Wordsmith Lane

All Sorts: A weekly round-up of style, smarts & savoir-faire

• Think you got the latest and greatest when you picked up the i-pad? Well, unless you’ve got some i-clothing hanging in your closet, you’re still not ahead of the fashion pack. Sydney-based fashion dynamo (and all-round cool chick) Davina Reichman of i-clothing has launched the i-tee and the i-tee to keep your nifty new tech piece right where you want it while keeping your hands free. Coco (of 2.55, hands-free fame) would be proud.
• John Grisham, best-selling author of many a legal thriller, (I simply loved A Time to Kill) has tried his hand at writing legal thrillers for young adults. Theodore Boone, Young Lawyer is a tale of Theo, who dreams of being a great lawyer. Soon enough he is dragged into the midst of a murder trial, watching as a cold-blooded murderer is about to go free. But, this is his chance to make it, and Theo won’t stop until justice is served (Hodder & Stoughton, $24.99).
• Girl with a Satchel Erica Bartle, has mentioned me in a piece announcing that 17 year old Iman Krayem of Picnic Point has won Girlfriend of the Year. I congratulate Girlfriend for choosing a hijabi girl as part of their contestants, and not making a big deal of it as per normal media outlets when they do something against the ordinary. Perhaps this can serve to remind us that Muslim women are not unlike us in many respects, and we shouldn’t over-do the coverage when one of them makes it into the spotlight as though it is paranormal. Congrats and all the best on your achievements Iman (fittingly, this means belief in Arabic) – I am sure you are encouraging other hijabi teens in Oz to fulfill their dreams.
• Speaking of mentions, I was also lucky to have been a guest commentator on the release of Sex and the City 2 on the Ted Bull afternoons show on Radio NewsTalk 6PR 882 in Perth. Me likes the media gigs, I tell you! In fact, I have updated my gallery page (and called it ‘Press’) and included anything that is quite nice for me to have here. Thoughts?
• As winter approaches and my skin gets drier thanks to the cooling weather, especially in light of the fact that I fail to moisturise after showering because I just get stuck into my clothes (it’s cold!), I’ll be looking for a body wash that cleans, moisturisers and hugs our beautiful earth. My best bet at the moment is my bottle of Trilogy Body Care botanical body wash ($27) which was a tried and tested winner of the UK’s prestigious Green Beauty Bible categories. Try it, it is infused with lavender, amla fruit extract and kawa kawa (which must be good!).
• In other beauty news, Nivea Fruity Shine is back, perfect for plain-jane lips like mine that only like a hint of colour that’s not overwhelming. Love its red and compact packaging too, which is perfect for the bottomless pits of my handbags. I wish I can carry clutches during the day like Miss Carrie.
• Burqa debate is alive and well all over the globe and I am rather bored of the issue. All the coverage has yet to cement a status in my head on the topic, at least where Australia is concerned. On the one hand, Senator Bernardi speaks for those Australians who deem it unfair to be banned from wearing things that conflict with their identity out and about, while burqa wearers don’t have to, which suggests that perhaps it is not the right fit with current Australian norms as yet? On the other, I feel for women who might be forced to wear it (and they are not all forced) might have to stay at home if it is banned, which would be awfully mean. Love what Mona Eltahaway said of it in the New York Times with such honesty.
• Speaking of things usually associated with the Middle-East and in light of all the SATC 2 excitement, I loved this piece on The Stranger. Literally made me laugh out loud, despite my like for the show/movie. Not usually a fan of political correctness when it gets too extreme (and it usually does) but this is one example where political correctness works.
• All I can think about right now is this gorgeous Samantha Wills ring. I wish I was not saving up for a wedding, otherwise, I would have had to have it immediately.
• I hope you are all following my column over at Bride to Be magazine. This week, it’s all about budgets and brides. Eeek!
• UK Journalist and Business Mentor Sarah-Jane Adams has released a series of e-books to help young creatives break into their chosen industry, whether it is fashion retail, modelling, or urban music. Buy them at www.sarahjaneadams.com/ebooks and see yours truly mentioned (and dishing out advice) in the e-book on fashion retailing.
• Lastly, I am genuinely sorry I have not been posting. I wish I can say that I have been super-productive and churning out chapters for my book and thesis, but I have not been able to write AT ALL which, as you can imagine, bums me out completely and leaves me with little work done, but not for lack of trying, which means wasted hours at the laptop, hurting my back ( I should master ergonomics). This has come at a bad time as I am on deadline for an article for Madison, the first I ever write for them, and I really wanna ace it. Please God! Oh how I need inspiration. Anyone have any to give me?
• Hope you have had a marvellous week to date, and all the best for Friday and the weekend. Much love to you all wordsmiths also struggling with the walk on wordsmith lane xx

Medicine for that Carrie Fever

No doubt you all know it’s official. Carrie and Co. fever has hit the world in the wake of the release of the sequel to the Sex and the City movie, and obviously, women all around are excited. Frenzied, more like it. Even I, in all my saving-for-my-wedding-and-honeymoon-tightarseness, have forked out $75 to go watch the film in the luxe surroundings of Event Cinemas Gold Class, complete with food platter, Cosmopolitan cocktail, and mini-sundae.

But lest you bite your nails off due to the sheer excitement of it all, here are a couple of books to tide you over until the film hits our screens, as well as some extra commentary from yours truly on daily opinion website The Punch, and sneak-peek clips from the movie over at Jezebel. Hope they can be of some comfort until your proper hit!

1. The Carrie Diaries ($32.95, Harper Collins): The latest offering from Candace Bushnell, the woman who bought us the awesome foursome, takes us back to Carrie’s high school days, where sex was not part of her daily existence and where writing and friendship did not a concrete status hold in her reality. Instead, we meet a Carrie who is a lot more insecure (albeit quite fashionably and adult-like) than her 30-something self, coming of age among friends who might not be soul mates, and boys who taught her that love is a battlefield and that it’s sex that’s the easier way out when feelings and concerned. Die-hard Bradshaw fans will find comfort in the coming of age story that’s easy to read and love whether you’re 15 or 35, told from the perspective of a young woman who is yet to cement her dreams into her goals and make them a reality through her seemingly only confidante, her secret diary. Although some of them will question certain aspects of the novel given the content of the series (Carrie’s mother, for example, is dead in the book and she is raised by her father alongside her sisters, but in the series, we know that Carrie’s father walked out on her and her mum when she was a wee little gal), it will be good to kick back, take it easy and enjoy it for what it is than an over-analysis of right, wrong and doesn’t make sense (especially since Bushnell created the Carrie character first, and she was developed by her TV family). Find out what got Carrie to New York, how she got into writing, all about the young Kydd before the Big man (ie, Sebastian Kydd, her highschool boyfriend compared to her older man-friend Mr Big), the friends before the soul mates, why sex was not all that she was about, and where her feminism came from. And, because it makes things a little more fun and feminine, watch her evolve into the fashionista that dominates the style stakes of women all over the world.

2. Sex and the City 2 Movie Guide: The Stories, The Fashion, The Adventure ($49.99, Headline, available June 1st): Speaking of fashionistas, the book that pairs with the movie of the year also happens to be the latest lust-have addition for the benefit of your wardrobe. Beginning with a background recap on the lives of the girls since we last saw them on the silver-screen, the book, which was compiled by one of the film’s producers, Eric Cyphers, is the ultimate keepsake for loyal fans for it’s fashion, set secrets and tales, and cast-and-crew interviews. Featuring behind-the-scenes info, a compilation on all characters (including special guests Liza Minelli, Penelope Cruz, Miley Cyrus and more), and interviews with all those on set, the book also features an intro by writer/producer Michael Patrick King and Ms Sarah Jessica Parker herself. But it is also a must for any woman dying to know who wore what when, especially considering its extensive detail on the costuming that makes Carrie a style queen. That’s right, the book features exclusive photos of the outfits all four stars wore in each and every scene, along with information on who designed the lust-worthy clothes, shoes and accessories. And if that wasn’t enough, we also take a glimpse into the pictures from Sarah Jessica’s fittings, accompanied by her own commentary on everything she wore – namely why she wore it and how they tracked it down. If you’re as passionate as excitement shows, this book ought to occupy top-spot on your shopping list.

So how’s that for fever-subsiding until that main medicine hit? Enjoy!

Wordsmith Call-Out: TV, Violence, Crime & Glamour

Hey Wordsmith Laners, I am writing an article on whether or not TV crime affects children – do they find it glamorous? Does it make them more aggressive? Does it render violent behaviours and actions acceptable? Anyway, I am after case studies: mums, dads, teachers, primary-school aged kids, high-school students or young adolescents. Know anyone? Mums and bubs need to be ok with having their picture taken and printed in the magazine. Spread the word and email me. This is a commission with a ten-day deadline, with a magazine I really want to write for but have not worked with before, and it has not been smooth-sailing, so please help - I am walking on eggshells trying to make it happen!

Blogger’s Desk: Regrets that are worth my while

A lot of people say they don’t have regrets. Maybe they don’t, maybe they do, it’s not exactly something that keeps me up at night.

But I have regrets. A lot of them actually, and I am not ashamed to say it.  And that’s because I have come to realise that it’s ok to have them because they’re avenue from which to learn from. You know, those deep-down issues with aspects of our lives that we sometimes wish never happened, and that we harbour resentfully without moving on from them, perhaps at the attempt of our hearts/minds/souls to learn from them and avoid future mistakes.

Today for some reason, my regrets are coming a little too easily to my mind, and so I am going to share them/write them down, in my own cathartic attempt at letting loose from the hold they often have on me, and in the hope that I will learn a little from them. You might learn from some of them too, especially the media/career-related stuff. Any regrets that you’d like to share? They’d sure make me feel a hell of a lot better.

• I regret paying off my HECS debt. Considering there’s zero to little interest on HECS debts, and that they come so easily out of your pay, I shouldn’t have gotten rid of them so fast. That $20,000 or so could have been useful in the scheme of my house deposit. Then again, I probably would’ve spent it on shoes.
• I regret not taking care of my car. It’s messy, has not been washed in over a year, and it groans sometimes. I think I hit the pedals a little too hard when the light goes green.
• I regret not doing more diverse subjects at uni. I did things like sociology, history and cultural studies in my Bachelor degree, and I loved them. I wish I did more of them in my Masters.
• Actually, I regret not doing some alternative media subjects – like radio or broadcast – during the course of my studies. They would have opened up more doors for me today, especially in our ever-changing media sphere.
• I regret not paying enough attention in my Arabic classes. I know enough to get me by, but I wish I was better at speaking, reading and writing it.
• I regret doing everything mum and dad said. In the rarest of rare occasions, they are wrong.
• Everyday, I regret not eating enough fruit and veges, and not drinking enough water.
• I regret being a doormat. Sometimes, a girl really needs to stand up for herself and what she wants.
• I regret not doing ballet. Although I am rectifying this by taking some beginners classes for adults soon.
• I regret spending time and money on friends who are so obviously not worth it. I regret being too nice and not learning from their meanness.
• Sometimes, I regret getting too personal. Like maybe, right now. And definitely last week, when I was a little too open in an email to someone I am not sure I trust yet.
• I regret being one of those people who cares what other people think. They don’t matter Sarah, so get with the program.
• I regret buying the shoes I wore to my year 10 formal. Buying them was my mum’s fault.
• I regret not going to Germany and Amsterdam when I was in Europe last. Maybe next time, God Willing.
• I regret my inability to read Pride & Prejudice. There, I admitted yet. Don’t call me a writing fraud, please!
• I regret picking at my skin. All my little scars are testament to this.
• I regret not buying more at H&M.
• I regret the purchase of a certain Review dress, which is too big and which cost good money. I regret the purchase of clothes that I bought a size to big in the hope that I will grow into them. That never works, and now I can’t wear the pretty pencil skirt with the frilly back.
• I regret breaking my favourite tan waist belt.
• I regret not changing my bedroom furniture. I now have to get ready (as a bride mind you) among the bedroom furniture I picked out when I was 10. It is blue.
• I regret not entering the Walkley Foundation’s Young Journalist of the Year competition this year.
• I regret not being able to braid hair. I still can’t figure it out.
• I regret not spending enough time with my grandparents. And that one half of them live on the other side of the world.
• I regret clutter’s ability to manifest itself in my life. Go away.
• I regret not taking more pictures of Louisa, my god-daughter. At five years old, she is practically all-gorwn up now. I also regret deleting that video where she screams for the money in my purse.
• I regret not being the type of chick who does her hair/make-up/nails/tan regularly. Image is everything, or so it seems.
• I regret letting my aunty colour my hair in Year 6. My golden-blonde locks have been mousey-brown ever since.
• I regret not buying a Marc Jacobs Stam Bag. Hopefully, there is still time. In fact, there’s one on EBAY that I want right now, and I know it is real because the seller has a store receipt.
• I regret not patenting a time machine. Would’ve worked wonders on all of the above, no?

All Sorts: The Birthday Edition of Style, Smarts & Savoir-faire

It’s my birthday today and I have nothing to say. So please excuse me while I go eat more cake. I know I am not reliable, but I will be back posting eventually. Probably after I finish reading my magazines, and definitely before I start fixating myself to the recipes in Alison Thompson’s Macaron. Happy Birthday to me!

Zoe Foster: Beauty Editor, Columnist & Author

I am going to apologise to Zoe Foster right here on the spot. Zoe, I don’t know how I can get those two dots (wordsmith test: anyone know what they’re called?) on top of the ‘e’ in your name, so I hope you don’t hate me forever. Especially because I am about to say that I think you’re really funny, and anyone who can make this wordsmith laugh deserves a big fat load of something worthwhile (cash, cake, christian louboutins?). And I am also going to give you a load of compliments, and none that I am making up because I am yet to be published in the fiction genre. Those compliments basically centre on the fact that I am frighteningly jealous of you (but in that Christian, envy-is-a-deadly-sin-kind-of-way) because you’ve got the style, smarts and savoir-faire down pat. I love style, smarts and savoir-faire, and I constantly pursue it in my everyday life. In fact, I have copyrighted those words for my blog and memoir and God knows what else. But anyway, Zoe, I know that you possess these lovely qualities because well, you’re smart enough to juggle many wordsmith gigs while looking pretty awesome all the time (even if you, as I suspect, have not slept a wink because you may have been on deadline or something). And mostly because you had enough social tact (savoir-faire) to completely ignore the fact that the workie that I was at 20 was cleaning your beauty cupboard was wearing a Canterbury Bulldogs guernsey (jersey) on the day that your then-boyfriend’s team (Sydney City Roosters) were playing the Bulldogs. And to top it off, you gave me some treats to take home! Happy day it was, and it cemented your coolness in my mind for all eternity. But my Wordsmith Lane readers, you see, might not be so lucky to have encountered this coolness personally, which is why I have decided to feature you as my next interview subject in the Wordsmith Lane Friday Interviews segment. So Wordsmith Laners, I hope you enjoy her all-round awesomeness.

Tell us about your wordsmith career path so far: For the sake of brevity and reader fatigue, I’ll nutshell it: Over the past eight years I have worked at Mania, Smash Hits, Cosmopolitan and Harper’s BAZAAR magazines, had a beauty blog (fruitybeauty), edited a beauty website (primped.com.au) and written two novels and a dating book. I write a dating column for Cosmo and an opinion column for The Sunday Telegraph, and occasionally I eat and sleep.

You’ve gone from being a Beauty Editor on major magazines [Zoe has worked in senior roles on Cosmopolitan and Harper’s Bazaar] to beauty editing online, with extra writing supplements to boot. How has it been juggling the change?

It’s been great, especially since recently moving to editor at large (I lobbied for editor at small) and working from home. I’m one of those psychopaths who doesn’t feel ‘right’ unless they’re doing 389 things, so taking on multiple writing projects at once feels natural, in a perverse way.  The different topics and mediums add to the delight.

You also freelance as Cosmo’s dating guru, and have written a book on romance with Hamish Blake. Is having additional writing work outside of Primped a big appeal for you, a necessity, or something that keeps you more productive?

My passion for dating and relationships equals (possibly surpasses) my passion for beauty so it’s less that it keeps my brain whirring, and more that I would be unhappy if I wasn’t doing it. I derive such genuine joy writing on the male-female dynamic, especially when I receive emails from readers saying what I have written has helped them in some way.

What is a typical day in the life of Zoe Foster?

6.30-7am wakeup, and straight to the computer. My brain is at its best between 6 and about 9.30 so I keep most intense writing for that time slot. (eg my opinion column.) By 10 am my brain is doing cartwheels and forcing me to read  and dreaming of frothy caffeinated beverages.

10 – 12 Primped blog, emails, tweeting, blogging. Maybe a launch/appointment.

12 – 3.30 Thumping keys at my desk, grazing on nutritionally devoid food and trying to refrain from constant email send/receiving.

4 – 6 More writing, emails etc. This is usually the panic stage of the day, where I realise I was, as usual, spectacularly optimistic about time, and have to scream through to finish and submit columns/jobs.

6 -7 Walk with a girlfriend or gym. Exercise is an absolute NECESSITY when writing all day. Otherwise Zoë go loopy. Right loopy.

Most people pick a niche and stick to it. You have two (dating and beauty). How does sticking your fingers in two pots help out your career? 

It’s terrific! I have been afforded so many marvellous opportunities (speaking, writing etc) by having a few different hats to wear. Also, it works well with my career ADD; if I have several different content schools and a multiple of mediums and publications I write for, I have less chance of getting antsy.

Most writers find that, at least initially, it’s very hard to get your writing read by a large audience. Do you think that your work on the glossies made it easier for primped.com.au to work?

Without a doubt. 

Before primped, there was fruitybeauty.com.au. How did the idea for your blog come about? And why did it fade away?

It came about because I had been working at Cosmo for a few years and was competent at my job and needed a new challenge to sink my fangs into. Also, because I was frustrated at having all this awesome beauty information in my head and only three dot points to condense it into each month. Blogging felt like the perfect forum to write long, in-depth explain-its on beauty and also, my writing style is by nature very long and waffly, and I just wanted some more space, you know?

What were some of the difficulties you first encountered swapping from a very senior editing role to online beauty editing?

Because I had already been blogging with fruity for years, the transition as smooth as… that little piece of skin behind your ear. It was incredibly liberating to move wholly online, and I feel like I made the move at the perfect time for both my career and for beauty online.

We have seen the Beauty Writing industry really take off in the last two years or so. These days, we have the likes of beauty portals, beauty manuals, and beauty websites, which means that the beauty pages on the magazines are not as in demand as they once were. What is your take on the issue?

I don’t think it’s a case of them being less in demand, but rather that they have to focus on what they can deliver that we can’t. For example, beautiful, lush photos , or really in-depth, meaty beauty features. Online is, by nature, better at serving up extremely timely beauty news and on PRIMPED in particular, how to videos. Both mediums are relevant, and so long as we each remember our strengths and focus on them, we all win. 

A lot of people dismiss beauty writing as airy-fairy, but there’s obviously a lot of work involved in testing a whole load of product, looking at new research, writing about it in an accessible form for varied audiences (because obviously everyone has different skin tones, hair types etc) – and continuing to do so in an engaging manner. What do you say to this?

Obviously there is far heavier and more important content in the world than the latest mascara or fragrance, but I must defend my brethren by saying that it does take a certain skill to make shampoo or pimple gel sound fascinating, and that now, with all of the science and technology (stem cells, melanin inhibitors, ultrasound waves etc) going into skin care and salon treatments, we have to A) Have a reasonable understanding of science, genetics and cell behaviour and B) Be able to translate all of that sciency gobbledygook into simple language for our readers in order to be a good beauty writer. 

Tell us a little about how you went into book writing.

For the same reason I started fruitybeauty; I had too much creative energy bubbling within and thought jotting down all my beauty anecdotes might be a good idea, because beauty editors work in such a fantasy world, and I was fatigued with fashion getting all the attention. From that Air Kisses was born. 

Do you find it hard to juggle your various projects?

It all comes down to discipline and time management. Otherwise it just won’t get done. For me this is both the easiest and hardest thing in the world.

How do you promote your book (with tours etc) with a full-time job?

I’ve been exceptionally lucky at PRIMPED – my boss(es) have always encouraged and allowed me time to go off and promote my books. That said, the amount of publicity I did for Playing The Field was one of the reasons I decided to pull back to Editor at Large… there just wasn’t enough time in the day to get it all done.

Do you have a goals list that the Wordsmith Lane readers can have a sneak peak at?

I don’t, actually. I am living very much day to day. I feel very positive about my new novel, which I will start writing in July (while on sabbatical in Greece/Italy for a few months… oh man… it’s the dream, it really is…) and am genuinely thrilled with all of the work I am doing presently. It was always my gaol to have columns and write books, and I am living it. I am extremely grateful that I have achieved this goal, and it was such an enjoyable, abundant journey that brought me here, too. BIG picture, I’ve love to write a film script one day.

Give us one good reason why we should all become members of Primped?

Because you get SPECIAL PRVILIGES! Like being a VIP prodz tester for us.

What advice would you offer to aspiring bloggers, freelancers and wordsmiths who want to follow a similar career path?

Find your point of difference and hone it: why would people want to read your blog/work over everyone else’s? What do you offer them they can’t find anywhere else? And then, obviously, work hard. I am a firm believer in working your full time job then supplementing it with your passion project (blog, book, photography etc) on weekends or after hours. Eventually (ideally) you’ll see the full time work start to slip in importance, and the passion project build momentum, until you no longer need the full time job and can earn all the money you desire from your passion. And then, as if that weren’t enough: it doesn’t even feel like work!

Ten in the Hot Seat:  

1. Describe yourself in one word: Positive
2. Biggest accomplishment to date: Three books published by 30
3. You wish you wrote: That bloody Twilight series…
4. Can’t leave home without: Keys, BlackBerry, money, lipgloss.
5. One thing you are currently writing: Just finished proposals for two new books.
6. First thing you wrote: ‘Dangling Hoplessly’ (sic) A tale of danger and terror! And school teachers! And mean dogs that chase! Age 10.
7. Addicted to reading: Emails, test messages, tweets.
8. Top spot on your goals list: For one of my books to be made into a film.
9. If you were a character in a novel, you’d be: Grug.
10. The best thing about being a wordsmith: The ability to communicate with so many people. And, if you’re lucky, make them smile.

Blogger’s Desk: Wordsmith News

Extra, Extra! It’s been a very hectic week over at Wordsmith Lane HQ, and NOT in the good, productive I-wrote-5-chapters-from-my-book kind of way.

With a weekend jam-packed with family events (and admittedly, a quick shop around Paddington markets) and loads of to-do items for my full-time job, as well as attendance at a Wollongong conference, I have barely had a quick second to catch my breath. This was made even worse by the fact that afore-mentioned conference had me returning home at 10:40pm last night, after 13 hours of work-related discussion, plans, strategy conversations etc.

But it has not been all-work and no words, because there are some exciting things to share regarding my busy wordsmith life, and the fact that I am making it even busier.

• I am very pleased to announce that I am Bride-to-Be‘s first ‘Bride’s Diary’ blogger, writing a short snippet once a week on the bridal mag’s website about my wedding plans, dramas and crises. The announcement of said gig is in the latest issue of the bridal bible, which came out yesterday (Wednesday May 5th). Make sure you make it worth my while and tune into my first regular series of writing  here. Getting this column only proves that you can get some writing work out of pretty much anything that happens in your life, provided someone else can learn from it, laugh at it or empathise with it. I plan to cover regular columns and how to get them in a soon-to-be published (well here’s hoping, knowing my schedule) post of Skills Textbook.
• The lovely Megan over at Literary Life has been kind enough to feature me as an interviewee on her blog recently, so if you can’t get enough of me here, check out the short interview here and read a little bit more about how I got into the industry and what my thoughts are regarding the writing freelance game.
• Speaking of getting into the industry, this morning I joined TV & Video Journalists Tom Steinfort from Channel 9 and Yalda Hakim from SBS on the young journalists Panel at Media Pass Student Industry Day, which was held at Redfern Town Hall in Sydney and which was sponsored by the very prestigious Walkley Foundation. We gave a little bit of background on how we broke into the industry before launching into a casual question-and-answer session with all the attendees. The session ran for an hour and was very insightful on my part, firstly, because I learnt quite bit from my fellow panellists (no two journalist stories are the same) and also because I recognised what the issues and questions were on the part of the new generation of emerging journalists and writers. I was also stoked to see some of my lovely Wordsmith Lane readers there (a particular thank you to Abi who announced, for all to hear, that my blog was very good and that they should all read it – awww) and it put a smile on my dial to be able to meet some of them in the flesh and answer their questions (as well as meet some new aspiring wordsmiths). The panel was also interesting because I developed quite a bit of a girl-crush on Yalda Hakim (amazing video journalist – super-smart, winner of great awards and very inspiring: she kind of put me to shame). Although I must say that I felt quite disadvantaged being the only one there who was not only a freelancer but who also worked in print, so a lot of the sentiments I made were not always echoed nor did I understand everything my fellow pannellists said. It really made me aware of my limitations as just a ‘print journalist’ and opened my eyes to many things I had never thought of before. That said, it also gave me a chance to talk about some of the disadvantages associated with the freelance pursuit – no one to bounce ideas off, no editors to give you jobs when you need them, no jet-setting, not being able to convince an ed not to can your story because you don’t work there and probably don’t know about it to begin with, no one to nominate you for awards…I could go on forever! For the most part, unfortunately, I left feeling a little concerned that I injected a little too much personality into my responses. I really need to tone down the excitement and remember that not everyone gets my sense of humour. This was my third or fourth panel presentation since I started and I am cut I still have not mastered the art of it, if you ask me!
• Speaking of asking, today’s event inspired an idea for an Interview Segment featuring yours truly. If you’re a Wordsmith Lane regular, you know I make an effort to try and interview other wordsmiths about how they got into the field, their work, their typical days etc. And some of you have emailed me at times and asked about my own journey, so I will shortly run a ‘Readers Ask’ Interview post, where I will invite you all, for this week only, to email me questions that you’d like me to answer about my experience in the industry and breaking into it etc. You can read through past interviews I have ran here and look at those questions for inspiration. So from now until next Thursday at midnight (or is that Friday at midnight?) I will be accepting questions via email, and will post them up on Friday evening for all to read/see. Email your questions to wordsmithlane[at]gmail.com and remember to keep them Sarah-specific.

Until next week, Happy Writing x

PS – More news in the life of this wordsmith, though not writing-specific: I bought my first home last week! Well, it’s a teeny apartment in a not-so-flashy suburb, but it’s more money than I’d cared to have parted with in life, but for a space to call my own (and decorate) it is so worth it. It’s rented out until November, so I’m going to do the traditional move-in-after-wedding-day-and-be-carried-over-the-threshold-thing. And boy am I excited. This wordsmith is all grown up…well, sort-of!

Wordsmith All-Sorts: The Style, Smarts & Savoir-Faire Files

• Mother’s Day this weekend, and as you can see, this wordsmith has been busy gifting those special ones in her life (future mother-in-law included) with some prettily-packaged pressies (I almost want to keep them myself) to make that day of celebrating them just a little more special. I hope they enjoy their gifts of winter pjs (complete with matching slippers) even though they will be sharing this Sunday with yours truly.
• That’s right, I also have a special day coming up (my 24th birthday falls on May 10th), and given that it falls on Monday week (eek!) I will be making the most of it this weekend. I am still figuring out what I want to do. I want to try and keep it down to something very cheap considering my wedding-saving dramas, and what seems to be winning is dinner at my current obsession Thai in a Box in Burwood, where there are Money Bags to be eaten and stir-fries to be had, and dessert at gelatomassi in Newtown. I am a big fan of their Pannacotta…and green apple and apple pie and lemon sorbet and english trifle oh my!
• The cold front that is winter is coming, but I do not fear, at least where style is concerned. I’ve recently purchased a darling cape from Forever New (and at only $120 it was a style steal) and I am very in love with it considering Rachel Zoe was wearing a very similar one in a photo from last month’s instyle.
• Speaking of current style obsessions, my one comes courtesy of Sydney designer, Erin Louise. The Shire girl is quite popular for he embellished basics (singlets especially) and short dresses (they never do justice to my pasty-white legs and I am never too good with the fake tan) but I am particularly in love with this beanie that I recently purchased. Loving the lilac knit (hand-knitted by her mum and nan) and the embellished crystals and pearls. It is honeymoon love and I am looking forward to wearing it around NYC this December (God willing!)
• Speaking of New York, MAC are giving people the chance to win a trip to New York Fashion Week to see some of Australia’s best fashion talent showcase their collections, in another celebration of Rosemount Australian Fashion Week.  In addition, there will be daily product giveaways from M·A·C’s exclusive backstage-inspired SS 2010 Collection. Enter via www.maccosmetics.com.au\rafwsweeps.
• Don’t forget to drink the same amount of water as you do in summer now that the winter weather is creeping in. You might not feel the thirst, but your bosy still needs repleneshing with 1.5-2 litres a day at least. Give your bottle a work out, but don’t forget to clean it to rid it of lurking bacteria (like lipgloss for example) and try to replace it once or twice a fortnight.
• Head down and bum up for me this week, especially as I continue to work on my thesis, which I am hopefully strengthening thanks to my little ‘better thesis’ guide courtesy of Evans & Gruba. That’s not to say I won’t be flippimng through my latest edition of glossy-fave Madison (fashion + features=fun!), with a lovely SJP on the cover, to get me out of my smarts rut for a little enjoyment. But it won’t all be thesis-related work, especially as I’ll also be speaking at the Walkley Foundation’s Industry Day at Redfern Town Hall on Thursday May 6th at 10:45am, alongside journalists from Channel 9 and SBS. It’s a casual panel on breaking into the industry, so aspiring wordsmiths take note and be there if you can! (And come up for a chat afterwards please). Am trying to get used to my busy diary but it’s not really working out for me at all. I think it comes with the territory of trying too much.
• Trying is a good thing, though, when you’re helping someone in need. Which is why I urge those of you who can to frock up for Sex and the City and watch it for a good cause with Nivea & Sister2Sister. This June, Life Changing Experiences Foundation with the support of NIVEA are launching the inaugural ‘Sisters In The City’ fundraising initiative, with two private screenings of the highly anticipated ‘Sex And The City 2’ movie. Consumers have their chance to strut down the pink carpet before receiving a NIVEA gift bag and complimentary Cosmopolitan cocktail. Amazing raffle and silent auction prizes are on offer – and the SATC experience wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the free photo-booth with friends, all before the movie starts!
  100% of money generated from ticket sales will be donated to Life Changing Experiences Foundation’s SISTER2sister program, a 12 month mentoring program that matches successful women with at-risk teenage girls, helping them to overcome difficulties in their lives.