Wednesday 15 February 2012

"They're all writers Daisy"

Last weekend I managed to get out of the city, which I think is exactly what I needed. Being stuck in the house working sometimes sends me to delirium and being here for so many hours of the day means that I pick up on all of the annoying habits of my housemates, but because I'm only living in these four walls they feel amplified because I see them every day. When you're actually out somewhere at work you don't notice little things that people do because you're at home for so few hours, or just to eat dinner and sleep.

It's not their fault, it's mine for being so fucking neurotic about stuff on the draining board being cleared away every day rather than attempting a balancing act, or the kerfuffle as to who should be buying loo roll or milk next. Dwelling on these insignificant matters are a clear sign that you've been spending way too many hours indoors and it's time to get the fuck out, because really I love my housemates.

So, I did, I got away for the weekend back to Leicester to see my Mom and my Aunty for their respective birthdays and then I spent a couple of days down in Kent with the fella. During my time away I did nothing but eat: demolishing a whole special chow mein while half cut, a full afternoon tea in a very posh hotel with finger sarnies and fresh cream scones, then dinner at a friends, followed on Sunday by a huge roast down the local pub. It's no wonder that when I weighed myself I discovered that at the moment I'm the heaviest I've ever been. Not that I'm really one of these weight conscious people, in fact I'm so not feeling guilty about it that instead I'll say it's a good thing because it's been hella cold lately and that extra half-stone (since Christmas) has seen me right through the snow!

Besides food, I've been slogging my guts out with my writing work, taking anything and everything I can and still trying to come up with good pitches. Sadly for the impatient side of me it's not happening quick enough. I know this because the bills are soon to be stackin' and I don't have the moolah to pay them all. Darn, and there was me hoping shit loads of work was going to fall into my lap (jokes).

In all honesty it's not going badly at all. There are pick ups and leads all over the place - especially for the sex related writing. I just need it to pull in a bit more income, but before you say it, I know, I know. These things can take time.


Tomorrow I'll be heading for an interview for a waitressing and bar job. It's temp agency work, so you pick it up as and when you need to. Great in the sense that I can pick and choose jobs and fit it around my writing schedule, and fabulous that it'll help me beat some of this cabin fever, but I can't help feeling a little bit Daisy Steiner a la Spaced. "Oh, they're all writers Daisy," said the cruel kitchen manager in episode 2, series 2, as she taunted and jeered all the 'failed' word smiths.

I'm sure it'll be fine. I always quite enjoyed bar work because it was a good opportunity to meet all sorts of interesting people. Was definitely up on the social side of it, and having drinks bought for me by customers was always a bonus too, so by the end of the night I was cashing them in and drinking for free. Not sure this agency is going to be quite as relaxed as that though.

Wish me luck!

RoseC -x-

Tuesday 7 February 2012

I like to talk about sex 'n' stuff

Every now and then I have media-type people coming to me to ask me to talk about rudey, nudey sex type things. There haven't been many, I wouldn't class myself a sexpert by any stretch of the imagination, and generally it's to ask for comments about what it's like to write about sex in the media. An interesting subject.

Such an occasion arose today, where I have been asked to take part in a two-part blog feature on sex and social media. You can read it here and there are even some pretty pics of me that put my blog photo to shame!

As you can see from the post there will be a second part on Thursday: exciting! I don't think there will be as many pictures of my face in that one though.

Incidentally, if you found that interesting then you can also see me quoted here.

  

Thursday 2 February 2012

New Media Whore

So I've been a busy little bumble-bee with all of this writing business over the last week and it seems to be going ok! Granted, I'm not making enough to really live off at the moment and am coming to terms with the fact that I'm going to have to get a 'proper' job sometime this month to pay the rent and bills, but hell, I've only been at it for a month (or a bit less) and I've already got myself three regular writing spots - did I mention that in a previous post?

"Who are you writing for?" I hear you cry, or if it wasn't you then maybe the mouse that lives in my room has just learnt to talk. Either way, I can tell you that I'm writing for:

Adventure Bike Rider magazine (I haven't ridden a motorbike since I was about 9 years old and that was my best friends mini moto, but I'm learning.)

www.CityPlanter.co.uk which is an urban gardening magazine. Again, I know I'm not the most green-fingered person, but I'm learning and I live in a city and I can write, so I qualify.

And the latest string to add to my bow, which many of you may be shocked by, yet at the same time delighted, is that I'm now editor and looking after all editorial content for www.VibrationsDirect.co.uk. Yes, it is exactly the kind of site you'd expect me to be writing for after my, ahem, long and, ahem, illustrious career at Harlot magazine.

Told you I was heading back to the gutter! In fact friends have said, "think of all the perks of the job" and, "the gutter is where you belong." Well, thanks guys.

I've been fairly restrained so far (well you know I love to be tied up), but I have many plans for the site that I hope I can pull off. (Oh god will the innuendo never end?!)

I know I ask for a lot of support from my friends and family already with what I do, but if you have it in your hearts to follow our Facebook page or follow the company on Twitter @vibesdirect (which I totally look after) I'd be eternally grateful. I'll make it worth your while though by filling it full of tasteful smut, comps and may even ask a few of you if you fancy writing a review. We'll see how it goes :-)

Oh and you can read some of the blogs I've put up there already by heading to http://www.vibrationsdirect.co.uk/blogs/blog 

I've totally become a twitter whore over the last week or so too. It doesn't help that I've upgraded my phone so I now have one of these new fangled smart app telemaphone things. Although I'm on it a lot, especially for the new jobs, I'm glad to say I've not quite reached the point where I'm telling the world that I'm going for a shit.

The downside is that because I'm on it so much, tweeting, texting, playing Word Scramble, I think it's giving me repetitive strain injury, or RSI as us suffers like to call it. I find my hand spasming at the end of each working day and constantly fixed in the smart phone grip and finger point position. Hopefully it won't become possessed due to all the demands I'm putting on it and turn on me like some freakish, murder hungry Idle Hands situation.

RoseC -x-