In a bit of exciting news from Miss Piggy Land I was asked to be a contributor to the 2012 Foodies Guide to Sydney which is due to hit bookshops at the beginning of October.
Contributing to this book was both incredibly exciting and frightening all at the same time. It was an experience that really pushed me outside of my comfort zone.
I was thrilled to be asked to write a few small reviews for the publication however I was hyper-aware that I was being published alongside qualified journalists and writers who have been writing as professionals for years. I felt myself under a bit of pressure to write something...readable. Was my writing good enough? Would the spell check on my little ole laptop work properly so that I didn't submit writing that looked and read like it was from a four year old? Should that comma go here...or there?
Writing a blog, where you can blather on for as long as you like, is a whole other ball game to producing a succinct and eloquent piece of writing. As well as learning how to say what I had to say in only 50 words (yes 50 words - I can't even order a meal in under 50 words) I had to present myself to the businesses being reviewed and ask questions which is completely the opposite to the anonymous type of blogging I've been undertaking for the last year.
I have to say the thing that I most enjoyed about contributing to this book was meeting and talking to small business owners in my local area. This is A LOT of great food in Parramatta from Artisan Bakers, Persian Grocers and Spice Shops that will awaken your senses the moment you step across the threshold.
All in all it was a great experience to contribute in my small way to this guide and I'm as pleased as punch to see my name in actually print for the first time EVER!
Thanks Hardie Grant Books for the great opportunity - it's been challenging and greatly rewarding!
