the requirements for students in graduate school. Someone who knows your writing qualities and ability to succeed in the program should write a letter of recommendation. 

Statement of Purpose (SOP)

Your statement of purpose can make or mar your MFA application. Apart from your writing samples, the selection committee also assesses your personality. Most schools want writers who will fit in and contribute to the success of their MFA program. You should articulate how that particular MFA program can help you grow in your writing career. You can research and check out some successful statement of purpose examples.

Academic Transcript 

An MFA in creative writing is a post-graduate program. The program will want an official transcript from the school where you completed your undergraduate studies. 

Factors to Consider when Choosing an MFA Program 

There are several factors to consider while choosing and applying to an MFA program. 

Location of the School 

Because an MFA can last as long as four years, it is essential to consider the location of the school that will be your new home. Many MFA students have had their program cut short because they could not cope with their new environment. The location of a school can affect your success as a student. If you are not happy with your school environment, your chances of success are slim. 

The Length of the Program 

Another thing to consider when choosing a school is the length of the MFA program. The shortest MFA programs are just for one year, while the more extensive programs can stretch up to four years.  

The short programs focus on courses and workshops that will teach you the essential skills you require in building a successful writing career. The extensive programs will teach you writing skills and expose you to teaching and editorial works. 

The Size of program 

MFA programs differ in their sizes. Small MFA programs can be as small as 4, while the big ones can be as large as 40. The small-sized programs are more likely to be fully funded than others. 

The smaller MFA programs are preferable if you want a more intimate relationship with the faculty members and the other writers. 

The Funding Package 

Another essential factor to consider is the funding package offered by an MFA program. If you lack the funds to support yourself in the program, you should consider the funding package of the school you wish to apply to. While some schools fund and provide stipends for their students all year round, others offer only partial funding. 

The MFA Program Faculty 

There are different genres of creative writing. It is vital to choose a program with lecturers who will help you develop your craft. For example, if you love speculative fiction, choose a program with lecturers experienced in that genre. So do your research and find out which program has professors and writers whose works are compatible with yours. 

Career Opportunities 

Another thing that can shape your choice of an MFA program is the career opportunities in the program. If you want to be a professional writer, you will want to look out for programs with a history of helping their students find agents that will work with them. 

If you would like to pursue an academic career, you might do well to apply to programs that offer teaching-assistantship positions to their students. 

The Cost of Living 

Except funding is not your problem, you should consider the cost of living in the city where the school is located. The cost of living includes things like rent, utilities, food, and transportation.  

A program with relatively high funding may not sustain you in a location where the cost of living is pretty high. Conversely, a program that offers a smaller funding package might be where the cost of living is low. Remember to do your math by cross-checking your earnings against what you will spend. 

Diversity of the MFA program 

Many experts believe that diverse MFA programs are better than homogeneous ones. Although it helps to have lecturers and students who understand you, it is also good to have a little diversity.  

Being exposed to a program where the faculty and students are diverse will help you learn new things about your craft. You are likely to learn little or nothing when you choose a program where everyone shares a similar experience with you. 

How to Survive an MFA Program 

Getting admitted into an MFA program in creative writing is only the beginning of your journey in acquiring an advanced degree in writing. 

Admission into an MFA program does not guarantee you will finish the program. There are several reasons many MFA in creative writing students drop out of the program. 

To avoid dropping out of an MFA creative writing program, you must prepare to do the following: 

Persevere 

Many things will make you question your decision to pursue a career as a creative writer. The pressure can be so much that you may consider leaving the program. Things will get tough. It is your perseverance that will keep you going. 

Devote time to write 

Remember that the primary purpose of an MFA program is to help you improve your writing. Like everything in life, there are distractions in MFA programs. If you do not prioritize and devote time to your writing, you may become overwhelmed by the workload. 

Form a Support Group 

There is a tendency for writers in your program to form cliques. Look for one or more writers to form a support group to encourage each other during the program. Members of your support group can help strengthen each other’s work before the writing workshop.  

Go to writing events 

There will be a lot of writing events. Some writing events will happen in your school, while others will hold outside your school and city. 

Find time to attend as many of these writing events as possible. These writing events are an excellent opportunity for aspiring writers to meet principal actors in the industry. You never know when or where you will meet someone who will help catapult you to the top.  

Benefits of an MFA Program 

If you are wondering if you need an MFA in creative writing to be successful in your writing career, below are some benefits of an MFA program.

Valuable Feedback—One benefit of an MFA workshop is the opportunity of having your work critiqued by your colleagues and professors in a workshop. In an MFA workshop, the writer doesn’t talk but only listens to what others think about it until the end. Although listening to others critique your work can be difficult, it offers a great insight you can use to revise the work. Getting feedback from people from different cultural and historical backgrounds can be a great eye-opener on how to strike a balance in your work. 

Creative Platform—An MFA creative writing program offers students an advanced education and a platform to hone their skills. The program not on provides writers with a structured program to write but exposes them to the expertise to succeed in the writing profession. 

A Support Group—There is no better place to meet people who share the same passion for creative writing as you. The connections you will develop will be useful during the MFA program and also after you have finished school. 

Final thoughts on MFA in Creative Writing Scholarships

Getting a scholarship for an MFA in a creative writing program can be a life-changing opportunity to kick-start your writing career. 

But first, you must prepare yourself to learn all you need to know about MFA in creating writing and what to expect during the program.

The tips in this article will help those who want to pursue an advanced degree in creative writing but lack the required resources to apply for scholarships. This article also has tips on successfully navigating the murky waters of an MFA program.

The post MFA in Creative Writing Scholarships: How They Work appeared first on Creative Writing News.

Figuring out what to include in your MBA personal statement can be tough. But you can write an impressive MBA essay if you read successful goal statements that have followed the correct format.

In this article, Dorian Martins guides business school applicants on:

• how to write an MBA application essay,
• what to include in an MBA Personal Statement
• and what essay format to follow.

Each point features MBA essay examples that impressed the admissions committees of various business schools. 

Ready to learn how to write an MBA personal statement?

Read on.

This resource starts with a definition of an MBA personal statement.

An MBA personal statement is the gateway to your goal. In some schools, it is referred to as a goal statement or a statement of purpose. It is a document that convinces members of an admission committee of your suitability as a candidate in a Department of Business Administration and therefore able to pursue your MBA or Related MBA dual degree.

A poorly written MBA essay will only make the ad coms reject you. The first step in writing the personal statement for business school, would be discovering what to include in the personal statement and what the professors expect your MBA essay to say.

Here’s a tip from an expert:

Without further ado, let’s dive into the nitty gritty of writing a kickass personal statement for your MBA application.

Conduct A Research On the Business School and the MBA Program 

Why this program? What motivated you to apply to this business school?

To explain why you are a good fit, you need to do a great deal of research.

Every Business School is different in one way or another. They have unique missions, values, and goals. Understanding that will help you hit the sweet spot.

You need to reason the motivation behind your application. Self-reflection is one part of it. The other one is research.

Doing research is the foundation for good writing. It is the first step to take in learning how to write an MBA personal statement.

You need to find out what these schools seek in candidates. Also, get acquainted with the goals of their programs.

Typically, students apply to 2-3 schools the least. Cover every school and program you will apply for.

When you know their goals, you can detail how you can contribute. That’s what schools want. They want to see how you fit in the picture.

Get to know more about the school culture. It would help in your MBA personal statement. Use that information to show that you belong there.

Here’s an example of what good research can do. This essay is packed with Harvard-specific information.

Source

Conducting Research

But how do you approach the research? You’re probably wondering. Listed below are some research suggestions that will help you use the right MBA essay format:

• Reach out to department heads for insights
• Check out the school’s website
• Find about events conducted by Business Schools
• Look into previous or current students’ profiles
• Get in touch with current or previous MBA students
• Learn about special opportunities that a school offers (entrepreneurship training, startup funding, great summer job options, etc.)
• Head to the school’s online communities such as forums and social media groups

It can help if you outline specifics for each program. Create bullet points that you find useful. This can be your preparation for writing.

Look at the bigger picture rather than the numbers. Remember that you don’t need to reflect every virtue they want. This is just for inspiration.

The research can help you see yourself as an asset. It can bring you closer to the school you desire. Thus, you’ll feel more confident when you start writing.

Focus on Specific Question when writing your MBA Personal Statement. 

The most beautiful MBA personal statement can be worthless if it’s not specific. The admission committee needs an answer, not an autobiography.

Make sure that you address the question at hand in your MBA application essay.  Don’t waste space and time on non-related information.

The need to present yourself in the best light can do damage. It can get you to take the wrong path.

Sample A MBA Personal Statement

This Sample MBA Personal Statement by written Sandra Onah does a good job of this.

The information on in your statement of purpose must focus on the specific question you intend to answer.Yes, it ‘s important to write about your strengths and positive experiences. But even then, your essay must be focused on the theme and question you intend to explore. If an information isn’t related to the lead question you intend to answer, skip it.

Resist the urge to ramble. You have a limited word count. Use it wisely.

Sample B MBA Personal Statement

Take a look at another MBA Essay example. The student jumps straight to the point. That’s how it should be done.

Source

Writing an MBA personal statement can seem easy at the start, but the truth is, the introduction is where you hook the readers. The point where students tend to break away is the introduction. They have the need to set the tone. However, it’s better to start strong with a suitable topic.

You don’t need an elaborate introduction. Begin with specifics right away. The less irrelevant information you include, there’ll be more room for examples.

To ensure that you aren’t beating around the bush, ask yourself this:

Is this sentence relevant?

Repeat this question for every sentence you write. If the answer is no, delete it.

Pay attention to lengthy sentences. They often consist of excess words or information. You can use a proofreading and editing tool that will point them out.

Be Yourself in your MBA Personal Statement.

Show what makes you unique. Don’t just aim to tick all the boxes.

There will be hundreds of others who will try to fit in. They’ll list everything that the school wants.

But there’s nothing special there. Nothing that will make them stand out.

Don’t write what the committee wants to hear. That is a mistake. There’s no original value in trying to mimic them.

Schools want character. They want unique personalities that can add to the diversity.

Innovators and entrepreneurs are always considered to be different. People that can be noticed in the crowd are the leaders.

Give your MBA personal statement something special by showing who you are. Don’t be scared to open up and break the mold.

Your experiences and life path can ensure originality. Put the focus on that.

No one else has had the same life as you. There lies your advantage. Think about what makes you non-traditional.

Do you want an example? This is an sample MBA personal statement from a student applying to Stanford. The story he shared is memorable and different.

Source

You can also show your vulnerabilities or express your humor. Don’t hide your humanity.

Think about how your experience ties to the MBA program. What made you go in this direction?

Show who you are and you won’t risk blending in. You don’t need to be driven by world peace. The only thing you need is to be yourself.

Write about Your Passions in your MBA Statement of Purpose.

“You have to be burning with an idea, or a problem, or a wrong that you want to right. If you’re not passionate enough from the start, you’ll never stick it out.”

― Steve Jobs.

Show the business school admissions committee that you can stick it out. Tell them how passionate you are.

Passion tends to ignite us. It can light that fire within you and fill you with inspiration. Use your passion to create a compelling MBA personal statement.

People without passions are usually people without enthusiasm. No Business School wants that. They aim to shape future leaders – and future leaders need to be driven.

If you opted for an MBA program, you probably have a business goal. What do you want to accomplish?

Do you see yourself as a startup owner? Do you want to run a sustainable business? Tell the admission committee where your interests lie.

Mrs. Amaka F. Onyeabor does this very well, Not only does she show that she’s a good business leader, she uses storytelling to demonstrate her passion for her field of study.

Here’s how she made the most of this MFA Essay format:

By applying to a business school, you are pursuing your dream. Which only shows that you are a person of action. You dare to take charge of your circumstances.

Writing about what excites you will make the essay more impressionable. Passion can give your MBA essay some power.

However, you need to find the right question that can handle this topic. For example, “Introduce yourself.”

Sample C MBA Personal Statement

Here’s a sample MBA personal statement and how you can introduce yourself through your passion:

Source

Learn from this example how to approach the topic. You want to go back to the roots. Explain what planted the seed that grew into this devotion.

The origin of passion is always thrilling to read about. It helps the readers understand your aspirations better. What’s more, it helps them see potential in you to write just the perfect MBA essay.

Tell Your Story, Not Your Resume.

Every piece of the admission puzzle has its role. What you wrote in the resume and cover letter is behind you. You can’t retell the same information over and over again.

Now, it is time to focus on your story.

Forget about methodology and chronology. It’s time to get personal.

The purpose of the essay is to get to know the candidates. Praising your GPA and listing your work experience won’t help. You need to make the essay captivating.

Take on the role of a storyteller and draw the readers in. This is your chance to let your personality shine through.

Use vivid language and descriptions. Illustrate situations and emotions that were present at the time. Bring your story to life.

Here’s another sample MBA personal statement that shows the impact of storytelling. This MBA letter of intent or application essay captures your attention with the very first sentence. It takes you on a journey.

To prepare yourself, read some books for inspiration. Observe how good storytellers do it. Read articles on how to write an MBA essay. You could even read previous samples of MBA personal statement to draw inspiration on how to write yours.

The success stories of entrepreneurs can stimulate your ideas. You can learn from their story and their writing style.

Here are a few more methods for telling a story effectively:

• Choose a central message or the moral of the story.
• Progress the story towards central moral.
• Build compelling plots on obstacles and conflict.
• Stick to the clear structure: introduction, action, climax, and resolution.
• Don’t’ complicate it. Eliminate unnecessary backstory.
• Use your own voice and writing style.

Your MBA Statement Of Purpose Must Reflect Your Leadership Qualities

Leaders build companies from the ground up. Leaders inspire people. They take proper actions in the present for a better future.

Business schools want leaders. Show them that you are one.

But stating “I am a leader” won’t do. Nor will the statement “I want to be a successful leader” help. Your MBA statement of purpose needs to show that you have what it takes.

Give insight into your motivations, capabilities, and strengths. Emphasize experiences that present you as a proactive person. When was the time when you took charge?

Don’t stress if you can’t spot such an experience right away. Think harder.

You don’t need to be the team captain to prove your leadership skills. They can be seen in many ordinary situations.

Let’s say that you organized painting the benches in your neighborhood.

You gathered people together and led them to a set goal. You made a change in your community. This portrays you as a leader.

Leadership can be found everywhere. Just closely look at what you’ve done. Where can your progressiveness be noticed?

Observe the following sample MBA personal statement. It’s a story of a boy, a dream, and an action. A simple story that demonstrates leadership.

Source

The whole essay doesn’t need to revolve around leadership. Slip in an example that hints at your proactive capabilities. You can do this in any type of essay question.

Your MBA Personal Statement Should Back Up Claims with Examples.

Are you ready to rock that university term? Prove it. Better yet, show that you are ready through examples.

There’s nothing like examples to illustrate the point. The claims can seem empty if you can’t prove them.

Back up your statements with real-life examples. Use plenty of them.

If you want a winning essay, you can’t go around specific anecdotes. Broad summaries can never make an impact like details do.

Your character, the best traits, and work ethic are best seen in different situations.

Do you know what’s best about examples? You can lift yourself up without bragging.

Don’t say that you are resourceful. Tell a story that proves it. Share how you started Business A or freelancing or volunteering. How did your experience sharpen yor business acumen?

Don’t list your best traits. Share stories that put them in focus.

Real-life examples are interesting and edifying. They won’t be interpreted as personal praise.

Pay attention to the sample MBA personal statement you are about to see. It shows how examples make the essay more vivid.

Source

Instead of listing what he/she learned, the student told a story. This made the essay more fun to read. Moreover, it still answered the question perfectly.

Stories and examples are more memorable. They stick into the readers’ minds. General statements don’t have that effect.

Whatever question you have, supply the answer with examples. There is always something in your life that you can use.

What’s more, examples show that you memorize your lessons. You take notice of what happens to you. Present yourself as the person who values what life teaches you.

Wrap Up On MBA Personal Statement Examples

You Got This!

Turn the MBA application essay into your golden ticket for the interview. This piece of writing will help the committee understand who you are. Therefore, approach it with care.

Take your time. Do your research. Reflect on your uniqueness.

Resist the temptation to be under a lot of pressure. Especially if you don’t know how or where to start.

The question that puzzles many is: How do you write an MBA personal statement that stands outs?

Now you have your answer.

“Let’s get it over it” attitude won’t get you far. You need patience. You need to take a deep look inside yourself.

For starters, let go of the pressure. Simply focus on the question. That’s the only thing you should think about right now.

Now, sit at your desk, turn on the computer, and get to work. Embrace your authenticity and remember: you are worthy.

I hope this article guide on how to write an MBA application essay was helpful. You might want to learn how to write an MFA Personal Statement too.

Dorian Martin is a writer, editor, and proofreader. He studied computer science and continued to develop his knowledge in the fields of academic writing and content writing. Currently, Dorian works as a senior writer at a thesis writing service GetGoodGrade and educational expert at digital marketing conferences. Along with all of that, Dorian runs his personal blog.

The post 10 MBA Personal Statement Examples: How To Write An Application Essay That Will Impress Ivy League Business School Admissions Committees. {Tips + Samples} appeared first on Creative Writing News.

A writing workshop is a great opportunity for budding writers to have their works subjected to peer review and critique. Readers and writers workshops come in various models, but the goals are to teach writers to be better writers

Every year, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie organizes the Purple Hibiscus Creative writing workshop. Various writers are selected to hone their crafts. Teaching the writing workshops are professional writers.

In 2018, Simbiat Haroun attended the writer’s workshop. In her essay, she shares everything she learned. From the writing workshop model to the writing tips. Simbiat bares it all. Ready to learn how to write like a noble laureate? Keep reading.

Writing Workshop With Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Learning To Write Like A Nobel Laureate At The Purple Hibiscus Creative Writing Workshop.

The thing to know about acceptance letters is that they usually come when you least expect them. Most people are never ready for an official endorsement of their work.

Even if you send in your best, the moment the positive feedback comes is usually so euphoric that every thought flies out of your head no matter how prepared you thought you were to receive it.

You forget the certainty that made you send out the application in the first place. And then, you forget the fact that by getting this chance, you have robbed hundreds, maybe thousands of people of the opportunity.

You even forget people. And you forget where you are. Chances are that you even forget your body. Then, you condense as you become a mixture of air and euphoria.

This feeling enveloped me at five a.m. on the seventh of November, when I woke up to check my email. You must know that the day before, I had been looking up writing workshop attendees.

What had I been researching? Everything. I had been checking the number of people who are being accepted to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s creative writing workshop each year.

Also, I’d been sending pathetic messages to my younger brother, wailing to him about how I would never get into this highly selective writers’ workshop.

So in the morning, I woke up to go to work, and I checked my email because Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie would be sending out emails to the luck workshop participants that day.

When I saw the subject of the mail, my palms became clammy and my breath started to come out in puffs. Fear crawled through my body unknowing to me – the sneaky bastard – and sat firmly in my blood, planted itself on my chest.

With this choking feeling acting as a witness to one of the most euphoric moments of 2018 for me (it comfortably sits in the top five), I opened the mail.

“Dear Simbiat, thank you for applying to the Purple Hibiscus Trust Creative Writing Workshop,”

it began. No clue of what was coming. After,

“I am pleased to let you know you’ve been accepted…”

and finally,

“I enjoyed reading your entry…”

My Reaction To The Acceptance Letter.

My body became one again and I flew up, down, up, down and the floor was shaking beneath my feet and I was vibrating with excitement, and my youngest brother, who had slept in my room that night, was jarred awake by my silent screaming. (I was dimly conscious of how early it was and I did try to keep it down). Unimpressed, he begged me to tone it down, and then he went back to sleep.

I continued to jump up and down, stopping at some points to try to let out excited tears – which never came out –and trying and failing to contain my excitement. That was probably my best day at work after I managed to calm down long enough to get ready.

After I told my brother, who at first couldn’t believe it and then I told my parents but they didn’t understand the gravity of what had happened. They correctly read the waves of excitement pouring from my body and extended their most hearty congratulations.

For the duration of the days it took between receiving that letter and going off to the writing workshop, I was buzzing with excitement, making plans, making, and canceling arrangements.

The Arrival To The Writing Workshop Venue.

Finally, the day came for me to leave home. I arrived at the hotel a day before the writing workshop was due to start (as did most of us, really).

I lived in Lagos, where the writer’s workshop was billed to take place, so I could have to the workshop early on the start date. But I was too excited to wait for a whole day.

The day I got there, it was if a rush of creative juices got emptied on my head. This is proof that the writing workshop still works. The conducive environment and the idea of collaborative learning simply make the writer more productive.

I sat at a very comfortable writing desk, with its bright lights, and its soft perfect chair and its distracting mirror. And I wrote two stories. Afterward, I ate and slept.

How To Write Like A Pro. Everything I Learned From Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie On Day 1 Of The Writing Workshop.

The next day, the writing workshop kicked off. To prepare, I did nothing. It was all in the mind, I reasoned, and short of literally cracking my skull and parting it open, there was nothing I could do to fully get ready.

I had attended the writing workshop only to learn how to write like a nobel laureate. Some other participants hoped to learn about teaching writing workshops. I realized later on that the later was also a useful skill.

Don’t think about the audience when writing, think about the story.

— Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

At the top of my mind was my decision to do my best. And hopefully not remain star-struck throughout the creative writing workshop!

When I got downstairs, I was greeted by a congregation of eager students clustered in pockets of small groups. There, I met H. I joined her small cluster, which consisted of herself and G.

I remember that day and all the others that followed very vividly. We sat together and spoke about the things that connected us: our nervousness at meeting Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. We spoke about our uncertainty about being at the writing workshop, random things, mundane things.

Soon, it was time to eat and we proceeded to the dining room; I still miss the food. After, I quickly went to the room where we were to have classes.

Chairs were arranged in a U formation, with sweets, a bottle of water and a jotter and a biro. I walked in and I sat. Less than five minutes later, I walked out again and went back to the dining room.

The room was too cold and I had been the only one there, everybody else was too busy learning the patterns of other people’s minds.

Many minutes later, we were ushered back into the room, into the freezing cold. It felt like stepping through the doorway from the summer into the winter. Somehow, in the minutes I had been away, it had become even colder. We sat there in the cold, waiting.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Comes To Teach The Creative Writers’ Workshop

When Chimamanda finally walked into the room, I can only speak for myself and say that it felt like the sun had just risen. She had a large smile on her face, and she was gorgeous and she looked genuinely happy to meet us.

I didn’t notice when but eventually, I felt the strain in my cheeks that told me I was smiling widely. She came in and sat beside me, to my immediate right.

When editing, look at the first and last few sentences.

— Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Here was a woman whose books I had read back to back and who I had loved for so many years and she was sitting so close that if I stretched my hand, I would have been able to touch her. She smiled at us many times and then she introduced herself to raucous, disbelieving laughter.

“We already know you!” Many of us wanted to shout. “We know everything there is to know about you.”

She told us bits about herself, declared the room a safe space, and invited us to share pieces of ourselves. It was like we were transported out of that freezing space by the sea to the safest place everyone could be. (For me, it was an island away from civilization).

It was like we had been transported and told that we could be our deepest truest selves. Some of us poked the change with sticks, and others embraced it wholeheartedly.

What is important is that one after the other, we shared pieces of ourselves. And in that room, we started to form bonds that I believe will endure. And this is what I found most fascinating about the writing workshop model Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie built.

Why Our Writing Samples Stood Out From The Other Applicants.

After our brief introduction, we began the business of the day. Chimamanda told us why she had selected the stories she did.

Use more detail so that your story is more believable.

— Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

She didn’t pick perfect stories, she said. She added that It had been particularly hard that year, to select the stories she did. And then she began to critique our entry stories one after the other.

During the course of this session, which stretched into the next day, she shared a few gems. I’ll share a few of the writing tips Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie shared while she was teaching the writing workshop:

• Don’t think about the audience when writing, think about the story.
• When writing out of your box (gender, nationality, etc.), it is important to come to it with humility.
• When editing, look at the first and last few sentences.
• Use more detail so that your story is more believable.
• Allow your characters some vulnerability.
• Be specific but don’t overdo it in order to write a more believable story.

Finally, she got to my story. And she told me something I will remember forever. Sorry, I will not share it with you.

The First Three Days Of The Writers’ Workshop and The Writing Prompts We Explored.

We spent the first three days of the writing workshop with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

We wrote more stories. They can serve as a writing workshop idea or a writing prompt for you.

• One assignment was to write a story using only dialogue,
• Another prompt involved a story about what we like and dislike about ourselves. These exercises opened us up and forced us to confront parts of ourselves we had never dared to open up.

For many of us (myself included), we had never been able to write anything so personal. For many of us, it was like opening a can of worms.

The stories were so hard to write but eventually, the worms grew into butterflies. We found that we were better for the sleepless nights we had to endure to complete our writing assignments.

Writing Tip: There should always be layers in everything you write.

— Lola Shoneyin.

So yes, the first three days of the writing workshop were daunting but absolutely worth it. Above all, they were fun as we had started to develop stronger relationships over fried fish, and chicken curry sauce, and salads, with sugary drinks to wash it all down.

The Purple Hibiscus Creative Writing Workshop With Lola Shoneyin, Author and Founder Of The Ake Festival.

The fourth day of the writing workshop saw us paired with Lola Shoneyin and brought what would become a fun, poetry session.

Writing Tip: Use symbolism to show how people are different.

— Lola Shoneyin.

I definitely did not know before I met her that she had published at least three poetry collections. And that she’d published these before releasing her critically-acclaimed novel, The Secret Lives of Baba Segi’s Wives.

During the writing workshop, Lola taught us about brevity and subtlety in writing. The workshop participants learned how to use writing as therapy.. And we learned about foreshadowing.

Some golden creative writing tips she shared with us are as follows:

• There should always be layers in everything you write. This will help you build a great narrative arc.
• To be able to tell overly personal experiences, learn to detach yourself.
• The more you translate someone’s work into your language, the better your description will be.
• Use symbolism to show how people are different.

She also discussed how to write from many perspectives when writing a novel. To make it all easier, here are some things to note when writing different voices:

• Draw very clear lines.
• Get to know each character intimately.
• Write down a character bible.

To practice, we took a poem that Lola chose. After she’d separated us into groups of four, we translated it into pidgin.

This exercise was an illustration of how description can be more vivid when translated into your language. It showed how translation exercises can aid the writer in painting a clearer picture in a story.

The Purple Hibiscus Creative Writing Workshop With Tash Aw.

After Lola was Tash Aw with whom we learned to write about people who are close to us.

Write about things you’re more emotionally drawn to.

— Tash Aw

Tash’s writing workshop model was slightly different from Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche’s model.

Tash Aw had us pair up. And for his assignment, we had to discuss parts of ourselves with our partners. From what each writer had learned of the other person, everyone had to write a story about their partner. It had to be something they could relate to.

Colour narratives of people with what you know about them.

— Tash Aw

On the second day, my roommate, D, finally arrived. And it was with her that I completed this assignment. This was particularly hard for me, and I ended up doing a fairly decent job only on my second try.

Are you interested in trying this writing workshop idea? Here are some writing tips which I noted from Tash’s class:

• Write about things you’re more emotionally drawn to.
• Be able to say the things that they said, didn’t say, and could have said.
• Stories can be used to antagonize the subject.
• Writing is about going into their emotional space, about invading their personal lives.
• Colour narratives of people with what you know about them.

Learning How To Write From Eghosa Imaseun.

Next, the workshop participants enjoyed a visit from Eghosa Imaseun. Before he showed up, he sent us stories to read. Short stories and articles that taught us a lot about the proper way to submit stories and how to maintain voices while we write.

We also got an assignment to re-write a chapter of a popular book. The winner took home the complete set of Chimamanda Adichie’s books (I’m still jealous, T).

Below are some things to note from Eghosa’s writing class. His tips focused on things to consider when submitting a book to a publisher:

Write a striking cover letter.

Write a letter of approach requesting publication. This should have three parts: why you write, what you write, who you are.

Include A Short Synopsis.

Summarize what you’ve written in two sentences. Include why you’re the best person to tell the story.

Include Samples Of Your Work.

Submit three chapters or 50 pages or 10,000 words of your novel, whichever is longer.

Don’t Hesitate To Send A Follow-Up Email To The Publisher.

Follow up on your submission after two months.

Follow The Publisher’s Submission Guidelines.

The safest thing is to go to their submissions page and check if they have a preferred format; it’s usually best to send a traditional format.

Eghosa was hard surfaces with soft tips. He asked questions and actually expected an answer. Again, he was self-critical and magnanimous. And he said things that shocked you but at the same time did not, because you knew he meant them.

You miss one hundred percent of the shots you don’t take.

He shared some tips about points of view with us and their specific differences. An important thing I learned during Eghosa’s session is that the best way to transport yourself to the time where you’re writing is to use music and things that are relevant to that place.

What Dave Eggers Taught At The Writing Workshop About Points Of View And Editing.

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Dave Eggers was last to see us but in no way the least. With Dave, we discussed how to humanize a character, for writing about people we don’t particularly like.

Some of the ways a writer can humanize a character are:

• Show vulnerability in the character.
• Portray the character with someone or something they love.
• Present their weakness in relatable ways.
• Reveal their doubts, their internal struggles.
• Show what they are like when they fail.
• Reveal their inner justification for evil. In most cases, people who do evil think they have good reasons for their actions.
• Take readers into the character’s head.

Dave took us through an invaluable editing class that is worth more than I can ever say. Gold, maybe? With Dave, we discussed experimental stories, stories that are told not from the typical points of view but strange ones.

Workshop participants had to think about possibly writing from the point of view of a housefly, of a dead woman, using different structures, and we did, with many of us producing stellar work.

For our assignment, Dave told us to pick a newspaper story and write a fictional story out of it. It was particularly boring as none of the stories seemingly had good material. We spun gold out of the ordinary thread after which we took the practical road to ‘editing’.

How To Edit Your Story: Tips From The Writing Workshop With Dave Eggers.

• Never use so/then.
• Do not put a semicolon in dialogue.
• Analyze your story sentence by sentence and remove words that don’t do anything for the sentence.
• Don’t overdo the dialogue tags.
• Show more than you tell.

We were encouraged to share our work and until today, a quote rings in my head every time I think of holding back: “You miss a hundred percent of the shots you don’t take.”

The quote may be overused but it is no less important.

Other Interesting Extracurricular Activities We Participated In During The Writing Workshop.

It is crucial to note that we were not just props sitting in class, and trudging back to our rooms at the end of the day.

In the middle of the unending work, we found time to watch movies together in J’s room, have a dance party, go on long walks as a group during which I had a soul-moving talk with T.

We took our time to grow as writers as well as individuals as well as Purple Hibiscus Creative Writing Trust Students.

Also, we spent nights staring at the sky, sitting in the bar downstairs discussing ourselves, peeling open wounds that had been long forgotten, and left buried under a bandage.

We talked and laughed and selfied among ourselves. Each day of those ten days is well documented.

The Final Days Of The Writers Workshop.

All too soon, it was the tenth day. We would spend the day getting ready, making ourselves up and stuffing beautiful outfits, shoes, and gorgeous makeup into the gaping holes our oncoming departure would leave within us.

At the oriental hotel, I floated through the day. It was finally the day we would have our long-awaited selfies with Chimamanda who had to travel and couldn’t make it on our previously scheduled date.

One by one, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, with our certificates in hand, called our names. And one after the other we climbed onto the stage, to hear her say the things about us that she had liked best, things we had thought she would have forgotten.

Not Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie; She had a sharp memory and remembered the most important things about each one of us, gave us words we each held to our chests, and as we went back to our hotel, one sentence played over in my mind which she had said at a point during the writing workshop, “I can’t wait to read your books.”

Author’s Bio:

Simbiat Haroun lives in her head and when she is not writing, she is silently watching, thinking about what next she will turn into a story. She is a graduate of Chimamanda Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus Creative Writing Trust Workshop.

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