Devon Ellington's Blog, page 46
January 17, 2024
Wed. Jan. 17, 2024: A Half Snow Day
image courtesy of uknowgayle via pixabay.comWednesday, January 17, 2024
Waxing Moon
Uranus Retrograde
Cloudy and Cold
The photo above is not one I took, but it looks very much like what things looked like around here yesterday (and even this morning).
Over on Ink-Dipped Advice, I have a post about creating LOIs that get attention. You can read it here.
Today, we have two serial episodes going live.
The first is from ANGEL HUNT:
Episode 103: Niall Causes Trouble
Niall throws a spanner into Gaston and Lianna’s plans.
The second is for DEADLY DRAMATICS:
Episode 53: A Visit with Barbara Ferdinand
Nina visits Barbara in the hospital and gets some answers.
Yesterday morning, during the snow, I managed to draft three episodes of THE VICIOUS CRITIC. They were flowing well, so I didn’t want to stop (except to look up some geographical things in the Village I couldn’t quite remember).
But it still took longer than I would have liked.
I had a quick pause in there to purchase the tickets for CARMEN, because my mom is so looking forward to it. I noticed that this morning’s talk at the Clark has been postponed. I emailed them, just to check, and figured that I would simply have more time in the library today. Or go in later. I have to dig out the car, so I will probably go in a little earlier than I planned to the library, but later than I planned leaving the house overall.
I did about a half an episode of LEGERDEMAIN, but I was running out of words and stopped. I will finish it this morning, and then I’ll be all set for tomorrow’s upload.
I’m working on the concept of the “Severance” video, so that I can create it this weekend and have it ready for Tuesday’s release. Structurally, it will be similar to the other videos, but the tone of the novelette is much darker, and that has to be reflected in the style. I’m playing with ideas, visuals, etc. I’m not physically storyboarding, but I’m mentally doing so, and rearranging to find the best order, so that when I sit down to work on the video, I have a good sense of it.
I grabbed some small coverages, but they’re not immediately due, so I gave myself the afternoon off coverages. There was some admin that needed attention, but the storm was worsening, so I spent the second half of the afternoon (from about 3-ish on), I was on the couch finishing THE RAGING STORM (yes, I get the irony).
Willa and Charlotte were having a dispute about whether there was room for both of them in the kitty condo. Willa ultimately triumphed, and spent time dashing up and down to every platform, happy she won. Charlotte returned to sitting on me. Meanwhile, Tessa sneaked off and nested in my bed. The cats had a busy afternoon.
The Ipsy bag arrived, and that was good fun. I’m only getting them every other month this year, because I have so much still to use, but they’re always enjoyable.
This morning, I’m going to get some writing done before I dig out the car, head to the post office, put some gas in said car (obviously not at the post office), and then head off to the Clark for research on the Bibiana family. My horoscope said today that opera would be a major factor in the day, which makes me laugh, since they were often set designers for opera.
Have a good one!
January 16, 2024
Tues. Jan. 16, 2024: A Steady, Creative Flow
image courtesy of Mohamed Hassan via pixabay.comTuesday, January 16, 2024
Waxing Moon
Uranus Retrograde
Snowy and cold
I hope you had a great weekend!
Today’s serial episode is from LEGERDEMAIN:
Episode 155: Brother Lillet’s Guilty Pleasures
Brother Lillet did not follow the enclave’s simple lifestyle.
Friday wound up being more complicated than I would have liked. I wanted to get the errands DONE, so I left earlier than I normally would have, which hurt my writing time.
First, I picked up color ink for the printer. I had hoped to look at some lamps that caught my eye, but they weren’t in stock, and they’re not something I would order online without seeing in person first. If, in person, they are right, they will be very cute. If they’re not, ugh, and I’m not going to risk it. I’m better off buying unusual lamps in thrift and consignment stores anyway.
After getting the ink (which got complicated because there was no one to check me out and it wasn’t something that could be done through self-checkout), I headed to the grocery store. They didn’t have everything I needed, but I got most of it. Then, it was up to the library, to drop off and pick up books, and to return the bookbag they so kindly lent me when I had too many books to fit into my bag last week. In the midst of checking me out, the system went down, so they had to do it manually, and then they will upload the records back later. Just what they need, on the Friday before a holiday weekend!
From there, I had to go to the other grocery store, on the other side of town to look for the last couple of things I needed, and got stuck in the traffic slowdown around the bridge work. But I got there, I got back, and even though everything took way longer than it should have, it got done.
Hauled everything upstairs and put it away. Sprawled on the couch in the sun with the cats for a bit before lunch.
At least it was sunny, so people were in a reasonably good mood. But busy, because most people were doing storm prep. At least most people were masked.
Wrote and sent off the two reviews and the invoice. Realized I’d gotten an article wrong in one review and asked if there was a way to correct it. I hate it when I make mistakes. They fixed it, and everything was fine, so I’d tied myself up in knots for nothing. But better me catching the mistake than not.
Tired and grumpy and just wanted to nap. The pre-storm headache was bad. I wanted to just push everything off, but if we lost power, I knew I’d regret it, especially since Wednesday is an off-site day. I’m still working, but not client work or serial work.
Managed to get the Legerdemain graphics done and all the episode videos for next week done, uploaded, and scheduled.
Received my next two books assigned for review, and the payment on the invoice.
Someone on social media tried to draw me into an argument as they defended the Platformer guy on the Substack issue. The differing opinion is fine, good for him; the mansplaining and the condescending “you should read this” made me roll my eyes. I decided not to be drawn in and just responded with “I read it.” Let him take what he wishes from it.
Read in the evening, because I was tired, and my brain wouldn’t work to create any more, even though I knew I should be working on serial episodes.
Because of the storm, I shut down the computer, made sure the printer was turned off, the devices charged, etc.
We were lucky that the storm wasn’t as bad as expected. Heavy rain and winds overnight into Saturday, but the power held.
I did some organizing in the office. Plenty more to do, but one step at a time. Juggling projects is always a challenge. I need to keep the projects within the juggle in front of me, or else my subconscious considers them complete and moves on. I’m trying to figure out how to arrange the space to do that, but also keep it tidy and workable.
There’s a lot of filing to catch up on, too, so I need to put aside time each day, 20 minutes or so, in the typical workday, just to file.
I have my inboxes in the various email accounts sorted, emptied, and up-to-date, though, which is a big help. Now, to keep them that way.
I sat down and drafted two episodes of THE LIGHTHOUSE LADY. That met my goal of 10 episodes for the week, and, with the episodes already written, has me at 16 episodes. But that’s not halfway through the story, by any means. So it will run more than 30 episodes.
I started drafting an episode of LEGERDEMAIN, but was out of steam.
I organized my notes on THE VICIOUS CRITIC (Nina Bell), which is the focus for this week, and REP, the focus for next week. This week will be tough, because I have to juggle drafting THE VICIOUS CRITIC with continuing to draft LIGHTHOUSE LADY and then, over the weekend, more LEGERDEMAIN. I think 10 episodes of VICIOUS CRITIC is unreasonable. I think it’s more realistic to expect 6-8. But I do need to draft 4 episodes of LIGHTHOUSE LADY and 4 episodes, over next weekend, of LEGERDEMAIN. However, not searching for my notes will save me some time.
I did some work on the nonfiction project; not words on paper, but other work connected to the book.
Heard back from one of my Nightwood colleagues; she had wonderful comments on the poem “I Will Be Different” and sent me the one-act play of hers for me to read. Her timing was perfect, since I’d blocked off time on Sunday to work on poetry.
Heard from another friend who is going through a rough patch, and I wish I could do more to help.
Read two short memoirs by a person who’d been referred to in some of the other nonfiction I’d read lately around the heyday of the Barbizon Hotel. There’s a tickle of an idea, and I’m not sure whether it’s its own project, or an arc to fold into Legerdemain. I’m tempted to do the latter, simply because it means less worldbuilding at this point, and more integrating. It would mean making this arc, inspired by these ambitious women, the fourth arc, and pushing back the fourth arc as the fifth arc. Which would work, because this is a somewhat lighter arc than either the third or the fifth, at least on a plot level, if not on a sociological one. And this second arc and the upcoming third arc are pretty dark, in some aspects. It would give me a lighter arc, and then a more serious arc. I have to think about it.
Anyway, the memoirs: the strong writing didn’t hide the fact that this was an awful human being who caused a lot of destruction, and kept trying to justify it and blame it on everything but her own choices. I’m so glad we didn’t cross paths during the time we both lived in NY.
For dinner, I made Poulet Basquaise from the BISTRO COOKING book by Patricia Wells. It turned out really well and was delicious. Chicken with pancetta, red pepper, green chilies, and lots of garlic on a bed of cooked onion and tomato.
Slept well, baked biscuits in the morning (the American kind, not the British kind).
Did some organizational work for next week. Did some research so I could finish turning around a coverage, and got that done. Drafted an episode of Legerdemain. Updated the series bible and style sheet with the new information. Did some non-writing work on the nonfiction book.
That was the morning, which left me the block of time I’d put aside in the afternoon for poetry.
Saw the lava flow in Iceland, and it’s just heartbreaking and terrifying.
I spent some periods of time reading STAG’S LEAP by Sharon Olds. She is one of my favorite poets, and has been since her first book came out in the 80’s. This book focuses on her divorce, when her husband of 29 years left her for another woman. She was far too kind to him in the book, in my opinion. But she got a Pulitzer for the book, which is a pretty terrific outcome of a difficult and heartbreaking time. With good reason; the poems are poignant and beautiful.
In between bouts of reading, I worked on several drafts of “I Will Be Different.” Many of my colleague’s notes made a lot of sense. I went deeper in a few stanzas; I added a couple of stanzas (now that I’m not in a restricted time limit, for the event, the poem can be the length it needs and wants to be). I replaced words with stronger words for sonics and rhythm. I worked with enjambement. I’m not sure if I can’t make the final suggestion work, to challenge the reader with a question, because it’s not the right choice for the piece, or because I don’t yet have the skill to make it work. I suspect it’s the latter, although my gut instinct is also that it’s not the right choice for this particular piece.
It was several hours spent on a little over 700 words, and it was glorious, as the snow came down and the winds picked up.
Leftovers for dinner (there will be a lot of those this week), and then I started reading THE RAGING STORM by Ann Cleeves, which is very good.
Had weird dreams about a former toxic boss. I’m sure there’s a warning in there, if I can figure it out. Which, I think, ties into some warning cards coming up [n the tarot pulls.
Up later than usual on Monday, although I was eager to get back to THE VICIOUS CRITIC. However, some ideas about the next episode of Legerdemain were clear, so I wrote that episode first. The group of singers Shelley interviews about a murder and someone posing as a member of their group went well. The rhythms between these characters are good, and their stories and backstories lively. They may wind up with a tie-in short (not a dedicated arc in the serial). When I can do that, I’m not sure – I’ve had so many requests for spin-offs and tie-ins built around various characters, which is thrilling, but needs organization.
Then, two episodes of THE VICIOUS CRITIC flowed beautifully. It was great to be back in Nina’s world and remember the emotionally complicated times, and use them to support her story.
By that time, it was late enough in the morning to dig out the car from the snow that wasn’t supposed to accumulate and head out for errands. I had to pick up a prescription for my mom, and we went to Wild Oats to find a birthday present for an extended family member in Maine. We found some cool stuff. Came home, packed it up (yes, there’s a trip to the Post Office on tomorrow’s agenda; not going out in the snow).
I sat down and wrote another episode of LIGHTHOUSE LADY. That went pretty well.
I did some work on the nonfiction book. A short section, but necessary. I’m not numbering these sections, because I have a feeling I’ll rearrange them as the book takes shape.
Overall, I wrote about 5K on Monday, and it was a good, solid, creative day. I didn’t even feel burned out by the end of it, just satisfied.
My mother wanted a particular German dish I’d never made before. I managed to pull it off, and she was happy. It’s a bit too heavy for me, but hey, as long as she was happy.
Read a bit in the evening. Went to bed early. Pulled myself out of nightmares twice in the night, but got back to sleep fairly easily.
It snowed overnight, and it’s snowing more now. A few days ago, we were promised “a trace.” Now, they’re saying 3-6 inches. I doubt I will get to yoga tonight, if it keeps up. Not driving in this, even only a few blocks.
On today’s agenda: two more episodes of VICIOUS CRITIC. One more episode of THE LIGHTHOUSE LADY. If possible, one more episode of LEGERDEMAIN (because then I will be caught up where I need to be for Thursday). Not much script coverage in yet for the week; hope that will change. But maybe it will give me a chance to read my friend’s play today. Possibly work on some contest entries.
The ”Severance” re-release is next Tuesday. I still have to make the video for that. Buy links are coming in, so I should update what I have on the website.
Tomorrow, I’m offsite all day at the Clark, and then, in the late afternoon, at tarot circle. I leave a little after 9 in the morning, and I won’t be back until about 6. I’m looking forward to it: the talk in the morning, the wander around; lunch, and then work in the library on the Bibiena family. The librarians are looking forward to giving me the orientation and helping me on the project.
That means I need to buckle down today and make sure I get enough done.
Have a good one!
January 15, 2024
Mon. Jan. 15, 2024: Intent for the Week — Navigating Inner and Outer Worlds
image courtesy of Cloé Gérard via pixabay.comThis week, I have to keep one foot in the inner, creative work that needs my attention while keeping the other foot in the more mundane responsibilities and tasks, and not lose my balance.
With everything going on in the world, that won’t be easy.
I’m also going to minimize time on social media today, because, since it is Martin Luther King, Jr. day, many sites will be full of hypocrites quoting him while not taking action to make things stronger and more equitable, and I am not in the mood.
I’m going to do my bit, my way. Offline.
What’s your intent for the week?
January 12, 2024
Fri. Jan. 12, 2024: Weighing Options to Make Decisions
image courtesy of Arek Socha via pixabay.comFriday, January 12, 2024
Waxing Moon
Uranus Retrograde
Partly sunny, partly cloudy, chilly
The sun actually peeked out for a few hours yesterday. Imagine that. Gave a little boost to the storm prep for the upcoming weekend.
Today’s serial episode is from ANGEL HUNT:
Episode 102: Gaston’s Apology
Gaston apologizes, and strategizes with Lianna the next steps for demon removal.
Tomorrow’s serial episode is from DEADLY DRAMATICS:
Episode 52: Fired
Jules Carstairs believes Nina is a fulcrum for chaos, and fires her.
I started the big nonfiction project yesterday, as planned. I’m only letting myself write a little bit on it each day, savoring it as I go.
After that, I drafted two episodes of LIGHTHOUSE LADY. I was interrupted between episodes because I had to sort something out with PayPal. I also completed an order for a fun thing that Spill The Tea Sis Apothecary over in Northampton is doing. I look forward to visiting them in person when the weather improves, and I hike out that way for the Shakespeare exhibit, a Trader Joe’s run, and all the rest. It’ll be an all-day event out in that direction.
Revised, polished, uploaded, and scheduled two Legerdemain episodes, getting me into the start of February. I’m not quite as far behind as I thought I was. But still not where I want to be. Did all the paperwork around the episodes and the loglines.
Once that was done, I did the final proof of “Severance” and had to manually take out all the Track Changes, because they kept showing up in the digital version of the book. But I finally got it formatted. This is a re-release of a science fiction/horror/western type novelette, just under 15K. It will re-release on January 23 for 99 cents. I put the blurb and new cover up on the Delectable Digital Delights Page (it’s the last one on the page, you have to scroll down), I’ll add buy links as I get them. I put a content warning on it, because some of it is disturbing (I mean, it is in the horror genre).
Then, it was over to some script coverage. I have to finish one of the medium-sized ones today, because I wanted to do some research before I gave some of the notes. I read the second book for review. I will write up both reviews this morning, send them off, and invoice. Spent some time looking at corner cabinets – there are three corners I want to put cabinets into, one in the living room, two in my office, with shelves on top and shelves with closing doors at the bottom.
Platformer finally decided to leave Substack and move to Ghost. There was a very long post about it (on Substack), detailing the meetings and this and that. It basically sounded wishy-washy, and I still stand by my original instinct that the “meeting” was theatre to see if both could get away with it. Platformer got enough blowback that they realized it was a poor business decision to stay on Substack. They didn’t need focus groups and “discussions with readers.” They needed to show leadership. Instead, they waffled until their bottom line was threatened, which says a lot about them. And now they’ve got their publicity machine going, because they want praise. They would have earned praise by moving the day (or at least the week) that the original coddling statement came out on December 21. Hidden in all the wishy-washy plethora of words was the fact that they were one of the organizations paid BY SUBSTACK and supported by Substack, so it’s understandable they might feel some loyalty. Substack did help them grow the platform, in a mutually beneficial way. One of the red flags (for me) about Substack, however, was their reluctance to be open about which writers/organizations were on their payroll. When I joined, I didn’t know ANY of the writers were being subsidized; when I found out, a few months ago, I found it disturbing (especially since I suspected the person who suggested I create for the platform was one of those subsidized and neglected to mention that. I also suspect this individual has been receiving ambassador/referral fees without letting the people they brought in know). And yes, that would have factored in to whether or not I joined the platform. Along with the other red flags that kept coming up over the months.
Am I glad Platformer is in the process of leaving? Yes, although I won’t fully believe it until the migration is complete. Am I putting my money toward any of their work? No, because while I believe “better late than never” I still don’t trust them.
Got things sorted out with the Mastodon instance. The moderator doesn’t feel it’s an issue, and there haven’t been any other complaints. However, it means that a fellow writer on the instance (probably a film bro or a gamer bro) complained. Wandering.shop, another instance, posted yesterday that they do not consider authors promoting their own work in their own posts spam and are not going to penalize authors and artists for DOING THEIR JOB in marketing. Since it’s mostly writers there, I’m considering jumping instances anyway. But it’s a lot of work, and even the thought of it makes me tired. Might be worth it, though. I will weigh the pros and cons over the weekend.
Slept decently, although I did not want to get up this morning, because I was comfortable.
But, up I am. Tessa smelled the coffee and wanted her breakfast. Did the journal prompt (“beginner’s mind”), did the grocery list. On today’s agenda: the two reviews and invoice; working on the non-fiction book; drafting two episodes of LIGHTHOUSE LADY, finish the script coverages, grocery store, library, next week’s serial episode videos, storm prep. I might work on some contest entries. I also have to put in my research requests to the Clark Library for next Wednesday. It’s supposed to be nasty tomorrow, with high winds and lots of rain.
I forgot to mention that I got a lovely email from a local theatre I’d contacted about the possibility of working together, and we will have a meeting in the coming months.
Over the weekend, I hope to putter around the house and get some things rearranged. Work on the nonfiction book. Draft 4 episodes of Legerdemain. I’ve carved out a chunk of hours on Sunday to just work on poetry. I might even get some crocheting done.
Some of this will be dependent on whether or not the power holds. I rolled my eyes when a few people whined they “wanted” to write, but “couldn’t” because the power was out. Got paper? A pen? Get the damn words down.
Onward. Have a great weekend, and I’ll catch you on the other side.
January 11, 2024
Thurs. Jan. 11, 2024: It Felt Like a Lost Day
Image courtesy of Peter H via pixabay.comThursday, January 11, 2024
New Moon
Uranus Retrograde
Cloudy and cold
So ready for a new moon!
You can read about the latest on the garden over on Gratitude and Growth.
Today’s serial episode is from Legerdemain:
Episode 154: Cathedral Chaos Redux
Another body. A wounded Dominion angel. Betrayal amongst the monks. What happens next?
I had a difficult time getting going yesterday morning. The temperature fluctuations are exhausting. I puttered around a little too much in the morning. Then, I had to take the garbage out and do a run to the store for, you know, the basics: Toilet paper, coffee, Drano.
While the Drano went to work on the bathroom sink, I made excellent progress cleaning out another email inbox. I’m keeping up with my primary inbox, too. Although it takes time I’d rather focus on other things, it’s worth it, because then it’s not so overwhelming once a week or so. I mean, email that needs immediate attention gets it, but I get several hundred emails a day across the various inboxes, and plenty of it is put aside to deal with “later.” By “later” being mostly the same day, it doesn’t stack up. Basic common sense.
By that time, the most creative hours of my day were long past, and I really was dragging my ass. Every time I opened a document to try to do some creative work, it was crickets. So I caught up on a bunch more admin, puttered on social media, reconnected with some writers who’ve moved their material off Substack to other platforms, and I decided I wanted to keep supporting them. No one is fooled by the little performance Substack and Casey Newton of Platformer put on. I am, however, going to make sure I don’t put a penny of my money to anything Newton is involved with.
Kickstarter is basically saying that the unreliable creator is not their problem. Yeah, it is. You’re their broker. Not providing goods paid for is a crime, and you’re an accessory. Especially since the creator refuses to communicate, after grifting yet more cash out of everyone under the guise of a “survey” and “shipping” – but won’t ship.
It looks like everything migrated successfully over to the new MailerLite site. I will try to send March’s newsletter from there and see. If there’s an issue, I have two other possibilities I researched.
Got a lovely thank you from my Nightwood colleague.
Turned around some scoring sheets. Did some work on setting up my systems for the contest, so that will go smoothly. Worked my way through some research books that have to go back tomorrow.
I sort of felt like it was a lost day, because I didn’t get many new words down, but I actually did a good bit of other work.
Read a mystery in the evening that had an interesting premise and central partnership, but still left me thinking “meh.” I’m going to read the next book in the series, just to see if there’s growth, but not the other series by this author.
Today is the new moon, and time to start the large, nonfiction project that will take most of this year (at least) to finish. I’m not setting specific word count goals; just to “touch it” every day and work and re-work it until it’s where I want and need it. I’ve been toying with (and being encouraged to write) this for years, and it’s time to sit down and get to work. That’s all I’ll say about it for now. I will go into more detail when it’s appropriate.
I also have to revise, edit, polish, and upload Legerdemain episodes. I hoped to put up four, but I think I will do two, and then work on more this weekend for next week. I need to write two LIGHTHOUSE LADY episodes to stay on track. That’s probably all I can get done this morning; I have some coverages this afternoon. This evening, I will work on the other book for review, so I can write up and send both reviews out tomorrow and invoice.
Tomorrow, I have to run some more errands, plus get writing done, plus storm prep for the storm coming in tomorrow night. Plus do next week’s episode videos.
Have a good one, my friends.
January 10, 2024
Wed. Jan. 10, 2024: Trying to Keep All the Hoops Spinning
image courtesy of Los Muertos Crew via pexels.comWednesday, January 10, 2024
Dark Moon
Uranus Retrograde
Rainy and raw
It’s yucky here, and we’re under flood watch. Not going anywhere, if I can avoid it.
We have two serial episodes going live today.
The first is from ANGEL HUNT:
Episode 101: Lachlan’s Sensible Advice
Lachlan has a suggestion to turn a perceived weakness into a strength.
The second is from DEADLY DRAMATICS:
Episode 51: Trying to Make Sense of It All
Nina tries to get a handle on her mixed up emotions, and convince Charlie she’s telling the truth.
Yesterday was the day before the dark moon, my lowest energy day of the month. All I wanted to do was sleep. However, that was not an option.
I drafted three episodes of LIGHTHOUSE LADY. I only meant to do two, but the next episode was forming well in my brain, and I didn’t want to lose it. so that was close to 3K, which is good. A character I wasn’t even planning to name has decided to be more important in the overall story than I planned, so we will see where/how it goes.
I did a quick polish on a poem a Nightwood colleague offered to read and comment on, and sent that off. I told her I’d be happy to read her new play whenever she felt ready to send it.
I turned around a bunch of short coverages.
Had a premise for a piece that might be a play someday. Jotted it down, and hope I remember what I meant when it finally decides to come forward.
Saw a submission call for stage plays that intrigued me. The only one I had that fit the guidelines was “The Effie Effect” so I made some revisions and sent it off. Got a lovely letter from the company acknowledging receipt. So, we’ll see. They’ll give me a decision by July.
There’s another call for “one minute plays” which is basically a sketch, three beats and the big finish. I played with one idea that’s kind of fun, but needs a good punchline. I have another idea I will play with today (you can submit 5 short pieces). There were actually two calls for 1-minute plays, so I might do a simultaneous submission, if I can get them whipped into shape by the end of the week.
Made spicy pork chops and bok choy in the slow cooker, which was good. Too tired for yoga.
Annoyed with the creator of an oracle deck I backed on Kickstarter last summer. I thought the price of the deck was on the high side, but I really liked the artwork, so I backed it anyway. The promise was that the shipping cost would be “reasonable.” The timeline was that the decks would ship in December. Great. A Yule gift for myself, or, at the very least, a New Year’s gift.
Communication was sporadic and then there was the excuse the creator had been ill, and was recovering and would do better. Fine. No problem. Things happen.
In early December, we asked to fill out a “survey” within about 10 days of receipt. It wasn’t a survey at all – it was a bunch of questions and a demand for the shipping fee, which was NOT reasonable at all. It’s nearly 1/3 of the cost of the deck on top of the deck, $17. I’ve never paid a $17 shipping fee on a DECK. On top of that, in spite of being told we had 10 days to fill it out, we were sent a nagging email every day until we paid up. And, of course, tried to get us to buy “extra rewards.” It’s not a “reward” if I have to pay for it, you grifter.
Paid up, grudgingly (since they don’t refund for the decks, or I would have asked for a refund).
And. . .crickets. I got a confirmation that deck and shipping is all paid up. But the deck hasn’t shipped. We’re closing in on the middle of January. No updates – although we weren’t given any grace about coughing up the overpriced shipping. I’ve emailed several times, to both Kickstarter and the creator, and not gotten any response.
If and when the deck ever arrives, I’m worried that the negative experience I had backing it will affect the way I work with it. I don’t even want it anymore, but I’m not just giving up the money. Not only will I refuse to back any project by this creator, and completely avoid this individual whenever possible, it makes me reluctant to back any deck by any creator in the future.
And then I remember what a good experience backing THE MIDNIGHT CITY TAROT and THE CITY OF DREAMS ORACLE was (they are by the same creator). And, even though I wasn’t an original backer for THE FORAGER’S DAUGHTER, every interaction buying the deck for myself and as a gift was positive.
Just fucking communicate with the people who believed in you, STRANGERS who believed in you, enough to give you money. It’s not hard. It takes less than 5 minutes to write an email update and send it out through Kickstarter. You are running a business. Act with some responsibility to your investors, because that is what we are.
Speaking of running a business, I’m in the process of reworking my Kindle Vella business plan, since they changed the way they pay out so that they pay us less. Which is not a surprise, because, you know, Amazon. Some are tying themselves even more tightly into Amazon by releasing in-progress serials in sections under Kindle Unlimited, but that doesn’t work for me. I don’t want to make a panicked decision. The serial model was always a long game for me, even though it has to pay for itself along the way. If it’s not, I’ll make the necessary adjustments and ease out.
The plan for the ANGEL HUNT series needed only minimal adjustment. The plan for Nina Bell needed a bigger long-term adjustment, but a minimal short-term adjustment. It puts LEGERDEMAIN more in flux, although I think it will work – the numbers will tell over the coming months, and I’ll adjust as needed.
The most likely serial to be affected with be REP. But, again, once I have the first season written, I can see how the numbers on the other seasons are working, and if I want to place it with Vella, or place it elsewhere, or not run it as a serial at all.
I’ve written 6 of the projected 10 episodes of LIGHTHOUSE LADY this week, so I will percolate along on those this morning, and then draft another episode of Legerdemain. I want to play with the 1-minute plays, and finish the final proof on “Severance.”
Because once the release date is finalized, it means starting the marketing campaign, creating a video, and doing all the other things necessary to get the word out.
I have some score sheets to turn around, too, and there are a few other things I’d like to get done today, but somehow doubt that I will.
Still, onward. Have a good one!
January 9, 2024
Tues. Jan. 9, 2024: Steady at the Keyboard
image courtesy of StartupStockPhotos via pixabay.comTuesday, January 9, 2024
Day Before Dark Moon
Uranus Retrograde
Icy and cold
I hope you had a great weekend.
If you didn’t see my answers to the questions up on the Goals, Dreams, and Resolutions site yesterday, you can read them here.
Today’s serial episode is from Legerdemain:
Episode 153: Portal Diving is Not for Amateurs
Shelley travels back to the Cathedral via portal and meets the assassin between dimensions.
I was a tired, burned-out puppy on Friday. The storm wasn’t supposed to start until Sunday, but then they pushed it back to Saturday, but when I woke up on Friday with gnomes tapdancing in my head wearing cleats, I knew it was coming in faster.
In fact, it started snowing when I left the house at 9 AM to run errands (I usually write first, errand later). My headache stopped, but I had to drive in snow, but it wasn’t too bad. I’ll take it.
Instead of writing in the morning, I did my errands: picked up ink for the printer (because, grrrrr on inkjets), did the massive grocery shop (7 bags of groceries), dropped off and picked up library books (there were so many there they had to lend me an additional bag), dropped off the city census, picked up wine at the liquor store.
Humped everything upstairs. Put away the groceries.
By then, it was time to start lunch. I made chicken and vegetable soup with lots of basil. It was a slow cooker recipe, but my chicken was already cooked, so I made adjustments and did it on the stove, and it was delicious.
Printed out my colleague’s script, so I could work with it for a few days before the reading.
I got the week’s episode videos done, uploaded, and scheduled. One of the crows stopped by to chat with Tessa, but she wasn’t in the rocking chair in the reading corner by the window, so then the crow wanted to see the videos, and had a few notes. The bratty squirrel stashed a cookie on one of the porch windowsills. Storm prep all around.
I did the social media rounds to promote the 100th episode of ANGEL HUNT.
Of course, because I bought black ink, the color tank decided it was low, too, ONCE I GOT HOME! It couldn’t have let me know before I left?
I was cooked by then, and didn’t work on Legerdemain, which will come back to bite me in the butt this week. I checked the pantries and charged all devices. I finished reading THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES. Hastings worked my last nerve. I didn’t remember him as such a fool in the Christie books.
There were events I wanted to attend at First Friday, but the COVID post-holiday surge numbers were too high for it to be a worthwhile risk. Any and all calculations tipped against me; therefore, I did not go.
The first seeds arrived – I’ll detail that in Thursday’s Gratitude and Growth post.
Researched more bed frames and rugs. If I go with the more colorful, Art Deco frame, then I need to re-think the rug I planned. And there’s no point in getting a rug under the bed to “anchor the room” when the bulk of the rug remains unseen. The room’s too small to need that kind of an anchor, and I don’t want wall to wall carpeting. I’m better off with a rug on the side. Feng-shui wants it to be in specific colors, which will work with the frame, if I can find the right hue of rug. I think that’ll be something I have to see in person, rather than ordering online.
We enjoyed our last night with the tree up and the lights on.
Did not want to get out of bed on Saturday morning.
The computer was an absolute nightmare to get started. I figure sometime in February (if it hands on that long), it will make a trip to computer hospital.
Then I battled with the template on the Goals, Dreams, and Resolution site. I cannot get it to do what I want and need it to do, and have to adjust and reformat, in the document, each paragraph separately. It’s driving me bonkers. But I didn’t have time to play with new templates. But I need to deal with that in the coming months. This template no longer serves the needs of the site.
Most of Saturday was spent taking down and putting away the winter holiday decorations. We spent eight hours on it, and still weren’t finished by the end of the day. All the cats are upset that the big tree is down, but Tessa, especially. I broke one of my old Currier and Ives Hallmark ornaments with the year on it, and was very annoyed with myself. Not to mention how much it took to clean up all the glass.
Make a turkey moussaka for dinner. A new-to-me recipe, from Kripalu, but not one of Jeremy’s. The proportions for the bechamel sauce looked off to me; I checked in JULIA’S KITCHEN WISDOM (Julia Child’s book) and they were very different. So I made a bit more roux and stirred it in to right it. It turned out pretty well.
Was a slug on the couch in the evening, because I was so sore I could barely move.
The snow started about 8 PM.
Sunday morning, I did not want to get out of bed. It had snowed all night and was really pretty. My bed was comfy.
But I got up. I spent a couple of hours with my colleague’s script, familiarizing myself with the entire script, plus the assigned role.
After breakfast, it was back to packing more things, rearranging some boxes, figuring out how and where to put things. I got rid of a bunch of boxes that were falling apart, but we’d kept them because we’d always kept certain ornaments in them. I found better boxes (Harry & David boxes work well for ornaments. All those little compartments). Because I packed better, even though we’d bought stuff this year and there were more ornaments, they took up less space.
I still have to finish switching out fabric, but I did most of it. And I set up the big project table in my office for the contest entries, so I can get started on them this week.
I plugged the laptop back in and booted it up early enough to trouble shoot. It fired right up, thankfully, and both the power and the internet held, so I could participate in my colleague’s reading. It was so great to be in space with some of my Nightwood people again! And the new faces were also great.
The reading was a great experience, and we had a good, solid, discussion after. I scribbled a bunch of notes as we went. It was an honor and a pleasure to be part of it. I’m so proud of my colleague’s work!
It also made me itch to get back to THE WOMEN ON THE BRIDGE.
It was still snowing by the time we were done, and I was tired. Heated up some leftovers for dinner, and was cat furniture for the evening. Did a little bit of reading, but not much.
I started a page for the short stories on the Devon Ellington Work site. I put links to the two most recent stories, and will slowly go through my clip file for others. Since I want to submit more short stories this year (and, hopefully, some of them will be published), I need a page with the links. Plenty of the stories eventually listed won’t have links, because they were in print only.
Had trouble getting to sleep, but finally did. Charlotte woke me at 4:30 on Monday, and I got up around 5:30.
I worked on the daily Kripalu journal prompt, which was about dedication. Plenty to say about that, especially after yesterday’s experience. However, they encourage us to share our journal work on social media with various hashtags. I understand wanting to promote the program, but I can either plumb personal depths or I can put something on social media. They are mutually exclusive, because social media is not safe space. It’s public. That does not support the depth of inner work for this course.
This week’s primary serial focus is THE LIGHTHOUSE LADY, with 10 episodes planned. I didn’t get enough Legerdemain episodes written last week. I should write 4 more this week, plus the 4 already scheduled, but I know 8 Legerdemain episodes aren’t going to happen. I have to get two more written between now and Thursday; next weekend, I’ll do the four as planned.
On Monday, I drafted three episodes of LIGHTHOUSE LADY, which took longer than I planned, because I had to design the floorplan for the lighthouse and the keeper’s cottage. But I started early, and the words themselves flowed well. The joys of having an outline, even though I have to adjust a few things as I go. But it means I don’t have to wonder what happens next. I can just sit down and write it. I even managed to draft an episode of LEGERDEMAIN. Altogether, a little over 3K, which is a decent start to the week.
I then typed up my notes on Sunday’s reading, and sent them off to the playwright, and sent catch-up/follow-up emails to my fellow cohort members. I feel bad that I’ve only been in sporadic touch.
After lunch, I had to go and shovel the car out. Monday night was set to freeze, with more snow on Tuesday, then changing to rain by Wednesday. As tempted as I was to just leave everything until the rain, I knew that was a bad idea. The snow was light and fluffy, and it didn’t take long.
When I got back, I did the edit/proofread for the “Severance” re-release. It’s a novelette, just under 15K. Got it uploaded, then downloaded the e-pub, which I will proofread in my Ice Cream app, since my old Kindle doesn’t handle it well anymore. It’s a weird science fiction horror western, and I added content warnings. I mean, it’s a horror story, but still. I’ll proof it sometime this week, and set it for release just before the full moon.
Had some great exchanges with my Nightwood colleagues, and with a couple of the Boiler House Poets.
Made chicken stroganoff for dinner, and then read one of the books for review. It was a lot of fun, and I was glad to read it.
So, Platformer and Substack are congratulating themselves on their little public performance, pretending there’s actual positive change. It’s so obvious that all it was is a performance, so they could both keep monetizing.
I don’t believe, for one second, that Platformer ever planned to leave Substack. If they were serious, they wouldn’t have sent out press releases about their big meetings and their threat to leave. They would have LEFT, and then forced Substack to woo them back via action. Substack should never have taken the stance it did; at the very least, they should say, “We were wrong, and we will do better” but they are doubling down, and claiming they are just following their content guidelines – if that’s the case, then there wouldn’t have been this controversy in the first place, because the guidelines would have prevented extremist content. And they’re not taking down all extremists, just the ones with the lowest profit margin. It’s all performance, to protect their bottom line, and to give cover to those who can’t be bothered to switch platforms and hope we’ll all forget. It’s all lies, and neither company can be trusted.
When someone shows you who they really are, believe them.
It’s such a disappointment. I mean, I drank the Substack Kool-Aid as much as anyone. The platform was easy to use and I had a lot of fun on the Notes aspect of it. But there were more and more reveals about them that just don’t sit right.
Slept pretty well, although with busy dreams. All good, but I woke up feeling like I’d put in a full day in on the Dreamscape, rather than waking up rested.
On today’s agenda: two more episodes of THE LIGHTHOUSE LADY, one more of LEGERDEMAIN. Hopefully, proofs of “Severance.” I have a bunch of short coverages to turn around. I’d like to work on a couple of other things, but I need to be realistic.
Have a good one!
January 8, 2024
Mon. Jan. 8, 2024: Intent for the Week — Clarity
image courtesy of Kiều Trường via pixabay.comLast week was a solid, productive, head down working week.
The weekend got muddier and more unstable.
This week, I need to balance several different elements, while also keeping my head down and working hard, so I need clarity to make prioritizing decisions that make sense. I have to keep various insecurities rearing their ugly heads at bay, and deal with what’s in front of me, while also keeping an eye on the bigger picture.
What’s your intent for the week?
January 5, 2024
Fri. Jan. 3, 2024: Packing Up the Decorations & Storm Prep
image courtesy of Karolina Grabowska via pexels.comFriday, January 5, 2024
Waning Moon
Uranus Retrograde
Cloudy and cold
They’ve upped the snowstorm totals for the weekend. Now they’re saying 6-12 inches. First it was coming in Sunday. Now Saturday. But my pre-storm headache says sooner. I am going out to do the big grocery shopping, library run, etc. soon.
Yesterday’s snow didn’t stick much.
Today’s serial episode is from ANGEL HUNT and it’s the 100th Episode. Woo-hoo!
Episode 100: Zeke Breaches Lianna’s Wards
Zeke pulls Lianna onto the astral, but her compassion for his pain terrifies him.
100 episodes! And this one is INTENSE. We’re past the half-way point of the season now. Only 46 more episodes to go.
Tomorrow’s serial episode is from DEADLY DRAMATICS:
Episode 50: Nels Breaks the Rules
Nels broke his own personal & professional rules for Nina. What price will she pay?
50 episodes is a pretty good marker, too. I have to remember that, with Legerdemain hitting 150 and ANGEL HUNT hitting 100, that 50 still matters.
Yesterday, I revised, edited, uploaded, and polished the next four episodes of Legerdemain, getting me almost to the end of this month. I have four more episodes to write this week to hit the week’s quota.
I sent out two LOIs. In one of those synchronicity things, I had just mentioned that I was looking to work for a particular type of company, and then heard about one in that field, so off went the LOI. They might want more hours at a lower rate than I’m willing to do, but at least I got in contact.
Was about to send some questions to prepare a conference proposal when I saw the date had passed for proposal submissions. It was back in November. Not sure why I thought it was January. So that’s off the table until next year.
I had four scripts to turn around, and it took longer than I would have liked, but again, each script has individual needs that must be met, or why do this in the first place.
There were several days this week I worked well into the evening, but that’s part of freelancing. You can’t always just end at 5 PM. I write new material best in the morning; I edit, analyze, comment, etc. better in the afternoon. The day’s quota of fiction usually first, then client work, which means sometimes the workday runs past 5.
Sat down and wrote a comprehensive grocery list. I’m doing a bunch of recipes out of the usual rotation, plus I need to restock the pantry. So, it will be a big haul this week, but get us set up with staples for the month. Library run, drop off the city census at either the post office or City Hall, liquor store.
Then I’m in for the storm.
I have two episodes of Legerdemain to write today, and bunch of coverage scoring sheets. Over the weekend, I’ll have to write two more episodes of Legerdemain. I also have to do the episode videos for next week, and get those uploaded and scheduled on TikTok.
Tomorrow, we start taking down the decorations (it’s Twelfth Night/Befana Night). I’d like to think I can do it all in one day, but I am skeptical.
We decided we need to add another small tree for ornaments next year. Our ornaments exceed our tree branch capacity. We’ve tried making decorative groups in decorative whatevers, but with the Santas and the carolers and the other displays, we don’t have the shelf space. The big tree with the story of our lives is full; the tree on the porch is in the silver/blue/teal/crystal palette; the small tree with white roses is its own thing. We need another tree that’s bigger than the white rose tree but smaller than the tree on the porch for our expanding collection of ornaments. No, I’m not going to stop buying ornaments (and I love to receive them as gifts). If we see an artificial tree over the year with promise, we’ll grab it. Otherwise, we’ll figure something out (or maybe bring in a real one) next year.
But we still have to get this year dismantled and put away, and that is a big job.
We’re keeping the festive lights up in the kitchen; I will switch them out with the festive summer lights around the Equinox or so.
On packing breaks, I will sneak in work on Legerdemain.
I expect packing up the decorations will spill into Sunday (hey, there’s a lot, and I’m not 20 anymore). Sunday afternoon, though, I have a Zoom reading with one of my Nightwood Creatryx cohorts, and I’m excited. I have to print out my copy of the play and read it over a few times, so that I read well.
I also need to get some work done on an outline for a large non-fiction project that is on the schedule to start toward the end of next week.
As much as I will miss the decorations (and Tessa will miss her lit tree), I need the space back, which will help me focus on the upcoming projects.
I’m looking at headboards and bedframes, for the plan to make my bedroom more of a sanctuary this year, too. I had hoped to find something in a consignment shop, but they are mostly head-and-footboards, not full frames, and I want the full frame. Not happy with my frame. Nor could I fasten a headboard to the current frame without a lot of work I don’t want to do. Too much math and bracketing. I’m trying to decide if I want upholstered or metal, Victorian or Deco. No footboard: it’ll take up too much room. There’s an upholstered Deco one I really like (and is even in my budget), but I wonder if it’s too much. And then I think, so what? I can do whatever I want.
I won’t buy it yet, I’m still in the research phase. I’ll need to block off a full weekend when it arrives to haul most stuff out of my room so that I can put the frame together, and then put things back. But that’s a couple of months down the road.
Right now, I have to focus on this weekend, and packing up decorations. And getting in the groceries before the storm starts.
Have a good one!
January 4, 2024
Thurs. Jan. 4, 2024: It’s Snowing!
image courtesy of John via pixabay.comThursday, January 4, 2024
Waning Moon
Uranus Retrograde
Snowy and cold
It snowed overnight! Just enough to make it pretty. And then, as I was writing the garden blog, it started coming down much harder. The big storm is supposed to come in on Sunday.
You can read about the latest on the garden over on Gratitude and Growth.
Today’s serial episode is from Legerdemain:
Episode 152: Shoddy Portals
The shoddy portals must be repaired, or all kinds of dangerous and nasty beings could enter, causing collateral damage.
Yesterday was kind of gray and yucky, and hard to get going. But at least I was approved for an Assets for Artists virtual workshop in mid-February on social organizing for artists. And signed up for a fascinating program at the Clark in a couple of weeks. I hope I can combine that with an appointment in the research library later in the day, and just stay at the Clark until tarot circle in the late afternoon. We will see how the client work shakes out.
Drafted two episodes of Legerdemain. There’s a fight sequence in the second episode that will need attention when I revise it. But at least the basics are down on paper.
Did the social media rounds for Angel Hunt and Deadly Dramatics.
Debating whether or not to join Threads, and if I should move instances on Mastodon. Honestly, the thought of being on another social media site is overwhelming, but if that’s where my audience has migrated, I have to be there. Started putting some pieces behind a paywall on Ko-fi, and trying to figure out how to better use it. In order to really make a subscription viable, I’d have to have a year’s worth of material uploaded and scheduled before I promoted it (because the schedule doesn’t allow yet another weekly commitment), and I just don’t see how that’s going to happen in the immediate future. I may go back to doing weekly tarot or oracle card pulls, once the new moon starts. Or maybe I’ll start a Ko-fi under the Cerridwen Iris Shea byline and have that specific to all things tarot and oracle-oriented.
Did a quick trip to the grocery store for eggs, bread, cat food, and cat litter. Found cat litter that is very similar to what I’ve been buying from Chewy, but at 1/3 of the price, so we’ll see how the beasts like it. The cat food was expensive, and not what I wanted, so I think I’ll go back to ordering the giant bags from Chewy after this one is finished. But maybe I’ll only order the cat food from Chewy, and not the litter, if I can get a better deal locally. Since Chewy no longer partners with Rakuten, it’s a hit on the budget.
Hunkered down to do three large coverages, which took longer than I would have liked, but each script is individual and must be so treated. It meant I had to miss tarot circle, which made me sad, but this month is about earnings. I have extra bills, and December wasn’t as lucrative as I hoped.
Writing some proposals in my head that I plan to get down on paper next week, and then out.
I want to work on a couple of poems, too, and hope I can carve some time out for them this weekend.
On today’s agenda: Revise, edit, upload, and polish four episodes of Legerdemain. Depending on how long that takes, I might write one episode (I doubt I can do two). I’d like to give a couple of other projects some attention, but that might not happen. I need to do some outline notes in the next few days for a large, nonfiction project I hope to start toward the end of next week. I also have four coverages to turn around today (unless I want to work on coverage tomorrow morning, which I do not).
It’s snowing harder and harder, and I’m grateful I can work remotely and don’t have to go out in it until I dig out the car later on (so that it doesn’t all freeze around the car and make tomorrow’s life difficult).
Have a good one!
