Just had some random thoughts fluttering around my head, so I figured I'd unleash them on you, fearless readers. Oh, but first, have to mention that I made more progress on the "Unplugged" play, scribbling and revising and putting more of it into play format. Now I just have to redo the ending and add 2-3 new scenes. It's getting there. Hopefully by the weekend. I did some work at the Starbucks at NC State's campus, and boy does that place suck (I dropped Elizabeth off at pottery again, and worked on the laptop, for those of you keeping score at home).

I was flipping around some older articles and Strange Horizons yesterday -- you should check out this week's story by Aynjel Kaye, "Air, Water, and Road" (yeah, I know, another listing title that says little about the real heart of the story -- annoying -- thanks Neil Gaiman and Kelly Link!), but the story itself is fun, and has a beautifully rendered "conceit" at its core, one I really dug. So check it out.

Anyway, I also read the Greg Frost interview there, which was also another good read. He had some interesting things to say about getting a GOOD full-time job, something that pays well and isn't menial, to supplement life as a fiction writer (Greg was one of my Clarion teachers, and I remember him saying that it's impossible to write for more than 3-4 hours a day without turning your brain into much, and I'd probably grudgingly agree with him). Interesting point -- he said that while he was writing full-time at one point, no full-time job, he realized he didn't really write any more than when he was working 40 hours a week. I sort of saw the same thing in my 5-month sabbatical (tho of course I was doing a bunch of odd jobs), though I do think I was more focused. You just have to write when you have the time. Like on your lunch break!

Another tidbit from that article that got me thinking was when he was talking about the Sycamore Hill workshop. It made me want to get together with the writers of my generation (tho I wouldn't turn down an invite to SycHill of course... I think...) once or twice a year and do a three-day workshop event. I know Strange Horizons hosts their own workshops, but I haven't heard much about this year's workshops...

But it would be really cool to get all the "young/new" writer folks with a couple pubs under their belts together in one place for a long weekend of critting, drinking, chatting, eating, and storytelling... I guess I'm feeling the jones to do this because I doubt I'll be able to make it to too many cons this year (though I'm keeping my fingers crossed for World Fantasy, and maybe World SF in Toronto, depending on finances). And I'd like to see my writing friends from around the country and world again.

So that's been running through my head. That, and the fact that I'd like to put together and editing a small 'zine of short, 2500-words-or-less, wacky spec-fic stories to take to say, World Fantasy. (Yeah, I know, Tim and Heather beat me to the punch on that with Flytrap, but there's always room for one more zine, right?

Like I need any more reasons to procrastinate working on the Blackbeard novel... ;)

Later!

Now Playing:
some radio station my office-mate listens to

Now Reading:
Waking the Moon, Elizabeth Hand

Stories out to Publishers:
20

Yesterday's Words:
500

Words for '03:
31,800