Tues. Dec. 12, 2023: Back to the Page
image courtesy of svklimkin via pixabay.comTuesday, December 12, 2023
New Moon
Chiron, Uranus, Jupiter Retrograde
Sunny and cold
We’ve had such mucky weather, I almost forgot what the sun looks like.
I hope you had a good weekend!
Today’s serial episode is from Legerdemain:
Episode 145: The Knife-Wielding Portal Jumper
Someone’s cleaning up loose ends.
Friday morning, I had to sort out some issues with Microsoft. I kept getting popup messages saying my subscription expired, but I’m paid through until April 2024. I checked with them, and they agreed. So it better not go cattywampus during the retrograde – or at any other time.
There’s a post up over on Ink-Dipped Advice about my social media experiments. You can read it here.
I decided I have to put up a page on the Devon Ellington Work site for short stories. I have links to the series websites. I have a serials page, and a Delectable Digital Delights page for the shorts that are independently released. I have a page for the Topic Workbooks, and one for anthology appearances. But not for short stories.
Since I’m working in that format again, now and then, I need to put up the links. Or put up bits from my clip files. Or just list them.
That’ll take a bit of work, and will happen piecemeal over the next few months. I’ve had quite a few short stories published over the years, and probably many of the publications are no longer in existence. Plus, some are only in print. Pre-digital. Because I’m just that old.
Packed up some more cookie platters, and did the deliveries, making people happy. Did a library run (and yes, they got cookies). Did a small grocery shop.
When I came home, my mom wasn’t feeling well. She was so cold she was physically shaking and her teeth were chattering. Bundled her in bed with layers of blankets and featherbed and heating pad. Had her drink hot cocoa, lemon and echinacea tea, and later on, the nettle/oat straw tea my friend makes. She warmed up, but was very tired and slept most of the day.
I remembered that was one of my reactions to the vaccine, which makes me wonder if somehow she was exposed to virus lately, and the vaccine is doing its job. We both tested negative on the home tests (which means less than it should), but I’ll keep an eye on things.
It might be time to bring back some of the cleaning protocols on anything coming into the house, including mail. Who knows how many delivery people are working when they’re sick, or before they know they’ve been sick?
She has a doctor’s appointment today, so, hopefully, that will be some help. Since the doctor’s office called in the wrong prescription anyway last week.
I did some script coverage. I did this week’s episode videos for the serials. Since I hadn’t done any episode promotion all week, I did all of it bunched together, which is not the smartest idea, but at least it’s out there.
Made steelhead trout for dinner. My fishmonger suggested it to me, knowing how much I like trout. It’s different than regular trout. Larger, for one. It looks like salmon meat, that same orange color. When cooked, it tastes like a cross between trout and swordfish. Very strange. It’s got the buttery aftertaste of trout, but the texture and bite of swordfish. I couldn’t figure out if I liked it. I didn’t dislike it, but I’m not sure.
Started reading a highly recommended book that I enjoyed, but some of the stylistic choices grew tiresome via repetition.
Slept well, up early on Saturday, with my head swirling with ideas for writing.
Worked on this year’s holiday story. It was supposed to be a flash fiction, but it’s a little longer than that.
Put together some more holiday cookie platters and delivered them. People were happy, which is the point. Couldn’t find decorating sugar, so I bought sanding sugar instead.
Did some more decorating. Cleaned up the sewing room. Set up some of the Santas in there. We have Santas everywhere this year. Started setting up the partial village in my office. Brought down the rest of the ornaments from the last shelf, and got those sorted out.
Went to bed too early on Saturday, so slept badly and fretted too much.
Baked banana chocolate chip muffins (we had some bananas that were getting sad). They turned out well. Did an experimental batch of lemon butter cookies and lime butter cookies. They both have the sand cookie texture. I tripled the lemon in the recipe, and doubled the lime, and it’s still not enough. I’m trying not to use extracts, but the real juices, as the recipe calls for, but it’s too subtle.
It was weird doing only ONE batch of any cookie.
Read in the afternoon. Enjoyed the tree.
Up early on Monday. Did several rounds of revisions on the holiday story for the newsletter, and got the newsletter done and out. The story ended up being just over 1700 words. It’s cute and kind of old-fashioned, but fun.
It was important for me to get the newsletter out before Mercury retrograde, although it took much more time than expected, even though I’d written most of the newsletter over the course of the quarter.
Signed up for 10 Days of “Mending Meditations” about creativity, meditation, and mending clothes.
The Doubt Demons attacked, and I had that bout of wondering what the hell I think I’m doing, and does any of what I create really matter?
I did the wide and the Insta versions of the Lockesley Hall videos. You can watch them on social media, or on the Delectable Digital Delights page (it’s the second one down). For some reason, on the website, one of the apostrophes flipped. It’s fine in the video and in the social media posts, but is backwards on the Delights page and the “news” page. Deleting and re-uploading doesn’t solve the problem. Sigh.
It’s not as cute as the “Just Jump In and Fly” video because the story’s not as cute.
Wrote two episodes of Legerdemain. It was fun to get back into that world, and this section contains both humor and action. I’m resolving some plot arcs, moving to complete this big arc’s reach (quite a few episodes more than I expected it would take). I’m figuring it needs another 10-20 episodes to complete this, and then we’ll start the third big arc sometime early next year.
I’m having doubts as to whether focusing on one serial per week will work. For instance, I hope that THE LIGHTHOUSE LADY (Angel Hunt Season 2) will be about 30 episodes. If I only work on it one week per month, it will take 3 months to finish the draft, whereas if I work on it steadily in tandem with Legerdemain, it should take about six weeks of concentrated writing. Since I need it to be ready in April or May. . .
I’ll be playing with schedules quite a bit in the first quarter of 2024, I think.
Did some revision on the sample script. Made a bunch of cuts, and decided to move half a scene to later in the piece. I’m at the halfway point now; time to ratchet up the romance and the mystery.
I keep having to catch myself and strip back scenes and subplots. I remind myself, “If this was a series, I’d explore this thread” but it’s a stand-alone film script, so I have to keep it lean and focused on the two primary characters. The supporting characters are fun and developed, but I can’t go too far into their stories without it losing steam.
Finished reading the book for review. Will write that up today, send it off, and request the next assignment. Only some quick, low-paid coverage work is in; I hope some bigger ones come in for the rest of the week.
Gave two of the three neighbors their cookies yesterday. I have one more to catch, and then I am fully done, although I may put together a plate for a woman in my yoga class who mentioned her love of cookies.
I’ve almost emptied the big bins I initially kept the cookies in once they cooled, for ease of packing, and have repacked them into smaller tins.
I decided I’m done with an online acquaintance. We’ve interacted for a couple of years now, mostly me listening to their various crises and deepening hypochondria. I admire a lot of the work this individual has done in the past, and they talk a lot about equity and justice work. However, when yesterday, they attacked me for doing the necessary business aspects of my writing career “when there’s so much suffering going on in the world” I was done. No matter what’s going on in the world, I still have to pay rent, bills, and keep food on the table. That means attending to the business side of my career as well as the artistic.
This individual has no problem with multi-million dollar corporate ad campaigns, but has issues with individual artists doing the necessary legwork and marketing work to keep a roof over their heads. No. Especially since they keep talking about how they’ll write a book “someday” but that day never comes around. This individual has never liked or shared any post about my work (and now I know why). They’re very much about non-reciprocal interaction. We’re all (and I mean “all”) supposed to provide emotional, social media, and financial support for this person while they do nothing for those giving the support. This is also someone who passive aggressively (and sometimes aggressively) bullies others online for not responding to a situation the way they want others to respond. Bullying is bullying. There’s no such thing as righteous bullying. I started thinking, why am I interacting with this individual, when every contact makes me stressed and miserable? I keep cutting them slack, and they keep pushing boundaries. So I’m done. No screaming, no confrontation. Just gently disengaging on various platforms over the next few days. I wish them a long and happy life, far away from me.
I live maybe 10-15% of my life online. That means 85-90% of what I do, be it activism or personal relationships or anything else, I never discuss publicly. On a relationship level, it’s nobody’s business, except to those with whom I choose to share. On a work/activism level, it’s because I believe that true dedication to that type of work isn’t about calling attention to the fact that you’re doing the work, but putting your head down and doing the work. I don’t need to be an “influencer.” I just want the work done. No one has to know about it. And no one has the right to assume I’m not doing the work because I’m not throwing it in everybody’s faces.
I’ve often said that I believe true philanthropy is anonymous. Those who buy naming rights for themselves are doing it for ego, not because they believe in the work. Fine for them, but gives me necessary information, and I know who to avoid.
On today’s agenda: work on Legerdemain, work on a couple of articles, do the marketing rounds for “Just Jump in and Fly” and “The Ghost of Lockesley Hall” (I might alternate days for them). My mom has a doctor’s appointment in the early afternoon. I will turn around the short coverages either before we go, or when we get back.
Christmas cards are starting to arrive. I have a bunch to pin on the board, and then I’ll put it up above the fireplace and add to it as more arrive.
New moon today, and buckle up, Mercury goes retrograde tomorrow, until New Year’s Day.
Off we go, back to the page.
