This is my writing bag.
Once upon a time, when I *worked for a living*, I worked for the National Grid in Coventry. We were quite close to Warwick University and, in fact, did most of our banking and shopping there.
As it was a university, there was – naturally – a university bookshop. And one day I was browsing, as you do, when I spotted a load of these tote bags, or bookbags, with shoulder straps.
I’ve had a few different writing bags over the years since then, but this one keeps rearing its head. And so I’ve decided that it’s my writing bag, full stop. Any others can be general work bags (i.e. include editing and proofreading work).
The new work regime is going well. The morning dog walk is still being postponed until evening, when the poet can come with us. But, generally, I’ve been sticking to it quite well.
Here’s how yesterday went:
- daily admin hour ✓
- write a blog post for Words Worth Writing ✓
- more reading for Net Galley (1 of 17 – now 18 … ) ✓
- more reading for 52 Books in 52 Weeks (1 of 12) ✓
- search job boards, daily ✓
- pitch for jobs as and when ✓ (0)
- continue editing book #1 (of 6) for lovely already client ✓
- write #2 (draft 2) of Is this where you pee? ✓
Wahey! Another full quota of ticks.
I only wrote 755 words against a daily target of 1,000 words, but the editing job is taking up more of the day now and I only had one draft on the to-do list to write up.
I’ve stopped doing “daily competitions”, and soon I’ll be stopping “daily surveys”. These have always come under my “admin hour”. But I’m finding I’m itching to be doing something more creative now, and I want to start making this to-do list longer once I’ve claimed any outstanding payment for surveys done so far.
What I want to do is start trawling the blogs again: joining in, taking part, commenting. Plus, I need to find time to do some of the more mundane tasks, such as “filing” and “banking/finances”.
I’m catching up on the workload, though. Here is how today looks:
- daily admin hour ✓
- write a blog post for Words Worth Writing ✓
- more reading for Net Galley (1 of 18)
- more reading for 52 Books in 52 Weeks (1 of 12)
- search job boards, daily ✓
- pitch for jobs as and when ✓ (0)
- continue editing book #1 (of 6) for lovely already client
- write (type) #3 (draft s) of Pippa and Davey Forever
Do you have a bookbag or a writing bag? What’s in yours?
NB: Of course I still “work for a living”. It just doesn’t feel like it so much when you’re doing something you enjoy. And also, there are still some out there who think working for yourself isn’t actually working for a living!
I have a bag that is for the writing group – notebooks, register, pens and any thing of interest – which I take with me. Every so often it needs a good fettle – take the chocolate papers out!
“Fettle”, now there’s a mighty fine Yorkshire expression. 😀