Your First Christmas Card List

December 2, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Victorian, 1885
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If you are putting together your first Christmas card mailing list, you might be a little intimidated. The first list can be kind of hard to make. You want to make sure that everyone who should get a card gets one, and that no one feels left out or disappointed. You will also want to make sure that your cards get out on time and, of course, you don’t want to send cards to wrong addresses! So, here are a few tips to make putting together your first Christmas card list a little bit easier.

  1. Names: First put together a list of all the people that you want to send a card to. Start with the maternal side of your family. Start by writing down your parents’ names too so you won’t forget! Then write down, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and so on. Do the same with the paternal side of your family, then move on to your spouse’s family, friends, co-workers, and anyone else you want to have on your list.
  2. Addresses: Make sure that you have addresses for everyone on the list. You might have to ask around a little bit, but don’t spend too much time asking other people. If you can’t find an address fairly quickly, use an online database like Canada 411.
  3. The letter: Many people like to include a personal letter that tells people what they have been doing for the past year. Type up this letter and make enough copies for everyone on your list.
  4. Addressing envelopes: You can take the time to write out addresses by hand if your list is not too big, but if it’s a large list, you can type up the addresses on your computer and print them out on sticky address forms. Then you just have to stick them on the right envelope!
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Filed Under: Becoming a Better Writer Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Read and then Write

August 24, 2010 By Leave a Comment

If you are a writer, an amateur or a professional, you’ve certainly been told to read.

Voraciously!

While many of us have accomplished that, there are some of us, for whom, the task of reading a book cover to cover is as arduous as the thought of climbing Mt. Everest. While the advice was free and well taken, it was never implemented. But starting today, make the change and pick up that dusty book.

The joys of reading, undoubtedly, are plenty. But while reading may be a hobby for some, it is worth more to those who wish to leave their writing legacies behind. Reading a book or anything that if of interest to you can help you imbibe the essence and broaden your intellectual base. Besides bountiful knowledge, books can give you pointers and questions to think about. Indirectly, thus, they sow seeds of curiosity within you, which when nurtured and cared for, make you wiser.

Books can conjure time travel. There is no other instrument, as effective, that takes you straight into a bygone era or the future with such ease, like a book does. As a writer, you can learn from the author you are reading and understand the nuances that are sown together to create a magnificent piece of literature.

You can, virtually, enter the mind of another individual if you read what s/he has written. Autobiographies and biographies are excellent sources of inspiration besides being affluent gateways to the most brilliant minds on the planet. You can learn beyond your years and use that wisdom to enrich your life. You can instill values, ideas and techniques and build a successful career path for yourself. You may not use the advice mentioned at that instant, but you can always keep it for reference in the future.

When your mind is enriched and your creative sensibilities are in order, you can pass on that wisdom to others.  Reading books and learning from them helps you do just that, while satiating your professional hunger by giving you material that can be documented.

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Sell Effectively: The Next Step to Writing

August 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Writing a book is like winning half the battle. To own it, you need to conquer your markets. You can experience true victory when you write a compelling book that finds its way to numerous book shelves. While some of the success can be attributed to sheer luck, the rest of it can be calculated in such a way, that it gives you prominent results. As a writer, you can ensure that your book gets the boost it requires to create a remarkable impression on its readers.

For your book to achieve unparalleled success, you have to understand your target audience. Understanding them entails conducting research and workshops to get feedback. It also calls for ‘on-the-field’ action, where you have to make an effort to connect with them on a ‘one on one’ level. Since you will receive first hand information from your readers, you will know exactly who you’re writing for and what you’re writing. This in turn, will help you sell your book to a wider audience.

While you are pumping in the required effort, do not forget that somebody else is doing the same. Now if you have ten such authors vying for the same target audience, your book needs to be set differently to capture attention. At such a time, use your competition to your advantage. Read what they have published previously. Take notes and style your book in such a manner that the reader is compelled to pick up your text instead of someone else’s.

In a world that changes with the flip of a page, you need to stay current and abreast of all the developments. In order to write a saleable book, you need to understand the dynamics of the market that you are addressing. If it changes as often as you change your clothes, you need to put in material that will stay relevant and useful one year down the line. However, if the ever-changing market dynamics do not hamper your audience, you will be better equipped to produce a book that will remain on the stands for quite a while.

Filed Under: Becoming a Better Writer, Books Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Books make the best presents for children

August 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
books on a table
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Looking for the perfect gift but just can’t find the right item: How about books?
While most presents usually find the abandoned toy-box several weeks after purchase, books are the gift that keeps on giving, sometimes years, even decades after their initial purchase.
So if you’re looking for that perfect picture book for a favorite preschooler,  or a work about exotic frogs for a budding young naturalist, or a good dose of Science Fiction fantasy for a hard-to-please teen, rest easy books might be just the answer.
In today’s world of cell-phones, video games, internet  and instant communications, books  can remind us all of the real-life lessons that anything worth accomplishing takes time and effort before the full fruits of labor can be appreciated.  Books take time to read, but that time can be well spent if the subject matter is something that engrosses your child and encourages them to dig deep into their imagination.
Books allow us to escape our  everyday lives and dive into an often mysterious  realm filled with trepidation and danger.  Books can be an enlightening educator with graphic displays of nature’s perfection and beauty , sometimes  guiding children and young adults along a career path as they peruse an educational journal or scientific magazine.
Books are not dictated by the remote-control and are far more stimulating that a random Facebook update telling the world that a room has been cleaned, chores finished or that a burrito was consumed for lunch.
Studies indicate that a well-read youth is likely to achieve higher academic scores and continue further along  the path of education than a child who does not read.   Books open a new world of vocabulary, and stimulate the mind in a way that television cannot.
Books, may not be the sexy choice for your next present, but books are a gift that keeps on giving well after the cover is faded, and well after the toys or electronics you might have purchased, are crumpled in the corner gathering dust.

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For the Love of an Old Fashioned Bookstore

July 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

If you’re a lover of books, then you’ve probably had the wonderful experience of shopping in an old fashioned bookstore. I’m not talking about the big brand name chains that seem more concerned with selling coffee and DVDs. No, I’m talking about the single owner, “mom and pop” kind of bookstore. It’s these types of stores that are really the heart and soul of the literary world.

Full disclosure: I’ve bought many books on-line and at the mega-stores. It’s a matter of convenience. But those old fashioned bookstores are a dying breed that need to be supported and patronized. There are many great examples of these types of stores to be found in Los Angeles. One such place is the Mysterious Bookstore located within walking distance of the UCLA campus.

As the title implies, they sell mysteries but they offer so much more. You can ask any one of the clerks for a recommendation, even an obscure one like “are there any murder mysteries involving lobsters?” Chances are they’ll have an instant recommendation for you as well as a review of the book in question.

This isn’t to say that those mega-store workers don’t love books but it’s just not the same experience. Imagine opening the door to a store with a bell tingling, signaling your arrival. You’re hit with that old book smell. It’s not musty or moldy but instead smells of adventures locked within the rows of bound treasures that lay before you. As you step into the store, the wooden floor boards creak under your feet. Yes, there are new titles among the shelves but there also finds and out of print treasures. A favorite author here, an undiscovered writer there. You came with one title in your mind and in a flash, hours have passed and you leave with an armload of books you can’t wait to get back to your reading nook. The old fashioned bookstore is indeed a place of magic. Seek out one today.

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