Fri. Sept. 1, 2023: From Stress to Joy

Friday, September 1, 2023
Waning Moon
Pluto, Saturn, Neptune, Venus, Chiron, Mercury, Uranus Retrograde
Venus will turn direct on Sept. 3
Jupiter will go retrograde on Sept. 4
Sunny and cool
We’re starting September with beautiful, cool weather here. I hope you’re getting a good start, too.
Today’s serial episode is from Angel Hunt:
Episode 64: Under the Wrong Influences
When can one interfere with free will if it means saving a life?
Tomorrow’s serial episode is from Deadly Dramatics:
Episode 14: College Friends Know Too Much
Nina hangs out with her college friends – who know her too well to let her get away with the same bad patterns.
Yesterday was a day that began with stress, but ended with joy and community, so that was a good trajectory.
I got the laundry done, and did a few chapters of revisions on CAST IRON MURDER. This autumn, it needs some more attention, so it can go on submission early next year. I’d hoped it would go out this fall, but other projects jumped in front of it.
I did some more work on the press release for the reading, and sent it off for approval.
I got next week’s Legerdemain episodes polished, uploaded, and scheduled, and the next ANGEL HUNT episodes, which gets me into early December for AH. I need to get ahead on Legerdemain. I’m keeping up, but I need to get ahead.
I polished the pages for the Nightwood session and prepped them.
I took a quick break before it started, to clear my head and ground a bit.
I struggled in the writing session; because I’m not working on the play every day (and I should be), I struggle to get back into it when we have our sessions. I barely wrote two pages in our 40-minute writing session, and kept deleting and rewriting much of what I wrote. Just at the end of the session, I figured out where I’d gone wrong. Of course.
The sharing work was a lot of fun. One of the women has left the group, unfortunately, due to a change in her school schedule. I felt bad because, when I read on someone else’s pages, I botched some name pronunciation and it hurt the rhythm of the comedy.
The notes I got on my pages were helpful, and something I was worried would hit wrong did not. There was some awkward phrasing on my part for a few lines that I can clean up. I disagreed with one formatting protocol note – in 40+ years of a theatre career I’ve never seen it, much known it as “expected” – but maybe it’s a difference in Canadian and American protocols. As the only American in the group, I can see the differences in the styles of theatre, even more so than the difference between American and English theatre. And, of course, there are differences between English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, Australian theatre styles, which I’ve experienced working in those situations. But I hadn’t realized the differences between American and Canadian styles. So that’s a very interesting learning curve for me.
My work tends to connect with international audiences (often better with American ones), so whatever I can integrate will only make my work stronger.
My colleagues could see how I’d taken the notes from our last session, integrated them, and built on them, which I hoped was noticeable, so I’m glad that worked.
Their work was all wonderful and thrilling, and I’m so honored to be a part of the group.
As usual, I was in limp dishrag mode by the end of it. In a good way, but still exhausted.
However, I had to get my act together, put on Real People Pants and head to the bookstore to work out some details of the reading. To find that the person with whom I needed to sort it all out wouldn’t be there until Saturday. But the new manager is the partner of an artist/writer I know from MASSMoCA, and we had a good chat. He will talk to the owner, who I will then follow up with on Saturday. Since we’re providing flyers, programs, marketing, snacks, it’s not that much on the store itself.
Home, got back into comfy clothes, and just had to take a breath and rest.
I nearly skipped the open house/book signing at Wild Soul River in Williamstown. But I really wanted to go, and my mom gave me a good little push of encouragement, so I put my Real People Pants back on and headed over.
I’m so glad I did!
I bought one of the books, of course, and had it signed. And talked to the owners and the other people at the store about. . .just about everything. I’m usually terrible at meeting new people in a group, but this was easy and right. I had a great time, and I’m going to start attending their Wednesday night tarot group whenever I can.
The owners are close with the bookshop owners, and are excited about the poetry reading in September. I promised to bring flyers – I can bring them with me next Wednesday.
Slept well. Charlotte woke me up this morning using my stomach as a trampoline, which might be her idea of fun, but. . .ow.
Today, I need to get some writing done in the morning. Then I’m headed to the Clark for a few hours. Grocery shopping on the way home. Then more writing. Maybe getting some more episodes of ANGEL HUNT up and out. I have to do the social media rounds for ANGEL HUNT, too. I’ve switched the front door décor, and have to switch out the various fabrics from the summer to the autumn.
This evening is First Friday, and I promised one of the Walkaway House artists who’s been coming to yoga during her residency that I would stop by her studio this evening to see her work and chat.
Tomorrow, I need to swing by the bookstore and get everything sorted out so that the publicity can start next week. If I can, I’d like to then head down to Pittsfield to the Clock Tower artist open studios.
The main focus all weekend, however, is finishing the spells for the Llewellyn almanac. I want to have them all drafted by end of day Monday, so I can revise them Tuesday and Wednesday, and get them out no later than Thursday. I’ve worked on the spells and have the notes; it’s just distilling it succinctly into 150 words each. Which takes time and concentration, and a particular headspace.
I also need to finish reading a book for review today (the review is due tomorrow), and to read a friend’s poetry manuscript.
AND get some of my own writing done.
This is a holiday weekend for us in the States, with Monday being Labor Day. I hope you have a joyful one.