Alrighty then, it’s been a long time since I dipped keystrokes into blogland. I had an earlier bash at blogging but was using it for experiments in writing and, frankly, I lost interest. Now, facing the reality that I like to make a buck from my writing as much as I like to take the muse out and give her a good flogging on the local jogging track, I am taking a different tack … looking to hook up with other writers, find inspiration, find work, advertise my wares and basically bang on ….
Today I have just pushed the SEND button on 40,000 words of a corporate history. What a truly mammoth job. There have been days when I thought it was going to be the undoing of me.
This task, agreed to before Christmas and now the swallower of the first third of the year, is what I am calling my GET ME TO AUSTIN (GMTA) fundraiser. Mr Underhill and I will head off there in October to spend time with our besties who have recently, temporarily, moved there.
Ben Peters is our talented mate’s name. He’s playing around Austin, Texas. Check out his myspace at: www.myspace.com/bennyandtheflybyniters56. You will not be disappointed. Try and find his wife in the crowd. She has a ‘B’ tattooed on her wedding finger. Shoosh!
Today I have just pushed the SEND button on 40,000 words of a corporate history. What a truly mammoth job. There have been days when I thought it was going to be the undoing of me.
This task, agreed to before Christmas and now the swallower of the first third of the year, is what I am calling my GET ME TO AUSTIN (GMTA) fundraiser. Mr Underhill and I will head off there in October to spend time with our besties who have recently, temporarily, moved there.
Ben Peters is our talented mate’s name. He’s playing around Austin, Texas. Check out his myspace at: www.myspace.com/bennyandtheflybyniters56. You will not be disappointed. Try and find his wife in the crowd. She has a ‘B’ tattooed on her wedding finger. Shoosh!
I am looking forward to October when I plan on walking in the door of Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon in Austin and knocking back a vodka with Mrs B and seeing Dale Watson and others in the flesh. Sublime!
I will be looking for story ideas in Austin. If you’re out there and know of Australian folk (especially Melburnians) who might be appropriate for profiling in places like GET CREATIVE magazine (http://www.getcreative.com.au/) or THE AGE newspaper then holler.
Huge writing jobs, like this corporate history/book are like complicated puzzles. Hours of interviews, backgrounders and previous research must be massaged between links, entertaining writing and egos to get to the final product. The wild thing about writing for a living is that, while you may think you’ve completed a job, the client might hate it. I am now officially at the precipice of that adventure. I think I’ve finished it. Do they? Of course there will be much toing and froing now to get it all edited and acceptable to the people behind the scenes with this project but I see that as the final titivating you do to the house before the guests arrived. I mean, the roast is at least in the oven!
Okay, I am off for a walk. Am getting a bad case of mouse arm – meaning the right hand that does all the mouse work is not moving too well after contributing to the 40,000 words. I must respect the mouse arm. I depend on it.
Tonight I have dinner at Cicciolina in Acland Street, St Kilda (Melbourne) with one of the most polished journos around – Marion Hume from the UK. If you’ve never read her stuff, get your hands on it. Her fashion reports are more like witty anthropological studies. Cicciolina is one of Melbourne’s most reliable, fabulous restaurants – and that’s in a town known for its restaurants. Get yourself into the back bar soon for a G&T.
PS Mr Underhill has just announced he’s buying the following flicks: Zulu, The Good Thief, History of Rock n Roll and Fandango - all for Aus$25 from EasyDVD. So you know what I’ll be watching … when not caught up with Will & Grace episodes.
2 comments:
Good to have you back Mrs Underhill.
Thank you my friend. I am excited. Getting the monkey off my back has reinvigorated me. We'll see!
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