Friday Fabulous Fiver

1. Very tired. Not coping well with medical insurance drama. Need to breathe and calm down.

2. Work is almost done for the week. Once I'm done at around noon, I'm turning off the computer and going for a walk.

3. Kindle has shipped for arrival Monday, April 21. So 19 day wait. Not bad at all.

4. I have piles of books to read, so this weekend, that's what I'm doing.

5. Next week is marketing, marketing, marketing. (Hint: when you're not sure which direction to take, market like a fiend)

Currently listening to: interview with a petroleum company engineer
Currently reading: My notes from the last listen

A Little Goes A Long Way

Feeling relieved at the loss of our book deal. The timeline might have been a tad tight. I met a lot of great people during the pitching process and I'm not deterred. It will happen someday.

In the meantime, I'm reading a lot of Penelope Trunk and Michael Port and Seth Godin. These are my gurus.

I liked this review of Ben Stein's new movie, Expelled.
I agree even though I have not yet seen the film (will go this weekend) that if the film is presented as a sob story, I will be disappointed a bit. If ID is a viable belief, then let's give it a fair chance. However, I'm going to see it. The intersection of faith and science is one of my favorite topics so this is right down my alley.

My fellow writer (much more accomplished than I), Sara Gruen marks 12 months on the NYT bestseller list. Congrats, Sara! Amazing.

Oh yes, I can commiserate with this story. Facebook fatigue is right!

And Variety again, talking about how studios are chasing book and magazine deals for fresh content. Good news for us print writers!

Thinking through issues of online collaboration as my email flounders, conference calls stack up to hours each day, and documents are lost by the wayside. Especially this week. I'm definitely surfing for best practices right now. I'm headed to London in May and hope to present solutions in person.

Oh and I figured out what I'm talking about at the symposium (not collaboration issues) but reference issues! Whew. Need to just get my talking points together and we're set. I have no problems filling up a 15-20 minute slot. No worries! :)

And that's it for today. Off to write more case studies.

Currently reading: Brazen Careerist (Penelope Trunk)
Currently listening to: Leona Lewis

Hopes Dashed

My possible co-author and I did not get the book gig. It was for a Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Out of Debt. He's a certified financial planner, but we didn't have a big enough media platform and someone else won the gig. It was half-expected, but still I wished for a chance to get my foot in the door. And it was loads of fun to work on. I really got jazzed about the project and while writing the pitch, really, really felt drawn to the subject matter and to helping people get debt-free.

Anyhoo, so I've decided to entertain the idea of building the web platform for debt reduction anyway. We'll see. Lots of decisions to make now.

And I must mourn a little bit (I really wanted to write the book).

Got an email today asking for more information on writing a blog for someone else (rates, experience, etc.) so that should be interesting.

Turned down an article opp for debt reduction, so need to really think about what my focus should be with journalism work.

Booked our hotel in London (Hilton). Gasped at the cost in US dollars. Thank goodness for company reimbursement.

And I'm not in the mood to scope out interesting links today. Will do some tomorrow.

Currently reading: email from agent about failed book deal
Currently listening to: Pirates remixed

The Rains Came Down . . . Soft

It is a soft spring rain this week. I don't mind it. I am pretty exhausted, and rain is simply an excuse to stay inside with the laptop on the couch and rest up.

Of course, I'm writing case studies for a large IT outsourcing company while I rest, but you get the idea.

Our refrigerator is making very funny noises. I think it's the ice maker coming back to life (it's been dead for years), but hubby thinks it's the fridge cooling system. Either way, it does not bode well. I am starting to wrap my head around a new fridge, but be assured, I will baby this one as long as I can.

Good thing we got a refund.

New Line Cinema, maker of the Hobbit, is at the end of the line, finally folded into Warner Brothers.

And the annual "since it's tax day and too late to do anything, we'll tell you what you should do if you had planned ahead just one week" post from Salon.

May April 16 rise up to meet you.

Currently reading: my blog roll
Currently listening to: Avalon remix

On the Job Again

After a very nice week with our company, it's back to work this fine Monday. It's overcast, a bit chilly, and going to rain at any moment.

After the 70-degree sunshine we've enjoyed, this is harsh.

I accomplished a ton this past week while on A/L from the day job. I contacted a bunch of people that I needed to talk to about various upcoming projects. Heard back from almost everyone. Feels good.

Taxes are done and filing today. Everything on the to-do list is caught up and today is a writing day.

Amazon just emailed to say my Kindle is shipping next week! Woohoo! Just in time for a long flight to London. This is so awesome.

In the news:

Nina Garcia, esteemed PROJECT RUNWAY judge, may be out at ELLE? Woman's Wear Daily reports the latest.

TheStreet.comTV analyzes how to pick a clothing stock, but I liked the comparison between the GAP and J. Crew.

And that's all for today. Must write!

Currently reading: Corey's JCrewaholoc blog
Currently listening to: the heater

Friday Sunny Fiver

1. Sunshine on my shoulders makes me happy! Yep, the weather is heating up and we are so happy! Rumor has it that Seattle will hit 70 in the next few days. Perfect for a trip east to hike in the mountains tomorrow (if I get all my to-do list done).

2. Had a good week in spite of all the stress. It is not easy to have guests and try to keep up with my deluge of work, but I did it and I'm proud of myself. I have one more big call today for a regular client and then I have homework for my CME course through the American Medical Writers Association. Oh fun.

3. Found THE pair of shoes to go with the suit at Nordstrom Rack. They are beautiful and will help as I stand up in front of the entire group of my colleagues for my presentation in May.

4. We've decided to skip the trip to mainland Europe and instead try to catch Les Mis in London and get to a football game while we're there. Hubby would really love that. Which works well, because I don't have time to figure out a quick overnight trip to France in my obsolete "spare time."

5. Taxes are done finally, closing the books on 2007 will feel great. Waiting on the CPA to finish. Woohoo!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Currently reading: client material for conference call
Currently listening to: Filo & Perri

The Tortoise Always Beats the Hare

A lot of people are talking about money these days, with a looming recession (fine, it's looming) and gas, food, and prices for just about everything else going up, up, up.

Slow down. Breathe. Don't panic.

If you're dealing with cutbacks, then cut back. Drop the cable, lower the cell phone bill, get rid of the extra bells and whistles on your cell and your home line, heck, drop the home phone line if you have to, sell anything that isn't nailed down on Amazon.com (my family sells their DVD collections when they're done and they make good money) and then you don't have to store it.

Quit going into the middle of your grocery store. Just shop the outskirts (and the canned food aisle) and you wouldn't believe how much money you save. I did this and forgot to buy a whole lot of processed food. I missed it, sure, but my checkbook enjoyed the reprieve.

Stop shopping for fun. Don't go to Amazon.com (if you have my problem with books) and ignore the GAP sale emails. Shop in your own home if you're bored. Dig out a closet and see what fun things you can find. If there's nothing fun in there, sell it.

And above all, remember, a slow, methodical purging of waste from your life is better than multiple overhauls of closet, pantry, or offices that cost money, time, and energy.

The tortoise always beats the hare.

In news today:

A great piece on Heather Armstrong, THE parenting blogger from the WSJ.

And more WSJ, with news that Katie Couric might leave?

And a funny piece by the Guardian on falling in love with Wikipedia.

Not much today. Things to do, places to go.

Currently reading: Making of Story (LaPlante)
Currently listening to: Rihanna

Pouring On the Inside, Sunny On the Outside

The projects are flowing in this office, which is good and slightly terrifying. I keep getting an email with great offers for both writing and editing. It's kind of fun actually.

And outside the weather is warming up for sure. They predict Seattle will be back to "warm" by Friday at 67 and warmer on Saturday. But Friday marks the warmest day since last October for us Puget Sounders. Brrrr. We're ready.

Yesterday went and got mani/pedis with the sister-in-law. She being from Georgia knows how important pretty feet are, plus she broke one of her nails the other day. I skipped the mani, and was filled with high trepidation about the pedi. Not a fan of salon pedicures. Yes, I watched that horrible talk show about those women who scarred their legs for life from some mysterious bacteria. But everything looked okay, so I went ahead. Well, bad idea. My feet look great, but the pedicurist drew blood. I hate that. Two things in my life are sensitive: my toes and my teeth. Don't mess with either.

But I can't really complain about my little wound. Hubby came home from soccer with oozing strawberries on both his knees. He's so proud of those too, which is even more funny. My little wound looked like nothing in comparison as we were up pouring hydrogen peroxide on his wounds about midnight last night. Oh the fun of living with a soccer maniac.

Variety reports that Ben-Hur will be remade into a miniseries. We'll see if they can beat the unbeatable Charlton Heston.

This is a scary prospect.

And an interesting look at the Pulitzer winners announced yesterday by a fellow freelancer.

Currently reading: European Urology February 2008 issue
Currently listening to: Filo & Perri

Feeling Feisty

Yup, my energy is coming back after having just Monday off. (And I get the rest of this week off too!)

Decided on a domain name for my new publishing venture, and have been brainstorming content for its launch in May. The new blog digs are almost ready (probably May). I didn't get much done on my first quarter goals.

Left on the list from Q1 (with new additions):

My April list:

1. Moved the blog; need to tweak it for publication.
2. Build new publishing venture site and content (has its own mini list).
3. Outline plans to revise novel.
4. Editorial postcards need to go already (by May 1).
5. Finish building corp writing site (has its own mini list).
6. Hire my VA for data entry.
7. Update www.realbrilliant.com eZine.
8. Implement decisions on blogs for both biz sites.
9. Corp site eZine writing.
10. MFA class work catch up for February.
11. Essay class (finish the most recent essay for my essay coach)
12. Daily study for DANTES and CLEP and reading/research schedule (my list of books is over 50 titles long).

My work is cut out for me. Just as I get to feeling accomplished, I see this list.

Must get to it.

CNN reports here on blurring of lines between professional and amateur writers. Interesting read.

Project Runway moves to Lifetime after one more season due in July. Boo. Hiss.

Perez Hilton has conquered Europe. He will write a Gossip Girl column for ITV.

And I'm out! Happy Tuesday.

Currently reading: Making of Story (LaPlante)
Currently listening to: Filo & Perri

And the Week Off Has Begun

And I'm online with the UK chasing editors for work.

It's just life. I will soon finish a series of work for another client and then my SIL and I will have a la-dee-dah day at home. Or we'll go to IKEA.

I have brainstormed a blogging platform for my writing. This blog will stay here for the time being as my brain dump, but a new, pro blog will be going up soon. See the scaffolding?

In today's news roundup:

Bloggers who blog to death in the New York Times. An article on how writers are scrambling to keep up with the neverending steam of news.

And then, my good buddy Allison Winn Scotch has the paperback version of her first novel coming out on 4/22. Check Amazon here.

And that's all for today!

Happy Monday!

Currently reading: Annie John (Jamaica Kincaid)
Currently listening to: Hillsong

Friday Rainy Fiver

1. Blasted email won't work today! Can't get in or get out for day job and for my main freelance email. This will be fun.

2. Work is almost all done for freelance. Finishing up two projects today and then another begins Monday, but for the weekend, I'm caught up!

3. Guest room is spotless, hubby cleaned his office, and the rest of the house is clean. Just our bedroom (laundry) and bathrooms. Then I need to buy food and we are ready for company.

4. Behind on Netflix movies! Need to catch up this weekend. Can't wait for new episodes of the Office next week! Woohoo!

5. Writing will continue into this weekend and into next week. Sample chapter work continues, need to place some platform-building articles out there, essay rewrite, and need to read a pile of books and start work on the novel revision plan. Plus short story MFA work to catch up on! Yikes.

And I'm off to the rainy beyond.

Currently listening to: The Anthem (Filo)
Currently reading: RSS feeds

Let's Just Wait Until 350 Posts To Switch

Got slammed today with day job work and freelance work and little niggling details that only I can attend to. So what's new?

The bookshelves are up and every single book fits on a shelf! Happy day! No piles under the coffee table and on side tables or stacked behind the couch in the living room, no more books stacked three feet high on my reading table, no more books stacked in a maze pattern on my office floor, no more books stacked in the hallway or on the floor in the guest room. Everything is on a shelf. And boy, do I feel accomplished.

Put another 25 books on hold at the library yesterday and put myself on the list for a Kindle. The rumor is that the wait is no longer at six weeks and since I need to read the new Jodi Picoult, but have four feet of bookshelf space left, I don't want to use up my shelf space on a one-time read. Plus, the traveling coming up will require lots of books and not enough room for them all. So the Kindle was a logical choice. Ordered April 2, 2008, let this blog be a measurement of how long it takes.

It comes with a book cover, a USB cord, and a power cord. It automatically updates with subscribed newspapers and magazines, and if I'm thinking of a book, I can order it direct from the Kindle (in the US). Fully recharges in 2 hours. Easy on the eyes.

The reviews from friends who own one are impressive. Everyone loves their Kindle. And even though seeing Shan's iPhone made me REALLY want one, I'm still waiting for the new 3G network until I buy. Plus my Blackberry will do fine for this year.

In writing news, getting my brain wrapped around my three projects and good thing too. A major trip is now looming on the horizon (bigger than London) for this month and if I go, I will get tons of writing done. Found a major research paper using the King County library extended academic research database, and pulled down a pdf, for free! It deals with the subject matter I'm working on for my YA novel.

Sister in law comes in tomorrow, must go vacuum.

Currently reading: New Oxford Guide to Writing
Currently listening to: Hillsong

301st Post For This Blog

When television shows get to 300 episodes, they get a cake and a party. Hello?

I got chocolate chip cookies last weekend, so relax.

I wanted to move the blog to the new domain by this 301st post, but I'm not done tweaking the new digs, so everyone will just have to wait.

In today's news wrap-up, I'm still fascinated by the debate over receding Google clicks. As someone who uses Google's ads to generate income and to advertise my own business, I will continue to follow this closely.

The fizzle of freelance writers? The New York Observer observes a trend.

And the specialization of book clubs, which is a trend I am a part of. My "book club" is simply five writers who talk writing, but we always take a poll and ask what everyone's reading and then discuss. The last meeting was a heated debate on "The Other Boleyn Girl" and continued reverence for Elizabeth Gilbert's "Eat, Pray, Love." Good article, anyway.

Busy day today, so will get to it. Essay work is on deck right now!

Currently listening to: Hillsong
Currently reading: New Oxford Guide to Writing

Back to Work, Back to Work, Back to Work, Work, Work

Yup, I had a three-day weekend. Very nice, I might add. Trying to burn up my vacation because it all restarted today for the next year. Since I get 4 weeks a year with my job, it seems I will be taking more vacation than I've ever had in almost 15 years of freelancing. Well, sometimes freelancers just take a day off, but most of the time, we work!

I get all of next week off (my last five days from 2007 vacation), which works out nicely because my sister-in-law arrives Friday night. We can't wait.

Had a fabulous weekend with the sis and we shopped and gabbed and brainstormed and watched movies (August Rush, which was pretty good in spite of the crazy photography), and I think she's well-stocked with work clothes (as am I! Found a suit at J. Crew!) and a few ideas on things to accomplish in April.

I finished up multiple projects while she was here, which just started to bug me and so all in all, it was a very productive weekend. Snowed, sleeted, hailed, rained, thundered, lightninged, blew, and blustered all weekend. We still have hail crust on the ground. They say it is to be 60 degrees by Friday.

Bring it on. I bought new flip flops.

Today is finishing up more little stuff (multiple freelance and work projects), sign up for AMWA's spring education conference in May, finish tax papers for the CPA, and begin to get the books off the floor and onto the bookshelves!

Yep, they arrived yesterday, in good shape, and I can't wait to have a shelf for every book in this house. Plus, now that everything can be shelved, I can start weeding out books that can be sold or given away. Woohoo!

This week, I aim to begin the first sample chapter for the book project. We're still in limbo waiting on the publisher's editorial committee, but I like to get something down before they ask for it. Plus, the essay needs revising and I've got to begin a novel revision schedule and master plan.

The client from last week (I quit their project; not their fault at all) offered another lucrative project yesterday and so I need to get the specifics going for that today as well.

Currently listening to: Mighty to Save (Hillsong)
Currently reading: New Oxford Guide to Writing

Friday Fiver, Birthday Style

My sis is having a birthday this weekend and so in her honor:

1. Happy, happy birthday! No snow this morning, so hopefully the storm missed us. Snow right now is just ridiculous, I think. My hyacinth and tulips are shivering.

2. T-o-o-o Y-o-u. Day job is going great; I have to participate as a speaker at the big symposium in London in May. So I need a suit. Darn.

3. Happy birthday, dear sister! Freelance work is in constant motion, jumping off one project today because of the bad vibes. Feel bad for those left on the job, but my gut hath spoken.

4. Happy birthday . . . The agent sent the pitch to the editor. Yowza. This is real.

5. To YOU! Three-day weekend begins. Waiting on my bookshelves and wallowing in my new chair.

Happy Friday! Keep writing, everyone!

Currently reading: about perspective
Currently listening to: Michael W. Smith

Simplify, simplify

Trying to do this, and starting on this blog:

Basically my five-year plan consists of one non-fiction book and one fiction book sold each year (starting last year, but I didn't sell a nf book last year) for the next three years. I then hope to increase that number, but rather than boring you all with my complex algorithms on exactly how I plan to do that, I will just keep it simple.

Two news stories worth talking about today:

An Observer piece on memoirs where people need to change their lives, so they get book deals and then get paid to change their lives (think Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert).

And a Times piece on the Seven Deadly Words for Book Reviewers. This stung, because I've used a few of these in my reviewing. Time to haul out the Flip Dictionary again.

And then a good piece on Jodi Picoult (who has a new novel out) from last year, but that inspired me yet again.

And voila, the writing corner of my office:



Please ignore the drapes that still need to be hemmed and the mess of books and papers. All that mess used to be in my living room. This is simplifying for me. I'm delighted. Amazing how one stupid chair and ottoman from IKEA makes such a difference.

Currently reading: Writing Tools (Roy Peter Clark)
Currently listening to: Newsboys

Crazy Day and Before 9 AM

So things went haywire here and I had to move up all my errands to before 9 am this morning. Fun. But all is well now and I'm on my series of conference calls for the next few hours.

Update: Conference calls are now over and I'm off to my daily work.

Argh. Need to take a picture of my new writing corner. I love it. And my five-year plan. Tomorrow for sure!

Must run now. Lots of writing to be done.

Currently reading: The Making of Story (Alice LaPlante)
Currently listening to: Carrie Underwood

Flying Through

Lots to do today, so this will be short. Tomorrow will be pictures of my new office addition and the beginning of my five-year plan for public consumption.

Today though, there is this news, which delights me to no end, because I adore the Price is Right and Drew Carey and never get to watch during the day. I will definitely be tuning in to CBS for these.

Then this news about Facebook, which slightly freaks me out. I am trying to decide if my profile is worth keeping.

Tonight is a meeting of our writer's group, so this day is going to fly by. Off I go!

Currently reading: sample pages for writers group
Currently listening to: Imogen Heap

Post-Easter Weekend

Hope everyone had a wonderful day yesterday with family, with renewed hope for their future. I hope everyone was loved.

It was a quick weekend and we all weren't moving very fast. Everyone has been stressed about one thing or another and so lots of talking and encouraging and lots of good eats and the inevitable chocolate. I loved playing with my baby niece, who is so cute, and spending time chatting with mom, dad, sisters, and brother. It was great. I completely put the writing issues out of my mind, until last night when they came flooding back, but all is well in light of day now. I think I'll make it.

Revision letter back from the editor on my novel on Friday. I thought about it all weekend (sure, I fretted a bit too), but today I'm ready to go again. I will take the next six months to revise it as I got incredible ideas from the editor and I think I can see what it I want this book to be now. So, if everything goes according to plan, by mid-fall 2008, I will write a fiction book and a non-fiction book! It's more than I thought possible for this year and gets me farther ahead on my five-year plan! It's cool.

I'm still reworking my essay this week too. Lots of writing going on this week as day job is at a dull roar, freelance work is down to a thin trickle, and I know exactly what steps to take to get the writing done. So here we go!

Tomorrow, I need to post my five-year writing plan. I realized that if this needs to happen, I need to be more professional about it.

Currently reading: Writing Tools (Roy Peter Clark)
Currently listening to: NCAA tourney on tv

Good Friday

The blog will stay quiet today.

real/brilliant is taking off until Tuesday to celebrate the holiday with family and friends.