Well, the best thing to do when you have nothing to blog about is just start typing, so that’s what I’ll do.
Just finished my Eternal Press business for the next couple of months. Since I worked on two short stories this round I feel like I just got off the Tilt-a-Whirl. Answering questions for one author while working on another’s story was confusing, then there were all the “Didn’t I already do the credits document?” moments. I don’t know how a full-time editor (or an agent, for that matter) keeps all their clients and all their books straight. It’s no wonder things get lost in the shuffle. I guess it just takes practice, and even though I’ve learned a lot with this little editing job, I haven’t edited enough yet for the process to be automatic. I have a feeling, though, that it might never become automatic. Each author has his/her own distinct personality, and each story offers a different challenge. So while the procedure might be easier to remember, cracking open a new story will always feel like improvisation.
My oldest child is home sick today. I find decisions involving the children to be so difficult, whether or not a child should stay home, whether to call the school about mayhem on the bus, how much tv is too much, whether to force the eating of vegetables, and there’s always the question of how to pass along a sense of the spiritual when I follow no doctrine. It seems like every decision with the kids is ambiguous, and I’m not good with ambiguity. I like deadlines and rules.
I was just about jumping out of my skin yesterday. Everything I could think to do for entertainment costs money. I’m strongly considering getting a small part-time job during the day, just to keep busy. Requirements: No working with the public; no standing in one place for long periods (though walking around is ok); an ultra-low fragrance environment; 2–4 hours between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m. sharp. That’s it. That takes out just about every job I’ve ever done in the past.