Blog: Mel's Muse - Archive for May 2009
Successful Step Parenting: Consider The Impact Of Divorce On Children
Posted: Friday, 29th May 2009
Continuing the series on Stepfamilies, this revised and updated excerpt from Mel's book examines the steps that can be taken to avoid some of the problems that may arise for children of divorce.
MARRYING AGAIN used to be the only alternative to remaining single after a divorce but, with a shift in benefit payments in the UK, that is no longer the case. Nevertheless, despite a fall in remarriages since a peak of 141,00 in 1988, they still account for nearly 40% of all marriages, and more than 10% of families with dependent children are stepfamilies.* Sadly, many of them are not destined to succeed.
Articles on related themes: Stepfamilies
Broken Spoken English - When A Polite Request May Inadvertently Be Rude
Posted: Wednesday, 27th May 2009
Creative writing is not always what it seems! It is a temptation, sometimes, to put up on my blog some of the jokey e-mails that circulate, if for no other reason, than to give people a laugh. I have always resisted, however, on the grounds that this is not its purpose.
The inclusion today is somewhat different in that it comes into the realms of creative writing. Syntax and punctuation are largely to blame for the delightful errors that follow.
Lead Techniques When Writing An Article
Posted: Tuesday, 26th May 2009
Part 4 of 6 in a Series on Article Writing
When writing an article, do you plan for success? Or for failure? Silly question? Possibly!
In the past few weeks, we’ve been considering the secrets of article writing through the lens of knowing your market. That has included the personal experience, professional expertise, and specialist knowledge you have to bring to your writing. Today, we’re going to take a look, in broad terms, at the structure of an article; and in particular at the factors that spell success in the opening paragraph. What follows is relevant to all articles, regardless of theme or genre.
Marriage And Remarriage: When Two Halves Don't Make A Whole
Posted: Friday, 22nd May 2009
Following is an abridged and revised excerpt from Mel’s book Stepfamilies, which the BBC recently asked her to debate on the Richard Bacon show. In previous posts, the inference has been that unless the two people embarking on a second (or subsequent) marriage get it right, there is little chance of tackling other blended family issues, such as step-parenting.
Most marriages don’t add two people together. They
subtract one from the other.
Articles on related themes:
Relationships; Self Help; Family & Parenting; Books, Reading & Words; Stepfamilies
Know Your Market, Know Your Reader, When Writing An Article
Posted: Wednesday, 20th May 2009
Part 3 of 6 in a Series on Article Writing
Whatever you read about the secrets of article writing, one of the first pieces of advice you’ll be given will be to Know Your Market. In blogging terms that means knowing your Brand – as I alluded to in a previous post (see below). But it’s amazing how often this is overlooked by those hoping for publication. Last week we looked at this crucial element of writing, by seeing what it means from the viewpoint of knowing what personal experience, specialist knowledge, and professional expertise you can draw on.
Articles on related themes: Blogging
Live With Less: How To Love Working To Live Rather Than Living To Work
Posted: Monday, 18th May 2009
I began this article a couple of months ago before Parliamentary Expenses took over as the latest UK soap opera escapism from the real story of boom and bust economics. So I wondered, this morning, whether it would still have any relevance; whether, in fact, it would resonate with you, my readers. But thinking about it, I see now that it is all part and parcel of the same malaise: an obsession with economic prosperity which completely masks the real values in life.
Articles on related themes: Books, Reading & Words; Family & Parenting; Life, Faith & Other Stuff
Love And Commitment: The Basis Of A Stable Marriage
Posted: Friday, 15th May 2009
Last week, in my Friday series on Families & Parenting, which is currently focused on stepfamilies, I pointed out that if American author Charles Swindoll equated marriage to a house, then remarriage could be said to be like a conversion. I then went on to show why love, in terms of romance, is not always enough to get you through the grey days, and suggested that commitment – an act of will rather than emotion – was the answer.
Today, I’m going to continue with an outline of what traditional marriage and commitment have to offer.
Articles on related themes: Family & Parenting; Books, Reading & Words; Relationships
The Secrets Of Article Writing: Know Your Market, Know Yourself
Posted: Thursday, 14th May 2009
Part 2 of 6 in a Series on Article Writing
I began this series of articles with one titled Ten Tips On Writing An Article and I'm going to unwrap each of these ten points in turn and look at them in detail. Some may require more than one post to develop the theme, so I hope you’ll stick with me and see it through to the end.
YOUR SPECIALIST KNOWLEDGE
The first tip on my list was know your market.
Articles on related themes:
Content
Ten Tips On Writing An Article
Posted: Wednesday, 13th May 2009
Part 1 of 6 in a Series on Article Writing
Article writing, or journalism, is an art-form quite unlike anything else. And yet, in many ways, the fundamentals are identical to the way in which you’d go about writing a book. It’s these differences and similarities which I’m going to look at today.
ARTICLE WRITING OR BLOGGING
In this post I’m simply going to outline the main features of a successful piece of writing, which we’ll look at in more detail at a later date.
Remarriage: Laying Firm Foundations
Posted: Friday, 8th May 2009
A marriage is a lot like our house. While new it sparkles. Fresh smells, fun surprises and new discoveries... As time passes, however... the grit of responsibility mixed with the grind of routine starts to take its toll... Weeds sprout. Doors squeak and sag. Windows stick. Paint peels. Roofs leak... From Strike The Original Match by Charles R Swindoll, pb Multnomah Press 1980.
THOSE WORDS WERE written nearly thirty years ago by one of America’s most popular authors, a father of four. They show a realism about family life that goes beyond the obvious falling in love and living happily ever after.
Articles on related themes: Relationships; Stepfamilies
Creative Writing Tips And The Definition Of Denouement
Posted: Tuesday, 5th May 2009
This article has been revised & updated on: 6th September, 2010. Photo: Looking back down to the end of the funicular railway at the sea below!
I expect many of you, as an aspiring author, will know that a novel has a beginning, a middle and an end. That’s pretty obvious, I would have thought. But that statement is not quite as simple as it may first appear.
The Beginning of a novel is neither defined by, nor confined to, its opening sentence. Nor even its first paragraph, section or chapter. A novel’s Beginning is the first quarter of its length, and its End is the last quarter of its length.
Articles on related themes: Content; Writing & Publishing A Book; Plot; Creative Writing
Stable Stepfamilies: Book Excerpt - Foreword
Posted: Friday, 1st May 2009
AS A SCHOOLGIRL, I loved history. Not the dry dates and wars of my school books, but the vital characters that strode right out of their pages straight into my imagination. People like Henry VIII of England, for instance. His marriages particularly fascinated me.
Articles on related themes: Relationships; Family & Parenting; Books, Reading & Words; Stepfamilies
Do Niche Blogs Attract More Readers & Subscribers Than A Scatter-gun Approach?
Posted: Friday, 1st May 2009
Have you ever thought about what makes the best blogging sites so attractive, and why you subscribe to some and not to others? Yes, I asked a similar question in a previous post titled Six Blogging Styles: Which Approach Turns You On? but, today, I want to take that further.
Articles on related themes: Blogging
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