Lead 6_17 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Lead 6_17 - Assignment Example Effective leaders such as CEOs have the capability to direct the organizations with efficacy in order to realize the objectives of the entities (David, 2003). It is imperative not to understate abilities of leaders in the success of firms. As a result, this paper discusses the capabilities and effectiveness of CEOs. The paper assesses an executive, Warren Buffett, which differs from others in attributes and ability in calculating risks that enhance the success of their respective organizations. The aim of the discussion is to analyze a consensus of ideas and perspectives from an organizational leader in regards with what it takes to ensure the success of an entity and higher levels of effectiveness. The paper provides an overview of the chosen CEO by highlighting the achievements, highlights, as well as significant events characterizing the leader’s career. The CEO’s leadership career will incorporate the concepts of an effective leader including personality and leadership capabilities, motivation and empowerment, his vision and strategic bearing, communication skills moral and courage direction as well as values and culture. As an influential person in the realm of investing and one of the wealthiest people in the globe, Warren Buffett is the Chief-Executive-Officer and a large shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway. Berkshire Hathaway is a multinational conglomerate entity with its headquarters situated in Omaha. Buffett came from a humble beginning to one of the wealthiest figures in the world. Characterized by business acumen as well as his ideals and principles he established his investment principles and financial abilities at an early age, which enabled him to acquire many riches. Born in 1930 in Omaha, Nebraska, Warren Edward Buffett worked at a grocery owned by his grandfather in his early years. To show his investing qualities, Buffet purchased a stock at the age of eleven, which resulted in a $5 profit and when he

Rene Descartes six meditations Distinction of Self from the Body Essay Example for Free

Rene Descartes six meditations Distinction of Self from the Body Essay Rene Descartes was a French Mathematician and a modern Philosopher who developed an original philosophy based on sciences aimed at being stable and likely to last. His method was based upon premises of senses, reason, doubt and belief. Like most philosophers his quest was for Truth and knowledge. However the nature of Truth and knowledge remains debatable among philosophers to this day. It is worth noting that a contemporary modern philosopher said at the beginning of the 21st century, the beginning of ‘ Information Age ‘ , â€Å" Study of philosophy is now reduced to the study of language. We are distinct from our bodies ! Since the advent of human civilization many men have preoccupied themselves with philosophical thoughts of the distinction of self from the body. These metaphysical ideas , sometimes ontological, lie on the borderline of religious theology and philosophy. With discoveries in the field of physical sciences like Einstein’s ‘ Relativity ‘ the human conception of space, matter, time and forces has become clearer. This has further fuelled interest in the field of philosophical investigation of the relationships between mind, matter and the supernatural. This activity is a commonplace past time of the educated and curious. The scientific and methodological study of any branch of knowledge involves the formulation of – Thesis, Hypothesis and Anti – Thesis. Every Thesis has an Anti–Thesis. Is the self distinct from the body ? The senses are deceptive! What we see is spurious. Our memory deceives us. Hence a Truth that can be established is that nothing is certain. Hence it can be assumed for the time being that our senses and bodies are not true. We are probably distinct from our bodies. Rationality is questionable ! Man is known as a ‘ rational animal’. But the idea of rationality and the distinction between a man and an animal are debatable. Man certainly has to face an obvious ‘ identity crisis’ if material knowledge is to be trusted. The idea of a soul distinguishes self from the body ! All phenomena can’t be explained by sense-perception, thinking and physical bodies. They have to be attributed to a super-natural phenomena , ‘ the soul’. If the self is to be distinct from the body it could be in the form of the soul. The power of self-movement, sensation and thought as according to the judgment of Rene Descartes are foreign to the nature of body. These conclusions are based on Descartes philosophical experiments with himself using the faculty of his mind. He uses his mind to probe the co-relation between subjectivity, objectivity and their distinctness from body. This method has been Descartes most powerful tool and which makes him unique in the family of modern philosophers. The awakening during sleep is an experiment. Descartes argues that when asleep he has perceived through senses many things he can’t perceive through senses while awake. These are once again Descartes experiments with himself. Descartes is careful nough to recollect his thoughts and experiences for the object of philosophical study. ‘Thinking’ is separate from ‘being’. Descartes uses his imagination to conclude that he might exist separate from his body as a source of ‘thinking’. In his legendary famous statement he once declared , â€Å" I think therefore I am. â€Å" Human mind and judgment are prone to error . Hence the truth has to be away from the Human mind and body. Descartes reached a conclusion that there does exist a God. God is perfect in his judgment because his mind is infinite. This is obviously not true with human beings. Hence their judgment is subject to errors and faults. There is also a philosophical method of reaching the Truth by elimination of errors. Considering the belief that their does exist a Universal Truth away from the limitations of the human body it is reasonable concluding that we are distinct from our bodies. The existence of God is an irrefutable evidence ! Thesis that there does exist a God strengthens the concept of distinction of self from the body. It would be contradictory associating God to a body; God, Descartes assumed is infinite. Also, the idea of life after death in the form of soul which is the belief of literally every religious heology strengthens the belief that we are distinct from our body. Rene Descartes experimented with the mind ! Descartes claims in ‘ The Fourth Meditation’ that he has trained his mind to separate from his senses and dwell only in the intellect. The result were observations and conclusions that he was totally separate from matter. Descartes uses his ability at philosophical meditations, the popular method of study and research by a philosopher. The Human Will Descartes concludes extends beyond the bodies. With the human will, many philosophers believe it is possible to meditate and separate the consciousness rom the body. Modern Science refutes distinction of body from mind thesis. Descartes himself was once a scientist before he took to philosophical pursuits. A scientist, for example a Doctor would immediately rubbish the claims of the separation of self from the body citing encyclopedias of scientific evidence. Carl Jung’s Experiment nulls the idea of a soul. This famous Psychologist conducted an experiment and concluded that there is no soul ! The distinction between self and body is not recognized by modern psychology books. Philosophical methods might be fallacious. Philosophers employ methods based n speculations and subjectivity. These might be inaccurate and also subject to a difference of opinion even amongst philosophers. Whereas science is based on empirical experiments which no one can challenge once accepted and established. There is a self concept in the science of Psychology. The self concept has an aura of mysticism associated with it. No one can see, feel or touch the self concept. It is reduced to ‘I’ and ‘me ‘ from the common sense point of view by nearly all domains of knowledge. Popularly the psychologists associate the self concept , the I – Self, with the ndividual and his states of mind – Conscious, subconscious and the unconscious. Body- Ego concept can be an evidence of self and body singularity. The genesis of mental structure advocated by Hartmann, Kris and Loewenstein advocate an ego state known as the Body Ego. They suggest with impressive arguments that the ego and the id should be conceived the result of an undifferentiated state. Conclusion : The embodied self concept generates a tension. The stream of consciousness can be believed to be located within the boundaries of a creature. The self ( its memories, eliefs and traits ) might not located within the boundaries of the creature. Our intuition equates ourselves with our consciousness. A point to be noted is that there is a dualism not only between mind and body but also between consciousness and mind ! The ancient scholarly philosophical debate ‘ Self is distinct from the body ’ is a challenging interdisciplinary study. However, the philosophy student is best equipped to handle it. The debate seems to have no end. That is what makes a debate an interesting academic field of study. Philosophers and philosophy students have to be cautious that in their xuberance they do not unwittingly clash with scientific evidence or infringe with cherished religious and theological beliefs. The society punished Galileo because he was ahead in time than the people. The times have changed remarkably. These days society is more tolerant to new ideas. Even blasphemy against Jesus doesn’t shock the West anymore. Recent headlines of a popular newspaper says that the church has forgiven Beatles for claiming they were more popular than Jesus. Philosophers and philosophy students can play a timely role in all ages. The clear message is that they need not ostracize themselves from the society.

Ecologically Compatible Land Use Planning Methods

Ecologically Compatible Land Use Planning Methods Methodology For the purpose of ecologically compatible land use planning multiple GIS functions has been carried out. The functions carried out are integration using the model builder tool in order to come to the final results. Model Builder Model builder is an application in ArcGIS which is used for creating a model for a particular function. These models can be reedited even at later stage of analysis which makes it suitable for modifications if required thus making the work faster and results more accurate. (ESRI, n.d.) To create a model a toolbox needs to be created first. After creating a toolbox in a specific folder connection a model can be created within the toolbox. A model looks like a workflow diagram through which various geo-processing tools are connected. The output of a particular function can be used as the input for the next. By using this method the multiple analysis can be one at the same time. While using GIS during some analysis the files might get heavy and display of the output might take a long time and can even result in crashing of the system. But while using model builder we have an option for displaying only the required. Model builder is generally used when we require a large number of parameter to come results or when multiple steps are required to come to a result. In real time application we use for analysis like land suitability, hydrology, etc. In addition to all these advantage it helps the user get a visual relationship between different parameters and makes it easier to explain to a third person on how the analysis is performed thus making this one the most advanced tools in the field of GIS. Locating the villages and defining the ESZ boundary Before using the model builder multiple layers need to be created and analysis need to be performed. The first task is the marking of boundary and locating the villages that comes under ESZ. In this study there are 88 villages. These location are marked by first locating the villages using the Google Earth with the latitude and longitude given by the MoEF. These are then saved as Keyhole Mark-up Language (KML). (KML) is an XML-based mark-up language designed to annotate and overlay visualizations on various two-dimensional, Web-based online maps or three-dimensional Earth browsers. (Rouse, n.d.) Since all the village kml files are different and this has to be converted to shapefile as a single one. This is done by using the Expert GPS software which converts and combines as a single shapefile. The boundary of ESZ created by using polygon feature. A new shapefile (polygon feature) is created by using ArcCatalog inside the folder connection. Type of shapefile is chosen and title is given to the shapefile. The next step includes the defining the coordinate system for the location. In case of this location the coordinated defined as Projected Coordinate System > UTM > WGS 1984 > Northern Hemisphere > WGS 1984 UTM Zone 43N. Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and DEM Masking A Digital Elevation Model is the representation of continuous elevation values over a topographic surface by a regular array of z-values, referenced to a common datum. (ESRI, n.d.) Digital Elevation Model The DEM used for this study is of 90 meter resolution and is obtained from asterdem. In case of this study four DEMs were required in order to cover the complete area. Later this were combined and masked using ArcGIS masking tool with reference to the boundary created. Masking is used for extracting the required part of raster file with the reference of a feature class. Masking tool is found in the ArcToolbox under Spatial Analyst Tools > Extraction > Extract by Mask. Once this process is done the output is DEM after Masking This masked DEM is going to be used multiple analysis like slope, elevation, TIN model, flow accumulation, hillshade, etc. Slope Analysis The slope or gradient of a line is a number that describes both the direction and the steepness of the line. The Slope tool calculates the maximum change in value from that cell to its neighbours. Basically, the maximum change in elevation by the distance between the cell and its eight neighbours finds the steepest downhill descent from the cell. The tool fits a plane to the z-values of a 3 x 3 cell neighbourhood around the processing or center cell. The direction the plane faces is the aspect for the processing cell. The lower the slope value means flatter terrain and vice versa. The cell location with a NoData z-value, the z-value of the center cell will be assigned to the location. (ESRI, n.d.) Aspect Map Aspect map shows the direction and steepness of slope for a terrain. Aspect tool is under spatial analyst and is created using DEM. The areas that have steeper slopes are shown brighter. The aspect map is classified on the basis of direction of slope in degrees (0-360Â °). 0-22.5: North 22.5-67.5: North-east 67.5-112.5: East 112.5-157.5: South-east 157.5-202.5: South 202.5-247.5: South-west 247.5-292.5: West 292.5-337.5: North-west 337.5-359.5: North Whichever locations are flat is assigned (-1). Hillshade Hillshade is a 3D grayscale model of a surface by taking sun’s relative position to account. It shows the areas that receives sun light and that comes under the shade at a particular time. For this function the azimuth and altitude of location is required. The inputs for this function are the following: Input DEM Azimuth Altitude Scaling Z Factor Pixel Size Power Pixel Size Factor Altitude is the angle of elevation of sun (0-90Â °) and azimuth is the relation position of sun along the horizon (0-360Â °). Z-factor is the elevation of the location. The Hillshade tool comes under spatial analyst toolbox in ArcGIS. TIN Model Triangulated Irregular Network (TIN) model is a digital data structure used in GIS for representation of a surface. TIN model is generated using DEM. Advantage of TIN over DEM is that points of TIN are distribute variably by using an algorithm that decides which points are more accurate for terrain representation. TIN (Scientific Software Group, n.d.) Contour Map Contours are lines that connects the points of same values. The contour model is used for study of elevation, temperature, precipitation, pollution, etc. In this study contour map is used for the analysing the elevation details. This helps in finding the areas that have less steep slopes and can be developed. Contour Map (OpenGeo Suite, n.d.) Contour map over the TIN elevation model will help is visualizing the terrains in a better manner. Flow Accumulation Flow accumulation map shows the areas that will accumulate water. In ArcGIS a raster file is created of accumulated flow into each cell. Flow direction is used as the input for flow accumulation raster. Flow accumulation comes under hydrology tool which is under spatial analyst toolbox. Usage: Cell with high flow accumulation can be used to identify stream channel. Cell with flow accumulation of zero can be used to identify ridges. Flow Accumulation Map (Stack Exchange, 2012) Basins This tool creates a raster that delineates all the drainage basins. The drainage basins are delineating ridge lines between basins. For creating the basins, the flow direction is used as the input. Even if the basin is in one cell, all the cells in a raster will belong to a basin. Basin Map (National Water Program, 2013) Road Network Road network are created using polyline feature. For this study since the area being large only the major road are mapped. Further buffers will be created in order to do the proximity analysis to find the locations that are suitable for development. Road Network Map (Anantapuramu District, n.d.) Landuse Map Landuse map is required to understand for what purpose different areas put into use. Land use map is a polygon feature. It is created using the cut polygon tool in ArcGIS. Since the area being large, in this study landuse map is prepared at a macro level. Landuse Map Delhi, 2004 (Netzband Atiqur, 2007)

Morality And Ethics And Computers :: essays research papers fc

Morality and Ethics and Computers There are many different sides to the discussion on moral and ethical uses of computers. In many situations, the morality of a particular use of a computer is up to the individual to decide. For this reason, absolute laws about ethical computer usage is almost, but not entirely, impossible to define. The introduction of computers into the workplace has introduced many questions as well: Should employers make sure the workplace is designed to minimize health risks such as back strain and carpal tunnel syndrome for people who work with computers? Can employers prohibit employees from sending personal memos by electronic mail to a friend at the other side of the office? Should employers monitor employees' work on computers? If so, should employees be warned beforehand? If warned, does that make the practice okay? According to Kenneth Goodman, director of the Forum for Bioethics and Philosophy at the University of Miami, who teaches courses in computer ethics, "There's hardly a business that's not using computers."1 This makes these questions all the more important for today's society to answer. There are also many moral and ethical problems dealing with the use of computers in the medical field. In one particular case, a technician trusted what he thought a computer was telling him, and administered a deadly dose of radiation to a hospital patient.2 In cases like these, it is difficult to decide who's fault it is. It could have been the computer programmer's fault, but Goodman asks, "How much responsibility can you place on a machine?"3 Many problems also occur when computers are used in education. Should computers replace actual teachers in the classroom? In some schools, computers and computer manuals have already started to replace teachers. I would consider this an unethical use of computers because computers do not have the ability to think and interact on an interpersonal basis. Computers "dehumanize human activity"4 by taking away many jobs and making many others "boring exercises in pushing the buttons that make the technology work." 5 Complete privacy is almost impossible in this computer age. By using a credit card or check cashing card, entering a raffle, or subscribing to a magazine, people provide information about themselves that can be sold to marketers and distributed to data bases throughout the world. When people use the world-wide web, the sites they visit and download things from, make a record that can be traced back to the person.6 This is not protected, as it is when books are checked out of a library. Therefore, information about someone's personal preferences and interests can be sold to anyone.

The Scarlet Pimpernel

orth As A The Scarlet Pimpernel: Sir Percy’s Worth as A Hero In the novel The Scarlet Pimpernel, written by Baroness Orczy, Sir Percy Blankley is able to deceive those he loves in order to save the lives of those he barely knows. Leading a double life, he acts as a fool of an English lord in order hide the fact that he is really a cunning, elusive man who goes by the name â€Å"The Scarlet Pimpernel. † When using this name to do his good deeds, Sir Percy risks his life in order to rescue French aristocracy.Everyone regards The Scarlet Pimpernel as a hero– he has all the characteristics of a hero about him, and they are very strong in his personality. Sir Percy is also very good at disguising his hero’s true identity, although he did have rather oblivious people around him. He was a hero who did what he needed to do proficiently and did so without unnecessary violence. During the 1790s, The French Revolution was tearing apart France. Commoners killed the ve ry people they were to look to for leadership. Those aristocrats had been irresponsible and had spent taxes frivolously and now the commoners wanted justice.In England at that time, things were much different. The people were at peace and society was moving forward. The stark difference between these places provides excellent settings for the book, helping the reader realize the cruelty of the French peoples’ endless killing, as opposed to the serenity and peacefulness of England. Sir Percy could be described as many things. One of these characteristics is selflessness. It is shown how even the people around him could easily tell of how he would gladly sacrifice his life for theirs– â€Å"She looked at Sir Andrew with eager curiosity.The young man’s face had become almost transfigured. His eyes shone with enthusiasm; hero-worship, love, admiration for his leader seemed literally to glow upon his face. ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel, Mademoiselle,’ he said at last, ‘is the name of a humble English wayside flower; but I also the name chosen to hide the identity of the best and bravest man in all the world, so that he may better succeed in accomplishing the noble task he has set himself to do. ’ † (Orczy 34). Another fine example of this characteristic is from the perspective of one whom he rescues ¬Ã¢â‚¬â€œ â€Å"But the Comtesse shook her head, still incredulously.To her it seemed preposterous that these young men and their great leader, all of them rich, probably wellborn, and young, should for no other motive than sport, run the terrible risks, which she knew they were constantly doing. Their nationality, once they had set foot in France, would be no safeguard to them. Anyone found harbouring or assisting suspected royalists would be ruthlessly condemned and summarily executed, whatever his nationality might be. † (Orczy 35). Comtesse finds it so uncanny that a rich Englishman would waste his time and ris k his life for people with whom he has no relationship.This kind of rare selflessness is easily comparable to that of the classic Marvel superhero Captain America– each of them would willingly give up his life if it meant another might live. The Scarlet Pimpernel demonstrates his bravery very well. He is willing to got to France in order to save his wife’s brother– â€Å" ‘You are not going to the North, I feel convinced†¦ There is some mystery†¦ and †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ ‘Nay, there is no mystery, Madame,’ he replied, with a slight tone of impatience. ‘My business has to do with Armand†¦ there! Now, have I your leave to depart? ‘With Armand? †¦ But you will run no danger? ’ â€Å"Danger? I? †¦ Nay, Madame, your solicitude does me honour. As you say, I have some influence; my intention is to exert it before it be too late’ † (Orczy 136). He is unafraid to go to Armand’s aid, which the reader can find as extraordinary, seeing as how he would have to go up against the deadly French agent M. Chauvelin. He also sees the fact that his wife needs him to take action as an honor, and he carries out her requests with pride– â€Å" ‘You will come back? ’ she said tenderly. Very soon! ’ he replied, looking longingly into her blue eyes. ‘And†¦ you will remember? †¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ she asked as her eyes, in response to his look, game him an infinity of promise. ‘I will always remember, Madame, that you have honoured me by commanding my services’ † (Orczy 138). His valor and fearlessness is uncommon, and can be respected. Such honor and bravery resembles that of Steve Jobs. He had a predetermined goal and a strong will to accomplish this task, daring to do what others thought was impossible and would not dare to do.A beautiful portrayal is of Sir Percy’s passion is when he is torn between the one he loves and doing his duty as the Scarlet Pimpernel– â€Å" ‘I pray you, Madame,’ he said, whilst his voice shook almost as much as hers, ‘in what way can I serve you? ’ † (Orczy 128). He knew he must return to France to help the Comte de Tournay, but yet such love and passion for his wife cannot be hidden. Because he cannot reveal the fact that he is the Scarlet Pimpernel to his beloved wife, he must act as a fool who does not have much feeling towards her [his wife], but when he has the chance, he shows affection in hat little was he can– â€Å"He was but a man madly, blindly, passionately in love, and as soon as her light footsteps had died away within the house, he knelt down upon the terrace steps, and in the very madness of his love he kissed one by one the places where her small foot had trodden, and the stone balustrade there, where her tiny hand had rested last. † (Orczy 131). Such enthusiasm for something is very similar to Walt Disneyà ¢â‚¬â„¢s passion to create a ‘perfect society’ for adults and children. He went above and beyond the duty he put before himself, just as Sir Percy did.The â€Å"elusive [Scarlet] Pimpernel† (Orczy 97) is surely a great hero. Having all of the ‘requirements’ and characteristics of a hero, he is able to spring into action– ready to save the day! He is not recognized by his enemies and is able to fulfill all of the tasks he puts before him. He is diligent at what he does and only uses force when necessary. With his 19 assistants by his side, he is able to save the lives of the French aristocracy and bring them to safety. Sir Percy Blankley, a. k. a. The Scarlet Pimpernel, is a hero– no doubt about it.

5 Ways to Establish Your Writing Practice - Freewrite Store

5 Ways to Establish Your Writing Practice - Freewrite Store Today’s guest post is by editor and author Susan DeFreitas (@manzanitafire), whose debut novel, Hot Season, won the 2017 Gold IPPY Award for Best Fiction of the Mountain-West. Â   Â   Â   If you struggle to establish a writing practice, don’t despair. While writing will never be a completely painless process, there are ways to make it easier on yourself (not to mention more fun). First, though, some real talk: Most people who want to write never do. Or, at least, they never make writing enough of a habit to finish any of the big projects they have in mind, be it a novel, a memoir, or a chapbook of poems. Say you have a great idea but you don’t know where to start. Or you get started with your project but then lose the thread, or get distracted, and never wind up finishing it. In either case, the following tips can help you get started, get back on track if you’ve stalled out- and, ultimately, get to the finish line with your project. 1) Brainstorming Terrified of the blank white page? You’re not alone. There’s something about beginnings that’s deeply intimidating- especially when it’s the beginning of something big. The thing is, the beginnings are all about brainstorming and daydreaming- and as it turns out, staring at a blinking cursor on a blank white page is really not the best way to do either of these things. Neuroscience suggests that this sort of big-picture creative thinking- about what you envision for your project, its concerns, its scope, even the voice you hear for it- is best accomplished while walking, or in the back of your mind as you’re going about other tasks, or as you’re falling asleep at night. In this way, you’ll be partnering with your subconscious mind, opening the door to associative connections that simply won’t arise if you try to push. What are the questions driving your project? What do you know about it, and what don’t you know? In the earliest stages of your writing process, as far as I’m concerned, you shouldn’t be writing at all- you should be thinking about your project in a way that clues you into what it is you really want to do, and how you really want to do it. 2) Visioning Once you’ve answered these sorts of questions, it’s time to set aside a few hours to envision where you’re going. Take yourself out for coffee on a Sunday morning, or set aside those precious hours after the kids go to bed. This is your time to flesh out and solidify your ideas. What will the plot of your novel be? What topics will your essays cover? What are the concerns of your poetry, the forms that inspire you, the specific themes you’d like to write toward? This is the time to take all those big-picture ideas you’ve had floating around in your head and solidify them into a real plan. Be as specific as you can- this plan will be the roadmap for your project. 3) Set aside a regular time Only have a half hour a day to write? Or even fifteen minutes? No problem. When you have a detailed plan for your project, it’s not hard to make use of small chunks of time to execute it. You may do nothing more than write a few sentences, or a paragraph, or a few lines of poetry. But if you write each day- preferably at the same time, but not necessarily- you will progress in your project. If you can find more time to devote to your writing practice on a daily basis, great- but remember, it can be hard to continue a practice that’s based on finding big chunks of time. If you can learn to write in smaller increments, you’ll wind up writing more often (which tends to be the key to finishing). And if you lose the thread, remember, you have a blueprint you can return to (and amend, if necessary). It’s not necessary to keep the big picture of your project in your head at all times- all that’s necessary is that you keep inching forward, whether it’s a little or a lot at a time. 4) Find your people One of the best ways to ensure that you stick to your writing practice over the long term is to find a group of people who will keep you accountable for creating new work. This group might be a traditional writers’ critique group, or it might be a generative group like Sit Down, Shut Up, and Write. If you live in a place where writers are scarce, even a Patreon campaign that makes you accountable to your sponsors for new work every month will do the trick. Of course, it’s possible to establish a writing practice in isolation- but over the long haul, it’s hugely helpful to know that there is someone on the other end, waiting to read what you’ve written. 5) Make it fun Finally, if you find your writing process losing steam, stop and ask yourself why. Is it because you’ve become too critical of your own work? Because you haven’t gotten the validation and direction that comes through feedback? Or because you’re pursuing the wrong project, one that your heart isn’t really in? In the end, you may find it something more like the fact that your writing desk is uncomfortable, or that you don’t like working where it’s too noisy (or too quiet). Maybe you need to draft in longhand, or outdoors, or next to a window. Maybe you need to write with a cup of coffee in hand, or after you’ve had a glass of wine, or after you’ve read a poem by your all-time favorite poet. Whatever it is, you owe it to yourself to find out, and experiment until you find the tools, setting, and context that sends a clear signal to your mind: writing is fun, and this is a great time to make it happen. Now it’s your turn. What do you struggle with in your writing practice? And what has proven most helpful to you in staying on track? Â   An author, editor, and educator, Susan DeFreitas’s creative work has appeared in (or is forthcoming from) The Writer’s Chronicle, The Utne Reader, Story, Southwestern American Literature, and Weber- The Contemporary West, along with more than twenty other journals and anthologies. She is the author of the novel Hot Season (Harvard Square Editions), which won the 2017 Gold IPPY Award for Best Fiction of the Mountain West. She holds an MFA from Pacific University and lives in Portland, Oregon, where she serves as an editor with Indigo Editing Publications.