Muslim World Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Muslim World - Essay Example In a religious sense, the term Muslim world refers to the whole people who follow the teachings of Islam. From a modern geopolitical perspective, this term is used collectively to refer to Muslim-majority countries and regions. During the period of Rashidun and Umayyads, the Caliphate grew quickly and the Muslim power expanded beyond the Arabian Peninsula. Although the Islamic dominance on political issues has notably increased over the last century, intrusion of Western powers into Islamic regions and other international conflicts reduced the influence of Islam in the contemporary history. During the period between the early 15th and early 20th centuries, the history of the Muslim world is characterized with particular events, processes, and encounters. This paper will discuss some major events in the history of the Muslim world such as Sunni reform movement, fall of Granada, and the fall of Constantinople. Sunni Reform Movement Deobandi Movement, a popular Sunni reform movement is one of the major events that rewrote the entire history of the Muslim world. As Sankar and Mandal describe, the movement began in India as a reaction to the British colonial rule, and spread to the neighboring countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, etc. which later came to be the hub of this movement (62). Very recently its waves have reached South Africa and the United Kingdom. The term Deobandi derived from Deoband, the place where Darul Uloom Deoband, a Sufi School started in the year 1866 is situated. However after the partition of Pakistan and Bangladesh from India, India lost its prominence and Pakistan and Afghanistan became prominent promoters of this movement. The overwhelming prominence of Deobandi movement in Pakistan and Afghanistan soon made its spread to the other parts of the world. History Sunni reform movement is believed to have its origin in Asian countries like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. However some say that the movement was first or iginated in India as a reaction to the British colonialists. Those who say that this movement is originated in India point that the Sufi school Darul Uloom Deoband, from which the term ‘Deobandi’ is derived, is situated in India. Nadwatul-Ulama Lucknow and Darul Uloom Karachi are two notable Hanafi seminaries of Deobandi Schools. However, the historians and Muslim scholars say that the movement was present in other neighboring countries of India at the same time. In this context it has to be noted that the founding fathers of Debandi Movement were very much influenced by the Wahabi Movement that was present in Saudi Arabia. The only difference between the Wahabis and the Deobandis is visible in their approach to Ashri and Maturidi creeds. While the latter ascribe to both the creeds, the former adhere only to the literal meaning of both the creeds. Currently the movement is spread across the world including South Africa and the United Kingdom. Though it reached these cou ntries very recently, it has become very strong in these countries. Consider how it is growing in the UK. At present, over 600 of the total 1500 mosques here are under the control of Muslim scholars who favor Deobandi Teachings. Adding further, around 17 Islam seminaries; there are total 26 Islam seminaries in the UK, are following the same teaching. It means that more than 80 percent of the total domestically trained Ulema or Muslim scholars are trained to follow Deobandi doctrines. Spreading of Sunni movement Currently Sunni movement is present in many countries and continents including the United Kingdom, South Africa and Asia, the continent where it actually originated. Now it has become

International economics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

International economics - Assignment Example Fagnusson says that once the product is acquired abroad, they are labeled by the apparel company to ensure that they command brand identification after which they are sold either in the domestic or foreign markets (103). This scenario attests to the fact that cost of production is important element in making strategic production choices. When Spain opens its borders to the large number of unskilled Africans seeking to immigrate, they gets access to cheap labor. Suppose Spain was to open its borders to the large number of unskilled Africans seeking to work there, it is likely to benefit from cheap labor. Unskilled labor is cheap because these people do not possess any skills; hence they lack the bargaining power in the market. When skilled labor is acquired cheaply, the implication is that the overall cost of production becomes cheaper (Salvatore 221). The fact that Spain allows influx of unskilled labor in the market implies that the country will enjoy a comparative advantage in its production. Comparative advantage refers to the ability of a country to produce goods or services at a lower marginal cost and opportunity cost over the other. Spain stands to benefit greatly in international trade because it enjoys absolute advantage in its production because of cheap labor. For instance, if Spain decides to import skilled labor for manufacturing sector, then it enjoys absolute advantage in production of manufacturing products. Spain, therefore, stands in a good platform to exploit its comparative advantage since it concentrates in the production of manufactured goods for export; and since it can import other goods or services, which it does not enjoy comparative advantage (Viner 125). The concept of comparative advantage has merit in many areas in the sense that it assists the country to earn foreign currency. The foreign earnings a re good since they can be used to finance various social and infrastructural programs in Spain. The foreign earnings are

Role of Social Interactions in Identity Formation

Role of Social Interactions in Identity Formation Critically examine how sociology discusses social interactions (or social relations) and the role these interactions play in shaping the notion of self and/or identity. Social interaction involves people communicating face-to-face, acting and reacting in relation to each other using verbal as well as non-verbal cues. Every social interaction is characterised and dependent on peoples distinct positions in terms of their statuses, their standards of conduct or norms and their sets of expected behaviour or roles (Furze et al., 2008: 115). Furze et al. identify three major modes of social interaction, each of which is not without its limitations. This essay will suggest that perhaps there is a need for a refinement or refashioning of existing approaches to the study of social interaction due to such limitations. In addition, the inexplicable link between notions of the self, individual identity and the social realm will be established, namely through the work of Richard Jenkins. Exchange theory involves social interactions which trade in attention and other valued resources. As an important social force that cements social interactions, it is a competitive exchange of resources. People communicate to varying degrees to extract some sort of benefit from interactions, one that is often of an economic nature. For example, a brief everyday interaction between a supermarket shopper and the cashier could be subject to this theory. Rational choice theory describes how interacting people will always try to maximise benefits and minimise costs to themselves. That is, everyone wants to gain the most from their interactions socially, emotionally, and economically while paying the least. Dramaturgical analysis describes the way in which social interaction involves a constant role-playing, an approach that was first developed by sociologist Erving Goffman (1959). He likens the presentation of the self in everyday life to that of actors in a theatre. We are constantly engaged in role-playing which is most evident when we are front stage in public settings (Furze et al., 2008: 127). We learn, socialise and adopt roles so that we know what is considered acceptable behaviour in the public domain. We take these on through the various institutions of socialisation, such as the family, the school and the media, for example. Furthermore, Goffmans analysis problematises Pierre Bourdieus theory of power, practice and conflict theories of social interaction. Conflict theory emphasises that when people interact, their statuses are arranged in a hierarchy and the degree of inequality strongly affects the character of social interaction between the interacting parties (Bourdieu, 1977). On the other hand Goffman implies that such cues can be manipulated and misinterpreted. For example, a luxury car may signify wealth but if it were in fact stolen property then its public impression contradicts the actual status held by its owner. These theoretical frameworks for social interaction, then, are important to sociology because they have been developed in an attempt to explain how we live with each other in various forms of social relations. The idea of face-to-face relations is a much broader idea now than, say, around 20 years ago where avenues for social interaction such as the Internet and mobile phones were. It is mostly structured around norms and status we carry, for example. The ever-increasing popularity over the past five years of Internet Social Networking Sites such as Facebook and Twitter, for example, complicate Goffmans notion of the front stage-backstage binary. The notion of the self in an early historical sociological view was that there was a separation between society and the self. C. Wright Mills (1959) as well as Emile Durkheim in the example of suicide maintain that, certainly, the public world (socio-cultural world) and the private self are always interconnected (Geary, 2009). We are shaped by a specific set of forces which locate the self in and of particular sets of circumstances and this is what is what is referred to as the process of socialisation. We develop a sense of self by how we perceive the other. Identifying ourselves or others is a matter of meaning, and meaning always involves interaction: agreement and disagreement, convention and innovation, communication and negotiation (Jenkins, 2004: 4). Identity formation, then, is almost always already part of social and cultural relations or interactions. To identify the self and the so-called other person, according to Jenkins, relates to the way meaning-making impacts on us, as well as the way we alter such meanings. The individual and the collective are routinely entangled with each other and the three approaches exchange theory, rational choice theory and dramaturgical analysis outlined by Furze et al. are some examples. These must accommodate the fluidity of identity and notions of the self.

Audio Format Wars :: essays research papers fc

Audio Format Wars Before buying a new car, getting married, or adopting a new audio format it is wise to ask a few questions, peer under the hood, and ask the advice of someone you trust. Will the new format satisfy your needs not only now but, also in the future? Will it look (and sound) as good on all the mornings after you first met? The analogue cassette is an old and trusted versatile friend that went with you on those morning jogs and cruised in the car with you on Friday nights. However, the powers that be, have declared our trusted friend to be in the last phase of the life cycle. It's successor must sound better, work better, and have new features such as a digital display for song titles. There are currently two formats competing to be the consumers next choice for sound on the go. They are Philips' Digital Compact Cassette (DCC) and Sony's Mini Disc (MD). What exactly is digital recording? The definition is, "An electronic format that is designed to duplicate sound, while affording extremely accurate control over any changes you might wish to make in the recording" (Mclan & Wichman,1988). In simple terms it means that the digital circuitry samples the signal and then reproduces what it has seen. The quality of the recording depends on the sampling rate of the machine. The sampled signal is then encoded to the tape or disc in 1's and 0's, just like a computer disk drive would encode information. However, the biggest advantage of digital recording is the fact that it eliminates tape "hiss" that is usually found present in analogue recordings. In the Eighties, a Philips invention captured the limelight. The Compact Disc introduced us to a new era of digital sound, or "perfect sound." In the nineties another Philips invention has taken centre-stage, the Digital Compact Cassette (DCC). DCC is the marriage of the analogue cassette to Digital Audio. Together they form a union that combines perfect sound, high convince and greater versatility. " DCC is a medium on which audio information is digitally encoded and which reproduces CD quality sound" (Philips Electronics, Sound & Vision, 1995). A number of features have been incorporated into DCC tapes and decks to achieve CD like sound and convince. DCC decks can locate a chosen track on either side of the tape because track and time codes are recorded on the tape. This combined with autoreverse, which is standard on all DCC decks, makes track access effortless but, not as fast as a CD. Another attractive feature of DCC is the text mode.

Justification of theory Essay

When talking to Matthew it is essential the teacher makes him feel comfortable, the teacher does this by talking in a clear but soft voice but also being careful that its not just Matthew that she talks to like this as this could single him out from other students. Verbal communication can say a lot about how your trying to speak to the client, as the pitch and tone can create atmosphere when speaking. It is important to speak in a soft voice to Matthew as when shouting or telling him of in a loud voice this makes him aggressive and he can become violent as this would upset and make him feel uncomfortable. Non-Verbal Communication: non-verbal communication can mean many thing suck as moving hands when you speak, posture, how you sit or even facial expressions. Non-verbal communication is very important in any interaction. When interacting with Matthew he likes to be made to feel at ease. To do this the teacher should sit in an open posture with no objects blocking communication, also slightly leaning towards him being careful not to invade his personal space and keeping good eye contact at all times. Matthew’s teacher does not alas do this as when he is being aggressive she ignores him and does not keep any eyes contact, this makes Matthew more aggressive as he is trying to gain the teacher attention by being aggressive and disruptive so therefore his behaviour worsens. Facial expression also helps the interaction, as positive expressions such as smiling when Matthew is talking make him feel the teacher is interested in what he is saying so therefore may contribute to class discussions more in the future. Prompts can also be very helpful as when Matthew is uncomfortable speaking such prompts as ‘carry on’ or ‘that’s right’ may give him confidence when he is speaking. Outcome of Patterns: When all of the above have been taken into consideration a successful interaction will come of it. The above ways are how Matthew likes to be communicated with, as this way is the most effective as it does cause aggression. Overall Matthew has shown less aggression in the class and is interacting appropriately with his teacher and other student around him. E3: Identify and clearly describe relevant psychological theory for clients with the chosen behaviour in a particular health and social care setting. Theories: 1. Bowlby. Attachment/Separation theory 2. Berkowitiz. Aggression theory How theories relate to specific behaviour The first theory Bowlby’s maternal deprivation relates to Matthew as he is the oldest of four children and his father left when he was only seven, since then he has lived with his mother and has been the only male in the house. In studies using the strange situation Bowlby found that infants maybe securely attached to one parent but not the other or in securely attached to both. Bowlby also agrees that man are capable of providing adequate parenting and becoming attachment figures for there young children, and the ‘mother does not even have to be female’. Bowlby’s separation theory relates to Matthew as his parents divorced when he was seven and since then he has had no contact with him. Bowlby calls separation anxiety, namely the fear tat separation will occur again in the future. This can result in aggressive behaviour and greater demands towards the mother, which has been shown by Matthew in the case study. It’s also shown that the consequences of divorce are more serious and damaging then those following the death of a father. Which is why children who commonly experiencing parental divorce show separation anxiety, and they may begin to question the security of their remaining relationship, since if the father can leave, why not the mother too? Children usually deeply resent their parents separation and may retain fantasies of reunion for many years to come. They experience separation as a course that has been chosen by the parents in the knowledge that they do not want it. This especially applies to Matthew as he resents he mother for his father leaving. This makes children feel powerless, disregarded and angry. Where as Matthew has become very aggressive towards his mother because of his father leaving. Divorce has a far greater negative effect on the child’s school work then the death of a parent. As a result of these factors, the relationship between the child and the custodial parent is bound to suffer. Mothers become more authoritarian, increasing the number of demands and restrictions and becoming less affectionate. The children (especially boys) become more aggressive and inflexible. Berkowits aggression relates to Matthew as he has show violence towards his mother, which his father display to his mother in front of him before he left. Berkowits describes aggression as ‘behaviour which is physical or symbolic, that is carried out with the intention to harm someone’. He reserves the term violence for an extreme form of aggression, a deliberate attempt to do serious injury. Freud sees aggression as instinctive, with aggression energy needing to be released regularly if it is not to built up to dangerous levels. The frustration-aggression hypothesis see instinctive and learned reactions as involved, while the social learning approach deindividuation emphasize cognitive aspects of learning from others behaviour and the influence of others on the individual behaviour respectively. Berkowits aggressive-cue theory is bases on the fact that aggressive or violent behaviour is at least partly a reaction to specific features of the surrounding situation which ‘pull out’ responses that heighten the strength of the behaviour. This happens when the aggressive meaning for the aggressor and or when they some how remind the aggressor of decidedly unpleasant experiences; this is the aggressive-cue theory. This theory will relate to Matthew as when he’s reminded of his fathers aggressive behaviour towards his mother he then becomes aggressive himself and uses violence in the same way as his father. Justification of theory: I chose to apply these theories because it supports the behaviour that I am applying them to. As the case study shows aggression and separation the two theories will explain why such thing as aggression is caused and will also back up my work. E3. B Describe your chosen research technique, methods and sample size. Population size: The people involved in my research will be a total number of three. This will include Matthew his mother and teacher.

Chief Justice Earl Warren Essay

President Dwight Eisenhower appointed Earl Warren as the fourteenth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1953. Warren had been the governor of California twice and was also on the republican ticket for Vice President under Thomas Dewey. It was assumed that Warren would pickup where his successor Fred Vinson left off as a conservative member of the Supreme Court, but instead Warren positioned himself as a liberal. When Warren took over as Chief Justice, justices who aligned with judicial activism and those who were in favor of judicial restraint divided the Supreme Court. One of Warren’s goals was to renew the Supreme Courts role in defending individual rights. Warren presided over several civil rights landmark cases including Brown vs. Board of Education I and II, which would spark the great civil rights movement. Warren also presided over cases such as McGowan vs. Maryland and also Tropp vs. Dulles. In Brown vs. the Board of Education, Warren was greatly criticized for not appealing to the precedent (Plessy vs. Ferguson), and rather relying on common sense and fairness. In Chief Justices Warren’s dissenting opinion of Brown vs. Board of Education I, he stated † Today, education is perhaps the most important function of state and local governments . †¦ To separate them from others of similar age and qualifications solely because of their race generates a feeling of inferiority as to their status in the community.. .that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely to ever be undone.† His final statement emphasized that separate but equal facilities are inherently unequal, and also that such a doctrine deprived the plaintiffs of the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment. The unanimous decision uncoiled previous twists of the Constitution that focused solely on the belief that â€Å"separate but equal facilities did not imply any type of racial inferiority. In 1966 Warren and his court had another major decision to deal with, â€Å"Miranda v. State of Arizona.† The case dealt with criminal suspects and their rights. The court’s decision was that criminal suspects had to be informed of their  rights before questioning. Warren and the Supreme Court also ruled decisions dealing with legislative apportionment, the basic rights of citizenship, and limitation of the use of libel laws. Again, Warren received both criticism and praise as a result of his judicial performances. After such landmark cases, Warren’s leadership in these cases became a political institution known as † The Warren Court†, with a heavy emphasis on equality and civil rights. The Warren Court used judicial activism and judicial review to interpret the authority and infallibility of the Supreme Court to promote the importance of individual rights. If those individual rights were seen as infringed, the case was likely to be overturned. Warren presided over Brown v. Louisiana 1966, a case where a black student was arrested for protesting a segregated library. Again the Warren Court looked to the 14th Amendments guaranteeing the freedom of speech and assembly, ruling that these rights are not confined to verbal expression. In another case the Warren Court ruled on Yates v. United States 1956. In this case the court overturned the convictions of Communist leaders under the Smith Act. Under the Smith Act any person could be arrested and jailed for advocating the violent over throw of the United States government. The Court ruled that the Smith Act violated the defendants First Amendment rights. In short, the Warren court supplemented one of the most notable movements in the history of the United States, Warren’s emphasis on individual rights and equality were stepping stones for Civil Rights activists, basically giving them protection under the Constitution.

How Your Freelance Writing Career Is Impacted By Blogging

How Your Freelance Writing Career Is Impacted By Blogging Writers have their own brand to build, and just like any other brand, they are encouraged to have a website with a blog. But other brands, and their blog writers, don’t make their living writing. The techniques and practices they use to promote their product or service use writing as a method. What about freelance careers, whose writing is the product? Can blogging hurt your freelance writing career opportunities? What Happens To Your Freelance Writing Career When You Blog? via @JulieNeidlingerThis is a topic near and dear to me, and it popped up on my radar both experientially (what was happening to me) and through the discovery of other writers suggesting that writers should not be blogging. There seems to be a two-pronged way of looking at this, and I want to clarify it before delving any deeper: Blogging for yourself and your own brand. Blogging as a writing format, in general. I’m going to approach it using both. Blogging Uses Up Creative Energy One of the main reasons I’ve seen writers suggest that blogs are a bad idea for writers is that they take up time and creativity that you should be devoting to your clients and big projects. Is spending time on creativity for your own blog detracting from devoting it to your clients?Do you ever feel like you've used up your allotted words for the day? It might be easier to slap out a long blog post than work on your next book chapter, and you might find that by writing blog posts, you successfully avoid doing the real work and also avoid feeling guilty about it. All the blog posts in the world aren’t going to help you get that other writing done! I found myself recently telling a friend that when I spend all day writing for clients, I don’t feel like writing for myself at the end of the day. â€Å"I’ve used up all the words allotted me for the day.† The reverse can be said. For some writers, there is a limited amount of writing energy, and if you have client work that needs to be done, you shouldn’t use it all up on blogging for yourself. Summation: Spending a lot of time and energy on your own blog will make a dent in the writing you’re able to give to your clients or your serious writing projects. Find a balance or a schedule if you must do both, and be aware of the danger. Guest Blogging Can Take Up Time I’m not going to devalue the importance of guest blogging. Getting your posts on successful blogs is a fantastic way to get your writing seen. You know the drill on that. However...there may, if you are successful, come a tipping point where you have garnered all the attention and audience you’ll get with that method. At what point will you turn to the pay model and act like a freelance writer, offering to write great content but for pay? Are you even thinking along that line? If a huge chunk of your billable time is devoted to blogging for free for other guest blogs, your income will take a hit. If you’re already getting the traffic and recognition you can get, devoting your writing energy to someone else’s blog may no longer make sense. Or, at the very least, you may need to reduce the amount of free guest posts you offer. One good judge is if your inbox is being flooded with requests to write guest posts. Thin that deluge out by requesting payment. Do guest blog. And do be ready to start transitioning over to accepting payment for your writing. Transitioning from free guest posting to paid blog writing means: Learning to accept some people will make known their surprise that you ask for payment now. Understanding that your go-to guest post sources may not always happily transition to paying for what they used to get for free. Realizing your paid client roster will, over time, be completely different from your guest posting roster. Pursuing and accepting clients you’ve never guest posted for. You will have a transition time where you still have some guest posting while new clients are being asked to pay. Many of my writing clients have seen my previously free writing elsewhere, and ask if I’d like to write for them. I respond promptly and professionally, indicating my rate. Some respond back. Some don’t. That’s how freelance writing works. The main question, as a freelance writer, is to try and be aware at what point you’ve established yourself enough to no longer need the validation of guest blogging and transition to receiving an income. Summation: Guest blogging is an excellent way to get momentum behind a freelance writing career, because you build a name for yourself and your writing. However, at some point, you have to transition to getting paid for your writing, and it’s difficult if you’ve built relationships solely on free guest posting.Suggested Reading: How To Make Money Blogging How To Make A Living Blogging 12 Signs You’re Underselling Your Freelance Writing Services 5 Steps To Make Your Freelance Clients Love Your Writing What You Say May Turn People Away Depending on your blog, your approach, or what you espouse, you might say things on your blog that resound with your audience but turn off potential freelance clients. I’m not saying to water down your content and fill it with caveats- there’s a place for controversial blog posts. And, in a world full of people who seem to want to be offended about something, you simply can’t account for everyone. Some people will never be your client if you’re doing your duty as a blogger. As a freelance writer, should you care if what you blog  turns some clients away?However, there are examples of people who blog in a way that seems to take delight in aggravating readers, or being offensive for offensive’s sake. Purposefully being a jerk on your blog will have an impact on your freelance writing if clients see your blog, particularly if your name is on the copy you write for those clients (ghostwriters may have a bit more leeway if the client doesn’t care what you say on your own time since your name is not associated with them). Just know that what might win you accolades on your blog or get you attention, because of a caustic or combative style, may not get you clients. There’s no guarantee, either way, how what you say will affect whether or not clients will seek you out to write for them, or whether they’ll look at your body of work and decide they want someone else to do the work. Summation: Everything you write illustrates your style, your voice, your capability, your strengths, and your weaknesses. It shouldn’t keep you from writing. It just means being aware that some clients will or won’t like it. Blogging Is An Online Activity Blogging is part of the Internet. Before there was Internet, there was no blogging. This seems obvious, but the point here is that anyone who is old enough to remember concentration levels, researching, and writing prior to the Internet will understand how the research and rewarded components of blog writing might affect other writing. For example, blog posts filled with images, quotes, outside links, embedded social posts, and so on are considered good form. To get these things, you are required to adopt a research and work habit that includes surfing the Web, social networks, Internet searches, and all sorts of distracting activity that can technically be needed but can also technically be a reduction in concentration. Writing projects that require long periods of concentration and different research are going to be foreign to bloggers who have been consistently been rewarded for different work habits. Nicholas Carr’s The Shallows is an eye-opener in this area, showing that the Internet can decrease our ability to focus and concentrate for long periods of time. If your freelance writing clients demand more of you than a single blog post and ask you to create content from sources not online, you’ll face some challenges in both your ability to change how you research and to concentrate. If you’ve only known the Internet and have always relied on it, instead of older forms of research or writing with a typewriter or longhand, this point may be hard to validate or understand. But to old fogies like me, it isn’t. I’m highly aware of a diminishing ability to concentrate compared to my writing and work prior to the ubiquitousness of the Internet. I need to find as many routes to reducing my online time as I can, and if that means shaving back my own personal blogging or reducing the amount of blogging clients I take in favor of other writing projects, so be it. Summation: Blogging rewards research and writing behavior that don’t serve longer or more traditional forms of writing well. It may be tough to relearn how to research and concentrate for longer or more involved writing projects. Blogging Has Its Own Writing Style I can freely admit that focusing solely on blogging has done damage to my ability to create other forms of writing. Though I’ve been blogging for more than a decade, it’s only the last four years where that blogging has been my â€Å"day job† and the approach and focus has been different. Where I used to blog on a variety of topics for a personal audience (for fun) using humor or rants or fiction or poetry, the blogging I do now is decidedly of a different formula. There are headings. There are subheadings. There are: Bullet points Lists Pull quotes Bullet points Yes, bullet points. There are thesis statements in powerful introductions, supporting facts, and all of the reasonable teachable approaches to direct, clear copy that ultimately has to sell the reader on something. And, unless I’m writing a planned series, blog posts are short- even the longest blog posts of 2,000–4,000 words are not comparable to longer writing projects found elsewhere. Lovely, if that’s the kind of freelance writing you are focusing on. Less lovely if you also want to try your hand at different styles of writing. Something similar happened after several years of working as a newspaper reporter; I approached everything as if it were a newspaper article. If you become really good at the blogging format and develop the habits and systems that make it possible to write a post on any topic to fit any headline under any time crunch, that’s fantastic blogging. If you are able to twist your content to fit an audience that you’re selling to, again: fantastic blogging. But those same abilities will probably get in the way of trying your hand at creative writing or other types of freelance writing. As it is, when I sit down to do non-blog writing, I have a very difficult time not slipping into the blogging habits and churning out a three-point outline with facts and some bullet points and a call to action at the end. You can’t bullet-point your way to the end of a short story, though I often find myself thinking it would be easier to just drop a bullet list in rather than take the time to write it out in depth in such moments. And, because I’m used to how writing 2,000 words feels, everything I write tends to fit into that sort of rhythm. I seem to have learned to truncate thoughts, words, and explanations in a way that will ultimately fit that word count. When I want to write longer work for other projects and clients, it’s a real struggle; things seem to come out in 2,000 word chunks that don’t always segue well. What works great for blogging doesn’t work great elsewhere. Non-blogging clients will have their own style guides and preferences that may look nothing like a proper blog post and it will require you to work against your good blogging habits and proven blogging writing systems. Summation: If you want to do freelance writing outside of the blogging realm in different writing styles, some of the same habits that have made you a great blogger will work against you.Recommended Reading:  What A Newspaper Reporter Can Teach You About Blogging When it comes to breaking the blogging writing style, there are three ways to approach it. 1. Branch out with purpose. Write a different format/genre, and submit that writing somewhere that isn’t a blog. Get it in front of the eyes of a client, editor, or audience that isn’t blogging. Even if they are critical, it’s how you’ll understand what blogging methods you need to shed to make your writing work elsewhere. In some cases, you may not be paid much (or at all) for certain types of submissions, but if your goal is to try your hand at writing successfully beyond blogging, there is still merit in the editorial and critique process you’ll go through. 2. Take writing classes. Learn about other forms of writing. Go to writer’s conferences. Take writing classes online or in person. Read books about writing. In other words, meet and understand the writing world outside of blogging. I know it’s so tempting to stay in blogging (believe me, I know), but if you really want to do freelance writing beyond your own blog or blogging clients, you’ll have to learn a new writing language. 3. Set non-blogging writing goals. Set a goal to write something that has nothing to do with your blog or blogging. Maybe you’ll start a magazine or self-publish a book. Or maybe your goal will simply be one of starting each day using writing prompts and doing some creative writing exercises. Whatever it is, practice not blogging as part of your daily writing. If there was a recommended daily allowance for writing, make sure you have a well-balanced writing diet. How Blogging Makes You A Better Writer Despite all I’ve mentioned above, blogging can still help you be a better freelance writer as long as you don’t let the negatives overpower the potential. If you’re a serious blogger, you’ve acquired some skills that can help your other freelance writing projects. For example: 1. You write regularly. I’m participating in the James Patterson Masterclass just for some writing fun, and one of the things I found interesting was the difficulty some students expressed at the idea of writing every day. That’s old hat for me, at this point, and so when Patterson says write for an hour, write several thousand words, I think â€Å"is that all?† If you’re blogging seriously, you’re doing this already. 2. You learn to deal with feedback. Blogging (and then sharing on social media) means you’re immediately aware of what people think of your writing and your ideas. There is very little separation between you and the people you are writing to. While feedback and critique can be tough, it’s how you get better at writing. And because blogging allows for instant feedback, you can get better writing right away. 3. You learn to write when you don’t want to. Bloggers know how to write when they don’t feel like it, because there are deadlines to be met and topics to be covered no matter what. Writers often fall into the trap of waiting for inspiration before writing, but freelance career writers don’t have that luxury. You have to find ways to beat writer’s block and get moving.