Month: May 2024

My Top 4 Books About Writing

I’ve been writing for a really (REALLY) long time. And while I might not always have been a copywriter or a content writer (or atleast held the title), I have always been obsessed with becoming a better writer.

Okay wait, that statement isn’t exactly true. There was that period in Customer Care when I gave up on writing but I like to mentally block out that time. It doesn’t fit my personal brand of obsessive writer.

Anyway, here are four of my favourite books about writing:

1. On Writing by Stephen King:

This book was a really nice way of me returning to my roots as a novel writer. Part autobiography, part writing manual, this book is told in an easy-to-read manner by Stephen King. This book was incredibly well written and I walked away having learnt a few things.

2. A Self-Help Guide to Copywriting by Dan Nelken:

I picked this up from…someone. I don’t remember who. I do remember it was early on in my Marketing career and I never got around to finishing this book until now. This was a really helpful book that shone light on all of my writing fears. I finished this book in a matter of days and was left feeling like “Hey, you know what? I think I CAN do this writing thing”.

3. How to Freelance Like a Boss by Shea Karssing

This is the most recent book that I read. Like the book above, this one alleviated my fear of writing. More specifically freelance writing. This book had short chapters that were easy to understand and fun to read. Each chapter also ends with a really nice to-do list of tasks that help grow your freelance business.

4. Brand by Alizia Licht:

While not strictly a writing book. Brand was a nice reminder of how important it is to put in effort for your personal brand. For me, one of the reasons I write is to build my personal brand (and I like to focus on my personal brand because it helps me get new writing opportunities). It’s a cycle that I use often which is why this book is here.

Do you have any great books about writing? Drop me a recommendation below.

How to Create an At-Home Spa Day

Winter is coming. So I am all about the staying home and being cozy vibes. One of my favourite at-home activities is a spa day. There’s something so relaxing about a few hours of self-care even if it is in the comfort of your home. Here are a few tips to help you have your own spa day:

1. Pick Out Your Treatment

Have some fun with the whole experience. Pick out what your “treatments” will look like. An everything shower? A long bubble bath? Facial? Manicure? Decide beforehand on what you’re doing and make sure you have everything ready.

2. Set the Mood

You could light some candles or play some relaxing music. I love using Spotify to play ocean sounds or the sound of rain whenever I’m having a spa day. You could dim the nights or use scented diffusers to enhance the spa vibes.

3. Gather Your Spa Essentials

By this I mean all your products but also fun stuff like cozy pjs and snacks. This time is all about you so go all out! Use the super fluffy towels. Bring out your plush robes, face masks and scented bath salts.

4. Make a Drink

Stay hydrated throughout your spa day by sipping on infused water, herbal teas, or even a refreshing green smoothie. Infuse your water with slices of cucumber, mint, or berries for a spa-like touch.

In the interest of transparency, I’m going to come out and admit that my drink is almost always coffee but hey my spa, my rules. (And therefore YOUR spa, YOUR rules)

Have you ever tried at home spa day? What is your go-to products? Let me know below.

Book Review: Fervent by Priscilla Shirer

Fervent: A Woman’s Battle Plan to Serious, Specific and Strategic Prayer by Priscilla Shirer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I absolutely loved the movie War Room so when I learnt that Priscilla Shirer was an author I knew I needed to read her work. Fervent was the perfect intro for me since I was struggling with prayer. I saw how the other ladies in my homecell prayed and I had no idea how to do it.
Reading this book was like unlocking the mysteries of prayer and I definitely recommend it to anyone new to the religion or wanting to learn more about prayer.
Priscilla Shirer’s writing is easy to understand and she gets to the heart of issues that we often face in life.
This is one of those books that you need to have in print because you will be going back and reread it over and over again.



View all my reviews

What I Learnt From an Almost Layoff

“So at some point during the next few months we’re going to have to let you go. We thought it was important to be transparent with you.”

I blinked. Once. Twice. I wasn’t sure what they wanted from me as a reaction. Was I supposed to be sad? Cry? For a Marketing job that didn’t even seem real.

When I took the job at ABC company, I was excited to “make a difference”. That was how the job was pitched to me. But after about 3 months, I realised there were a few issues. Like the fact that the projects never actually got executed. They planned (and planned poorly) but never actually reached the finishing line. The workload was much smaller than what I was used to and yet the team was always trying to look for shortcuts. It was like they didn’t even want to be a company. It was like they were playing a weird game of pretend.

But this isn’t about ABC and their inability to run a company. This is about the lessons that I learnt after my “almost-layoff”.

Always Have an Emergency Fund

I left a really stable job to join ABC. But from the second I exited, I made sure to prioritise my savings. I felt very strongly that the business would not be able to continue and I did not want to risk not having money when that happened. After a year at ABC, I had enough for a 6 month emergency fund.

Do Not Put a Company First

In order to not offend anyone at ABC, I had stopped posting on LinkedIn and blogging. Nothing was said to me directly but it was clear that they thought by doing these things that I was looking for another job. I was actually trying to build my personal brand and I halted those efforts because of ABC. Which now left ME in the lurch because of their actions.

The Importance of Building a Network

Shortly after being informed by ABC about this, I reached out to a few friends and they were able to secure me a freelance role. It wouldn’t replace my income immediately but it would provide some sort of income.

You’re Not Your Job

This one was tough for me because I have always been a writer. But I haven’t always been a writer for ABC and I had to remind myself of that. Whether I wrote for ABC or myself, I was always going to be a writer- whether it was my dayjob or not.

The redundancy took months to happen and even the process thereafter for paperwork was painful. But the time from the announcement to the actual lay-off was a period where I learnt much about myself, my style of workplace and the company that I had chosen to work for.

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