“The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can think.” – Edwin Schlossberg

I’ve been blogging for just over two years and have had an amazing time doing so. Not only has it opened up a lot of doors for my freelancing, but it’s also been so much fun. Sadly, after over a hundred posts, it’s time I said goodbye. Yup, it’s the end of Varsity Blah.

But not to worry; I’ll be transitioning over to an exciting new blog soon (and of course, you’ll all be the first to know). In the meantime, I’ve added a new page with all the posts I’ve written nicely categorised for you to remember or discover for the first time.

I’ve also uploaded a copy of my latest book onto Authonomy, started a page at Self Growth, and created a neat Wordle summary of this site. It’s a great resource for aspiring writers and (with enough support) it could lead to an actual publishing deal! Check it out and let me know what you think. As always, I appreciate it!

Otherwise, I wish you all well. Take care and I’ll talk to you soon!

“Writing is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money.” – Jules Renard

(To download your completely free copy of the South African or International edition of Work in Progress, right-click and save the relevant link. Then open, enjoy, and repeat as needed.)

A lot of people have asked me how I managed to design this blog. Well, I can’t take all the credit simply because it helps to have some creative people involved. But it also helps to know what you want to achieve. Blogging for Dummies recommends the following:

Theme – Every website needs to have a powerful theme that conveys what your brand is about and what the website is trying to achieve.

Design – Colours, graphics, features, and fonts need to be chosen based on what appeals to the users and based on features they want.

Layout –This needs to be as simple as possible to navigate and be consistent from one page to the next. Clearly visible links to Home, About, Contact together with a Site Map and Search feature are key.

Content – Much like the design and layout, the content needs to be in line with what the readers expect. It must be updated regularly to keep things fresh.

Feedback – Once the website has been set up, ask potential browsers and people you trust to give it a “test drive”. The honest critique can help improving aspects you might have overlooked.

(To download your completely free copy of the South African or International edition of Work in Progress, right-click and save the relevant link. Then open, enjoy, and repeat as needed.)

There’s nothing like snuggling up indoors with a good book while the rain falls gently outside. It turns out such idyllic images actually exist. While experiencing that joy recently, I got to thinking about how much we can learn from nature.

Seasons

It’s amazing how many aspects of nature work in cycles. After night comes day. After winter comes spring. Even though we should understand this, we still have a tendency to freak out over things like a recession, even though they’ve happened before and will happen again. Accept the darkness because without it there would be no light.

Harvest

Nothing in life happens instantly. It’s like Steven Covey often jokes about how you can’t neglect sowing wheat all summer and then “hit it hard” in the fall. You’ve got to put in early and consistent effort if you want to reap the rewards. You’ve got to stock up for the winter if you want to see yourself through hard times.

Roots

Living with no sense of grounding is like being a leaf completely subject to whatever the random winds are blowing about. Instead, we should strive to be more like trees. After taking a trip back to the house where I grew up, I was amazed to see a tree my dad planted over twenty years ago still standing firm. Even though so much around it had changed, it was still there.

(To download your completely free copy of the South African or International edition of Work in Progress, right-click and save the relevant link. Then open, enjoy, and repeat as needed.)