Plot for sale

A power outage yesterday had me packing up my laptop in search of juice. Yes, I have a laptop, but the batteries are so worn out that they only hold a charge for about 10-15 minutes these days. Thanks to my sister for letting me plug in!

Toronto's been sweltering these days, reminding me of the Big Blackout of 2003. I think I'm going to stock up on flashlight batteries, just in case...

Writing and illustrating are still going well. Since coming back from Italy, I've started keeping a detailed daily work log, recording how I spend my time. At the top of each page I write my work goals and non-work goals. Below that, I keep track of how much time I spend in work activities vs non-work activities. I quickly discovered how easy it is to be "way busy" without really being productive! The daily log also keeps me focused on longterm goals as well as daily goals. I've started updating Inkygirl again, for those interested.

Anyway, since starting a daily written work log, my actual productivity has shot way up. I also don't feel as guilty when I do take a break because I know that I deserve it. :-)

Speaking of which, I need to get back to work...



Above: Doodle in Corel Painter 9.5, using the Croquil Pen and Digital Watercolour tools.

June/2006 comments: Read Blatherchat | Post in Blatherchat | Livejournal comments

Poetry FAQ: A Young Poet's Guide To Poetry and Poetry Writing

My Life In A Nutshell has been updated! (see above) Thanks to my friend Andy, who sometimes posts as "aiabx" on Blatherchat, for being such an inspiration. Andy pointed out that he hasn't worn a beard in five years, but I guess he's always worn a beard in my twisted Cartoonland imagination (and Jeff's, since he didn't notice either). :-)



Will Write For Chocolate has been updated! The comic has nothing at all to do with Valentine's Day, and the column is an interview with Deborah Ng (pictured to the right), a work-at-home mother who quit her day job to become a freelance writer...and is now so successful that she has more than enough work to keep busy fulltime. Thanks to Blork Blog for mentioning my strip yesterday.

And a new online project ('cuz clearly I don't have enough of them...): I'm pleased to announce the launch of Poetry FAQ: A Young Poet's Guide To Poetry and Poetry Writing, part of a project (wow, that's a lot of 'p's) that my friend Rand Bellavia and I are working on these days. Rand will be contributing a column and other content for this site soon.

Feb/2006 comments: Read Blatherchat | Post in Blatherchat | Livejournal comments

Finding inspiration

Will Write For Chocolate has been updated! This week's blog entry: "Finding writing inspiration."

Thanks for the supportive messages and e-mails about yesterday's Blathering, everyone, and for sharing some of your own stories. Thanks also to Essaywriter for mentioning the entry in her blog.

Here's a post from Mary Ellen I found especially inspiring:

"I haven't yet read the book The Good Life by by Jay McInerney, but I heard an interview on Fresh Air and this quote from the book which he read near the end of the interview really moved me: (The main character is falling asleep and meditating on the death of his best friend) 'It seems to him as if they are taking a course in loss lately. And as he feels himself falling asleep he has an insight that he believes is important which he hopes he will remember it in the morning, although it is one of those thoughts that seldom survive the translation to the language of daylight hours. Knowing that whatever plenty befalls them, together or separately in the future, they will become more and more intimate with loss as the years accumulate. Friends dying, or slipping away undramatically into the crowded past, memory itself finally flickering and growing treacherous towards the end...' (apologies for any punctuation errors, I transcribed it from the interview) I feel that way already a little. As more and more people I love pass into a world unseen, unknown by me, and unimaginable to me, I do feel that the past is increasingly crowded. Although my Grandfather meant a lot to me I think it really began with the death of my Father, then my friend Steve, the suicide of Iain, most recently Cindy's death...and not just death. As he says, some just slip away, people I really liked, or even loved but for whatever reason just don't see anymore. It is increasingly a crowded past. But, I try to make it a rallying cry for my present. I try to live as fully and passionately as I can. This isn't always easy and sometimes you just have to stop and let yourself watch bad TV and read frivolous novels and eat junk food and laugh. But, as you say, that's not 'wasted' time, that's time you give yourself as a gift when you need it. Thank you for sharing your grief with us."

Feb/2006 comments: Read Blatherchat | Post in Blatherchat | Livejournal comments

James Frey exhaustion, a plug for Inkygirl

Explanation of above comic:
If you've missed the whole James Frey controversy, go here. I scribbled this morning's cartoon out of frustration, having had to plow (yet again) through a zillion pages of articles and editorials about James Frey to find publishing news for my Market Watch column.

It's true that the controversy has had an impact on the publishing world (particularly publishers and authors of memoirs), but I'm hoping the current obsession passes soon.

I've been catching up on various writing and publishing blogs lately for Inkygirl; holy cow, are there a lot of them! I just discovered some excellent ones, like Miss Snark: The Literary Agent (thanks to Sal Towse for pointing me to this one), the blog of an "anonymous" NYC agent. Highly opinionated, snarky, funny, informative.

Speaking of Inkygirl, I haven't put in a plug for my blog for writers in ages, so figured it's about time. Sal just pointed out to me that I've been writing it for three years. Yikes, I had no idea it was that long.

Anyway, Inkygirl includes listings of telecommuting jobs for writers, cartoons and photos, mini-reviews and editorials from yours truly, pointers to various interesting and/or useful resources for writers. There are also links to my Market Watch column and Will Write For Chocolate comics. If you have any interest in freelance writing, please do check it out.

Jan/2006 comments: Read Blatherchat | Post in Blatherchat | Livejournal comments

The Not So Glamorous Life of a Freelance Writer

Worked most of yesterday on a book proposal that I plan to submit early this week. I've decided that even if the publisher doesn't go for it, I'm definitely submitting it elsewhere. In fact, my agent has suggested that I should consider putting together other non-fiction book proposals as well. Two publishers have approached me about doing projects, after all; usually it's the other way around.

So now I'm starting to brainstorm about ideas in addition to working on my novels. I still plan to pitch shorter pieces to magazine markets meanwhile, but the idea of having my agent pitch book-length ideas at the same time is highly appealing. I love my agent.

It takes a great deal of time to research and put together a proper magazine article query, sometimes longer than writing the actual piece, which is why I try to focus only on articles that have a wide range of potential markets...that way if one is rejected (either at the pitch stage or after I've written it), I can send it elsewhere.

Pitchpitchpitch. Anyone who thinks freelancing writing is glamorous is living in another dimension. So much of it is about promotion and marketing, as well as learning how to deal with rejection. Unless you're very lucky, a LOT of rejection. Hm, I should do a Will Write For Chocolate column about this topic sometime.

Despite the above, however, I should point out that I love being a writer, and am immensely grateful that I have such a supportive spouse. I wake up every morning excited about my work and still marvelling at the fact that people are paying me to do something I love doing anyway.

Glamorous? No. But it feeds my soul, and I feel like one of the luckiest people in the world for having it.

Jan/2006 comments: Read Blatherchat | Post in Blatherchat | Livejournal comments