There is a reason

Well, yesterday I resigned from the Guardian. I have accepted the redundancy offer, which is quite generous, but begs the question what am I going to do with the rest of my life?

Working as an editor on the Guardian was a lifetime achievement, but for many reasons I was never truly happy. My life has been full of challenges, I have taken risks before and it has always worked out. The challenge now is to survive, not blow all the redundancy money, be a reliable and good father to my lovely children.

When I leave there will be a period of flux, things are not going to be as they were, but it’s been a pretty shitty year so I had to change something. Where I am going to live? I don’t know. What am I going to do? I don’t know? Exciting and scary and I shall have to rely on my intuition to see me through.

I leave my flat in January and will go to California for a few weeks, that much is certain. I need to refresh, recharge and find a new perspective.

Journalism will see me through, I have no doubt I will find freelance work and am already building contacts to get some work lined up for next year. There maybe a couple of permanent job opportunities, which would bring security - but do I really want that? Why leave the Guardian?

My screenplay is where I am focussing my energies at the moment and could be something that points to a new career, a new direction. I am re-drafting for a micro-budget, it is going incredibly well and there is funding available in November of up to £100k. I am working hard on getting a proposal together. I have a producer to help me with a budget, I have a director, have a named actor in mind whom I can get the script to when it is ready.

Should I be successful with obtaining funding then I shall pay myself a reasonable amount for my work and next year will be focussed on getting the film produced.

That’s the plan anywhere.

Keep calm and carry on.