Tricks

Rough and hectic day. I would have mauled a few stalks of asparagus if I'd had any. (see below for explanation.)

I missed my writers' group due to too many errands. I had a story all ready for it, too. It was a fun tale, The Great Chocolate Caper. I'd been hoping it was good enough to enter into the contest for our local Pen & Ink paper. Discouraging, but bearable. (asparagus)

I ran to the post office and realized that the self-addressed envelope I had put in with my MS wouldn't work. I was sending it to New Zealand and I had no NZ stamps. The NZ post office, I was positive, would not send out an envelope with a US stamp. *g*

Ran home and found the last NZ$5 that I had leftover from my last trip. I shoved it into the manilla envelope with a note saying, Please use this $5 for stamps to send my MS back with (hopefully - fingers crossed) comments. Or even - dare I say it - a contract? Ran back to post office and mailed it.

Time for my writing class. I had the time wrong, or else everyone else did. *g* (asparagus) I walked in, but they were eating. I grabbed myself a cup of coffee and some food and sat down - near exhaustion. *g*

The fates are kind after my self-flaggelation from yesterday. The teacher loved my MS. Only grammatical changes and one area for fleshing out a little better. She said the story creeps her out. My classmates said the same thing. They loved it. Fit for nightmares. Whoo hooo! (no asparagus needed).

Also, the moderator of the writers' group that I missed was there. I told her about the story I wanted to submit and she squashed me - real quick. Turns out, the story must be short - around 250 words. Mine was 750. Good words. Good story. Lots of laughs. Such is life. I will save it and, when opportunity knocks, I will use it. I don't throw out anything I've written. 

No one at my class blogs as much as I do. I keep telling them they should. First, it gets my name out into the world. It associates my name with writing. I am building a network of people who 'know' my name and therefore, might be considered as purchasers of my books. I learn things about myself and my writing as I share with you, my readers. As my readership expands, I'll be able to use it on my cover letter stating that I have been writing furiously for the last ten years and have a readership to provie it. Lastly, I'm building friendships. (no asparagus needed).

*asparagus story* - Long time ago, when I was pregnant and quite rotund (huge with child), groceries spilled from broken grocery bags and I grabbed, in my fury, a stalk of celery lying on the garage floor, and beat it to a pulp on the drywall. I felt quite satisfied after that. If you need to, you may use this trick of mine to survive fury attacks. It works well.

Life is passion.