Thanks to Simon for last month’s entertaining blog and I hope you’re all assiduously checking your toilet bowl before sitting down!  I remember having a drink outside a rather seedy bar on the outskirts of Moscow.  There were huge (well, rather large) rats scurrying around the back door and nobody at the other tables seemed to bat an eyelid.  I spent the next few days feeling queasy and checking for buboes and other symptoms of the Black Death at regular intervals.

This week I’ve been doing the final proofread of our updated ‘Profit from Your Photography’ module that we’ll be introducing to our Journalism and Creative Writing courses over the next couple of months.  It’s been written for us by Tracy Hallett, who’s not only a talented photographer but has a knack of explaining clearly and simply how to get the results you want.

Anyone seriously considering writing should obtain a copy of the Writers’ and Artists’ Yearbook.  But you can now have access to a lot of the useful information contained in WAYB at their website. Obviously, they don’t give away everything for nothing!  You do have to register, but it’s free and you even get a reduction on the price of the book.

The site it well worth a visit and they currently have details of their 2010 competition with a £500 prize and a much-coveted place on an Arvon Foundation residential writing course.

Talking of which, here at Writers Bureau we’re now accepting entries for our 2010 competition.  There are two categories – poems and short stories.  Prize money totals £4000 with a rather desirable first prize of £1000 in each section.  So, why not give it a go?  You’ve got till 30^th June to pen and polish your winning entry!

Two months into 2010 and I’ve done it – something I thought I’d never do. Well, there’s still ten months of the year to go and ample time for me to change my mind, but so far 2010 is the first year since leaving school that I’ve not found myself engrossed in a course of some form or other.

After finishing O’ levels, A’ levels, college etc, I joined a bank on an accelerated training programme. This involved numerous years of tedious and uninspiring banking exams. Though, I have to say, when I first started doing my own books, I wish I’d listened in Accountancy class a little more.

An accident a few years later meant I could no longer carry on working at the bank. That was when I discovered ‘The Writers Bureau’ and returned to a passion from my school days – writing. After I had completed the comprehensive course with great gusto, I enrolled on the journalism course. A further course followed and then I expanded my horizons to take in proof-reading.

Even though I was writing regularly by this time, had a young child to look after and a disability, my brain seemed hell-bent on cramming something into the little creative pocket left. For some strange reason, I decided not to do it by halves this time, but to take on a six-year degree course with the Open University. There were tears, tantrums and times when I wanted to give up, but I finished the course at the end of last year and will graduate with honours in April.

So this year, I’m determined my studying days are over. It’s time to devote myself solely to writing and to finish all those projects floating around in my mind.

Though, someone recently suggested a Masters…

It’s been an odd week to say the least!  I was going to a meeting in London on Monday and caught the 11.00am train from Manchester – not an unreasonable time for a 2.00pm meeting.  Unfortunately, the overhead electric wires went down and we sat at Leighton Buzzard for hours, then moved slowly on to Tring and sat there for what seemed like days and finally arrived in London at 4.30.  My meeting had already finished and there was nothing for it but to get straight back on the train to Manchester (yes, you’ve guessed it – also delayed).  I’m usually pretty appreciative of Virgin Trains – but they’ll have to come up with some pretty good compensation to make up for this one.

We’ve now moved on to our second 21^st Birthday competition – which gives you the chance to win our Complete Copywriter Course.  All you need to do is come up with a headline for our Comprehensive Creative Writing Course.  If the winning entry is good enough we’ll use the headline in our advertising.  So, not only do you win a great course but you might also get to see your work in newspapers and magazines around the world – certainly something to boost your career if you  have ambitions to earn your living as a copywriter.

Next week I’m handing over to one of our tutors, Esther Newton, as I won’t be here.  I’m off to Marrakesh for a long weekend of luxury and sightseeing. But knowing my track record, I just hope there won’t be any hitches or delays!

And before I go, I’d like to suggest that you check out Words with JAM – an extremely professional writers’ newsletter.  It’s beautifully presented, and has lots of interesting and well-written articles. It’s free and I just hope that the team will be able to maintain such high quality without charging.