Posterous theme by Cory Watilo

I had a farm in Africa

Have you ever wondered how, and where, your favourite authors live? Flavorwire put together a collection of famous authors' homes. We added some of our own.

 

The homes featured belong to:

 

Agatha Christie, Anaïs Nin, Danielle Steele, Edith Wharton, Ernest Hemingway, Eudora Welty, Evelyn Waugh, Frederick Douglas, Gore Vidal, J. K. Rowling, James Patterson, Karen Blixen, Kurt Vonnegut, Mark Twain, Robert Graves, Rudyard Kipling, Stephen King, Victor Hugo, Vladimir Nabokov, Voltaire, William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth

 

Danielle Steele lives in The Spreckels Mansion in Pacific Heights

 

Greenway - the holiday home of Agatha Christie

 

James Patterson's Everglades Island house (since sold)

 

J.K. Rowling’s country estate, Perthshire, Scotland

 

Anaïs Nin’s Silver Lake Home

 

Ernest Hemingway’s tropical home, Key West, Florida

 

Frederick Douglass’ mansion, Cedar Hill, Washington, DC

 

Victor Hugo’s estate, Guernsey

 

Stephen King’s mansion, Bangor, Maine

 

Gore Vidal’s (now-sold) villa, Amalfi coast, Italy

 

Vladimir Nabokov’s family estate, Rozhdestveno, Siverskaya, Leningrad Oblast

 

Rudyard Kipling's Home, Bateman's Lane, East Sussex

 

Eudora Welty’s estate, Jackson, Mississippi

 

Mark Twain’s house, Hartford, Connecticut

 

Evelyn Waugh’s country house, Piers Court, Gloucestershire

 

The house where Kurt Vonnegut wroteSlaughterhouse Five, Iowa City, Iowa

 

Edith Wharton’s estate, The Mount, Lenox, Massachusetts

 

Robert Graves’s house and amazing view, Deià, Majorca

 

William Shakespeare’s home, Stratford-upon-Avon

 

Voltaire lived at Chateau de Cirey 52110 Cirey-sur-Blaise, France

 

The farm where Karen Blixen lived in Langata, Nairobi, Kenya

 

Rydal Mount, former house of William Wordsworth, Cumbria, England

 

One of the souces: http://flavorwire.com/252181/15-famous-authors-beautiful-estates

 

Winning Words

More good news for Writers Write

 

Random Fact: 

 

Someone buys a romance novel every five seconds, according to Businessweek. This $1.6 billion business is one of the leading genres for eBook sales.

 

 Another Writers Write graduate has won the The Essential Voice romance writing competition.

 

The news comes hot on the heels of the announcement that graduate, Joanne Garland,is the winner of the Macmillan / Citizen Book Prize.

 

Graduates, Shelagh Foster and Mia Botha, were previous winners of the competition. 

 

This Kiss, a  Writers Write course specialising in writing for Mills & Boon, has been featured in the February issue of O Magazine.

 

‘This shows Writers Write has a writing recipe that produces results,’ says Ulrike Hill, Writers Write facilitator. ‘Our CEO, Amanda Patterson, had to excuse herself as a judge in the first Essentials Mills & Boon competition because more than 50% of the finalists were Writers Write graduates.’

 

Two of the runners-up, and other finalists, some writing under pseudonyms, are also Writers Write and This Kiss graduates.

 

 

 

 

Suzanne Jefferies, who completed Writers Write, and Writers Write 2,  was the winner for her entry ‘The Hunt’.

 

Coming up in writing in February 2012

Business Writing
13 -16 Feb.: The Plain Language Programme – The complete business writing course

Creative Writing
18 Feb.: Writers Write – How to write a book
6 - 7 Feb.: The Write Brand – Branding for authors

Guest Speaker
Did you know that every 17th book that is sold is written by James Patterson? Meet Andrew Gross, co-author of Six Bestsellers with James Patterson, on 15 February 2012.

Business Writing: Vicki Cicoria vicki@writerswrite.co.za
Creative Writing: Ulrike Hill news@writerswrite.co.za

Fifteen Seconds

Fifteen Seconds
 

Guest Speaker – Andrew Gross 

Trivial Pursuit: Did you know that every 17th book that is sold is written by James Patterson?

Amanda Patterson hosts Andrew Gross, co-author of Six Bestsellers with James Patterson, on 15 February 2012.

Andrew is in South Africa to promote his latest bestselling novel, Fifteen Seconds.

Date: 15 February 2012
Cost for Dinner: R250, 00 per guest
Time: 18:30 – 21:30
Venue: 10 Bompas Road, Dunkeld, Johannesburg
RSVP: news@writerswrite.co.za

Semicolons & Colons

Writing Tips from Writers Write

;

A semicolon:

     Is a long pause that balances two related ideas. Example: She went by train; she would rather have flown.

     Adjoins two main clauses containing opposite ideas. Example: She is efficient; he is disorganised.

     Adjoins two main clauses where there is no conjunction. Example: My laptop is broken; I can’t transmit the document.

     Can separate items in a list when the items already contain commas. Example: Attendees included the CEO, Jeff Davis and his son, Tristan; the MD, Fred Khumalo, and his wife, Susan; and Harriet and Kosi from the PR agency.

     May be replaced by a full stop or by the conjunctions: and, but, so, for, although.

:

A colon:

     Indicates that a list will follow.

     Indicates that an idea, or an explanation, will follow. Example: There is one thing that separates writers from talkers: writers write.

     Indicates dialogue. Example: James looked at Sarah and said: You’re a wonderful woman. 

     Indicates a direct quotation. Example: Freud once said: There is nothing wrong with blaming your mother.

For more information on our business writing courses call Vicki Cicoria 0732242131,or email vicki@writerswrite.co.za

The World's 10 Most Expensive Books

 

10. The First Book of Urizen, William Blake — $2.5 million

 

9. The Tales of Beedle the Bard, J.K. Rowling — $3.98 million

 

8. Geographia Cosmographia, Claudius Ptolemy — $4 million

 

7. Traité des arbres fruitiers by Henri Louis Duhamel du Monceau — $4.5 million

 

6. The Gutenberg Bible — $4.9 million

 

5. First Folio, William Shakespeare — $6 million

 

4. The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer — $7.5 million

 

3. Birds of America, James Audubon — $11.5 million

 

2. The Gospels of Henry the Lion, Order of Saint Benedict — $11.7 million

 

1. The Codex Leicester, Leonardo da Vinci — $30.8 million

 

Source: Flavorwire Books

 

You can cancel your cell phone contract

 

How do you cancel your contract?

Perhaps you don’t need your contract anymore?

Perhaps you simply can’t afford it.

The good news is that you can cancel the contract.

 

 

1. Did you know The Consumer Protection Act (CPA) allows you to cancel your cell phone contract?


2. Did you know suppliers have to send you notifice 40 to 80 business days before the expiry date of your contract? They cannot renew the contract without your permission.

 

3. Did you know suppliers cannot change your contract? The CPA overrides other acts if you do not understand the terms and conditions of the contract. (Section 22 of the CPA. Right to information in plain and understandable language)

 

4. Did you know you can cancel your contract if you do not understand the agreement? Was this clearly explained to you when you signed the contract? If a contract is not written, or verbally explained, in plain language, it is not a valid contract.

 

If you do cancel your agreement, remember:

  • You must give 20 business days’ notice to the provider.
  • You still owe the provider any amounts up to the date of cancellation. Suppliers can charge a reasonable penalty for cancellation. Consumer protection regulations say a reasonable charge may not exceed 10% of the amount you would have had to pay over the fixed term.
  • Suppliers must refund you any amounts as of the date of cancellation.

 

Consumer Tip: 

Did you know that suppliers are illegally selling you prepaid vouchers that expire in 30 days? The National Consumer Commission is taking iBurst, First National Bank, Cell C, Virgin Mobile SA, MTN, Vodacom, and 8ta to task. Your prepaid credits may not expire for three years. iBurst has removed prepaid Data limitations.

 

Consumer Tip: 

If you live in Cape Town, a Consumer Tribunal will be open in February 2012.

 

How can businesses protect themselves?

 

It makes good business sense for companies to start with clear communications. If that isn’t correctly implemented, everything falls apart. Most legal practitioners are wrong when advising their clients. Companies must take control.

Contracts not written in plain language are invalid. This includes customer contracts, employment contracts, and any other documents that may need to be litigated. Company directors, managers, and employees, are as liable as the company for any damages incurred.

 

Have you seen any of these documents written in plain language? I certainly haven’t.

 

 

 

By Amanda Patterson

 

Patterson is the CEO of Writers Write and the founder of The Plain Language Programme. She has been teaching Plain Language Writing Skills for 9 years.

 

To find out more about The Plain Language Programme, contact Vicki Cicoria by calling 0732242131 or mailing vicki@writerswrite.co.za

 

Additional information about the CPA

To complain about a provider, phone the consumer Help Line, via:

the dti Customer Contact Centre: 0861 843 384
the dti Office of Consumer Protection (OCP) : (012) 394 1436 / 1558 /1076
E-mail: contactus@thedti.gov.za
National Consumer Tribunal (NCT): (012) 663 5615
NCT E-mail: Registry@thenct.org.za
NCT Website: www.thenct.org.za
Source: StartupCEO

Business Writing Courses - Dates 2012

Business3

The Plain Language Programme includes:

1. The Write Impression – The grammar business
2. The Word Business - Writing in an electronic world
3. The Write Pitch – Writing for your audience
4. The Bottom Line – Editing in plain language

What is Plain Language? Legal definition

When? 2012

16-19 January
13-16 February
19-22 March
16-19 April
21-24 May
18-21 June
16-19 July
20-23 August
17-20 September
15-18 October
19-22 November
3-6 December

How long? Four days from 9am to 1pm
Where? Johannesburg and Cape Town (Durban on request)
How much? R6 500 excluding VAT for four modules
Contact? Vicki Cicoria 073 224 2131
Email address? vicki@writerswrite.co.za

Do you want to write a book? Course Dates 2012

Writers Write - More than 120 published authors

Amanda_patterson_2011_hs_poster

Created by Amanda Patterson 

Writers Write is The Beginner’s Guide to Writing Anything.

Join us for an interactive, results-driven course.We guarantee an easy-to-learn, simple writing recipe that works. You’ll love our informal style. With more than 100 published graduates, Writers Write is the ideal course for any writer.

We cover:  Plotting • Pacing • Description • Characterisation • Dialogue • Publishing • Viewpoint • Rewriting • Research • Genre 

When?
January 2012
14: (Four Consecutive Saturday Mornings)
16–19 (Four Consecutive Weekday Mornings)
February 2012
18: (Four Consecutive Saturday Mornings)
March 2012
5-8: (Four Consecutive Weekday Mornings)
17: (Four Consecutive Saturday Mornings)
April 2012
23–26 (Four Consecutive Weekday Mornings) 
May 2012
5: (Four Consecutive Saturday Mornings)
  
Cost? R6000 excluding VAT
Queries? news@writerswrite.co.za  

Writers Write runs over four mornings.
Venues? Johannesburg (Cape Town & Durban on request)

 

Between you and me

A common mistake in English is to say ‘between you and I’, as in this sentence: It’s a bit silly, between you and I. 

It's correct to say ‘between you and me’ and incorrect to say ‘between you and I’. 

The reason? 
A preposition such as between must be followed by an objective pronoun (such as me, him, her, and us) rather than a subjective pronoun (such as I, he, she, and we). Saying ‘between you and I’ is the same as saying ‘between him and she’, or ‘between we’.

Why do people make this mistake?
They know it’s incorrect to say ‘Sarah and me love going out’. They know it's correct to say ‘Sarah and I love going out’. Most people then think the words ‘and me’ should be replaced by ‘and I’ in all cases. 

The correct expression is always 'between you and me', as in this sentence: It’s a bit silly, between you and me.

by Amanda Patterson
References: oxforddictionaries.com
 For information on our business writing courses call Vicki Cicoria 0732242131 or email vicki@writerswrite.co.za