Tom – Page 148

Well, what is in a name? If you profess to be something then I would say quite a lot is in a name. The Username of my blog for example is ‘Tom Benson – Writer’, which is self-explanatory, but to get to my blog, until yesterday my URL was, http://tomfoollery.wordpress.com which hints at somebody who isn’t to be taken seriously.

My graphic reflects my new domain name, http://tom-benson-writer.com and I intend to step further away from playing at being a writer to using it as a part-time occupation, supported in part financially by my part-time retail work. Writers, like artists must have some form of financial support in the background so that life doesn’t become a ‘hand to mouth’ existence. How good it feels to be both a writer and an artist … but even the combination isn’t sufficient to set me free of a regular job … yet!

When I decided to start my blog it was an experiment, a bit like joining Twitter and LinkedIn – both of which I’ve now left. I chose the ‘Tomfoollery’ epithet when I started writing poetry at the end of 2007 and then I used it wherever I went on the ‘www’. My writing, like my poetry was to be a pastime so the humorous pen-name continued. My blog has become not so much a diary of events as a reminder to me that if I set my mind to something and work at it, I have a reasonable chance of success. This means that in conjunction with the increased seriousness, Tomfoollery has had his day, except perhaps when writing poetry.

I have my Creative Writing correspondence course (with the Writer’s Bureau) to tackle, but lack of time for me as it is with so many is the standard excuse. As my fresh plan starts to take shape I hope to ease the burden regarding time and then it will be down to good old fashioned personal effort if I’m to move on with my writing. In an ideal world, I would win a competition and find my latest attempt at a novel has appeal to a top publisher, but I’m not living a fantasy.

Even as I write this post my mind is buzzing with plans and good intentions. I must alter my modus operandi regarding my scribbles so that apart from short stories and pet projects (my two novels), I must write reader’s letters and articles. There will be more to do as I make progress but those things will help get me underway.

I like to think I’m a storyteller/writer but before I can make any substantial claim in that area I now feel I must work at becoming a Freelance Writer. I have the support structure in place and with personal application I should be capable of it.

Where am I now in the grand scheme of things? I’m waiting for confirmation of an amendment to my ‘day job’. Whilst waiting, I’m getting into the right mindset by clearing the decks of all but my most important projects. Magazines to be filed away, a new organisational tool, Wunderlist downloaded to my system, (which I’ll write about later), finances assessed and a structured system of studying and working is to be sketched out today.

Emma - (Nightshade) — Emma – codename ‘Nightshade’

I’m using the title and graphic from my latest short story to give this post a bit of bite, though having said that, I wouldn’t advise biting into the plant of the same name. ‘Deadly Nightshade’ is the title of the latest of my short stories to grace my links here although this particular version has been overhauled from the first write of three years ago. The story and my heroine were inspired by a lovely young colleague I worked with at the time of the first draft. In her honour I’ve continued to use her name for the character, Emma. In the story, the character has remained true to the appearance, background and skills of her original conception. Thanks to a comment by my good friend Carmen I’ve now endowed ‘Nightshade’ with more skills – but you’d have to read the story to find out what they are. She is essentially an assassin, Nightshade that is, not Carmen, but unlike other characters Nightshade may go on to new adventures if her exploits are enjoyed sufficiently on Circalit. I like to try to make some clever, if not pretty loose connection from my post to the graphics I use and also on occasion a connection to my writing or life itself. Today my countless (or should that be numberless?) followers will learn that this post is no different. As an added piece of photographic entertainment I’m even using two graphics. How generous is that!

Just as the ingredients of the Deadly Nightshade plant can have dramatic results, so too can our decisions in life. Even as I write this piece the cogs of a large company are turning and somewhere in there is a man fighting my corner to help me change my working routine. What has that to do with writing? Well you may ask and the answer is ‘quite a lot actually’. I hope in the relatively near future to reduce my time at my ‘day job’ in order to increase my time at writing.

I’m not so dillusional that I think I’ll be able to produce a prize winning novel or a money spinning anthology of my short stories. The aim is essentially to reduce my working hours and simultaneaously get a position closer to home which will in turn reduce my travel time. In recent months I’ve given a lot of serious thought to my quality of life. Some things are beyond our personal control on a daily basis but if I’m ever going to make a stand as a writer it has to be now. My entry to the Good Housekeeping / Orion Books competition is probably already part of a landfill site. I didnt’ want to die of asphyxia so I didn’t hold my breath on that one, but true to my word, I’m still working on the novel. ‘HAWK, A HUMAN HUNTER’, remember it now? The aforementioned competition not surprisingly attracted several thousand entries and on 4th May the winner was announced … and no, it wasn’t me.

I’m not about to publicly discuss all my plans, but I do have plans and they don’t include the train journeys I presently undertake to get to work. As a hint, I would like to widen my scope with regards to my writing output and if I happened to earn some money along the way, well that would be nice. I don’t envisage my life changing overnight, but for anyone who is willing to visit and read my posts, you at least will be among the select few to live my dream … or will it be nightmare? No, I think we’ll stick with the positive, so as the more optimistic side of me would suggest, ‘watch this space ….‘ Oh yes, and thank you for visiting and reading.