Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Waning Moon
Mercury Retrograde
Samhain (Halloween)
Cloudy and mild

Happy Halloween! Happy Samhain!

And tomorrow, Nano begins! I am so excited to start Earth Bride that I can hardly stand it. On top of it, for some reason, in spite of all the chaos, I feel more grounded in my preparations for Nano this year than in the previous years.

The site’s running more slowly than ever, and half the time, one can’t even connect. It speaks well for the world-wide popularity, but it’s a glitch they need to sort out, because people get frustrated and fall away.

Long day in court. The intensity of the concentration really wipes me out for anything else.

Lunch in a diner; read nearly an entire book during the course of the day. Wrote some notes on another project.

Printed out the e-books. I’m going to take them with me today and work on the final copy edits in jury duty breaks.

Did my report for Confidential Job #1 and sent it off. Now I can invoice them for the last three assignments and get my next one.

Read Margaret Frazer’s A Play of Lords. I’m a big fan of the Joliffe characters and stories. I realized, as I neared the end, how this sets up his appearances in the Dame Frevise series. Fascinating. I wonder how much pre-planning she did in the whole Joliffe series she envisions, and how much she’s learning as she writes.

Had a good morning’s work on Tracking Medusa. Finished Chapter 22. I’m not sure how I’m going to juggle finishing it while writing Earth Bride, but it’s simply something that needs to be done. I should have been together enough to get it finished by today, but no such luck. I think I have five or six more chapters to go. I never typed up the scribbled notes for this, so they’re not in chronological order – I have to keep going back and re-reading to make sure I’m getting everything in. But I think I have about another page’s worth of scene notes, or a page and a half, which should translate to 5 or 6 chapters.

Back to court, and then a busy night for me!

Devon

Tracking Medusa – 54,400 words out of est. 90,000

54 / 90 (60.0%)

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Waning Moon
Mercury Retrograde
Cloudy and cold

Managed to get out the N3 mailing before I had to leave yesterday. It took about 20 minutes. I wish they’d let us do group mails – even 5 at a time would help.

Long day in court. Long lunch break, too, which was nice – I could run errands at the post office, have a nice lunch at Atlanta Bread, browse in the bookstore. Went to Target after court was done to buy mats for the new car – ‘tis the season for muddy boots, and I want to protect the car! Also got new earbuds for my MP3 player – and these might actually WORK. Absolutely hated the MP3 cases, so I think I’ll design and stitch one myself.

Got a yoga book from a BookMooch buddy – it was one of the “lost” books, so I have to figure out how to give the sender credit.

Cooked a nice birthday dinner for my mom, and also baked brownies.

Got an idea for a novel in the middle of lunch. Scrawled a few notes on it – as usual, the characters have come in strongly, and their setting. Now I have to figure out the wheres, whys, and what ifs. And it all has to take a backseat to Nano, the paranormal novella, and Tracking Medusa.

Didn’t get much else done. I’m still working on polishing the e-books, but until I have a nice chunk of time, I can’t download the conversion program, convert it, upload it and test it. And I won’t put them out there without testing them.

I keep going back to read Joyce Carol Oates’s Journal. It’s refreshing and inspiring. I highly recommend it.

Hoped to work on Tracking Medusa before I left this morning, but I had to deal with some other client stuff instead.

Good but tough weight workout last night; decent yoga session this morning, although I had trouble focusing.

It’s been quiet downstairs for two nights in a row – bliss!

Devon

Monday, October 29, 2007

Monday, October 29, 2007
Waning Moon
Mercury Retrograde
Cloudy and cold

Today is my mother’s birthday! Happy birthday!

Unfortunately, she wasn’t feeling well yesterday. I hope she feels well enough to celebrate today. I left the cats to take care of her when I went to work, and they did a good job.

Because of the call time and the weird Sunday train schedule, I had to go in extra early. But it was a lovely day, and I had some time to wander around, go to a bookstore, buy a few things, and, in general, meander up to the theatre instead of rush.

Shows were fine. It’s a relatively stress-free environment. One actress injured her foot in the second show, so I tended to her with ice, etc., but there’s enough time in between cues to look after someone and still not have to worry about missing a cue.

Dinner at Vinyl in between shows. Excellent, as always.

Finished the reading for Confidential Job #1 – now I just have to do the write-up.

Got home around 11:30, was in bed by midnight. Actually got some sleep. In fact, overslept, and am rushing around this morning.

Heading off to court, and then I have a lot to do when I get home. Hopefully, the show remembered to replace me tomorrow for day work – I told them on Friday. If not, there’s not a whole lot I can do about it. And very shortly, it no longer is my worry.

I’m going to try to send out my Nano email this morning before I leave, but if the site’s too slow, it’ll have to go out tonight.

Got some good overall project planning done for the next few months. I’ve got a mix of hard deadlines and soft deadlines – if I can stick to all of them, it should be a very rewarding spring and summer.

Regarding the whole earplug thing: it’s far too dangerous. I have to be able to wake up quickly in case of an emergency – between the building problems, potential floods every time it rains, people who climb up the fire escape and try to break in (sometimes it is to their own apartments and they just screwed up) – I have to be like a cat – able to wake up and be ready to pounce at a moment’s notice.

Devon

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Sunday, October 28, 2007
Waning Moon
Mercury Retrograde
Cloudy and cold

Very tired. I started yesterday tired because Downstairs Neighbor came home drunk Friday into Saturday and “sang” for three or four hours. So I barely had any sleep, and I never quite caught up. Plus, we were worried about flooding – the brook held, for the most part – some basements got a bit of water, and some yards became more of a duck sanctuary than usual, but other than that, it wasn’t too bad.

This morning was a little better, since, for the first time in weeks, it was actually quiet and I got a full night’s sleep.

Finished typing the notes for Earth Bride. I’m ready to start. Also copied and pasted the notes I did in the various workshops and the transcript from my live chat, so I have them.

I typed a rant about the Nano parasites/energy vampires/those who come on the playground and expect everyone to modify the parameters to suit THEM, but . . . they’re not worth the keystrokes. I can choose not to engage, and focus on my work and my N3s.

Did some editing and design work on one e-book; finished the draft and design of the second. I need to proof them and add a table of contents on one of them. Then I should be ready to convert and upload.

Cooked pot roast.

Covered the Breeders’ Cup. The British horse George Washington broke down in the Classic and had to be euthanized on the track. Every year, at least one horse has a major accident at the BC. It’s heart breaking.

Wrote my article. Will give it a final proof and send it off this morning.

Got some work done on Tracking Medusa. Finished chapter twenty one and started chapter twenty two. I don’t see how I can finish it by Thursday, so the first couple of weeks of Nano, I will have to keep up with my word count while finishing the first draft of this. I’m working on a hard deadline with it now, not a soft one, and I can’t risk blowing it. My own fault – if I’d stuck to the plan of writing a chapter every day last week and this week, it would be done. But I didn’t push through the fatigue, and now I’ve put myself into a difficult position.

Off to the city. Two shows today, on the Other Show. It seems like foreign territory, going back into a theatre after spending so much time either writing or in the courtroom. It hasn’t been that long, but it’s been a big psychological shift.

Cheated on the yoga yesterday – as in didn’t do it, because I immediately got dressed and moved the car to higher ground and never got back to it. Am paying the price today. This morning’s session was good, but when you miss a session, it’s like missing sleep – you can never quite make it up.

Devon

Tracking Medusa – 52,878 words out of est. 90,000

52 / 90 (57.8%)

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Saturday, October 27, 2007
Waning Moon
Mercury Retrograde
Rainy and cold

Breeders’ Cup picks are below, in “Racing Ink”.

Yesterday was the epitome of Mercury Retrograde – everything took too damn long; Book Mooch lost the last few days of transactions; all the worst drivers were out; no good shoes; yarn in the most garish colors imaginable; at the store, no one could “figure out” how much the fabric softener cost – even though it was on the tag on the shelf. Since someone “forgot” to enter it into the computer, it wouldn’t scan and the checker refused to hand-enter it, and said I had to wait until the manager “came back from lunch”. Uh, no. Keep the freaking fabric softener – I’ll buy it somewhere else.

Managed to get my mom’s birthday present and birthday cake, though, and to do some of my Christmas shopping online!

Also tried to get things in better shape for Samhain on Wednesday, and handicapped the BC races. Figures the track in New Jersey would spread them out over two days, milking it for all it’s worth. Although with the weather, I don’t know how successful it was, anyway. I’ll have to check this morning, and do that part of the BC follow-up article, then cover today’s races and finish up the article and get it out tonight, because I’m working two shows tomorrow.

Paid a bunch of bills. Didn’t get the e-books finished, the program downloaded or learned. Somehow, I have to squeeze that in.

Sigh.

There’s a very good chance the town may flood again. I’m glad I got in groceries, and boiled and bottled about 5 gallons of water, just in case. I checked the brook early this morning – very high, running fast, that dark, muddy color that does not bode well for us.

One bright spot – I baked hazelnut cookies! Two more batches of rolled rather than drop cookies and a few batches of brownies to go!

I transcribed about a third of my Earth Bride notes, and will try to get some more done today.

But most of the day will be on flood watch.

Sigh.

Devon

Racing Ink — Breeders’ Cup 2007

The races are spread out over two days at Monmouth Park. These picks are made hoping it won’t be all rain and muck. If it’s horrible weather and they run anyway, throw everything out and watch them in the saddling ring and the post parade. See who looks like a mudder and go with that. The ones who are fussing at the raindrops probably won’t do very well. And don’t bother to bet on the juvenile races – most of the horses will be too green to know how to handle bad weather.

For today’s Breeders’ Cup races, my picks are:

8th Race: Filly & Mare Sprint:
Miss Macy Sue, Oprah Winney, Jazzy

9th Race: BC Juvenile Turf:
Pick the babies after you’ve seen them in the post parade. But I’m going to take a look at Strike the Deal, Cannonball, The Leopard, and the Irish horse Achill Island.

10th Race: Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile:
Discreet Cat, Park Avenue Ball, Xchanger

Non Breeders’ Cup Race Picks:
Race 2: Tiz It & Golden Fusaichi (sired by Tiz Now and Fusaichi Pegasus – of course I’m going to root for them)!
Race6: Sea Chanter (sired by War Chant), Saki to Me (sired by Fusaichi Pegasus) and Joffe’s Run (by Giant’s Causeway).
Race 7: Cobra Strike to show.

Saturday’s Card:

1st Race: Slew’s Tizzy and Helsinki

2nd Race: Jump on In, Coco Belle, and Silver Knockers. Long-shot possibilities are Casino Transaction and Miss Tizzy.

3rd Race: Double Action, Cobalt Blue, Appealing Spring

4th Race – Juvenile Fillies:
Pick as close to the post parade as possible. But I’m seriously looking at Proud Spell and Irish Smoke.

5th Race – Juveile:
Again, I want to see them in the saddling ring and the post parade before I decide. But War Pass and Slew’s Tiznow are my top contenders on paper.

6th Race – Filly and Mare Turf:
Wait a While, Honey Ryder, and Precious Kitten (in spite of her long odds).

7th Race – Sprint:
Smokey Stover across the board.

8th Race – Mile (Turf):
Excellent Art, Jeremy, After Market. I’m also going to bet Nobiz Like Shobiz across the board because I love him, and, if I remember correctly, he’ll be retired soon.

9th Race – Distaff:
My longshot pick is Tough Tiz’s Sis across the board.
I will probably box an exacta for Lady Joanne and Lear’s Princess. I might throw some money at Hystericalady if she looks good.

10th Race – Turf:
Dylan Thomas across the board. Red Rock, Better Talk Now, and English Channel to fill in.

11th Race – Classic:
Wheel them all. They’re very evenly matched – unless it’s sloppy. If I have to pick, I’ll go: Street Sense, Hard Spun, Lawyer Ron, Tiago. My prediction for the big upset horse in this race is George Washington, who could steal it all, so I’m going to also bet him across the board.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Friday, October 26, 2007
Full Moon
Mercury Retrograde
Cloudy and cold

I got the Newsletter out on Wednesday. If you didn’t get yours, or you aren’t signed up, send an email here with “subscribe” in the title. Otherwise, you’ll end up in the spam box.

So, I have a feeling it will be the second week of November before the next one goes out! 😉

Looooong day in court yesterday. And the lunch place I chose was LOUSY – won’t go back there again. Nearly bought boots and a suit, just because I was cranky, but I refrained. However, I did go to the bookstore once we were released and treated myself to both a book and a new deck of tarot cards (yeah, I know, like I don’t have nearly 50 decks, but this one hadn’t been sent to me for review, and it looked really cool).

Too wiped out to do much in the evening. Focusing that intently for that many hours in the courtroom pretty much finishes me for the day.

Putting things together for Samhain next Wednesday (which I’ll be doing AFTER a full day in court – sigh).

Today I need to finish and edit another e-book, insert some design elements in the first e-book, and then download the conversion program, see if I can figure out how to do it, and upload it to the site, so my testers can try it before I post the link.

No court today – we’re back on Monday.

Had horrible cramps in the arches of both feet last night – never had anything like it – as though there were Charley horses in the arch. Awful. I was wearing comfortable shoes that I usually wear. So it doesn’t make sense. Well, acupuncture is in two weeks, and I’ll mention it. A combination of Advil and Valerian root finally brought me some relief.

Got a little bit of work done on Tracking Medusa, but I’m not sure how I’m going to get it together to finish it before Nano starts.

Racing Ink, handicapping tomorrow’s Breeders’ Cup card, should be up before noon, right here, so come on back later today and check it out!

Devon

Tracking Medusa – 51,824 words out of est. 90,000

51 / 90 (56.7%)

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Thursday, October 25, 2007
Waxing Moon
Mercury Retrograde
Rainy and cool

I want to start NOW! I don’t want to wait until next Thursday to start Earth Bride!!!

Too bad for me, right? 😉

Now I know how Rags to Riches felt in the days leading up to the Belmont Stakes, where she nearly ripped her stall down because she wanted to run so badly.

Not much to report. Worked on Nano stuff, worked on admin stuff. Got rid of ONE of the massive piles on my desk. Two more massive ones and one little one to go. Spent too much time putzing.

Realized that one of the reason I drag my feet on getting back to Tracking Medusa, even though it clicks along quite well once I get going, is that I don’t want it to end. Well, too darned bad for me! I managed to get a few pages down this morning, before I had to leave for court.

Edited the ebook. Now I have to learn how to use the conversion program and upload it. And maybe tweak the page design a little.

Gave myself the night off to be a slug. Should have done a yoga/pilates sequence, but didn’t. Had a good yoga session, though, this morning.

Off to court. Trial starts today.

Devon

Tracking Medusa – 49,997 words out of est. 90,000

49 / 90 (54.4%)

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Waxing Moon
Mercury Retrograde
Rainy and cool

So I showed up for jury duty. And I got picked for a criminal case. Called third for the first pool. Seated third in the voir dire. Chosen. And it will last into next week (and into Nano).

Sigh.

Obviously, I can’t talk about it now. But, believe me, I’ll have plenty to say when it’s all done! 😉

Only had time to go to the food court in the mall (ick) for lunch – but there was an Umberto’s Pizza. I expected it to suck, but it was good. And I got to go to the bookstore and get my calendar and datebook for 2008 (since I’m already booking dates) and then off to Trader Joe’s for a good grocery shop. That always soothes me. Plus, I bought a nice, perky bunch of chrysanthemums for the table (hey, and those of you who read my article on them thought it was just research . . .uh, uh)!

Managed to squeeze a few minutes in between sessions to work on the antagonists and their relationships in Earth Bride. So I didn’t feel like I completely lost the day. And I started the work for Confidential Job #1. Hey, the sooner I finish it, the sooner I can send the invoice, right? 😉

I sat down this morning to work on Prince Paisley’s Chintz and found a huge mistake – one of those where, if I don’t break my own rule and go back and fix it now, it’s really going to screw things up later on. It was nothing more than carelessness and not keeping track of things. How annoying.

I’m trying to get back to my evening workouts. I’ve been good about the morning yoga sessions, but slacked off on the night work during the conference and then during a full show week last week. So I’m back to that regimen. The core session last night – ow. It’s disheartening to see how much ground I lost in only two weeks. Fortunately, the morning yoga sessions are wonderful. Even if it’s hard to get my butt in gear and unroll the mat, once I start, I’m glad I did.

Case starts tomorrow, so I’m running around today, trying to figure plan ahead and run all the errands I need to run for both this week and next week . . .today. And trying to catch up on paperwork and get my desk clear for Nano.

Racing Ink, handicapping Saturday’s entire Breeders’ Cup card will either go up early on Friday morning, or after I get back on Friday night.

Devon

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Waxing Moon
Mercury Retrograde
Cloudy and warm

Quick post and then I head out to jury duty.

I’m horrified by the fires in Southern California. 250,000 people evacuated so far. I’m also furious, but not particularly surprised that the Great Pretender who calls himself President has done nothing. No statements and, more importantly, no help sent. Gee, after Hurricane Katrina, are we really surprised? The fact that Bush and Cheney are still in office after flagrant disregard for human life over and over again shows just how far our so-called “democracy” has fallen.

Didn’t get the sleep I wanted or needed last night. Had too much on my mind. It took all morning to get the Nano email out, because the site was slow. And then I defrosted the refrigerator and freezer. And then I baked banana bread. And then I made pasta for dinner. And the day was done.

Got some more ideas for my Nano, now tentatively titled Earth Bride, because that title works on several levels. I’ve focused on the main characters and the plot; now I have to develop the set of antagonists. An idea for an interesting character that can move through the different sections of the book with them, working against them, working for someone else, arrived just as I was falling asleep (a bit disconcerting), but I hadn’t lost him by this morning. He will be the primary antagonist that Niki and Terce, my protagonists, deal with throughout, hired by the main money antagonist. In other words, there will be several antagonists, but this one will be the villain. When I get home tonight, I’ll have to go through my name data bases to find something appropriately intriguing for him. He adds dimension to the piece. Otherwise, although Niki and Terce have to face a lot of difficult decisions during the course of the book, between what’s “right” and what they want, it’s still too easy. He poses an actual threat, on several levels.

Important rule: The antagonist has to be well-matched to the protagonist, or it’s boring.

Got my next assignment from Confidential Job #1; I can work on it in the jury room while I’m waiting. And I’m taking the notes for Earth Bride to work on the antagonists.

I have a massive headache and would rather go to bed, but, oh well. I feel the beginnings of a bronchial infection stirring, deep in the chest, so I’m fighting that.

Devon

Monday, October 22, 2007

Monday, October 22, 2007
Waxing Moon
Mercury Retrograde
Sunny and pleasant

Quick check-in and then I’m going back to bed.

Made it through the matinee; ran around the corner, grabbing a salad at Thalia, and worked the other show. It was fine. Caught the train and was home just before midnight, and then couldn’t sleep. Of course.

And I gave my notice at the show . Some would call it an act of courage; others an act of lunacy. But I can’t sort out all the family things and move on with my life if I’m constantly going back to do shows, especially when everything changes so much. At this point, after 3 ½ years, I should be able to go in and run a track without even blinking, much less thinking; they shouldn’t keep reinventing the wheel. But that’s not going to change there; film people are at the top, and they run it like a film set, not a theatre. Personally, I think it hurts the show, but it’s not up to me. It’s not something I can control. What I can control is whether or not I’m in a situation that’s been causing me constant stress and upset for months, as I try to juggle everything. So I had to either shut up and put up or leave. And I chose to leave. It’s always scary to cut away the safety net, but it’s necessary. My last day is in a few weeks.

The bottom line is that I’m a writer. That is my passion and vocation. As long as I devote a good bulk of time to work that’s not writing, especially when it’s about money choices, I’m going to be miserable. If I’m a writer, then I’m a writer and I better find a way to make a living at it. I’ve been moving in that direction during this transition period, and now I’ve reached the point where, if I’m going to do it, I have to do it.

And for me, right now, being a writer means sorting out the home life. Getting that stable. Taking care of the people that need it. And that’s something I can’t do if I keep canceling appointments and changing plans whenever the show needs me. At the same time, if I’m on the show’s roster as a swing, that’s my job – to be available when they need me, not when I happen to feel like working. Our needs are getting farther and farther apart. And I’m a big believer in “don’t say you’re a swing and then never be available” – either do it or don’t. The time has come for me to be in the “don’t” category.

That doesn’t mean I’d never work another show or set foot on another set. But the circumstances have to be right. It’s not the “day job” anymore – although, I don’t consider it a day job – I’ve considered myself, for the past few years, as running two full-time careers, which gets exhausting. It needs to be something I do on the side, and the writing needs to be the main focus, which is tied into the family stuff.

A reader commented here the other day that when her students ask her how to be a writer, she says, “Get a day job.” I disagree with that. There are some Anthony Trollopes still out there, who can do both. But let’s face it – you can’t keep splitting your energy for years and years and years and turn out your best work. If you’re going to be a writer, be a writer and make a living at it. Sock away money in the day job so you can take a year off, or so you have a six month cushion as you line up paying writing gigs, and then do it. The older I get, the more I agree with what Arthur Miller told me in the early 1990s: You’ll never be a writer until you have to use it to pay the bills. He meant as long as you have a safety net of another job, you’re not going to be hungry enough (in every sense of the word) or want it enough to make it THE priority and do your best work. If I’d listened to him then, I’d be ten years farther along in the writing career, but I would have missed out on many wonderful theatre and film experiences which have served my work well.

Read interviews with Nora Roberts or Janet Evanovich – their lives support the writing. That’s how they get it done and stay on top. They go in their offices every day and put in a full day, and THEN they go out and live the rest of their lives. Far too often, people don’t realize that writing is work. Just because you enjoy it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be approached with professionalism and a strong work ethic.

I’m going to send out my weekly Nano email, and then go back to bed and catch up on some sleep.

Devon

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Sunday, October 21, 2007
Waxing Moon
Mercury Retrograde
Sunny and pleasant

Exhausted.

Shows were okay yesterday. A friend at the show’s going through a tough personal time, so I’m helping as much as possible. It’s nothing I can fix – all I can do is offer love and sympathy.

The check arrived from the publication that tried to change its payment terms – for the originally-agreed-upon amount. Proof that you should stick to your guns in payment disputes, especially when it’s all in writing ahead of time.

Almost finished the outline for the Nano. There’s a part of me that doesn’t want to know the very ending – there are two strong possibilities that can be reached from the same journey, and part of me wants to wait until I get there to see which choice they make.

Costume Imp took me to dinner at Whym. Their meatloaf is great, but I felt as though I waddled through the second show.

Came home and collapsed into bed.

Had to get a few things done this morning, but now I’m heading back into the city. Another 14 hour day. Fortunately, I don’t have to start jury duty until Tuesday, so tomorrow I can sleep.

Nothing interesting to report. I’m just trying not to fall asleep on my feet, and everything hurts. Tomorrow, I want to do extra yoga, and I want to get back to the evening fitness routines.

Devon

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Saturday, October 20, 2007
Waxing Moon
Mercury Retrograde
Sunny and pleasant

Exhausted.

Yesterday, I was a waste of food in the morning. I had an enormous migraine, and finally just had to give it up and lie down for awhile.

Took an early train in to the city. Caught the #4 Express to 14th Street. The #6 local was just pulling in as I got there, so I switched over, and took that to Bleecker Street, then walked west a few blocks to meet friends at The Peculiar Pub, where I indulged in Fraoich, my favorite Scottish heather ale. The Peculiar Pub has over 400 beers from all over the world.

We had a great visit, then headed uptown on the A train together. I grabbed some dinner at Thalia’s little take out window and went to the theatre. Got a few things done, ate dinner, started reading Michael Collins’s novel Death of a Writer. It’s fascinating, but I certainly couldn’t sum up the plot/themes in a sentence. Thank goodness I don’t have to review it! I specifically wanted to read a book that I wasn’t being paid to review and by someone I didn’t know, just for a break.

Worked on the Nano outline.

Did the show. There were technical difficulties, and we had an extra long intermission. I barely made my train, but I made it. It was pouring with rain and the streets were rivers (it would be too much to hope that the drains would actually be kept clean so they could work). I moved the car, just in case.

Downstairs Neighbor was drunk and yowling until 4:30.

And now, I have to turn around and go back into the city for another 14 hour day.

To answer Ivy’s question, there are dozens of freelance job sites. The trick is to find the legitimate ones. I suggest Anne Wayman’s site, About Freelance Writing.com,;Deborah Ng’s site (I think it’s called Freelance Writing Gigs.com); Absolute Write,;and Writers’ Weekly. You can also search Craig’s List – which is where many of the listings on the other boards come from – but you need to learn how to read the ads so you don’t get screwed. And, before you do any of that, read Peter Bowerman’s The Well-Fed Writer, to learn how to put together your materials BEFORE you start pitching for jobs.

Devon