After the transaction of any morning business (not to extend beyond one hour), Senate will continue consideration of HR 1249, Leahy-Smith America Invents Act, and at approximately 4 pm, there will be up to 4 roll call votes on or in relation to Sessions Amendment No. 600, Cantwell Amendment No. 595, Coburn Amendment No. 599, and passage of the bill. Following the Joint Session, Senate will vote on the motion to proceed to consideration of SJ Res. 25, a joint resolution relating to the disapproval of the President's exercise of authority to increase the debt limit, as submitted under section 3101A of title 31, United States Code, on August 2, 2011.

For many aspiring writers, the novel is the chosen path to publication. Yet with so few achieving this goal, why not consider some other pathways to success? This article lists three reasons why not to write a novel and gives some alternatives!

1. Novels take a long time to write.

On average, a novelist will spend a year on researching and writing their novel. Don't forget that this is full-time work too! Any novel is a major undertaking in writing terms and for a new writer it can be a monumental undertaking. So here are a few alternatives for you:

Fillers: Plenty of magazines accept short (100-200 word) fillers that can be slotted in to fill a blank space on the page and, considering their length, are very well-paid. Don't dismiss them as being 'not writing' - they are, believe me.

Feature Articles: These range from what you did on holiday to your favourite meal to how your dog means so much to you. Again, payment is generally good considering word length.

Short Stories: I've mentioned these so many times before but I make no apology for including them here. If you can crack the magazine short story market you may never feel the need to write a novel! It's a lucrative and respected market full of 'real writers' - some of whom have also never written a novel and probably never will!

2. Novels face tough competition to get published.

This is very true. The reason? Simple - every aspiring writer, it seems, wants to write a novel. Many see it as the way to fame and fortune. Others regard the novel as 'real' writing and anything is is just playing at it. However, here again are a couple of real alternatives:

Factual Books: If you have in-depth knowledge and experience of a subject, a factual book may well be your way into print. It could be a book on your time in the armed services. Maybe you have for years been a keen gardener and want to share your knowledge, or perhaps you would like to write your biography. Factual books are one field of writing that new writers seem to ignore - yet they are a much more likely route to publication than any but the very best first novel!

Ebooks: There's a lot of uncertainty amongst new writers concerning ebooks and yet it's one of the easiest ways of getting into print via the self-publishing route. There are many online magazines, fanzines, e-zines and so forth that are always on the look-out for new, fresh material. Just because your book isn't printed on paper doesn't mean to say it has no value (you're reading this article, aren't you?). In fact many writers have started their career by writing ebooks and then 'graduating' to the print-on-paper variety after they have established a 'track record'.

Short Stories: Yes, I know I've already mentioned these but the competition to get your short story published, whilst still intense, is nowhere near the pressure that exists within the new novelist encampments. True, you have to be good to get short stories published. Consider, though: A short story maybe will take a few days to write - not a year. If it doesn't get accepted - write another. Then another. Repeat until you get accepted (and you will if you're persistent and a half-decent writer).

The point with short stories is just that - they're short. It's the difference between strolling down to the local park and hiking around the world. An added bonus is that, with every short story you write, you get that little bit better. It's true, trust me. So any stories that don't make it can be shelved and looked at again later - maybe six months. I guarantee that you will want to edit and re-write them into better form!

3. Novels are technically difficult.

Although this is not strictly true, it is easy to get lost within the pages of your novel. Why? Well, a novel is not only quite long (the shortest is about 60,000 words), it also has many more characters and, normally, a far more involved plot than a short story or novelette (a long short story, if you know what I mean). Novels must be planned by new writers or their chances of completion are limited. So whilst novels aren't always technically difficult to write, they are much more complex than shorter works. Alternatives to the novel? As always I fall back on:

The Short Story. Though often seen as the springboard to novel writing, the short story is a writing form in its own right - not just a 'mini-novel'. Far from it and, although it's true that the disciplines learned by short story writing can be transferred (at least to some degree) to novel writing, the short story stands alone in its form and composition. Write a novel? Why, when you can do any of the above? And yet, were I to recommend one form for the new writer it would of course be the short story. Get into this particular market and you should never really look back as a writer!

Steve Dempster

The ability to communicate effectively is often cited as the skill rated number one for career advancement across all professions. Unless you leave alone in an island which is disconnected from the rest of the world, else you will need to communicate with other people either on personal stuffs or on the business needs. If you are a working individual or a businessman, a good skill in communication and the success of using communication techniques are keys to ensure the success of your career advancement. Everybody knows the important of communication, but what else can you do with a communication degree?

Career Opportunities

There are many potential career opportunities available for those people with communication studies degrees. Among the communication careers are business, sales, human relations, customer service, social servi
Purdue Pathways: The Space Connection - Part 4

ces, management, public relations, advertising, media, fund raising, law, politics, consulting, and publishing. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, nine of the possible career paths mentioned above will be the biggest generators of new jobs over the next ten years.

It may surprise you to discover exactly who holds a communication degree. There are many success people who have both studied in the discipline and received degrees in communication. To name a few, David Boreanaz, actor on the T.V. series Angel, holds a communication degree; Evan Bayh, Indiana Senator studied debate and other communication-related courses at Indiana University; successful broadcast journalists who hold degrees in communication include network news anchor, Connie Chung, shock-jock radio personality, Howard Stern, and television news host, Bob Costas.

The communication qualities such as listening, speaking, creative thinking, decision making, problem solving, reasoning, self-esteem, sociability, self management, integrity, and honesty are the major skills which you will gain from a communication degree. According to the Department of Labor states, the above skills are among the most important qualities for high job performance and these are the key elements of success in almost all job professions.

Communication Degrees Are Available Online

Seeing the high market demands and the need of communication skills in all professions, there are many universities offer communication as one of their major degrees. And online communication degree has also make available for those busy individual who want to enhance their communication skills for career advancement. If you are in the category of "busy people" who want to pursue communication degree, you may consider online universities such as AIU Online, University of Phoenix Online, Capella Universities, DeVry University Online and Ellis College. These prestige online universities offer communication degrees with a few specialization areas, you could choose the one that best suit your needs; and pursue your communication degree online while continue with your current lifestyle and career.

Summary

Communication studies majors and minors find opportunities in the positions mentioned above and in many other types of positions and industries. The writing and communication skills gained in communication studies, prepares you for future employment in almost any field of interest.

Take a visit to http://www.studykiosk.com for more information on all online degrees available. Earning your education is one of the biggest and most important investments in your life. Our goal is to help you quickly find online degrees and online programs. We feature over 1,000 online degrees and accredited online degree programs.

Jullie Harvard