It’s not easy, making a living from creative work. People keep telling me I could get a bit of work as a copywriter to keep myself financially stable, or maybe I could branch out a bit and do some editing. Living at home doesn’t help much. At least I have my own little space in Tamworth, granny flats are actually pretty cool.
But I’ve made my decision, my resolve is strong. I’m going to make money from my short stories and books about Tamworth, even if they’re often rejected. I often spend half of my entire day writing and half looking for places that’ll accept my writing, often with no stories accepted for the day…but Ingrid Righton managed it. So can I!
And alright, maybe it doesn’t help that I’ve taken a vow to only write stories about people in Tamworth. My last tale was about a man who worked hard at his farm to keep his family fed and afford a livestock sheds. Tamworth has a rather large farming community and most them have a few heads of cattle. This famer works so hard that he ends up pushing his family away and eventually ends up travelling to a foreign land.
Look, it sounds a bit odd when you sum up an entire short story in just a few words. It’s meant to be a heartfelt tale of wonder and woe, from the perspective of a broken man who just wants sheds for his livestock.
Writing from the perspective of a farmer was tough. I had to capture the proper tone of elegance, but lacking in permanency. That one took me an entire day and about six cups of coffee, but I got there in the end. No one’s yet accepted it, but I’m hoping to submit to some leasing offices to feature on their blogs, as a cautionary tale of working too hard and falling in love with a material thing.
My next story is actually a novella, about a woman who was one day late to her tax return appointment and how it causes her life to collapse. It’s not farming, but at least I now know all about tax returns!