Mon. April 30, 2012: Beltane Eve

Monday, April 30, 2012
Waxing Moon
Saturn Retrograde
Pluto Retrograde
Sunny and cool

Billy Root blogs about the importance of leaving a character on the set. Check it out.

And don’t forget the Amazing Antagonists Seminar on May 12. It’s going to be a lot of fun, and, if you’ve ever had doubts about the strength and importance of your antagonists, this class will help you a lot. More information and registration here.

Busy weekend, and I’m still trying to shake off the last of this flu. So far, not much luck.

I did not think I could pull it together for the Arbor Day Celebration, but I did, and I’m glad I did. It was lovely, and I got to meet some of the people with whom I’ll be dealing when I teach at the high school in May.

Worked outside, worked with students in the afternoon. The plumber came, fixed the problem in ten minutes, and was done. Phew!

Saturday morning, I spent about an hour and a half working to weed Mother’s Park with the Committee. It was fun, but I still get tired awfully fast. Had to then dash to an appointment in Harwich, which turned out to be a washout.

Came back and cleaned out the garage (first time in my life I’ve ever been able to say that). Unpacked about 20 boxes, put up shelves, organized things. Lots more room in there now! It looks good. And I can get at everything, which is helpful.

Wrapped up the One Story Many Voices class and caught up with my year-long students and private students. Worked on revisions and proposals.

Dump run on Sunday, getting rid of the recycling. Tried to do bottle return — I swear, they’re quick to charge the bottle deposit, but then try to make it impossible for you to return them and get the money back. Why is that? Because they hope you’ll give up and they can keep it, of course. I had to go to three different places before I found one where the machines were in service. Because, heaven forbid, the place where I BOUGHT them, where they CHARGED me, would have a working redemption center. Oh, they have the machines — but in the year and half I’ve lived here, they’ve been in working order exactly once.

Verizon Wireless are being dickheads, as usual. I’m so sick of these mega companies who think they are above the law. They’re NOT.

I have a lot of work on my plate today, along with yard work that has to get done, and errands and appointments. Setting as Character starts today, and it’s Beltane Eve.

Never a dull moment!

Devon

Fri. April 27, 2012: Happy Arbor Day! Plant a Tree (or Enjoy One)

Friday, April 27, 2012
Waxing Moon
Saturn Retrograde
Pluto Retrograde
Rainy and cool
Arbor Day

Yesterday was a complicated day. I went to yoga, thank goodness. It helped a lot. I felt much more like myself again after. It was a beautiful day.

Came home, got everything ready for my mom’s surgery. Took her to Sandwich, settled in to the waiting room. This time, we made sure it was NOT shown on the monitor in the waiting room! I started reading PD James’s DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY while I waited. The place was packed today.

She was in and out very quickly. She wasn’t as bouncy on the happy drugs this time, and the whole side of her face felt numb and bruised. Got her home and settled on the deck, where she could watch me put in the strawberries and plant the poppies. I’m not happy with this batch of strawberries from Johnny’s — they came in a moldy bag and look half dead. I’m going to contact them for advice. I planted them anyway, and some of them revived this morning, but I’m not convinced we’ll have a lovely yield like we did last year.

My mom rested in the afternoon, while I was nearby. We had some complications later on, but we called the office and they talked us through what to do.

Never made it back online last night — too exhausted. We all went to bed very early. Tessa stayed with my mom all afternoon and all night, little sweetheart. She knew something was different.

Up early this morning. My mom has an early follow-up appointment. Then, I have an Arbor Day event in Hyannis and my mom has to wait for the plumber (there’s a problem with the knob in the downstairs bathroom). Might try to make an appointment this afternoon, depending on the plumber’s time frame, or might put it off until tomorrow afternoon. I’ll definitely spend time with students Tomorrow, we’re doing some clean-up in Mother’s Park, and I either have to make that other appointment in the afternoon ANd wind up things with my students, or spend time with students AND catch up on a bunch of other things.

I also have several proposals that need to go out today, and a follow up on a proposal that went out last week.

Devon

Learn how to create complex, interesting, unique antagonists in the Amazing Antagonists online Seminar on May 12. More information and registration here.

Thurs. April 26, 2012: Working through a mini Dark Night of the Soul

Thursday, April 26, 2012
Waxing Moon
Saturn Retrograde
Pluto Retrograde
Sunny and cool


Yesterday just sucked. No two ways about it. Too many unpleasant things to be dealt with, all at once. By dinnertime, I just wanted to throw in the towel on just about everything and stay in bed for the next few weeks.

Not an option.

It was heartening to get into the workshops and see the leaps that some of my students have made in their work. There’s some outstanding stuff going on, and that brightened my mood enormously. I WANT them to succeed and achieve their writing dreams. They need to understand there’s no magic “Easy” button, that it takes work, commitment, persistence (because, really, if you can’t commit to a class of a week, a month, et al, how do you expect to commit to a career?). And if you quit every time it’s hard — it’s only going to get harder. When you triumph over a “hard” assignment, it’s that much more satisfying. And getting into the mindset of finishing what you start does more, in the long run, than anything other than writing steadily. Finish what you start until the end. See it through. It still might not sell. But the act of finishing gives you momentum into the next project. If you keep starting things and not finishing them, you sabotage yourself. You drain your energy on “maybes” instead of “dones.”

I still can’t completely shake this whatever-it-is. Yesterday, it was stomach bug and migraine. Today, my throat’s scratchy again. Time to get down to the stillroom and mix up some vile-tasting herbal concoction that’s going to blast it out.

My mom’s next surgery is today. She has a follow-up tomorrow, and the next few days are crazy busy.

I had a nightmare for the first time in months, too — set back in the old apartment.

But the sun is shining and the yard looks lovely, so I’m going to spend some time outside, too (although it’s kind of cold).

Devon

Are your antagonists ciphers instead of individuals? Join the Amazing Antagonists online Seminar on May 12 and make them spectacular! More information and registration here.

Wed. April 25, 2012: Inspiration vs. Stomach Bug

Flowering Almond

Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Waxing Moon
Saturn Retrograde
Pluto Retrograde
Sunny and cool

Hop on over to Gratitude and Growth for the latest on the garden with azaleas, lilacs, and our owl. Photos, too, though not of the owl, unfortunately.

First I had the flu; now I’ve got some sort of stomach bug and migraine. This is getting real old real fast!

Meditation was great yesterday, along with the discussion (which I think I mentioned in yesterday’s blog). Worked for a bit, had to run some errands over to Sandwich and in Marstons MIlls, came back, worked some more, managed to get part of the front mowed. Amazon untangled the mess I made of the author page; they were very nice about it, accepted my apology, and fixed it.

Then, had to dash off for the meeting for the theatre project. We met at Bobby Byrne’s, over in Masphee, and had a great discussion. We’re thinking along the same lines, took a bunch of notes. I’m going to draft up a bit of the proposal, send it to her for tweaks, and then we’ll submit it. We want to partner with two organizations, one on either end of the Cape, so we can do performances at both ends of the Cape. It may be too late to get funding for it, since we plan to do it in the fall, but we’ll give it a shot.

Still trying to chase down my check; still being ignored. Frustrating.

I have some unpleasant and stressful business to deal with this morning, then get the draft of this proposal out, a proposal out to another organization, work with my students, and work on a couple of other proposals.

I feel like crap, but I don’t have the option for another day in bed, and my mom’s next surgery is tomorrow, so there’s a lot to do.

However, stepping outside even for a few minutes to be in the garden is renewing.

Onward!

Devon

Don’t forget the Amazing Antagonists Seminar on Saturday, May 12th. More information and registration here.

Tues. April 24: Stormy Weather and Chasing Checks

Tuesday, April 25, 2012
Waxing Moon
Saturn Retrograde
Pluto Retrograde
Cloudy and cold

Hop on over to A Biblio Paradise and drop a comment to cheer my pal Karina Fabian’s new release, LIVE AND LET FLY. We met at Muse Conference my first year since, and have supported each other’s work ever since! Her writing’s energetic and fun and she knows how to tell a darned good story!

Worked hard yesterday, but it was one of those days where it felt like nothing got done. Lots of business/admin/proposals/pitches/marketing. I pitched for a few jobs — I’m pretty sure one of them thought it would cost $75 for the job that I calculated at $1200. But there was no pay range, and I was told to state my rate, so I did. Even at that rate, I’m undercutting some other people who do the same thing. But I doubt I’ll get it. And that’s okay. I’m worth the $1200. Speaking of being worth the money, I’m chasing down a major check and not having much luck. Different client this time. I’m being ignored. Sounds like we’ll have a parting of the ways coming up.

I’m revamping the Fearless Ink website. The workshop page is done here, and I like the result. Now, I’ve got to get the other pages up to speed. I’m not using it to its full capacity.

Janelle, the Organizational Goddess of Fearless Ink Workshops put up a Facebook Page for the site, but I’m not sure how it all works yet. There will be a writing tip several days per week, and notices about upcoming workshops. I think this is the URL, but I’m not sure. I’m not good at Facebook.

Worked on the author page for Annabel Aidan over at Amazon. It should be up in a few days. Worked on the Devon Ellington page, too, but made a huge mistake when I was trying to add the anthologies in which I’m included, which makes me look like I’m claiming authorship in a way I’m not. I contacted their tech team and explained how I screwed up, that I didn’t mean it to come across the way it did, apologize, and ask them how to fix it.

Got a nice chunk done in the writing sprint with my students yesterday — two solid scenes, and the start on the third.

Caught up on student work. There’s some great writing in the class, some of them have taken to the class like a duck to water, and re-envisioning each genre in truly witty and unique ways.

Finished WANTING SHEILA DEAD. It’s the first of this author’s books that kind of disappointed me. A lot of the major action happened off the page, and we HEARD explanations of it after the fact, a style choice that drove me nuts. There was so much good stuff in the book that, for the climactic scene to just stop where it did and then there be pages of explanation, without us seeing the moments after the Big Reveals and the actual confrontations with the perpetrators of both crimes, that I felt cheated.

Today, I went to meditation (we had a good talk after about applying the moment-to-moment of both action and awareness in the current political climate), and now I’ve got a ton of errands. Then, I have to try to track down that damn check. I’ve got a lot of work to get through at the desk after errands, and a meeting about a theatre project this afternoon.

Onward!

Devon

Don’t forget the one-day online seminar, Amazing Antagonists, on Saturday, May 12. More information and registration here.

Mon. April 23, 2012: Energizing Writing Weekend

Monday, April 23, 2012
Waxing Moon
Saturn Retrograde
Pluto Retrograde
Rainy and cool

A terrific writing weekend — now, if it can only spill over into the week!

First of all, I’ve got an essay up on Cape Cod Women Online, “The Leap Over the Canal” about moving to the Cape. It’s got both book covers in it, and I’m thrilled with the way it turned out. The two book covers look really nice together — I may do that for a mailing.

Second, Billy Root blogs about what it feels like to be an actor — a nice little behind-the-scenes taste. I hope you’ll stop by — and maybe even drop a comment. I’m very happy with the way this piece turned out.

I can’t remember all the way back to Friday, but I know it was busy. I know that I did about 1700 words in the sprint with the students, and I picked up violets and holly cuttings from a friend (we couldn’t dig up the whole tree–the root system’s too deep). It was a gorgeous day, and we drove around for a bit, exploring new-to-us back roads that will make life easier when the tourists clutter the main roads in the summer.

Got the proposal that was due out on time; now the waiting begins. Set up a meeting for tomorrow on the theatre projects.

Worked with my students in the evening.

Saturday, I rewrote a half a dozen short stories (some of them massively) and sent them out. Slowly, but surely, I’m catching up on the backlog. I worked with my students.

Sunday, I decided to leisurely start something I thought was due mid-May (a first chapter and an outline), so I wouldn’t have to rush. I re-read the submission materials request and realized — it’s due TODAY. Mid-May is if you make it past the initial round.

Okaaay. Butt in chair, kick the brain into gear. I’d played with the idea, so I had a good sense of where I wanted to go with it. As I worked it, however, I realized that I’d focused on the wrong character as the primary male protagonist. So I tweaked it, and suddenly the whole book opened out. The chapter worked better than it had initially (I’d worked on it a few weeks ago, before I even got the request). The synopsis, which I’d loosely sorted in my head, came together beautifully. I’ve got a solid piece now, and I’m happy with it. Revised the chapter a few times, tightened the synopsis, and out it went. I feel good about it. Even if this particular place decides not to take it, I’ve got something solid I can work on and sell elsewhere.

Started percolating on some non-fiction proposals I want to get out in the next few weeks. I re-read Michael Larsen’s book on proposals. I kind of do most of that anyway when I put together a proposal package, but re-reading it made me more aware of the steps, and the order.

I skipped the Green Drinks event — the weather was vile, and I was in that fragile state of percolation/creation that can be derailed at the slightest wrong prod. So I stayed home and worked. And seeded the lawn right before the rain.

Read Sonia Singh’s novel GHOST, INTERRUPTED, which was really fun, and started Jane Haddam’s WANTING SHEILA DEAD, which I’m thoroughly enjoying.

Long day ahead of me at the desk. I hope I can use some of that positive momentum I achieved this weekend to propel me through the week. It was heaven to spend the bulk of the day on my own writing.

However, I’ve also got some business and PR stuff to attend to today.

Better hop to it!

Devon

Don’t forget the next two one-day seminars! Amazing Antagonists on May 12 and Setting Up Your Submission System on June 2.

Fri. April 20, 2012: Back to the World of the Living

Bugleweed and Scotch Moss

Friday, April 20, 2012
Dark Moon
Saturn Retrograde
Pluto Retrograde
Sunny and pleasant

Yesterday, I stayed in bed. I mean, I did a few things on the computer and watered the grass, but then I stayed in bed for the rest of the day. I feel better today, just low-energy. It was the right choice. And one day is misery was, I think, getting off pretty easy. I felt icky for about a week, but I really had only one bad day.

Mostly, I napped, read a book on meditation, and read Edmund Wilson’s diaries from the 1960s. I had a breakthrough of an idea in the book I’m editing, which will then spill into the second book in the trilogy. I mapped out, mentally, a few more proposals that will go out today, and came up with three ideas for non-fiction books that I plan to get into proposal stage over the next few weeks. The great thing about non-fiction is you can submit a PROPOSAL with the first three chapters, rather than fiction, where, until you have a long-term contract, you have to write the whole book first. I did some blah-blah, talking off the top of my head, and I even have a few people willing to look at them, with an eye towards contract.

The next two Fast & Fun Workshop registrations are live. The detailed information on Amazing Antagonists, on May 12, is here, and the Setting Up Your Submission System, on June 2, is here. Both are one-day, quick, and information-packed, well worth the price.

Later this morning, I head off to a friend’s (one of my fellow Bellini Girls) to pick up a small holly tree she needs to re-home and some violets. Hey, if it’s a holly tree, I’ll find a spot!

The tulips are gorgeous, the flowering almond is blooming, even some of last year’s pansies decided to be perennials instead of annuals.

Now, if I can settle down and get the work done — it’s all good! Hope to get a lot of writing done this weekend, and some more mowing and garden stuff. And get a bunch of proposals out, so that the coming moon cycle is rosy and abundant! Sunday, I’ve been invited to a Green Drinks event — not really sure what that is, but it sounds like fun, so why not? If I’m feeling up to it.

Devon

Thurs. April 19, 2012: Officially, The Flu

Thursday, April 19, 2012
Waning Moon
Saturn Retrograde
Pluto Retrograde
Cloudy and cool

Well, the mystery illness finally blossomed into full-blown flu last night — chills, fever, congestion, the works. At least I know what it is, so I can deal with it, instead of a little symptom of this here, another symptom there.

I cancelled out of everything I was supposed to do today, and am staying in bed, once I’m done with a few things here. It means missing yoga and a farewell lunch for a colleague, but illness is not an appropriate parting gift!

Caught up with students, mowed the terraced back (and then lay down in the grass for awhile to recover). I got some spray to make the mower catch faster, and it works. Fell in love with a Scotch Broom plant that’s a bit beyond my budget right now, but will keep an eye on it. My neighbor gave me three kinds of lettuce, and they went into the vegetable bed. Put down some grass seed in the front, where it’s looking a bit bald, and where I killed some grass fighting ants last year. Hopefully, it will come up.

We had our first taste of the garden– mixed greens and chives in yesterday’s lunch. Yummy!

Got some good edits done on the book, and also wrote 816 on the second book, in a half hour sprint with the students. Am pondering the proposals that need to go out tomorrow, and will finalize them later today.

I got up this morning to cancel out of obligations in a reasonable time, and to water the grass seed. Am going to check in with students, and then go back to bed and get rid of this damn flu once and for all. I think I’m past the worst of it — that was last night– but I want to make sure it’s gone!

I’m over at the Writers Vineyard today, talking about the garden’s influence on my writing.

Back to bed.

Devon

Wed. Apirl 18, 2012: Pay now or Pay later?

Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Waning Moon
Saturn Retrograde
Pluto Retrograde
Sunny and cool

I’ve got a new post over on Gratitude and Growth about the tulips! I’m so delighted with them.

Yesterday was just frustrating, because I felt so lousy. I kept getting dizzy, which meant I had to keep lying down. Pared back errands to the absolute minimum, and couldn’t even get on line to deal with student work until the evening. I managed to bake a cake for a neighbor’s birthday and take it over, and I got most of the vegetable seeds planted, but that’s it. And a bit of editing. Not much on the creative front though — I realized the last 6K or so I wrote on the second book in the trilogy isn’t appropriate for the book, so I had to cut it and put it in another file for use somewhere else later, if appropriate. Just because you wrote it doesn’t mean the reader has to read it! 😉

Still feel low this morning, but hope I can get it together to get some more stuff done. Want to get a bit of yard work done, have to pay some bills, have to follow up on a big check that should have arrived already, and see if I can get the mower working.

Will also try to rest. There’s always that dilemma — do I rest now to try to make the illness shorter, or push through to get done what needs to be done and pay more later?

Devon

Tues. April 17, 2012: Under the Weather– But Exciting Prospects!

Tessa and Violet

Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Waning Moon
Saturn Retrograde
Pluto Retrograde
Sunny and pleasant

The weather’s pleasant, but, unfortunately, I’ve come down with something and feel like crap. It’s nothing major — just enough to slow me down and make me whiny — which is how I know it’s nothing major! 😉

I got some yard work done yesterday morning. I really need to get the mower fixed, because suddenly the grass is growing rapidly. The tulips are gorgeous — it looks like they’re all going to come up. We also put out the furniture on the deck, and rearranged some of the plants, bringing out some hardy ones (the nights are still a bit cool).

Tessa scooted out, and I wound up chasing her around the front yard for a bit, finally catching her. She was given the “Bad Kitty” lecture, and, when we’re to-ing and fro-ing, she will either be shut in my room or the bathroom. She’s only allowed out on the harness & leash — it’s too dangerous otherwise, with hawks and coyotes and cars.

Prepped for my client meeting in the afternoon, went to it, and it looks like things will move forward positively there. I need to finalize a couple of more specifics by the end of the week, and then I should have additional, very exciting work through summer into the fall. We hit it off, so let’s hope it works out. They’re also interested in the collaborative theatre piece a friend and I want to develop, which I’m only half-jokingly referring to as “The GOP Needs to Say Out of My Uterus (They Weren’t Invited).”

So, we’ll see where all of that goes. Nothing is final until the contract is signed.

I felt progressively worse as the day wore on, unable to effectively comment on student work. There’s nothing wrong with the work — I just couldn’t formulate anything helpful to say. And I’m not going to give them meaningless platitudes — that’s not why they’re there.

Which means, of course, I’m behind today, and I’ve got a ton of errands, and there’s yard work to be done, and my own, deadlined work. I have to get the balance back between the classwork and my own work. It is way out of whack.

I didn’t go to meditation this morning, because I felt like such crap. Instead, I put Tessa in the harness, and I meditated on the deck while Miss Thing was teased by a songbird in the lilac bush. I’ve got laundry going downstairs, and I’m trying to get some work done before running errands; then, this afternoon will be devoted to student work. Hopefully, I can get caught up and be able to sign out at a reasonable time this evening.

It was nearly 90 degrees up in Boston for the marathon yesterday; it was much more temperate here. Thank goodness!

Back to the page.

Devon

April 16, 2012: Lovely weather for Patriot’s Day!

Monday, April 16, 2012
Waning Moon
Saturn Retrograde
Pluto Retrograde
Sunny and warm

Busy weekend, and I’m exhausted. Had to work hard, and now I’m feeling like I’m coming down with something, so I’m being a bit careful.

Friday was a busy day, prepping for the seminar. But I took the promised break in the middle of the day — I’d been invited to go with friends to Heritage Museums and Gardens for an author talk about Eudora Welty and the garden. I went with two friends, and we had a great time. After the lecture, we got to walk the grounds — it didn’t open for the season until the next day. The landscaping is stunning there, and everyone we met was enjoying the final preparations and the day. It was so beautiful out — sunny and not too hot.

We stopped in Sandwich at a shop called The Spotted Cod, which has some really nice stuff, and then went to the Beehive Tavern for a little snack. We were brainstorming/half-joking about a mystery series called “The Bellini Girls” about a trio of Bellini-swigging women (who loved Nancy Drew growing up) who wind up solving mysteries on Cape Cod. In other words, comic cozies. I think it would be fun to play with that idea. I’m sure, by the time I finish, it will have grown away from our original joking around, but it seems like something fun.

First, though, I have to get my contracted deadlines out of the way! 😉

Was up working on smoothing out the last minute technical stuff for the seminar until nearly midnight on Friday. Add to that the frustration of not being able to access the Savvy Authors forum at all to comment on student work — kept getting “attack page” warnings. Poor things, they’re working hard to fix the problem, and it’s been dragging on now for a couple of months. Makes it hard for all of us to meet our deadlines, but, as I said to them, we just do the best we can, give each other a bit of room. There are quite a few regulars, and I know that they’re conscientious, and I don’t want them to feel bad for something that’s not their fault.

Managed to catch up on the student work from both classes on Saturday in and around being online non-stop for the seminar hours. It was good group, although some of them were a little shy. Some of them are new students, and we’re learning our rhythms with each other.

Saturday night, I had to go to bed early (raging migraine). Read the papers Sunday, wound up the final seminar questions, finished the PDF of the companion handbook to the seminar — had to drop in the cover, add the indicia page, and add the resources. I put together a reading list of books that I think cover what we discussed, plus some of my favorite writing books, plus a pretty extensive list of volumes of diaries and letters that are helpful in attaining the cadences of an historical time period. Since I collect volumes of diaries and letters, I had to pick and choose, or the list would have run close to 30 pages! I think the final one is about three! Had to proofread it, too, and wowza! Missed some doozies of typos in the lectures, but they’re fixed in the handbook, so it’s all good. The handbook went out last night, so everyone’s got a long term reference guide.

The next one-day seminar is on Antagonists, and it’s May 12, and then, on June 2, I have a one-day seminar on Setting Up Your Submission System. The registration for both of those will open later this week. They’re the same deal — in real time on Saturday, where participants can read lectures, post relevant snippets, ask questions, get individual feedback, final questions on Sunday, and then a PDF of the lectures, exercises, and additional resources.

It’s Monday, which means Billy Root’s blogging, so go on over and check it out. Good news!

This week will be crazy-busy, but in a different, hopefully less stressful way than last week. This afternoon (even though it’s a holiday here), I’ve got a client meeting. I’m looking forward to it — hopefully, we’re a good fit and can start a mutually beneficial relationship over the next few months.

And I’ve GOT to get back to the page. I’ve done only the minimum the past few days, and that’s not enough.

Got to do some yard work today, and will do it early, before it gets too hot. Sometimes, Mother Nature’s deadlines are more pressing than anyone else’s!

Devon

Fri. April 13, 2012: Last Chance to Sign Up!

Last chance to sign up for Dialogue Dilemmas and Solutions, the 1-day online Seminar. This is the only time it will be offered in 2012! Registration closes tonight — class is tomorrow, April 14. Sign up here.

Friday, April 13, 2012
Waning Moon
Mars Direct (thank goodness)
Saturn Retrograde
Pluto Retrograde
Sunny and cool

Yesterday was just a tough day. We all have them; we get through them the best we can and move on. I have some things I need to take care of in the coming weeks, so I have to adjust my schedule slightly, and then make sure I don’t get into this situation again.

Worked a lot, but it didn’t feel like I got anything done. Again, we all have those days. You do the best you can to get through it.

I’m looking forward to the afternoon — some friends and I are going over to Heritage Museum & Gardens for a talk on Eudora Welty and the garden. Should be amazing!

In the meantime, I’m putting my head down to meet a deadline before I go, and then I’ve got another one to meet when I return. Plus, in One Story, Many Voices, the next story is due today., so I’ll have to check in there. I’m having a lot of trouble with that site — the browsers claim it’s an “attack site”, I keep getting locked out, kicked off, etc. I feel bad for them — they’ve had trouble for the last few months. It’s hard to balance that compassion for their struggles with the frustration of not being able to get into the site and deal with the student work — I have a finite amount of time and if I can’t get in, it throws everything off. But really, it’s not their fault, so I’m trying to keep it in perspective, and we’re all doing the best we can and muddling through.

I’m hoping to get a good chunk of writing done on Sunday on “Town Crier” with my new direction for it.

Deep breath, step by step, that’s all we can do, right?

Have a great weekend. At least it’s Friday the 13th. I LOVE Friday the 13th!

Devon

Thurs. April 12, 2012: Flurry of Paperwork

Thursday, April 12, 2012
Waning Moon
Mars Retrograde
Saturn Retrograde
Pluto Retrograde
Cloudy and cold

Lots of computer work yesterday, working with students, admin for Saturday’s workshop, polishing lectures, getting the pages ready for ebook conversion, admin in other areas of my life, gathering papers for taxes (I was more scattered than I should be this year keeping track of receipts, and I’m paying the price). The only day I have to finish my taxes is today. Tomorrow, I’m going out and I have to do the final prep for Saturday’s seminar; Saturday I’m teaching all day. I COULD have done them on Sunday, but here Monday is a holiday (Patriot’s Day) so the post office isn’t open. MA taxes aren’t due until Tuesday, but the Federal have to go out by Saturday. That means finishing them today.

We’re in the revision process in the year long (while working on the next novel), and the One Story Many Voices first stories were due yesterday. For some reason, it’s a shorter workshop this time around –3 weeks instead of the usual four, so I’ve done some rearrangement. The afternoon sprints in company are working well for me (heck, I wrote a little over 1800 words yesterday and I even like most of them). The revisions on Book 1 make Book 2 much easier.

I need to focus on taxes and the workshop for the next few days, and then get back to novel deadlines.

This is the last chance to sign up for the Dialogue Dilemmas and Solutions Workshop (and the only time it will be offered online this year), so please do so here.

Dates will be announced for Amazing Antagonists and Setting Up Your Submission System early next week, along with those registration pages.

I’ve got to run to yoga (I need it), but then it’s a frenzy of paper all day long!

Devon