I am a very happy wordsmith girl today, and you can see why with a glimpse at my dresser. We all know that I (or, rather my finances) are doomed the minute I step into a T2 store, and this was evident today when I hit the shops in between work meetings and walked out with this gorgeous tea cup and saucer (which are huge and perfect for my Mad-Hatters Kitchen Tea/Bridal Shower this October) as well as a pack of their Creme Brulee tea (CREME BRULEE!). That said, I could be a little happier if I also walked out with the Choc-Chip Chai Tea as well, but I think we’ll take this addiction a little at a time, no?
And as you can see I’m also indulging my savoir-faire by being as clued up as possible on things I’m finding quite relevant in the pop culture world right now, namely all things Alice in Wonderland (today it’s Harper’s Bazaar that’s indulging this love with an interview with its lead Mia Wasikowska). On the smarts front, I am getting excited at the prospect of reading Natasha Waller’s Living Dolls (Virago, $35) which is out on March 25th and bound to cause a little bit of a stir on the sexualisation of young girls (its author also wrote The New Feminism).
And of course, I am still writing my novel with steely determination, and thus continuing to immerse myself in as much Young Adult fiction as possible for the purposes of keeping me in teenager-land until my first draft of work is up. Last week it was Candace Bushnell’s The Carrie Diaries, which is media embargoed until May and therefore keeping me tight-lipped; and this week it’s Melina Marchetta’s The Piper’s Son, which I’m already quite enjoying, but then you wouldn’t expect less from Marchetta.
Much to my excitement, I’m also working on a couple of stories and waiting to hear on a few more commissions, so things are good on Wordsmith Lane, even if it means my post have been very few and far between. But I have not forgotten you fellow wordsmiths, and I will not fail you once I have time on my side again for even just a minute. I promise I will make it worth your while once I have some concrete evidence about the world of book writing that I will be able to divulge. In the mean time, I hope you’re treating your lovely selves with as much style, smarts and savoir-faire that you can muster – trust me, it goes down a treat!
A few of you have been emailing or commenting here that you’d like an update on how the book is going, and I am pleased to report that I am well into a third of it. For the first time in a long time, I have a tight grip on the storyline and the characters, and I am slowly but surely learning to show rather than tell.
I know there’s still heaps of room for improvement, so, even in my financially-strained situation, I have forked out $200 to attend a one-on-one manuscript assessment session at the NSW Writer’s Centre, where a certified editor will go through the first 15 pages of my manuscript and advise me on its merits or demerits so far. I will make sure to post about how this assessment goes, in case any of you aspiring wordsmiths care to part take in the upcoming one which occurs in May.
If that assessment session goes well, I will be shipping what I have so far off to the publisher who wanted to sample it, and hopefully emerge from said shipping with some prospect of a book deal. If not, it’s back to burying my nose into the story, because I am pressed for time?
Why? Without revealing too much, I can say that my story corresponds with the anniversary of a certain Australian event on the cusp of 2010/2011, and so I want to ensure that it is released at a time when this event will be revisited in the news. The importance of marketing my novel here are paramount, but I will be able to divulge more a little later. Until then, thank you for your patience, and I hope that in another month or so, I can post here saying my first draft is practically complete. Slowly but surely I am getting there, and if all goes well, I will be able to give you more of an insight into the novel publishing process (and from an amateur at that!). Happy writing xx
So, we all know that I’m a pretty bad blogger. I know that my relationship and commitment levels to this blog would be deemed reckless abandonment, but just this once (or second time if you count my big absence of 2009) I have a justifiable excuse.
I have shackled myself to wordsmith headquarters (aka my desk) manically writing my novel. I’m so stoked that I am finally in the zone, which has been made all the better thanks to the morbidly depressing poems I wrote in highschool, Taylor Swift’s Fearless album, and the diverse array of teenage movies sitting in my sister’s bookshelf (it’s a young adult novel); and as such, I am desperately trying NOT to distract mysef too much from the task at hand.
My goal? Finish the first draft of my novel by March 1st. This practically gives me all of February to finish writing it, and even though I am only in the first quarter, I am pretty confident that if all goes according to plan and I am still inhabiting said zone, it will happen for me.
And then it’s off to getting it assessed, which is where the biting of the fingernails and the stressing out begins. Until then, I will try and drop by here and there to let you know how I am progressing with it in the midst of working full-time, but I can’t make any promises and even if I did, I know you wouldn’t believe me. At least the reason is worth it this time.
And if any of you are in the same boat, comment with some words of solidarity and hopefully we’ll all get our goals afloat in time to call 2010 a success 
Happy Writing!
By Joyce Kwok
Review: Making Money from Your Writing
You write for the love of words. But you have to be honest – wouldn’t it be nice to make some money from your passion?
The Centre for Adult Education (CAE) in Melbourne conducts a range of short courses in writing, from freelance journalism to travel writing. In the midst of a vague New Year’s Resolution feeling ‘to do something with my writing this year’, I flipped through the CAE course guide until my attention was captured by an enticing title – ‘Making Money from Your Writing’. ‘Yes!’ I thought, ‘I want to make some money from the hours of research, thinking, drafting and editing that I pour into my writing’. And that’s how I found myself inside a classroom for six hours on a sunny Sunday.
The regular teacher Sheila Hollingworth was unable to take the class so the course was run by a guest lecturer, Carole Goldsmith, an international freelance journalist with over 20 years’ experience. The objectives of the course were to teach us how to:
- identify potential customers;
- generate marketable ideas for stories/articles;
- pitch our ideas and learn about the business side of getting work including query letters;
- work for commission and how to deal with editors/publishers, copyright issues and multi-selling articles; and
- promote yourself as a writer.
In actual fact what we did was spend about three hours talking about the types of writing (feature articles, news articles, media releases etc), how to write an article (have a catchy title and first paragraph, a middle and a conclusion) and sifting through Carole’s portfolio of published works and personal anecdotes.
Yes, it’s important to know how to write material that sells if you’re going to make money from your writing. But I got quite frustrated at the amount of time given to these topics. I mean, we’ve all read magazine and newspaper articles, we should have all learnt about how a three-part structure works in high school and I really wasn’t that interested in Carole’s numerous articles for Manufacturing Monthly. In my mind I hadn’t signed up to the course to learn about using active verbs and how to conduct an interview – I wanted information on how to market and sell my work.
We spent another hour or so talking about how to work with editors, all of which can be boiled down to one sentence: provide what you promised, on time. Seems kind of like common sense to me.
Having said that, I did occasionally pick up some nuggets of information:
- don’t get shafted! Get the date of payment (eg on publication, a week after publication), agreed pay rates and due date for submission in writing;
- the Australian Writer’s Marketplace ($49.95) is updated by the Queensland Writers Centre every year and contains the writers guidelines for many publications;
- freelance writing rates seem to be some secret that no one wants to share. So here it is: 20-30 cents is low, 50-60c for a beginner is ok, 70-80c is what Carole would be looking at for an Australian publication;
- who pays the best rates in Australia? Readers Digest, The Monthly and publications with large circulations such as national newspapers or magazines like New Idea;
- international publications generally pay more than Australian publications. The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance has 2010 guidelines for pay rates, and Carole has never heard of anyone receiving this kind of money. On the other hand, she regularly receives US$1 a word from overseas (online) publications;
- keep your copyright, get paid less but then re-sell the article for various publications. This is particularly worthwhile for travel articles. Incidentally, travel writing pays pretty poorly generally – $150 for 700 words; and
- the Copyright Agency Limited has free lectures throughout the year which might be useful.
So would I recommend this course to other aspiring freelance writers?
I did find out some interesting information and attending the course has kick-started me to take some positive action about making money from my writing. However, I’d say only about 25% of the content was relevant and useful to me.
Frankly, I think you’d better off saving your $165 course fee (which includes the text ‘Mission Possible. How to Make Money from your Writing’) and spend six hours reading the same information that is available for free at excellent freelance writing blogs such as Freelance Writing Jobs, Fuel Your Writing, Word Count, The Urban Muse and of course Wordsmith Lane.
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Joyce Kwok is a Melbourne intellectual property lawyer who also writes and edits two blogs – MEL: HOT OR NOT The decisive guide to Melbourne (www.melhotornot.com) and BNE: HOT OR NOT The decisive guide to Brisbane (www.bnehotornot.com). The blogs review restaurants, bars, shops, culture, events and everything in between for locals and visitors to Melbourne and Brisbane. You can follow Joyce on Twitter at http://twitter.com/jetsettingjoyce
Interview: Lisa Dempster, Writer, Editor & Director of the Emerging Writer’s Festival
I first met Lisa Dempster when I was waiting to go up and talk about Trespass mag at the Emerging Writer’s Festival, and she was the perfect panel host. I was nervous and the fact that she made me feel a lot calmer was worth a lot in my book. That was 2009, and she’s come a long way since hosting that panel to be the festival’s Director for 2010. But that’s not all she does – in addition to copy writing, Lisa is also a writer, editor and author specialising in vegan food (a niche most of us would find limiting, but one that she has mastered the art of well). Check out her work and bio at www.lisadempster.com.au and read on as she divulges her plans for the busy year ahead.
Tell us (in a nutshell) about your wordsmith career path so far:
From an involvement in the indie publishing scene as the publisher at Vignette Press I started writing unpaid articles for various places, which led to co-writing a reference guide (Veg*n Shopper), which led to editing a restaurant guide (The Melbourne Veg Food Guide), which led to paid writing for various publications, which led to writing a travel narrative (Neon Pilgrim), which led to editing a creative anthology (The Words We Found: the best writing from 21 years of Voiceworks magazine), which indirectly all led to an involvement with the Emerging Writers’ Festival and my appointment as the Director of said festival. Oh, and I’m a copywriter as well.
What are some of your current projects, and who are you writing for at the moment?
Book proposals – I’m hoping to get some new projects off the ground in 2010. Plus I’m working on an exciting publishing project through Vignette Press.
You’ve had four books published so far. What was it like seeing your name on the cover for a first time?
It was a rush. The excitement never dies, either – I love that moment of seeing my books for the first time.
Was the experience of working on a big project daunting at first, and has it become a lot easier now that you have more than one title to your name?
Not really. Every project is different and offers unique challenges. My first book involved a lot of research but was straightforward to write, and Neon Pilgrim was more about mastering structure and narrative. I suppose I’m probably less daunted by a big project than I used to be, but I don’t think it necessarily gets easier.
One of your works, Neon Pilgrim, tracks your “journey from overweight dole bludger to intrepid explorer” in Japan. What inspired you to turn your travel adventures into such a unique book? Did you write as you travelled, or did you come back and revisit it all?
I knew right from the start that I would write a book about my trip on the 88 temple pilgrimage – I think most writers are constantly thinking of ways that they can turn their experiences into material. I didn’t write as I travelled but I did keep a detailed journal. Writing on the go would have been a disaster… I thought it was best just to let the experience unfold then try to organise it into a book later.
How important is your blog to you? Do you think it is essential for writer’s to have a webspace?
My blog is so important to me! I love writing it and I love the interaction and feedback I get from it. But I don’t think blogging is vital for writers; the medium suits some people more than others, and if you’re maintaining a website out of some sense that it’s important for profile then I would say don’t bother. There are plenty of successful writers out there who don’t blog.
What was it like to start of as a punter, then panellist, at the Emerging Writer’s Festival in Melbourne, and now, how does it feel to be directing it for 2010?
Exciting and nerve-wracking! I have been a massive fan of the festival for ages, and my continued involvement over the years has been a source of great pleasure, so being director really is a dream job for me.
Are there any particular aspects of the festival you are looking forward to more than others, or anything you’d like to change? The outgoing director was so fantastic, I’m inheriting a really wonderful festival. I’m currently looking forward to programming! I think that the fun part – and getting to see it all in action in May, of course. There will be changes, as it’s the challenge of any good festival to remain innovative and keep engaging its audience in new ways.
How useful do you find networking at such events, and how would you recommend Wordsmith Lane readers network for their career potential, without coming across as pushy or annoying? I don’t like the word ‘networking’, but getting involved in events like that is absolutely a good idea. If you have a genuine interest in the event and the kinds of people that go to those events then it’s not pushy at all – most people who go are keen to meet likeminded people. It would only be annoying if you were aggressive in the way you approached people or only interested in talking about yourself.
You seem to have carved up a little niche for yourself in the areas of veganism and healthy food. Do you find this limits the scope of where you can publish or are you happy sticking to books and guides, as well as your blog?
It limits the scope of what I can publish, but that doesn’t matter because I wouldn’t be interested in writing about steak or whatever anyway. Sometimes I wish there were more mainstream opportunities to publish vegan stuff but in the end it doesn’t really matter – over the past few years I’ve helped to create a robust vegan media in Australia, which has been enormously satisfying. In a lot of ways my niche topic has been a boon to my writing career, as I’m not competing with lots of other writers to get the jobs!
What were some of the difficulties you encountered when trying to establish yourself as a writer? Did you rely on any tools, mentors, groups or writers centres/courses for help?
Difficulties include trying to balance work with time to write, feeling frustrated about the industry, dealing with rejection, lack of confidence that my work is any good… some fantastic people along the way have helped a lot. I think I’ve achieved success because I’ve put myself out there, by becoming a publisher (Vignette Press) and going to events and being a participant in the industry as a whole. It’s an active process – getting involved, meeting people – rather than the almost-passive action of just sending things off and hoping to get picked up.
Are there any other writing goals you’d like to pursue? Like creative writing for example?
Yes, loads of goals. I’m writing a novel which is one in a series, and am pursuing more opportunities to do essay-writing, and would love to put together a cookbook. I’d get bored just working on the same style of thing all the time.
What are some of the difficulties that you encounter when working on a big project such as a book? Is it a big process that tends to go back and forth between yourself and your publishers/editors?
It can feel pretty epic. I’m working on the next edition of the Veg Food Guide at the moment and it’s a big job coordinating the 20-odd reviewers and editing the 200 reviews and getting all the end matter and intro and production stuff going at the same time. There is always a lot of back and forwards between everyone involved. With Neon Pilgrim the crazy time happened at the end, when the manuscript was going between me and the publisher and the proofreader, while the typesetting and design were all happening too. It can be a bit mental. But it’s a buzz – I love it.
What are your primary reasons for blogging? Does it get your ‘juices flowing’ in a sense?
I don’t really see blogging as writing practice. I view a blog as a self-publishing platform, a way for me to report news, broadcast my ideas and connect with other people.
What is a typical day in the life of Lisa Dempster, Writer & Editor?
Very varied, depending whether I’m at the Wheeler Centre working on the festival or working from home, or doing freelance work, or doing Vignette Press work… Everyday I get up early and walk my dog though, which is about my favourite time of day, and a coffee once I hit work is essential. Every day is different, which is important to me.
What are some of the perks associated with your job?
Getting to meet and hang out with all sorts of writers, and doing different things all the time.
And what are your career aspirations?
I’m not really aiming towards anything. Mostly I’d just like to be happy with whatever I’m doing.
What advice would you offer to aspiring freelancers and wordsmiths who want to follow a similar career path?
Every career path is different so don’t worry about it too much, if you work hard and put yourself out there it will happen.
Ten in the Hot Seat:
1. Describe yourself in one word: Ridiculous.
2. Biggest accomplishment to date: Hiking 1200kms in Japan.
3. You wish you wrote: Too many to mention!
4. Can’t leave home without: My bike – I ride everywhere.
5. One thing you are currently writing: Copy.
6. First thing you wrote: I was the first person in my prep year level to attempt to write in full sentences.
7. Addicted to reading: Travel books are a particular weakness.
8. Top spot on your goals list: Get another book deal.
9. If you were a character in a novel, you’d be: Ellie Linton from the Tomorrow series.
10. The best thing about being a wordsmith: Writing!
It’s easy to let our new year plans and resolutions to fall by the wayside. Before we know it, we’ve gone off the wine and the holiday high, ventured back into work woes and stress sources, and become the person we were a year before, albeit a little older.
As much as I love a good resolution or few, as you’d have seen by my Christmas/New Year’s posts, I daresay they’re not as good to my holistic view of health, wealth and happiness as those beautiful old codes which the universe expects us to live by. You know, those basic principles enshrined in the major religions and simple belief systems of the world, where we’re supposed to love others, live simply, fairly and honestly, refrain from judging, and so on and so forth.
But with all that there is to believe and follow and know, practising these old codes in the midst of this hectic, modern and ever-changing world gets a little too challenging. It’s so easy to be torn and confused by everything that’s out there, especially as we struggle to do the right thing while other people are not, and as good as it feels, we don’t want to be the last ones to get that car or be the worst done-by.
The other day, I re-read the prayer of St Francis of Assisi, the rich noble who shed his all his wares and devoted himself to the poor. While I don’t plan on shedding myself of the likes of Chanel and Louis Vuitton, I know that epitomising the words of his prayer could make for a happier me, and a happier earth — especially if we all did the same.
And although this is a Christian prayer, its principles and codes are fairly akin to those preached in belief systems far and wide — whether the ancient tablets and scrolls of Judaism or the modern words of humanitarianism, or even the karma principles of Buddhism. Christian or not, it’s easy to be optimistic about words that encourage you to find solace in the fact that you reap what you sow, and that’s what justice, fairness and simpler, happy life is all about.
So if you need a little more inspiration to keep you hanging on to your plans to live a better life this year, here is the prayer for your reflections. Substitute Lord and Divine Master if you wish, because the message and the intention will be the same…and so will the turn for a greater good in yourself, in others and in our beautiful world. Perfect material for new year, and for all our inspiration walls.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
In my last post, where I gladly bid sayonara to 2009 and prepared to usher in 2010 with much excitement, I wrote of a few resolutions that I planned to keep for the year that would enable me to live a little more happy, well-rounded and stress-free.
This morning, while doing my usual browsing of news sites, blogs and links from twitter, I came across a competition run by the lovely girls over at SheSaid. The comp shed light on a study recently run by AMEX, which found that one in five Australians belong to a new type of people the study has labelled ‘potentialists’ — individuals who aspire to mix traditional career successes with a more well-rounded life filled with the pursuit of new experiences, personal enrichment and the building of new hobbies and skills to make life a little more exciting.
I immediately knew that this is the kind of existence I was mulling about when I wrote about my resolutions and goals for 2010. And I am proud to say I am already on to it. Despite spending my holiday break at home the past couple of weeks, I decided not to shy away from investing some time in little luxuries that would not break the wedding-budget. Here were my top three:
1. Dinner & Dessert in Sydney’s Newtown: Fiance and I were bored. He wanted dinner, I wanted dessert, we both wanted to get out of the house and go on a date. We had limited funds on account of the $50k+ wedding we were having a year later. The solution? A night under $50. First stop was Basil, an Italian restaurant on King St, where we tucked into a delicious family size pizza of proscuitto, parmesan, mozzarella, mushroom and olive (and it was so huge we didn’t finish it) and a great rocket and parmesan salad (with walnuts and pears). Delicious meal, complete with a 10% discount because we were students. And because no meal is ever complete without dessert, we walked a few shops over to Max Brenner, and indulged in hot chocolates and an amazing souffle with ice-cream. And yes, all under $50. Enjoyment on the cheap, and a fabulous night at that. So far, so good.
2. Luxurious afternoon at home: After a few days lazing about at home and not feeling particularly jazzy, I needed a pick-me-up. Considering I had just spent my Christmas money on a Christmas tree for 2010 (because obviously I’ll be moving out when I am married and I will most definitely need a tree…perferably one I can get for 50% off even if it means keeping it in storage for 11 months) I couldn’t indulge in anything too pricey. My solution? The latest edition of UK Tatler (and a special edition at that) for $11.95, a copy of Daily Candy (which I had recently purchased from eBay for $8, and which I loved and was re-reading), and a glass of Trilogy Sparkling Rose ($12). Combined with Friends & Sex and the City repeats on Foxtel, as well as a plate of cheese, fig crackers, quince paste and cherries,(and thanks to my future mother in law, a santa sack of yummy Darrell Lea chocolates) it was a perfect afternoon. Luxury needn’t be pricey, for me, it was all in the finer details (like serving in crystal glassware), cheap things that scream fabulous (pink chapmagne always does the trick), and the things that I love and calm myself to.
3. Move night with the girls: Had read The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold and needed to see Peter Jackson’s interpretation of it. Was not disappointed. Drove to a faraway cinema where nobody knew us, purchased cheap, packaged and less-buttered popcorn from Woolies and a lemon ice-tea, and my movie ticket ($14 because, again, I am a student) and zoned out for a couple of hours with a great film and great company.
Little moments of bliss with little havoc on the wallet. Luxury catered especially to my reality, and not lost on me at all. And all without compromising my promises for the new year. So far, so good.
Good Tidings, Wordsmith Laners, and thank you for tuning into Wordsmith Lane over the past few months. I hope we can develop a bigger, better relationship over the course of 2010, and more importantly, I hope you all develop a bigger and better platform from which you can make your wordsmith dreams come true, no matter how big or small, or how close or faraway the are/seem.
I don’t know about you, but 2010 is a year I am much too excited about. Apart from the fact that I am getting married, it poses a lot more optimism and change for me than the last year did. I don’t remember how excited I was about 2009, but up until then I had enjoyed a breezy kind of existence, one which 2009 shook to the core. Let’s recap:
- Taking of job not 100% loved, which involved long working hours, significant travel, and no amount of career-climbing steps needed to make something out of it. But reasonable, regular pay, so couldn’t complain.
- Redundancy from said job. Resultant unemployment for about five months. Relief at no more long working hours, but difficulty in living due to zero cash flow.
- Rectified said problem by taking on casual job at USYD and attempting to survive on freelancing. Freelance budget cut most places due to the wretched wicked witch of the recession, so this was made difficult. Also, hated waking up at the crack of dawn in winter to make 7am start for USYD job. News Hours. Not happy, despite journalism degree telling me it is expected in industry.
- Diagnosed with depression somewhere in all this mess. Couldn’t focus on dreams. Sad, despairing, despondent. No longer interested in dreams. Even worse. Thesis got no action. Felt like a giant disappointment.
- Too much pressure on self in the midst of too much anxiety. No job meant little income, lost a house I really wanted to buy because of this. Body could not take it anymore. Collapsed, hospitalised for days, lost beloved grand father in hospital.
Eeek! So you can imagine why I am looking forward to 2010. But, like with the start of every year, I am not going blindly into it. Instead, I am making a list, and checking it twice this Christmas, to make sure that I am on track with regards to what I want out of 2010. Over the next week or two, I will do everything in my power to help prepare for this change in tack. Here are some of the things I am planning for:
- A complete and total overhaul of my buying ways, and a consistent effort to minimise clutter. I’ve been an avid consumer in my money-making life time, I shall not lie. But the GFC and, let’s not lie, my cluttered existence, has made me re-evaluate the neccessity of many things, and a cluttered, less-than-thrifty existence. Reading about simpler, more earth-friendly ways of living, and following the columns of Sarah Wilson, has made me realise that I do not need the amount of crap I own/buy and that I need to really think about the pruchases I make. Especially because I am the type of person that overhauls her closet every two months or so and rids herself of items she might have only worn once. To that end, I promise to live by more experiences (travel, dining, saving to make my home/domestic life better) and buy into the type of things (fashion-wise anyway) that deliver. Yes, that is an excuse for me to continue to lust after another Chanel Bag and a Burberry Trench.
- Cleaning. Systematic storage. The kind of stuff that goes hand-in-hand with all the above, and which is manifested in my email inbox and my desk. And my drawers. Cheers to me tossing as much as I can out of my life. And on a periodic basis to stop it building up ever again!
- Pilates. Pilates for mind. Pilates for Body. Pilates for Spirit. I know that a healthier lifestyle will bring so much more to my life, and along with a better diet and more enjoyable, relaxing exercise, like casual strolls or indoor rock climbing, Pilates will give me the physical strength that I need to help me to tackle my emotional and mental blockages.
- An overhaul of how I look at my goals list. I’ve already blogged about cutting down my 2010 goals to just one (write my book and get a publishing deal for it) to save me the worry of thinking myself an underachiever, but a general, this-goal-can-wait attitude is something I need in my life to stop being so anxious and pushing myself. There is always next month/next year to do this, and if I don’t, it’s ok. I have done a lot of other things and there’s always more to do and accomplish.
- My marriage. It’s getting very easy to think in terms of a wedding as opposed to a marriage. I come from a very traditional background, and believe that marriage is sacred and requires a lot of effort. It’s not something I plan to take lightly. So instead of being a bridezilla about the wedding, which is over in one day with a whole load of bills coming after it, I am going to be a wifezilla about my marriage and try to make it as good as it can possibly be (not perfect, I already know there’s no such thing). That said, my wedding is still going to cost me in excess of $50k (I am Lebanese, this is how we do), but as long as I keep reminding myself that it is less than half of some of my loved ones’ weddings, I will be ok.
- Wordsmith Lane. I need to stop worrying about how I am going to factor in time for Wordsmith Lane, because honestly, sometimes, I have to accept that it is just not going to happen with my thesis and my journalism and my book and my wedding. And well, my life. So I have decided to take the ones who have gotten in touch up on their offers of guest posts. If you too are interested in writing some guests posts for Wordsmith Lane, whether it is a rant about your own writing, or a review of a book or writing course, or an experience at a festival or with a writer you met, do get in touch. Email me at sarah[@]sarahayoub.com and I will be more than glad to consider your idea.
- Read things that make me feel good. Things like Daily Candy and Marian Keyes tales and other great novels by great authors. Check into my girly reads a little more. Buy the occasional Tatler or Vanity Fair, even with their massive price tags.
- Write. Look at it not as work but as my love. The one thing that I feel called to do for my career. Love it. Feel it. Embrace it. Treat every piece that I possibly can as that particular peice that just has to be associated with me. And most certainly, do it all without thinking.
- Think less. My constant thinking has got to be a key contributor to all the toxic build up in my life. Who cares about what other people think. I didn’t care in hospital, and back then, it was supposed to matter.
- If I can spare the cash for it, I’d like to take a class to learn something different and get out of my usual comfort zone. Dancing, or cake decorating, or sewing or French. One of those would be my picks for sure.
- Take breaks! Breaks to indulge in the glory that is life and free time. To watch movies or TV or go for walks or go out for coffee or even weekends away!
A long list, but all achievable. And with that, I must take my leave of Wordsmith Lane for Christmas and New Year. I will be back on the 18th January, and next year, I promise interviews with Tracy Spicer, Caroline Overington, Zoe Foster and more. Plus, we’ll take advice from Miss Sarah Jane Adams and more on how to get a regular column and more! In the mean time, continue to work on your wordsmith dreams, and to hope and pray for a beautiful, happy and prosperous 2010.
Merry Christmas to all - and peace on earth, and goodwill to all men (and women).
Much love and Christmas blessings xx
All the better since I write with them my dear.
I don’t know if you guys are the kind of wordsmiths that I am. Although I do most of my writing on a keyboard, as opposed to on a piece of parchment with a quill or in an exercise book or something, my hands are not always in the most pristine of conditions.
For starters, I like to make a lot of notes when I write. It helps me make sense of my project. I write on post-its and in notebooks, drawing lines and arrows and clouds, and using different coloured pens. I also employ multi-coloured highlighters for particularly big projects too, so my hands are often smeared with ink.
What’s more, is that I pound when I am typing really fast, so the letters on my keyboard are fading, and my nail polish keeps chipping and I’m getting dry skin on my finger tips. Apparently, the hands are one of the quickest places that age. Couple that with the fact that unkempt hands are unsightly and unfeminine, and you will understand why I have devoted a whole post to caring for them. Especially on account of the fact that most of the appearance sections in my favourite style and girly guides always employ us to pay very dear attention to our lovely hands. Perhaps because it’s where we elbow-cart our little designer bags from, but also because they are worth loving and looking after, because we are not tradesmen.
So I had a little poke and prod to see where and how I can give mine the type of attention they want in order to keep them looking pristine, and I realised that there really is no need for me to be so lazy about it, because it just involves two little bits of treatment: one for hands and one for nails.
HANDS:
Look for a moisturiser that treats the problem you are concerned about. I keep a giant bottle of sorbolene cream near the sink at home so that I can moisturise immediately after doing the dishes sans-gloves. But there’s a lot more to it than that. Hand and body moisturisers and very inexpensive, so depending on how your hands are looking, you can treat a few hand issues at once. If you’re worried about ageing, I’d recommend Nivea Hand Age COntrol Cream Q10 (44.28 for 75mL), which contains UVA/UVB filters to protect against the damaging effects of the sun (and thus premature ageing), as well as AHAs to gently remove dead skin cells to keep hands looking fresher and brighter. If the eather’s been windy or you’ve been using those hands a little too much and wearing them a little too rough as result (I actually have a callous on my hand right now and I have no idea why) then you need some hand emergency gear, and, still with Nivea, the Hand SOS Intensive Balm ($5.50) is your answer. It instantly softens hands with its miracle healing ingredient Panthenol, and is the perfect soother for chapped hands.
Sometimes though, moisture is not the only answer. When I have handle food, or when I need a significant pick-me-up, I love a sweet-smelling hand cream as an antidote. Haven by Planet Earth is the perfetc budgeting option here, you can get three mini hand creams for $9.95, in deliciously scented flavours like frangipani, lime and rose. If you have a little bit more moolah for which to treat yourself, trilogy is the go-to brand you need – their Rose Hand Cream is also scented with marshmallow, and features shea and cocoa butters to deliver silky smooth hands, and rosehip and evening primrose to repair damaged skin and cuticles. And although it’s $26.00, it’s bang-for-your-buck and does the job perfectly.
NAILS:
These have two different sets of rules 
plain or glam. You could either go for the unpolished (or pale-polished) clean look, or the polished, stand-out look that still screams well-treated (read: moisturised, well-shaped, no cracks!). Here is where shapes and cuticles are of utmost important. Invest in a good file and buffer — the file to shape your nails into a squoval shape, and the buffer to kind of LIGHTLY sand them down to smooth out any ridges in preparation for the polish. NEVER cut your own cuticles, but use an orange stick to gently push them back after every shower, or after soaking them in warm water. Use some cuticle oil to keep them soft too. I have to do this a few times a day, because they’re quite stubborn and keep returning to their original spots. A good but budget-friendly kit for this kind of do is the Planet Earth hand kit which is available from Target and priced at $20. It’s got rose hand wash and moisturiser, as well as a french polish kit, a file, a brush and cuticle oil.
If you like your nails to stand out and say something, bright nail polish is the answer. I love polish because it instantly brightens up my mood, and I gravitate towards the pink and corals, the blacks and dark purples, and the wine colours and bright reds. I love trying out new nail polish brands, and one that has just hit Aussie shores is Orly. They come in an abudance of colours and the brand’s creator Jeff Pink, (who named the brand after his wife) was the one who created the French Manicure (and it was dubbed thus after appearing in French couture shows, oh my!). Orly has been around since the 70’s, and the fact that it has actually appeared in Saturday Night Fever, and has a cult celebrity following, makes me even more eager to dip my fingers (pardon the pun) into its rainbow.
Either way, at least having written this I will no longer have any excuse for less than gorgeous hands and nails!
Five days till Christmas. Five days till we’re stuck with the family for an obligatory, fun-for-five-minutes-then-incredibly-infuriating period of time. Days away from work. Days where we just want to lay by the pool/on the sand/amidst the bliss of air conditioning drinking vodkas or apple cider beer. Or if we’re in the northern parts of this wonderful world, curl up on the sofa with some egg nog/warm tea or chocolate-milk concoction and some left-over pudding or fruit mince pies. Basically, days of just laying about and wondering why there’s nothing on TV or why we have to watch whatever mum/dad/little nephew wants to watch at a volume too loud to describe.
The best way to combat the inevitable boredom that comes with the afore-mentioned situations? Good reads. Transporting one self from the immediate surroundings and into Wonderland/someone else’s marriage/career crisis/holiday/research findings. And because we’re wordsmith’s, the bliss of being able to lock into yet another writer’s style, prose, sense of setting and character and plot. Looking at how they SHOW and not TELL, how they develop their characters, their unique marks of writing. In light of these very blissful benefits (in fact, some of the best books overwhelm me so completely that I can’t help but be temporarily transformed emotionally and often mentally – sometimes in a manner not too sane, though), I have provided a very detailed list of some great, recent reads that will keep you in check over the holiday season. There’s a variety of genres and titles to choose from too, so if you think any of them are worthy (and they are all are for various reasons or other) head to your local bookstore NOW (and because they all have extended trading hours/an online presence you have absolutely no excuse) and bury your head into a drama/reality that’s totally worth your while. After all, there’s only so much family love, or questions about when you’re gonna settle down, that you can take.
The Wordsmith Lane Christmas-Reading Shelf
1. For a feel-good buzz, read:
Valerie Parv’s edited collection, How do I love thee: Stories to stir the heart ($27.99, Allen & Unwin), short stories all written by various international writers, all paying homage to love (they are linked by the adage ‘How do I love thee, Let me count the ways’) but all diverse – some contemporary, some from eras old, some with elements of fantasy and others with a naughty outlook. Want something a little more home-hitting? Check out What Kate did next by Lisa Heidke ($29.99, Allen & Unwin), a funny, true-to-life tale of a woman who decides to return to the workforce after a very long stint as a home-maker, and the lessons she learns along the way.
2. If you’re top of the news and current affairs, read:
Australia’s Immigrant Revolution by Andrew Markus, James Jupp and Peter McDonald ($29.99, Allen & Unwin) – a realistic, non-glorified nor exaggerated look at the population make-up of fair down under, thanks to the various migration policies and patterns over the past 50 odd years or so. Prefer something with a little bit more flair, but that’d still give you that insight you crave? You can’t go past Peter Yeldham’s A Distant Shore ($32.95, Penguin), a moving tale of a young immigrant girl growing up in Australia, and the way that shapes her attitudes to displaced persons and political struggles throughout her life.
3. For something that thrills you to the core. read:
The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse ($29.99, Orion) — a haunting story of love, the great war and southern France by an addictive, international best-selling author. Speaking of best-selling authors, R.J. Ellory is also on a mission to thrill with his latest book, The Anniversary Man ($32.99, Orion), which tells the story of a man who barely escaped death at the hands of an eighties serial killer who happened to murder his girlfriend, only to be threatned by it as he tries to link a new, seemingly-random spate of killings as a crime researcher for a major newspaper.
4. For beautiful literary works, read:
Jacob G. Rosenberg’s The Hollow Tree ($26.99, Allen & Unwin) — a parable of war and the atrocities that come with it, and a poignant story of love and human resilience. Prefer something a little lighter but just as good? Read the gothic page-turner that is Of Bees and Mist by Eric Setiawan ($32.99, Headline), which tells the story of two families, love and the strangeness that seems to follow them.
5. When you’re just not getting you loved ones, read:
Women are Crazy, Men are Stupid by Howard J Morris and Jenny Lee ($24.99, Allen & Unwin), a hilarious book with the answers that match up to our complicated relationships. On a sadder note, those of us with children or siblings going through one of life’s many little rough patches would be thankful for the answers in Gordon Parker and Kerrie Eyers’ Navigating Teenage Depression ($24.99, Allen & Unwin). Considering the stats on depression in Australia (and I used to be one of them!) this is a welcome guide to help keep chins up and realities that perfect mix of personal and scientific.
6. For the words of award-winning wordsmiths, read:
Miles Franklin Winner Andrew McGahan’s Wonders of a Godless World ($32.99, Allen & Unwin), a story of madness, discovery and amazing-happenings of the human reality, or Peter Carey’s Parrot and Olivier in America ($49.95, Penguin), a unique and enjoyable tale of friendship, freedom and the birth of modern America.
7. If you like your guilty pleasures, read:
The intoxicating story of Tess Drake, out to get what she deserves in the cut-throat entertainment industry with often sizzling or sticky consequences, in The Agency ($23.99, Allen & Unwin) or the irresistable Dream Machine by Will Davis ($32.99, Allen & Unwin), which chronicles the pursuits of fame and fortune on the set of a reality TV series.
