This has been a crazy week. I started off on a tear with my fiction writing, plunking out over 4,000 words total on Monday and Tuesday. Then yesterday I got caught up in sending out submissions and some job-hunting stuff, and wrote zero fictional words. Crap! Looks like I may not finish the story I was trying to finish up, unless I have a sudden burst o' energy, and the SF novel simply got ignored for lack of time. Ah well.

So what have I been doing on the freelance front? Well, I did some work for a friend on his 84-page technical doc, reviewing it and finding some errors for him last night and early this morning. I also just sent out some more resumes today -- one for a messenger job at a Raleigh lawyer's office (fingers crossed that the Esquart can handle it!) and another one to Internationalist Books in Chapel Hill for a part-time coordinator position that would be cool, but I'm probably not "alternative" enough for them. Turns out the job teaching English and Lit at the prison job has been filled. Bummer. I was getting sort of interested in that, once the unease factor passed away. I also applied at the day care to teach computer usage to 4-year-olds for 3 hours a week, walked out on an "orientation" for a goofy sales job where they claim you'll make $1,000 a week selling frozen meat off a truck (yeah right!!). There are also some tutoring jobs out there I'll apply for next week when I get back and have had a chance to research them more.

But I'm most excited about the prospect of my paper route! I finally got in touch with the guy in charge of News & Observer delivery in Wake Forest, and he may have an opening in a week or two, which would work out perfectly for me. I'd pick up the papers at 3 a.m., deliver them by 5 a.m., and come home and write 'til 11 a.m. or so! I really hope it works out. The pay's pretty good, too -- possibly up to $1,000 a month, for about 15 hours a week at the most.

I'm scheduled to teach at least one night class at Wake Tech -- Fiction Writing for the Beginner -- and maybe another one -- Intermediate Fiction Writing -- if 11 people suddenly sign up between now and the end of next week. And my online fiction writing class -- Writing the Speculative Fiction Story -- is a bit stalled until I can finish my syllabus.

Right now I think I'm a bit burned out on sitting in front of the computer. I've got Lizzie's laptop out now and I'm writing this on it for a change of pace, and to rest my arms. I can't seem to focus on finishing my short story, so I may just try and plug away at the SF Writing syllabus. Don't you hate it when you lose momentum? Especially with a short story -- getting that first draft out is the hardest thing sometimes. I hate that I lost my impetus with that. Oh well. I guess I have an okay excuse -- I've been busy and very distractable! If I get more written today I'll let ya know. I know my buddy Scott is itching to see it, along with some other good folks.

The reason I'm trying to get all this stuff done today is that tomorrow I'm outta here! Yep. I fly out tomorrow morning for WorldCon. It should be a blast. I'm performing "Goddamn Redneck Surfer Zombies" for Lizzie tonight in preparation for my reading tomorrow night (sff.net suite, 5 p.m., be there!). Looking forward to it. It'll be a blast seeing old friends again, meeting online friends in person for the first time, introducing myself to the editors I've been bombarding with stories and novel subs, and just kicking back and having fun. I'll even bring a bunch of business cards to pass out. Got to get rid of those suckers somehow! Talk to you all again next week!

Now Playing:
"Fight Club" soundtrack

Now Reading:
Starlight 3, edited by Patrick Nielsen Hayden;
Smoke and Mirrors, Neil Gaiman

Today's Thought:
"Find a job you love and you'll never have to work another day for the rest of your life."
-- tagline from a message from fellow writer Shaun Jeffrey

Today's Words:
500 measly words, but I'll take 'em!

Today's Quote:
Mother and daughter went down in a flurry of dangling limbs and loose hair. By that time Father Joshua and Skin were running up to Janna and her mother. Ally could only stare, and in her mind the girl's glasses were still somewhere up by the top of the alien ship, not falling, not going higher, just hanging there in space, going nowhere.

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