Writing Tips

- First of all, read a lot _ books, magazines, newspapers, whichever you prefer. Besides entertaining, reading is a means of obtaining knowledge, expand vocabulary, observe and assimilate the correct use of the language.

- Never imitate anyone. Create your own style. While writing, your style will emerge and develop spontaneously.

- If imitation is not advisable, plagiarism is forbidden.

- There is a difference between imitating and feeling inspired by someone. Read your favorite authors and let their work serve as encouragement.

- When you write concentrate yourself more in the contents than in the form, expressing your feelings and ideas spontaneously. Make the necessary corrections after that, when you are reviewing your text.

- Make a constant effort to always improve the grammar rules, keep updated and review what you forgot. Any time you have doubts while writing, don’t hesitate to consult a reliable source for research, whether are grammar rules or dictionaries.

- Always take a note pad and a pen with you, or a tablet. Inspiration to write can appear when you least expect it.

- Use an adequate language for the kind of reader you want to reach _ children, adults, executives, etc.

- Avoid repeating words, especially in the same paragraph or in the closest paragraphs, but also throughout the text. Many times a word, such as “however”, end up becoming a bad habit without the writer realizing it and it appears everywhere, becoming tiresome.

- Equilibrate the use of “he” and “she”, alternating them with the characters’ names, and also substituting them by the object pronouns when possible. Always make clear to the reader who is talking or acting in the text.

- Use simple language, without too much elaborated words, so it flows naturally, and the reader won’t feel compelled to consult the dictionary, because he/she will end up interrupting the reading of the text permanently.

- Avoid too many footnotes. The reader will be tired of interrupting the text all the time.

- Talking about Grammar, keep in mind the importance of the correct punctuation. Remember how a single coma can alter the whole meaning of a sentence.

- Don’t use sentences that are too long. Be clear and direct, or else, the reader can feel discouraged by a sentence that seems to never end.

- Be clear and direct, doesn’t mean to be dry. Most readers like descriptions of characters and sceneries, which stimulate their imagination, or the use of case examples to illustrate texts. Just don’t exaggerate in the adjectives not to be tiresome or fussy.

- Avoid repeating descriptions through the text. If, for example, you’ve already mentioned that the main character has blue eyes in the beginning of the text, repeat this detail only once or twice until the end, in case the reader has forgotten it.

- If your style is more concise and less descriptive, respect it. There are readers who prefer to leave scenery and characters to their own imagination.

- In dialogues, avoid unnecessary information that will only make you repeat the name of a character when it’s already clear that he/she is the one speaking, such as: “Hello”,said Mary.

- Always review your texts.

Mother and Son

     One of these days, my son told me, in one of those moments of childish/juvenile impatience: “You’re the only person in the world”, he emphasized, “that is like that.”
    “How come?”, I asked him, surprised.
    “Like that”, he muttered in a critical tone. “Joyful, happy, cheerful, full of enthusiasm… I don’t know”.
    He could’ve called me “goofy”!
    I couldn’t help it and laughed, because it was really hilarious. But I thought to myself: “It’s so good that   I’m capable of transmitting to my son the image of the happy, jovial, care-free, optimistic person that I try hard to be, despite all my problems, fears, and worries.”
     Then I answered in the same mocking tone he has just used:
    “It’s great that among billions of people, you have by your side precisely the only person that is like that!”

Shining light and meaning of our lives.
 Overjoy is what he makes us feel.

  Never forget to show and say
                   how much you love yours.

Happy Mother's Day!

Selfie Fever

Hey, come back! I wanna just your camera to take a selfie.

     We are certainly on the selfie era. Almost everybody takes selfies intending to post them on the social networks. It’s been a long time that self-taken pictures exist, naturally, but the term selfie became more popular in 2012, and now we can say that we’re living in a selfie culture. When people post selfies just for fun, it’s a way of relaxing and sharing good times with friends. The problem is when they just seek approval and worry about how much Likes, or comments they get. The selfie can’t be an obsession, or, as with everything else, too much of them can become tiresome, and may mean a case of low self-esteem, or narcissism. Selfies are here to stay and to be enjoyed with common sense and sense of humor. Have you already posted your selfie today?