Diary Thursday 26th March 2015

March 29, 2015 | Posted in AUTHOR BLOGS, AUTHORS, BOOKS, CONVENTIONS, FANTASY, SCIENCE FICTION | By Arthur Chappell

Diary Thursday 26^th March 2015

I always hate visiting my job-brokers as they can take it on themselves to find me jobs to apply for that I have a mandatory obligation to pursue. They are now obliging me to consider night shift roles that will leave me very little free time or even time to look for other work. Non-compliance can mean a loss of welfare for me. My ideal job is one that gives me a modest income while leaving me time for my creative writing pursuits.

It was clear that my broker is as short of ideas as to where to find me work as I am in my own independent job searches. He tried several times to send me for positions I have already applied for through his instructions, without success. One interview he is trying to arrange is with a firm who have already turned me down.

There was a frightful howling gale blowing that at one point kept me from walking forward while I was in the middle of a busy road where the lights had just changed. I just made it to safety of the pavement before the traffic flowed forward again.

I then had to claim expenses for various appointments my broker already arranged and they were very reluctant to compensate me so much, and gave me the money in loose small change, almost as a statement of contempt.

I spent the remaining afternoon and early evening in the public library, reading through plays, including Antigone, and D H Lawrence’s The Widowing Of Mrs Holroyd (to each be reviewed on these pages). I am always happy to pass time reading good quality literature.

The night was spent in a bar called The Bank, where after a quick bite to eat I participated in a regular fortnightly meeting with friends in the Manchester Science Fiction group called FONT. One friend there was celebrating his birthday and invited me to his celebration pub crawl on Saturday night. It was our last meeting before many of them go to the Eastercon science-fiction Convention, Dysprosium, which I have had to drop out of for financial reasons (the unemployment that puts me in the hands of the above mentioned welfare team and job brokers).

One of my friends has trusted me with a draft of a novel he is writing, to critique it for him, which I am only too happy to do. He has assessed many of my own works and he is a terrific, accomplished author. I am honoured by the responsibility.

Arthur Chappell