WRITING A BOOK… The timing has to be right, in terms of one’s work and availability, and these two threads are now coming together for me — I plan to write a book on Business Writing Tips this summer.  Even if I get delayed it will be published by January 2015.  How exciting is that! Here is the rough plan for my new book. The book’s aim is to provide easy and practical advice on around 20 writing topics (each of...

  Soon after I moved to Oxford in 2010, I set myself some ambitions.  I did not know anyone yet, so had time on my hands… the house I bought needed things done to it… and I felt life would slip away if I did not press on and achieve some of my other lifetime goals. Here’s what I wanted to do: Create a lovely garden – somewhere I could work, relax and entertain Read more novels – to keep up with trends and not miss out on a key pleasure Learn to...

You might well ask. Well, here are 3 reasons to consider – for those in doubt. Hobby bloggers get a lot of satisfaction. Political bloggers can have huge influence. And professionals and entrepreneurs cite 3 benefits: recognition, new clients and increased income. That data – and more of it – can be found in The State of the Blogosphere, a survey conducted by Technorati in 2011, but not apparently repeated since.   Convinced? There are...

Have you got stuck, half-way through your book or writing job?  Or is it hard to find time to write?  Here is my advice on ‘Ways to make sure you finish your book’ – divided into Finding time to write (1–2), Writing tips (3–6) and Motivational help (7–10).   1.  Go on a writing retreat/week-end.  We all get stuck at times, but getting away for a few days is a great way to re-focus on the job, stir your creative juices and re-energise.  Can...

Structuring your writing, in advance, can save you so much time.  Several hours’ work, several drafts, and several sleepless nights.   It’s not just me saying this. This month I ran two training courses in writing skills for clients in London – in ‘Report Writing’ and ‘Everything You Need to Know about Copywriting’.  As in all my training courses, at the end of the day I asked delegates what were the most useful things they had learnt,...