Well, here I am, sitting in a bookshop/cafe, drinking tea after tea, tapping away at my teeny-tiny laptop and pretending I'm a proper writer. Alas, due to a lack of journalism jobs, I'm not a professional writer yet. I'm kind of... freelancing... for free. Which sucks a little - but at least I'm getting some work out there. I also started writing my novel, which brings a huge sense of achievement with it, although I now have to discipline myself, in the absence of all deadlines, to keep it up. Yeah... that's not going too well. I've had a prologue and a chapter one for the last two weeks... and not much else. And now I've changed my mind again about my characters... oh dear. This is turning out to be a far more complex process than I thought. Hmmm... maybe I should enlist some help from some novel-writing tips books. Or maybe I just need to somehow develop the patience to plan before I jump in there and try and bash it out. I'm pretty sure that my idea is good - execution, however, is proving a problem.
On the plus side, I've written a feature that's set to be published in 3SIXTY magazine in April (www.3sixtymag.co.uk) which'll be my first ever published feature! So exciting! And not only that, I'm working on another feature - which, despite doing it for free, somehow makes me feel a little bit more like a writer. I figure, as long as I have a project going, that makes me one.
So writing, at the moment, is more like a hobby than a profession. And to earn a little money, I'm working for a fundraising company in Brighton raising money for the NSPCC and Great Ormand Street Hospital to earn a living. Which, as far as jobs go, isn't too bad.
The hunt for journalism jobs continues... If it doesn't pick up, maybe I should just head back to university and back into the student bubble. Now, let's see what MA courses are on offer round here...
Tuesday, 24 February 2009
Thursday, 19 February 2009
Becky Bloomwood: Every Shopaholic's Heroine
I went into town today. I decided that mooching about my room, tapping away at the odd job application and eating too many chocolate brownies was getting to me. So a nice walk into town would blow away the cobwebs and give me some inspiration. Lovely. Only, the trouble is, that there are shops out there. Lovely, big and beautiful shops full of wonderful things that I can't have because I have no money. Being unemployed generally sucks. It sucks most when for the first time in ten years, I can't seem, to find a job. I had more money when I did a paper round at the age of twelve than I have now. But alas, the pull of Primark is far too strong for any girl to resist (£3? For this handbag? Wow...) And so I bought two dresses. Oops. How on Earth did that happen? I swear I don't know. I walked in the door then must have blacked out and the next thing I knew, I was walking out holding that super eco-friendly brown paper bag. It was totally beyond my control, honest. But it was fine. It was a bargain. Bargain-tastical. I figure I'll have a job soon. I will. Positivity will bring me a job. Yes.
On the subject of compulsive shopping (its a sickness I tell you, a sickness!) I'm really not sure about the Confessions of a Shopaholic movie starring Isla Fisher. For those who don't know, it's based on the series of Shopaholic books by Sophie Kinsella (who is, I reckon, the best chick-lit author out there). The books are about Becky Bloomwood, (ironically) a financial journalist working in London who happens to be not only useless with money but addicted to shopping. This results in her getting in huge amounts of debt, with the books following her as she attempts to control her compulsive spending - with hilarious results.
So, why did the film have to be set in America? In the books Becky is English and the books are (largely) set in England. It's not that I'm particularly patriotic, and it's not that I don't love America (they gave me Buffy for godssake), but if it ain't broke, surely there's no need to fix it. It really gets on my wick when films change major details of books (like it's entire setting) and then get away with saying "based on the books by so-and-so". And anyway, isn't Isla Fisher Australian? Couldn't she have just put on an English accent instead of an American one? Grrr... So I'm torn between a) wanting to see an adaptation of one of my favourite books on screen, and b) not wanting to be bitterly disappointed because they make a mess of such a great character.
Becky is, without question, the embodiment of every self-confessed shopaholic out there. I happen to be one, and have been since I got that paper round ten years ago. Come rain, snow or blistering heat, I would deliver those damn papers and get that £15 a week. I promptly spent it on clothes, shoes, bags and other frivolous things that I didn't need in the slightest. I loved it. I was the BEST bargain hunter and still am, that £15 could get me two outfits. And it still can. But then, that just means that rather than having a few expensive things I don't need, I have LOADS of cheap things that I don't need. For some reason, going out and buying things I need just doesn't give me the same buzz as buying things I don't need at all...
Now, I'm not by any means as terrible with money, or as addicted to spending as the highly exaggerated character of Becky - but every girl who loves to shop will be able to relate to her brilliant reasoning process when it comes that that thing that you've just got to have. Only, in Becky's case - that's everything.
Okay, so maybe I will watch the film... Reviews anyone?
On the subject of compulsive shopping (its a sickness I tell you, a sickness!) I'm really not sure about the Confessions of a Shopaholic movie starring Isla Fisher. For those who don't know, it's based on the series of Shopaholic books by Sophie Kinsella (who is, I reckon, the best chick-lit author out there). The books are about Becky Bloomwood, (ironically) a financial journalist working in London who happens to be not only useless with money but addicted to shopping. This results in her getting in huge amounts of debt, with the books following her as she attempts to control her compulsive spending - with hilarious results.
So, why did the film have to be set in America? In the books Becky is English and the books are (largely) set in England. It's not that I'm particularly patriotic, and it's not that I don't love America (they gave me Buffy for godssake), but if it ain't broke, surely there's no need to fix it. It really gets on my wick when films change major details of books (like it's entire setting) and then get away with saying "based on the books by so-and-so". And anyway, isn't Isla Fisher Australian? Couldn't she have just put on an English accent instead of an American one? Grrr... So I'm torn between a) wanting to see an adaptation of one of my favourite books on screen, and b) not wanting to be bitterly disappointed because they make a mess of such a great character.
Becky is, without question, the embodiment of every self-confessed shopaholic out there. I happen to be one, and have been since I got that paper round ten years ago. Come rain, snow or blistering heat, I would deliver those damn papers and get that £15 a week. I promptly spent it on clothes, shoes, bags and other frivolous things that I didn't need in the slightest. I loved it. I was the BEST bargain hunter and still am, that £15 could get me two outfits. And it still can. But then, that just means that rather than having a few expensive things I don't need, I have LOADS of cheap things that I don't need. For some reason, going out and buying things I need just doesn't give me the same buzz as buying things I don't need at all...
Now, I'm not by any means as terrible with money, or as addicted to spending as the highly exaggerated character of Becky - but every girl who loves to shop will be able to relate to her brilliant reasoning process when it comes that that thing that you've just got to have. Only, in Becky's case - that's everything.
Okay, so maybe I will watch the film... Reviews anyone?
Friday, 13 February 2009
'Pop!' goes my bubble
It's now February. My exams are done, my portfolio of work passed and I got my shorthand at 100 words a minute. Oh yes. For those of you who don't know, that's FAST.
So I'm blogging again, although I now have no idea where I'm headed since my lovely little student bubble suddenly popped, leaving me to experience the joys of the real world. Or rather, the non-joys of a recession.
As unemployment figures soar to almost two million... I start trying to find a job. Yay me.
For the last two weeks I've been frantically applying for every journalism, reporting, writing and PR job that I'm even remotely qualified for (environmental, financial, food processing news... Oh God, it's depressing) but as yet, all remains quiet on the job front.
Almost all the journalism jobs out there right now are finance ones in various guises. Which, to be honest is hardly surprising in a time when all anyone can talk about is the global recession. Indeed, it is the credit crunch no more.
So, determined as ever to make it in any way possible, under any circumstances imaginable, I've been buried under the slightly terrifying (albeit pinky) pages of the FT attempting to get to grips with everything to do with the economy in exactly five days flat.
Desperation I hear you say? Probably.
But if I can turn myself into a financial journalist in the space of a week, then surely I can do anything. Right?
...I'll keep you posted on that one. But for now? To the temping agency I go.
So I'm blogging again, although I now have no idea where I'm headed since my lovely little student bubble suddenly popped, leaving me to experience the joys of the real world. Or rather, the non-joys of a recession.
As unemployment figures soar to almost two million... I start trying to find a job. Yay me.
For the last two weeks I've been frantically applying for every journalism, reporting, writing and PR job that I'm even remotely qualified for (environmental, financial, food processing news... Oh God, it's depressing) but as yet, all remains quiet on the job front.
Almost all the journalism jobs out there right now are finance ones in various guises. Which, to be honest is hardly surprising in a time when all anyone can talk about is the global recession. Indeed, it is the credit crunch no more.
So, determined as ever to make it in any way possible, under any circumstances imaginable, I've been buried under the slightly terrifying (albeit pinky) pages of the FT attempting to get to grips with everything to do with the economy in exactly five days flat.
Desperation I hear you say? Probably.
But if I can turn myself into a financial journalist in the space of a week, then surely I can do anything. Right?
...I'll keep you posted on that one. But for now? To the temping agency I go.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)