Free WiFi on a bus, bonus! It makes the 1 hour journey go a lot faster, yes I can't live without the internet. I did end up reading a really interesting article by Hugh Grant where he bugs the bugger in interviewing an ex-News of the World journalist: Hugh Grant strikes back
It's definitely worth a read.
I got into Cambridge around 12 and went straight to buy my tickets to learn the hard way to book in advance, the History writing workshop had sold out as did Dawn French's talk. Bugger! However, the poetry workshop was still available, but that was on at 4pm meaning I had 4 hours to kill in Cambridge, if it was not being stopped by a lovely pair of Mormons it was stopping by Lush, yes I am an addict, but I bought the soap that donates money to Japan, so it wasn't all self serving and materialistic, I don't even like coconut.
Anyway, I should be talking about the day: the poetry workshop with Don Paterson, it was definitely interesting. It was cool to chat with other writers of different skill and success levels (as opposed to the student environment) as well as listening to Don answer some of their intriguing and insightful comments; I felt I learned a lot about the process of writing poetry and what it means to be a poet. Interestingly his perspective was not that poetry can be used for therapy for the writer (he says when that happens it's not poetry) but is actually therapeutic for the reader, it allows the reader to connect with their own feelings and emotions rather than have the writer dictate. At least that was one thing I took away from the workshop, amongst other things. He talked a lot about neurology and poetry, how we process information in 3 second gaps, how rhythm, rhyme and meter affect the brain, how poetry uses language and how the sounds of language make you feel, not just the words. As a person very much interested by the brain and a person who studied psychology, it offered an interesting way of looking at poetry, as well as his talk about syntax and etymology - two areas of language that chime with me.
In the end I felt as though I could write poetry, most of my stuff is crap, but actually if, say, I work on the technical side of poetry I can learn to work it as second nature, so as soon as that inspiration strikes then I've got the tools for expressing it, without corrupting it thinking, "does the rhythm work? Have I got the form right?" and thinking things I shouldn't be worried about, not at least until I start editing it.
And now on to day 2, I hope that the Ian McEwan and Sam Harris session isn't fully booked because a discussion on science a morality sounds fantastic, maybe the Wiki Leaks event too as I suspect the topic of 'free speech' will come up as well as some interesting discussion on journalism. I'll remember to take pictures, even if it's just of a building in Cambridge, pictures make a blog look pretty after all.
Saturday, 16 April 2011
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Finding Work
The job market in the UK is pretty poor at the moment and in a financial crisis it's the way it's going to be. There's a lot of people unemployed with so few jobs to go around and with cuts being made it means more and more people have to become unemployed. With employers really only asking for people who are experienced it becomes a lot more difficult if you're a graduate or new on the job scene, hence so many under 25s are unemployed. It can actually be a disheartened process, trying to find work, not just because of the lack of replies and those few rejections, but it's coming across jobs where you think, "fantastic! That sounds perfect!" and then there's that catch, "must have had 3 or more years experience in the industry", it's a catch-22, you need experience to get the job, but you need the job to get the experience. Heck, I come across jobs that are advertised as "London" and end up think, "central London? 45mins by train", then it turns out to not really be in London at all, but all the way on the other side, 2+ hours away. Other catches may simply be just, "must speak French". I almost got an interview for a London PR job, they were enthusiastic about my CV but the employer was worried about the commute, I sent them information about it and when they got back to me (a week later), they basically said, "sorry, we found somebody else". Then there's the mindset of, "I'll take what I can get", a job is better than no job and you can still continue to find work and build up your skill set, even do a course if need be. The trouble with that one is: are you necessarily cut out for the jobs you've applied for? Will you enjoy working there? A temporary set up isn't bad if you're not enjoying your work, as it's not forever. But in getting a job, you need to be able to sustain it and feel comfortable enough to successfully do your job.
I managed to find work in a second hand store, I've worked in retail before and I found it quite easy and enjoyed it somewhat, some customers can be awesome and that was one of the perks. But the second hand store was actually a completely different experience, you're not a 'shop assistant' you're a 'salesman' and that's a completely different mindset. It's not, "what can I do for you?" but, "what can I do to make money from this person?" Helping a customer is only good if it helps you. My job was to work as a seller on the shop floor and a buyer around the back. All of my training was on the job and I don't think I did too badly when it came to buying. Essentially you've got to value an items based on whether you can sell it or not (if you can't, don't buy it), what condition it's in and whether it's safe (so, do electrical tests on electrical items), see what it is brand new and decide what a customer is likely to pay for that item in store. Some items will be considerable a LOT lower than retail, somebody's not going to pay £60 for a Sky Box, even though that would be seemingly a reasonable second hand price compared to brand new.
Some items require a punt because you're taking a risk, for example, if a watch has a brand name, but no sign of model it is and you research what the watch is worth and find out they range from £50 to £300 depending on model, you have to offer the lower end. It was an interesting part of the job, but I can't say I enjoyed all of it, my mindset is very much, "I should be helping customers, not exploiting them", so obviously, being a salesman isn't something I can feel passionate about, even though I was capable of doing it - one of the mistakes I made when I started was, my supervisor was about to sell a PS2 to a customer who was going to buy it just for the controller, instead I turned around and said, "I think we actually have a controller over here", turning a £29.99 sale into a £4.99 sale. My supervisor face-palmed it. I learned from that: a girl was looking to replace her iPod Nano, instead of buying the Nano, I managed to make the iPod Touch more appealing and she walked away happy with the more expensive item. Because a lot of people who go into a second hand store are desperate for money, it doesn't feel right to hand them less money than they'd get selling it elsewhere and at times I felt really uncomfortable.
Unfortunately people desperate for money need somewhere quick to acquire it and second hand stores need to stay in business. I did end up losing the job, well, I was on trial, which was extended from 1 month to 3 months because they liked me and were happy with the effort I put it. In the end they felt there were parts of the job that weren't for me and therefore I wouldn't be suitable to keep the job - they pointed out my positive traits, suggested lines of work where they'd be beneficial. E.g. my ability to analyze things in detail, they didn't need detail, they needed something quick and simple. Interestingly, they employed me knowing my skills were set for a completely different kind of job, but employed me based on my attitude, so it's at least great to know your own strengths and know that you have a positive enough attitude to impress an employer. But it does mean, as of one month ago, I've been back to looking for work and I swear there's even fewer jobs about than before. Personally I would have preferred to stick at it and work towards my own career goals with a temporary job to just support me.
So...what do I do to try and find the right job now? Well, I've got the opportunity to build myself as a writer. The Cambridge Word Fest is this weekend and it'll be nice to show my face and try to get to know some folk and pick up some advice on using my skills to benefit me in employment or finding some kind of success. I know I'll definitely be working on some short stories and articles then submitting them to publications and even try and revive myself as a storyteller, which I haven't paid attention to for almost a year. It's kind of difficult to get out there when you lack the freedom, I live in a village with no buses and one that's in the walking distance of nowhere and I don't drive, nor have the funds to learn or to fund a car. Now that summer is on the way, it'd probably be a good idea to invest in a bike.
I managed to find work in a second hand store, I've worked in retail before and I found it quite easy and enjoyed it somewhat, some customers can be awesome and that was one of the perks. But the second hand store was actually a completely different experience, you're not a 'shop assistant' you're a 'salesman' and that's a completely different mindset. It's not, "what can I do for you?" but, "what can I do to make money from this person?" Helping a customer is only good if it helps you. My job was to work as a seller on the shop floor and a buyer around the back. All of my training was on the job and I don't think I did too badly when it came to buying. Essentially you've got to value an items based on whether you can sell it or not (if you can't, don't buy it), what condition it's in and whether it's safe (so, do electrical tests on electrical items), see what it is brand new and decide what a customer is likely to pay for that item in store. Some items will be considerable a LOT lower than retail, somebody's not going to pay £60 for a Sky Box, even though that would be seemingly a reasonable second hand price compared to brand new.
Some items require a punt because you're taking a risk, for example, if a watch has a brand name, but no sign of model it is and you research what the watch is worth and find out they range from £50 to £300 depending on model, you have to offer the lower end. It was an interesting part of the job, but I can't say I enjoyed all of it, my mindset is very much, "I should be helping customers, not exploiting them", so obviously, being a salesman isn't something I can feel passionate about, even though I was capable of doing it - one of the mistakes I made when I started was, my supervisor was about to sell a PS2 to a customer who was going to buy it just for the controller, instead I turned around and said, "I think we actually have a controller over here", turning a £29.99 sale into a £4.99 sale. My supervisor face-palmed it. I learned from that: a girl was looking to replace her iPod Nano, instead of buying the Nano, I managed to make the iPod Touch more appealing and she walked away happy with the more expensive item. Because a lot of people who go into a second hand store are desperate for money, it doesn't feel right to hand them less money than they'd get selling it elsewhere and at times I felt really uncomfortable.
Unfortunately people desperate for money need somewhere quick to acquire it and second hand stores need to stay in business. I did end up losing the job, well, I was on trial, which was extended from 1 month to 3 months because they liked me and were happy with the effort I put it. In the end they felt there were parts of the job that weren't for me and therefore I wouldn't be suitable to keep the job - they pointed out my positive traits, suggested lines of work where they'd be beneficial. E.g. my ability to analyze things in detail, they didn't need detail, they needed something quick and simple. Interestingly, they employed me knowing my skills were set for a completely different kind of job, but employed me based on my attitude, so it's at least great to know your own strengths and know that you have a positive enough attitude to impress an employer. But it does mean, as of one month ago, I've been back to looking for work and I swear there's even fewer jobs about than before. Personally I would have preferred to stick at it and work towards my own career goals with a temporary job to just support me.
So...what do I do to try and find the right job now? Well, I've got the opportunity to build myself as a writer. The Cambridge Word Fest is this weekend and it'll be nice to show my face and try to get to know some folk and pick up some advice on using my skills to benefit me in employment or finding some kind of success. I know I'll definitely be working on some short stories and articles then submitting them to publications and even try and revive myself as a storyteller, which I haven't paid attention to for almost a year. It's kind of difficult to get out there when you lack the freedom, I live in a village with no buses and one that's in the walking distance of nowhere and I don't drive, nor have the funds to learn or to fund a car. Now that summer is on the way, it'd probably be a good idea to invest in a bike.
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
Music and Writing
A good piece of music can fit in with a piece of writing and I find one of the things that helps me write is a great piece of music. Now, a playlist needs to be as carefully considered, you see, anything that's too catchy might have you singing along, something with a good beat might have you nodding your head and of course you music can serve as another distraction if you're not careful. I know some who can't listen to music when writing and that's fine, but for me, it's pretty much a requirement. It comes handy when the music suits the the mood for piece of writing you're creating. I mean, you can't write a depressing scene where, say, a mother holds her dying child in her hands and you're listening to something as happy as Bowling for Soup - particularly 'I'm Gay', which is a song all about being happy, maybe somebody ought there can, but I'd be torn between two emotion, "la la la! I'm so happy!" and "Oh my God, what have I done? I just killed a child with my pen, I'm so horrible!" Likewise, you don't want to be listening to the most depressing song in your library and you're writing a bit of fun, maybe two kids having the time of their life and you're on the verge of slitting your own wrists because you can't stand listening to My Chemical Romance (nor can I, to be fair), it doesn't mix.
I've found my writing playlist sometimes consists of Tarot, Therion, Evergrey and even Judas Priest. Therion has this mythological edge, particularly with albums like 'The Secret of the Runes', which is an album dedicated to the locations in Norse mythology, but also have this song called, "After the Inquisition: The Children of The Stone", it's the closing track of one of the most...interesting albums I've listened to -some of the vocals are sung by a choir of children - I can imagine myself writing about one of the darker parts of my novel, because of the title, I think it's kind of chilling, just because of the Spanish Inquisition. Tarot, I think it's more or less songs like, "The End of Everything" and "Gone", which suit some of Asaros' moods in The Delusion Wing. But I think Evergrey probably has the perfect album, particularly in writing The Delusion Wing, which is 'The Inner Circle', which is a very powerful and emotional album with fantastic vocals, and of course they're fantastic, they're Swedish and they're not Abba. The album takes on the perspective of being a part of (what I assume is) a Christian cult and takes on the themes of cult worship and uses audio clips that create the image of there being some evangelical preacher. And it ends with the track, 'When the Walls Go Down', which is very emotionally driven and we see a man at the mercy of God in some kind of emotional breakdown.As my characters basically have their mental health dragged through the dirt and in many ways are at the mercy of God and suffer in a society lead by a cultist leader, it is fantastic to write to and keeps you in the right frame of mind. Here's the video (opening track) from the album:
And get this, I've got tickets to see the band Kamelot at the end of April, who are being supported by Evergrey, so it will no doubt be an awesome experience.
So, that's Tarot, Therion and Evergrey explained, but why Judas Priest? Frankly, I don't know. I guess it's just because they're awesome to listen to, your playlist doesn't necessarily have to fit your writing, I suppose you could say my characters are...'Breaking the Law', but if Breaking the Law were the anthem for Chapter 1, I think it would just ruin the whole thing, because I'd have this image of Rob Halford kicking the door down shouting at the guards, "Breaking the law, breaking the law". It could be worse, it could be Dee Snider exploding in front of The Evangelist screaming, "I Wanna Rock!" If Twisted Sister had a cameo, horrible things would just happen, so I need to get that thought out of my head.
I've found my writing playlist sometimes consists of Tarot, Therion, Evergrey and even Judas Priest. Therion has this mythological edge, particularly with albums like 'The Secret of the Runes', which is an album dedicated to the locations in Norse mythology, but also have this song called, "After the Inquisition: The Children of The Stone", it's the closing track of one of the most...interesting albums I've listened to -some of the vocals are sung by a choir of children - I can imagine myself writing about one of the darker parts of my novel, because of the title, I think it's kind of chilling, just because of the Spanish Inquisition. Tarot, I think it's more or less songs like, "The End of Everything" and "Gone", which suit some of Asaros' moods in The Delusion Wing. But I think Evergrey probably has the perfect album, particularly in writing The Delusion Wing, which is 'The Inner Circle', which is a very powerful and emotional album with fantastic vocals, and of course they're fantastic, they're Swedish and they're not Abba. The album takes on the perspective of being a part of (what I assume is) a Christian cult and takes on the themes of cult worship and uses audio clips that create the image of there being some evangelical preacher. And it ends with the track, 'When the Walls Go Down', which is very emotionally driven and we see a man at the mercy of God in some kind of emotional breakdown.As my characters basically have their mental health dragged through the dirt and in many ways are at the mercy of God and suffer in a society lead by a cultist leader, it is fantastic to write to and keeps you in the right frame of mind. Here's the video (opening track) from the album:
And get this, I've got tickets to see the band Kamelot at the end of April, who are being supported by Evergrey, so it will no doubt be an awesome experience.
So, that's Tarot, Therion and Evergrey explained, but why Judas Priest? Frankly, I don't know. I guess it's just because they're awesome to listen to, your playlist doesn't necessarily have to fit your writing, I suppose you could say my characters are...'Breaking the Law', but if Breaking the Law were the anthem for Chapter 1, I think it would just ruin the whole thing, because I'd have this image of Rob Halford kicking the door down shouting at the guards, "Breaking the law, breaking the law". It could be worse, it could be Dee Snider exploding in front of The Evangelist screaming, "I Wanna Rock!" If Twisted Sister had a cameo, horrible things would just happen, so I need to get that thought out of my head.
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