Three straight hours hunched over the laptop. When the nice Starbucks man-child came around and offered me a free cupcake, I said, “Yes, please!” I marauded the peanut butter cup chapeau before it occurred to me to take a picture, but I think it looks better kind of “undone,” don’t you agree?
Hope everyone’s having a happy, productive day. Happy writing!
Mentone, California ~ March 9, 2011
Last week, it was Spring Fever versus Spring Cleaning. What do you think won out? Can you hardly blame me? The orange blossoms are in bloom, their fragrance filling me with the urge to run naked in midnight fields and howl at the moon. Well, not exactly, but close. Already I am finding myself “setting” on the cooler on the back porch in the middle of the night contemplating life with the dogs, an activity generally reserved for warm-weather days.
The weather’s been perfect. Everything’s green, including our backyard. (Yay!) The Toddler and I have been all over the local mountains just hiking, poking around, and taking lots of pictures. Hard to believe we were shivering our you-know-whats off on the 7th, and making slushballs.
Last week was a little frustrating to me. I realize I cannot live in this Disorganized State of Hell any longer. The taxes are too high, the morale is evil, and the food stinks. I ran shrieking around the house the other night looking for the baby monitor, convinced the Toddler had hidden it somewhere. Of course, I ran past it sitting on the kitchen counter at least three or four times before I finally recognized it as the Item I Was So Desperately Seeking. I feel like I can rarely lay my hands on things I need, much less something I saw two minutes before. I always feel like I’m looking for something. It is an awful place to be.
My only saving grace is that maybe a year ago, I finally trained myself to put my keys in the same place. Without that, I surely would have flown screaming off the deep end by now…probably in a kicking and screaming swan dive that nobody wants to see, but can’t make themselves look away.
Anyhoo, I hatched an impromptu plan on Sunday and invited a few friends over in an effort to make myself finally get the house cleaned up. It worked, though I’m slightly embarrassed to admit why. Suffice it to say, I’ve got some awesome friends who are willing to wash dishes for two hours, cook chicken sausage and tempura shrimp, and still rock the party. (heh, heh, heh…my plan worked perfectly!)
Anyway, the head start on the kitchen has been tremendous for my morale. I’ve cleared working space on my desk, and everything’s a little more flat instead of in slip-slide-y mounds. (I swear, one of these days I’m going to have to put together a topographical map of my desk — I’ve got at least two Mt. Everests!)
So I am quadrupling my Spring Cleaning effort. (What’s 4 times 0?) I may need to use my own office for this week’s Workspace Wednesday. The dust bunnies scoff at my eviction notice, but their time is coming. I’m busting out that broom thingamajigger.
Still struggling with Toddler sleep issues this week, though it seems to be getting better. Blargle! I missed posting two days this past week, due mainly to the fact that I can only pretend to be asleep for so long before I really embrace the role. It really annoys me that I have to sleep, but such is life.
I dream every day of having a set schedule for the Toddler and myself…where we both sleep consistent hours, I get consistent work hours in (and I’m a little ahead on the blog), and we both slide out of bed every day on rainbows. This is my dream. I will have this soon.
But even with all the frustrations of the week, I got a decent amount of fiction writing done. It was kind of a slog, most of it, but words are progress.
By the way, I just started using Toggl to keep track of my time, and I can tell I’m really going to like it. My good friend Mona recommended it to me a while ago. I promptly downloaded the app onto my iPhone and forgot about it. But then she wrote an enthusiastic review of it on her blog. Seeing as how it took me a half an hour to add up my hours and stats this week, I was greatly motivated to give it a go. Easy-peesy. Using it right now. Looks like I’ve spent two hours on this post already. Good to know. I am interested to see how the 80/20 rule plays out, as Mona mentioned. We’ll see in next week’s log report.
Anyway, here are last week’s stats:
~ Week of March 5 – March 11, 2011 ~
~ Personal Stats to Beat ~
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So how are we doing with our monthly goal you ask? Well, it’s looking good. (You understand that my optimism stems mostly from my belief in the 80/20 rule, and that most of the words will be written in the last six days of March. 😉 )
So far this month, we’ve got Sparks in Shadows with a fantastic 3,081 words; Heather gives us 450 words, of poetry, no less!; my good friend and fellow Third Ninja Omniscient Jeff is experiencing a productive creative surge and generously offers us 5,600 words from his Western serial story; and I humbly offer 6,390 words of fiction and bloggerty wisdom. That brings us to a grand total of 15,521 words, and we’re almost halfway through the month. You know what this means, kids. That’s right. Listen to the dog.
But before you do that, I wanted to mention that on March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day, I will be participating in a blogfest hosted by the equally witty Colene Murphy and Alexia Chamberlynn. I am working on a teeny tiny story for the occasion that I hope will knock your socks off, and I hope you’ll stop by and check it out…and all the other Irish love fest participants’ stories.
Now I really have to go. The dog is really riding me hard this week. She’s a real hard nose. Or is it long nose?
This past week has been difficult for me timewise. At least it’s felt that way. I’ll know for sure when I add up the numbers from the old work log. Therefore and forthwith, tonight I turn to my current go-to site for short short fiction. Next Sunday should be more meaty (in terms of lengths of stories read) as I’ve just picked up the latest copy of the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. (Yay.)
46. “Mother of the Boy” by Melinda Jones (Every Day Fiction)
I thought this was a nice piece about the contradictions of motherhood, how hard moms love their children, even when it’s difficult. And I have to add, the author’s blog is an absolute delight! A bonus!
47. “It’s Not Me, It’s You” by Anisha Sridhar (Every Day Fiction)
Sort of a confessional story that speaks plainly of the uncomfortable truths of the protagonist’s intimate relationship with her husband. I thought the fish-out-of-water cultural aspect of it fit in nicely with the misunderstandings and miscommunications going on between the couple. Not a happy story though.
48. “God Machine” by Ajit Dhillon (Every Day Fiction)
With a title like that, it’s hard for me to resist. Add in a mysterious box with a handle, and I’m there! And although I appreciate the sentiment underlying the story, I must admit I found it hard to believe the jaded wisdom that comes from the mouths of babes. Even so, nicely written.
49. “Breakfast For Two” by Rumjhum Biswas (Every Day Fiction)
A nicely written story — as they all seem to be in Every Day Fiction — though it runs along the same disillusioned tone as “It’s Not Me, It’s You.” I have to be honest, although it’s a nice story, I don’t think I’m the audience for this type of fiction. I think it’s because I like to read adventure and aliens and holy-crap-that’s-so-cool-what-is-it story lines as opposed to real-life style examination. But don’t be dissuaded from judging for yourself. It is a lovely story and worthy of a read.
50. “Grisly” by Gretchen Bassier (Every Day Fiction)
Yay! My flash fiction pick of the week! Me loves to be surprised!
“Get back to work, ya lazy git!”
Office with a view. 1,700 words. Whole new ending. Dang, these characters are wiley.
In the spirit of Spring Cleaning and All That Is Organized — and to inspire you to make your own creative workspace awesome — I am proud to introduce a new weekly feature here at My Blue Screen: Workspace Wednesdays. Each Wednesday, you will get an exclusive look at fellow artists’ workspaces à la Lifestyles of the Creatively Driven.
First on deck is my friend and fellow Third Ninja Omniscient “Es,” an incredible science fiction writer who I wholeheartedly expect to be discovered sometime in the near future. I can’t wait to see her books on the shelves.
Es has always dreamed of having her very own library. So when she and her family moved into their new house, she took one room and created not only a library/workspace that was inviting to the Muse, but also to her little dog. Check it out!
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Thank you so much, Es, for sharing the evolution of your library with us. I love the idea of having a workspace where you not only create, but you can nap…and that is off limits to the rest of the family…not that we don’t love them. This makes me want to clean up my office…and maybe put in a La-Z-Boy…ya know, for brainstorming and plotting purposes. 😉
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* Anyone who’s interested in seeing their creative workspace featured here, drop me a line in the comments. 🙂
My best friend and I, and all the little ducklings, went hiking yesterday, and I took pictures for my top secret St. Patty’s Day project. My friend got a little tiny sunburn. But as we drove home, the clouds started rolling in and dumped a bunch of rain and snow overnight.
So today we headed up the mountain again for some “mist shots.” Awesome. Maybe next week the Toddler and I will drive in the opposite direction and visit the beach. 🙂
Keeping it short and sweet this week, guys. I’ve got unfinished fiction screaming for attention on my desk, and it’s hurting my brain.
43. “Fort Clay, Louisiana: A Tragical History” by Albert E. Cowdrey (Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Mar/Apr 2010)
This one really drew me along, but I have to be honest, once I got to the final few pages, I realized where the author was going with it and rather wish he didn’t. I would have liked to have been surprised with such a marvelous build-up. But even with the predictable ending, I still think it’s a great story…mostly because I’m still thinking about it. 🙂
44. “Star-Crossed” by Tim Sullivan (Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Mar/Apr 2010)
I didn’t really embark on this short story report with the intention of reviewing…just simply listing what I’ve read…but aw, what the hell. I’m bound to have a negative opinion sooner or later, and this guy’s been around long enough he can take it.
This story was just okay for me. Although it was exciting and action-packed, at its core it is a love story, one that doesn’t ring true. Kind of a deal-breaker for this reader. (Rocking title though.)
I will say, though, Mr. Sullivan has a story in F&SF’s April 2008 issued entitled, “The Nocturnal Adventure of Mr. O and Mr. D,” which I read contemporaneously, and I still remember it quite vividly. I loved this story enough that I may have to dig it out again and reread it now that I have been reminded of it.
45. “Parachute” by Shelly Li (Cosmos Magazine)
This is the type of story I love to read: character-driven science fiction. A woman rebuilds her old flame from collected body parts and resurrects him with his recovered memories (his SOUL). It’s a wonderful story. I only wish the ending were drawn out a bit, that there was a little more struggle on the protagonist’s part before she makes the decision she does. Recommend.
That’s it. I’ll try to read more next week. And I will also try to read more stories that are available online. But for now, I write.
I put in 33 hours on the computer this week, and managed to hardly write any fiction. Boggling. Well, that’s not exactly true. I spent one night binge-writing a short story. I spent another night photographing dinosaurs and trying not to burn down the house. According to Ye Olde Captain’s Log, I spent the rest of the time working on the blog and doing market research.
I didn’t waste very much time, and yet, I don’t feel as productive as I’d like. For 33 hours, I’d like to see at least two short stories and an edit…enough to justify the current condition of the kitchen.
Unfortunately, I am still struggling with toddler sleep issues…although tonight I had to put my foot down and simply willed her to sleep. After only an hour and a half, she succumbed to my awesome mind control. Sigh. I think I’m just going to have to clear three days next week where we go nowhere and just focus on setting a schedule and teaching her to sleep on her own Super-Nanny style. I am not looking forward to it, but it needs to be done. Earlier this week, I spent four hours battling this kid to bed. Me no likey. 🙁
In other news, the one short story I had out to The Pedestal Magazine has come home to roost. But I am encouraged not only because the rejection included the sentence, “Please feel free to submit other work to us in the future” — which I will, thanks! — but because I had not one hurt feeling about it. I love this particular story, and I believe in it. But I can dig that it might not be a good fit for a particular market. Just need to send it out again.
Check it out. This is me showing signs of epidermis ossification. How do you like my alligator skin suit? 🙂
Anyway, I’ve decided to start including my “best” stats in the Captain’s Log in an effort to motivate myself to beat my own records. Feel free to give me your stats to shame me encourage me to work harder. 🙂
Okay, if you haven’t heard of Amanda Hocking yet, hurry up and Google her and get caught up! Twenty-six years old, never traditionally published, 900,000+ digital copies of her books sold online…and growing exponentially.
Although she’s been selling in astounding numbers for some months now, her story hit the news wires big time on Wednesday. Somehow I missed it, but two different people told me about it…one of them with the idea that this is how I shall make my fortune…and quickly.
Don’t get me wrong. Although I clutch tightly to my dream of becoming a successful, traditionally published author, I am open to less traditional routes. Certainly more so now than before.
However, in no way do I imagine that I’m going to be able to produce a bestselling work in a matter of weeks, throw it up on Amazon, and rake in the cash. Especially not just because some 26-year-old kid did it. Why not? Because I haven’t yet done all the work of a bestselling author. My novel is currently in rewrites, and there’s just no skipping steps when it comes to this kind of thing…not if I want to put out a quality piece of work.
Yet “quick and easy money” is exactly what a lot of people are thinking right now. “Screw the gatekeepers of publishing, I’ll go directly to the people!” I think Amanda herself addresses the issue most eloquently and thoroughly in her latest post on her blog, but let me give you the bottom line.
Amanda Hocking has written 19 novels. She may be “only” 26 years old, but she’s completed more books than most novelists ever will in their lifetime. This is not an overnight success. This is the fruit of many, many years of labor, not to mention countless hours of marketing and promotion.
Who’s to say whether I — or anyone — could duplicate her success? But her story in no way convinces me that she’s somehow come across a magic feather, and that if I simply starting selling my stuff online for dirt cheap, that I, too, would enjoy the same overwhelming response.
What her story does do is inspire me to work harder.
So I just wanted to give her a thumbs-up…not just for her well-deserved success, but for all the hard work she’s put in. She may be young, but she strikes me as the epitome of professionalism. And it is because of that, more than anything else, that makes me want to buy her books…that and the fact that she’s a huge fan of just about every movie I ever loved as a teenager. 🙂