Category Archive

Enough of this.  “Write in the same place and your muse will know where to find you.”  Or “Be prepared for your muse to descend upon you with illumination.”  Mmm, not gonna fly.  We all know that I have a set amount of patience, and it has run out.  I’m tracking that muse down, trussing her up, and pulling her … Read More

was a disappointing day in all regards.  It’s one of the ones that you slog through, promising yourself that tomorrow you can wake up and forget that today ever happened.  Tomorrow I’m going to watch The Dark Crystal, because it has been popping up in almost all of my conversations lately.  And if anybody comes to my front door, I’m … Read More

42 pieces out.  Just sayin’.   Pieces out: 42 Goal: 40!  I’m an overachiever!

My poem “dreams of color 1997-2008” just went live on The.  The editor emailed me back saying that he liked the poem except for a final floating line that just made the whole thing silly.  I thought, “Hmmm,” and reread it, and -oh, the humanity!- he was absolutely right.  This stranger just managed to save me from myself. I’m working on … Read More

I needed caffeine.  And chocolate.  And then more caffeine. Yesterday I unscrewed the top of my head off for a while and set it aside.  It was the best possible thing that I could have done. The writer’s group was amazing.  Reading and critiquing is a way that keeps your mind engaged even while it’s resting from the creative process.  … Read More

A despondent Mercedes is a Mercedes that is out of sorts, and it must be remedied.  I did some good hard analyzing yesterday, and this is what I realized: I wasn’t having fun.  All of the “Do this!” and “Do that!” and “Don’t forget about these!” were sucking the life out of me.  I was going to be nothing more … Read More

I’m reading my email.  (I get some GREAT email!)  I’m skimming blogs, and seriously, I’m not that much of a blog reader.  I’m putting everything off because it’s just that kind of day. I already cleaned the house, and didn’t dust the ceiling fans because The Onion’s horoscope foretold my gory demise.  (Skipping the fans was no hardship, let me … Read More

Actually, I do.  I love flash fiction.  Micro fiction.  Tiny little pieces of perfect fiction. My goal for the year is to become more comfortable writing in the 5,000 word area.  I can do flash.  I can do novels.  The in-between?  It’s a little bit harder. Anyway, Tuesday Shorts just accepted a flash piece of mine for a future issue.  … Read More

I sold a fun story!  “Lady Luck” will come out in the July issue of Bards and Sages.  They are always quick to respond, but the editor got back to me in record time after we determined the kobolds swiped my earlier submission.  That said, today has been a day of good news.  One friend scored an agent (hooray!) and … Read More

Tonight I have set an hour aside to stalk all of the magazines that accepted my work and then mysteriously disappeared into the black hole of cyberland.  Did they fold?  Are they alive and well? I shall lurk in the shadows and find out.