Categories
Business Writers

Avoiding Sparrow (or Monkey) posts

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Penny Sparrow has become an overnight success for all the wrong reasons. Sparrow’s post has landed her in big poo and she is now receiving death threats, her former employers are threatening to sue her as are prominent activists. Using ‘monkey’ in her post was the reveal about her feelings.

What Sparrow considered to be an innocent observation about black people celebrating the festive season on Durban’s beaches has gone viral in a bad way. Unfortunately, this mampara did not learn her lesson.

Give that woman a spade

Sparrow’s comment comparing black people to monkeys being ‘released to the beaches [and] town’ was blatant racism and although she later posted an apology, the apology was nullified in an interview with News24  when she claimed that she was ‘stating facts’.

After reading through both her Facebook post and her comments made in the interview, it is clear that Sparrow is a racist and that her comments are far from factual.

Why?

Because her comments are personal rather than focusing on the issue that lead her to creating the post in the first place: overcrowded beaches, unruly behaviour and excessive littering.

Sparrow gets emotional

Trying to sweeten the derogatory term ‘monkey’ applied to black people in her social media post, Sparrow claimed that she actually likes monkeys and that she considered them ‘cute and naughty’.  Animals are cute and naughty. Children are cute and naughty. Would one apply this to people like Nelson Mandela or Barack Obama?

I do not think so.

I can think of many positive adjectives the majority would use but cute and naughty would not be on that list.

In its literal sense, monkeys are mammals. Then there is the emotional connection. Monkeys are also known to be pests for many KZN residents and coastal resorts. Definitely not ‘cute and naughty’. Extending this association further, monkeys are also used as derogatory terms when used to describe black people.

Backpedalling from her initial comment will not get Sparrow out of jail. She meant to be offensive to express her disgust.

Justifying comments using ‘facts’

In her interview, Sparrow tries to demonstrate that she is not a racist. “I work with blacks and I am kind to them”. One wonders why she cannot treat black people as equals. Why is kindness an important reciprocation towards black people.

Other comments like “I was born in East Africa and I was raised by blacks” and “She’s a wonderful girl and she’s an Indian” are empty statements. Being ‘raised’ by black people does not automatically release Sparrow from racism and the fact that an Indian lady happened to be ‘nice’ makes the reader wonder whether this is a rare occurrence.

Are people of colour not nice?

Does skin colour automatically predetermine a person’s behaviour?

Consider the facts

In response to her interview, many (white) people felt that Sparrow was stating facts. Some wrote about Zuma and his behaviour and claimed this supported Sparrow’s comments.  It is clear that there are many South Africans who do not know how to separate opinions from facts. Don’t attack the skin colour, attack the issue.

What was the issue that Sparrow failed to express?

Kwazulu Natal beaches are overcrowded during the festive season. It just so happens that certain beaches are populated by a certain demographic and this particular area happens to be frequented mainly by black people. It also means that when large groups of people come together in a public place, littering tends to happen and behaviour can get out of hand especially if there is alcohol involved. This is why we (should) have rules and law-enforcement. It has nothing to do with skin colour.

Has anyone looked at the state of a cinema once the movie has ended and everyone has left? Pop-corn and empty containers lie all over and cleaners emerge with bags of rubbish. People often become amorous in the back row. Sometimes quite embarrassingly so.

What about rock concerts? Different demographic and yet same behavioural tendencies: littering, making out, fighting. So why does the Durban beach issue have to be a black issue?

Generalising about a certain group of people is dangerous.

Rule number one: consider your emotional response before posting

Prejudice is a bitch. It will eventually expose you. Too often, people get away with flyaway remarks when they are uttered to friends and family. The problem is that comments made verbally are easily forgotten. Social media does not provide a sympathetic ear. Words do not fade away and are easily shared electronically. Your comments will remain etched in cyberspace, hauntingly scary – exposing your weaknesses.

Be warned. Clear your heart before you write.  Your words will expose your true intent.

Writer’s support provides a consulting service and business writing workshops. Learn how to communicate effectively.
Contact writer@ulrikehill or +27 71 636 8028.

Categories
Interviews

The 5-Minute Interview: Suzanne Jefferies


Book Title: The Joy of Comfort Eating

Genre:  Romance

What was your inspiration for writing this book?

The Joy of Comfort Eating CoverEver had somebody pull back your ribs, rip out your heart, use it as a battering ram, then hand it back to you? Sure you have. Every time you get on the dating merry-go-round.

In those moments after my last break-up, when my thoroughly mangled heart had retreated to somewhere in Numbtown, I was nudged by a half-written novel I’d scrawled at least ten years previously. It was about a well-rounded character who gets herself fired from her job as a teacher at an exclusive girls’ high school, while simultaneously falling for the headmaster. It so didn’t work. I’d re-written the story some time back and swopped out the headmaster for a former lover. Still didn’t work. But what if there was something there that was salvageable? In both the manuscript, and in the relationship? I was still licking my wounds from the break-up, with insane Thornton’s fuelled thoughts such as ‘What if he and I had another chance?’ Un-bloody-likely. But what if Charlie had another chance with the love of her life? I started writing.

Why will the reader fall in love with your main character?

I’ve got a soft spot for my heroine Charlie Everson. Here’s why.

1). She’d love to be the good time girl.Charlie’s exactly the type of person you want on a girls’ night out. You know she’ll be the one to crack open the champagne before you’ve even left the office. Sadly, she’s also the one most likely to be caught.

2). She knows what it’s like to have dream or two go up in flames. Totally unsuited to the political shenanigans of the corporate communications’ Queenswood office, Charlie’s any of us who looks back on her life and wonders ‘how the hell did I get here?’. And instead of setting off on a goal-setting workshop, she decides to swim into the delights of fried food, cake and chocolate. Let me pause there. In fact, I’m going to go do just that. Okay, I’m back (with my Cinnabon), she’s lost her first love, hasn’t had much luck with her second or third, and any attempt at a career in art has gone splat.

3). She doesn’t think cake can save the world, but it doesn’t hurt to try .

 

What is your favourite part of this book?

Favourite bit? Why the HEA of course!

 

If you could give the antagonist in your book one advice, what would that be and why?

One piece of advice? Only one? I’d give then man plenty. Like how to not walk away from arguments. How to say what you’re thinking instead of engaging in verbal gymnastics. Okay, I’ll stop there for now.

 

If you went on a date with the love interest in your book, where would you go?

A date with Brian? Hmmm. A nightlcub in the dodgiest part of town for a little swing dancing and some vodkas and lime. Perfect.

 

Give us the blurb about The Joys of Comfort Eating

It’s the worst day of Charlie Everson’s life. Not only can she no longer fit into her clothes (disaster for any public relations director), but also her first love, the sexy super-successful Brian Tendai, is her new CEO – the last person she ever expected to run into. Seeing him again tumbles Charlie back into her past. Still so many unanswered questions: he’s convinced she left him, she’s convinced he left her. Charlie minimises the ‘ex-factor’. Tell that to her emotions that are running wild.

But Brian’s not there to rekindle their romance. He’s overseeing Queenswood Communication’s recent merger after a hostile takeover. Guess whose name is at the top of the list?

They agree to one night together, just the one, then it’s back to business as normal. Or is it?

The Joy of Comfort Eating is a contemporary romance novel set in cosmopolitan Johannesburg.

How can the reader buy your book?

Currently online, Amazon

How can readers connect with you?

SuzanneTwitter:  @suzannejefferies

Website:  www.suzannejefferies.com

Facebook:  suzanne.jefferies7

 

 

Categories
Creative Writers

Are you author or writer?

Author? Writer? Which would the pre-published person be? Is JK Rowling an author or a writer? Why is a ghost-writer not an author? People think that the words mean one and the same. After all, if you are writing, you can be both?

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Not so. Consider this. JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series put her in the top 10 of greatest authors according to Topten dot com. She is also one of the top earning authors in the world according to Forbes magazine. So why did she go on to write The Casual Vacancy under a pseudonym? Before it leaked out that the book was written by Rowling, it sold a measly 1 500 copies. Why bother? The reason why she wrote under a pseudonym is because Rowling is an author. She writes because she loves the art, because she has characters to develop and because she has stories to tell the world. That is her priority. That she earned fame and fortune along the way is incidental.

Ghost-writers and copywriters are not authors. They are producing someone else’s stories and ideas. They write to earn money. The art of writing does not make you an author.

There are a number of reasons why people are writers. Writers are paid irrespective how well the book does. It is the responsibility of the person paying the writer to publish the book once the book has been completed. Being a writer is at times easier than being an author.

According to Difference Between dot net, a person is considered a writer until they are published. This means that even if the idea is your own and you have written the book, you still remain a writer. It does not matter how often you write and what you have written . The difference is that when you become published, your work will be copyrighted under the copyright laws. This ensures that nobody else can steal or use your idea. It is all yours.

To be an author, one must have the capability to think and express ideas. A writer must have the capability to understand and convey an idea correctly to the readers. Their skill is suited to the job required. Authors write because they have stories to tell, writers write because they want to earn money.

Now decide: which one are you?

Categories
Business Writers

The Politics of the Pronoun

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The politician is the ultimate salesperson. Speeches are the platform for gaining power and are drafted with this purpose in mind. Special attention is given to the simple pronoun; that obscure part of speech so often taken for granted by the average person.

Barack Obama’s famous slogan for the 2008 Presidential Campaign, “Yes We Can” shows the power of the pronoun. The power of this simple slogan is that unlike previous candidates, Obama was not saying what he would do for his voters but rather that they would work together. It worked. He won the 2008 election and was voted back into power in 2012.

The pronoun we is used to invoke a sense of collectivism and to share responsibility whereas they is used to separate self from other; often in a discriminatory sense. ‘They are troublemakers’ creates a definite barrier between the speaker and the ‘other’ very different group.

The use of pronouns provides insight into the words of writer or speaker. Is the person actually ‘one of us’ or ‘one of them’. Does the person overuse the narcissistic I or the collective and fuzzy-feeling we?

According to wordnetweb.princeton.edu, viewpoint is defined as “a mental position from which things are viewed”. This definition is a wonderful way of expressing the power of the pronoun. The use of a personal pronoun either in first , second or third person can reveal whether the person is arrogant, expressive or detached.

FIRST PERSON VIEWPOINT

The first person I , is used to express a personal opinion. The plural we has become a popular pronoun in business. It has been used to include leaders in the mix of the common people.

However, the collective we can be negative as well and is often exploited to share responsibility. Consider the CEO of a company telling employees that “we should tighten our belts and save”. The CEO then drives off in the latest BMW X5 whilst the employees stand in endless queues waiting for the public transport to arrive. Who exactly will be ‘tightening their belts’?

THIRD PERSON VIEWPOINT

The use of the third person (he, she, they) is recommended in business writing. It creates distance between the writer and the reader. Once again, depending on the context, the third person viewpoint can have negative outcome. Consider Marie Antionette’s famous comment, “Let them eat cake” when she was told that her people did not even have bread to eat. This comment distanced her from her people and revealed her ignorance about the suffering of the people around her.

THE SECOND PERSON VIEWPOINT

The second (and enigmatic viewpoint) person you remains unchanged whether used singularly or to address a group. The you is used as a direct form of address and attempts to involve the reader and make them active in the writing. It is often used effectively in pulp fiction such as The Fight Club. The reader is part of an uncomfortable situation. In an argument, the you is often used negatively. “You are lazy” is accusatory. Editors of female magazines use you to show solidarity and understanding. “Be the best you” is a wonderful slogan. Consider the most popular three-word sentence, “I love you”.

Remember

  1. The use of pronouns in business or creative writing is powerful and can be used to convey a positive or a negative message.
  2. Establish the purpose of the writing and use the appropriate pronoun to support this purpose.
  3. Do not change viewpoints. It shows immaturity and a lack of understanding of grammatical rules.
Categories
Business Writers

Apostrophe Abuse

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Luisa Zissman received a large amount of media attention and not because she reached the final of The Apprentice in 2013. Instead of praising her business acumen, grammar zealots and social media fans criticised her lack of grammar knowledge.

A large section of the population was outraged because Zissman did not know how to use the apostrophe in her business name. This indignant outrage was the result of Zissman’s tweet.

“Is it bakers toolkit or baker’s toolkit with an apostrophe?!” she tweeted.

After receiving a lesson in apostrophe use from her Twitter fans, Zissman enraged her fans and the grammar zealots further by tweeting, “I like the look of bakers,” and so decided to drop the apostrophe.

Zissman’s business acumen was praised during the BBC’s show but her ignorance about basic punctuation has called her credibility and professionalism into question. Her work ethic was also questioned as people felt she was ‘being lazy’ by not attempting to understand the use of the apostrophe.

Ironically, Zissman describes herself as having ‘a brain like Einstein’.

People want to do business with companies who are professional and credible. If companies cannot grasp the basic rules of punctuation then what else do they not know that is crucial to providing a professional service to their clients?

If you still feel that apostrophe ignorance is no big deal then consider the following examples of miscommunication:

  • Your mine (a tattoo)
  • DVD’s sale (a video store signage)
  • There are two is in skiing (online tutorial)
  • A days’ leave (human resource document)

A misplaced apostrophe can change the meaning of a sentence and lead to miscommunication. Worse, it can create a negative perception about your business offering. Can you afford that?

Categories
Creative Writers

5 tips to market your book

Although this article is aimed at indie authors, authors pursuing the traditional publishing route can benefit from the advice. Publishing is changing and many blame the digital era. If anything, this offers more opportunities to pursue a writing business without enormous capital outlay.

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Writing is a business, like any other business. If you are a start-up, you have to earn credibility and a reputation. You have to invest time and money marketing your business.

The same goes for pre-published author. Readers gravitate towards authors they know and trust. It take time and many books to establish yourself and to ensure your book fids it way to the front shelf of the bookstore. Jodi Picoult famously quipped, “It took me ten years to become an overnight success.” If ten years is too long for you then best you pack your laptop away and do something else. As a pre-published author, you will need to invest in the business side of your book.

 Here are my top five marketing tips for authors:

 

  1. Establish a social media presence.

Social media is the quickest and cost-effective way to market. Many authors like EL James and Amanda Hocking promoted their books through their blogs and were then snatched up by publishers. Create your online presence before you start writing. The sooner the better. Many of the bigger publishers are including this as a contractual obligation.

  1. Create a database.

While you are researching and writing your book, create a database of people who have expressed an interest in your book. Keep their interest by emailing interesting facts about your book. Link your database to your blog.

  1. Get book reviews.

Book reviews are an important part of marketing. Ensure that you approach a reputable reviewer. Reviewers do not charge for their reviews but you will need to provide a copy of your book either as a hard copy or as an e-book.

  1. Create a pitch.

Create a 10-second pitch that provides the essence of the book and captures the reader’s attention. Ensure that when someone asks what your book is about, you can deliver the pitch faultlessly. Ensure that you have a 30-second pitch ready if they want to know more.

  1. Write articles.

This is one way to practice your business writing skills and to establish yourself as knowledgeable about your book’s subject matter. For example, if a character in your book has cancer, write articles about your research. Post your articles on your blog, submit them to magazines and newspapers or ask to be a guest writer on a popular writing blog.

 

The above list is not exhaustive but it does provide some ideas for you. Remember, marketing is the business part of your book and it takes careful planning and enormous commitment.

Categories
Creative Writers

The Ghost on the Bookshelf

Andrew Gross: my inspiration

By Ulrike Hill

The ghost-writer provides an interesting service to the world of stories. A book is written by the ghost writer but someone else gets the credit. ‘The book just seemed to write itself,’ the author will tell the press and adoring fans. The ghost writer will sit in the wings, the Cinderella of the literary world.

What does it take to become a ghost writer?

Obviously, the ability to write is crucial, but these three things are just as important:

  1. The ghost-writer requires oodles of patience, empathy and the ability to actually listen to the author’s story and then translate it into a publishable book.
  2. The ghost-writer requires a special talent to write the story in the author’s voice. Discipline and an understanding of storytelling techniques are crucial tools for the aspiring ghost-writer.
  3. Ghost-writers need to deal with big egos but should not succumb to their own. Why? Because it is really difficult to sit back after giving birth to a story that hits the best seller list and the name on the cover gets all the credit.

Why do writers become ghost writers?

Writers need to eat and this is one way to make money. Ghost writers are paid a flat rate to write so if the book is a flop this will not affect the ghost writer’s pocket.
The ghost writer has access to different stories. The opportunity to work with celebrities and other interesting people is one of the perks of the job. Ghost writers get an open invitation to the lifestyles of the rich-and-famous.
Telling other people’s stories is exciting and creates a perspective on different styles of writing.

Seven Famous Ghost Writers and Authors

  1. Michael Robotham (Bleed for Me) was ghost-writer for ‘authors’ like Geri Halliwell and Rolf Harris.
  2. Carolyne Keen is as fictional as the teen sleuth, Nancy Drew that she was supposed to create.
  3. James Patterson credits his ghost-writers as co-authors on the covers of his books. Peter de Jongh (Shadows still Remain) and Andrew Gross (15 Seconds) were two of Patterson’s co-authors.
  4. John F Kennedy’s Pulitzer Prize winning book, Profiles in Courage, was ghost-written by his speech writer, Theodore Sorenson.
  5. Ian Fleming died while writing The Man with the Golden Gunso Kinglsey Amis had to step in as writer.
  6. RL Stine, author of the Goosebumpsseries, turned to ghost-writers to help him churn out the popular chiller series faster.
  7. The Star Warsbook was credited to director George Lucas but was actually ghost-written by Alan Dean Foster.
Categories
Business Writers

The Emotional Email

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Understanding business email etiquette

By Ulrike Hill

I was once a product manager in the IT industry. I was new to the job and eager to please. One day an important client criticised my product. I took his comments personally. Whinging back at the office about the client, my director was unsympathetic. He told me to ‘take the emotion out of business’ and to stick to the facts.

Fast forward many years later. My director’s advice still resonates with me. Thinking back, his advice was relevant in a world where technology did not dominate business communication. Technology has created a sterile business world. Business people are interacting mainly via email and are spending less time speaking to each other. Too often misunderstandings tend to creep into written messages.

How can we avoid misunderstanding that may happen without the sender realising it?

Acknowledge the recipient

In the hurried world of business, people forget the use of ‘Dear X’ and dive straight into the message of the email. Acknowledge that there is a human being on the receiving end of the email. I prefer using ‘Hello’ and the person’s name. Ensure that you get the spelling of the person’s name correct. If not, the message you are sending to the receiver is ‘You are not important enough to me’.

I am shouting at you

The sender is in a rush and does not notice that THE CAPS LOCK IS ON. THE ENTIRE EMAIL IS WRITTEN IN UPPER CASE. People tell me that it is not a big deal. But it is a big deal. Using caps lock is the same as shouting. Imagine the response if the email is about an over-due payment. Or meeting an urgent deadline.

Smiley faces

During my discussions with a few business people, some felt that using emoticons reveal the human behind the email. I disagree. Emoticons are for friends. Emoticons are for informal communication. Emoticons do not make the email human. Humans talk.

So how are you, really?

Use words that will express the human. Instead of demanding, ask. Instead of diving straight into the main message, introduce a personal line like “I trust you are well.” It is more formal than the “How are you?” but it does show that you are interested in the recipient’s well-being.

Saying goodbye is hard to do

Like the forgotten greeting, signing off the email is taken for granted. Worse still, it is forgotten completely. This is the same as walking out of someone’s home without saying goodbye. The sign-off can reveal a lot about you. Create a professional ending to your email. ‘Faithfully’  sounds fake, ditto ‘Yours truly’ and imagine how a client may react to “With love”. Signing off can be professional and still reveal the human part of business.

These are a few suggestions for email users to create the ‘human face’ behind the words and to reduce misunderstandings. Business is tough so the human touch without the ‘touchy-feely’ will go a long way to maintaining a professional relationship.

Ulrike Hill provides a writing workshop to assist people with email etiquette. Contact: writer@ulrikehill.co.za or call 071 636 8028 (South Africa only).

Categories
Reviews

From Locker Room to Boardroom by Ross van Reenan

Do you know that Kobus Wiese, Springbok lock and 1995 World Cup winner started a successful    coffee-shop franchise? I am a coffee lover and can testify to the quality of Wiese’s coffee.

Bob Skinstad, eighth man and once Springbok captain, is a familiar face on television as a Supersport commentator. Skinstad has taken his experience as rugby captain into the business world. He is MD of Itec Connect Western.

Players like Skinstad, Wiese and other rugby greats like Francios Pienaar, Naas Botha and Joel Stransky have used their time on the rugby field as the foundation for building successful businesses. They are proof that there is life after rugby and that rugby can provide essential business skills.

There is life after rugby if an individual can learn from their time in the sport. Success comes from teamwork. Individuals make up business and sports teams. Diversity joining forces to achieve a common purpose: winning. Strategic discussion in the locker room is not that different to the planning done in the boardroom. Van Reenan translates these business lessons effectively into From Locker Room to Boardroom.

As a management consultant and MBA graduate, van Reenan provides business advice and practical business models. Van Reenan has rugby experience by playing 62 Currie Cup matches for Free State. The anecdotes and examples used in the book, the reader will see that rugby players’ challenges are no different to the challenges faced in business.

Reviewer:       Ulrike Hill

Score:              4/5

Review Date:  12th November 2012

(Zebra Press)   ISBN: 978-1-77022-331-8

Categories
Book Releases

Tackling the Brickwall

Tackling the Brickwall by Ulrike Hill

Rugby inspires dreams. But, it is a controversial game. Rugby shows life at its best… and worst. Many schoolboys who play rugby understand this. So do their parents.

 

Sometimes the biggest challenges are faced off the field rather than on it. Schoolboys have faced many disappointments. Like team selections or an injury that smashes chances of playing in that all-important game. These challenges make tackling the opposition’s prop seem small in comparison. The brickwalls faced by schoolboys and their parents can be daunting.

 

Rugby is more than a game and Tackling the Brickwall is more than a book. It is about finding the guts to discover the hero within and to discover that it is all about developing the necessary life skills. Tackling the Brickwall is the book that parents and their sons should read to develop potential on and off the rugby field.

 

ISBN 978-0620-45485-8

To purchase this book, please click here.