Specialise

At the end of a long week, I met some colleagues from the magazine I used to work for in the local pub.  One of them, Rob, is working for the most visited newspaper website in the world (Mail Online).  He's also just about to become a father and, tired of the 12 hour days he's required to put in, has handed in his notice.  His wife has had to endure most of her pregnancy without him because of his workload and he doesn't want her to have to raise the child in the same way.  Rob's going freelance and won't be wanting for work.  He's got a brain the size of a planet and a steadfast memory, but most importantly, he writes about things he's really interested in: the web, gadgets, games and science.  Plus he's a really good writer.  Mail Online don't just employ any old idiot you know.  Incidentally, for a brilliant insight into the Daily Mail, the second most popular (and often very controversial) newspaper in the UK, the New Yorker ran a brilliant article on it here.

An Expert, yesterday.

Over our third pint, he gave me some advice.  Choose a subject that you're really into anyway or that you want to learn a lot about and then become the expert in that field.  In other words, corner the market.  If commissioning editors know that you're the go-to guy (or girl) on a particular subject, you'll always get work.  Up until now I've tried all kinds of writing and it's been really enjoyable - I like getting given a subject I know nothing about, like the MFI's I wrote about, researching it and bringing it to a wider audience.  But I think Rob might be right.   All I've got to work out now is which subject I really have a passion for.  So if you want to take some advice from Rob, a writer who does write for a living, it's specialise. 

The Hamster Wheel of Procrastination

The truth is, I'm nowhere near writing for a living.  As much as I'd like it to finance my life, writing is more like a hobby for the time being.  I've got financial commitments; I've got rent to pay, I've got a wedding to save for and London is an expensive city.  Even going out for a pint these days burns a hole in your pocket.  So what I do for the sake of a regular wage, five days a week, is get up and go to work on one of the photo desks at Associated Newspapers.  Phew, that's a weight off.  Maybe I'll become Catholic - the confessing sure feels good.  I don't feel alone either.  My suspicion is that quite a few of us are doing something for money while wishing we were doing something else.  Not that that makes it alright.

Bar the occasional self loathing of working for one of Fleet Street's more dubious organs, there are some advantages to the day job.  I can connect with people who might be able to give me work.  In the last couple of weeks I've met the Commissioning Editors for print and online travel sections and also someone in the book reviewing section who might be able to help me out if I ever pull my finger out and get a 2nd draft of the book together.  There are other advantages too.  I can walk to work, the day rate is pretty good and the hours are 10-6.  So, plenty of time to write around the day job, you might think.  But here's the thing - I've discovered that I have no self discipline. 

Post waking up and ablutions, there's at least an hour there in the morning to write but I can easily eat that up by taking more time over breakfast (see what I did there?) and/or making sandwiches for lunch.  Then there's the sports news (8.35am) and the weather (8.45am) that it seems absolutely crucial to watch.  It's also important to keep a clean inbox right?  That way you're more organised.  No problem: I can easily piss thirty minutes up the wall deleting spam and writing replies I meant to send a week ago.  Not to mention Twitter and Facebook.  It's obviously of vital importance to keep up with social media.

But even if I've somehow wasted the morning, I'm usually home around 7pm so there's some spare hours to get creative.  That is, if I didn't have to feed myself - can't be imaginative on an empty stomach can ya?  Post cooking, eating and washing up, there's the food coma to contend with, so while I'm digesting I might hit the remote.  You would not believe how many great things there are to watch on TV.  Sometimes there's a film on that I've only seen maybe six or seven times but it's a classic right?  I couldn't not watch it really.  I can do some writing after.  But then there's 'Family Guy'.  Oh, go on then, I won't watch both episodes, just one and then, then, God you know what, I'm real sleepy all of a sudden.  I might have to hit the hay.  I'll do some writing in the morning...

Before you know it I'm back at my desk at the Mail cursing myself for not getting some writing done.  But there's always tomorrow, right?