Being a writer seems to be full of ups and downs. Up – you just finished writing your book, which is brilliant. Down – you submit it to 243 different publishers and receive an impressive collection of rejections. Up – Publisher #244 asks you for a full submission of your manuscript Down – You get rejection #244 Up (eventually, maybe?) – You get a contract Down – you get your revisions and the number required is 582 revisions and half the manuscript scrapped. ….and so on. Why do we do this to ourselves? Glory? Fame? Not money (although that is a common misconception – i.e. that getting published will result in lots and LOTS of money). I know, for me, […]
Read moreTag: irreverent muse
Tis the Season
Traditionally, this is the time of year when I get to spend time with my friends and family, have a bit of a break from the workaday life and generally, just relax. Alas, that hasn’t really been the case this year. No extra vacation time (changed job and had lots of demands on the vacation time I DID have) means I will get two days off instead of the usual nine that I like to take. My kids are getting older and have their own things to do and the weather has indeed been frightful so far this year. All that has meant no relaxation and little to no rest. Happily, I am still a long ways from saying ‘Bah […]
Read moreSick and Tired
Lately I have been having difficulty writing, editing, podcasting…well, basically doing anything but sitting and vegging out. Part of that is because I am sick and most of it is because I am tired. The combination doesn’t lend itself to creativity. That isn’t to say I’m not doing any of the aforementioned activities. Far from it. It just means that they are all much harder to do than usual. It also means that I don’t feel like I’m getting enough done every day. It will pass, of course. It always does, so for now, I’ve just to keep slogging away to get my work done. I can’t imagine I’m alone in this. 🙂
Read moreNewsletter
I’ve been talking (and thinking) about a newsletter for the website for the past few months. The problem with that is, neither talking nor thinking about something actually gets it done. So, the other day, while riding the train home I started putting together the newsletter on my iPad. But, what to put into it? Obviously, updates on my own progress with my writing – people wouldn’t have subscribed if they didn’t want to know about my various projects, would they? But, it has to be more than a means to shill out my work. There has to be something special that subscribers will get that no one else can. So what did I come up with? Well, in fact, […]
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