#but-is-she-a-betting-man — Public Fediverse posts

Wed. May 13, 2026: Steady Work Rhythm

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Waning Moon

Pluto Retrograde

Rainy and cool

Happy mid-week! I hope yours is going well.

Yesterday, I did some housework/hauled out the garbage, dealt with some admin. My mood improved, mostly because the cats were being hilarious.

I buckled down and worked on the ghostwriting, polishing the 20K assignment and getting it out just before lunch.

After lunch, I did some more admin work, and then went back to BETTING MAN. I did about 1700 words, finishing chapter fourteen and starting chapter fifteen. I then started layering in some insert scenes to an earlier chapter where I had to smooth out a logic loophole and add a red herring that would affect things moving forward.

I prefer to work in full drafts, but my outline for this book wasn’t as tight as it should be, plus I changed direction with one arc that will affect the next several books, so I need to fix things in this draft in order to build on them. There are also things from STAGE FALL, the next book, that I have to seed in here, and I need to look at what I wrote on that (years ago, a lot will be changed) that needs to be seeded.

It’s not a particularly interesting day to read about, but it was a solid workday. Steady, got good work done, not stressful.

There’s some exciting news on the local theatre front. Molly Merrihew, who was the Managing Director of WAM, is now Executive Director of Shakespeare & Co. That’s a great opportunity for her, and they are lucky to have her. I really enjoyed working with her at WAM, and I look forward to staying in touch and cheering her on at Shakespeare & Co. Erin Patrick, who was the General Manager at WAM, moves into the Managing Director position – right before she goes on maternity leave! So that will make for an interesting summer, just as WAM’s season gets under way. But we’ll all pitch in however is needed.

By then, it was time to get ready for yoga. I got changed and walked up to the studio. It was a little cool, but still a lovely walk, with clear blue skies and things in bloom.

Class was terrific. Joey the service dog joined us again, which is always a treat. Walked home, heated up some leftovers for dinner, and read in the evening.

Slept reasonably well, although at 2:30, Charlotte decided the only possible place she could perch was on my rib cage. We negotiated, and I managed to get back to sleep until Tessa got me out of bed around 5:30, the usual time.

The morning routine was fine. I figured out the next section of BETTING MAN, that I will work on today, before switching back over to the ghostwriting this afternoon. Also this afternoon, I go down to Savvy Hive to pick up the first CSA box of the season! It’s supposed to rain all day, so I will probably drive, and maybe do some of the errands I would have done tomorrow. Since I’m going to be at the Clark event (at Shakespeare & Co., no less) from mid-afternoon to early evening with a friend tomorrow, I want to take some of tomorrow’s tasks off that plate and put them on today’s plate instead.

Have a great day!

Thurs. Feb. 5, 2026: A Well-Paced Work Day

Thursday, February 5, 2026

Waning Moon

Jupiter Retrograde

Cloudy and cold

You can read the latest on the garden over at Gratitude and Growth.

I timed it well, running my early errand yesterday. By 9 AM, it was steadily snowing.

I did the blog and the blog rounds, then checked the review dashboard and pulled two books for review. I hope to turn them both around by next week. They transferred to my Kindle easily, thank goodness. While I’m not buying through that market now, I still like to read review copies/contest entries on it when possible.

I submitted two short stories. These are my first submissions of the year. I’ve dropped the ball on submissions thus far, and need to get back on track. I’m still waiting to hear back on a few things. I’ve been checking the play submission site I use, but there hasn’t been anything where I have work that fits, and I’m not writing to spec unless it’s a commission.

I wrote a little over 1700 words on BETTING MAN, which was decent. This chapter takes place at the racetrack, which is always fun. Today, I need to go back over the chapter and layer in some subplot stuff, and then I’ll have a working chapter.

I was delighted that all of my books (the ones I write) can now be purchased through Bookshop.org.

I struggled to concentrate on the ghostwriting in the afternoon, but eventually, I got there, and got some decent work done.

I also got the stereotypical “hit by lightning” moment for the residency proposal I’d given up on. I suddenly realized the perfect project to fit the guidelines. I haven’t written any of it yet, but I have the inspiration/idea from a seminar at the Clark last year. I found my notes from that, and wrote and polished the proposal. Off it went, and two days before the deadline. If I get it great. If I don’t, I don’t, and the project stays back-burnered for another year. But there’s no chance if I don’t submit, so I did. It’s something that needs a lot of research, but I was excited about it when I was first inspired, and it fits with specs for this grant/residency.

It felt good to get something viable submitted, not just something submitted to submit or skipping it because I didn’t have anything that fit. They get an enormous number of submissions each year, so who knows, but my view is that every submission has a 50-50 chance. Either they want it, or they don’t.

Because stage plays often have such a long development process and then life over numerous licensings, there are a lot of moving parts and the schedule/priority list for the plays has to constantly be reshuffled. Which is fine. I also feel my work with Nightwood, the Athena Project, and WAM all set a firm foundation for this project with this particular organization, and mentioned it in the proposal.

Leftovers for dinner, reading and listening to music in the evening. I went to bed earlier than I should have, and paid for it by waking up a little after 3. I stayed in bed until the coffee started, then got up, fed everyone, and started the morning routine.

During the free write, I did some additional background work for the project in yesterday’s proposal, since it was front and center in my brain. I also made a loose plan for what I want to work on in the Boiler House residency this autumn. Last year, I brought All the Things, and it was hard to settle. This year, I’m going to bring in some material to workshop that’s been through a few drafts, and also work on one or two specific projects within the day’s writing time. We have a shorter residency period, and less time to workshop, so I want to make sure what I bring in has been through multiple drafts. I know there are a couple of poems I want to work between now and then and bring in for my fellow poets’ wise suggestions, and I’ll bring in at least one short scene or except from whatever play I’m working on at that time.

I’m hoping to get the initial draft of I WILL BE DIFFERENT done by late spring, between the Feminist Writing Community and Honor Roll, and then get back to LAUGHTER & TURPENTINE (the Playland Painters piece) and CONSEQUENCE. I’m hoping the Dramatist Guild re-instates End of Play this year, because that program is always useful.

I trotted down to Cumberland this morning for bacon, milk, and orange juice. Sadly, they were out of eggs until tomorrow’s delivery.

I have online meditation group this morning (Charlotte will be happy). I’ll get some writing done, then I’m hosting the #FreelanceFriends chat from 12-1 EST on Bluesky, then I’ll take the rolly cart up to the library to retrieve the big stack of books that came in, and hopefully get some ghostwriting done after.

That’s the plan anyway. We’ll see what the weather does.