What are some tips on becoming a writer?

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    Most writers read whatever books they can find because they love to lose themselves in them. They like the sounds of language and the way that reading a good description can feel as satisfying as winning a baseball game or eating a banana split.

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    It's easy to forget a good idea if you do not write it down immediately. If you get in the habit of carrying a notebook with you everywhere you go, you can write down anything you want to remember. When you are talking to friends in the cafe or waiting for the bus, something might spark an idea for a character or a scene in a story.

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    Nearly all writers agree that writers must write. It doesn't matter if you feel like you have nothing to say; the important thing is that you write every single day. Sometimes, you need to give yourself permission to write things which won't be your best work.

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    Do you have any friends who enjoy writing? Think about starting a writing group with other people who have similar interests. It helps to have the support of other writers. You will also receive valuable feedback, or suggestions, about how to make your work better.

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    If you decide that you would like to send your work for publication, make sure to do your research. If you are sending your writing to a magazine, look through old ones. Does it seem like your writing fits in with the other stories or articles? That is the homework for you after writing.

A. Join or start a writing group.

B. Read everything you can.

C. Write every day.

D. Keep a notebook.

E. Stay active.

F. Do your homework.

    Some people succeed, while others may not. This is because some people have certain qualities, which others do not.

    The first thing you must remember is that in order to succeed, you must be optimistic (乐观的). If you do not expect to win, you will not try as hard as those who do expect to win. You also need to have a clear aim and a reason for doing something because motivation (动力) is a key to achieving success.

    Another quality that helps people succeed is creativity-thinking about things in a different way and wondering how others would do the same thing. Think about some successful people you know.

    Reading is another quality to success, as it will help you learn about how other people have achieved success. If you want to learn how to set up a successful business, you should read books about people like Bill Gates and Jerry Yang, who have achieved amazing success in their areas of business. Practicing is also important if you want to succeed because practice makes perfect.

    If you feel confident about what you do, this confidence will make other people believe in you as well.

    Scientists are trying to turn deserts into usable land again. {#blank#}1{#/blank#}, so people can live and grow food. They are learning a lot about deserts. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}. Scientists may not be able to change these deserts. People are doing bad things to our planet.

    Some places don't get much rain. {#blank#}3{#/blank#}. This is because green plants are growing there. Small green plants and grass are very helpful for dry places. Plants don't let the hot sun make the soil too dry. {#blank#}4{#/blank#}. When a little bit of rain falls, the plants hold the water. {#blank#}5{#/blank#}, land can turn to desert much more easily.

    When this story happened, they were working around a very large house. Their job was to do the cleaning. It was not a difficult job, but sometimes it was a little dangerous, because they had to walk below where workmen were working. These workmen often dropped something from the top of the house many meters high to the ground.

    One morning Joe was working near the house with a cigarette(烟) behind one of his ears. Suddenly somebody on the top shouted, "Look out!" But Joe did not "look out". He looked up. And as he did so, a long knife missed Joe's head, but it cut off one of his cars. At once he put his hand to one side of his head and cried out, "I've lost an ear. Help! Help!" Jeff ran up to help his friend. "Look for my ear," Joe told him." It must be on the ground somewhere." Jeff looked everywhere for the missing ear. At last he found an ear on the ground. He picked it up and carried it to Joe. "Here you are", he said, "I've found it." Joe looked at it." No, that's not my ear." He said," Mine had a cigarette behind it"

    Not many kids are willing to help around the house, but if you start early and then make a list of chores that need to be done and by whom, they'll soon come to accept it as a part of life.

    ①随着孩子们长大，他们或许会为在家里做家务索要钱。Should you pay them? It's up to you.

    Sarah doesn't think you should ever pay children for chores with money or rewards (奖赏) ."This will make them think that the chore is an 'extra (额外的事物)'that they don't have to do if they don't feel like doing it," says Sarah.

    "If children are trying to save for something specific like a computer game, it may be an idea to give them extra chores like washing the kitchen floor, watering plants or washing the car that you will pay for," "Liz says." ②Then at the end of the month they get a little extra pocket money. It teaches them about saving up, and working for the things they want."

    Zhuge Liang lived during the Three Kingdoms period. He was famous for his talent and loyalty (忠诚).

    When Zhuge Liang was young, he lived the life of a farmer in Nanyang. Liu Bei visited him three times. Finally, Zhuge Liang promised to do his best to help Liu Bei. A few years later, they built the state of Shu.

    After the death of Liu Bei, his son Liu Shan became the emperor of Shu. Zhuge Liang helped him rule the state. He was the prime minister, but he took care of everything, no matter how small it is. ⑶Because of his hard work, the state became much stronger than before.

    At that time, the state of Wei was an enemy of Shu. Zhuge Liang led the army to fight Wei many times. Before he left, ⑷Zhuge Liang wrote a letter to the emperor. At the end of the letter, he said, "I will give myself to the people and the country until the last day of my life." The war between Shu and Wei lasted for a long time. Finally, Zhuge Liang became sick and died.

It tells us …

   ⑸Zhuge Liang spent all his time working for his people and country. A great man like him will always be remembered.