Freelancewritingtips.com: My writing day by author and journalist Maria McCarthy

MARIA McCarthy is the author of The Girls' Guide to Losing Your L-plates: How to Pass Your Driving Test, contributes features to national papers and magazines and is a lecturer in journalism. She still found time to share her writing day with us...I hope you find it an inspiration, I certainly did.

THE day starts with a cup of industrial-strength tea at my computer. I’m currently working on a feature for one of the colour supplements entitled ‘I found a fortune’ - about people who’ve found junk at car boot sales or in the attic which has turned out to be worth thousands. I’m finding it good fun to do and most importantly, the case histories aren’t proving too hard to track down.

I get one via the Antiques Roadshow press office, and one via the Metal Detectors' Association. Three interviews are now lined up for tomorrow and all fingers crossed that they’re chatty!

I break for lunch quite early and it’s usually something quick and easy like pasta with cheese.
Then I turn my attention to my book research. My first book The Girls' Guide to Losing Your L-plates: How to Pass Your Driving Test was published in January by Simon and Schuster and was inspired by my own struggles to pass my driving test. I drew on advice from driving instructors, ex-learner drivers, even hypnotherapists to put together a book which combines practical information with emotional support – the book I’d wanted to read when I was learning!

Now I’m working on my second - The Girl's Car Handbook, due out in July 2008. My aim is that it’ll be a lively, accessible reference book covering topics such as buying a new car, getting your car through its MOT, car insurance and so on. At the moment I’m snowed under with research and doubtful whether I’ll ever be able to get it into a manageable form – the only option at this stage is to plough on with the writing and keep the faith that it’ll all turn out okay in the end!

Then I check and field various emails – there’s one which has come via my website from an editor at a women’s magazine who might do a feature on my learning to drive book. My website has extracts from my book and details of my writing workshops. I had it set up a couple of months ago by Exeter company LSD design and am finding it so useful I wish I’d had it done years ago.

At the end of the day I also squeeze in a bit of preparation for the day workshop on Publicising Your Book I’m running at Bristol University. I teach Freelance Journalism and Path to Publication courses there too and I really love it. Writing is solitary work and I love teaching as a way of getting out of the house and meeting new people.

Then it’s time for a quick walk on the beach. I live in Sidmouth, Devon and love the gorgeous scenery and outdoor life down here. One of the upsides of freelancing is that it doesn’t really matter where you’re based as long as you’ve got access to the internet and are willing to travel up to meet editors, go to events etc whenever necessary. The walk is followed by a swim and meeting a friend for drinks and a meal out. And then it’s home for an early night!

* Would you like to share your writing day with the readers of this blog? Or do you have a question connected with the realities of earning a living as a freelance writer? Please get in touch, I'd love to hear from you.