Scriptorium-ized

mood: Elated
music: Firefly Soundtrack
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Yes, the new issue is online and put to bed. Whew! I feel a great sense of accomplishment and relief. It's one thing at least that feels back on track. Whether it stays that way, well...stay tuned. Tomorrow's task--cleaning my office!

Sleep troubles

I'm having a lot of trouble sleeping lately, and I don't know why. It's not like I'm lying awake worrying over things--it's more that my mind just won't "shut down." I lie hovering on the edge of sleep for hours some nights. If I do get to sleep, I'm awake again an hour or so later. Also I'm having a run of "restless legs," which is exacerbating whatever else is going on. It's been going on for a few weeks now and I'm feeling really exhausted.

Today I'm setting out to try and find a solution. To ameliorate the restless legs I'm going to work out twice today, as my writing friend Lori has the same troubles and tells me that regular daily exercise helps her. I've already got one DDR workout under my belt and I'll do another tonight. Also I've asked Terry to pick up some "sleepytime" tea for me at work today. We'll see what effect those efforts have tonight.

I should have the new issue of The Scriptorium online today, which will be another thing off my mind, so that might also help. Fingers crossed!

Scriptorium-izing

Right now I'm concentrating on getting a new issue of The Scriptorium online--the May/June issue has been up all summer and it's getting pretty dusty. I had made a few attempts over the summer to work on it but alas, they straggled off after little progress, like all else writing-related. The new issue is coming along well, however, and I hope to have it online within the next few days. I'm hoping that will give me a boost of energy.

While writing this month's editorial, I happened upon author Jane Yolen's online journal. Wow. Reading just some of the entries offers a big insight into what it means to write at a professional level--when writing really is your job. When you love it so much that you simply write and write and write, no matter what else is happening in your life. I found it very inspiring.

Changing season...

Summer's almost over, school starts soon, and I'm trying to figure out ways to get my "writing head" back on. I've picked at things here and there over the summer but it's been difficult to feel in writing mode. I did send out some stories a few weeks ago, wrote a few pages on my YA novel, but that's about it. Even the Scriptorium has been languishing.

Now I'm starting to feel like it's time to get back to work, though. September always feels that way to me, as school and routines kick back in. Last week I had an email from NaNoWriMo reminding me that it was only 11 weeks away! And less than that now. So it seems like time to start getting back in the groove. I have two projects I'd like to finish up before November rolls around; totally do-able if I get to work (and if life holds off on the curve balls for a while).

New Masters of Fantasy

Today I happened upon a link to the New Masters Of Fantasy Art website, and I have to say I was impressed. Very impressed. This project produces an annual CD collection of fantasy artwork, of interest both to fantasy art lovers and professionals in the field. It seems to me to be a great way for artists to promote their work, and for art lovers to enjoy some wonderful new artwork--without resorting to, er, less desirable methods of obtaining it. I don't know how I missed this before--they're up to Volume 3 now--but I'll be bookmarking it for certain.

One line about the collection really caught my eye: "Only you can come up with the stories behind the timeless, imaginative works of art in the New Masters of Fantasy, Volume III." So all you writers, out there, listen up. I've certainly found story inspiration in artwork before, but of course it usually involves long hours of surfing around on the internet. A collection like this offers almost 400 visual doses of inspiration at your fingertips--well, in your CD-ROM drawer. Sweet. And the price, I was amazed to see, is only $8.95 US. Sounds like a bargain to me.