Greetings,

 It's a yearly ritual, isn't it? Making New Year's resolutions.

Was one of your resolutions to actually start writing this year?

If it was, this week's issue is just for you - a few pointers on how to get started.

If you're going to be a writer, you have to have a subject to write about and it has to be a subject that others will want to read about. Right?

So, what do people like to read about?

First and foremost, they like to read about themselves! Think of something that most people do or would like to do and you're on a winner.

We all like to:

Of course, there are other things as well, but these four cover a great deal of territory - let's take a closer look at how you can use these to come up with a great article.

Note: you can use these ideas as the basis for a short piece or an entire book - it's up to you.

Once you've come up with your subject matter, the next thing is to decide on the angle or slant you're going to adopt. This can make all the difference between a ho-hum piece and a best seller!

Here area few ideas to get your little grey cells pumping:

As well as the obvious articles on what to eat and where to eat, don't ignore the possibilities of how to eat. You could do a whole series of articles on the new etiquette. Consider some of these:

There are many angles for this topic:

On the Internet, this is one of the "biggies". Anything you can tell people to help them improve their finances, will be read with interest.

Also think of the possibilities with price guides - everything from washing machines, computer courses and Barbie dolls to Akubra hats, fence posts and face-lifts.

These are just some of the possibilities - you can mix and match the ideas and the topics to come up with a new and catchy slant that will guarantee that your article gets read!

Write one word for each of the definitions below:

Having several wives - POLYGAMY

Having several husbands - POLYANDRY

Having three angles - TRIANGLE

Instrument for taking temperature THERMOMETRE -

Water-generated power - HYDROELECTRICITY

A long-distance camera lens - TELEPHOTO

The study of the sounds of speech - PHONOLOGY

The story of one's own life - AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Hater of other people - MISOGYNIST (strictly speaking, only a hater of womenn)

A period of ten years - DECADE

These words are often confused - choose the correct word from those in brackets:

1. The queen's (rein / reign) was remembered with affection.

2. The (gorilla / guerilla) forces halted the enemy's advances.

3. The (sight / site) of the see stirred the poet's (sole / soul).

4. (Vocation / vacation) time had arrived at last.

5. (Stationary / stationery) in the form of notebooks was bought in bulk.

6. The school (principal / principle) was angry with the children.

7. A doctor often needs (incite / insight) into the problems of patients.

8.The refugees made it safely to the (boarder / border).

9. The man was unsure (weather / whether) he should run or walk.

10.She was afraid she was going to (loose / lose) her purse.

Here are the answer's to the puzzle (and I really don't know what happened with the one of the clues - Leo sent me the correct clue, I cut and pasted what he sent, but somewhere along the way, I lost an '0' ...) Read on to see what I'm rabbiting on about here:

This test does not measure intelligence or fluency with words, but
rather mental flexibility and creativity. Few people solve more than
half of the 24 questions on the first try; most report getting answers
after the test has been set aside, at unexpected moments when their
minds are relaxed.

Example: 16 = O. in a P. ounces in a pound


26 = L. of the A. ----- Letters of the Alphabet

7 = W. of the A. W. ---- Wonders of the Ancient World

1001 = A. N. ---- Arabian Nights

12 = S. of the Z. ----- Signs of the Zodiac

54 = C. in a D. (with J's) ----- Cards in a Deck (with Jokers)

9 = P. in the S. S. ----- Planets in the Solar System

88 = P. K. ----- Piano Keys

13 = S. on the A. F. ----- Stars on the American Flag

32 = D. F. at which W. F. ----- Degrees Fahrenheit at which Water
Freezes

18 = H. on a G. C. ----- Holes on a Golf Course

90 = D. in a R. A. ----- Degrees in a Right Angle

200 = D. for P. G. in M. ----- Dollars for Passing Go in Monopoly

8 = S. on a S. S. ----- Sides on a Stop Sign

3 = B. M. (S. H. T. R.) ----- Blind Mice (See How They Run)

4 = Q. in a G. ----- Quarts in a Gallon

24 = H. in a D. ----- Hours in a Day

1 = W. on a U. ----- Wheel on a Unicycle

5 = D. in a Z. C. ----- Digits in a Zip Code

57 = H. V. ----- Heinz Varieties

11 = P. on a F. T. ----- Players on a Football Team (American football
anyway... not sure about others)

1000 = W. that a P. is W. ----- Words that a Picture is Worth

29 = D in F. in L. Y. ----- Days in February in a Leap Year

64 = S. on a C. ----- Squares on a Chessboard (or Checker board)

40 = D. and N. of the G. F. ----- Days and Nights of the Great Flood

So? How flexible are your little grey cells? Hmm, me too!

Do you think we could put it down to overwork? That sounds better than old age!

Here are more of those "things I wish I'd said" comments - the first sent in by Steve and the second group from Leo:

Never be afraid to try something new,
Remember amateurs built the ark - Professionals built the Titanic.

Love is grand - divorce is a hundred grand.

Politicians and diapers have one thing in common,
they should both be changed regularly and for the same reason.

*

"No one can drive us crazy unless we give them the keys." - Doug Horton

(On going to war over religion:) "You're basically killing each other to
see who's got the better imaginary friend." - Rich Jeni

And God said: "Let there be Satan, so people don't blame everything on
Me. And let there be lawyers, so people don't blame everything on
Satan." - John Wing

"What are the three words guaranteed to humiliate men everywhere? 'Hold
my purse.'" - Francois Morency

"I saw a woman wearing a sweatshirt with 'Guess' on it. I said, 'Thyroid
problem?'" - Emo Philips

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." - Rich
Jeni

"I read somewhere that 77 per cent of all the mentally ill live in
poverty. Actually, I'm more intrigued by the 23 per cent who are
apparently doing quite well for themselves." - Emo Philips

~ * ~

~ * ~

TAUTOLOGY OF THE WEEK: an old veteran will always beat a young rookie!

And a Latin phrase for those who are starting the New Year by ending something:

It doesn't sound nearly as bad in Latin, does it?

Regards,

Jennifer

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