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Serials Galore

I have a habit of cruising through the serials every so often. Not just the current ones but the early ones too. Every time I find one or two serials that catch my eye and I turn to the beginning and read them through. What normally tweaks my interest is a writer who is a regular contributor. To read how far they have come when I read a later serial they have written a chapter for is astounding.

Never limit your potential by the way you think

Recently I attended a dinner to announce the Tool Black team, a group of 14 of New Zealand’s top apprentices who are going to compete against other trade apprentices in Sao Paulo in three months’ time. The dinner was the final step before going to compete on the international stage against 72 other countries.

So You Think the Book is Dead. Really?

‘It’s official, the book is dead’ according to the Huffington Post. It supports its case by showing an image of old Readers Digest condensed books cut into the shapes of letters and for sale for $20. I was never a condensed book reader, preferring the original novel to an edited version, which left out ….well, what? However, they must have served a purpose for those people who were time-short and wanted to get through the latest Wilbur Smith in a hurry.

So You Think the Book is Dead. Really?

‘It’s official, the book is dead’ according to the Huffington Post. It supports its case by showing an image of old Readers Digest condensed books cut into the shapes of letters and for sale for $20. I was never a condensed book reader, preferring the original novel to an edited version, which left out ….well, what? However, they must have served a purpose for those people who were time-short and wanted to get through the latest Wilbur Smith in a hurry.

Love your critic

Love a good critic

 

What makes people happy?

Whenever I read a headline that claims to define happiness, I am immediately cynical. Why, you might wonder, is this? Surely, happiness is a state to which we should all aspire.

The Twelve things Successful People Don’t Tolerate

The internet is full of lists covering every imaginable topic. They are ideal for distilling information into bite-sized chunks and work well on social media. They are also invaluable for reminding us to focus our energies on things that matter.

The ‘Twelve things Successful People Don’t Tolerate’ is, as the title suggests, a list that focuses on choices we make in the way we work and socialise.

Life is the Writer’s Research

 

Popular writer John Grisham says that before you can be a writer you have to have done some other things, experienced heart break, joy and seen the world. However, above all you ‘need to have something to say’.

Tense: past, present or future?

It’s so easy to take tense in writing for granted…things either are happening, have happened or will happen – present, past, future. In fact, of late, I have had good reason re-think my somewhat blasé attitude to the use of tense in writing.

The starters for our serials generally set the tense and each writer maintains it. This keeps the continuity and maintains the story flow.

Why enter writing competitions

This month we launched our own writing competition. Two of the prizes offer winners writing-related prizes: a webinar on script writing and mentoring for two months. We intend to expand on this as we grow the competitions.

Reasons for entering writing competitions vary, but the first most obvious reason is that if you win you gain exposure to a new audience. But there are other reasons. These include giving yourself a specific deadline to work towards meeting. This is, in itself, a great motivator.

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