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July 31, 2005
Good Reading-On Writing Edition
The Editor’s Notebook over at Verbsap is always worth a look, but I particularly like this entry “Double Trouble."
Personally my punctuation weakness is the comma not the various versions of the quotation mark.
But it’s still funny.
Posted by Selena at 08:31 AM | Comments (0)
July 30, 2005
Proofing and Humiliation
The last couple days I’ve been proofing the two stories that are slated to appear this week at The Sword Review. (The first is scheduled to be published on Monday, the second on Wednesday.) It’s been a little humiliating.
I consider myself a good proofreader. Other people consider me a good proofreader. And really I am, just apparently not with my own work.
I have never seen so many embarrassing errors in something I’ve submitted. It’s amazing they accepted the stories for publication at all.
Particularly humiliating were the writing process notes that showed up if you looked at the document with the “show formatting" option on. Wow, those were from YEARS ago and I had no idea they were still in there somewhere.
Ah, well, a little humiliation keeps you humble I guess.
I’m making a note though…from now on I’m looking at the document with the “show formatting" on before I send it anywhere.
Live and learn.
Posted by Selena at 06:15 PM | Comments (0)
Debt Calling
Recently I paid off one of my credit cards. I was so proud. I was moving in the right direction and it felt great.
But then the very next day, I got something from them saying they had raised my credit limit. It’s like they knew (even though they couldn’t have received my check yet). They knew I had wrestled myself free from their grip and were trying to draw me back into their web of debt and fees and finance charges.
It was weeks before I succumbed. I’m proud of that at least. But then I needed something and was short of cash and out came the credit card.
Then once that was done and the card was in use, it was all too easy to order takeout with it, buy clothes with it. Uggh. The sneaky little buggers had hooked me again.
I’m not taking the stuff back though this time.
However I am going to try to save/make enough extra money that I can pay the bill off in full when it comes next month. And I’m putting that stupid card in a drawer.
I’ve gotta remember that credit is only good for mortgaging your future. It’s a much better plan to stick to spending the money you have. So that’s what I’m going to try to do from now on.
Posted by Selena at 05:58 PM | Comments (0)
July 28, 2005
Quote of the Day/Mean People
I am always surprised by how mean-spirited people can be. (Maybe I shouldn’t be, but I am.)
Last night I’m walking home through a dark neighborhood because the power has been knocked out by a storm. The weather has been oppressively hot and humid for days, so I know it must be really hot at home without the air conditioning.
As I pass a couple on the sidewalk, I hear the woman say to her friend, "Well, at least now everyone in the neighborhood is suffering like I’ve been suffering the last few days."
And all I can think is "wow."
Posted by Selena at 02:19 PM | Comments (0)
Four Days Off!
Well, I made it and here I am in my mini-vacation of four days off in a row.
What to do? I feel like I should be productive – get writing and chores and errands and stuff done. But really what I most need is some R&R. I’ll have to strike a balance.
I spent the morning proofing a story that is slated to be published at The Sword Review soon. I’m looking forward to seeing it published.
Posted by Selena at 09:39 AM | Comments (0)
July 26, 2005
One Day More
Only one day more until my vacation of four whole days off in a row!
Woo-HOO!
What will I do with myself? Sleep, write, lounge around, write. Chill like a cat.
Who knows?
Posted by Selena at 09:24 PM | Comments (0)
Good Reading-Poetry Edition
I really like this poem by Marsheila Rockwell,
“And on the Seventh Day..."
at The Sword Review.
Check it out at http://theswordreview.com/item.php?sub_id=71
Posted by Selena at 09:03 PM | Comments (0)
July 25, 2005
Rest is Good
What a difference a nap makes.
I was able to wrangle some much needed time off this week.
It’s important to know your limits and be able to ask for what you need.
That's today's lesson I guess. Glad I was paying attention.
Everyone else is glad too since I was about to snap and it wasn't gonna be pretty.
Posted by Selena at 09:23 PM | Comments (0)
July 24, 2005
Too Busy to Blog-Work Edition
Would love to blog or spend more time reading TSR, but I gotta get moving and get to work.
It's day three of a seven day stretch and my goal for today is to not let the fact that I'm exhausted cause me to lose
my cool or make any major mistakes.
That's it. That's all. If I can manage just that, it'll be a good day.
Edited to add:
Well, with God's grace I managed it.
Posted by Selena at 08:49 PM | Comments (0)
July 23, 2005
Wide Awake
Well, insomnia has returned for a reprise.
So here I am - cruising the web, sipping chamomile tea, and hoping to feel sleepy soon.
I wouldn't mind so much if I didn't have to work in the morning (well actually just a few hours from now) as well as the next six days after that.
Posted by Selena at 12:43 PM | Comments (0)
Good Reading-Fiction Edition
Today’s good reading is a dream-like story over at Verbsap. It’s called "The Bodega At The End Of The Earth" and is by Emma Smith-Stevens.
Check it out at http://www.verbsap.com/2005july/smithstevens.html
P.S. I wish I was dreaming right now.
Posted by Selena at 01:02 AM | Comments (0)
July 22, 2005
Too Busy to Blog - Sci Fi Friday Edition
No time to blog, gotta go, Firefly’s on.
And later, there’s Battlestar Galatica.
Oh how I LOVE Sci Fi Friday!
Posted by Selena at 07:58 PM | Comments (0)
July 21, 2005
I wrote today!
I actually spent a little over 4 hours on writing today (so far). That’s pretty good for me. (Especially considering all the "avoiding the muse" I've been doing lately.)
I edited, proofed, and then submitted my next two columns. Yippee! That will give me some breathing room to work on the other two I’ve drafted that still aren’t quite right.
Plus I worked on a chapter-by-chapter synopsis for my novel. (I’ve chosen the next publisher I’m sending it to and that’s one of the things they want in the proposal packet.) I actually enjoy re-reading the novel. I am a little troubled though by all the extra commas I keep finding. (Sneaky little buggers, those commas! They multiply when I’m not paying attention.)
I even worked on a story I’ve been avoiding. I think it’s ready and I think I even know who to send it to next. This poor story has been rejected by nearly every available market, but I think I’ve finally got it right this time, that the substantial changes I’ve made have finally made it good. I guess I’ll know soon enough.
Posted by Selena at 07:55 PM | Comments (0)
WRS becomes WRSLg
I used to think the secret to success as a writer was WRS - write, revise, submit.
Now I think maybe it’s WRSLg - write, revise, submit, let go.
I’m learning as I go here.
Posted by Selena at 09:04 AM | Comments (0)
July 20, 2005
Column’s Up
My first column was published today. (Check it out at http://www.theswordreview.com/columns.php?sub_id=54)
I’m excited but I’m also a nervous wreck waiting to see what people think.
It’s a good thing I had to work all day because if I had been home I would have spent the day constantly checking for responses.
I really have to stop obsessing so much about what other people think. It’s just not healthy.
Do all writers do this, I wonder, worry about whether or not their work is well-received, throw their work out into the world and anxiously wait to see what sound comes back?
A friend sent me this additional quote about failure:
Quote:
"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled; nor where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again, who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at best, knows the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."
--Theodore Roosevelt
I really like this quote. It reminds me that succeed or fail, it’s the people who are in the ring, striving day after day, that are the real heroes.
Posted by Selena at 08:51 PM | Comments (0)
July 19, 2005
Quote of the Day
Seen on a bumpersticker -
"Honk if you don't exist."
Posted by Selena at 08:22 PM | Comments (0)
July 18, 2005
Newer Blog
I’m having some trouble posting to this blog.
But I also now have a blog over at The Sword Review at
http://www.theswordreview.com/Forum/weblog.php?w=10&sid=1bde112957adb9327f4760b64a2c4c63
So you can visit me there until I get things worked out here.
Thanks.
Posted by Selena at 08:11 PM | Comments (0)
Harry Harry Everywhere
Someone mentioned today that they noticed a lot of people on the Metro were reading the new Harry Potter book. So when I got on the train and immediately spotted two copies of the book, I thought “wow, Harry Potter must really be everywhere.� That's when I started actively looking for them. But I didn’t see any more.
I know several people who are Harry Potter fans but I haven't read any of the books myself. I recognize that I may be missing out on something. I’m not opposed to Harry Potter; it’s just that the list of books I’m interested in is already really, really long, plus there’s The Sword Review to read, TSR blogs, TSR discussion forums…lots of stuff to read.
Posted by Selena at 08:10 PM | Comments (0)
July 16, 2005
Today's Tally
Scoring my day....
Stuff I’m proud of:
I chose pretzels over potato chips at the snack machine. The healthier choice. Not as healthy as a snack that didn't come out of a vending machine - but hey, baby steps!
I managed to not get grumpy with anyone all day even though I hardly slept at all last night. Major accomplishment.
I got a lot done, including a little bit of writing.
Stuff I’m not so proud of:
Those three Mrs. Fields chocolate chip cookies I snacked on and the pizza I had for dinner.
Still, all in all a pretty successful day.
Posted by Selena at 10:40 PM | Comments (0)
July 14, 2005
Letting Go
It's so hard for me to let go of stuff I've submitted. I mean “let go" in the sense of stop worrying about, stop obsessing about, stop checking my email every two minutes to see if the market has responded.
I made a deal with myself a couple days ago that I would do ten sit-ups every time I checked my email. I hoped it would deter me from the incessant check-mail cycle. Instead I had to ditch the deal when the muscle pain got so bad I was constantly popping Aleve.
Pathetic, I know.
I have to learn to submit something and then forget about it for a while, a couple months at least or however long the market's longest response time is.
I'm just not sure how I'm supposed to do that.
Posted by Selena at 04:06 PM | Comments (0)
Good Reading - Non-Fiction Edition
This real-life story, found in The Sword Review’s discussion forums, cracked me up.
I liked it so much I have to point it out to you.
Check it out at http://theswordreview.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?p=3057#3057
Posted by Selena at 02:07 PM | Comments (0)
July 13, 2005
Avoiding the Muse - reprise
I’ve been avoiding the muse again. For days actually. And I’ve spent most of those days bored, lethargic, not feeling like doing much of anything.
The dumb thing is that once I forced myself to start writing, I enjoyed it. I felt energized and engaged.
Isn’t it funny, and yes – ridiculous, that I end up doing this dance so often?
I’m posting a note somewhere prominent that says “Just write. You’ll feel better." Why is that so hard to remember and believe in the moment?
I can be such a dope sometimes.
Posted by Selena at 08:23 PM | Comments (0)
July 12, 2005
Misunderstood
It is upsetting for writers when they are misunderstood.
Wait. Writing in vague, indirect generalities is what got me in trouble in the first place. I’d thought it would be gentler, less likely to offend or upset. But instead it was more likely to be misconstrued and thus more likely to offend and upset. Not at all what I had in mind.
So let me start again.
It is upsetting for me as a writer to be misunderstood, especially when it’s something I’ve written that’s been misconstrued. Because then it’s not just the upset of people believing something about me that isn’t true. Then there’s also that horrible sense of failure, knowing that I wrote badly, that I failed to accurately express my thoughts, that what my audience heard was vastly different than what I meant to say.
And that is a hard thing for a writer. It’s a hard thing for me.
Write clear or don't write at all. That’s my new motto.
But it may be a little while before I put it to use. I’m still a little pen-shy from my misstep.
I’ll just stay here for now and write to this very small audience of people who (mostly) understand me.
Posted by Selena at 07:24 AM | Comments (0)
July 11, 2005
My Stupid Mouth – AGAIN!
Where’s that “My Stupid Mouth" post? I might as well just copy and paste it here too because I’ve done it again. I really have to learn to keep my mouth shut.
It happens all too often. I speak up with the best of intentions. And it goes wrong from there.
When will I learn that honesty is not appropriate in all venues and must be carefully practiced?
Actually I do know those things. Sometimes I just forget. I guess it’s because I’m a naturally honest, above-board person, and because I’m not easily offended. Other people are a whole lot easier to offend.
I promise to use my words more cautiously next time. Or at least try to.
What was that quote about failure? “Try. Fail. Try again. Fail better."
I will endeavor to fail better. I promise.
Posted by Selena at 07:45 PM | Comments (0)
July 09, 2005
Getting a Book Published
I’m realizing now that getting a book published is tons harder than writing one, and a whole lot less fun. I feel exhausted and overwhelmed just reading about possible markets and the process for submitting.
But I’m going to do it.
I drafted a query letter this morning. I nearly gave up several times it was so awful. But what I tell myself about writing first drafts of stories applies here too – you have to be willing to let the first draft be dreadful. If you try to make it great the first time out, you’ll likely give up and never accomplish anything. So with this, like any first draft, I’m just trying to get it all down first, then I’ll go back and make it good.
I’m actually looking forward to writing the chapter-by-chapter synopsis though because it requires that I re-read the book. That’s always a good time.
Posted by Selena at 11:26 AM | Comments (0)
July 07, 2005
Me – A Columnist?
One of my favorite sites, The Sword Review put out a call for volunteer columnists. I offered my services. Today they said yes. Seriously, there I am listed on their website. (http://www.theswordreview.com/columnDefinitions.php)
What’s weird is that instead of celebrating, I’m suddenly terrified.
Usually it’s a yes that I’m hoping for.
But now my Comfort Zone is in full-blown panic mode. What will I write? What do I have to say anyway? Will people like it? Will they be offended or just horrified at how lame my writing is?
Grrr.
I just need to get it together, tell CZ to shut the hey up, ignore him while he sulks in the corner, and submit that first column I drafted a week ago.
So that’s what’s on the agenda for today. If I can accomplish just that, it’ll be a successful day.
Edited to add:
Column subbed. Whew. I'm exhausted from the struggle. I may need to take a nap. ;)
Posted by Selena at 02:07 PM | Comments (0)
Today’s Sights
First, obviously, there is the news from London which I don’t feel qualified to comment on except to say my heart goes out to the victims and their families, and that I’m still going to take public transportation everywhere.
Smoke billowing out of a parked car in downtown. People a little more concerned than usual in light of this morning’s events. A fire engine coming to check it out. They made short work of the problem.
A guy on a bench holding a little bird. I laughed and smiled at the cuteness of the scene before I remembered that he probably shouldn’t be handling the bird and that the bird was probably terrified. Then I felt kind of bad about the whole thing.
Posted by Selena at 01:50 PM | Comments (0)
July 06, 2005
What is it about Wednesdays?
I don’t know what the problem is, but Wednesdays and I don’t seem to be getting along lately.
But at least I have tomorrow off. I hope to get a lot of writing done.
In particular, I need to figure out where to send the novel next and just do it. Poor Vatral has just been sitting lonely and rejected on the shelf. He deserves a second chance. Someone out there will love this story as much as I do. I’ve just gotta find that person.
Posted by Selena at 09:36 PM | Comments (0)
July 04, 2005
Quote of the Day/Ocular Migraine
Today’s quote is from “Split Screen Sadness" by John Mayer, one of my favorite songs from his “Heavier Things."
"I can’t wait to figure out what’s wrong with me
So I can say this is the way I used to be."
Gotta go, my ocular migraine has come back and I can hardly see what I’m typing.
I guess I should rest my eyes until it goes away.
Posted by Selena at 09:13 PM | Comments (0)
July 02, 2005
Ladder 49
I just watched “Ladder 49." It was great! Such a study in courage.
Kind of makes the risks I stress over, like whether to submit this story to that market, seem positively lame.
Posted by Selena at 08:49 PM | Comments (0)
Friends – A Necessity
Where would we be without friends?
Seriously I don’t even want to think about where I would be without my friends. They are small in number but great in quality.
How many times has a friend managed to pull me out of the cold dark or some other bad place I’d gotten myself into? More times than I can count. And every time it amazes me - how just a few moments friendly attention from someone who really cares can change everything. And every time I’m grateful.
I always try to return the favor. Like today, I tried to help a friend in need. Did an hour on the phone lighten her load a little? I hope so. But who knows? One thing’s for sure though – it definitely put my petty problems into perspective.
Posted by Selena at 03:23 PM | Comments (0)