As I was getting ready to write my blog post today, I do what I often do: procrastinate. I spent some time surfing the Internet, checking out some sites that I regularly read in the hope of maybe finding some inspiration or something interesting to kill some time. Well, I definitely found something interesting: the Google Books settlement that was proposed in 2008 has been rejected. Some of you may have heard about the settlement before, and some of you may have no idea what I’m talking about. But this is a huge news story in the publishing industry, and rightfully so. Since I am in the publishing industry (albeit on the sidelines now that I am a freelancer), I am hugely interested in how this story is going to play out, so I thought I would bring it to your attention today.

Many of you have your own blogs, either to share information with your contacts, or just to put down your thoughts on various topics. But blogging can sometimes feel like a chore when you’re doing it because you feel like you have to. So where can you get inspiration to jumpstart your blogging? Try checking out your favourite authors, entertainers, or Google a subject you find interesting. Many of them have blogs of their own, and reading theirs might give you some good ideas about what to do (or not to do) with your own blog. Here are some of my favourite blogs to visit, and what makes them great:

I know that when everyone started using email, many people worried that we would lose our language, as people started to use abbreviations and emoticons. By and large, however, if you are using email for business purposes you know that you need to make sure that your spelling is correct and you are using proper grammar. After all, your emails send a message to your clients, and you want that message to be professional.  But what about social networking sites, like Facebook or Twitter? Many small businesses are using these sites to help get the word out about their services, and they need to be careful to make a good impression to their customers. Here are a couple of quick tips to think about if you are planning on using these websites to promote yourself.

I found an interesting list of the most common grammatical errors people make. Check it out here

Most of these are common problems, and they”re easy to miss because usually spell-checkers don”t catch them. A little extra time checking your document can save a lot of embarrassment later on.

So I think the best thing to do with this blog is to post some information that I think is useful to those who plan to write but need some more resources. If you′re interested in a specific topic, let me know and I’ll see what I can come up with. So first things first: Here are some book recommendations for those of you interested in the craft of writing.

- The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition, by William Strunk & E. B. White. This book is a must-have for anyone who needs to do any writing, creative or otherwise. It takes you through the basics of composition, grammar, word usage, and writing style. I first got it in my 10th grade English class, and it has been invaluable.

- Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss. This is a fantastic book about how to use (and how not to use) various forms of punctuation. It sounds like it would be a very dry subject, but Truss does a great job at making her subject matter interesting and amusing.

- On Writing, by Stephen King. Most people wouldn’t think that the “Master of Horror” would have much to say on the subject of writing, but this book is a wonderful addition to your library if you are an aspiring writer. The first half of the book is an autobiography that takes you through King’s evolution as a writer, and the second half is the “writers’ toolkit” which gives you all the lessons you need to start on your way to being a good writer. He gives you writing assignments, advice on plot and character, how to build a paragraph, and lots of other useful instruction. King used to teach English, and you can tell he was a good teacher.