I remember when my son was small there was a television show called One Day At A Time. I loved it.  It was a comedy drama which I think you will all agree is a good description of life in general. 

Every day I look at the pile on my desk of things that need to be done and try to do one thing.  Lately I haven't even gotten that much done because I'm fighting a cold and trying to pamper myself with lots of fluids, rest, and so forth.  A legitamate excuse to be sure, but an excuse none the less. 

Some days I even add to the pile instead of taking away. That shouldn't bother me, but it does. When the piles are gone am I done?  No way.  There is always a story to be written, a mess to be cleaned up, a book that begs to be read, and a dog that needs a nice walk.  Doesn't sound too bad now that I think about it.

Write on my friends,
BD

This past weekend I was part of a panel of 4 freelance writers that conducted a workshop for the Kansas Writers Association.  We discussed several great resources and I thought I would share them here.

MediaBistro (www.mediabistro.com) under jobs and freelancer marketplace

Journalism Jobs (www.journalismjobs.com)

Writer's Market (www.writersmarket.com) you pay to subscribe, but it's reasonable

The Well-Fed Writer (www.wellfedwriter.com)

Freelance Success (www.freelancesuccess.com) also pay to subscribe

Recommended books:  The Well-Fed Writer (Peter Bowerman), Secrets of a Freelance Writer (Robert Bly), How to Publish Your Articles: A complete guide (Shirley Kawa-Jump), Make A Real Living as a Freelance Writer (Jenna Glatzer), The Renegade Writer (Linda Formichelli & Diana Burrell), Elements of Style (Strunk & White), On Writing Well (Wm. Zinsser), a dictionary and thesaurus.

Hope this helps, it did me!

BD

Last night I had a reading of my play, BB&J, by a fabulous bunch of actors who made it come to life. I saw a few holes in the story that I need to fill and some of the subtle things I put in the dialogue may have been too subtle. The audience missed them.  So, all in all it was a success - I learned a lot about what I need to do in this next rewrite.  It's not ready for the stage just yet, but it's closer. 

Write on my friends,
BD

I know I've written about this before, but it's been a long time and bears repeating.  The writer like any profession needs resources for information.  Like any artistic expression writing evolves over time and the act of writing will improve one's skill.  When you've honed your work as fine as possible then you need to get it to the masses.  Enter contests, submit to magazines and book publishers.  Writer's Market is one of the best resources there is out there. It's on line and in print and covers all manner of venues a writer might be interested in. 

There are some great magazines out there with resource or market information, and ways to improve the craft.  Writer's Digest, The Writer, Poets and Writers, to name a few.  I've subscribed to all of these that I've mentioned over the past few years and have gotten a lot of great insight and direction from their pages. 

Writer's workshops, conferences, critique groups and associations go a long way to inform, promote, and support the writer.  They are all valuable tools a writer needs to learn and grow.  Not to mention the fact that you meet some really cool people - other writers, agents, publishers and editors.  While writing is a solitary endeavor we need the company of other writers and industry experts in order for our work to find an audience.  So get out there and get involved, it's worth it.

Write on my friends,
BD

Not everyone loves fall, but I do.  There's something quiet about fall, even though the trees are a riot of color.  Everything is settling down in preparation for winter. 

It's fun to write right now, there is so much changing all around us, and no doubt in our lives as well.  I'm working with an editor on my book.  First round was not too bad.  It's hard to anticipate when this is my first endeavor into publishing. 

I'm also preparing for the reading of my play and the old nerves are a jangling.  I know it's not brain surgery but it's still important.  We creative types feel like our work is like a child, we nurture it, watch it grow, and send it out into the world.  Scary stuff, but awesome to be a part of.

Enjoy the quiet time and write on my friends.
BD