Important News

Please note that this blog is no longer updated. Instead, you'll find all the relevant content posted on A Life More Lived.

Hope to see you there.

Sarah x

Holiday time again

Yes, it's that time freelancers seem to dread again, school holidays. I've always cut down work during holiday periods, but I have to say, as The Boy has got older - he's 11 now - it has got easier. He's happy doing his own thing for a few hours at a time, but I always make sure we sit down and have snacks and meals and a chat together. I also plan trips out to the local museums and cafes so that he knows he's not a chore.

At the end of this holiday he'll be starting secondary school, so I want to make this time with him extra special, as the time will soon come when he's not so keen to be seen with his mum.

Let's hope the rain stops some time soon :)

National Motivation Day

was on 1st July 2010 and was the day I'd put aside to get my writing career back on track. I was supposed to take the day to think about where I am professionally and where I'd like to be in 100 days. Then I was going to write the 10 things I wanted to achieve in that timescale and choose the first three to tackle. That was the plan at least ...

Come the day and I had great feedback from my fiction writing tutor about my novel and a short story, so I was "slightly". cock-a-hoop about that.

Then I had really positive feedback from a magazine editor about a feature idea I'd pitched.

Suddenly, all thoughts of stopping to find motivation stopped, because I was motivated. Things were looking bright, so stopping and planning seemed a bit pointless.

Anyway, I did stop and plan - albeit 10 days later that I was supposed to. The 100 day plan is written, so now I know where I'm going until the middle of October. I'm hoping that knowing where I want to be will help me to actually get there.

And so, given that I'd promised to write about National Motivation Day, do I think it's a good thing? Yes, I do, halfway through the year is a great time to stop and review what's gone before and to plan the next step. It's definitely something I'll do again to keep my mind focussed on my goals.

www.nationalmotivationday.co.uk

In the thick of it

Such a change in the last couple of weeks (which is why I've gone a bit quiet). My writing tutor loved the work I've done on my novel and the short story I've written for a competition.

On top of that, my feature writing is picking up.

I'm also picking up a renewed interest in food - cooking it and writing about it. I don't know where I'm going to go with this one yet, so you'll have to watch this space.

Starting Over

Over the last couple of years I've watched my paid writing largely disappear as budgets have been slashed at some of the magazines I've worked for for years.

In the past I would have thrown all this up in despair and run off to find something else to do, but not any more.

Firstly, I know I'm a good writer. Okay, I'm struggling to get people to pay me at the moment, but that's not my fault. Secondly, I really enjoy writing, as simple as that.

I've branched out recently into writing fiction. I haven't written any since I did O' level English Language in 1984, so it's a bit of an adventure. I'd let my Comprehensive Writing Course slip for a long while, but picking it up again has really focussed my mind.

The wonderful Josie at Sleep is for the Weak runs a fantastic Writing Workshop every week (look out for the green logo on the blog), which is really inspirational and has given me loads of opportunities to write things I wouldn't have otherwise.

Finally, next Thursday is National Motivation Day and I'll be taking the chance to refocus myself by writing a 100 Day Plan (see here), then the only challenge is to stick to it!

Back on track

How is it possible to lose your way so completely? And how, having done so, is it possible to find your way back to the right path?

Honestly, I've spent the last couple of years just flailing about both professionally and personally. I've struggled to settle in our new home and I've done little more than tread water.

Professionally I've seen my career crumble as all the markets I've established have disappeared and I've completely lost confidence in my ability.

Now though, I've decided that to get what I want, to be what I want to be, I need to be much more selfish than I've ever been before. I need to put me first and not apologise for the fact that I need to work to re-establish myself in the world.

It's easy to be defeatist and give up, but I'm feeling strong enough to throw myself in to a bit of risk-taking to get what I want

Magazines

Every month I buy a few magazines, flick through them and then chuck them in the recycling. This enterprise must cost me the best part of 20 quid, Do I have 20 quid to burn? No! So, from now on, an magazine I buy, I need to read from cover to cover and if it fails to inspire, I wont buy it again. It's a pretty simple formula and considering part of my professional life should be reading, I'm not exactly sure why I should feel guilty or uninspired when it comes to doing it.

So, roll on the time I put aside for reading from now in and huzzah for not feeling guilty about it.