Tues. May 9, 2023: Table Read (and Other Creative Work)

image courtesy of Mediamodifier via pixabay.com

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Waning Moon

Mercury and Pluto Retrograde

Partly cloudy and pleasant

Ready for our regular Tuesday catch-up?

We have another week of Mercury Retrograde: hang in there.

Today’s serial episode is from Legerdemain:

Episode 83: A Chat with Jae

Shelley needs answers about Jae’s interactions with Brother Sangus and with Brone.

Legerdemain Serial

Legerdemain Website

Friday was a little chaotic (even beyond things like a lunar eclipse with a full moon and two retrogrades). I didn’t feel great, but there was a lot to do.

I wrote an episode of Legerdemain. Poor Fletcher’s been sidelined for a good bit of this arc, and I need to get him more involved.

I headed for the grocery store. There are some new recipes I want to try (I’m getting excited about cooking again, now that we’re getting into market season). The “experts” say that a grocery list saves money. I always find I buy MORE and spend more with a list. When I go in and see what’s special and make up the meal planning on the fly, I spend less.

I got my cast list for the table read, assigned the roles, and sent off the assignments and the script to the cast. Now, the nerves set in.

I felt like I was running a fever. Tested for the plague, and it was negative, thankfully. But I felt terrible. Which meant no First Friday for me.

For the Kentucky Derby, Tapit Trice was my horse of choice, across the board. I wanted to keep an eye on Mage and Reincarnation, although I figured they’d blossom later in the season. I liked Mage a bit more (even though his odds were longer here). I haven’t really followed this year’s field, and I’m more and more uncomfortable with various aspects of racing. 7 horses dead at Churchill in a week is unacceptable. Every horse death needs more weight, but what’s been going on there lately it out of control.

Oh, by the way? Mage won. At 15-1. It was his day and his race, and he brought it. Good for him.

I felt like crap pretty much all day Saturday. Since I had blocked it off to work on contest entries, I at least wasn’t running around. Since I still had a fever off and on (not a high one, but it was there), I also was staying away from others. Just because I’m testing negative for the plague doesn’t mean I don’t have something contagious.

So I stayed in and worked on the contest entries all day. It’s difficult to winnow down the large final category to just a few slots, but that’s the job. There are some solid books that just missed it, because another book had more craft or a stronger voice or tried something fresh with a familiar trope that made it stand out from the massive number of entries this year.

There was a good batch of strong entries, some which missed by a whisker; then a solid  group in the middle that were fine, but didn’t stand out, and then a batch where the writers are finding their voices and learning their craft. Which they learn by writing the books. And when you think how many people yap about writing a book “someday” and how many start and never finish, the fact that all these people DID it should be applauded.

I made pizza from scratch, and it was yummy.

Sunday, I kept going and finished the final category. Made my decisions on winners and finalists; wrote the winning reviews. Entered in the rest of the scoring sheets, and got it all out.

I finished by mid-afternoon and I was exhausted. I still felt like crap, although my fever had gone down. But staying fairly quiet and reading over the weekend, even though it was critical reading, not pleasure reading, was a better choice than running around and/or doing stuff around the house.

I read a book (you’d think I’d be sick of reading by then, but no) that came highly recommended to me in the afternoon. The book was well done and unique, but I disliked all the characters. They were interesting enough to keep me reading, but it’s rare that I so thoroughly dislike ALL the characters in a book.

When I was finished with that book, I switched over to T. Kingfisher’s A WIZARD’S GUIDE TO DEFENSIVE BAKING, which was a lot of fun.

Went to bed ridiculously early on Sunday, because I was so darn tired. The pollen’s also very high right now, so I’m not having fun with the allergies.

Up early on Monday. Nerves about the reading. Didn’t want to get distracted by anything, so didn’t dare start work on anything.

The table read of FALL FOREVER went really well, as far as the actors and the piece. The Zoom – every 40 minutes it kicked out and we had to sign in again. I let Lily over at DG know; we were first up, so hopefully the glitches we had can be smoothed out for anyone else. Digging into Zoom support (well after the reading), it looks like switching hosts for more than 40-minute sessions means the co-host has to be named BEFORE the meeting starts. In other words, a whole lot of extra admin.

Anyway, I was blessed with a terrific group of actors. It was obvious they’d worked on the script over the weekend, and truly made it a three-dimensional piece. They gave a damn, which makes all the difference. It made me realize how much I miss working regularly with actors. I learned a lot. I can cut a good bit (which is great; the red machete is my friend). A couple of relationships are out of balance, and I want to restructure a dynamic between two of the characters a little. They will still reach the same endpoint, but they can get there better. I want the memorial scene near the end to be more joyful; the lines were a little trite, and I need more of a contrast to keeping the joy of the piece with some of the action happening offstage that three of the characters know about, and are trying to keep from the other four. The radio writing tipped in far too much; too much detail about sound that I don’t need.

I had a suggestion from a good friend about combining two of the characters to raise stakes, and I don’t think I will go that route. That particular character, in the reading, turned out to be a fulcrum, and he’s necessary to be separate from any of the others.

There’s a LOT of work to do on it. I’m tempted to dive in and do another revision immediately, while it’s fresh. If I get the residency in late August, that’s the time that’s blocked off for the major revision.

Once the reading was done, I sent a thank you to the actors. I updated the PageOnStages website and my resume. Because there are pitches and proposals coming up, and this needs to be on it.

Then, I had to switch over and do client work, because, you know, keeping a roof over my head. I did one of the big projects.

I then got the invoice information for the contest entries (another big client project, different client). They’re paying me more this year than in previous years. I mean, I’m happy, I earned it, but I felt weird getting paid for elements that weren’t previously paid. Anyway, I sent off the invoice a little after 4 PM and was paid by 6. That always makes me feel valued.

Dinner was a new recipe that’s okay, but I doubt I’ll make it again. Just not that good, compared to the stuff I’ve learned from Jeremy and Moosewood.

Soup class was fun. I thought it was the last one, but Jeremy’s doing three more to finish us out, before he does the summer cooking camp for kids thing he’s developed. He’s going to be amazing, and those kids are going to have the BEST experience.

Went back and finished another client project. It was a late wrap for me on that, but necessary.

I was both tired and excited from the reading. I need to remind myself that I am aging, and I need more recovery time after things that require a lot of energy and concentration. If I can balance out my schedule properly, I can keep chugging along. If I overbook without enough recovery time, I push too hard and get sick.

Speaking of sick, I’ve been steadily testing negative for the plague. Not sure why I had a fever, but it seems to be gone. It is Allergies R Us around here right now – you can see the pollen float past the windows when sitting on the porch.

An invitation for a proposal to write a commissioned play built around eco-grief/climate change landed on my desk. It’s so intriguing. I put together the proposal and sent it off first thing this morning. I’ve rearranged my writing resume so I lead with stage plays and radio plays, rather than novels. It suits my current focus better. I’ve done missions-specific playwrighting for the National Marine Life Center; let’s hope they like my proposal well enough to make me one of the three playwrights on this project, which would start this year and continue through next year.

It’s 50/50. Either they believe I’m right for the project, or they don’t. If I don’t pitch, I have 0 chance.

There was another call for submissions for short holiday plays. I looked at my Stage Play Tracker and I have. . .nothing? Yeah. None of my plays are built around a holiday. Huh.

Put that in the percolation compost bin, and see what eventually comes out.

I was invited to a screenwriting virtual conference in June. However, I’m not going to participate (or even sign up) if the strike is still going on, and I expect that it will be.

Today’s agenda: Create the episode graphics for this week’s episodes of Legerdemain. Upload and post the promos for Legerdemain and Angel Hunt. Write another episode of Legerdemain.

I have two short-ish client projects in the afternoon. I also have to contact the residency administrator over at MASSMoCA about coordinating the poets’ reading in the autumn.

I should NOT work on the next draft of FALL FOREVER. But I probably will. Or maybe, maybe, since I’m seriously considering taking Friday off from client work again, I will block that day off for work on the project at the Clark Art Institute and on the FALL FOREVER revision.

I also need to start setting up the back balcony, doing some planting, and getting in some painting. On a creative level, I need to work on the piece for Poets in Conversation, which is coming up, and on the flash fiction inspired by an art piece. Both have been percolating in the back of my brain. I want to get some words down, so I can start rearranging them.

Peace, my friends, and have a good one.

Thurs. May 4, 2023: Work, Work, Work

image courtesy of Erika Varga via pixabay.com

Thursday, May 4, 2023

Day Before Full Moon

Mercury and Pluto Retrograde

Rainy and raw

The latest, very short post on the garden is over on Gratitude and Growth.

Today’s serial episode is Legerdemain:

Episode 82: Multi-Tasking

Shelley lets the thief and the murderer take each other’s measure while she questions another suspect.

Legerdemain Serial Link

Legerdemain Website

I had to prioritize yesterday, once I came back from the laundromat. The priority was FALL FOREVER. I did another pass on it. Not a deep edit, but a clean-up and tweak. I tightened a few things, and made internal cuts that added up to making it shorter by two pages (a good thing). I feel okay about this being the “reading draft.” I have to print out a copy for myself (which means I’ll need to get more ink by tomorrow – I really need the grant money so I can get my laser printer fixed).But this is the draft I can send to the cast on Friday, and feel okay about. Not great about, because I know there’s a lot more work to do; but okay about.

By the time I was done with that, I had to type up a letter to my mom’s doctor. Her new insurance has refused to pay for the medication she’s been on for 10 years. American Healthcare has nothing to do with health. The pharmacist had done a workaround so that I could afford this month’s refill, but we have to do something moving forward. Either the doctor has to send in a request (demand) that the insurance cover it, or she has to prescribe something that’s on their “list.” This is ridiculous.

My neighbor’s dog slipped his leash. He’s not particularly friendly or well-socialized, and the neighbors were terrified he’d either get hit by a car (we’re in a city) or bite someone. They were running after him yelling, and he just ran more. I grabbed a packet of corned beef (leftovers from the weekend’s company) out of the fridge and dashed down the street waving slices of it, calling him. He ran right over to me. I had him sit before I tossed him the meat. He did. He walked perfectly nicely back with me to his people, who got the collar and leash back on him. It was pretty funny. So, I guess, in his eyes now, I’m the “meat lady.” I better start keeping snacks for the dogs in my purse!

I did a library run to drop off/pick up books. Did what I could to support my WGA colleagues in the strike (encouragement, donations to supply coffee and food to picket lines, etc.). I love the pictures posted from the picket lines. I love all the dogs, babies, and kids who are part of it. The writers are fighting for everyone’s creative futures AND for fair wages, no matter what the industry.

The producers intend to wait it out, having stockpiled. They’ll run out eventually.

I have to say, blocking anti-WGA jerkoffs on various timelines has made my life better, overall. Because their anti-WGA stance is just a manifestation of much deeper incompatibility. I have to deal with a certain amount of people who don’t believe a deserve to earn a living in my profession (because it’s not “real” work, you know, although they consume it every day voraciously) in real life. I can CHOOSE not to deal with them online. And I do. There’s no “agree to disagree.” Either you respect me as a human being in a creative profession, or you do not. We can’t disagree on this basic tenet of who I am and then be friends because maybe we both like chocolate ice cream or something.

It also makes me realize how we’re trained to allow toxic people to treat us badly, and how often it’s misnamed “tolerance” or “compassion” or “professionalism.”

Turned around two coverages. Finished the book for review. I will write and submit the review this morning, and then get my next assignment. Finished the second category of contest entries. I need to make my final decision – I know the winner, but I have to look at the score sheets and pick the 5 finalists, although I’m pretty sure I know who those will be. And then I have to write the review for the winner. And enter the scores for ALL the books in the category, because I have not kept up with that.

Then, I’ll move on to finish the final category over the next few days. I’m doing coverage today, but not tomorrow or the rest of the weekend, so I can finish the category and get everything in on time. I’m in decent shape with the category, but usually I have everything finished by May 1, and I didn’t this year.

I could not face leftovers last night, so I ordered Chinese food. Willa snuck onto the porch while I waited for delivery, and got scolded.

I also have to make the rounds to promote Legerdemain and yesterday’s Angel Hunt (which I did not promote). I think I will post the Serial Questionnaire around the different places and start the data gathering.

I need to get next week’s episodes of Legerdemain uploaded and scheduled, then do the graphics and loglines. They’re ready (that editing time at the laundromat is very useful). It’s just a case of getting them up and scheduled.

I started work on the poem for the Poets in Conversation piece, at least in my head. It’s taking shape. I will probably do some noodling on it in the next couple of days.

Off to meditation – have a good one!

Thurs. April 20, 2023: Projects in Different Stages

image courtesy of Albrecht Fietz via pixabay.com

Thursday, April 20, 2023

New Moon

Partly sunny and chilly

How’d you do with the eclipse? Are you ready for tomorrow’s Mercury Retrograde? Such are the preoccupying thoughts.

I wanted to post the questionnaire for Serial Writers, but really? With Mercury about to go into retrograde? What am I thinking? And yet, I might do so anyway.

Today’s Gratitude and Growth post decries the way I’m dragging my feet in this spring’s planting.

Today’s serial release is Legerdemain.

Episode 78: Abbot Ellis Confides Over Tea

Abbot Ellis planned to remove the controversial priest; however, someone else took that initiative.

Legerdemain serial link is here.

Legerdemain website link is here.

Settling in to FALL FOREVER wasn’t easy, but once I did it, it flowed pretty well. I wrote 4 ½ pages. I think I have one more scene (today’s, I hope), then the climactic scene, then the final scene. The end is in sight. I just have to hold steady and do the work to get there, and I’m flagging. I can’t/won’t take a day off, because if I do, I’ll take another and another and it won’t get done. I need to push through and finish.

Got up the promos for this week’s episodes of ANGEL HUNT.

Faffed around getting settled back into Legerdemain. Wrote an episode, although it’s on the short side for this serial. But it does its job and it was a good end point for the episode, so there we go.

FALL FOREVER has been chosen for an END OF PLAY table read in early May. In fact, it’s the first slot of that week’s programs. I am terrified and excited. Guess I really do have to finish it now, don’t I? And then do a revision before I send it off!

I mean, slots were chosen by random lottery, so it’s not like it was chosen because anyone fell in love with it, but I’m still excited.

The seed for this play was planted in the playwrights workshop I took last June, sponsored by the Williamstown Theatre Festival. It looks like they’ve discontinued the program (since I haven’t heard anything since), but I’m sending a thank you note to the leader of the workshop, and will, of course, credit him, the workshop. The Dramatists Guild, and the arts council in the work. Even though the grant money hasn’t arrived yet, I don’t know that I would have blocked off the time to write the play this month if I hadn’t known it was on the way.

I stared at the art piece and let a few things percolate. The character is coming into view. Now I need the character to tell me her story.

Did the social media rounds to promote The Process Muse and Angel Hunt. For some reason, I couldn’t post the Substack link on Post. I hope they’re not getting squiffy about Substack links like Twitter!

Can I just say how much I love Substack Notes? At first, I groaned – not one MORE thing! But I’m finding all kinds of great conversations there. It’s one of the things I enjoy about Substack – the chance to have actual conversations, both on my own project and on other people’s projects.

Did not manage any work on REP other than the revisions/multi-colored draft on the first episode at the laundromat, but that’s okay. REP is a project to work on in stolen moments at this point, when my work on other projects is complete. It’s definitely mixing the retro theatre touring vibe with a futuristic vibe in the way I hoped.

Was late getting started on coverage. Since the three coverages in my queue are all novels with an eye to adaptation, I downloaded yesterday’s to the tablet (creaky as it is) and read it lying on the couch, Charlotte on my lap, taking notes in longhand. It was a delight, a reprint of a mystery from the 1930’s by an author whose work I had not yet read, but who is on my list of authors to research. Such an enjoyable read. I will write it up and send it off today, and then read the next one (I have three in my queue by this author, rounding out my week).

I read a couple of contest entries afterwards.

Slept badly, but managed to pull myself out of bad dreams and get back to sleep.

Meditation this morning, then my FALL FOREVER pages (might try to get them in before meditation), draft another episode of Legerdemain. And a grocery run – I did not plan Tuesday’s trip well enough.

I need to get the next 4 episodes of Legerdemain polished, uploaded and scheduled. That will take pressure off me next week with our friends coming in, and Angel Hunt’s all set. It will just be a case of doing the rounds to promote them, while continuing to draft episodes of Legerdemain. Social media rounds, script coverage and contest entries later on.

What’s on your agenda today? Have a good one.

Tues. April 18, 2023: A Productive Weekend of Scribbling

image courtesy of Queena Deng via pixabay.com

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Day Before Dark Moon

Rainy and cold

The temperature’s already fallen 45 degrees since late last week, and they predicted snow tonight.

Did you have a good weekend? Are you ready for our usual Tuesday morning natter?

I fixed a big plot hole in Thursday’s pages on FALL FOREVER, and that allowed the scene to move forward. I wound up writing about 6 pages on Friday.

Worked on material for June’s newsletter because there’s actually material for it already.

I wrote, revised, polished, and sent off the materials for the August residency. Either they feel I’m a good fit or they don’t. And if I get something definite on one of the other applications, before I hear one way or another from this one, I’ll have to make a decision. Chances are, I’ll take the definite. If I’m offered the August slot and know early enough, then I can build other plans around it.

Did a library run to drop off/pick up books. It was pretty damn hot out there.

Turned around two script coverages.

Read PAT IN THE CITY, Patricia Fields’s memoir about her life in fashion which then turned into a career in costume design (most famously for SEX IN THE CITY). It was very interesting. Although we overlapped a good deal in NYC, especially in the late 80s/early 90s, I was far too shy to be part of that crowd, and drugs were a big part of their scene, which was not mine at all. I mean, I was aware of her store and what was going on in the area (after all, I was at NYU, and then, once I came back from the three years on the west coast, I worked off-Broadway, climbing my way up to Broadway). I was just busy elsewhere.

Fortunately, Saturday wasn’t quite as hot. It’s pleasant enough to have my first cup(s) of coffee on the front porch, to write in my journal, and, Saturday morning, to write a few more pages of notes on REP. The big challenge with REP is going to be building the comedy properly, so it’s funny, but doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the story. And, since the ambition for it is to eventually adapt it back into either novels, or a series of novellas (the latter is more likely), I have to build the humor in a way that it doesn’t read as frantic in a flow.

I created a Serial Writers Questionnaire that I’m going to post around the various channels, to get an idea of what other serial writers are doing. It might grow into a blog post or an article at some point.

I winnowed down the inbox for my main email account to something I can deal with. I have to get on top of one more email inbox, and I’ll be on track.

I’ve been chasing down payment from a prestigious publication that pays a pittance, but claims that paying writers is important. I was supposed to be paid at the end of March. When I hadn’t received payment by the beginning of last week, I contacted the editor. The interactions have been pleasant, but so far, I’ve had excuses, trying to shift responsibility to me, and still no payment. I mean, I’d already decided I wouldn’t work for them ever again, since the payment is about 1/10^th of what I’d get at the other publications I usually write this type of material for. But no. Don’t say you care about paying writers and then not pay them.

FALL FOREVER was a bit of a slog on Saturday, and I only wrote 3 pages. But I showed up and did it, and that’s what matters. In the first 15 days of the program, I wrote 71 pages, so I’m on track. I expected to be somewhere between pages 45-60 at this point, so a rough day here and there is not going to make me whine. Pushing through to the end of this draft, rather than skipping days and catching up because I’m ahead at the moment is a better choice for me, I think.

Drafted two episodes of Legerdemain. Did the log lines for this week’s episodes and the episode graphics. Did some more work on the 2000-year history of Legerdemain that will go up on the website. I need to get more original content up on the website to enhance the serial for readers, and to intrigue new readers. But it takes time, brain energy, and tech maneuvering.

Revised, polished, uploaded, and scheduled the next two Process Muse posts.

Rubbed one of the Adirondack chairs on the front porch with teak oil, prepping it for summer. Re-painted a copper and crystal whirligig so it’s all shiny and pretty. Cleaned the crystals and put them back in on Sunday, when the paint was dry. That will look pretty once we can get the back door open and out onto the back balcony.

Finished reading a book I thought was great for the first few chapters. Then, the author, via her trio of female protagonists started slagging off other women with the term “witch” as a derogatory. Nope, nope, nope. I’ve been a supporter of this author’s work for several years, but no more. Referring to women who are mean and bullying as “witches” is inappropriate in a contemporary novel for 2023. Don’t pretend you give a flying fuck about equity and inclusion if your protagonists (who supposedly do care) use the term, you hypocrite.

Ordered Chinese food because I didn’t feel like cooking.

Finally got to watch THE LOST CITY. It was a lot of fun, for the most part, but the logistical lapses bugged me. I mean, there was a lot that was wacky, because it parodied this type of film, but the internal logic of this wacky created world needed to be stronger. A couple of the jokes were milked too long and the air went out of the scenes. One scene, for a supporting character, that was supposed to plant information for a final scene visual needed a rewrite. The actress did what she could with the material, but the words weren’t enough. It could have been an hilarious scene and wasn’t, because it was a badly written monologue that didn’t build properly.  A supporting character had an arc with potential set up, and then it was dropped as the film continued with a really weak exit for him, which was a shame, because it would have added texture. Sandra Bullock was a lot of fun. Her timing was impeccable. Channing Tatum was fine, doing his thing. Daniel Radcliffe had a good time chewing scenery (his role reminded me a lot of his role in NOW YOU SEE ME 2). Brad Pitt’s cameo was hilarious. And his schtick of eating in a scene (this time off camera, in the first phone call) was one of those things that the OCEANS movie viewers will get and love. The plot twist at the end of his cameo was unexpected, and I’m glad I hadn’t seen any spoilers. The way the movie sends up conferences was hilarious.

So, overall, I had fun. It also taught me a few structural things I want to stay away from in the Heist Romance script.

Had trouble getting to sleep on Saturday; Charlotte got me up Sunday. Morning coffee on the porch with the journal, then a few more pages of outline notes for REP.

Wrote 3 ½ pages on FALL FOREVER.

Sunday was the day I put aside to devote mostly to ANGEL HUNT. However, I still had to draft an episode of Legerdemain first. I drafted the episode, and then switched headspaces to ANGEL HUNT’s world.

I adapted two chapters into serial episodes, for a total of 8 episodes. I uploaded the next eight episodes to Vella, which gets me through the second week of June, and I have episodes drafted well into the summer. I need to work on ANGEL HUNT one day per week, in and around other stuff, until all the episodes are polished, uploaded, and scheduled. Somehow, I hadn’t written the episode loglines for the upcoming 8 episodes, so I wrote episode loglines for 16 episodes, which gets me through everything that’s scheduled. I updated the Style Sheet and Series Bible. I’m up-to-date with characters on that, but behind on plot points, and was too tired to backtrack, so I’ll have to catch up with that, too. Some of the stuff I adapted today needs better follow-through with the arcs down the line; I may have to insert some material into the chapters I’m adapting. I’ve got just over 60 episodes drafted, and I think I’m at the halfway point, maybe just a tad beyond it. I’ve uploaded episodes through Episode 40. The sooner I can get the serial finished, edited, uploaded, and polished, the sooner I can work on the plan for it.

Read the latest NEW YORKER. Felt tired and burned out. Got some of the painting done on the wind chimes. I need to do the small bits later this week, when it’s dry.

Worked on contest entries.

Yoga was terrific. The conversation is as worthwhile as the practice itself.

Home, finished the leftover Chinese food, read for a bit.

Slept pretty well. Woke up in the middle of the night, worried I had a fever. But I was sandwiched in between Charlotte and Tessa, both of whom are very warm.

I forgot to set the coffeemaker Sunday night. We were all very confused Monday morning.

Felt burned out on Monday morning. It was hard to get going. Which frustrated me, because I’d been looking forward to this holiday Monday all last week.

I snuck in a little work on GAMBIT COLONY.

Showed up to the page at FALL FOREVER, even though I wasn’t feeling it. Once I got into it, though I wrote 4 pages. Finished the scene.

I’m moving into the last few scenes. Maybe three or four more. I’d like to finish the draft before our company arrives at the end of next week.

Drafted another episode of Legerdemain, which makes me feel, finally, like I’m pulling a little ahead. I need to keep it up all week, and then I’ll make some real progress. I will be able, when I upload more episodes this week, to get a few weeks’ worth scheduled, instead of just next week’s. Got up this week’s promos.

Drafted the first three episodes of REP. I want to write about 10 episodes to see if this is actually a viable project, or if it’s just something silly to work on as a stress reliever. These episodes are more dramedy with slight satiric elements than straight-up comedy. I may layer some jokes into it, but I might let the voice that’s coming through prevail, since it’s working. And I’m trying to keep the episodes close to 1K/each (a little over/under is fine). So, in terms of episode length, it’s between the very short bites of ANGEL HUNT and the longer LEGERDEMAIN. Although I’m trying to keep the Legerdemain episodes a little shorter, too. Metrics show readers prefer to spend 10-15 tokens per episode, but not more than 20. (Which means 1-2K words for episode length, with 1-1.5K being the sweet spot).

It’s very much a valentine to theatre.

But it also means I wrote 5-damn-K words yesterday, and by 2 PM, I was TIRED.

I couldn’t paint because it was raining, and it wouldn’t dry properly.

I took up residence on the couch, and Charlotte took up residence on me (I’m one click away from adding “cat furniture” to my resume). I read SPARKLING CYANIDE, the Agatha Christie read for this month. Some of it was clever. But the young heroine fell firmly in the “too stupid to live” category and I was almost sorry when the hero managed to rescue her at the end.

Soup class was a lot of fun. It will end in mid-May, and then start up again, with a slightly different format, in November.

I jolted awake in the middle of the night with sense memory stress, but Tessa purred me down. When I finally got up this morning, I felt tired and burned out. I mean, I worked all weekend, even if it wasn’t client work.

I feel good about my work (although I wish I’d gotten more done on Legerdemain’s website), but I’m tired.

This morning, first priority is the next pages on FALL FOREVER, then another episode of Legerdemain. Then, I’ll see where I am timewise, and what I can get in before I head off to the library and the pharmacy. This afternoon, I have two scripts to turn around. I don’t have any other scripts in my queue for the week yet, and I’m trying not to let that worry me.

I also need to backup my drives before Mercury goes retrograde, put up this week’s Angel Hunt promos, put together a list of collaborative tools for a friend, and send out some pitches. A friend asked me to blurb her upcoming release, and I’m excited about that. I won’t get to read the book until sometime in May (my schedule, not hers), but I’m looking forward to it. I also want to work on contest entries.

I’m looking forward to yoga tonight, even if it kicks my ass.

Episode 77 of Legerdemain goes live today!

Have a good one, my friends! I hope your week starts well.

Wed. April 12, 2023: A Simple Spring Work Day

image courtesy of G.C. via pixabay.com

Wednesday, April 12, 2023

Waning Moon

Cloudy and mild

There’s stuff to read on other sites today! Over on The Process Muse, we talk about the meanings/values of the clothes our characters wear.  Ink-Dipped Advice’s newest post will go live later today.

I wrote 4 ½ pages on FALL FOREVER. The scene took a different turn than I expected, and this draft barely scratches the surface. I will have to dig deeper in the next draft. But that’s okay. It’s getting me where I need to go. I hope to hit the act break either today or tomorrow.

I saw a call for play submissions. I thought I had a play that would fit. I did a quick re-read, did a few tweaks, and submitted it. I saw a call for radio plays from Scotland; there were a few things I wasn’t sure about, so I shot off an email with the questions, so any submission I make fits what they need.

The longer I do this, the more I have a problem with using prompts during a piece I’m in the middle of writing. When I’m looking for new ideas, I LOVE prompts. They get me going in new directions, and make me see things differently. When I’m expected to do prompts within the framework of something I’m already writing, I find it harmful, especially in a first draft. Instead of enriching what I’m working on, it detracts.

Did the curbside pickup for the supplies I needed; I hope I can get going with some painting and other cleaning this week.

Started writing the next Legerdemain episode, which has a chase scene in it. It’s fun to write,  but needs very specific choreography to achieve both the action and the comedy.

Turned around a script coverage in the afternoon, and worked on contest entries.

Yoga was fun, although it’s called “gentle yoga” and still kicks my ass. But it’s a nice group of people, and we have fun conversations at the top and bottom of class.

Home, started reading the next book for review.

Slept reasonably well, although I dreamed I worked a show, which meant I put in a full day before I woke up.

Up early, over to the laundromat. I was the only one there, thank goodness, and got the wash and dry done. While that was going, I revised four episodes of Legerdemain and did outline notes for REP.

My neighbor in the house next door’s kitchen window faces my office window. He has a large, cream-colored cat who likes to sit in the kitchen window, and Charlotte sits on the small table she commandeered when we moved in, and they stare at each other. It gives them something to do.

Plenty of writing and script coverage to do today, so I better get to it.

Episode 23 of Angel Hunt drops today. I hope you enjoy it!

Tues. April 11, 2023: A Promised Stretch of Good Weather to Support The Writing

image courtesy of Jill Wellington via pixabay.com

Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Waning Moon

Sunny and pleasant

Ready to curl up and catch up? It looks like we’re plunging straight into summer, skipping spring this week.

Friday was frustrating. On the upside, I managed to write 9 ½ pages on FALL FOREVER. I caught up with Thursday’s missed pages, wrote Friday’s pages, and worked ahead through Saturday’s pages, since I knew I wouldn’t be able to work on it on Saturday.

The dishwasher stopped working again. I’m pretty sure it’s the outlet, not the dishwasher. So I took everything out and washed it all by hand again.

I was worried it would destroy my concentration on FALL FOREVER (since it happened while I was writing), but I managed to get back in and finish the scenes. By Day 7 I’d written 34 pages, which is a decent start.

The steady pages definitely don’t have the endorphin rush that writing for 10 or 12 hours do, but it’s more sustainable.

The DG is setting up virtual “rooms” to read scenes. I’ll skip those. “Sharing” first draft work on unfinished projects with strangers does more harm than good for me. There are people I trust and will sometimes share early drafts, but usually, until a draft is finished, it’s detrimental to share too early. It’s easier to share something like a short story or a monologue early because I’ve finished a couple of drafts and CAN share it. But sharing the opening when I’m only 30 pages in would derail the piece for me. I’m still figuring out what it is. Outside chatter is destructive. Even positive feedback would be harmful to the overall piece at this stage.

On top of that, damn Spectrum kept going down. If the stupid construction people up the street are working, they need to be careful of the internet.

Up a little after 4 AM on Saturday, before the alarm and before coffee, which confused the cats. Got everything done and we were on the road a little before 5:30 AM for the storage run. The lovely moon watched over our travels until the sun rose. It was a nice, sunny, mild day to drive. Traffic was light on the way down, even across the Bourne Bridge (the Sagamore is down to one lane in each direction, because they are always doing work on one or both of  the bridges to make sure people can’t effectively get across. They need to be stopped from doing work on both bridges at the same time, which is simply unviable. But I’m sure they’ll do it anyway, by May.

We made it to storage a little after 9 AM (usually the trip takes at least 4 hours, longer with bridge traffic. Couldn’t find everything I wanted, because it’s buried, and, even though I marked all the boxes, there’s stuff I can’t get at. But we found what was most important for this trip, loaded the car, and were done in about 40 minutes. We swung by one of our favorite stores, got some fun stuff (including some silicon whisks and some door decorations for the summer) and were back on the road and over by the bridge by 10:30. The traffic was just starting to back up as we went across; by the time we were a half hour clear, the backups on both bridges were getting bad. So at least our timing was good.

Traffic back was heavy between Worcester and Sturbridge on the pike, but other than that, it was moving well, and we were back by 2 PM (never goes that smoothly). We picked up takeout on the way home and ate, then I unloaded the car.

Two of the boxes of china I’m not going to unpack until after our company comes and goes at the end of the month, because I still need to get a china cabinet for it. The box with the vintage soup tureens also had the trifle dish and the large glass bowl and some other good stuff in it that we will use.

The Canaletto/Venice books made it back up for a summer project, and that box also has some other cookbooks in it. There were some other bits and bobs, some of which I have to go through. Slowly, slowly, unpack, rearrange, integrate into the house.

I started reading a biography of Laurette Taylor in the afternoon/evening (she crossed paths with Minnie Fiske). And the Katharine Cornell book with the information I need for about three projects showed up, so that’s all good.

I fell into bed early. Woke up to coffee on Sunday morning. Made eggs Benedict for breakfast. Unpacked some more (soup tureens, etc.) and washed them. Baked the lemon cake.

Wrote 5 ½ pages on FALL FOREVER. I see where I’m going heading to the end of Act 1. A character who was always going to be offstage will come on at the end of the act. That’s two characters who decided they needed to be front and center, rather than off to the side.

I should have written another Legerdemain episode, but I had nothing in the tank.

I put a raspberry jam filling between the layers of lemon cake, and made a chocolate glaze over the top of it. It’s good, but the raspberry overwhelms the lemon, and it might have made more sense to use plain yellow cake. Next time.

Took down the curtains in the kitchen, which lets in much more light. It’s warm enough so we don’t need them to block the leaks around the window edges.

Sat on the porch in the afternoon, reading and taking notes. The back door to the balcony hasn’t been fixed yet. I am going to be a nudge about it. We’ve waited two years to have the door fixed so we could close it for winter and it wasn’t; now it’s jammed shut and I won’t be denied access to having that garden space all summer. And I want it to be set up before the company comes at the end of the month.

I went to yoga in the evening. It was good. Intense, but good. Went to bed pretty soon after I came home.

Slept well until about 2, when I woke up with sense memory stress. Tessa wandered off, and, around 3, just as I was getting back to sleep, Charlotte came in and wanted attention. Dozed off until just before 6.

I downloaded the IceCream reading app on the laptop; we’ll see if that works. I still need to move what’s on Overdrive in the Kindle onto the hard drive.

Monday morning, I wrote 8 pages of FALL FOREVER first thing. I see the new end of Act 1, and I should hit it in about two more days/scenes. I can’t hide behind any of the genre tricks I use in the comic noir mysteries, because this is a naturalistic drama, and I have to build the beats differently. I hope I can pull it off.

It’s leaf blower season again. Fortunately, they don’t run the blowers all day every day, just for a few minutes once or twice a week. There will be more of it early on for the initial cleanup, and then it will settle down. I hope.

Drafted an episode of Legerdemain, updated the Style Sheet and Series Bible.

My friend Paula’s play is a semi-finalist with a company down in Florida, and I am so excited for her! I love the play, and am so happy it’s getting recognition.

Did a library run to drop off/pick up books.

Created the episode graphics for this week’s episodes of Legerdemain. Uploaded the promos for this week’s Legerdemain and Angel Hunt episodes.

Finished, polished, uploaded, and scheduled tomorrow’s Process Muse. Wrote the next two posts, which I will polish, upload, and schedule tomorrow.

Turned around two script coverages.

Blocked off some quality time later in the week for Legerdemain and for Angel Hunt, to get ahead on both of them. Script coverage may be light late in the week; if it picks up and it’s  necessary, I will work on one serial on Saturday and the other on Sunday (although I’ll upload next week’s Legerdemain episodes no later than Thursday).

Worked on contest entries.

Soup class was fun. Last night was gumbo night.

I re-read some of the flash fiction I wrote to February prompts. The first batch needs some revision tweaks and I think they can start heading out into the world soon. I’d like to get them out the door before Mercury goes retrograde. I’ll work on the next batch in and around everything else.

This morning, I will do more pages on FALL FOREVER, draft another episode of Legerdemain, do the social media rounds to promote Episode 75 of Legerdemain.75 Episodes! Phew! Kind of exciting. I have to do a curbside pickup on some stuff I ordered, too, to get going on the spring cleaning.

I have two script coverages to complete, and yoga this evening.

So I better get going!

How’s your week starting?

Thurs. April 6, 2023: A Steady Work Day

image courtesy of Karolina Grabowska via pixabay.com

Thursday, April 6, 2023

Full Moon

Rainy and chilly

There’s a new post over on Gratitude and Growth.

After all that “Twitter won’t allow WordPress to connect anymore” – it did? I’m so confused. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy about it. But I’m confused.

Was feeling under the weather yesterday. I got 5 pages written on FALL FOREVER, a new scene which surprised me (for the right reasons) and then doing the scene shift into the next scene. I’m starting to have my doubts that this will be a full-length. I’m thinking it might run around an hour or so. But I can’t worry about that in this draft. I have to write what wants to be written, and then, in revisions, work on structure, adding or cutting, re-shaping, etc.

Finished and polished next week’s Process Muse. Will upload it today. I’d hoped to have the whole month done by the end of last week, but that didn’t happen. I’d like to buckle down this weekend and get the rest of April into the first week of May done and uploaded, since the last week of April into May will be busy.

Did a quick library run to drop off/pick up books, but that was all the energy I had for anything away from home.

Did the social media rounds for the blog, the Process Muse, and the episode of Angel Hunt which dropped yesterday. I need to build in steady time the rest of this week and next week for Legerdemain, and some time toward the end of next week for Angel Hunt.

Turned around a big coverage on a script for which I’d been requested.

The Goddess Provisions box arrived, and was a delight.

Worked on contest entries in the evening. I’m almost finished with two of the three categories, and then I can focus on the last one (which is the biggest one) for the rest of the month.

I’m getting tired of trying to figure out workarounds on the Kindle. Plus, I have a bunch of stuff on Overdrive on the Kindle and Overdrive is discontinued on May 1. So I have to pull it off and get it on the external hard drive, pull off the other material on the Kindle that wasn’t purchased through Kindle (but is from Gutenberg or Send-to-Kindle, which no longer opens on the Kindle).

I’m looking at tablets. I need something where I can read on expanded font (for the script coverages and the other reading that I usually do on Kindle), and it would be nice if I had word processing and other capacity there. Because so much runs on app and doesn’t work on the laptop, it’s frustrating. EVERYTHING should work on both.. Especially since tablets can’t handle the writing capacity I need, and I do A LOT of work where there’s no internet connection.

The script coverage service for which I work had a leadership change and I have my doubts. So I guess part of this spring/summer is looking for other work. I’m worried anyway, with the looming WGA strike, especially since no one at the coverage service will answer any questions as to how it affects us.

Slept well, although with weird dreams. Meditation this morning. I have to go to the grocery store. I need to work on FALL FOREVER, Legerdemain, and do the social media rounds for everything, including the episode of Legerdemain that drops today. I also need to do some more promotion for “Plot Bunnies.”

I have three script coverages in the queue for today. I thought I had two today and one tomorrow, but then I was requested for a long coverage, so I’ll do three today and the requested coverage tomorrow.

I might be working late today. But the weekend is busy, so I have to get things done.

Happy Passover to all those who celebrate.

Have a good one.

Tues. April 4, 2023: Ups, Downs, and “Plot Bunnies” Re-Release

image courtesy of Connor Johnson via pixabay.com

Tuesday, April 4, 2023

Waxing Moon

Rainy and chilly

Lots to catch up on, so curl up with a beverage and we’ll get to it.

Friday morning was all about getting ready for the grant reception. I did a home test – I felt fine, but I wanted to be sure. All good. Made an executive decision to use a more forgiving shapewear, because the really good one didn’t let me sit down, and that would not work for me. I know we were in an art museum and all, but being a living sculpture is not my jam.

I forgot to mention in Friday morning’s post how happy I am that the Narcissistic Sociopath has finally been indicted. About damn time. Having served on a Grand Jury, I have some idea of how the evidence was presented, and what kinds of conversations the jury might have had, and the instructions. Personally, I won’t be satisfied until he’s up on accounts of treason and sedition, but at least SOMEBODY is trying to do SOMETHING about all that public criming in real time.

As far as school shootings, nothing will get better until the NRA loses their nonprofit status, is declared a terrorist organization, and any politician bought by them removed from office. Any politician wearing an NRA pin should be banned from office for life. At minimum.

Anyway, back to the goings on.

The grant reception was amazing. I met so many people (and I have so much follow up to do). The new executive director, Michael Bobbitt, for the Council is a theatre person, filled with exuberance and passion to support working artists. He believes in us collectively, and also takes the time to meet and know us as individuals. I was surprised that the state level senators and reps were there, not just talking passionately about how deeply they believe in us. Instead of the usual appearance, where they nod, smile, say a few words and are whisked off to the next event, they were there early, they stayed through all the speeches and performances, and they stayed after to talk to the individual recipients. Since the auditorium was packed with several hundred of us (yes, I stayed masked the whole time), that was both unusual and appreciated. Several Council board members were there, and again, the passion and belief in us is astounding.

Because there were so many of us in attendance, I didn’t have to worry about being put on the spot for anything (a nice change). There was a planned, scheduled performance by one of the artists, poet Lyrical Faith, which was terrific. And organized, and took the pressure off of us. The whole event was beautifully organized.

The director of the museum was even there to kick this off, welcome us, and encourage us to stay and enjoy the museum.

I also met Emily Ruddock, of Mass Creative, who I’ve known and worked with for the past couple of years via email, and it was such fun to finally meet in person. Her husband is a theatrical lighting designer. And Brian Boyles, the head of Mass Humanities, and I also had an excellent conversation.

The auditorium is in the same building as the library, so now I know where I’ll go for my research project on the Bibiena family of stage designers (this family and the Canalettos were the big opera designers in Italy, and the painter Canaletto started painting scenery for his father).

The ceremony was filled with passion and emotion and enthusiasm and belief. Even better, the state’s Committee on Tourism and Culture is co-chaired by Berkshire politicians – both of whom were at the event.

It was a wonderful event, but also a little overwhelming, especially after being in various stages of pandemic isolation for three years. Like I said, I need to be re-socialized slowly, like a feral cat.

Thank goodness I’d made business cards.

As I said, I have a LOT of follow-up to do this week.

After the reception (which, of course, ran late, but no one cared because we were having fun, and after, because all the people who were on the podium were actually interested in staying and talking one-on-one), I got my little museum admission sticker and wandered the museum.

I’d decided to dovetail being at the Clark with Essay Camp’s Day 5 assignments, and the start of the big nonfiction project. I spent a big chunk of time with Renoir’s “A Box At The Theatre (at a Concert).” Of course I was drawn to a theatre painting. I also spent some time with some Sargent paintings in Venice. “A Venetian Interior” has this hint of light through a door at the back that just fascinated me.

My feet hurt by then. Even though I’d worn flat boots, because I knew I wasn’t up for heels, I’m not used to wearing shoes for more than quick errands, and my feet damn hurt.

Limped back to the car and headed for Chapter Two Books on Spring Street in Williamstown. What a great bookstore! And the people running it are so nice. I wound up buying eight books, a mix of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, etc.

Wanted to stop at another store on the way, but couldn’t figure out where I was allowed to park, so skipped it and went to Wild Oats to pick up a few things.

Headed home, limped up the stairs, took off the boots, and stripped off the clothes (especially the shapewear). Phew!

It was after 3 by the time I got home (and I’d left the house at 10 AM), so it was a long day. A good one, but long.

At 7 was the Dramatists Guild End of Play virtual kickoff, which was a lot of fun. In addition to the great DG staff members, playwrights Dominic D’Andrea, Kevin Free, Caridad Svich, Deborah Zoe Laufer, Bernardo Cubria, Christine Toy Johnson, Jacqueline E. Lawton, Migdalia Cruz, and Eric Pfeffinger were there to offer prompts and conversation.

Several of the prompts were relevant to my play; others started seeds of new plays.

It was a lot of fun, but I was thoroughly wiped out by the end of it. I read one of the books I bought at Chapter Two, a book called AIRMAIL, which is a collection of letters between Pam Houston and Amy Irving early in the pandemic, until I staggered off to bed.

Slept pretty well, although I woke up at 2:30 fretting, and managed to get back to sleep eventually. Then Charlotte woke me around 4, and I told her I wasn’t getting up until the coffee started.

After breakfast, I sat down to start FALL FOREVER for End of Play, and wrote eight pages, the whole first scene. My outline is much looser than usual, and I’m trusting the characters. Even though I know there will be a lot of revision involved, I like what’s happening for this draft.

Took a break, and switched over to draft Legerdemain. Had trouble getting into the headspace.

Had to dash out for a few errands in the rain, got those done, came back. Settled in to work on contest entries, which I did for the rest of the day and into the evening. I’m almost done with two out of three genres, and should have both finished this week, which means I can then concentrate on the final genre (I’ve done a little over a third of the entries in that one). I need to catch up on entering the scores online, or it will be too much to do all at once.

Actually slept well Saturday into Sunday, slept all the way through the night. What a big difference. We originally were supposed to go on a storage run, but because of the wonky weather and the fact I have only one working windshield wiper, we didn’t. Neither of us felt up to it mentally or physically.

I was at the desk fairly early, and wrote the next scene of FALL FOREVER (3 ½ pages). I’d been thinking of it since I woke up, and also figured out how to utilize the few scene shifts I have in the piece to drive the plot.

Although it was a struggle to settle into Legerdemain, I managed to do it, and draft a new episode. I also created the episode graphics for this week’s episodes.

I worked on contest entries. I’m having trouble with the Kindle. Send -to-Kindle material shows up, but doesn’t open, even when it’s downloaded.

Amazon’s been trying to force me to buy a new kindle for the past few years, so they’re just turning off more and more features, thinking that’ll make me do it.

What it’s making me is angry, and I’m more likely to invest in a tablet on which I can do more with more flexibility and just use the Kindle reader app.

We also did our taxes. They should be simpler this year, but changes in the forms meant they were more difficult. But if we made a mistake, they will let us know. I mean, I’m not MAILING them until next week, but at least they’re done. And then, of course, I also have to do/mail my quarterly taxes next weekend, but that’s not as much of a big deal.

I had a very intense yoga class in the evening. As my teacher pointed out “restorative doesn’t mean EASY.” Yup. And Saturn in Pisces means when you do deep work, there’s an additional level of intensity.

My mom was coughing a lot this weekend. It didn’t sound good. We tried over the counter cough syrup and liquid Tylenol, which works for a little while, but it’s solving the problem. We both took home Covid tests (since I was going to yoga, and I’d been to the grant reception, I planned to test anyway). Both negative. I planned to call the doctor on Monday morning and get her in.

But my mom woke me up at 4:30 on Monday, because she couldn’t stop coughing and couldn’t get the childproof cap off the cough syrup. I gave her some syrup and she went back to sleep for a couple of hours, but felt dizzy when she woke up, so I packed her into the car and drove her over to Urgent Care. They were very nice and ran a bunch of tests to eliminate things. Since her only symptoms were a racking cough and dizziness, and the COVID test was negative, the heart rate good and the lungs clear, it removed a bunch of the worst options. They decided to do a flu swab, and that came back positive. She was skeptical, since she has no fever or body aches or nausea or any of the usual symptoms, but this year’s flu is weird, so, and it was a positive result, so that’s the first line of treatment.

I loaded her back in the car. Conveniently, Urgent Care is next to Stop & Shop, so I picked up the recommended bone broth and chicken soup (and I have homemade chicken soup) and a baguette to make it all more palatable. Got her settled at home, then set back out to mail bills (yay boxes that let you toss in the mail), and pick up her prescription at CVS. While I was there, I got the additional home COVID tests her insurance covers. I dashed next door to Big Y to get lemons, crackers, and iced fruit bars, which I thought she might enjoy.

We finally got home to eat breakfast around 11 AM. And I had to cancel the appointment to get the windshield wipers replaced. Got her settled in bed. We are trying to figure out how she could have caught flu germs. The only place she’s been out of the house was, the day before my birthday, when she went to the Clark with me, and we were masked the whole time. Unless the germs came in on a library book, or on me. I’m usually the one who always goes down with the first flu germ.

I’d written my three and a half pages for End of Play very early this morning, while my mom was asleep, so at least I didn’t feel like I’d lost the whole day.

I’d run out of time to work on Legerdemain, and to get the promos up  for “Plot Bunnies” which re-releases with some upgrades (especially to technology) today. This is a fun little story, set in the town of Twinkle, Vermont, and I hope you enjoy it. I need to dig in the rest of this week on promotion, especially since, toward the end of next week, I will most likely lock my Twitter account.

I was exhausted and felt like I’d been run over by a truck, but I managed to turn around both script coverages due in between making sure my mom had hot tea with honey and lemon, bone broth, water, and her medication on time. The medication’s definitely helping (although heaven forbid either her insurance or her supplemental insurance pay for it – what’s the point of forcing us to have supplemental insurance when it doesn’t actually cover what it’s supposed to)?

She had appetite for dinner (and she can smell and taste, which was another reason to be confident in the negative COVID test). Willa wouldn’t let my mom out of her sight, following her everywhere and staying with her on the bed. She takes her job as feline nurse very seriously.

Friends of ours are coming to visit for the last weekend of April into the beginning of May. We haven’t seen them since before the pandemic started, and they’ve never visited us in the Berkshires, so it will be fun. It means I have to kick into high gear with the spring cleaning!

I finished the book for review and got confirmation that the contest entries which didn’t fit my genre were moved to the appropriate one.

Fell into bed early and slept fairly well, dreaming that one of my plays was in rehearsal. Woke up around 2 to find Charlotte had snuck onto the bed with Tessa and me. Fell asleep again until about 6.

My mom seems better today. I have to catch up on everything I didn’t get done yesterday, write my 3-4 pages on the play, get the windshield wiper replaced, write and send off the review, get all the promos up and out, and turn around two script coverages.

I’m going to cancel out of yoga tonight (much as I want/need it) because I don’t want to risk getting anyone in the studio sick.

Let’s hope this is a productive week. I have to get started on the follow-up from Friday’s events, too. Focus on one thing at a time, and it’ll all get done, right?

Tues. March 28, 2023: Time for the Tuesday Natter

image courtesy of Agata via pixabay.com

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Waxing Moon

Rainy and chilly

Hope you had a grand weekend and are ready for our Tuesday natter.

A slew of submission calls hit my desk on Friday morning. I submitted two ten-minute plays to one of them. Another call was interested in radio scripts, but the guidelines made my eyes cross, so I skipped it. Maybe I’ll go back and re-read them some day when I’m not jugging sixteen kajillion things. I saw a call that a friend’s work would fit, so I sent that off to her.

I lost way too much time dealing with my mother’s health insurance. Again. Which meant I lost the writing time I’d put aside for Legerdemain, and that put me in an unsettled mood.

I picked up a big stack of books at the library, got in some groceries from Big Y (another snowstorm predicted for the weekend), mailed some stuff and bought stamps at the Post Office (and chatted, because, around here, the Post Office is the happening place), and swung by the liquor store to replenish.

I read some more in the Katharine Cornell biography – it’s good background on Jessie Bonstelle, Rachel Crothers, and, of course, inspiration for the serial in development, REP. It’s a little on the fawning side, but if one digs past that, there’s some good theatrical history in there.

In the afternoon, I turned around two script coverages, and then went back to the Cornell bio. In the evening (and late into the night), I read a book getting a lot of attention. It’s billed as a thriller, but it’s also a horror novel. It’s very well-written, a page turner. But, at the end, it didn’t give me a feeling of catharsis, just sadness, because of the unnecessary brutality. I mean, the brutality was necessary on the author’s part, but I felt sadness for the deaths of those brutally murdered in the book. It’s well done, and I’m glad I read it, but saying I “enjoyed” it would be a stretch.

Tessa and Charlotte are now BOTH sleeping on the bed with me. Tessa is on one side, down near my feet, and Charlotte is on the other side, curled up against my chest. Charlotte always considers being a pill to Tessa when she jumps up, and I tell her that if she’s not nice to Tessa, she will be kicked out; we’re here to sleep. She considers it, decides sleeping on the bed is more important than being a brat, curls up, and goes to sleep.

I figured out how much I need to write each day on FALL FOREVER for End Of Play in April. A full-length play is 90-120 pages (with the sweet spot being a little less). Over the course of 30 days, that’s 3-4 pages, and do-able. In fact, that’s a reasonable, stable pace, although there may be some days where I write more, in order to capture the entire scene.

I also came up with a large, nonfiction project made possible by the grant (once the money ever gets here). The initial phase of it would take an entire year of a block of time devoted to it each week, and polishing it after would take a few months. But it would be a good way to show gratitude for the grant, and have a tangible project by the end of it. Well, the first draft of a tangible project. I made some notes on it, and will set up the files for it once the grant money arrives, and I can actually take action on it. Because it’s non-fiction, I can write a proposal before the draft is finished, once I have a better idea of how the idea actually works as a real piece. It’s also something I could work on in residencies, if I didn’t want to apply to residencies next year with a fiction project.

The project has a nice resonance in the heart, which indicates it’s on the right track. The right thing at the right time is like a tuning fork. You can feel when it matches the tone.

Saturday morning, I woke with the pre-storm headache, which was just not fun. Once the storm started, it eased a bit, but the weather cycled from snow to sleet to rain and back again, and it was yucky.

I drafted another episode of Legerdemain. I uploaded the next couple of episodes. It wouldn’t let me schedule today’s episode, so both of this week’s episodes are dropping on Thursday, and I have an apology graphic making the rounds. I’ll get next week’s episodes uploaded and scheduled by tomorrow, to make sure there are no glitches. I did the log lines and the episode graphics.

A friend sent me a submission call, and I had a short play that might fit, so that went out the door.

I rewrote the opening of “Labor Intensive” and then did another pass on “Plot Bunnies.” I put the opening of “Labor Intensive” in as a teaser, and added in teasers for “Just Jump in and Fly” and SAVASANA AT SEA, along with information about the serials. I kept finding little copy edit glitches, so I proofed it a few more times – and KEPT finding little niggly things. But I think it’s finally clean, and that’s uploaded and scheduled for April 4 release. I’ll be doing graphics and pre-order information and updating websites and doing a big push for the next couple of weeks on that.

But it was a full day’s work.

I did a bunch of work on contest entries, too, along with a bunch of admin work that needed to be done on them.

I dug through some books I’d ordered from the library as background for the Heist Romance. I scanned some information, and I also ordered a copy of one of the books, because I can use it as research on more than one project, and it will be useful to have on hand.

I went back to the Katharine Cornell biography and learned about Minnie Madden Fiske and the company she ran with her second husband, Harrison Grey Fiske. She’s listed in the book of American Women Theatre Directors of the 20^th century, so I can do more digging on her, too.

I need to start putting together a timeline of some of these interesting women and see where they intersect. Because there’s a project in there, even if I don’t yet know what it is.

But I was tired by the end of Saturday. Really tired.

Tessa was the only one who slept on the bed on Saturday night, and I overslept on Sunday. But the cats got breakfast and I baked biscuits.

I drafted an episode of Legerdemain, and started the next episode. I finished, polished, uploaded and scheduled this week’s Process Muse, and then went ahead and wrote, polished, uploaded, and scheduled next week’s Process Muse. I’d like to get all of April’s posts written, polished, uploaded and scheduled this week to take the pressure off me in April.

I watched/listened to the prep video for the April yoga/eco challenge, and a lot of it resonated with me, which is a good thing.

Worked my way through a stack of contest entries in the afternoon. In the evening, I went back to the Cornell bio and made some notes for several different projects. I love it when one resource has multiple uses.

Had weird dreams Sunday into Monday. First, I was driving along a highway and had to keep stopping because people crossed in front of me. Pulled myself out of that dream, and was in the midst of fretting. Then, I realized I’m slipping back into the sense memory from before the move. I kept reminding myself that the feelings are real, but the reality has shifted to something more positive.

I hope, as I mentioned in yesterday’s “Intent” post, that I can use the pillars of End of Play and the yoga practice to ease that and prevent me from sliding back into that physical and mental state. It made April-May-June and even into July last year tough.

Finally fell asleep again and fell into more weird dreams, which fled as soon as I woke up.

Instagram no longer lets me cross post to Twitter and Tumblr. I can only post to IG & FB. Urgh.

I need ONE scheduling tool that lets me schedule unlimited posts to ALL my social media channels. But that doesn’t exist. Most tools only integrate with FB, IG, and Twitter. Some add Tumblr or Pinterest. That’s not good enough.

Did some admin, drafted an episode of Legerdemain, wrote a 3-page insert for GAMBIT COLONY. Scheduled the promos for this week’s episodes of Legerdemain and Angel Hunt.

Turned around three script coverages. I started them on the front porch, but it was too chilly. However, our yellow tulips are starting to bloom! So that’s lovely.

Completely forgot I’d signed up for Summer Brennan’s Essay Camp workshop, which started yesterday. Thank goodness for emails. I managed to get in both the writing assignment and the reading assignment.

Soup class was a lot of fun. Poor Jeremy. It’s gotten a little bit like herding cats for him.

After soup class, I had another idea for the Essay Camp assignment, so I did it. I think this one might be a stronger choice, but it’s always good to have options.

I went back to the Cornell bio. The chapter on the year-long rep tour by train (ROMEO & JULIET, THE BARRETTS OF WIMPOLE STREET, CANDIDA) was amazing and funny and difficult (among her co-stars were Basil Rathbone and a young Orson Welles). Maude Howell, the first female stage manager on Broadway, helped general manager Gert Macy set things up, before heading out to California to direct films. Minnie Fiske’s niece, Merle Maddern, was an actress in the company and a skilled tarot reader. They traveled with their own train cars with 50 actors, a crew, pets, spouses, scenery, props,  and costumes. The Christmas performance in Seattle, where the train was delayed by storms, but the audience waited, watched them set up, and then they performed until 4 AM is a wonderful story in itself.

There’s a project in there.

What and when, I don’t know, but I’m gathering information. The research will be tons of fun. I can also use some of this as inspiration for the REP serial, even though REP’s premise is very different. I’m not sure when it can fit into the schedule (probably next year), but it is very much my kind of project.

Dreamed I was part of a very busy writers’ group overnight, which was fun, but I felt like I’d put in a full day before I woke up.

FALL FOREVER is definitely ready to be written. I’m feeling that pull of “come on, now, tell my story” and I’m looking forward to April 1. I’m attending the virtual kick-off party on Friday night. I can’t attend Sunday’s virtual New England event because it conflicts with yoga AND with Sunday supposed to be my day of not going online, and, in this case, the yoga needs to come first.

Twitter’s only putting those who pay for blue checks in the “For You” feed (which is where the people I follow show up, rather than in the “Following” feed). That starts April 15. I think, that week before, I will lock my account. I need to shift my focus to building community on other platforms, and remind myself that it took years. But I need to put attention there, because, although Twitter used to fuel sales (especially for the Topic Workbooks) and reads and other things, it hasn’t the last few months. I need to figure out where my audience has shifted, and establish myself there.

The “Plot Bunnies” launch will end just as that’s happening, so I’ll be able to get some good metrics about the shift in a couple of months.

Speaking of “Plot Bunnies” it’s starting to go live for pre-order. I will post more info when I get relevant information up on the website, in the next few days. It re-releases on April 4, which is next Tuesday.

On today’s agenda: working on Legerdemain, working on tomorrow’s Ink-Dipped Advice post, prepping the launch info for the re-release of “Plot Bunnies,” turning around two scripts (one of for which I was requested), and then, tonight, yoga.

There’s no episode of Legerdemain going live today because of the glitch; again, my apologies. Have a good one!

Fri. March 24, 2023: Of Forgotten Women and Dubious “Journalists”

image courtesy of pixabay.com

Friday, March 24, 2023

Waxing Moon

Cloudy and chilly

Meditation was good yesterday (it always is) and gave the day a cheerful start, in spite of the weather.

My Llewellyn editor got in touch yesterday morning and offered me a slot in the 2025 SPELL-A-DAY. Yay! I’m happy to be a part of any of their almanacs, but that one is my favorite. I’m in this year’s (under the Cerridwen Iris Shea byline), and they like to give different authors on their roster a chance to participate, so I didn’t think I could do it again for a few years. I’m so happy. I’ll get the contract and the assigned dates in a month or so. And I don’t have to worry about saying anything before signing the contract, because they’re good about this stuff. I mean, I’ve been writing for them since 1994!

That means I’ll get started writing/working on material toward the end of April/beginning of May, just as I’m finishing up Dramatists’ Guild End of Play and finalizing the contest entries/winners. So that dovetails well.

I drafted an episode of Legerdemain. I did a revision on “Plot Bunnies” which included updating technology, along with general tightening up and making it read better. I created the Series Bible for the Twinkle Tavern stories and entered in the information from this tale. It’s a novelette, just over 7K. I found the opening of “Labor Intensive” – the second TT story — I’d written a few years back, and can tweak that. I have to decide which other teasers to put in. Definitely something from “Just Jump in and Fly” and probably something from SAVASANA AT SEA, since they are both under the Ava Dunne name. I might put in blurbs for Legerdemain and Angel Hunt.

Wrote and submitted my book review; got my next two books for review. Did the social media rounds to promote yesterday’s episode of Legerdemain.

The last expected box of office supplies arrived, and also the kitty litter. Nothing like hauling 45 pounds of cat litter up the stairs to make one feel old.

There was a 4000-word hit piece on author Brad Sanderson in WIRED magazine that made the rounds. It said more about the so-called “journalist” than it did about its subject, and was nothing more than a badly-written, bitter word salad. The guy spent five months visiting the author, talking with him, meeting his friends and family, attending conferences – and all he could say was the guy is boring, makes a lot of money and he’s Mormon? First of all, it’s not the interview subject’s job to entertain the journalist (although many subjects, especially performers, feel that need). It’s the journalist’s job to come up with interesting, engaging questions to make the subject think, and then take whatever comes out of it and use the writing craft to MAKE it interesting. The “journalist” came in already disliking Sanderson’s work (so why accept the assignment?), resenting the money the VERY POLIFIC AND DEDICATED writer EARNS (nothing is handed to Sanderson, he puts butt in chair and does the work), hating the guy’s religion, and says the guy and his fans are “boring.”

First of all, in my years of doing this (and I’ve probably been interviewing subjects since before Bitter Boo was born), almost everyone has something interesting about them if you just give them a chance. That’s why interviewing is so much fun. You find the key and unlock what they’re passionate about. And then you get out of the way and let them shine.

In addition to just being a mean piece, it meandered, it whined for 4000 words (4000 repetitive, whiny, BORING words that were about the author instead of the subject, not a feature piece), and it was simply badly written, which is one of the most unforgiveable things about it (along with many of the other unforgiveable things about it). Any self-respecting editor would have killed the piece, or reassigned it, or demanded massive rewrites. And the editor should have handed Bitter Boo a stack of NEW YORKER magazines so he could see how a good profile is put together.

That’s the best you can do after FIVE MONTHS with your subject? Says a lot about the lack of skills and craft on the part of Bitter Boo.

It also dunks on the SFF fan community, which is ridiculous and uncalled for. Stop ridiculing people for finding joy in their lives, because they like something you don’t.

Now, I’ve been doing the conference circuit for more years than I like to admit, at least I was, pre-plague. There’s plenty of inappropriate and/or predatory behavior, no matter what the genre. There’s also a lot of kindness, laughter, and people finding joy. You learn to set boundaries, you learn to mash down those who won’t respect your boundaries, and you gravitate toward the joy.

Sanderson posted a gracious, kind, and classy response over on Reddit. I’m not a Reddit user, but writer Garth Powell was kind enough to post the link for us to follow. Sanderson defended Bitter Boo, calling him a “colleague” and “sincere.” I disagree with that – the only thing Bitter Boo was sincere about was his jealousy. Sanderson was as bewildered as many of the readers of the article as why loving one’s work and one’s friends and family is boring. Bitter Boo probably wanted dysfunctional family drama, with screaming and thrown drinks; in other words, the way Bitter Boo would behave if he had money. It was a very smart move on Sanderson’s part, because it made Bitter Boo look even worse by using kindness as a weapon. AND it was well-written, which showed the lack of skill in Bitter Boo’s writing in even sharper contrast.

There’s a reason Sanderson makes a fuckton of money. He’s smart, as well as prolific.

Good for him.

By the time I finished reading the response, I was laughing my ass off, because he was so darn clever about it.

With all of that going on, I only got about half a coverage done yesterday, which means I have a script and a half’s worth of coverage to turn around today.

I continued reading the biography of Katharine Cornell, and got so frustrated. Why weren’t we given information on Jessie Bonstelle, Rachel Crothers, Clemence Dane, et al, as part of our history? When we work shows, the history of what the theatre held before us is part of our story, and we become part of the theatre’s story. So why didn’t I know about these women?

Well, I know now, and will make up for lost time.

When I started reading Susanna Centlivre’s plays (as one of the most popular and produced 18^th Century playwrights) in order to write “By Her Pointed Quill” I was delighted with her skill and humor and angry that I hadn’t come across her before.

Too much of mediore white men’s work is passed down and celebrated through history, while more talented women and POC are pushed to the side. I’m sick of it. Imagine how much richer our arts and humanities would be if that wasn’t the case? I have no problem with good work living on, and even lesser work remembered and enjoyed. But I do have a problem with work being shoved aside and buried under the mediocre because it wasn’t created by a white dude.

I’m going to work on Legerdemain this morning, and then give “Plot Bunnies” a final polish. I’ll upload, then give it a proof in the correct format probably tomorrow, before scheduling it. I’ll add “Labor Intensive” to May’s writing schedule, so I can draft it in May/June, let it sit in June/July, then revise, upload, and schedule in August. While percolating the third story, which will be built around President’s Day and need to release next February and be written this autumn.

I also have to do a library run. Nothing to drop off, but plenty to pick up. Grocery run, too, and then it’s back to script coverage.

Episode 18 of Angel Hunt drops today. I hope you enjoy it.

I have a busy weekend of serial work, “Plot Bunnies” polish, and, sadly, taxes. Urgh.

Have a good one!

Wed. March 8, 2023: Out of Shape

image courtesy of Open Clip Art Vectors via pixabay.com

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Last Day of Full Moon

International Women’s Day

Today’s issue of The Process Muse talks about muses. You can read it here.

Dug down yesterday morning. Uploaded and scheduled the promos for this week’s and next week’s episodes of both Legerdemain and Angel Hunt. Polished, uploaded and scheduled the next 8 episodes of Angel Hunt, through episode 32, which means I’m scheduled through mid-May. Adapted another chapter into episodes, which gets me through Episode 58. Caught the start of an arc and made a note that I have to make sure to fulfill it further down in the serial.

Added my notes to the FALL FOREVER synopsis.

Did the social media rounds to promote the Legerdemain episode.

Made soup for lunch, from scratch.

In the afternoon, I finished the coverage I started yesterday, turned around two more, and nearly finished another. That means I have that one coverage to finish, and the two scripts for which I was requested to do today.

I went to yoga in the evening. It was my first full-on in-studio class since before the pandemic began. I’ve been to restorative/new moon/Nidra classes a few times since we moved here, but this was my first full-on class. It was a gentle yoga class and still kicked my ass. In a good way, but boy have I lost a lot of flexibility. And it showed how I’ve cut corners in my home practice. I have some work to do to get back on track.

But I love the way this instructor teaches, and everyone else in the class is really nice. I’m hoping to make this class a regular part of my week, as often as possible. I booked for next Tuesday, and I’ll go week-to-week.

Worked on contest entries after dinner. Slept well. Up early and headed out to the laundromat, because it’s been a minute. I mean, more than a minute, but the weather was decent enough to load the car, etc.

I was the only one there, which is always my preference. My favorite machines were available, I pushed everything through. I drafted two poems (which need a lot of work. I mean, A LOT of work, but at least they’re scribbled down).

Now I’m home, and I will write for a bit this morning, then do a library run when it opens, then turn my attention to the scripts this afternoon. I want this to be my last day of client work for this week. I have some fun plans for the rest of the week, so I’m going to work as long as it takes to clear off my desk today.

Episode 13 of Angel Hunt drops today!

Have a good one!

Tues. March 7, 2023: Working on the Balance

image courtesy of Pexels via pixabay.com

Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Full Moon

Partly cloudy and cold

Time for our Tuesday catch up. Pull up a beverage and let’s get to it.

The bright sun on Friday meant everyone was cheerful as they ran around getting things done before the storm. I dashed down to Big Y to get coffee. Really, that was in the interest of public service, because being around me if I’m without coffee causes unnecessary pain to all. I grabbed a few other things, just in case they were right about 14 inches of snow and I couldn’t dig out by Sunday to do the early month Big Grocery Shop.

Did the social media rounds to promote the day’s episode of Angel Hunt, and to visit the blogs that are, once again, part of my regular rounds. Those of us who’ve never believed the blog is dead and steadily kept at it have built steady readership. I was amazed when a stat report came in, at how many people follow the various blogs, even if they don’t often comment. Thank you! I am grateful for the support, and I hope my mistakes save you pain, and that sharing my experiences make you feel less alone.

I struggled to settle into the page in the morning. The piece I was noodling with yesterday will work; I just have to figure out some of the points so that the structure fits its chosen genre. The piece (meaning my subconscious) chose the genre; I did not intentionally aim for it. But the structure is tight and unforgiving, and I want to make sure I hit the necessary points so I don’t just dive in and flail.

The Heist Romance script was calling me and demanding attention. I knew I had to re-read what I’ve done so far to get back into the voice, and I didn’t want to start that until I’d finished the deadlined work for the week.

I didn’t want to do script coverage in the morning, because then it would be too hard to switch my headspace back into the creative landscape, rather than the critical one. I managed to do a polish, upload, and schedule on the next couple of weeks’ worth of Process Muse posts.

I checked the plants out on the front porch, and it was so nice I sat out there reading the latest issue of THE NEW YORKER, joined by Tessa and Charlotte. There’s a great satiric piece on the pay-for-checkmarks at Twitter in the issue.

I did the necessary coverages and was done for the week, which was nice, I could relax in the evening.

Busy dreams, Friday into Saturday. Not bad, just busy.

It had started snowing late on Friday night. By Saturday morning, we had about a foot of snow, and it kept coming down until about noon. It was very pretty, and the power held, so I enjoyed watching the snow from the living room couch and reading.

I noodled with some ideas for poems. I have themes, ideas, image that I want to explore, although I’m not sure yet how. I have a notebook just for this type of noodling. Part of the notebook is similar to a commonplace book in that I write down quotes which resonate.

I finished reading POEM CRAZY, and started reading Mary Oliver’s book about the craft of poetry.

I was thrilled, on Saturday, to be offered a slot in this autumn’s Boiler House Poets Collective’s residency program at MASSMoCA. A weeklong intensive in the museum’s studios, with the other poets in the collective. It’s such an unexpected honor. I accepted, of course, and I am thrilled and slightly terrified. I will learn a lot and grow in new directions. It also gives me time to figure out what I want to work on. I think I want to write about shattered dreams around the Cape Cod experience (and Chiron will be in retrograde, so it makes sense); at the same time, it has to be more than catharsis, and stand on its own wordy feet. But I can play with themes and ideas and forms, and have something to actually bring in and work on with the Collective, while also creating new work while I’m there.

I started reading Tara Laskhowski’s ONE NIGHT GONE. Author Greg Herren had recommended it over on his blog, and it sounded interesting. It is. It’s very well done.

The Goddess Provisions box arrived, and it was lovely, as usual.

In the early afternoon, I went out to dig out the car. I was highly irritated because the guys who have the spots on either side of me – who are half my age – shoveled the snow behind their cars and dumped it behind my car instead of walking the five steps across the lot to put it where it was supposed to go. So instead of having a foot to shovel, I had three feet. Not a happy camper. They can bite me.

I don’t expect them to shovel my car clear. But it’s unacceptable to add more work to my slot because they’re lazy.

I used to always conscientiously shovel the space between the cars on both sides, but I don’t do it anymore, because I was the only one who ever did it and neither of these guys – young, strong, strapping guys – can ever be bothered.

I grabbed scripts for the week, and then was requested for a coverage, so now I have too many scripts for the beginning of the week (I’m only reading the first three days). But I’ll get it done.

Heard from the extended family up in Maine. They are all down with COVID (because they stopped being careful). They’re annoyed that we haven’t had it yet. Annoyed because we keep following protocols to remain as healthy as possible for as long as possible. No time for that. Makes me glad I started keeping a distance after the whole issue around the move, before we found this place, when they told us I’d have to put my mother in a nursing home, get rid of the cats, get rid of my books, and rent a room and work a minimum wage job. Nope. That’s not my life.

More busy dreams Saturday into Sunday. The good thing about having Tessa sleep on the bed is that she lets me sleep through the night, while Charlotte wakes me up every two hours.

I did a lot of ironing on Sunday, on various fabric that I’ve handwashed over the past few weeks and that has stacked up. It stores better when it’s ironed. I set out the board and plugged in the Rowenta and got to work. I enjoy ironing. It was part of the prep as a wardrobe person I found soothing.

Did some tidying up, broke down some boxes. Got some paperwork done.  The chop wood, carry water part of artistic life is just as important as the rest of it. It keeps one grounded.

Worked on contest entries. I’ll have to do that every day for the next two months, to make sure I give the entries their due.

I re-read what I have of the Heist Romance Script. It holds up, in spite of knowing it needs work. Back to the research on Corsica and Sardinia, so I can sneak work on the next sections in around other work.

Sunday night into Monday, I dreamed about creating art pieces out of layered tissue paper that resembled stained glass (my uncle used to work in actual stained glass). It made sense in the dream, and looked pretty darn good, but I have no idea how to pull it off on this side of the Dreamscape.

Monday was sunny. Yeah!

Did the social media rounds early, took care of administrative stuff, then it was off to the library and the grocery store. Of course, as soon as I got home, another slew of books showed up at the library; I’ll pick them up tomorrow or so.

Did the big early-in-the-month grocery shop, hauled everything home and put it away.

Turned around three coverages and started on a fourth before I ran out of steam. Got requested for another that has to be done this week, so now I’m really overscheduled. However, I’m also grateful that writers find the feedback helpful and get excited to create more, and that they want my take on it. So I will get it all done.

Soup class was fun.

Worked on contest entries after.

Cancelled my subscription to Tamed Wild. I’ve gotten some beautiful things from them the past few years. But last year, they upped the shipping cost, so it’s an extra 40% on top of the cost of the box. They claimed it was “temporary” but we all knew that was a crock. However, since then, the shipping has gotten completely erratic. They can blame the post office all they want, but the post office can’t forward what hasn’t been given to them. The box that arrived yesterday was paid for on 13 Feb and supposed to ship by the 18. It shipped last Friday, 3 March. So much for a ritual meant to be specific to February.  On top of that, the quality of the box contents has gone down and become repetitive. And, for instance, with the jewelry, now the pendants and chains aren’t put together, and when one tries to put the pendant on the chain – it doesn’t fit. Which means I have to go out and buy findings to adjust it and spend time trying to make it work. I’m not a jewelry artist. I don’t know how to do it and I shouldn’t have to for something I’ve purchased. Now they’re talking about going quarterly with a bigger box at more than double the cost with the shipping being an additional 25% on top of the cost of the box. No. Just no. So I cancelled.  I’m grateful for the good months, but the direction they’re taking isn’t working for me.

Goddess Provisions has much more consistent quality, pricing, and on-time delivery.

But a new moonstone was part of yesterday’s box. Tessa loves moonstones, and she’s kept it close.

Slept decently, although the feline shift change at 4 AM woke me. I had trouble getting back to sleep after, going down negative spirals. I kept reminding myself, that’s not reality. I can choose that not to be reality. On a couple of points I realized the irritant was either none of my business or a situation I could choose to remove myself from, so why fret?

Today I have at least three coverages to turn around, and I will try to at least get started on a fourth. I have yoga this evening, so that will help me reset.

I have some pain-in-the-ass-but-necessary admin work (again, cleaning up the mess of the inept), but I’ll get that done, and hopefully write a bit, too. I took the writing pressure off myself early in the week because I knew I was only doing client work M-T-W, so I’ll gear back up on writing Thursday and Friday, along with the other stuff planned, and get back to a more stable writing-in-the-morning-client-work-in-the-afternoon schedule next week. I’m still writing in longhand first thing in the morning, so I’m still writing every day, and that keeps me on an even keel.

I had an epiphany about another layer for the play FALL FOREVER that will be written in April, so I’ll jot those notes down in my outline. It gives deeper motivations to several of the characters, and makes it more nuanced.

I also realized I haven’t scheduled the promos for this week’s episodes of LEGERDEMAIN and ANGEL HUNT, so I’ll have to do that first thing. Hint: Episode 65 of Legerdemain drops today!

I better get going, huh? Have a good one!

Fri. March 3, 2023: Planning a Cozy Reading Weekend

image couresty of nini kvaratskhelia via pixabay.com

Friday, March 3, 2023

Waxing Moon

Sunny and cold, incoming Nor’easter

We’re supposed to get another foot to fourteen inches of snow, starting tonight through tomorrow. I hope they are wrong again.

Wrote about a thousand words after meditation, which was a nice start to the day.

I paid bills and made the official request, in writing, to extend our lease another year. Picked up books from the library and got wine from the liquor store. Of course, as soon as I got home, I got the notification that more books arrived.

They have to wait until Monday.

Started working on the grant application. It took several hours, and there’s some intense writing in it, but it’s off. Either it’s what they’re looking for or it’s not, but if I don’t try, I don’t have any chance at landing it.

Last week, I got a notice stating my health insurance was all sorted out (except for, you know, having an actual doctor). Today I got three different missives all contradicting each other. Whatever.  I’ll look at them and deal with them when I’m less exhausted. Plus, my mother’s supplementary insurance, which was supposedly all sorted out? They now claim they’ve lost the paperwork. Twice. Because, of course, they want her to enroll in a more expensive plan. They can fuck right off.

I got confirmation that the paperwork I had to re-send earlier in the week arrived and was accepted. Phew.

I did the social media rounds to promote the new episode of Legerdemain that went live yesterday. Dropping three platforms shaves off 30 minutes of those rounds, and makes a huge difference. Time there wasn’t paying off in terms of driving traffic to my site, sales, or having fun hanging out. So they’re dropped.

NYU’s Alumni Book Club hosted a virtual talk with Sara Nisha Adams, who wrote THE READING LIST, which we read over these past few months. What a delightful hour that was! I’m so glad I made the time to attend. I’m excited to read her new book when it releases.

The script coverage was rough going; I only got one and a half completed, which means I have two and a half to do today. Plus, I kept thinking it was Friday yesterday (even though I was at meditation, and that happens on Thursdays).

I’m re-reading Susan G. Wooldridge’s POEM CRAZY and enjoying it. I want to read her books of poems now, too. She mentions that poet Michael McClure suggests making a “personal universe deck” and I really like that idea. I think I may do it a little differently than they mean, but the idea appeals to me, even though I don’t know how I will do it yet. I know his work as a playwright, but now I want to read his poems, too.

I started reading THE QUARTER STORM by Veronica G. Henry. It’s really good. It was recommended by a colleague over on Mastodon, and I’m really enjoying it.

The second shipment of contest entries arrived, and has to be processed. So now I have to dig down deep, every day, to do them justice. I’m looking forward to it, especially with all that snow coming in.

I’m invited to an art opening this evening and another tomorrow. I’m not sure I can make either one of them with a Nor’easter coming in. The storm is supposed to start at 7 PM tonight and continue until 9 PM tomorrow.

I miss working on the Heist Romance script, and I hope I can do at least a few pages on the Corsica section this weekend, in and around working on contest entries, Legerdemain, and Angel Hunt.

Episode 12 of Angel Hunt drops today. I hope you enjoy it.

After breakfast, I’m going to run out to the grocery store to get more coffee (how could I be out of coffee already?), and then, it’s back to the page.

Have a great weekend!