Friday, February 25, 2005

Yay! It's not a wasteland!

Finally "met" another writer in Louisville today. I'd posted a plea for companionship on the MediaBistro bulletin board and got a response from someone who had also just moved here (from Chicago). If I can meet enough people, maybe we can get a writing group together.

Other than that, I did finish up my little "bio" site at http://www.yabookscentral.com/kimpauley so that's done now.

And I'm going to try to churn out a query in the next hour. I have no idea what for yet.

Invisible Me

I'm putting together my little writer's website and I've realized that I have almost no pictures whatsoever of just myself. That's partly because a) I look fat in all pictures, so hardly want to take any, b) I'm generally the one with the camera, and c) no one else ever even thinks of taking pictures. But, no matter the reason, I've got no pictures to use. So, I'm going to just use my favorite ol' black and white clip art.

The bad thing is, I can't find the original site that I found the stuff on. Ugh. So I'll just have to use the pieces I have.

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

So...

I think this is how writers get fat. It's 1:30ish and I'm on my second chai latte and I've had soup and little crunchy toasts. I'm kind of full, but I don't want to impose on a place by using their wireless connection and then not buying stuff. Besides, chai lattes are killer. I don't even want to know how many calories they have. I really, really don't want to know. Maybe I will have to do the whole long walk down here after we're in the house. I'll need the extra walking to get rid of the extra pounds from the steamed milk and homemade whipped cream. Man.

I finished up the Locanda write up and sent it to Tony to take a look at. He's my only sounding board at the moment, poor guy.

I'm thinking I might work on a book for a while. I don't know. I probably should just get another query ready. I can't seem to make up my mind.

Don't real writers do this?

Today I'm hanging out at Highland's Coffee Shop on 4th Street. Got my laptop and my chai latte tea and my notes. So far I've just done a bit of work on the YA site, but next up is working on an actual article. hoo-boy. Feels kind of like what you're supposed to do, huh?

Once we're in the house, I'll probably be doing this at the Old Louisville Coffee House, since it's much closer (Oak & Hill) or maybe at the library sometimes (only problem is no chai tea there...) or even up here, if I were planning to meet with Tony. It would be a bit of a walk, but need to get out and walk anyway. It's my only real form of exercise right now.

I'm a little freaked out about the whole writing articles thing and freelancing. My resume doesn't look bad, but way down deep inside me I feel like a total fraud. I don't know how to do this. I'm just winging it. I know that's what everyone's doing, but I don't know how well I can fake it. Hopefully it will be like my drinking capacity...no one ever knows when I'm drunk. Maybe everyone will really think I am a professional writer. That's how it happens. You just need people to believe.

I'm still looking for a writing group. I'd seen two ads in the Leo with meetings at the Old Louisville Coffee House, but I e-mailed the one lady and she said the group is now defunct (and was kind of sucky anyway). I'm missing Pinawor. It was a good group. Professional, even the people that weren't published.

I need to work on my book too, but I think I'll start that after I get at least 10 pending queries out. Gotta show some income...

Monday, February 21, 2005

Sometimes rejection is fast...

Well, I can say one thing for Fiery Foods -- they get back to you quick if they don't want your article. I'm going to spruce up the query and send it off to another magazine. One of the books I picked up from the library today was on how to write better query letters and I can already see some things I need to work on. I think I was trying to be too cute in this one and I need to actually expand more on what the article would actually contain. Or, they do advise if the article is short to just go ahead and write it and send the whole thing. I might need to do that for this particular piece. I dunno. sigh.

I finished my resume and put up a one page published clip site. I need to ultimately set up a new domain, but I want to figure out what's up with my hosting company first. I'm supposed to be able to host more than one domain off of it.

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Another query out...

Well, I sent another query out. This time it is for the piece I started called The $2000 Hamburger about our adventures in grilling. I was debating about sending it to a larger magazine, but decided (ok, chickened out a little) to send the query to Fiery Foods & Barbecue, a smaller outfit. I just don't have a lot of writing credits yet and I gotta start somewhere. Pay isn't too bad though (at least, not for my current situation): $250 to $350.

That gives me 5 currently out. I need to get 5 more out there. Might work on a query I'd started a while back but never sent for Organic Living. Also need to do the one Italy write up and see how those go. That doesn't pay overly much, but hey, it would be something.

I should also finish my resume up, since some places do ask for that. I've never quite finished it yet.

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Yawn...

I'm not sure what it is today, but I'm almost completely unmotivated and tired. We even went to bed early last night and I got up kind of late this morning. I don't know what it is. I did accomplish a few things:
  • E-mailed all publishers to updated them on address
  • Wrote 2 book reviews, posted 2 news items, posted 2 excerpts on site
  • Returned key to apartment office
  • Cleaned off the desk (mostly)

I did come up with a goal as well -- try to have 10 queries/articles in the air at any given time. Sadly, right now I have just 4, so I've got to get 6 more going. I just can't do it today though. I need to just lay down and sleep for a while.

Next thing I think is to write up a review of the B&B in Ferrara Italy. There's a site that pays 50 Euros for write ups up to 750 words on places in Italy. I could churn out a few of those, but I'll start with one and see how they like it. Too bad all my notes on Italy are packed somewhere in the POD, but I'm sure I can find enough on that one place for now. I'm not sure what 50 Euros is in dollars anymore, but they should be quick little pieces and every bit counts.

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

Wow, a productive day

I actually got some stuff accomplished today! Whoo-hoo! There was the mundane stuff:
  • Washed comforter to try and further remove the cat pee smell
  • Clean carpet in office from last night's cat puke (hm, I'm sensing a trend here in my to-do list)
  • Buy office supplies
  • Empty dishwasher

And the get-your-career-on-track stuff:

  • Queried Salon.com with Clive Barker interview
  • Finished Capriccio article and queried Bonaire Nights
  • Queried Tampa Bay Magazine with wine shop article
  • E-mailed guy at N2Arts that had previously accepted an article but hadn't specified payment or publication

So, all in all, a pretty good day. I also had lunch with Tony, which is always nice. Off to update the other blog now...

Another day...

Today I need to get started on this whole writing career thing. Gotta get a move on. I need to send out at least one query today, maybe two, and work on an article. We're going to need whatever extra income I can pull in and we've got to start eating at home more. Our last credit card bill is insane, partly because of all the moving expenses (that will get reimbursed, thank goodness) but also because we've been eating out so much. Time to pull back in. We really have no idea yet how we're going to live without my salary. It's a big huge step.

Monday, February 14, 2005

Finally an update to this blog...

I haven't been writing in here since Tony and I started a new blog: The Pauley's Go to Louisville. Probably no one else gets it, but that's a take at Paul Curtis' book The Watsons Go to Birmingham. I guess I'm obscure.

That blog is going pretty well. I didn't think Tony'd really be into it, but it was actually his idea. And everyone seems to like it. I don't have this one linked to it or anything, since I want to keep this one pretty private.

All of the moving stuff is going well. The cats right now are some of my biggest stress. After Grace peed in the bed the first night (arguably completely whacked out from the pills we'd given her for the drive up), Tony is ready to get rid of them the next time an "accident" happens. And I do understand that. I'm sick of cat pee too. I'm sick of always waiting for the other shoe to drop. I just have one big problem -- I'm not sure which cat is the culprit and I don't want to get rid of the one that isn't the problem. I don't want to be a disposable pet owner. We made a commitment when we adopted them, but I also don't want to ruin a marriage over a cat, even cats that are my "babies" (though I'm not like those people with the teeny dogs, they are just ridiculous).

At any rate, when we got back last night from packing up the house, I noticed that the bath rug in Tony's bathroom had a stain that looked suspiciously like cat pee. But herein is the dilemna again -- did it happen that first night or was it new? I didn't notice it before, but it was in a shadow and it looked a little old. Are they being bad now or was it just that first night? So I'm keeping an eye on the rugs now. Even the bed smelled a little funky when we got back, but then the whole apartment did. I got some febreeze to freshen things up. The smoke from all the neighbors is getting everywhere.

I wish I had a little spy camera so I could catch whoever it was in the act, though I'd be much happier if they just behaved. We've been keeping the litterbox very clean. I don't know what else we can do. I've tried feliway, multiple boxes (made no difference, they didn't even hardly use the 2nd one), different litter, different food, everything that all the sites out on the Internet say to try. Hooded litterbox, unhooded litterbox. I'm just tired of it all.