My daughter is not only a high school student, but also an aspiring writer, so I asked Michelle to post about how her book could help writers of all ages, and levels of experience.
I'll have some exciting news after her post.
While Homework Helpers: Essays and Term Papers is geared mostly for junior high, high school, and early college students who need help on writing assignments, there are a number of features included in the book that will help any writer. Especially a beginning writer just learning the ropes.
Time Management
Managing time well is something every writer needs to master. Most writers will have a “day job”, along with family, friends, and other hobbies and “real life” activities. With so much going on, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. One of the key tips I stress in my book is to break projects down into small, manageable pieces, and just take them one at a time. This makes a large project (whether it be an essay, a term paper, edits on a novel, or writing the book itself) a little less overwhelming.
Proofreading
Proofreading and editing are activities that any writer is going to need to do. Homework Helpers: Essays and Term Papers includes a chapter on this topic, discussing why it is necessary to proofread, giving fun examples of common mistakes, and illustrating the different types of mistakes you should be looking for.
Researching
If you are a student writing a paper, it’s a given you’ll have to do some research. But somewhere down the line, every writer is going to have to research something. Depending on your genre, you may be doing a lot of research (if you are writing a historical, for instance), or you may just need a few specific details, like the title of a popular song or specific features of some electronic device. Either way, if you want to be a writer, there is going to be some form of research somewhere in your future. Homework Helpers: Essays and Term Papers includes a chapter on researching tips, discussing several ways you can research without ever leaving your home.
Organization
No matter what project you are working on, it needs to flow in a logical and organized manner. Homework Helpers: Essays and Term Papers illustrates techniques for organizing and writing essays and papers, but these processes can be applied to any project you are working on.
No matter if you are a student in need of some essay writing help, a teacher, parent, or homeschooling parent looking for a guidebook for your kids, or a writer looking for a few tips, Homework Helpers: Essays and Term Papers is a handy tool to have around :)
Before I get to my announcement let me show you where to find Michelle:
Her website: http://authormichellemclean.com
Her blog: http://michellemclean.blogspot.com
The Operation Awesome Blog: http://opersationawesome6.blogspot.com
Facebook Author Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michelle-McLean/183714415115?v=wall
Twitter: http://twitter.com/michellemclean
And where you can find Homework Helpers: Essays and Term Papers:
Now, here is some exciting news: before you go off to buy your copy, stick around. Get as many people to come and comment here as you can. Every person who comments after and including the 50th comment will get one entry into a randomizer.org contest to win a copy of the book. Feel free to comment as often as you want to bring it up to 50, but you're only getting one entry per person after that.
I'll be paying for this book, in order to support Michelle so that she can keep her promotional materials, so I will contact the winner and let them select a retailer of their choice.
P.S. My buddy Shaun David Hutchinson, author of The Deathday Letter, will be featuring Michelle on his blog today as well. Please stop by over there and say hello. He's really cool and deserves the traffic.
P.S. My buddy Shaun David Hutchinson, author of The Deathday Letter, will be featuring Michelle on his blog today as well. Please stop by over there and say hello. He's really cool and deserves the traffic.
P.P.S. L. Diane Wolf is featuring Michelle as well today. Make sure to visit her blog too!
67 comments:
This is great, Matt! You shared a query once of Michelle's, didn't you? It was this book, too, if can recall correctly. Forgive me for not entering, but I have my FILL of this stuff seeing as I write this material on a commission basis :-/ But I'll certainly plug this for you on FB. :o)
Congrats Michelle!!!
My nieces could use this book, and since term papers are piling up, they'd appreciate it, too.
Free stuff! I love blogs.
The book sounds great. Luck to Michelle.
LoL, Bryan. ;-)
You know, my daughter is in the 7th grade and I've been amazed at how well the school has been teaching her how to research for papers (the boring kind and the fun kind). But I am shocked to see that they aren't helping her with "writing" itself. The craft of it. Weird. I should get this book for her. ;-)
~JD
Well come back and comment after 50 and you may win!
Well now, this looks like a book every writerly household should have! Libraries and schools too.
Feel free to comment more than once. We need to get it up to fifty so I can give something away!
This sounds like a terrific resource! One of my nieces will be starting junior high in a couple years, so I'll have to remember this. Thanks goodness I'm all done school and writing research papers, lol!
Writers helping writers....man, I love being a part of this community! *wipes shed tear from eye*
Ahh thanks Matthew, this comes just in time for my 14 yo who needs to buckle down and write his tech paper for his science teacher.
connie
Thanks for hosting me today, Matt! I just love your blog!!
To crank this up to where we can start winning, here's some favorite quotes.
The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.
- Einstein
Way to help your daughter AND share with others. Great post! Go daddy!
All good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath.
- Fitzgerald
It is very beautiful over there.
- Edison's last words
I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.
- Leonardo's last words
Hell, there ain’t no rules around here, we’re trying to accomplish something.
- Thomas Edison
The only normal people are the ones you don't know too well.
- Rodney Dangerfield
Anybody can jump a motorcycle. The trouble begins when you try to land it.
- Evel Knievel
Being a Baptist won't keep you from sinning, but it'll sure as hell keep you from enjoying it.
- Jimmy Dean
This would be an incredible resource for my stepdaughter! Congratulations on the book :)
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former.
- Einstein
As you journey through life take a minute every now and then to give a thought for the other fellow. He could be plotting something.
- Hagar the Horrible
I do not take a single newspaper, nor read one a month, and I feel myself infinitely the happier for it.
- Thomas Jefferson
After the game, the king and pawn go into the same box.
- Italian Proverb
When you’re in jail, a good friend will be trying to bail you out. A best friend will be in the cell next to you saying, “Damn, that was fun.”
- Groucho Marx
I have 2,000 books and no bookcase. No one will loan me a bookcase.
- Henny Youngman
We must believe in luck. For how else can we explain the success of those we don’t like?
- Jean Cocteau
Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.
- Malachy McCourt
I’ve had a perfectly wonderful evening. But this wasn’t it.
- Groucho Marx
If it’s true that our species is alone in the universe, then I’d have to say that the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little.
- George Carlin
If everything seems under control, you’re not going fast enough
- Mario Andretti
There are three truths: my truth, your truth, and the truth.
- Chinese proverb
Negative feelings and thoughts get you nothing, and are a complete waste of time.
- Michael Crichton
The people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forego ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others.
- Betrand Russell
Never believe anything until it has been officially denied.
- Claud Cockburn
When I came back to Dublin I was courtmartialed in my absence and sentenced to death in my absence, so I said they could shoot me in my absence.
- Brendan Behan
If I only had a little humility, I’d be perfect.
- Ted Turner
NBC is run by brainless sons of goats who eat money and crap trouble.
- Conan O’Brien
Write a wise saying and your name will live forever.
- Anonymous
Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.
- Martin Luther King Jr.
No one who has once taken the language under his care can ever again be really happy.
- Thomas Lownsbury
The most valuable of all talents is that of never using two words when one will do.
- Thomas Jefferson
Write what you like; there is no other rule.
- O Henry
First you’re an unknown, then you write one book and you move up to obscurity.
- Martin Myers
Art is a wound turned into light.
- Georges Braque
People will buy anything that is one to a customer.
- Sinclair Lewis
Without music, life would be a mistake – I would only believe in a god who knew how to dance.
- Nietzsche
And that's it - the gate is open, let the winning begin!
Michelle, this is wonderful advice and something all writers need to hear every now and again. Best of luck to you, I wish you tons of success. I will be purchasing a copy of this for my nephew, who desperately needs to get his schoolwork organized.
Kudos, Matthew for your support of your fellow writers.
This is such an awesome book! I will share this with everyone I know!!
LOL, what a way to get over 50 comments. Hmmm, maybe I need to do something similar.
Just kidding, Matthew.
Michelle's book is awesome too. And though I am in the over-50 commentors, don't worry about including me in the drawing. I was already lucky enough to win a copy. Woohoo. It's great that you're helping her celebrate this accomplishment though. Very cool!
I've seen Michelle's picture all over the blogosphere recently. I wish her great success with her book. It sounds fantastic! Thanks for introducing her to me, Matt!
And, psst. New Blogfest chez moi! Stop by and check it out :))
Great stuff! Her book really does sound awesome! Nice job you two!
Sheesh! Lot of scrolling to get down here :D Thanks for this info. My son is heading for high school next year and this sounds like a great reference book.
How wonderful! Go Michelle!
I can not begin to tell you how badly we need this book at our house. I have three teenagers, two of them writers. The third I spend many a late night with finishing papers! I would LOVE to win this book.
Nice of you to buy the book, Matthew! Not entering to win - besides, I think maine character's got that one in the bag.
As someone who had the unfortunate experience of grading far too many papers that would either (a) induce severe headaches, (b) make me crave a drink at 7:30am, (c) make me feel like an alcoholic for wanting said drink at 7:30am, and (d) make me indulge in far too many calories because having said drink would cost me my job, I hereby start a motion for all public school teachers to be REQUIRED to own a copy of this book and use it with their students on a regular basis.
All success to you, Michelle. :)
hi mr matthew and miss michelle! wow sounds like a really cool help book. i could need it just to get my home work organized out so i could get it done with out all my more older brothers and sister yelling at me. ack! ha ha.
...smiles and hugs from lenny
Looks like we owe "maine character" an enormous debt of gratitude.
Michelle's book sounds like a must-read. (Especially for my 8th-grader, hint, hint.)
Matt, I've just pushed your follower # closer to 500. Came over here from Shannon Messenger's blog and the enticement of winning a query critique.
Keep up the good work.
Looks like you got to 50 pretty quick! Congrats to Michelle! The book looks very cool.
good read
Michelle's book is sure going to help a lot of people! I always loved essay writing - but I know I'm in the minority! :)
Michelle is everywhere on the blogsphere! Kudos to her! =)
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