So poor I can't even pay attention

suburbanwifey

Piquant wrote: »

What can I say? I'm so touched by the help and advice you have offered me suburbanwifey. I don't think anyone has every given me that much guidance before and for a complete stranger. Thank you.

I haven't done very much of my to-do list today, a deliberate decision. In fact all I did was write to the insurance company who are handling the mortgage protection claim and asked them to pay the money straight to my building society. E*bay, chasing patio door man etc can wait until tomorrow.

What I've done is thought about what you've said, I read it earlier and wanted to think about it. Someone else also stepped in to help and my dd reiterated her offer to build me a website.

I have made a decision. I'm not getting anywhere looking for work and as you say making it a full time occupation is soul destroying. I don't want to go and work for one of the large corporations again. I'm going to give my best shot to setting myself up as a freelance writer.

I'll still spend an hour or so a day looking at the job market but start looking for something part time, giving me a small amount of income and time to write, hopefully for income. In the evenings I can concentrate on writing a novel, it will take a little time to come up with a plot, but I think I can do that. I agree that horses are not the way to go, but I can use a lot of the material I have written about the Captain as a book as well, I think it can work.

This weekend I will write a brief for dd, once I've got my head around what my website's objective is going to be. Any ideas gratefully received. I will also look into what I need to have in place to be self employed. In the meantime I will continue to go to the Job Centre, there may even be some help offered there, you never know!

There is lot more to think about, please all of you throw ideas at me, this is scary stuff and you don't want me whinging on here all the time, do you?

Piq

Your Captain stories are intriguing. You know what I would do if I had your equine knowledge? I'd try to write a children's book about horses. How does that idea grab you? Children love horses and after the mania of Harry Potter has died down, the market is looking for a new direction to go. Aim for mid teens, its a growing market and one you could very well move into (aside from also working on a grown up novel where you can have fun and let your imagination run riot )

I think the idea of a part-time job would be perfect in your situation. You'd also find it easier to find a healthy work/life balance. I get the impression from what I know of you already, that you can be a bit of a workaholic. Maybe this change in life can be a positive thing, you moving in a more suitable direction with more self satisfaction and also inner peace.

If you site is hosted by Wordpress, think about moving it to a dedicated space, where you can install advertising. Income can be gained from that. Not a lot, but every little helps. When readers click on those ads after they have read your blog, you get paid.

Piquant_2

That is one of the options I had in mind for the Captain stories, I don't know a lot about it but I wondered if that market might work. You're right children do love horses and it's not difficult to build on his character, he's also very eye-catching and would be easy to illustrate or photograph.

I meant to add to my earlier post that I know the blog won't make money, it's something I've wanted to do and is very good practice at disciplining my writing. On here I tend to just throw thoughts at the screen, on the blog it has to have more structure, a story if you will.

I don't know if I want advertisements all over it, they are very ugly and it's quite important to me what it looks like. I am or was an artist by trade, so the fonts and imagery are important to me. I will wait until dd has come up with a website and see if it can all be joined up, that will be the time to move it across and consider relevant advertising. In the meantime, I will use it as my practice ground.

Your help means a lot to me, these are not empty words, they are words from the heart. Thank you.

Piq

Piquant_2

PinotGrigio41 wrote: »

Do you know what Piq, I read that post much earlier today from Suburban Housewifey , and I was nearly reduced to tears on your behalf !! What is wrong with me ?! I even began a post to thank her, but decided that would look a bit odd :eek:

I have to say though that I think that to have receive such wonderful advice is so amazing.

I havent the timeto read the rest of your reply and your plans at the moment as am rushing off. I will catch up later.

One quick thing though, your blogs have become the evenings bedtime story for the Pinot Household. The last four evenings the girls have asked me if I have received the days posting on my phone and I have read your stories to them. I hope you dont mind, but even at the ages of 11 and 14, they have found them entertaining, but they have also given them something to really think about ( the job centre for example ) and obviously for DD2 , the Captain and the Underpants once again caused much hilarity !! xx

Catch up tomorrow xx

It would not have looked odd at all. Suburbanwifey has made me cry tears of gratitude and has helped me think straight for the first time in a while.

No pressure then! I will post for your delightful daughters, not a problem. Although I'm not sure about what I will post about tonight, maybe a version of what I'm going to do work-wise. That will quite boring for them. But the theme is supposed to be growing up in a mid-life crisis and I think I've grown a couple of years today!

I must dig out the one about the Captain on top of the haystack, very frightening at the time, but funny afterwards. Bloomin' horse...

Piq

lucielle

Piq, you say horses aren't for grown ups but Jilly Cooper hasn't done too bad from them.

I wish I could post something more constructive. Take care
L

brizzledfw

Lucielle..I was thinking the same...Rupert something or other or so I seem to recall;)

Sounds good stuff Piq. Like the plan:D

Hi surburbanwifey:wave: thanks for helping out our mate!!:D

Piquant_2

Rupert Campbell-Black. I loved the Jilly Cooper books when I was a girl. Real honest to God bonkbusters!

Piq

brizzledfw

You see..you have even done the background research as a teenager without knowing it:j

Jilly..move over for the new queen of the equestrian bonk buster..maybe Zara Phillips will endorse it:rotfl:

Igamogam

PinotGrigio41 wrote: »

Sorry yesterdays Job Centre Experience was another rubbish one ! Seriously , I do think they employ a special breed of people at these places ( apologies to anyone reading , who does actually work there , I am sure you are one of the lovely ones !)

I dont but I know people who work for the dept - its shoite pay and shoite conditions - no excuse I know but it is often a thankless task:(

NewLeaf_2

hooray for suburbanhousewifey what a super idea.

we love the captain

PinotGrigio41

Igamogam wrote: »

I dont but I know people who work for the dept - its shoite pay and shoite conditions - no excuse I know but it is often a thankless task:(

Yep I can see that . It must be a pretty stressful job at times as well and certainly not something I would fancy doing tbh.