KZINGA JIMENEZ

< GITHUB >

Tag: Writing

  • Why You Should Be An ESL Instructor

    After reading this, you’ll truly love this profession.

    Photo by Katerina Holmes

    Being an ESL teacher is not for the weak. It requires much skill, dedication and a willingness to remold ways of thinking, methodologies and approaches. Did reading that turn you away? No? Then you’re in the right place, my friend!

    ESL is a true calling. And if you’re feeling the urge to learn more about how to get into this profession, read on. Here are a few reasons why you should consider teaching English as a second language!

    Helping Students Succeed

    No matter which sector of the educational field you’re in, taking on this role gives you the rewarding but very important job of helping your students find success. This means implementing various methods that work best with the content you choose to teach. Now, this can be a bit more challenging in a larger class as opposed to a smaller one, but with proper curriculum strategy combined with getting to know your students individually, you will succeed no matter the class size. Building a relationship with your students will show them that you care, that you’re invested in them, and that you’re dedicated to helping them set and reach their goals.

    Opportunities Abroad/Location Flexibility

    If you like traveling or would simply like to do it more while still having a fulfilling, stable career with the potential for growth, there are many job opportunities to teach English to non-native speakers in other countries! In fact, the ESL teaching market is in demand all over the globe! Keep in mind that depending on where you are, you may have to meet certain standards or requirements for that location. For example – to teach English in mainland China, it will typically require a 170-hour TEFL certification and a four-year undergraduate degree. Knowledge of a few basic Mandarin phrases might not hurt either. Each place is unique, so be sure to do your research!

    Online Schedule Flexibility

    Similar to opportunities for teaching English abroad, there are plenty of jobs online as well! Some notable mentions include Cambly, VIPKid, Preply, Open English, Lingoda, and many more! You will have the opportunity to plan classes with your students based on your preferred schedule. This may work well for you if you tend to have an unusual schedule in general and are involved in multiple endeavors while also teaching. Again, keep in mind of certain qualifications you may to meet before applying for positions. This also ties greatly into the current workforce as more and more people are straying from the traditional 9-5 work setting and moving into the gig economy due to the extended flexibility for busy people.

    Option To Work With Children Or Adults

    For ESL teaching, you have plenty of options in terms of your desired demographic of students. You can specialize in working with your preferred age group, whether that be children or adults! Personally, I tend to thrive with adult students due to maturity level and the chance to offer more complex lesson plan structures. This, of course, also highly depends on the student’s language proficiency level. I also feel that there can be some limitations, such as a slight refrain of creativity due to an older cohort. It’s important to note, though, working with any age group comes with pros and cons! But whatever route you choose, it will certainly be worth it in the end.

    Option To Niche Down

    In addition to choosing a specified age group to work with, you can also
    choose which sub-niche you’d like to hone and enhance. You can choose to
    focus on conversations, grammar, vocabulary building or even very specified categories like business English, or test preparation. This is especially true if you’re a freelancer or have your own virtual ESL business! You can also niche down in terms of preferred level of proficiency you’d like to teach using the CEFR scale to guide you. Some ESL educators choose to work with A1 (very early beginner) students, and others prefer B1 and up (intermediate to advanced). You won’t really know what you like until you’ve experienced teaching all levels of students.I would say it’s best to start out with early beginner students as they are the hardest to teach due to their native language barrier.

    Final Thoughts

    With ESL, there are many avenues you can take. And the journey is definitely worth it! Being an ESL teacher is a very rich and multifaceted experience, and will teach you much about yourself as an educator and a person in the world. Beyond the practical benefits of flexible hours and global opportunities, it’s a profession that offers immense personal and professional fulfillment. By bridging language barriers, you empower individuals to access new educational avenues, unlock career potential, and connect with others on a global scale. The impact of ESL teaching fosters cultural understanding, builds confidence, and enriches the lives of both the teacher and the student.If you’re looking for a rewarding path that allows you to make a true difference while embracing diverse cultures, ESL stands out as a compelling choice.

    BOOK A CONSULTATION

    Are you searching for writing, product design/development, or language learning services on your own behalf or that of your enterprise? I offer free 30-minute consultations to potential B2B/B2C clients!

    Kindly book a meeting HERE

  • Pen Names 101

    Is a pen name right for you? Let’s discuss!

    Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

    There is so much to break down regarding pen names, and many writers throughout history have chosen one for various reasons. Some notable pioneers include Toni Morrison, the Bronte sisters, Issac Asimov, and Bell Hooks, to name a few. Have you been debating on using a pen name yourself, but still feel unsure? You’ll be more confident in your decision after reading this!

    What Is A Pen Name?

    Let’s start with a basic definition! A pen name – sometimes called a pseudonym or alias – is a separate name that a writer uses solely for their written work, or a certain genre or category of said work. It’s typically a name that can sound similar to a writer’s given name, or it can sound completely different altogether.

    Why Would Someone Use One?

    Writers may choose a pen name for many reasons, including:

    • PRIVACY: A writer may have a certain (professional or personal) lifestyle that prevents them from publicly claiming their work with their given name, so they use a pen name to avoid any potential scrutiny or speculation that content may bring. This is not to be confused with ghostwriting, which involves compensating a writer to discreetly create content for another client or enterprise without taking any future credit for it. Some ghostwriters do, in fact, have pen names while some don’t.
    • IDENTITY: Though we now live in a much more accepting world, many writers of marginalized backgrounds, both historically and presently, have adapted to pen names to shield their real identities from certain audiences or even publishers due to potential xenophobia, harassment, or judgment of the work or creator. Again, this is a more outdated concept. However, many marginalized writers have pen names because they simply want them – which is a valid reason in and of itself.
    • BRANDING/MARKETING: As a writer, you will need to market yourself and your work frequently, and that includes having an overall brand to showcase. A pen name may help to achieve this objective depending on other factors like genre, content, and more. For example, I use a pen name for all of my speculative fiction (more on that here). I chose mine based on my longtime nickname (Kzinga = Zig) and half of my middle name (Kanoelani = Elani). And truthfully, there was no other reason as to why I chose one for myself except that I liked the idea of using it as a niche for my fantasy and science fiction work that was separate from other writing I’ve done. The point is, having a pen name may help in your overall long-term marketing strategy. Give some a try and see which ones stick, if any!

    Pros Of A Pen Name

    Seriously thinking about a pen name at this point? Here are some reasons having one might work for you. Some points listed here may overlap with those above:

    • CLEAN SLATE: Sometimes a writer will want a fresh start and completely pivot their direction if they went by a previous name and it didn’t go well. To specify, this can mean a myriad of reasons – perhaps the author’s last book under a certain pen name didn’t sell very well. Or maybe they went through a certain controversy and choose to have a new identity due to that. I need to make an important point about the latter – this is a bit of tough love, but needs to be said. If you are choosing a new pen name to try to escape a controversy you were apart of under another name, please know it’s not a good look, and readers will eventually put two and two together. It costs nothing to lead a life of integrity, everyone. So don’t let this be the sole reason you choose a new pen name. Own up to your mistakes and do better moving forward. Okay, on to the next point.
    • BRANDING/MARKETING: Piggybacking a little on the last point about a clean slate and new identity, having a shiny new pen name that has a certain ring to it can entice readers enough to get them further interested in your work. In other words, if the name strongly aligns with your overall brand, go for it! Additionally, having this choice can make you stand out in a competitive genre or category which will only help you reach and establish your audience due to lack of confusion.
    • PRIVACY: As I mentioned earlier, a pen name offers the writer more privacy depending on their lifestyle or choice of writing, and it helps you to control the separate relationships between your personal life and your writing.

    Cons Of A Pen Name

    Of course, everything is a double-edged sword. If you want just one pen name, problems are less likely to ensue. But if you’d like to use more than one, here are some reasons that may not be the best idea:

    • LEGALITIES: In terms of royalties, contracts and more technical components of writing and publishing, having multiple pen names can add to the stress in maintaining all of this. Clarity among all parties is key when it comes to any formal agreements you make, so definitely keep that in mind!
    • BRANDING/MARKETING ISSUES: Trying to maintain a separate social media account/platform for each of your pen names can be difficult, but not impossible. In this regard, it may be best to hire a part-time social media manager who can help you to stay organized, that way you can dedicate more time to the craft of writing itself. If you ever need a social media manager, hit me up! 🙂
    • IDENTITY RECONFIGURATION: Adding further to the last point made, for each new pen name you have, you will essentially have to structure and build your entire brand identity from the ground up, which is much easier said than done. Still, it’s not an impossible feat! It will simply just take time to build. Consistency and effort will be your best friend here.

    Final Thoughts

    The choice to use a pen name is highly subjective. It is a completely personal decision that takes careful consideration and strategic planning. Do what makes you feel comfortable and self-assured in your writing! What matters more is the quality of the content you write – the name you attach to it only adds to that ongoing legacy. Whether you choose to use your given name or a pen name, you are still the same writer behind the words, and that can never be taken away!

    BOOK A CONSULTATION

    Are you searching for writing, product design/development, or language learning services on your own behalf or that of your enterprise? I offer free 30-minute consultations to potential B2B/B2C clients!

    Kindly book a meeting HERE

  • Writer’s Block Methods That Actually Work

    That’s right! No more staring at a blank screen (or paper).

    Photo by Min An

    It may be hard to believe, but even the most skilled writers deemed experts at their crafts contribute to a tradition as old as time. The problem is that as writers, we tend to carry a certain vision in our heads and hope to replicate that outwardly. But this seldom happens. Most of the time, we’re left to wrestle with the bare bones of a forming story, essay, article, poem, text message or what have you and excruciatingly strategize for an eternity on how to expand on it. So all writers, to some degree, are accidental perfectionists.

    If you’re a fellow writer out there and you’ve been sitting at your desk – or wherever you create your best work – sighing with despair because it seems like no matter how hard you try, you just can’t think of anything to write, you’ve come to the right place! Here are some tried-and-true methods to alleviate that pesky writer’s block and get the words flowing again.

    Stretch Your Body

    Getting up to stretch for a few minutes during writing sessions is an incredible way to raise your dopamine levels! Anytime you have a dopamine reset, you’re re-stimulating your senses, not only giving you that ‘feel good’ energy, but more importantly, enough of it to knock you off the writer’s block hill and back on the active writing horse. Moving your body – therefore ultimately, staying physically active – is also generally good for you anyway.

    Create Timed Sessions

    For those of us with neurodivergent tendencies, using a timer to write can be helpful in staying focused on the task at hand. Simply find any timer to your liking and set it for the desired amount of minutes you’d need without feeling like you may start checking out of your writing. Once the check-out starts, writer’s block mode is imminent. It’s recommended to start with short intervals of time, such as five minutes, and expand the more comfortable you get. You can also choose to start with much longer intervals. Do what feels right for you!

    Use The Freewrite Method

    This is a method that most writers, new and experienced, tend to enjoy! Freewriting is a popular writing method that is exactly what it sounds like. All you have to do is sit down and write. Write anything. Write garbage. The goal is to get some semblance of an idea on paper and run with it. You can choose to set a timer for this activity as well, but it’s not necessary. If you’re the type of writer to get carried away into the writing abyss without paying much attention to time, this is a great exercise for you!

    Switch Your Writing Tools

    What does this mean? Try out different modes of writing and see what sticks. Perhaps you’re someone who usually types on their laptop. Try switching to your tablet or phone. If you’re more old fashioned, or simply just enjoy it more, you can try writing by hand. In fact, studies show that writing by hand can have a range of benefits for both children and adults. Shoot, throw a typewriter in there and pretend you’re a fancy 19th century scholar! You get the idea.

    Read Someone Else’s Work

    There’s an old saying: “If you want to write, you must read.” Indeed, this is true. The more content you read, the more of a foundation you create for yourself to write in whatever genre and category you choose! Reading other (published or unpublished) books, articles, screenplays and more can give you a perspective on your own writing and serve as a tool of perseverance when writer’s block rears its ugly head. The key is to not compare writing, but enjoy the content as another reader while seeing how it relates to your personal writing voice.

    Change Your Scenery

    Changing your scenery can mean many different things, and they all depend on what you prefer! If you usually write at your desk at home, stop at your local library! Not only are you helping to keep library culture alive and well in our society, but it’s also free! Not to mention quiet. But maybe you want to sip on a coffee, tea, or steamer as you write – you can always venture to a nearby cafe! Switching around your writing scenery can help tremendously with maintaining focus. For writers who can afford it, traveling to other countries or cities is an amazing stimulation and will surely set your writing imagination on fire!

    Get Inspired By Other Art Forms

    Sometimes, watching or listening to other modes of media can give you your own ideas to brainstorm! If you write any genre of fiction, this is exceedingly beneficial. Take a break from writing and watch a show or movie that you enjoy. Read a different genre or form of writing than you’re used to. Go to a museum and stare at the displays. Draw your own conclusions about what they represent, or what the original creator felt while birthing it into the world. Light a few candles and listen to a soothing album by one of your favorite artists. Taking in other forms of art to analyze, dissect, and admire is crucial for any creative person.

    Create A Writing Playlist

    Elaborating more on inspiration for a moment, let’s talk about writing playlists! Creating one can really pull you into the zone of writing. This is especially true for those of us who write speculative fiction. Creating a music playlist for a unique writing project can make all the difference when it comes to staying motivated to the end. Music can make a scene come alive in a way that just doesn’t quite measure up when we silently imagine it in our heads. Music can make or break a scene, whether on paper or a screen.

    Final Thoughts

    At the end of the day, there are many ways to lift yourself from the terrible dungeons of writer’s block. The main thing to remember is that it’s a fairly common phenomenon that happens to the best of us – what’s more important is finding your way out, in your own kind of way that speaks to you, one word at a time. Good luck!

    BOOK A CONSULTATION

    Are you searching for writing, product design/development, or language learning services on your own behalf or that of your enterprise? I offer free 30-minute consultations to potential B2B/B2C clients!

    Kindly book a meeting HERE