Theories in mythology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Theories in mythology - Essay Example All mythic heroes are invariably ethical and moral. Most of the stories depict his hardship and travails in pursuit of a morally acceptable equilibrium. His persistence in the face of adversity and his dedication to his convictions are the other hallmarks of a mythic hero. But most importantly, irrespective of the human or super-human quality of the Hero, the mythology surrounding him is constructed to enlighten people on appropriate behavior and give them a sense of direction during phases of ambiguity. During the times of its conception and application, mythologies were intricately woven into the fabric of society. It is to be noted that for primitive people mythologies were the predominant source of information and entertainment. Hence, it becomes difficult to distinguish between the theoretical and practical sides of these stories. In the context of this uncertainty, it is inevitable that various and often conflicting interpretations of the meaning and significance of mythologies are formed. So no particular interpretation is universally acceptable. This leads to definitions that are only valid within a certain social and cultural unit of organization. At the time of its origins, human societies were largely feudalistic and paternalistic. This reality is also reflected in much of the literature of these times, which were again component parts that comprise the mythology. Every social order has had its ruling class. And mythologies were frequently employed as a means of keeping the status quo. Hence, the nobility, which is generally assigned the task of creating much of the mythology, did not adhere to principles of good scholarship. They were given a free hand to twist and tweak the tales to suit the ruling interests. This makes futile all attempts to arrive at a generally agreed definition for Mythology. Dardel assertion that myths are neither true nor false can be explained the following way. Many mythologies are

Pizza USA Term Paper Essay Example for Free

Pizza USA Term Paper Essay Abstract This case involves Pizza USA, a small independent chain restaurant operation that offers both dine-in and carry-out services for customers that has received feedback for a potential change that will require the implementation of design process to add services. Currently, customers have indicated that they are pleased with the food offered by the restaurant but they would increase pizza purchases if a delivery service was available. This dilemma ties into two separate issues. First, in order to remain competitive within the industry, customer wants and preferences need to be heard. After all, if you cannot please your customer base, you will lose them. Secondly, the changes required must be done in a manner that combines data gathering and analysis and implementation of a plan that best suites this particular type of business in order to maximize success. Customer service has been a recurring theme in many discussions regarding business operations and management in recent weeks. The prevailing thought is that in order for your business to grow and be successful, you must identify what your customers want and find a way to deliver it. This paper will analyze and discuss how process design can be implemented to assist this business to achieve its goals. Within the process design analysis and discussion, several factors will be reviewed to include: identification of what customer satisfaction means to the business and how we can identify the things that are most valuable to customers, the potential net yield of achieving a high level of customer satisfaction and efficiency, and the characteristic of developing an efficient pizza delivery (from stove to door) system. The paper will also assess creation of market â€Å"advantages† to not only maintain but grow the customer base. Pizza USA: An Exercise in Translating Customer Requirements into Process Design In the last five years leading up to 2012, the Pizza Restaurants industry has experienced the results of a downturn in economy. Restaurants have been directly affected by changing market conditions such as changes in intense competition, decreasing consumer spending and an increase in overall health consciousness (Kalnins, A., Mayer, K. , 2004). However, despite such overwhelming odds and challenges, businesses were able to overcome economic hard times by reinventing themselves through creative marketing and adjusting their menu’s to adapt to customers preferences (Kelso, 2012). This allowed the industry to recover effectively and consumer spending and market growth returned in 2010. As more consumers returned to the restaurants, overall demand increased. The U. S. Pizza industry averages about 410 million pizzas per year (Kelso, 2012). In 2012 alone, pizza sales are expected to reach an incredible $36. 1 billion in revenue which is a 3. 8 percent increase from the previous year (Kelso, 2012). This growth is expected to continue at a rate of 2. 9 percent per year through 2017. Based on gathered data, 97 percent of U. S. consumers have ordered food from a pizza restaurant or establishment within the past 12 months (Kelso, 2012). No matter how you look at it, pizza consumption is on the rise and creates an exceptional opportunity for success in this industry. According to Gregory Badishkanian, a CITI Analyst, the big three of the pizza industry: Pizza Hut, Domino’s, and Papa Johns are currently in position to increase market share. (Bloomberg, 2012). Although the big three comprise of 30% of the total pizza market, the remaining 70% comprise largely of other large chains with less market coverage and of course the smaller independent chains (Kelso, 2012). While the larger chains are improving profits independent chains are struggling to stay afloat amidst the fierce competition among the larger more established companies such as the big three (Kelso, 2012). Understanding this dilemma, it would be most prudent for any independent restaurant operator to maximize operations by insuring that internal process design enables not only efficient productivity but generates a process that is customer friendly and focused on customer’s needs and preferences (Kalnins, A. , Mayer, K. , 2004). This would be critical in the business’ ability to survive in such a monopolistic type market. Successful operation within a smaller independent chain restaurant faces challenges that may not be as apparent to a larger and more established national chains. Pizza USA is a small chain operation that currently provides two services: dine-in and carry-out options. Customers have commented that if delivery services were added to the restaurant offerings, they would potentially buy more pizzas (Jacobs Chase, 2011). Based on this information, it is apparent that the owner needs to assess his business operations and consider a process design that would include adding this service to current operations. The addition of delivery services would potentially require additional capital to finance changes and may involve the hiring of additional staff. However, revenue increases as a result of the added service would off-set the costs associated with these additions. Near and long-term implications would include survivability within such a competitive market. As a customer, the primary focus of my satisfaction with this type of business relates primarily to efficiency and the level of customer service provided. If delivery service was provided, the two areas that would be most prevalent in my mind would be the delivery time and the state of the pizza once received. Far too often, I’ve received delivered food that was warm and in some cases cold. Needless to say, I never contacted that restaurant again. The thing that would create a unique experience would be the restaurant’s ability to not only deliver within an exceptional time period but also to provide a pizza that is piping hot as it would be while dining in. Another aspect would be an incentive to order delivery by way of discounting or some type of rewards service. These are experiences that have not been typical in my experience with pizza deliveries. Method. The perceived situational analysis are as follows: Strengths-Due to the smaller nature of the business, It could potentially create a more personal experience for the customers thus increasing customer satisfaction; Weaknesses-As a smaller business entity, they have less resources and limited options in implementing changes to meet customer demands. Also, the business would be less tolerant of negative impacts that may result from changes compared to larger established chains with additional resources available; Opportunities-A stronger customer relationship tends to allow more flexibility due to stronger loyalty among satisfied customers. Loyal customers are willing to wait changes out rather than making an initial determination and moving on to another business; Threats-The primary threats are of course the larger and more established chains such as the big three. Again, due to resourcing issues, these smaller and independent operations have less flexibility and opportunity if changes become less than desirable. The primary causes and effects are business survivability and customer satisfaction. Although these two areas are mentioned separately, they are in fact one. If changes are not made to meet customer needs and preferences, the business risks losing clientele and eventual closure. The term customer loyalty has been described as a process of capturing how well an organization is performing in three critical market measures: customer retention, share of wallet, and price sensitivity relative to competitors (Jacobs Chase, 2011). Studies have shown that customer loyalty relates directly to business success and survivability. There exists a major distinction between product design from the user’s standpoint from what may have been intended by the manufacturer (Jacobs Chase, 2011). The main difference deals primarily with the intended versus perceived usefulness of a given product. In short, if the customer’s input is not considered, product or process design could potentially be a major waste of time on the from end of the planning cycle with even a worse outcome once in the market. Table-1 below indicates quick-serve satisfaction rates among the top companies in the market to include the big three (Verma, R. , Thompson, G. , 1999). As you can see, each of the larger chains has high overall scores in customer satisfaction. Albeit, this is only one of many areas that could potentially be assessed. The independent chains can learn something from this data. The large chains didn’t survive the market and become who they are today without success in this particular area (Verma, R. , Thompson, G. , 1999). Table-1 Although the case situation described is consistent with most other business operations, â€Å"what can be done to be more profitable? † it is unique in itself due the detail andlevel of changes discussed. There are probably 100 areas that could be looked at that deals with efficiency and customer satisfaction. However, for the purpose of this paper we will only analyze the above mentioned areas. If assessing profitability and customer satisfaction is an everyday occurrence, which is the case in most businesses, then this case could most certainly be considered as a preexisting situation. However, this paper has little to do with assessing a documented loss in profits or revenue streams so the evolution is unknown at best. There are many course concepts that can be applied to understand this situation. However the two most prevalent areas of operations philosophy that comes to mind are: Chapter 3-Product and Service Design and Chapter 5-Process Analysis. Quality Function Deployment (QFD) in chapter 3 discusses the process of getting the customer’s â€Å"voice† involved in design specifications (Jacobs Chase, 2011). This concept and application relates to any and all industries and organizations. It is directly related a process of studying and listening to customers to improve upon a product or service (Jacobs Chase, 2011). Measuring Process Performance in Chapter 5 primarily deals with how well a particular process is performing. This is accomplished by assessing many different types of metrics such as: productivity, efficiency, flow time, throughput, and value added time to name a few (Jacobs Chase, 2011). In order to adequately analyze whether your operation is running efficiently, a system of measurement is required to assess the performance. Results/Discussion The problem of addressing the customers’ needs and preferences are easily solved. Immediately implement planning to accommodate your customers’ request for the added feature of delivery service. Consider the most efficient manner of transition to minimize disruption to current business operations while planning the change. Insure that additional feedback is solicited and gathered from customers to re-validate the need to add the additional service and proceed with design process reviews and analysis to achieve goals. This satisfies the earlier discussion regarding identification of what the customer really wants and prefers. The task of developing and implementing the plan is what is the most difficult. Recommend that the owner begins with data gathering methods such as GAP Analysis. This method is used to assess the business’ performance relative to the expectations of its customers (Jacobs Chase, 2011). An additional form of Gap Analysis includes the benchmarking of certain industry standards and measures the business ‘performance against established standards within the industry (Jacobs Chase, 2011). Questions to be asked would be: What are other smaller independent chains offering? Is delivery service a value added service or just a waste of money? What are the industry standards in regards to delivery times and what is considered acceptable to customers? Do have the resources to provide that type of service or will it require additional equipment, supplies, vehicles and staff? This will allow the owner to see where his restaurant is versus where he wants to be. Moreover, this would be an ideal tool to gather additional information from Customers to obtain additional feedback. It can be accomplished in many ways such as through paper or email mailers and in store surveys. The method selected would primarily depend on the owner’s available resources and preferences and of course size of targeted population. The follow-on recommendation is to conduct a cost impact and payoff analysis using a decision tree or what some would call a consequence diagram. This process allows the planner to map out several alternatives with different end results to assess risk (Jacobs Chase, 2011). In essence it is a risk matrix. When planning or considering restaurant equipment purchases or even additional staff hires, this process could be beneficial in assessing the risks involved with each decision (Jacobs Chase, 2011). Table-2 is a representation of a typical decision tree used to make informed decisions. As you can see, it is a process of identifying the problem (or situation) and working through several COA’s to determine what works best for you. Table-2 Implementation is the next step. I would recommend the utilization of responsibility charts to organize and manage tasks. Again, this particular tool is a type of matrix that lists all the projects and tasks to be completed while identifying certain responsible parties or stakeholders (Jacobs Chase, 2011). In such a small business environment, it would probably be most beneficial for the owner to get all staff involved with the design process to obtain full buy-in.this can be accomplished through the use of this tool. Of all the steps involved with planning and execution, this is probably the most labor intensive due to the potential resourcing required. After plans are implemented, the owner needs to assess the customer reactions to the added service. Anticipating a given response and getting the actual response are sometimes two different things. Again, the same process used during the Gap Analysis can be used to capture post-implementation feedback from customers (Jacobs Chase, 2011). The bottom line is that as a small business, you more reliant on customer loyalty than larger chains and operations. As a result, you must pay attention to any feedback received regarding your products and services, In this case we’re talking about pizzas but it applies in many other situations and industries as well. Once the feedback id obtained develop a smart and affordable plan and implement the plan. Once you have transitioned fully into your new plan, solicit additional feedback from customers to see how things are going. You may find other areas of your business operations that require attention. Customer feedback has to be a part of your daily operations. Without it, your business is at serious risk. References Kalnins, A. , Mayer, K. , (Dec 2004), Franchising, ownership, and experience: A study of pizza restaurant survival. Management Science Journal, Vol. 50 Issue 12, p1716-1728, 13p, 3 Charts. doi: 10. 1287/mnsc. 1040. 0220 Kohli, A. , Gupta, M. , (Apr 2010), Improving operations strategy: Application of TOC principles in a small business. Journal of Business Economics Research, Vol. 8 Issue 4, p37-45, 9p Verma, R. , Thompson, G. , (1999), Managing service operations based on customer preferences. International Journal of Operations and Production Management. Vol. 19 Issue 9/10, p891-908, 18p, 6 Charts Jacobs, F. R. , Chase, R. B. (2011), Operations and supply chain management. (13th ed. ), New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin Kelso, A. , (Sep 2012), Survey: U. S. pizza market tops $40 billion, pizzamarketplace. com, Retrieved: 1 Mar 2013 http://www. pizzamarketplace. com/article/200667/Survey-U-S-pizza-market-tops-40-billion AP News, (Sep 2012), Analyst: Big pizza chains could take bigger slice, Bloomberg Business Week News, Retrieved: 1 Mar 2013 http://www. businessweek. com/ap/2012-09-18/analyst-big-pizza-chains-could-take-bigger-slice.

Anorexia and Bulimia Essay -- Causes of Bulimia, Eating Disorders

Each year millions of people in the United States are affected by serious and sometimes life-threatening eating disorders. The vast majorities are adolescents and young adult women. Approximately one percent of adolescent girls develops anorexia nervosa, a dangerous condition in which they can literally starve themselves to death. Another two to three percent develop bulimia nervosa, a destructive pattern of excessive overeating followed by vomiting or other " purging " behaviors to control their weight. These eating disorders also occur in men and older women, but much less frequently. The consequences of eating disorders can be severe. For example, one in ten anorexia nervosa leads to death from starvation, cardiac arrest, or suicide. Fortunately, increasing awareness of the dangers of eating disorders, sparked by medical studies and extensive media coverage, has led many people to seek help. Nevertheless, some people with eating disorders refuse to admit that they have a problem and do not get treatment. Family and friends can help recognize the problem and encourage the person to seek treatment. Anorexia nervosa is a disorder where people intentionally starve themselves. It usually starts around the time of puberty and involves extreme weight loss. Sometimes they must be hospitalized to prevent starvation because food and weight become obsessions. For some, the compulsiveness shows up in strange eating rituals, some even collect recipes and prepare gourmet feasts for family and friends. Loss of monthly menstrual periods is typical in women with this disorder and men with this disorder usually become impotent. People with bulimia nervosa consume large amounts of food and then rid their bodies of the excess calories by vomiting, abusing laxatives or exercising obsessively. Some use a combination of all these forms of purging. Many individuals with bulimia " binge and purge " in secret and maintain normal or above normal body weight, they can often successfully hide their problem from others for years. As with anorexia, bulimia typically begins during adolescence. The condition occurs most often in women but is also found in men. Many individuals with bulimia, do not seek help until they reach their thirties or forties. By then, their eating behavior is deeply ingrained and more difficult to change. Medical complications can frequentl... ... again. Family members and friends can call local hospitals or university medical centers to find out about eating disorder clinics and clinicians experienced in treating the illnesses, for the college students, treatment programs may be available in school counseling centers. Family and friends should read as mush as possible about eating disorders, so they can help the person with the illness understand his or her problem. Many local mental health organizations and the self help groups provide free literature on eating disorders. Some of these groups also provide treatment program referrals and information on local self-help groups. Once the person gets help, he or she will continue to needs lots of understanding and encouragement to stay in treatment. NIMH continues its search for new and better treatments for eating disorders. Congress has designated the 1990's as the " Decade of the Brain, " making the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of all brain and mental disorders a national research priority. This research promises to yield even more hope for patients and their families by providing a greater understanding of the causes and complexities of eating disorders.

Freedom and Determinism

â€Å"Freedom, Determinism, and the Case for Moral Responsibility: A Look Back at the Murder of Jamie Bulger† begins by telling of the heinous crime that is the centerpiece of this paper. On February 12th 1993, British toddler Jamie Bulger abducted at a local shopping mall in Liverpool, England. Evidence that the two year old was beaten, sexually molested, and clubbed to death with bricks and an iron bar before discarding his body on train tracks. The age of his two assailants, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, ten years old.Then they begin to explain the difference of opinions on the responsibility of the murderers. One side labels the boys as savages and criminals, while the other argues that they are â€Å"victims of broader social, economic, and cultural processes. † Sparking the question, are we truly responsible for how we act in society? The essay then moves on to the defense of determinism and how it relates to this specific event, stating that, â€Å"From a de terminist point of view, Jon Venables’s and Robert Thompson’s fate was set even before their birth.Born to ill-educated, working class parents, the details of the boys’ lives constitute a veritable catalogue of social ills. † The paper enlightens us on the rough and negative environments that both Jon Venables and Robert Thompson were raised in. Jon’s parents were â€Å"unstable and depressed,† and his dad eventually abandoned his abusive mother, himself and his â€Å"developmentally challenged† siblings. Thompson was the second youngest of â€Å"seven violent and aggressive boys†¦ one of whom was an arsonist and another who was a master thief. His parents were drunks and he witnessed his mother being beaten by his father in many alcoholic driven violent outbursts. The question is raised if Venables and Thompson are morally responsible for the actions leading to the murder of little Jamie. Here is where the paper really dives int o the determinist philosphy, stating â€Å"the Determinist argument holds that a person’s heredity and environment fix the choice before it is made. † Using legitimate sources such as â€Å"The Delusion of Free Will† by Robert Blatchford and â€Å"What Means This Freedom† by John Hospers, the essay presents sound reasoning to the determinist view.Taking from Blatchford, the point â€Å"that teaching is part of our environment and that we act as we have been taught that we ought to act. Thus, though we may act as we choose, we will choose as heredity and environment cause us to choose† John Hospers suggests that one holds no responsible for any of ones actions because actions â€Å"grow out of his character, which is shaped and molded and made what it is by influences . . . that were not of his own making or choosing† The paper also presents some arguments against the deterministic view from the free will perspective.Another essay, â€Å"A B rief Defense of Free Will† by Tibor Macha, and his opinion â€Å"the fact that some people with bad childhoods turn out to be crooks while others are decent would seem to indicate that people can cause and are responsible for at least some of what they do,† is examined. In â€Å"The Problem of Free Will,† W. T. Stace states, â€Å"In the case of Jamie Bulger’s murderers, young as they were at the time, the drive to inflict unimaginable pain on the toddler, at the moment they did it, does not seem to have been externally caused. They desired to do it. They were not motivated by any external factor, such as the proverbial gun to the head.They were morally responsible for their action and thus deserved to be punished. † While this paper makes a reasonable and knowledgeable argument for us to try to look at crimes like this from a more deterministic view, I have a hard time converting. Being that I am a criminal justice major, I am aware that there are many different theories on why crimes are committed, and not only what should be done to help prevent them from happening again, but what kind of treatment or punishment the perpetrator(s) should receive to more effectively rehabilitate them.I am one that stands with firm justice on brutal acts like this, regardless of age. Although in a violent and criminalistic environment, the kids were not directly forced to commit such a gruesome act, nor did they ever witness it from their parents. Therefore, in my opinion, the responsibility lies within the kids for their desire to not only torture, but kill.

Extract from Frankenstein and in Cold Blood Essay

This essay will be analysing the way in which the theme of wasted lives is portrayed throughout my chosen extracts. My chosen extracts are, an extract from chapter 16 of Frankenstein (FS) by Mary Shelly a gothic novel with features of the Romantic Movement. And an extract from chapter 3 of In Cold Blood (ICB) by Truman Capote, a faction novel (a novel written based on facts). In the F.S extract we are seeing the creature’s view of his killing of William and also his framing of Justine for the murder. Much the same in the ICB extract where it is Perry’s point of view of the murder of the Clutter family. In this extract we also see Capote input thoughts from Dewey, the police officer covering the case. Although both the extracts were written in different time periods, the focus is the same showing how the lack of parental figures, can lead to the destruction of life for something petty. Throughout the chosen extract for FS the portrayal of the set theme wasted lives is portrayed in great detail. Firstly by having three characters who are seen to have wasted lives and also the murder of one of these characters. The first wasted life we see is that of the creature when we are seeing, the depths that he will sink to, to get his revenge on Frankenstein. ‘Frankenstein! you belong then to my enemy – to him towards whom I have sworn eternal revenge; you shall be my first victim.’ He thinks that because Frankenstein disowned him that he now has to get his own revenge, cause pain to Frankenstein in a worse way he caused the creature pain. But in many ways this can be seen as the creature being as bad as Frankenstein himself, not caring about the consequences of his actions and the onslaught of pain and terror they will cause. The life of William is also seen to be wasted. The creature believes that when he first see William that he will be innocent ’unprejudiced’ allowing the creature to have a companion. But we see that this is not so. William seems to be brought up in a world where prejudice is acceptable, but by him judging the creature in this way has lead to his untimely death. The extract also shows the framing of Justine of the murder of William, the creature sees the beauty of Justine but this is not enough to stop him in passing on the blame of his action on to another. He can also be seen to be framing Justine as he realises that he will never have her love, ‘I am forever robbed of all that she could give me, she shall atone.’ Leaving him angry and bitter, towards Justine. The extract chosen for ICB, the theme of wasted lives is portrayed throughout the thoughts and point of view of Perry Smith. This extract, much like the FS extract, is showing the reader more than one wasted life. Not only are the murders of each member of the Clutter family seen as wasted lives, but also those of Perry and Dick. The police officer Dewey helps the reader to realise this. ‘-for Perry Smith’s life had been no bed of roses but pitiful, an ugly and lonely progress towards one mirage†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Capote is here referring to a previous section where Perry and the section where his father was speaking about Perry’s life were being told to Dick. Capote refers to this extract as it reminds the reader of the lives that they have been both brought up in. To give a sympathetic view of their lives and to also give the reader something to think about as reasoning for them to commit this lowly crime. Within FS we see the firm idea of The Noble Savage played throughout, but within this extract we see a large amount fixed on this idea. The Noble Savage is the idea that mad is ‘noble and good’ but becomes ‘evil and corrupted’ by civilisation. A quote form Jean Jacques Rousseau, a Geneva philosopher states ‘Man is inherently good and corrupted by society. Primitive man was a Noble Savage’. William’s perception of the creature is a key point in this extract when this idea is shown. The creature later states ‘I remembered that I was forever deprived of the delights that such beautiful creatures could bestow;’ We see the creature become angry once again that he cannot be accepted that that he cannot have what he wants, like any other human could have. This way of rejecting the creature makes us see him become more and more evil as his story progresses. A sense of terror is shown throughout the ICB extract, the tone and terror is portrayed through the way in which Capote has shown parts of the murder from the thoughts of an outsider. In this case Dewey. ‘But the voice plunges on, ejecting a fusillade of sounds and  ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬images ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬Ã‚ ¬.’ Within this quote Capote uses a strong metaphor with the word fusillade. The meaning of this word is a simultaneous or continuous discharge of fire arms. But in this instance, the metaphor is there to bring the reader in to the room and experience the noises that are continuously there, appealing to their senses. The word fusillade can also be there to help the reader imagine the gun fire happening there, hitting each person. The heavy use of onomatopoeic words also is helping to appeal to the readers senses along with strong description, placing the reader there watching the action unfold in real time. This related to the theme of wasted lives in the way in which it describes the deaths of a family who were innocent in the whole ordeal. In FS we see reference to Paradise Lost, an epic poem by 17th Century poet John Milton, which focuses on the allusion of Adam and Eve. This has been referenced many times throughout FS, first when we see the creature reading this, but he seems to be unaware that it is a work of the imagination, and reads as factual history. In this extract we see what seems to be the creature echoing the words of Satan, ‘Awake, fairest, thy lover is near – he who would give his life but to obtain one look of affection from thine eyes: my beloved, awake’ This quotation is also showing a tender side to the creature, trying to get the affection of a sleeping Justine, maybe realising that tenderness is greater than affection in this circumstance. We also see him halting himself a seduction, for his fear of rejection once again. Linked to the theme of wasted lives by showing the reader the reasoning for a life lost to unfair judgement. Within the confession by Perry of the murders, we see that there has been a temporal tense shift into the present; Capote has done this to try and show the significance and importance of the confession. This can also be seen as the climax of the novel, because the reader had known who the murders were all along and of their guilt, but this is now solving the mystery of the motives and how the murder took place. Overall Mary Shelly has a very complex writing style; this can be seen is the narrative method in which she has chosen to write the novel in. Shelly uses an embedded narrative which is not only allowing the reader to hear the voices of all the characters, but it is providing the reader the multiple views on the central events of the novel. This format also brings the attention to the story being told rather than this being just a novel. We also see the complex writing style by the use of rich vocabulary used being highly descriptive, particular when Shelly is describing landscapes, or the feelings of a character. ‘But presently my rage returned: I remembered that I was forever deprived of the delights that such a beautiful creature could bestow: [†¦] have changed that air of divine benignity to one of expressive disgust and affright.’ This quotation shows the reader words that are not commonly used in everyday English now or in the writing style of Capote. These words include: ‘Bestow’, ‘Affright’, ‘Benignity’. Compared with the writing style of Capote, who although descriptive uses a less complex way. This can be because of the fact that this novel is bringing to the attention of the public the views of the crime of the century. The narrative method Capote uses is writing the story in the third person although there are times throughout where Capote brings the story into the first person allowing the reader to feel more sympathy for the characters. Capote does not involve himself in the novel in first person as he believes that you should not make an appearance in your own novel. But another reason as to why he may be doing this is hide his close relationship with Perry and Dick, and avoid the public of getting the wrong idea. In Psychoanalytic Literary Criticism, the creature is seen Frankenstein’s replacement for his mother. But this creation comprises of all the unacceptable traits of humans, those which we usually suppress. This comes from the theory of Jacques Lacan, about the ‘child’ competing with the parent of the opposite sex for the others affection. But as the creature has no other parent to compete with, we see him possibly taking his unsuppressed traits out on the loved ones of Frankenstein. In this extract William and Justine. We also see that Shelly has not made the creature monstrous but society has made him this way. This yet again refers to the extract with the previous point on The Noble Savage. In conclusion, the theme of wasted lives is portrayed as a thing that is causing murder, murderous thoughts and death seen in both extracts. Both are confessions of murder of innocent people, just to get something very little back from it. But both extract show underlying issues that arise to the murders eventually being committed. As in FS there is the underlying issue of having no father and upbringing. And in ICB we see the underlying issues of poor upbringing once again. In both extracts the use contextual information surrounding the novel helps to bring the theme across stronger.

How to Become an Author The Ultimate Guide from a Bestseller

How to Become an Author The Ultimate Guide from a Bestseller How to Become an Author: Your Complete Guide So you want to become an author Well, I’ve got good news and I’ve got bad news. The bad news first: Writing your book wont be easy. If you’re in the middle of that process, you’re nodding right now. But here’s the good news: All that work isa small price for the amazing possibilities it can open to you: Getting published Enjoying a career you love Impacting people with your writing Media attention Royalty income In this extensive guide, my goal is to give you an honest look at how to become a writer- using lessons I’ve learned from 40+ years working with some of the top publishers in the world. Having written 21 New York Times bestsellers myself, I’m confident these lessons will help you in your writing journey. Ready? Let’s do it. What You Will Learn Here’s the short version of everything I cover in this complete, step-by-step post: DON’T Try toBecome an Author Until Youve Studied the Craft and Polished Your Skills Written Things Shorter Than a Book Plugged Yourself into a Community of Writers Writing Your Book Create a Writing Schedule You Can Stick to Research and Plan Keep Your Day Job Become a Ferocious Self-Editor Trying to Land a Publishing Contract How to Get an Agent Selling a Publisher Editing Your Book Like Crazy (Again) with an Editor Should You Self-Publish? An Overview of Self-Publishing How to Set Your Book Apart Choosing the Right Self-Publishing Company The #1 Killer of Self-Published Books Want to save this 5000-word guide to read later? Click here to get a free PDF version you can read anytime. 1. DON’T Try toBecome a Writer Until You’ve I get it. You’re antsy. You’re ready to pen your bestseller right now. You’ve read or heard of writers who had never written a thing before and yet scored with a million-seller on their first try. Throttle back. Those stories become big news because they’re so rare. Don’t bank on winning the lottery. If you want your book (and your message) to go anywhere, make sure you’ve: Studied the Craft There’s no need to write a compelling story by trial and error anymore. Others have already done it for you- and written books about it. So your best bet is to follow proven methods. Great writers are great readers. Sohere’s a list of my favorite 12 books on writing to get you started. The competition has gotten so fierce, you’ll do yourself a favor if you learn how successful authors write before you try to get a second look from a publisher. Take the time to learn what you’re doing. You’ll thank yourself later. Written Things Shorter Than a Book A book shouldn’t be where you start any more than you should enroll in grad school when you’re a kindergartner. A book is where you arrive. Start small, learn the craft, hone your skills. Do some journaling. Write a newsletter. Start a blog. Get articles published in a couple of magazines, a newspaper, an ezine. Take a night school or online course in journalism or creative writing. Publishers are looking for authors with platforms (in short: audiences, tribes, followers, fans). So start building yours now. Any of the pieces above will start building steam behind your writing, and boost name recognition for you as a writer. If you’re planning to start blogging, check out this post on creating an author website. Bottom line:Work a quarter-million clicheÃŒ s out of your system, learn what it means to be edited, become an expert in something, build your platform, and then start thinking about that book or novel. Plugged Yourself into a Community of Writers Think you can do it alone? Then you’re a better writer than I. Almost every traditionally published author I know is surrounded by a helpful community. How else would they deal with things like: Frustration Discouragement Procrastination Wanting to quit I’ve written over 185 books, yet I often wonder whether I can finish the next one. At this stage for me, community means knowing I can be encouraged by colleagues whenever I need it. When you’re starting out, another pair of eyes on your work can prove to be invaluable. Ten pairs of eyes are even better. Join a writers’ group. Find a mentor. Stay open to criticism. One caveat with writers’ groups: make sure at least one person, preferably the leader, is widely published and understands the publishing landscape. Otherwise you risk the blind leading the blind. 2. Writing Your Book Surprisingly, most people never get this far. Whether it’s fear or procrastination or something else, few writers ever make it to the first page. To avoid becoming part of this sad group, you need a plan. So regardless your personal writing method, be sure to cover these bases: Create a Writing Schedule You Can Stick To When you’re an author, writing becomes your job. So treat it that way. Show up and do the work whether you feel like it or not. Writer’s block is no excuse. In no other profession could you get away with getting out of work by claiming you have worker’s block. Try that and see what it gets you- likely a pink slip. Find at least six hours a week to write. Well, find is the wrong word, of course. You won’t find it, you’ll have to carve out the time. Lock these hours into your calendar and keep them sacred. If you can’t think of what to write, then edit. If you can’t edit, plan. You’ll be astonished at your ability to get stuff done when you finally plant yourself in your chair. Challenge: Don’t move until you have scheduled at least six hours. Research and Plan To give your manuscript the best chance to succeed, skip this step at your peril. Excellent preparation will make or break your book. Two main ways you should be preparing: 1. Outline. Regardless how you feel about outlining, you need an idea of where you’re going before you start. If you’re writing a novel, you’re either an outliner or a pantser- those who write by the seat of their pants. (If you’re writing a nonfiction book, an outline is a given.) On the fiction side, the definition of an outliner is obvious. You plan everything beforehand. But pantsers write by process of discovery- or as Stephen King puts it, they â€Å"put interesting characters in difficult situations and write to find out what happens.† Neither is better or worse. But most writers are one or the other (a few are hybrids, largely one over the other but doing a little of both). But, depending on which you are, you’ll approach the planning phase completely differently. If you’re a hardcore outliner (and a novelist), you’ll enjoy my friend and colleague Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake Method. But if you’re a pantser, check out this post for non-outliners. Itll teach you how to work within a structure while staying free enough to writeon the fly. 2. Do the research. All great stories are rooted in solid research. If your research stinks, your story sinks. If your character drives 10 miles east out of the Chicago Loop, he’d better be in an amphibious vehicle, because he’ll be in Lake Michigan. (And you thought I was joking about sinking.) To avoid such embarrassing errors, do your research. Immerse yourself in the details of your setting. Make sure no characters are wearing ski jackets when it’s 95 degrees outside. Two online research tools that will help you avoid mistakes: The World Atlas A directory of some of the world’s top almanacs Don’t Quit Your Day Job I didn’t become a full-time freelance author until I had written and published nearly 90 books. I had been advised by a veteran author that my freelance income ought to be around three times what I made at my job before I considered going solo. I was stunned. Why so much more? He started listing everything I would have to pay for on my own. Insurance, retirement, all my benefits. I had always been careful to separate my writing and my office work, but during my off hours on business trips I might do some research. No more. Any travel would be on me. Your day job doesn’t have to keep you from writing your book. You might not like this, but I recommend you keep it and spend your after-hours time writing your book. Why? Two reasons: You’ll have steady income- one less thing to worry about- while trying to build your writing career. The structure will force you to be more productive with fewer hours. So, yes, you can have your cake and eat it too- without sacrificing time with family. You lose three hours per night for what, TV? How big a sacrifice is that for your writing dream? How badly do you want to become an author? Become a Writer Ferocious About Self-Editing This section is so important that it has the power to determine whether your book makes a huge splash with readers and publishers- or slides into the editor’s reject pile after the first page or two. Get serious about self-editing. Editors know from the first page whether your manuscript is publishable. I know that doesn’t sound fair or even logical. You’re thinking, It took me months, maybe years, to write hundreds of pages and you didn’t even get to the good stuff! How could they do that to you? Why did they? First, the good stuff ought to be in the first two paragraphs. And if they see 15 adjustments they need to make on the first two pages, they know the cost of editing three or four hundred pages of the same would eat whatever profits they could hope for before even printing the book. To avoid the dreaded â€Å"Thank you, but this doesn’t meet a current need† letter, your manuscript must be lean and mean, besides being a great story and a great read. Here are my 21 rules of ferocious self-editing: Develop a thick skin. Avoid throat-clearing. Choose the normal word over the obtuse. Omit needless words. Avoid subtle redundancies, like: â€Å"She nodded her head in agreement.† Those last four words could be deleted. Avoid the words up and down- unless they’re really needed. Usually delete the word that. Use it only for clarity. Give the reader credit. Once you’ve established something, you don’t need to repeat it. Avoid telling what’s not happening. Avoid being an adjectival maniac. Avoid hedging verbs like smiled slightly, almost laughed, frowned a bit, etc. Avoid the term literally- when you mean figuratively. Avoid too much stage direction. Maintain a single point of view (POV) for every scene. Avoid clichà ©s, and not just words and phrases, but situations. Resist the urge to explain (RUE). Show, don’t tell. People say things; they don’t wheeze, gasp, sigh, laugh, grunt, or retort them. Specifics add the ring of truth, even to fiction. Avoid similar character names. In fact, avoid even the same first initials. Avoid mannerisms of punctuation, typestyles, and sizes. 3. Trying to Land a Publishing Contract Want to save this 5000-word guide to read later? Click here to get a free PDF version you can read anytime. I’m not going to sugarcoat it- this isn’t easy. But if you have a solid plan (and if you’ve followed the guide), you’ve got as good a chance as any. This section will show you how to become an author by revealing the options available. These best practices can vastly increase your likelihood of getting published. How to Get an Agent Your first step in trying to land a traditional publishing deal should be to land an agent- which can be just as difficult, as it should be. There will seem a dichotomy here, because you are likely writing for altruistic reasons- you have a mission, a passion, a message, something burning inside that you must share with the world. Yet agents or publishers will appear to base their decisions solely on the bottom line. If they see sales potential, they will accept it; if they don’t they won’t. But don’t despair. That doesn’t mean they don’t share your passion. It simply means they must make a profit to stay in business- even faith-based publishers who are all about ministry. Though it’s hard to find an agent, it is possible to get traditionally published without one. Most will not consider unsolicited manuscripts, though some will. Check The Writer’s Market Guide and The Christian Writer’s MarketGuide for publishers that don’t require agent-represented manuscript submissions. Some will allow you to submit at writers conferences or through other clients of theirs. Be aware that it’s not unheard of to submit an unsolicited manuscript to dozens of publishers without success. An agent can make your life a lot easier. A plethora of new doors open because of your agent’s connections. Besides the instant credibility of an agent’s approval and the knowledge that your writing has survived a vetting process, you also get valuable input and coaching on how to fashion your query and proposal from someone who understands the publishing industry, knows the players and who’s looking for what, and has experience successfully pitching publishers. Obviously, there are good agents and bad agents. How do you know whom you can trust? The credible agent welcomes scrutiny. So find reviews. Check with other clients. Ask: How did their book turn out? Did they feel taken care of? Were they pleased with the results? Feel free to ask agents: What kinds of books have they succeeded with? Have they succeeded in your genre? Once you compile a list of agents who seem to be a good fit, follow their submission guidelines. They’ll likely ask for a query letter, synopsis, proposal, and perhaps a few chapters. If any ask for any sort of reading fee or other payment up front, eliminate them as candidates and do not respond. Before you do anything else, check out these submission guidelines from two agents I’m familiar with. I’m not necessarily evaluating or endorsing them, except to say that I know them to be ethical and trustworthy and find their guidelines helpful and sound. Their pages will give you a good idea of what typical agents are looking for. Steve Laube’s guidelines Hartline Literary’s guidelines Two things you may be asked for- and which some writers struggle with: 1. A query letter This is an easy way to reach out to an agent, but many prefer more- like a full proposal, which we’ll get to. Most agents prefer submissions of any kind to be electronically submitted as an attachment, not as part of the body of your message. Avoid snail mail. Make your query letter crisp and short. The shorter (while saying what you need to say) the better. A query letter is just what its name implies- it queries the interest of the agent in your book idea. So make it stimulating and intriguing. Remember, you’re selling your book to the agent. Four essential parts of an effective query letter: a. Your elevator pitch This is a summary of your book’s premise, told in the time it would take for the editor to reach his floor if you happened to find yourself in the same elevator car. So it has to be fast and convincing. Here’s the elevator pitch for my very first novel: â€Å"A judge tries a man for a murder the judge committed.† It worked. b. Your synopsis In a paragraph, tell what your nonfiction book is about and what you hope to accomplish with it. Or tell the basic premise of the plot of your novel. The synopsis would naturally go beyond the elevator pitch and tell what happens and how things turn out. (Note: Almost any plot, when reduced to a one- or two-paragraph synopsis, sounds ridiculous.) c. Your target audience and why they’ll enjoy your book Agents need to believe they can sell it before they’ll ask you for more. Help them envision how to pitch it to publishers, but be careful not to oversell. They know the business better than you do and will not be swayed by your assurance that â€Å"everyone will find this amazing.† You can say that your audiences have been enthusiastic or that beta readers have expressed excitement. d. Your personal information Sell the agent on yourself. What qualifies you to write this book? What else have you published? What kind of tribe have you built? Where can they read your blog? Of course you’re including all your contact information. Other query letter tips: Keep it to one page, single-spaced, and 12 pt. sans serif type. Don’t sell too hard- let your premise speak for itself. Follow the agent’s submission guidelines to a T. Proof your letter before sending. Any typo on such a short document makes you look like an amateur. Here’s a great example of a query letter, with a breakdown of why it works, by Brian Klems of Writer’s Digest. 2. A book proposal You’ll find that for most agents, this is the most important document they want to see. Some want only this. Succinctly and completely describe the details of your idea and make them want to read your manuscript in its entirety as soon as it’s ready. Leave nothing out. For nonfiction, include every major issue you’ll cover and the basics of what you’ll say about it. For fiction, rough out the entire plot in a few pages. With a proposal, your query letter becomes a cover letter. Resist the urge to write a long cover letter. Allow your proposal to do the heavy lifting. Three trusted colleagues have produced masterful works on how to write book proposals, so check out what they have to offer: Michael Hyatt: Writing a Winning Book Proposal Jane Friedman: How to Write a Book Proposal (Jane also has some great material on query letters, so search her site for that, too.) Terry Whalin: Book Proposals That Sell Proposals can contain any number of possible components, such as: Premise Elevator pitch Overview Target audience Chapter synopses Marketing ideas Endorsements Your analysis of competing books, and where yours fits Up to three sample chapters More book proposal tips: Tell why you think your book can succeed. Every page in your proposal should make them want to flip to the next page. Despite that a proposal is longer, keep it tight and terse, as short as you can without cutting crucial information. Every word should be designed to pique an agent’s interest, your goal being to be asked to send your entire manuscript. Which should I choose, query or proposal? The competition is so fierce these days, I would lean toward a full proposal almost every time. The only instances when I might fire off a query would be if an incredible opportunity fell in my lap and I thought an agent could help me jump on it before I had time to craft a proposal. For instance, if a major celebrity wanted help with a book and chose you to write it, a fast letter to an agent might get a quick response. Otherwise, take the time to put together a professional proposal that shows an agent you know how to work and can be thorough. But know this: If you spark an agent’s interest, they will immediately ask for more information. So you’ll need a proposal at some point. Keep that in mind and be ready to get busy. Connecting with the Right Publisher Regardless whether you secure an agent, there are five guidelines for submitting your proposal and/or manuscript to publishers: Follow their submission guidelines to a T. Customize your cover letter to each. Know what the publisher wants, and tell them why you believe your book is right for them in light of that. Let it show in your attitude and tone that you realize how few manuscripts are chosen for publication each year, and by the fact that you have done your homework and covered all the bases to ensure you’re giving the publisher everything they need to make a decision on your manuscript. Avoid gushing and flattery, like adding the obvious sentiments, â€Å"I’ll do anything you say, make any changes you want, meet any deadline†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Just present your complete proposal and professionally express that you look forward to hearing from them. A rule of thumb for first-time authors: If you’re writing fiction, while some publishers may ask you to send your completed manuscript after reading your proposal, synopsis, and sample chapters, it’s highly unlikely they will actually offer a contract before they see that completed manuscript. That’s because many people can come up with great ideas, and some can produce promising starts to novels. But few can see their way through to the end. So you’ll have to prove you can do it. If you’re writing nonfiction, you might be able to secure a publishing contract before you have finished your entire manuscript, though that is also rare. Should it happen, the publisher is likely to offer a lot of guidance and input for shaping the rest of the writing- and you’ll have a much better chance of success if you work nicely with your editor. Regardless your genre, publishers won’t take a second look at your manuscript unless it’s presented professionally. Use these submission guidelines: Use Times New Roman font (or at the very least avoid sans serif fonts). Use 12-point type. Left-justify your page. (This means your text should be aligned at the left margin, but not the right. This is also called â€Å"flush left, ragged right.†) Double-space your page with no extra space between paragraphs. Each paragraph should be indented one-half inch. One space between sentences. Microsoft Word .doc or .docx file format. 1† top, bottom, and side margins (or whatever is standard in your Word program). Editing Your Book Like Crazy (Again) with an Editor By the time you get to this point, you’ve already spent hours editing your own work. You’ve rearranged, improved, and cut things that hurt to cut. Be ready to do more. Once a publisher agrees to take your manuscript, you’ll be assigned an editor to make your manuscript the best it can be. This editor will suggest changes, maybe major ones- especially if it’s your first book. Don’t get touchy. Writing is not a solo. It’s a duet between the writer and an editor. Sometimes you’ll have to kill sentences that took hours to write. It’ll feel like disowning your children. Remember, the editor is on your side. Throw a private temper tantrum if you must, but then cool down and listen. Let them to do their job. You can push back respectfully if you feel strongly that they’ve missed your point on something, but do this only when the sting of criticism has worn off and you’re thinking rationally. Keep an open mind and beeasy to work with. They’ll remember. 4. Should You Self-Publish? Want to save this 5000-word guide to read later? Click here to get a free PDF version you can read anytime. If you can score with a traditional publisher, do it. Exhaust your efforts to traditionally publish before resorting to self-publishing. Even honest self-publishing executives will give you this advice. Why? Because with traditional publishing, the publisher takes all the risks, and you’re paid an advance against royalties and royalties based on sales. So nothing comes out of your pocket. With self-publishing, however, you pay for everything from design to editing. Packages can cost upwards of $10,000. Back when self-publishing was referred to as â€Å"vanity publishing,† you could always tell a self-published book from a traditionally published book due to the lack of quality. Schlocky covers, boring titles, the word by before the author’s name on the cover. Too much copy on the front and back covers. Poor typeface and interior design. Lousy writing, editing, and proofreading- sometimes clearly nonexistent. But the game has changed. Publishing your own book is vastly different than it used to be. Your end product can now look much more professional, and your price per book is much more reasonable. Print-on-demand technology now allows for low-cost printing, so you can order as few as two or three books at a time for the same cost per book as you would pay if you were buying hundreds. So, you no longer need to store countless copies in your garage or basement. And self-published books look nicer these days too, because writers have demanded it. How to Set Your Self-Published Book Apart If you resort to this route, realize that you are the publisher now. You have to advertise, promote, and market your own book. But because you’re earning the profits after expenses, not just a royalty, a successful book will net you more money per copy than a traditionally published one. Admittedly, selling enough self-published copies to actually net you more money than you would make selling more traditionally at a lower royalty rate is rare, but it happens. It’s also rare that a self-published book finds its way to bookstore shelves outside the author’s own town. (The hard truth is that it’s not easy for even traditionally published books to place their books in bookstores. Experts say as few as one percent of all published books can be accommodated by bookstores and that the rest must be sold through other channels like the Internet, direct mail, and by hand.) To give your self-published title the best chance to succeed, you need to invest in: A great cover, which will involve purchasing a photo or artwork, type design, and layout Inside layout, type design, and typesetting Editing (resist the urge to use a relative who majored in English or even teaches English; book editing is a specific art) Proofreading (same caveat as above; friends and loved ones who are meticulous spellers are not enough; there are myriad style matters to deal with) Each of these elements will dramatically increase the professional look of your final product and, thus, your hope of selling more books. Do NOT skimp on them. If you’ve ever built a house without a contractor, you have an idea of how complex this will be if you do it right. So despite the fact that many self-published authors swear by it and believe it’s fairer to the author than traditional publishing, I maintain that traditional remains the ideal for authors- except for those unique titles that are targeted to deserving but very limited audiences. Choosing the Right Company to Self-Publish Your Book More than 400,000 books are self-published every year in the United States alone. So there are many companies to choose from. But sadly, many are wolves in sheep’s clothing. They’ll let you create a poor product and tell you it’s great. They’ll â€Å"award† you a contract, telling you their publication board has â€Å"evaluated† your manuscript and â€Å"found it worthy† to be published. They’ll tell you that they’re â€Å"not a subsidy publisher† or â€Å"not a self-publisher† or â€Å"not an independent publisher.† But they’ll use another euphemism to justify the fact that you’re paying â€Å"only for promotion† or â€Å"only for [this many] copies,† or â€Å"only for†¦Ã¢â‚¬  something else, when the fact is that the fee will cover all their costs and will include their profit. They’ll imply they can get your title before the eyes of every bookstore owner and manager in the country. They might even give examples of a few titles of theirs that have sold into some stores or even made some bestseller list. But they can’t guarantee your title will be sold into any store. Because that list your title is on that is â€Å"available† to every store owner and manager is merely a master list of all the books on some distributor’s Internet site of every title in their catalogue. That means your book will get no personal attention from a salesperson and no more emphasis than any of the tens of thousands of other titles on the list. Such companies are using you as little more than a content generator, pretending to have â€Å"chosen† your book from among the many they have to choose from, when the fact is they would publish anything you send them in any form, provided your accompanying check clears the bank. Be wary of any company that: Doesn’t take seriously the editing and proofreading of your book Lets you commit embarrassing typos such as spelling foreword as forward, foreward, or forword Allows the word by before your name on the cover Over-promises what you should expect in the way of personal sales representation, public relations, marketing, distribution, and advertising That said, when you do need to self-publish, legitimate companies with proven track records are ready to assist you. Do your homework and go beyond an Internet search, which will likely turn up beautiful websites for countless companies putting their best foot forward. So find previous customers and ask about their experience. You want a company who will answer every question straightforwardly and without hesitation. If you feel hard-sold, run. A litmus test question for the publisher: Ask if they would advise you to exhaust your efforts to traditionally publish first. I asked this of the head of WestBow Pressâ„ ¢, a division of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan, and he said he always advises customers that this is the ideal route. That kind of refreshing honesty bodes well for a company. The #1 Killer of Self-Published Books When writers run out of money to invest in their book, too often the first place that suffers is the content itself. Writers may understand that they are not experts in cover design, layout and typesetting, marketing and promotion, warehousing, distribution, and sales. But they overrate their writing and editing and proofreading abilities. So, they invest in those other services and cut corners on editing and proofreading. What they wind up with is a handsome product that looks like a real book but reads like the manuscript that made the rounds of the traditional houses and was rejected. You must determine what will set you apart in a noisy marketplace. That certain something that will set you apart is what it has always been: Writing quality. Having been in the writing game for 50 years and the book business for 40, that is something I am able to tell you. To use an ancient adage, cream rises. That may sound like something scratched on a cave wall. But it simply means that readers recognize quality. You or your agent may be looking for a deal from a traditional publisher. Or you may have chosen to self-publish online, in print, or both. Regardless, you want your manuscript to be of the highest editorial quality you can make it. What does that mean? It means you must: Learn the craft and hone your skills. Rigorously study writing, do exercises, write stories. It can all pay off. Just as with physical exercise, the more the better, but anything is better than nothing. Recognize that writing well is much harder and more involved than you ever dreamed. If you thought writing was merely a hobby, this realization could crush you. So, to push through, remember why you wanted to become a writer in the first place: You have a message, and people need to hear it. Dont trust friends’ and relatives’ flattery. Sure, they’re great for keeping you from quitting. But when you need solid input on your writing, their enthusiasm won’t translate to sales. Accept criticism and input from people who know what they’re talking about. Find an experienced writer or editor who’ll offer honest feedback on your work. Join a writers group. Attend writers conferences. Get a mentor. Free Download: Want your own copy of this guide? You can grabthe full PDF version by clicking here or on the image below: If you really want to become an author, it can be done. You’ll know you’re ready when you’re willing to carve the time from your schedule to write. So how badly do you want it? Tell me in the Comments below.

Flight Essays - Aerodynamics, Drag, Mach Number, Hypersonic Speed

Flight Essays - Aerodynamics, Drag, Mach Number, Hypersonic Speed Flight Research: Airplanes are an efficient way of traveling to far places. Airplanes are amazing if you know what and how the air keeps the plane airborne. There are three components of flight: aerodynamics, the Bernoulli principal and supersonic flight. Some other things about flight are the four forces, lift, drag, weight, and thrust. One of the basic things you need to know about airplanes is that the places where the plane can balance on one point called the center of gravity. The tail on the plane is needed to balance the pitching movement. First of all, aerodynamics plays a major role on many things, especially in airplanes. Aerodynamics is the reaction of the air on the specially shaped wing that lifts an airplane off the ground. Also, aerodynamics is the study of gases in motion. The term aerodynamics comes from the Greeks meaning air power. Isaac Newton bases aerodynamics on the physics theorem. People who experiment with aerodynamics are called aerodynamicist. Their basic tool is the wind tunnel. A professor of engineering, Osborne Reynolds, conducted many experiments with paper airplanes and regular airplanes and found out Viscosity (thickness) affects the way fluids behave. All fluids have some viscosity. As a fluid flows over a surface, the fluid molecules closest to the surface cling microscopic roughness of the surface. As you move away from the surface, there is a small transition distance where the fluids viscosity limits the change in speed of the adjacent molecules, until at a certain distances the fluid is at full speed. (Paper airplane aerodynamics www.geocities.com/capecanaveral/1817/paene/html) Osborne invented a number that was devised which gives the importance of viscosity in fluid flow. Its called the Reynolds number. Reynolds number =9340 for air so youd take 9340x velocity relative to surface (mph) x length over surface fluid has traveled feet. This determines how influential the viscosity is. Secondly, Swiss mathematician and physicist, Daniel Bernoulli, created Bernoullis principle in 1738. It stated the concept that as the speed of a moving fluid increases, the pressure within the fluid decreases. An increase in the fluids speed must be matched by a decrease in pressure. The mathematical theorem for the Bernoulli affect is p + ? p V2. One source said, the principle also applies to the spinning of a baseball (Simons, 1989, pg. 23) The rotation causes an additional velocity component to be sent in the direction of rotation. Because of all that, the total velocity around the ball is higher on one side then the other. This is an example of how Bernoullis principle works. Next, supersonic flight includes speeds from mach one to five: above five are considered hypersonic. The bell X-1 rocket plane first achieved supersonic flight in 1947. Many attempts had been made before that but when the plane ran against the sound barrier the pilot often lost control when the shock waves built up against the surface (Comptons 1994) . Mach one is considered traveling below the speed of sound (subsonic). Mach two is traveling twice the speed of sound (supersonic). All aircrafts that are traveling at supersonic or hypersonic speed create a shock wave that represents a big change in the air pressure. The shock is in reality a cone shape (a mach cone). The mach cone at mach 1 is more of a hill but as the mach numbers increase, the cone gets pushed back to more of a mountain. As the wave gets closer to the wing, the drag increases dramatically. When you are at subsonic mach numbers, the drag is increased as a result of small wing span or low aspect ratio. Low aspect ratio is the ratio of span to mean chord of an airfoil (Reithmaier, 1995). A typical supersonic airplane gives off two main shock waves: bow shock and tail shock. Next, there are four forces of flight; lift, weight, drag, and thrust. Drag is the air resistance to forward motion. Thrust is produced by the power plant that contracts drag. The formula for d rag is D=1/2 x p x V2 x S x CD. The S in this formula is the area of the wing area of the whole aircraft. If the plane is level, lift will equal weight. In

Review of Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Review of 'Heart of Darkness' by Joseph Conrad Written by Joseph Conrad on the eve of the century that would see the end of the empire that it so significantly critiques, Heart of Darkness is both an adventure story set at the center of a continent represented through breathtaking   poetry, as well as a study of the inevitable corruption that comes from the exercise of tyrannical power. Overview A seaman sat upon a tugboat moored in the river Thames narrates the main section of the story. This man, named Marlow, tells his fellow passengers that he spent a good deal of time in Africa. In one instance, he was called upon to pilot a trip down the river Congo in search of an ivory agent, who was sent as part of the British colonial interest in an unnamed African country. This man, named Kurtz, disappeared without a trace- inspiring worry that hed gone native, been kidnapped, absconded with the companys money, or been killed by the insular tribes in the middle of the jungle.As Marlow and his crewmates move closer to the place Kurtz was last seen, he starts to understand the attraction of the jungle. Away from civilization, the feelings of danger and possibility start to become attractive to him because of their incredible power. When they arrive at the inner station, they find that Kurtz has become a king, almost a God to the tribesmen and women who he has bent to his will. He ha s also taken a wife, despite the fact he has a European fiance at home. Marlow also finds Kurtz ill. Although Kurtz doesnt wish it, Marlow takes him aboard the boat. Kurtz does not survive the journey back, and Marlow must return home to break the news to Kurtzs fiance. In the cold light of the modern world, he is unable to tell the truth and, instead, lies about the way Kurtz lived in the heart of the jungle and the way he died. The Dark in  Heart of Darkness Many commentators have seen Conrads representation of the dark continent and its people as very much a  part of a racist tradition that has existed in Western literature for centuries. Most notably, Chinua Achebe accused Conrad of racism because of his refusal to see the black man as an individual in his own right, and because of his use of Africa as a setting- representative of darkness and evil.Although it is true that evil- and the corrupting power of evil- is Conrads subject, Africa is not merely representative of that theme. Contrasted with the dark continent of Africa is the light of the sepulchered cities of the West, a juxtaposition that does not necessarily suggest that Africa is bad or that the supposedly civilized West is good.The darkness at the heart of the civilized white man (particularly the civilized Kurtz who entered the jungle as an emissary of pity and science of process and who becomes a tyrant) is contrasted and compared with the so-called barbarism of the con tinent. The process of civilization is where the true darkness lies. Kurtz Central to the story is the character of Kurtz, even though he is only introduced late in the story, and dies before he offers much insight into his existence or what he has become. Marlows relationship with Kurtz and what he represents to Marlow is really at the crux of the novel.The book seems to suggest that we are not able to understand the darkness that has affected Kurtzs soul- certainly not without understanding what he has been through in the jungle. Taking Marlows point of view, we glimpse from the outside what has changed Kurtz so irrevocably from the European man of sophistication to something far more frightening. As if to demonstrate this, Conrad lets us view Kurtz on his deathbed. In the final moments of his life, Kurtz is in a fever. Even so, he seems to see something that we cannot. Staring at himself he can only mutter, The horror! The horror! Oh, the Style As well as being an extraordinary story, Heart of Darkness contains some of the most fantastic use of language in English literature. Conrad had a strange history: he was born in Poland, traveled though France, became a seaman when he was 16, and spent a good deal of time in South America. These influences lent his style a wonderfully authentic colloquialism. But, in Heart of Darkness, we also see a style that is remarkably poetic for a prose work. More than a novel, the work is like an extended symbolic poem, affecting the reader with the breadths of its ideas as well as the beauty of its words.

Learning experience of international students Essay - 1

Learning experience of international students - Essay Example In a survey conducted in 2010, 8 out of every ten international students were satisfied with the experience of studying in the UK (Ripmeester, & Pollock, 2011, p.4). The higher education administrators have successfully managed a wide range of international students’ expectations. One of the primary strategies adopted by the UK to favor international students in the country is the Prime Minister’s Initiative for International Education that was launched in 1999. (Ripmeester, & Pollock, 2011, p.6) The strategy aimed to increase the number of international students studying in the UK by checking on the quality of education for this group of students. The program has led to the establishment of different academic resources that the staff and students in institutions of higher education can rely upon. One of the academic strategies that favor international students in the UK is the inclusivity initiative. The initiative aims to provide a favorable learning environment for both the international students and other students. The institutions have also continuously engaged with the students by seeking to use their feedback in academic improvement. The international students in the country are represented in different student engagement activities that ensure that the existing academic policies accommodate the needs of foreigners in the country. Another strategic initiative by the UK higher education program is the guarantee that the information provided to the students in all academic levels is accessible, accurate, and clear across all the institutions. Clear explanation is also adopted in the delivery of courses where the use of technical terminology is unavoidable. The university and college staff in the UK has access to development and training opportunities that help them recognize, understand, and meet the needs of international students. The instructors are made to understand that they deal with a diverse global

Human Resources Management challenges in Middle East Essay

Human Resources Management challenges in Middle East - Essay Example Any organization seeks to succeed in establishing an effective human resource management as it correlates with the performance of an organization. Actually, effective human resource management enhances the performance of the employees and the entire company direction that aids in accomplishing the organization's goals and objectives (McNamara, 2012). Although, the human resource manager is responsible for human resource management in an organization, line mangers can equally take up this mandate upon authorization by the executive management of an organization. In the Middle East, HRM is a very fundamental aspect in business. Some of the richest countries in the world are in the Middle East and include UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. Nevertheless, some of the poorest countries in the world are also found in the Middle East and include Yemen and Sudan. ... The study on managing Human Resources in the Middle East generates an understanding on the dynamics and variables that dictate HRM policies and practices in this region. This paper will address human resource management in the Middle East countries and the challenges relating to it. The paper will highlight the models and future challenges for HRM policies and practices. The paper will specifically address HRM in Saudi Arabia and UAE while analysing the main features of these countries. It will equally denote the similarities and differences of these countries in HRM-related challenges. At the same time, the paper will address the ways by which each country can benefit from the knowledge and experience of the other as well as explaining the main challenges in developing a managerial career in Saudi Arabia. An overview of the main features of UAE and Saudi Arabia This paper will address the human resource management challenges with special concern on UAE and Saudi Arabia, which are bo th Middle East countries. The United Arab Emirates constitutes of seven emirates that include Dubai, Umm al-Qaiwain, Abu Dhabi, Fujairah, Sharjah, Ajman, and Ras al-Khaimah (Emirates.org, 2010). Geographically, UAE occupies an area of 83,600 sq. km along the southeast tip of the Arabian Peninsula. It lies east of Qatar, northeast of Saudi Arabia, and south west of Oman. Abu Dhabi is the largest of the seven federations and doubles as the capital city of The United Arab Emirates. UAE is currently one of the world's fastest growing tourist destinations. UAE has huge oil reserves estimated at 97.8 billion barrels in 2011, and gas reserves estimated at 214.2 trillion cubic feet. UAE has an estimated population of 8.9 million residents of which about a

Write about the picture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Write about the picture - Essay Example The embedded collage and texts on the painting are comprised of conservation themed texts and quotes, a few pages from Dr. Seuss’s The Lorax, photographs of the area, images of a power transmission tower and a Navajo matriarch off to the left of the canvas. The painting also contains a nude torso daguerreotype of Hannock’s late wife that was applied on their 10th anniversary in 8th April 2010 (Goebel 9). Hannock is well known for his luminescent paintings that relay his personal story interlinked with stories and people of a certain place. In this painting, he aimed at reminding the world, with the Coloradans being the primary targets, about the amazing landscapes in the American West and the need for conserving them (Goebel 12). As a picture is worth a thousand words, Hannock painted it to object the decision of two power companies who wanted to build a solar power transmission line in the

Inpatient and Ambulatory Care Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Inpatient and Ambulatory Care - Assignment Example Inpatient care is dispensed to a patient in a hospital, clinic or medical center. The patient is required to receive care within the medical center for an extended period of time . Inpatient care can only be delivered in the confines of a medical facility. Ambulatory care can be provided in the hospital setting or outside the hospital setting. Outside of the hospital, ambulatory care can be provided at the home, retail clinics, doctor’s offices, education facilities, pharmaceuticals, and community centers. Patients are attended to at these venues for a relatively shorter period than at inpatient care venues. Doctors have the authority of deciding whether a patient should be put under inpatient care and when they can be discharged from the hospital. In some situations, patients have the autonomy to decide whether they want inpatient care or ambulatory care. A patient is discharged when they have healed considerably and have adequate support outside of the hospital. Inpatient ca re is provided to patients who need critical care such as those who are extremely ill. Patients who require constant observation or more involving care from medical care providers are usually placed in inpatient programs (Wu, 2014). Patients who require advanced medical procedures such as specialized surgeries or transplants are usually placed under inpatient care. Emergency medical cases are almost always placed under inpatient care. Rehabilitation cases can also be placed under inpatient care.

Research Paper (Soft commodity) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

(Soft commodity) - Research Paper Example Corn is highly recommended for diabetic patients as it helps in lowering the sugar level as it contains 18.4% of fiber which is required daily for diabetic patients (Thomas). The month of July had a greater increase in the price of the corn because of the flood which destroyed the crops. The total production of corn in the country is recorded as 329,453 Metric tons which is the highest production rate by any country (Thomas). United States is the leading corn exporter with 1.9 billion bushels and importing up to 600 million bushels. The country is known for producing different types of corn with over 7.6 billion bushels of demand (Thomas). Corn is the most complex grain and its production has changed the face of history as billions of livestock and human and is also considered a good source to work as an alternate to oil. Over 300 Million metric ton of corn is being produced by the United States alone which specifies the biggest demand of corn in the country. The prices of the corn are set to rise again in near future due to the increase in consumption of the alternate fuel and feeding of the livestock. Thomas, Taylor. "Corn falters; traders watch crop yield, demand." 10 August 2012. articles.marketwatch.com. 11 August 2012

Inpatient and Ambulatory Care Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Inpatient and Ambulatory Care - Assignment Example Inpatient care is dispensed to a patient in a hospital, clinic or medical center. The patient is required to receive care within the medical center for an extended period of time . Inpatient care can only be delivered in the confines of a medical facility. Ambulatory care can be provided in the hospital setting or outside the hospital setting. Outside of the hospital, ambulatory care can be provided at the home, retail clinics, doctor’s offices, education facilities, pharmaceuticals, and community centers. Patients are attended to at these venues for a relatively shorter period than at inpatient care venues. Doctors have the authority of deciding whether a patient should be put under inpatient care and when they can be discharged from the hospital. In some situations, patients have the autonomy to decide whether they want inpatient care or ambulatory care. A patient is discharged when they have healed considerably and have adequate support outside of the hospital. Inpatient ca re is provided to patients who need critical care such as those who are extremely ill. Patients who require constant observation or more involving care from medical care providers are usually placed in inpatient programs (Wu, 2014). Patients who require advanced medical procedures such as specialized surgeries or transplants are usually placed under inpatient care. Emergency medical cases are almost always placed under inpatient care. Rehabilitation cases can also be placed under inpatient care.

Choose a productbusiness (my productbusiness is Turkish Airlines) Essay

Choose a productbusiness (my productbusiness is Turkish Airlines) - Essay Example This paper also provides the example of services that the company offers. In meeting its objective, this paper will identify a relevant marketing theory, and justify the marketing strategies of Turkish airline using the marketing theory under consideration. One of the strategies in which Turkish Airline markets its products is through the use of the internet. The organization uses the social media such as facebook, and twitter to market its services and products. The evolution of the social media has made it possible for large multi-national companies to have an access to millions of people through their social media accounts Rosenbloom, 2013, p.27). The Turkish airline has taken advantage of this new technology by placing adverts concerning their services and products (Brennan, 2008, p.34). The organization does not only use the social media to advertise its services and products. The organization also uses Google, the search engine giant, and email marketing to advertise its services and products. Google runs an advertisement scheme referred to as Adsense, which is a pay per click advertisement strategy, whereby the company will only pay for the advertisement when a user has clicked on a link that takes him to the web pages operated by the company (Rosenbloom, 2013). Turkish airline takes advantage of this technology and occasionally pays advertisement fees to Google so that the company might create these links, and direct potential customers to its website for further information. The use of email is also another online strategy adopted by Turkish Airline (Brennan, 2008, p.22). The company, on most occasion emails its prospective customers on the available offers and services that the organization offers. The organization also runs a website, referred to as www.turkishairlines.com. This website provides virtually all the information concerning the organization, the services it offers, its strategies for growth,

Management Skills in Human Resource Development Essay Example for Free

Management Skills in Human Resource Development Essay Technical skills encompass the ability to apply specialized knowledge or expertise. When you think of the skills held by professionals such as civil or oral surgeons, you typically focus on their technical skills .Through extensive formal education, they have learned the special knowledge and practices of their field. Of course ,professionals donà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢t have a monopoly on technical skills ,and not all technical skills ,have to be learned in schools or formal training programs .All jobs require some specialized expertise ,and many people develop their technical skills on the job. Human Skills The ability to work with ,understand ,and motivate other people ,both individually and in groups ,describes ,human skills many people are technically proficient but interpersonally incompetent. They might be poor listeners ,unable to understand the needs of others, or have difficulty managing conflicts .Since managers get things done through other people ,they must have good human skills to communicate ,motivate, and delegate. Conceptual Skills Managers must have the mental ability to analyze and diagnose complex situations. These tasks require conceptual skills. Decision making, for instance, requires managers to spot problems, identify alternatives that can correct them, evaluate those alternatives ,and select the best one .Managers can be technically and interpersonally competent yet still fail because of an inability to rationally process and interpret information Effective vs. Successful Managerial activities Fred Luthans and his associates looked at the issue of what managers do from a somewhat different perspective. They asked the question : Do managers who move up most quickly in an organization do the same activities and with the same emphasis as managers who do the best job? You would tend to think that the managers who were the most effective in their jobs would also be the ones who were promoted fastest .But thatà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s not what appears to happen. Luthans and his associates studied more than 450 managers .What they found was that these managers all engaged in four managerial activities : Traditional Management. Decision making ,planning, and controlling. Communication. Exchanging routine information and processing paperwork.

Mechanisms that Lead to Dynamic Self-organization

Mechanisms that Lead to Dynamic Self-organization SELF-ORGANIZATION AND GROWTH OF NANOSTRUCTURED BRANCHED CRYSTAL PATTERN IN BELOUSOV-ZHABOTINSKY TYPE CHEMICAL REACTIONS ROHIT SRIVASTAVA, M.Phil. 1. Introduction The self-assembly of structural motifs and the self-organization of dynamic motifs into highly ordered one-, two-, or three-dimensional patterns with controlled structures have received much attention in recent years, because of their importance in basic research and their potential applications [1,2]. The spontaneous formation of nano-scale patterns represents a significant way to control the structure and morphology of various functional materials [3,4]. This area is of significant interest because of its possible relevance in improving the materials properties. It can be achieved readily by organizing the nanostructure building blocks by reacting chemical systems over a broad spectrum of space and time [5]. The recent application of nonlinear chemical phenomena has been found in the designing of modern materials of advanced functionality [6-8]. The reacting chemical systems have also been found useful to fabricate and design of diverse optoelectronic nano-devices and nano-catalyst s. The role of self-organization has been exemplified to control the orders and hierarchy of such intricate patterns [9-12]. Self-organization, based on interplay between reactions and diffusion, has been found to occur in a range of physical and chemical systems. The recent development of non-equilibrium crystallization phenomena enables one to forms spontaneous, coherent, and periodic patterns which are accompanied by molecular interactions. Among the different nanostructures, the dendritic, diffusion-limited-aggregation (DLA) and spherulitic crystal patterns are attracting the attention of scientific community due to their importance in connection to some fractal growth phenomena and crystallography research [13-15]. The growth of dendritic crystals is also an example which mimics several pattern-forming phenomena encountered in nature and biology. The aim of our research is to understand the mechanisms that lead to dynamic self-organization in nature in order to anticipate the development of some interesting bio-inspired materials and devices that function far from equilibrium. The present research is also helpful to understand, design and control chemical systems that exhibit complex, non-linear, dynamical behavior in time and space. These behaviors include periodic oscillations, chaos, wave propagation and pattern formation. Such system may provide some insights into related phenomena encountered in biology, physics, mathematics, polymer and material science. The Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reaction provides a classical platform for investigation of these phenomena. The work described here is an experimental study of growth of nanostructured branched crystal patterns by utilizing three different types of BZ systems. In liquid phase, we observed the reaction system to result into well distinguishable intermediate spatial patter ns leading to the formation of DLA and spherulitic structures as the final product. The oscillatory behavior, exhibited by UV-Visible spectroscopy, was found to be interrelated to the DLA and spherulitic structures formed in the BZ system. On the basis of these results, a general mechanism for the synchronized formation of the ordered DLA and spherulitic structures is proposed. In another chemical system chaotic oscillations have been observed experimentally in dual–frequency oscillator o-Hydroxyacetophenone–cerium–bromate–sulphuric acid (OAP–Ce4+– BrO3−–H2SO4) in CSTR. 2. Scope of the study . Recently there has been increasing interest in fractal and self-organized nanostructured branched crystal growth phenomenon under non-equilibriums conditions. Laplacian growth phenomenon in pattern formation has attracted considerable attention.. DLA and spherulitic crystal patterns have also been observed in various crystallization phenomena usually at far from equilibrium conditions, such as electrodeposition, bacterial colonies, colloidal aggregates, dendrite formation, viscous fingering, and many others. Our research interests are to elucidate the mechanistic aspects of aggregation in macromolecules related to the biological pattern formation. The growth of nanostructured dendritic crystals is also a profound example among a wide range of pattern-forming phenomena in nature and biology. The study of chemical and biological pattern and their shapes have considerable current interest due to its close resemblance with morphology of growing bodies. Irreversible aggregation of small particles to form large clusters is technologically and scientifically important. Far from, equilibrium growth phenomena have been reported in electrochemical deposition, physicochemical and biological systems. The study of chemical waves, rhythmic crystallization in gel media and crystal growth, will be helpful in understanding morphological stability of growing bodies. 3. Objectives The present study includes the objectives systematically, from following angles To investigate new types of multiple patterns in mixed organic substrate of Belousov-Zhabotinsky reaction. To investigate stationary-like spatial patterns in dual organic substrate of a micro-emulsion system. To study the transition from stripe to hexagonal spatial pattern by varying the temperature and concentration of the BZ reactants. To study the growth of nanostructured DLA and spherulitic crystal pattern in BZ type oscillatory chemical reaction. To study the chemistry of undertaken BZ reactions and proposed the reaction mechanism. To study the entertainment phenomena between co-existing oscillators and continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR). To study the dynamics of the spatiotemporal pattern formation by varying the chemical and physical parameters. To elucidate the role of reaction-diffusion mechanism and self-organization process for the growth and morphological study of predictable crystal patterns with help of various analytical methods. 4. Organization of thesis The organization of thesis has been classified into following chapters. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the thesis. This chapter outlines, in brief, self-organization in nonlinear chemical dynamics and its relation with the material science. The work conducted and presented as part of this thesis rely upon previous research conducted across a broad range of scientific disciplines; which include an understanding of the concept of nonlinear chemical dynamics; the nonlinear reaction kinetics of the BZ reaction; and materials science. In this context, the workflow of the thesis is outlined in this chapter. One of the initial objectives of the research was to become familiar with the chemistry of the BZ system, with a particular interest in identifying the reaction parameters that control and affect the types of patterns that are formed. Pattern formation and chemical chaos in the BZ system was studied individually in different systems. Chapter 2 provides the literature survey from the historical background of the BZ reaction to recent development in pattern formation in oscillatory reaction media. This chapter includes the following subheadings. Historical background of the BZ reaction Oscillatory chemical reaction and chemical chaos Patterns and wave Substitutes of the BZ reaction Recent development in pattern formations in oscillatory reaction media Chapter 3 describes the detailed experimental procedure adopted for the growth of self-organized nanostructured spherulitic patterns and their morphological investigation in combination of dual substrates (adipic acid and acetyl acetone) and dual catalysts (cerium and ferroin) by utilizing a number of characterization techniques e.g. optical microscopy (OPM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffractometer and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The oscillatory behavior was also investigated by using UV-Visible spectroscopy. On the basis of these results clues are sought for explaining the observed growth of nanostructured spherulitic patterns inlight of self-organization phenomenon. Chapter 4 deals with the detailed experimental procedure for the growth of self-organized nanostructured diffusion-limited-aggregation (DLA) crystal patterns. The DLA crystal patterns were characterized OPM, SEM, TEM, XRD, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. The oscillatory behavior, exhibited by UV-Visible spectroscopy, was found to be interrelated to the DLA structures formed in the reaction system. This chapter elucidates the roles of the various possible factors behind such phase-transformation along with the plausible explanation of the corresponding reaction pathways. Chapter 5 furnishes the detailed experimental procedure and analysis for the growth of nanostructured DLA patterns in microemulsion consisting of water, styrene, cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTACl), potassium persulfate (PS) and oscillating Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) reactant. The chapter describes the analysis of formation of a variety of spatiotemporal patterns viz. concentric wave, spatial (stripe) and chaotic pattern in the used BZ reaction system and has employed TEM, XRD and particle size analyzer to study the morphology, crystallinity and particle size of the associated structure formed. Chapter 6 of the thesis represents the detailed experimental procedure and associated studies for the investigation of chaotic oscillations observed experimentally in dual–frequency oscillator. Chapter 7 is the conclusion, which summarizes the research findings and also provides a future perspective of the work undertaken. References M. Antonietti, Nat. Mater., 2 (2003) 9. H. Cà ¶lfen, S. Mann, Angew. Chem., 115 (2003) 2452. J. P. Gollub and J. S. Langer, Rev. Mod. Phys. 71 (1999) 5396. H-J Freund, Surf. Science. 500 (2002) 271. T. A. Witten, L. M. Sander, Phys. Rev. Lett. 47 (1981) 1400. I. Das, N. Goel, N. R. Agrawal, S. K. Gupta, J. Phys. Chem. B, 114 (2010) 12888. I. Das, R. Choudhary, S. K. Gupta, P. Agrawal, The Phys. Chem. B, 115 (2011) 8724. I. Das, N. R. Agrawal, R. Choudhary, S. K. Gupta, Fractals, 19 (2011) 317. Gao-Ren Li, Xi-Hong Lu, Dun-Lin Qu, Chen-Zhong Yao, Fu-lin Zheng, Qiong Bu, Ci- Ren Dawa and Ye-Xiang Tong, J. Phys. Chem. C, 111 (2007) 6678. K. Fukami, S. Nakanishi, H. Yamasaki, T. Tada, K. Sonoda, N. Kamikawa, N. Tsuji, H. Sakaguchi, Y. Nakato, J. Phys. Chem. C, 111 (2007) 1150. A. Volford, F. Izsak, M. Ripszam, I. Lagzi, Langmuir, 23 (2007) 961. T. Wamg, An-Wu Xu, H. Colfen, Angew. Chemie, 45, (2006) 4451. N. Yadav, P.K. Srivastava, New. J. Chem., 35 (2011) 1080. N. Yadav, P.K. Srivastava, Cryst. Res. Tech., 46 (2011) 277. N. Yadav, S. S. Majhi, P. K. Srivastava, Bullen. Korean. Chem. Soc., 33 (2012) 3397. List of publications Rohit Srivastava* and P.K. Srivastava, Self-organized nanostructured spherulitic crystal pattern formation in Belousov-Zhabotinsky type reaction system, Chemical Physics, 426 (2013) 59-73. Rohit Srivastava*, P.K. Srivastava and Jayeeta Chattopadhayay, Choas in a chemical system, European Physical Journal Special Topic, 222 (2013) 777-783. Rohit Srivastava*,Jayeeta Chattopadhyay, P.K. Srivastava, Narendra Yadav, Growth of nanostructured Diffusion-Limited-Aggregation (DLA)-Grass like branched patterns in a Belousov-Zhabotinskii (BZ ) type reaction system, International Journal of Chemistry, 34 (2013) 1119. Rohit Srivastava and P.K. Srivastava, Multiple pattern in mixed substrate BZ system, Chemistry Journal, 2 (2013) 44. Rohit Srivastava*, and P.K. Srivastava Self-organized nanostructured Diffusion-Limited-Aggregation (DLA) crystal pattern formation and morphological transition in BZ type reaction system, New Journal of Chemistry (Under review), 2014. Rohit Srivastava* and P.K. Srivastava, Nanostructured Diffusion-Limited-Aggregation (DLA) crystal pattern formation governed by spatial pattern in reactive microemulsion system, J. Nanostru. Chem. (Springer Publishing) (In press), 2014. Conference Publications: Rohit Srivastava and P.K. Srivastava †Chaos in a chemical system† Proceed. 7th National conference on Nonlinear Systems and Dynamics (NCNSD), Organized by Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune, (12-15 July, 2012). Rohit Srivastava and P.K. Srivastava † Self-organized nanostructured Diffusion-Limited-Aggregation (DLA) crystal pattern formation in Belousov-Zhabotinsky (BZ) type reaction system† Proceed. 8th National conference on Nonlinear Systems and Dynamics (NCNSD), Organized by Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Indore) Indore (12-15 December, 2013).