Susan Quilty

Susan Quilty Freelance Writer
Why I Write Online Everyone has something to share. Maybe it's a review of a great movie that slipped under the radar. Maybe it's advice on how to shop with a toddler in tow, or the experience learned through years of throwing children's birthday parties. Whatever I experience in life becomes a lesson learned. Some of my experiences are from trial and error, others have been learned in books. (I'm reading at least one fiction and one non-fiction book at any given time.) Writing online is an opportunity to share my experiences with others. On this page, you will find a sampling of my online articles, divided by featured categories, and a few of my thoughts on writing. Please visit my Helium profile to explore additional articles.
Philosophy and Self-Help Life can be difficult, complex, and messy. These articles explore some of the issues that can deeply affect our lives: Is Your Past Controlling Your Life? What to Do If You are Sexually Assaulted Falling in Love with Your Best Friend and How to Handle It 55Places.com A sampling of some of the articles I have written for 55Places.com, a great site which explores 55 and older active adult communities and topics of interest to active adults. How Technology Keeps Retirees Connected Las Vegas for Active Adults 4 Simple Tips to Lessen the Effects of Empty Nest Syndrome The Kitchen and Family Room Combo Popular with Active Adults Saying Goodbye to the Family Home Facebook and Baby Boomers, Will the Friendship Last? 6 Popular Interior Design Trends for Baby Boomers Paying for College A college education can be expensive, yet it is an important investment toward future financial security. Understanding the Rising Costs of a College Education How to Choose a 529 Plan How a 529 Plan Can Affect Financial Aid What is the Penalty on an Unused 529 Plan? A Reflection on Fiction Every person contains their own story. As I watch strangers walk through stores or sit at traffic lights, I imagine their world. Where are they going? What did they have for breakfast? Who do they love? What are their dreams? We are each our own starring character moving in our own circle of awareness that overlaps, like Venn diagrams, with the others in our lives. Fiction explores the world in its own terms. It can be based in fact or metaphor, fantasy or realism. Whole universes can be created to accomodate the story or it can struggle to breathe in the same confines of our physical world. Fiction is both a haven and a journey. Fiction is a reflection of ourselves. Piano Tips and Techniques Beginners and advanced piano players alike can improve their dexterity and skill by trying some new exercises and techniques: Piano Why Scales are Important The Self-taught Pianist, What to do When You've Outgrown Your Piano Teacher How Practice, Play, and Performance Enhance a Musical Education Helium Community Editor Helium's Community Editors welcome new members and strive to improve the overall quality of Helium's online content. Here are some tips to avoid common problems in your articles: 1. Use the Paste from Word tool whenever copying text into the article submission form. This keeps coding errors from appearing in your article. 2. Use the Spell Check tool when submitting. Spell Check is not turned on by default. 3. Proofread your article, carefully. Watch for easily confused words that Spell Check will not flag (e.g. their, there, and they're). Watch for missing words, spaces, and punctuation. 4. Use proper capitalization. Proper nouns need to be capitalized. Words in the middle of sentences should not be capitalized to add emphasis. Avoid using all capital letters, even in subheadings.	My Love of Words Words are like a drug, creating moments of euphoria as they pass through my mind. It is not about using words that are impressive. It is about the nuance. It is the thrill of enjoying a word that precisely captures my intent. Of choosing a single word that says many. It is delighting in the sound of syllables slipping through my lips. It is poetry. It is the balance between description and momentum. It is the joy of saying wasps out loud. Relationships and Communication Communication is essential for happy relationships. The following articles explore ways to improve communication in various relationships: Complaints and Their Impact on Relationships Communicating with Negative People and the Effect It Has on Your Happiness How to Successfully Flirt with Women How to Seduce a Man Common Dating Issues and How to Solve Them When is a Teen Ready for Sex Knit and Crochet Knit and crochet are great hobbies and online help makes it easier than ever to expand your skills: Tips for Knitting Scarves Knitting Basics Understanding the Purl Stitch How to Read Crochet Diagrams Where to Find Stylish Crochet Patterns How to Use Baby Afghan Ripple Patterns Parenting Advice Parenting is the toughest job a person will ever have. Here are just a few ideas to help along the way: Preparing Your Family to Move to a New Home Tips on Teaching Your Teen Boy How to Shave Ways to Teach Children about Sex Disney Movies That Teach Terrible Lessons How to Avoid Buying Gender Stereotypical Gifts Book Reviews Looking for a good book? Here are a few you may enjoy: Seven Seasons of Buffy, by David Brin Perfume the Story of a Murderer, by Patrick Suskind Gone With the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell The Existential Joss Whedon, by J Michael Richardson and J Douglas Rabb On the Lighter Side A little laughter and light reading: Humor - Secret Love Humor - Femininity Poetry - Falling in Love Short Story - The Job Interview Short Story - A Mom, a Son, and a Shopping Cart Hairstyle Advice Everyone wants to have their own best hairstyle. Try these tips for finding a new look, trying new styles, or living with a bad haircut: How to Book an Appointment at a Hair Salon Great hairstyles for women over 50 Timeless hairstyles and haircuts Five Most Fashionable Methods for Disguising Bad Haircuts What to do when you've cut your bangs too short
Comments (1 to 6 of 6) Ann Miller Sep 12, 10 at 04:14 PM nicely done x Susan Quilty Mar 05, 09 at 02:20 PM Thanks, Jennifer and Ailyeus! I've been getting such a nice response from this portfolio, that I decided to start another zone about Board Games. Check it out: http://www.helium.com/zone/2263-board-games Aliyeus J Mar 05, 09 at 03:46 AM Hi Susan, thanks for your reply on the community pages (in the contest section). And now here I am viewing your zone, I love it. "My Love on Words," and "A Reflection on Fiction" were great reads. Jennifer Lim Feb 05, 09 at 02:11 PM Hi Susan, I like your zone, there are lots of information and the layout is fantastic. Cheers Jenn Susan Quilty Jan 15, 09 at 11:51 PM Thanks, Bob! I'm now learning the guitar too - which is a rather different experience from the piano! Once I get a little better with the guitar I hope to pass along some of what I learn through some Helium articles. Bob Schmidt Jan 11, 09 at 06:11 PM Glad to see your section on piano tips. As a professional piano tuner I thank you for promoting music as a study instead of I-pods and passive music pursuit! Bob Schmidt Enter your comment below: If you are a registered Helium member, you may login and then leave your own comment. Flag Inappropriate Content

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Susan Quilty

Helium member since Jul 25, 07

Number of Zones: 2

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Includes my Writer Biography and links to all of my Helium articles, sorted by channel.
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SusanQuilty.com
My personal blog.
Moral Secularism
Ethics through choice, not fear.
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My Recent Helium Articles

Here are some snippets from my recent articles. Click on the links to read the full articles:

My Recent Blog Posts

Flash Fiction: The Snapshots of Short Stories
The "short" in a short story has a highly varied meaning. While most submissions fall somewhere in the middle, I have read guidelines which accept short stories that are anywhere from 1,200 to 12,000 words long. Lately, flash fiction--which is significantly shorter--seems to be gaining popularity, particularly on the Internet where readers want a quick story fix. Flash fiction can also vary in
2011-05-25T08:40:00.003-04:00
Thinking Places for Freelance Writers
A.A. Milne was onto something when he gave Winnie the Pooh his own "thinking place." Everyone has their own places (or routines) which make thoughts come more easily. Thinking places may be different for everyone, but time after time I hear other writers mention that their thoughts flow freely in many similar places. For most writers, the best thinking place is not sitting in front of a blank
2011-05-17T18:55:00.001-04:00
Billie Joe Armstrong and American Idiot's Final Days
Familiar voices sound through the theater in the form of recorded clips from politicians, advertisers and TV shows. The curtain rises to reveal a stark backdrop which is papered in mostly black-and-white posters and interspersed with TV screens in various sizes and styles. Scruffy young adults are scattered around the stage amid a few pieces of worn-out furniture, and a blonde is suspended by
2011-04-20T21:00:00.001-04:00