Katherine Nabity's Blog, page 256
May 13, 2011
Friday Round Up; Of Health
Time for my Friday round up:
Where was I this week?Guest post over at A Round of Words in 80 Days: What Richard Simmons Taught Me About Being a WriterPas de Chat, Ch.44, pt. 1. I really need to update the index...Over at Reading Notes, I muse on the nature of Dennis Lehane's books and note a "challenging" short story.52|250 wrapped up this week. I was in late and out early, but I did write a couple of nice things for them.Issues of Health
Eric and I planned our trip to Omaha this week, though it's still somewhat tentative. My grandma's health is not so good. Since last February, she's been up and down, and lately, more down. I really, really don't want to have reason to go back before our May 24th flight.
On my side of health, a nasty arthritis flare-up on Tuesday reminded me that I need to do more when I feel good. That includes exercising. Honestly, I'm not sure there's any pattern to exertion and flare-ups. I've gained a few pounds lately and I need to start exercising more again. 2-ish times a week isn't cutting it.
Women's League
While I'm a proponent of women's ultimate, I will admit that I'm not very good at it. I've played mostly co-ed, and as someone who's played mostly with men, it's often hard getting used to shorter and, yes, slower targets. Yet, I found myself really excited about women's league after seeing my team. I mean, Sarah, Betsy, Marnie, Mel, Monika, and Kaysi all on the same team? Fun and good might actually co-exist! I was pretty surprised at the talent in the women I didn't know too. Deborah is a dark horse with some skills and the others are all enthusiastic and willing to learn.
We lost our game last night, but in universe point against a squad consisting of mainly ASU girls. The final point was notable in that it lasted nearly twenty minutes. I kid you not. The point was well in-progress when hardcap was blown at 9:50pm and we didn't slap hands until 10:10. Allyson actually asked if we had heard the horn. Granted, the captains have made a vow to explain rules as we go along, and I believe that last point consisted of at least one rule-related stoppage in play and possibly a medical stoppage as well. (I don't remember if it was during that point that Erin got clocked by Betsy or the point before.)
In all, my play was pretty good. After lacking limb control on Wednesday, I was a little worried, but after heading long during the second point, I knew I'd be okay. Throwing was decent. I hit Marnie in the hands with an IO forehand for an almost-score. That was a little low and zippy though. I only threw one ridiculously high backhand, which Kaysi nearly snagged anyway. My D was okay. I think the only person that ran rough-shod over me was Kaetlynn, but hopefully I proved to be a little less of a mis-match than she figured I would be. Well, a girl can dream...
Where was I this week?Guest post over at A Round of Words in 80 Days: What Richard Simmons Taught Me About Being a WriterPas de Chat, Ch.44, pt. 1. I really need to update the index...Over at Reading Notes, I muse on the nature of Dennis Lehane's books and note a "challenging" short story.52|250 wrapped up this week. I was in late and out early, but I did write a couple of nice things for them.Issues of Health
Eric and I planned our trip to Omaha this week, though it's still somewhat tentative. My grandma's health is not so good. Since last February, she's been up and down, and lately, more down. I really, really don't want to have reason to go back before our May 24th flight.
On my side of health, a nasty arthritis flare-up on Tuesday reminded me that I need to do more when I feel good. That includes exercising. Honestly, I'm not sure there's any pattern to exertion and flare-ups. I've gained a few pounds lately and I need to start exercising more again. 2-ish times a week isn't cutting it.
Women's League
While I'm a proponent of women's ultimate, I will admit that I'm not very good at it. I've played mostly co-ed, and as someone who's played mostly with men, it's often hard getting used to shorter and, yes, slower targets. Yet, I found myself really excited about women's league after seeing my team. I mean, Sarah, Betsy, Marnie, Mel, Monika, and Kaysi all on the same team? Fun and good might actually co-exist! I was pretty surprised at the talent in the women I didn't know too. Deborah is a dark horse with some skills and the others are all enthusiastic and willing to learn.
We lost our game last night, but in universe point against a squad consisting of mainly ASU girls. The final point was notable in that it lasted nearly twenty minutes. I kid you not. The point was well in-progress when hardcap was blown at 9:50pm and we didn't slap hands until 10:10. Allyson actually asked if we had heard the horn. Granted, the captains have made a vow to explain rules as we go along, and I believe that last point consisted of at least one rule-related stoppage in play and possibly a medical stoppage as well. (I don't remember if it was during that point that Erin got clocked by Betsy or the point before.)
In all, my play was pretty good. After lacking limb control on Wednesday, I was a little worried, but after heading long during the second point, I knew I'd be okay. Throwing was decent. I hit Marnie in the hands with an IO forehand for an almost-score. That was a little low and zippy though. I only threw one ridiculously high backhand, which Kaysi nearly snagged anyway. My D was okay. I think the only person that ran rough-shod over me was Kaetlynn, but hopefully I proved to be a little less of a mis-match than she figured I would be. Well, a girl can dream...
May 11, 2011
#RoW80 - May 11th Check In
Headed to the library on Monday. I needed to renew my card and I, shamefully, hadn't been there since they finished their renovations. My laptop's screen is on the fritz, so I took an old-fashioned notebook and pen with me. Over coffee and lemon cake, I wrote the beginning of two of my additional scenes. Beginnings are half the battle. I also came home with 6 more books to read. One thing I do love about public transportation is the slow pace of it. It gives me lots of time to read while waiting.
I'm on track with my edits, as of yesterday. I suppose it's going well enough. Yesterday was rough. I was behind, and the change in weather (or not, you never know) set off an arthritis flare up. The fatigue is the hard part. I took breaks throughout the day, set up the basics for women's league, read a bunch, and pushed through my edits. Juggled May travel plans. Didn't get any queries out. Something had to give.
Today. Still tired. The body is a bit creaky. Went out and played disc this morning. Sorted out some league problems. Haven't hit the edits yet.
On Monday, I read an article about the possible correlation between depression and overgeneral memory. I'm somewhat dysphoric and, in a particularly gloomy period of my life, there are events I've completely forgotten. That's troubling, especially troubling as a writer. The common saying is "write what you know." What if all you know is vague? So, I've started doing morning pages again, using Natalie Goldberg's Wild Mind as a guide and trying to be as specific as possible with my exercises. I'd like this to help me with my writing and maybe help me with my mood too.
Click to go to Mr. Linky
I'm on track with my edits, as of yesterday. I suppose it's going well enough. Yesterday was rough. I was behind, and the change in weather (or not, you never know) set off an arthritis flare up. The fatigue is the hard part. I took breaks throughout the day, set up the basics for women's league, read a bunch, and pushed through my edits. Juggled May travel plans. Didn't get any queries out. Something had to give.
Today. Still tired. The body is a bit creaky. Went out and played disc this morning. Sorted out some league problems. Haven't hit the edits yet.
On Monday, I read an article about the possible correlation between depression and overgeneral memory. I'm somewhat dysphoric and, in a particularly gloomy period of my life, there are events I've completely forgotten. That's troubling, especially troubling as a writer. The common saying is "write what you know." What if all you know is vague? So, I've started doing morning pages again, using Natalie Goldberg's Wild Mind as a guide and trying to be as specific as possible with my exercises. I'd like this to help me with my writing and maybe help me with my mood too.
Click to go to Mr. Linky
May 8, 2011
#RoW80 - May 8th Check In
The 10%-cut edit is easy. It has a very specific purpose (accentuate the positive...) and a very specific goal (...by cutting ~10% of a scene's word count). And it's linear. Start on the first page; end on the last page. There are very few changes between scenes. I can whip through a 10%-cut edit with glee. Unfortunately, I finished the 10%-cut edit last week.
On Wednesday, I mentioned the partial list of "difficult" edits that need to be made. I'm not very far down that list. I've gotten through about the first three scenes. Honestly, those didn't require much work.
What's my deal? I get overwhelmed by the decisions that need to be made. Overwhelmed by the possibility of screwing something up worse than it already is. That's stupid. I'm not writing in stone. It's made worse because I feel that any change that I make on page one might impact page 72. Or page 310. Or just page 2. It's not a dire as I make it.
I also have the tendency to procrastinate decisions until I *have* to make them. I have three weeks left to this part of RoW80. My brain calculates that I don't have to panic...yet. This is not a great way to operate, and which is why bite-sized goals work better for me. Time to break down the elephantine goal. I'm going to make an effort to get through 125 pages a week, plus writing one of the new scenes. That's almost enough to kick my brain into gear.
I did get my submissions out this week. I wanted to get a last entry in for 52|250, and I have a few hours left, but I'm not sure my concept has gelled enough.
Click to go to Mr. Linky
On Wednesday, I mentioned the partial list of "difficult" edits that need to be made. I'm not very far down that list. I've gotten through about the first three scenes. Honestly, those didn't require much work.
What's my deal? I get overwhelmed by the decisions that need to be made. Overwhelmed by the possibility of screwing something up worse than it already is. That's stupid. I'm not writing in stone. It's made worse because I feel that any change that I make on page one might impact page 72. Or page 310. Or just page 2. It's not a dire as I make it.
I also have the tendency to procrastinate decisions until I *have* to make them. I have three weeks left to this part of RoW80. My brain calculates that I don't have to panic...yet. This is not a great way to operate, and which is why bite-sized goals work better for me. Time to break down the elephantine goal. I'm going to make an effort to get through 125 pages a week, plus writing one of the new scenes. That's almost enough to kick my brain into gear.
I did get my submissions out this week. I wanted to get a last entry in for 52|250, and I have a few hours left, but I'm not sure my concept has gelled enough.
Click to go to Mr. Linky
May 6, 2011
This post brought to you by the letter F
Where am I?
Pas de Chat
: We're on chapter 43. Not much left. "Reviews" of Q's Legacy and Doomsday Book over at Reading Notes.Free & Legal
In a fit of pique, I canceled Netflix instant on Tuesday. As soon as I did, I remembered that all the Star Treks were coming to Instant View. Oh well. By Thursday morning, I experienced the strange sense of relief that comes from having fewer choices. Time to restock my Hulu queue, browse what's available from channel websites, and watch some tennis. There is a plethora of free and legal TV out there. Also, coincidentally I received an invite to Zediva, which is not free, but cheap, and...currently legal. Skirting a gray area, if you will.
Food
Had lunch with Betsy on Wednesday at Beaver Choice. She wanted to give their GF menu a go before she departs AZ. I decided to have the haddock in cream sauce. When did I start liking fish? When did I start liking cream sauce? I will admit that I have quite a bit of faith in Beaver Choice to serve me good food, but this wasn't having a little taste of someone else's fish and deciding I liked it. This was ordering it for myself, and thinking it was a good idea from the start. Actually, I've been watching quite a few food shows via Hulu and I often find myself looking at a dish and thinking, "I'd try that," even if it involves things I don't particularly like. (The exception, it would seem, being rice...)
Fuzzies
Sony Online has been having some problems. As a subscriber, I've been trying not to freakout and have taken some precautions to secure my credit account. EverQuest 2 has been down since the 2nd, curtailing my aether racing and house decorating. I'm not the sort to get twitchy when I don't get my MMO fix, so the outage isn't a big deal. Eric, seeking relief from finals week, decided to try Allods last night. I noted the fact and continued watching Hugh Jackman singing and dancing (a little) in Oklahoma!. On my way to get a soda from the fridge, I checked on Eric's game and saw these:
[image error]
A playable race of fuzzy critters named gibberlings. Yep. Had to play. And you don't just play one gibberling. No, no, you play a group of three. And if you're the equivalent of a druid, you have a viscous squirrel pet too. I can't resist the fuzzies...
In a fit of pique, I canceled Netflix instant on Tuesday. As soon as I did, I remembered that all the Star Treks were coming to Instant View. Oh well. By Thursday morning, I experienced the strange sense of relief that comes from having fewer choices. Time to restock my Hulu queue, browse what's available from channel websites, and watch some tennis. There is a plethora of free and legal TV out there. Also, coincidentally I received an invite to Zediva, which is not free, but cheap, and...currently legal. Skirting a gray area, if you will.
Food
Had lunch with Betsy on Wednesday at Beaver Choice. She wanted to give their GF menu a go before she departs AZ. I decided to have the haddock in cream sauce. When did I start liking fish? When did I start liking cream sauce? I will admit that I have quite a bit of faith in Beaver Choice to serve me good food, but this wasn't having a little taste of someone else's fish and deciding I liked it. This was ordering it for myself, and thinking it was a good idea from the start. Actually, I've been watching quite a few food shows via Hulu and I often find myself looking at a dish and thinking, "I'd try that," even if it involves things I don't particularly like. (The exception, it would seem, being rice...)
Fuzzies
Sony Online has been having some problems. As a subscriber, I've been trying not to freakout and have taken some precautions to secure my credit account. EverQuest 2 has been down since the 2nd, curtailing my aether racing and house decorating. I'm not the sort to get twitchy when I don't get my MMO fix, so the outage isn't a big deal. Eric, seeking relief from finals week, decided to try Allods last night. I noted the fact and continued watching Hugh Jackman singing and dancing (a little) in Oklahoma!. On my way to get a soda from the fridge, I checked on Eric's game and saw these:
[image error]
A playable race of fuzzy critters named gibberlings. Yep. Had to play. And you don't just play one gibberling. No, no, you play a group of three. And if you're the equivalent of a druid, you have a viscous squirrel pet too. I can't resist the fuzzies...
May 4, 2011
RoW80 - May 4th Check In
Monday, I worked on doing some submission-y stuff. I queried a couple places I hadn't heard back from, tossed a short story out the door again, etc.
Eric did a marathon reading of Divine Fire on Monday. Yesterday, we discussed what needed to be done with it. Here's a partial list:
Explain the tech in more detail so this second book can reads like a first book.Change the drug usage by characters.Add birthday festivities.Several "endgame" aspects need work.Add a connecting scene.Add a scene of Marie being Marie.And luckily I have better notes than that because I'm sure I'll look at this list in a week and say, "What? What did I mean by *that*?"
Time frame for completing these edits? The rest of this week, plus three weeks. Not "by the end of May" because we're likely heading to Omaha toward the end of the month and nothing ever gets done in Omaha. Especially with the laptop on the fritz.
Click to go to Mr. Linky
Eric did a marathon reading of Divine Fire on Monday. Yesterday, we discussed what needed to be done with it. Here's a partial list:
Explain the tech in more detail so this second book can reads like a first book.Change the drug usage by characters.Add birthday festivities.Several "endgame" aspects need work.Add a connecting scene.Add a scene of Marie being Marie.And luckily I have better notes than that because I'm sure I'll look at this list in a week and say, "What? What did I mean by *that*?"
Time frame for completing these edits? The rest of this week, plus three weeks. Not "by the end of May" because we're likely heading to Omaha toward the end of the month and nothing ever gets done in Omaha. Especially with the laptop on the fritz.
Click to go to Mr. Linky
May 1, 2011
May 1st Check In & TV Reviews of the Geeky Kind
Having finished my April goal on Tuesday, I kind of...uh...took the rest of the week off. Haven't talked to Eric about what's next, something I should have done. So, I'm currently somewhat goal-less.
Except! I need to get back on the submission horse. It's time for the return of #10byThen and #2QueryTuesday. And...I really need to take care of a few other things. Yeah, this is the stuff that been harshing my over-all mellow. I need to cowboy up because avoiding things isn't working either.
Click to go to Mr. Linky
A couple reviews:
Watched the first episode of Game of Thrones. I was pretty excited about it after starting a Song of Fire and Ice reread via Tor and seeing the 10 minute preview. Unfortunately, I think my watching was tainted by my reading. The production value of the show is high. The actors are quality. But the whole thing isn't as *grand* as it is in my head. The feast with the King at Winterfell? It looked too much like an evening in a tavern. At the wedding, where were the Dothraki horde? And without that grandeur, the heightened dialogue didn't quite work for me.
My more anticipated premiere: Doctor Who. Season 6 has been much hyped. The Doctor is coming to America! A monster more scary than the Weeping Angels! Dark days ahead! As for the first headline, I assume they mean the first time an episode has been filmed in the US, because off the top of my head both the 1996 movie and the series 1 episode "Dalek" were set in the US. Are the Silence creepier than the Weeping Angels? Hmm... Maybe if the only episode to feature the Angels were "The Time of Angels" and "Flesh and Stone". But, no, the Angels were given time to be creepy all by themselves. "Blink" is an great horror television. The Silence are weighted down by so much else going on. "The Impossible Astronaut" promised a lot. "Day of the Moon" rushed through a lot. My criticism of the Steven Moffat era thus far: when using creepy things doing creepy time things just beyond perception, a little goes a long way.
Except! I need to get back on the submission horse. It's time for the return of #10byThen and #2QueryTuesday. And...I really need to take care of a few other things. Yeah, this is the stuff that been harshing my over-all mellow. I need to cowboy up because avoiding things isn't working either.
Click to go to Mr. Linky
A couple reviews:
Watched the first episode of Game of Thrones. I was pretty excited about it after starting a Song of Fire and Ice reread via Tor and seeing the 10 minute preview. Unfortunately, I think my watching was tainted by my reading. The production value of the show is high. The actors are quality. But the whole thing isn't as *grand* as it is in my head. The feast with the King at Winterfell? It looked too much like an evening in a tavern. At the wedding, where were the Dothraki horde? And without that grandeur, the heightened dialogue didn't quite work for me.
My more anticipated premiere: Doctor Who. Season 6 has been much hyped. The Doctor is coming to America! A monster more scary than the Weeping Angels! Dark days ahead! As for the first headline, I assume they mean the first time an episode has been filmed in the US, because off the top of my head both the 1996 movie and the series 1 episode "Dalek" were set in the US. Are the Silence creepier than the Weeping Angels? Hmm... Maybe if the only episode to feature the Angels were "The Time of Angels" and "Flesh and Stone". But, no, the Angels were given time to be creepy all by themselves. "Blink" is an great horror television. The Silence are weighted down by so much else going on. "The Impossible Astronaut" promised a lot. "Day of the Moon" rushed through a lot. My criticism of the Steven Moffat era thus far: when using creepy things doing creepy time things just beyond perception, a little goes a long way.
April 27, 2011
RoW80 - April 27th Check In
Aw, I missed my 3500th journal post. Which is a pretty low post count for a ten-year-old blog-type-thing.
I'm officially out of the A to Z Challenge. I spread myself too thin this month. Sometimes, the biggest defense as a writer is to not think too much and just go with it. Too much introspection, by me at least, can be depressing. And I've been really hermit-y lately. I just need to chill and slim down what I have going on.
RoW80 Check In:
Finished my 10%-cut-edit of Divine Fire! Three days early, I suppose. Now, time to really look at it and decide what needs to be tweaked, rewritten, and added to. Eric's been chomping at the bit to give it a read through too, so there's the potential for interesting things to happen.
Click to go to Mr. Linky
I'm officially out of the A to Z Challenge. I spread myself too thin this month. Sometimes, the biggest defense as a writer is to not think too much and just go with it. Too much introspection, by me at least, can be depressing. And I've been really hermit-y lately. I just need to chill and slim down what I have going on.
RoW80 Check In:
Finished my 10%-cut-edit of Divine Fire! Three days early, I suppose. Now, time to really look at it and decide what needs to be tweaked, rewritten, and added to. Eric's been chomping at the bit to give it a read through too, so there's the potential for interesting things to happen.
Click to go to Mr. Linky
April 24, 2011
RoW80 - April 24th Check In
It's the last week of April! What the heck!
My goal during April has been to finish a 10%-cut-edit and diagnose Divine Fire's problems. On Wednesday, I considered stopping my edit to do some rewriting. Eric advised against it and that was a good call because the thought of rewriting just then stalled me out. I recovered on Thursday and Friday and managed 101 pages for the week. I have 38 pages left to the manuscript. That's two days work at the pace I've been going, but I might try to push through and finish Monday. Then use the rest of the week to fix a few things.
I haven't quite decided what the next goal should be for this round. I might continue working on Divine Fire, using May as a sort of overflow month. Eric has finals coming up and there's also a trip to Omaha tentatively planned for the end of May. I also need to get back on the ball concerning queries and submissions. I think I have two for April thus far. Somehow my submission fire has waned.
Click to go to Mr. Linky
My goal during April has been to finish a 10%-cut-edit and diagnose Divine Fire's problems. On Wednesday, I considered stopping my edit to do some rewriting. Eric advised against it and that was a good call because the thought of rewriting just then stalled me out. I recovered on Thursday and Friday and managed 101 pages for the week. I have 38 pages left to the manuscript. That's two days work at the pace I've been going, but I might try to push through and finish Monday. Then use the rest of the week to fix a few things.
I haven't quite decided what the next goal should be for this round. I might continue working on Divine Fire, using May as a sort of overflow month. Eric has finals coming up and there's also a trip to Omaha tentatively planned for the end of May. I also need to get back on the ball concerning queries and submissions. I think I have two for April thus far. Somehow my submission fire has waned.
Click to go to Mr. Linky
April 23, 2011
T is for Thrift
The majority of writers don't make much money from writing. The second biggest piece of advice given to fledgling writers is: Don't quit your day job. It's good advice, but not advice I've particularly taken. I haven't had a regular job in over a decade. Eric worked eight years in the semiconductor industry and then quit in 2007 and went back to school. Neither of us is currently employed. How do we do this? A combination of planning and living cheap.
The Eric-and-Katherine plan has always been that I would write and, after five years of working, Eric would go back to school. Since there was a boom in Eric's industry, five years became eight. We socked away money from the beginning and Eric does a decent job of investing. The hope was that I would be pulling in money from writing by now, but my industry is a gamble. You can't count on any sort of timetable.
We rent an apartment in the not-so-great-but-still-okay part of Tempe. Our rent is much cheaper than a house payment would be. An apartment also allows us to be more flexible with our future plans and cuts down on improvement and upkeep costs. Our neighborhood is located right off the light rail line and is serviced by free shuttles to campus/downtown. I live a block from a community center with a decent workout area. It costs me $25 a year to use their facilities.
We have one vehicle: a sturdy 1992 Nissan pickup. I don't drive, so this works out fairly well. Our vacations involve flying back to Nebraska once a year to visit family and maybe renting a car and driving to the coast for a weekend.
We don't have kids. Or pets. I know for many people this isn't an option, and that's okay, but it sure is easier to get along when you only have to worry about the health and well-being of yourself.
We don't have cell-phones. Partly by choice, partly because the expense wouldn't justify the use. Monthly, I pay $22 for a landline and $50 for internet access. I don't have cable, but subscribe to Netflix streaming for $8/mo. Our main entertainment otherwise is EverQuest 2 (or the like), a whopping $30/month for both of us. This is less than my monthly electric bill. I don't have the latest gadgets. Eric builds a new computer every two or three years. My main computer is still hooked up to a CRT.
I should cook more. We eat out/get take away from fairly cheap places, but if you look at food as something to be enjoyed, aka entertainment, it's easier to justify $15 for dinner for the both of us. I do like going out for a tasty meal with friends, but I can't do it all the time. I don't buy many clothes. I've curbed my book-buying over the years. I don't wear makeup and can't bring myself to pay much for things like shampoos, hair cuts, manicures and pedicures.
I buy decent toilet paper and Heize Ketchup, but I wait for sales and use coupons. Our families send money and gift certificates on holidays. We have no debt. In general, I'm a healthy, happy person that just happens to turn her nickle over twice before she spends it.
And sometimes, yes, I wish I had a summer house in San Diego, a closet full of cute shoes, and a sloppy dog named Bill. I wish that I could have dinner out every night and not worry about the cost. But it's all trade-offs. I could have those things, but I wouldn't have this: I'm a full-time writer.
The Eric-and-Katherine plan has always been that I would write and, after five years of working, Eric would go back to school. Since there was a boom in Eric's industry, five years became eight. We socked away money from the beginning and Eric does a decent job of investing. The hope was that I would be pulling in money from writing by now, but my industry is a gamble. You can't count on any sort of timetable.
We rent an apartment in the not-so-great-but-still-okay part of Tempe. Our rent is much cheaper than a house payment would be. An apartment also allows us to be more flexible with our future plans and cuts down on improvement and upkeep costs. Our neighborhood is located right off the light rail line and is serviced by free shuttles to campus/downtown. I live a block from a community center with a decent workout area. It costs me $25 a year to use their facilities.
We have one vehicle: a sturdy 1992 Nissan pickup. I don't drive, so this works out fairly well. Our vacations involve flying back to Nebraska once a year to visit family and maybe renting a car and driving to the coast for a weekend.
We don't have kids. Or pets. I know for many people this isn't an option, and that's okay, but it sure is easier to get along when you only have to worry about the health and well-being of yourself.
We don't have cell-phones. Partly by choice, partly because the expense wouldn't justify the use. Monthly, I pay $22 for a landline and $50 for internet access. I don't have cable, but subscribe to Netflix streaming for $8/mo. Our main entertainment otherwise is EverQuest 2 (or the like), a whopping $30/month for both of us. This is less than my monthly electric bill. I don't have the latest gadgets. Eric builds a new computer every two or three years. My main computer is still hooked up to a CRT.
I should cook more. We eat out/get take away from fairly cheap places, but if you look at food as something to be enjoyed, aka entertainment, it's easier to justify $15 for dinner for the both of us. I do like going out for a tasty meal with friends, but I can't do it all the time. I don't buy many clothes. I've curbed my book-buying over the years. I don't wear makeup and can't bring myself to pay much for things like shampoos, hair cuts, manicures and pedicures.
I buy decent toilet paper and Heize Ketchup, but I wait for sales and use coupons. Our families send money and gift certificates on holidays. We have no debt. In general, I'm a healthy, happy person that just happens to turn her nickle over twice before she spends it.
And sometimes, yes, I wish I had a summer house in San Diego, a closet full of cute shoes, and a sloppy dog named Bill. I wish that I could have dinner out every night and not worry about the cost. But it's all trade-offs. I could have those things, but I wouldn't have this: I'm a full-time writer.
April 22, 2011
And S is for...
If Q was for queries and R was for rejections, then S is for sales!
My first "sale" was the first story I ever submitted to the first market I sent it to. A ridiculous situation. This was way back in 1995, before good online resources. I had a 1995 copy of Writer's Market and I *used* that baby. The story was published by a small literary magazine that paid in contributor's copies. I didn't mind not being paid in cash-money because I was new to the game and figured that every little step was a step forward. And to some degree, it is. That story is even online. No, I'm not going to link to it here. If you're curious, break out your google-fu.
In retrospect, I wish I had gotten a few rejections first. I had been a schooly, and an over-achiever when I put my mind to it. I had rarely, at that time, been told that my work was not good enough. The story had been workshopped in a writing class and polished up, but that's part of the course work. That I got an A and that first story published confirmed that I was hot stuff! Except, not so much.
I knew rejections existed. I knew to expect them. I knew that you kept submitting, because that was what writers do. The reality of rejections didn't hit me until some time in the future.
For me, a sale (publication in any form) is bittersweet. I hate to be a downer, but in the end it means only slightly more than a rejection. A sale means you did that one thing right and that agent/editor liked it enough to put some of their effort into it.That's pretty cool, but it doesn't mean that you are necessarily a better writer than you were yesterday. It certainly doesn't mean that the next thing written will necessarily be good.
My first "sale" was the first story I ever submitted to the first market I sent it to. A ridiculous situation. This was way back in 1995, before good online resources. I had a 1995 copy of Writer's Market and I *used* that baby. The story was published by a small literary magazine that paid in contributor's copies. I didn't mind not being paid in cash-money because I was new to the game and figured that every little step was a step forward. And to some degree, it is. That story is even online. No, I'm not going to link to it here. If you're curious, break out your google-fu.
In retrospect, I wish I had gotten a few rejections first. I had been a schooly, and an over-achiever when I put my mind to it. I had rarely, at that time, been told that my work was not good enough. The story had been workshopped in a writing class and polished up, but that's part of the course work. That I got an A and that first story published confirmed that I was hot stuff! Except, not so much.
I knew rejections existed. I knew to expect them. I knew that you kept submitting, because that was what writers do. The reality of rejections didn't hit me until some time in the future.
For me, a sale (publication in any form) is bittersweet. I hate to be a downer, but in the end it means only slightly more than a rejection. A sale means you did that one thing right and that agent/editor liked it enough to put some of their effort into it.That's pretty cool, but it doesn't mean that you are necessarily a better writer than you were yesterday. It certainly doesn't mean that the next thing written will necessarily be good.
