Sue White

Interviewing on the fly, in a wetsuit

Travelling
Heading to Fiji tomorrow for 8 nights, mostly for work purposes.  I’ll be visiting the Jean-Michel Cousteau Eco Resort on assignment for an upcoming story. Can’t wait!

Organising
My travel writer’s toolkit, to make sure I’ve got everything I need to write and interview from the road, as well as checking in with my students doing Online Travel Writing.  Mp3 recorder, notebook, Dell netbook all key items when I’m travelling for work. For fun, I’m borrowing my partner’s Kindle, as on my last trip I took 4.5 KILOS of reading material.  I’m definitely ready for an e-reader.

Enjoying
The great feedback on my new iPhone/iPad app – Yoga Holidays Worldwide.  Thanks guys!

As for the pic?  That’s just to prove that life as a travel writer is not always glamourous.  First time I’ve done an interview in a wetsuit – and I suspect it may not be the last.

It’s true that sometimes the world of freelancing can feel akin to being on a treadmill. You think of idea, research the idea, pitch the idea, get a yes/no (or no response) about the idea, and then either write it, re-pitch it, or move on. Repeat ad infinitum.

So how do you stay motivated if this is your new paradigm?

Discounting the reality that there’s a strong motivator in simply wanting to do practical things like pay the bills and say, eat, here are my Top 5 ways to stay motivated as a freelance writer.
Read the rest of this entry →

When researching this story on how tone, language and gestures can pay off (this ran on the weekend in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age) I was reminded just how much non verbal communication counts.

“Sixty to eighty per cent of face-to -face impact is non verbal. What you say doesn’t count for much,” says bestselling author Allan Pease, whose recent book, Body Language at Work, was published in July. Read the rest of this entry →

Student after student at Sydney Writers’ Centre tell me they struggle with interviews, so I thought I’d share a few tips on how to get good material, and how to put your interview subject at ease. Read the rest of this entry →