The weekend thus far, and other thoughts
Sunday, September 14th, 2008 11:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rolanniWe had planned to go to the ocean this weekend, as part of the Natal Day Celebrations. Unfortunately, Steve is still not quite recovered from the WorldCon Plague, so it seemed best not to expose him to Damply Airs and Humours(tm).
Friday was another out-straight run at the day-job, and I came home brain-dead. A co-worker had kindly baked me a plate of birthday brownies, which I brought home to share with Steve. May I just say? Double-chocolate brownie topped with chocolate-chip-mint ice cream? Heaven.
Even the infusion of Massive Amounts of Sugar was not enough to rally my few remaining brain cells, so I joined Steve in the living room for a marathon read of Girl Genius, he on the couch, I in the blue recliner, with a coon cat on my lap. Mozart admires Miss Agatha immensely, and seems to have a Sloppy Guy Thing going with Dimo, go figure.
Some time in the later evening we roused, much cheered, for dinner and a glass, and so to bed.
Yesterday's focus was Fledgling, which is moving along slowly, what with the number of brain-dead evenings I've been racking up lately. I got a lot of good work done, if I do say so myself, but it's not going to be ready for prime time by tomorrow. I've given up hoping for some quiet days at work so I can actually write at night. And, honestly, if I were first-drafting something, I could still probably press on at night with half-a-brain -- first drafts are full of krezy excidents; it's expected. Second/third drafting, though, that's tiny little stitches and set-in details -- precision work. I don't dare go into that with anything less than full capacity.
Pause while Mozart wanders around my office, calling loudly for Diggi Mao-Mao. I'm not at all sure who Diggi is -- or was -- but Mo looks for him from time to time, very earnestly.
I've been thinking a lot about how to fit all I have to do into the hours of the day and not drive myself into a depression. It had looked like the day-job was going to have to go, as the thing that took up the most time for the least return, after you factor in all those brain-dead evenings. But. Health insurance. Damn, that's a biggie.
The writing...I kept thinking that the writing didn't used to be such a strain, even during those other periods when I had a consecutive day-job. 'Course I was younger then, but...experience does count, and should weigh in the balance.
Then I looked at what we've been doing as writers since I went "back to work."
January 2007: Gloom, doom, destruction. Meisha Merlin has not paid us and is in default of their contracts. We have therefore stopped work on Web... while we scramble to make ends meet. Sharon fortuitously acquires day-job. Fledging goes into weekly serialization.
April 2007: Contract with Baen for Duainfey and Longeye. Contract with Baen's Universe for original Liaden novella, "Misfits."
July 2007: Hand in "Misfits." Fledgling serialization ongoing.
October 2007: Hand in Duainfey. Fledgling declared a draft.
November 2007: Begin writing Longeye
January 2008: Saltation goes into weekly serialization.
June 2008: Hand in Longeye.
July 2008: Begin revising Fledgling. Serialization of Saltation ongoing.
August 2008: WorldCon. Began writing "Shadow Partner" for Yule chapbook.
September 2008: Fledgling revision ongoing. Saltation serialization ongoing.
Deadlines, near and far: Fledgling to Baen September 15 (ahem); story for Yule chapbook to Steve, October 15; Saltation to Baen, December 15; Sequel to Scout's Progress to Baen, June 1, 2009.
...compare that to 2004, 2005, 2006, in which we were contracted to write one book, and maybe a few short stories, and there was no day-job in the equation. Granted, we were working harder on SRM's exposure, but we're still trying to hold line there, now, too.
Jeebers, no wonder I'm tired.
I'm thinking maybe we need to cut back on the writing, here; and hit a balance where we can have health insurance, time enough, and joy, to write, and some little bits of time to Have A Life.
Well...enough philosophizing. I got me some revising to do.
Beginning word count; Fledgling first draft:
Fledgling Second Draft:
Friday was another out-straight run at the day-job, and I came home brain-dead. A co-worker had kindly baked me a plate of birthday brownies, which I brought home to share with Steve. May I just say? Double-chocolate brownie topped with chocolate-chip-mint ice cream? Heaven.
Even the infusion of Massive Amounts of Sugar was not enough to rally my few remaining brain cells, so I joined Steve in the living room for a marathon read of Girl Genius, he on the couch, I in the blue recliner, with a coon cat on my lap. Mozart admires Miss Agatha immensely, and seems to have a Sloppy Guy Thing going with Dimo, go figure.
Some time in the later evening we roused, much cheered, for dinner and a glass, and so to bed.
Yesterday's focus was Fledgling, which is moving along slowly, what with the number of brain-dead evenings I've been racking up lately. I got a lot of good work done, if I do say so myself, but it's not going to be ready for prime time by tomorrow. I've given up hoping for some quiet days at work so I can actually write at night. And, honestly, if I were first-drafting something, I could still probably press on at night with half-a-brain -- first drafts are full of krezy excidents; it's expected. Second/third drafting, though, that's tiny little stitches and set-in details -- precision work. I don't dare go into that with anything less than full capacity.
Pause while Mozart wanders around my office, calling loudly for Diggi Mao-Mao. I'm not at all sure who Diggi is -- or was -- but Mo looks for him from time to time, very earnestly.
I've been thinking a lot about how to fit all I have to do into the hours of the day and not drive myself into a depression. It had looked like the day-job was going to have to go, as the thing that took up the most time for the least return, after you factor in all those brain-dead evenings. But. Health insurance. Damn, that's a biggie.
The writing...I kept thinking that the writing didn't used to be such a strain, even during those other periods when I had a consecutive day-job. 'Course I was younger then, but...experience does count, and should weigh in the balance.
Then I looked at what we've been doing as writers since I went "back to work."
January 2007: Gloom, doom, destruction. Meisha Merlin has not paid us and is in default of their contracts. We have therefore stopped work on Web... while we scramble to make ends meet. Sharon fortuitously acquires day-job. Fledging goes into weekly serialization.
April 2007: Contract with Baen for Duainfey and Longeye. Contract with Baen's Universe for original Liaden novella, "Misfits."
July 2007: Hand in "Misfits." Fledgling serialization ongoing.
October 2007: Hand in Duainfey. Fledgling declared a draft.
November 2007: Begin writing Longeye
January 2008: Saltation goes into weekly serialization.
June 2008: Hand in Longeye.
July 2008: Begin revising Fledgling. Serialization of Saltation ongoing.
August 2008: WorldCon. Began writing "Shadow Partner" for Yule chapbook.
September 2008: Fledgling revision ongoing. Saltation serialization ongoing.
Deadlines, near and far: Fledgling to Baen September 15 (ahem); story for Yule chapbook to Steve, October 15; Saltation to Baen, December 15; Sequel to Scout's Progress to Baen, June 1, 2009.
...compare that to 2004, 2005, 2006, in which we were contracted to write one book, and maybe a few short stories, and there was no day-job in the equation. Granted, we were working harder on SRM's exposure, but we're still trying to hold line there, now, too.
Jeebers, no wonder I'm tired.
I'm thinking maybe we need to cut back on the writing, here; and hit a balance where we can have health insurance, time enough, and joy, to write, and some little bits of time to Have A Life.
Well...enough philosophizing. I got me some revising to do.
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no subject
Date: 2008-09-14 09:24 pm (UTC)(It's a general problem with being freelance, not just writers. If you don't work for a company as a salaried employee then you don't get the company's health cover -- but if you do then the cost of that health cover will likely reduce your salary anyway, and in the UK at least will also be taxed as though it was income. Of course in Europe most people are covered by socialised medicing (via taxes, so you still pay for it if you earn money) so fewer people have private cover, recent figures in the UK indicate around 12%.)
no subject
Date: 2008-09-14 10:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-14 10:30 pm (UTC)you're looking at about $800-$900 per month for the two of us
The cost is somewhat higher up here, due to Maine's own peculiar regulatory climate, plus the fact that we are an impoverished, sparsely populated state with an aging population base.
Canada -- so near and yet so far...
no subject
Date: 2008-09-14 10:42 pm (UTC)We had in the past carried catastrophic insurance, which is (somewhat) cheaper, and paid for everyday medical attention with the ever-popular Insurance by Visa.
I'm older now, and apparently not so brave. And words to express Just Exactly how broken the US "health care system" is simply don't rise to my fingertips...
no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 12:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 02:23 am (UTC)Stupid health care system. Stupid politicians going on about "health insurance delivery." How about health care delivery, guys?
If I were queen of the world, you'd have it all, ma'am. Including a housekeeper (if you wanted one), and someone to feed you peeled grapes (likewise).
no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 09:26 am (UTC)