Life Snapshots: A few things that are keeping me smile

Blogger’s Desk: Excuses & Explanations

Wordsmith Laners, I’m truly very sorry about my neglect of this blog and my writing over the past few weeks. I have so many posts in draft format that my brain is failing to perfect, and although I have plenty of content for you, I just can’t seem to get into it while a hundred other things swirl in my brain. I am hoping you’ll forgive me when you read this edited version of my latest Bride to Be column, and I promise I will be back soon! All my love (desiring all of your understanding), Sarah xoxo

Picture this. You’re five and a half weeks out from your wedding and your stress levels are already running rampant, wreaking havoc on your skin and rendering you the type of bride you thought you’d never be. Your fiancé is scared of you, your best friend thinks you’re a diva and your photographer wants to kill you because your 10,000 commitments means you can’t settle on a date for the pre-wedding consultation. Your bank account has $243 in it, your dress feels heavy at one of your final fittings and you swear it’s a lot pooofier than you wanted it to be, and the veil you revolved the whole dress around suddenly doesn’t look right with the lace you chose when you were having one of your indecisive moments. The kinds of indecisive moments you usually have at sumo salad or muffin break, but quadrupled in magnitude. And then your band cancels on you. And people start telling you that the new owners of the reception centre aren’t up to scratch where their meals are concerned, and that there probably won’t be enough food on the big day, which is equivalent to the anti-christ’s coming to earth where Lebanese weddings are concerned. Suddenly, it feels like the whole world is crumbling around you, and you start talking to yourself in the third person (in public, which is something you promised yourself you would never do).

So what do you do? For starters, you don’t pull your hair out, (much as it seems to be the most appropriate action) because you know for certain that your fiance is not going to love you the same if you are bald. You don’t screech any profanities (even in Lebanese, which people are less likely to understand) at passers-by, because that would be entirely un-Christian and you think that Jesus is already mad at you as it is.

So what do you? You stop writing, and you stop making sense. You stop reading your beloved books and magazines, because your brain’s understanding capacities are somewhat diminished, and because you’re not crazy enough as it is, you let your eyebrows grow to horrendously frightening levels. You almost crash your car at the Give Way sign in Revesby. You start reading Contiki and Topdeck Travel brochures instead while you dream of Paris and Santorini and the monastry of the Black Madonna in Poland, which is somewhere you’ve never been, but want to go anyway because the Black Madonna would likely let you whinge and hopefully understand your predicaments with her amazing Mother-of-God powers. And then one day, you wake up, think ‘stuff it’, and decide to stop caring and start delegating.

You tell the wedding planner to discuss the menu options (and quantities) yet again with the reception centre – after all, it’s not like you can change the venue when the RSVP cards are pouring in like the rains of this Sydney spring. You have your mother, who is known for her ability (if necessary) to comandeer a large army by her sheer will, loud voice and determination, back her up, implying once again the enormity of the food situation.

And, because you tell yourself it would be mean to use your journalistic powers to black-list your band, (and because you’re apparently a bridezilla and thus everyone who has failed you thus far) you have your MC find you an alternative BETTER band.

And then of course, you motivate yourself to get out of your rut. You start by taking the afternoon off and treating yourself to the Now to Wow treatment at Benefit cosmetics at Paddington (because good brows fix everything) and a decent shopping spree. You buy shoes for your laylia (pre-wedding party) even though they’re ridiculously overpriced for their style,  and a pair of sandals because they’re pink (and encrusted with pearls).

And because the National Australia Bank has an overdraft facility and you get paid this week anyway, you keep buying stuff. You want something girly and decide now is the time to shop for your bridesmaids. Of course, you consider yourself a woman of high taste and buy the kind of stuff you’d buy for yourself, walking out with four pairs of lovely

earrings from Forever New ($18), pretty floral tea cups from T2 ($22) and four MOR scented candle ($40) whose amazing fragrance will be wafting through the air long after they bid you farewell for your honeymoon.

And then you go home and gorge on Pistachio ice-cream, because you know, you can’t fix all bad habits, especially the ones that taste really good, and do wonders for the closet you’ll still be loving long after the wedding has taken place and become a distant memory that threatned to envelope you in all its madness.

Interview: Anne Fortier, author of Juliet

As you all know, I recently read a fantastic novel that retold the tale of one of history’s most renowned couples. And of course, I just had to get inside her wordsmith head to see what her wordsmith journey has been all about, and what other creative tales she might have on the horizon for my bookshelf. Wordsmith Laners, I give you an interview with Anne Fortier…

In a nutshell, describe your writer’s journey so far, which has culminated in the release of Juliet: I started writing novels at age 11, and submitted my first ms to a publisher when I was 13. Twenty years of trial-and-error later, my first novel was published in Denmark in 2005. I learned from that experience, too, and all those tough lessons taught me how *not* to go about things, and culminated in the publication of JULIET now in 2010 – a loooong dream come true.

You had one novel published before Juliet, tell us a little about that one. It is the story of a group of mad scientists, who secretly work to bring about the end of the world as we know it. They take a young woman, Marie, hostage in their bizarre efforts, and the book tells the story from her perspective. It is a genre-defying gothic comedy, which got a lot of reviewers’ underwear in a knot, but those who *got* it and saw all the philosophical slapstick treally loved it. It is a sort of Plato-meets-Dan Brown-but-enacted-by-a-circus-clown sort of story. One reader told me she had been reading the book on a transatlantic flight, but had to stop, because she was laughing so hard that people trying to sleep gave her the hairy eyeball.

What inspired you to take on history’s greatest lovers and change their story around? It really all started with the city of Siena (Italy). I went there with my mother and completely fell in love with the place. Only after deciding that I was going to set a novel there did I discover – thanks to Mom* – that Siena was, in fact, the setting of the very first version of the Romeo & Juliet-story, from 1476. Once I knew that, I knew I simply *had* to write that story.

How much research did it involve? Did you spend a lot of time in Siena? I have piles and piles of notes in my office, all about Siena history and Shakespeare. My mother is responsible for a lot of them, because she was the one who did the bulk of the research on the ground in Siena, while I was living in the US, working full time. I did get to Siena a few times while writing the book, but Mom was my fact-checker and the one who would go around and truffle out unusual tidbits from archives and museums.

Your reading of original stories of Romeo & Juliet helped you discover that the love birds were in fact originally from Siena and not Verona. Were these stories available in English, and if not, did the language barrier prove to be a struggle at all? The funny thing is that all those short stories are available in English, and still, few people know that Shakespeare did not invent the characters. I was able to find two different compilations in online second-hand bookstores, and so the research was no problem at all. That said, the bulk of the specialized literature about Siena history only exists in Italian, and my mother translated several books for me, since she is perfectly fluent in that language.

I love the way Santa Caterina (Saint Catherine) and the Virgin Mary feature (almost) prominently in your story, as though it is by divine will that the couple are meant for one another. Given our increasingly secular society, what prompted you to include that? Apart from the fact that medieval europe was largely Christian, that is, and given the fact that we’re not so public about religious matters these days. I actually think most people are still quite religious – we just dont subscribe to organized religion the way our grandparents did. We still have the so-called religious instinct; we often believe in a higher being, we are superstitious, we talk about fate, we like to see our lives as part of a grand design. And even though we call her by different names, we still long for the protection of the mother-goddess. This is why I think it is so easy for us to accept the way in which people in the book relate to Saint Catherine and the Virgin Mary.

How long did it take you to write the book? About three years, although much of that time was spent editing.

The novel is going to be published all over the world, with rights sold all over the place. Did you honestly think it would get this big? How do you feel when you read its reviews and hear of its successes? Even though I have a pretty good imagination, I never anticipated that the book would be sold in so many countries. I am of course delighted that things are going so well, because that means there is a chance I can turn to full-time writing from now on – my oldest and most persistent dream.

You have a PhD in the History of Ideas. Tell us a little bit about your academic work. What exactly is a PhD in the history of ideas and what was your thesis on? The history of ideas is a discipline that combines philosophy, history, and literature, and which traces certain ideas and concepts through the ages. My thesis was about the idea of cultural identity in the Roman Empire as expressed in the works of Latin historians over a 400-year stretch, and much of my teaching has been about tracing the ideas and realities of empire from Antiquity to later ages.

Your mum played a major role in the production of this book. How was it working with her on the project? It was fantastic. We would be on the phone all the time, discussing her research, and we had so much fun. It was great to have a project to work on together, rather than merely exchanging news, and I think we got to know each other in a whole new way.

I love the fact that you gave Romeo & Juliet descendants. It was like a second chance at love! Were you saddened by the fact that the originals couldn’t be together? Would you have changed the story to give them the happy ending we all feel that they deserve? Why/Why not? Actually, in the first draft of the novel I did give them a different ending, but it ultimately felt too cheesy. That said, I have left enough loose ends for a sequel, so … you never know what new stories might surface. [Sarah squeels with delight upon reading this].

Can we have a peak at your goals list? Right now my goals list is pretty down-to-earth: As soon as the book-touring is over, I want to get my family back into a good rhythm, so we all sleep calmly at night; I need to get myself into shape, so I dont develop writers ass; and oh yes … I need to finish my next book! In the long term I would like to keep writing high-concept books and hope to please readers all over the world.

Will you be doing any book tours in Australia at all? Nothing has been planned for JULIET, probably because I have a small baby. But in the future I would love to visit Australia and New Zealand, and I actually have a lot of friends from there, who keep urging me to come.

This blog is for aspiring writers (both journalists and fiction/non-fiction writers). Any tips for its readers? If I were to give just one piece of advice, it would probably be this: Start thinking about your query letter as soon as possible. Dont wait until the ms [manuscript] is finished, because you may end up with a story you cant pitch.

What’s next on your writing agenda? I have a lot of interviews and blogs I have to write this fall, but after that I look forward to going full throttle on my next book.

Ten in the Hot Seat:
Describe yourself in one word: indefatigable
Biggest accomplishment to date: landing my wonderful husband
You wish you wrote: faster
Can’t leave home without: lip balm
One thing you are currently writing: tips for aspiring writers for the Readers Digest writers blog
First thing you wrote: a story about a girl who gets kidnapped by desert bandits
Addicted to reading: Jane Austen
Top spot on your goals list: keep my family healthy and happy
If you were a character in a novel, you’d be: Robert Langdon. That guy seems to be wonderfully long-lived.
The best thing about being a wordsmith: I can move mountains without getting out of my pyjamas!

* Here in Oz, we spell mum with a U, not an O (American spelling). I kept Anne’s spelling as is for authenticity! Hope that clears up any concerns about my Aussie grammar!

The Tanning Angel Wordsmith Summer Special

Sponsored post by Wordsmith Lane reader The Tanning Angel 

Reading through the latest edition of Madison (October 2010, with Drew Barrymore on the cover), I was stoked to find an article on celebrity fears. Most of them made for a great and interesting read, but I was struck by Aussie actress Pia Miranda’s response regarding her fear about losing her identity in the wake of having her baby, and the mess that she has ultimately become as a result, and her husbands’ reaction to it.

Miranda says:

“Everyday I say to myself, “Come on, make an effort. You’ve watched Mad Men, you know it can be done.” Yet every day my husband comes home to a sweaty, tracksuit-wearing maniac with wild, unkempt hair.”

Miranda goes on to say she’s sweaty because she uses the time to lose her baby weight, or clean her messy house etc. And I was like wooah, this is the life of so many women, and I bet it would be different if they had someone to care for them while they’re caring for their homes and families, and looking like a disaster in the process. Well, perhaps the heavens heard, and The Tanning Angel is the god-send.

Fast becoming Sydney’s best kept secret, the mobile tanner to Sydney’s elite boasts a number of socialites in her little black book and is renowned for her classy, clean and chic-looking approach to an otherwise sticky (if you pardon the pun) situation. Last night, she sprayed a few Cosmo staffers prior to the Fun, Fearless Female event. She’s also sprayed peeps on the set of The X Factor, Masterchef and Australia’s Next Top Model. And now, she’s spreading her wings in anticipation of the Aussie hot summer to give wordsmith lane readers (and their friends) the chance to take on summer with a personalised service that includes a skin-tone assessment (because where bronze is concerned, it’s either chic or cheap) and the option of two solutions (2 hour Rapid Tan & 8 hour tan).

She whispers:

“Getting a spray tan is a modern day fashion accessory and it’s now as important as any other beauty routine. With music festivals, races and THE hottest parties on Sydney’s social calendar right around the corner, what better way to rock your frock than with a natural looking tan?

We provide a personalised discreet service, with added pampering and attention to detail. The Tanning Angel comes equipped with a portable spray booth for maximum comfort and privacy to have you looking like a bronzed goddess within 15 minutes. No fuss, No Mess.”

If any of you are anything like me, and prefer to waltz about in summer dresses in an unsightly shade of natural white (not at all like Cate Blanchett or Nicole Kidman, but that white where your veins shine through – eww) because you suck at applying tan and end up with a messy bathroom and splotches that render you looking like a farmer who has just cleaned out the pig’s sty), then The Tanning Angel is for you. You’ll know you’re in safe hands just by looking at her, and the effortless way she carries herself with style, smarts and savoir-faire.

But if you find the solitary pursuit of tanning in your home a little daunting, or are in the mood for a little bit of party pampering with your girlfriends, why not contemplate throwing an Ultimate Tanning Party? 4 or more girls and the hostess scores herself a free tan, or 8 girls or more recieve a bottle of champagne and other goodies!

The Tanning Angel is offering wordsmith lane readers a fantastic, limited-edition special over the next few weeks. Simply book your first tan* with The Tanning Angel and get $10 off – (must quote: “Wordsmith”).

Of course, when beauty comes to you, that’s one less dilemma. Now, if only Benefit cosmetics could send a mobile eyebrow tiner/waxer round to my place to tame the wild mess that my brows have become…

*Available by appointment only. To book your next appointment with The Tanning Angel, call 0424 700 577. And because we all love our social networking, follow her on twitter and on Facebook!

Wordsmith Weekly: Style, smarts & savoir-faire mash-ups

It’s a tiring Wednesday for this wordsmith today, and even though I am at work and I should be focusing on the job, I can barely keep my eyes open after a particularly hectic weekend featuring a friend’s wedding on Friday night (Muslims tend to marry on Friday, which has a special religious significance for them); an old-friend catch-up on Saturday morning and a huck’s night on Saturday night (that’s a hen’s and buck’s mash-up for those who are yet to encounter the term); and a Baptism & particularly frenzied work function on Sunday. Monday was your typical bla-bla day, but I took yesterday off to treat my poor back and get my wedding hair trialled (read: disaster), and then after a meeting with the person supplying dessert for my wedding events (stay tuned for a bride to be blog on the fantastic options available, all made out of gelato), I figured I could relax. But alas, it was not meant to be, and here I am whining about my exhaustion yet again.

But the wordsmith show must go on, and despite the fact that I have been noticably absent from my online adventures (my blog, other blogs twitter, facebook) of late, I am still thinking about the blog and coming up with things I have to post about every single day. Unfortunately, things are starting to get particularly hectic on the wedding front, on account of the fact that there are ten weeks to go till the Big Day, and still a lot of hurdles to overcome in order to make it all happen swiftly and with little to no glitches (like a groom with no suit…or wedding ring, and hair that does not look like a bird’s nest or fall apart after an hour).

Still, I’ll take a little break from all my wedding planning commitments (or dump them in the lap of good friend & wedding planner Danielle) to try and bring you a few posts over the next week, which I have been holding on to for some time, including a couple of writer interviews and a wrap-up of some new books hitting my wordsmith shelves. And what better way than starting off with my wrap-up of my quest for style, smarts and savoir-faire over the past week:

• Who knows better style, smarts & savoir-faire than Mademoiselle herself, the late Coco Chanel? Delighted to add my first Chanel bio to my bookshelf this week. Coco Chanel:The Legend and the Life courtesy of author Justine Picardie & Harper Collins ($32.99) is out soon and I feel it’s going to be a must-read for fans of the lavish, lux and lady-like life. The Sunday Telegraph-inserted Sunday Magazine actually had a spread on Coco and her secret life, written by Picardie herself. It had to do for the time being, but I can’t wait till things slow down a little so I can devour the book whole heartedly.
• For all this talk of life slowing down, I wonder about my keen attitude to motherhood despite my humble 24 years. How will I ever cope if I can’t cope now? Lots to learn from those around me, and it seems like Satchel girl Erica Bartle understands, if this lovely post on her fantastic blog is anything to go by.
• Despite all its successes, I’ve never actually seen a Masterchef episode, but even I couldn’t resist heading down to Adriano Zumbo’s Pattisserie in Sydney’s Balmain over the weekend (enroute to Kazbah’s of course) to sample a few of the delicacies that have Sydney-siders lining up at the door from 8:30am. Got myself a bag of macarons and a Houdini, which is a green macaron filled with some sort of cream (forgot the flavour) as well as raspberry and strawberry. DELISH!
• Speaking of all things Chanel, a few weeks ago I was delighted to receive an email from author Harold Carlton, after reviewing his book Heaven, Hell & Mademoiselle. Carlton and I chatted about all things French, Fashion & Coco, and I was delighted to hear that he liked my post on his book, but that he is also polishing off another novel set in the world of fashion. I was particularly chuffed at the compliment considering Carlton had met and worked with Coco herself, so the lesson for you wordsmiths is to keep blogging about what you love because you NEVER know who is reading your work.
• September is practically over, and I am openly and willingly admitting that I failed miserably at my September pitching challenge. For all the ideas that I came up with, I only pitched two or three, two of which were not picked up and the third I stopped having hope in, considering I am yet to receive a reply for it. As for the uni books I was supposed to be reading? Did not happen. Epic fail on my front, but that is just the reality of the game! Thanks for all your kind messages regarding the post about my ideas being shite (in a manner of speaking). Post was not intended to be a whinge or nag or fish for comliments, it was just a random thought that I posted about. If I was not fairly confident, I wouldn’t bother pitching. But your sentiments were nice of course, and very much appreciated.
• Hands up who hearts Kit Cosmetics? Me too!! And I am stoked to check out the latest brand they’ll be stocking as of October 11th, called Soap & Glory. Seeing as I am on the biggest budget imaginable (mortgage, humble-by-Lebanese-standards-wedding -that-is-still-costing-me-$50k, an old car which needs replacing, furniture that needs to be purchased for new home), I can’t be my usual buy-beauty-now-sample-range-later self. But I will be forking out some pennies for the Sexy Mother Pucker Extreme Plump lip gloss to give my fairly thin lips a bit of fattening up.
• And on another beauty note, I am superbly excited by the warming weather, and spent Friday night making sure my tootsies were ready to be bared. the polish to the rescue? OPI’s Charged Up Cherry ($19.95). Love the name, which evokes a feeling of energy and a can-do attitude on my otherwise lazy behalf. And love the colour of course, which conjures up the very mistaken feeling that summer never left me to begin with.
• And before I forget, a big shout out to Sassi Sam. Even though I should be eating well to look impossibly fresh and pretty on my big day, I entered a Cadbury choc comp on her blog a few weeks ago (I wrote a silly little poem about how much I love cadbury, and I do, especially the Rocky Road) and I won. So I will be enjoying some free chocolate soon!
• What’s on everyone’s agenda this week? Mine is continuing to hand out the wedding invitations that are plaguing my life (I bet I know how my sister who made them feels); finding a hairdresser who can come to my house on the day at 6am (eek!) and stop spending money. Somewhere in the middle, I might work on the novel that I have not touched since March. Novel Writing Month anyone?
• Wordsmith love to you all, thanks for supporting my blog in all my hectic dramas and crazy-lady pursuits xx

Guest Post: The Wealthy Freelancer

Guest post by Laura Valerie

I want nothing more than to be a full-time freelance writer.

I just love writing. I always have. I delight in being able to express myself through words. To paint a picture with my prose, and have people read and enjoy it. It wasn’t until this year, though, that I considered taking it beyond my law essays and password-protected Word documents. I decided that I want to pursue writing as a career.

As of now, I am just dipping my toe in the freezing cold ocean that is the writing world, with my blog Life.Beauty.Laughter. So far, it has been an incredibly encouraging and heart-warming ride, particularly when my writing idol, Sarah Wilson, mentioned me on her site. Nevertheless, I know that the road ahead is destined to be long and arduous. So before I committed to taking that trek, I wanted to really educate myself on what it means to be a writer. To pack my swag, you could say, with all the equipment I will need to survive the trip.

Along the way, I came across an article entitled Seven Years as a Freelance Writer, Or, How to Make Vitamin Soup. The author, Richard Morgan, has an exceptionally impressive resume, which includes numerous feature articles for the esteemed New York Times. Even so, Richard failed to achieve a freelance career that fulfilled and sustained him, figuratively and literally. As the title suggests, despite his lucrative credentials, he was forced to resort to subsisting on Vitamin Soup, a disgusting concoction of crushed up pills and hot water, during a dry spell between gigs – a low point that has obviously continued to plague him.

Reading that article was incredibly demoralising for me. I thought, if this talented, accomplished man living in New York City, the heart of the literary world, cannot make it as a freelance writer, what chance do I have? Me, as a 21-year-old girl living in Perth, the most isolated city in the world, utterly unpublished, with no contacts, slightly above-average marks and a penchant for overly flowery prose? I concluded that I would probably have to be a lawyer, after all.

That is when I read this book, which, miraculously, restored my faith in my writing dream.

The Wealthy Freelancer is a collaboration between three successful freelance copywriters (among other things), Ed Gandia, Steve Slaunwhite and Pete Savage. You can find their website here. I am not going to reveal to you the secrets of the book. I don’t think that it’s fair to the authors (you can buy it from Amazon for about $15), plus I wouldn’t be able to do it justice in this short piece. Suffice to say that if you are thinking of freelancing – and not just in writing but also design, marketing, virtual assistance – then you will find this book insightful and exciting.

What I will do is provide a few wisdoms that I have picked up, not only from these great guys, but also from other writers whose careers I have been scrutinising and what I have discerned has shaped their success.

1. Know who you are

It seems that self-awareness is integral to building a successful freelance business. We must appreciate what we have to offer before we can persuade others that we are valuable enough for them to invest their time and money into us.

I have found that the best way to achieve this state of mind is to sit down and transcribe everything that you know about yourself. Try to avoid imagining the person you wish you were or who you want to become in the future. Simply reach inside your heart and decipher what makes you, you – your characteristics, experiences, neuroses, what you love, what you don’t, your strengths and your weaknesses.

It’s a scary prospect, laying yourself bare that way, but, trust me, it is a lot more affirming than you may expect! Gretchen Rubin even advocates it as part of her Happiness Project. She calls it “Be Gretchen”, and it is the first of her Twelve Personal Commandments. There is something freeing, and oddly exhilarating, about accepting our limitations. It means that we can focus upon our intrinsic worth, instead of wasting our energy trying to change what cannot be changed. The best approach is to treat this new consciousness as a gift – a new beginning.

1. Know what you want

If we want to achieve our dreams, we have to know what they are. So write them down.

The Wealthy Freelancer suggests that we focus upon four aspects of our ideal careers: what you want to write, who you want to write for, how much money you want to make and what your ideal lifestyle looks like. We can use what we learned from the previous step to ascertain what we truly want from life, both in the short-term and long-term future. Keep these aspirations at your desk, in your handbag or on your whiteboard – anywhere within eyesight – to keep yourself on point.

It’s my belief that visualising something is not enough to make it happen. I do think, however, that it is more likely that our lives will evolve the way we want them to if we have a clear picture of the way we would like them to transpire. That way, the paths to our dreams will be more direct.

1. Build your own brand

Yes, that oft-repeated, much sniggered at, phrase that seems to be making the rounds these days. Please, don’t scoff. It’s important. As writers, we are our own brand. So embrace it!

The idea behind building our brand is to develop a platform upon which we can embody our work. A lot of writers use their blogs as a means of doing this. Take a peek at some of these for inspiration: Sarah Wilson, MamaMia, Frock & Roll, Aesthete, Rachel Hills and, of course, Sarah Ayoub’s Wordsmith Lane. Be warned, blogging can take up a lot of time and energy! If you are time-poor, don’t despair – building your brand can be as simple as meeting and greeting people in the industry, attending writer’s festivals, emailing people you admire or contributing to other people’s blogs. In doing so, we need to navigate that precarious balance between being ourselves and, at the same time, being mindful of who we are trying to impress and appeal to – our readers and our potential employers. The idea is to build a profile for ourselves, representing what we have to offer.

But why, you may ask? Plenty of journalists are successful without the help of a public profile. Well, you’re right, it is not essential. But consider this quote by W. Clement Stone: “Tell everyone what you want to do and someone will want to help you do it.” If we put ourselves “out there”, opportunities are so much more likely to come our way.

1. Treat your career as a business

Writing presents itself as such a whimsical livelihood. For our own sakes, however, it is so important to remind ourselves that we have to treat our writing careers as a business. The Wealthy Freelancer gives some great specific, practical advice. A few other things that I have grasped include: set up your own office; keep regular hours; be a pleasure to work with; and build contacts. Be kind to everybody who crosses your path. You never know – they may be (or know) your boss one day.

So those are a few wisdoms that I have picked up in the course of my self-imposed, rigorous preparation for embarking upon a freelance writing career. Thankfully, I have found that I can learn a lot from observing and probing into the careers of my writing idols. Some of the stories I have come across are disheartening; others are uplifting and encouraging. Either way, that icy ocean seems a lot more inviting now. Or, using my other analogy, that long, steep hike feels safer. Not only can I see the footsteps of those who have gone before me, but my pack is bursting at the seams, filled with tools and sustenance I will need to survive my journey. And I cannot wait to get started.

Laura is a 21-year-old aspiring writer from Perth, Western Australia. She studies Law, French and English at university and works part-time as a makeup artist. She writes at her blog, Life.Beauty.Laughter., between classes, shifts and into the early hours of the morning.

Wordsmith Weekly: Style, Smarts & Savoir-Faire Mash-Ups

• Wordsmith Lane reader Abi Moustafa and friends have recently started up their own online mag called Six and the City. Do check it out and support some young wordsmith talent.
• For smarts for the sisterhood, start reading Feminist Themes, a great blog I recently discovered through a tweet via Rachel Hills. Lots of insightful things, made all the more insightful by my slow realisation that, as women, we have not come far at all. I tend to think that our behaviour as women is a personal choice (my choice is to be a conservative feminist, despite the implied oxymoron) that needs to be made available to us. Sometimes I think the fact that we have not come far is in fact, to some degree our own fault. Then again, how much can I analyse what we wear and what we read in my head? Liberation means different things to different people. Last week, a facebook friend had on his status that men are measured by what they do with their power, whereas women are measured by what they do with washing powder. The sad thing is, in a lot of cases, that might be true.
• I am so excited by the return of voluminous 50′s skirts (thank you Marc Jacobs) to my magazine style pages, and sadly, so is my wallet. In the past week, I couldn’t help myself but splurge on two skirts and a dress from Review, which had 30% off full-priced items. I officially can’t wait until the warmer weather, if only to flit around in these fabulous, tulle-endowed babies in all their lady-like glory. Here’s a sneak-peak at one of these new additions to my closet.
• The latest edition of CLEO is out today. Love the internet app dating feature by freelance friend Nicole Haddow, and the ten lessons we can learn from The Hills.
• Anyone skitzed it over the cost of baby clothes before, or is it just me? Just bought a little cardigan and some pretty pink shorts for a friend’s beautiful baby girl. The pink shorts cost more than a knit I just purchased for my (way bigger) self at Dotti. Something’s not quite right here, and I think my fear about consumerism and the next generation (really on account of how I am going to raise my own planned family on a freelancer’s wage) is a lot more founded than I initially thought.
• Exciting wordsmith news: I’ll be running a panel on freelancing at the NSW Writer’s Centre (for the Emerging Writer’s Festival) this November with none other than Antony Lowenstein. I am simply gushing and glowing at the prospect. I hope he doesn’t think that I am a tool. [Note to self: Sarah, don't be as bubbly as you normally are when you meet 'big' writers for the first time. Your intern and other blog readers may appreciate your limited-edition personality (good alternative to strange, no?), but other people may just think you've carked it].
• I need help in maintaining my exemplary level of style, smarts & savoir-faire now that I am juggling too many social commitments, a thirst for more exciting life experiences and an unwavering love for anything that is a) girly and b) buyable? I can’t help but wonder how people do it AND pay rent. My car is currently falling apart (this is no exaggeration), my wedding is less than three months away, my job goes part-time in December, I’m paying mortgage repayments, and my wallet is still funneling copious amounts of money into various pursuits that seemingly can’t be shaken. Do I really need to go to my ex-colleague’s birthday every single year? Tried consulting Camilla Morton’s How to Walk in High Heels about an easier way to start saying no to social engagements in an attempt to save my sanity (and some cash), but it seems it’s harder than I thought if I want to save face. I think I feel an article idea coming on.
• Bits and bobs to read: This NY Times article on how language may shape the way you think (via Alex Veeneman of Le Football); Sarah Wilson on flakiness (very relevant to moi right now); my Show-Stopper-Copper beauty piece for Trespass magazine.

September Pitching Challenge: Week #2

I got three rejections this week. They were very polite rejections: one said it was not quite right for the mag, the other said they didn’t have the budget for the idea (but that they loved it) and the other publication suggested I try someone else (and gave me their details) because they were not commissioning for the time being.

Still, I am so devoted to this freelance writing thing that I can’t help feeling bummed. I was so optimistic about this challenge and it seemed like such a great idea a few weeks ago. But today, I was driving along, thinking about how it was my second week in and I still had not been comissioned for the two or three pitches, and I had a horrible thought.

What if it is not my pitching that is the problem? What if it’s my ideas that are, to put it plainly, shit?

Something I will definitely need to mull over, me thinks.

Bookshelf: Jessica Rudd’s Campaign Ruby

A guest review by Wordsmith Lane reader Clare Griffin

Ruby Stanhope is a stylish English investment banker that has a healthy obsession with label shoes and Australian wine. Although a workaholic, Ruby is unceremoniously fired via an email, and while drowning her sorrows on Australian “peanut noise” books a ticket to Australia and lands in the middle of Australian history in the making.

While still hung-over and jet lagged at a fundraiser, Ruby scores a job as a financial policy advisor to the LOO (Leader Of the Opposition) and is dragged into the whirlwind that is Australian politics, rougher than usual thanks to Treasurer Gabrielle Brennan overthrowing the current Prime Minister, Hugh Patton.  With the drama of a party member overthrowing the current PM, Brennan also becomes Australia’s first female Prime Minster. The battle is then on for the LOO, Max Masters, to win the election and become Prime Minster.

Ruby is then on route for the craziest 33 days of her life, as team Masters jets all over Australia, trying to win over the nation. Along the way Ruby tries to stay away from very attractive journalist Oscar Franklin, embarrassing the LOO, trying to keep up with terms and a government she knows nothing about, attempting to get through her ever constant lists and trying to do a job she feels utterly unqualified for.

Campaign Ruby is the debut novel from former PM Kevin Rudd’s eldest child, Jessica Rudd. Jessica has had to face more critique then most debut novelists, thanks to her somewhat psychic storyline. Jessica finished her novel six months before her father was overthrown by his party and Julia Gillard took over.

Jessica Rudd has an easy writing style and the story flows well and quickly. Thanks to Ruby’s ignorance to Australian politics, the reader also discovers how Australian politics works, so even if you’re not politically minded you can still keep up. Although the book is about politics, the story is by no means boring as Ruby has a knack for finding herself in awkward, yet humorous situations.

The farewell speech of Hugh Patton is omniscient of Kevin Rudd’s speech. Whether she realises it or not, you can hear Kevin Rudd in the way Patton speaks; the pauses every few words, similar characteristics, the family standing behind, silently giving their father and husband strength-much like what Jessica would do for her Dad, six months later.

Jessica’s writing is witty and doesn’t bombard you with Aussie colloquialisms, instead inserting them only when necessary. Considering we have just gone through an election campaign much like Ruby’s, the book gives terrific insight into how a campaign is put together and what goes on behind closed doors. Jessica Rudd worked on her father’s campaign in 2007 and has obviously drawn on her experiences and has realised how funny politics can be.

Campaign Ruby (Text ($32.95) is intelligent chick-lit that will make you envious of Ruby’s shoe collection while learning about Australian politics at the same time.

*******

Clare Griffin is a freelance writer and editor based in Victoria who writes regularly at her blog Girl On A Soapbox. Clare dreams of writing the great Australian novel which will then be made into an Oscar winning film where she will win Best Screenplay. Clare is also very jealous of Ruby Stanhope’s shoe collection.

Wordsmith Weekly: Style, Smarts & Savoir-Faire Mash-ups

• Another day, another deadline. That’s precisely how I feel after a super-productive weekend involving a couple of Trespass beauty posts (plus one in draft format) and the compilation of a series of profiles for Yen that I was really excited to do (first person profiles are among my favourite pieces to write). I’m not sure if I should continue the wordsmith productivity throughout the week or if I should just relax a little, as hunching in front of this laptop is doing some major damage to my already shonky back and I am in desperate need of a massage).
• The latest edition of Instyle Australia hit the shelves today, with a Bohemian-looking Julia Roberts on the cover. Inside, Roberts talks about her latest movie Eat, Pray, Love (based on the book of the same name which I could not convince myself to keep reading, embarrassingly enough), but it’s the Bold Florals collection of frocks on page 120 that has really got me excited. Anyone want to donate $790 so I can buy the gorgeous Collette Dinnigan frock, or even the slightly cheaper Mrs Press dress for $595?
• Girls who are all about the style and the savoir-faire but have limited time to implement said femme virtues into their already busy day to day existence will love the latest treatment sweeping throughout the (hair) world. The Keratin Complex, in all its forms and all its glories, is a protein-based treatment thats brushed into the hair, blowdried and then straightened, lasting up to six months. I recently did my own hair to combat the frizz that has been part of my life since adolesence (it’s hormonal according to my hairdresser, which to me is kind of ewww) and I am in love. I have wash and wear hair and, shallow as it sounds, it has tranformed my life. All for $300. But, style and savoir-faire are useless without smarts, so make sure that it’s right for you by doing plenty of reading and research before you make the jump. I am still not sure my hair will ever be the same when it finally washes out, but it was a risk I was prepared to take.
• Most of you know that I am currently in pretty bride mode ahead of my nuptials in two months and three weeks time (but who’s counting?). I’m loving all my facials and therapies at Ella Rouge, but I must say, I have learnt how to compliment them at home! I’d like you all to meet my skin’s new best friends, Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant ($83.50) and Trilogy Rose Hip Oil ($19.95). I believe you have already met my Burt’s Bee’s Herbal Blemish Stick, but that takes the cake too.
• How easy do you think it is to spend $50? I ought to know. I’ve lost $50 in one day. The breakdown: $31 on a return train ticket, $8.95 on the latest Instyle, and $10.90 for lunch at Sumo Salad. Not good for a bride on a budget!
• Anyone catch Four Weddings on Channel 7 last Wednesday? Fairytale Bride Allana married a Simon Ayoub (of no relation to me) at a big, loud Lebanese wedding at my Church. Medieval Bride Tracey said the songs were so long and went “on and on and on and on”. I tell you though, I wouldn’t have it any other way!
• All in all, a busy week ahead. I’m quite glad that Monday’s almost behind me, although it won’t be as bad seeing as I’m headed to the movies tonight to watch a media screening of Easy A. And I finally get to meet my intern this week! What are your plans for the week ahead? I sure hope mine include some posting! Although thanks to a few readers, I have a couple of guest posts lined up, so that should calm my buzzing little brain a teeny bit. Have a great week everyone xoxo