What does that mean for the writer?  Well, it means simply that the writer has to do some research and get the facts correct. Quotes from other people must be direct quotes,not anything added to what the person said.

Questions must be phrased in such a way as there is no innuendo. Just the facts, but these must be true.

When a non fiction writer does a piece, it has to reflect no personal feelings. The writer cannot be bias in any way, just the facts. No opinion of the writer must be expressed.

Non-fiction is perhaps the most difficult pieces to write. It leaves the writer open for verbal attacks and sometimes legal action. That is why it is so important that the writer get the facts straight and the way they were presented to him.

Research is a key factor. Internet findings, though helpful, are not always reliable. If you get it from the net, always get a few others to back up the net information. Remember the net is written by people who sometimes want to paint a picture, even though it may not be a true picture.

If you are interviewing people, interview several people who are in the know. Compare their findings, and if you are not happy with the results, look for more to collaborate the facts that you have. Never take chances on wrong information, for it could cause you some trouble down the road.

When you are a non fiction writer, you are a detective.  You are looking for the facts to tie into your story. You are the one flushing out the clues to make a true story.

Your reputation is on the line when you write non fiction. One article that contains half truths could ruin your creditability. Writers need to have thier names in the public eye. That is their best advertisement. Do twenty articles and have one that is not true, and people forget about the twenty that you were right on.

Enjoy non fiction writing, but be careful to get the facts, just the facts.

These writers have found a great audience online. What they have often found out as well is that playing the part of "publisher" for themselves is a lot of work. Some just resign themselves to not having professional looking books in print. Others search high and low and spend tedious hours perfecting the craft of manuscript typesetting. It's the latter that reap the most benefits. Not only in sales, because their work shows such polish, but in pride of accomplishment.

Probably the most perplexing thing for most authors new to the world of self-publishing is the insight that manuscripts do not simply go from this:

To this:

Just by saying so. There is a lot of work that goes into making a raw manuscript appear in its final polished form.

As you can see, one of the things that will most impact the polish of your book is a clean crisp, but artful header. Headers can be placed in various ways. Take a look at several of your favorite novels or non-fiction books, and see which you prefer. Most word processing software now comes with the ability to produce lovely headers, but there are tricks.

How do you keep your chapter pages in place where they belong? Trick number one.

As the average writer types out his initial manuscript, he places chapter divisions, but usually just keeps them in line with the typing, and doesn't do anything special. He might start each new chapter on a new page, but is surprised later on to find if he's gone back and added, or deleted pieces that those titles have moved up or down. You cans top that by making a "hard" page break at the end of each chapter. The next chapter will always start on the following new page then no matter what you do to the content before it.

You still do not have to do this while creating your draft. When you go to create the published copy it is imperative, or you will make many more headaches for yourself as you go on.

How in the world do you keep some pages blank, while showing the headers on others? That's trick number two.

First you need to carefully examine some of your favorite books closely. There are things about the set up that the average reader doesn't pay much attention to. These are the things you may know, but don't really think about looking at, and learning, but will find yourself engrossed in as a self-publisher. Things like the first lead in pages of a book usually do not have headers. Chapter title pages usually do not have headers. It looks best if those pages do not have the headers on them so what do you do?

You need to learn all you can about section breaks. Those are the little tricks that will allow you to choose not to place a header on an entire section (as in the lead in pages), or on "first pages" of a "new section" as in chapters.

At the end of the lead in pages, I usually start at the bottom of the first page of the first chapter because it's on the second page of that chapter that I first want to see headers kick in, you need to create a section break--not a page break.

When you do that, and you go into your header, make sure to check off the box that says "different first page". That allows you to delete any header content on that first page of each chapter without erasing the header contents for the rest of it at the same time.

Do this for each and every chapter.

Page numbers as well go in the headers, usually on the outside of the page header area. Those too you need to skip on the blank header pages.

Each and every word processing program is different in the way they allow the headers to be manipulated, and some have more possibilities, and some less, but the basics are usually available in all of them. To go into any great detail beyond the tricks above would be futile unless we all worked in the same programs, and that's unlikely. It takes a little practice, and a lot of perseverance, but you'll soon discover what you can and can't do within the confines of your program, or programs. I use two separate programs, depending on what type of work I'm doing at the time, but find Microsoft Office Word to be my favorite for creating publishable novels.

The next little piece of creative polish is the drop cap. You've all seen it, even if you don't know what it's called. It's that creative first letter on the first page of every chapter, usually in fiction work.

Is it necessary? Perhaps not, but it truly adds a special polish to your work, and makes it look like a professionally published piece.

Not all word programs have the ability to create it specifically, although Word 07 is marvelous at it. Even if your word processor does not do it, you can manually create it by selecting just that one letter, and changing the size and font of it.

When you're finished you are well on your way to having created a beautiful manuscript ready for publication that you can be proud of.

Have fun. Learn, and be creative. And happy publishing.

In dialogue, many recommend contraction use as opposed to the two base words. Again, the reason is it sounds more natural in dialogue. In almost all cases, editors and fellow authors advise using the contractions.

Now, the second part of the answer is to not use contractions if you are writing something formal or want character dialogue to sound stiffer or perhaps "upper-crust" as it were. In business, law, and other formal writing forms, you do not want to use contractions-do not as opposed to don't-because it creates a formal stance. This includes writing professional advice. Again, unless you are trying to create a friendly or perhaps more relaxed air, do not use contractions.

So, for most creative fiction forms: use contractions.

For formal writing or to create a more haughty air in dialogue: Do not use them.

Notice how I did just that when speaking about the two subjects?

Last words of advice: When using contractions, be sure the subject and verb are clear if the verb is a linking one. Don't use the contraction if it's clumsy or draws more attention to the word. So, do write: Shayne will get you for it as opposed to Shayne'll get you for it. Proper nouns are the key here

Finally, passive use can hide in contractions. I've got a story for you is passive. The "have" is hidden, but is there. Don't let passive voice creep into your prose just because the flow looks better. It has to sound better first and foremost.

Word to the wise.

1. The first paragraph includes your setup, hook and resolution. Also included are the title, the proposed word count and brief explanation of the topic. Be creative with your setup, hook and resolution. If it reads like a textbook, you have failed.
2. Unlike a fiction query, you place your credentials in the second paragraph. This will include your qualifications, experience, education, previous articles or writings published, anything that applies to why you are the writer for the proposal. Be confident here, but don't overdo it. Balance your confidence with humility. Show why you are the writer for this book.
3. The third paragraph is the comparison. You will compare your book to others on the market and show why yours is different and marketable. Explain why yours is fresh, unique and timely. Don't ever say yours is the first ever to touch the subject. It isn't.
4. The fourth paragraph is where you invite the agent to represent you and look over your proposal. You must give an estimated time of how long it will take for you to complete the writing. Unlike fiction, non-fiction proposals do not have to be completed at the time of the query.
5. The last line is in bullet format. You enclose the book proposal and list them in the same order as the query letter.
6. The very last line is your professional thank you. "I look forward to hearing from you," is not professional. "Thank you for your consideration," is professional.

Please note that the non-fiction query can vary from agent to agent. The information above is the most generic template. An agent may desire a specific format for the query on non-fiction, so again be sure to look up that agent's website, agency, etc. before you commit yourself to something in error.

Example of a Non-Fiction Query Letter

Agent Spectacular
Spectacular Associates
123 West 35th Street
Suite 456
New York, NY 10001

Dear Mr. Spectacular:

This paragraph is where I write my setup, hook and resolution. THE TILE IS CAPS ALL with this many potential words when completed and my short explanation on the topic. This paragraph better be tight, exciting and get to the point quick.

Here I spill out my numerous experiences, credentials, education, previous works, the reason I am so smarmy and sexier than Brad Pitt. Okay, maybe not the sexy part unless my non-fiction book is about grooming or Hollywood gossip.

Now, I compare my book proposal to other books on the market. Here I will also tell why mine is different and/or fresh. I will stress my target market here with the comparisons.

This paragraph is where I invite the agent to represent me and look over the proposal. I include how long it will take me to finish the manuscript. If it is already done, say so. Again, unlike fiction queries, it is not assumed to be completed at the time you contact the agent.

Enclosed below are the bullets:

• First proposed idea in query letter
• Second one
• Third one
• Fourth
• Etc.

Thank you for your time and attention line.

Sincerely,

Arden S. Wolfe
1313 Mockingbird Lane
Somewhere, NY 12345
(123) 456-7890
AWolfe@nowhere.com

To become adept at writing, you need to understand the three principles required in writing: reading, thinking, and writing. The oft heard advice to "write how you would speak", is faulty. Vocal inflections and body language convey meaning in speech that is not evident in writing. Writing that is a reproduction of speech is often so disorganized and grammatically incorrect, it is unintelligible. Instead, you need to use the principles of good writing to organize your thoughts in a format that is easily understood by readers. These principles are essential in all types of writing, including fiction and non-fiction.

Reading

Teachers can tell by reading the essays they're grading which of their students spend time reading and which don't. Studying examples of experts allows you to understand what good writing is. A writer who has been exposed to a great deal of literature but who hasn't yet learned the principles of writing will still produce a paper far superior to the writer who has read little more than traffic signs. Readers know what good writing looks like and although they may not be able to duplicate what they know without a little training, they can at least recognize the weaknesses in their writing and seek to improve them.

Careful reading also supplies you with a thorough understanding of the subject. Spending enough time studying a subject allows you to form your own conclusions and make your own argument. If you haven't spent enough time reading a subject, you will find it difficult to write a paper about it. On the other hand, when you completely understand a subject, writing about it become natural and often provides an essential outlet for sharing it with others. People naturally want to share with others new knowledge they have gained, and writing provides that opportunity.

If you haven't been an avid reader, don't let your lack of experience stop you from taking on the world of literature. Books come in a wide variety of subjects and any person who is willing to spend a little time in a good library will find something of interest. The greatest writers in history all spent great quantities of time reading before picking up the quill and recording their thoughts. You also can learn to write in a way that will intrigue and excite your readers if you spend adequate time in preparation.

Thinking

Reading by itself will be pointless if you do not think about and understand what you are reading. Mindless reading will only produce mindless writing. Not understanding a text is no excuse for disregarding it. If you put a little work in to the task, you can understand anything you read. Serious readers own good dictionaries and use them regularly. If you are not in the habit of looking up the words you do not understand, make that a goal.

Although it can be laborious to continually stop and look up words, it will be much more effective because you will actually understand what you are reading. Over time you will acquire a larger vocabulary and find understanding texts much easier than before.
You should also pause frequently to consider the subject and make sure you understand what the writer is saying. When reading very difficult texts you may find it necessary to stop after each paragraph or even each sentence to think about the writer's message. This kind of thorough understanding will enable you to form your own opinion about the subject.

As you carefully read about a subject you will most likely find that you are forming your own thoughts and opinions about it. Take time to brainstorm and organize your thoughts. Be careful of any preconceived biases you may have and open your mind to alternatives. You may find that you were wrong about something or that there's more to an argument that you previously rejected. By carefully considering all angles of an argument you can be more confident in your conclusions regarding the matter and present a strong argument of your own.

Writing and Rewriting

After all that preparation, you are finally ready to put your words on paper. If you have adequately prepared, you should find it easy to express your thoughts. However, if you think you can write once and forget it, you will probably find that your papers aren't as strong as they could be. Even the best writers need to go over their writing and reorganize, reword, and sometimes even rethink.

Approaching a paper with the knowledge that you will be coming back to it again later to rework it can greatly ease the process of writing. You may find that the ideas need to come out, but you can't find the best way to express them right at first. Knowing that your first draft will not be your last draft allows you to leave some parts unorganized and irregular. When you go back through the paper, you will have your main argument already written out, so you can then focus on the difficult parts.

If you have a very difficult time expressing a certain point, you probably need to go back and do a little more preparation. Because writing is the process of recording thoughts in an organized manner, difficulty in writing often results from disorganized thinking. When you come to difficult points in your writing, stop and brainstorm on the subject. If you find it difficult to come to any conclusion through brainstorming, then go back and read a little more on the subject. You may find that you didn't thoroughly understand the point and needed a little more preparation in that area.

 

Applying These Principles

Creative writing requires these three principles just as much as non-fiction does. You must read in order to understand how to organize the language and plot of a work of fiction. You will need to think expansively about how your own plot will play out. Once you start writing, you will also find it easier to write a rough draft first and smooth it out later. Just like non-fiction writing, fiction writing takes a great deal of preparation and is much stronger when authors carefully think through their storyline and go back repeatedly to revise.

No matter what you are writing, start off by reading. Zero in on the things that pique your interest and think deeply about them. Don't try to skimp on preparation and hope that your writing will be easy and excellent. Good writing takes hard work, but it's worth it in the end when you have a strong text that influences others.

follow the lives of two families in which opposing communal and familial forces are often a source of turmoil and emotional deprivation for the characters. The characters Christina, Vitto, and Seepeetza are especially vulnerable to these competing forces and yet they are unable to either balance or escape them. In these novels, overshadowing communal bonds become an agent for the characters' separation from, and ultimately loss of, the family. This is demonstrated by the lack of effective communication within the family, separation from the physical home, and the imposition of foreign religious values, all of which emerge from overpowering communal bonds and ultimately lead to the dissociation of familial ones.

For Christina and Seepeetza, overpowering communal bonds undermine and increasingly eliminate effective communication within the family, gradually leading to a loss of familial bonds. In Lives of the Saints, Vitto's grandfather is continually subjected to the village community's expectations as the mayor. In fact, the atmosphere of the home is controlled by the grandfather's communal dealings as the village elder. The reader observes that when the villagers shun Vitto's family, including his grandfather, familial issues are silenced and there is very little, if any, communication within the home. However, when the family's presence at the church is seen as an act of repentance, the villagers resume their communication with the family, which further resumes communication between Christina and Vitto's grandfather, breaking the deafening silence that had previously overtaken the home. However, issues that trouble the family, such as the grandfather's alienation from the village, are never brought to the family table for dialogue. At one point, when Christina mentions to Vitto that she isn't feeling well and would prefer to stay home, Vitto's grandfather exclaims:

“ 'Fool!' my grandfather said suddenly, wheeling around in his chair. "You might as well make an announcement!"

My mother shifted in her chair, but did not turn towards him.

'Like you did last night?' she said finally.

'What I do is my own business.'

'And what I do,' my mother said softly, staring into the fire as if sharing a secret with it, "is my business." ” (Ricci 92)

This exchange between Christina and her father suggests a severed emotional connection between them and a general distrust in their ability to heal each other; troubling issues are repressed within and unshared. Overpowering communal bonds eventually overtake the atmosphere of the home and silence the need for communication within the family. This increasingly becomes a source of emotional separation between Christina and her grandfather.

Vitto's grandfather also places communal values on a pedestal, with which familial bonds are compared and judged. This further leads to a lack of communication between Christina and Vitto's grandfather and deepens their emotional barrier. Consider when Vitto's grandfather is infuriated with Christina and exclaims: “For my sake! Was it for my sake you behaved like a common whore? Do you think you're better than those people? They are my people, not you, not someone who could do what you're done. I've suffered every day of my life, per l'amore di Cristo, in shame. Now people come to my house like thy go to the circus, to laugh at the clowns!” (Ricci 149) Here, Vitto's grandfather measures his familial relationship with Christina by her ability to assimilate with the villagers' communal expectations. Communal values dominate the grandfather and he is unable to effectively communicate with Christina and understand her act of rebellion.

Seepeetza's subjection to overwhelming communal values also leads to a lack of familial communication and ultimately separates her from her Indian family. Nuns at the residential school subject the students to a multicultural selection of dances, but conspicuously missing is the Indian dance. This bleeding of foreign culture in the students' lives mirrors itself in their Indian homes, where Western songs and dances overtake the familial atmosphere. Similarly restrictive is the school's prohibition of Indian languages in the school. Although Seepeetza continually expresses her attraction to the Indian languages, her parents refuse to teach them, in fear of persecution. When Seepeetza camps with her family, she observes: “Usually other Indian families come berry-picking too, and camp nearby. They tell us all the news of their families and some funny stories. They discuss serious business sometimes too, but they talk in Indian so I don't understand what they are talking about. But you can tell it's important by their voices, the serious looks and the quietness of the people listening.” (Sterling 91) Here, Seepeetza's inability to understand what they are saying suggests a familial divide with her elders. This lack of communication between the younger and older generations forms a barrier against cultural continuity and ultimately separates the children from their Indian family. The possible extinction of Indian languages, forced by the imposition of the government's foreign values and culture, becomes a source of familial loss for Seepeetza.

The residential school's communal restrictions also discourage students from communicating freely amongst each other, depriving them of familial bonds among themselves. Consider when Seepeetza expresses her desire to communicate with her sisters: “One of the Sisters watches us eat, but not when we walk back to our recs. That's when my sisters Dorothy and Missy and I sometimes hold hands as we walk down the hall. It's the happiest part of my day.” (Sterling 12) Here, the nuns continually watch over the students to ensure that familial bonds do not override the school's communal ones. This constant eye guards against the danger that students' Indian values may be revived. This prohibition of emotional expression also presents itself in the students' identical uniforms and haircuts. The common attire enforces a common identity in the school; everyone shares the values of the school and no one is exempt from it. It also discourages free thought, expression, or personal interpretation of their experiences at the school. At one point, Seepeetza explains: “Sister Theo checks our letters home. We're not allowed to say anything about the school. I might get the strap, or worse.” (Sterling 12) Writing is an uninhibited mode of expression; by preventing students from writing about the residential school, students are not given the chance to analyze the school's twisted values. This further allows the school to enforce their values on the students with blind acceptance. A disregard for individuality ensures that a single person's rebellion will not deter other students' conjoined identity with the school's values. Hence, overpowering communal bonds with the residential school inhibits effective familial communication and ultimately leads to a loss of family bonds.

In both novels, overwhelming communal bonds also separate characters from their physical home and hence their familial identity, ultimately leading to a loss of family. In Lives of the Saints, Vitto's father is overtaken by the communal values associated with America, which he ultimately succumbs to by departing from his family. Communal American ideals eventually override family bonds, which leaves Vitto separated from his father. Vitto muses about America: “America. How many dreams and fears and contradictions were tied up in that single word, a word which conjured up a world, like a name uttered at the dawn of creation, even while it broke another, the one of village and home and family.” (Ricci 165) Here, Vitto recognizes the irony of the America dream; despite the numerous stories of failure and back-breaking labour in America, it is still deemed more desirable than the familiarities of the home and family. Vitto's physical separation from his father becomes a source of emotional separation from him.

Vitto's alienation from his father also contributes to his separation from his mother. When Vitto attempts to uncover the reason he is being put in a different bed than his mother, he wonders: “I decided finally it had been my father now who'd made me move out of my mother's bed, as if in some strange way he was able to control my life and see into it from whatever world he lived in across the sea, the way God could see into my thoughts. It did not surprise me that he had that power, because in my mind my father was like a phantom, some dim ghost or presence...” (Ricci 31) Here, although Vitto's father is physically absent, he still influences Vitto's thoughts significantly. His thoughts about his father are unpleasant and ghastly; yet he is unable to escape them. Vitto compares his father to a phantom with omnipresent qualities, suggesting his desire to escape his father, which he seems unable to do. He also appears to blame his father for separating him from his mother's bed. Hence, the father's physical leave, due to overpowering foreign values, severs Vitto's familial connection with his father and, in his belief, contributes to his separation from his mother.

Vitto's loss of familial bonds with his father due to his physical absence also emerges when Christina dies on the ship after delivery. When guests come to visit Vitto, he observes:

“It was the second visitor, who came after the first, that I had not expected to see: a stranger who was my father, and after all not the black-haired ogre I had imagined but a tired-eyed man whose hair had begun to grey and whose burly shoulders and limbs seemed to fit him awkwardly, like the Sunday clothes the peasants in Valle del Sole wore to mass. He cried without shame when the nurse brought him to my bed.” (Ricci 243)

Vitto describes this event briefly, and without the emotion that can be expected from a familial reunion. This suggests a lingering emotional distance from his father, even after his mother's death. Vitto does not share his grief with his father, nor does he appear to expect comfort and familial connection with him. When Vitto climbs aboard the ship's deck, he notices: “My mother's grey-eyed German friend has just come onto the sun deck with a young woman; but they eased themselves into deck chairs without noticing me, laughing and talking in a language I couldn't understand.” (Ricci 248) Vitto's expectation that the grey-eyed stranger may notice him strongly contrasts with his surprise in meeting his father, whom he earlier referred to as a stranger. At the end of the novel, Vitto also lets his lucky one lira coin drop into the sea, declaring his loss of trust in luck, after his mother's death. These events imply Vitto's familial estrangement from his father during his physical absence and suggest that Vitto has, perhaps, been effectively orphaned after his mother's death.

Seepeetza's physical separation from her family due to overpowering communal bonds also leads to her loss of family. Seepeetza's association of her physical space with her identity is demonstrated by two maps illustrated by her, which are depicted at the beginning of the novel. The map of Joyasaka Ranch bears her Indian name Seepeetza, whereas the map of the residential school bears her foreign name Martha Stone. This implies her emotional association with these two physical institutions; the Joyasaka Ranch embodies her familial Indian bonds, while the school imposes a foreign identity. However, the school is unable to completely separate Seepeetza from the physical objects that comprise her home. For example, Seepeetza often draws pictures of horses in school: “I love horses. They are so free. I draw pictures of the all the time, in my notebooks, in art class, on scrap paper, even once for the class bulletin board. Mostly my horses are galloping headlong somewhere, or rearing up.” (Sterling 69) Horses are a physical symbol of Seepeetza's home; she often recounts stories of her adventures with the family horse, Baldy. Her uninhibited drawings of horses unsuspectingly connect her emotionally to her home and Indian family. The horses embody the experience of freedom, of which she is most deprived at the school. Drawing horses is also a minor act of rebellion on Seepeetza's part; she is expressing her individuality and interpreting the school's values as restrictive. Hence, Seepeetza's separation from her physical home is strongly linked to her loss of familial identity.

For Christina and Seepeetza, the imposition of communal religious values is perhaps the strongest source of separation from their family. Christina is first estranged from her village community, due to her defiant disbelief in the village's superstitions. This estrangement further separates her from her father, who had served as the mayor for the village and shares the village's beliefs. When Christina's father is sick, he tells Vitto: “…Who complained when the school was built, when money came from the government to buy land? All my life I've been surrounded by traitors and fools. Even my own daughter has betrayed me.” (Ricci 182) Here, when Christina rebels against the villagers' hypocrisies, embedded in their double standards and superstitions, her father despises her revolt against his spiritual values, which mirror the values of the village. This spiritual difference between Christina and the villagers' imposed values on her father result in familial alienation from each other.

The imposition of the villagers' religious values on Vitto also creates a spiritual divide between Vitto and his mother. Vitto's naïve character is quickly influenced by the superstitious beliefs of the village community. When Giussippina visits Christina and advises her to perform a sacrificial ritual in repentance of her snake bite, she quickly dismisses the advice as foolish. However, when Christina leaves for the hospital, Vitto performs the sacrificial ritual secretly. This suggests that communal forces overtake familial ones in shaping his spiritual beliefs. After performing the ritual, Vitto falls asleep and dreams of his mother: “Strange images troubled me: my mother squatting in a field as if taking a pee, but getting up to reveal a large blue egg; Father Nick standing solemnly before a coffin in the church, reciting a mass for a Mr. Mario Gallino; some great black jaw stretching open in front of me, ready to swallow me like the whale that swallowed Jonah.” (Ricci 120) All of the images in Vitto's dream are negative; his mother is portrayed as a dirty creature, the priest implies a death, and Vitto fears he will be swallowed alive. These images seem to represent his guilty conscience; he implies a belief that his mother, and perhaps he too, has sinned. The image of his mother alongside the other two disconcerting images suggests that Vitto sees his mother in a sinful light, holding the villagers' superstitions against her.

Vitto also refers to a demon in his mother when she is vomiting during her pregnancy: “Not long after my mother's fight, some new demon took possession of her. I found her in the stable, leaning against the low wall of the pig's stall, the pigs squealing wildly and a pool of vomit, a pale unearthly blue, sitting viscous on the stall floor.” (Ricci 113) Here, Vitto parallels the superstitious reaction of the villagers, in response to her pregnancy. At this point, it seems Christina has lost touch with Vitto's beliefs and is unable to restrict the villagers' influence on his spirituality. However, when Fabrizio remarks that his troubles are his mother's fault, Vitto violently opposes it and flings himself on Fabrizio, remarking that his troubles are only the snake's fault. Vitto's violent reaction suggests that he is not completely influenced by the villagers' imposed superstitions and that he struggles to maintain his emotional connection with his mother. Nonetheless, the village's overpowering religious beliefs create a spiritual and emotional barrier between Vitto and his mother.

The residential school's imposition of foreign religious values is also a source of Seepeetza's separation from and loss of her family. Seepeetza is first subjected to these foreign beliefs when she observes that a church is built right in the middle of the school. This demonstrates the importance of religion in stripping students from their Indian family and community. The nuns are often depicted as imposing organized religion on the students; the nuns teach the girls to pray with their hands folded, as a Catholic would do. At one point, Seepeetza attempts to convert her father: “There, I told Dad, look at Jesus. He died on the cross for you, for all of us. Pray, and stop your drinking. Stop cussing. Stop fighting with Mum. Dad, bad people go to hell.” (Sterling 117) Seepeetza's influence from the nuns resembles Vitto's influence from the villagers. Seepeetza believes the nuns and views her father in a sinful light, which mirrors Vitto's vision of a sinner in his mother. Her attempt to convert her father also parallels Vitto's effort to repent on behalf of his mother by performing a sacrificial ritual. Seepeetza's uncle and father both condemn priests for their hypocrisies; her father once remarks that Jesus was born poor, but the priests drive fancy new cars. However, Seepeetza and her father's beliefs are so opposing that she has to lock him up to avoid embarrassment when a priest visits their home. This suggests that the school's foreign values override the students' familial ones so much so that the family bears little influence, if at all, in shaping these students' religious beliefs.

Although Seepeetza is highly influenced by the nuns' religious beliefs, her emotional connection to her Indian family is demonstrated in her dream of St. Joseph. She recalls her dream: “I saw St. Joseph last night. I think it was him because he wore a brown robe like St. Joseph…but the one I talked to last night had long dark hair and looked younger…He smiled and said my real name, Seepeetza…his hand was calloused like my dad's.” (Sterling 83-84) Here, St. Joseph embodies the Indian qualities of which Seepeetza is most deprived. This resembles Vitto, who considers his mother as sinful, yet associates her with the bravery of St. Cristina. That St. Joseph refers to Seepeetza by her Indian name suggests her resistance to the foreign values imposed on her and the devaluation of her Indian culture. However, although Seepeetza struggles to resist the imposition of foreign values, the spiritual division between Seepeetza and her father continues to be a powerful source of emotional separation from her Indian family.

In the novels Lives of the Saints and My Name is Seepeetza, overpowering communal bonds eventually lead to the characters' separation from, and ultimately the loss of, the family. The lack of effective communication within the family, separation from the physical home, and the imposition of foreign religious values demonstrate the loss of family when communal bonds override familial ones. The characters Christina, Vitto, and Seepeetza, in particular, serve as a model of how an inharmonious relationship between competing familial and communal institutions can become a source of emotional turmoil for the individual. They also suggest that these institutions are perhaps the most powerful in influencing the human psyche and shaping one's perspective of the world.

 

 

With the use of spell check and other helpful aids spelling errors should be reduced. There are many style guidebooks on the market to assist the novice writer. There are also many good sites on the web that offer helpful advice for writers regarding style, grammar, punctuation and other pertinent information.

Everyone makes an occasional error when writing that slips by and is overlooked but when an article contains several mistakes it gives the impression that the writer composed the piece quickly and did not bother to proofread. Writers should take more pride in their work. There are writers who submit their work for free in order to gain exposure and so they may feel that since they are not getting paid it is okay to submit work that is average or below normally acceptable standards. What these writers fail to realize is that having that kind of attitude certainly won't help them land paying jobs.

Even if you are writing for exposure rather than monetary gain you should still want to showcase your work in the best possible light. Here are a few tips to remember before submitting your work for publication. Once you've finished your article, read it then read it again. Have a friend or family member read it. It is often possible to overlook our own mistakes but others can spot them easier than we can. Use spell check but keep in mind that it's not foolproof for catching all errors. It is necessary to read your article to catch errors that spell check doesn't find.

For example, you may have typed if for it or to instead of two. These errors will go unnoticed unless you check your work carefully. When reading your article pay close attention for mistakes such as these.

Although many publications now find fragmented sentences more acceptable than in previous times, at least be sure that your sentence makes sense. If you read a sentence in your article that doesn't sound right, rephrase it in a more appropriate manner. If the sentence doesn't sound right to you it won't sound right to your readers either.

If the person reading your article is lost or confused, you've defeated the purpose of writing it. Using colorful language to entertain and engage the reader can be useful but if the message is unclear try to word your article in a more concise manner so the main points are clear and understandable. If you want others to respect your work you have to respect it as well. Put forth your best effort and the rewards will be positive.