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SPEAK the language
- fast!
10 tips for Beginners
by Elisabeth Smith
Mouse over each tip to find out what's behind it!
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Meet the author
- My life so far....
Born:
in Germany, father headmaster, mother unpaid P.A to headmaster
Childhood: great
Career
aspiration: teaching.
First paid
job: at age 7, teaching 6-year-old to read
Further
studies: Hamburg University
Personal
matters: marriages: 2, Divorces: 1, Widowed: once, Children:
2
Relocations: London, Zambia,
South Africa, Spain
Career moves:
teacher, sales trainer, training manager, sales director, MD,
deckhand on sailboat, writer/author
Most
recent addition: producer of language learning DVDs |
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A day in the life of
Elisabeth Smith |
 06.45
Semi -conscious. “Those black-out curtains don’t
work”. Brain scanning for impending disasters and scrolling
down to do-list.
07.05 Remove
cup collection from office bombsite to emails popping up.
07.07 Change into unfashionable t-shirt and trainers.
07.15 More emails. To-do
list now threatens to fall off page.
07.30 Decide
against jog on paseo.
07.31 Change
mind on jog, or blood pressure will go through roof.
08.15 Remove
cat from keyboard. Start on deadline-on-my-back script for Italian
DVD.
08.16 Have
horrible anti oxidant, free radicals destroying tea.
08.30 Younger
daughter on phone offloading weight on soul. Decline her invitation
to board rescued dog and fund kick boxing lessons.
08.40 Cat
has changed screensaver from tropical island to green hill!??
08.43 Start
serious attempt at deadline-on-my-back script. Delete previous page.
Calculate script to be three years late. |
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 09.05
Have writer’s block
09.11 Knock
off 4 items on to-do list to cheer myself up. More emails and frozen
food delivery van appear
simultaneously.
09.47 Unblock
writer’s block. Continue with deadline-in-the-neck script
to phone ringing. Elder daughter
(Yuppy, London)
demands instant opinion on in-company power struggle.
10.03 Continue
writing to banging on garden gate, phone ringing and incontinent
rescued dog appearing at desk. Have
gas tank filled
to telesales drive and row with daughter No 2.
10.21 Write
nice little page while gloom-and-doom electrician appears to fix
gate and tinker with lights. Decide to rewire
whole place
when finished script.
10.46 Deal
with crisis items on to-do list.
11.59 Phone
call from friend needing return of electric saw while just getting
into writing mode. Hear other call on
line and manage
to lose both.
12.01 Press on
writing with threatening wasp in curtain and more emails arriving.
13. 52 To-do
list now reads 14 + 7 - 4- 6 + 4 = 15
13.53 Gloomy
electrician demands cash payment. Bank closes at 2 pm and drive
takes 8 minutes in optimum conditions. |
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 14.10
Return from bank to courier waiting at gate and extended to-do list.
Decide to change life when finished script.
14.15 Work
feverishly on deadline-on-my-back script. Pass mirror en route to
loo and decide to have personal trainer
and regular
facials when script finished.
15.18 Fax machine
springing to life spewing out offer on wholesale antique furniture
and copy for proofreading.
Machine crunches
last page of proof copy and indicates out of paper.
16.12 Press
on with writing. Cat resting on best pullover, lusting after keyboard.
Decide to change wardrobe and whole
image when finished
script.
18.20 Note
lack of food intake. Realise fridge down to cat food and suspect left-overs.
20.30 Cut and
paste while missing only worthwhile TV programme. Decide to definitely
change life and stop writing
forever when script
finished.
23.45 Go to
bed with trashy novel.
23.55 Have
sudden inspiration for next DVD script. Decide en suite nearer than
office and jot down great thought on
mirror with
unflattering lipstick.
23.59 Pass
out. |
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