Professional Writing

I have started a professional writing short course at the Adelaide College of the Arts which is part of our TAFE (Technical and Further Education) System here in Australia. I am not sure what the equivalent would be overseas. Here in Australia TAFE train apprentices and offer courses in a variety of subjects from Certificate 1 or entry level right through to Advanced Diplomas. To work towards a degree you go to University. 

Well my first assignment has been submitted. The assignment called for an article that was showed ‘skill, ingenuity, professionalism and objectivity’. I also had to write a cover letter to accompany the article.

This is an online beginning freelance journalism course and I am afraid I am not impressed so far. If I knew how to do all that I wouldn’t be doing the course. There were no examples to work from and so I am winging it. It is early days yet though so we shall see how things develop.

Pass or fail? I went into this to learn something. I have already so regardless of passing or failing I am learning. After a quick email to an e-friend who has been published and a bit of work counting in some of my preferred magazines I now know approximately how many words are on a magazine page and the length of feature articles.

I would love to be able to get work as a freelance journalist, as a change of career would be great. I am not getting my hopes up about that. I spent quite a lot of time in the local newsagents and I only found one magazine that takes unsolicited submissions and you have to write to them with an article outline first.

I want to improve my writing skills in my blogs. I can see how I have improved over the years so I am at least getting better there. 

So we shall see how this goes. Hopefully the lecturers will be gentle and I won’t get to the end feeling like I have wasted my time and money. 

Wish me luck.

Run Fat Bitch Run

Part of my textile journey is the battle I have with my weight, I am sure you wonder why this is so. When I am over weight my knee aches, I am lethargic and severly unmotivated. Over the last 5 weeks I have put some serious effort into getting back to my preferred weight. As a result I am 8 kilos down, I've been back on my treadmill and feeling great. I can run again, although not far, and my knee doesn't ache. Yay for the diet.
I also bought a new diet (lifestyle) book from The Book Depository called "Run Fat Bitch Run". Ruth Field shares her "Fuss free and foolproof" weight loss regime in this book for the "Seriously unmotivated". There are only three rules - Drink lots of water, Eat less Crap and Run. Ruth guides us from being a sofa sitter to a lean mean running machine. Her eight week guide to running helps avoid failure and injury, I am two days in and so far so good. The plan is easy to follow and no huge expenses or complicated diets means this is something I can do.
This is a book of tough love, there is no looking in the mirror and saying "I am beautiful". There is a lot of contacting your inner bitch and saying "Run fat bitch Run" to yourself when you look in the mirror. Ruth does warn that letting your inner bitch loose on those around you is not really a great thing to do.
Sometimes , though, you need to let your inner bitch give you a bit of tough love to get you off you ever increasing butt and into exercise.
Ruth's story of her journey through fat and unmotivated to healthy and energetic is personal and entertaining as she shares her ups and downs on the journey. All in all a great read and one of the easiest diet/exercise regimes to follow I have found. 5 stars from me.


The weight loss and self-motivation has given me the boost I need to actually make something. I will share that when it is finished. I am also going to return to last years policy of finishing one of the projects I have had sitting around before I start a new one. This worked really well for quite a while so is worth reinstating. I have also signed up for a short course on freelance journalism to improve my blogging.
2012 is going to be a great year for me. My inner bitch will make me do it.