Writing is Hard

29 Aug

Underwood Noiseless Felt Replica
Felt replica of the Underwood Noiseless typewriter, made by Craftsters, linked by the all new Boing Boing

At least, professional writing is. Very, very hard, especially if you’re trying to write like a champ very well for money. Evidently the “Blogger’s Block” is in place here. Allow me some time in finishing several feature stories and a very late travel assignment, build a portfolio website, edit my documentary project, build the website for that, before the school-related nonsense hits like a Mack Truck. My career is on the ascent, I’m figuring things out, and my hobby involves the same thing as what I now do for a living (writing); evidently one of them has to take a backseat for now. I’m still very much here, in the comments, on Twitter (very much alive on Twitter), and Facebook — especially when I’m skiving. I’ll leave you with some old favourites. Yes, I am aware my site archives don’t work.

Chasing the Monsoon
Sudder Street
Hungry Asian Woman On The Road
7 Stories To Tell (a.k.a. the chai and bus story)
Portraits Unphotographable: Neha Sahoo
Amar Sonar Bangla
“Madagascar”
Rough City
Surviving a Shower in a Cambodian Border Town
Other Mornings in Other Places
Roundtable
Some Signs That Say You’ve Recently Returned From India
Dreaming of India

Why I Am Still A Feminist
This is It

Release
Excavation
Whatever Language It Takes (Chinese)
I’m That Girl
Eight Ages of a Woman
Art and Lies
Incandescent

possibly related

Good Riddance /Twitter Updates for 2007-11-15 /Twitter Updates for 2007-11-09 /Twitter Updates for 2007-11-28 /Twitter Updates for 2007-11-16 /
  • Zac, with regards to this portfolio I'm working on -- all it will be is to be the home of my published work, text and photography, as I get published in more quarters. My online presence will be deliberately absent from it as I like to separate my blog from my professional writing. I'm not pursuing a 'real' job', but rather the freelance life. As the freelance life goes, in photojournalism at least, the portfolio is likely to be viewed by a person/publication across the world who doesn't know anything about you. But if you're pitching stories to them, which I have to all the time, it's the 10 minutes they spend on that portfolio that will make a difference.

    I'm not convinced a 'genuine' blog is always a good thing. In my case, since my work has to do with writing, my online writing and my professional writing is worlds apart in style and content. I would be uncomfortable having someone who I've just pitched a "Tribes of Nagaland" feature to, reading my blog as though it were evidence of what I'm about.
  • Zac
    It's been a while since I dropped in. Congrats on your imminent graduation.

    >> "build a portfolio website"

    Is it for job applications? Will you use Popagandhi in your portfolio? Will you link to it, hide it or use it as a vital component?

    I ask because my institution requires students to create electronic portfolios - but many students have difficulty understanding why they have to do it and what they are for.

    Seems to me that a "genuine blog" (as opposed to one the students need to create as part of a school assignment) gives an employer all the evidence they need. They can see what you are passionate about. They can ascertain interests, hobbies, attitudes and character. They can also figure your Web competencies.

    Your thoughts?
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