Wired Sussex Saved My Sanity!

I'd been feeling a bit disheartened by the whole copywriting thing. Hell, even the whole freelance thing. All those niggling little doubts were getting louder and louder in my head: Is this really what I want? Can I really do it? Wouldn't it be easier (and less stressful) to just go and get another job somewhere?

But then, like a shining beacon of light and hope, along came the Wired Sussex Media Jobs & Skills Fair. The small, quiet, all-knowing part of me managed to force the larger, grumpy, all-resisting part of me to go along to the event and I have to say I'm so glad it did! Not only did I find that I already knew a lot of the people there, I also knew the entire panel giving talks about making it as a freelancer (even if they didn't know me). And suddenly I felt a part of something. A part of this amazing community. And I realised I'm already on the right path. This is the direction I'm meant to be going. I AM a writer!

So, feeling all inspired and invigorated, I also made it to my first Brighton Farm meet-up, prompted by one of the speakers at the Media Fair. For those of you not in Brighton or just not in the know, this is a casual weekly meet-up in a pub for anyone in media. I'd heard it was a bit techy and, yes, I did mostly meet web designers and developers, but they were all jolly nice. And I realised I could tell them anything about me and they'd believe it. Well, why wouldn't they? So I told them all I'm a copywriter. And they believed me. Ha!

In the words of Martha Tilston, if we say it over and over again it will manifest somehow. So... I am a writer! I am a writer! I am a writer!

Social Media Freakout!

A couple of days ago I was watching social networking in action. There and then. Actually seeing it happen. Let me explain.

I log on to Twitter and notice a tweet by a friend and fellow copywriter, Leif Kendall. Well, many tweets by him in fact, but one in particular that catches my beady eye. He mentions something about Copify. Something not too polite. And a couple of other copywriters seem to have posted not-too-polite comments too. I'm intrigued. What is this Copify and why is it ruffling so many feathers in the writing world?

So I go to their website and it turns out they offer a service introducing publishers to writers. But most professional copywriters are offended by this scheme, arguing that it's nothing more than a "sweat shop" of writers churning out low grade copy for peanuts. It seems this debate has got so heated that Copify's latest blog post is a letter to all the copywriters they've offended, defending themselves and trying to explain their position. Which, unsurprisingly sparks a whole new thread of the debate and fills their blog with comment after argument after comment.

Anyway, 2 days after posting a very neutral tweet saying I'd just discovered the Copify debate and didn't know where I stood yet (I'm far too diplomatic), I get 5 new copywriters following me on Twitter from all over the world!

Not only that, but then I get an email from LinkedIn saying I have a new follower, who just happens to be the director of the web design company who built the Copify website! Ok, so then I log on to LinkedIn and it starts telling me about People I May Know. And not only does it come up with connections of connections, which is fair enough, but suggests I may know my ex therapist, the guy who interviewed me for a job last week, one of my aunt's friends, one of my partner's colleagues and a load of faces from my past who I'd "Rather Not Connect With", thanks. How does it know?? I was feeling just a little freaked out by this point, I can tell you.

I also find out during this process that lots of people I know from different circles are connected with each other on LinkedIn and I had no idea. It's such a small world. Oh and if that wasn't enough, my partner gets an email from one of the people I just linked with asking about any opportunities to work with him AND I get a random email inviting me to do business with a marketing and communications company. Woa!

And all this after attending WriteClub, a networking group for writers in Brighton and London, and discovering that at least 2 people at the table knew a very old friend of my Mum's who I used to babysit for. Now my head is positively spinning with online social media networking. Argh! But hey, at least I can say with confidence that it definitely, without a doubt, 100% works!

Procrastinate? Nah, I'll Do It Tomorrow

We all have stuff to do. If we’re asked at any given time what’s on our to-do-list, we’ll be able to reel off several, if not hundreds, of things that we need, should or ought to do. In fact, I suspect most of us have a much longer list of SHOULDS than NEEDS.

But how do we prioritise these? It’s easy to prioritise the NEEDS because they’ll undoubtedly have time limits and deadlines – I need to finish this piece of work by Thursday lunchtime; I need to post this application to arrive by Monday morning; I need to renew my car insurance by the end of January; and so on.

But the SHOULDS are a little trickier, especially when they’re combined with the WANTS – I really should go to the dentist for a check-up; I’ve been meaning to sort out all the junk in the garage/attic/spare room for ages; I’d like to find a knitting/singing/tai chi class in my area but I just haven’t got around to it yet.

Take this morning for example. After waiting in for a Sainsbury’s delivery (in an attempt to spend less than in our usual local Waitrose… hmm, not sure it really worked… better try Asda next...), the rest of the day was free to do with as I please. Now, if I was one of these layabouts who could sit on my arse all day reading, watching TV, listening to music and generally being lazy, I probably wouldn’t have a problem. But I’m not. I’d feel far too guilty. And in any case, in order to become a freelance copywriter, I believe I need to act like one.

So, on my NEED to-do-list today are all sorts of writing and self-employment related tasks – create a business plan and cash flow forecast; continue working on my Proofreading and Editorial Skills course; come up with a pitch for my travel writing friend as per her suggestion; finish working on a life experience piece to send to The Guardian Weekend Magazine. And have I done any of these? No. Of course not.

You see, as I was putting away the shopping, I realised the vegetable drawer of the fridge was in a bit of a state and really NEEDED a good clean. After I’d done this, I noticed the draining board was also in NEED of a clean, not to mention all around the taps and the sink itself. And boy did I give it one! Earth Friendly Parsley Plus spray and a wire scourer does wonders on stainless steel, I can tell you. It’s so sparkly! And afterwards I felt so proud of myself because, judging by the results, it must have really NEEDED cleaning.

Then I decided I NEEDED to write this blog post, which is at least related to my new career (sort of). Meanwhile, the lists of SHOULDS and WANTS grows ever longer and I wonder if I’ll ever get round to sorting through all those travel souvenirs from my ‘Big Trip’ 9 years ago or transferring my truckload of loose photos into those lovely organiser boxes I bought 3 years ago for that very purpose. But at least my vegetables are sitting in a clean tray and I have a sparkling clean sink. That’s a start isn’t it…?

New Website for Moss Copywriting!

My brand spanking new website is now live!

The site advertises my copywriting, copyediting and proofreading services and you can view it here.

You can also follow me on Twitter, Linked In and Xing if you're that way inclined.

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