Southern Writing

Starving artist in New Orleans

Okay, I'm not exactly starving. Not yet, anyways.

I've started writing again. In fact, right now I'm writing in a local coffee shop, in between chickory cafe au laits. Here, a small cafe au lait costs $2.07, with tax, and includes a free refill. 

I'm also surrounded by art by local artisans, who don't have to pay to have their works displayed on the walls. I want to buy it all, especially the hand woven rugs that cost $90 each. I hope I get a real teaching job or sell a novel soon (although my first responsibility is a new car). 

I've started substitute teaching, and it's given me a bunch of inspiration for stories. I'd forgotten how repressive and depressing the school system is. So far, all of my classes have called me "the nice lady." I've watched teaching aids tell kids to shut up and throw things at the students. I've worked with aids who refused to tell kids in an alternative school what to do, because they were afraid of them. And, what can I do? I'm just a substitute who's going to be gone in a day. 

Here's what my current schedule normally looks like on the weekdays:

Wake up at 6 a.m.

Fight sleep.

Drive to work. 

Start the work morning around 7 a.m. (but it can be as late as 8:30).

Work with the kids with an hour break and half hour lunch.

Drive home around 2:30 (but it can be as late as 3:30).

Maybe scarf down something quick, like a peanut butter sandwich.

Drive to school for classes and get out around 8:30 (but it can be as late as 10 p.m.).

Write a little or watch TV online or read until it's time to go to bed, which always come to soon.

But, did I mention I'm writing? I'm also going to print out my novel at the college and start editing it, for serious.

Also, anyone who thinks teaching is easy has never had to deal with two emotionally disturbed students heckling each other until one becomes hysterical and vomits on the floor.

Change of pace

Last year, I had an entire post to herald in the New Year, complete with resolutions, like traveling and writing more. This year, there will be no such post. I've been too busy living life.

On December 31, I moved to New Orleans. I dropped out of my Florida life, which wasn't working, and got into graduate school. I start at the University of New Orleans tomorrow. I will working towards a master's in education.

I'm still writing. Write now I'm finishing up an article for the St. Petersburg Times and starting a short story. I'm getting into the groove of this new life. It's awesome.

Crazy November

November has been one of the busiest months of my life. Even busier than October, when I was working four jobs.

I've been trying to get into the University of New Orleans's alternate graduate certificate program for teaching and set up a couple of backup programs, just in case. I'm still working 30 hours a week and freelancing on top of that.

I started out writing a NaNoWriMo novel, but due to computer problems and a trip to New Orleans, I gave up the dream and started to work on rewrites of my previous novel, which is more important, anyways.

On top of this, I'm trying to power clean my apartment for the day I move out, which should be December 31. I am 90 percent certain that on January 1 I will be driving to New Orleans and my new apartment.

My New Orleans trip cemented the fact that I want to move there in my mind. I'm tired of quasi city living and want to live life to the fullest. Who knows what's going to happen tomorrow, let alone next year?

Life up 'til now

I'm still working towards my University of New Orleans goal, but now I have a backup plan. I'm also applying for my professional teaching certificate in Florida, and by this time in January I will either be attending classes in New Orleans or working for the school system in Florida, even if it is as a sub.

I'm also working on a project for NaNoWriMo. During my breaks at Howl O Scream, I've been outlining, fleshing out characters, and setting scenes. By the end of November, I plan to have my second novel in the bag.

That's about all. I'm overworked and tired, and I plan on enjoying some coffee and music at Sacred Grounds tonight.

How September's been treating me

September's almost over, and it's been a pretty good month. The Jewish New Year was a week ago, and since that day, my life has been a whirlwind.

I've registered for the Praxis exam, which is the subject test for New Orleans teachers. I'll have my transcripts sent to the teaching program next month, and I plan to have my ACT scores sent to them as well.

My family is going to drive me to New Orleans, and it will be a mini family vacation. My friends Moira and Josiah will take over Friday night, and Saturday Moira is going to drive me to take the test. Once I have all of the paperwork and testing completed, I get to wait to interview with the program people.

I've also decided to buy Scrivener. It organizes my work too well not to use it. I don't use any of the flashy features (think corkboard and outlining) but what I do use is worth $30.

My future looks pretty bright right now.

The woman with the plan

The most I make in a single month during the year is around $2,000, because every October I work at Howl O Scream. Usually, the amount I make is closer to $1,000.

Now, I have a plan. I'm going to apply to a program at the University of New Orleans that would allow me to earn a teaching certificate while I teach. In the fall, I will hopefully be teaching science classes to middle school or high school students.

I've wanted to teach for a while. That's one of the reasons I'm working part time now as a principal's assistant for the religious school at my synagogue. I've also loved New Orleans for a good long while, and I've wanted to be a bigger part of the recovery effort. Now, I just have to figure out how to spell this out in 500- 1,000 words without seeming like a creep or a weirdo. Fun times.

Because, for me, there is no life that isn't the writing life, I will probably update this blog on my progress on getting into the teaching program. I expect this summer this blog will be filled with posts about fast-track teaching classes, and this fall it will be filled with posts about transitioning into teaching. Life is exciting again.

New writing blog!

Kathy Cano-Murillo, probably my favorite crafter of all time, has started her own writing blog. In addition to being the mind behind the Crafty Chica craft line and crafting books, she is also working on launching her fiction debut.

I'm hoping I love her writing blog (which will be filled with wonderful writing tidbits and information, I'm sure) as much as I love Diary of a Crafty Chica.

The need to read

There is at least one piece of writing advice that is universal: if you want to be a writer, read.

Different schools of thought prescribe different genres to read. Some say you should read the best in your genre. Some say you should read the best literary masterpieces the world has to offer. And, some say you should read everything you can get your hands on. I lean towards the last piece of advice, because everyone has their own opinions on what the "best" is. Also, if you want to make money on writing, chances are you're going to be writing commercial fiction. Bad commercial fiction can be a good example of what not to do.

The other night, I was reading Jack Ketchum's The Offspring. Once I started, I couldn't put the book down. I read all 200+ pages in three hours. And, the reason for the need to read was suddenly clear.

I've written manuscripts before. I've even finished them. But, I've never been so involved with a WiP as I am with my current one. And, while I was reading the novel, a ton of things in my own novel became clear. Like, I need more blood. My villains need to be more ominous and creepy. There need to be more scenes that describe what's going on with the main character's thoughts and feelings.

Some of these were suggestions I received from beta readers, but it took a horror novel to make everything click into place.

In the world of horror fiction, Ketchum is a god. Stephen King has pretty much bowed before the mind that creates mazes of psychological and gory horror. But, in the world of literary fiction, he isn't even a blip on the screen.

So, read often. Read as much material as you can. And, don't be a snob about it. You never know what will inspire you to be better until you've taken a chance.

Life, life, life

Today has been a very busy and productive day. Not in the writing sense, but in the life sense.

I am currently getting ready for some sort of double blind date thing, so that is awesome. But, earlier, I was thinking about how as a writer I will have to work five times harder than everyone else. I'm going to have to have at least one day job and write in my spare time. This worked fine for the last novel, but it's important to consider that, at all times, I will have at least two jobs.

I'm up for the challenge. I'm not sure I could live without writing. Although, I do have to say it would be more difficult to live without reading.

 I was reading Chip MacGregor's blog today, and he had a great post on making a writing career plan. Any writers out there, whether you're a freelance journalist or a novelist, should read it. Not enough blogs/ sites/ books focus on the business aspect of writing, probably because it's the least romantic.

Working and writing

I've had a hard time with supporting myself by freelancing. I've had paychecks that came months late and publishers who took stories and disappeared. I've had a beat assigned and then reassigned to a publication's part time employee who probably won't get paid much extra for her work and most definitely won't get paid as much as I was to do her new job.

Through it all, I worked full time. Then, I moved down to part time when I realized I could make more by freelancing more and working less. This has resulted in tumultuous finances on my part. But, considering we're in a recession and I've had constant employment and constant freelancing work, I can't really complain. I'm poor and overworked, but I'm not living on the street.

Here's where I'm going with this: Use money you make freelancing as leverage to get what you want out of life. If you have to have a day job, make sure it's something and somewhere you like. Some writers have full time day jobs. Some, like me, work part time. And, some take temp or contract jobs to bring in the money when it's needed.

This economy is redefining the way people work, and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. But, it's an important thing. Because, if you think the company that's using you for cheap labor now is going to support you in a few months, when the job market is still flaccid and things have gotten REALLY bad and thousands more panicked professionals have entered the ranks of the unemployed, freelancing and working a couple jobs might look like paradise. There is no longer such a thing as job security.