Writing and relationships

The freelance work isn't going as well as I hoped at the moment (personal problems rather than a lack of work coming in.) I have recently got a new boyfriend, a wonderful, caring, intelligent, good looking, funny...I can go on for quite a while! Now it's been a long time since I've had to seriously juggle life and relationship commitments, before it was only ever university work and that could be skidded around...

We live about an hour apart so it means making the most of it and often staying away for a few days or having him stay here for a few days. This hasn't had such a bad impact on my emotional happiness but writing is getting pushed back in favour of spending time with him, so I need to be either managing my days away from him better or just get a better paid job! I had been feeling quite stressed out and self punishing about my lack of care for clients and missing a couple deadlines, but today I've gotten on with some emails, written a few blog posts and had generally happy clients. 

I don't feel as if I have risen anew but I'm organising my schedule a bit better and trying to see how and when I get work done. I recently received advice from a few good sources about what to do with my freelance copy writing career, if I focus on the creative and get a normal job. I've given up one of the more stressful clients, even if it is less money, the blog work is a bit more varied and I'm building up a few return clients too.

My boyfriend is wonderfully understanding and I knew he was a keeper when he offered to get a takeaway one night when I was stressing over some late work, even though we had both dressed up to go out. I don't feel many people would have said what he did, and I fell a little bit harder for him that night. 

Don't worry, I won't be writing gushy emotional poetry any time soon, that's for a bit further down the line! 

There's click clacking but it's not the keyboard....

I've been to see a local chiropractor. After nearly a year of putting up with weakness and pain in my left knee I finally made the important call and got myself checked out. I did try the GP first but I got sort of waved off and sent to the physio. The physio was a lovely, lovely young woman about my age, and she did mean well but I felt the treatment she offered me wasn't right for me (stretches weren't going to cut it.)

So I had my first consultation a few weeks back, and here's the list of all my aliments:

• flat feet (that was a shock)
• Kneecaps getting pulled in
• twisted pelvis
• Trapped nerve in lower back,
• my head isn't sitting quite right on my spine ( I always knew that was the case, just a 5 minute chat with anyone could confirm my head isn't on properly.)
• plus other issues in my neck and arms.

He's been strapping my knee up, generally unpleasantly twisting and cracking my head off, the first time it took my by surprise that I swore. The next one I call the 'Russian', I have to lie on my side in a positon like a drunk cockroach trying to do a Russian kick, and then my chiropractor will somehow twist and push on my back to get the most horrible click from my spine. Thankfully he only does it once. Then I pay him for the pleasure of shifting my bones about and merrily and loosely wobbly my way back home to wait to repeat it again next week. 

I think all the typing over the last few months has got my left wrist feeling very sore and bad at times, I've invested in a wrist rest, moved my chair into every position imaginable, tried to sit better, sit worse, the pain if just horrible. So last night I downloaded dragon naturally speaking. Now this is an alien concept for me, having to speak to my computer. My mouth and brain are loosely connected at the best of times, my brain and fingers are probably on better speaking terms. I think I need some mental training to bridge the gap of what my brain says to what my mouth actually says. It's going to take some getting use to, but the idea of lying back on the sofa ditacting my story to the laptop is quite appealing, it'll give my arms a bit of a break too. I can have the horrible ordeal of lifting a glass of wine to my lips once in a while. Sounds like a good plan to me.

Scoring P's....

This isn't a new street drug that I'm addicted to, it's plain ole penicillin. Working nearly 40 hours over 4 days really took it out of me, and on Monday I had to do some cheating and lying to get seen by a local doctor (my other surgery won't see me because I've moved without telling them...) and low and behold was given a nice course of antibiotics for a very very bad throat.

This stuff is great, it sends me out with the fairies. Not so good for a freelancer writer's life when the deadlines aren't considerate of you feeling unwell. Monday night I felt weepy and frustrated, I don't take being ill very well. A normal cold I march on through, it's just lots of lemsip and sleep time, but with a sore throat that felt like I was swallowing razor blades, I went home to my parents.

Tuesday night I struggled to write some bits on a new project, it involves a lot of research and it's taking a while to get the hang of the period and all the dates, but once I get a handle on it and what the client wants, I'll be away. The history of Nelson is fascinating, my memory for useless facts will do well out of this.

PPH.com is yielding odd bits and pieces here, I seem to be winning jobs all of a sudden which I'm very pleased about. September looks to be a very good month!

Freelance writing is like waiting for a bus...

Three turn up at once.

The dry spell is over! Phew! I'm glad! It's sort of been a nice few weeks off, but I'm glad the extra money will be coming in and I can start saving again. I thought I had missed the chance for a new project but I managed to get in there and show what I could offer, so that's one box ticked. The work on PPh has slowed, couple of hourlies sold but I prefer longer term stuff, it's nice to work with the same people as you get to know them over time and they will come to you first with work.

The typewriter works like a dream. I got a new ribbon for it and the words just pop on the paper, it's great to see everything in a clear ink and I'm not pressing as hard. I do need to slow right down though. Typed up a poem and some quotes on it, and I can say my eyes have been spoilt for perfect margins and even line breaks. All part of the vintage experience of writing on a typewriter though. 

The fiction writing had tapered off, I need to pick it up again, but after spending all day copywritng, staring at a screen just hurts and makes me feel tired. I have new glasses with a fancy anti-glare coating on them, but they hurt, I need to get them fitted properly. The typewriter might be frustrating, I have to see but I can't wait to see what I might write on it.

Linkedin has actually done its job...

I joined LinkedIn a few years ago because my uni friends had done it. I've updated it occasionally and used a flattering picture that is semi professional (I haven't dared go for the professional 'author' picture yet.). I haven't relied on it a lot to network as being freelance means I don't tend to make many real life connections, and adding people I've met once isn't my thing even on Facebook. I have 59 friends, and no, I'm not a weird loner or bunny boiler type, social media is a part of my life but it's something I see as a tool to connect with people that mean something to me. 

My profile on PPH has yielded a new connection, a guy has got in touch with me about taking on extra work when he can't handle the flow of it. I consider it a great thing that someone's taken the trouble to find me especially when PPH don't disclose your surname. Anyone who's internet savvy can track someone down with a picture and a couple words.

I take it all as a good sign that someone wants my writing skills, I must be doing something right!

Okay the typewriter dream is back....

Life has a way of telling you something. Be patient and it shall happen. I went for lunch to a nice place with my mum...and so happened to see a very nice blue typewriter. Expecting a huge price tag I sheepishly asked the owner how much it was going for.

'£20.' she replied cheerfully. I gave my mum a look of 'You know how much I love you....'

Mum sighed and withdrew her purse.

But I had learnt a lesson. I got some scrap paper, fed it into the typewriter and tested all the keys. The space bar worked, the ink was a little faded but it was clear to see the machine was in good repair.

'An old man brought it in, it was his wife's and she'd had it for years. Hardly used I think,' the owner explained. 'she died a long time ago but he only got to clearing the rooms out very recently...'

Now that's some inspiration right there. Who says typewriters are useless?

Got to spend money to make money

I've found some freelance pieces of work! I won my first job the other day on PPH! It was only a small blog post but the guy gave me great feedback and it's got my confidence up that I can manage myself on the website. A few things I've learnt on the way:

Put prices up since PPH take 20% (ouch!!)

Get the work done as fast as possible.

Consider the cost of advertising.

You can post an 'Hourlie' a specific service that is meant to be quick and cheap (in my case anyway), I posted a couple but only got some views. It lead me to wonder was I too cheap, or not cheap enough? I thought £7 for 500 words is very reasonable. After no fish biting, I thought 'what the heck' I'll spend the tenner to get the Hourlie featured (that's how PPH make their money, cheeky scoundrels!). I put the post up on Friday morning, went off to help with the pub for the day, and came home to find I had sold three! THREE! And one is keen on repeat business so it's keeping me busy.

Not much money, but it's a start on PPH. Hopefully I'll attain the status of Pro in no time.