Wed. May 31, 2023: A Solid Writing Day

image courtesy of  Clker-Free-Vector-Images via pixabay.com

Wednesday, May 31, 2021

Waxing Moon

Pluto Retrograde

Sunny and pleasant

I’m kind of enjoying these pretty days.

Today’s serial episode is Angel Hunt.

Episode 37: Hunting Your Own

Lianna discovers the position Lucius DeWitt’s put her in, and she is not amused.

Angel Hunt Serial Link.

I got today’s Process Muse post, on Interruptions, ready to go, and wrote next week’s post. That’s up, polished, and ready to go.

I adapted two chapters of Angel Hunt into 8 serial episodes. I read through the rest of the material, figured out where to insert the sequence to fix the unresolved arc, went over and smoothed out the notes for the climactic sequence and the resolution. I need to get ahead a bit on Legerdemain, but maybe later in the week, I can put in some concentrated time on ANGEL HUNT, get the rest of the episodes sorted out, and then, next week, upload and schedule all the rest for this serial.

Did the rounds to promote Legerdemain. Did the three client projects. My friend wanted to know if I could get her the blurb for the book by Friday (my original deadline was July 15). Good thing I’ve been reading the book!

I found out I was not offered the residency in Buffalo this summer. I’d sort of figured that out (the residency dates began June 1). The letter was perfectly polite and proper, but there was a hint of disdain under it, that they were funding “serious” projects and not “entertainment.” Which isn’t what the guidelines stipulated. But then, this is their first year offering such a program; maybe they’ve learned what it is they really want, and will adjust their guidelines for next year. A month ago, it would have devastated me; now, I’m disappointed, but I’m curious as to what’s in store for me instead.  And I wouldn’t have had any chance if I hadn’t tried. However, that project is on indefinite hold, since I have to do onsite research in Buffalo, and I won’t do it without proper funding.

Hey, it’s not like there aren’t other projects to keep me busy.

I did three short client projects in the afternoon, and then finished reading my friend’s book, so I can write the blurb today, polish it, and send it off by the end of the week. I noodled with some ideas for the Llewellyn project.

The idea for the short play that’s due July 1 dropped into my head, almost complete. I checked the guidelines to make sure they could accommodate 6 characters, and they can. It’s silly, goofy, and slightly bonkers, definitely a farce that needs actors who can handle quick lines, but I’m having a blast writing it. I hope to finish the first draft over the weekend, let it sit for a few days, give it a few more passes, and then send it to a friend for her opinion before I do another draft and get it out the door.

The ideas are starting to form for the memorial scene in FALL FOREVER. I hope, in the next few days, they are solid enough to put on the page.

I did not send any follow-up emails from the Playland Painters project. I sent them out close to Memorial Day, and the poor recipients deserve at least a few days to recover.

The National Archives sent me information to be a “volunteer transcriber” for some of their materials, which sounds really, really interesting, but I’m not sure I can take on “volunteer” anything right now. Depending upon which materials are available (say, maybe the journals and letters of interesting women?), it could be a great deal of fun. But again, time. Money (or lack thereof). I have to think about it. It would be an awfully cool credit to have on the resume and the website. And, as I said, the work itself would be fascinating.

Well, it’s not like they’ll have run out of material if I take a few days to mull it over.

As I predicted, the Republicans are stalling and doing whatever they can to make sure the debt ceiling doesn’t get raised on time and the economy crashes. That way, they get everything they want and more, and still destroy people’s lives.

Well, Friday is going to arrive, one way or another, and depending on what shows up in the bank account, I’ll know how I have to restructure the month.

This morning, I was at the laundromat when it opened. I revised the next batch of Legerdemain episodes. I also reconfigured the first five episodes of REP. I really need to end the third episode (the last free episode) with the news that this Rep company will be in space, which is part of the hook and the premise. The early episodes have a real 30’s-40’s touring vibe to them, and then I want to contrast it with the high tech but vintage look on the station itself. But the information that the company will be on a space station needs to happen at the end of the 3^rd episode, in the chunk of episodes that are free. It was currently in the fourth. So I reconfigured the first three episodes to be the first two episodes, and the fourth episode is now the third, and the fifth episode is now the 4^th. The first three episodes, the free ones, can be a little longer than the typical episode, which I want to keep between 900-1200 words.

So basically, by the time I got home a little after 7 AM, I felt like I’d put in a full day!

On today’s agenda: drafting an episode of Legerdemain, working on the new play, writing the blurb for my friend’s book, library run, noodle on the Llewellyn pieces, read the next book for review. I’d like to do some more work on ANGEL HUNT, if I can. I want to stay in its flow. I have to do the social media rounds for ANGEL HUNT and for The Process Muse. And I have two small client projects to turn around.

Anyway, it’s a very pretty day, and I intend to enjoy it, even if it’s just looking out the window while I’m working! We’re lucky to have such lovely tall windows, and so much natural light.

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.

Fri. April 14, 2023: Too Early for Summer!

image courtesy of Tom via pixabay.com

April 14, 2023

Waning Moon

Hot and hazy

Yesterday was far too warm for this time of year. The front porch was downright hot, although the rest of the apartment stayed comfortable. But all I want to do is nap. The cats are a bad influence on this, although they’ve been running around with spring fever.

I started Act II of FALL FOREVER, and wrote a little over 3 pages. I know where this scene needs to end, but I’m not sure how to get there.

Did another round of revisions on the episodes of Legerdemain. Got next week’s episodes up, and, hopefully, can get a bunch done in the next few days to get a little bit ahead. I know what the upcoming episodes need to cover; it’s just a case of getting them written.

Wrote some notes and cards, mailed my taxes, did a quick grocery shop. Joined Freelance Chat, which was about nuances in legalities, and it was interesting. Did the social media rounds to promote yesterday’s episode of Legerdemain, and will do them again today to promote today’s episode of Angel Hunt.

Monday is a state holiday in MA. I’m thinking of taking it off reading, although I shouldn’t, and just work on writing. We’ll see. Maybe I’ll take it off coverage, but do contest entries. I started downloading the last category’s entries yesterday (I’m almost finished with the print entries).

Wrote and turned in my review, got my next two books assigned.

Turned around three coverages, in spite of the heavy machinery at the college across the street BEEPING all day from six am until evening. The college needs to stop acting like it’s in a bubble, and communicate with the residents around it.

Today, I have more work on FALL FOREVER and Legerdemain. I need to do the social media rounds to promote Angel Hunt. I need to upload and schedule the next couple of Process Muse posts.  I will probably lock my Twitter account either today or tomorrow, since Yegads Muskrat is taking the next step to make everyone’s life hell.

Spoutible is getting more and more comfortable, as far as interactions go. I’m spending the most time there right now, and that’s the site that’s driving the most traffic to my work. I like Post to read material. CounterSocial’s kind of flattened a bit. I need to make more of an effort to find other writers and artists for my timeline. Mastodon is good for some conversations, but doesn’t drive traffic back to the sites.

A residency application crossed my desk, for a week in late August. I’m debating whether or not to apply. It intrigues me. I might apply, just to see. The timing works with the rest of my schedule, at least so far. Even though I’m wait-listed for that residency in PA, I doubt I’ll get it; even more, I don’t know if I’ll accept it, even if I do get it. I’m still waiting to hear back on another residency that I REALLY want, although I’m pretty sure they’ll go for a bigger name than mine. I’ll think about it for another day or two, and, if it feels like the right choice, I’ll go ahead and apply. All they can do is say no, and they CAN’T say yes if I don’t throw my hat into the ring.

Lots to think about, and hard to think with those fucking machines beeping across the street (they were at it again a little after 6 AM this morning, although they are at a different location, and the noise isn’t quite so bad). I’m tempted to pack everything up and work elsewhere today, maybe at a library, but I also love working in my home office.

Hmm, I’m rather indecisive today, aren’t i?

I read a book that’s getting a lot of acclaim yesterday, after I finished my coverages. I absolutely hated it. On a technical, craft level, it’s very good. Cold, but good. However, I hated all the characters, was bored by p. 21 with all the info dump (once the actual plot started, the pace picked up), and got frustrated when the characters learned absolutely nothing through the course of the book. They allowed themselves to be manipulated, even once they realized that manipulation. The ending is very postmodern, and I hated that, too. On a technical level, it’s quite clever. On an emotional level, all it did was make me feel like I’d wasted several hours of my time I can’t get back, and I resented it.

There’s been a lot of whining on social media lately from early career writers about pace, and they say that they want quiet sections of a book, so it’s not all about pace. The thing is, a writer deep in their craft integrates those quiet moments, so that the overall book flows like a symphony, with a balance between the quiet and the quick. Because it’s all integrated, because it’s woven together, it works.

A ”quiet book” still has a strong narrative drive, even though the structure is different and the pace is different than an action thriller. The pace works for the book.

Quiet sections need to be texture, not tangent.

Anyway, after the technically strong but emotionally desolate best seller was done and back on the pile of returns for the library, I started reading Sonali Dev’s THE VIBRANT YEARS, and I just love it.

I need to do a library run at some point today, too. This month’s Agatha Christie read is SPARKLING CYANIDE. I’m sure I read it. I probably have a copy somewhere. But I got it from the library, just in case.

Time to hit the page, and make some decisions. Tomorrow is blocked off for Legerdemain. Sunday is blocked off for Angel Hunt. This is, of course, after I get in the day’s pages for FALL FOREVER. I’m still on the fence about Monday, but that might be for development on another project, if I take it off from client work/coverage work. Throughout, I will also be working on the spring cleaning, planting, and contest entries.

Have a good one, and I’ll catch you on the other side.

Fri. June 24, 2022: Summer Rain

image courtesy of jackieLouDL via pixabay.com

Friday, June 24, 2022

Waning Moon

Pluto & Saturn Retrograde

Rainy and warmer

Temperatures are going back up this weekend, but at least we had some rain to wash away the pollen.

Got some blogging done yesterday, and a bunch of admin work. Meditation was good, although it was hard to get settled.

After breakfast, I sorted out the book donations I’m making to the local library sale, packed them up, and took them on the library run where I dropped off/picked up books. Mailed some bills, picked up some wine.

Set up folders for each of the ideas generated by Wednesday’s workshop, and also for the new radio play idea I had yesterday morning as I put the coffee on. Notes, etc., all set up, so as soon as I’m ready to work on any of those ideas, I can drop right down. I expanded the notes a little on the three projects calling me with the most strength.

Freelance Chat was fun, as usual.

Gave the newsletter a couple more proofreads and caught typos each time. Hopefully, I got them all before the newsletter went out. Already had to open a new document for September’s newsletter, so I don’t forget what I want to tell people.

The newsletter reveals information on what I’ve been called “The Big Project” over the past few months. I will not be revealing that information for a couple more weeks on the blog and, generally, online and on social media. The project is going to get its own website, too, although that can’t go live until the project goes live, so, stay tuned.

Like you already don’t!

And I appreciate it.

The Friday Journal prompt will go up on my Ello page later this morning.

The Supreme Court continues its right-wing extremist stripping of rights. The Narcissistic Sociopath needs to be charged with treason and every decision and appointment made during that regime voided.

I turned around a script coverage. There’s been very little in the queue, and I’m behind where I need to be, financially for this pay period. Hoping more shows up over the weekend and into next week.

In the meantime, I’m putting my time, focus, and energy on other projects, and also into LOIs.

I have to do a grocery run today (almost out of coffee), but, other than that, the primary focus is on the anthology story. We were given two separate deadlines – one today and one on Sunday. Since I tossed a lot of what I did and started over, I will probably get it in by Sunday, although ideally, it would be today, or, splitting the difference, tomorrow. I  need to get it off my desk and onto the editor’s desk for both of us, and so I can focus on other projects until I get the editing notes back.

I also need to spend time on The Big Project (having to finish a major section by early next week, so it can go through editing while I move on to the next big section), and the Topic Workbooks.

I’m getting contradictory information about a residency that I was interested in, and an organization is giving me one set of information, encouraging me to apply, but the actual application says something else. It’s a little frustrating. I may put that aside until at least next week.

I’m still dealing with sense memory stress from last year. The next 10 days will be rough, since I have to shake off what this time last year was about: travelling back and forth, trying to finish the cleanout in the Cape house, people being hired/paid and not showing up to do the work, the physical impossibilities of doing it all myself, some of the poor decisions I made in getting rid of things, the destruction of the dream of living on the Cape, and the landlord’s incessant fussing. All in extensive heat and humidity. But it got done and we are here, not there, in a better situation all around, and I keep reminding myself of that, and working to layer positive memories over the rough ones. Definitely a process. And last year, I had to suppress a lot of the emotion in order to get it done and just survive. So that’s come back to bite me in the butt, but at least I understand what’s happening and why, so I can take steps to deal with it.

The weekend will focus on the anthology story, The Big Project, and the Topic Workbooks. And, finally, maybe finishing the kitchen island cart that’s still in pieces all over the house.

See you on the other side. Have a good one!