tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-274790872024-03-07T07:37:58.710+00:00Diary of a WordsmithRandom musings on the daily ups and downs of life as a freelance journalist and editorAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.comBlogger465125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-46721965795949495612010-08-14T20:00:00.005+01:002010-08-16T12:21:37.840+01:00Over and OutIt is time to say goodbye, dear readers. I have neglected you and this blog for far too long. I freely admit I have been too busy of late to blog. I also fear I have run out of things to say about the freelance life.<br />
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When I started this diary 6 years ago, elsewhere, I had big plans and high hopes. And for a long time I mainly hit my targets of three posts a week. But then, dear readers, I became seduced. My attentions were increasingly distracted by Facebook and Twitter, and, as the recession kicked in my time was increasingly taken up with finding new sources of work as old ones dried up.<br />
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And I started another blog, a public one where I could be me instead of an anonymous scribe diarising the trials and tribulations of self-employment in a precarious industry.The problem with that was some people started to match the public me and the anonymous me.<br />
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After all, just how many freelance writers-cum-copyeditors living with epilepsy are there in the north-west of England? Not many for sure. Possibly only me.<br />
So, I'm outing myself. If you haven't yet realised who I am, you only have to pop over to <a href="http://louisebolotin.com/">my other blog</a> to see for yourself. And with that, it's over.<br />
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I'll still be blogging on Here's the Kicker... when the mood takes me. You'll also find me blogging on <a href="http://wheresthebenefit.blogspot.com/">Where's the Benefit?</a> for the foreseeable future, a collective effort by some of my disabled activist friends as we fight to preserve our disability benefits under the new Con-Dem government.<br />
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And Diary of a Wordsmith will stay up on the net for those who want to dip back into it.<br />
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Thanks are due to you all, dear readers, for following this blog, sharing your comments and thoughts and even quoting me elsewhere on occasion. Without you, I'd have been talking to myself for 6 long years, so thanks for coming along for the ride.<br />
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And on that note, it's over and out.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-77156148953645515452010-02-10T22:10:00.000+00:002010-02-10T22:10:13.773+00:00Half-term reportSo, here I am nearly halfway through my stint at the major meeja outlet. I had a bit of a half-term assessment with one of my mentors today so now seems as good a time as any to take stock a bit of what's going on in my crazy freelance world.<br />
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<b>Personal stuff</b><br />
I've been quite shocked at how seamlessly I've slipped back into the persona of a "proper working person", by which I mean wage-slave. It took me about a week to get used to setting the alarm clock and getting up to it, racing out of the door to catch a bus and doing that whole commuter "thing" (although I've been infuriated at the number of people who refuse to give me the priority disabled bus seat I'm entitled to simply because they can't see my disability and my high heels nonpluss them so much they clearly think I'm lying even while I'm waving my concessionary pass in their faces). I've obviously been loafing it far too much over the last 5 or 6 years as a home-based freelance, despite the fact that fear of not having money to pay the rent and go out for a pint is the greatest motivation a freelance can have to generate work. I think I've long since proved I don't <i>have</i> to go <i>out</i> to work to be a productive member of society but it's been good to revisit the practice for the self-discipline. And, if I'm honest, I've enjoyed the company. Working from home can be lonely. I get out as much as I can and socialise online during the day, too, but what I've really appreciated is being (and feeling) part of a team again - it's been great to have others to bounce ideas off and hone them. It's made me rediscover some of my mojo and restored my confidence in my ability to generate great ideas and sell them to others.<br />
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<b>What they say</b><br />
Well, it all seems to be <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=FTW&defid=1867380">FTW</a> for me at the moment! Right from week 1, I was getting <strike>good feedback</strike> great compliments to my face about what I was doing. (I have had to hold that ego well in check.) The nicest was being told that the producer is so chuffed with me she's happy to just let me get on with stuff despite being a control freak (I hadn't noticed that, actually, but I couldn't ask for better faith in me). They are also really delighted with my ideas, my range of contacts and my eye for a fresh angle on old topics. The compliments must go in both directions - the producer has been fab at ensuring that when my ideas have been passed on to other shows I've had credit for them. I think I'll be buying her a bottle of pink fizz come end of March. <br />
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But I did worry that, despite all the promises, I'd end up spending the whole 3 months generating cosy features for one programme only and not getting the opportunity to learn actual new skills. Halfway in, I started to really panic that this would be my fate - don't get me wrong, I'm really enjoying what I've done so far but it's stuff I already do, just in a different medium. At today's meeting I decided to be proactive and ask for the training I'm supposed to be getting. Result - I'll be starting it before the end of the week.<br />
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I've also been itching to do the organisation's social media stuff for them - it's in poor shape right now. In early January, there was a vague promise about this too but nothing materialised. So today I just demanded they give me the Twitter password and let me run the feed for a month. I promised I'd build a massive following (actually I promised to more than double it), create the conversations that simply do not exist right now at all (because the feed follows only one person back), generate news stories and features from it and drive audience. A bold boast but one I'm very confident I can deliver. I'll either get the password on Friday or be told to <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=F.O.A.D">FOAD</a> politely... <br />
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The best thing I heard today, apart from getting the go-ahead to run a major cross-platform social history project across the organisation, was that I'll definitely be offered freelance work beyond March and that I'd probably be offered a freelance contract if I can get to grips with all the techy radio stuff and shine there. <br />
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<b>The lame bit</b><br />
I'm having a real, live office crush. Oh, the shame! For the last few years, my office crush has been on <a href="http://nelsons-column.blogspot.com/">the boy</a>. Now, there's a human to contend with. I was toying with asking him out for a drink after a promising early conversation or two. But I'm being blanked this week and after I said "hi" to him in the canteen when I unexpectedly found myself next to him in the queue, he muttered a feeble response and stomped off. I think that one's best forgotten.<br />
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<b>Office politics</b><br />
It was inevitable that they'd rear their head at some point. I've been very careful to walk a studiedly neutral line over the last 6 weeks. I've been privy to some office gossip, of course, but never pried or made any comments remotely suggestive of where my views might lie regarding anyone in this workplace or even on the organisation itself. Despite my (for me) extreme caution, I still managed to get caught up in internal politics. A couple of years ago I took part in a studio TV debate on regional media and last week was asked to return to the topic and review the situation now. My "boss" cleared me to go off filming for an afternoon for the TV show, but that night when I got home a call from the TV show's producer revealed my participation had been vetoed by someone much higher up in the department I'm in right now. I've deliberately said nothing since then. My "boss" didn't bat an eyelid when I carried on working in the office yesterday instead of going out. He surely knew, though. I'm disappointed but I want to make the most of my current opportunity without pissing anyone off (I know, I know, this is <i>most</i> out of character for me) so I'm gritting my teeth and riding this out. The TV will manage without me (grr!) but there will be other chances. In the meantime, my current job has priority...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-17798906607216072312010-01-25T20:00:00.000+00:002010-01-25T20:00:24.715+00:00So tiredIf my surname was Prescott, I'd be known as Two Jobs. <br />
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I am shattered. My current typical day unfolds as follows:<br />
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- up at 6, feed cat, brew up, shower, dress, put face on, do any chores like emptying the kitchen bin/cat tray or putting the dustbin out, take meds, make toast, flick through overnight emails, skim headlines of at least one decent newspaper...<br />
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- 8, yell "oh fuck", grab coat/bus pass/phone/bag/, lock up and take a brisk walk to the bus stop. <br />
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- 8.15, get on bus, read Twitterfeed on my phone, dip into Facebook and use an app to skim more paper headlines.<br />
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- 8.40, arrive at work, boot up computer, head to canteen to get Very Large Coffee, return 15 minutes later to discover PC is still trying to load itself. Spend next 8 hours working my socks off.<br />
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- 17.00, leave work, get bus home.<br />
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- 17.45, home, where I feed the cat then start Job no. ", ie, my freelance business.<br />
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I'm currently spending at least 3 hours every week night just maintaining the business. I know I receive a lot of emails every day and I've made estimates of the total in the past. Being out all day and coming home to frighteningly full inboxes brings home just how much mail I get. I'm probably averaging 150 a day at the moment. Most of those are unwanted press releases, but I still need to sift through them. Then there's digests of posts from various useful email groups I signed up to on topics of interest. Of the rest maybe only 3 or 4 will be actual offers of freelance work. <br />
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Then there's my RSS feed - again, working from home this is something I dip into at convenient moments. Now, I get home and 200 items wait to be read. Obviously I'm not reading all of them - some feeds I'll just hit "mark all as read" to get the total down.<br />
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By the time I've done that plus logged into a couple of work forums to keep apace with freelance colleagues and just gossip a bit, cooked some food, watched an hour's TV and done any other chores, it's 10 or 11pm and I'm dead on my feet. Last week, I was supposed to be at 3 events after work but cancelled as I was too tired and domestic stuff had priority.<br />
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And there was no rest at the weekend. I had a major copywriting job on, with a very attached deadline. It's the one that pays all my bills every month and therefore must be done. But it meant I had to cancel a planned trip to the cinema and another optional social engagement. I spent the entire weekend writing and researching, finally mailing the job back to the client at 11pm, along with my invoice. Then I fell into bed.<br />
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It's been 3 weeks since I started juggling 2 jobs and I am dead on my feet. My eyeballs felt like they'd been sandpapered when I awoke this morning and I struggled to concentrate in the office. And tomorrow morning I'm working in another city, so I'll need to get even earlier - at 5 - and won't be home till 7.30 in the evening.<br />
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How I'll manage this for another 10 weeks I have no idea. Something's going to give...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-56652497027292752522010-01-18T12:42:00.001+00:002010-01-18T12:45:22.729+00:00A bug and the buzzI did something this morning that I last did in June 2003. I rang in sick. Six and a half years ago, the phone call was about my back problem and I ended up off work for 3 months. Since then, of course, my boss has been me - on the days I'm unwell, I usually juggle stuff so I can have extra naps to sleep off a lurgy or a fit. If I have a cold, I work in my PJs and dressing gown, turn up the heating a notch and just get on with it - no worrying about infecting other colleagues as there's no one to pass my germs onto.<br />
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It felt very weird ringing in to say I wouldn't be turning up this morning. I'd been up half the night, throwing up, and as soon as I mentioned this my lovely new boss said: "Stay right where you are! Don't even think about coming in." He's right - it's possible I just ate something that disagreed with me, but it's the season for norovirus, a highly contagious bug also known as the winter vomiting disease. And the last thing I want to do is fell an entire newsroom if I have it. I probably don't - my stomach has been calm since 4am and I'm just resting up now. Sorry if that's TMI.<br />
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I offered to work from home but the truth is I'm really missing the buzz of the newsroom today. I never thought I'd say that - I've become so used to the calm and quietness of working alone that I dreaded returning to the bustle of a busy workplace. I thought my eardrums would burst on my first few days there - the TV screens (at least 2 different channels) competing for volume with the radio station, the ringing phones, the chatter... I felt quite ill from it all and was relieved to retreat into silence on my return home at night.<br />
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Today, I feel like I've been cut off. The quiet here feels oppressive and right now I'm missing the Monday editorial meeting to plan the week ahead. I'm also missing all the chit-chat and I don't know quite what to do with myself here. On the plus side, I was able to listen to all of the show I'm currently working on - usually I only hear snatches of it between phone calls and conversations or intense concentration. I'd set up several of the slots for today so it was a relief to hear all my guests had not only turned up but also gave good radio. <br />
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I'm going to flop on the sofa now and watch DVDs. And hope I'll be well enough to go into the office tomorrow. And I never thought I'd be saying that again!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-56026379910126471202010-01-16T23:43:00.000+00:002010-01-16T23:43:18.115+00:00No swear zoneAnyone who's ever worked in a newsroom of any sort will know that it's a place for the ripest of language. I was already a fairly accomplished swearer by the time I started my first job at the tender age of 16 and 3/4, probably because even the mildest of curses in the parental home would be rewarded with a hefty backhander round the head - like smoking, I took it up to annoy them, although I was mostly careful not to utter such words in the presence of my parents because of the knowledge of what would happen if I did so. Swearing and smoking were kept for outside the familial environment before I left home.<br />
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And then I started work. I was thrust into a place where every other word was a "fuck" in one form or another and it became as commonplace for me to speak like my colleagues as it was to breathe. Every publication I have worked for since has been no different. Hacks swear like troopers. It's a fact of life. <br />
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With one notable exception - on air. Print hacks mostly don't have to worry about this but the day you first get asked to do a broadcast is the day you start panicking. I can't actually remember the first time I was asked to do a "phoner" but I do remember going into a cold sweat over the fear I might utter something bleepable over live radio.I scrawled a few notes for myself ahead of time on the main points I wanted to put across on air, then spent several hours repeating the mantra, "Don't swear. Don't swear" to myself until it was imprinted on my brain. Fear of speaking on live radio faded against the fear of swearing. Somehow I managed not to say anything even vaguely Anglo-Saxonish that first time and I felt immense relief at surviving the ordeal, my reputation as a reliable and articulate talking head intact. <br />
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Since then, I've done live radio many times as a guest "expert" of some sort. The fear of swearing never goes away - the last thing you want is the shame of hearing the presenter apologising on your behalf for the "shit" that just slipped effortlessly out. I've only once done TV, but that was a pre-record so I was more relaxed as I knew that if I slipped up it would be edited out seamlessly. Indeed, I was so relaxed that I managed not to swear without even thinking about it. <br />
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Now though, I find myself toiling for a major broadcaster. Rather unexpectedly, I discovered 10 days in that a certain slot on a certain show requires 2 or 3 of the newsroom hacks to drop in to the studio and go live on air for around 3 minutes to have a quick chat about some topical issue, the aim being to get listeners to phone in with their own stories. Thus it was only yesterday that I was given 5 minutes' notice to hike down the corridor and be a live talking head on the pressing issue of taking one's pet to work. Never mind the earthquake in Haiti - a quick chat about having your dog under your desk was apparently more urgent.<br />
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I didn't even have time to think about not swearing. By the time I'd pitched up at the studio and had a much-needed swig of full-strength Americano, I was already on air and opining on the joy of having <a href="http://nelsons-column.blogspot.com/">my boy</a> sprawled on my desk at home. It dawned on me several minutes later, as we filed out of the studio to head back to the newsroom, that I'd be doing a lot more of these over the next few months. It appears that most of my new colleagues are strangely reluctant to go on air, regardless of the topic du jour. I'm under no illusions as to why. But I'm there to learn new stuff so I feel I have to do it. It's only a matter of time before my mask slips and I say "fuck" on a live broadcast. It'll end in tears. Mine.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-38446843743607200262010-01-12T20:44:00.006+00:002010-01-12T23:34:52.459+00:00Work-life imbalanceSo, I'm a week into my staff job and I'm struggling with normal life. I've got used to the alarm going off and I've more or less adjusted to catching the rush hour bus. But clearly I have been spoiled by the freelance lifestyle as I've spent the last 6 years organising my work around my own needs. I've got used to popping out to the shops in the daytime, arranging medical appointments to suit my schedule, napping during the afternoon if I feel like it then working in the evening to catch up.<br />
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Suddenly my time is no longer my own but I have forgotten how to be a wage slave. The life skills I once had that enabled me to juggle the domestic stuff in the evenings and at weekends appear to have deserted me. I can't remember how to organise my needs around my work. <br />
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Last week, I found myself dropping off my prescription renewal at my GP's surgery before it had even opened, just so I could catch a bus to the office.Then the snow conspired firstly to delay my picking up the renewed prescription then to collect my medicine. I finally found a late-opening pharmacy last night and hurried there after work. What normally takes 2 days has taken a whole week. By the same token, the snow meant no grocery shop was done last week so I sat down at my PC at the weekend to order online and arrange an evening delivery. Fat chance. Me and everyone else had failed to shop last week and there was not a single delivery slot available for any evening this week at the three supermarkets I tried. I ended up grabbing the essentials myself at a nearby branch last night (after getting my meds) and having to bring my shopping home by cab. <br />
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I have forgotten to put the washing machine on every night - I usually do it in the daytime. And I urgently need to book a dental appointment and one for the optician. For the first time in 6 years I'm going to have to ask permission for the time off for these. Oh, and I missed a parcel delivery today. My regular postie knows I work from home, but now I'll have to go and queue at the sorting office on Saturday morning instead. Gah.<br />
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How do staffers manage? Because I'm buggered if I can remember how I used to, way back in another lifetime. If anyone knows the answer, please put it on a postcard addressed to "Dear Useless Ex-Freelancer". <br />
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I am, however, enjoying being a staffer for now. It has its perks - the company is excellent (at least so far) and I've learned quite a bit of new stuff over the last week. Tomorrow, I will find out what the company's plans are for me for the next 12 weeks. It's been a bit unstructured to date, partly because the snow took over on the news front, meaning I was given whatever work took priority, and partly because my new bosses have not been around much. So the meeting tomorrow should give me some idea of how my work will be shaped between now and Easter.<br />
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I am both frustrated and amused by the technology I'm working with in the newsroom. I bought myself a new workhorse PC in May - custom-built to my own specs and fabulously expensive, but tax-deductible and state-of-the-art enough to serve me well for at least 3 years, hopefully 4. It's superfast and I have the latest versions of the software I use for work and personal stuff. In the newsroom, I'm being forced to use Internet Explorer 7 instead of my customised Firefox for browsing and every page takes at least 20 seconds to load (and to reload if I go back a page). Their version of Word is 2003. I've had to relearn how to use Outlook for email instead of Thunderbird. I can't install anything I want to improve my working practices <i>Because I Am Not Allowed To</i>. My screen is tiny, compared to my superlarge flat-screen monitor at home.<br />
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Most entertaining is the ridiculously clunky keyboard, which looks like it is at least 10 years old and probably is. The keys are so high, they remind me of the Remington I used to bash out copy on in my first-ever job in 1978. I've lost 3 fingernails since I started staffing. Not that my nails are anything to brag about - they've been ruined ever since that first Remington and break if I so much as look at them but I don't think I've had quite so many casualties in such a short space of time before. The nails are a small sacrifice for the experience I'm getting though.<br />
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And now, dear reader, I really must go and load the washing machine...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-58431193926520016612010-01-09T14:41:00.003+00:002010-01-09T15:10:07.023+00:00The staff, the snow, the ghost and the headhunterSo, it's a new year and on Monday I went back to work. Only this time it involved going <i>out</i> to work. For someone else. I'm usually up by 6 anyway, but on Sunday night I set my alarm clock, just in case. Just as well - for once my insomnia went into hiding and I slept like the dead. The 6am bleeping was a vicious reminder of a world I left behind 6 years ago - a world in which one showers, dresses, makes up their face and eats breakfast long before the dawn breaks and sane people (like my former freelance self) don't do such things until after 5 hours' work and a spot of brunch. <br />
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Forget this week's snow (for now, anyway) - last week's still lay on the pavement, reduced to a thin layer of highly polished, invisible glass. Despite the fact that I'd chosen to wear my favourite sweater dress for my first day back in an office, I was forced to leave the house in my hiking boots, so I could negotiate the icy streets, and carry my heels in a bag. I had to perform a hurried, undignified change of footwear in reception on arrival.<br />
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My new boss came to collect me and I was whisked off on a whistle-stop tour round the newsroom and introduced me to about 50 people whose names I promptly forgot. I then spent a leisurely morning sitting in the "ops room" where radio producers produce a show from next to the studio, watching what was going on and reading my way through a huge heap of weekend newspaper supplements to drum up feature ideas for the weekday morning magazine show. Then there was an editorial meeting, so I pitched a batch of ideas and was chuffed that they were all accepted. <br />
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This laid-back start to my new job didn't last long. Overnight, a blizzard struck, burying my city in more than 20cm of frozen whiteness. Instinct kicked in when I looked out of the window and I was out of the house far earlier than planned - not only was it obvious that it would be a struggle to get to work, but that my colleagues would be struggling too and yet the news still had to be got out, this time to a public depending on it. After a long and fruitless wait for a bus, I struck lucky with a lone, passing hackney cab with its light on and made it in more or less on time. I'd barely got my coat off before I was ordered to hit the phones and start ringing round the bus companies to find out which services were operating (I could have told them without phoning - none. Why else did I arrive by cab?). With only a skeleton staff in, it was all hands on deck and despite being the new girl (with no idea how anything worked there) I had to muck in like everyone else to keep the news flowing. I work hard for myself at home but I'd reached a new level of shattered by the time I finally got home that night.<br />
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There was only one rough moment. I was temporarily sent back to the ops room to help on the phones there. The producer told me to get a pen and I started hunting for one on the desk. This was a major broadcaster, right? So I expected to find pens. Wrong. I have pens in my bag, of course, so I reached for that. Clearly not fast enough. The producer said witheringly to me:<br />
"You <i>do</i> have a pen, don't you? Hurry up! I mean, if you want to be a journalist..."<br />
I made a split-second decision not to brain her with my handbag and replied, as politely as possible, through gritted teeth:<br />
"Actually, I've been a print hack for more than 30 years and was filing copy before your parents met. I already <i>am</i> a journalist. I'm just new to radio. And of course I have a pen. In my bag. But I didn't think it unreasonable to expect to find pens on the desk here." <br />
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The rest of the week passed in a blur. I was taken off the newsdesk on Wednesday as I wasn't needed there, but I was kept busy learning how to use <a href="http://www.enps.com/">ENPS</a>, how to write radio cue scripts, researching my pitches, pre-interviewing show guests and finding experts. All in all, it was fun and exciting and ever so scary, but weirdly familiar despite being a totally different environment to what I'm used to. I loved every moment of it. Apart from the patronising comment in the ops room. I mean, I know I look younger than my calendar age but surely no one could seriously mistake me for a 20-year-old workie...<br />
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Two surprises rounded off my week. I got home on Friday evening to find my answering machine bleeping. The message was rather incomprehensible due to lots of background noise and crackling that made me think the caller was playing a slice of dodgy 1950s vinyl down the line at me. Several replays and I was able to decipher her name and number, though not her company, and discern that she was a headhunter. Intrigue! I shall call back on Monday to see what she wants, although it's unlikely I'll be interested in any offer unless it's goldplated with bells on.<br />
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Then I noticed my Skype phone was flashing. There was an "add contact" request from none other than my very first editor, the man who had such faith in me he offered me a job more or less on the spot when I literally walked into his magazine off the street. I was 16 and a half, had just walked out of school and had bleached blond spiky hair and what's now called "attitude", in spades. I worked my socks off for him for 2 and a half years until the magazine folded, bankrupted by one defamation suit too many. We lost touch not long after. I moved away to work elsewhere and never saw him again, even though a couple of years ago I did some freelance features for one of his newer magazines (on that occasion I asked the editor to say hi to him for me, but clearly the message didn't get passed on). <br />
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Once I'd got over my shock, I sent him an IM on Skype and within 5 minutes he was ringing my landline. It was incredible to be talking to him again after nearly 30 years. He was exactly as I remembered him - a cheeky maverick, with vision and a mischievous sense of humour, as well as a nose for journalism and amazing entrepreneurial skills - and we had a great time reminiscing about our days on the mag. I owe my career to this man and as soon as he suggested tracking down the rest of the old team of staff and having a reunion party I promised him I'd be on the first train there. And I will. I'd work for him again if he offered me a job. I'd work for him tomorrow if he asked.<br />
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Hell, it's rare to get a call like that. It made my week. No, scratch that. It's made my year and 2010 is barely 10 days old. Something in my blood tells me I'm going to have an amazing year, after the start I've had this week.<br />
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Excited? You bet.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-68753722008742545772010-01-02T14:52:00.002+00:002010-01-02T16:34:41.764+00:00Freelance goalsI don't really bother making new year resolutions - I rarely manage to stick to them (like going to the gym more often - that usually fades away after a few weeks). It's much easier to have goals, especially on the work front. And for a freelance, goals are important. Not vague ones like finding more/bigger/faster-paying clients but specific measurable goals.<br />
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I'm not about to lapse into management jargon at this point, with mutterings of SMARTs and SWOTs, but I'm aware I need to make some manageable changes. The upside of freelancing is the flexibility and control you have over your working practices (no boss, no commute, hours to suit...). The downside is that freelancing can turn you into a slob of a hermit with a severe internet addiction if you're not careful.<br />
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I'm not planning any work goals yet as the future looks too unpredictable right now. I'm about to become a staffer for 3 months. After that, I may or may not return to freelancing depending on how the staff position works out. And I'm also planning to start up a new journalism venture with a colleague - how hands-on I'll be with that will also depend on the staff position.<br />
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So, bearing in mind that I'm in no position to plan anything much concrete workwise from 1 April onwards, this year's goals are more personal.<br />
<br />
<b>Get dressed every day </b><br />
Like a lot of freelances, my daily commute involves a trip from my bed (in my dressing gown) to my desk via the kitchen kettle and I'm frequently appalled at my inability to get dressed until late afternoon (sometimes not at all, if I'm not going out in the evening). Going out to work for someone else should knock that bad habit into touch. From Monday, my alarm will be going off at 6am daily, I'll be hopping straight into the shower, and be dressed and made up with time for an hour's home work before I need to catch my bus. <br />
<br />
<b>Do the ironing</b><br />
Getting dressed, particularly for someone else's workplace, means I'll no longer be able to ignore the basket of ironing in my spare room. Some of it has been sitting there for 6 months. But no more - I need crease-free shirts now. Much as I hate ironing, an hour a week should keep it all under control. Let's hope I can keep it up from April.<br />
<br />
<b>Get more exercise</b><br />
The other downside to freelancing is it makes you lazy. Well, it makes <i>me</i> lazy. I love the gym routine but I don't have one in my neighbourhood. And while I have the noble intention to get outside every day for fresh air and a walk, in practice if it's raining or I'm busy with a deadline it doesn't happen. On weekdays, I may only go out if I run out of ground coffee, need to go to the post office or have a meeting in town. My new commute involves a decent walk to the bus stop and back and hopefully I'll be wearing out the carpets at least a little at my new workplace. I might even shift some of my extra kilos without too much extra effort. <br />
<br />
<b>Lose the kilos</b><br />
See above. I have a specific goal here for the number I want to lose. My eating habits are currently rather erratic. I fuel up on coffee and frequently forget to eat breakfast and/or lunch when I'm really busy. The result is that when my blood sugar plunges I just grab whatever's to hand to refuel. Going out to work should restore good habits - I hate leaving home without breakfast inside me and I'll now get a proper lunch break too. Regular meals (including cooking properly) plus the exercise should help me drop the 2 sizes I plan to.<br />
<br />
<b>Get off teh interwebz</b><br />
I've always been a bit of a net nut, ever since I got my first email account in 1990, but working from home makes it far too easy to spend hours on it every day. My RSS feed has doubled in size in the last 18 months, I find it hard to stay away from Twitter and the Facebook habit I managed to scale back a year or so ago returned with a vengeance in late November. Acquiring an iPhone last spring compounded the problem of being permanently connected - it's rarely more than a metre away from me so I keep checking Twitter, Facebook and my mail. I worked away from home for a week in November and, although I still had my iPhone on the go, I didn't mind ignoring the Twitter stream and was happy to delete large chunks of my RSS feed unread. So I know I can manage without it. This year I plan to read more books in the evenings I'm home, instead of surfing. I'm aiming for a book a week (currently it's about 1 a month). <br />
<br />
<b>Take time off</b><br />
The <a href="http://diaryofawordsmith.blogspot.com/2008/04/home-again.html">last time I had a holiday</a> was in April 2008. It was a pleasant week away but left a bad taste in my mouth - not long after my return I broke up with my formerly beloved P. <a href="http://diaryofawordsmith.blogspot.com/2009/04/burn-out.html">A year ago, I hit burn-out</a>. Despite my best intentions, I didn't take a break. Partly I was too disorganised and partly I was too nervous to turn work down during the recession. What I should have done during a dead spell is take a late-booking flight somewhere and just gone. Lesson learned. I'm in the middle of booking a Mediterranean break for April this very afternoon. And I'll take another in late September. And no, I'm <i>not</i> going to take my netbook with me. I'm sure I can find a net caff just to track my work emails while away. The rest can be ignored. <br />
<br />
<b>Get out more</b><br />
I do actually get out quite a bit in the evenings - 2-3 times a week on average. The problem is that whether socialising or networking I'm usually in the pub. So this year, I'm aiming to go to the cinema more often and also the theatre. I'm starting small with the stage, with the intention of catching a modest 6 performances of whatever. I joined a film club some months ago but went woefully few times. The plan for 2010 is to go at least once a fortnight to the cinema. <br />
<br />
And that's it. I'll be tracking these goals over the next 12 months with a full report-back at year-end.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-45440431327598026472009-12-15T15:20:00.007+00:002009-12-15T16:59:30.864+00:00Annual review 2009I usually do a bit of a round-up around this time of the year - a look back at another year of freelancing and what happened industry-wise over the preceding 12 months and any impact it had on me as both an individual and one of the many in my sector. Except when I look back at 2008's December posts, the round-up is missing. I know why, of course. 2008 was a bad year for me. Not workwise, but certainly on a personal level. I just didn't want to put all that in a review post, especially as some of what happened in the final quarter was immensely difficult and too personal to write about.<br /><br />So where am I now?<br /><br />I'm literally physically elsewhere, from choice. Making the decision to move to the city I'd originally intended to move to 6 years ago was right in every way. Workwise, it's opened up huge opportunities for me, not just in terms of actual work offered to me but the less quantifiable aspects - the contacts I've made, both social and strictly work, the conversations that sparked ideas, the events I've been able to attend that would have been physically impossible previously... all of which have had a huge impact on my future planning. I managed to get myself banned from a networking event I attended for the first time - simply because I was asked for feedback and was critical. I was gobsmacked at the pettiness, but don't feel I've missed out as the networking I've done at practically everywhere else in this amazing city has been so valuable in so many ways. I also never expected to end 2009 planning a new business venture with a freelance colleague or attending a training course that has led to me spending the first quarter of next year returning to a staff position and which may lead on to who knows what else. I feel I'm standing on the brink of something exciting and important and as yet unknown.<br /><br />Financially, 2009 was ropey for me - as it was for many freelance colleagues. During the first quarter I earned almost nothing because I was busy writing the book and not in a position to take on other work. After I'd delivered the manuscript, work was very erratic. Looking back, I can see I did much less pure journalism than was desirable. This was partly due to my regular markets shrinking - there's not much point in pitching to eds who you know no longer have a freelance budget. It was also partly down to taking on whatever work was going, just to pay the bills - I ended up doing a lot of book editing and copywriting, which led in turn to having less time to drum up ideas for pitches, which I might not have been able to sell anyway.<br /><br />I dumped a major client, the one that covered all my monthly bills for minimal effort, which was heartbreaking but had to be done because it had become unsustainable in other ways. I took me a while to find a replacement on that level, but in the early autumn I landed another regular who pays well and on time, and covers my outgoings for just a couple of days' work a month. One of my other regulars still owes me money from the first quarter and is teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. Somehow, I'll be amazed if I'm still writing for them in 3 months' time.<br /><br />On an industry level, it was a bad year. If 2008 was grim, seeing thousands of staffers lose jobs, then this year was worse in many respects. It started off ok, as the staff redundancies meant there was still work going for freelances to fill all those pages. Then stage 2 of the downturn kicked in - advertising tailed off, leading to slashed freelance budgets and many publications closing. There seems to be a slight upturn now as the number of advertised staff vacancies is showing a modest improvement, but it'll be at least another 12 months I reckon before that translates into the return of freelance opportunities. There's been much industry talk in the last few months about how the future for journalism will focus on branded individuals. I've definitely used the downtime in 2009 to brand and market myself on <a href="http://twitter.com/wordsmith4hire">Twitter</a>, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/wordsmith4hire">Facebook</a> and the like, which I hope will pay off in work offered next year.<br /><br />To my great shame, my blogging rate is way down this year - a measly 46 posts including this one. Compare that to 2007's 126 posts and last year's whopping total of 149. And on the other blog, I managed a feeble 17...<br /><br />So, to the personal. Looking back, I'm quite stunned at <a href="http://diaryofawordsmith.blogspot.com/2009/03/lost-day-or-not-fit-to-work.html">how much</a> I've <a href="http://diaryofawordsmith.blogspot.com/2009/04/i-try-not-to-blog-too-much-about-my.html">blogged</a> about <a href="http://diaryofawordsmith.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-know-i-said-recently-that-i-wasnt.html">my disability</a> this year. I know that initially, way back when, I felt very strongly that I'd not let my health issues get in the way of work, or even be a point of discussion - I think I wanted to prove that the epilepsy was irrelevant to my ability to do the job. And so it was, in many ways. Except that only a few weeks ago, I actually admitted to my course trainer that it has hampered my career over the last few years in the sense that there were many jobs I didn't bother to even enquire about let alone chase because I knew it would be pointless. It's a key reason why I stayed freelancing, which is easier than answering awkward health questions and knowing that HR is lying when they tell you why they gave the the job to someone else. Although freelancing means I can cut out much of the stress - commuting, working with others, etc - that could have a negative impact on my seizures. And yet I had more seizures this year than at any time since I was diagnosed in 1997. My diary tells its own tale and so does this blog - living alone for the first time since diagnosis has forced me to face many fears, practical issues and my own mortality. I still feel vulnerable and I don't like it. Only today, colleagues were asking the "where do you see yourself in 5 years' time?" question and all I could see was me either in A&E (or the dentist) getting patched up, or <a href="http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/info/sudep.html">dead</a>, and all the fear came straight back up like I'd eaten a supersized portion of salmonella. 2009 has definitely been the year in which I can't run or hide from the impact of a long-term disability any more, while 2010 is going to be the year in which I know I'll have to look at long-term workarounds and make some big decisions.<br /><br />As for the other personal stuff, there's been a relationship or two but nothing serious. As the year draws to a close, there are two very interesting men in my life - who knows what will happen? One is another hack, which has led to some interesting situations. I've not dated a colleague for a very long time - the last time, I swore off it as it became rather competitive on the work front even though we worked for different employers in different sectors. I guess the fear about being scooped is hard to shake off! But maybe not this time. We shall see. The other is as far removed from my industry as you could get, which is equally unsettling in some respects. I know how I'd like things to pan out - let's see in the 2010 review if I get what I wish for.<br /><br />I end the year editing someone's book and looking forward to a few socials for local journalists (I've already done the London rounds). As usual, I'll be working over Xmas. I also close 2009 pondering the possibilities and practicalities of writing another book - a chance discussion with a colleague resulted in the vague idea of writing said tome together. I've no idea if it'll happen or not but I'm keen if they are. But first, there's the small matter of the tiny temp contract at the major meeja organisation to complete...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-73587473765145539002009-11-28T14:16:00.004+00:002009-11-28T14:47:19.249+00:00WeekendsOne of the the real bonuses of freelancing is that I can have my weekends during the week, and avoid everyone else doing weekend stuff on a Saturday or Sunday. Like shopping in town, for example, which I often do on a Tuesday morning instead when it's quiet. The downside is that I often end up working on a weekend to catch up, if I do that, but I don't mind because the flexibility makes up for everything. And with no kids or partner in tow, I can pretty much please myself.<br /><br />Taking this past week off to participate in some training inevitably meant I'd end up working this weekend. Several jobs have accumulated in my inbox which need to be done by Monday. Plus I had a business meeting in town this morning with a freelance colleague and friend as we are planning a new venture.<br /><br />I loathe Manchester city centre on a Saturday morning, especially in the run-up to Xmas. It's full of people who are seemingly wandering round not looking where they are going, apparently for the sole purpose of making my life as miserable as possible. The meeting went well (although I now need to find time to go through the draft business plan and add my input) and I decided to pop into Boots to pick up some essentials before heading home. Big mistake. I got sidetracked by a visit to Waterstones when I remembered I had a £30 gift voucher in my purse. While in there, I spotted my own book on the shelf and nearly fainted with the excitement. I celebrated by blowing £150 on a pair of over-the-knee stiletto boots, as you do. And two pashminas to replace the one I lost recently (am fairly sure I left it behind when I attended <a href="http://open09.com/">Open 09</a>). and £50 on make-up (I swear I only went in for a toothbrush and some face powder). I also acquired a yard broom when I got off the bus home, as my landlord is due to visit this week so I can renew my lease and I really need to sweep the gardens.<br /><br />I cannot begin to describe how tired I am after the training week, but the rest of today is going to be spent writing someone's newsletter for their business, catching up with the cleaning, buying train tickets for Friday's day trip to London (work meetings, plus a boozy social with freelance colleagues) and reading the business plan. Tomorrow looks like it will consist of more of the same but I do plan to take some time out to do an urban walk in town if the weather holds up. There's a limit, after all, to the amount of time even<span style="font-style: italic;"> I </span>can sit on my arse and I have a Phd in arse-sitting. (Actually, there was a further unexpected bonus to the training week - I appear to have dropped 2 kilos spontaneously from all the rushing around. Perhaps commuting is good for you after all.)<br /><br />But for now, it's back to work...<br /><br /><br /> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/ce99f36d-8b3e-4a9d-87d7-f9dbf6b854a2/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img style="border: medium none ; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=ce99f36d-8b3e-4a9d-87d7-f9dbf6b854a2" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-55724099748162585782009-11-27T22:33:00.006+00:002009-11-27T23:27:32.052+00:00Learning curveJust over a fortnight ago,on a whim, I <a href="http://diaryofawordsmith.blogspot.com/2009/11/radio-silence-radio-noise.html">applied to do a top-up training course</a>. Today, I completed the first week of intensive workshops. I'm pretty shattered and tattered but it's been most interesting, for a number of reasons.<br /><br />The biggest shock to the system was learning to commute again after a 6-year hiatus. Although I'm naturally a very early riser, I fought daily against the excruciatingly loud digital bleep of my alarm clock at 5.30am. On at least 2 mornings I was sorely tempted to roll over and crash out again. I don't know why this is - my insomnia frequently wakes me that early and I'm happy to get up, stick the kettle on and crack on with work. But I dislike jumping straight in the shower, deciding what the hell to wear and putting my face on for the day while it's still dark outside. Catching a bus at 7.10 is anathema, sitting on a crowded train even more so. It's bearable - just - as long as I have a large carton of coffee, a paper and don't have to talk to anyone. By today, I felt I'd just about got the hang of things again - nicely in time to unlearn them.<br /><br />People. I'm naturally sociable, but equally like my own company and frequently crave solitude. This week has taught me that freelancing from home can definitely turn one into a misanthrope. Working largely alone for so long meant I had to learn to work in a team again, something long since forgotten (and, truth be told, after my last spell as a staffer coping with a colleague who was literally bonkers and made my team's life hell, something probably best left behind). I had a huge midweek bust-up with one of the other trainees, inevitable under the circumstances. It was resolved next day but it's served to remind me that in Q110 I'm probably going to have to button the lips that are normally left to speak as bluntly as they care to.<br /><br />As for the rest, it was hard not to be aware of the age gap between myself and the other gang members. Interestingly, I was way ahead of them when it came to the geek stuff. Although I'm probably an early adopter, I generally expect 20-summats to be ahead of me there. So it was with some surprise that I discovered that 10 years of blogging, plus proficiency in <a class="zem_slink" href="http://facebook.com" title="Facebook" rel="homepage">Facebook</a>, <a class="zem_slink" href="http://twitter.com/" title="Twitter" rel="homepage">Twitter</a> and a bunch of other social media stuff put me furlongs ahead. I was bored and a little frustrated, therefore, during the first couple of days while we were taught how to blog and exploit social media platforms. In the latter half of the week, I did learn new stuff - how to make a digital movie and audio slideshow, for example.<br /><br />For me, the most bizarre bonus was undoubtedly the unexpected friendship I seem to have struck up with an investigative journalist who dropped in to teach the group how to dig up information on the deep web. A lot of the workshop was, again, stuff I already knew from doing this kind of work in the past but we not only had that in common but also some other things. We swapped cards, Facebooked each other and before you could shout "publishing deal" we were mooting the idea of writing a book together. How weird is that? No weirder than spending 2 hours in someone's company and feeling like you've known them for ages.<br /><br />Some other points of note: I've had so little free time this week that I've been coming home to a mountain of email that I've had less than 2 hours to sift through in the evening, dealing with the urgent ones and mainly deleting the rest before collapsing into bed. I failed to put the bins out. I cleaned none of the house. <a href="http://nelsons-column.blogspot.com/">The boy</a> was undoubtedly very unhappy at being locked in all day for 5 days in a row. I was so tired one night I overslept the next morning by an hour (yet miraculously still managed to arrive at the course only 5 minutes late - don't ask me how). I was also so tired that I cancelled several evening social engagements I should have showed my face at. Just how do ordinary people manage all these things? I have clearly lost the knack and I'm wondering just how I will cope with 3 months of this when a mere week was evidently such a struggle.<br /><br />I have a month's respite now, a month in which I have 2 books to edit for clients, plus do my other regular freelance gigs and somehow psyche myself up for returning to the external workplace for 3 months. Scared? You bet. Cocky? Damn right. Somehow I just know I'll pull it out of the bag even though it will more than likely be through my usual combination of winging it, bluffing it and shitting it.<br /><br />What I really want to know is where it will lead afterwards. But that's another story. So stay tuned...<a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/dfd58cd6-5184-45e7-a2a8-1c099f3ef413/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img style="border: medium none ; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=dfd58cd6-5184-45e7-a2a8-1c099f3ef413" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-55542539268099825402009-11-24T20:49:00.004+00:002009-11-24T22:25:18.947+00:00National Freelancers DayA couple of months ago I received a <a href="http://www.pcg.org.uk/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=748&Itemid=1241">press release</a> for <a href="http://www.nationalfreelancersday.org.uk/cms/index.php">National Freelancers Day</a>. I was going to blog about it at the time but then decided I'd wait until it <span style="font-style: italic;">was</span> actually NFD, which was yesterday. Except I was out all day on a training course and then I went straight to an evening meeting and didn't get home until 11pm. And by the time I'd fed <a href="http://nelsons-column.blogspot.com/">the boy</a> and myself, downloaded a huge batch of email and hit the "mark all as read" button on my RSS reader, it was nearly midnight and I was too tired to blog. I just wanted sleep.<br /><br />So, here I am blogging a day late about why I don't give a toss about National Freelancers Day (although I do care about the missing apostrophe).<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pcg.org.uk/cms/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=486&Itemid=985">PCG</a> invented this day. Who or what is PCG? It's a company (Professional Contracters Group or something like that). Its strapline says "the voice of freelancing" although it doesn't speak for me. I doubt PCG speaks for most other freelances I know, either. In fact, not one of the freelances I know was planning to celebrate NFD! As far as I can tell, PCG just wants freelances to sign up to it and contract work to them. I'm perfectly capable of finding my own work, thanks.<br /><br />I'm also more than capable of celebrating my freelance status without assistance. I do this most days, in fact - I celebrate being able to sit at my PC in my pyjamas and sift through my email and work on my clients' projects or file my press copy, while gazing out of the window smirking at my neighbours as they all dash out to work every morning, driven by the need to be present at their boss's office come what may.<br /><br />In fact, I was brutally reminded yesterday morning how glad I am that I no longer have to commute. My alarm went off at 5.30, I woke up in shock at the loud digital bleeping of the clock and leapt straight into the shower, knowing full well that if I didn't I'd fall asleep again for another hour and then I'd be late. Somehow I made it out of the house on time to catch a packed bus to the station then squeeze into an overcrowded train that had no buffet trolley. I got off an hour later grouchy at not having had any coffee and feeling thoroughly misanthropic because of the other commuters I was forced to share space with.<br /><br />So I celebrate every day my freedom to set my own hours, work wherever I choose and delight in the knowledge that if I don't want to, I don't have to deal with others. I don't need PCG or anyone else to give me permission to do this.<br /><br />And what were PCG offering anyway? Let's see. Oh yes, some "events". In my city, that meant <a href="http://www.nationalfreelancersday.org.uk/cms/local-events-on-the-day/61">a panel discussion</a> with a tax adviser and some recruitment specialists. Just the ticket after a hard day's freelancing. Not. I can't think of anything less enticing than listening to some bigwigs drone on about the various admin aspects of working for oneself. I'd rather stick pins in my eyeballs.<br /><br />If I hadn't had to attend my meeting, I'd have probably headed for the pub with some freelance colleagues to share a bottle or two of wine and a gossip - a far more productive way to enjoy the freelance life, or at least a spare evening after a hard day's self-employment.<br /><br />Freelancing is not always a bed of roses. Sometimes it's rough and tough - especially in a downturn. But even in the bad times, I see good in it, even if on the really bad days the only good thing is being able to work in my pyjamas. And I really don't need anyone to tell me that's fine because I already know it is. The cynic in me knows that PCG probably created National Freelancers Day in order to recruit members. That in itself is reason enough for me to avoid it like the plague.<br /><br />And on the days when freelancing really is stonkingly brilliant, I need PCG to help me "celebrate" it even less.<br /><br />If anyone reading this did actually get involved, do comment and share your thoughts because I'd be very interested to hear your take on NFD.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-761845195884840422009-11-11T00:01:00.007+00:002009-11-11T00:35:10.019+00:00Radio silence. Radio noise?Apologies yet again for a neglected blog. The last few weeks have been busy, chaotic and strange.<br /><br />I sense a slight whiff of change in the freelance wind. After a desperately quiet summer, things picked up in the early autumn. It's not just me. Colleagues have also reported an uptick on the work front and there do seem to be more jobs being advertised after a lengthy period of falling axes.<br /><br />In the midst of all this, I've attended several industry conferences - even teaching some social media stuff at one. And I also decided to apply for some proper training.<br /><br />It's been a long time since I did training. There was the 2 1/2 years indentures when I started at the tender age of 16 and 3/4. It was supposed to be 3 years, but my bosses had the temerity to go bust and I spent the 6 months I should have enjoyed finishing my qualifications taking my kit off at the local art college instead to pay the bills and stave off starvation.<br /><br />There have been a few spells of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuing_Professional_Development">CPD</a> since then, almost entirely 1-day courses with the exception of a couple that were 2 days.<br /><br />So it was with some trepidation that I applied, almost on a whim, just a week ago for a 3-month placement. Yes - 12 whole weeks. I don't think I ever took the application seriously - I didn't really think the training on offer was for members of the Venerable Order of Knackered Old Hacks, but for the thrusting, bright young things snapping at my heels, which are very definitely not Louboutins.<br /><br />Thus, it was a slight shock to be invited for interview. I was given 4 days' notice and asked to prepare a presentation on social media platforms for news. To show you just how seriously I took this challenge, I did nothing until 2 hours before the deadline to submit it. Then I flung it all together and emailed it with literally 1 minute to spare. (Not forgetting the computer crash I had at 30 minutes to go, with a struggle to reboot.) I wrote the notes to go with the slides while on the 40-minute train journey to the interview today.<br /><br />Nothing like looming deadlines, eh?<br /><br />On arrival, I was thrown straight into delivering my presentation - unrehearsed, naturally - and somehow managed not to swear, have a seizure or otherwise cock things up. But still I departed thinking, That'll teach me...<br /><br />So I was delighted at 10.30pm tonight to get an email offering me a placement. I can't quite believe it. I shed a little tear, swore a lot, went totally nuts for 10 minutes and then reality kicked in.<br /><br />From January to end March, I'll be doing paid upskilling training in a newsroom. Ignoring the fact that I've almost no proper newsroom experience, despite the 3 decades in the job, it's just hit me that my life is about to change completely.<br /><br />No more loafing around in my dressing gown all day. I'm convinced my postie believes I'm an invalid, given the number of times I've answered the door in my pyjamas. It's been almost 6 years since I last actually "went out" to work. Almost 6 years since I last set the alarm clock for a pre-dawn commute to an office. I've forgotten what it's like, forgotten how to be on my best behaviour. Freelancing definitely deskills you in some respects, like how to get dressed at a sensible hour and how to maintain a wardrobe of suits. How to cope with colleagues for 8 or 9 hours a day. Perhaps this is what the training is for - to teach me how to handle a workplace again.<br /><br />I jest, of course. I'm really looking forward to January and the opportunities that lie ahead, even while I'm wondering how I'll adjust to such a massive, if temporary life change.<br /><br />I'm also wondering where I'll be placed. A newsroom for sure - I want that experience, after 31 years of feature writing. But there's a good chance it'll be at a radio station. So if you hear someone reading a bulletin oop north in giveaway soft southern jessie tones, there's a fair chance it'll be me...<br /><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/d361cf64-ea2c-4145-bfd2-e96c457f8876/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img style="border: medium none ; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=d361cf64-ea2c-4145-bfd2-e96c457f8876" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-35751841734831301242009-09-30T13:48:00.003+01:002009-09-30T22:16:32.971+01:00High-fensAn interesting feature appeared today on <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.reuters.com/" title="Reuters" rel="homepage">Reuters</a> about the <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSHAR15384620070921?rpc=60&pageNumber=3&virtualBrandChannel=0&sp=true">disappearing hyphen</a>.<br /><br />I'd definitely agree that hyphens are going out of use thanks to the internet. I've dropped many over the years - some because of the influence of the web, but others have gone for other reasons. Language shifts style for many reasons and the growth of the internet is not the only one. For example, the scientific community was merging medical, technical and scientific terms that previously had hyphens long before texting and email started affecting language use. Nor is Oxford University Press the sole guardian of our language. I do check spellings, including hyphenation, in Oxford's spelling dictionary or its other specialist style guides for editors, but I also have half a dozen other style guides on my shelves.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/">The Guardian</a> style guide (which uses Collins for its house dictionary) is one I use frequently, not just because I sometimes write for it but some of my editing clients use it as a style guide too. And the Guardian was dispensing with hyphens ahead of the great post-2000 growth of the web. I'm very much in favour of dispensing with overfussy use of hyphens and merging words where they look cleaner, or even splitting them in two if they look better that way.<br /><br />Style is often a matter of choice rather than a hard and fast rule. There are several major publishers in the UK who produce dictionaries of English - none is identical to any other, including in some choices for spelling or hyphenation. And until we have a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acad%C3%A9mie_fran%C3%A7aise">French-style English Academy</a> set up here dictating unbreakable rules, we will continue to see our language evolve and adapt.<br /><br />And rightly so.<br /><div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/4e50f333-3806-489b-a790-a0bb15dca606/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img style="border: medium none ; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=4e50f333-3806-489b-a790-a0bb15dca606" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-81136098855867980502009-09-21T16:43:00.006+01:002009-09-21T18:18:25.496+01:00Working toolsI've been thinking a lot lately about my changing work practices, in terms of the tools I use to improve the way I work or just offer different, more interesting ways of getting things done. Here's a quick run-through of stuff I've tried, tested, stuck with, abandoned or am just doing differently.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">PC</span><br />I've always had a desktop PC and fixed-line broadband. My router (a BT HomeHub) has wifi too - cued into this are my netbook and phone (see below for more on these). For a long time, the PC was my main work tool, except when I took the laptop away on business trips or holidays. It still is - I like to sit in my front window and watch what's going on in my street while beavering away. Admittedly, my street is fairly quiet but seeing my neighbours going about their business or watching the squirrels racing around helps me feel connected. I've just replaced the previous PC, which was bought off the shelf 6 years ago and was too old to patch up any more, with a custom-built monster capable of handling my work needs for quite a few years to come. I have the latest processor, oodles of RAM and storage space and can appreciate the benefits already of working on a more efficient machine designed for how I work.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Netbook</span><br />I sold my laptop to a friend/colleague not very long ago. There was nothing wrong with it - it was only 5 years old, ran on Windows XP and had a wifi card plus Firefox and Open Office, which was enough on the hoof for checking email and surfing the web, plus working on documents. But the battery was knackered, so I had to be plugged into a socket to do anything, and I was fed up of having to cart a laptop bag everywhere as well as my handbag. And I had my eye on a shiny new netbook. I had my purchase customised with extra battery life and a few other extras. It looks funky (swanky scarlet, with matching mini-mouse) and weighs just over a kilo. It's small enough to fit in my handbag, meaning I can now escape Wordsmith Towers when I have cabin fever and go and work in a café for a change of scene while catching up with friends in town. Adding a pay-as-you-go dongle means I can get online easily, should the unthinkable occur and there's no free wifi (which is abundant in my city). The netbook also has way more capacity than the old laptop so I've been able to install more software, giving me yet more work options.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Phone</span><br />This has been the most revolutionary change for me. My 5-year-old Nokia was due for replacement and after a couple of friends let me tinker on their <a class="zem_slink" href="http://www.apple.com/iphone" title="iPhone" rel="homepage">iPhones</a> I was hooked. I've had my iPhone since April and can't imagine using anything else now. It's not just that I find the touchscreen easier to type on than a traditional mobile phone keyboard (or that the spell checker is preferable to predictive text). It's the apps that make the difference. I can sync lots of things now with my desktop and netbook, so wherever I am it doesn't matter what kit I'm using, I can still match things up. The only drawback is I haven't yet found a way to sync the built-in calendar (which is fantastic) with ReminderFox on my desktop PC or, indeed, Google Calendar, which I use occasionally. If anyone has an answer to this, I'd love to hear from you.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Software</span><br />I'm discovering the joys of using some really useful web-based applications that can be synced - for a freelance on the move, this can make a big difference to accessing things you might suddenly need. I do carry a flash drive with me when I take my netbook out, but it's only as good as what I've stashed on there. Web-based apps mean I can access more documents while on the go. I follow a couple of useful blogs that recommend new apps - <a href="http://blog.appsfire.com/">AppsFire</a> and <a href="http://web.appstorm.net/">Web.AppStorm</a> - which have given me the heads up for the newest software, and sometimes offer access to invite-only beta versions with special promo codes.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Evernote</span><br />I can't shout loud enough about how brilliant this is. I have <a href="http://www.evernote.com/">Evernote</a> installed on the desktop, netbook and iPhone, plus Firefox. I use it for jotting down ideas for pitches, tasks lists, snippets of software code I need to work on a CMS that I'll never remember, even shopping lists. The syncing means I'll never forget anything again and the beauty is you can dump anything in it - text, photos, even voice.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">DropBox</span><br />Like Evernote, <a href="https://www.getdropbox.com/">DropBox</a> is web-based and can be synced across devices. I've never used Google Docs as I felt uneasy about trusting lots of data to their servers. With Dropbox, I can just dump files in it before I go on the hoof and retrieve them to work on wherever and whenever. I can share files, too, if I want, it backs up automatically on a save and I can also recover previous versions of files if I need them (very useful if you accidentally delete something). So far, I've found to be amazingly simple and utterly reliable. I'm still discovering features on it and when the iPhone version is approved I'll be even happier.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">PasswordSafe</span><br />My desktop PC is set up so Firefox saves my passwords for the various websites I use. Obviously, having the same set-up on a portable is less advisable and while I keep a file of sites and their passwords, I was never particularly happy about either copying it over to the laptop or netbook, or keeping it on a flash drive, which is even more likely to become lost. My solution was to open an account with <a href="http://passwordsafe.sourceforge.net/">PasswordSafe</a>. This nifty app allows me to stash all my passwords and lock it with one. I only need to remember that one password, so I'm now far safer when working away from home. Result.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Subernova</span><br />I've only just installed <a href="http://www.subernova.com/">Subernova</a>, which is a project-management application that runs on Adobe Air. I've not used it long enough to appreciate all its features but because I have a diverse work portfolio that includes journalism, editing and corporate writing, I need a tool that enables me to keep track of what I'm doing and when I have deadlines. Putting the latter in my calendar apps is fine up to a point but it doesn't really crack the problem of juggling everything then remembering to bill someone (this is vital if you're invoicing in stages). So far, Subernova seems to be meeting a lot of these needs for me. And again, it has an iPhone version. This is the only paid-for app I'm using. I'm on the free 30-day trial as I write this - if it proves it's worth by mid-October, I may well fork out the US$5.99 a month to keep running it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wakoopa</span><br />I just discovered <a href="http://wakoopa.com/">Wakoopa</a> today and I'm addicted already. It installs a little widget on your computer and tracks all the apps you use. Ok, that doesn't sound that enticing but it does much more than tell me what I'm using. Wakoopa's tracking tells me how much or how little I'm using a particular program or widget. I've already decided to uninstall a couple of things as I was barely using them. Where it gets really useful is that I can add tags to what Wakoopa is monitoring, favourite them and share them with other Wakoopa users. And by looking at the page for each app, I can see ideas for similar apps to try out as well as click though to others' profiles and see what they are using. Everything can be rated and reviewed - this has almost instantly become one of the most useful tools I have for discovering other useful tools.<br /><br />If you have other suggestions for harnessing tools that help the hard-pressed freelance, do leave a comment!<div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/5f9da916-1c13-4d66-9d01-cd5170989307/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img style="border: medium none ; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=5f9da916-1c13-4d66-9d01-cd5170989307" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-48174477966162213812009-09-16T09:29:00.003+01:002009-09-16T09:41:01.259+01:00Conference by numbersI've just returned from my annual trip to the <a href="http://www.sfep.org.uk/pub/confs/conf09/conf2009_advance.asp">SfEP conference</a>. It went something like this.<br /><br />3 - people I really did not want to talk to.<br /><br />2 - people who apparently did not want to talk to me.<br /><br />8 - people who came to my workshop.<br /><br />1 - workshop I attended, apart from my own.<br /><br />9 - my room number.<br /><br />100+ - people in attendance.<br /><br />8 - people on my table at the banquet.<br /><br />2 - bottles of wine on the banquet table for 8 people to share for the <span style="font-style: italic;">entire</span> meal.<br /><br />50-something - times I logged in to <a class="zem_slink" href="http://twitter.com" title="Twitter" rel="homepage">Twitter</a> while sitting in seminars.<br /><br />197 - total emails awaiting my attention on my return.<br /><br />534 - items awaiting my attention in my RSS feed on my return.<br /><br />1 - friend/chauffeur I fed when arrived home last night.<br /><br />5 - minutes it took me to log into the campus wifi network (a record, as I had no problems).<br /><br />0 - complaints I made this year (also a record, as I usually have at least one issue).<br /><div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/aa8f6796-2f60-4b16-91d9-2f4e0e3e4765/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img style="border: medium none ; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=aa8f6796-2f60-4b16-91d9-2f4e0e3e4765" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-86165567675910666072009-09-06T09:18:00.003+01:002009-09-06T09:58:43.965+01:00Media clonesI was reading investigative journalist Nick Davies' blog last night - he was musing about <a class="zem_slink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Waterhouse" title="Keith Waterhouse" rel="wikipedia">Keith Waterhouse</a>, who died a couple of days ago. Waterhouse was a legend and a true old-style Fleet Street hack, as well as a fabulous writer.<br /><br />Anyway, <a href="http://www.flatearthnews.net/category/blog/keith-waterhouse-last-originals">Davies reckons</a> no one would offer Waterhouse a job today if he was fresh out of school.<br /><br /><blockquote>"The sad death of the legendary Keith Waterhouse, has rightfully, attracted many plaudits in national newspapers. Reflections on his life....left school with no qualifications.....fond of the odd tipple or three.....a true original...etc. etc. Yet is it not ironical, that if a similar young Keith Waterhouse presented himself to a newspaper today, he'd very quickly be shown the door. No qualifications?...most newspapers today desire only graduate clones in grey suits, keep your heads down and don't rock the boat if you want to survive"</blockquote><br />I'd be in the same boat. I left school at 16, the day I sat my last O. I was a scruffy, mouthy punk and I dyed my hair grass-green the next morning, which prompted my eviction from the family abode. Nevertheless, within a week I had somewhere to live (after borrowing a friend's sofa for a few days) and a job - I walked off the street and into the offices of a weekly magazine and walked out an hour later as their newest music critic.<br /><br />Two local papers had already rejected me because of the green hair, the black eye make-up and my unique dress sense. I didn't mind too much as I didn't really want to be a reporter anyway, I wanted to write about music and that probably wasn't going to happen on a mainstream daily. But, infuriatingly, neither paper had looked at my writing to see if I had any talent. The mag that took me on looked beyond my appearance and asked to see my work - at that stage, a handful of ranty columns and reviews in a punk fanzine. I think they were also impressed with my enormous chutzpah (but probably not the equally big ego I was schlepping around with me back then).<br /><br />A lot of really great hacks who were or are my contemporaries (and who have been infinitely more successful and famous than I) would also not have got a job in today's corporate climate. Julie Burchill and Steven Wells are two that spring immediately to mind. I somehow can't picture either of them doing a journalism degree followed by weeks of unpaid work experience in the hope it might lead to a job.<br /><br />The industry is going through massive upheavals right now as it struggles to reposition itself in a digital world with new business models. It would be sad if, as part of that process, the hirers continue to look only for Davies' "graduate clones". <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/c4c95eb9-c4c4-40b4-94ae-5c2f6d3a76ee/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img style="border: medium none ; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=c4c95eb9-c4c4-40b4-94ae-5c2f6d3a76ee" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-74123837186098173152009-09-02T21:37:00.005+01:002009-09-02T21:55:50.192+01:00Flattery, ignoranceFirst, flattery. So there I was on Twitter a week or so ago following various conversations, one of which asked people to plug a certain teenage journo. Normally, I wouldn't, but I was the same age (16) when starting out and had the same hunger. It struck a chord, so I did the <strike>RT</strike>decent thing and retweeted something this person had written.<br /><br />I was rather flattered some days later to see that said teen hack had plugged me on <a href="http://www.mrtweet.net/">Mr Tweet</a>, and described me as "<span class="status-body"><span class="entry-content">amazing, sharp, humorous, the best journalist there is". I'm paraphrasing, obviously but I did enjoy the ego-stroke. It almost convinced me I should have taken on Julie Burchill, after all.<br /><br />So it was with some disappointment that I discovered, some days after the announcement of the <a href="http://www.manchesterblogawards.com/">2009 Manchester Blog Awards</a>, that I'm probably not among the (currently) 120+ nominations for the simple reason that I'm not yet listed on the blog roll at <a href="http://manchizzle.blogspot.com/">The Manchizzle</a>, not this one or the other one. Or indeed any of the other ones. An oversight or several that I'm hastily trying to correct.<br /><br />Never mind. I have survived long enough without gongs. I'm happy to have fans of a tender 16 years, which probably counts for a lot more.<br /><br />But a nomination would be nice. <span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">HINT HINT... </span></span><br /></span></span> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/e18861c7-cbbe-4392-a9f6-c7ddd2e64c73/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img style="border: medium none ; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=e18861c7-cbbe-4392-a9f6-c7ddd2e64c73" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-45448284900349536562009-09-02T19:17:00.003+01:002009-09-02T19:48:19.799+01:00Vocabularly 101I stumbled across an interesting blog post today, courtesy of <a class="zem_slink" href="http://twitter.com" title="Twitter" rel="homepage">Twitter</a>, and it spoke to my heart.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.daccreative.co.uk/goodcopybadcopy/2009/07/24/thirty-words-you-need-to-stop-using-today/">30 Words You Need to Stop Using</a> was a great summary of corporate jargon that should be banned (actually, it was today's update of <a href="http://www.daccreative.co.uk/goodcopybadcopy/2009/09/02/another-30-words-and-phrases-you-should-stop-using-right-now/">another 30 words</a> that I discovered - 30 more words that are equally valid for banning). In a previous <strike>life</strike>job on the Dark Side (aka doing PR for a charity) I was in a constant battle with my bosses and the charity's board when it came to vocabulary. One of the charity's veeps took it upon herself to "approve" any official blah I produced. As I was on a mission to cut jargon and use words that ordinary people could understand (based on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KISS_principle">KISS principle</a>), I often felt like resigning when my carefully crafted drafts were returned and simple words such as "use" were scored through and replaced with "utilise".<br /><br />Those were the days when I really felt like banging my head on the desk or the wall because that would clearly have been a more productive use of my time. When I first arrived at the charity, all the corporate blah had clearly been produced with the board in mind, not the end-users (apologies for that one, I do hate that phrase!). And so, when the board agreed - finally - that our blah needed to be aimed at the people we were supposedly helping, I was overjoyed. Until the veep rewrote everything in my new draft and we ended up with an almost identical version to the blah we were supposed to be ditching.<br /><br />But I digress.<br /><br />I don't agree with all the words on the list. No. 7 - leverage - is used all the time in financial circles, where it has a very specific meaning. And as I do a lot of financial stuff, I can't avoid it. Mind, I'd strike it in any other context. No. 8 - solutions - is a particular hatred of mine and I never, ever use it in journalism. Sadly, though, I get paid to use it in corporate work. The corporate work pays the bills and no matter how much I may try to persuade the client that "solutions" is a hideously over-used cliché, if they're paying and they really want it, they get it. The customer is always right, even when they are wrong.<br /><br />I'm sure I could add a few choice examples to Good Copy Bad Copy's list. I'll certainly be keeping an eye on her updates, as should any self-respecting wordsmith.<br /> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/88adfbe0-34b2-4386-a6ff-54395618dc82/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img style="border: medium none ; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=88adfbe0-34b2-4386-a6ff-54395618dc82" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-87282224192136914172009-08-20T18:03:00.005+01:002009-08-20T18:13:38.667+01:00Blog overloadNot content with this one, the other one and the handful of other blogs I update or guest on here and there, I've only gone and started a new one!<br /><br />The new one, though, is proper work on a topic that passes for an addiction in the Wordsmith Towers household - soap. No, not the stuff I lather up with in the shower. The other sort. On TV. <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/eastenders/">One of 'em</a>, anyway.<br /><br />I'm busy pimping it right now on Twitter and Facebook and I'll be updating it at least once a week. That'll keep me off the streets in the evenings. And it's good to be hacking again...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-16832116366650497502009-08-17T23:57:00.007+01:002009-08-18T06:47:51.398+01:00The long haulMy current job, a book edit, was supposed to finish a week ago. A combination of circumstances meant I needed an extension to complete it. That was duly negotiated and I even worked over the weekend to ensure I'd complete it today.<br /><br />Alas, it was not to be. I'd been working at a good pace over the last fortnight or so, despite the aforementioned issues. Then I hit a brick wall. With just over 60 pages to go, my pace plunged to an all-time low of 2 pages an hour. Yes, 2. I'm used to doing 8-10 pages an hour. Even the ghastliest stuff I've worked on - usually something written by a non-native speaker of English and therefore prone to all those typical foreign errors - I can scrape through at 5-6 pages an hour.<br /><br />Not this <strike>bastard</strike>baby. I'm doing the reference section and it is, frankly, the worst one I've ever had to work on. And that's saying something, as I've edited some real stinkers in my time. I am having to google every single citation to check author names, title, publisher and the rest, because nothing - but nothing - is consistent, not even where the same citation crops up several times. Then there's the spelling, the punctuation, the styling... ok, ok, I know that's *my* job but the author had at least made a fairly good hash of it in the body of the book. When it came to the references, I suspect he chucked out the publisher's style guide along with his empty beer bottles and pizza boxes.<br /><br />I've done a 15-hour day today, with barely a break. And I still have 40 <strike>sodding</strike>pages to go... Spare a thought for me, please.<br /><br />At least I have an away-day tomorrow. Perhaps I'll be in a more willing frame of mind when I return to the grindstone on Wednesday. Then again, maybe not.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">(Think of the cheque, Wordsmith, just think of the cheque...)<br /><br /></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-20876868491473186392009-08-11T22:46:00.002+01:002009-08-11T22:53:44.393+01:00FaceliftNot me, I'm no fan of scalpels unless there's a tin of Cow gum, a steel rule and a cutting mat involved (ah, nostalgia for the days of galley layout!).<br /><br />No, I've tarted up the Diary.<br /><br />It was long overdue. When I started it, a year after I'd been ranting about freelancing on MySpace, the options on Blogger were limited. Later, the new templates became available but I've been putting off the upgrade for the best part of 2 years. Naturally, just when I really ought to be working my socks off to meet a deadline, I found myself in dire need of <strike>procrastination</strike>distraction and decided to overhaul things here. So - same style, but more widgety things and I've updated my blogroll and industry links so things are a bit more current and relevant.<br /><br />I hope it all works. Tomorrow's probably when I'll discover that I've messed up my stats feed or something.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-60919726888518318452009-08-09T19:16:00.009+01:002009-08-09T20:58:43.941+01:00Call yourself a writer?Along with a bunch of others, I've been tagged by hack-cum-blogger <a href="http://www.gotyourhandsfull.com/2009/08/call-yourself-a-writer-a-meme-from-me-to-you.html">Linda Jones</a> to come clean about my writing career. That'll be the writing career that was once very promising, lapsed somewhat when I exiled myself across the Great Ditch (aka the Channel) for over a decade, and is currently languishing in the doldrums as all my pitches vanish into a commissioning editor's black hole or two. But what the hell, I still call myself a hack and I'm not one to run away from a challenge. So, despite my current lack of any paid writing work whatsoever (and thank gawd for the editing work that's still paying the rent), herewith my answers to Joner's questions...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Which words do you use too much in your writing?</span><br /><br />All manner of sweary stuff, especially on here. Writing for an adult mag also means I can use lots of anglo-saxon verbs and nouns legitimately, which gives me a smidgen of childish joy. I suspect the majority of this blog's vocabulary consists of grouchy, grumpy words as this is where I like to whinge. Fortunately for the rest of the world, my paid writing is more cheerful if no less serious. Or should that be <span style="font-style: italic;">was</span>? And will be again if some lovely, charming editor ever hires me again this decade. Pleeeeeeeeease! Oh, go on. You won't regret it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Which words do you consider overused in stuff you read?</span><br /><br />I've given up reading a lot of mags for pleasure as they all seem to emanate from cliché central these days. I'm sick of reading about outmoded yet still perpetuated male/female stereotypes, how much I'm supposed to love designer labels, and crappy trivia about Z-list "stars". Oops, there's one - Z-list. "Dumbed down" is another overused phrase but I think it's appropriate for describing a lot of publications now. Sharp, interesting, thought-provoking and original writing seems to be in ever-shorter supply. And while the <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?searchPhrase=liz+jones">Liz Joneses</a> of this world earn megabucks for peddling crap, many fantastic journalists are losing their jobs.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's your favourite piece of writing by you? </span><br /><br />I'm quite proud of this blog. And the various ones that preceded it. I had a brilliant blog about my sex life for several years, but I took it down a while back for various reasons. I've saved all the posts - racy, intellectual and entertaining as they are - and they may yet re-emerge in another format.<br /><br />Of the paid stuff, I'm fond of my early stuff - I interviewed some great bands, including some I discovered and introduced to the wider world. I did some corking political features before I got cynical and cared less. And I had a fabulously bitchy TV review column in a listing mags for a while, although when they started televising the House of Lords I nearly got fired for calling the great and good "doddery old cocksuckers".<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Regrets, do you have a few? Is there anything you wish you hadn't written?</span><br /><br />Very few. I got expelled from boarding school for writing porn just before I was 13. That pissed my parents off immensely but I can't say I regret it - the school was awful and I really hated it but that youthful beginning got me out of there, so I don't regret that at all.<br /><br />I've had a few run-ins with editors when I sailed too close to the wind and nearly sparked a few lawsuits. There was a column about the <span style="font-style: italic;">alleged</span> drug habits of a certain Rezillo, for example, that had to be withdrawn and apologised for. The one about the doddery old cocksucking aristocracy that earned me a major bollocking. And a few others in a similar vein that nearly saw me collect a P45. I like to take risks, though, and tell it like it is. Safe is boring.<br /><br />The only thing I really regret is getting utterly rat-arsed in the pub one night and telling a roomful of fellow hacks which famous Fleet Street journo I'd been shagging while still doing my indentures... They've never let me live it down.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">How has your writing made a difference? What do you consider your most important piece of writing?</span><br /><br />I doubt it. I went into journalism because I wanted to write. I wanted to change the world too, but I did that by getting involved with various causes and earning brownie points by doing stints on picket lines and at Greenham Common, and drinking lots of beer at benefit gigs, not by writing. I'd be amazed if anything I wrote had actually changed anything. In 31 years, I've only had one reader come forward and say thanks for making a difference. Which just proves that I'm utterly expendable as a journalist.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Name three favourite words</span><br /><br />Hot, metal, and pub...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">...And three words you're not so keen on</span><br /><br />My office. Now.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Do you have a writing mentor, role model or inspiration?</span><br /><br />Jean Scroggie was my English teacher when I was 14. She was everything I didn't want to be - prim, Scottish, repressed and a spinster. But she gave us a short-story writing assignment at which I astonished myself. She gave me the highest praise imaginable and I beamed, because she gave me permission to believe in my talent. Sadly, the story - called "Flight" and demonstrating a maturity way beyond my years - went missing shortly afterwards and I've been gutted about it for the last 33 years.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What's your writing ambition?</span><br /><br />To get commissioned again. Honestly. Right now I'm at my lowest ebb ever as a journalist. I know it's not me - there's a recession on and my industry is going through upheavals that will change its landscape for ever. I'm not starving as I have enough corporate writing and copy-editing work coming in. But I'd really rather be writing for the press. Any press. Well, ok, not the Daily Mail, I wouldn't stoop that low. <span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Not even for Liz Jones' salary?)</span></span> Is it too much to hope for that someone out there still wants to pay me NUJ minimum?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Plug alert! List any work you would like to tell your readers about:</span><br /><br />Well, there was <span style="font-style: italic;">that</span> book earlier this year. The one I still hate my publishers for because they mucked me around so much. I couldn't possibly plug the other stuff without outing myself. Those in the know know what else I've done or is shortly about to hit the shops. None of it will make my fortune so I should probably consider drafting some ghastly chick-lit novel instead. Or flogging this blog to a publisher...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tag alert! </span><br /><br />I gather I'm supposed to saddle some other <strike>suckers</strike> writers and bloggers with the challenge of furthering this meme. So, in no particular order:<br /><br /><a href="http://annebrooke.blogspot.com/">Anne Brooke</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.billhilton.biz/blog/">Bill Hilton</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.outforthediscount.com/">Scott Colvey</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The rules according to Joner:</span> If you have time to do this meme, then please link to this blog entry, then link to three to five other writers or bloggers and pass it on, asking them to answer your questions and link to you. You can add, remove or change one question as you go. You absolutely do not have to be what you may think of as a "published" or "successful" writer to respond to this meme, I hope people can take the time to reflect on what their blogging has brought them and how it has been useful to others.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-33805182142362998262009-07-30T00:28:00.003+01:002009-07-30T00:46:39.384+01:00The numbers gameSo an email's circulated on a list I belong to, offering a book that needs copy-editing. There's a catch - the copy-ed needs to be super-familiar with the topic, because it's rather specialised. No problem - I fit the criteria perfectly, whizz over my CV and a cover email and sit back and wait...<br /><br />A week goes by. No word. I presume someone else has been given the book, which inexplicably infuriates me. Not just because I really wanted to do <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span> book, but because there's a recession on and I need all the work I can get. But then, lo! Another 3 days pass and out of the blue I'm asked if I'm still available to edit the book. Damn right I am.<br /><br />I'm given a word count and a "budget", which can be roughly translated as "this is the fee on offer and if you don't like it, tough." I dig out my calculator and do some sums. I know I'm skilled. I also know I can work fast as well as accurately. And so, sight unseen, I estimate that if the MS doesn't need too much work it'll only take X hours and the fee, while not brilliant in today's recession-driven climate, will be reasonable and at least cover August's rent and bills. I accept.<br /><br />The manuscript arrives. I do my usual procrastination but of course there's a deadline and I eventually knuckle down. Half a day in, with 40 pages under my belt, I suddenly notice that the word count is almost a fifth higher than I was originally led to expect. Ouch.<br /><br />I go back and examine the chain of email between me and the desk ed. It doesn't look as if there's any room for more money. But wait. This is a major publishing house. And this is not about an extra 1,000 or 2,000 words. If it had been, I'd probably have sucked it up in the hope of getting more work in the future from the client. No, it's an additional 20,000 words...<br /><br />Only one thing for it. I fire off a diplomatic email and politely ask for more money and an extra 3 days' editing time. Within minutes, I'm granted both. Result. I get the extra 3 days, more if I need them.<br /><br />And best of all, the revised fee I agree to accept is more than a fifth higher than the original. In other words, I'll be paid more overall pro rata.<br /><br />Now that's what I call a win...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27479087.post-29391601169305568332009-07-17T00:23:00.006+01:002009-07-17T01:10:13.607+01:00Hacking, slacking and deathThe older I get, the faster time seems to whizz past. And so yet another month has somehow whistled past my ears without me blogging. There are reasons for this. <a href="http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/index.html">Wimbledon</a>, as usual, sucked up a fortnight of my time, during which I did very little work. Like many bloggers, I seem to have shifted my excess verbiage to <a href="http://twitter.com/">Twitter</a> instead of posting here. And while I've not exactly been loved up, I do seem to have acquired a new Mr WfH, which has also occupied my precious spare time.<br /><br />On the work front, I've been semi-busy. It's tough out there right now (of which more in a mo). I gave up pitching a couple of months back when it became clear that the pitching I <span style="font-style: italic;">was</span> doing was disappearing into a budget void. The distraction of the tennis generally means I slack off over June/July anyway so I can lie on my sofa and yell at the tv. And I've had enough copywriting and editing work to keep things ticking over enough to pay the bills. I'm now actively chasing new work and contemplating a fresh round of pitching features again.<br /><br />The book continues to do well. I've completed the amendments that will be incorporated into the 3rd edition and a friend who has been commissioned to create a graphic novel about the story of <span class="zem_slink">Joy Division</span> is going to quote me and the book in regard to Ian Curtis' epilepsy. Fame at last, steady on old girl!<br /><br />In the interim, I've become an avid follower of certain blogs about journalism. I'm loving <a href="http://journopig.com/">Journopig</a>, a splendidly sarky take on the media. <a href="http://fleetstreetblues.blogspot.com/">Fleet Street Blues</a> continues to provide a great service posting vacancies, which are in short supply these days, as well as some pithy commentary on the current state of play. <a href="http://overheardinthenewsroom.com/">Overheard In The Newsroom</a> amuses me daily. And last, but by no means least (to eke out that tired old cliché one more time), I'm reading <a href="http://blunt-a-blog.blogspot.com/">Playing the Game</a>. Sometimes I want to cry when I peruse the latest entry, others I want to howl with laughter (viz. the entry on <a href="http://blunt-a-blog.blogspot.com/2009/07/leave-me-alone-hr.html">HR</a>). Much of this reminds me of my days as a junior on a weekly listings mag - the drinking, the piss-taking, the swearing (how the fuck do you think I learned to drink like a pro, eh?), the stroppy ed or two... I'm sick of reading about how my industry is dying (it's not, it's just going through a period of major change, ok) but PtG reminds me of everything that is good about the trade I love and why it's being ruined by profit vampires and accountants.<br /><br />Lastly, I've yet again spent a couple of days in sad reflection and been on the receiving end of a journalist's mic. Many moons ago, as a young trainee, I worked alongside the very talented <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Horse">Harry Horse</a>. We were more or less the same age - two teenagers forging our way in the press. I lost touch with Harry many, many years ago and only 18 months ago discovered the tragic circumstances of his death. So it was with a huge shock that I learned this week - a year to the day of publication - that the <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article4303607.ece">circumstances were far more bloody and gruesome</a> than I could ever have imagined. Within 24 hours I was being interviewed by the hack investigating the story and reminiscing about the teen artist I knew 30 years ago. Poor Harry (and Mandy, obviously). It seems so out of character for the man I once knew and was close to. My heart breaks.<br /><br />And on that note, till next time...<br /> <div style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;" class="zemanta-pixie"><a class="zemanta-pixie-a" href="http://reblog.zemanta.com/zemified/e06b7226-aad1-44a7-be38-7026f6e00daa/" title="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]"><img style="border: medium none ; float: right;" class="zemanta-pixie-img" src="http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_c.png?x-id=e06b7226-aad1-44a7-be38-7026f6e00daa" alt="Reblog this post [with Zemanta]" /></a><span class="zem-script more-related pretty-attribution"><script type="text/javascript" src="http://static.zemanta.com/readside/loader.js" defer="defer"></script></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09575696613288942467noreply@blogger.com0