Ideas

This may be entirely wrong, but I feel that there is more money to be made from writing articles rather than short stories.  

I can only name a few magazines that will pay for short stories (but if anyone can name some more I'll gladly take note) and, although being published without pay will look good on my CV, I kind of need to get some money back for my time. Of course, there are probably thousands of short story competitions, but the probability of actually gaining any money from them is not that great. 

There are definitely thousands of magazines, journals, newspapers and the like out there. And I don't even have to pay to submit my pieces to them. So I think this is the side I'm going to focus on most with my spare day.

So, what can I write articles about?

- salsa dancing
- Ceroc dancing
- reading
- writing
- having an 'at risk' job
- baking
- learning to cook healthier
- weight loss
- personal trainers
- being new to running
- getting slightly better at running
- kettlebells
- gluten free, dairy free eating 
- Glasgow
- Crewe
- being on Jobseekers Allowance
- being kicked out of your place of residence (twice...)
- moving house
- finally settling down
- losing someone you love to cancer
- losing someone you love for no apparent reason
- fundraising for charity
- living away from your family
- public transport
- sharing a flat with a European 
- sharing a flat with a cranky distant relative
- making greetings cards
- embroidery and cross stitch
- the desire but complete inability to modify your own clothes

That should keep me going for a wee while.

Serendipity

I did not lose my job - hooray! Instead the other Admin girl and I have been cut down to 4 days per week instead of 5. 

Honestly, now I'm over the shock and relief of it all I'm actually quite looking forward to that spare day. After spending an hour with a calculator, two spreadsheets and my internet bank account I've worked out that I can still survive on 4 day's pay, so I don't need to spend that free day frantically applying for any and all jobs. I could write instead.

This might be the perfect opportunity for me to really make a go of a writing career. I would have one whole day every week with the flat to myself when my flatmate goes to her job; no work to go to, nobody to distract me (aside from myself) and not a great deal to do other than write.  

I've already set part of my brain to thinking up stories and articles I could write, and if I keep running out of jobs to do at work (highly likely) I could even begin writing some of them to get a headstart.


Perhaps this incredibly stressful job-at-risk period is actually one of the best things to happen to me.