IT'S not just journalists and novelists who get writers' block, who put the apostrophe in the wrong place or who fail to convey the message.
The same hurdles apply to business people who, as part of their job, have to write a report, reference, or speech. It's only when they sit down to put the words together that they realise this can sometimes be a confronting task.
Founder of the Sydney Writers' Centre, Valerie Khoo, believes it was recognising this need that was partly responsible for her company being a finalist in the NSW Telstra Business Awards in the micro-business category, which is sponsored by The Daily Telegraph.
"It's not just people who want to write that we cater for, but also the people who need to write,'' Ms Khoo said.
"Unlike creative or life writing, some people need to improve their writing for work because it's an important part of their job, or it will improve their prospects.''
It was while she was an accountant at PriceWaterhouseCoopers that Ms Khoo realised her passion for letters was stronger than her skill with numbers, and combining the two was the first step to achieving success.
Getting there, however, relied a bit on serendipity. Before she quit accounting, she sought out as many writing courses as possible, hoping to hone her skills.
And so it turned out that the Sydney Writers' Centre grew into the sort of resource that she wished had been around at that time.
"One of the things we do differently and try to do well is to build a community, so that we're constantly able to provide a service and help.
"And it's not only face to face, but also online. This morning I got an email from a Norwegian who is working for a US company while living in Rome who has chosen to do our Australian course online.''
The writing community she is nurturing is not only confined to the Milsons Point offices.
Last year Ms Khoo initiated a memoir-writing course based in Paris, where students lived for 17 days in an apartment organised by the school, had lessons in the morning and spent the rest of the day wandering around the City of Lights.
"The people who went to Paris last year continue to meet regularly in the bookshop cafe that's near us.''
This year she is trialling a "writing the senses'' course in Bali and next year there is the prospect of a travel writing course in Tuscany.
"I have a passion to help people realise that they can do anything,'' Ms Khoo said.
"I really love people to achieve their dreams, to achieve what they thought they couldn't do.''
The winners of the NSW Telstra Business Awards will be announced on July 9.
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