INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Create a barrier between yourself and the rest of your household. Store everything you need for your work in your office so you can be efficient in your space. Keep everything work related out of the rest of your home to help you maintain a work-life balance.  Even if you live alone, you need a space that can help you create a work-life balance. In a busy home, find a quiet area away from household noise and distractions. If you will meet with clients, work out of a room with a separate entry or that is very close to an outside door. If you do work that creates a lot of noise or dust and debris, work far away from the rest of your house in a garage, an outside structure, or a place you can easily clean, like a utility room. If you live in an apartment or small home without an extra room, you can still set up an efficient home office. Designate any separate space you can exclusively for work. This is better than working from your couch or bed.  Carve out a workspace in your closet by removing the doors and installing a small table, chair, shelves, and good lighting. Put a desk, chair, shelving, and light sources in a corner of your kitchen or another room in the house. Avoid working from your bedroom to maintain the best sense of work-life balance. Find a space with a window if natural light is important to you. Put your office in an area of your home where the temperature will be comfortable for you all day. Find an office space with a door if you need it in order to shut yourself off from the rest of your home.

SUMMARY: Separate your workspace from the rest of your home. Make the most of your space. Choose surroundings that are conducive to your work.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If there is a red squiggly line beneath a word, then that word is misspelled. If there is a green squiggly line beneath a phrase or sentence, it means that the phrase is grammatically or syntactically incorrect. You don't need to run the Spelling & Grammar tool – these markers should appear of their own accord as you make mistakes. Most versions of Word will auto-correct slightly-misspelled words, but you may need to fix the punctuation yourself. There should be a small picture of a book along the bottom of the page, near the bottom-left corner. If there is a check on it, then there are no errors in the document. If there is a red X, then click on the book. The program will pull up various errors and suggested corrections. When you right-click on the red-underlined word or green-underlined phrase, a menu will appear to offer actions and suggestions. You should see a list of suggested "correct alternatives" to your word or phrase. You will also have the option to Ignore or Ignore All. If you wrote "whats", for instance, Word will give you the option to correct the word to "what's" – along with "what," "whets," "whites," and "wheats." Click on the suggestion that seems right, and the program will automatically replace the misspelled word with its correct counterpart. Again – if you aren't sure, run a web search to find the right spelling for the disputed word. Notice which words you consistently misspell. Try to learn from your mistakes so that you make fewer of them. Set the intention of practicing your spelling, and try to catch yourself when you slip up. If you're having especial trouble, consider using flashcards or a flashcard app to train yourself in proper punctuation use.

SUMMARY: Look over your document for red and green underlines. Right-click to see suggestions. Choose the right fix. Try to learn the correct punctuation.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: . It may help you get started with the writing of the story by sketching out a plot outline so you know what is going to occur in the story. Most writers avoid doing this as they do not want to feel limited by a plot outline. But if you are struggling to start your story, it may help to identify your protagonist, the setting of the story, and the events of the story.  A plot outline should first address the story goal. This is something your protagonist would like to achieve and/or a problem she wants to resolve. This is also called the big "want" in the story, where your protagonist wants something from herself, another character, an institution, etc. A plot outline should also note the consequences for your protagonist if she does not achieve her goal. These are also called "the stakes of the story", where the protagonist will suffer in someway if she fails to reach her goal. Having high stakes in a story usually encourages a reader to stay engaged and care about the fate of your protagonist. If you are struggling with an idea for your story, you can try using a writing prompt. Writing prompts can help to get your creative juices flowing and allow you to narrow your focus. They can also force you to write about something you may not have considered before or thought of on your own.  Most writing prompts have a time limit (i.e., write about the prompt for five minutes). You can extend the time limit for the writing prompt if you feel it is helping you generate useful material for your story. You can also deviate from the writing prompt if your writing takes you in a different direction. The prompt should act as a way to get you started, but it should not feel restrictive or limiting in any way. A writing prompt can be anything from a phrase, such as "I remember..." to an image, such as "Imagine you are trapped in your childhood bedroom". You can also use a phrase from a favorite poem or a book, as well as a phrase from a favorite song. You can find a list of writing prompts at http://www.writersdigest.com/prompts Writer's Digest and http://www.dailyteachingtools.com/journal-writing-prompts.html Daily Teaching Tools. You can also try an online random http://writingexercises.co.uk/firstlinegenerator.php first line generator. Once you have written some raw material for the story, you should take a moment to read it over and see if a protagonist emerges. The protagonist is the character whose fate matters the most in the story. This does not necessarily mean your protagonist has to be a hero or pure evil. Your protagonist should be the character readers will care about or sympathize with the most, flaws and all. The protagonist also does not necessarily have to be the narrator of the story, but they should be the one making decisions that move the story forward. Your protagonist should drive the events that occur in the story and their fate should give the story meaning. One method is to sit down and start with your basic story, writing down the details of the story in one sitting. This could be the crazy, amusing story you might tell a friend but are not sure how to translate into short story material. Getting down the raw data, or details of your story, can then allow you to shape it into a crafted piece later.  Focus on simply telling the story and getting it down on the page. This could take you one hour or several hours. Pretend you are talking to a good friend and sharing the story with them over coffee. Avoid doing any outside research or reaching for information outside of the story you are telling. Try not to slow down to really think about certain sections or areas of the story. You will address any issues in the story once you reread it later.

SUMMARY:
Create a plot outline Use a writing prompt. Identify your protagonist. Try to write the basic story in one sitting.