Writing and Speaking - Converting Speeches into Ebooks, Articles, and Manuals

The other day, I was talking to a gal who is an absolute expert in audio programming online. She has worked with some of the top motivational speakers in the country, and helped them convert their former audio and video tapes into digital media. That got me to think about how I might take some of my speeches, seminars, and talks and convert all of it into ebooks, articles, and manuals. Over the past five years, I have converted many of my manuals into articles and ebooks.

And I have taken much of my knowledge which I have previously used to give speeches to various groups and at colleges and turned that wisdom and expertise into online articles. Indeed, I'm not the only one who has done this, it seems that many people are doing it and it works. But of course, there is a right way and a wrong way to do it, and it's often hard to take speeches on old VHS videotapes, which were done 10 years ago or longer and convert them into DVDs, and digital ebooks.

What most people don't understand is when you speak it's different than when you present something in a writing format. Also when you are giving a speech and using lots of hand and body gestures, you tend to choose different words than you would if you're trying to be descriptive while you are writing. Also, not everyone has PowerPoint presentations which go back and correspond to all their speeches for the last 10-years. If you do and you wish to convert those speeches into ebooks it's a lot easier because you have all those items in the PowerPoint presentation for titles and subtitles of your ebook.

Is it possible to convert ebooks, articles, and manuals into speeches the other way around? Yes, I do believe it is, but it is not as easy as you might think. Not everyone can read a teleprompter or script as good as President Barack Obama, and that is a talent, and it takes a lot of practice. If you are converting your ebooks and articles into videos for let's say YouTube or DVDs you have to be careful to look into the camera, and do it while you're reading, and that isn't easy, not to mention the fact that your pupils are moving back and forth the entire time.

Yes, these are all things you need to consider when converting your expert knowledge from one format to another to reach the most amount of people possible. Indeed I hope you will please consider all this and think on it. You have any comments, concerns, and/or questions on how to get this done, please shoot me an e-mail.

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Writing - What Is a Manuscript?

Individuals working within the writing and publishing industry, or those who take an interest in this industry, will come into contact with the term 'manuscript' all the time. But for those of us who aren't aware of the terminology of the writing and publishing world, it can be off putting to hear the term 'manuscript' batted about when we are not entirely sure of the meaning of the word.

In its rawest sense, the term 'manuscript' refers to anything that has been hand written by a person or a group of people. This therefore means that the term could refer to a letter, an inscription, graffiti, a diary entry, a handwritten report, essay, book, poem, etc - the list is endless. The term was first recorded in 1594 and at that time it literally translated to mean 'written by hand'.

Nowadays however, with the introduction of computers, mobile phones, the BlackBerry, iPads and iPhones, we rarely write anything by hand - preferring instead to type, text or email. It is certainly a quicker and more convenient way of communicating through the power of words. Thus the meaning of the word 'manuscript' has also changed somewhat in modern day, and now relates to a piece of unpublished writing which has been submitted for academic review and publication or for general publication and printing. It is important to remember that a manuscript is not defined by its content. You could after all have a manuscript that is formed entirely of drawings, illustrations, poems, technical drawings. It doesn't need to be a fiction or non-fiction piece of writing that hasn't yet been published. Those 'in the know' shorten the term 'manuscript' to the initials 'MS'. So, in the modern day publishing and literary land, for a piece of work to be deemed as a MS, it needs to have the following characteristics:

- Be the original version of a work created or written by the author or composer
- Be in its unpublished state

The term 'manuscript' is not however limited to the world of writing and publishing. Insurers use the term too, with a manuscript policy referring to a policy which has been negotiated by the insurer and the policyholder. In library science, the term refers to a hand-written item that resides in the library, and in the dramatic world of theatre, TV and film production, the term refers to the text that has been produced by the author - now more commonly shortened to the word 'script'.

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Writers Need a Voice Recognition Thesaurus App

Trying to come up with new app ideas for the iPhone, or iPad is not easy, as there are now nearly three-quarters of a million of them (750,000). But the other day I spent a number of hours with a very wise App entrepreneur, and his company alone has produced nearly 1200 apps, and that's a lot of apps my friend - as we began talking he brought in several kids, I say kids because they are in their early 20s and we began brain storming. Since I was leading this mission, I asked everyone to write down all the things they had done or been involved with, each area of expertise or hobby with a number by it.

Each person wrote down about a dozen items and then we went through them to see if there were any duplications, and it turns out each of us had some writing experience. I said; Okay let's talk about apps to help writers do their job better. I indicated the need to increase vocabulary to come up with better or more appropriate words as needed. Another said they needed all the quotes available at their finger tips, but while they were writing they didn't want to stop, they just wished to keep typing.

Okay so, how about a speech recognition app where a writer would say: "Quotes about _ _ _." And the app would speak back the most famous quotes in that venue. Indeed, I then asked if they could make a "Thesaurus App" where by the write could say a word and the Thesaurus App would just speak back all the similar words, as the writer heard on they liked they could type it into their article, creative story, or email. They all agreed this would be easy to create, and then said they'd go and check to see if anyone had already made one yet.

It turned out there is one and just as you might suspect it is called the Thesaurus App 1.0 and it costs $.99 to load. The software app creator is Piet Jonas and in the description it states; "Retrieve the synonym for every word. If available you will get antonyms, related terms, similar word, and user suggestions too. Tap one of the results to start a quick new search for that term. It keeps a history list of your search terms as well."

This app has received high ratings, but needs to be voice enabled, so perhaps my friends company may do that, or maybe you should, as this was just a brain storming session to warm up, and they've already got some 500 apps to create before they ever get down the list to this one. Please consider all this.

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Writers Should Promote American Ingenuity and Write About US Innovation and Invention

Not long ago, I talked to a serial inventor and innovator, not a man of talk and hype but a real engineer in his late 60s. He suggested that I write more articles on America's innovation, and that we need more writers promoting real innovation and spurring on more invention.

You see, we have a challenge right now with the number of individuals in our society going into the fields of math and science. By finding more science writers, and those who will propel interest in engineering and research it will help keep our nation on the leading edge, keeping us strong as a nation well into the future.

My acquaintance said; "Write about great future prospects in America because they are going to happen." He is a true believer the future of the United States, and indeed I guess I am too. The question is are you? That is to say, you are a writer, and it's important that you enlist yourself in this cause. Why not write a few extra articles each month promoting technology, math, science, invention, innovation, and the future of this great country?

Over the years, I've written a number of articles on this topic, and I believe you should too. My acquaintance reminds me that "Each region of the US is going after something," and you know what, he is correct. So why not do your part, why not promote technology in your region as a writer. It's the least you can do. Okay so, how can you help you ask?

Well, why not get involved in your area and find out what's going on, scan the local news, attend an inventor's club once a month, and get on a first name basis with the local college and university science departments, and their PR folks. Also contact the school newspaper, and see what they are writing about, because you can make a difference as a writer in assisting in this noble cause.

Am I suggesting that you use propaganda tools or hype the new and latest local technology? Oh heavens no, you don't need to do that. Rather, you should just write an article or two each month to help your area, or technology in general. My acquaintance says that things are happening all over the country, and yet when we read the news, or view it online, it often doesn't appear that this is the case. Maybe you can join with me and others and educate the masses and set the US on a new beginning for our technological future.

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Writing an Ebook - Tips for Quickly Writing a Quality Ebook

Writing an ebook can be easy but you have to be totally organised if you want to come out of the process with your sanity intact. Follow these tips for writing a quality ebook that people will want to read and you'll be well on your way to becoming a published author.

1. Pick a subject

Which sounds like it's stating the obvious but you'd be amazed at how many people either don't do this step or set their subject matter too wide that War and Peace wouldn't have enough space to tell you all about it.

You're looking for a subject that people are interested in reading about. So if your chosen subject matter is more visual then you should consider whether an ebook is the best medium for your masterpiece - maybe a video instead?

2. Do your research

This applies whether you know your subject inside out or if you're just starting out in your chosen area.

Go to forums and sites like Yahoo Answers to see what people are asking about. If a topic crops up on a regular basis, there's a good chance that you should include it when you're writing your ebook.

Then go to Amazon and use their "look inside" feature to see what the chapter headings are.

3. Make an outline

Notice that you haven't launched straight into writing your book?

The outline is the next important thing you need to do with your work.

Start with the chapter headings. Most books have around a dozen chapters, so that's a good target for your ebook. Sure, it can be shorter or longer but see what happens when you've done your outline.

If you run out of steam at a handful of chapter headings, maybe you've chosen the wrong subject.

If your outline looks like a J K Rowling novel then it's too detailed!

4. Flesh out your outline

Each chapter will cover a number of subjects. Treat each chapter like you did with the outline - aim for a dozen or so short topics that you'll cover in each of your ebook's chapters.

Notice how your ebook is starting to come to life, even though you haven't really written a word of it yet?

Also notice how your writer's block (if any) is melting away because you already know the topic of near enough every chapter of your brand new ebook.

5. Now start writing

Your aim is a paragraph or two (or maybe three) for each of the items you did to flesh our your outline.

The good news is that a couple of paragraphs don't take long to write. It's not a daunting prospect to write out a hundred or two hundred words. You probably write as much when you answer a forum post. OK, it's more than you're confined to in a Tweet and it's longer than a Facebook status update. But not much longer.

Whenever you've got a few spare moments - ones where you'd read emails or watch videos - tap out a couple of paragraphs.

But don't edit while you type - that's a different part of your brain and it stifles your creativity.

6. Edit as necessary

Editing your new ebook should be kept separate from the writing sequence.

It's your choice whether to edit the whole book or each chapter at a time. There's a lot to be said for editing each chapter in turn and then giving your new ebook a "once over" when you've completed that part of the process.

7. Publish your new ebook

Amazon lets you self-publish with its Kindle option. Apple does something similar with one of its iStores. Or you can use one of the print on demand services to let your book leave the computer and enter the real world.

It's your choice where to publish but if you follow the simple steps listed above, you'll have quickly written a top quality ebook. Go for it!

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Write Good Articles to Get Traffic to Your Site

Having an internet business online can be a very rewarding experience. One of the requirements of this business is the production of content on a regular basis. Now this content in the form of the written word can become very tedious and demanding at times. The content for your site comes in many different forms like articles, videos, and audio. Today we focus on the writing of articles to get more people to your online business.

These articles will provide knowledge and information about a number of topics plus services relating to your business. When you provide these high quality articles for your site on a regular basis your readers will keep coming back for your content a more frequent basis to consume what you have written about. This provides your visitors with a greater user experience and the search engines will love this and then your site will have the potential to rise up in the rankings.

With the writing of articles that use targeted keyword phrases in the content which is relevant and on topic with your business products and services this gives you the added benefit of ranking well with your site. This will bring visitors from other sites thus also providing you with linking from other sites or newsletters as well. Articles can give the impression that your site is a trustworthy place for your type of product/service.

Your company's online traffic will benefit greatly from the many articles that you produce. By providing top class content for your readers the added benefit of this is your readers will pass on and recommend this content to others. This improves the chances of increased web traffic substantially. The likely hood of increased sales to your business also is elevated to new levels. More people will know of you and you will become a recognized, trusted and well liked go to source in your industry. The object here is to get as many people as possible to start talking about what you have to offer with your business.

A small problem here is that a majority of business do not have the resources or time available to write their own content that is required to keep their site running smoothly themselves. You can do it yourself or alternately outsource this task to someone else. If you do, do it yourself, then it is best that you allocate a specific time of the day or week for this task. If the writing of your own content is not managed in an orderly fashion it will end up not get done at the appropriate required time that you will expect it to be done by.

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What Is Plagiarism and How to Avoid It in Your Essay?

Many students are confused by plagiarism and don't really understand what it means. It is recommended that when writing any piece you are fully aware of the pitfalls of plagiarism and how to avoid it. If you do not understand and therefore, do not avoid plagiarism, you may lose marks or face serious disciplinary action.

So what is plagiarism? The University of Dundee (2005) defines it as 'the unacknowledged use of another's work as if it were one's own'. In this day and age with many technological advances such as photocopiers, scanners and electronic file exchange, it is much easier to commit plagiarism without really knowing it. It is so easy to copy others material and to 'cut and paste' which in one sense is helpful, but unless you acknowledge intellectual property appropriately, you will end up in trouble.

It should always be assumed that a student would not deliberately set out to plagiarise material but it is possible that unintentional plagiarism can occur. There are a couple of things to bear in mind to avoid plagiarism and these are listed below.

• It is acceptable to use another person's work as long as you acknowledge the source

• 'Use' of another person's work does not simply mean copying it 'word for word', it also means 'in substance', so a paraphrase of the notions involved is not acceptable unless the source is acknowledged

• The true definition of plagiarism means using ideas, writing or inventions that another person's 'work' not just words so using these should be avoided

It is easy to see from these points how unintentional plagiarism could occur. However, it is also easy to see how you can avoid plagiarism - quote the source.

There are some other things you can do to avoid plagiarism and these are listed below.

• Keep notes as you are writing your work and make a note of your sources. This way you can avoid accidental plagiarism by not acknowledging the source correctly

• Try not to copy material electronically unless you quote the source

• Try to avoid overuse of direct quotations as plagiarism can occur if your assignment is made up mainly of quotations

• Avoid paraphrasing the work of another person if it is too similar to the original work. It is not acceptable to merely substitute a few words here and there or just rearrange sentences. Paraphrasing when used correctly can demonstrate your ability to think critically and show that you understand the ideas in the original text

• Always quote your source. If you do use direct quotations, then use speech marks or put them italics and always acknowledge the source

There are many pitfalls associated with plagiarism and it is important to find the balance between using someone else's work to support your writing and avoiding overusing that work or using it inappropriately. However, if you follow the points outlined above, you should find that your writing conforms to the rules of plagiarism and gets you those all important grades!

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