3 posts tagged “the hospital club”
No not the bible. Much more important than that. I'm talking about The Book. Every writer I know has one book. The book that changed their life. The book that made them want to write.
My book was Rebecca's World. By Terry Nation. The guy who wrote Doctor Who apparently. Although I didn't realise that until it was out of print and I had to pay £20 for a copy on Ebay (damn those sci-fi geeks). It was worth every penny. When it arrived in the post I called in sick at work, made a cup of tea and read the whole thing in an hour.
I don't know what it is about the book. I'd always written when I was a kid and it was because of this book. I have no interest in Science Fiction and it surprised me to find how geeky sciency it was. The book is actually about a stroppy little girl who speaks her mind and shouts a lot. Stamps her foot once as well I think. Maybe I like her more than I like the story.
I wasn't writing much when the book arrived but I did after I'd read it. It's still an inspiring book even now. And I still remember the bit that was really really scary when I was a kid. (I'm not telling you. I don't want to ruin the story. Plus, you'll laugh.)
I treasure that book. And whenever I think about it, I remember that I'm meant to be enjoying this writing malarky. It's just scribbling on bits of paper. It should be fun.
I turned down work today. Even though I wasn't sure if I should. Yeah I could have taken it on, worked a bit over the weekend. Or, I can be really happy with the work I've got, drink tea and read childrens books and go out dancing.
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PS - this was first posted on my Hospital Club blog "Full Time Tea Drinker." Go and read that one instead. They pay me for that one.
A month ago I had very little work. Enough to cover my rent and that was it. I had no money for soup (I don't really like baked beans) let alone cocktails. And then it all changed.
Then I got a proper editor job three days a week. In a real office and everything! With my own little desk! People to talk to! It's brilliant! Rubbish tea machine though. I miss real tea.
And all at the same time, I was given load more writing work. In fact, it's more than I know what to do with. It's possible that I'm actually taking on too much. But how can I turn down work when I know that it could all dry up next week? (This isn't a rhetorical question, I'm actually asking you.)
Yes, things are brilliant and I'm really enjoying all of the work I'm doing. But I've only got so much time in the day. When do I have to say "Sorry, I can't work on your fabulous website that could be really good for my career because I want to watch Eastenders"?
It's easy for me to think "It's only one extra blog post" or "What's an extra 500 words?" but I know there's going to be a time when I burn out. Since I've been freelance I've never missed a deadline. That's something I always want to be able to say.
On Friday, I've got a meeting with a new women's magazine start-up. Maybe I'll think about cutting back after then. After all, this could be a really good opportunity for me.
And so it continues...
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(pssst.... this blog post was first posted on my new blog for The Hospital Club. You can read that here. If you'd like to sign up and comment on that, they might carry on paying me.)
Go on. I dare you.
Telling me that I can't do something is the easiest way to get me to do it. Not only that, but I'll do it better than you could have ever imagined. Except with stuff like laundry. If you tell me I can't do laundry I'll wholeheartedly agree and take you dress shopping.*
My English teacher told me I'd fail my GCSE. Nice. I didn't. I passed and went on to do get a degree in English Literature. I remember being so angry with her. English was my thing. It was what I did. How dare she stand there and tell me I was shit?
It sounds silly and pointlessly stubborn but it's helped me so much recently. I'm learning to challenge myself. This week I've worked so hard at pushing myself to do new things. I've tried writing articles that I wouldn't usually write. I've written about topics I find daunting and for audiences that are a bit out of my depth. I may not have been entirely happy with what I wrote, but I can only get better. I'm getting out of my comfort zone.
It's been fun too. I've learnt new things about the way I write and I've been dealing with new people. I've been getting myself out there in the best way possible.
The producer from Sex and The City was in The Hospital Club last night. She read my article about the film and before I knew it, web hits were through the roof. Important people are reading my work. My work is making an impact. Yay!
The (still top secret) website is going really well and some brilliant people are getting involved and in full support of what I'm doing. I vaguely remember some idiot telling me that I can't be an editor...
I might not do things right first time around. But I'm learning from my mistakes and I'm still pushing myself to do things I've never done before. I'm enjoying challenging myself and I'm enjoying the challenges put in front of me.
So go on. Tell me I can't do something. Dare you.
* note to self: I really should do my laundry this week.
