Got next week’s Process Muse polished and scheduled. Did the social media rounds to promote yesterday’s episode of Angel Hunt, yesterday’s Process Muse on marketing, and the day’s #28Prompts.
Did a final polish and proofread of the article, added the photos, and sent it off. It’s in a week before deadline, which gives us time to work on it, if needed, since it’s the first time I’ve worked with this publication. The editor confirmed that she received it, so now it’s just about waiting for notes and doing another pass, if necessary.
“Met” a fellow serial writer over on Mastodon who has the same serial up on both Vella and Substack. I didn’t think one could, but she said as long as Substack stays behind a paywall, one can. I have to grow my Substack a little (a lot) more before I can even think of paywalls, but that’s good to know, and I’m curious as to how the two platforms A/B test.
I feel the beginnings of an article happening. I’ll have to figure out a pitch and then decide which editor to which to pitch it. I can think of a couple who might like it.
I think I will tie the Legerdemain giveaway to the 100th episode of the serial. Not sure when I’ll do the Angel Hunt giveaway; sometime this summer, probably. I’m deciding what kind of swag to get done for each serial, along with some other fun stuff to put in.
Submitted a play to a call. Turned around a couple of pitches and scoring sheets. Started a coverage, and will finish it and do another today. Finished one book for review. Stayed up way too late with the other (because it was really good) and finished that one, too. Will write up the two reviews this morning, send them off, and ask for my next assignment.
The second box of contest entries is on the way, which means I better finish the first batch this weekend. But I’m in decent shape, and not worried. I do have to enter some scores on the sheets, though.
Meditation this morning, then writing, then coverage. I might get out a couple of LOIs, too. Skipping an online event today, because they are AGAIN talking about “niche.” I’ve participated in this conversation multiple times and I have nothing new of value to add. I am the anti-niche. That is why I continue to build my career in economic downturns – because I’m not limited to “niche.” But they don’t want to hear that, because the bulk of them bow to the Altar of Niche. Hey, it works for them, great, but as I said, I’ve had the conversations before, I have nothing new to add, so there’s no point in participating.
Same with the writers who keep asking about balancing “personal” and “professional” writing. Honey, ALL my writing is professional, even if it hasn’t yet been contracted, or I’m experimenting in new forms. It’s all a part of my career. And, as I’ve said a gazillion times, I can do this because I always put my own work first, and build the client work and other responsibilities around that. Which doesn’t mean I short shrift the client. The client gets full concentration and talent; I just arrange my workday differently, aiming different energies to different tasks, so they all get good work.
Putting your own work first does not mean you are neglecting your family or your other responsibilities. It energizes you and allows you to have a stronger relationship with all of the other parts of your life.
In meditation this morning, we did something very interesting: we were asked to be aware of the blood flowing in our bodies. What a strange sensation! Not negative, although a little disquieting. But very interesting.
I have bread on the rise. I’m not going out in this weather (except to dump the garbage and pick up the mail). I’ll make breakfast, and then it’s back to the page.
There was supposed to be a big storm, so I didn’t prepare for the usual early laundromat run, and, of course, now it’s fine. Oh, well. Too late now, or it throws off the whole day.
Yesterday, I did the social media rounds in the morning for Legerdemain and 28 Prompts, and caught up on email, because I was having trouble with deep focus. I felt scattered, and like I wasn’t getting anything done about anything.
Lots of “authors” giving interviews about how they never thought they’d publish a book until AI. Making a list, and will cross check any time I’m tempted by an eBook from Amazon (or anywhere else) to see if they or any pseudonym associated with them is on my list, so I can avoid them. It’s definitely going to change the way I look at ads/consider buying digital books. Sometimes one can tell from the very generic blurbs and just avoid them, but I need to make a more concerted effort.
Dewi Hargreaves wrote an excellent piece on the AI dilemma for small magazines, over on Medium. Definitely worth checking out. Author Suzan Palumbo posted an excellent thread over on Twitter about how we need to stop calling it “Artificial Intelligence” and call it what it is: “Electronic Colonialization.” It’s there to destroy the natural artistic habitat in order for the colonizers to profit. That is the most accurate description I’ve seen to date.
Back in the 1970’s when I was in elementary school, “they” extolled how robots would take over mundane, repetitive, and dangerous tasks so we’d all have more “leisure time” to pursue our passions. Instead, we work longer hours for less, and the colonizers are determined to destroy artists because they can and do change the world, expanding understanding of a variety of experiences, and that goes against the corporate model. We had the chance to build something wonderful as a society; instead, there wasn’t enough collective will and too much apathy. Individual rights stripped away, especially when it comes to bodily autonomy, book bans, electronic colonization to destroy artists’ livelihoods so they can’t expand perceptions and understandings, no consequences to criminals criming in real time on video and gloating about it. There were plenty of us screaming about this since Reagan, at the very least (that’s when I was old enough to be aware of it). We were called alarmists and told to calm down. But we were realists. And the larger, more collective “we” kept giving incremental ground until now we are boiled frogs.
Took my mom to the doctor for her regular checkup. Was happy to see that masking is still a requirement. We picked up Korean food on the way home (and it was wonderful).
I had to go back and reconstruct the entire article, after all that “making the individual voices sing.” The editor wants it in a very specific Q & A format, not what I had constructed for voice, rhythm, and flow. Fortunately, I had sent the questions in that type of format, and my master document was in that format, so it was about reshaping the original answers along with some of the choices I’d made for flow and build into a more traditional interview. There’s so much material I couldn’t use in the article that I might try to pitch something using some of that to other publications, if my interview subjects are open to that.
My opinion about such strict formatting for this type of article doesn’t matter. It’s my job to serve the material and the interview subjects in the structure the editor wants and needs.
So that’s (hopefully) what I did.
This morning, I will give it another proofread, check and make sure I have the names spelled correctly, zip the photo file, and send it off.
People who whine about “not having time” for their creative work always get so offended when I point out the reason I have a career in the arts is that I always put my own work first, and taking on other work only has the purpose of supporting mine, not interfering with it. But it’s true; if I kept turning down theatre productions because I was worried about keeping a “day job” I wouldn’t have made it to Broadway. I always quit the day job, worked the show, and then got another day job, which was then quit the next time I landed a show, and, eventually, Broadway was my only job. Okay, no, that’s not true, I often worked a television show on my theatre dark day, but it was still work in my profession. I wasn’t doing an office job I kept out of fear. I made the decision when I was 18 that I would make a living in the arts, and therefore I did.
After the article goes off, the attention goes back to tearing about and restructuring the very short radio plays, hopefully doing some work on Legerdemain, and turning around a script coverage. I need to do the social media rounds for today’s episode of Angel Hunt and #28Prompts.
I’m grumpy today, and a little discouraged about the landscape as a whole, even though I have some good things looming on my personal horizon. Hopefully, digging back into the work will help me get over myself.
I hope you had a lovely weekend, and I’m looking forward to our usual Tuesday catch up.
Friday, I finished, polished, and uploaded tomorrow’s Process Muse post. The plan is to get all of the March posts written, polished, and uploaded this week, and hopefully get April’s done next week, because April will be a very busy month.
I did a library pickup/drop-off, a quick grocery shop, swung by the liquor store. Picked up a couple of African violets. Ours didn’t recover from the move – but then, they’d survived nearly a decade, and that’s unusual.
Most of the day was devoted to the article, building it like a symphony, stepping back to let the voices of those interviewed shine. I hate it when interviewers try to make it all about them. I have more material than I can use, so it was a case of building, then tightening for flow.
I stayed up far too late reading MADLY, DEEPLY: THE DIARIES OF ALAN RICKMAN. I never had the honor of working with him, unfortunately, but we’ve worked with some of the same people, and it was fascinating to get his take on some stories I’d heard via others. His commitment to the truth of the work and the complexity of the work is always something I admired. Some actors want a lot of room to do whatever they want; he wants to know the director has actually done his job and prepared, but at the same time doesn’t micromanage every emotion. Emma Thompson wrote the most beautiful foreword to the book, which is worth reading all on its own.
Had a few moments of fun on Twitter, and then someone who should know better started making misogynistic comments, and I am just done.
Set up a Lnk.bio that I can use on Instagram, et el. I like their setup better than Linktree’s. I have the serials, the websites, and some other stuff up there. That will help driving traffic from Instagram to the various projects. Pleased that the metrics on traffic are up from both Post and CounterSocial, at least when it comes to Process Muse.
Put in the Chewy order, because those little monsters like their meals on time.
I didn’t sleep well. The fluctuation temperatures and barometric shifts are doing a number on me. But the day was bright and sunny, always good to lift the spirits.
We headed for The Plant Connector on Main Street. No easy feat, since the street was closed down for a WinterFest. I hope all the stores did well. I found a philodendron and a spider plant to replace the ones that didn’t survive the move; I will transplant them this week to more permanent pots. I might put them in my bedroom, although I have to check the Feng Shui on that.
It was such a nice day, we didn’t want to go home right away, so we headed up to Bennington, VT. Nice, clear drive. It’s nice to be up in this corner, with easy access to our own MA, to NY, and VT. And no bridges to worry about. I feel bad for people near the Sagamore Bridge, who are losing their homes to eminent domain for the new bridge, and glad we are not there (and hadn’t moved closer to the Sagamore Bridge; we looked at a few places before we moved here).
Found a lovely, deep red satin runner in one of our favorite stores, and, on the way back found a dark-wood-finished compass rose folding table at another favorite store. Someone scrawled on it with a sharpie, so it needs a little TLC, but it’s a lovely piece. Add that to the chips-and-dip dishes in the form of oversized playing cards that I picked up on Friday, and I made a quirky set of purchases this weekend.
I decided that I needed to take Saturday off completely. Saturday was the day before the dark moon, which is always my lowest energy day of the month anyway, and I need to work with that, instead of planning to get things done and running out of energy. I read, some for pleasure, some for research. I’m re-reading POEM CRAZY, a book I bought a long time ago in the shop of the main NYPL. My copy is in storage down on the Cape, so I ordered it from the library, and am enjoying it. I got a chance to work a bit with my new Midnight City Tarot deck and love it.
I went through the research books for Malta that have to go back to the library, as background for the big section of the Heist Romance script that happens there. But first, we have sections in Corsica, Sardinia, and then back in the UK (London and York, specifically).
I hunted down some research books via Boston Public Library (I have an e-card) and WorldCat. Turns out one is right across the street in the college library, so I will trek over there this week to see if I can get it. The other, so far, is only available in the UK, but maybe I can get a digital copy.
The only thing I did online was the #28Prompt for the day, and read an email from my best friend from NYU days. We’ve stayed close through the years, and are navigating this stage of our lives, and helping each other figure out possibilities. He and I have been through a lot together over the decades.
I played with some ideas, without pressure. I have to see what form they choose to take, if any of them do.
Sunday had a nice, slow start, which is fine. When I was putting together information for a residency proposal I submitted a week or so ago, I came across information on Anna Katharine Green, who was the first woman in the US to publish detective fiction and set up the “serial detective.” Her work inspired writers like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, and Mary Roberts Rinehart, and we still use a lot of the tropes today. She was a prolific and successful writer in the novel and short story formats, and even wrote a few plays. She was married to an actor who was eight years younger than she was – unusual in the Victorian/Edwardian era. Her father didn’t approve of his career, so he gave it up (temporarily, because, you know, theatre) to design cast iron stoves and, later, furniture, before returning to the stage now and again. They sound like they had a lot of fun together over the years, with their various interests, and raising their children in Buffalo. She was a fellow introvert, which makes me feel even more connected.
She is peripheral to the project I proposed for the residency (although a part of it), but I’m interested in her and her work. I wound up ordering a copy of the book for myself, because I can think of at least three projects on which I can use it as background. I’d love to write one of my Historical Women plays about her at some point, so we’ll put that into the hopper and see when the opportunity comes up (or when I have to create that opportunity). It won’t be any time soon, although I did manage to snag a complete collection of her work for Kindle for 99 cents, and can read it in my travels this summer.
I turned around a coverage for a series treatment, did the rounds for #28Prompts, and received another bit of info I needed for the article.
I was saddened to hear about the death of Richard Belzer. I was acquainted with him, briefly, while working on a LAW & ORDER spinoff back in my NYC days, and being loaned over the other L&O shows on occasion, or doing drop-offs and pickups at that studio. I liked and respected him a lot. I was also saddened to hear about President Carter in hospice. Would we had more like him and fewer like Reagan/Bush/Trump.
Read the third book in a series where I loved the first book, was frustrated by the second book, and am even more frustrated by the third book. Complex motivations for some of the characters feel like they’re being twisted to actually support misogynistic, conservative points while masquerading as progressive, and that irks me. I also loathe the central female protagonist even more in this book than in the last book. Another issue I’m having is that these characters have been together over a period of years, in a series of life-and-death situations, always coming through for each other. But instead of those relationships building, they don’t talk to each other. The relationships are static, with the characters making same mistakes from book to book instead of learning from them and growing, and it annoys me.
Charlotte and Tessa tried to roust me out of bed at 4:30 in the morning, but I wasn’t having it. However, around 6, I was awakened by the call of the crows. I went to the window. Thousands of migrating birds were passing through, from south to north. The crows herded them toward Windsor Lake (about ¾ of a mile up the nearby mountain) rather than letting them use our street as a rest stop.
It was fascinating, beautiful, and a little terrifying to watch.
Started reading the fourth book in the series I’ve talked about. The corporate publisher had dropped the series after book 3, and this is with a different publisher. Its energy and tone and much more like the first book in the series, but better, at least so far. The complexities aren’t diluted or shied away from here, and the central female character isn’t as much of an idiot (at least so far).
Which begs the question: did the corporate publisher water down and edit those two middle books to be more conservative, and, when wishy-washy didn’t hold the audience, then drop the series?
Something to think about.
The individual who made the insulting remark and whom I called out on Twitter last Friday apologized, I accepted, and we’re all good. That’s a relief, at least.
But cutting back social media time and getting it more balanced as part of my business that still builds individual connections is still a good choice.
Uploaded and scheduled next week and the following week’s episode graphics for Legerdemain, and this week’s for ANGEL HUNT. Set up the expense tracker file for what’s covered by the grant so I can just enter information as it happens and it’s all set for the reports and other paperwork that have to be filled out, both for the grant, and next year for taxes. Did the social media rounds for the blogs and #28Prompts. Had to fill out a report with Amazon, because I got a suspicious text message pretending to be from Amazon. I’m not dumb enough to believe it or click any links, but I sure as heck reported it.
Pleased by Biden’s trip to the Ukraine. Also pleased that he has a team around him that knows when to keep its individual and collective mouths shut.
CLARKESWORLD shut their submissions down because they’re being flooded with AI-generated short stories. As usual, the dilettantes ruin it for everyone. Professional writers do the actual writing and use their unique creative process to build their careers. I can see this evolving into a situation where you’ll only be able to submit to a magazine if they know someone who can vouch for you, and, once again, too many good writers will be cut out of the process. I’m glad that magazines are taking a stand against AI, that’s for sure, but there will be a period in the course correction that hurts a lot of legitimate writers. As usual.
Zuckerberg is monetizing scammers now on FB and Facebook, huh. Not surprising, but disappointing. He lets scammers scam, and charges monthly protection fees to verify accounts. How Mafia-like. I was also disturbed with the lack of grace Spoutible had in handling questions about their TOS. The cultists immediately piled on harassment, screaming that those questioning wanted to allow porn on the site. No, they were asking what this site’s definition was for “adult content” because a lot of romance writers include various levels of sex scenes in their books, and they wanted to know the boundaries of promoting their work on the platform. My interpretation of the TOS fit what I’m looking for in the platform, but others asked for clarifications, and that needs to be valid. There was a lot of discussion, pre-launch, about supporting individual artists and creators, and encouraging debate. And yet, this is how the situation was handled. Big red flag. Several writers and artists for whom I have the greatest respect left the platform. I heard of others being banned, although I did not directly see that. Rumors now circulate that if one even criticizes them on another platform, one is banned for life. Spoutible claimed it banned only harassers; but I saw plenty of the cultists harassing yesterday without any consequences. If I’m banned, I’m banned. That’s the way it goes. It’s not like I’m important enough to impact their numbers, one way or another. It would just be about control. Every platform has its positives and negatives. I’m wondering if social media, in general, has shot its wad and is spent.
And those people panicking “how am I going to build community without social media?” Oh, come on. We built community for centuries without it. We went out there and DID THE WORK. The internet makes it both easier and harder, but, for fuck’s sake, use a little imagination and stop expecting other people to do your work for you. No wonder so many wanna-bes are using AI for stories and novels. They’re too damn lazy to create their own work.
Found out for certain that someone is muting me, except for the one hour each week she wants me to contribute to her numbers. All I can do is shake my head, laugh, and move on.
Worked on the article. It’s not quite where I want it yet. I think I need another day or two. You see why I don’t take on assignments where I’m supposed to generate a dozen or so articles a week. That doesn’t work for me. This is taking more time than usual, but that’s because I want to make sure the individual voices in the article sing, rather than just being support material. It’s more of an experiential piece than an instructional piece.
Did some small tweaks on a play I wrote a few years back, and that holds up well. Got it out the door. Got another play out the door to another market. I really need to build some more full-length plays into the roster. I have plenty of one acts of various lengths, but I need more full-lengths. WOMAN IN THE SHADOWS, FALL FOREVER, and FROZEN AT THE PALACE THEATRE should take care of that this year. I’m not sure where I’ll fit WOMAN in yet (that’s the full-length play about Kate Warne, the first female Pinkerton, about whom I’ve written several one acts), but FALL FOREVER is up in April with Dramatists’ Guild End of Play event, and FROZEN AT THE PALACE THEATRE is a piece I used for a residency application in winter, so we’ll see.
Dreamed I was researching in a big, beautiful library, which was a lovely dream. But I woke up with a post-research headache, made worse by the pre-storm headache. Another series of storms comes in, starting today, for the rest of the week. Hadley already has a couple of inches of snow.
This morning is work on the article. Around mid-day, I have to take my mom for her regular doctor’s appointment. Hopefully, the storm won’t be too bad by then. When we get back, it’s social media rounds for today’s episode of Legerdemain and #28Prompts, and then I hope to either do more work on the article, or work on those very short radio plays. I need to rebuild the beats from scratch, not try to re-assign lines from three characters to two.
There we go, lots going on. Hope you had a great weekend and are starting a great week!
It’s going to be 57F during the day, and go down to 18F tonight. Ick.
Meditation was good yesterday. Charlotte participated in almost the entire session, and was delighted.
Wrote the loglines for the next batch of Legerdemain episodes, and started uploading/scheduling next week’s promos. Didn’t get far, because I needed to point the time to other things, so I’ll catch up over the weekend.
Got everything all sorted out for the grant recipient celebration on March 31 at the Clark Institute. I just have to figure out what to wear, and I’m all set. Possibly my teal and black dress, or one of the Banana Republic knit dresses in red or gray (if it’s on the cooler side). I have six weeks to figure it out, so I’m not going to stress (too much). Hopefully, I’ll have had my hair cut by then.
They told me I don’t have to do anything but show up. Having done these before, and that not being the case, I’ll be ready with something to say if asked to speak, and a quick piece of my work. With any luck, I won’t have to use either, but at least I won’t be caught out.
The stitch markers finally arrived, so maybe I can get started on the piece in the thin alpaca yarn I bought when the local yarn shop closed a few months back.
Did the rounds to promote yesterday’s episode of Legerdemain and #28Prompts. Did some research on schedules for a couple of things, so I won’t get caught up closer to the time.
Worked on the article. Most of today will be spent on that, and on organizing the photos, so that the editor can choose which photos to use.
Typed up and revised, revised, revised the very short comic radio plays until the rhythms worked, the jokes landed, and the punch lines hit. Started prepping them to submit — and saw, in the guidelines, that the plays can only have 2 characters, and I used 3. Ack. Re-assigning lines flattens the pieces out, losing the rhythms. I have to tear them apart and rebuild them completely. I’m so mad at myself. As 3-handers, they’d been worked to the point where they really worked. That’s what I get for not paying attention to the submission guidelines properly from the beginning. I have only myself to blame.
Read the second book in a series where I’d really liked the first book, and was frustrated by the second book. It took a hard turn to right ideology, while pretending to support the left. And the central female character behaved like an idiot throughout. I wanted to bitch slap her multiple times. So the book frustrated me, instead of delighting me, the way the first one had.
Went through the artist resource for the list and found a few things to send to a friend that are more suited to the work she does than to the work I do.
I had another working dream last night, in the same brick buildings I’d dreamed about the night before. Charlotte woke me around 3:30. When I finally got back to sleep, I was back in a cottage on a mansion’s lakeside property (I recognized it from a previous dream). Willa had gotten out (except I kept calling her ‘Irina’ for some reason). I went looking for her. The door to the big house was propped open, so I went in, and it was full of cats. So I hunted through the rooms, looking for Willa. I could hear Tessa, in real life, yelling that she wanted her breakfast, and I tried to tell her that I had to find Willa in the house first, but couldn’t. For some reason, author Elle Griffin was in the dream, too, making pancakes and folding laundry. Go figure.
Today is about the article, with breaks to run some errands. There are more books to pick up at the library. I need to go to the store to get coffee and oat milk. I need to swing by the liquor store. I might make another stop or two, if it’s not raining too hard. But most of the focus will be on the article.
A script and a treatment are in my cue, both at decent rates. They’re not due until Tuesday, so I don’t have to read this weekend, unless I want to. I might turn the treatment around, and leave the script for Monday, since it’s a long coverage.
Over the weekend, I need to do some work on both Legerdemain and Angel Hunt, and prep a couple of other things. I need to do some research for the next section of the Heist Romance Script, and a future section (because I need to return some books next week). I also want to do a lot of work on contest entries, and read at least one of the two books for review. If the weather is nice enough, maybe I’ll go up to the lake or out to the Spruces for a bit, just to get outside. I can take some reading or a notebook with me, and work outside, which is something I will try to do more of this coming season anyway.
In and around all of this, I’ve been doing some noodling on material I want to shape into a series of poems.
I got POEM CRAZY, a book I’ve had since my days living in NYC, out of the library, because my copy is in storage. When I do a storage run this spring, I want to bring my poetry books up.
Better get going. There’s a lot to get done this weekend. But the primary focus is the article, so I can give it a polish and get it out the door on Monday. It’s the first time I’ve worked with this editor, and I want to make sure we have time to do any revisions she needs.
The next episode of ANGEL HUNT drops today. Hope you enjoy it!
Got the promos for this week’s Angel Hunt episodes uploaded into Tweetdeck, and did the graphics for the next two weeks’ worth of episodes of Legerdemain, although I didn’t get a chance to schedule them to post yet.
The headache medicine makes me nauseated, but so does the headache, so it’s a tossup as to which cause of feeling awful I choose.
I have catching up to do with fresh links on the Devon Ellington website, as there’s been increased distribution across several channels for pretty much all my work. Just when I think I’m caught up, there’s more. I have a feeling website updates will become a weekend project this weekend.
Did a library run, and brought back a huge stack of books, including books on the Ancient Celts and their travels, which I need for the Heist Romance script. You thought I forgot about that one, didn’t you? Nope. Waiting for some research books that I have to work through before I write the next section.
There are also the rest of the Con Lehane books in the mysteries he sets in and around the 42nd Street Library in NYC, so I’m looking forward to those.
The new regional artist resources list came out. I’d already heard about some of the opportunities (and even applied for some), but there are also others on it, and I need to spend some time with that and really go through it, line by line. It’s so useful, and I’m so grateful to the local Assets for Artists/Artist Impact Coalition for putting it together every month.
It’s official: I am one of the recipients of the Mass Cultural Council’s artist recovery grants. I’m absolutely thrilled that they believe in and support my work enough to include me in this grant cycle. There’s an official event at the end of March at the Clark Institute, in which I will participate, and I’ll see what else they ask me to do. The grant gives me some breathing room, and makes it possible to accept opportunities and upgrade tech that I might not otherwise be able to do because of the financial strain.
I was told about it a couple of weeks ago, and asked not to speak about it publicly until the official press release went live. Because I loathe vague social media posts about upcoming good news, I didn’t post any of those, other than to mention a contract for a big project here. It always amazes me when the paperwork to receive the grant is more than the paperwork to apply for it! I probably won’t run around posting much about it anyway; I’d rather post about the projects/opportunities it supports and mention it via thanking the council for their support. And once they tell me the wording and which logo to use, I’ll put it on my websites, and any projects that are relevant to the grant.
I already heard from an ex-client of mine in my previous location. She ranted about how these grants are a “waste of taxpayer money” and, because HER money paid for MY grant (so she believes), I owe it to her to work for her for free for the amount of the grant because I’ve already been paid. (um, no, it’s going to be another couple of months before we get the money). I told her that’s not the way it works, and ended the conversation. The hubris involved is not unexpected, but it’s still irritating. Plus, the grant is for my creative work, not the grunt work she wants for her business. This is someone who took full advantage of PPP loans and huge recovery loans, all of which were forgiven, and to which she felt entitled.
Some people just can’t let anyone else be happy and receive something without trying to take a piece of it for themselves, can they?
So happy to be out of that whole situation!
I had plenty of leftovers in the fridge, so of course I ordered pizza from our favorite place down the street. It was yummy. We’ve had pizza from three local places so far, and there are still two more to try. This is very much a pizza town. And each place is very different from each other.
I actually slept all the way through the night. Although I was busy in the Dreamscape and put in a full day before I woke up, I do feel more rested than usual. And I also came up with something I might be able to use in Legerdemain.
On today’s agenda: meditation, then typing up the short plays from yesterday, doing some work on Legerdemain (the next episode drops today), doing the usual promotion rounds. But the bulk of today and tomorrow are blocked off to work on the article, which I want to get out either end of day tomorrow, or (more likely) first thing on Monday. Working in bits and pieces on it isn’t working for me, so I want to give it hours of full attention and work in full drafts. It’s a fairly long piece, and has a unique rhythm and flow because of the subject matter that I want to weave into it. That means big chunks of uninterrupted work time.
Episode 7 of Angel Hunt also drops today. I realized I did not schedule any of the Angel Hunt promotions for this week into next week, and I need to get on top of that.
The temperature fluctuations are doing a number on me. We’re getting up into the forties, even the fifties and sixties during the days this week, then diving into the twenties at night. My body is not happy. I’m trying to give it rest and stretches and whatever else it needs. Today will require a lot of chamomile tea, I think.
The computer is making funny noises, and the keyboard is glitching, so I have a feeling this baby will be headed back to the repair shop fairly soon. Told ya they hadn’t actually fixed it last time around.
Yesterday was somewhat of a lost day. I didn’t get much done on much, although I found a fun submission call for short radio plays (which I also sent to a friend), and did some background research on a couple of other residencies that interest me. I’m not sure if I should apply for one of them soon for this autumn (autumn is booking up) or wait until the next application period and try for next spring.
I worked on the article. I’m behind where I want to be on it, physically, but I like what’s actually happening with the article.
I did some work on the March newsletter. I did some admin paperwork that needed to be done on a few things. I did the social media rounds to promote Episode 59 of Legerdemain, and the latest #28Prompts. I really like yesterday’s prompt, and look forward to doing something with it, when I have a hot minute. Got the rest of the Prompts loaded and scheduled into Ko-fi, which will shave off some time.
I’m so tired of people lashing out because others like different things. Yes, people are allowed to enjoy the Super Bowl. It’s not my thing, but it’s fun to watch people get excited and see the photos of the food they prepare and the bandanas they put on their dogs. And hey, Puppy Bowl! Yes, there are plenty of people who don’t enjoy Valentine’s Day. But that doesn’t mean being nasty to those who do. Not everything is about your dissatisfaction. The ones who make the worst of the snide and cruel remarks also tend to be the ones who never do anything to make their own situations better. Well, at least I know who to block, right? No time for that crap.
I turned around two coverages, read a little in the evening, but was tired.
Slept reasonably well, although it was another working dream. Nothing bad, and the building in which I worked in the Dreamscape was a lovely old brick building, but I’d put in a full day by the time I woke up.
Charlotte woke me at 2:30, but I got back to sleep. Tessa started fussing before 5, but I refused to get up until the coffee started. She is trying to figure out which button to push on the coffeemaker to start it earlier.
Got my act together and took things to the laundromat. Got some writing done. I’ve hit a point on something I’ve been working on in longhand where I need to type up what I’ve written and then outline before I can go any further.
I also did first drafts of 3 very short radio plays, with an eye to the submission call I saw yesterday. They can only run two pages, so I will need to tweak and tighten, although the first drafts are close. But they still need work, and that has to be done in and around everything else.
Switched the heart on the door to shamrocks, because, you know, door décor.
I didn’t plan to go to the library until Friday, but a big stack of books came in, so I’ll go today and clear the shelf.
I need to do a lot of promo today on this week’s ANGEL HUNT episodes, and do the graphics for the next set of Legerdemain episodes. And work on the article, type up the short plays, and turn around three coverages.
Happy Valentine’s Day, my friends. You all a part of my heart.
Ready for a catch-up?
Hauled myself out of the house on Friday. Ran into the landlord, and we talked about getting the porch roof redone this spring. That’s a relief.
Did the library run, picked up my mom’s prescription at the pharmacy, did a quick grocery shop (bought more than I planned, as usual), swung by the liquor store. It was raining by the time I got home, so I’m glad I got it all done.
The Midnight City Tarot arrived! I bought the pocket deck (which is smaller than I expected, and perfect for travel. I love it! The artwork is inspired by NYC and the boroughs.
Trying to sort out a spring road trip with some friends, juggling all of our schedules.
Turned around a coverage in the afternoon and started the second one, but didn’t finish it.
Saturday, I did the rounds to post #28Prompts and participate in the Writing Wonders game. I finished the coverage, which was more complicated and detailed than I expected, but I’d been requested, and wanted to be as specific in the notes as possible. Also worked my way through a stack of research books from the library, making the appropriate notes for various projects.
A trio of weird dreams Saturday into Sunday. I have to take some time to figure them out, although general contexts are pretty clear.
Up early on Sunday. Did the rounds for #28Prompts and Writing Wonders. Got dressed in Real People Clothes and makeup and braided my hair to get it out of the way (so looking forward to getting it cut in the next few weeks). Drove to Pittsfield, to the artists talk I’d been invited to by the curator, an artist whom I met through MassMOCA. It was a powerful exhibit, about bodily autonomy, a combination of teen artists in a recovery program and their adult artist mentors. The talk was interesting, and the artists and the attendees were multi-faceted in wonderful ways. It ran long, and I couldn’t stay to chat more after the event. Not everyone was masked, which made me a little uncomfortable, but there was enough ventilation and room to keep a safe distance. I was a little annoyed with a couple of people who started masked and then unmasked over the course of the event. It’s an hour, boo. You can keep your nose covered.
Drove home, had a quick bite, changed, rolled up the yoga mat and headed out for meditation at the local yoga studio. I was early, so I nipped into the indie bookstore next door, and wound up with two Mary Oliver books. Prep for my poetry adventures, right?
The meditation session was excellent. I’ve done metta practices with several different teachers, and it’s always interesting to learn the tweaks different people put on it. I felt excellent by the end of it, and definitely want to go to the studio more regularly. They have solid safety protocols in place.
Home, made turkey meatloaf, read a little. Went to bed pretty early, because all that peopling after so much not peopling was exhausting.
Weird dreams going into Monday, set off by the art exhibit.
Polished this week’s Process Muse and got it uploaded (it goes live tomorrow). Posted a short piece on Small Adjustments over on the Goals, Dreams, and Resolutions site.
Did some research for the residency proposal, and spent most of the day writing it up and getting it into shape so I could submit it. I won’t hear back until May, but nothing ventured, nothing gained. It’s a project – a play on yet another “forgotten historical woman” that can only be done if they grant me the residency because I need access to the archives up there. In Buffalo. I’ve never been to Buffalo, so it would be an adventure. Put together all the preliminary research information and set it into a folder. If it comes to pass, I’ve got it all together, and don’t need to hunt it down. If I don’t get it, it’s backburnered until I can get support for it. Thus the life of a working artist.
It made such a huge difference that I could read through the sections of the application BEFORE I started. It meant I could write and polish each section. Too often, the application doesn’t allow you to read ahead. You have to complete each section before you can see the next one, and that makes for a fragmented, unpolished proposal. When I see that in applications, I’m going to start contacting the organization and suggesting allowing applicants to read the entire application BEFORE starting it.
I ordered the few books I could find on the topic in the CW Mars for background research, just in case. There’s not much in Commonwealth Catalog, so I’d have to go to WorldCat, and then I might as well wait for the residency and do it on site, with the papers in the archives that I need.
Paid some bills, did a library run to drop off the big stack of books I finished, and pick up a smaller stack of books waiting. Even though I did the run later than usual, more books showed up after I left. Because that’s the way it goes. Not a big deal.
Got an email from a place where I was interested in doing a residency. But it’s three weeks in July – in open air shacks. With a “rechargeable electric outlet” and bathrooms and other amenities in another building across the property. No thank you. Let the twenty-year-old aspiring artists do that. I want climate control and comfortable surroundings. I’ve earned them.
Was assigned the next two books for review. Printed off some more judging sheets for the contest and spent some time on those entries. Did the social media rounds for #28Prompts and played the day’s edition of the Writing Wonders game. I need to get a small notebook to use as a mileage log, because I’m getting ready to do writing-related day trips. Keeping a tiny notebook and a pen in the glove compartment is useful for that. Yeah, not happening on an app.
Didn’t do any coverage, and some more scripts came in, which means I’m doing two coverages today and three tomorrow, which is better for this pay period, but I’m still under where I want to be. And they’re like, why aren’t you meeting your earnings goal, and I’m like, because I’m reading as much as ever and you’re paying me half, and that is not sustainable. Because I am not going to “double my volume” to make the same money. I will find other work that pays me better.
It’s these transition months that are a challenge, that’s all.
Started reading M.E. Hilliard’s THREE CAN KEEP A SECRET, her third Greer Hogan mystery. I really enjoyed THE UNKINDNESS OF RAVENS, which I read a few weeks back, and A SHADOW IN THE GLASS, which I read last weekend, so I’m looking forward to this.
The laundry soap and the charcoal filters for the coffee maker showed up, as did this month’s Ipsy bag. I’m not getting them every month anymore (I don’t use that much makeup), so it was fun to go through all the treats and see what kind of looks I can put together.
Soup class was rather chaotic; there was a problem with the Zoom link, and for Jeremy, it was kind of like herding cats from there. But it was fun, and I always learn a lot. I hope I can attend one of his in-person workshops in the coming months.
I had trouble getting to sleep, and then I dreamed I was working in theatre again, and ordering Thai takeout. Which was pretty normal during working in theatre. It wasn’t a stress dream, it was just a busy dream, and I’d put in a whole day’s work by the time I woke up.
I figured out why I was unsettled and had trouble getting to sleep – something that hadn’t been dealt with over the years that a conversation brought up – and now that I know, I can deal with it.
Still feeling a little scattered this morning, mostly because I’m tired. But I will dig down and do some work on Legerdemain, and then work on the article. Yesterday was the cut-off for any responses from poets (and I got more than I expected), so now it’s about building and weaving the material into the article, which is this week’s primary focus, so I can get it out at the end of the week. The article is my priority this week, and everything else has to build around that.
Making some notes on topics I want to explore in poems, and reading as much poetry and as much about poetry as possible.
In spite of the warning that there wouldn’t be any sun until March 1, the sun has come out most days, sometimes for several hours, which has put everyone in a better mood. As usual, around here, when the weather lets up, everyone dashes around doing their errands, before the next storm comes through. When it’s sunny, everyone is cheerful; when it’s dreary, everyone shrugs it off and keeps on.
The next episode of Legerdemain drops today; I hope you enjoy it.
According to the weather forecast, we won’t see any sun until March 1. Which is discouraging. Gray days for the rest of the month. I hope they are wrong.
Meditation was good, as usual. Charlotte was happy to hang out, too, because, you know, Zoom.
I need to do something better for Instagram, since links in the messages themselves are basically useless. I’m not a fan of Linktree. Of the other sites I researched, both Campsite and Lnk.Bio look good, and I’m leaning toward the latter. That way, I can have the serials, The Process Muse, the newsletter, the websites, all of it up.
I got a stack of filing done and put away, and that made me feel like I had so much breathing room.
Did the social media rounds, promoting Legerdemain and 28 Prompts. Spoutible was clunkier than usual, which was frustrating. The Writing Wonders game is fun on Mastodon; didn’t spend much time on CounterSocial, except to check in.
Twitter’s just depressing. There was a “Twitter Smarter” seminar, on which I checked some posts later in the day (I was busy when it was live). The tips offered made sense about two years ago, but aren’t relevant to Twitter’s current crumbling. There’s still a (fading) chance it will course correct, but I can’t see it happening as long as Yegads Muskrat is in charge. And I came across a post of someone I’ve interacted with talking about the importance of liking and RTing, which, coming from her, is just total hypocrisy. Trying to hold my patience and not lock the account until March. But my impulse is to do it now.
Worked on the residency proposal. Made some notes for another project for which I will do a proposal later this year, although I probably won’t actually get to work on the project until next year. There are two such proposals I need to write up, and then, when opportunities present themselves, I can apply for the appropriate residencies. Because these definitely have to be done in out-of-house studio spaces. They won’t fit to do them here, and are experiments expanding the way I tell stories.
Had a worthwhile chat with some fellow Kindle Vella authors and readers about number of episodes, lengths of episodes, etc. and it was interesting and helpful to get the different perspectives.
Only turned around one script, because after that, I hit a wall. That means I have two to turn around this afternoon, one short, one long. I’m taking the weekend off from reading, because I’m at the edge of burnout, and need to rest from that type of work for a couple of days. It’s not fair to the writer if I push myself through burnout. Hopefully, scripts will turn up next week, so I can get some more in this pay period. I’m waaaaaay under where I want and need to be, financially, because the scripts that were available paid so little.
The dumpling press arrived. You know what that means? As soon as I clean out the freezer from the leftovers that have taken up recent residence, there will be MANY KINDS OF DUMPLINGS ALL THE TIME. Because I love dumplings, and I have 3 cookbooks devoted to them. And dumplings are made in large batches, like 50 at a time.
Started reading a book for pleasure that lost me by page 13, so that’s going back to the library unfinished. Then started a book I could not put down. It’s MURDER AT THE 42ND STREET LIBRARY by Con Lehane. Excellent on plot, pace, character, dialogue levels. The plot, in particular, is very well constructed. A lot of it also takes place in my old Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood and around the main branch of the 42nd St. Library. The setting is an additional character, and rendered with both affection and a clear eye. Reading it made me miss New York for the first time since I moved away.
Fortunately, I’m close enough so that a trip down there every now and again is not out of the realm of possibility.
Anyway, loved the book, can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
Exhausted last night, more from family stuff than anything else. Caring for an elderly parent, even one in relatively good health, can be exhausting. Slept fairly well, until Tessa and Charlotte started in on me at 4 AM. I was in the Dreamscape, very busy all night, nothing bad, just busy. I was myself (a younger version, but still me) rather than someone else, which was much more comfortable. I keep feeling there’s something important I need to remember from the dream, and it’s just beyond my grasp.
This morning, it’s off to the library, the pharmacy, the grocery store, the liquor store. I need to get some more of my own work done in the morning, especially on proposals. I need to do the social media rounds for today’s episode of ANGEL HUNT and 28 Prompts. I have to write an submit the book reviews (which I didn’t do yesterday, and one of the reviews is due today). And I have to catch up on the script coverages.
Oh, look! The sun peeked out, for about 30 seconds! Better than nothing, right?
Tomorrow, I will work on proposals and make some notes on the poems I want to work on (possibly in the residency later this year, if that works out). I’ll also do some more work on the article; answers to the interview questions have been coming in, and it’s time to work quotes into the article. Sunday, I’m supposed to go to an artist talk in Pittsfield at noon, and then a meditation session at the local yoga studio at 4. Fingers crossed that it all works out. The risk assessments made it look possible,
Have a good one, my friends, and I’ll see you on the other side of the weekend.
It is brutally cold out there, and an advisory went out, asking people to stay in unless absolutely necessary. I plan to heed that warning. Power outages are also rolling through, so it could be a cold, difficult weekend. The internet and phone keep going in and out, too.
Meditation didn’t happen yesterday. The leader was away; she’s very organized, but the person who organizes the group at the library doesn’t communicate well enough with the rest of us. This happens too often: we all show up, and then it’s canceled ten minutes in. It’s definitely easier because it’s virtual than if we all drove in and showed up, but it still gets frustrating.
Yesterday was somewhat of a fractured, fiddly day. I did the social media rounds to promote Legerdemain and to drop the #28Prompts. Spoutible is still having issues, although, by the end of the day, they were claiming (on Twitter) to have fixed them and run faster than Twitter. Like I said yesterday, ballsy of them to openly do their admin on Twitter when they are a competitor, and Yegads Muskrat has worked so hard to prevent people from posting their links to Post or Mastodon. I guess I’ll find out today, when I do today’s rounds, how it’s running.
In the live Q&A pre-launch, they claim they want to support working artists who promote and share information about their work, so we’ll see if that’s the case.
I have to keep reminding myself that Twitter didn’t start paying off in engagement or in boosting sales right off the bat. I grew the audience over years, and continued to grow it. However, in that time lag it takes to grow new audiences and support on other platforms, my income takes a hit. So I have to come up with an interim marketing strategy as I grow on various platforms, and pull back from those who aren’t fulfilling any need (because it’s not all about boosting sales, but there’s no point in continuing to post on sites with zero interaction even on non-marketing posts).
I managed to get through a lot of email and deal with it, but the amount that remains across several inboxes is depressing. However, reading newsletters as palate-cleansers between tasks is working for me better than saving them to batch-read later.
Did some work on the article. Got part of what I needed from MassMOCA very fast, and we’ll see if I need to contact them for more information.
Having conversations about the possibility of a week-long residency in the fall. There are a bunch of pieces that need to fall into place (some of which have nothing to do with me), but if it works out, I’d really like to do it. I have the idea for a project I’d work on during that time, and it would shake up my process and stretch me, so I hope it comes to pass.
One of the handlers at an agency with which I’m signed is pitching me for a 3-month, 20-hour/week gig to a company. The money’s right, and 20 hours works with balancing the rest of what I do. It’s more big corporate than I usually do, but I’m definitely qualified for the work AND would learn a lot AND it’s only three months, which is the kind of thing I’m looking for. I updated my remote cover letter, did a project-specific blurb about my qualifications, updated the marketing portfolio and sent it off. We’ll see where it goes from there. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, and I’m pleased that she thought of me for the slot.
I managed to plant a pot of butterfly-friendly plants (Shasta daisy, Black-eyed Susan, Coneflower) and some of the Bergamot seeds from the local botanical garden, in honor of Imbolc. I have to update this year’s plant journal, and move some of the pages to the big, multi-year binder.
All those little dribs and drabs prevented me from any deep dive writing, and that’s part of what left me feeling unsettled all day. I’m taking note of that, so I can fix it for today and moving forward. A reminder that “oh, it’ll only take 10 minutes” putting a task before the first major writing session of the day often means I lose the day’s writing – because it NEVER takes just 10 minutes.
I’m trying to figure out how to set up my bedroom as more of a sanctuary. The space is fine (I’ll never have a bedroom as big as the one on Cape again, that was an anomaly), the furniture is fine, there’s a limited way to arrange things, but I can do more (on a budget) to make it feel more sanctuary-ish. I just have to figure out what that is. I am not one for a Spartan aesthetic. That stresses me out. I want cozy, warm, texture, books, crystals, soft lighting, etc. Getting a rug in there will help, and I know what I want, but haven’t yet found it (in my price range). Putting up curtains will also help. I have no issue with the blinds up there, but I’m more of a curtain person. Figuring out how to put something on the big wall behind the bed that feels elegant and cozy and doesn’t cause me to lose my deposit will help a lot, too. I have ideas on what I want it to look like; now I have to apply my theatre skills on how to pull it off.
Never let anyone tell you that skills you learn working in theatre are irrelevant in life. It’s simply not true. My theatre training in various aspects has done more to add value to the rest of my life than anything else.
I also need to do some work on my office again, organizing and straightening things out. Juggling projects has gotten a little messy, and I like the office to be tidier.
None of it has to happen all at once; I keep my eyes open for what will work in my price range and keep adjusting.
The weekend is about staying in, writing, reading, working on reviews and contest entries. If scripts come in, I’ll do them, since it was so light this week. Sunday should be warm enough to venture out and go grocery shopping. Next weekend, I might actually go out and do a few things – I’m signed up for a meditation session at my yoga studio, and I’m invited to an artist talk. The risk assessments and safety measures in place seem to work for both.
Yesterday was kind of all over the place. I had a bunch of admin work to do in the morning. Then I did the social media rounds to promote Angel Hunt, Ink-Dipped Advice, The Process Muse posts, and the day’s #28Prompts.
I got an email from Barnes & Noble stating I had to update payment information for an upcoming order. Which I did. And they WOULDN’T – not couldn’t, but WOULDN’T, due to ‘security reasons’ — connect the updated payment information to the order. I have never worked with a company where, once I updated payment information, the order wasn’t simply put through with the new payment info that’s now default on the account and that was that. I’ve done with every account I have, from the storage unit to Amazon to the webhost, because Greylock issued new debit cards last fall for no damned good reason, and no one has a problem. I put in the new information, it’s confirmed, it’s marked as “default” and then we’re good to go. They get their money; I get my order. Basic business. I argued back and forth with them for TWO HOURS, and they finally said the best they could do was to cancel the order and have me put It through again, with the new information. Which also meant additional shipping charges.
No, mofo. Your antiquated system that won’t update from my end and then you REFUSE to update it on your end is not my problem. Cancel the order and lose me as a customer.
I will put the order through elsewhere. It’s for books by a friend of mine, and I just told her I’d pre-ordered them ages ago (which I had). So I want the damn books.
But I won’t be ordering anything from B&N anytime soon (if ever). I’d used them as an alternative to Amazon (along with Bookshop.org), but now it’s Bookshop, even though I don’t like the shipping fees.
And there was my morning, lost, without the writing I needed to do on Legerdemain or anything else. Because they wouldn’t tie the updated credit card information on the online account to the actual order. I’d cancel the whole account, but there’s no function to do so.
I switched over to reading some pitches and scoring sheets. And then I remembered Spoutible launched today, so I went over to get that all set up. I pre-registered MONTHS ago, and don’t like that we didn’t get any immediate link launch information. Signing up/in was a pain in the butt, because the server kept crashing (people are excited to be there). Then they want to verify my phone number. Let me be very clear – NOTHING about 2-factor verification using the phone is about security. EVERYTHING is about collecting data. I resent having everything tied to the phone. I wouldn’t even have a phone if I could get away with it. And the authentication wouldn’t go through, it kept saying it “couldn’t verify” my phone number.
I was about to tell them to bite me, too, but then it went through and everything was settled.
The server is running slowly because so many people tried to sign up all at once (rolling the launch over a few weeks like Post did would probably have made things smoother).
So many people are raving about how good it is, and how similar to Twitter it is and I’m like, meh? Probably because of the initial crush, but it’s very hard to move between screens. For instance, if I search a topic, I then have to wipe it from the search bar after I’ve dealt with it, because going back to “timeline” only gives me the search results again, instead of the overall timeline feed. I’m hoping things will smooth out, but with all the hype, especially the way they were talking in the live session yesterday, I expected more.
But I’ll give it a chance. I’ve already found some old writer pals and made some new ones.
I also think it’s ballsy that Spoutible does so much of their admin on Twitter, when their goal is to get people to leave Twitter for them.
I managed to get the prompt for the day even up on Hive, although that was another way-too-much-wasted-time event.
But I’m telling you, I was In A Mood by the end of it all. Not in the mood to do the one short coverage I had, but it wasn’t due, so I put it off. I want to give the script and the writer full focus and solid attention, not grumpy pants attention. I’ll go back to it today. Writers put their hearts and souls into the work, and I want to make sure to give every piece I read, whether it’s coverage reading or reviews or contest entries, a fair shake.
On a happier note, answers to the interview questions started to come in, and I have to make an appointment over at MassMOCA next week or so to get some background for the article.
I’m getting very excited about the article.
I found some interesting submission calls for plays that I sent off to a friend. There’s one, at a playhouse I know, that I might also send something in for. There was another one that interested me, but the deadline is today, and I’m not sure I have the right material for it. Some residency application deadlines hit my desk – and were due yesterday or today. I wish they’d let people know about them earlier.
I did a quick revision on one short play I thought would be good for one organization and got that in. So we’ll see. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I still have time for the other.
I also signed up for the Dramatists’ Guild “End of Play” event in April. I will write one of the full-lengths I started developing in the workshop sponsored by Williamstown Theatre Festival last year.
I forgot to mention that, on Tuesday, I spent some quality time with the virtual alumni book group, talking about THE READING LIST, and it was a lot of fun. And a local theatre’s moved to a new space, inviting me to their open house at the end of the month. If the weather is okay, I think I will go.
Later in spring, I think we’ll do a day trip to Hobart, NY, which has a ton of second hand bookstores. A friend sent me an article about the place. It’s about two and a half hours away, which means it could be a reasonable day trip, when the weather is nicer.
The stores sound luscious.
I considered renting a place for a few days as a change of scenery to write, but honestly, if it’s not a residency with a private studio and meals provided, I might as well stay home and work, where I have my pots and pans and magic coffeemaker. Because if I have to do my own cooking in a different space (which, I admit, can be fun), I will be taking crates of equipment with me and spending more time in the kitchen than on my work. Especially since I’m not doing indoor dining yet.
I had the Black Screen of Death on the computer this morning, but managed to get it up and running. Told ya they hadn’t fixed it properly. How much do you want to bet it will have to go out again soon for repair?
Meditation this morning, then off to pay some bills before the weather turns too brutal. Then, I’ll spend some quality time on the page, finish off the coverage, and switch over to contest entries and the books for review. I’ll also do the social media rounds promoting today’s episode of Legerdemain, #28 Prompts, etc.
The Chewy delivery didn’t get here yesterday (which is fine, I always try to order early enough so it’s not a problem). The Midnight City Tarot is supposed to arrive tomorrow, and I’m very excited. I’m hoping to do some work later today with the Rackham Tarot on recent dreams, and I plan to set out and post a tarot spread for Imbolc.
I did some candle work last night, and today I will do the first planting.
It was difficult to settle into meditation yesterday, but I managed it.
Uploaded the content calendar for the ORGANIZE YOUR WRITING LIFE Topic Workbook release through the end of September. A content calendar is only useful if you follow through. I’ll do a post on that for Ink-Dipped Advice for September.
I had to run the repair on Word again in the morning. Getting tired of the constant problems with the computer, but that’s how it goes with PCs.
Plus, Windows 11 keeps changing things. What a lousy operating system.
Turned around my script coverage in the morning, before it got too hot and the computer really started suffering. I have a coverage to turn around today, for which I was requested, and another request just landed in my inbox that I will do on Sunday.
Freelance Chat was fun.
It was too hot to work upright in the afternoon. I spent most of it lying on the couch. I noodled with my article. I have to get the first 900-1000 words of It down on paper this morning, then another 900 tomorrow morning, then the final 900 on Sunday (it’s a 2800-word article). I want to revise it Monday and send it to my editor Tuesday, nearly a week early.
I also read a mystery, recommended by two writer friends, but I’m not enamored of this writer’s voice/style. It hits the genre conventions, but that’s about it.
Leftovers for dinner. We were promised a thunderstorm, which never materialized. Today and tomorrow will be hot. I’m worried about tomorrow afternoon’s performance. But I also trust the event organizers to take care of us.
The Jan. 6 Hearing last night simply confirmed that the Narcissistic Sociopath wanted a bloodbath. He should have been led away in cuffs the day after Biden’s inauguration. The fact that no one has been held accountable is unacceptable. And ALL the Republicans who voted against certifying the election need to be in prison.
I don’t know how I’m going to find a place to get my hair cut today.
I dreamed last night about one possible salon, that it was definitely the wrong place for me. In the dream, a friend told me that they were reasonably priced, but the quality was awful.
I had another dream where a Twitter acquaintance (who’s a lawyer out on the other coast) and I worked on a social justice performance piece. Weird dream.
Today will be another hot day. I’ll do as much as I can early on, and then stay quiet for the worst of it, and maybe do some work when it cools down again in the evening. That’s the joy of controlling my own schedule.
Tomorrow is all about Word X Word. I’m both excited and nervous. It will be an adventure, that’s for sure.
Meditation was good, as always. I’m so grateful I found this particular group.
I spent almost the entire day polishing my presentation for class, choosing and changing images for slides. Cutting, rearranging, making it sharper.
I took a quick break to join in the Freelance Chat, but other than that, it was about getting the slides to where I wanted them.
I’m pleased with both the content and look. Let’s hope that the Zoom “share” screen works, so I can actually show it to the students!
I chose the Tip Sheets and uploaded them to a special page on the website, and converted the Power Point to a PDF and uploaded that, too. The students will be able to download the handouts and have something to which they can refer beyond the class.
I stayed up working on script coverage last night, and I still have one that has to be finished and go off before class starts – along with putting on makeup and getting things set up for being on Zoom for two hours.
I slept until 5:30 this morning (should have gotten up at 5). Charlotte finally decided to get me up by jumping onto my stomach and landing like a sack of potatoes. Yeah, that got me up.
I did not give up my first writing session of the day on the book, in spite of all the time pressure. I need that first session to stabilize my day and set a positive tone. I wrote a little under 1K, but I like what I wrote, so that’s good.
Next week, I’m going to start adding in the book I SHOULD be working on, along with this book, the undeadlined book I WANT to be writing, so that there’s more of a balance, and I’m making progress the way I need to make it, along with writing whatever I want. It’s not that I don’t want to write the book on which I SHOULD be working; it’s that it’s connected to the chaos of the surgeries and illness last year and the move, so it’s difficult. I need to separate the negative associations surrounding the book and focus on the book itself.
Then, I need to balance the work on both books with the copywriting demands, the article demands, the script coverage demands, and the work that needs to be done on the plays. I got sidetracked the other day by Marie Collier research for that play. I have some ideas for a premise, but I need more of a sense of how she interacted with her friends and enemies. I need to re-read Dawn Powell’s diaries, biography, and novels, and then re-read a couple of Dorothy Parker biographies, so I can mimic both their voices for their play.
But today, I teach a workshop on character, for the Cape Cod Writers Conference, stepping in for someone who had to drop out. I’m sure my approach is different than hers, although I tried to shape the class along her description of it, since people had already signed up. Hopefully, they will feel they’ve learned something when they leave, and will feel excited and empowered to play with character dynamics.
Off to finish the script coverage, get that out, and then shower, put on makeup, and make like a professional. Hopefully, the cats won’t be too much of a distraction when the Zoom is open. Charlotte does love participating on Zoom.
After class, I’m headed off to Wild Oats Market for a few things, then I have one more script to read and write up before I can stop for the weekend.
There are several irons in the fire, all good. I will share information when I have it. I just don’t want to jinx anything by speaking about it too early!
Yesterday was busy; struggled with my article. It’s just not shaping up the way I’d like. Wasn’t able to get much done on the short story (which needs to be finished this weekend). Got some client work done, got some LOIs out.
Had a Zoom meeting with a potential new client. Actually, it’s a recruiter for a potential new client, so I doubt it will work out, but it was a pleasant enough conversation, and he asked for more samples, which I sent as soon as we were done. He says the client wants to move fast; I explained that I wouldn’t be able to book another meeting until early next week.
Meanwhile, I sorted out appointments for tomorrow – the ones I can’t yet discuss – going back and forth. Might set up another couple of appointments, if I can fit them in.
Working on the book for review. I want to get it finished and the review out tonight.
The script coverage I turned around on Monday was a hit, and the company offered me a long-term, freelance position. It’s under NDA, so I can’t talk about it in detail. The contract’s fine, the money seems decent. Until I actually do a few assignments, I won’t know for sure, but it seems like a steady, fun client. I’ll start either late this week or early next week, and I should have a better sense of them by the end of next week.
I’m having terrible tension headaches, but once things get sorted, I’ll be fine.
Knowledge Unicorns was fine. Everyone just wants to get the school year done, have the summer break, and see where we are in the fall. The kids who are returning to school in person (hopefully) in fall are optimistic that enough people will be vaccinated by then so they can. But there are several families who decided to home school instead.
At the end of the school year, we’ll have a big Zoom call with kids, parents, etc., and see where we are, and what the options are moving forward.
Watched more WILLIAM AND MARY, which is really a lovely show.
Woke up again at 2:30 AM, fretting. Hopefully, once the move is sorted out, I can start sleeping through the nights again. I have to come to terms with the fact that I’ll be moving during Mercury Retrograde. Amongst all the warnings of not making big purchases, not signing contracts, travel plans and electronics all screwing up, retrogrades are also about resolving unresolved issues. The move is an unresolved issue, so getting it done – even with the knowledge that there will be obstacles because of the retrograde – could be a relief.
Because it needs to happen when it needs to happen.
The septic guys worked through yesterday, in spite of the rain. My mom was fascinated, and to be honest, it was rather like a beautiful ballet. The amount of trust between the guy working in the pit and the guy manning the earth mover, a literal ton of machinery just inches from him, was amazing.
They finished the big leech pit taking up most of the meadow and started filling it in. There’s still more to do, but I bet they finish it today.
I did a curbside pickup at the library and had a good, socially-distant conversation catch-up with one of my librarian pals. She feels the same as I do – the lack of transition. We’re being pushed into reopening without any thought for how hard most of us have worked through the pandemic. This attitude that we’ve all been on vacation for the past year is insulting.
I had to book some things online this morning, pay some bills, and then I’ll head out to the client’s office. I know she’ll nag at me with her demands of where I should move and how we should give up the cats and throw away all our stuff. I’m hoping to just nod and smile and ignore her. We will make the best decisions for US, not for someone else’s convenience.
The lilacs are starting to bloom. I might be able to put a vase of them by my bed this weekend, as I recover from the second vaccine dose.
GWEN FINNEGAN MYSTERIES
Archaeologist Dr. Gwen Finnegan is on the hunt for her lover’s killer. Shy historical researcher Justin Yates jumps at the chance to join her on a real adventure through Europe as they try to unspool fact from fiction in a multi-generational obsession with a statue of the goddess Medusa.
Buy links here.
When plans for their next expedition fall through, Gwen and Justin accept teaching jobs at different local universities. Adjusting to their day-to-day relationship, they are embroiled in two different, disturbing, paranormal situations that have more than one unusual crossing point. Can they work together to find the answers? Or are new temptations too much to resist? For whom are they willing to put their lives on the line? Available on multiple digital channels here.NAUTICAL NAMASTE MYSTERIESSAVASANA AT SEA
Yoga instructor Sophie Batchelder jumps at the chance to teach on a cruise ship when she loses her job and her boyfriend dumps her. But when her boss is murdered, Sophie must figure out who the real killer is -- before he turns her into a corpse, too. A Not-Quite-Cozy Mystery.
Buy Links here.COVENTINA CIRCLE ROMANTIC SUSPENSEPLAYING THE ANGLES
Witchcraft, politics, and theatre collide as Morag D’Anneville and Secret Service agent Simon Keane fight to protect the Vice President of the United States -- or is it Morag who needs Simon’s protection more than the VP?
Buy links here.THE SPIRIT REPOSITORY
Bonnie Chencko knows books change lives. She’s attracted to Rufus Van Dijk, the mysterious man who owns the bookshop in his ancestors’ building. A building filled with family ghosts, who are mysteriously disappearing. It’s up to Bonnie and her burgeoning Craft powers to rescue the spirits before their souls are lost forever. Buy Links here. RELICS & REQUIEM
Amanda Breck’s complicated life gets more convoluted when she finds the body of Lena Morgan in Central Park, identical to Amanda’s dream. Detective Phineas Regan is one case away from retirement; the last thing he needs is a murder case tinged by the occult. The seeds of their attraction were planted months ago. But can they work together to stop a wily, vicious killer, or will the murderer destroy them both?
Buy link here.
Full Circle: An Ars Concordia Anthology. Edited by Colin Galbraith. My story is “Pauvre Bob”, set at Arlington Race Track in Illinois is included in this wonderful collection of short stories and poetry. You can download it free here.
Archaeologist Dr. Gwen Finnegan is on the hunt for her lover’s killer. Shy historical researcher Justin Yates jumps at the chance to join her on a real adventure through Europe as they try to unspool fact from fiction in a multi-generational obsession with a statue of the goddess Medusa.
Buy links 
When plans for their next expedition fall through, Gwen and Justin accept teaching jobs at different local universities. Adjusting to their day-to-day relationship, they are embroiled in two different, disturbing, paranormal situations that have more than one unusual crossing point. Can they work together to find the answers? Or are new temptations too much to resist? For whom are they willing to put their lives on the line? Available on multiple digital channels 
SAVASANA AT SEA
Yoga instructor Sophie Batchelder jumps at the chance to teach on a cruise ship when she loses her job and her boyfriend dumps her. But when her boss is murdered, Sophie must figure out who the real killer is -- before he turns her into a corpse, too. A Not-Quite-Cozy Mystery.
Buy Links 
PLAYING THE ANGLES
Witchcraft, politics, and theatre collide as Morag D’Anneville and Secret Service agent Simon Keane fight to protect the Vice President of the United States -- or is it Morag who needs Simon’s protection more than the VP?
Buy links 
THE SPIRIT REPOSITORY
Bonnie Chencko knows books change lives. She’s attracted to Rufus Van Dijk, the mysterious man who owns the bookshop in his ancestors’ building. A building filled with family ghosts, who are mysteriously disappearing. It’s up to Bonnie and her burgeoning Craft powers to rescue the spirits before their souls are lost forever. Buy Links 
RELICS & REQUIEM
Amanda Breck’s complicated life gets more convoluted when she finds the body of Lena Morgan in Central Park, identical to Amanda’s dream. Detective Phineas Regan is one case away from retirement; the last thing he needs is a murder case tinged by the occult. The seeds of their attraction were planted months ago. But can they work together to stop a wily, vicious killer, or will the murderer destroy them both?
Buy link 
Ink In My Coffee 