by Sue Horner | Jan 29, 2010 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
While at the dentist’s office getting my teeth cleaned, the dental hygienist mentioned something we both found shocking: The dentist got his sister-in-law to buy everything for his wife’s Christmas stocking. Okay, so spinmasters will say Dr. P. was...
by Sue Horner | Jan 6, 2010 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
The start of a new year always seems to prompt at least a couple of weeks of good behaviour. Yeah, this is when so many people talk about losing 10 pounds, learning a new skill, getting organized. And so I found myself looking around at the mess in my home office over...
by Sue Horner | Dec 18, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
It was still dark as I drove my husband to a 7 a.m. doctor’s appointment yesterday. Traffic was building on the highway, but at least it was moving. In another half an hour, cars would probably be keeping no better than a snail’s pace. It suddenly occurred...
by Sue Horner | Oct 15, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
At a networking event given by IABC/Toronto’s Professional Independent Communicators (PIC), I shared why I volunteer, as did my colleagues Leslie Hetherington, Donna Papacosta, Barb Sawyers and Lee Weisser. PIC supports more than 100 independent communicators,...
by Sue Horner | Oct 2, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
While decluttering my office, I ran across a battered 1981 edition of The Canadian Writer’s Market. In it I found 32 pages of agency listings, each entry with a pencilled X or check mark beside it, plus new telephone numbers and scribbled names. Flashback: I was...
by Sue Horner | Sep 20, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
This week I had the shocking experience of having someone Not. Like. My. Work. I say shocking because I’ve been fortunate. Over about 18 years of running my own business, I’ve been able to submit a first draft of my assignments that’s pretty close to...
by Sue Horner | Sep 9, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
I turned down an assignment today that wasn’t my area of expertise. Instead, I referred my contact to someone else I knew would do a great job. But it got me thinking, what do clients want from a freelance writer? Here are some things, beyond of course the...
by Sue Horner | Aug 31, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
Updated July 13, 2018 You have to be disciplined to be productive when working from your home, and usually I am. I’m at my desk at 9 a.m. After a quick check for e-mail, I keep the sound off to avoid hearing the siren song that more has arrived. A to-do list has...
by Sue Horner | Jul 28, 2009 | The Red Jacket Diaries blog
So when I sang the legal blues recently, I should have been more helpful and given some suggestions for avoiding approval problems with lawyers. Here they are: Consider what’s going on. In a time when lawyers are super-super-sensitive, like a lawsuit or merger,...
by Sue Horner | Jun 17, 2009 | Writing samples
(Article published in Escarpment Views magazine.) Debby McLachlan has strict instructions: no big purchases, because her tiny condo is already jam-packed. So we’ve arrived at the Aberfoyle Antique Market about mid-morning, coffee in hand, “just to...
