It's Alive!

Returning to "normal" after E's recent hospitalization and subsequent illness (she finally returned to school Monday after being out two weeks) has been rougher than usual. My writing life suffered; so did my to-do list which I managed to lose during the height of things.

Little by little I'm reducing the rubble, returning phone calls, reorganizing projects, and cobbling together a sense of order which I pray holds together long enough for me to feel as if I've finally dug myself out of this hole.

On top of my writing to-do list for the rest of this week and next:

1. KM--It's alive again! After a hiatus in which I let the tome percolate I finally have a sense of where it needs to go next.

2. Chicken Soup for the Soul--I'm on deadline for another short story for a December due date. On the heels of this story, I've been asked to consider another. No guarantees that my stories will be accepted, but hot leads are better than cold ones, and it's very cool to be given the opportunity. By the way, if you're feeling inspired, new call outs for story ideas are available on the Chicken Soup website.

3. Good Days Bad Days--a new online zine is in the works for children living with chronic or terminal illness. I've been working on a number of ideas to propose to the editor of this mag. Talk about writing what you know. I've lived it for the last eight years.

4. Office Clean Sweep--It's time. My piles are now piled on top of piles, making file retrieval and storage problematic at best, and I've three floor-to-ceiling bookshelves that need assembly so I can find homes from all of my books (which seem to multiply overnight.)

5. Think Sideways--A few months ago I started a writing course with Holly Lisle called Think Sideways. The course is amazing and inspiring, but I've fallen dreadfully behind of late. Time to catch up, and trust that this, too, is part of my process.