Saturday, November 1, 2008

Getting on with it

How the heck can it be November already? It was only April the last time I looked. The sun was shining and everything.

I've been doing a lot of overtime at the library over the past few months due to staff shortages, but it's all finished today. We're staffed up to the max, and I'm back to my normal hours. Not that I mind. It's funny how you start getting sucked into the politics of work when you're there every day. In way I like being in the thick of it, part of a team etc. but on the other hand it can drag you down. I'm quite looking forward to being more peripheral again - letting the grittier stuff fly over my head.

What I'm also looking forward to is..ta-dah...More Writing Time. (I will not think about all the jobs that need doing at home.) What I'm not looking forward to is less money. Yes I know it's vulgar to talk about the M word, but I've never claimed to be classy. Anyway, after selling a couple of short stories recently I'm going to see if I can make some sort of living at it. Not a champagne swigging, designer shoe buying, white-truffle scoffing, chihuahua-in-a-bag holding, mixing with royalty, holidaying in the Maldives type living OBVIOUSLY, but enough to keep us in HobNobs. Worth a try. What's the worst that can happen? Gradual destitution, loss of dignity, depression, aggression, a brush with the law and an ASBO, I suppose. But it won't come to that. Or will it?

I'm making headway with the novel too, thanks to a fab new writing buddy with a whip and a Friday morning deadline, which has spurred me on no end. At this rate it'll be finished in...ooh, ten years give or take.

Don't hold your breath or anything.

19 comments:

HelenMWalters said...

And do you know what else is shocking? It's 2008! 2008! How on earth did that happen?!

FPDuck said...

I nearly wrote 1997 on a cheque the other day... I didn't even have a chequebook back then, so I don't know why I thought it was more than a decade ago.

Cheers,
Mike

Jenny Beattie said...

LOL.

To keep the family in Hobnobs sounds a very worthy aim indeed.

DAB said...

Hmmm, HobNobs now that's what a call a biscuit. Glad to hear the novel is back on track m'dear

BTW I've had a facelift ;-) Tommox

John said...

like tom, I have to say hobnobs, aspirational or what? Still, better to set your sights on something. Just kidding, I know you will get there - well to your hobnob flavoured ferrari, obviously.

Marcie Steele said...

Well done Karen, seems like a great plan forming there. I wish I had more time to myself but I've been there and done that and got the debt to show that I shouldn't have, hee, hee. x

Jen said...

Less money but more working time? You did just nick the words right out of my very mouth.

Biccies is a good goal. Money or words? You can do it you know, oh yes you can!

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

More time for writing, how heavenly. Glad to hear the novel is coming along well and that you're keeping stocked up with the Hobnobs.

Dumdad said...

I love the illustration.

Good luck with the novel.

menopausaloldbag (MOB) said...

It's always a dilemma work balance vs dosh. Better to be an impoverished ceative writer than a wage slave drawn into the pointless politics of working life. You'd lose all inspiration to write. bon chance with it all.

Karen said...

helenmh - I know! It's tres shocking :o)

fpduck - I've done that sort of thing before - neurons going haywire. Or maybe it's my age...

jj - Well, I like to aim high!

tommo - I don't even like HobNobs. I'm not a big fan of the humble biscuit...but cake - well you know my feelings on that subject. Now, what's all this talk of a facelift?

ernest - I think I can do a bit better than a hobnob flavoured ferrari. Or could I? Actually, that WOULD be quite an acheivement!

l-plate - At least I still have some hours - I definitely couldn't afford to give it up altogether :o)

spiralskies - More money, more writing time would be better, but that's plain greedy. Anyway, as soon as I think I've got more writing time, someone leaves and more overtime crops up!

debs - Well the hobnobs are for the family really - I'm selfless like that you know :o)

dumdad - I wish I'd drawn it myself, but I found it on a lovely website called The Thumbelina Card Company :o)

mob - Wise words :o) Having said that there's a surprising amount of inspiration where I work!!

Kath McGurl said...

I reckon you've got what it takes to make it, missus. Good luck.

Lane Mathias said...

The Hob Nob lifestyle seems pretty aspirational to me. They do caramel ones too now:-)

Good luck with The Plan. It will work - without a doubt:-)

Pat Posner said...

That's a great plan you've got there, Karen.
I can't believe it's almost 2009, either!

Fionnuala said...

Great plan Karen, hob nobs are always a good aim! Get that book done, you know you want to- I'm doing nanowrimo to give me the kick up my proverbial that I needed. Cheating a little as I'm using the discipline to finish current WIP.....Sssssh.x

Honeysuckle said...

Good luck with your plan, Karen - I'm sure you''ll succeed.
And Hobnobs: the plain are so much nicer than the choclate-y. Strange that, isn't it?

Tim Atkinson said...

Go for it! Get that word count climbing!

Alis said...

Go for it! Before we know where we are it'll be 2020 and we'll all be in our dotage and remembering that this is the kind of date we used to watch sci-fi programmes about when we were kids...Good luck with that novel!

Karen said...

womag writer - You're too kind :o)

lane - CARAMEL ones??? Why didn't I know about this...that almost makes them cakes!

patp - They do say time flies when you're having fun...I think it just flies!

honeysuckle - You're so right! I don't like the chocolate coated ones, yet I LOVE chocolate.

fionnuala - I did that last year, but don't worry I shan't breath word :o)

the dotterel - I am, I will, I will :o)

alis - 2020 does sound amazingly sci-fi yet it's not THAT far away - gulp!