The Right Kind of Stops – Importance of Using Correct Punctuation

By Hansini Gunasekara

Alright, no beating around the bush this time, because we are getting into some serious business. Punctuation! I’m pretty sure all of us have been called ‘lousy punctuation users’ at one point or the other.  Well, I have and believe me, it’s not fun to be called that after years of writing and endless torture at grammar lessons in school. Learning how to use those commas, periods and exclamation marks in the right places is like learning how to style your hair. No one tells you that hairspray stinks or that curlers don’t work on straight hair, you’ve got to learn it by yourself. Using the right punctuations is also like that; simple, yet a long process of making mistakes and correcting them along the way.

So, what exactly is important in using these marks at the right places? I mean, they are just tiny spots or lines, aren’t they? That’s what I believed until this happened. 

- Dan performed his favorite song minutes after he was shot dead.

- Dan performed his favorite song; minutes after, he was shot dead. 

The wordings of the above sentences are the same. But when you read them, you clearly understand that there is a massive difference in their meanings. Here’s another I’ve come across. 

Dear John, 

I have no feelings now. For other men, I yearn. For you, I will shed no more tears. When we are apart, I can be happy forever. Will you please let me be? 

Yours, Gloria 

Dear John,

I have no feelings now, for other men. I yearn for you. I will shed no more tears when we are apart; I can be happy forever. Will you please let me be yours? 

Gloria 

British author Lynne Truss once said that if people stopped paying attention to punctuation, it would be the death of all poems and prose. We can imagine what Shakespeare would have sounded like, if it wasn’t for all his semicolons and commas. 

The secret of punctuations lies in the voice inflexion patterns.  When we speak, we pause after certain words and stress on others; if not, the listener would be left utterly confused. Writing is even trickier. Since we may not be with the reader, an entirely wrong message would go across if wrong punctuation is used. In some parts of the world, this would bring you death sentence. 

Did you know that there is a difference between a slash/stroke and a solidus? I didn’t, until I became serious with Writum. Both look very similar – lines inclined to the right, but a slash is used in place of a hyphen or an en-dash (oh, I know this!) to represent a strong joint between words or parts of a sentence. It is also commonly used to replace “or” and in between lines of poems/ prose. A solidus on the other hand, a slightly thinner version of the slash, is used to denote a shilling. Well, yes, a solidus isn’t important, unless you are writing about British Commonwealth before decimalization. 

Did you also know that there were four different varieties of brackets? Namely, they are parenthesis, square brackets, curly brackets and chevrons (angle brackets) and are used to denote surprisingly different things. Honestly, I still don’t fully get why it’s such big a deal. They are all used to interject text that aren’t supposed to be in the main piece of writing, aren’t they? However, unfortunate for us writers, they cannot be used randomly. Parenthesis is used like the typical brackets, to put information that isn’t supposed to be in the main sentence and square brackets are for things added by people other than the original author. 

Kelly said (while Jen was sprawling on the ground looking for the missing diamond), in a serious voice, “I don’t think he [the artist] would mind”

Here’s a tip. It is known that when writers wish to be funny, they end their sentences with exclamations, because they add a tone of excitements to the sentence. 

- I want to be a billionaire.

- I want to be a billionaire! 

(I really don’t think the speaker of sentence 1 means it)

These are a few lessons I’ve learned along the way and honestly, I have never used guillemets in my writing and I don’t know how to. The secret lies behind knowing how to use the basic punctuation marks (commas, full stops, quotations, colons, semi-colons, hyphens, parenthesis, exclamations and question marks) in the right places, so that your written sentence would make perfect sense, like it would, if it was spoken.

Warm Wishes From All Of Us At Writum

Writer’s block?

By Rohitha Perera

Have a break. Have a Kit Kat.

There you are, poised with your fingers in midair about to let loose a stream of wordy brilliance onto that A4 sheet of paper when all you can manage is a whimper of disbelief – you have lost the ability to write (shock, gasp)! No Oscar Wilde brilliance, no Pulitzer-standard words of wisdom, only just a quivering pen. Your brain has hit a veritable cul-de-sac. No more ideas, no more thoughts, no words, nothing. But regard this impotent period as just a bad day at the office. Striking fear into the hearts of writers everywhere is that specter known as – writer’s block. This is known as the inability to produce new work and it is a condition that varies in intensity. You, like all other writers, would have suffered or will suffer from this condition. Like hunger, it is inevitable.

You see, writer’s block may affect you for a plethora of reasons. Firstly, you may have run out of inspiration. This is something that is universal and the best way you can address this is to chill. Go for a jog, listen to some music, run off to your favorite restaurant (this is what I do), watch a movie or just take a nap. Do what works for you. This “time out” will get your brain to relax and will revitalize it later on for some real    
                                                                            out-of-the-box thinking.


Secondly, one of the most common reasons why you may suffer from writer’s block is due to personal circumstances. You may be having issues with your career, personal life or your health. Whichever way you look at it we all got problems and we will continue to do so until hearts stop beating. The only way to get around this is to block problems out and find a space where you can work in peace. If home is not a conducive place for work, then arm yourself with your laptop and dongle and head on down to the nearest Coffee Bean or Barista. (Personally, I prefer the M. D. Gunasena down Vajira Road. Not only is it peaceful and quiet, you can indulge in coffee and donuts whenever you need that caffeine-sugar high. But this is my space, so I better not see you there. :) 


Thirdly, you think your work is crap. Yet this may not be the actual case. When working on a project, you will realize that as long as you adhere to all the requirements set out, everything will fall into place. Don’t get too emotionally attached to your art form, just see it for what it is, which is just quality work. Stephen King, one of the most prolific writers of the modern era, compares writing to physical work. Once you strip away all the emotional complications that are attached to writing, you will find that it is an easy and enjoyable endeavor. 

Last but not least, maybe it is your work space that is the issue. They do say that having a clear desk will help you have a clear mind. Indubitably, this would help you set things in order, and ideate and write more easily. Consider a few other writer-friendly tips as well. Ensure that you have good lighting and that your seat is comfortably placed so that you are not perched at an odd angle. Make sure that you computer screen is at eye level and that you do not have to strain your eyes up or down in order to see the screen.  


Remember, if you do find yourself in a rut, you are not the only one. So before, you do drag out that cricket bat and start hammering your head silly, make sure you first consider all those tips expressed earlier
on. In most cases, writer’s block is a temporary condition and can be solved within a few hours. It is all part and parcel of being a writer, embrace it and go through the motions of getting over it.
  
If you are still feeling down, remember this – you are in hallowed company. Authors such as Leo Tolstoy, Virginia Woolf, William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway and a host of others have met face to face with writer’s block and given it a smarting slap.  
  
I suggest that you do the same. 

What's the BIG deal with Plagiarism?

By Dinesh Perera

Just type the word ‘Plagiarism’ on a Microsoft word document and ‘look up’ the definition. Apparently it means ‘the process of copying another person’s idea or written work and claiming it as original’. Now wait a minute. Does copying that definition straight off ‘Word’ constitute plagiarism? Goodness! Did I just plagiarise an article on plagiarism? Hope not, but maybe you are unsure yourself as to what is right, what is wrong and how to construct an article while researching on the internet. So let’s take some time out and figure out what this really means. And also look at how it applies to you and I, working on content matter for the Internet.

The first step here is to perhaps understand why this is wrong. Imagine yourself, crafting an article from scratch. Think of the hours of research that goes into it and putting an article together. You of all people know that writing an article from scratch is not as easy as it sounds. Now think of countless other people out there ripping off parts of your original creation. Nicking a line from here and copying a phrase from there and putting together an article that is not perfect but definitely good enough. Now consider the fact that, they are posing off as original authors of the said articles and making money off your hard work, time and skills. Preposterous eh? Well if that’s what you feel then you certainly wouldn’t do something like that now would you? Would you?

Well you would. The internet is not for saints and wholesale nicking of content was not deemed a sin when Moses put that “big list of don’ts” together. While plagiarism is not felt as a sin and definitely not looked upon as a crime in Sri Lanka, (although according to the U.S. Customer Seller Agreement Law [upon which Writum is legally bound] plagiarism, is in fact, considered as copyright infringement and therefore, a CRIME! - one that can get you fired, without room for a second chance), you may feel that there is no immediate threat of standing in front of hell’s gate for unauthorised copying from an article crafted by a hardworking and honest content writer. However, the downside is the humiliation that arises when you have been sussed out. Humiliation is always worse than guilt, especially if you call yourself a writer and step out into society claiming to be one of the learned, literary types. Imagine the shame when they figure out that you are a learned and literary cheat!

Okay, so content writing is nowhere near as prestigious as writing a novel or book like the funny ‘Jam Fruit Tree’ or the gorgeous ‘God of Small Things’ but it is still deemed to be original. And not everyone out there can sit at a computer console, do research and craft original articles that are actually intelligent and interesting. That takes talent and skills too. So if you are a content writer, you need to be proud of it and be sincerely proud of the work you do and you need to do it ethically and correctly. That unfortunately has no space for the word ‘Plagiarism’.

Now the old school content writers are bound by old school traditions. Yes in the internet age where content writing has a long and illustrious history of not more than 1o years give or take a few, we already have a code of conduct and plagiarism is the worst thing you could do. But these new types think that they can get away with it. How very untrue!

Just do a ‘Google Search’ on ‘plagiarism checker’ or ‘plagiarism tracker’ and look at the number of options available for content management companies to track who amongst their contributors are getting nasty with their work. And most of these solutions are available for free! So if you don’t give a damn about ethics and guilt and think it’s not too bad a sin to plagiarise then the very Internet you plagiarise offers the very tools to keep you in check or kick you out. And further, content management companies rely on original articles to keep their businesses going; the very material that keeps hundreds and thousands of content writers making an honest living in this day and age. If your laziness and lack of respect for what you do finds its way to the internet it could jeopardise the functioning of the content managing company you are attached to and the hundreds of people relying on that company’s existence. So you seriously do need to be careful and concerned and give originality your best shot.

So you ask what options are there to write an article without cheating? Well the answer is very simple: GRASP IT – WRITE IT.

• Most content writing restricts you to 400 or 600 words per article.
• Read a few related articles on the internet.
• Then think of a suitable introduction you can spin for at least one third of the article.
• Then look at fleshing out the body copy with interesting facts, figures, ideas, opinions and quotations.
• Finally end it all up with a hard hitting finish.

To do this you need to understand each article on its’ own. Once you have been through a few related articles you will know what you should be writing about and for a good content writer, the article structuring plan will be very clear and the words will just keep flowing.

And here is a valuable tip, talk to the content management company you work for and tell them what areas you are most interested in. For example if it’s electronics then they will be in a better position to set aside more relevant articles for you to work on. The fact that these subjects are of interest to you will result interesting and genuine articles. This is far better than getting a content writer who is a charming young lady, devoted to her pets with no clue on how electronic items work to do an article on electronics when you could easily construct a 1000 word article on most electronics based topics with little or no research.

And as a final solution, for those times you are really stuck, consider ‘paraphrasing’. By this we mean look at how a certain author has expressed facts and opinions in his or her article piece. Get the gist of it and put your own spin on it. This is perfectly allowed and it is a solution even the best old school content writers use without the slightest feel of guilt or trepidation. 

Happy writing everyone!

Yes! we are looking for more talented writers to join our growing family

If you ask around how Writum operates, you may be surprised at the answers you get.

Yes! we practice open culture in here with precedence to freewill :)

That simply means, our writers can choose when to write and on what projects - no strings attached and absolutely no pressure (apart from the deadlines of course!)

We have many people walking in and out of Writum for various reasons - but we are the least possessive type when it comes to our employees.

So whether you are looking for a short term engagement or a long term career, we are here to assist you the best way we can.

I suppose this is also a good time to say 'Good bye' & 'Good Luck' to a few of our lovely people:

Nipuna Weeratunga (Aka Neo) and Shevon Vannitamby who have left to the US to pursue their higher studies... Good luck guys!

Nabila Sameer who's migrated to Aussie and is still settling down in there - Good luck in everything you do - we will miss you!

Dinush Pahathkumbure who's resigned in search of better prospects :) - Good luck to you too D!

And a Final Good bye and Good luck to our very own Divs - who's no longer with Writum - Good luck in everything you do!

Did anyone receive a treat from Shalomi Weerawardena before she left to India for higher studies...? I know I didn't! :P But we are happy that she will continue to be a part of our team :) Good Luck to you girl...

I feel it is also the time to welcome a few lovely people... so that our hi's and bye's strike balance

So this Warm Welcome is out to

Rohitha Perera (oh! we know you've been here for almost forever - sorry about the wishes coming in through snail mail)

Lasantha David,

Tharaka Peiris (soon to part with us in pursuit of higher education in the US),

Dinesh Perera,

Layanthi Tennekoon,

Theruni Perera,

Dilina Pathirage,

Fahad A.C.

Pavithri Attanayake and

Yusra Farzan

(To do justice to their names - we shall post a little profile for each person in due course)

Phew! that's quite a list and yes! we are looking to build it up in length.... so if you fancy joining Writum as a freelance writer - our doors are open for you! (oh should I say our 'air' space? virtual office?)

Want to know more? Read our blog at www.writum.com or simply write to us at info@writum.com

 

Happy Belated Birthday Dinasha & Hansini!

Happy Birthday Haseena

A Procrastinator's Paradise

Writing really does seem like the perfect profession for people who prefer procrastination. (Nice bit of alliteration there, right?) I mean there are all those writers out there, complaining that they're just not inspired enough, that they can't find their muse, it isn't the write time yet, and so on.

Sometimes they put things off just because they don't feel like it. The excuse that writers are artists and need to be in the right mood to create may work for you if you've ever been there, but to those professionals depending on your services at a fixed time, it just sounds diva-like.

Writing, like all the arts, takes commitment and dedication. To someone for whom it's always come naturally, it's hard to imagine that sometimes you actually need to work at it. For me, it's always been easier to take the approach that it comes if it comes, and otherwise, you don't have to write just then.

Unfortunately for that mindset, I decided to put my passion to practical use. Then I found out it's not quite the same as writing for pleasure. There are deadlines, expectations, requirements to fulfill. Sure, you can have your own style, but when you're writing for someone else, you end up having to work at making yourself sound the way they want you to. That's why you get paid, after all. It's not easy, but it's do-able. And the sense of achievement that comes from mastering it is worth it.

I still slip up sometimes, falling back into the old habit of thinking that I should wait until I feel it to write it, and then there's a last minute scramble to meet deadlines whether I feel like it or not.

Before choosing to write as a professional, think about whether you're willing to put in the effort it takes. Are you willing to keep trying to write even when you feel like you really can't? Will you able to not take your skill for granted and look for new ways of making it better? Can you do the research it takes?

Sometimes it's better to ease into it until you get a feel for what you can and can't do. Take a project or two, and see how that goes. If writing is something you love, decide whether it will add to, or detract from your pleasure when you're forced to write about horribly mundane things like how to clean up after pets. Try everything out, and focus on your areas of strength while working on your weaknesses. If you limit yourself, you will also be limiting your income when you go professional.

It's like someone pointed out, no talent works without exercising the muscles that it uses. Even the most famous athletes put in lots of time outside competitions - why should writers be any different?

~ No Mountain Is Too High For Us To Climb ~

So I finally found the time to unveil the force behind Writum...

The unveiling of course, happens while we mark the significant event of OFFICIALLY completing 200 projects since Writum started off in August 2007... Note the word 'officially' haha! That means we have in effect have completed nearly 235 projects so far - that have not been counted, officially.

I will not go in to detail about our STARS who shine with their own bright light. Looking at the talent on board - I would not stop writing for days if I start...

So to briefly say a Holla out to everyone...

Dinush ZEE - Our expert toastmaster on board with an engineering background plus superb writing skills...not to mention the ballroom dancing skills ;) of whom we are still trying to figure out the 'ZEE' part to the name :D

Sue (AKA Sureshni)- Our bride to-be whose dedication to work cannot be expressed in mere words. We miss having you around these days...but hope you will be back soon enough as a Mrs :) hehe

Dilrukshi - Our Miss. busy who works around the clock and who writes with such professional flair to knock all our customers out.

Jeevs (AKA Sanjeewa) - Our 'On-Stage' star who works dedicatedly while, multitasking around....

Mudith - The serious and the professional one around - does not talk too much but when it comes to writing - his whole soul comes out :)

Divs (AKA Divya) - The lady who's currently absorbed in newspapers out of no choice... Although we don't see her at Writum regularly nowadays, if you ever run in to her, you are surely seeing immense talent!

Hasi (AKA Haseena) - Our aspiring lawyer, with a knack for writing and manipulating words that pierce through the heart...

Shehani - Our superstar look-alike who writes with a flow that can move mountains... (yup! and she will kill me for that superstar lookalike part)

Mariam - Here's the diva that dances with words... if you ever read one of her pieces, you'll choke to death for she just steals your breath away!

D (AKA Dinasha) - The one who's currently in a pssionate relationship with Writum and for that matter, who's been in romantic relationship with words forever - soon to become our exclusive proofreader and editor ~

Nilanka - The tech geek on board (officially carrying the title "Consultant" at Writum) who'd write on anything from Artificial intelligence to rocket science, if needed. Also, soon to become one of our "Executive Directors" :)

Then we've got our new comers

Nipuna - An aspiring engineer, full of energy, taking time off to enthusiastically explore new avenues in life through writing..

Hansini - A psychology major - (enough said?? *wink*) putting her heart and soul in to writing

Nabila - Our miss. cute smile :) who's happy go lucky with her chirpy personality that brings life to words with her works of wonder with literature.

The remaining 02 new comers are currently lying in our 007 folder - so they will be revealed in due course...

Before we wrap up... It's only fair to mention former members of Writum who's put their heart and soul in to the work they did.

Chaminda - The most tech savviest (is that a real word?) 50 something yr old I've ever come across in my life whosE writing skills just leaves me shocked all the time ~

Sanjeev - Not only a top class opera singer but a top class technical writer whose professional approach to work is unfathomable.

Chamathka - The little sister on the team who took pleasure in writing during vacation; currently pursuing her higher studies in the U.S of A

Sunesh - Our local talent on the screen with such flair for language and creativity in both writing and reporting :)

and lastly but not in the very least our dear doctor dude - Vino - who went over and above his profession of being a MD to explore horizons with writing.

Writum stands strong today because you keep it (or kept it alive) in your heart and soul... so here goes THREE CHEERS to a virtual family that does wonders with words!

Visit our team profile at

http://www.writum.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=3

for more inside scoop!!!

Who bites the dust?

We are in the

process of recruiting more freelance writers for our team.

A common question on everybody's mind is what it takes to be successful at Writum...

The concept of freelance writing may not be new to Sri Lanka arena, but 'work from home freelance writing' for a company sure is!... That is where Writum invokes the curious minds. So here's a list of basic requirements and expectations from us here at Writum.

* All our projects are based on our second language; English - However, majority of our clients are Native English speakers. Therefore, unless you have competitive English language skills to match up to a Native English speaker, you are unlikely to be successful in working for Writum.

* Knowing how to use your freedom productively and managing your time efficiently are two utmost pre-requisites when it comes to writing at Writum. We allocate a fair deadline for projects to be completed and it is up to you to complete the project within the said time frame. Where you work, how you work and at what time you work are of little concern to us as we count on you to complete the work as scheduled.

* Commitment to work is a virtue that every Writum team member should posess. Let's admit it! It's no easy task to be seated at one place producing articles, one after the other, while chasing a deadline. However, if you are committed and if you have the determination that is required to get the job done, you will most certainly succeed at Writum!

* Creativity is another treasured trait that we welcome at Writum. You may be given topics that you know really well of or that you know little or nothing of. But if you are able to blend in with the information that you find on the web through research, in order to produce a creative piece of writing, then you will come out as a winner!

* Respect for Originality is something that we are dead serious about. If you take pleasure in finding the easy way out such as cutting and pasting content from the internet, then you should forget about joining Writum.

So as you can understand from the above pointers, it takes a self motivated individual to become successful at Writum. Why do you think we say that self-motivation is important?

Our baseline perceptions of a j0b, be it full time or part time, is naturally based on the perception of getting dressed as professionally as possible, getting to an office and working till 9am to 5pm.

But here at Writum, we have saved you the trouble of having to wake up early in the morning, sleep walking until you get dressed up and then being caught up at endless traffic jams until you get to our office. Instead, you've got the luxury of staying at home and delivering your write-ups via email. However, since staying at home is usually associated with relaxation and doing things at ease, it takes a self motivated individual to work efficiently for a company from home.

So ask yourself if you've got what it takes to become successful at Writum before you post that resume!.... :)

If you do, here's the email address to send your resume over:

get.hired@writum.com - dont forget to attach a sample writing of not more than 500 words as well.

Thanks!

A Gigantic Thank You!

It’s amazing how a team could work with team spirit, even though they’ve never met one another in person. I’m not sure if this is a controversial contradiction to social psychology theories but what is clear is that, the theories and concepts surely needs to go through a fine revision to be applicable for today’s information age.

I’m talking about our team member; Sureshni Jayawardena, who whole heartedly took over operations of Writum team while I was away on vacation. Her dedication and assertiveness plus the immense commitment to the company she works for are fine qualities that are worth much praise.

However, Sureshni is not the only member behind Writum’s success. All other team members, who chase after deadlines, one after the other in a quest to deliver high quality writing material; who try to integrate their creative abilities to the best of their knowledge in everything they do are the driving force behind Writum.

So here’s a gigantic thank you and 3 cheers to my team for their support, dedication and commitment which keeps Writum flying high as how it does, as always!…

Interested to find out more about Writum team? Visit our official Team Page at http://www.writum.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=3

Thus, A Journey Begins...

Every day is a new day that flowers refreshing experiences all over us. For us at Writum, the journeys never end. Every project, every write-up and every task makes us learn more and more while we march off in this journey chasing deadlines (which is not always pleasant, btw). But, at the end of every day, we look back and realize that we have grown up, a tad bit more than whom we used to be the day before.

Our initial set off happened back in 2007 and ("touch wood") ever since, we have moved on strongly facing all challenges that got thrown our way. The Writum Team has grown little by little. As of today, we stand strong - hand in hand - in our spirit although many of us may not have met each other in person.

Can a company become stable or operate efficiently without dealing with one another face-to-face? You may answer 'yes' if you have had previous experience walking down similar roads, but if you don't, you will most probably say 'no'.

The good news is that we have proven the stumble myth wrong!... Nothing is impossible in this era - nothing can get in the way and nothing is non-do-able!...

So walk with us, in this journey of exploration, where a lot of interesting facts varying from personal stories to global issues will be revealed…..