Firstly, I have to say BLECH!
I've been doing really well in the limited amount of time I have to maintain actually writing every day. So Hoorah! ... Except for the last two days. *rolls eyes* Blech.
As blogged previously, I am "at risk of redundancy" in the remaining job, working as a telephone monkey. Yeah, it is as thrilling as it sounds. - - However, my employers in their wisdom have offered me the chance to retrain and broaden my skills into the role of telephone technical monkey solving customer enquires as to why the customer's computer just went BANG!
If you know me, you'll know that I can barely work the kettle without electrocuting myself, never mind allowing me to drive a computer ... one of my other personalities takes control of my hands and types my blog for me (and she ain't very technical either). - - Men in white coats? Where? Quick, leg it! ... Oh, it's only Igor again. Grrr!
"Not the criminal brain Igor! Piers has already told you about this, move along."
Anyhow, in their wisdom they are attempting to *rolls eyes* upskill me. Good luck with that, LOL. But as a result I am spending precious time researching computers and what makes them tick ... or even explode, (that part can be kind of fun) instead of spending that time writing.
So I'm not doing what I love, but I am doing what is needed for future earning ability. Blech. I wish life didn't involve these priority decisions. Or rather, I wish writing could win in these decisions every time, but until it starts paying its way ... *sigh*
Maybe I should investigate e-publishing for my tarot books ... ? Hmm ...
Maybe if I look at this as research for future story background ... Hmm. :)
Research, rather than retraining.
Research, that's far more palatable. :)
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
Saturday, 17 January 2009
Credit crunched!
So, after I was made redundant from the factory job I thought I was going to be okay financially for a bit, at least until the end of January ...
HOWEVER
However, my main job has just informed me that they have lost their contract with a company that I was handling sales and service enquiries for, and that I am now "at risk" of redundancy.
Deep joy.
...
No immediate panic though, as they are fighting hard for new business. And if they get it then I won't lose my job ... ... and they need to pay me for 4 weeks even if they do make me redundant, so I've got a month clear to find something else if worst comes to worst.
Now that I have cheaper rent I don't have to be so picky about wages, so theoretically this should be very survivable. The jobs are out there if you're not fussy ... although they are very thin on the ground where I live. Fingers crossed.
Great incentive for getting off my bottom and actually finish the rewrite I was supposed to be doing on the fantasy script last year, or maybe even get writing one of the other story ideas that I have in my HUGE pile of scripts-to-write notes.
Decisions, decisions.
Whatever the case, I'll be working on the American collaboration rewrite, and also finishing the last polish on my supernatural horror script for producer no#1 ... which is currently seeking investment (if you happen to have a spare $14 million lying around).
Goals for 2009?
* Find a new job
* Complete the American collaboration rewrite for producer no#2
* Finalise the sale/option of the supernatural horror screenplay
* Complete at least one more spec and get a producer seriously interested/sold
* Earn some money from my writing
Lofty goals, perhaps, but currently my attitude is "F*ck it! This is the year I make it happen!"
HOWEVER
However, my main job has just informed me that they have lost their contract with a company that I was handling sales and service enquiries for, and that I am now "at risk" of redundancy.
Deep joy.
...
No immediate panic though, as they are fighting hard for new business. And if they get it then I won't lose my job ... ... and they need to pay me for 4 weeks even if they do make me redundant, so I've got a month clear to find something else if worst comes to worst.
Now that I have cheaper rent I don't have to be so picky about wages, so theoretically this should be very survivable. The jobs are out there if you're not fussy ... although they are very thin on the ground where I live. Fingers crossed.
Great incentive for getting off my bottom and actually finish the rewrite I was supposed to be doing on the fantasy script last year, or maybe even get writing one of the other story ideas that I have in my HUGE pile of scripts-to-write notes.
Decisions, decisions.
Whatever the case, I'll be working on the American collaboration rewrite, and also finishing the last polish on my supernatural horror script for producer no#1 ... which is currently seeking investment (if you happen to have a spare $14 million lying around).
Goals for 2009?
* Find a new job
* Complete the American collaboration rewrite for producer no#2
* Finalise the sale/option of the supernatural horror screenplay
* Complete at least one more spec and get a producer seriously interested/sold
* Earn some money from my writing
Lofty goals, perhaps, but currently my attitude is "F*ck it! This is the year I make it happen!"
2008, what happened ...?
As we all do, I started the year with good intentions, I had a writing regime in place ... I even managed to stick to it for about 9 months, more or less. After that the year was pretty much lost to the chaos of the day jobs taking over, although I did still manage a fair bit of writing despite that.
So writing regime, failed. Darn.
I was going to rewrite my fantasy screenplay - failed. Did a bit on it, but then life got in the way, so NOT GOOD. I shall add it to the list for 2009.
I was going to apply for a grant from The Film Council. Never got around to that either. I think I'm going to take that one off the list of stuff to do for the time being.
I blogged a bit about procrastination and writer's block, amongst other things. Still working on the whole good procrastination thing....
Nearly sold a tarot book: first they said they were going to publish me, YAY! ... And then they changed their minds in September ... B*ST*RDS!
In May, I got a second job, working part-time in a ceramics factory, and in addition I hired some heroes to move my shit to a cheaper dwelling. Went very well. Both of these things have helped solve my crippling financial problems. :)
In June I decided to give up on learning 3 act structure on the basis that I already know it, I just don't know that I know it, and constantly trying to learn about it was getting in the way of my writing.
In July I started getting depressed about my lack of progress with screenwriting ... but then at the end of August producer no#1 requested a supernatural horror. I frantically did the rewrite I'd been putting off for almost a year and sent it to him. He read it and loved it. Thanks are due to Lucy and everyone else who gave me notes on this one! :) [The plot thickens on this one which I will be blogging about in a couple of weeks ... but that's a post for the 2009 category.]
September, I spent a week in Scotland on holiday. Had a lot of fun! Go visit Aberdeen!!! :)
Got the bad news about the tarot book. Grr.
Days later in October, producer no#2 saw my screenplay on TriggerStreet.com and said he wanted to option it, and also asked me to work with him and another writer on rewriting one of his projects. The option never materialised (although I didn't chase it as I was already working closely with producer no#1 on a rewrite of the script in question), however the rewrite of producer no#2's project is progressing. :) [More on the American collaboration screenplay in 2009]
Beginning of December I got credit crunched. The factory job said my services were no longer required. I heaved a sigh of relief as I was beginning to go slightly nuts from all work and no play ... had enough saved that it wouldn't be a disaster until end of January ...
...
except....
So writing regime, failed. Darn.
I was going to rewrite my fantasy screenplay - failed. Did a bit on it, but then life got in the way, so NOT GOOD. I shall add it to the list for 2009.
I was going to apply for a grant from The Film Council. Never got around to that either. I think I'm going to take that one off the list of stuff to do for the time being.
I blogged a bit about procrastination and writer's block, amongst other things. Still working on the whole good procrastination thing....
Nearly sold a tarot book: first they said they were going to publish me, YAY! ... And then they changed their minds in September ... B*ST*RDS!
In May, I got a second job, working part-time in a ceramics factory, and in addition I hired some heroes to move my shit to a cheaper dwelling. Went very well. Both of these things have helped solve my crippling financial problems. :)
In June I decided to give up on learning 3 act structure on the basis that I already know it, I just don't know that I know it, and constantly trying to learn about it was getting in the way of my writing.
In July I started getting depressed about my lack of progress with screenwriting ... but then at the end of August producer no#1 requested a supernatural horror. I frantically did the rewrite I'd been putting off for almost a year and sent it to him. He read it and loved it. Thanks are due to Lucy and everyone else who gave me notes on this one! :) [The plot thickens on this one which I will be blogging about in a couple of weeks ... but that's a post for the 2009 category.]
September, I spent a week in Scotland on holiday. Had a lot of fun! Go visit Aberdeen!!! :)
Got the bad news about the tarot book. Grr.
Days later in October, producer no#2 saw my screenplay on TriggerStreet.com and said he wanted to option it, and also asked me to work with him and another writer on rewriting one of his projects. The option never materialised (although I didn't chase it as I was already working closely with producer no#1 on a rewrite of the script in question), however the rewrite of producer no#2's project is progressing. :) [More on the American collaboration screenplay in 2009]
Beginning of December I got credit crunched. The factory job said my services were no longer required. I heaved a sigh of relief as I was beginning to go slightly nuts from all work and no play ... had enough saved that it wouldn't be a disaster until end of January ...
...
except....
Friday, 2 January 2009
Saturday, 6 December 2008
Running on empty
Working every hour there is has managed to pay the bills so far. But, it is physically draining. - - And then about 3 weeks ago I finally exhausted the tank and I've been running on empty ever since. ... Which was kind of okay; with Christmas coming up I was due two weeks off from one of my jobs, so that would have been a nice restful break. I could have stoked the furnaces and then got right back to it. :)
However that job has just informed me that my services are no longer required. The credit crunch just bit me! Ouch! And my first reaction was an overwhelming sense of relief.
I have officially been told that I can relax.
The problem is, I think I relaxed too much and something important went SPANG!
The last time I felt like this was the day after I finished my English 'O' Level and my ability to spell the word and evaporated. I knew it had three letters and that there was an 'n' in it, but I sat there looking at the sentence I was writing for 10 minutes and I could not figure out how to write it. In the end I left a three letter space and kept writing. A paragraph later the word the threatened to do the same thing, so in my best inner Monty Python general's voice I said "Stop it! That's silly!" and the sprang back into sharp focus, and and jumped back in at the same time. I went back and filled it in.
Never had that problem again until just now. But instead of it being just the word and, I seem to be having a global creativity failure. I can't tell if anything I'm writing is good anymore. I read it, and it's just ... words. Maybe it's a variation on writer's block?
I'm fairly sure that I relaxed the wrong muscle in my skull and my brain has fallen out.
If found please mail it back to me?
Eleanor Piper
High Security Ward
The Assylum
The Wilds of Devon
PO5 7AL
Thanks!
However that job has just informed me that my services are no longer required. The credit crunch just bit me! Ouch! And my first reaction was an overwhelming sense of relief.
I have officially been told that I can relax.
The problem is, I think I relaxed too much and something important went SPANG!
The last time I felt like this was the day after I finished my English 'O' Level and my ability to spell the word and evaporated. I knew it had three letters and that there was an 'n' in it, but I sat there looking at the sentence I was writing for 10 minutes and I could not figure out how to write it. In the end I left a three letter space and kept writing. A paragraph later the word the threatened to do the same thing, so in my best inner Monty Python general's voice I said "Stop it! That's silly!" and the sprang back into sharp focus, and and jumped back in at the same time. I went back and filled it in.
Never had that problem again until just now. But instead of it being just the word and, I seem to be having a global creativity failure. I can't tell if anything I'm writing is good anymore. I read it, and it's just ... words. Maybe it's a variation on writer's block?
I'm fairly sure that I relaxed the wrong muscle in my skull and my brain has fallen out.
If found please mail it back to me?
Eleanor Piper
High Security Ward
The Assylum
The Wilds of Devon
PO5 7AL
Thanks!
Saturday, 29 November 2008
Which brings me on to the subject of ... rewrites
If you're looking at your story and having a bit of a mare, you might want to check out these posts from the scribosphere:
Phillip Barron on the rewrite process.
DMc on What Happened, What Will Happen, and why the Why It Happened is a big mistake.
And John August has several: This and This and This amongst many others.
There was a long old post on the subject somewhere that I've been trying to find ... but I've run out of time and I've got to get on with the day job. *sigh*
Later.
Phillip Barron on the rewrite process.
DMc on What Happened, What Will Happen, and why the Why It Happened is a big mistake.
And John August has several: This and This and This amongst many others.
There was a long old post on the subject somewhere that I've been trying to find ... but I've run out of time and I've got to get on with the day job. *sigh*
Later.
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