365

For some reason I have decided to do a 365 blog - this is where I post a photo every day for a year.

At the time I started it, I thought "Sure, I take pictures every day, this will be a cake walk!" (cake walk being an acceptable expression at the time)... Little did I know that endless pictures of food I was eating, cute puppies I almost kidnapped, and dudes with impressive guns would only be interesting for a limited amount of time.

Anyway, the site is here Snaps. On. The. Reg. if you would like to take a look.

Doing it for the kids

Sometimes my ex-smoker smugness and gentle jewy nagging serves a purpose. Yes. I save lives.

Observe!

“Before I met Kate, I was in a dark place. My life was just one big cigarette break. All I could think about was when I could get my next fix. 

I knew the health risks involved with smoking, but none of the ads on tv, in magazines, or on the radio ever got through to me. 

It was when I met Kate that I really wanted to turn my life around. Kate made me want to be better at being. 

Today, I’m 54 days clean and not looking back. I owe it all to Kate.” 

Brooke A. – EX-Smoker.

Brooke now satisfies her cigarette cravings with Cider. And cider promotion.

Getting ready for the weekend

This weekend is all about creating. No distractions.

Creating a copy library - Part one: Learning the hard way

Shaky beginnings

I will be the first to admit that when my new manager first booked a meeting with me called ‘Copy Libraries’, I was a little sceptical. Plus, it seemed a bit pushy. I immediately sent back a meeting request entitled ‘Get Coffee’ and she accepted. Okay. My manager and I had taken our first steps towards understanding each other, and our almost crippling dependence on caffeine.



A writer prepares

Not wanting to lose momentum on this exciting (if somewhat eccentric) new directive, I got started right away. I adopted the Stanislavski method favoured by acting greats Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman and Alec Baldwin. Speaking in hushed tones for the days leading up to our meeting, I looked disapprovingly over my spectacles as I lent books to people knowing that they would be returned dog-eared and overdue.
 


Lesson One

It was two coffees into the meeting with my manager that I realised I had seized hold of the wrong end of the stick vis-à-vis “copying libraries”. The hours I had spent categorising my local newsagent’s stock in increasing numerical order relating to three digit classifications were wasted. Thanks anyway, Dewey Decimal. Sorry for the mess, Mr Patel.

So! Okay. We were going to set up a library of copy for our clients. What a great idea. And, in retrospect, it does make a lot more sense than mimicking a book depository. Lesson learned.

Becoming “that girl”

It’s happening more and more frequently these days. Someone will tell me about a project they’re working on and I will assault them with a barrage of ideas about how they should be promoting it online.This advice is rarely solicited and it’s probably appreciated just as infrequently.


And yet, I cannot stop.


Going in a charity run? I’ll invent another angle for it and upload training updates to a youtube account. Got a small business? I’ll offer to start a blog for you. The list goes on.


I wonder if I’ll run out of friends before I run out of time to maintain all these things I am volunteering for. Whatever happens, I’ll probably tweet about it.

Social networking - You're doing it wrong

Have I mentioned twitter to you before? Probably. I like it. I also have a fondness for blogs, flickr, tumblr and facebook. Sometimes, though, my love for the internets is tested.

There are people out there for whom social networks are a one-way street. Whether it's celebrities who never @reply, friends whose status updates are nothing but song lyrics, or people who spout inspirational messages which don't make sense... there are times when I feel like my time would be better spent talking to a cement-rendered wall.

Life lessons and casual swearing

I've never been a fan of the term "mentor". It is too laden with connotations. Also? It sounds wanky.

However, this morning I realised that I do sort of have one. A 'writing role model', I guess you could say... Her determined face was staring back at me from the front page of the local paper, as I drank my coffee, and it seemed to be saying "Kate, stop being a dickhead".

This woman always was the sort of person who would call a spade a c*nt. The first time I met her, working for a local magazine, she told me in no uncertain terms that I was sitting in her chair. I have respected her candour and integrity ever since. Coming a close second is her ability to work a swear word into almost any situation.

She made me realise that it takes more than good writing to be a good writer. You also sort of need to have balls. People are going to try to mess with your shit. Of those people, very few will actually be qualified to do so. She taught me that you need to speak up and be prepared to back-up what you're saying or you'll be bending over for everyone. Essentially, people will either see you as a bitch or a whore.

Yes, it's pretty black and white. And, I am really more of a "grey area" person, but thinking about all the things she taught me is helping me to make decisions, almost 4 years later. And now I am going to email her and thank her.