Writing...Just because!

  Miss Manners would be rolling in her grave…or, is she still alive? I have been enjoying the power of LinkedIn and recognize the value of being able to pre-qualify leads and target exactly the right company and person to pitch to.   It’s also a gold mine of great advice and opportunities to brainstorm with other experts in your field.   I belong to a few groups that are stellar (like Freelance Web Writers run by Paul Lalley).   Bottom line…I use LinkedIn, I enjoy it and it’s been a real incredible marketing and professional development tool for me. Developing Contacts But, it has its irritants.   For me, it’s people who don’t seem to know how to use it properly or at least don’t use common sense and good manners.   Maybe I approach it too old school and need to get with the program but I still feel that there should be some commonly accepted ground rules.   What do you think is the best way to develop new connections on Linke...

Finally a way to let it all out among friends!  I have to admit, I found the title, Expat Women:  Confessions a little misleading.  The term “confessions” leads one to believe that there’s something scintillating or juicy “a la Desperate Housewives” but if you’re expecting wife-swapping and shop-a-holic stories you’ll be disappointed.  However, what you will find is page after page of sage advice from two women, Andrea Martin and Victoria Hepworth, who have “been there, done that” for years.  Each chapter highlights a question from a woman in the thick of all things expat, followed by an answer that is thoughtful, insightful and thorough that includes great tips and helpful suggestions.  The authors have backgrounds in HR and psychology and have both lived around the world.  They come to the table with an in-depth understanding of human nature and a boatload of empathy built from personal experience. In the introduction, expat author Robin Pascoe sa...

After 3 ½ years living in Dubai I finally got around to visiting the Jumeirah Mosque.   It’s the only Mosque in Dubai that invites non-Muslims to go inside and learn more about the mystery of what happens beyond closed doors and uncovering some of the myths surrounding the Islamic religion.   They offer a program called, “A Taste of the Emirates…Open Doors.   Open Minds.”   I was ready for my eyes to be opened.   Do you know what I discovered?   Behind that closed door, there were rituals going on that I had done every single Sunday growing up in a Roman Catholic family.   At the start of the tour, our guide recited the prayer we hear over the loud speakers five times a day every day since we arrived, and then the Salat (act of prayer, which they use as the first “connection” to God during the service).   He then translated it into English.   The first line of the Salat is “Glory to God in the Highest.”   I mouthed back to him, “and pe...

Have you ever blown past a deadline? I have...but never one for a client.  It's always one I've made for myself. I have missed a very important self-imposed deadline. I committed to doing a book review on the first of every month. That is one of the biggest challenges I find being a freelance writer. Sure, it’s easy to make deadlines that are set by paying clients, but keeping a commitment to yourself is much more difficult. But, I remind myself, now I have not only let me down but my friends and followers as well. And that’s tough to take. So…my apologies! I can only offer to you that, where the book reviews are concerned, I will only do a review on a book I have read from cover to cover so my review is honest and complete. On the first of this month, I looked at my night table and the desk in my office and there were many books marked at various pages but not one was close enough to being finished to make me comfortable enough to do a formal “review.” A Mini Review T...

When you’re looking for a home they always say it’s location, location, location.  Well, for me it is the same for writing. Do your surroundings help or hinder your writing? I don’t know how reporters at big city newspapers do it.  They usually sit in a wide-open space ( the bullpen ) surrounded by other reporters typing away trying to make deadline (thankfully the tapping isn’t as loud as it used to be on the typewriters of bygone days)!  Inevitably, there are those who are still hunting down the perfect quote and are talking loudly on their phones attempting to be heard above the cacophony of computer keyboard tapping, conversations and various and assorted ring tones going off throughout the newsroom.  Oh, and the five or six TVs mounted on the wall all on different stations so everyone can see the news that’s being covered elsewhere that they may be missing.  Is Silence Golden? I could never be a reporter, as I have always needed a quiet place to write....

I've just discovered DotComDiva and really like what she has to say.  A recent article she wrote called The Five Biggest Mistakes Business Owners Make on Facebook beautifully outlined some of my biggest bugaboos. At the end of the article, she invited any and all to re-post her article so, with her permission, here goes: The Five Biggest Mistakes Business Owners Make on Facebook by Elizabeth Southall, April 14, 2011   Million+ active users and more traffic than Google, savvy entrepreneurs are recognizing that Facebook is now the #1 best place to find new, untapped customers for your business. If you know what you’re doing, you can quickly generate a large, loyal fan base to market your products and services to. But violate the unspoken rules Facebook etiquette and not only will you find it tough to retain fans, you could also end up generating a massive amount of negative buzz for your biz on the world’s largest social network (OUCH!). To help you get the mo...

For those of us who are already expats, the memories of making that first move may have faded but Paul Allen’s book, Should I Stay or Should I Go? is a gentle reminder of the sometimes anxiety producing moments that culminate in the decision to make the leap.  Often times the opportunity comes as a result of a job offer (as it did with my husband) but sometimes you might just be yearning for a change but don’t know where to begin.  Allens’ book is the perfect place to start for those with the spark that hasn’t quite been ignited yet.  Or, even if you have selected your first expat destination, it helps you step back, take a deep breath and think about all the details of planning your move, taking advantage of those who have gone before you.  Should I Stay or Should I Go? gives a broad overview of some of the most popular expat destinations to fan the flames of your imagination.  Allen is a freelance writer and journalist from England who moved to New York an...