I think this is one of the best story beginnings of all time. So in love with it! This is taken from Tales of the South Pacific by James A.Michener. It won the 1948 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. … [Read more...]
Friday
My Favourite Writing Class
February 3rd, 2012
There are times I get sick of writing, like when I squeeze out words that feel forced or cliche, or when I feel that my sentences go on and on incoherently like this one (or when I add side brackets to portray being sardonic). It is at times like these when I go back to memories of my favourite writing class at the Missouri School of Journalism where I spent a semester at as an exchange student. The class was called Intermediate Writing and it was there that I was introduced to the … [Read more...]
Monday
Reality Check
May 23rd, 2011
For anyone who ends up here because you are considering going into editorial freelance writing, here is one article by Richard Morgan that you must read before dipping your toes into the somewhat perilous water. I don't have the illustrious portfolio of Morgan and also am nowhere near as entertaining and ballsy, but some of the points he made really resonated with me - which means, the following things will probably happen to you at some point in your freelance life should you choose this … [Read more...]
Friday
Hip Writing
November 27th, 2009
My little Pinoy bro Jaton, who is a much funnier and more diligent writer than I could ever be, has been a wonderful resource. Sometimes, I forget how young he actually is (just 1 - 2 years older than the first batch of students I taught!), and hence, is totally in the loop of where all the hip writing exists being the web-savvy dude that he is. Anyway, he recommended some great sites, so I'm spreading the linky love along: Letters of Note - All the memorable snail mails of days gone past. … [Read more...]
Friday
The Art of Being Anal
November 13th, 2009
I recently completed an editing/proofreading job that left me with a slightly shakier confidence in my command of English. In fact, just writing the previous sentence caused a minor internal tussle on which prepositions to use. I have been re-reading The Elements of Style to revise on the fundamentals. Here's a nifty tip from possibly-the-only-remotely-interesting-book-on-grammar: "When you become hopelessly mired in a sentence, it is best to start fresh; do not try to fight your way through … [Read more...]
Thursday
Connections
October 8th, 2009
I'm not very good with self-help books. Mostly, I'm not very good in following their pointers, or even finishing reading them for that matter. However, one self-help book which I think helped nudge me to get cracking with the whole freelance thing was the Anti 9-5 Guide by Michelle Goodman. Once again, I wasn't very hardworking in following her advice, but I did finish reading this book because in general, I liked how she made it a point to cater to different types of self-employment and was … [Read more...]
Thursday
The Backstory
August 27th, 2009
Tym sent some linky support in the form of this article by Mridu Khullar. This entry was about her struggles while building up her freelance career. To me, this couldn't have come at a better time, because I'm probably right smack in the midst of the valley now in terms of "figuring things out". For the past few days, I've valiantly been trying to "stir" myself to be all the things a freelancer is supposed to be like - proactive, creative, disciplined - but I realise that this will takes time, a … [Read more...]