Nine Words Women Use …

I would really love to have been able to acknowledge the owner of this piece only I don’t know who it is …

Guys. Take note. I’m doing this for you.

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(1) Fine: This is the word women use to end an argument when they are right and you need to shut up.

(2) Five Minutes: If she is getting dressed, this means a half an hour. Five minutes is only five minutes if you have just been given five more minutes to watch the game before helping around the house.

(3) Nothing: This is the calm before the storm. This means something, and you should be on your toes. Arguments that begin with nothing usually end in fine.

(4) Go Ahead: This is a dare, not permission. Don’t Do It!

(5) Loud Sigh: This is actually a word, but is a non-verbal statement often misunderstood by men. A loud sigh means she thinks you are an idiot and wonders why she is wasting her time standing here and arguing with you about nothing. (Refer back to # 3 for the meaning of nothing.)

(6) That’s Okay: This is one of the most dangerous statements a woman can make to a man. That’s okay means she wants to think long and hard before deciding how and when you will pay for your mistake.

(7) Thanks: A woman is thanking you, do not question, or faint. Just say you’re welcome. (I want to add in a clause here – This is true, unless she says ‘Thanks a lot’ – that is PURE sarcasm and she is not thanking you at all. DO NOT say ‘you’re welcome’. That will bring on a ‘whatever’).

(8) Whatever: Is a woman’s way of saying F– YOU!

(9) Don’t worry about it, I got it: Another dangerous statement, meaning this is something that a woman has told a man to do several times, but is now doing it herself. This will later result in a man asking ‘What’s wrong?’ For the woman’s response refer to #3.

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So, now you know. Don’t say I didn’t tell you! (Maybe that’s #10).

Writing As Therapy – Should You Publish?

There’s no doubt, that the act of writing as therapy holds a hidden power of being both cathartic and curing; so much so, that psychologists and psychiatrists recommend it as a adjunct to their patients’ therapies. They identify that it is an ‘ideal way’ for patients to vent their feelings.

We all express ourselves differently and writing is an unconditional and non-judgmental way of releasing the deepest part of our being. The very act of writing can help us see the trend and patterns of our thoughts and illuminate insights into our problems.

Sometimes writing as a process, demystifies an issue and when we can see it laid before us, it declutters our brain. It can be a long and introspective process likened to a long, slow meditation.

But when is it OK to broadcast these inner most feelings and perceptions (which may include others), to the world? Many authors have chosen to write their memoirs for a number of reasons and even to go on to publish and it is very much a personal decision.

However, if you do plan to publish your book under your own name, perhaps you might like to consider the following:

• Most people will only recall the most salacious parts of a book; indeed, they will generally scan to “get to the good part”. This is a known fact. It’s why Tara’s fictional characters do so well. Ask yourself — “is this how I want people to remember me?”
• How are you adding value to the lives of those around you, those individuals who you love and are dear to you, by publishing your book?
• How could the publishing of your book hurt the people closest to you — even if you happen to change the names of the characters? Won’t your immediate family and relatives know who and what you are talking about?
• What elements of  your book do you believe are really going to ‘change a person’s life’ for the better? Courage? Survival?

I write this not to dissuade you in your rewards for effort of finally publishing your in-depth and growth enriching memoir, but more to highlight the fact that “once it’s out there” it’s very difficult to take it back.

Michael Collins tells his own situation beautifully in that, although he found the experience of writing personally rewarding, there were others to be considered in his choice to publish. He says, “..what we write can alienate us … it’s worth thinking about what we actually publish … .”

It’s never an easy decision, I simply encourage to look at it from all sides.

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It’s never too late …

If you ever get tied up in the concept of ‘never having any time’, or finally decide that in your 40’s or 50’s you’re actually going to get that degree or learn the cello or change your career path, here’s something you might like:

“It is never too late to be what you might have become.”

[George Eliot]

Launch of new website about ‘how to write’ …

Over the years and through my experience as a professional business writer, I have often been asked (particularly by small business operators) how to write certain documents — both for business and personal.

So much so, I decided to launch a site which is dedicated to provided practical advice, tips, templates and strategies — the very same that I would impart to my clients. What I hope (in time) is that as I load more and more information up there, that it will be a preliminary point of contact for me to send them to before I speak with them and/or conduct my interview with them.

Anyway, I’m really looking forward to the long silent hours of writing with just the tinkering of the keyboard and the clear sounds of classical music streaming through my headphones. I have this idosyncrasy of when I write, that I need to listen to certain music; as if to take me into another place. Dramatic, I know, but it seems to do the trick and before I know it, I’ve written through most of the night.

Nevertheless, if you have a chance, take a look and let me know what you think: www.this-is-how-you-write-it.com.

My first uploaded topic is essentially about ‘How To Write An Essay’ as I have recently completely successfully my post-grad study and there were a lot of valuable steps and strategies I used in the process, but as I AM a business writer, the majority of my topics will be business related.

So, until my next post.

Stay tuned . . .
Angela.

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The Man Who Forgot How To Read (Howard Engel)

I recently finished reading a wonderful little book written by a well-known crime novelist, Howard Engel. It’s a personal memoir entitled, “The Man Who Forgot How To Read” and it’s his personal journey back from a stroke which left him unable to write.

He describes how, with reading and writing as being not only his art, his craft and his passion, is stripped from him when he wakes up one day from a stroke which leaves him unable to write. Here is a man where writing is literally his life and it is a wonderfully empowering story of how he crawls back and ends up writing another book.

A life spent making mistakes …

I’ve recently been working with an author in a ghostwriting capacity creating a creative non-fiction piece on an aspect of their life.

They had this wonderful saying that has almost become a mantra and validation of how they have chosen to live their life:

“A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.”

[George Bernard Shaw, 1856-1950]

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