Tuesday, October 11, 2011

About damned time

I got the freaking promotion. Finally. And in spite of writing instead of putting in extra time.

Things are going to change swiftly and drastically here pretty soon. I had best get those stories in before the big holiday promo season starts. Luckily -- and by some miracle -- I don't work the next two days.

I'm going to write my ass off.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Back to Writing Part VII: Observing

It's back.
If you see me in a sea of people and I'm quiet, I'm composing paragraphs about the people around me. If you watch me closely, you might see my lips moving, forming sentences.
My eyes are soaking in every detail -- the way that woman has tied her scarf, the way that nerdy boy wears his socks with sandals.
I sit in that crowd and do my research. Even if people are crushing in to get closer to Stevie Wonder, even if it's pouring rain, even if I've had a few too many drinks and way too many cookies.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Back to Writing Part VI: Editing

So my editor sent some copy back overnight. It had a lot of markups, but it wasn't nearly as bloody as I thought it would be.
Her comments were as great as ever.
Apparently, white briefs are NOT sexy. Also, "she let them have at it" is not a sexy way to end a story. LOL.
And the dreaded Xena FanFic slipped in there somehow. I thought I'd beaten that very, very bad habit out of myself. Guess not. I'm glad she caught it.
I sent it off to be judged. We'll see if it makes the cut. I'm off to the next one.

Friday, September 2, 2011

Back to Writing Part V: Call for Submission

I submitted something. It's not what I normally write. It was a good exercise, like a tough workout after a year of inactivity.

The first four paragraphs were torture, then the rest flowed.

I cut those first paragraphs. We'll see if it worked.

It's a start. I've got nine other leads -- more if I'm willing to push my comfort zone. I feel nervous and satisfied at the same time. It's a strange but exhilarating feeling.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Back to writing Part IV

Something came up.

The writing was starting to go well. As always, however, something else began to interfere in a big way.

It's almost promotion time. The boss lady is quite adamant that I invest extra time at home in my learning to get that next post. So I've been studying and working on presentations. I need this gig in a bad way.

Then I realized that something is always going to come up. This is just a matter of time management. The writing doesn't always have to take a backseat. It just might not get to be the star all the time.

So I've decided to try this: Fit in at least an hour of writing every day. I can sacrifice watching one reality TV show or another, right? Or sleep.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Monday, August 8, 2011

Back to writing Part II

It's definitely not easy... First there's finding the time, then the ideas all seem to be lame, and it's too damn quiet in the house. I have a ton of crap on my mind -- little of which has to do with writing.

Luckily, I have discovered a new way to multitask: Turn off the iPod and work out the plot while exercising at the gym. I just need to keep a notebook with me to jot down stuff other than weights and numbers of reps.

I'm off to the gym...

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Back to writing

I took a long break from writing to sort out my life.

But I'm back.

After clearing out 3,000+ messages in my yahoo e-mail account, removing dozens of farmville and island paradise requests from my facebook page, and tracking down the passwords for this blog and my Web site, I'm ready to get back to basics.

Projects are definitely in the works. I'm hunting down leads and calls for submissions (primarily short stories and/or flash fiction for anthologies). My idea folder is open and ready to be updated.

A year without writing feels like half an eternity, like I have to start from scratch. Telling myself I've written three books already and published other stories and articles doesn't help much.

Like running, a year off changes everything.

Today is just day one. We'll see where it goes from here.

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I quit smoking six months ago -- cold turkey. I used to write at the bar, while smoking. Maybe I need to find some candy cigarettes. The writing is coming... slowly.