To do-be-do-be-do-be

Words Written: lalala
Writing Stats: Anna Genoese talk! Local romance writer contacts!

Exercise: hah

This is not a good time of year for Ken to be gone, oh no. Because this is the time of year when the Halloween stores open, and Morgana and I, not to put too fine a point on it, go absolutely apeshit insane.

Ahem.

So there is no one here to be the voice of reason and tell me I don’t need a spooky forest in the front yard.

<>-<>-<>

Friday’s stress continued into Saturday, when on my trip down south the main road I needed to take on the last leg of the trip was inexplicably closed halfway to where I needed to go. The detour dumped me into a residential area, which of course had wibbly streets and no clear exits. Meanwhile, the main street in question was in two counties and between pages in the Thomas Guide, so I was flipping between four or five pages to try to figure out an alternate route. I arrived late, but thankfully nothing had really started yet.

The stress was totally worth it. I met a bunch of lovely, warm, welcoming women, and Anna Genoese’s talk was awesome. Not so much her talk, but her critique of five query letters. I can see now why mine didn’t pass muster—and that’s invaluable information. Some of the attendees thought Anna’s crits were overly harsh, but having read her blog, I didn’t think so. Well, yes, they were harsh. But she sounded exactly like she does in her blog, so I wasn’t surprised. Plus, let’s face it, this is an endeavor where rejection is more common than acceptance, and if you can’t separate yourself from your work, you’re in the wrong job. She might have been harsh, but it didn’t affect me emotionally. I was there to learn. Funny, today I spent quite some time working through Miss Snark’s latest Crapometer, and she’s just as, if not more harsh. And I learned invaluable information from that, too.

The drive home was less eventful, although I did hit some traffic through LA. Overall, I guess it wasn’t as bad as Teresa’s trip to speak at the NH RWA—she got a flat tire. I think I got off easy by comparison. (Er…unintended pun…nevermind.)

So, other than reading Miss Snark today, I’ve been steadily churning through e-mail and my To Do list. I got almost everything done on the list for today, which rather amazes me. In part because I still feel like I’m far behind and haven’t gotten anything done. Silly brain, no wine. (Oh, who am I kidding? Of course there’s wine allowed!)

And in the words of Chris de Burgh, “Oh Lord, I'm tired, it's time to go to bed / Way after midnight, and the wine's gone to my head,” so off I should go. (Although, hm, I should put on my To Do list to add Chris de Burgh CDs to my wishlist, because I seem to be lacking some…)

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Currently Reading: Seal Island, Kate Brallier; Hunting Midnight, Emma Holly
Lately Listened To: it’s been kinda quiet around here…
Recently Watched: Eureka