“The first recipe of happiness - avoid too lengthy meditations on the past.”
Andre Maurois
“खुशी का पहला उपाय - पिछली बातों पर बहुत अधिक विचार करने से बचें।”
एन्ड्रे माऊराउस
“The first recipe of happiness - avoid too lengthy meditations on the past.”
Andre Maurois
“खुशी का पहला उपाय - पिछली बातों पर बहुत अधिक विचार करने से बचें।”
एन्ड्रे माऊराउस
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates and lays foundation stones for projects worth over Rs 6,800 crore in Meghalaya and Tripura.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurates ICMR-NARFBR (National Animal Resource Facility for Biomedical Research) at Genome Valley, Hyderabad
Union Minister for Science & Technology Jitendra Singh launches CSIR (Council of Scientific & Industrial Research) “One Week, One Lab” countrywide campaign
Deadline for public comments on draft ‘Digital personal data protection bill’ till January 2
Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) to organise a nationwide campaign during the Good Governance week (December 19-25)
World Trade Organization (WTO) Council defers decision on TRIPS waiver extension
The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council keeps tax rate same, but defers key reforms
Government said that sufficient food grains stocks are available under Central Pool to meet the country’s requirements.
IMF approves deal with Egypt for USD 3 billion support package to support its economy
Indian-origin Leo Varadkar returns for a second term as Ireland’s Prime Minister
Seven children, thirteen women among 24 dead in Malaysia landslip
Azerbaijan agrees to supply European Union with electricity via a subsea cable
Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday inaugurated Germany’s first liquefied natural gas terminal
International Migrants Day is being celebrated on December 18
Croatia beat Morocco 2-1 in the World Cup third-place playoff
India defeats Bangladesh by 120 runs in the final of the third T20 World Cup for the Blind
Indian Women’s Hockey Team beat Spain 1-0 to lift FIH Nations Cup in Valencia
There are several ways to make a career in freelance writing so no wonder there are people who opt for freelance jobs often. Going for freelance jobs doesn't necessarily mean that one has to leave their full-time job. There are plenty of opportunities which lets one work on the side without letting it become a burden on them and help them make some extra money. One just has to know where to look for them.
If you are someone who has a flair for writing and a way with words, then freelance ghostwriting might just be the right fit for you.
Understanding freelance ghostwriting
Writers who produce content that gets published under a client’s name instead of their own is called ghostwriting. The writer is made to sign a nondisclosure agreement (NDA) and in exchange for this, the ghostwriter is paid more than usual freelance writers.
Ghostwriting is usually conducted in the background and the client gets to showcase the written content as their own.
Types of Ghostwriting
Not all speeches that you hear from politicians or renowned personalities are their work. This is where a ghostwriter comes in.
Ghostwriters are often asked to produce content which ranges from blogs to social media posts and speeches. The subject matter and the type of content, depending on the client’s requirements, can include – speeches, books, articles, blogs, announcements, social media posts, interviews and lyrics for a song.
Why are ghostwriters required?
Ghostwriters are usually hired by public personalities where their content holds value. People who hire such writers are:
Ghostwriters are usually hired for the following reasons:
What skills are needed to become a ghostwriter?
If you want to become a ghostwriter, you need a wide variety of skills to be successful, both in client delivery and business administration:
Client delivery skills:
Business administration skills:
How to get ghostwriting jobs?
Getting a ghostwriting job isn’t very difficult. One requires having a flair for writing and the eye to look for the right opportunity. Here’s how you can land your first job/project as a ghostwriter:
1. Identify your focus
You need to know where to set your focus and who should be your potential client. To identify the types of content you would like to take on, think of what topics you would like to write on, the topics and the writing style you are good at and what is the current demand in the market.
Look for people who will most likely have the budget to hire a ghostwriter. Make use of your old jobs and industry experience and network accordingly. Identify the value you bring to the table. What will make you a good writer for a specific client, state the specialisation, previous experience and reviews, if any, to the potential client. This will help you land your client.
2. Set up your brand
Having a brand for yourself will help you showcase your skills professionally to the clients.
3. Source potential gigs
With a portfolio, brand, and a set focus, you’re ready to headstart with looking for freelance ghostwriting jobs.
4. Prepare a winning pitch
Once you get a potential opportunity, make sure you ask the client questions about the job requirements, their goals, needs and expectations.
Getting a potential opportunity involves cold calling or sending emails and applications to several people. Ensure that you are asking all the right and necessary questions of the client, including their expectations, goals, and challenges. State how you can help them with your ghostwriting services. Share work samples and demonstrate your ability to write well.
5. Negotiate
When a client is ready to go ahead with you, make sure you have stated your responsibilities, assignment, requirements of the client, what you’re going to be doing, who you are supporting, and what the client needs to provide to you for you to do your job well.
Attain written clarity on the payment procedure and get it electronically signed.
Working as a ghostwriter can be done alongside other jobs as well, although there are people who take this as a full-time career. The highest-paid ghostwriters are the ones who are aware of what their services are worth and what they are good at. Marketing oneself is important in this career, especially for a newcomer. Given the perks of this job, though, one must not forget the problems like conflicts of interest, having too much work at once and not getting many clients. However, if one can manage it well, then the good money, flexibility and networking opportunities will be worth the toil.
Source: The Telegraph, 15/12/22
Psychologists argue that there is a thin line between thinking positively and being delusional
Ask and ye shall receive. This Biblical phrase has become the new mantra of the 21st century, especially for Gen Z. The concept of ‘manifesting’ — the belief that the power of positive thinking can change the course of events — has its origins in a self-help book, The Secret, which has sold some 50 million copies worldwide since 2006. There are apparently numerous ways of achieving such a course correction if TikTok — the barometer of everything Gen Z does — is to be believed. They range from writing one’s desires in a journal three times in the morning, six times in the afternoon and nine times in the evening to speaking only in the present tense and shunning the use of words such as ‘could’, ‘would’ and ‘might’ owing to their indefinite nature. It does not take much cerebral depth to understand why this method is so popular: it offers a portrait of a world that is extraordinarily alluring, one where every obstacle to achieving a dream can be wished away. So much so that some die-hard Lionel Messi fans in Kestopur are, at this very moment, trying to ‘manifest’ Kylian Mbappé away from the World Cup finals.
Unsurprisingly, Google searches for the term skyrocketed 669% since July 2020, when the pandemic was at its height. Stuck at home, with the economy taking a nosedive and an invisible enemy changing life inside and outside the home forever, Gen Z took to positive thinking like fish to water. However, the flames of manifestation have not been fanned by a public health crisis alone. The sterility and the starkness of the cold, hard data-driven Age of Reason may have a role to play too. Plato described emotion and reason as two horses pulling people in opposite directions. But reason collapses in the face of baffling figures — the global youth unemployment rate stands at 14.9% and the world has crossed at least five of the 16 ‘tipping points’ that will make it unliveable — that most people are powerless to change. This is when relatively inexpensive routes of escape such as manifesting take over.
But keeping the faith, as it were, can have collateral damage. Researchers at Ohio State University found that those who trust their ‘gut’ and practices such as ‘manifesting’ are more likely to fall for fake news and conspiracy theories. Psychologists also argue that there is a thin line between thinking positively and being delusional. Moreover, the corollary of relying solely on positive thinking is a victim blaming of sorts — good things not happening to a person are blamed on his or her inability to be positive enough. The medical fraternity also warns about ‘toxic positivity’ — manifesting does not allow the enunciation of ‘negative’ emotions or incidents. To force a positive outlook on pain is to encourage a person to keep silent about struggles that have serious adverse impacts on mental health.
Manifesting, at best, is a form of benign benevolence. It is telling that Gen Z, witness to cataclysmic social, environmental and cultural shocks, is making a mountain of the molehill called manifesting.
Source: The Telegraph, 18/12/22
“I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find what they want and then advise them to do it.”
Harry Truman
“बच्चों को सीख देने का जो श्रेष्ठ तरीका मुझे पता चला है वह यह है कि बच्चों की चाह का पता लगाया जाए और फिर उन्हें वही करने की सलाह दी जाए”
हैरी ट्रूमेन