When eBay isn't your friend

I had to send the typewriter back and the whole affair has left me with a bad taste. Not a literal bad taste like I've been eaten ink, I wouldn't ever dare to sample a typewriter ribbon. The experience has left me a bit wary of buying an un-seen item like a typewriter from websites like eBay. The problem is that is you break one the guarantee ran out long before I was born. Only a few specialists who fix typewriters remain and their expertise will go soon, within a generation or so. 

It comes back to the fact that things become obsolete for a reason, they aren't suitable or practical anymore. I think there is still a place for the typewriter, it probably just isn't on my desk for a while yet. 

When best laid plans go wrong

My postman is a lovely chap, he'll actually call my flat and bring my parcel up to me, sometimes up four flights of stairs. You don't get service like that very often. I think they must just enjoy ringing my flat, scaring the living daylights out of me. I have to hastily roll out of bed, don the nearest garment at hand and open the door to them looking squinty eyed and a bit messy. I'm sure they have funnier stories to tell of the state people are in.  I really much stop ordering stuff on eBay if I want to have a lie in more than once a month, but this item was worth it.

The item I purchased I was really excited about. A manual typewriter, that beautiful, noisy thing I was hoping would bring my writing to new heights. 

Except the bloody space bar doesn't work, and writing on it feels like I'm trying to operate some heavy machinery, it feels akin to trying to drive a crane with lots of levers to push and pull. Heck I'm sure I was pedalling with my feet on some imaginary brake too. I've had to open a case on eBay to see if I can get my money back. 

Back to the laptop in the meantime.

Where do you write?

I am a product of my generation and that means when you walk into my flat, you'll find an excess of technology. I have my laptop which is my mean place of work and leisure. You'll see my printer, and then you'll probably find a digital camera, then a netbook, a kindle, mobile phone and an iPad mini. All sounds a bit much, doesn't it? Compare all of that to a reasonably comfortable family for four, the parents will have a laptop each, then maybe a work mobile phone, and then a personal one. In place of a family computer there will be an iPad, and then if we get down to the kids they'll each have a laptop, phone, MP3  digital cameras and probably an iPad each. That's not even counting what sort of speakers/docking stations they have. I can confidently say that most households these days will have some sort of internet device within reach in every room of their house, minus the bathroom (and iPads and other devices mean the loo magazine will be a thing of the past.)

This post isn't an attack on the modern gadget culture, I admit I am partial to good marketing and have an iPad mini. It's not hard to see that with all of this stuff around me, and since my internet was installed under a month ago, my writing output has just fallen. I decided today to have a little look about online for inspirational writing quotes and found this wonderful one from Ernest Hemmingway:

'There is nothing to writing. All you do it sit down at a typewriter and bleed.' 

Now that doesn't make me want to start using my blood for ink, but it makes you think, and as a young writer of my generation constantly surrounded by Facebook, twitter, laptops and tablet computers galore, writing has become a little second rate. It feels its the statement of what I'm writing on. When laptops came cheaper and readily available, and Starbucks coffee started to  dominate every street corner, a sudden magical combination happened; the coffee shop writer. I'm sure in a hundred years' this will be the classic image, rather than Shakespeare with a quill, it's going to be someone with funky hair, extra thick glasses, a laptop and his decaf extra frothy capalattecino sitting faithfully at his elbow like a well trained dog. The image of writing has changed, and with that the advice has too.

This has then lead me to look at the famous writing desks of our most beloved and famous writers. Jane Austen wrote her novels at a tiny table under a window, she favoured this particular spot because the stairs outside her room creaked, which gave her enough time to tuck away any of her work. 

It doesn't really look like much, but it looks comfortable enough for someone to write a few pages each morning. I bet she didn't spend weeks trawling the internet for a perfect writing desk either. 

Earnest Hemmingway is a little closer in our writing era than Jane Austen, he used a typewriter and lived in a very beautiful country and found his inspiration there. A quick google search reveals his desk to be a table in a library. This is of course what most writers dream of writing in, but the thought of being surrounded by all that dust isn't appealing to my poor sinuses.

The thought of writing a whole novel with pen and paper just makes me cringe at the thought of the cramp I'd get in my neck and back and wrist. But in Jane Austen's day you certainly did not get any government advice on how best to sit and have access the latest range of ergonomic furniture. She simply did it. Most writers won't write in a bad environment such as one with noise or bad smells. 

This image is the ever popular sort of writing for most writers. I admit I've been one of those types who likes to look out of the window more than I'm looking at my laptop. At university I was always out and about with my laptop in tow because I felt comfortable with being a coffee shop writer and I liked to get out. Sadly that was where I spent a good portion of my money, coffee wasn't cheap and I felt to justify my stay I'd have to buy a couple cups, and then I'd get peckish and muffin would soon follow... writing at home is a little cheaper on the wallet and I can enjoy good coffee thanks to my nice coffee machine (yes, more gadgets!). Since moving out to my own place, to a new town, I've found there is a lack of places really to hunker down and write. Where I was comfortable in a coffee shop, I feel now I stick out like a sore thumb. A attitude that that will have me never leaving my flat, I know, but the only place I'd feel comfortable writing is a chain coffee shop, and that's a trek across town, and their coffee can leave me feeling slightly queasy. At home it is then. This is my current writing space. It's a cheap table from Ikea, I do have a beautiful wooden writing bureau at home, but it's heavy and not quite practical enough. I don't really like having my printer on the desk, but you have to make do. 

I think as technology advances, writers will be searching for the perfect apps and advice books on how to write, how to plan their works. I was pleased to find a whole section on writing apps and novel planning apps on my iPad the other day. Then I sat back and thought for a few moments. I have a degree and a Masters in Creative Writing. I find myself watching horror films to pick apart the themes and how they structure the scary bits. I've been reading (proper) books since I was 10, and been writing since I was about 13, so why am I really thinking about downloading random apps that take up memory? Isn't a notebook and a pen enough to get me started on planning a story?

I'm still making a journey as a writer to find my perfect writing zen, so in a bizarre way to avoid technology within my reach of every room, I've decided to purchase a typewriter. I'm eagerly awaiting its arrival. I'm excited about exploring the prospect of writing with nothing to click on or distract me. I'll need a dictionary at my elbow of course, as my spelling is just terrible, but slowing down and wasting paper is probably a good way to learn more about my own writing process.

Shaking off the holiday feeling

I've had a family holiday for the first time in nearly 5 years. It was meant to be just my mum and I, but at the last moment we asked my brother (not expecting a reply) who said yes after he got his passport sorted out. It was a week's inclusive at Lanzarote, warm weather, not too much sunburn and plenty of duty free alcohol. Well, when you go on holiday with your mum and your brother there won't be much heavy drinking going on but we went for a nice steak a couple times and thoroughly chilled and relaxed.

This brings me to the conclusion that holiday is not the best place to do any kind of writing beyond writing rude words on your friend's back in sun cream. I took my laptop (mum argued the ipad mini was worth too much and my netbook was too slow) and paid for wireless in the room. So did I get all of the work done early on? 

I probably spent more time reading over my novels than anything else. It gave me some ideas for the editing etc, but my brother also borrowed my laptop for a good portion of the time. He achieved a fair amount of creative writing, more than I have in weeks. I got it all done in time, but on the last day of course. I'm a deadline writer, I need someone standing over me with a threatening look and a hot cup of coffee they might just threaten to throw over me.

The last few days were hectic, squeezing in to see friends and working at my care job, but today, I woke up feeling a bit 'blargh', but have knuckled down and achieved a few emails at least and half organised my bedroom. The holiday feeling has gone, but not one I miss to be honest, the passive aggressive stress wasn't nice, and it's good to get back to my life.

I've been thinking about the purpose of this blog and where I want to take it, I need to start marketing my creative writing better, so many people are doing it successfully these days. 

Why freelance doesn't always equate to professional

I've read a few guides on how to start off as a freelance copywriter, these were books I downloaded from Amazon written by authors who managed to launch themselves into a great career within a few months. I learnt a few things about how to pitch articles to people and about the general lifestyle and motivation needed by people to be self employed.

Motivation is a key factor for many people, and for many copywriters that driving force isn't always because we love what we do, but because we need the money. Motivation is something that gets us up in the morning, it makes us go about our day with some purpose (well, that's how books sell it.)

I watched the latest episode of the apprentice last night, and my god, I was surprised how bad this year's batch are. It's like they've let a good looking bunch of fourteen year olds loose in business themed theme park. These kids are out for the free pass and all they want to do it just run about pretending to be adults. They can go on a ride occasionally, pretend to walk and talk like a business professional. 

You know when you can hear something talking, but at the end of it you don't have a clue what they really said? One woman kept doing that for the whole day, trying to justify why getting some corporate people to decorate cupcakes was meant be 'team building'. 'But it was creative!' she cried at one point. Yes it was creative, but decorating cupcakes is for children, not to help banking professionals learn to communicate properly.

I wasn't surprised when the companies asked for a refund from the Apprentice teams, I'd have asked for a memory wipe of the whole day and the 60 minutes I lost watching the program. 

Working from home makes me feel like I'm not professional at times, but when I look at the people lined up on 'The Apprentice' it makes me feel I can be much better. But could I? I wonder if its an attitude cultivated in an office, which is something I am sorely lacking. All of my 'professional' experience is standing behind a bar learning how to banter and get a thicker skin.  Freelance work means I can't banter, and I am sort of laid bare, how am I meant to relate or cope with the demands of my clients?

The short answer is I have to just deal with it professionally. Not run around in sumo suits trying to say how to avoid conflict-oh let's just decorate a cupcake, it's more fun and creative and it might motivate me to do something constructive.

Freelance Life

Wow, three months since my last post? Quite a lot has happened since then. So quick update:

I went from wanting to rent a place to buying one, then realised how expensive buying a house was (a few thousand just for the paperwork, then borrow the deposit off the bank of mum and dad) I felt I wasn't ready, so then I went back to the idea of renting. Found a perfect one bedroom flat in a nice area in a converted mill building. Fully furnished including TV and the white goods. Good all round deal except the sofa is truly truly past it. I mean it's on its last legs, it's saggier than a middle age WAG who's missed her botox appointment cos her hubby was cheating again and she had to go to court to stand by his side....but I digress there.

So I've moved out, sort of officially an adult now, got bills and rent to pay. I can arrange my collection of vintage inspired floral mugs in whatever order I want. I mop up every little crumb and stain after every meal and cup of coffee I make. I am all about getting this nice place nice. My social life is slowly improving, I can entertain and have people over for coffee without having to get called onto the bar at a moment's notice. I have a fancy coffee machine that dispenses freshly ground coffee. And it's red. It was half price, I can't be too fussy. 

My freelance writing work is pretty steady, it's a tough lesson learning to answer to a boss via email, and imagine his harsh tone when over the phone he's very pleasant and nice. Freelance deadlines are much much more stressful than uni ones. Not just a good grade but also future work and money hang on the quality of my work. On the whole my days are free, so I have to fill in the lance bit. I'm learning about how to search out new clients, even if the pay is a little low, it's all about adding to my portfolio.

I can't really define myself as truly freelance yet, I take in the term that I am working remotely and  whilst I am not technically employed by the company, they are my main source of work at the moment. I still work two part time jobs to cover rent and bills, so I do have a back up if the freelance does dry up. Moving out has been a gamble, but this is my chance to really start making a career. 

I actually have one, a career. One I've got on my own without pulling any favours.

Now excuse me, I think my coffee machine is calling me. I'm going to need my fix today. 

Moving Out!

Shortly after my last blog post, I decided to make plans to start moving out. The writing job is giving me that little extra help and with extra hours at my other job I can afford rent and bills. Might be a bit tight at times but I think the time is right. I won't be far from home, but far enough to have a life and get more time for my writing.