Do you ever have one of those days where you wonder why you keep trying? Where, just a day previous, you were convinced you were somehow worthy and now today you're just not so sure? Yeah, well... I got another rejection today, one I'd been waiting on for 5+ months. And my writers conference fantasy … Continue reading A Whyohwhy Day

I am writing this quick dispatch from my morning writing spot in the few stolen moments between paragraphs, a mere hour until I have to run in for a meeting at work. This is the coffee chain downtown that has seen me write truly hundreds of pages in the past couple of years (if you … Continue reading Losing My Spot

Sometimes I get completely and totally obsessed with short stories—yes, the most impractical of fictions. Not just reading them (though put me in a room with a good selection of literary journals *ah, periodicals room at Butler Library, how I miss you* and you might have to drag me from it) but wanting to write … Continue reading Clinically Story Obsessed

There was a time, maybe two years back, when I was feeling overly sorry for myself, realizing how many things I've tried for as a writer, and how many times I've been shot down, and I thought to make myself feel better (do not ask me why I thought this could possibly make me feel … Continue reading Catalogue of Disappointments

I went out for drinks to explain myself the other night. To say why I was leaving. To bridge some of the awkwardness that had flooded up between me and the person who was the main reason I stayed put for four years. I suppose, to some, it might not make sense—leaving this job when … Continue reading But I Want to Be a Writer

It was an odd weekend. I napped twice in the span of three days. I do not nap; it's something I try to avoid at all costs, all thoughts of napping forbidden! (Though, I'll admit, I think longingly of leisurely afternoons spent napping more often than I should.) If I do nap, if I cannot … Continue reading Napped

I attended my little sister's college graduation this week—two separate ceremonies at a large urban university. She surprised us, and herself, by graduating with honors in her major, and magna cum laude. She had no idea, in fact, until we saw the symbols next to her name in the commencement program and texted the news … Continue reading Graduation

These past few weeks I've been in a trap of my own making. It's called saying yes to too many freelance projects on top of working full-time, and I'm regretting it. How many times have I typed those very words here? I bet some of you may want to shake me silly right now. I … Continue reading What I’m Writing (A Sad Status Report)

My new job doesn't feel real yet. I just don't believe it. Did they really hire me? I don't want to get too excited as of yet. I feel like I'm imagining this and I'm going to wake up from a very long and involved dream to a pile of work and a stack of … Continue reading What’s Real

I gave notice at work today. News is, I got a new job. Reactions were varied, including: Heartfelt congratulations Closed door confessions Tears Secret hugs Thumbs up Scowls Shock Whispers of will you get me a job there? Panic Giddy laughter, as if three people leaving in a row is funny Jealousy, expected Jealousy, very … Continue reading Reactions When Giving Notice