The Journal of Michael Merriam

The Weather: Snow! How I love the snow! More please. I don't even mind shoveling. We spent yesterday lounging around the house in our pajamas, drinking hot cocoa and watching the snow fall.

The Latest SFWA Dust Up: I don't have a dog in this fight, but I can't help but wonder why SFWA would do something so stupid. Mr. President, you have made a mistake in allowing Mr. Burt to head this committee. That said, I've made up my mind about SFWA (and SFWA has made up its mind about writers like me), so I suppose my opinion doesn't matter.

Flag That Journal! Chris McKitterick talks about it here: http://mckitterick.livejournal.com/471201.html

During my last visit to the doctor I discovered that the 20 pounds I have lost by January of 2007 had returned. Ah, well, maybe I can try writing by talking into the micro-cassette recorder while walking on the treadmill.

I'm reading a friend's first novel. It has some shiny stuff!

According to my user page, this is my 999th post. I suppose that means I should do something, I don’t know, special, different, or profound for post 1000. I suppose.

November Stats:
Submissions Made: 0
Sales: 0
Rejections: 3
Other: 0
Publications: 0
Crits Given: 12
Approx Word Count: 5631
Stories Circulating: 8

Kind of a disaster, truth be told. No sales, no publications, low word count.

Choke to death on a cracker.

Because really, who wants a squirrel puppet to be the last thing they see as they make their final exit?

I'm just sayin'

1) The Fey and Mage: They Fight Crime! story, which has morphed into a story of betrayal and deceit, is up over 11,000 words and shows no signs of being anywhere near the end. No, instead it is merrily rampaging along, clearly intent on being that most unsellable of things: a novella. I keep asking it if it's really a novel, because you know, it's all right if it is. No, it is quite sure it is a novella. Sigh.

2) The Phantom Streetcar novel rewrites continue. I have been using notecards to break the novel down, but I fear I am going to have to do this old fashioned way, with a printed manuscript, scissors, booze, and a vast reluctance. The restructuring is going to be major, never mind the plot points and character development I need to add.

3) There is a bag of corsets on the couch that careswen borrowed from akillianna and we are planning to return. They bag is breathing! Seriously, there is a very rhythmic rising and falling of the bag. The corsets are breathing, I said!

4) It is Game-Day Saturday. I feel like this is the one of the worst games I've even GM'd, but I think I have a solid plan to turn it around. I think this session is crucial.

5) I'm really enjoying having the windows open today. 72 degrees! How great is that!

6) I accidentally wound up with two extra Fringe buttons and two extra tickets for Joseph Scrimshaw's "Macbeth's Awesome Scottish Castle Party". The tickets are for the performance on Tuesday, Aug 7th, at 7:00pm. I enjoy Scrimshaw's work, the show looks like a lot of fun, it's getting fantastic audience reviews, and I'm really looking forward to it. If anyone is interested in the buttons ($3 each) and/or the tickets ($12 each), please comment or drop careswen an e-mail at careswenATgmailDOTcom.

In Peace,
Michael

I was feeling well enough to go back to work. The puppets, they call to me, they watch my every move. Always watching, my puppet overlords.

I got paid today, so it's all good.

I wrote a little bit tonight. It's slow going because I'm not always clear where this thing is going. I really should learn to outline.

I've increased the projected word count yet again. It's starting to get away from me. We are definitely heading into novelette territory. I'm trying to keep it out of novella-land. We shan't even mention that other word...

Fey and Mage: They Fight Crime!

Something I realized last night: while I don't miss living in Oklahoma, I do miss having the best state song ever.

"OOOOOklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain..."

Yeah, I don't even know what Minnesota's state song is. "Hail Minnesota" maybe?

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The new short story in my head is starting to take form. It will be character driven dark urban fantasy. Who here is surprised?

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I changed my LiveJournal style. I realized yesterday that I was squinting and peering at my LJ, so I've gone to an inelegant but easier to read lay-out

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I have thirteen pieces out and haven't heard from anyone in months, except for hold requests from Andromeda Spaceways back in April and Chaos Theory last week. I need to query on a couple of pieces.

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I'm at work. So I should get to work.

I woke up this morning and realized I am an overweight, blind, 42 year-old small press speculative fiction writer who runs an office for singing puppets.

o_0

I'm home after my half-day at work. Finished up a couple of Grant Applications and spent some time brainstorming about the company's future with The Boss, The Puppeteer, and The Marketing Manager. We have Things in the Works.

Now that I'm home and had lunch and changed into comfy clothes, I need to do a few things to get ready for tomorrow's gaming session (like vacuum the carpet and write the scenario) and try to get some writing in, not necessarily in that order.

Payment from Sam's Dot Publishing and my contributor copy of Illumen. I checked the table of contents: I'm in good company, including stillnotbored.

Time to pet the cat, pour more coffee, open some windows, and work for a couple of hours.

I think the single biggest thing I'm going to need to change, now that I have returned to the outside workforce, is how I manage my time.

I'm going to give it a couple of weeks to get a better feel of the workload, but I'll be giving up the time I am at work from my writing and other responsibilities.

I suspect I'll be on LJ a little less (though there are other things I can cut back on as well), at least at first and until I can develop a new rhythm in my work patterns.

Writing wise, I'm in a good place to suffer a temporary slow down. I have a finished novel I'm about to kick to my readers. I have an older finished novel to look over when the time is right. I have a new novel that's been flowing smoothly and already nearly a quarter of the way done. I have 14 short stories and 2 poems out on submission. My only deadline is for the pirate story I need to read at WisCon. It is a good time to retrench.

I am also going to look at applying for individual arts grants. I'm seriously considering applying to one of the major workshops, such as Clarion, or Odyssey, or Viable Paradise, but they are a serious financial commitment.

That said, those of you who have gone to a major SFF writing workshop such as those mentioned above (or others I failed to mention because I don't know they exist), now would be a good time to tell me exactly why attending one of these workshops would be a good thing. Explain to me how one of these workshops will help me reach the next level as a writer.

Sell me, people; sell me on your favorite high-intensity professional workshop.

I have a job interview on Monday. It's a customer service position with a company that sells anesthesia, respiratory, veterinary equipment. The good news it that it would be about a 15 minute walk. It's part-time and days, so it wouldn't cut into the writing too much. I would just have to find a new rhythm is all.

Our package with our Christmas presents still has not arrived, though UPS swears it is on a truck and out for delivery. I am watching you, UPS. Do not anger me, for I am wise to your ways and systems.

1000 words today. I'm still struggling to get into the swing of things, but I know I'll pick up the pace sooner or later. I'm tying up loose ends and sub-plots in anticipation of the finale. There's about to be bloodshed in the moonlit snow between Jill and a party of Fae warriors. Mentally, I'm making notes of which characters numbers are up, and how it's going to go down. Death is coming for some of the characters, and it's not going to be a gentle, die-in-your-sleep kind of climax.

I ran my errands in downtown Hopkins today, again with success. I also spent a chunk of today filing out applications and dropping off resumes around downtown, pretty much anywhere that had a "Help Wanted" sign out, except for The Hopkins Tavern.

I'd forgotten. I'd forgotten how when I ask for an application, or if I can leave a resume, the person will start off smiling, and then glance at the white cane. Then comes the change in body language, the change in the voice, the distant look in their eyes. Another glance at the cane as you hand the application or resume back to them. The barest of frowns that they think I won't notice.

I ignore it while in their presence, keeping my smile friendly, my voice confident and pleasant. I give them a two or three sentence spiel, always worked into the conversation, about why I think I'd be right for the job. I always thank whoever I've spoken to and shake their hands.

But now I'm home and it's just me and the cat. I feel – not depressed – but not at all happy.

Thursday I will go out and do it again.