moving on

[ceilingtile]

I haven't been nearly so regular in my postings as I once was, due in part to a broken computer (since December 1st, the day after NaNoWriMo ended, strangely enough) and in part to a greater focus in my writing toward working on my book and sending out a few poems for potential publication (both of these primarily in November). However, as of today

Comments

[orangeophelia]

I wish you could get a chance to hang out with my friend Andrew-- he's the one whose neighborhood we found ourselves in while we were wandering Chicago, but who was asleep so he didn't get my text message. He's been working at a bakery/coffee shop for the past few months, and sometimes sends me essays about his experience. I think his particular coffee shop is much worse for having condescending customers, but he may also be more offended by it-- he has a Masters degree, actually, which puts him ahead of me in terms of degrees. Unfortunately, you're in New York, and he's moving back to Mississippi in a few weeks.

Did you get my letter? I hope you can interpret the cursive-- I was just inspired. We spent two years or so of elementary school being taught how to write in cursive, and now no one I know ever uses it, except to sign their names.

[ceilingtile]

It would definitely be interesting to compare experiences. I've encountered some truly unpleasant customers, and observed some downright absurd situations -- a man who risked a $500 parking ticket in a mad frenzy to claim a forgotten cupcake, a shoplifter who tried to smuggle five boxes of Godiva chocolates in his pants and then offered one to the security guard who caught him.

I got your letter and will write a proper response as soon as I have an address (hopefully in the next week and a half). I have no trouble reading or writing cursive, and it didn't even occur to me that it was unusual -- I suppose that means my elementary schooling was a success -- but I have had people complain when I write in cursive about how difficult it is to interpret. I just really like the way it looks, and also the feeling of forming the letters.

[sporkgoddess]

[ceilingtile]

That's an excellent question! I hope to be able to answer that for certain within the next couple of days, and to move into a new place the beginning of February. I know that I will for sure be staying in Brooklyn, since that's where my heart is. In the meantime, I'm staying with my brother Mike in the West Village and a few different friends in various locales throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn.

[boldly_go]

The riding volunteering sounds lovely, Abby.

How did the November writing turn out?

[ceilingtile]

It feels really nice to be able to use my horse experience and do something good with it. When Hoofbeat toured Three Gaits this summer, I realized how much I would love to learn more about therapeutic riding.

I made the Nano goal and thankfully had my novel backed up before my computer died on December 1st. Contentwise, I still have a lot more story to cover -- I wouldn't be surprised if there were another 50,000 words in me -- and a truckload of editing. Now that I have my computer back, I'll be continuing to work on it. I'd like to be able to get a few copies published for free, which I forget what company promised to Nano winners. How did your novel turn out?

[pamsfriends]

My novel's published on Lulu Press...my friend Quinn, a (four time?) NaNo winner recommended it to me! Already sold fifteen copies!

[ceilingtile]

I'm really just interested in having a few bound hard copies that look nice, primarily for myself or possibly for close friends and family. Once I'm finished, I'm intending to work on sending it out to publishers, so I don't want to do anything that would potentially disqualify me from having it published in terms of first-time publishing rights. I have to do more research on exactly what that means for fiction and nonfiction -- I have a better idea for poetry.

[boldly_go]

I got to my 50,000 words a few days before the end, which was good because everything went into meltdown mode at the end of the month.

I have 6 to 8 more entries to do before it is done. This particular book is told in diary entries by my three main characters.

The company is CreateSpace.

Are you in need of an online writing group or chat?

[ceilingtile]

I don't think I would feel motivated to use an online writing group -- I'd rather rely on my own network of writer friends. Of course, sending your stuff to strangers does present some advantages, such as the fact that perhaps they'd be able to be less biased in their feedback...but for me there would also be a slight apprehension that somebody I didn't know could use something I'd written for their own benefit. I realize that this is extremely improbable.

I remember there was a deadline for CreateSpace in order to get the free copies...I don't remember what it was, but hopefully it's far enough in the future that I'd be able to finish every last bit of my editing to my satisfaction -- which will probably take approximately forever.

[boldly_go]

Deadline is sometime in June.