On Wednesday June 10th at Waterstones in Ramsgate, I'll be hosting an evening on "going it alone with regards to publishing your book" (yeah... gonna need a something a bit snappier than that for sure) - please note the deliberate ommision of the words 'self' and 'indie', both of which I detest with a passion mostly because they're both a lie. I'm also game for talking about writing for magazines so whatever you might have that you think I might be able to help with, bring that.
Anyway, it should be fun - it will be interesting that's for sure. We'll be upstairs at Cafe Nero (naturally) and as I write this, a loose time of seven o'clock has been floated but I'll nail everything firmly to a post little closer to the time.
I'm looking forward to it already. Maybe I'll wear a suit.
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A few months back, I received an email from a blogger we shall call Beccy - because that's her name - ho wanted to step it up a gear on herself and write for the mag. I've always said the same thing to every single person who has ever asked me this question: Stop talking now and bring me something I can use - which I always figured was reasonably encouraging, is it not?
Except, in five years, only Beccy has ever picked up the glove dropped on the floor. Since then, we've become friends and we're moving forwards like professional people moving forward should. Swimmingly.
Anyway, this morning we had an odd conversation about the movie Almost Famous and she sent me this clip with a note attached saying "Look, it's you and me!"
...which made me smile. A whole lot. Firstly because Bangs is one of my touchstones and secondly because it made me feel like I wasn't full of shit for five minutes. I don't know... it's just kinda neat maybe for reasons known only to myself, but I thought I would share it all the same.
Plus, anybody wanting to write for a magazine should watch it regardless.
One day, maybe all editors will run an open and honest ship based on talent and drive over a university degree - but don't hold your breath.
•••
I may have written a few sentences a while ago saying that I desperately needed to find a new martial arts class - and it had to be something I had never done before that would be a challenge. So I found one and when I got home, felt like I had indeed been challenged.
I haven't trained in any discipline for a long time. I hope this one has legs, it looks like it has. I'll update more as I go along but right now, I feel like I've been wrestling a horse which means I need to get my shit together.
•••
That's all I got. Finishing up Family of Noise still after being mightily distracted by life, but it was more than I had yesterday.