Thurs. June 22, 2023: Re-Emerging After Creative Intensity
imae courtesy of Pexels from Pixabay.comThursday, June 22, 2023
Waxing Moon
Pluto & Saturn Retrograde
Sunny and pleasant
The latest on the garden is over at Gratitude and Growth.
Today is our 2rd anniversary in this apartment, with the light and the porch and the balcony and the arts. We start our third year. We are very happy here. It was the Move From Hell, but it was worth it.
Today’s serial episode is from Legerdemain:
Episode 96: Accidental Eavesdropping
Never underestimate a bar’s acoustics.
Yesterday? Gosh, I’ve been working so intensely on DEADLY DRAMATICS that this week seems like one long day since Sunday. I sort of feel like I’m waking up from a very long dream.
But, yesterday afternoon, I finished this draft of the DEADLY DRAMATICS serial. I have to insert one transition episode, but the full season will run 126 episodes. Since I plan to drop 4 episodes during launch week (two on each episode day), it will run 62 weeks, just over a year, once it starts.
The last shorter arc needed more work than the previous arcs, and will continue to need more work in this next revision. I’m going through it again, tightening things, smoothing out logic and stylistic choices, and making it stronger, overall.
Between working on DEADLY DRAMATICS and finishing/revising/adapting ANGEL HUNT, I’ve worked on about 200K in the past week or so. I’m a little tired. But both of those serials stand on their own while supporting future “seasons” that can also stand alone while contributing to the overall series.
I also realized what an absolute luxury it is to be able to put full focus on a single project, instead of juggling. While I pushed hard to get things done, and put more hours every day to the projects than I normally would, I COULD do it at this time, due to the lack of client work, and I’m grateful I was able to do it.
So I’m a little tired. I will rest up and rework my schedule.
Working little bits every day adds up to a full project, but being able to spend big chunks of hours on a project is even better, at least for me.
I have two full serials that need a little more massaging, but I can upload and schedule them over the coming weeks, and then they’ll run well into next year. I still have to put time and effort into promotion, but at least I won’t have to worry about writing to keep up, the way I do with Legerdemain.
When I promote the serials, it shows in the royalties. Same with the Topic Workbooks; I started promoting them again, and those sales are picking up. It can’t fully carry me through the WGA strike, but it helps.
If the grant money ever shows up (which I doubt it will), then I can get some other projects back on track AND change focus on a few other things, client-wise. I hope to get out some LOIs next week, along with some article pitches. I will contact some editors with whom I’ve worked previously and see if what I pitch fits what they need in the coming months.
Next week, I’m attending three networking events (in person, oh horrors), and I have my new business cards done up (three different cards, for different things I do), so I’m set on that front. We’ll see what opportunities open up from there. And the following week, I have even more actions planned.
This pay period is abysmal, but if I’m careful, I’ll get through it. As much as I’d like to trust “divine timing” I also have to do my part and make the effort.
On today’s agenda: Meditation, work on Legerdemain, getting up next week’s episodes, promoting today’s episodes, continuing with the DEADLY DRAMATICS edits, and reading a book for review, so I can write up the review and send it, along with the invoice tomorrow. I have to do a quick library run – there are books waiting.
The heavy machinery moved farther away the past few days and the difference it makes in my ability to function is huge.
Have a good one!
