We go to Ocean Grove (Victoria, Australia) each and every year to a wonderful place called "The White House".  It accommodates twelve; 13-14 at a pinch.

We hold workshops throughout the weekend, and I usually conduct at least one of those.  This year my workshop is on writing an author bio.

We also hold one-on-one critique sessions, which always prove to be very worthwhile.  In addition, we have motivational sessions, laughing sessions, and goal setting sessions. We also have a workshop conducted by one of our members who is published with a NY publisher.

These are the 'structured' sessions and workshops, but the weekend is very full-on and extremely worthwhile.

It literally takes months of organisation, and our committee is made up of four people, and yes, I'm one of them.

If you ever have the opportunity to attend a writer's retreat, and it is within your budget, make the effort to go.  You won't be sorry.

I'm asked a lot about injuries that affect writers, and how to avoid them.  One thing I do on a regular basis is stretch.  I use a piece of software that I purchased a few years ago, and it reminds me every hour to stretch.  It's not expensive, and it works well.  There's a trial version, and if you like it, you pay for a license, which is a small one-off fee.  Once you have the full version, you can pick and choose which exercises you want to do.  It also has a lot of information about setting up your desk ergonomically. This software works for all computers.

Another product you might want to check out is called Work Pain Free. This is a multimedia program which walks you through the process of looking after yourself.

Even if you're not interested in the program, do visit the link and join the f*ree newsletter supplied by Dr Barry Carlin, and expert in this area. 

As writers, we are constantly using our hands, and sitting at our desks.  We are open to injuries such as carpel tunnel, arthritis, ganglions, fatigue and lower back pain.

Prevention is much better than cure, and both these products will help you with the prevention part.  I left it too late to prevent these things happening, and have arthritis in both hands, as well as ganglions.  I have a small (but painful) ganglion on one finger, and a rather large one, that rears its ugly head every now and then, on my right wrist.

If I'd had the tools to avoid them in the first place, I would have been very happy.

Okay, let's move forward!

In this issue you can read the review I wrote for The Wealthy Writer.  I was bowled over the amount of meaty content in this book, and highly recommend it. See my review below.

Also this month is an article written by Judy Bagshaw on pseudonyms.  This is a topic that often generates active discussions on forums and egroups.

Click Now for Full Details

Reviewof
The Wealthy Writer

Reviewed by Cheryl Wright © (All Rights Reserved)
Authors: Nick Daws & Ruth Barringham
Published by WCCL
259 Pages

 

The Wealthy Writer was released late April 2009 and is a complete guide for writers on ways to make money writing for the Internet. It is written by Nick Daws (author of Quick Cash Writing and Write Any Book in 28 Days) and author/publisher Ruth Barringham (full-time writer and owner of writeaholics.net.)

In The Wealthy Writer, Daws and Barringham have covereda large variety of ways writers can make money writing for theInternet. They include (but are not limited to):

 

·         blogging

·         writing website copy

·         short report writing

·         e-book writing

·         article writing

·         affiliate marketing

·         selling your writing services via job auction sites

·         setting up a writer's website

·         advertising online for writing work

·         and much more.

 

The Wealthy Writer  is so full of information that if you don’t make money usingthis book, you simply aren’t trying!

I’ve known for a very long time there were major gaps in theinformation available to writers, and have filled many of thosegaps myself.

The WealthyWriter is definitely a book you’llkeep as a reference and will use time and timeagain.  (I have printed out my copy, and hadit bound at OfficeWorks for just a few dollars.)

Between them, Daws and Barringham have a wealth of knowledge,which they’re now passing onto otherwriters.  I’ve known both authors for many years,and have found them to be extremelyknowledgeable. I alsoknow they both earn regular income with their writingskills.

Okay, onto the review...

 

Things I didn’t like:

There was very little I didn’t like, but there were a couple ofthings. 

Firstly, I hate that every time I open the pdf I have to typein the password. This is obviously to stop ebook pirating,but it’s soooooooo annoying.

The second thing I didn’t likewas the table of contents - it is notclickable.  I really hate that. It means if I wantto go to a specific section I either need to do a search, orscroll through until I locate it.

I’ve found similar issues with other books by the samepublisher, and I assume it’s to stop people jumping to specificsections without reading the entire book.  What the publisher should understand is that some people will simply want to bypass some parts of the book.  And that is their perogative!

Both of these are pretty minor and can be overlooked because ofall the good things provided.

 

Things I liked:

Because there is so much in this book, I simply cannot includeeverything here, so I’ve reviewed just a fewsections.

The book is so incredibly comprehensive, and  I can’t think of anything that’s been missed.

Here are just a few of the sections I’ve read sofar:

 

Writing for the Internet

This section deals with copywriting, and although it doesn’tcontain comprehensive information, it provides more than enoughto get you started in this very lucrative area ofwriting.

Ø  It covers information like writing to a niche market –explaining who the copy should be aimed at and why.

Ø  It talks about keeping it simple; alternative words that don’tconfuse the reader.

Ø  It provides step-by-step information on brevity, discusses theuse of hype, and much more.