Sample Eulogy for a Brother

November 17, 2008 · Filed Under Writing and Speaking · Comment 

by Gen Wright
Losing a brother truly is a devastating experience. Because of this, it would not come as a surprise if you are feeling a great deal of stress and anxiety about being tasked to deliver a eulogy for your brother. Eulogies are opportunities for loved ones to make a final tribute to the deceased. Hence, you want to be sure that the eulogy you write for your brother is meaningful and heartfelt. This may initially seem like such a daunting task, but with a sample eulogy for a brother, you can easily get started.

With a sample eulogy for a brother, you will have a framework for the content of your eulogy. You will be shown how to start your eulogy with a sincere yet light tone. A sample eulogy for a brother will demonstrate that a eulogy can be a time to relive memories shared with your brother and does not simply have to be a grief-filled and depressing affair.

Use the sample eulogies you find as a jumping-off point for starting the eulogy for your own brother. You might find that you can draw inspiration from quotes or anecdotes you find in the sample eulogies for a brother that you come across. Additionally, such samples will establish the ideal tone for your eulogy. With the right tone, your eulogy can uplift the mood of those mourning for your brother. Ideally, you want the funeral to be an occasion of celebration - that is, a celebration of the fulfilled life your brother lived. Use a sample eulogy for a brother to help you decide what kind of content will help you achieve this objective.

Sample eulogies for a brother are abundant on the Web. When looking for samples online, however, be wary of general and impersonal eulogies. These will not be of much help to you. Professionally-written, unique, and memorable are some of the qualities to look for in a sample eulogy for a brother. If you go to the right sites, you will find samples written by individuals who have a lot of experience in the field. Some samples even show how you can tastefully add humor and wit to achieve a more lighthearted eulogy.

Writing a meaningful eulogy for your brother should not and does not have to be a stressful experience, especially as mourning is hard enough. Samples are great for individuals who need help starting their eulogies. A sample eulogy for a brother can serve as a very effective writing guide, provided your sample is obtained from a reliable and professional source.

Below is an example / sample of a eulogy for a brother.

Eulogy for a Brother

Samuel Michael Hendricks

I want to thank you all for being here with me today. Sam was my older brother and also my only surviving family member. Sam and I lost our parents and two sisters in a car crash about ten years ago. As you mostly know, before the crash, Sam and I were close, but not that close. We always celebrated holidays together and of course we talked from time to time between holiday events. But that all changed when we lost the rest our family that summer ten years ago.

Sam and I soon found that moving back into our parents home was a way to somehow keep our family together. For the past 9 years Sam and I lived in our parents home, and became much closer than we ever had during our childhood or our early adult years. And I do not know how I will keep going to that house without Sam there. I will miss him very much.

As most of you know, Sam was a very quiet person. He never liked to have anyone’s attention focused on him. He was humble and kind, but for all his quiet and humble ways, he was one of the most action-packed accomplishers I have ever known. Sam never tired. I don’t think he slept much. Especially when you realize how much he accomplished in such a little time.

It is still hard to believe that somebody who had as much energy as Sam did can be gone now. In so many ways, Sam was immortal to me. When I think of Sam, I always think of infinite existence. He was so creative, so brilliant and so alive - but quietly so. He did not need fame or fortune or recognition to know that what he was embarked upon was a good thing. He just knew.

For many of you who have been to the house, you know what I mean. When Sam became interested in oil painting, one of the bedrooms was quietly converted to his art studio. He would paint for hours upon end. Usually only eating if I brought him food. And as you know, his art was incredible. But he never showed it. I know some of you were given paintings by him as gifts. He knew you liked them, so they were yours. Treasure those paintings now.

Again, when Sam realized that our world was the information age. Silently and without offense the house had another bedroom converted to an office. And of course in no time at all, that office was filled with computer equipment and a work bench where computer parts and machines were all in various stages of building. Soon a bookshelf filled with reference manuals graced the room. It was not too long after that, Sam a brilliant architect with a very good career, was hanging certifications from Microsoft on his walls. You know, he just tacked them to the wall with a thumbtack. I was the one who put more reverence to them by getting them properly matted and framed.

And so it went with Sam. He was just a brilliant, quiet genius who could do anything that he chose.

Yet he was also there for his friends. I know there were so many times when each one of you found solace in Sam’s advice or friendship or warm gentle ways. And he was the kind of person who didn’t force his ideas or thoughts on you. He just listened and made his own comment about the situation. If you chose to do something about it. That was up to you.

The house is truly empty now. I am the only survivor of the Hendricks Family. I will do my best to carry the spirits of my family - and most especially, Sam - forward every day. Honor and love him too - carry his spirit with you.

When you think of Sam, think still of immortality and infinity because to me, even though he died at the age of 38, he is infinitely immortal.

Margaret Marquisi is a retired novelist and fulltime grandmother. To get a sample eulogy for brother oreulogy examples for brother, please visit her website.

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How To Make Your Writer’s Website a Winner

November 17, 2008 · Filed Under Writing and Speaking · Comment 

by Kerry Finch
A powerful tool for both professional and amateur writers is ultizing the internet for self-promotion. Having an internet presence in the form of their own website, gives writers a fantastic opportunity to showcase their craft and promote their talents.

Many website owners struggle to keep the content on their websites fresh and interesting - they are more focused on making money and creating new products. So they instead turn to writers who will provide them with quality and topical content.

Because they are internet-focused, they will naturally warm to writers who are in that groove, i.e. who know enough about the internet and its power to have a website of their own.

Your writer’s website will identify who you are - and it is no place for modesty. Detailing your successes, your writing specialties, your genre or style of writing, and some point of difference that will make visitors want to contact you.

Here are some “essentials” to include in your website:

-    Personality

Don’t be afraid to let your personality show on your website. Your writing will usually do this for you, but sharing a little bit of your personality will (hopefully) keep the visitor interested enough to continue reading.

-    About you

Where this section appears will depend on what you have decided is the focus of your site. This could be your latest project, if you are promoting a saleable product, or it could be your writing services.

It may be a secondary “About Me” page, or you may decide it is best as the Home Page.

It really doesn’t matter as long as it is there somewhere - visitors will want to ‘connect’ with you. Including a photo of yourself will only help your cause, it will make you ‘real’. If you can add a little humor - great!

-    Contact Details

You must tell readers how they can contact you, and a dedicated Contacts page is the ideal way to do so.

I wouldn’t recommend putting your phone number on the world wide web, and even putting your email address is best avoided. You can use a form builder to add a form to fill in for queries, with a “send” button. In this way your email address is protected from being grabbed by spammers (who will send you hundreds of spam emails until you change your address).

If you have a PO Box, then include this as well.

-    Media Page

If you are marketing a product, e.g. a hard copy book or e-book, a media page that contains a short biography and press release about the book, and contact email, will make it easy for the media to find this vital information, enabling them to spread the word about you and your product.

-    Writing Samples

Include sample chapters, a table of contents or excerpts of your articles. A future client or prospective editor will search for these before deciding to contact you. These can be displayed on your website in different ways: as text on your site, as downloadable PDF or Microsoft Word files, as links to online articles or even as password-protected documents so only the people you choose get a peek. Avoid having too many links to outside sites, as the links may change - and it takes the reader away from YOUR site!

-    Testimonials

Word of mouth is still the best recommendation for just about any product or service. Testimonials can give you more credibility than you could otherwise provide on your website. That’s because other people can say things about you or your product, that would seem boastful if you said them about yourself.

In order to obtain testimonials, it is usually necessary to provide free copies of the product, and ask for a review. Join some forums relating to the topic of your product and once you have identified the key members, ask them to review your product. Such testimonials can then be added to your website.

-    Shopping Cart

If you’re selling a product from your website, be sure to have a way people can snap it up right then and there, whether it’s through a form on your site or a link to your book’s page on Amazon.com.

The best thing is that with the website building software available nowadays, there are some stand-outs as far as user-friendliness goes. Even novices find the new generation website building software easy to master, and the ready-to-use templates that are included for free make it a very attractive product for writers. It allows you to concentrate on the writing rather than the technology!

In these uncertain economic times, finding ways to work from home on the internet is a windfall. If you can write, you can earn - starting now.

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Writing An Effective Eulogy for a Father by Studying Sample Eulogies

November 17, 2008 · Filed Under Writing and Speaking · Comment 

by Gen Wright
The loss of a father is always overwhelming. Fathers serve as mentors, role models, and true friends. When writing a eulogy for your father, you want to be able to get this message across. Doing so will be a meaningful way to commemorate your father. If you find that you can’t seem to put your feelings into words, listed here are several key components to include in your eulogy. You will find these components in any professionally-written sample eulogy for a father.

First, an effective eulogy will always have an introduction. It is important that you introduce yourself so that even those attendees who do not know you will still feel connected to you while you deliver the eulogy. An introduction in a sample eulogy for a father might look something like this: “I’m…and I’d like to say a few words in memory of my father.”

If you take a look at any quality sample eulogy for a father, another component that you will consistently find is anecdotes. Anecdotes are very helpful in capturing the character of your father. A sample eulogy for a father might include an anecdote about a memorable fishing trip or a humorous incident. Amusing and comical anecdotes are a great way to lighten the mood. Additionally, anecdotes are a means to recalling all of the great memories shared with your father.

Another key component of a heartfelt eulogy is an accurate description of your father’s character and personality. One of the main objectives of writing a eulogy for your father is to pay a tribute to the fulfilling life that he lived. To effectively do this, you need to ensure that you accurately represent your father’s persona. This can be achieved by describing your father’s dominant traits. You will notice that in many well-written sample eulogies for a father, positive qualities are always highlighted. A sample eulogy for a father might include something like “My father was such a good-humored man. I recall a time when…”

Lastly, if you wish to compose a meaningful eulogy for your father, you also need to include some of your father’s accomplishments or special abilities. If you read some of the sample eulogies for a father available on the Internet, you will see that the best ones always incorporate the achievements of the deceased. This is an essential component of any eulogy, particularly because it allows for true commemoration of your father.

Below is a sample / example eulogy for a Father:

More than anything else, he was my Dad.

So much goes into that simple statement. My Dad, John Riley Jones, was my hero. He was the example that I looked up to. He was my friend, and he was sometimes my enemy. He was my mentor and my protector.

John Riley Jones showed me what life was all about, and he showed me at a very young age. I knew and understood essential basics - because he cared to inform me - while so many of my friends were still just trying to understand what a quarter was. I was the girl who sat on her daddy’s lap, and not only found out about where quarters came from, how to get quarters, and what one could do with a quarter, but discovered - thanks to Dad that there were even bigger and better things that quarters. (smile) Oh yes, Daddy told me at an early age all about those dollars too!

I remember one Christmas, I was having a very hard time waiting for Christmas morning. It seemed as if it would never come. After days of waiting, it finally got the best of me. There I sat on the living room carpet, huge alligator tears rolling down my cheeks. Dad didn’t even ask what the matter was. He simply picked me up, tucked me into his lap and told me not to worry because Christmas always comes.

That’s the way John Riley Jones was. He was intuitive. He somehow knew what to say and what to do, even in those times when you had not spoken. And though he knew what to say, in so many ways, he was a man of few words. You could always count on one important thing, though. Whatever he said, though the words were not expansive. They were the right words.

So many of you who knew my Dad knew him as a strong and proud man. Quiet and reserved as well. You’d probably be surprised to know that he was also one of the funniest men I’ve ever met, and that his artistic ability was tremendous. These were not necessarily traits that he displayed to his friends - he came from a time where humor and art were not always the way to survive.

He was born right in this city, where he lived all his life, during the great depression. My grandparents impressed upon him the seriousness of life and of supporting oneself, and finally the importance of providing for the family. There was no time for the finer qualities of life in those early years for John Riley Jones.

Probably due to that early upbringing, John Riley Jones was an icon to many of you. He was well known in this city and by all of you who are here today. The family name is as entrenched in the town as the town is entrenched in the family. My sisters and I went to the same school as our father, the same church, and we shopped at the same stores as he.

My hero has passed on now, and he leaves my sisters and I to carry on the family name. We are proud of him, of all that he was, and all that maybe he would have liked to be if times had been different.

We are mostly proud to say this one thing: Of all that he was - He was our Dad.

Margaret Marquisi is a retired novelist and full time grandmother. To learn how to write a great father sample eulogy, download sample sample eulogy for father for reference.

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Can You Be A Ghostwriter?

November 17, 2008 · Filed Under Writing and Speaking · Comment 

by Kerry Finch
A writer who is paid to write articles, books, reports,stories,website material or other content which is officially credited to another person is called a ghostwriter. Political leaders, celebrities, website owners, and executives often hire ghostwriters to draft or edit their written material.

In music, ghostwriters are used in classical music, film score composition, and popular music such as top 40, country, and hip-hop. The ghostwriter is sometimes acknowledged by the author or publisher for his or her writing services.

How Does Ghostwriting Work?

The division of work between the ghostwriter and the credited author varies a great deal. In some cases, the ghostwriter is hired to polish and edit a rough draft or a mostly completed manuscript. In this case, the outline, ideas and much of the language in the finished book or article are those of the credited author.

In other cases, a ghostwriter does most of the writing, using concepts and stories provided by the credited author. In this instance, extensive research is undertaken by the ghostwriter to learn about the credited author and their areas of expertise. Seldom does a ghostwriter compile a complete proejct with no input at all from the credited author; as a minimum, the credited author will compile a basic framework of topics and ideas at the start of the project, or, once the final draft is received, with provide comment.

For an autobiography, a ghostwriter will interview the credited author, their colleagues, and family members, and find interviews, articles, and video footage about the credited author or their work. For other types of nonfiction books or articles, a ghostwriter will interview the credited author and review previous speeches, articles, and interviews with the credited author, to assimilate his or her arguments and points of view.

Ghostwriters are hired for numerous reasons. As is often the case, public figures and celebrities cannot possibly have the time or writing skills to write a “how to” book or autobiography. Even if a celebrity or public figure has the writing skills to pen a short article, they may not know how to structure and edit a several-hundred page book so that it is captivating and well-paced. In other cases, publishers use ghostwriters to increase the number of books that can be published each year under the name of well-known, highly marketable authors.

Payment and Credit for Ghostwriters

Ghostwriters will often spend from several months to a full year researching, writing, and editing nonfiction works for a client, and they are paid either per page, with a flat fee, or a percentage of the royalties of the sales, or some combination thereof. Having an article ghostwritten can cost anything from 10 cents to $4 per word - and more - depending on the complexity of the article.

Sometimes the ghostwriter will receive partial credit on a book, signified by the phrase “with…” or “as told to…” on the cover. Credit for the ghostwriter may also be provided as a “thanks” in a foreword or introduction. For nonfiction books, the ghostwriter may be credited as a “contributor” or a “research assistant”. In other cases, the ghostwriter receives no official credit for writing a book or article; in cases where the credited author or the publisher or both wish to conceal the ghostwriter’s role, the ghostwriter may be asked to sign a nondisclosure contract that forbids him or her from revealing his or her ghostwriting role.

Types of Ghostwriting

Whatever the genre of writing being published, there is the opportunity for the work to be ghostwritten. These include:

* Non-Fiction

* Fiction

* Political

* Medical

* Blogs

* Academic

Learn how you can earn money with writing, no matter what your skill level. Writers Xsited will show you the benefits, pitfalls and tips to be considered.

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Speaking Up with Confidence

November 17, 2008 · Filed Under Writing and Speaking · Comment 

by Joan Curtis
Many women speak softly. Yet they often do not realize the power of their voices. We’ve learned over time that our visual image is powerful. Unfortunately, our voice often gets overlooked.

Let’s look at this phenomenon with an example loosely adapted from a real situation experienced by one of my coaching clients.

Sara Lynn Smith is the assistant director for crime prevention in Mid-Town USA. She’s been asked by the local Rotary Club to speak about Crime in Our City. This is a topic she feels passionate about. She prepares her talk by writing it out and developing her speech, going over it and over it in her mind. She types it on note cards, triple-spaced in a large font. Then she studies her Dress for Success books. She selects a conservative navy pants-suit and a crisp white shirt. She wears comfortable well-polished pumps. She puts on a soft shade of red lipstick-not too brassy, and a small amount of blush on her cheeks. She takes her long hair and braids it in a French knot. Looking at herself in the mirror, she smiles. She looks professional and smart.

Walking out the door, she grabs her computer case and her notes and departs for the meeting. After the introductions, she walks up to the podium, she perches her reading glasses on her nose, and looks directly at the audience.

“I’m, uh, so, glad to be here today. Thank you, for, um, inviting me to, um, speak to you. I think this is a topic of great importance to our community. (clears throat). Excuse me. . .but we can do a lot in our community that, err, well, we just haven’t done. I’ve worked for 18 years as the assistant director in the office of crime prevention and, um, well, you see I’ve seen a lot of things. Without the community, I don’t think we will ever, err, at least, I doubt we can ever (laughs) make crime go away.”

Sara Lynn Smith took care of all the preliminaries. She carefully wrote out her speech and put it in a format which would make it easy to refer to. She selected her clothes with a lot of thought, wanting to give the impression of a smart, professional woman. On the surface she did everything right. But if you were in the audience at the Rotary Club, what would you think of Sara Lynn? Would you think she was a confident woman? Do you see a smart, professional woman before you? Are you still listening to her speech?

In all likelihood, you’ve stopped listening to Sara Lynn. Your mind is probably wandering. You will not remember her or her speech. She’s made little impact on you. Why? She forgot to add power to her voice. She left out that one very important component of communication.

The Major Components of Communication

According to research done by Albert Mehrabian at UCLA in the 1960’s, http://www.kaaj.com/psych/ there are three major components of communication: Visual, Vocal, Verbal. He found these three components have weighted percentages. In other words, visual communication gives the message more power than vocal, and vocal gives the message more power than verbal. If you skip or ignore or shortchange one of these components, your message suffers.

By visual communication we mean all the messages you send through the eyes: gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, personal appearance. Dr. Mehrabian found that the power of the visual message is 55%.

By vocal communication we mean all the sounds we make (including silence): um’s, sighs, laughs, chuckles, grunts, groans. Vocal also includes articulation, modulation, pacing. Dr. Mehrabian found that the power of the vocal message is 38%.

By verbal communication we mean the words. The power of the verbal message is a mere 7%.

Think about your last speech. How much time did you spend on the visual? On the vocal? On the verbal? If you are anything like Sara Lynn, you probably spent the majority of your time on the words writing your speech’re-writing it, adding and subtracting content. You may have given a little thought to your appearance and how that might be interpreted. But, like Sara Lynn, you probably ignored your vocal message. You probably left one-third of your message to chance. Most people are like Sara Lynn. Most people forget the power of the vocal message. Adding power to your voice is as important as adding power to your visual and vocal message.

Ten Tips for Adding Credibility to Your Voice

- Avoid nervous laughter. This is typical of women. Listen to your own voice and eliminate unnecessary laughter.

- Don’t end your statements with upward intonation or a question mark. This suggests a lack of confidence in what you are saying. End statements with a period! (Unless, of course, you are tentative about what you are saying).

- Don’t apologize for saying what you think. Say what you want to say and add emphasis to the words that give your statement power. For example: “This idea will fail without a preliminary pilot.” Instead of, “Excuse me, but. . . I believe if we don’t do a preliminary pilot, this idea might fail?”

- When pitching your ideas to the top brass, make every word count. Summarize your core idea and support it succinctly with powerful proof or evidence. The higher the level of the people you are speaking to, the more precious their time. They’ll get bored if you volunteer too many details or start giving a chronology of how you arrived at a point.

- Answer questions without preamble. In other words, when someone asks you a question, make sure the first sentence out of your mouth answers it. Listeners may tune out if you don’t directly address the subject that they raised. And they may doubt your trustworthiness if you evade the issue at hand.

- Say what you want to say, even if you have to interrupt. Women often fear interrupting and therefore never say anything or apologize so much that others have lost interest in what they are about to say. - Avoid qualifiers: “I think or I believe or maybe” messages. When you preface your statements with “I think” when you don’t think but you know, it sounds tentative. If you are unsure, then say you are unsure. Otherwise communicate with confidence.

- Avoid fillers. What are fillers? “ums, ahs, you know.”

- Watch out for sounds that may take away from your message, throat clearing, breathless voice, shaky voice.

- Move your mouth as you speak. If your mouth is not moving, you are either mumbling, talking too fast or speaking too quietly.

Speaking up with confidence takes time, dedication and practice. Most of the tips above are unconscious habits. You do them and do not realize it. To erase these unconscious habits takes dedication. With that kind of dedicated effort, however, you’ll soon notice people listening to you and responding to you with a new-found respect.

Dr. Joan Curtis is a nationally known communications coach. She has over 20 years experience as a trainer and educator. Dr. Curtis’ new book: Talk Your Way Out of Sticky Situations at Work which will showcase the Say It Just Right Model of communication will be released in 2009 by Greenwood Press. Find more at http://www.totalcommunicationscoach.com/how-to-handle-conflict.htm

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