Shai Coggins

So, I completed writing a full book review of this second book that I read for 2008 (my first fiction book for the year). When I hit ‘publish’, it all disappeared. And, it’s too late in the day for me to rewrite the whole thing. And, I’ll be too disheartened if I don’t finish today. So, I decided I’ll just have to write a quick, summarised version.

Anyway, Sushi for Beginners by Marian Keyes falls in to the chick lit genre. And, it’s just the sort of book that I like to have when I simply want to check out and have a bit of light reading.

I’ve been a Marian Keyes fan since I read her novel, Last Chance Saloon a few years ago. I think she’s funny. And, I love reading about Ireland and her take on romance and life in general through her work.

So, as far as chick lit goes, I think Sushi for Beginners is a good one. There may not be a lot of sushi in it, but the metaphor worked. Somehow.

I love books. Once upon a time, I used to spend a lot of my energy (and money!) in bookstores. And libraries. Reading one to two books a day is not impossible. 1 to 2 books a month will be considered a “slow reading month” for me.

The last couple of years have changed that drastically. Not sure what you were thinking towards the end of last year. Me? Well, I was lamenting the fact that I barely completed reading 10 books in 2007.

That’s why I’m hoping to change that this year. I have no idea where and how I’d find the time and energy to read more books again. But, I believe that a mind cannot be complete if it doesn’t spend enough time reading books.

So, my current reading list includes:
1. The Digital Photography Book by Scott Kelby**
2. Nikon D40x: Magic Lantern Guide by Simon Stafford**
3. The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler
4. Tales of the Unexpected by Roald Dahl

I hope that I’ll be able to finish - and add some more to - this book list.

What’s on YOUR reading list?

* Photo was taken inside The Whistling Fish in Robe, South Australia. One of the most beautiful bookstores I’ve ever been to in my life. It’s one of those places that reminded me how much I love places filled with books. And, how I once dreamt of owning a similar place.

** Big thanks again to Darren, my not-so-secret santa during our b5 kris kringle. He sent these books as part of my Christmas pressie package. They arrived a few days ago. Yay.

I love juvenile and children’s literature. It doesn’t matter how old I become, I think I will always be found in the kids’ and teens’ sections of bookstores and libraries. And, the Harry Potter series is definitely one of those that made my top list in this genre.

Anyway, these are my top reasons why the Harry Potter series rocks:

1) It’s the perfect example that a great story simply shines. Regardless of what people might think or say about JK Rowling’s writing, or the ‘theme’ of the books, etc - the truth of the matter is: a good story is one that resonates. It captures the imagination of people - regardless of age, heritage or language. I love the clever use of words and names… with a sprinkling of British humour here and there.

2) It stayed interesting all through the years. I don’t know many books that had been as anticipated with every release.

3) It’s living proof of what it means to triumph over adversities. And no, I’m not just talking about the stories. I’m talking about how JK Rowling conceived this book as a single mum with a lot of pressures — and how she brought it all to publication. And, how it overcame all the criticisms that were thrown to the books (from being accused of anti-Christianity to the lack of literary merit and from legal issues to feminist criticisms). A great lesson in perseverance - and simply ignoring the critics and naysayers, among other things.

4) It made young people read. Yes, yes… this has been said many times before. But, to me, this is really fantastic. The fact that many kids who might not have otherwise read a book in their life was introduced to the beauty of reading is just simply amazing.

Yes, there are other reasons why I like Harry Potter. But, these should do for now. What about you? Are you a Harry Potter fan or not? Why? Do you have a favourite book in the series? How did you get in to Harry Potter?

To answer my own questions…

Yes, it’s true. One of my first ever web projects that has been running independently over the last 5+ years is now part of b5media. It was just officially welcomed in the network. And yes, I’ve already written about why I decided to make this move.

And, yeah, it doesn’t feel like getting tied down. It feels more like coming home.
Maybe because I really do see the advantages of being part of a blogging network. Just as well, eh?
I’m really looking forward to see how eWriteLife.com will now evolve with b5media.

Even though I’ve been an avid writer and consumer of print media (’been published in various publications like Elle Magazine, Philippines Free Press, Manila Bulletin’s Panorama, Woman Today, Today’s Child, etc. and even had a children’s book published), I’ve embraced web media completely from the moment I first heard the crackle of a modem. I still love print. But, I’m almost exclusively an online freelance writer and publisher nowadays.

I think the world of online publishing is great because it just opens up so many opportunities for both beginning and seasoned writers. The international market also becomes everyone’s playground. We no longer need to limit ourselves to writing for local/national publications. I can be sitting here in a quiet suburb in Adelaide, writing for a US-based publication (a New York Times company at that!).

David S. Hirschman’s MedioBistro article, Don’t Bother Writing For Print (Why you can make an easier living online) says:

Breaking in as a writer no longer means you have to slave away as a Condé Nast editorial assistant in order to work your way up to someday landing a byline on a 50-word blurb. With more ad dollars moving online, the market for online content is also growing, and for writers there are expanding opportunities and more money to be made online than ever before. Increasing numbers of writers are finding that they can score solid bylines on the web and get paid on the same level as their print counterparts. While the nature of web writing lends itself to shorter pieces (and not to the kind of long-form investigative journalism that can snag $3+ per word at the high-end mags), online writers can still net anywhere from $.25 to $1.50 per word and make a reasonable living.

Rafe Needleman, a top editor at CNET.com, says that the pay scale has pretty much leveled between print and online content. “There’s certainly more money to be made on web writing now that the advertising is increasing,” says Needleman. “For writers it’s really an interesting time, because the opportunities are out there. I pay just about what I do for writers online as I would for print content. The fees are more or less the same.”

And, it also mentions:

Web writing has a few obvious advantages over print. Aside from interactivity—instant feedback and comments from readers—web content has a lot of staying power. Where a short magazine article may fade into the ether a few months later, an article on the web will pretty much always available on search engines, with your name attached.

Articles on the web also get distribution to a wider audience than might normally read your work in print. Writing about a charged topic in a women’s mag, for example, won’t be read by most men (who would be unlikely to buy the title), but on the web the same article can circulate among blogs and get linked all over the web, creating a much larger forum. “Bloggers can triple the traffic to your article,” notes Slate columnist and NYU journalism professor Adam Penenberg. “Sure, the web and particularly bloggers can be a highly vitriolic culture, but if your ideas are good, your work can endure in a way that it never could in the past.”

So, if you’re someone who always wanted to write and get published, there really aren’t that many excuses anymore. If you want to write and earn some money from what you love, then the web can definitely work for you in more ways than one. You can be a (published and paid) writer regardless of your level of experience and your location.

Also See: How To Be A Freelance Writer

Well, I haven’t read all the details of these fifty writing tools just yet. But, I’m excited to see this resource from Roy Peter Clark over at Poynter.org. Some of my personal faves:

Writing Tool #2: Use Strong Verbs
Writing Tool #3: Beware of Adverbs
Writing Tool #6: Play with Words
Writing Tool #7: Dig for the Concrete and Specific
Writing Tool #8: Seek Original Images
Writing Tool #11 Back Off or Show Off
Writing Tool #19: Tune Your Voice
Writing Tool #23: Place Gold Coins Along the Path
Writing Tool #26: Fear Not the Long Sentence
Writing Tool #32: Let It Flow
Writing Tool #35: Use Punctuation

Of course, even if you don’t fancy yourself a writer, you can just call it your 50 Blogging Tools instead (well, that is if you blog). I think most of the guidelines (’tools’) still apply to bloggers.

Pointer from Dianne.

From the day my parents taught me how to sell school supplies in one corner of their candy store when I was about 7 or 8 years old, I learned the joys of working to earn money for myself.

(via WritersDigest.com ) Out of thousands of submissions, Merriam-Webster Online came up with the ten absolute favourite words as follows (comments in parenthesis are mine):

1) defenestration (huh?!)
2) serendipity (cute word, but became too corny)
3) onomatopoeia (makes a lovely sound when you say it aloud)
4) discombobulate (a good thing to say when you’re trying to impress)
5) plethora (love it too)
6) callipygian (eh?)
7) juxtapose (what’s so cool about this word, I wonder?)
persnickety (*snicker*)
9) kerfuffle (*double snicker*)
10) flibbertigibbet (a good one to use for a limerick?)

What about you? Do you have any favourite words that didn’t make this list?

Every month or so, an email with a similar theme pops in to my inbox. It’s the same question - with bits of variation - but the sentiments are all too familiar: Teach me how to become a freelance writer. Tell me the secret on how you became one. I need the inspiration / magic formula / hope / kick-in-the-butt to get in to the freelance writing life.

Writing World
There are lots of useful content online, although you might find the site a bit too crowded with ads.

Writers Digest
I read and use the print magazine more than the online version. However, the web site does have a lot of interesting things to offer too.

Writers Weekly
I’m subscribed to this site’s free weekly newsletter. It’s both an entertaining and an informational read. Although it’s also a bit too heavy on the ads (mostly of ebooks).