Such a beautiful day...

[ostarella]

It's in the upper 40s again, the snow is almost all gone (except where the plows piled it up), birds are starting to show up by the hundreds... I sooo want to be outside, raking and cleaning up and getting ready for the warmer weather. But the ground isn't totally thawed yet, so can't dig, and it's too wet from the melt to rake without tearing the grass out by the roots. So I'm just enjoying the view and trying to get some indoor stuff done - the never-ending crap, y'know.

Starting to rewrite the short story for my end-of-the-month contests. Have four of them coming up and thank God, they all accept simultaneous submissions! But as soon as that's done, I have to start working on the next story. I guess that's where the "earning a living with this stuff" departs from the "I just enjoy writing" - on another site an author/editor referred to a writer's stories as their "product", and you have to keep building up the "inventory". Which puts kind of a cold spin on it, but it's true. You can't wait around forever for one story to get accepted - you have to keep writing and sending them out. So that "write every day" becomes not advice, but a necessity.

But one thing I'm discovering about all the fanfic I've written - now I can go back to some of the things I wanted to explore in those stories, but couldn't because they weren't "appropriate" for the characters or the fandom, and take those things and build them into an original story. And of course, I have a lot of short short stuff that can easily jumpstart a longer original as well. So it's kinda like having a set of "plot starters" sitting there waiting. :D

Another few days wait to see if I get a second interview on a job. My initial enthusiasm for it has fallen off a bit, but that's not unusual. Now I'm starting to think about the consequences - if I get it, can I actually do it, and if I don't get it, then what? But I'm not going to worry about it - just let it run around in the back of my head so I'm more prepared for either situation. It's not like I'm making a career decision - I've already decided I just want/need a job to pay the bills while I write. And I have enough in savings to get through April, so that gives me time before I really have to panic.  LOL

Anyhoo, better get back at the housework and the stories. No rest for the wicked...

Comments

[beckyblack]

Wow, that board IS huge! Might lurk about for a bit and think about registering. It's a vBulletin board too, I love those forums. Some of the best, especially for big, busy boards like that.

I know what you mean about keeping writing while other stuff is out being considered. I'll likely start planning the next novel very soon and start drafting pretty soon after I finish editing the current one.

[ostarella.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that board has soooo much stuff - they've got forums where you can ask experts for research or publishing, and another forum for getting the word out on questionable publishers/agents, and tons of people asking for advice on writing in different genres... I'm really enjoying it.

You've already got a leg up on the "inventory" writing - you're working on two or three stories at a time *all* the time LOL

[beckyblack]

Yeah, I'm really working that simultaneous projects thing lately! The trick seems to be having them at different stages of production.

[billy-shriner.livejournal.com]

Yeah, definitely need to keep churning the stuff out, lol! Can't sit around and wait. I just don't quite have the time yet... but once both boys are at school (Sept 2011) then I'll have five days a week where I will try to write full time then.

Until then, I'm just going to tick along and not get stressed. But you're definitely going about it the 'write' way ;-) One in editing, one in planning and one in writing... sounds good to me ;-) Although not sure if my brain will let me segment myself like that. But I suppose while one story rests, another can be edited... so my brain might cope with that :D

[billy-shriner.livejournal.com]

oh God, I don't think I've got time to get stuck into a board... but I think I'll save the link for later... just in case.

But yeah, gotta just keep writing, once one's done, start the next ;-) Definitely no rest for the wicked, but at least you enjoy it :D

[ostarella.livejournal.com]

In case anyone's wondering, I've removed the reference to the board previously mentioned here. I was excited about it at first, but have changed my mind and dropped my membership. What I don't need in my life is another place to have people claim to treat each other with respect just before diving into the 4th grade level of vocabulary and behavior toward anyone whose opinion differs from theirs.

I'm seriously beginning to wonder if there is any board on the web for intelligent and adult conversation. So far, I seem to be finding that people can't discuss anything - you either agree or you're wrong you dipshit!!!!