Writing Plans

Posted: Wed 28 January, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: Five Year Plan (now Ten), Resolutions, Travel, Writing | 1 Comment »

As I’ve written before, one of my plans for this year is to get some more writing done. I’m working on it, and there’s still a lot of the year to go, so we’ll see how things work out.

However, I’ve also been thinking about getting some impetus towards year-end, where I can both learn a bit more about my preferred writing areas, and (hopefully) get some feedback on ideas that I’ll have written – or at the bare minimum, have outlined and started – by that time.

In that light, and because I’ve known about them for years, I’ve signed up for a course through the Arvon Foundation, which I’m already really looking forward to.

It’s a cost of nearly £600 for the week, but that includes all food, board etc., but I think it’ll be an interesting departure, and something cool to do. Who knows, if it works out well, I might even go on more of them in 2010…

Writing Splits

Posted: Thu 8 January, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: D4D™, The '09 Writing Project, Thoughts, Writing | Leave a comment »

At the moment, I’m splitting my writing stuff between three sites and two additional projects – which is a bit of a strain, as you can imagine. Thankfully, all of them have very different styles/themes/subjects, which helps, but it can still all be a bit of a clash.
The three main sites are :

  1. Here (obviously)
  2. The company business site, which is more about business and development stuff
  3. The photography site, which is more around photography and a semi-photoblog

I don’t mind too much – well, I set myself the tasks, so I shouldn’t do – but on occasion it gets to be a bit of a head-fuck. D4D™ is obviously the one with the most updates, and the other two probably only get updated weekly. OK, sometimes fortnightly, or even monthly. But in the context of what they are, that’s (in my opinion) fairly reasonable. Neither site is high-traffic – hell, not even close – but they fulfil a need and serve a purpose.

But as time goes on this year, I don’t know that they’ll all survive. When you take into account the plan to have at least one significant dollop of “proper” writing (or two or three smaller bits than can equate to one significant dollop) done by the end of the year, well, we’ll just have to see what lives or dies on the writing front, won’t we?

New Doctor

Posted: Sat 3 January, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: Thoughts, Writing | Leave a comment »

It still hasn’t been revealed as I write this, but when it comes to the new Dr Who, I’d love to see a woman Doctor.

Just imagine the fun you could have with it – “Oooh, breasts, periods, weird” etc.

The ’09 Writing Project

Posted: Thu 1 January, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: The '09 Writing Project, Writing | Leave a comment »

“Don’t call yourself a writer until you’ve got something finished. Don’t give me those two pages – no-one will buy them, no-one will want them, you’ve got to finish it. Work, finish it, then you can call yourself a writer”
Russell T Davies on Charlie Brooker’s ScreenBurn (Writer’s Special)

Over the last three or four months I’ve been working on the script for a project with Dragon – there’re still some tweaks to be made to it, but we’re pretty much there, I think.

For 2009, I want to get another one completed : at least a complete first draft, and with luck being close to a completed product by this time next year. I think that’s realistic, along with all the other odds and sods that are going to be going on.

We’ll see, of course. Things might all click together and I’ll get it done in the first three months. However, I wouldn’t place money on that eventuality. I do want to get some more writing done though, and I hope that this next twelve months will get me started on that road…

Ambition…

Posted: Sun 16 November, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Five Year Plan (now Ten), Own Business, Writing | Leave a comment »

Yesterday I saw a news release that just made me go “Ooooh. Me Wanty.”

Red have released information about a whole new digital movie/still camera system that they’ve created and frankly, Wow.

Maybe one day.

Things for the coming 12 months

Posted: Thu 6 November, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: D4D™, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Getting Organised, Own Business, Redesign, Resolutions, Thoughts, Work-related, Writing | 3 Comments »

So following on from yesterday’s list of plans vs. achievements and so on, this is likely the list for 2008/9. It’s not quite as intense as last year’s one, for a number of reasons. Also, I’m sure that by the end of the 12 months, there’ll be other stuff that needs to be added to it, so it’s more flexible as well.

But here goes. (And in no particular order)

  1. Sort out the mortgage renewal along with Herself (March/April)
  2. Write and Launch the two main site ideas that are in my head at the moment, and see if they can make any money
  3. Promote one of the other sites I’ve done, which has a big dollop of potential
  4. Complete the NCFE Photography qualification/course
  5. Redesign my photography site
  6. Promote the photography and site more
  7. Write at least one more big piece to get it out of my head at last
  8. Possibly redesign D4D™ a bit – I know, I’ve been talking about it now for years
    Oh yeah, and…
  9. Lose some weight, as my plans for doing so in 2008 have emphatically failed – primarily due to zero motivation to do so, but also due to life over-riding gym etc.

Five Year Plan : 40% Done

Posted: Wed 5 November, 2008 | Author: | Filed under: Domestic, Five Year Plan (now Ten), Own Business, Thoughts, Writing | Leave a comment »
  1. Photography
    • Take more photos
    • Put the good ones in the portfolio site
    • Work on a couple of projects/themes
      Started the work on a couple of projects, and seeing how they go
    • Possibly do a redesign of the portfolio site to fit in more with ‘brand ‘image’
      Couldn’t be chuffed with this one in the end, although I’m still thinking about it
    • Submit portfolio site and photos to various interested parties
    • Possibly make more use of Flickr, although that one’s a bit of a “don’t know”
      And really haven’t done this either, as I’ve been using the portfolio site instead
    • Pull more attention to the portfolio site
      Again, working on it
  2. Business
    • Redesign/redevelop business website with a CMS etc.
    • Look at sorting out a proper business bank account
    • Keep generating new work
      As always, an ongoing process – but working fairly well so far, allbeit not having generated as much as I should have done
    • Continue with current work and clients
      Again, an ongoing process
    • Get new contract – the one with the current place will definitely expire in ’08, due to tax/IR35 reasons
      I haven’t had any long-term contracts, but plenty of shorter-term ones, and now the new permanent role…
    • Work on developing new sites and business ideas
    • Minimise outgoings, increase incoming money
      Nice idea, but not all that successful due to rising costs (particularly of petrol)
  3. Writing
    • Realistically? Get one solid idea written and done, if only for the head-space
      Admittedly, ‘only’ a short screenplay for a film of about 10-15 minutes, but still, completed and done, except for small ongoing edits
    • Optimistically? Get two solid ideas written and done.
      Working on the second one (and a third, to be honest), but not completed
  4. House stuff
    • House alterations
      • Bathroom
      • Kitchen extension/upgrade
        Postponed for foreseeable future
      • Extra Item : Cavity Wall Insulation
      • Extra Item : Loft Insulation
        Postponed ’til ’09, due to a nightmare of work involved
    • Garden alterations/work
      • Veg patch
      • Front garden/driveway
        Semi-complete
      • Main lawn etc.
        Semi-complete
      • Borders, beds, blah blah
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