NaNoWriMo

How's your novel going?  I really don't know how mine is, because I'm writing most of it out longhand.  I need to do a massive round of typing.

Ethical question

Image via WikipediaI grad school, I wrote several stories, including a few profiles of intereting people.  These never got published, and since a few years have passed, it doesn't seem likely that they would without massive overhauls.  Assuming that I add a disclaimer about possible out-of-date concerns, are there any ethical problems with posting these to my other blog?

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Self-Promotion

Wow, this is sad, isn't it?  I'm in... not a rut, so much as a ditch, really.

One thing that's got me stuck: Say I want to pitch a story, or apply for a writing or copy-editing job.  My weak point is self-promotion.  How do I convince potential employers that I am better than everyone else they're sorting through, when all I know about everyone else is that they are at least as qualified as I am, or they wouldn't be my competition.  How do I figure out what I, and no one else, has to offer, that makes me better for the job than anyone else?  (Besides the fact that I'll work cheap -- I don't want to advertise that too much!)

How do you figure it out?  Do you have any helpful hints?

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Exquisite corpse

Image by aperryz302 via FlickrLately, I've needed quite a kick in the rear to get to writing.  You'll notice that I didn't post my goals -- or much of anything -- for July.  And considering it's the 9th already and I've got a bunch of booked weekends in a row, I'm not sure I should post goals for August, either.  But I do need to get my momentum back.

Who wants to write an exquisite corpse?  If you play, I'd send you a line of poetry with no context, and you would write the next line.  Around and around through several people until we have something that's bizarre, surreal, and/or eerily profound.

Any takers?  Sign up in comments.

Inconvenient Inspiration

Image via WikipediaOddly, I get a ton of inspiration during church. It's unfortunate, because I can't do anything about it at the time, and I feel terribly guilty about not concentrating on the service. And then I get home and 90% of the inspiration is gone.

How do you retain inspiration that comes at a time when you can't even take notes?

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Thank you notes

Image via WikipediaIt looks like I've touched off a bit of debate over at The Simple Dollar. Trent gives a really great how-to breakdown, but I disagree with him on one point: he was taught you always cite the amount of a monetary gift, I was taught you never do -- don't even say that it was money, just that it was a "generous gift."
What are your thoughts?
Do you hate writing thank you notes? I've worked out a really easy template:

Dear [name],
Thank you ["so"/"very"] much for the [gift/"generous gift"]. [Specify why you like it and/or how you will use it and/or something, anything positive you can think of. Even if the sweater looks like something the dog vomited, say how warm it is!]
More importantly, thank you for ["remembering"/"attending"/"recognizing" event]. Your continued ["love"/"support"/"mentorship"/etc., pick 2] has meant so much to me over the ["years"/"past few months"/etc.]
Again, thank you.
Sincerely,
[Your name]

Obviously, it changes a bit when the thank you is in reference to a job interview, but this should at least get you started.

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Prayer Intentions #1 -- For the Church

I'm planning on writing the General Intercessions for my wedding next year. I'm actually really enjoying the process, and I have a lot of ideas. De-politicizing my actual intentions is quite a challenge -- give it a try!

Also, what should I be including? Bear in mind that this is a Catholic service (not a Mass), and I am... technically Methodist, although realistically more of a semi-Episcopalian, Catholic-influenced general Protestant (long story...).

Here's part one: praying for the church.

For all the Church in the world, that we may come together, not in hatred over our differences, but in love and devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ.

For all people of faith, and all those who seek meaning, that they may find Truth.

For all deacons and ordered religious, all priests and ministers, all bishops and conference chairs, all Popes and Patriarchs, and for all men and women who are called to be shepherds, that they may lead their flocks in Christ's example.

For all parishioners of N----- Church, and for the former congregation of F-----Church, that the values and love they have passed on to Chris and Laura may continue to guide them and those their lives touch.

Suggestions? Additions?

According to the Book of Common Prayer, the General Intercessions should include:
The Universal Church, its members, and its mission
The Nation and all in authority
The welfare of the world
The concerns of the local community
Those who suffer and those in any trouble
The departed (with commemoration of a saint when appropriate)

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My six-word memoir

Someday, I will be good enough.

What's yours?

Goals for June

• Get 2 entries ahead on myself on Reviewing Whatever,
• get a proper template for Life is (not) Boring,
• write a total of 500 words of fiction (in any combination on two stories),
• quietly roll out this writing blog here,
• send my fiance an honest-to-goodness snail mail letter.

What are your goals this month?

About

Well, clearly the last thing I need to do is start another blog. But this one is not designed for regularity and publicity and all that. This is the combination creative writing/self-motivation blog. This is the one I do for me, whenever I feel like it, however I feel like it.

So, how much you want to bet this is the one that gets a following? That's always the way.

It makes sense, though. On the one hand, everyone wants to be a writer. I'm hoping you'll follow my journey and share yours, as well.

On the other hand... everyone wants to be a writer. And not all of us will, and those of us who try have a lot of competition.

So what do I have to offer? Well, let's see...

• A head full of ideas.
• Three dismal failures at NaNoWriMo.
• A ton of poetry, some published, but very little recent.
• A notebook full of story elements that I intended to turn into a novel, until it fizzled. It's a decent character bible, though, and I intend to steal elements from it.
• A couple dozen half-finished, or half-started, stories.
• Quite a few decent essays that I intend to post in another blog.
• A thin portfolio of news articles, none recent.
• Three blogs, including this one.

Actually, let me amend that last. Technically, I have ten blogs. An old personal blog you're unlikely to find, a current personal blog that you can probably find if you're willing to put in the effort (no, I won't be helping), a blog about customer service I'd abandoned a few years ago but may be cannibalizing for ideas, a Press Ethics blog for school one semester, a single entry at BlogCritics (yes, I do plan to follow up there... eventually), a blog full of reviews, one full of anecdotes, the "share" link on Google Reader, and this one. But more on them another day.

Well. As the title says, Writers Write! And as the URL suggests, Laura (being me) Procrastinates. So here I will keep myself accountable to the world -- as if the world cares -- about my effort and progress. If you're out there, enjoy!