In the spirit o’ the day, me hearties . . .

Posted on September 19, 2008 by Matthew S. Rotundo

Fer yer piratin’ pleasure, this:

Yo-ho.

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You owe Ralan 10 euros.

Posted on September 16, 2008 by Matthew S. Rotundo

Yeah, that’s right.  I’m talking to you.

You’ve been getting inundated with nudges from all over LJ today, reminding you that Ralan is holding his annual donation drive.  Well, consider this another one.

I sent my donation last week.  What’s your excuse?  

Never mind.  I don’t want to hear it.  Just send the money.  Ralan’s website is hands down the best source we have for genre marketing information.  I absolutely depend on Ralan, and so do many of you.  So why is it that halfway through the month, he’s only reached 16% of his fundraising goal?

Come on, people.  Ten measly euros (more if you can spare it).  That comes out to just over fourteen bucks.  That’s cheaper than most magazine subscriptions.  Cheaper than dinner and a movie.  Cheaper than half a tank of gas. 

Please don’t delay.  We all count on Ralan.  And he’s counting on you.

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Progress Report, in which I get a little Zen

Posted on September 16, 2008 by Matthew S. Rotundo

In last week’s exciting installment, I had mentioned that I had just started drafting my Halloween story.  Then a funny thing happened:  I realized that I didn’t have it yet.  I had a concept I liked, and a couple of characters, but I didn’t have the story.  So I went back into dream time and started making more notes.

And more notes.

And still more notes.

I kept hoping that I would find my plot and get back to drafting, but instead I just made more notes, coming up with story ideas and then discarding them.  I would finish a session of note-making convinced that I had settled on a direction and was ready to go.  But come the next day, I would realize I still wasn’t happy with it and go back to the drawing board.  I started engaged in my avoidance behaviors, allowing myself to be distracted too easily.

Instead of getting down on myself–my typical response–I decided to let myself off the hook a little, meaning I wouldn’t allow myself to sweat the deadline on this one.  If the story didn’t come in time, it didn’t come.  If I had to move on to a different project, then I would move on.  I guess I got a little Zen.  Part of me knew, though, that the story was in there somewhere.

And so it was that after about three or four plots and various permutations thereof, I found the one I wanted, and am now ready to return to drafting. 

I think.  Maybe.

We’ll see.

No updates for Write Club, and I’m out.

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