The Wombat Job

A Halloween With Few Decorations

One advantage of cold weather is that insects disappear. The temperatures in western New York have been perfect. Wrong, but incredible. I honestly don’t remember such a long streak of lovely autumn weather. If this were September, fine, but it’s nearly November and the ticks are still biting.

My writing spark dimmed if not went out. Pushing myself has never worked well. Recently, the thought of going to AWP to “work” it with and for my writing club friend to get her book represented, published, and marketed brought an excitement I haven’t had in a while, but it might be due from AWP being in Chicago next year. I do love visiting that city.

Chaos reigns in the vortex of families. The time has oozed along and I find myself thinking about another novel or maybe a series of flash writing in the new month. I cleared such clutter, ready to embrace whatever. I finished another 10-minute play and several more bloomed as soon as I started thinking about doing a full-length screenplay. Focusing on plays led to the AWP thoughts which are now feeding the non-NaNoWriMo NaNoWriMo thoughts so I’ll have a product if I go to AWP.

Endless circle, really. The writing life…

Otherwise, I have a flash coming out on 9 November at Matter Press and if I’m cleaver and remember, I shall link “The Wombat Job” here and oh, how I hope you enjoy it. The final revision seemed to hold the voice the right way, but that’s my egotistical-self speaking. And that was another thing drawing me to revisit flash – I read a story someone pimped and A) I found a venue I didn’t know about and B) I read the flash and knew I could write better than that.

My voting is out of the way, but my anxiety over the lies and delusions…nonstop. And there in lies another problem, is it “safe enough” anymore to enter the flow stage? The last two times I meditated, I was jolted out of calm by loud noises. I’m sure that’s a sign of something, but will I figure out what it means?

Ah well, time will tell, ring a bell, I started to rhyme so it’s time, to say ciao and climb into bed. Happy Halloween! Thank you for stopping by and for the read!

Welcome to Chaos: Spring in Western New York

Hello and how are you doing? This morning we had warmth and the sun, then a downpour that was overwhelming our drainage system, and now that it’s night, I am praying the creek stays low and in its banks. I also made cookies and went out to photograph the crocuses.

A very intelligent woman named Eileen had a phrase that described my recent months – The Tyranny of the Couch. When we bring in wood for the winter, the place where we stack it limits what furniture can comfortably fit in the main room. I’d opted to have the pull-out sofa and coffee table. While great for lounging around watching movies when there was time, I had no space to comfortably write downstairs. And without that, I wasn’t writing unless I had to.

Where the energy came from, I’m uncertain, but late Sunday afternoon, I had cleared a pathway to switch out the big round table for the sofa. Most all of the fiddly bits found homes soon after. Even I am surprised at how well the new placement of furniture is already working out. Last night I worked on my next novel section to exchange for next Tuesday’s meeting and I typed the 629-word story I wrote by hand last Thursday night for Friday morning’s group into a file.  

I honestly don’t know what I’m going to write most of the time, and that handwritten story? It’s called “The Wombat Job” and it surprises me how nicely it’s told. Tight as is, but in a few weeks – if I don’t forget about it – I have a few places I might submit it to once I polish. Very likely I’ll remember how disappointing the whole publishing endeavor is and it’ll remain curled up in a cute little rtf file forever instead. Sigh. People laughed at the laugh spots, too…ah well, RIP little flash, it was nice knowing you for a bit.

Seriously, I do hope I have a chance to share that story – and maybe write more, but that’s in the future. It’s quite difficult to plan for any future when dumb white men are running around getting military personnel killed because the dumb white men didn’t listen to any DEI hire that probably kept telling them attacking Iran was a stupid move. Idiots.

Speaking of not listening, Husband has been fitted for hearing aids. He did a two-week trial and it wasn’t great because of the fit, but he did hear better, so away we go into the world where he has less ability to say, “I didn’t hear that part,” about whatever I ask him to do. He did make this light for me though.

What I’m asking you to do is realize I am happy you stopped by and for the read. Thanks for hanging around, checking in. It’s been a rough twelve months and all I’m getting for it on Friday is older, ffs. Yes, I’ll be wishing the wish we’ve all been wishing for, but as Friday is Good Friday, I’m afraid that even if it did happen, he’d pop back up on Sunday in robot form to torment us for all eternity, so, I’m weighing my decision to wish for that. Maybe I’ll wish for the impossible instead – like an agent wanting to represent my work and maybe a free trip to Italy, too. Why not?

May all your dreams and wishes be beautiful and realized at the proper time. You rock! Cheers and all that until next time!