Unpredicatable

At the moment my life is very unpredictable and I'm struggling to plan any writing time.  Or rather I plan it and then life happens to get in the way.

Now that I am working three days a week (which could soon become four), a large part of my daytime writing time has gone.  

My freelance work is also picking up, but it always comes in when I'm least expecting it.  I sit down at my computer with ideas brimming for a story, I have a quick check of my emails and low and behold there is work to be done.

I can't knock it though, at least I'm getting some work.

At the moment I'm doing some audio transcription.  Years ago when I was a secretary, my boss used to record onto a cassette, which then when into a player which had headphones and a foot pedal plugged into it.

My boss then was based in London, while I was based in Chester and every day he would dictate his letters and then post me the package containing a tape.  Initially this was in the days before email, so I used to type out the letters print them off and fax each letter down to him.  He would then make any amendments and fax them back.

Well how times have changed.  On the promise of receiving a regular amount of work, I purchased some software which converts files into audio. On receiving an email, I download the file, plug my iphone headphones into my laptop and I'm good to go.

I'm a pretty fast typist so I've been trying to do this without the use of a foot pedal.  It's do-able but a bit fiddly so I have given in and purchased a foot pedal.  I'll see if it any easier when I type my next report.

So, what with all that, I haven't managed to do much actual writing recently.  I have been editing a novel wot I wrote though. It's in its fourth draft now and I'm hoping with some final tweaks I'll feel ready to start sending it out to agents.  Its a long job though, with little light at the end of the tunnel, so I may just have to write a story to break it up a bit.

Yesterday, to get away from it all, I decided to go for a walk down the Greenway which runs through the city and starts near to where I live.  At the entrance to the Greenway (on a farm) is a new cafe, so after my walk I decided to test it out.  And there I sat, writing away with no interruptions from technology (or my husband).  What bliss.  The only down side was drowning out the noise from the rest of the people in the cafe and several very loud children.  Ah well you can't have it all.

Have a good weekend everyone.