If You Write... You are a Writer

I met a friend and fellow writer, Anita Mccallum, recently in Margot May Tearooms in Bristol and we shared a lovely pot of tea and scribbled on some bunting while we were talking.

Here's Anita's excellent 'Louder than words' blog: http://loud-word.co/ 

Anita had recently written a blog post about her experience on an Arvon retreat and in it she writes; 'How do you know when you are a real writer?'

My response was; 'you write don't you? It's what you do?... well then you are a writer!'

I need to remind myself that first and foremost; I'm a writer.   


I've been spending so much of my time cultivating my business support business, that I've forgotten to protect my writing time.   

With one final book in the Sheridan and Blake Adventure Series, I am close to the end of one writing project but need to finish it before I move on to the next.   

Something that always helps me to find my mojo is positive affirmations and inspirational quotations:   

This one seems fitting as it reinforces my vision for my business... 

 

This is one I often write inside books when I sign them for people... 

 
This one reminds me that I can write the story in my head but I need to get it onto to the page if I want to share it... 

 
This one reminds me that the most important thing to do, even if you don't feel like it, even if you are in a fug of self doubt, is to just write... 


 

This one, similarly reminds me to just write, until I show it to anyone, no one is judging it...

  

And finally, this one reminds me that I have to write, that it keeps me sane and that in order for me to move forward I need to empty all the bumf from my brain out onto the page... 

 

 So... now I'm going to sit down and just write!

What are your favourite motivational 

mantras and quotations?

Amy on the interwebs this week...

I've had a busy week sharing, creating and curating content on the intwerwebs this week:

2015 is Authorpreneur Almanac year 

Join me in my 365 Adventures 
in Writing and Entrepreneurship... 

My Pinterest boards are filling up with lots of blogging, and business tips. 
Here's the 'Authorpreneur Almanac' board of my content:

Follow Amy Morse - Authorpreneur's board Authorpreneur Almanac on Pinterest.

I have two workshops coming up in Bristol in September 2015 on:

• Introduction to Social Media and Content Marketing

• Blogging for Beginners 

At: The Factory Meeting Room - The Tobacco Factory, Raleigh Road, Bristol, BS3 1TF

Introduction to Social Media and Content Marketing

Blogging for Beginners

The workshops feed neatly into each other.

£40 each or £70 for both

(Includes tea, coffee and cake!)

To book email me: Amy@tomcatdesigns.co.uk

Or book via Eventbrite

 

It's not necessary for you to be a business to benefit from these workshops.

Network with others, invest in yourself, invest in your business.

While I've been on the subject of blogging I have feature published in Prowess Women in Business on my '10 reasons to love blogging'

I have also been playing with videos this week. 

I have entered the Small Business Saturday Small Business 100 competition and had to create an about me video for it. I've added the video to my website:

www.AmyMorse.co.uk

 

Keep checking my website and I'll post here periodically too.

What marketing activities have worked for you this week? 

Coffee Shops: Office or Playground?

Follow my adventures in writing and entrepreneurship on my website and read more blog posts offering; tips, advice, inspiration and ideas for freelancers and small business:

www.AmyMorse.co.uk

 

I am self employed, but I'm also a social person and gather energy and inspiration by being around other people. 
 

It means that one of the greatest challenges I face is struggling with the isolation that working at home can bring.

I find a reason to go out every day and like to conduct business over a coffee with people, when people meet me, they are more likely to want to work with me.

As a writer, it's easy to lose an entire day tapping away at a keyboard and not see another person until my husband gets home from work.

I like to take my laptop out with me and work in coffee shops. I find that just the babble of voices around me feeds my creativity and motivation to write, and it gets me out of my pyjamas and out of the house!

I live in the fantastic city of Bristol UK. 

A city that has won awards for its cuisine and its independent spirit.

A city that celebrates diversity and does so through food and drink. 

I am spoiled for choice for places to eat and drink and all within walking distance.

But Bristol is a different animal in the daytime during the week, when most people are at work. 

As you would expect in a family friendly city; during the week most of the coffee shops are filled with mums.

At this point, I need to add a caveat...

I'm in my late 30's, I'm very happily married (and have been for 12 years) and I have no desire to be a mum.

This is the part where most people look at me with either; fear, disgust, mistrust, horror or sympathy. 

I am a social pariah by virtue of the fact that I am childless and I choose to be. Even my own family (especially my own family) don't understand it.

I'm a proud aunt, most of my friends have kids - I don't hate children. I'm not some weird Cruella DeVille character who wants to make a child skin jacket. 

Kids are fine, they can be fun to be around, but at the end of the day I want to come home to a quiet house and minimal responsibilities.

Frankly, I'm amazed I've managed to keep myself alive for this long, let alone another person!

My husband and I are very happy in our family unit of 2 (+ cat) thank you very much.

I can work in a noisy, child filled environment but I don't want to. When I told this to my sister (who has 2 small children) she said that was "depressing".

Is it? Is it not okay for me to want to have a public space to work in that is not filled with children? (Without having to pay to book a room - the whole point is to be around people, not in a room on my own!)

Picture this: You're trying to have a professional meeting with another freelancer and you have to raise your voices over the sound of children screaming and make sure your bags, coats etc. are out of reach from sticky fingers.  

In a city as eclectic as Bristol with its, literally, thousands of coffee shops it should be possible to find one to take a laptop into or meet a client in, without feeling like I'm sat in an adventure playground?

This is my challenge.

Over the next few weeks, I plan to work in a variety of coffee shops in the city and rate them for their useability as a mobile office.

I've constructed a short survey, so that I measure each establishment against the same criteria.

My questions include:

• Do they have Free WiFi?
• Value for money - Not 'cheap', I'll pay more for a good coffee.
• Friendliness of staff
• Noise/Environment

I'll score each place and report my findings.


Have your say...

Am I out of order to seek this?

 

Should there be places where adults can find sanctuary from other people's children?

 

Are there enough child friendly places?  

What's it like where you live - how child friendly are public spaces?

(Please comment)