Several things have spurred me to write a lot more lately:

• I’m sick of the crap payment I get from one of my usual gigs. Coupled with the company’s overall lack of respect for the work I do for them (and, by all the reports from other writers I know, the general lack of respect this company has for their writers), as well as the fact that I’ve been a freelancer there for two years now, but will never get a raise, direct deposit payments (?!), or better quality assignments from them, and it’s about time to be moving on. NOTE: This is a gig where my published works remain uncredited.
• I read this great article by Debbie Ridpath Ohi Deb Ng called “40 Freelance Writing Markets Paying $100 Or More (Much More)” (which Debbie Ridpath Ohi had tweeted about, hence my confusion regarding its author) and started to investigate some of the higher-paying markets she mentioned. Some of them, like Wish, have unfortunately gone out of business, but there are some on that list that I have had on my “to do” list for a long time. I mean, I actually subscribed to The Sun about a year ago, with the intention of studying their freebie issue and then writing up a brilliant submission, but I still haven’t written anything for them! I keep telling myself I’ll get around to it, so it’s about time, don’t you think?
• I actually wrote to an ex of mine who works at a local magazine, asking how the heck you get someone over there to pay attention to you, having written about 90,000 emails to various editors that have all gone unanswered. A few minutes after I wrote the note to him, the editor I’d last approached sent a response to my email. It was a rejection, but at least I got a response this time. Oh, and the editor said I should definitely pitch something else, so that’s another plus—and another reason to just get my computer implanted into my head somewhere, so I can be writing at all times.
• I’ve been doing well on the 500 Words A Day Challenge, too! I took Monday off, but have kept up so far, even blasting way ahead on Sunday when I was suddenly inspired.
• I need to become a famous writer so I can have crazy book jacket photos of myself that give David Sedaris a run for his money. You know, photos that are even cooler than this one:


David Sedaris breathes fire, because he is awesome.

• Finally, I just read a couple of articles about how NOT to write a story, which reminded me why I wanted to write fiction in the first place: because there are no limits! Lots of people writing books these days have no imagination; they are writing junk that breaks all of the rules of entertainment, and not in a good way. I know I can do better, because I don’t want to crank out books based on a formula. Art does not happen in a lab, or by colouring in the lines. Art is messy, dangerous, and crazy, and I’d much rather be an artist than a well-paid shill.

All of this adds up to me needing to put fingers to keyboard a lot more. And not on Facebook or Twitter, although those are certainly fun diversions. So basically, I just wrote this blog to say that I’m going to be holing up in my hermit hole and writing a lot more. If you see me out and about, I’m either a) researching, b) going to the post office to mail off my manuscripts, or c) getting a much needed caffeine transfusion—so don’t get in my way!