To be totally blunt, the suckiest thing about writing for a living is the lag time between finishing your work, and your work actually being done. You can feel, sometimes, like you`ve been sucked into a black hole made entirely of lag time. (And, let`s face it, I need something that`s going to help me use up all those excess holiday stamps and address labels…)

Of course, you already know that December 10th is International Human Rights Day. If you`re looking for a way for your writing to make a difference (or even a small way to pay tribute to the life of the great Nelson Mandela), get involved in the Amnesty International Write for Rights campaign. There are letters you can write, petitions you can sign and actions you can take alongside tens of thousands of others.

If ever you worry that your writing doesn`t reach the right people, this is one day it absolutely will.

(EDIT: The link above is to the Canadian site. If you`re looking to get involved in your region, go to Amnesty.org to sign up.)