Turning trickles into streams to achieve writing dreams

Most probably I'm just getting myself befuddled and in a state of panic about my earning prospects, but now that I'm really probing into this online writing universe, it does s peem that I'm getting the same message consistently.

There are literally no quick routes, shortcuts, time savers out there, all you can do is keep plugging away, building a network of contacts, reading and rating as ever.

The whole idea of a passive income stream now seems laughably unachievable within the time frames I've set myself, and all the don't quit your day job thoughts are very much back in the picture. It does seem you can go to an awful lot of trouble to promote your work for very little impact at least in the first say 100 or so years! Who knows perhaps internet generations of the future will be the first to discover the true majesty of my reviews about the Holiday inn stevenage and the like

Either way, I'm positive about two things - one is that I always enjoy the writing time the most and there's no reason not to continue in that way. Just need to lose that expectation that it's all going to happen in a week, month etc.

The second thing is that I can change the way I look at my current work situation. Sure it's a mind-numbing set of processes and problems that I'm wading through, but in the end effect, I still get paid the same good standard of money, and there really is nothing to stop me structuring my spare time to get writing -

So as riveting a read as this no doubt already is , let this be the day when I got real about it, chilled out about it, and started just getting on with it.

The grass is not greener on the other side of the IT fence, its a little wilder, a little more overgrown and you are at least allowed to tend to it , when it suits you. Maybe that's the best way of all

Freelance writing here I come!

Finally decided to get myself extracted from the misery of the IT world and get serious about my writing. I'm planning to use this blog to track my progress through the world of freelance writing on the web and beyond

My feelings at this moment are best summed up by the inspired lyrics of Big Chris (a.k.a Peter Kay) from Rory the racing car

"yes yes yes I can do it, yes yes yes I can try, I'll see you later, I'm the king potata it's all gonna work out fine!"

Treasured moments from the Easter holidays

I always look forward to spending the extended weekend with the family at Easter time. After a couple of days visiting our family and friends in Scunthorpe and up in Leeds, we set out for a local day out on Easter Sunday. Sadly, as always seems to be the case with our weather, the day never delivered the promised sunshine, instead a mixture of damp and drizzly stuff all day long.

In the end after a bit of a drive around, we settled on a visit to Doddington Hall Farm shop and cafe for a spot of lunch. They weren't coping too well with the extra visitor numbers, the coffee machine was broken and the only seating to spare was outside in the showery conditions. But, what they did have was a selection of golfing umbrellas, and as luck would have it, we managed to find one adorned with pretty much all the colours of the rainbow. Now these are the times when you need to zoom in a little, to appreciate the sheer delight that the simplest things in this life can bring. There we were, little man and me, sitting at our little wooden table tucked safe and warm under the brolly. As I twizzled it around, his little face was beaming, reflecting all the different colours swirling around above him.

We were singing in the rainbow, floating it up in the air Mary Poppins style one moment, then tucking right down under it. A couple of bottles of water became skittles, each coloured segment of the umbrella taking turns to be used to knock them over. Two hungry boys just having a laugh together, nothing on earth more precious to me that shared moments like these....

They grow up so quick....

It comes to something when your 3 year old lad puts you to shame on the domestic responsibilities front. There I was dragged up bright and far too early by the little fella last Sunday morning, ready for him to head for his potty while I flicked on the telly.

"Daddy we must get Henry and pick up these crumbs!"

He'd instantly spied the lounge carpet scattered with various remnants of last nights bombay mix snacks and cheesy crackers, and unlike me, was straight on the case. We'd told him that his 4 year old cousin was coming to play on Sunday and he was a baba on a mission. So I dutifully retrieve our smiley faced vacuum hero Henry from under the stairs as simultaneously he purposefully fetches in the bag of attachments. Still in a daze I struggle to work out which bit screws on where, but yet again he leaps to my rescue - "No Daddy , this bit must go on there first, then we put this silver bit on..."

He's spot on, its only that we are missing a piece, but within seconds he's up the stairs to rescue the situation dragging his mummy away from a long overdue lie in potential. "Daddy say thank you to mummy" he chipped in, before I could even mutter my appreciation. All fixed, he leads me round the floor guiding the hose in all directions before finally nonchalantly strolling over to his potty for a well earned morning sit down!