7 Tips for New Freelance Writers

Have you just stumbled into the world of freelance writing and cant believe how awesome it is? The freedom to set your schedule, choose your clients and to raise your rates when you like! Who wouldnt want to be a freelance writer? So, what did you naturally do when you learned about it? You went online and researched as much as you could about becoming a freelance writer. But, then you ended up having analysis paralysis – you dont know where to start or how to start. If this is you, then I want you to know that I was in your shoes once. Not too long ago – a little over a year ago – I was at a place where I was reading soo much about freelance writing, that I didnt know what to believe. This just resulted in my making mistakes and taking longer to reach my goals. I dont want that to happen to you! To get you started, Ive come up with seven tips to help you out.   This all requires taking action on your part, however.   If you dont just do it and get out there, youll never know how much you can potentially succeed as a pro writer. Here are seven tips all new freelance writers should do to get started. 1. Pitch Every Day Just because you are a journalist or that you had a story published in your local newspaper last month, doesnt mean clients will suddenly start flocking to you by the dozens. Im afraid they wont because they have no clue you exist! The internet is big and while its the best place make money, everyone is on it! So, its your job as a new freelance writer to start pitching and go to the client. And the best best way to accomplish that is to set a goal and stick to it. For example, pitch 5-10 times a day for 1 month. Heres a post I wrote on how to find freelance writing jobs fast and its a great tool to use when youre new. Be sure to not only pitch to job boards, but also send out some cold pitches. These are pitches you would send to companies that arent actively looking for writers – and I made a guide to help you out! 2. Have a Blog Can I tell you something? I often visit freelance writers websites to see their blog. I like viewing what other writers are writing about. But more times than not, their blogs arent being updated. I want you to treat your blog like a client. Set deadlines and create a content schedule. Why is this important? 1. It Serves as Your Portfolio Youre new and you dont have any samples under your belt. The easiest way to quickly create samples is to write a few blog posts. Now whenever you send a pitch, you have samples to link to. A win-win! 2. It Helps Improve Your Writing I have every post Ive ever written on this blog. If you go and read the first few posts I wrote and compare them to now, youll notice an improvement. Its without question that writing every day will improve your writing. Its just another muscle to exercise. 3. It Can Help You Land Clients At first, my blog didnt help me land clients. I was still new and no one knew I was a freelance writer. But then prospects found out about my blog and I started getting inquiries from them letting me know that they read my blog and wanted to hire me. Then I had prospects leave comments on my blog. 3. Focus on Goals, Not Failures Its so easy to get hung up on the failures and rejections. Writing, in a lot of ways, is a creative outlet and is personal. So, when someone doesnt hire you or doesnt like your writing style, its like they dont like you as a person. Thats what you think, but in reality, freelance writing is as business. Its not a hobby. When a business doesnt get back to you or says youre not a good fit for their brand, dont take it personally. It has nothing to do with you as a person! So, dont let the fear of rejection stop you from taking action. Im not the best writer, but that hasnt stopped me from writing for big brands and influencers. And to think I almost quit freelance writing because of what someone else said! So, have faith in yourself and stick to your goals. 4. Invest in a Course So, remember when I said I made some mistakes? This was one of them. I know for a fact I couldve saved time by enrolling in a course. Having a successful framework to go by just makes new freelance writers become successful faster. You learn the right way to pitch or submit your work or where to find freelance writing jobs and you dont waste time. Thats why I tell aspiring writers to invest in your business first by taking a course (my course!). 5. Network With Other Freelance Writers One of the best things I did was reach out to other freelance writers. Whether it was to ask them about rates or clients, having another person that knew what I was going through was helpful. I found most of my network of freelance writers either on social media or by visiting other freelance writing websites like Be a Freelance Blogger or The Write Life. And, you know what happened? I learned that one freelance blogger actually lived in my town! Its great when you have someone to bounce ideas off of and talk all things blogging and freelance writing. 6. Develop a Marketing Plan Okay. This is a BIG tip 🙂 Having a solid marketing plan is what will help you stay in business. Because after you land your first client, you still need to land another and another if you want to make this a sustainable business. And to do that means you have to market yourself. Ive talked a lot about marketing (here here). The best tips I can give are: Start guest posting. This gives you an author bio which helps gets you noticed Get on Twitter and LinkedIn Comment on blogs you want to write for Connect with businesses on social media Have a writer website 7. Keep On Hustling Youre a freelance writer and that means youre also a hustler. You have to go out there and hustle hard for clients. This is not to say you have to do it ALL the time; after a while – if you market yourself right – prospects will start approaching you. So, even though you may earn enough to pay your expenses and live comfortably with one clients work, be on the lookout for more work. Clients dont stay with you forever and you dont want to suddenly lose all your clients. Dont Do This Alone Even though we work from home by ourselves, it doesnt mean you have to do it alone! Theres a community of freelance writers out there willing to help. My course has a private Facebook group and we ask questions, solve problems, congratulate wins and offer support. What other tips for new freelance writers did I forget? Tell me in the comments and please Pin me!

How to obtain your dream job These tips and tools will help you

How to obtain your dream job These tips and tools will help you Your dream job might just be around the corner, how exciting is that? The fact that you’re reading this article probably means that it’s closer than you think. However, securing a job is renowned for being one of the most difficult things to do in this day and age, and that’s just securing any old job! To help you land your dream job, here is a list of tips and tools that can help you nail the company’s recruitment process to get you the job you deserve to be in.Be ready for anythingIf you’re proactively job searching right now, it’s important that you make sure that you’re ready to apply at any time. According to LinkedIn statistics, you’re 13% more likely to secure a job if you apply within the first three days. This means you need to be ready to go at a moment’s notice.Stay motivatedBefore going any further, it’s important to note that you’ll need to stay positive throughout the entire job application pro cess. You might not get the first pick for the job you wanted, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t find your dream job. There’s plenty of companies and businesses out there with similar jobs; it’s all about finding the right one for you.Richard J. Davis, a motivational writer for Paper Fellows, explains, â€Å"It can be very disheartening when you don’t get a job that you applied for, but you think it could have been the one. However, you don’t need to get yourself down about it. Instead, pick yourself, write a list of reasons why you think you didn’t get the position this time and don’t do it again!†Ensure your CV reads wellWhile on the subject of reading through your CV to ensure that all the little details are accurate, make sure that you’re also on the lookout of your sentence structure. This means checking your grammar to ensure that your sentences flow nicely and your potential recruiter can absorb your inf ormation easily.If a recruiter is finding it too hard to read your CV, the chances are that they’ll simply dismiss it. To refresh your knowledge of grammar, head over to State of Writing for the most up to date guides and resources.Ensuring your CV is accurateImagine you were the recruiter in charge of recruiting for your dream job. Imagine you were reading through every application and CV and you get to yours. If it was full of spelling mistakes, typos and errors. Would you put you into the next recruitment stage?The chances are that you probably wouldn’t unless you were bad at your job. According to statistics, about 1 in 3 CVs have typos so it if yours was perfect, you’re very likely to stand out from the crowd.It’s vital that you proofread your both your CV and your cover to ensure that every detail is perfect. This will give you the best chance of securing your place in the interview stage. For editing and guidelines on proofreading your work, get a CV writing help.Networking is essentialIf you don’t have LinkedIn and you’re on the lookout for a professional job, you need to sign up, now, LinkedIn is the largest professional network in the world and no matter what company you want to work for, you can bet your bottom dollar that some of the people you need to know are on there.Once you’ve found the company online, start to follow the people that are in similar roles to you. This will help you to identify several key points, including the company culture, the type of company you want to work for and what type of people the company employs.About the author:Brenda Berg is a professional with over 15 years of experience in business management, marketing and entrepreneurship. Consultant and tutor for college students and entrepreneurs. She believes that constant learning is the only way to success. You can visit her personal blog at Letsgoandlearn.com

The Effect of Divorce on Children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Effect of Divorce on Children - Essay Example However, it is only a minority of them who have long-term problems (Burke, Mclntosh and Gridley; Divorce- Effects On Children). Thus the impact can be viewed from an optimistic as well as from a pessimistic viewpoint. Optimists view divorce as an end to marital stress and problems and that both parents and children would benefit from the process as the single parent can remarry to a more suitable partner and provide a secure family to the child. Pessimists view the process as highly challenging for the single parent as it could be difficult to make the child completely understand the situation and accept another family (Evans et al). Research evidences support the pessimistic view point that states that divorce does have a negative impact on the child. The age of the children who are involved also plays a vital role when considering the actual effects of divorce. In Australia during the period 1991-2001, there has been a steady rise in the number of children going through parental di vorce. While it was 46, 700 in 1991, the number of children in 2001 was approximately 53,400 (Measures of Australia’s progress). ... Children who live in single-mother household, which is becoming more common after divorce off-late (Divorce- Effects On Children), experience difficulties in getting suitable education and work compared to children from two-parent families (Evans et al; Funder and Kinsella; Children and Divorce). This is mainly attributed to reduction of resources as a result of which children are unable to attain their full potential. Those who do not achieve good education tend to have lower self-esteem which in turn forces them to leave home which often results in quicker marriage and thus an overall lower fulfilling achievement in life (Funder and Kinsella). Thus success or failure in education tends to affects the overall quality of life of the child. Hence this is considered to be an important effect due to divorce (Evans et al). The various effects that divorce has on children are summarized below. Economic effects As it is common in many countries for children to live with their mothers after their parents divorce, there is a definite lack of resource when compared to the pre-separation situation despite assistance from fathers and other sources, according to certain reports. Lack of sufficient resources would prevent the child from developing into a more competent individual as they might not get the required educational and social exposures (Funder and Kinsella). According to a report by Evans et al, children coming form divorced families get half a year less education compared to those coming from intact families. Such an effect is mainly attributed to loss of parental guidance and emotional and economic support (Evans et al). Increase of family income through a step-father helps to stabilize the economic status; however it

Buying Decision Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Buying Decision Assignment - Essay Example rchase the laptop was also influenced by the social needs such as engaging with my friends and relatives through social sites including tweeter and face book. Based on my interest to understand the culture of other people, the laptop could assist me to research on ethnicity of other people including their languages and beliefs. Before I made my purchase, I had first to compare the prices in various shops as well as the best brand that could meet my needs. Additionally, a number of customers were still looking for the same laptop during the early morning hours. The major factors influenced my purchase decision were efficiency, dependability, motivation and learning. As a new technology that is adopted my individuals and organizations, I realized that the laptop would assist me in storing information, providing solutions through the use of software, give me motivation during my research as well as make learning process easier. The purchase was a high involvement decision. In most cases, consumers go for personal computers rather than laptops due to the high prices of the laptops. Additionally, laptops have a high risk of getting a fault especially if improperly handled. As compared to my expectations after purchase, I realized that I had to extensively study most of the applications that were in the laptop as well as add more software into it in order to meet all my needs. One of the key concepts that I have learned from this assignment is that consumers are guided by various factors during their purchasing process (Kerin 31). These include economic needs, psychological variables, social needs, culture, and reasons for

Question set 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Question set 2 - Essay Example The behavior can be further distilled into two forms which are initiating structure also referred to as task behavior and consideration, referred to as relationship behavior. The task behavior makes it easier for the subordinates to accomplish the set goals as well as objectives and relationship behavior makes things easier for the subordinates in the context in which they tend to operate with other members of the organization. The main objective of the leadership style approach is to help in the understanding of how leaders integrate the two broad concepts of behavior in order to influence the group member positively to achieve organizational and personal goals and objectives. Steps to Effectiveness Two key steps that leadership should take in order to be effective are vision and communication. However, in order to be effective leader one should have good followers. Let us assume that I am the follower of an organization like Tesco and according to me the leadership style approach i s the most appropriate. Leadership style refers to process in which leader’s tends to behave towards their followers. In addition the leadership style is a combination of skill, trait and behavior which leaders use in the process of interacting with the followers. In the leadership style approach behavior is an important component as it is consistent with the pattern of behavior which characterizes a leader. To be led by example is important for a follower as the followers tends to observe the behavior of the leader and thus copy it (Lussier & Achua, 2009, p.70). This way, the most correct and appropriate way of leading will be through leadership style approach. Leader Skills Technosoft Russia Ivan Chalkovsky the sales and marketing head at Technosoft Russia had one most important tasks of deciding on the use of appropriate database for the purpose of sales and marketing activities. Although the SMB of Chalkovsky had good support from the database he was worried about potenti al clients who were not passed to the resellers and as a result lead referral system was created and latter replaced by SMSS. The lead referral system faced issues with resolving the task of monitoring and following with the leads. Chalkovsky wanted to make use of telesales in order to follow and generate leads and also make use of â€Å"one-to-many† model of telesales where the TSR had a given territory to generate sales and create long term relationship with its customers. The marketing manager realized that the sale team needed a team leader and thus Peterson was appointed for the same. However it can be seen that the TRA were not satisfied with her as only 5TSRs filled up the form in favor of Peterson. Thus is Peterson would have provided with proper training in managerial skills and how to handle a team the result would have been different. Proper training was missing, support from the management as well as the TSRs team was lacking leading to low popularity of Peterson. Elite, Inc As Benson took over the position of CEO with Elite Inc. she faced many challenges from Jake who was the CFO of Elite Inc. Jake did not have qualify for the position of CEO as the company thought he lacked leadership skills and as a result Benson had to face challenges. The projects given to Jack were never completed on time and also received late night emails from Jake with regards to work which could have been done during the

Comic Books: History and Impact on Society

Comic Books: History and Impact on Society Comic books hold an undeniable significance in modern history. Three aspects of significance include the history of comic books, the use of comics for social commentary, and the cultural impact comics have had on our daily lives. Comic books had humble beginnings, soon they grew into a major threat during Cold War era American society and then became an outlet to hippie counter-culture in the 1960s. The earliest ancestors to comics can be found in caves, little stick men spearing blob-shaped beasts. Rodolphe TÃ ¶pffer is considered by many to be the Father of Modern Comics. TÃ ¶pffer was the first to comment on the interwoven nature that words and pictures held, The pictures without the text, would have only an obscure meaning; the text, without the pictures, would mean nothing (Fingeroth 2008, p. 12). In 1895, Richard F. Outcaults character, the Yellow Kid, was the first successful reappearing comic character. In 1935, Max Gaines found funding to begin reprinting comic serials into paper bound books, or comic books. Through the 1940s and 50s comic books were a main focus of attack for Dr. Fredric Wertham. Wertham claimed that comics were corrupting the morals of kids; this included accusations of Batman an d Robin having homosexual tendencies, that Supermans power of flight distorted a childs understanding of physics, and that Wonder Woman gave young girls the wrong impression of the role of women in society (Coville 1996, para 19). In 1954, the industry responded by instituting the Comic Code Authority (CCA), which handed out seals of approval to comics it deemed passed its strict criteria. This included censoring all gore, any story without a happy ending, and nearly any form of sexuality (relationships had to uphold the sanctity of marriage). Although the CCA had no legal authority, shops wouldnt sell comics without the seal which led to a decline in the comic book industry in profit and creativity. Enter the 1960s and the emergence of the hippie counter-culture. A product of this era was the development of underground comics, or comix, which was a direct reaction to the rules of the CCA and the idea of the institution as a whole. Artists within the underground comix scene focused on adult-themed topics, such as hallucinogen use, pushing sexual taboos and rejecting established views of morality, religion and social class. Two huge influences in the scene include Robert Crumb and Art Spiegelman, whose work could be found in record stores and head shops. In the early 1970s mainstream comic brands started to pick up on these more serious topics, which led to the weakening of the CCA. The 70s also saw a shift in focus amongst comic books, relevance to real life issues became the dominant idea. This led to stories about drug abuse, racial prejudice and a peppering of feminist thought. Ethnic minorities also had more roles in comic books, if still secondary and stereotyped. The 1980s to the present day have seen a shift in comics towards graphic novels, emotionally complex characters with human weaknesses, politically stimulated story lines, gritty dystopian-esque cities and a prevalence of anti-hero protagonists (Coville 1996, para 16-23). The history of comics is so rich in detail that this could be considered just the tip of the iceberg. One thing is clear though; the comic book industry rebounded from serious attacks and became stronger than ever, pushing for personal expression amongst its artists and writers. As made evident by the past 40 odd years of comics, the reflection of real life social issues has been a popular trend. Hot topics that are still relevant to this day include the views of women, LGBT persons and ethnic minorities within society. Women have had a role in comics since their creation. Early depictions of women usually put them in the role of damsel in distress/ plot device or purely as a sex symbol. In 1940, the first true, although mostly unheard of, female superhero was created: Fantomah (Markstein n.d, para 3). Fantomah, along with other early female comic protagonists Wonder Woman and Sheena, fell into the Jungle Goddess category. The role of the female was put in the background with the creation of the CCA. Female characters didnt find a positive voice in comics until the 1980s and 1990s (Felton n.d., para 1). Series such as Love Rockets, Ghost World, and Tank Girl promoted strong portrayals of women, often with feminist leanings dealing with the exploration of se xuality in positive ways and the dismissal of expected roles in society. Gay characters also began to make an emergence during this same period. For example, the series Y: The Last Man toyed with the idea of all the men in the world but one dying off at once. Not only did it take a serious look at the complete reinventing of civilization through the hands of women, it delved heavily into lesbian culture: the views of women as masculine and feminine, theories of dominance and ideas of where man would be in a female dominant society. A more mainstream example would be Batwoman, who was recently written as an openly gay character in the series 52 (Gustines 2006, para 2). Ethnic minorities have been in comic books for the past 100 years, but they were usually given stereotypical, often outright racist, roles with no depth of character. Nowadays there are countless comic book characters of color that are portrayed in the same light as white characters. Examples of this would be superhero es such as Storm, a black woman who was leader of the X-MenÂÂ ­, and Cyborg, black male leader of the Teen Titans. Not to mention nearly the entire cast of Love Rockets who are of Mexican descent. One of the earliest well-known black superheroes, Black Panther, has recently gone through a revival. Reginald Hudlin, Black Entertainment Televisions President for Entertainment, who wrote the new series has stated: The reality is that theres been so few black characters who have their own book, who have been consistently published, let alone a black character who has been written by a black writer and the perspective that comes from that (Gustines 2006, para 7). In closing, the effort being made to turn comics into tools for personal reflection on ones values seems to be growing significantly. Established views are being challenged in a creative format, with people having control in how much they want to expose themselves. Lastly, the cultural impact of comic books on the world is noteworthy; film and television adaptations of comic books throughout the world and their acceptance as literature, the extension of the fictional superhero identity into real-life groups and individuals donning costumes, and the use of comic books to push ideological views has had a resounding effect on society. Though adaptations of comics had been put onto the big screen for many years, Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon serials being prominent, it wasnt until 1978 when the first Superman movie was released that audiences and film makers took it seriously (Booker 2007, pp. x-xi). Superman was extremely popular, and until nearly a decade later it reigned as the most well-known comic movie available. With new progress made into computer-generated imagery (CGI), the trend was ready to take off. Dozens of comic book movies and television shows have been made, a good amount of which arent superhero related, thanks to the nearly infin ite potential of CGI (10 Interesting Comic Book Facts You Probably Didnt Know 2009, para 6). These include classic superheroes such as Batman, Superman and Spiderman that have been replicated and assimilated in foreign countries. Another notable trend is the view of comic books as legitimate literature, such as Art Spiegelmans Maus receiving a special Pulitzer in 1992 and Alan Moores Watchmen being entered into Time magazines 2005 list of 100 Best English-language novels from 1923 to the present (10 Interesting Comic Book Facts You Probably Didnt Know 2009, para 8). By now it can be claimed that superheroes are indeed a part of our society, but some individuals take it one step further. Take for example the New York based real life superhero Terrifica. Terrifica dons a blond wig and red boots, complete with red cape and utility belt at night. Her mission is to prevent drunken women from being taken advantage of by sexual predators, which keeps her mostly in bars and party scenes. Her arch-nemesis, Fantastico, is a full-time seducer of women, whom Terrfica has been known to peel women off of (Robinson 2002, para 4). It sounds like a joke, but there are dozens of real life superheroes in the world. Another is A ngle-Grinder Man, a resident of the London area who travels around at night, in full costume, with an angle-grinder that he uses to cut off clamps he finds on peoples cars. He even has a hotline (Superhero takes on clampers 2003, para 1-4). A far more touching example would be the group who call themselves Superheroes Anonymous. This is a group of costumed heroes who have been walking the streets of New York since 2007, handing out food and support to the homeless (Superheroes Anonymous 2010, para 2). A comic being used as a vehicle for ideology goes way back to the original serialized character, Yellow Kid. Though the premise of Yellow Kid and his colleagues was lighthearted and whimsical in nature, the underlying theme and artistic style of the comic was seen as a critical satire of the severe poverty following the industrial revolution. All the characters were dirty, rag covered, homeless-looking children who poked fun at upper-class customs (McAllister et al. 2001, pp.1-2). J. R obyn Goodman made the observation that throughout popular comics in 1909 to 1914 over 80% of the cartoons reflected anti-suffragist ideology (Goodman in McAllister et al. 2001, p. 9). Topics that have been covered such as the blossoming of underground comix and the progressive feminist/sexual views between the 1960s and current comic books can be seen as forms of ideology being present too. To clarify, comic books as a whole have affected our world culture in profound ways. It can be said that they are engrained in our psyche; through print, film and television they have reached millions and have cemented archetypes and ideologies along the way. By now it should be clear that comic books are here to stay. Even after grievous attacks the medium of comic books has triumphed and made its place in society known. They have grown with us; as children we see the world as black and white, and comics reflected this by depicting battles clearly as good versus evil. As we grow older the shades of grey start to take shape and to mirror this, comics have taken on ambiguous topics and played with our sense of morality. While there are many who have no interest in comic books, its near impossible to find someone who has never heard of Superman, Batman or Spiderman. Yes, comic books truly are a significant man-made facet of civilization.

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Essay -- Health Mental Disorders OCD Ess

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Obsessive-compulsive disorder, commonly known as OCD, is a type of anxiety disorder and was one of the three original neuroses as defined by Freud. It is characterized by "recurrent, persistent, unwanted, and unpleasant thoughts (obsessions) or repetitive, purposeful ritualistic behaviors that the person feels driven to perform (compulsions)." (1) The prime feature that differentiates OCD from other obsessive or compulsive disorders is that the sufferer understands the irrationality or excess of the obsessions and compulsions, but is unable to stop them. What differentiates people with OCD from other usually healthy people with milder forms of obsession and compulsion is the fact that the obsessions and compulsions serve to interfere with the person with OCD's life to the point where they are extremely distressed, the obsessions and compulsions take a large proportion of their time, and serve to interfere with the their routine, functioning on the job, normal social activities, and relationships with others. (1) (3) Some of the typical compulsions that someone with OCD may exhibit include an uncontrollable urge to wash (especially the hands) or clean, to check doors repeatedly to make sure that they are locked, confirming that appliances are switched off multiple times, "to touch, to repeat, to count, to arrange, or to save." (1) Obsessions that one with OCD may display can include fixation on dirt and contamination, the fear that one may act upon destructive or violent urges, having an overdeveloped sense of responsibility for the welfare of others, objectionable religiously blasphemous or sexual disturbances, other socially unacceptable behavior, and an overbearing concern with the... .../server-java/Arknoid/science/AS/Encyclopedia/0/04/Est_042250_pg2.html 3) Neurotic Disorders, An article on neurotic disorders by Marshal Mandelkern on McGraw-Hill's Access Science site, an online encyclopedia of science and technology. http://www.accessscience.com/server-java/Arknoid/science/AS/Encyclopedia/4/45/Est_450300.html 4) Ancient Gene Takes Grooming in Hand, An article by Bruce Bower found through McGraw-Hill's Access Science site, an online encyclopedia of science and technology. http://www.accessscience.com/server-java/Arknoid/science/AS/News/45/4483.html 5) Understanding Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), An informational site about OCD, from the makers of Zoloft, which is used in the treatment of OCD and other anxiety disorders. http://www.zoloft.com/zoloft/zoloft.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=default_home&pageid=14&o=7779976%7c5101527%7c0 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Essay -- Health Mental Disorders OCD Ess Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Obsessive-compulsive disorder, commonly known as OCD, is a type of anxiety disorder and was one of the three original neuroses as defined by Freud. It is characterized by "recurrent, persistent, unwanted, and unpleasant thoughts (obsessions) or repetitive, purposeful ritualistic behaviors that the person feels driven to perform (compulsions)." (1) The prime feature that differentiates OCD from other obsessive or compulsive disorders is that the sufferer understands the irrationality or excess of the obsessions and compulsions, but is unable to stop them. What differentiates people with OCD from other usually healthy people with milder forms of obsession and compulsion is the fact that the obsessions and compulsions serve to interfere with the person with OCD's life to the point where they are extremely distressed, the obsessions and compulsions take a large proportion of their time, and serve to interfere with the their routine, functioning on the job, normal social activities, and relationships with others. (1) (3) Some of the typical compulsions that someone with OCD may exhibit include an uncontrollable urge to wash (especially the hands) or clean, to check doors repeatedly to make sure that they are locked, confirming that appliances are switched off multiple times, "to touch, to repeat, to count, to arrange, or to save." (1) Obsessions that one with OCD may display can include fixation on dirt and contamination, the fear that one may act upon destructive or violent urges, having an overdeveloped sense of responsibility for the welfare of others, objectionable religiously blasphemous or sexual disturbances, other socially unacceptable behavior, and an overbearing concern with the... .../server-java/Arknoid/science/AS/Encyclopedia/0/04/Est_042250_pg2.html 3) Neurotic Disorders, An article on neurotic disorders by Marshal Mandelkern on McGraw-Hill's Access Science site, an online encyclopedia of science and technology. http://www.accessscience.com/server-java/Arknoid/science/AS/Encyclopedia/4/45/Est_450300.html 4) Ancient Gene Takes Grooming in Hand, An article by Bruce Bower found through McGraw-Hill's Access Science site, an online encyclopedia of science and technology. http://www.accessscience.com/server-java/Arknoid/science/AS/News/45/4483.html 5) Understanding Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), An informational site about OCD, from the makers of Zoloft, which is used in the treatment of OCD and other anxiety disorders. http://www.zoloft.com/zoloft/zoloft.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=default_home&pageid=14&o=7779976%7c5101527%7c0