Category: Psychology

Reader Brian writes in to ask “Why can you stay on a bicycle when moving, but not when it’s standing still?”

Think of something like a table or a couch. It has four legs that touch the floor and form a base of support (a polygon formed by an object’s contact points with the ground) and as long as the table or couch’s center of gravity (the mean location of the gravitational force acting on an object, or the effective point at which gravity acts) is above this base of support, it’ll be statically stable, or stable when at rest.

A bicycle, on the other hand, is statically unstable because it only has two contact points with the ground (whatever portion of the front and back wheels happen to be touching the ground) and its base of support is a line segment. A good base of support needs at least three contact points with the ground, so bikes are hard to keep upright when they’re still. Bikes are, however, dynamically stable, or stable when moving forward, because steering allows a rider to move the bike’s points of support around under the center of gravity and keep it balanced, often with steering adjustments small enough that the rider may not even realize they’re making them. It’s sort of like standing on one foot. If you don’t hop around a little, and you start falling sideways, you can’t recover and you fall over. If you do hop, though, you can move your foot around to keep your center of gravity above it and keep your balance.

A bike has two features that help this dynamic stability immensely: its wheels. Spinning wheels have angular momentum, and when you’re sitting on a bike, you and it and its wheels make up a system that obeys the principle of conservation of angular momentum. Unless torque, or twisting force, is applied from outside the system to change the wheels’ angular momentum, that momentum and the direction of the momentum remain constant. In a nutshell, once the wheels line up a certain way, they want to stay lined up like that. It’s easy for you to move them, but hard for an outside force to do the same, and so the bike is easy to keep balanced but doesn’t topple easily. A non-moving bike has wheels that aren’t spinning and zero angular momentum, which makes it very easy for external torque to change the wheels’ direction, making the bike harder to balance.

Even when staying relatively motionless, though, a rider can balance a bike with some effort. By steering the front wheel to one side or the other and moving forward and backward slightly, a rider can keep the line between the bike’s two contact points with the ground under the bike and rider’s combined center of gravity. You can see this physics lesson in action whenever a cyclist is stopped at a red light.
(Image at left from Wikipedia user AndrewDressel.)

That was a short and sweet way to answer Brian’s direct question, but there’s a lot more to bicycle physics. If you’re so inclined, Wikipedia’s page on bicycle and motorcycle dynamics is a good starting point to learn about some of the other internal and external forces, motions and dynamics that are involved in a simple bike ride.

Learning how to ride a bike is one of those classic childhood milestones lots of parents start looking forward to before their kids can even walk. Back in the day, the process pretty much always involved starting out with training wheels. but training wheels don’t give kids a chance to learn how to balance on their own. That’s why balance bikes have become so popular in recent years: They have no pedals, so kids focus on learning to stay steady. But when is the best time to start your toddler on a balance bike?

Most kids aren’t ready to take on a traditional two-wheeler until they’re out of the toddler phase, according to Better Homes & Gardens:

“There’s no set age for taking off on two wheels, but usually by 4 or 5 years of age children have enough balance and coordination,” the BH&G article stated, at which point they’ve likely mastered the art of riding a tricycle. But with a balance bike, kids can start much younger, as there’s less of a chance they’ll topple over. In fact, the website for the balance bike company FirstBIKE recommends starting your child’s cycling lessons at the tender age of 2 — but added that they’ve seen “many skillful children riding on a FirstBIKE at the age of 22 months” (which is pretty amazing considering lots of kids can’t even figure out the mechanics of a tricycle at that point). The earlier they master the art of riding a balance bike, the sooner kids are likely to ride a two-wheeler with no problems.

It makes sense: Tricycles and bikes with training wheels only give your kid the chance to practice pedaling, not staying upright. And it’s that second part that most beginner bikers have trouble with.

“The hardest part about learning to bike isn’t pedaling, it’s balancing,” Chris Cassidy, communications director for The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition told NBC News. “Training wheels are a thing of the past.”

As Dr. Tara Cancellaro explained (also to NBC News), the skills associated with balancing and pedaling come from different parts of the brain, so they’ll learn more quickly and with less injuries if they can work on one skill at a time in isolation. And even if it seems like all the other kids at the playground are taking off on two wheels, it’s important not to push your child to learn if she doesn’t want to or doesn’t seem ready.

“Waiting until your child is ready and motivated to learn is really important,” said Cancelaro. “Don’t use a glider bike just to pressure your kid to do it faster than the neighbor.”

There are lots of different balance bike options on the market, and while they’re not particularly cheap (most range from around $70 to $200, according to this breakdown from Two Wheeling Tots), balance bike fans believe they’re worth the money. As cycling instructor Ben Sherratt pointed out to Lifehacker, a potentially cheaper option is to simply remove the pedals from a small two-wheeler and lower the seat (then when your kid is ready, you can just put the pedals back on).

Either way, Sherratt recommends teaching your little one “giant steps” and “kangaroo hops” to get the hang of moving forward on the bike: Giant steps are exactly what they sound like (Sherratt even shouts “Fee-fi-fo-fum!” so kids can pretend they’re a real giant taking enormous steps); “kangaroo hops” are long, smooth glides. Of course, there’s no one way for your kid to get comfortable with the process — this video from Global Cycling Network breaks it down in easy-to-follow fashion:

The most important thing, of course, is that your child always wears a helmet no matter what kind of bike she’s riding (even if it doesn’t have pedals!). Making sure she gets in the habit now is essential for a lifetime of safe cycling.

Some kids take right to their balance bike with no encouragement. Others, especially young toddlers, need a little help to learn how to ride a balance bike. They get frustrated or show no interest.

Here are our five no-fail tips to get them excited about riding in no time.

Ride your bike too.

Toddlers love nothing more than copying what their parents do. Both my husband and I are avid cyclists and my son had watched us riding since he was a few months old.

When he finally got his first balance bike (a little before 18 months), he was shaking he was so excited. Even if it is just riding around the driveway, seeing you ride is a sure way to create interest in your little.

If they have a big brother or sister (or friend) they can watch ride, even better. A little “peer pressure” can go a long way.

Get a balance bike that fits.

If your kiddo is frustrated with their bike, there is a good chance it is too big or too heavy. Pick a lightweight bike with a low stand-over height that’s designed for the youngest kids.

(Need help choosing? Take a look at our list of the best balance bikes for toddlers).

If you already have a bike and don’t want to spend money on a new one, make sure the seatpost and handlebars are lowered all the way. If that doesn’t work, put the bike away for a few months and let them get a little taller. It is amazing how quickly they will grow and be ready for it!

Practice for 10-15 minutes a day.

Repetition is key for kids at this age, so try to get outside and offer them their balance bike for a little bit every day. That said, don’t overwhelm them. Let them try for a few minutes and if they start to get frustrated, move on. Try again tomorrow.

Find a hill.

No, not a big one—just a slight incline where they can get a feel for momentum. A grassy hill at the playground, a sloped driveway, or a small bike ramp can all work.

For some kids, this will make all the difference. This is especially true for little ones who are stuck in the walk or scoot phases of balance biking.

If they need reassurance, walk alongside them with your hand on their back.

Pick some fun accessories.

My son has a helmet he loves. Sometimes he rides his bike just so he can wear his helmet.

Other kids might enjoy bike gloves, a bell on their handlebars, or a basket to tote their teddy bear in. No, this isn’t going to help them to learn to actually ride, but it might entice them to spend more time on their bike.

Go On An Adventure

If you’ve only tried using the balance bike in the driveway, try GOING somewhere. Find a mellow dirt trail, or a grassy field, or even a rocky area. Some little ones love the idea of adventure and exploration.

Bring It Inside

On the flip side, you can also try offering the balance bike inside the house. Leave it in their playroom or somewhere they pass by often. In a low-pressure, familiar environment, they might be more likely to give it a try all on their own.

This is especially true for very young toddlers who are likely to have a short attention span. They might pick up the bike for a minute or two at a time, but over weeks or months, they’ll start to develop skills and confidence that will serve them well.

Practice Patience.

In the end, be patient. Some kids ride at 18 months with no problem. Others don’t show an interest until much later—like 4 or 5. Every kid is individual.

If it is important to you that they ride, the best thing you can do is make cycling a part of your family routine. Get a trailer or child seat and go for rides that way. In no time, they will demand to be riding on their own.

Some kids take right to their balance bike with no encouragement. Others, especially young toddlers, need a little help to learn how to ride a balance bike. They get frustrated or show no interest.

Here are our five no-fail tips to get them excited about riding in no time.

Ride your bike too.

Toddlers love nothing more than copying what their parents do. Both my husband and I are avid cyclists and my son had watched us riding since he was a few months old.

When he finally got his first balance bike (a little before 18 months), he was shaking he was so excited. Even if it is just riding around the driveway, seeing you ride is a sure way to create interest in your little.

If they have a big brother or sister (or friend) they can watch ride, even better. A little “peer pressure” can go a long way.

Get a balance bike that fits.

If your kiddo is frustrated with their bike, there is a good chance it is too big or too heavy. Pick a lightweight bike with a low stand-over height that’s designed for the youngest kids.

(Need help choosing? Take a look at our list of the best balance bikes for toddlers).

If you already have a bike and don’t want to spend money on a new one, make sure the seatpost and handlebars are lowered all the way. If that doesn’t work, put the bike away for a few months and let them get a little taller. It is amazing how quickly they will grow and be ready for it!

Practice for 10-15 minutes a day.

Repetition is key for kids at this age, so try to get outside and offer them their balance bike for a little bit every day. That said, don’t overwhelm them. Let them try for a few minutes and if they start to get frustrated, move on. Try again tomorrow.

Find a hill.

No, not a big one—just a slight incline where they can get a feel for momentum. A grassy hill at the playground, a sloped driveway, or a small bike ramp can all work.

For some kids, this will make all the difference. This is especially true for little ones who are stuck in the walk or scoot phases of balance biking.

If they need reassurance, walk alongside them with your hand on their back.

Pick some fun accessories.

My son has a helmet he loves. Sometimes he rides his bike just so he can wear his helmet.

Other kids might enjoy bike gloves, a bell on their handlebars, or a basket to tote their teddy bear in. No, this isn’t going to help them to learn to actually ride, but it might entice them to spend more time on their bike.

Go On An Adventure

If you’ve only tried using the balance bike in the driveway, try GOING somewhere. Find a mellow dirt trail, or a grassy field, or even a rocky area. Some little ones love the idea of adventure and exploration.

Bring It Inside

On the flip side, you can also try offering the balance bike inside the house. Leave it in their playroom or somewhere they pass by often. In a low-pressure, familiar environment, they might be more likely to give it a try all on their own.

This is especially true for very young toddlers who are likely to have a short attention span. They might pick up the bike for a minute or two at a time, but over weeks or months, they’ll start to develop skills and confidence that will serve them well.

Practice Patience.

In the end, be patient. Some kids ride at 18 months with no problem. Others don’t show an interest until much later—like 4 or 5. Every kid is individual.

If it is important to you that they ride, the best thing you can do is make cycling a part of your family routine. Get a trailer or child seat and go for rides that way. In no time, they will demand to be riding on their own.

What is a balance bike?

A balance bike is a small bike for toddlers. It has no pedals and rather fat pneumatic tyres. Most bikes come with one brake, although most toddlers will slow down using their feet at first so choose their shoes wisely (no Crocs or flip-flops).

If your child is a bit bigger, you can just remove the pedals on a bike and transform it into a balance bike.

Why choose a balance bike?

There are so many reasons to choose a balance bike instead of a bike with stabilisers or a trike as your child’s first bike. Most cycle instructors agree it’s best to learn to balance first, before moving on to pedalling unaided.

Your child will have more control over their bike and will learn to slow down and stop properly right from the start.

Bikes with stabilisers, are often not stable on bumpy or slightly sloping ground and make your child think they are balancing when they are not. This can lead to a habit of over-leaning that they will then have to unlearn when they are learning to ride by themselves.

Once the stabilisers are removed your child will have to learn to balance and steer, as well as pedalling.

At Cycling UK we believe the most important thing is that all children learn to ride a bike and we are not saying if you have a bike with stabilisers you should not use it. As both parents and professionals we believe balance bikes provide an easier way to learn.

Getting started

If you choose for your child to wear a helmet, make sure it is on properly. It needs to cover their forehead and the straps should be tight.

Checking your bike.

The tyres should be pumped up and the saddle shouldn’t be wobbly and the brake should work.

Getting on and off a bike

You need to show your child to lean the bike and then swing their leg over. It is easier to get them to stand with the bike on their right and lean the bike towards them.

Both feet should be flat on the ground and both hands should be on the handlebars. Make sure your child can reach the brake comfortably.

Practice getting on and off the bike, don’t just lift your toddler on to the bike.

Ask the child to have a go at walking slowly with the bike.

Explain that when they want to stop, they just stop walking.

Scooting

Encourage your child to walk again and push on the ground using their feet. Remember to encourage them to look where they are going, not at their feet. They will need to sit up and look straight ahead.

It helps to have someone up ahead to look at, as toddlers are distracted easily.

Do this many times and your child will naturally sit on the saddle and pick up speed. If they want to slow down just remind them to put their feet down.

Lifting their feet up

As your child gains confidence, try to encourage longer steps. We found it helpful to say “push, push, glide”.

Choose a very gentle slope and encourage them to lift their feet off the ground.

Practice makes perfect, so you will need to try this again and again.

Steering

Once they have mastered lifting their feet, you can help them to steer the bike by getting them to lean and turning the handlebars gently.

Stopping

If they are ready, you can show them how to squeeze the brake gently to help slow down.

Playing games

Play simple games like shouting “Stop” and “Go”, “Slow” and “Fast” to help keep it fun.

Always stop before your child is tired, bored or hungry. A toddler can probably only cope with about half an hour of cycling practice. So take the balance bike out little and often and soon your toddler will be zooming about.

Remember to make it fun, keep it positive and be encouraging even if the progress is slow and you end up carrying the bike home!

When are they ready for pedals?

Normally, when your child is around 4 years old and has been regularly using a balance bike, you will find the transition to riding a pedal bike without stabilisers fairly straightforward as they have already learned to balance, steer and brake.

To move on to the next step, you can watch our video and read more about how to teach a child to ride a bike.

There are pros and cons to both a balance bike or stabilisers, although nowadays all the emphasis is on balance bikes to teach a child to ride.

A balance bike doesn’t have pedals, but relies on a child pushing on the ground with their feet to get themselves moving. In a contrast to decades gone by, these are now by far the most popular sighting in parks among young riders.

You can still buy a kids’ bike with stabilisers though. Fitted with two small wheels bolted onto the side of a bike’s frame at the rear that help hold it upright, it helps the child overcome worries with wobbling.

They can usually be set at different heights so that as a child gets more assured in their riding they can be lifted up and the child balances more on the bike’s actual wheels.

Unlike a balance bike, a bike with stabilisers will have pedals too. Eventually, the stabilisers can be removed altogether and the bike can be ridden like a normal bike.

So what are the benefits of each type of bike?

Balance or pedalling first?

There are a range of skills to master in learning how to ride a bike: balancing, pedalling, steering and braking. Whereas the emphasis with a bike with stabilisers is on learning to pedal, with a balance bike – as its name suggests – it’s on learning to balance the bike with pedalling following later.

A balance bike will work off-road too (Photo: Islabikes)

When you’re riding a normal bike, a large part of the skill required is keeping the bike upright and leaning into corners, something that a kid can’t learn on a bike with stabilisers, as the extra side wheels are designed to keep the bike upright. That means that when turning, they have to lean out of the corner rather than leaning into it, to keep the bike upright.

That’s something that has to then be unlearned once they start to ride a bike without stabilisers – a nod in the direction of saying that stabilisers aren’t the smartest of options. In theory, the transition to a standard bike will be smoother if they have learned to ride on a balance bike first.

On a balance bike, that knack of leaning into turns and keeping the bike upright is learned first and transfers directly to a bike with pedals.A child can start to learn to ride a balance bike from 18 months – so just a few months after they’ve probably managed their first steps.

At that age, the child’s centre of gravity is lower and because they have both feet on the ground they are less likely to fall than on a larger bike with stabilisers. There’s a natural progression from walking on a balance bike to scooting then gliding as their confidence increases. A balance bike, unlike a bike with stabilisers, can be ridden easily on uneven ground, too.

There’s also the option to remove pedals from a bike sized for a larger child and use that as a balance bike if your child is too tall for a balance bike when they start to learn to ride. It’s even an option for adults.

Stabilisers still have their place

There’s still a place for learning to ride with stabilisers though. A bike that comes with stabilisers will last a child longer than a balance bike, making it a cheaper option than replacing a balance bike after a year or so.

It’s a good way to learn to pedal without you needing to hold the bike upright. That’s particularly useful if you live on a quiet flat street where children can ride up and down without too much supervision.

Stabilisers are still an option if a child has difficulty learning the skills required to ride a bike (Photo: Frog Bikes)

You need to be careful with raising stabilisers though. When turning, it’s easy to ground a stabiliser that’s not been in contact with the tarmac, increasing the risk of the bike actually becoming less stable, pivoting around the stabiliser and falling.

Falling is more of a risk once the stabilisers are removed completely, as a child who has learned to pedal a bike with them may not have learned to balance. They may be older by this time too and taller, making balancing more difficult.

Above all be patient and let your child learn at their own pace. There’s no typical age when a child will get the hang of riding their bike; it might be anything from two to nine years old.

I want to take a visiting friend out on a bike ride.

Since this friend never learned how to ride a bike, I was thinking that a tandem might be a viable solution in the short term, instead of spending time on teaching them how to ride a bike.

I’ve never ridden a tandem myself, so I wonder if both buddies must be capable of riding a bike on their own, or only one is sufficient.

5 Answers 5

Sheldon Brown (of course) has a good page on riding tandem. He doesn’t get into details, but since the stoker’s main job is to keep upright it doesn’t demand a lot of bike handling skill. Riding as stoker for the first time is similar to being passenger on a motorbike for the first time; the main thing to learn is not to lean or shift your weight. All the bike-handling skill comes from the captain, and as the captain it’s a good idea to become familiar with the handling of the tandem before you try riding with a stoker. (Brown’s page covers all this.)

In my experience the trickiest part of riding stoker is getting mounted; holding steady balance with both feet on the pedals as the captain mounts. You might try having a pole or something similar for the stoker to put a hand on to help their balance.

So the answer is no, the stoker doesn’t really need to learn how to ride, in the sense of knowing bike-handling skills. That said, the stoker does need to learn how to sit on the saddle without throwing the balance of the bike, and also to learn to turn the pedals at the same time – and in the same cadence – as the captain. Again, from experience, synchronized pedalling is one of the hardest parts of riding tandem, especially if you’re an experienced cyclist who tends to spin continuously.

I’ve ridden stoker, and its probably easier for a non-rider than for someone who rides.

The instinctive thought for the experienced rider is to move their body weight around to balance. That would work if the stoker and captain were completely in tune and had the same riding style.

However, cyclists have different styles and move the bike differently. For me, being on the back with a MTB rider on the front, it felt like the bike was falling over a lot. Thus I’m more of an upright touring style of balance.

An inexperienced rider as stoker might work better, if they lock their arms and keep their center of mass straight over the centerline of the bike.

As for an unexperienced rider, perhaps your first ride should be completely away from roads. Spend the first 10-20 minutes tootling through a park or somewhere completely isolated, to get to a first step of comfort.

In short, no: One doesn’t have to be an experienced cyclist to be a stoker but.

I would strongly suggest an aspiring stoker (and captain for that matter) to do some spin classes or workouts on stationary bikes. The reason being that it is VERY difficult to stand and throw a tandem side-to-side as one often does on a single bike. The spin bike teaches one how to stand and maintain balance with no side-to-side motion.

When getting started the captain & stoker need to work on communication technique. Simple commands are necessary for coordinating starting, stopping, shifting, check traffic, turning left/right, etc. It’s wonderful having a 2nd set of eyes to watch for traffic!

When cornering the stoker should look around the INSIDE shoulder of the captain. This is simplest technique I’ve found to get a stoker to maintain proper position. Or more importantly it prevents the natural tendency some stokers have of maintaining an upright position while the captain is leaning (counter steering) into a turn.

For standing, I’ve found as a captain that I’ll yell “UP!” for the stoker to stand. I’ll stay seated but will allow the bike to float beneath me as the stoker often will move the bike side to side. When I stand I work hard to NOT move the bike side to side and focus on simple up/down power delivery to the pedals.

The captain needs to listen to and respect the concerns of the stoker. Remember they will be without any brakes nor an obvious method of controlling the bike.

The short answer is no, the stoker does not need to know how to ride a bike. I’ve taken out an inexperienced stoker in her 70s who has been blind since birth. However perhaps blind people make better stokers as they are used to trusting people to guide them.

Note that riding as a stoker will not necessarily give someone the skills needed to ride a solo bike. The hardest part of riding solo is learning to balance, hence the move to teach kids on balance bikes rather than those with stabilisers/trainer wheels. A stoker will have a very different experience of balance from their position on the bike. In fact that difference in the motion can be quite unnerving at first, especially at low speed. I screamed when I first rode as a stoker.

The minimum a stoker needs to do is:

• Fit the bike properly
• Maintain a neutral balance – not lean wildly from side to side as my father likes to do which is a big problem as he’s heavier than me. After some experience and with good communication it can be helpful for the stoker to lean slightly into corners when going fast. When done right the bike feels fantastic.
• Stay seated (until very experienced) and pedal steadily at the same cadence as the captain
• Be trusting enough of the captain to cope with having no brakes or gears
• Communicate their needs and timing starts and stops

The captain needs to:

• Remember that although they are in control, the stoker is in command. If they say stop, the captain stops, if they say slow down they slow down. This is to compensate for their lack of direct control and make the experience more equitable.
• Hold the bike vertically upright when stopped at lights. Keep shins away from the pedals which the stoker may turn without warning. If they do this and the captain’s shins are in the way, it is the captain’s fault.
• Steer. This may require more upper body strength than a solo, especially when going slowly.
• Keep their eyes on the road. Tandems go fast downhill and the captain keeps two people safe through their attention.
• Brake early and in a controlled way.
• Avoid or warn about potholes so the stoker can lift their bum off the saddle for a moment (the captain may also have to coast to allow this).
• Compromise over cadence/gear selection. Keep your stoker happy!

Balance Bikes are an innovative method of teaching kids how to ride a bike without relying on training wheels. Right from the start, your child will learn how to maintain balance while being aware of their surroundings and, oh yeah, having an amazing time. Check out our resources on how a balance bike can help your child master biking!

The Balance Bike Method

This is a revolutionary method for teaching children how to ride their bicycle without using training wheels. Children who learn how to ride a bicycle using the Balance Bicycle method have fewer falls, a faster learning rate, and have a better experience than with the traditional method.

What are Balance Bikes, and how do they work?

Balance bikes are bikes that have no pedals, and children push themselves along the ground with their feet, figuring out how to find their balance. Once a child has demonstrated that they can balance the bicycle consistently, they graduate to a pedaled bike.

Steps for teaching a child how to ride with a Balance Bike

Things you need:

• Flat, paved space (a slight hill can be used to help kids get some momentum on their coasting– used for downhill, not uphill)
• Balance bicycle, or a regular bicycle that has had the pedals removed
• Helmet
• Knee and elbow pads and bicycle gloves (optional–for children who are nervous about hurting themselves)
• Sidewalk chalk (optional)

Steps:

1. Remove the pedals from the bike (if using a regular bicycle)
2. Lower the seat until the child’s feet are flat on the ground (if their heels are even slightly raised, they will have trouble balancing)
3. Draw lines about 40’ long, and about 10-15′ apart on the pavement
4. Have the child push themselves along the ground with their feet, using the “lanes” as guides
5. Once they have gotten the hang of that, challenge them to try coasting with their feet up
6. When a child successfully coasts 20 feet about three to five times in a row (no wobbling), they can graduate to a pedaled bike
7. Once children are on a pedaled bike, make sure that the seat is high enough that they aren’t hitting their knees with their chest, but they should be able to touch the ground quickly and easily with their feet.
8. Before you start to practice pedaling, you should review how to brake (even kids with experience riding their bikes will forget how to brake in the excitement of pedaling by themselves)
9. Hold the back of the seat (like you would with a traditional bike) to help the children get their balance, and walk with them while they find their balance while pedaling
10. No need to let go of the seat without telling them–once you feel them pulling away from your hand, you can let them know that you are letting go, and they should also feel that they’ve got their balance and will be completely okay with you letting go
11. Watch them fly!

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How to stay inspired as an artist

1. Create your space

You need a space in which you feel comfortable, secure and inspired in order to do your best work. Whether that means organizing your desk space to your tastes or building your very own home-office, take the time to think about developing an environment that’s conducive to creativity.

2. Take a Break from Your Big Project and Try Something Else

Don’t spend all of your time with one project unless you’re feeling ultra-creative and making a lot of progress. By taking breaks, you’ll give yourself an opportunity to think creatively about different things and consider new angles to approach your piece.

Another way you can take a break is by focusing on an entirely different project. Work on something small in comparison and altogether different in its objective. These differences cause your brain to think in different ways, which can bring forth immense creativity.

3. Go for a Walk and Enjoy the Peace

This is an extension of taking a break from your project; separate yourself from all aspects of working with art. Get out of the office and take a walk or sit on a bench in the park. The important part is that you’re taking a step away from your art and enjoying life. You can gain inspiration from this and you don’t need to focus too much on getting motivated from these activities.

4. Visit Museums

You can gain inspiration from history or art museums. The primary objective when visiting these places is to be open to new ideas and gather inspiration for your project. What works; what doesn’t; how did they think of that; are all questions to consider when walking around a local museum. This is a fantastic way to get out of the house, get a change of scenery, and be inspired.

5. Read About Art and Creativity

Besides stimulating your mind with visual art in museums, you can also read more about creativity, success stories,blogs about art, etc. Immerse yourself in a culture that’s brimming with inspiration and ways to alter your perspective. Reading can be motivating and also educational at the same time. Remember that though you’re an artist, you’re always a learning artist.

6. Revisit Your Favorite Artists

Watch or read interviews of creative artists that you admire and look out for anything they can teach you about what motivates artists to create art, and about their process. When you’re starting a new project, you’re probably at your most optimistic and open to new ideas, so take advantage of that state of mind and let other artists help you get motivated! There may be some aspect of their work or process that you can apply directly to your new project.

7. KEEP A COLLECTION OF IMAGES THAT INSPIRE YOU.

It is important to stay current and involved by watching designers you admire. You should follow designers on social media, such as Instagram, Pinterest, Behance, and Dribble. Try to keep a folder on your laptop and phone of different images you find that inspire you so you can refer back to it when you start your project.

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  • Tuition
• College Life
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How to stay inspired as an artist

1. Create your space

You need a space in which you feel comfortable, secure and inspired in order to do your best work. Whether that means organizing your desk space to your tastes or building your very own home-office, take the time to think about developing an environment that’s conducive to creativity.

2. Take a Break from Your Big Project and Try Something Else

Don’t spend all of your time with one project unless you’re feeling ultra-creative and making a lot of progress. By taking breaks, you’ll give yourself an opportunity to think creatively about different things and consider new angles to approach your piece.

Another way you can take a break is by focusing on an entirely different project. Work on something small in comparison and altogether different in its objective. These differences cause your brain to think in different ways, which can bring forth immense creativity.

3. Go for a Walk and Enjoy the Peace

This is an extension of taking a break from your project; separate yourself from all aspects of working with art. Get out of the office and take a walk or sit on a bench in the park. The important part is that you’re taking a step away from your art and enjoying life. You can gain inspiration from this and you don’t need to focus too much on getting motivated from these activities.

4. Visit Museums

You can gain inspiration from history or art museums. The primary objective when visiting these places is to be open to new ideas and gather inspiration for your project. What works; what doesn’t; how did they think of that; are all questions to consider when walking around a local museum. This is a fantastic way to get out of the house, get a change of scenery, and be inspired.

5. Read About Art and Creativity

Besides stimulating your mind with visual art in museums, you can also read more about creativity, success stories,blogs about art, etc. Immerse yourself in a culture that’s brimming with inspiration and ways to alter your perspective. Reading can be motivating and also educational at the same time. Remember that though you’re an artist, you’re always a learning artist.

6. Revisit Your Favorite Artists

Watch or read interviews of creative artists that you admire and look out for anything they can teach you about what motivates artists to create art, and about their process. When you’re starting a new project, you’re probably at your most optimistic and open to new ideas, so take advantage of that state of mind and let other artists help you get motivated! There may be some aspect of their work or process that you can apply directly to your new project.

7. KEEP A COLLECTION OF IMAGES THAT INSPIRE YOU.

It is important to stay current and involved by watching designers you admire. You should follow designers on social media, such as Instagram, Pinterest, Behance, and Dribble. Try to keep a folder on your laptop and phone of different images you find that inspire you so you can refer back to it when you start your project.

Staying motivated to create art regularly is a practiced skill so these are habits that are developed over time. No one is born with these skills so we all have to build these over time. Here are some tips to help you stay motivated and inspired to make art regularly.

Tip #1 Set Realistic Goals

The reason New Year Resolutions usually don’t work is because the goals are set at an unrealistic pace. If you don’t draw regularly right now, you aren’t suddenly going to draw for long periods of time every single day. This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t set goals but they have to be grounded in how you currently are.

Daily Habit

So lets say you dont make art on a daily basis right now but you would like to develop that habit. First start off by setting a schedule, what time of day do you want to do this and where will you be set up. Pay attention to when you will most likely have time to make art, do you have to wake up early in the morning to make time for it? Do you have more free time in the evening?

Once you have a time and place for your habit, then set a goal for the amount of time you will want to spend each day. Set the bar low enough so that you can achieve it even on your bad days. I recommend 10-20 minutes of art per day to begin with and then slowly increase this number.

You can always go over the allotted time when you feel good, but we want a steady number as our bare minimum.

Artistic Ability

We also want to make sure we set realistic expectations around what type of art we make and the level of skill we currently have. You cant expect yourself to suddenly make art at the level of your favorite artists, setting the bar too high can be demoralizing and will only make things harder. I’m not suggesting that you don’t try to improve, but we want to focus on incremental growth.

I also want to note that it is natural to feel frustrated with your work, it is completely normal to feel like you want to do better and that your current abilities arent at the place that you want them to be. In those moments make sure to be forgiving and to note that it is a good impulse, there is a part of you that recognizes your hidden potential and is urging you to push further.

Tip #2 Celebrate Small Wins

To stay motivated we need to take time to actually applaud our efforts and take time to acknowledge that we are taking on new challenges. Even if we arent happy with the results we need to celebrate the effort itself so that we reinforce the habit of tackling difficult problems and trying new things.

Make sure not to diminish your small wins by comparing to what other people are doing. If drawing 20minutes per day is challenging for you, do celebrate it and dont let that accomplishment seem small just because other creatives are spending more time. Take the time to truly pat yourself on the back and be proud of small accomplishments.

All big wins are made up of small daily wins, you become a great artist by creating regularly and making incremental improvements. Treat all your small wins like they are the big wins.

Tip #3 Reduce Social Media Use

Social media can be a place of inspiration but it can also be a place that creates unrealistic expectations and a feeling of inadequacy. Social media is designed to keep you distracted so it doesn’t lend itself to a life of focused craftsmanship.

This is especially true if you are using social media during your art making time. If you keep your art making time and your social media time separate that can be a great way to keep things balanced. I also highly recommend turning off notifications on your phone or keeping it on silent mode while working. Uninstalling a lot of my social media off my phone and only using it while on the computer has definitely helped me stay focused while working.

It is important to pay attention to how things affect you, take note of how you feel after consuming a piece of content. Does consuming this particular thing improve your life or take away from it? You have to ask these types of questions for yourself because no one can truly know what will help you other than yourself.

I have found that staying off social media for the first half of my day helps me stay in better touch with my own desires and feelings. Do take the time to be critical of your daily habits and how they are affecting your life.

Key Concept: Two Types of Fun

I think this is a really important concept to understand to stay motivated. Not all fun are created equally. So Type 1 fun is something that is fun right at the beginning but the longer you do it the less fun it becomes (think of social media use or eating ice cream), Type 2 fun is when something isn’t particularly fun at the beginning but becomes more fun the longer you do it or the better you get at it (ex. Working out or drawing).

Drawing is Type 2 Fun when you start off because you are trying to learn a new skill and it can be frustrating at first but it only gets more fun the better you get at it. I definitely enjoy drawing more today than I used to in the beginning, take note of the fact that you might not be ‘feeling it’ on a certain day but once you sit down and actually practice you may find yourself deeply inspired to make art.

The key here is that with type 2 fun it is the initial phase that is uncomfortable, it is getting your butt into the chair that is challenging but it only gets better once you do it. Keep this in mind as you build your drawing habit.

So those are some tips on staying motivated and inspired to create art on a regular basis. Make sure to subscribe to the youtube channel if you like this type of content! And also check out the rest of the blog posts 😀

Productivity, creativity, inspiration—it’s all happening a bit differently right now. From workshops to shared studios, art museums to neighborhood galleries, your go-to spots for a dose of inspiration are most likely in varying levels of openness. There’s also a good chance physical distancing has changed how you’ve been interacting with your circle of creative colleagues and friends.

Which means that staying inspired takes a little ingenuity these days. Luckily, when you approach finding day-to-day inspo as an ongoing creative project, amazing things tend to happen. So let’s dive into our current favorite (super simple) ways to keep those ideas flowing.

Embrace the Art of Dabbling

Experimenting with a new medium often results in a major creative boost. And you don’t have to go all out—it can be as easy as keeping a journal. Or shooting a daily photograph and tracking your progress over time. Or taking a free online course in that art movement you’ve always been curious about. The goal here is finding fresh creative avenues that’ll keep you feeling inspired, and maybe doing a little casual skill-building as you go.

Best part? There really is no wrong approach to dabbling. And when there’s zero pressure, you might find yourself doing some of your best creative thinking yet. (Which is why a little dabbling might be especially liberating for all you perfectionists out there.)

Don’t be Afraid of DIY

You might’ve noticed that more time at home has a way of turning into more time in front of a screen. If it’s getting harder and harder to just unplug, occupying yourself with hands-on activities is great for opening up new thought processes. (Sorry, endless scrolling does not qualify as a “hands-on” project.)

Small activities like redecorating your home office or putting together a gallery wall might take you into a totally new headspace. No ideas for practical projects? No worries. DIY can be as low-commitment as getting crafty with that old stack of magazines currently collecting dust and playing around with collage art.

And don’t worry about proving you’re a master craftsperson. Just think of do-it-yourself projects as fun, constructive ways to spend some time offline. Leading us to our next point…

Relax the Rules

Whether you’re a true creature of habit, a goal-oriented person or just an organized pro, routines and self-discipline are important to productivity. That said, if it feels like you’re getting stuck on a project that just will not end (we’ve been there), or are struggling to hit a self-imposed quota, it could be your cue to implement a more easygoing approach.

Ridiculously simple steps such as adding longer, more frequent breaks to your schedule or making time for self-care (meditation, stretching, etc.) feel like hitting a daily reset button. Plus, rethinking your typical work patterns often nudges you into new ways of thinking creatively. After all, ideas have a way of coming more freely when you’re feeling relaxed.

Speaking of relaxation…

Act Naturally

Recurring theme: An overabundance of screen-time. That’s why dropping everything for a head-clearing nature walk is feeling especially purposeful at the moment. Even if you don’t consider yourself an outdoorsy person, changing up your environment by visiting a park or a neighborhood you’ve never been to is an excellent destressing method.

Bringing nature into your own home is also great for giving yourself some well-deserved chill time. If you don’t have a backyard, a balcony or window ledge is all you need to start growing herbs (extremely rewarding) or exploring the weird world of succulents (extremely fun).

(Finally) Start a New Chapter

Have you had that “read more” resolution for years now? Yeah, you’re not alone. But if you’ve been hanging around the homebase more and more, now is a great time to actually put it into practice.

And if you do, you’ll most likely find that reading improves your ability to focus, which is of course a must for sustained creative work. (Pro tip: Setting a minimum page count or time goal for daily reading will help make it a habit.) Already an avid reader? Now is the perfect time to do a deep dive into your own medium by exploring fresh POVs on the subject.

So, should you tackle a leisurely crafting project? Have fun building your skill set? Step up your relaxation game? Whatever you decide, it’s all about taking an exploratory, stress-free approach to finding what gets you into that creatively inspired mindstate.

Inspiration does not flow freely, nor does it come on command, when the artist is ready to be inspired. Inspiration often comes when we least expect it, and when we’re least prepared for it (everyone can relate to the concept of having a great idea minutes before falling asleep or in the middle of a hot shower). That said, how do those who make a living creating art stay inspired year after year, work after work? Here are some common questions about finding inspiration to get you our of “artist’s block.”

There are thousands if not millions of books about painting and art, but are there other written works worth checking out to get the creative juices following?

Yes, in fact we would suggest anything you read will really influence you regardless of the subject matter. A great place to always start is always with biographies. Written books by artists, political figures or pop culture icons are insider’s guides to the artist’s mind. Some of the most celebrated and iconic biographies in the past decade are Bob Dylan’s Chronicles: Volume One, Patti Smith’s Just Kids and Steve Martin’s Born Standing Up.

What are some ways that I could stay inspired by things I might see everyday?

Well, that’s a great question and the reason why the entire self-help industry exists, and no, the answer is not drinking. We kid, but you would be surprised at how many every day items are actually perfect inspiration for artists. Fans of music and records can take a good look at album covers for beautiful thought-out artistic designs, themes and motifs. Take a trip to a local record store like Amoeba Music in Los Angeles, Waterloo Records in Austin, Texas and Reckless Records in Chicago. Also, being inspired can be as simple as looking up, especially if you live in an urban area. The architecture, street composition and overall layout of any major city can be immaculate sources of creativity. Also while on your commute to work, notice billboards, signs and nearby sculptures. Each are made with more artistic brilliance than many of us realize.

Will unplugging from media and technology help with artist block?

I think the simplest answer is that it couldn’t hurt. Studies have shown that an over indulgence in technology, computer screens and social media can lead to fatigue and an overall slowing down of the brain’s activity. And some of the world’s very best art is nature. So even if it means getting outside for 15 minutes a day could be a welcomed break and hopefully a direct channel into your inner creativity.

What are your unusual sources of inspiration?

By Steve Goble, VP of Marketing Communications for Navis Pack & Ship. When he’s not spilling packing and shipping secrets, he’s spending time with his family at a San Diego Padres or Chargers game. Connect with Steve on Google+ and LinkedIn.

Long hours in the studio, constantly working with your hands, feeling the stress of running an art business—these demands can’t help but take a toll on your health.

While many artists would work day and night for their craft, it’s important to remember that you are human. And, you can’t create the best art possible unless you are happy and healthy.

To help you feel your best, we’ve rounded up six health tips for artists, so you can stay strong both physically and mentally.

1. Detox Your Studio

It’s important to keep in mind your long term health. If you only do one thing, make sure you rid your studio of toxins. Do a studio inventory, enclose all harmful substances, and double-check your room’s ventilation. If you are worried that your supplies are in the same place you eat and sleep, you may want to consider getting a separate studio space.

2. Stay Hydrated

While this one is a no-brainer, it can still be hard to stay on top of hydration when you’re on a creative roll. Especially since many health professionals recommend getting sixty-four ounces of water a day between your food and drink consumption.

Our tip? With a sharpie, draw a line every few ounces on a large clear water bottle to indicate how much you want to drink each hour. This prompts you to sip every so often, you don’t have to keep refilling your cup, and your water intake doesn’t seem as daunting!

3. Stretch It Out

Hunched on a stool or bending over a table, no matter what position you take to create your art, most likely you are putting strain on your back. Keep the pain away by stretching out your back regularly, before and after studio time. Try stretches like Lying Knee Twist, Cat Cow yoga pose, and more all demonstrated here by APM Health.

Still, your back is not the only thing you need to focus on. Your priceless creative instruments, A.K.A. your hands and wrists, can become strained from overuse as well, so stretch them with these exercises from The Huffington Post.

4. Ditch Worry and Stress

Catering to your mental health is just as important as physical health. Whether you choose to practice mindfulness or actively try to overcome your fears as an artist, letting go of stress and worry will help you feel better all around.

Another smart strategy to ward off stress is to make staying organized a priority. With an art inventory management system like Artwork Archive, you can manage your pieces and track your sales with the click of a button. Check out what other professional artists are saying about Artwork Archive here.

5. Sit or Stand

Both standing and sitting have their benefits. If you prefer to sit, then try to move around and stretch a couple of times each hour. Joyce Cherrier, fitness specialist and guest author for Lori McNee’s Fine Art Tips blog, suggests setting a timer so you never forget to take a stretch break.

Standing is great for working your muscles, but just make sure to wear supportive shoes and consider buying a cushioned mat to help avoid any strain on your feet.

Have you ever tried replacing your work stool with an exercise ball? It’s not just for trendy, millennial office workers! Cherrier puts her stamp of approval on these make-shift chairs, which are wonderful for working your core muscles and battling back pain.

6. Take Time to Meditate

Sometimes it’s necessary to take a step back from your hectic life and find peace again with meditation. Refocusing the mind not only alleviate stress, but can helps capture creativity again.

If you want to try meditating on your own, Zen Habits suggests finding a quiet, comfortable place, counting your breaths, and regathering your thoughts as your mind wanders. Don’t feel like going it alone? YouTube has tons of guided meditations you can listen to, or try the free trial of Headspace in between studio breaks.

Health comes first.

Whether you need to clear your mind of stress or stretch out your sore muscles, putting your health first will have a positive effect on your art business. Just think about what you could achieve when you aren’t held back by pain or fatigue. Take these tips to heart and see how much better you feel.

Want more health tips for artists? Check out “ How to Re-Energize Your Art Business with Mindfulness.”

What? Doesn’t inspiration just come when you feel inspired? Isn’t that the definition of inspired? Not if it’s your job. Or if you want it to be your job. You can’t just sit around and wait until you feel inspired enough to go to work. I use routine to STAY inspired. I love that romantic vision of artists drinking cocktails, listening to music, and throwing paint around. It sounds fun.

‘Earth and Water’ © 2020 Pamela Wingard

But I’d get nothing accomplished.

It is my routine that helps me make my best work. I struggle with it, as many creatives do. Or maybe it’s just me. But I’m happiest with a routine. I feel better when I am at the studio at the same time very day. Or most days. If you have a creative business, you know that there are all kinds of other tasks besides making art. Every day isn’t creative. But to have a creative business, the creativity needs to come first. If I don’t paint, then there is no need to do any of the other work.

Which makes creative time even more important.

The power of routine is that establishing habits reframes the mind. Those habits jumpstart the brain and mark the beginning of the creative process. Your mind goes on autopilot. Like brushing your teeth. Figure out a routine that works for you, and it will remind your hands to how to make things. I have no evidence to the science behind this, it just works for me.

Starting Your Day with a Routine.

Personally, here is my idea of the perfect routine to stay inspired. I don’t do it every day, but I ideally I’d like to and it works when I do.

I have to let you in on a secret. I don’t set an alarm anymore. It’s luxurious. And I love it. I still wake up at about the same time every morning. I work the same number of hours, get the work done, but my schedule is more fluid than it used to be when I had kids in school or worked a corporate job.

I love starting my day with coffee, a devotional, and writing three pages in my journal as suggested in ‘The Artist’s Way’ by Julia Cameron. I write five things I’m thankful for. Shower, go to the gym or walk my dog, eat avocado toast or a green smoothie.

The first 30 minutes of my morning grounds me and allows me to be more deliberate about my day. I need the quiet time and I feel a little off if I don’t get it. It helps my creativity, and when I get in the studio, I’m focused. My brain and my body know it’s time to go to work.

Scheduling Creative Time.

I schedule creative time on my calendar. I try to schedule appointments on Fridays or Mondays or late in the afternoon. I leave three mornings a week intentionally empty so that the creative process has time to take over. Like in a painting, white space is important. I realize this is different for everyone, especially moms with small kids or those of you with other jobs. Try scheduling even an hour of white space with no specific obligation other than to create something. Make it the same time every day, or even every week. Turn on some music or a podcast and being your creative routine.

Routine Warm-Ups.

Creativity needs a warm up, just like when you exercise. I warm up by painting small paintings on paper. Or play with another medium I don’t consider my ‘work’ such as drawing. Often, it’s just 15 minutes.

Every day isn’t creative, but it’s cumulative. Using routine to stay inspired jumpstarts my creativity. It’s about making better art, being present, and enjoying the process. Like exercise, I always feel so much better afterward.

There is no doubt about it. Sketchbooks are hungry little animals. I guarantee you will sometimes stare at that blank page and wonder where your next sketch is going to come from. Or there may be days when you get proverbial “Sketchbook block.”

One of the tools in my artistic arsenal is the ability to stay inspired and invest quality time in getting inspired as part of my artistic process. This means that I build “inspiration time” into my weekly schedule.

But where to start when thinking about where to get that inspiration? Inspiration lies everywhere and in itself can be overwhelming.

I did want to share a list of the things that inspire me (which I will do)! But before I do so I thought I would explore the process in understanding this whole theme of inspiration as a way to boost your skill as an artist.

In order to unlock where to find inspiration in your sketching habit, the best way to create is to find your why, what, when and where.

1. Understand what motivates you to want to sketch – what is it that pulls you into this habit? Is it to feel good, to inspire yourself, to document what you do, to improve as an artist, to develop a range of artworks or a collection, to steady a busy mind, to record your day and create a memory. The key to getting inspired is to understand WHY you do something and then feed it that inspiration. Whatever you decide motivates you there is a deep vein of resources waiting out there for you to find. The more focused you can be about the reason you are drawn to sketch the easier it will be to feel motivated when you discover inspiration that encourages you!
2. What naturally interests you? You will find that you naturally gravitate towards things that you are interested in. Its easier to sketch what inspires you in day to day life. Make a note of your interest areas. Why does it inspire you? I’m sure you have all heard of a mood board. Well….make a virtual one in your mind that you add imagery to. You will also find that when you sketch what you love you will improve your drawing technique faster. So, for example, if you love your garden or nature just stick to sketching them for a whole week. Collect objects, articles and follow others that share the same interests. Believe it or not there are niche areas for all things sketchbook from just sketching buildings or recipes, people or still life. I love exploring a vast community of sketchbooking options for ideas for my own.
3. Your when. Make a concerted effort to book some time in that is solely focused on inspiration time. Put all the sketchbook tools down and go get inspired. Whether like me you take some time out once a week in the bath with a biography of an artist (I’m currently fascinated with the sketchbooks of the great masters), or your morning quiet times where you may keep a thankfulness journal of sketches. Dedicate a small portion of time to this thing called inspiration where you don’t draw but simply absorb and indulge in learning.
4. I’m hoping by now that you might have read my earlier post (found here) on the “Artist’s Date” that Julia Cameron in “The Artist’s Way” insists on every artist embedding into their creative routine. This is an excellent way of ensuring you set time aside to feed your inner artist. I love to do this.
5. And your where! Linked to my Artist’s Date, physical location is sometimes important. Decide where to put yourself to get that inspiration. So many sketchbook artists love to just go sit in an environment absorbing what they see and drawing it. Perhaps you are lucky enough to take a few moments to yourself and have a room of your own to dedicate to creating things. (Virginia Woolf would be proud!) The world is your oyster but you could literally start with your front door step, street and community to get visual inspiration. A simple thing such as looking up and noticing details that you may never have seen before (cornices on a building, an unusual climbing plant, the colour of a front door) can trigger ideas about what you put on paper.
6. Share what you sketch with others! In inspiring others you inspire yourself and motivate yourself to keep going. Learning and embedding your habit by sharing what you have found out with others is inspiring.

Regularly getting inspired and making a concerted effort to seek out inspiration starts to do some amazing things. You become adept at setting small realistic and achievable creative goals because you are CLEAR on the objectives you want to achieve. This gives you the confidence to keep sketching. In my case being inspired in line with the points I have outlined above means that I choose what I sketch, when I sketch, how I do so and when I do so.

It’s ironic, but applying logic to this unwieldy creative thing called inspiration will go a long way to ensuring you maintain a healthy sketchbook habit.

Want more tips, access to free downloads and resources? Join Emily’s Sketchbook Community here.

If you are a United States citizen planning a trip abroad, you may wonder if there is any way to get information and help if an emergency occurs in your destination country. For many years, the US Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs has offered travelers a way to register their trips so that embassy and consulate employees can find them if a natural disaster or civil unrest might be imminent. This program, the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP), has three components.

Personal Profile and Access Permission

The first thing you must do to register your trip with the State Department is to set up a personal profile, which includes your name, address, telephone number, email address, points of contact and a unique password. You will also need to decide who else might need to find you or access your contact information in case of an international emergency.

You can choose any combination of family, friends, legal or medical representatives, members of the media or members of Congress. You must provide at least one telephone number or email address that the State Department can use to contact you in the United States in order to participate in STEP.

Tip: If you do not authorize the disclosure of your contact information prior to your trip, US State Department employees will not be able to tell anyone where you are because the terms of the Privacy Act prevent them from doing so. This means that you should authorize the disclosure of your personal information to at least one person besides yourself so that someone at home can find you through STEP if a disaster occurs. Also, if you need to get help from your embassy or consulate while you are traveling abroad, you will need to provide proof of US citizenship.

Trip-Specific Information

If you wish, you may enter information about an upcoming trip as part of the STEP registration process. This information will enable State Department employees to find and help you if a disaster or uprising happens or seems likely to occur. They will also send you Travel Alerts and Travel Warnings for your destination(s).

You may register multiple trips. In addition, you can register a group of travelers under one traveler’s name if you list your fellow travelers in the “accompanying travelers” field. Family groups should sign up in this way, but groups of unrelated adult travelers should register separately so that the State Department can record and, if necessary, use emergency contact information for each person.

By registering your upcoming trip with the US Department of State, you will be able to receive timely, destination-specific emails that will alert you to current developments in the countries you plan to visit. If security issues arise, the State Department will proactively contact you so that you do not need to rely exclusively on news reports to find out what problems might be occurring at your destination.

Tip: You will not be able to enter your trip information if 1) your destination country does not have a US embassy or consulate or 2) you cannot provide local contact information, such as a hotel address or the telephone number of a friend, when you register your trip.

Travel Warning, Alert and Information Update Subscription

If you wish, you may also sign up to receive email updates, including Travel Alerts, Travel Warnings and country-specific information issued by the State Department. You can do this either as part of the trip registration process or as a separate email subscription.

Can Non-Citizens Enroll in STEP?

Legal permanent residents (green card holders) may not enroll in STEP, but may participate in similar programs offered by the embassies and consulates of their countries of citizenship. However, legal permanent residents of the United States are allowed to register with STEP as part of a group of US travelers, provided the main point of contact for the group is a US citizen.

The Bottom Line

Registering your trip will help the US Department of State let you know about potential travel-related issues and come to your aid if problems occur in your destination country. The process is quick and easy, particularly once you have set up your personal profile. Why not visit the STEP website and get started today?

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The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) makes presence and whereabouts known, in case it is necessary for a Consular Officer to contact you in an emergency. Please, enroll with us using this link.

Enrolling in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is a free service, and offers several advantages. By enrolling you will receive email messages of interest from the Embassy and it helps the Embassy know where to contact you in case of an emergency. Your enrollment information is protected by the Privacy Act and cannot be shared without your permission except under life or death emergency situations.

When will the Embassy contact me?

Enrolling with the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) provides contact information in order for the Consular Section to reach you in case of a personal emergency, or other emergency situations. The Consular Section sends local, regional, and worldwide travel alerts and warnings, as well as general messages of interest to U.S. citizens.

What if I am only temporarily traveling in Spain?

U.S. citizens traveling through or visiting Spain for short periods (less than 4 months) are welcome to enroll in STEP. However, it is especially important that those traveling on short visits remain up to date with current events through the mass media. We recommend that you refer to the State Department website or to the website maintained by the U.S. Embassy in Madrid if you have access to the Internet.

What other means are used to provide information to resident Americans?

The State Department website contains information of interest to Americans outside the U.S. The website is continuously updated and is the fastest means of obtaining up to the minute information. Of special interest are the Consular Information Sheets, Public Announcements, and Travel Warnings. There is also valuable information about emergency and non-emergency services from obtaining a passport or visa, to voting, to registering the birth of a child born outside the US, to preparing for an evacuation.

What about information specific to Spain?

The Embassy in Madrid also maintains a website, which carries information of more specific interest to people in Spain. This website will report if there are any changes in walk-in hours for routine services in the consular section, for example. The website also carries information about U.S.-Spanish policy and bilateral issues.

What if I need information about getting a visa for a friend or family member?

Visa inquiries and requests for appointments should be directed to:

Telling your home county where you are might not be the first thing you will think of doing when settling abroad… Nevertheless, expat citizens of many countries often are advised to register with the embassy or consulate. Though this procedure generally is mandatory, it is preferable to complete it, as consular registration usually offers several benefits. Learn about this free service for expats.

Why register with the embassy or consulate?

Depending on the country you are from, registering with the embassy might allow you to access a number of services for expats such as:

• assistance in the event of an emergency (natural disasters, dangerous situations in your country of residence…) or an accident abroad,
• information from the nearest embassy or consulate (travel alerts and warnings, voting deadlines…),
• easier completion of various administrative formalities (passport issuance, registration of birth abroad, study grant requests, registration to vote abroad, completion of tax forms…).

Registration mostly is voluntary, except for Swiss expats who must always register with their local Swiss representation abroad.

How to register with the embassy or consulate

Most embassies and consulates offer either several registration possibilities (by post, e-mail or fax) or have developed an online registration system. You will need to complete a form and sometimes provide several supporting documents to prove your identity, nationality and place of residence. Many countries will allow expats to register online quickly and easily. For instance:

Once you have registered with your embassy or consulate, you will need to update your data if:

• your contact details change,
• your civil status changes,
• you are going back to your home country.

To find out more about:

Find the nearest embassy or consulate in your country on the World embassy page.

Find out how to file a complaint about an airline, travel agency, hotel, or U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

On This Page

• Complaints About Travel
• Complain about a United States Embassy or Consulate

Complaints About Travel

You can direct most complaints related to travel to:

Consult a licensed attorney, or file a case in a local small claims court if the complaint is severe.

Complaints About an Airline

The kind of complaint you have determines the agency you should contact.

Service or Discrimination – First, attempt to resolve your complaint with the airline. If the airline doesn’t fix the problem, file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).

Airline Safety – Contact the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Complaints About Vacation Rental Scams

Whether it’s a room rental or a private home or property, it’s easier than ever to find a vacation rental online. It’s also easier than ever to get scammed. Learn how to report and avoid vacation property rental scams.

Report a Scam

Report a rental scam to the state consumer protection or attorney general’s office. The Federal Trade Commission also takes complaints about vacation rentals. Or, you can report the scam to local law enforcement where the property is located.

If you found the scam rental ad online or were scammed using the internet, also report it to the website where the listing was posted. In addition, report it using the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center.

Protect Yourself

Look at pictures of the rental property and maps of the area before you rent the property.

Make sure the property is located near the tourist sites and attractions that you want to visit.

Make sure that the person renting you the home or property is the actual owner. If not, make sure they have been authorized to rent the property by the owner.

Find out if there have been any complaints about the property owner or listing agent. To do so, contact the state consumer protection office.

Contact the real estate licensing agency where the vacation home is located to learn your rental rights.

Make sure payment and refund policies are written into your contract. Pay with a credit card so you can dispute the charge for the rental if there is a problem.

If you book lodging through an online rental platform, be wary if the host asks you to pay or communicate outside the rental platform.

Don’t pay with cash, a cashier’s check, or a money transfer until you are sure that the rental is legitimate. Money sent by wire or transfer cannot be refunded.

Don’t forget to carefully examine pictures of your potential rental. Look for signs of tampering or alterations to make the rental look more appealing.

Don’t answer odd questions about yourself or your family. Your answers could make it easier for scammers to get your personal information.

Don’t hesitate to ask for reviews, references, or certifications from the landlord or management company.

Don’t skip reading the rental contract before you make a deposit.

Complaints About a Hotel or Motel

To complain about service or accommodations at a hotel or motel, attempt to resolve the matter through the company first:

Direct your complaint to the manager or to the customer service line.

If you feel like your issue was not resolved, contact the regional manager or another senior executive.

Complaints About Travel Agents or Travel Agencies

File your complaint about a travel agent or agency with the accredited membership organization the agent or agency belongs to:

Complaints About Cruises

Learn about your legal rights and how to file a complaint.

Be aware of the Passenger Bill of Rights that cruise industry members have voluntarily adopted.

View passenger cruise ship information that includes vessel safety and crime reports.

Complain about a United States Embassy or Consulate

To complain about waste, fraud, abuse, or misconduct at a U.S. Embassy or consulate, first try to resolve the issue with that Embassy or consulate.

If you are unable to do so for any reason, learn how to file a complaint with the Office of Inspector General (OIG) in the U.S. Department of State (DOS).

Do you have a question?

Ask a real person any government-related question for free. They’ll get you the answer or let you know where to find it.

Last Updated: December 13, 2019

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1. Consul General Daria Darnell
2. U.S. Citizen Services
3. Sections & Offices
4. History
5. Contact Us
6. Solicitations and Contracts for the U.S. Consulate General

Welcome to the American Citizens Services Unit of the U.S. Consulate General in Istanbul, Turkey. We offer a range of service to U.S. citizens visiting and living in Turkey. For an appointment, please click here. For routine questions or to request an emergency appointment for a passport, notary or Consular Report of Birth Abroad, please click on “Contact Us” and make your request through our web form.

If you are a U.S. citizen and have a life and death emergency or there is an emergency involving a U.S. citizen, call us at +90 212 335 9000.

Please note that between the hours of 4:15pm and 7:30am, the Consulate is closed and the after hours line is for life and death emergencies involving U.S. citizens. Please keep in mind that the time in Turkey is 7 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.

The American Citizen Services Unit will not be responding to queries about Immigrant and Nonimmigrant visas.

• For information about visa inquiries please click here: Immigrant Visa Services and Nonimmigrant Visa Services.

Use this website to get all the information you need on the range of services we offer to U.S. citizens visiting and living in Turkey. We encourage you to register your stay in Turkey through the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP).

Assisting U.S. citizens overseas is our highest priority, and we look forward to serving you. If you are not a U.S. citizen but are instead a Legal Permanent Resident (LPR)/green card holder, click here.

Location and mailing address:

U.S. Consulate General Istanbul
Consular Section – American Citizen Services
Poligon Mahallesi Sariyer Caddesi No: 75
34460 İstinye Sariyer, İstanbul

Security Note: Many items are strictly forbidden on Consulate grounds. These include all weapons and electronic devices such as mobile phones, Blackberries, iPods, iPads, notebook computers, PDAs, headsets, remote-entry automobile key “fobs” or anything with a power plug or battery. Large bags, such as backpacks, suitcases or packages are also prohibited since there are no storage facilities on Consulate grounds.

Emergency Contact

If you are a U.S. citizen and have a life and death emergency or there is an emergency involving a U.S. citizen, call us 24/7 at +90 212 335 9000. If there is no answer, please call (+90) 312 455 5555 (U.S. Embassy in Ankara). We do not handle general inquiries over the phone. If you have a question that is not answered in our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section, click here to contact us. If you need an emergency appointment for a lost/stolen/expired U.S. passport or a notarial service, click here.

You may also contact the U.S. Overseas Citizens Services phone line at the following numbers:

• If you are a caller from the U.S., call +1 888 407 4747
• If you are a caller from overseas, call +1 202 501 4444

We will not respond to queries about Immigrant and Nonimm igrant visas.

If you are inquiring about how to protect yourself in the event of a chemical/biological attack please visit Department of State Travel site. Also FEMA site provides information on preparing for disasters.

Turkish Emergency Numbers

Police: Dial 155

Fire: Dial 110

Ambulance: Dial 112

Our Location and mailing address:

U.S. Consulate General Istanbul
Consular Section – American Citizen Services
Poligon Mahallesi, Sariyer Caddesi No: 75
34460 İstinye Sariyer, İstanbul

You can get the Consulate General using public transportation. If arriving by metro, get off at the ITU-Ayazağa metro stop in Istinye and take a short taxi ride to the Consulate, or click here for instructions on how to use the public bus network.

Security Note: Many items are strictly forbidden on Consulate grounds. These include all weapons and electronic devices such as mobile phones, Blackberries, iPods, iPads, notebook computers, PDAs, headsets, remote-entry automobile key “fobs” or anything with a power plug or battery. Large bags, such as backpacks, suitcases or packages are also prohibited since there are no storage facilities on Consulate grounds.

Contact Us

Poligon Mahallesi, Sariyer Caddesi No.75
İstinye 34460 Sariyer – Istanbul / Turkey
Phone: (90) 212-335 90 00

Do a lot of travelers utilize this, or is it just another hoop to jump through? Seems like a good precaution to me, but just curious to see what other people have done.

I think I would only do this if I were going to a dangerous country. I guess I am not sure about the reasons for wanting to register with them, what precautions are you speaking about? This is a new one on me and I work at the consulate. Clue me in!

If they have to evacuate you it helps them know where you are but for folks in Europe on short trips don’t bother.

Just one more way for the government to keep track of you and monitor where your go. We already have to have the government permission to fly. So this is probably the next step.

I have lived in Canada for 10 years now and never mentioned it to the consulate. I figure the IRS knows where I am, so that is all that really matters!

I’ve registered my family and me. I figure.. why not? Even if we go to London or Paris, you never know if there’s an uprise

I think one’s response to this would depend on:

1) Your level of trust in the current US government

2) What you think the US government is likely to do for you if you need their help

Personally, my answers to both questions would be “not much”.

The US governemnt already has stuck their nose in our lives a lot more than I’m comfortable with. If I needed them in a crisis overseas, I’m sure they would tell me it’s my own problem to solve.

I’ve gone to many places, including some that the US government probably didn’t want me to, and cannot imagine any potential benefit to “registering” with them. On the other hand, I can easily imagine them pulling me out of the check-in line on my way to Paris some day and hassling me for details of why I have been to Burma, Morocco, Cambodia, etc.

Where I go is none of their business (to the degree that I can control that). In a pinch I’d rather take my chances with the locals and a Gold MasterCard than count on the US embassy to help me out of a jam. But perhaps my expectations have been lowered one time too many. YMMV.

Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)

Register! United States tourists traveling in Mexico and U.S. citizens residing there are encouraged to register with the U.S. State Department in case of an emergency situation.

Please register in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) at https://step.state.gov/step/. STEP is the primary means that the U.S. Embassy uses to reach its citizens in Mexico. When you sign up, you will automatically receive email updates, including Travel Warnings and other important announcements such as hurricane warnings, volcano activity, or security messages.

Equally important, Americans living in Mexico are also encouraged to register for STEP so that they can be reached in case of emergency as well. More information is available at Travel Tips and Registration.

Citizen Liaison Volunteers

Report and Inform! Citizen Liaison Volunteers (CLVs), formerly known as the “Consular Warden Program,” is a key component of the State Department’s efforts to ensure the safety and security of U.S. citizens around the world.

CLVs act as unpaid volunteer liaisons to the U.S. citizen communities. CLVs help to identify the needs of the community, proactively communicate information to the Embassy, and partner with it to address security, safety, and health issues affecting U.S. citizens.

CLVs play an important role in keeping the U.S. citizen community informed, and, in extraordinary circumstances, help to deliver emergency services to U.S. citizens in need.

The State Department is looking to recruit new CLVs. CLVs must be fluent in English and have a good familiarity with the U.S. citizen community in their region. There is a screening process.

If you are interested, please contact the U.S. Embassy in México City, Phone: (55) 5080 – 2000.

The United States Embassy in Mexico City

Please note the following important information:

Website in English and Spanish: www.usembassy-mexico.gov

Emergency Phone: (555) 080-2000 – Press “0” to speak to the Operator and ask for the Duty Officer.

Telephones:

From Mexico: Tel: (555) 080-2000/ Fax: (555) 080-2005

From the U.S.: Tel: 011-52-(555) 080-2000 / Fax: 011-52 (555) 080-2005

Address: Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtemoc, 06500 Mexico, D.F.

Consulate Offices and Agencies: The locations and map of the United States Embassy in Mexico and all Consulate Office and Agencies: Find Nearest Location | Embassy of the United States Mexico City, Mexico

DO NOT DELETE – Hide CA Language in Dropdown

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1. Consul General Robert Riley
2. U.S. Citizen Services
3. Visas
4. History of the Consulate
5. Key Officers
6. Sections
7. Organizations related to the U.S. in Barcelona

Welcome to U.S. Citizen Services

The U.S. Consulate General in Barcelona provides consular services to U.S. citizens visiting or residing in Catalonia, Aragón and Andorra. The Consular Section offers passport, notarial, and birth registration services (Consular Reports of Birth Abroad) among other services.

Adult passport renewals are done by mail. Other routine (non-emergency) services require an appointment online before visiting the Consulate General. To avoid unnecessary delays, before your appointment please review all requirements and documentation by checking our website or by sending us an email at [email protected] To avoid overcrowding in our waiting area, please ensure that only those required to appear arrive for the appointment. See additional information for emergencies:

We urge you to register with us if you will be traveling or living in the consular district (Andorra, Aragon, and Catalonia) so we can better serve you and help you stay informed, especially in the case of an emergency. Registration is a free service provided by the U.S. government to U.S. citizens who are traveling to, or living in, a foreign country. For information on obtaining visas to visit or reside in Spain or Andorra, please visit their respective websites. For visas to the United States, please visit For visas to the United States, please visit: travel.state.gov.

Translation

• Español
• Català

Notice COVID-19 in Spain

To mitigate the spread of COVID-19 infection following public health authorities’ recommendations, the Consular Section will be temporarily providing only limited services. This affects Regular Passport Renewals, Consular Reports of Birth Abroad and Notary services. Due to the limited number of appointments, we recommend applying for passports only if you have travel plans. Regular adult renewals may not avail of appointments and must be mailed in.

For emergency services, please write to: [email protected] .

In-person services are by appointment only. Please wear a mask if you have an in-person appointment at the Embassy, Consulate General, or one of the five consular agencies. The consular agencies are accepting payment by credit card only (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Visa Debit and MasterCard Debit).

There are a couple different ways to do this, and I just discovered this new way. Type “Create Page” into the facebook search bar, and press enter. Then, look in the upper right corner for the “Pages I Like” button, and click it.

First, go to your Timeline, and click the “update info” button to the right of your name.

Then, at the top of the page, click on “More” and it will drop a list down, then click on “Likes” as shown here.

Now that you are on the “Likes” page, you can see the pages you have liked. They are in categories now, so if you dont see the page you are looking for, select the “More” option again as shown here. Then click on “Other Likes”.

Find the page you want to “unlike” and hover your mouse over it, a little icon will appear in the upper right corner, and if you then hover your mouse over that icon, you will be presented with these options.

Click the little “x” in the blue boxes for the item you want to delete.
Note: This is also where you can use the audience selector to control who can see this particular item in your Timeline.

Then, scroll down more. lots more. find the “other likes” section. it looks like this

You will then see all the old uncategorized “likes” you clicked on long ago.
It would be best to delete ALL of them.

Fotor’s free picture editor provides a suite of online photo editing tools, which allow you to edit pictures easily as well as let you have some fun with your own photos. Make your social media presence come alive. Fotor is a professional photo editor on the web. Do anything you want to your image in just a few clicks.

What’s Online Image Editing?

Online photo editing program is the manipulation of an image using complex algorithms and utilizing exclusive technologyВ to change pixels to enhance an image in a variety of ways.

Fotor is photo editing software that is very beginner-friendly, simplifying the processes required for digital photography skills with basic photo editing tools, such as crop image tools, resize image tools, photo enhancers, background remover…to help many edit their pictures easily and without having to sacrifice their downtime. The online image editor Fotor will bring an unprecedented level of editing control to all.

How to Edit a Photo Online?

• 1 Open Fotor’s online image editor and click the “Edit” button.
• 2 Upload the image you wish to edit and choose the editing option you need from the dashboard on the left side. (There are basic photo editing, effects, beauty, frames, text. )
• 3 For example, you want to add effect to your photo. Click “Effect” from dashboard on the left side and select one photo effect you like.
• 4 Click “Save” and select a format for your image.

What Features Does Fotor’s Online Picture Editor Have?

Powerful online photo editor

Free to use picture editing tools

Easy to embellish

Editing pictures without need for any complex skills and enhancing your images in a few steps with Fotor’s free photo editor program.

Jun 28, 2015
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The photos we share on Facebook make up a huge part of how we interact with other people on the social network. Take the ability to post photos away from Facebook and you’d be left wondering what to there. Facebook knows just how important photos are and it makes a deliberate effort to give us a great photo sharing experience. It also buys apps like Instagram to make sure it owns all your photos. Photo sharing is of course a feature everyone uses and if you often post photos from your smartphone you might wonder how you can post them in the right order (appetizer, main course, drinks, and dessert). The Facebook app lets you arrange them easily whether you’re posting them for the first time or editing a post after sharing them. Here’s how.

Open the Facebook app and select all the photos you want to upload. If you’re looking to edit a post, tap the edit button and then a photo you’ve shared in the post or the small camera button (if you want to add more photos) at the bottom left to edit the photos.

Tap and hold on a photo that you want to move up or down it’s current order and the screen will show a vertical strip as shown in the screenshot below. Without removing your finger from the screen, move it up or down and position it where it fits the order you have in mind. You can reposition every single photo like this.

Click Post or Save and the order of the photos will be updated. All links to your photos remain intact and your friends will see photos in the order you’ve set for them.

Here is the step by step guide which you can follow to edit the privacy settings for your photos on Facebook.

Millions of users daily upload their photos on Facebook. One of the largest social media platforms across the globe, Facebook, provides an option using which its users can edit the privacy settings for their photos on it and select the audience they want to share the photos with. If you are a Facebook user and want to edit the privacy settings for your photos on Facebook, there are some simple steps you need to follow.

Here is the step by step guide which you can follow to edit the privacy settings for your photos on Facebook.

How to edit privacy settings for photos on Facebook

These are some steps which can help you to edit the privacy settings for your photos on Facebook.

Steps to edit privacy settings for photos on Facebook

Follow these simple steps to edit the privacy settings for your photos on Facebook.

Step 1: First of all, from your News Feed, you will have to click your name present in the top left to go to your profile.

Step 2: Here, you have to click Photos.

Step 3: Now, you have to click Your Photos.

Step 4: Click to open a photo, and then you need to click Edit.

Step 5: You have to click the down arrow-shaped icon present next to the current privacy setting (Example: Friends):

Step 6: Now, you will have to select the audience you want to share the photo with. Here, please keep in mind that in most cases, if the photo was shared as part of an album, you will need to change the privacy settings for the whole album. Also remember, you can only edit the privacy settings for individual photos in certain albums, including Profile Pictures and Cover Photos.

Step 7: At last, you have to click Done Editing to change the privacy settings successfully.

Following these steps can help you to successfully edit the privacy settings for your photos on Facebook. Before editing the privacy settings, also remember that some photos, like your current profile photo and cover photo, are always Public.

Facebook doesn’t offer the ability to edit your photos. Ribbet on the other hand offers a free and easy way to edit all your Facebook photos online, without installing or downloading a thing.

Use Ribbet’s Crop Tool to crop your photo to the exact dimensions required for Facebook Cover photos. Our presets also let you crop for photo prints, Twitter, YouTube, Blogger, Google Talk, Xanga, Avatars, Desktops, iPhones and more.

Ribbet’s powerful editor makes applying touch-ups to your Facebook photos fun and easy. You can change your hair and eye color, apply blemish fixes, shine-be-gone, airbrush, wrinkle remover, sunless tan, blush, red-eye removal, eye bright, mascara, teeth whitening, lip color, hair highlights, insta-thin, dodging, burning and clone!

When your done editing your photos, you can save directly back to your Facebook albums, saving your time from looking for photo files on your computer.

Ribbet lets you create collages directly from your Facebook photos. When you’re done you can also add thousands of stickers, effects, filters, fonts and frames to your collage.

Ribbet’s more than just a tool to edit your Facebook photos online. It’s a fully featured, easy to use and extremely fun photo editor and collage maker that you can spend hours and hours playing with. Try it, we think you’ll love it.

Facebook shocked businesses this month when they took away some of the most used posting features: the ability to change the title, text, and most importantly, the photo of link. This left many marketers bewildered, thinking, “Why can’t I change the photo or text on my Facebook post?” Facebook wants to make sure all of the information listed in the post, including the title of the webpage, the text describing the link, and the photo, all accurately represent where the user will be taken to if they click on the link.

If you are a regular user of Facebook for business, chances are you have used these features at least once. Most companies carefully craft each Facebook post by using a catchy title, engaging description, and aВ photo that is sure to get Facebook users to stop scrolling through their timeline. Many times, this is often different information than what is entered in the backend of the website for each link.

Why did Facebook take away the ability to edit photos and text?

The main reason Facebook made this decision was to take a stand against fake news and misleading posts. If you think about it, a Facebook post could have a photo, title, and description completely different from what the webpage was actually about. There were too many instances of this happening, and Facebook decided that the best way to combat this issue was to force business accounts to use the actual information on the page.

While it’s cumbersome to many marketers since they will have to ensure that the text and photo that they want to show up on Facebook will have to be done through Open Graph, it’s understandable why Facebook made the decision. They want to build trust with their users and want to ensure that they are not being deceived and have faith knowing that what they see on a Facebook post is what they’ll get when they click on a link.

What can you edit on Facebook posts?

So now that you know what can no longer be edited in a Facebook post, what are your options? Take a look at the flexibility that you do have when it comes to posting a link in a Facebook post:

1. The first option available is to post the link exactly as it shows up. This means the title, description, and photo will show up precisely the way you have it listed in the backend of the website. Here is an example of how this hotel’s Summer Weddings blog shows up when it is pasted into Facebook:

2. The second option you have is toВ upload additional photos. This will create a carousel post. While you can add pictures, you cannot take away the main image that initially pops up. If you try, it will just take away all the photos.

3. While this option is not recommended, you can remove all photos from the linked post. Click the main image, and all images will disappear.

4. Finally, if you are not satisfied with the photo that shows up and you want a workaround, you do have the option of creating a photo post with your link listed in the content of the post. As an example, if you wanted to use a different photo for the wedding blog above, you would upload the picture to a post and enter the content along with the link in the text area.

While it’s inconvenient to no longer have the option to edit images and text on Facebook posts, it’s nice to know there are some options and workarounds.

Post photos and albums to share with family and friends

• Facebook
• Twitter
• LinkedIn

• Tweet
• Share
• Email

What to Know

• To add photos on Facebook, use the Photo option on the desktop site or the mobile app.
• If you want to create an album and upload multiple photos, use Photos >Create Album.
• You can also add photos to an existing album or delete them in the future.

This article explains how to create photo albums on Facebook and share them with your family and friends. These instructions apply to Facebook.com and the Facebook mobile app.

How to Add Photos on Facebook

You can upload photos to Facebook via the desktop site or mobile app as part of a post or status update.

Select Photo/Video below Create Post at the top of your News Feed or Timeline (on the mobile app, tap Photo).

Select the photo(s) you want to share and write a description or caption where it says Say something about these photos.

Add more information to your photo. You have the following options:

• Select the plus sign (+) to add more photos.
• Select Tag Friends to identify friends in the photo.
• Select Feeling/Activity to share what you’re feeling or doing.
• Select the three dots, and then select Check In to add a location.
• Hover the mouse over your photo and select the edit icon to edit your photo (crop and add filters, stickers, or effects).
• Next to With, add the names of friends who are in the photo.

On the mobile app, tap the Add to your post options on the bottom-right to access Tag Friends, Feeling/Activity, and Check In.

Select News Feed and/or Your Story, then select Post.

It’s a good idea to keep your Facebook photos private so that only your friends can see them.

How to Make a Photo Album on Facebook.com

Another way to add photos to Facebook and keep them organized for others to see is to create an album. Follow these steps if you’re using Facebook in a web browser.

Go to your Facebook profile and select Photos under your cover photo.

Select Create Album.

Select photos or videos to add to your album. Once they have finished uploading, enter an Album name. Other options include:

• Add a description or location.
• Add contributors (they will be able to upload photos to this album).
• Change the date

To tag someone in a photo album, click anywhere on the photo you want to tag them in.

Select Post.

To view and edit your albums, go to your Photos and select Albums.

How to Create a Photo Album in the Facebook App

You can also add photos to albums from the Facebook mobile app.

Tap Photo on the Facebook mobile app’s home screen.

Choose the photos you want to add, then tap Album under your name.

Tap Create New Album to create a new album from the photos you chose.

Give the album a name and description, then tap Create.

Tap Add Contributors to choose contributors from your Friends list. Tap Friends to choose whether your album should be public or private.

Add a description where it says Say something about these photos, choose a layout, then tap Post.

Written by Pamela Vaughan

Editor’s Note: Facebook no longer supports the ability to add thumbnails to your page’s tabs. Click here for a more up-to-date post about how to customize your Facebook Page.

Remember back when Facebook introduced the new Timeline design for Facebook Pages in February 2012, and we all scrambled to modify our business pages to mesh with the new design?

I honestly can’t believe it was that long ago, but we all rushed to create and add Cover Photos ; star, hide, and pin content within our Pages’ Timelines; and organize our Pages’ Apps toolbar.

Those Apps were the successor of what you might remember as tabs on your Facebook Page — although many of us still fondly refer to them that way.

Here’s how they used to look:

And here’s how they look now:

What’s this little trip down memory lane all about, you ask? Well, we put all that work into setting up those icons pictured for our Apps toolbar back in early 2012 — but I’m willing to bet that many of us haven’t touched them since. So how about we all take a few minutes to give our Facebook Pages a little facelift?

(Don’t have your Apps set up in the first place? Read this post to learn how to set up custom tabs for your Facebook Page. The Photos view will automatically appear first, and you can display a total of 12 Apps on your page in whatever order you choose.)

How to Change Your Facebook Page App Photos

1) Visit your Facebook Page and click the triangular drop-down icon next to your Apps, right below your Cover Photo.

2) Hover over the app photo you want to change, click the pencil edit icon, and choose ‘Edit Settings.’

3) On the next screen, click ‘Change’ next to ‘Custom Tab Image.’

4) This will open a new tab in your browser. Hover your mouse over the current photo, and click the pencil edit icon.

5) Choose a new image file from your computer, and upload!

As Facebook specifies, your image size needs to be 111 x 74 pixels, and cannot exceed 5 MB.

Voila! A brand new photo for your Apps toolbar. Easy as that. 🙂

Note: You may find that, for certain apps, the app’s developer has made it so the image is not customizable. If you’re unable to change the photo for specific apps, this is why.

When was the last time you gave your Facebook Page a little facelift?

Originally published Sep 16, 2013 8:00:00 AM, updated February 01 2017

thanks! i play the uke, but i never knew how to read tab! it was really helpful!

Tabs are an alternate writing system to standard musical writing. They are a simple way to symbolize the music to be played on a string instrument (for example, the ukulele). And it is as easy to read as it is to write. Here are the keys to it :

Horizontal lines represent strings

We use four horizontal lines to represent the ukulele strings. The upper line corresponds to the first string (the one that’s near our leg) and the lower line to the fourth string (the one that’s next to our heart).

Numbers indicate which fret to press (and which string to pluck)

On the lines, we’ll see numbers indicating which fret we have to press (with our left hand if we are right-handed), and which string we have to pluck (with our right hand, if we are right-handed). That is to say, if we see, for example, a 2 on the first line, we’ll press the second fret of the first string and we’ll make it sound.

Ukulele tab with notes

Watch out: if we come across a 0, we will pluck the string on which it appears, without pressing any fret. Anyway, we’ll only play the string (or strings) that has a number on.

Sequence of notes

We will read the tab from left to right, following the order carefully. Can you spot this tune?

Beginning of “Come As you are” Riff by Nirvana

Simultaneous notes and chords

If we come across vertically aligned numbers , we will press and pluck the corresponding frets and strings simultaneously.

Beginning of “Smoke of the water” riff by Deep Purple

Rhythm and Strumming

The rhythm pattern may be indicated in the tab or in a standard annotation shown aside. It is represented by stems, dots, flags, bars etc. We may also come across directions on which way to strum. Pay attention: an upward arrow corresponds to a downstroke. Confusing? Quite a bit, but think of it as showing the order in which you pluck the strings, i.e the upward arrow will go from the fourth to the first string, which is what we do when we strum the ukulele downward.

Uke tab with strumming pattern

That’s all for our introduction to tab reading. If you still have (or if you come up with) a question, please leave a comment.

Where to find tabs? Check out Ukulele-tabs.com, they have thousands of tabs in any style.

6 Comments

Do you mind if I quote a few of your articles as
long as I provide credit and sources back to your blog?
My blog is in the very same niche as yours and my users would genuinely benefit
from some of the information you present here. Please let me know if this alright with you.
Cheers!

Hi, sure, no pb! (As long as you credit us with a link back to the source).

This made very much sense; thank you guys!!

When reading the tabs how can tell the timing and how many times I should strum before changing chords?

Thank you, that’s another thing I now understand .

thanks! i play the uke, but i never knew how to read tab! it was really helpful!

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

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• Two Chord Songs for Beginners
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Topics • How To Read Ukulele Tabs

• How a tablature sheet composed
• What the numbers mean
• Tab symbols explained
• Rhythm and tempo in tabs

THE GUIDE

Do you want to know how to read ukulele tabs? Read on, and you will find out.

Three main types of songs

On UkuTabs, songs are categorized into three main types:

• chords (CRD)
• tablatures (TAB)
• chords and tablatures (MIX)

Music tablature or tab is essentially another kind of musical notation for stringed instruments (as distinct from staffs, with treble clefs and notes). It is a lot simpler than musical scores for the piano, let’s say, so it shouldn’t be that difficult to learn. Tabs can be very handy to have when you are trying to learn a fingerpicking song. They show you exactly where to place your fingers on the fretboard and usually show the tempo as well. Note: if you know how to read guitar tabs, you also know how to read ukulele tabs!

Basics of how to read ukulele tabs – you gotta start somewhere

Let’s start at he very beginning, with the base of a tablature and how to read ukulele tabs. The very basis of every single tab is these four lines, usually shown with dashes. Each line represents a string, from bottom to top: GCEA. So when you are looking at the neck of your ukulele (with the headstock at the top and the body at the bottom) the G string is the one furthest to the left and A is the one furthest to the right.

Starting with this base, numbers will be written over the “strings” and it will look something like the illustration below. But how do you play this? A tab is always read from left to right and each number refers to the fret number. In this example you would: pluck the 3rd fret of the bottom string (A). Then you would pluck the open E string (open string = 0), followed by the open C string. Then the open G string. Then… you see, you already know how to read ukulele tabs!

Chords in tablature

Most of the time you will simply see the chord name above the lyrics or a few chord names next to each other. However it may be that chords are shown as below. This means that you should play all the notes vertically aligned together (as a chord). Here you can see the following chords: F, G, C, Am, D7 and G7. This is mostly used when people are trying to show you what the rhythm and tempo is.

Music tablature symbols

Hopefully you are starting to understand the basics of how to read ukulele tabs or tablature now. On rare occasions, you might see these symbols in ukulele tablatures. These are a little bit more advanced and aremostly used in guitar tabs.

Hammer-on – “h”

Hammer-ons separate two different notes. You play them by plucking the note before the “h” and then pressing the note after it. In this example, you pick the second fret of the C string, and then “hammer-on” the third fret of the C string.

Pull-off – “p”

A pull-off is basically the opposite of a hammer-on. Here you will pluck the A string, third fret and then pull-off (let loose) whilst already holding the A string on the second fret.

Alternative hammer-on / pull-off – “^”

Hammer-ons and pull-offs are also often indicated with the “^” symbol, mainly used to show a combination of the two. In the example below you will have to play an open E string, hammer-on the third fret of the E string and then let loose again (pull-off).

Sliding – “\” & “/”

Sliding is mainly used in groovy and funky songs. Ascending slides are displayed with a “/” symbol and descending slides with a “\” symbol. Here you will pluck the A string, second fret and slide up to the fifth fret. Then you will pluck the E string, third fret and slide down to the second fret.

Harmonic notes – “♦”

Maybe you have already come across the symbol for harmonic notes but didn’t know what it meant? Well, now you’ll know! Harmonic notes are noted in tablature with a diamond shape. There is a whole separate guide dedicated on ukulele harmonics.

Rhythm and tempo in tablatures

As you can see, reading tablatures isn’t that difficult once you understand the basics. The problem is, however, that it might be difficult to figure out what the rhythm or tempo is. This is sometimes resolved by putting some numbers closer to each other then others (the closer the numbers, the faster you play them after each other). Some tablatures will also be divided into different measures, but this is not common. My main advice is to use the tablature as an aid. Listen carefully to the song you are trying to learn, so that you already know the tempo, rhythm and feel of the song.

Need more input?

Feel free to contact me whenever you need more information about how to read ukulele tabs and tablature. I think you can begin to play the UkuChords now! Also check out the Ukulele Chord Namer.

Ukulele tablature (also known as “tab”) is an easy and fast way to write out songs for stringed instruments. Here’s a complete guide on how to read tabs for the ukulele.

Due to its simple nature, learning how to read ukulele tab is very straightforward and once you get the concept you can progress quickly.

The disadvantage to reading music via tab is that you cannot express timing values with it. So while you can play a piece you’ve never heard before by looking at piano sheet music, you can’t do the same with tab.

If you don’t know the song it’s going to be frustrating to try and learn it this way. To make things easy on yourself, employ the “hum it” rule: if you can hum the tune then you can learn from the tab, if not, don’t try.

How to Read Ukulele Tabs: Understanding the System

Ukulele tab looks like this:

The Strings:

The four horizontal lines on a bar of tab represent the four strings of an ukulele.

The G-string is on the bottom and the A-string is on the top.

To visualize it better, imagine you set your ukulele down flat on a table, strings facing up and headstock to your left. If you hold the tab on top of the fretboard in this way, the strings will match. G is closest to you, A is furthest away.

The Frets

Tab is read left to right. Anytime you see a number it means “pick this fret.” Which string line the number is one tells you what string to play the fret on.

The tab below tells you to pick the 3rd fret on the A-string one time:

This next tab tells you to play the 10th fret on the C-string one time:

Here you would play the 3rd fret, E-string once and then the 5th fret, A-string once:

If you want to show two notes picked in a row you would repeat the fret number. This means pick the 3rd fret, E-string two times:

Here’s a C major scale in reverse:

Showing Chords

If there are more than one fret number in a vertical line, play the notes simultaneously. This is how you’d write a chord:

Or you could show three notes played simultaneously:

Bar Lines

Oftentimes it’s nice to break a tab into pieces via vertical bar lines like this:

Since tab can’t show timing, it’s sometimes hard to place these precisely enough to stand in for traditional measure lines.

Instead these are often just used for a bit of separation between parts.

Formatting

The above examples are created in text. You can do the same yourself using a monospace font (I like Courier New).

But the tab-reading concepts you’ve learned can also be applied to fancier presentations like you’ll find on my page of Guitar Pro-made ukulele tabs.

With this high-end format it is possible to show the timing of notes via combo standard notation/tablature layouts, more precise articulations, rhythm slashes, and more.

All in all, it’s a much more professional looking tab. But because of the extra details, it is more tedious to make these tabs and thus, are harder to find.

Notating Articulations

Since single picked notes are rarely the only thing you find in music, here is a breakdown of how to read all the additional symbols you might find when reading ukulele tabs.

Multiple examples are shown separated by a bar-line.

“h” – Hammer-on

Use an “h” to show where a hammer-on connects two notes.

“p” – Pull-off

This is used to connect two notes like this:

and means you pull-off from one to the other.

“/” or “\” – Slide

Move from the first note to the second note via a slide.

“b” – Bend and “r” – Release

Bend the string up so that it equals the pitch of the second note shown.

You can also release a bend down to its starting point by adding an “r” to the equation:

Vary the pitch of the note with the vibrato technique.

“()” – Ghost Note (parenthesis)

Play very softly.

“<>” – Harmonic (chevrons)

Chime a natural harmonic at the fret shown in angle brackets.

Artificial Harmonic

Fret the first note shown then chime an artificial harmonic over the fret shown in brackets.

Note Duration in Text Tab

Sometimes people who want to express the timing for a song will put special notation on top of the text ukulele tab to show note duration.

This notation is closely based around the way timing is written for standard sheet music. So in addition to learning the symbols below, you must also be familiar with traditional piano-style music notation.

Duration Legend

(Shown above each fret number.)

• W – whole note
• H – half note
• Q – quarter note
• E – 8th note
• S – 16th note
• T – 32nd note
• X – 64th note
• a – acciaccatura
• + – note tied to previous
• . – dotted note
• .. – double dotted note
• Lowercase letters are played staccato
• Irregular groupings are notated above the duration line
• Rests are shown above an empty space

There are ways to notate more complex parts, but at a certain point, ask yourself, “Should I just be using Musescore instead?” To me, this style sort of defeats the point of a simple text tab.

For example, here’s the intro to “Black Magic Woman” by Santana:

About the author: Brad Bordessa I’m an ‘ukulele artist from Honoka’a, Hawai’i, where I run this site from an off-grid cabin in the jungle. I’ve taught workshops internationally, made Herb Ohta Jr. laugh until he cried, and once jammed with HAPA onstage in my boardshorts. More about me

• Lessons
• Tabs
• Song Sheets
• Chord Charts
• Scales
• Reveiws

You have your new ukulele, you know how to tune it, and now you can learn how to play your favorite songs by reading ukulele tablature or ‘tab’.

Table Of Contents

However, if you’re a ukulele beginner and have never read tab, don’t worry – it’s very simple, and nowhere near as complicated as reading sheet music.

As soon as you pick it up, you’ll be able to learn any song that’s been tabbed (and that’s pretty much all of the popular uke tunes). Ready to learn? Let’s get started.

Note: When discussing tunings, we’re talking about the standard tuning for concert, soprano and tenor ukuleles. Baritone ukes are tuned slightly differently, but the tab concept is exactly the same.

The Basics of Ukulele Tab

A ukulele tab is instantly recognizable, with four horizontal lines across the page, representing the four strings of a ukulele. Imagine the tab as a birds-eye view of your ukulele fretboard. The top line is the thinnest string (A) and the lowest of the four is the thickest string (G).

While the four lines of the tab represent the four strings of a ukulele, the numbers that sit on these lines represent what frets your fingers should be on.

Ukulele Tab: Single Notes

A ukulele tab with no notes isn’t very useful, so let’s look at an example. Remember that you must read the tab from left to right.

Anytime you see a 0, this signifies an open string. A 1 signifies the first fret, a 2 is the second fret, a 3 is the third fret… See a 15? That’s the fifteenth fret. And so on.

So, in this example, you’d begin by plucking the G string open, then the first fret, second fret and third fret, all on the G string. Then you’d move down to the next line, representing the C string. On this string you repeat the pattern – pluck it open, then the first fret, the second, and the third. Repeat this pattern for the next two strings.

Ukulele Tab: Chords

When you have grasped the concept of reading single notes on a ukulele tab, you can start to understand how chord tabs work. It’s exactly the same concept, in that the numbers represent the fret that must be played – although this time you play two or more notes simultaneously. Here are some chord examples:

As you can see, we’ve listed four basic chords as an example.

To play a C chord, this tab is telling you to play open on the G string, open on the C string, open on the E string, and finally the third fret on the A string. Strum all four simultaneously and you’ve got yourself a C chord!

Then move on to the next chord, which is an F. Here play the second fret on the G string, an open C string, the first fret on the E string, and an open A string. You can follow the same formula for the G and Am chords.

Making Sense of Symbols

Playing the ukulele isn’t usually considered as complicated as playing the guitar, although at times you will need to use some more advanced techniques such as hammer-ons, pull-offs and slides. We won’t dwell on these too much, but here are some illustrations of what to look out for.

If you aren’t sure what a hammer-on, pull off or slide actually is, check out this video for a quick look (even though it’s on a guitar, the concept is the same for a ukulele).

Hammer-On

In the tab above, a hammer-on is represented by a single ‘h’ between two fret numbers. To perform a hammer-on, you pluck one note then press the next note immediately after it (without plucking a second time). In the example above, you would pluck the second fret on the C string, then press your next finger onto the third fret. Then move down a string to the E and pluck the third fret, before hammering-on to the fourth fret.

Pull-Off

The easiest way to describe a pull-off is that it’s the opposite of a hammer-on! On a tab, a pull-off is represented by a small ‘p’ in between fret numbers. So, in our example above, you would hold both the fourth and third fret on the C string, then pluck the fourth and quickly pull your finger off, leaving your finger on the third.

Slide

Sliding can be done both ascending (going up) and descending (coming down). An ascending slide is represented by a / symbol, and a descending slide is represented by a \ symbol.

In the example above, you would pluck the third fret on the C string, then – keeping your finger on the fret and without plucking a second time – slide your finger to the fifth fret. Next, you’d pluck the fifth fret on the E string then slide up to the sixth fret in the same fashion. Finally move back to the C string, pluck the sixth string, then slide down the fretboard to the fourth fret with the same finger.

Where to Find Tabs?

Now you know how to read tabs, you’ll want to go find some songs to play. The good news is that free ukulele tabs can be found online, created by both casual players and expert ukulelists. A quick search for ‘ukulele tabs’ on a search engine will deliver thousands of results, but check out Ukulele-Tabs or Live Ukulele for good examples of what’s out there.

You can also find tab books, which are a collection of ukulele songs, tabbed by professionals (which usually means they are guaranteed to be accurate). These are usually separated into theme or genre, such as traditional songs, Christmas tunes, or folk songs, or you can find collections organized by artist including The Beatles, Metallica, Radiohead, and The Rolling Stones. You can find these tab books for sale in your local guitar store or on online marketplaces such as Amazon.

The Final Word

With all those numbers, lines and symbols, tabs can seem a little complicated at first, but as soon as you understand the concept they are simple and very intuitive.

The best way to learn tab is to try some out – you can read about them for hours, but unless you actually put it into practice you aren’t going to fully understand. So, go grab your ukulele and have fun!

thanks! i play the uke, but i never knew how to read tab! it was really helpful!

Tabs are an alternate writing system to standard musical writing. They are a simple way to symbolize the music to be played on a string instrument (for example, the ukulele). And it is as easy to read as it is to write. Here are the keys to it :

Horizontal lines represent strings

We use four horizontal lines to represent the ukulele strings. The upper line corresponds to the first string (the one that’s near our leg) and the lower line to the fourth string (the one that’s next to our heart).

Numbers indicate which fret to press (and which string to pluck)

On the lines, we’ll see numbers indicating which fret we have to press (with our left hand if we are right-handed), and which string we have to pluck (with our right hand, if we are right-handed). That is to say, if we see, for example, a 2 on the first line, we’ll press the second fret of the first string and we’ll make it sound.

Ukulele tab with notes

Watch out: if we come across a 0, we will pluck the string on which it appears, without pressing any fret. Anyway, we’ll only play the string (or strings) that has a number on.

Sequence of notes

We will read the tab from left to right, following the order carefully. Can you spot this tune?

Beginning of “Come As you are” Riff by Nirvana

Simultaneous notes and chords

If we come across vertically aligned numbers , we will press and pluck the corresponding frets and strings simultaneously.

Beginning of “Smoke of the water” riff by Deep Purple

Rhythm and Strumming

The rhythm pattern may be indicated in the tab or in a standard annotation shown aside. It is represented by stems, dots, flags, bars etc. We may also come across directions on which way to strum. Pay attention: an upward arrow corresponds to a downstroke. Confusing? Quite a bit, but think of it as showing the order in which you pluck the strings, i.e the upward arrow will go from the fourth to the first string, which is what we do when we strum the ukulele downward.

Uke tab with strumming pattern

That’s all for our introduction to tab reading. If you still have (or if you come up with) a question, please leave a comment.

Where to find tabs? Check out Ukulele-tabs.com, they have thousands of tabs in any style.

6 Comments

Do you mind if I quote a few of your articles as
long as I provide credit and sources back to your blog?
My blog is in the very same niche as yours and my users would genuinely benefit
from some of the information you present here. Please let me know if this alright with you.
Cheers!

Hi, sure, no pb! (As long as you credit us with a link back to the source).

This made very much sense; thank you guys!!

When reading the tabs how can tell the timing and how many times I should strum before changing chords?

Thank you, that’s another thing I now understand .

thanks! i play the uke, but i never knew how to read tab! it was really helpful!

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

Recent Lessons

• Complicating Our Chords: Maj 6, Maj9, 7ths, 11ths and 13ths.
• Two Chord Songs for Beginners
• Top 5 Ukuleles for Beginners
• Ukulele Strings
• How to get a percussive sound on your Uke

Ukulele tuner – How to tune?

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Useful Ressources

▪ Uke Tuner
Keep your Uke in tune!
▪ Ukulele Chords
Never forget how to play a chord
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Your gateway to Improvisation and soloing
▪ Got a Ukulele
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Want to learn some cool riffs on your ukulele? In this lesson, ukulele teacher Willy M. shares how you can read ukulele tabs and find them for your favorite songs…

Hello, ukephiles! Ukephile (pronounced “you-keh-file”) is a new word I just invented deriving from “uke” for “ukelele” and “philo,” Greek for “to love;” so it means “lovers of the ukulele!” Anyway, I digress. One of the hardest things for ukephiles is finding tabs for songs that you want to play.

Most of the time, we can find guitar chord charts and strum along with ukulele chords; but every once in a while, we want to be more daring and venture out into uncharted territory on the uke – by fingerpicking, or lead playing, or playing arpeggios, or any number of other cool things we can do on the ukulele. When we want to do those things, we naturally are going to need some tab, unless we want to figure it all out by ear.

Tab, or tablature, as it is commonly called among string players, is a very old method of notation for stringed instruments. It actually predates modern sheet music by several hundred years, and most scholars believe it dates back to the development of the lute and early guitar music.

How to Read Ukulele Tabs

The wonderful thing about tab is that it is incredibly easy to learn to read. Tab for the ukulele will look like four lines. Most of the tab you will find on the internet is for a ukulele tuned to G-C-E-A tuning. If the ukulele is tuned to another tuning, the tab will usually indicate this, as you’ll see that the pitch that each string is tuned to sits directly to the left of the tab.

The four lines of the tab represent the four strings, as mentioned, and they are represented from the G string, being the bottom line of the tab, to the A string, being the top line of the tab. So, from bottom to top: the bottom line is G, the second from the bottom line is C, the third line of the tab is E, and the top line of the tab is the top highest string of the ukulele, A.

When you see a number written on the tab, it refers to the fret that you are supposed to hold down when you pluck a note. Sometimes, you will see examples that are typed out like this:

In this example, you would play the open C and E string, followed by playing the fifth, then the third, then the open C string. You would then play the third, then second fret of the G string, followed by the open G and C strings. The rest of the example is pretty self-explanatory.

Reading tab is pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Sometimes, you’ll find tab written along with the sheet music, and that gives you a good idea of how to play the rhythm, if you understand how to read rhythm on sheet music. And sometimes, you might find tab written with the rhythmic stems of the traditional sheet music notes written above the tab, without the accompanying sheet music. Either way, they are simple ways of helping you understand the rhythm of what you are looking at.

You might run into some symbols that represent hammer-ons, pull-offs, string bends, slides and the like, but they are more common to guitar tab, rather than ukulele tab. Keep in mind, though, that they might be there.

It’s usually pretty easy to figure out what these symbols mean. A bend looks like an curved arrow pointing up, a hammer-on has a little “h” in the symbol, whereas a pull-off has a little “p” in the symbol! Slides are lines from one fret to another, and vibrato is typically a zigzag line after a note.

Where to Find Ukulele Tabs

Now, where are you going to find these tabs? Well, I’ve done a lot of research for you and found 10 places where you can find ukulele tabs.

1. Uke-chords.com is a site that hosts tabs and chord charts. They are much heavier on the chord-chart side of things, but you might find a few tabs there. They do, however, include a lot of chord diagrams with their charts.

2. Ukuleletricks.com is a site for beginners with few tabs, but lots of chord charts and videos for beginning ukulele players.

3. UkuTabs.com is a great site for finding tabs and chord charts for the ukulele. It has a great deal of the popular ukulele songs out there that everyone wants to learn how to play. It also has a neat feature that lets you transpose the song into a key you want to play in.

4. Gotaukulele.com has a lot of tabs and chord charts for older songs. Some of the songs go way back to the 20s and 30s, and some of the classic rock songs from the 70s and 80s also make an appearance.

5. Ukulele-tabs.com is another chord-heavy site, but the chord charts are partially tabs as well, because they give you the strums written out between the chords (diagrams with little “x’s” for the strums).

6. Ukulelehunt.com is the best ukulele tab site that I’ve found with actual tabs. They have chord charts, as well, but they have tabs for popular songs. I was able to find a tab for “Sunshine of Your Love” by Cream. They have Eric Clapton’s guitar part tabbed out properly! Pretty cool site.

7. LiveUkulele.com is another interesting site. It typically provides its readers with the tab and chord chart in one printable sheet.

8. Tabs4ukulele.com is one more chord-heavy site, but it also has a lot of the really popular songs, so if you have trouble finding a song on one of the other sites, check this site.

9. Ultimate-guitar.com has a lot of ukulele tabs, as well. I love this site. It has about every song imaginable out there for tabs and chord charts, you can transpose it to whatever key you want, and you can usually find tabs for every member of your band. Really cool site.

10. Finally, one last place to find tabs is your local music shop! If you’re looking for tabs to a particular song but can’t find them anywhere else, go talk to the people at your local music shop, and they can probably order it for you!

So, there is an introduction to ukulele tabs – where you can find them and how to use them. Hope this helps. Keep practicing, and good luck in your ukulele lessons!

Willy M. teaches guitar, ukulele, and mandolin lessons in Winston, NC. He is the author of the Dead Man’s Tuning series of mandolin songbooks and is a former member of the American Federation of Musicians. Willy has been teaching for 20 years, and his students have ranged in age, from young children to folks in their 80s. Learn more about Willy.

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Following a few requests I’ve finally decided to put together this guide to show you how to read ukulele tab. Hopefully you’ll find it useful…

Tab is actually pretty easy to learn

It can be a little daunting when you first experience a piece of music written down in tab form. It’s actually very simple to understand though and quite easy to get up to speed with quickly. It’s all very logical when you see it for what it is.

The lines of tab

Ukulele tab comprises of numbers and lines. Those 4 horizontal lines relate to the strings on your ukulele. If you didn’t already know that, I’d imagine that this is a bit of a lightbulb moment for you. You’re already well on the way to learning how to read ukulele tab.

Here’s some blank ukulele tab (we’re taking this nice and slow).

The line that appears at the top of the tab represents the string (a string) that is closest to the floor as you hold your ukulele (like you’re playing it). This may seem a little counter-intuitive (the top line being the bottom string) to begin with but you’ll soon get used to it.

The line that appears at the bottom of the tab represents, you’ve guessed it – the string (g string) that is closest to ceiling (or sky if you’re playing outdoors) as you hold you ukulele.

From there on in, you should be able to easily work out which strings the remaining 2 lines relate to on ukulele tab.

There you go, whether you’re playing with re-entrant tuning or a low G, the relationship between the tab and the strings stays the same.

What about the numbers?

So now that we know which string each line of tab relates to, the next thing we need to work out is what the numbers mean.

Here’s an example of some tab with numbers on it…

The numbers actually relate to the frets on your ukulele. It’s important to note that they do not relate to your fingers at all. Generally, tab does not indicate which finger you should use to play a note – that’s for you to decide.

To play through the example above you would need to play the A string at the first fret, then at the second, the third and finally the fourth.

What about a zero I hear you cry. What do I play when the tab has a zero on it? You simply play the relevant string without fretting at all. This is often referred to as an open string.

Tabbed chords

We’ve looked at some individual notes and we know which line of tab relates to which string. The next thing we need to look at is how chords are represented in ukulele tab.

Let’s take a look at everyone’s favourite chord, the open C chord…

The fact that the numbers are lined up means that you play them all together. In the example above you need to play all the strings. The G, C and E do not need to be fretted (the zero is telling you this) and the A string needs fretting at the third fret.

Pretty easy so far? Good.

For now that should get you up and running with how to read ukulele tab but there are more things to know. You might be thinking that I haven’t included anything to do with timing in the post and you’d be right. I’ll be dedicating a whole post to reading timing in the not too distant future but it’s worth noting that there are an awful lot of instances of tab out there that actually don’t include any reference to timing at all.

If you read through this and found it useful, please let me know. This is a section that I’d really like to build upon and develop. Similarly if you have any related questions then either drop me an email or add a comment below.

Music Reading For Ukulele

Finally, if you are interested in improving your knowledge beyond just picking up your ukulele, I’d recommend the course Music Reading For Ukulele by Terry Carter. For just $47 you get a comprehensive video course featuring over 45 videos to help you get to grips with music.

Grab my free Ukulele Go! beginners pack featuring tips, chords, worksheets and more!

So you got a new ukulele and you’re trying to learn how to play it, but you can’t read tabs and chord charts? Well you’ve come to the right place.

How to Read Ukulele Tabs

When searching for music arrangements on the Internet you’ll often find them in tab (or tablature or tabulature) form. Tabs make it easier for new players to learn a piece by leaving out all the music theory and just trying to duplicate the visual aspect of playing of the instrument (like the 4 strings of the ukulele or the 6 strings of the guitar).

When reading tabs you want to start from left to right. As you come to a number on one of the lines, you play that line’s string on the fret of the number. The top line represents the string furthest away from your head when you’re looking down while playing your ukulele.

If you see a zero (0) on the line, play the string open (with no fret pressed down). If you see two numbers on the same vertical line, play both strings at the same time.

Here’s an example of the C Major Scale tabbed for ukulele (GCEA Tuning):

Many tabs will also try to show the rhythm or timing of the music by spacing out the numbers differently or borrowing symbols from standard music notation.

For example, here’s that same C Major scale, but with more time (space) between the first 4 notes and the last 4:

How to Read Ukulele Chords

Reading ukulele chords is similar to reading tabs. They’ll usually show the fret board laid out with markings on the frets that should be held down. All the strings are then usually strummed together to play the chord.

Usually the strings will be shown with the G string on the bottom and the A string on top.

So for this chord, you would hold down the A string on the third fret and play the rest of the strings open:

In GCEA tuning, that would be a C Major Chord.

For this chord, you would hold down the A string and C string at the 2nd fret, and the E string at the first. You’d then strum all four strings and get a G7 chord (in GCEA tuning):

Conclusion

Well hopefully that cleared things up and you’re able to read ukulele tabs and chords now. Leave a comment if we’ve missed something!

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The 8 string ukulele is the model with the highest number of strings commonly available. But with so many strings, it’s easy to get lost when trying to get your instrument tuned. In this.

So you’ve purchased a six-string ukulele and now you’re having trouble getting the darned thing tuned up? Well you’ve come to the right place. How are 6 String Ukuleles Tuned? 6 String.

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If you plan to publish a work of fiction or non-fiction, writing a synopsis that summarizes the scope of your manuscript is inevitable.

Consider the typical submission process : First you write a query letter to agents or editors, and hopefully someone requests sample chapters along with a synopsis. Usually only after this step will authors be asked to submit the full manuscript.

What is a synopsis?

Before we dive deep, let’s first define synopsis.

Simply put, a synopsis is a summary of your fiction or nonfiction project.

A synopsis will

• have a beginning, middle and end
• leave no plot questions unanswered
• reflect the manuscript genre and tone
• demonstrate your voice

That may seem like a lot to accomplish within a few pages, but you’re not reinventing the wheel, here.

What’s the purpose of a synopsis?

Agents and editors have certain expectations of what they’ll find in your project overview, so it’s best to stick with the tried and true elements that make up this standard document. Standard, yes, but never boring.

After all, the purpose of the synopsis is to wow your reader (aka: an agent or editor) and compel them to want to read more.

While you’re aiming for a certain wow factor to demonstrate the saleable nature of your must-read book, you really can’t leave anyone on the edge of their seats with unanswered questions and unresolved endings.

Instead, the synopsis should fully frame your story, include major turning points, and—yes— share the story conclusion . Agents need to see the full story in a nutshell, from beginning to end, and see there’s a satisfying and appropriate resolution for readers .

Agents and editors also use the synopsis to determine how well a writer tells a story, inclusive of voice and style .

In some ways, you may do well to approach writing the synopsis as though this were a mini story in its own right.

In a synopsis, you won’t have space to reveal every action or emotion, or the entire cast of characters. Instead, focus on your main characters, what motivates them throughout the storyline and what conflicts they face along the way. This is true for both fiction and nonfiction manuscripts.

Is there a difference between writing a synopsis for fiction and nonfiction?

Writing a synopsis for fiction and nonfiction is fairly similar.

A novel synopsis is generally submitted along with the first few sample chapters, while a nonfiction synopsis is a necessary component of the overall nonfiction book proposal .

A nonfiction synopsis, or project overview, may be as short as a paragraph or may elaborate over a few pages.

Synopses for novels commonly range between one to three pages, though some genre editors may request a more detailed 10-15 page synopsis.

3 tips for writing an effective synopsis

Ready to write your synopsis? Follow these tips.

1. Know your market

In an interview with Writer’s Digest , Michael Larsen—literary agent and author of “ How to Write a Book Proposal ”—urges writers to be “an expert of the kind of book you’re writing.”

This advice not only applies to recognizing the length of a synopsis, but also the content scope.

Most writers find writing the synopsis that much easier once the manuscript is fully drafted. Only then can you fully know the story inside and out and be able to present your cast of characters and the story arc in a succinct, compelling manner.

2. Brevity is your friend

Renowned publishing consultant Jane Friedman suggests crafting one single-spaced page “as your default, unless the submission guidelines ask for something longer.”

If you can focus your story down to one page, you’ll be able to adapt to alternative requests and add detail as necessary.

You’ll also be that much closer to understanding the key ingredients for an elevator pitch , a brief paragraph synopsis used when querying agents , pitching at conference one-on-ones, and in general conversation with industry pros .

If you can frame your book into a few clear engaging sentences, you’re demonstrating you have a hook, know your audience, and are prepared to market to readers.

3. The synopsis is about craft

So what do you include in a synopsis and what should you leave out?

• Keep it simple and keep it focused.
• Introduce your main characters and their role in the story.
• Bring their world to life and share critical turning points.
• Include how your characters evolve, for better or worse, throughout the story.
• Reveal how the story ends, always.

Essentially, you’ll address the who, what, why, and how of your story. Those ingredients should provide a basic story arc to frame your synopsis.

Your overall goal is to make the agent or editor care about your story, and to compel them to want to read the manuscript start to finish.

A strong synopsis will help you get published

As you finetune the synopsis, you’ll likely learn a few things about your own project: You’ll more clearly define pivotal points for your characters. You’ll strengthen your ability to succinctly talk about your project in person . And you’ll perhaps see themes and connections within your story you hadn’t fully appreciated until you zeroed in on the story arc in this way.

While the synopsis is truly about craft, and presenting your story to an agent or editor, keep in mind your future editor will have to go to bat for you at editorial meetings.

Your synopsis is often part of the presentation materials, used to convince an editorial board of your story’s merit. For that reason, it’s in your best interest to take your time, but give it all you’ve got.

About the Author: Lori A. May

Lori A. May is the author of “The Write Crowd: Literary Citizenship & the Writing Life” (Bloomsbury). She teaches in the MFA program at the University of King’s College-Halifax.

Synopsis for literary agents, what is it? That’s easy. The much more difficult question to answer is, “How do you write a synopsis for a literary agency?”

That’s because most publishing professionals can’t agree on the best way to write a book synopsis for literary agents. Poll a hundred successful book agents and editors, and you’ll get a dizzying array of opinions.

Scroll below now to find out how you can write a great book synopsis for literary agents. This article is part of a 17-part series called Get a Literary Agent Now.

Synopsis for Literary Agents – Definition

What is a book synopsis for literary agents?

A book synopsis is a summary of your book that helps readers understand what your book is about and why they should want to read it. Those are two very different things. Now, here are some tips to help you write a book synopsis for literary agents. If you follow these guidelines, any book agent or book editor will be pleased with your effort (and want to read your book).

Now let’s move on to the tips so you can write
your book synopsis for book agents…

Tip 1 – How to Write a Book Synopsis for Literary Agents

Length:

• Fiction/Memoir/Narrative Non-Fiction: Create two versions of your fiction book synopsis for publishing agents. The short version should be 1-2 pages. The long version should be approximately 1 synopsis page for every twenty-five pages of manuscript. Submit the short version to book agents unless they ask for the long version.
• Nonfiction: Create two versions of your nonfiction book synopsis for book agents. The short version should be 1-2 paragraphs while the long version should be 1-2 pages. Use the short version in your query letter and the long version in your book proposal.

Tip 2 – How to Write a Book Synopsis for Publishing Agents

Format: Make sure the format of your book synopsis for book agents is double-spaced. Indent your paragraphs.

Tip 3 – How to Write a Book Synopsis for Literary Agents

Plot: If you’re a novelist, include information about your plot/subplots (but don’t delve into subplots unless they directly affect the central plot). Think of your plot as the external events that take place.

Tip 4 – How to Write a Book Synopsis for Publishing Agents

Themes: Whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction, your themes drive your book and make readers feel something. In other words, they are the reason that your book matters. So don’t neglect to include them.

Tip 5 – How to Write a Book Synopsis for Literary Agents

Spoiler: Don’t worry about “spoiling” your ending. If an agent or editor doesn’t want to know what happens, he/she won’t read the synopsis until after reading the book.

Tip 6 – How to Write a Book Synopsis for Publishing Agents

Main Characters: If you’re writing fiction, introduce your central characters? What motivates them? What are their conflicts? What are their relationships? Why should readers care about them? These are important details. Don’t list minor details that aren’t important, or give detailed descriptions.

Tip 7 – How to Write a Book Synopsis for Literary Agents

Tense: Write a book synopsis for book agents in the present tense, in third person (even if the manuscript is written in first person). If you’re writing a memoir, your synopsis should be written in the past tense, first person.

Tip 8 – How to Write a Book Synopsis for Publishing Agents

Suspense: You don’t have to write thrillers to create intrigue and suspense. Begin with a strong hook whether you’re writing fiction or nonfiction. Your book synopsis for book agents should be more than accurate. It should be interesting. Tease the reader and make him/her want to know more. One of the best synopses I ever received from an author included dialogue. It read like a novel. What a great way to pull the reader into your story.

Tip 9 – How to Write a Book Synopsis for Literary Agents

Style: Write your book synopsis for book agents in the same style as your book. If your book is funny, write a funny book synopsis for literary agents. If your book is literary, be highbrow with your synopsis for literary agents.

Tip 10 – How to Write a Book Synopsis for Publishing Agents

Flow: Make sure the paragraphs in your synopsis for publishing agents flow smoothly… from one to another. Weave them together carefully so your transitions feel natural and don’t draw attention to themselves (the same way you would in your book)!

Conclusion: How to Write a Book Synopsis for Literary Agents

Don’t get lazy or try to take shortcuts when you write a book synopsis for literary agents. Book agents and editors will use your synopsis as a sign (just like they do with your query letter)… to help them decide if you’re a true professional (and if your book is worth reading). It might not be fair, but it’s the way the system works. So understand it, and use it to your advantage. Craft your synopsis for literary agents as carefully as your book.

Now, click here to read the next article in this 17-part series
and learn How to Write a Book Proposal.

How to Write a Synopsis

Synopses can vary depending on the intended audience and type of work. Most of the time, you should write your synopsis after you’ve finished writing or developing your work, because then you can create the most accurate summary. In general, it should do these major things:

1. Begin with a hook—something interesting to grab the audience’s interest
2. Give a clear summary of what the work is about
3. Introduce major characters (protagonist, antagonist, notable supporting characters)
4. Outline major plot points
5. Introduce the setting (time and/or place)
6. Identify a major conflict or turning point
7. Highlight the genre, tone, and/or style of the work
8. Give an idea of the work’s significance or why it matters

The length of a synopsis can vary. If you’re writing it for a website or as a summary for the audience, you may only need a paragraph. But, as mentioned, if you’ve written a book and need a synopsis for a publisher, for instance, then it should be longer and provide a fuller overview of the piece, including the plot from start to finish.

When to use a Synopsis

Really, anytime you write or create a lengthy work, you should write a synopsis. It lets people know what a piece is about without them having to watch or read the whole thing, which they often do to decide whether or not something is of interest. Furthermore, it can also be very useful for researchers because a synopsis allows them to see whether or not something is relevant or important to their own work. For that reason, a synopsis can save time for audiences and professionals alike.

Basically, when your work is going to be available to other people, and it’s longer than someone can read or watch in a few minutes, you should write a synopsis! Most books, films, and TV shows will also release a synopsis before the work officially comes out to build anticipation for its release. Obviously those synopses are still available afterwards, as well.

Follow these tips to help create a catchy synopsis

If you’re wondering how to get published, assembling a query package is the first step. Your query package should include a synopsis, which is the lynchpin. However, the task of writing a synopsis can be quite overwhelming. It should be an ultra-condensed version of your manuscript, written in such a way as to leave the person reading it wanting more. An effectively written synopsis will not only help sell your manuscript, it may also result in someone paying more for it! When trying to define what a synopsis is, an easy comparison to make is to a film trailer. A trailer is designed to entice a potential audience to spend their hard-earned money to see the film. The trailer must be tempting and exciting, so that once someone has seen it, they need to see more. This same premise should be adopted when creating a synopsis. A publisher should read yours and instantly want more.

Put in the Time to See Results

Considering that writing a manuscript of any value takes significant time and resources, misrepresenting it with a poorly written synopsis is never justifiable. It is important that proper time and care are invested in constructing your synopsis.

Organization Matters

Organization is paramount. If you were to submit a helter-skelter synopsis with no definable plot line and loosely connected themes, the chances of selling your manuscript would be slim to none. Take some time to draw out your plot line, accentuating the key elements you think are important to the integrity of the story. Try to leave out anything that could be construed as unnecessary or pointless, as this will only bore and frustrate the publishing agent. Keeping in mind that a synopsis should be relatively short, creating an organized outline will allow you to focus on the essential information and filter out that which is superfluous.

Summarize

As you write your synopsis, think of it as a mini version of your manuscript. Remember, this is what will ultimately sell your work. You have to make it “pop” so that when a publishing agent is finished reading it, they are thrilled with the prospect of buying your work and selling it. A boring or error-ridden synopsis will drastically diminish your chances of publication.

Keep it Clear

When you’re writing, remember that clarity is your friend. If a publishing agent finishes reading your synopsis and isn’t entirely clear about what they’ve just read, your manuscript is going nowhere but into the rejection pile. This rejection is tough for a writer who has generated a manuscript with deep plot twists and a surprise ending. Remember, though, that it doesn’t have to explain everything. It should make the reader want to continue on to uncover the mysteries for themselves. You can explain things a bit, but don’t worry about going into extreme detail, as this will only weigh down your word count and give away too much. Give the reader only a taste, but make sure that taste is so good they have to come back for more.

Formatting Tips

As far as formatting goes, there aren’t really any set guidelines as to what you have to do, but there are definitely things that are good to do. Do not make your synopsis too long. A busy publisher will hate this, and will likely not even read it. It’s generally a good idea to try and keep it to around five or six pages. Do double space your synopsis; this makes it easier for the publishing agent to read. Always write it in the present tense. Never give away the ending or any of your key plot twists, but always introduce them and leave an element of wonder. The “outline” part of your query package will take care of this part. Imagine if the trailer for M. Night Shyamalan’s Sixth Sense told the audience that Bruce Willis was dead at the end? The movie would have been a complete flop.

Writing a synopsis is quite often an author’s least favorite thing to do, but remember that this is your major marketing tool. Taking the time to write a well-crafted, enticing, and thorough one will pay off in spades. Review our example of a synopsis to get a better understanding of how to write one. You’ve likely spent months, or maybe even years writing your manuscript, so don’t misrepresent it with a poorly constructed synopsis! If the task is too daunting for you, consider sending your manuscript to Scribendi’s Query Package Service. We will craft a Grade-A Query Package for you, complete with a synopsis.

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How to Write A Research Synopsis

February 12 2018, By CharlesBruno Eze

Have you been told by your research supervisor to draft a synopsis for your research work or you just want to write one? Or you simply want to know what it means and it’s importance in research writing. Now this article is designed to give you a simplified guide to what a research synopsis is and how to go about writing one without breaking a sweat.

A research synopsis is a short outline of what your research thesis is and all the steps you propose to follow in order to achieve them. It gives you and your supervisor a clear view of what the research aims at achieving and within what time frame. It also helps you stay focused and makes the research work generally less tedious. This explains why your synopsis should be approached with clarity, systematically with unambiguous sentences.

The format for writing a synopsis varies from institution to institution and among disciplines. But even within a discipline, the format can always be tailored to best suit your specific research work. However, this article will focus on the major items that should be found in your synopsis in their most popular order. Below is the outline of how your research synopsis should look like. Note that the following items should only appear after you’ve written your research topic and the abstract to your research.

• Background: here you are meant to lead down from the research in your area of study generally down to your specific research topic. Discuss the importance of your proposed research work to research as a whole. Discuss also the academic gap which your research would fill which will lead to your research problem.

• Theoretical Framework/Methodology/Conceptual Framework:В the above captions for this section aren’t meant to be used interchangeably. It often depends on the discipline and the particular topic to determine which to use. The theoretical framework discusses the theory to employ in researching the object. Methodology indicates the methods of data gathering and analysis which can be quantitative and qualitative while the conceptual framewor explains the major concepts that the research revolves round on.

• Research Questions:В These are the questions that will propel the research work and give it more focus along the line.

• Hypothesis: here you mention the assumption on which the research work is built. Note that this assumption might turn out to be false at the end of the research.

• Objectives of the study: В this highlights the objectives of your study; what your research aims at achieving. Here, like other items in your synopsis required a great deal of clarity.

• Literature Review: thi contains a reading of other research works done on the area your work is centered. The idea is to show that your research topic hasn’t been done before hence, it is researchable.

• Limitations: here you are to discuss the challenging factors that the research have or is likely to face. You and your supervisor would most likely make research choices based on this and determine whether to move ahead with the research.

• References: since the research work hasn’t been carried out already, this section should indicate the major texts that will inform the knowledge upon which the research is built or whose findings your research work is propoing to refute. In the arts these texts are referred to “secondary texts”.

The formats of the writing of the synopsis itself should follow the requirements of research writing in your discipline particularly. For instance, MLA requires 12 font size, double line spacing with Times New Roman font type.

Whether you are writing a report on a book or a film, you must include a synopsis for the report to make sense. Like a summary, a synopsis briefly describes and outlines what happens in the book or the film you are reporting on. Unlike a synopsis for “selling” a book or film, a synopsis for a report must include the whole story and not leave out any important elements of the story line.

Make sure you know about the subject matter. If you are writing a synopsis for a book report, read the whole book–if you are writing a synopsis for a film report, watch the film. If you don’t know your subject matter from beginning to end, then you will not be able to summarize it.

Keep your synopsis short. A synopsis is a brief summary of your subject matter, not a long paraphrasing. Give yourself a realistic word limit to stick to. If you go over your word limit, go back and delete words.

Write the synopsis in chronological order. Order your synopsis in the same way as the narrative of the book or film: Start with the beginning and finish with the end.

Make sure your synopsis is equal in explaining the beginning, middle and end of your subject. An easy way to do this is to separate the book or film’s story into three or four sections. Then shorten the sections to an equal amount of words, so that you don’t weight one section over another.

Include the key themes of the book or film. If you are reporting on “Romeo and Juliet,” for example, the synopsis must include the romantic themes of the book: the meeting of the couple, the difficulties they face and the outcome of their love for each other.

Reread your completed synopsis. Check for accuracy of spelling and grammar. Also check that you have not included any personal opinion on your subject matter. A synopsis is an objective account of the book or film you are reporting on.

Learning how to write a synopsis is difficult, but it isn’t as hard as you might think. By breaking your story into its key components, you can write a compelling story synopsis to add to your website, blog or use when querying agents.

What is a Synopsis?

A synopsis is a summary of your book and plot that enables agents and publishers to determine if your book suits their tastes and preferences. A good synopsis covers the main conflict and resolution within your story and also describes the important emotional and psychological developments of the protagonist.

How to Write a Synopsis

Outline Your Synopsis

Take that 100,000-word story you just wrote and boil it down to its key ingredients, including your protagonist’s “normal life”, the inciting incident, major developments and crises within your plot, and the final resolution.

These five components are important to your story… Heck, they are your story!

But by using these pieces, you can boil your entire manuscript to its foundation. There will be details missing, but that’s the entire point of a synopsis. Break your plot into pieces and let your reader put them back together.

Write 300 words about each piece of your book—their “normal life”, inciting incident, major developments and crises, and the resolution—and start your synopsis.

Write Your Synopsis

Once you’ve broken your book down to its core, you can continue writing your book synopsis. Forget about scenes and settings, creatures and beasts, and focus on the meat of your plot and your protagonist’s journey through it.

You want your reader to have an instant connection with your protagonist. Your first paragraph should embellish the beginning of your story, introduce your protagonist, and give glimpses into their normal life.

The second paragraph should introduce other main characters and their relationship to the protagonist, and the main plot of the book. Include any obstacles your protagonist’s faces, but don’t include information about settings, subplots, and backstory or you might bog down your synopsis with unnecessary information.

Continue into the third paragraph by offering how your story ends. Whomever your showing—your agent, publisher, etc.—will want to know how your book ends before reading the entire manuscript.

Bonus Tip: If you’ve boiled your synopsis down further, into 1-2 sentences, feel free to tack that on at the beginning of your synopsis as a precursor for what’s to come.

Edit Your Synopsis

When editing, it’s important to focus on strong word usage and character development. If your character feels flat in the synopsis, they will likely feel flat in the book and many people won’t request to read further.

Your agent/publisher wants to see good character growth and interesting plot developments. Your book synopsis should be a play-by-play of exactly this. They want characters readers will care about; their entire goal is to sell books, and books don’t sell when readers don’t care about the protagonist or their struggles along the way.

The biggest synopsis mistake I notice is writers only telling the plot, which comes across more like they’re talking at me, instead of telling me a story. Avoid this by including character emotions and their psychological responses to certain developments. You don’t have to go into much detail, but emotions are what make books and movies great. We become invested and the character becomes likable.

Now that you’ve written your entire synopsis, you’ll probably have to boil it down further. Trim the fat and hyper-details to between 500-1000 words and you’ll be golden!

This 500-1000-word book spoiler is some of the most important writing you’ll do. This little piece of writing needs to engage readers from the first words and keep them captivated until the very end. Only after that might they buy your book.

Whether you’re a new or seasoned writer, you’ll want many eyes on your synopsis before publishing it across the internet. Test it on your friends and family, your beta readers or even your professional editor.

If you’re a writer, you definitely need to know how to write a synopsis for a book. Why? Because when you query an agent or publisher, you’ll need to include a synopsis with your submission.

But writers aren’t the only people who need to know how to write a synopsis. From students to scientists, all kinds of people will find themselves having to write one at some point. Thankfully, the process isn’t complicated. By following a few basic steps and guidelines, you’ll know how to write a synopsis in no time.

What a Synopsis Is

Forget about how to write a synopsis. First, you need to know what a synopsis is! Put simply, a synopsis is a detailed summary of all the important aspects of a book, project, or study. There are different types of synopses, but a book synopsis briefly explains the key points from the plot as well as things like setting, characters, tone, and any important themes.

What a Synopsis Isn’t

Knowing how to write a synopsis for a book means knowing not just what a synopsis is, but what a synopsis isn’t. Below, we’ll discuss some other types of summaries that differ from synopses.

Synopsis vs. outline

It’s important to know the difference between a synopsis and an outline. An outline is like a “skeleton” for your book that you can create to help you write by then fleshing out your outline with details. A synopsis, on the other hand, is a complete summary of your book that you use to give agents and editors an in-depth, complete account of all the key details from beginning to end.

Synopsis vs. abstract

An abstract is a short and general book summary and doesn’t include every detail. The goal of an abstract is to give a brief and general summary of the book. A synopsis goes into every detail, with a deeper dive into specifics.

A good synopsis vs. abstract rule of thumb is to consider whether you need a very general summary or a specific and detailed one. If you need a detailed one, then you need to know how to write a synopsis.

Synopsis vs. pitch

When considering the question of synopsis vs. pitch, remember that a pitch is the shortest type of summary, and a synopsis is one of the longest. A pitch is designed to make your book sound appealing in just a few sentences, so it’s designed for maximum impact—sort of like a marketing tagline or log line. Pitches are quick and impactful, whereas synopses give all the important details.

Sometimes a synopsis is a dry, straight summary that is written for informational purposes rather than emotional impact. Other times, it is written to be entertaining and showcase the writer’s creative voice. This will depend on the target audience of your synopsis.

Types of Synopsis

There are several different types of synopses, depending on what you are writing about.

Project synopsis

A project synopsis is often used in science and engineering fields and summarizes a project’s goals, processes, and conclusions. It often starts with a statement summarizing the problem that the project aims to solve. It delves into methods used and other details that are important to the project, such as relevant details about the project’s participants.

Research synopsis

Of the three main types of synopses, research and project synopses are most often used by research and scientific institutions. Like a project synopsis, a research synopsis summarizes the problem or question the research is attempting to solve and then describes how the research was conducted.

Research synopses also give details on the researchers themselves, such as any relevant academic degrees they hold.

Literary synopsis

A literary synopsis is a synopsis of a work of fiction. It summarizes all the critical elements of a book so that an agent or publisher understands, to a high level of detail, what a book is about without having read it.

How to Write a Synopsis for Your Finished Manuscript in Five Easy Steps

1. Make a list of your book’s key elements. These include the most critical story and plot points, conflict, characters, settings, themes, and tone. For the plot, go through each chapter, and write down one to three of the most important plot developments from each. Then flesh out each item on your list with any other important details.
2. Write a good opening sentence. This should summarize your character, setting, and the immediate conflict, ensuring you make it clear what’s at stake. Then link together your detailed list from step 1 to form a first draft of your synopsis.
3. Read through the synopsis. Then add any details you may have forgotten. Also, look for details you included that are not critical—and cut them.
4. Read through it again. Ensure that the plot and character arcs are clearly defined.
5. Give it a final edit and proofread. A one-page synopsis is often ideal, but publishers may request a synopsis of three to five pages or specify some other length.

That’s it! Now you know how to write a synopsis.

One-Page Synopsis

A one-page synopsis has to be even leaner than a three- or four-page synopsis, so it’s important that it contain only the most important details. If you find that your synopsis is too long, find ways to be more succinct, cutting out any information that isn’t absolutely critical to understanding the book. For example, did you describe characters that aren’t essential to the most important plot plots? Did you include details that do nothing to move the actual story along? Cut them out to strengthen—and shorten—your synopsis.

Once you know how to write a synopsis for a book, research project, or study, the process is the same every time. So whether you’re a budding novelist or a student working on an English-class project, use the information in this post to build a formula for writing different types of synopses.

The term “loner” is often used to refer to someone who is always by themselves, but it is much more than that. Loners have no real desire to associate or be around other people. Loneliness is not the same as being a longer. The reason why these differences are important is because a loner can be lonely or a loner may be thriving in solitude. To understand the loner personality traits, one has to understand what or who a loner is.

A loner can be any person. The term is not a scientific one and it has no medical resonance. It is not a condition or a disorder. Being a loner is simply a personality trait, just as arrogance, rude, soft-spoken, kind, gentle or proud are. But loner is not just an adjective to describe a person’s attitude or character. It actually implies a person’s mind, thought process, approach towards life and lifestyle itself.

Common Loner Traits

A loner is almost always shy or a quiet person. He or she would not indulge in many conversations. He would rarely be seen with anyone and he would stay or ,at least try to stay aloof, from anything and everyone around him or her. The only thing that would draw the attention of a loner is any object or person of interest. A loner is not mentally challenged or disabled in any way. They just don’t want to partake in social activities in the same manner that others do. He or she would rather spend time in their own world doing things that they like and pondering over whatever interests them.

While the aforementioned is a very generic description of a loner, there are numerous exceptions. A loner can be kind or unkind, gentle or arrogant, humble or proud, virtuous or vicious and every other term that can be used to describe extreme characteristics of human beings, both at the positive and the negative end of the possibilities. A loner can be a scientist in the making or a potential recruit for brainwashing terrorist organizations.

Similarly, what causes a person to be a loner can also vary, which also affects personality traits. A person can be a loner because of a history of abuse. A person can also be a loner because he or she is the abuser. In these two cases, their approach towards the world and their personality may appear to be the same but their eventual exposition would be radically different.

It is a common perception that loners are unhappy, they are sad and have nothing to do or no one to love, that they are either losers or nerds, they can never be accepted by society at large and they may never end up being anyone. Quite contrary to that, loners can be very happy, extremely loved and can be more successful than otherwise normal people.

Additional Traits To Be Aware Of

In that context, here are some loner personality traits.

1. A loner can have a very joyous personality. Simply because a loner stays away from fun and frolic, doesn’t blend in with the crowds and doesn’t share a hearty laugh publicly doesn’t mean that they are depressed or unhappy. A loner can actually be the happiest person in the world, content with his or her abilities, with a nice family, working on things they like and planning their future in ways that appeal to them.

2. A loner’s personality is also an ever changing one. Since they don’t remain confined to social norms or stay loaded with commitments and constant necessity to live their lives in a certain way according to expectations, loners often take the routes less traveled and, in the process, they evolve. Wisdom is seldom attained by adhering to all the mundane frivolities in life and in the world. Wisdom is attained by thoughts, realizations, explorations, introspections and by doing what is not being done. This reality about wisdom also implies that loners are wiser. They don’t put forth a wise personality but when they speak, they can make more sense than anyone else around.

3. Moving away from the positive loner personality traits, there are many negatives as well. A loner is not intelligent by default or wise by birth. If a person is a loner because of some specific problems and doesn’t have much to be interested in or be engrossed in, then such a person will be depressed, extremely lonely and may continue to grow a cocoon of a shell around him or her to get further away from society and others. Loner personality traits that are indicative of a bruised psyche or depressed heart should be attended to with professional help.

Loving a Loner: How to Approach the Unapproachable

How exactly to connect while respecting boundaries.

Published Dec 24, 2020

You might have wondered how to best break the ice if you have ever been interested in someone who is more reserved than gregarious, who does not radiate the warmth of approachability. That you might be dealing with a loner and should proceed with reservation and respect if you identify signs of introversion, consider.

What exactly is a loner? Often, simply somebody who loves to be alone. Studies have very long established the possibility great things about privacy, plus some individuals not just enjoy solitude but earnestly look for it away.[i] Many individuals truly enjoy their own company and relish time alone to sleep, flake out, and recharge.

With regards to intimate intentions, consider that a person who prefers solo that is flying never be seeking to rise onto a bike designed for two. Yet you are setting your sights on someone who is single), the next question is whether dating a loner is right for you if you know that is not the case, and barring other relational exclusions (make sure. When your notion of an excellent date is a crowded celebration or networking mixer, a loner may not be a great match. If you’re comfortable private, continue reading.

Romancing a Recluse

Numerous loners are homebodies, maybe not hermits. Viewing their residence as a castle or cave(or both), they encounter time in the home as a staycation, perhaps not household arrest. And concerning the inspiration to mingle, some individuals that are reclusive like the sanctity of solitude over social task.

You might start with electronic communication if you are interested in building a relationship with someone who enjoys spending time at home. And when you need to talk, decide to try an old-fashioned phone line in the place of a Zoom link because individuals that are comfortable at home don’t reside camera-ready.

Welcoming a loner off to dinner or even a social event is usually perhaps not an invite well-received unless she or he understands you extremely well very first. Conversely, if, over time of remote relationship building, a loner asks you down for coffee or lunch, consider that become a bright light that is green. Exactly what might it be want to be in a relationship with a reclusive intimate partner?

Private People and Public Shows of Affection

Do those who choose privacy publicly show love? It might be determined by why some body would rather alone spend time. Xia Jiang and Bi-hua Zhao (2017) discovered a correlation that is negative choice for solitude and good love, moderated by the capability to be alone.[ii] They determined that having the power to be alone decreases the impact that is negative of preference on good love.

Other research records that some individuals not just have the opportunity however the aspire to alone spend time and feel anxious once they aren’t getting sufficient privacy. Robert J. Coplan et al., in a piece entitled “Seeking More Solitude” (2019), introduced the thought of “aloneliness,” referred to as “the negative emotions that arise through the perception any particular one is perhaps not spending the time alone.”[iii] Coplan et al. found that an affinity for aloneness (perhaps not the same task as shyness) had been related to wellbeing.

Taken together, these studies seem to indicate that understanding why somebody spends time alone may be key to making the most of quality time together.

Loving a Loner: Bonding Within Boundaries

Evidently, you are able to have a wholesome, wholesome, pleased relationship with a loner—who values spending (a few of their) time alone. Respecting boundaries, seeing social preferences, and expressing nonjudgmental acceptance will facilitate your capability to develop a satisfying relationship of trust and shared respect.

[i] Burger, Jerry M. 1995. “Individual variations in choice for Solitude.” Journal of analysis in Personality 29 (1): 85–108. doi:10.1006/jrpe.1995.1005.

Social interactions provide a reassuring glimpse into others’ shortcomings.

My daughter Sam does not like group work. She does not enjoy the task of switching her attention between people who speak in rapid succession, sometimes over each other, and who somehow develop a plan of action while she is still processing a comment from minutes earlier. She also does not enjoy watching as her contributions are ignored, even when (by my assessment) those ideas could be pursued more fruitfully than the idea that carries the day. Because she cannot engage in the easy rapport of her classmates, they seem to tolerate, rather than value, her presence. Sam prefers to work alone, and I respect that preference.

I also recognize that society needs people who work well with others, and society needs people who work well alone. Picasso never sought collaborators for Guernica; most writers, while they appreciate editors and sounding boards for their ideas, write in solitude. Solitude is a valid preference.

This is why I cringed when I read an article that argued, “Our social brain—which gives rise to our capacity to manage people, interactions, and relationships—is the most powerful component of human intelligence.” I always cringe when I read declarations that some human characteristic is “most powerful,” because the declaration usually serves the author’s self-promoting purpose. Either it elevates his or her skill set to the pinnacle of accomplishment, or it promotes the skill set that the author is paid to research and teach to others. By promoting the “social brain” as the sine qua non, the most valuable trait we possess, the author implicitly demeans all of us whose talents lie elsewhere.

But I am realizing this school year that social deficits, at least for Sam, carry a price I had never thought about: impossible expectations of herself. Sam assumes that she is the only student in her class who does not understand a concept.

She assumes that her difficulty stems from an inherent inadequacy within her, never from a poor explanation or the difficulty of the material. Over and over she asks, “Should I have known that?” Sometimes she asks the question quietly, and sometimes she asks through tears. And I realize that she has no way of knowing what she should have known, because she cannot recognize the other students’ confused expressions, nor does she engage in conversations about class. My younger daughter, Kelly, started high school this year, and I’ve been amazed to learn how much discussion takes place over social media every evening. The kids remind each other of the homework assignments, compare answers, ask for explanations from each other, and complain about their teachers. Most parents will not be surprised to hear about this chatter, but those of us whose children are autistic never witness these reassuring exchanges.

Should I have known that? The world seems unpredictable, because an overabundance of sensory information has flooded Sam’s brain indiscriminately since the day she was born. Determining causality involves choosing information from this overload, often arbitrarily. Sanity involves blocking out much of the information, again arbitrarily. What was missed? Was it important? Was the relevant information ever revealed?

Most people build their identity in part by comparing their experiences to those of other people. Children compare grades, athletic prowess, and families. They know if they are wearing the “cool” brand of shoes by listening and watching. And then they decide if they care. They learn how to navigate puberty with its highs and lows by scrutinizing the people around them and by (at least for girls) dissecting every social interaction with their closest friends. They learn to rebound from failure by watching others also fail and by learning that their friends still like them, regardless of their performance.

Without a social brain, imperfection is never “normalized;” the soothing mantra “Everybody feels this way sometimes” cannot be internalized. I am fine with my daughter preferring her own company and her own acts of creativity. I am proud of her persistence. I just wish I could hear her one day plead ignorance without belittling herself in the process. Limited knowledge does not reflect failure. I want her to believe, “It’s not all on you, my beautiful child.”

Loving a Loner: How to Approach the Unapproachable

How exactly to connect while respecting boundaries.

Published Dec 24, 2020

You might have wondered how to best break the ice if you have ever been interested in someone who is more reserved than gregarious, who does not radiate the warmth of approachability. That you might be dealing with a loner and should proceed with reservation and respect if you identify signs of introversion, consider.

What exactly is a loner? Often, simply somebody who loves to be alone. Studies have very long established the possibility great things about privacy, plus some individuals not just enjoy solitude but earnestly look for it away.[i] Many individuals truly enjoy their own company and relish time alone to sleep, flake out, and recharge.

With regards to intimate intentions, consider that a person who prefers solo that is flying never be seeking to rise onto a bike designed for two. Yet you are setting your sights on someone who is single), the next question is whether dating a loner is right for you if you know that is not the case, and barring other relational exclusions (make sure. When your notion of an excellent date is a crowded celebration or networking mixer, a loner may not be a great match. If you’re comfortable private, continue reading.

Romancing a Recluse

Numerous loners are homebodies, maybe not hermits. Viewing their residence as a castle or cave(or both), they encounter time in the home as a staycation, perhaps not household arrest. And concerning the inspiration to mingle, some individuals that are reclusive like the sanctity of solitude over social task.

You might start with electronic communication if you are interested in building a relationship with someone who enjoys spending time at home. And when you need to talk, decide to try an old-fashioned phone line in the place of a Zoom link because individuals that are comfortable at home don’t reside camera-ready.

Welcoming a loner off to dinner or even a social event is usually perhaps not an invite well-received unless she or he understands you extremely well very first. Conversely, if, over time of remote relationship building, a loner asks you down for coffee or lunch, consider that become a bright light that is green. Exactly what might it be want to be in a relationship with a reclusive intimate partner?

Private People and Public Shows of Affection

Do those who choose privacy publicly show love? It might be determined by why some body would rather alone spend time. Xia Jiang and Bi-hua Zhao (2017) discovered a correlation that is negative choice for solitude and good love, moderated by the capability to be alone.[ii] They determined that having the power to be alone decreases the impact that is negative of preference on good love.

Other research records that some individuals not just have the opportunity however the aspire to alone spend time and feel anxious once they aren’t getting sufficient privacy. Robert J. Coplan et al., in a piece entitled “Seeking More Solitude” (2019), introduced the thought of “aloneliness,” referred to as “the negative emotions that arise through the perception any particular one is perhaps not spending the time alone.”[iii] Coplan et al. found that an affinity for aloneness (perhaps not the same task as shyness) had been related to wellbeing.

Taken together, these studies seem to indicate that understanding why somebody spends time alone may be key to making the most of quality time together.

Loving a Loner: Bonding Within Boundaries

Evidently, you are able to have a wholesome, wholesome, pleased relationship with a loner—who values spending (a few of their) time alone. Respecting boundaries, seeing social preferences, and expressing nonjudgmental acceptance will facilitate your capability to develop a satisfying relationship of trust and shared respect.

[i] Burger, Jerry M. 1995. “Individual variations in choice for Solitude.” Journal of analysis in Personality 29 (1): 85–108. doi:10.1006/jrpe.1995.1005.

Your daughter is 15, but seems more like 50. She prefers reading a good book to hanging out with a friend, walking her dog to dancing at the prom, and curling up in her own bed to sleeping in a bean bag at a wild and crazy slumber party. At her age, you were up all night giggling with your girlfriends, or out in the afternoons riding bikes with the neighborhood kids. You wonder, worry, and find yourself labeling her a loner.

Despite the fact that it might not be your cup of tea, for some people, lots of time alone is okay. According to psychologist Anthony Storr, author of the book Solitude: A Return to Self, a child who craves isolation might just need some space to process the world around her. Or she might require uninterrupted blocks of time to nurture an active imagination. Or perhaps she just needs to sit under an oak tree alone and strengthen her bond with nature. Any way you look at it, she’s in good company. Talented artists such as Beatrix Potter, Rudyard Kipling, and Michelangelo were all noted childhood loners.

Still feeling a little anxious? Even though your daughter’s penchant for alone-time may be perfectly normal, it never hurts to embark on a fact-finding mission to put your mind at ease. Lawrence J. Cohen, Ph.D. suggests having a conversation about your concerns with your child and asking the following four questions to determine if her actions are a choice or a challenge.

1. Do you spend time alone because you feel rejected or excluded by your classmates?
2. Is anyone at school teasing you, or making cruel comments about you?
3. Do you feel lonely or sad most of the time?
4. Do you wish your life was any different than it is?

If she answers yes to any of the questions, avoiding social interaction may be the way she is coping with her pain. Offer support and discuss a plan for intervention, such as meetings with teachers and school administrators.

If, on the other hand, your daughter tells you that she enjoys her books, her dog and her own bed, and relishes time by herself, she may just be a rare bird who flies on the wings of solitude. We’re all wired differently. Learn to enjoy her uniqueness. You may have a future Nobel Prize winner, artist, or best-selling author on your hands.

A freshman worries about being a loner in high school without friends

QUESTION

For the past few weeks, I’ve been noticing that my friends don’t seem to like me anymore. They stopped caring about me; they don’t tend to pay attention to what I want to tell them; and lastly, I feel as if they only use me. The problem is that this applies to ALL of my friends and if I lose all of them, I won’t have any friends at all.

Note: I am a freshman in high school. I don’t want to look for new friends because I have a distinct taste that no one really seems to like. Also, I already lost a friend and she’s been bothering me to be her friend again but I don’t want to because she’s a bad person in general.

This group of friends started to not care about me because my cousin and I started this club at school. We had some drama in our club because we have rivals, and the whole club started to get out of hand when we wanted to learn this one dance. No one seemed like they wanted to dance at all nor had the time to come and practice so it’s postponed and another dance practice started for a different song and one of the “dance officers” started to give me a negative attitude since she postponed hers and a new one is started without her.

Also, they tend to look like they are keeping many secrets away from me. They actually didn’t care about ever since I first met them (6th grade). I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to be a loner in high school for four years. Please help.

ANSWER

You must feel very confused and hurt to think your friends stopped caring about you. I’m curious as to whether something happened, other than the club/dance drama, to change the way your friends are treating you.

If something upsetting happened in your life around that time or you’ve been feeling depressed, you might be ultra sensitive to what feels like rejection, and everything might be fine even though nothing feels fine. If you can’t identify anything, asking the friend with whom you feel most comfortable might be helpful.

Fortunately, dramas in high school don’t usually last very long. There are always new things to grab attention and gossip. When a plan such as the dance or club, turns out poorly, there are often lessons that can be learned. We can discover a lot about ourselves and learn more effective ways of relating to others by doing an “autopsy” of what happened. If you could redo the incident, what would you do differently? Would you get more input from others or maybe talk to others differently or possibly include others? Maybe none of these questions apply, but I bet you can find something to do better next time.

You say that you have “distinct taste” in friends, which tells me you are creative and unique. Those are qualities many people find appealing, especially in high school where some kids feel like they have to go along to get along. Being your own person shows strength and leadership qualities. As you get older, you’ll realize that different types of friendships exist to meet different needs. You’ll have close friends, acquaintance-friendships, relationships based on similar interests, those who are intellectual or athletic equals and people who are only friends because of location/convenience (like neighbors or people you sit next to in class).

Finding friends who meet all these qualifications is difficult, and even then, you might be so similar that you get on each other’s nerves. If you can expand your tastes a little and talk to different people who seem kind, you might form relationships you never expected. I’m not suggesting abandoning your current friends, just being open to others. Even if you don’t become friends, friendliness is an important asset you’ll use for the rest of your life.

I hope things work out with your friends. Good luck.

Signed, *Amy Feld

*Amy Feld, PhD, MSW has trained and worked as a child psychologist.

Disclaimer: Nothing in this or any other post is intended to substitute for medical, psychiatric or clinical diagnosis/treatment. Rather, all posts are written as the type of advice that one friend might give to another.

Social interactions provide a reassuring glimpse into others’ shortcomings.

My daughter Sam does not like group work. She does not enjoy the task of switching her attention between people who speak in rapid succession, sometimes over each other, and who somehow develop a plan of action while she is still processing a comment from minutes earlier. She also does not enjoy watching as her contributions are ignored, even when (by my assessment) those ideas could be pursued more fruitfully than the idea that carries the day. Because she cannot engage in the easy rapport of her classmates, they seem to tolerate, rather than value, her presence. Sam prefers to work alone, and I respect that preference.

I also recognize that society needs people who work well with others, and society needs people who work well alone. Picasso never sought collaborators for Guernica; most writers, while they appreciate editors and sounding boards for their ideas, write in solitude. Solitude is a valid preference.

This is why I cringed when I read an article that argued, “Our social brain—which gives rise to our capacity to manage people, interactions, and relationships—is the most powerful component of human intelligence.” I always cringe when I read declarations that some human characteristic is “most powerful,” because the declaration usually serves the author’s self-promoting purpose. Either it elevates his or her skill set to the pinnacle of accomplishment, or it promotes the skill set that the author is paid to research and teach to others. By promoting the “social brain” as the sine qua non, the most valuable trait we possess, the author implicitly demeans all of us whose talents lie elsewhere.

But I am realizing this school year that social deficits, at least for Sam, carry a price I had never thought about: impossible expectations of herself. Sam assumes that she is the only student in her class who does not understand a concept.

She assumes that her difficulty stems from an inherent inadequacy within her, never from a poor explanation or the difficulty of the material. Over and over she asks, “Should I have known that?” Sometimes she asks the question quietly, and sometimes she asks through tears. And I realize that she has no way of knowing what she should have known, because she cannot recognize the other students’ confused expressions, nor does she engage in conversations about class. My younger daughter, Kelly, started high school this year, and I’ve been amazed to learn how much discussion takes place over social media every evening. The kids remind each other of the homework assignments, compare answers, ask for explanations from each other, and complain about their teachers. Most parents will not be surprised to hear about this chatter, but those of us whose children are autistic never witness these reassuring exchanges.

Should I have known that? The world seems unpredictable, because an overabundance of sensory information has flooded Sam’s brain indiscriminately since the day she was born. Determining causality involves choosing information from this overload, often arbitrarily. Sanity involves blocking out much of the information, again arbitrarily. What was missed? Was it important? Was the relevant information ever revealed?

Most people build their identity in part by comparing their experiences to those of other people. Children compare grades, athletic prowess, and families. They know if they are wearing the “cool” brand of shoes by listening and watching. And then they decide if they care. They learn how to navigate puberty with its highs and lows by scrutinizing the people around them and by (at least for girls) dissecting every social interaction with their closest friends. They learn to rebound from failure by watching others also fail and by learning that their friends still like them, regardless of their performance.

Without a social brain, imperfection is never “normalized;” the soothing mantra “Everybody feels this way sometimes” cannot be internalized. I am fine with my daughter preferring her own company and her own acts of creativity. I am proud of her persistence. I just wish I could hear her one day plead ignorance without belittling herself in the process. Limited knowledge does not reflect failure. I want her to believe, “It’s not all on you, my beautiful child.”

So many people are moving to new schools. and they don’t know if there goanna be a loner. okeyyyyyy i dunno wat else to say so yahhhhhhh so yahhhhhhhh byeee

so now for taking this quiz you will knoq if ur goanna be a loner and if your goanna be a no loner hehehehehehehe i dunno wat else to say tandom rosssss

Created by: Macie

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Free Soccer Training video focused on How to do the Advanced Scissors . At Online Soccer Academy (OSA) we make BETTER Soccer Players / Football Players through FREE soccer tutorials. We inspire athletes that if you Believe in it® and back that up with hard work, anything in life is possible.

This Video Covers:
How to do the Advanced Scissors – Soccer Dribbling Drills – Soccer Dribbling Skills – Soccer Dribbling – Soccer Dribbling Training – Soccer Dribbling Techniques – Dribbling Drills Soccer – Football Trick – Soccer Tricks – Football Tricks – Soccer Moves – Soccer Trick – Football Moves

Learn how to do the advanced scissors soccer move.

Key Points:

1.) Soft touch on back of ball moving it across your body
2.) Sell the move
3.) Change pace

Exercise you can do:

Set up four cones. Two to act as a defender and then one to side of each defender about 7 yards away to give you an idea of changing pace. All cones in a straight line. Do the move, accelerate to the end cone, jog back. Repeat 5 times. Then relax and repeat the set as many times as you would like.

What you could do wrong:

If you find you can’t scissor the ball fast enough, you may be taking to big of a touch. Remember that 1st touch across your body is a little one, not a big one.

If it is feeling awkward for you and you aren’t really getting your shoulders into it, it’s probably because your plant foot, non scissoring foot isn’t moving out wide when it should be when you take your touch inside. When you touch inside make sure your plant foot steps out wide like you are going to run, this helps sell the fake and frees up room for you to scissor.

This Video Covers:
How to do the Advanced Scissors – Soccer Dribbling Drills – Soccer Dribbling Skills – Soccer Dribbling – Soccer Dribbling Training – Soccer Dribbling Techniques – Dribbling Drills Soccer – Football Trick – Soccer Tricks – Football Tricks – Soccer Moves – Soccer Trick – Football Moves

Soccer moves, best soccer moves, types of soccer moves, how to teach soccer moves, Super Soccer Skills, SoccerHelp moves.

Soccer moves are used by the player with the ball (the “First Attacker”) to get past an opponent. The most important soccer moves for all players are “Control Dribbling and Shielding the Ball”, “Speed Dribbling” (also called “Running With The Ball”), “Change of Speed” (going from slow to fast, or from fast to slow), “Change of Direction” (starting in one direction so the “First Defender” starts moving in that direction, and then quickly going in the opposite direction, or quickly reversing direction), and basic body feints (such as a “Fake Kick” or turning the body as if to go left, but instead go right). The “Pullback turn” (also called a “Drag Back”), the “Hook Turn” and the “Cut” using both the inside and outside of the foot are important ways to turn that should be taught to all players. All players should be taught to use the inside, outside, top and bottom of the foot to move the ball. Select team players should also be taught the Scissors and Cruyff (or the concept of pushing the ball behind the standing foot) soccer moves by U-13.

The SoccerHelp Premium footwork and dribbling practice games, such as “Dribble Across A Square” and “Dribble Around Cone and Pass Relay Race”, are a great way to teach the basic footwork, dribbling and turns a Rec player needs to know, and are the best way for a Rec coach to teach those skills and “fast feet”. If a child really loves soccer, he will play with a ball and teach himself other soccer “moves”. If you are a Rec coach, don’t feel that you are required to spend a lot of time teaching soccer moves; you probably won’t have the time and the SoccerHelp Practice games such as “Dribble Across A Square (Improved)” are the best way to teach dribbling and “fast feet”. The following is included as a reference for those who are interested.

Soccer Moves On SoccerHelp Premium:

1. “Cuts” and “Cutbacks/Hook Turns” (left and right)
2. Outside “Pop & Run”
3. Outside of Foot Hook & Reverse
4. Step in front and push with other foot
5. The Scissors
6. The Stanley Matthews
7. Fake Kicks
   1. Fake Kick
   2. Fake Kick / Hook & Reverse
8. Outside Step Around/Reverse
9. Fake Kick & Pullback
10. Zico Move
11. Cruyff Move
12. The “V”
13. Change Of Speed Tactic

Free Soccer Training video focused on How to do the Advanced Scissors . At Online Soccer Academy (OSA) we make BETTER Soccer Players / Football Players through FREE soccer tutorials. We inspire athletes that if you Believe in it® and back that up with hard work, anything in life is possible.

This Video Covers:
How to do the Advanced Scissors – Soccer Dribbling Drills – Soccer Dribbling Skills – Soccer Dribbling – Soccer Dribbling Training – Soccer Dribbling Techniques – Dribbling Drills Soccer – Football Trick – Soccer Tricks – Football Tricks – Soccer Moves – Soccer Trick – Football Moves

Learn how to do the advanced scissors soccer move.

Key Points:

1.) Soft touch on back of ball moving it across your body
2.) Sell the move
3.) Change pace

Exercise you can do:

Set up four cones. Two to act as a defender and then one to side of each defender about 7 yards away to give you an idea of changing pace. All cones in a straight line. Do the move, accelerate to the end cone, jog back. Repeat 5 times. Then relax and repeat the set as many times as you would like.

What you could do wrong:

If you find you can’t scissor the ball fast enough, you may be taking to big of a touch. Remember that 1st touch across your body is a little one, not a big one.

If it is feeling awkward for you and you aren’t really getting your shoulders into it, it’s probably because your plant foot, non scissoring foot isn’t moving out wide when it should be when you take your touch inside. When you touch inside make sure your plant foot steps out wide like you are going to run, this helps sell the fake and frees up room for you to scissor.

This Video Covers:
How to do the Advanced Scissors – Soccer Dribbling Drills – Soccer Dribbling Skills – Soccer Dribbling – Soccer Dribbling Training – Soccer Dribbling Techniques – Dribbling Drills Soccer – Football Trick – Soccer Tricks – Football Tricks – Soccer Moves – Soccer Trick – Football Moves

Tutorials, Instructions and How-To’s That Will Make You a Better Soccer Player

The Scissors is one of the most classic and successful move in soccer. You can fake out a defender as many times as you want, and they will always fall for it. However, this move requires a bit of practice. Here is how you do this move correctly so you can use it in a game:

1. Make Sure You Have Enough Space.
if the ball is right underneath your feet, trying to do the scissors will leave you tripping and falling over. Back up a little so you can move your feet over the ball with no error.

2. Move Your Feet Around the Ball From the Inside.
When you are ready, lift one foot up slightly and move it around the ball entirely until your foot is back where it was. This may take some practice, but start slow and then gradually get faster. Once you are ready, start dribbling around slowly and then swing your feet around.

3. Move to One Side Around the Defender.
If you moved your foot around the ball correctly, the defender should now be faked out, and will give you plenty of time to dribble around him. Take a big touch with the outside of your foot to the left or right, and go on to goal.

The key to the scissors move is speed. If this move is not done fast enough, the defender will just poke his foot out and take the ball. Spend a decent amount of time practicing, and make sure you are completely ready before you use it in a game.

Kidzworld has the 411 on how to do all the sick one-on-one soccer moves. This time around, we teach you how to lose your defender with the scissors move!

The Basics

Without good one-on-one moves in soccer you will have trouble scoring the ball. But before you can go out there and juke your opponents with fancy dribbling moves, you must get the basics down first. You must be able to handle the ball with all parts of your foot. You must also be able to control the ball, even when you are running or changing direction. Always protect the ball and be aware of the defenders around you. Try to keep your head up so that you can see where your open teammates are.

The Scissors

Once you are a good dribbler then you can start learning some basic one-on-one moves. This is important, because sometimes you have to be creative in order to get past your defender (especially if they’re good). The scissors move is one of the basic, but very effective one-on-one move in soccer. From grade school to the pros, this move is used frequently to fake out the defense. The scissors move makes your opponent think you are going one way, when you are really going the other. Here are the steps to master this deadly move.

• When you are dribbling towards a defender, make sure you just dribble with your left foot. Make sure your keep the ball close to you as you dribble, so you will have maximum control.
• When you are confronted by the single defender, plant your left foot firmly on the ground next to the ball. Wind up your right leg as if you were going to kick it with your right foot.
• Swing your right foot completely around without touching the ball. When your right foot lands, it should be parallel to your left foot.
• Tap the ball with the outside of you left foot and start heading left with the ball. If this was done right, you will break free from your defender and your defender will be wondering what just happened.

Remember to keep accelerating after you make the move. You want to make this move fluid so that the defense won’t have time to recover. Once you master this move, you can expand it to a variety of different versions of the scissors such as the double scissors, the reverse scissors and the scissors turn. But that is for another day, for now just focus on mastering this move so you can start scoring more goals!

There are a lot of soccer moves you can do to beat a defender. This particular move is a favorite of one of the best players in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo. If you watch him do this move, when he steps over the ball, his feet are moving so lightning fast that no one has any idea where he’s going to take the ball. If you practice, this move can become one of your best.

I already showed you how to do the single scissors move in a previous post. This move builds on that move by adding an extra level of misdirection. In the single scissors move, you stepped over the ball once, then took your other foot and took the ball the other direction.

When you do the double scissors, start off by stepping over the ball in one direction. Then, with your other foot, step over the ball in the other direction. With the outside of your first foot, take the ball off in the direction you originally faked towards. You can add a layer of deception by making your first step-over a little slow, then do your second stepover much faster. This will make the defender think you are going in that direction. As soon as the defender steps in the direction of your fake, take the ball the other way.

There are two ways that I recommend practicing this move. The first is to set out a cone and pretend it’s a defender and use this move to go around it. While this sounds like a simple drill, this move actually takes better timing than the single scissors. This is because with the double scissors, you have to do twice as many fakes and that takes more time. This means you need to practice your timing if you do this move while the ball is moving forward. This drill helps you practice getting your timing right.

The second thing I recommend you do to practice this move is to add a shot on goal. A lot of the time, you may do this move in range of the goal with the intention of using it to get enough space to get a shot off. Practice this simply by doing the move and at the end of the move, taking a shot on goal. After you do your two fakes, practice pushing the ball just far enough away from yourself to hit the ball in a single stride. This gives you enough time to get power on your shot, but it doesn’t give your defender time to recover and catch up to you. If you push the ball too far away from yourself before you shoot, it’s a lot easier to steal, so really focus on this timing.

If you’re looking for drills to help practice your soccer skills, check out our free individual soccer drills section.

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There is a lot of movement in this skill, but if done right it will buy time and space for the player.

Watch the video below and get your players to practise the skill using the activity below and go to the session VITAL SKILLS – THE DRAG SCISSORS by clicking the link.

DIFFICULTY RATING ★★★★★

Practice is vital before attackers use this skill in a match. Balance and quick feet are key, as is the angle of the body.

The skill

The drag scissors is a great skill for a winger who wants to make the defender think he is going outside down the line but instead drags the ball inside. A player using this skill can totally fool a defender.

Body shape and quick feet are vital to the success of the skill, which fools the defender into thinking the attacker is going to feint and go one way but quick feet take him in the other direction.

How to do it

STEP 1 When an attacker needs to create time and space they should dribble towards their opponent.
STEP 2 The attacker drags the ball as if to go to the defender’s right.
STEP 3 But they step around the ball, the scissors, looking like they are going to go left.
STEP 4 Then they push the ball to the defender’s right.
STEP 5 The anchor leg is used to push the player and help accelerate away with the ball.

Coaching tip

When watching the video listen out for the important steps used in this move: 1. Drag; 2. Scissors; 3. Push; and 4. Accelerate. Try to call out these steps as reminders when you are coaching your young players to do the drag scissors.

A SIMPLE PRACTICE

Use this simple practice to help your players master this difficult but useful skill, the drag scissors…
> Depending on how many balls you have, line players up opposite each other. If you have enough balls for one between two that is best.
> Get the groups to face each other 10 yards apart.
> Place a cone at the five yard mark.
> On your call the player with the ball runs at the cone does the drag scissors and then passes to his partner and runs to his partner’s end.
> The partner then does the same drill to the opposite end.

Now try the drag scissors using the activity VITAL SKILLS – THE DRAG SCISSORS

Free Soccer Training video focused on How to do a Maradona in Soccer . At Online Soccer Academy (OSA) we make BETTER Soccer Players / Football Players through FREE soccer tutorials. We inspire athletes that if you Believe in it® and back that up with hard work, anything in life is possible.

This Video Covers:
How to do a Maradona in Soccer – Soccer Dribbling Drills – Soccer Dribbling Skills – Soccer Dribbling – Soccer Dribbling Training – Soccer Dribbling Techniques – Dribbling Drills Soccer – Football Trick – Soccer Tricks – Football Tricks – Soccer Moves – Soccer Trick – Football Moves

The Maradona is named after Diego Maradona. A famous player from Argentina who is now a coach. This move is also called the Zidane, the Roulette, the Hurricane, the Twister and there are probably a few more for it. In this video I will refer to it as the Maradona.

The Maradona is an attacking move used to escape a tackle from a defender.

Key Points:

1. Stop ball with the toe studs of your dominant foot and drag the ball back a few inches
2. Place your dominant foot between the ball and the defender, get your arm up to shield the defender
3. Your back foot, non dominant foot toe studs stop the ball and then you drag the ball into space and few steps ahead of you. Almost a full 360 degree turn but not quite, it really depends where the defender is on the direction you will spin too.
4. Change pace and accelerate after you do the Maradona to escape the defender

Things to Note:

The Maradona works best when defenders are coming at you from an angle or from your side, not straight on.

Make sure you change direction when doing the Maradona. This move isn’t meant to just spin you in a full circle and put you in the same direction going forward because that’s where the defender is. The Maradona is used so as you are spinning, your body is creating a shield from the defender winning the ball and it spits you out in another direction away from the defender.

Equipment Needed: Soccer ball, three cones

Exercise Player Can Do:

We will break this exercise into four parts. Here are the first two parts. Start off practicing the Maradona without the ball. Get your body use to doing the Maradona technique. Once you are confident then practice using the ball from a standing position. Do the Maradona then accelerate away from an imaginary defender.

Once you are feeling good try this move while dribbling with no cones. Then when you are ready set up three cones in a V shape about 5 yards apart from each other. Dribble to the second cone which is the defender, then do the Maradona and accelerate to the third cone. Light jog back and repeat. Repeat until you have mastered it.

What Player Could Be Doing Wrong:

If the ball is going all over the place when you do the Maradona you are going to fast. Slow this move down, it’s not usually done at full speed. Slow your run down a bit, do the move, then accelerate.

If the defender is winning the ball from you when you try this it’s because you are not pulling the ball back when you do this move and getting it out of the defender’s reach. Your Maradona shouldn’t look like a ballerina move where you just spin on top the ball but the ball stays in the same place.

This Video Covers:
How to do a Maradona in Soccer – Soccer Dribbling Drills – Soccer Dribbling Skills – Soccer Dribbling – Soccer Dribbling Training – Soccer Dribbling Techniques – Dribbling Drills Soccer – Football Trick – Soccer Tricks – Football Tricks – Soccer Moves – Soccer Trick – Football Moves

Free Soccer Training video focused on How to do the Hocus Pocus . At Online Soccer Academy (OSA) we make BETTER Soccer Players / Football Players through FREE soccer tutorials. We inspire athletes that if you Believe in it® and back that up with hard work, anything in life is possible.

This Video Covers:
How to do the Hocus Pocus – Soccer Dribbling Drills – Soccer Dribbling Skills – Soccer Dribbling – Soccer Dribbling Training – Soccer Dribbling Techniques – Dribbling Drills Soccer – Football Trick – Soccer Tricks – Football Tricks – Soccer Moves – Soccer Trick – Football Moves

The Hocus Pocus is an advanced attacking move usually done from a stand still position; it’s not done at full speed.

Key Points:

1. Plant your plant foot a few inches in front of the ball.

2. Push the ball forward at an angle with your dominant foot. Don’t kick, push the ball.

3. Quickly move your foot to push ball in opposite direction with your laces around your plant foot. Make sure the ball gets past your plant foot before you start the process of the second touch.

4. Change pace! Accelerate after you do this move!

5. Typically the Hocus Pocus is done in the attacking third from more of a stand still, walking or light jog position. You will not be doing this move running at full speed.

Equipment Needed: A ball and two cones.

Exercise Player Can Do:

Start off practicing the Hocus Pocus technique without the ball. Once comfortable do it with the ball from a stand still. Once you are confident doing it from a stand still set up two cones. Dribble on a walk or light jog from a start cone to a defender cone. Do the Hocus Pocus and accelerate past that defender cone. Repeat until you are tired or you master it!

What Player Could Be Doing Wrong:

If you can’t get a second touch on the ball because the ball is going to far then you are kicking it with the inside of your foot, not pushing it. Take a lighter touch and push the ball.

If the ball keeps hitting your plant foot when you take your second touch then you are starting the second part of this move to early. Let the ball get past your plant foot a bit.

Bonus Tip!

Be confident when you do this move! Don’t be surprised when it works! Only do it in the attacking third of the field and if you mess up, so what! Just hustle back on defense and the crowd will applaud you!

This Video Covers:
How to do the Hocus Pocus – Soccer Dribbling Drills – Soccer Dribbling Skills – Soccer Dribbling – Soccer Dribbling Training – Soccer Dribbling Techniques – Dribbling Drills Soccer – Football Trick – Soccer Tricks – Football Tricks – Soccer Moves – Soccer Trick – Football Moves

Imagine a tightrope walker in a circus. He is on a rope suspended a few feet above the straw covered floor. His purpose is to walk the rope from one end to other. He holds a long bar in his hands to help him maintain his balance. But he must do more than simply walk. On his shoulders he balances a chair. And in that chair sits a young woman who is balancing a rod on her forehead, and on top of that rod is a plate.

If at any time one of the items should start to drift off balance, he must stop until he can get all of them in perfect alignment again—for the tightrope artist doesn’t begin until all the elements above him are aligned. Only then does he move forward, carefully, slowly, across the rope.

Life is very much a balancing act, and we are always just a step away from a fall. We are constantly trying to move forward with our purpose, to achieve our goals, all the while trying to keep in balance the various elements of our lives.

If any aspect of our life draws a disproportionate amount of energy, we have to shortchange the other aspects. That throws us off—and we are unable to move forward on life’s tightrope until a balance can be reestablished. We have to deal with any areas that are taking too much energy and put them in perspective, align them, so that we have energy available for all areas.

It’s important to understand that others cannot do this for us. No one can think, breathe, feel, see, experience, love or die for us. It’s up to us to balance all the different aspects of our lives. We just have to decide to do it.

How? What’s the first step? To stop and assess how we’re doing. To look at all the various aspects of our lives that we are constantly juggling, constantly trying to keep in balance—marriage and family, money, health, social circles, spiritual development, mental growth.

Are we able to devote ample energy to all areas? Or are we tipped to one side, unbalanced in one direction? Here’s how to balance it all out:

1. Assess your life as it is now.

Looking at ourselves as we really are is the first step in restructuring our lives. Do you feel physically exhausted, mentally stagnant or find yourself without close relationships? Would you call yourself a workaholic? Do you feel a lack of spiritual alignment? If you answer yes to any of these questions, your life is probably out of balance.

2. Make a conscious decision to become balanced.

Choosing reality as our basis of decision is the second step to becoming balanced. Achieving balance allows us to reach our goals and our purpose in life while creating less stress to do so. A conscious decision to change is now in order.

3. And make that decision on a minute-to-minute schedule.

We are all instant forgetters. Remember all those resolutions you made way back in January? Renewing our decisions on a daily, minute-to-minute basis allows us to ease into change, instead of expecting things to change overnight.

4. Set goals in every area of your life.

Set realistic goals in all areas of your life to assist yourself in remembering that your ultimate goal is balance. Your goals should cover:

• Your relationships
• Your physical being
• Your spiritual alignment
• Your mental development
• Your job
• Your finances

5. Be willing to take the risk.

Being willing to assess ourselves and take the risk to change will not only enhance our lives, but you will feel more energy and an expanded awareness of what life is all about. Acknowledging that balance is essential and recreating your life to encompass your decision is worth all the risk.

6. Make time to reassess yourself on a daily basis.

None of us can really know how well we are doing with change in our lives unless we are willing to reassess our position. Don’t feel that your decisions are made in concrete; if something feels that it isn’t working, be willing to look at a new decision. Make time for yourself every day, in a quiet meditative state, to relax and “check yourself out.”

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• Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
• B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College

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A chemical equation is a written description of what happens in a chemical reaction. The starting materials, called reactants, are listed on the lefthand side of the equation. Next comes an arrow that indicates the direction of the reaction. The righthand side of the reaction lists the substances that are made, called products.

A balanced chemical equation tells you the amounts of reactants and products needed to satisfy the Law of Conservation of Mass. Basically, this means there are the same numbers of each type of atoms on the left side of the equation as there are on the right side of the equation. It sounds like it should be simple to balance equations, but it’s a skill that takes practice. So, while you might feel like a dummy, you’re not! Here’s the process you follow, step by step, to balance equations. You can apply these same steps to balance any unbalanced chemical equation.

Easy Steps for Balancing Chemical Equations

Follow four easy steps to balance a chemical equation:

1. Write the unbalanced equation to show the reactants and products.
2. Write down how many atoms of each element there are on each side of the reaction arrow.
3. Add coefficients (the numbers in front of the formulas) so the number of atoms of each element is the same on both sides of the equation. It’s easiest to balance the hydrogen and oxygen atoms last.
4. Indicate the state of matter of the reactants and products and check your work.

Write the Unbalanced Chemical Equation

The first step is to write down the unbalanced chemical equation. If you’re lucky, this will be given to you. If you’re told to balance a chemical equation and only given the names of the products and reactants, you’ll need to either look them up or apply rules of naming compounds to determine their formulas.

Let’s practice using a reaction from real life, the rusting of iron in the air. To write the reaction, you need to identify the reactants (iron and oxygen) and the products (rust). Next, write the unbalanced chemical equation:

Note the reactants always go on the left side of the arrow. A “plus” sign separates them. Next, there is an arrow indicating the direction of the reaction (reactants become products). The products are always on the right side of the arrow. The order in which you write the reactants and products is not important.

Write Down Number of Atoms

The next step for balancing the chemical equation is to determine how many atoms of each element are present on each side of the arrow:

To do this, keep in mind a subscript indicates the number of atoms. For example, O₂ has 2 atoms of oxygen. There are 2 atoms of iron and 3 atoms of oxygen in Fe₂O₃. There is 1 atom in Fe. When there is no subscript, it means there is 1 atom.

On the reactant side:

On the product side:

How do you know the equation isn’t already balanced? Because the number of atoms on each side isn’t the same! Conservation of Mass states mass isn’t created or destroyed in a chemical reaction, so you need to add coefficients in front of the chemical formulas to adjust the number of atoms so they will be the same on both sides.

Add Coefficients To Balance Mass in a Chemical Equation

When balancing equations, you never change subscripts. You add coefficients. Coefficients are whole number multipliers. If, for example, you write 2 H₂O, that means you have 2 times the number of atoms in each water molecule, which would be 4 hydrogen atoms and 2 oxygen atoms. As with subscripts, you don’t write the coefficient of “1”, so if you don’t see a coefficient, it means there is one molecule.

There is a strategy that will help you balance equations more quickly. It is called balancing by inspection. Basically, you look at how many atoms you have on each side of the equation and add coefficients to the molecules to balance out the number of atoms.

• Balance atoms present in a single molecule of reactant and product first.
• Balance any oxygen or hydrogen atoms last.

Iron is present in one reactant and one product, so balance its atoms first. There is one atom of iron on the left and two on the right, so you might think putting 2 Fe on the left would work. While that would balance iron, you already know you’re going to have to adjust oxygen, too, because it isn’t balanced. By inspection (i.e., looking at it), you know you have to discard a coefficient of 2 for some higher number.

3 Fe doesn’t work on the left because you can’t put a coefficient in from of Fe₂O₃ that would balance it.

4 Fe works, if you then add a coefficient of 2 in front of the rust (iron oxide) molecule, making it 2 Fe₂O₃. This gives you:

Iron is balanced, with 4 atoms of iron on each side of the equation. Next you need to balance oxygen.

Balance Oxygen and Hydrogen Atoms Last

This is the equation balanced for iron:

When balancing chemical equations, the last step is to add coefficients to oxygen and hydrogen atoms. The reason is that they usually appear in multiple reactants and products, so if you tackle them first you’re usually making extra work for yourself.

Now, look at the equation (use inspection) to see which coefficient will work to balance oxygen. If you put a 2 in from of O₂, that will give you 4 atoms of oxygen, but you have 6 atoms of oxygen in the product (coefficient of 2 multiplied by the subscript of 3). So, 2 does not work.

If you try 3 O₂, then you have 6 oxygen atoms on the reactant side and also 6 oxygen atoms on the product side. This works! The balanced chemical equation is:

Note: You could have written a balanced equation using multiples of the coefficients. For example, if you double all of the coefficients, you still have a balanced equation:

However, chemists always write the simplest equation, so check your work to make sure you can’t reduce your coefficients.

This is how you balance a simple chemical equation for mass. You may also need to balance equations for both mass and charge. Also, you may need to indicate the state of matter (solid, liquid, aqueous, gas) of reactants and products.

Imagine a tightrope walker in a circus. He is on a rope suspended a few feet above the straw covered floor. His purpose is to walk the rope from one end to other. He holds a long bar in his hands to help him maintain his balance. But he must do more than simply walk. On his shoulders he balances a chair. And in that chair sits a young woman who is balancing a rod on her forehead, and on top of that rod is a plate.

If at any time one of the items should start to drift off balance, he must stop until he can get all of them in perfect alignment again—for the tightrope artist doesn’t begin until all the elements above him are aligned. Only then does he move forward, carefully, slowly, across the rope.

Life is very much a balancing act, and we are always just a step away from a fall. We are constantly trying to move forward with our purpose, to achieve our goals, all the while trying to keep in balance the various elements of our lives.

If any aspect of our life draws a disproportionate amount of energy, we have to shortchange the other aspects. That throws us off—and we are unable to move forward on life’s tightrope until a balance can be reestablished. We have to deal with any areas that are taking too much energy and put them in perspective, align them, so that we have energy available for all areas.

It’s important to understand that others cannot do this for us. No one can think, breathe, feel, see, experience, love or die for us. It’s up to us to balance all the different aspects of our lives. We just have to decide to do it.

How? What’s the first step? To stop and assess how we’re doing. To look at all the various aspects of our lives that we are constantly juggling, constantly trying to keep in balance—marriage and family, money, health, social circles, spiritual development, mental growth.

Are we able to devote ample energy to all areas? Or are we tipped to one side, unbalanced in one direction? Here’s how to balance it all out:

1. Assess your life as it is now.

Looking at ourselves as we really are is the first step in restructuring our lives. Do you feel physically exhausted, mentally stagnant or find yourself without close relationships? Would you call yourself a workaholic? Do you feel a lack of spiritual alignment? If you answer yes to any of these questions, your life is probably out of balance.

2. Make a conscious decision to become balanced.

Choosing reality as our basis of decision is the second step to becoming balanced. Achieving balance allows us to reach our goals and our purpose in life while creating less stress to do so. A conscious decision to change is now in order.

3. And make that decision on a minute-to-minute schedule.

We are all instant forgetters. Remember all those resolutions you made way back in January? Renewing our decisions on a daily, minute-to-minute basis allows us to ease into change, instead of expecting things to change overnight.

4. Set goals in every area of your life.

Set realistic goals in all areas of your life to assist yourself in remembering that your ultimate goal is balance. Your goals should cover:

• Your relationships
• Your physical being
• Your spiritual alignment
• Your mental development
• Your job
• Your finances

5. Be willing to take the risk.

Being willing to assess ourselves and take the risk to change will not only enhance our lives, but you will feel more energy and an expanded awareness of what life is all about. Acknowledging that balance is essential and recreating your life to encompass your decision is worth all the risk.

6. Make time to reassess yourself on a daily basis.

None of us can really know how well we are doing with change in our lives unless we are willing to reassess our position. Don’t feel that your decisions are made in concrete; if something feels that it isn’t working, be willing to look at a new decision. Make time for yourself every day, in a quiet meditative state, to relax and “check yourself out.”

A Step-by-Step Guide

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Balancing a checking account is a financial task that should be performed regularly to track your spending, monitor your account, and ensure that your money is actually there when you need it.

It takes just five steps to complete this essential task and rest easier about your finances. Learn why it’s important and how to get it done.

What Is Balancing a Checking Account?

Balancing a checking account means comparing the money coming into the account to the money going out of the account. This shows you how much money you have for spending. It’s also an opportunity to match your records with the bank’s records and catch mistakes that can lead to bank charges or identity theft

Balancing a checking account helps you:

• Budget for upcoming expenses
• Avoid bounced checks and overdraft fees
• Identify mistakes that you or the bank made
• Catch suspicious or fraudulent charges quickly
• Keep track of any interest you are earning

You should plan to balance your checking accounts regularly—at least once per statement period. If you find yourself bouncing checks, however, you should balance your account anytime you’re about to spend money, for example, before paying bills or going shopping.

What You Need to Balance a Checking Account

To get started with balancing a checking account, gather everything you’ll need:

• Most recent bank statement (mailed or printed from your online account)
• Check register
• Calculator

There are templates available to help you manually do the calculations needed if you prefer to use pen and paper. If you prefer to do them electronically, you can build a spreadsheet or use accounting software.

Five Steps to Balance Your Checking Account

To balance your checking account, you want to look at how much has gone in and out, then make sure these numbers match the values you are expecting. If they do not, then your account is unbalanced and you have money that is unaccounted for.

You will be finding and comparing three numbers:

1. Bank balance
2. Withdrawals
3. Deposits

1. Assess your Balance

Start by writing down your bank balance. This is the month-end account balance shown on your account.

You can ​check your account balance online, with an app if your bank has one, at an ATM, by phone, or by text.

2. Compare Your Check Register to Your Statement

Next, compare your check register to your bank statement. Place a checkmark (on both the bank statement and the check register) next to matching items.

Your bank statement and your check register should have all the same items listed, including:

• Debit card charges
• Paper checks
• Cash withdrawals
• ATM fees
• Overdraft fees
• Interest earned

If anything is missing from your check register, either add it (if it is a legitimate transaction) or make a note to ask your bank about it (if it looks suspicious or you can’t remember making it).

Add up all the deposits and withdrawals so you know how much you should have in your account you should have.

3. Find Outstanding Transactions

Outstanding transactions generally fall into two categories: deposits and withdrawals.

To find outstanding withdrawals, look through your check register for any transaction that does not have a checkmark next to it. These transactions are items that did not appear on your bank statement.

Most likely, these are outstanding checks. Outstanding checks are checks you have written but the recipient hasn’t yet deposited. Add these values to your total withdrawals.

Make a list of deposits you have made to the account, such as direct deposit from your payroll or deposits that you mailed to the bank but which have not yet appeared. Add these values to your total deposits.

4. Run the Numbers

You’ll have several numbers on your sheet of paper by this point. Now, you need to use your calculator to make sure all your money is accounted for.

1. Start with zero
2. Add “Bank Balance”
3. Add “Deposits”
4. Subtract “Withdrawals”

The result should be the exact amount your check register shows.

5. Fix Mistakes and Problems

If the numbers don’t match, you’ll need to figure out why. If you find fraud or a bank error, contact the bank immediately to contest the problematic transaction—otherwise, you might have to live with the problem.

Most checking accounts offer protection from fraudulent transactions. But if you wait more than two months to find and report a problem, you might have to absorb the loss.

Fortunately, errors and fraud are relatively rare. In most cases, the numbers won’t match because:

• You made an arithmetic mistake
• You missed a fee or an interest payment
• You listed an item twice
• You transposed numbers (345 instead of 354, for example)

Double-check that none of these common errors happened before you contact your bank.

Create a System That Works

Now that you have balanced your checking account, you’ll need to keep it balanced. The key to staying balanced is creating a system you can follow easily and consistently.

If you don’t record transactions from your checking account, you will need to monitor your online charges multiple times a week—even daily—to ensure that your account is balanced and free from fraud.

There’s no best system for balancing your checking account. Take time to figure out which system works for you. That could be:

• Pen and paper
• Building a spreadsheet
• Using accounting software

To monitor your checking account even more closely, you can find out about transactions as they occur. Set up text alerts on your bank account to know when big electronic withdrawals hit your account.

Alerts will help you remember important transactions when it’s time to balance your account, as well as making it easier to detect fraud and errors. This will both save you time and protect your assets.

“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.”

As a Libra, my sign is the scale, which signifies balance. I’m not sure how much my “signage” plays into my desire to live a balanced life, but I do know that the more balanced I feel, the more free I feel.

In my work I am often reminded that what works for some people does not necessarily work for others, and that one person’s idea of balance may not constitute anything remotely balanced from another person’s perspective.

So I wanted to address the various elements of life that can require balancing and offer some suggestions to find the mix that works best for you.

To start, what does it mean to be balanced?

To me, it means that you have a handle on the the various elements in your life and don’t feel that your heart or mind are being pulled too hard in any direction. More often than not, you feel calm, grounded, clear-headed, and motivated.

How do you find your balance?

The elements in life that require the most balancing can be divided into two categories: internal and external. Oftentimes, people focus on one more than the other.

For example, you may find that you focus on external things, like work, relationships, and activities, and that you pay very little attention to what is going on inside your heart and mind.

On the other hand, you may find that you spend so much time being self reflective that you sometimes miss out on the experience of living.

Other people may be fairly balanced between the two but might want to balance out some specific elements within each category, so I created this little outline to help us better understand the beneficial components on both ends of each spectrum.

Internal (Mind, Heart, Health)

• Mind: Challenging yourself intellectually vs. creating opportunities for your mind to rest
• Heart: Giving love vs. receiving love
• Health: Eating, drinking, exercising properly vs. resting. and treating yourself to some extra yummies

External (Work, Social, Family, Fun)

• Work: Pushing yourself to achieve goals vs. seeing the bigger picture and enjoying the ride
• Social: Satisfying your social desires vs. taking time for yourself
• Family: Fulfilling your familial responsibilities vs. creating healthy boundaries
• Fun: Allocating time for things you enjoy doing vs. making sure you don’t overdo it

As you can see, both ends of each spectrum are actually positive; but if either side is taken to an extreme, something that is intended to be positive can end up being detrimental.

It’s helpful to check in with yourself to see if you feel balanced.

If you feel pulled in any one direction and uneasy about it, these steps may help you get your life aligned:

1. Acknowledge.

Take some time to really look at your life, your state of mind, and how you’re feeling. Be honest with yourself and notice the areas of your life that you’re neglecting.

2. Examine.

Notice if you’re leaning more toward an internal or external focus, or if there are areas within each category that you would like to be more balanced.

3. Set Goals.

Look at the outline to help you decide which ways you want to balance your life. Make a list.

4. Plan Tasks.

Make a list of daily, weekly, and monthly tasks that you will need to do to achieve each of these goals. What have you tried in the past? Did it work? If not, what can you do differently?

5. Reflect.

What is the most important thing you’ve accomplished in the past? How did you stay focused toward this goal? How did you handle your fears, doubts, anxieties, worries, and negative self-talk? How does it feel to know that you accomplished the goal in spite of these parts of yourself?

6. Prepare.

What is your inner “stuff” that will try to keep you from sticking to your plan (fears, worries, doubts, negative self talk)? Can you specify the things you will say to yourself to push you off track? (For example: “Just one more bite, I’ll start eating better tomorrow.”) Make a list.

7. Empower.

What do you need to remember in those times? What are things you can say to that self-sabotaging part of yourself? Be kind to yourself. Balance won’t feel good if you’re cruel to yourself in creating it!

8. Connect.

Is there a person or a tactic you can use to keep yourself supported, motivated, and focused in those hard times? I highly recommend connecting and sharing your inner process with someone. Find someone who can help you challenge your inner demons, and celebrate your little accomplishments.

Just like accomplishing any goal in life, it takes time and effort to overcome your habitual patterns and create new ones. If you stay on track with this detailed and intentional process for three whole months, then there is a good chance you will create new habits to enjoy a more balanced life going forward!

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IR-2018-63, March 19, 2018

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service today urged taxpayers to use IRS.gov/account to check the status of their federal tax accounts.

The online account is one of many useful online tools driving the impressive growth in visits to the agency’s popular web site. Already this year, visits to IRS.gov have jumped 24 percent over last year at this time.

The IRS.gov/account provides individual taxpayers with basic information to file, pay or monitor their tax payments. In addition, taxpayers can:

• View the amount they owe.
• Pay online or set up an online payment agreement.
• Access their tax records.
• Review the past 18 months of their payment history.
• View key tax return information for the most recent tax return they filed.

To access their information online, taxpayers must register through Secure Access, the IRS’ two-factor authentication process. This identity-proofing process rigorously protects sensitive information. Taxpayers who already registered using Secure Access for Get Transcript Online or Get an IP PIN may use their same username and password. Taxpayers should review the Secure Access process prior to starting registration.

In addition to the IRS.gov/account, the IRS encourages taxpayers to visit IRS.gov to see many other self-service tools and helpful resources available for individuals, businesses and tax professionals. “Where’s My Refund?” for example, and the IRS2Go mobile app remain the best way to check the status of a tax refund. This tool is updated no more than once a day, so taxpayers don’t need to check more often.

The IRS doesn’t initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media to request personal or financial information. This includes requests for PIN numbers, passwords or similar access information for credit cards, banks or other financial accounts.

How to Balance Chemical Equations: 3 Simple Steps

A chemical equation tells you what happens during a chemical reaction. A balanced chemical equation has the correct number of reactants and products to satisfy the Law of Conservation of Mass.

In this article, we’ll talk about what a chemical equation is, how to balance chemical equations, and give you some examples to aid in your balancing chemical equations practice.

What Is a Chemical Equation?

Simply put, a chemical equation tells you what’s happening in a chemical reaction. Here’s what a chemical equation looks like:

On the left side of the equation are the reactants. These are the materials that you start with in a chemical reaction.

On the right side of the equation are the products. The products are the substances that are made as a result of a chemical reaction.

In order for a chemical reaction to be correct, it needs to satisfy something called the Law of Conservation of Mass, which states that mass can’t be created or destroyed during a chemical reaction. That means that each side of the chemical equation needs to have the same amount of mass, because the amount of mass can’t be changed.

If your chemical equation has different masses on the left and right side of the equation, you’ll need to balance your chemical equation.

How to Balance Chemical Equations—Explanation and Example

Balancing chemical equations means that you write the chemical equation correctly so that there is the same amount of mass on each side of the arrow.

In this section, we’re going to explain how to balance a chemical equation by using a real life example, the chemical equation that occurs when iron rusts:

#1: Identify the Products and Reactants

The first step in balancing a chemical equation is to identify your reactants and your products. Remember, your reactants are on the left side of your equation. The products are on the right side.

For this equation, our reactants are Fe and O ₂. Our products are Fe ₂ and O 3 .

#2: Write the Number of Atoms

Next, you need to determine how many atoms of each element are present on each side of the equation. You can do this by looking at the subscripts or the coefficients. If there is no subscript or coefficient present, then you just have one atom of something.

On the reactant side, we have one atom of iron and two atoms of oxygen.

On the product side, we have two atoms of iron and three atoms of oxygen.

When you write out the number of products, you can see that the equation isn’t balanced, because there are different amounts of each atom on the reactant side and the product side.

That means we need to add coefficients to make this equation balanced.

#3: Add Coefficients

Earlier, I mentioned that there are two ways to tell how many atoms of a particular element exist in a chemical equation: by looking at the subscripts and looking at the coefficients.

When you balance a chemical equation, you change coefficients. You never change subscripts.

A coefficient is a whole number multiplier. To balance a chemical equation, you add these whole number multipliers (coefficients) to make sure that there are the same number of atoms on each side of the arrow.

Here’s something important to remember about coefficients: they apply to every part of a product. For instance, take the chemical equation for water: H2O. If you added a coefficient to make it 2H₂O, then the coefficient multiples across all of the elements present. So, 2H₂O means that you have four atoms of hydrogen and two atoms of oxygen. You don’t just multiply against the first element present.

So, in our chemical equation ( Fe + O ₂ → Fe ₂ O ₃), any coefficient you add to the product has to be reflected with the reactants.

Let’s look at how to balance this chemical equation.

On the product side, we have two atoms of iron and three atoms of oxygen. Let’s tackle iron first.

When first looking at this chemical equation you might think that something like this works:

While that balances out the iron atoms (leaving two on each side), oxygen is still unbalanced. That means we need to keep looking.

Taking iron first, we know that we’ll be working with a multiple of two, since there are two atoms of iron present on the product side.

Knowing that using two as a coefficient won’t work, let’s try the next multiple of two: four.

That creates balance for iron by having four atoms on each side of the equation. Oxygen isn’t quite balanced yet, but on the product side we have six atoms of oxygen. Six is a multiple of two, so we can work with that on the reactant side, where two atoms of oxygen are present.

That means that we can write our balanced chemical equation this way:

3 Great Sources of Balancing Chemical Equations Practice

There are many places you can do balancing chemical equations practice online.

Here are a few places with practice problems you can use:

• Khan Academy: 7 practice problems
• ScienceGeek: 15 practice problems
• TemplateLab: 49 free balancing chemical equations worksheet downloads

Balancing Chemical Equations: Key Takeaways

Balancing chemical equations seems complicated, but it’s really not that hard!

Your main goal when balancing chemical equations is to make sure that there are the same amount of reactants and products on each side of the chemical equation arrow.

What’s Next?

Writing a research paper for school but not sure what to write about? Our guide to research paper topics has over 100 topics in ten categories so you can be sure to find the perfect topic for you.

Want to know the fastest and easiest ways to convert between Fahrenheit and Celsius? We’ve got you covered! Check out our guide to the best ways to convert Celsius to Fahrenheit (or vice versa).

Are you studying clouds in your science class? Get help identifying the different types of clouds with our expert guide.

Have friends who also need help with test prep? Share this article!

Hayley Milliman is a former teacher turned writer who blogs about education, history, and technology. When she was a teacher, Hayley’s students regularly scored in the 99th percentile thanks to her passion for making topics digestible and accessible. In addition to her work for PrepScholar, Hayley is the author of Museum Hack’s Guide to History’s Fiercest Females.

Balancing flavour is both a science and an art, based on professional training, intuition and experience. Here’s an introduction to balancing the five key flavours in your cooking.

Sweet, salty, sour, bitter and umami are five taste elements that build our overall perception of flavour. When each element is perfectly balanced – not only on the plate, but across an entire meal – the dining experience is lifted above and beyond.

Mastering flavour balance takes an understanding of the process as a science and an art.

Flavour balance as a science

Understanding how flavours become balanced starts with knowing the basic rules behind preparing each element. Remember that adding salt to a dish does more than just making it salty – it enhances or counteracts other flavours within the dish.

These are the simple rules dictating how each element will affect the overall flavour:

1. Sweetness: From sugar, honey, fruits or otherwise, sweetness will counteract bitter and sour flavours. It can also be used to cut down the heat of a particularly spicy meal.
2. Saltiness: Salt plays two very important roles in flavouring a dish. Firstly, it balances against bitterness. Secondly, it enhances most other flavours present in the dish – particularly sweetness. Think about salted caramel – this flavour combination works so well because of the balance created by the salt and sugar. Similarly, salt is commonly used in tomato-based dishes to bring the natural flavours of the tomato forward.
3. Bitterness: Though not the most popular flavour generally, bitterness is critical to balance. The taste of grapefruit, dark greens or beer can help to cut through the richness or sweetness of a meal.
4. Sourness: Think of vinegar and citrus. Acidity works wonders in balancing a dish, adding liveliness and counteracting sweetness and heat.
5. Umami: This flavour can be hard to pin down, but is the inherent savoury notes in soy sauce, mushrooms, oysters and many cheeses. Umami is best used to complement other flavours – perfect for a dish that seems balanced but is still lacking.

Flavour balance as an art

The above rules will help you navigate the balance of most dishes, but taste still remains subjective. A recipe cannot truly tell you the perfect measure of ingredients for a balanced dish as (for example) one brand of soy sauce may be saltier (or more savoury) than another. Therefore, balancing flavours is also somewhat of an art.

Tasting as you cook and adjusting flavours is a skill that chefs must master to perfect the dish. Stay aware of flavour saturation and cleanse your palate as you taste to ensure your tastebuds do not adjust to the flavours before they are balanced. Mastering the balance of the five key flavours is the hallmark of a skilful chef.

To find out how to become a Le Cordon Bleu qualified professional chef, contact us today.

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