How to use the right brain for inspiration and ideas

Long before I learned about the left and right brain, I was always a reader and a scribbler trying out new ideas. Not much attention was paid to it because it was just put down to my having a larger imagination than most kids. My scribbling became serious over the years and soon I was published. One day I read the book Writing the Natural Way by Gabriele Lusser Rico and my writing took a turn for the best.


The author, an English lecturer, found that even though his students improved their grammar and writing under regular tuition, their writing was turgid and flat and had no rhythm and recurrences and was quite frankly dull. I used the teachings in the book not only to improve my own writing but also to teach high school students privately in my home how to write. If you are interested in coming up with new ideas for a short story or article or any piece of writing, follow these instructions to liven up your prose.


Preparing for the writing process before you start

• Pick a quiet spot in your house where you can relax and write in an atmosphere which is conducive to you. I write in my room and even have my television and reclining bike in it. It is my personal space. Picking the right spot is important as you do not want to be interrupted.
• Be in a receptive mood and read the instructions below a few time. Take off the handset on the telephone. Have your pen and your blank paper ready.


Developing your characters

• Let’s say you want to develop a really great character, before you start writing, you are going to google the right brain for ideas on a clear sheet of paper. Write the name of the character in the middle of the page and draw a circle around it. This is your nucleus word from where all your character’s traits are listed. As you write down a word you draw a circle around it. You will experience a surge as the words flow from your brain.

• Do not stop to consider whether you really shouldn’t write that word you had in mind; the idea is that once you start, think of nothing but your description of Ruby and keep writing down word after word which pops into your head from the word and draw a circle around it.

• Remember the right brain is your fun instigator and wants you to step out of the box and be original; your left brain is the teacher and critic who stands ready with the cane to tell you not to s tart a sentence with but. Hogwash! You can break the rules depending on the prose.

• When you have finished googling the word Ruby and have a page full of scribbles you will have a wealth of information from which to build your character and give you a starting point. You will find after an hour of these exercises that your brain is tired. Take a break. Or continue to write until the urge dissipates. You can use this exercise not only for building a character, but also to structure your book where you do an outline and plot out the chapters.

http://www.raydajacobs.blogspot.com

Safe ways for teens to use the internet

Whether you like it or not, your teens are going to use the internet either for research and studying purposes or for social activity and it would be wise to stipulate the times they can use the internet on top of telling them how to use it and what to do and not to. There are all kinds of scams where people offer you big sums of money for a prize you did not win all in an effort to obtain your personal details, bank account codes, email address and so on. If they have those details they can find out where you live and cause all kinds of problems.


Tips for surfing smart

• When receiving spam where you are told you won the lottery and to supply your name and address, don’t even open up the email and just delete it.

• Don’t divulge your Social Security number under any circumstances. Legit companies would never ask you for these details. It should in fact be a warning to you.

• The same thing with codes and passwords. Some people have books filled with passwords and should keep these in a safe place. It would be a big job to get all those passwords again, and it would give the thieves an opportunity to raid your accounts or run it up with huge items.

• Never send emails with phone numbers, links, and passwords through the site; it is then revealed to everyone who can use the information against you.

• Always use a screen name so you can never be tracked down; also think carefully of the kind of screen name you create. Don’t be provocative or you will attract the wrong kind of people to your site.

• Use a screen name for a chat room and keep online friendships in the virtual world. You never know who you are talking to and it is easy to prey on kids.

• Don’t get roped in to meet anyone face to face. There are predators who surf the net looking for kids they can exploit and who are not who they say they are and could pose danger.

• Don’t give your real name to anyone and if you are talking to someone who makes you feel uneasy and you sense that something is wrong, click off and tell your parents so they can report it.



http://www.raydajacobs.blogspot.com

Stepparenting and the blended family

According to the experts one should not even think of remarriage for the first two years after divorce as it allows enough time for everyone, including two sets of kids, to get used to the idea that mom and dad are marrying again, and not to each other. There will be sibling rivalry, jealousy, confusion, and a lot of other problems if all this is not worked out beforehand.

• You should not come out of divorce and immediately remarry or immediately settle in with a new man. It is too much change all at once and will affect the children. Give them time to get to know their step siblings. Talk to them about some of the changes. If you are planning to move out of the city because of your husband’s job, don’t sell the house yet before some time has passed to see how you all get along.
•
• Take special note of the kids. Are they happy they have new siblings or are they fighting and pining and miserable because they have to share their father? You and your husband should talk to all of them and reassure them that it will all work out.
•
• Take care not to spoil your own kids and don’t exclude anyone from family discussions. Everyone should be able to say what they don’t like and what bothers them.
•
• Draw up a list or plan you will stick on the refrigerator listing the names of all four or five kids and what they are expected to do around the house. You can introduce a chore list and a reward system.
•
• Do family activities together and find something interesting to do or to visit that everyone can enjoy. Maybe your son is around the same age as his son and they bond. That’s all good.
•
• Never forget that you may be excited with the new arrangement, but your kids may not be. Talk to both sets of kids at the same time and listen to what they have to say. Invite them to be frank and not to be shy. Tell them that it may be difficult now to have so many people in the house, but it will become easier.
•
• Give them time to make the transition and keep the communication lines open. Only when all the above has been worked out can you think of remarrying.

http://www.raydajacobs.blogspot.com

Googling the right brain for words and ideas

Long before I learned about the left and right brain, I was always a reader and a scribbler trying out new ideas. Not much attention was paid to it because it was just put down to my having a larger imagination than most kids. My scribbling became serious over the years and soon I was published. One day I read the book Writing the Natural Way by Gabriele Lusser Rico and my writing took a turn for the best.


The author, an English lecturer, found that even though his students improved their grammar and writing under regular tuition, their writing was turgid and flat and had no rhythm and recurrences and was quite frankly dull. I used the teachings in the book not only to improve my own writing but also to teach high school students privately in my home how to write. If you are interested in coming up with new ideas for a short story or article or any piece of writing, follow these instructions to liven up your prose.


Preparing for the writing process before you start

• Pick a quiet spot in your house where you can relax and write in an atmosphere which is conducive to you. I write in my room and even have my television and reclining bike in it. It is my personal space. Picking the right spot is important as you do not want to be interrupted.

• Be in a receptive mood and read the instructions below a few time. Take off the handset on the telephone. Have your pen and your blank paper ready.


Developing your characters

• Let’s say you want to develop a really great character, before you start writing, you are going to google the right brain for ideas on a clear sheet of paper. Write the name of the character in the middle of the page and draw a circle around it. This is your nucleus word from where all your character’s traits are listed. As you write down a word you draw a circle around it. You will experience a surge as the words flow from your brain.

• Do not stop to consider whether you really shouldn’t write that word you had in mind; the idea is that once you start, think of nothing but your description of Ruby and keep writing down word after word which pops into your head from the word and draw a circle around it.

• Remember the right brain is your fun instigator and wants you to step out of the box and be original; your left brain is the teacher and critic who stands ready with the cane to tell you not to s tart a sentence with but. Hogwash! You can break the rules depending on the prose.

• When you have finished googling the word Ruby and have a page full of scribbles you will have a wealth of information from which to build your character and give you a starting point. You will find after an hour of these exercises that your brain is tired. Take a break. Or continue to write until the urge dissipates. You can use this exercise not only for building a character, but also to structure your book where you do an outline and plot out the chapters.


http://www.raydajacobs.blogspot.com