phoenixwriting's Journal

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Monday, February 6, 2006

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

Monday, January 23, 2006

7:04PM - Life Post: GRRR!!!

****NOTE**** This would normally go on my Phoenix Rising Blog (http://phoenixrisingfromtheashes.typepad.com), but since the billing issues with Six Apart continue, I will be post life updates here as well. If you are only interested in writing posts from me, please ignore.

*sigh*

Diva had her "procedure" today. At least part of it.

It seems that the "growth" was more deeply rooted than the doc realized (as was the infection), so he did what he could in the office...which consisted of giving Diva not 1, not 2, oh not even Three...but FOUR numbing shots in her big toe (and with each one it took the nurse and me to keep her on the table), and cutting out maybe a 1/4 of what needed to be removed..and he's sending us to a Podiatrist tomorrow morning so they can remove the rest.

*sigh* I could rant and rave about the doc not paying more attention the other two times she was in the office, especially since it looks no different than the last time we were there. But I won't cuz I know that sometimes you don't know exactly what you're dealing with til you get in there are start poking around. But after the first two shots, he should have realized that it was a bigger procedure than he was capable of perfoming and stopped there, not gone on and tortured her with two more shots and then call the procedure off.

Guess that's why they call it "prcaticing" medicine, eh?

So, tomorrow we head to the Podiatrist and hopefully after that procedure it will all be done and Diva won't have the problems she's been having.

On a related/unrelated note, eSTRANGEd hasn't bothered to call and ask how things went. So much for the caring parent he tried to make himself out to be...on the heels of his remarking to both Jake and Diva on Saturday, "I don't have any say in your life anymore, Diva. You're mom divorced me of that when she kicked me out of the house."

WTF? I know I'm repeating myself, but I'm going to say it once more, the relationship he has with Diva is between him and Diva. I have NOTHING to do with it, and no matter how I may feel about him personally, he is more that welcome and has the absolute right to be a part of Diva's life if he chooses and if she chooses. I don't know what kind of reaction he expected from Diva by saying that. I guess he was expecting her to believe that *I* was deliberately trying to keep him out of the loop where her life was concerned. Um..no. If he wants to know something, he can ask...or better yet ask Diva. She's not 13 MONTHS...she's 13 YEARS old and is more than capable of speaking for herself. Trust me, I know. LOL

So, here I sit...getting to endure another night like last night...trying not to worry about the hundreds of things that can go wrong when "it's just a simple procedure" and kicking myself for not getting her to the doctor sooner. *sigh*

Anyway, that's the update...the saga continues...I'll keep you posted. And if you could keep those good vibes, juju, wishes going, I'd appreciate that too.

Current mood: angry

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1:42AM - Odd #2

Another weird “writerly” thing about me: I despise “how to write” books. If you want to learn to write, you aren't going to get that knowledge reading how someone else tells you to do it. The only way a writer becomes a writer is to write.

Whenever the topic on any of my writer's groups turns to “How To”'s I'm glad I'm only reading the posts and not sitting face-to-face with anyone, cuz I know my eyes glaze over and I don't have a pleasant expression on my face.

I have four books that deal with writing as a profession: Snoopy's Guide To the Writing Life, Guerilla Marketing for Writers, Agents, Editors and You, and Writing the Perfect Query.Okay, five if you count my Writer's Market. That's it. No “How to write fiction”, or “How to journal your way onto the NYT Best Seller List”. No workbooks for writers or planners for writers or any of that.

If I were to write a How To Write book, it would consist of seven words:

“Stop reading this damn book and write. “

Now, I know that this theory makes me pretty unpopular in the writing world where everything has a “how to” attached to it. And don't think I haven't thought of writing an actual “How-to” on several topics. And I've actually written a series of articles on how to write humor...but I still maintain that the best way to learn to write is by writing and then writing some more. (And yes, I did mention that ad nuseaum in my how-to articles!)

Anyway, that's my take on writing books. Don't think a writer needs them, but I can't blame those who have written them for cashing in on the market. I just won't be giving them any of my money.

Current mood: contemplative

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Saturday, January 21, 2006

2:10PM - I'm an odd writer...

At least I've been told as much.

When I write, I see the story unfold as a movie in my head. I can see what the characters are wearing, eating, doing, all of it unfolds in my mind's eye and I frantically try to write and get it all down on paper before the scene changes...or I get preoccupied and my brain shifts gears to something else, such as what's for dinner or whether I remembered to clean out the litter box.

Writing for me is a brain-emptying expereince. I'm a "use it or lose it" kinda writer, meaning if I don't get the gist of the idea down on paper in short order, the idea will vanish, seemingly forever. It's a rare idea that pops into my head and stays there or re-emerges at a later time. For that reason, I have notebooks and pens stashed EVERYWHERE. There is at least one in every room in my house, including all three bathrooms and the garage, in the truck, on my desk at work -- and of course I carry the notebook and pen in my purse/bag.

But sometimes I can't get to those items for one reason or another, like if I'm driving. If that's the case, then I use the voice mail on my cell phone to record the idea and write it down later. In this game, you cannot afford to lose an idea...you never know when one of your ideas could turn into the next $3000 article, or even better (to me anyway) the next Great American Novel.

So, I have a question for you: how do you store your ideas to use later? Let me know in the comments section.

*~Namaste~*

Current mood: cheerful

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12:41PM - A bit about me..

I've been a professional writer on some level or another for eh, around ten years. I started out as a business writer -- copywriting, business plans, marketing plans...it was writing related to my consulting firm for small business startups. It was a pretty good living, but there are only so many business plans a gal can write before she starts to grow tired of explaining competitive strategies...

I saw an online ad for 2 websites looking for writers -- What About Work needed content for their small business marketing business, The Einkwell was looking for columnists to write about life. I sent a sample piece to both places -- a how-to about getting free publicity for the marketing business and an essay about rock and roll crushes to the other.

Both websites loved my work and hired me. So, I wrote columns for both websites.

That was a great couple of years. My byline was all over the Internet. I was writing constantly, I was a host in many writer's chats, I had a successful writers chat on AOL, and I was branching out into magazines and newspapers across the US. I won "Favorite Columnist" for The Einkwell several times and even got an e-book deal for my Einkwell column - Moments of Clarity. The book, of the same title, did relatively well for an ebook, selling a bit over 1000 copies and garnered several glowing reviews.

Then it all came crashing down on my head. the dot.com bubble burst, taking most of my business writing clients with it. The Einkwell ceased publication. What About Work shut down. My ebook publisher stopped marketing my book. I went from climbing to falling...fast.

Once the dust settled, I decided that perhaps taking a break from writing (and being self-employeed) was a good idea for awhile. So, I went back to the 9-5 grind. I'm one of those weird people who has always liked working in customer service, so I did that for several years.

Now I'm back to writing full-time. I still have a "day job", but I am a proposal writer for a healthcare company. I write the occassional magazine article, but that's not where my true love lies.

I am a personal essayist and novelist. I've written 2 3/4 novels and I am plotting the fourth in my head. I'm going to pull Moments of Clairty off the shelf, update it, tweak it (my writing has changed so much since I wrote those columns! I'll have to do a "before" and "after" of one of the essays so you can see for yourself) and submit it to traditional publishers. And of course, I am on the elusive, but attainable agent/huge book deal quest.

And that's what Phoenix Writing From the Ashes is about. I'm going to reinvent my writing career and make it what I want it to be. I'd love for you to come along with me, and perhaps take a journey of your own.

*~Namaste~* (the light in me recognizes the light in you)

Current mood: content

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Friday, January 20, 2006