Can I have a spring break now?

I spent the weekend working on a blog post for Resurrection House instead of this blog. Actually, I’m technically not finished with it, I’m just taking a brief moment to check in.

I really need a weekend off. The snow days we had last week just wore me out even more. There’s a music festival rolling into town (Spiderweb will be performing) but I haven’t quite decided if I’m going to go.

Not much else to report, besides general tiredness. As usual I have a backlog of work to catch up on–one of these days I might actually catch up.

Maybe.

Another Spiderweb Event

I’ve received word that Spiderweb Salon will be holding a reading at 35 Denton in March. I’m not 100% sure I’ll be reading for it, but there’s a pretty good chance! I will be attending the zine workshop tomorrow, but I have no idea what I’m going to write while I’m there. I have two or three ideas bouncing around in my head, but I’m being really indecisive about which one I’m actually ready to write. I’m actually not that concerned with making something for the zine, though. I’m a little more focused on coming up with something new for the actual reading since it’s going to be one of our larger events this year. The story I’ve done the most work on lately is already too long for a reading and it’s only going to get longer. Maybe I can write two flash fiction pieces instead? And it’s been a while since I did any of my ‘bite-sized’ fairy tale retellings. I could come up with two new ones, easy, and combine them with one slightly longer flash fic. A month is plenty of time to decide, right? Funny thing- no one ever tells new writers that they will have to construct set lists and actually practice reading under a time limit. I thought that was a thing only musicians had to worry about.

It seems that I’ve switched my posting schedule on this blog from the first and middle of the month to the middle and end of the month. I’m going to pretend it was intentional and not at all because 2015 is the year of me running perpetually behind.

Not Ready for February

Building this page of open magazine/journal submissions is turning out to be an even bigger project than I realized. I mean, I knew it was going to be time consuming, but I didn’t realize just how much work it was going to be. I haven’t had enough time to really get it up and running, but I’ve decided that I’m going to go ahead and post whatever I have collected by the end of February. I just have to admit to myself that it is very much an ongoing project. I’m hoping to have this weekend mostly to myself so I can get some non-work related work done, including working on this blog. I feel like most of what I’ve been posting has been sort of journal-ish in nature, and I’d like to start going into more depth about what it’s like to work as a writer and as a publishing professional. It;s time to start growing the content of this blog.

Resurrection House just opened submissions for both of our journals (Farrago’s Wainscot and Bahamut), so I’ve been busy reading submissions and organizing our new online submissions tracker. This is my first (well, okay, secondish) foray into working as a fiction editor and I’m still a little intimidated by my new role. But, it feels good to have something new and somewhat challenging to look forward to every day. I’ve felt stagnated and frustrated with my other job, so working for Resurrection House has been a welcome fresh breath of air. I’ve actually been thinking of going into freelance copy editing/proofing in order to quit the day job. I just haven’t quite worked up the courage to try it yet. I honestly don’t mind working two jobs- I just feel that my current employment in retail needs to come to an end so I can move on with other, more creative endeavors.

I’m still collecting the names of journals and zines that publish fiction. I’m not even looking strictly for markets that pay pro rates, I’m just looking to establish a list that is as comprehensive as possible so other writers can have at least one decent guide to current markets. If any readers out there have a favorite handful of journals and zines that they’d like to see represented on the final list, message me and I’ll add them in. It’s a community project, after all.

New Year’s Update

I’m way late with this post. The first few weeks of 2015 have been incredibly busy (but somehow also very laid back?), and I haven’t devoted any time to this blog. I wanted my next post to be the page of magazine listings I mentioned in my last post, but it has proven to be a more time intensive project than I honestly anticipated. My new goal is to have it up and running by February.

Resurrection House is opening submissions for Farrago’s Wainscot and the Bahamut Journal this week, and I anticipate being very busy with that. I’m also probably going to be reading or staffing the next Spiderweb performance at the 35 Denton music festival. Who knows, I may even contribute to the zine this time around. We’re still working on the details.

My most immediate goal is to finish watching all of Neon Genesis Evangelion. I’m making udon at my friends’ house this weekend, and we’re going to power through as much of the series as we can.

New Community-Centered Project

I did it! Two posts per month for a full year. Granted, I wasn’t very consistent with sticking to new posts on the first and fifteenth of every month as I planned, but I’m still proud of myself for keeping up with this blog. I fully intend to continue in this streak. Should I pick it up to three posts per month? Once per week seems excessive to me, but twice per month feels a bit thin.

No matter what I decide, I probably won’t post again until after the Spiderweb Salon winter formal on the 3rd of January. There’s just going to be too much happening for the next two weeks.

I’ve mentioned in other posts that I would like to build a page of literary and spec fic magazine listings similar in nature to the one Locus offers, only more closely curated. I feel that half the links on Locus’s page are dead, and many of the magazines are defunct. I’ve already started building the page but I’m not quite ready to post it. I have a week of vacation coming up, so I’ll probably do the bulk of the work then. The page will go live some time in January, and will almost certainly be an ongoing project. If any readers would like to send me suggestions on newer or more obscure zines (or remind me of the bigger ones I’m likely to forget!) leave a comment. I’m certain there are excellent markets out there I’ve never heard of, which is part of the reason I’m taking on this project. The other part of the reason I’m doing this is because I’d like the page to be a reference for other writers who are looking for a place to house their work. Good guides are hard to come by, and the larger this list gets the more likely it is to benefit someone.

It Might Be Winter?

Not much to report. I’m staying busy at both of my jobs and watching far more anime than is remotely healthy for any person to be watching. The weather here has been odd for the past few weeks, but it might actually stay cold for a little while instead of this warm-cold-warm nonsense that has been happening since October. Hopefully that’ll mean I don’t feel half-sick all the time anymore.

I’m on the verge of shaving my head for no particular reason. I’m trying to wait because I’d like to do a cosplay with my natural hair, but the con isn’t until June. The Monday after A-Kon will see at least half of my hair shaved off. I’m so done with this tangled mess. Whatever possessed me to grow it out in the first place?

I won’t be reading at next month’s Spiderweb Salon after all. I’m going to staff it instead. Courtney Marie needed help running one of the tables so I told her I’d step in. I’d still like to polish the butterfly piece I wrote this summer, since it’s perfect for reading at this collective. After all, part of the fun at Spiderweb is watching as people develop ongoing projects.

I’ve been struggling with pretty bad anxiety for several months now (maaaaybe closer to a year), especially since August. I’m happy to report that the past few weeks have been better on the whole. I’ve had fewer anxiety attacks and only one migraine. I just need to get through the holidays in one piece. The insomnia hasn’t really let up (I am so so so sick of being awake at 5 am), but I’m looking into new sleep aids. I have more energy right now, and my foot tattoos have nearly healed so I’ll be able to start working out again. I have a feeling that will help my overall mental state. I’m trying to build a positive feedback loop to offset everything else.

So Much for That

I’m going to be a NaNoWriMo failure this year. To be honest though, I’m not really bothered by that. I spent the past two weekends crashed out on my couch in recovery mode, and I’m finally starting to feel a little better. I’m actually eating on a regular schedule now, which is nice. (I’ve been so freaking hungry today!) Still not sleeping well, though, but at least the random anxiety-induced heart palpitations seem to have mostly gone away.

I credit the healing power of marathoning multiple anime series. I’m going to start dreaming in Japanese any day now. (Fun fact: I have actually dreamed in subtitles. It was kind of awesome.) If you haven’t seen Durarara! you’re missing out. It’s free on Crunchyroll, so you have no excuse.

I did at least type up a few things I had handwritten in my notebooks, so now I have digital copies to work with instead of my awful, awful handwriting. No new material to report though, at least nothing worth mentioning. There also won’t be a November masquerade for Spiderweb Salon. The show has been pushed back to next January. What this means to me is that I have an extra month and a half to come up with a new set, which sounds fine by me.

Yes, NaNoWriMo.

Okay, I’m going to do it. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about it after the wedding (I’m still exhausted) and I’ve already lost a few days, but that’s fine. I should be able to get a fair amount of time to write over the weekend. There’s one story I’ve been turning over in the back of my head for a while, and I think I’m ready to write it. I also want to write a story for an upcoming special issue of Lightspeed. These two stories may become one. We’ll see.

The collection probably won’t have a unifying theme. Initially I was planning to do a collection with some kind of common thread connecting all of the stories, but I think I’m going to set that idea aside and just bang out whatever feels right.

I’m still not sure if I’m reading for Spiderweb Salon this month. I haven’t seen anyone affiliated with the salon for a while (partly because I’ve been 1,000% distracted with helping out with my friends’ wedding) but I’ll probably run into one of them in the next few days. Even if I don’t read I’ll attend the show since it’s going to be the annual masquerade. Last year was a blast even though we got rained out of our initial venue.

NaNoWriMo?

Sorry for the super late post. This month has been crazy and hectic and I’ve barely had any time for myself. I’m in a wedding at the end of the month, then my schedule should chill out for a little while. It will be nice to have some time to focus on myself for a change.

My friend has me almost convinced to give NaNoWriMo a try. I always forget it’s a thing until November is halfway over, but this year I might actually give it a shot. I won’t be writing a novel, though. Instead I’ll put together a collection of short fiction. I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to aim for some kind of unified theme or if I’m going to just pound out whatever occurs to me. It might be a good thing for me to pick one way or another before I start writing.

Right now I’m in the middle of a bad bout with anxiety and insomnia, and I haven’t been able to eat properly for a few weeks because of all the stress. I think I’ve lost some weight, which would be great if not for the fact that I’ve lost it in an unhealthy manner. Whether I do NaNoWriMo or not, November will have to be my mental health month. Having a project might help me get a grip on myself, but if the stress becomes too much I’ll have to let it go until next year. It would be awfully nice to work again, though.

I’ll probably be reading at next month’s Spiderweb Salon event. Who knows, maybe I’ll have some new material by then. It’s going to be another charity event, which I really enjoy doing. Our proceeds will go to help the founding of the Southern Woman’s Bookstore. They’re struggling to get off the ground, and we want to help them. I’ve always wondered why there wasn’t a feminist bookstore in our region, and I really hope that they can come in and fill that gap.

I may have more updates soon. I won’t know for sure if I’m reading for another week or two, and by then I’ll know if I’m going to bite the bullet and do the NaNoWriMo thing.

Best Month <3

This is the nerdiest month of my year. Last weekend I went to see Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban at the Omni Theater. It was pretty much the coolest thing ever. There were so many little kids there in costume, which surprised me for some reason and also made me feel old. Most of them were too young to remember the books and movies being released, which means that it was up to the parents to foster a new generation of Griffindors and Hufflepuffs. I’m pleased to say that Ravenclaw was one of the more popular houses among the kids, mores than Hufflepuff and Slytherin. (Go Ravenclaw! Smart people are cool!) PoA is my favorite book/movie in the series, partly because it introduces my favorite character Lupin, and partly because it’s really the last entry that solidly a kid’s book. From Goblet of Fire onward the series gets darker and more heart wrenching, which is great except for the fact that it makes me cry uncontrollably.

Next week I get to cosplay Death from Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series. I’m going to FanDays in Dallas with a few friends, and I figured I’d get back into cosplaying since I had the chance. I’m still trying to figure out her makeup but I have a little over a week to practice. I can’t seem to keep my white Ben Nye foundation from creasing.

The end of the month will see me in a Doctor Who themed wedding. I’ll miss out on most Halloween festivities since I’ll be in a hotel room in Canton, but it’ll be worth it to see my friends have an awesome ceremony.

I also found out that I’ll be attending Wiscon next year. I’ve wanted to make it to this con for years, and now Resurrection House is sending me! It will be my first out-of-state convention, but almost certainly not my last.

One day I’ll make it to SDCC. One day.