I’m Back!!

Well, what can I say? November 2018 was my last blog post, a whole 13 months ago. I could blame it on pressures of the day job, which would be true. I could blame it on the bouts of depression. Also true. I could blame it on Writer’s Block, which was woven into the depression.

But, I am going to change things, and the first will be the format of the blog. Rather than try to write one big long post, I am going to break it down. To my mind, it takes the pressure off writing. I considered long and hard what would be included. After all, the whole idea is build followers, hopefully, those who might also buy my books, or read them on Kindle.

(Drumroll, please). So, the content will be:

* Book stuff
* Writing stuff
* Cooking
* Mental health

Book Stuff will have several ideas, such as new stuff, giveaways and promotions. To start that ball rolling, I am taking part in this: https://clcannon.net/giveaways/c-l-cannons-uf-giveaway/

Writing Stuff: this will be items which might be useful to others, given my fondness for English grammar. That’s English, not American.
Cooking is a bit self-explanatory. I like culinary exploration and baking. A friend pointed out that when my depression was bad, I baked less.
Mental Health: have been struggling with depression since a gaslighting former manager drove me to the point of suicide. I have learnt a lot. If it helps someone else, that’s all to the good.

Of all the topics, depression is the one that really matters to me. I was working for a company who were more interested in damage limitation for the company than for a member of staff crying for help. Unfortunately, that is still a common factor. What is one person, compared to the bottom line or to the shareholders?

I had what was called a High Functioning Depression. Like the graphic from The Depression Project said, we are able to go to work and fulfil responsibilities. But we are fighting ourselves, fighting symptoms and fighting to appear normal. It was damned hard work. For all those fighting the same thing, if I can find a resource to help, I will help myself.

Oh yes. Frequency is another thing, although I am still working on that. So, bye for now, but I am definitely back, and there’s a new book in the offing.

✿´¯`•.¸¸✿ ❤ ★❤ ✿´¯`•.¸¸✿ ❤ ★❤ ✿´¯`•.¸¸✿ ❤ ★❤ ✿´¯`•.¸¸✿

RELEVANT LINKS FOR JO PILSWORTH

https://www.facebook.com/huntersarrow
https://www.facebook.com/jopilsworthauthor

AMAZON LINKS

Alpha (US link): https://t.co/IRZLR92AFu
Beta: https://t.co/DGDDI03VB9
Merysekhmet (US link): https://t.co/fFOUm5MHUs
Toho: (US link): https://t.co/oKtbDgrqiH https://t.co/mGMuJWd6Xd
Medved: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C19QKPH
Ma’iitsoh: https://amzn.to/39tShmL

Something Had to Change

What was it that made me realise it was time to re-evaluate my life and career? Was it any of the following?

Driving 2,500 miles a month, on average.
Five RTAs in seven years, including one vehicle write-off.
Being a regular guest at several hotels in the Holiday Inn brand.
Escalating blood pressure.
Inability to attend Parish Council meetings due to work.

Probably a combination of all if the above. As a pagan, I would celebrate the Spring and Autumn Equinox, with a promise to seek balance in my life. It wasn’t happening, not in the last seven years. And for what? What did I gain? I had a good salary, which is generally seen as a mark of success. I had a decent car on the driveway. I was able to support my son through university. We had three family holidays a year. But …

I was tired. I was physically and mentally exhausted. My blood pressure was dangerously high, and my diabetes was out of control.

It would take a day at least to relax into being on holiday. My ‘hobby’ of writing urban fantasy became more of an outlet to pour emotions I couldn’t voice for fear of appearing weak. As I mentioned, five RTAs, albeit all but one were rear-impacts where I was the victim. The one involving a vehicle write-off? That was due to being tired, having to drive two hours to reach a destination by 0800, as my employers were cutting back on hotel stays as it affected the profit margin. Trust me, I would not have been on the road at 0550 through choice.

I accumulated a lot of Holiday Inn Reward points such that I was a Platinum member of their loyalty scheme. I was a regular guest at the Holiday Inn Scotch Corner such that the barman knew my favourite dinner order, but in seven years, I never had the energy to use their rather decent looking swimming pool. The same could be said for several other hotels. I would eat my dinner and maybe work on my current novel, but I would be too tired to exercise, even though it was essential if I wanted to stay healthy.

I have always been keen to represent my village, such that I served as a Parish Councillor on two occasions. I had to resign the second time, as I found it impossible to attend meetings. That was despite having a note in my diary of the dates. But work meant that I might be away from home.

The crux came in early 2018, when the risk of redundancy became real. I had known from 2017 and before that it was a risk. There was a crossover between my sales territory and that of three of my colleagues. An attempt had been made to ‘encourage’ me to leave, such that when the notice was given, I had decided that I would hold out for the best package that I could squeeze.

So, there I was. Redundant at the age of fifty. My severance package meant that I had enough to support my family for six to eight months. Surely I would find another job in that time, I did also sign in for benefits, only to discover that thirty years of working without interruption, the last ten of which were as a 40% tax payer, entitled me to £34 per week as Jobseeker’s Allowance, for which I had to trek into the Job Centre every fortnight to ‘sign on’.

But, I realised something. My heart wasn’t into finding another job in the medical sales industry. So, I used the time to examine my options. Could we live on a lower salary? Medical sales was described to me as the job with the golden handcuffs. I also helped my parents as they were downsizing. So many things accumulated and to what end? There was the health issue. I had a recent scare over throat cancer.

My religious path has demonstrated to me that much in my life happens for a reason. Even the bouts of anxiety and depression, given the support I have received from true friends. That was where I put my trust. It was well-placed. On one of the dreaded group sessions at the Job Centre, we were introduced to Darren, who was looking for people for The Works store in Cambridge. He could only offer a four-hour per week contract, but he reckoned that it would be more than that. I had nothing to lose in talking to him.

After a twenty minute discussion, he asked me to submit a CV online as that was their system. I did, but received a rejection. A month later, we were told he would be in on the next day. I decided to ask him why, after our positive discussion, I had been rejected, particularly if he was still recruiting. It transpired that he did still want to see me, the four-hour contract turned into eight-hours, and could I attend an interview at the store the next day. Another competency interview and bearing in mind this was my first job, at the age of 51, in retail, I left the store with a start date of 17 September.

I discovered that Darren had felt that I was capable of much more and had submitted my details to Gail, the Area Manager, with the potential for a store manager role. To cut a long story short, I was interviewed by Gail and offered the role of Manager of the Newmarket store.

So, there you have it. After much consideration, I have decided that the stress and anxiety of working in medical sales was not worth the salary. Yes, I earn less, but the difference in tax allowances mean that I have a net salary not far short of my previous job. More importantly, even those issues my colleagues view as stressful are nothing. Twenty years in medical sales did teach me transferable skills,

Now I go home each night. I eat with my family. My dogs know who I am. My diabetes is under control and my blood pressure in improving. All because I dared to take a risk.

Come 1 December, after three weeks of training, I shall take over as Store Manager of the Newmarket branch of The Works.

So why is this important to me as a writer? Time. I have time to write again, time to research. Time to enjoy writing, rather than seeing it as an escape from stress only. This whole things taught me an important lesson. I used those first months after being made redundant to write. Over seven years, my writing and characters had matured, so I took the opportunity to revaluate where my series was bound. The pleasure in writing was restored. Work life balance is essential. It is not a nicety.

RELEVANT LINKS FOR JO PILSWORTH
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JKPilsworth

Paranormal may not be your thing. Urban fantasy may not either. But who knows? I may be one of your friends new favourite author.

Inspired by #Legends an #UrbanFantasy series.

Alpha: https://t.co/IRZLR92AFu
Beta: https://t.co/DGDDI03VB9
Merysekhmet (US link): https://t.co/fFOUm5MHUs
Toho: https://t.co/oKtbDgrqiH https://t.co/mGMuJWd6Xd
Medved: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07C19QKPH

AMAZON LINKS

Stereotypes … still an issue?

What happens when a BMW driver encounters a Herdy ewe and her lamb on the road to Buttermere? If you answered with a slur on the BMW’s driving ability, guess what? You are guilty of using a stereotype.

Sheep — The BMW in question actually had to swerve to avoid the sheep and an oncoming car which had stopped. (Photo taken 20 August)

Surely not, you might ask? This was old hat when I started in pharmaceutical sales, some twenty years ago. Surely it can’t be an issue now?

As was demonstrated in my earlier post about being called a Pharma-Babe, when I admitted to being a medical salesperson, stereotypes are alive and well. And yes, they can be damaging, both when one is looking for a job, or when one is working in a more traditional company. I have had situations where, for example, the office-based personnel turned up for a field visit in suit and tie (it was a male colleague). We were visiting an ITU. The rule in the ITU is bare below the elbows, and jackets to be left in the visitor’s waiting room. As I result, I tended to leave my jacket in the car, and roll up my shirt-sleeves. This approach demonstrated that I knew the ‘rules’. But, it also demonstrated that my colleague, and potentially others based in the office, were out of touch.

That only serves to strengthen the belief in stereotypes. Many roles require the ‘rep’ to be seen in a partnership role, rather than as a rep. This will not happen if a company insists on conformation that doesn’t fit in with the actuality in the hospital. More importantly, it will not enable the ‘rep’ to become a ‘partner’ in what they and the hospital are trying to achieve. That is the key issue. Another example was a decision made at senior management level that all reps had to have the wheeled pilot cases which were used in the 1980s/1990s. Again, it demonstrates a management structure which is not remaining current with the world outside of the office. It won’t make the job of the ‘rep’ any easier to be seen as something of a laughing stock. One can’t be a partner with the hospital if they do not take one seriously.

Office-Stereotypes — (Picture courtesy of PowWowNow)

Stereotypes out in the field are one thing. But, they can also be found in the office. I won’t go into detail, but ask only that you look at the picture, courtesy of the PowWowNow company. Attaching a stereotype to an individual, whether it is job or gender specific, can be detrimental to working relationships, or even hinder an individual’s chance of promotion and recognition. If the latter can be proven, it would make for a very serious situation. It would also be a very unnecessary situation if it is avoidable.

So, stereotypes bad. The other side of my blog is how the topic in question affects writers. Tropes or stereotypes, call them what you will, but the net result can be the same.

How many paranormal romance or action books have you seen where the cover features a stunning set of male abs, or if it supposed to be a ‘serious’ action book, it has a clothed, but muscular hero on the front cover? But, here’s the problem. Yes, you may have seen that cover, but it is a very easy way for a potential reader to identify the book as a type that they might want. The trick is avoiding the stereotypes but still communicating the content to the right reader.

Two examples here. The first looked at using the stereotype. The second was geared towards establishing a series identity.

Then there are the stereotypes in the stories themselves. Alpha males are all very well, but no one can bond with a perfect male, because, unfortunately, they don’t exist. So, add the quirks: he can’t stand latte coffee, he doesn’t ride a Harley Davidson motorbike (Fane rides a Triumph Rocket 3 Touring), he is an alpha, but he has a weakness which in Fane’s case is his sister and an inability to see her as a female able to protect herself.

The trick is to use stereotypes and tropes wisely and to avoid the risk of producing a clone of a favourite author. It may be something small, but it can make all the difference.

The same goes for the workplace. Make yourself unique, but also ensure that you meet the requirements of the role.

RELEVANT LINKS FOR JO PILSWORTH
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JKPilsworth

Paranormal may not be your thing. Urban fantasy may not either. But who knows? I may be one of your friends new favourite author.
Inspired by #Legends an #UrbanFantasy series.

AMAZON LINKS

Tag! You’re it!

The other morning, I was looking through categories. One of the topics of recent discussion on the Interwebs has been how some individuals have manipulated systems like the Kindle Unlimited way of recording how many pages have been read in order to pay the author their share of the KU pot of money.

There are some quite unscrupulous people out there, and inevitably, it is the ones who play by the rules who suffer.

‘Stuffing a book’:

This is a process whereby the content of the book is inflated. One of my personal issues is when you buy a print book, and find that a large font has been used, making a moderate word count seem more. This seems to be a tactic to inflate the price of said print book. In terms of e-books, ‘stuffing’ means that overly large line spacing has been used, or several ‘free’ books have been added, generally work that has been published on a website or similar. This can mean that a supposed 350 page book has 800-1000 pages. Yes, apparently that has been the level of ‘stuffing’.

This process hurts honest authors because, if someone reviews ‘stuffed’ titles regularly, they are deemed to be in cahoots with the cheating author. So ALL their reviews are cancelled on Amazon, even if they are innocent of wrong-doing. This means in turn that an honest indie author who relies on each hard-earned review suddenly finds that they have lost a couple or more reviews. Even if the reviewer was innocent, they are unable to post new reviews.

So, it is not just a financial cheat, but it has a knock-on effect to others.

Keywords

Another interesting one, and it doesn’t just apply to books. A friend of mine sells handmade polymer clay on Etsy. The descriptions used by Carly’s Creative Clay may seem strange, but it is done that way so that her items can be found in product searches. Similarly, the descriptions used in the Little Thoughts Store are similar.

It is no different with books. I read a very interesting book recently, where this process was explained. For example, someone looking for a book like mine might type in ‘shifter romance series’, which might give more than a few returns. The trick is to think like your potential reader. What words will they use to find their preferred genre. These strings of words are what one uses when listing a book on Amazon or Smashwords. A keyword is not a single word. That is the important thing. Consider what a potential reader will look for. The flipside is quite simple. In what category do you list your book? Some categories have fewer books that others. Paranormal romance is a huge category. ‘Military paranormal romance’ is slightly smaller. ‘Urban fantasy military shifters computers’ is even smaller. Pick a small category and hey presto! Sell a hundred books or so and you are a best-seller in that category. So now, you can can add ‘Bestselling Author’ to your accomplishments.

Beware padding. keywords are also used when looking for a job. I have been looking at admin/secretarial type jobs recently. After all, that was my original training, and I have the transferable skills. But, and it is significant, my last twenty years have been working in sales. Many companies scan CVs for keywords, so just as you would try to work out what a reader might type in the search bar, consider what a potential employer might look for. If you want to convince them of transferable skills, use the right keywords and tags to demonstrate office skills. It may sound stereotypical, but that is the world in which we live and try to work.

RELEVANT LINKS FOR JO PILSWORTH
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JKPilsworth

Paranormal may not be your thing. Urban fantasy may not either. But who knows? I may be one of your friends new favourite author.
Inspired by #Legends an #UrbanFantasy series.

AMAZON LINKS

Behind The Masks

One of the novels in my series is the story of a character who, from “Beta”, is painted as a barely leashed psychopath as he and his siblings were growing up. Rumour had it that he had even murdered his own brother to remove him from the line of succession. He attempted to kill the Alpha’s Mate of the Cwn Annwn. He attempted to shoot the Beta of the Cwn Annwn. He was behind several criminal schemes. All in all, Casimir Gosselin was not a ‘nice’ person.

But, hey! It is an urban fantasy and romance series, so that can’t be all there is to it. If I was writing according to the constriction of most traditionally published romances, then I doubt I would have had the freedom to explore Casimir’s character fully. That is one of the joys of self-publishing.

Casimir is not what he seems, and in “Cysgodion”, this is explained in greater detail. But considering Casimir’s story made me think about masks in general. We don’t walk around life wearing masks, like some extended Venetian carnival, yet many of us do wear virtual masks. Is it any wonder that one of my favourite creations in “The Diaries of the Cwn Annwn” does the same?

Consider this. When one is at work, there is an image to project. It might be because one works in a very conservative arena, such as law, or even to some extent, my own field of medical sales. I recall an incident about 12 years ago, when I was travelling by plane to an meeting in Aberdeen. I disembarked from the plane via the rear exit, and was walking to the terminal when a voice called my name. It was a Consultant from one of my major hospital accounts. This individual had known me for a few years, and in all those years, whenever I met with him, I wore a suit, low-heeled court shoes, neat hair and carried a briefcase. Stereotypical rep gear. What had surprised him was my usual travelling clothing: leather jeans, boots and a leather jacket. Even my makeup was different. I discovered that day the meaning of the phrase “jaw hit the deck”, because that was pretty much this Consultant’s reaction.

Some companies will say that they expect their personnel to maintain an image. A mask by any other name, because you may well be hiding your true persona. The other danger is that, whilst one is portraying an image, one can be sure that others will be doing the same. Moreover, the image projected may change: one image for the management, one for subordinates. When the two differ, and something goes wrong, there may be further issues caused, since when there is a significant disparity between images, which is to be believed?

Is there a solution? The recent attempts to focus on how others view mental health issues in the workplace exemplify the problem. Mental health is such a minefield for most employers that it may be easier to brush it under the proverbial carpet. Most companies exist to make profit, either for the owners or for the shareholders. They want and expect their staff to present the face that doesn’t have problems. If those problems exist, it is better to brush them under the carpet, which can be severely detrimental in the long run. This is something that needs to change. If one must focus on maintaining a mask, then surely focus will be lost from the primary responsibility: to make profit for one’s employers.

Honesty is the best policy. That’s another one of those trite phrases, but that is what I believe. Surely it is better to be able to be the person you are? After all, people buy from people, not from clones.

Going back to Casimir, one thing I will say is having to deal with the dregs of human behaviour, it made him a stronger and more resilient individual. I would suggest that those ‘forced’ to hide behind a mask are the same.

RELEVANT LINKS FOR JO PILSWORTH
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JKPilsworth

Paranormal may not be your thing. Urban fantasy may not either. But who knows? I may be one of your friends new favourite author.
Inspired by #Legends an #UrbanFantasy series.

AMAZON LINKS

The Birth of a Character

This is a tale of three thirds: the birth of a new character and realising the nature of transferable skills, along with the inclusion of those skills on a CV.

Transferable Skills

The other day, I applied for several admin-type jobs. The rationale was simple. Whilst all of them paid a lot less that my former role in medical sales, they would all place me in a lower tax bracket. The net result would be a take-home salary not far from what I was earning previously. So I don’t have the bonus lure of working in sales, were I to be offered one of those roles, but with my son finished at university, the extra cash is not so important. Food for thought?

But sales vs admin? Skills used in sales: organisation, prioritisation, multi-tasking, project management, management of e-mail accounts, liaison with varying levels of external contacts. All feature both in sales and in a senior PA/Office Manager role. I have just set up my own company properly, with an online Hunter’s Arrow Store Front. All of that will be going on my CV, because it is all relevant experience. However, a caution: DON’T LIE. Be careful how you present those skills, since the last thing you would want is to be caught in a lie.

Skills Update

Another useful thing to do whilst you are looking for another job is skills update. Several months ago, I took advantage of the sale at Udemy.com. I bought a four part course for £20, which focused on internet security. As of Monday 23 July, they have one day of a £10.99 flash sale on. Not a logical thing for a salesperson to have, but if I was going for an admin job, it could be very useful indeed.

Computer skills are not the only thing one can study with Udemy.com. It is worth checking their site because their sales make their courses very affordable.

Banquo O’Cearnaigh, Selkie

From the one who admits to being a ‘pantser’ by preference, it seems surprising that I started to plan one of my characters in advance of writing his story. As with all my characters, I started with a picture. I wanted to write a book incorporating elements of the Selkie legends, to I had an idea of what my character’s looks should be. Enter Maximiliano Patane, totally un-Scottish, but the look was important. Then he had to have some background, because no one lives in a vacuum, particularly when you are something like the tenth book in a series. So we have Banquo O’Cearnaigh, a male Selkie as well as an oceanic environmentalist and marine biologist, who flies planes to help with wildfires and forest fires. He serves Amathaunta, and is familiar with the Lamashtu and Sekhmet links held by other characters.

His gifts from the Goddess free him from the seven year cycle of male Selkies, such that he can transform into his seal form or walk on land. He still retains his sealskin, He tries legal routes for protecting the oceans, but is not averse to less legal routes.

He studied Oceanography and Marine Biology at Bangor University in North Wales, having gone to university at the age of 17, graduating at 20. He joined the Royal Navy and served his 12 years commission.

After leaving the Navy, he moved first to the Orkney Islands before moving to the USA at the behest of his goddess. He settled in Cape May, NJ, living in a Victorian house which is much larger than he needs.

Banquo’s book has the provisional name of “Teine Is Usige” or “Fire and Water”. As with all my novels, it is an urban fantasy, with romance. The female lead is Aisha Steine, a mystery woman with a few more gifts than she is prepared to reveal to him.

My co-author and I have been working on the new book already, and so far, Banquo has been forced to admit that he knows her brother, which has her demanding if he was sent to keep an eye on her. In this day and age, she is anything but amused by her brother’s somewhat Neanderthal attitude.

I predict that their book could be quite an interesting one to write.

RELEVANT LINKS FOR JO PILSWORTH
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JKPilsworth

Paranormal may not be your thing. Urban fantasy may not either. But who knows? I may be one of your friends new favourite author.
Inspired by #Legends an #UrbanFantasy series.

AMAZON LINKS

“Pharma-Babe”? Not me!

The other day, I was called a ‘Pharma-Babe’ in an online chat group, when I admitted to having worked in medical sales. Two things to note: the first was the automatic assumption that I had been a pharmaceutical sales rep, and the second was the derision in which I should be held.

The individual in question was American, and given the piece below from CBS News, perhaps I can understand his derision. I would like to think that the UK pharmaceutical industry is not at the same stage as the American industry in terms of corruption. But, the constant drive for profits, at any cost, can have only one result. Eventually, rules will be broken. The regulatory system in the UK is different to the USA. I would hope that 9 million opioid tablets going to a pharmacy with a catchment of under 1000 adults would raise red flags in the UK.

But, from my own perspective and from many other medical reps, we have ethics. Not all of us are chasing our bonus with no regard for rules. We all have to pass exams. Generally, we are all degree-level educated. I have both a BSc (Hons) and an MSc (Merit). To assume all reps in the UK are like some in the USA would be a bit like me saying all doctors are like [insert name of quack/murderer according to your preference].

I worked hard to be able to do the job that I enjoy. I am proud of my ethical stance. It is not too much to ask for others to respect that. And in answer to the earlier point, yes, I have sold pharmaceuticals, but I have also sold devices. The correct description is Pharmaceutical Sales Representative, or Medical Equipment Sales Representative. Keep your derision for where it is deserved in truth.

CBS News: The cause of the American opioid crisis?

Planning and Prioritisation

(Part 4 of “Life After Redundancy”)

Well, would you look at that. It’s Monday again. Cue the slew of positivity memes that will litter the interwebs, encouraging you to make the most of Monday. That said, my favourite post was by the daughter of a friend of my husband, Leonie Gough at the Bravery Collective (Leonie’s Facebook post). I will leave you to read that one for yourself. It is well worth the effort of a couple of clicks.

Life after redundancy and specifically, the skills of planning and prioritisation. I have been trying to emphasise the skills which one might use day to day, skills learnt through one’s working life, which can still be used so that you don’t unwittingly deskill oneself whilst pondering the iniquities of being made redundant. Mark my words. My last working day with my previous employer was 18 May 2018. Next week will mark two months. And no job yet, people will ask?

The ‘blues’ will start to creep in. What if I can’t find another job? What if money starts to become tight? How will the family manage? Very real questions and very real concerns. And woo hoo, one finds oneself jumping into that black hole, falling down the spiral into the pit of despair.

Focus instead on what you have. Ensure that one remains marketable. Ensure that a potential employer doesn’t see a ‘No Hope’ candidate, but rather a gift, because let’s face it, you can ensure that they fill their vacancy immediately. If necessary, you can start the next day. No other candidate is likely to be able to offer that.

Planning and prioritisation. I was thinking about this as I was writing up my planner.

I know I used this picture last week, but I do rather like the ‘Grumpy Panda’ sticker set from “Little Thoughts” on Etsy (Little Thoughts Store weblink). Put everything down that you need to complete. But those items down under the day you intend to do them, and also make a note of the absolutely last day before s**t hits the fan (SHTF day). Then start prioritising. Clearly the tasks that have their SHTF day imminently must be moved to the top of your list. Equally important, one does not list all the things you like doing over those your must do. If anything, all the MUST DO tasks go to the top of the list.

Then, ensure that you don’t have more than five tasks per day. Some of those tasks can take a while, and there is no point in making an unachievable list. After the five tasks, but in something fun. In my case, that would be doing some research reading for future book ideas or doing some baking. Then back to the list. That way, your list is broken down into manageable blocks and you have the hopeful feeling that you might actually manage to clear your inbox by Friday.

List written. Take five minutes to close your eyes and breathe. Deep breaths from the diaphragm: draw in for a slow count of five, hold for five and release through the mouth over a count of five.

Once you are relaxed, it is time to hit that damn list, because you know that after you cleared the five tasks, or three if you don’t start until Monday afternoon, you have some fun planned. Let that thought give you something good to anticipate.

But … but, shouldn’t you be clearing more of the To Do list if you have time?

The priority here is to ensure that by permitting yourself to relax, you are demonstrating to yourself that you are still sharp. You do still have what it takes. More importantly, you are not a washed-up has-been. You have skills. In keeping an eye on prioritisation, you are also maintaining a key workplace skill. The right job for you is out there.

Lest I forget, this blog should have something to do with the art of writing. So this is it. Research is not playing hooky from ‘more important’ matters. To write accurately and credibly, one needs a refreshed mind. That’s is where researching for the next book enters the equation. Research is fun. All sort of new ideas might pop up. Another factor is exercise. You are a writer, you have your nose down, typing frantically, or writing equally frantically. You don’t have TIME to stop and take a break. This bestseller-to-be must be finished.

Nah! Yes, it must be finished, but STOP! Sit up in your chair. Straighten your back. Turn your head slowly, left to right with a pause in the centre. Extend your arms either side and rotate your wrists. Then do the same with your ankles. Stretch your legs. Feel the muscles contract and relax. Breathe in a conscious manner.

And then, you may begin your next session of writing. Chances are, your mind will be clearer, and your flow will improve.

RELEVANT LINKS FOR JO PILSWORTH
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JKPilsworth

Paranormal may not be your thing. Urban fantasy may not either. But who knows? I may be one of your friends new favourite author.
Inspired by #Legends an #UrbanFantasy series.

AMAZON LINKS

Planning Serves a Purpose

Coming from a sales background, I am sure you will have heard some variation of the maxim “Piss poor planning results in piss poor performance”. I have had that one thrown at me from the time I started in my sales career, well before I acquired nearly 20 years experience in pharmaceutical and medical equipment sales.

As an author, I have heard a variation. Authors are described either as “Pantsers” or “Planners”. Planners is obvious in terms of meaning. The story is planned out, sometimes in more detail that the actual word-count of the finished book. I have several friends who write fantasy. For them, the planning process is essential: world building, religions, language, weaponry etc. For others, such detail holds back the flow of their writing. They are the “Pantsers” of the world, the writers who ‘fly by the seat of their pants’. I would have said that, until now, my style of writing was definitely “Pantser”. Perhaps that was as a result of my online role-play background, where part of the fun was the spur of the moment writing. You would never know what your partner would write, and would have to write something to maintain the flow of the story.

Given that this blog series is about “Life After Redundancy”, and more specifically, maintaining employment-relevant skills, planning is a key part. Fail to plan, and you won’t achieve in sales. Whilst I am working, it is something that I would do without really thinking about the process. Now that I have time to think, it is proving an interesting exercise.

So, I have ‘nothing’ to do all day. Right? Err … nope, as anyone stay-at-home parent will tell you. That’s where the planning comes into play. When I visited the Stationery Show in London, I looked at some of the planners on offer. One in particular caught my eye: the Ponderlily Planner:

36466984_10156700642562269_6595566635476582400_n — Ponderlily Dated Planner: Month overview

Why did I like this system? Simply because thought had gone into its design. The To Do list was extended, but not too much to make it a rolling list. The weekly view also has just the right amount of space. However, what made this one different was that it also had a substantial undated, ruled section. How many people take both a diary and a notebook to a meeting? The intention was to avoid taking the notebook,

36511086_10156700642577269_5027534196659191808_n — Ponderlilly Planner: Weekly View

and just have one relevant book. One book and less chance, in theory, of losing sight of the goals.

Then we have exhibit #2. I have to admit that prior to researching this topic, I had not heard of the American brand, Happy Planner. Their planners comes in several formats, but simply put, you have Big (about A4 sized), Classic (around A5 organiser size) and Mini (about the size of a personal Filofax).

To me, it seems that this is a crossover-type planner. The Happy Planners and other similar brands, are designed to be used with sticker kits. In medical equipment parlance, the planner is the equipment and the sticker sets are the consumables. It is easy to say where the company intends to make its money. I use the Big as a ‘family planner’ The sticker decoration changes each month and each week. I do this so that the weeks don’t merge into one timeless event. This set comes from an Etsy shop run by Mac&Gray. The Classic may be one I will use when I return to work, but it is far from certain. The picture at the top of this post illustrates a sticker set from the Crafty Planning Shop. The Mini HP is my ‘handbag’ planner.

Now, it might be suggested that I could just create a Google calendar for this, but as I pointed out to my son, his father doesn’t use one of those. Visual works best for both of us.

This is an example of my weekly spread in my Mini Happy Planner, using a mixture of write-on stickers for specific events and stickers for various tasks or reminders. This particular set comes from Little Thoughts Store store on Etsy.

One of the issues I had when working was that the work/life balance went out of the window. I am a ‘visual’ kind of person, so having these sorts of reminders works for me, in terms of planning out what sort of tasks need to be done. There is still space for appointments to be noted as you can see on the left-hand side, so neither the routine nor ‘special’ tasks are forgotten. The relevance to work is that when it comes to finding time to block out for my writing, editing and research, I know what else needs to be done.

Piss poor planning leads to piss poor performance. Remember?

By remembering to plan, I am maintaining a very vital skill for the workplace. It is also encouraging me to maintain the discipline.

One final note is how planning in my writing is also having a positive effect. When I started writing, I had quite a simple story. Now, three years down the line from my online role-play days, the stories are a lot more complex. The most recently published book featured a storyline that involved Special Forces and computer hacking. If I didn’t do some research and make copious notes, I might lose the continuity.

36498332_10156700642097269_4017581037960822784_n — Mini Happy Planner with a monthly spread

Planning. We may not like it, but it is important. Just remember, to paraphrase Mercedes Lackey, the only thing to come out of glorious plans are glorious funerals. Plan, yes. But, don’t plan to the point that you are unable to change and adapt those plans when circumstances change.

RELEVANT LINKS FOR JO PILSWORTH
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JKPilsworth

Paranormal may not be your thing. Urban fantasy may not either. But who knows? I may be one of your friends new favourite author.
Inspired by #Legends an #UrbanFantasy series. #RBBC

AMAZON LINKS

Review, Recap and Refresh

(Part 2 of the ‘Redundancy’ series)

As I pointed out in my previous post, I did not view being made redundant as the end of the world, as much as my former employers would have liked. After all, I had been cut loose after seven and a half years of working there.

The first thing I needed to do was review. Review what, exactly? Well, let’s be honest, because the first thing requiring review was my CV and associated places such as my LinkedIn profile. I also needed to review, in my case, my Facebook Author page, because in the course of those years of service, I had been writing a series of novels to pass the time when staying away from home on business. Why? For starters, access to the company systems would be cut off. Admittedly, I had not expected them to cut me off two weeks before my final day. That was down to a ‘company policy’ that reps are likely to steal confidential information such as profit margin ratios and other such information. Whoa Nellie! Steal information? Until it was mentioned, the possibility had not even crossed my mind. Maybe that makes my hopelessly naive in this modern business world, but nope, that was not on my mind, merely being able to access my last set of sales figures. Alas, I was not even allowed that. Bear in mind that I was being made redundant. I intended to act professionally, but I am not sure that was reciprocated. Their loss.

Having updated my CV, loaded it onto LinkedIn, I made a point also of contacting the various agencies with whom I had had contact in the past. It is essential that they have your details on their system and know you are actively looking. If people don’t know you are available, how will you find another position?

Next was the Recap stage. For me, there were two stages here. The first involved my novels. Yes, one can write a lot of stories sitting bored out of your mind in hotels. I have five books in one series listed on Amazon and Smashwords (see below for links), along with a single book from a series I started writing when still in school. Was I happy with the cover art? Was it eye-catching? When was the last time I had done any promotional activities? Part of me might ask why I should bother about something that has little to do with my preferred ‘day job’ of medical sales? Simple.

Writing is not just about putting words to paper. One has to SELL the books. That means TARGETING customers.
Prices have to be set. What will the market tolerate? What sort of profit margin would I need to make it worthwhile?
Amazon allows author copies. These are paperbacks which I can issue to individuals. This is PROMOTIONAL ACTIVITY.
In order to increase the reach of my books, I need to consider ADVERTISING. Which will offer the best RETURN ON INVESTMENT?

Do you see my point? All these involve activities which are also relevant in Medical Sales. Rather than being at home and ‘losing’ my skills, I can maintain them.

Then there is the refresh side. I am sure we are in the same situation where we wish to improve our skills and knowledge base. Now is the time. But the cost, I hear you wail! I have just been made redundant. I have to watch expenditure.

It costs nothing to receive copies of Pharmafield and Pharmafocus at your home address. The same will probably apply to other trade-type journals.
Open Access courses by the Open University cost nothing.
Udemy offers low cost course in a variety of relevant subjects such as Digital Marketing or on improving your computer skills.

Like I said, REVIEW, RECAP AND REFRESH.

Don’t let the time whilst you are waiting go to waste. At the very least, bear in mind that all this is potentially relevant for interviews and discussions with potential employers.

RELEVANT LINKS FOR JO PILSWORTH
https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JKPilsworth

Paranormal may not be your thing. Urban fantasy may not either. But who knows? I may be one of your friends new favourite author.
Inspired by #Legends an #UrbanFantasy series. #RBBC

AMAZON LINKS

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