Southern Writing

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?

Leaving, on a jet plane

Tomorrow I'm leaving for Milwaukee Wisconsin. I'm going to be at Midwinter, a big deal for crazy, geeky gamer girls like me. Basically, a group of hundreds of One World by Night Vampire: The Masquerade players will take over a hotel for three days.

This means I won't be online or around my computer.

Being a freelance writer is interesting, because it means I'm always working. I've been known to pull my car over to conduct an interview by the side of the road or take a call during dinner in a restaurant and have it morph into a Q&A session. So, in some ways being unplugged will be good (at least when it comes to my computer- I'll still have my notepad and phone with me), but I keep trying to justify bringing my laptop with me. Every time I come with a reason why it's a bad idea (I don't want a lost, stolen, or broken computer) my brain whines about it and tries to come up with an excuse, like "You need your computer so you can do a little work in the hotel, which probably has free wifi."

I know I won't actually get work done in Milwaukee, because I brought my laptop to St. Augustine a few months ago and didn't get any done then, but I did have to either lug my computer around in its case or worry about it sitting alone in the hotel. So, instead I'm going to enjoy my weekend of being semi-unplugged and work on a short story or two. I also have a stack of books I'm bringing, so I'll be updating the book list I've been neglecting on this blog.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. And, if there are any fantastic places I should visit in MIlwaukee while I'm there, let me know!

Resolutions 2009

It's New Year's Eve, so tonight is the perfect night for a post about my resolutions for the coming year.

I was reading Ad Hudler's blog today, and I liked the format his family uses for their resolutions. In fact, I liked the entire post and how flexible his resolutions were and how far they veer from "I want to lose weight in 200-."

So, here are mine:

Career

- Start earning 100 percent of my income from writing, whether it be freelancing, a full time reporting or editing job, or from a sold manuscript

- Attend at least one writing or media conference/ workshop

- Turn in an article to Bitch, Bust, or Curve that is accepted (that means I have to submit to all three magazines!)

- Visit the Missbehave office

Travel

- Get a passport and get it stamped at least once

- Take at least one trip a month

- Visit NY

Personal

- Fix a date for the end of my conversion process

- Get more involved in the Jewish community in Tampa, not just at the 'gogue

- Talk to every person I find intriguing