Is the whole caboodle serious? One comes here and talks a pack of bosh, and perhaps some sense as well, but I should think very little of a man who didn’t keep something in the background of his life that was more serious than all this talking—something more serious, whether it was religion or only drink.1
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This is a follow-up to Freelancing: the first ten years.
A freelance is like a reasonably intelligent dog that requires food, exercise, mental stimulation and some sense of having a part to play in the game of life. How much of each of those things, and what form they come in, is a matter of individual temperament. Some can be left alone in the house all day; others start chewing the table legs and peeing on the floor after an hour. Continue reading
When I told colleagues in 2014 that I was quitting my job to become a freelance writer/editor most wished me well, many told me I was brave and quite a few asked me questions. The most popular were:
Can you make a living?
Can you bear the solitude?
These still interest people most, along with the supposed bravery, which often translates as Can you stand the anxiety? Continue reading
I’m a founding co-editor of a new drinks magazine, Alderman Lushington. It’s only a sideline, but it’s an enjoyable one. Why Alderman Lushington? Continue reading
This is where I explain leaving my job to resume full-time freelance writing and editing after a break of a dozen years. Last week I wrote about being told how ‘brave’ I was (a chilling phrase), how I’d had a mixed bag of it last time as a freelance, and ended with the question, ‘What has changed to make this any sort of a good decision?’ Well now… Continue reading
An Interview with Andy Hamilton. I talk to Andy about becoming a writer, free booze, the future of beer and what he plans to write next. My interview for Nudge .
Andy Hamilton is an author, broadcaster, foraging guide and accidental expert—he has an unusual dedication to following wherever his interests take him. Mostly this has been to the areas of alcohol and self-sufficiency, frequently in the overlap between the two. His published books include The Selfsufficient-ish Bible (2009, co-authored with his twin brother), Booze for Free (2011) and Brewing Britain (2013).
Andy contributes to various TV and radio shows on subjects ranging from survival and foraging through to home brewing and gardening. Highlights include telling BBC Radio 2’s Simon Mayo how to make the perfect elderflower champagne and nearly taking the Autumnwatch cast’s teeth out with his toffee apples. His most recent appearance was on BBC Radio 4’s Food Programme (‘Wild Booze’). He regularly blogs about home brewing, beer, foraging and gardening on his website, while you can also follow him on Twitter.
Read the full interview on Nudge…
Some bits and pieces about writing dialogue, taken from Ford Madox Ford’s Joseph Conrad: A Personal Remembrance, a sort of biography. Here Ford is describing his writing collaboration with Conrad. Continue reading
Paul Fishman 