Tues. Sept. 6, 2022: Typey, Typey

image courtesy of picjumbo via pixabay.com

Tuesday, September 6, 2022

Waxing Moon

Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Chiron, Jupiter, Uranus Retrograde

Rainy and humid

Busy weekend. Not exactly the restful weekend for which I’d hoped.

The echoes of the stress of Thursday’s fire stayed with me. I had to accept that I was not okay, and that I was still feeling the after-effects. That’s just the way it was. I got some errands done, but did not get any script coverage done, which meant I had to do some over the weekend.

So much for a four-day weekend.

The maintenance guy came by on Friday afternoon with a fire extinguisher and mounted it in the kitchen. Of course, I have no idea how to get it out of the holder, but if I have to, I can just tear it out. The directions are Not Helpful, so I have to figure it out. But that was quick, and appreciated.

I didn’t go to market on Saturday. I was too tired. Instead, we swapped out the summer fabrics for autumn fabrics at various places around the house, and I started washing the fabrics and hanging them up to dry.

I found a couple of unfinished projects as I’ve been unpacking file boxes. I sat down to read some of them. I’m taking the advice I talk about in THE GRAVEYARD OF ABANDONED PROJECTS and deciding which to revive, which to put in statis, and which to retire. I actually DO the things I talk about in the Topic Workbooks. It’s not just yapping.

I found the beginning of a suspense novel that needs to go into statis for now. I found a viable standalone women’s fiction novel that I need to get back into the schedule and finish. I don’t’ yet know which name it will go under (this matters, because each pseudonym uses a slightly different voice). I found the first 9 chapters of a middle-grade/maybe YA novel that shows promise, but probably has to go into statis for now. I don’t usually write middle-grade or YA. But the themes I wanted to explore make sense there, and they’re working. But I also found nearly 200 pages of a science fiction novel. I read through it. It’s good, plot, character, and thematically. I caught a few things that need attention because my writing and perceptions have grown and changed, and I now know better. But it’s a solid piece.

Only I can’t find it on any of my flash drives. It looks like this hard copy is the only copy in existence. Which always makes me nervous.

So I will have to rekey it when I go back to work on it.

It’s definitely gong back into the schedule for the winter. I don’t have any notes on it, but I think I know where I was going with it. It might be a novella rather than a novel, which is fine, too. Better to be shorter, more tightly written, and to the point than rambling on for fuck-all just to hit a word count. I’m surprised it’s any good, because I don’t usually write science fiction (fantasy, yes). But I remember doing the research for this. I remember writing parts of it.

It doesn’t have a title, either. So I was hunting through the flash drives for various projects, trying to figure out what it could be.

But I want to know what happens next, so I darn well better figure it out!

In the afternoon, I turned around two scripts, and grabbed some more for next week. I want to pile them on early in the week, so that I can enjoy the time with my friends during the beginning of the following week. I love being able to control my schedule!

The next COVID vaccine has been approved, so I also have to figure out when to get Shot #5 for both of us. I have to make sure they have the right formula at the pharmacy before I schedule.

I started reading JADE CITY by Fonda Lee, which came highly recommended, and is fascinating.

Sunday, I did an early morning run to the store to pick up a few things, including a dowel so that we could hang up one of my first quilts over the bed in the sewing room. It looks good there.

I did another pass on some of the next episodes of LEGERDEMAIN, to get me back into the rhythm. I wanted to see how much of an additional rewrite I had to do on the rewrite. Fortunately, it wasn’t much. These last four episodes of the first arc need quite a bit of work, and then I have to re-read them all for flow and detail, and check my notes to make sure I’ve caught all the little weird stuff I wanted to resolve by the end of this arc.

The next arc is taking shape in my mind. I’ve made some notes; some of them, I need to push off to either the third arc, or to future arcs, should I keep the serial going beyond the initial three large arcs. I need to start writing it this week. What I had planned originally for this arc has to be modified, due to what actually happened in the first arc.

There was a lot of cray-cray on social media this weekend. I checked it more than I meant to, but, for the most part, I didn’t engage. I have to do my semi-annual update/purge of accounts that don’t actually interact, or where I’ve been supporting their work with RTs, likes, etc., and they aren’t doing the same for mine. Not interested in non-reciprocal social media. I’d rather have smaller numbers and actual engagement.

Monday, there was plenty I meant to do. Instead, I gave a polish to the final 12 episodes of the first arc of LEGERDEMAIN, uploaded, and scheduled them. Because I am bad at math, I thought I’d be fine through the end of the year, but I’m only good through December 13, so I have to write the second arc faster. Especially since November will be all about writing the first draft of the Retro mystery for Nano.

I also printed out the Episode tracking sheets, series bible pages, and style sheet for what I’ve done so far. They went into the binder, along with printout of the edited episodes.

I turned around a script – well part of it. The script started with Act II, so I had to ask if that was intentional.

While I waited to hear back, I created the episode ads for the last twelve episodes of the first arc. I’m getting better at it. I wrote the log lines, too. I need to write the log lines before I do the episode ads. So I can start uploading and scheduling the ads this week, too. While I cover a bunch of scripts and write new episodes.

Somewhere in there, I also have to finish the next radio play and get it out. But it’s all good. It’s the good kind of busy. If I push hard this week, I can have a lot of fun with my friends over the end of next weekend and into next week.

It rained hard all night. I hope it lets up today, since I have books due at the library, which are out of renewals.

I also realized that I can schedule to post new episode drops on the Legerdemain website. Duh! And I’m working on the history of the city, and on some quick character sketches, which I will post before I start pushing the Legerdemain website link.

I have, however, started putting the website link in the ads. I have the tiny URL link in the text to go back to Amazon, and then in the ad itself, I have the website link.

Because, someday, the serial will be off Amazon, but the link will still be good (although I’ll have to rework the ads to get the Kindle Vella info off.

I also designed a bookmark for LEGERDEMAIN. I’ll do a small order from one of the companies that looks like it’s both good and well within my budget (Vistaprint charges a little too much per bookmark, in my opinion). If I like it, I’ll do a bigger order; if I don’t, I’ll try a different company.   I’m also going to put them in the winter holiday cards, so be warned. I might do a postcard for LEGERDEMAIN and send it out to anyone for whom I have a mailing address, but that’s probably going to be sometime in winter.

I worked on my autumn quarterly postcard for the Fearless Ink mailing and I hate it. I hate the lack of flexibility I have in Canva, and none of the Office Word templates do what I want. I miss my MacBook.

Up early this morning (thanks, Tessa). Yoga, morning meditation, getting back into that rhythm. I have to write ahead on a couple of projects, and then dig in and start Episode 42 of LEGERDEMAIN, which sets off the second big arc. Hopefully, this won’t be another 40 episodes! I’d like to contain it into 30. But needs must to tell the story the best way possible, without any of the episodes getting too long.

I have three scripts to cover today, and some questions from a writer, too, so it will be a busy day.

Hope you have a good start to the new season and to your week!