First post at WritingMafia.com

Leapfrogging the language barrier: Writing for non-native speakers

When I chatted with Tom Myers back in January about putting something together for WritingMafia, I have to admit I had to struggle to come up with an idea that would sit well amongst the rest of the great advice and observations that can be found over there. WritingMafia is a fantastic resource for anyone interested in freelancing – be they a simple dabbler just starting off down the path, or an established hack looking for ways to improve their game.

This blog post in particular came about after an incident that took place back at my old job in China. If you’ve ever considered writing for a publication aimed at folks for whom English isn’t a mother tongue, it might just give you a little food for thought.  Even if not, it might make you think, maybe even make you chuckle.

Is a bonus necessary just to do your job?

A fantastic article by David Lazarus over at the Morning Call about employee bonuses, asking why, if the folks on the ground can do a good job without them, do banking execs and other high rollers insist on awarding themselves big fat compensation packages and executive getaways.

Given the current farce taking place in front of the Treasury Committee, and Lloyds’ latest cunning plan to pay out £120m in bonuses, one has to wonder how long it’s going to be before one of these greedy sods takes a fall. Where the heck do they get off claiming that senior execs – who helped the company into a position where they needed a publicly-funded £17bn investment package – deserve “financial recognition for hitting targets”?

The more I consider it, the more I think some kind of action should be taken against these money-grubbing weasels. Like, for example, massive fines used to pay bonuses to branch staff and others who daily have to bear the brunt of these world-class idiots’ actions. Hit them where it hurts – in the wallet.

Going Live!

Well, finally! After almost a month of writing, procrastinating and screaming at the computer, the first sections of scott-lewis.net have at long last been uploaded onto my own little bit of Internet real estate. It’s still under heavy construction, so expect plenty of changes for the first couple of months, but hopefully I’ll be satisfied with it by…ooh… mid-2016.

Goodbye, Tony.

When I was a kid, I used to run home every Wednesday night and dive in front of the TV, all set to watch an artist and a little plasticine stop-animation figure lark around on CBBC. In fact, I would sometimes vehemently refuse to eat tea until Morph’s wacky claymation antics were over. The artist in question was Tony Hart, the show was called Hartbeat, and I loved it.

As a result, I was sad to hear today of Tony’s passing, aged 83. He was a great entertainer, and even though to this day I still absolutely suck at anything remotely arts-and-craftsy I’ll always be thankful to him for showing me just how many things could be done with a cornflakes box.

Here’s to you, Tony.

Decision time?

Just finished reading T.M Shine’s article Choosing Not to Choose, which ran in the Washington Post last December. It’s a great premise, especially for the terminally decision-challenged like myself. Can’t make up your mind about something? Pick some other poor sap to make the choice for you!

And if you later go on to read his weblog, he discusses a novel way of choosing where to live or travel next – have a complete stranger spin a globe, point, and off you trot.

Of course, if he points to Zimbabwe, Somalia or anywhere within a hundred yards of Gordon Brown, you might want to find another stranger…