First Day Back

Lots of reading is in my future for this nonfiction workshop.  I naively thought it would just be he required textbooks. Nope.  A lot of supplemental reading as well as keeping and turning  in a reading diary where we’re supposed to pick out passages that struck us while reading.  So that is the way we start off.  I already posted my introduction and will be working on my upcoming flash piece due Sunday. My other class hasn’t opened yet so I am still waiting on its syllabus and whatnot.

I started on my nonfiction piece about the book fest last night–got four-five paragraphs done and sent out a bunch of feelers for further interviews so we will see how things go.  I am still thinking on what I want to do for my fiction piece–I am thinking maybe do two more sections and then wrap it up.  I don’t know.  It keeps saying it wants to be long and include more narrators, but all the other characters would be evil and I don’t want them to have their say so I don’t get the dreaded “unlikeable narrator” trope. Anyway.

So I’m going to start reading and see where I end up with nonfiction workshop.  Looking forward to a new semester!

 

 

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Pay Dirt!

I pitched an article yesterday to Parhelion Literary Mag and they accepted it!  I’m going to write about the MS Book Festival that I went to last weekend!  I am really looking forward to this one. I’ll talk about me and Mary Jane and the authors and all that we went to.  Not sure if I actually get paid, but it is a good name and I need all the encouragement I can get.

Aaand I got a very sweet rejection from Typishly.  Good dialogue, good story. Just not quite enough of something unspecified. But I don’t feel bad because they are as always so nice about it.

So school starts tomorrow also and I am looking forward to that. Hopefully I won’t get too  overwhelmed with that.  My main class only has two books, but I’ve never had this professor before so I don’t know what to expect in the way of workload.   And I know I’m behind the 8-ball on the other class; c’est la geurre.

And I finished a scene yesterday on my new fiction.  I started at the end–now I’ll go back to the beginning and see what to do with that.  I’m going to work on it as long as I am still excited about it.  We will see how long that lasts.

Hope everyone has a good day and a good rest of the week.

 

 

Everyone’s Well!

As well as we ever are, I suppose I should say.  But the stomach bug is gone and my youngest didn’t get it so all is well on that front.

The podcast went live last night for my interview with Jack Criss–it’s on Anchor.fm under “Now See Hear with Jack Criss” if you want to give it a listen. I think I did okay except for overuse on the word “Um”.   I wasn’t thinking as fast on my feet as I usually do so I paused a lot.

In another two days I start class for this semester. I am looking forward to it!  I want to see what all I can write for my memoir this semester and get the Welty Residency out of the way.   So that is good to look forward to.

I finally got the last phone call for one of my MCIR stories yesterday and so the press should be rolling on that set of stories soon.  I look forward to seeing them onsite and seeing who all might pick them up.  ANd the money will be nice, too,

Well, I have a new story that came to me ysterday that I want to work on so I am about to start typing and see where it goes.

 

 

 

Recovering

Not sure how coherent this is going to be.  I spent yesterday sick as a dog with my stomach so I am not firing on all cylinders today.

THe book festival on Saturday was wonderful.  Me and Mary Jane went and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.  We heard Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor speak, went to a Southern Humor panel with Harrison Scott Key, heard Anne Patchett speak, then I went to the Southern Fiction panel where Mary was appearing.  It was a ton of fun seeing everyone and talking up a storm to people.

And I spent all day yesterday in bed sleeping on and off after throwing up ini the morning.  Now Bob is home throwing up so it must have been a bug instead of just the food truck food I ate Saturday.

I start school this week on Thursday.  SO that has me excited.  I need to send off my tuition. Life had just interrupted me doing it.

Hope I continue to feel better and that Bob doesn’t; get too sick after me.   Hope everyone has a good beginning to their week.  I think I’m going to go play on social media.

 

A Little Frustration

My editor wants me to make one more phone call on one of my stories and I can’t get it made.  I’m not sure why they’re not returning my messages.  But we will see how it goes. I’m still happy with the work I have done so it’s not upset me.  I just want to do a good job with these.

Waiting around to meet Bob for lunch along with my middle one.  He flew back last night after having a productive trip.  So that was good that he made it back safely.

Another week and I start school.  ANother day and I meet my friend Mary Jane for the Mississippi Book Festival in Jackson.  SO I am looking forward to that.  We always have a good time when we go.  I’ll talk about it next week.  I need to go to the bank and get some cash for lunch and whatnot. I also need to write my tuition check.  I will work on all of that today.

WEll I will run and see what all I can accomplish today.  Hope everyone has a good weekend and if you’re local, come on out to the Book Fest!  Thanks for reading!

 

 

Visiting

Well I’ve found out something about myself.  I can no longer do that stay-up-late-discussing-philosophical-topics thing with my kids. Not without paying for it the next morning.  🙂  I was up ’till 11:30 p.m. last night talking to my middle one and I have been so sleepy this morning. But we did have good talks.

I will be eating lunch in a bit because I go get my hair cut and colored this morning at noon.   I am trying to finish up one more phone call for my profile and will probably try to do that before I eat.  If I can’t reach her this morning I will wait and try again tonight.

Not much else to say about today.  I’m just bouncing along getting stuff done.  But even that is a victory so I will be glad in it.  Hopefully I will soon start hearing back from come of my submissions since classes will start soon and schools will be reading for publication.  i look forward to that.

Hope everyone has a good end of the week and weekend.  I will try my phone call again and then eat lunch, such as it is.  Talk to you all later.!

Podcast Recording

SO I did the podcast Now See Hear with Jack Criss this morning.  I got there super early because I didn’t want to be late if I got lost so I sat and watched him record another guest–a guitar  player who si well known around town so that was interesting to listen to.  He has a nice setup–his sponsor operates a community room in a coffeehouse that’s sound-tight and good for informal conversations. SO I had fun talking.

I don’t know when it’s going to air–he said he would let me know at some point next week when it would be up.  I’m looking forward to it.  It was nice to finally meet him after working on projects together so long ago. He hinted that I may could do other projects with him–so we will see how that turns out.

Bob is home getting ready to fly out for work.  He will head out soon and I’ll hang around here to wait on my middle one to drive in.  We will see how well she is doing.  I’m looking forward to her visit and getting a gander at her new blond look :).  But I think it will be a good visit.

I need to make another phone call for one of my profiles–the editor wants some more perspective on the issues this young lady had so I will be working on that story this afternoon.  I’m still getting in information that can be used in the next series we may do on barriers to care–cost. stigma, and access.  So we will see how that works.

WEll. hopefully everyone will have a good midweek and start sliding on down to the weekend.  Happy Wednesday!