Hi! I’m Sandra. By day, I run my own content strategy business in Australia from Korea. And by night, I’m a burgeoning novelist with a young adult novel in progress.
The Smarter Writer is my bumbling voyage into better understanding how our creative brains work and sharing what I learn and what I already know to help others become smarter, more efficient writers.
Latest on the blog
Are you adding the ‘So what?’ factor to your writing
In 2004, I completed a Certificate IV in Small Business Management. It was a fabulous three-month intensive as part of the federal government’s long-running and still going New Enterprise Innovation Scheme (NEIS). “Segmentation and innovation” was one of our memorable marketing teacher’s catch cries. How were we going to segment…
The case for NOT keeping an ideas notebook
I used to hoard ideas. But now I set them free. If they haunt me, if they irritate me, only then will I pay them attention. Here’s why I think we should all ditch our ideas notebooks.
Are you doing the right work?
Is the work you’re doing moving you closer to your goals? Or is it just keeping you busy and distracted?
The magic of bullet lists
We all know people read differently on screen than they do on paper, right? And we know that bullet points help your reader to scan your content but have you ever thought, why? Dive into the magic of bullet points and learn when and how to use them well.
If you don’t build it, they won’t come
If you don’t do the things you need to do build your business, it won’t grow. Learn from my embarrassingly simple epiphany.
Cobbler’s kids: how to unwittingly hurt your writing business
Heard the phrase “the cobbler’s kids have no shoes”? Here are 5 ways this writer denied his business the love it needed when starting out.
Social media is killing your creativity
I’m no social media killjoy. I love it. But I was wondering what sort of negative impact it was having on my creativity. Here’s what I found out.
Stop looking like an amateur and start winning more work
Looking like a professional and responding fast can be the difference between being booked to capacity and having an empty pipeline. Here are seven tips to help you maintain the appearance of someone who looks like they know what they’re doing and win more writing work.
How to be a more confident writer
If you’re feeling apprehensive about publishing your work online, here are some truths to help you become a more confident writer.
How to outline a blog post
A ‘how to’ guide to step you through how to outline a blog post before you start writing that will help you work smarter, save time and write with greater clarity and structure.
Managing large documents in MS Word
A handy tip for managing large documents in MS Word is to use the navigation pane. Find out how.
Planable review
If you’re running social media campaigns for clients, check out Planable. It’s a fantastic tool you can connect to different social media profiles, write posts and see them in context and get approval from your client.
Beautiful English words
There are beautiful English words that I love saying because they sound so lovely, regardless of the meaning. Some words are beautiful to vocalise. Here are some of my favourite English words. Are you favourites in this list?
My digital adventures
Stay up-to-date with all my digital adventures as I document life as a remote content strategist and copywriter.
Am I at the tipping point?
I’m wondering if I should ditch my slow performing niche websites or ramp them up?
Why I decided to stop being such a tightarse
I’m a bit late to the party but I’m finally getting on board with the concept of spending money to make money and learning not to be such a tightarse.
Cakes and curious cats
We take our knowledge for granted. We think people know what we know. But people don’t! So I am going to start sharing a lot more writing and productivity tips because probably know as much about these things as Koreans know about baking…
Documenting my digital adventures… diligently
I am re-committing to documenting my digital adventures, the highs, the lows, what I learn and discover while working remotely in Korea.
Gaming the system
Is it smart blogging or gaming the system? Are we at risk of a major downfall or will we simply figure out how to game the new system?
Backing up is only half the story
Have you backed up your files and content recently? That’s only half the task. Have you checked your back up?
A little bit broken
Sometimes breakage can be a good thing, a very good thing, especially when it comes to rules. This week confirmed my decision to shatter traditional online marketing rules.
Picking up the ball someone else dropped
There are going to be times in business when people let you down. This was one of those weeks. And I didn’t handle it well.
GDPR and the Gods of the Internet
The EU has decided to become GODS OF THE INTERNET and introduce the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Basically, it’s a nightmare for anyone with an online business.