Hobkin is not a joy in summer. He’s a bratty terror during the warm months. He would not take “my alarm doesn’t go off for another half hour, lemme sleepzzzz!” as an excuse to postpone his (very early) breakfast. ‘Course, he doesn’t usually in winter either, but there’s an added level of insistence, as in “I will totally piddle on the carpet if you don’t get up NOW to feed me” that isn’t there so much in December. fosteronfilm actually got up to give him a snack so I could have a few more precious minutes of shuteye. And he’s been blowing his coat something fierce for what feels like months now (Hobkin, not Matthew). Fall needs to hurry up and get here.
I want to say again that I lubs me my new job. Some of the rose-tinted glasses-glow will undoubtedly fade in time–like I note that under each editors’ desk, we have our very own personal space heater, which bodes scariness come winter (note to self: bring sweater), and there’s a gigantic, framed Shakespeare poster hanging behind my desk which is there to cover a huge hole in the wall*, something I find charming now, but expect I’ll want to roll my eyes at down the road**–but I’m still deep into the honeymoon phase of my shiny, new career.
And my muse is starting to perk up from all the new stimuli. I’m thinking I need to write a story set on a transit train . . .
*At least it’s a Shakespeare poster which is so much cooler than one of those lame motivational ones.
**Especially if there’s a chilly draft out of that hole come the cold season.
Writing Stuff
I got an email from a publisher/editor asking for my permission to reprint my column, Writing for Young Readers, on their website. I’m a bit surprised since it just started last month, but also quite flattered. The first column is still under an exclusive publication agreement with Writing-World and will be for several more months–as I told the editor/publisher–but I’m more than amenable to discussing future reprint options. ‘Course, they didn’t mention payment, and when I hopped out to their website, I couldn’t find their guidelines, but I’m pleased to have been asked.
New Words:
– 200 on a piece of fiction. Woo!
I believe this same site wrote asking me to reprint my writing-world articles once, and when I asked about payment, got all huffy and upset.
But I just got a new email from them today, asking to reprint the articles, as if they hadn’t already done so.
I guess they’re combing the site looking for material.
I did see that Moira had a piece up on the site, but for her it’s sometimes worthwhile to trade an article for a plug for one of her e-books or traffic to her own site.
So I shouldn’t get my hopes up that they’ll actually want to pay me for reprinting my column, huh? Humph. It’s a for-writers site (I guess that should be obvious considering my column’s content), and I dunno, I sort of expect that any place purportedly geared toward helping writers ought to pay writers when they want to publish their work. How silly of me. Pffft.
Yay for job, fiction, and skunkie!
I’m delighted you’re working on fiction again. The world needs more Eugie-stories!
And just think of it this way; Hobkins is annoying, but you’d rather have Hobkin there and annoying than not annoying, but not there. :nods sagely: And if you can figure out what that means, well, you’re smarter than I am. But then, we all knew that already. 😉
*hugs* Though I wouldn’t agree on your “smarter” conclusion from this, I do know what you mean, and I totally agree. Hobkin could annoy me until I’m ready to drive a spork through my own kneecap, and I’d still love and cherish him (and yep forgive him–he’s totally got me wound around his fuzzy paw).
Glad you’re enjoying the editing job!
Thanks! I’m totally lovin’ it here!
I missed the editing job news, Eugie. Congrats! Now I Will have to go back and catch up. Also, nicely done on the tweens article. Gave a sense of focus to a very broad term (and age!)
Take care, and dont forget to friend my shiny new LJ alter ego and nix the old one (if you want.)
Thanks for both the congrats and the kudos, Lon! And also for the reminder ’bout your new LJ identity.