Long Story Short

Long Story Short I’ve often heard writers of nonfiction complain that they’re the Rodney Dangerfields of the literary world. Not that they don’t sell a lot of books and articles (because they do) or that they don’t make money from their writing (because they do). Their complaint is that they aren’t recognized as â€Å"real† writers until they’ve published fiction. The same might be said of short-story writers. Some feel they aren’t truly fiction writers unless and until they’ve sold a novel. Many people who are not themselves writers have asked me, â€Å"Why waste your time writing short stories?† Well, I’ve written three novels- two are out with an agent and the other is sitting here at home aging like tobacco leaves, or (as I prefer to think) fine wine. But mostly I write short. One reason, honestly, is that since I’ve sold so many short stories and have never sold a novel, I just feel more comfortable with the short stuff. It’s safe ground for me, and I’m as reluctant as the next soldier to venture far from my foxhole unless someone orders me to. Does that mean I’m not a real fiction writer? Maybe so. But it’s not a question that bothers me much. Having said all that, what possible advantages could there be to writing short stories instead of novels? Well, here are a few: (1) They can be resold. I’ve had some of my shorts published half a dozen times each, in different markets. If you’ve not signed away â€Å"all rights,† you can sell reprints over and over again. (2) They give you a sense of completion. Finishing a story and writing THE END is a great feeling, to me. I can write a short story in a matter of days, and then turn around and write something else, something completely different. (3) There’s less time invested. A novel takes months or even years to write, and if it doesn’t sell, you’ve spent an enormous chunk of time with those characters and that plot. (4) They can help build a rà ©sumà ©. Story credits in quality magazines and anthologies can make you more marketable to agents and publishers of longer works. (5) They’re good practice. Crafting publishable short stories teaches you how to write â€Å"tight.† Novels might be long, but the best novels are still focused and compact, with few wasted words. Writing short also gives you experience in creating the story arc that is so necessary in novels, screenplays, etc. (6) You don’t need an agent. I had a wonderful agent for several years who represented my short fiction (he passed away in 1999), but few agents now will take on short-story authors, and the truth is, you can probably do as well without them. (7) It’s fun. I think the process of putting together a good plot and believable characters in only a few thousand words is a thrill as well as a challenge. A final note. Some writers don’t write short because they don’t think they can. Several novelist friends (one a New York Times bestseller) have told me they think short stories are extremely difficult to write. Lawrence Block once agreed, saying: â€Å"Novels aren’t harder; they’re just longer.† And Faulkner said he tried writing short stories when he found he couldn’t write poetry, and then turned to writing novels when he found he couldn’t write short stories. I’ve also heard that writing a good novel requires a better storyteller, while writing a good short story requires a better craftsman. Is that true? Beats me. It doesn’t matter anyway. There’ll always be room for both.

President James Monroe Fast Facts

President James Monroe Fast Facts James Monroe (1758-1831) was a true American Revolution hero. He was also a staunch anti-federalist. He was the only person to have served as the Secretary of State and War at the same time. He easily won the election of 1816 with 84% of the electoral vote. Finally, his name is forever immortalized in Americas foundational foreign policy code: The Monroe Doctrine.   Following is a quick list of fast facts for James Monroe.For more in depth information, you can also read the: James Monroe Biography Birth: April 28, 1758 Death: July 4, 1831 Term of Office: March 4, 1817-March 3, 1825 Number of Terms Elected: 2 Terms First Lady: Elizabeth Kortright James Monroe Quote: The American continents . . . are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonization by any European powers. - From the Monroe DoctrineAdditional James Monroe Quotes Major Events While in Office: First Seminole War (1817-1818)Convention of 1818 (1818)Florida purchased from Spain - Adams-Onà ­s Treaty(1819) Missouri Compromise (1820)Cumberland Road Bill (1822) Monroe Doctrine (1823) States Entering Union While in Office: Mississippi (1817)Illinois (1818)Alabama (1818)Maine (1820)Missouri (1821) Related James Monroe Resources: These additional resources on James Monroe can provide you with further information about the president and his times. James Monroe BiographyTake a more in depth look at the fifth president of the United States through this biography. Youll learn about his childhood, family, early career, and the major events of his administration. War of 1812 ResourcesThe fledgling United States needed to flex its muscle one more time to convince Great Britain it was truly independent. Read about the people, places, battles, and events that proved to the world America was here to stay. War of 1812 TimelineThis timeline focuses on the events of the War of 1812. Revolutionary WarThe debate over the Revolutionary War as a true revolution will not be resolved. However, without this struggle America might still be part of the British Empire. Find out about the people, places, and events that shaped the revolution. Chart of Presidents and Vice PresidentsThis informative chart gives quick reference information on the Presidents, Vice-Presidents, their terms of office, and their political parties. Other Presidential Fast Facts: James MadisonJohn Quincy AdamsList of American Presidents

Our Educational Issues Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Our Educational Issues - Research Paper Example Due to this, there is a great variation in terms of subjects, courses and other activities between schools of different states. Despite the variations, there are some common features in all schools regardless of their location. One of the common points is the three level division of the education system. The three levels include the elementary or primary education, the secondary education and the higher education. Formal schooling lasts for an average of 12 years when an individual is around the age of 18. This is not the case though in most states as compulsory schooling may end when an individual is 16 years. All American children have access to the free public education American educators use the term K-12 and sometimes PK-12 to refer to primary and secondary education. Most of US children start their education prior to entering the PK-12 education. The parents of such children have to privately finance these institutions. After pre-school and elementary school, the children then enter formal school at the average age of six. Although most American schools are well funded, they are still performing poorly based on the standardized testing, graduation rates, college admissions and national rankings. Many scholars and individuals have tried to look at the issues as to why schools are performing poorly and most of them agree that money is not one of the issues (Friedman25) A report from the International summit of Teaching rated America as an average compares to other nations. This is despite the fact that US invests in education more compared to other countries such as Canada. In the report, it was noted that America spends over $800 billion in a year. This amount is five times more than Japan which is the second highest spender. However, evidence from the summit revealed that one of the major causes of problem in the education system is the spending of the allocated money ((Peter26) American teachers have been obtaining little support in terms of money. Most of them go into debts so as to start their career. They are not motivated in terms of their salary making them to be less productive in school. Productivity of teachers is partially reflected in the grades of his or her students. Teachers who end up working in poor communities usually make less than those in more affluent areas. As a result, most of this teachers end up paying for many of their supplies. Additional evidence shows that the US is willing to lower educational standards rather than raising teachers’ salaries. In addition, the teachers of American schools have very little opportunities for collaborating with each other making most of them quite within their first five years. Countries such as Finland and Singapore pay their teachers very well and provide an enabling environment for them to collaborate effectively. One of the good news for America is that this problem is in the public eye and Obama’s administration is trying to stimulate improvements. In ord er to solve this problem, teachers need more support from the government and the local administration. The support should not only come in form of higher salaries but also in form of grants for those pursing teacher-related careers as well as providing a supportive environment for teacher collaboration

If a man has the means to feed himself and protect himself he is free Essay

If a man has the means to feed himself and protect himself he is free. In your opinion, to what extent is this statement relevant for the 21st century - Essay Example The objective of this essay is to analyze the relevance of this statement n the 21st century. Considering the ethics of the discussed statement, it must have relevance at given time. The ideology of freedom suggested here is non-competitive and sharing in nature. However, in the globalised 21st century, where freedom is defined in terms of economic and social competence and people compete with each other for materialistic achievements, food and protection won’t satisfy the needs of men. Hillary Rodhan Clinton, The Secretary of States has stated three essential elements of a free nation which includes a â€Å"representative government, a well-functioning market, and civil society† (Clinton, 2011). Taking this policy of the government into account, it can be assumed that the discussed statement is not given importance in today’s market driven society. However, further analysis of the current policies will reveal that the materialistic objectives ultimately lead to the basic need of food and protection for men. For example, a representative government, func tioning market, and civil society are all indicators of a food secure and protected society. Ironically, the process of achieving the materialistic objectives, most times results in denying the larger objective of food and protection for fellowmen. Bradley J. Birzer , The Commonwealth Men and the American Revolution, Thursday, June 30, 2011, The Imaginative Conservative, Retrieved on 26 September 2011,

The Chicago Police Department Essay Example for Free

The Chicago Police Department Essay The organizational situation that will be the focus of this paper is the recent appointment of a civilian Superintendent of Police at the Chicago Police Department. It has been over fifty years since a civilian was appointed as â€Å"top cop’ in the City of Chicago. Unfortunately, three of the last four police superintendents have left their position under scrutiny or an ensuing scandal. In 2006, the mayor of the City of Chicago Richard M. Daley publicly announced that a nationwide search for the next Chicago Police Superintendent will be conducted. After a seven month search, the front runner was a 35 year veteran of the Chicago Police Department (CPD). Mayor Daley’s decision to re-evaluate the participants and continue the nationwide search for the position of superintendent proved to be a major blow to police morale. Ultimately, the mayor appointed retired FBI Director Jody Weis as Superintendent of Police. The Superintendent is the commanding officer for the CPD. Under the direction of the Superintendent, the CPD is organized into the First Deputy’s Office and five bureaus each commanded by a Deputy Superintendent. The five bureaus are Investigative Services, Patrol Division, Strategic Deployment, Crime Strategy and Accountability and Administrative Services. Within each of these major operating units are patrol officers, investigative staff, support staff and administrative staff. There are approximately 120 subunits which work under these six operating units. There are approximately 13,400 sworn personnel and 1,850 civilians employed by the CPD (Chicago Police. org n. d). The Chicago Police Department’s patrol and investigative geographical area are broken down into five Investigative Areas (1-5) and each area is broken down into 25 local police districts (1-25). Each district is broken down into beats numbering anywhere from 12-15 beats per district. The CPD is entering a new era of police administration and will undergo major restructuring as a result of police corruption and misconduct, political pressures, and a loss of community trust. According to Bolman and Deal (2003), â€Å"restructuring is a challenging process that consumes time and resources with no guarantee of success† (p. 83). Organizations usually embark on a path to change when they feel compelled to respond to major problems or opportunities (Bolman Deal, 2003). Unfortunately in the case of the CPD, major problems are the cause for change. Reorganization is often the first step a new leader makes to leave his stamp on the organization. The CPD is an old fashioned public bureaucracy that has remained stagnant in its operation for over fifty years of â€Å"insider† control. Promotion from within the ranks is expected. The appointment of an â€Å"outsider† is an effort by the mayor to shake things up with a focus of weeding out misconduct and corruption. Holloway (2002), defined police corruption â€Å"as the abuse of police authority for personal or organizational gain† (p. 1). The CPD has had its fair share of corruption and official misconduct. Externally, acts of police misconduct can be reported by those affected to a civilian investigative organization or to an internal police unit known as Internal Affairs. Internally, acts of police misconduct and corruption may be dramatically under-reported if reported at all. According to Ivkovic (2003, when a police administrator engages in reform and invests resources for the purposes of corruption control without having all the necessary information regarding the extent and nature of the corruption, the administrator will most likely be fighting a â€Å"losing battle† (p. 594). This losing battle in fighting corruption is the main issue that Jody Weis will encounter in his new position. Weis is seen as an â€Å"outsider† and even worse, an ex-federal employee. When a police officer is accused of committing acts of misconduct or corruption, the officer is likely to face federal charges and placed under arrest by a Federal Agent. Weis is considered an enemy, and unless he is part of the inside police culture, he will never have full access to internal police information on the existence of misconduct or corruption. The complex phenomenon of police corruption needs to be addressed from an ethical and moral standpoint. To truly address the problem, it is necessary to work not only with the officers and the community, but also with professional policing organizations† (Johnson Cox, 2004 p. 67). The lack of community trust is a major factor in restructuring the CPD. Community policing was the first major step in forming a collaborative partnership with the community. It allowed the police and community to work side by side to help each other to save neighborhoods from crime and disorder. Ethics, morals, and professionalism are just a few ways in which the communities trust can be gained. Johnson and Cox (2004), defined â€Å"ethics as the moral behavior of an individual or group in its surrounding† (p. 69). Northouse (2007) further added that â€Å"ethics concerns itself with the morals and values that the society or an individual finds appropriate† (p. 342). A 1996 study by Delattre, (as cited in Johnson Cox, 2004) contends that those who maintain a position of public authority and trust should prescribe to a higher level of moral standards than civilians. The community deserves the right to feel safe and protected. The community is a powerful force that can organize and demand change by putting pressure on the elected officials. Political pressure is the last of the four factors that affected the change needed in the CPD. The appointment of the Superintendent of Police was orchestrated by the mayor of the City of Chicago. The mayor stated that the CPD was in desperate need of a â€Å"change agent. † The mayor was looking for someone that was going to restore the communities trust in the CPD and institute organizational change. The â€Å"politicos† were not happy with an â€Å"insider† being promoted to Superintendent of Police. Political pressures dictated that the search for a Superintendent of Police continue. Following the appointment of Jody Weis, major organizational and personnel changes were instituted. One of the most critical factors that affected the actual implementation of the change was the change of personnel. After approximately two months of being on the job, Weis removed and appointed 21 of 25 new District Commanders and replaced numerous exempt rank Deputies and Chiefs of units. Never in the history of the CPD had anyone made such drastic and unpopular changes. The changes in personnel were made by use of the Chicago Police Department’s meritorious promotion system. This system had for a long time been associated with political clout and nepotism rather than true merit. According to Boseman (2008), leaders are given the opportunity to lead not because they are merely appointed by managers, but because they are seen as leaders. On the contrary, Leonard (2003) contends that many employees select future leadership primarily for their technical skills rather than their interpersonal or people leadership skills. Faced with the current status of the CPD, change was inevitable. With change comes resistance to change. The leader must have a plan to institute change and remedies to quell the fears of change (Kouzes Posner, 2002). Conclusion A basic assumption throughout this analysis has been that the CPD is in need of major policy, procedures, programs, and organizational change. A strong argument in favor of this point is the low police morale and community distrust of the CPD. Adhering to the basic principles of the police code of ethics and moral values, police can create a service based on consent and participation. Overall, the transformational leader must create a vision, get subordinates to buy in, and manifest honesty and integrity. The problems that affect the CPD are not situations that can be easily fixed. Over time, hard work and a dedicated collaborative effort between an enthusiastic leader and the community can bring about change. Further research is needed in the area of the complex phenomenon of police corruption. Change can be a good thing.

Robert Frost’s Poem, The Road Not Taken Essay -- The Road Not Taken Es

Robert Frost’s poem, The Road Not Taken, is a descriptive poem about a person’s conflict with the right path to take throughout life. The choice that this person makes can affect him forever. There are lots of choices like this throughout a person’s life that are made that piece together the future. What they do with these choices and the decisions they make are up to them. Although the narrator of this poem is faced with a dilemma, he still makes the best decision possible and takes the best road, which happens to be one that no one else has chosen to take. The title, â€Å"The Road Not Taken†, symbolizes the decision that he must make to take a path throughout life that no one else has or would choose to take. The majority will always follow one another, so the option to do so also is imminent. The narrator however, chooses to be different. He decides that taking the â€Å"less traveled by† path will change his life prospectively. The narrator is faced with temptation to take the wrong path. He says â€Å"long I stood / and looked down one as far as I could / to where it bent in the undergr... Robert Frost’s Poem, The Road Not Taken Essay -- The Road Not Taken Es Robert Frost’s poem, The Road Not Taken, is a descriptive poem about a person’s conflict with the right path to take throughout life. The choice that this person makes can affect him forever. There are lots of choices like this throughout a person’s life that are made that piece together the future. What they do with these choices and the decisions they make are up to them. Although the narrator of this poem is faced with a dilemma, he still makes the best decision possible and takes the best road, which happens to be one that no one else has chosen to take. The title, â€Å"The Road Not Taken†, symbolizes the decision that he must make to take a path throughout life that no one else has or would choose to take. The majority will always follow one another, so the option to do so also is imminent. The narrator however, chooses to be different. He decides that taking the â€Å"less traveled by† path will change his life prospectively. The narrator is faced with temptation to take the wrong path. He says â€Å"long I stood / and looked down one as far as I could / to where it bent in the undergr...

Scholarship, Practice, and Leadership in Motion

Research is field where many stakeholders are involved. These stakeholders can be at the level of community, the government sponsors, research institutions and in general the research community of the researchers who are spread across the geographies. When a community of researchers share the knowledge with each other there are often instances where some part of knowledge transfer does not happen completely. This raises a situation of lacuna in knowledge transfer where some team members within the project are unaware of some aspects of the project. This happened with our group as well. We were undergoing through a long period of a lack in knowledge share where team members were finding it difficult to communicate the recent development to each other. The shortage in time and involvement with other commitments also made it difficult to update the peers on the research activities – both internal and external. As social theorists have said that learning is a lifelong process and it takes a whole life time in learning the social interactions and mastering the art of interaction. By this they have also postulated that the art of interaction can be understood most effectively when one is within the social domain and has opportunity to have a conversation (direct) with the significant others (Graham, 2004). This theory somehow contradicts the theory where the experts say that the computer managed interaction or CMI is also to an extent able to replicate the communication process. The boom of social networking sites has made it possible to replicate the social structure over internet. An added advantage of this kind of a model is that it allows one to communicate with the user generated content and allows oneself to give the comments and feedback without necessarily feeling comprehensive about getting an immediate interaction. This way people can connect with each other in the cyber space and also connect at one to one level at a later stage when they can meet. Our Approach – Analysis As is a commonly stated fact that complex learning’s are often associated with groups and addressed more effectively at the group level, even we tried the same strategy while learning in our group. Burdett (2003) postulates that learning in groups provide opportunities for students to negotiate meaning, manipulate ideas, and create their own knowledge – skills that correspond to those needed in the wider society. We initiated the group learning by first organising a group and defining the group membership in order to increase the group cohesion (Hirokowa, 1999). The next step was to define the group goals. For doing so we together formulated the group goals based on the available information, resources and incorporated them with the ways we can achieve the goals by using these resources. The next step was very crucial which was to regulate our performance continuously. This regulation was important in terms to know the direction we are progressing with the right and realistic aims and goals and if are able to achieve the desired goals or not. This was also a stage for us to reiterate on the accomplished tasks and goals and to forms new deadliness and also to update each other on each other performance by the means of giving the feedback. This strategy worked the best out of the other two strategies of communication and interaction as well as this was the strategy where maximum amount of communication of involved. The online system also worked very well with our team. The computer managed interaction (CMI) as it is called also did set a greater level of communication up to a certain level. This communication was through the mode of computer mediated interaction which though not being a direct form of communication was highly popular. This enabled the group members to share the thoughts and share the knowledge in the more virtual form which enabled the group members to be in par with the new development and also a much better knowledge transfer was enabled by this way. Conclusion From our experience we found that the most effective way of keeping a communication was a direct way of communicating where face to face interaction was involved. This also helped the team members to remain in personal contacts with each other.