Thurs. March 9, 2023: Headed for The Book Sale

image courtesy of Lynn Greyling via pixabay.com

Thursday, March 9, 2023

Waning Moon

Cloudy and cold

The latest garden post is up over here.

Yesterday, the skies were grey and there was a sense of waiting. For what, I don’t know. Just waiting.

I slogged through way too much email and dealt with a bunch of stuff. I still have some unpleasant admin to get through today. One of those companies where they know they’re in the wrong, so they try to bombard me with meaningless paper, and yet, I have chapter and verse and law number of the laws they broke, so they can bite me. But it takes time and attention to put together the documentation, both of which would be better served elsewhere. I have a feeling I’ll have to get the AG and the regulators involved, but these asshats need a good smack.

They get away with it because too many people WON’T take the time to put together the documentation and tell them to fuck off.

Someone with whom I’ve lost patience online talked the other day about the importance of boxing oneself in a niche, writing-wise. As an example, they said if they were asked for a reference, they’d refer the person with the niche. Which made me laugh, because there’s nothing this individual could recommend me for that I’d accept. What’s the point of freelancing if you’re going to remain in a corporate mindset? But hey, it works for thee, not for me, and more power to them.

Did the social media rounds to promote Angel Hunt and The Process Muse. Played with some ideas. I’m looking for notes on a project that I put in a Very Safe Place and can’t find right now. I had some ideas to make it more viable, and want to write them down before I forget.

Did the library run – lots of books, yay. Swung by the liquor store to pick up Prosecco for the weekend.

Afternoon was all about script coverage. I finished the coverage I started and turned around the two coverages for which I’d been requested.

And then, technically, my weekend started!

These first few days of the week definitely felt out of balance, because I focused so much on client work and not enough on my own. But it got done, and now I have the next four days to do the fun stuff I have planned (and do some of my own work, too, but I’m not On A Schedule).

I was invited to participate in the gigantic collaborative poem experience again this year with Word X Word. I sent in my interest, and hopefully will get a confirmation back that I can participate. This year, it will be done in multiple languages, so once I get my starting word (which is the last word of the previous poem), I will see if I can create a piece that incorporates French and German as well as English, because those are the languages to which I’m most closely connected. Of course, I will only have 24 hours to write my section, so I might not be able to pull it off. It depends on my catalyst word. But, should I be a participant, it will be fun. And I have the date down, in ink, in my calendar.

I started reading the next book for review, and also worked on contest entries.

Tessa and Charlotte started bothering me at 2:30. By the time I got up at 5:30, I was a wreck.

Meditation this morning, then writing and some admin work. Social media rounds to promote Episode 66 of Legerdemain, which drops today. This afternoon, I’m headed to the Berkshire Atheneum in Pittsfield, for their big book sale. I’m joining as a member of the Friends of the Library, and going to the Member preview. They have 55,000 books at this sale, specializing in detective fiction, cookbooks, art books, and Berkshire history. My kind of sale.

Have a good one, my friends!

Thurs. Feb. 23, 2023: Back To Winter

image courtesy of mbll via pixabay.com

Thursday, February 23, 2023

Waxing Moon

Snowy and cold

Read about the garden progress on Gratitude and Growth.

Got next week’s Process Muse polished and scheduled. Did the social media rounds to promote yesterday’s episode of Angel Hunt, yesterday’s Process Muse on marketing, and the day’s #28Prompts.

Did a final polish and proofread of the article, added the photos, and sent it off. It’s in a week before deadline, which gives us time to work on it, if needed, since it’s the first time I’ve worked with this publication. The editor confirmed that she received it, so now it’s just about waiting for notes and doing another pass, if necessary.

“Met” a fellow serial writer over on Mastodon who has the same serial up on both Vella and Substack. I didn’t think one could, but she said as long as Substack stays behind a paywall, one can. I have to grow my Substack a little (a lot) more before I can even think of paywalls, but that’s good to know, and I’m curious as to how the two platforms A/B test.

I feel the beginnings of an article happening. I’ll have to figure out a pitch and then decide which editor to which to pitch it. I can think of a couple who might like it.

I think I will tie the Legerdemain giveaway to the 100^th episode of the serial. Not sure when I’ll do the Angel Hunt giveaway; sometime this summer, probably. I’m deciding what kind of swag to get done for each serial, along with some other fun stuff to put in.

Submitted a play to a call. Turned around a couple of pitches and scoring sheets. Started a coverage, and will finish it and do another today. Finished one book for review. Stayed up way too late with the other (because it was really good) and finished that one, too. Will write up the two reviews this morning, send them off, and ask for my next assignment.

The second box of contest entries is on the way, which means I better finish the first batch this weekend. But I’m in decent shape, and not worried. I do have to enter some scores on the sheets, though.

Meditation this morning, then writing, then coverage. I might get out a couple of LOIs, too. Skipping an online event today, because they are AGAIN talking about “niche.” I’ve participated in this conversation multiple times and I have nothing new of value to add. I am the anti-niche. That is why I continue to build my career in economic downturns – because I’m not limited to “niche.” But they don’t want to hear that, because the bulk of them bow to the Altar of Niche. Hey, it works for them, great, but as I said, I’ve had the conversations before, I have nothing new to add, so there’s no point in participating.

Same with the writers who keep asking about balancing “personal” and “professional” writing. Honey, ALL my writing is professional, even if it hasn’t yet been contracted, or I’m experimenting in new forms. It’s all a part of my career. And, as I’ve said a gazillion times, I can do this because I always put my own work first, and build the client work and other responsibilities around that. Which doesn’t mean I short shrift the client. The client gets full concentration and talent; I just arrange my workday differently, aiming different energies to different tasks, so they all get good work.

Putting your own work first does not mean you are neglecting your family or your other responsibilities. It energizes you and allows you to have a stronger relationship with all of the other parts of your life.

In meditation this morning, we did something very interesting: we were asked to be aware of the blood flowing in our bodies. What a strange sensation! Not negative, although a little disquieting. But very interesting.

I have bread on the rise. I’m not going out in this weather (except to dump the garbage and pick up the mail). I’ll make breakfast, and then it’s back to the page.

Have a good one.