Louis & Louis

Go on, do it. Write your friend a letter

admin — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:03:53 +0000

Letter…now, where have you heard that word before? Ah, I know, the letter existed many years ago before the internet, right? It may sound like I’m messing around, but let’s face it, many people don’t even write by hand anymore. Letters? They’re just not on the average persons agenda, sadly.

But it doesn’t have to be like that. Just the other day, in fact, I decided to change things and do things differently. I was in a shop looking at these Big Posters when I got a text from my friend whose birthday was coming up the following day. I replied and then got a short text back and wondered why I’d bothered with my elaborate one! It was then that I selected my poster and bought it and then left the shop with the idea of writing letters to friends in the hope that they would return the favour. So far two have and I tell you…it’s pretty cool actually walking to the door and being handed over a proper real letter with handwriting in it! I love that.

Here are my tips for writing the best letter you possible can.

…as you get to turn that puppy over and there’s just something very cool about that.

1) Don’t use lined paper. It stifles your flow, but come on, you knew that already.

2) Use a ball point pen with a medium nib. Just because the handwriting looks a lot better.

3) Use BOTH sides of the paper – not mandatory but a wise idea. Firstly it saves on paper and secondly it’s just more fun, as you get to turn that puppy over and there’s just something very cool about that.

4) If you like you can even use different colours of pen. This is a right old thrill and will give your letter-receiving-friend a different kind of visual stimulation to get their head around. Then they might return the favour. Nice, I tell you!

Need to write some kind of formal letter? Well, you came to the right place…check the video!

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Having Fun Learning Pottery and Ceramics

admin — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 19:03:03 +0000

Some time ago I took a pottery class just to see what it was like and if I could be any good at it. To my surprise it was so interesting that I ended up taking an advanced class that included ceramics. Now let me be the first to say making pottery and ceramics is a fun, rewarding hobby. However, many people are hesitant to try it because they think it will be difficult to do.

Now doing pottery and ceramics isn’t difficult at all since you are simply shaping clay into a desired object and then firing it in kiln (essentially baking it at a high temperature) until the clay sets and hardens permanently into ceramic. So when you walk into that first class and you see the reception desks fill with creations of previous students d not be intimidated, that could be you in a few weeks.

While making pottery and ceramics does require specialized equipment and materials, it is actually quite an accessible hobby. With the advent of specialty pottery making shops, studios and classes, all you need to do is show up and be eager to learn and get your hands dirty!

Some pottery studios conduct classes where you make pottery and ceramics from start to finish. You shape the clay using a potter’s wheel, fire it, and decorate it. Some studios and shops may just focus on the decorating aspect, offering pre-formed, unadorned pieces (called greenware) ready for carving, painting and glazing.

Pottery and ceramic pieces can be functional, ornamental, or both. You can make bowls, plates, platters, cups, ornamental figures, and more. These pieces are fun to make and decorate. They are wonderful gifts because you can customize each piece for the recipient, using colors and designs they like. A gift of something you created with your own two hands is personal and unique, and will certainly be cherished.

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Putting a Price on Life

admin — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:03:04 +0000

I’ve heard %u2018life insurance'being mentioned in the past but I’ve never paid much attention to it or given it much thought, it seemed to be something that parents or you know,.. proper grown ups do. Then suddenly the other day when one of those annoying life insurance adverts popped up on my screen, it dawned on me that I actually was one of those %u2018proper grown ups'now and albeit not a parent I still really should get myself covered

I really had no idea where to start, I could have picked up the phone and called my father but google seemed the easier option so I sat down with a cup of tea and tried to make sense of it all. I discovered that Life Insurance in essence is a contract between the holder of the policy (the person who has taken out the life insurance) and the insurer, when the policy holder passes away there are usually nominated beneficiaries, which are then paid a sum by the insurer. However, death is not the exclusive trigger for such payment, as some contracts also cover terminal or critical illness. There are a number of types of life insurance namely; term, universal, whole life and endowment.

Term life insurance is type of policy that covers a specific period of time or %u2018term’, payments are normally fixed rate. Term life insurance is generally the most cost effective way to take out a life insurance policy and the policies that normally last 10 – 20 years come at very affordable premiums. Whole life insurance on the other hand is a policy that remains for the entirety of ones life from when it is taken out, in most instances premiums are paid each year to keep the policy continuing.

Armed with my new found knowledge I decided to make the call to dad and find out who his policy was with and how to find the best but not necessarily cheapest deal. After all, you can scrimp and save on many things in life, bumper packs of loo roll, waiting for your dream coat to go in to the sale or buying cheap chess sets to pass away your Sunday afternoons but you can’t put a price on life can you!

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Can anyone be a freelance writer?

admin — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 14:33:17 +0000

As a freelance writer, I can tell you from experience that one of the questions freelance writers get asked the most is: could I be a freelance writer? This is almost always followed up by a statement along the lines of I’m sure it’s not that hard or It has to be easier than what I am doing right now…(that second one really irritates me actually).

Well, here’s a news-flash for you: it’s really very hard to make money by being a good freelance writer. And no, not everyone can do it. Like anything, there are a few specific character traits which one should have when diving head-first into this profession.

These are as follows and are, generally speaking, non-negotiable.

There’s a hell of a lot of rejection in this business, and the fledgling freelance writer is in line for a fair share of it!

1) You need to be diligent. It’s no good moaning when you miss your deadline either, because most editors do not suffer fools gladly.

2) You need to be able to write at anything at any time. That’s to say that if someone emails you one morning asking the question How do you feel about writing for skins compression uk ? You need to be able to say, with confidence, Yes, that’s not a problem. My skills are excellent. The following things are all skills you should have in your arsenal.

3) An unbelievable amount of patience. I mean supernatural amounts…for customers who test you constantly.

4) An ability to bounce back. There’s a hell of a lot of rejection in this business, and the fledgling freelance writer is in line for a fair share of it!

5) The ability to write anywhere at any time. Freelance writing is a job, like anything. It’s not about being in the mood or being in the right frame of mind. In the freelance writer’s world these two things are entirely mythical: they do not happen to them.

6) Finally: you need to be able to take instruction and listen. One of the most crucial – if not the most crucial – attributes of a freelance writer is adaptability. If you lack this then you are going to struggle to go from writing about football to writing about pets (something which happens constantly as your work-schedule takes you back and forward and every which place in-between).

7) OK, now this here is really the finally: a freelance writer must be as good a writer as a business person. In order to actually make a living from this kind of work, you need to have your finger on the pulse of emails, marketing, the latest media trends and also the money side of things of course. Where would you be without that?

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How to write a press release

admin — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 15:03:11 +0000

Press releases are mythical things, aren’t they? Every so often someone asks me how to write one and I shudder and come over all cold. Not again, I think, I can’t be bothered to explain the whole tired process another flipping time!

So here, right now, is my guide on how to write a press release. It may not be the most conclusive guide in the world, and it may have a few holes in it, but trust me: it’s done me proud on a number of occasions and should work a treat for you if you follow it to the letter!

Mine them for info about what they want included; for example, what other products might be relevant

Who is your client? Let us assume that it is Red Diesel Kent . Now then, this company want you to write about their new fuel they have coming out for tractors. That’s really all they have given you, along with the bare facts, so the next step is to…
Ask questions. A lot of them. Mine them for info about what they want included; for example, what other products might be relevant to the target audience? Things like that. This ensures that later on they don’t say “but you didn’t ask me any questions” which is probably one of the most irritating things one human being can say to another.
Now, before you go ahead with a rough draft, you need to KNOW YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE and what style to write in. Should it be casual or formal? Fun or to-the-point? Whatever the case, don’t start until you have more than enough information. It saves asking questions later.
Now you need to know the structure. Without structure, the whole thing will look amateurish and people will laugh. Basic press release structure is this: an opening paragraph summarising what it is about. A main body of text explaining the benefits and the history and how it came about. Get to the point quickly on this. Make sure any keywords are also added and then…
Close with another brief summary – with maybe a couple of additional points that the reader hasn’t read yet. This will ensure that all the facts are there, and that the copy is very readable. All this should mean the press release works effectively and does its job.
Lastly, but not least, make sure you do a spell-check both manually AND with the computer. You’d be surprised how much it affects the final outcome…and more importantly: can you afford to give people an excuse not to use you?

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Promoting yourself

admin — Sun, 24 Jul 2011 18:35:50 +0000

So you are an acomplished writer? you can spell, your grammar is spot and you are brimming with ideas for your next article, novel or blog post. Great.

No use being a really great writer if no one actually reads your work though is there? To be really great and get people reading you also need to promote yourself. Whether you choose to promote yourself online, in shop windows, in the local newspapers of with little silver rings complete with your phone number and web address engraved into them, every writer needs to put themselves out there. Here are some of the most common and easy ways to promote yourself as a writer:
Social Media
You will need a Facebook page, a Twitter account or a linked in profile, maybe all three. The key to social media is connecting with like minded people, those that are involved in the same industry or with those that may need your services as a writer. The more people who know you exist and know what you do, the more likely you are to be asked to work or to be commissioned to write an article or feature.
Ad sites
Use advertisements sites like Gumtree and Craigslist to let people know what it is you do, when you are available, where your products or services can be bought and, of course, how much you charge.
Personal Website
You don’t have to be a design pro to get yourself a website going. Sites like WordPress allow novices to build their own website in minutes.

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Blogging to your hearts online content

admin — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 19:33:04 +0000

Writing is one of the loneliest things to do in the world, which makes you wonder why on earth anyone decides to do it? There are many different answers to the question but the one that comes top is that writers just like every other person in the world, want to be heard. In the modern era, writing is also becoming less lonely.

Blogging is now the best way to get people to read what you’re writing quickly. It’s simple, (hell even we can do it) fun and done properly immensely effective as a way to market yourself. Even massive news groups do it - The Guardian has a news blog that is updated on a regular basis. People who don’t ordinarily write are writing even if they don’t think of it as writing.

The internet has made it possible to connect with people you have never met nor are ever likely to if they’re on the other side of the planet. We blog on the phone; travelling abroad and writing as we go. To be successful at this though it is important to make sure you have good and affordable roaming charges as when we first started phone blogging we ran up a bill that we almost couldn’t pay.

Blogging is fun, thought provoking, free (if you’ve got a good internet service provider) and therapeutic. It’s opened up the world to us and we would recommend it to anyone who’s ever thought they have something interesting to say. Don’t be afraid to share what you have to say.

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Get Out There

admin — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 11:04:45 +0000

Being writers, we know how tough the competition is. But let us let you into a secret, if we may: the competition of quality isn’t always that high; it’s more about how many people are out there doing the same thing – now that’s what makes things really difficult.

So today we thought we’d share what we’ve learned about promotion. What follows are a few tips and hints which will help you get your name out there and jobs coming in:

1) Do email people: email is a wonderful tool. Back when freelance graphic designers had ideas for the Hybrid car , among other things, the only way they could contact anyone who might be interested was with mail. Now, you have email and can instantly befriend anyone in the world. So use it! Introduce yourself, be polite, and you may well get a nice response.

2) Do have a CV: a writer’s CV is very important, crucial, some might say. If you haven’t got much to put on it yet don’t panic. But do try and get some references and make sure you see an online template to make sure you’re presenting it correctly!

3) Be prepared for rejection, but don’t rise to it! If you receive a nasty reply or worse, no reply, then just let it pass you by. The writer who is successful is also the writer who is the businessman. Do not forget that!

4) Make sure you buy a copy of the Writer’s & Artist’s Handbook. Every writer has one and it contains valuable information you just can’t be without!

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Writing as someone else

admin — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:03:11 +0000

Writing is weird. When you write as someone else you leave your personality behind, or most of it, and assume the thoughts and identity of someone who you might completely disagree with. That, of course, is also the most tempting thing about writing as someone else. You can get away from who you are for a while, and you can explore ideas and concepts which you wouldn’t normally be happy – or comfortable – about going anywhere near.

For me, I’ve always found it easy to write as either a man or a woman. I’m not suggesting for a second that I am a master at either, but I am saying that I don’t find it too much of a struggle. For this reason, I try to write from different character’s perspectives as much as I can. And this is just the start of it.

There can be problems, though, It isn’t always easy. One of them is when I am writing from the third person. I was doing this the other week. My name was Diana and I was looking for GP Locum Jobs in Bristol and I was very angry with my cat, who had just done a poo on the carpet. And Diana hated carpet-poos about as much as she hated looking for jobs, I can tell you.

The issue I was finding was obvious to me, but that didn’t make it any easier to solve. The problem was that my opinion kept sneaking into it and replacing Diana’s. I didn’t even realise I was doing it until I left it for a few days and came back to it with fresh eyes. But there you go, that’s writing. A good piece of writing may seem really simple, but those are always the ones which are born out of the most frustration.

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How Do You Write?

admin — Fri, 20 May 2011 14:03:21 +0000

A kind person – lots of sarcasm intended right there – told me the other day that my writing was a scrambled mess of words. That I went about writing in a really odd way. At first I felt slightly offended, then I read my first draft again and saw precisely what they meant…

It got me down for a bit, but, like Alan Partridge, I bounced back!

Now what I come to realise is this: there is no right or wrong way to write a short story or essay or novel. It really is a case of what works best for you. Yes, approaching a press release about new Physiotherapy Jobs can be done in one more structured way, but what does it matter as long as you get there in the end?

My mind works like this: I think of something, I write it down somewhere, and I come back to it later. And this is how my first draft tends to go. For this simple reason, my work is, at first, just loads of ideas. The sentences don’t link together too well, but so what? It works for me and is what I like to do.

Another good thing about my “messy” technique is that I don’t get caught in the trap of having to make every single sentence perfect. This wastes time and let’s be honest, what good is a perfect sentence on every line if, at the end of it, you are just going to start again anyway?

Do it your own way, I say. Follow the rules but when you feel like breaking them, guess what, you can!

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