A Freelance Vacation Test

By AC

Aug

So this weekend, I’m in Philadelphia with my mother to drop my little brother, the baby of the family, off at school for his senior year. It’s a six hour drive down, a six hour ride back, and needless to say, not much stuff will be accomplished on either driving day or the day wedged in between.

Coming into this weekend, I’ve had about 6-8 hours of work that needed to be done, after working all week to get some stuff set aside. 6-8 wasn’t bad at all; my mother goes to sleep early, and I figured I could get some late night writing in.

However, it’s not always so smooth.

1. It’s blisteringly hot and humid here, which strangles both energy and creativity out of me. I’ve been exhausted this whole weekend.

2. At my hotel, a Hilton (!), I had to pay $10 a day for internet, which I know isn’t that bad, but $20 for the weekend is a lot. Also, it cuts into my profit margin to start with and makes me want to work less.

3. There’s not a lot of time. There’s really not. Trying to work while you’re having “family time” while trying not to let your family know that you’re trying to work while you’re having “family time” is pretty hard to squeeze in.

These three facts lead me to believe that the freelancer’s vacation does not exist. As I discussed prior to this in the Myth of the Freelance Vacation, I want to believe in it, but so far all indications point to the contrary. And my Philadelphia weekend certainly isn’t helping matters any.

Thoughts?

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Songwriting and Me

By AC

Aug

So, I’m sort of wading my way through songwriting and a wealth of information on the web, but today, in writing an article about New Students at Berklee for TownMe, I stumbled across some new song writing information, and I’m trying think out loud a little here as well as iron out a process.

Interestingly, this isn’t so far off from what I was talking about yesterday with my thesis work; to write that, I had to adapt the art of the short story to my style, something I was wholly unfamiliar with. I researched, I mimicked, and though I ultimately decided it didn’t have my heart, I enjoyed it very much. So here we go again with songwriting. Writers will always be called upon to expand their craft; it can be the most exciting and compelling time in your development. So here’s me, thrilled and delighted to learn.

My mental process so far:

Poetry = Lyrics

Lyrics + Melody = Songs

Songs = What I Need.

The difficulty is, of course, that I’m no good at poetry. But I won’t let that stop me.

What I know about poetry:

Exceptionally image heavy
Each word should be super important; there’s no such thing as a red herring in poetry
You can tell a really powerful story in a short format
A novel looks like a long, horizontal line (———–); it covers a length of time covering at least several moments in time, strung together like a necklace. A poem, however, and it would seem that most good songs, are vertical ( | ). They take one moment and blow it up until it’s expanded into a billion luminescent fractures.
However, a collection of poetry (or an album of songs) can be like a story arc, like a novel, like a whole constellation of moments

The blog above recommends keeping something like an image journal, which I found to be a really cool idea and will probably be employing it on the way down to Philadelphia to drop the LB at school. She also wrote this really good post about chorus writing that addresses the need for it to be a “big idea” that ties the whole thing together. I’m on the road today, so hopefully I’ll be trying all this out!

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Let’s See How Far We’ve Come

By AC

Aug

I’m turning 25 in November, and while that is a good deal away, this milestone has been bearing down on me for the past six months, and not because I give a damn about getting older, but I feel like I haven’t accomplished much, which leads me wonder if I’ve wasted time–my ultimate antigoal (is antigoal a word? It so should be). I’m in a long delayed, drawn out field for the sheer love of it, and it’s not like I’m earning much money or advancing quickly in the ranks. I don’t have a significant relationship or a child.

Last night, I was looking for something to thumb through while I went to bed, and amidst sloping piles of notebooks that I’ve been trying to organize (unsuccessfully; I’ve accepted that my life tilts toward chaos in books), I found my senior thesis (we called it a dissertation in the UK, but American’s would call it a thesis). It was a creative writing project, and I wrote a short story called “The Tournament”. I loved it. And I loved reading it again. In the back I had to write an explanatory essay and I remembered the whole process, beginning to end, and I loved it. Something that I struck on in the essay was that this thesis was the culmination of my undergraduate career because it was the beginning of my professional career; this was my life long passion, this was my purpose.

At the time, it was a revelation. I never thought that I could make money as a writer and I knew I was choosing something against the grain and unpopular, but I wanted it more than anything, and I became (slowly) convinced that I had no business doing anything else other than writing. So this thesis was like my statement of purpose, my chosen path for the rest of my life.

For better or for worse (really, at the moment, it’s looking toward worse) I’m in this industry. I’m not published but I don’t have much of a choice; I know what I want and I don’t have it in me to give it up now. That’s not what I’m made of. And somehow I think that girl two years ago would be thrilled to know that, even if she was aware that (contrary to her staunch beliefs) she wouldn’t be published yet.

It makes me wonder if the real success here is simply not giving up. Of course, that’s not the success I want–I will always aspire for more. I found something that I love (an extraordinary stroke of luck in and of itself) and I’ve had the (occasionally shaky) resources to follow that. I’ve had the determination to follow that. Even if it’s not the best of circumstances, I’m Tim Gunn-ing it. I’m making it work. I think there’s a purity of purpose now that I won’t always have, and for the moment, I’m appreciating it.

This could all also be because it finally feels like the heat broke a little, and the morning was chilly and cool. Which means FALL IS COMING!!!!!!!!!!

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Pretty Pretty Shiny Shiny

By AC

Aug

Since I’ve spent all morning fake shopping and dreaming about spending money, I thought I’d let you know what I’ve been dreaming about:

$479 The Samsung Go Netbook.

It’s got lots of storage, a sick screen, and it’s mint blue. I’ve been lugging my laptop a lot lately (especially on weekends) and I’m getting sick of it. Would loooove this!

$500 Writing Retreat on the Cape in September.

I have a crazy October that will probably have very little writing in it, and I’m dying to just get away for a weekend by myself and relax, write, and reflect. I need some me time. Unfortunately, the Cape doesn’t come cheap.

$160 Argyle Ugg Boots

I’m such a sucker for the comfort factor, and these look like outdoor slippers!! With socks attached, albeit on the outside. Or, maybe less creepily, they look like feet-sweaters.

$20,000 Toyota RAV4

If everything in my life went according to any kind of plan, I would have the money for a car right now, but it didn’t, and I don’t, and I don’t expect to anywhere in the near future.

Unless, of course, someone wants to give me, say, $21,140. Then, you know, maybe.

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A name, a plot, a character

By AC

Aug

So this novel, which I’m very (loosely..ha…ha…) titling LOOSE is kind of materializing out of thin air, and I’m loving it! I wrote my first song, which I’m sure is probably pitiful and I won’t embarrass myself by putting it up here, and today I sat down and did some work crafting the character.

As far as my writing process goes, I have to think first. Always. I think it’s a product of my favorite teacher ever that continually assigned us “thinking” homework that other people blew off, but I found incredibly meditative and a relaxing exercise for the migraine headaches I got really badly when I was younger. It’s currently how I fall asleep at night, by thinking about where whatever story I’m working on is going and watch it all play out in my mind.

So this story has been circling in my mind for an exact week now, and it has been developing really quickly. My protagonist is a twin, and so far I like the names Bailey and Maggie (Maggie being my protag) and interestingly, I got them from the top ten dog names. Yeah.

**Speaking of dogs, as I write this my dog just fought a skunk in the backyard and, trying to extricate her unsuccessfully from the situation, both myself and my brother got sprayed. I guess that’s what I get for trying to name my character’s after dogs?**

So Maggie and Bailey have just finished their junior year, they’re about to apply to colleges, and Bailey’s always known what she wants to do. Maggie’s about 98% sure what she wants to do, but it’s that 2% that she can’t stop thinking about.

I mean, really, the only tough thing I’m dealing with for this story is the band itself, and creating their story and, more problematically, their music. But I’m getting there!

Meanwhile, Arianna’s steaming along. At this pace, I’ll have a new novel done by the end of September.

Whoo! Now lets just get some paying work done too….but that won’t be too tough because this week I have some interesting articles slated to write. Fun times!

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New on Town Me

By AC

Aug

This week I’ve been working on covering some basic information about the Boston area major schools, so if you’re interested in going to college in Boston, you should check these out:

Mass Art

Suffolk University

Berklee College of Music

Emerson

Boston University (BU)

Boston College (BC)

MIT

Tufts

Northeastern University

Harvard

Tons more work to do this week, I’ll keep links coming!

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Proper Panera Conduct

By AC

Aug

I’m part of the Panera Nation (the number of people that, most likely because they’re unemployed, go to coffee shops and cafes to sponge off the free refill coffee and free wireless internet), but unlike most, I’m usually there on saturdays (my writing day). Usually there are a few people there in the morning, and by noon they burn off, with maybe one other writer sticking around. I generally find the people there pretty friendly. I’m not one of the people who wants to build up a super rapport with those around me, but I smile and make situation-necessary comments with my fellow laptoppers. So imagine my surprise when I read this article.

Twice in the past two weeks I’ve gone during the week, which I haven’t really done in the past year, and my, have things changed. First of all, there are TONS of people there with laptops. Tons. Which does make for tight competition for socket space, yes, but shouldn’t mean that we let common courtesy and camaraderie of people who are equally freeloading fall by the wayside. Today I asked a woman if she could plug in my cord (which was long enough to not impinge her experience in any way) and she didn’t look up, just said “FINE”, shot her hand up over her head (I was holding the cord by her opposite elbow) and slammed it into the socket. Geez.

So here’s my Panera Code of Conduct:

1. Buy stuff. Seriously, go to the library if you don’t want to buy any food. You can’t sit there all day and do nothing but drink free refills. Buy a legitimate meal per every meal time you’re there. Aside from that, it throws off the bad vibes from management. I don’t think they really like laptoppers.

2. Smile at your fellows. All you need is a smile, maybe a nod, possibly a secret handshake if you feel up to it. This is not your private office, you’re out and about in society. I don’t encourage smalltalk–I don’t like to be unnecessarily spoken to either–but is a smile so hard?

3. Share the socket. Come on, that’s the cardinal rule. We all know there are like six sockets–TOPS–in any given Panera, and of them only like two are beside any kind of decent seating. If you sit beside the socket, you should be OFFERING to share it with others.

4. Get to work! Hehehe. Okay, that’s more of a note to self. Later, gator.

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Lucky and Frustrated

By AC

Aug

I am. I am so lucky for my present situation–I’m living with very few bills, rent free (in my mom’s house, but hey, that’s ok) which means I don’t have to do a ton of work to. On top of that, the work that I do have to do is pretty good–I can do it from home, it’s interesting, and I genuinely like it.

But we all know that what I really want to be doing is writing my novels full time, writing my own work based on my own concepts. I want a career as a novelist. And it has never been so tough as it has been this week.

Arianna is flying off with renewed energy, and it’s gathering momentum as it goes. All the groundwork has been laid and now it’s time to roll, and Arianna is really rolling. In addition to which, I’ve found a research vein I really want to pursue for the Robin Hood story, and I’m itching to try my hand at song writing (and do some research for that, too!). I feel pulled in all these different directions, and that’s before I put in a solid week’s work.

All I want to do is write fiction full time, even if it’s not with much of a profit margin. It would be nice if I could finance my own space to do that, but not entirely necessary. I just want a chance to think about nothing other than my characters.

But, like I said, I’m lucky. I just wish I could be….luckier!

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BN eReader, iPhone VS Blackberry

By AC

Aug

I heart my blackberry, and I heart ebooks–both of which are brand new obsessions. Two months ago I had never touched either one. I started on Blackberry when my brother got one free, and I started on eBooks when I got an iPod Touch for free (apparently I’m an opportunistic little sneak). My B&N eReader was the first thing I downloaded on iPod touch because I was psyched to download me some eBooks, and I’ve been enjoying it ever since. The pages flip instantly, there’s no delay, the download time is really quick and as soon as it’s downloaded (AND OPENED!) you can read without internet.

I hit a snag this morning when I downloaded Christine Feehan’s new Burning Wild (I love Christine Feehan’s Drake Sisters series, sick of her “Dark” series, figured I’d give the leopard series a shot). I didn’t open the thing before I left so I couldn’t access it in the wi-fi less car dealership during my oil change, and I was bummed, so I went ahead and downloaded the BN eReader for my Blackberry.

Awesome: it works with my online account, so all books transferred right across, which is very handy.

Sucked: everything else. There was a lot of delay with the trackball as opposed to the touch screen, and the Blackberry screen really is too small. The font was weird too, but that might be my settings.

Also, for other apps, I’ve tried Stanza, and I like B&N better for new releases, but Stanza has a lot of free books and short stories on offer. Never hurts!

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Arianna, or, the Comeback Kid

By AC

Aug

Arianna really doesn’t fight fair. Unlike with my first two novels (Gabryela, which I worked diligently on throughout at a fairly even pace) and Tarian (also known as DIARY OF A TEENAGE MURDERESS) which started slow and then sunk thick, dark hooks into my spine and violently forced me to finish writing it (okay, that’s a lie, I just got obsessed with it), Arianna tends to flow like the ocean–wave, lull, wave, lull, wave.

Yet some how, the waves continue to surprise me. I wrote like 3000 words after midnight last night, and today I feel a lull again. Which is probably good because I have a lot of work to do this week (though, admittedly, not quite as much as last week since my deadline’d work is in). I feel like the momentum is building though, and I’m hoping for a massive, tsunami-style tidal wave to break open this book. I’m about at the halfway point now, so maybe it will be a fast ride from here; maybe not, who knows.

Also, everyone I know should be checking out Jenna Paone on Myspace; I went to high school with her and just heard her music yesterday for the first time since a high school production of Godspell and I’m ASTOUNDED! She’s so talented. We all know I get obsessed easily, but she has some really good music on there. Check out “Smoke”!

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Submissions, Inspiration, and Workin’ It

By AC

Aug

Scrawled, frantic notes on a receipt from the Tori concert So, in recently typical fashion, I’m a bit scattered today. I just need more time, people! More hours in the day. First off, I sent out DIARY to the new round of agents that I couldn’t send it to while I was under exclusivity with the other agent, and I’ve already gotten one “still interested!” response that’s making me feel pretty positive. Hopefully it will be that positive all around; I definitely have one agent that I’m rooting for, but at this point, I just want an agent.

Second, I went to the Tori Amos concert in Boston last night, and, not being an obsessed fan, it was like the most intense session of people watching I’ve recently engaged in. Tori fans are The only semi-decent pic from the show just so interesting! And I spent the whole concert feeling suddenly inspired to write a new novel, which might mean that the Robin Hood idea is getting pushed back (I have a LOT of research to do for that one) but also means that I have to write some songs for this book, and I don’t really have any experience with that, but it sounds like fun! I also have to create a fake band and touring schedule, but that’s child’s play compared to the rest. I already have a main character and a shocking impetus to write this story, so let’s hope I can write some lyrics while I finish the languishing Arianna; then I can launch right into a book that’s writing itself in my head at present. (It also might mean some research trips to venues around the country, hmmmm)

What else was I thinking about today? Oh, right, work. Work work work! Starting on a big, fill-in-the-gaps project for Town Me, so I’m hoping I can put in an easy 30 hours a week with all this work to do. And then there’s the aforementioned languishing Arianna.

Anyone know some good song-writing how-to resources?

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so many thoughts.

By AC

Aug

This will all be a little disjointed. There’s a lot swirling through my head, so just ride it like the tide.

1. Writing and Inferences

As I’m slowly sending DIARY out to a wider audience (family and friends, notably), I’m shocked by the inferences people make. I was prepared for them, so I thought, but there are the obvious things and then there are the smaller things, like breading on a piece of chicken. While the chicken tends to be wholly fictional, the breading doesn’t, and I’m shocked by some of my reader’s abilities to pick up on the grains of personal experience in the breading. I’m not really a spill your guts kind of girl and I hadn’t realize how much of my personal experience really was in some of the offhand comments until one of my friends pointed it out. Sometimes, I realize now, you just don’t know how much of you is the writing and how much of the writing is you.

2. Maine

Went to Kennebunkport yesterday, and brought Little Lucy with me. Has no one seen a goldendoodle in Maine? We got her from a breeder in Maine. Still, everyone fussed over her like she was the second coming.

3. Blogging and traffic

Since moving my blog from “blog.finalword.org” to “finalword.org” my traffic has vanished. come on people, it’s the better URL! Can no one find me over here? I’m talking about going from 150-250 hits per day to ZERO. Actually ZERO. My blog stats are laughing at me.

4. Kiersten Writes Gets Published

This made me so happy. Both for “Look, it happens!” and “Look, there’s balance in life!” reasons. I am so happy for her!

5. Tarian/DIARY

This week I’m sitting down with Tarian/DIARY OF A TEENAGE MURDERESS and adding some new edits to it before I send it off to the agents who were interested before but I couldn’t submit to because I was under exclusivity. Which is kind of exciting, actually. Part of me wants to be so sick of it, so over it, but I can’t help the thrill that goes through me. Could this be the one? Could this be the start of something? Even the idea that I can still find ways to edit Tarian is exciting, like a huge project on how to translate my mind onto a page that other people can experience. It’s like finetuning a translation.

:Cough:. What, that’s not exciting?

6. All of this leads me to the conclusion that just when I think I know everything, life continues to surprise me. I’m only 24, so I guess I should really be grateful for that! All in all, I’m the kind of girl who thinks that life is like a capricious ocean, and it changes in instants. You can’t predict it, you can’t harness it, you can just lay on the ocean’s back and float on the tide. So I’m floating. I’ll let you know what happens.

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How to Handle Rejection

By AC

Aug

So, it occurs to me that I get rejected a lot. If you’re a writer (or I guess this applies to like, high school seniors with really bad extra curriculars and SAT scores), you know the feeling; you have to go through a ton of rejection if you ever want to get published. For anyone trying to get published, it will go a lot easier if you just accept that as fact from the beginning.

Accepting that rejection is part of writing, yes, but it doesn’t mean that every rejection won’t hurt a little. Or a lot. At least a little twinge. So here is my tried and true recipe to dealing with it.

1. Schedule some wallowing time. It used to be that I could drop everything and wallow, but frankly, I don’t have the time anymore. NOT being published means I’m not yet paid for my writing, so at the moment I’m working a LOT. And if it happens on deadline week, like this one did, well, it just has to get rescheduled.

2. Cry your beady eyes out. Seriously. Who’s it going to hurt? It’s good for the skin, and some times it just feels so good. No tissues, just make that ridiculous face and sob until your whole face feels wet and you’ve got a trail of tears in your hair. Then do a little sniffle, blow your nose, and wipe away another dramatic tear or two. Repeat if necessary.

3. Gather Crap. Every smutty or cheesy romance novel that you secretly love but everyone says doesn’t count as real fiction, every saucy, shameless movie that, like Lifetime Originals, goes for the obvious, exposed emotional jugular. Subtlety need not apply. Sometimes a little melodrama reminds you just what kind of fun it is to be a writer. And crappy, smutty, shameless cheese is good for the soul. Personal weapons of choice? True Blood currently, but old standbys include anything about Robin Hood and the entire feel-good fabulousness of the Meg Cabot collection. And if it’s really crappy (like none of the examples I gave) the best part about it is it makes YOU feel like a better writer by comparison.

4. Indulge with your weapon of choice. Jewelry? Do it. Cheesecake? Go crazy. New Michael Kors bag? What? A little indulgence feels a whole lot less guilty after a rejection, and it also can do wonders to heal a little (or massive) wound. You can even bake a little. The smell of chocolate baking is an endorphin. Medically proven, I swear.

5. “Learn” a little. Yeah, it’s the pesky, not fun part of rejection, but chances are every rejection that really hurts is hurting because you had something invested in it, which means there’s probably something you can learn from it. With writing, if you’ve been working with an agent or editor and it doesn’t work out, they’re probably giving you some solid parting advice that, once in a non-sobby state, you should thank your lucky stars for. It’s the key to one day NOT getting rejected.

6. Bootstrap time. Sorry, but with every rejection comes the moment where you just have get over it and submit again. IMMEDIATELY after Step 5! Get right back on that horse without a second’s hesitation. Remember, fortune favors the bold, and the persistent!

Have a hug and a chocolate chip cookie on me. Good luck.

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Why Virgil Was Wrong

By AC

Aug

Audaces Fortuna Iuvat.

Fortune favors the bold.

Virgil was totally and completely wrong. Fortune doesn’t just favor the bold, fortune, and the writing business, favors the unbelievably persistent.

The agent that I was dealing with for the past six months passed on my manuscript today, after revisions, after a lot of back and forth, and after holding exclusivity for the entire six month period. Here’s what I know about this now:

1. Don’t give exclusivity. Almost immediately after agreeing to the exclusivity, several other agents expressed interest, and I felt like I was only hurting my chances at getting published, and had the agent not passed I would have felt very wonky about signing with her having not given the other interested agents at least a fair shake.

2. I think it really is important to get an agent that gets your work. This agent was awesome–we worked very productively together, a chemistry I would like to find again with another agent, but within my novel is a careful balance between a glitzy, glamorous world of fashion and brand names and the dark, upsetting element of sexual abuse. She didn’t believe that balance could coexist, which is what the novel is predicated on, so we weren’t going to get much further in any event.

3. I still have other agents that are hopefully still interested in looking at the novel, despite the intervening time, and I’ll send it to both of them at the same time and hopefully one of them will be interested in committing to it.

4. Naturally my fear is that the floor will fall out and not one of these agents will be interested, and sadly, that really may happen. I’ve known for a long time that it will be a hellishly long road to get published, but it seems that the whole deal is not about how bold I am, but about how persistent I will be.

And I will be persistent. Hear that, world? You’re not done with me yet. All in all, it takes me about as long to shop a novel around the industry and virtually exhaust my options as it does to write a novel, so if, God forbid, Tarian skids into deadsville, then by that time I’ll be ready to try another go-round with Arianna. I’m not giving up.

I’m over getting old
Maybe it’s not my weekend but it’s gonna be my year
And I’m so sick of watching while the minutes pass as I go nowhere
And this is my reaction to everything I fear
‘Cause I’ve been going crazy
I don’t want to waste another minute here

So take that, Virgil.

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Workin’ and Rockin’

By AC

Aug

Since I’m trying to knock out a ton of work today instead of procrastinating and navel-gazing, I give you my work playlist.

Weightless, All Time Low. This is actually one of my new favorite songs (especially with the On the Road version of the video) because it’s a bunch of guys who were just like, “Watch, we’re going to be HUGE.” And now they’re huge. (Huge-ish).

Sometime Around Midnight, Airbourne Toxic Event. I’m just obsessed with this song; it sounds like such a downer but it actually has this unexpected energy that really works for me.

New Divide, Linkin Park. Linkin Park invariably makes the list for my “get stuff done” play lists. Love them, especially when they’re feeling anthemic.

Jai Ho! (You are my destiny), AR Rahman and the Pussycat Dolls. I kind of hate that I like this version, but I love the line, “You are the reason that I still believe.”

You Belong with Me, Taylor Swift. Again, like All Time Low, this is kind of loser-wish-fulfillment-by-proxy. Which, obviously, rocks.

Any other awesome songs? I’m working all day today so I could use the input/recommendations.

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The Benefit of Obsession

By AC

Aug

I admit, I’m an obsessive personality. I associate it with my Scorpio energy:

“Scorpios are the most intense, profound, powerful characters in the zodiac. Even when they appear self-controlled and calm there is a seething intensity of emotional energy under the placid exterior. They are like the volcano not far under the surface of a calm sea, it may burst into eruption at any moment. But those of us who are particularly perceptive will be aware of the harnessed aggression, the immense forcefulness, magnetic intensity, and often strangely hypnotic personality under the tranquil, but watchful composure of Scorpio. In conventional social gatherings they are pleasant to be with, thoughtful in conversation, dignified, and reserved, yet affable and courteous; they sometimes possess penetrating eyes which make their shyer companions feel naked and defenseless before them.”

Isn’t that kind of a hot description? I got it here. I hope I live up to one tenth of that, (especially “they sometimes posess penetrating eyes which make their shyer companions feel naked and defenseless before them”) but the point is I can be obsessive. Over everything. Currently over Godric on True Blood, and, perennially, over my writing.

The benefit of this obsession, however, is it lets me know when my writing is good. If I get obsessed, its working; if I’m not, it’s cardboard. And right now I’m hopelessly obsessed with Arianna, to the exclusion of all work, because things just got incredibly tense and the pace is starting to fire off like a rocket into the stratosphere. I feel like whatever I’m feeling gets written in to the novel, so when I’m obsessing over it, it generally turns out that other people (my select and dear pre-readers) get a little obsessed as well. My idea for world domination, of course, is to parlay this obsession out into a wider audience, but we’ll see how successful I am at that.

And it’s just so GOOD right now! (Now, having read Libba Bray’s writing-as-a-love-story rant, I realize I might go back to hating it soon, but there you have it) There’s a thief, and I love thieves, and the reader just found out who he really was but Arianna still doesn’t know and there was an almost-but-not-really kiss and it’s just so much FUN! Seriously, this is the real thrill of it, forget being published (well, don’t forget it, just you know, set it aside for right now), forget the money or the potential fans, this is the thrill. This is why I couldn’t be anything other than a writer.

So, to the exclusion of work, I’m succombing.

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Freedom Trail on Town Me

By AC

Aug

So today I finished the bulk of a week’s worth of work writing up the Freedom Trail from the perspective of a local–someone who not only has walked the Freedom Trail several times, but knows the areas of Boston and can give more of a contextual guide to what’s going on and what’s around the stops. Anyone can give you history (and as a former State House Tour Guide I like to think I deliver on that front anyway) but I can give you a real sense of place and context.

So check it out; I had a blast doing the research and letting my inner geekdom resurface.

The Freedom Trail starts with the Boston Common (technically at the information center) but if you want information you should go to the National Parks Service Visitor Center. From the Common, the Trail leads you to the Boston State House, where, like I mentioned, I used to be a tour guide. After that is the Park Street Church, which isn’t all that interesting as a tour but it’s always been one of my favorite buildings on the Common. Head over to the Granary Burying Ground (or the Beantown Pub where you can drink Sam Adams while looking at Sam Adam’s grave), don’t get distracted by the Franklin tomb that’s just Ben Franklin’s parents, and then move onto King’s Chapel and King’s Chapel Burying Ground. If you don’t get distracted by Downtown Crossing or need a snack, then head over to the Old South Meeting House, which was where they gave the signal to dump the tea for the Boston Tea Party. Then there’s the Old State House where they read the Declaration of Independence every July 4th, Faneuil Hall (everyone’s favorite stop), and suddenly you find yourself in the North End to see Paul Revere’s House (my favorite stop as a kid). At this point I tend to get pretty distracted by the shininess of the North End, but if you continue on you’ll see the Old North Church (where the lanterns were hung!) and Copp’s Hill Burying Ground (which is way too idyllic to be associated with death, if you ask me).

Honestly, I think every Bostonian should check out the Freedom Trail every few years. It’s pretty inspiring to remember that aside from the highly educated and wealthy gentry like Thomas Jefferson and John Adams (who I admire more for their minds than their guts) there were common men like Paul Revere that risked everything for freedom.

It’s not a bad thing to remember, and it might just give you a few ideas for free things to do in Boston.

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The Myth of the Freelance Vacation

By AC

Aug

So here’s my question: if you’re a freelancer, can you ever get a vacation?

It seems like the answer is a resounding no. From Wednesday to Friday we went on vacation as a family, and I spent half of every day at the hotel working and writing, and then took my books for research with me for the other half. So really, it felt like I was working most of the time, and at the end of it, i was still behind on my workload, hours, and personal writing.

It was wonderful to get away. As I mentioned before, I desperately needed it, and I got in touch with some serious inspiration, which I really was really lacking, so in a lot of ways it hit the spot. It was perfect; the perfect place, the perfect time and the perfect amount of time.

However, in October, I’m going to be taking more time off, both for vacations (some of my Scotland friends will be around the country!) and for some personal stuff, and I’m kind of scared to think about it. Especially if I’m going places where I can’t be connected to the internet or really can’t do work for whatever reason, what on earth do I do then? Give up the pay? I don’t make enough money to be able to do that. So how on earth do I manage that?

So, in essence, I’ll have to save not only enough to pay for the vacation itself, but also to cover the money I WOULD be making if I were actually working. I don’t think I make enough money to do that in the near future, so how do freelancers manage taking a vacation?

Well, maybe the hard answer is, for right now, they don’t (I don’t, at least). At least not without eating the deficit on my credit card.

Unless anyone else has thoughts?

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a post which can only be called WHOO!!

By AC

Aug

i’m so excited! i feel like i actually just did get my very own paid writers vacation. i’m staying in a gorgeous room (of my OWN because i’m the only girl in the family) that has A/C, wireless, and my own deck surrounded by gardens. in fact, i’m so in love with this place already that if i can scratch up the funds, i’ll be back here in september to have a little writer’s vacation where ALL i do is write. in addition to which, all of the rooms are free standing or almost free standing, so my family is like 200 yards away from me and i feel like i’m in paradise. in Chatham.

of course, now the problem is more to the point that i don’t want to do any WORK, i just want to sit here and blast through arianna. which i can’t. because of the work.

but that doesn’t mean i can’t steal some time at night and work work work!!

if you can’t tell, i’m ecstatic. apparently it doesn’t take too much to make me happy, but this is all just so spontaneous and wonderful and utterly, purely, wonderfully serendipitous.

here’s hoping you all are having just as much fun!

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the power of the universe (and walking)

By AC

Aug

i had an amazing day. i really did!

1. last night my dad called and asked if i wanted to go to the cape for a few days. naturally, i said HECK YES! and this was especially enthusiastic because i’ve been dying to go on vacation. lusting over it. poring over travelocity, checking city after city for cheap deals, checking writing retreats, all to the determination that i really can’t afford it now or in the next month or so at least. now, i really wanted to go somewhere and write for a few days, which won’t happen this time around, but still, it will satisfy the wanderlust and hopefully chill me out a little.

2. i’m not throwing up any more, which i was doing yesterday.

3. today, for research for townme, i went into Boston and walked the freedom trail, which i haven’t done since i was a kid, but more over, when i told people i was researching an article and asked them questions a) they treated me like “press” and b) they let me go into things for free! i don’t know about you, but i’m not used to such treatment. this combined with my successful help a reporter out query that led to my break into grant writing articles (the second of which will be going up this week) is making me feel very researchy and journalistic. all of which feels surprisingly good for the girl who vowed to write fantasy because she couldn’t be bothered doing research ( i swear, it’s true).

4. My Robin Hood book came into the library today, all about the real historical evidence of Robin Hood. I’m brewing ideas for my next novel and not holding back! …despite the fact that i’m still finishing the one i’m still working on…

5. I got hing shing custard pastry from chinatown and had lunch by my onesies in a bistro in the north end, culinary delights one and all.

6. i swear to god, aside from the geekitude of loving the freedom trail, i loved just walking the city for 5 hours (in 85 degree heat…). it’s kind of made me feel like i’m on drugs. it was very centering, and very tiring and very refreshing all in one; it made me feel like i really had a fulfilled day, and that really feels good. moreover, it was interesting, inspiring, and let me take another look at a city i often take for granted. i’ll let you know when the freedom trail pages are up and you can see if that gets reflected back.

so all in all, i’m feeling pretty good. i feel like i’m on an upwave, a swell. and i feel like lately the universe, like the rolling stones, has perhaps denied me all that i’ve wanted, but made sure i’ve gotten what i need. like this town me job that i’m loving, like this vacation that feels so necessary, like this positive, ebullient attitude that i feel like is so intrinsically me and yet i’ve lost touch with.

so i bow to the power of the universe and offer my genuine thanks. i’m a happy camper.

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eBook obsession

By AC

Aug

danger. i just got a new iPod touch (my mom bought a mac, whoo!) and i have the B&N reader on there (along with Stanza) and so far I’ve downloaded two books in three days. i can see that this is going to pose a significant problem to my budget, but it’s just so cool to have a book on my handheld! and i can download a new one instantly without poring over the bookstore trying to figure out what i’m in the mood for.

so the real question is, will i ever get my work/novel done now?

not today, because i have the flu. so i’m on the couch with my iPod touch and a romance novel. woot.

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