Charity begins on the phone but not again.

I agree with giving to charity. I think that it is a moral imperative that if you can give afford to give a little then, as a human being witnessing the despair of another human being, even through removed mediums like television, the press, and the internet, that you should do something. Last year I responded to the UNICEF appeal for children in Syria caught up in the deadly fighting. No big deal, I did not donate a fortune, just what I could afford at the time. It felt like doing the right thing.

A few days after I made my donation I received a call from a private number. I do not normally answer unrecognised numbers but this time I did. A young man went into a scripted speech of how grateful UNICEF was for my act of kindness, now if only I could see my way to making another, bigger, donation or how about taking out a direct debit and paying just £5 a month?

Straight away I got it. The psychology is pretty basic, complement the person, build them up, then hit them with a sob story and ask for more money. It has very little to do with charity. I told the caller that I had given what I could afford and that I as I already supported two charities through monthly subscriptions then I did not feel that I could take on a third. This represented no problem to the UNICEF spokesman, he just told me to ditch one of the two and take on his charity instead!

Being English I tend to be polite even when annoyed and I politely told him that I would not do that and that I could not at that time make another donation to UNICEF. He asked if he could call back and I respectfully said no because my mind was made up. The next day the same telephone number appeared on my mobile again as it busily played The Rolling Stones’ ‘Brown Sugar’ to alert me of an incoming call. I did not answer it or the several other calls that followed over the next few weeks.

They don’t take no for an answer, well not immediately anyway.

A few months later I was moved by an advert on television by Save the Children and, totally forgetting my UNICEF experience, I used my mobile to make another donation. It probably will not surprise anyone reading this to discover that a charity representative was quick to start ringing me; it was only my sluggish brain that got caught out. I did not answer the calls, however, but instead entered the telephone number into Google and discovered it was the money raising arm of Save the Children. I also read several complaints from other people who resented this unasked for approach from charity fundraisers after making a donation in good faith.

I have now vowed not to use my mobile to make any charity donations ever again. It is not the slight annoyance of unsolicited telephone calls that prompts me to this decision, it the lack of respect and genuine appreciation that the charity fundraisers give my donation. To them my donation paid through my telephone is a valuable piece of information; my mobile’s number! Armed with this they can ring me and make me feel guilty about the paltry sum that I offered, convince me to sign up for a monthly subscription, and may be even get me to make a larger one off donation. Then in a couple of months’ time they can ring me back and try and get me to increase my contributions.

Make a donation through your mobile phone and you become a cash cow or so it seems.

The two charities that I have supported for many years through monthly subscription have something in common; neither has contacted me to ask me increase the amount of money I give them. They both send me updates on their work, by email now instead of printed matter, and if I feel able then I make an extra donation. I also shop in charity outlets on the high-street by the way. I believe in charity.

I am not a cash cow I am a human being with an ounce of compassion of fellow human beings and I do what I can when I can. I find it rather telling that paid professional fundraiser for large charities treat my effort with such cynicism whereas the people I see selling copies of the ‘Big Issue’ on the street never fail to be polite whenever I buy a copy from them; and they never ask me for more money either.

The point for me is that by displaying just a little gratitude for my efforts the two charities that I do support, and the ‘Big Issue’ sellers, get more money from me in the long run. The artificial, even cynical, approach of the professional fundraisers just turns me off to giving to them ever again, which cannot be good. The whole point of charity is surely the provision of relief for human beings by human beings? The key component is not money, which is just a tool for use, it is people and when the fundraisers fail to appreciate that fact then they are not going about their business in the proper manner.

2015 is Here!

As I posted previously I don’t place too much currency in the New Year but one thing that you cannot deny is that the year 2014 has indeed changed into 2015. Does that mean anything significant to me? Yes, actually it does indeed. I have various ambitions that I want to fulfil in 2015, not necessarily resolutions, just things that I have decided prior to New Year’s Eve that I want to either complete or experience.

In my capacity as a writer I have two major aims, which are, to complete the Sorrow Song Trilogy by October 2015 and, before that, to publish Eugenica, an alternative history novel set in 1930’s England. Neither of these two projects are particularly easy but then there would be no fun in it if they were (or quality in the writing I suspect). I can state that both books are underway, however, which is always a good place to be.

On a more personal note I am looking forward to whisking my wife away to Paris for our wedding anniversary, hopefully sometime around spring. Is this something of a cliché? More than likely but what does that matter? I have never been to Paris before and it is a city that I have always wanted to visit. To do so in the company of a beautiful woman is not a cliché, it is a life affirming moment and we live in the moment. To stroll through Paris with her hand in mine, to clink wine glasses and toast each other in a café, to visit the Louvre and wallow in the culture of Europe, these are events to be shared with someone that you love.

Of course in between then and now there’s all the usual mundane aspects of life to endure. This is something that we all have to deal with, it is a part of human existence. It can seem tedious and boring but then if it was not we would not invent occurrences such as Christmas. Festivals like this are the peaks towards which we aspire during our normal everyday lives. They do not just mark the passage of time, they give us something to look forward to. They raise expectation and increase our interest in life. Having projects like completing a book are similar to holidays and festivals, they are events to look forward to, only the scale is different, but even that is a question of perspective. For me publishing another book is a very big deal indeed. It is a time of excitement and for enjoying an accomplishment. It is another of those life affirming moments like visiting a city you have always wanted to experience.

In this respect 2015 is no little different to 2014. I had many enjoyable experiences last year and some notable achievements as well. I am hoping that the New Year will be much the same, hopefully even a little better. Actually I won’t be relying on hope too much, I’ll be working to improve on what I did last year just like I always have. So with that determination I wish you all the best for 2015 and sincerely hope that you achieve everything that you set out to do.

Resolutions Before the New Year

I am not a fan of the ‘New Year Resolution’, I just never saw the point in it. If you are going to resolve to do something then do it, here and now, don’t wait for some social convention to come along once a year; that is just procrastination!

When it comes to doing things I try to get on and do them once I’ve made up my mind that way. I do agree that there is often a certain amount pf preparation involved in many undertakings. That is just common-sense. If you want a successful outcome to what you are going to do then you have to pay attention to the not so interesting stuff, like organization, research, logistics, etc. This part of any activity is not my favourite but I console myself with the reminder that it is not going to last, that it will pass and that it will lead to me doing the thing that I’ve set my mind to do; the enjoyable bit in other words.

Where is all this leading? It is leading me to resolving to getting my writing back on track. I have had a major interval of not being able to do very much at all. It is not just the writing either, although that is the most important aspect to me, there is also the social side of making your presence felt as an author through the internet.

It takes time to get your name known, and your face if you care to put it out there, but all that work can be undone by an unplanned absence. Personally I found it very frustrating to be forced into a kind of hiatus caused by building work and the subsequent redecoration that followed, but I am not complaining. It happened, it was necessary and my wife is very happy with the end result, which makes me happy too. My working environment is still not perfect because the Christmas holidays have arrived but I love Christmas so I am going to embrace all the work, I am responsible for the Christmas decorations and I cook as well, the interruptions of family visits and getting together with friends, the lack of a routine, and all that is best in the festive season.

Most of all I am resolved at this time of year to get my writing career back on track!

I will be doing this in as positive a way as I can, simply because I am a very positive kind of person. I made a resolution once to write a book and I did it…twice! I resolved to fly an aeroplane and I did that as well. I did not wait for New Year to come round to make these resolutions, I committed myself when they occurred to me and I the very idea of them excited me.

The point is that life can pass you by in the waiting. Two weeks ago I said good bye to someone and did not see them again for four days. At the end of that interval I discovered that this person had died suddenly and unexpectedly. This is not the first time that something like this has happened to someone I have known but it reinforces the realisation of how fragile life is all the more powerfully. I love life and I love living it, even when it hurts.

I may never write an international bestseller or see one my books turned into a movie or be lauded by the intelligentsia but I don’t do anything for those kind of reasons. I write because I love telling a story, using words to craft a tale, entertaining people. I draw and paint because I love losing myself in the creation of an image. I cook because it brings pleasure to my wife. I socialise because it gives pleasure to me to spend time with family and friends, including those I never really get to see across the internet. I live life because it is all we ever have, this very moment, right here and right now, and we can lose it in a split second. I wear an ankh to remind me of this fact.

Next year there are many things that I am resolved to do but I am not going to wait until one minute into January 2015 to commit myself to doing them; I’ve already made that decision. I choose to live life now and pass through the mundane to reach those highpoints that become our memories tomorrow.

Can I Get Back to Writing Now?!

Up to the end of August everything was going swimmingly. I was putting the finishing touches to the manuscript for Rapture for Ravens and feeling very good about it. Also, I had started work on my third novel Eugenica, which has nothing to do with Saxons or Vikings whatsoever. The writing was flowing, I was feeling all creative, everything looked good, and then September arrived!

The thing about September was that we had to have some building work done by a company called Bricks and Mortar, local builders. Our house was built in 1910 and needed some serious maintenance and these guys came in and did a fantastic job, absolutely no complaints there. They were totally professional but the thing about building work is that it causes disruption by its very nature.
Now don’t get me wrong, I am not looking for sympathy here, I knew what we were getting into when we started, I just didn’t realise that the work would go on for so long and have such a massive impact on my writing!

The same week that Bricks and Mortar finished work on the exterior of the house the carpenter arrived to rip up the floorboards in three downstairs rooms and replace them with something more structurally sound and do the job properly. He only finished last week! Again, that is not a complaint. Les the carpenter is a very skilled craftsman and a very amiable gent, he took his time because he cares about what he does and he does it to a high standard. Also my wife kept finding him extra little jobs to do, which delayed him somewhat.

As Les was finishing the woodwork Jim the painter arrived. He’s also a great guy who takes pride in his work even though it is not what he wants to spend the rest of his life doing. Jim is still here working on the hallway, the last room to require his attention.

Since September we have lived in a house that had furniture moving around as if beset by hyperactive poltergeists! We spent a lot of time living in the bedroom because there was no room downstairs! It was by accident that we disappeared to Barcelona for a break in the middle of all this, but a happy one at that.

During all this time my writing simply dried up. There was not a lot of time to begin with but when I did get the odd hour here and there I found everything covered in dust, the rooms felt cold and cramped; I lacked inspiration! I also started to feel disillusioned because I hardly wrote anything; sort of a Catch-22 situation I think.

Today, however, marks a change in all this. The woodwork is mostly finished, just a few odd jobs left. The painting is also almost finished. New furniture is now arriving and we are reclaiming the rooms back in time for Christmas. Suddenly I feel like writing again and my wife understands, in fact she wants me to sit down at my keyboard and start work once more. There’s one big clean up to do before Christmas and then when I sit down to write again it’s going to be in a warm, comfortable, clean, family environment without a builder or carpenter or painter in sight!