I am conscious of how less interesting my life has become

Monday

I had done some work over the weekend – something I never do, but with so much work on at the moment I had felt obliged to take some projects home.

I pushed on with some brochure copy plus a manual we are doing for a motor company.

I worked through lunch, not wanting to get behind with all these projects – again this is something I would never do in the past.

While I was taking a ’phone call Claire put a post-it in front of me saying that Kate (Account Executive with the agency downstairs) was holding on another line. When I spoke to her she told me she had resigned that morning after a row with Angela and Alan. I told her she had made the right decision.

In the afternoon Creative Director Marc complained about the copy his clients tend to like (“short sentences, banal sentiments, overworked superlatives”).

Tuesday

It was Junior Copywriter Claire’s birthday, so I gave her a card.

I arrived at work knowing three deadlines awaited me (this is not a good feeling). One of them was for a telecommunications company. Copy for this company is notoriously difficult to get accepted. I did their writing first and e-mailed it to the Account Executive. When I got feedback later in the afternoon I was told my work had been only slightly amended. This really cheered me up – Marc struggles to get his copy accepted by this client, and he has worked for them for years.

After work about ten people from the agency went to a winebar to celebrate Claire’s birthday. I drank more than I intended. Afterwards I had to go into Costa Coffee before attempting the journey home.

Wednesday

Jon R (freelance copywriter we sometimes use) came in to talk to Marc and said:

“One day I am going to write a searing exposé of this business, based on my ten years’ experience.”

How long’s it going to be?” Marc asked. “Fifty words? And that would be pushing it.”

Lots of strong opinions in the office about the Daley / Aldridge clash at the Olympics.

Thursday

Claire was extremely fed up about the way her work was being rejected, and complained about the bad briefs she was being given.

Just as she finished saying this Doug came into the writers’ room and said he had to “rebrief” me on an ad I am doing. Luckily I hadn’t started on this ad. The second brief was markedly different from the first one.

Again I wrked through lunch all I had to eat was a pastry filled with cherries brought back by Claire.

At five o’clock MD Terry briefed me on a creative rationale that had to be written for a presentation to be delivered tomorrow. Valerie and Marc got involved and we were working on it until nine o’clock. By the time we had finished I was sick of the whole thing.

Friday

A good mood in the agency today as we won the presentation (I am entitled to use the word “we” as my creative rationale played a minor part).

Mid-morning new Account Executive Andrea (whom nobody likes) clashed with freelance copywriter Jon R over a headline – this was a very public argument in the writers’ room with Claire and myself looking on.

And in the afternoon I just wrote copy – one brief after another. Since I started working “upstairs” I am conscious of how less interesting my life has become. I just produce words all day.