Devon Ellington's Blog, page 38
May 10, 2024
Fri. May 10, 2024: A Home-Based Weekend to Prepare for a Busy Few Weeks
image courtesy of Anrita via pixabay.comFriday, May 10, 2024
Waxing Moon
Pluto Retrograde
Drizzly and chilly
I can’t believe it’s already Friday again!
Today’s episode of ANGEL HUNT:
Episode 136: Randolph Neville Got It Wrong
Randolph Neville’s ego placed him central to the plan, but in reality, he was only a pawn.
ONLY TEN MORE EPISODES in the season!
Today’s episode of DEADLY DRAMATICS:
Episode 125: Once Again, in the Hospital
Nina wakes up in a hospital again. But at least she’s alive.
Tomorrow’s DEADLY DRAMATICS episode:
Episode 126: Tess Takes Charge
Tess has plans for her life with Jamie. Nina wants no part of it.
Sunday’s DEADLY DRAMATICS episode:
Episode 127: Zack Shows Up
Nina’s ready to leave the hospital, and Zack is there to take her home.
Monday’s DEADLY DRAMATICS season finale:
Episode 128: Nina’s Homecoming
Nina’s friends let her know how much she matters. And she’s offered a new theatre job.
Episode 128 is the DEADLY DRAMATICS season finale!
With everything going on, it does feel like it’s time for the serial chapter to end, at least for now. Winding up the serials is the right choice. The stories will re-emerge and grow in other formats.
DEADLY DRAMATICS drops its final serial episode on Monday; ANGEL HUNT drops the final episode on June 14. LEGERDEMAIN’s final episode will probably land somewhere in the middle. I’m trying to figure it out.
Next week, I start promoting the binge-reading aspect of DEADLY DRAMATICS.
Meditation was good. Charlotte was delighted.
I ordered the sideview mirror for the car. Inexpensive, and should be here on Sunday. My friend and I will figure out when to install it when it arrives. I finally heard back from the mechanic, who wanted to charge me $190. Nope.
We were so thrilled with our Hexagon Bagels this week that we ate them for breakfast AND lunch!
Revised, edited, polished, uploaded next week’s Legerdemain episodes. Submitted a play. Did an extensive rewrite of THE WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE. I feel like I’ve overworked the first portion, and underworked the rest, so I’m taking another look at Act II tomorrow, and working on a few specific things, and then I’ll send it out for feedback. I feel like I’ve gone as far as I can with it on my own. I’m worried that the end is too much like a Shakespearean comedy, and that doesn’t fit the rest of the play.
Sat in on my friend’s virtual reading of her two 10-minute plays. It was a lot of fun to hear actors read them, and the actor feedback was great, too.
A fairly large coverage landed in my inbox, so at least I know I have work this afternoon! I was so wiped out after the BRIDGE rewrite I could barely function.
I finished reading THE PARIS NOVEL by Ruth Reichl. I enjoyed most of it, especially as it continued. I often lost patience with the protagonist early on. As sensual as some of the food descriptions are, some of them also pushed me further toward pescatarianism.
I started reading Deanna Raybourne’s latest Veronica Speedwell mystery, A GRAVE ROBBERY, and I’m enjoying it, at least so far.
Slept reasonably well. Woke up around 1:30 again, but went back to sleep pretty fast. Half woke a few hours later to find Charlotte curled up between my shoulder blades while Tessa was still down by my feet. I was wedged in between them and just went back to sleep.
On today’s agenda: drafting an episode of LEGERDEMAIN, tackling ACT II of WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE, dealing with some admin/email stuff, work on the synopsis for CAST IRON MURDER, run errands at the grocery store, the pharmacy, and the library, and turn around a large-ish script coverage.
Tomorrow and Sunday are planting days, so I will spend a lot of time doing that, plus household chores, some writing, researching my friend’s Vaudeville photos, and reading the next book for review. Monday is the season finale of DEADLY DRAMATICS, which deserves a bit of fanfare. There will also be writing, and, hopefully, some client work. I have a cohort workshop for two hours in the afternoon.
Next week is another busy week, but it’s a good kind of busy. I hope there will be enough client work coming in, and I want to get some serious pitches out. I also have the workshop, two hours of yoga on Tuesday, tarot circle on Wednesday, and a reception for Clark Art Institute members at The Mount (the Edith Wharton homestead) on Thursday. So it will be a balancing act. Starting next week, I also have to build in adapting DEADLY D into its next format and then finishing THE VICIOUS CRITIC to stay on schedule with them. I also have to get STRANGERS IN THE SNOW back into the schedule, finish and polish a short story that’s due at the end of the month, and start work on the article for Llewellyn. It’s the good kind of busy and I’m grateful, but it means keeping an eye on time management, and also building in enough time to restore, since, as I age, I need more of that. The following week is even busier, and then we hit Memorial Day weekend.
I’m grateful that I get to juggle so many interesting pieces right now.
Have a good one, and I’ll catch you on the other side!
May 9, 2024
Thurs. May 9, 2024: Theatre News
image courtesy of Mauricio Keller Keller via pixabay.comThursday, May 9, 2024
Waxing Moon
Pluto Retrograde
The latest on the garden is up at Gratitude and Growth.
I’m sharing exciting news first! My play about painter Lavinia Fontana, SERENE AND DETERMINED, will be given a staged reading in NYC in mid-July. It was chosen out of 700 submissions, and I’m very excited. It’s being done by the Barr Hill Players. I’m going down for the reading. This is one of my “forgotten historical women” plays, although there’s been a revival of interest in her work lately, and a new monograph came out about her last year (which I haven’t yet read and look forward to reading).
Today’s LEGERDEMAIN episode:
Episode 188: Royal Revelations
This is not the first time this royal family has faced challenges.
Today’s DEADLY DRAMATICS episode:
Episode 124: Bloody Confrontation
Nina needs to save Zack, Jamie – and herself.
Only FOUR MORE EPISODES! And then you’ll be able to binge the whole season.
Yesterday was a good kind of busy. I wrote an episode of LEGERDEMAIN. It’s on the long side, but it didn’t make sense to break it up.
I packed up my stuff for the day. As I was about to go out the door, the Llewellyn contract for the 2026 Almanac arrived. I read it through, it’s fine, signed it, sent it back. My deadline for the 3K article is August 9. I’ll get to work on it next week.
We’d had a strong thunderstorm and heavy rain early in the morning, but it lightened up by the time I left the house, and was only drizzling by the time I arrived at the Clark.
The talk in the morning was by the Clark’s archivist about some of the unusual personal items in the collection. It was, of course, fascinating. Boxes of glass slides about his racehorses, ledgers about the rare books he bought, notebooks and surveys from the time he spent in China just after the turn of the 20th century, old passports and other papers.
I hadn’t realized he grew up in Cooperstown, where my play was read last month.
As Kevin Sessums says, “everything is connected.”
After the talk, I asked the archivist a few “best practices” questions, based both around the Playland Painters and around the research I’m doing on my friend’s Vaudeville photos. He gave me some great suggestions, which I will start following up on today.
I then went into the museum itself, and spent some time with the art, especially the Renoirs. I know it’s popular to hate Renoir right now, but I like these specific paintings in the collection.
I wrote a short monologue inspired by “Woman with a Fan” that will probably be a micro-fiction piece when it’s done. I also want to research the woman in the painting. There’s a humor about her I really like, and she was with the Comédie Francaise.
I wrote notes for two short plays inspired by “A Box at the Theatre.” One is a four-hander drama, which will probably run 10-20 minutes. The other is a 2-hander, probably a 10-minute comedy. Not sure WHEN I’ll write them; I may play with them in between other projects.
I had lunch in the café. It’s too early in the season for the fish tacos that I’ve been wanting since I had them there last summer; I settled for chicken salad on a croissant with a side salad. The salad was lovely, which surprised me. While the croissant was edible but meh, the chicken salad was quite good, flavored with both tarragon and dill.
After lunch, I headed for the library. I seriously fell in love with the research library. It’s light and comfortable. Resident scholars get their own carrels, but there are plenty of other workspaces for the rest of us coming in.
I figured out the decimal system and the shelving (it’s academic numbering, not Dewey). I found the Bibiena books I wanted. Most were in Italian, which slowed me down a bit, since I don’t speak Italian. But I figured out some of it, and I could learn a lot from the sketches themselves. They really worked all over Europe, and Carlo even worked in St. Petersburg for a few years. Although they pioneered a specific style as a family of designers, their sketches are quite distinct from each other.
One of the books had essays in different languages – Italian, French, English, German. I had finished reading the first essay in French when I realized that I read it in French while taking perfectly coherent notes in English. Which is heartening, since I am far from fluent in French, especially in speaking it, but I could understand what I read without sitting there trying to translate every world.
Reading Molière in French paid off!
Translator Alice Wohl was in the other carrel in the same little nook, which I didn’t realize until after she left.
When my brain couldn’t take reading in multiple languages anymore, I read a book on painter Cecelia Beaux, which was interesting. I felt pretty pleased that I COULD understand much of what I read, though.
I wandered downstairs, caught up on the past few issues of THE NEW YORKER, and visited the Paper Cities exhibit. I was fascinated by the choice of framing – heavy black frames with large, creamy, thick mattes around the sketches. I might have to ask the curator about it. The framing choice was as interesting as the sketches themselves.
It was time to leave by then. I headed over to Wild Soul River for tarot. One of my friends from tarot circle told me where to order a new sideview mirror and offered to install it for me. It will be much more efficient AND cost effective than chasing it down from the mechanic.
Tarot circle was good, as always, and I ran into another friend at Wild Oats, when we both stopped there on the way home.
Came home to the good news about SERENE AND DETERMINED, sent off my acceptance/agreement to them performing the reading, cooked dinner, and started getting the word out. Closer to the date, I will let some more of my old pals in NYC know, in case any of them can come down and see it.
I’m going to stay with a friend outside of the city itself, going to her place the day before, taking the commuter train into the city for the reading, and then drive home the day after. I’d hoped to get down to see her at some point this summer, so it all works out.
It dovetails nicely with all the workshops, and falls a few days after the end of the cohort program, and a couple of weeks before the big poem with Word X Word.
AND, one of my Nightwood cohort members won a playwrighting competition in Ottawa, and her play will be produced this fall. Woo-hoo!
So that’s all good.
Of course, I woke up a little before 2 AM with sense memory stress. Tis the season. I turned it around to positive to-do lists around the reading (I have to get my hair cut, I have to figure out what to wear) and stuff around other projects/responsibilities. But I still didn’t doze off until around 4, and the cats had me up just after 5. So I’m a little cooked today.
Fable’s been added as a distributor for my digital work, so I’ve been getting pinged as each book uploads.
On today’s agenda: meditation, writing (not sure which project yet), uploading and scheduling next week’s LEGERDEMAIN episodes, several pitches and LOIs, ordering the sideview mirror, ordering the Fearless Ink postcards. I’m attending a friend’s virtual play reading from 12-2. I hope some coverage work comes in, since I couldn’t read the last two days with everything going on. I’d rather not read this weekend, but if I have to, I have to. I also have to follow up on a couple of contacts from a few months ago. And I want to write the archivist who ran yesterday’s program a thank-you note.
Have a great day!
May 8, 2024
Wed. May 8, 2024: Enjoying Spring While Planning the Work
image courtesy of Morten via pixabay.comWednesday, May 8, 2024
Waxing Moon
Pluto Retrograde
Warm and rainy
There’s a post up on Ink-Dipped Advice about how digital tidiness helps focus. It should have been up last week, but it’s up this week (hey, I’m tidying up) and you can read it here.
Yesterday’s new moon was also a good chance to get the blog over on the Cerridwen Iris Shea site up with a tarot reading and a clean up of some other pages. I’ll be adding more material to the web pages over the summer and trying to be steadier about blogging there, too. You can read the reset post here.
My colleague Deborah Blake has a new oracle deck out today, The Everyday Witch’s Familiar Oracle. Check it out. I’m very excited for her and about the deck.
Today’s Angel Hunt Episode:
Episode 135: Lianna Faces Her Captors
Lianna faces her captors and demands answers.
Today’s Deadly Dramatics Episode:
Episode 123: Nina Tries to Talk Sense
Nina tries to talk the killer down.
Only 5 more episodes in the season!
I uploaded and scheduled the remaining episode videos for DEADLY DRAMATICS, and then I did the binge videos in TikTok, Wide, and Instagram formats for next week. I will push those once a week for a month once Monday’s season finale episode goes live.
The doctor was late calling my mom and then it was a five-minute conversation telling her she’s fine. So we spent weeks being stressed out for nothing.
But it’s still a relief.
Folded the laundry and put it away. Mailed bills/residency deposit. Picked up my mom’s prescriptions. Picked up a few things at another store. Wrote the post for the Cerridwen’s Cottage blog and cleaned up some of the other pages. Wrote the Ink-Dipped Advice post and scheduled it to drop this morning.
Had a quick bite, and then drove to Williamstown for my meeting. I made a quick stop at the Spruces to take some pictures because it was such a gorgeous day I wanted some photos.
We met at the Spring Street Café in Williamstown, a new stop for me. My friend Glory Anne opened her Bobba lounge two doors down, but is closed on Tuesdays, or we could have gone there. We were lucky to grab an outside table and have a nice chat. She thinks I’m doing fine; I need to reset my trauma response (which sounds like it’s an overreactive phrase, but that’s the only wording that fits) and not panic and hold the course when it comes to pitching for work and expanding. I know what to do; it’s the steady self-marketing and building contacts/pitching/LOIs that have to continue in order for it to pay off in a very literal sense. At least people get it here, and there’s not that constant sense of pressure and failure and demand to work for free because what I do isn’t “real work” that there was in the previous location. But I do need to move out of panic mode/survival mode and work on the reality of the moment, what’s good about it, and building on it.
I’m not necessarily sure of the “how” but I understand the “what.”
I have to stop being afraid, every time I start to feel happy and on the right track that another shoe will drop.
I even had time to change at home (although I had everything in the car with me, just in case I had to change at the yoga studio).
I only stayed for the gentle yoga class, and it was difficult to get my mind to stop racing and quiet down for the class. It was beyond monkey mind. It was more like a pack of baby squirrels racing around mind.
I picked up takeout on the way home, ate way too fast, and jumped on a Zoom call about a potential project that I would like to do, but unless there’s a contract in place with decent payment, I am not doing it now. Put me on contract, pay me, you get my time and attention. Talk in vague terms about maybe-someday and it stays in maybe-someday. I have bills to pay.
A friend in yoga class had a family member in Vaudeville and lent me a set of photos she has. She’s not sure how to research them, so I’m going to do some research for her in the coming weeks, along with using them as background for my Vaudeville project. I’m looking forward to that.
The takeout did not agree with me, and I had a miserable night. I distracted myself by spinning pitches for magazine articles (something I talked to my cohort manager about yesterday). Let’s hope I remember at least some of them!
This morning, I will try to get some writing done (especially on Legerdemain). I’m at the Clark most of the day. There’s a lecture at 10 on oddities in the collection (it’s been postponed twice, so I’m glad it will finally happen). Then, I will do some ekphrastic work, have lunch, and go and do some research in the library, before heading over to Wild Soul River for tarot in the late afternoon.
I hope you have a great day!
May 7, 2024
Tues. May 7, 2024: Spring Sunshine
image courtesy of Tim Hill via pixabay.comTuesday, May 7, 2024
New Moon
Pluto Retrograde
Sunny and warm
I hope all of you had a wonderful weekend!
Today’s LEGERDEMAIN Episode:
Episode 187: Protest Day Starts on a Literal High Note
Music, oration, and people trying new things in public are part of Protest Day, starting it on a festive note, until a threat steps out of the shadows.
Today’s DEADLY DRAMATICS Episode:
Episode 122: Jamie’s Peril
Nina and Zack borrow Hilda’s keys, finding Jamie near death.
Only 6 episodes left! Season finale on May 13!
Friday morning was weird. It felt like my brain was misfiring, and that’s not a good feeling.
I managed to write 3 pages of the Playland Painters play, bringing in a threat. I’m trying to structure it so all secondary female roles are played by a single performer and all secondary male roles are played by another performer. That keeps the cast to – you guessed it, seven.
I cleaned up the Gwen Finnegan Mysteries website, the Jain Lazarus Website, and the Legerdemain website.
Which means, now, I’m caught up (except for the constant work the Legerdemain site needs) and I need to spend some quality time on the Cerridwen’s Cottage site, which feels overwhelming.
I can put it off for a little bit to do the videos for Fearless Ink and get some more photographs up on Pages on Stages, but I need to get to work on it. It needs to be in good shape before the 2025 Annuals hit.
Picked up a few things at the grocery store. My favorite fishmonger told me her cat was all excited about the bird feeder she stuck to the bay window (a friend gave me one similar, but the squirrels destroyed ours). However, the other night, a bear came, ripped it off the window, ate everything, and then licked the window. The neighbor thought it was a creepy guy looking into the house (with the hands/paws splayed against the windows) and ran out with his phone to film it and call the police – and then realized it was a bear, and ran back in the house. Anyway, she has to power wash her windows now to get off the bear saliva. She said the video is funny as heck, though.
People from Cape Cod are reporting a rough time, and not just because of the new bridges that will be started soon (and not complete until 2034—that’s right ten years from now). You’ve got the company behind the decommissioned Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant trying to dump radioactive waste into the bay, claiming it’s safe. You’ve got the army who wants to clear cut 170 acres of forest in Bourne for a machine gun range that isn’t necessary (they have one just outside of Worcester) and that the EPA has insisted the eco-system can’t handle. So they said they’d make it smaller, since they don’t have all the funding and only build out as far as the funds allow. The general consensus is that they simply plan to phase in the full footprint as they get more money. The EPA also said the spent casings needed to be cleared every six months at minimum, because of the contamination, and the other side shrugged and said they planned to clean up every ten years. Not to mention what the constant noise and air contamination will do to affect people’s lives or vacations. On top of that, those who’ve been buying up neighborhood properties for second homes and short term rentals are sending in companies to spray with illegal pesticides and the companies are ignoring property boundaries, so there’s an even higher contamination to the properties trying to stay organic and not kill bees and birds and the neighborhood dogs. Of course, the Town Councils aren’t doing anything, because they like the taxes they’re getting from the non-compliant owners. Towns may have certain pesticides banned in theory, but without enforcement, it means nothing.
Turned around two coverages. They took longer than expected, and I was too tired for much else.
Saturday was a lovely day. I thought it was graduation day for the college across the street, but that’s actually this coming Saturday.
It was a day of chores: changing the bed linens, switching out the winter covers on chairs, switching out fabrics on tables, going through stuff that got stacked up in the living room.
Also, over the course of the weekend, I read the next 3 Grafton books: U IS FOR UNDERTOW, V IS FOR VENGEANCE, and W IS FOR WASTED. While I liked the plots on all three, again, there were flashbacks and contemporary chapters from other points of view, and that does not work for me in this series. I want to experience it ONLY through the protagonist. I read the series because I am invested in the protagonist. I do not care about experiencing any of the story through any other character. If I wanted a series through multiple POVs, that’s what I would seek out. With this particular series, I am in it to live it through Kinsey’s experience.
Of the three, I liked V the best. That had the best, most layered plot. I lost patience with U. Dietz makes a quick appearance in W, to give Grafton a way to remove him from Kinsey’s life, which is a disappointment, but it works within the logic of the series.
Saturday was about household chores and reading.
I didn’t pay much attention to the Kentucky Derby this year. I saw it was rainy and sloppy out that way. The Oaks on Friday was an interesting race – fillies, to me, are more interesting because they’re more unpredictable. Thorpedo Anna ran a great race in the muck. I watched the replay. Basically, as soon as she hit the track in the parade, she made up her mind, and then she did it. Lemon Muffin, who I liked, came in 8th, in the middle of the pack. I don’t think she liked the muck.
For the 150th Derby itself (oops, 150th, I should have paid more attention), Mystik Dan was the winner, in a very tight race. Again, I watched the replay, not the race itself.
Sunday, I was up early. It was raining, and the temperature dropped by 18 degrees. I dropped a dozen books in the book drop and did the big grocery shopping. I’d spent time on Saturday making a big meal plan, looked at it Sunday morning and didn’t feel like making any of it. I free-formed my meal plan, looking at what looked good instead, and decided to make roast chicken for Sunday’s meal. Roasting a chicken was perfect on a raw, rainy Sunday.
Something is trying to percolate and come through. I’d rather it didn’t, but then realized how I can make it work as part of the Cerridwen’s Cottage updating.
I finished the scores and wrote the review for the winner in the final contest category and sent that off.
I read Judi Dench’s memoir AND FURTHERMORE, which was a lot of fun. She had a good ghostwriter.
Roasted a chicken for dinner (served with mashed potatoes and steamed vegetables). Perfect for a chilly, rainy day.
Re-read Sara Paretsky’s DEADLOCKED. I forgot how good it is. And realized how little I know about grain transport and shipping around the Great Lakes.
Sunday was the day before the dark moon, always my lowest energy day of the month, so I took it easy.
Monday was still cloudy and somewhat rainy, although the temperature was expected to go up by 22 degrees.
The piece percolating insists on percolating. I also re-read the start of another piece that has a lot of potential. I remember writing a lot of notes for it; now, I just have to find them. They’re handwritten, and I hadn’t yet typed them up. I’m sure I put them in a Very Safe Place.
I “should” have done videos this weekend, but I did not, so I had to do a few on Monday and get them up. On this week’s list are also binge videos for DEADLY DRAMATICS (which ends its season next Monday) and a basic intro video for Fearless Ink. I also need to get the postcard design to the printer so I have postcards for the business expo.
I sat there, trying to figure out what comes next in the Playland Painters play. I have a handful of scenes I want to write, but I’m not sure in which order and how to build them. That’s the problem with taking days off during a first draft. I lose the flow.
I started working on the next episode of Legerdemain and kept getting interrupted. I finally gave up and did the episode videos for the week. I could only upload some of them, because TikTok limits how many videos I can upload, even if they are scheduled over a period of days. I was asked to invoice for the contest, so I sent that off. I wrote checks for bills and for the deposit for this autumn’s residency. Put in a Chewy order. Was annoyed that a company for whom I freelance is advertising for more freelancers, even though they don’t have enough work for those of us who are already there.
I turned around two coverages, both on the larger side.
Cooked what’s become our favorite dinner, the salmon in honey-soy-garlic sauce baked with the green beans and sweet potatoes in olive oil, cumin, and cinnamon. Started reading Jeffrey Steingarten’s THE MAN WHO ATE EVERYTHING, which a friend sent me about a year ago, and it is hilarious.
Up early this morning and out the door to do a lot of laundry. Back home by 7 AM to start the day. My mom’s doctor is doing a conference with us at 9:30. Honestly, the conversation’s been put off so long it damn well better not be anything important, and if it’s not, why the eff is she wasting our time? I don’t have a lot of faith in what she has to say anyway. Am I worried about the conference? A little. I’m also angry, and I haven’t forgotten that three days before my mom’s small stroke, we went in to see the doctor for help and didn’t get what we needed. So I’m not confident about anything they’re trying to push at this stage.
This week has a somewhat different shape than a usual week. I didn’t take on any script coverage for today or tomorrow, because I have a mid-afternoon meeting with my cohort manager this afternoon before yoga, and tomorrow I’m out the door a little after 9 AM and not back until after 6. So I’ll read Thursday and Friday (providing work comes in) and maybe a little over the weekend.
I hope to get some writing in this morning, post conference and before I leave for my meeting. I’m taking my yoga gear with me and changing at the studio later.
The brand new computer has been an absolute nightmare this morning. It better settle down.
We’re supposed to have thunderstorms tonight and rain tomorrow. Good thing I’ll be inside at the Clark most of the day!
Have a good one.
May 6, 2024
Mon. May 6, 2024: Intent for the Week — Meeting the Month With Purpose
image courtesy of Michael Skale via pixabay.comToday is the dark moon, which is a good time to clear things out. Tommorrow is the new moon, a good time for starting things and setting intentions.
My intention for this week is to meet the new moon with purpose. I have pieces to write and pitches to send, and to generally get the summer sorted. While I need flexibility as to which hours are dedicated to what on any given day, I also want to place my energy where it makes sense in terms of financial gain.
Summer’s barely here and it will be gone before we know it. I want to balance having fun with the more mercenary tasks. I can start laying the groundwork this week.
What’s your intent for the week?
May 3, 2024
Fri. May 3, 2024: Sorting Through the Information
image courtesy of Jill Wellington via pixabay.comFriday, May 3, 2024
Waning Moon
Pluto Retrograde
Partly cloudy and warm
I can’t believe it’s already Friday again.
Yesterday turned into a gorgeous day, sunny and in the 70’s.
Today’s ANGEL HUNT episode:
Episode 134: With Zeke
If Lianna’s going to die anyway, she wants to go out happy.
Today’s DEADLY DRAMATICS episode:
Episode 118: Zack Tells It Like It Is
Zack’s not bothered by Nina’s proximity to death, and he has some of his own revelations.
Only TEN more episodes left in this season!
Saturday’s DEADLY DRAMATICS episode:
Episode 119: Misty’s Despair
Nina is worried about Misty and Geri.
Sunday’s DEADLY DRAMATICS episode:
Episode 120: Zack’s Ploy
When the concierge won’t let Nina and Zack up to the Watsons’, Zack plays the charm card with a neighbor.
Only EIGHT more episodes left in the season!
Monday’s DEADLY DRAMATICS episode
Episode 121: Mrs. Van Der Platt Demands Answers
Hilda Van Der Platt has a long history with Jamie, Tess, and even Geri.
We’re in the homestretch of the DEADLY DRAMATICS season. Monday May 13 is the final episode, and then people can binge.
Now, if I could just get the episodes for the LEGERDEMAIN season completed. , ,although I got up next week’s episodes yesterday, so we’re all good, provided they don’t get stuck in review. (Which they did not; they cleared by the end of the day).
I wrote 2 ½ pages on the Playland Painters play.
Meditation happened, and it was fine, although Charlotte was busy elsewhere and missed it.
I did some work on the June newsletter. I did some admin work on the serials. I did some cleanup on the Coventina Circle website. The Mailerlite form isn’t working properly to do the newsletter signup on the individual sites (I suspect it has to do with the API key), so I’m sending people through to the signup on the DE site and which does work. I did some cleanup on the Nautical Namaste website.
I dashed down to the post office, because something had to go out before noon. But it was a lovely day and a nice walk.
Did the next marketing cohort workshop, which was good. Everyone’s work is so interesting. We discussed a way for me to expand the Devon Ellington social media to cross promote the Cerridwen Iris Shea material where appropriate, without having to start over under that name on social media channels. Once I get the content on the CIS site updated and add regularly, I think I can make it work.
There was also a suggestion to start a Discord channel and offer “office hours” regularly to talk with readers about writing. On the one hand, I like the idea; on the other hand, I am not a fan of Discord, as you well know. With my last computer, I could either have a working computer or I could have Discord on it. I also don’t think I have the following yet. I should ask Lilith St. Crow about it. I know she has her own Discord (which I think is part of her Patreon). I’m leaning more toward doing a Secret Room for newsletter subscribers at this point. I also need to start promoting the newsletter the week or so before it comes out on social media to encourage new subscribers. We also learned a lot about relevant SEO keywords.
I was all excited about my TikTok numbers and conversion rates and then, when I went into TikTok (I hadn’t yet downloaded it to this new computer and THAT was a nightmare) to share it with the workshop leader, the account was a darned mess. The numbers in my analytics board are high (and the money I made last month proves conversions). But the forward-facing numbers don’t add up. So I don’t know what’s going on. Plus, TikTok blocked some videos and some audio. First of all, I’m careful about rights and acknowledging the creators of the music I use. Second, there’s nothing nasty or inappropriate within these 15 and 30 second videos; they are far milder than a great deal of the content on that channel, much of which is stomach churning. But, of course, TikTok can’t be bothered to answer individual questions. I heard some rumors that several serial authors are having similar issues; one of them is going to deep dive to try to figure out why.
So now I feel bad, because I don’t want the workshop leader to feel I misrepresented myself. But I can’t control what anyone else thinks, and I just have to keep on keeping on.
I turned around only one coverage (which means I have two to do today). A disturbing trend in submissions I’ve noticed is that writers open up a script software package, import their novel, add a few sluglines, and then submit without going through to make sure the dialogue box contains only dialogue, the action lines build scenes, or the storytelling is appropriate to the medium. Also, not every novel should be adapted for screen. It’s not a get-rich quick scheme.
I did a bunch of contest entries. I think I can finish up my final category today and get that out. I have a pretty strong idea about the winner and the finalists, and want to go over the material one more time before I make my final decisions.
I designed the new Fearless Ink postcard. I will do some tweaks, and send it out for printing next week, so I’ll have the postcards in time for the Expo, and then do the mailing after.
I ordered bagels from Hexagon Bagels to pick up next Wednesday at tarot.
Our cohort manager sent out the news for May. The local Farmers’ Market is hosting artists and educators to run workshops during market season. I put together a proposal that’s a longshot, but I had to at least try. It’s very lowkey, people can flow in and out, ekphrastic and prompt-based writing practice.
Haven’t heard back from the mechanic yet. A friend who read about the mirror situation here told me that the law in this state means I can drive without the passenger mirror (although I’m not comfortable driving on a highway without it). But at least I won’t be cited until I get it fixed, provided I stay in the state.
Woke up around 1:30, worrying. Some is worry about juggling everything and expanding client work; some is sense memory stress, and I really, REALLY need to move past that at this point. I don’t need to be in survival mode all the darned time.
On today’s agenda: write an episode of Legerdemain, work on the play, finish the final category in the contest and submit my scores, pick up a few things at the grocery store, library drop off/pick up, two script coverages. I’d like to get next week’s videos done and scheduled (even with the TikTok issues), but that might not happen until tomorrow.
I’m watching some individuals, on Instagram especially, monetizing parts of their lives in ways that makes me uncomfortable. I believe people should be paid for their work and their skills, but there are also some aspects of ourselves that can’t be defined by a price tag. Yet we’re all scrambling to make a living. I mean, I can always unfollow if it becomes too much (and I have, in a few instances). Ultimately, it’s not my business, but I can learn from everything that works and everything that doesn’t.
Lots to think about.
Since tomorrow’s storage run to the Cape is cancelled, it gives me a day to do stuff around the house, which will be good. I should wander around First Friday tonight downtown, but it all depends on whether or not I can get both coverages turned around this afternoon, along with everything else.
Have a great weekend, and we’ll catch up next week!
May 2, 2024
Thurs. May 2, 2024: Directional Signs (on Multiple Levels)
image courtesy of Gerd Altmann via pixabay.comThursday, May 2, 2024
Waning Moon
Pluto Retrograde
Sunny and Pleasant
Yup, we’re back into retrogrades. Pluto, the planet of transformation and what’s hidden, is retrograde until October 11. Someone called it a time to “declutter the soul” which is an interesting way to look at it.
You can read about the latest on the garden over on Gratitude and Growth.
Today’s LEGERDEMAIN EPISODE:
Episode 186: Citizens Prepare for a Day of Fun and Protest
Protest Day means fun, food, entertainment, and speeches for the city’s population. Shelley is determined to keep it from getting dangerous.
Today’s DEADLY DRAMATICS episode:
Episode 117: Chatting with Charlie
Charlie warns Nina to let the police handle this murder.
I did not post my April word count/analysis yesterday, so I’m doing so today:
New material: 53,275 words
Edited material: 44,706 words
Client work: 28,077
Marketing/video time: 0 hours actively marketing, about 5 hours updating/cleaning up websites.
The new material word count is in a pretty decent spot, especially when added to client work (which is new material, but for other people). The edited material is in a decent place, especially since so many of the edits/revisions on which I worked were plays, which have a lower per page word count. That all feels like I’m in a good place.
Payment-wise, I’m much closer to my aim in April than in the previous months. A little under, but not by much, and it gives me something to build on for the more ambitious goals for summer. Even though my word count was only up about 4K on client work from March, the payment was more in alignment with my goals. Which means I’m working smarter and the freelance jobs I’m taking are in the right direction. I don’t feel overworked and underpaid as badly as in previous months. The client wordcount nearly doubled from February’s numbers, so it’s a good thing the payment’s much better, too!
The marketing is where it gets interesting. I didn’t realize that I hadn’t posted ANY promos for my own work in April. I kept putting off the new episode videos. But my TikTok numbers in particular, have gone higher, and the old episode videos are still showing a conversion rate. Putting in less time, and dumping some of the social media channels, has kept my conversion rate steady. Adding what I’m learning in the marketing cohort, and the tweaks I’ve made over the past few weeks, I see my numbers rising, even without new content anywhere other than the blog, and only fun content on Instagram. And the slightly humorous promotional marketing content skews higher than the more serious and/or business-y content. This blog is one of the highest drivers to other sites that also results in conversions.
All of that is really good information. The blog information surprised me. I mean, in business terms, it’s been around for 20 years, it makes sense to have a good conversion rate and business gurus would say it’s not high enough.
But it’s also me just being me. Talking about what excites me, frustrates me, challenges, happy moments, etc. It’s a messy integration. But that was kind of the point; when I started this blog, I was transitioning out of working backstage and in production a zillion hours a week to writing full time and moving out of New York and so forth. I wanted a more holistic life. I didn’t expect a lot of the challenges in these past years, and I was often criticized for not presenting a perfect façade. But I’m not perfect. I’m me, with flaws and facets and all the rest.
This blog, to me, is morning coffee with friends, which means we chat about anything and everything and share resources and offer support and just try to help each other get through the day. Because it draws people from a wide variety of interests, and offers links not just to my stuff, but to other people’s stuff, it makes a good web of interconnected life. A portion of that translates into the monies from my work that is part of earning a living; a portion of that goes to fellow creators who are mentioned here who get more traffic to their sites from my sites that turn into relationships and sometimes financial support. I checked with a few to make sure that was correct. I’m far from being an “influencer” and the very term makes me queasy, but people find my links to other sites helpful and the people behind those sites see a conversion rate. So everybody is happy and nobody feels pushed into anything.
It’s not viral posts and huge amounts of cash on any given day. But it’s steady growth and support, which I would rather have anyway (except in times of crisis).
For what I want out of my life and career, that means I’m on the right track. Collecting this information means I can build on it in a way that serves my vision without getting aggressively market-centric in a way that is uncomfortable for any of us, yet also allows me to make a living doing what I love.
I also noticed that when I ignore what a Freelance group I used to belong to insists are “best practices” and “the way to do things” I have a higher conversion rate than when I follow their advice. But then, it’s the same core group that are rather insular to my view and shore each other up rather than trying new ideas (one of many reasons I left the group; another is, because I write fiction and get paid for it, I’m not considered on par with the rest of them in the business field).
So that’s a big relief, and the information helps me shape further without getting caught up in a marketing “persona” that would be against my comfort level and values.
I’m going to keep collecting the data and metrics over the next few months (possibly a year) and see where it leads.
I was invited to attend an artist networking event about an hour east of here in early June. I wasn’t that excited about the panels, but I thought I might meet some interesting people there. The cost of the ticket wasn’t bad, especially since the event included lunch. However, when I went to check out there was an “administration fee” that added an additional 31% to the cost of the ticket. If one wanted a ticket mailed, they charged an additional $3.50 on top of it, meaning the combined fees added over 50% to the cost of a ticket. By a place that claims to fight for “equity.” Nope. Not doing it.
I mean, I’d do an e-ticket anyway, but 31% additional fees on the ticket price is unacceptable to me. Especially for a place that claims it’s all about “equity.” Because these additional charges put up an economic barrier for some. Could I afford the ticket price AND the fee right now? Yes. But I am not willing to pay these additional fees, especially since the day didn’t excite me all that much in the first place.
Next!
Switched out all the curtains – living room, Tessa’s room, front door, kitchen, even put up a new curtain and curtain rod in my bedroom. The summer curtains make everything feel lighter. I was worried the panels I put up in the kitchen wouldn’t work because I’d used them in my bedroom last summer and was afraid they were too bedroomy, but they look much better in the kitchen! I’d made those curtains years ago because I liked the fabric, but rarely did they fit anywhere. Switched the front door décor. Switched the table linens in the kitchen. Put up the summer light string in the kitchen, and the ones for the porch.
I still have to do the fabrics on tables, chairs, etc. throughout the house, but I figured I wouldn’t get it all done today. But it’s a start, and makes a big difference as far as making it feel more summery. A lighter kind of cozy, if you will. (And even if you won’t, that’s what I’m doing).
Submitted a play, worked on the character breakdown for a different play. Will do the cover page for that, and it will be ready for submission soon. I have to get FALL FOREVER out to someone else who wanted to take a look at it. Signed up for The Playground Experiment, which was recommended during End of Play. They probably got a ton of new signups; I’ll wait until those without follow-through fall away before I start participating.
Managed to send in the book review, now that the internet was working again. I’d been warned things would slow down over the next few months, but I got assigned two more books to review, so I’ll keep on keeping on as long as there’s work (yes, it’s paid, or I wouldn’t do it).
Set up my midpoint cohort check-in with our cohort manager for next week. I alternate between feeling like I’m on track and feeling like I’m flailing.
Started a coverage, but kept getting interrupted.
Headed out a little early for tarot, making stops for potting soil and at Wild Oats. Tarot was fun; they had a Beltane altar up and makings for mini-Maypoles. Conversation, as always, was good.
Started driving home, made a turn – and saw that the sideview mirror on the passenger side of the car had fallen out of the casing. So I have to get that fixed. Just when I thought I was getting a little ahead. So frustrated. I will contact the mechanic and see how much that’s going to cost, and when they can fit me in.
It also means cancelling this weekend’s storage run. I doubt it can be fixed before the weekend. Which I’m kind of okay with. I feel the pressure of needing to get in at least one run and wanting to get in two before Memorial Day, and dreading it.
Came home, cooked dinner, prepared to join the regional End of Play Pens Down event – and they sent the link for April 24, not for tonight’s event. Which of course, did not work. I didn’t feel like contacting them at the last minute for the correct link, so I went back and finished the script coverage instead. This year’s administration of the program has been much more disorganized than last year’s, and less sense of connection to the group, at least for me. I had the daily check-ins with two other playwrights who formed a mini accountability group, and that was great.
Started on the new month of ancestor work. The information coming through the cards does not align with known information I have on the family, but perhaps I need to do some further research. Or perhaps it’s not about a literal bloodline ancestor.
Did a simple Beltane ritual of my own.
Slept pretty well. Worked with someone named “Liza” in a dream, and I think she’s been in a previous dream about a project, so I need to pay attention and see what kind of Lizas cross my path in the coming weeks.
The lace panels make a huge difference in letting spring light into the rooms. It’s lovely.
We haven’t received the link for this morning’s ZOOM meditation, so maybe this week is cancelled, too? It wouldn’t surprise me.
Which is fine, if it is, because I have Stuff To Do. I have to get next week’s LEGERDEMAIN episodes edited, polished, uploaded, and scheduled. I need to work on the play. I have script coverages and contest entries. I have a two-hour marketing cohort meeting.
I am hugely unprepared for this weekend’s Kentucky Derby, and have generally had a bad feeling about it going on for a week now.
I’m going to try to get some writing in before the meditation Zoom link either arrives or does not, and then get on with the rest of my day.
Have a good one!
May 1, 2024
Wed. May 1, 2024: Launching May with Beltane
image courtesy of Sabine Kroschel via pixabay.comWednesday, May 1, 2024
Waning Moon
Partly cloudy and mild
Beltane
Blessed Beltane to all who celebrate. Let’s hope we have a glorious start to the summer! Because the summer solstice, which is often called “the first day of summer” is, technically, MID-summer.
Today’s ANGEL HUNT episode:
Episode 133: Captive Lianna
Lianna is imprisoned on an alternate plane.
Today’s DEADLY DRAMATICS episode:
Episode 116: Late Night Breakfast with Alan Doesn’t Go as Planned
Alan freaks out when he learns this isn’t Nina’s first experience with a corpse.
I forgot to mention that, on Monday, I spent time cleaning up some of my social media stuff. Part of that was for the marketing workshop. Part of that was because I’ve found social media depressing lately. On Bluesky, I unfollowed a bunch of so-called “writers” who followed to get the follower count and then quickly unfollowed. Buh-bye. I’m still not on Threads, which I probably should be because of its reach, but the very thought makes me tired. I saw information on some new network that starts with an “L” – I keep wanting to call in “lanyard” or “lankey” but that’s not it, and I can’t find it. NoSpace is starting this summer. Post is closing up shop. Spoutible and CounterSocial don’t drive traffic to my sites. Mastodon has been slow, steady growth, but with a Twitter co-founder joining the board, who knows what will happen there. Eh, there will be another deep dive post into social media on Ink-Dipped Advice in June.
This points out that the website is now more of a necessity than ever.
I was groggy and disoriented yesterday morning from the storm’s interruption.
However, I tore apart the scene in the Playland Painters play that skewed too much to the one character’s story and balanced it out a little more. I kept a few lines of dialogue, but most of the 8 pages are new. It feels much better. I don’t like editing as I write, but this was a structural issue, and I couldn’t move forward without fixing it.
I got back to work on my marketing homework. I didn’t realize how much cleanup I needed to do on the Devon Ellington Work site. I was merrily on my way when the site disconnected, and I couldn’t get into ANY of my websites, nor could I access anything after I logged into my host, so I emailed support.
For a while, I couldn’t access anything, even though all my diagnostics said the internet was working fine. I started to be able to get to other sites, but not mine.
So much for getting everything done by Thursday’s meeting!
I managed a bunch of admin work on the serials. Amazon, of course, was working just fine. I’m keeping my head down and pushing through the serials. A lot of authors are having trouble with material getting stuck in review, and even more are having huge disconnect between the number of unlocked reads and payments. I mean, my reader/payment numbers make no sense, but there are authors whose numbers are way higher than mine who are getting less, and none of it makes any sense. I’m glad I’m winding up. I’ve looked at a bunch of other serial platforms, but none actually help build audience; they demand the writer bring in the audience rather than build. I want a platform that does a mix, and that doesn’t seem to exist.
I managed to get back into my websites and cleaned up the Devon Ellington Work site. It’s not finished, but it’s better. It means the series sites that branch off probably also need some attention.
Which, of course, timewise, means the Cerridwen’s Cottage site is still lagging behind. I have a plan for it, but I have yet to figure out a timeline.
At least I’m coming into tomorrow’s meeting with something.
I got an email from the artistic director of a company in Philly to whom I’d submitted a play for a festival stating they liked my play, but since they are in Philly, they only produce locally-based playwrights, although they open the festival call nationally in case they can’t find enough local playwrights. Um? In other words, they want high submission numbers for their grant proposals and reports, but it’s a waste of non-locals’ time to submit. I made a note, and have crossed them off my future submission list. I would not have submitted to them if they had made it clear in their call that it was for local playwrights.
I did a catch-up with our cohort manager, and we will get together over coffee in the next couple of weeks to figure out the next steps. I spent a good deal of time annoyed with myself for dithering. I am not usually a ditherer. Then, I realized that, for the past years, even before the pandemic, I’ve been in survival mode. Now that at least some of that has receded, I have to learn how to thrive again, and stop constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop or an axe to fall. I can make preparations for challenges without feeling like I’m under constant threat, but I also need to learn how to function again without that constant sense of danger. It’s do-able, but it’s not like flicking a switch and suddenly it’s all fixed.
I finished a script coverage and started a second. It seemed familiar, so I looked back through my notes and realized I’d read a version of it in a different format two years ago. I contacted my handler at the agency, and it was reassigned. Which means I’m out the fee for that script, but that’s the way it goes. At least I realized it 10 pages in and not 50.
I worked on contest entries.
Two hours of yoga kicked my ass, but in a good way. Although I staggered out of there by the end of it. It’s not the gentle yoga class that kicks my ass, but the fitness for yoga, although I’ve definitely made progress. My bad shoulder was a problem last night, though. It would not behave.
Picked up takeout on the way home. Was too tired to even read much.
Slept well, and woke up to Beltane! Today we start switching out curtains and fabrics and things into summer mode. I doubt we can get it all done, since I have client work and writing to fit in, and then I head off for tarot (with stops to pick up potting soil and wine on the way, you know, the priorities). But we’ll get a start.
When I get home from tarot, we’ll have a quick dinner, and then there’s the New England Pens Down virtual event for End of Play.
I feel pretty good about this year’s End of Play experience. I finished THE WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE, and I started LAUGHTER & TURPENTINE. Now, I have to keep up that momentum, and also balance it with the prose writing, the poetry, and the client work. I’m working on some article pitches, too, which I hope to get out to magazines in the next couple of weeks. I haven’t done much magazine writing lately, and I miss it. I’m talking actual articles, not “content” pieces.
I couldn’t get the book review out, for some reason, with the internet issues, so I will try again. I hear a jackhammer somewhere in the neighborhood, so I have to deal with repetitive machine noise while I work, which is not my idea of a good time.
However, onward.
April 30, 2024
Tues. April 30: Refilling the Creative Well
image courtesy of 8084625 via pixabay.comTuesday, April 30, 2024
Waning Moon
Rainy and mild
I hope you had a wonderful weekend. Tomorrow is a new month (and Beltane, up here in the Northern Hemisphere).
Today’s LEGERDEMAIN Episode:
Episode 185: A Knight Meets a Corpse Talker and It’s Not in a Bar
When Corpse Talker Evangeline Thana meets sellsword Silvio Arcata, things get even more interesting.
Today’s DEADLY DRAMATICS Episode:
Episode 115: Questioned by Detective Lisle
Nina’s poise makes the detective suspicious.
There have been plenty of things that I haven’t discussed lately in the blog, such as the Supreme Court planning to allow murder and coups without consequence, and the way universities have turned on their students for being independent thinkers in order to placate their donors.
One of the reasons those without integrity gain so much ground is that they are actually DOING things to further their agenda, while those who are supposed to stop them stand by with thumbs up the collective ass and pretend it’s “not that bad” and that the side taking action won’t kill anyone in their way unless they are stopped.
This is how we got into a mess in 2016, and it will be much, much worse this time around, because of the apathy and refusal to deal with the reality and TAKE ACTION.
Back to Friday:
I wrote an episode of LEGERDEMAIN. I’m happy with it. It’s a lot of fun and escalates the conflict. Instead of worrying that I’m being underpaid if my episodes aren’t less than 1K, I’m letting them go back to their natural sweet spot, goes a little over or under, depending on the episode.
I wrote three pages on LAUGHTER; I’m trying to figure out how to be delicate in this scene, since it comprises information I inferred from my research, without hard evidence. Then, I remind myself it’s a first draft, and I should just go for it.
I dashed down to the grocery store, spending more than I hoped, but that’s reality. I bought pink tulips and a strawberry cake for my mom, which weren’t on the necessary list, but I figured she’d enjoy them.
I did a quick drop off/pickup at the library, tossed a letter into the box at the post office, and headed home. It was so sunny and lovely, I was glad I’d given myself some time off.
I started reading Q IS FOR QUARRY. It took me a minute to realize the double meaning for “Quarry.” It was nice to sit on the porch and read.
I put on real people pants and some makeup and left for Lenox a little before 3. Good thing I did; first I was stuck behind a school bus through Adams; then, it seemed that every awful driver in Pittsfield was out. And there are a lot of them. Murder Maps kept trying to send me through the weird, potholed backroads, but I ignored them.
I hadn’t been to this part of Lenox in years. It had surged, then fallen on rough times, and now it’s surging again. It’s clean and cute and tourist-oriented, with lots of small shops, bars, and restaurants. I had to search for parking. I found a lot I wasn’t sure was legal, but the bookstore assured me it was fine.
I walked the couple of blocks to the store. The store is lovely, and I definitely want to go back to spend more time there. Those who worked there welcomed me as though I was an old friend as soon as I walked in, which was also nice. It’s a bright, well-stocked store, nicely arranged, with a large community bulletin board and a sense that people come there to hang out.
I had somewhat mixed feelings about the reading. The poet was somewhat disorganized, and pulled the hapless/helpless female bit that annoys me. The reading was full of her friends, so it didn’t really matter. The (unmasked) woman behind me was sniffling and coughing all over me (yes, as soon as I got home, I stripped down and disinfected as though we were back in 2020). The poems were kind of all over the place. Some of them had lovely insight and flashes of sly humor; others, I felt, tried too hard. I bought one of her books, and also a chapbook by a different poet (who turns out to have ties here in North Adams) that caught my eye. I’m glad I went, but it definitely wasn’t a typical reading.
The trip back was much smoother than the trip down. That little enclave is definitely worth taking people to when they visit; it’s oriented to visitors to the area. I know there’s a yarn store and a patisserie somewhere. Because it’s all tucked close together and parking is questionable, I’d have to find a place to stash the car and then spend a couple of hours on foot. I can do that later in the season.
Made dinner, read, went to bed a little earlier than usual, but not much.
Up early on Saturday. Finished reading Q IS FOR QUARRY. I liked it. I also liked the author’s note in the back, detailing the real Jane Doe case that inspired the book, along with the forensic reconstruction sketches, in hopes that somebody, someday, somewhere, will be able to identify the woman. Grafton paid for the body to be exhumed and reburied. The last article on it that I found, from 2011, still had no identification confirmed. But I like that Grafton cared enough to step up and try.
I definitely did not read that book before. I would have remembered, especially since, in the mid-90s, when I attended a lot of mystery conventions, forensic artists and sculptors were just starting to get a lot of attention, and I met several.
It was a lovely spring day, so I walked to the library to attend a program on the history of North Adams, by a member of the historical society. The room was packed (yes, I masked). The program was interesting, with individual anecdotes built around the various slides, but I missed the sense of overall storytelling I wanted. It was also interesting how people who’d grown up in the city piped up with family stories that often contradicted what the Historical Society came up with.
I discovered, however, that there was a vaudeville theatre in town, connected to a hotel. That fits into an idea I’ve played with for ages and haven’t quite figured out how to do, which is a piece set in a vaudeville house. In the mid-80’s, in San Francisco and Seattle, I worked with several of the New Vaudeville performers. Growing up, our next door neighbor was part of a vaudeville sister act in her younger days. I often imagined writing something that was set in a fantasy or alt-reality, built around a vaudeville house, although I originally envisioned it somewhere like Brighton, in England. I’m still not sure if it would be a series of linked short stories, or a mystery (or a mystery series) or a play, or if the one idea would spark pieces in several mediums.
In any case, I want to contact the Historical Society and do more research on the theatre. That could be difficult, since they don’t really have a home right now, and the collection is split up in several storage areas of other organizations. But I will still ask.
I also learned that the local newspapers I need from the 1950’s (for THE TREES WHISPERED DEATH) are on microfilm here at the library. So I will set up a date to come and go through them.
I picked up a couple of books that had come in for me, and walked home.
I spent the break reading R IS FOR RICHOCHET. I liked the plot twists, but felt that Kinsey was too passive, rather than the driving force of the story.
A little before 5, I left again. I made a stop at the grocery store to pick up a few things, then headed over to the Clark, where a friend of mine was part of a program on herblore. Several people from tarot group showed up, and it was a terrific program. I’m really glad I went.
Home, and made a mushroom, spinach, and tomato frittata for dinner, which was good. Had a quiet evening, letting things percolate, and reading the next book for review, which I really enjoyed.
Weird dreams Saturday into Sunday. I dreamed I was riding a downward escalator at an airport, and I dropped some of the stack of mail I carried. This particular airport is not one I recognize from my real travels, but I’ve been in it in dreams several times. Looking up dream interpretations, airports are about new opportunities. Going down an escalator means the successful conclusion of a project. I couldn’t find an interpretation of dropping mail, but I take it to be a warning not to drop the ball in communicating with someone – which makes sense, since I’m trying to figure out how to answer a request someone sent that I feel a little unsure about.
The second dream was that I was working on creating a show with an old friend of mine who died last year. She was a director, and the request in the previous dream has to do with a play, so I figured she’s trying to get in touch to give me advice. I drew some tarot cards to figure out what she (or my subconscious) was trying to tell me, and I think it makes sense now.
Starting reading S IS FOR SILENCE. Early on, the structure didn’t work for me, going into third person flashback. I respect Grafton for trying new things, but the reason I’m drawn to the books is Kinsey. If she’s not the driving force in a book, and I’m not living the entire story through her eyes, it doesn’t work for me. Instead of trying different styles and structures within an established series, as a reader, I find it works better if those styles are used with different characters/storylines. It’s one of the reasons I struggled with Susan Wittig Albert’s China Bayles series – once she started opening them out from the first person to go into multiple points of view, the series didn’t hold me as well. I’m there to live the experience through a protagonist I like and trust. If I want 3rd person multiple points of view, I can go to other series. At the same time, I respect the writer not wanting to get in a rut.
Put my stuff together for the full day yoga program.
The day of yoga started at 11, with a 90-minute discussion on prana. That was followed by a quick break (where we helped the teacher with her car), then a 90-minute asana class where we put what we discussed into practice. That took it from the theoretical into the practical and was good. We had a break where the teacher fed us (salad, fruit, etc.). Then, we had some Thai massage/adjustment work, which was what my acupuncturist used to do at the end of the sessions back in NY. Then another short break and yoga Nidra.
It was a long day, but a good one, and I feel like I learned a lot. I was home a little before 6 PM, and made stuffed baked potatoes for dinner.
Finished S IS FOR SILENCE. While I liked the overall story of it, I didn’t like the flashbacks in other points of view.
During all the yoga work, of course, things were percolating. I have my central protagonist for the vaudeville piece. I have the character who creates a problem by threatening to reveal the secret around which she’s built her new life (although I don’t know whether to bring him into the first story or further down the line). I feel like I need to build the core ensemble before I choose a location. Plot will come later – there are so many potential plots around the premise. What I’m wondering is whether to build the pieces around the theatre, which means my protagonist has a job in the one theatre; or have her a performer and part of the circuit, setting each story in a different theatre. The latter opens out the series more. I could also do a mix, where she has a long-term contract at a particular theatre, but goes out to others on the circuit for occasional appearances/shorter contracts. I have to develop it more. But now that I have my central protagonist, I feel like I can do the research and build the piece.
Slept well Sunday into Monday. Monday was kind of rainy and mild and damp.
Set up the Vaudeville folder and made some notes.
Wrote two episodes of LEGERDEMAIN, which makes me pretty proud of myself. It’s taken a fun twist. I almost put off updating my style sheet and series bible, but knew that would bite me in the butt, even with only a few more episodes coming up, so I took care of that.
Wrote 2-1/2 pages on the Playland Painters play. I think the series of revelations in this scene need to be spread out over the entire script, or the play becomes about this one character’s drama, which is not the vision for the play.
Played with some stuff for the marketing workshop on Thursday. Got out FALL FOREVER to a couple of places that wanted to take a look at it. I have another one on the list, but I have to do the cover letter.
Finished reading T IS FOR TRESPASS. I liked the way Grafton juggled multiple cases of Kinsey’s in the book, except for when she did chapters from the primary antagonist’s POV. In this particular series, switching from single first person into multiple POVs does not work for me. I’m here to live the story through Kinsey. I don’t care, bluntly, about living any other characters’ experiences through them. I’m in this because of Kinsey.
I mean, in general, I rarely stay with books that do some chapters in first person and some in third. Either do everything in one or the other; mixing doesn’t work for me as a reader (or, usually, as a writer). Multiple first person POVs, in different chapters? Great. Multiple close 3rd in different chapters? Great. Skipping between 1st and 3rd? There needs to be a LOT of excellent craft involved.
At least she doesn’t head hop.
More scripts showed up in my queue JUST when I’d pretty much decided I wasn’t going to do much coverage today or tomorrow. So THAT had to change!
I turned around one coverage and started a second. I did a batch of contest entries; I’m hoping to finish this final category this week and get it all sent off.
Replanted 16 of the 18 lettuce plants. I need to pick up more potting soil tomorrow.
Re-read THE WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE. I know, I know, too early. I tightened a few things, cut a few things, fixed a few things, and have an idea of how to fix the logistical hole I dug myself about halfway through Act II.
I started re-reading Natalie Goldberg’s THUNDER AND LIGHTNING, which is my favorite of her books. I re-read it every few years, because what I’ve learned about craft enlarges, and gives me more understanding.
Found out that two actors I worked with on Broadway will be up this way doing cabaret performances (separately) over the summer. I hope to turn out and support them. They might not remember me, but still.
Slept pretty well until 2 AM, when a thunderstorm caused a brief power outage. Had to reset everything. Then I had trouble getting back to sleep; once I did, I had weird organizational dreams, and then overslept, missing my window to go to the laundromat. Although, with the power outage, the machines will have to be reset, so it’s probably a good idea to wait a few days. My laptop was fine (thank goodness, imagine blowing out the new machine), but I had a heck of a time getting the internet working properly again.
On today’s agenda: LEGERDEMAIN, LAUGHTER, the book review I didn’t write yesterday, contest entries. Either finish the coverage I started and do another, or just finish the one. Tonight, two hours of yoga. Some more of my marketing homework, if I get the chance.
Tomorrow is Beltane, and also the day we start switching all the fabrics and curtains for summer!
Have a good one!
April 29, 2024
Mon. April 29, 2024: Adjusting into Spring
image courtesy of Manfred Richter via pixabay.comI’m also disconcerted when a month starts in the middle of the week. For some reason, it throws me off.
My intent for the week is to make a gentle adjustment into spring. May is a very busy month for me, a good busy, but still a lot to get done. I want to do it with optimism.
What’s your intent for the week?
