A Day Lost in the Trenches of Journalism

Wow, that was as bad as I was afraid it would be.

I was stuck in the chair Wednesday, listening to the V.I. Senate on the web, from 10 a.m. to about 7:30 p.m. Then I had to convert the 6,300 words of notes into a story. I think I was finished with everything around 11 p.m. I apologized to the editor by paraphrasing Clemens – I'm sorry I wrote such a long story, but I didn't have time to write a short one. The story is here but you don't want to read it, trust me. Although the part where the senator started singing "I Will Survive" was kinda funny.

I did get a little Scurvy Dogs! work done. At one point the political jpalaver was driving me crazy so I finished up the chapter I was working on. Didn't miss a thing.

Today will be better. I've got some interruptions coming during the day, but I expect I'll be able to get some work done on the book.

I've got a reporter from some magazine in the UK calling at 11 for a Talk Like a Pirate Day story. It's that time of year again, when they start calling. It begins with the print media, which have longer deadlines, then switches to radio in early Sepatmber. Two years in a row, Cap'n Slappy and I did 80 radio interviews in a 30-hour stretch.

And Eddie the Agent is probably calling sometime today (he didn't specify a time) to talk about Chance. His email said it needs a little editorial work, but he sounded nervous about my willingness. I blame myself. I told him when I sent it that had been stripped of a lot of the changes I had done for the old agent and a couple of publishers who ended up not buying it. I wanted it to be judged on the story I thought it was, not the story other people had. But I have no problems with reworking it. I know there's a good story in there, and I already know some of what he's gonna say.

I'm not a prima donna, or even a secondary donna. (Is that a thing? It should be a thing.)

But in the meantime I'll get to work on Scirvy Dogs. Have 11 days to finish.

I'm also thinking about taking part in NaNoWriMo this year. Have an idea in mind for that that might work, but the timing has to be right. Finishing Scurvy Dogs!, then probably reworking Chance. If I have that done by the end of October – and have any brains left – we'll see.