Writing Life's blog

Writing for Write Niche is a good way to keep that residual income coming in. I know because I joined the site a few years ago, and even though I haven't posted here for a while, my posts are still bringing in income. And not just a little, but around a quarter to a third of my monthly take from advertising.

What does this tell us? 1. That it's worth posting something of quality so that people will continue to find it of value. 2. That it makes sense to use the keywords that people will be looking for. 3. That no article is ever wasted, provided you put it in the right place.

My experience from WriteNiche has also been repeated on other article marketing sites, such as EzineArticles, where content I wrote in 2005 continues to drive traffic to my sites. I may not be making money from those articles, but they are still working for me.

I thought I'd try something a bit different for my latest guest post on PiggyBankPie. Instead of suggesting ways to improve your blog, I give some tips on how to keep it in obscurity in Five Ways To Kill Your Blog.

I've done a lot of travelling throughout my life. My parents were nomads, and by the age of four I was on my third country. I've lived in a few more since then. I always enjoy visiting new places, and these days it's good to use a trip planner to figure out where to go. Real Travel is one such trip planner and it allows you to get a real insight into the places you'll be visiting.

What trip planner do you use when you travel? I think my next trip will be to Europe. I've got a few friends scattered around whom I'd like to visit.

I lived in France for a year when I was 21 and I travelled all over the country. There are some great France hotels giving access to some of the best sights in the world. From Paris hotels you can see the Louvre, walk along the banks of the Seine or visit the Eiffel Tower. We did that at dusk, so that we could have both a daytime and nighttime view - it was fabulous.

I've also stayed in some good Nice hotels near the Promenade des Anglais.

Where are the best Caribbean vacations? I'm biased, because I like Barbados, but I've got a couple of friends who are looking into Bahamas vacation rentals and Cayman Island vacation rentals.

I've just come back from a dip in the Caribbean Sea and I feel very lucky to be able to do that whenever I like. Wherever you go on vacation in the Caribbean you have great sun, sea and sand. What's not to like?

People are getting into debt and one reason for this is that they end up taking mortgages that they don't need. This applies both to people taking out new mortgage deals and to those who are refinancing. One of the pitfalls to be aware of is the interest only mortgage. That's where you only pay the interest on the loan. The trouble with that is that when the time comes to pay, you still owe the whole amount you originally borrowed – and you need to find a way to repay it.

For brokers, one of the key issues is to find the people who really need the deals through qualified mortgage leads and mortgage intelligence. Getting a direct marketing mailing list means that they can find the people who want to get their finances back on track with the right mortgage deal.

That's the question I ask in my latest article on PiggyBankPie. It's called How To Make Your Blog Work For You. It's a question of whether your blog is just for fun or whether you can do something useful with it. Let me know what you think.

If you want to get published and get paid, then you need to write what your editor or client wants. But how do you find out? One way is to ask the right questions. Find out the pitfalls to avoid and the questions to ask in The Writing Brief - Questions To Ask.

Fashion jewelry just keeps coming back. Sometimes it's big and out there; at other times it's small and dainty. I guess one of the reasons that it appeals is because it's affordable. Most people can splash out on a bit of jewelry and it's nice to have some bling to dress up an outfit. I tend to go for earrings, myself. What's your favorite fashion jewelry.

Drug rehabilitation is always in the headlines. It appears there's often a celebrity checking out or checking into the latest wonder place. I believe it's a positive thing that they can stand the cost otherwise these celebs might be hopped up and on the loose. I'm don't think the world is prepared for that. No, it's a better option to visit a luxury clinic and sort out their issues before they rejoin the world.

There comes a time when you want to have a good clear out. This may mean spring cleaning your home to get rid of all the junk that you've been stockpiling for a year. It's amazing how liberating it is to get rid of stuff. I've done it once a year for the past few years, mostly because of moving house. But it's great to get rid of the things you no longer need and create space for more - or just space. Some people even take things a step further, by having a personal clear out as well as space clear out. This might mean having a colon cleanse, or doing some sort of short fast, to rid the body of toxins.

I've always liked the idea of one stop shopping. That's why malls are so popular, because everything you need is in one place. I've just found out about a site that does the same thing. Mpire helps you to find the best deals from places like Amazon, Ebay, Best Buy, Target and Macy's.

I did a search for Harry Potter and came up with a range of resources at good prices. You can even get coupons for savings on books and magazines and more.

I just found out about an offer from a supplier of residential and commercial mailboxes. Mailboxixchange has an affiliate program that will pay you $20 if you sign people up to buy one of their mailboxes.

We looked at a lot of mailboxes before we settled on the one we've got now. It's a white metal mailbox with a holder for the newspaper underneath. I'm amazed at the range of mailbox designs there are. When I was in the US I saw s

Every year it seems home entertainment get more in your face, until you can practically walk through any movie that you're watching. This can enhance the experience but can also be rather scary. One accessory that you need for this is projection televisions and you'll need a sound system to match. Dolby 3D isn't just for the movies, these days.

A safety utility knifeis a useful thing to have around the house. The other day I used one for some craft activities at my house, My daughter was having a play date and we decided to make some masks. Having stuck everything together, I suddenly realised that I needed to cut the eyeholes out. The knife was just the right tool for the job.

I love the idea of cruises. In fact, I'm heading off on a catamaran this weekend for a quick run down the coast and a beach picnic. It should be fun, though I will only know a few of the people on board. It's a take your own sandwiches thing. I'm planning on flying fish, with a couple of cold drinks. I can't wait!

It's nearly time to send out birthday invitations. My hubby's 50 soon and my daughter is 5 less than a month after that, so I'm doing a lot of planning and plotting. My husband has surprised me on many of my birthdays so I have something planned for him. I'm not saying what, as it would be just my luck for him to read it on my blog.

Just hearing the words bunk beds brings back memories of my childhood. Until I was in my teens, my sister and I shared a room and we had bunk beds. We loved climbing up and down the ladder and hanging sheets from the top bunk to make the bottom bunk into a den. It turned out to be one of our best toys.

In my last post I talked about skin care products, but I'm also doing some work on real estate in different countries. They say that property is the safest investment because overall the market always does well. It may dip occasionally but if you hang on to your home for a while, it's sure to increase in value within a few years.

My latest assignment is to write about skin care products. I am often amazed by how much more we know about our skin these days. When I was a kid, we thought nothing of being out in the sun all day, every day. No sunscreen in sight. These days no one moves without a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses and a really good moisturizer. What are your must have skin care products?

Nikki Leigh, author of Widows Walk, is offering to enter commenters into a draw for a free copy of her new book - details are here in her latest interview.

It's said that dead sea salt has curative properties. That's probably why so many people go to the Dead Sea and float on it. I'm a big fan of alternative.remedies, so I see nothing wrong with using dead sea salt. Of the remedies I've tried, acupuncture remains one of the big surprises. I expected it to hurt more than it did and I didn't expect it to be as effective as it was.

It seems that progesterone can be used to combat PMS. No doubt that's good news for anyone who has ever suffered from PMS or suffered at the hands of someone who has suffered from PMS. The condition does strange things to your brain. Some people take to their beds, while others snap at the slightest provocation. Still others get through it by downing chocolate at every opportunity.

How do you evaluate health and diet products? Do you read reviews of things like Miracle burn to decide whether they are for you or not? Or are you a more gung ho person who just wades in and tries something?

I'm a 'read reviews' person. I like to check out what a product is supposed to do and how people have used it before I jump in with both feet. That said, I have tried some off the wall remedies. What about you?

West Palm Beach real estate has a certain appeal. Having spent some time in Florida recently, I've been turned on to the possibilities of property in that region. I saw some lovely condos while I was there, with pools, Jacuzzis and other amenities. Combine that with the weather and the shopping and you've got an almost perfect lifestyle. Maybe it's time to take another look.

On our recent trip to Orlando my hubby was set on getting some golf clubs. He's played a few more times this year and he thought that it was time to update. He spent a couple of months looking at golf mags and golf sites to see what was available. And then, would you believe it, we got so busy that we never got near a golf shop. I guess we'll have to go back next year.

Do you drink muscle milk? I'm talking about drinks that contain all the protein you need to build muscle. There are all kinds of drinks you can get these days. There are the ones for body builders, and the ones for dieters who want to get just enough nutrition and no more. It does make the process of bulking up easier because there's just one shake to think about.

Remember when everyone wanted a pair of Air Jordans? They were the in-thing, the coolest footwear to have for quite a while. So with the current retro craze, it's no surprise that they're back.

When you go retro you need to think about the rest of the look, too. What's the best thing to wear with a pair of Air Jordans?

My writing office has two lights. The first is a standard overhead drop down light with a frosted white shade. It's a downlighter, so the light spreads all around the room.

The second light is a desk lamp. This comes in handy if I need to physically write something at night or to throw some light on a specific area. It's a halogen lamp and it's adjustable.

A hobby shop is a place to rediscover your childhood obsessions. Cars, planes, trains – anything that moves will be there and a lot more too. The hobby shop in our village featured wooden toys of all kinds. Some were remakes of old designs, while others were ultra modern. They had a nice weight and heft to them. What would you buy from a hobby shop if you could?