Archive for April 2011
April 28, 2011 | 
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It’s not often I go into health things on here, but after the insane laughter of friends I feel the need to. I have crushed nerves or somesuch on the side of my head (from a car wreck in 2009), leaving me with blinding headaches most of the time. Last year they severed a few key nerves and the pain lessened by about a third. Well, nerves regenerate and I’ve been toughing it out for months before finally giving in and going back to the doc. I get the, “yup – looks like we’ll have to sever them again.”
So, the keen observations from my loving wife sum it up with, “My mother always said I married a numbskull.”
Congratulate me, folks, for now I “am” a punchline.
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Wow! What a Tuesday meeting this month. Every last one of us ended up acting around 14 throughout the meeting. I actually feel kinda bad for our innocent walk-in visitor. She may need therapy after this.
I volunteered to be the first author on the chopping block and got praise and hits pretty much where I expected to – though got nailed on a few points that definately need attention in the novel. What seemed to set us all off was the sex scene at the end of chapter 11. Everyone ended up getting the giggles (yes, folks, I’m using the taboo word, “giggles.”).
Then we went to the next author . . . and the next. Every critique ended up with inuendos of some kind. It was hilarious. I wish I’d been recording it.
Don’t get me wrong – the critiques were fantastic and spot-on for all of us. But the “Case of the Sillies” monster was playing our funny bones like a Xylophone.
I live for these kind of meetings!
I think the clickety clack of my keyboard is beginning to drive the dogs nuts. They see the laptop flip open, my eyes close and fingers fly across the keyboard. By the time I take a break and open my eyes, the dogs, and even the cats, are gone. I wonder who else I could get rid of this way?
As for the beast that is writing, I have my goals set up for the next few months. I think they’re attainable, but challenging.
Here’s the rundown between now and August 1st:
- Finish story for podcast on Horror Addicts ( http://www.horroraddicts.net ) and get it to Melanie Skipp to read before the May 19th deadline.
- Write and edit story for Hellology anthology.
- Write and edit story for Ultimate Angels anthology so it can be submitted to my critique group at the end of May.
- Write, edit and submit story for Masters of Macabre competition.
- Write, edit and submit story for CSFWG anthology.
- Write final 40,000 words of “Drive-In Feature”
- Edit and submit “A Little Rain.”
- Edit and submit “Fellowship.”
- Edit and submit “Page 57.”
- Have “Olden’s Wood” read for podcast.
- Have “A Murder of Crows” read for podcast.
- Have “Last Call” read for podcast.
Why do I bother sharing this? Simple, I’ve had several friends ask why I’m unavailable in the mornings. I think this answers the question pretty well. With a little luck, my next post will be about another story acceptance.
I’ve been playing catch-up with a few things here lately and just realized one of the CSFWG critique groups I attend meets this Sunday. It’s Wednesday already and I have 200 words written out of at least 5,000 for this chapter. Not sure if I’ll pull this one off or not with the headaches, but I hope so. If I can write at least 1,700 words per day I should be okay.
Then next week it’s another story that’s scheduled to be podcast the following week. No pressure there (can you just smell the sarcasm, folks?)
On your marks . . . get set . . . .
I just got my first sneak peek at the “FEAROLOGY 2: BEWARE ALL ANIMALS GREAT AND SMALL” anthology cover. It looks like “A Murder of Crows” is the inspiration for the cover! Talk about ending the weekend on a happy note!
Typically I explain Mondays as, “the day all other workdays force to go first.” That pretty much explains the beginning of a typical work week.
So I’ve survived my Monday, braved not one, but two grocery stores with the Mrs. (and believe me, she’s a shopping ninja – she can snag a sale item off a shelf right in front of the person reaching for it). We get home and what do I find waiting for me in my inbox? Why pictures of Hollie and I completely zombified by a buddy overseas, Lee Hartnup. If you get a chance, check out his site – it’s twisted and a lot of fantastic photos and projects he’s working on. His site’s http://www.themoriartyofgore.wordpress.com/
I’m including mine here. You’ll have to visit Hollie’s site to see hers (a sexy zombie – go figure).
I knew I never should’ve gone bobbing for French Fries.
For the next little while my site might pop up, disappear, then pop up once more.
Some asshat hacker got in and “looks” to have only put up some cute splashscreens. But we won’t actually know until my service provider and I go through every damned file.
I hope they’re pleased with themselves . . . and that they get dysentery at the most inopportune moment.
