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[shadowkat]

Before taking the trash and recyclables out in a series of trips down my steps...I printed off as much information as I could find on writing query letters and a synopsis.

Here's some useful links for the writers out there who do not have an agent yet and are not published:

1. Writing A Query Letter
2. The Complete Nobdody's Guide to Query Letters"
3. How to Write A Synopsis
4.Writing a Synopsis from the Ground Up - looks more useful than #3.
5.5 Steps to Writing A Synopsis
6.Workshop:Writing the Novel Synopsis
7. Overcoming the Fear of Writing A Synopsis

With any luck those links worked.

Oh and if you are mourning the loss of your favorite series, specifically The Sarah Connor Chronicles - you can go hear and read how the creator feels about getting his show cancelled and now, subsequently being unemployed:

http://hucksblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/boy-in-bubble.html

Somewhat depressing. Albeit reassuring considering he is more verbose and ranty than I am, which I didn't think was possible.

Comments

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

Oh this piece on T:SCC is very funny, and I can see him saying it: I got to see him in a panel with a couple of his T:SCC stars at the local comic book convention and he clearly LOVED his show and had big plans for the 3rd season. Actually I can even hear Joss saying the same then when Firefly and then Angel were cancelled.... It is hard to avoid whining ranting when being that disappointed.

I'm really happy to hear that you are focusing on the book and on the condo search, both are really difficult things to do... And procrastination is easy, but you are moving forward which is very cool. I am contemplating moving (hopefully forward) myownself soon.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

It is hard to avoid whining ranting when being that disappointed.

Oh yes. Nothing is worse than bitter disappointment, particularly when you have invested so much of yourself, your time, and in this case other's time in something and you love it. Only to have someone come along and tell you, sorry it's not gonna happen.

You just want to curl into a ball and bawl. LOL!

I feel for him, while Sarah Connor was flawed, it was in my opinion far better than most of the tv shows currently on and getting stellar ratings. Certainly much better than Heroes or Grey's, or for that matter Bones or the male/centric albeit fun Supernatural. But those shows don't require much from their audience - you can basically sit in front of them with two beers or a martini and be a zombie. Sarah Connor? Not so much. Plus, Sarah Connor was incredibly expensive to produce. This economy is hurting everyone.

I'm really happy to hear that you are focusing on the book and on the condo search, both are really difficult things to do...

Thanks. Well, trying to at any rate. Got a huge wake-up call this winter regarding my habits and the current rut I'd sunken into. Now, I'm taking those first, albeit, difficult steps into a new direction.
It means less internet posts. And an attempt to reinvent myself. Today for example - checked out personal trainers to help me get back into shape regarding the ankle and knee - I want to be physically active - I'm happier when I'm physically active.
(IT does require some budgeting though and cutting on other things, so we'll see what I can manage.)

The hard part is when you make the decision to do it, it's like the universe decides oooh okay, are you sure? Because we are going to put every obstacle in your way that we can think of to make it difficult.

But that said one of the things they said in this Managing Your Time course (required for work) - is that whenever you tackle a task imagine the best possible outcome not the worst. Think positively about it. Otherwise you'll give in to the procrastination.

(I say this well aware that I've made very little progress this weekend on either the query letter/synopsis, book, or my condo search. Gathered a heck of a lot of information regarding it though.
And am scheduling an appointment with a real estate broker that I know next week...she's out on the weekends. So, that's I guess a start, right?)

You need to move forward? How so? You do a very good job of keeping your lj completely angst free, another thing I need to work on. Stop posting angst. ;-)

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

oh my angst is very mundane... I've lost most of my investments (like so many others) which made me think I need to rethink my life style... then a week ago my landlord notified me of a large rent increase.... Which I took as a sign I have to get my act together to change my life style really sooner (instead of kinda later). So now I'm starting to plan to move. It is actually kind of exciting.... I'm going to try to get my belongs down to the point where they all fit in my car (it is kind of a sanyassi thing - not owning more than you can carry) and then I can live much more cheaply....
this isn't the first time I've done it, it is almost a habit with me... so we'll see how the next couple of months go (with me getting rid of stuff and leaving here and all that).

Aren't you sorry you asked? LOL
But really, I'm not that upset, change can be good... at least that has been my experience. When my ex left me it was painful, but in fact I ended up WAY happier than I had been married to him. So I'll assume that this is moving forward, like what you said about imagining the best possible outcome.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Not at all. I'd wondered how you were doing - with the recession, etc. I know how bad it is - I lost quite a bit from my IRA (it is rather painful to look at it, so I don't). Luckily the other two were money market, but they aren't that big, and they aren't making anything due to the fact that interest rates are fairly low right now. At any rate - I wondered.

Really sorry to hear about the need to move - that's never easy. But I admire your attitude. It's best to think positively about these things. Something I'm not very good at, I'm afraid. Been very depressed lately.
The Managing Your Time Class sort of gave me a kick and made me rethink some of it. Realize that I had allowed time to manage me, and had become a slave to my habits. Also, hello, life is obstacles. I just need to break them down into one at at time.

It sounds like that's what you are doing...changing your life style. In the class they said that it takes three weeks to form a new habit and get rid of an old one. And the first week is the hardest.

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

"In the class they said that it takes three weeks to form a new habit and get rid of an old one. And the first week is the hardest."
I agree with that, and of course it is even easier if that change is back to something you kinda know and love...
When my ex left I moved back to where I had gone to college, surrounded by old college friends (I even got a job on campus, for the University, AND I dated an old college boyfriend!), so even though I was starting from scratch financially, I felt like I was going home.

My main thing is to not get exhausted, I don't want to be rushed... I want to take my time organizing my self, so really it is good that I'm starting on this now.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

I don't want to be rushed, I want to take my time organizing my self, so really it is good that I'm starting on this now

That was another bit of advice. To pre-plan.In buying a home, a career change, a vacation etc...if you plan, step by step, it is less likely to overwhelm you. Procrastinating just makes easy things harder and harder things even harder than before. But if you plan each step, break it apart, it goes by much faster and easier.

Steven Spielberg stated that of his films, Raiders was the most enjoyable and easiest to make at times partly because it was by far the most planned. Everything was story-boarded ahead of time, he completely pre-planned it - so that he ended up coming in under budget and before schedule. While JAWS and SAVING PRIVATE RYAN were far harder films, rigorous, because he hadn't planned them ahead of time.

I'm trying to plan these things out step by step. I have time to look and gear myself up for a condo. There's no rush. I don't have to move and I don't have to buy a place tomorrow. I've got time. And the same deal with my book...I don't have to get it published tomorrow. Plus the ankle - can take my time.