Reading: THE RAZOR'S EDGE by W. Somerset Maugham
Music: The Clash's "Super Black Market Clash"
Link o' the Day: Ralan's Writing Market Lists

On the subject of loafing...

One of the things I like best about THE RAZOR'S EDGE is Larry's prediliction toward loafing. I've always thought loafing would be a fine aspiration. For some reason I'm only somewhat good at it. When I do loaf, I do it very well--reading or watching good movies or basking in the sunshine. Wandering about flea markets and bookstores. Eating really good Chinese food. But I will still suffer some guilt because I have a number of projects awaiting my attention. freelance, writing, html, correspondence, and so on. So it's when I get over my loafing and attack my work, it's with a little more fervor. Irish Catholic guilt is a powerful thing. The Protestant work ethic has nothing on us.

Still, halfway through something, like a racoon encountering a shiny piece of metal, my attention will be diverted and once more I find myself loafing in the midst of activity. Perhaps this is why I'm so attracted to Buddhism... there's all that sitting around and thinking periodically interupted with unhurried repetitive work. Heck, I can almost see a Buddhist approach to how I balance work and loafing.

It's good to work. It's good to loaf. I've done too much of either at one time or another--balancing the two seems to work fairly well though. Loafing as work! Work as loafing! that's the ticket!!! Hold my calls!

On that note, today was fairly good-feeling as I sent out a number of poems between last night and this morning. (Many of my poems use Buddhist imagery--is there such a thing as Irish Buddhist guilt? Hmm... note to self.) I got some more work done on my humor story/article. I need to get some more headway on my straight article.

While going over some of my submission tracking, I realized to my chagrin that my "out" pile was growing thin. I've had the usual number of rejections over the past couple of months, but between the Bulletin, finishing the Nolan and Sohl books, starting the Hollywood book, and other projects--I've not recorded my rejections. Tonight I've been revising one of my more favorite stories, "Interworld Truck Kings Artists Collective." The last time I sent it out I had it in my head to try telling it in the present tense.

This was a mistake. With very few exceptions, I _hate_ present-tense stories. Why did I make one? I'm putting it back into a nice, normal, comfortable-to-read past tense. I've not chosen a new market for this yet, but I've been browsing Ralan's site. I have an idea as to where it's going next. Next I'll revise "Pact Anthology" and send that one off again as well. Tomorrow night I'll get back to "Dignity" done, or have revised a good chunk of what's already there. It needs a little more action. Right now it's very "we're-standing-around-and-talking" and it needs something to give it a little more oomph.

Loafing. It's hard work.

Cheers!