Devon Ellington's Blog, page 39
April 25, 2024
Thurs. April 25, 2024: Of Spring and Creativity
image courtesy of Morten via pixabay.comThursday, April 25, 2024
Waning Moon
Mercury DIRECT
Sunny and pleasant
Mercury goes direct today, thank goodness. Those might be tire tracks you see across me as it leaves, although I’ve definitely survived more chaotic Merc Rets. And we have a bit of a breather before Pluto goes retrograde on May 2. I intend to bask in it!
The latest on the garden is over at Gratitude and Growth.
Today’s LEGERDEMAIN episode:
Episode 184: There’s a New Corpse Talker in Town
Does Evangeline Thana offer Ren Foster the respite he so desperately needs? Or is she a threat?
Today’s DEADLY DRAMATICS episode:
Episode 110: The Dresser is Dressed
Misty takes care of Nina, who’s been taking care of everybody else.
Only 18 more DEADLY DRAMATICS episodes left!
I’m looking forward to getting back into the Nina Bell world in May and June. Although revision of STRANGERS IN THE SNOW, and work on a new story that has to go out by the end of May (only 5K, should be do-able) for an anthology call, must take priority.
I did another pass on FALL FOREVER, incorporating notes, and then sent it off to the other member of the playwrighting circle. She read it the same day and loved it. Her kind words nearly brought tears to my eyes. While any production would entail further revisions during the rehearsal process, I feel good about this draft, and feel I have achieved what I wanted/needed to do on it.
Did a quick dash to the post office and to the bank.
Came home and tried to figure out which play I should work on. I re-read the 27 pages I have on FROZEN AT THE PALACE THEATRE. While not perfect, the bones are there, and some of the character rhythms work well. I know where I want to head with it, but am stuck on how to pivot the next beat to move closer. I need to move from this ensemble scene of the five characters into more intimate two-character and/or three-character conversations to dramatize their dynamics and frustrations and stories and challenges, and then open back out to an ensemble scene. The final moment has been very clear since the idea for the play erupted; in fact, the prompt, in the playwrighting workshop, inspired the final image of the play first, and I worked back from there.
Meanwhile, the play about the PLAYLAND PAINTERS has its characters going, “Excuse me! Over here! I have something to SAY!!!”
I did some of the homework for the marketing consort, on the Fearless Ink and Pages on Stages sites. I’m working on the ideas/storyboard for the Fearless Ink video, and I’ve been adjusting hashtags on relevant social media posts (although I forgot to put them on the bagel posts yesterday).
I turned around two large coverages, which means I have three smaller ones to do today.
Headed out to Wild Soul River for tarot, making a stop at Wild Oats on the way. My bagels from Hexagon Bagels were waiting for me at Wild Soul River; I was so excited. I also bought votives for Beltane (raspberry). Tarot was good, as it always is, and I enjoyed feeling happy within the community and grateful for getting together with them on most weeks (some weeks, I can’t, but I attend as often as possible).
I admit it, I nearly ate a bagel on the short drive home from Williamstown.
Yes, we had bagels for dinner. We wound up eating 4 of the 6 in the order, and will eat the final two this morning for breakfast. Maybe not the most nutritionally balanced stretch of time over here, but gosh darn, is it good!
I am now going to have to build bagels into the budget at least once a month!
Because, dang, they’re good, and as an ex-New Yorker always in search of a decent bagel outside of the city and rarely finding it, the fact that Patrick and Nicholas moved here and started this business is nirvana. I tried to talk myself out of missing good bagels since I left NY in 2010, and I’ve found a few decent bagels over the years, but nothing that really filled the void.
We also found out that the local Farmers Market is starting two weeks earlier than usual and it will be on Main Street (rather than two blocks further off Main Street, near the grocery store). This means I can walk down much more easily, leaving the car at home, and wander. Because let’s face it, market day has to do with the social aspect as much as the purchase aspect.
Hmm, I think there’s a play in there somewhere. . .
I was about to give up a domain I bought during the pandemic, because I don’t have the resources to fully develop the project around it and then I realized that this is my public/community art opportunity, and I can go after grants for it. I’m pretty sure I’ve missed this year’s cycle, but that gives me time to develop a solid proposal and write grant proposals when next year’s cycle begins. So I’ll keep it.
Meditation was cancelled this morning. Charlotte will be sad.
I have next week’s LEGERDEMAIN episodes to get up, work on either FROZEN or LAUGHTER, and some planting. I have to write and submit a book review, and work on contest entries. The production manager at Fenimore has been in touch so we can finalize the details of getting the video from the staged reading up. I will post the link as soon as it’s live. I may do an email blast about it, too, if it’s only up for a limited time.
This late afternoon/early evening, I’m going to an author talk over at MASSMoCA. The person interviewing the author is one of the owners of the local bookstore. I haven’t seen her since I gave her a gift at the Winter holidays, although we’ve kept in touch via social media. I’m looking forward to seeing her again, and hearing what the author has to say.
If the weather holds, I’ll walk down.
I have a gift of time that would normally be blocked off for meditation. While I did my personal meditation this morning, I can use that block of time to create.
I hope you enjoy a lovely spring day!
April 24, 2024
Wed. April 24, 2024: The Anticipation of Excellent Bagels
image courtesy of hiven zhu via Pixabay.comWednesday, April 24, 2024
Last Day of the Full Moon
Mercury Retrograde
Cloudy and cooler
We’re already midweek!
Today’s ANGEL HUNT episode:
Episode 131: Lianna Can’t Fool Amy
Amy calls Lianna out on a potentially fatal choice.
Today’s DEADLY DRAMATICS episode:
Episode 109: An Electric Performance in Rehearsal
Tess and Jamie prove themselves as true stars, not mere celebrities.
I struggled, but managed to draft an episode of LEGERDEMAIN. I’m starting the climactic sequence. No idea how many episodes that will take. It depends how I build each bit of the beats. If I hit a full 208 episodes (I wrote episode 186 today), the serial will have run for 2 years. But I don’t want to vamp if the natural end point is earlier.
Then, I went back and did a pretty serious revision of FALL FOREVER. I rewrote scenes, punched up the previously rewritten scenes, tightened a bunch of things, and worked on flow, beats, story. I seeded in more of the dynamic of the marriage between Leah and Darrin, both the good and the bad. I rewrote a lot of the memorial scene. I completely changed the final beat. Hopefully, it’s more of a cathartic moment now than a saccharine one.
I did a second pass, mostly for formatting/proofing, but also for some tightening. There’s still work to do on it, but I feel it’s strong enough to point toward several open submission calls. Of course, as it’s going out to Trusted Readers, there might be one more pass to go!
I sent it to one of my friends, with whom I regularly swap plays to read. She came back with some good notes. I will do some tweaks, and then send it to the other friend in the playwrighting group, and then to the actress who wants to take it to one of the theatres with which she with an eye to full production. Some other friends want to read it, too; I’m hoping the video of the reading will go up, so they can watch that, then read the new draft, and see the growth.
It also makes me wonder what else to work on for the rest of END OF PLAY. I feel like I should finish FROZEN AT THE PALACE THEATRE. I’m tempted to work on LAUGHTER & TURPENTINE. I really like the opening I wrote for the latter. There’s also the temptation to work on a new, short play (based on one of the prompts from the Williamstown Theatre Festival Workshop in which FALL FOREVER was born), to get that satisfaction of finishing something else. But none of those prompts/loglines are really calling me. FROZEN needs completion. I know where I want to go, emotionally, with it, but not sure how to get there. But that’s what the first draft is about.
I still have six days in END OF PLAY; it feels like I should use them on plays.
Caught up with some Nightwood colleagues, and I have a Zoom call set up with one of them for Friday.
Was delighted to see that 1Berkshires is doing the Small Business Expo again this year. This time, it’s the Wednesday before Memorial Day. In Dalton again. I signed up. I had such a good time last year, and I want to go again. I sent the information to one of my cohort colleagues, where I thought it might work with what she’s trying to do with her work.
I’d planned to make Memorial Day a 4-day weekend from client work, but I might have Wednesday off, work Thursday, and then enter the weekend. Technically, the expo is “work” because it’s business building, but it’s not sitting at the computer doing client work.
Guess I should print up some more business cards!
I have another 1Berkshire event I’m attending on the 30th of May, at the Innovation Center in Pittsfield, about the “business blueprint” for the area, which should be very interesting.
May’s looking pretty darned busy, for all the right reasons!
I only got one script turned around, and started reading the one for which I’d been requested. That means two today and three tomorrow. I’m trying to keep Friday clear of script reading, because I’ve been invited to a poetry reading (as a listener, not a participant) at a bookstore in Lenox I’ve wanted to check out for ages. I’d like to go.
Dropped off a stack of books in the library bookdrop on my way to yoga. Gentle yoga was great, as it always is. Fitness for Yoga kicked my ass, as it always does, but in a good way. I can really tell the difference it’s making in daily life, by showing up and doing the work every week.
Home, made dinner. We ate way too late for comfort, but that’s the way it goes. Spent some time as Charlotte’s cat mattress before honoring the full moon and going to bed.
This morning’s kind of grey and mucky. I need to work on LEGERDEMAIN, make some tweaks on FALL FOREVER, and maybe work on something else. I should do some of the tweaks on the Fearless Ink site, and get to work on the postcard for May’s mailing. Maybe I should take some postcards to the Business Expo, too.
This afternoon, I have two large coverages to turn around, and then it’s off to tarot circle. On the way, I’ll stop at Wild Oats (since it’s on the way). When I get to tarot, I’ll also pick up the bagels I ordered from Hexagon Bagels, a local business (with whom I’m in the marketing cohort), and get the candles I need for Beltane. I also want to work on some contest entries.
As an ex-New Yorker, good bagels are a necessity.
It’s a busy day, but the good kind of busy, so I better get going, hadn’t I?
Have a good one!
April 23, 2024
Tues. April 23, 2024: Hitting the End of the Play During #EndOfPlay
image courtesy of shell_ghostcage via pixabay.comTuesday, April 23, 2024
Full Moon
Mercury Retrograde
I hope you had a great weekend!
Today’s LEGERDEMAIN episode:
Episode 183: Orianna’s Missive
Roxanna’s former enemy sends Shelley a warning through Ristan Evald. Is it genuine, or a trap?
Today’s DEADLY DRAMATICS episode:
Episode 108: Rehearsal
Time to put the benefit together.
I felt seriously out of synch on Friday. I worked on the marketing plan, which just keeps growing and growing. I had a sudden realization that the leader doesn’t need the whole plan and background – this was more for me than for anyone else, and it’s helping me clarify steps. It was a Very Large Document, and it would be unfair to send something like that.
But I can parse out specific questions.
I also realized how much damage caused in my previous location has messed me up. I pushed through out of sheer survival; now I need to shed/heal the damage and build something more positive. But then, a decade of increasing toxicity will not be resolved in a two-week cohort. Still, a good start can happen. Working from a place of fear and insecurity will not work; being grounded and confident in my skills and creativity will, and then figuring out how to shape different types of communications toward my target audiences will bring a higher conversion rate. While still being myself, and not descending into marketspeak word salad.
Work on that document ate up what should have been the time to work on BRIDGE. Then, I had to dash out and run errands: Wild Oats, Big Y, library, post office. Got it all done.
I did not feel like doing much else during the day, because my mind was spinning from the marketing seminar. But I turned around two coverages.
I also took a look at various websites. I had expected to have an insecurity attack about all of them, but especially Fearless ink. However, taking a look at Fearless Ink, it’s doing what I want it to do. It’s simple, clear, sets out what I do (and what I don’t). I considered taking out the “what I don’t do” section of my Business Writing page, but it makes sense.
I do want to add in a caveat that I do not use AI, nor do I subcontract. I also want to make a fun video about my services to add to the mix.
The big thing is to get out a postcard direct mailing in early-mid May. Those always bring in assignments, and it’s silly for me to keep dropping the ball when that is one of my strongest marketing tools. Getting back on track with Ink-Dipped Advice serves the purpose a weekly newsletter on business writing would have. For my purposes, the quarterly author newsletter serves better than a weekly business copywriting newsletter would serve.
Pages on Stages is the site that’s in the best shape, as long as I keep it updated. It wouldn’t hurt to add more graphics where appropriate.
The Devon Ellington Work flagship site is in pretty decent shape, too, mostly because that’s the one that gets the most activity both on the updating end and on the promotional end. I do need to do some tweaks and updates. Again, add a “No AI used” caveat.” From there, I need to update the other series-specific sites. And, of course, this summer, I have to add a lot more content to the Legerdemain site, especially once the serial runs its course. As the serials turn into series, I have to build out, where appropriate, additional subdomains.
The Cerridwen’s Cottage site is the one where I’ve dropped the ball. I need to both finish/update the website and learn how to use it to tap into that large Llewellyn audience. I’ve been writing for Llewellyn long enough, so my name is at least vaguely familiar to regular readers. I need to create rich content, and then update regularly. I doubt I can import older portions of the blog to the site, but I’d like to use the posting feature to sometimes have news/sometimes blog. I have to create a schedule and a content calendar for that. That’s the site that needs the most work, but if I make the time for it, the time and effort will make it worthwhile. I need to make sure it’s done BEFORE the 2025 Spell-A-Day drops in August, so that readers will have something good to land on when they follow the link in my bio.
Anyway, sorting through all that took time.
I started reading N IS FOR NOOSE in the evening. I liked the way it started, but liked it less as it went on.
Up early on Saturday. Finished N, and wasn’t all that thrilled with it. I felt that certain threads had been dropped rather than played out, and the ending was too abrupt. Started O IS FOR OUTLAW, and loved it. I’m pretty sure I have never read it before. I may have stopped reading the series as it came out with N. O joins G and M as favorites. Really, really well done.
That was my morning – reading O. I was perfectly happy to stay on the couch as Charlotte’s cat furniture and read.
In the afternoon, I read the draft of a friend’s new play, an absurdist comedy with a modern twist, and it was so much fun! I also turned around a large coverage. A request for me came through the coverage pipeline; it overloads the early part of my week a bit, but I’ll get it done.
Made individual homemade pizzas for dinner, which were good. I’d chopped up more vegetables than we could use, so I also made a sauce for the leftovers that I will use with pasta later in the week.
Read P IS FOR PERIL at night. While I didn’t love it the way I loved O, I still liked it a lot.
R came in before Q, so I’m on an alphabet pause until Q comes in, since I’m determined to read them in order. Although that could change, since there’s a waiting list for Q.
Sunday promised to be a sunny day, which was a nice change, after several days of rain and muck. It was cold enough overnight so the windshields had ice on them.
I wrote 7 ½ pages of THE WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE. I’m slowly layering characters back into this scene of escalating climaxes. I THINK this is either the second to last or third to last scene. I’m hopeful that I can finish the play by the April 30 deadline, and then let it sit while I finish the FALL FOREVER revisions.
We didn’t have the energy to run all the Pittsfield-based errands, but we went down to Whitney’s Farm to pick up some plants: lettuce, herbs, and a Hosta. I’ll detail that over on Gratitude and Growth later in the week. Stopped at Adams Fresh Market on the way home to get some pastries just out of the oven.
Spent time finishing two of my three categories on the contest. It’s still a little too early to hit the finalize button, but I’m in good shape. I can get the third category done in the next 10 days or so. I checked with the administrator, who said I should just submit the completed categories, so I did. Two down, one to go.
I didn’t feel like cooking, so we ordered in Chinese.
My “poetry block” of time on Sunday consisted of reading a so-called biography of Elizabeth Bishop. I know who she is, of course, and the book of correspondence between her and Robert Lowell, WORDS INTO AIR, is a favorite. Unfortunately, this biography was as much about the biographer as about the subject, a conceit I dislike in biography. When I read a biography, I want the biographer to be in the background. An article as an appendix or introduction is great; constantly threading their own biography throughout the subject’s is not. Then it becomes a different type of book, more of an exploration of mutual experiences and themes. But don’t mislead the reader by calling it a biography.
Slept pretty well. Up at the usual time, thanks to the cats.
As I drank my morning coffee, I watched a cloud shaped like a whale float by.
The week was top-heavy with script coverage and with a pair of books that needed to be finished for review. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for the work. I’m just feeling old and tired.
But first things first – work on THE WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE.
Although I took a detour to do some tweaks on the short play “The Voices” which I think is just about ready to go out. It’s a ten-minute piece with four characters on a single set, which gives it more opportunities than some of the other more complicated plays.
The Post social media channel is shutting down, which is not a particular surprise, but another channel down. TikTok may well be banned by Congress, so I’ll make as much use of it as possible while I can.
This is a reminder as to how important it is to have a website, and not count on social media as your base of operations.
Anyway, BRIDGE: I struggled, but I pushed through the last 11 pages and finished the draft, just after 10 AM. It needs a lot of work, I mean A LOT of work, but the draft is done. It comes in at 106 pages, which gives me room to expand and cut. I will probably do a lot of cuts before I decide if/where to expand.
But first, it needs to rest.
I may try to put together a virtual reading at some point this summer, if I can afford it.
I finally got the poster and program of FALL FOREVER out to the Dramatists Guild and MA Cultural Council for their records.
I took the finished draft of BRIDGE out to the sunny porch and did a quick re-read. I found a HUGE logistical plothole (more like a sinkhole) and scribbled some notes to fix it, but that will need a major reworking. Now, I need to put the draft away and not look at it for a few weeks.
Leftover Chinese food for lunch, and then back to coverage work.
Turned around three coverages, which means the rest of the week is manageable. Cooked dinner, then read the book for review. It pretended to be in a different genre than it is to get a wider audience. I will make it clear in the review in what genre it really lives. Not placing one’s book in the right genre misleads potential readers. I wouldn’t have accepted the book for review if it had been honest about its genre.
I’m very frustrated with the artist for the oracle deck that I backed on Kickstarter last summer. The decks are now four months late, nearly five. The artist charged us the exorbitant shipping fee a month ago, and nothing has shipped. The lack of regular updates (and the “there, there” word salads when they do come out) shows disorganization as well as dishonesty. I certainly wouldn’t back anything by this individual again, and it makes me reluctant to back anything else on Kickstarter, unless I have a previous, positive relationship with the creator. Not that Kickstarter cares. Which is a black mark on them; the way they shrug it off and refuse to make the creator follow through.
Rant over.
So, what’s on the agenda for today?
I need to work on LEGERDEMAIN. I should have worked on it the past few days, but did not. I have to decide if I’m going to go back to the FALL FOREVER revisions (or wait until May), or work on FROZEN AT THE PALACE THEATRE or work on LAUGHTER & TURPENTINE (the Playland Painters play).
I’m pretty sure, in L & T, I will wind up double casting. The painters will not be double cast, but the other people going in and out will be. Looking ahead to May, I have to write and polish the synopsis for CAST IRON MURDER, so that I can get those submissions out the door. Since I did not hear back from the first deadlined submission I got out a few weeks ago (which did not require a synopsis), I will assume they’ve passed on it, and plan accordingly.
I may get in some website work. More likely, I’ll work on videos. I’ve been lax for most of April on the episode videos. I need to push the serials while they’re still up. I’m getting a small payment from Amazon at the end of this month for them; next month’s will be the real test of how the latest round of changes play out, and I’m sure, from that, they will squeeze us even harder. But DEADLY DRAMATICS ends mid-May and ANGEL HUNT ends mid-June, and LEGERDEMAIN will end somewhere this summer, so I’ll just ride it out, let them sit the required time for bingers once they’re complete, and remove them to have more fulfilling lives elsewhere in different formats. There are so many things Amazon can do better around the serials, but they’re Amazon and don’t care. They will only make it harder on authors, so I need to make the adjustments I need to make and be glad I’m not tied in as tightly as some of the other authors.
I should drop off some books in the bookdrop and mail a few things at the post office.
Tonight, two hours of yoga. I’m looking forward to that. I hope I can make it through the fitness class.
It’s a planting day, so I will also replant some what I bought on Sunday and maybe get in some more seeds. The Cosmos and Sweet Peas are coming up.
I’ll also make some time to celebrate the Full Moon!
Have a good one.
April 22, 2024
Mon. April 22, 2024: Intent for the Week — Navigating the Final Week of Mercury Retrograde
image courtesy of Lynn via pixabay.comThis is the last week of the Mercury Retrograde (it goes direct on the 25th). We also have a full moon in Scorpio tomorrow (ow). We then have 7 days to catch our collective breath before Pluto goes retrograde on May 2nd and remains there until October 11.
At the moment, I’m just trying to make it through to the 26th! The final week of a Mercury Retrograde tends to be the most chaotic for me. So buttercup is buckled up, and hanging on for the ride.
On the positive side, the temperatures are moving into steadier springlike ones, even though the nights are still cold. And there are three planting days coming up. I intend to make good use of them.
What’s your intent for the week?
April 19, 2024
Fri. April 19, 2024: Trying to Keep Different Elements in Balance
image courtesy of Gordon Johnson via pixabay.comFriday, April 19, 2024
Waxing Moon
Mercury Retrograde
Cloudy/Rainy and mild
I can’t believe it’s already Friday. The week flew!
Today’s ANGEL HUNT episode:
Episode 130: Making a Plan to Make a Plan
Lianna, Lachlan, and Gaston together could be a great idea. Or a terrible one.
Only 16 more episodes in this season of ANGEL HUNT!
Today’s DEADLY DRAMATICS episode:
Episode 104: From Classical Shakespeare to Broadway Belter
Nina meets a renowned Shakesperean actor and stands on a Broadway stage for the first time.
I love this episode of DEADLY DRAMATICS because Nina gets to experience what it feels like to stand on a Broadway stage for the first time. It’s a sensation like no other.
Saturday’s DEADLY DRAMATICS Episode:
Episode 105: Meeting the Mystic Bums
Nina’s far more comfortable hanging out with a metal band in the East Village.
Sunday’s DEADLY DRAMATICS Episode:
Episode 106: Charitable Donations as Blood Sport
Nina learns the darker side of “charity.”
Monday’s DEADLY DRAMTICS Episode:
Episode 107: Misty’s Closet
A rich Board member’s daughter takes Nina home to play dress up.
I managed to get the expanded proposal to my editor before meditation yesterday, expecting it to be waiting for her when she hit the desk at 9 AM her time (10 AM my time). Instead, she responded instantly (7:30 AM her time) that she loved it, and she’ll send the contract next week. I felt both pleased that she liked it and guilty that I’d sent it so early!
I also sent an email to the National Archives, asking for tips to navigate the WPA files, so I can at least productively search for what I need in there. It might not exist, but I’m not phrasing the search properly.
Meditation was good. Charlotte was happy.
Hard to get focused on anything, though. I just wanted to play hooky all day, but that was not an option.
Eight pages on THE WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE. I got the pivot I needed in the scene between the two characters, have added a third in, and am working to the next pivot.
I’m not sure how many scenes I still have to write – not many. But I know I want the final scene to be the three women, to echo and show the differences/similarities to the first scene.
I wrote and sent off the testimonial for the radio play company, and told them they could list me as a reference on any relevant grant applications.
I did some work on a script coverage, but had to stop when it was time for our marketing seminar through the Chamber. It was two very intense, but very good, hours with an interesting group of small businesses. We have homework, and then we will meet again, in smaller groups, in two weeks.
Some of my challenges are a little different than that of some of the other small businesses, so I’m putting together my overall plan and asking for suggestions (since our workshop leader said she was open to that, and she is being paid to work with us).
It was great, but it took a lot of energy and focus for those two hours.
When the seminar was done, I had to finish the script coverages on deadline. I did two, stopped to cook and eat dinner, then did the last one. That’s the beauty of being in charge of my own schedule – I can take a few hours out in what would be considered a “typical workday” to take advantage of an event such as the marketing seminar, as long as get the work done. Getting the work done sometimes means working outside of regular business hours. As long as that’s my choice and not a demand on behalf of a corporation, I’m fine with it.
I was definitely tired by the end of the day. But I also had some good email exchanges with the playwright circle, and found out that I’m part of a poetry event in summer that I really wanted to do. I revised, polished, uploaded, and scheduled next week’s LEGERDEMAIN episodes. I was invited to a local economic forum at the end of May, which I will attend (time to print up some more business cards).
Unfortunately, I had a rough night. I woke up and was fretting several times, and had difficulty getting to sleep. Everything is fine. I mean, there are things that need to be dealt with. That’s called life. But there’s no reason for me to be this unsettled right now, especially since I’m not really sure why.
What’s on today’s agenda? More work on THE WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE. Not sure if I’ll write another episode of LEGERDEMAIN, or focus on the episode videos for next week. I doubt I can fit in both, but we’ll see how the creative roll goes. I have errands: picking up more potting soil, wine, groceries, library, gas in the car. I was going to run some errands down in Pittsfield, but I’ll wait until the weather’s better at some point over the weekend. Work on the plan for the marketing seminar. I have two script coverages that have to be done today; it would be good if I got a third done, so I have the whole weekend free of coverage. I have two coverages for Monday, but that’s all that’s come in for next week. I have to hold my nerve and not worry; the work I need will be there (even if I have to hunt it down next week).
Over the weekend, I have stuff to do around the house, work on THE WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE, work on LEGERDEMAIN, and work on the marketing seminar homework. I will also do a big push on the contest entries. I want to finish two of my three categories this weekend, and then finish the last one over the course of next week. I hope to get down to Pittsfield to run the errands I’m not doing today.
I also want some time to spend doing nothing!
Have a great weekend, and I’ll catch you on the other side!
April 18, 2024
Thurs. April 18, 2024: The Chance to Experience a Colleague’s Work
image courtesy of Natalie B via pixabay.comThursday, April 18, 2024
Waxing Moon
Mercury Retrograde
Rainy and raw
I actually have some real progress to report on the garden, over on Gratitude and Growth!
Today’s LEGERDEMAIN episode:
Episode 182: Eli’s Admission
Duke Vauxhall’s missing teenaged son shows up with information about the upcoming protest.
Today’s DEADLY DRAMATICS episode:
Episode 103: Jamie Wants Gossip
Nina refuses to be pulled into Jamie’s real-life drama with his ex-wife.
I managed to write 11 pages on THE WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE yesterday. I was tempted to push on, but knew I was running out of steam. Plus, I had to find the pivot point for the scene. I mean, there’s another pivot point coming later in the scene, for a different character, but I need this one first. The first scene I wrote yesterday morning has decent bones, but in the next revision, I have to dig deeper. The second scene, which I stopped working on a few pages into it, has potential, but it’s not there yet, either.
But that’s the point of a first draft. To get the foundation down, so you can build on it in subsequent drafts.
Still have to finish the expanded proposal for my Llewellyn editor. My book review editor asked if she could send a print book for me to review, and I said yes. A director with whom I worked on several radio plays asked for a testimonial for grant proposals. I’ll do that today, too.
I only managed to turn around one coverage; I will pay for that today and tomorrow and into the weekend.
I left in the late afternoon for Lenox, giving myself time to get lost. I did not get lost, but Murder Maps sent me via a convoluted, ridiculous, and completely unnecessary route. I did, however, find Herman Melville’s Arrowhead homestead, which I visited decades ago, and I knew was around here somewhere, but had no idea where. I will visit it again at some point in the summer.
The reading was at Ventfort Hall, a fascinating mansion in Lenox. I got there way too early, and wandered around a bit before going into the space itself.
The event was a bilingual staged reading of ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, by Elsewhere Shakespeare, a company co-run by one of my fellow members of the Northern Berkshire Artists Capacity Building Program. The reading was packed, and, in fact, they had to add extra chairs, which is great.
It was a fascinating piece. It was cut to run around 80 minutes (although it had an intermission). When Cleopatra spoke with her women, it was in Spanish; when she spoke with the Romans, it was in English. Which made perfect sense; she would have spoken in her own language when the Romans weren’t around. I had intentionally not re-read the play before I went to the reading, so that I would come into it fresh. (It’s been about 15 years since I read the play; it’s not a favorite, and I often cheat and skip it in my Shakespeare re-reads).
I’m curious how many members of the audience realized the “Ceasar” in this play is Octavius Caesar, not Julius (since Julius already had his Ides Marched by then). Not that it matters, but I’m curious. All the people from Shakespeare & Co. who turned out would know, but as the show travels, I wonder how many others know?
The woman who sat next to me is in S & Co’s current MIDSUMMER production that’s touring the schools. We’re sure we’ve met in another context, but couldn’t figure it out. Oh well, we’re both here now, so we’re bound to run into each other again!
Driving home was not fun. It was raining, which meant it was darker and harder to navigate the roads, especially with the dips driving toward me who refused to dim brights. But I got home safely.
I went back to the text again to think about a few things and check a few things. I will email my cohort member today with any relevant thoughts. There was really only one place it got a little muddy for me. I didn’t need to understand every word of Spanish, because the intent was clear.
Slept well, but woke up around 2:30 in sense memory stress for some reason, and reminded myself that my reality is different now. I hope this won’t be a thing again this year until early July. I’d hoped I’d layered enough memories over it to dampen it by now. It may have come up again, because we have to get in a couple of runs to storage in the next few weeks.
Managed to doze off again, until Charlotte and Tessa were impossible.
On today’s agenda: polish and upload two LEGERDEMAIN episodes, work on BRIDGE, get the expanded proposal out to my editor, get the testimonial out to my director, turn around 4 script coverage, work on contest entries, attend online meditation, attend the online marketing cohort meeting this afternoon.
Yes, I am aware that not everything will get done, but I will try, and hope my brain doesn’t break!
Have a good one!
April 17, 2024
Wed. April 17, 2024: Finally, A Whiff of Spring!
image courtesy of Willfried Wende via pixabay.comWednesday, April 17, 2024
Waxing Moon
Mercury Retrograde
Partly Cloudy and a little cooler
Today’s ANGEL HUNT episode:
Episode 129: With Zeke on the Astral Again
How can someone so deadly be so attractive?
Today’s DEADY DRAMATICS episode:
Episode 102: The Suave Jamie Watson
Jamie is more subtle, but no less manipulative than his ex-wife Tess.
After the laundromat (prices have gone up YET again) and breakfast, I wrote another episode of LEGERDEMAIN. Then, I wrote the top of Act II in THE WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE, about 7 pages. Act II is taking shape in my head, although I will probably rearrange it a bit, once I have the draft down. I’m hoping it will come in around 110 pages. Since I’m at p. 70 now, it’s possible.
I signed up for a couple of virtual END OF PLAY events. Tuesdays I can’t do anything, because I’m at yoga until 8, and then I have to eat. Also, because I write all day, I’m getting more and more protective of my evenings. I want more writing-related events during the day, instead of the assumption that “no one” writes for a living and is tied up in a nonwriting job all day. I miss the daily check-ins and forum access, and the workshops/seminars this year are more geared to early career/inexperienced writers, which frustrates me. I’d like to see more for mid-career/more experienced writers. This year feels more like National Novel Writing Month than End of Play.
I’m very grateful for the daily check-in circle I have with two fellow playwrights. It’s made a huge, positive difference.
I sent off my pitch to my Llewellyn editor, with three strong ideas. Hopefully, one of them resonates.
Folded the laundry and put it away. Was annoyed with myself for my grumpy pants mood, and decided I’d best get over myself! After all, I had a good writing day and was on top of the work, AND it was sunny out. Time to appreciate it!
I turned around 3 coverages, did some contest entries, and even had a few minutes to relax before leaving for yoga.
Gentle yoga was good, as always. We had a small class for Fitness, and it was a challenge because of my hurt foot, but I did pretty well. I can see and feel the progress I’ve made since I started the class. What I need to do now is to rebuild my home practice so that it supports the progress I make in the studio, and there’s not a fallback a little bit every week. I can’t commit to another regular night at yoga, but maybe I’ll drop in here and there when I have a free evening, and finish my client work on time.
When we came out of yoga, the sky was clear, the moon was beautiful, and the air was soft. A perfect spring night.
A plate shattered in the microwave, and I had to toss what I reheated. I was sure it was microwave safe; not sure what happened. Typical Mercury Retrograde. So, I heated up some other leftovers instead, in something I KNEW was genuine Pyrex.
Read a little bit. My copy of Tricia Hersey’s REST DECK arrived, and her book REST IS RESISTENACE arrived a few days ago. I’ve spent too many decades being hyper-productive for other people’s profit, and I’m sick of it.
Slept pretty well, and woke up excited to get back to the page, for both BRIDGE and LEGERDEMAIN, but, especially BRIDGE. I think I have the whole second act figured out. I’ve decided to make Harry a few years older than he was originally when Opal left. I know, I know, this means nothing if you haven’t read the play! Sorry. I promise it will make sense. One day.
The coffee maker did not turn itself on this morning, and needed a push. Again, typical Mercury retrograde. No chance of getting through a whole cycle unscathed. In any event, Saturday I have to switch out the charcoal packs and give the machine a good scrub.
I heard from my Llewellyn editor. Of course, the pitch she liked best was the one I threw in at the last minute just so I had three, and is the least developed. She asked for some more development, so she can take it to the marketing department (I guess all of us have to be vetted by marketing before contract?). So I will do that this morning, too. I mean, I like the idea, I can definitely develop it into something more coherent and with some more buzzwords for marketing. It just makes me laugh that the off-handed one I tossed into the mix is the one that resonated!
I prepped some material for tomorrow’s marketing session with the Chamber. I thought it was a one-off, but a bunch of us small local businesses have been formed into a cohort? Okay? I recognize most of the names on the list. I think we can have fun together, but I also want to go in prepared. The marketing landscape has changed in the past year. I need to catch up. I also need to reshape my vision on a few things around Fearless Ink, Devon Ellington Work, and Cerridwen’s Cottage, so I’m tapping into each of their potentials, and all three weave into the overall vision for the work/career. Pages on Stages takes care of itself and its purpose, as long as I keep it updated properly.
I took on another coverage (so now I have 7 in my queue again), both because it paid well, and because the premise intrigued me. I will try to do three today, although I will probably do 2 today and 3 tomorrow, then 2 on Friday. If I can only do 2-2-2, I’ll have to read on the weekend. I’d rather the weekend was for household chores and finishing up the contest entries, but if the work is here now, I need to grab it, and juggle all the pieces.
On today’s agenda: LEGERDEMAIN, BRIDGE. I have a feeling I might do more on BRIDGE than usual, because the second act is now fairly clear in my brain, and then run out of time for much else. I need to develop the pitch and get it back to my editor. 2-3 coverages, and some contest entries. Late this afternoon, I need to haul my ass out of the house and put gas in the car, then drive to Lenox to attend a fellow artist cohort member’s reading. Which I’m very excited about, once I get there. Let’s hope Murder Maps actually gets me there intact, and then home again. It’s light later, and the nights have been softer, so I hope it won’t be as difficult to get home after dark as, say, late November.
Have a good one!
April 16, 2024
Tues. April 16, 2024: Sometimes, You Need the Day Off
image courtesy of Steve Bidmead via pixabay.comTuesday, April 16, 2024
Waning Moon
Mercury Retrograde
Partly Sunny and pleasant
I hope all of you had a great weekend.
Today’s LEGERDEMAIN episode:
Episode 181: The Library’s Decision
Jae’s unexpected appearance at The Fathomless Library adds another layer to the decisions made by Naoya and Risipi.
Today’s DEADLY DRAMATICS episode:
Episode 101: The Indomitable Tess Carson
Tess may be an actress of “certain age” but it doesn’t lessen her powerful personality.
https://www.amazon.com/kindle-vella/story/B0CB4YB9BMDeadly Dramatics Serial Link
I forgot to mention, on Friday, the news of the death of OJ Simpson. As someone who lived through the case, yeah, I had thoughts. I also remember being called for jury duty during that trial, and the judge asked me, “Are you watching the OJ Simpson trial?”
I said, “No.”
He said, “Why not?”
I said, “Because I have a life.”
He said, “Well, we’ll take care of that” and put me on the jury (it was a murder, of a woman in front of her toddler by her partner). The parallels were not lost on me. I’d stopped watching the case, because I was so frustrated by the theatrics, but I was aware of what was going on. After the trial was over, I went back and read up on more of the details, and was even more frustrated.
Let me say this much: May he get the afterlife he’s earned.
Back to Friday.
I sat down and wrote nearly 6 pages on THE WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE. The never-ending scene finally ended, and I went on to the next scene. Lo and behold, I discovered that two characters I’ve kept offstage demanded to be within the scene. They actually add a lot to the dynamic.
I started thinking that I needed to add another threat. But does it come from within the community or from without? If from within, it needs a motivation. Money and ambition would work, I think. I may tie the threat from within to a threat from without, an additional secret one of the characters revealed within the new scene. It would mean salting in a character (the internal threat) earlier in the draft, making her benign yet annoying and then having her turn. There’s potential there, if I have the skill to pull it off.
It also brings the number of characters up to 7. That seems to be my sweet spot for full-length plays!
After writing my six pages and sending my dilemma off to my E of P Playwrights Circle, I read a draft of a friend’s play and made some suggestions. It’s a lot of fun.
Then, it was time to head out. Grocery store, where I spent more than intended (because of the way the prices are going up), library, post office. Hauled everything home and felt tired and out of sorts, for no good reason.
Well, the reason is probably that I wanted to work on my plays, but I had to work on other things!
The need to write another LEGERDEMAIN episode pressed on me, but I was out of juice. Knowing I needed to dig deeper and come up with something before Saturday, or I wouldn’t be able to schedule it to release on time.
I kept going back to the dilemma with BRIDGE. The idea for the new threat came out of some of the work one of my cohort talked about last night, having to do with her research and work within the realm of psychiatric survival. I think I need to rework the draft/number it as a new draft, layering those elements in. I figured out places to introduce the character that creates the internal threat, although seems benign early on.
It’s difficult to focus on other work when the pull on this possible solution to a structural problem is working itself out.
But I managed to finish a coverage, turn around two more coverages, and read most of another coverage. By then, I was well and truly tired.
I cooked dinner. I should have finished the half-finished coverage, but I was too tired.
Instead, I read the next Grafton, L IS FOR LAWLESS. Which I pretty much hated. It wants to be a caper/heist piece, and the flap copy claimed it leaned toward the “fun” but it didn’t really find a consistent tone. This is probably the one I disliked so much last time I read them all. Good for her for trying something new, but it didn’t hold together for me.
Once I finished L, I moved on to M FOR MALICE, which I liked much better, especially because Deitz was back. I stayed up reading well past bedtime, and Tessa stomped out to complain.
Once I got to bed, I slept pretty well. Didn’t get up until after 6 because the cats annoyed me, and I didn’t want to give in.
And finished reading MALICE over morning coffee. I liked that one.
Wrote the next LEGERDEMAIN episode, and got it revised, polished, uploaded, and scheduled.
Then, I switched my attention to THE WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE. I rewrote the first 40+ pages I’d written (we’re now into the 4th draft, although none of the drafts is complete). I layered in the internal threat, and I seeded the external threat. I wrote a few pages of new material, but it needs work. I mean, the whole thing needs work, but still.
I have one more scene to finish the first act. I’m worried that I’m using the same stylistic choice to end Act 1 (somewhat) as I used in FALL FOREVER. But it’s necessary. At least for this draft.
I finished the coverage I hadn’t finished on Friday, and turned around two more. That took most of the afternoon.
Dinner, then reading a bit of this and a bit of that.
Slept well, for once, up at the normal time (5:30 is the “normal time” for me). Enjoyed my morning coffee. Did some ancestor work. Baked biscuits for breakfast.
The next episode of LEGERDEMAIN was coming into focus, so I sat down and wrote it. It was a lot of fun.
I then decided to give myself the rest of the day off from writing. I didn’t stop thinking, and I think I’ve come up with a different way to end Act 1 of BRIDGE that suits the play without repeating the type of Act I ending I had in FALL FOREVER.
I read a revision of a 10-minute play one of my E of P circle sent me. I’m glad my initial notes were helpful.
I worked my way through a bunch of research books I had from the library, and basically was quite discouraged with humanity by the end of it. That was compounded when a social media acquaintance posted a heartbreaking photo of the murder of a baby elephant by big game hunters. What I want to happen to these hunters is not appropriate to post on social media.
Worked on contest entries. Read this month’s Agatha Christie for the book club, MURDER AT THE VICARAGE. It’s the first Miss Marple, and I forgot how funny it is. Read Dervla McTiernan’s THE SCHOLAR, which was very good. It’s set in Galway, Ireland.
Pondered how to make the end of Act I of BRIDGE work. Spent a good part of the afternoon and evening as cat furniture.
It was a planting day, so I planted some seeds and did some repotting (which I will detail in this week’s garden post). It was rainy and raw out, and I just generally felt out of sorts.
Did not sleep well. Dreamed about a secret passage accessible from a shower, but only when the water was running. I have no idea what that’s all about.
Still felt discouraged when I woke up yesterday. Technically, it was a holiday. I had my own work to do, but the big decision was do I do other work, or take the day off from anything except my own work?
Drafted an episode of LEGERDEMAIN, which went well. I decided not to stress about the fact that I’m winding up this arc, and just write the story. I mean, it’s a bit late in the game for two crucial new characters to show up, and yet, here they are. But I know how I want to weave them into the climactic sequence of episodes, which will begin in either one or two more episodes, and then we hurtle toward the end of this arc and we’re done with what’s going up as a serial. I will work on adapting these arcs over summer and fall; I don’t imagine they will be ready to launch into the world in a different format until next spring, especially since I want the Nina Bell stories and some of the ANGEL HUNT stories to launch first.
By May, I also have to get back to work on STRANGERS IN A STORM, so that’s ready to schedule by August and release just before Thanksgiving.
Wrote about 7 pages on BRIDGE, ending Act I differently than I originally planned, but I feel it serves the story better, and uncovers yet another threat. And doesn’t repeat the Act I ending, stylistically, of FALL FOREVER, so I’m not in a rut.
Even though the library was closed, I dropped off two bags’ worth of books in the bookdrop. I picked up my mom’s prescription. On a whim, I stopped at a local thrift store. I hoped to find a particular type of sheer curtain. Since I was looking for something specific, of course, I did not find it.
However, I found some more glass plates to put under plant pots (instead of plastic saucers). I found two silver frames, perfect for my Playland Painters. I posted the photos in their frames on Insta/FB. And I found a set of small glasses in the same pattern as a set of water goblets my parents bought back in the 1950’s in Chicago. It’s a very distinct leaf pattern, black and gray painted on the glass. The set of 4 glasses was only $5, so I grabbed them. I love the water goblets, and now I have little glasses that I have no idea where to put or how to use, but they make me happy. Don’t worry, I found a place to tuck them in with the cranberry glasses in the built-in I have in my office. I’m hoping to find some corner cabinets at thrift stores this summer that I can paint where I can put some books and other things in them, but also some of my good dishes.
Framed the Playland Painters photos. Not sure where I will hang or stand the photos yet – somewhere in my office, where I can see them as I work.
Finished reading/commenting on a friend’s poetry manuscript. I love her work, so it was a joy. It also made me realize how much I miss regular poetry blocks of time once a week. I’m also trying to figure out what I will bring into the residency this autumn. I think I will bat ideas around with the collective about adapting the poem “I Will Be Different” into a play, and how to keep the integrity of each version intact. I also want to show them the progress on the comic Lucy Debussy mystery long poem, if I can get that into better shape.
It was sunny and in the low 50’s, so I spent a good portion of the afternoon on the front porch, re-reading Mary Catherine Bateson’s wonderful book COMPOSING A LIFE. She was the daughter of anthropologists Gregory Bateson and Margaret Mead, and a dean over in Amherst. I loved her book when it first came out in 1989. She talks about how to consider life like a symphony, created out of movements, instead of a single, narrow trajectory. I appreciate the book even more now! She talks about many things, including complexity and the way things are often over-simplified, and in the different ways men and women approach problem solving. She talks about children and caretaking, but she doesn’t talk about WHY the women with whom she worked on this book chose to have children. It reads as if it was simply a given that they would. If people WANT to have children, they should, but their decision-making process would have been interesting (to me) to explore. The toxic structure of the Amherst administration was not at all a surprise, although it’s always a disappointment to find out it’s even worse than one suspected.
My copy is in storage, so I got it out of the library, along with the sequel, COMPOSING A FURTHER LIFE, which I will read next.
Pondered the pitch for my Llewellyn editor for the 2026 annuals. I know the piece I want to write most, but I usually give her two or three options, and she picks what she feels will work best in the mix. I need to get it out to her today; she’s contracting by the end of the month.
Leftovers for dinner, and a quiet night. While I kept feeling I “should” be doing more, I also knew that I needed a break. I did, however, deal with a lot of emails that piled up over the weekend.
I’ve cut way back on my social media time, and I like it. I mean, the break isn’t good for marketing, but a marketing break might not be a bad thing. Especially since I’m taking a marketing workshop this week through the Chamber. I’m hoping that will give me some new ideas. I keep toying with the idea of joining Threads, and then I just. . .don’t.
Got some more seeds planted, since it was a planting day. The next planting day isn’t until a week from today, and then there are three in a row. Provided I plan ahead and get enough soil in, I should make good progress. I hope, this coming weekend, it will be warm enough and dry enough for me to get some painting done, set up on the back balcony, before I actually set up the Enchanted Garden back there (which I hope to do by the end of the month).
I had a weird dream about words and word usage last night into this morning. I can’t really describe it, but it was strange.
I was up early and out the door to the laundromat, got everything done (prices have gone up yet again), and home by 7 AM.
On today’s agenda: LEGERDEMAIN, BRIDGE, proposal for Llewellyn, script coverages, contest entries, yoga. I have 9 coverages to do this week, 7 of them by Thursday night.
April 15, 2024
Mon. April 15, 2024: Intent for the Week — Learn
image courtesy of Dariusz Sankowski via Pixabay.comI have the opportunity to learn new things this week, and I intend to take advantage of it.
While also trying to keep up with my own work!
Today is Tax Day (so happy I got mine out early), a holiday here in MA (Patriots Day), and the Boston Marathon.
Let’s hope a good day is a strong start to a good week!
April 12, 2024
Fri. April 12, 2024: Time With the Artist Cohort
image courtesy of Stefan Schweihofer via pixabay.comFriday, April 12, 2024
Waxing Moon
Mercury Retrograde
Rainy and raw
It’s Friday. Although for me, I have to catch up on a lot of work, so no early start to my weekend.
Today’s ANGEL HUNT EPISODE:
Episode 128: An Audience with the Fates
Lianna tries to figure out the meaning behind the words exchanged with the Fates – then realizes she is lost on the astral.
Today’s DEADLY DRAMATICS episode:
Episode 97: Gig Details
Nina learns about the Gala, and meets two of Zack’s sisters, with whom she’ll be working.
Tomorrow’s DEADLY DRAMATICS episode:
Episode 98: Zack’s Take
Zack’s lack of pressure on Nina about his sister’s job offer makes Nina wonder, and then wonder about the wondering.
Sunday’s DEADLY DRAMATICS episode:
Episode 99: Caren’s Tough Love Speech
Caren tells Nina she needs to get serious about her career, or it won’t exist.
Monday’s DEADLY DRAMATICS episode:
Episode 100: Conversation with a Comedian
Nina’s job entails handling several celebrities, including a razor-sharp political comedian.
Woo-hoo! Monday’s episode is the 100th episode of this serial! After that, only 28 more episodes in the season!
Managed to draft an episode of LEGERDEMAIN first thing, and snuck back in to FALL FOREVER, tightening the rewrite in the first Leah/Darrin scene, putting in some of the good between them and how it can turn on a dime.
We were out the door early on Friday and over at the doctor’s. The doctor is pleased with her progress. My mom also got the new pneumonia shot while she was there. Unless something goes wrong, we don’t have to go back until mid-August. I’m also getting set up with the online portal, which will make everything about everything easier.
When we came back from the doctor, I made the devilled eggs for last night’s cohort meeting. I also made a batch of black bean hummus, which tends to be a favorite. I have pita crackers and gluten free crackers to go with it. Packed up the appropriate serving dishes and bits and bobs, too.
Did the revision and polish on the LEGERDEMAIN episode, got it uploaded and scheduled.
All I wanted to do was to go to bed, but when I looked at my coverage queue, I found out that I had more projects than expected. I’ll be working through the weekend. Maybe, MAYBE I’ll take off Monday (which is a holiday in my state), but since it’s the last day of the pay period, maybe not.
Once I got LEGERDEMAIN uploaded and scheduled, I switched over to the coverage work, but it was just before lunch, so I didn’t get all that much done before I stopped for a meal. Because if I get grumpy and hungry, nothing is accomplished.
After lunch, I did the big coverage. I read and wrote up about half of the medium coverage. So, I was almost on track.
Packed everything up and headed over to MASSMoCA for our cohort meeting. Got my goodies set up, and others soon arrived. 7 of the 10 cohort members made it, along with three of the advisors. We in the cohort shared our work, and our advisors also shared their work, which was great. Everybody’s work is so interesting and so different. It was great to chat about each other’s work and just about the creative life in general. I always feel renewed when I spend time with the cohort.
Came home, had a glass of wine, and went to bed.
Slept deeply for once, which was nice. Up on time this morning, much to the cats’ joy.
On today’s agenda: LEGERDEMAIN, THE WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE, possible some FALL FOREVER. Polish the pitch for my Llewellyn editor, although I’ll probably send it out on Monday. I need to finish the coverage I worked on yesterday, and complete 3 other medium-sized coverages. Grocery, post office, library run. Admin work. Next week’s episode videos (I didn’t do any for this week, and my reads took a hit). I have a feeling I will work well into the evening tonight. That’s the beauty of remote/freelance work. I have flexibility.
Tomorrow, there are household chores on the agenda, LEGERDEMAIN, WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE, hopefully FALL FOREVER, two medium script coverages, and work on the contest entries. Sunday: LEGERDEMAIN, WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE, FALL FOREVER, work on the contest entries.
Monday is technically a holiday here in the state (Patriots’ Day). I’ll see what kind of coverages are available. I might grab a couple, or I might take the day off from coverage to work on LEGERDEMAIN, WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE, FALL FOREVER, and the contest entries, and then pick up with coverage again for the rest of the week. It all depends on the workflow. We were told mid-April and mid-July would be busy.
I also have a book for review to read. That client warned me it’s about to get light on that job through the summer.
I need to spend some time to sit and really think about what kind of freelance work I want to take on between now and August. I have a few things on the burner for September, and then the Boiler House Poets residency is in early/mid-October. Then, I’ll look for heavier remote work from November through March again. I also need to sit down and decide what kind of coaching sessions I want as part of the cohort.
I’m looking at the photos posted of Left Coast Crime out in Seattle. I’m glad everyone’s having fun, but the lack of basic health protocols is alarming, and there will be dozens of posts next week from attendees surprised they caught COVID. (eyeroll).
My foot is healing, although it’s still uncomfortable. I’m going to use arnica on it today.
Next week will be busy early on, but should even out later in the week. I might even get back to the Clark next week, and I still have to see the Just Magic exhibit at MoCA (that was going to be for my birthday, but the strike was on and wouldn’t cross the picket line).
Have a good one, and I’ll catch you on the other side!
