Tales from Baggins Bottom

I have moved

2011-06-07T09:13:00.000+01:00

It's official. I've moved my blog to WordPress. Please follow this link, and if you could change any links, bookmarks, favourites, etc, you have that would be great.

Thank you.

Messing about

2011-06-04T08:45:00.001+01:00

I've been messing about on WordPress. Follow this link to hop along and have a peek, but be aware it's very much a work in progress just now.

A day out

2011-06-03T09:26:00.017+01:00

What a lovely day yesterday turned out to be. We had glorious sunshine, which made a very nice ride out for me across Pennines, although it was a bit gloomy on t'other side - they assure me here that this is often the case ... but I'm not getting into that.

I had a good night's sleep after finally submitting the last annual (he's asking for the next one now but I won't be starting it until next week), had a bit of a lie in, and then headed off. I lost 30 minutes on the Woodhead Pass, another 10 minutes on the ring road around Manchester, and made up all of 2 minutes on the motorway between Manchester and Chester. I got there at 12 noon, had a cup of tea, fell in love with 8 adorable puppies and 2 grown-ups, chose the one I wanted, christened him Rufus, and had a good chat with the breeder and her daughter.

Aside from breeding standard wire-haired dachshunds they're also on the show jumping circuit. And both kids were educated at home. The number of article ideas that started to scream at me from just those few words was amazing. But they were both very keen and receptive, so I'll build some queries in around them.

I paid my deposit and we arranged for them to deliver the pup to me at the end of the month when they are over here visiting anyway. I hope they come in the car and not the horse box as they'll never get the lorry down here.

And here he is:

Rufus

I think that's one of his sisters peering over his shoulder. I'm obviously going to have to teach him about posing for the camera.

When I left, I decided to go to Tatton Park at Knutsford, as I was over there and almost passing it on the way home. I'm a member of the National Trust and I thought I could get something to eat there, maybe have a wander, and then head back home.

Wrong. When I got there they tried to charge me £5 to park. "But I'm a member," I said. "It's in your book," she snapped. And so I had a look in my book and all it said was "car entry charge". I looked around for the major bus route or the mainline railway station, but there wasn't one close by. I looked for alternative street parking, but there wasn't any. The majority of visitors to Tatton Park, members or not, come in cars. Talk about a captive audience.

Here are just two of the membership benefits shouted about by the National Trust:

■FREE entry and parking at more than 300 historic houses and gardens.
■FREE car parking at most National Trust countryside, woodland and coastal car parks.

Hmm. There's the rub, and that all-important get-out clause.

I think it's disgraceful that members are being charged to park and if other NT properties are going the same way, I shall cancel my membership. What is the point of paying in advance for something and then finding out, when you've driven all the way there, that you have to pay again? I can understand them trying to make money where they can in these troubled times, but penalising members in this way is not the way to do it. Surely it would be better to increase subs a little, rather than imposing this charge? And if it is as much as a fiver, and a fiver is a lot to park, it should be clearly printed in the guidebook.

Saying that, the guidebook is a bit pants these days anyway. They've stopped listing all of the admission fees, which I suppose they think is reasonable as if you've got the guidebook then you're probably a member and therefore it should be free anyway (allegedly). But what if you have people visiting you, who you want to take out for the day, who aren't members? Surely they could do with knowing how much it's going to cost them before they go all that way and put EXPENSIVE petrol in their cars.

I feel like a grumpy old woman, I really do. But this is just taking the mick and taking advantage of already cash-trapped people who are trying to help preserve our heritage and enjoy a good day out at the same time.

Incidentally, I turned around and went to Dunham Massey instead, where the volunteers didn't try to charge me for parking.

Oh dear. Two rants in two days. Not good.

Moving on ...

I need to pace myself a bit better. I shouldn't be going to bed late, getting up late, and then working solidly until 11pm. This is why I'm exhausted every time I submit another book. I have the time and the space now to balance out my workload, and that starts today. Once I get into this rhythm of freelancing again, things will settle down.

Today I have a history book to proof and at least a thousand words to write on the novel. It's another glorious day so I've put one wash load away, there's another in that will go on the line, and I may put another one through too. I'll walk up to the village later to get the local paper. I also have an office to de-clutter in time for the decorator on Monday, and probably the electrician too.

The de-cluttering will continue over the weekend. Tomorrow we may be going to see a band we've not seen for about a year.

Have a great weekend.

It has begun (um ... rant alert?)

2011-06-02T09:17:00.003+01:00

The Google exodus.

The last straw was when Google Chrome wouldn't let me view my new Yahoo webmail interface because it didn't have Java enabled. Excuse me, but Java was and always has been ON. I've had this problem with Chrome and Java before, and the Google help system is so convoluted, complicated, difficult and time consuming that it was quicker to pull the plug.

I started by changing from Google Chrome back to Internet Explorer. Yes, yes, I know IE has its own problems, but the plan is to move right back to Firefox but I'm not sure I have the latest version yet and as I'm still quite busy ...

Ooh, I can't wait for some time when I can twiddle my thumbs again. And yes, yes, I know that's what most of the problem was at the other place, but by the time I left I was so busy with other stuff I'd forgotten what twiddling my thumbs felt like.

So anyway, the plan is to move back to Firefox once I know I have the latest version and when I can work around it almost as quickly as I can IE. I've added my most-used favourites for now, the rest will come as and when I use them.

The next thing I did was change my search engine back to Yahoo. I absolutely do not want to see the G word anywhere on my laptop. As soon as I have the time I'm going to investigate moving lock, stock and barrel to another blog platform, probably WordPress if I can transfer everything across. I'm also going to clean up the mobile phone as I go along.

This is how disappointed I am with Google and Blogger. I'm sure they won't care, I am, after all, only one person and they can't get much revenue out of me. But at least it'll make me feel better, happier, and more productive when I'm not wasting my valuable time trying to sort out other people's incompetences and lack of interest, or find my way through their maze of so-called help pages that ultimately point you to a very long list of FAQ without any obvious method of contacting a real person if all else fails.

It's bone idle. But I think they're getting too big. And I know I'm not the only one because a blog buddy already changed hers over yesterday.

In other news ...

Yesterday was mostly spent tying up the loose ends on the annual. I still expect some amendments to come through. This one hasn't been the easiest to work on and I think I'm happier working at the younger age range anyway. But it's filed and I can breathe ... before starting the next one.

Today I'm off to see that woman about that dog. I'll probably take time out to visit a National Trust or English Heritage property while I'm over there, and make a proper day out of it. A day off.

This is the life

2011-06-01T09:18:00.019+01:00

Yes, I'm still very busy, but it's so much easier and nicer when I don't have to go anywhere to do it. Yesterday was officially my last day at work, even though I was on a day's holiday.

I worked on The Fool over breakfast. The weather brightened so a load of washing went out on the line. I now have red clothes and black clothes that all need ironing, but at least they're clean clothes that need ironing. I also put a load of towels through the washer/dryer (I like tumble-dried towels ...), so now I have fresh towels in both the bathroom and the kitchen. and replacements sitting snug in the airing cupboard.

I'm keeping on top of the washing up. The whole house is gradually being tidied as I go along. I spent hours on the current annual, squeezed in some proof-reading, but still managed to take an hour for lunch and relax in the sunshine instead of spend my break working on something.

I gave myself proper tea breaks too - cups of tea do not magically appear on the desk when you live alone. It's one reason I wish I liked proper coffee, so I could have a percolator on the go.

Today I'm supposed to be going to see that woman about that dog, but it's a long drive and I have to see how the work is doing. I can't afford to be on the road for 4 or 5 hours if I have work to do. So I may go this afternoon or I may go in the morning. But the beauty is, I can decide when I go.

I may not get that holiday I want just yet, but I'm at home, I'm catching up and I'm keeping up.

It doesn't get much better than this.

Blogger better

2011-05-31T09:11:00.014+01:00

Well, I had a bit of a rant over on the Blogger help forum yesterday and it seemed that no-one (from Blogger) was paying any attention - until I suggested, in the "suggestions" section, that maybe someone could. Two people responded, one of them very generously, the other a fellow ex-pat Brummie (waves to Shropshire). I don't know if these people actually work for Blogger or if they're just very helpful volunteers, but some of their suggestions made sense and worked, so a heap big thank you to both of them.

One suggestion may help others who are struggling, and that was simply to delete all cookies and refresh. (Dad, don't you do this unless you can remember all the things you want to put back after the cookies have been destroyed.) I did this on the mobile phone and that got me in at least.

Another suggestion was to reduce the number of "outside" widgets that I use, and while I may do this at some point, my argument was they've all been on there for a while and this only happened on Friday.

Another suggestion, when using my mobile phone, was to use "/?m=1" at the end of the website address, e.g. http://dianeparkin.blogspot.com/?m=1. I tried this and it made it a lot easier and quicker, and I can read and reply/comment, but I don't think I can post. However, all I wanted to do this weekend was reply/comment. It works perfectly for the gig list because I don't post to that from the phone anyway and comments aren't allowed (http://dianesgiglist.blogspot.com/?m=1).

So I'm happier today, mostly because someone went to the trouble to help me. Two people in fact. Even if things can't be fixed, that simple, single thing alone means so much more.

I have been, and still am, working very hard on the current annual. I'm also writing The Fool and proofing a history book. It rained ALL DAY yesterday, so I still have washing to hang on the line and more to put through the washing machine.

See, told you it would be boring once I finished work.

Blogger fail

2011-05-30T09:48:00.019+01:00

Blogger has been a total pain just recently. Probably for about a fortnight now. They're supposed to be changing over to a new platform. I know this because they've been bragging about it. Bragging. Word of advice: never brag before the event; do it after when you know it's all gone to plan, rather than before it all goes to pot.

Two weeks ago the whole thing fell over and we couldn't get on. They did a restore, minus everything that happened on that day. Then, a few days later, they restored the other stuff that was missing. I have no idea yet what's happened this time. But I do know that lots of users are struggling to get on via different browsers, most notably on mobile phones that are not iphones or androids.

If this is Blogger making a new "app"-based product, they need to consider the thousands of people that still don't have app-happy phones. If it continues to play up, I shall be going elsewhere. And that will be a shame because I do like the way it works and looks and how you can make it look like an interactive website. Usually.

It's interesting, I suppose, that Blogger is something to do with Google these days, and I've been having problems with Google too since they made their dashboard "bigger and better". Erm, no. There's a Google fail too. It's got so complicated, difficult and time-consuming that I'll be leaving them completely too.

What a way to run a successful business.

Anyway, in other news ... today I'm being a freelance writer again. I took Saturday off in the end to do some running around, and I had yesterday off to visit my mom and dad. The whole time I couldn't get onto Blogger via my phone to reply to people. It even wanted me to sign in to read the bloomin' thing.

Today may be a bank holiday in the UK - and looking at the much-needed rain falling incessantly it must be bank holiday - but I have a deadline tomorrow so I'm going to work today and tomorrow. Once it's finalised (and they've moved the goalposts so many times I'm starting to wonder if it ever will be) (that's the ultimate end customer, not my customer - they're pulling their hair out too), then I'll have my time off.

I have de-cluttering to do, I have a bedroom to clear for the electrician, decorator and carpet fitter, and I have to go and see a woman about a dog ...

So far today I've had my ~~starvation~~ um, calorie-counted breakfast, I've put a washload through (and am hoping it may brighten up later so I can hang it out), I've walked up to the village to get a newspaper and some extra milk, and I've updated the gig list a bit. For the rest of the day I'm writing.

FREElancing FREEdom

2011-05-28T09:51:00.005+01:00

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Now that I'm not going out 3 or 4 times a week to work, what will I write about? Do I get more technical? Do I get more writerly? Do I risk getting more boring? Do I give up? Or do I just do what I always do and whitter on about this writer's life in particular?

I didn't go out last night, although there were 2 gigs I was invited to. I have to watch the pennies even morerer now and we're already going out tonight. In fact, I think I have a car full. Tomorrow I'm off to Brum to see my mom and dad as well. Monday is a bank holiday, but I may be working yet, depending on how I do today. The next bank holiday, however, is down in the diary as HOLIDAY. Now I'm not working for a living I don't have to do the freelancing in my spare time. I do it in my freelancing time.

Freelancing is the new day job.

So, today I have to get my shopping, but there won't be much food as I'm doing a 2 week ~~starvation diet~~ ... sorry, ahem, detox. From Monday I want to walk up to the village at least once a day, and back, whether it be to buy a paper, post a letter, or just go for a walk. I need to start building up my fitness and losing some of this weight I've piled on recently. I can't afford new clothes now, so I need to slim back down into the ones that I have.

I also need to get some washing on the line ... I've been hanging the same washing out for a fortnight, or trying to, but it's either been too windy or too rainy, and I kept thinking "I'll do it tomorrow", but it was still windy or rainy or I had to get up early and go to the office. If I don't catch up with this washing, I'll be working in my nightie. And then I have to iron a lot of it. I'll be sorting through my clothes and sending the "work" ones to the charity shop, I think. But they'll be cleaned and pressed before they go.

Then it's writing work - I'm in the middle of an annual that's due in on Tuesday, but if I can finish it today I can file it today and have Monday off - and then getting ready to go out.

No post tomorrow as I'll be on the road. In fact, I may just always take Sundays off now that I'm freelancing in my freelancing time.

Death Highway

2011-05-27T10:38:00.003+01:00

A few months ago, maybe 2 or 3 tops, they did some "safety work" on Death Highway, but I said at the time that it wasn't enough. They'd painted a few more lines on the road, coloured some of the tarmac red, and dropped the speed limit from 60mph to 40mph, but they didn't do anything physical to make things safer.

They should have installed street lights to help people see better. They should have installed a 2-way safety camera to deter speeding. They should have installed traffic lights or a roundabout or bumps or something - something physical, an actual, tangible, slow-downy obstacle. But they didn't.

They didn't do enough.

Yesterday, one of my "one day more"s was my drive along Death Highway in rush hour. Yesterday, on my way home, the rain that had been gently falling for much of the day turned into a bit of a brief squall - just as I was approaching the junction with Death Highway, and the traffic already on there was driving so slowly that they were letting us in. They don't do that very often, they're usually driving too fast and too selfishly.

Something was wrong.

When I reached this fancy new allegedly much safer junction, there had been a 5 car pile up. Five cars. (FIVE.) And it had only just happened. People were sitting in the road where they'd landed, or were wandering around moving debris out of the road. And one car, still on all 4 wheels, had no rear windscreen at all, which means it must have rolled - and as it was on all 4 wheels, it had rolled a complete circle. Or bounced.

This is how dangerous Death Highway is. The road runs between West Melton in Barnsley to Greasbrough in Rotherham, past the Marquis. Locals will know it. People are killed along this road several times a year. Several times a year. Once a year is bad enough ... Something a bit more than a lick of paint needs to be done.

Fortunately, I don't think anyone was killed this time, but the emergency services had yet to arrive as we all crept past. But this was slap bang in the middle of a brand new junction that was supposedly safe. Major road safety FAIL.

Try again.

In other news ... It's my last day at the day job today (in case you didn't already know ...). I've already completed my timesheet and handed in my car park badge. I've already cleared my desk and taken everything home that belongs to me. I have a few people to say goodbye to, I'll hand in my pass and IT equipment, and then I'm off. I'm FREE. It was nice while it lasted, and I enjoyed the work when I had it. But it's time for me to move on.

I'll see you on the other side.

Have a great weekend.

One day more

2011-05-26T10:19:00.004+01:00

Ooh, I could burst into song. I'd probably burst into tears, though, as well, as every single song from Les Miserables has that effect on me. Whatever anyone else believes, that show has the most emotional music score ever written, in my opinion. But ... I digress.

One day more! I've changed the little man to do a happy dance because that's how I'm feeling. How long has this day been coming? I can't believe I only have to make this journey to work and back once more. I only have to get up early once more. I only have to stand and make sandwiches once more. I only have to force the cats to come in once more. I only have to wonder what to wear once more. I only have to negotiate Death Highway at rush hour once more.

It's rained for me as well, so that one of my last remaining memories of Sleepy Hollow is one washed clean.

I'm slowly catching up with my 80k in 80 days and the subsequent word meters. I'm busy scribbling away at the current annual. Today we're off to the pub to say cheerio. I am in tomorrow, but I really can't see me lasting beyond lunch time. Besides, I have to get to Meadowhall to bank an international cheque. No point in coming all the way back when I've gone all the way there, and I need to get there in banking hours.

So there it is. ("Another day, another destiny.") My final day is finally almost here. ("Will we ever meet again?") I'm soooooo excited. ("The time is now, the day is here.") Altogether now ... (Join in.)

ONE. DAY. MORE.

The backup plan may work

2011-05-25T09:29:00.007+01:00

My mate took a look at my old laptop for me, did exactly the same things that I did with it, but - the contrary little thing - it worked for him. I could take it personally, but I'm not going to. This means I have the old laptop as backup now in case something happens to the new(er) one, and it means I can work downstairs, away from the distraction of the internet, without having to disturb anything.

We had a glorious April, but we've had a very cold and windy May. The front of my house faces north, and so do my living room and bedroom. That means they're very cold while the back of the house is very warm. I'm not going to put the whole heating on just to warm the front bedroom, but I don't mind putting the fire on in the living room, or the kitchen is also warm either in the sunshine or when I'm cooking.

Now, instead of huddling inside my duvet wearing fingerless gloves while I work, I have the option of working downstairs in a warm room - and that means I'll get more done. The old laptop can be set up wirelessly to access the internet, but that will really be an emergency thing. Otherwise I'm just going to load Word and Excel on there and use it as an electronic typewriter/calculator and work from a memory stick. It's smaller and lighter than the other one so can go out with me in the work bag too.

My diary is having a bit of a shake up. I usually split the day into hour long segments and do a bit of this, a bit of that, and a bit of the other throughout the day. This is to keep me interested and entertained. However, all of my current work is book-length and I need and want to plod away at something until I run out of steam or material. Flitting between jobs isn't very conducive to book-length work. So now I'll fill solid days with solid work on just one job at a time. I think that will work better for me - and for my deadlines.

It means I'm in the middle of an annual and only in the middle of an annual, apart from what I also do on The Fool. It's all too easy, though, to slip back into doing all the paid-for and contracted work first and then moving on to my own work which will be sent out on spec. That's a habit I want to avoid if I can, if only to make sure I get some of my own stuff finished instead of having half-finished projects all over the place.

I have 2 more days at work after today, with a long lunch break tomorrow, and I can't honestly see me sticking it out until the end on Friday. I can't believe it's here already. It's all very exciting and scary at the same time. I do have holiday booked for next week and the new regime will actually start on 6 June.

I'm going to be de-cluttering in 2 stages. I'll do some weeding as I fill the packing boxes up, then I'll do some more after the room is finished when I'm putting it all back.

Must chase the electrician ... and find carpet ...

Demob happy

2011-05-24T10:54:00.003+01:00

This morning I struggled to get up, but spurred on by the fact that I only have to do it 3 more times this week after today, I finally made it in. But I was late because I came in via the newsagent where I picked up the June issue of BBC History Magazine. It's Vol 12, no 6, dated June 2011, and my Tweet is on p9. It may only be small, but this is now going in my "published in" column.

Much of yesterday was spent doing odds and sods of things that really need doing. I re-wrote the page plan for the annual I'm currently working on, printed off the remaining resources I currently have, exchanged emails regarding its delivery, put it all into some sort of order, wrote more in longhand, sorted the diary out a bit.

Most of it was done in the evening because, you see, when you work for yourself you can rearrange your days to suit, so long as you still meet your deadline and this one has a revised deadline of next Tuesday due to the materials not all being ready on time and me still being busy on the previous one, which was also late due to the materials not all being ready on time ...

Because yesterday I actually did some baking during the day. I'd like to think this is entirely due to my motivation returning, but it was also due to the fact that I'd deliberately not bought any cakes, biscuits (cookies) or puddings from the supermarket on Saturday as I have a lot of the ingredients in. I baked a dozen marmalade muffins, 16 oaty crumble cookie things, and I made a lime-flavoured jelly (jell-o). All Weight Watchers, apart from the jelly, which is fat-free anyway.

For tea I cooked a sirloin steak with chips (fries), using a Slimming World recipe. I'd like to think that was motivational too, but the sirloin steak was quite expensive and I didn't want to throw it away. It was quite a big one and I thought it would shrink, but it didn't. So guess what I have for tea today too.

I should be a strip of wind with all this low fat, slimming food I'm cooking and eating. Instead, I've put weight on again. So next week, for the first time ever, I'm going on a Wednesday teatime walk with the Ramblers. I need to start walking again as it's free and good for me. If the Ramblers only have longer, more moderate walks on offer, then I need to start taking myself out on my own walks again. I've never been able to join them on a summer evening walk before because of being at work ... Nuff said. :oD

Head down, full throttle forward this week now. It may be my last week at the day job, but I still have deadlines to meet, books to write, things to proof, queries to send, records to keep ...

Very late start

2011-05-23T12:12:00.005+01:00

It was a weekend and a half and I didn't get everything done that I wanted to. I had a good list, though, so I achieved quite a lot - I'm trying to convince myself ...

Saturday was errands, errands, errands, so I didn't get time to do the Hoovering (shame). The free parking thing in Barnsley town centre is catching on and it took me ages to find a space, and then I had to walk further than usual. So I only made it as far as the main indoor shopping precinct to buy bird food (it's a fraction of the price it is at Tesco) and some cheap t-shirts for working at home in. I did the weekly shop, had dinner in the Tesco cafe, filled the car up with petrol, and looked at some carpets but didn't choose one.

I also went in search of the BBC History Magazine because, apparently, I have a Tweet in there about Dan Snow's Filthy Cities. I remember the magazine asking what we thought of the documentary and saying the best Tweets would be published, but they never said they'd published mine, so it was a surprise when Carol told me. However, I think it must be the June issue of the magazine, which is out today, as I couldn't find it anywhere in the May issue. I'll have another look tomorrow as I'm a bit house-tied today and I doubt our local Co-op will have the BBC History Magazine ...

Saturday night I chilled in front of Britain's Got Talent and was in bed by 10:30pm. I was shattered.

Sunday was reading - I finished the Bernard Cornwell, which I enjoyed once I got into it, so I could get on with the next one for the book group. I also did some diary work and some annual work. And I kick-started my own personal study regime.

The gig list fell over big time on Saturday, but as the world was supposed to end at teatime I thought I'd leave it until the next day and make sure we were all still here. But when I tried to sort it out yesterday, it was so convoluted, complicated and difficult that after several frustrating hours I gave in, reverted the gig list to its generic Blogger name, and fired off a seething email of complaint to Google.

My domain, which apparently expired in April 2010 (check the year ...), finally died on 21 May 2011. I tried to renew it last year, but it came up that it had already been renewed, and I had to change my card details anyway. Now they're saying I would have had an email warning of the expiry (I didn't, and the email address I was using in 2010 was still valid), and then an email warning of the card payment failure (I didn't ...). I don't understand why it took them over a year to switch it off. They're liars, basically.

So off I tootled to renew it, like the good citizen that I am - and it had been SOLD to someone else! But if I was prepared to pay $89, they'd be able to get it back for me.

WHAT?! This thing only cost me $10 in the first place. Who else could possibly want dianesgiglist.com? Why hadn't they uploaded any data? And how did they intend to get it back off the person they'd allegedly sold it to? They're liars.

I told them they could stick their domain and was so fed up I cancelled the night out. But 2 hours later I decided I was going anyway, and I'm glad I did because I had a great if late night. I didn't do any baking or any ironing and today I'm very late to my desk.

And today they're trying to sort it out for me ... for less than $89 I hope. I can't afford to spend any more time on it. It's already cost me far too much.

I have an annual to write this week and 2 books to proof, plus the last few days of turning in at work. I also want to get some queries out to a couple of local magazines.

More housekeeping

2011-05-21T09:34:00.020+01:00

The intention yesterday was to get lots of work done but I slept in and then started to do some more housekeeping.

This time I dug out my old laptop so I could extract all the critical data on there I hadn't moved over yet. It took almost all day because it was so slow and I had to do it with Windows working in safe mode. I used a 2Gb memory stick to transfer the files and had to do it in 4 stages.

Then, with all of my critical data mostly in one place, I did a backup on the new laptop, which also took AGES, and I did a factory reset on the old one. Twice. Including a destruct one. But it's not working. I couldn't even get it to boot up in safe mode.

If we can't save it, I'm taking the hard drive out and skipping it. If we can, I'll just use it for Word so I can type drafts in other places without distraction, without disturbing the new laptop.

I got in touch with Writers' Bureau and they had a record of me being further along the course than I thought I was. So I got a major search party out to find my old coursework, and while they had already sent me assignments 9 and 10, I haven't done assignment 9. I was able to extract the last of the electronic files from the old laptop and the feedback for assignment 8 that I was previously missing was on there. Definitely no assignment 9, though.

So I'm going to read the modules for assignment 9 and get the next assignment off to them. They're happy for me to do assignment 9 "again", but I know I haven't done it already. I have a market in mind, I just have to come up with a subject. Then they'll allocate a new tutor as both of mine have now left the organisation. I'm going to ask for Simon Whaley for my last 2 non fiction assignments, as I already know him, but it depends on their policy. Simon's happy to do it if they are.

I also found my old copy of The Organized Writer, which has always been a useful resource for me. I was coming that close to buying it again, but I found it so that's okay.

I bought 3 Kindle books, one was from the Amazon link on this blog, one was my own book so I could see how it looked (and it's only £1.71), and one is the next book we're reading for the Book Group, The Fox in the Attic by Richard Hughes. I was going to get it from the library, but I decided to get the Kindle version in the end. After all, I do have a book budget.

And then it was shredding. So much shredding I made 4 trips to the recycle bin.

By the end of the working day I was shattered and didn't feel as though I'd achieved very much, but at least the backup finished at roughly the same time. I had some correspondence regarding the next annual, and it's going to be full steam ahead on that for the next few days.

I didn't get any invoices done, but I may do those later today and back date them to yesterday.

This bedroom that I'm supposed to be de-cluttering currently looks as though a bomb has hit it. It's quite soul destroying at the moment, but I know I'll get there.

We decided we would go out last night, and so we did. I had Chinese for tea, which will last for today's tea too. As I'd worked non-stop all day I forgot to break for dinner, so I think I deserved the Chinese. ;o)

Today it's still the library, town, the carpet shop, the supermarket and the petrol station. I think Saturdays are going to be errand days now and in the future.

It's all go

2011-05-20T09:30:00.010+01:00

On the way home yesterday I popped into a carpet place to have a look around. I'll also be nipping into one in town tomorrow, which has come highly recommended. Then, if I'm still looking, I'll check the place that has done all the carpets so far in my house. As soon as I see the carpet that I want, I'll ask one of them to come and measure up. The carpet can be fitted while the decorator is still there, in between him painting the room and re-building the furniture. I hope.

I also popped into Staples to get a diary and some cardboard packing crates. The diary is because I have an academic year diary and the current one runs out in a month. I love diary work and will enjoy starting the new one. I have a dedicated address book now so I don't have to keep writing out addresses every year.

The packing crates are for the clutter from the bedroom/work station. The stuff from work has gone into the cupboard under the stairs for now, with the most important stuff within easy reach. There's no point in moving it all to the office when I'm having to empty all the furniture in there in just a week or so. Some things will go in the spare room, on the landing and in the bathroom, but other stuff will need to go in the living room. I don't think I'll be able to move the bed, the wardrobes or the desks, but if the modules and everything else are empty, they can be temporarily moved.

Before I put everything back when the work has been done, I'll go through each box slowly and methodically and chuck anything I know I won't need any more. This way, when everything goes back it will all be there for a reason and not for sentimentality/laziness.

The empty boxes, with lids, will then be used in the loft for archive storage. I need the lids because of the sooty dust up there. One day I'll go through the boxes already in the loft because I'm sure I don't need my invoices and other correspondence from pre-1996. Yes folks, that's how long it's been following me around.

As I already have an electrician coming I'm going to ask him about putting a light in the loft. He may want to chop down to the light switch in the bedroom and I'd sooner he do that before the bedroom is decorated. He may have to come back to earth the house after I get my redundancy money, but the bedroom stuff needs doing before the decorator starts.

I've given myself a week off from next Saturday. My last day at work is next Friday, the 28th, and I intend to do nothing other than my 80k in 80 days and the blog. This is when I also intend to pack and go through the boxes at my leisure. Oh yes, and I might go to the seaside. And for a walk with the Ramblers. The electrician expects to be doing his part of the work that week too, so I need to make sure he can get to the walls and the floorboards.

This weekend I have nothing planned. I may go to a gig tonight, if I get a whim. I may go to a gig on Sunday afternoon. I have to go to the library to renew my books, pop into town (free parking at the weekend), do my shopping, fill the car up thanks to a 5p-off-a-litre voucher, and catch up on 80k in 80 days. I'll also be doing the baking I promised myself last weekend but never got around to, because I was working the whole time, and I may do some ironing. I may also Hoover the house ... but we shall see.

Whatever you're up to this weekend, have a good one.

Must get carpet

2011-05-19T08:58:00.029+01:00

Carpet. I have to sort out the carpet.

I have the electrician in the bag, I have the decorator coming on 6 June. The electrics need to be sorted by then so that the decorator's good work isn't ruined. The decorator is also painting the outside of the house.

When he can fit me in - and when I have the balance of my pay-off - the builder will be coming to flag and re-fence my yard. I'm also going to ask him to block up the ex coal hole in the side of the house, and sink a rotary line post socket into concrete so I can get rid of the full-length washing lines.

My next "treat" from me to me will be a garden set I can relax in or work at, with a big parasol. A Very Big parasol. My next new work space will then be a brand new outside office. And the best thing is it will be PRIVATE. No more nosy little brats that don't even live here letting themselves into MY garden and MY house while they're visiting their part-time parents.

But all that's separate. I need to arrange the carpet so that the bedroom and office space is done and attractive and motivational and nice to work in and ...

Do you remember the makeshift desk I made beneath the bedroom window, with a piece of wood balanced across 2 chests? I'm going to clear one of the remaining chests/work station modules and the decorator is going to take the "lid" off that and fasten it between the other 2 so that it's another modular work station. That will give me a little more room in the bedroom, with one more chest gone, and a more secure and much more attractive writing desk. The GIANT corner unit is where the electrical stuff all goes. Apart from one desk lamp on the writing desk.

And the colours? I'm going for terracotta and cream. Feature wall will be terracotta, 3 remaining walls will be cream, the cream will also be taken over the ceiling. I have a pair of terracotta curtains already in there that need extra curtain rings attaching. The carpet will be another shade of beige, just like the others. And the bedding will be the existing quilt cover sets I already have in various shades and patterns of terracotta. I have 2 chairs that will need their seats re-covering, but I shall probably see what remnants I can get that will do the 2 seats plus a cushion or 2 for the bed.

The bedroom furniture is pale maple; the office furniture is pale beech. It doesn't match, but it does blend and the 2 different types of wood differentiate between "work" and "relaxation". I have 2 bookshelf units to go on the walls, the existing noticeboard and a new one, and I think I'm going to get a full-length wall mirror as I don't have a "dressing" mirror anywhere in the house.

While he's there, the decorator will also hang the mirror in the lounge and put a few more things on walls.

I'm getting really excited, partly about getting a "new room" and partly because I'm giving up the rat race again and won't have to come back here. I'm not ungrateful, it's just not a very ... "nice" place to be at the moment, with so much uncertainty and so little communication. It really was my dream job, before the dream was ruined.

It can't come soon enough now. I want to lounge on my lovely new carpet, breathe in the smell of my lovely newly decorated room, and lie back and just look at it. For hours. I do that every time I finish a room.

The British College of Journalism accepted my enrollment on the course I'm doing as a refresher. That's also due to start on 6 June.

Housekeeping

2011-05-18T09:08:00.022+01:00

I'm tying up a few loose ends and sorting out a couple of things to help me get back into the rhythm of freelancing again.

I've contacted the Writers' Bureau to see if I can re-activate my course there. It was a course I didn't really need but I wanted to do it, but it always got pushed to one side if there was something more important (i.e. income-generating) to do or if I simply didn't have time.

I've also applied to the British College of Journalism for a 12 week online course. They may turn me down yet, because of my pre-existing background. They've been sending me details of their courses for months and each time the price has gone down and down and down, but the timing was never right. Now I've got it for half price and I start (hopefully) on 6 June (which is also when the decorator starts).

If accepted, and if WB send me my details again, researching and doing the assignments should get me back into the swing of things and the assignments won't be wasted because they'll be (hopefully) saleable. And I'll get feedback.

I've ordered the Writers' Market Deluxe Edition 2011. This is the American equivalent of our Writers' and Artists' Yearbook and it helped me land the single, best paying writing assignment I ever had (before the annuals). The deluxe edition includes the directory - I do like the smell and feel of the book - and acces to writersmarket.com at one bargain bundle price.

And I ordered a replacement all-in-one copier/scanner/colour printer. It cost less than £29 (apx $46) and I'll use it for all of my letterheads and other stationery and for scanning and making jpgs. The one I have is quite old and leaves grubby marks all over the paper. We've cleaned it and we've sprayed the paper with a purpose-made solution, but it's just dirty. I can't have letterheads or cuttings going out dirty. I have a laser printer for actual, good quality mono submissions, and I'll use the dirty printer for drafts until the inks run out.

With this and the work I've ordered on the house, I now need to stop and try it out a while. I've tried to prioritise and I've done things like overhaul the car instead of look for a new one or arrange cosmetic work on the house rather than anything major.

I'm going to have some time on my hands until I get going again, and while I have money in the bank this is the ideal time to re-train, refresh, and write novels or anything else that will go out on spec. I'll also settle down to Devon's 5 Stories in 10 Weeks again as this is a great resource for sticking a rocket up the backside ...

This week I have books to proof and an annual to write, plus whatever admin I can get ahead on. I'm emptying my office at work gradually. When that's done, I'll get back to de-cluttering the home office.

The bestest ickle car EVER

2011-05-17T09:36:00.010+01:00

The little car sailed through its MOT - well, it may have taken in a little water, but it passed first time with just a couple of warnings: 1. The exhaust shows signs of deterioration (it's been doing that since ATS did their bodge job nearly 3 years ago). 2. Front brakes will need attention, but they're okay just now.

Well, as I won't be using the car as much ... other than trips to the supermarket, to my parents, on days out and to the seaside (how exciting does that lot sound?), we're going to build the brakes work into the autumn/winter service I usually have done every year in October.

They put 4 new wheel trims (hub caps) on and it looks brand new just with those on. It has a brand new aerial - and I won't be using the automatic car wash again in the future. I can see into the boot (trunk) in the dark again. And the bonnet prop doesn't cling on to the engine when I'm trying to lift the bonnet (hood).

The garage owner says that the car will be worth more to me if I run it into the ground than if I chop it in for a newer model. He said without a daily (ish) job to go, I don't need a newer car, it's reliable enough. He'll rescue me if I'm stuck at home, and the AA will rescue me if I get stranded away from home. He said it's spot on for its age and it's just wear and tear I'm paying for now.

I'm pleased with the little thing at the moment, but I do keep checking that the boot light is switching itself off and not draining the battery by staying on.

Back at the day job today, for a 3 day week. But only for another 2 weeks. I'm getting really excited about working from home again. I just hope I can make it pay.

I need to update these word counters ...

At the library

2011-05-16T11:06:00.004+01:00

I'm currently typing this in at the library while I wait for my car. I have 1 hour and it's free, so I thought I may as well make the most of it.

Before I came out today I packed a writing bag. I have a book to proof, my 80k in 80 days to write, and a page plan to start for the next annual. I also have a finance magazine and a library book. Well, I don't want to get bored, do I?

On my way to the library I texted a builder and a decorator. I've pretty much come to a decision about what I'm going to do with the house for now. There's no way I can afford an extension or a conservatory, and there's some other work that really can wait. But I've decided to spend a little bit of my redundancy money on tarting up the house kerb appeal.

If I'm working from home - which I will be - I want a nice work space. So I've set on the decorator to do my bedroom, which has the work station in the corner and a makeshift desk beneath the window. This is the last room in the house for me to touch and it will need electrics doing too. While I have the electrician in I'll get him to earth the property as well. I can't afford new furniture, but what I have is perfectly adequate. With things on walls and a nice, clear work space, I should be motivated to get on with plenty of work.

I've also decided to give the house that kerb appeal in case it's up for rent or sale in the near future. I have no intention of leaving my lovely house, but if I get offered a decent enough package - and one has been hinted at - and I need to move, the house needs to look nice at least in case I have to sell it. So I'm getting the outside painted, and the back will be flagged and fenced. Earthing the property will also be a requirement if ever it's up for sale or rent.

With these 2 jobs done, for as long as I work and live here, the house will be even nicer. And they shouldn't break the bank but do need doing. The car replacement, for now, has to wait. It's having an overhaul today and I'll get a prognosis on it. But unless I get that blockbuster three book deal, or win a new car, I have this one for at least another year.

I settled down at the library to read the finance magazine and was amazed to see a feature entitled "don't move, improve". To read this after I'd made my decision and set on the work force was serendipitous. At the very least they suggest you give rooms and the outside a lick of paint, and tidy up any outdoor space, which is exactly what I'll be doing.

It's not as cool here in the libary as it was the last time I chose to work here, so I can probably stay here until the car is ready. Last time I had to go and find hot chocolate, it was so cold. I could have jumped on a train and gone to Meadowhall, but that would have required spending more money rather than earning it. And at least I have a comfy armchair here.

Oh, the brown water yesterday evening was just run off. Apparently the burst they fixed developed a leak. While the taps were running the first time, the water pressure dropped off and the cold tap coughed and spluttered. But when I emptied the bath and started again, the water was crystal clear.

Right, back to the grindstone ...

Catching up

2011-05-15T20:41:00.003+01:00

Well, what a fun time Blogger's been having of it this week. It's been on and off like an on and off thing, and it's lost comments from Wednesday. After Thursday, when it fell over again, I gave up checking it. And do you know what? I didn't miss it. Now this is a major change as once upon a time I would have got cross, made a lot of noise, and probably lost sleep. But I have been SO BUSY, I didn't even miss it.

I'll come in and update the daily word counts on the word meter later, when I have more time.

I *have* been busy, but today I completed the late annual and started the next one. I have been working solid since last Monday on one thing or another, apart from Thursday evening when I took the night off. it wasn't by choice, I just ran out of energy. So I took the night off and chilled.

Friday was wall to wall work again, all day, from the moment I got to work until about 5pm when I left. That's 30 minutes overtime for me, but an hour earlier than I've been getting away all week. Only because I've been on a roll and didn't want to interrupt the flow.

When I got home I did some more work, but I ordered a Chinese, which lasted me for Saturday tea too. Yesterday I did chores and errands and more work. Last night I was supposed to be going to a gig, but when I found out it was only a jam session I lost interest. Jamming is really fun if you're a musician jamming or if you know most of the people there. I would have known 3 or 4, so I decided to stay home and watch Eurovision.

Today I wanted to do some baking and cooking, but I was working all day again, although I finished with some diary work. It's great to see in only 3 weeks I'll be freelancing again. I've given myself a bank holiday (the late May one), then I have my last 2 days in work, and then I've given myself 4 days off to do nothing - beyond my 80k in 80 days and maybe the blog.

Tomorrow I have to take my car in for its MOT, so I won't be on first thing. I'm taking some proof reading with me and I'm going to go and spend some time in the local library working. I think they close for dinner, so if my car's still in I shall treat myself. I'll also take the 8ok challenge.

I just ran a bath and the water is brown. I'm going to run another and if it's still brown I have to call the water board in the morning. We did have a burst water main in the week. Perhaps they had another and we didn't notice.

80k in 80 days - day 14

2011-05-14T14:35:00.003+01:00

80k in 80 days - day 13

2011-05-13T14:29:00.002+01:00

No water?

2011-05-12T09:06:00.000+01:00

I woke up this morning to find no water to the house. This was because of a burst water main up the road. People think it's funny that I'm prepared for almost every situation, and the one thing I do in case there's ever no water is make sure the kettle at least is full. That way I can have a cup of tea if all else fails.

When I got to work, Blogger was broken. It seems to be working now, but I think they had some maintenance issues.

I'm frantically working on the activity annual that was due last week. I think it's fair to say that once all the materials are in, it should all be done and dusted within a fortnight. I estimated that kind of time frame when I was asked when I could deliver the one after next and I wondered if I was being too cautious. But I think now that a fortnight is a good turnaround.

The local publisher gives me 3 - 4 weeks to turn a proof-reading job around and I said I'd probably be able to do that in a fortnight too, or sooner if it's the only job I have. He's sending me another 2 books to proof on top of the one I'm already doing, which is great.

If I'm working solid at either of these jobs, I could probably do it in a week, less for the proofing. But it's nice to have a bit of a breather or a change of scenery, so to speak, something to do in between.

At the moment I'm also catching up on the competitions. I've already let it slip a bit, but if I don't start somewhere, it could take me 3 weeks to catch up and it can so easily turn into a full time job. I think the prizes that I've won so far slightly reflect the time and effort I put into it (£1,000, tickets to see Dancing on Ice, a DVD, a Legend of the Guardians goodie bag), but I need to up the success rate - out of my control, you may think, but if you ask the Universe nicely ...

I've cosmicly ordered a new car next. A VW Golf would be great, but I'm not sure I can be so specific. And I think another cash win is long overdue.

So I'm a bit busy at the moment, doing a little bit of this, a lot of that, and quite a bit of the other, and I'm still waiting to see what happens at work regarding notice period, etc.

Ah yes, and working until 11:30pm every night, as I have been doing this week, I'm feeling a LOT like the little man in the picture. I think the writing fairies are upping that wordcount ...

The deed is done

2011-05-11T10:07:00.005+01:00

Most of you will have picked up that I wasn't that desperate to stay at work, and I wasn't unless it meant giving me back the job they hired me for. As that job became no more last September, as they couldn't offer me anything above a spot of proof-reading that wouldn't keep me occupied for 2 days a week let alone 3½, and as I'm not really prepared to take a backwards step (for me) back into admin and/or finance, we've agreed to part ways.

I'm not sad. It's not the company I joined 6 years ago and it never will be again. This is absolutely the right decision.

So, onwards and upwards.

This morning on my way into work I picked up 2 writing magazines, at least one of which I'll be subscribing to again, 2 weekly magazines that also carry short stories, 2 dedicated short story magazines, and 2 local magazines. I also got the Times free because I spent over £1 on magazines. I wish I'd known, I could have spread it out and spent a pound a day to get a free newspaper all week. I also had another writing magazine come in the post yesterday.

I'm averaging a children's book roughly every month and that will become my bread and butter. I've applied to some of the other publishers for work too. I want to proof-read at least one book a month for the local book publisher, and I need to aim at selling at least one short story, one article and one filler a month too. I'll also build in at least 2 novels a year. I'd like to alternate fiction with non-fiction but as I have more ideas for novels than books, it makes sense to get going on those first.

I'm becoming an expert on tightening my belt and that will come back into force again immediately - although I'm also getting a lightbulb moment about a possible regular gig in a finance magazine. I don't want a regular forever column, but I don't mind a few regular gigs.

If I can also sell one article to the Ramblers' magazine, I'll cover my Ramblers' subscription with change. I need to do the same with my English Heritage subscription and my National Trust subscription, or cancel them if I can't. If I subscribe to the writing magazines again, then the same will apply, and I already have one idea stewing for the markets newsletter I already subscribe to.

I need to print letterheads, business cards, compliment slips and port-folio packages. Some of this - within reason - can be done at work as part of my "back to work" assistance.

It's all go.

Today I have my daily 80k in 80 days target to hit, an annual to keep going on, and a book to proof. I'll also do some market study, some ideas brainstorming, and head back to the competitions board (I need to win a car!) and the money saving experts, gawd bless 'em.

A leap of faith

2011-05-10T10:06:00.008+01:00

That's what the current novel is about. Someone making a massive leap of faith.

Five years ago I made my own leap of faith when I walked out on 17 years of marriage (in the end), "... with just the clothes on my back and the cat under my arm ...". People tried to tell me I was making a mistake then. Why give up a cushy life? Why give up financial security? (Pah!) Why be alone in the world when I can be with someone?

Well, some things are simply not that important. And to be honest, I'd sooner feel lonely on my own than feel lonely in a relationship. That leap of faith was the best thing I ever did, and I'd do it again in an instant.

Now I'm faced with another leap of faith. Again I'm getting the same sorts of arguments: cushy life; financial security; being with people - ha ha ha ha ha. Sorry, but that last one really does make me laugh. I can come in to work for a month and not see a single soul, apart from the odd mate that drops by to keep me company, and most of them know where I live anyway and drop by there too.

Financial security? I'm on 3 months' notice at any moment. Cushy life? Maybe, but it's making me ill.

My job ended in September of last year. It took them until February of this year to tell me. And until yesterday I'd not heard anything since the beginning of February either. Yes, they've been paying me. Yes, many people would have just kept their heads down and their gobs shut, and just cashed the pay cheque every month. And maybe they can sleep at night when they do that. I can't. It's the way I've been brought up.

They are trying to find me other work to do, and I'm sure that if I was desperate to stay they'd offer me anything. But I've been here 6 years. That's the longest I've ever stayed in one job, ever. Apart from freelancing, which I've done since 1985. This job used to be the best job ever. Now it's the pits. If they offer me something, it will bore me to tears. It may pay the bills, but it will make me ill. And if I'm too ill to work, at some point they're going to stop paying me anyway.

So, I think my mind's made up. I'll go and see what they have to say and I'll be gracious with everything they offer, because I know they'll be doing the best that they can under the circumstances.

Yesterday I did wall-to-wall work from 8 o'clock in the morning until 11 o'clock at night. I should be at home finishing that work. I couldn't meet my deadline because the materials weren't in, but I wasn't going to give up a pre-planned weekend either to do the work.

I could have got on with the rest of the book, but choosing alternative content and making sure I could access it took up several days. I think it's up to them to get the goods to me on time so that I may meet their deadline. I've done them favours in the past and, as it turned out, not even been thanked for it, let alone paid for it. So I'm damned if I'm going to do them any more if I'm already busy.

There are still only so many hours in a day, there are only so many working days in a week, and I really am still only one person. I know I'm good, but ... Don't get me wrong, I love the work, it's good money, and I have a good boss. But he's stuck in the middle. He has to get his product out while keeping his own boss happy, and it's finance-driven, but I'm not killing myself in the process. Defeats the object does that. :o)

Crazy weekend

2011-05-09T18:17:00.002+01:00

Friday was a really busy day with me speaking to the studio all day about the annual that was due in. There were graphics and words that they wanted, and graphics and words that I wanted, but we couldn't get them all from the online style library. So we had to do a lot of chopping and changing. I was disappointed I didn't get any material filed, but there are only so many hours in a day and I am only one person - yes, really, although I do realise that this is sometimes difficult to believe.

Friday evening I went out for a drink with a friend, then Saturday morning a mate from work picked me up and we went to watch Barnsley v Millwall. It was cold, wet and miserable, and neither team had anything to play for, really. Millwall wouldn't be going up, Barnsley wouldn't be going down. So it was a bit of a kickabout for them and a little bit dull and boring for us. Thankfully they upped their game in the second half and we did at least see a goal - from Barnsley.

On Sunday morning I joined friends for a 5 mile walk. Some were doing 7 miles, we were doing 5. It was that or a 5 mile easy with the Ramblers, but they didn't fancy coming with the Ramblers, so we went out on our own. And we got lost. Very lost. We did over 7 miles in the end, and it took most of the day; the others cleared 10 miles easy. And it was a hard route. So yesterday evening was hot bath and early night with painkillers and anti-inflammatories.

This morning I had an early start and I will admit to catching up on my 80k in 80 days word count. The past 2 days were so busy and so tiring, I simply didn't have the energy to do them. So I got up early and did them first thing. I still have to do today's, but I think I've done well to do double the daily wordcount for today already AND submit a chunk of the late annual.

I'll be doing more of the same this evening as well as getting ready for work and doing my weekly shop. Work did call me this morning to say that they'd reached a decision regarding the jobs at risk and that the consultation period was over. He confirmed that we're still in the same place as we were at the beginning of February, but they're still seeing what else can be found for me. So, that should be fun.

Can't wait.

Was that convincing enough? No? Oh.

80k in 80 days - day 8

2011-05-08T12:51:00.010+01:00

80k in 80 days - day 7

2011-05-07T11:30:00.004+01:00

Wahey!

2011-05-06T09:09:00.021+01:00

I cleared the first 5k mark yesterday on the 80k in 80 days challenge. I'd say that was my first milestone, but the first milestone is usually getting started in the first place. Whatever, though, the next milestone will be 10k.

It's going well. The backstory in the first chapter I've decided will be just that, drip-fed in flashbacks throughout the rest of the story. This means each chapter number in my outline needs moving backwards by one, and that will mean I'll need an extra chapter somewhere in the middle to balance it out. But that's okay and do-able. I won't do it this time, though. I'll do it in the first re-write, which will also be longhand.

I got halfway through the morning yesterday when I realised I'd left my mobile phone at home. Once upon a time that would have filled me with fear and I probably would have gone back for it. The thought did cross my mind, but I left it. That means I may not be as surgically attached to it now as I have been in the past. I left earlyish anyway, for polling day - we voted Yes or No to the AV system. Well, I hope we all did ...

Much of the last few days have been spent in Toyland, once I've done my daily 1k. Next week I should be off to Smurfland. In between I've been swanning around with the SAS. It's a varied life.

It's been a week of arrangements too.

I added an extra 2Gb of internet to my mobile phone. I told them when they gave me a free 1Gb that it wouldn't be enough, but they suggested I try it for a few months and if I was regularly pushing it, then I could add on some more. For just a fiver a month I get the extra 2Gb, so I'm hoping the total 3Gb should more than cover it. This saves me paying at least £15 a month for a dongle with mobile broadband, and having to carry my laptop around with me.

I grabbed the window cleaner and asked him how much extra it would be to clean my doors as well, but because I'm a mate, he said he'd do it for nothing once a month if they needed it. That was really nice of him, and he started by doing the front door this time. I probably will slip him a bit extra, though. He's not the dearest window cleaner in the village and the others would all charge extra.

And I booked my car in for its MOT. (Gulp!) I'm expecting hefty damages this time around. The exhaust pipe has been showing signs of decay ever since ATS bodged a replacement. I've been warned my head gasket may be on its way out. I probably need new tyres. I know I need a new brake lamp but the hand brake cable also slips sometimes. And my gears have been clattering a bit.

There's some snagging to do too, such as repairing the boot (trunk) light - it was staying on and draining the battery - refixing the aerial if they can do it or a new one if they can't, the bonnet (hood) prop catch snapped off one time I was checking engine fluids, and I lost a hubcap from one of the wheels.

Oh yes, I'm really looking forward to that bill in a couple of weeks ...

And so we come to the weekend. I have 2 deadlines today, the military book and one of the Christmas annuals. Tonight I'm going out for a drink with a friend. Tomorrow I'm off to see Barnsley v Millwall, courtesy of 2 free tickets I "won". My mate from work is coming there with me. And on Sunday I'm thinking of joining the ramblers for a 5 mile circular walk around Cannon Hall in Barnsley.

What will you be up to? Have a good one.

A lovely surprise

2011-05-05T09:09:00.038+01:00

The telephone rang in my office yesterday morning. It frightened me half to death. It was a wrong number ...

... actually, it wasn't a wrong number. I'm lying. It was my deputy editor/Smoggie snapper, and aside from saying "right, you can write on your blog tomorrow that you had a phone call now ...", he also had some work for me. AND he directed me to an online notification to ALL staff that I am available to assist with department newsletters. Blimey.

While I was on the phone to him, someone knocked on my door - oh! the excitement - but he came back later. And I also dragged a man into my office, kicking and screaming, who was innocently walking down the corridor.

I guess they now know I'm back. ;-)

Saying that, and I jest not, the lovely post lady did creep into my office with a letter, but stopped in her tracks when she saw me. "Oh," she said, crestfallen. "It's not for you ...". It was for the bloke next door ... Wrong office.

I did my daily stint for 80k in 80 days and am delighted to report that a love interest seems to have prematurely elbowed his way in. He's another copper, Marcie Craig has one of those too. Perhaps I'm discovering a hidden penchant for men in uniform ... Part of the Tarot reading is to "... expect the unexpected ..." (The Fool, see), but I'm not sure I'm supposed to be included in that.

The rest of the day was more of the same. I changed the NUJ badge in the sidebar to a more modern one I think they're using now, and I added links to that badge and to the MYWYN/80k in 80 days badge that should take you straight to those sites. Things are ticking along nicely and I'm settling into a routine. That should keep the OCD happy for a while.

Tomorrow is the start of another 4-day weekend for me, but I have 2 deadlines as well.

Into the groove

2011-05-04T09:33:00.018+01:00

The novel is working. I'm feeling happy with it. I don't feel as though it's so dull any more.

I started off trying to split 80,000 words between 20 chapters, a prologue and an epilogue, but it meant the chapters would need to be getting on for 4,000 words each, and that's far too much for me, reading or writing. So I doubled the number of chapters to 40, which means I can now aim at a more easily attainable 2,000 words per chapter. Already I'm a lot happier with that.

The structure is set out like a 6-part Tarot reading, so I also have an outline for each section and each chapter within each section has its own outline too, like lots of mini-outlines within a larger outline. My problem here is that the first part, the initial reading, was far too dull to open a novel. It's flashback material. I like the prologue, I hope it's a bit scary, but my original chapter 1 needs to be broken into sections and redistributed throughout the rest of the book.

Yesterday I started to write chapter 2 and the whole thing came to life. There's more colour in it, more interest. So my original chapter 2 really needs to be my new chapter 1.

I achieved my daily goal of 1,000 words, I did some work on annual #4-1, and I started to proofread the military book. I also added an extra post, in retrospect, for day 1 of the 80k in 80 days challenge. The OCD requested it ...

At work I managed to catch up on 2 months' worth of timesheets. I was off sick for a month and when I came back it was year end, so the timesheet system was unavailable. I managed to mix up the first week and the second, thinking the first was the first of my sick leave. So I had to complete the second week as though it was my first and leave a comment on there asking them to swap the two.

Nobody came to see me. No-one called. I received no emails. There was no post.

Have a nice day.

Phew!

2011-05-03T10:46:00.004+01:00

I thought I had a deadline today, but today's deadline is actually on Friday. I thought I had another deadline on Monday, but that deadline is actually next Friday. This is good. However, it still means that I have 3 jobs on this week (The Fool, annual #4-1, a military book to proofread), and 2 jobs next week (The Fool, annual #5-1).

Ah yes, and the day job ...

My boss at the kids' annuals asked if he could put my name forward for another project. If this comes off, the deadline for that may be at the end of this month, and we're expecting annual #6-1 to come in any day too.

The annuals job is mostly seasonal, mostly a lot of work at the start of the year, occasionally a couple of spring or summer books thrown in towards the end of the year. However, it's still a good year's wages all on its own. I just have to spread it out a bit despite most of the money for the year being in by probably July or August at the latest.

Better for it to be sat in my savings account earning interest, though, rather than anybody else's. ;o)

The word meter at the bottom of each post is for the 80k in 80 days challenge. At the time of posting it will still be the same as it was at the end of yesterday. That will change during the day, though, every day. But the final meter reading for each day will be what the final word count was for that particular day. It's coming along, but it's a bit dull just now. I need to get some action going.

Watch the little man's mood change to see how I'm feeling.

I've been in work for almost 2 hours. No-one has come to see me. No-one has called. No-one has sent an email. There were no messages waiting for me. There was no post. At least I have this week's jobs with me.

Have a nice day.

I iz back

2011-05-02T10:55:00.003+01:00

Well, hello. Did ya miss me?

I've had a nice week off. I stayed off Blogger and Twitter, but kept a presence on Facebook, and I feel as though it's done me good. Sometimes I feel as though too many people know too much about me and I need to take time out, but then, due to the nature of my business - music and literary - I think I need that online presence. The trick is to reach a happy balance. I think the week off did me good.

Most of the Easter weekend was spent getting the house ready for the family. My mom and dad came on the Sunday, I collected my brother and niece Monday morning, and Monday afternoon my sister came with 2 of her grown ups. It was Mom's birthday but with so many people, I put on a running buffet with birthday cake. My brother and niece went back home with Mom and Dad on Tuesday and are in the UK until Thursday.

Then I had some chill time while I waited for materials to arrive for the next jobs. I have 2 Christmas annuals to be getting on with - one has a deadline tomorrow - and a military book to proofread. I want the book gone by Friday, and the 2nd annual has to be in next Monday.

Last Thursday I went out for the day to Clumber Park, pictures are here, and on Friday morning I watched the Royal Wedding. The intention was to have it on in the corner while I worked, but I was still awaiting materials ...

Yesterday I started my 80k in 80 days challenge. It was my first job of the day before working on the most pressing annual, and it would have been my first job today too had I not been distracted by the news that Osama bin Laden had been killed.

So ... that's my next job. I'm working on The Fool, the first Stevie Tarot story. Then I'm off to Toyland for the rest of the day. And probably the evening too ... and no doubt it will go to work with me tomorrow as well ...

80k in 80 days - day 1

2011-05-01T14:48:00.004+01:00

The OCD needed another little man so that we have the full audit trail of the 80k in 80 days challenge. Therefore, I'm adding this one in, in retrospect. There should be a daily post from now on, even if it is just the daily word count progress meter.

Close down

2011-04-21T08:47:00.004+01:00

I hope those of you that were able to get hold of a copy of this week's My Weekly enjoyed the story in there. I'll probably post the story on here after the magazine has gone off sale for those abroad that won't have seen it but want to. In fact, the sample work section may be a whole new tab just like the books.

I arrived at work this morning to see the 4 page global management team newsletter I'm supposed to write had been globally published and distributed. I asked a few friends if they'd seen it ... because I certainly hadn't ...

I'll pause while that registers ...

There's a very busy weekend ahead for me and I'll also be doing a lot of navel gazing.

It's my mom's birthday on Monday so Dad's driving them up at the weekend to spend a few days here. My sister will be dropping by on Monday too, to say Happy Birthday, I have no idea if any of her kids will be with her. And I'll be driving to Manchester to collect my brother and his middle daughter who are flying in from Canada. While I have so much company I won't be online much, and may even switch a few things off.

I have 2 Christmas annuals to get going with today and I have another book on its way from the local publisher to proof read.

Then tomorrow I'm on holiday for 11 days.

It's during this time that I'll be reviewing a few things and taking time for recollection. I've had a horrible few months, this week has been ... interesting and enlightening, and I have the very busy weekend getting ready for and entertaining guests.

So I won't be on here for a week or so while I sort everything out.

Have a very Happy Easter.

My Weekly - this week!

2011-04-18T19:11:00.000+01:00

Oh dear, it's a lot more orange than this, but here is the cover of this week's My Weekly. It's no 5069, dated 23 April, costs 85p, and it has the Nolans on the front as well as Colin and Justin. AND IT'S ORANGE.

Oh, and on page 10 is the opening short story, The Easter Egg Hunt, by Diane Parkin ...

I think it's on sale from tomorrow, Tuesday 19 April, but I received my contributor's copy today, on Monday, which was a nice surprise in itself because I thought My Weekly had stopped sending out comp copies.

I love this story, I'm really proud of it, and I'm delighted that they kept my title too, in its entirety. So, what are you waiting for? Dash out and buy it. Go on. I'll wait.

Tum ti tum ti tum ti tum. Tra la la la laa-la.

So anyway, I've been out today. To the seaside. I have a busy weekend coming up (more on this later in the week when I have more information), and all of my friends are off to the seaside at some point. I was feelling a bit left out, so as it was such a nice day, off I tootled to Cleethorpes.

While there, I had fish fingers and chips with ketchup, a bag of fried doughnuts, a walk along the prom and back, and I sat on the prom, in the sunshine reading The Thirteenth Tale for our book group, and Shrek the Third in preparation for the next annuals I'm working on.

Tomorrow it's back to work. I'll be taking the next annual with me ...

All change - again

2011-04-17T09:02:00.015+01:00

The sharp-eyed will notice that there have been a few changes on the blog - again - a bit sooner than when I normally do it. This is mostly because I thought it was looking incredibly cluttered and messy.

It still may look a bit cluttered to some, but I think most people will see the OCD in action in the way I've tidied everything up. I don't know what I shall do when the "2011 reading so far ..." gets longer. I may see about linking to another Amazon ferris wheel but including the books I've read rather than the bestsellers.

If you have any thoughts, opinions, comments, feedback, etc, it would be most welcome. I always listen to constructive criticism.

Who spotted the new books tab at the top? If you didn't, go take a look now. It's okay, I'll wait. I'm quite proud of that little lot.

I'm enjoying a relaxed, leisurely weekend. A lie-in on Saturday was followed by just one washload going through and on the line, a trip to the supermarket, and my first gig since February. This morning I'll put another load through the washer and once that's hung out I may go for a run out.

My brother's coming from Canada for a visit next week so me and my sister have been sorting out things for that. It's been 3 years since we last saw him. I think it's definitely one of our turns to go over there next. But my sister has a nice holiday coming up already and my choice list gets longer: Nebraska; New England; Canada.

Which would you choose and why? I have places to stay in all of them (I think!), but I'd love to know what there is to see and do, and what the climate and weather are like at certain times of the year. I also need to come away with at least 3 article or story ideas. :-)

How much????!!!! <-- you can tell I'm truly shocked ...

2011-04-16T09:04:00.005+01:00

I was watching television the other night when an advert came on in the break for short-term or pay day loans. I wasn't really paying much attention, but the APR at the bottom of the page did catch my eye. At first I thought I'd read it wrong,

Surely no-one would pay an APR of 421.4% in this day and age? Surely we've learned our lesson as a borrowing nation?

As it turned out, I had read it wrong. It wasn't 421.4% at all. It was 4,214% ...

Four THOUSAND two hundred and fourteen percent ...

For many years I didn't even consider anything over 10% and I knew these pay day loans were charging a daft amount. But I didn't realise how daft. And yet people are still prepared to accept this. Why? No wonder this country has such a debt problem.

The loan company in question defend and justify this ludicrous rate here. And while they may have a point, there are so many other things to consider.

Yes, it may be a quick way to help someone out of a hole. If the debt is repaid the very next day, then maybe it isn't so bad. Even supposing pay day isn't that far off, and there really is no other choice, then maybe it isn't so bad. And if you are guaranteed some kind of income that will clear this debt before the interest charges take a tiny amount into the realms of the universe, then maybe it isn't so bad.

But, what if ...

... your employer goes bust, calls in the official receiver, and is unable to pay your expected wages on pay day?

... there's a technical hitch and the transaction doesn't happen so your wages don't hit your bank account on time?

... the person that owes you money has any of the above happen to them and therefore can't afford to pay you?

... that contracted job you started early as a personal favour to a friend is unexpectedly pulled and said (so-called) friend conveniently forgets to tell you and no longer expects to pay you for the work you've already done? (I'm not even going there today ... nuff said.)

What do you do then? Can you afford 4,214% in interest? Can you afford the late payment charge that will also have interest added to it?

Wouldn't it be better to just swallow your pride and ask a friend or family member? Or just explain your situation and see who offers? So long as you keep them in the loop and repay them as soon as you can, they'll offer again.

What's worse? Losing face or ending up in jail or a loony bin? Or dead, from suicide?

I'll let you contemplate that for yourself.

News, news, news

2011-04-15T09:32:00.012+01:00

Night Crawler
Yesterday my book appeared on Amazon. And Barnes & Noble. And various other online book sellers. If you have read the book and have time, an eensy weensy book review on Amazon would be much appreciated.

Once the shock wore off I set about converting the book to Kindle. It didn't take half as long as it took to do the original book, but I haven't had chance to see how it looks yet, other than a preview pane.

As soon as it's available and I'm happy with it, I'll add a link. It'll be £1.49 or $2.99.

EDIT: The 2 books that were available from Amazon yesterday have now gone. I'm hoping that means that they're sold. I'm also hoping that they get some more in. (10:45am)

EDIT 2: The Kindle version is now available at £1.71 inc VAT, but it won't let me check it yet to see how it looks ... (11:05am)

My Weekly
I have a short story in the next issue of My Weekly. The issue date is 23 April, and I think it's on sale next Tuesday, 19 April, but the lady in WH Smiths thought it might be there today. So do look out for it.

As soon as I have a copy I'll scan in a jpg and upload it. But if you do see a copy of the Easter My Weekly, check the date, and check the contents.

My title for the story was The Easter Egg Hunt, but they may have changed that. My by-line will be on it, though. Diane Parkin.

Day job
There is no news. No-one has been to see me. No-one has called me. No-one has sent me an email. Apart from those friends and colleagues that came to make sure I was okay.

Freelancing
Yesterday I applied to 5 publishers of children's books and activity annuals. I had a chat with 3 of them beforehand and they invited me to submit my CV. Two of them were totally cold contacts, but I followed their online submission guidelines and even included a sample script for one of them.

I'm delighted to be back in touch with my union. It's been too long.

Oxford
I sent my apologies to the Ramblers' national council in Oxford this weekend. Having only just come back to work after a month off, and still not used to the early mornings again, I can't realistically go and I don't have the energy.

Fortunately I was only going as an observer, rather than a delegate, but I still feel guilty and disappointed about not going.

Monetising my blog
I've added a ferris-wheel of books to the side bar and because it was looking a bit cluttered with that busy pink background, I've changed that too. I don't want this blog to get too commercial, but if it can earn me a little bit of money well, every little helps. So, if you were planning on buying any of the books in the sidebar, please click on them.

Admin
Thanks to Carol, my clock is now running on time again. Took me a while did that, I kept forgetting ...

The weekend
I'll be taking my weekend off and recuperating. Hope you have a great one.

SHOCK!

2011-04-14T11:26:00.001+01:00

Shock no. 1 - my book is available on Amazon.

Shock no. 2 - it's on at a raving mad price.

Shock no. 3 - there's even a used one available at an even higher, madder price.

Shock no. 4 - I have an author page.

Shock no.5 - there are 2 other books on my author page that I never delivered.

I am in total, utter shock. See for yourself. Here is my author page. Here is my book. And here it is used and ravingly expensive.

If you have read it, please write an Amazon review. I don't care if it's only a one star review. At the moment it looks a bit Billy No Mates. Please also like it if you can. I don't expect to sell many at these prices, but the royalties would be Very Nice if I did.

But here it is at the far more respectable price (and the price that I set) on Lulu. And here it is at Barnes & Noble ...

Shock no. 6 - "Customers who bought this also bought ..." [GULP!]

Horror Stories and Fairy Tales - new online dating blog

2011-04-13T13:53:00.000+01:00

I have a shiny new blog detailing, hopefully, the lighthearted side of online dating. It's called Horror Stories and Fairy Tales, and all of my dating disasters and adventures will be on here. Hop along and take a look if you're interested, you may all be my insurance policy if ever I take the plunge and go on a blind date.

Oh, and if any of my single male friends are reading this and were thinking of asking me out, DO IT NOW, before I spend any money I can ill afford. I promise I won't bite ... unless you ask me to very nicely ...

So I started back at work yesterday and the only people I saw all day were friends and colleagues dropping in to say they're glad to see me back and they hope I'm okay.

Today I've been trying to sort out some outstanding work outside of here, but the only people I've seen all morning have been friends and colleagues dropping in to say they're glad to see me back and they hope I'm okay ...

I'm busy doing nothing again and it's absolutely shattering. I'm supposed to be at a Ramblers' conference in Oxford at the weekend, but I'm not sure I'll have the energy. It's not just the drive down and the having to pay attention and make nice conversation, it's sorting out keys for the cat sitters, and litter trays, and all sorts of other prep things.

I don't usually wimp out of such things and I usually do enjoy them, but I'm thinking it's a bit soon when I'm only just back at work after a month off.

And still with battles to fight, it seems, inside and outside.

Back at coal face

2011-04-12T09:23:00.012+01:00

The new bed is great, but I keep sleeping in, and I could have done with an early start on Saturday as it was a mad, busy day. I had so much to do.

It was the library first to renew some books and return some. I also wanted to collect the next one for our book group, but it was out on loan at the first library I went to, and as they didn't have it at the second one I was planning on going to, we did all the renewals at the first one and saved me an extra trip.

Next, I went to the continental market in Barnsley and was delighted to find that parking is now free all weekend in the town centre. I had a wander round the continental market, but I thought their prices were way too high. so I went to the regular market and got quite a few fresh things from there instead.

Then it was the supermarket for the rest of my weekly shopping. I would have stopped for petrol too, but the queues were too long.

I should have gone to a car hand-wash but I wanted to get to Meadowhall to pick up the Dancing on Ice tickets I'd won, and as the library didn't have the book I wanted, I bought it from Waterstones instead.

On the way home I filled up with petrol and jumped into the automatic car wash. A sign advised me to remove my aerial, but my aerial isn't designed to come off. I thought it would be all right, but no, the car dryer got far too close to the car and pulled the aerial out anyway.

So that's another snagging job for the garage when my car goes in for its MOT. I already need a hub cap, a brake light, a bonnet prop catch, and a boot light, so what's a measly little car aerial as well? (Sigh.) I'm hoping that's my 3rd breakage of 3, though, as the bed delivery men broke my pasta jar, I'd already broken a cup, and now this.

I took Saturday night off.

Because I'd got most of the market stuff I wanted from Barnsley, I didn't go to the farmers' market in Wentworth on Sunday after all. Instead I went straight to Brodsworth. Then it was off to Sheffield for Dancing on Ice, which we thought was brilliant.

Monday was spent recuperating and uploading photographs in between battling with an unstable Internet. I should have gone to a Ramblers' meeting too, but I was so weary and needed a good rest before coming back to work. So I sent my apologies.

And today it's back to work. I'm already shattered.

Brodsworth Hall and Gardens

2011-04-11T13:34:00.001+01:00

On Sunday I visited Brodsworth Hall and Gardens, an English Heritage property that's only about 10 minutes away from where I live. I had glorious weather yet again. This house was lived in until the late 1980s, and English Heritage show it in the exact state that they took it over.

Here is the main frontage:

One of the side elevations:

The view from the side elevation:

Detail of one of the many statues:

There's a sunken, Mediterranean garden, and here is the mini-folly in that garden:

I love this view of the house from the formal garden:

And another lovely view of the house from the garden:

There's another folly that overlooks the whole property:

There's a pet cemetery at the back of the garden:

Another view of the house - my kind of house:

There are 22 pictures altogether over on Webshots, and here is the slide show:

Enjoy.

Back to work Tuesday

2011-04-09T09:28:00.002+01:00

I was feeling brilliant by the time I got to the doctor's yesterday. I don't know if it was the sunshine, if it was the retail therapy, if it was less clutter in my bedroom, or what. But I was ready to be told I could go back to work and he said I can on Tuesday.

The new bed arrived at about 1pm and they ignored my suggestion to bring it around the back ... and promptly broke my pasta jar. It's one of my farmyard animals collection crocks in the kitchen and we can't get them any more. They offered to pay for it, but as it's no longer available I said they could put the bed together for me instead. So they did, and it took them about an hour. Imagine how long it would have taken me on my own.

Off they tootled and I started to make the bed and put things away ... then I decided I could probably do without at least one chest of drawers that takes up far too much room in the centre of the room at the foot of the bed, and with 2 chests there, you can't see the detail of the bed. So I cleared one and moved one. Now I have so much room at the foot of my bed between it and the desks that if I once complain that I feel crowded, you can shoot me.

It's a lovely big bedroom anyway, but with office furniture and bedroom furniture, it was looking quite cluttered. Now there's enough room for me to do my yoga in there if I want. Hell, there's room for me to bounce around doing aerobics too.

I realised the time and dashed into the car to make my doctor's appointment and was reminded that I'd given the car a full valet on Monday. It was spotlessly clean and smelled so sweet it was a joy to drive to the next village. Such a joy, in fact, that after the doctor I went back, loaded the spare chest into the hatchback, and drove it to the tip.

The bed looks glorious and very inviting, and it is soooo comfortable. Time will tell if it helps my aches and pains or not.

Today, then, it's the library, the continental market in Barnsley, and my weekly shop. Tomorrow it's the farmers' market in Wentworth, I still plan on a run out to my closest English Heritage property, and I've been asked again to go to that gig 2 villages over but I've sent apologies because I won 2 tickets to see Dancing on Ice in Sheffield, so we're going there instead.

Life's bloomin' good again at the moment. I think I'm back to fighting weight.

Write 80k in 80 days

2011-04-08T08:37:00.008+01:00

I blame Quillers.

Initially, Sally and some of her Facebook friends, I believe, were going to join an existing 60k in 60 days challenge, but from what I can gather they decided that, amongst other things, 60k wasn't such a flexible, commercial figure in the most part if people actually want to do something with their work. And I see what they mean. I rarely write anything unless it earns its keep one way or another, and 60,000 words is a lot of effort for just an exercise.

And so they came up with 80k in 80 days and I thought, hmm, I might be able to join that. And so I am. You can join too, if you'd like. Just follow the link.

The challenge starts on 1 May and finishes on 19 July and if I can't write 1,000 words a day then I should give up now. I did it when I worked on newspapers, and I did it when I worked on magazines. I should be able to do it still. I've already scheduled in a couple of planning sessions during April. NaNo taught me one lesson, I really am a planner not a panster, and I'll be happier going into it with at least the bones of an outline to keep me on track.

I'm currently working on Catch the Rainbow, which is the historical mystery saga thingy set against the Birmingham pub bombings of 1974. On 30 April this is scheduled to be finished, but I may be a few thousand words short. I will put it to one side, though, so I can start 0: The Fool, the first of my Stevie Tarot contemporary mysteries set in Yorkshire. Once I've done my daily 1k -- and it is going to be the first job of the day -- I can go back to Catch the Rainbow.

My Facebook friend came and took my old bed away yesterday, they were a lot closer than I thought they were, geographically, and I was able to push my big settee back up against the radiator (the heating is now OFF for the summer). It's nice to get my living room back. The rest of the day was a really easy day after my exertions the previous day. I had a good night's sleep in the spare bed and not having the computer grinning at me from the corner helped me avoid it until teatime again.

Hopefully my new bed will arrive some time today, preferably before I go back to the doctor at 3:30pm.

I think I'm ready to go back to work now; I think they're going to include me in a batch of consultations that don't actually concern me rather than treat me as an individual case. Whatever, I'll take plenty in with me to keep me occupied in case they can't.

Tomorrow I have books to take back to the library, there's a continental market in Barnsley I want to go and have a look at, and on my way home I'll get my shopping.

Sunday morning it's the farmers' market in Wentworth, Sunday afternoon I want to go to Brodsworth, and Sunday teatime there's a gig I've been asked to just 2 villages over, but it depends on what time I get back and if the gig buddy wants to come with me.

Have a great weekend.

I'm a domestic goddess

2011-04-07T08:56:00.024+01:00

I was very good yesterday. As I write in longhand and don't really need a computer on until I'm ready to type, I didn't touch the laptop until I'd done everything I needed to (yesterday's blog post was pre-scheduled the day before), and boy did I have a lot I needed to do.

Twitter friends will already have some idea of the kind of domestic day I had, but I stripped the bed, washed and hung out the bedding and all of the mattress and pillow protectors (1 quilted mattress protector, 8 pillow protectors - 2 for each pillow, a flimsy one and a quilted one), dismantled the bed, called a friend for help but he couldn't come for 3 weeks, had a chat anyway, moved the mattress and bed eventually down the stairs all by myself, dusted and Hoovered the bedroom, tidied the spare bedroom, cleaned the bathroom, washed and hung out the bath mats, Hoovered the rest of the entire house (including the stairs), and fetched in and put away the washing. Oh, and at mealtimes I ate. And washed up.

Yesterday's Twitter hash-tag declared #amdomesticgoddess. Oh, and #amshattered.

The bed was what took the time but by teatime, when I finally logged on, my arms were in bits, my legs were in bits, my back was in bits, and I was exhausted. But what an invigorating day. I had a nice, long soak in a hot bath to ease away the aches. I know where all of my muscles are now, though.

On Tuesday I batch-cooked tea and plated up 2 servings, so the other one of those was ready for me to warm through without too much work. I had a bowl of fresh fruit salad both days as well for pudding.

Today the Facebook friend comes to collect the bed after he and his partner have picked up their child from school. But other than that. I'm taking it easy. I'm going to read a bit and I'm going to write a bit. And I'm going to try and stay off the pc until at least lunch time. This blog post has been pre-scheduled too.

Motivation

2011-04-06T09:19:00.003+01:00

You see, you wake up in the morning and the laptop in the corner of the bedroom is whispering hello. So you switch it on with the only objective of having it warmed up and ready to go by the time that you are.

Then you come back from the bathroom to get your dressing gown and think, ooh I'll just see if there are any emails. Ah, and while I'm here I'll see what's gone off on Facebook. Oh, and as I'm still here I may as well write up today's blog post ...

Before you know it, it's 1pm, you're still in your dressing gown, hunched in the corner with the laptop, wondering if you let the cats back in, and dying of starvation.

This is why the bedroom is not the ideal choice for my work space. But it's the only space I have and I'd just better get over it.

I could try disciplining myself to not switch on the computer until I'm washed, dressed, fed, and at least 2 hours into the WIP. I did that last week when I was proofreading the local interest book. It meant I didn't blog until about 4pm, but that WIP got struck off the list in record time.

Or I could hide the laptop behind a 3-part screen that might go very well with the new décor.

Guess which ... :o)

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed, which is why I started to yearn for a bit of Kinsey Millhone yesterday. I'll have had a month off work by the time I go back next Tuesday (if I do, but I think I must now), but I don't feel as though I've achieved anything. Yet I know I've been de-cluttering like a mad thing. Perhaps it's because this is the hidden clutter I've been targeting.

Studying paint cards will help to pass the time more creatively (Decorator Buddy will have palpitations if I decide to go with wallpaper ...), and I might start a search for a screen. I also want a footstool that I can make a new tapestry cover for as I have a couple of charts.

Meanwhile, I'll get on with my poppy cross-stitch picture for the lounge and my cockerel cross-stitch picture for the kitchen. I think I need to start finishing a few tangible things so that I can see what I've achieved.

What kind of things motivate you? Quite often what motivates me has to be tangible, or a row of ticks. Something I can see or touch. Hidden clutter disappearing isn't it.

Inspiration

2011-04-05T11:41:00.002+01:00

I found a home for the old bed, which is great. A Facebook friend is coming to collect it on Thursday afternoon, so I have to dismantle it, Hoover the mattress, and get it all downstairs by then. I may struggle with the mattress but hopefully someone will come and help me.

Once the bed is dismantled, I can give the room a good Hoover - or Henry. It's not been done under the bed properly for 5 years ... I'm dreading it. The whole bedroom is a clutter-pit, and I think even the decorator buddy is psyching himself up before even coming to see what needs doing.

Having a dedicated work space is important to me and it works, really well. But until I get that blockbuster 3 book deal, I can't justifiably afford it. And as Melissa pointed out before, if I can afford it then, I may as well move to a more suitable property.

When I was freelancing full time back in Solihull, my then husband had a real problem with me being at home but not having time to do any chores. He expected me to work hard and earn decent money, and also have the whole house clean and tidy, his shirts ironed, pets fed and watered, and his tea on the table when he walked in. And I'm not saying this nastily, it *is* a problem that a lot of people can't get to grips with.

It's like the always-employed people being afraid of self-employment. They think if you're at home all day, then it's perfectly okay to fit in loads of other stuff at the same time. And it *is* more convenient and more flexible to do that, but not always possible when you have screaming deadlines.

Neighbours still have the same issue. One neighbour agreed wholeheartedly with my husband about his tea being on the table when he got in because she did it for her husband. However, she only worked part time, and she went out to work so had very structured times.

Another neighbour didn't understand why I couldn't entertain her grandson if I was "working" in the sunshine in the yard. She understands now, though, and she understands the need sometimes for a timer to make sure I adhere bum to seat.

It's a culture thing that's been inbred.

Anyway, to demonstrate to my then husband how I was in fact doing a full time job, and some, I "borrowed" office space from a company I'd freelanced for in the past so that I "went out" to work. But they let me have the office space, the telephone, a computer, etc, in return for so many hours a week of me doing stuff for them. I got that idea from Kinsey Millhone, Sue Grafton's creation, who rented space from an insurance company by doing odd jobs for them.

Whenever I feel as though I need a bit of inspiration, or motivation, I always go back to Kinsey Millhone. She's the only books I re-read and I treated myself to the first 3 omnibuses of her stories. I have the latest book, U is for Undertow, still to read, but often I go back to the beginning.

Where do you find your inspiration?

I've gone stark staring mad

2011-04-04T18:59:00.001+01:00

And now so have the cats ...

I had a great time back home yesterday. It was good to see the family and we talked about so many things we ran out of time. Hopefully Mom and Dad will be up for a visit in a few weeks, and it was nice to see my sister and two thirds of the kids too.

This morning I went out to buy the mirror for the lounge, the one that's the rest of my Christmas present from my mom and dad. A mate is going to do a few jobs for me, including making my office area nice to work in, and while he's doing that he'll hang the mirror ...

The mirror is currently sitting at the top of the stairs, and both cats think it's a wonderful new game. I'm contemplating turning the mirror part towards the wall because if the novelty doesn't soon wear off, one of them is going to pull it over.

I also picked up another noticeboard for the office area, a bigger, sturdier one. I'm going to have one on each wall. And I got some fixtures to re-fit the existing, small noticeboard that was an earlier project of the month. I was going to get washers to stop the screw heads digging into the cork, but when I looked at the fittings in Staples, I realised I could do it a lot easier with just small, screw-in eyelets and, possibly, cup hooks.

My back has been absolute agony for about 3 weeks and someone suggested it may be my bed. The back's been playing up for a few years, actually, but it's been particularly bad while I've been at home ... and sleeping in more ... The bed frame was a very cheap one that I picked up very quickly when I first moved here 5 years ago. It only cost £100 (apx $160) and they delivered it the same day and assembled it too. But it has aluminium bars instead of slats and the mattress is sinking in between them. As my back, my hip, and now my ankle are all in bits every single morning, I thought my friend might have a point.

So while I was out I popped into a few bedding stores with a view to getting a new mattress. I was testing one very comfortable, back-care-specific mattress (!) in one store when the salesman eventually came over for a chat, and without prompting he confirmed what my friend had said about the bars. The bed I was lying on, a divan, was very comfortable, had their best mattress on, and was in the sale at half price. But if I opted for the divan I'd need to get a headboard (starting at £80 - $130) and new valance (frill trim) sheets.

He showed me a very nice bed frame with proper slats that would cost another £250 ($400), but he failed to show me another frame in a similar style that would only cost an extra £10 ($16), which I spotted all by myself. I drove off to get the mirror and the new noticeboard while I thought about it, and while I was doing that I made my decision about the home office ...

I'm going to leave it where it is, in the corner of my bedroom, but I'm going to make bloody sure that it's a nice place to sit and work.

I get paid for one of the activity annuals this week. Half of that will pay for my new bed (which arrives on Friday, *gulp*), with change. I'll be getting a bonus in my wages for April. That will more than cover the electrical work I need doing to make the work space safe. A quarter of the next activity annual I'll be getting paid for will cover the decorations. The remaining activity annual wages due over the next 6 weeks will more than pay for new guttering and replacement roof slates (for now), and a bedroom carpet. The odd jobs will come out of my regular wages.

I'm getting conflicting advice about the damp problem in the lounge so I want to look into that more before deciding what to do with it. And my dad wants to take a look at it anyway, so I won't be doing anything until he and Mom have been.

I know I've been trying to be careful with what I spend because of the job situation, but I'm hoping the new bed will help my back and whether I stay at the day job or end up working from home, it's time the bedroom was done. It will be a nice and lovely place to relax in if things stay as they are, and it will be a nice and lovely place to work in if I have to work here full time.

I have several months' worth of pay coming in one way or another, and I already have more work coming in. So I'm going to live a little for the moment and worry about anything else when the time comes. And hey, no loans involved. That has to be good, doesn't it? ;-)

And this is A LOT cheaper than any kind of extension.

When I got home I decided I was tired of driving around in a pig sty. I. Hoovered. My. Car. (*swoon*) It took me 2 hours. TWO. HOURS. That's what happens when you only do it every 5 years or so ... but this is the madness referred to in today's blog title.

Um .... anyone want a bed? Free to a good home, new owner to collect, must be before Friday. ;-)

Mother's Day

2011-04-03T09:18:00.005+01:00

I didn't just go for a walk and post invoices on Friday. I lied - or, more accurately, I forgot. I also did some filing, which is such an alien concept to me maybe it's no wonder I forgot about it.

The filing drawer (one of 2 - the other has a brought-forward system inside) was open, I'd weeded out a lot of rubbish and shredded it, and I was rummaging for something, the mortgage details probably.

It was at the point I was closing the drawer again that I thought I may as well get that bit of filing put away from all the de-cluttering I'd done in the past couple of weeks. It took me no time at all, leaving me wondering why I can't just do it as I go along.

I've been doing everything else as I've been going along so maybe it's just a matter of time before I settle into a routine again.

It's Mother's Day here in the UK and I'm off to see my mom (and my dad). I did my gift shopping last week but when I saw these tulips at the supermarket yesterday, I just had to get them ... and they were so nice that I had to get myself a bunch too.

How much?

2011-04-01T16:22:00.001+01:00

That's not the price, it's the rate.

A man came around this morning to give me some ideas for the conservatory. I thought a conservatory may work out cheaper than a stone extension, but it seems they'll probably come to roughly the same price. The only difference is, the building regulations are more strict for a stone extension than they are for a glass one. Ah, and I think a stone extension would count as an extra room but a glass one doesn't.

I couldn't get a price out of him without first having the money, and I can't allocate any money until I know the price. The cynic in me thinks he wants to know how much I can afford so he knows how high to go in before knocking off the valid-for-one-day-only we'll-get-no-profit-from-this discounts. The soft and trusting part of me wants to trust that he's a fair minded, honest sort of chap. When he suggested I ask my mortgage company how much they'd be prepared to lend me and we could top it up in as many places as possible, I realised that this was going to be more expensive than I originally thought.

As a show of goodwill, I did (after he went, with a note to call me in a month's time) phone the mortgage company and the bottom line is: they're not prepared to add a home-improvement top-up to the mortgage because of the current loan-to-value percentage. However, they are prepared to give me a personal home-improvement loan, secured against the house, for essential repairs such as the roof, at an APR (annual percentage rate) of 25%.

Twenty. Five. Percent.

Once upon a time I would have gone with this, but now I'm finance savvy - I'd say a lot more finance savvy, but that would require being at least a little bit finance savvy in the first place - this is a massively big NO-NO.

So, back to the original plan: damp injection first, then roof, then car, then extension. And I'll damn well save up the money and pay cash. The good thing, though, I now know I can change the location of the drain inspection cover I won for my yard.

In other news today ... I went for a walk to post my invoices and, um, that's it.

Have a great weekend.

Nice day

2011-03-31T17:35:00.001+01:00

Well, apart from the strong wind, it's been a very nice, sunny day.

I've also been a bit busy. I proof-read a whole local interest book, then parcelled it up to go off. I parcelled up 2 thank-you copies of Night Crawler. Then I went to the post office to post 2 of these, the proofreading and one of the books. The 3rd, the other book, went through my friend's letterbox ... or it would have done had she not been in and her husband dragged me in for a quick chat as we've not seen each other for ages.

On the way back I filled up with petrol, (a) taking advantage of a 5p-off-a-litre voucher I had that expires at the weekend, and (b) making sure I respected our petrol protest over here by not filling up tomorrow on 1 April (I believe other countries had their protests today).

When I got back I raised a whopping 3 invoices. Two of them should have been done a few weeks ago, but I've been off sick and avoiding work. However, the new financial year starts next week and I wanted to get them all into the current financial year. I'll walk those to the post box tomorrow, I just needed them to have today's date on.

And now, after a fairly busy day while I'm supposed to be taking it easy, I think I'm going to order in a Chinese (1 meal lasts me 2 days) and relax this evening over a book (The Crow Road) and the telly.

Slowly slowly catchy monkey

2011-03-30T13:10:00.000+01:00

It may seem like a bit of a slow, steady plod but, like weight loss, I find this is often the best way to achieve your goal.

At the end of January/start of February my previously semi-dormant freelance itch gave a twinge, possibly assisted by recent events at work. So I started to make plans. I started with my usual ideas-blitz, then I started to study the markets, and then I started to flesh out queries and introductions.

I already had the activity annuals, which will probably be my main earner, but since then other clients have slowly started to come on board, including a book publisher for proofreading gigs, an old favourite short fiction market re-established, and now I may have my first article-writing regular gig in the bag. I'm also going to try to re-establish an old favourite article-writing market.

Ideally I could still do with another couple of regular gigs, although I'll be avoiding long-term columns. I find they kill my creativity and make me lazy. I do have a couple of ideas for short series of columns, but I don't really want anything too rigid. Novel writing and competition entries will also have regular writing slots within my working week, but neither of those are really income-guaranteed so those will be my carrots, my rewards.

Hah! These lists aren't always such a bad thing. :o)

Too much thinking time

2011-03-29T18:19:00.004+01:00

Being at home a lot of the time is certainly giving me time to think about things, and the house in particular.

Of course, this home office lark is at the front of my mind most of the time, but while I have the functional, perfectly adequate workstation and desk in my bedroom, anything else really would be an unnecessary extravagance - unless, of course, my output increases to match the expense and upheaval to make it all worthwhile.

I *think* I've settled on a solution, though, and I may have to forego the new downstairs loo. But it's all mostly WAY in the future anyway.

*** List alert ***
Sorry, Carol! :o)

I *think* this is the order I need to do things in, some of it essential and before next winter:

remedy damp wall
redecorate lounge if necessary (boo!)
sark roof, flash chimney, replace guttering
install electrics in loft
(install roof window[s]?)
insulate, line and board remainder of loft space
replace loft hatch, install loft ladder, replace stairs ceiling
furnish loft space with adequate, streamlined storage facilities*
cut window to bring light onto stairs, and block up and insulate coal hole
redecorate stairs and landing
(pay a mate to) build a DIY conservatory (yup, guess where the workstation's going ...)
flag and fence yard
decorate and furnish conservatory and yard
replace central heating boiler and heating system
install additional electrics in main bedroom
fit and decorate main bedroom
remove chimney breast from spare room
fit and redecorate spare room
replace double glazing with thicker glazing and around-window insulation (or do a room at a time)
make good remaining decorations

Even more WAYer in the even more distant future (if we're all still here), is a new bathroom with a shower (21), and a new kitchen (while I'm in the kitchen I may take the chimney breast out of there too) (22). And, meanwhile, I also have to consider the car situation (10a) and keep on top of the debt repayments (ongoing).

I need to win the National Lottery ... Or marry a very wealthy man. Or sell a blockbuster novel with a lucrative 3-book publishing and movie deal ...

I'd best start writing ...

* Of course, if the loft is suitable, I could temporarily move the office there anyway and get the bedroom done before adding a conservatory ...

Bad feng shui

2011-03-28T13:33:00.000+01:00

Working in my kitchen is bad feng shui. The sitting and reading or writing or thinking or gazing while bathed in sunshine is fine, great in fact. It's even nice sitting there with the door open listening to and watching the rain - when it's warm enough to have the door open.

But working at the laptop - and, more importantly, leaving it there to clutter up the kitchen table - is bad. Very bad. It's bad feng shui and it does my posture no good at all as I use the laptop keyboard there rather than the raised laptop hub and separate keyboard upstairs.

So I've moved the laptop and the cables and the boxes and the files back upstairs to the workstation in the corner of the bedroom. I hate working in the bedroom, and working at the laptop I keep getting distracted by the Internet or by games. I like to have a window to gaze through, which is why I also have a desk set up beneath the front bedroom window and why I like to sit at the open back door or in the yard.

All this needs to be taken into account when I settle on the "home office" - that's the whether or not to have one and then the where to put it, or leave it. I could put an office in the sunny back bedroom but it's so tiny I'll either lose the bed or have to re-model the room, which includes having a chimney breast removed and the furniture built-in with the bed at top bunk-level.

I could get a shed or a summerhouse and place it at the very back of the house, but instead of being in sunshine I'll be in shade, and instead of having trees and birds and cats to watch, I'll be gazing at the back of the house.

Or I could save £20,000 and build an extension at the back with 2 windows or go up into the loft with roof windows. Or I could leave everything as it is.

Lots to think about.

I had quite a good weekend. I slept in both days, especially after the clocks went forward, but the rest of Saturday was laundry, reading and web seminar, the rest of Sunday was shopping and more reading and more laundry ... and I finally cooked something. I've not cooked for a few weeks. I've bought the lovely ingredients, but then thrown them away when they've passed their use-by date and ordered a takeaway instead.

I batch-cooked a one-pot cheesy chops n chips, but the potatoes and the chops weren't quite cooked when I had my Sunday tea, so the casserole dish went back into the oven for half an hour. The remaining 3 portions are now freezing in individual servings. I also have the ingredients for a one-pot all-day breakfast hash, but that only serves 2. I'll cook that one today. Not very slimming, either one, but if they get me cooking and eating my own cooked food again, it's a start.

The one-day web seminar was really interesting and I came away with lots of inspiration and motivation. I also won a prize! How cool is that? Now I just have to write 10 pages of non-fiction to claim it. ;-)

Today I slept in again, but I'm getting better. I was up an hour earlier today than I was yesterday, so if that continues I should be enjoying full days again by Thursday.

More reading today, plus a history book to proof-read. Nice activities. I'm also going to do some writing. I just can't decide whether to do it at the desk under the window in the bedroom, at the kitchen table, or at the patio table. I also have laundry to put away ...

The Confident Freelance

2011-03-26T10:44:00.001Z

The doctor gave me another fortnight off work so yesterday was a day of completing the diary for the next few weeks. I dropped the sick note in at work, had very brief chats with a couple of people, updated my out-of-office auto-reply, collected a box of books, and came home to upload the photographs from Thursday's day out.

The books are the complimentary copies of Night Crawler I've bought - it works out quite expensive when you're doing it yourself - and "thank you" copies will be going out to everyone that gave their time, help, assistance and advice so generously in the next few days.

My 16Gb memory stick arrived, it's the tiniest of things, and I did my first official backup. Now I have to remember where I put the stick for safe keeping ...

Today I'm joining The Confident Freelance, a one-day web seminar run by my blog pals Devon Ellington and Lori Widmer. There's still time to come along as the event is one to dip in at a time to suit you and I believe it will still be available tomorrow.

I'll also be shopping today and doing laundry. And no doubt I'll keep inspecting the chives and parsley that are sprouting in my windowsill herb-growing kits.

Have a great weekend.

Nostell Priory

2011-03-25T16:33:00.001Z

I finally made it to Nostell Priory yesterday. This property is less than 10 minutes from my house, and I walked around the actual house first.

I thought this formal dining room was quite gaudy. That's a picture of the bloke that built the place, though.

I'd love to listen to someone playing this harp properly.

This Chippendale desk is made for two, one on either side. I LOVED it.

This chap comes into Nostell once every 3 weeks and plays piano for an hour each time. He was great and it was lovely to listen to him.

When I finished looking around the house, which currently has quite a few rooms closed off and an entire floor due to essential maintenance and refurbishment, I went for a walk around the grounds. It's the end of the winter, though, so these giant chessmen look a little neglected.

There were primroses growing in clumps in the woodland.

This is the lakeside walk.

I had to wake the male mallard for this picture, because his head was tucked under his wing.

At the end of my walk I decided I deserved a treat ... well, it would be rude not to ...

There are 20 pictures altogether over on Webshots, but here's the slide show:

Nostell Priory Mar 11

As ever, enjoy.

One project a month - February 11

2011-03-24T09:06:00.049Z

Well, that was a nice surprise. I thought my last project was in November or December, not January. I'm not as far behind as I thought. Oh, and while I may have blogged about it in February, it was actually a January project, done in January, and it was the noticeboard.

One project a month
February's belated project is the security light lightbulb. It was only replaced in October, but the storms we had over the winter knocked it out again. On Tuesday I got the Death Ladder out and tried to replace it myself, but the glass bulb separated itself from the screw-in part leaving the screw-in part inside the lampholder. (It's because it's so high up and it needs a ladder that it becomes a major project. I also need a cross-head screwdriver to get the lid off.)

I fired a text off to my sparky buddy who initially told me the best way to get it out, but then he said he'd come and look on Wednesday. He turned up on Wednesday and it took him 2 seconds to take the old bulb out and put a new one in. It would have taken me forever. Plus, he didn't need the Death Ladder because he's taller than me and could manage from a stepladder.

I haven't decided on March's project yet. I was going to sow some herbs in old, washed cat food tins for the kitchen windowsill, but I found some windowsill kits that were so cheap (they were on offer) I bought those instead. Only 2 for now, while I see how they do and how we get on, parsley and chives. I wanted mint as well, but couldn't see a mint kit. If I get more adventurous with my cooking, I may try some of the other herbs they have available, but I don't currently have much use for rosemary, basil or thyme - and I hate thyme anyway.

Stonework
My sparky buddy is also my builder buddy, and I asked him to look at the stonework on my house while he was here. At the back it's crumbling to dust in places, but at the front I've had damp in my living room.

The bad news is he thinks it's almost certainly rising damp and needs damp injection again. It was done before I moved in and while I could probably chase up the paperwork to see what guarantee they gave, I may as well do it properly myself and know it's been done properly. It's my next priority though.

The good news is the sandstone usually crumbles and should last a while longer.

Priorities
My first priority is to get the house wind-, water- and weather-tight, but this involves the damp injection, sarking the roof, and probably blocking up and insulating the old coal hole - there's a strong draft at the bottom of my stairs and the only place the wind can be getting through is via the old coal hole on the outside. It's been boarded, but it needs insulation and then stone to match the walls. It may also need filling-in, behind the boarding ...

The existing wall stones, if they can't be dressed with a breathable compound, will need hacking out and replacing one at a time. Fortunately there are only about half a dozen or so.

The roof needs stripping, felting, re-slating and flashing (sarking). While they're up there I may as well get them to do something with the guttering too, which is still made of timber. Currently rotten timber. I'd probably have it replaced with bitumen-lined treated timber because if I go for plastic and next door doesn't change his, we lose the continuity and get overflow down the side of the house.

Oh, I seem to have gone all builder-y.

The future
Depending on job situation and budget, the next actual priority is a reliable, economical car. I cleared one debt last week, I'd like to do something else on the finance front but I don't know yet whether to get rid of the next smallest amount (easy to afford now), get rid of the highest interest amount (about double the smallest debt), or pay a month in advance on the mortgage. But whether I stay at the day job or go 100% freelance (still awaiting the confirmation from work ...), I need a good, reliable car in order to get there and earn the money to pay the debts. And we all know I've already picked my next car ... ;o)

My next decision then is the home office - to have one or make do? And if to have one, whether to put it in the loft or extend out into the yard. Both extensions will cost in the region of £20,000 (apx $33,000), but will give me an extra room in the house (dining room/study OR bedroom/study), and an extra toilet or shower room (downstairs loo if out; shower room if up). And while I know this decision is pending, do I meanwhile get the yard flagged and fenced and a downstairs window cut where the extension might go, or do I wait?

Or do I make that decision when I've cleared the other priorities?

Again, if I'm working at home, it needs to be a good, functional, motivational space so that I work to earn enough to clear what's left of my debts.

Play time
Today I'm off to Nostell Priory. I've been promising myself a visit all week and today I'm going. So I've actually set this to post in advance so that I can jump in the car and go, without worrying about booting up, etc, beforehand. (Carol: I've sent you a text.)

Thinking ahead, on Saturday I'm seriously toying with joining a one-day web seminar ...

Blessing or curse?

2011-03-23T09:44:00.008Z

The thing with working in sunshine is that after a few hours, the sun is in the wrong place and I can't see the laptop screen from where I'm sitting at the kitchen table. This means I have to switch from computer work to longhand work. Oh dear. How sad. Never mind. It's one way to keep Internet distractions at bay. And games of Spider solitaire ...

Is that a blessing or a curse? I think it's a blessing.

Work sent me an email yesterday to see how I was and if I wanted a chat, which was very nice of them. I said I'd either bring in a new sick note on Friday or report for work as usual next Tuesday, depending on what the doc says.

I shopped around for my 8Gb memory stick and found a 16Gb memory stick for a very cheap price at Amazon. It's ordered and on its way - and it was less than half the cheapest price from anywhere else. With free delivery too.

The one project a month got put temporarily on hold because when I put the first lightbulb in, it sheared off at the base, leaving the screw-in part in the lampholder. After going to all the trouble of getting the Death Ladder out and securing it safely against the house wall, I was a tad miffed. I asked my sparky buddy how I get the screw-in part out and he said he'd come and look at it today. This means that Nostell Priory is also temporarily on hold.

I took the recycling wheelie bins out, all 3 of them for a change after my mammoth de-clutter last week, and I got lots of diary work done.

Today, then, is waiting for the electrician. He's also a builder so I'll ask him to look at my stonework as well. I'll fetch the wheelie bins back too when everyone has emptied them.

The gig list fell over

2011-03-22T12:58:00.003Z

I didn't get to do much on the diary at all yesterday. Instead I started updating the gig list for April. I'd already done quite a few from emails received from bands and venues, etc. But one day last week, for some stupid reason, it lost everything - EVERYTHING - after 11 April. Even some flyers.

Once I update the list with gigs or flyers, I delete the email and any jpgs. That meant the only backup I had were a few left in my trash folder, some I'd replied to and not deleted yet, and any that were pasted into the guestbook.

A year ago, even 6 months ago, this would have really annoyed me and I would have lost sleep worrying about getting the gigs back. Because I've stepped quite a distance away from the whole thing, however, I just added a note to the guestbook, the gig list and Facebook, and retrieved what I could in my own time. And I didn't lose any sleep over it.

Yesterday the messages started to come in for April, and where they've taken their gigs to later in the year, I've saved the email in a different folder so it's there when I do May and beyond, rather than doing them all in one go and then losing them and having to re-do them all again.

So that was yesterday.

Today I have a project of the month to catch up on - can't remember which month I'm in but it may be December's ... The lightbulb in the outside security light went again during the last lot of storms we had, so I have to get the steps out and replace that. Again. Wouldn't life be easier if we didn't have to continually keep re-doing everything we've already done?

Then the diary's coming out. Definitely.

Next time I'm out and about I need to get a memory stick that's at least 8Gb, or order one if I can find a cheapish one on the Internet. Now that I'm working at home more, I need to get into a backup routine on the laptop. I know what it's like to lose everything and start from scratch and while most of my working data is also on my existing 4Gb memory stick, the backup program is asking for at least 8Gb.

For the past couple of days I've been able to sit at the kitchen table in a pool of sunshine with the back door open. The cats are loving being able to come and go as they please. They take it in turns to come and nibble at the food they've saved, or have a drink ... but I have NO IDEA why they both wait for the milk to start to turn before lapping that all up. Stoopid cats.

If the weather holds, I think it's Nostell Priory tomorrow.

Busy doing nothing

2011-03-21T14:20:00.000Z

Yup, that's what it feels like at the moment. The days are whizzing by and I'm not actually officially doing anything.

Of course I'm actually doing quite a lot, but I'm not "working", or not in the tangible sense. I'm reading a lot, jotting down notes, writing things as I think of them. I'm also doing quite a lot of gazing out the window, which most writers will recognise as Working Very Hard. Val McDermid lies on her back staring at the ceiling. I lean back in my chair, put my feet on the desk, and gaze out of the nearest window.

I really enjoyed Red Nose Day on Friday. It's one of the best, in my opinion, in recent years. On the night they raised a whopping £74,360,207, which is absolutely brilliant and includes a whole fiver of mine (my first donation in many, many years because I've been so broke). But can you imagine how far that would go in just this country? It will improve so many lives here and in Africa and is apparently the equivalent of just 1% of Vodafone's unpaid tax bill ...

Don't worry, I'm not about to go all political again. Just dropping in something to ponder and make up your own minds about.

Saturday was shopping, to M&S and to the supermarket, and I renewed my library books. Yesterday I was going to visit the seaside but the sunshine being enjoyed by almost everyone else in the country was drizzle here, so I stayed in.

Today I've propped the kitchen door open and sunshine is flooding onto the kitchen table where I'm going to work for a while. I have a diary to work on and some planning to put into fruition.

Red Nose Day

2011-03-18T11:57:00.001Z

I've had a bit of a lazy week but I have been getting things done. I even filled in my census form before realising we're not supposed to do it until on or after 27 March. However, all down Twitter and Facebook others have reported that they've received it, completed it and either submitted it online or returned it.

Yesterday I went for a walk in the sunshine to the village to post the census form and my PLR registration so I can get Night Crawler into what's left of our libraries, and I picked up some magazines to ~~read~~ study. If the census form is wrong or too early, they can send it back to me. I also bought myself a chocolate éclair as a treat for landing the new freelance job. My first assignment is on the way and doesn't have to be back for 3 - 4 weeks.

I've not done any freelance work this week because I'm on sick leave, and while I've always freelanced on the days I've not been contracted to work at the day job, I think it would be immoral to do so just now, so I'm still suffering pangs of guilt. I really need to get over this guilt thing.

I have no qualms, however, with driving or walking somewhere nice in the sunshine, or reading or writing. I still need to shop and I still need to do housework. There's no-one else around to do that for me, although my lovely neighbour did ask this morning if I wanted anything fetching in. He's obviously noticed that the car has been here all week.

Today is going to be a very easy day, although I am pondering the wisdom of maybe nipping to the supermarket on Red Nose Day. I have that pile of magazines to look at, a full book bag, and a few nice things to write. I'm even switching the laptop off just as soon as this is posted.

Whatever you're up to at the weekend I hope it's a good one. Mine will be more of the same and weather-dependent. This evening, though, I'll be watching Comic Relief on the telly.

Good news

2011-03-17T10:16:00.002Z

It was another busy day. I kept on top of the washing up, dealt with the mail as it came through the letterbox, put more washing through, etc. But I didn't Hoover the house with Henry.

Instead I took a breather and sat down to write out an outline for a filler/reader's letter, and then I wrote out another outline for another filler/letter, but this one immediately caused a whole article idea to jump into my head, almost fully formed - I love it when that happens. So then I decided that maybe it was an outline-writing kind of day ...

By the time I finished, I'd outlined and scheduled 4 fillers/reader's letters, 4 articles and a short story. Then I jotted another single line idea down and before the day was out I had another article idea on the boil. That's quite a good day. Outlines and ideas are one thing, getting them written down is another, and the outlines form the basis of any query letters I send too.

The fillers and the short story will go out on spec and 2 of the articles will too. But the other 2 articles will be fleshed out as queries. I still have to outline the last 2 articles.

At teatime I had some good news. A local publishing company I sent a cold, unsolicited letter to in January along with my CV, replied, asking if I'd like to do some proofreading for them for a few months and then maybe move into editorial if the chance arose. This is a book publisher and I was delighted to hear from them. Of course I already replied.

I had a bit of a chilled evening and an early night, and today I want to get started on that writing schedule I prepared yesterday. If I feel like it, I may even Hoover the house ...

Some break

2011-03-16T10:44:00.031Z

It was foggy yesterday, so I wasn't too disappointed about not going out anywhere. And anyway, it turned into quite the chore-filled afternoon in the end.

I cleared the washing up; did laundry throughout the day; gave all the cat dishes a thorough clean; sowed 2 windowsill pots, one each with chives and parsley seeds; cleaned and disinfected the bird feeders; bleached the kitchen, and fed the birds (in their shiny, clean feeders).

In between, I prepared meals and (ahem) played a few games of Spider Solitaire. I also got some writing work done. Ah yes, and I got through another Writers' Forum magazine.

Today, with much of it already done, I'll put some more laundry through, keep on top of the washing up, and Hoover the house. I'll do some more writing, and tomorrow I'll have more time to play/write with much of the housework done.

I think the cats are enjoying having me home.

Chores sprints

2011-03-15T12:32:00.000Z

The doctor suggested that stress at work may be causing the rashes, and other things, and so she gave me a fortnight off to do lots of things I like and enjoy. I do feel a bit guilty about this, but I was feeling guilty going in to work and not having a lot to do. I need to get over the guilt and carry on concentrating on the future.

On Friday, after I popped in to work to tell them, and to set my out-of-office auto reply, I picked up a Burger King and stopped off at Rosehill Victoria Park to eat it, in Rawmarsh. Saturday was glorious, so I drove to the water park at Hemsworth. Sunday, as you have already seen, I found sunshine and fresh air at Pugney's Country Park in Wakefield. I took a picnic, a book bag, the Kindle and some writing work and had a nice, relaxing weekend. I didn't go to any gigs because I didn't want to.

Yesterday I was going to visit Nostell Priory and sit in the grounds with the book bag, etc, but the weather turned on its head. We had the sunshine in the morning, and dull drizzle in the afternoon, so I stayed home and started a MAJOR de-clutter.

My office cupboards are about the size of filing drawers. I have 5 cupboards, 3 general drawers and 2 filing drawers, none of which have been touched for years and tend to get unopened mail shoved into all of them, or stationery, or books, or any other clutter. I managed to clear the equivalent of a cupboard and a half, and fill the paper recycling wheelie bin almost to the rim - with shredded paper. That's how much junk I have, and I have lots more to do. Much of it goes back 5 years to when I first moved here. It was a long and productive day, but because they're cupboards, I can't see any of it today.

This morning found me lost among some old copies of Writers' Forum I'd re-discovered. I was so absorbed reading the magazines that I forgot to get dressed, and now, because it's halfway through the day, I can feel some chores sprints coming on. This is where I set my kitchen timer for 10 minute blasts and tackle a different chore each time. When the buzzer goes, I stop. Even if I'm in the middle of something. I'll be coming back to it shortly anyway, so it will keep.

When I've cleared the washing up, put some washing in, tidied the kitchen and finished the current copy of Writers' Forum I'm catching up on, I'll do some writing. I'm working on Catch the Rainbow and another short story for the favourite market.

Pugney's Country Park

2011-03-13T19:00:00.002Z

I didn't get up in time to either go to the farmers' market or join the walk, and I apparently missed the rain. But it was such a glorious afternoon that I went out anyway.

The plan was to visit Newmillerdam, a place I'd only ever seen by accident 8 years ago when we were first house hunting up here. But when I got there the car parks were all completely full. Reluctant to turn around, I checked the map and found Pugney's Country Park just a few short miles away.

Pugney's Country Park used to be an open cast mine and a sand and gravel pit, but it was turned into a country park in 1985. There are 2 lakes, one a boating lake, footpaths, a miniature railway, a nature reserve and a castle. There are activities like the one above, a cafe and a watersports centre.

This is Sandal Castle. Next time I visit, I want to see the castle, but I got there a bit late today.

Here the miniature railway heads off into the nature reserve. On another visit, I'll take in the nature reserve.

I love boats and find them almost everywhere I go, even in deepest, darkest Yorkshire. Visitors may hire boats or bring their own.

It's still March so the miniature railway wasn't open yet. When I go again ... I'm going to have a miniature train ride.

It was a gloriously sunny afternoon, as you can probably tell from this gloriously blue sky. I knew I wanted this picture but I couldn't see a thing through the viewfinder due to the sunshine, but I think it turned out really well. (Even if I do say so myself.)

I bet the lake looks brilliant in sunshine when these sails are being used.

And to prove I was there ... well, how could I resist?

See the full set of 20 pictures on Webshots, or here's the slideshow. Enjoy.

Pugney’s Country Park 13 Mar 2011

Four day weekend

2011-03-11T09:10:00.005Z

Well, technically, it's not a 4-day weekend really, because I still work Friday and Monday, but I'm doing my own stuff with a clear conscience and that's so much better than having to plod to work and back.

I've started a book page on Facebook and called it, quite imaginatively, "The Book Page". I wanted to join a reading group but when I mentioned it on Facebook a few friends said they'd like to join one too. However, one of us is in Sheffield, one is in Rotherham, one is in Barnsley and one is in Hull-ish. Finding somewhere central among that lot once a month is quite difficult - especially for a Brummie. If we were in the midlands, I'd probably have a list of suitable places. But I don't know this massive county of Yorkshire well enough. Yet.

So I set up a Facebook page instead and asked who else wanted to join. The good news is, aside from another Yorkshireman and Yorkshire "lass" joining (Wakefield-ish and another Barnsley), my sister in Leicester has also joined and so has my brother. In Canada. We couldn't have managed that in the traditional manner, and it's great to have my brother and sister on board too, a good way to keep in touch.

We're starting with The Crow Road by Iain Banks, mainly because we have guidance notes in the Bloomsbury Essential Guide for Reading Groups by Susan Osborne. I thought I could get it on Kindle, but the Kindle book is dearer than the paperback. I'm going to try and get it from the library instead, but I don't mind buying the paperback.

Today I have 2 invoices to raise, the next activity annual to start, a short story to outline, and I have the daily Catch the Rainbow in there too. I have a doctor's appointment at 11am (eczema in the ear canal again, but also a bit of a stress rash on my face), I may also go to the library as it's only across the road, and friends are expecting me in Bridlington at 9pm-ish for a gig. But it's nearly 80 miles each way and with petrol hitting £1.30 a litre now, I'm not sure I can justify or afford the expense. I'll probably make my mind up at about 7pm - it takes just under 2 hours to get to Bridlington, but I also need to be in the mood to drive home at 2am.

Tomorrow is mostly chores day, and shopping, so I'll also nip to the library in the morning if I don't go today. One of my editors was hoping to meet up for a chat about work, but it depends on the rest of his schedule. It depends on whether he comes or not, what time he leaves (although we may be meeting at the side of the road yet ...), and how I feel, but there's another gig I wouldn't mind going to on Saturday night that's a bit closer to home. Again, I'll probably decide on a whim.

If I get up early enough on Sunday, it's the farmers' market in Wentworth and then a 6 mile walk, but I need to be at the start of the walk by 10am. Monday is a writing day.

Have a great weekend.

Overwhelmed

2011-03-10T10:08:00.000Z

Wow. By the end of yesterday I'd received, acknowledged and responded to over a hundred birthday greetings just on Facebook alone. Then there were emails, Tweets and texts, and regular birthday cards. I was quite exhausted but overwhelmed and, actually, a bit chuffed. Thank you, everyone. :o)

So I delivered the latest of the activity annuals at 7:30pm on Monday evening and by yesterday I was being asked about progress on the next one. Well, apart from one not being due until 26 April, I don't have any resources for any of the others and, hence, no deadlines. He asked if I could bring the 26 April one forward, and with that much notice, of course I can. This is the flexibility of being freelance and he asked so nicely. It was already in my diary for April, but my diary is in pencil and as the other material hasn't arrived yet, it's not a problem.

Yesterday I sat and did the diary to the end of the month. Today I'm going to start the job in my in-tray. After work I have a hair appointment - still only a cut and blow, although the white roots are starting to get noticeable.

The weather is still glorious here during the day, but still very cold, and bitterly cold at night. For the past 2 days we've also had high winds. It was bin day yesterday and some empty bins were blowing into the roads in front of the traffic. I think it's nice enough to go walking, though, and I have a 6-miler pencilled in for Sunday morning with the Ramblers.

Happy Birthday! To me!

2011-03-09T10:32:00.001Z

It's my birthday today and for the first time in as long as I can remember I've put all of my birthday money towards a proper birthday present. Amazon's new Kindle. With the change - yes, I had change too - I bought a couple of extra classics on top of the 65 I already downloaded for free, and I bought The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.

I've already read The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Coleridge, which I'd never read before, and now I'm reading The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights, adapted by Sir James Knowles. I also have on there Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine.

So thank you to my parents and to my sister for helping me buy this.

I say it's the first time I've spent my birthday money on a birthday present, and that's true. For too long any extra money I've had has paid

for the groceries, or paid a credit card bill, or put petrol in the tank. But 2 years ago I entered into a financial management plan to help me manage my debt (and I'm quite open about this because for too long it's been a dirty subject that people who care have been ashamed to talk about, yet the best thing that happened to me was finding out that there were other people in the same boat as me, and there is help for those that want it), I'm still paying my debt, but I'm managing my finances the best I ever have done.

I'm at work today. I had a steady day yesterday with just one visitor, twice, and managed to potter enough without resorting to putting my feet on desk and reading the current paperback. More of the same today, please.

Gluey ear

2011-03-08T10:31:00.000Z

I used to get tonsillitis. These days it's glue ear. I still do get tonsillitis sometimes, and I'm not sure which I prefer. But every time I come out at the other side of a period of intense work, I get glue ear. Every. Single. Time. Today is no different - I submitted the annual at about 7:30pm yesterday evening and gave myself today off (albeit at work ...).

This morning I woke up deaf in one ear. It must be some kind of safety mechanism or reaction, a bit like struggling through a busy week and then falling ill at the weekend. I need to remind my body that it already took 2 days off last week ... It mustn't be greedy. Or take liberties.

It's a beautiful day. Apparently we've had a few on the trot, but I've been a bit cocooned in my own little world. I can see the grass through my office window where the sunshine is slowly pushing the shadow to one side. There's this last little patch of frost that's diminishing slowly, but it's such a simple pleasure to see.

Today, then, I'm at the office. But all I've brought with me is the novel I'm currently reading, the diary, and the notebook. I also have one job in my in-tray, but there's no rush as far as I know.

I plan on taking it easy. Very easy.

A waste of my life

2011-03-07T12:06:00.001Z

I've been watching Dancing on Ice. I don't vote, I don't watch reality shows with ordinary people, but I do like to see some of the celebrity shows like this one. But yesterday I was very disappointed on 2 counts: 1. It dragged on and on and on and on ... for nearly 2 hours when only 1 hour would have been more than ample; and 2. It seems it's not a live show after all.

This is why I watch the shows, because they're live. But now, it seems, only the results shows are live. And even that may be questionable. The biggest give away on yesterday's show was the star turn Tweeting that she'd just performed ... while the actual evening show was still showing. And she wasn't even performing until the results show nearly 2 hours later.

I'll only be watching Dancing on Ice again in future if there's nothing else on and I have nothing better to do. For 2 hours on a Sunday evening, though, I'm sure they won't miss me and I'll have plenty to do.

Take yesterday (again), for example. I wanted to go walking but there were no walks short enough that I wanted to join. I thought about going to a National Trust property or an English Heritage site, but there were no events on within 40 miles of where I live. So even though I'd decided not to work at the weekends any more, and as I'd lost a few days last week already, I decided to write instead and even turned down an invite to a fondue party because I knew I would be busy.

And then I had a writing marathon. You know my chores sprints? I set the kitchen timer for 10 minutes and do as much of a specific chore as I can. Well, my writing marathon was 5 lots of 1 hour writing bouts. Five hours may not seem a lot, but that was just the actual writing part, the longhand part for me. In between I did some chores, some email, some admin, and I remembered to eat. Then I broke for tea and to settle in front of Dancing on Ice ... which I wish I hadn't bothered with.

After my leisure/break time, I started again, typing up all of my writing. And at half past midnight I even submitted some of it. I clocked off at 1am. That's a long and busy day.

On the weight watching front, I weighed myself at 6am on Saturday morning when the kittykat shuffle began, and I'd lost three quarters of a pound. I was quite happy with that as I'd only really started Wednesday evening and had gone bust on every day since (all 2 of them).

When I got up proper a couple of hours later, I weighed myself again out of interest ... and I'd lost another half a pound. I moved the scales all over the place in case it was a blip, but no, I'd definitely lost a pound and a quarter. I'd be happy losing that in a week, not in 2 days. Let's hope it continues - although it does prove that I may have been truly pigging before.

Today I have more work to do with a deadline by the end of the day. I've done a couple of hours on it already - more 1 hour bouts - but I hope to have this job off my desk in the next few hours.

Fatter than a fat thing

2011-03-04T09:09:00.018Z

I was messing around on the Weight Watchers website the other night when I thought I'd calculate my current UK dress size. Have you ever wished you'd just left well alone? I had such a shock I immediately went back to the WW site and joined up for 3 months. I am so disgusted with myself I'm not even going to reveal my US dress size (it's smaller than the UK dress size), (well, it's a smaller number ...). No wonder I was feeling so fat and bloated just lately; I am fat and bloated. :o/

I have a new pedometer now. It's a proper one that cost more than a couple of quid, measures in miles instead of km, and I can wear it around my neck or in my pocket or even carry it in a bag. It doesn't have to go on the hip. I finally set it up (I bought it when I got my glasses, I used my Boots points towards it), and if anyone sees me with a strange "necklace", it's my fancy new pedometer. I'll be wearing it every day now so I can log my steps. I also need to get out on a few walks and do some exercise.

The reason I've not gone back to WW before now is because they've changed from their old Points system to a new Pro Points system. You get a lot more Points for your money, but all of my WW books are in the old format. I love my WW cookbooks and use them all of the time, but I think this is a bit of a cop-out to get you to buy even more of their products. I'm sure there's a way of converting the old Points to the new Pro Points, though, so I'll just persevere.

I took 2 days off sick this week but have been catching up. The activity annual is all handwritten (I do everything in longhand first), I'm just finishing the typing and getting bits sent off to the studio at the end of the working day. I have to stop this working at the weekend, though, and have a proper weekend, because it really knocks me out. Especially as I tend to work until 1am. Hey, when I'm on a roll ...

That means tomorrow will be chores, shopping, baking and washing, etc, but I think I'll find a walk for Sunday. I also have my first weigh-in tomorrow morning. I started on Wednesday, but Saturdays are better, time-wise, for measuring and weighing. And I can wheel the Wii out too if I need or want to.

Ooh, before I forget - do you remember the Easter story I wrote last week and submitted on Monday? It SOLD yesterday. Fastest turnaround ever on a short story for me. Ah yes, and a department at work has asked for my CV ...

Have a great weekend

The pony express (rant alert)

2011-03-03T09:06:00.089Z

With so-called technological advances in the world today, it is so wrong that the Pony Express was more reliable than our current postal service.

I paid £8.99 on Tuesday (apx $14.50) to guarantee next day special delivery. But when I got to the office, my delivery hadn't arrived. Why? Because Royal Mail had "mis-sorted" it. They sent it to the wrong mail centre.

For 400 years they've managed to deliver post reliably, and even through 2 World Wars. Once upon a time, a letter posted in the morning was delivered before the end of the same day - even I remember that, so it's not that long ago. So why can't they do it today?

I don't know why Royal Mail has become so unreliable recently, and I don't know how they have the gall to increase postal prices every single year, with a heap big extra hike due next month. How do they justify that? And where is the Monopolies Commission? Is there an Ombudsman? Ah, it seems there is. Here. So what are YOU doing, Postcomm?

"Postcomm is an independent regulator which licenses postal operators; controls the Royal Mail's prices and quality of service; promotes competition in postal services and safeguards the universal postal service."

"Royal Mail" and "quality of service" in the same sentence? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ...

We used to have one of the most envied postal services in the world, indeed many of our services were envied worldwide. Not so today. Even a 1st class stamp, currently priced at 41p (67c), takes 7 days to be delivered. This is an absolute disgrace, Royal Mail, and I think you need to get your act together if you hope to sell your so-called "service". You should be bigging it up, not letting it run down.

Oh, and I'd just like to take this opportunity to welcome new surfers who have arrived here following a Royal Mail search. You're all very welcome. :o) Perhaps one of you could tell us why Royal Mail has gone down the pan so alarmingly well. It certainly doesn't merit its "Royal" endorsement and should be stripped of the privilege. Right now.

If it was just the odd instance, I'd let it go. But my sister's birthday card took over a week to get to her and neither of us lives on an isolated island in the middle of the Nowhere Sea as far as I'm aware. In fact, we're both just off the main arterial M1 that runs almost the entire length of England.

And a dusting of snow in Sheffield? Forget Christmas cards arriving in Birmingham on time - you know, that great big industrial city slap bang in the middle of the country? It's more reliable for me to jump in the car and drive the 100+ miles to my parents' or to my sister's. At least I know their greetings cards arrive on time. I should charge 41p a pop and take a car full.

Fortunately Amazon immediately refunded the delivery charge, and I daresay they'll get this back from Royal Mail. Hopefully my order will arrive today. However, surely there should be a next day delivery we can rely on.

Offers and suggestions on a postcard.

PS: Happy World Book Day! I'm reading The Bloomsbury Essential Guide for Reading Groups. What are you doing?

Still being good

2011-03-02T11:34:00.000Z

I didn't do a thing yesterday. I stayed in bed until about 2pm and when I got up all I did was choose my birthday present. It's ordered, and any money I get will go towards it, but much of the afternoon was spent downloading freebies for when it comes.

I've come in to the office just to check emails (there aren't any worth worrying about), collect post (nothing here yet), pick up phone messages (both blank), see if there's any work (no), and pay some money into the bank on the way back (at least I have that).

When I get home I'm going to curl up in the warmth and comfort of my living room and write and read. Work can have me back tomorrow. Maybe. It's not worth busting a gut to get here anyway any more.

Taking it easy

2011-03-01T08:44:00.000Z

I had a good, productuve day yesterday. I didn't manage everything I wanted to, but I did get 2 batches of the activity annual into the studio. I also finished and submitted the short story and the filler. I was particularly delighted that I managed to turn the story around in less than a week.

I'm not feeling great today after feeling freezing cold for much of the night, so I'm listening to my body and taking it easy this morning.

Back to work

2011-02-28T09:58:00.001Z

Back to work? I've done nothing but work all weekend, even if there aren't a lot of words to show for it - yet.

Friday I did mostly prep work for the activity annual, having already written and submitted the running order last week. A friend came to look at my printer and have a coffee, but then it was back to it until well into the evening. I didn't make it to the gig on Friday night, but I got so much done at home I was okay about it.

On Saturday I went and got my cash for the month. This is such a major achievement for the day after pay day. Normally I'm chomping at the bit waiting at the cashpoint for the clock to pass midnight, or I've already gambled with a few post-dated cheques - naughty I know, but if there's no chance of them being banked before the funds are there, i.e. if the banks are already closed, I don't feel too bad about it. I still had enough cash on me to pay both the milkman and the window cleaner too.

Then I went to the library to renew my books, did my weekly supermarket shop, and filled the car with petrol. When I got back, there was more work on the annual and quite a bit of "thinking time" on the short story and filler I outlined last week. I didn't go walking with the Ramblers, because I was working, and I didn't go to any gigs, because I was working ...

Sunday morning I headed off down to Birmingham to see my mom and dad. When I got there the power had been off for an hour and when we called the helpline number they have, we were warned it could take 3 hours to repair the fault - something to do with an overhead line. We had a sandwich and a cold drink and decided we'd go for a drive somewhere to get a nice cup of tea if the power didn't come back on in time. The power did come back on in time and I got back home in time to see Birmingham City FC being presented with the Carling Cup.

On Sunday evening I alternated between watching Dancing on Ice and more work. By the time I turned in at 1am gone, I'd jotted down another idea I had for an article, courtesy of Twitter, written draft 1 of the short story and the filler I outlined last week, and I'd drafted pages 1 - 13 of activity annual #3-3.

This morning I'll get those pages off to the studio before they nag me for some work, then I'll crack on with draft 2 of the short story and the filler, and a few more pages of the activity annual. This afternoon, if I'm happy with the story, it's going off. And so will the filler. I also have another filler I'd like to outline and start thinking about, and I hope the activity annual will be done by the end of the day.

It is FREEZING here in the Back of Beyond today. If it gets too cold I won't be able to sit at the desk under the window without a blanket, a hot water bottle, and a constant supply of hot drinks.

I have to stay off Facebook, Twitter, and other blogs (sorry) until I've done at least another session on everything. Then I'll have a little play time before going back to work.

Fiction assignment

2011-02-26T09:00:00.007Z

Here is your choice of assignment, should you wish to attempt it.

The pocket novel just jumped from 30,000 words to 50,000 words, leaving quite a few writers with 30,000-word stories they've started but don't think they can stretch to 50,000. Instead of wasting this work, consider submitting it as a serial query instead. Send it to WW, MW and then PF, in that order and, if it still comes back, Google (or Bing or Ask or whatever) "novella submissions" world wide. Here's just one I found earlier ... (current deadline 1 May, didn't see any payment information, though). If you prefer, do the Google thing first. And if you don't already have 30,000 words, do the Google thing and write something to fit the market.

Create a community, it can be a village, a workplace, a building, whatever, and write 4 different short stories about 4 different main characters. Use the same supporting cast of characters, as though you're writing Jilly Cooper/Jackie Collins/soap opera style. Your main characters may also be used as secondary characters in another main character's story. When polished, honed, and the best you can make them, etc, send one to WW, one to FF, one to MW and one to PF (or write 5 and send one to TWN as well). Or choose 4 or 5 markets of your own. If they come back, rotate them.

Report back.

The point is to aim high and work your way down the scale rather than go the other way. "Always aim for the moon. If you miss, you'll still land among the stars." (Apparent misquote, but it says all it needs to anyway.) Good luck!

Too many choices

2011-02-25T09:57:00.001Z

I'm at the start of a 4-day weekend and today's work is mostly going to be activity annual #3-3. I also have a short story to write and at least one filler. In the past week I've outlined the short story, outlined the filler, outlined the activity annual, and drafted and submitted 2 queries. When 1 query was responded to, I wrote back with more information and a section of samples. I need to get at least 1 more query out and 1 more filler outlined.

This evening is when the choices begin. But they depend on (a) how much work I've done, (b) how much work I have yet to do, and (c) how I feel at the end of it.

Tonight I could carry on writing/working, go to a rock gig in Sheffield to see a band I've been wanting to see for ages, or go to a comedy gig in Barnsley where new friends have invited me to sit with them. Or I could chillax.

Tomorrow is the Moonraking festival in Slaithwaite at 6:30pm and a walk with the Ramblers at 1pm, including tea of fish and chips. Or I could stay home and work, then go to see a Thin Lizzy tribute band in Barnsley that I really love, or to see another band - also in Barnsley - I've been wanting to see for ages, or I could chillax in front of the telly. Or I may still be working.

Sunday is non-negotiable. I'm going to see my mom and dad in Birmingham, and with rumours of petrol prices going through the roof in the next 7 days, I'll also be making sure my car is filled to the brim when I get back.

Monday I'll be working again. I hope I can say cheery-bye to the activity annual by the end of the day and to the short story.

Did Fiction Feast come out yesterday? Did everyone submit their invoices with a due date of 30 days time?

Hmm. Blogger is currently offering me a dictionary in English (United States) or English (Australian). Has English (UK) stopped happening?

Have a great weekend.

How I do it

2011-02-24T11:11:00.011Z

Grab yourself a cuppa, this is a long one ...

I started off by trawling the dates dictionaries to see what topical stories are coming up this year. I also scoured the events diaries within a 2-hour drive of where I live, although I did then knock that down to a 1-hour drive. I thought through and researched seasonal themes and customs, and I spoke to people, asking about their private lives and their jobs.

I thought about the things I'd like to do, what interests me. And I thought about what magazines and newspapers might be looking for in these mixed times. Some things simply jumped up and hit me in the face, but I think the skill there (which comes with practise, and I sometimes call it a curse ...) is knowing a good idea when it does hit you in the face.

Write it down
Then I bought a lovely new notebook, but before I ruined it by writing too much that may get crossed out, I had a look at my notes, revisited my thoughts, and discarded all of those subjects that wouldn't interest me at all, that I wasn't qualified to write and couldn't think of who to interview, or that I wouldn't really have time to do justice to. When I had my final ideas, I wrote them neatly and lovingly in my new book - and if you remember there were around 80 or 90 ideas and titles jotted down.

Study the market
Market study was next on the list, I picked up a pile of magazines that may be interested in the kind of article I can write. Where they had them, I downloaded the contributors' guidelines, and where they didn't, I asked for them - I'm still waiting for those. Then I tentatively matched a selection of ideas to a selection of magazines. It's always good to have back-up plans, or alternative markets for the same subjects but with a different slant or focus.

The query
When I was relatively happy, I drafted my first query and sent it off to a national daily broadsheet newspaper supplement on Wednesday. I thought about the next one, drafted it and sent it off to a local glossy yesterday. The queries included a polite introduction, the gist of the article, a brief bio, and the option to ask for samples or further information.

This is how I do it. It's probably how a lot of us do it.

Result
By teatime yesterday, the local glossy had responded, asking for a sample of my work. I don't send samples by email in the first instance, unless they say it's okay to do so in their guidelines, because I don't know if they want links, attachments, or everything in the body of the email.

The glossy also asked for my rate per 1,000 words, and this is a problem for a lot of people. Pitch too high and they might not be able to afford you, so won't even bother giving you the chance to negotiate; pitch too low and they may snap your hands off because it's half what they normally pay and they can smell a saving. I have my own way of responding to the "what is your rate?" question, but I always include the words "market dependent" and "negotiable", and I always ask for their usual rates too.

The boring bit
Many magazines will have a fixed rate, some will have a sliding scale depending on experience (with them) and whether or not they think you're an expert or a particularly good writer. And those will pay you what they pay regardless. But, as do most magazines, I have a minimum rate that I tend to work for. It's £100 per 1,000 words (apx $160), and if I know a magazine only pays, say, £25 per 1,000 words ($40), unless it's something I'm particularly interested in doing, or something that will benefit me (because, let's face it, it's already benefitting them), I don't even waste their time or mine by applying. They may only genuinely be able to pay that amount, but I genuinely have a mortgage to pay. No need to fall out; just move on.

I may consider £75 per 1,000 words if it's a 2,000+ word article they want ($120). I don't see the point in raising invoices for much less than £100, but £150+ is a bit more respectable ($240). Most will pay repro fees for photographs, which bumps up the pay, but always remember to ask if they do this because photographers have a living to earn as well as us and they won't thank writers for stealing their cookies. Us going in for free reduces their earning capacity just like hobby writers writing for free reduce ours - if it's a market that pays for photographs.

Cost of living
I'm only just getting back into freelancing on a major scale, but if successful, my personal minimum rate will probably go up. But I still reserve the right to write for less if I so choose. And I reserve the right to negotiate because it may be a market I want to write for, for whatever reason, and we have to work together. If they don't or won't give pay rises, then I consider whether or not I want to stay with them or if purposes have been served.

The cost of living rises for writers too, not just staffers who expect, and usually get, at least an annual cost of living pay rise. They'll often get an additonal, performance-based pay award too.

With the current rate of inflation, no annual pay rise is effectively the equivalent of a pay cut, and an actual pay cut is the equivalent of you paying them to let you work for them.

Please pause for one moment and think about that picture ...

Exceptions
The ONLY exception to my rule is reprints. Reprints have already earned their keep by being sold in the first place for the going rate, so anything they earn is a bonus, whether it be $25 (£15) or £250 ($400 - I've had both, I've sold the same reprint numerous times, and I've received more pay for a single reprint than I did for the original work). For this reason, I generally only sell first rights in the first place.

I don't argue if a market wants full rights so long as they're paying a quality rate. For that kind of money, they can have the rights and I'll do a full re-write for another market if there's enough substance. If they're paying expenses they tend to get full rights as well, because as far as I'm concerned, during the time I'm working on that article, I'm working for that market or client.

Moving on
If the national daily rejects my idea, or fails to reply, I do have a list of alternatives to try. If the glossy ulitmately rejects me because I'm too expensive, at least I know the idea has legs and I have others to try. I targeted this magazine at this point, however, because I think that this article will be a perfect fit for them.

Finances
If I take redundancy at work I'll get 3 months notice + 3 months severence + any unused holiday pay + quarterly bonus for April. I already have contracted work in to the value of 6 months pay. This gives me money "in the bank", so to speak, for 12 months (once tax, etc, has been taken into account). I already have another activity annual in that needs a contract. This will pay my wages for month 13 and part of month 14.

If a national daily and the local glossy commission me, that's month 14 covered, and any work I book from now on in will be for month 15 onwards. I'm financially secure until at least March 2012. How many can say that in the current economic climate, about to give up the day job to go freelance?

It's pay day tomorrow and I still have cash in my purse and in the bank account. Oh, and I didn't hack into the savings account either this month This is a major achievement. I'd even forgotten that it was pay day this week.

I'm ready.

All quiet

2011-02-23T12:21:00.003Z

It's gone very quiet today in comparison to the past couple of days. We had a flurry of militant activity but everyone must be resting on the ol' laurels now. Even at work the steady flow of visitors to my office that was yesterday has reduced down to zero. I'm feeling a bit punch-drunk and slightly dazed.

Nightmare at home time
Do you remember the flash floods that took Sheffield by surprise in 2007? That's the one where the Ulley Dam threatened to burst its banks and swamp the M1, a power station and a water treatment plant, so they evacuated the M1, closed it, and pumped the Ulley water ultimately into people's homes instead (many believe).

Four years on, nearly, they finally seem to be addressing one of the worst hit areas. They have a digger pulling up the road and 2 of the 3 lanes are coned off. I think they're doing something to the drains, but as it's on a very busy traffic island, you can imagine the traffic at rush hour. It's on my way home (on the way in to work too, but the traffic doesn't seem anywhere near as bad in the mornings), and so home time truly is a nightmare.

Comment moderation
One of my lovely regular commentators was having trouble signing in on OpenID. I checked, and it was indeed coming up as a failure, although others seemed to be breaking through okay. So I opened up the blog to comments from "anyone" again. Already I've had some spam, but not sufficient to justify putting the captchya on again. I like my readers to comment on my blog posts, so I try to make it as easy for them to do that as possible.

Then people started to comment on the Slight Unrest post from 2 weeks ago, and they were going into comment moderation. I didn't understand why, but tried to release them as quickly as I saw them. Yesterday I had a look at my settings, and the button for "comment moderation for posts over 14 days old" was checked. So I changed it to over 28 days.

Hopefully comments will come straight through again. I'm really sorry they went into moderation.

Day job
They've decided that my magazine will not be resurrected, which in effect makes my post redundant. I'm not too upset by this, to be honest, because I've been struggling to find the motivation to get out of bed and come in for several months. Usually at that stage I'd start looking for another job and hand in my notice as soon as I found one that was suitable. But this time I spent the last 3 months exploring my freelance options again.

I've already got quite a lot of additional work booked in (at least 6 months worth of wages, with another month's pay on the verge of being contracted), but I couldn't realistically take on any more because I couldn't guarantee I'd be able to deliver. I'm a firm believer that you should never make a promise you may not be able to keep.

We're still considering my options at the moment (and theirs), but I'm delighted that they finally had the guts to tell me what they'd decided all along. Had I not made any noise about the situation, I truly believe I'd still be sat here on Judgement Day, all forgotten, doing a marvellous impression of Miss Havisham.

This is good news. Very good news.

If you wanted to give up the day job, or a regular contract, how many months wages "in the bank" would be your minimum comfort blanket?

This writing business (updated)

2011-02-22T11:01:00.005Z

Wow. Yesterday my hit counter started to spin and I gained some new followers. The reason? This post about invoices and payments, etc, finally made it onto the Writers' News forum, TalkBack (need to have an account to read it and take part, but it's quick, easy and free), and Womagwriter linked here as well. This is great because it gets people talking about a subject that we usually keep quiet about and brush under the carpet: money.

Make a difference
One of yesterday's commentators on the aforementioned post pointed out that Take a Break's Fiction Feast may be out this week, the magazine that started the debate in the first place. FF pays on publication, as does TaB, because - they say - they don't know how much room the story will take up until the designers have finalised the page layout. (I say "they say" because they must know before actual publication what the page plan looks like in advance, BUT ... that's a different topic for another day.)

And so what we are proposing, and I hope Womag does this too, is that every single person who has a short story published in this week's FF submit an invoice, dated Thursday (24 Feb), with a 30 day due date (26 Mar).

Most contributors to both FF and TaB know what the rates are per page for fiction. HOWEVER, in case there are any that don't, here are the latest fees, as far as we know. If these have changed in the past 4 years, please let us know. If they haven't ... I'm not even going there just now.

As far as I understand, this is a fixed scale that most people are aware of, so no-one will be publicising their own negotiated fee. (Ahem ... another subject for another day ...) If it's not a fixed scale, I'm sure someone at TaB will be quick enough to let us know and ask us not to list any fees.

Oh, and let us know that you've done it too, and when you receive payment.

Death Highway
It's taken them 7 years to my knowledge, but they've finally done something about the most lethal road in the whole of South Yorkshire. I call it Death Highway because there have been so many fatal road accidents just in the 6 years I've been coming to work. The road is very bad, has a poor road surface with no traction, there are no white lines, no lights, the edges are soft, leading to ditches.

Well now they've finally cut out the middle of the road and replaced it with new tarmac, then painted white lines on. I presume this new tarmac is designed to not soak up the white paint as much, or to keep the white lines as crisp as possible. They've also changed the road layout slightly, although they've only painted this on the road, there are no barriers. Some of the tarmac is now painted beige, some is painted dark pink. And they've lowered the speed limit from 60 mph to 40 mph.

But there is still no additional street lighting. I don't have so much of a problem with this because of light pollution, but I know street lighting has been cut as part of our budget economy drive and I'm a bit annoyed that the road tax we pay, the council tax we pay, and the extortionate VAT on petrol can't in some way pay for street lighting that will ultimately save lives. So I'm torn. But they could quite easily put cats' eyes down or reflective lights on sticks along the roadside.

Because they've done something, however, means that they really needed to. Let's hope there are fewer road accidents as a result.

Day job
Today is the start of a 3-day week for me, and - for a change - the work is pouring in. I've obviously made my plight well known and lots of friends and sympathetic colleagues are putting the word out too. And, to be honest, I'm enjoying the different kinds of work that are coming in.

I have a safety manual to reformat, a welcome pack to get on with, a slide show to add ideas to and edit/proof read, and a charity day to help organise.

It's about bloody time.

EDIT
As if by magic ... please read Lori's post just published on chasing, and receiving, payment, and also Simon's post from late yesterday. (12:00pm) Here too are posts from Alex and Sue. Ooh, we are causing ripples, aren't we. (11:30pm)

A blur

2011-02-21T11:18:00.000Z

And another fun-packed weekend whizzes past.

Three-day weekends used to last me nicely, but now I've started to experience 4-day weekends as well, the 3-day weekends are whizzing past in a blur. I'm still getting tons and tons done, though. But I think I'm about ready to start spending more time at home. Whatever they offer me at the day job, if I decide to stay I want to go down to a 3-day week. Fortunately, this week is exactly that.

Shopping and washing got done on Saturday, the rest of the time I was reading and note-taking. I needed to get all of my millions of ideas down in one place, and where better than in my lovely new notebook. In the end I had 59 ideas for short stories, articles, fillers and readers' letters, and 17 titles (working or final) for novels, non-fiction books and an anthology.

The notebook is lethal. Since it was brought into action late on Thursday evening I've known it was there and it's been calling to me at all hours. Last night it was stupid o'clock in the morning, but another 2 ideas duly went down in there.

Mostly these are things I've had knocking around for a while, probably more than half. The rest is what I've come up with just this weekend. It doesn't even include the activity annuals ... and now I want to go and write those down too. There are 5 of them. That gives me more than 80 WIPs.

I think it's time to step away from the notebook.

Today, then, I have the next activity annual to work on. I may also get some queries out and do some work on the novel. (Current novel WIP = Catch the Rainbow.)

What's on your WIP today?

Moving on up

2011-02-18T09:08:00.021Z

So, of the 8 short stories submitted on Wednesday, one was sort-of rejected yesterday. Fastest rejection ever? Not quite, I can re-submit it later in the year. Meanwhile, I now know exactly what the editor is looking for, on what theme, to what length, for which issues, and by when. Already I have the titles, the main characters and one outline. That's 2 more short stories added to my to-do list. Nice.

Some missing paperwork finally turned up, which means I can crack on with the work without my subconscious nagging me that I may never get paid. One order does seem to have fallen by the wayside, though, but while I'd been given a way to get around this with my invoice, I now have an order that should have been upgraded but which is now redundant ... only it isn't. It's on my invoice and winging its way to payment heaven.

And that's something else I got to do yesterday, I raised invoices. Plural. All good stuff.

I now have solid contracts in place for the equivalent of 6 months wages. How cool is that? Time to apply bum to seat, methinks.

I'd forgotten to get flea treatment for the cats the other evening on the way home and as I was going straight out, I didn't have the time to get it from anywhere else. So that was finally collected yesterday, along with another pile of magazines to study. I also bought a lovely new notebook to jot down all of the ideas that are suddenly jostling for attention - but I didn't want to spoil it straight away by writing in it. However, I did christen it late last night because the aforementioned outline was ready to be written and, consequently, keeping me awake.

Before I left the office yesterday I wrote down everything I could think of that I needed to do today on a things-to-do-today pad. That stopped me worrying about stuff overnight, and I'm going to do the same thing today.

The weekend looms and I have nothing planned beyond chores, chilling, some writing work, and reading. I picked up that book I got stuck with and it's working again, so I'm going to carry on reading it, give it a chance.

Have a great weekend.

Matchsticks for my eyes

2011-02-17T09:12:00.034Z

Yesterday was really quite busy. Again.

Aside from the single solitary job I have in at work (I'm milking it to make it last longer), I also spent much of the morning bringing my diaries up to date and then hunting down and printing off latest writers' guidelines for various UK publications. I picked up a couple of overseas ones as well, and two sets for what I call novellas.

These two novella markets are both paying considerably more than I initially thought they were, and I've always fancied doing them but the rumoured rate of pay always put me off. They're outside of my current minimum rate of pay, but I don't mind giving them a go while I get used to writing longer material, and if successful, I understand we're able to sell large print rights and, maybe later, e-book rights.

At lunchtime I went for a brisk walk to one of our newsagents and selected a handful of magazines to study. Where possible I matched the guidelines to the magazines, but I currently have 2 magazines with no guidelines. Because I don't feel like reading a full novel at the moment, I'm going to enjoy reading these magazines, and I'm collecting some more today.

Then I went through my stories file and submitted some straight reprints abroad, 2 brand new stories abroad, and 1 brand new story at home. Altogether I re-formatted (to suit) and submitted 8 short stories. I also had to bring my submissions tracker up to date as I've been a bit lax.

I have another brand new story for the home market, but we can only submit one per month to this particular market and as I wrote it specifically, I'll hang on and send it in March. It's not that far off.

There's an excellent markets newspaper for freelance writers that I also re-subscribed to. They're currently looking for fillers and articles. I won't get rich on the fees they pay (if successful), but they're things I can write without too much additional work in between the bigger projects I have coming in and, hopefully, yet to find.

In my head I have about half a dozen article ideas I want to get queried NOW, but the story submission was a nice process to ease me into the swing of things.

It doesn't seem like a lot, but by the end of it I was exhausted and could feel my eyelids getting gritty. It gave me a spring in my step, though, and set me up for the query submission process that will start today - it HAS to start today. But I'm feeling GOOD.

Definitely NOT Di

2011-02-16T09:56:00.001Z

I received a Valentine card from MoonPig where the sender (and I know who it is) filled in the bits himself. It made me smile, but the one that I wish everyone knew was the nickname. He doesn't have a nickname for me - or not one he shares at any rate, although it probably depends on what mood I'm in - so where it asked for a nickname he'd put: "Definitely not Di". Correct. My name is "Diane", there are heap big clues everywhere that I'm a "Diane", and I really, really hate to be called "Di".

Apart from by some people.

And I mean people that have known me most of my life, people that grew up with me, and maybe the occasional other that does get away with it. It annoys me when I've mentioned to someone several times already "It's Diane, actually," yet they pay no attention whatsoever. But the time it annoys me the most is when it's the first time I've ever spoken to anyone, either on the phone or face-to-face, and even when they come onto my guestbook for the first time, and they call me Di.

I always check when someone is introduced to me how they prefer to be called. I always check correct names, spellings and titles when I'm contacting someone for the first time. It's good manners to ask if it isn't clear. Or it is in my opinion. And then it's even worse manners to call them something else. And manners don't cost anything.

I'm not Dianne or Diana or Di. My name. Is Diane. Thank you.

Moving on
So yesterday, after finally finding someone at work that (a) listened, (b) took notes, and (c) knew anything about UK employment law, I thought I'd be over the moon. And I was - am. But I felt so wrung out afterwards, I was absolutely shattered. I didn't get much tangible work done, but I faffed a lot. You know how it is when you've been doing something all day, but you can't see anything for it by the end of it. I gave up on the new book I'd started to read (I can't do time travel), and I was in bed by 10pm.

But today will be different. Today needs to be different. I have several quite good (in my opinion) ideas for articles and I need to get the ball rolling on those to find suitable markets to target, and when one leapt into my head on the drive in to work this morning, I knew I was on my way.

I'm here till 4:30pm, then I want to get some flea treatment for the cats (it's that time of year and prevention is far more desirable than cure) and a few newspapers and magazines I'm thinking of. Tonight I have a Ramblers' meeting. I hope I remember everything I'm supposed to report back from the area meeting last week.

Missing in action

2011-02-15T12:24:00.007Z

Wow. Where did the past few days go? And this morning, come to think of it.

Friday I was waiting for paperwork so I could start work on something, but when it didn't arrive I decided to go and do the weekly shopping instead. Then I decided on a whim that as it had been 3 months since I last went out, and as friends had been nagging me all week to go out with them, I would go to a gig on Friday night. The reason I'd not been out for so long was mostly due to snow, a bit to do with money, but also because I'm feeling a bit fat and bloated at the moment.

So I decided to go to Next and get myself a nice pair of "fat" jeans. I probably still looked fat and bloated, but at least I felt a bit better about going out on display. I drove over to Sheffield and watched a new band (to me) in a new venue (to me) with some old and new friends (of mine) and had a great time.

I can't even remember what I did on Saturday other than washing and ironing. Maybe I did that all day.

On Sunday I went to the farmers' market in Wentworth and came away with a loaf of bread (a bit expensive, I thought, when I can make my own), a dozen free range eggs, 2 potted beef with garlic, 2 packets of handmade white chocolate buttons, 2 portobello mushrooms, 6 venison sausages, and 2 lavender sleep pillows. On the way home I tried to get into an antiques fair in Elsecar, but the place was so packed there was nowhere left in the village to park.

Sunday night I popped one of the lavender sleep pillows into my pillowcase, read until gone midnight so I could finish The Pillars of the Earth - this is one of those books that makes me think "I'm never going to write again", it was brilliant - and then I slept right through until gone 9am. The cats had obviously given up trying to wake me up at stupid o'clock and were both curled up on the bed snoring their heads off. I got up, had breakfast, fed the cats, went back up to get washed and dressed, lay down on the bed for just 1 minute ... and the next thing I knew, it was midday.

Either that lavender sleep pillow does a cracking job or I've been so stressed just lately, burning the candle at both ends at home and hitting my head against a brick wall at work, that maybe I'd reached burnout.

Because I only had half a day left, I decided to write and read. Fortunately the new book I've started to read has made me think "I can do that" again, so that's good, I'm back on track. I wrote 1,754 words of Catch the Rainbow, which made up the tail end of chapter three and all of chapter four, bringing my running total to 5,929 words.

This morning I arrived at work to be greeted by a message from HR arranging an informal chat - well, it's about time! (Deserved screamer.) We had our chat (which is why I'm late now), and I feel a lot better for it. I wish they'd make up their mind, though, because I can't reliably take on any other work unless/until I know I'll have the time to deliver. But hopefully the decision process will begin tomorrow.

I have a technical manual to reformat (it's the one I proofed last week), they gave me a newsletter to proof last week (and then got someone else to look at it afterwards, who put in some extra errors I didn't get to see), and I await a management decision. In other work, I have the next activity annual and a few queries to draft. And it's a 4-day week. Boo!

I need more February

2011-02-11T09:00:00.031Z

This one is fast running out.

Busy day yesterday - it seems that people are finally aware that I'm here. (Oh, I wonder how that happened.) Took quite a few phone queries, actually had a technical manual to start re-formatting, and the next global newsletter came through for proofing too, or half of it did. I expect the rest will come through at home today. And I also expect, in fact demand, that everyone - everyone - scrutinise it with a fine tooth comb for errors.

Discussed some outstanding paperwork with one of my lovely editors, I'm hoping that all comes through today. We're of the same ilk, we shout a lot ... but mean well. Once the paperwork comes through I'll crack on with some work for him.

Printed off a selection of colour cuttings (clips) ready for the mass-submission process that's about to begin. Completed February with walks and events, filled March with walks and events, finalised April with walks and events. I have to synchronise diaries. The pocket diary that goes everywhere has everything summarised within, but the desk diary that, well, stays on the desk, needs updating with the detail. I've tried doing this electronically, but that doesn't work for me. It could be linked to the same reason I compose everything in longhand first.

I also printed off the completed events details to go into my freelance folder. When I'm organised, everything is to hand in the same place, all the ideas files, the dates, the appointments, the queries, etc. It means I can have a browse to see what's what without having to fire up a pc. Not very tree-friendly I admit, but I do what I can with the materials that I use and how I use them.

Four-day weekend ahead. The plan for today is mostly activity annual #3-3, and I'll continue with that over the weekend and on Monday. I want this one delivered and invoiced well before the end of the month, and I expect to start on the next one, #4-1 (wahey! new material), before the month is out. I'll also do that diary work, get some queries out, and do more writing.

Saturday will be work again, plus household chores. I might do some baking but I definitely need to do some ironing - that or buy new clothes, and I can't afford any yet. One day I'm going to go out armed with my clothes budget and blow the lot on a small, nicely co-ordinated yet versatile, casual-but-smart wardrobe. I've bought walking clothes recently (ooh, in the past 18 months), but I need to start replenishing the work outfits.

Sunday I'm at a farmer's market first thing, then an antiques fair, and then - if they haven't closed yet - the supermarket. Monday it's back at the desk.

Have a great weekend. Here are the August idea giveaways for those that want them, and don't forget, I'm selfishly keeping a lot for myself:

5 August Oyster season begins (evergreen)
12 August Grouse shooting begins (evergreen)
3 - 6 August The Woodmen of Arden stage their Grand Wardmote (date specific)
6 August St Wilfrid's Feast procession, Ripon (date specific)
6 August is also Grasmere rushbearing (date specific)
20 - 21 August Saddleworth rushbearing (date specific)
27 August Burning Bartle in Leyburn (date specific)
28 August Plague Sunday, Eyam (date specific)
13 August 1961 (50 years ago) The border between East and West Berlin was sealed off (anniversary)
17 August 1961 (50 years ago) Construction of the Berlin Wall began (anniversary)
21 August 1911 (100 years ago) The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre

I need more April

2011-02-10T09:00:00.005Z

So yesterday evening I sat down for the next phase of my freelancing work, which was looking for events to attend in the next few months that may lead to further ideas - the dates thing is great, but it's a bit boring when that's the only thing that you do. Also, I like to attend events for pleasure, so I try to have a good mix.

By the end of the evening, I'd only looked at April and already I'm wondering how I'm going to fit it all in.

Here are a couple of events I'd love to attend, or query editors about beforehand, but simply don't have the time because they clash with something else ... like Mother's Day:

This one, Wild About Food Foraging Day, is a teensy bit far being in Ripon. A Railway Children Weekend again, being in Keighley, is a little bit far. This Spring Open Day at Blacktoft bird reserve clashes with the Ramblers' national conference in Oxford, and this special event to Welcome Our Avocets clashes with Mother's Day when I'll be in Birmingham. If April wasn't already so busy, I would have gone along to the YorkBoat Floodlit Evening Cruise in York or the Bronte Tractor Run in Haworth, but both would be a big chunk out of my writing time, and the Haworth gig clashes with Oxford as well.

Later this month I'm going to Slaithwaite for their Moonraking Festival, but pretty much the rest of February is going to be researching, querying and writing - I have at least one kids' book to get going on as well as Catch the Rainbow and the first of the anthology stories.

I'm so busy outside of the day job that I can feel myself closing down and shutting everything else out. But I need to do this if I'm to comfortably secure my future. At least I'm still getting out with the Ramblers and to various events, so I shouldn't lose any social skills - if I had any in the first place. But life is taking a bit of a back seat just now. Mind you, I had a lovely surprise yesterday - I'd forgotten about the Holmfirth job I applied for until they sent a "we've not forgotten you" email.

Have I done the June ideas giveaway yet? I don't think so, but there aren't that many so here's July as well:

18 June is Waterloo Day (evergreen)
11 June is Whitsuntide this year (date specific)
15 July is St Swithun's Day (evergreen)
25 July is Grotto Day (evergreen)
6 July 1971 (40 years ago) Louis Armstrong died (anniversary)
24 July 1936 (75 years ago) the speaking clock was introduced (anniversary)
30 July 1966 (45 years ago) England won the World Cup - lest we ever forget ... (anniversary)
hayfever is a common theme (evergreen)

So, for anyone that says they don't know where to get their ideas, I hope the events and dates give the kind of clue to look for.

I said I would

2011-02-09T09:00:00.032Z

It's not their fault if nobody tells them, but people have been bypassing me at work for certain communication jobs and tasks, totally forgetting (or not knowing) that I'm the last remaining member of our communication and publicity department.

Things have been going out full of mistakes and inconsistencies, and I've been politely reminding everyone (or telling them in the first place) that I'm here, and I'm a support worker for them. I don't even cost them anything. Yet still some inaccuracies have been slipping through.

The worst thing, though, is when people say to me: "I can't believe you let that go." Hey, I didn't even see it.

I started off just letting individuals know, and mostly, mates and close colleagues have taken heed and started bringing their material to me for proofing before they release it. But there's always one, isn't there?

When a very important, global newsletter went out, amongst other things dated 22th December (read it aloud if you don't spot it straight away), I made my observations perfectly clear to those parties concerned. But when nothing was done I said next time something full of errors was sent globally, I'd reply globally.

Yesterday that little global event happened. Amongst other things we had "five top points", but when we counted the bullet points, there were six ... This is the kind of thing that hits me in the face. I don't even have to read it, I can spot them at 20 paces.

"Wouldn't it be good," I replied globally, "if we had a communications person who could check these global newsletters for consistency and accuracy?" (Beat.) "Oh, we have ..."

Yes I did - I said I would, and I did.

I had a very good response, the best one being "That's the best resignation letter I've ever read." Actually, the best response was the one from our MD. I really hope it's sorted now. But if it isn't, I'll get me coat ...

Next set of ideas up tomorrow.

New teeth, new eyes, new ideas

2011-02-08T09:00:00.030Z

The dentist was the first thing on my agenda yesterday and I got there all brave and on time and everything, and he really, really struggled to get my temporary crown off. The new crown feels weird. It's gold, and I wish I'd been given a choice because I wouldn't have chosen a gold crown. It took a while to get the fit right. It's nice and tight now, but it still feels weird because I can feel it when I bite. I probably just have to get used to it.

The really, really good news is, he doesn't want to see me again before August. Wahey! The temporary filling he gave me before Christmas is holding its own, so I suppose he'll deal with that when he needs to.

Eyes
While I was almost in Barnsley I thought I may as well check to see if my glasses had arrived, and they'd just come in. So off I went to get those fitted. They're vari-focal and ... they're a bit weird. I have to give them 7 - 10 days so I can get used to them, but I have 30 days to take them back if I'm really not happy.

Not happy? This is the best I've seen in my life, ever. I'm okay with distance and I think I'm slowly getting used to the transition, but I'm still struggling a bit with close-up.

My eyesight has historically been uncorrectable. The closest they got it to was long-sightedness. Apparently I focus beyond what I'm looking at. That means I can see a long way in the distance, but I can't necessarily see specific details, and they couldn't pull it in with lenses. It seems that my long-sightedness has deteriorated and is turning to short-sightedness, and they can correct it now with lenses. Driving home I was amazed at how well I was seeing everything ... but I've lost that far distance vision, my vision seems to have finally been pulled in.

It's very weird.

I'm struggling with the VDU at the moment, but if I take the new glasses off, I can instantly tell how well I'm seeing with them on. And when I'm reading, I seem to have a single focus zone in the middle, but my peripheral reading vision is a bit blurred. This could be the transition, but I'm not used to moving my head while I read a book. I'm just going to have to give them some time and hope I get used to them.

Watching television is great, I can see everything. Driving is great, I can see everything. Anything closer needs more work, but my lazy left eye is giving itself a headache, so that may mean it's doing some work for the first time in its life. Ever.

How do I do it?
I spent much of the rest of the day reading or studying or printing off documents, because yesterday evening was my first attendance at the Ramblers' Area meeting in Sheffield ... I went along quietly, but ended up with a place on their national conference in Oxford in April. I'm so glad I stuck to my guns and didn't get involved ...

I just have to make sure the cats are sorted.

Ideas
Here is the ideas giveaway for May topics:

8 May every year we have a Floral Dance (evergreen)
8 May is also World Red Cross day (evergreen)
29 May is Oak Apple Day (evergreen)
29 May is also Memorial Day (evergreen)
1 May Hocktide (date specific)
29 May is also Rogantide (date specific)
1 May 1931 (80 years ago) the Empire State Building was completed (anniversary)
6 May 1966 (45 years ago) Ian Brady and Myra Hindley were found guilty of the "Moors Murders" (anniversary)
8 May 1886 (125 years ago) Dr John Pemberton first produced Coca-Cola® (anniversary)
11 May 1811 (200 years ago) original Siamese twins were born, joined at the chest (anniversary)
25 May 1951 (60 years ago) Burgess and Maclean escaped England (see also 16 April 1911) (anniversary)

As before, please let me know if you use any for articles, short stories, poems/verse, readers' letters, etc. And once again, check those dates because I haven't on the ones I'm not using.

Day job

I'm very tired after a hectic weekend, but it's only a 3-day week this week. Hopefully I'll hear some news very soon.

Fast workers ideas giveaway

2011-02-07T09:00:00.061Z

Well, it was such a busy weekend in the end that I didn't get chance to come on with my promised post from Friday - the BBC Big Read was set to publish at the same time as last week's.

I did my shopping on the way home from work on Friday so didn't get in until late, and I popped a shop-bought ready-meal in the oven for tea (shame on me). It was disgusting and I chucked most of it away. I think I'm spoiling myself with my batch-cooked home-made "ready meals". They're so much nicer.

Saturday was mostly chores, mostly washing. Then I remembered it was save our libraries day. I had a pile of books ready to donate and off I tootled, first to my very local library, where I took out 4 books and ordered a further 2. Then I nipped to the next local library and took out another 4 books. While I was at library no 2, library no 1 telephoned library no 2 to ask them to let me know she already had one of my ordered books. How's that for service? So I dropped in on the way back to pick it up.

When I got back it was more washing work, lots of reading, and then I settled down in front of the telly with friends to watch You've Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle and Faulks on Fiction.

Sunday was an incredibly busy day. Because of the uncertainly at the day job I've been gradually bringing in extra work and on Sunday I started serious foundation work in case I need to start freelancing again. I'm very lucky that I can do this, whether I want to or not. I'd rather not, but at least I can - if necessary. If the day job becomes secure again, the freelancing will still be shelved. I'm just making sure. Just in case ... At worst, freelancing will become the new day job.

So the whole of Sunday was very, very busy, apart from a pause at 6:30pm to watch Dancing on Ice and again at 9pm to watch 2 episodes of the new Hawaii Five-O ("Book 'em, Danno"). I really enjoyed the re-make and am looking forward to next week for part 3.

Then I did some more work ... This is why freelancing is so hard. I have to get re-established again and back in the swing again. I'd rather do the work now and it not be necessary than leave it and it become urgently necessary.

It's February now, so really I should be researching topics of interest for August, querying July, writing June and submitting May (it's the way I work and it's the way it's always worked very well in the past). But I've also done some scant research for July, June, May and April in case there's something I can do quickly - although in January I would normally have submitted April, been writing May, queried June and researched July. I'll do full initial research for August later today, probably.

Meanwhile, I have quite a few basic ideas that there's no way I'm going to get around to. So here's a free-for-all for April, if you're very quick. Writers with contacts at newspapers and websites may be able to slot these in, any weekly magazines with a short lead time, or if an editor calls saying "help, I've been let down":

27 April is St Sitha's Day - pray to St Sitha if you lose your keys (evergreen)
9 April Grand National (date specific)
29 April 2011 we have a Royal Wedding (date specific)
12 April 1861 (150 years ago) the American Civil War began (anniversary)
13 April 1936 (75 years ago) Joe Payne scored 10 goals for Luton Town against Bristol Rovers on his début (anniversary)
13 April 1951 (60 years ago) the Coronation Stone was returned to Westminster Abbey, having previously been stolen (anniversary)
16 April 1911 (100 years ago) Russian spy Guy Burgess born in Devonport (anniversary)
19 April 1951 (60 years ago) first Miss World contest held in London, won by Miss Sweden (anniversary)
26 April 1986 (25 years ago) nuclear accident at Chernobyl

I'll do May, June, July and August later.

Let me know if you use any in time, and don't forget that articles, short stories, poetry/verse and readers' letters can all be pegged onto one or more of these dates. (Double check the dates. Because I'm not going with these, I've not done that extra work - and my dates book has been wrong before.)

I have a bit more work to do today, but I'm also at the dentist at 10:30am having my permanent crown fitted. When I get back I'll probably only feel like reading, but I have plenty of that to do now.

The BBC Big Read (2004!) 51 - 100

2011-02-06T09:00:00.000Z

(Dad! It's on this one!)

Last week I listed the top 50 books on the BBC's Big Read List. Here are 51 to 100:

51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett - read it
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome - read it, LOVED it, all time favourite book
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett - read it, loved it
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell - read it, everyone of voting age should do so at least once
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding - read it, loved it
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins - read it, loved it, another all time favourite
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens - read it, hated it
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett - read it, loved it
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer - read it
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

I've read 9 of these, and my all time favourite is in there. Which ones have you read? And which is your favourite?

Slight unrest? (* soapbox alert *)

2011-02-04T10:46:00.020Z

The womagwriters are discussing payment, or rather late payment, most notably late payment on publication. Personally, I'm old fashioned. I like to be paid on delivery, which often translates to payment on acceptance. Here is the bulk of my contribution, slightly edited (I've slept on it since):

According to statute (i.e. UK law), payment should legally be made 30 days after delivery unless previously agreed by both parties. Of course, it's a buyers' market in the short fiction world and basically, if it's known they pay on publication, then they pay on publication. However, if that is their policy, payment should be made (according to statute) within (that's WITHIN, not AFTER) 30 days of publication. Sadly, this legislation can only be enforced if an invoice has been raised, and if we don't know how much we're going to get, we can't raise that invoice*. But if we do know, as soon as we have that publication date, we are legally within our right to issue an invoice for payment with a 30 day due date.

(EXTRA TIP: Some pay "at the end of the month following", which really means "we'll pay this at the end of the month following the month in which your invoice was raised". So, if you date your invoice 28 Feb, it will become due at the end of March; but if you date it 1 Mar, it will go into the payments run for the end of April. There is only 1 day between these invoice dates, but a whole month between payment dates, or 2 months between the 2nd invoice and payment dates. Here is where some get away with 60 days credit.)

If payment is received after the due date, we are also entitled, by statute, to raise additional invoices for late payment compensation AND interest. If they fail to pay, we can legally take them to the small claims court.

(Ideally we could do with some kind of organisation to help us get what is due to us, and we do have the likes of the NUJ and the SWWJ, but they tend not to cover fiction, and The Society of Authors is more concerned with full length material, and they're less militant. But until such an organisation exists, we have to do it ourselves - but if we ALL do it ...)

We don't need a womag union**, we just need to all pull together and do the same thing. And raising invoices in this way with legal due dates, and chasing payment when it's late (politely - there's no need to be rude at all) shows that we are professional and serious and should be treated with respect.

But people are afraid to exercise their statutory right in this way, and so the magazines that get away with it continue to get away with it.

On to blacklisting***. In my experience, the editorial department do not control payment. They usually have a finance department for that, and more than once I've been in actual dispute with a finance department while still enjoying a very good relationship with my editor - for fiction and for non-fiction. It's happening now. I've really locked horns with the people that pay my bills at one major client of mine, but the editor has just given me 7 more assignments.

Most writers that write for TAB* know what the page rate is. So once the story is published, you can calculate for yourself how much you're owed. If you haven't already raised an invoice, do one now, at your calculation, with a 30 day due date. If every TAB writer that reads this blog does that, TAB might get the message.

There are 2 more subjects associated with this. One is working for nothing, and the other is not having a minimum rate for your work.

Working for nothing
There is no other profession in the world that I can think of, apart from voluntary work, that expects its workers to work for nothing. Yet more and more publications are expecting writers, particularly short fiction writers, to work for free. They're supposed to do it for the love of having their name in print and/or for the honour of appearing in that magazine. ("Oh, I'm SO lucky. Thank you, THANK YOU!") Every time someone agrees to provide their work for free they're ruining the chances of those of us that write for a living to earn a decent wage. Many will say it's not a decent wage anyway, but that's because of the number that work for free.

Can you imagine saying to a magazine, "Oh, I won't pay for your magazine, but I'll take it home with me and read it, and do all of the puzzles because, after all, there are so many free publications available today, especially on the internet. Why should I pay your extortionate cover price?" Or even, "I'll pay you for this magazine I've just read in, ooh, 60 days. How does that suit you?"

Many magazines have very fixed rates of pay, but we need to share those with each other so that newbies know how much they can expect at a minimum. Everyone realises that you probably start low and work your way up the pay scale (if they have one) as they gradually buy more work from you ... or do they? Too many are happy with the first figure they're offered that (a) they fail to negotiate at point of contract, and (b) they sit on the same rate for 10 years or more without complaint.

My response to this is: Do you think the fiction editor hasn't had a pay rise in 10 years or more? Do you think they'd still be doing that job if they hadn't?

Set your minimum rate
My own solution is to give myself a minimum rate of pay, which has been £100/1,000 (apx $162) words for a VERY long time. But if I know a magazine only pays, say, £75 ($122) for stories up to 5,000 words, I avoid them like the plague. It is crazy for anyone to work for that kind of rate, newbie or not. But people do, and so the magazines get away with it. And as for £25 ($40) for 30,000 words ...? No, no, no, no, NO! There really are magazines that pay £3,000 ($4,864) for 3,000 words, target those instead. My first "best" gig was £2,000 ($3,243) for a 3,000 word article. PLUS expenses!

Work for £75/1,000 words by all means, while you're doing your "apprenticeship". But after, say, 3 sales to one magazine, or when you've been successfully doing this for a year, up your rate. And UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES give your work away for free. YOU may have a very nice "other income" to keep the wolf from the door, but too may writers are trying to make a living from this and earning stupidly low wages because people like YOU aren't prepared to negotiate. And if you want to work for free, I'm sure the voluntary sector would be delighted to hear from you.

Remember, with the current rate of inflation, no pay rise is effectively a pay cut; and an actual cut in pay is effectively you paying them!

My advice, for what it's worth, would be:

Never, EVER work for free;
Decide on a minimum rate and stick to it - avoid anyone that won't pay at least that amount;
Never, EVER be afraid to ask for a pay rise;
As soon as you know how much you can invoice for, and when, raise an invoice - you'll need it if you ever go to small claims court;
Never, EVER be afraid to chase payment - you earned that payment, they agreed to pay you, and you are entitled to it.

The Americans are so much better at this than we are in the UK. Two very good blogs I'd like to direct you to that cover the subject so much better than I do are Lori Widmer Bean's Words on the Page (which also has a lot of information and advice regarding content mills) and Devon Ellington's Ink in my Coffee. Add them to your blogroll.

* One of the current issues is that writers don't know how much Take a Break, for example, will pay because they pay per printed page rather than per number of words. And TAB don't know how many pages your story will take up until the designers have done their job.

** One commentator suggested a womag-type union/organisation (some people don't like the word "union").

*** Some writers are afraid to chase payment in case they get blacklisted.

Hmm, I think I'll save the weekend post until tomorrow. Have a great weekend.

EDIT: Please bob along and say hi to Sue Houghton, who has also added her take on this situation on The Long and Short of It. I think we must have posted at roughly the same time. (4:30pm)

Couldn't organise a ...

2011-02-03T09:00:00.005Z

... well, I think you get the picture.

And so at work yesterday I have a workshop at 10am, but when I get there everyone thinks I'm the course leader. Erm, no. There were about 20 of us ... but someone had forgotten to book the tutor. Brilliant. The new HR officer jumped on it, though, unbidden, and we agreed to come back at 11am and she would try and find a course leader. At 11am, one of my own saviours on the magazine many a time agreed to lead the course but it meant that most of the morning was tied up.

As a result of 5 very bad slides in the presentation and me being very vocal about it, I had another couple of chats to see what I could do to help other people with their projects and departments. And, to calm me down, a mate took me on a tour of some of his recent tests, which have just gone live and we have no magazine at the moment to shout about it in. I was given a powder coating demonstration too, and it turned out that the powder coater-er has a very interesting private life - but we still don't have a magazine to write about it in. All of this material is building up.

What time was left of the day was spent either proofing the tech manual or sourcing screen grabs for the current annual (their time and my time), watching the relevant episode, putting the grabs into order and discarding any I didn't want to use. Later in the evening I settled on the final set and curled up with the script to write the story.

I finished work at 12:40am this morning ...

A good and busy day that will, I hope, result in a bit more work from colleagues and friends.

Today I have 2 meetings - a presentation at 9:30am and a demonstration at 2:30pm - so it's going to be another tight squeeze. I've cleared the activity annual, I want to finish the technical manual by the end of today.

One project a month - January 11

2011-02-02T09:00:00.005Z

It's the little things that count, right?

Meet my notice board. It's a very old notice board and I could really do with another, but for as long as this one still works, it's my notice board. For the past 5 years this has either been hidden behind a wardrobe or propped up on my desk.

On Monday, at last, I got it up on the wall. It's one thing less on my desk and now I have a proper place to pin things. All I need are some nice postcards and some happy, jokey stuff to cheer it up.

I didn't do a very good job, actually. The board is so old the cork has gone soft and is falling apart around where the screws hold it in the wall. I could do with some longer screws and some washers to stop the screw heads digging in the cork.

And then there's the wall behind, which is now very well hidden. The plaster is so old and crumbly (it's black dust) that the 2 holes just kept getting bigger and bigger, but they weren't quite deep enough for the teeny tiny wall plugs. Or not on the first few attempts at any rate ...

BUT ... it's up there now, it's sturdy enough so long as I don't swing from it, and I can see 2 of the most important things in my working life: a calendar (I LOVE diary work) and a to-do list for each month. (You lot saw those yesterday.)

January wrap/February plan

2011-02-01T09:00:00.003Z

Here is what I achieved in January:
· Plum workshop

· January gig list

· Weekly timesheet

· Proof comms policy document

· Reject welcome letter

· Activity Annual #3-2

· Arrange global distribution Night Crawler

· Plan Catch the Rainbow

· Plan publishing/writing schedule for 2011

· Dentist

· Farmers’ Market, Wentworth

· Rivelin Valley walk

· Rivelin Valley photo walk

· Optician

· Dearne Valley Ramblers' meeting

· Ramblers’ area AGM

· Birmingham

Here is my to-do list for February:

· Weekly timesheet

· Proof technical manual

· Activity Annual #3-3

· Farmers’ Market, Wentworth

· Activity Annual #4-1

· Prepare Night Crawler for paperback publication

· Write Catch the Rainbow

· February gig list

· Area Ramblers' meeting

· Dearne Valley Ramblers' meeting

· March gig list

· 2 short walks
· 1 comedy gig

· Moonraker Festival

· Birmingham

· Write anthology story #1-1

· Dentist

· Optician

I lied ...

2011-01-31T11:15:00.004Z

... a little bit. But only because this subject is being debated in our Parliament this Wednesday.

Most people are aware of plans to sell off our forests - those are the forests that already belong to the people. ... Facebook and Twitter have been rife so I know it's already getting loads of publicity. But just in case anybody missed it, there's more information on the Ramblers' website, and a link to follow to send a standard letter to MPs - preferably before Wednesday's debate.

Okay, that really is an end to the politics on this blog. For now.

I had a very busy weekend. I spent most of Friday working on the activity annual, hunting for online materials I couldn't see but that showed up at around midday. I worked until 7pm, broke for tea, then carried on until 9pm. Then I had an hour watching television before settling down to write. I finished working close to midnight.

Saturday morning was so many chores that I had another set of sprints, and I got a lot done again. I went shopping in the morning in the end, and I picked up a few things from the garden centre (that's the local garden centre rather than the large DIY chain). I got a 31cm pot (they didn't have any 30cm pots) to start off the first of my carrots, 3 windowsill propagator kits, some sweet pea seeds, and a small bag of moisture control compost.

I wanted organic compost, but they didn't have a small enough bag. The huge bags they did have are no use to me because I can't lift them anyway, had no room in the car because I'd been shopping, have nowhere to store them at home, and wouldn't even use half of it before having to dispose of it. I'm sure the large DIY chain would have plenty, but that would then defeat one of my objectives.

I dropped everything off, grabbed a quick sandwich. Then it was off to the other side of Sheffield so I could (a) sit in traffic 10 minutes away from where I was going for half an hour, and (b) attend the AGM of our area Ramblers. It was a long afternoon and another long drive home. By the time I got there I was shattered.

On Sunday, I went to see my mom and dad. I was accompanied on the drive down the motorway by the Darts, to whom I sang along very loudly and very badly. We had a nice visit, but I hadn't put a litter tray down for the cats so needed to head back in good time.

Today I'm finishing the activity annual and raising my invoice. I'm also setting up an electronic to-do list and calendar for the year. It's a 4-day week at the office. I think I've done all I can there now to draw attention to certain things, so am going to turn in, close the door and keep my head down. They want me, they know where to find me.

Night Crawler

2011-01-30T09:00:00.014Z

In 6 - 8 weeks, Night Crawler will be available on many booksellers' websites, so buyers can take advantage of more attractive delivery rates, etc.

In the meantime, the download is now available for just £2.99 and there's a 25% discount on the hardback. It's print-on-demand, though, so takes a few days in manufacturing before it's dispatched.

I'm currently working on the prequel, Catch the Rainbow, which is set during the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings.

Thank you for allowing me this small self-indulgence and shameless self-promotion.

The BBC Big Read (2004!) 1 - 50

2011-01-29T09:00:00.006Z

I'm currently reading The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett and thoroughly enjoying it. I have no idea why I didn't see it before, but friends tell me it's on the BBC Big Read List. So I thought I'd hop on over to see what else I've missed. And I've actually read a few. Here are the top 50, for those who are interested:

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien - struggled to read until the film, but have now
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen - read it, loved it
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams - started it a few times, will try again
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë - read it, won't read again
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë - read it, hated it (sorry!)
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres - read it, loved it
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling - read it, loved it
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling - read it, loved it
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien - read it, one of my favourite books
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll - read it, thought he must be on drugs
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett - currently reading
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl - read it, loved it
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson - read it, loved it
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen - read it
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen - read it
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery - read it
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas - read it, loved it
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher - read it

My absolute, all time favourite isn't in the top 50 (Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome), but 16 out of 50 isn't bad, and there are a few on there already on my TBR pile.

How many have you read? Which was your favourite?

No more politics ...

2011-01-28T09:00:00.008Z

... for now at any rate. I do feel a bit militant with all of these soap-box posts, and this journal is supposed to be about a writer's life rather than keep jumping on the political bandwagon. So, to ensure I don't upset Blogger (I'll have to check their terms and conditions regarding political posts), I'm going to send the soap-box on a holiday.

For a while.

I've had another busy and enlightening week including another shock at work yesterday, which I now know (I think) was a bit of a faux pas. Even so, my employer has a "duty of care" towards all of its employees and morale is so low at the moment, I don't think they're doing a very good job.

My working week finished yesterday with a trip to the hairdresser, and I know I said this before, but I'm really taking a rest from having my roots done this time. I have a face and head full of itchy eczema and I didn't want to irritate it with hair dye. I saved myself £15 (apx $24), which I'm quite happy to do every 6 weeks, I bought a Chinese takeaway for £5 ($8), which will last for tea today too, and I put a tenner in the pot. We're going to grow the grey out over the next few months, and then maybe blend in some foils on a less regular basis.

People often tell me I should buy a bottle of hair dye and do it myself for a fraction of the cost, but I'm allergic to most of them, I can't guarantee the same coverage that they do at the salon, the browns tend to turn a khaki colour anyway, and as I don't drink or smoke or drive fast cars or buy fashionable clothes or have a shoe fetish or take expensive holidays, I don't think this is a bad extravagance every 6 weeks at all. It's budgeted as well.

Writing has recommenced on Catch the Rainbow. It started slowly but now I've written myself back into the story, and now that I'm reliving as much as 1974 as I can remember (I was only 10), I'm finding the plot, the characters, the storyline filling my mind and imagination, and every time I think of it I get tingles. I've got a good feeling about this story this time. Perhaps it's the right time at last to be working on it.

After just 2 days of writing, my running total is at 1,974. I know I joke when I say something like that is a bit creepy, but it is ... a bit.

Today is day one of my 4-day weekend. I've already been a bit militant this morning - call me old fashioned, but I do expect to be paid for the work I do for people - and the rest of the day will be activity annual and more Catch the Rainbow. I'll also do some Night Crawler promotion work.

Tomorrow morning on my way to Sheffield I'll do my weekly shop. I might even do it in the Sheffield High Street. Tomorrow afternoon I'm at a Ramblers' area annual meeting. Sunday I'm at my parents. Monday I'm back on the activity annual. Catch the Rainbow is a daily now, though.

Have a great weekend.