Archive for category Non-fiction
Do You Save Things for Best?
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Books, Lifestyle, Non-fiction, Non-writing on November 21, 2025
I’m one of those people who buys something new, puts it in the wardrobe and keeps it ‘for best’. Only to bring it out a year or two later and find it’s either gone out of fashion or no longer fits. I’m also a rainy day saver, convinced that a catastrophe is awaiting around the corner. Therefore, I save coffee shop loyalty free drinks, supermarket club card points, beautiful notebooks and any spare cash for when/if that catastrophe ever happens.
However, my mindset is changing after reading, ‘Die With Zero’ by Bill Perkins. The book reiterates what we all know but rarely act upon: There are no pockets in shrouds and You can’t take it with you. It advocates spending/using things so that you die with as little surplus as possible. This means that you get to enjoy everything that you’ve ever worked for over the years.
Bill’s advice is equally relevant to billionaires and those of us of more modest means.
He advocates maximising expenditure on travel and other active experiences in our younger, healthier years instead of hoarding money until we are too old or ill to enjoy hill walking, skiing, sightseeing or whatever it is that we’d like to try. Bill also explains that just as our money earns interest when invested in the financial markets, it can also earn us interest when invested in experiences. This latter type of interest comes in the form of memories and the pleasure we get at looking at photos and souvenirs of those experiences, holidays, meals with friends etc. And this interest, like financial interest, benefits from compounding over time, i.e., the earlier in life we create a memory, the longer we have to enjoy looking back on it.
Following this spending mindset sounds mean if you have people to whom you’d like to bequeath money when you die but Bill Perkins has an answer to that. Generally, people are in the latter half of their lives, say 50+, when they lose both parents and thus inherit. By that time most people are financially solvent after working hard and with children grown up. The time that most of us could use some extra money is around age 30, when we are setting up home, starting a family and struggling on the career ladder. Therefore, Bill argues, it’s better to give money to your children when they need it most and you can enjoy seeing how it’s helping them, rather than waiting until you’re dead.
The big hurdle to all this is knowing how long you are going to live, so that you can ensure that you don’t spend/gift too much money too soon and end up at zero but with several years of life remaining. The book suggests using one of the many online life expectancy calculators to estimate how long you might reasonably have left or some financial advisors suggest using the age of 90.
Most people probably come to this book later in life – but, in order to grow the compound interest on those experience investments, reading the book at an earlier age is recommended. However, as in my case, better late than never.
And tomorrow I’m going to start wearing the things in my wardrobe which still have labels on!
5 Questions About Writing With . . . Nick Daws
Posted by Sally Jenkins in 5 Questions About Writing, Non-fiction on April 8, 2025
Nick Daws is a semi-retired freelance writer, age 69. 
He’s written over 100 non-fiction books, from The Internet for Writers to Living and Working in Germany. He is also an award-winning short-story writer. Nick runs a personal finance blog called Pounds and Sense and writes as a freelance about finance and matters pertaining to older people.
How do you discipline/motivate yourself to write and do you set daily targets?
When I was a full-time freelance with no other source of income, the work imposed its own discipline, because if I didn’t write, I wouldn’t have any money to pay the bills! Nowadays I’m semi-retired and have income from other sources such as pensions so that isn’t such a big issue. Still, I set myself daily and weekly targets, and am a great believer in the value of to-do lists.
What are the most important qualities required by a writer? Do you have them?
You must be able to focus on work and shut out distractions while you are writing. In this day and age that can be difficult, of course. You must be happy with your own company, as writing is by nature a solitary occupation. And while you don’t need to be Shakespeare, you do need a basic grasp of spelling, grammar and punctuation. It helps a lot if you enjoy reading too, not just in your own field but more widely. I’d like to think I have all these qualities, though I do sometimes struggle getting down to work. I’m prone to procrastination and can find a million and one other things to do before sitting down to write. Once I’ve started, though, I often have to force myself to step away from the computer for the sake of my health!
How do you market yourself?
In the past I found word of mouth and personal recommendation among the best ways to market myself. Going to writers’ conferences (as a speaker or participant) definitely helped get my name (and face) known and sometimes generated commissions and bookings too. Some of my best long-term writing gigs actually came from replying to ads in the Guardian newspaper and specialist writing magazines. I was also lucky to get referrals over the years from clients and colleagues, including fellow writers. These days I rely more on social media, mainly Twitter/X and Facebook. My blog also acts as a calling card. I regularly get approached by people wanting to advertise and/or have content published there. It has also generated writing commissions for me, including from the Sun and Daily Telegraph.
Which writing resources have you found useful, e.g., books, courses, organisations, websites etc.?
I think every writer should have a style guide such as the one published for many years by the Economist magazine. The latest version, available from Amazon UK, is titled Writing With Style. I’m also a big fan of On Writing by horror author Stephen King. This is an entertaining read and has many good tips for fiction writers in particular. As regards websites, I regularly visit the free Thesaurus.com if I’m struggling to find the exact word I need or just require an alternative to avoid repeating myself!
A top tip for other writers?
Writing is a very competitive field and talent only gets you so far. You also need to be persistent and never give up, even in the face of repeated rejection. I’d also advise joining a local writers’ group. I have belonged to various groups over the years and the support and constructive criticism I have received from members has been invaluable.
About Nick’s Pounds and Sense blog
Nick has been running his Pounds and Sense personal finance blog since 2016. It covers making money, saving money and investing from an older person’s perspective. The blog also covers other subjects relevant to over-50s, including health, diet, holidays, and so on.
To Blog or Not to Blog?
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Non-fiction, public speaking, Resources, Self-publishing on January 2, 2024
To blog or not to blog?
That is the question many are dwelling on at the moment. Some bloggers have given up, some have switched to Substack and some have decided to concentrate on newsletters.
I started this blog in the autumn of 2010 and love the fact that many subscribers have been with me since then (thank you! – and I hope we’ll continue to be virtual friends). I’ve gained a lot from blogging, including discipline (it’s not easy to dream up topics to blog about), contacts (it’s so lovely when people take the time to ‘like’ or comment, especially on a regular basis) and knowledge (from the lovely guest bloggers I’ve hosted and from research I’ve done for my own posts). I hope you’ve all gained something from it too!
For me, the answer to my initial question is: Continue to Blog.
I’ve thought about Substack but don’t know enough about it or how it beats a standard blog. If you’ve got experience – please enlighten me because I never seem to have the time to investigate it fully.
I have a newsletter but, so far, I’ve only used that for significant book or writing news rather than the general information and titbits I put on here. If you’re curious, signup here. Plus casual browsers stumble across this blog in a way that they wouldn’t find back issues of a newsletter.
I don’t want to abandon communicating with writers and readers because it’s taken a long time to capture you all (!) and I think an online presence is important.
So, you’ll find me here for a bit longer.
I’ve just looked back through my WordPress statistics to find out which have been my most popular pages over the last 13 years. Here are the top four:
Icebreakers for Creative Writing Adult Education Classes
The Seven Sisters Series by Lucinda Riley
The statistics for 2023 show that I wrote 31 blog posts and August 15th was the day this site got the most hits, which was also the day I published the post about My First RNA Conference and an Award.
Finally, given this is the start of a brand new year and many of us are setting goals and challenges, here are a few publications that might be useful:
For those dipping a toe in the world of self-publishing – Kindle Direct Publishing for Absolute Beginners and Kobo Writing Life Publishing for Absolute Beginners.
For those wanting to build self-confidence or to promote their books via author talks:
Public Speaking for Absolute Beginners.
On Submission! (Again)
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Non-fiction, Self-publishing, Successes on November 23, 2021
463434 © Judwick | Dreamstime.com
For the greater part of this year I’ve been working with my wonderful agent, Juliet Mushens, to get my current manuscript into tip-top condition. She is now happy with it and last week it went out into the big wide world of publishers. My fingers are firmly crossed but, as I know from my experience two years ago, there is many slip between cup and lip. I’m not saying much about the actual story except there are no murders and it’s infinitely more cheerful than Bedsit Three or The Promise.
Juliet recently re-opened to submissions if you’re currently querying agents and think she might be a good fit for you.
I’ve also continued writing occasional articles for The People’s Friend and was asked to pitch ideas this week for Christmas 2022! As I’ve said before, finding the ideas is by far the hardest part of article writing. Correction: finding ideas that haven’t already been covered in some shape or form by a magazine with such a long history is the hardest part of article writing. The good part about writing for The People’s Friend is the quick response to most pitches – I usually get a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ within a week to ten days and the ‘pitch black hole’ of many publications is non-existent.
There are submission guidelines on The People’s Friend website if you fancy having a go at writing features for them.
Kindle Direct Publishing for Absolute Beginners was selected by Amazon as one of November’s Kindle Deals. Amazon have discounted the book to 99p and given it a little bit of a push. So far it has sold about three times more than in October which is good! And it’s currently got orange bestseller flags in both the Amazon Electronic Publishing and Digital Media categories. But at 99p my royalty rate drops to 30% so financially I won’t make any more money, however I’m hoping the boost the Deal has given me will generate a head start for December when the price returns to normal.
If you’d like to nominate any of your books for an Amazon Deal, go to your Amazon bookshelf and click the Marketing tab along the top of the page. Scroll down to see the option to nominate your e-books. It’s free of charge and so worth a try. There’s more information on the Amazon help pages.
Now I’ll stop typing so that I can cross my fingers again!
An Update on Me
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Books, Lifestyle, Non-fiction, Self-publishing on August 9, 2021
What’s been going on in my writing life recently?
At the end of June I completed the second round of agent edits on my current WIP and submitted the manuscript again. Over the last few weeks I’ve been biting my nails while I wait to hear if more work is needed or whether the novel has reached the standard for submission to publishers. You may remember that a previous manuscript went out to publishers a couple of years ago but failed to sell.
While I wait for the verdict I’ve found it difficult to get back into fiction (a new novel or short stories), so I’ve been doing bits and pieces of non-fiction writing.
I’ve taken the opportunity to update Kindle Direct Publishing for Absolute Beginners. The book was first published back in 2014 and has consistently been one of my best-sellers. Every year or so, I’ve re-read it and made changes/additions/deletions to reflect the ever changing landscape of self-publishing on Amazon in both Kindle and paperback format. It contains lots of useful information if you’re thinking of self-publishing for the first time.
I’ve also written a few articles for The People’s Friend. The hardest part of this (like any writing, I think) is generating ideas that are appropriate to the readership and haven’t already been covered in the magazine before. The magazine holds weekly editorial meetings and so I usually get a ‘yes’ or, more likely, a ‘no’ on ideas quickly. The downside is it’s no longer possible to earn any ALCS money on articles or short stories published in the magazine.
In June I had my first post-lockdown holiday. My husband and I walked the first five stages of the Cost to Coast. We started at St Bees and finished at Kirkby Stephen five days later. Physically it was much more difficult than we’d envisaged but great to finally get away. I took notes along the way and am currently turning those notes into a short e-book. It will be partly a personal experience narrative and partly resources for those planning to do the walk themselves. If you enjoy walking (or are just nosy about what other people get up to on their holidays) watch this space!
Finally I’ve recently got into the crime novels of Jane Harper. Jane was born in the UK but now lives in Australia. Her novels are set in the Australian outback which gives them quite a different feel to more urban murder stories. I started with The Lost Man and am now half-way through The Dry. In 2014 a short story submitted by Jane was included in the Big Issue’s annual Fiction Edition. This inspired her to pursue creative writing more seriously. Big things from little acorns grow!
Sexting – Considerations for (Mainly) Girls in a Highly Sexualised World
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Books, Lifestyle, Non-fiction, Promotion on June 29, 2021
Sexting is the sending of a sexual message, photo or video to someone else. It’s not something I usually talk about on this blog. However, it was suggested to me when I discussed the possibility of a guest post with Arnie Witkin to launch his new book It’s Not A Big Thing in Life.
Arnie’s book began as a series of writings for his grandchildren and he gave an early draft to a friend’s granddaughter who was starting university. It had such a positive effect on her that she believed it should be for grandchildren the world over and their parents and grandparents. Hence the eventual publication of It’s Not A Big Thing in Life. The book is full of life advice for those starting out in the world and for those of us already in it! Arnie’s book would make a great present to slip in a student’s backpack to be read and absorbed as needed.
And now for Arnie’s advice on how to handle sexting:
If it hasn’t already happened you will be subjected to requests to send nude pictures or videos of yourself
How will you respond to the challenge of sexting?
If someone you don’t know or have recently met asks you to sext him, consider the simplest possible response. ‘No.’ No discussion.
However, if you are in a relationship, albeit for a short time, and you are tempted, consider that you are totally responsible for yourself. Know that, whatever the state of your current relationship or feelings, these are most likely to change. If a man is scorned, he may well publish those pictures on the internet. So before you completely expose yourself take responsibility for the consequences. I would suggest that you only do it if you are in a loving and trusting relationship, but even then you may want to hide your face. There is no place for naivety.
What if you don’t want to do it? You may feel that if you don’t oblige then you will be excluded. This is more complicated because that has to do with self-esteem and the desire for acceptance.
This is a great opportunity to grow up, assert yourself and build self-esteem. Trust your feelings. If you don’t want to do it then you shouldn’t. If you are ‘dumped’ I can assure you that the person wasn’t worth having, no matter how attractive he may seem. In fact usually the opposite of exclusion happens. Strong people who resist the pressure are admired for it.
Consider taking a firm but non-judgmental approach. ‘I am not happy to send naked pictures of myself.’ If he asks again or ‘why’, simply repeat it. It probably doesn’t pay to take a moralistic or indignant approach. ‘I like you and want to continue the relationship, but please don’t ask me that.’
If he says, ‘If you loved me you would do it’ you most definitely should consider leaving the relationship. ‘If you loved me you would….’ is one of the most selfish and controlling statements there is. It is said purely for the gratification of the person and doesn’t care about your feelings. A good riposte is ‘If you loved me you wouldn’t ask me to do what I don’t want to do.’ If you do succumb and remain in the relationship he will control you until you stand up to him. You may as well do the standing up at the earliest possible opportunity.
Another ploy could be to tell you that everybody is doing it and that you are immature. This is similar to ‘If you loved me…’ You could say, ‘If I wanted my life judged I’d go to a more competent authority.’ Peer group pressure is the greatest pressure in the world. Resisting it is hugely character building. You will be proud of yourself.
If you find the request offensive it is well to remember that offense can be given, but it doesn’t have to be taken. You can decide what you allow to offend you or not. A turd on the side of the road is offensive, but you don’t have to step in it.
Whatever you feel, this is the real world. You can’t stop the sexual pressure, but with focus you can decide on your attitude and response.
You have the power. Don’t surrender it.
It’s Not A Big Thing in Life by Arnie Witkin is available in both paperback and e-book format and has some great reviews. It’s worth a look if you know any young adults or would like a bit of advice yourself on living a better life.
And there’s more information about Arnie on his website.
Free Food in Lockdown
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Lifestyle, Markets, Non-fiction, Non-writing on August 27, 2020
During lockdown social media has been full of pictures of banana bread, sourdough starters (whatever they are!) and other delicious things produced by the nation’s bakers. In between the chocolate beetroot cake and lemonade scones, I’ve been trying some of the free food that nature has to offer:
Nuts from the Monkey Puzzle Tree.
Monkey Puzzle Tree Nuts
When we moved into our house 24 years ago there was a small monkey puzzle tree in the garden. Nearly a quarter of a century later, there is a HUGE monkey puzzle tree in the garden and, for the first time ever, it has produced nuts. A quick internet search confirmed that these nuts are edible if boiled for ten minutes. They taste a little like chestnuts and are very moreish …
Broccoli Stalks.
Like most people I used to cook the green bushy broccoli top and discard the stalks. However, if you slice the stalks very thinly, they can be successfully stir-fried or roasted in the oven and there are even recipes specifically for broccoli stalks.
Blackberries.
Obviously, blackberries aren’t a completely new food for me but I’ve never really taken advantage of the easily available abundance of this fruit until this year. Last week we picked A LOT of blackberries and now have stewed blackberries in the freezer and ten jars of blackberry jam in the cupboard. The pips are a disadvantage compared to strawberries and other jamming fruit but spread over toast they don’t cause too much of a problem.
What has all this got to do with writing?
Not a great deal, but it does nicely lead up to me telling you that the food and drink website pellicle.com is accepting paid pitches for its blog.
Tip: My wine-related pitch was turned down because they are stocked up on wine articles for the next six months – so you might want to peruse the website and come up with a different topic.
Bon Appetit!
Blackberry Jam
Readly – Unlimited Magazines to Read
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Markets, Non-fiction, Resources, Short Story on August 18, 2020
Freelance writers must study their target publication before starting work on a short story or article.
It’s essential to find out the following as an absolute minimum:
- Are freelance contributions accepted? Look at the bylines, list of contributors etc.
- What’s the word count for the slot in the magazine you are aiming at?
- What’s the tone/style/age range of the publication?
- What topics have been covered recently? Potential writers will have to come up with something different.
- What’s the name and email address of the feature editor? This will allow an idea to be pitched in advance before writing up the whole article.
It’s difficult to discover the above without reading several copies of a magazine. If you’re aiming to write for several different publications, buying all the magazines can become very expensive.
I’ve just discovered the joy of Readly. For a monthly subscription of £7.99 Readly gives access to a wide range of magazines plus a couple of newspapers as well. You can read as many publications as you want across up to 5 devices including laptop, tablet and phone. Perfect for a writer to study the wide magazine market.
The Readly website currently offers a one month free trial but it’s sometimes possible to get a longer trial elsewhere. I found a two month trial via Money Saving Expert but unfortunately that’s finished.
However, electronic reading doesn’t beat curling up with a proper, paper copy of your favourite magazine. Use Readly for market research but please continue to buy your favourite magazines on the high street – otherwise there’ll be no markets left for us to write for!
Mountains of the Mind Writing Competition
Posted by Sally Jenkins in Competitions, Non-fiction on August 1, 2020
Mountaineering Scotland is running a free writing competition which is open to non-members as well as members.
On Ben Nevis
Entries can be fact or fiction and there are categories for prose and poetry. However, the subject matter must have a connection with some aspect of mountaineering, rock climbing, walking or ski mountaineering / ski-touring.
In both categories the prizes are: 1st £200: 2nd £100; 3rd £50.
Prose entries should be a maximum of 2,000 words and poems a maximum of 200 words long.
Closing date is 31st August 2020.
As always, please read all the terms and conditions before entering.
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