Making the Most of It

Packaging DVDs as well as CDs is likely to be among the most repeatedly dismissed yet highly important steps to pay attention to when burning and manufacturing discs. In fact, there’s certainly no denying it: even the most basic detail will most likely subtract from the fine quality of the entire venture and even devastate your efforts. Styling and undertaking the appearance of your CDs etc. is something you and your production crew truly want to get done appropriately. So you should never run the risk of compromising your company’s good reputation by getting caught out with shoddy work…

The very first thing you need to understand with regards to CD and DVD packaging - there is a big distinction between replication and duplication. There is a major difference, no matter that they sound the same thing. Duplication uses precisely the same method go for at home once you burn DVDs, though it’s a lot faster in turnover time, as you might typically anticipate with an industrial process.

On the other hand, it’s pretty annoying that this particular approach is marginally more high-priced because it’s commonly used when working on packs close to 10,000 or fewer. What’s more, it provides a somewhat lower quality when compared with the recommended process for CD and DVD packaging, to wit production by replication. So select your methodology with care.

CD and DVD packaging employing replication means that the media data is replicated by stamping it onto the discs. They’re then run through the printing press and eventually lacquered. This is primarily the method for a huge number of DVDs, and the attainable quality is actually awesome. But for smallish quantities this is usually not, regrettably, too cheap.

You’ll also have to make your mind up whether or not to use common cases or alternatively the somewhat more expensive digipacks. The ordinary cases would be the sizeable clear plastic types which have a set of guides for conventional paper inlets. They come in different designs. They can take several discs, and they’re actually quite fashionable given that they give you a little supplementary protective cover for the DVD or CD on the inside. Yet, these are typically high priced and positively not very eco friendly, if you don’t want to fork out more for ones made from reused components. Digipacks, however, consist of card board which includes a smallish clear plastic holder on the inside.

Look into getting resourceful with all your CD DVD packaging. Deploying current tools, you have the a chance to go way further than standard creatives and instead to pick out something less plain or perhaps fun for the DVD product packaging. Popup art, many different materials, cut-outs made from paper, and various other artistic devices all work well making your data, information, films or song tracks get noticed on the shelf.

Free gifts or competitions have additionally turned into popular additions to regular packaging media discs. Most people enjoy collecting paper prints, treasured cards, signed memorabilia, along with other items you could add to your CD or DVD. Or just add codes your clients will type in using the web in order to gain access to mystery movies or songs, register for competitive events, or even get hold of rebates. Product packaging media discs can have a major effect on products sold as well as the personal opinion people may form of your discs. Confirm that your DVDs or CDs give the best value for money by only going for superior packaging and design factor.

Since my grade school years, I have already practiced writing my thoughts through small diaries and other journals. I always wrote down every single thought inside my head and I try to recuperate with the whole scenario of the day that I had. Since then, and until now, I still use a diary. But the difference is that before I used a huge notebook but now I use my computer.
Every now and then, I do have problems like all people do. What I would like to share with you is to how you could help yourself solve a problem without the help of anyone but yourself by writing or typing thoughts.

One time in my College years, I had a big problem with some of my friends, I was so depressed that time that I didn’t even want to tell it to anyone, so I found a good friend and confidante with my Personal Computer. As I kept on writing (or typing) every thought in my mind, I sort of felt that it actually helps me release some of the anger that I have felt. The more I typed, the more I felt good. Whenever I type the words at a very fast pace, I could feel the tension growing inside of me as if I’m telling it straight to that someone who is making me very angry. The very feeling that I am somewhat telling it to some shrink or directly to the person is very fulfilling.

What I do is to first, start with the whole story of the day that I had. Second, is that I ask questions to myself. And when I have already typed all of my questions to my self, I try to answer one by one with different perceptions. I first start with a pessimistic point of view then to an optimistic point of view. I try to find out and brainstorm on the specific details that started the fight or the argument. Then I try to read it all over again. By this time, so many solutions come to my head that I can’t stop my fingers from typing all that comes to my head.

By this kind of practice, I have developed my own problem solving techniques. Instead of just thinking and thinking of the whole event and how or why it came about, you better just write or type it down, because it helps on chopping the itsy bitsy teeny weenie details of how it all started. Now, as I see myself, it has been a long time since I confided with someone about a problem. It’s just a matter of chopping information into tidbits and trying to connect every thing that happened until you yourself would come out with a solution.
If it worked for me, it can work for you too!

So you’ve been hired as an assistant editor. That means you’ll be doing a lot of writing. Maybe you will be named editor of the company newsletter, but you are likely to be writing the newsletter. Or maybe you will be writing news releases, reports, speeches, or simply memoranda. Whatever the assignment, the main thing to remember is that you have to communicate.
To communicate most effectively, keep your writing simple, straightforward, and easy to understand. Never use two words where one will do. Use short sentences. Avoid dense text by using bulleted lists, brief paragraphs, and subheadings.
Give the readers your full attention; always put yourself in their place and keep your writing conversational. Read it aloud — or at least mouth the words — to verify that it is conversational. If your readers can simply go with the flow, they are most likely to catch your meaning and remain interested.
Remember, writing should never get in the way of communication.
The Heading
The title should be interesting and informative. It should let your readers know what you are writing about — and why that is important to them.
In some cases, the title is merely part of the heading. A memorandum, for example, will usually have a heading that is standard for the company or organization. It will include this information:
To: (the recipients)
From: (the official or department)
Subject: (the title)
Date: (the date of issue)
In other cases — for example, articles in the company newsletter — the title will be a headline, choice words drawn from the opening paragraph and fitting into a snug space on the printed page.
If the document is part of a series, the heading will indicate that. For example: The Primary Concern, Fifth in a Series; or Insight No. 7: The Primary Concern.
Subheadings
If an article is lengthy — that is, a full page or multiple pages — use subheads to break it into readable segments. Unless the content dictates otherwise, there should be no more than two subheads on an 8 ” x 11″ page of double-spaced copy. Usually, a subhead will consist of few words and won’t take a full line; it should grab the reader’s attention and reveal something about the subsequent material.
The Paragraph
A paragraph should consist of a few sentences related to the same subject matter. In general, a paragraph should contain between 150 and 200 words. If it must be longer, look for ways to break it up. For example, if it contains a series — James collected Rolling Stones CDs, DVDs, and concert posters — change it to a bulleted list. James collected Rolling Stones:
*CDs
*DVDs
*Concert posters
Doing so adds “air” to the page, diminishing the density of the type. It makes the page an easier, quicker read.
Style note: There is disagreement about the proper punctuation for this bulleted list. A particular style is not sacrosanct, however. The important thing is to adopt a style and use it consistently.
The Sentence
The sentence is the basic building block of every written product, whether it is a memo; a book review; a press release; a news article; or a feature story. So it is in constructing the individual sentence that the writer establishes an article’s readability and interest level. Here are some guidelines for ensuring it will score high on those scales:
*The sentence should be concise.
*It should be simple and straightforward.
*It should flow conversationally.
*The reader should be pulled by the flow.
There are two essential elements in a sentence: the subject (a noun or pronoun) and the predicate (a verb, one word or several words that tell what action the subject is taking or has taken).Most sentences also contain articles (a, an, the) and modifiers (adjectives, adverbs).
An adjective modifies a noun; it is a word or phrase that names or describes an attribute of the noun. For example: the blue room, the tall woman, the balding man, the once and future king. An adverb, on the other hand, modifies a verb. It is a word or phrase that expresses time, place, cause, manner, or degree. For example, he read slowly, she spoke articulately. Adverbs may also modify adjectives, other adverbs, or adverbial phrases.
Frequently, a sentence will include a prepositional phrase. A preposition is a brief word (of, for, by, at, to, under, over) that introduces a phrase modifying a noun, verb, or clause. Every prepositional phrase has its own object. For example, to the movies, under the bridge, after a few minutes, across the lake.
Note: “Concise” is not a synonym for “brief.” A long article may consist of concise writing. The test is whether every word is necessary. Check each word in a sentence; does it clarify or add meaning, or is it superfluous? If all superfluous words are eliminated, the writing is concise.
Brevity, of course, is desirable, too. If the writing is concise, the article is likely to be as brief as the subject matter allows.
Punctuation
*The period (.) marks the end of a sentence; it also separates elements of an Internet site name [the “dot” in “dot com”].
*The comma (,) separates items in a series; divides a compound sentence; sets off interjected material; with a small conjunction (but, for, and), connects two independent clauses; sets off introductory phrases; sets off the name of the larger geographical entity when citing city, state, or province, nation; separates discrete adjectives (”short, stocky fellow”).
*The colon ( : ) follows a phrase that introduces a list; follows an independent clause that introduces an explanation; follows the salutation in a business letter; separates an independent clause from a quotation it introduces; in a script, separates the speaker’s name from his/her speech. Note: If the clause following a colon is a complete sentence, it should begin with a capital letter.
*The semicolon (;) separates two complete thoughts; separates items in a series if one or more of them contain a comma;
*Quotation marks (” “) begin and end quoted material; enclose titles of lesser works, such as chapters and episodes (for titles of books, television programs, and films, use italics); serve as a symbol for inches.
*Quotation marks (”) begin and end quoted material within quoted material; serve as a symbol for feet.
*Question mark (?) at the end of a direct question.
*Parentheses ( ) begin and end interjected material, as well as references and other information that is related to but not suitable for the main text.
*Brackets [ ] set off parenthetical material that occurs within parentheses.
Capitalization
In headlines: Choose an “up” or “down” style and stick with it. The “up” style: Capitalize all the words in the headline except articles and prepositions that are no longer than four letters. The “down” style: Capitalize only the first word of the headline and any proper nouns that appear in it.
In the text: Here, too, you should choose an “up” or “down” style. The “down” style: Capitalize only the first word of every sentence, plus proper nouns. The “up” style: Capitalize Federal, State, Department, and so on.
Your choice of “up” or “down” style will also apply to any subheadings.
Whether you choose “up” or “down,” you should always capitalize the pronoun “I” and relatives’ titles when used with the proper name (for example, “Uncle Dan,” but “my uncle”). Capitalize Mother or Father when addressing the parent directly, but not when referring to him or her (”my mother,” “my father”).
TYPES OF PRODUCTS
The News Article
A news article’s first sentence — the “lead” — is its most important element. The lead must contain as many of the key ingredients — who, what, where, when, why, and how — as possible. These facts inform the reader of the main thrust of the news and provide a context for understanding what follows.
Subsequent paragraphs provide further information. They appear in order of descending importance for a very practical reason: If there is not space enough for the entire article, it may be cut from the bottom without destroying its essence. This factor distinguishes the news article from the feature story and the editorial.
The Press Release
A press release is a news article with spin, company propaganda. It reports the news about a new product or business development in a positive manner. There is not likely to be a downside included.
Of course, that describes a proactive press release; a reactive one might very well include negative information — if the company perceives that it needs to acknowledge certain facts in order to salvage its public image.
The Opinion Piece or Editorial
Writing an editorial or an opinion piece is similar to writing an essay, although less formal in structure and style. In all three, the author asserts a point of view and supports it with logical discourse or facts.
The piece may define, describe, or explain a concept or a proposal; evaluate and/or compare ideas, systems, processes, or activities; make and defend a choice among options.Opinion pieces should always be labeled as such.
The Feature Story
A feature article may take various forms — a human interest story, a celebrity interview, an in-depth explanation of a current issue or development, a profile of a local leader, the saga of a successful business. The list could go on and on. Feature articles are characteristically longer than most news stories.
All features attempt to interest the reader in something unusual. For instance, an article might examine the role of women in Arab societies, the new elements in the revised SAT, or the Internet business that is being outsourced to India. Perhaps a local man has been selected to appear on Jeopardy! There is really no limit to the possibilities.
For a company publication, more likely topics might be staff reorganization, United Fund drive progress, product development, and an officer profile. And the CEO will probably want you to ghost-write a column bearing his/her byline.
The Newsletter
As the editor of a newsletter, you will have a number of key decisions to make at the outset.
*What size will it be? Most newsletters are 17″ x 11″ folded to 8 ” x 11.”
*How many pages? Four or any multiple of four.
*Binding? If more than four pages, saddle-stitch binding.
*Self-mailer? Leave space for recipient name/address, return address, and mailing indicia.
*Number of columns per page?
*How often will it be published?
Matters of Style
*Typeface for text and headlines? Type sizes?
*What font and size will the subheads be?
*Should type be flush left and ragged right or fully justified? (Justified type is flush left and right. Ragged right lines end with the last full word that fits.)
*What size will the masthead be? Where will it be placed?
*Will articles jump from one page to another or be printed in a continuum?
*Will you use artwork or photos? Cut lines or captions?
*Where will you place the staff box?
*Will you list all of the contents — or selected items — in an article or box on the front page?
Matters of Content
*Chances are the topics to be covered were spelled out initially, either by your boss or by the organization’s leaders, or perhaps they were dictated by the organization’s purpose/function.
*Don’t work in a vacuum. Appoint a committee of people representing different parts of the company/organization; meet with them in a planning session for each issue.
*It’s a good idea to have a mix of news items and feature articles, plus brief notices in boxes that break up the page. Variety makes a newsletter lively and keeps the reader interested.
Article Review
Establish procedures for review of your articles by staff members prior to publication.
After type is set, arrange for another staff member to proofread, backing you up.
About Layout
Whether you are doing desktop publishing or sending camera-ready copy to a printer with an offset press, you will have to lay out your pages. To do so, you should create a template with the number of columns of the width you have chosen and feed your headlines, articles, and artwork into the template. You will be able to set type in multiple column widths to enhance the visual appeal of your newsletter.
Artwork
You will probably want to use the CEO’s picture with his/her column, and you may also use mug shots of employees who are mentioned in other articles. Original artwork adds sophistication to your newsletter, and if you can afford to hire an artist, you will probably want to follow this course. It will be up to you (and your boss) whether to use a mix of photos and original art or use original art exclusively.
Speech Writing
If you’re assigned to write a speech for the CEO, insist on interviewing her or him about the purpose, the content, and the desired outcome. Listen carefully to the CEO’s speech patterns. Short or long sentences? Serious or light demeanor? Articulate or not? Terse or long-winded?
Discuss whether to open with a joke or get right down to business, how to structure the material, how much time the speech should take. The more successful this interview, the better the speech.
http://www.youreditoronline.com

About the Author

The author has more than 40 years experience as a writer and editor. He was manager of corporate publications for Educational Testing Service, a newsletter editor for Merrill Lynch, and held various positions with educational agencies and as an education reporter for three major dailies. He is retired now but offering his editing skills on the Web.

LEARNING HOW TO WRITE
Copyright 2004, Michael LaRocca

As a student of Spanish, my goal was to think in Spanish. Skip
the word-by-word translation so I’d have the necessary speed to
speak and listen. I know words in Spanish that I’d be hard
pressed to translate. Usually profanity, I confess. Chingow!

For years my students here in China have studied grammar, and
know it better than you or I. They read. They write. But
speaking involves moving faster than that. In conversation, we
don’t have time to write it first and make sure it’s all
grammatically flawless, then read it aloud, perhaps after a bit
of rehearsal.

So, I try to give them a chance to practice putting words
together on the fly, rules be damned. The rules they’ve
internalized will kick in and keep them comprehensible, which
will build their confidence in their ability to keep creating
conversation that way.

This is not unlike what we go through as authors. First we study
rulebooks, perhaps take some classes, and conclude just about
everything we’re is doing is wrong. So many rules to memorize.
We might dread sitting down to write with all those constraints.

But really, it’s not about memorizing rules at all. It’s about
internalizing the rules, following them (or not if you prefer)
without being consciously aware of what they are. They’re there,
but in the background.

The story’s what matters. You’re supposed to be having fun, not
“working.” At least not during the creation phase.

We don’t always take the time to say, “I’ve written ten active
sentences in a row so maybe I’ll whip in a passive one now” or
“I need a beat for every X lines of dialogue.” I published four
novels and edited dozens more before I learned what a beat was.
(It’s a pause so the reader can catch his/her breath.)

And, of course, since it is writing and not speaking, we can
always go back and revise later. Then rely on editors to
catch what we missed, or at least make us wonder why we wrote
it this way instead of that way.

Some authors aren’t even consciously aware of “the rules.”
They’ve never taken a class, never read a book about writing.
They’re simply avid readers who one day decided to write. But
they’ve internalized the rules as well. It comes from reading.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If you want to write,
you must read. If you don’t like reading, maybe writing isn’t
for you. It’s not about writing because you want to say, “I am a
writer.” It’s about writing because you enjoy writing.

And, it’s really nice when you’ve been writing for a long time
to go back and read a book about how to write. You might find
one or two things to tweak in your technique, as opposed to a
daunting laundry list of flaws. It’s much easier to internalize
one or two new rules than 50 or 100!

About the Author

Michael LaRocca’s website at http://freereads.topcities.com was
chosen by WRITER’S DIGEST as one of The 101 Best Websites For
Writers in 2001 and 2002. He published two novels in 2002 and has
two more scheduled for publication in 2004. He also works as an
editor for an e-publisher. He teaches English at a university in
Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, China, and publishes the free weekly
newsletter Mad About Books.

Creative Writing Tips -

Complete a character questionnaire for each of your main
characters or even secondary characters that play a vital role
in your story. This way you will know your character(s) well
before you start writing about them.

Fill in as much information about them as possible. Don’t only
answer what you will need in your story. The objective here is
to get to know your character till he becomes a ‘live’ person in
your mind.

So let’s begin…

1.In a few sentences write down a summary of the plot

2.Character’s personal details

a)First name b)Surname c)Age

3.In a few sentences write down the character’s back story (a
bit about his background)

4.The role of the character in your story

a)What are character’s goals?

b)What are character’s motivations?

c)What is the character’s conflict?

d)How will the conflict stop the character from reaching his
goal?

e)What is he going to do to overcome the conflict?

f)What problems will crop up during the story?

g)How will those problems get worse?

h)What will the character do to overcome those problems?

i)How will he resolve the conflict?

j)How will your character’s background influence how he behaves
in your story?

k)What is the relationship with other characters, if any, in
your story?

5.Physical Descriptions

a)Height b)Eye colour c)Hair colour d)Hairstyle e)Hair length
f)Complexion g)Shape of face h)Body type i)Weight

6.How does his expression change when…

a.He’s with a loved one b.He’s with someone he dislikes c.He’s
with his boss d.He’s with a colleague

7.Personality

a)Type? (shy, outgoing, insecure, dominant etc)

b)Distinguishable traits?

c)Mental scars? (Complexes etc)

d)Ambitions?

e)Sense of humour?

f)Fears?

g)Anxieties?

h)Phobias?

i)Overall personality?

j)How does his personality change when he’s experiencing
different emotions?

k)How does he act when he feels confident?

l)How does he act when he feels inadequate?

m)What gestures does he use when he talks and thinks?

n)How does he walk? With confidence? Does he slouch or stride?

o)What mannerisms does he have? (Does he fold his arms? Does he
flick his hair?)

p)How does he speak? (Clearly, mumble, confidently, drawl etc.)

q)His voice? (Rich, loud, soft, etc)

r)His vocabulary? (Casual, formal, illiterate etc)

s)What does he think when he’s alone?

t)Does he have any secrets he hasn’t disclosed to anyone?

u)His prejudices?

v)Dominant motives?

w)Values most?

x)Desires most?

y)How does he treat those around him? (children, superiors, etc)

z)Any vices or virtues?

8.Likes and dislikes

a)Favourite colour, food, etc

b)Favourite music?

c)Taste in clothing?

d)Does character like something in particular?

e)Does character dislike something in particular?

9.Lifestyle

a)Where does the character live (country, city)?

b)Does character live in a house, apartment etc

c)Does character like where he lives?

d)Does where he lives reflect what kind of person he is?

e)Does he have a favourite room? (Or a piece of furniture or
other object etc) f)Does he have a car? What type? Does the car
reflect the person he is?

g)Any hobbies? Personal habits (neat, sloppy etc)

10.Background

a)Parents names

b)Parents occupations

c)Describe relationship with parents

d)Any siblings?

e)Describe relationship with siblings

f)What kind of childhood did the character have?

g)What kind of adolescence did the character have? h)What kind
of schooling did character undergo? (Private or public? Has this
shaped who he is?)

i)What was the highest-level achieved in school?

j)Citizenship/Ethnic Origin?

k)In which country does he currently live?

l)If the country he lives in is not where he was born, why does
he live there?

11.Character’s current position

a)Any friends? b)Any enemies? c)Acquaintances? d)Has character
been married before? e)Has the character been engaged before?
f)Any children? g)Most meaningful experience? h)Any
disappointments? i)What is the character’s goal in life?
j)Attitude towards the opposite sex? k)Attitude towards life?

12.Employment

a)What kind of job does character currently have? b)What kind of
jobs has the character had previously? c)Is character content in
current employment? d)If not, what would be their dream job?

13.What do you feel for this character?

a)Admire b)Love c)Hate d)Dislike e)Like f)Pity g)Envy

Whatever you feel for this character, your emotions must be
strong. If they are not, either build on this further or begin
building another character altogether.